One-Eyed Monster

The Great Mentor’s words left everyone a bit puzzled; they couldn’t understand what the Intersection World truly represented.

Igor and Kuren, having experienced the Inner World, could keep pace with the unfolding situation. Although they had hesitated to accept the Spirit’s remarks during their time in the Inner World, upon revisiting their memories, they realized that things weren’t as simple as they had originally thought.

”The Intersection World... Does the Great Mentor mean that there is another world beyond the one we live in?” The first to react was Yuga, a Wizard, whose insight into nature was much more profound than the others.

”We can’t verify many things, Yuga, so we can’t definitively deny these things either.” The Great Mentor’s response was eloquent, neither refuting nor confirming, but expressing what everyone wanted to hear.

”But why can different worlds intersect?” Igor wondered. ”If these two worlds are parallel, it wouldn’t be possible for them to collide.”

These inquiries were profound; Kuruto couldn’t comprehend any of it. He wasn’t sure what this young man was talking about at this moment, nor did he understand why the conversation had shifted so abruptly from the topic of new and old to that of two worlds. These people had been using him as an analogy before; now they simply left him aside.

This, to some extent, offended Kuruto’s sensitive nerves. The feeling of being ignored made him miss his master immensely.

His master, Bigas, had parted ways with him right after meeting an old man, claiming to be searching for someone important. God knows what his master is up to. Kuruto had always been bothered by why his master hadn’t taken him along. What surprised him even more was that Bigas had taken that witch with him, something he couldn’t comprehend at all.

Despite his confusion, he didn’t complain. After all, that was his master, who could crush him with a mere whim. All he could do was comply. Of course, the events on the mountain later sufficed to make him forget all his worries. Had it not been for that stutterer’s quick thinking, they wouldn’t have even had this chance to catch their breath.

Kuruto looked around and found that the one whose situation was most similar to his was that one-eyed monster. Like him, this monster couldn’t get a word in, completely excluded by these voluble people, and could only hide in a corner, feeling dejected.

Kuruto thought to himself, Poor child, you are no longer alone now; I am here to accompany you.

So, Kuruto, dragging Hustace’s body, awkwardly curled up next to Kadi, joining Kadi in meditation.

However, this change did not affect the others’ discussion about the Intersection World. The reason each of them was interested in this topic was that their recent experiences were inexplicable by ordinary experience and knowledge. This new topic, emerging so suddenly, seemed somehow related to their experiences.

”Possibilities always exist, child. There are no absolutes. Even the axioms we believe in can be overturned by some newly discovered strange phenomena years later,” Grand Master Guzan spoke patiently. The earlier discussion about the old and new had provided him with a new understanding of the world. As the saying goes, one is never too old to learn. For the Great Mentor, accepting these novel findings at his age was indeed not an easy thing.

”But I still don’t understand,” Igor admitted, still slightly confused.

”This is an abstract concept, Igor. You need to exercise your imagination. After all, space is not time; time is linear, and space is more complex,” Kuren said to Igor. He now completely treated Igor as his own apprentice. Although deep down he felt he was not yet worthy, he still considered it necessary to offer some mental guidance to a lost young man at such a time.

Kuren’s guidance did have some effect. As soon as linear time was mentioned, Igor recalled his unique experience at the Moonflow Stream. In Mr. Arnold’s ’jumping time,’ he had experienced the collision of timelines. If such a linear collision could occur in his world, it showed that anything was possible.

Igor thought carefully. A world includes the interweaving of time and space, and parallel operation is only relative. In some corner, two worlds must be connected. Perhaps this connection is an overlap of timelines, or it could be permeation in space. No matter the possibility, the Awakened One who happens to appear in this coincidence should be considered lucky.

Or rather, the Awakened One who happens to appear in that coincidence is unlucky.

Igor shared his thoughts with the others.

His thoughts gained approval from many.

As for the Spirit, this mysterious entity that existed in another world, they still knew nothing. But it was clear they had already realized that the various changes occurring in their world were closely linked with the other world.

What that world was like, they still had no idea.

They could only glean from the Spirit’s account to Igor and Kuren that the appearance of Adventurers with Class, which had caused cataclysmic changes in their world, was somehow related to that other world.

”So, is what we’re guarding here related to this?” Estev suddenly inquired. He connected this to his duty of guardianship and the incidents they had encountered, boldly hypothesizing.

”Perhaps this mountain range is the true junction of the two worlds,” Yuga also ventured to predict.

”It seems the secret previously hidden here might have just been a smokescreen. The true secret appears to be the intersection of these two worlds,” Grand Master Guzan surmised.

Although Igor didn’t quite understand what they were saying, he suddenly remembered the words the Spirit had said to him at the last moment.

Those words were profound, and he didn’t quite understand them, especially when the Spirit said their world was changing due to the condition of the Awakened Ones.

Igor also voiced this confusion. He desperately wanted answers.

With so many knowledgeable seniors present who had analyzed the Intersection World so thoroughly, they would surely be able to clarify his doubts.

However, to Igor’s surprise, his question seemed to bring these seniors a sense of relief.

”This...” Igor scratched his head, thoroughly confused by the current situation.

”Everything is suddenly clear,” Stan Sol declared, his eyes firm.

”Yes, it all makes sense now,” one of the seniors agreed. ”We truly have Igor to thank for this.”