Chapter 57: An Unmatched Enemy

7:00 PM.

Time to get off work.

It was rare for Saul to leave right on time.

Even though he had acquired some useful alien materials today, he still couldn’t muster any excitement.

The corpses processed by Senior Byron were highly secure, allowing Saul to work while letting his mind wander.

Kaz’s words and his erratic attitude kept echoing in his head.

Although Saul wanted to dismiss everything as Kaz simply having mental issues, his instincts told him that there was more to it.

"Soul talent… The key must be in my soul talent. What does Mentor Kaz want me to do with it?" Saul pondered as he walked, completely oblivious to the path he was taking.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t get lost—he had walked this route for nearly three months.

But today, he felt like he had been walking for an unusually long time.

Why did the turn to the next floor seem so far away?

Realizing something was off, Saul raised his head warily, scanning his surroundings.

He had encountered this kind of ghostly entrapment before—last time, he had shattered a mushroom that had grown right above his head.

Could this be another similar situation?

Yet none of the clients he attended to today seemed abnormal.

Just then, the candlelight on the walls dimmed suddenly.

Shadows in the corners scattered as if they had come to life.

Saul immediately narrowed his eyes, his right hand gripping something inside his pocket, while his left hand extended defensively in front of him.

Demoralise Gaze, Scorching Breath, and Strike the Undead.

The structures and incantations of the three Tier-0 spells flashed through his mind.

The ramp was eerily silent.

It was as if even sound had hidden in fear.

Saul abruptly lifted his head—he could feel it. At the corner ahead, someone was standing there.

Was this a new trick from Sid?

But if this person was Sid’s trump card, then Jenna and Rocky were merely sacrificial pawns.

The person opposite him was far too powerful—so strong that Saul couldn’t even compare them to anyone he knew!

Could Sid really command someone of this caliber?

Saul straightened up and called out loudly, "I don’t care who you are or what kind of persuasion you’ve listened to, but I advise you not to make a move inside the wizard’s tower."

The sense of danger didn’t subside. The figure remained behind the corner wall.

"My mentor is Kaz, and he values me highly! If you want to be exiled like Sid, then go ahead and try."

There was no response from the person behind the wall.

Awkward.

But it couldn’t be helped. If he was mistaken, he could always apologize.

If he could instill even a fraction of hesitation in a potential enemy, it would be worth it.

After his fallout with Sid, Saul had already started preparing countermeasures.

But all plans were meaningless in the face of absolute power.

A flurry of thoughts raced through his mind.

Just as he was considering whether to activate his distress signal, the person behind the wall finally moved.

The pressure around him intensified.

Saul hesitated no longer and crushed the vial in his pocket.

A plume of white smoke enveloped him… and then—

It bounced and jumped away, squeezing itself into the cracks between the stones at the corner, disappearing completely.

Saul’s jaw nearly dropped. He took several steps back, utterly baffled.

This concealment mist was something he had bought from Senior Byron for escape and stealth.

He had even wasted a vial in advance to test its effectiveness.

Under normal circumstances, the mist would envelop a ten-meter radius around him.

With the second vial he prepared to obscure his scent, he should have been able to temporarily evade his enemy’s lock-on.

But today, before he could even crush the second vial, the mist from the first one had literally run away before his eyes!

Did enemy have no shame?

But this also made Saul realize—the enemy he was facing today was truly beyond his ability to resist.

Even if his diary issued a death warning at the critical moment, Saul feared he wouldn’t have the ability or time to dodge the impending fatal strike.

He immediately let go of the second vial in his pocket and crushed the third one instead.

The third vial was a distress signal.

Senior Byron would come as soon as he received the signal.

If he arrived in time—he would save Saul. If not—he would collect the body.

At the very least, Sid wouldn’t get the diary!

Having done all he could, Saul calmed down, squared his shoulders, and braced himself for the enemy’s appearance.

Then, a tall and slender figure, wrapped entirely in pink bandages, stepped out from the corner.

Saul took a deep breath, his heart nearly stopping.

"I really didn’t expect that he could persuade you to come. Just to kill me—don’t you think that’s a bit excessive?"

The pink-banded figure tilted his head slightly, his silver eyes flickering with confusion.

Seeing his reaction, a sliver of hope emerged in Saul’s heart, and his rigid heartbeat resumed its frantic pace.

"You… didn’t come to kill me?"

The pink-banded man’s eyes curved slightly, as if smiling.

"Like you said, who could possibly command me?"

His voice was still so gentle.

He wasn’t here to kill him?

He wasn’t here to kill him!

Saul’s taut nerves finally relaxed, and he exhaled the breath he had been holding.

Only now did he realize that his hands and feet were trembling slightly.

With a wry smile, he said, "That’s a relief. If Pink Lord had decided to make a move, I wouldn’t have had any chance to escape, and all my backup plans would’ve been meaningless."

The pink-banded man slowly walked closer.

Only now did Saul have the focus to notice—the man’s feet were always tiptoed.

He walked lightly, yet appeared unstable, as if he could fall at any moment, yet at the same time, it seemed like he never would.

Like reeds swaying in the wind—once the wind passed, they would always stand upright again.

"Pink Lord?" The man repeated curiously as he approached Saul.

"Ah!" Saul realized that, due to his near-death experience, he had accidentally blurted out that nickname.

"Uh, I…" Saul hurriedly tried to explain.

But to his surprise, the man’s eyes curved again.

He raised his hand, though his posture was odd—as if the hand itself resisted being lifted.

"You think my pink looks nice too, don’t you?"

This unexpected response made Saul uneasy, but fortunately, the man didn’t dwell on the topic.

"Then you can call me Pink Lord."

Seeing Saul’s wary expression, Pink Lord lowered his hand. "Are you still researching body modifications?"

Pink Lord knew about him? And had been keeping an eye on him?

Saul had never forgotten that Pink Lord had saved his life in the lab before.

He doubted he could ever be a good person, but he wasn’t ungrateful.

Pink Lord had saved him without asking for anything in return.

Saul knew of his immense power but had never mentioned him to anyone, nor did he attempt to leverage his influence—after all, it was just a single encounter.

But he never expected Pink Lord had been watching him all along.

Was it mere curiosity? Or did he have motives like Kongsha?

"Yes," Saul raised his left hand without hesitation. "I succeeded on my first attempt."

But Pink Lord didn’t inspect his hand like Mentor Kaz did.

He didn’t even glance at it.

"Saul, your talent shouldn’t be wasted on body modification. Since your magic has met the threshold, you should focus on truly useful knowledge."

"Truly useful knowledge?" Saul was puzzled. If body modification wasn’t valuable, then what was?

He thought of Kaz’s lecture earlier today.

"You mean my soul talent? But I don’t even know how to use it."

"Were the books I gave you too basic? Or are you simply not as smart as I thought?" Pink Lord chuckled, his voice devoid of any anger.

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