One-Eyed Monster

The name Earth Dragon, being so unrefined, left this creature deeply unsatisfied. It was not native to this world, but it had been summoned back and forth over the years to a point where it had almost forgotten its real name.

The people here called it Earth Dragon, a name that made it seethe with anger, yet they had no better way to address it.

It had been a long time since it emerged from the Space Eye, and it could no longer return to its original world. All it could do was wait in the Space Eye for someone to summon it.

Gradually, it had adapted to all this, and sometimes even found things agreeable—everything except the name Earth Dragon.

It disliked the name intensely, yet, for some reason, everyone in this world seemed fond of calling it that. At first, it merely endured. Over time, however, it realized that the people here feared its power.

Eventually, it learned to manipulate these Summoners. After all, they were the ones who desired its power and brought it to this world, which meant, in a way, their own powers were inferior to its.

This gave it leverage, a bargaining chip. And naturally, the subject of negotiation was an exchange.

The principles of this world were simple: the stronger you were, the more say you had. Gradually, the Earth Dragon found a way to communicate in this world. It would help a Summoner complete a task, and in return, the Summoner would give it something it desired.

The only drawback it felt from its long confinement in the Space Eye was the monotony of its diet; it rarely had a chance to taste anything delicious. So, most of the time, what it requested was food.

The awakening of its taste buds enlightened it to a simple truth: only those at the top of the food chain held any real power; the rest were mere ants.

So, it believed itself to be, at the very least, at the apex of this world’s food chain. The only inconvenience was still having a Summoner to answer to.

It had once considered what might happen if it defied a Summoner’s will. Subsequent events demonstrated that there were indeed consequences: it would be confined in the Space Eye with not even a morsel of food.

Thus, it quickly understood what Summoners meant to beings like it. Without a Summoner, they would be trapped in the cage of the Space Eye, enduring hunger, cold, and… loneliness. Well, loneliness, it seemed, was their constant companion.

Therefore, at this moment, upon hearing someone call it by the name Earth Dragon, it was profoundly displeased.

”You are all mere ants! How dare you be so insolent?” Enraged, it unleashed purple flames—a display of power. The purple flames, crackling with thunder, looked truly intimidating.

Igor scratched his head, looking at Hustace. He didn’t understand what was happening. Had Hustace said something wrong?

Hustace shrugged at Igor. For some reason, Hustace felt a sudden surge of courage he had never experienced before. In any case, he wouldn’t faint now, nor would he feel as fearful as before.

The four spirits found the spectacle amusing. They hadn’t expected that they weren’t the only unlucky ones in this world; this creature called Earth Dragon was an unlucky fellow too. From the Earth Dragon’s scent, they could tell it was also someone trapped somewhere, unable to return home.

However, the four spirits were currently preoccupied with helping their comrade recover shattered memories and had no time to mock others.

”I recall this fellow dislikes his name,” Wizard Yuga explained to Igor. ”This legend is ancient, and even I am shocked to witness the legendary Earth Dragon at this moment.”

If the boy named Hustace hadn’t called out the creature’s name, and if the creature itself hadn’t confirmed it, it’s unlikely anyone would have recognized it.

But now, everyone knew this was the Earth Dragon. The next step was to figure out how to subdue it.

In a way, this Earth Dragon wasn’t actually a bad sort, even though it sounded and looked fierce and malevolent.

If the Earth Dragon were truly a vicious creature, it wouldn’t just be making shows of force with lightning in the air by now.

A truly wicked creature would have struck directly with a bolt of flaming lightning, not wasted time jabbering on.

”Who summons me!” The Earth Dragon still hadn’t given up. Truthfully, was this ”Summoner unknown” setup really a good idea? If Hustace were to jump out and say, ”I summoned you,” would that mean the Earth Dragon would have to help Hustace complete a task? That really didn’t seem plausible.

In fact, the Earth Dragon was capable of connecting to its Summoner through its Energy Fluctuations. However, for many years, every time it emerged, it had to make such an opening statement. Today, it was determined to see this charade through to the end, no matter what.

Unfortunately, this particular Summoner was not cooperating with its performance.

It had spoken at length and with such articulate gravity, yet still, no one responded.

Igor and the others didn’t dare respond rashly. After all, their previous reply had left them quite shaken, and they had even been intimidated by the display of power.

Experience showed that idle people and those on edge would never find common ground, just as Igor would never communicate directly with Kuyi Tulan.

At this moment, Igor was stunned, while Kuyi Tulan was deep in thought.

Being stunned was a common occurrence, but finding an answer to how to deal with this Earth Dragon wasn’t something that happened at any given moment.

Speaking of which, the Earth Dragon had been summoned quite a while ago, but until now, the Summoner, Wizard Reed, had made no move at all. No one knew what he was plotting.

It seemed the Earth Dragon had no intention of attacking them.

This, in fact, was also something that puzzled the Earth Dragon. In the past, whenever it was summoned, its task was clear, and it would feast heartily afterward. But now, there was no activity at all. Was it really expected to sense who the Summoner was on its own?

Just as the Earth Dragon was about to use its Spirit Power to sense its Summoner, cold, unnatural laughter floated through the air.

The laughter was unbridled, and somewhat sinister.

”Who are you to dare act so boldly in my presence?”

”HEHEHE HA HA HA! I am your Summoner,” Wizard Reed said in a creepy tone.

The Earth Dragon seemed a bit incredulous, so it unfurled its Spirit Power for confirmation. It immediately deflated; this rampant fellow was indeed its Summoner.

”What do you command, and what will you offer in exchange?” This was the standard line the Earth Dragon was supposed to deliver. But this Summoner had remained hidden until now before finally making a sound. What could he be thinking? the Earth Dragon mused.

”HEHEHE HA HA HA! You got one thing right,” Wizard Reed continued his manic laughter.