Warlock Apprentice

Haley’s talons, gleaming with sharp, predatory light, were almost at Toby’s eyes.

Haley was prepared to risk everything, aiming to kill the Snake Bird first. When confronted with the jet-black mist, she made no effort to dodge, intending to force her way through.

But in the end, she stopped—she was compelled to.

The jet-black mist expelled from Toby’s mouth seemed to carry the legendary gaze of a Gorgon. The moment Haley’s body came into contact with the mist, it was visible to the naked eye: a layer of stony shell spread over her hand.

”Petrification Toxin?!” Haley reacted, but her hand was already immobilized. Moreover, the stone shell continued to creep up her arm, spreading relentlessly.

An expression of shock and fury flickered across Haley’s eyes, along with a trace of hatred and despair.

If her attack had been blocked or openly thwarted, she could have accepted it.

But why did it have to be petrification?

Petrification wasn’t a toxin that was difficult to counter, but missing this opportunity would make finding another such perfect chance nearly impossible.

As expected, after exhaling the jet-black mist, Toby’s head arched proudly. Although its body didn’t retreat, Haley had already experienced its defenses earlier. Even when everyone ganged up on it, they failed to penetrate its defenses. Relying on her alone was even more futile. The only way to defeat the Snake Bird was to strike its eyes, but it had now raised its head high. Its awareness was heightened, and attempting an ambush under such circumstances was nearly hopeless.

A frontal confrontation? She wasn’t its match. How could Haley not despair?

Toby’s eyes burned with killing intent. Under the overwhelming pressure of such murderous intent, Haley was unable to move—for even a moment, she couldn’t tend to the toxin creeping across her body.

Just when Haley thought she wouldn’t escape death, a disturbance arose in the distant background.

Toby’s gaze instinctively shot toward the noise, and a glimmer of light appeared in Haley’s eyes: a chance!

Of course, not a chance to strike. Toby needed to be faced with a thorough plan and targeted tools—neither of which she currently possessed.

So, her best option now was to run.

Even though resentment burned within her heart, Haley ultimately had to confront reality. She was very aware of her erroneous state of mind and knew her resolve had faltered. Attempting a counterattack now would just be the final, futile thrash of a cornered beast.

As a Wizard, she needed to return to the rationality that a Wizard should possess.

Haley didn’t even bother identifying what had caught the Snake Bird’s attention. She didn’t spare a moment to counteract the petrification toxin, which had already reached half her body. With her unpetrified hand, she quickly retrieved a golden Magic Rune Scroll from her spatial storage.

As Toby sensed the strange aura emanating from the scroll, it began to lower its head to investigate. But before it could do so, Haley tore the Magic Rune Scroll without hesitation.

In an instant, the surrounding spatial energy became chaotic, transforming into a portal-like rift!

However, the rift twisted and distorted wildly, appearing unstable.

This was hardly surprising. Toby’s anomalous aura from its recent ascension had yet to dissipate, leaving the surrounding energy in complete disarray. Haley’s use of the Magic Rune Scroll to forcibly open a Plane Corridor under such conditions naturally resulted in spatial instability.

At this moment, escaping into the Plane Corridor was highly risky. The instability of the space could easily trigger a Space Collapse.

But Haley didn’t care anymore—this was the only escape plan she could think of. She rushed in without a second thought.

Luck and courage were on her side. As she dove into the fissure, its oscillations happened to momentarily stabilize, allowing her to cross safely.

The rift of the Plane Corridor was destined to exist only briefly. After Haley entered, it began to gradually close. Toby could have entered as well, but before it could act, Greya’s voice bellowed from afar, stopping it: ”Don’t chase!”

Greya’s words made Toby halt and also caught Haley’s attention.

As the rift was about to close, Haley turned her head to glance outside.

Her pupils instantly contracted.

She saw a woman—a face vaguely familiar to her. But what shocked her wasn’t the woman, but the man standing beside her...

That was—Angel?

The rift closed at an opportune moment. Haley, now deep in thought, recalled hearing that Angel had once clashed with Misaro.

At the time, Haley had been entertained by the news. After all, she was not fond of Misaro, even though they were both high priests of the Profound Alchemy Association.

Now, it seemed Angel and that woman might be aligned with the Snake Bird?

What relationship did they share? Haley couldn’t quite piece it together, but at least she had identified a direction. If she wanted to exact revenge on the Snake Bird someday, she might first seek out Angel’s trail.

Of course, this was just a thought—something she couldn’t act on in the near future.

Moreover, she had a more pressing problem to solve. Haley turned to look back at the dim Plane Corridor. It appeared calm, but she could faintly hear tremors originating from far away.

This was quite possibly the prelude to a Space Collapse.

If she wanted to deal with the Snake Bird one day, her immediate priority was to escape the Plane Corridor alive—a challenge no lesser than the earlier battle.

Haley exhaled deeply, deciding first to neutralize the petrification toxin before confronting the uncertain fate ahead of her.

...

While Haley was fighting for survival inside the Plane Corridor, the Toby she cursed to high heavens had now transformed into an ordinary little bird, snuggling pitifully against Angel’s neck.

After rubbing itself against him for some time, Toby finally hopped into Angel’s palm, looking as though it was ready to air its grievances.

Yet before it could start, there was one more thing it needed to do.

Lowering its head somewhat bashfully, it quickly retrieved a red clasped cloak from the Snow Feather and fastened it around its neck. The chaotic air currents from the disordered energy made the small cloak flutter dramatically.

The red cloak, like a shield of modesty for Toby, flapped audibly in the wind. With its flutter, Toby’s formerly shy demeanor transformed instantly into the imposing stance of a battle-hardened Armored Knight, exuding a commanding presence.

Toby was immensely pleased with its appearance, admiring itself for a good while before remembering it had grievances to share.

With a quivering pair of crimson pea-like eyes, Toby mustered all its sorrow as naturally as a stream flowing downhill.

Just as Toby was about to chirp out its complaints, Greya waved her hand dismissively and said, ”Save it for later. This place isn’t safe.”

Angel agreed with Greya’s assessment. Though the Void appeared empty, he remained deeply wary of the distant, fleeting gazes that had swept over moments ago.

There was no telling whether some great being hidden in the depths of the Void was watching.

To avoid further dangers, it was best to leave quickly.