One-Eyed Monster

While Wizard Reed, Kevin Milo, and the others were locked in a fierce battle near Moonflow Stream, the group near the safehouse was seething with suppressed, righteous indignation.

Whether it was Kuren, Joseph, or Estev Brad, at this moment, a fierce energy was coiled within each of them.

Originally, they thought they had recuperated sufficiently in the safehouse. Having successfully avoided the enemy’s overwhelming assault, they believed they were fully prepared to counterattack.

But then a young man named Igor stopped them.

They could have simply ignored him; this teenager wasn’t their commander, nor was he some legendary figure.

However, that wasn’t what happened. Everyone paused, their attention fixed on the boy named Igor. They all wanted to hear what valuable suggestion this young man might offer.

Even the Great Mentor, revered by all, turned his head, eager to know Igor’s plan.

The situation developed suddenly, but true to his erratic nature, Igor abruptly appeared and stopped them.

To start from the beginning, it was like this...

The recuperation time Igor had bought for them had earned not only their trust but also their respect. These were all once influential figures, each carrying a touch of arrogance. That they were willing to set aside their pride for such a young man spoke volumes about how highly they regarded Igor.

At that moment, Igor blinked, knowing everyone was waiting for his explanation. He absolutely couldn’t let them down.

Even though these seniors had thumped their chests, assuring him they would handle everything, Igor still felt they couldn’t act so rashly.

His own Inner World had vanished, and the Great Mentor had created a new one. Although the core elements of this new Inner World were still based on his original design, their opponent, the unidentified intruder, showed no signs of weakness; on the contrary, they had become even stronger.

The enemy had made the entire sea vanish into thin air, and the dark clouds and Lightning became even more frenzied. Such power was clearly not a simple matter.

Moreover, the sun remained constantly obscured by the opponent; it was clear the opponent had figured out his methods.

”But this is my Inner World now, and the control is in my hands.” Why is Igor so cautious? the Great Mentor wondered.

”Don’t worry, Igor. I think we are fully capable of counterattacking now!” Kuren also tried to reassure him.

But Igor still felt something wasn’t right. ”I think it’s a trap,” he said. ”He’s deliberately trying to lure us over.”

”Why would you say that?” Estev was puzzled. Why would this young man stop their counterattack? If they don’t take action, the secrets of this mountain will be plundered by the intruder—something no one wanted to see.

”Because he suddenly made the sea disappear,” Igor explained. ”That’s very strange. Consider this: his primary method of attack before was this very sea.”

Although Igor’s explanation didn’t seem immediately convincing, upon careful reflection, it wasn’t without merit.

When are people most likely to lower their guard? It’s precisely when everything seems to be proceeding as expected that they become most lax.

And wasn’t that precisely the current situation? They had delayed the opponent for so long and frustrated them for equally long. It seemed the opponent, exasperated, had launched an attack—and a seemingly frenzied one at that. All of this was within their expectations...

They had even hoped for the sea to disappear, and indeed, the opponent’s sea had vanished completely. The wave swirling in the air looked like a desperate, all-or-nothing assault, but was it actually a feint, an illusion created for them to see?

Many things became unclear, but these were all elements within the Inner World. Mental confrontations were unconventional, but the damage they could inflict was often difficult to predict.

Therefore, when Igor said this, everyone fell silent.

”Aside from this, do you feel anything else is unusual?” the Great Mentor asked.

”The opponent could have completely crushed us within the Inner World, yet they haven’t done so,” Igor replied. ”I don’t think it’s that they didn’t want to, but rather that they *couldn’t*. It’s highly probable the opponent knows nothing about Inner Worlds; they likely stumbled upon this capability through some chance occurrence.”

Igor’s idea was bold, but the Great Mentor found it plausible.

”If that’s the case, aren’t we at a complete advantage?” Kuren became even more puzzled by Igor’s reasoning.

”No, we don’t have any advantage. The Inner World has no real effect on the opponent; it can only ’discomfit’ them. This discomfort might cause them a little damage, but once they acclimate to it, the Inner World’s assaults will become meaningless.”

HISS... Everyone drew in a sharp breath.

Of everyone present, Igor was likely the most experienced with the Inner World now.

”So, what’s your plan?” Estev asked impatiently.

”Don’t move for now. Continue to observe,” Igor said, adjusting his breathing. He had indeed consumed a significant amount of his physical stamina and Spirit Power moments ago. ”Since we can now make contact with the opponent on the level of the Inner World, we can use Spirit Connection to perceive what’s happening around them. Even if the range isn’t perfectly precise, we can still determine their general location.”

”You can confirm the opponent’s location?” The Great Mentor was surprised.

”Yes, and I can also sense many familiar individuals rushing towards that place; in fact, many have already arrived there.”

The Great Mentor and the others looked at each other in astonishment. They had all sensed these familiar Spirit Powers converging on that location, but none of them could have imagined that Igor could sense them too.

Admittedly, the Great Mentor had previously felt pressure within the Inner World. The opponent’s swirling seawater, dark clouds, and Lightning had suddenly intensified their assault, putting him under considerable strain for a moment. However, as he was the master of this Inner World, a slight adjustment to its environment allowed him to evade these attacks.

Within the Inner World, the great bird tirelessly battled the Lightning and seawater.

They still hadn’t figured out the nature of this great bird.

Igor, possessing a talent for Inner Worlds, quickly discerned the peculiarity of the situation, which was why he had stopped the Great Mentor and the others from counterattacking.

Igor suddenly realized that no matter how they attacked, the waves swirling in the air never diminished. It was as if they were a constant entity, merely changing form, and the opponent seemed utterly indifferent to their presence or absence, their gain or loss.

It seemed the opponent was using these phenomena to probe further...

This gave Igor an idea. He, too, seized the opportunity to probe, and as it turned out, he actually succeeded.

He had to thank the Ant Connection Spell; this technique allowed him to attach to the Great Mentor’s Spirit Power and perception, directly tracking the opponent’s general vicinity.

The opponent was at Moonflow Stream—that ’singing river’—engaged in a fierce battle with others!