Chapter 72: The Second Olive Branch

What was that? A soul sealed inside the body?

Just as the head was about to break free from the body, the golden runes suddenly transformed into layers of chains, sealing the seven orifices of the head and forcefully pulling it back.

The head gradually ran out of strength and was about to be dragged back into the male apprentice’s body by the golden rune chains.

Suddenly, it recoiled swiftly—then darted straight toward Saul.

In the moment of pulling and resistance, a narrow gap opened, and a torn, hoarse cry came from the tightly clenched lips of the head.

“Help me—”

The golden rune chains tightened once again, and the voice was abruptly cut off.

It seemed that one cry for help had exhausted the head’s last bit of strength. The golden rune chains finally succeeded in dragging it back into the male apprentice’s back.

“Hm?” Rum let out a soft hum, then suddenly reached to the side and picked up a large quill pen from the lab bench.

He dipped the tip into an ink bottle the size of a thumbprint. When he lifted it, a drop of slightly viscous golden liquid clung stubbornly to the tip.

Rum moved quickly, adding a few more lines to the male apprentice’s back.

The apprentice twitched twice, and his face—turned to the side—twisted in pain.

But because of this change, he looked more like a living person than a puppet.

As the rune formation was gradually reinforced, the apprentice’s face returned to calm once again.

Saul, who had been observing silently, also stopped meditating.

Once he was done drawing, Rum tossed the quill back onto the table, made the male apprentice stand up, and reexamined his body.

“Watch him for a while longer. Send him out. Bring in the next one.”

The third apprentice came in next, and this time, nothing abnormal happened.

The process went quickly, as if just going through the motions.

Once all three apprentices had left, Rum stood in place, deep in thought for a moment. Then he suddenly beckoned Saul over.

Saul walked over with some nervousness, unsure of how Rum was going to test him.

But to his surprise, the first thing Rum said after grabbing his shoulder was—

“Have you been having nightmares these past two days?”

In Saul’s mind, he instantly saw that naked figure lying on the teleportation platform, the sound of footsteps searching for him, and the pitch-black void beneath the platform.

Mentor Anze had said he was haunted by a vengeful spirit. Could the nightmares be a manifestation of that?

But then why hadn’t Mentor Kaz noticed anything?

“Yes,” Saul replied, showing an appropriate amount of unease.

“Sid’s vengeful spirit is latched onto you. Seems like you gave him a pretty stifling death.”

“I was defending myself—like, forced to strike back,” Saul hurried to explain.

Rum let out a hearty laugh, his neck stretching forward unnaturally long.

“Well then, do you want me to help you get rid of Sid’s spirit?”

Saul froze for a moment before he realized what Rum meant. Internally, he thought, Rum, are you Sid’s mentor or mine? Did you mix up who the enemy is here?

This guy had just been complaining that Saul killed his assistant, and now he was offering help?

Though he found it strange, Saul was usually an honest person.

“I do!”

Rum was very pleased with Saul’s decisiveness.

“Good. Then perform well. Kaz says you have an exceptional soul aptitude. He rarely uses the word ‘exceptional’ for anyone. Let me see how good you really are. Now—tell me, what did you see in those three Second Rank apprentices?”

Saul paused, organizing his thoughts, then truthfully described everything he had seen.

Rum stared at him intently, and as Saul spoke, Rum’s expression grew increasingly serious.

“This… isn’t just aptitude. It should be called soul intuition.”

He extended a hand, grabbed Saul’s arm, and spun him around in place.

Then he retracted his hand and laid it over his own belly.

His belly rippled like a lake disturbed.

“Despite your lack of knowledge in formations and runes, and your shallow understanding of wizardly, you can pierce through the surface and grasp the essence directly.” Suddenly, Rum curled his five fingers inward and violently yanked—tearing a chunk of flesh straight from his stomach.

There was no blood from the wound. Instead, fat oozed out and sealed the opening.

Rum began kneading the flesh in his hand.

The lump of flesh turned out to be malleable like clay.

A doll-like figure quickly took shape in Rum’s hands.

Then he dipped his pinky into a bottle and hooked out two black, loach-like worms, placing them on the doll’s face.

The loaches wriggled into the eye sockets, leaving two empty holes.

After that, the doll slowly changed color, turning into a light brown wooden shade.

Wasn’t this the same kind of puppet the apprentices used to test their mental strength?

Only now did Saul realize that the puppets weren’t made of wood at all. He’d even borrowed one to study for days and never noticed the material was fake.

Rum tossed the newly made eyeless puppet into Saul’s hands.

“Stare into it and tell me what you hear.”

Saul glanced at Rum with suspicion, but still obeyed. He lowered his head and locked eyes with the puppet’s hollow sockets.

“Help me… help me… I want to… help me…”

The pleas began again, sometimes mixed with other voices.

As time passed, Saul’s face gradually turned pale.

Soon, he could no longer focus on the puppet’s eyes, yet couldn’t tear his gaze away.

This freshly made puppet seemed even stronger—and more terrifying—than the ones stored in the cabinet.

Rum said nothing and made no move to stop the process.

“…Kill me! Kill me!! Kill me!!!”

The sharp, screaming voice returned. Saul immediately felt his eardrums ache, his brain spinning inside his skull.

He thought Rum would finally stop it but the latter still didn’t react.

Saul’s mental strength had grown since he became an apprentice, but not by much. Once again, his vision darkened, and he was on the verge of fainting.

Finally, the puppet was taken from his hands.

The sharp screaming instantly ceased.

Saul’s knees buckled, and he nearly collapsed. He barely caught himself in time to stay upright.

Wait—what had he just touched?

He quickly withdrew his hand. Any slower, and it would’ve sunk into Rum’s flabby flesh.

Rum didn’t seem to notice Saul’s small gesture. He casually tossed the puppet into a nearby wooden barrel and asked, “What did you hear?”

Saul took a deep breath. His brain felt like it had melted into mush.

“At first, someone was calling for help… saying ‘help me.’”

Rum showed no reaction.

Saul went on, “Then there were other voices, saying things like ‘me too’ or ‘it hurts.’”

Rum nodded slightly, about to speak—only for Saul to continue.

“Then finally, there were some sharp screams… ‘kill me.’” As he recalled the sound, Saul wrapped his arms around himself, his skin breaking out in goosebumps.

Rum was just about to nod when his expression suddenly changed. He reached out and clamped down tightly on Saul’s right arm.

“What did you hear last? ‘Kill me’?”

A sharp pain shot through Saul’s arm, accompanied by a cracking sound.

His face twisted in agony, and he cried out.

This Rum really is trying to get back at me!

But in the very next second, a white light flashed.

Saul’s right arm was fully restored. The pain vanished as if it had been an illusion, and even the headache eased considerably.

“You really heard ‘kill me’?” Rum’s eyes and fat-covered face twitched violently.

“Yes,” Saul said, holding his arm, which was thankfully unharmed.

“Was it a man’s voice or a woman’s?”

“A woman’s.” Seeing how much Rum cared about the voice, Saul added another descriptor. “She sounded like she was in terrible pain.”

Rum stared at Saul, his expression dazed, as if he were seeing someone else in Saul’s face.

“Ha… hahahaha… hahahahaha!!!!”

He suddenly burst into wild laughter, like he was having a seizure.

Both hands slapped his enormous belly repeatedly, producing a thump-thump sound in sync with his laughter.

He laughed so hard he doubled over, his body barely moving while his head rocked back and forth.

Saul watched nervously, taking two cautious steps back. He was afraid Rum might actually explode like an overinflated balloon.

Rum laughed for a full ten minutes before swaying forward and abruptly stopping. He stared at Saul with intense focus.

“Do you want to transfer under me?”

(End of Chapter)

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