One-Eyed Monster

The Great Witch’s stillness was purely due to her feeling lost. There was no hidden trap at all.

How laughable for such a thing to happen to Wizard Gus at this point.

Although Wizard Gus was not a veteran warrior, he was rich in experience. Yet, at this moment, he made a mistake that anyone could make. This error stemmed from him being too cautious.

His initial plan had been to end this battle as soon as possible to assist his other two comrades. But now, he broke into a cold sweat, which was a bad sign. He suddenly felt as if he were flying blind.

That was right. He knew nothing about the opponent except that she was a newly advanced Wizard; he had obtained no other information.

This made him, originally intending a swift battle, suddenly hesitate.

After his first probe, the opponent still showed no reaction!

What in the world is happening? Wizard Gus was extremely bewildered. What kind of Wizard is this? Why can’t I figure her out?

Glancing around with his peripheral vision, Gus saw that of the three Black Crow leaders, the other two—unlike him—were already fully engaged in battle.

Jani’s Bone Blade WHIRRED as he danced, seeming to have gained the upper hand. Meanwhile, Mugen, the portly Alchemist, had merged with the Wire Puppet Main Body and clearly wouldn’t be defeated anytime soon.

As for himself, he still hadn’t made the first move. Now, after his probe, he felt even more bewildered. The opponent remained motionless, seemingly riddled with openings. Yet, the more obvious these supposed flaws were, the more confused he became. I don’t even know what kind of Wizard she is anymore, he thought.

Looking at the Great Witch’s motionless figure, Gus harbored a doubt. Is this witch an Earth Type? But during her advancement, I confirmed through that portly Alchemist’s Spirit Vision that she was of the Wind Type!

Can one’s type change after advancement?

Gus had not advanced, so he didn’t know. After he had researched Dark Arts, he was considered by traditional Wizards to be a rogue wizard. Rogue wizards do not advance but degenerate into Necromancers, a type of Dark Wizard. However, Wizard Gus hadn’t reached that level yet. He had only mastered some Spellcraft shortcuts, which allowed him to navigate this cruel world with ease.

However, what Wizard Gus still excelled at was assassination.

He was a bit uneasy with such direct confrontations, a discomfort that, admittedly, only truly manifested when facing masters.

In the current situation, Wizard Gus hesitated. Should I attack or defend right now? he wondered.

”Well... COUGH...” Wizard Gus could no longer hide his embarrassment and tried to cover it by speaking, ”Don’t say I bully women. I’ll let you attack first.”

This seemingly casual phrase actually contained Wizard Gus’s own careful calculations. He wanted to use this sentence to provoke his opponent and make her attack first, so he could see what mysteries this witch truly held.

Now let’s see if she takes the bait, Gus thought, his mind racing as he awaited her reaction.

He was still dissatisfied with himself. Why do I always hesitate at moments like this? He even began to admire the portly Alchemist beside him; that fellow’s decisiveness was truly beyond his own.

But Alchemists and Wizards were like fire and water. He immediately dismissed the thought and continued to stare attentively at the Great Witch.

As for the Great Witch, she remained motionless.

Her immobility was not entirely due to Wizard Gus’s Binding Curse; part of the reason was the helplessness deep in her heart.

This helplessness stemmed from her lack of confidence.

She had been a black-robed Wizard for so long, so long that she’d nearly forgotten what one was supposed to do after advancing.

Over the years, she had practically poured all her time into the Divination House, even believing that her Crystal Ball could reveal the path for her advancement.

Her tiny Divination House became all her hopes and dreams; she had wagered everything on it. However, Divination was merely a pitifully small part of a Wizard’s skills. Most Wizards only viewed it as a diversion, because harnessing Natural Force was their ultimate pursuit.

Witch Biggs had lingered in the confusing maze of advancement for a long time, unable to find any viable way to break through her bottleneck. Instead, by devoting herself entirely to her Spirit Sensing Skills, she had ended up investing her entire youth...

Her figure was stooped, like an old woman’s. Although this state brought her considerable convenience and advantages, it ultimately couldn’t help her advance to become a Gray Robe. And time, sometimes an invisible killer, had quietly and imperceptibly loosened her resolve, making her slowly forget her original dream of advancement...

Just as she was beginning to accept her life as a Diviner, infatuated with her reputation as an omnipotent figure in Gaga County, fate decided to play another trick on her.

A few stones had, by a strange twist of fate, inadvertently entangled her in a feud that initially had, and arguably still had, nothing to do with her. Whether she liked it or not, she was now mired in this conflict.

What made her feel most helpless was not this tangled mess of events. She could still discern right from wrong in these matters; at least, in her own mind, she still felt she should keep her distance from these people.

The helplessness stemmed from this: she had resolved to distance herself, yet she was unable to. These people had targeted her, leaving her with no choice.

Isn’t that so? The three leaders of the Black Crow had directly labeled her an enemy. In fact, she desperately wanted to say that she was no ally of the Vice Court Chief of the Liuli City Court of Guards.

But she didn’t say it. It wasn’t that she lacked the opportunity, but rather she felt the outcome would be even worse if she did.

These people would not let her leave so easily. Moreover, this fellow before her even dared to covet her wizard robe!

This is an insult! she fumed internally.

But no matter how enraged she was deep down, she still felt devoid of any motivation. That sense of helplessness arose precisely from being unable to do anything.

I can’t make a choice. I can’t do anything. I’m just a lamb waiting for slaughter...

Yet, the opponent’s butcher’s knife still hadn’t fallen. This only made her feel more helpless, with an added trace of anxiety.

The sensation was somewhat familiar, strikingly similar to her endless falling in the past.

Falling, with no bottom in sight... isn’t this the very fear and helplessness I felt before my advancement?

Now that feeling had returned. What does this mean? she wondered.

Great Witch Biggs’s eyelid twitched. She seemed to see that familiar child again.

That naughty, willful child.

Exactly. That was her faction after advancement—the Wind Type. And the child she saw was the primary element she would control post-advancement—the Wind Elemental.

And she, all she needed to do was point out a path for this capricious, mischievous child.

Go. That’s a fun place, with countless wildflowers and endless birds to see. A familiar song began to hum in her heart, a melody recorded in a Spirit Book.

Then, a WHOOSHING sound echoed across the entire mountaintop.

The wind had risen.