One-Eyed Monster

Wizard Reed handled his Magic Staff in the tavern. Compared to the Wizard Alliance, he preferred to call this long cane a Magic Staff rather than a wand. All arts in this world obey the Law of Equivalent Exchange; even a Wizard's Spellcraft is no exception. The only difference is that Wizards are adept at hiding, making an otherwise common exchange seem mysterious...

Reed despised the Wizard Alliance from the bottom of his heart. These people did nothing but parade around in flashy robes, sanctimoniously calling them "holy robes," when in fact they were merely pretentious charlatans. Reed felt that the Wizard Alliance was even more hypocritical than the Alchemy Workshop.

Perhaps this had much to do with their professions. Alchemists, for instance, openly declared that their Alchemy was based on the Alchemy Equation—this honesty he appreciated. Wizards from the Wizard Alliance, on the other hand, were always secretive. Some of the old fogeys even refrained from showing their real faces, always daubing them with cosmetics to appear younger... These hypocrites were always desperately hiding something, terrified of being seen by others.

The Six Sages, huh? Sages—what a joke. That title is just their way of concealing their own inferiority complex.

Reed wiped his Magic Staff, his face expressionless.

Guru Mountain was the same, hidden by these hypocritical men, never revealing its true face.

As a leader of the Black Crow, Reed was very different from the others. Although every leader of the Black Crow was somewhat peculiar, Reed stood out among these eccentrics. He was independent, at times even disobeying the Black Crow's rules and acting on his own. To others, this arrogant lout—seen as an individualist even by the Chief—appeared insufferably arrogant, disorganized, and undisciplined; a complete pariah in their estimation.

Reed didn't care about such opinions, always considering them insignificant. He felt that most people fruitlessly chased illusions, a hypocrisy not worth the effort. Human life is short, ending before you know it. In this brief existence, Reed wanted to pursue genuine power, using it to fill the void within him.

Then he met Willem of the Black Crow. From that moment, his pursuit of power became an unstoppable torrent. Power surged from every corner; Reed felt like an empty vessel, waiting to be filled with all the world's secrets...

"The people from the Wizard Alliance are here too," Reed said softly, though there wasn't a soul around. It was unclear to whom the Black Crow leader was speaking.

CLINK, CLANK. The iron chain beneath Reed's foot scraped and rattled; clearly, the beings tethered to its other end were growing restless.

"I know you're hungry, but I can't feed you right now. You should know how hard the ingredients you require are to find; I have no choice but to give up for now."

The beings on the other end of the chain thrashed harder. CLANG! RATTLE! The iron links resounded continuously.

"Alright, you'll have your meal when the time comes. Right now, we have more important things to do."

Reed hadn't known much about Guru Mountain before he arrived; he was here entirely because of Willem. The Chief of the Black Crow had informed him that Guru Mountain concealed a powerful seal. Beneath this seal lay a coveted form of power, so immense that its discoverers dared not use it. After repeated discussions and studies, they finally decided it was best to keep this power sealed.

Hypocrites, Reed sighed once more. He always felt that those in lofty positions constantly feared some inexplicable things. Exalted as they were, they forever guarded against the insignificant masses below, terrified these lesser people would uncover their secrets and drag them from their pedestals... Such people feared everything, meticulously concealing all their weaknesses.

However, no matter how careful one is, there are always slip-ups; the more something is hidden, the more likely it is to be coveted. Reed was precisely that kind of person. Even if the power sealed by others was minuscule, he had to get involved simply because he wanted to see what lay hidden.

Being a Gravedigger isn't so easy; you need the skill to unearth the graves others have hidden.

Seals varied greatly. Wizards had their common incantations and could roughly discern a seal's general nature. But understanding a seal didn't mean one could break it. After all, every seal possessed unique characteristics, like massive locks securing a door. Without the key, it was impossible to see what was confined behind it.

Reed wasn't like a headless fly, blundering about. He was a Dark Wizard; he didn't follow the seemingly glamorous conventions of Wizards and other such professions. He could act as he pleased, utterly unrestrained.

However, Reed didn't act recklessly, because he had to report to Willem. Willem had granted him considerable freedom and trust; regardless, he had to provide Willem with a satisfactory account.

From Willem's message, Reed had gleaned some clues. He had previously spent time with the Wizard Alliance and had researched their seals extensively. In a sense, Reed had once been the foremost expert at breaking seals within the Wizard Alliance. Unfortunately, the Wizard Alliance didn't advocate breaking seals, only inventing new ones. Thus, a genius like Reed was buried and forgotten.

Reed harbored few regrets. His time in the Wizard Alliance had only sharpened his understanding of the world's fundamental nature: without sufficient power, one lacked the capital to trade for what one truly desired. This world was genuinely fair—fair enough that with a certain level of strength, one could indeed do whatever they wished...

Now, I need a catalyst, Reed thought. Through Willem's description and his own observations, Reed had discerned the seal's characteristics. He saw the great locks barring the door of secrets. Unfortunately, these massive locks were fastened tight, offering no discernible weakness. Moreover, there was no visible keyhole, no indication of where to even begin...

Interesting, Reed felt a thrill of excitement; it had been a long time since he'd picked such a challenging lock. These locks were quite robust. A pity, though; even the sturdiest locks have their weak points.

Reed stroked his Magic Staff, his gaze falling upon the jumbled stones. Those were the expensive Dawn Peak stones he had acquired. These stones exhibited no Spirit Power signature, clearly suppressed by the seal.

Willem had said the sealed art was related to death, which simplified matters. Because Undead Souls require no solace, I just need a catalyst to lead the Undead Souls to the Land of Death. Then I can easily find the breakthrough point for those locks. But... how am I to find this catalyst...

Reed sank into deep thought.