“Seal the well with the iron plate.”
“Carry me to the surface.”
“Hide the secret entrance to the underground area and yourself.”
“Do not show yourself to anyone without my permission!”
Val managed to spit out a string of commands to his undead before his body hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. He had fallen unconscious.
“Master!”
The last thing he heard before succumbing to the cold embrace of darkness was Voidslayer’s voice, calling out to him with concern.
…..
Val felt as if only a moment had passed when he stirred back to consciousness. He found himself in a familiar place – the God’s Hand Clinic.
He was inside a wide room where many beds were placed side by side.
Around him, several patients were being treated by healers.
He was laying on one of the beds.
Seeing Val open his eyes, a young man released a sigh of relief.
Val sat up and traced the source of the sound, looking to his right. Oliver was sitting on a steel chair beside his bed.
Val was taken aback to see him there. He didn’t expect the first face he would see after waking up would belong to his sword apprentice.
“How are you feeling?” Oliver asked.
“Fine,” Val replied, “but famished. It feels like I haven’t eaten in days.”
“That’s to be expected,” Oliver said, “You’ve been asleep for three days straight. It would have been longer if I hadn’t helped.”
Val felt a surge of shock at Oliver’s words.
He had been unconscious for that long?
The reckless use of wizardry truly was a double-edged sword!
“Thanks for your help,” Val said, “But how did you know I was in trouble?”
“It was your girlfriend,” Oliver explained, “She couldn’t tell what was wrong with you. You looked perfectly fine but were in a coma as if the soul had been sucked out of you. She brought you to the God’s Hand Clinic, hoping to find a way to wake you up. Valentine has come across many cases, so she is not unfamiliar with the illness that affects wizards. She was able to discern the cause of your coma and determine only soul power transfusion can help you. She sought me out as I work for her sometimes. And I helped you.”
Oliver looked at Val with a twinge of jealousy and added, “You’re a lucky man to have such a beautiful woman devoted and deeply in love with you.”
Val thought that Oliver was right, but also wrong.
It wasn’t sheer luck that had landed him Eliana.
He had used careful planning, seduction, and manipulation to make her fall for him.
Now, she was completely smitten with him. However, he was genuinely moved by the lengths she had gone to help him.
No one could know the truth or his effort would be ruined, so Val smiled and said, “That I am.”
“Where is she now?” Val found himself asking after a moment.
He didn’t quite understand why, but he felt a sudden urge to see her. It was as if… as if he was beginning to develop genuine feelings for her. Eliana… she was gradually earning a place in his heart, and that made him feel terrified and excited at the same time.
“She had been looking after you for two days straight since you were in a coma,” Oliver responded, “She refused to rest, worrying about you the whole time, but she harming herself. Valentine couldn’t bear it any longer and put her to sleep.”
“I see…” Val mumbled before posing another question, “But what are you still doing here?”
Oliver used his soul power to create a barrier that made it impossible for those around them to hear what they were saying. Only after that, he gave an answer to Val, “I stayed behind because I have some questions for you. If you don’t mind, can I ask them?”
“How can I refuse the request of my savior? Go ahead.” Val nodded at Oliver nonchalantly.
Oliver narrowed his eyes, staring at Val with a hint of sternness, and asked, “Just a few days ago, you were merely an acolyte. How did you manage to advance to the ranks of a low-level wizard in such a short time?”
Val’s sixth sense flared up instantly, helping him realize that his life was at risk.
The question Oliver asked was a trap. Falling into it meant that Oliver would aim for his life!
Val’s brows furrowed. Why had their conversation taken such an unexpected turn?
As intelligent as Val was, it only took a breath of time for him to understand what was going on.
Doubts were clouding Oliver’s mind.
In normal circumstances, a wizard could not simply leapfrog stages – it was considered impossible. 𝑶𝓋𝓵xt.𝑐𝑜𝚖
However, rumors circulated about vile rituals, darker than the Charnel Rites, that could boost one’s strength. These rituals were effective on bloodline users, wizards, and normies, but required human sacrifices.
Oliver probably suspected Val of having committed such an atrocity in the pursuit of power.
Otherwise, how can the increase in his strength be explained? And it wasn’t by a few levels, but an entire stage!
‘If Val has really indulged in such twisted acts, I mustn’t hesitate to strike him down,’ Oliver thought, hardening his heart.
‘I need to avoid this fight,’ Val thought. ‘It’s senseless and pointless.’
Being a low-level wizard himself, Val understood the terror one could cause. Oliver was clearly more experienced, and a fight with him might not end in Val’s favor.
The best course of action was to dispel any misunderstandings.
However, he couldn’t reveal his system. He had to lie!
“I must stress that what I’m about to tell you must remain between us,” Val said, “I had a fortuitous encounter with a cursed artifact that amplified my abilities as a wizard as soon as I held it. Unfortunately, it also devoured my level-3 cursed sword in exchange.”
All of it was a big fat all, but it was the best one he could come up with in the limited time he had. Not to mention, he even had evidence to back it up.
‘I can totally fool Oliver with this,’ Val thought with a satisfied smile.
Oliver scratched his chin, apparently considering Val’s explanation. There were all kinds of cursed artifacts in this world. A special-grade cursed artifact can even kill a person from countless miles away. So the existence of an artifact that could increase the power of a wizard didn’t sound like a fairy tale.
‘I have learned psychology from my master so I can tell if a person is lying from their body language. But Val seems to be telling the truth. I should stop suspecting him.’
In the end, Oliver decided to believe in him.
As a result, the suspicion in his eyes faded, and Val’s sixth sense stopped flaring.
Val felt relieved for the rivers were no longer murky. He had evaded a pointless fight.
But he didn’t know that it was too soon to count himself lucky.
“Can I see this artifact?” Oliver asked.