Mental Catalyst Trap

"What news?"

"I heard it came from a merchant who claimed to be able to provide a 'special channel.'" Andre's tone carried a trace of unease.

"Lately, this kind of news has been spreading widely among the Candidate Apprentices. Those merchants claim they have a way to greatly enhance one's mental power in a short time."

Ron's heart stirred. "So Locke was tricked?"

"No. It's worse than that."

Andre shook his head. "Those prohibited drugs can indeed enhance mental power in the short term, but the price is..."

He left the sentence unfinished, but Ron had already thought of the twisted flesh and constantly twitching eyeballs.

"I heard there seem to be wizards supporting those merchants from behind the scenes."

Andre continued, "They need a large number of test subjects, and those desperate Candidate Apprentices are the perfect targets."

Ron suddenly came to his senses. So Locke had been prey someone prepared from the very beginning?

Then he recalled that someone had started whispering about it nearby immediately after something happened to Locke—specifically, about Locke's special channel for obtaining the Mental Catalyst. It was far too much of a coincidence, almost abnormally so.

"So, I came to warn you." Andre's voice turned extremely solemn. "No matter what kind of temptation you receive, don't try anything of unknown origin."

"Don't worry. I'm not that stupid." Ron forced a smile. "Besides, haven't I already found the right path?"

Andre nodded, looking somewhat relieved.

"Indeed. Even Lord Holt has acknowledged your talent in Potions, and your cultivation of the Corona Breathing Technique is going smoothly."

"But speaking of which..." He suddenly changed the subject. "How do you plan to deal with Mrs. Allen's instruction today? She's famous for being strict."

"Well..." Ron glanced at the notes on the table. "I've already reviewed the section on simple potions in Basics of Potionology."

He picked up a notebook densely covered in notes and casually demonstrated his understanding of medicinal ingredients.

"Besides, yesterday's practical work at the Herb Shop gave me new insights into many of the materials."

Andre took the notebook and flipped through it, surprise appearing on his face.

"You compiled all of this yourself? You even recorded the reactions and properties of rare medicinal ingredients in such detail."

At that moment, a burst of chaotic commotion suddenly came from outside, mixed with several muffled cries of alarm.

"Not again..." Andre's expression instantly darkened, and even his usually elegant voice turned hoarse.

The two exchanged a glance. Commotion at this hour usually meant that some desperate person had chosen the road of no return.

"Should we go take a look?" Ron asked hesitantly.

Andre's fingers unconsciously rubbed at his lapel, a habitual motion whenever he found himself caught in a dilemma.

In the end, however, he slowly nodded.

"Let's go. It won't hurt to take a look, but be sure to keep your distance. At times like this, those White-Robed Wizards lacking experimental materials always arrive right on schedule."

By the time the two reached the end of the corridor, a crowd had already gathered. Although dawn had yet to break, clearly no truly lazy people lived here.

Unlike the incident with Locke that morning, everyone was maintaining a tacit distance this time, as though they feared something.

Beneath the flickering Magic Crystal Lamp, Ron saw a twisted figure curled up in the corner.

The morning light shone through the window lattice onto a once-delicate female face, but it was now so hideous that it made one's heart tremble.

"It's Emily." Someone was the first to recognize her.

The name made Ron's heart jolt.

He had seen the duke's daughter just yesterday afternoon. Although her clothes had been disheveled, she had still been wearing a luxurious silk gown and a gemstone necklace around her neck.

Even after becoming someone else's slave, this noble girl had retained the elegance of her aristocratic upbringing.

But now...

Not only had Emily's face become utterly unrecognizable, but her body was also twisting in a way that defied reason. The expensive silk gown had been soaked through with sweat, clinging to her skin and outlining a bizarre shape.

Something seemed to be writhing inside her, making her originally slender figure become strange and distorted.

"I heard she only went to Apprentice Marcus's room a few days ago..." a female apprentice whispered.

"Heh, Emily certainly wouldn't be content with that. She's always dreamed of becoming a Primary Apprentice..."

"Exactly. If she hadn't sold her body for Magic Stone Fragments, she wouldn't have been able to afford the Mental Catalyst."

"Tsk, tsk, what a shame. I remember how proud she was when she first arrived. She said, 'Even if I become a test subject, I'll stay here.' And now..."

The discussion abruptly fell silent. A tall figure clad in a white robe had appeared at the end of the corridor, and a disdainful snort came from beneath the mask.

"Another pitiful fool who doesn't know when to quit."

The White-Robed Wizard's voice held no emotion. "Conveniently, I've been studying a new transformation formula lately and am short of a suitable test subject."

He casually sent out an invisible wave, trapping Emily, who had already begun mutating, and prepared to take her away.

Under the White-Robed Wizard's brutal handling, the girl's once-delicate features twisted and deformed as she was restrained. Her gemstone necklace dug deeply into her gradually swelling neck.

At that moment, she struggled weakly and raised her head to look toward the watching apprentices.

Ron noticed that her once-beautiful eyes, clear as flawless gemstones, were now filled with spiderweb-like veins of blood.

Within that field of crimson, he could vaguely see some grotesque object constantly reassembling itself.

"Help... help... ugh..." She tried to make a sound, but only an indistinct whimper came from her throat.

The wizard looked somewhat disgusted and reached into his robe to take out a potion glowing with an eerie light. "Looks like I'll have to make you behave..."

"Let's go." Andre grabbed Ron's arm. "It's better not to watch what happens next."

The two had only taken a few steps after turning away when a shrill scream came from behind them. Mixed into the scream was a horrifying, low-pitched growl, as though it had come from the deepest depths of the abyss.

After returning to the dormitory, Ron remained unable to calm down for a long time.

Everything that had happened today was too heavy. From Locke, whom he had seen yesterday evening, to Emily now, it all reminded him of the cruelty of this world.

I have to increase my strength as quickly as possible.

In this dark and brutal world, strength was the foundation for survival.

Whether it was to stay alive or to prevent himself from becoming a piece of meat on those White-Robed Wizards' chopping boards.

He opened his notebook and continued studying the properties of medicinal ingredients.

He was about to receive Mrs. Allen's instruction, so he had to make every possible preparation.