Diary of a Dead Wizard-Chapter 233: The Idealist’s Locator

Keli had never lost when it came to confidence.

Watching Keli wearing a heavy metal mask and disappearing elegantly on the top of the ramp, Saul walked down slowly.

Come to think of it, even though he saw the Tower Master more frequently than Keli did, it felt like she knew the Tower Master better than he did.

Mentor Gudo really did treat Keli well. He not only taught her knowledge but often chatted with her about all sorts of gossip.

Returning to the Second Storage Room, Saul decided to stop by the library first.

Ever since he’d unlocked the Tower Master’s private library on the 19th floor via the minimap, he’d rarely bothered with the public library.

Last time, he’d even bought a copy of Hiding in the Cracks from the library administrator. But before he could study it properly, another book—The Ethereal Book—was mysteriously snatched away and returned to the shelves by the sudden appearance of the Tower Master. As a result, his study of Cracks had been postponed indefinitely.

Now that he’d finally taken care of his own minor troubles, he wondered if the Tower Master had any other tasks in store. After some consideration regarding his study path, he decided to focus on locator devices over Nightmare Butterfly.

The abilities of the Nightmare Butterfly were indeed powerful and alluring, but the dangers they brought were just as immense.

Especially now, with his soul form having only just stabilized, Saul wasn’t in a rush to go wandering through dreamscapes again.

By contrast, locator devices were his real key to advancing.

There was a common saying in the Wizard Tower: A Second Rank apprentice without a locator doesn’t count as a real Second Rank—according to Keli, anyway.

This reflected the general agreement that when it came to categorizing knowledge (Zero Tier vs. First Tier spell difficulty) or power (whether or not one had a locator to protect their mental state), most apprentices placed more value on the latter.

Though Saul hadn’t run into any bottlenecks with higher-level spell knowledge, he was still completely lost when it came to choosing a locator.

Even with two sets of formulas and insights he’d gotten from Kongsha, he hadn’t found anything concretely helpful for determining what locator suited him.

So now that he finally had some peace and quiet, he decided to go study locator theory properly in the library.

As he approached the library, he noticed several young faces standing hesitantly at the entrance, peeking nervously inside.

No doubt—they were new apprentices.

Only newbies acted like stepping through the library threshold was some sort of trial, intimidated by the smug young administrator standing just inside the doorway.

Saul passed them without pause and stepped straight inside.

The young administrator was momentarily stunned to see him, quickly scanning Saul up and down—then, to Saul’s surprise, his demeanor actually turned uneasy.

“Good afternoon,” Saul said politely, as if the previous incident hadn’t happened at all. “Do you have any books on locator theory?”

The young man, unusually restrained, answered in a low voice, “Locator-related knowledge is in the thirteenth row, fourth column.”

Just in front of the wraith section?

The Wizard Tower’s library wasn’t the kind of place you casually browsed. Especially past the eighth row—nobody knew what sort of knowledge might pop up on those shelves. That’s why most apprentices opted to ask the administrator first.

That, more or less, was their whole purpose.

Saul headed for the indicated row, but couldn’t resist glancing toward the fourteenth row, fourth column.

At the bottom shelf of that ominous section, someone was still lying there.

But this time, it wasn’t the familiar arm Saul remembered.

Has my fear changed? Saul rubbed his chin. Is it because the second round of body modification resolved the mismatch between my soul and flesh?

When Saul had inexplicably transmigrated into a newly deceased body, he was given a second life, but the body hadn’t been a perfect fit.

This mismatch made it harder for Saul, a dark element apprentice, to harmonize his soul and flesh.

The second body modification, however, had reshaped Saul’s body to match the contours of his soul. Though his outward appearance remained the same, his pale-gray skin was now molded from his own mental power—essentially giving him a more suitable outer shell.

The fact that the bookshelf storing wraith-related books had generated a new illusion supported Saul’s theory. By its logic, the figure that appeared should represent his new fear.

But when he saw the arm peeking out from beneath the shelf, he froze.

His fear had changed from his past self… to a little girl?!

“Why would I fear from a little girl? I better go take a look. As the saying goes—know your enemy, and you’ll never lose a battle.”

With that thought in mind, Saul crept over to the fourteenth row and tilted his head until it was parallel with the ground. Slowly, cautiously, he bent down to peek beneath the lowest shelf.

He chose not to squat outright—just in case something dangerous happened, this position would let him leap away more easily.

Soon, the figure’s face came into view.

Soft mint-green hair lay scattered across the natural wood of the bookshelf. Pointed ears stuck out slightly, the tips lazily curled with weariness.

It was her—the elf Saul had seen in the hallucination during his body modification.

He stepped back in a rush, retreating until the bookshelf fully blocked her from view.

“Why is it her again?” He pressed a hand to his forehead and turned back to the thirteenth row. “I guess hearing the Tower Master talk about elves last time must’ve stuck with me.”

Still—being afraid of an elf was better than being afraid of himself.

At least the former he could find a way to avoid.

Pushing his new “fear” aside, Saul composed himself and began browsing the shelves on the thirteenth row.

Though the books here were all about locator devices, most of them were notes, speculations, and theories. There wasn’t a single volume containing actual locator formulas.

It made sense—this was the public library. The books here were for general study, and things like locator formulas weren’t the kind of knowledge you'd find lying around for free.

Not that Saul minded—he wasn’t looking for a formula anyway. Unlike others, he wasn’t disappointed.

His eyes scanned the various books of all shapes and sizes, until a slim volume tucked in the corner caught his attention.

Carefully, he drew it out from the crowded shelf.

The cover read: How to Choose the Right Locator for You – Barbara

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

He gingerly flipped through the opening pages.

On the title page, written in Necrotic Whispers—the very language Saul was currently studying—were five words:

Know Thyself

Direction

Method

Results

Self-Reflection

“This is starting to feel like self-analysis.” Saul continued reading.

The second page, written in rushed and uneven handwriting, read:

I’ve summarized the five stages of selecting a locator device based on what I’ve seen and learned. Since locators are grounded in personal perception, everyone's understanding will differ. The more detailed the explanation, the more likely it is to lead someone astray.

If you think your way of thinking aligns with these five concepts, feel free to take this book and explore further.

If not—rip this page out immediately, and forget everything you’ve read.

—Barbara

“As expected, everyone perceives locators differently. Compared to runes and spells, which follow a more mathematical logic, locator knowledge feels more like idealistic philosophy. That explains why it’s harder for someone like me, trained in science, to grasp.”

Saul closed the book. He’d borrow just this one today. Though he’d only glanced at the cover, the author’s mindset felt oddly compatible with his own.

With his choice made, he turned to leave—lingering too long might cause the surrounding white mist to thicken and risk getting lost in the deeper library.

But just as he stepped into the aisle between the twelfth and thirteenth rows, he saw the young administrator—who’d been standing at the library’s entrance moments ago—now blocking his path ahead.

From the way he stood, it was clear—he had been waiting for Saul.

(End of Chapter)