Leo had originally planned to collect as much data as possible during his apprenticeship and only begin modifying himself after becoming a level one formal wizard. The experiments could last as long as a thousand years.
But now that Samatchi had suggested modifying his existing organs, completing the experiment during his apprenticeship no longer seemed so difficult.
After all, when it came to modifying his existing organs, Leo had an advantage other elemental wizards lacked: he was a body refinement wizard apprentice. His control over his physical body and its passive evolution under stimulation far surpassed those of elemental wizards.
In an instant, Leo overturned his previous experimental model in his mind and established a new experimental procedure.
His powerful brain allowed him to construct an experimental model and then allocate the experiment precisely down to each hour.
He even completed the most important theoretical framework in less than two hours. All he lacked now was experimental data to support it.
"I need experimental materials to collect data."
Leo could not suppress his excitement. The preliminary framework of the experiment had been established, and it was entirely feasible in theory. Success seemed only a single step away.
Leo could hardly wait. He paced all over the room. Just one step away—he had never imagined he could be so close to success.
But what should he use as his experimental subjects?
The best subjects were naturally humans. Only an identical bodily composition could perfectly reflect the experimental data. Biological differences in other creatures would introduce errors into the data and affect the results.
But...
Using humans for experiments...
Leo felt like tearing his hair out. For one thing, the humans from Earth had already been recognized by the Wizard World and granted the second-tier rights of native inhabitants. They could not simply be placed on an experimental table as test subjects.
Besides, those people were his compatriots, people from his own home...
Why had I come up with such a horrifying idea?
What had made me so cold-blooded?
Leo suddenly remembered when he had first awakened in the Wizard World. They had been thrown onto an altar as experimental subjects.
At the time, all the captured humans from Earth had cursed that terrifying demon, longing for justice to descend from the heavens and punish him.
But now, after having the thought of experimenting on humans from Earth, Leo suddenly understood that wizard.
When a wizard developed a perfect theory and lacked only experimental data to verify it, the feeling was like countless ants crawling incessantly over his bones.
It was uncontrollable.
Success seemed right before his eyes. He could not control himself.
There were also two little figures in his head. One told him that he was already a wizard, no longer a human from Earth. Experimenting on those humans from Earth was for the sake of a great achievement. Besides, it would not necessarily kill anyone.
The second little figure told him that although he was no good person, he was no cold-blooded killer either. Putting his compatriots on an experimental table was an inhumane act that would nail him to the pillar of shame forever.
The two little figures argued endlessly in his head. Leo's head felt ready to split. This was the first time since birth that he had been so torn.
Shouting, Leo ran out of the library like a madman and charged straight into Samatchi's training ground.
Without another word, he set his Gravity Rune Array to five times normal gravity. The sudden increase made his bones crack with a teeth-grating sound.
Five times gravity was already Leo's limit. His entire body was forcibly compressed, becoming noticeably smaller.
Muffled groans escaped his mouth without pause. It felt as though a heavy mountain pressed against every inch of his skin, trying to crush him.
But Leo ignored it, picked up the heaviest weapon, and vented wildly.
Compared with the horrifying thoughts in his head, the torment of his flesh did not seem so painful.
Under five times gravity, with the Electric Shock Rune Array still on his body, Leo could bring out very little of his strength. He flailed around the training ground like a brawler throwing wild punches.
He only wanted to vent, to exhaust himself until he collapsed. The condemnation of his conscience and the temptation of success left him unable to choose.
Torment, agony!
At some point, a burly figure arrived at the training ground and laughed heartily at the sight of Leo venting.
He punched from a distance, sending a fist imprint of compressed air blasting out. Leo was instantly knocked flying, his head lolling to one side as he passed out.
When Leo woke, he saw Gru sitting nearby, roasting a Crimson Flame Beast. The aroma of meat made his stomach growl. He had spent more than a year busy studying and experimenting, and he had forgotten how long it had been since he had enjoyed a proper meal.
An adult Crimson Flame Beast measured nearly five meters long, possessed an attack power of up to 350 points, and could launch flame attacks. It was a powerful beast capable of threatening civilian lives.
But precisely because it was so powerful, its meat was rich and succulent, with a protein content many times that of beef. The energy it contained could also improve one's constitution, making it a rare delicacy.
Who knew what wrongs this Crimson Flame Beast had committed in its previous life to end up in Gru's hands in this one?
"Tell me, why did you suddenly go mad?" Gru asked as he roasted the Crimson Flame Beast.
Leo did not know how to answer, but after a moment's hesitation, he told Gru everything about his experiment and the evil thoughts he had developed.
"Hahaha! Elemental wizards have strange, dangerous ideas in their heads every day. You've only been studying for how long, and you're already having thoughts like that?" Gru laughed heartily. He showed no intention of blaming Leo and instead mocked the elemental wizards' bizarre ideas.
This also showed that there was indeed a considerable divide between elemental wizards and body refinement wizards.
Leo lowered his head in shame, disgraced by his own idea of putting his fellow humans on an experimental table.
He was not one of those swine devoid of humanity. He was a well-educated young man!
"Stop looking like you're about to die. I won't try to persuade you or comfort you, and I don't approve of your idea either."
"As higher lifeforms, we wizards may look down on life, but we must also respect it."
"If you said nothing today and were discovered secretly experimenting on civilians one day, what awaited you would be destruction at the hands of enforcement wizards."
Leo nodded in agreement. The Wizard World seemed to have few legal regulations, but there were many unwritten rules that all wizards recognized. Once a violation was discovered, the harshest punishment would surely follow.
Who knew how many wizards had entertained ideas like Leo's plan to experiment on humans from Earth? Their experimental subjects were the civilians of the Wizard World. Some wizards were even more insane and extreme: their subjects were other wizards!
As the most powerful beings, wizards themselves held countless secrets. At the same time, wizards were also the most curious race. There was nothing strange about their inability to resist studying their own kind!
Whether they used civilians or other wizards as experimental subjects, they were undoubtedly undermining the foundations of the Wizard World.
All wizards would oppose it.
The Wizard World had dedicated wizards responsible for dealing with those who crossed these lines, and their methods were extremely harsh.
Wizard history had already seen countless bitter lessons. That was why wizards now had zero tolerance for those who went mad for their experiments, killing every one they found.
"Since the Wizard World divided all life into ranks, with civilians and slaves, it naturally had its reasons."
"Slaves come from other conquered worlds. Having once opposed wizard rule, their best fate is to serve wizards with their entire bodies and minds."
"I've heard about your experiment. It's very good."
"I have to say, you have exceptional talent on the elemental wizard side. I don't oppose your experiment. In fact, I can even find you the most suitable experimental materials and help you with it," Gru said.
"What are your terms?"
Leo calmed down. It would naturally be best if Gru could help, but wizards rarely helped one another for free. If Gru was willing to help, he definitely had conditions.
"Once you succeed, give me a share too," Gru said.
"...No problem."
Leo froze for a moment, but immediately agreed.
"Who would want to drink that foul-tasting poison every day if there were another way?" Gru grumbled.
Hearing Gru's complaint, Leo laughed heartily in shared understanding. Those poisons really did not taste good, not a single sip of them.
A wizard had once proposed improving the taste of the poisons, but the attempts either affected their toxicity or cost too much. In the end, the matter was dropped.
That evening, Leo neither studied nor performed experiments. Instead, he sat with Gru and ate an entire Crimson Flame Beast.
Leo ate only one leg. Gru ate all the rest by himself. A body refinement wizard's enormous stomach seemed connected to a bottomless abyss; no amount of food could fill it.
Taking advantage of this leisure time, Leo also asked about the aftermath of the battle at the volcanic crater after Gru had taken him away. He had always been curious about what happened later that day.
Three level three wizards from Purple Flame Academy had faced four level two wizards and seven first-level wizards, along with the unknown terrifying creatures within the rift in the sky. Black Skull Academy's forces had not been weak either.
Leo was intensely curious about the outcome!
"All seven of Black Skull's first-level wizards died. If a first-level wizard shows up on a level three battlefield, surviving ten breaths is already lucky. Two of the four level two wizards died too. Five level three slaves summoned through the Stigmata Gift died, and who knows how many level one and level two slaves. Anyway, the volcanic crater was covered in corpses afterward."
"As for Purple Flame Academy's three vice deans, one suffered minor injuries and another was seriously wounded. They've already returned to the academy to recuperate."
Gru did not describe the course of the battle, but the fact that the corpses of level one and level two beings covered the battlefield was enough to show how brutal it had been.
Especially since only two of Black Skull Academy's eleven wizards had escaped. Would Black Skull Academy, whose strength surpassed Purple Flame Academy's, swallow such a heavy loss?
Peaceful days would be hard to come by from now on!
Seeing Leo's worried expression, Gru crunched the bone in his mouth. "You're just a little wizard apprentice, yet you think about so much. Those are matters for the deans and vice deans to consider. Just focus on your training for now. Once you become a level one body refinement wizard, you'll have plenty to keep you busy."
Leo immediately gave a dry laugh. He really had been worrying too much.