So this meditation diagram was called the Erosion Diagram.
But Saul still felt that the name he came up with was more vivid and fitting. The Human-Monster Movement Diagram.
"Mentor, I asked around. No one else's meditation book has this diagram, only mine… Someone tampered with my book. Someone wants me dead!"
Saul’s expression flickered between anger and fear.
"So?" Kaz remained calm, even indifferent.
"Please, Mentor, save me."
Kaz's thick white eyebrows furrowed. He lowered his head and looked at Saul.
"Kid, the world of wizards isn’t about kindness and beauty. To grow stronger, to uncover deeper mysteries, people will do whatever it takes. What you need to do is adapt to this world, not just seek protection."
"Mentor Kaz, I understand the survival of the fittest. But I’ve only been an apprentice for two days, and already someone has ordered maids and even other apprentices to go after me. Could there be more to this than meets the eye? Right now…" Saul shrank his shoulders, clutching his stomach pitifully. "I don’t even dare eat the food the maids bring me."
"Survival of fittest?" Kaz raised an eyebrow. "You haven’t learned much yet, but your vocabulary is impressive."After pondering for a moment, he finally relented. "No matter who is trying to harm you, instructing the wizard tower’s servants and apprentices to act against you is crossing the line. I’ll take care of it—no one will dare tamper with an apprentice’s supplies again."
He placed a hand on Saul’s head. "Being able to avoid the Erosion Diagram’s trap was your own skill, and that’s what truly matters. Now, go back, eat well, study hard, and grow stronger. Then you’ll see that the dangers on the wizard’s path are far scarier than someone scheming against you."
Saul’s plea for help had used up his allotted time for questions. With that, Kaz clasped his hands behind his back and walked out of the morgue.
Saul let out a small breath of relief but still felt disappointed.
Kaz had ensured that Saul wouldn’t have to worry about his daily necessities being tampered with, but he hadn’t promised to track down the culprit.
Which meant that Saul still had to be wary of Sid causing trouble elsewhere or even coming after him directly.
Fortunately, the wizard tower likely had some restrictions on Second Rank apprentices. Otherwise, Sid wouldn’t have resorted to such underhanded methods to deal with him.
A Second Rank apprentice killing a new apprentice would be effortless.
He had to find a way to grow stronger as quickly as possible.
At the same time, he needed to figure out how to avoid Sid’s traps until he had the strength to fight back.
Saul resumed copying books.
His expression was blank, and his pen moved swiftly. Even when transcribing the complex Noah script, his speed barely slowed.
At seven o’clock, he left the morgue.
As he stepped out, he noticed the crimson door next to his also opening. A man in his early twenties emerged. The emblem on his clothes marked him as a First Rank apprentice.
Judging by his age, he was clearly a seasoned First Rank apprentice.
The man glanced at Saul, but his gaze passed over him as if he were nothing more than air.
Saul silently stepped aside, allowing the man to ascend the slope first.
Today, there was no work. Everyone could leave on time.
Saul lingered by the door for a moment, watching to see if the deep red door at the end of the hall would open.
That should be where the first stage of corpse processing took place.
But after waiting for about ten minutes, the door still remained.
Not wanting to loiter too long, Saul clutched his book and hurried away.
Kaz was in a foul mood today.
None of his newly acquired apprentices satisfied him.
Duke had a high perception for dark elements and decent magical talent, but his mind was sluggish and lacked intuition.
If he struggled so much with just a few simple runes, how could he ever hope to grasp real wizardry?
Angela had decent talent and was sharper than Duke, but she was too restless.
Her big eyes were cute, sure, but they were always darting around.
Even something as basic as studying, which only required effort, she managed to turn into scheming.
And she thought she was good at faking innocence.
Kaz wasn’t the scheming type himself, so he disliked apprentices who were.
In his experience, those who relied on scheming to become high-level wizard apprentices always failed on the path to becoming a True Wizard.
And besides, Angela reminded Kaz of another girl.
That one was probably reaping the consequences of her own actions right about now.
As for Saul…
Kaz hadn’t paid him any attention at first.
In his view, someone with no magical aptitude becoming an apprentice was just a waste of the tower’s resources.
Saul must have pulled some strings to get in.
Kaz had originally planned to eliminate him during the first test. But unexpectedly, he discovered Saul’s talent in soul-related matters.
No, saying it was an unexpected discovery wouldn’t be entirely accurate.
He had been instructed to look for it.
Kaz slowly walked along the sloped corridor between the sixteenth and seventeenth floors of the East Tower.
These floors housed the mentors.
Suddenly, the shadows around him shifted.
The candlelight remained steady, yet the shadows on the ground writhed like fleeing creatures, breaking into countless tiny black specks that leapt and scattered, diving into the cracks of the stone floor.
Kaz stopped in his tracks, his facial muscles twitching, his breathing slowing.
Who said that True Wizards wouldn’t feel fear?
He looked up and saw a figure descending the slope.
His arms hung stiffly at his sides, not swinging as he walked. His heels lifted high, barely allowing his toes to touch the ground—
As if the floor was too filthy to step on.
Most importantly, the figure was wrapped in pink bandages from head to toe, leaving only a pair of silver eyes exposed.
Kaz bowed deeply.
"Tower Master."
"Hmm."
With that simple response, the pink-bandaged figure brushed past Kaz.
Kaz exhaled half a breath in relief.
But before he could release the other half, the Tower Master stopped after taking two steps.
Kaz immediately turned around, not daring to show his back.
"That little one… he’s quite suited for corpse processing, isn’t he?"
The Tower Master’s voice was gentle—
A stark contrast to the fear he instilled, even in a True Wizard like Kaz.
"Yes. His talent in soul matters is indeed impressive. On his first day processing corpses, he identified an extra material that even I overlooked."
"Heh. That just means you weren’t paying attention." The Tower Master chuckled.
Kaz shivered.
"Give him this. It’ll help him master his craft more quickly."
The bandages on the Tower Master’s abdomen split open, revealing a dark crevice. He reached a long, slender hand inside and withdrew a thin, silk-bound book.
"Understood." Kaz took it with both hands. "Oh, and Tower Master," Kaz suddenly remembered the boy asking for help, "Someone tampered with that kid’s meditation book, swapping a page for the Erosion Diagram."
The Tower Master turned slightly as if intrigued.
"He meditated with the Erosion Diagram?"
"Er… probably not. A new apprentice wouldn’t have survived that. He must have realized something was off and only told me today."
A cold wind howled through the corridor.
The Tower Master’s body, balanced only on the tips of his toes, swayed like a reed in the wind.
"That won’t do. Wizard apprentices belong to me. Meditation books belong to me. The maids belong to me." The Tower Master’s silver eyes curved into a smile. "Oh, right—so do the laboratories."
Laboratories?
Kaz felt sweat bead at his hairline but didn’t dare let it drip onto his face.
"Find the culprit," the Tower Master said. "Make them pay."
With that, he turned and continued down the corridor.
When his figure vanished around the bend, the countless black specks of shadow eagerly leapt back out from the stone cracks, merging into place once more.
Kaz glanced at the book in his hands, puzzled.
Why was the Tower Master so interested in Saul?
(End of chapter)