Diary of a Dead Wizard

Chapter 59: The Real Use of the Teaching Senior

“Senior Byron.”

“Hm?”

“Wanna clear off the debt you owe me?” Saul grinned and held out his hand to Byron.

“Huh???”

…

2 a.m.

Kongsha was lying on the floor.

She didn’t like sleeping on the bed.

She felt much safer under it.

She was the strongest Second Rank apprentice, the one with the highest chance of advancing to Third Rank among them all.

And yet she was afraid.

More afraid than anyone.

The best way to hide her fear was to make others fear her first.

She raised her hand and gently touched her face. When her fingertips brushed the spot where her cheek met the glass, they began to tremble.

Knock knock knock.

A steady knocking came at the door.

Not too loud, not too soft.

Wouldn’t necessarily wake someone from sleep.

But Kongsha heard it loud and clear.

The eyeball in her head pressed itself excitedly against the glass wall of her skull, vaguely seeing a small figure behind the door.

“Saul?” she perked up.

Saul was hers now. Every visit from him meant another apprentice’s brain.

Kongsha crawled out from under the bed, straightened her clothes, making sure she still looked dazzling.

Swaying her hips, she walked to the dorm door and opened it.

Outside, Saul wore a polite smile, looking at Kongsha sincerely.

“Senior, would you like another Second Rank apprentice’s brain?”

The eyeball churned.

But Kongsha’s gaze locked onto Saul’s left hand and with a slight squeeze, she almost crushed the doorknob.

She stepped aside to let him in.

“You… underwent wizard body modification?”

“Yep, made it through by a stroke of luck.”

Kongsha let out a cold laugh. Her little servant had slipped out of her control without her noticing!

Seeing the dangerous glint in her eyes, Saul quickly added, “It’s all thanks to your potion, Senior. Even though I won’t be needing the second dose, I’ll still keep bringing you gifts.”

Gifts?

Brains!

Kongsha’s eyeball quivered, and the white fluid inside looked like it might boil over.

But in the end, she calmed down and accepted Saul’s promise.

“If you don’t need my potion anymore, why are you still willing to bring me brains?”

“First, because you saved my life, Senior. If you ever need anything, I wouldn’t refuse. Second, I want to ask for your help one more time,” Saul said earnestly. “After that, I’ll work hard to bring you better and more gifts.”

Kongsha looked at Saul’s left hand. She didn’t ask how he did it—he wouldn’t have told her the truth anyway.

In the end, Kongsha gave him a charming smile.

“Tell me. Who do you want to kill?”

The night passed uneventfully.

The next day, in class.

Saul showed up for a general course, a rare sight.

Keli turned her head and looked at him like she’d seen a ghost.

“You came?”

“Had a change of heart,” Saul smiled and sat down beside her.

“Your hand?” Keli immediately noticed his uncovered left hand.

“Made a glove for it. Not bad craftsmanship, right?”

Keli blinked. “Ugly.”

Saul: “…”

While he was talking with Keli, the apprentice in charge of the Basic Knowledge of All Things course walked onto the podium.

This course always had the same instructor—a Second Rank apprentice from the very beginning.

Today’s lecture was about medicinal herbs, a chapter in the botany section.

Saul, for once, listened attentively from start to finish. Not a single word missed. And then he realized… this senior was just reading straight from the textbook!

So what was the point of this class?

It was more sleep-inducing than an audiobook.

Not a single word of explanation.

Keli was already scribbling away. Saul took a peek and guessed she was analyzing the structure of some Tier-0 spell model.

He didn’t look too closely.

Partly because it would’ve been inappropriate.

And partly because he was afraid Keli might charge him for it.

The senior finished reading, closed the book, said “Any questions?” and pulled out another book to study from his bag.

The classroom was almost empty—about half as many people as when Saul last attended.

And those who were still here? Few were actually paying attention.

So what was the point of this class?

Saul leaned on his hand, deep in thought. “Big Pink said knowledge is a tool for wizards. Then how are we supposed to use that tool?”

After staring at the senior for a bit, Saul packed up his book, slung his bag over his shoulder, and stood up.

“You’re leaving again?” Keli said without even looking up.

But Saul moved quickly and didn’t get a chance to answer her.

He walked down to the front, stood before the slouched senior behind the podium, looked up respectfully, and asked—

“Senior, may I ask you a question?”

“One credit, five minutes,” the senior replied, still buried in his book like it was pure muscle memory.

“Sure. But can you keep my question a secret?”

The senior looked up.

Saul hadn’t spoken loudly, but the students in the front rows could still hear him.

A few curious glances were cast their way.

The senior suddenly smiled and chanted a spell.

The next moment, his voice echoed in Saul’s mind.

“Dual-Channel Message Spell. Just speak normally. No one else can hear you, and they won’t see your lips move either. But now it’s two credits.”

Talk about highway robbery!

Still, Saul’s eyes lit up.

There was a Message Spell, a Zero Tier Spell. Was this Dual-Channel version a First Tier?

A senior who chose such a support-based first tier spell… That meant he must know a bunch of practical spells.

Before Saul could say anything more, the senior added, “Credits first.”

Saul asked, “How do I give you the credits, Senior? Do I need to go to the registry?”

The senior shook his head and pulled out a sheet of paper from under the table, with a column for time and name.

“Use your badge, channel some mental energy into it, and press it here to leave a mark. I’ll go to the registry tomorrow and claim it. If you’re out of credits and trying to scam me, the penalty’s tenfold.”

He seemed oddly excited about that part—like he hoped someone would try it.

Saul didn’t hesitate. He did exactly as instructed and left a mark.

In the upper left corner of the paper, it read: Monroe, Second Rank Apprentice.

That must be the senior’s name.

After Saul marked it, Monroe took out a small blue hourglass, showed it to Saul, then flipped it over.

Time started ticking.

Saul immediately asked, “Senior, why does the same zero tier spell work so differently on ordinary people versus newly initiated apprentices?”

“Because of resistance,” Monroe replied, then asked back, “You’ve killed someone?”

Saul froze, suddenly alert.

“Relax, I was just curious,” Monroe waved it off and continued explaining. “Resistance is split into mental resistance and magical resistance.”

“A new apprentice may not have much higher magic or mental strength, but all the daily study, meditation, rune construction, and spell practice slowly builds up their resistance. And on top of that, the constant exposure to the Tower’s mysteries increases their tolerance toward spells dramatically.”

“But that resistance is still minuscule. You are fine against zero tier tricks, but if you try to resist it against first tier spells or higher by mental strength, you're just asking to die.”

“The only real way to protect yourself from hostile spells is through defensive spells. Many rogue wizards out there choose to learn defense spells first—not offensive ones. They’d rather fight with blades and swords because they understand how fragile they are and how terrifying spells can be.”

“That’s all I’ll say on the topic. Any deeper, and it wouldn’t be suitable for you yet.”

Saul nodded and immediately followed up, “Then what’s the real difference between First Rank and Second Rank apprentices?”

Monroe’s eyes lit up, looking excited. “There isn’t one. Apprentices may be divided into First, Second, and Third Rank, but at the end of the day, they’re all still apprentices. There’s no fundamental difference. Mental strength won’t increase dramatically, and they still can’t solidify spells. That means they rely heavily on their reactions in combat. If you reach 50 joules and learn your first first tier spell, you can be called a Second Rank Apprentice. But technically, even if you’re only at 40 joules, as long as you’ve learned a first tier spell, you can wear the Second Rank badge!”

Saul immediately caught the key point. “So the essence of being a Second Rank apprentice is mastering a first tier spell?”

Monroe nodded. “But your magic shouldn’t lag too far behind either. Advancing too quickly also isn’t necessarily a good thing.”

He was still slouching, chin in hand.

“Once you reach Second Rank, you’ll realize… you’re not much stronger but the world gets a lot scarier.”

(End of Chapter)