The basement of the precinct housed the shooting range and temporary jail cells. The first floor was for the public service hall and interrogation rooms. The second floor contained the offices, meeting rooms, and archives. The third floor served as the police dormitory.
Rudolf walked into the second-floor office area. It was completely empty—seemed like everyone was eager to clock out on time.
It was already late. Downstairs, in the first-floor public service hall, only one officer remained on duty—Officer Calita, a somewhat absent-minded young woman. The sheriff rarely assigned her fieldwork. As long as no one came in to file a report, she would sneak off to the adjacent duty room to take a nap.
In the basement jail, only a trainee patrolman named Sam was on duty. There were currently two prisoners locked up, both guilty of minor offenses, so they didn’t require heavy security.
The recent witch-hunting operation had cost the lives of three patrol officers and five trainee officers. The Leman Town precinct was now severely understaffed—at its weakest point.
Painkillers were stored in the jail, meant for prisoners who had been beaten during interrogations. As long as they confessed quickly enough, they would be given as many painkillers as they needed after the torture.
After greeting Sam and collecting some painkillers, Rudolf returned to the third floor, waiting quietly.
At midnight, he climbed up the stairs to the rooftop.
The precinct had been built taller than most other buildings in town to allow for better surveillance. Above the three-story structure, there was an additional rooftop terrace. Most buildings in town were only two stories tall, which meant that the very center of the precinct’s rooftop was a blind spot in the town’s view.
At this moment, the starlight bathed the stone floor of the rooftop. Rudolf took out the Starstone.
Objects stored within the Star Chart wouldn’t disappear—they would automatically appear in his hand whenever he needed them.
He closed his eyes. His consciousness entered the Star Chart, touching the floating star that represented the "Wizard Apprentice Awakening Ritual."
A flood of detailed knowledge about the ritual poured into his mind.
After carefully reviewing every step of the process, Rudolf bent down and began drawing the Astrological Grand Triangle on the rooftop floor using the extraterrestrial Starstone.
At each of the three corners of the triangle, he placed a small circle—these would serve as conduits for star power. At the center of the triangle, he drew a large circle, and within it, he inscribed the symbol of Scorpio.
It was November—the Scorpio Month of wizards.
In his past life, Rudolf’s natal sign had been Scorpio. To step onto the path of the Celestial Wizard, he had to start with Scorpio.
Between the small circles and the large central circle, he traced mysterious and cryptic lines of unknown meaning.
Rudolf removed his shoes and socks, stepping barefoot onto the large central circle. He tilted his head back, gazing at Scorpio in the night sky.
He chanted the Celestial Wizard’s Incantation:
"Who can explain the flicker of the stars?
Who can grasp the fleeting streak of a meteor?
Who can alter the path of the planets?
To command the stars… is to command the world!"
At that moment, a faint white glow shimmered over the Astrological Grand Triangle.
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Wizards, in order to survive, had designed their awakening rituals to be discreet. That was why Rudolf dared to perform the ritual on the precinct rooftop.
The white glow came from the Starstone dust responding to the starlight above.
After a minute, the Starstone dust had fully absorbed the celestial energy.
The dust, now infused with star power, began flowing toward Rudolf. The Astrological Grand Triangle started to contract, moving like a living serpent, slowly converging on him.
Glowing runes and lines slithered onto his feet, creeping up his skin, slipping into his pants legs.
Rudolf could feel something seeping into his body through his skin—establishing a link between him and the stars above.
When the Astrological Grand Triangle fully disappeared from his skin, the rooftop returned to complete silence.
A message appeared in his mind:
Rudolf: Wizard Apprentice
* Natal Sign: Scorpio (Water Element)
* Celestial Incantation: Venom
The Sun, Moon, and planets moved along the Zodiac Belt. A person’s Natal Sign was determined by the constellation the Sun occupied at the time of their birth.
Wizards in this world were called Celestial Wizards. Their journey began with mastering the Zodiac Signs' Incantations. Each zodiac sign had at least one incantation—these were the foundation of a wizard’s spells.
As a Water Sign, Scorpio had multiple incantations, but the one Rudolf had awakened was "Venom."
The first ability that came to his mind was enchanting weapons with poison.
A poisoned weapon, just like an alchemist’s enchanted bullets, could deal fatal damage to other Apostles.
Ordinary swords and firearms had limited effect on Apostles—only an Apostle could kill another Apostle.
Rudolf had finally stepped onto the Path of the Apostles—entering their world.
The traces of the Starstone on the ground had been fully absorbed. That reassured him.
He turned and stepped into the stairwell.
At the very moment he left the rooftop, when all light had faded, Rudolf retrieved a wisdom tooth—taken from the head of a dead wizard.
Without hesitation, he placed it into his mouth.
Moments later, he was stunned—the Star Chart recognized the "Tooth of the Revenant."
A flood of new information surged into his mind:
TOOTH OF THE REVENANT (TIER 3 NECROMANTIC ARTIFACT)
* Ability 1: Corpse Control – Reanimate and command corpses (Apostles controlled cannot exceed Tier 3).
* Ability 2: Organ Replacement – Swap organs and limbs from fresh corpses.
* Ability 3: Feigned Death – A perfect death-state with no breath, heartbeat, or cellular activity—nearly impossible to detect.
DRAWBACK OF THE TOOTH OF THE REVENANT:
"The body grows increasingly cold. It is advised not to stay away from crowds for too long. Prolonged isolation will make the body resemble a corpse."
Rudolf froze.
"Avoid isolation? Stay near people? That’s… quite the drawback."
He had been planning to lay low and hide in some secluded place.
Now, it seemed he would have to remain in the public eye.
Should he… keep working as a patrol officer?
As he descended the stairs, he already felt it—stiffness creeping into his body.
Lifting his leg became a challenge, and lowering it felt just as difficult. The sensation wasn’t overpowering, but it was distinctly uncomfortable.
His first thought was to find Officer Calita and chat with her—but she was sound asleep.
With no other choice, Rudolf left the precinct to get some fresh air.
Walking through the streets, he noticed something else—not just stiffness, but an intense cold spreading through his body.
"Damn… this Tier 3 artifact's drawback is really something."
He pondered how to counteract the Tooth’s side effects.
At this hour, most of Leman Town’s shops were closed.
According to his memory, only two types of businesses were still open—taverns and bathhouses.
He went to the tavern first.
The moment he walked in, the patrons tensed up—seeing a patrol officer always startled them. But Rudolf simply bought a bottle of strong liquor and left.
The tavern owner, Parber, even gave him a generous discount—a small perk of being a patrol officer.
Stepping outside, Rudolf took a deep swig of the liquor.
Instantly, his chest burned with warmth.
"Damn, that feels good."
Still holding the bottle, he made his way to the bathhouse.
Soaking in the warm water, Rudolf closed his eyes in satisfaction.
He had guessed correctly—both alcohol and hot water could ease the artifact’s side effects.
Floating in the warm bath, Rudolf lazily swirled the water with his fingers.
"Might as well enjoy it while it lasts."