One-Eyed Monster

Dawn Peak of Guru Mountain wasn’t just occupied by those few brawlers. Behind a large stone, a group of people lounged, hiding from the blinding sunlight, and chattered incessantly.

”Didn’t we agree at the tavern to split up, with me handling assassinations and intelligence? Why did we gather up again?” His voice was sharp and sardonic, as if he felt everyone owed him countless gold coins.

”If you keep your mouth shut, nobody will think you’re mute.” This voice was full of resentment, accompanied by heavy panting, as if its owner was exhausted.

”We underestimated the strength of Guru Mountain. Our defeat two years ago taught us a lesson, but we carelessly assumed that the folks at Guru Mountain would stagnate. Today, we witnessed their progress.” This voice was calm, cold and sharp like a knife in the darkness, waiting to pierce its prey’s chest.

”HEH HEH HEH, their formation was still broken by us, regardless of their progress!” The sardonic voice was full of contempt.

”HUMPH! As if that had anything to do with you!” The panting man struck back instantly. They were clearly old rivals.

”This isn’t the time to bicker. We need to calm down...” The even voice, which seemed to belong to their leader, interjected.

These three were the Black Crow leaders who had previously been setting up formations and casting spells in the Non Intoxication Tavern. Now, they were also on Dawn Peak of Guru Mountain, discussing their recent actions.

”For the pride of the Mantai Continent, I won’t stoop to your level, Gus,” said the panting, portly Dark Alchemist, Mugen, his voice full of disdain.

”As if you could do anything to me! For Lord Jani’s sake, I won’t bicker with *you* either.” Wizard Gus made a delicate, almost effeminate gesture with his hand, his tone suddenly becoming high-pitched and drawn out, like a woman’s, especially as he elongated the word ’you.’

”HUMPH!” The portly Dark Alchemist, Mugen, snorted and chose not to bicker further with Wizard Gus.

”We’ve always acted separately, but the enemy’s World Setting Technique forced us together again. Compared to two years ago, their technique has improved significantly,” Jani, the Mantai man, continued.

”I remember that disastrous defeat two years ago all too well.” Wizard Gus caressed his Magic Staff. ”My beloved Obsidian Wood Staff was broken here. This is a pain I won’t forget so easily.”

”HUMPH!” The portly Dark Alchemist, Mugen, still gasping for breath, again showed his disdain for Wizard Gus’s words.

”Mugen, rest for a while. Breaking this formation wasn’t easy, and we’ll need your summoned Wire Puppets soon.”

”HUMPH, unfortunately, this mountain is completely lifeless. There isn’t a shred of Spirit Power to absorb, or I’d have recovered my Spirit Power long ago!” Mugen panted, his voice laced with indignation.

”It’s precisely this lifelessness we came for. We mustn’t forget the High Chieftain’s ultimate objective.”

”Yes, I’ve had enough of this godforsaken place! All these years Lord Jani and I have been lurking here—it’s been sheer torture! If it weren’t for this mission, I wouldn’t even have known Lord Jani was one of us Black Crows.” Wizard Gus’s tone shifted again, his voice flitting between masculine and feminine in a peculiar way.

”The mission is paramount. We cannot afford any mistakes this time.”

”I can sense the Invisibility Cloak. That young master is nearby. Should we go and grab him now?” Gus’s voice suddenly turned childlike as he sought his companions’ opinions.

”Reed has arrived. I haven’t had time to read the message the Mail Bird delivered earlier.” Jani made a gentle twisting gesture with his fingers, and a tiny, pitiful-looking flying beast materialized in his palm. It chirped a few times before flying off his hand.

”This is...” Wizard Gus frowned upon hearing the flying beast’s chirps.

”Correct. This brings new orders. We can disregard that young master; Reed can handle him alone,” Jani stated.

”What gives Reed the right to order us around? HUMPH!” Mugen, who had been resting nearby, was clearly displeased by this news.

”Simply because he is Reed!”

”Speaking of seniority, Lord Jani, I don’t think you’re any less capable than Reed...” Wizard Gus also sounded resentful.

”The mission comes first. The Black Crow is eternal.”

The three of them hid behind a large rock, considerably drained by the preceding battle. Moreover, the harsh sunlight affected them to some extent; after all, they were masters of Dark Arts on this continent and somewhat sensitive to daylight.

”The guardians of Guru Mountain are far more than just these Alien Species on the slopes,” Jani said again, his voice calm.

”It seems Reed found some clues from that defeat two years ago, confirming the origins of these Alien Species,” Wizard Gus continued.

”You two have been lurking here for so long, and you still haven’t figured out the origins of these Alien Species?” Mugen propped himself up on an elbow. The intense battle earlier had left him lying on the ground for quite some time; only now did he have the strength to lift his head and speak.

”These Alien Species are reclusive and rarely appear,” Jani replied.

”In all the years I’ve been here, I’ve scoured Guru Mountain countless times, but I haven’t found a single trace of these Alien Species. Even during that fierce battle two years ago, we never saw their true forms; we could only sense their Spirit Power,” Wizard Gus added, recalling their past failure.

”The appearance of the Alien Species this time is indeed unusual. It seems to be connected to those fellows from the Alchemy Workshop.” Jani stretched, his joints cracking audibly.

”HUMPH, the elusive Alien Species were difficult enough to deal with, and now we have these mysterious Soul Guardians too. The difficulty of our mission has increased manyfold!” Mugen hadn’t yet shaken off his frustration.

”Indeed. Compared to taking that young master back to Rostov, this new task is a complete disaster,” Gus lamented.

”Reed brought the Alchemy Workshop; he can naturally control those Alien Species. We just need to focus on dealing with those Soul Guardians.”

”Lord Jani, you’re being too optimistic! We don’t even know what these Soul Guardians look like. How are we supposed to deal with them?” Gus retorted.

”True. The Black Crow might be in the business of selling intelligence, but I doubt many on this continent truly know anything about the Soul Guardians.” Mugen sat up. It was unclear whether he had recovered enough Spirit Power from resting or if the change in mission had simply put him on higher alert.

”The High Chieftain knows about them,” Jani said calmly.

”So, what’s our next move?” Mugen suppressed his resentment, sat up straight, and asked seriously.

Wizard Gus, who was usually sardonic, also turned his questioning gaze to Jani.

”We head to the summit and await further instructions. The summit is key.”