Saul’s first mentor class turned into a deep cleaning session.
Fortunately, Saul already had experience with manual work, so he quickly got the hang of it.
Mark, seeing how careful and diligent Saul was, cheered up. As he tidied up alongside him, he also shared some important study tips.
Just like that, two hours passed. Mark had something to attend to, so he handed the final cleanup tasks over to Saul.
“In a bit, toss the trash into that yellow bin over there. Make sure it’s the yellow one. If it’s not, just tie the bag shut and leave it for tomorrow.”
Saul looked at the yellow trash bin by the lab’s entrance. It stood taller than his chest and nodded seriously.
“All done.” Mark pulled out a chair, sat down with his legs stretched wide. “You’ve got five minutes. Ask me anything. After that, I’m off to my date.”
Saul quickly jumped in with a question he’d prepared in advance.
“Senior Mark, how do mental power and magical power affect the study of wizardly?”
Mark wasn’t surprised. Based on what Mentor Kaz had said, he already suspected this junior had poor magical talent but decent mental aptitude.Probably wasn’t willing to give up.
“If you go by the textbook, they’re equally important. But as a hands-on practitioner, I’ll tell you: magic is the medium we use to turn knowledge into spells. Let me give you an analogy. The elemental ions in the outside world are like a river 100 meters away. Your mental aptitude is your running speed, and your magical aptitude is the tool you use to carry water.”
Mark gestured with his hands.
“Normal apprentices use buckets.” He made a smaller shape. “You’ve got a bowl. So your progress will be much slower, get it?”
Saul replied immediately, “Then I’ll just make more trips.”
Mark shook his head. “It’s not that simple. In the world of wizards, you always need magic. Casting spells, crafting tools, drawing arrays, building runes, sometimes you need to carry two bowls or even a whole bucket at once. What if your bowl can’t manage it?”
Saul lowered his head. His left fingertip twitched slightly. “Senior Mark, is there no way to turn my little bowl into a big bucket? Like through Wizard Body Modification?”
Mark noticed Saul’s left hand but didn’t think much of it; this level of body modification was trivial to him.
“Of course there is. But almost no First Rank apprentice can handle it. Wizard Body Modification, like the one mentor mentioned, usually requires you to be at least Second Rank.”
He raised both hands. From the center of each palm, a large mouth split open, constantly snapping and licking at the air.
Two bright red tongues stretched toward Saul, probing and closing in.
Saul gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to retreat. His left hand was also ready to act at any moment.
Just as the room’s atmosphere grew tense, Mark suddenly withdrew his hands.
“Don’t move. This is a lab.”
He spoke casually, as if he had only meant to scare Saul.
“Got it, Senior Mark.” Saul lowered his hand and asked again, still unwilling to give up, “So there’s no modification a First Rank apprentice can survive? I might only have three months.”
Mark stretched lazily and stood up. “Then you’ll just have to bet your life. For example, head to the library and take a look at materials meant for Second Rank apprentices.”
Saul could tell Mark was leaving. Time for questions was nearly up.
He quickly followed him to the door. “Can I borrow Second Rank apprentice books?”
Mark strode to the door and yanked it open.
“Anything in the public library is fair game.” He turned around and gave him a strange smile. “The library never stops lower-ranked mages from reading higher-level materials. They're bored, too, after all.”
With that, Mark left the lab and closed the door behind him.
Saul stood at the door, deep in thought. “Bet my life, huh?”
Just relying on meditation, Saul had no chance of meeting Mentor Kaz’s expectations in three months.
He looked at the floating hardcover book above his left shoulder. “Well, this is what I’m good at.”
Just then, the lab door creaks open again. Mark poked his head back in. “Don’t forget to tidy up before you leave.”
“Understood, Senior.”
Startled, Saul watched as Mark’s half-face vanished again.
The door shut.
The room was probably empty.
Saul turned to scan the lab. Not much work remained: just putting things back in place, taking out the trash, and checking if all the cabinets were tightly shut.
He made a round through the lab.
He pushed the chair Mark had pulled out back under the table and scooped up trash from underneath, tossing it into the yellow bin.
The inside of the yellow bin was pitch black, seemingly bottomless. It didn’t look like a bin, more like a tunnel.
Saul didn’t stare long. He dumped the trash and quickly shut the lid.
“Being alone in a lab always feels kinda eerie.” He rubbed his arm, imagining goosebumps crawling up from under his skin.
Saul noticed a few sketchy sheets on the central table someone had drawn something on them, but it had all been scribbled over with messy black lines.
The paper was crumpled like it had been thrown away and then retrieved and flattened again.
“Were these here before?”
He carefully swept them into a small bin, planning to take out another load.
But just as he reached to lift the trash can lid, it suddenly turned red before his eyes.
Saul froze mid-motion, slowly retracting his hand.
He decided to pretend he saw nothing and placed the small bin under the table, sealed tight.
Continuing his inspection, he reached the deepest row of cabinets.
For some reason, he suddenly remembered the creature-walking diagram he used for meditation earlier.
According to that layout, he was now standing in the lowest spot of the diagram, the position of the monster.
He quickly shook his head to banish the ominous thought, but as he stepped forward, he stepped on something.
Looking down, he nearly jumped.
It was that wooden doll they’d used for talent testing on the first day.
Though the doll’s eyes were hollow holes, Saul felt like something was watching him through them.
“…Make sure the floor by the cabinets is clear when you leave. I’ll clean it once, but if you see anything still there, just find the matching cabinet nearby and return it. Be sure to close the door properly!”
He recalled Mark’s earlier instructions.
Turning his head, he saw a nearby cabinet had a small gap open.
Through the glass, he could see… piles and piles of wooden dolls, lying every which way.
“Well, looks like I’ve come to your house.”
Saul tilted his head slightly, avoiding direct eye contact with the doll. He bent down to pick it up.
The moment his fingers touched its rough, cool surface—
Rustle rustle…
A sound only Saul could hear.
The hardcover book flew in front of him, pages flipping rapidly before stopping on a new blank page.
[May 26th, Year 314 of the Lunar Calendar]
You were left behind by Mark to clean the lab.
This really isn’t a great job.
You got your foot bumped by a naughty wooden doll and were about to return it to its place.
You opened the cabinet, grabbed the doll by the head, and carefully placed it back inside.
You were grabbed by the head and carefully placed inside.
You lay atop the bodies of your companions, watching the glass door close.
Outside, Saul hummed a pleasant tune and ran off happily.
(End of Chapter)