Chapter 50: The Thrill of Transformation

Saul was momentarily stunned. His first thought was—how much should he sell it for to avoid a loss?

Byron, however, knew that a successful and universally applicable transformation formula could serve as the foundation for establishing a small-scale wizarding force. Yet, Byron could only take advantage of Saul being a novice apprentice and attempt to buy it at a low price.

Though it wouldn't be a full buyout, Byron still felt extremely guilty. This was not an equivalent exchange—because, at the moment, he had nothing of equal value to trade.

After careful consideration, Saul ultimately refused Byron's offer.

"Sorry, senior, it’s not that I don’t want to share it with you. It’s just that this transformation formula... I’m afraid only I can succeed with it."

The transformation had actually been extremely dangerous.

Under normal circumstances, a first-level apprentice, without understanding what a positioning anchor was, would get lost in the illusory happiness brought by the transformation, their consciousness gradually breaking apart until death inevitably arrived.

But Saul had something that was naturally suited to serve as a positioning anchor—the Dead Wizard’s Diary.

Saul wasn’t entirely sure what a positioning anchor was, but after this experiment, he had a guess:

It was something that allowed a wizard or apprentice to stabilize their perception of the world.

With the Dead Wizard’s Diary—actually, just calling it the diary from now on would be easier—Saul wouldn’t have died even if Byron hadn’t arrived.

The moment he approached death, the diary would manifest itself. Seeing the diary would instantly anchor Saul’s consciousness, preventing his mind from collapsing.

However, recalling the feeling of cognitive disintegration, distorted perception, and the gradual dissolution of his spirit was truly terrifying.

"A transformation formula unique to you?" Byron actually let out a sigh of relief after hearing this. "That means I can afford it. I’m not looking to transform myself—I just want to understand your design methodology."

"I already owe you a favor… and now I owe you at least a hundred academic credits' worth of compensation." Byron suddenly felt poor. "Is there anything you want right now?"

Saul was shocked—he hadn’t even said anything yet, and Byron was already signing away his soul?

"Senior, why don’t you help me check my physical condition first?"

Byron, thinking this was hardly worth the price of a transformation formula, still happily pulled out a pile of tools from his stomach.

Under the guidance of the experienced Byron—who had been a second-level apprentice for over a decade—Saul finally gained a better understanding of his current situation.

His magic power was temporarily at 11 Joules, and judging by the energy radiating from his left hand, it would likely increase to at least 13 Joules before stabilizing.

Additionally, Saul’s mental power had increased slightly.

This was rare—likely a result of his chaotic but ultimately successful transformation experience strengthening his mind.

Unlike magic power, which could slowly accumulate through meditation, mental power was more like an innate attribute. Aside from rare transformation rituals, special potions, or significant advancements in ability, it was extremely difficult to enhance.

To use an analogy:

Apprentices with low magic talent could at least upgrade to a larger "bowl" over time.

But no matter how much faster one ran to collect water, there was a physical limit—like a sprinter who, no matter how much they trained, couldn't beat the fastest human limits.

Furthermore, though Saul’s left hand looked somewhat odd—almost artificial—it didn’t hinder his movements. It remained flexible and responsive.

In fact, transforming the hand was much safer than altering the eyes, mouth, or internal organs, with significantly fewer side effects.

However, the exact consequences of this transformation would only become clear over time.

"Hold onto your sense of self."

This was Byron’s repeated warning to Saul.

"Otherwise, one day, you may no longer be you."

Saul interpreted this as a reminder to always stay self-aware—to remember who he was.

He recalled his past life—the anime, novels, video games, exams, and soul-crushing corporate job…

Alright, for now, that wouldn’t be a problem.

Byron also explained what a positioning anchor was.

This knowledge was not something Saul was meant to learn at his current stage, but since he had already used one to complete his transformation, there was no harm in knowing.

Now, Saul only needed to raise his magic power to 50 Joules and construct a first-tier spell model within his spirit to advance to second-level apprentice.

Once he reached the second level, he simply needed to continue increasing his magic power and learning spells to become a third-level apprentice.

After all, he had already overcome the hardest barrier before reaching level three—the need for a positioning anchor.

Finally, Saul understood why Byron’s gaze contained a mix of envy and frustration.

It was as if a kindergarten student had already received a guaranteed admission to a top university—he just had to grow up first.

Byron didn’t ask Saul how he managed this, nor did he question what his positioning anchor was.

"Before becoming a true wizard, never reveal any details about your positioning anchor to anyone. And don’t try to learn about others' anchors. If someone exploits its properties against you, death is almost inevitable."

Saul nodded.

It was like a martial artist’s fatal weak spot—if struck, they would collapse instantly.

Finally, Byron taught Saul how to test his left hand’s abilities to determine its exact properties.

The primary goal of wizard body modifications was not just to increase magic power—this was only the most basic benefit.

Truly powerful transformations, like Byron’s or Kongsha’s, turned the altered body part into their ultimate trump card.

As he said this, the wounds on Byron’s body healed once more.

He stretched.

Today alone, Byron had slashed himself over a dozen times.

He was feeling lightheaded from blood loss.

Refusing Saul’s offer to help him back, Byron stumbled out of the second floor of East Tower.

Saul glanced at the time.

It was only 5:30.

Sitting back at his lab table, he looked at the mess of instruments and materials.

It felt like he had lived through weeks in just a few hours.

His gaze slowly drifted to his left shoulder.

A grin spread across his face.

"Transformation… is absolutely thrilling!"

---

Meanwhile, in her dormitory, Jenna clutched her collar tightly, her face filled with panic as she shrank into her bed.

The school dormitories were the safest places.

She had always believed that.

No matter how exhausting the day’s studies were, no matter how terrifying the instructors and senior apprentices seemed, she had always been able to sleep soundly at night.

But today—she couldn’t sleep.

She hesitantly pulled at her neckline and looked down.

Her pupils shrank.

She stared at her chest.

Jenna came from a well-off background and had developed early, already possessing a mature figure.

She had occasionally admired her own reflection while bathing.

But today, she saw something crawling out of her sternum.

A worm.

The worm was about the length of a finger. It didn’t look very dangerous.

But the truly horrifying part—

It had her face.

"Senior Sid was right… we’ve already been controlled." Jenna buried her head in her pillow, trembling.

"There’s no such thing as a truly selfless organization."

"Why is the Mutual Aid Society targeting us newcomers?"

She couldn’t understand.

Senior Rocke had always been so kind, and she had enjoyed discussing problems with her fellow members—so why had they cursed her like this?

"If Sid hadn’t warned me…" A hint of admiration flickered in her eyes before fear overtook her again.

"But I’m already cursed. What should I do?"

Jenna curled her toes under her sheets.

"Wait… Keli!"

"She only attended a single Mutual Aid meeting and never went back."

"Did she realize something before the rest of us?"

"Damn it… why didn’t she warn us?"

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