Chapter 25: Doing Business in the Morgue

A new day, 1:00 in the afternoon.

Senior First Rank Apprentice Hayden silently walked into the second morgue.

He glanced at the transport platform. The candlelight above it was dim.

No work today.

That was a good thing.

He had been handling corpses for three years.

This job was nauseating on its own, and at the same time, so tedious it made him want to quit.

But quitting wasn’t an option. Without this job, he had no idea how he could pass the monthly tests.

The number of First Rank apprentices who entered the tower with him was dwindling.

A few successfully advanced to the Second Rank. A few died during the tests. A few died during their studies. And a few, like him, persisted quietly.

So, even though he was sick of this job, Hayden couldn’t afford to give it up.

Since there was no work today, he walked over to the desk by the wall and flipped through a book.

But soon, he closed it again.

He had read these books too many times. They couldn’t help him advance to the Second Rank.

“Come to think of it, not advancing to the Second Rank isn’t so bad.” Hayden looked toward the neighboring room. “The first step of corpse processing is already being done by Second Rank apprentices. If I lost this job, I’d probably be like the other Second Rank apprentices, worrying about passing the tests every six months, right?”

With that thought, Hayden lost all interest in reading.

He walked up to the transport platform and suddenly had the urge to lie on it.

But just as he lifted one leg onto the platform—

Knock, knock.

A sudden knock on the door startled him, and he nearly lost his balance.

This place, at this time—who could it be?

Could it be that newbie from yesterday?

Hayden raised his chin and swaggered to the door.

“Who is it?”

“I’m a Second Rank apprentice, Sid.”

Hayden’s chin and shoulders immediately shrank together.

He quickly opened the door and peered through the crack at the impatient-looking blond youth.

The crimson door opened a sliver, and Hayden squeezed out at once.

“Senior, you were looking for me?”

Along with him came the morgue’s putrid stench.

Sid frowned and took two steps back.

Seeing this, Hayden hurriedly reached back and shut the door.

“I heard a newbie took over the morgue job?”

“Yes, a loud little kid.”

“How’s he doing?”

“Well… I haven’t checked, but I guess he’s doing fine?”

Sid sneered. “A total newbie—how good could he be? Besides, my junior also wants this job.”

“Huh?” Hayden looked up in surprise.

“Can you find a way to make room for him?”

“Make room?” Hayden shrank his hands and darted his eyes around uncomfortably. “But the morgue jobs are all assigned by Mentor Kaz.”

“Once the position is open, my junior will naturally compete for it.” Sid rubbed his fingertips together, and a fine white powder flaked off.

“T-then, I’ll try persuading the newbie?” Hayden asked tentatively.

“Heh.” Sid chuckled with an ambiguous expression. “If you satisfy me, I’ll give you a Midnight Phantom Feather.”

“Ah!” Hayden straightened up completely, his eyes nearly popping out. “I—I… I’ll definitely make that kid—”

Suddenly!

“Doing business in the morgue now?”

A deep voice interrupted their conversation.

Both Hayden and Sid turned toward the depths of the corridor.

“That Second Rank apprentice in charge of the morgue?” Sid squinted. “He’s early today? Looks like I’ll have to bleed a little again.”

However, as the figure emerged from the darkness, Sid’s pupils contracted sharply.

Next to him, Hayden nearly collapsed to the ground.

“Men—Mentor…”

The man stepping out of the corridor wasn’t a Second Rank apprentice. It was Mentor Kaz himself.

Sid’s heart clenched as Kaz stared at him, but remembering the mentor’s usual attitude, he braced himself and said, “Mentor Kaz, we were just—”

Kaz raised a hand, cutting Sid off. “I don’t care what you were doing.”

Sid exhaled in relief. He knew the mentor wouldn’t concern himself with apprentice affairs.

But Kaz’s next words nearly made him collapse.

“Recently, the tower has lost quite a few servants and apprentices. You’re going out to bring back a dozen new recruits.”

Sid’s heart trembled as he tried to negotiate. “Understood, Mentor Kaz. After I finish next month’s test, I’ll—”

“Next month? You leave this month! No—tonight!”

Kaz glared at him. Though he was short, the sheer pressure in his gaze made the two apprentices feel like they were being crushed by a boulder.

“Mentor Kaz,” Sid was drenched in cold sweat, “I have a test next month. If I leave the tower now, I might not make it back in time…”

Kaz looked at him impassively and said, “You need to understand one thing.”

“All servants, maids, and apprentices in the tower are the property of the Tower Master. And you—” Kaz pointed a wrinkled finger at Sid. “You’ve already caused losses to the Tower Master, so naturally, you must make up for it.”

Sid opened his mouth, but no words came out.

A bead of sweat trickled down his temple, hit the ground, and shattered into tiny droplets.

Saul learned the next afternoon that Sid had already left the tower.

The one who told him, once again, was Mentor Kaz.

“Senior Sid?” Saul’s face paled.

His hand rested on the freshly copied book, fingers clenching, wrinkling the yellowed pages.

“But why… why would he want to harm me?” Saul shook his head in confusion.

“That’s something you’ll have to figure out yourself.” Kaz took out a book and tossed it onto the table.

Saul looked down. It was a thin, silk-bound book.

The Guide to Corpse Refinement.

It was the first time he had seen a book made of fabric.

“I see you… Hmm, you have some talent. Take this book and read it. If you don’t understand something, you can ask me.” Kaz glanced at Saul’s reaction, then turned and left.

Saul picked up the book.

A non-textbook wizarding book cost at least two magic crystals per day, and a guide like this was worth much more than a recognition text.

Mentor Kaz had essentially given him a huge sum of magic crystals.

“Mentor’s quite generous,” Saul murmured with a soft chuckle.

He set The Guide to Corpse Refinement aside, smoothed out the pages he had wrinkled, and refocused.

Hiss—

A faint sound made Saul look up.

The candlelight above the transport platform had turned a bright white.

Saul walked over and pulled the lever.

The black conveyor belt rumbled to life, and a fresh corpse, draped in black leather, emerged from the fringe.

This time, it was an unfamiliar dead man who had passed away peacefully.

Saul lifted the black leather covering. The corpse was largely intact.

This was his first time handling one alone.

Saul entered a semi-immersed meditation state.

Even though the Human-Monster Movement Diagram had been slipped into his studies to kill him, he unexpectedly found it suited his meditation well.

And since the hardback book hadn’t objected, that meant he could keep using it!

Saul picked up a tool from the table behind him.

The corpse swayed slightly. For a moment, the body on the transport platform seemed to take on Sid’s appearance.

Saul closed his eyes briefly, forcing himself back to reality.

“I have a month, but when Sid returns, his retaliation will likely be even more ruthless.”

The crisis wasn’t over, but at least he had a breathing space.

“It seems as long as I remain useful, I can gain some protection. I need to become even more valuable.”

As he worked, his gaze flicked toward The Guide to Corpse Refinement.

Suddenly, he paused.

“Corpse refinement… could it have some connection to wizard body modification?”

(End of Chapter)

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