The World Was Never Two-Dimensional (Please Keep Reading)

Academy Hospital

"I'm fine," Kevin said weakly, his entire body wrapped in bandages.

As the first person to come into contact with the Curse, Kevin had suffered severe injuries. In just a few dozen seconds, nearly half his body had been charred black, and most of his skin had peeled away. Through the gaps in the bandages, Richard could even see his bright-red muscles still twitching.

"The doctor said my external injuries are easy enough to treat. The biggest problem is the loss of Life Force. Replenishing it will take a long time, and during that time, I'm afraid I won't be able to serve as your Agent."

Richard nodded silently, then added, "I'll handle this matter. You just focus on recovering. If you still want the Agent position later, I'll keep it for you."

Kevin smiled weakly. "All right. Save me a spot."

Richard turned and left the ward, with Ellie close behind him.

"Doctor, how much are the medical expenses for the patient in Room Number Thirty-Two?" Richard asked quietly as he approached the hospital counter.

"Number Thirty-Two... let me see. Minor Body Healing, five hundred. Limb Regeneration, twelve hundred. Vitality Supplement, three hundred. That comes to two thousand Academy Coins. Will you be paying with cash or Magic Stones?"

Richard pulled out a stack of Academy Coins from his robes and counted them, then handed twenty notes to the doctor.

Although Kevin's injuries were the price of becoming his Agent, Kevin had been highly efficient in gathering materials for him during this time. Back and forth, the two of them had developed some friendship.

Besides, two thousand Academy Coins were merely the profit from five bottles of Focus Potion. Paying it was no great loss. His cooperation with Kevin would continue for a long time yet.

After leaving the hospital, Richard headed straight for the Central Black Tower.

On Black Tower Floor 56, Jacques was, as usual, slacking off and drinking in his room. But when the door flew open with a bang, he hurriedly sat upright.

"Senior Sister, I was researching... Richard? You scared the life out of me."

Once he saw who it was, Jacques immediately slumped back down.

"Junior Brother, why are you making such a commotion? Who pissed you off?" As he spoke, he spotted Ellie behind Richard and straightened up again.

"Isn't this Ellie? Please, have a seat, have a seat." Jacques greeted her with a smile.

"Senior Brother, there's something I need your help with." Richard strode up to Jacques. A table separated them, but Jacques could still clearly sense the fury radiating from him.

Jacques's smile faded. "What happened? Why are you so angry?"

Richard answered with only two words.

"Curse."

"All right, understood." Jacques rose and headed outside. "I'll ask a few friends and see what I can find out, but I can't guarantee I'll get any information."

Richard followed closely behind and stuffed a stack of Academy Coins into Jacques's hand.

"Senior Brother, I can't have you spending money over this. Junior Brother's Magic Potion business has been doing fairly well lately. Please accept this."

Jacques gave Richard a long look, tucked the money into his pocket, and walked out of the room.

Three or four hours later, Jacques returned to the room somewhat unsteadily, reeking heavily of alcohol.

"It was a job taken in Corner Alley. No one knows who exactly placed it." Jacques shook his head, and a layer of steam instantly rose from his body. Once the steam dissipated, the entire room was filled with the rich scent of alcohol.

"But there's something you can use as a reference. Last month, Ulrich's Alchemy Shop actually failed to sell out its Focus Potions. Their clerk said their young master, Joseph, flew into a rage over it. And someone noticed that not long after Joseph lost his temper, a man in black about his height entered Corner Alley."

The meaning behind Jacques's words was obvious. The person who had acted was very likely Joseph.

"Thank you for the trouble, Senior Brother."

Jacques waved a hand, then stuffed the stack of Academy Coins back into Richard's hand.

"It was a small matter. My own Junior Brother was cursed—how could I, as his Senior Brother, not help? This money wasn't used. Take it back."

"No, Senior Brother. I have another favor to ask." Richard blocked the money.

"What favor?"

Richard took a section of black steel tube etched with patterns from his waist. Silver-white lines gleamed with magical light across its surface.

"I'd like you to install this inside Munin—the Death Crow you made last time. This opening," Richard said, pointing at one end of the steel tube, "needs to extend out through its mouth. That shouldn't be a problem for you, Senior Brother, right?"

Jacques considered Richard's description, then answered, "No problem. It's only a minor operation. But Senior Brother has to remind you—don't act rashly. If you're caught red-handed inside the Academy, the teachers will have a hard time handling it. No one can escape the Bloody Exam. It won't be too late to make your move during the exam."

If a conflict broke out within the Academy, the Academy Watchers would appear to stop it as long as the fight dragged on even briefly. And whether as the descendant of a wizard or as a formal apprentice to an Alchemist Wizard, Joseph would not lack defensive Magic Armor.

For Richard to kill him in a single strike was essentially impossible.

And even if he did kill him in one strike, Richard would not be able to evade the Watchers' immediate pursuit.

Richard gave Jacques a faint smile, though a cold glint flashed deep in his eyes.

There were still several years until the Bloody Exam. He could not wait that long.

"Don't worry, Senior Brother. I know what I'm doing."

Richard handed the steel tube to Jacques, then left the room with Ellie.

On the way back to the dormitory, Ellie could not help asking, "Richard, are you really going to use that thing? Haven't you finished researching it yet?"

She was referring to the steel tube Richard had just given Jacques. It was a new piece of Magic Armor Richard had been working on recently—he had named it the Magic Drive Gun.

"It's almost done. I've just been trying to find a kind of ammunition cheap enough," Richard said quietly. "But now, my experiment has been interrupted."

During this time, Ellie had reduced that Kinetic Spell to twelve Runes, though the upper limit of magic power the spell could accept had also been reduced to half of what it had been. However, since Richard was making Magic Armor, excessive magic power would melt the materials. This flaw instead suited his needs perfectly.

Richard had inscribed three Kinetic Spells onto that steel tube. According to his tests, a bullet enhanced by all three Kinetic Spells could easily punch through a steel plate three centimeters thick within five hundred meters.

Richard turned to look at the woods lining both sides of the road. No one knew how many Watchers were hidden within those woods. If a battle broke out between apprentices, those Watchers would appear at once to stop it.

But their surveillance had one enormous loophole—the boundless sky above his head.

Academy Watchers generally patrolled the Academy while flying one to two hundred meters in the air. Though that altitude was not particularly high, apprentices at the Academy generally would not use Levitation to fly so high. Moreover, limited by casting range, even if ordinary apprentices flew to that height, they could not pose much of a threat to apprentices on the ground.

And that created the Watchers' greatest blind spot.

Above two hundred meters, their surveillance was a complete blank. Richard could easily control Munin to fly five hundred meters into the air.

The world had never been two-dimensional.