One-Eyed Monster

Igor and Stan Sol were quite clear: their harassment wouldn’t have much effect anymore. The opponent was quickly becoming accustomed to it. The initial attacks of the seabirds were indeed like mosquito bites—annoying, certainly—but after a while, their target could get used to such things.

It was like an ox initially unable to adapt to gadflies, continuously swatting with its tail. As time went on, the young ox became an old one, and the habit of swatting gadflies with its tail became deeply ingrained. Even with its eyes shut tight, it could still drive them away.

Now, Igor and Stan Sol’s seabirds were those gadflies, and the dark ocean waves were the old ox’s tail. Though annoying, the gadflies were no longer a threat to the ox.

Their harassment had become too monotonous, and unfortunately, neither of them could come up with any better methods for the time being.

The vast ocean continued to send waves crashing, and it looked like they would soon hit their location.

”If this continues, I’m afraid we won’t be able to hide for much longer.” Igor could occasionally feel the spray from the waves slapping his face. The increasing intensity of these splashes indicated the ocean’s fury.

”Although our theory was validated, our method still isn’t working,” Stan Sol said, also realizing their shortcoming. Their meager harassment wasn’t enough to truly bother the vast ocean.

Their actions had seemed somewhat effective at first, but now their efforts felt like trying to scratch an itch through a boot—completely ineffective.

”We need to use more imagination, Igor.” Stan Sol knew he was somewhat set in his ways; his imagination couldn’t soar as freely as Igor’s. So, he chose to remind Igor to play to his strengths.

Unfortunately, this kind of imagination wasn’t Igor’s forte. He wasn’t a natural troublemaker. While he often made mistakes due to recklessness, he wasn’t the type to deliberately cause headaches for others.

So, even after hearing Stan Sol’s advice, Igor couldn’t come up with any solutions.

He was adept at imaginatively laying out the scenes within the Inner World; he could create them effortlessly. But when it came to causing trouble, he simply didn’t know where to begin. He excelled at exploring new things, not at disrupting existing ones.

However, Igor had an idea. Although he wasn’t suited for this kind of task, he knew someone who was.

That’s right. The person who immediately came to Igor’s mind was Kadi.

Kadi couldn’t help but sneeze again. I must be catching a cold... he thought.

”Sol, I think we need to rely on others,” Igor said softly. In fact, a rough plan was already forming in his mind.

”Hmm, are you thinking of seeking advice from the Great Mentor? That might be risky,” Stan Sol said, not quite understanding Igor’s suggestion.

”We won’t disturb the Great Mentor. I just want someone to give me an idea,” Igor quickly explained. He, too, realized that disturbing the Great Mentor wasn’t a good option.

”But how will you do that?” Stan Sol wondered.

”It’s... complicated. It’s not something I can explain in a few words.” Igor found himself in a familiar bind; he wasn’t good at explaining these things.

”Hmm...” Stan Sol was unsure how to respond.

”Just trust me. I didn’t get this far on my Spirit Power alone. You can sense it too, can’t you? I’m connected to someone else. I can get his Spirit Power support and communicate with him.” Seeing Stan Sol’s confusion, Igor began to explain in his own way.

Surprisingly, his jumbled explanation actually helped Stan Sol understand.

”You mean you want to use the Ant Connection Spell to seek help?”

”Yes!” Igor was thrilled that Stan Sol understood. This meant he would have his support. They needed to be united now, without any disagreements. They had to reach an agreement to deal with the intruder together.

Stan Sol understanding saved Igor a lot of effort.

At least Igor wouldn’t have to waste energy explaining things further.

”If I’m not mistaken, you’re thinking of asking that one-eyed fellow for ideas, aren’t you?” Stan Sol asked tentatively.

”Yes, exactly. Kadi.”

Once Stan Sol understood Igor’s intentions, he didn’t need further explanation. He knew who Igor planned to ask for help. ”That guy certainly has a knack for causing trouble,” Stan Sol remarked.

”Oh?” Igor was surprised by Stan Sol’s assessment.

”When I had him tied up before, he didn’t say a word, but he was actually studying the knots. And he was doing it recklessly! It took a lot of my energy just to watch him; I was afraid he’d mess up the bindings.”

Thinking back to Kadi’s past behavior in the group, Stan Sol couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow.

It was a sadness only he could truly understand. Even if he tried to explain it to Igor now, Igor wouldn’t be able to grasp its full meaning.

”Er...” Igor could only manage a noncommittal sound.

”Anyway, I believe he can cause some trouble. Give it a try,” Stan Sol urged. ”I’ll keep this vast ocean occupied in the meantime. You go find some ideas quickly.” Stan Sol was now in agreement with Igor. He, too, believed Kadi was suited for this task.

Now, Stan Sol was fully covering for Igor.

His seabirds could no longer roam freely over this ocean; they had long since become mere background elements against the dark sea.

Stan Sol was eager to see what Kadi would do. Since he and Igor hadn’t been able to devise a way to cause a disturbance, he wondered what the one-eyed Kadi would come up with.

Indeed, they were both looking forward to it.

At that very moment, Kadi, who was pacing within the circle Igor had designated for him some distance away, sneezed again. He had sneezed several times in such a short period, which puzzled him.

Did I catch a cold, or what’s going on? he wondered.

In truth, Kadi was looking for an opportunity to leave the circle. These guys are being way too cautious, he thought. There’s nothing to be scared of.

Kadi rubbed his nose, feeling another sneeze about to erupt...