[{"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-33":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},1380404,1828,"Chapter 33: Did the Hardcover Book Level Up?","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-33",33,"\u003Cp>Saul once again observed the… lump of flesh on the teleportation platform with a semi-immersed perspective. This time, it was no longer covered by that hazy holy light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Saul sensed something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He abruptly turned his head toward the teleportation entrance. Behind the black tassels, a pair of eyes were staring at him in horror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul, still holding the bone cleaver smeared with flesh and dripping with blood, walked toward the teleportation entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted the black leather tassels and saw a person inside, crawling backward in retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room’s lighting slanted into the teleportation entrance, casting a stark line between light and shadow on the person’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul narrowed his eyes, recognizing the person’s identity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior, this is our first meeting. Why don’t you come over and have a chat?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, well, haha…” Hayden glanced at the cleaver in Saul’s right hand and swallowed nervously. “I-I just thought that corpse looked a bit odd and wanted to check if you needed any help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, that’s really kind of you. I’m actually quite busy here. Could you help me move it inside? Look at me…” Saul gestured to his own small frame. “I’m young and weak. I can’t lift something that heavy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hayden’s smile froze. He was just being polite!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But seeing the cleaver still firmly gripped in Saul’s right hand, he had no choice but to comply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step by step, he crawled out of the teleportation entrance. “Haha, you’re so small. Are you even ten years old? Let me help you, then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait a moment.” Saul suddenly tossed the cleaver back onto the workbench with a loud clang, then turned back to Hayden with a bright smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior, I was joking. Did you actually come over? Go back. This isn’t a passage for the living. I can handle this work myself—otherwise, my mentor might think I’m unfit for the job.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah? Alright then, just call me if you need help.” Hayden, stuck halfway out, had no choice but to retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul stood at the teleportation entrance, lifting the tassels as he coldly watched Hayden back away step by step until he returned to his room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tassels on the other side fell, blocking the light that had been shining into the passage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The passage was about three meters long, about a meter in both width and height. Thick walls surrounded it, separating the two rooms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for this passage, the rooms would have been quite soundproof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul let the tassels fall and glanced up. The candlelight above the teleportation entrance had returned to its dim glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His work for the day was done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there were still some finishing touches to take care of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pushed a large chest from under the workbench to the conveyor belt and then picked up the bone cleaver again, scraping off the chunks of flesh bit by bit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A round object rolled off the edge of the conveyor belt, bounced a few times on the floor, and finally came to rest at the door, stopped by the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul gripped his cleaver and approached the door, ready to strike at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon closer inspection, he realized that the object on the floor appeared to be… an eyeball?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a rustling sound, the hardcover book flew up again, unfolding before Saul’s eyes. He immediately went on full alert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[June 25th, Year 314 of the Lunar Calendar, Clear Skies\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today is quite a fine day. You dodged an attack from a cunning enemy, sent him where he belonged, and obtained a Phantom Sound Eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strange, isn’t it? Why can an eye speak?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or is it that you only think the eye is speaking?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Saul didn’t fully understand what the hardcover book was saying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t understand how he had died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An eye? An illusion?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would his eyes split open? Would his mouth disappear, or would it be sealed shut?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Saul noticed that for the first time, the hardcover book included a weather description after the date. He was sure this had never happened before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Saul stood there, stiff and unsure of what to do, the hardcover book suddenly flew back to his left shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he hadn’t done anything!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul’s eyes lit up. “Could this not be a death prophecy but some kind of identification skill?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to the hardcover book on his left shoulder. “Buddy, did you level up?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, the hardcover book remained silent, completely ignoring him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh, you should really give yourself a description first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with this theory, Saul remained cautious. He tightened his grip on the cleaver and slowly approached the eyeball at the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the way the hardcover book had behaved, the message probably wasn’t a death prophecy. But that was only Saul’s assumption, and he couldn’t let his guard down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carefully, he squatted down, took out a small box, and used the back of his knife to nudge the eyeball into it. Even after sealing the box tightly, the hardcover book did not issue any further warnings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul stood up, excitement surging in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he had dodged several death warnings before, his only reward had been surviving. He hadn’t expected an actual item drop today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too bad the hardcover book hadn’t given him any hint about the eyeball before he noticed its anomaly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would it be able to upgrade again in the future? Maybe even turn into an active radar?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Setting aside his fantasies about the hardcover book, Saul adjusted his facial muscles to appear more solemn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he picked up his bone cleaver and pushed open the door to the corpse chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since arriving on the second floor of the East Tower, he had never explored the deeper parts of the corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he walked down the corridor, he noticed it was still curved, though at a gentler angle than on the tenth floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lighting on the second floor always seemed dimmer than in other places, and the farther he walked, the darker it became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the corridor’s end lay complete darkness. Saul couldn’t make out what was hidden beyond the shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a dozen more steps, a second crimson door appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This should be the corpse chamber where the senior responsible for the second stage of processing worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul stepped forward and knocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long pause, a voice finally responded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door opened slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hayden’s face appeared behind the gap, his body blocking the view of the room’s interior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior, sorry to disturb you. My name is Saul. I joined as an apprentice a month ago. I'm so rude for not knowing your name.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m Hayden.” His hand remained firmly pressed against the door as if ready to slam it shut at any moment. “I became a First Rank apprentice much earlier than you. What do you want?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wanted to ask, Senior Hayden, when you were handling that corpse earlier, did anything seem off to you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hayden shuffled uncomfortably. “Oh, that? Well, I did think it was a little strange. But I didn’t see anything particularly wrong or valuable, so I sent it over to you. Haha, you seemed to be handling it just fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul stared at him without blinking until Hayden averted his gaze, muttering, “Well, maybe I was mistaken.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul forced a stiff smile. “Then I’ll be counting on you in the future, Senior.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving Hayden behind, he continued toward the first corpse chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Saul was out of sight, Hayden shut the door and muttered darkly, “Why am I afraid of some new apprentice?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then his expression changed again, and he nervously rubbed his hands. “No need for conflict… There’s still time to deal with him later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Saul placed his cleaver in the corridor’s shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed it for Hayden, but it wouldn’t be appropriate when meeting Senior Byron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smoothed his face, his somber expression shifting to one of refined courtesy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knock, knock, knock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crimson door slowly opened, spilling warm light from within. A woman, only half a head taller than Saul, stood in the doorway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul hesitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was looking for Senior Byron. May I ask who you are?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman, her eyes half-lidded, spoke in a flat tone. “Byron has reached the age to leave the Tower. He’s packing up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leave the Tower?” Saul forgot his original purpose, startled. “Do we have to leave at a certain age?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1402,"2026-06-05T22:22:08.591Z",1,"novelbin.me","6e97725204ebcfa762c6a81c6223c9a683e47e9aef4d5b19126964312cbc3c01","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-34","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-32",1037,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdiary-of-a-dead-wizard-cover.jpg"]