One-Eyed Monster

The third King Kayne felt gratified to have such subordinates and began preparing measures to repel foreign invasions.

After the scroll was sealed, a new period of respite and development began in the Kayne Realm. They required lasting strength, not temporary spells. The third King Kayne was a great man; each of his actions was taken with full consideration. Regarding the sealing, he not only extinguished the flames of scholars who had gone astray but also left a final hope for the pessimists.

After the third king, the Spirit Communication Spell was never used again. The Kayne Realm’s tenacious resistance was a miracle, proving that even the weak could defeat the strong. Many witnessed Kayne begin to grow confident, to become powerful...

”Wait a minute...” Igor took a bite of dried fish and interrupted Guzan in a coarse voice. Apparently, he was so fascinated by the story and had been chewing so much dried fish that he hadn’t had a drink of water for a long time.

”HMM?” Master Guzan looked at Igor, wondering what the young man was up to.

”So in the end, no one knows where the scroll was sealed, right?” Igor blinked and asked.

”Yes. Even the Empire’s maps intentionally downplayed Guru Mountain, merely marking it with a symbol instead of giving the mountain the prominence it deserved.”

”That’s strange! It leaves your whole story full of holes. I can practically hear the wind whistling through them; it’s riddled with loopholes!” Igor exclaimed, his eyes wide with incredulity.

”Loopholes?” Master Guzan was puzzled.

”Loopholes?” Monster Kadi was also puzzled, but his confusion could be ignored, as he had never understood such complex matters anyway.

”Yeah, it’s absolutely riddled with them! It’s buzzing with holes wherever you point!” Igor waved his arms dramatically. He was far too engrossed in the story and determined to understand it clearly. He wouldn’t let the Great Mentor fool him, even though deep down he still respected Master Guzan.

”Let’s hear it.” Master Guzan looked at him with interest. After all, in all the years he had been telling this story, this was the first time someone had told him to his face that it was full of holes.

”Look, here’s the most obvious one: nobody knows where the scroll was sealed, but you do! You know the scroll was sealed here.” Igor knocked on the stone table with his piece of dried fish, pointing at the symbol for Guru Mountain.

”Yes, you’re right. I know the scroll was sealed here,” Master Guzan replied truthfully, not denying this fact.

”You also said something else that’s a huge loophole. You said even the Empire’s maps deliberately downplay it. That sentence itself is an obvious flaw anyone can see!”

”OH?” Grand Master Guzan watched Igor use the dried fish to draw circles around Guru Mountain’s position on the stone table map, an expectant look on his face. He was very curious about what Igor would say next.

”That proves one thing! It proves our King Kayne knew where the scroll was sealed! They even had the mapmakers downplay this place, so how could he not know it was sealed on Guru Mountain? He clearly knew!”

”You have a point, Igor.” Grand Master Guzan nodded gently. This youth felt like a clear mountain spring, always bringing a sense of freshness.

”I haven’t finished yet. Look, you said those who sealed the scroll disappeared along with it. That doesn’t make sense...”

”Igor, my dear Igor!” Grand Master Guzan reluctantly interrupted the young man’s chattering. Although he wanted to hear what else the young man might say, he felt it wasn’t necessary. Igor could go on endlessly; if allowed to continue, there would be no end to it.

”Everything you’ve said is very reasonable. Your logic is clear, and your analysis is thorough,” Guzan continued after interrupting Igor.

”With so many loopholes, it really means something simple, doesn’t it? All these strange parts in the story can only mean one thing: the story is fake! You’re fooling us, lying to us!” Igor’s expression was serious, his demeanor a bit unnatural. Deep down, he was unwilling to believe Grand Master Guzan would casually deceive people; perhaps there was some reason for it.

”HEHEHE...” Grand Master Guzan was amused by Igor’s expression. ”I certainly didn’t invent a story to fool you, much less lie to you. Everything I said is true. This ancient story is indeed just as I’ve told it.”

”Then, how do you explain all these loopholes, all these odd parts?” Igor was very puzzled.

”What you’ve pointed out are indeed the story’s loopholes. But Igor, you have to understand that these loopholes exist because the story isn’t finished yet. When you hear a fragmented story, naturally you’ll feel it’s full of holes.” Grand Master Guzan looked at Igor seriously, thinking his reply would give the young man pause for thought.

”HUH?” However, it wasn’t as Grand Master Guzan had expected. Igor didn’t mull over his words. Instead, with an innocent and artless expression, he showed his surprise—and it wasn’t the first time he’d looked surprised.

”The story isn’t finished yet.”

”Not finished? The scroll has been sealed, how could it not be finished?”

”As you said, I know this Guru Mountain is where the scroll is sealed. How do I know that? Doesn’t that require a process? Furthermore, did King Kayne truly know about this scroll? Isn’t that something you should be concerned about?” Grand Master Guzan continued, his tone at this moment similar to Igor’s, as if Igor’s mannerisms were contagious.

”It seems you’re right!” Igor scratched his head, his interest piqued by the questions the Great Mentor had just raised. ”Then, Great Mentor, please finish the story!”

”There’s no need to tell any more of it,” Guzan said.

”Why not? Aren’t there still so many loopholes—no, I mean, strange parts that you need to explain?” Igor persisted.

”HEHEHE, it’s actually quite simple. I know this mountain is where the scroll is sealed because many years ago, while adventuring across the Yowein Continent with Lord Soron, we reached this peak and discovered the seal’s existence.”

”HM?” Igor was confused; he couldn’t grasp what Grand Master Guzan was saying.

”Although those ancestors sealed the scroll, they followed the will of the third King Kayne. They recorded the entire sequence of events—the causes and consequences—on another scroll. This included the names and purposes of the sealed spells, all meticulously detailed on it.”

”You mean there’s another scroll?”

”Yes. This scroll is an explanation, visible only to those who could decipher the secrets hidden on this mountain. Coincidentally, Lord Soron and I happened to undo the spell on this mountain, and that’s how we learned the full story.”

”So, does the seal on this mountain still exist?”

”Those ancestors were highly skilled. A seal is a seal, and a Concealment Technique is a Concealment Technique—they’re two different matters. They deliberately left signs of the Concealment Technique, as if waiting for people like us to take the bait.” Grand Master Guzan recalled that experience; back then, he had been as high-spirited and youthful as Igor was now.