One-Eyed Monster

The irregular force exerted by the Little Black Hands was driving Igor and his team mad. Already struggling to understand their current situation, the inconsistent tugging only deepened their confusion and added an unsettling fear. These hands refused to play by any discernible rules, their pulls alternating between gentle and abrupt. Has something provoked them? Igor wondered. He began to question his own judgment, an old, familiar terror creeping in as uncertainty mounted.

Seeing Hustace still paralyzed by fear, Igor felt a wave of despair wash over him. What should we do now? he thought. Strike first? But how can we attack when we don’t even know who or what the opponent is? Are we just going to wait this out indefinitely?

An impatient irritation crept into Igor’s heart. This is exactly the kind of situation I hate, he fumed internally. He told himself to keep calm, to stay clear-headed, but his past errors in judgment kept dragging him back to the harsh reality. In reality, I was wrong. There’s no room for pride. No matter how composed I try to be, I’m just falling deeper into the enemy’s trap.

Despair hit him again. At this crucial moment, his feelings were a tangled mess.

Resigned, Igor looked around him. Hustace was a lost cause, still consumed by fear. As for Stan Sol, the person he considered his most reliable ally, the fear now radiating from him truly startled Igor. Even Stan Sol is afraid... Our adversary must be formidable indeed.

However, Igor’s thoughts were stuck in a vicious cycle. Any attempt to reason would inevitably lead him back to his past mistakes, which then spiraled into despair and powerlessness. When he felt powerless, he found himself unconsciously wanting to rely on others, even though there was hardly anyone dependable around. He knew relying on others wasn’t right, but in his current desolation, it was his only way to find some solace.

Kadi remained as inscrutable as ever, and Igor didn’t harbor much hope for him.

The Battle Pet Fiery Blaze, however, was a refreshing sight. Untiringly, it kept fighting the endless stream of snowmen.

Doesn’t it ever get tired? Igor wondered. Doesn’t the Battle Pet find this endless fight boring?

The Battle Pet’s performance momentarily distracted Igor from the creeping fear, somewhat lightening his heart.

Igor gradually started to despise himself. To crumble at such a small setback! With such weak Spirit Power, how can I ever be an Adventurer? I might as well go back to chopping wood with my father.

Igor slapped his own face, jolting himself. He realized his mistake. The most important thing when facing difficulties is not to give up! If I allow even a hint of self-pity or resignation, all our previous efforts will be for nothing!

Igor rallied once more, shaking off all negative emotions. It’s just a matter of finding the enemy’s pattern again. With enough patience, there’s nothing I can’t do! Revitalized, Igor refocused on his patient search for details, now fearless. Until he found that pattern, nothing could stop him.

Meanwhile, the Little Black Hands were still trying to figure out how to contact these teenagers. They felt that any changes to their plan had to be thorough and remain within the bounds of their agreement. They couldn’t alert the Summoner, nor could they use so much force that the teenagers would immediately surrender. This was a delicate task; they had to proceed with caution.

But Kadi was different from the Little Black Hands. Kadi certainly had no plan; he was just frustrated with nowhere to vent. At that moment, Kadi was scratching his head and ears, unsure what to do. When he saw Igor suddenly fall silent, his frustration boiled into a sudden surge of anger.

”Is a battle really so difficult?” Kadi roared, pounding his chest like an enraged gorilla.

Kadi’s behavior surprised the Little Black Hands. This one-eyed fellow is clearly on the brink of collapse! they sensed. If we don’t enact our plan soon, fear will claim a third victim...

However, only anger was visible on Kadi. While the Little Black Hands expected him to be overcome by fear, Kadi seemed to feel nothing of the sort.

Kadi had always been an enigma. Nobody could ever quite figure him out. Sometimes, when you thought he was daydreaming or spacing out, he was actually contemplating something important. And other times, when he seemed deep in thought, he was just zoning out. So, the best way to deal with Kadi, as Igor had learned, was to expect nothing.

Kadi stood there, scratching his head and ears in frustration. All he wanted was a fight; he couldn’t care less about anything else. But when he tried to touch one of the Little Black Hands, his own hand passed right through it, as if through thin air. This frustrated him immensely. What the hell is this? I can see it, but I can’t touch it! Is it an Illusion?

Illusion! The word struck Kadi like a hammer. If these things are Illusions, then Igor must have a way to deal with them! He remembered how, back in the Slumber Room, Igor and Kuren had entered some kind of Inner World that seemed to involve creating Illusions. Kadi suddenly felt a spark of hope. Maybe Igor can find a breakthrough!

Without a second thought, he grabbed Igor and began shaking him vigorously.

Igor had been deep in concentration, observing the details, but Kadi’s abrupt interruption shattered his focus entirely. ”What the hell are you doing, Kadi?” Igor exclaimed, baffled. He also noticed that their triangular defensive formation had completely fallen apart.

”Of course, there’s something!” Kadi declared, surprisingly relaxed. It’s all just Illusions anyway, he thought. All our previous judgments can be thrown out. We can start over!

”What is it?” Igor asked, exasperated. Kadi’s unexpected answer left him speechless. The title ”Kadi, King of Chaos” was etching itself ever deeper into Igor’s mind.

”I think these things might be Illusions!”

”Huh?” Igor was genuinely taken aback by Kadi’s deduction.

”You can’t touch them at all! Look!” Kadi repeated the action, his hand sweeping through the Little Black Hands again and again, encountering nothing but air.

HISS—Igor drew a sharp breath, his mind racing.

”Remember that Inner World thing you used before?” Kadi scratched his head. ”Isn’t that for dealing with Illusions?” That was all he wanted to tell Igor.

Prompted by Kadi, Igor quickly activated his Spirit Power, preparing to enter his Inner World.

However, before he could fully transition, a familiar voice reached him. ”Hey, Igor, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time...”