One-Eyed Monster

Igor was quite familiar with this Yonder Travel Academy.

His father had always provided firewood for the academy’s kitchen, and it was precisely this job that allowed Igor the opportunity to attend the academy as an auditor.

If you were to ask Igor where he was most familiar with at Yonder Travel Academy, it would naturally be the kitchen.

He used to help out in the kitchen, and he was quite familiar with that place.

The academy felt like home to him, and now he was just strolling around his house.

After emerging from that Border Realm, Igor found everything comforting, whether it was places that had once been soothing or ones that had once irritated him—they all felt extraordinarily pleasant now, looking perfectly agreeable.

The feeling of home is indeed wonderful! Igor couldn’t help but exclaim.

Although he had only recently woken up, emerging from that Border Realm not long ago, he still felt as if he had left this hometown for many years... The things that happened in the Border Realm amazed him greatly, and those unknown enemies worried him. But before dealing with any of it, he had to fill his stomach first.

He hadn’t walked far before reaching the academy’s kitchen. It’s the tail end of winter, and Igor counted on his fingers that the Welcome the New Festival had just passed not long ago. The academy was quite deserted because most students had already gone home for vacation. The remaining ones were those who voluntarily stayed on for further studies. Thinking of this, Igor felt somewhat sorry for the senior who took care of him, as he had hidden himself using Stealth Ability just to avoid others’ enthusiasm—he simply wasn’t used to being cared for in such a manner.

In the kitchen, Igor found some fried dumplings; they were still steaming, appearing to be freshly fried. He casually picked one up and started eating...

The taste deeply intoxicated him... In the Border Realm, there was no such sensation; no need to eat there, thus this delicious feeling couldn’t be experienced. After eating a few fried dumplings, Igor felt full of strength, the power brought by a satisfied belly. Although insignificant compared to the Border Realm, it still made him feel incredibly happy.

Igor realized that at this moment, he was constantly reminded of the Border Realm; it seemed his experiences there had left a profound imprint.

The things that happened in the Border Realm were vividly remembered by Igor.

Now sitting in the kitchen eating dumplings, Igor felt immensely happy—many people in the Border Realm hadn’t enjoyed such a treat for a long time, and it was understandable that those Soul Devourers would try to seize others and take over their bodies. How could this deliciousness be missed!

Igor ate until his mouth was covered in oil; having been unconscious for quite some days, he indeed felt extremely hungry, but maybe he had been comatose a bit too long; he felt full after eating only a little.

Igor collapsed into a chair in the kitchen, satisfied and burping, the fried dumplings perfectly suiting his taste, making each bite a delight.

Everywhere were familiar things—the large cooking pots, the mountain of firewood, the pantry storing food... These were places familiar to Igor, and such familiarity put Igor in a contemplative mood.

For unknown reasons, Igor now felt he needed to ponder whenever he saw something familiar, allowing his mind to wander. It seemed he had become more sensitive; he had never been like this before.

What exactly is going on!

Igor found his behavior slightly odd; could it indeed be the influence of events that unfolded in the Border Realm?

Perhaps, perhaps it’s because of what happened in the Border Realm that he’s become more attached to this world, fearing that someday he might lose these things.

Those invisible enemies would inevitably appear again; these bastards knew them quite well, yet for them, everything remained a mystery, not knowing who the other party truly was.

And those creatures in the Border Realm disappeared one by one, which was also quite bewildering.

Unknowingly, Igor started considering the incredible happenings in the Border Realm.

But the more he thought, the more his head hurt. He had never been the type to meticulously deduce causes and consequences; although he might observe details fairly well, predicting the outcomes of various developments was beyond him.

Often, he was oblivious to many obvious things.

Just like the fried dumpling he ate earlier...

Only now did Igor realize something amiss, after almost finishing the dumplings, he noticed something odd about the kitchen...

No matter how foolish Igor might be, he knew it was vacation time now, with hardly anyone in the academy, and chefs were certainly not needed to make fried dumplings. Yes, a few days ago was the Welcome the New Festival, requiring lots of tasty food for the celebration. However, these dumplings were so hot, clearly freshly fried, impossible to have been made during the festival!

What does this imply?

This implies someone knew he would come here to eat these fried dumplings!

The master chefs in the kitchen wouldn’t idly prepare dumplings; the recipe was too complex, no one would make this dish during this winter-summer crossover, especially with just one plate...

Upon realizing this, Igor immediately got up, aware that others would soon arrive.

The person who prepared the dumplings knew him very well, likely either the old headmaster or Teacher Hadi...

Igor wasn’t ready at that moment, feeling too awkward to meet them, hurriedly leaving the kitchen to head to the headmaster’s office. He wanted to return to the Ice Bed nearby.

Why go back to that basement? Igor didn’t know himself, but he realized there was nowhere else to go, only there could he appear a bit natural.

Still too embarrassed to face those who cared for him!

This indeed counted as one of Igor’s big weaknesses.

Knowing the academy so well, Igor, with a full stomach, quickly reached the headmaster’s office. He was delighted nobody caught on to his sneaky escape, when suddenly a shadow rushed towards him from the opposite side.

Bang!

The two collided head-on!

”Ouch!” That shadow was knocked to the ground by Igor, reaching the headmaster’s office doorway.

”Are you okay?” Igor asked with concern, as he had indeed bumped into someone.

”I’m fine... Hey!?” That shadow had just grabbed Igor’s hand, started to stand up, and then was stunned, ”How did you get out!”

Igor looked at the person, equally baffled; wasn’t this the senior who had been taking care of him? How had he ended up here now too?