One-Eyed Monster

Igor frantically searched for a breakthrough, while Kadi searched for the person she had never seen on the Fire Tree Silver Flower.

These two young people always did things differently, and their actions often deviated greatly from others’ expectations.

Their companions, Kuren and the others, were too busy fighting the Puppet soldiers and Corpse Eaters to pay much attention to the two youths’ unusual behavior.

However, the Dark Force was different. His reserves were abundant, and he always remained behind the scenes, giving him a broader perspective. Put plainly, he could observe everyone’s actions and movements. This could also be seen as his advantage. Yet, even with this comprehensive viewpoint, he hadn’t managed to completely overpower them, a thought that gave him a headache.

But all this was just barely acceptable. After all, these individuals were masters with quite different experiences, all possessing strong resistance. Hence, it was normal that he couldn’t completely annihilate them.

Without a doubt, these individuals were his prey. It was only a matter of time.

The Dark Force couldn’t comprehend why these two youths were doing things so out of sync with the current situation. Theoretically, shouldn’t they be counterattacking with all their might? They should be like the others, using their full strength to fight back my Puppet soldiers! But why don’t these two show even a little bit of resistance? This was truly unimaginable.

Considering the one-eyed boy, who had always been excluded and unable to enter the Illusionary Realm, his surrender was understandable. After all, he couldn’t enter, and even if he wanted to resist, he lacked the capability. But why the boy within the Illusionary Realm had also given up resisting was harder to comprehend.

What exactly is this boy doing? His deeply furrowed eyebrows suggested he was lost in thought. But what could he possibly be pondering in such a dangerous situation? Pondering anything seems like a foolish move.

The Dark Force’s interest in this boy intensified. He was eager to know what unique experiences the boy had that bred such calmness within him during a crisis.

That’s right, in the eyes of the Dark Force, Igor appeared composed.

He had witnessed countless events, and throughout them all, no one had ever been so sentimental. The majority of people he devoured experienced fear and despair. Even Resistors only maintained their arrogance for a short while; eventually, facing annihilation, their calm indifference was tinged with a hint of regret and fear.

But Igor was different. He displayed a variety of emotions.

Displaying multiple emotions was, in fact, normal. Fear could breed many emotions; that wasn’t strange. But the emotions Igor displayed were far more complex than simple fear. The Dark Force could even sense occasional flickers of joy emanating from the boy...

What on earth is he so happy about?! What could possibly make him feel joy in this situation? What could possibly be worth being happy about?

The Dark Force felt an intense desire to achieve the Devouring of this boy’s soul right then and there to determine what was making him happy. I can’t understand this; I have to figure it out.

He believed that there was a story hidden within this boy named Igor, a story he didn’t know.

Although each story was unique, many shared the same Core. The Dark Force had witnessed this many times. What interested him most were stories. All sorts of stories were always his cup of tea.

If it weren’t for these stories, he might have become as dull as a block of wood over these long eons. The repetitive cycle of existence had made him realize early on that the world held no meaning. Had it not been for these stories, he might have long ago become a mere tool for others. In a way, this pursuit of stories was his form of resistance.

He had forgotten where he came from.

From the moment of his first Awakening, he existed to serve the people of this world, dealing with all sorts of individuals and their myriad demands. This repetition eventually led him to start thinking for himself.

Without any initial guidance, he could only rely on his own exploration. The world was new and perplexing after he awakened. Those who had awakened him, the Summoners who ordered him about, provided him with the greatest enlightenment. He could only learn how to think from these individuals, and the diverse people offered equally diverse methods. This formed the basis of his thought system, which was chaotic, without any sense of right or wrong.

As time went on, he discovered that stories were the only things that truly sparked his interest. These stories showed him the diversity of the world, making him realize that it was not as monotonous as he had imagined; many things were indeed intricate. Thus, he gradually began to eagerly anticipate each subsequent Awakening, for the next Summoner would undoubtedly be different, as would the stories hidden behind them.

His anticipation grew, his story collection expanded, and gradually, his entire mode of thinking started to change. Right or wrong, success or failure—none of it mattered. He knew he had to achieve the Devouring of every Summoner to obtain all their stories.

But Devouring was not a simple matter... He didn’t want to harm anyone, because he wanted to obtain everyone’s story. If he harmed them, there would be no story left to tell. So, each time, he would control everyone, absorb their souls, collect their stories, and preserve their physical forms.

His power came from these stories... All sorts of stories had made him who he was, and he, in turn, had made all sorts of stories.

It could be said he was the king of stories in this world. He felt that if he claimed to be second, no one would dare claim to be first. When it came to stories, he was indeed domineering. No one could stop him.

Therefore, he absolutely had to achieve the Devouring of these strange youths’ souls. He wanted to thoroughly study their stories.

Has something I don’t understand finally appeared in this world? After so many years without anything new, a sudden emergence... Could it mean that a new power has appeared?

Previously, such occurrences always indicated the birth of new powers in the world. He hadn’t generalized the world’s changes, but he had experienced them all. He understood what change was. Often, he sensed that these newly born powers were connected to him. Although it wasn’t a direct connection, and the feeling wasn’t very strong, deep down, he still felt related to them.

Sometimes, he even felt he shouldn’t be alone, that he ought to have similar companions. However, this was just a fleeting thought.

Now, that thought had returned.

He felt this might be connected to the youth named Igor...

All of this will only become clear once I capture this boy’s soul.