Chapter 117: The Conspiracy

The next day.

Wizard Anderson unusually summoned all the wizard apprentices in the tower and publicly announced the new statuses of Entic, Mary, and Grimm. From now on, the three would no longer be bound by the apprentice system; they could arrange their lives as they pleased and would hold the highest authority below Wizard Anderson within the tower.

Among the crowd, the newly appointed Head Apprentice, Allen, wore an expression of extreme displeasure yet was utterly powerless to do anything about it.

Quasi-Wizards!

They were a group of creatures caught between apprentices and full-fledged wizards—monsters, really!

It was difficult to predict which of them would be more likely to advance smoothly to full wizardship. For lower-level apprentices, offending any one of them could spell disaster in the future.

Yet… Allen had already deeply angered one of them.

So, the moment the meeting ended, Allen gathered all the resources he could muster and sought out Entic.

Since Entic, Mary, and Grimm had moved their residences to the fourth floor of the Wizard Tower, even Allen, as Head Apprentice, had to formally request a visit and then humiliatingly wait at the entrance from the third to the fourth floor for Entic’s approval.

But that wasn’t the worst of it! The most infuriating thing was that the wretched Grimm had rudely brought his contracted creature—a goblin—up to the fourth floor and made it one of the residents. This only deepened Allen’s resentment!

A goblin—lowly, humble, filthy, cowardly—a goblin riding high above him? Just the thought of it made Allen feel as if his mind was stuffed with straw, stifling and suffocating!

No one knew what secret discussion had transpired between Allen and the sinister Entic. But when Allen emerged from Entic’s room, he immediately carried himself with newfound arrogance, regaining his former haughty demeanor.

At the same time, a small meeting was underway in the room of the Madwoman, attended only by her and Hawk-Eyed Krusa.

Once, in order to keep their interests aligned and protect their turf, the three strongest figures of the Swamp Tower would frequently gather to discuss matters. But today, with Entic’s elevation to quasi-wizard, the previously harmonious and balanced trio had become a thing of the past. Everything had fundamentally changed!

“How’s your circle holding up?” The Madwoman’s eyes glinted coldly, devoid of her usual recklessness and impulsiveness, revealing the calm wisdom befitting a senior apprentice.

“Benson and Karl convened a meeting, but those fence-sitters used a major magical experiment as an excuse to skip it. Looks like they’re switching allegiance,” Krusa said with a helpless grimace. “Entic’s staunch ally Chris is recruiting troops. Those guys have probably already made secret contact with him. Hmph…”

After speaking, Krusa glanced up at the Madwoman and asked, “And you? What’s your situation like?”

“Hmph… same here! Donna can no longer control her subordinates; she was just complaining to me!” The two exchanged a silent, somewhat despondent look.

At the start of the compulsory mission, they had underestimated the trial, not pushing themselves too hard. The Madwoman had chosen a less dangerous red-level task, while Krusa had opted for an even easier orange-level one. Now, facing two rapidly rising quasi-wizards, these veteran senior apprentices felt not just unwilling but overwhelmingly powerless.

After a moment of silence, Krusa finally spoke.

“So far, the relationship between Entic and Mary is quite hostile—almost confrontational. Do you think we should pick sides?”

“You want to side with one of them?” The Madwoman’s expression darkened. As the most senior apprentice, the thought of lowering herself to become a subordinate was a humiliation she could scarcely imagine.

“Sooner or later, it won’t be up to us to choose,” Krusa replied pragmatically. “Mary’s far too arrogant. Except for that pretty boy of hers, she doesn’t care about anyone else’s feelings or dignity, nor will she protect our vested interests. So…”

“So you want to approach Entic?”

“Yeah! Although Entic’s views are extreme, he’s worked with us for a long time. If we concede a bit, he should accept us. After all, he needs us to take on Mary. No matter how many of those ragtag fools he recruits, they’re useless against a quasi-wizard. Only we two can really help him.”

The Madwoman grunted and reluctantly nodded, agreeing with Krusa’s assessment.

Before she could respond, a low, hoarse voice, scuttling like an insect’s, suddenly echoed in the private room.

“Hawk-Eye, I didn’t expect you to still be as prudent as ever. Good. I’m currently in need of your assistance!”

The two conspirators were stunned.

The Madwoman’s leopard-like eyes widened, her gaze burning as it swept the room.

Under their uneasy watch, a strange scorpion-like creature emerged from the shadows behind Krusa, waving its enormous pincers at them. On its black carapace was a pale human face—none other than Entic’s mutated, hideous visage.

“Long time no see, you two! How come you never invite me to your gatherings?”

The Madwoman and Hawk-Eye fell silent, offering no reply. But their flickering, uncertain eyes betrayed their inner tension. A mere small difference in rank already made it impossible for them to see through each other’s magical techniques.

“No need to be nervous. As Hawk-Eye said, I’m in urgent need of your help. If you’re willing to join my Entic’s Insect Alliance, you’re more than welcome!”

The Madwoman’s lips twitched violently.

She was no fool. An alliance bearing Entic’s name naturally meant he was in charge. They might sound like allies, but in reality, they would be his senior enforcers. Though unwilling, she wanted to hear his true intentions.

“What do you want us to do?”

“Keep an eye on those two, and when necessary, help me deal with them. Don’t worry—I won’t have you go head-to-head with Mary. If a conflict arises, I only need you two to tie up Grimm. I’ll handle Mary myself.”

The two showed unmistakable surprise. Krusa couldn’t help but ask, “You only want us to tie up Grimm? He just became a senior apprentice! I could handle a rookie like him on my own, couldn’t I?”

“Heh heh heh…” The cold, sinister laugh came from the human face on the scorpion’s back. “Hawk-Eye, don’t be so arrogant! I’m afraid you haven’t noticed that Mary and Grimm function as a pair—and Grimm is clearly the main one. Or rather, he’s the core of the duo!”

“What?”

“Impossible!”

The Madwoman and Hawk-Eye’s reactions mirrored their shock upon hearing of Entic’s quasi-wizard promotion. That Entic would treat a former low-level apprentice with such caution was beyond their expectations.

Could Grimm really be hiding something strange?

“Don’t forget, Mary’s origin is a second-rate vampire who mutated midway. Such a poor bloodline trying to advance quickly is just wishful thinking. The one who’s brought such strange changes to her can only be that unusual, power-surging kid. In this pair, only Grimm remains an enigma to me.”

Krusa fell silent for a moment, then couldn’t help but ask, “Mary’s now a quasi-wizard. If you openly oppose her like this, will the wizards upstairs approve?”

No sooner had he spoken than Entic’s arrogant, chilling laughter filled the room.

“Heh heh heh… I signed a family contract, while she only signed a mercenary contract. Who do you think the family wizards will side with if trouble arises? Besides… if I didn’t have backing from above, do you think I’d be so eager to take on a quasi-wizard of my own rank?”

“You mean it’s Master Ander who wants to deal with Mary…” Krusa blurted.

“Silence! Hawk-Eye, if you don’t want to die a meaningless death, keep those damned words to yourself. Some things are better left unsaid. Just do what you’re told—knowing too much won’t do you any good!” Entic interrupted with a threatening glare from his grotesque insect face.

Hawk-Eyed Krusa swallowed hard, exchanged a glance with the Madwoman, and silently nodded.

“Heh heh heh… I knew you’d make the wisest choice. Very well, I’ll contact you when necessary. Hawk-Eye, you watch those two closely. Madwoman, you train the intermediate apprentices and make sure they pull their weight. Hmph, when the time’s right, we’ll give them a good lesson!”

With that, the sinister insect-like shriek echoed through the room as the black scorpion suddenly dissolved into a puddle of poisonous liquid, slowly absorbed by the floor.

Only the two—the Madwoman and Hawk-Eye—remained in stunned silence.

Meanwhile, in a secret chamber on the fourth floor of the Swamp Tower, the vanished scorpion suddenly emerged from the floor and climbed onto a shadowy figure cloaked in black.

That chilling figure abruptly extended a grotesque hand—part flesh, part carapace—and grabbed the scorpion, stuffing it into his mouth. As the creature was crushed between serrated teeth, dissolving into a mixture of pus and shattered shell with a crunching sound, Entic finally lifted his head, revealing his face.

It was clear that in just a few days, his insect transformation had deepened.

Now, he was less a human apprentice and more a bug-man masquerading as human.

He had become… “it.”