Seer

32 Weldi Street, South Bridge District, at the home of Owen.

At this moment, Owen was sitting on the sofa in the living room, holding a cup of coffee that had long since gone cold. He kept glancing between the wall clock and the direction of the front door, his expression expectant and anxious.

"It's already past 11 o'clock. Why isn't he here yet? Could something have happened?"

"Would you believe that I'd run off with your money before you'd believe that something happened to me?" Cyril said as he walked out from the dining area.

Owen jumped up from the sofa, nearly throwing the cold coffee in his hand. Only after clearly seeing who it was did he say with a face full of resentment:

"Can't you use the front door? Or at least make some noise beforehand?"

Cyril raised an eyebrow at him. "Alone at home, in the middle of the night, suddenly hearing rustling sounds in the corner, and then seeing something invisible creeping closer step by step..."

"Stop, don't say another word!"

Owen hurriedly interrupted him, his face turning slightly pale under the dim light:

"You really have a talent for telling horror stories, but don't do it in the middle of the night, and certainly don't tell them to me."

"I live here all by myself. If I get scared, there won't be anyone to help me share the terror."

Cyril nodded noncommittally and took a metal box from his coat, placing it on the coffee table.

"Have you prepared the other ingredients?"

"If you feel you're ready, you can attempt to concoct the potion now and consume it to advance."

Owen licked his somewhat dry lips. "Of course. As soon as you left during the day, I went out to purchase the materials."

With that, he turned and took a clean glass from the cabinet behind him, along with the pure water, Night Vanilla juice, Gold Mint, and other materials he had prepared in advance.

Cyril also opened the metal box on the coffee table, taking out a test tube filled with a pale blue liquid and a small bag of azure, translucent crystals.

These were the main ingredients for the Seer potion: the blood of a Lava Octopus and Star Crystal.

After pushing the two ingredients over, he asked casually, "Are you doing it yourself, or should I help you concoct it?"

Owen nodded immediately. "Of course I'll do it myself. That's what gives it a sense of ritual."

After a pause, he added, "You just watch from the side and call out to me if something goes wrong."

After Cyril nodded, Owen took the glass and very cautiously placed each ingredient into it, neither too much nor too little, before giving it a gentle shake.

A few breaths later, all the materials blended together into a cup of viscous, deep blue liquid.

Cyril gave an objective evaluation from the side: "In terms of appearance, this is much more appetizing than the Apprentice potion."

"Heh, I think so too, and I really like the ability of divination."

Owen chuckled foolishly, then brought the glass to his lips and downed the deep blue liquid in one gulp.

The next second, he froze in place, his expression suddenly turning painful. He could no longer hold the glass, and it slipped from his hand.

Clatter!

The glass shattered upon impact, leaving shards scattered all over the floor.

Cyril took two steps back, his gaze fixed on Owen. The other man's reaction was a bit too intense, and he even began to suspect if this was another failed advancement.

"It's not a full moon right now, so that shouldn't be the case."

"It couldn't be that the Seer pathway has incurred the dissatisfaction of Mr. Door. Even if He were dissatisfied, He shouldn't be able to interfere with reality."

As he whispered to himself, he saw clusters of pale, fleshy buds growing on Owen's face, swaying in the air. At the same time, the flesh on his body kept splitting open, faintly glowing with starlight and crimson, as if new organs were about to sprout.

"Ah... no... don't say..."

"...save... save me... ugh..."

Owen, whose flesh was constantly tearing, clutched both sides of his head tightly with his hands, making difficult, intermittent sounds as if his body and mind were suffering unimaginable torture simultaneously.

Cyril watched from the side, unable to think of any way to help him for the moment.

Should he ask Adam for help?

He would wait a little longer; he would call Him only if it were absolutely necessary. After all, such a short name wouldn't take much time, but favors from Him were not easy to owe.

As his thoughts drifted, Owen, who was struggling painfully on the sofa, gradually slowed his movements and sounds. The fleshy buds on his body were also retracting at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Half a minute later, Owen, having returned to his human form, lay on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling with his chest heaving violently.

After a long while, he finally spoke his first words: "I succeeded."

Cyril nodded in response. "Congratulations. From now on, you are a true Seer."

"There are two main rules for acting as a Seer. First, help others interpret revelations and guide them toward a better path. Always maintain awe for fate; do not become arrogant or conceited, and do not blindly trust your own interpretations."

"Second, you cannot rely entirely on divination. Divination is not omnipotent."

Owen smiled with difficulty. "How is that somewhat similar to what I told you before? Don't push yourself, don't be arrogant..."

Cyril sat back on the sofa, observing him as he replied, "They are adjacent pathways, after all. Whether it's the acting principles or the Beyonder abilities, there will always be overlapping parts."

"You should rest quietly for a while."

"Mm." Owen nodded gently and closed his eyes.

A few seconds later, he couldn't help but speak up again: "The bloodline curse is even more terrifying than I imagined. It's a good thing you stopped me from consuming the potion during the full moon earlier, otherwise..."

"Otherwise, I would have already turned into a magical item or a Beyonder characteristic by now, right?"

Yes, the Key of Stars, a very useful magical item.

Muttering this to himself, Cyril said casually: "During the brief process of consuming a potion to advance, your spirituality and inspiration will experience a short, explosive growth, which is why that so-called bloodline curse of yours flared up."

"Once you adapt to and stabilize the changes brought by the potion, everything will return to normal, unless you advance again, or encounter a full moon, or similar changes that cause your spirituality to surge and your inspiration to strengthen."

"Try your best to avoid conflict with the Sanguine. They have a sequence called 'Crimson Scholar' that can artificially create a full moon."

Owen raised his head, looking at him with surprise, astonishment, and worry: "A full moon can be created artificially?"

Cyril nodded slightly: "The Sequence 0 of that pathway is called 'Moon'."

"Do you know the Sanguine ancestor Lilith? She once occupied that position. As long as she is willing, she can make every day in this world a blood moon, let feminine power ravage the earth, and cause the Spirit World to interact with reality for long periods."

"Hmm...?"

Cyril suddenly stopped speaking and turned to look at the window covered by curtains behind him. Just a moment ago, he felt as if a gaze had landed on him.

Lilith? Isn't that being a bit too sensitive? I was just speaking casually.

Forget it. As long as Mother Earth doesn't expose her identity, there shouldn't be any issues, but I should mention these names less often in the future.

Turning back, he saw Owen looking at him curiously: "What's wrong?"

He shook his head: "Nothing, I just suddenly remembered that the Sanguine ancestor doesn't seem to have completely fallen. She responds to the prayers of the Sanguine from time to time. We shouldn't say these names casually in the future; danger is everywhere in the mysterious world."

Owen nodded in agreement, then asked other questions:

"After consuming the potion, I gained quite a bit of occult knowledge, but it was mostly physical and mental enhancements. I can 'see' things that are blocked and can still 'hear' faint footsteps."

"There isn't any complete knowledge regarding astrology or divination methods."

"The potion only gives you the qualifications and ability to learn that knowledge. For the rest, you need to rely on them."

Cyril shrugged without surprise, then pointed toward the bookshelf behind Owen that held quite a few books.

Owen's mouth twitched: "I'm starting to regret this. Actually, being an Apprentice was pretty good; the abilities were simple and intuitive."

Cyril: "Did you forget that it has a sequence called 'Astrologer'?"

Owen: ...

"I'd better just honestly read these books. Once I fully master divination, we can go rob the rich to help the poor."

Cyril chuckled and nodded: "Then I'll wait for your good news."

"Taking advantage of this time, I also need to come up with a stable way to make money. I'm graduating soon, and by then, the living expenses from home will probably stop."