Saul successfully secured the job of handling the third step of the corpse processing in the morgue, at the cost of the maid losing her throat.
He also received a full leather robe from Kaz.
It was a bit stuffy to wear, but it saved him from having to constantly watch out for splattered flesh and blood, and it was easy to clean.
Kaz asked Saul to work in the morgue every day from 3 to 7. But nothing from here could be taken out, including the corpses.
Saul no longer needed to go to the lab—there was nothing to do there, nor anything to learn.
If he submitted a lot of materials, he could even earn extra rewards—Kaz thought Saul’s ability already surpassed what 3 Credits could pay for, so on top of the fixed pay, he added a bonus to encourage Saul to keep up the good work.
This was already a very high wage for a First Rank apprentice.
Normally, new apprentices are only considered formal First Rank apprentices after mastering all the basic knowledge.
Aside from earning a little credit through monthly tests, apprentices needed to rely on completing assignments from mentors to earn more credits.
Although the Gorsa’a Wizard Tower was tall and grand, there were only limited jobs suitable for apprentices inside.Safer jobs generally offered 1–3 Credits a month; dangerous ones could offer 4–7.
Especially those worth 7 Credits—they meant even experienced First Rank apprentices could die.
Without some survival skills, ordinary people wouldn’t dare take them on.
Saul’s job wasn’t completely without danger either.
According to Kaz, by the time a corpse reached Saul’s station, it had already passed through two screening rounds.
The first and most dangerous round was handled by a Second Rank apprentice, who would do their best to eliminate any danger on the corpse.
The second round was done by an experienced First Rank apprentice, someone who had already mastered basic wizard knowledge and could use a few Tier-0 Spells. They could protect themselves and extract the most useful materials from the corpse.
Saul, with his unexpected corpse-picking talent and a stroke of luck, got the third-round job.
Though the third round was less risky, it also paid less. But if he could maintain today's efficiency, earning 6 Credits a month wasn't out of reach.
This was the value of having a special skill.
Kaz still didn’t understand how, with Saul’s weak Dark Element perception—barely even passing—he could be so sensitive to abnormalities in dead bodies.
He could only chalk it up to Saul being naturally sensitive to spiritual entities.
Low perception of dark elements but high sensitivity to spirits—in other words, he was prone to seeing ghosts.
Saul himself didn’t really understand why he could see strange visions during meditation, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t need to understand it to make use of it.
When he had the time, he could discuss it with Keli—Maybe different meditation diagrams had different effects? Would the speed of meditation vary, too?
As a newcomer, he still had a lot to figure out, and the mentors and senior students ahead clearly weren’t keen on giving out free knowledge.
With Kaz’s guidance on the first day, Saul completed his task smoothly and got familiar with the general layout of the morgue's third level.
Kaz, excited to finally find a third worker, gave Saul some extra guidance.
He discovered that Saul’s aptitude in mental strength really was excellent—he was quick and precise with rune studies and could easily immerse himself in meditation.
Even in learning the Noah language, Saul showed impressive language aptitude.
With that kind of ability, he could succeed in any ordinary profession.
But as a wizard, lacking magical talent was like being a weapon that couldn’t kill. He’d end up as a toy, used and controlled by others.
Unless he had some kind of stroke of fortune or got the chance to undergo a Wizard Body Modification.
But with even Second Rank apprentices facing high death rates from such procedures, what were the chances of a First Rank apprentice succeeding?
Almost none.
Kaz’s teaching enthusiasm flared up fast but faded just as quickly.
Soon, he left Saul alone in the morgue, warning him to leave the second floor of the East Tower before 8 p.m. and preferably to not linger in the East Tower at all.
Saul respectfully saw him out, then turned back to stand by the conveyor belt.
He hesitated for a while.
He was the only one there now, and it took real courage to pull that lever and summon a corpse.
His hand hovered over the lever for a full minute before he suddenly yanked it down.
The conveyor belt roared to life, but after turning for a while—no new corpse appeared.
Puzzled, Saul pulled the lever again.
Still nothing.
As his anxiety built, and he considered pulling a third time—
A man’s voice came from the black tassel-draped exit.
“Stop pulling. There’s none today.”
“Got it.”
“Watch the lamp in the window. If it turns white, that means there’s a delivery.”
“Uh, thanks, senior.”
Sure enough, there was a small candle lamp above the black-tassel exit. It looked just like the others on the wall.
But while all the other lamps emitted a bright white light, this one was dim and yellow, nearly extinguished.
Kaz hadn’t mentioned that—probably because he wasn’t in charge of the detailed procedures here, so there had been an oversight.
With no work to do, Saul didn’t want to linger and left in a hurry.
As he passed the end of the corridor, the big man was still sitting there like a corpse.
But Saul noticed his nostrils flaring slightly.
Alive.
His second day as an apprentice passed peacefully, especially compared to the first day.
During class on the second day, Saul found Keli.
“I have ten magic crystals now.”
“Pay up.”
Keli stretched out her left hand.
“Do you want one credit or ten magic crystals?”
Keli's eyes widened. “You got a job?”
Saul nodded.
“My mentor also said that besides tests, apprentices can earn credits by taking on roles in the Wizard Tower.” She propped her chin. “But my mentor won’t let me look for work, only wants me to study. I don’t even have a single credit yet.”
That’s because you can pass the tests without needing to work.
Saul felt a twinge of bitterness but quickly buried the feeling.
“So, do you want the credit or the magic crystals?”
“Of course, the credit!” Keli nearly pounced on him. “Damn, I haven’t even seen what a credit looks like!”
Credits weren’t physical like coins, so they couldn’t be traded right there in class.
They had to go to the registration office next to the library on the ninth floor of the East Tower to transfer the credit to Keli’s name.
Soon, they shifted their attention back to class.
For the second meditation lesson, Monica didn’t show up. In her place was a female Second Rank apprentice. She taught a bit of new knowledge, then started meditating at the podium.
Any student who tried to ask a question with a magic crystal in hand was silenced by her icy glare.
So the rest of the class turned into a self-study session.
Without a teacher, some students began clustering up to discuss things. The classroom gradually became noisy.
Keli still sat beside Saul.
Looking at the grotesque walking figure on his meditation page, Saul had a thought—he remembered the question from yesterday.
“Keli, which diagram do you use for meditation?”
“The ‘Secret Garden Bloom’ on page three.”
“Can you meditate without the crystal ball now?”
“Of course not. The mentor said once you can meditate without it, your mental strength is about at the level of a Second Rank apprentice.” Keli looked surprised. “You can already do that?”
Saul shook his head. “I can only get into a half-dream, half-awake blurry state. Can’t absorb element particles, but it helps stabilize my mental state.”
“That’s impressive.” Keli gave him a big thumbs up. “If I try meditating without the crystal ball, all I see is a mess of lines.”
She leaned over. “Which diagram do you use? Does the meditation progress depend on the diagram?”
“Page seventeen. The Human-Monster Movement Diagram.”
“...” Keli looked at him in confusion, then flipped through her own book and looked back. “Do we have different books? Why don’t I have that page?”
(End of Chapter)