One-Eyed Monster

Things can change in the blink of an eye. Bright sunshine might unexpectedly replace a gloomy, rain-soaked sky, a stark contrast to the previous weather, reminding us of life's ever-changing nature.

Such was the situation at the Non Intoxication Tavern by Guru Mountain. The Treasure Hunters, who just moments ago were full of righteous indignation, believing they had been played, now seemed like entirely different people. Their faces filled with excitement as though they had stumbled upon an incredibly fortunate event.

The Treasure Hunters in the front row were wide-eyed with anticipation, fearing they might miss something. Meanwhile, those at the back strained their necks, attempting to catch a glimpse of what was happening.

The saying goes, "Duels happen every year, but a Spirit Duel is a rarity." On this continent, being able to witness a Spirit Duel in one's lifetime was indeed a great fortune. This great fortune had fallen upon these Treasure Hunters. Their excitement was uncontrollable, to the point where they were nearly dancing.

A Spirit Duel is a gamble on one's understanding of and ability to use Spirit Power.

The six professions each have unique skills and methods for understanding and utilizing Spirit Power; they aren't completely the same. These abilities allow combatants to unleash power far exceeding that of ordinary people during a fight. In some ways, these skills and methods also serve as a form of feedback on their Spirit Power control.

However, some professions, such as Scholars and Politicians, aren't meant for battle. But the lack of combat ability does not equate to lacking ability in Spirit Duels.

Politicians and Scholars can still shape their condensed abilities. While the six professions each have their unique understanding of Spirit Power, they are all familiar with Spirit Energy Items—this type of condensed power. Fundamentally, Spirit Power is a formless, unique substance. It is the gathered life energy emitted by Living Entities. It flits around all Living Entities, waiting to be summoned.

A Spirit Duel involves gathering these special entities and then, based on the Summoner's—that is, the Spirit Sensor's—own perception, molding these masses of life energy into a tangible form to battle each other. In other words, it's a fight between physical entities made up of Spirit Power.

However, the Spirit Energy Items manifested in Spirit Duels are different from the energy constructs used by combatants in battle. For instance, Sol's Spirit Arrow and Musa's Spirit Wall are simply Spirit Power condensed into objects. This is a special application of Spirit Power and doesn't summon its true essence—life energy. After all, life energy is a living, special substance and inherently possesses the characteristics of a Living Entity.

The most basic skill required to enter one of the six professions is Spirit Sensing. So-called Spirit Sensing means understanding the essence of Spirit Power: being able to sense the life energy surrounding any Living Entity, anytime, anywhere. This sensation might be visual, auditory, or even olfactory. Regardless of the sense, Spirit Power enters their minds, forming tiny, fixed images. During a Spirit Duel, these tiny, fixed images are then reassembled by the master of that mind, drawing upon their own perception of this world to form an entirely new image. Therefore, the essence of Spirit Duels lies in each participant's perception of the world.

Thus, during a Spirit Duel, a Scholar, seemingly too weak to even truss a chicken, might utterly defeat a ferocious Fighter. Similarly, an Alchemy Servant who has just started might thrash a shrewd Politician soundly.

A Spirit Duel isn't a battle; it doesn't depend on how much Spirit Power one has stored. However, this isn't an absolute rule, as those with more Spirit Power stored have an over eighty percent chance of winning. The sentiment, I have more Spirit Power; I can just wear you down to death! was also quite common.

However, while the uninitiated see only the surface excitement, the experts understand the deeper mechanics. Most of the onlooking Treasure Hunters were only beginners in Spirit Sensing, possessing merely a superficial understanding of Spirit Power. Their perception of the world was also only superficial; they couldn't further reconfigure and assemble these special life energies from an internal perspective. Therefore, most of them were indeed just watching the spectacle.

They saw the Gray Robe Wizard's condensed Spirit Power suddenly transform into an eagle, which fanned its wings in the air, confronting the several vultures conjured by the waiter, Billy.

In their eyes, they saw several vultures fighting a single eagle, yet the eagle wasn't losing. They thought, This eagle is so formidable, able to fight one against four! It looks like that tavern waiter, Billy, is in deep trouble.

However, the reality was not so. The vultures, circling and attacking the eagle, were clearly toying with it, their actions backed by abundant Spirit Power and confident strength. It was like a cat that had caught a mouse and couldn't resist playing with it for a while.

It seemed Billy—or rather, the entity controlling him—intended to wear down the opponent.

This was indeed a sound strategy for the entity in Billy. He knew his strengths and played to them. Of course, Billy himself knew nothing of this; his consciousness was still slumbering in some corner while the entity occupying his body was in command. This entity occupying Billy's body understood all aspects of Spirit Power thoroughly but lacked real-world understanding. To put it bluntly, he was a bookworm, possessing only theoretical knowledge with hardly any practical experience. Therefore, he chose to fight a war of attrition with his opponent.

Regarding strength, he felt he should possess some. However, he still didn't understand his opponent well enough. To be safe, it was best to adopt a conservative strategy.

The Gray Robe on the other side felt a bit awkward. His Spirit Power was limited; after all, he was just a Gray Robe, with restricted Spirit Sensing and reserves. Furthermore, his perception of the world wasn't exactly transcendental. Consequently, there were only a few ways he could transform his condensed Spirit Power. This eagle was already his most prized Spirit Energy Item.

The Gray Robe naturally saw through his opponent's intentions. However, the eagle he had condensed was essentially for show; it lacked any real offensive capability. Turning its head for an Eagle Eye side-glance might intimidate a few people, but in a real Spirit Duel, his eagle was also meant for stalling...

For years, he had relied on his secret weapon, the Blood-Sucking Insect, to win many duels, including Spirit Duels. Therefore, he wasn't worried. The opponent was stalling for time, which suited him perfectly... He was now just waiting for that little insect to silently crawl onto the opponent, open its large mouth, and bite down hard...

Suddenly, Billy's body shuddered, and the entity controlling his body also recoiled.

Could it be that this body cannot withstand my abundant Spirit Power? Why do I feel like I'm going to fall?

It's not just that I'm going to fall, why do I feel my Spirit Power draining…

An eerie smile tugged at the corners of the opposing Gray Robe's mouth...

"HUMPH!"

Suddenly, a sound erupted in mid-air, like a clap of thunder. This sudden CRACK startled the observing Treasure Hunters, making them shudder all over. Caught off guard, they dropped the various items they were holding.

The Gray Robe Wizard was also startled by this grunt, his face paling in shock…

"Merely a Gray Robe!" This voice caused Billy, whose body was already slumping, to collapse completely.

"A mere Gray Robe dares to covet what belongs to this Sage? Are you tired of living?"