One-Eyed Monster

Brava talked for quite a while, not caring whether his apprentices were listening. To him, these matters were significant, important enough to be explained in person, especially to the newcomers, so as to avoid mishaps later.

Of course, Brava wasn’t aware that apart from Igor and Kadi, few of them paid attention...

”Alright, I’ve covered enough precautions. Now, everyone split into two groups: first go outside the Performance Tent to attract people, then once the circus starts, we’ll rotate to ensure everyone gets a chance to perform on stage.”

After speaking, Brava pointed to Igor, Kadi, and the green nose: ”You three are one group, the others are in the second group.”

Igor felt relieved. Thankfully, he and Kadi weren’t separated; otherwise, it would have been tricky.

”Now, grab your props and head outside the Performance Tent to attract the audience!” With that, Brava stepped on stilts and walked towards the Performance Tent.

The large Quinn picked up a cylinder and plank to follow closely behind, and the fiery redhead grabbed a worn umbrella to join in. The others distributed the various props and chased after them.

Igor received some small balls, but he couldn’t juggle them like other clowns, tossing them in the air endlessly. So he swapped with Kadi, who found the colorful stick and hoop childish and opted for Igor’s balls to challenge a higher difficulty. Surprisingly, Kadi might have a knack for this, and with a slight tip from the green nose, he became very adept at it!

A good number of people had already gathered outside the circus show hall, mostly with children. The clowns obviously became the focus, just as Brava said, their goal was to make people laugh. People enjoyed ridiculing clowns, with some children even picking up sticks to beat them, forcing clowns to put on cheerful expressions while being chased by these kids...

Indeed, these clowns drew quite a crowd, and ticket sales naturally benefited.

”Haha, these clowns are really funny.”

”Look, they laugh even when beaten, like idiots!”

”Yeah, who cares if they’re ugly!”

”Hahahaha...”

The mocking voices from children and adults lingered in the air. Igor and Kadi felt uncomfortable, finally understanding why the circus folks always stressed to them about forgetting themselves. Indeed, a clown’s identity invites ridicule—directly to your face—without a strong heart, it’s hard to play this role!

Yet, Igor also knew a truly strong heart and truly forgetting oneself are different; the stronger the heart, the less likely you’ll abandon yourself, keeping your identity intact.

Forgetting oneself as a clown meant merging into the character, this role that’s mocked and dismissed. While merging, one mustn’t lose oneself in the role. Igor understood it as merely aiding a better performance, not turning oneself into the role... However, Brava seemed to hit a bottleneck; once he removed his makeup, he couldn’t recall his identity, only remembering being the clown upon wearing makeup.

Igor considered this Brava’s true issue, possibly influenced by the Naming Ceremony as well.

About the Naming Ceremony, Igor felt it was essential to delve deeper, as it closely resembled the Soul Devourer. Initially perceiving it as the Soul Devourer, now he realized he needed further verification; if there’s a power beyond the Soul Devourer, it demands special attention.

Dusk brought more crowds, many entering the tent to await the performance, while the green nose beside Igor continued blowing alcohol to play with fire—a trick previously stage-worthy in the circus’s center—yet now lacked appeal due to the Adventurers with Class.

The circus now relied on other acts to attract people.

Magic was one of them, but this circus lacked a magician; featuring only aerialists, a dwarf band, and an animal trainer.

Aerialists challenged the limits, something even the strongest Fighter couldn’t guarantee an untethered flight, while the dwarf band’s instrumental performance exceeded any Wizard’s imagination. As for Beast Training, this ancient craft remains uncontrollable by Adventurers, with Hunters skilled in hunting but unable to command these beasts, at most taming a couple as pets. However, Alchemists devised a clever substitute for Beast Training, using Exchange Beast to replace wild beasts without truly threatening the animal trainer’s livelihood.

The circus leverages what Adventurers cannot reach, letting audiences witness extremes, impossibilities, or peculiarities...

The Star Circus’s opening was extravagant and dazzling, with Clown Brava being the first to warm up the crowd. He walked on stilts to the stage center, nervously eyeing the audience around him, with all spotlights concentrated on him. In fright, he dodged everywhere, his exaggerated actions eliciting countless laughter, whistles from the audience clearly expecting more from the circus after the clown’s act. Clown Brava’s stilts finally landed on the curtain, which collapsed with a crash, the curtain surprisingly covering him from head to toe.

Behind the curtain was the circus’s opening act: a magic show.

The Star Circus had no magician; their magic show depended on these apprentices propping things up. Naturally, an intriguing opening aimed to draw out the main show, with Igor’s group fortunate to accompany Brava viewing the performance from the stage’s side, of course without tickets.

The magic apprentices’ performance was dull; they merely transformed into doves and vanished small balls—neither exciting nor boring, serving merely to keep the audience awake in the opening.

After the magic apprentices’ show, Brava urged Igor and Kadi: ”Your turn now!”

Before Igor and Kadi could react, Brava shoved them onto the stage. As the clowns appeared, the music became comical; Igor’s stumbling naturally sparked laughter from below, the applause just sent to the magic apprentices now accompanied by spontaneous laughter at the clowns’ awkward demeanor.