Chapter 111: A Wizard
The two red-skinned barbarians had just struggled to their feet when they suddenly froze in place.
Their eyes bulged outward as if they had seen the most terrifying thing imaginable. The madness on their faces was completely replaced by fear.
In the face of death, even mindless barbarians had to bow their heads.
The moment the Soul Borer Worms landed on their skin, they burrowed inside and disappeared.
But their skin began to ripple and bulge as if something was crawling underneath.
The worms multiplied rapidly—first two, then three, then more and more…
The barbarians' entire bodies squirmed unnaturally.
If one looked closely into their eyes, they wouldn’t see Saul’s reflection—only countless writhing worms tangled together.
The Soul Borer Worm wasn’t an instant-kill spell, but a curse that drastically weakened the target's physical and mental state, torturing them until they ultimately perished.
Even though the barbarian priest had temporarily enhanced their magic resistance, they couldn’t withstand a Tier-1 Spell.
Their life force rapidly dissipated, leaving behind two bodies whose skin still writhed grotesquely.
From beginning to end, they never uttered a single scream. The eerie silence was terrifying.
They were dead.
Having just become a Level-2 Apprentice, Saul had consecutively cast two Tier-1 Spells.
Yet he still felt he had plenty of mana left, and his spiritual body only experienced a slight tremor—far from enough to affect his ability to cast another spell.
Saul clenched his fists. His Soul Grease was finally beginning to show its power.
As long as he could obtain more Soul Fragments, purify them, and absorb them, he could continuously increase his mana reserves.
Even his spiritual power would become more stable under the nourishment of soul energy.
Saul turned to call for Penny, but was stunned to see that the two red-skinned barbarians—who had already lost all signs of life—were moving again.
Their heads swayed, their limbs twisted, and their waists undulated. The most disturbing part? They were smiling radiantly.
They were dancing.
Saul: “…”
So this was the effect of the Soul Borer Worm when combined with Wraith Enhancement?
Watching the two red-skinned barbarians perform a grotesque belly dance was truly an eyesore.
Saul decided it was time to prioritize learning new Tier-1 Spells.
But what seemed like an awkward dance to Saul was a nightmarish horror show to Ada and Jayce, who were watching from afar!
Jayce kept hearing a clanging sound beside him. Trembling, he lowered his head—only to realize his own hand had been unconsciously tapping his knife against the wall.
Shuddering, he turned to look at Ada, who also turned to him at the exact same time.
Both men were shaking.
“You… y-you… how did you… bring back… the wizard?”
Ada tried to recall his first encounter with Saul, but all he could think about were those dancing dead barbarians.
When they turned back to look, they were horrified to find that Saul had silently appeared right in front of them.
“Ahh!”
They instinctively recoiled in shock, staring at Saul with fear and disbelief.
Saul wasn’t surprised. Ordinary people feared wizards.
Penny was an exception—her perception of reality was broken.
Leaning against the window frame, Saul looked down at them and said, "Penny is inside the tower. Once you go in, lock the door. That is the safest place right now. As long as you don’t open it, no one can break in.”
The most dangerous entity in the tower had already been eliminated by Saul. Now, it had become a fortress of protection.
Without waiting for them to respond, Saul turned and walked toward Grindstone Town.
“Saul!”
Unexpectedly, Ada mustered the courage to call out to him, "Did you… save Penny?"
Saul stopped, turned back, and said, "No need to thank me. It was just convenient. But in the future, keep Penny far away from wizards. Wizards are not good people."
Ada was stunned.
But Saul was a wizard—so why was he saying that all wizards were bad?
Was he admitting that he himself was not a good person?
Just then, the walls of Grindstone Town collapsed, and the sound of wailing filled the air.
Saul didn’t linger—he ran toward the barbarians.
Behind him, Ada called out again.
“I’m sorry, Saul! Back then… I left you behind!”
This time, Saul didn’t stop. He simply raised his hand in a distant gesture.
After all, he wasn’t the one who was abandoned back then.
When Ada first met Saul, he never mentioned this past betrayal.
Yet the moment he discovered Saul was a wizard, he immediately apologized…
It was all because of status and power.
Saul didn’t care about the original owner’s past experiences.
As Saul approached, the barbarian priest finally noticed him.
In truth, when Saul had swiftly killed two berserk barbarians, the priest had already realized—Saul was not a mere Level-1 Apprentice.
The priest himself was barely at Level-2, and as Saul kept advancing, his pressure increased.
He began considering retreating.
Although Lord Bill of the Wizard Tower had ordered him to cleanse Grindstone Town, things had clearly escalated beyond his control.
Just then, more voices came from within Grindstone Town.
The priest turned to look—only to see another wizard, Uni, leading soldiers back into town.
Their faces were filled with fury and pain.
“Of all days… they return today.”
The priest knew this emotion all too well—if he got surrounded, the enemy wouldn’t let him escape.
It was time to leave.
He raised his staff, signaling the barbarians to retreat.
They had come swiftly—but fled even faster.
Saul tried to intercept them, but the barbarians deliberately avoided him.
In the end, he only managed to slay seven or eight of them.
One particular barbarian, carrying a large bundle, was specially targeted by Saul and fell beside him.
The fabric of the bundle was far too fine for a barbarian, and its neatly tied knots suggested it wasn’t made by them either.
With the rest of the barbarians gone, Saul squatted down and untied the bundle.
Dozens of Grinding Sound Fruits rolled out—already dried at the stems, suggesting they had been harvested some time ago.
Did the barbarians steal these? Or was this part of the secret trade between the town and the barbarians, as the old madman claimed?
Why had the barbarians suddenly appeared and destroyed the Grinding Sound Fruit fields?
Did they break the deal and tear up the agreement?
Meanwhile, deep within the ruins of Grindstone Town, a woman crawled out from beneath the rubble—and secretly ran toward the Grinding Sound Fruit fields.
The wizard Uni had forbidden anyone from leaving town, but the woman—Jenny, in her forties—ran desperately.
Reaching the walls, she lit a torch.
Then, she hurried to the collapsed fields and set them ablaze.
Watching the flames rise, her face twisted with ecstasy.
She threw away the torch, spread her arms wide, and laughed hysterically.
“Ha ha ha… It’s all gone! All of it’s gone! HAHAHAHAHA!”
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