Chapter 65: Hello, Backer. This Is My New Backer

Kongsha was not at all satisfied with Saul’s honest explanation.

“Oh, really~~” She stretched her tone as another eyeball floated up, locking onto Saul. “Then why did he make a special trip to collect your corpse? And why did you seem so sure he’d show up?”

Saul broke into a cold sweat under the stare of that eyeball. “I already explained this, Senior Kongsha. After the test, my strength would be revealed, and it’d be hard for him to secretly make another move against me. So this was likely his last chance to act—he’d come to confirm my death.”

The intense pressure from the eyeball made Saul want to hide behind Senior Byron.

“Oh?” Kongsha’s red lips curved into an even wider smile. “Why do I get the feeling it’s because you took something Sid’s been searching for? That’s why he’s been keeping an eye on you.”

Cold sweat trickled down Saul’s back.

“Too bad you two seem to have agreed not to mention a word of it.” Kongsha extended a pale hand, gently brushing Saul’s cheek. “So, would you be willing to tell me and Byron?”

But at that moment, Byron suddenly reached out and moved Kongsha’s hand away.

“What do you mean by that, Byron?” Kongsha instantly summoned another eyeball to glare at him.

She thought, If you couldn’t tell there was something off about those two, I wouldn’t even be interrogating Saul in front of you! And now you’re ruining it for me!

Outwardly though, she smiled softly. “Aren’t you curious about Saul’s little secret?”

Byron shook his head firmly.

“Hmph!”

Kongsha stared at him, more eyeballs rising into the air.

But Byron was completely unfazed, his expression as lifeless as a corpse as he met her gaze.

In terms of aura, Byron was slightly weaker, but Kongsha was the first to back down.

“Well then, since you’re not interested, go ahead and take Sid’s corpse back. I still have to heal my little friend.”

Byron only nodded again. “Mm~”

Kongsha raised her hand, and icy crystals began to gather in her palm.

“Did you forget who the strongest Second Rank is?”

Saul suddenly peeked out from behind Byron and smiled at Kongsha. “That’s you, of course—because Senior Byron is already a Third Rank apprentice.”

The chill that had been spreading from Kongsha’s body suddenly froze mid-air, and the ice crystal in her hand dissolved into faint stardust.

“You…” She took a half-step back in disbelief, glancing from Saul to Byron. “Aren’t you already thirty?”

Byron scratched the back of his head, and without needing to slit his throat, a seam opened on his neck, revealing sharp teeth underneath. “I advanced just this month.”

Just one look at Byron’s throat, and Kongsha could tell he wasn’t lying. He could now control his skin more naturally.

“But your Locator couldn’t integrate…”

Byron pointed at Saul.

“Because of him?” Kongsha felt her brain spinning. “Impossible!”

She suddenly pursed her lips, falling silent. She didn’t ask further, but several of her eyeballs turned toward Saul, studying him like it was her first time meeting him.

Just a few months ago, he had been terrified and begged her to save him. And now? He’d completed multiple body modifications, secured Byron’s support, and even killed Sid!

Seeing Kongsha wavering, Saul stepped out from behind Byron. “Senior, will you still need your brain next month?”

Kongsha paused, then abruptly retracted her menacing aura. Her red lips curved into a charming smile. “Of course I’ll need it. And if there’s another opportunity like this,” she shook the severed head in her hand, “don’t forget to invite me.”

With that, she tidied her battle-rumpled clothing, hooked a finger to adjust her collar slightly, and flicked it back.

“Little one, you really know how to pick your backers.”

Saul gave a polite smile but thought to himself, If I told you who my real backer was, it’d scare you to death

.

Kongsha walked away, half her face still filled with complicated emotion.

Byron turned to Saul with an equally complex look.

Saul looked at Byron’s spooky but strangely sincere face and grinned. “Senior, want to know why Sid targeted me?”

Byron’s throat opened. “Conflicts happen every day in the Wizard Tower—resources, influence. I’ve lost interest.”

He’d worked in the morgue for over a decade, dealing with countless corpses of people he once knew.

“By the way, Senior, you can talk now without slitting your throat?”

“I’m a Third Rank now,” Byron said, touching his throat. “I used to avoid speaking because I couldn’t control my skin. But with the modification plan you gave me, I had a breakthrough.”

“I always wanted to fuse with it, to hide who I really was. But I forgot—I’m already complete as I am. It can be my weapon, my shield, but it must never be me. Once I understood that, I could finally fuse my Locator and advance to the Third Rank.”

“It helped that much? No wonder you insisted on owing me 100 credits. But with your help this time, I’d say we’re even.”

Saul glanced at Sid’s headless corpse, a little pained.

He’d used up the single-use sorcery items from Keli and Kongsha, spent a fortune on a fake-death potion, and paid heavily to enlist Kongsha and Byron’s help.

Now he was back to square one—flat broke.

But at least, the threat of Sid was gone.

Sid hadn’t just attacked Saul multiple times, making his life miserable—he also knew about the Diary of Dead Wizard. He had to be eliminated.

The man might not have known the diary’s full capabilities, but even his partial knowledge was a threat.

Some secrets just can’t be shared—especially when they’re priceless.

The human heart can’t stand being tested. Best not to test it at all.

The only question was—besides Sid, did anyone else know about the Diary of Dead Wizard?

“Saul.”

Byron’s voice pulled Saul from his thoughts as he stared blankly at Sid’s corpse.

“Remember—what you have is more valuable than any treasure.”

Saul’s heart skipped a beat.

Does Senior Byron know?

Byron’s tone grew solemn.

“Knowledge and life—those are the most important things for a wizard.”

Saul’s mouth opened slightly. Ah—it seems I misunderstood

.

Senior Byron was giving him a lesson!

“I understand, Senior.”

Placing “life” alongside a wizard’s pursuit of “knowledge”—perhaps it was to remind him that without life, nothing else mattered?

Senior Byron’s outlook was as grounded as ever.

Seeing Saul genuinely reflecting on his advice, Byron was pleased.

“Oh, right.” Byron reached into his mouth and pulled out a notebook to continue recording. “As agreed, my assistance this time clears the credit debt.”

Then he scratched a few lines.

“But since you ultimately took down Sid yourself, I’ll deduct a bit less. That leaves… 16 credits remaining.”

“No problem!” Saul responded without hesitation.

Sixteen credits—that was over five months of his base salary!

Byron took everything from Sid’s body, leaving Saul with a stripped-down corpse, claiming the Second Rank’s items were still too dangerous for him.

If Saul hadn’t seen the gleam in Byron’s eyes, he might’ve actually believed the honest act!

When dividing the spoils, Saul asked about the Elf Figurine, but Byron repeatedly shook his head and warned him to stay far away from anything related to elves until he became a true wizard.

Afterward, Byron helped examine Saul’s body and took care of the other corpses in the morgue.

The infatuated youth Rocky’s body showed no signs of mutation.

Previously possessed by a wraith, his face was now unrecognizable.

Saul didn’t know what he’d been through or why the wraith targeted him—just that he was a poor, manipulated soul.

Byron explained that someone had secretly placed a wraith’s host item on Rocky. The wraith invaded his mental body when his emotions were unstable and his mind was weak.

Eventually, they found a cracked magic crystal in Rocky’s wallet.

That was the host item—no one knew who had slipped it into his pocket.

Now that the wraith was destroyed, the host item had been rendered useless.

For Second Rank apprentices, such low-level items were easy to identify.

Even First Rank apprentices with strong mental stability wouldn’t be affected too badly.

But Rocky’s poor state and weak mind made it all too easy for him to lose control.

“So pitiful,” Saul sighed and slipped Rocky’s wallet into his own pocket.

(End of Chapter)

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