Chapter 65: Hello, My New Backer
Kongsha was not satisfied with Saul’s explanation.
“Oh really~~” she drawled, and another eyeball emerged, fixing its gaze on Saul. “Then why did he specifically come to collect your corpse? And why do you seem so sure he would show up?”
Saul sweated under the intense stare of the floating eyeball. “I already explained this, Senior Kongsha. After the test, my strength would be exposed, making it hard for him to target me secretly. This was likely his last chance to strike, so he probably came to confirm my death.”
The pressure from her gaze was immense, making Saul want to hide behind Senior Byron.
“Oh?” Kongsha’s red lips curled up, her smile deepening. “Then why do I get the feeling that you took something Sid was looking for, which is why he kept watching you?”
A cold sweat broke out on Saul’s back.
“Too bad… Both of you are so tight-lipped about it.” Kongsha reached out a pale hand, gently stroking Saul’s cheek. “So, will you tell me and Byron?”
Before Saul could answer, Byron suddenly reached out and removed Kongsha’s hand.
“What are you doing?” she questioned immediately, splitting an eyeball off to stare at Byron.
She thought to herself, If it weren’t for the fact that you also noticed something off between them, I wouldn’t be interrogating Saul right in front of you! And now, you’re ruining my plan!
But outwardly, Kongsha just chuckled softly. “Aren’t you interested in Saul’s secret?”
Byron firmly shook his head.
“Hmm?”
Kongsha stared at Byron, more eyeballs popping out.
Byron remained unfazed, his deathly still expression meeting her gaze.
In terms of sheer presence, Byron was slightly lacking, but ultimately, it was Kongsha who backed down first.
“Since you’re not interested, then take Sid’s corpse back. I still need to heal my little friend.”
Byron simply shook his head again. “Mmm~”
Kongsha lifted a hand, tiny ice crystals forming at her fingertips.
“Have you forgotten who the strongest Rank 2 apprentice is?”
Before things could escalate, Saul suddenly peeked out from behind Byron and smiled at Kongsha. “Of course, it’s you. After all, Senior Byron has already advanced to Rank 3.”
The chilling aura around Kongsha suddenly froze, and the ice crystals in her hand dissolved into specks of starlight.
“You…” Kongsha instinctively took half a step back, glancing between Saul and Byron. “Aren’t you already thirty?”
Byron scratched the back of his head, and his throat split open on its own, revealing sharp teeth. “Just advanced this month.”
Seeing Byron’s exposed throat, Kongsha knew he wasn’t lying. He had become far more adept at controlling that layer of human skin.
“But your locator was supposed to be incompatible…”
Byron lifted a finger and pointed at Saul.
“Because of him?” Kongsha felt like her brain wasn’t working. “Impossible!”
Suddenly, she pressed her lips together, no longer questioning or speaking further. Several eyeballs turned to focus on Saul, as if seeing him for the first time.
Just a few months ago, he had been a terrified, desperate rookie begging for her help…
And now?
He had undergone multiple rounds of body modification, formed an alliance with Byron, and even killed Sid!
Seeing Kongsha waver, Saul stepped out from behind Byron. “Senior, do you need a brain next month?”
Kongsha was silent for a moment before suddenly retracting her overwhelming aura. Her red lips curved into a sly smile. “Of course, I do. And if another opportunity like this comes up,” she lifted the severed head in her hand and shook it lightly, “remember to call me.”
With that, Kongsha tidied her slightly disheveled clothes from the battle, hooked a finger under her collar, and then flicked it back.
“Little guy, you sure know how to pick your backers.”
Saul maintained a polite smile but thought to himself, If I told you who my real backer is, you’d be scared to death!
Kongsha left, her expression half amused and half contemplative.
Byron, on the other hand, turned to Saul with a complex look.
Saul stared at Byron’s eerie yet oddly sincere face and chuckled. “Senior, do you want to know why Sid was after me?”
Byron’s throat split open. “Conflicts happen in this tower every day—it’s always about resources and power. I’ve long stopped being curious.”
After spending over a decade in the morgue, he had processed the corpses of too many familiar faces.
“By the way, Senior, you don’t need to cut your throat to talk anymore?”
“I’m Rank 3 now,” Byron said, touching his throat. “Before, I had to stay silent because I couldn’t control my skin properly. But thanks to your modification plan, I had a new realization.”
“I always wanted to integrate with it, to use it to hide my true self. But I forgot—I am an independent being. It can be my weapon, my shield, but it can never replace me.
“Once I understood that, I was finally able to merge with my locator and successfully advance to Rank 3.”
“That useful?” Saul was surprised. “No wonder you insisted on owing me 100 academic credits. But since you helped me this time, let’s call it even.”
Saul glanced at Sid's headless corpse, feeling a bit of pain.
He had used up the one-time spell tools from Keli and Kongsha, spent a fortune on fake-death potions, and paid a hefty price to enlist the help of Kongsha and Byron.
Now, he was broke again—completely back to square one.
But at least he had eliminated Sid, his most dangerous enemy.
Sid had targeted Saul multiple times, making his life unbearable. Worse, he knew about the Diary of a Dead Wizard, a secret that made him a liability.
It seemed Sid didn’t fully understand the diary’s true function, but even partial knowledge was a threat.
Some secrets could never be shared with anyone—especially when they were treasures.
Human nature couldn’t be tested. The best way to avoid betrayal was never to give the opportunity in the first place.
But… was Sid the only one who knew about the diary?
“Saul.”
As Saul was lost in thought, staring at Sid’s corpse, Byron’s voice brought him back.
“Remember, what you possess is more valuable than any treasure.”
Saul’s heart skipped a beat.
Did Byron know?
Byron continued solemnly.
“Knowledge and life are the most important things to a wizard.”
Saul’s mouth opened slightly.
…Oh.
He had overthought it.
Byron was giving him advice!
“I understand, Senior.”
Placing life alongside knowledge—the core pursuit of all wizards—was his way of saying that without life, everything else was meaningless.
Byron’s perspective was as pragmatic as ever.
Seeing that Saul was seriously considering his words, Byron nodded in satisfaction.
“Oh, right.” Byron suddenly pulled out a small notebook from his mouth and started writing. “As agreed, this mission cancels out your remaining academic credits.”
Then he crossed out a few lines.
“But since you ultimately dealt the killing blow to Sid yourself, I’ll deduct two fewer credits. That leaves… 16 credits.”
“No problem!” Saul accepted it without hesitation.
16 credits—that was over five months of his base salary!
Byron stripped Sid's corpse of all valuables, leaving Saul with only the bare remains, saying that Rank 2 items were still too dangerous for him.
If not for the glint in Byron’s eyes, Saul might have actually believed that excuse.
When splitting the spoils, Saul asked about the elven statue, but Byron shook his head repeatedly and warned him to stay away from anything related to elves until he became an official wizard.
Afterward, Byron helped Saul examine his body and cleaned up the rest of the morgue.
The lovestruck boy, Rocky, had not mutated.
The once-possessed boy was now unrecognizable.
Saul didn’t know what Rocky had been through or why a ghost had taken over his body. In the end, he had just been a pawn.
Byron explained that someone had secretly placed a ghost’s lodging item on Rocky. The spirit took advantage of his unstable emotions and weak mind to invade him.
Finally, they found a cracked magic crystal in Rocky's wallet.
It was the ghost’s lodging item—someone had slipped it into Rocky's pocket.
Now that the ghost was destroyed, the item had lost its power.
For a Rank 2 apprentice, such an item would have been easy to detect.
Even a mentally stable Rank 1 apprentice would have been fine.
Rocky had simply been too weak—both in strength and spirit.
“What a pity,” Saul sighed.
Then he pocketed Rocky's wallet.
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