One-Eyed Monster

Regarding the crack on the Puppet’s skull, Igor knew its history; one more glance now would confirm everything.

Indeed, their conclusions about such cracks were the culmination of countless days and nights of meticulous observation by Igor and his companions. They had drawn innumerable diagrams, recorded endless features, and made countless comparisons. Though the process might sound vague, almost mad, the results could withstand any scrutiny.

Igor faintly recalled those trials. He would mess up every attempt, yet Teacher Hadi always smiled and told him to try again. His teacher’s tolerance made him deeply embarrassed, and the more embarrassed he became, the more flustered and helpless he grew. In the end, it was Teacher Hadi’s kindness that saved him. Igor was grateful to have met Teacher Hadi, whose influence on him was profound. Recalling Teacher Hadi at such a critical moment indicated the esteemed position the teacher held in Igor’s heart.

Igor’s gamble concerned the path ahead of them: win, and they would have options; lose, and they would have no retreat. He had long understood the complexity of Timelines and knew that impatience was futile. It wouldn’t improve their situation, only complicate it further. Navigating Timelines required patience and a composed, meticulous state of mind—qualities Igor possessed. He wouldn’t be at a loss in such a moment.

Once Igor decided to gamble, he was determined to follow through. He would not regret his decision, even if he ended up battered and bleeding. This was a display of courage, a true choice. Those who make such choices are always brave, and Igor was one of them; he never cowered.

Now, he was aware of his situation and knew what to do. He was neither lost nor panicked; he proceeded methodically, one step at a time.

Although time was limited, Igor never felt it was insufficient. He wished he could pour all his energy into searching for the Timeline, but that wasn’t feasible; everyone’s energy was limited and not endlessly replenishable. Fortunately, a lack of physical energy could be supplemented with Spirit Power. While Spirit Power couldn’t completely replace physical energy, it could, at times, alleviate fatigue.

To be honest, Igor was quite exhausted at this moment, but he knew he couldn’t slack off. Everyone present was fatigued. They had all been fighting without food, drink, or rest, enduring both physical combat and mental contests that drained their stamina and Spirit Power. Naturally, their opponent was in a similar state. They, too, wondered how their lone adversary managed to contend with them for so long while consistently maintaining the upper hand. Perhaps this is the power the Dark Force grants its chosen, Igor mused. Choosing the Dark Force meant forsaking certain things—not only would one abandon oneself, but one would also be abandoned by the entire world. Sometimes, the world is indeed strange.

Igor sifted through the Timelines, one after another. His thoughts drifted to the Dark Force, the entity they had been confronting all this time. Indeed, what else could he reflect upon at this moment? It would be odd if not the Dark Force. Time waits for no one. Efforts always yield results, whether success or failure; this process accompanies you, making you feel the world changing around you.

Igor’s perseverance paid off; he finally found the specific Timeline he sought among the myriad options. Having located it, he needed to return to that precise moment in time. Leaping into it meant reliving that moment, albeit only in his mind. It was impossible for his physical body to truly travel to the past. Arnold’s Time Leap, to put it bluntly, was a form of mental attack that couldn’t defy common sense.

Igor leaped into the surging Timeline. Within it, he was silently approaching the residual consciousness of Wizard Reed. The wooden board in his hand was intended for an attack on the Dark Force, even though he knew it wouldn’t actually harm his opponent. Back then, his only intention had been to provoke the enemy, to make them panic and lose their rhythm, thereby creating an opportunity for a counterattack. However, plans seldom keep pace with reality. Although the Dark Force was struck by his surprise attack, it remained unruffled, continuing its relentless, crushing assault.

These predestined outcomes replayed in Igor’s mind. His purpose, however, was not to re-experience these events but to observe what he had seen when the board struck the skeleton. He had gone to great lengths to acquire that wooden board. The Moonflow Stream had been pitch-black, and he had searched for a long time before finding the Great Mentor’s Stone House, which was where he had found the board. It was thick and solid, but it shattered upon impact with the skeleton’s head. The Stone House mostly contained stone tables and stools; this particular sturdy wooden board was one the Great Mentor used for writing Alchemy Equations.

Igor had anticipated the hardness of the skeleton’s head, but the crack on it was unexpected. That brief glimpse was etched deeply into his memory. The conclusions drawn from countless comparisons were long ingrained in him, practically instinct, and surfaced immediately in his mind. That crack matched the specific type of natural fissure their analysis had identified—a naturally formed, growing crack!

Within the Timeline, Igor now had another chance to see it. Still a brief glimpse, still a profound impression! At this moment, Igor felt as if his heart was about to explode. Yes, this is the crack! The natural crack that developed! What did this imply? It meant I had made the right bet! I bet right! This means I can proceed with the counterattack plan!

Given that the Dark Force—the residual power of Wizard Reed—had chosen this Puppet’s body, it was clearly no ordinary skeleton. It had taken Igor and his companions considerable effort to collect the Puppet skeletons they had studied; after all, Puppet bodies were meticulously selected by their Puppet Masters. This meant that each Puppet’s skeleton and body were unique.

Igor carefully leaped out of the Timeline, his emotions in turmoil. Although I won the gamble, I must remain cautious. After all, a single opponent has managed to restrain so many of us...