One-Eyed Monster

Kadi had a one-track mind; he wasn’t easily swayed by emotions. He was oblivious to the subtle sorrow of Kevin and the others; he only knew they had the upper hand now and couldn’t just give it up.

When dealing with enemies, you must hit them hard, without showing any mercy.

Kadi turned his head. ”Should we throw another stone to knock this monster out directly?”

”Rain Crystal Stones are expensive! I exchanged that stone for a Spirit Book,” Igor said. He always had a unique viewpoint; even at a time like this, he was worried about how expensive the stone was.

”This... this is not a Rain Crystal Stone...” Hustace stammered. This stone was an experiment. It might look just like a Rain Crystal Stone, but he knew very well it wasn’t.

Hustace also felt this stone was much more valuable than a Rain Crystal Stone. Although Rain Crystal Stones were valuable, their effects were uncertain. With bad luck, they could only be used as decorations, and the Rain Crystal within would be wasted. But the stone they had created contained real lightning! Moreover, this stone didn’t require an Alchemist’s exchange nor a Wizard’s refinement; ordinary people could release the lightning from it!

Lightning is such a rare resource, and it can be extracted so easily. Wouldn’t this kind of stone be priceless?

Rain Crystal Stones? They seem quite weak in comparison...

Kadi looked at the few remaining stones and shrugged. ”Alright then. The monster is dazed by the lightning and retreating. I don’t want it to escape just like that.”

”Escape?” Igor stood up. Their four-person squad had a moment of respite now. With the monster no longer attacking, they didn’t need to maintain their defensive posture.

In Igor’s view, there was no way they could let this monster escape. This was the first true monster, in a real sense, that he had encountered on Guru Mountain. How could he casually let something so significant get away? Absolutely not.

So, when Igor heard Kadi say the monster was preparing to flee, he couldn’t remain calm any longer.

”We can’t just let it get away like this!”

”Then, throw another stone?” Kadi asked, a mischievous grin on his face. He was actually itching to do it. The spectacle of the stone exploding and the lightning flying out truly captivated him; he wanted to see it again.

”Throw it!” Igor exclaimed, gritting his teeth and stomping his foot.

Hustace watched the two of them without saying a word. He couldn’t understand their mentality at all. How could they not feel a shred of regret for such a precious stone?

”Prey... escaping... that feeling... not good,” Stan Sol said, having discerned Hustace’s thoughts. He directly told Hustace what Igor and Kadi were likely feeling at that moment.

Actually, Igor and Kadi weren’t entirely motivated by the reason Stan Sol mentioned. Igor, driven by his Adventurer’s spirit, was interested in anything new, his eyes constantly gleaming. Even though he knew this ’thing’ had a somewhat dark nature, he maintained his usual curiosity. Kadi was similar, but his focus was on the stone itself, especially the mesmerizing sight of it bursting forth with a torrent of lightning.

Hustace shook his head. It wasn’t that he felt it was a waste. He knew that as long as Igor and Stan Sol were here, they could create more of these stones, provided they could capture lightning at the right moment.

Stan Sol’s thoughts, however, were more complex at this moment. He was thinking about his brother, especially since there were strong traces of him in the youth, Hustace.

It was perhaps fate. Stan Sol had originally intended to use Hustace’s identity to negotiate with Rostov. Yet now, he found himself on the same side as Hustace. Although it was a bit strange, it also felt somewhat inevitable. If he hadn’t met Dastan, he might never have realized there were so many secrets in the world. Even though he felt his brother’s aura weakening, he still had a vague sense that his brother was also connected to a great secret.

This larger secret could perhaps only be pursued after unraveling the secret currently before them...

Kadi’s stone-throwing skill was truly exceptional. The stone soared through the air, perfectly on target, and burst open at just the right height. Then, the lightning it released unleashed its strongest power at the optimal distance.

BOOM! CRACKLE! SIZZLE!

The sound of the lightning strike reverberated through the air. This time, the entire monster was heavily struck again!

Its faint sorrow now turned into deep grief. It had already been preparing to leave this world, but its opponents were relentless, striking it heavily once more.

None of the attack methods it could think of had any effect on this group. The thought alone filled it with sorrow. Now, being hit by its own power again, it felt an intense sense of defeat.

It truly wished it could find a hole to crawl into immediately and never come out again.

”We hit it! We hit it!” Kadi exclaimed, still as excited as a child. He would never have imagined that the monster could escape even if only a single fragment remained.

Milo and Kevin also set aside their faint sorrow at this moment. They observed their surroundings and noticed that despite two lightning strikes, the monster’s fragments hadn’t stopped moving. Although only a few fragments remained, they were still tirelessly hopping in one direction...

Experience truly showed its importance at times like these. Although Igor and his group possessed the ability to control lightning, their judgment regarding signs of the monster’s escape was clearly lacking.

Naturally, Kevin and Milo didn’t want this monster to escape either. They had also discerned the monster’s escape route, or at least the method. While they couldn’t fully confirm it, their idea was likely on the right track.

”I can confirm this thing’s range!” Milo said.

”I can determine its direction of movement!” Kevin said.

These two really seemed like a pair of collaborators at this moment. Previously, their interactions had been lukewarm, and they barely spoke to each other. Now, for some reason, they had suddenly found themselves on the same side.

”So, can it escape then?” Kevin asked.

”Escape?” Milo frowned. ”You think it’s that easy? We still have a fire expert here with us!”

Kevin didn’t understand what Milo meant by ’fire expert,’ but he knew it would be very difficult for this monster to escape from here.

During this brief opening, he regrouped with Kadi and the others.

”Senior Kevin,” Igor greeted politely, while Hustace still cautiously hid behind him.

”What are you all doing here?” Kevin asked. ”Now, thanks to you, this monster can’t escape even if it grew wings.” There was a hint of bitterness in Kevin’s words, but inwardly, he was actually quite pleased.

Milo, standing to the side, also nodded. It was evident they felt they had become the masters of this place; everything was now completely under their control.