One-Eyed Monster

The night passed quickly. Aside from the cold, Igor didn't feel anything out of the ordinary.

As Igor got up, he looked forward to his breakfast as always. Even though he hadn't spent more than a week with Stan Sol, it was apparent that he had been fascinated by Sol's peculiarities. For a while, he even found himself thinking, Being Sol's captive isn't such a bad thing.

Why wouldn't it be good? he thought. He didn't have to worry about food, sleep, or anything else. He didn't even have to stand guard when camping at night. This carefree life, where everything was handed to him, was much better than when he was alone.

Not long ago, he had been worried about not having many gold coins. But not much time had passed, and he had almost completely forgotten those concerns. He had even forgotten other things.

Whenever Igor encountered new and interesting things, his eyes would light up, and his body would become excited. This was a habit that had formed over many years, deeply ingrained in his bones. Just like the Scale of Faith within him, it had become a part of his body, invisible to the eye. He knew this habit was not exactly commendable, but every time he saw something new, he couldn't control himself. There must be a demon in my heart, he often thought, subtly tempting me to make the same mistakes over and over again, even though these mistakes seem to have no significantly harmful effects.

Igor snapped out of his wandering thoughts. I should be more concerned about what to eat for breakfast, he mused. He expected Stan Sol to surprise him. Every day brought something new.

Igor looked around and found that he was the earliest to wake up. Even Baharo, who usually woke up early, was deep in sleep with his head hung low. It showed just how early Igor had woken up.

Perhaps I was awakened by the cold, Igor thought. The night wind made him feel a little uncomfortable. He rubbed his eyes with his bound hands, preparing to get up and stretch his limbs.

Just as Igor was about to get up, he saw Stan Sol, who was sitting motionless with his eyes closed not far away, raise one hand. The hand swayed lightly, seeming to be signaling something.

As Igor was contemplating what this gesture meant, Stan Sol's voice suddenly echoed in his mind. Unlike Sol's usual slow speech, the voice was simple and efficient, telling him, Don't move rashly. There's danger. If you move, I can't guarantee your safety.

Igor was confused. Danger? Where's the danger? There's no movement around us, so how could danger suddenly appear? And this danger could even threaten everyone's safety? This is truly bewildering.

Igor dared not move. His trust in Stan Sol had seeped into his bones. If Sol reminded me of danger, it surely isn't a joke, he thought. He swiveled his eyes, looking hard to the left and right, trying to use his own strength to notice what was wrong with the surroundings.

On his left lay Kadi. With her eyes closed, she slightly raised her tail, signaling him not to move. Her ears were pressed to the ground, as if listening to the vibrations in the earth, which could indeed convey some information. This was a skill Igor was familiar with but had not yet mastered.

On Igor's right was Hustace, sound asleep on a mat of grass and ashes. This young master had truly had a good night's sleep. Even now, drool trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Because they couldn't find a cave on the downhill path, Stan Sol had chosen to rest on a relatively flat stretch of the road before it got dark. There were a few rocks around this area. Although they didn't effectively block the wind, they still gave everyone a little reassurance.

The resting place wasn't far from the uphill and downhill roads. Igor really couldn't figure out where the danger would come from.

Could someone burrow up from underneath, or fly down from the sky? Igor wondered. These seem unlikely. Thus far, he hadn't seen anyone flying, except for the person riding a Flowing Water Beast down the mountain when they had just started climbing. At that time, he had asked Pita why everyone didn't fly up the mountain on Flowing Water Beasts. Pita's answer was that the person was a fraud, and Igor hadn't paid any more attention to it since.

Igor's thoughts started to wander again, and a wicked curiosity sparked within him. He was eager to see what kind of danger Stan Sol was talking about.

What kind of situation would Stan Sol call dangerous?

Before long, Igor experienced that feeling.

Baharo was the first one in the group to react. Although his eyes were tightly closed and his head was drooping, making him appear sound asleep, if one observed closely, they would notice that he was always frowning.

Baharo suddenly shouted and jumped up. Then, to Igor's immense surprise, a huge rabbit popped out from under the ground where Baharo had just been sitting! Its surprise attack having failed, the enormous rabbit quickly hopped back into the hole and, PLOP, vanished from Igor's sight.

"Rise!" Stan Sol, sitting calmly, suddenly stretched out his hand, fingers curled like a claw, appearing to grasp something in mid-air.

At this moment, strange RUMBLES were heard from beneath the earth once again. It was clear the rabbit underneath was putting up a stubborn resistance.

"Spirit Hook?" Baharo looked in surprise at Stan Sol's actions and instinctively blurted out.

The Spirit Hook was a combat skill of Hunters, allowing users to form an invisible, hook-like weapon using their own Spirit Power. This skill was far more complex than the Spirit Wall and Spirit Arrow, demanding High Rank control over Spirit Power. Generally, perceiving Spirit Power was the entry stage. Utilizing Spirit Power was the initial stage. Materializing Spirit Power was considered Intermediate Rank. Abstract materialization of Spirit Power, like this, required High Rank control.

After all, the ethereal thread controlling the hook was incredibly versatile and impossible to make concrete.

Stan Sol's hand was trembling. It was evident he faced the rabbit's fierce resistance. His Spirit Hook hadn't completely secured the large rabbit, resulting in a standoff between the two—one underground and the other above.

Having composed himself, Baharo carefully approached the hole, intending to see if he could strike the rabbit from there. Even though his hands were tied, his feet could still be useful.

However, upon closer examination, he found the hole completely empty.

"Be careful! It's still underground! It might jump out again!" Baharo loudly warned.

Igor didn't dare draw a breath. This had far exceeded his comprehension. He dumbfoundedly recalled the recent events and exclaimed, "Monster!"

Hustace had the same reaction as Igor. The young master, startled awake by Baharo's yell, simply stared wide-eyed in shock, sitting numbly in his spot. This scene was a bit too intense for him. He hadn't fully processed it.

The trembling of Sol's hand finally ceased, as the giant rabbit seemed to have stopped resisting. The noises from underground subsided. After a while, Sol suddenly jerked his hand upward, as if yanking up a fishing line.

WHOOSH! Something else popped out from the hole in the ground. It must be the prey caught by Sol's Spirit Hook.

But the 'prey' was actually a glove!

This was beyond everyone's expectations!

"Watch out!" Before anyone could react, the ground behind Sol suddenly split open with a loud CRACK, and the huge rabbit leapt out, this time brandishing two curved blades!

The rabbit swung one of the curved blades directly at Stan Sol. Given the momentum from its leap, the strike was naturally powerful.

Sol's response was quick. With a WHOOSH, he pulled up his robe. CLANG! His robe, like a thick shield, blocked the slash. Sol then jumped to the side, drew the long sword Baharo had used before, and lunged forward, thrusting the sword from his side.

The rabbit didn't meet the sword. Instead, just like before, it WHOOSHED back into the hole and disappeared.

"Damn it! How are we supposed to fight this?!" Baharo was getting impatient. The rabbit attacked and then vanished, a tactic that left him feeling helpless.

Stan Sol paid no attention. Closing his eyes and nodding slightly, he quickly thrust his sword into the ground.

Following a THUD, a strange RUMBLE was heard from underground, which then went silent once again.