Diary of a Dead Wizard-Chapter 131: No One Gets to Run

However, Herman’s brilliant plan didn’t last long before the bombardment behind him suddenly came to a halt.

“What’s going on?” He turned around in fury. “Who gave the order to stop firing?”

There was no way they were out of cannonballs.

Herman was furious—this was a blatant challenge to his authority!

But no one knew what had happened. The three-masted ship was deathly silent.

“Send someone to check—”

He had only gotten halfway through his order when someone came sprinting toward them. The man’s mouth was agape, his face twisted in terror.

Herman stepped forward with a Third Rank apprentice to meet him.

He barked, “Why did the bombardment stop?”

But the man didn’t answer. Instead, he collapsed in front of Herman, screaming in despair, “Gone! They’re gone! All gone!”

“What?” Herman’s heart tightened. Time was critical—he couldn’t let the people from the Wizard Tower escape.

But the man still didn’t answer. He just kept flailing his arms, repeating the same words.

“Gone! The bodies… gone!!!”

“Snap out of it!” The apprentice next to Herman rushed forward, hand raised to slap the man across the face.

But just as he reached the panicked man, the man’s head suddenly dropped off!

At the same time, his body began to vanish, bit by bit, until only his feet remained.

His severed head landed squarely on his bloodied ankle stumps.

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on freeweɓnøvel.com.

The Third Rank apprentice screeched to a halt, staring at the gruesome sight.

His eyes widened to the point of tearing, and his hand trembled as he pointed at the running remains—just a head and two feet.

“A m… monst—”

Before he could finish, Herman teleported and clamped a hand over his mouth.

“Shut up!” Herman averted his eyes from the thing on the ground. “You didn’t see anything.”

The apprentice looked gratefully at Herman, even though he knew Herman hadn’t done it to save him.

Head Monster attacked anyone who made eye contact with them.

A few could be dealt with. But a swarm could devour someone in an instant—turning them into one of their own.

Herman’s face darkened as he glanced toward the valley’s center. With the bombardment stopped, he had lost track of the Wizard Tower group.

He wasn’t willing to let them escape so easily. He also couldn’t allow any survivors to return and risk the Tower’s retaliation.

“If there aren’t too many Head Monster, I should be able to hold them off…”

With that thought in mind, Herman cautiously turned around—only to whip his head back around stiffly a second later.

“Goddammit…” Even the arrogant Herman couldn’t help but curse.

Behind them, and all over their three-masted ship, were countless Head Monster packed tightly together.

When Herman turned, many of them eagerly stared at him, hoping to be noticed.

“Aaah!!!”

A nearby apprentice screamed as his head fell to the ground, transforming into a new head creature.

Even Herman’s expression changed now.

He had known all along—no matter how calm he remained, he couldn’t guarantee everyone else would keep it together.

If someone panicked, the Head Monster might attack indiscriminately.

“Everyone!” Herman shouted to gather their attention. “Follow me—we’re dragging those bastards out!”

Reluctantly, with the endless sea of Head Monster closing in, they approached the bottom of the valley.

By now, Herman had given up on killing the Wizard Tower group. He just wanted to survive the swarm.

Elsewhere, things weren’t going well for the Tower apprentices either.

Bill nearly stepped on a head creature.

He was just about to strike when countless more began falling like rain from a cliff to the side.

Without hesitation, Bill turned and ran.

Wright, behind him, also saw the ground full of heads and almost screamed.

He quickly turned to follow Bill, casting a transmission spell.

“Why are these things in the outer region of Hanging Hands Valley?!”

“You’re asking me? Who the hell am I supposed to ask?!”

Bill was filled with a deep unease.

The outer region of Hanging Hands Valley was supposed to be easy for Third Rank apprentices to dominate. So why were there now true wizard wraiths and this endless flood of Head Monster?

And those Land Drifters—they’d dared to attack them again and again. Were they trying to start a war with the Wizard Tower?

Having already burned through much of his Magic, Bill cursed under his breath.

Their plan kept falling apart. Now, all he wanted was to return to the Wizard Tower and report in.

But first, he had to survive.

…

Saul felt as though he had returned to the Wizard Tower—back to a certain day in the past.

Opening his eyes, he saw himself standing inside the third morgue room.

In front of him were messy workbenches, crucibles, notes, potions, plastic bones…

Saul looked down and saw his hands.

His left hand was pale gray and translucent. His right hand was still his normal human hand.

It came back to him.

That day, Saul had just finished reconstructing his left hand. It was also the first time he had successfully purified soul resin.

Because the experiment was complex and involved drawing an anti-electric field array, his mind had taken a toll. He didn’t leave the morgue until close to eight.

Realizing it was late, Saul tidied up and grabbed his backpack, rushing out of the room.

Just then, the burly man in charge of cleaning the morgue passed him in the hallway. They nearly got stuck in the doorway.

Saul had been working in the morgue for over a year. This wasn’t his first time racing the clock back to the West Tower.

He sometimes encountered oddities at night, but after learning many Zero Tier spells, Saul was no longer the helpless boy he used to be.

Even with low Magic reserves, he was still a formidable First Rank apprentice—because he knew the most.

To Saul, the East Tower at 8 p.m. was no longer filled with lethal traps.

As long as he was careful…

But today, as soon as he reached the third floor, he was hit by a gust of thick, jelly-like wind.

The moment it touched him, it swallowed him whole—and Saul felt as if he had been swept clean from the inside out.

Something flickered in the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he saw his shadow and other dark shapes breaking apart into tiny round dots. They leapt from the floor and scurried away into the cracks between stones.

Saul blinked slowly and turned his head.

As expected, standing at the top of the slope was the long-absent Tower Master, Gorsa.

He was still wrapped in pink bandages, with only his silver eyes visible.

The chance of seeing Mentor Kaz depended on the latter’s mood. But meeting the Tower Master? That was pure fate.

“Tower Master.” Saul immediately lowered his head in respect.

He wasn’t afraid anymore, but he was still nervous.

Gorsa teetered down the slope on tiptoe, swaying gently.

His silver eyes curved. His voice was as gentle as always.

“It’s been a while, Saul. Got time to chat?”

(End of Chapter)