[{"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-43":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},1380414,1828,"Chapter 43: Nowhere Without Money","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-43",43,"\u003Cp>For his fourth spell, after consulting Mark, Saul decided to choose another Zero Tier dark-type spell, Strike Undead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mainly because of his working environment, which was especially prone to ghostly apparitions, and this spell was highly effective against such beings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After studying it for around two hours, he had already formed a preliminary model for parsing the new spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once again, his work pulled him back—he got up to receive his first guest of the day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A skeleton.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s way too clean.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a shred of flesh remained on its entire body—it looked like something dug up from the ground after decades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was so clean that Saul found it rather suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He set aside his tools, ushered the guest into the large box, then turned and went next door to consult his senior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hayden had simply passed it straight on to Saul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul bid him goodbye, glancing toward the room of that newly arrived Second-Rank apprentice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike Senior Byron, the new guy wasn’t exactly friendly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he asked, he probably wouldn’t get any answers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first procedure in the morgue didn’t involve material collection. It was mainly about eliminating any potential dangers lingering on the corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, by the time the body reached the morgue, it had likely already lost all its flesh and blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This little episode didn’t take up too much of Saul’s energy. In fact, since there were no other clients today, he had time to return to his research.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the progress of his Wizard Body Modification lagged far behind his spell studies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If only the modifications were as straightforward as runes or spellcasting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who knew what Saul was thinking might’ve died from rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After yet another failed batch that nearly exploded, Saul was about to close the lid of the large box when he paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The skeleton inside, when drenched in Saul’s chaos concoction, had actually started shrinking—eroding away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did he just make sulfuric acid?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul shut the lid, waited a bit, and then opened it again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The skeleton had fully dissolved, yet the big box was completely unscathed—still sturdy as ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Honestly, the most valuable thing in this whole morgue might be these boxes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul gave the solid box a pat, tempted to pry off a chunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm?” He suddenly noticed a grayish-white pebble at the bottom of the box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using tongs and a test tube, he carefully extracted the pebble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d expected it to be hard, given it had reformed after dissolving, but it turned out to have a bit of elasticity—like ox tendon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He labeled the test tube and recorded the entire refining process linked to the pebble. It might come in handy later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, it made an incredibly efficient corpse-disposal agent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like those body-dissolving powders he’d read about in his past life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul ran a few tests on the pebble and discovered it was fireproof, waterproof, acid-resistant—even normal blades couldn’t scratch it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If used well, couldn’t it be turned into some kind of armor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he poked at the pebble with a fine steel needle, Saul’s thoughts drifted further and further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, during public class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keli slammed her book down next to Saul, plopped into the seat, and dropped a bombshell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You remember that new apprentice you asked me about yesterday? He’s dead!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dead? But he just got here?” Saul curled his toes in his shoes, working hard to keep his expression natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, probably pissed off the wrong person. Didn’t even get a chance to meet a mentor before dying. Before I came here, my father kept reminding me—forget who you were, forget your pride. Until you become a Second-Rank apprentice, just play the part of the underclass.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keli sighed—whether for the dead apprentice or herself, it wasn’t clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul withdrew his gaze and looked down at the Noah script in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wizard language wasn’t like everyday speech—it didn’t include names or verbs. Every word served only to spell, elements, or mental energy. So, in fact, its vocabulary was quite limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over the past month or so, Saul had already memorized every word in the Noah language. Something he’d once thought impossible, but now managed with ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, it wasn’t even his main focus anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Currently, his language study was mostly about reinforcing the basics and applying them while reading wizard texts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today, his attention was all over the place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he killed Brown two days ago, he didn’t feel a thing. He’d thought his nerves had hardened under this world’s constant threat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet hearing about that new apprentice’s death today, he realized—it still bothered him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul remained expressionless but mocked himself inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I did it for my own benefit. I chose to get someone killed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I guess… I’m no good guy anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He closed his eyes, engraving this moment of torment deep within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he didn’t regret it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few days later, while working in the morgue again, Saul had a sudden realization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That skeleton he’d received earlier might’ve been the new apprentice who’d just entered the tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every corpse that died under abnormal circumstances within the tower would be sent to the morgue for processing—partly to prevent spirit accumulation and further instability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Partly to salvage any body parts that had gained research value through mutation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it was from that apprentice’s remains that Saul had discovered how to craft the so-called “Plastic Bone”—a name he gave himself. He’d spent the last few days refining it using the guest’s skeleton.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But today, he had to stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he’d basically used up all his materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he had no money. No credit points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This can’t go on!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing before the lab table, Saul rubbed his chin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Trying to fund projects with dead wages? That’s a road to nowhere. I’ve got to find a way to increase my income.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What Saul was doing now was Wizard Body Modification, something that no First-Rank apprentice had ever touched. Some hadn’t even heard of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So relying on a normal First-Rank’s income would never support long-term experimentation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And because of his experiments, the materials Saul had submitted lately had drastically decreased. Thankfully, Mentor Kaz never scolded him for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which made Saul even bolder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, even with that freedom, his materials were nearly gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t have anything valuable left. The Phantom Sound Eye is a key combat tool—I absolutely can’t sell that. The Plastic Bone, once perfected, will be my trump card—that can’t leak either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Saul thought of his unique insight into rune study—especially his method for mastering compound runes: the Coordinate Method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he sold it to some of the wealthier First-Rank apprentices, he might earn a good sum. Even Second-Rank Byron had shown interest in it, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It sounded novel, but the principle was simple—it didn’t involve anything too profound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he needed to carefully choose whom to sell it to. Someone with no conflicting interests. Someone with a decent moral baseline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keli was a good option, but he’d already cut her once. Who knew if she even had credit points or magic crystals left?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the other First-Ranks, Saul hadn’t really interacted with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the ones he had interacted with, he had no desire to approach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait!” Saul’s eyes lit up. “Why am I being dumb about this? Senior Byron is perfect!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had money, strength, no conflict of interest since he was about to leave the tower, and he was a decent person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calling out a greeting to Senior Hayden through the conveyor belt-connected passage, Saul happily skipped work and headed off to find Byron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Room 1016—this is the floor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing on the ramp of the Western Tower’s tenth floor, Saul peeked inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been here a few times, and Byron’s room had never given him trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Second-Rank corridor was always quiet, especially now, during lab hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only when Saul was almost at Byron’s door that he realized he might not even catch Byron at this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, a door beside him suddenly opened, and Mark stepped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Saul? Are you looking for me?” Mark greeted him in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1353,"2026-06-05T22:22:08.591Z",1,"novelbin.me","2292b97fd2bd42716421ca44ca240116798eff32d297b715fcf1c966d7a9924d","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-44","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-42",1037,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdiary-of-a-dead-wizard-cover.jpg"]