Warlock Apprentice

Greya gazed at the surging black mist in the distance, her heart tightening slightly, because she knew that once the seal was broken, there would be no turning back for Toby.

The only course now was forward—there was no retreat!

”It will work.” Greya murmured softly, closing her eyes to hide the unease on her face. Slowly, she extended her hand and took out the bottle of Golden Oak Water.

She inserted a custom-made scent stick into the bottle, unleashing an invisible, colorless vapor that began to disperse into the air. Greya casually conjured a gust of wind, sending the vapor against the wave of incoming air and toward the mist’s origin.

Perhaps it was an illusion, or perhaps it truly worked—when the vapor of the Golden Oak Water reached the black mist, the ”monsters” within momentarily calmed. But it only lasted an instant. Soon, the waves of black mist surged once more in turbulent chaos.

Greya quietly watched the distance. At first, she whispered to herself, ”It will work.” But as time passed, the monstrosities within the black mist grew more violent, their frenzied negative energy escalating relentlessly, making her begin to doubt herself.

”Will it truly work?” Greya quietly whispered to herself.

”Of course, it will,” Angel interjected, pausing briefly, ”I believe in Toby.”

In Greya’s imagination, the creatures within the black mist were nothing more than manifestations of Extreme Resentment Thoughts. The more the mist churned, the stronger its arrogance became, and Toby would be in greater danger.

But in reality, the situation was entirely different from what Greya envisioned. The creatures in the mist were not merely Extreme Resentment Thoughts—but both Toby and the impending Resentment Tribulation Toby had to face.

At this moment, the Extreme Resentment Thoughts had triggered Toby’s Bloodline, transforming into the Jealous Snake Bird. Toby was now within his Mind Space, struggling against the Extreme Resentment Thoughts for control over the Jealous Snake Bird.

If Toby succeeded in seizing control, it would mean triumph over his tribulation.

To outsiders, the Jealous Snake Bird frantically rolling about appeared to cause the black mist’s agitated upheavals. But in truth, this was due to Toby’s relentless challenges to the Extreme Resentment Thoughts. This did not signify that the Extreme Resentment Thoughts were prevailing; rather, the greater their commotion, the higher the threat Toby posed to them.

Within the unseen world, inside the Mind Space of the Jealous Snake Bird—

This space was equally silent as the outer Void; however, unlike the external void, it was not entirely dark. At a distant edge, a faint radiance could be seen, and within that light, a shadow was discernible.

It seemed to be the silhouette of a giant beast.

Toby’s target was to send his consciousness toward that light and seize control of the beast’s body!

Through countless simulations in the House of the Heart, Toby understood well that the shadow within the radiance was both the Snake Bird’s True Body and the core of the Extreme Resentment Thoughts. Only by defeating the Extreme Resentment Thoughts and claiming the True Body would everything come to an end.

However, Toby also knew this was an exceptionally arduous process.

The Extreme Resentment Thoughts would use every method to repel him, obstruct him, and ultimately extinguish him. And overcoming these trials formed the essence of...the tribulation!

Toby had experienced the tribulation countless times in the House of the Heart. He knew the hardest part wasn’t the final step but the journey toward the endpoint.

Thus, Toby carefully avoided various traps, inching closer to his goal.

Nearby, a cluster of blue-green mist appeared, carrying an enticing sweetness. Toby didn’t even glance at it; he bypassed the path entirely. He was far too familiar with this blue-green mist from his experiences in the House of the Heart. Though it appeared alluring, in truth, it was soul-corroding poison.

On his path forward, Toby faced not only the blue-green mist but also a myriad of peculiar traps: blood spheres, false light abodes, mist-filled spaces, and more...

These traps seemed to take the forms of physical objects. Yet, in reality, they were not tangible but projections in Toby’s Mind Space of vital regions within his Bloodline’s bodily structure.

Even if these were mere projections, mishandling or a slight error could disrupt core elements, allowing the Extreme Resentment Thoughts to invade his mind and seize his consciousness.

This was precisely why the Extreme Resentment Thoughts turned these regions into traps, obstructing Toby’s path.

Now, Toby had navigated past several traps and arrived at a place crisscrossed with ”threads.”

These densely interwoven ”threads” were yet another trap. A small misstep could set off a chain reaction, rendering all prior efforts in vain.

It wasn’t uncommon for Toby to circumvent obstacles; he had done so multiple times with other traps.

Yet this time, Toby didn’t choose to avoid the Region of Threads. Instead, he flew straight into it.

Though Toby wasn’t certain which part of the Bloodline’s projection created this Region of Threads, his experiences in the House of the Heart informed him that this vast region extended all the way to his final ”target,” where traces of threads could occasionally still be seen.

Thus, the Region of Threads itself was a trap, but taking a detour around it would lead to an even greater trap.

Tribulations were bound by time constraints. Detouring wouldn’t help Toby avoid the traps; it would only push him closer to the Abyss of failure.

The true path lay in darting forward, weaving through the densely packed threads.

Had this been Toby’s first time entering the Region of Threads, even if he chose to enter it, he might have suffered due to his lack of experience. However, with hundreds of trials in the House of the Heart, he had developed his own techniques for evading the interwoven threads.

From the very start, Toby didn’t slow down—his figure darted high, dipped low, veered left, and twisted right. Occasionally gliding in diagonal descent, he avoided all the threads with ease, continuing his journey toward the radiance.

Even within the Region of Threads existed additional traps—some of them imperceptible. Yet Toby seemed almost like a Prophet, effortlessly navigating every single obstacle.

Watching this, the Extreme Resentment Thoughts, temporarily governing the Snake Bird’s body, boiled with ire. This rage fed the black mist’s monstrous turbulence in the external world, evoking thunderous roars of fury.

These displays might unsettle Greya’s heart, but for Toby, undergoing his tribulation, they were insignificant.

Toby moved easily and leisurely as though on a joyride, weaving through the entangled threads and traps hidden in the Void.

As he drew closer to his goal, the Extreme Resentment Thoughts realized that mere traps couldn’t effectively obstruct Toby. Thus, it unleashed a second strategy—

An emotional flood!

A terrifying torrent composed of negative emotions erupted from the giant mouth of the Snake Bird within the radiance, engulfing the entire Void and surging toward Toby.

”Finally, it comes.” Toby observed the flooding current charging at him, silently remarking.

This flood was unavoidable, with no refuge to hide in—it must be confronted head-on.

Entering the flood could mean being trapped within its negative emotions, unable to escape. Toby’s first-ever death in the House of the Heart occurred in this emotional deluge. Even in subsequent trials, Toby had repeatedly succumbed to it.

But now, Toby felt neither fear nor hesitation—in fact, he seemed faintly exhilarated.

Having endured numerous encounters with the emotional flood, Toby had accumulated valuable experience in its resistance. Moreover, Toby understood clearly that compared to the tribulations yet to come, this flood was relatively mild.

If he couldn’t withstand this flood, how could he possibly conquer the tribulations beyond?

Facing the rolling deluge, Toby didn’t retreat; instead, he flapped his wings resolutely and charged forward—