Diary of a Dead Wizard-Chapter 229: A New Body

Who else could freely enter the second storeroom?

There was no need to even think.

To his surprise, both of the top beings in the Wizard Tower had come to observe Saul’s body modification.

It made the young apprentice feel a bit honored and flustered.

But after the initial shock, he felt it was only natural.

The carefully nurtured sapling had sprouted again—naturally, they had to make sure it didn’t grow crooked.

Besides, Saul’s body modification wasn’t a secret to those two beings. If they wanted to watch, so be it.

Saul climbed out of the stone coffin. “You were the one who put me in there?”

Little Algae wiggled its tendrils in confirmation.

“Good.”

Saul sat back at the lab table, looking at his “restored” hands, his thoughts returning to the modification experiment.

He pulled out pen and paper and began documenting the changes before and after the transformation.

First, his skin was no longer semi-transparent and showed bones underneath. But it still had a pale, ashen gray hue.

It looked more like a corpse than a living person.

When Saul clenched his fists and lightly tapped the back of his hand, he could even see the blood vessels slightly bulge.

“The veins under the skin are real? My arms seem to have regrown in my original form thanks to the fleshcrafting spell.”

He picked up a small knife, intending to cut the skin and examine whether the internal tissue had truly regenerated or if it was just a mimicry under the transformation.

But when he pressed the blade gently against the skin, it merely indented the pale gray surface without leaving a mark.

Saul applied more pressure.

Though he felt some resistance in his left hand, the skin still didn’t break. He barely even felt any pain.

“There’s tactile feedback, but pain sensation is dull.”

Instead, it was the small knife in his hand that couldn’t withstand the pressure—the blade began to bend and warp.

Saul simply gave up on the knife and cast “Arrow Spell” directly on his skin.

Yet the magically enhanced arrow shattered the moment it hit his skin. The tip snapped clean off and ricocheted away.

All Saul felt was a dull ache—nothing serious.

He picked up the arrowhead and squeezed—it instantly warped in his hand.

“My strength has increased, and my skin is much tougher. Finger dexterity is unchanged, but tactile sensitivity is dulled. I’ll have to adjust and get used to it.”

Remembering the changes he observed in his elbow during the modification, Saul quickly rolled up his sleeve.

But when the fabric was pushed above the elbow, the skin there was still the same pale gray.

He traced his arm up to his shoulder and chest. The touch feedback made his heart sink, and he stripped off his robe and shirt entirely.

What he saw stunned him.

His entire upper body had turned gray as well.

He rolled up his pant legs in a rush, then hesitated and undid his belt. One glance down—

“My whole body changed?”

Saul dressed again in a daze, rummaged through his lab tools for a mirror, and took a look—

Sure enough, even the skin on his face hadn’t been spared.

Now all of Saul’s skin had turned ashen gray. Only his hair and pupils remained black.

He had suspected there might be widespread effects when he saw the gray solution corroding his skin and entering his bloodstream, but he hadn’t expected it to be this thorough.

“This must be the fleshcrafting spell’s inherent devouring-modification instinct. And the first thing it chose to modify was me.”

He also noticed that his arms and body no longer looked so scrawny. The original body had suffered from chronic malnutrition and insomnia from fear, so Saul had never managed to make up for the gap in growth.

Now, he appeared somewhat stronger.

Especially in his upper arms—there were faint outlines of biceps and triceps.

“The new gray solution didn’t just integrate with my blood—it also enhanced my physical condition. But what exactly is the basis for this enhancement?”

Saul stood up and inspected his pants.

They were tighter and slightly shorter.

“I must have grown at least three centimeters.”

He still wasn’t exactly tall, but at least he’d caught up with his peers.

“Whether this change is permanent or will continue over time is unclear. I’ll start recording my measurements daily from now on.”

To confirm, Saul measured his body thoroughly and noted the data for ongoing observation.

He returned to the lab table and picked up his modification formula, analyzing what had caused these transformations.

With the correct result already in hand, reverse-engineering the answer was much easier than solving it outright.

“The changes in skin and tissue were mainly due to the fleshcrafting spell. But what role did the plastic bone play in all this?”

To test his skin’s toughness again, he took a very sharp steel needle and applied 70% of his strength—only then did he finally manage to pierce his palm.

Immediately, a droplet of red blood welled up.

And this time, the pain was quite noticeable.

Squinting, Saul focused his mental energy and examined the droplet.

Within the blood, he could see tiny gray particles.

They were invisible to the naked eye, but clearly visible under the enhancement of his meditation technique.

These particles were evenly distributed throughout his bloodstream.

Saul took the droplet and ran a test using lab instruments. The blood showed no major anomalies—only that its vitality was significantly heightened.

And when he looked back to take another sample, the wound had already disappeared.

“Healing has improved, too. Not bad. So far, all the modifications have been positive. But I don’t have any soul fragments on hand, so I can’t verify how the plastic bone’s soul resin properties have changed yet.”

That could wait—he still had plenty of time.

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Next was the most crucial test—had the compatibility between body and soul improved?

Saul closed his eyes and began to meditate again.

As his mental energy began to circulate, he was surprised to find that his body welcomed the flow of magic and mental energy, and even actively aided the transmission.

It was a novel sensation.

Before, during meditation and casting, his body had never resisted, but it had never helped, either.

It was like the difference between entering a cold, empty house, and coming home to find your parents waiting, urging you to change and wash up, with a steaming dinner ready on the table.

Saul was touched. And a little overwhelmed.

“This body... it only truly accepted my soul after the modification.”

Thinking of those gray particles in his blood, Saul formed a hypothesis.

“The key step in this modification was when I infused my mental energy into the potion. That must’ve triggered an unplanned reaction.”

“The new gray solution had one additional ingredient—my own mental power. It was that force—my soul—that activated the complete alchemical reaction. So when the modification spread throughout the body, it naturally took on the shape of my soul.”

That must’ve been what the Tower Master foresaw when he instructed Saul to reference fleshcrafting spells to resolve the incompatibility between flesh and spirit.

Ralph, before being toyed with by Kismet, was able to devour others without losing himself—because his soul was the core of the potion.

As long as that core remained intact, no matter how much flesh he consumed or how his body changed, his identity as Ralph was preserved.

But when his soul was damaged, his body became something bizarre.

“So... the soul-detachment issue—has been solved?”

Saul immediately sat down and put it to the test.

Naturally, by attempting a voluntary try to get his soul out of body.

He closed his eyes and activated his mental body, simulating the Erosion Diagram and attempting to rise from within.

At first, his soul showed no signs of moving—nestled calmly within his body.

Only when Saul intensified his meditation did he begin to feel resistance.

Then came a distinct sensation of slight misalignment between soul and body—he was almost out, but then a powerful tug pulled at him from within, not wanting him to leave.

Saul could tell that with effort, he could still detach. But he chose not to push it, instead slipping back inside.

“As I thought!” Saul opened his eyes. “Once the body has been reshaped to fit the soul, leaving it becomes far more difficult.”

Before, projecting his soul out of body was like taking off a coat. Now, it was more like tearing off a layer of skin. The difference was immense.

“With this, the issue of my soul leaving my body at random is resolved!” Saul smiled in satisfaction.

The only thing he still couldn’t figure out—he hadn’t found the original soul’s presence during this entire modification.

“Did I guess wrong, or was it just hidden too deep?”

Saul sat back in his chair, twirling a pen between his fingers.

“I was probably wrong. There’s no way a normal soul could last this long.”

He suddenly thought of the soul infusion experiment he’d once participated in.

In that test, a First Rank apprentice’s soul had been injected into a deceased Second Rank apprentice’s body.

The situation was oddly similar to his own.

But in that case, the compatibility was so poor that even basic sensory transmission was distorted. Even genders of the soul and body cannot be the same, otherwise it cannot enter the new body.

Compared to that, Saul’s situation was mild.

“Maybe I should take another look at the soul infusion records. I might find the real reason for my incompatibility… heck, I might even help fix the biggest issue in those experiments—gender mismatch.”

He set that thought aside and continued his testing.

Now came the moment of reward—measuring magic and mental strength.

He grabbed the black crystal orb and poured in magic power at full force.

According to the orb’s reaction—his magic value… had surpassed one hundred.

Beyond that point, the orb couldn’t provide accurate readings. He’d need a different instrument, or head to the registration hall for a more precise assessment.

“It’s only been two months since I entered the Second Rank.” Saul couldn’t hide his excitement. “I gotta tell Keli this great news.”

He could already picture Keli’s expression going from stunned to disbelieving to furious and finally to her lifting her haughty chin and swearing she’d surpass him.

The thought made Saul grin even wider.

(End of Chapter)