One-Eyed Monster

Igor was bewildered; he simply couldn’t comprehend what had transpired or how he had inexplicably become the center of attention once more. The praise and smiles from his seniors seemed to overwhelm him. He was confused and flattered.

It wasn’t Igor’s fault. After all, he was waiting for these seniors to clarify his doubts, but instead, they offered him accolades and warm expressions, which made him feel bogged down, unable to extricate himself. More importantly, he had no idea what was actually happening.

Stan Sol’s remark that ”everything had suddenly become clear” was like a stone cast into water, sending ripples of uncertainty through Igor’s heart. What was happening? What did these mysterious thanks signify, and why were these seniors being so courteous to him?

Not only were Igor’s existing doubts unresolved, but new ones also arose—a truly peculiar situation. Igor shook his head; he had encountered far too many strange situations recently and felt utterly swamped.

This time, Kuren couldn’t enlighten Igor either, because he, too, was bewildered. But Kuren was experienced; he had gleaned some clues from the words of the Great Mentor, Estev, and the others, and these clues led him to connect certain dots.

Kuren surmised that the Great Mentor and the others had suffered an unprecedented assault outside, and the assailant was likely an Awakened. From the Spirit’s words, Kuren deduced that some Awakened might influence the Spirit; since the Spirit could affect the Awakened, this influence was surely mutual. Therefore, the intruder was likely the kind of Awakened who could affect the Spirit.

Kuren took a deep breath. He wasn’t certain if his deduction was correct, but there was a strong probability. If Guru Mountain, as had just been mentioned, was indeed a convergence point for two worlds, then the intruder’s purpose in coming here might not be as simple as obtaining the spell hidden within the mountain. The intruder was quite possibly here to alter the Spirit’s world. This convergence point was prone to causing turbulence; after all, within the Inner World, the tiniest alteration could induce bizarre changes in the real world. Kuren had experienced this effect several times and understood it profoundly.

If two originally parallel worlds were to undergo major changes at their point of convergence, what would become of them? No one could say for sure. Perhaps disaster would strike, or perhaps a great transformation would begin. Things could turn out terribly, or perhaps smoothly; no one could predict. But judging solely from the invaders’ motives, they might not be so simple. Kuren inferred this primarily because even the Great Mentor had retreated to the safe house.

Kuren needed to verify his conjecture, and he also wanted to help share the Great Mentor’s burden, so he needed to quickly understand what had occurred outside.

”Can any of you tell me what happened out there that left you all in such a sorry state?” Kuren directed his question to Yuga, clearly trusting him.

”What happened outside is a long and complex story,” Yuga sighed, feeling he couldn’t answer Kuren’s question concisely.

”As Yuga said, it’s a complex and lengthy tale,” the Great Mentor added. It was his duty to answer their questions; in this brief period, he felt it necessary to address his ’childrens’’ queries, potentially saving time for the challenges ahead. The Great Mentor even felt that his ’children’—the monsters transformed by the Alchemy Workshop—needed a certain resolve, a resolve to contend with adversity. They weren’t just protecting the mountain anymore; they were guarding the convergence point of two worlds. Who knows, they might be guarding the survival and peace of the entire world. Truly, no one could say for sure...

”A long story?” Hearing the word ’story,’ Igor clutched his forehead. ”Are you saying you’re going to start telling another story?”

The Great Mentor Guzan’s previous descriptions of Adventurers with Class and various professions had given Igor a certain impression of him: whenever the Great Mentor began to tell a story, time itself seemed to stretch on indefinitely...

However, this time the Great Mentor didn’t speak as Igor anticipated. He seemed to understand Igor’s thoughts and said patiently, ”Child, things are different now. We don’t have that much time for lengthy stories. We must be brief.”

Igor scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed. He had overlooked the urgency of the situation and the fact that the invaders were still outside. His desire to hear a story at that moment, he realized, was indeed a tad selfish.

Kuren certainly wanted to know what had happened, but unlike Igor, he didn’t need to hear a protracted tale. He only needed a few key points to piece things together. This was an ability of association and deduction. While his deductive abilities didn’t reach the level of a Scholar, they were, fortunately, sufficient for him to ascertain the general logic of events.

The Great Mentor didn’t intend to elaborate on everything. He knew that saying too much now would be pointless.

”Initially, Kuyi Tulan came here looking for me; there’s no doubt about that. Brad can also testify to this,” the Great Mentor said concisely. ”But the arrival of uninvited guests changed everything. Compounded by the snows of the extreme winter, Guru Mountain has indeed faced an unprecedented crisis.”

”Wait, who are these uninvited guests?” Igor suddenly interrupted Master Guzan’s account.

”That would be the Awakened who are trying to change this world,” Joseph speculated, having formed his own judgment after silently listening to the analysis.

”You’ve guessed half right,” Estev smiled; maintaining optimism at such a time was a positive stance.

”Half?” Igor turned his head toward Estev, uncomprehending.

”It is *an* Awakened, not Awakened in the plural,” Yuga answered Igor’s question. He knew time was slipping away, and this was no moment to haggle over every detail; what needed to be conveyed had to be done swiftly.

From Yuga’s statement, Igor grasped a very grave fact. This fact stunned him, as well as Kuren and the others. What Yuga implied was truly unbelievable.

Apart from the Alchemy Workshop, the invasion of Guru Mountain was the work of just one person.

A single person! To stir up such a colossal storm... who on earth could this individual be, capable of driving so many into such dire straits?

At this, Igor became even more intensely curious about what exactly had transpired not long before.