One-Eyed Monster

Igor hadn’t expected Kadi to grasp the example’s meaning so easily; he’d thought it would take Kadi a while.

”I was originally a wolf, but the sheep at Moonflow Stream made me lose my true nature. You’re the benevolent tiger who helped me find myself again.”

”Er...” Igor hadn’t expected Kadi to interpret it that way.

Still, regardless of the interpretation, it didn’t change the analogy’s outcome.

Kadi finally understood the trigger. It involved two indispensable conditions.

The first was proximity to Moonflow Stream and hearing the sound of water flowing over stones. This was relatively easy to recreate; Igor had simply used a few rocks and water from his waterskin.

The second condition was crucial: the sound needed to make Kadi recall his first impression of Moonflow Stream. This was abstract and not easily achieved. Kadi couldn’t consciously try to remember; the memory of his initial impression had to be triggered involuntarily.

Thus, this condition was difficult to meet when Kadi was surrounded by the sounds of flowing water at the stream itself. When a sound is ubiquitous, one hardly focuses on it. Only upon hearing a similar, distinct sound might one make the connection.

Igor had invested considerable effort into researching traps, a skill greatly enhanced by his time at Yonder Travel Academy. The many stories Teacher Hadi had taught him proved immensely beneficial. Each time he finished one, he would immerse himself in the narrative, believing that only by simulating the experience could he deeply grasp its meaning.

The matter of Kadi’s trap could be considered resolved. With the trigger and its conditions identified, controlling it wouldn’t require much more effort.

Next, he needed to re-analyze the song from Moonflow Stream. The two verses were a contradiction. Igor had pondered this before but still hadn’t grasped the subtlety of these verses.

Kadi, the creature from Guru Mountain, seemed like an outsider in this regard too; he was also unclear about many things.

Aside from the general situation, Kadi hadn’t offered Igor any substantive help yet, so Igor wasn’t currently expecting much from him.

At least he isn’t making a mess of things, Igor thought.

Igor tapped his head. He’d been thinking so much lately that his mind felt quite muddled, exemplified by the recent lapse in concentration. It was becoming extremely difficult for him to determine if he had merely been distracted or if it was interference from the trap setter’s Spirit Power.

Logically, if the trap setter were using Spirit Power to interfere, Igor should have sensed it to some degree. Unfortunately, he hadn’t felt any Spirit Power Feedback this time, implying the trap setter was either extraordinarily skilled or a complete fool.

”Those songs are always the same—stones or water, on and on, never-ending,” Kadi said, growing uneasy at Igor’s silence. At this point, what more is there to fear? he wondered.

It was like a difficult problem: if you’d solved a third of it and then got stuck, would you retreat or press on?

Regardless, one had to press on in such situations. If you shrank back from minor difficulties, how could you call yourself an Adventurer?

Capturing the night’s tranquility, Igor slowly savored each word of the first verse. This song seemed designed to recruit newcomers, luring people to venture elsewhere. What would it be like to follow this song to its very end? Igor couldn’t help but wonder. Could its destination truly be some kind of exit?

”Kadi, how far did you follow this song before?” Igor asked. Though Kadi might not be of much direct help, he was the only one who could provide certain details.

”Let me think...” Kadi trailed off, sinking into thought. ”Actually, I haven’t really followed the song much before.”

”What?” Igor could hardly believe his ears. After all this, it turned out Kadi had never actually followed the song to any significant depth.

”Every time I hear that song, I get inexplicably excited. I’ll start to follow it, but then something else always distracts me...” Kadi explained, a look of helplessness on his face. He was telling the truth.

”This...” Igor frowned, lost in thought.

Let’s see how you can still smile, Igor thought, recalling the second verse. It seemed like a subtle warning, as if reminding those who inadvertently stumbled in not to venture too deep, lest they become their prisoners—forever.

”I’m starting to think this song might actually be a guide,” Kadi mused, seemingly out of nowhere. ”First, it grabs my attention, then waits for me to take the bait. If I really fall for it, I might never be able to come back.”

”What did you say?” Though Kadi might have spoken idly, his words struck a chord with Igor. The muddle in Igor’s mind began to clear, like fog gradually dispersing.

”I mean, what the song says might be true. If we follow it to join those stones and water, we could really become prisoners of those... little things.”

”You’ve never followed it far, so how would you know?” Igor pressed, wanting to reconfirm. Kadi’s only real use now was to serve, directly or indirectly, as his test subject.

”I haven’t gone far, no. But every time I’ve wanted to, I’ve always been distracted by something else interesting.”

”But isn’t that trap you have connected to the song? Weren’t you led astray from your path by this very song? Doesn’t that count?” Igor asked.

”I naturally follow the song when I hear it, but I’ve never reached its end. That’s the crucial part.”

”Hmm?”

”Each time, I don’t get very far before something new distracts me. Intentionally or not, I now feel like someone might be doing this on purpose.”

”What do you mean?” Igor was suddenly intrigued by Kadi’s theory; his perspective was different.

”Whatever the case, I’m a part of Guru Mountain. Those old timers like Kevin definitely wouldn’t just stand by and watch me walk into a trap.”

”You’re right. Your companions wouldn’t just watch you walk into a trap.”

”So, those other things that distracted me... it must have been Kevin and the others looking out for me! Their goal was to pull me back from the brink!” Kadi grew more excited as he spoke.

”That doesn’t seem to have much to do with the trap itself,” Igor said with a smile. He was used to Kadi by now.

”How could it not be related? It’s very related!”

”Oh?” Igor was all ears.

”That old timer Kevin often says the best way to hide a leaf is to put it in a pile of leaves.”

Igor’s heart skipped a beat.

”So, I think the Moonflow Stream song trap... it isn’t a trap at all! No, wait, it *is* a trap... Ugh, I’m all mixed up again...” Kadi trailed off, thoroughly confused.

Igor, however, was stunned by Kadi’s line of reasoning.