He had been focused on Thor's potion, but when he glanced up, he noticed that something seemed wrong with Thor's left hand.
Thor raised his left hand and rolled up his sleeve to his elbow, revealing a hand that had turned dark gray and a forearm stained a pale gray.
Kazi grabbed Thor's left hand and silently murmured a string of Curse-Spells. A moment later, his eyes blazed with a brilliant light.
The light vanished in an instant.
Thor felt uneasy, as if he'd been stripped bare and seen through.
"Dead Man's Bone, Heart-Wrapping Grass, Sulfurization Liquid, and some other odd materials..."
Kazi slowly let go of Thor's hand. When he looked at him again, his eyes were impossibly complicated.
"You actually managed to devise a whole new Wizard Body Modification plan tailored to your own circumstances." Kazi's voice held not only amazement, but also a hint of alarm. "How could you be so reckless? Weren't you afraid of dying?"
Thor had already thought of an answer.
"I was afraid, but I had no other way to get my Magic Power up to ten joules before the test." Thor lowered his eyes to his left hand, his expression grave. "I thought, since my left hand was already like this, even if I failed, I could just lose the whole hand."
Kazi gave a cold snort. "Hmph. You think cutting off your left hand would keep you safe if you failed?"
Then he asked, puzzled, "Why did your Magic Power need to reach ten joules?"
Before Thor could reply, looking utterly speechless,
Kazi suddenly remembered the test requirement he'd casually set back when he hadn't thought much of Thor.
"Ahem." He couldn't exactly admit he'd forgotten all about it, so he tried to cover himself. "Even if your Magic Power hasn't