One-Eyed Monster

Igor sat in a daze by the campfire, his gaze fixed on Kadi. The terrifying events of earlier had sent him into deep thought.

That must have been a disaster, he thought. I wonder how the others are doing—Baharo, Stan Sol, Hustace, Qi Liu, with whom I barely exchanged a few words, and the Great Witch who read my fortune. Were they able to escape the monsters as I did?

As he cursed the evil Dark Wizard and his hideous monsters, Igor felt the Scale of Faith within him wobble once again.

If it hadn’t been for Kadi, I probably wouldn’t have escaped that cataclysm. As Igor’s thoughts swirled, one moment his Scale of Faith wobbled, and the next, he was filled with relief at having survived.

Everything I can enjoy now is thanks to Kadi. Igor felt grateful. Even though he was shivering with cold, at least he was conscious. I really should thank Kadi properly.

As Igor looked at Kadi again, optimism surfaced once more, and he seemingly forgot the recent traumatic events.

Kadi the monster, however, didn’t notice Igor’s emotional rollercoaster. He was currently stirring the campfire with a branch. The CRACKLING AND POPPING of the fire made his single eye widen. He hadn’t felt this happy in ages.

”Why do they make those CRACKLING AND POPPING sounds?” Kadi asked Igor, who was sitting next to him.

”It’s because the firewood you picked isn’t dry enough... ACHOO!” Igor exclaimed as he sat by the fire, drying himself and trying to shake off his recent streak of bad luck.

Igor never imagined that escaping down the mountain could be so fast—too fast to even react.

With a SPLASH, a chilling cold swept over Igor. Is this what death feels like? was his first thought. But after gulping down mouthfuls of water, he dismissed the idea. The familiar pressure of the water was a stark reminder. Hey Igor, you’re still alive; you just fell into the water!

With a few effective strokes and kicks, Igor found his balance in the water. Then he noticed a blue figure leisurely swimming ahead. Without a word, Igor followed. That damn Kadi! He actually had this trick up his sleeve!

At that moment, Igor hardly had time to recall the horrible experience; he was freezing to death. Kadi reached the shore, shook his tail, and casually flicked off the water as if it were nothing. Igor, however, was shivering uncontrollably, his teeth chattering. Seriously, try falling unexpectedly into icy water with winter just around the corner!

ACHOO!

The echo of Igor’s sneeze reverberated throughout the valley.

Kadi, meanwhile, seemed to be having a blast. He lit a fire just as Igor had shown him. This Kadi, who seemed like a good boy and had apparently never played with fire before, was CHUCKLING like a contented, well-fed baby, his smile innocent.

”You’ve never used fire before? Or even seen it? I don’t remember you getting this excited when Sol lit a fire!” Igor said, looking at the excited Kadi, a little irked. He remembered that when they were with Sol, Kadi hadn’t shown this much interest in campfires.

”It’s not the same. Watching others summon fire and doing it yourself are completely different things. I used to secretly try to summon fire sparks in the mountains, but Kevin would always catch me and give me a good beating. They... they didn’t allow us to summon fire sparks.” Kadi blinked. ”This is the first time I’ve... summoned... er, no, in your words, ’lit’ a fire.”

Igor didn’t understand the difference between Kadi’s ’summoning fire sparks’ and ’lighting a fire.’ He was about to probe further when his stomach RUMBLED, silencing him.

They had been on the run for half a day, and now he was hungry.

The rations, hidden in his clothes by a Concealment Spell, were mostly gone, lost during the escape.

Now he had no food, and night was approaching. Foraging for food seems impossibly cruel when I’m nearly frozen stiff!

Igor twisted his neck and surveyed his surroundings. The lake was not far. I might catch a fish or two there, he thought, but I’m too cold to even think about going back into the water. His eyes then turned to the forest on the other side. Even though it’s a bit far, I’ll definitely find some wild fruits there to fill my stomach.

Having decided on a course of action, Igor got up, ready to find something to eat.

”Where are you going?” Kadi asked, his big eye staring.

”To find food. Otherwise, we’ll starve to death here.”

”What about that dried bread you had? That stuff was pretty tasty,” Kadi said, licking his lips.

Igor was speechless. He didn’t know how to explain, so he just wearily rubbed his forehead and waved his hand. ”Those are all gone. Even if they weren’t, they got soaked and are inedible now. I’d better go find some wild fruits or something; otherwise, we’re really going to starve here...”

”How can you starve in Ghost Wind Valley when Kadi is here? You just wait,” Kadi declared. With that, he sprinted off, his speed leaving Igor dumbfounded.

In no time at all, Kadi came running back carrying a large bundle. As for where Kadi had found the ’bag,’ Igor didn’t realize until Kadi was standing right in front of him.

That ’bag’ wasn’t a bag at all, but a leaf—an incredibly large and sturdy leaf.

”Look, all of this is edible! I also caught something live. It should be delicious.”

The ’live creature’ Kadi mentioned was a mountain boar. Its short limbs were bound with vines, and it struggled constantly on the ground.

Looking at the mountain boar, Igor swallowed hard. GULP. He suddenly realized he didn’t know Kadi’s eating habits. A wave of nausea hit him. Monsters are supposed to eat raw flesh and drink blood, right...?

”It’s a shame I don’t know how to cook it,” Kadi said. ”Do you know how to prepare this thing? If not, I’ll just have to let this fatty go!”

”Let... let it go?” Kadi’s words jolted Igor from his thoughts. His normally inquisitive mind suddenly reverted to its typical one-track thinking. ”Shouldn’t you... you know... devour it whole?”

”...” Kadi widened his eye, looking completely puzzled.

”You’re a monster! Aren’t you supposed to hunt wild animals for food?”

”...” Kadi blinked, still looking utterly confused.

”You know, like a wild beast! WA-ROAR! Pounce on it, kill it with one bite, and eat it raw...”

”Er... I don’t eat raw meat,” Kadi finally understood Igor. ”Do you humans eat like that?”

”This...” Now it was Igor’s turn to be stupefied.

So, it turned out monsters weren’t the savage, bloodthirsty creatures people imagined. According to Kadi, their eating habits were similar to his own—perhaps even more, well, refined.

For instance, among the wild fruits Kadi brought back, apart from recognizable wild tomatoes and a few nuts, Igor didn’t recognize any of the other items.

A gourd-like fruit SLOSHED when shaken. Kadi said drinking its juice would warm the body. Igor opened one and took a sip. The pungent, fiery taste made it clear: This juice is clearly alcohol!

Another was a black fruit. After being roasted over the fire, it released a sweet aroma. One bite, and Igor thought, It’s just like the cakes you only get at banquets!

And those wild tomatoes—following Kadi’s instructions, Igor crushed them and smeared the juice over the mountain boar meat. The flavor of the roast...

These monsters are clearly gourmands, experts at identifying high-quality ingredients! And their cooking methods are so unique!

”This tastes absolutely fantastic!” Igor exclaimed, taking a bite of the roasted mountain boar. The tangy, savory flavor of the wild tomatoes mingled with the rich taste of the meat, a dance on his tongue that quickly sent him into a state of bliss.

This bliss was indescribable.

”Kadi, you’re a genius!” Igor CHUCKLED, absolutely delighted.

After hardship comes great fortune, Igor thought, finally understanding the saying. As for what exactly had happened before... well, neither of them wanted to dwell on it for the time being.