One-Eyed Monster

”What in the world is going on? Where are these guys? I don’t have a single clue.” Kadi, after a moment of intense thought, reverted to his usual state, pacing around frantically, unwilling to use his brain.

He’d reacted quickly earlier, suggesting those people would follow them back to the safe house, which was why they couldn’t return immediately. But now, he was back to scratching his head, completely stumped.

It’s certain someone is pulling at them from behind.

Figuring out who was pulling them from behind was the problem they needed to consider now.

Stan Sol, hampered by his communication difficulties, felt pent up. He couldn’t easily share his thoughts with Igor and the others. He genuinely wanted to, because while Igor and his companions sometimes seemed flippant, this very flippancy could be surprisingly effective. This baffled Stan Sol. He believed everyone should meticulously plan their actions and execute them step by step. Igor’s reckless methods weren’t commendable, yet, frustratingly, they sometimes yielded results.

Take, for example, Igor’s previous choices; they were purely random and seemed to lack any preparation. Nevertheless, Igor’s choices had repeatedly caused the situation to change in unpredictable ways.

And after each surprising turn, everyone would look at Igor with newfound respect.

But once everything was over, Igor would invariably revert to his idiotic self, leaving everyone dumbfounded.

Stan Sol had known Igor for a relatively long time, but he still didn’t quite understand him.

At first, he thought Igor was just a naive child, constantly asking ”why.” Later, he saw Igor as a decent partner, capable of making crucial decisions at critical moments. But now, Stan Sol considered Igor an out-and-out troublemaker, wondering what crazy scheme he’d come up with next.

”This is such a headache!” Igor exclaimed, rubbing his head. He was unable to detect the Spirit Power of the person behind him. That person was like a ghost, silent and invisible. Other than the pulling force, Igor could feel nothing else.

”Could it be... there’s no one there? Is it all in our heads?” Kadi offered, helping Igor analyze. At that moment, he seemed surprisingly reliable. Say what you will, when Kadi actually used his brain, he was quite useful; it was just that this One-Eyed Monster generally disliked thinking.

”If there’s no one there, how would we feel this pulling force?” Igor countered. He felt it was a simple question, not worth dwelling on in that direction.

”Maybe his techniques are just too advanced!” Kadi replied with a wide grin. He wasn’t sure if he was right, but he still had to voice his thoughts.

”Don’t look, don’t look! You mustn’t turn around!” Hustace was still immersed in his own world. He was constantly worried that something terrifying lurked behind him, so he kept his eyes closed, shook his head, and continually tried to reassure and remind himself with his words...

Igor looked helplessly at Hustace, wondering why this young nobleman had suddenly become so cowardly. He’d never seen him like this at the Yonder Travel Academy.

Igor was unaware of Hustace’s past. At the Yonder Travel Academy, Hustace could do as he pleased, always confident of protection. He was Governor Rostov’s son, after all, so everyone at the academy catered to him. Furthermore, his father was the highest authority in Luona. Consequently, secret protectors always guarded Hustace wherever he went...

But now? What good was being Governor Rostov’s son? In this desolate wilderness, who cared about his status? His former protectors were long gone, utterly useless. Hustace had to rely solely on himself. Only then did he realize he possessed no remarkable talents, none of the virtues his Yonder Travel Academy teachers had lauded. He discovered he was completely ignorant about survival—a hothouse flower, wilting at the first touch of frost.

And to think, he had been unconscious for so long just before...

”Hustace, can you see anything behind me?” Igor tentatively asked.

”Don’t look, don’t look! You mustn’t turn around!” Hustace continued to mumble to himself, seemingly not having heard Igor’s question.

Great. The guy had completely freaked out, totally lost in a state of panic. It seemed Igor wouldn’t be able to snap him out of it anytime soon.

Igor recalled how Senior Yuga had awakened Hustace from his previous unconscious state with that pungent smell. He wished he could return to the safe house entrance now and have Senior Yuga wake Hustace again, because Igor felt Hustace possessed a pair of ”eyes”—a perception—that they lacked...

However, they couldn’t just go back casually. After all, they didn’t know if the hidden enemy would follow them to the safe house entrance...

”I think we can’t just stand here speculating; we need to do something now,” Kadi said. He was, quite unexpectedly, displaying the attitude a seasoned Adventurer with Class should have. His recent suggestions had all met with unanimous approval.

Although Stan Sol couldn’t participate in their conversation, he silently agreed with their assessment. Even though he was quite sure the enemy wouldn’t actually attack and was just trying to annoy them, they couldn’t just wait around here either.

They had to do something.

But what could they do? Although Stan Sol knew this was the enemy’s tactic for causing trouble, he, too, was at a complete loss as to how to deal with this hidden adversary...

”But we can’t even see a shadow of them. What can we do?” Igor asked. It was the first time he’d felt so helpless.

”Hehe, actually, I have an idea,” Kadi said, his laughter tinged with a hint of smugness.

”You?” Stan Sol finally couldn’t hold back, blurting out the single word. It was heavy with sarcasm...

”What about me?” Kadi asked, looking puzzled. He didn’t understand what Stan Sol meant.

”You. Cause trouble. Good,” Stan Sol finally managed, forcing out the words in response to Kadi and Igor’s burning gazes.

”Hehe,” Igor chuckled awkwardly. He knew that causing trouble was indeed Kadi’s specialty, but he also knew that Kadi’s ”trouble” could often be very effective.

”Sigh, you guys!” Kadi sighed. ”You underestimate me. What I’m good at isn’t just causing trouble!”