One-Eyed Monster

Stan Sol remained motionless in the fish tank, somewhat abashed by Igor’s optimism.

This was precisely a young man’s way of thinking: fearless, forging ahead, treating even an unknown abyss before them as an adventure.

Stan Sol was no longer a young man, but even in his youth, he had never experienced Igor’s kind of unrestrained freedom. Being born into the Sol Family, a unique group, had placed him in a special state from birth. His family’s history meant that his status came with heavy responsibilities from a very young age—something no one could have foreseen. At a tender age, he already knew what he should and shouldn’t do. He was told he didn’t live for himself; his existence was for the entire family. The burden he carried was heavier than mountains. Thus, he didn’t know what the passionate ardor of youth felt like, nor did he understand what the world of adventure entailed. His younger years were filled only with the weight of immense responsibilities and his impressive skills; beyond these, his youth had known nothing else.

In this Inner World, he had finally discovered what set Igor apart. Igor lacked clear objectives; much of the time, he was simply brimming with enthusiasm. This sheer enthusiasm allowed him to charge forward fearlessly, free and incredibly powerful.

Stan Sol envied Igor’s unrestrained freedom, something he could never achieve himself. He had to deliberate carefully over everything he did because he wasn’t just responsible for himself; he carried too many burdens.

Perhaps meeting Igor was his destiny. Igor made him recall his own youthful days, making him feel the heavy burden and pain he carried.

Heaven must have sent Igor to alleviate his stress...

These reminiscences and emotions caused Stan Sol to momentarily put aside his thoughts, allowing the dizziness from the high-speed rotation to creep in. This dizziness wasn’t truly painful; for Stan Sol, it was like a mosquito bite. But even so, the itch after a mosquito bite was still annoying. The bout of dizziness made Stan Sol instinctively frown.

Although the body of an ugly fish couldn’t actually display a frown, Igor, with his powerful perception, still sensed Stan Sol’s discomfort. ”See?” Igor said. ”I told you not to be a fish. It’s so frustrating when you can’t shout out how uncomfortable you are.”

... Stan Sol looked at Igor, speechless. He had a myriad of ways to vent in his heart, but he couldn’t express any of them.

”Don’t worry, we’re about to get to the most exciting part,” Igor said with a laugh, a rather unsettling one at that.

Stan Sol, naturally, didn’t understand what this unsettling demeanor of Igor’s meant.

”We’ve been moving so fast for so long now, have you experienced the thrill of speed yet?” Igor sounded quite proud, as if he had led Stan Sol on an incredibly fun adventure.

”Your speed has never exceeded the vortex’s own speed. You’ve just been spinning along with it. I should have guessed what you were up to,” Stan Sol said, his tone tinged with annoyance, as if he felt he should have tried to stop Igor earlier.

But none of that mattered now, did it? Stan Sol had chosen to trust Igor, and such trust came at a price. Even if they were soon to face a wave of panic, there was no going back to the past. The power of this trust supported him, making him, too, begin to feel fearless.

”That’s right! We’re about to be flung out! We’re going to reach the other side of the vortex. Although I don’t know what it will look like there, I still want to go see for myself. Apart from exploring, I have no other way to find out.” This time, Igor spoke from the heart. He was indeed taking a gamble, but he approached it with an optimistic attitude.

Since everything is destined, why worry about it so much anymore? Such a thought arose in Stan Sol’s mind. Igor’s presence had made him feel several years younger, allowing him to once again experience that youthful ardor.

Let the unknown come, and let it be even more intense! Stan Sol felt as if he were standing under the sun, arms wide open, welcoming its rays.

”Do you know why I chose this steam locomotive?” Igor asked Stan Sol, deliberately being mysterious.

Stan Sol naturally didn’t know the reason, but he played along with Igor. He answered that he didn’t know, partly to fuel Igor’s excitement and partly because he was grateful for the experience Igor was giving him.

To be honest, if they could successfully get out of here, Stan Sol would undergo a massive change...

”Because with this steam locomotive, I can stop it whenever I want!” Igor was extremely excited, already prepared to halt at any moment.

”Now it’s time to witness the most exciting moment!” Igor spread his arms. With one foot, he slammed on the steam locomotive’s brake, and with the other, he flicked off its switch. In that instant, an ear-piercing sound ripped through the air.

”This way—” Stan Sol hadn’t finished speaking when his entire body was flung out by inertia. Though it was just the body of an ugly fish, ahead of him was Igor, who had also been thrown out. He could vaguely see Igor, arms spread wide, shouting at the top of his lungs— ”AHHHH!”

Stan Sol saw the fish tank that had carried him, along with the steam locomotive, get annihilated by the vortex in mid-air. He himself, still in that hideous fish body, was dragged, spinning constantly, toward the depths of the vortex.

Igor was indeed a headstrong young man, acting on impulse without any hesitation, not even leaving Stan Sol a chance to finish speaking.

What Stan Sol had originally wanted to ask was: Isn’t doing this dangerous? But before he could finish, his entire body was flung out, and in the constantly spinning space, what he had wanted to say no longer seemed important.

They kept spinning and spinning, rotating just like the vortex itself.

As they spun, Stan Sol could no longer hear any sounds around him. The initial oppressive feeling gradually weakened, as if he had entered another Illusionary Realm.

The only sensation remaining was the spinning, a dizzying spin that turned the world dark.

Stan Sol could still sense Igor’s Spirit Power; it was right beside him. But frustratingly, the spinning made it impossible for him to discern any true direction.

How much longer would this spinning last? He didn’t know.

It didn’t seem so simple; the speed of the rotation actually seemed to be increasing!

Apart from the spinning, Stan Sol couldn’t feel any other external forces...

It all happened in an instant. Just as Stan Sol felt the force of the spin lessening, his entire body was gripped by a powerful suction, or perhaps it was a powerful push. He was confused about the exact nature of the force; all he knew was that some power was causing him to depart from this place at extreme speed...

After that external force acted upon him, Stan Sol experienced an intense sensation of falling—plummeting downwards at extreme speed!

CRASH!

With a deafening sound, Stan Sol’s entire body smashed onto the ground. A large pit formed beside him.

At that moment, Stan Sol discovered he was no longer that ugly fish.

”We’re out!” A familiar voice sounded in his ear.