Chapter 60: The Strongest Second-Rank in Combat

Monroe let out a long sigh.

Saul was still waiting for Monroe to elaborate, but it seemed the man had said all he intended to on that second question.

When Saul pressed further, Monroe simply replied that it wasn’t something Saul should concern himself with just yet.

The sand in the hourglass was down to its last few grains.

Saul quickly asked, “May I ask, who is currently the strongest Second-Rank apprentice in the tower?”

Monroe smiled. “At the moment, the one generally acknowledged to have the strongest combat ability is a Second-Rank apprentice named Kongsha, who specializes in dark elemental magic. Unfortunately, being the strongest doesn’t necessarily mean she’s the most likely to advance to the Third Rank.”

As Monroe finished speaking, the last grain of blue sand dropped to the bottom of the hourglass.

“Time’s up. Want to pay for another round?” Monroe asked, hand on the small hourglass, as if ready to flip it again.

But Saul shook his head, thanked Monroe, and turned to head back to his seat.

Monroe, somewhat disinterested now, dispelled the magic, put away the hourglass, and went back to reading.

On the way back, Saul passed by the long table where Duke and Doze sat, but didn’t see Rocky.

When Saul looked over, both Duke and Doze instinctively avoided his gaze.

Returning to his seat, Saul saw Keli glance over, so he shared a bit of intel.

“One credit for five minutes. You can ask confidential questions too, but that costs an extra credit… if you trust he’ll actually keep the secret.”

Keli frowned. “Still pricey. Why not just ask your mentor?”

Saul looked at her in confusion. “You see your mentor often?”

“Not super often,” Keli replied. “Once every three or four days, maybe.”

Saul was speechless. Every three or four days? He sometimes went over ten without seeing Kaz.

And whether Kaz would answer his questions depended entirely on the man’s mood and workload.

As for the other one who had secretly mentored him—the one who barely counted as a teacher—Saul had only met him twice.

After class, Saul had planned to go to the meditation lesson with Keli, but when he caught sight of Doze and Duke heading in the opposite direction, he stopped short and decided to skip it.

Keli, chatting as they walked, was mid-complaint about how many people had weird habits during meditation when she realized Saul had disappeared at some point.

She rolled her eyes hard.

…

Sixth Floor, West Tower — Dormitory Section

When Saul returned to the dorms, he passed by rooms 613 and 614.

Doze appeared to be about to knock on one of the doors, but when he spotted Saul, he quickly pivoted and slipped back into Room 613.

Saul looked up. Room 614 should be where Rocky lived.

He thought,

Ever since I scared him off yesterday, has he been hiding in his room this whole time? Doesn’t he have anyone backing him? Or… is it really just about love?

Saul’s life as an apprentice had been far from normal. Outside of studying, he had no pleasant distractions.

Only corpses, stale blood, and the occasional twitching soul.

So he didn’t really understand how a young boy could risk everything for a girl.

Maybe it was just that people in this world matured faster.

Back in his own room, Saul hesitated, then opened the door just a crack to peek toward 614.

He didn’t see Doze going to Rocky’s room—instead, he saw Duke coming out of it.

Duke? You’re everywhere,

Saul thought, narrowing his eyes.

After leaving Rocky’s room, Duke didn’t return to his own. Instead, he walked to the end of the hall and started up the ramp.

Before ascending, Duke looked around cautiously, as if checking for anyone tailing him.

The ramp was fully exposed, so Saul didn’t follow.

Still, even without following, he had a good idea of who Duke was going to see.

…

Midnight

Saul left his dorm and climbed the tower.

At night, the wizard tower was as eerily quiet and chilling as ever. The dim candlelight barely illuminated the space around it.

When Saul was just a servant, he used to fear that something might suddenly leap out of those shadowy corners.

Even now, as an apprentice, he still feared those dark places.

At the tenth floor, Saul paused.

There seemed to be a shadow pacing in the corridor, but when he looked carefully, there was nothing there.

Without lingering, he picked up his pace and climbed to the thirteenth floor.

Kongsha’s door opened as soon as he knocked. She might’ve been waiting for him.

“Sid is about to make a move.”

The moment Kongsha closed the door, Saul cut straight to the point.

“Are you sure?” Kongsha asked. “Killing a Second-Rank apprentice inside the tower without reason has serious consequences. Everything here belongs to… the Tower Master.” She shivered as she said the title, as though even mentioning it was enough to invoke fear. “Have you considered what would happen if you’re wrong and you become the aggressor?”

“I know,” Saul said. “The rules for apprentices are pretty clear.”

If an apprentice kills a servant without cause, they lose credits. If they kill another apprentice without cause, they get skinned and lose credits. If they harm a mentor without cause, the mentor can punish them however they like.

“But all those rules hinge on one thing: ‘without cause.’ If I’m fighting back and accidentally kill Sid, it doesn’t count as unprovoked.”

Kongsha pressed her lips together and said nothing. Saul opened his hands in a pleading gesture.

“Senior, Sid has already taken control of two new apprentices around me. The next time he strikes, it’ll be to kill. Are you really willing to watch me die in his scheme?”

Especially after all the effort you went through to place me in the corpse chamber…

Even if your pawn went off-script halfway through.

Saul tried to sound sincere. “Let’s stick to the plan. You get the head of a Second-Rank apprentice. I lose an enemy.”

Kongsha’s red lips curled up. She leaned back in her chair, twirling her toes in the air.

“Then tell me your plan in detail.”

Saul relaxed a little. Step two of the plan—complete!

He connected the dots between his recent experiences and Sid’s movements.

A lot of it was speculation.

But Saul didn’t need to verify which parts were true. All that mattered was that Sid showed up in the end.

“He first approached a girl named Jenna who’d been to the Mutual Aid Society… You know about that group, right?”

Kongsha nodded.

Even she knew about it? That meant the Mutual Aid Society was probably more powerful than Saul had thought.

“That new girl discovered the society’s parasite and came to me for help. But right in front of me—she exploded.”

Kongsha touched her lips thoughtfully. “The Mutual Aid Society’s parasites aren’t lethal. That probably wasn’t their doing.”

“That was my guess too. And the explosion wasn’t big—so even if I hadn’t been wary, it wouldn’t have killed me.” Saul looked down, remembering the girl’s hopeful eyes just before the blast.

Snapping back to focus, he continued, “So I figured there had to be a follow-up plan. Sure enough, a few days later, a boy named Rocky came to me, asking about Jenna.”

“He died too?”

“No, but he vanished for a few days. That’s what made me sure he’d be back. And when he does… that’s when Sid will strike.”

Kongsha stopped stroking her lips. “But if you know he’s Sid’s pawn, why not just kill him now?”

“Better the enemy you know than the one you don’t.” Saul explained slowly. “Sid’s very cautious. He never gets his hands dirty. All the killing is done by others. But now that I’ve angered him and my strength is growing fast, he won’t want to risk another failure.”

“To ensure success, he’ll show up himself.”

Of course, what truly convinced Saul Sid would come was the Diary of a Dead Wizard—he was sure Sid would want to retrieve it before anyone else found it.

But that part… he couldn’t reveal. Not a word to anyone.

(End of Chapter)

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