Chapter 179: No Compromises

Saul was left standing alone in the corridor.

He glanced around. There were several white doors lining the hallway, likely leading to rooms containing dangerous materials.

At the end of the library corridor, a familiar ramp came into view.

"This should be one of the Tower Master's exclusive floors, though I'm not sure exactly which one."

The 18th to 21st floors of the Wizard Tower belonged to the Tower Master. No one else was allowed to live or conduct research there.

There were no signs or labels indicating the tower’s floor numbers, which was rather inconvenient.

Saul had gained preliminary approval from Gorsa to access the books here, but true recognition required passing a series of trials.

The dangerous mission at the end of May was just one of them—and it wouldn't be the last.

"If I manage to pass all these tests and make it to the end… what will be waiting for me?"

Eula, the horde of corpses, Mentor Kaz, Mentor Rum, Kongsha...

Their faces flashed through Saul's mind like a moving reel.

Without a change in expression, he walked up to a large golden-engraved magic formation door and inserted the pinky finger of his left hand into the keyhole.

Unlike a normal lock, he felt something wrap around his finger bone before quickly releasing it.

The white door popped open slightly.

Saul pushed it open and stepped inside. The study before him was decorated in pure white, and directly ahead stood a massive floor-to-ceiling window.

The sunlight streamed in beautifully.

Saul reached back and shut the door.

"No matter what, I won’t become a ghost that haunts the lower floors of the Wizard Tower forever."

"Whether Gorsa is grooming me as an experiment or truly training me as his assistant, I won’t let this opportunity slip away!"

"Manipulation? Scheming? So be it. No one in this world is born deserving kindness."

"In the wizarding world, even standing still is a mistake. If I give up now, I might as well have died as a mere servant."

"Right, Diary?"

Saul tilted his head, stretching his neck while glancing at the floating diary on his left shoulder.

"Which of these books am I allowed to read?"

---

Saul vanished into the depths of the library, unseen by others. That night, he descended from the Tower Master's floors.

Not many knew, but a few observant individuals had been tracking his movements.

---

Eastern Tower, 16th Floor – Mentor Anze’s Quarters

If Mentor Rum stayed confined in his large quarters due to physical ailments, Mentor Anze remained indoors simply out of laziness.

Among the five mentors, he had the most apprentices. Nearly all his experiments were handled by them, while he only supervised their progress.

That day, upon hearing that Saul had come down from the 18th floor, he immediately summoned Luo Kai, the leader of the Mutual Aid Society.

"Have you been keeping an eye on Saul?"

Luo Kai, despite facing a mentor, still wore his usual mischievous grin.

"Heh, of course! You told me to watch him closely, so I’ve been giving him my full attention."

"Anything noteworthy?"

"Saul? Oh, he easily took out a third-level apprentice. Right now, the tower is treating it as a disappearance, but I bet it won’t be long before they confirm his death. We just don’t know how he did it yet."

Anze closed his eyes, deep in thought.

"The third-level apprentice… you sent him, didn’t you?"

"Yep. Hehehe."

Luo Kai—27 years old—had been stuck at the second apprentice level for over a decade.

Once a brilliant prodigy, his light had been overshadowed by later talents like Bill, Billy, and Wright.

Now, he seemed to have resigned himself to running the Mutual Aid Society and doing errands for Mentor Anze—and he enjoyed it.

Few knew that Luo Kai was actually Anze’s most valuable piece.

Like a fisherman, he controlled all the nets.

"Ferguson's lightning power flared up the same day Saul took over the second warehouse," Rokai continued gleefully.

"With his reckless and arrogant personality, there’s no way he wouldn’t have picked a fight with Saul. And while Saul is talented, he’s no match for Ferguson—especially since lightning counters him perfectly."

Luo Kai took pride in explaining his careful setup.

"Once we find Ferguson’s body, we’ll know if the great Tower Master personally stepped in to save Saul."

Anze laced his fingers together.

"Gorsa never interferes in apprentice disputes. When he rescued Saul and Wright outside the tower, it was justified as repelling an external threat. But if he saved Saul from Ferguson…"

"That means Saul is critical to him!" Luo Kai's eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Exactly." Anze leaned back, sinking into the soft cushions of his sofa.

"I was going to assign Kujin to befriend Saul, so we could track his movements and deal with him when he leaves the tower."

But then Anze raised a hand.

"No need."

Luo Kai froze in surprise.

"From now on, just react normally."

He paused for a moment before grinning again.

"Hehehe… I get it now. The most normal response would be to withdraw all surveillance on Saul."

Anze nodded.

"You're always sharp, Luo Kai."

Luo Kai's grin widened, arrogance shining in his expression.

"Then I won’t disturb you any longer."

He bowed deeply, maintaining eye contact as he slowly backed out.

Just as he was about to shut the door, Anze's voice came again.

"Three more years until you turn thirty. Getting anxious?"

"Of course not, Mentor. I don’t believe in settling."

With that, Luo Kai gently shut the door.

Anze, still with his eyes closed, listened as the footsteps faded into the distance.

Muttering softly—

"Neither do I."

---

Saul spent ten days in the 18th-floor white study, reading nonstop.

He even found two more formulas for synthesizing Spirit Grease.

One of them was marked as too advanced for him by the diary, so he focused on the other one.

It was called Dead Soul Eye—and like his Plastic Bone, it had a weakness: sunlight.

However, unlike Plastic Bone, which melts instantly in sunlight, Dead Soul Eye only had its abilities weakened under strong light. Some of its killing techniques wouldn’t work at all.

At the bottom of the formula, notes suggested improvements, but due to high experimental risks, they had never been tested.

As Saul studied the modifications, he suddenly had new ideas for his Plastic Bone as well.

Of course, his main focus in the Tower Master's library was soul research.

After reading several experimental reports, he had to admit—he was still a novice in this field.

No wonder the Tower Master said he wouldn’t be qualified as an assistant until reaching the third apprentice level.

Saul decided that once he improved his Plastic Bone, he would start a soul research project.

It would coincide with his Locator project.

As for the research topic…

He’d have to consult the diary again.

He was so engrossed in studying that he completely forgot his promise to Kongsha.

That night, as he walked down the hall, absorbed in his notes, he bumped straight into a slender back.

The other person didn’t budge an inch—but Saul staggered back two steps.

"Sorry!"

Since he had been the one not watching where he was going, Saul immediately apologized.

The person slowly turned around, lifting a delicate hand to push back their loose hood—

Revealing half of a stunningly beautiful face.

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