I Don't Need Special Services

"Thank you for saving me, sir." Thor got up from the floor. Though his legs were still unsteady, he insisted on standing straight and looking Pink Bandage in the eye.

"New Apprentice, don't stay in the East Tower alone until you've gained enough knowledge and power. At night, only your dormitory is safe."

His voice was low, yet exceptionally clear.

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know..."

"Don't tell anyone you saw me."

The man across from him cut Thor off before he could finish.

The bandaged man raised a hand and waved. A gentle breeze swept over Thor, making him blink unconsciously.

When he opened his eyes again, Thor found himself standing outside Dormitory 604.

He quickly looked down both sides of the corridor. The dim candlelight flickered faintly, and all was silent.

With no time to think, Thor opened the door and dashed into the dormitory.

Midnight had passed.

The blue hourglass flipped over in an instant. The sand that had piled up began falling again, and time continued to crawl by.

Two dormitory doors on the eleventh floor of the West Tower opened at the same time.

Mark stepped out of his dim room into an even darker corridor and looked at the door opposite him.

"Midnight has passed. Our agreement ends here. I'll only intervene this once. Whether he survived or not, from now on he's just my junior."

There wasn't a trace of impatience or amusement on Mark's face.

Sid emerged from the dormitory opposite. A faint smile rested on his face.

"Of course. That's what we agreed on from the start. But aren't you curious why I was so determined to kill that kid?"

"No." Mark stepped back into his dormitory and slammed the door shut.

"How boring. People who spend all day dealing with corpses are all like that."

Sid's golden hair looked dull under the dim candlelight. He lowered his head, and the light and shadows divided his face into several parts.

His expression twisted for an instant, then returned to its somber state.

"That Diary must be on that kid. It only reappears after its previous owner dies. You brat, you were just too lucky. The Diary I've been desperately searching for all these years landed on your head when I threw it away."

Sid's right hand clenched and unclenched a few times, as if he could still recall the faint sensation of holding the Hardcover Book.

Unfortunately, it was only after he'd thrown the book that he realized it was what he'd been searching for.

But when he kicked Thor's corpse aside and frantically searched his body, he found that the Hardcover Book had vanished.

And Thor on the ground had started breathing again.

There was only one explanation: the Hardcover Book had saved him!

Looking at Thor's childish face, Sid had wanted to kill him with his own hands countless times.

But he couldn't. According to his grandfather's records, the Diary wouldn't go to the person who personally killed its owner.

He had to make other arrangements.

Sid slowly retreated into his dormitory and squeezed his eyes shut.

"Death Wizard Diary, what is it about you that makes you so irresistible? Why did my grandfather kill all his friends and family just to get you?"

Though Sid was full of questions, his resolve was unwavering.

Whatever had driven such an exceptional man as his grandfather to pursue it so obsessively, Sid was determined to obtain it!

After a chaotic, dangerous, and insane day, Thor still had to get up early for class the next morning.

Reality could be so frustrating.

It was midnight. He lay in bed, forcing himself to sleep.

But that bizarre and terrifying scene in the Laboratory kept replaying before his eyes.

Was the Laboratory's anomaly connected to Senior Mark? And why had he tried to kill him?

Who exactly was that man with the pink bandages? Could he be one of the five mentors?

"Calling him 'the guy with the pink bandages' doesn't seem very polite." Thor tried thinking about something trivial to cheer himself up. "He's so powerful—he subdued all those anomalies in an instant. I'll just call him Big Pink."

Drowsily, Thor felt he was just about to fall asleep.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Why was someone knocking? Was it morning already? Had Keli come to see him?

Thor sprang up, turned the lamp brighter, and found that it was only a little past one.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The person outside was still knocking.

Thor didn't really want to go over. After what he'd just been through, he was already jumpy and on edge.

"Sir."

The person outside had run out of patience and called softly. To Thor's surprise, it sounded like the maid from earlier that day.

Thor went to the door and opened it a crack.

Sure enough, it was the maid from earlier.

She was draped in a pink silk cape.

Only her lovely face and fair neck were visible. Below that... it seemed she wasn't wearing anything at all.

Thor stayed inside the room.

"What are you here for?"

"Sir," the maid said with a smile, her face turning red. "I know you're still young, but don't you want to touch me?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the maid raised a hand. The silk slid smoothly down her bare skin and pooled at her feet, revealing...

A body carved from wood!

Thor jerked backward and reached to slam the door, but she thrust her head through the gap, wedging her face in it. Only her mouth was visible.

Her lips parted, and she screamed,

"Save me... Kill me! Kill me! Kill me!"

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The knocking continued.

Thor's eyes flew open, and he sucked in a deep breath.

"Was that a dream?"

He leaped out of bed, turned up the candlelight, and looked at the hourglass clock.

Half past midnight.

It really had been a dream.

Thor picked up the Crystal Ball from beside the table and slowly approached the door.

"Who's out there?"

There was silence outside.

"I don't need special services," Thor called louder.

"...It's me, Kongsha."

"..."

Thor didn't really want to open the door. Who knew whether it was really Kongsha out there—or something else?

But he couldn't stay in his dormitory forever.

He opened the door just a crack, ready to shut it at any moment.

Outside stood a woman in a long dress, her head covered by a hood that revealed only her delicate chin. The corners of her mouth were slightly downturned.

"Lady Kongsha."

Thor stepped aside, and Kongsha walked straight in. She sat on Thor's chair and pushed back her hood.

Kongsha's head was still terrifying, but after barely escaping death in the Laboratory, Thor could face it with numb composure.

"Your life as an Apprentice is quite exciting. Someone's already trying to climb into your bed, and you're still so young?"

Kongsha crossed one leg over the other, resting one hand on her elbow and the other against her cheek. Her sexy, graceful figure was fully on display.

If not for half her head, she would have been more alluring than any maid.

"You finally came to see me." Thor closed the door behind him.

"You should understand your situation by now, shouldn't you?"

"If you mean that my strongest elemental perception was somehow transformed into Dark Element... then I think I understand my situation."

"Hmph!" Kongsha scoffed. "You think your elemental perception is strong? If I hadn't helped you, you probably wouldn't even have been able to choose a primary element."

Thor paused. What Kongsha said might well be true.

During meditation, he'd realized that he seemed able to sense every kind of elemental particle, yet his perception of each one was weak.

He walked over to Kongsha and softened his tone. "Senior Sister Kongsha, are you here to help me?"

"Of course. Otherwise, did you think I came to offer you special services?" Kongsha gave him a mocking smile and opened her hand. A small medicine bottle appeared in her palm.

It was the same medicine bottle she'd used to treat Thor's injuries before.

"Senior Sister, what is this?"

"It's a potion that temporarily improves your perception of Dark Element."

"Is this the potion I drank last time?"

"Not exactly. Take one drop each day before meditation, and it'll maintain a high level of perception for several hours. After you've gotten used to it for a month, I'll give you a new potion to help you reach ten joules of Magic Power during your first test."

How did she know he needed to reach ten joules of Magic Power in his first test? Who had told her?

Thor looked at the potion before him. He was tempted, but didn't accept it right away.

"Senior Sister, can I ask first—what side effects does this medicine have?"