His room was small and cramped, at most around 20 square meters. Just by standing at the door, one could see everything inside.
There was a bed and a simple, old wooden desk. A few books were placed haphazardly, one of which was open, revealing strange and mysterious symbols on the exposed pages. An old chair was also visible. The paint on it had worn off, exposing the dark original color of the wood beneath.
A wooden shelf was placed on one side of the room, with a row of glass jars resting on it. Inside these jars were some strange, semi-cultivated plants and the organs of bizarre demons.
A wooden iron box was in the corner of the room. There was a trash bin next to it.
Other than that, there was practically no other furniture in the room.
A look of ridicule could be seen in the eyes of Brandon and Samuel.
Although they were also Apprentices, both lived hundreds of times better than Leon. Not only did they have large, soft, and comfortable beds in their rooms, but the luxurious decorations in their rooms were similar to those of the human nobility in this world.
Perhaps because they wanted to show their authority, both of them rushed into the room and began rummaging through his sparse belongings.
The mattress on the wooden bed was thrown to the floor, the books on the desk were turned over haphazardly, and an ink bottle was knocked over, staining all the open books with a large amount of ink. The wooden iron box was opened, and all the clothes were dug out and thrown to the floor.
The Apprentice Leader, Theodore, simply stood at the door and watched as his men wrecked Leon's room. He looked on impassively and did nothing to stop them.
Leon stood next to Theodore. His fists were clenching and unclenching repeatedly in his sleeves. At the same time, his eyes were filled with cold fury.
After destroying his room, Theodore's two lackeys finally finished searching.
Under the triumphant and curious gazes of the two men, Leon coldly closed the door.
He rushed to the overturned wooden box. After briefly examining the pile of dirty clothes, Leon finally couldn't hold back and cursed in a low voice.
Rattans Python, Grass Rat, Black Lotus Flower, Wild Steel Flower, Dark Moss…
After risking his life and going through so many inspection trips, the magical materials he had painstakingly gathered from the Magic Swamp were gone. It was obvious that Theodore's two Apprentice Overseers had taken them while pretending to search for proof.
Although he intended to rush out and confront them, when he thought of Theodore's insidious and dark expression, a shiver immediately ran down Leon's spine.
Clearly, these guys were using the excuse of investigating Muret's death to loot all of the Apprentices' normal resources. And because of Theodore's status as an Apprentice Leader, no one dared to confront them to their faces. Of course, these three bastards wouldn't be stupid enough to provoke any of the powerful individuals in this tower; they were just bold enough to pick on someone weaker, like Leon.
"Pah~~" After they left, Leon slammed the door shut, causing a loud sound, but Leon didn't care about offending them.
....
Soon, they were knocking on the wooden door next to Leon's.
"Knock!"
"Knock!"
"Knock!"
Blea's "meeting" was not a secret to these few men.
Since she had not shown herself for a long time, they were taking this as an opportunity to check on her current state.
Apprentice Leader Theodore also wanted to know if she was still alive or not.
"Knock!"
"Knock!"
"Open the door, or we will break it down!"
But just as Brandon grew irritated that no one was responding and was about to force it open, the door unexpectedly swung open.
A young girl in a red cotton dress suddenly opened the door.
"So it's Apprentice Leader Theodore! I didn't have the chance to thank you for arranging my last task!" The young girl's delicate voice could easily melt anyone's heart, but it was nothing compared to the effect of her captivating beauty.
She had slender limbs and well-defined curves, with skin as fair as flawless jade. Her facial features were delicate and perfect, and her small red lips were graced with a smile. But the most striking part of her was her bright blood-red eyes. They were like two pure, crystalline rubies set in her extraordinary face, making her as enchanting as a fairy.
Moreover, she wore a bright red dress that fully displayed her lovely figure and exposed a generous portion of her clear skin, dazzling anyone who looked at her.
In this grim Swamp Tower, most Apprentice Mages wore accented gray Apprentice robes and black cloaks, making dark tones the main theme of the place. Upon meeting such a splendid and radiant young girl, these men were immediately stunned, their gazes drawn to her enchanting beauty.
Not only that, but after witnessing the magnificent beauty of the girl before them, an inexplicable lust began to rise from the lower halves of the three men, burning fiercely and igniting their most carnal hunger.
Theodore proved why he had been chosen specifically by the Great Magus Master himself, as his self-control was far stronger than that of the other two men. While Brandon and Samuel were overtaken by sudden lust and showed excited expressions, ready to surrender their souls to this girl, Theodore managed to break free from this "charm" instantly.
"Who are you? Tell me your name quickly, or else…" Theodore's expression shifted rapidly as he stepped back two paces and placed both hands on the pockets of his waist.
Although the Tower was a vast place, all the Apprentices were quite familiar with each other. After all, there were only about forty to fifty people, and they had lived together for years, so it would be strange not to know each other.
Even someone like Leon, known for being unsociable and eccentric, had a couple of "friends" he would communicate with, not to mention Theodore, who was the Apprentice Leader and had to stay in touch with every Apprentice weekly.
It would be modest to say that with his eyes closed, Theodore could list the basic living situation and status of every Apprentice, from level one to level three, in the Magus Tower.
But wait… she came out of Blea's room…
Blea, a girl from a remote province. The most prominent impression she had left on Theodore was her exaggerated stubbornness. However, judging by her appearance, Blea, who came from a noble family, was indeed a rare beauty among all the female Apprentices.
Too bad, she ignored her status in the tower, as she simply dismissed the numerous invitations Theodore had sent, asking her to join him in bed on lonely nights. Therefore, during an occasion when Magus Eclivel urgently needed a subject for an experiment and sought out Theodore to recommend an Apprentice Mage… he enthusiastically recommended Blea for the "position."
Could it be…
Thoughts flashed through Theodore's mind as he quickly recalled that stubborn beauty, who was cowardly and weak in any significant situation but had rejected him countless times. Comparing that girl to the vibrant girl with an imposing manner standing before him, his jaw dropped, and he let out a shocked cry.
"You… you're Blea!"
As if hearing the name 'Blea' caused the girl in the red dress pain, her sweet and charming face suddenly twisted ferociously, making her small cherry-like mouth seem to stretch from the corners of her lips to her ears, turning it from a small mouth into a wide, ear-to-ear gaping maw.
"Jump!"
With a sudden motion, the girl leaped forward, swiftly biting Theodore's exposed neck.
"Bite!"
With a single bite, nearly half of Theodore's neck was torn away, exposing bloody flesh and a shattered trachea. His blood spurted instantly, like a fountain, soon staining the floor, the wall, and the girl's body with crimson splatters.
Theodore fell backward and slammed into the rigid, cold wall behind him.
"Thud~~"
He slowly slid down the wall, ending up sitting on the floor, shivering uncontrollably.
"Sliding~~"
Meanwhile, he pulled a magical item shaped like a scorpion from his waist pocket and activated it, releasing a flaming red beam toward the girl in the red dress.
"Buzz~~"
The beam shot straight at her chest.
"Bang!"
This flaming beam was a highly powerful Fire Magic, so the intense heat of the fire beam instantly burned an egg-sized hole through the girl's body. The scorching beam did not stop after passing through her body and even left a hole in the hallway wall behind her.
After using it, Theodore tossed the magical item aside. Then, with trembling hands, he pulled a small, fist-sized bottle containing a green liquid from his waist pocket. He removed the cap and poured the liquid onto the large wound on his neck.
Theodore had a very strong vitality, so despite suffering a mortal wound, he did not die immediately. Instead, his half-severed neck suddenly showed signs of decay, and the exposed flesh quickly dehydrated. At the same time, the blood gushing from his wound slowed and eventually came to a complete stop.
Partially zombified body.
After learning about organic structures, anatomy, and necromancy, a Mage Apprentice would be able to use Magic to implant something called a "Zombie Pouch" within their body. With this, once the Apprentice suffered a serious injury, the Zombie Pouch would trigger and zombify part of their body, preventing them from dying from the wound.
But it was only a temporary measure. Once the immediate threat of death had passed, a new danger would arise, as they would now have to find a way to rid themselves of the violent negative energy within their body.
Yet when faced with a choice between life and death, most Apprentices would choose to save their lives at any cost. As for the dangerous negative energy, it was something they could worry about later.
"Jump!"
However, in the next second, a shadow lunged at his body.
With one hand caressing his nearly broken neck and the other holding the small bottle above his open wound, Theodore could do nothing in response but turn his head to see what had happened. What he saw was the girl in the red dress with a huge, bloodied mouth full of sharp teeth. Her red dress was being stained purple by some liquid leaking from the hole in her chest…
Purple-colored blood?!
Was she even human?
This was the last thought that passed through Theodore's mind.
The girl, once again, jumped forward, placing her body on top of his and sinking her gaping mouth into his wounded neck.
"Bite!"
The sound of her sucking his blood was loud and clear.
"Slurp..."
"Slurp..."
"Gulp~~"
"Gulp~~"
"Gulp~~"
"Gulp~~"
As the girl busied herself with her work, she ignored the other two Mage Apprentices beside her. Both men had withdrawn the crude magical items they possessed and held them at the ready in their hands, but when faced with such a bloody and horrifying scene, neither could muster the courage to activate the magical items.
Reflecting on what had just happened, even the powerful magical item of the Apprentice Leader Theodore could not cause real damage to this monster in a red dress; perhaps the magical items in their hands would not be enough to harm her at all. And if they provoked this monster? Perhaps she would leap onto their bodies next, feasting on their flesh, drinking their blood, and crushing their bones between her teeth...
By the time both men had backed against the wall, shivering uncontrollably, the girl in the red dress had stopped consuming the flesh and blood of the former Apprentice Leader. She sat on his body, her back to the two cowardly Apprentices, and took out a snow-white handkerchief and a small, round mirror. She proceeded to gently wipe her lips, a satisfied expression spreading across her face.
Under the effect of some mysterious healing force, the bloody purple hole in her chest began to close at an incredible rate. In the blink of an eye, it reverted to the same smooth, silky skin, without even the smallest scar visible.
What a terrifying regenerative ability! Could… could it be that she was the legendary, fearsome noble of shadows – a Vampire?
Through a small crack in his door, Leon witnessed everything that had just happened. As for how his neighbor, who had been contaminated by a Magic Spell, transformed into a Vampire, he had not a single clue.
However, when it came to the death of Apprentice Leader Theodore, he was filled with genuine joy.
"Worm! You deserved it, I hope she tears apart your henchmen too."
Nevertheless, the struggle had lasted for some time, and even an Apprentice had been killed. No matter how indifferent the Mage of the Tower was, he must have noticed something by now!
...
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