One-Eyed Monster

Igor stretched leisurely, feeling refreshed and comfortable after a good night’s sleep.

The cave was quite warm. Although there were swamps on one side and streams on the other, there wasn’t much chill inside. On the contrary, there was a slight warmth, which played a crucial role in Igor’s ability to sleep soundly until dawn.

The morning sunlight poured onto the earth, causing a thick fog to rise over the swamp. Seeing the white mist, Igor couldn’t help but shiver, a chill creeping into his heart.

Turning his head, Igor intended to take another look at this cave, which had served as a passage. But what met his eyes was a completely different scene.

A pair of watery eyes, bloodshot and ringed with faint dark circles, stared at him dazedly, indicating extreme fatigue.

The owner of these eyes was Kadi, who looked anxious, staring at Igor as if hesitant to speak.

”You almost gave me a fright, Kadi,” Igor shrugged, joking.

”I’ve been thinking all night!” Kadi exclaimed, rubbing his tired eyes. ”This swamp is impossible!”

”Uh...” Igor was speechless.

Everything that happened the previous night was still vivid in Igor’s mind. However, faced with the swamp’s constantly erupting flames, he hadn’t given it much thought at the time. He had merely used the opportunity to get tinder, then roast fish, dry his clothes, and warm himself...

He had hardly paid any attention to Kadi, not because he didn’t care, but because his reason told him to remain calm and not act rashly, lest everything be in vain.

So, that night, he had slept like a baby.

Kadi, however, was different. He had been ecstatic at first, and even more so when he saw the flames. Only when Igor mentioned that they shouldn’t even think about crossing did Kadi snap back to reality from his boundless excitement.

”Your reminder was like a bucket of cold water,” Kadi pouted, looking thoroughly wronged. ”It made me unable to sleep, and I couldn’t even enjoy the roasted fish.”

”My mentor, Teacher Hadi, once said, ’If everything around you deceives you, don’t panic or despair. Temporarily restrain your feelings of despondency; all things are transient, fleeting in an instant. Trust that joyous moments are sure to come,’” Igor said, pinching his nose with a meaningful expression.

”You don’t need to say these comforting words. The facts are right in front of us. You should be thinking about how we can get across,” Kadi grew increasingly impatient.

”I haven’t figured it out yet, but there will be a way eventually. Since there’s a Stone House over there, there must be a way to reach it. Otherwise, this cave would have been dug for nothing,” Igor appeared relaxed, not at all finding the current situation difficult or unsolvable. This was a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor at the Moonflow Stream.

”I got up to observe it several times last night. The flames that erupt are incredibly powerful. They could simply devour us!” Kadi recalled his observations from the previous night, a lingering fear in his heart.

”AH—” Igor yawned again, stretching leisurely. ”Don’t worry. We can take our time to think of a way. Time isn’t an issue for us, is it?”

”But, but we can’t just keep waiting here indefinitely!”

”My dear Kadi, I have a thousand questions in my heart, and I believe your monster king could answer them. But we can’t be anxious now. These places are riddled with traps, and they’re getting more and more advanced. If we continue to act as hastily as before, our losses will outweigh the gains.”

”But…”

”No more ’buts.’ I know you’re eager, but don’t let eagerness lead you astray. Calm down, and a way will present itself.”

”...” Kadi looked completely bewildered. At that moment, Igor sounded a bit like that old fellow Kevin, who was always lecturing him with grand principles. Although these grand principles were of no practical help to their situation, Kadi couldn’t find a way to refute them.

”Now, you need to close your eyes and get some proper rest. I don’t want to be dragged down later by a sleep-deprived fellow.”

”I...” Kadi didn’t know what to say. Igor’s words only intensified his drowsiness; he desperately wished he could close his eyes and sleep right then.

”You rest for a while. I’ll go prepare something for breakfast,” Igor patted Kadi’s shoulder, then vaulted down from the elevated cave entrance.

The flames from the previous night had been a great help to Igor. His damp clothes had been dried, as had the two pieces of flint. The flames had solved their pressing needs, bringing them warmth and cooked food... Although he still had no clue about these suddenly appearing flames, he believed that something so beneficial couldn’t be harmful.

He collected some water from near a water bubble, then found some wild fruits and vegetables by the edge of the swamp. He wrapped them in large tree leaves he had picked and slowly walked back to the cave.

As Igor walked, he scoured his mind for any information related to swamps. The swamp lay before them and had to be crossed, so Igor needed to find a way to do so as quickly as possible.

When crossing grasslands, one needs a staff to probe the way like a blind person, stepping only on firm ground. If one unfortunately sinks into a marsh, one must find a nearby point of support and slowly pull oneself out. If there are no points of support, one should try to spread their body flat on the marsh’s surface and ’swim’ slowly out of the dangerous area.

Igor couldn’t recall much information, and it was uncertain if these tips would even apply to this particular swamp.

Walking and observing, Igor noticed that the birds were chirping with unusual cheerfulness this morning. It was as if this wasn’t a winter morning at all; the birds sounded so joyful, much like an early summer morning.

Are these birds completely unaffected by those flames? And when do these flames appear, and when do they hide? Igor mused.

By the time he returned to the cave, Kadi was already asleep.

This monster is indeed exhausted. No, perhaps he was just overly excited.

Igor chewed on a few wild fruits and then began to slowly mull over the events of the past few days. Although each incident seemed more bizarre than the last, Igor had a persistent feeling that everything happening here might be connected.

Igor rested his chin in his hands and began to contemplate deeply. Those paintings in Ghost Wind Valley, the singing at Moonflow Stream, and now these flames erupting from the White Swamp... They all seem like isolated things, but I feel they share some commonality.

”Welcome to Guru Mountain.”

”What?” Igor, deep in meditation, was startled by the inexplicable phrase.

Welcome to Guru Mountain.

The voice sounded again, gentle yet alluring.

”Who’s there?” Igor looked left and right, but besides Kadi, who was snoring, there was no one. He was mystified.

”Welcome to Guru Mountain!”

The strange voice repeated, this time waking the slumbering Kadi.

”What happened?!” Kadi seemed to spring to his feet. THUMP! His head struck the cave ceiling hard.

”It seems someone is welcoming us,” Igor told Kadi exactly what had happened.