[{"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-159":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},1380580,1828,"Chapter 159: Lying Flat","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-159",159,"\u003Cp>Saul brushed past himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He watched as he, with curiosity, followed behind Kujin, walking from his right side to behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he disappeared from his peripheral vision, the scene in front of him changed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul was still standing there, unable to move, but in front of him were other people's backs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had teleported to another location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While battling the nauseating and dizzying sensations, Kujin reappeared and passed by Saul. This time, Kujin's arm brushed Saul’s shoulder, pushing him slightly off balance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kujin immediately turned back, helped Saul straighten up, and then continued walking backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, Saul saw himself catching up and glancing at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he disappeared from sight again, Saul’s perspective shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until they passed through the entire mass of corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul finally understood his current situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn't seeing ghosts, nor had he teleported. He was now attached to the mass of corpses in the storage room, seeing the scene they had once witnessed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at that time, these corpses hadn’t opened their eyes—how could they see? And who had seen Kujin and himself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, now wasn't the time to analyze this. Saul had to return to his own body quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He focused on the back of the person in front of him. Though his vision wavered constantly, the long period of observation helped him notice a patch where the back of the skull had been repaired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fatal wound on this corpse was at the back of the skull, but before it was placed here, someone had used something to mend the defect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder all the “people” standing here couldn’t see any injuries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first glance, it seemed like these people had died peacefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t think about this any longer. I need to break free from the corpses' control. I don’t want to suddenly die outside my body for no reason.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul began to ignore the effects of the constantly shifting vision and focused on observing the Erosion Diagram.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He repeatedly watched as people walked in a clockwise direction, then at the very bottom of the circle, it transformed into an octopus-like monster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an octopus-like creature rather than just an octopus because the creature’s limbs were all octopus-like suckers, but the top of its body showed human features.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul imagined himself as that octopus monster. He tried to take a step forward, but his body was still as heavy as if he were carrying a mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nevertheless, Saul didn’t give up. He summoned all his strength and focused on lifting his right foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Snap! Snap! Snap!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strange, ethereal sound rang in his head, like rubber bands snapping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He finally took the first step!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The snapping sounds grew louder, and then Saul suddenly staggered and broke free from the corpse. His vision rapidly shifted backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he opened his eyes again, he found himself back in front of the tall shelves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking down, he saw his own human hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did I come back?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul turned around and saw his own body still sitting in the chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I just returned to the position where my soul was earlier. But at least I’ve broken free from the corpses’ control.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling what had just happened, Saul dared not move forward again, fearing that he would be grabbed by those corpses and dragged to watch some disturbing scenes again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Although I returned to my body by following the Erosion Diagram’s movement pattern last time, I don’t necessarily have to start from the farthest point. Maybe… never mind, let’s just try.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul envisioned a circle with the two ends as the place he currently stood and the place where his body was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he stepped forward, following the imagined circle, moving in a clockwise direction, closer to his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, his surroundings were clear, with no black shadows interested in his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul walked steadily, step by step, until he finally reached the place where his body was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened his eyes and saw a white skeletal arm in front of him, holding surgical tools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul sighed in relief. “I’m back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could rejoice in his return to his body, a wave of immense fatigue began to overwhelm his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He leaned on the chair to stand up. After just a few steps, he realized he was so exhausted that he’d fall asleep any second, and there was no way he could make it back to his dorm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Although I wasn’t out of my body for long, breaking free from those corpses took up so much energy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave in and collapsed onto the ground, staring up at the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As long as I lie flat, no one can trip me up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before his thoughts could wander further, he closed his eyes and instantly fell into a deep sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Saul fell asleep, the large feather pen, which had been still for two days, suddenly floated up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It then wrote a series of slightly messy characters on the clean paper that Saul had prepared earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Saul opened his eyes again, he didn’t know he had already received his first new assignment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All he felt was an intense hunger, as though his chest might burn out from the emptiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m so hungry.” Saul took a step forward, his legs weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cold, biting wind mixed with flying snowflakes struck his body, gradually numbing his bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every step forward sent piercing pain through his joints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his desperate hunger and cold, a house appeared before Saul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door was tightly closed, but warm light shone through the windows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the glass, Saul saw a fireplace burning, a long table filled with various foods, and girls laughing and talking beside the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want to go in!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The intense desire gave Saul a surge of power, and he increased his pace, reaching the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bang! Bang! Bang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, his knocking was polite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t want to scare the girls inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after waiting for a while… probably only two seconds… no one came to open the door!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anger started to replace reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His knocking grew more frantic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, no one answered, and he even heard someone running away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why won’t you open the door? You’re enjoying the food and warmth, but you don’t care about the person outside?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul couldn’t take it anymore. He kicked the door open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The light blinded him, but Saul still saw a roasted chicken running away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chicken was as big as a person, and if he ate it, he would definitely be full.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saliva dripped from Saul’s mouth, and he pounced on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul opened his eyes, and the ceiling above him was tall and grand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swallowed hard, suppressing the churning in his stomach, barely holding back from vomiting like last time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood up, feeling all the exhaustion return, but his mental energy had even slightly improved!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the scenes from the dream made it hard for him to be happy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the dream, he had eaten someone and then reverently turned the body into a corpse flower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could still feel the emotions of the person in the dream, as if some kind of ritual was taking place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was then that Saul realized he had entered someone else’s dream again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He crawled up from the ground and glanced at the hourglass clock on the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was 4:30 in the morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If what he saw in the dream would happen in reality like last time, the slaughter should have just finished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Penny had the cocoon of the Nightmare Butterfly, she saw other people’s dreams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what Saul saw was reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, it was a processed version of reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul sighed deeply, “It seems the apprentice handling this matter hasn’t completed their task. Their efficiency is too low.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he looked down, Saul noticed the feather pen standing on the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hurried over and saw a string of messy handwriting on the white paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dima horn, twisted toxin… Deliver to Mentor Rum by 8 PM on April 30th.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“New job. Today is the 28th, so there’s still plenty of time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Saul’s first job, and he had to take it seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, he needed to find those materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul picked up the paper, turned around, and saw the tall shelves in front of him, filled with various materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I take back what I just said.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of this chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1407,"2026-06-05T22:22:08.872Z",1,"novelbin.me","d194795ec5ce1c52e958fc052162b76525321e4d45cf90bc230ba4144efa18ae","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-160","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-158",1037,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdiary-of-a-dead-wizard-cover.jpg"]