[{"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-509":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},1380830,1828,"Chapter 509: The One Who Strikes First, Survives","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-509",509,"\u003Cp>Because her best friend had been missing for many days, she randomly asked a stranger on the street for money to look for him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That line of thinking was certainly unconventional.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, considering that refusing might upset the little girl, Saul reached into his pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Saul was about to use the motion of reaching into his pocket as cover to retrieve a silver coin from his storage device, he suddenly noticed a woman storming over angrily from not far away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul raised an eyebrow and promptly pulled out his completely empty pocket, then said to the little girl, “I'm really sorry. I’d love to help, but I don’t have a single silver coin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that Saul took nothing out, the furious expression on the woman’s face eased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The little girl, her hope rising and then dashed, puffed up her cheeks. “You’re already so big, how can you still not have money? Useless adult!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman behind her reached out and knocked the girl on the head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thud!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you asking strangers for money? What if you run off after borrowing money and go missing like Little Claude did?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m sorry, Mom.” The little girl clutched her head, not daring to argue, but she shot Saul a venomous glare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul immediately bent down and gently patted her head. “How about this—you're still young, and it’s not safe to go Out alone. I’ll help you find little Claude.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl lit up instantly. “Little Claude is my best friend! You have to find him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul nodded earnestly. “But before that, I need to know more about him—what kind of person he is, and where he might be.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl jumped up and said, “Little Claude is super mischievous! He loves playing hide-and-seek with me. He’ll hide anywhere just to make me look for him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her mother clearly had a different opinion about Little Claude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s nothing but a liar. He said he could make the big trees obey his commands and even transform into the village chief. I bet he was just pretending to be the chief and got thrown in jail by the real one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the woman spoke, her expression darkened. “Maybe he was locked up and killed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul smoothly changed the subject. “Where’s the village chief’s house?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman pointed to the most beautiful white house at the end of the main road. “Right there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul immediately excused himself and walked toward the chief’s house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Knock knock knock!” He rapped on the door of the white house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ding-a-ling-a-ling…” A series of crisp, pleasant chimes rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the door opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when Saul saw the person who answered, he froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Herman: This guy?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man had messy red hair and a huge nose, which made his eyes and mouth look tiny in contrast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unlike Little Claude, this man looked to be in his thirties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was clearly not a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello, I’d like to speak to the village chief.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man gave a gentle smile. “That would be me. I’m Big Claude.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul knew some places used prefixes like \"Big\" and \"Little\" to distinguish between people with the same name, but these two looked a little too similar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul tested the waters. “I heard Little Claude went missing, so I came to look for him. May I ask, what’s your relationship with him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big Claude sighed. “I’m his older brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quite an age gap for siblings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know how Little Claude went missing?” Saul continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come inside.” Big Claude invited Saul in. “I’m not really sure why he disappeared, but I was probably the last person to see him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The village chief was cleanly dressed and carried himself with a refinement uncharacteristic of someone from a small village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A wizard passed through today. He noticed Little Claude’s talent and wanted to take him on as an apprentice. But Little Claude refused. I was afraid the wizard would get angry, so I scolded him. Then he suddenly ran off. He hasn’t come back. I’ve searched everywhere, but found nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he finished speaking, Big Claude noticed Saul staring straight at him. “What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When exactly did Little Claude go missing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This morning. If you want an exact time, it was around 10 a.m.” The man clearly didn’t catch Saul’s implication and even paused to think carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Agu: This village chief is suspicious. Everyone else says Little Claude has been missing for days, but he claims it happened today.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Ann: What if Big Claude is Little Claude? Maybe that’s why he doesn’t know he’s gone missing?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Agu: But he’s the village chief. Others still recognize the chief hasn’t disappeared.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It might not be that complicated,” Saul murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What was that?” Big Claude didn’t catch it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a black blade appeared behind the village chief—and in a flash, sliced through his neck!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herman and the other three: [?!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul stood up, dragged the chief’s corpse to a corner out of view from the window, and then calmly walked out the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The village chief’s memory of Claude’s disappearance contradicts everyone else’s. Maybe that’s because the chief died before the others did.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back on the street, Saul hadn’t gone far before he spotted the peasant woman who once killed him walking out cheerfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, a young man climbed out of a window and slipped between two houses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul recognized him at once—it was the same man who had been skewered by a farmer’s pitchfork and fallen from the second floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul followed the man into the gap between the buildings. The man seemed to sense someone behind him, but before he could turn around, a black blade sliced off his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments later, Saul emerged and knocked on the neighboring door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re back?” The farmer man looked pleased to see Saul. “My wife just went out to buy soup stock. Once she returns, you’ll get to taste a delicious stew.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul smiled and thanked him, entering the house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few minutes later, the farmer’s wife returned, only to find Saul sitting alone in the living room. She looked at the unfamiliar face with suspicion, but quickly recalled something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello there, young man. You must be the guest my husband invited? Where is he?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul stood. “Yes, ma’am. Hello. Mr. John went upstairs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh dear,” the farmer’s wife covered her face with a laugh, clearly not flustered at all. “Don’t call me ma’am. You look barely out of your teens—just call me auntie.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She laughed and turned toward the kitchen to start preparing soup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul followed. “What kind of soup are you making, Auntie?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The farmer’s wife reached the stove and lifted the lid. “We country folk don’t have fancy ingredients. Just some discarded bones others didn’t want…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thunk!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Splash!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she could finish her sentence, her head dropped into the soup pot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul stepped out of the kitchen and gently closed the door behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at the stairway closet now leaking red fluid and quietly exited the farmer’s house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Saul first suddenly killed the village chief Big Claude, the four consciousnesses had only been shocked—now, they were utterly silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From then on, Saul’s black blade transformed into the scythe of death. Whenever he saw someone alone, he didn’t bother speaking—he simply killed them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When facing two or three people together, he split his black blade into multiple parts, striking all at once. He never gave anyone the chance to raise killing intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And on this bloody road, Saul’s mastery of the Dark Spirit Blade became more fluid and natural. He could now split the blade into dozens of separate parts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Harvesting lives felt completely different from simply practicing magic. He could feel the feedback as soul bodies were ripped apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This allowed the Dark Spirit Blade, already a dark-element spell, to progress rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time Saul reached the outskirts of the village, he saw two guards chatting idly under a small hut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two shadows silently appeared behind their necks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shadows flashed—and both headless bodies crumpled to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul slowly walked out of the village. “If I kill everyone here, no one will have the chance to form a killing intent toward me again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He left the final house and stood at the end of the village’s only street, looking back at the now-silent place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, the rule here is—whoever strikes first, survives.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1398,"2026-06-05T22:22:21.061Z",1,"novelbin.me","6b659fb0976ebce9aa99a980c7860290ea236cab0c70cfd4ee191b419cfa7c0f","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-510","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-508",1037,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdiary-of-a-dead-wizard-cover.jpg"]