[{"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-404":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},1380625,1828,"Chapter 404 : Escape and Trap","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-404",404,"\u003Cp>At last, he had found him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tension in Saul’s heart finally loosened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I realized something had happened to you, but I didn’t find any signs of your soul body splitting apart and dissipating, so I guessed you might still be alive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ribbonfish swam around the little coal-ball-like figure, thinking about how to take him away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior, how did you get in here? And who attacked you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byron’s cracked mouth wasted no time spitting out the truth to Saul, “It was Lady Yura! Also, you didn’t take the gray potion, did you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yura, huh... I saw the words you left on the pen shaft. So although I prepared the potion, I didn’t drink it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the diary hadn’t issued any warnings about taking the potion, and Saul suspected that even if the gray potion had a problem, it was probably targeted at the target, and other people might not have problems taking it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s great.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You more or less know about my locator. It’s very flexible, it can stretch and shrink.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul nodded secretly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had never seen such a flexible locator before. When it expanded, it could turn a person into a ball, and when it contracted, it looked like a human skin hanging in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Human skin?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Saul realized how Byron had escaped with his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That \"skin\" must have served to confuse the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it was just the locator—not Byron’s real skin!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, Senior Byron had pulled off a golden cicada shedding its shell right under the nose of Lady Yura, a former Second Rank Wizard?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, what Byron said next matched Saul’s speculation almost exactly, “But my locator has one other very special ability—faking death to escape. When I’m subjected to a fatal attack, the locator will send me into a nearby crevice while displaying a dead state to delay the enemy from discovering I’m still alive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seeing your current state, I had already guessed some of it,” Saul said, “I’ll take you out of here now. This place is dangerous. We can’t stay long.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Byron had been hiding here for several days, it didn’t mean the interlayer was a safe place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those eyes could turn hostile at any time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m afraid that won’t work.” Byron gave a bitter smile, “My skin is gone. The new skin hasn’t grown yet. If I leave now, I won't have any ability to resist the outside pollution.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No wonder you’ve been hiding here instead of coming out to find me.” The ribbonfish swam anxiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they couldn’t just keep waiting either—trusting their lives to a bunch of eyes that could go mad at any moment wasn’t Saul’s style.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He circled Byron again, not responding to the suggestion that he leave immediately—obviously, Byron himself knew staying here wasn’t safe, but he had no choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Right, I have a piece of magic equipment!” Saul’s mind flashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Byron’s current body seemed a few sizes too big for it, Saul believed that both Byron’s body and the equipment had excellent flexibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not good to mention it here. Just follow me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.” Byron agreed without hesitation this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, Saul worried about how to carry him, but it turned out that although Senior Byron looked miserable, he could still move on his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he were lucky enough to stay here for another two or three years and grow a new \"skin,\" he might even walk out by himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But who knew what could happen in two or three years?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two began to move slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though a bit worried about the surrounding eyes, they couldn’t afford to make too much noise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul had left a mental mark where he entered the interlayer, and now they were cautiously moving toward that marker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, as soon as they started moving, the surrounding eyes began to glance over from time to time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Often, after seeing a ribbonfish and a lump of black charcoal, the eyes would lose interest and droop their lids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there were always one or two eyes that, for some reason, kept staring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they progressed, the number of eyes paying attention to them gradually increased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul could almost feel himself smelling more and more delicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he had a real body, he probably would have swallowed twice by now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it because the two of us moving together makes too much commotion?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul kept a close watch on the eyes around them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byron, at Saul’s side, remained just as vigilant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t open his mouth to warn Saul—first because he trusted Saul’s alertness, second because speaking would release more of his magic power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the two of them had stayed still earlier, things were fine, but now that they were moving, they drew far more \"eye\" attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The less magic power exposed, the better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, the number of eyes staring at them kept growing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After about ten minutes of creeping along, nearly all of the surrounding eyes were now staring at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The feeling of those gazes on their bodies was like someone jabbing their skin repeatedly with tiny nails.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t painful, but it was uncomfortable—enough to make someone irritable and on edge, ready to scream at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul could sense Byron was also getting uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The amount of magic energy leaking from Byron had doubled, and waves of restless emotional fluctuations were leaking out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That unease was also affecting Saul, making him increasingly irritable, and he felt an overwhelming urge to lash out at those eyes!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Something’s wrong! They’re not just watching us—they’re waiting!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul suddenly realized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So many eyes had turned to look at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It couldn’t be that they simply hadn’t noticed the two of them—yet they weren’t attacking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, they were just staring, waiting for Saul and Byron to crack under the pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are they waiting for? Are they waiting for all the eyes to focus on us before they act? Or…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Or are they waiting for us to lose control and attack first?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul recalled how his soul body had gone berserk after being dragged into the candle passage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he hadn’t been immediately thrown out by the mouths, who knew what would have happened?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, his magic power had been very weak, making him vulnerable to influence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that his magic power had surpassed that of an average First Rank Wizard, he was less susceptible, but the irritation still clung to him like a shadow, and he could hear the sound of blood rushing in his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he was a soul body right now—how could there be blood?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul controlled the ribbonfish to suddenly turn around and used its head to press against Byron’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carefully, he sent a message through the smallest pulse only the two of them could sense, “Senior, don’t move. I’ll push you along.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Byron struggled slightly but soon managed to calm his increasingly agitated mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t speak, just gave a hard nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior Byron really is on the verge of breaking out!” Saul’s heart pounded,“The diary didn’t issue a warning because if Senior Byron breaks out, I can escape, but he can’t!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was likely that these eyes hadn’t attacked Byron earlier not because they hadn’t discovered him, but because they were waiting for him to fully mature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, immature fruit often tastes bitter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing this, Saul immediately sped up, trying to minimize Byron’s burden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as Byron stayed still and focused on controlling his mind, they could endure until they escaped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Saul’s actions also exposed the fact that he had realized the eyes’ trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eyes immediately widened, and the feeling of being watched almost became tangible, pressing down on Saul and Byron like a heavy weight!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the situation was blown anyway, Saul stopped pretending.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He directly activated a “Soul Armor” with his magic power, instantly relieving much of the oppressive sensation on them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, Byron also clearly felt a huge relief from the mental pressure thanks to the “Soul Armor” built by Saul’s magic power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that, Saul began swimming forward at full speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without the crushing gaze bearing down on him, he moved even faster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, casting a magic spell with magic power was like setting off fireworks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The commotion immediately drew the attention of all the eyes around them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul could feel his magic power draining at a much faster rate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thankfully, he had enough reserves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was originally a ten-minute trip was compressed into five minutes, and the marker Saul had left behind was now right in front of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eyes obviously realized the two were about to escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several of them blinked, and suddenly shot out beams of black light from their pupils!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The exit was almost within reach, but other eyes were beginning to blink as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul had no choice but to lower his head and charge forward, while pushing even more magic power into his Soul Armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few beams of black light struck the Soul Armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The magic spell only lasted three or five seconds before shattering with a roar!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But luckily, at that moment, Saul wrapped himself around the coal-ball Byron and hurled them both through the marked exit!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1543,"2026-06-05T22:22:08.872Z",1,"novelbin.me","a701e75cec12e3bc326c3836a1c06e598fd6fe019351bc597a892cb73b87ca4d","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-405","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-403",1037,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdiary-of-a-dead-wizard-cover.jpg"]