One-Eyed Monster

”Oh, what kind of test is it?” Igor was not affected by the strange voice of the Spirit Book levitating in mid-air. He symbolically asked a question before searching for burnable firewood around him.

”The test to enter the next level... OUCH...”

”What next level? What test? What on earth are you talking about?” The monster Kadi, who was standing nearby, couldn’t figure it out. He felt that, given the situation, it seemed everything happening around was indeed caused by this Spirit Book. But that didn’t make sense because, after all, a Spirit Book is only a tool.

”It’s your chance to get out of here. OUCH, OUCH! This fire is too strong! Could you please take me off this flame? OUCH, OUCH! I’m an elder; I can’t take this... AH, what are you doing?!”

Igor didn’t seem like a villain who would abuse the elderly, yet the scene before him proved he wasn’t exactly a kind-hearted young man who cared for old people either. Regardless of how the Spirit Book claimed to be an elder, Igor remained unmoved, with no intention of stopping the roasting.

”Igor, should we listen to it? After all...” Kadi asked tentatively. His understanding seemed to have been shaken at this moment.

The main reason Kadi’s understanding was shaken was the Spirit Book in front of him. In Kadi’s perception, a Spirit Book was a tool; it wouldn’t cause much turbulence. But this Spirit Book was speaking strange words in an aged voice, implying that all this had something to do with it. Kadi didn’t want to believe it, but he couldn’t find any suitable evidence to refute it. He was left in an ambiguous situation, allowing his cognition to be shattered by this Spirit Book.

The most significant consequence of having one’s cognition shaken is the destruction of self-confidence. Kadi’s self-confidence was so small that it was barely visible, so his earlier tentative suggestion had been made with great trepidation. Igor remained indifferent to Kadi’s cautious suggestion, acting as if he hadn’t heard Kadi’s words at all.

”Is this how you treat an elder...?” The Spirit Book had reached the pinnacle of shamelessness, resorting to playing the age card.

”First of all, I’m your master. You haven’t answered your master’s question and deserve to be punished.”

Igor spoke slowly, word by word.

”I... I... I don’t know what to answer... OUCH... I don’t know anything. OUCH, OUCH.”

”Next, as a servant, how could you deceive your master? And pretend to be stupid, thinking your master is an idiot? Worst of all, you refuse to admit it. You only confess when you’re faced with punishment. Such behavior is atrocious and warrants a more severe punishment!” After saying this, Igor threw a handful of dry leaves onto the bonfire. The fire roared and surged high as the leaves burned.

”AH—” The Spirit Book shrieked tragically as the fire flared. It was strange; the Spirit Book on this continent was indeed a magical thing. It could be soaked by water, damaged by the wind, and discolored by sunlight, but it could not be burned to ashes by fire.

”Besides, as a Spirit Book, you should be our good companion, helping us overcome difficulties on our journey. But what about you? All you do is sleep. You’ve never shared even the slightest risk for your master. Tell me, what kind of companion are you?” Igor’s tone was unhurried, as if he were meticulously listing the Spirit Book’s crimes.

”Master, Master, please don’t! I’ll definitely change in the future! I beg you, please don’t put me on this bonfire anymore!” The Spirit Book begged for mercy as always; it seemed to have forgotten what shame even meant.

”No way. You haven’t answered my question yet. How could I forgive you?” Igor was resolute, showing no mercy at all.

”HUH...” Kadi was also surprised. Although Igor’s actions had always troubled him, he was still persisting this time. Is Igor really not worried? If all of this was caused by the Spirit Book, and he’s tormenting it like this, is there any hope of getting out of Ghost Wind Valley?

Igor indeed seemed unconcerned. He was still listing the Spirit Book’s various crimes: ”Finally, as a Spirit Book, how can you be picky?”

”Do we really have nothing to worry about then?” Kadi, not understanding, voiced his thoughts.

”This Spirit Book is indeed a bit strange, but it certainly can’t make waves here. After all, it’s only a Spirit Book. How could it have such great ability?” A familiar voice echoed in Kadi’s ear.

Listening carefully, Kadi realized the owner of this familiar voice was Igor, which made him gasp in surprise.

Normally, Igor should have been too busy torturing the Spirit Book to have time for anything else.

But now, this Igor was not only tormenting the Spirit Book but had also taken a moment to lean into Kadi’s ear and softly answer Kadi’s doubts. Kadi couldn’t make sense of this situation at all.

Especially since, from the beginning, Igor had believed that everything happening was the Spirit Book’s doing. How could such a reversal suddenly occur? Kadi felt he couldn’t adapt.

He was on the verge of shouting out the doubts in his heart.

”I am slowly unraveling the secrets hidden in this Spirit Book. Everything I say is to confuse the other party. Don’t be so surprised,” Igor once again leaned into Kadi’s ear and whispered.

For a moment, Kadi felt Igor was a stranger, not at all like the stubborn, single-minded guy he knew. But then, Kadi had a realization: Igor never acted conventionally. He had a unique, somewhat maverick way of doing things, but it was often effective.

Kadi suddenly realized that ever since they got lost in Ghost Wind Valley, Igor’s reactions had consistently been far superior to his own. This was despite Igor initially seeming heartless and unconcerned about their predicament.

However, Igor’s seemingly reckless actions always hit the mark. Whether it was the strange mist before or the odd bonfire now, everything Igor knew, thought, and did seemed to have its own underlying purpose.

The Spirit Book keeps mentioning a ’test.’ It seems Igor already has his answer.

Kadi looked at Igor before him and couldn’t help but marvel internally. This young man was hiding his talents. Had he been playing dumb all along?!

Test! Kadi suddenly felt that Igor himself was a test, and this test was being thrown to the opponent behind them...

As for this test, it might not be clear who was testing whom!