Chapter 122: Underlying Currents

The Alice incident was resolved in the briefest span of time. Most of the tower apprentices hadn’t even fully grasped the situation when the turmoil quietly dissipated. Not only did the rarely-seen Master Anderson remain absent from the apprentices, but even Entic, the sinister insect, who had witnessed the entire affair, grew unusually silent and withdrawn.

Regarding Grimm’s conduct, aside from Mary, who showed no surprise, the other two were utterly astonished. Especially Entic, whose unease escalated to the point of restless anxiety.

Though Grimm had never openly shown hostility toward him, as a malformed bloodline apprentice, Entic adhered to a personal creed: to strike preemptively against all potential foes, forging a dominant, aggressive position within his sphere of existence.

Previously, limited by his own strength, he had to maintain a relative balance with the others. But the breakthrough achieved in this trial had unleashed his true nature; he had already stepped forward to “subdue” both the Wild Woman and Hawk Eye early on.

Had he not witnessed that strange youth’s combat, he might still have believed the scales favored his side. Mary, swift though she was, was utterly lacking in offense and defense — no match for him at all. And Grimm? A mere senior apprentice — how much disturbance could he possibly cause?

Yet the battle between Alice and Grimm within the Birdcage struck a deep chord within Entic.

From that day forward, he incessantly questioned himself: if he had been the one to face Grimm in that cage, could he have broken through the defenses of those elemental puppets and struck Grimm? The answer, bitter as it was, was one he dared not accept.

From that day onward, he fell into silence.

…

In a dim chamber.

Entic sat silently in a shadowed corner, draped in a black robe, deep in thought without uttering a word.

The chamber was sparse, illuminated only by a single magical torch flickering on the far wall. Its faint, wavering light did little to brighten the space; instead, it cast eerie shadows, rendering the room all the more sinister.

There was no furniture — not even a table or stool. Entic sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor. Behind him, in the darkest corner beyond the torch’s reach, hung a swelling, mysterious insect cocoon.

This place was less a chamber than an insect’s lair.

Beside Entic, countless black beetles surged like a tide across the floor, scurrying east and west, their chittering and the sound of their chitin scraping the stone never ceasing.

Seemingly influenced by the insects, Entic’s form under the black robe shimmered with subtle movement, as though thousands of beetles stirred beneath, yearning to burst free and merge with their brethren outside.

Amidst the uproar of the beetles, Entic finally lifted his head. Beneath the shadow of his hood, two ghostly green orbs glowed softly.

A sharp insect screech rang out within the chamber.

Entic opened his heavy lips, revealing a strange insect head emerging from within. The screech had come from its mouth.

At the sound, the restless insect tide calmed again. The black beetles gathered around Entic, bowing silently like devoted subjects awaiting their lord’s command.

Entic casually plucked one of the black beetles and tossed it into his mouth. The crisp crunch and tearing sounds echoed, while foul, greenish insect juice oozed from his parted lips, its pungent stench fouling the chamber’s air further.

“This is the path you have chosen for yourself? Truly a peculiar one!” An aged voice suddenly echoed through the chamber.

“Master Anderson, you have finally arrived!” Entic lifted his head slightly, showing no surprise at the sudden intrusion.

“You knew I would come?” The aged voice carried a hint of astonishment — unmistakably the voice of Anderson, master of the Swamp Tower.

“Of course! As long as you remain the tower’s master, you will sooner or later contact me!”

“Then you must have guessed the purpose of my visit?”

“You want me to deal with that Grimm!”

“Hmph, clever boy, you guessed right! I do indeed need you to eliminate that detestable youth. And I trust you are more than willing to do so!”

“Respected Master Anderson, may I ask, do you require assistance to eliminate a senior apprentice? Surely snuffing him out wouldn’t bring unbearable consequences to you?”

Entic was no fool. Without clarifying this pivotal matter, he would not become a pawn in another’s scheme.

“That is because I intend to continue controlling that little vampire. She is a crucial specimen for my next phase of blood research. But given her relationship with that boy, if I were to intervene directly, controlling her afterward would become exceedingly difficult.”

Anderson fell silent for a moment, finally revealing his reasoning.

“Considering that boy’s combat prowess yesterday, do you think I could easily best him?” Entic disregarded Anderson’s rationale, swiftly moving to his next question.

“In my judgment, it’s very unlikely. Alone, you would surely perish. Yet, you seem to have formed some sort of Insect Alliance; with their strength combined, perhaps it’s feasible.”

“What benefit would I gain from all this? It would only draw the ire of Mary, the quasi-witch!”

“What if I told you I could make you stronger?”

“…”

“Your contract partner is that insect queen, yes? A carrion beetle queen. Heh, to have such an opportunity come your way — seems your past luck was not entirely ill-fated!”

“…”

“You must be fretting over how to enhance your power now. You have bound your life to that insect queen, sharing vitality. You must meet not only your own advancement needs but also those of the carrion beetle queen. This half-insect form gives you an edge over peers but slows your progression considerably.”

“…”

“In this trial, did you consume one or two quasi-witches? Without such fortune, you wouldn’t have advanced so smoothly. And what next? To rise to full witch status, do you plan to devour several witches?”

“Master Anderson, I understand your meaning. Given my current situation, do you have better advice?”

“Of course: strengthen yourself!” Anderson’s voice rebuked derisively. “Though you and that insect queen are contract beings sharing life, there is a question of dominance. If you grow stronger, she will be your most loyal servant. But if she evolves faster than you, though your life remains secure, the true master of this body will often be her!”

“Then how can I quickly strengthen myself?”

“Ha ha ha... boy, you must have forgotten how I transformed Mary into what she is today! Join my sorcery experiments, and I guarantee you’ll gain a physique no less formidable than hers!”

“I accept those terms. What do you require of me?”

“First, I need a drop of blood from your insect queen! Only with her blood can I precisely concoct the mutative elixir suited to your constitution.”

After silent contemplation, Entic finally nodded in agreement.

At once, Anderson urged him to provide the queen’s blood.

Gritting his teeth, Entic opened his lotus-shaped maw, and the insect head emerged halfway again. A piercing screech burst forth, stirring the surrounding black carrion beetles into a frenzy. Yet under Entic’s command, the insect opened its mouth and expelled a single drop of foul, viscous, strange liquid.

The chamber’s void trembled slightly. As the drop left the insect’s mouth, it was caught before touching the floor by a timely ripple of void energy. A flash of light, and the liquid vanished mysteriously.

Entic’s multifaceted eyes shimmered, silently awed by Anderson’s firm control over the tower.

“Wise choice, boy! With this, I can soon prepare the mutative blood. When you too possess the vampire bloodline, that will be your moment to shine!”

Sensing Anderson’s potent spiritual presence withdrawing slowly from the chamber, Entic once more concealed himself within the boundless darkness. Beyond any prying eyes, the chittering and shrill insect cries continued incessantly — no one could tell what intense exchange transpired between him and the insect queen.

The entire space was suffused with a grim and eerie atmosphere.

…

Back at his dwelling, Grimm resumed his cloistered lifestyle.

Deep meditation, reading, sorcery experiments — these unchanging, monotonous pursuits became his daily routine. Somehow, a profound sense of impending crisis enveloped his mind and body, urging him to relentlessly accumulate knowledge and strengthen himself.

He felt that without exerting every ounce of effort, some dreadful fate would befall him. Though he could not explain the origin or source of this unease, Grimm believed in it utterly and acted accordingly.

Moreover, days of continuous study bore fruit. The accumulated sorcery tomes, systematically organized within his chip, transformed into readily accessible occult knowledge in his mind, filling the gaps in his understanding of fire magic.

Unconsciously, the Flame Shield and High-Temperature Field became his to command, while his mastery of the Phoenix Body advanced from 37% to 41%.

To be frank, at this moment, Grimm’s foundational theory of fire magic rivaled that of any full-fledged witch.