One Head, Two Heads

Wei En looked at the few items in his hands.

The letter was a reply from the Administration Office. The front of the envelope read, [To Wei En Loft], while the back was sealed tight and stamped with the Specter School's emblem—a pair of scarlet eyes within black flames.

The other three Parchment scrolls looked somewhat old, each tied with a linen cord. Presumably, the Meditation Method he had been longing for was among them.

Wei En set the Parchment aside and opened the letter first.

"To Intelligence Officer Wei En Loft of the Kaster City-State, your application has been received, reviewed, and approved. The Basic Meditation Method is hereby issued."

"At the same time, in accordance with the Specter School's apprentice management regulations, Wizardry General Knowledge and Gonzalez Language (Beginner) are also issued."

"Please record the contents of the Parchment and return them within two days, to avoid unnecessary trouble caused by lost scrolls."

"On the path of pursuing knowledge, death is not the end—Specter School Item Administration Office!"

The letter was brief, but Wei En was already delighted.

Besides the Meditation Method, the two Parchment scrolls he had received for free would give him a better understanding of this world.

After putting away the letter, he opened the three Parchment scrolls.

There was no visible difference between them, so he opened one at random.

"Gonzalez... Gonzalez..."

As the Parchment unfurled, its smooth surface wrinkled into a grotesque face. Dense, strange characters gathered into its features as it let out a low roar.

Fuck.

Wei En hurriedly tied it back up with the cord.

The sound stopped at once, and the Parchment reluctantly flattened out again.

"That was terrifying!"

This had to be the Gonzalez Language (Beginner) scroll.

He had learned from the previous owner's memories that books containing supernatural script were bizarre, but he had not expected them to be bizarre in this way.

So the question was, how was he supposed to learn from this scroll?

Was he supposed to beat it up or something?

Wei En had his doubts.

Next, he carefully opened the second Parchment scroll.

"Thank goodness. Familiar writing. No wonder this scroll is so new."

The second Parchment was written in the continent's common tongue—the Old Language—and bore the title Wizardry General Knowledge.

Its contents delighted him even more.

It was a scroll introducing common knowledge of the wizarding world, much of it information he had been desperate to learn.

According to its records, wizards were the supernatural profession with the most complete inheritance. Unlike the Church's Clerics, the supernatural bloodlines among nobles, or inheritors of supernatural races, they placed greater emphasis on creativity.

After the passage of time, five wizard schools remained active.

Besides the Specter School he belonged to, there was the Spirit Mystery School, which excelled in the elements, divination, and prophecy; the Blood Spirit School, which unearthed the body's potential and fused supernatural flesh; the Mechanics School, obsessed with puppetcraft and mechanical alteration; and the Shadow School, devoted to ancient secret arts.

The Specter School, meanwhile, focused on exploring the mysteries of life and death, just like the motto written in the letter—on the path of pursuing knowledge, death was not the end.

Not only that, the scroll also recorded several matters wizards needed to heed.

"Knowledge is power! But remember, when you pursue knowledge, knowledge is also pursuing you! (Left by Wizard Lister, founder of the Specter School, Third Era Year 138.)"

"Dissection of summoned creatures is prohibited, especially Abyssal Creatures. (Left by Forbidden Wizard Green Stanford, Fourth Era Year 363.)"

"All acts of romance or reproduction with Aberrations are prohibited! (Left by Aberrant Wizard Leili Doyle, Fourth Era Year 568.)"

"The Blood Spirit School purchases the remains of Church of Dawn Clerics. Long-term offer. (Left by legendary Blood Spirit School wizard Garman McCallis, Fourth Era Year 2434.)"

"..."

"Do not pursue any knowledge from before the Fourth Era. Remember this! (Left by Great Wizard Maicon Zinger of the Spirit Mystery School, Old Calendar Year 238.)"

"Do not rely too heavily on Forbidden Objects. They bring misfortune. (Left by Gufast of the Shadow School, New Calendar Year 165.)"

There were ninety-nine cautions in total.

Each had been left behind by a different wizard, with dates stretching from the Third Era to the present day.

Wei En was not a historian specializing in historical research, so he did not know exactly how many years that represented, but it was enough to prove the wizard profession's long history.

And judging from the contents, the various wizard schools interacted frequently, and... they were all pretty good at getting themselves killed.

Dissecting summoned creatures and breeding with Aberrations were one thing.

But the one offering long-term corpse purchases was the truly bizarre one. Was this an advertisement?

Still, he had gained quite a few questions.

For instance, why could he not pursue knowledge from before the Fourth Era? What exactly were Forbidden Objects?

Those questions could wait until later... and be tossed to the back of his mind!

He would not take the initiative to approach a mysterious, bizarre world just to satisfy his curiosity. Wasn't staying alive better?

With that thought, Wei En looked at the final Parchment scroll.

After hesitating for a moment, he gently picked it up, then gripped it tightly. The Gonzalez Language scroll had already been so bizarre. This older-looking Meditation Method scroll was probably...

Hiss!

After the rasp of hemp rope, the scroll opened.

The bizarre scene he had imagined did not appear. Wei En sighed in relief and looked over its contents.

The entire Parchment was about a foot square, with uneven edges.

On closer inspection, it had a glossy coating, like grease spread across every corner.

The writing on it... he did not recognize it. It looked somewhat like the script on the Gonzalez Language scroll he had just seen, though he needed to confirm that.

The rest... was this a drawing?

The image taking up eighty percent of the Parchment depicted...

No, it was not drawn!

More accurately, unknown bone fragments had been branded into the Parchment and arranged into a bizarre Hexagram formation.

Beneath that strangely constructed Hexagram was the faint outline of a grotesque image.

It was clearly a humanoid creature, but its limbs, head, and several tails were pinned beneath the Hexagram's bones, making them impossible to see clearly.

Only its torso was distinct—the directions of its lines formed a human face.

Black hair, pitch-black skin, sharply defined features, thick dark brows, bright red eyes...

Wei En leaned closer and studied it carefully. He felt as if he had seen that face somewhere before.

Where had he seen it?

That was it... it was what he looked like now!

Before he could react, the face growing from the torso—identical to his own—gave a wicked smile and uttered several strange syllables. "Apu, Runo, Ruixi..."

If Wei En understood Gonzalez Language, he would have known what those syllables meant: "Chaos, Despair, death..."

As the voice rang out, his vision began to blur. Everything around him seemed to drift away, and an intensely unreal feeling of emptiness washed over him.

Thud!

Wei En fell flat onto his back, staring blankly into empty space as his mouth opened and closed unconsciously.

"One head, two heads, three heads..."

Whispered murmurs spread through the entire room.