[{"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-31":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},1380402,1828,"Chapter 31: This Damn Physique","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-31",31,"\u003Cp>A full month had passed since enrollment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For an entire month, the new apprentices had not seen the sunlight of the outside world. Even Duke, the darkest-skinned among them, was beginning to turn pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention Saul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spending his days buried in study and working with corpses, his face had grown deathly pale, resembling that of a cadaver. Dark circles hung under his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could easily play a ghost at night without makeup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had skipped public lessons for three consecutive days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the morgue allowed overnight stays, he would have holed up inside without ever coming out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today, his research had hit a dead end, so he emerged to seek new ideas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grimm’s Understanding of Sorcerous Body Modification recorded four or five modification concepts, but it did not detail the exact materials or procedures involved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was either a trump card for certain individuals or an inheritance of some faction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The book also mentioned that even well-developed body modification techniques carry a high risk of death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Attempting to create a completely new modification method would require the sacrifice of hundreds, if not thousands, of lives before yielding results.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the Second Rank apprentices Saul knew, the one he had the \"best\" relationship with was Senior Mark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Saul arrived at the laboratory, he found only Mark and Angela inside. Duke was nowhere to be seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Angela gave Saul an awkward smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul nodded in return, only for Angela to flinch, nearly dropping the book in her hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two barely knew each other beyond a passing nod. Ignoring her reaction, Saul walked to the back of the lab where Mark was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mark appeared to be conducting an experiment—or perhaps just cooking—idly tossing ingredients into a cauldron and stirring them with a wooden spatula.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From three meters away, Saul observed for a moment and could only marvel at how fitting it was for someone specializing in dark elemental magic. The materials going into the cauldron looked downright ghastly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After adding what seemed to be either a clump of hair or seaweed, Mark covered the cauldron with a transparent glass lid and lowered the flame beneath it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning his head, he greeted Saul with a smile. \"Haven’t seen you in days. Looks like you’ve made quite a bit of progress.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Senior Mark,\" Saul acknowledged before getting straight to the point. \"I have some questions I’d like to ask.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh?\" Mark casually removed his gloves and tossed them into the trash at his feet. \"Do you have magic credits?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Which topic?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wizard Body...\" Saul barely said two words before stopping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mark’s movements paused. Then, turning to Angela, he said, \"Angela, you can head back for today.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Angela said nothing. She grabbed her book and ran out, shutting the lab door tightly behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you really planning to undergo body modification? That’s usually something for Second Rank apprentices.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I took a test. My current magic power is only 4. If I don’t undergo body modification, I won’t pass the assessment in three months, and Kaz won’t let me continue under him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a month of meditation, Saul’s magic power had only increased by 1 joule. At this rate, reaching 10 joules would take another six months.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he only had two months left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm...\" Mark stroked his chin. \"Since the instructor assigned you to the morgue, he probably won’t be as strict.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But he never said he would change the assessment criteria,\" Saul countered. He wasn’t willing to gamble on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hardcover book only gave death warnings when a life-threatening situation was imminent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he found himself in a true dead-end scenario, no choice would save him, and the book’s warnings would be meaningless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like the night he nearly died in the lab.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for Big Pink passing by, Saul wouldn’t have survived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The whole ordeal had been harrowing, but it had also taught him a valuable lesson:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in desperate situations, a slim chance of survival could exist, and his own efforts mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he hadn’t persisted in trying to save himself, he might not have lasted until Big Pink appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There are ways to increase magic power to 10 joules.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But, Senior,\" Saul spread his hands. \"I don’t have that much money, nor enough credits. More importantly, I don’t have time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mark scratched his chin. \"So you’ve made up your mind... In that case—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He extended a hand toward Saul. \"Two credits. No magic crystals accepted.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three credits—just earned from twenty days of hard work—were about to be cut down by two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul exhaled. \"Deal. Do we need to go to the registry first?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mark withdrew his hand. \"For anyone else, yes. But since it’s you, I’ll give you a half-hour credit advance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant twenty days of work for just thirty minutes of knowledge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mark sat down. \"Since you transcribed a book on body modification, you should already have some understanding. Do you have any ideas for modifying your own body?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The cheapest and most accessible materials I have are corpses. So my modification plan is to extract components from these materials that can enhance elemental perception and magic power.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mark chuckled. \"No wonder you’re starting to look more and more like a corpse.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then straightened up and spoke in a more serious tone. \"You were chosen to work in the morgue, which means you have a higher sensitivity to ghosts. If you modify yourself using corpse materials, do you know what will happen?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul’s eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’ll be more likely to encounter supernatural entities. And those ghosts will actively seek you out.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So... he’d be more prone to seeing ghosts?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are there many ghosts in the wizard tower?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Getting scared? Hah...\" Mark laughed at Saul’s hesitation and answered, \"Not many. Most are bound by various restrictions because they were created by wizards or high-level apprentices using certain spells. But even so, you could still end up entangled in all sorts of troubles. Most ghosts are lonely; they desperately seek out people who can see and hear them but who aren’t a threat.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I understand. As long as I grow stronger, I can fight back against ghosts.\" Saul raised his fist, his skeletal hand standing out conspicuously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mark didn’t seem comforted by Saul’s small show of courage. Instead, he offered a final warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Always maintain a sense of awe, Saul. Fear comes from the unknown. Horror is born from the unknown. And only the unknown is infinite.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that warning given, he didn’t try to dissuade Saul further. Instead, he began explaining which corpse materials were suitable for body modification.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he couldn’t outright provide Saul with a body modification formula—Mark wasn’t sure about the others, but Saul definitely couldn’t afford it—he focused on precautions: which materials should never be combined, what reactions indicated potential danger, and other critical warnings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Mark recommended two primary materials: skin and bone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These had large surface areas, making it easier to engrave runes, thus aiding Saul in controlling the modification and ensuring better safety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Organs like the brain and eyes, however, were strictly off-limits. Without the strength of a Third Rank apprentice, they would be nearly impossible to adapt to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As for me...\" Mark raised his right hand, and a slit opened in his palm. A long, crimson tongue stretched out over a meter, swaying before Saul as if it wanted to lick him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I spent a fortune to exchange for a high-success-rate body modification formula from the tower, then combined it with my unique physique. And back then, I was already a Second Rank apprentice.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1267,"2026-06-05T22:22:08.591Z",1,"novelbin.me","ab6f935b478cd9051db4bf58c679530a545c90d09238219977f3cdc9a17cb29d","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-32","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-30",1037,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdiary-of-a-dead-wizard-cover.jpg"]