One-Eyed Monster

Billy, the waiter, stood up leisurely, paying no heed to the nearby Treasure Hunters whistling disdainfully.

Their whistles were filled with contempt and mockery, and some sharp whistles even carried a hint of provocativeness.

However, Billy didn't have the luxury to care about these things, because at this moment, he had to focus one hundred percent on his opponent. There was no room for negligence.

A Spirit Duel was not an easy task; if the opponent used their invisible Spirit Power to interfere with you, even the most potent Magic would be futile.

Billy raised his head, looked at the sky, and paced in his unique, somewhat unfamiliar way.

This was his first Spirit Duel, and there were many things he did not yet understand. All he knew was that a Spirit Duel was a contest of strength; as long as his power surpassed others, he wouldn't fear any opponent in any Spirit Duel.

He was clearly very confident in his strength, but whether this body could withstand the overflowing Spirit Power after his outbreak was still a mystery.

I'm still not very adapted to this body. Many things look simple, but they're quite complicated in their execution. Coordinating every action, having every part of the body respond... it is really a tedious process, another voice gently said within Billy's body. This voice had taken over Billy's body for the second time. This time, the experience felt more complex than the first.

The first time he occupied this body, he mostly felt excitement. His first occupation was smooth, and he completed the task given by his master perfectly—it was inevitable to feel excited.

Secondly, his first occupation had given him more satisfaction than novelty. He was completely immersed in the feeling of fulfillment, which led him to forget other sensations.

Moreover, the first occupation was simply to carry out a task. He just had to act according to his master's orders and didn't need much free will.

Thus, he hadn't found it hard to adapt to Billy's body at that time.

But this time, it was entirely different. He could now be considered an experienced Spirit occupier. Although he had been severely punished by his master for recklessly playing with Spirit occupation due to the success of his first occupation, those impulsive occupations had nevertheless provided him with a lot of experience. As a result, he was no longer flustered when facing various emergencies.

So this time, while continuing to guard the tavern's entrance as per his master's orders, he had also gained more free will, which allowed him to act fairly freely.

Therefore, he had the opportunity to experience the various sensations this body brought him and to experience the life this body originally possessed...

These multifaceted experiences made him quite happy, and he put his master's strict prohibition completely out of his mind.

Also, the farce of the Spirit Duel was partly triggered by his arrogance.

Nobody would intentionally pick a fight with a Wizard for a Spirit Duel...

Spirit Duels are very draining on Spirit Power. Unless absolutely necessary, no one would willingly accept such a challenge.

A duel is not something you can just declare. Unless things reach a desperate point or between mortal enemies, who would choose to duel with someone?

If such a person existed, their mind must have been kicked by a mule.

Based on this reasoning, the Treasure Hunters naturally assumed that this farce was meticulously planned by someone, and the planner was not very impressive.

But in fact, this farce wasn't planned by others. The confident elder accepted Billy's Spirit Duel request because of the surging feelings in his heart.

People tend to get puffed up with a little praise. When showered with flattery, one often loses self-judgment, becomes arrogant, and forgets who they truly are.

The elder spoke with such confidence because he was a Gray Robe Wizard. This status afforded him considerable special treatment. With a little more flattery, he might have even sprouted wings and flown.

This arrogance made him dislike everyone, especially when he had just arrived at Guru Mountain and the tavern waiter informed him that the establishment was booked out and he couldn't enter for a drink.

He, who was accustomed to many privileges, was immediately enraged and wanted to give the waiter named Billy a sound thrashing.

He had come here at the invitation of Aliusan, the leader of Black Mountain on Guru Mountain. However, when he arrived, he found no one there to receive him. He went to two taverns that seemed reasonably sized. One, with its dense Spirit Defenses, scared him off before he even dared to step past the threshold. The other was the one where this sarcastic waiter now blocked him.

All he wanted was a drink... The waiter had replied that he could, but only outside.

These words angered him. As a Wizard, being denied entrance made him extremely upset.

Therefore, he wanted to mess with Billy a bit and proposed a drinking contest.

To his surprise, Billy could hold his liquor as well as him...

After a few heated words, his arrogance could no longer be contained. He wanted to cast a cyclone spell to blow the waiter into the sky...

But what he did not expect was that no matter how angry he became or how much he verbally attacked, the stone-faced waiter didn't change his expression and steadfastly refused him entry.

...

「Now, it had reached the point where a Spirit Duel was proposed.」

The elder was caught between a rock and a hard place, whether he accepted or not.

Due to his own arrogance, the elder felt he had to face this Spirit Duel, no matter the cost.

If he were to simply refuse, he could not continue to make a living on Guru Mountain.

If one was too afraid to accept a duel, they could hardly expect respect from others. They might as well be dreaming.

So, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and go for it.

Luckily, he was a Wizard. He had accumulated many underhanded tricks over time, and now he could finally put them to use.

A duel, you say? Who said a duel must be honorable? A duel between two rascals is still a duel. Have you ever seen rascals play by the rules in a fight?

Although he was a Gray Robe Wizard, he never considered himself an honorable duelist.

As long as he could win, he was willing to use any underhanded trick.

The Gray Robe Wizard gathered his Spirit Power, which had been scattered thinly. Now he concentrated this Spirit Power, making it take form. He possessed this skill. However, the eagle formed by his Spirit Power was quite inferior to the vulture condensed from his opponent's Spirit Power.

But he didn't worry in the slightest.

His Blood-Sucking Insect was already en route. Most people couldn't see it, and it was also difficult for others to detect with Spirit Sensing.

Once bitten by this insect, a portion of Spirit Power would be sucked out, and this could be the determining factor in the Spirit Duel…