One-Eyed Monster

But breaking through that Black Cage was not going to be easy.

Igor’s approach was bold and inventive. However, to others, Igor’s idea seemed to have popped up out of nowhere, likely without a corresponding plan.

There was no way around it. They had been through this too many times and had grown accustomed to Igor’s sudden brainwaves.

Igor had a knack for coming up with ideas on a whim. Without fail, people like Kadi would always chime in agreement afterward. Sometimes, even those experienced seniors would approve of Igor’s strange ideas.

However, Stan Sol was not an impulsive person. Although he had been shocked by Igor’s capricious actions when they were together a few times, Igor had already acted before Stan Sol had a chance to question or rebut him. This frustrated Stan Sol immensely. For instance, that time within the vast Inner World, Igor had greatly shocked him, and he still harbored resentment for that reckless decision.

Even though the outcome had been positive that time, Igor’s approach still had a significant impact on Stan Sol.

Stan Sol preferred to think things through carefully before acting. He still had trouble adapting to this spontaneous style.

This time, however, Stan Sol thought it unlikely Igor could act so impulsively. After all, their information was too scarce, a complete asymmetry. In other words, they understood nothing about the current situation at that moment and were in no position to take any action.

Although Igor’s idea was unique and, in some ways, inspiring, from Stan Sol’s perspective, it was immature and lacked the necessary conditions for action.

Stan Sol had always considered himself an objective person. My judgments are very objective; no unexpected problems will arise, he believed.

For example, he had predicted that after Igor proposed an idea, Kadi would step forward to agree. This was happening right now, proving that Stan Sol’s judgment was still sound.

”That’s right, take down his nest from the rear and see how he can act so high and mighty,” Kadi exclaimed excitedly.

It was a mystery how Kadi had come up with the word ’arrogant.’ It seemed he felt the Summoner behind these Little Black Hands was abominable to the extreme.

But outrage and grief won’t help them break the enemy’s Black Cage, will it? Stan Sol mused.

Stan Sol felt a little helpless. What are these two youngsters so excited about? We’re currently in a predicament without any clues. Instead of thinking about how to break out, they’re just getting worked up over here, not even worried about wasting time...

”Are you sure this method will work?” The Little Black Hands seemed to be an impulsive bunch too, stirred up by the atmosphere Kadi and Igor had created.

”It might just work. It’s a bold approach and could catch them off guard.”

”True. When in a dire situation, you have to find a way out. It won’t hurt to try.”

”Heh, if that’s the case, will we finally get to see the one who’s been summoning us all this time?”

”Yeah, yeah! I really want to see what this fellow looks like.”

Stan Sol continued to shake his head. The vision is nice, but we need to focus on the matter at hand.

His thoughts circled back to the same point. It’s like trying to make a bird swim in a river. Grandiose ideas are fine, and they can offer a wonderful vision, but actually implementing them is what truly matters! They’re already eyeing what’s in the pot before they’ve even finished what’s in their bowl; thinking of sprinting before they can even crawl...

Stan Sol found this situation rather peculiar, yet he also felt helpless. Even though I can speak fluently here, in real life, my communication impairment still prevents me from expressing my thoughts smoothly. This impairment has been with me for a very long time and will continue to be. There’s no way around it. It’s etched deep into my bones, very hard to resolve all at once. So, even here, it takes me a long time to express my immediate thoughts. It makes me miss Spirit Communication a little. Unfortunately, that’s not an option here. I still need to adapt to all this. It’s destined that I can’t become a leader here, destined that I can’t be the center of attention...

The current focal point was undoubtedly Igor. His idea had the Little Black Hands and Kadi practically boiling with excitement; every voice was so passionate, it was as if the plan had already succeeded.

Stan Sol sometimes found such things rather peculiar. Nothing has actually been done, yet these guys act as if they’ve already won. It’s a bit unbelievable.

It had to be said, Kadi’s way of vividly imagining the future was truly unique and quite infectious, stirring up everyone around him.

It even gave Stan Sol the illusion that they had already seized the initiative here.

”Hurry up and tell us, how should we cooperate?”

”Yeah, yeah, what should we do? I’m getting a little impatient.”

”Rest assured, we will absolutely cooperate with you.”

”Although we’re not good at answering questions, when it comes to action, we definitely won’t drag our feet. You can count on that.”

The Little Black Hands were all eager to act, brimming with energy.

Kadi, however, was utterly baffled. Although he was also excited, if asked to produce an action plan at that moment, he genuinely had no idea.

Igor stood by, looking leisurely and content. After he had proposed the idea, Kadi had been the one enthusiastically hyping it up to the Little Black Hands. Now that the Little Black Hands had their attention fixed on Kadi, Igor felt quite satisfied and had high hopes for him. After all, Kadi had indeed shown a different kind of drive recently.

Kadi was completely dumbfounded, unsure how to respond to the enthusiastic Little Black Hands. Although he couldn’t see them, their fervor was palpable.

This can’t be right, Kadi thought. I just casually agreed; how did the responsibility for explaining fall to me? This is completely off. This is Igor’s idea. Shouldn’t Igor be the one to explain it? How did it end up being me? This makes no sense!

Kadi glanced towards Igor, only to see an expectant look on Igor’s face, which made him even more dumbfounded.

What in the world is going on...?

Should I just ask Igor for help directly? Kadi mused. At this point, there doesn’t seem to be any other good option...

However, a stubborn streak still ran deep within Kadi. I can’t rely on Igor for everything in the end. At such a critical moment, I also need to stand tall and take responsibility...

So, the usually lively Kadi, after a brief silence, very awkwardly voiced what was on his mind.

”So... well... what do you all think we should do?”

No one had expected this deflection. After hearing it, the Little Black Hands were even more bewildered, wondering what in the world that was all about.