Chapter 280: Third Rank

“My diary?! Where’s my diary?! That huge, bright red hardcover book?!”

Saul felt a cold sweat break out across his entire body in an instant. A numbing stiffness shot from the soles of his feet straight up to the back of his skull.

“Calm down!” Saul took a deep breath, forcing his racing heart and rapid breathing to settle.

He shut his eyes and focused, trying to sense the diary’s presence.

It wasn’t difficult. In fact, the moment Saul calmed down, he saw the diary clearly within his own soul body.

The red hardcover book was floating quietly within his soul body. The instant Saul laid eyes on it, it lazily flipped over once.

“Have I… already turned the diary into my locator?”

In truth, Saul had already understood what had happened the moment he saw the diary within his soul body. He had just been too overwhelmed to be sure.

A First Rank apprentice, once their magic and mental power meet the standard, can ascend to Second Rank by constructing a complete First Tier spell.

But to rise to Third Rank, a Second Rank apprentice must choose a locator—something they accept both physically and spiritually. Only then, when their magic also reaches the standard, can they ascend.

Saul had already met the magic requirement long ago, after absorbing large amounts of souls. His magical aptitude had also seen significant improvement through repeated magical body modifications. Not to mention his mental strength, which now rivaled that of a True Wizard.

Now, he had stabilized his locator, and could begin studying the more profound Second Tier spells!

Once he successfully solidified his first Second Tier spell, that would mean he had officially become a Third Rank Wizard apprentice!

The higher the tier of spell, the more dangerous the knowledge it contains—sometimes even carrying the risk of mental contamination.

Only by choosing and stabilizing a locator can one safely approach this higher-tier knowledge.

Otherwise, all that awaits the reckless is destruction.

Ever since the diary moved from Saul’s left shoulder into his soul body, it had brought him a powerful sense of stability.

When Saul meditated, cast spells, or manipulated magic energy, he could feel the shockwaves of magic and mental energy drastically reduced.

“This way, the mental backlash from casting First Tier spells is almost negligible. And Zero Tier spells no longer affect my mind at all. Even though I haven’t learned any Second Tier spells yet, I’m already stronger than most Second Rank apprentices. And once I do learn them, my offensive and defensive capabilities will both rise to a whole new level. Among all the Third Rank apprentices I know, I’ll be among the top. Plus, if I launch a soul-based attack… even a True Wizard might fall if caught off guard!”

He closed his eyes again, calming his emotions.

Afterward, Saul went through the familiar spells he had mastered, one by one, confirming that the fluctuations in his mental energy were even smaller than those of an average Third Rank apprentice.

“In the past I glimpsed, the diary’s power far exceeded what it is now. Right now, it seems many of its abilities are sealed. But that’s fine—this gradual unsealing is what suits me best. Otherwise, the diary itself would be the greatest danger to me.”

“That world of death I saw might represent the diary’s peak power, but strength like that… even if I obtained it, it would be near impossible to control.”

Saul knew himself well. He didn’t envy the power to destroy worlds. He only wanted to walk steadily down the path beneath his feet.

After resting a few minutes and clearing his mind, Saul stood up and cast Mage Hand again, lifting the old madman off the ground once more.

At the same time, he pulled out a pen and paper from his pocket, planning to use the journey back to continue his research into magic.

His conversation with Kismet had not only deepened his understanding of the diary, but also intensified his desire for strength.

Though Kismet called him “Master,” he had shown no mercy in his actions.

According to him, in order to strengthen Saul’s bond with the diary, he didn’t mind pushing Saul into danger with his own hands.

Even if the diary allowed Saul to foresee fatal crises, the only thing that could truly overcome and avoid those crises was Saul’s own strength!

The sky had finally cleared. The blood-colored night was over.

On his way back, Saul didn’t encounter Kira again.

That war goddess clearly enjoyed fighting more than anything else—who knew if she managed to catch up to Kismet.

But just as Saul approached the outskirts of Grind Sail Town, he ran into people from the Kema Duchy.

They had surrounded the entire town but hadn’t entered it. Each stood at least a hundred meters from its border.

Several soldiers held special longbows, their arrows already ablaze.

The flaming arrows loosed with a twang, landing precisely in the town and igniting roaring fires.

There was magic involved in these flames as well.

A few people dressed like wizard were arguing nearby, holding crystal balls and astrolabes, seemingly trying to verify something.

Not far behind these wizards was a carriage.

The coachman with the little mushroom hat was squatting pitifully by the side, holding a ceramic pot in his arms.

The first to notice Saul approaching was one of the wizard. He eyed Saul warily.

But before the wizard could say anything, the coachman suddenly leapt up.

“Master!” the coachman beamed, flashing a set of impressively neat teeth.

The moment he called out, all those arguing wizards instantly changed their expressions. Smiles bloomed across their faces as they gave Saul the most heartfelt welcome they could muster.

Saul had no interest in exchanging pleasantries with the Kema Duchy’s wizards. From the look of it, most of them were only Second Rank apprentices. Only the one leading them had Third Rank strength.

He nodded at them politely, then walked straight to the coachman.

The coachman gazed at Saul with obvious excitement. “Master, you really made it out safely!”

“They said everyone who went into the town died, but I never believed you’d be one of them!” The mushroom on his head wobbled.

The mushroom in his ceramic pot wobbled at the same rhythm.

“You waited out here the whole time?” Saul asked with a smile.

“Yes, Master. When more people arrived later, I hid in the forest and pretended to be a mushroom. They completely ignored me.”

Saul chuckled, thinking, That was probably when Billy and Angela arrived. Their attention was all on the town, so they didn’t notice the coachman hiding in the woods. Or maybe they did see him but just didn’t care.

“Did you see a male wizard leave the town?” Saul wanted to know if Billy had made it out alive.

The coachman shook his head. “I stayed hidden and didn’t dare look closely. But someone did leave through the forest later—a wizard, I think. I can’t say for sure if he came from the town. After that, the Kema Duchy people arrived. They found me and even brought me a maid.”

“A maid… from the Kema Duchy?” Saul frowned slightly. “What kind of maid?”

“She’s in the carriage.”

As if on cue, the carriage door suddenly swung open.

Saul turned his head to look and saw a maid doll dressed in a black-and-white uniform sitting primly inside, winking at him flirtatiously.

“Aren’t you Wright’s maid doll?”

There was no one else in the carriage, so Saul immediately glanced around, searching for Wright.

“No need to look. Wright entered the town—he’s probably dead by now.”

That voice?!

“Lady Yura?!” Saul snapped his head around so fast he nearly wrenched his neck.

The smile vanished instantly from the doll’s face. “I’m not Yura, I’m Vini! Don’t call me Yura!”

She turned her head away from him. The carriage door slammed shut with a thud.

Saul stood there, stunned, and looked to the coachman—who was wearing the exact same bewildered expression.

Several of the Kema Duchy’s wizards had been discreetly watching this whole time. Seeing Saul’s confusion, one of them awkwardly stepped forward.

“Greetings. I’m Buri, court wizard of the Kema Duchy, and a Third Rank apprentice. I apologize if our duke’s treatment of the lady in the carriage was disrespectful. We hope you won’t take offense.”

Only then did Saul realize the truth.

Although the tower master had always called her Yura, the doll had named herself Vini.

A name completely unrelated to Yura.

Come to think of it, perhaps the only one who truly acknowledged her as “Yura”… was Gorsa.

So who was Yura, really? And how had she been created?

That might be something only the master of the Wizard Tower could answer.

(End of Chapter)

If you find any errors ( Ads popup, ads redirect, broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.