One-Eyed Monster

Kadi eagerly awaited Igor’s next move. The idea that simply running towards a light could lead them out was baffling to him.

However, Igor’s face was a blank slate, devoid of expression, suggesting to Kadi that the fellow had no intention of doing anything for the time being.

After several heated arguments and provocations, Kadi no longer had the energy to be exasperated. He felt like a deflated balloon, slumping weakly on the ground.

As for Ghost Wind Valley, whether it was mysterious or dangerous, he no longer had the strength to care.

His only remaining thought was to see what plan Igor might have.

Everyone wanted to escape Ghost Wind Valley, but wishes alone wouldn’t solve their problem. Someone had to take the lead. Kadi had already demonstrated he wasn’t that person, so now it was Igor’s turn.

Igor sat on the ground, glancing left and right, but showed no sign of getting up.

Kadi remained silent.

Igor scratched his head, rubbed his face, and yawned.

Kadi remained silent.

Igor rubbed his belly, smacked his lips, and gulped a few times audibly.

Kadi… was about to burst!

Time and again, Igor showed no intention of standing. He seemed completely unconcerned, as if Ghost Wind Valley were of no consequence to him.

Anyone else would have jumped up in frustration by now. But Kadi, the monster, didn’t. Though inwardly seething, he merely blinked his large eyes and asked Igor weakly, ”What should we do next?”

Kadi was so dispirited because Igor’s behavior had completely worn him down. His once-sharp edges were now smooth and dull, his assertiveness gone.

Truthfully, Igor hadn’t done much of anything. He was simply calmer than Kadi. Firstly, he knew nothing about Ghost Wind Valley, so no matter how dangerous or terrifying it was described to be, it was just a blank in his mind. Secondly, Igor was naturally easy-going. He adapted quickly to any situation. For instance, when Stan Sol captured him as a prisoner, Igor had been quite cooperative, feeling no shame whatsoever.

Kadi deeply admired these traits in Igor, but over time, this admiration had morphed into a kind of helplessness.

Not everyone could fully comprehend Igor’s strange mentality, nor understand his thought process. Although Kadi was a clever monster, he was still leagues behind when it came to Igor’s peculiar nature.

Igor didn’t react much to Kadi’s call, merely letting out a soft ”Hmm?” to show he’d heard.

”So, what should we do?” Kadi pressed relentlessly.

”What should we do about what?” Igor replied, seemingly lost in a fog, unable to grasp Kadi’s words.

”Ugh…” Kadi was at a loss for words. It looks like we’re going to spend another night in this godforsaken wilderness, he thought despondently. I’ll have to shoulder all the burdens again tonight, while this guy next to me… Hmph! When will he ever understand how cruel this world can be?

”We can’t act for now,” Igor said, rubbing his eyes, finally uttering a statement relevant to Kadi’s question, though it was as good as saying nothing.

”Can’t act? So we’re to simply wait for death?” Kadi retorted weakly, his words casting another layer of helplessness onto the already awkward atmosphere, making the whole situation feel even more bizarre and complicated.

”Look at you, why so pessimistic?” Igor began, his voice taking on the rambling quality of an old woman’s nagging, utterly relentless. ”The world is so beautiful; how can you give up so easily? A wonderful tomorrow awaits us! We need to hold onto hope, not let a little setback get us down like this…”

”I understand, I understand! I’m always hopeful; I haven’t given up!” This nagging was truly effective; Kadi quickly threw in the towel. It seemed Igor was not someone to provoke; his verbal skills were certainly not lacking.

”That’s the spirit,” Igor continued. ”We need to maintain hope at all times. With hope, there will be no fear, and with no fear, we can forge ahead…”

”Just tell me how we can leave this place,” the desperate Kadi tried again, keen to understand what Igor was really planning.

”For now, we do nothing. We wait!” Igor said with a smile, even winking as if he’d shared a momentous secret with Kadi.

”Do nothing?” Kadi echoed, incredulous. This is utterly absurd! he fumed internally. To be lost in my own territory and now be ordered around by an outsider… It’s unthinkable!

”Yes, we sit still and do nothing,” Igor affirmed, chuckling again, revealing his white teeth.

”My heavens, can you just tell me what you’re actually planning?” Kadi pleaded, laying out his fears plainly. ”I can’t take another night in this place! You might not feel anything, but my heart feels like it’s about to jump out of my chest!” He hoped that by describing his terror of spending the night in Ghost Wind Valley, he could get Igor to reveal his true plan.

”Haha, I know you’re having a tough time,” Igor said, finally offering something concrete after Kadi’s woeful plea. ”But right now, all we can do is wait for the other party to show a flaw.”

”A flaw? Wait for the other party to show one?” Kadi blurted out, a torrent of doubts tumbling from him. ”Are you planning to out-wait them? A contest of patience? But we can’t even be sure this is someone’s doing! This is Ghost Wind Valley…”

”Trust me, Kadi,” Igor stated, his conviction absolute. ”This is someone’s spellwork. This place isn’t inherently this dreadful.” Kadi had seen that unwavering certainty on Igor’s face before—the time Igor had beaten that Dark Alchemy user.

”Err…” Kadi still wasn’t entirely convinced.

”A painting, over time, will always show discoloration in places,” Igor explained, his expression serene, as if everything was under his control. ”I’m waiting for that discoloration to appear. I’m not competing with them on time, nor on patience.”

”The sun shines, the wind blows; even the most meticulous artist can’t ensure a painting remains perfectly consistent throughout. Once I find that flaw, I’ll see the light. And when I see the light, I can get us out.”

”Uh…”

”And when that time comes, Kadi, you’ll have to play your part as the guide,” Igor added with another smile, radiant as a flower in full bloom under the sun. ”After all, you’re the master of Guru Mountain, aren’t you?”