One-Eyed Monster

This was a rare moment of chaos on Guru Mountain.

The scene was not only chaotic but also ridiculous. Those who were tied up dodged and hopped around like dancing monkeys. The unidentified assailants snarled and clawed like mad cats. Meanwhile, the strangely shaped giant rabbit and Stan Sol fought fiercely, looking like dueling eagles in the air.

A chaotic drama, featuring these 'monkeys,' 'mad cats,' and 'eagles,' was unfolding on a relatively flat patch of ground beside the narrow path halfway up the mountain. This drama lacked clear protagonists or a script. It was a chaotic mix of frenzied combat on one side and mysterious aerial maneuvers on the other. People rolled around wailing, waved their arms and shouted, crouched on the ground, or bounced up and down. Flames darted everywhere...

The area, neither large nor small, was now quite lively. Fortunately, this place was within the territory of Dawn Peak, which had few living birds or beasts. Otherwise, the entire mountain forest would have been in utter chaos by now.

"Damn it! It's bad enough that we're trapped by this Fiery Blaze, but how can you idiots not even handle those tied-up prisoners?"

"Screw you! Why don't you try handling them!"

"Fine, let's switch! I'm not scared of you!"

The group of unidentified assailants, seeing their prolonged offensive yielding no results, began to show signs of resentment. They started to blame each other, their initial drive and enthusiasm clearly waning. This decline in morale directly led to a weakened offensive. Even Hustace, who had been lying prone on the ground, found a moment to lift his head and see what was happening.

It just goes to show that a team destined for decline will inevitably suffer from internal disputes, just as an individual's failure often stems from internal contradictions.

"If we don't hurry and figure something out, we'll fail our mission! How are we going to explain this to the Boss!" the little leader of the group shrieked, sounding almost hysterical.

"It's not like you're the only one with a Boss. We all answer to someone. The crucial point is, can you handle this Fiery Blaze?"

"Exactly! That Alien Species, even though it's tied up, is no pushover. Its tail alone is incredibly powerful."

...

The group exchanged words back and forth, their noisy arguments quickly drowning out the little leader's commands. In short, they were admitting that their opponents were too strong and they couldn't defeat them.

Igor watched this group bicker amongst themselves, completely baffled. Where did these people come from? Why did they come up the mountain? And why attack us on sight? They showed no mercy, with arrows flying and Alchemy Potions being thrown about, clearly trying to kill them. Luckily, he was agile enough to evade these chaotic attacks. But then another group arrived, and these people also attacked immediately, offering no chance for discussion.

Why are these people so unreasonable!

Baharo had initially been yelling for Stan Sol to untie him, but then he realized the attacking group was just a mob of incompetents. Except for the large rabbit entangled with Stan Sol, the others seemed to be there for comic relief. Once he understood this, he stopped bothering to distract Stan Sol.

After all, Stan Sol was facing a genuine enemy. The two of them were dueling, soaring and diving, seemingly oblivious to everything else. Whether they were too preoccupied to notice or simply didn't care, only they themselves knew.

"The sun is almost at its zenith!"

Someone shouted, a stark reminder to everyone on the mountainside that morning had long passed and noon would soon arrive. They hadn't realized how much time had passed during the fight. Despite the duration, neither side had made any significant progress.

This stalemate was extremely unfavorable for the group of unidentified assailants. They had expected a swift victory but found themselves bogged down by their opponents...

This standoff was also agonizing for Igor. He hadn't eaten anything since waking up that morning. If this keeps up, I'll pass out from hunger soon, he thought.

"Idiots! I know the sun is high! I don't want this either, but what choice do we have? Do you have a better idea?"

The one who spoke was rushing toward Kadi, holding a bag of powder—an Alchemy Potion designed to disorient people.

However, before this person could reach Kadi, Igor tripped him from the side, sending him sprawling and causing the bag of powder to fall from his grasp.

Baharo dodged a feeble arrow, then leaped towards Kadi. He kicked the fallen powder and surrounding dust towards the reckless attackers who were still charging forward one after another.

The mixture of powder and dirt quickly flew into the faces of the attackers. Instantly, those preparing to fire their hand crossbows went limp, and the bolts from their crossbows flew towards their own comrades...

There were initially only about ten of them. Even after one or two new groups joined, their total number was only around twenty. Half of these were pinned down by the Battle Pet Fiery Blaze, while the other half were being run ragged by the three bound captives.

Yes, run ragged. Kadi and Baharo simply lacked the strength to mock them. Such haphazard attacks were entirely counterproductive. The bolts from the hand crossbows might have posed a minor threat, but with several large rocks providing cover, it was difficult to hit anyone. Those who charged forward blindly were a complete joke. Are they rushing out to help block bolts from their own comrades? They were too close; their charges couldn't possibly provide covering fire.

Unfortunately, this mob failed to realize this and continued their chaotic blundering. Compared to Igor's group, they were just messing around.

Initially, Igor and his companions were a bit flustered dealing with this unruly mob. But after a couple of exchanges, Baharo, Igor, and Kadi understood what kind of fools they were dealing with.

Surprisingly, the three bound captives began to develop an unintentional coordination, making the attackers' efforts even more futile.

Perhaps it won't be long before these three start casually chatting again...

Hustace lay prone on the ground, occasionally opening his eyes to peek at the chaotic brawl unfolding beside him. After a glance, he would immediately shut his eyes again. He really didn't want to watch. It's too chaotic, so many people, all pouncing like starved wolves...

The young master kept his eyes closed, praying for the chaotic battle to end quickly. He had been lying on the ground for a long time, so long that his whole body ached. But the melee showed no signs of stopping. How much longer until he could enjoy his previous ease?

The skirmish on the mountainside was diminishing in scale. After all, many of the twenty-odd attackers had already been injured by their own comrades. The remaining uninjured ones faltered, contemplating whether to press forward.

If we don't charge, we'll look like cowards, and we'll have failed our comrades on the ground and those farther away. But if we do charge, the next one down might be me...

Just as this group wrestled with their indecision, more figures appeared on the mountainside. Clearly, the commotion had attracted yet more unknown individuals...

"Young Master! Young Master Hustace!" one of the newcomers cried out in surprise.

Hustace slowly lifted his head, opened his tightly shut eyes, and looked in the direction of the voice...