One-Eyed Monster

Time continued to race forward, unconcerned with the emotions of those standing around Moonflow Stream.

Despite their urgency, they had no choice but to wait. It was an unseen showdown they had to endure, a contest of patience that wouldn’t resolve quickly. Waiting was their only shortcut.

Ultimately, who could outlast whom would depend on who had the stronger will.

Igor felt relieved. With Kadi’s temperament, he had worried Kadi would get impatient, shout out, and alert their hidden adversary. Yet, to Igor’s surprise, Kadi never made a single sound. Instead, he was fully engaged and free of distractions. Kadi had been the deviser of this plan. From the beginning, he understood its gravity. He knew it was a ploy to lure out the opponent, but he hadn’t anticipated the enemy’s extraordinary forbearance.

Kadi had a stubborn streak, much like Igor. If their opponent could persevere, Kadi was determined to outperform them and expose the concealed enemy.

Kadi was different from Igor and Stan Sol. They were affected by their depleted Spirit Power, but Kadi was not. He had a limited understanding of Spirit Power and, until now, had not recognized it within himself. Even after hearing Kevin and others explain the ins and outs of Spirit Power, Kadi discovered he didn’t seem to need it.

Therefore, Kadi was the one in this place best suited to endure. Igor and the others were aware of this. Nevertheless, they patiently observed, hoping the opponent might carelessly leave some trace.

”Mustn’t look, mustn’t look, mustn’t glance back...” Hustace appeared to have gone mad, continuously mumbling. With Senior Yuga gone, Igor didn’t know how to make him stop.

Now, Hustace’s ramblings were the only sound around Moonflow Stream. Even the songs that usually filled the moonlit night had disappeared entirely. Unbeknownst to the group, the moonlight had faded away.

Moonflow Stream was covered by darkness; the only light came from the glow of the Flame War Pet.

The power of darkness was slowly strengthening. The intruder had used some unknown means to throw the area into chaos, but the worst part was that they couldn’t pinpoint his exact location.

Igor felt a wave of impatience. He knew he shouldn’t be mulling over these problems at this moment. However, it was obvious the invader commanded powers they didn’t understand; the entities he summoned always possessed peculiar abilities.

Never mind the monster Stan Sol had already tamed; even that simple snowman was astonishing. It had materialized out of thin air—who knew what power had created it?

And the entity now before them was clearly strange too. It even retained a characteristic of the Summoner—it was difficult to perceive.

What would make this mysterious being appear?

Should they just wait?

Wasn’t the whole area under the intruder’s control? How could they find an opening to attack?

Igor felt a tad frantic. He felt no upper hand; instead, he sensed they were constantly being manipulated by the enemy.

His unease wasn’t unfounded. After all, their adversary had managed to obscure the moonlight. How could that be possible without some special techniques?

The intruder was clearly relentless, intent on victory...

Igor could even feel the adversary’s ambition, though he had no idea where that sensation originated.

The enemy was potent, hiding in the shadows, making the challenge ever greater...

Instantly finding a way to defeat the enemy was impossible. Success comes in stages, not overnight.

Of course, Igor understood this, so he began to calm down.

If only they had sufficient doppelgängers to scout the surroundings, things wouldn’t be as challenging...

At this moment, Igor couldn’t help but think that if they had an Exchange Beast like an Alchemist, they might be able to find some leads by dispatching it to survey the environment.

The Exchange Beast was like their doppelgänger, sharing the owner’s sight...

But creating a doppelgänger like that presented a significant challenge to Igor and his companions...

Upon thinking of this, Igor seemed to have an epiphany; he had a sudden realization.

Speaking of doppelgängers, he remembered something. Wasn’t it that creature Stan Sol had just tamed? The one that could clone itself endlessly...

Since the creature belonged to Stan Sol now, perhaps he could direct its numerous fragments to scout the surroundings. Maybe that could yield some helpful findings?

Igor desperately wanted to know the answer, but he quickly grasped the complexity of this plan.

The challenge was his current inability to communicate with Stan Sol, whether through Spirit Communication or ordinary speech.

Because the moment he spoke, he would shatter the tranquility, losing the opportunity to gain the upper hand in this patience-testing contest.

Perhaps their unseen enemy was waiting for just such a chance. The moment they grew too impatient, he would strike unexpectedly...

Stan Sol sensed Igor’s unusual agitation; it seemed Igor had something he wanted to say to him...

Naturally, Stan Sol had no idea that Igor wanted him to deploy the fragments to search.

Although Stan Sol had successfully tamed the creature, gaining its cooperation would require a considerable amount of time. After all, the creature was not of this world. It would take time to understand its various behaviors...

All this required the one thing they lacked—time.

Both Igor and Kadi dared not breathe too heavily. The best strategy now was to do nothing until the enemy, bored from the wait, came to them.

This kind of endurance test was all about seeing who could outlast the other, who possessed the most patience.

At least for now, Igor and the others were acting according to their plan. They knew failure was not an option. They had to maintain their concentrated effort to outlast their opponent.

Their method was plain but somewhat effective. This back-to-back posture was almost a shameless tactic...

Their approach barely differed from lying down flat on the ground...

Knowing the enemy would strike from behind yet refusing to let them get near their backs—this tactic was strangely fitting for Kadi’s style.