Seer

At 32 Weldi Street, South Bridge District, Owen's home.

Owen was sitting on the living room sofa, holding a cup of coffee that had long since gone cold. One moment he looked at the clock on the wall, the next toward the front door, his expression both expectant and anxious.

"It's already past eleven. Why isn't he here yet? Nothing could have happened to him, could it?"

"You'd rather believe something happened to me than believe I ran off with the money?" Cyril said as he emerged from the dining room.

Owen sprang up from the sofa, nearly tossing away the cold coffee in his hand. Only after seeing who it was did he complain resentfully:

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

Cyril raised an eyebrow at him. "When you're home alone in the middle of the night, rustling sounds suddenly come from a corner, and then something invisible approaches step by step..."

"Stop, don't say any more!"

Owen hurriedly cut him off. Under the dim yellow light, his face had gone faintly pale.

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

"I live here alone. If you scare me, there'll be no one to help me share the fear."

Cyril nodded noncommittally, took a metal box from his coat, and placed it on the coffee table in the living room.

"Have you prepared the other ingredients?"

"If you think you're ready, you can try brewing the potion now and consume it to advance."

Owen licked his slightly dry lips. "Of course. The moment you left this afternoon, I went out to buy the ingredients."

As he spoke, he turned and took a clean glass, along with prepared pure water, night fragrant herb juice, golden mint, and other ingredients from the cabinet behind him.

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

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

After pushing the two ingredients over, he casually asked, "Will you do it yourself, or should I brew it for you?"

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

After a pause, he added, "Watch over me from the side. If something goes wrong, stop me in time."

After Cyril nodded, Owen took the glass and carefully added each ingredient in precisely measured amounts, then gave it a gentle shake twice.

A few breaths later, all the ingredients blended together, turning into a thick, dark blue liquid.

Cyril gave an objective assessment from the side. "Judging by its appearance, this looks much more appetizing than the Apprentice potion."

"Hehe, I think so too. And I really like the abilities of a Seer."

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

The next second, his entire body froze in place. Pain suddenly twisted his expression, and he could no longer hold the glass in his hand as it fell from his grasp.

Crash!

The glass shattered on impact, leaving shards scattered across the floor.

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

"It's not a Full Moon right now. It shouldn't be this bad."

"Could it be that the Seer Pathway has drawn Mr. Door's displeasure? Even if He is displeased, He shouldn't be able to interfere with reality."

As he murmured, he saw clusters of ghastly pale flesh sprouts grow from Owen's face, swaying in the air. At the same time, his flesh kept splitting open, faintly glimmering with starlight and crimson, as though new organs were about to grow from it.

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

"...Save... save me... urgh..."

With the flesh on his body constantly tearing apart, Owen clutched both sides of his head and forced out broken, intermittent words, as though both his body and mind were suffering unimaginable torment.

Cyril could only watch from the side. For the moment, he couldn't think of any way to help him.

Should I ask Adam for help?

I'll wait a little longer. If it really comes to that, I'll call him. His name is short enough that it won't take any time, and owing Him a favor won't be easy.

As his thoughts shifted, Owen, who had been writhing painfully on the sofa, gradually slowed his movements and quieted down. The rampant flesh sprouts on his body were also retracting at a visible speed.

Half a minute later, Owen had returned to human form and lay on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling while his chest rose and fell violently.

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

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

"The Seer's acting principles mainly have two points. First, help others interpret revelations and guide them toward a better path. Always maintain reverence for Fate; don't become arrogant or conceited, and don't blindly trust your own interpretations."

"Second, you can't rely entirely on divination. Divination isn't omnipotent."

Owen smiled with difficulty. "Why does that sound a bit like what I told you before? Don't force yourself, don't be arrogant..."

Cyril sat back down on the sofa and answered while examining him. "They're adjacent Pathways to begin with. Both their acting principles and Beyonder Abilities will have overlapping aspects."

"Rest quietly for a while first."

"Mm." Owen nodded lightly, then closed his eyes.

A few seconds later, he couldn't help speaking again. "The bloodline curse is even more terrifying than I imagined. Good thing you stopped me from taking the potion during the Full Moon, otherwise..."

"Otherwise, I'd probably be a mystical item or a Beyonder Characteristic by now, right?"

Yes, the Master Key—a very useful mystical item.

Muttering inwardly, Cyril casually said, "During the brief process of advancing by consuming a potion, spirituality and intuition undergo a short explosive increase. That's why that so-called bloodline curse in you erupted."

"Once you adapt to and settle the changes brought by the potion, everything will return to normal—unless you advance again, encounter a Full Moon, or experience some similar change that increases spirituality and strengthens intuition."

"Try not to come into conflict with Vampires. They have a Sequence called Scarlet Scholar that can artificially create a Full Moon."

Owen raised his head and looked at him in surprise, confusion, and worry. "A Full Moon can be artificially created?"

Cyril nodded slightly. "That Pathway's Sequence 0 is called Moon."

"Do you know Lilith, the Sanguine Progenitor? She once held that position. If she wished, she could make every day in this world a blood moon, let yin forces ravage the earth, and keep the Spirit World and reality interacting for long periods."

"Mm...?"

Cyril suddenly stopped speaking and turned to look at the window behind him, concealed by curtains. For that brief moment, he had felt as if someone's gaze had fallen upon him.

Lilith? Isn't that a little too sensitive? I only mentioned her casually.

Forget it. Nothing should happen before Mother Earth exposes her identity, but I'd better mention these names less often in the future.

When he turned back, he saw Owen looking at him curiously. "What is it?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. I just suddenly remembered that the Sanguine Progenitor doesn't seem to have completely fallen. She still responds to Sanguine prayers from time to time. We can't casually speak these names in the future. Danger is everywhere in the mysterious world."

Owen nodded in strong agreement, then asked another question.

"After consuming the potion, I gained quite a bit of mysticism knowledge, but more of it was physical and mental enhancement. I can see things that are blocked from view, and I can still hear faint footsteps."

"But I didn't gain complete knowledge about astrology, divination methods, and the like."

"The potion only gives you the qualifications and abilities to learn that knowledge. For the rest, you'll have to rely on those."

Cyril was unsurprised. He shrugged, then pointed toward the bookshelf behind Owen that held quite a few books.

Owen's mouth twitched. "I'm starting to regret it. The Apprentice is actually pretty good too—its abilities are simple and straightforward."

Cyril said, "Did you forget that it has a Sequence called Astrologer?"

Owen: ...

"I'd better read honestly. Once I fully master divination, we can rob the rich and help the poor."

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

"While that's happening, I also need to come up with a stable way to make money. I'm about to graduate, and the living expenses my family gives me will probably stop then."