One-Eyed Monster

Igor somehow managed to link completely unrelated things, which was simply incredible.

The original purpose for learning the World Setting Technique was vastly different from its current application. All original purposes are good, but what did any of this have to do with Igor’s current theory that magic might evolve into a Living Entity?

Kuren’s mind was a complete mess. Of course, he felt there was a certain logic to this mess. Although his feelings were very complex at this moment, he still had no way to make sense of Igor’s line of reasoning.

Although this was the confusion he wanted, it couldn’t be like this, without any leads. At the very least, he couldn’t understand, nor could he figure out, what kind of convoluted relationship the Spirit Book had with all these things.

”Could you explain in more detail?” Kuren gave in; he really couldn’t understand what Igor was trying to convey.

”Er, well, I think we need to consider the context,” Igor blinked. He felt it was nothing; everything he said could be connected.

”Context?” Kuren still didn’t understand what Igor was trying to say. He couldn’t just recklessly make wild guesses like Igor; he was, after all, bound by his experience and accumulated knowledge, unable to fully expand his imagination. This was also the biggest difference between him and Igor.

Igor’s thinking was like a wild horse, galloping freely across the plains. Kuren, on the other hand, was like a tamed steed, constrained by reins and commands, unable to run wild as he pleased.

This was also a crucial reason Kuren needed to rely on Igor’s recklessness. To rebuild something, one must discard established, rigid ways of thinking. For Kuren, however, he had been bound by his previous fixed mindset for a long time, and during that time, he had been completely unaware of it. That was the most critical part. His ingrained experiences had clouded his judgment, preventing him from discerning the various distinctions between things. Following experience, letting experience dictate everything—this was the key indicator of how he was shackled by this ingrained experience. Therefore, it was very difficult for him to overturn his past experiences and seek new answers.

”As for Spirit Books, I happen to have one on me. If not for the experiences of these past few days, I wouldn’t have known that Spirit Books are also a form of magic. But I do know that Spirit Books were created to facilitate things for us knowledge-seeking Adventurers with Class. Their existence makes things convenient for us; you could say they serve us.”

”You’re not wrong on that point,” Kuren interrupted Igor. What Igor was describing was entirely the function of books, but the original purpose behind the emergence of books had never been discussed.

”These Spirit Books essentially share the lifelong insights of their creators. They first show us these types of magic and secrets so that we can take fewer detours on our path of exploration.” Igor spoke with a continuous flow. Every time he started narrating, countless words would spring from his mind. He couldn’t figure out why, but he didn’t need to dwell on it. As long as he kept talking, someone would eventually understand the connections he was making.

”What you’re saying is also factual.” Each of Igor’s sentences seemed like rambling, but it was rambling that made a lot of sense, which gave one an indescribable feeling. Kuren could only weakly concur. His concurrence was not only limp and powerless but also had no effect whatsoever; it was purely a lubricant in this conversation.

”But in reality, the function of books, especially Spirit Books, has long gone beyond that. You must have seen many Spirit Books that can become helpers to Wizards. Spirit Books are like individual assistants, becoming good companions to people. What does this signify? It seems to signify that magic is also evolving!”

Igor’s explanation was a little far-fetched, but when all was said and done, it still had some merit.

The evolution of magic... it sounded a bit sensational, but from a certain angle, it seemed to hold some truth. The original purpose and the evolution of magic—these two points indeed had some connection. Kuren felt the breakthrough point for his entire confusion was right here.

However, Igor seemed to still be explaining those nonsensical things he had said before, completely unconcerned with what Kuren was focusing on. No one knew what exactly was on Igor’s mind, yet Igor just kept rambling on and on, still laying out arguments about original purposes.

This made Kuren feel inexplicably irritated. Although he was somewhat interested in Igor’s logic, that wasn’t the priority right now. His main concern at this moment was the matter of magic extension. He could set aside everything else, but this one thing he couldn’t figure out. He had to think this through clearly, so that the experiences and knowledge that had long troubled him could be reconstructed.

That’s right, Kuren was about to go crazy. If not for the slightest bit of rationality still remaining within his Inner World, he would have long been blundering about like a headless fly.

When Igor blundered about, he could still stumble upon some reasoning. But if he, Kuren, blundered about, he would only end up with a head full of blood.

The matters of this world often have no logic to speak of, and the current situation was a prime example. Igor and Kuren were both in the Inner World, yet their understanding was entirely different. Was there any logic to it? Obviously not. Even if the conditions were the same, the fruits grown would still vary. This was the difference; there was no logic to it whatsoever. Faced with such outcomes, one could only accept them, not resist them, or perhaps, try to understand them in another way.

It had to be said, Kuren’s sliver of remaining rationality had been a great help to him. It prevented him from becoming hysterical over Igor’s rambling. He knew very well that only this naive young man, Igor, could unravel the current situation. No one else could, because this young man’s mind was constantly in a state of exploration, completely unbound by so-called experience.

So Kuren managed a smile. Although he had to rely on Igor, he couldn’t let Igor continue his unrestrained, wild conjectures indefinitely. He had to intervene when necessary; otherwise, the answer he sought would only drift further and further away, and new questions might even arise.

This truly wasn’t a good sign. So, Kuren decided to promptly express what was on his mind.

He interrupted Igor’s incessant rambling.

”Hey, Igor,” Kuren’s interrupting voice was gentle, without a hint of rudeness, ”Actually, I don’t want to know about the connections between the commonalities of the original purposes of magic right now. I’m concerned about another issue, one I think is very serious—that matter I mentioned before, the one that could cause an explosion in the professional world.”

”The matter that could cause an explosion... this... let me think.” Igor furrowed his brow; the conversation had diverged so much that he had forgotten many things. He really needed to think hard.

”Oh, you mean the matter of magic extension and advancement, right?” His mind was still quick.

”Exactly!” Kuren was so excited he could hardly speak; he felt he had absolutely made the right choice.

”But to talk about that, I still have to start with the original purposes!”

Kuren... was left speechless.