Chapter 526: Orchid Weiser

[Orchid Weiser]

Species

- Human Female

Age

- 24 years old

Bond Level

- 0 (30% experience shared)

Profession

- Veilshade

Profession Trait

- Any spell or Miracle cast achieves its maximum possible effect as long as the target cannot see the caster.

Innate Ability

- Gains an additional 200% Truth Class EXP and Fate Class EXP. A small chance exists to gain 10,000% Truth Class EXP and Fate Class EXP instead. On rare occasions, the user may draw the attention of the Phantom Mirror Dragon. Increasing overall strength unlocks higher talent ranks.

Personal Skill

- Revelation of Truth: The mountains stand high and the rivers run long, every step revealing a new landscape. Truth remains boundless, and every inch gained brings newfound joy.

When facing an unfamiliar enemy, Orchid Weiser receives a +10 bonus to Insight. Uncovering over 80% of an enemy's information increases her critical hit chance to 100%.

- Silver Blessing · Orchid Weiser's Camouflage: Fragile scholars naturally inspire sympathy. Anyone holding the slightest goodwill toward Orchid Weiser will find it exceedingly difficult to harbor genuine malice against her.

- Gold Blessing · Orchid Weiser's Armament: A clever scholar always knows how to choose the right prey. Targets marked by Orchid Weiser become prone to irrational judgment.

1. Enemies holding an overwhelmingly superior position will notice subtle signs of hidden trump cards, letting fear take root and prompting them to abandon the fight on their own initiative.

2. Enemies trapped in an overwhelmingly inferior position will convince themselves through every conceivable excuse that victory remains within reach, refusing to flee and willingly marching toward their deaths. This effect on their intelligence only lasts for a short while before returning to normal.

Items

- None

Controlled Spirits

- Illusion; Puppet; Moonshade; Thousand Gear...

Truth Class

- Sacred Realm

Fire Class

- Gold

Mind Class

- Silver

Time Class

- Silver

Brute Body Class

- Silver

Fist and Claw Class

- Silver

Sword Class

- Silver

Firearm Class

- Silver

...

Knowledge Curse

- Whirlpool Secret Poison; Phantom Mirror Dragon Secret Poison

Training Strategy

- Not Set

The new operator was a Sacred Realm sorcerer. What shocked Ashe even more than her rank was the array of sorcery classes she practiced. Beyond holding Truth Class at the Sacred Realm level and Fire Class at Gold Rank proficiency, she boasted a staggering twenty-four Silver Rank sorcery class affiliations.

The sheer number of classes she had mastered exceeded her age in years.

Her innate ability, Fate Arbiter, belonged to both the Truth and Fate sorcery classes. At first glance, her innate ability appeared vastly superior to those of the Swordswoman and the Witch, but closer inspection revealed she had only mastered the Truth Class so far, having yet to gain entry into the Fate Class. If Ashe's guess held true, she had first become a Two-Winged sorcerer through the Fire Class before advancing into the Truth Class. After all, the three supreme sorcery classes, Prophecy, Fate, and Truth, could not be learnt through conventional means.

That meant Fate Arbiter might not actually surpass the innate abilities of the Swordswoman or the Witch in practice. Had the new operator never stepped into the Truth Class, the talent would have proven effectively worthless, much like the orcs' innate talent in Space Class. Until entering the Distant Sky Domain, those orcs remained nobodies.

Of course, that line of thought was merely Ashe's instinctive attempt to downplay the newcomer, convincing himself that she was roughly equal in strength to the Swordswoman and the Witch.

In truth, her stats were simply outrageous. She possessed Truth Class proficiency at the Sacred Realm level and stood as a genuine Three-Winged sorcerer.

Unlike Ashe and his companions, who had merely snuck into the Distant Sky Domain to make up numbers, the new operator had earned the recognition of the Virtual World itself. Through sheer talent and ability, she had summoned a Three-Winged spirit and opened the Gate of Truth leading to the Distant Sky Domain.

Setting aside the extreme rarity of the Truth Class, mastering that many sorcery classes was terrifying on its own.

One notable detail was her lack of mastery in the Space Class, meaning she had not yet constructed her Sacred Realm. Her progress within the Virtual World remained roughly on par with Ashe and the others. That realization left him with mixed feelings. On one hand, relief washed over him; on the other, he lamented the absence of an overwhelmingly powerful backer to rely on.

She also possessed two Secret Poisons. The Whirlpool Secret Poison needed no explanation, while the Phantom Mirror Dragon Secret Poison clearly linked to her innate talent. He intended to ask her about it once they entered the Virtual World.

Beyond those traits, she possessed an exceptionally rare spirit named Thousand Gears.

The Swordswoman had mentioned it in passing while discussing the Five Unmatched Secret Swords. It was a spirit of extraordinary value. Even a One-Winged Thousand Gears commanded a price comparable to a Four-Winged spirit, eagerly sought by Sacred Realm and Legendary sorcerers alike.

Its greatest characteristic was having no unique characteristic at all. It could transform into any spirit.

Naturally, heavy restrictions applied. The sorcerer had to understand, possess, or at least come into physical contact with the target spirit. Furthermore, after transforming, the copied spirit's wing rank could never exceed that of Thousand Gears itself.

Even with those limitations, that flexibility alone made countless sorcerers covet it.

The Sword Class boasted the Five Unmatched Secret Swords, while every other sorcery class maintained its own wish list of priceless, immensely powerful spirits, such as the Six Ancient Scroll Spirits or the Eight King of Fists Spirits.

Under normal circumstances, a sorcerer hoping to obtain one of those rare spirits had only two options: coerce the owner into selling it, or rely on luck to encounter it within the Virtual World. In reality, forced sales rarely happened. Unless a spirit's effects were glaringly obvious, determining what spirits another sorcerer held was nearly impossible, and those recognizable at a glance were usually common spirits.

Sorcerers bold enough to flaunt rare spirits were almost always Two-Winged, Sacred Realm, or even stronger entities. Their standing alone deterred thieves, giving them total confidence to reject any purchase offer.

That was where Thousand Gears truly shone. It required no other sorcerers to part with their precious spirits. It simply became a copy itself.

If you refuse to sell your spirit, surely you will not mind letting me touch it for a moment?

Furthermore, Sacred Realm and Legendary sorcerers often relied on one or two irreplaceable rare spirits, treasures as precious to them as a spouse. Dying in the Virtual World and losing a key spirit meant their entire spirit system could collapse, like a card deck losing its core engine.

With Thousand Gears serving as a backup spouse, they could survive the most dangerous recovery periods.

In terms of sorcery classes, spirits, and innate ability, the new operator surpassed Ashe, the Swordswoman, and the Witch in every aspect. Even so, Ashe felt little worry about getting along with her.

He had already seen Orchid Weiser's character portrait, where she was shown as a bespectacled girl wearing a trench coat and a small round hat, sitting quietly on a sofa while reading a book. She didn't look like a twenty-four-year-old Sacred Realm sorcerer. If anything, she looked far more like a student attending school, appearing even younger than the Swordswoman and the Witch.

The new operator was likely a scholar specializing in spellcasting. Both of her blessings, Camouflage and Armament, suggested a distaste for direct conflict, while her Veilshade profession implied she rarely drew attention in daily life. Perhaps she worked as a librarian or spent her days buried in a research laboratory. In short, she was probably a homebody.

She should be easy enough to get along with, Ashe thought.

The newcomer likely leaned toward support and reconnaissance rather than frontline combat. Fortunately, their team already possessed more than enough damage dealers, allowing her to fill the remaining gap in their lineup neatly. Setting everything else aside, her Gold Blessing, Orchid Weiser's Armament, offered immense practical value. It directly lowered an enemy's intelligence, forcing stronger foes to retreat while driving weaker ones to march willingly to their deaths. Even if the effect lasted only a moment, that brief window often determined the outcome of a battle.

The Swordswoman and the Witch should both accept a teammate like that, right?

Seeing no major issues, Ashe remembered the Advanced Trial Card in his inventory and casually used it on the new operator. He expected no instant obedience, but raising her Bond Level a little felt worthwhile.

For some reason, Ashe sensed the two of them would get along exceptionally well. The reason? It's because they both possessed Substitute spirits!

As long as you like using Substitute spirits too, you are automatically fellow capitalists separated only by blood! Thought the cult leader.

Next came the highlight of the draw: the two outfits.

[Moon Star Swimsuit · Swordswoman]

Description

- Mana Cost -10% when casting composite Miracles involving multiple sorcery classes. (Must be personally gifted to and accepted by the operator.)

[Empress in the Rain · Witch]

Description

- All Water Class Miracles gain +50% effectiveness while fighting beneath rainfall. (Must be personally gifted to and accepted by the operator.)

Ashe gave a small "Huh?" as he blinked in surprise. Opening the detailed descriptions, his pupils dilated.

The resolution was modest, but he could tell that brand-new character illustrations filled the screen!

The Swordswoman wore a pure white swimsuit beneath a sheer, off-the-shoulder transparent cover-up. Her expression registered slight shyness, her bright eyes seeming to ask: Do I look good?

The Witch stood in the rain wearing a black-and-white gothic outfit. The dress appeared ordinary at first glance, but closer inspection revealed a trailing skirt at the back over shorts and stockings, leaving her legs completely free to move. Soaked through by the downpour, the wet fabric clung tightly to her figure, giving her the irresistibly pitiful look of an abandoned kitten caught in the rain.

To be fair, both outfits were excellent. If the static illustrations looked this impressive, the physical garments would prove breathtaking. The core problem lay elsewhere.

Must be personally gifted to and accepted by the operator?

Ashe had originally assumed he could equip the outfits directly, forcing the operators to change into them before entering the Virtual World. Even if they grew angry afterward, he would face a brief beating at worst before changing them back, securing a chance to admire the designs first.

Handing them a swimsuit or a wet-look dress in person presented an entirely different problem.

The difference mirrored secretly turning in a blank winter vacation workbook and getting caught by the teacher versus standing up in class to announce a total refusal to complete the homework.

The former was a minor prank, whereas the latter was an open provocation.

He might manage a negotiation with the Witch. The Swordswoman, however, would likely slice both him and the swimsuit in half.

Damn it! Do operator outfits always come with conditions like this? Doesn't that mean I can only pull respectable outfits from now on?

...Wait. Would bridal outfits require the exact same handoff?!

While Ashe seriously pondered how to manage drawing a bridal outfit, Iger broke the silence. "Actually, we could have escaped back then."

"Hm?"

"When you realized defeating the Four Pillars Cult was impossible, you could have used the Grand Law of Eternal Calamity Flame to force a path out. Their commander was exceptionally strong, but her post kept her bound to the location, giving us a strong chance to get away."

Ashe froze for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. You are right. But at the time... I honestly thought I had a chance to win."

Iger frowned, unable to understand the choice. "After she summoned the Four Pillar Deities' blessings, the pressure alone dispersed your Eternal Calamity Flamefall. What made you think victory was still possible?"

"What if her close-combat skills were weak? What if the blessings faded quickly?" Ashe scratched his head. "Besides, I received the Four Pillar Deities' blessing once before, and Gerard crushed me immediately afterward. I figured I could pull off the same trick against her. Who could have known?"

Harvey interrupted the conversation. "What are you getting so hung up on?"

"I simply find Ashe's behavior back then puzzling," Iger pondered aloud. "It felt like a Lala Fat turning sudden aggression into action. Unless cornered with zero room for retreat, Ashe rarely displays such an overwhelming urge to fight. The Four Pillars Cult was not even targeting us. Holding the Grand Law of Eternal Calamity Flame gave him valuable leverage to force a standoff and gain far more at the negotiating table. Yet he recklessly charged forward, determined to fight to the death."

Harvey shrugged. "What is so strange about that? Gaining sudden power went to his head, making him think he was unstoppable."

"Exactly," Ashe agreed, nodding along. "Hanging around you guys all the time makes an occasional brain short-circuit completely normal."

Since Ashe acknowledged the explanation himself, Iger dropped the subject.

Even so, caution lingered in his mind.

One primary reason Iger had abandoned his plan to cooperate with the Four Pillars Cult stemmed from replaying the battle in his thoughts. He could no longer see through the woman who had defeated Ashe.

Recalling her image, he recognized a strangely familiar scent. It was the scent of his own kind.