Chapter 33: Did the Hardcover Book Level Up?
Saul once again observed the flesh mass on the teleportation platform in a semi-immersive view. This time, it was no longer covered by that faint, indistinct holy light.
Suddenly, Saul sensed something.
He swiftly turned his head toward the teleportation passage, where a pair of eyes peered at him in terror from behind the black leather tassels.
Saul, still holding the bone-cleaving knife dripping with blood and bits of flesh, walked toward the teleportation passage.
He lifted the black leather tassels and saw a man inside, crawling backward in retreat.
The light from the room slanted into the passage, casting a sharp line of division between light and shadow on the man's face.
Saul narrowed his eyes, quickly guessing the man’s identity.
"Senior, this is our first time meeting. Why don’t you come over for a chat?"
"Ah, well, haha…" Hayden’s eyes flicked to the bloodied knife in Saul’s right hand, and he swallowed nervously. "I-I just thought that corpse seemed a little strange, so I wanted to check if you needed any help over here."
Saul chuckled.
"That's really considerate of you. I’m actually quite overwhelmed here. Could you help me move it inside?"
"You see…" Saul gestured to his own small frame. "I'm young, not very strong—I can’t carry something that heavy."
Hayden’s smile froze. He had only been making polite conversation.
But looking at the bone-cleaving knife still firmly gripped in Saul’s right hand, Hayden chose to compromise.
Step by step, he crawled out of the passage. "Haha, you're really small. Are you even ten years old? Let your senior help you move it, then."
"Wait a second." Saul suddenly tossed the bone-cleaving knife back onto the workbench with a clatter. Then, he turned back and flashed a bright smile at Hayden.
"Senior, I was just joking. You really came over, huh? Go back—this isn’t a passage meant for the living. I can handle this work myself; otherwise, my mentor might think I’m not fit for the job."
"Ah? Well, okay then. If you need anything, just call me."
Stuck halfway, Hayden had no choice but to retreat.
Saul stood by the teleportation passage, holding the tassels aside, watching coldly as Hayden stepped back into his own room.
The tassels on the other side fell, blocking the light that had been shining into the passage.
The passage was about three meters long, one meter wide, and one meter high. Thick walls separated the two rooms.
If it weren’t for this passage, the soundproofing of the rooms would likely be excellent.
Saul let the tassels fall back into place, then glanced up. The candlelight at the teleportation port had already returned to its usual dim glow.
His work for today was done.
But there was still some cleanup left.
He pushed a large chest from under the workbench next to the conveyor belt, then picked up the bone-cleaving knife again, carefully scraping the flesh off the conveyor belt bit by bit.
A round, bouncing object rolled off the edge of the conveyor belt, bounced a few times on the ground, and finally stopped at the doorway, blocked by the door.
What was that?
Saul tightened his grip on the knife and walked toward the door, ready to strike at any moment.
As he got closer and examined it carefully, he realized it looked like… an eyeball?
With a rustling sound, the hardcover book flew up once more, unfolding in front of Saul. He immediately tensed.
[Lunar Calendar Year 314, June 24, Clear]
Today is a fine day. You avoided an attack from a cunning enemy, sent him to where he belonged, and obtained a Phantom Sound Eye.
How strange. Why can an eye speak?
Or… do you think your eye is speaking?
This time, Saul didn’t quite understand what the hardcover book was telling him.
How exactly had he died?
An eye? A hallucination?
Would his eyes split open? Would his mouth disappear or be sealed shut?
And he also noticed something different—the date in the hardcover book now had a weather description after it. He was sure that had never appeared before.
As Saul stood there stiffly, unsure of what to do, the hardcover book suddenly flew back to his left shoulder.
But he hadn’t done anything!
Saul's eyes lit up. "Wait… is this not a death prediction, but rather some kind of identification ability, like an item appraisal?"
He turned his head to look at the hardcover book on his left shoulder. "Buddy, did you just level up?"
Unfortunately, the hardcover book remained silent, ignoring him as always.
"Sigh, you should really give yourself an introduction first."
Even though he had a hypothesis, Saul remained cautious. He gripped the bone-cleaving knife tightly and slowly approached the eyeball near the door.
Judging from the book’s behavior, the latest message didn’t seem to be a death prediction, but that was just Saul’s own assumption—he couldn’t afford to let his guard down yet.
He knelt down slowly, took out a box, and used the back of his knife to push the eyeball inside. The hardcover book did not issue another warning.
Standing up, Saul sealed the box tightly, feeling a surge of excitement.
He had avoided death multiple times, but each time, his only reward had been temporary survival. Today, however, he had finally received a tangible drop item.
If only the hardcover book had given him a heads-up about the eyeball’s anomaly beforehand.
Could it upgrade further in the future? Maybe even turn into a detection radar?
Shaking off his fantasies about the hardcover book, Saul worked his facial muscles, making himself look darker and more intimidating.
Then, he picked up the bone-cleaving knife and pushed open the door to the corpse room.
Since arriving on the second floor of the East Tower, he had never explored the depths of the corridor.
He walked further inside. The corridor was still curved, but the angle was wider than on the tenth floor.
The lighting on the second floor always seemed dimmer than elsewhere, and the deeper he went, the darker it became.
At the end of the hallway lay pitch-black darkness, concealing whatever lay beyond.
After walking for a dozen steps, he encountered another crimson door.
This should be the corpse room where the senior in charge of the second process worked.
Saul stepped forward and knocked.
After a long moment, a sound came from inside.
The door opened slightly.
Hayden's face appeared in the gap, his body blocking any view of the room beyond.
"Senior, sorry to disturb you. My name is Saul—I enrolled as an apprentice a month ago. I haven’t had the chance to introduce myself yet. That was rude of me."
"I'm Hayden." His hand was tightly pressed against the door, as if ready to shut it at any moment. "I became a first-level apprentice long before you. What do you want?"
"I wanted to ask, regarding that corpse from earlier—did you notice anything unusual while handling it?"
Hayden shifted uncomfortably. "Ah, that… I did find it a bit strange. But I didn’t see anything particularly off or valuable, so I sent it your way. Haha, I think you handled it quite well."
Saul stared at Hayden intently until the older apprentice averted his gaze, muttering, "Well, maybe I was mistaken."
Saul forced a stiff grin. "I'll be counting on you in the future, then."
After leaving Hayden, he continued toward the first corpse room.
Once Saul was gone, Hayden hurriedly shut the door.
As soon as it closed, his expression changed. In a low, sinister voice, he muttered, "Why are you acting scared of a new apprentice?"
His expression shifted again, and he uneasily rubbed his hands together. "N-no need to make trouble—there’s plenty of time to deal with him later."
Meanwhile, Saul placed the bone-cleaving knife in the shadows of the corridor.
The knife was for Hayden—but it wouldn’t do to bring it when meeting Senior Byron.
He rubbed his face, restoring his expression to one of polite decorum.
Knock, knock, knock.
Another crimson door slowly opened, spilling light into the hallway. A woman, only half a head taller than Saul, stood in the doorway.
Saul was startled.
"I'm here to see Senior Byron. May I ask who you are?"
The woman half-closed her eyes and spoke in an emotionless voice. "Byron reached the age to leave the Tower. He’s gone to pack his things."
"Leave the Tower?" Saul forgot his original purpose, dumbfounded. "Are we required to leave when we reach a certain age?" hk
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