One-Eyed Monster

While Igor and the others were causing a lively ruckus with their chaotic battles atop Guru Mountain, a sense of silence enveloped the area at its foot.

All the taverns were being cleaned and prepared for the day. The customers from the night before had been drinking wildly; they had even clamored to go up the mountain in the dead of night, which was as strange as the sun rising from the west. Ever since the Alchemists monopolized Lubin Tavern and Guru Mountain, the wealth-dreaming Treasure Hunters had spent their days in a drunken stupor in the taverns and inns. Filled with unvented resentment, they turned to alcohol, much to the profit of Guru Mountain’s taverns.

Billy, a waiter at Non Intoxication Tavern, felt uncomfortable as he wiped down the already clean tables. Somehow, things seemed amiss. Usually, at this time in the morning, he would be joyously busy: waking up Treasure Hunters too drunk to recognize themselves, then wiping tables, sweeping, and mopping. But today, he was idle and a little panicky. Billy, who worked the day shift, didn’t know what had happened the previous night. Seeing the neat tables and chairs filled him with unease.

If the tavern’s business went sour, perhaps the boss wouldn’t need two waiters anymore!

Billy scrubbed the table hard, all his worries seemingly channeled into the rag.

Non Intoxication Tavern might not be the biggest on Guru Mountain (for some reason, the honest Lubin always managed to attract all sorts of rich patrons to his tavern), but it could still be considered a ”high-end” establishment. If even this tavern lacked customers, various trades at the foot of Guru Mountain could face a large-scale unemployment crisis.

Of course, this was not Billy’s immediate concern. He was just eager to know what had happened the night before and why taking over the morning shift felt so different from usual.

”Waiter, can I get a drink now?” Three people stood outside the tavern door: a fat man who looked like a beer barrel, another man with a sturdy physique and an expressionless face, and an old, frail man who was constantly panting.

Normally, the tavern wouldn’t be open at this hour, but denying polite customers was often a sign that a tavern would soon go out of business.

Billy put down his cloth and quickly went to greet them. He recognized the old man among the three. To be precise, all the tavern waiters on Guru Mountain knew this old man. This old man was the person tavern waiters loved to serve the most; one could say that few people on Guru Mountain didn’t know him.

This old man was a Wizard who, by using Divination, had made a fortune on Guru Mountain. He was also very generous. Every time he tipped the tavern waiters, he’d give no less than ten copper coins. When he was in a particularly good mood, he might even give a gold coin.

”While our tavern isn’t officially open yet, its doors are always open for you, sir,” Billy said, his earlier worries vanishing upon seeing the old man. With a sycophantic smile, he set a few glasses on a table.

”See? I told you. If I want a drink, I can always find a place,” the old man boasted to his companions.

Billy had seen many customers come to the tavern early in the morning for a drink, but those were mostly daily drunks, already dead to the world. The Wizard before him wasn’t usually an avid drinker, so his early arrival today was a bit strange.

The old man poured some ale for the other two. ”It’s not easy to get good wine here, but this inferior ale has its own charm. You two have been quite busy these days; I presume you haven’t had much chance to taste it?”

”Indeed. I’ve even been eating less these past few days,” the barrel-shaped fat man said, rubbing his hands together, eager for a sip of the ale.

”Business first, drink later,” the sturdy man spoke succinctly.

”I still feel that seeking an alliance is unnecessary,” the old man said, stroking his long eyebrows as he addressed the other two at the table. ”I don’t know what Leader Big is thinking. We’ve been preparing for so long; we shouldn’t back down just because of one coincidence.”

”Ah, this ale isn’t bad. Old Gus, you sure know how to enjoy life,” the fat man said, lost in his own world, paying no heed to the old man’s words.

”You have a point, but life is unpredictable. Who would have guessed this would happen?” the burly man said to the old man named Gus.

”Well, this coincidence is rather strange. But since it’s happened, we can only follow the Leader’s instructions,” the fat man said, taking another sip of ale and finally joining the conversation.

”Speaking of which, you’re in their system, aren’t you? How come you didn’t get a heads-up?” Old Gus turned to ask the muscular man.

”I am just a Fighter; I don’t have a sensitive nose. Following orders is my forte. Over these years of lying low, the only thing I’ve learned is to control my impulses. If it weren’t for Leader Big’s command, I might still be engrossed in researching the Reverse Physical Technique.”

”No wonder your whole body has loosened up, you old rascal. You must have been slacking off,” the fat man scoffed.

”Unlike you Alchemists, a Fighter’s Reverse Physical Technique is very exhausting. I have to plan for the future.”

”Alright, let’s see if that group of puppet zombies can complete their task.” Gus, the old man, pulled a Crystal Ball from his wide sleeve.

A Crystal Ball was a rare item. Seeing the Wizard produce one, Billy almost dropped the glass in his hand. This was the first time Billy had seen a Crystal Ball up close; it was no wonder he was excited.

”Here, here, don’t forget this, or you won’t find those walking corpses,” the fat man said, taking a palm-sized strip of cloth from his robe and pushing it in front of Gus.

”Why aren’t you using the eyeball-gouging method for Divination this time?” the robust man asked, after taking a swig of his ale.

”I’m afraid that sort of thing scares people,” Gus chuckled. ”Decided to try a gentler approach.”

Billy watched the three men muttering and gesturing around the Crystal Ball, wondering what they were up to.

After nearly one or two hours, empty ale bottles littered the small table, yet the mysterious Crystal Ball still showed nothing unusual. When Billy saw Gus wave him over, he quickly put down the glass he had wiped countless times and approached with an ingratiating smile.

”This gold coin is for you, young man, to buy yourself a drink,” Wizard Gus said, handing Billy a gold coin as he approached. Billy grinned from ear to ear.

”This coin is also for a small favor we need from you,” Gus added.

”Anything you need, sir.”

”Have you ever seen fireworks, lad? Would you like to see a fireworks show during the day?”

Billy didn’t understand.

”What’s the point of all this talk? Wouldn’t it save time to just tell him what to do?” the fat man said, growing impatient. ”And those puppet zombies are truly unreliable. Leader Big was wise to plan for this...”

”Or perhaps we should wait until Wizard Reed arrives?” Gus proposed.

”No time! Look how utterly useless those idiots are. It’s better if I take command,” the fat man declared.

Billy still had no idea what these three were up to.

”Young man, please find a secluded place to light these fireworks.”

”Huh?” Billy didn’t understand.

”Set off some fireworks for us,” the fat man repeated, his jowls quivering with impatience.

Billy looked at the fat man’s face, his heart filled with trepidation. He hesitantly picked up the fireworks Gus produced and walked out without another word.

「Then.」

BOOM.

The daytime fireworks shot into the sky, their colors invisible, leaving only faint sparkles...