The Wizard: Starting as a Corpse Collector Apprentice and Paying for a Monthly Subscription

Let's go back to an hour ago.

"Luck, I suppose, also follows the law of conservation of energy!"

Tyron thought to himself.

Two days ago, I got a gold card in a lucky draw, and my mentor gave me a purple diamond engraving knife, which seems to have completely drained my luck today.

I saw several suitable bodies today, but they were all snatched up by others.

Especially after the news of "cost reduction and efficiency improvement" started to circulate, those apprentices who had a little bit of a connection became like sharks smelling blood, frantically swimming around the city.

At nine o'clock in the morning, Tyron found the body of a young man who had just died in a back alley of the slum. The cause of death was overwork and the body was in extremely good condition.

However, before he could even take the body bag out, three apprentices in matching uniforms rushed over.

The leader was a burly man with a fierce face, wearing a badge on his chest representing the "Brunei Kane" faction.

Brunei Kane, a Level 6 wizard, is Macley Kane's cousin; their relationship is neither good nor bad.

"First come, first served, Magnus." The one leading the group was a smiling Level 1 apprentice who extended his hand politely for a handshake.

As they shook hands, his two henchmen had already put the body into the car.

Ike from Thousand Mountains City is said to have good aptitude, and unlike Hagrid, he has a friendly personality and is very popular.

Tyronn exclaimed, "You guys are really fast!"

Ike sighed, "There's nothing I can do. It's tough for everyone these days. I'll let you have your way next time we meet."

Tyron didn't expect a next time, but he didn't say anything, just smiled and shook the other's hand: "You're too kind."

Ike said in a low voice, "I'll treat you to dinner sometime. You took down Hagrid, which was a huge favor to me!"

Tyron smiled and said, "Alright! Then I'll have to treat myself to something good!"

The two exchanged a few words and then went their separate ways to do their own things.

At 11 a.m., a carriage accident in the commercial district killed a homeless man.

This time, Tyron acted quickly, but just as he was about to load the body onto the vehicle, a group of people wearing long robes with gold trim appeared.

The people of the Sunfire Wizard Tower.

The leader was a second-level apprentice, with his nostrils pointing to the sky, followed by three burly followers.

"We want this body."

The second-level apprentice, holding a cheap, gemless wand, tapped Tyrion's chest, his tone as dismissive as if shooing away a fly:

"Kainta trash, get lost if you don't want to die."

Tyron looked at the magic wand stuck in his chest, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Then he simply let go, allowing the other person to drag the corpse away like a dead dog.

There was no argument, and no harsh words were spoken.

Tyron silently pulled out his little notebook called "Holding Grudges" and wrote a heavy note in it.

"Weakness is the original sin."

"The foolish do not contend with the wise, nor do the weak contend with the strong."

"You won't stay strong forever, and I won't stay weak forever!"

Being outmaneuvered twice made Tyron realize that the competition for resources within the city had become quite fierce.

To achieve the target, we must find another way.

"If it doesn't work in the city, then let's go outside the city."

Tyron turned his horse around and drove to the public cemetery on the outskirts of the city.

He didn't intend to rob tombs, although he wouldn't mind doing so if necessary.

It was because in that area, poor people would often secretly abandon corpses found on the road.

Among the corpses were spies from other gangs, members of their own gang who had made mistakes, and gamblers who were killed because they couldn't repay their high-interest loans.

That's the gray area within the gray area.

……

The suburban cemetery is desolate.

The withered trees stretched towards the gray sky like ghostly claws, and crows rose and fell among the tombstones, emitting hoarse cries.

Tyron parked the carriage some distance away and walked closer.

As soon as we turned past a thicket of bushes, a strong smell of blood hit us.

Beside a collapsed tomb, a pack of wild dogs were frantically tearing at something.

It was a corpse that had been hastily buried and then dug out.

A dozen or so stray dogs, each with mottled fur and emaciated, but with a chilling red light gleaming in their eyes.

"Tsk, I'm a step too late."

Tyronn frowned.

"However, since we're here, we can't leave empty-handed."

"If we chase these dogs away, we might be able to retrieve a whole body."

Tyron drew his boning knife from his waist, magic surging within him, preparing to unleash the [Magic Spike] spell to scare these beasts.

however.

Just as he took a step and uttered a rebuke.

The pack of stray dogs, who had been eating with their heads down, all raised their heads at once.

A dozen pairs of scarlet eyes, filled with savagery and greed, stared intently at Tyrion.

There was no fear, no retreat.

The only excitement comes from seeing fresh prey.

The leader was a large black dog that was blind in one eye.

It had half an arm in its mouth and was letting out a low growl.

"Woof—Woof!"

At the command of the Dog King, more than a dozen wild dogs instantly scattered and fanned out to surround Tyrion.

That skillful tactical coordination, that bloodthirsty gaze.

These aren't dogs! They're clearly a pack of wolves in sheep's clothing!

Tyronn broke out in a cold sweat instantly.

He immediately raised his hands and took a half-step back with a sincere expression:

"Brother Dog, I was wrong!"

"Excuse me, please continue eating, I'll be leaving now."

But clearly, these beasts, who have already tasted human flesh, have no intention of letting go of this sweet treat that has been delivered to their door.

"Woof woof woof!"

The frantic barking echoed throughout the cemetery.

Three stray dogs pounced on Tyron from the left, right, and center simultaneously, their foul breath almost hitting his face.

"Oh shit!"

Tyron cursed under his breath, instinctively wanting to unleash his magic thorn technique to fight head-on.

But the next second, reason prevailed.

"No! There are too many dogs!"

"A pack of dogs is just like wolves, just as I thought!"

"Even if I can kill these few, the rest will bite me."

"If you get bitten and contract rabies, it's a death sentence in this world without a vaccine!"

run!

Tyron turned and ran.

The dead branches underfoot snapped underfoot, making a crackling sound.

The wind howled behind me, the sound of sharp teeth tearing through the air.

Just as Tyron nearly fell over from a sneeze, a spotted dog on his left rushed up and bared its teeth, biting his thigh.

Life and death hang in the balance.

Tyronn's heart rate instantly soared to 170.

Fortunately, his body has now been strengthened through training.

"roll!"

Instead of dodging, Tyron used the momentum of his forward thrust to twist his body sharply.

The boning knife in his right hand was enchanted with the Demonic Thorn Technique, slicing out a cold light like a venomous snake's tongue.

The physical training and stretching over the past few days have led to a qualitative leap in his physical coordination.

If it were the old him, he would have definitely missed this strike due to his stiff movements.

laugh!

The blade sliced ​​precisely across the spotted dog's soft belly.

It's like cutting butter with a hot knife.

The spotted dog let out a piercing scream; its body was still in mid-air when its belly was already ripped open.

Large amounts of blood, along with colorful internal organs, splattered all over the ground.

"Exercising really works!"

"Otherwise, given my previous small stature, I wouldn't have been able to fight back; I probably wouldn't have even been able to escape before these dogs pounced on me and killed me!"

Tyron was overjoyed, but dared not stop, preparing to use the deterrent effect of this attack to escape the battlefield.

however.

Just then.

A golden system notification suddenly appeared on his retina.

[Number of monsters killed: 1/10]

[Weekly Task Progress Update]

"Um!?"

Tyron stared at the line of text, his mind racing.

"Good heavens..."

"These wild dogs that have eaten human flesh and roamed in places with heavy yin energy have actually been classified as magical beasts by the system?"

Tyron glanced back at the pack of wild dogs relentlessly pursuing him.

The fear I felt just now vanished in an instant.

Instead, there is greed when looking at the walking experience pack.

"These dogs are dangerous, but compared to real magical beasts, they're just too cute."

"Since you all count as monsters, then I won't hold back."

"I'm definitely going to complete all the tasks this week!"

At this moment, seeing their companion killed in one blow, the wild dogs behind them did not feel afraid.

On the contrary, the smell of blood further stimulated their ferocity.

Led by the one-eyed dog king, the remaining thirteen dogs charged forward like madmen.

The two sides were less than ten meters apart.

Tyronn wasn't stupid enough to stand still and unleash his full power.

He accelerated again and rushed toward the carriage parked by the roadside.

"Hey old buddy, can I borrow your ass for a bit?"

Tyron grabbed a spare body bag from the carriage and quickly wrapped it around his right arm as a protective gear.

Then, with a leap, he jumped onto the carriage shaft.

Snapped!

He lashed the old horse's rump hard with the reins.

"drive!"

The old horse, in pain, neighed and began to gallop wildly.

Tyrone yanked the reins sharply, maneuvering the carriage into a drift-like U-turn on the narrow dirt road.

When the pack of wild dogs saw the enormous creature move, they were immediately drawn to this larger and more attractive prey.

"Woof!"

The one-eyed dog king took the lead and pounced directly on the horse's neck.

"court death!"

Tyron sat high on the carriage shaft, looking down from above.

Taking advantage of the momentum of the carriage, the old horse instinctively galloped forward, and the huge impact knocked away the two wild dogs that were trying to intercept it.

At that moment, two more dogs seized the opportunity to jump up, their blood-stained paws gripping the edge of the carriage, and opened their mouths to bite Tyrone's legs.

"Get down!"

Tyron's eyes were cold as he swiftly brought down the knife.

His right arm, wrapped in a body bag, blocked one dog's bite, while his left hand's boning knife precisely pierced another dog's eye socket.

puff!

The blade spun, brains splattered, and the dog yelped as it fell off the carriage.

Immediately afterwards, Tyron swung his knife and slit the throat of the dog that was biting his right arm.

The blood splattered on the cart shaft, further stimulating the old horse's desire to run.

The next five minutes were a one-sided farce.

Tyrion drove his carriage, circling the wilderness surrounding the cemetery.

He used the speed and height of the carriage to outmaneuver the pack of wild dogs.

If any dog ​​dares to approach, it will be met with a deadly stabbing attack.

at last.

When the last one-eyed dog king was pinned to the ground by Tyrion's blade, the world fell silent.

Fourteen wild dogs lay scattered across the wilderness, all dead.

Tyron jumped off the carriage, panting heavily.

Aside from a little dog blood on him, he was almost completely unharmed.

Old Ma had several shallow scratches on his buttocks and was snorting uneasily.

"Well done, old man."

Tyron patted the horse's neck to reassure it.

At this point, the system panel pops up again.

[Number of monsters killed: 10/10]

Experience gained: 500

[Monthly Card Level Upgrade: Lv.5 → Lv.6]

"Cool!"

Tyron clenched his fist.

Just as he was about to step forward and take away the human corpse that had been half-eaten by a dog.

call--

A cold wind suddenly blew from the depths of the cemetery.

The surrounding temperature dropped several degrees instantly.

Tyron's hair stood on end instantly, and he felt a sense of being watched by some terrifying being.

"A vengeful spirit!"

He immediately realized what was happening.

The little boy we received the day before yesterday died because he was haunted by vengeful spirits while playing near a cemetery.

Something unclean is definitely lingering here, and it was attracted by the smell of blood from earlier.

"withdraw!"

Tyron made a quick decision and abandoned the human corpse.

He swiftly threw the dozen or so dead dogs on the ground into body bags and onto the carriage.

Then he jumped into the car and drove off without looking back, speeding all the way back into the city, where the chilling feeling gradually disappeared.

Tyronn finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, when he examined his findings, even more unexpected discoveries emerged.

[14 bodies detected]

Daily Quest: Collect three corpses (Completed)

[Weekly Task: Collect a total of 15 corpses (Completed)]

Experience gained: 300 + 700

[Monthly Card Level Upgrade: Lv.6 → Lv.7]

Tyron stared at the panel, stunned for a second.

Then, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up wildly, and he even laughed out loud.

"Wow, you can play like this!"

"The 'corpse' identified by the system is not limited to human corpses!"

"Anything but a living corpse will do!?"

"Oh! Why didn't you say so earlier!"

Tyronn's mind immediately became active.

The task assessment for this monthly card doesn't seem to be as strict as I imagined.

……

6:00 in the afternoon.

Tyrion drove his fully loaded carriage back to his morgue.

He stared at the pile of dead dogs on the ground, which looked like a small mountain, his eyes gleaming with the urge to complete a quest.

"Come on, little ones."

The passive effect of "[The Sacred Body of Lazy Fish]" is activated.

Tyron picks up the boning knife and transforms into a ruthless butcher.

First they dismembered him, cutting open his abdomen...

With 30 times the efficiency, his movements were so fast that only afterimages could be seen.

Then he picked up the needle and thread.

"There's also a weekly task: [Sew up 10 dismembered corpses]."

"I was worried about where to find so many dismembered bodies, but now it's all right..."

"If I don't have dismembered bodies, I can create them myself!"

As Tyron hummed a little tune, he sewed the dog's leg, which he had just cut off, back onto the dog.

When he was bored, he even deliberately mixed and matched parts from several dogs.

A dog that has been chopped up can be stitched back together in just two minutes.

20 minute later.

Ten bizarrely shaped "Frankenstein dogs" with dense stitches were born.

[Weekly Task: Sew up 10 dismembered corpses (Completed)]

Experience gained: 500

"As expected, a ruthless person like me should create difficulties for myself when there aren't any!"

After completing the task, Tyren quickly tidied up the dog carcasses and put them in the cold storage.

Although the dog meat is inedible (it may be poisonous), the bones are excellent training material, and the fur can be sold to tanners; nothing should be wasted.

Then, he took off the robe that was covered in blood and dirt.

I changed into a new set of clothes.

Arriving at the pool, I activated the 30x washing speed function!

All the old clothes, including the dirty clothes I changed out of yesterday, were washed clean in less than two minutes.

The hands rubbing together in the water were moving as fast as the agitator of a washing machine that was smoking.

"Life skills are top-notch."

After everything was over, Tyron felt hungry again.

He went to the canteen and ordered two large bowls of oatmeal porridge, a large bowl of thick bean soup, and some fuel.

Back in the morgue, we lit the stove.

Take the iron pot out of the cold storage; it contains the stir-fried pork belly with onions that I made yesterday.

As the temperature rises, the solidified fat melts, and the irresistible aroma of meat once again fills the entire basement.

……

7:00 in the evening.

Puff puff puff!

A sound of crows flapping their wings rang out from the window.

Tyron, who was enjoying his meal, quickly put down his chopsticks, stood up, and bowed respectfully.

"tutor!"

A black raven flew into the room and landed, transforming into Macley, who was dressed in a black robe.

Upon landing, the well-traveled and experienced professional wizard was momentarily stunned.

His sensitive nose twitched twice.

"This is……"

A unique fragrance wafted into my nostrils.

He could tell it smelled like onions and pork fat.

However, he had never smelled anything like this before, where the spiciness of onions was transformed into a caramel-like aroma, which then blended perfectly with the meat's fragrance.

This seems to have a certain...soul compared to the roasted meat piled high with expensive spices at aristocratic banquets?

Markley's gaze fell on the still-burning stove.

Seeing the half-eaten carrot in Tyron's hand, and the remaining golden-brown, tempting stir-fried pork with onions in the iron pot.

His face revealed undisguised surprise and curiosity.

"I thought you would take the money I gave you and treat yourself to a couple of big meals at the best pub in town."

MacLeh couldn't help but laugh and ask:

"I didn't expect you to be cooking for yourself here?"

"And...it smells quite nice."

Tyron quickly swallowed the food in his mouth and scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly:

"Tell the teacher that the food in the city is both bad and expensive."

"A decent meal can easily cost two or three gold coins, and the taste is just so-so."

"I might as well buy some ingredients and cook it myself. It will save money and suit my taste."

"As you know, I come from a poor family, so I try to save every penny I can."

After listening, a hint of admiration flashed in Markley's eyes.

Know how to control your desires and know how to manage your life.

This child's character is far superior to those fools who only know how to squander money.

He walked slowly to the iron pot, and couldn't help but sniff it again.

"I didn't know you could cook?"

Tyronn gave a good-natured smile:

"There are many children in the family, and my parents are always busy. Sometimes when I'm hungry, I have to cook for myself. I've become skilled at it over time."

Markley grunted in agreement and raised his finger.

He wove the invisible magic into a skillful, invisible hand.

The transparent hand gently picked up a piece of pork belly from the pot and floated in front of my eyes.

Markley examined it carefully.

It has a good balance of lean and fat, a bright red color, and is coated with an enticing mixture of oil and salt.

He didn't eat it; he just sensed it with his mental power and then put it back in the pot.

"Is this pork?"

"Yes, mentor," Tyron replied respectfully.

"Your cooking method is good."

MacLehley nodded, his words carrying a hint of certainty:

"It takes a unique skill to make such ordinary ingredients look so appealing."

Tyronn naturally and astutely grasped Markley's hidden thoughts.

He was interested in the food, but was too embarrassed to ask to try the students' leftovers because of his status.

So Tyronn immediately seized the opportunity and said respectfully:

"I'd like to inform the teacher that if you don't mind my rudeness and dirtiness..."

"The students would be very willing to cook a special meal for you to express their gratitude and appreciation."

"I will use the freshest ingredients to cook a specialty dish from my hometown for you."

Upon hearing this, Markley's lips curled into a slight smile, clearly indicating that he was in a good mood.

I'm glad you have this thought in mind.

He waved his hand, refusing.

"But let's skip it for now. You're already very busy. You need to focus your energy on important matters."

"Once this period of turmoil has passed, perhaps I can try your cooking."

After speaking, his expression turned serious, and he entered teaching mode:

"Alright, enough chit-chat."

"How's your rune inscription practice going?"

Tyronn immediately turned around, picked up a piece of scapula that had been prepared beforehand from the table, and handed it over with both hands.

"I feel like... I've roughly mastered some of the basic skills."

Markley took the bone fragment.

His gaze fell upon the exquisite, uniformly deep, and perfectly unobstructed [Sturdy] rune.

The well-informed and experienced wizard's eyes flashed with surprise.

"Did you carve this today?"

He couldn't believe it.

This level of proficiency usually requires an apprentice to engage in intensive practice for at least a week before it is possible to replicate it on the bone.

But Tyronn only took one day!?

Tyron nodded respectfully, and without batting an eye, offered the excuse he had prepared beforehand:

"Yes, teacher."

"As you know, my father is a blacksmith."

"Often, after he finished making something, he would carve the craftsman's name or a pattern on it."

"I've been exposed to this since I was little, and sometimes I help my father with this."

"So when it comes to dealing with these things like etching onto hard objects, I have some... muscle memory-like little tricks."

"In addition, the purple diamond engraving knife you gave me is so useful, it's like a divine intervention."

Macley toyed with the exquisite bone fragment engraved with runes in his palm, feeling the smooth lines with his fingertips.

After a long silence, he let out a sigh of admiration:

"It seems this carving knife really suits you!"

"Good! Very good!"

"Since your foundation is so solid, we can speed up the pace of today's lesson."

"Tonight, we'll begin attempting to construct the core loop for 'Dominate the Bones'!"