One-Eyed Monster

”But wherever you go, people won’t call you a monster,” Grand Master Guzan said calmly, looking at Igor. He was satisfied with Igor’s behavior but wondered how much more potential the boy had yet to reveal.

This boy had not only shown him innocence and hope but had also rekindled his belief in the goodness left in the world.

The boy’s naive antics allowed him to forget all the troubles of the past decades. It made him feel as if he were by a clear spring, birds chirping, flowers blooming, a gentle breeze on his face.

This boy was like a door that led to a different path, no longer tied up with past regrets. The boy was also a great listener, allowing his bottled-up words to pour out like a waterfall. It brought great joy.

”You can’t judge a monster by its appearance; that’s how I see it.” Igor grinned, feeling that he had untied a knot in his heart.

”Take Kadi, for instance. He has one eye and blue skin, so he looks different from us. But he is kind-hearted and has helped me along the way. If not for him, I would have been lost. I wouldn’t know what to do without him.” Igor held up Kadi as an example. In his eyes, whether someone was a monster was not the real problem. What mattered most was what one thought in one’s heart.

Kadi was taken aback by Igor’s words, still affected by loneliness.

”In my eyes, Kadi is a very reliable friend!”

A very reliable friend! Kadi heard the word ”friend” again. His body shook. The world around him suddenly seemed to become vast, and loneliness no longer felt so terrible.

”So, I think we can’t judge based on appearances.”

”Child, everything you said is right. But the world isn’t as wonderful as we’d like it to be. Sometimes, we have to endure things we can’t comprehend.”

”There are many incomprehensible things. Do we have to endure them all?”

”We are born alone. What keeps us going isn’t pain or happiness. We must experience all kinds of emotions. This is a universal law that everyone will understand eventually.”

Kadi didn’t understand why these people always loved to say things he couldn’t comprehend. At the same time, he found it strange that he could actually take in these peculiar words, and upon reflection, they even seemed to hold some truth.

But that wasn’t the main point. He also felt that with Igor’s intelligence, Igor should have noticed the peculiarity of the story endings.

The Kayne Empire was vast, with so many places to hide. Why did they have to come to Guru Mountain?

Kadi had grown up on this mountain. He initially thought that Kevin and his group were long-term residents of Guru Mountain too. But having heard Guru Guru’s stories, he realized that they did not belong here.

So, the question arose: why did they choose this place, and why guard it so mysteriously?

But Kadi didn’t ask. He found Guru Guru’s hesitation strange.

He didn’t know why this leader of the Guru Mountain monsters wanted to tell them such long stories. What did these distant tales really have to do with the small incident at the Alchemy Workshop? And what connection did these stories have to Guru Mountain itself?

Kadi had many questions in his mind. He waited quietly. Things were definitely not that simple; it seemed something important was about to happen on this mountain.

Meanwhile, Igor was still discussing the monster issue with Grand Master Guzan, oblivious to Kadi’s silence.

Grand Master Guzan was in a good mood. He was very pleased with Igor.

In truth, he wanted to pass on his mantle. He hadn’t taken many students throughout his lifetime. His most promising pupil, Kuyi Tulan, had suddenly grown arrogant, plunging him into despair.

But having experienced many challenges in life, he was no stranger to despair. While he couldn’t change Kuyi Tulan’s path, he could help those who had been hurt by Kuyi Tulan.

It was Grand Master Guzan’s redemptive actions that earned him the respect of the monsters on Guru Mountain.

If Kuyi Tulan had brought these monsters despair, then Guzan had brought them hope.

Though that hope was just a glimmer, it did offer them a light. At least in this world, the Great Mentor had helped them not to forget their past selves, nor to lose their present selves. Most importantly, the Great Mentor helped them face who they currently were.

No matter how you might change on the outside, you are still you, sticking to your principles and making contributions to the world’s workings in your own quiet way.

At that moment, Guzan was reminded of an old friend’s words. He wondered if these words would resonate with the Igor before him; perhaps Igor wouldn’t necessarily understand them even if he said them aloud.

Igor was very clever, but his cleverness was a bit special. No matter how one tried to enlighten him, if he didn’t arrive at the point himself, even telling him the correct answer was useless. But once he did grasp that point, even if you didn’t mention it, he would pursue it relentlessly until he understood completely.

Such people were rare. Guzan smiled to himself, relieved. He was now also waiting for Igor to walk that path on his own.

That’s why he held back his words. At the same time, he also noticed Kadi at the side, full of doubt and even a bit anxious. This little fellow has also changed a lot after meeting Igor. Although Guzan couldn’t say exactly what had changed, judging from the Spirit Power emanating from Kadi, the little fellow’s Spirit Power reserves had risen another level.

”I feel that many things are changing now, but I’m not sure exactly,” Igor said. He felt Guzan and Kadi could understand these words of his.

The purpose of his trip had completely changed, but his gains made him feel a bit weighed down. This burden was too much for him to comprehend alone; he absolutely had to go back and ask Teacher Hadi.

”Did you mention before that you knew Teacher Hadi?” Igor suddenly remembered this question.

”Yes, I know him.”

”Can you answer my questions, then?”

”What are your questions?” Guzan asked.

”I can’t quite remember right now. It just feels like my mind’s a mess.”

”That’s because your perceptions have been challenged. It’ll get better gradually.” Guzan comforted Igor, looking at him expectantly. He firmly believed that Igor would eventually find the right path.

”I have many, many questions, so let me think for a bit,” Igor said, falling into deep thought. Like Kadi beside him, he furrowed his brow—the only difference being that Kadi only had one brow to furrow.

”You numbed your disciple’s will—was it just to take everyone with you?”

”No, I simply allowed them the power to choose for themselves, to keep what was rightfully theirs,” he responded.

”But why would some of them choose to follow you?”

”When all paths seem closed, blindly following others isn’t a bad choice.”

”Why did you come here? Was it for the spoils? But I think there are many more remote places you could have chosen.”

Master Guzan chuckled knowingly. His waiting had finally paid off. What happens next will directly determine whether this Igor can become his fourth student!