One-Eyed Monster

Igor’s discovery left Spirit greatly shocked. He hadn’t expected this agreement to be a complete scam, realizing they were being manipulated by it.

Now he finally understood why the elders of their world hadn’t seemed too worried about his missing friends. Every time he brought up the matter, they would ruthlessly ignore it. Looking back, it wasn’t that the elders were too cold-blooded, but that he had just been making a big fuss over nothing. What the elders were genuinely worried about was the disparate levels of the Awakened causing a detrimental impact on their world. Their attention was directed towards this issue rather than their missing companions. Reflecting on things now, he realized his perspective had still been too narrow… He just hadn’t been observant enough! Look at Igor, an Awakened, who had grasped the crux of this agreement in such a short time, with absolute clarity... unlike himself, who had just been fretting uselessly with no direction… Fortunately, Igor had arrived just in time to pull him out; otherwise, he might have sunk deeper and deeper into this quagmire… He was very grateful to Igor.

As for Igor, there didn’t seem to be any significant change in him. He maintained his usual confident appearance, though Spirit sometimes found looking at that confident face a bit awkward… Spirit suspected he was feeling jealous and knew he needed to banish such thoughts quickly.

Since Igor had already identified the key issue, perhaps he also had a way to save his companions. This was truly a moment for joy. So, Spirit quickly asked Igor what they should do next to help his friends.

”Firstly, your friends are playful. Secondly, this agreement is a scam. To extricate your friends from this fraudulent agreement, it’s imperative to contact them first.” Igor rambled on, but none of it was to the point. It was all just a load of nonsense.

Anyone knew that the problems would be solved as soon as they reconnected with those playful Spirits. But the question was, how to make that connection? If he knew the answer, why would he need Igor’s help?

Spirit really wanted to question him. However, the thought of Igor’s ability to see through the unequal nature of this agreement, to understand it was a scam while he himself had been utterly clueless, stopped him in his tracks. He couldn’t even bring himself to utter a sarcastic remark. It felt like anything he said would be like slapping his own face. Igor could easily retort, ”If you’re so capable, why don’t you do it yourself?” This had always been his weak point. He couldn’t enter the world of Igor and the other Awakened. This was partly because Igor’s own abilities hadn’t reached the required level yet, but also due to his own inherent restrictions. His friends weren’t as unfortunate as him. Look at them, still lingering in that other world, refusing to return.

”This is a complicated matter,” Igor stated. ”Before we proceed, I need to plan everything meticulously.”

At that moment, Igor seemed entirely engrossed in cracking this agreement. He had previously kept mentioning the urgency of getting out to help his own friends, but now, captivated by this puzzle, he seemed to have forgotten everything else. One could only wonder what Kadi was thinking, waiting outside.

”However, I still have a small doubt!” Igor said, seemingly recalling something. His focus instantly snapped back, just like before. This boy was truly an enigma. It was impossible to predict his train of thought; his mind jumped from one thing to another so erratically.

”Tell me, what is it? What’s your doubt? If I can help you figure it out, I certainly will,” Spirit replied sincerely. After all, Igor was offering help, and assisting was his choice. Whether Igor helped or not, Spirit couldn’t make any demands.

”I want to know, have you been waiting here all this time specifically for me, for me to help you?” Igor asked.

Spirit wondered why Igor would ask such a question. Nevertheless, he had to answer honestly.

”Yes, I have been waiting for you,” Spirit admitted.

”Why?” Igor pressed.

Spirit had anticipated that. It was the kind of universal follow-up question, applicable in almost any situation.

”Because I believe you are special,” Spirit said.

”Why?”

There it was again, that universal question. But Spirit wasn’t fazed by it in the slightest; he was prepared to answer truthfully.

”Because you can awaken me and other Spirits. For instance, the Scale of Faith you carry—that old woman is one of our world’s ancestors…”

”But what does that have to do with helping your friends?” Igor asked, still confused.

”In our world, I can sense you,” Spirit explained. ”Although you can’t summon me to your world yet, I can perceive your every move from my world.”

”Damn! You mean you can see everything I do? Even when I’m peeing?” Igor exclaimed, shocked.

”No, no, you’ve misunderstood,” Spirit corrected. ”I meant your Spirit Power activity. After all, some of the Spirit Power you wield is connected to me.”

”Oh, so that’s how it is,” Igor sighed in relief. He had initially thought his every action was being watched.

”Yes, that’s precisely it,” Spirit confirmed.

”But that still doesn’t add up,” Igor pressed, returning to the main point. ”How is that related to helping your friends?” He felt Spirit still hadn’t answered his crucial question.

”Actually,” Spirit said, ”just a short while ago, I sensed my friends through you. Really, I’m not lying.”

Igor frowned, sinking into deep thought. Spirit’s statement was intriguing; it seemed to hint at something… Just now, he sensed his friends… and it was through Igor…

”Damn!” Igor suddenly exclaimed, a look of realization dawning on him. ”So, it was your friends who were pulling at me all this time?!”

”Huh?” Spirit was baffled, not quite understanding what Igor was referring to.

”Just now, when you said ’just now’—I didn’t interact with anyone else except for that… that entity that was trying to drag us away. That must have been one of your friends!”

”Huh?” Spirit still didn’t understand. He only knew that a short while ago, he had sensed his friends’ aura through Igor’s Spirit Power Feedback. Beyond that, he had no idea.

”Damn, now I get it!” Igor exclaimed, his eyes gleaming as if he’d made an extraordinary discovery. ”No wonder I couldn’t feel a shred of Spirit Power from our opponent! We were dealing with Spirits!”

Igor rubbed his face. ”Looks like I’ll be meeting your friends soon. However, figuring out how to communicate with them will take some thought. For now, I’ll need your help with this. For your friends’ sake, let’s plan this out together.”

Spirit was completely bewildered. What did Igor mean? Things were progressing so quickly! He wasn’t prepared for this at all!