Chapter 162: Rank 2 Wizard Ritula

The Shadow Forest.
The 'Tower'.
Inside the sealed room.
"Prepare to begin."
Nolens clothed entirely in white, wearing a solemn expression, instructed the people gathered before him.
Noritz stood respectfully by Nolens's side, gazing silently at the individuals in front of them.
"Understood."
A dozen people responded in unison. Link, standing in the middle, nodded along.
More than half a month had passed since their return from the Lovas volcanic group. The fact that Link and Sherry had returned alive and completely unharmed, successfully bringing back the Magma Flower, came as a surprisingly pleasant shock to Noritz.
However, Nolens—who had originally insisted on Link participating in this mission—showed no reaction whatsoever, not even offering a single word of praise, which seemed exceptionally abnormal.
After bringing back the Magma Flower, Link and the other dozen or so formal wizards began formulating the experimental procedures for restoring Ritura's body to its peak condition. After days and nights of continuous deduction, the final plan was finally locked in.
Before Link and the others lay a middle-aged man with his upper body exposed. Across his left cheek stretched a massive scar, resembling a bloated centipede clinging to his face. He had only a single eye; his other eye socket was entirely hollow, devoid of flesh and blood, presenting only a pitch-black void.
This man was Ritura, the skin-and-bone skeleton Link had first laid eyes on a year and a half ago. At this moment, his flesh had filled out, and his life energy had been largely reignited. Only the final step today was needed for Ritura to fully recover all the strength he possessed before his injury and ascend to a rank-two wizard.
Link had invested a tremendous amount of care into Ritura's treatment. Over the past year or so, using Soul World sorcery, Link had bit by bit modified Ritura's memories, turning him into his most loyal slave.
"Thinking about it this way, there really is a special sense of achievement..."
Looking at Ritura lying on the white metal platform, Link felt an imperceptible smile tug at the corner of his mouth.
Had Ritura not suffered a massive drain of life energy back then, leaving his spiritual force weaker than that of an ordinary wizard apprentice, Link would never have had the opportunity to acquire Ritura as a slave.
"The Holy Bead Sacrifice is approaching fast. Only by restoring Ritura to the strength of a rank-two wizard can I increase my chances of surviving the Holy Bead Sacrifice..."
Link calculated in his mind.
He did not expect Ritura to directly rescue him from the Holy Bead Sacrifice. Once that option was chosen, neither the Shadow Forest nor the Fangs of Blood Shadow would let him go. At that point, Link would become an enemy hunted jointly by both factions, and there would no longer be a place for him anywhere on the entire Star-Through Continent.
Link merely hoped that when the methods of the Fangs of Blood Shadow failed, he would still retain a chance at survival. He never wagered all his chips on a single party, nor would he ever place all his hopes entirely on someone else.
At this moment, Ritura kept his only eye closed, having slipped entirely into an unconscious state of deep slumber.
Long before the procedure began, Ritura had already been administered specialized potions.

"Begin, honored lords..."
Link said to the dozen or so formal wizards.
The formal wizards cast complicated glances at Link, then nodded in unanimous agreement.
Their feelings toward Link were deeply conflicted.
More than a year ago, their former lead wizard had been inexplicably reassigned by Noritz under Nolens's name to a different mission, where he had met a bizarre end.
Ever since then, Link's talent had abruptly stood out among them. His already monstrous bio-mutation technology was pushed to its absolute limits, and throughout Ritura's entire treatment process, he had contributed the greatest effort.
After Ritura regained consciousness back then, he had treated Link with the utmost courtesy. Coupled with the favor shown by Nolens and Noritz, Link's backing was terrifyingly formidable.
Gradually, Link—a mere rank-three wizard apprentice—had vaguely become the leader among the dozen-plus individuals, leaving the formal wizards with an indescribable sense of awkwardness.
Link ignored their strange gazes.
Just as before, a dozen tubes were inserted into Ritura's body, with the other end of each tube connected to a vial filled with transparent liquid. However, this time, the tubes were not scattered across his entire body, but were instead inserted directly into his heart.
In his right hand, Link held the exact same blade as before, but the item in his left hand had changed: the orange-red fruit was replaced by a palm-sized crimson sphere. A blazing aura radiated from the surface of the sphere, clearly containing the components of the Magma Flower.
Raise hand, drop blade, ignite, submerge.
Link had performed this sequence of actions until it became second nature.
Seeing Link begin, the others started their own operations one by one.
Blossoms of red flame sank into the transparent liquid.
...
"That fellow Ritura can be considered lucky..."
Watching Link's calm and composed demeanor, Nolens, observing from the side, smiled slightly. He knew that Ritura's return to his peak condition was now a foregone conclusion.
"Link's talent in bio-mutation is simply terrifying..."
Noritz sighed in amazement beside him.
"It's just... such a pity..."
Nolens suddenly dropped the cryptic remark out of nowhere.
"Hm?"
Noritz's eyes flashed with a hint of regret. "It seems Link won't be able to escape the matter of the Holy Bead Sacrifice..."
Noritz heaved a silent sigh inwardly. If initially he had viewed Link purely with a mindset of exploitation, now he had begun to feel a genuine appreciation for his talent.
Yet, in the matter of the Holy Bead Sacrifice, he was powerless to intervene. Not only him—even if Ritura, having recovered his strength, joined forces with the veteran elder Nolens, they still could not alter this reality.
Time ticked away second by second.
Link and the others ceased their movements, all of them gazing at Ritura with solemn expressions.
Suddenly.
Ritura's single eye snapped open, a terrifying glare flashing from within.
Though it was merely a single eye, it seemed to contain an independent world within. Restless souls, dead spirits, and malevolent ghosts roared and grinned savagely in his pupils, wandering and pacing about... Had it been any other wizard apprentice, a single glance might have been enough to crush their soul and scatter their wits under Ritura's oppressive gaze.
Boom!
A violent wave of pressure immediately surged outward from Ritura's body.
Clatter!
All the surrounding experimental equipment instantly shattered and scattered in every direction.
The dozen formal wizards each staggered back a few steps, a trail of blood seeping from the corners of their mouths.
As for Link, the sheer pressure forced him directly to his knees.
Crack!
Link could distinctly feel that his knees had completely shattered, and blood began to ooze from his nose, mouth, and ear canals.
This was a manifestation of Ritura's temporary loss of control after regaining his power.
"The gap between a rank-two wizard and a rank-one wizard is... far too vast..."
Although his body was injured, beneath the arms he used to brace himself, Link's face revealed an undisguisable, frantic excitement.
"Such a powerful entity... yet he is my slave!"