One-Eyed Monster

Arnold couldn’t quite believe his eyes.

As the guardian of Guru Mountain’s Moonflow Stream, he had always considered himself quite capable.

No matter the occasion, no one had ever seen through the traps he set in Moonflow Stream. Even Xiso, the strategist of their group, had never figured out what kind of traps Arnold had laid in Moonflow Stream.

But to his disbelief, the unfamiliar boy beside Kadi had discovered that the traps were those songs.

Arnold had previously received instructions from Xiso to set up more traps in Moonflow Stream, as a trial the Great Mentor had set for these two. Arnold naturally followed the Great Mentor’s instructions. Setting up more traps wasn’t difficult for him. Besides, Kadi already had traps on him, so he felt Xiso really didn’t need to worry about a shortage. As far as Arnold was concerned, Kadi himself was a trap.

Arnold was confident in the traps he set. His traps were different from the World Setting Technique of the Dawn, though he did feel that technique was much more advanced than his own traps. His traps confused people with sound. Visual traps were indeed more advanced and difficult to set, but the advantage of his traps wasn’t visual; it was auditory. The advantage of auditory traps was that most people didn’t deliberately question whether what they heard was real. And there’s really no way to judge if a sound is fake...

Arnold was a master at forging sounds. He could imitate various sounds—birdsong, animal cries, thunder, rain—he could mimic them all vividly. It was rumored that Arnold had worked at a circus a long time ago...

Arnold’s personal history wasn’t important right now; what mattered at this moment was the incredible thing he had just discovered.

After Xiso had pointed out some key issues, he rushed off. Arnold couldn’t stop him; Xiso had more important matters to handle. Detaining him at Moonflow Stream would have been irresponsible to the entire group, and Arnold didn’t want to be that kind of person, so he let Xiso leave without another word.

One of the tasks Xiso had given Arnold was a bit confusing: follow Kadi and his companion, and don’t let them out of his sight...

Arnold was a very good executor. Even if he had some objections to parts of a task, he still carried it out conscientiously. After activating his Stealth Ability, he had been hiding near Kadi and Igor, unnoticed. After all, Arnold was a high-rank Hunter; concealing his scent was a simple matter for him.

And it was because he hid near Kadi and Igor that he discovered so many astonishing things.

Of course, his astonishment was mainly due to Igor. Kadi, that fellow, was as naive and simple-minded as ever...

Who knows how Kadi ran into this boy named Igor?

This boy named Igor was not ordinary. Although he looked quite naive and unremarkable, when it came to a crucial moment, Igor always had ways to solve the problem.

If he could, Arnold would really like to reveal himself and shake Igor’s hand.

He wanted to have a good conversation with Igor; perhaps Igor could provide him with great inspiration.

But a task was a task. Xiso had said not to let Kadi notice anything, just to secretly provide them with an extra safety measure—one that might not even be needed. If, unfortunately, that safety measure had to be used, then these two would no longer be qualified to see the Great Mentor. At that time, Arnold could show himself without restraint.

But right now, Arnold was trembling incessantly... He had received quite a shock, a shock that made him tremble. Arnold wasn’t someone unaccustomed to the ways of the world; whatever could make him tremble like this had to be extraordinary.

Unfortunately, what made Arnold tremble wasn’t some earth-shattering event. What made him tremble was Igor, this simple-looking boy by Kadi’s side.

This boy, at such a young age, had actually tamed a Spirit Book so thoroughly—it was indeed an astonishing achievement. Arnold, by chance, had seen the once arrogant Spirit Book devoutly appeasing Igor...

This boy had somehow discovered the discrepancy in time; he actually found they had lost some time using such a crude method. Arnold greatly admired Igor’s method of judging by appetite. This level of control over minute details could be considered perverse...

This boy had unknowingly discovered the secret of Moonflow Stream’s traps—auditory traps! It was a concept most people would never even consider. Arnold had also happened to see Igor’s excited expression. Honestly, how on earth did this guy think of the auditory aspect?

When Igor first discovered this problem, Arnold wasn’t too worried. So what if he figured out the traps here are auditory? That’s like seeing the towering Twin Peaks—you can see them, but you can’t climb them. The real key is how to break the trap. My traps won’t reveal their weaknesses so easily. What happened in Ghost Wind Valley absolutely cannot happen again in Moonflow Stream. I understand my own traps; there’s no way this young kid could see through them. Arnold was still quite confident about this.

However, Arnold’s confidence didn’t last long.

After chatting with Kadi for a while, the boy named Igor discovered the trap on Kadi. This was truly shocking.

Fortunately, Kadi didn’t react too abnormally, which was a considerable relief for Arnold. In fact, it wasn’t that Kadi wasn’t abnormal; it was just that he had no idea who had laid the trap on him. If he knew, he would definitely raise hell with Arnold.

Arnold’s shock and dismay weren’t over. Igor was even able to deduce that the trap on Kadi was triggered by a specific factor!

This was really unbelievable! How was that possible! Could Igor’s deduction ability really be this strong? And from the looks of it, he was preparing to test each factor one by one.

Luckily, the trigger I set has specific conditions; it won’t be found so easily...

Arnold’s relief didn’t last long...

Kadi’s exclamation of ”Damn!” completely shattered Arnold’s remaining confidence.

The boy named Igor actually found the trigger!

It seemed Moonflow Stream was about to fall too.

No, there’s still a chance. Arnold calmed himself. He still had an opportunity to trap these two.

If I set a trap in that place, they surely won’t be able to get past it...