One-Eyed Monster

Igor had become somewhat overexcited; indeed, ’excited’ was no longer sufficient to describe his current state. This overexcitement stemmed from happiness, a happiness born from experiencing something new. These new experiences brought new sensations, and these new sensations suddenly made him feel as if he had been elevated.

Igor was so overexcited that he even forgot his original purpose. He experienced a delusion, an illusion that everything was under his control, that he could end this absurd yet unique scene at will. Everything now seemed to shift according to his desires.

This was the current state of the overexcited Igor. He seemed to be swayed by an emotion, somewhat disoriented, and this emotion was clearly dangerous.

Kuren saw everything clearly. From Igor’s fluctuating emotions, he sensed something amiss. As the Guide for the technique, it was necessary for him to steer the youth in the right direction. Right now, the youth seemed to be showing some signs of arrogance, which was not a good sign.

Arrogance would naturally lead a genius to ruin. This had been true since ancient times; it was unchanged in the past and remained unchanged now.

As long as this arrogant streak of Igor’s disappears, it will naturally shield him from the danger of succumbing to his inner demons. This was Kuren’s initial judgment. Yet, he was unsure of Igor’s current state—after all, Igor’s way of thinking was not on par with theirs and was outside Kuren’s scope of experience.

Thus, Kuren wasn’t entirely confident whether Igor’s current behavior was a precursor to succumbing to his inner demons. Similarly, he wasn’t one hundred percent certain if Igor’s current demeanor truly contained an element of arrogance.

These were all Kuren’s conjectures, but they were made for Igor’s good.

As for Igor, he was certainly a bit agitated, and this agitation made him somewhat carried away. This could be considered a form of self-inflation.

But Igor, after all, was someone who could withstand trials. He had faced many temptations and trials before, and he had endured them all. Therefore, this state, caused by his heightened emotions at the moment, could at most be considered a small interlude.

Although his agitated emotions might have left him disoriented, it wasn’t enough to make him arrogant and complacent. After all, he still had some measure of himself and understood the true meaning of everything. So, Igor quickly adjusted his state. His previous imposing aura, like a fire, gradually lost its vigorous flames and returned to a gentle glow.

Kuren couldn’t help but look at Igor in a new light once more. Although they had only just met and he didn’t fully understand Igor’s temperament, Igor’s various actions were enough to prove that this youth was more seasoned and mature than his age suggested.

The youth’s only flaw, if being overly simple could even be considered a flaw, was just that.

Kuren rubbed his eyes. Considering Igor’s current state, understanding the other issues of this technique is likely just a matter of time.

I hope there’s enough time—ample time to finish exploring this technique before those bastards break in.

Indeed, ever since Igor grasped the Great Mentor’s original intention in creating this technique, everything had begun to flow in Igor’s favor. Even Kuren, who had believed he thoroughly understood the World Setting Technique, showed a degree of exhaustion after Igor entered the Inner World. Following Igor’s entry, the technique had revealed several more perplexing aspects—areas Kuren had never ventured into before. Consequently, Kuren now also harbored a keen interest in these baffling parts of the technique.

Thus, Kuren smiled faintly. Watching someone continuously discover new things is also a form of reward. Therefore, Kuren wasn’t anxious for quick results; he proceeded gradually. Besides, for someone like Igor, being rushed seemed out of character.

Initiating the conversation didn’t require much thought. Igor was a simple person, like a child. By following a child’s inclinations, one could understand their intentions. This task wouldn’t require much effort at all.

”How did you discover this original intention, Igor?” Kuren didn’t need to deliberately concoct a question to interrogate Igor; there was no need. As long as he followed Igor’s line of thinking, he would naturally obtain the answers he wanted, because this simple fellow, Igor, would tell him everything he discovered. This was perhaps the best aspect of being simple.

”It just came to me naturally, I suppose,” Igor’s reply seemed somewhat arrogant and brazen, but those who knew Igor would say he was speaking the truth, because everyone knew he was a simple fellow.

”Naturally?” Kuren feigned surprise, but in reality, he only wanted Igor to feel the approbation of others. This is probably the downside of being simple, you know. Once a person can’t bear another’s praise, they’re not far from true arrogance.

But Igor was not like that. He didn’t detect any praise in Kuren’s words. Instead, he felt Kuren was teasing him, showing distrust, questioning him, and misunderstanding him.

In this land, Igor feared being misunderstood the least, for he had plenty of time and energy.

I can use this energy and spend this time to properly explain to those who question me! So Igor wasn’t worried about such matters at all.

”When I thought about the method of this technique, I naturally came to understand the technique’s original intention.” While explaining, Igor still lacked some confidence, but it didn’t matter, because soon enough he would be able to make the other party understand what he meant.

Of course, a process was needed before that.

Especially for Kuren, although his method of guidance seemed effortless, one wrong step could lead to losing everything.

So, guiding cautiously seemed a bit difficult for Kuren.

”Can you be a bit more specific?”

”The method of the World Setting Technique, you mean? It’s simple. Isn’t much of it done through those paintings?”

”The Spirit Painting is indeed one implementation method of the World Setting Technique. Undeniably, a Spirit Painting doesn’t look too different from an ordinary painting.”

Igor clapped his hands at Kuren’s explanation; Kuren clearly understood what he meant.

”Paintings, well, aren’t paintings naturally made to be seen by people? Are you saying these paintings aren’t for sharing? Isn’t that perfectly obvious?” Igor spoke with conviction. This was his most fundamental contact with the concept, his most original understanding.

”Is it really that simple?” Kuren, who was guiding him, suddenly felt he had been very foolish. So, that was how Igor connected these ideas. It truly was a simple method, and the simplest form of association…

”Yes, it’s that simple!”