One-Eyed Monster

In the normal world, Igor’s alternating calls of his names would have had a certain impact on Arnold, but the influence would not have been as great as it was now within the Time Gap. In the normal world, the impact of these two names on Arnold was merely a slight anomaly in his reaction, which wouldn’t harm his overall thought process.

Just as Igor had once said, most who hid their true names did so because an important secret lay behind the name. Calling out the true name would trigger this secret, causing their disguise to collapse. But Arnold was obviously not that type of person.

Yet within the Time Gap, Arnold was thrown into extreme disarray by these two names.

He was very particular about the name ”Arnold,” as it was his name after rebirth. With it, he was to greet the new dawn with an infant’s face. The name ”Arnold” also represented the villain of the past, a persona that needed to grow old and fade away; with that aspect of his name, he was to bid farewell to the past with an aged visage.

These two identities tied to the name were his memories: things he desperately wanted to forget, and things he strived to experience.

In the Time Gap, he had extended the Timeline. Therefore, every minute detail was infinitely magnified, and influences that were originally small were also amplified indefinitely. Arnold’s differing reactions in the normal world to these two facets of his name were, of course, also infinitely magnified within the Time Gap. No detail was exempt; the Time Gap was fair to everyone.

Igor himself probably hadn’t expected things to turn out this way. Just as he was about to give up, his thoughts turned to his objective for this journey. I might become a failure... after chasing that Adventurer for so many years... As he dwelled on this, he suddenly felt his body drain of all strength.

At that moment, Kadi’s voice suddenly rang in his mind.

Igor couldn’t understand why Kadi’s voice would appear at such a moment. He tried to communicate with Kadi, but to no avail. No matter how hard he tried, employing every method he could think of in his mind, Kadi’s reply was always the same few phrases.

In his despair, the familiar words invigorated him. He carefully mulled over Kadi’s message and gradually felt that these words might actually help.

Kadi’s repetitive phrases were simple: the two-faced man would be troubled by his name, and calling him Arnold—referring to either aspect of his identity—would slow his reactions.

After mulling over these words for a moment, Igor made the connection to the Power of True Names. He had heard legends of flying dragons at Yonder Travel Academy and had also listened to Teacher Hadi speak about the Power of True Names. Naturally, he applied this concept to the current situation.

The two-faced man is a monster, after all, Igor reasoned. And monsters obviously hide their true names to survive. It wouldn’t hurt to give it a try. And to his surprise, it worked.

Of course, Igor didn’t know how much effort Kadi and the Spirit Book had expended to convey this message. Nor did he realize that Arnold’s current weakness wasn’t actually due to the Power of True Names.

But none of *that* mattered now. What mattered was that Arnold was clutching his head, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace. His previous lofty, almost regal, demeanor had shattered.

Once this two-faced man is defeated, the Time Gap will be broken, and then everything else will resolve itself! All I have to do now is defeat him.

However, things didn’t unfold as Igor imagined. While he had indeed seized upon Arnold’s vulnerability within the Time Gap, Arnold was far from helpless. Even now, with his mind in turmoil, he wouldn’t be easily defeated. If Arnold were to truly rally, Igor’s confidence would last only a few more minutes at best.

Arnold had once been one of the Empire’s glorious Seven Riders. He was an outstanding Hunter, his endurance unparalleled. It was merely a wrong choice at the wrong time that had led him to his current state...

The pain endured by the Time Controller within the Time Gap was something ordinary people could not possibly withstand. Although Igor was currently in this gap, his understanding of it was merely superficial; he had no comprehension of the myriad torments the Time Controller experienced.

”Whether you’re the Arnold you are now, or the Arnold you once were, it’s time for this to end!” Igor uttered this rather presumptuous statement.

”HEH... HEH... HEH...” A strained laugh escaped Arnold, who was still clutching his head. His chaotic thoughts were gradually being subdued by his immense endurance; he was getting back on familiar ground.

”You... you really think you’re in control of the situation now?” Arnold lifted his contorted face, his eyes fixed on Igor.

Young people... they’re all the same, Arnold mused. So easily swayed by fleeting successes or failures, they quickly lose their bearings. Take this Igor, for example. His performance up to now has been commendable, yet at such a critical moment, he utters such amateurish words. It’s truly rather disappointing.

When Igor saw Arnold’s savage expression suddenly soften, he immediately sensed something was amiss and resumed his alternating calls: ”Arnold! Arnold!”

”For you to have reached this stage is already quite remarkable,” Arnold said softly. ”Many don’t even survive the first assault within the Time Gap. Yet you actually forced me to use a Space Jump, and even launched a counterattack. All of this demonstrates that you, Igor, certainly possess some skill.”

Arnold continued, his tone almost rambling. By now, he had clearly overcome the magnified mental distortion of the Time Gap; he was remarkably calm.

”My task is also complete, Igor.” At this stage, Arnold thought, there’s no longer any need for me to test Igor further. If I were to escalate my traps and attacks any further, Igor would genuinely be headed for the Eternal Tranquility Realm.

”What do you mean?” Igor suddenly found the two-faced man before him to be a complete stranger, not at all like the monster he had just been fighting.

”You’ll understand once you leave this Time Gap,” Arnold replied, unwilling to elaborate. My test is over, he thought, but whether Lord Xiso has other arrangements, I truly don’t know.

Igor is thoroughly qualified to meet the Great Mentor now, Arnold concluded.

”What on earth do you mean? The more you talk, the more confused I get!” Igor’s head was throbbing. ”How am I supposed to leave this Time Gap? Don’t I just have to defeat you to get out?”

”With your current abilities, you have no means of defeating me,” Arnold said, shaking his head. ”You’re still too young and have much room to grow. I hope you’ll have the chance to defeat me in the future.”

”What are you even saying? What are you planning to do now? You’re not going to attack me anymore?” Igor felt things were becoming increasingly bizarre.

”How you leave this Time Gap—that is the final test I leave for you,” Arnold stated. ”Whether you can break free or not will depend on your luck.”

”Don’t you worry! I will absolutely defeat you, and I will absolutely find my way out of here!” Igor declared.

”Well then, good luck.” With those words, Arnold vanished.