Chapter 14: Full of Joy
Chapter 14: Full of Joy
Saul’s first lesson with his mentor… turned into a cleaning shift.
Thankfully, Saul was already used to manual labor and quickly got the hang of things.
Mark noticed how diligent and detail-oriented Saul was, and his mood improved. While tidying up, he began explaining some things Saul should pay attention to in his studies.
Just like that, two hours passed. Mark had other matters to attend to, so he gave Saul instructions for the remaining work.
“Later, dump all the trash into that yellow garbage bin. Remember, it must be the yellow one. If it’s not yellow, just tie the bag shut and leave it for tomorrow.”
Saul looked toward the tall yellow bin near the lab entrance—its top was above his chest—and nodded seriously.
“Alright then.” Mark dragged out a chair and spread his legs as he sat down. “I’ll give you five minutes for final questions. After that, I’m off to a date.”
Saul immediately asked the question he’d prepared long ago.
“Senior Mark, how do spiritual power and magical power affect the study of sorcery?”
Mark wasn’t surprised. From what Instructor Katz had said earlier, he already guessed this junior had poor magical aptitude but decent spiritual strength.
Probably unwilling to accept it.
“If you go by textbook theory, both are equally important. But as a mage who values practical results, let me say this—magic is the medium that turns knowledge into sorcery. Let me give you an analogy: imagine the elemental particles around us are a river, a hundred meters away. Your spiritual strength determines how fast you can run. Your magical power is the container you use to fetch water.”
Mark gestured with his hands.
“Most apprentices use a bucket.” He made a smaller shape with his hands. “But you? You’re using a bowl. So, your growth will be much slower. Understand?”
Saul responded immediately, “Then I’ll just run more trips.”
Mark shook his head, “It’s not that simple. In the mage world, there’s barely anything that doesn’t require magic. Casting spells, crafting tools, drawing arrays, constructing runes—all of them require you to carry not two bowls, but maybe even a whole bucket’s worth of energy. If your bowl can’t handle it, what will you do?”
Saul looked down, the bony tip of his left finger peeking out.
“Senior Mark… is there a way to turn my little bowl into a big bucket? Like through arcane modification?”
Mark also glanced at Saul’s left hand—but such a minor bodily alteration didn’t faze him at all, “Sure there is. But almost no Level 1 apprentice can survive it. What Instructor Katz mentioned earlier—arcane modification—normally requires you to reach Level 2 first.”
He raised both hands.
From the center of each palm, a wide mouth split open—gaping and snapping, as if eager to devour something.
Two crimson tongues slithered forward, licking toward Saul, inching closer and closer.
Saul gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to retreat. Meanwhile, his left hand was ready to strike at any moment.
Just as the air grew tense, Mark suddenly retracted his hands.
“Don’t move. This is a lab, after all.”
He said it like nothing had happened—like he was just teasing Saul a bit.
“Got it, Senior.” Saul lowered his left hand, still unwilling to give up, “Is there really no arcane modification that a Level 1 apprentice can endure? I only have three months.”
Mark stretched, then stood up.
“Then you’ll have to bet your life. For example, head to the library. Check out some of the textbooks used by Level 2 apprentices.”
Saul could tell Mark was getting ready to leave. He didn’t have much time left to ask questions.
So he hurried to follow Mark to the door.
“Can I borrow books meant for Level 2 apprentices?”
Mark strode quickly to the exit, yanked the door open.
“As long as it’s in the public library, anyone can borrow it.” He turned back, showing a strange smile, “The library never stops low-level mages from reading high-level books. After all… the books get bored too.”
With that, Mark stepped out and casually shut the door behind him.
Saul stood at the doorway, head lowered in thought.
“Bet my life, huh?”
Just relying on meditation… there was no way he could meet Instructor Katz’s requirements within three months.
He glanced at the hardshell book floating silently over his left shoulder.
“Well, this is something I’m good at.”
At that moment, the lab door opened inward again—Mark poked his head halfway in.
“Don’t forget to tidy up before you leave.”
“Understood, Senior.”
Saul jumped slightly, watching Mark’s half-face retreat.
The door closed again.
Now the lab was empty—probably.
Saul turned around and looked over the remaining work. There wasn’t much: some basic organizing, taking out the trash, and making sure all the cabinets were properly closed.
He started walking through the lab.
He pushed the chair Mark had pulled out back into place, then swept the trash under the desk into the yellow bin.
The yellow bin was pitch black inside, too dark to see the bottom. It didn’t look like a bin—it looked more like a tunnel.
Saul didn’t stare long. After dumping the trash, he quickly closed the lid.
“Being alone in this lab… really gives me the creeps.” Saul rubbed his arm, feeling as if goosebumps were clicking out from under his skin.
At the center table in the lab, he noticed some scribbled pages.
Someone had drawn something on them, but it had been completely blacked out with messy lines—nothing could be seen now.
The paper was wrinkled and rough, as if it had been crumpled, thrown away, and later retrieved and flattened again.
“Were these pages here earlier?”
Saul carefully swept them into a small bin, planning to make another trip to dispose of them.
But just as he reached out to open the trash lid again, the yellow bin suddenly turned red right in front of him.
Saul froze, his hand stopping midair, then slowly pulled it back.
He acted like he hadn’t seen anything, tied up the small trash bag, and stuffed it under the table.
He continued his inspection and reached the deepest part of the lab, where a row of cabinets stood.
For some reason, he suddenly remembered the "Human-Monster Walking Diagram" used during today’s meditation.
If that diagram were mapped out, then where Saul now stood… would be the bottommost spot—the place of the monster.
He quickly shook his head, trying to banish the ominous thought. But as he took his next step—
Crunch.
He stepped on something.
Looking down, Saul nearly jumped out of his skin.
It was the same puppet doll they used during the aptitude test.
Its eye sockets were empty, yet Saul felt as though something inside was staring at him.
“…Before you leave, make sure there’s no debris on the floor in the cabinet area. I’ll clean once, but if you find something afterward, check the surrounding cabinets for a matching item and put it back. And shut the cabinet door properly.”
Saul remembered Mark’s earlier instruction.
He turned his head—and saw that a cabinet beside him was open a sliver.
Inside the glass door… was a jumbled pile of puppet dolls.
“Well, I guess I’m at your home now.”
Saul tilted his head slightly, avoiding direct eye contact with the doll. He crouched down and reached out to pick it up.
The moment his fingers touched the puppet’s rough, cold exterior—
Rrustle-rustle-rustle…
A sound only Saul could hear.
The hardshell book fluttered into view in front of him, pages flipping rapidly until they settled on a new, blank sheet.
Lunar Calendar, Year 314, May 26
You were left behind by Mark to clean the lab.
Not a good task, really.
You got poked in the foot by a naughty puppet and decided to return it to where it belonged.
You opened the cabinet door, picked it up by the head, and carefully put it back inside.
Then—
You were the one picked up by the head, carefully placed down.
You lay on your companions’ bodies, watching the glass door close. Outside, Saul hummed a cheerful tune as he ran off, full of joy.
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(End of Chapter)
Damn thats creepy
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