Warlock Apprentice

“There’s no danger in here?” Shadow gazed at Venees. “You told us that every floor from here has something wicked. Are you lying then?”

“I’m not. This used to be Lady Isabelle’s training ground. You won’t run into anything as long as you don’t wander too deep inside.”

As they talked, they arrived at a fork which required them to choose a direction from two.

Both paths were full of more breezing air that caused them to shiver uncontrollably.

“The left one leads deeper inside. You can go right if you want to go to the exit,” Venees said.

“Where are those materials placed?” Angor asked.

Venees gave Angor an uncertain glance. “They may be cheap, but my teacher won’t be happy if you take them without her permission. There was an apprentice who accidentally damaged something, and our teacher banished her into Soul Exile.”

Shadow also spoke up, “I know what you’re looking for and it’s not the time for that. Venees’ right. That old ugly is a stingy and narrow-minded b*tch. If we get out of here alive, I’ll find those materials for you, free of charge.”

“So, do you think you can get past Soul Exile?” Angor said through Spirit Bond.

Shadow was taken aback a little. “We can... sneak by, if there’s enough space between those souls.”

“What about Venees? Can we proceed without her?”

As they already experienced until now, there were countless traps and secrets in Dark Castle which included mind tricks and misleading clues. Without someone who knew this place well, it would be too difficult to reach the upper floors.

“What are you planning then?” Shadow could understand their situation, but he didn’t know why Angor brought that up.

“I’m an alchemist. With the right materials, I can make something that works against the undead.”

Shadow didn’t believe those words at all. According to common sense, it was impossible for an apprentice alchemist to make something effective enough. However, Shadow wasn’t sure anymore, especially after he noticed that Angor looked very confident about it.

“Are you sure about this?”

Angor nodded.

“Then...” Shadow wanted to trust Angor, but something told him that he needed more than “trust” right now. “Do you need a lot of time? We can’t tarry for too long.”

Angor considered and replied, “One day. If we have the materials, I’ll need only a day.”

That was how long it took him to craft a revolver for Vice. He still had his Energy Stabilizer and magic crystals in his bracelet. He knew he could do it.

“That’s it? Twenty four hours?” Again, Shadow found his knowledge about alchemy busted. Still, there was no way Angor could lie to him at this moment. “Something that kills the undead? You can create it so quickly?”

Angor nodded again and presented his confidence through their Spirit Bond.

“Oookay... I think we can at least take the time.”

Venees couldn’t hear their conversation. The woman only stood in the cold while sulking at her abandoned fate.

She only had a really thin bathrobe on her body after leaving the blood bathroom, which almost did nothing against the cold. Her skin was already turning red with frostbite. She desperately hoped that these two intruders could take her away as fast as possible.

She felt terrible, as both her mind and her body were being tortured.

Something suddenly covered her head.

“Take it,” Angor said to her.

Venees reached for the cover and realized it was a black cotton coat. It was for men, and it was too big for her. Still, it wasn’t time to get picky right now.

She thanked Angor in a small voice and immediately sensed her condition getting better.

“Where are the materials?” Angor waited for Venees to get dressed and asked.

Venees noticed that Diablo wasn’t protesting anymore, which meant they reached an agreement.

“That way,” she said as she pointed to the left.

“In the depth, huh?”

“Yes. It’s colder that way, so the materials stay fresh. The further we move into the ice area, the more dangerous it will be. The materials are located outside of the danger zone, so I think we should be fine.”

Shadow moved ahead. “Let’s go then. Venees, we’ll remain on this floor for a day.”

He didn’t tell her the reason, and Venees knew she should not question it, so she only complied.

They hadn’t walked very far when the temperature around them dropped drastically. However, it was still bearable.

The walls had obvious frost marks on them. They even saw several spots that were cracked by the cold.

“Do you mean all this cold by ‘danger in the depth’?” Shadow spoke.

Venees breathed into her hands and replied in a weak voice, “Ye-yes... I heard that it’s so cold in the center of the floor that even souls get frozen solid. Powerful wizards also need soul protections if they want to go in there.”

“Frozen souls huh... Yeah, that sounds dangerous alright.”

Using this chance, Angor slowly diverted their topic onto “souls”. “Hey Venees, do you know about Soul Orbs?”

“Huh? Yes, I do.”

“So we can use them to repair souls?”

“Not only that, they can replenish your soul energy. It’s one of the most convenient and hazard-free energy sources too. My sisters mentioned that our Dark Castle is the only place that produces them.”

“Are there any orbs in there?” Angor pointed ahead.

“I don’t know where they keep them, but I’m sure it’s not underground. Soul Orbs attract hungry undead. Putting them down here will start a riot easily.”

About ten minutes later, Venees signaled toward the front. “Here, this is where they place the materials.”

They had arrived at a small lobby about 20 meters in width. A number of iron doors scattered around the walls. They had different pictures on them that indicated separate chambers for keeping certain materials such as magic plants, ores, or liquid.

“Behind those doors. There are no traps in here.” Venees glanced at Angor and said, “If you don’t care about angering our teacher, go help yourself.”

“Go. Just cheap junks,” Shadow spoke through Spirit Bond. “Those chains you broke in the blood prison are already more costly than the average stuff. You know what. If the witch’s gonna chase after you for stealing garbage, I’ll help you.”

Angor nodded. He asked them to wait outside while he began to explore the doors.

Venees was right. The chambers were full of cheap, low-tier or non-tiered crafting materials. Enough of them.

And this was what Angor needed most right now. He quickly traveled among the doors and found what was lacking on his list.

When he came back again, Shadow and Venees had placed a torch on the floor to get some warmth.

“I’ll get to work. Don’t speak to me for the time being, and keep an eye on Venees. I don’t think she has completely given up on escaping yet,” Angor spoke through their Spirit Bond.

Shadow nodded.

Angor went inside the path they came from and activated his Nightmare Domain. Here, he could enjoy absolute peace. As long as Sunders wasn’t here, he didn’t have to worry about anyone finding his secret. However, he still left an illusionary image of himself outside the domain just in case.

Since he had enough experience with the previous two successful attempts, he planned to make another revolver enchanted with Prelude to Elimination.

Without the need for planning ahead, he arranged the necessary materials and tools, which included the hologram tablet, and began working right away.