One-Eyed Monster

The wind is a complex and mutable entity, sometimes gentle, sometimes proud, caressing like a loving mother in its gentleness, and roaring fiercely like a beast in its pride.

The wind also has a life. From the moment it is formed, it has been drifting in the world. It drifts from one end of the continent to the other, from the cold of the harshest winter to the heat of the Extreme Summer, and from the barren peak of Guru Mountain to its bustling foot. It is always drifting, living, and witnessing. Its existence has lasted longer than you or me.

The wind silently nourishes growth, and yet it also ruthlessly devastates the vast land. It always comes to your side unnoticed, and then leaves quietly. By the time you and I realize this, it has already disappeared without a trace, carrying away our related messages.

Old Hunters always wanted to catch the wind, but every cage they loosed was shattered by the wind's blow, never even catching sight of the wind's shadow.

Alchemists would love to reach an agreement with the wind, hoping for its cooperation. They have tried every trick in the book but none could find a way to communicate with the wind. In the end, they could only watch as the wind blew past them.

Fighters and Politicians found their Spirit Sensing skills could not intervene in the Natural Force. They could only repeatedly lament the wind's unpredictable comings and goings.

Only Wizards, the self-proclaimed wisemen of this continent, can discern the wind's shape. Their Spirit Sensing skill is able to tap into the ancient Natural Force, and this mystery always convinces Wizards that they are the masters of this continent.

Maybe this is one of the main reasons why the Wizard Alliance and the Alchemy Workshop can't live in peace.

So when an Alchemy Servant of the Alchemy Workshop encountered a Wizard Apprentice who had never advanced, his ridicule wasn't unfounded. It was rooted in the long-standing grudges between these two factions that have existed since ancient times.

However, when Axia saw the walking corpse threatening him being swept away by a gust of wind, he was filled with gratitude, although he was still grumbling, "What were you doing earlier? Showing off only now?"

Witch Biggs was surprised too, as she did not realize the changes happening within her. She was filled with... regret. Yes, during her seemingly endless fall, she felt tremendous regret. She regretted that her lifelong study of Spirit Sensing had not helped her advance to Gray Robe at this critical moment. She felt she couldn't face her mentor or her sisters. As the eldest among her peers, she hadn't even mastered the basic skills of a Wizard by the time she thought she was breathing her last.

She was filled with regret and helplessness, feeling her heavy march towards the Eternal Tranquility Realm. The fall would eventually have an end, and when that end was reached, the whooshing wind would stop.

In every coincidence, there always lies an inevitability. The Great Witch had, in the process of her psychological falls, perceived the many faces of the wind, so when she opened her eyes, she saw the world had undergone a tremendous transformation.

She saw cold, and she saw heat.

The cold was like a heavy square iron block, plunging into the earth headfirst, while the heat was like a light, soft cloud without weight, always wanting to float up into the sky.

At that time, she subconsciously reached out her hand, grabbing that iron block and cloud. At the very instant that these two collided, she saw the form of the wind.

The wind was just a child who had lost its way...

Seeing this child darting around helplessly stirred sympathy in her heart, which rose involuntarily like plumes of cooking smoke. She reached out her hand, guiding this child here, guiding it there...

The wind, this lost child, followed her guidance, and soon it blew away the attacking corpses.

"Lord Witch, you have progressed!" A warm smile spread over Musa's face. He could finally stop overexerting his Spirit Power. The few times he had summoned the Spirit Wall had nearly exhausted him. Now, seeing the Great Witch summon strange winds with a simple wave of her hand, his relief was profound.

"Huh?" Witch Biggs did not even realize her own changes. She continued to guide the lost child based on her own intuition.

"Looks like she's a Wind Wizard," stated Qi Liu, who was still worried about Young Master Hustace and regretting his inability to come up with a better strategy.

Witch Biggs's previously hunched back gradually straightened, and her once-weary posture grew straighter, her body becoming more upright.

Axia observed as the myriad wrinkles on Biggs's face disappeared as if her skin were shedding, leaving behind a face etched with the resilience of one who had weathered many storms.

Those Wizards must have sold their souls to the Devil to become young again! Alchemists are far more respectable; they don't trade their souls for power like these Wizards do, Axia mused, trying to comfort himself. He only had a superficial understanding of Alchemists and Wizards but loved to indulge in such comparisons and speculations. Seeing Witch Biggs undergo such an astonishing transformation naturally stirred his heart, a feeling amplified after the assault by the walking corpses.

The lost child, Wind, gratefully accepted the help of Witch Biggs. It danced around her, keeping the walking corpses at bay.

Obstacles should be eliminated, Witch Biggs heard the wind say. She was surprised to find the wind was quite a hot-tempered fellow.

Her black wizard robe was also beginning to change color. The original black gradually receded, replaced by gray. This light tone, though unremarkable, became the dominant color of her wizard robe, completely supplanting the original black. This process was as natural as a child outgrowing its childishness.

A Wizard's progression!

Biggs had progressed to a Gray Robe!

Witch Biggs was unprepared for this sudden change. She had believed she was heading towards the Eternal Tranquility Realm...

This process also caused an uproar among the puppeteers controlling the walking corpses. A Wizard's progression, also known as an Awakening, meant Witch Biggs had awakened the Wizard's power of Wind. This took the puppeteers by surprise, as an Awakening is unpredictable. A Wizard who overestimates their abilities during an Awakening and attempts to control the entirety of the Natural Force is difficult to manage. Even an army of Puppets cannot hold back such an out-of-control Awakened one.

「Non Intoxication Tavern」

"This Awakened one must be mine. I've always wanted a Wind Wizard robe," Gus, one of the leaders of the Black Crow, said greedily.

"No one will fight you for it," another Fighter leader added. "We'll discuss this after we go up the mountain."

「Meanwhile, not too far away at Lubin Tavern」

The Gold Chiefs were methodically executing their plan.

"Chief, an Awakened one, Wind element!" Milo reported the latest findings.

"Maintain the feint attack and don't reveal our strength prematurely," instructed Kuyi Tulan. He took a sip of his drink, a hint of excitement on his face. "Things are certainly getting interesting!"