Chapter 40: Differential Treatment

Duke instinctively did not want others to know that Saul, with whom he had clashed before, was now being valued by Mentor Kaz.

"Then you can rest assured. There's no way he’ll pass the first test. Didn't you see him in the rune class, struggling with his lack of magic power? No matter how fast he learns, what's the use if he can't even cast spells?" Doze, who had been snubbed by Saul before, spoke with evident resentment.

He even speculated maliciously, "According to Mentor Gudo, any apprentice who fails the test will be punished. Maybe Saul will end up being sent back to be a servant! Rocky, don't you think so?"

"Huh? Oh, yes." Rocky answered dully.

"Huh?" Jenna suddenly felt sorry for Saul. "That would be a bit pitiful."

"Yeah, true." Rocky immediately echoed her sentiment.

Watching his friend constantly sneaking glances at Jenna, Doze rolled his eyes internally.

Just as the conversation was getting lively, the door to Room 603 opened again.

The discussion halted instantly.

Saul stepped out of the dormitory and walked next door to Room 604. He knocked and called out Keli, who was immersed in her studies inside.

"Did a newcomer arrive at the tower?"

"Hmm? Yeah, why? I thought you wouldn't care about such things." Keli held a thick roll of parchment, looking at Saul in surprise.

"Is there a new apprentice with a strong affinity for dark attributes?" Sol asked.

Keli expressionlessly spread her hands. The parchment hit the doorframe with a dull thud. "Do you think I would care about such things?"

Saul, momentarily at a loss for words, couldn't help but chuckle.

"I thought you'd be interested in a new prodigy."

"Our progress is different now. I'll only care when someone catches up." Keli raised an eyebrow at Saul, resting a hand under her chin. "You're interested in him. Want me to inquire?"

"No need."

With a cryptic smile, Saul crossed his arms and left, leaving Keli standing there in confusion.

"What's he up to? Trying to torture my curiosity?"

Keli pursed her lips in thought. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone approaching. She quickly retreated into her room and shut the door with a bang.

Duke was left staring at the closed door, his once-warm smile turning sour.

Laughter erupted behind him, making his fists clench in anger, itching to slam against the dormitory door.

But everyone knew by now that Keli was Mentor Gudo's favorite, frequently receiving personal guidance from him.

Many apprentices dreamed of such preferential treatment.

The new apprentices were already spreading rumors that she would be the first to reach the second-level apprentice rank, and perhaps soon after, even the third.

Countless people wanted to get close to Keli, hoping to gain even a fraction of the resources she had access to—resources that could help them survive the brutal apprentice tests.

But for some unfathomable reason, Keli only chose to associate with Saul.

All her warmth and enthusiasm were reserved solely for him.

This only deepened the resentment the newcomers felt toward Saul.

Yet, the object of their resentment remained utterly indifferent.

---

At 3:30 AM, Saul suddenly opened his eyes. The haze of sleep dissipated like receding tides, and clarity returned to his mind.

A few days ago, the servant George had given him a duty roster.

Tonight, one of Sid’s lackeys—Brown—was scheduled to clean the corridors.

Saul quickly dressed, retrieved the carefully preserved Phantom Eye, and left his dormitory.

---

Brown, a head taller than Saul, hunched his shoulders as he pushed a cleaning cart along the West Tower’s slope.

He occasionally tugged at his collar.

The temperature inside the wizard tower wasn’t low, yet the cold seemed omnipresent.

Ever since that damned Saul had become a damned apprentice, Brown had been forced back into night shift cleaning duties.

It was the most dangerous job among the servants, with a mortality rate higher than any other. Some lasted only ten days, others a few months—but eventually, someone always disappeared into the night, never to return.

"That bootlicker George really lucked out, kissing up to Saul so quickly."

George had been reassigned by the steward to other tasks, no longer part of the night shifts.

All the male servants understood what that meant: George had secured Saul’s favor.

They immediately changed their attitudes, elevating the once-bullied George to a position of prestige.

George now slept on the right side of the common dormitory, taking Brown’s former spot.

Brown had lost his status, but no one dared to openly bully him.

Still, he was no longer exempt from menial tasks, some of which were now life-threatening.

Fortunately, Brown wasn’t completely without means. He had confidence in surviving the dangerous night shifts.

Ever since Saul became an apprentice, the second-level apprentice who had once favored Brown had distanced himself. However, he had left Brown with a life-saving item.

Brown tightened his grip on his collar and touched the small scented bead hidden underneath.

It was a black-threaded, thumb-sized, semi-transparent bead with a tiny black insect sealed inside like amber.

Brown had no idea what it was, but the second-level apprentice had assured him that it would protect him from most supernatural threats.

This had been part of the reward for helping persecute Saul.

Unfortunately, after Saul left servitude, the second-level apprentice had refused to acknowledge Brown publicly, let alone accept him as a personal servant.

Otherwise, who would fear George?

Even the steward would have to greet him with a smile.

Despite some regrets, Brown still felt content as he clutched the small bead. With this magical item, he wasn’t entirely at a loss.

However, the feeling of security lasted only moments before the eerie atmosphere of the wizard tower pressed down on him again.

"When can I leave this damned place? If I knew I’d be stuck as a servant forever, I would've... I should’ve just stayed in my village and farmed."

Regret was a useless emotion. It only drained his will.

Brown sighed heavily and pushed his cart forward.

He remained silent as he rounded the bend on the sixth floor.

Suddenly, the cart’s wheel got stuck in the gap between the stone tiles. No matter how hard he pushed, it wouldn’t budge.

"What the hell?" Brown crouched down to lift the wheel.

That was when he saw a foot stepping onto the stone tiles in front of the wheel.

A pale, nearly purple, bare, skeletal little foot.

Then another foot descended beside it.

But this one was reversed, its heel facing him.

Damn it all!!!

Brown abandoned the cart and yanked out the small scented bead, holding it high above his head as he squeezed his eyes shut, hoping it would ward off the horror.

Silence.

After a long pause, Brown cautiously cracked open his eyes.

His body erupted in cold sweat.

Around him and the cart, the floor was now covered in pairs of bare feet.

Each set arranged one normal, one reversed. Some belonged to adults, some to children, others to the elderly.

A chilling wheeze sounded.

Brown’s breath hitched.

He had seen this before.

When he was ten years old.

During the barbarian invasion of his village.

When they impaled every living thing onto stakes, splitting them in two—one forward, one backward.

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