Chapter 137: Friends or Foes Unclear

Undoubtedly, these beetles were sent by Entik, the Evil Insect!

Saving me? Could he be pleading for my help? Mary? Why would he reveal his best viable plan to me?

As these thoughts raced through the chip’s analytical processes, a terrifying conspiracy that chilled Greem to the bone quickly took shape. Wizard Anderson had likely gained complete control over Entik, which was why the latter could not help but reach out to his own enemy for salvation. As for how a quasi-wizard, entirely under the control of a master, managed to hide his own soul and consciousness from the wizard, that likely had to do with his unique insectoid physiology.

Although Entik had managed to preserve his self-awareness amidst Anderson’s machinations, it was clear he was powerless to break free of that control. Thus, he had resorted to revealing the conspiracy as a means to force Greem’s intervention.

But knowing this, what could Greem actually do?

Could he report Anderson’s reckless actions to Wizard Kogan of the Sarubo family? That might earn Anderson a reprimand, but it would hardly resolve the fundamental issue of his control over Mary. If Anderson clearly expressed his intent to relinquish control, the Sarubo family would likely be more than happy to take over a fully compliant family wizard. And in that scenario, Mary would still be unable to escape her tragic fate.

Defeat and kill Anderson? That was an even more impossible task.

If Greem were to successfully complete the four powerful magical constructs he had envisioned, and then lure Wizard Anderson into a specific environment, with the combined efforts of Mary and Entik, there might be a slim chance of success. However, the success rate of such a plan was barely 12%, and Greem was unwilling to take such a massive risk.

Previously, Greem’s understanding of a wizard’s power had been nothing more than a vague concept. But after more than half a year of experience, he finally had a preliminary grasp of the hierarchy.

Take, for example, Greem’s initial status as a primary apprentice. Physically, he was no different from an ordinary person, the only distinction being the mastery of one or two mediocre spells. If apprentices at this stage went on missions, they preferred to hire mercenaries to deflect mundane threats like crossbow bolts, throwing knives, or mechanical traps.

Once one advanced to the intermediate level, the prowess of a wizard apprentice began to manifest. At this stage, they had either chosen a path of development or possessed highly lethal means that ordinary humans could no longer match. Even the militia of a typical town would struggle to confront such a terrifying figure. Yet, with the right tactics, the possibility of ordinary people killing an intermediate apprentice remained.

However, once one reached the advanced stage, secular armies were no longer a match. Imagine someone with the vitality of a bison, the speed of a cheetah, and the raw strength of an adult warrior; such an individual could throw a secular army into chaos even without the use of magic. If supplemented with powerful spells, wiping out a force of one or two hundred men would be trivial. Of course, if a human nobleman were willing to pay a heavy price, they could potentially defeat an advanced apprentice by sacrificing over 300 soldiers, using sheer numbers to overwhelm them.

By the time an apprentice becomes a quasi-wizard, apologies—the armies of minor nobles are utterly ineffective. If such a quasi-wizard were willing to lower his status and engage in guerrilla warfare, he could bring down entire small principalities. Dealing with a quasi-wizard would require the sacrifice of nearly a thousand elite soldiers, and even then, success would depend on luck.

Of course, these estimates assume that secular forces lack any mystical support. But in the current Wizard Continent, no principality could survive without the protection of a wizard family. Many kings and dukes are merely proxies—either agents sent by wizard families, capable mortals skilled in administration, or apprentices who have lost all hope of further advancement. In short, secular power is always used by wizards, never the other way around.

To deal with a wizard, relying on secular power is futile. The only way to kill a wizard is with another wizard. This maxim is etched into the bones of every mortal. Even the great and minor nobles protected by wizard families are loath to offend even the most insignificant wizard, for their power is truly terrifying.

Therefore, after evaluating the balance of power, Greem abandoned the foolish notion of a head-on confrontation with Wizard Anderson.

While wizards are dangerous and terrifying, they remain fragile if one finds the right path. Every year, many wizards die in reckless experiments, and countless others venture into the savage wilderness, never to return. Still more fall in the expansionist wars waged by wizard families—sometimes in territorial conflicts between local families, and sometimes in crusades across other planes. If Greem and his peers were to successfully become wizards, they would likely be unable to avoid these bloody conflicts.

However, waiting for Wizard Anderson to destroy himself was also a pipe dream. Given that he spent his days holed up in his swamp tower, Anderson was clearly a research-oriented wizard, not particularly skilled in combat. Even so, Greem had no desire for a direct confrontation.

Since a head-on clash was out of the question, he would have to rely on schemes. And so, these days, apart from striving to improve his own strength, Greem spent his time silently planning. But since his target was a wizard, Greem had to take the long view. In any case, it would take at least three months for Entik to reach the peak of the quasi-wizard stage, so Greem still had time to plot.

...

The dwelling of Entik, the Evil Insect.

The place was as dim and damp as an insect hive, covered in white cocoons. Some had already burst, with larvae coated in yellow slime crawling out. Others remained intact, and when the runes etched into the floor glowed with magical energy, they revealed the dense swarms of insects teeming within.

In a corner lay the mangled carcass of a bison, bearing the marks of being gnawed by ants. Black blood pooled on the floor, accompanied by a pungent, foul stench.

The air in the room was suffocatingly foul, heavy with the odors of acid, blood, and decay. Entik, however, seemed oblivious, sitting cross-legged on the floor, his hunched figure motionless. Though his body remained still, the gray robes draped over him rippled slightly, occasionally swelling and then collapsing, revealing that the calm exterior was merely a facade.

Ever since his return from Anderson’s bloodline fusion ritual, Entik had spent most of his time sitting like a corpse. Yet, within his body, a silent, bloody war had just concluded.

The half-insect bloodline, led by the Corpse-Eating Insect Mother, and the vampire bloodline, driven by the Bloodthirst Heart, fought dozens of skirmishes every day, using his body as a battlefield. Neither side was willing to compromise, as both sought to devour the other to grow stronger. If bloodline fusion were easy, bloodline wizards would be everywhere, and there would be no need for so many wizards to hide in damp, dark towers, conducting these terrifying and largely fruitless experiments.

If the two bloodlines lacked balanced potential, one would inevitably consume the other. If they were balanced, the result would be mutual destruction and the collapse of the host. It seemed that a key neutralizing agent was missing, preventing the fusion from achieving the desired results. If this trend continued, Entik’s death was inevitable.

Originally, the half-insect bloodline held the advantage. But whenever the vampire bloodline neared extinction, Wizard Anderson would summon him to the fifth-floor secret chamber and inject him with a new source of blood. Through these constant injections, the vampire bloodline had finally managed to infect a vital organ, transforming Entik’s heart into a Bloodthirst Heart. With this, the vampire bloodline had gained the upper hand, manifesting externally as the degradation of Entik’s insectoid body and the darkening of his skin to a deep, bruised red.

Entik kept his head bowed, not even moving when the warring bloodlines drained his vitality to the brink of death. But deep within the sea of his spirit, upon the very foundation of his soul, a more brutal war was raging.

The consciousness imprint formed by the Soul Blood Pact was etched into his soul, but strangely, cracks had begun to appear around that portion of his soul, as if it were on the verge of separating from the whole.

By hiding the bulk of his consciousness within the Corpse-Eating Insect Mother, Entik had managed to evade Anderson’s control and maintain his independence. He dared not let his main consciousness return to his soul; if he did, Anderson would instantly sense that his independent consciousness remained intact through the Blood Pact.

Thus, the entity currently under Anderson’s complete control was merely a fragmented secondary consciousness, while his true self watched from the sidelines, waiting for the opportunity to reclaim control of his body.

He could not escape Anderson’s grasp with his own power alone, which was why he had secretly manipulated the beetles to seek help from that damnable enemy. Yet, his two previous attempts had vanished like stones into the sea, receiving no response, and Entik could not help but grow desperate.