Chapter 39: A Strategy in Broad Daylight

Kongsha felt that Saul shouldn’t be this stupid.

Every time she went to find Saul, it was always in the dead of night when no one was around.

But how could Saul dare to show up at her door around eight o’clock, strutting in broad daylight with a human head in his arms?

Even though Kongsha had already checked the hallway and confirmed it was empty, who knew how many people might’ve seen Saul on his way up?

She hadn’t expected that just by failing to give one more reminder, Saul would so easily expose her existence.

Kongsha slammed Saul to the ground with a burst of overwhelming strength. A yellow piece of leather fell from his arms.

The box rolled farther away, its lid falling off, and a terrified, lifeless head rolled out.

Its eyes were still rolled upward, staring viciously at the top of its own skull.

Seeing that it was a First Rank apprentice’s head, Kongsha’s rage eased slightly.

“Do you think you can use this to threaten me? Let me tell you, even if someone finds out, you’ll be the one to die. I’d only have to pay a few credits.”

“You’ve misunderstood, Senior.”

How could Saul be trying to threaten Kongsha?

This move of his was called “borrowing power from the tiger.”

If it worked, maybe he could pit Sid and Kongsha against each other.

Saul didn’t bother getting up, just sat there on the floor.

With his head lowered, he recounted everything that had happened from the moment he left the morgue.

“I… I really didn’t dare keep this head with me, so I ran straight here. I’m sorry, Senior!”

After hearing his explanation, Kongsha stood still, pondering silently for a moment, her expression thoughtful.

She glanced at the floor, now dirtied by Saul and the severed head, and felt a wave of irritation.

“There’s a bathroom here. Go wash up first, we’ll talk after.”

Saul thanked her profusely.

His whole body was sticky and uncomfortable. He hadn’t expected to even get a bath at his senior’s place.

But just as Saul sank into the steaming hot stone tub, barely beginning to enjoy the relief of warm water against his skin, Senior Kongsha boldly pushed open the bathroom door, walked right in, and sat on the chair across from him.

“Senior, I’m bathing,” Saul said awkwardly, sinking a bit deeper into the water.

Even though he was only twelve, and the woman in front of him didn’t exactly qualify as a normal one, he still felt a bit disadvantaged.

“No need to be shy. I’ve seen hundreds of limbs on the dissection table—maybe more. I know your body better than you do.” If she still had eyelids, Kongsha would probably have rolled her eyes.

Saul had no choice but to treat her like a male nurse and tried to relax, enjoying the hot water and scrubbing away the filth from his body.

First Rank apprentices didn’t have the privilege of soaking baths—just a quick rinse in the public shower.

Kongsha glanced at Saul’s hands before getting back to the point.

“You said Sid threatened you?”

“Yes. From the way he talked, it seems like I’ll lose my job at the morgue soon.”

Saul looked at Kongsha, panic all over his face.

“Sid brought some newcomers back to the tower this time,” Kongsha said, already understanding Saul’s implication and sharing what she knew.

“Could one of the newcomers have a stronger mental aptitude?” Saul frowned, worried.

“If someone caught Mentor Kaz’s eye…” He gave a bitter smile, his shoulders slumping. “Then maybe I really will get kicked out.”

If Kongsha still had eyelids, she’d definitely roll her eyes again.

“You don’t need to worry about that. I’ll take care of it. You just focus on the tasks I’ve given you.”

“Okay, Senior.” Saul immediately gave a relieved smile.

But before his words had even faded, Kongsha swayed her hips and walked over.

Saul’s heart skipped a beat. He tried to lean back, only to bump into the hard stone wall behind him.

Kongsha placed both hands on the edge of the tub, leaned forward, and lowered her head until the glass dome of her skull touched Saul’s forehead.

“Did Sid see what you brought back?”

From his forehead came a surprisingly warm and soft sensation. It didn’t feel like glass—it felt like delicate skin.

“Maybe her head didn’t really turn into a terrifying glass dome. Maybe it’s all just an illusion?”

The naive thought had barely formed before Saul crushed it.

In this cursed wizard tower, even a normal-looking person had to be treated like a potential monster—let alone someone like Kongsha, who clearly wasn’t normal.

Saul didn’t dare lift his head.

He knew that her eyeballs were probably crawling out from the white fluid again, staring at him with a murderous intensity.

Every time he met those eyes, a chill would shoot down his spine, bone-deep and unshakable.

No amount of exposure could ever make it feel normal.

The suppression from a superior lifeform couldn’t be overcome by courage alone.

Not even the hottest bathwater could warm the cold that seeped out from his soul.

“No, ma’am.” He unconsciously reverted to his old manner of address. “But he knows I work in the morgue. He might have guessed what it was.”

Kongsha still didn’t move away.

The pressure mounted.

Warmth was replaced by a biting chill.

That cold seemed to drill into Saul’s skull like an electric drill.

Caught between the icy weight on his head and the steaming bathwater below, he struggled to breathe, gasping for air.

“Ha… ha…”

Even though no one was covering his nose or mouth, he felt like he could suffocate at any moment.

Only after Kongsha had thoroughly enjoyed his reaction did she finally straighten up and release him.

“You’re trying to provoke me into dealing with Sid?” she chuckled. “You think you’re worth that much? Try playing games with me again, and I’ll eat your brain!”

Swaying as she walked, Kongsha left the bathroom with one final instruction, “From now on, only come see me after midnight.”

As Saul watched the bathroom door close, he slowly submerged his head under the water.

“I’ve been scolded,” he thought calmly underwater, the fear from earlier gone. “But I’ve already achieved my first goal. Senior Kongsha, once there’s a conflict of interest, there will be a struggle. This isn’t trickery. It’s an open strategy.”

…

With wet, messy hair, Saul slunk out of Kongsha’s room in a sorry state.

If he were a little older, today’s events might have become a juicy rumor.

Unfortunately, at this age, neither party was the type to stir gossip.

West Tower, Sixth Floor.

The hallway had thinned out.

Some had gone to rest, others to study, and some still clung to the rare opportunity to socialize.

As Saul passed by, conversations would quiet down—but as soon as he left, the whispers would buzz like annoying mosquitoes again.

Doze, Rocky, Jenna, and Duke had formed a little group.

All of them had joined the mutual aid group.

Doze, Rocky, and Jenna had chosen the warm, enthusiastic Mentor Anze, whom the senior Lokai had recommended.

Only Duke, for some reason, switched back to the dark-attribute Mentor Kaz at the last moment.

Once Saul’s figure disappeared behind the door to Dorm 603, Duke finally retracted his covert gaze.

Doze noticed and chuckled. “What, Duke? Still holding a grudge against Saul?”

Hearing this, Jenna turned her curious eyes toward Duke.

She hadn’t been there when Duke and Saul clashed before.

And she wasn’t one for gossip, so she didn’t know the details of their conflict.

Duke quickly smiled. “What’s there to hold a grudge over? I just find him annoying; that’s all. We all went through hell and back to earn our spots as apprentices. He just swooped in halfway and cheated his way through the test.”

His words struck a chord with the others, reminding them of the strange atmosphere on test day.

“Yeah, I still don’t get it. His magic aptitude was so poor—how did he even pass?” said Doze. “I remember Senior Sid clearly didn’t want him to pass, but Senior Nick let him through. Senior Nick looks cold, but it turns out he’s soft-hearted.”

“Is his magic aptitude really that bad?” Jenna asked, intrigued.

Back then, she’d even invited Saul to join the mutual aid group—after all, each new member meant a magic crystal reward.

But Saul had turned her down flat. Just thinking about it made Jenna pout.

“It’s definitely bad. Even our mentor didn’t want him.” Duke replied casually, but deep down, he remembered that after Mentor Kaz had taken Saul away, the boy never showed up in the lab again.

Could it be that Saul had been chosen by Kaz for that job?

Recalling that terrifying, bloody work environment, Duke felt a mix of disgust and envy he couldn’t shake.

(End of Chapter)

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