One-Eyed Monster

Chapter 24: Chapter 24 Trapped

The Earth Wolves fumbled around the cave the entire night but gained nothing. A heated argument soon broke out amongst them.

”I told you those guys must have snuck down the mountain! I knew we were wasting our time here!”

”Down the mountain? My foot! We are still so far from the summit of Dawn Peak. Only a fool would climb the mountain in the middle of the night.”

”But, aren’t they fools?”

...

”Perhaps Musa wasn’t lying; those guys really were hiding their strength.”

”They must have... gone down the mountain... HO HO HO...”

”Exactly! I told you those Crows are unreliable. Not a single trustworthy message!”

”And my boots that were licked clean? Was that unreliable news too?”

”Why the hell do you always pick on me?”

”I just can’t stand the sight of you!”

”Damn it...”

”They must have... gone down the mountain... HO HO HO...”

Pointless bickering, awkward scuffles, and blank stares... The once-clear discipline within the Black Mountain Earth Wolves was gradually fading. Their previously hushed movements had now become a loud commotion.

Their commotion was so loud it drowned out the natural morning sounds of birds and beasts on Guru Mountain. This unusual disturbance naturally roused the three still sleeping inside the cave.

”What’s all the noise about? Can’t a man get some sleep?” Liko shouted from within the cave. However, his voice failed to quiet the hullabaloo outside; instead, it startled Pita.

”We tested it many times last night. No one outside can hear what’s said inside the cave,” Pita yawned and said slowly.

”What’s all that racket outside?” Liko got up and walked out of the cave.

”What’s all the noise!”

His shout still failed to stop the Earth Wolves’ ruckus.

The Earth Wolves continued to argue, scuffle, and stare blankly.

”Damn it, you hit too hard! If you don’t stop, I won’t be polite anymore!”

”Who would climb a mountain at night? Think about it, dumbass.”

”They must have... gone down the mountain... HO HO HO...”

Liko’s roar of anger was completely drowned out by the noisy chatter of the Earth Wolves...

It wasn’t until Igor, still drowsy with sleep, walked out of the cave that one of the Earth Wolves let out a piercing scream.

YAAAH—

This scream pierced through Dawn Peak. In the distant forests, many frightened birds took flight, their wings WHIRRING as they fled the disturbance. Their flapping left echoes that responded to the brief silence brought by the scream.

”They must have... gone down the mountain... HO HO HO...”

Except for the one dazed Earth Wolf, the arguing and scuffling Earth Wolves all froze, their eyes snapping to the source of the scream. Then, as if by prior agreement, they all turned to look in the direction the screaming wolf was pointing.

It was a familiar sight. They had patrolled it back and forth dozens of times the previous night. Even though it was brighter now, they would never forget its outline.

But more astonishing than the scene itself were the two people who had suddenly appeared within it.

No matter how these two people had popped up, now that they had appeared, they must... be captured!

”They must have... gone down the mountain... HO HO HO...”

Amidst the familiar, dazed mumbling of that foolish Earth Wolf, the others swarmed like disturbed bees towards the two fools who were still not fully awake.

One, two, three... several more people piled onto Igor than onto Liko...

”Don’t crush... don’t crush...” Liko struggled, protesting.

”Hey, don’t crush me! Don’t crush me! My waterskin is going to burst...” Igor kept trying to squeeze out, but there was no gap left.

”Got you, brat!”

”Damn it! We searched for hours last night and found nothing, and now they just serve themselves up to us! We absolutely can’t miss this chance!”

”You bunch of idiots! I was the first one to grab him! Hey, lighter, you’re crushing my arm! It just healed...”

”They must have... gone down the mountain... HO HO HO...”

Even while pinning Igor down, this group of Earth Wolves didn’t stop chattering. At this point, they were like madmen. They had completely forgotten whether they were Fighters, Scholars, or Hunters, let alone the professional skills they weren’t very familiar with in the first place.

Right now, all they wanted was to hold these two down, tie them up, and take them back.

Igor, pinned at the very bottom, gradually pieced together from the Earth Wolves’ boisterous chatter that these people were actually after *him*—not, as he’d initially assumed, the Spirit Book!

Of course, he still couldn’t understand how on earth he had become their target!

There was no time for him to think too much. Senior Liko, pinned beside him, was grimacing in pain and clearly unable to help. As for Senior Pita, still inside the cave, he would likely need some time after hearing the commotion to calculate a viable rescue plan.

I can only rely on myself.

But, what can I do?

”Everyone, stop pressing, stop pressing! Listen to me for a moment,” Igor began to attempt self-rescue at this crucial moment.

The cacophony of voices didn’t lessen at Igor’s suggestion.

”AAAAH! I’m going to be crushed into a meat patty! If you don’t stop, I’ll be flattened!” Igor switched from a civilized manner to hysterical screaming.

The noisy chatter didn’t subside with his roar either.

”If I get crushed, how will you answer for it?” Igor eventually resorted to a helpless, plaintive mutter.

This plaintive mutter spread through the pile of bodies like a contagious disease.

The Earth Wolves’ clamorous arguing gradually turned into soft muttering.

”They must have gone down the mountain... HO HO HO...”

”Ouch, ouch...”

The fellow lost in his daze and Liko were the only two whose shouts still sounded normal.

”Everyone, you’re going to capture me anyway, and it’s not like I can run,” Igor seized this rare opportunity to continue his plan.

”Why do you need to crush me until my bones fall apart? Just tie me up. With so many of you, I can’t escape. Just tie me up first.”

Igor spoke earnestly, his tone like that of an old man offering advice.

”He seems to have a point.”

”I’m about to be crushed senseless too.”

”Why don’t we...”

”Shut up, idiot! Think again...”

The Earth Wolves began to discuss again.

A short while later, the Earth Wolves had tied Igor and Liko together.

”Don’t try any tricks! We’re all watching!”

”Ouch, let me rub my shoulders. That was really rough.”

Having tied them up, the Earth Wolves began to relax. Some sat, others lay down, and they started using their unique Mail Birds to contact the Crows of Black Mountain.

”Senior Liko,” Igor whispered, ”Are we still right in front of the cave?”

”Hmm? Yes, we are. We just need to roll over to get in,” Liko replied listlessly. ”But we’ve been captured.”

”Senior, let’s use all our strength to roll into the cave together! You shift towards the cave, and I’ll know the direction. Then we can just roll straight in!”

”Huh?”

”Senior, except for you, no one can see this cave...”

Before Igor could finish, Liko kicked out with his legs, and with a flip, he took Igor with him, ROLLING back into the cave.

Then, Igor and Liko heard that familiar scream—YAAAH—from outside the cave again. Afterward, those scorching, dazed gazes seemed to focus on them once more.

However, Igor couldn’t see a thing, and neither could the Earth Wolves outside the cave.

Only complaints began to echo across the mountain once more.

”Which idiot said to let them get up!”

”How did they disappear? It must be your fault, you bastard, for not tying them securely!”

”To hell with that! I told you from the start they were hiding their strength!”

”They must have gone down the mountain... HO HO HO...”

”You dare touch me again? Damn it, you actually hit me...”

The dozen or so men descended into their initial chaos once more: scuffling, cursing, and staring blankly...

The escaped Igor sighed in the cave. Now that we’re trapped, what do we do?