One-Eyed Monster

”So, what exactly happened to Willem?” Igor saw Coban’s indifferent expression and worried that Coban might forget what he originally intended to say, so he urged him.

”It’s not that something happened to Willem. Nothing happened to him, but what he did to the Kangen Family made the Kangen Family’s reputation a bit tarnished.”

”Uh...” Igor remembered Bigas and Xiso, and it seemed that the affair with this pair of lovebirds also brought disgrace to the entire Kangen Family...

”What Willem did was much more serious than Xiso and Bigas’ affair. Compared to Willem, what Xiso and Bigas did is nothing!” Coban Kangen seemed to have realized what Igor was thinking and immediately explained it to him.

This explanation made Igor even more eager to know what exactly Willem had done.

”The Kangen Family has never been played like this before. After Willem’s betrayal, the entire Kangen Family’s system responsible for Soul Guardians underwent a big change. The Kangen clan members, feeling humiliated, all took responsibility and actively pursued Willem. They voluntarily gave up their original positions managing the Soul Guardians and their existing status within the Kangen Family.”

”How exactly did he play your clan members?” Igor was interested in the specifics of the situation, less concerned about the changes within the Kangen Family afterward.

After all, he was more interested in Willem than the Kangen Family. The Kangen Family always stood there and could be found anytime, but Willem was different. No one knew where he was currently located.

”Willem passed the Soul Guardian application test, and it was the secret Electricity Level test he passed. Such a level of testing is very rare, even many Kangen Family clan members cannot meet such requirements.”

”So the magical curse on him is indeed quite powerful, right?” Igor asked tentatively, clearly Coban’s previous description had given him some understanding of the Soul Guardian system.

”Yes, this is a layer-by-layer Spellcraft curse planted by the Kangen Family magical practitioners. Logically, if there is a betrayal, it would make the person’s entire internal organs and brain explode, leaving no chance of survival.”

”But he still betrayed.”

”You’re right, after his betrayal, the Soul Guardian squad he was in was no longer a secret within the family, but whatever Electric Level secret they were guarding in that region still wasn’t exposed.”

”I was thinking, Soul Guardians can’t arbitrarily reveal the secrets they guard, nor their identities, but can’t Kangen Family members do that? For example, once you know the members of Willem’s squad, don’t you have the chance to expose them all!” Igor interrupted Coban’s narrative, perplexed as to whether the Kangen Family members could always remain loyal to the family.

”You’re right. We can expose the identities of the entire Soul Guardian squad, but even if we do, no one would believe us,” Coban explained.

”Why, that doesn’t make sense!”

”The Soul Guardian squad itself is a secret, this secret is an Electricity Level secret, and it’s guarded by people as well. Even if a squad’s list is leaked to a Thunder Level, even spreading within the whole family and other ancient families, it would have follow-up measures. The Soul Guardian squad will undergo replenishment, or be swapped out, or change in another way.”

Coban’s explanation made it hard for Igor to understand. After all, not being within this system, he had no way of comprehending the system’s mystery.

”Simply put, even if we know, it’s equivalent to not knowing.”

”Hmm?”

”Take Estev as an example, besides knowing he’s called Estev, what else do you know about him?” Coban gave an example.

”I know what he looks like!” Igor and Kadi answered in unison.

”Yes, but that is the appearance he chooses to show you. That is his strategy after the whole secret level has been lowered to Wind Level.”

”What do you mean!” Igor was puzzled.

”None of us has ever really seen what a Soul Guardian looks like. Within the family, identifying Soul Guardians is not based on names nor appearances, but solely on the seal imprinted on them,” Coban Kangen continued, and this time he spoke more, causing Igor and Kadi to nod frequently.

”Soul Guardians can change their appearance at will, and only when the level of the secret they guard is lowered will they not make changes, Estev is in such a situation.”

”Originally there were three in Estev’s group of Soul Guardians, Willem was one of them, along with a Scholar elder Manjia.” Coban paused, ”Of course, all this was known only after the secret level was lowered.”

”Wasn’t there also Bigas...” Igor asked weakly, feeling that Coban’s account was slightly inconsistent with what he knew.

”Bigas was one of them, but only joined after Willem’s betrayal was confirmed. The main purpose of joining this squad was to eliminate other possibilities in the future.”

”Why does the story I know differ a bit from yours!” Igor asked.

”Because you are not a Kangen clan member and can only know the appearances of things,” Coban Kangen said with a smile, ”Many things were only unsealed once the secrets of Guru Mountain were completely leaked.”

”Uh...” Igor gasped, realizing the Soul Guardian system was so complex, with many things even Estev and Bigas themselves hid!

”So now you should understand what I meant earlier, right? What we know is equivalent to not knowing. These are just things the Soul Guardians are willing to let us know.”

”Yes, let’s get back to Willem. What else did he do that made your family label this incident as the family’s disgrace!”

”This matter needs to be explained slowly, Willem’s being labeled a traitor to the Kangen Family is now known to everyone, but in truth, this is just a facade.”

”Facade?” Igor seemed to realize something, yet he still found it hard to believe.

”After Willem’s betrayal, the Kangen Family literally deployed all their elite, whether in the right or wrong, all set out to capture this Willem.”

”But wasn’t it said that betrayal would result in death!” Kadi interjected, feeling that people would always create contradictions in their words.

”Exactly because Willem did not trigger the seal after his betrayal, the Kangen Family decided to bring him back...” Coban supplemented, getting a bit impatient as many details were left unsaid.

This betrayal by Willem was underestimated by the entire Kangen Family, which is why it was elevated to the level of family disgrace.

But when telling outsiders these things, Coban often overlooked others’ positions, as if speaking to younger members of the family, neglecting many details - these details easy for Kangen Family members to grasp, but not for Igor and Kadi.

It seemed completely incoherent, contradictory...