One-Eyed Monster

”Reclaiming the sea...” Kadi was stunned.

He really hadn’t expected Igor to be playing on such a grand scale, aiming to utterly crush the opposition.

This had to be a joke! A bird filling up this vast ocean? What kind of joke is this?

Kadi, unfamiliar with the ancient tale, naturally didn’t believe in the bird’s power.

Stan Sol’s eyes were wide. He also had trouble believing what Igor was saying. At the same time, he didn’t understand why a species from an ancient myth would appear here.

Even if anything could happen in the Inner World, surely there are limits to such deviations from normality? Could such legendary creatures truly exist? How could something like this just suddenly appear?

Amazement and disbelief were etched on the faces of everyone except Igor. Their reactions somewhat influenced Igor too; he had no idea what he had done to elicit such strong responses from the group.

”Is there a problem?” Igor prompted, letting the large bird descend slowly. He wanted to know what had made everyone look as though they had stepped in dog excrement.

”Nothing, I just think you’re exaggerating. This is no simple task, filling up this vast sea. How could it possibly be done so easily?” Kadi remarked. Deep down, he was bursting with curses, but out of respect for Igor, he held his tongue.

”Ah, but anything is possible. How do you know we can’t accomplish this?” Igor, surprisingly confident in his plan, raised his hand and began directing the large bird again.

”I know, it is a Divine Beast from the myths. Legend says its wings could part the sea at will, but the legend doesn’t speak solely of reclaiming the sea. Moreover...” Stan Sol nervously voiced his concerns. After all, one couldn’t entirely rely on things of legend.

”I know, the myth isn’t entirely clear, and there’s much dispute over whether the Divine Beast actually filled the sea or not,” Igor replied, addressing Stan Sol’s doubts.

”So, what exactly are you trying to do?” Stan Sol was puzzled; he was eager to hear Igor’s answer.

”This is our call to counterattack. Naturally, I want to make this call a little louder,” Igor replied nonchalantly. He was certain his plan would succeed. The grandeur with which he set this call for a counterattack demonstrated his immense confidence.

The tale of the bird filling the sea wasn’t based in reality; it was merely a story encouraging perseverance and tenacity.

Igor, however, felt they needed to thoroughly awe their enemies. Furthermore, their counterattack itself needed to be relentless. Thus, he decided to use this legend as their method of counterattack.

The varying interpretations of the legend didn’t matter; what was important was Igor’s own interpretation. His perspective would guide the unfolding of events.

Firstly, this was the Inner World, and Igor, as its creator, logically had the power to do as he pleased. Secondly, in Igor’s own inner world, his understanding of the legend was that the great bird had indeed filled the entire sea. Therefore, he considered filling this sea a foregone conclusion.

The legend told a simple story: an ancient divine spirit was killed by great waves at sea and reincarnated as a bird. This bird, determined to fill the sea, relentlessly threw various objects into it—a pebble today, a twig tomorrow.

Perseverance creates miracles; this was the intended lesson of the legend. But Igor felt the story carried another layer of meaning.

To Igor, this legend was a tale of revenge. The persistence in this story served to build emotions to a bursting point. Such an emotional outburst was perfectly suited for Igor, who had long planned to unleash his own pent-up emotions.

Thus, he chose this legend, firm in his conviction that he must fill the sea.

Stan Sol took another look at Igor. Having glimpsed into Igor’s inner world, he was convinced that Igor dared to attempt anything, regardless of the consequences. However, if I were asked to devise a way to counterattack the sea, I might not be able to think of one, Stan Sol mused. Our thoughts are so confined, unlike Igor’s boundless imagination. Since Igor’s call has resounded so loudly, we must also play our part well in response. I don’t need to merely cheer and wave flags; at all times, my duty is to offer Igor the greatest support, he resolved.

This support wasn’t just talk. Since Igor had introduced this legendary element, everything would now revolve around the monumental task of filling the sea. The various pebbles and twigs were precisely the gifts Stan Sol had prepared for Igor.

These were no ordinary items for filling the sea. He had imbued them with a great deal of Spirit Power. Each pebble was a miniature mountain, just waiting for Igor to use the great bird to hurl these specially enhanced hillocks into the vast ocean.

RUMBLE, RUMBLE…

The great bird began its work. One small pebble, then two, were thrown continuously into the water, instantly stirring up great waves.

However, the sea was, after all, the sea. These few items tossed into it produced no discernible effect.

Kadi watched this scene with a growing sense of awkwardness. When will this ever end? There’s absolutely no end in sight.

Yet, Igor appeared entirely confident, still directing the great bird to continuously hurl pebbles into the water—each pebble, of course, being a miniature mountain.

”Igor, this isn’t working!” Stan Sol exclaimed, a little dispirited, seeing no progress whatsoever.

Such impatient people, Igor thought. This short wait has already flustered them. What will they do in a protracted battle? My way of thinking is always different from others. While they worry about the present, I’m already concerned about the future.

But he understood Stan Sol’s meaning. These impatient individuals found the process too slow, unaware that this slowness was precisely what Igor intended.

”No problem. Our aim is precisely this sluggish progress. This slowness is exactly the effect we desire.”

”Hmm?” Stan Sol was very confused. Igor’s answer would require some time for him to comprehend.

Now it appeared that despite Igor’s loudly resounding battle cry for the counterattack, something still seemed to be lacking…