Chapter 473: The Evolution Diagram

Gudo’s consciousness vanished just like that. Saul felt a bit regretful—he hadn’t fully unearthed all of Gudo’s secrets yet.

The information regarding the Tribunal and the Eye of the Abyss cast a shadow over Saul’s heart, but he quickly set the matter aside.

There were no prompts from the diary—clearly, no matter how dangerous the Eye of the Abyss might be, it wasn’t something that posed a threat to him right now.

As for the Tribunal, it obviously had high-ranking wizards within its ranks. Let the high-ranking wizards worry about apocalyptic disasters.

All Saul needed to do was keep improving himself and continue unlocking the functions of the diary.

Now there were two more empty black pages in the diary—who would be the next lucky soul to take residence?

Half a month later, Saul once again joined a wraith-hunting mission.

This time, the security squad had been notified a bit too late. By the time they arrived, the wraith had already killed three people. And the souls of those three had already been corrupted and taken away by the wraith.

Because it was suspected that there might be up to four wraiths involved, Wizard Kent joined them halfway.

But even with four true wizards on the scene, they still lost track of the first wraith.

At the street corner already sealed off with warning tape, the four stood side by side. Shaya, as always, stood the farthest from the other three, coldly glaring at Kent.

“Kent, you were so confident you could chase down the most powerful wraith. And now you’ve lost it. Was this on purpose? Letting it go so it could come after me later?”

After a few encounters with Saul, Shaya had finally agreed to team up with him on a wraith hunt.

Though to Saul, it didn’t matter who his teammates were.

Kent, still recovering from battle, had his upper clothes burnt to ashes.

His pants, however, seemed specially made. Despite the heat, they were only slightly deformed—not enough to leave him completely naked.

His expression darkened. He glared at Shaya. “Enough. If I wanted to kill you, I’d do it directly. Why would I go through the trouble of secretly releasing some ordinary wraith?”

Shaya sneered. “Hmph, you’re just scared of the Dean—that’s the only reason you don’t dare act out in the open.”

Kent rolled his eyes. “I’m not wasting time arguing with you.”

He waved the nearby security squad over and led them away.

Another wizard, who had just captured a vengeful spirit, wore an excited look on his face. Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he quietly slipped away too—probably afraid someone might try to snatch his prize.

Saul turned, preparing to leave as well—he didn’t think Shaya would have anything pleasant to say to him—when suddenly, Shaya called out.

“I heard you’re looking for a dark-element meditation diagram?”

Saul paused and turned to him. “You have one?”

Shaya tilted his head. “Let’s talk back at the academy.”

—

Half an hour later, the two of them maintained a three-meter “social” distance as they arrived at Bayton Academy’s mission hall.

There was always someone on duty here. The hall was brightly lit, and a few wizard apprentices lingered near the mission board.

Saul and Shaya headed straight for a semi-enclosed booth.

“I have a meditation diagram that’s especially suited for dark-element wizards.”

“What do you want in exchange?” Saul asked directly.

Even while seated, Shaya’s posture suggested he was ready for battle at any moment.

“I know you’ve captured quite a few wraiths and vengeful spirits over the past month. But I noticed you’ve never turned them in to the academy for materials.”

“Is that not allowed?”

Saul lowered his gaze. The wraiths he captured were used to sustain his four consciousness entities, and the rest were used for experiments—there were simply none left to trade with the academy for resources.

Though, by completing wraith-hunting missions, he still earned magic crystals. That income alone was enough to cover his daily needs.

Not every true wizard was skilled in combat. Most spent years shut away in laboratories, researching whatever subjects interested them while seeking ways to advance further.

“The wraiths you caught are yours, of course—I’m not questioning that. But the fact you’ve caught so many and never sold a single one shows that you have a way to restrain them, and a way to store them.”

Shaya leaned forward slightly. “I want your method for suppressing wraiths.”

Saul leaned back, savoring the comfort of the chair. “Let me see your meditation diagram first.”

Shaya was clearly surprised—Saul was being this bold? Not revealing a single thing before seeing the diagram?

After thinking it over for a moment, Shaya conjured a scroll in his palm and slid it across the table to Saul.

“This is the mission hall. If you dare try to steal it, I can call over ten true wizards in no time.”

Unfazed, Saul dragged the scroll toward himself.

“How do I open it?”

“Stand it upright and twist the locking ring on top clockwise.”

Following Shaya’s instructions, Saul stood the scroll upright.

It had a uniform color and shape, with no markings of any kind.

He casually opened it.

The moment the locking ring was removed, the upright scroll suddenly unfurled in all directions, forming a circular shape.

On this circular medium, a diagram had been etched with astonishingly fine and lifelike strokes.

The diagram resembled the Erosion Diagram. But it didn’t just depict people turning into monsters.

The image showed people, sinister black shadows, upright-walking octopus-like creatures, and distorted beams of light.

The four clearest symbols were positioned symmetrically around the circular edge.

Near the circumference, those four figures moved in a clockwise direction—transforming, bit by bit, into the next figure in the cycle.

This time, Saul could clearly observe how each figure gradually evolved into the next.

Closest to him was the clearest depiction: a sinister black shadow, its arms raised as if preparing to pounce like a ferocious specter.

The specter then morphed into a human, the human into a monster, the monster into light, and finally the light back into a specter.

Just then, Shaya pressed a hand against the edge of the table and pushed downward.

The table tilted, and the circular diagram slid neatly back into Shaya’s hands.

“This meditation diagram is called the Evolution Diagram. You’ve seen it now. So—do you want to trade?”

He began reassembling the scroll as he quietly observed Saul.

Saul’s fingers tapped rhythmically against the tabletop.

A quiet, tense atmosphere slowly spread.

At last, Saul looked up. “I think you’ve misunderstood my abilities. I did capture some wraith and spirits, but I never intended to store them long-term. The wraiths I caught—I’ve already dealt with them.”

Shaya frowned, then suddenly stood up, clearly about to walk out.

Even though he’d shown the diagram to Saul, the short time they’d had wasn’t nearly enough for Saul to fully internalize the image into his mental realm. So Shaya wasn’t worried about it being stolen.

A wizard’s meditation diagram couldn’t be memorized through brute force. It had to be fully redrawn, over and over again, in the mental realm to be retained.

“I may not have any special method for restraining wraiths,” Saul said calmly, “but why don’t you just say what it is you actually want? Sneaking around, hiding things—it won’t solve anything.”

Shaya’s foot, just about to step out, paused—and after a moment, he turned back.

“I’m interested in the Evolution Diagram, yes. But it’s not the only meditation diagram suitable for dark-element wizards. Even if it’s not on the mission hall’s trade list, I can get Wizard Jonah to trade with me. I believe that as long as I have enough wraiths, he’d be happy to offer me several dark-element diagrams.”

Seeing that Shaya was seriously thinking it over, Saul smiled and added, “But I have to admit—I’m very interested in the Evolution Diagram. So let’s not waste each other’s time. Let’s speak plainly. Wizard Shaya, whose main specialization is lightning-element magic. Your magic naturally counters wraiths, yet you’re looking for additional means to fight them—why is that? What is the real reason? And where is that wraith, exactly?”

With that, Saul folded his arms and rested his chin atop them, silently waiting for Shaya’s answer.

But inside, his inner monologue was roaring:

Ahhhhhhh!

Just say yes already!

If you don’t, I swear I’ll just steal it!

The Evolution Diagram… I

must

get my hands on it!!!

(End of Chapter)

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