One-Eyed Monster

Hustace could see four people.

This meant there were four Little Black Hands present, a number that had once led to a stalemate with Stan Sol, wasting a great deal of time. If Hustace had been lucid back then, none of that would have occurred.

The four Little Black Hands each had a unique appearance. One was a Spirit controlling the Water Elemental, whom Hustace described as a white-bearded old man. He sometimes appeared old and frail, and at other times youthful and vibrant, making it difficult to tell if he was robust or decrepit. Another was a middle-aged man controlling Soundwave elements. Despite his honest and simple appearance, he was quite talkative; when he spoke, his humble demeanor vanished. Then there was a bratty kid controlling the Flame Elemental. Though young, he acted older than his age and often left people speechless. The last one was a silent figure who hadn’t uttered a word, so no one knew what he controlled.

”I didn’t find the kid controlling the Flame Elemental old beyond his years at all. I felt he was quite polite to me,” Kadi said, puzzled. He felt that while Hustace could see things they couldn’t, he still couldn’t fully trust him. After all, apart from helping them apprehend the invisible perpetrator, Hustace hadn’t been of much other help, though he was certainly eager to analyze everyone and everything.

The water columns continued to attack them, but after adapting, they no longer found it particularly threatening. With Battle Pet Fiery Blaze present, they weren’t likely to freeze to death.

As for the captured fat man, Igor and the others still couldn’t see him; they only knew he was fat because Hustace said so. Under Stan Sol’s intense interrogation, the man had yet to utter a word, behaving like a mute. No one knew Stan Sol’s condition, as communication with him had always been an issue. Igor was somewhat worried about this; he hoped to extract more information from the fat man.

In the end, they gleaned no useful information. Now, they could only wait and see how Hustace’s attempts at communication would fare.

The controller of the Water Elemental among the Little Black Hands was currently straining to move the Water Wall’s coordinates. They were slowly regaining their senses and couldn’t yet fully comprehend the Water Elemental all at once, so they had to proceed gradually.

Their efforts yielded some results: the Water Wall’s area began to shrink, and the impact force of the gushing water columns gradually lessened.

Hustace felt a wave of relief, grateful he hadn’t let Igor down.

During this lull, they had filled Hustace in on the whole situation. Only by coordinating their efforts closely could they gather more information, and this gave Hustace a chance to prove he wasn’t a burden.

Although Kadi didn’t trust Hustace completely yet, he no longer saw him as a hindrance. The Little Black Hands certainly didn’t feel he was a burden either, as their communication with Hustace had become much smoother.

Igor, however, remained calm. He believed they needed to unite to overcome this crisis. Clearly, the entity floating in the sky hadn’t unleashed its full power yet; it seemed to be preparing a powerful move.

Igor was tempted to join Kadi and cause a disturbance, hoping to completely disrupt the rhythm of the floating entity.

However, Hustace’s actions had indeed slightly disrupted the rhythm of the floating Wizard Reed.

Hustace had no idea this was his doing; he was preoccupied with another matter.

Hustace had always considered himself impulsive. He’d longed to travel far from home without discussing it thoroughly with his family. Many people were probably worrying about him in his current situation.

Hustace also felt a twinge of regret and helplessness. He felt he could never forgive himself for his past harsh words and actions. He had always treated the guards protecting him poorly, thinking of them as annoying pests…

Now, he thought of those guards as endearing people…

”Igor, can you really not see these Symbols?” Hustace asked nervously. He seemed to revert to his old self, the confident demeanor he’d shown while communicating with the Little Black Hands completely gone.

”We can’t. We can’t even see the white-bearded old man or the prematurely old child you mentioned.”

”But your friend Kadi said he communicated with the controller of the Flame Elemental just now!” Hustace exclaimed. If Kadi could communicate with them, surely he could see these Spirits too?

”He can communicate, but he can’t see the Spirit,” Igor replied.

Hustace felt frustrated. What kind of communication was that!

”You’re saying you can see Symbols?” Kadi chimed in. The Water Wall’s attacks had weakened, giving them some downtime.

This was a rare opportunity for discussion, and Kadi wasn’t going to miss it. He still wanted to raise his trust in Hustace from around eighty percent to a full hundred.

”Yes, I can see all sorts of Symbols,” Hustace replied, sounding quite natural. Since Kadi is Igor’s friend, he’s my friend too, even if his appearance is a bit...

”I remember Kevin once said that Scholars can see things ordinary people can’t. What he described sounds a lot like these Symbols you see—all sorts of chaotic things.”

”Yes, different Adventurers with Class perceive Spirit Power in different ways,” Igor joined in. ”Hunters, for example, sense it by smell, Wizards by temperature, and Scholars, well, they perceive Spirit Power through these Symbols.” Although he knew they faced a greater challenge ahead, he didn’t want to miss this conversation. Young people naturally enjoy discussions, after all.

”Every class of Adventurers with Class has its own way of perception. The Scholar’s method is called the Numerical Sensing Skill,” Hustace finally added.

”Actually, I think you’ve awakened the Scholar’s talent,” Igor said to Hustace.

”Uh…” Hustace seemed reluctant to accept this. ”Actually, I wanted to be an Adventurer, you know.”

”But your Numerical Sensing Skill is fully active! Think about it—can’t you quickly derive a number from those Symbols?”

Hustace fell silent.

”Honestly, I’ve always thought you were quite knowledgeable, knowing much more than I do…” Igor continued.

Something stirred within Hustace…

Perhaps he really didn’t need to keep struggling in a role that didn’t suit him.

”Alright, I’ve decided!” Hustace looked at Igor, his expression firm. ”I’ll be a Scholar! Numbers and such really do suit me!”