Chapter 58: The Gentlest Person is the Most Terrifying
"A book?" Saul was taken aback and took out a thin silk book from his satchel. "This book was given to me by you?"
"Yes, it's a guide to corpse refinement. I thought the knowledge inside would lead you to take an interest in souls. I didn't expect you to start playing with body modifications instead."
"Pink Lord is even more powerful than Mentor Kaz!" Saul suddenly realized. "And he values me highly."
However, this appreciation came so inexplicably that Saul felt uneasy.
He then recalled something: "Back then, Mentor Kaz initially didn't want to interfere with my matters, but the next day, he suddenly told me that Sid would be away from the tower for a month. At the time, I thought Kaz had a strange and unpredictable temper. It turns out it was because Pink Lord was behind him! And Pink Lord helped me by sending Sid away, giving me time to grow."
At that moment, many memories of his interactions with Kaz resurfaced, all those moments that had felt off now making sense.
Pink Lord, however, thought Saul hadn't understood his point.
"Saul, body modifications may bring temporary benefits, but researching souls is the path you should truly explore."
As he spoke, a gap appeared in the bandages on his chest. Two fingers reached in and pulled out another silk book.
Another book.
Pink Lord held the book between his fingers and handed it to Saul.
"Take a look at this."
Saul quickly took the book and found that the pages were filled with handwritten cursive script.
"Speculations on Soul Vessels."
"If you find it difficult, you can read it alongside the corpse refinement guide. I think you'll gain a lot from it, and I look forward to your insights."
Saul suddenly felt like he was back in the workplace.
Boss, I'm just a newbie! I can't come up with any valuable analysis!
"Understood, sir. I will study hard."
"No need to rush. This knowledge will take you years to digest."
Saul carefully held the book, afraid he might accidentally tear it.
At the same time, he felt nervous.
Because he was about to complain again.
When in doubt, seek your backer.
"But sir, I’ve been desperately studying body modifications because I want to escape danger as soon as possible."
Saul paused here.
He needed to observe Pink Lord's reaction to decide what to say next.
Pink Lord's silver eyes gazed at Saul, listening patiently.
Saul swallowed and continued, "I have an enemy far stronger than me. If I don’t grow stronger quickly, I will eventually die at his hands."
Pink Lord, hearing this, looked up at the ceiling.
Saul didn't know what he was looking at, so he followed his gaze but saw only dark walls.
"Saul, there's something you need to understand."
Saul immediately turned his attention back to Pink Lord, listening intently.
"Powerful enemies, terrifying sorcery, eerie spirits... Saul, the thing that is truly frightening is the unknown."
"When you truly step onto the path of a wizard, you'll realize that compared to the dangers of studying sorcery, the threat of death from a second-level apprentice is insignificant."
Saul's eyes widened suddenly.
Pink Lord knew exactly who his enemy was!
But Saul wasn’t a real twelve-year-old child who would be swayed by grand promises.
If you want to eat the cake, first you have to make sure you won’t starve to death before getting to it.
He didn’t know how dangerous studying sorcery was, but he did know that if he couldn’t deal with Sid, there was no point in thinking about future studies.
Pink Lord had refused to help him eliminate his enemy.
A bit disappointing, but not unexpected.
"I understand, sir."
Pink Lord lowered his gaze to Saul’s head. "Why aren’t you calling me Pink Lord anymore?"
But he didn’t wait for Saul’s response before continuing, "Treat knowledge as a tool, not as a goal. You’re already strong—don’t get lost in modifications."
After saying that, Pink Grandmaster tiptoed away, swaying slightly as he walked around Saul. "Go back and think it over. Oh, and don’t tell anyone you saw me."
Saul didn’t quite understand. He blinked and turned around to ask, only to find himself facing a wall.
A wall?
Saul was stunned. When he turned back, he saw the door to his own dormitory—Room 603.
How had he returned to his dormitory again?
So familiar!
Could "don’t tell anyone you saw me" be a teleportation spell?
Now that he was back, there was no way to chase after Pink Lord.
Saul sighed and silently walked into his room, still holding Speculations on Soul Vessels.
The hourglass clock on the wall showed it was already 1 a.m.
No wonder the dormitory area was deserted.
He placed Corpse Refinement Guide and Speculations on Soul Vessels side by side on the desk, wondering why Pink Lord had helped him, had Kaz teach him, and had even come personally to advise him today.
Admiration for talent?
Heh.
"Souls…" Saul repeated tonight’s key word.
"Knowledge is a tool, not a goal. My goal is to survive and become a powerful wizard, not knowledge itself."
Saul still couldn't figure it out, so he gave up for now.
"A person at the bottom should focus on the basics first. If necessary, I’ll ask Pink Lord to clarify next time."
Just as he was putting the books away—he really wasn’t in the mood to read—he heard a knock at the door.
Bang! Bang bang!
The knocks were loud and forceful.
For some reason, Saul could sense urgency and a hint of fear.
He walked to the door. "Who is it?"
"Mm."
Senior Byron?
Saul opened the door, and sure enough, it was him.
Byron didn’t immediately step into Saul’s dormitory but instead cautiously peered inside.
"It’s just me," Saul whispered.
Byron immediately slipped inside.
After Saul shut the door, Byron let out a raspy breath.
"I received your signal, but..." His pupils trembled. "I didn’t dare to go."
Only then did Saul remember that he had crushed the third small vial, signaling Byron for help.
One vial cost thirty credits, and a life-saving act was worth a hundred—expensive indeed.
"I wasted thirty credits tonight," Saul said grimly.
"Who exactly is your enemy? How did you come back alive?"
Byron was still shaken by his fear.
Even now, he could recall the sheer terror he had felt.
He had been standing in the second-floor corridor of the East Tower. Just one turn, and he could have walked up the slope.
He knew Saul was in danger and had promised that even if he had to collect his corpse, he would go.
But he simply couldn't take that step.
Beside him, the mute giant had changed his usual posture—curled up in the corner, head down, arms covering his head, his rear sticking up, trembling violently.
The posture was ridiculous, but Byron couldn't laugh.
Because he wanted to do the same.
Then, suddenly, everything returned to normal.
Byron's legs went numb, and he almost collapsed.
After a while, he cautiously walked up the slope, but Saul was nowhere to be seen.
He didn’t know if Saul was dead.
Facing such a terrifying enemy, even being reduced to nothingness was possible.
Byron had returned to his dormitory in silence.
Finding out that he was about to advance to a third-level apprentice had once made him feel invincible, even leading to grand adventure plans with Saul.
But this experience left him lost again.
He was advancing, but he was still weak in the face of fear—as powerless as ever.
He had stood in his dormitory until midnight before finally mustering the courage to check on Saul.
To see if he had returned—if he was still alive.
But Byron hadn’t expected that Saul, who had faced such terror, would appear completely unfazed.
"Oh," Saul answered Byron’s question calmly. "It was a misunderstanding. Tonight’s visitor wasn’t my enemy."
"Who was it?" Byron asked urgently.
"Do you really want to know?"
"No!" Byron immediately turned away. "I don’t want to know."
His face twitched violently.
As if his very skin wanted to escape his body.
Seeing Byron’s extreme fear, Saul suddenly felt sympathy for him.
At the same time, he confirmed once more that Pink Lord was an existence even more terrifying than his mentor.
With that in mind, it wasn’t hard to guess who Pink Lord truly was.
But Saul didn’t want to break that illusion—breaking it might mean facing a bloody reality.
He was still young and not ready for that burden.
But at the same time, Pink Lord's words made something clear to him.
Compared to Pink Lord and his mentor, Sid was truly insignificant.
Pink Lord might not be willing to deal with Sid directly, but he was watching over Saul.
Since that was the case, instead of constantly fearing Sid’s next move, why not bring the fight to him?
He was already strong!
Yes—Pink Lord had said so.
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