[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-diary-of-a-dead-wizard":3,"chapter-diary-of-a-dead-wizard-diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-121":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Diary of a Dead Wizard",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1380342,1828,"Chapter 121: Tendril Aren’t Always Cool","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-121",121,"\u003Cp>Byron once again jerked his lips at Saul, signaling for him to take the lead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Saul hesitated for a second and ultimately refused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior, I have my own way down.” He tapped the back of his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A slender black tendril extended from behind Saul’s neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tendril grew longer and longer—stretching out three to four meters—twisting joyfully around Saul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These past days had left Little Algae totally pent up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It circled around Saul and gave a little shudder, splitting one tendril into two. Another tremble—two became four.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four tendrils waved in the air, then shot into the ground like sharp blades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a taut pull, they lifted Saul clean off the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You recognize this, Senior?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul sighed. “Let’s talk about it after we’re down.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byron gave the tendril one last look, slid over to the edge of the hole, leaned down, and floated downwards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul had Little Algae carry him down too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with no foothold, his whole body swung in the air, following Little Algae’s movements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its tendrils pierced into the surrounding cave walls in rapid succession, descending quickly. They just had to be careful not to slam Saul into the walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he swayed back and forth, Saul felt more like a duck strung up in a roasting oven than anything remotely cool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, it beat Byron’s method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten minutes later, Saul landed on solid ground, dirt-covered and exasperated, just in time to see Wright holding back laughter as he untied the knot on Byron’s mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Down here, the space was surprisingly much more spacious than the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least now they could all stand upright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bill stood guard nearby. Now that they’d gone deep underground, enemies and monsters could appear at any moment. They couldn’t afford to relax like before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when he saw Saul descending with those black tendrils, he couldn’t help but steal a few glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wright was the last to notice Saul’s new look. He gasped and abandoned Byron, running straight over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey—those tendrils! Are those from the Soul-Devouring Mire?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reached out to touch them, but Little Algae instantly retracted back into Saul’s neck, radiating disdain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wright’s disappointment was written all over his face. He even turned to ask Saul, “Did you find that in the abandoned lab under the tower?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I did.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The abandoned lab wasn’t exactly a secret, so Saul nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though technically, Little Algae had followed him out, not been “found.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I’ve been there a few times, and the Soul-Devouring Mire never leaves the lab. How did you get it to graft onto you? Can you sell me the method? I’ll give you fifty—no, sixty credits!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul was tempted, but…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My method requires getting the Soul-Devouring Mire to bond with you. Senior Wright, when you went to the lab, did it approach you on its own?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul’s words instantly extinguished Wright’s excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, it doesn’t like me,” he muttered, the light in his eyes dimming. “It only tried to strangle me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bill, who had been mildly interested, also lost his curiosity after hearing that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, the ground beneath Saul shifted. A chubby, worm-like creature burst from the cracked earth, maw wide open, lunging at Saul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul leapt back, pressing himself against the tunnel wall. His hands flew up, preparing to cast a Strike Undead spell—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But a cloud of purple smoke engulfed the burrowing creature first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was quickly subdued and fell limp, unmoving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bill sucked the purple smoke back into his mouth, revealing the worm’s now pale-violet body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You need to learn how to cast spells mid-combat,” Bill said with a practiced smirk. “Enemies won’t always wait for you to chant and gesture.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wright had already stepped up to examine the corpse. “A tunnel worm.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul approached out of curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d heard of tunnel worms—deep underground dwellers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite their name, they were more plant than animal. Their digestive organs and outer skin were favored materials for apprentices’ experiments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once Wright enthusiastically dug up the entire body, Saul noticed something odd: they were supposed to be gray-brown, but this one had turned a purple-brown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh no! Bill, you’ve really got to stop randomly poisoning things!” Wright complained, poking the worm with a metal rod. “Look at this! It’s useless now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bill just shrugged. “Then next time, you’d better move faster.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul was a little disappointed too, but he didn’t show it. He figured there’d be more chances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, Byron, now back to normal size, approached Wright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mouth stretched out and pressed against the worm’s outer skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Glug glug glug...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a sound like boiling water, the worm’s skin gradually returned to its original gray-brown color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Byron, I’m really starting to love your little mouth!” Wright exclaimed in delight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bill, on the other hand, looked less amused. Arms crossed, he shot a sidelong glance at Byron. “You should be careful what you suck in. Some of my toxins don’t even have an antidote.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byron simply gave a quiet “Mm,” whether he took the hint or not unclear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul paid no mind to the subtle tension between the Third Rank apprentices. As a Second Rank newbie, he stepped up to handle the loot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wright eagerly helped him extract the full tunnel worm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as thick as Saul’s forearm and two meters long—a small fry, by adult tunnel worm standards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real big ones lived even deeper underground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul took out a silk-woven sack from his backpack. With a flick, it expanded to human height.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wright deftly slid the worm inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul cinched the opening, and the bag instantly shrunk to the size of a leather ball.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not spatial magic, but a compression technique powered by mana.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He patted the bag, feeling pretty satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they could find a few more worms today, this trip wouldn’t be a bust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With mixed emotions, the group continued on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They seemed to have reached a plateau—no more downward slopes, just straight, level tunnels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul looked around eagerly, hoping for more good finds. But the underground was still fairly barren. No random mobs like in a video game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which made sense for a place that had been explored by predecessors for decades, even centuries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul took a deep breath and adjusted his expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then Byron suddenly stopped, and Saul nearly bumped into him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He peered around—Bill and Wright were frozen too, arms raised, backs taut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were in defensive stances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peering through the gap between their bodies, Saul finally saw what had put everyone on edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Up ahead, the path split for the first time—three tunnels in total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each wide enough for two people to walk side by side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in the middle tunnel, a procession of pale gray, translucent human-shaped phantoms was marching forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They walked in a line, lifting their legs high and setting them down gently, tiptoeing like they didn’t want to wake something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their upper bodies swayed softly with each step. Their heads bobbed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had no arms…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1161,"2026-06-05T22:22:08.872Z",1,"novelbin.me","2bcffd12be688df4390507af654442a6bffb76a03c9f1ff463665b1ab169e659","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-122","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-120",1037,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdiary-of-a-dead-wizard-cover.jpg"]