One-Eyed Monster

”The Kayne Realm doesn’t have as many lofty mountains as the Ghost Realm, nor as many rivers as the Vero Realm. Its terrain is flat, and it’s abundant with resources everywhere,” Igor explained with great passion and lively gestures.

Igor’s vivid explanation kept Kadi and Guru Guru utterly engaged.

”The Kayne Empire was built on these plentiful resources. Without them, the island nation of Kayne wouldn’t stand a chance against Mantai and Wensi.”

”Wait a moment…” Upon hearing something he didn’t comprehend, Kadi immediately posed a question to Igor, the great mentor, ”Resources? How do abundant resources provide resistance? I don’t understand.”

”Initially, I didn’t understand it either,” Igor admitted honestly. ”But after Teacher Hadi patiently explained it to me, I started to get the gist of it.”

”Oh? Can you tell us how Russef explained it?” Guru Guru was also interested in this.

”Well, plentiful resources can be used for exchange,” Igor began, vividly recalling Teacher Hadi’s explanation.

”Because of its abundant resources, the Kayne Empire can sustain great expense. In a war of attrition, they can slowly wear their opponents down. In other words, the Kayne Empire excels at prolonged warfare.”

”Prolonged warfare?” Kadi was still confused.

”It’s like when two people of equal strength duel; victory ultimately goes to the one with more Spirit Power,” Igor explained softly.

”But I don’t even clearly understand what Spirit Power is. How could I comprehend your analogy?” Kadi was quite straightforward, directly voicing his confusion.

”Uh...” Igor was momentarily lost for words. Teacher Hadi hadn’t explained this part; for Igor, the example alone had instantly clarified it back then.

”Heh heh heh, it’s actually quite simple.” Guru Guru chuckled, amused by Igor scratching his head in confusion. It was indeed a comical sight.

”Hmm?” Igor and Kadi both turned their heads towards Guru Guru simultaneously, waiting for his so-called ”simple answer.”

”Heh, let’s say you and Kadi were to duel, and you both had equal strength. After fighting in the snow for three days and nights without a conclusive winner, you’d both be cold, hungry, and exhausted—obviously in need of replenishing your energy.”

”Huh? What does that mean, though? That the bravest one wins?” Igor asked, scratching his head with a look of innocent confusion.

”No, I’m talking about replenishing energy. The premise is that you’re both equally brave.”

”Huh?” Igor still didn’t understand.

”After fighting for three days and nights, you’re hungry and exhausted, so you’d naturally go back and replenish your energy.” Guru Guru repeated himself, as though this would make it clear to the two before him.

Strangely enough, after Guru Guru repeated himself, Igor actually understood. He sat down quietly to continue listening to Guru Guru.

”When you and Kadi each go back to replenish your energy, you’d find a difference. Your supplies are scarce, enough for only one meal. Kadi, on the other hand, has abundant supplies and could eat for a month without issue. Now, in that situation, who do you think would win the fight between you and Kadi?” Guru Guru tilted his head, asking Igor.

”In that case, I certainly wouldn’t win. Hunger would probably kill me before I even got the chance to duel Kadi again!” Igor blinked. The scenario Guru Guru described made him feel deeply uncomfortable.

Kadi, too, looked utterly astonished, never having considered that plentiful resources could be used in such a way.

”So that’s how it works! Now I understand completely,” Kadi nodded energetically. ”But by that logic, shouldn’t the Kayne Realm be very powerful? With such plentiful resources, it must surely be the strongest empire on this continent.”

”It’s not like that. Actually, it’s the opposite. The Kayne Realm has always been at a disadvantage among the Three Great Empires.”

”Why do you say that?” Kadi didn’t understand. So much effort had gone into explaining the importance of supplies, yet the empire with such a profusion was supposedly at a disadvantage. That defies logic!

”Look,” Igor said, pointing to the map in front of them. ”The Kayne Empire is situated between Wensi and Mantai. This means it’s attacked from both the front and back, putting it at a disadvantage.”

”What difference does that make?” Kadi asked, watching Igor with a confused gaze. This explanation was too profound for him; it wasn’t surprising he didn’t understand.

”For instance, imagine a tiger in front of you and a python behind you. That puts you in a situation with dual threats, right?” Igor offered, confident this simple example would get the point across to Kadi.

However, he miscalculated…

Kadi scratched his head in confusion and stated blankly, ”I don’t think that’s a dual threat at all. I’m not afraid of tigers or pythons. They should be the ones trembling when they see me, right?”

”This…” Igor was speechless. He’d never encountered such a response before.

”Kadi, think about it this way,” Guru Guru said with a slight smile. ”Imagine you’re playing a game of chase in the mountains. Xiso is in front of you, and Kevin is behind you. How would you feel then?”

”Then there’d be no point in running! Kevin would catch me no matter what.”

”And in such a situation, wouldn’t you feel you were at a disadvantage?” Guru Guru pressed.

”Of course,” Kadi replied without hesitation.

”So, you see, it’s the same principle for the Kayne Realm.” Guru Guru finally led Kadi to the conclusion.

”So that’s what it means.” Evidently, Kadi was once again convinced by the master of Guru Mountain.

”You’re amazing!” Igor exclaimed with a laugh, praising Guru Guru sincerely.

”Likewise. You’re very capable too,” Guru Guru said, waving his hand at Igor. It was clear he admired Igor.

”Of course, that’s just one reason the Kayne Empire is at a disadvantage,” Guru Guru quickly returned to the previous topic.

”There are more reasons?” Kadi exclaimed, his mouth agape.

”Yes. In the Kayne Realm, the majority of the Kayne Empire’s population are humans. And this Kayne continent is quite ordinary, without any Alien Species.” Igor and Guru Guru’s rapport was growing; whenever Guru Guru paused, Igor would immediately pick up the thread.

”I don’t understand,” Kadi said, shaking his head.

”It’s like this, Kadi. The Vero Realm has Tree Spirits and Water Spirits. The Ghost Realm has Mountain Monsters and Dwarves.” Whenever Kadi didn’t understand, it was Guru Guru’s chance to shine and explain.

”What does that have to do with anything?” This time, Kadi wasn’t convinced. Instead, a new question occurred to him.

The question struck Kadi’s mind like a bolt of lightning, catching him completely off guard.

”I’ve been wondering why your name, Guru Guru, is so strange. It sounds like a pseudonym. Are you hiding something, or is there something you can’t conveniently reveal to us?”

”Heh heh heh, so you realized it’s a pseudonym,” Guru Guru chuckled. ”You’re absolutely right. It’s a pseudonym I adopted for safety. My real name is Guzan.”