Diary of a Dead Wizard-Chapter 151: Saul Hasn’t Returned Yet
[The Dead? So, I've already died? That's right, I died in the Hanging Hand Valley. The despicable Kenas family actually betrayed me! The vile demons of the Wasteland, they even fabricated the lie about a Third Rank Wizard's death! Those vile, despicable people!!!]
Although the voice of the other party couldn't be heard, the diary faithfully translated Morden's unwillingness.
"Mm, yes, Your Majesty the Emperor, please introduce the magic you are good at. For example, are you proficient in soul curses?"
[Soul? I have no interest in such unrealistic things. Only real power that can be grasped in one's hands fascinates me!]
"Since that's the case, the wraiths shouldn't leave any hidden dangers in my mental realm. Of course, I still need to check carefully."
Since the soul in the diary couldn't lie, Saul felt somewhat reassured. He feared that his headache might be caused by a curse lingering in his body from the wraith.
Curses are among the hardest to understand and deal with. Even Third Rank Apprentices rarely delve into this area of knowledge.
One careless mistake, and one might be backlashed by the curse.
That's why Sid truly had the determination to kill Saul, daring to use one forbidden power after another.
"Well then, could you tell me more about your great-granddaughters, Yura and Kira?"
[Yura and Kira? They both have wizard talent, and good talent at that. Both of them are as stubborn as each other; one is obsessed with researching the mind, and the other is always refining her physical body...]
Time passed quickly, and before he knew it, the blue sandglass reminded Saul that it was already close to 10 o'clock.
Although Morden's handwriting was still clear, Saul put the diary away and no longer asked questions.
Reflecting on what Morden had said, Saul's expression became somewhat serious.
"The struggles in the wizarding world are truly brutal. Compared to that, the people who died in the Wizard Tower are nothing. If it weren't for the human forces controlled by wizards responsible for development and continuity, this world would have long since been wiped out with few left."
"At least for now, I can confirm that my headache is mainly caused by mental instability from battles in the mental realm. The remnants of the wraith don't have much of an effect on me, aside from giving me a few nightmares."
"But the Soul Resin in the bag still can't be used for now."
Although most of the soul fragments absorbed by the wraith dispersed with its collapse, many were absorbed by the Soul Resin.
Moreover, before the Soul Resin melted, a qualitative change occurred due to cumulative changes.
Saul took out the black crystal ball from the cabinet, holding it carefully with his remaining skeletal hands.
"68 joules..." Saul put the black crystal ball down, sighing. "This time, I was out much shorter than expected, but the gains are quite a lot. When I reattach the plastic bones, my magic power will likely undergo another breakthrough, maybe reaching close to 80 joules. That would put me much closer to the 100 joules needed for a Third Rank Apprentice."
No one would have thought that, after Saul just entered Second Rank, his magic power had already grown by more than half, right?
"On the other hand, the locator device for advancing from Second Rank to Third Rank still has no clue. Although the diary is my natural locator device, it’s clear that just possessing it isn't enough. From the battles in the mental realm, I can tell that I can only use the diary like a brick, rather than directly affecting the consciousness itself like others."
At this moment, a few regular knocks interrupted Saul's thoughts.
It should be Senior Byron coming to find him.
Still, Saul turned his head and asked, "Who's there?"
"Saul, are you back?"
It was Byron’s hoarse voice.
Saul smiled, "I'm back."
He got up to open the door lock, but as he walked halfway, he heard Byron talking to someone else.
"...He's not back yet."
Saul’s footsteps halted immediately in mid-air.
A lively, somewhat flattering voice rang out, "He must be... discussing something. How about we come back tomorrow?"
Saul lowered his head slightly, then raised his voice, "Senior Byron? Senior Wright? Is that you?"
But the people outside seemed to not hear him and continued their conversation.
"Mm..."
"Byron, you must say some good words for me tomorrow!"
"Mm~" A roundabout rejection.
"Don't be so heartless, or I'll send you one of my maids?"
"Mm~~~" Another roundabout rejection.
The voices gradually faded, leaving Saul standing there alone, frozen in the room.
After a long while, as if coming to his senses or perhaps summoning up the courage, Saul slowly turned around and faced his body.
He saw himself sitting quietly in the chair, his head slightly lowered, as if asleep.
Saul stared blankly for a long time before lowering his head to look at his hands, which still had perfect skin. He trembled slightly.
"I... died?"
He tried to calm himself.
The moment he saw his body, the intense spiritual shock almost made Saul's vision blur.
Luckily, he managed to stabilize his consciousness in time and didn't collapse.
"Impossible." He closed his eyes, then opened them again—his body was still sitting quietly in the chair. "The diary didn't give a warning, and I can still sense my connection to my body."
This connection, though faint, was still strong.
A dead soul wouldn't have such a peaceful sense of belonging.
Saul walked back to the chair, trying to sit back in his body.
But when he stood up again, he was disappointed to find that he could still only stand as a soul.
Turning around, he saw himself sitting there like a statue—his chest still rising and falling, but he seemed like a dead person.
Saul understood. Even if he were alive, staying out of his body for too long would be dangerous.
He tried various methods to return to his body, but after several attempts, nothing worked.
He looked at his shoulder, where the diary was now floating.
This gave him a little reassurance. No matter what, the diary was still following him.
"Perhaps I should go outside and seek help? But I wonder if anyone will notice my presence."
He walked toward the door, instinctively reaching for the handle. But his palm passed right through it, and his upper body lurched forward, running out of the dormitory and into the corridor.
Saul quickly steadied himself, then tried to walk forward again, only to find a transparent barrier appeared in front of him, blocking him from moving forward.
At this moment, he was exactly between the wall, facing the corridor outside while turning to see the dormitory behind him.
"I've learned how to walk through walls now," Saul muttered to himself with a self-deprecating smile, then changed direction to continue exploring.
After some time, he discovered something strange.
He was restricted to a circular area and couldn't leave his body for too far. But the center of this circle wasn't his body.
Saul's body was merely at one point on the edge of this circle.
While his soul’s movement range was inside this circle.
When Saul stood at the dormitory door, the distance between him and his body was exactly the maximum distance of the circle—the diameter.
"Why is this happening?"
Saul couldn't make sense of it.
If it was that he couldn’t leave his body too far due to the body’s restriction on his soul, then the circle should be centered around the body.
Now, however, it seemed like the point that restricted his soul’s range of motion wasn’t his physical body, but the midpoint between his body and his current position.
Saul, after further exploration, stood opposite his body on the circumference of the circle, pondering what his next step should be.
"If I can’t return to my body, will I just die like this?"
Perhaps due to psychological reasons, just as Saul thought about this, he suddenly felt a wave of weakness deep in his soul.
At that moment, the diary flew out, quickly unfolding in front of him.
[April 23rd, Year 316 of the Lunar Calendar,
Feeling proud after eliminating a wraith?
Excited after a surge in magic power?
Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.
Are you also sensing a breakthrough in your mental power?
But one shouldn’t get too excited.
With too much excitement, you’ve run into a new problem—
As your body and spirit both improve, they've started to fight against each other.
As a poor soul stuck in the middle, you've been kicked out.
Maybe you can avoid the cold wind in the diary, but your body won’t necessarily withstand such emptiness for long.
Perhaps it will open its arms,
Welcoming a new guest?]
(End of Chapter)