One-Eyed Monster

”So, these twenty all followed you to this Guru Mountain, and that’s the end of the story?”

In a stone house by the White Swamp of the Moonflow Stream on Guru Mountain, a young man, a monster, and an elder were discussing around a stone table mapped with the continent.

The young man was Igor, who had left the carefree Yonder Travel Academy in pursuit of monsters. He believed capturing a monster would prove his courage, and thus earn him the Courage Medal. With that, he could join the Association of Adventurers and hopefully become a qualified Adventurer.

Igor braved the wilderness, finally arriving at the famed Guru Mountain, said to be home to monsters.

Luckily, he did encounter a monster.

The monster was Kadi, a one-eyed creature whom Igor met by chance.

However, this chance meeting gradually led to an unexpected friendship, and Igor found a good friend in his prey.

This pair of friends experienced a series of unforeseeable events, and finally met the leader of the monsters on Guru Mountain, Guru Guru.

But they were stunned to realize that Guru Guru was actually a human named Guzan, who was also a Great Mentor of the human kingdom. This was extremely unusual, and it took them by surprise.

Grand Master Guzan treated them to grilled fish and shared countless captivating stories full of twists and turns. Igor was intrigued while Kadi was left puzzled.

Now, after Master Guzan had finished yet another tale, Igor voiced his doubts.

Igor did not understand why the monsters created by the Alchemy Workshop would choose to follow Guzan to Guru Mountain.

”It was their choice.”

”But didn’t you say they were hopeless and didn’t want to live anymore?”

”Yes, Blaine gave them resonance, and they gradually felt that existence was a torment.”

”Then I’m even more puzzled. If they’ve experienced torment, why would they follow you?” Igor cupped his chin, looking perplexed.

”What does extreme pain lead to?”

”Extreme pain leads to despair.”

”Despair isn’t the extreme. The apex of pain is hatred.”

Igor turned his head, not understanding.

”Even now, I’ve come to realize that the advice my old friend once gave me was a dangerous gambit.”

”Hatred provides motivation, and the desire for revenge keeps them going.”

”So, these monsters... they’re all waiting for revenge?” Igor asked in alarm.

”Only a portion of them.”

”Then you’re planting the seeds of evil,” Igor stated.

”Indeed, I’m filled with regret. But to keep them alive... that’s already no easy feat.”

”But you said it yourself, there were still many who were hopeless. How did you manage to bring all of them out?”

”I didn’t bring all of them. I only brought a portion. Some followed Blaine, as they were originally Blaine’s brothers. A few others left on their own. It is those individuals that I’m still worried about.”

”Why?”

”Because they are truly driven by hatred. They’ve experienced extreme pain and reached the point of absolute despair.” Guzan couldn’t help but recall the past events.

”This…” Igor was still confused.

”Because including me, there are only thirteen monsters on Guru Mountain,” the usually quiet Kadi spoke up.

”Thirteen? But you previously said that there were twenty monsters in the Alchemy Workshop’s cage…”

”Yes, and none of these dozen or so monsters harbor any hatred,” Kadi added.

”Hm?” Igor was even more confused.

”I’ve lived with them for many years. Their hearts hold no hatred, just deep-seated fear, like me.”

”Fear?”

”Yes, fear. A fear of loneliness,” the Great Mentor added.

”They followed me to Guru Mountain because their hearts found a sense of belonging here.”

”Belonging?” Igor was still clueless.

”As I mentioned, Blaine—the knight with only half a face—found his sense of belonging. He used to be the only one in the Empire with such a disfigured face. Now he has found others like himself, a place to call home. Although I don’t know where they ended up, they likely secluded themselves somewhere far from the bustling Imperial Capital.”

”How can you be so sure that you could provide them a place of belonging?” Igor asked a crucial question.

”I can’t be sure. I just offered them an alternative. I told them there are other paths besides choosing death. But no matter which path they take, they must remember who they are and never forget themselves.”

”’Remember who you are, and never forget yourself.’” Igor slowly repeated the phrase, as if it had opened up new perspectives for him.

”Never forget your original intention. That’s the most significant reason to keep living,” Kadi added quietly.

”But why did these monsters listen to you?”

”I can’t give you a specific reason. I brought them to Guru Mountain, and we endured various hardships along the way. Given their appearances, survival would indeed be their greatest obstacle.”

”That’s why Kevin stopped me from going down the mountain. He was afraid I would be in danger,” Kadi murmured to himself.

”Although Guru Mountain is remote, it is fairly rich in resources. For this period, it has been the mountain sustaining us,” the Great Mentor mused.

”Is this what you mean by ’a place to call home’?”

”Being able to live a peaceful life might not be their best choice, but it can’t be their worst either,” Kadi said, speaking again after a period of silence, as though he too had been pondering many things.

”Even though I don’t quite understand, I do feel there’s some logic to what you’re saying,” Igor said, scratching his head.

”But, there’s still something I can’t get my head around.”

”It’s normal to feel that way. Everyone has their own sense of belonging,” said the Great Mentor Guzan gently, his gaze benevolent.

”True, but I can’t understand why monsters have to choose a remote place as their home. Why do they have to hide? They’re so powerful—why do they have to hide here? It’s simply unfair,” Igor said in a rush.

”I told you before, the stronger they are, the lonelier they become. The world fears the strong, but the strong are always in the minority. The majority’s fear consistently restricts the strong, and some extreme individuals will always ostracize them.”

”But…”

”Fortunately, they are strong enough to avoid the majority’s ostracism,” the Great Mentor sighed.

”That’s not fair!” Igor’s inner scales began to tip again. He couldn’t accept this reality. ”Perhaps in their eyes, we normal people are the monsters. But why do they have to be the ones to hide?”

”Because if we expose ourselves, they will capture us, sell us, and then try to disassemble us to study what makes us different from you,” Kadi, the usually silent one, spoke again. Some of these words were things he had heard from a big lug named Baharo during their journey.

”Fair or not, it’s always decided by the majority. Sometimes, that’s just how the world is.”