One-Eyed Monster

”At that time, I wanted to ask you this question. It’s a rather simple question, and I probably know the answer, but I just wanted to confirm.” Lord Soron in Spirit Form started his rambling again. His prattle was filled with unimportant matters, far from anything Igor or Kadi wished to hear.

”What is it that you want to ask? Just spit it out! You’ve wasted enough time already,” Kadi replied impatiently. Unlike Igor, he was always direct and to the point.

Unfortunately, it was to no avail. Since Lord Soron had decided they were ignorant youngsters, he no longer felt any discomfort at their words. He believed that the actions of pitiful people were all worth forgiving.

He continued to speak without regard to anyone else’s opinion. ”Young people need to learn patience; otherwise, they’re going to have problems in the future.”

”Maybe you should ask your question quickly before you forget again,” Igor urged, trying a different approach. He always felt it was strange how these people could complicate the simplest things.

”I won’t forget. You’re overthinking, my young friend. I’ve said it before: Lord Soron cares for every child, regardless of their lineage. Don’t worry, I will handle all of this,” Lord Soron confidently declared, oblivious to the exasperated facepalms of the three people beside him.

It appeared that the Spirit Form from the Spirit Book had significant differences compared to the man himself. Grand Master Guzan pondered, At least Lord Soron, in person, wasn’t this long-winded.

The rambling was becoming excessive. Grand Master Guzan had initially thought Soron wanted to revise the Spirit Book’s contents, but he later realized that was his own presumptuous assumption. The Spirit Form of Soron was merely an ideological embodiment of the real Lord Soron’s consciousness. It could represent Lord Soron, but it definitely was not Soron himself. Although this form seemed like a resurrection, it was, in reality, just the Spirit Book using its shell to express a fragment of consciousness, mimicking the author’s tone with startling realism due to its condensed Spirit Power. Put simply, the Spirit Book was narrating a fragment of the author’s consciousness in the author’s voice. The Spirit Book, though formed by gathering worldly Spirit Power after its creation, was imbued with the author’s painstaking effort in every line. Thus, it was both the author’s creation and a continuation of their consciousness. One could say this Spirit Power State of Lord Soron was Soron himself, or one could consider it a unique, postnatally formed living being. It all depended on one’s perspective. However, regardless of viewpoint, the meaning expressed by his Spirit Form always originated from the author, not the Spirit Book itself. Therefore, this verbose Lord Soron, while fundamentally Soron’s consciousness, was, in form, merely an upgraded version of that self-important Spirit Book.

Even though Guzan understood all this, the initial excitement of meeting Lord Soron had clouded his judgment, leading to some confusion. Now, even though he knows the truth, he still doesn’t know how to get this incessantly talking Lord Soron to get to the point.

He, like Igor and Kadi, could only do the same: wait with a hand on his forehead in frustration.

No methods of provocation or enticement worked. Lord Soron would not be swayed and insisted on proceeding at his own pace, determined to slow things down.

”Don’t focus excessively on the question. Think about what you have gained; maybe that will help you find balance,” Lord Soron said. Luckily, he was a Spirit Form; if he were a real person, someone would probably have already offered him a firm fist for rambling on so much.

”But you haven’t asked us anything yet. How would we know if we’d be particularly concerned about your question?” Igor couldn’t resist asking again.

”It’s good for young people to ask questions. Really, my question isn’t that complex. It amounts to asking a simple ’why’.”

”But there are more than a hundred thousand ’why’s in this world. Which one do you want to ask about?”

”HA HA HA! Out of the hundred thousand ’why’s, I will choose just one. There’s no need to be so tense, young man.”

”Just ask it already!” Igor was losing patience, his fists clenched.

”There’s nothing special about it. It’s just—why did you come to Guru Mountain?”

Finally, the question was out. It had been a very long time coming.

Kadi nearly dented his own forehead from frustration. Upon hearing the question, he sighed deeply. This was indeed a hard-earned question.

As for this question, Igor just chuckled. It was the question he’d been asked most often since arriving at this mountain.

It seemed that everyone associated with this mountain wanted to hear him say he had come in search of the treasure, the White Cloud Fruit. It seemed everyone was expecting this answer.

However, Igor had never responded like that. His initial response was always, ”I came here to find courage.”

But most people couldn’t comprehend this answer and would often just give him an incredulous look.

So he later altered his reply to, ”I am here to catch a monster.” The typical reaction was, ”Oh, how bold! So, what do you plan to do when you capture the monster?”

Igor would swiftly retort, ”To prove my courage.” Afterwards, he would invariably receive contemptuous looks, often accompanied by the word ”hypocrite.”

Among those who heard Igor’s responses, only Kadi didn’t find them peculiar; instead, he believed him wholeheartedly.

But how would Igor answer Lord Soron this time?

”I came to Guru Mountain to prove my courage.”

Igor responded to Lord Soron with his original answer.

”HMM?” Clearly, this answer caught Lord Soron off guard. He had been confident he knew the answer.

Lord Soron himself had advertised this mountain extensively. He had elaborated in various books on the White Cloud Fruit, often exaggerating and embellishing its wonders, all to publicize Guru Mountain’s profitability and entice people to this secluded corner.

He had also mentioned monsters, but not in detail—only a brief mention in this very Spirit Book, which most people would overlook. (The credit for publicizing the monsters’ existence, however, undeniably belonged to Elder Rostellum.)

So, Lord Soron had initially assumed Igor would say he came to Guru Mountain for the White Cloud Fruit.

Regrettably, Igor’s answer was not what he expected, leaving him stunned and momentarily struggling for words.

”How does coming to Guru Mountain prove you are courageous?” Grand Master Guzan chimed in, helping Lord Soron out of his predicament.

”Because he thinks he can catch a monster on Guru Mountain! If he catches a monster, that proves he’s brave. If he’s not even afraid of monsters, isn’t that courageous?” Kadi eagerly answered in Igor’s place.

”Oh, HA HA HA,” Master Guzan chuckled.

”This...” Lord Soron was temporarily speechless. His preconceived question-and-answer script had unraveled, leaving him a bit slow to react.

”My Lord, perhaps we should discuss our agreement,” Master Guzan interjected, once again rescuing Lord Soron. ”These two youths managed to escape my elaborate traps; they should have no problem handling that matter.”

”Actually, I’m quite curious,” Kadi said, tilting his head to look at Guzan from nearby. ”If you knew about this agreement, why didn’t you just tell us yourself? Why summon him only for him to ramble on for so long?”

”It is beyond my control. My own abilities are limited; I cannot speak of the mysterious power I bear.”

”Mysterious power?” Kadi echoed, surprised.

”Yes, a mysterious power,” Lord Soron interjected, taking over the conversation. ”Guru Mountain conceals—or, to be more precise, seals—a mysterious power.”

”You should know, I set two conditions within the Spirit Book. The first was that whoever could bring this book to Moonflow Stream could attempt to awaken me. The second was my agreement with Guzan. Unexpectedly, both conditions have been met. Therefore, it is indeed time for me to tell you about this mysterious power.” Lord Soron suddenly became very serious.