One-Eyed Monster

Stan Sol closed his eyes, incessantly berating himself for his stupidity. It was simply unacceptable that he had failed to notice such a simple illusion.

At this moment, the fighters on both sides had halted their attacks; even the warlike Brad restrained his berserk fists.

"What in the world is happening?" Baharo still failed to understand what was unfolding before his eyes. He hadn't anticipated that this task, which he had been reluctant to undertake, would lead to so many unusual situations.

Aside from the seemingly dull "protection task" that had almost cost him his life, all the encounters he'd had since arriving on Guru Mountain were enough for him to brag about for a long time—if he could make it down the mountain safely, that is.

Think about it—who could possibly encounter the chief of the Alchemy Workshop, come into contact with ancient Hunters, indirectly stumble upon a Wizard of the Dark Arts, and see the legendary Monster of Guru Mountain, all within such a short span of time?

This wealth of experiences was already enough for him to process for a long time, and now a new batch of indescribable oddities had appeared—like the Undroppable Vine, something he had only ever read about in books.

Once this vine makes contact, it's incredibly difficult to remove. Many Hunters considered this vine a treasure because when used in trap setting, the entire hunting process could be described as flawless; one could reap rewards even with their eyes closed.

Baharo's first instinct upon seeing the Undroppable Vine was to reach out and pick it, as he recalled the harvesting instructions from the books he had read.

However, no matter how hard he tried to dig at the roots of the Undroppable Vine, he felt as if his fingers were merely scrabbling through empty air.

Nearby, Stan Sol also wore an exceptionally strange expression.

The expressions on the faces of the Alchemists on the opposing side were also varied and peculiar. But no matter how strange, Baharo could sense that their will to fight had vanished, replaced by surprise and vexation.

"Hector!" Joela, his face etched with resentment, raised his voice, clearly upset by what he had just witnessed. "Test the substance!"

"Yes, Senior Joela!" Hector immediately dropped his defensive stance and activated his Spirit Sensing ability. The so-called Substance Test involved using an Alchemist's Substance Sensing Skill to determine the internal connections of an object.

Hector found it strange that the shrubbery before the opposing party appeared transparent. The two figures stepped on it as if treading on water—no, more like stepping on a cloud. The shrubs didn't react in any way; not even the sound of them being crushed underfoot could be heard.

Hector directed his Spirit Power to collide with the shrubbery. This was a unique Substance Sensing Skill possessed by Alchemists. Unlike the Spirit Sensing skills of other professions—such as the Secret Sensing of Hunters or the Color Sensing of Fighters, which rely on sensory organs like eyes, nose, and ears to perceive Spirit Power from external forms—the Alchemists' Substance Sensing Skill perceives Spirit Power from within an object. This internal exploration cannot be achieved merely through sensory perception. Therefore, Alchemists always infuse their Spirit Power into the target object in an offensive state, causing a collision. In other words, an Alchemist's Spirit Sensing skill generally consists of two steps: first, perception through tactile sensation, and second, internal probing through Spirit Power collision.

This was why Alchemists could sense the internal structure of some Dead Objects—through this second step of Spirit Power collision.

The Spirit Power Hector emitted passed straight through the shrubbery. The sensation of the collision told him that everything before him consisted of Dead Objects, all with the texture of stone, completely unrelated to actual trees...

"Senior, something's wrong!" The feedback Hector received was inconsistent with the usual sensation of such a collision. "This shrubbery has no trace of a tree's aura!"

Before Joela could respond, Baharo, who had overheard Hector, exclaimed in surprise, "What? Shrubbery? What shrubbery are you talking about? Isn't that a cliff? And the Undroppable Vine? Where do you see any shrubs? You people are always bluffing! I don't know what you're up to all day, always causing trouble with your nonsensical talk at crucial moments!"

After hearing Baharo's complaints, Stan Sol and Joela exchanged bitter smiles, both conveying a sense of helplessness and frustration with the current situation.

Joela was furious because he felt that, as an Alchemist, he should not have been deceived by such an illusion. If other Golden Seats were to learn of such a rudimentary mistake, they would mock him endlessly.

Hector's Substance Test feedback further convinced Joela: the scene before him was likely a lost Alchemy Array from the Alchemy Workshop.

This Alchemy Array was said to have been created by the Great Mentor. Seeing a suspected Alchemy Array here on Guru Mountain now somewhat verified the accuracy of the information Black Crow had provided them.

It seems the Great Mentor really is nearby...

Joela didn't have time to savor the joy and excitement of potentially finding the Great Mentor, as an Alchemy Array still lay before him—an Alchemy Array with which he wasn't very familiar.

The key to breaking an Alchemy Array was to find and destroy its Alchemical Markers. However, they were currently surrounded by a multitude of illusions, making it impossible to locate any Alchemical Markers.

They had been trapped within these illusions for so long without any discovery. It was only when their opponent grew careless and made a mistake that they finally noticed a clue. They had truly been far too negligent.

Not only Joela, but Stan Sol also felt that falling into such a simple trap was utterly foolish.

Now that they knew everything around them was an illusion, they should share their discoveries. A temporary alliance was necessary to defeat the enemy lurking behind the scenes. Until that hidden adversary was dealt with, it was inadvisable for them to be at odds with each other.

"This should be the legendary World Setting Technique. The illusions around us must all be Spirit Paintings," Joela conveyed to Stan Sol.

"Spirit... Paintings..." Stan Sol mused.

"Indeed..."

"Sharkmon! Attack!" Stan Sol roared, startling everyone.

Joela, though startled himself, quickly grasped Stan Sol's intention and also began to shout commands, "Everyone, retract your Spirit Power! Hold your breath and remain still! Don't provoke the Sharkmon into attacking you!"

Upon receiving the order, the Sharkmon immediately transformed into a ferocious, dog-like beast, leaping about and snapping viciously with its gaping mouth.

What an excellent way to break the array! Joela couldn't help but admire Stan Sol's quick thinking and decisiveness.

To the Sharkmon, these illusions that entrapped them—these Spirit Paintings—were nothing more than a sumptuous feast!

The Sharkmon devoured them mouthful after mouthful, and the illusions formed by the Spirit Paintings gradually vanished before their eyes.

Once this ring of illusions disappeared, the Alchemical Markers within were laid bare before an Alchemist like Joela.

In other words, this Alchemy Array, known as the World Setting Technique, was thus broken.