One-Eyed Monster

Igor yawned. Kadi had been silent for a long time beside him, and he was a bit unaccustomed to it.

He didn't know exactly how long he'd waited, but it had been quite some time, because his stomach no longer rumbled; he had long passed the point of hunger.

The sky was gradually darkening, but the blurry sun overhead showed no sign of moving. There was some movement, but its speed and direction didn't match what Igor remembered.

This test of patience was indeed not an easy one...

Most people would have long since jumped up due to gnawing hunger, flailing about with all their remaining strength. After flailing, they might feel a sense of release, but their bodies... Their already scarce physical strength, swayed by anger, would eventually lead them to helplessly gaze at the sky and earth, instinctively letting out their final groans...

Such outcomes, where the gain didn't outweigh the loss, occurred frequently in the cities of the Yowein Continent. Yet, even though such scenes were countless, many people still didn't learn their lesson and would lose everything, down to their trousers, in duels of patience.

Kadi the monster was a clever fellow. He knew not to randomly expend physical strength when hungry; otherwise, he too would become one of the many fools lying on the ground, groaning incessantly. So he closed his eyes to rest, not saying a word, very rationally managing the little Energy left in his body. Of course, 68.78% of the reason he chose silence was because Igor's actions had driven him to despair.

Our protagonist, Igor, was a very clever person. Naturally, he wouldn't make such a low-level mistake as to waste the little Energy in his body on venting and complaining. He was much smarter than the average person, so he also wouldn't remain silent like Kadi. He felt his chosen method was more secure, and the opponent would surely fall for his trick.

Igor chose to ramble on and on. Now you should understand why there was a storytelling old granny living inside him; it was because he himself was quite the chatterbox.

"I don't know why, but this place feels like home. Did I used to live here before?" Igor had reached the point of spouting nonsense. He felt that the more he spoke, the more confused the opponent would become, because the opponent couldn't distinguish which of his sentences were true and which were false...

This method of mine is far superior to their complaints and venting, Igor consoled himself. Because hunger had come looking for him again, other parts of his body were unanimously demanding an explanation from Igor.

Why should this remaining Energy be given to that mouth that constantly stirs up trouble? Why only think of the legs and feet when it's time to flee? Why is it that all the hard and tiring work is borne by the arms and shoulders... This little bit of Energy should, no matter what, be saved for escaping later; how could it be wasted so easily?

The various parts of Igor's body were all rebelling against him. His legs twitched from time to time, his stomach gurgled occasionally, and even his ever-diligent and uncomplaining soles sent him a wave of numbness.

"I definitely have my reasons for doing this. Don't you worry. The opponent will fall for it. After this fight, I guarantee I'll let you replenish yourselves with ample Energy," Igor replied to his various body parts internally. His most important task now was to win this battle of patience.

Unfortunately, the opponent is in the shadows, perhaps constantly replenishing their Energy right now. I'm completely at a disadvantage in every aspect. Should I also conserve my strength and build up sharpness like Kadi? No, the opponent has seen that our reserves are insufficient; otherwise, they wouldn't have used such a simple picture to trap us here. The opponent wants to wear us down to death. How can we fall right into their scheme?

Igor also said he wanted to go out and find food, which would "accidentally" destroy the opponent's picture. However, his verbal artistry was still too crude, completely unconvincing. He didn't even know where the opponent's picture was, so how could he destroy it? If he really could destroy it, would he still be sitting here motionless?

Bluffing. Unfortunately, Igor's methods were too monotonous, too idiotic; any fool could see through them.

Kadi, beside him, was too embarrassed to call him out...

Sigh, this guy is hopeless. Just let him entertain himself, Kadi couldn't help but lament internally as he listened to the endlessly chattering Igor.

But Kadi, after all, was a compassionate monster. He felt that Igor was willing to waste their scarce physical strength on this incessant chatter, all for the sake of being able to walk out of this Ghost Wind Valley.

Speaking of which, it's quite shameful, Kadi thought. As a native of this Guru Mountain, I should, by all rights, be considered the master of Guru Mountain in front of Igor. For a host to lead a guest astray on his own territory... this is truly a colossal joke. And about this hunger, I feel it's somewhat my responsibility. Although I can't completely understand Igor, we were, after all, captives together under Stan Sol's ropes. I've seen Igor's state of stopping and starting, asking questions endlessly along the way. It's just that back then, Stan Sol's methods were brilliant, always managing to divert Igor's questions with another question. This is something I, Kadi, can't learn. But something as simple as preparing extra provisions like Stan Sol, I should have considered that, right? But what happened? I only stored one day's worth of wild fruits. I don't know where I got the confidence back then to think I could definitely walk out of this Ghost Wind Valley in a day. It was all my fault, a thousand times over, for being negligent and not preparing adequately. I can't completely push the blame for this onto Igor...

With this compassion, Kadi felt he had wronged Igor a bit. So he opened his eye, wanting to offer Igor a little comfort with his gentle gaze, even though it wouldn't achieve anything.

The moment Kadi opened his eye, a gentle, bright light shot over, making his only large eye itch incessantly...

Hmm? Sunlight? Could it be that the fog has dispersed?

Startled, Kadi leaped up from the ground. "Igor, the fog has dispersed!"

"I know, but this sun isn't right. We are close to Extreme Winter; the sun shouldn't be this diligent," Igor replied calmly, without even lifting an eyelid. For him, this issue wasn't worth wasting his body's Energy on.

"Huh?" Kadi was puzzled. However, in a short while, he was again captivated by the scene before him.

The "diligent" sun Igor mentioned suddenly seemed to go mad, growing brighter and brighter, and it looked like the heat it emitted was also immense.

"This also isn't right," Igor said. "Although the sun of Extreme Summer is lazy, it still wouldn't flare up. It's just a tiny bit closer to here; how could it possibly throw a tantrum? Wanting the sun to throw a tantrum is harder than walking to the sky on foot."

"This..." Kadi was stunned by Igor's words. But after a moment, he discovered that the sun above had changed again. The sun was "shy," slowly covering its face, looking like the moon.

"Sigh, this kind of phenomenon that only a Scholar could calculate couldn't possibly happen so easily. You'd better stop trying to fool me. I've already said, I'll go out later to find food and will destroy this precious 'picture' of yours..."

Igor was still rambling on, while Kadi stared wide-eyed. Everything happening before him was too complex for him to digest all at once.

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out, "Alright, child, you've won, and you have won this contest of patience quite brilliantly!"

This voice came from Igor's chest, sounding like it was from that inscrutable Spirit Book...