One-Eyed Monster

For the monsters of Guru Mountain, Moonflow Stream was quite a peculiar place.

This place was both a forbidden territory and a sanctuary for them.

Kadi had been advised to stay away from Moonflow Stream since he was very young, and from that time on, the place had always enthralled him.

No matter how much he craned his neck, a pair of furry claws would inevitably smack it back. Then, a deep voice would whisper in his ear, ”Little one, focus on what you can handle. Don’t keep fantasizing about unrealistic things.”

This deep voice belonged to Kevin, the white-bearded monster. That old fellow could always prevent little Kadi from going to Moonflow Stream at crucial moments. Even now, Kadi still harbors resentment about it.

As Kadi grew a little older, his body developed rapidly, becoming strong and agile. He occasionally managed to dodge old Kevin’s furry claws. This progress made Kadi overconfident. He felt he could completely avoid Kevin and head straight for Moonflow Stream, the place he had always yearned for.

However, reality proved Kadi was not a powerful monster on Guru Mountain. Perhaps he was simply utterly directionless. Whenever Kadi got near Moonflow Stream, he would invariably be drawn away by peculiar things—sometimes a brilliantly colored butterfly, sometimes a swift rabbit, or even a singing flower.

At that age, Kadi would always be captivated by these things and unknowingly lose his way. By the time he realized it, he would find he had strayed far from the path to Moonflow Stream. Such momentary distractions led him off his original course, which was quite disheartening for him back then. But soon after, a surge of defiance would fill Kadi’s heart, and he would return, preparing to retrace his steps. However, upon trying to backtrack, he would discover that many things had changed; it was no longer the path he had taken.

This bewildering experience made Kadi instantly realize two things. The first was simple: perhaps he was just terrible with directions and didn’t know which way to go, let alone how to retrace his original path. The second was more subtle: perhaps someone was deliberately preventing him from approaching Moonflow Stream.

Back then, Kadi was full of youthful vigor and naturally wouldn’t sit idly by, allowing these setbacks to dull his inherent sharpness. He tried all sorts of ways to get information from old Kevin, sometimes even secretly following him and the others. However, strength was paramount. The pathetically weak Kadi on Guru Mountain would invariably end up being taught a lesson by old Kevin. Thinking back now, Kadi still felt Kevin had been a bit too heavy-handed.

”I used to puzzle over it,” Kadi continued, his voice reflecting past bewilderment. ”’Why wouldn’t they let us get near Moonflow Stream? Could it be hiding some earth-shattering secret?’ My spoken memories of these thoughts seemed to draw Igor into them as well.”

Igor found it unimaginable that exploration could be obstructed. If everyone behaved like that, would the unknown corners of this world ever be discovered?

”Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Kadi said. ”Moonflow Stream isn’t hiding any great secrets. There was a reason old Kevin always stopped me from going there.”

”What reason? Didn’t you say it’s your forbidden territory, that you aren’t allowed to enter casually?”

”Yes, but the crucial thing is, we can’t even get in under normal circumstances.”

”What do you mean? You’ve confused me,” Igor said, once again baffled by Kadi’s words.

”HEHEHE, just listen, and I’ll explain it to you slowly.” Kadi flashed a brilliant smile, as radiant as the red sun hanging in the sky, dyeing the clouds with its splendid colors.

The reason Moonflow Stream is considered a sanctuary by the monsters of Guru Mountain is due to its inherent mystique. The greatest mystery of all is that the leader of the monsters resides near this stream.

The King of Monsters! The supreme leader of all monsters! Kadi was curious about all of this. What was he like? Was he fat or thin? Tall or short? Could he crush a wild beast with one hand or shatter a rock with a single punch? But every time he asked Kevin and the others, they would just chuckle and cryptically tell him that to meet the leader, one had to possess sufficient strength.

Kadi naturally didn’t understand why they were being so enigmatic. He always believed that with his own cleverness, he could surely reach Moonflow Stream without anyone noticing and meet the legendary King of Monsters.

His tracking technique, honed through countless failures, continuously improved. It had now reached Level 7 in Kadi’s mental toolkit. This level was the pinnacle of tracking, and although he couldn’t conceal his presence and scent like a Hunter, becoming invisible, he could at least fool those he was tracking into believing they weren’t being followed. Although this tracking technique wasn’t widely known, Kadi still delighted in repeatedly trying out his self-created method.

However, that old fellow Kevin always saw through his tracking technique early on and would lose him midway.

Thinking about it now, Kadi felt he really needed to level up this tracking technique to Level 8, but for the life of him, he couldn’t pinpoint what was needed for the breakthrough.

Of course, apart from the King of Monsters, Moonflow Stream was also a wondrous place in its own right.

That is, the small stream located between two mountain peaks could sing.

A singing river! So such things truly exist in this world! Igor thought, his prior disinterest vanishing.

Previously, Kadi’s lengthy talk about the King of Monsters hadn’t captured Igor’s attention in the slightest. But now, the simple mention that Moonflow Stream could sing made Igor as excited as if he’d been injected with pure adrenaline.

”That’s right, this stream really does sing,” Kadi affirmed. ”Especially when the moon hangs high, and moonlight cascades down upon the earth like flowing water, that’s when Moonflow Stream begins to sing.”

”Hearing that, I’m really looking forward to nightfall!” Igor exclaimed. ”There will definitely be a moon tonight. Look how clear the sky is; the moonlight must be spectacular...” His excitement surprised Kadi.

Kadi had initially thought Igor would share his greater interest in the King of Monsters. He hadn’t expected Igor to be so intensely fascinated by the singing Moonflow Stream, to the point of completely sidelining the King of Monsters without a single further question.

Actually, Kadi had overlooked an important detail: the previously famished Igor was now full of life and energy, showing no signs of hunger at all.

Kadi wondered, Could Moonflow Stream possess such immense charm that it could transform a starving wretch into someone completely sated?

While they spoke, the sun had completely set. A crescent moon hung in the sky. Having just risen, it appeared pale white, not yet shining with brilliance.