"Yes, I remember it clearly. That butcher wore a black hood, his hair falling to cover half his face, and his left hand was an iron hook…"
The butler described the butcher's appearance in detail.
"How peculiar!"
"I've constructed three. I just can't build the fourth rune! Also, in Basic Universal Studies..." The little girl reported obediently.
"Is that so?" Feile rubbed his fingers. "The progress is too slow. Come to my room tonight; I'll personally 'tutor' you!"
"Yes, Teacher!" the little girl replied softly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!!
The standing copper clock in the hall let out a deafening peal, striking twelve times. Outside, the sky had dimmed, and faint blue stars were visible.
"It's this late already! Why hasn't Niduo come yet!"
Feile slammed the door open, his face clearly showing irritation. "Niduo! Niduo!" he began shouting loudly.
His hollow voice echoed down the corridor, the reverberations bouncing back and forth, fading far into the distance.
Dead silence surrounded him. Feile could even hear his own breathing and the flow of his blood.
"Butler! Butler! Maid! Where is everyone???"
The expression on Feile's face grew increasingly agitated. He hastily pulled on his coat and strode towards the main entrance.
Thump! Thump! Thump! The sound of leather boots striking the floor echoed.
A dark figure was slowly moving towards Feile.
"Who? Who's there?" Feile called out warily, a silver short sword appearing in his hand.
No matter how Feile shouted, the footsteps remained unhurried, approaching him at a constant pace.
The dark figure drew closer and closer, and Feile finally made out its full appearance.
It was a middle-aged man, wearing a black coat and a leather apron over his chest, the kind butchers use. He had a black hood on his head, with half his hair hanging down to obscure most of his face. Most striking was his left hand; the sleeve was empty, with only a rusted iron hook protruding from it.
This appearance matched exactly the description of the butcher the butler had given.
Hummm!
The silver broken sword emitted a sharp, piercing light, flying directly towards the man with a shrill whistling sound.
Pfft! As if piercing an illusion, faint ripples spread across the butcher's body, making him seem somewhat translucent. The silver short sword passed right through him.
"Illusion?" The corner of Feile's mouth twitched upwards slightly, and he directly chanted a sharp syllable.
Shoo! Shoo!!
The sound was like a metal flute blowing rapidly, or like a rusty knife scraping continuously against an iron plate. It stimulated the surrounding air, sending ripples outward in waves.
After the whistling stopped, the tower remained utterly silent, as if only Feile and that butcher existed in the world.
The man in the black coat simply raised his left hook and slashed towards Feile!
Plop! A layer of liquid water surged from Feile's body, forming a transparent water shield that blocked the iron hook's attack.
This was the innate magic Feile had reinforced on himself, finally activating at the critical moment!
Seizing the opportunity, Feile chanted rapidly, and several ice spikes shot directly at the man in the windcoat.
Pfft! Pfft!
The ice spikes penetrated his body, causing countless drops of blood to spray out. The man in the windcoat seemed utterly unfazed, his expression not even changing. Like a zombie, he felt no pain, continuously swinging the iron hook, creating waves of ripples on the water shield.
"Damn it, what the hell is this thing?"
Feile attacked the man in the windcoat several more times, and a look of breakdown finally appeared on his face.
Whether it was a physical attack or a magic attack, hitting this man seemed utterly insignificant.
On the contrary, each of the man's iron hook strikes was continuously draining the energy from his innate magic. Feile could clearly feel that if the opponent attacked just a few more times, it would completely shatter his innate magic.
"Run!"
In the face of a life-or-death crisis, Feile felt as if he had reverted to the past, when he was a young apprentice who had to bow respectfully upon seeing a wizard. He turned and fled towards the back.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
Hearing the footsteps behind him, the man in the black windcoat pursued at an unhurried pace. The sound of footsteps echoed continuously in Feile's ears, making him run even faster.
20 meters!
10 meters!
5 meters!
1 meter!
Feile grabbed the tower's main gate and pulled it open, running outside.
Bang! The door slammed shut behind him. With despair, Feile realized he had appeared right in front of his own bedroom, and the distance to that man in the black windcoat was less than 3 meters!
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! What is going on?!"
Feile gritted his teeth and sprinted frantically, yet every time he ended up back in front of his bedroom.
Finally, tears and snot streaming down his face, Feile turned and rushed back into his bedroom, slamming the door shut violently.
Thump! Thump! The knocking sounded like the footsteps of death, each one striking directly at the bottom of Feile's heart.
"Teacher! Mom, Dad, save me!!!"