Chapter 111: A Wizard

The two red-skinned barbarians had just struggled to their feet when they suddenly froze in place.

Their eyes bulged out as if they had seen the most terrifying thing imaginable. The madness on their faces was instantly replaced by sheer fear.

In the face of death, even mindless barbarians must bow their heads.

The moment the Soul Borers touched their skin, they burrowed in and disappeared.

But their skin began to writhe and ripple continuously.

As if worms were squirming underneath it.

And soon there were two, three, more and more…

Their entire bodies squirmed in a grotesque and disturbing manner.

If one looked closely into their eyes, they wouldn’t see Saul’s reflection—only countless tangled worms reflected in their pupils.

Soul Borer wasn’t an instant-kill spell—it was sorcery that drastically weakened both the body and mind of its target.

It would lead the afflicted to a slow and agonizing death.

Even though the two barbarians had their magic resistance temporarily enhanced by the barbarian priest, they still couldn’t withstand a First Rank sorcery.

Their life force rapidly dissipated, leaving behind only two writhing husks.

From start to finish, they didn’t utter a single scream. Everything was eerily silent.

They were dead.

Having just become a Second Rank apprentice, Saul had now cast two First Rank spells in a row.

But he still felt that his mana reserves had room to spare, and his mental state was only slightly disturbed—nothing that would prevent him from casting again.

Saul clenched his fists. His spirit resin was finally beginning to show its power.

As long as he could gather more soul fragments and refine the impurities, he could continue to enhance his mana.

Even his mental strength would become increasingly solid with the aid of soul power.

Saul turned around, ready to call Penny out—only to be stunned when he saw the two red-skinned barbarians, now devoid of life, start moving again.

They were shaking their heads, twisting their limbs, swaying their hips—and most horrifying of all, they wore bright, beaming smiles.

They were dancing.

Saul: “…”

So this is what happens when his Soul Borers are enhanced by vengeful energy?

Watching the two red-skinned barbarians perform what could only be described as belly dancing was downright eye-searing.

Saul made a mental note to prioritize learning new First Rank spells.

But what Saul didn’t know was how utterly horrifying this dance looked from afar to Ada and Jace!

Jace heard a constant “clang, clang, clang” sound beside him. Trembling, he looked down—only to discover that the knife in his hand had been tapping against the wall without him realizing it.

He turned his shaking head to look at Ada, just as Ada turned to look at him—also trembling.

Both of them were shaking.

“H-how did y-you bring the wizard back?” Jace stammered.

Ada tried to recall the first time he’d met Saul—but all he could remember were those two dead barbarians still dancing.

When they looked back again, they were startled to find Saul had appeared right in front of them.

“Ah!”

The two of them reflexively flinched backward, eyes full of disbelief and fear as they stared at Saul.

Saul wasn’t surprised by their reactions. Ordinary people were always afraid of Wizards.

People like Penny, whose perception was warped, were the exception.

Saul leaned against the window frame and said quietly, “Penny is in the tower. After you go in, shut the door. That’s the safest place right now. As long as no one inside opens it, no one outside can break in.”

The most dangerous presence in the tower had already been dealt with by Saul. It had become a fortress of refuge.

Without waiting for them to get up, Saul turned and started walking toward Grind Sail Town.

“Saul!”

Unexpectedly, Ada called out from behind the window, summoning the courage to speak. “Was it you… who saved Penny?”

Saul stopped and turned to look at Ada. “Don’t thank me too much. It was just a convenience. In the future, make sure to keep Penny away from wizards. Wizards aren’t good people.”

Ada froze. Saul was a wizard himself—why say that wizards weren’t good people?

Was he saying… that he wasn’t a good person either?

The walls of Grind Sail Town finally collapsed with a mighty crash, and even louder wails pierced the sky.

Saul didn’t linger. He ran toward the barbarians.

Behind him, Ada shouted once more.

“I’m sorry! Saul, I’m sorry I left you behind back then!”

This time Saul didn’t stop. He simply raised a hand in the air without looking back.

After all, it hadn’t been him who’d been abandoned back then.

Ada hadn’t mentioned it when they first met, only now apologizing after finding out Saul was a wizard…

It was still a matter of power and status.

Saul didn’t care much about what the original host had been through.

As Saul drew closer, the barbarian priest took notice of him once again.

In fact, when Saul had swiftly and decisively killed the two berserk barbarians, the priest had already realized Saul was no mere First Rank apprentice.

The barbarian priest himself was only barely at the level of a Second Rank apprentice, and watching Saul approach step by step made the pressure on his heart grow unbearable.

He was considering retreating.

Though Lord Bill from the Wizard’s Tower had ordered him to purge Grind Sail Town, things were clearly beyond his control now.

At that moment, more movement came from within the town.

To the priest’s surprise, another wizard from Grind Sail—Yuka—had returned with soldiers.

Each one wore expressions twisted with anger and sorrow.

“So it’s… today… that they returned.”

The barbarian priest was all too familiar with that look. If he got caught between both sides now, they would surely try everything to stop him from escaping.

It was time to go. He waved his wooden staff.

The barbarians began to retreat.

They came fast—and fled even faster.

Saul tried his best to intercept some of them, but most ran around him. In the end, he only managed to leave behind seven or eight corpses.

One of them, however, was carrying a large bundle, which made him a particular target for Saul—and he fell close by.

The bundle’s fabric didn’t look like something a barbarian would have. The neatly tied knot on it didn’t match barbarian handiwork either.

Most of the barbarians had fled by now.

Since Saul didn’t know any flight spells, he could only watch as the barbarian priest gave orders to delay him while fleeing on the back of another person in the opposite direction.

Giving up on the chase, Saul squatted down and untied the bundle.

Dozens of Grinding Sound Fruits tumbled out—clearly picked some time ago, with dried-out stems.

Had the barbarians stolen them? Or as the old madman had said, was there some deal between the town and the barbarians?

Why had the barbarians suddenly shown up and gone out of their way to destroy the Grind Sound fruit fields?

Did they just overturn the table and tear up the agreement?

A while later, a young, unfamiliar apprentice ran out of the town and stopped near Saul, panting heavily, eyes filled with caution.

“Y-you… who are you?” he asked warily.

“Tower,” Saul replied flatly.

His gaze turned once more to the direction the barbarians had fled, then to the three-story tower, and finally to the ruined Grind Sound fruit fields.

“I’ll be reporting what happened here.”

Fear flashed across Yuka’s face.

“Before the wizards assigned to investigate arrive, you’d better think carefully about how you’re going to explain what happened to Wizard Shelly. I have other matters. I’m leaving.” Saul had no intention of talking more.

He didn’t stay to deal with Grind Sail Town. Yuka and the people he brought back could handle the aftermath.

As for Penny and the others, they likely couldn’t stay in the town any longer. Saul left her a bag of money—nothing more.

Penny had given up her eyes, and Saul had changed her fate from being refined into something else.

It wasn’t kindness. It was an equal exchange.

Though the sky had brightened, the sunlight couldn’t melt away the bitter spring chill.

Saul walked alone at the edge of the desert and the town, leaving behind the cries and wails of Grind Sail.

Though he had lived there for three days, Saul still couldn’t feel any sadness for its suffering.

Everything was blurred, like looking through a frosted mirror.

That wasn’t his world anymore.

Saul looked down. From time to time, translucent Soul Borers slithered out from under the skin of his hands, spun in the air, then burrowed back in.

He was now a Wizard.

…

As everyone else began clearing the battlefield and treating the wounded, one woman climbed out from the collapsed walls and snuck toward the Grind Sound fruit fields.

Yuka had forbidden anyone from leaving the town, fearing stray barbarians might still be lurking.

But this woman disobeyed the wizard’s orders.

Jenny—already in her forties—ran harder than she ever had in her life.

She was afraid someone might stop her.

Fortunately, no one noticed her.

At the wall’s edge, torches stood tall, burning even in daylight with faint flames.

Jenny looked around frantically, then pulled a broken wooden torch from the wall’s base.

She carefully lit it, drawing ragged breaths of excitement.

Once the torch was aflame, she climbed over the field’s wall—bleeding from sharp stones without hesitation.

She arrived at the collapsed trellises where the vines had tangled together, grinned wide, and with trembling hands, set the Grinding Sound Fruits ablaze.

The fire roared to life.

Her face turned bright red from the flames. Jenny tossed aside the torch, eyes wide with glee, and finally burst into wild laughter.

“Hahaha… Hahaha! It’s gone! It’s all gone! Hahaha…”

(End of chapter)

If you find any errors ( Ads popup, ads redirect, broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.