One-Eyed Monster

Igor’s inner doubts had returned to his initial goal: finding the exit of the Safety House. Back then, he hadn’t found anything. Gradually, he became aware of the World Setting Technique and wanted to learn it to find a way out of the Safety House. However, the opposite occurred. Studying the World Setting Technique drew him deeper in, leaving him in awe of both the Inner World and the Intersection World. These new discoveries had even made Igor forget his original objective.

Now, everything was back to square one. The situation outside was dire. Waiting passively in the Safety House for their enemies to arrive was not a wise decision.

Igor rubbed his face. His predecessors must have thought of this too, he mused. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be working so frantically to adjust their conditions.

From a combat perspective, having so many people in a confined space was a clear disadvantage. It essentially saved their opponents the effort, as they wouldn’t need to expend energy surrounding them.

And if they wanted to escape the sealed room then, it would be even more difficult.

So, they all knew they had to recover to their peak condition as quickly as possible and then make long-term plans after leaving this place.

Igor was a bit disheartened because, despite his long search, he couldn’t find the real exit. He had only managed to send his consciousness out for a short while via the Inner World. Unfortunately, his consciousness, upon exiting through the Inner World, had entered the invaders’ vast, ocean-like Inner World, so he hadn’t actually seen what was happening outside. Looking back, he had gambled his professional future on this. He didn’t feel he had truly succeeded in the complete sense. Although he had managed to get out through the Inner World, he still hadn’t found that door. This was a critical flaw!

Therefore, I need to reassess myself, Igor thought. Although the seniors around here have been praising me lately, I’m still somewhat self-aware. I haven’t even found such a simple exit; how can I even talk about my dream of becoming an Adventurer...

But annoyance was annoyance; Igor was still very unwilling to give up. He widened his clear eyes once more and began a new scan of every surrounding corner.

Unfortunately, perhaps because his perception hadn’t yet reached the required level, he still found nothing.

This is truly a sad state of affairs!

Igor sighed. He couldn’t believe that after spending so much time and energy, he had found nothing. He hadn’t even discovered the slightest clue about how to get out.

I don’t know whether to blame my terrible luck or my own incompetence,

Distractedly, Igor’s thoughts began to drift. He was on the verge of becoming like Kadi and Kuruto, hiding in a corner to mourn his misfortune.

However, not everyone could ponder things as much as Igor. Joseph, for instance, wasn’t one for deep thought. The intensity of his thinking varied depending on who was present. For instance, at this moment, with the Great Mentor and others around, he wouldn’t bother racking his brains. He knew his depth of thought couldn’t compare to Kuren’s, nor Yuga’s, and it was even less likely to match the Great Mentor’s. Rather than mulling things over by himself, he preferred to conserve his energy and await the Great Mentor’s arrangements.

Joseph knew he wasn’t destined to be a leader. He was just a Soldier, an excellent one at that. And what a Soldier needed to do was self-evident: fight with all his might.

He didn’t need to strategize like the Great Mentor or wallow in self-pity like Igor. All he had to do was wait for orders and then carry them out to the best of his ability.

So, Joseph looked at the others, who were deep in thought, and couldn’t help but ask, ”So, what should we do next?”

His question, ”What should we do?” was clearly a request for instructions from their leader. It also indicated he was fully prepared.

”Yes, what should we do next?” Joseph wasn’t the only Soldier. Brad, equally obsessed with combat, was also awaiting the next command. At this moment, the grudges between the Alchemy Workshop and the monsters were temporarily set aside because of the enemy outside. They began to unite.

Hearing these two voices, Igor looked up. He was very curious how the Great Mentor would answer them, and he too was desperate to know the answer. Yes, the answer to getting out of here.

”Our immediate priority, naturally, is to adjust our conditions. If everyone has already adjusted to their optimal state, then please be patient. We’ll leave once we find a crucial breakthrough point.”

Find a crucial breakthrough point... For some reason, Igor had a bad feeling about this.

Could it be that even the Great Mentor Guzan doesn’t know where the exit to this Safety House is?

How is that possible? He’s the one who created this Safety House! How could he not be familiar with it? Logically, he should know every corner and every detail like the back of his hand!

Igor secretly felt uneasy. If this guess is true, then aren’t we just sitting ducks for the enemy?

If that’s the case, then this will be a truly terrible situation.

This means we’ll have to spend more time in this cave, and time is currently our most precious commodity.

Igor just couldn’t understand. Why isn’t the Great Mentor clear about the Safety House’s exit? This shouldn’t be the case; it’s also very abnormal.

”Could it be that the exit of this Safety House just can’t be found?” Igor couldn’t hold back any longer and voiced the unease in his heart.

”Finding the exit is easy, but getting out isn’t so simple.” Yuga shrugged, expressing a hint of disdain for Igor’s question. For them, the Safety House’s exit wasn’t a major problem at all; how to actually leave was the real issue.

However, Igor’s reaction to this answer was entirely different. He felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over his head, leaving him with a profound sense of defeat. Finding the exit... easy... Easy? These two words struck Igor like a heavy hammer, making him feel like he could cough up old blood. I haven’t even found the slightest trace of the exit, yet this senior claims it’s easy!

”Where is the exit?” Kuren was equally surprised. Like Igor, he had also searched for a long time without finding the exit, and the current blow was just as devastating for him.

”Look, over there.” Yuga and Estev actually spoke in unison, both pointing towards a shadowy area not far away.

”This...” Igor and Kuren exchanged a glance, then involuntarily scratched their heads.