One-Eyed Monster

Wizard Reed shook his head; he didn’t have much time left to ponder these matters.

His snowman had bought him a considerable amount of time. In an instant, all the accumulated Malice Spirit Entities within him were refined. Now, he was about to reveal, one by one, the things he had obtained from years of immersing himself in the Power of Darkness before these experts.

Even if he ultimately failed, his journey to this mystical mountain range would not have been in vain.

Of course, Wizard Reed had a contingency plan, though he wasn’t sure if it could be executed. Its success depended on the arrival of a specific person—someone not from the Black Crow, yet more important than anyone in it.

Besides himself, everyone else from the Black Crow had been overpowered by these experts. The names of the three Black Crow leaders even escaped him now; they had all suffered humiliating defeats and were probably nursing their wounds in some forgotten corner.

He vaguely remembered them being captured by that troublemaker who played with fire. However, when chaos erupted on the mountain, those three had seized the opportunity to escape...

Upon reflection, many of the Black Crow members really were a motley crew, Wizard Reed thought. Except for a few individuals the Boss trusted implicitly, the rest were just a bunch of opportunists looking for shortcuts.

Wizard Reed understood his current predicament clearly. He had to live up to the Boss’s trust. The Boss had sent him here for a scroll and had revealed the true method to him alone. This mountain, with its pervasive aura of deathly stillness, did an excellent job of concealing its true secrets.

No one would have guessed that this mountain, in its deathly still places, concealed a secret of resurrection.

This power of resurrection could forge a path to the Eternal Tranquility Realm, allowing a powerful leader to instantly assemble a vast army.

That was what Wizard Reed desired. If he could possess the strength to contend with the Empire’s Guardian Army, the Black Crow could completely change the world’s power structure.

Therefore, this scroll was crucial. Wizard Reed had to obtain it...

The ancient Fossil Key was the crux of the matter, but unfortunately, far too many people were guarding it.

To be honest, I don’t want to believe that the ancient Fossil Key is the Great Mentor Guzan, Wizard Reed mused. How could the key be a living person? It must be something that person *carries*... But Boss Willem insisted the key *was* a living person... Whatever the truth, it will be revealed once the mission is complete.

So, Wizard Reed stopped hesitating. His plan was to defeat all these guardians and then take the Fossil Key to the scroll’s hiding place.

Even though I might not succeed in getting the Fossil Key, it’s worth a try. The Power of Darkness, the very force I’ve dedicated myself to for so many years, is about to be tested. Only by clashing with true masters can one verify the true nature of one’s power...

However, something unexpected occurred.

Wizard Reed had been preparing for a major confrontation when he suddenly discovered a serious problem.

Those people, the ones who were right under his nose, had vanished completely!

This threw him into a panic. For the first time, truly the first time, I feel like I’ve been played!

He’d never imagined that while he was here, gathering his dark energy, his enemies would actually go into hiding.

Although he could faintly sense their Spirit Power, he couldn’t pinpoint their exact locations. Moreover, that illusion—most likely created by the strongest among them—was still present, meaning he had been completely fooled.

The only thing still at Moonflow Stream was that flame.

The scene was quite comical: the flame and the snowman were locked in a struggle, surging back and forth, but neither could subdue the other, nor could one force the other to submit, and yet, the true masters of these two combatants were nowhere to be found.

Wizard Reed’s head was spinning. When did I miss it? How did those experts just disappear so completely?

Having gathered his power to a critical point, Wizard Reed suddenly deflated. He was completely bewildered.

This is unbelievable!

Moonflow Stream was now indeed devoid of any human presence. So, where had Kevin and the others gone?

They hadn’t truly disappeared; they had merely been teleported to the Great Mentor’s side.

This, of course, was Igor’s idea.

It wasn’t because Igor was particularly perceptive, able to foresee Reed gathering power or sense the latent danger here. In fact, Igor had Stan Sol teleport everyone away simply because he thought the area was now safe.

Kevin and the others were all staunch supporters of the Great Mentor.

Whether it was the people from the Alchemy Workshop or the monsters of Guru Mountain, any mention of the Great Mentor immediately sparked their concern.

So, when Igor mused aloud, I wonder how the Great Mentor is doing? it instantly threw the group into an uproar.

Everyone demanded to know the Great Mentor’s whereabouts. They had all rushed to Moonflow Stream after sensing the disturbances, their purpose—to protect the Great Mentor—being self-evident. Yet, upon arrival, they discovered he wasn’t there.

Igor had basically tossed a match into a tinderbox...

Naturally, Stan Sol then took everyone to find the Great Mentor.

Only the Battle Pet Fiery Blaze was left behind at the stream, still locked in its contest with the snowman.

Initially, the group wasn’t so desperate. But when Igor wondered aloud, Why hasn’t the Great Mentor come after all this time? Could something have happened to him? it made everyone even more agitated.

As a result, everyone began imploring Stan Sol fervently...

As Stan Sol initiated the Teleportation, he shot Igor a resentful look. It’s not that the Great Mentor and the others didn’t come; they *couldn’t* come! I’m the only one who can teleport. How else were they supposed to get here? Walk? That would take ages! Igor really knows how to stir things up.

Stan Sol suddenly felt that Igor was truly impulsive, acting on whatever whim struck him.

They had barely settled in the safe house when Igor began to fret about the Battle Pet Fiery Blaze again, pestering Stan Sol to teleport them back to Moonflow Stream. Stan Sol desperately wanted to tell him that a single summons would be enough for the Battle Pet Fiery Blaze to return on its own, no matter the distance.

But Igor didn’t believe him. Besides, Stan Sol wasn’t very articulate, so it was quite normal for Igor to misunderstand what he was trying to convey.

And so, Igor and his companions returned to Moonflow Stream.

Naturally, Kadi was with Igor. This time, they were also accompanied by Young Master Hustace.

When they arrived back at Moonflow Stream, Wizard Reed almost spat blood...

What’s the meaning of this, coming back again?! Wizard Reed fumed internally.

Truth be told, Igor had no particular intentions. It was all Nothingness to him; he was simply stirring things up out of sheer boredom.