One-Eyed Monster

Chapter 5: Chapter 5 Liko and Pita

Liko and Pita were in an unassuming small tavern at the foot of Guru Mountain, greedily biting into gold coins.

Initially, like the other aspiring Treasure Hunters eager to strike it rich, they had enthusiastically come to the foot of Guru Mountain. Full of energy, they had tirelessly traveled up and down the mountain.

They aimlessly wandered around Guru Mountain for two weeks. Although Guru Mountain was right before their eyes, when it came to taking action, Liko and Pita felt like headless flies, bumping around everywhere without catching so much as a glimpse of the elusive White Cloud Fruit.

Just as they were about to lose hope, Liko suddenly realized that their savings had also mysteriously disappeared.

Their empty moneybag left Liko and Pita in a predicament.

In this predicament, however, their usually dull minds suddenly sparked.

In frustration, Liko asked Pita, ”Where did all our money go?”

Pita, head drooping, said listlessly, ”Ah, those coins... they joyfully tumbled in our bellies and happily frolicked in our dreams. They all just trickled away with eating, drinking, and sleeping...”

”Why didn’t you watch over them!” Liko fumed.

”How did I not? I always chose the bare minimum. If anyone’s to blame, it’s you! You eat and drink too much and hardly work. Hmph!”

”Oh, shut up! You’re no better. So picky, even about where you sleep! Why can’t you just wrap yourself in a thick cloak and sleep anywhere? You’re as fussy as a woman!”

”You’re a brute, beyond reasoning!”

”And you’re nothing more than a penniless Scholar!”

Their quarreling soon escalated into a comical brawl.

”I, a dignified Fighter, must have the worst luck imaginable to be partnered with a good-for-nothing, third-rate Scholar like you to strike it rich!”

”I am a Scholar of some standing, after all! How did I end up working with a Fighter like you who can barely throw a decent punch? Look, your punches can’t even faze me! Take that!”

The spark of brilliance that would solve their problems ignited during this ugly brawl, shining down upon the world, so to speak. And it came about like this: As Liko and Pita were spewing nonsense and wrestling with each other, they completely failed to notice that a crowd of onlookers had gathered around them. Some were shaking their heads with a sigh, while others were whistling and clapping. Now and then, this group of onlookers would voice their own thoughts and grievances. It was amidst these idle remarks and complaints that the figurative lightbulb went off for them.

These idle individuals’ remarks and complaints—no, perhaps it’s better to say the ’lightbulb moment’ itself—went something like this:

”Hey, these two must be fighting over an unfair split of their loot! How embarrassing for a Fighter to get tangled up with a Scholar.”

”Heh, and here I thought it was something serious. Turns out they’ve just run out of money and have nowhere to vent their frustration, so the two idiots are at each other’s throats.”

”Sigh, this Guru Mountain is so huge, and with no sense of direction, it’s truly torturous. Look what it’s done to these two poor souls.”

”Hey, we’re not much better off ourselves. We should probably head back sooner rather than later. We’re spending more than we’re earning. Best to cut our losses and go home.”

”It seems Guru Mountain is just a legend after all.”

”If only someone could point us in the right direction, then we wouldn’t all be wandering around so aimlessly!”

”Tch, what do you know? If he knew the way to the White Cloud Fruit, would he tell you? Dream on!”

...

Direction!

Upon hearing this word, Pita froze. His movements slowed for the space of a gulp or two. This brief pause later gave Liko fodder for boasting for a good long while.

”’It all happened in an instant!’ Liko would later brag everywhere. ’In that tiny opening, I broke free from his grapple and landed a punch right on his face!’ You know, old friend,’ Liko would always add, showing off, ’you should thank me for that punch. It knocked some sense into you!’”

Pita touched the corner of his right eye, which still throbbed faintly. But this pain was worth the gold coins he now held!

That’s right, Liko and Pita became the first paid guides at the foot of Guru Mountain.

The word ”direction” had ignited an idea in Pita’s mind.

No matter his ranking, he was still a Scholar. After being punched, Pita didn’t re-engage with Liko. Instead, his mind raced, calculating all the routes they had taken up and down the mountain. Not even the blood streaming from the corner of his eye could stop his mental arithmetic.

He ignored the stunned Liko beside him and quickly figured out what they should do next.

The change Pita’s calculations brought was indeed transformative.

Firstly, Liko and Pita themselves now had a direction. They stopped aimlessly searching for Guru Mountain’s White Cloud Fruit and instead started working as guides on Guru Mountain.

This trade, long abandoned by the local residents, quickly yielded results. Liko and Pita attracted many novice Treasure Hunters with slogans like: ”Shortest path to the north side of Guru Mountain,” ”Safest route to Dawn Peak,” and ”Best mountain ascent path avoiding monsters.” Charging for their guidance allowed Liko and Pita to quickly leave their days of empty purses behind.

Secondly, Liko and Pita’s actions also inspired other Treasure Hunters. While many simply followed their lead and also became guides, some innovative individuals, drawing on their own professions, gradually introduced new services to the growing contingent of Treasure Hunters at the foot of Guru Mountain, such as bodyguards, Diviners, Nutritionists, and Planners.

Lastly, Liko and Pita’s venture also brought a new line of business to the locals: the Gold Room, a place for these fortune-making individuals to store their private funds and exchange currency.

It could be said that Liko and Pita were the founders of the hired professionals at the foot of Guru Mountain. Although this founding pair never expanded their own team or the scope of their services, it didn’t stop them from continuing to guide others.

After all, Pita wasn’t an omniscient Scholar; there were many things he didn’t know. For instance, when a rookie asked if there was a waterfall on Guru Mountain, he couldn’t answer. In such cases, he would send the rookie away rather than have Liko consult more knowledgeable individuals.

And Liko? He would never agree to fight monsters for a mere few dozen gold coins. ”’Risk my life for your paltry sum? I’d much rather stick to guiding with Pita!’ Liko would always say.”

”’We only guide. For anything else, find someone else!’ they often told the rookies.”

It was this very specialization that made Liko and Pita stand out among the multitude of guides.

Progenitors of Guru Mountain’s guide services, professional guides with unrivaled knowledge of every mountain path—such praise sometimes made even their competitors sigh in acknowledgement of their inferiority.

With business booming, their earnings naturally soared. From copper coins to gold coins, Liko and Pita were already calculating when they could convert their gold coins into gold bars.

Oh, and there was one more crucial reason their business thrived: their prices were cheap, and they never raised them.

To this day, their guiding fee remains a mere ten copper coins!

A price of ten copper coins was still affordable for Igor!