[{"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-62":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},1380694,1828,"Chapter 62: The Real Enemy Appears","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-62",62,"\u003Cp>As Saul uttered the activation incantation, the tip of his wand swiftly formed a finger-length shard of ice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ice crystal was sharp like a spike and radiated a biting chill. With a whoosh, it shot straight toward Rocky’s unguarded head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ahhhhh!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rocky’s head was pierced clean through by the frosty ice spike, leaving behind a bloody hole that froze over almost instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two screams erupted simultaneously from Rocky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One was brief and cut off abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other was sharp, echoing endlessly like a reverberation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Strike Undead!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul quickly cast another spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The piercing screech was dissolved into white smoke under the spell’s dark light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enemy: neutralized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without pause, Saul glanced at the dagger still clutched in Rocky’s hand. He quickly took Rocky’s hand and stabbed the poisoned dagger into a subtle, unnoticeable spot under Rocky’s corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood stained the blade and rapidly turned black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul covered the wound on Rocky’s body and placed Rocky’s hand aside, revealing the dagger now prominently coated in black blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, all that was left was to wait for the vulture to swoop in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke leaned against the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His legs were trembling. If he didn’t prop himself up, he would’ve slid to the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rocky’s already gone in. They should be fighting by now, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned his head to look down the second-floor hallway of the East Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond the motionless big guy, the door closest to the ramp was half-open. Clanging noises echoed from within—it sounded intense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke looked down at the stone in his hand. An Fireburst Stone, a gift from Sid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perfect for dealing with apprentices who lacked protective spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke only had one of these. It had to be used at the perfect moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp scream suddenly rang out from the morgue. It was hard to tell who had cried out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did the fight end already?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke knew it was his time to move. If Rocky had killed Saul, then all was well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if Saul had killed Rocky, then he needed to strike now!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, in a straight fight, he’d stand no chance against Saul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke didn’t have time to think about how the situation had gotten to this point. He gripped the Fireburst Stone tightly and channeled magic into the trigger mechanism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he strode to the door of the third morgue, raising his hand to throw the Fireburst Stone inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strong impact would cause the Fireburst Stone to explode instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoever was still alive or even if both were alive didn’t matter. Once this thing went off, no one would be walking out!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke reached the doorway, glanced inside, and raised his arm—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then he froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no one standing inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stench hit Duke’s nose, snapping his dazed mind back into clarity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rocky lay on the ground, a hole in his face. The dagger—coated in blood!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perfect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke’s eyes lit up. He had given that dagger to Rocky himself, so he knew exactly what it carried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, to be safe, he didn’t leave. His eyes scanned the room, Fireburst Stone still ready to throw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where’s Saul?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But within his field of vision, Saul was nowhere to be seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did he escape? But I was watching the hallway the whole time…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room was a mess. A table was knocked over, empty boxes scattered across the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A large chest lay overturned—big enough to hide an adult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is Saul hiding there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spotted what looked like a hand near the chest—it had to be Saul’s, and he had to be injured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, the poison should’ve taken effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke licked his lips, a grin spreading across his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took another step forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a hand clamped around Duke’s right wrist—the one holding the Fireburst Stone—gripping it tight so he couldn’t throw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Duke could even be shocked, another hand shot up into view, lunging viciously for his throat!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boy’s fragile neck was torn open in one swift motion!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood sprayed out. Duke stared at the crimson mist before him, confusion flashing in his mind in his final moments: How did he get behind me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Letting Duke’s corpse slump to the floor, Saul still held on to his wrist, making sure the Fireburst Stone didn’t fall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hiding technique Saul had just used was a Zero Tier spell he had studied specifically for this day—Mage Trick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This spell was highly flexible. By altering the spell model slightly, one could change how it manifested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul had chosen an effect that concealed his presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Duke entered, Saul had actually been standing right beside the doorway, pressed against the wall. But Duke never noticed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This spell seemed powerful, but in truth, none of its effects had any real offensive capability—it could only briefly fool the senses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hence, it was classified as a Zero Tier spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another reason it was so low-ranked was its unpredictability. Sometimes you'd want to pull a rabbit from a hat—only to get a toad instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with Saul’s precise coordinate analysis method, he could control the spell’s effect however he wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides this special Zero Tier spell, Saul had also prepared other tools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wand that had unleashed the ice spike earlier was actually a magical device.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magical devices were typically single-use items that had strong spells sealed inside. With a simple infusion of magic, anyone could use them—no need to know the spell itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, to eliminate Rocky quickly, Saul had already used the device he’d originally prepared for Sid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke’s Fireburst Stone was also a type of magical device—though far more destructive than the ice dagger, with a larger area of effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul carefully pried the Fireburst Stone from Duke’s hand, dispelling the magic that clung to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The unstable Fireburst Stone finally quieted down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul let out a soft breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Letting it explode in the morgue would’ve been… bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was about to put the Fireburst Stone away, but instinctively switched to a semi-meditative state to inspect it first—he always did this when collecting materials from corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Saul froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under his scrutiny, a grayish-black insect crawled out of the Fireburst Stone and quickly latched onto his left hand, opening a huge maw to bite—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, it tried to bite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it couldn’t break through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul calmly set the Fireburst Stone on the table, pinched the bug between his thumb and forefinger, and crushed it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chirp!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gray-black illusionary bug turned to fine dust and scattered into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What was that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Diary hadn’t made an appearance, so Saul couldn’t tell what the bug’s function was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Diary had always been haughty—never giving any attention to minor things like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Saul felt this little bug was anything but ordinary. It had to be part of Sid’s finishing move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the silent morgue, faint footsteps echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul’s eyes narrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real enemy had arrived!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately staggered over to his cabinet, rummaging through it in a panic, clattering bottles as he went.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he swiftly pulled out several spare vials from his clothes, popped their corks, and gulped them all down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After drinking the potions, Saul clutched his chest in pain and stumbled toward the door, swaying as if seeking help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door was pushed open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure appeared in the doorway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing who it was, Saul’s face changed dramatically. He stumbled backward, knocking over the worktable and nearly tripping over a corpse near the teleportation platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his back slammed into the platform, his face twisted in pain, and he spat out a mouthful of black blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he stared at the figure behind the door with a look of despair and roared in anger:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sid, so it really was you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1283,"2026-06-05T22:22:08.871Z",1,"novelbin.me","1d73b2ae1cd0bcb3431fbe3f17af92bf022ba7f7bf8369f3f368014d3b133493","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-312","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-61",1037,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdiary-of-a-dead-wizard-cover.jpg"]