He Who Rises by This Will Surely Fall by This

Why? Why hadn't I been wary enough when I saw Vivian's abnormal behavior at the counter?

Ahab did not make any excuses for himself. Instead, he reflected on his actions.

Ever since transmigrating here, he had relied on his sinister cunning to succeed time and again. He had poisoned an entire ship of apprentices and successfully fought his way into the position of group leader.

It was his string of victories that had made him complacent!

Even if he had another chance, it would still have been difficult for him to see through the deception on the spot.

But if he had been alert, he would at least have purchased it through another window, leaving Vivian no chance to steal what she was entrusted to guard.

In the end, it had all been caused by carelessness!

The Zuo Commentary said: He who rises by this will surely fall by this.

In his previous life, he had also built himself up through cunning and ruthlessness, only to be splattered with blood within five paces.

How similar was that to his current situation?

What was more, this was a supernatural world, where danger was even harder to guard against.

I must stay twelve times more vigilant. If I make a mistake like this again, I'll have to wonder whether I have a second personality.

Ahab gritted his teeth inwardly and began planning his next move.

Vivian clearly did not have six Magic Stones. If she used the Hound Fang directly, then even if the General Affairs Hall confirmed the matter, she would not have the Magic Stones to compensate him anytime soon.

The group leader's monthly subsidy was ten Magic Stones. He had already spent six on the fang.

This month, he had no Magic Stones left to buy a second batch of materials.

If he wanted to buy it, he would have to wait until next month at the earliest.

Yet the Future Diary did not record when Vivian had managed to produce Corpse Dissolving Powder.

For Vivian to take such a risk, she had to be reasonably confident.

Most likely, she would achieve results before next month arrived.

Even if he took a step back and assumed that next month came without Vivian completing her research, allowing him to buy the fang—

He would still need the second core material: the Vampire King's Nail!

I have to act immediately and snatch back the real fang.

The Future Diary had recorded Vivian's aptitude. Her starting conditions were similar to his, except her mental power was two points higher.

But she was, in the end, only a teenage girl, while he had years of experience surviving in the world.

As long as he made full use of his strengths, he had a good chance of winning in an ambush.

After making his decision, Ahab realized there was a second problem.

I've already wasted more than an hourglass's worth of time going back and forth.

Vivian is obviously exceptional. The moment she succeeded, she might have hidden the fang straight away.

At the very least, I would have done that.

Ambushing her directly may not necessarily recover the material.

I need to come up with a backup plan as well.

Ahab found a cool place to squat down, shut his eyes tightly, and began thinking.

I still have to start with the Future Diary. My future self has already become Eight-Ring; he must have considered things more thoroughly.

During the ten days aboard the Ferry Ship, Ahab had flipped through the Future Diary whenever he had free time.

What abilities did he currently possess, and what information did he have?

The Future Diary had never stated it outright, but it often revealed between the lines that choosing the ice element was correct, that he should choose burst-type spells, and that having one for illumination and one for defense would be even better.

Therefore, after mastering the Meditation Method and gaining the freedom to choose three spells, that was exactly how he had chosen.

One burst spell, one illumination plus dazzling spell, and one defensive spell.

As for potentially useful information, it was a complete mess.

There were supposedly some long-abandoned empty rooms in the academy, Magic Stones were high-concentration crystallized magic power, apprentices working at the General Affairs Hall had Warning Badges...

Ahab thought carefully and slowly formed a plan.

Night fell. It was eight-thirty in the evening.

Time for workers to get off work.

Vivian, her dark-red hair tied in twin ponytails, strode toward the dormitories with a smile on her face.

Today had truly been lucky.

Her research finally had hope. She had obtained the first material, the Three-Headed Hound's Fang!

Vivian was only an ordinary apprentice. Her monthly subsidy was three Magic Stones, and after mandatory expenses, she could save only two.

In other words, she would need to save for a full three months to buy the Three-Headed Hound's Fang.

Furthermore, Freshman Research was limited to half a year. If she relied on saving up, there would be absolutely no room for error.

But now, everything was getting better.

That kid from earlier looked gentle, but there was sharpness and viciousness hidden in his eyes. He definitely isn't easy to deal with.

My heart was practically in my throat back then. My acting was so exaggerated, yet he didn't notice? It's unbelievable.

Looks like the gods still favor me!

Pah, pah! I can't think about anything related to the Ancient God, not even in my heart! What if I slip up and say it out loud someday? That would be deadly.

Vivian forcibly redirected her thoughts and continued considering matters related to the experiment.

She had also found a lead on the experiment's second material: the Vampire King's Nail.

Tomorrow, she planned to try obtaining it.

This research is definitely not something those other new apprentices could think of.

I definitely won't let... expectations down. I'll fight for first place!

After walking a little farther, Vivian suddenly froze with one foot raised in midair and glanced around for no reason.

There were no other apprentices at all on this stretch of road. What if that kid from earlier had discovered the truth and was waiting here to ambush her?

Vivian hesitated for a moment, then relaxed again.

She was still an apprentice working for the General Affairs Hall!

The General Affairs Hall was different from other places. It was an academy-operated sales venue, and naturally, it had considered the possibility that attendants might be threatened and forced to steal what they were entrusted to guard.

She had a Warning Badge issued by the General Affairs Hall on her body.

The badge had fused into her body and could not be taken away at all.

The moment she suffered direct harm, the badge would immediately trigger an alarm.

What was there to fear?

Vivian flicked her dark-red twin ponytails and strode forward boldly.

"Ding!"

After only a few steps, a crystalline blue-white glow suddenly flickered within the grass ahead.

That color... an ice-element spell. That kid really dares to ambush me?

Vivian was slightly surprised at first, then settled down again.

For transactions at the General Affairs Hall, apprentices had to present their Metal ID Tags to verify their identities.

The tags recorded far more than just identity; they also contained a great deal of information related to the apprentice.

Ahab Gul, ice-element affinity, mental power 6...

That was also why Vivian had dared to act.

Casting spells required magic power, which was usually ten times one's mental power.

Ahab only had 60 points of magic power, while the initially available spells were all 0.2-ring spells, meaning each cast consumed 20 points of magic power.

Vivian felt completely at ease.

My mental power is 8, and my magic power is 80. I can cast four spells, while that Ahab can only cast three.

Four against three. The advantage is mine.

Come on!

Seeing that the crystalline glow in the grass was beginning to condense into an ice spike, Vivian did not dare delay. She raised a hand toward the air, and purple lightning gathered in her palm, wild and twisting.