âHeh, my bad.â Saul smiled as he stepped forward and cast a minor healing spell, restoring the door to its original state.
âMm.â Byron stepped aside and let Saul in.
His room was as messy as ever, and Saul seemed to be showing signs of being affected by him.
However, their laboratory was neat and orderly. Every item was placed according to a specific arrangement to prevent any chain reactions.
âSenior, Iâd like to buy that Mental Realm Formation you helped me set up back in Hanging Hand Valley.â
âSure.â
âHow many credits, or magic crystals?â
Byron hesitated for a moment, as if calculating its value.
Saul didnât rush him and waited patiently.
After about five minutes, Byron said, âNo charge. I want the method you used to expel the evil thought Morden left in your body.â
Saul was momentarily stunned.
âSenior Byron, are you troubled by evil thoughts too?â
âDid the Tower Master help you?â Seeing that Saul didnât answer, Byron frowned and asked.
He was worried that the Tower Master had personally stepped in to help Saul drive out the evil thoughtsâif that were the case, then thereâd be no way for him to learn the method from Saul.
He wasnât like Saul. He had no way of reaching Gorsa.
âNo, that wasnât it. But Iâm afraid the method I used to expel the evil thoughts wonât work for you.â
Byron first relaxed a little, then slowly furrowed his brows again.
âBut, if itâs you, Senior, whoâs being plagued by evil thoughts, I can help you drive them out.â Saul said with a smile.
This time Byron didnât hesitate. âAlright, deal!â
âThatâs it? Just like that?â
Byron pulled out a familiar little notebook, opened to a new page, and quickly drew ten circles on it.
âOne circle per expulsion.â
Saulâs mouth fell open. âSenior, your evil thoughts⊠can it self-replicate themselves?â
Byron shook his head and led Saul to his desk.
âIâm running an experiment to become a True Wizard.â
âYou already have an idea? Whatâs required to become a True Wizard?â
Byron casually drew half a circle in the notebook before replying, âYou must fuse the locator with your soul body. That means the locator is no longer your weakness, but a part of you.â
Saul didnât quite understand.
âIsnât choosing a locator already making it a part of myself?â
âA locator thatâs just entered your body is like a foreign object. It can make you feel uncomfortable, afraid, and resistant to accepting it. Only when your will fully embraces its existence and recognizes it as part of yourself can you break the barrier and become a Third Rank apprentice.â
Byron completed the circle he had drawn. âAnd for a Third Rank apprentice to advance to a True Wizard, the locator must be transformed from a physical form into a spiritual one. It must appear in your soul body. Itâs like changing from a piece of clothing⊠into your heart. Itâs extremely difficult and can easily lead to apprentice mutation. Thatâs why advancing to a True Wizard⊠is so hard.â
Hearing this, Saul felt a chill down his spine.
To turn a physical locator into a spiritual oneâ
Even its form of existence would change.
Was that really something a mere wizard apprentice could achieve?
But just as that thought crossed his mind, he suddenly froze.
âWait, my chosen locator is the diaryâit never had a physical form to begin with.â Saul instinctively reached for his left shoulder, but halfway through, his hand naturally shifted to brush his temple.
Byron assumed Saul was intimidated by the difficulty, and sighed softly in his heart, âHe doesnât even have a locator yet, and Iâm already talking about fusion and transformation. No wonder heâs scared.â
But what Byron didnât know was that Saul was scaredâjust not by the difficulty, but by a sudden idea that had jumped out at him.
âIf I successfully transform the diary into my locator⊠wouldnât that mean I immediately become a Third Rank apprentice?â
At the moment, it was just a guess, a hypothesis based on Byronâs words. He couldnât confirm if it was true yet.
Byron didnât disturb Saulâs train of thought. While Saul was still thinking, Byron sat down at his desk and pulled a neatly stacked notebook from the pile.
âThis is my handwritten copy. You can take it.â
Saul accepted the notebook and flipped through it. Toward the last few pages, he found the spell formation diagrams he had seen back in the cave.
âThen Iâll accept it.â Saul tucked the notebook into his coat. âDo you want me to help you expel the evil thoughts now?â
Byron shook his head. âNot yet⊠I havenât reached my limit.â
Saul blinked, suddenly realizing what Byron might be doing.
He was using evil thoughts to force the locator into his soul body.
It was like the martial artists who refined their skills through battleâdone right, it would lead to rapid progress; done wrong, it could lead to instant death.
It was like a game of tug-of-war with the Grim Reaper to push oneself to the limit.
Saul grew worried and couldnât help but say, âDonât push yourself too hard.â
Byron offered a faint smile. âMm.â
Saul thought for a moment, still uneasy. âIâd like to understand the evil thoughts in your body first. That way, when you canât hold on any longer, I wonât have to improvise on the spot.â
Byron nodded and got up, walking over to Saul.
Suddenly, his whole body swelled up like a balloon.
But unlike before, it didnât look funny.
It was horrifying.
Byronâs exposed face, neck, and arms all bloated unnaturally. And what was swelling inside him wasnât air.
Almost every inch of his skin bulged with the shape of human faces.
These faces looked like fish caught in a net, each one desperately trying to find a way out.
Worse yet, these faces werenât just pressing outwardâthey were charging. Trapped for a while, they would retreat and then lunge forward again with renewed force.
One after another, the faces repeatedly smashed against their confinement, trying to escape.
The result made Byron look like a constantly shifting demon.
Sometimes, the line between wizard and monster was terrifyingly thin.
Saul took a deep breath to calm himself.
He closed his eyes, then slowly opened them, activating his semi-impressive mediation.
In this state, he could see the evil thoughts within Byron.
They were powerful. Not a single one of them was a minor spiritâeach seemed carefully chosen.
They were specifically selected to help Byron fuse with his locator.
Saul recalled how Byron had made several trips out to hunt down wraithsâso this was what he had been using them for.
Byron had always had a clear goal: to advance.
Saul exited his semi-immersive meditation and, after a moment of thought, said, âSenior, could I have a piece of your skin?â
Byron nodded with effort. The faces on his body compressed back, and he returned to his normal appearance.
Then, to Saulâs surprise, Byron reached into his own mouth again.
And pulled out a small piece of brown skin.
Saul took out a test tube from his pouch and caught it, but he couldnât help casting a doubtful glance at Byron.
âThis⊠is your skin, Senior?â
Byron nodded. âMm.â
Saul glanced at Byronâs pallid, sun-deprived complexion, then back at the brownish scrap in the test tubeâŠ
Senior Byron hadnât peeled that off some internal organ, had he?
[End of Chapter]
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