One-Eyed Monster

Although Kuren was aware they were about to embark on a new journey, truth be told, he had no idea which direction to head. He was far worse off than Kadi in this respect. This was not a personal flaw unique to Kuren. His kind were generally indecisive, fearful of every possible outcome, unlike Kadi, who demonstrated a certain Nothingness. If one were to suggest that their capabilities were inferior to Kadi’s, that might not necessarily be true. The peculiarity perhaps lay in Kadi being simpler and less complex than they were.

Kadi’s simplicity stemmed from having spent his entire life in these mountains, encountering nothing more than his narrow, familiar world. As they say, the more one sees, the more desires one accumulates. Desire obstructs the mind, causing hesitation due to overthinking and fear of loss. Thus, Kadi’s Nothingness was truly exceptional. To be honest, the numerous desires brought by the Treasure Hunters from outside had not affected him in the least, showcasing his resilience against external influences. Kadi’s simple nature allowed him to act without hesitation, making him extremely audacious.

Upon careful consideration, Kuren realized this was how the world worked: starting simple and growing ever more complex, with the human heart being the catalyst for this complexity.

Back to the matter at hand, Kuren wanted to know what Kadi was thinking at that moment, but Kadi himself had no idea what Kuren was referring to. Actually, Kadi was pondering an entirely different problem—one that was neither too big nor too small, but definitely deviated from the norm.

Following the network lines, Kadi had reached several other Worlds of Thoughts. Kuren was not only the first one who could communicate with him but also, for now, the only one who hadn’t been attacked by the Dark Force! This was what Kadi found abnormal. Although the others couldn’t communicate with him, their actions were strikingly consistent: they were all resisting the assault of the Dark Force’s thoughts with all their might.

In Kuren’s case, however, there was no sign of the Dark Force’s thoughts. Kuren, it appeared, was still battling his own inner Devouring monster. Kadi knew that questioning Kuren directly would be impolite and risky; he hadn’t yet decided what to do.

Kuren was oblivious to Kadi’s line of thought. While Kuren was preoccupied with figuring out their next move, Kadi was wondering why his own situation was so different. Despite the urgency, neither of them managed to get straight to the point.

After a long silence, Kuren began to notice something was off. The usually lively Kadi was suddenly quiet, and his gaze seemed rather odd. As the saying goes, earnest people cannot hide their worries. Kadi’s various expressions had already betrayed him. This wasn’t his natural behavior, so he couldn’t control it effortlessly. His expression wasn’t calm, his gaze unsteady—everything about him indicated he had something on his mind. Even a fool could tell he was hiding something.

”What’s bothering you?” Kuren asked, his voice full of the concern expected from an elder.

”Nothing, nothing at all,” Kadi denied quickly, afraid of being found out, yet unaware that he already had been.

”Heh heh.” Kuren chuckled awkwardly. Stop pretending, he thought. It’s written all over your face. Why bother trying so hard?

Kadi wasn’t proficient at acting and quickly grew tired of the pretense. Who cares? Bring it on! he thought, a surge of fighting spirit igniting within him. He believed every problem could be resolved with a direct confrontation—an approach that suited him far better. Initially, he had wanted to try blending in, concealing his identity and quietly searching for answers... But Kadi gave up. This is too fatiguing and intricate for me, he decided.

”Why is your situation here different from the others?” Kadi asked directly.

”How is it different?” Kuren asked, detecting a newfound, natural assertiveness in Kadi, akin to a king suddenly making his presence known.

”There’s no one else here but you. How do I know you’re really Kuren? Maybe you’re the Dark Force. Perhaps you just devoured the Devouring monster—who was, in fact, the real Kuren.”

Kadi’s reasoning wasn’t entirely baseless, and his concerns were natural, but wasn’t it a bit late to be thinking of this now? Kuren found this amusing. If I truly were the Dark Force, wouldn’t I have already figured out all their plans? At such a critical juncture, I would definitely deal with Igor first before turning my attention to the others.

”So, do you think I’m Kuren or the Dark Force?” Amusing as it was, Kuren needed to clarify matters. However, he couldn’t ask Kadi directly, as Kadi didn’t know everything.

”I think you’re Kuren!” Kadi blurted out, feeling it required no thought.

”Heh heh.” Kuren gave a genuine laugh. Kadi’s worry seemed as fragile as paper—utterly unreliable.

”Damn it! No, I’m not sure if you’re Kuren,” Kadi quickly corrected himself, realizing his slip-up when he heard Kuren’s laugh.

”Stop teasing, Kadi,” Kuren said. ”Don’t you already have the answer in your heart? Don’t distrust yourself. Your own judgment is far more important than what appearances suggest.” Kuren wasn’t sure how else to convince Kadi, so he spoke from his heart.

”Then, why is it different here compared to other places?”

”Heh heh. That detail you noticed is very important,” Kuren replied. ”But I don’t know why either. These are things we’ll have to explore slowly together.”

”So, you are Kuren, then.” Kadi finally heaved a long sigh of relief. He really wasn’t cut out for this sort of thing.

”Didn’t you already have the answer in your heart? Do you still need to ask me?”

”Alright then. Whoever you are, I’ll accept it,” Kadi said, gritting his teeth. He felt this was the only way forward now.

”So, what do we do next?” Kuren asked. This was what he most wanted to know.

”We proceed as planned. I’ll continue following the network lines to find everyone. As for you, see if you can keep up with me.”

”Alright,” Kuren agreed. He could only do this. He had no leads himself, but he had a hunch Kadi was their hope.

Following Kadi’s lead now seemed a bit strange, but it was indeed what was happening. They continued along the network, seeking their companions and a path to break through. Though they had no clues, as long as they took action, there would be hope.