Hardcover Book Upgraded?

Thor observed the chunk of meat on the conveyor belt again with a semi-immersed perspective; this time, it was no longer covered by that hazy layer of holy light.

Suddenly, Thor sensed something.

He jerked his head toward the transfer port, where a pair of eyes behind the black tassels were staring at him in terror.

Thor walked toward the transfer port, carrying the Bone Cleaver that was dripping with blood and bits of flesh.

He flipped aside the black leather tassels and saw the person crawling backward inside.

The light from the room slanted into the transfer port, cutting a line of light and shadow across the person's face.

Thor narrowed his eyes, guessing the person's identity.

"Senior, first time meeting, why don't you come over and chat?"

"Ah, well, haha..." Hayden glanced at the cleaver in Thor's right hand and swallowed hard. "I, I just thought that Corpse looked a bit strange, and I wanted to come over and see if there was anything you needed help with."

Thor smiled.

"That would be much appreciated. I'm actually overwhelmed here; could you help me move it inside?"

"Look at me..." He gestured to his own small, thin frame to Hayden. "I'm young and have no strength; I can't move something so heavy."

Hayden's smile froze on his face; he had only been being polite!

But looking at the Bone Cleaver still gripped tightly in Thor's right hand, Hayden compromised.

He crawled out of the transfer port step by step. "Haha, you are too small, aren't you even ten years old? Senior will help you move it."

"Wait a moment." Thor suddenly tossed the Bone Cleaver back onto the workbench with a clattering sound, then turned back and gave Hayden a brilliant smile.

"Senior, I was just joking. You're really going to come over like that? Go back quickly; this isn't a passage for the living. I can handle this work myself, otherwise, the mentor might misunderstand and think I'm not suited for this job."

"Ah? Alright then, call me if you need anything." Hayden froze halfway, having no choice but to retreat back.

Thor stood at the transfer port, holding the tassels aside, watching coldly as Hayden backed away step by step until he returned to his own room.

The tassels on the opposite side fell, blocking the light that had been shining into the passage.

This passage was three meters long, about a meter wide and high. Thick walls surrounded it, separating the two rooms.

If not for this passage in the middle, the soundproofing between the rooms would surely have been excellent.

Thor let go of the tassels and looked up; the candle lamp above the transfer port had returned to a dim yellow.

Work for today was finished.

However, there was still some cleanup to do.

He pushed the large box under the workbench next to the conveyor belt, then picked up the Bone Cleaver again to scrape the meat off the belt bit by bit.

A round, lumpy object slid off the edge of the conveyor belt, bounced a few times on the floor, and finally rolled all the way to the door, where it was stopped by the threshold.

What was that?

Thor walked to the door, gripping the cleaver, ready to attack at any moment.

After getting closer and looking carefully, he realized the object on the floor seemed to be... an eyeball?

Clatter, the Hardcover Book flew up again and presented itself before Thor. Thor immediately went on high alert.

[Shuoyue Calendar Year 314, June 24th, Sunny

Today is truly a fine day. You dodged an attack from a cunning enemy, sent him to where he belongs, and harvested a Phantom Sound Pupil.

It is truly strange, why can an eye speak?

Or do you think the eye is speaking?]

Thor didn't quite understand the content on the Hardcover Book this time.

He didn't understand how he had died?

An eye? A hallucination?

Could it be that his eyes would split open? Would his mouth disappear, or would it be sealed shut?

Furthermore, Thor noticed that a weather description had abruptly appeared after the date on the Hardcover Book; he remembered that had never happened before.

Just as Thor stood frozen in place, unsure of what choice to make, the Hardcover Book flew back to his left shoulder.

But he hadn't done anything yet?

Thor's eyes suddenly brightened, and he thought, Could this not be a death prophecy? But rather a form of appraisal skill similar to an item description?

Thor turned his head to look at the Hardcover Book on his left shoulder. "Buddy, did you level up?"

Unfortunately, the Hardcover Book remained quiet, still ignoring him.

"Sigh, you should at least give yourself a description."

Despite his speculation, Thor remained vigilant, gripping the Bone Cleaver tightly as he slowly approached the eyeball by the door.

Judging by the Hardcover Book's behavior, the previous content shouldn't have been a death prophecy, but this was only Thor's own guess; he couldn't let his guard down just yet.

By the time Thor reached the eyeball, crouched down slowly, and took out a box to nudge the eyeball inside with the back of his blade, the Hardcover Book had not emerged to issue any warnings.

Thor stood up, sealed the box, and felt a surge of excitement in his heart.

Although he had dodged death warnings many times, each gain had only served to temporarily save his life; he hadn't expected an extra drop today.

It was just a pity that before Thor noticed the abnormality of the eyeball, the Hardcover Book hadn't given him any hints.

He wondered if it could be upgraded again in the future to become a radar capable of active exploration?

Putting away the Phantom Sound Pupil and his fantasies about the Hardcover Book, Thor exercised the muscles on his face to make himself look even more gloomy.

Afterward, he picked up the Bone Cleaver and pushed open the door to the Corpse Room.

Since coming to the second floor of the East Tower, he had never explored deep into the corridor.

He walked inward along the corridor; it was still curved, but the angle looked wider than that of the tenth floor.

The lighting on the second floor seemed to be dimmer than elsewhere, and it grew darker the further he went.

At the end of the corridor was pitch-black darkness, and Thor couldn't see what was hidden behind the shadows.

After walking a dozen steps, a second scarlet door appeared.

This should be the Corpse Room belonging to the senior in charge of the second stage of the process.

Thor stepped forward and knocked on the door.

It took a long while before a sound came from inside.

The door was opened a small crack.

Hayden's face appeared behind the gap, his body blocking the view of the room completely.

"Senior, sorry to bother you. My name is Thor, an apprentice who enrolled a month ago. I don't know your name yet, how rude of me."

"I am Hayden." Hayden's hand pressed tightly against the door, as if ready to close it at any moment. "I became a Level 1 apprentice long before you. What are you here for?"

"I wanted to ask you, Senior Hayden, did you feel anything was wrong when you were processing that last corpse?"

Hayden shifted his feet uncomfortably. "Ah, that. I did think it was a bit strange. But I couldn't tell what was wrong, nor could I see any remaining value, so I threw it over to your side. Ha, I saw you handled it quite well."

Thor stared straight at Hayden until the other man avoided his gaze and muttered, "That, I might have been mistaken."

Thor grinned stiffly. "Then I'll have to trouble you more in the future, Senior."

Bidding farewell to Hayden, he turned and continued walking toward the first Corpse Room.

Seeing Thor walk away, Hayden hurriedly closed the door.

The moment the door shut, his expression changed, and he said in a low, ferocious voice, "Why are you acting like a coward in front of a new apprentice?"

Hayden's expression shifted again, and he rubbed his hands uneasily. "Well, there's no, no need to start a conflict, we have plenty of time to get along in the future."

On the other side, Thor placed the Bone Cleaver in the shadows of the corridor.

Carrying the blade was to deal with Hayden, but he couldn't do that when meeting Senior Byron.

He rubbed his face, and his gloomy expression turned polite once more.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The identical scarlet door slowly opened, the light from within spilling out, and a woman only half a head taller than Thor stood at the entrance.

Thor was stunned.

"I'm looking for Senior Byron. May I ask who you are?"

The woman's eyes were half-closed, and her voice sounded without much inflection. "Byron has reached the age to leave the tower and has gone back to pack his things."

"Leave the tower?" Thor instantly forgot his original purpose and asked in astonishment, "Does that mean we have to leave the tower once we reach a certain age?"