One-Eyed Monster

When Milo and the others from the Alchemy Workshop arrived at the summit of Dawn Peak, Wizard Reed had already departed from the area.

Although he had left, he was still aware of what was occurring on the peak. Even if he couldn’t know every single detail, he could grasp the general situation. The two Soul Puppets were his pets, after all. As long as those two Puppets didn’t vanish, whatever happened on the mountain, they would constantly feed back information about the situation on the peak. He had painstakingly stitched these Soul Puppets together, bit by bit, using rotted flesh and Undead Aura. They were his proud creations, and he was connected to these Soul Puppets by Spirit Power. This time, he was somewhat reluctant to unleash them on Dawn Peak, but for the sake of the greater plan, he had still chosen to abandon these two Soul Puppets.

He could sense that the two individuals on the mountain were being very careful and cautious, consistently evading the Soul Puppets’ attacks. This was precisely the result he wanted. He not only wanted these two Soul Puppets to stall the individuals on the mountain but also to make them develop a sense of unfamiliarity towards the Soul Puppets. The Black Crows possessed comprehensive and timely information, capable even of acquiring the most obscure items. However, they knew very little about the Soul Guardians. Only the big boss, Willem, knew about them, and he had only informed Reed.

Wizard Reed remembered the big boss’s specific instruction: he was the key to the Guru Mountain operation. They were not to rescue others, even if they were in dire straits, because as long as they obtained the scroll hidden within Guru Mountain, everything else would become insignificant.

Although Wizard Reed wasn’t entirely sure what the scroll actually was, he had only heard the big boss say that this scroll possessed the ability to determine the boundary between life and death. The big boss had coveted this scroll for a long time and was now determined to obtain it, no matter the cost. Reed was honored to be a key player in this task. He had made many vows in his heart that he absolutely would not disappoint the big boss. That was why, for the sake of the overall plan, he had agreed to sacrifice his Soul Puppets, even though creating them had cost him several years.

After all, gathering the Aura of Death was no easy task.

Now, these two Soul Puppets were indeed acting according to his will. He had studied the Dark Arts for many years. If he were in the Wizard Alliance, he would at least qualify as a White Robe. However, he chose not to advance, instead continuing down his dark path. From the moment he donned the dark cloak, he had long since realized what he would need to do in the future.

The Soul Puppets could possess independent free will entirely due to his own formidable Spirit Power. But humans are rarely satisfied. Someone like him, who pursued power and shortcuts, would never abandon the exploration of power so early on.

He had applied several layers of secret technique incantations to his Soul Puppets, spells designed to activate automatically over time.

The two individuals on the mountain hadn’t noticed this simple trap. Wizard Reed knew that sometimes, to deal with clever people, one couldn’t use overly clever methods. Sometimes, the simpler the trap, the more effective it was.

Timed incantations—this was the simplest form of Spellcraft for Wizards. One moment it was venom corrosion, the next flame roasting; the Spellcraft manifesting on the Soul Puppets plunged cautious individuals into deep thought. The transformations of these simple spells left those self-righteous individuals utterly bewildered, forcing them to become even more wary of the Puppets’ every move.

Estev and Stan Sol had their judgment clouded by this simple trick and were, at this very moment, still entangled with the Soul Puppets.

Wizard Reed was counting on his fingers, estimating the time. According to his calculations, the Soul Puppets should, by now, be releasing the chaos spell he anticipated—a simple spell designed to disrupt a person’s mind.

This spell was not high-level and didn’t require excessive Spirit Power or Energy. All that was needed were rosemary seeds. Rosemary naturally possesses the ability to disrupt a person’s mind. The spell merely required grinding rosemary seeds into powder and spraying it onto a person.

Rosemary would cause people to fall into a state of deep thought. Even if their minds were otherwise empty, the rosemary would lead them to dwell on their deepest worries. The more they thought, the more confused they became, and the more agitated.

Estev, on the mountaintop, had unknowingly fallen for this trick. Currently enveloped in unprecedented irritability, he failed to identify even the simplest things.

Wizard Reed touched his Obsidian Staff. This staff was the medium through which he communicated with his Soul Puppets. Through it, he became aware that someone on the mountain had been affected by the rosemary.

Once affected by rosemary, a person’s mind would struggle to calm. Even a Wizard would find it difficult to dispel the effects of rosemary. Rosemary was a natural substance; its energy was a form of the Natural Force. However potent human strength might be, it was insignificant before the Natural Force. Breaking free from its influence was all the more out of the question.

This simple spell was an entry-level piece of Spellcraft for Wizards; one only needed to be able to recognize rosemary to cast it.

Wizard Reed nodded, quite satisfied with the current situation. He still had a long way to go, though he couldn’t yet see the path ahead. He followed the route his big boss, Willem, had given him. Even if sheer cliffs loomed before him, he would press on to see what lay beyond.

He trusted his big boss would never deceive him, so he had no hesitation as he kept moving forward…

Wizard Reed was pleased. He had initially worried that his Soul Puppets, lacking actual combat experience, might not perform as he wished. He had even thought they might not be easily controlled, which could provoke the enemy and expose his objectives. Thankfully, his Soul Puppets were proving to be quite maneuverable, which greatly gratified him.

At this rate, these two Soul Puppets might complete their task ahead of schedule. Their journey in this world would not have been in vain.

A smile touched Wizard Reed’s lips; he felt that this time, it was foolproof.

His two Soul Puppets would become the clarion call for the entire Black Crow’s counterattack. When that time came, regardless of how many Black Crows remained on the mountain, they would all relentlessly charge towards the great rock at the summit of Dawn Peak…

That was a door; opening it would reveal new wonders.

Soul Guardians like Estev could not possibly know how long Willem had been preparing for this day.

Chaos. Only amidst chaos could the true function of order be highlighted. Only chaos could make things that were originally simple become priceless treasures…

Wizard Reed’s objective was to create chaos. Only amidst chaos could he easily complete the task his big boss, Willem, had assigned him.

Chaos—everything was for the sake of chaos. Whether at the foot of the mountain, upon the mountain itself, or the various factions hidden within it, all would inevitably be exposed by this chaos.

Wizard Reed tapped his Obsidian Staff—a signal. His Soul Puppets possessed independent wills, but ultimately, they were still under his control. If he so wished, he could make these two Soul Puppets detonate at any moment.

Now is not the time for detonation, Wizard Reed thought. This is merely sending a signal to that other group of cautious individuals…