Richard's face was expressionless as he dropped a bombshell: "You're just too naive, Chris. I've always been a Dark Wizard—where does this 'betrayal' even come from?"
"What!!!" Chris stared in stunned disbelief.
But Richard had no intention of explaining further. He turned to the alchemist beside him and ordered, "Shut him up."
The man moved like a cold, mindless machine. At the command, he tilted his head back and opened his mouth, from which a dark metal tube protruded. A series of soft "puff-puff-puff" sounds followed, and clouds of pale purple gas gushed out.
The violet mist quickly coiled around Chris. His eyes widened in terror, but before he could utter a word, his lids fluttered shut, and his body crumpled limply to the side.
Richard let out a snort of disdain. "Greedy fool—believing in pie falling from the sky. Pathetic..."
Yet his voice cut off abruptly, as if something had gone wrong. His expression shifted, and he hastily fished a test tube filled with black liquid from his pocket and downed it in one gulp.
Then, something bizarre happened.
A ripple suddenly spread across Richard's left cheek, and soon his entire face began to twist and contort. In moments, a smaller, unfamiliar human face bulged out from the left side of his original one—grotesque and horrifying, like some kind of parasitic abomination.
Richard's demeanor turned deeply deferential. "Master."
The strange face spoke, "How's the task going?"
Richard forced a grin. "Smooth. Thirteen 'materials' total—ten of them..." He glanced at the unconscious Chris and corrected himself, "Eleven are still alive. The other two resisted, so I killed them. But I preserved their bodies right away—they're intact, and all organs are usable."
"Thirteen?" The face sounded skeptical. "Didn't we agree on sixteen?"
Richard's expression flickered with panic. He hurried to explain, "Three apprentices changed their minds at the last minute... They didn't show up."
"Didn't show up?" The face's tone sharpened slightly.
Richard's fear deepened. He bowed deeply and mumbled, "I'll find a way to make up for the shortage, Master."
The face's tone softened again. "We agreed on sixteen, so sixteen it must be. My experiment is designed for exactly that number. You know the consequences if you disrupt it."
Richard's face turned ashen, and cold sweat dripped down his forehead. "Y-yes, Master..."
"Finish up here and return to the academy at once." With that, the face faded away, and Richard's left cheek returned to normal.
It took several minutes for Richard to straighten up again. He cautiously touched his cheek, confirming the "visitor" was gone, before his expression settled back into calm.
"Bah!"
He spat on the ground and punched a nearby tree trunk hard.
"Damned bastard... Just wait. If I ever get the chance—"
Mid-sentence, he froze, then quickly glanced at the alchemist beside him. Seeing the man still standing there, expressionless and cold as stone, he finished his thought.
"Hmph. One day, I, Richard, will trample this godforsaken world under my feet!"
The next morning, as Carter Bill headed to the Quest Hut to turn in his task, he noticed a steady stream of messenger ravens flying into the High Tower one after another. Moments later, urgent bells began tolling from within the tower.
Soon, a large group of black-robed Enforcers filed out, their faces grim and urgent. Without a word, they mounted their magical tools and rode toward the depths of the forest.
"What's going on? Did something terrible happen?"
"Why do the Enforcers look so furious?"
Apprentices murmured among themselves.
Carter lingered for a while, but hearing no clear answers, he shrugged it off and continued to the Quest Hut.
The Quest Hut served as the High Tower's task hub. Daily quests were posted there for apprentices to accept freely, and apprentices could also post their own requests.
"Mr. Bick, I'm here to submit my task."
Carter placed ten modified Mana-Eating Flowers on the counter. The client had been in a hurry, so the flowers were to be delivered in batches—ten at a time.
The Quest Hut was run by goblins. These green-skinned creatures, barely half the height of a human, were naturally gifted with logic, calculation, and strong organizational skills.
Goblin Bick's eyes widened in surprise when he saw Carter. "It's you again, kid! Do you ever sleep? If I remember right, you turned in a batch of Mana-Eating Flowers just three days ago!"
Carter replied honestly, "I've been focused on finishing the task as soon as possible these days."
Bick nodded in approval. "What a hardworking young man. Let me check... Hmm, perfect! Every single Mana-Eating Flower is a successful modification—even the pickiest client couldn't find a flaw."
"All right, ten Mana-Eating Flowers approved. Here's your Mana Stones."
Bick handed two glimmering Mana Stones to Carter.
"Thank you," Carter said politely, then tucked the stones away with a satisfied smile.
Mana Stones were the universal currency in the wizarding world, and earning them was no easy feat. When Carter first joined the High Tower, he could only take simple tasks like weeding or fertilizing—scraping by with just a few Mana Stones a month. Later, as his Basic Modification Skill improved, he took on simple modification tasks, but even then, he barely made ten Mana Stones a month. The Mana-Eating Flower task was one of the more lucrative ones; completing it fully would earn him twenty Mana Stones in a month.
"No need for thanks—you've earned it," Bick said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "I'll keep an eye out for good tasks and let you know first from now on."
Carter was surprised. He quickly pulled out a Mana Stone and offered it to Bick as a token of gratitude, but Bick shook his head.
"That's unnecessary. Having an apprentice who completes tasks 出色 ly is already a huge help to me."
He sighed and added, "The quality of apprentices these days is getting worse and worse. They pick and choose tasks, do shoddy work, and half the time their submissions are barely passable. Yet they still complain nonstop—whining about unfairness everywhere they go."
"Fairness? Do they even deserve to talk about fairness?"
"They refuse to train diligently, daydreaming about treasures falling into their laps or some great wizard taking them under their wing—pouring resources and effort into teaching them. They don't even have the sense to look in a mirror and ask themselves: What makes them think they're worthy of that kind of mentorship?"
Carter's lips twitched. He hadn't expected this goblin to have such a sharp tongue.
"Enough of that," Bick said, shaking his head. "You've got great potential, kid. Keep up the good work."
"There are a few lucky souls in the wizarding world, but they're just exceptions. No matter how talented someone is, no one makes it far on the path of wizardry without hard work."
Carter nodded seriously. "I'll keep your advice in mind."
Tap-tap-tap!
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed at the door. Another group of black-robed Enforcers marched out, their faces just as grim as the previous batch.
Carter frowned in confusion. "What's really going on? This is the third group of Enforcers heading out today."
Bick replied, "Word is, something happened in Red Mushroom Grove. A bunch of apprentices heard rumors of a ruin there and went exploring—but none of them came back. Looks like they walked into a Dark Wizard's trap."
Carter's eyes widened. "Red Mushroom Grove?"
That was exactly the place Chris had invited him to visit earlier!
Bick nodded. "Fools, the lot of them. Red Mushroom Grove has been picked clean for centuries. Did they really think there'd be a hidden ruin there..."