One-Eyed Monster

The Great Mentor’s words brought the ongoing debate between the old and new to a close.

It was quite apparent that everyone was now drawn to what Igor and Kuren had just said. Although they didn’t fully understand it, they were able to glean something from Kuren and Igor’s descriptions. At least it was clear to them that Igor and Kuren had made a new discovery in this cave.

It was up to Igor and Kuren to describe these new findings.

Eager gazes fell onto both Igor and Kuren with obvious anticipation. Even the usually silent Brad, an Alchemist who at most would grunt a ”hmm” all day, was now staring wide-eyed at Igor and Kuren.

What on earth has them so excited? Igor wondered, completely oblivious. They must have simply discovered some novel place and become suddenly excited, he still thought.

Igor didn’t sense the ardent gazes upon him. These expectant looks can’t be for me, he thought.

Thus, he turned his gaze to Kuren himself...

Overwhelmed by all the attention, Kuren was flattered. Yet, being a man of age and experience, he knew precisely what was required of him. With a steady pace, he began to outline his conclusions. He knew that Igor would fill in any gaps in his summary, so he found himself enjoying this moment.

”These formations are like Witch Spirits. They suddenly gained their own consciousness.”

”No. To be precise, their consciousness was awakened by the formations. This was directly from the mouth of the entity called Spirit, who spoke to me.” Igor, proving himself an excellent clarifying machine, intervened to explain even before Kuren had finished. He had a knack for taking over the conversation. However, he was oblivious to the fact that interrupting others was considered rude.

Yet, the free-spirited Igor interrupting Kuren did not upset anyone. After all, Igor seemed quite docile and obedient in Kuren’s eyes.

Hence, a tacit understanding was naturally formed between them...

”This entity known as Spirit also mentioned that we are ’Awakened’. The term sounds extraordinary, but, in practice, there seems to be no difference,” Igor shared, offering an explanation after any noun Kuren mentioned.

”Awakened individuals, conscious formations... who would’ve anticipated this!”

”Do these conscious formations have shapes?”

”Do they behave like Witch Spirits and can attach themselves to a person?”

A barrage of questions flew in, a chaos of voices. Although the cave was now more crowded with the arrival of the Great Mentor and others, its intellectual scope was broadening.

These questions left Igor somewhat bewildered. As a young man, he wasn’t accustomed to such situations. However, Kuren was different. He was an experienced Adventurer with Class who was good at summarizing and, therefore, had a natural way of handling these questions. Kuren did not intend merely to dismiss them. His response was a speculation that required proof from everyone present.

”In truth, there are several conscious formations around us; we just didn’t realize it,” Kuren said nonchalantly.

His statement prompted them to introspect, pondering what conscious formations around them they might have overlooked.

This time, it was no longer a case of ’an outsider sees most clearly.’ On the contrary, even those who scrutinized everything failed to decipher the enigma. As they wondered in confusion, even the venerable Great Mentor furrowed his brows.

I can’t stand this anymore! Igor thought, then offered an example. ”Ah, the simplest example would be the Spirit Book! Isn’t it a product of a formation which possesses a unique consciousness? And it is indeed a formation, right?”

A sudden realization dawned on the group. The Spirit Book, after all, had a physical book as its medium. But what about other formations? they wondered collectively. Once they gain consciousness, through what medium do they transmit it?

While the group was once again lost in distracted thought, Kuren resumed his ”speech.” He presented summaries and generalizations, all his own deductions. He speculated, ”I pondered a lot about my encounter in the Inner World. I believe that Igor and I didn’t just meet a conscious formation, but mysterious ancient entities. They call themselves Spirits, claiming to have been awakened by formations. They have always existed, concurrently with our world.”

”True,” Igor added. ”I also feel now that they cannot be merely addressed as conscious formations. Their traits are distinct from those of the Spirit Book and Witch Spirits.”

The group listened very attentively, oblivious to how time was slipping away.

”Spirit said that those who can communicate with them are ’Awakened.’ As I mentioned earlier, this status doesn’t seem to have any special qualities. However, Spirit also said they confirmed this status has impacted the structure of their world!” Igor shared, revealing so much that even Kuren couldn’t keep up.

His statements disrupted Kuren’s ”talk,” causing it to become a little chaotic.

”I suspect that among us, some are ’Awakened’. You, Yuga, are an ’Awakened’, for instance,” said Kuren, whose train of thought had been derailed by Igor.

”Hmm? Kuren, what are you blabbering about?” Yuga was utterly confused. Did he hit his head? he wondered, then asked, ”Are you sure you didn’t hit your head?”

”What Senior Kuren means is that you, Yuga, are an ’Awakened’. The reason is simple: can some Wizards, after advancing, witness natural elements?”

”Yes, for example, me. As a Wind Wizard, after I advanced, I gained the ability to perceive the Wind Elemental.”

”Yuga, that is Spirit. It can communicate with you, can it not?”

”Correct, it can communicate with me, but I hardly ever chat with it. I only ever engage it when I’m in the midst of swift combat.”

”So, Yuga is an Awakened then.” The Great Mentor, Guzan, smoothed his furrowed brows. He appeared to have understood.

”Great Mentor, I am confused,” Yuga said, completely lost. ”I humbly ask for your explanation.”

”The intersection of two worlds necessarily requires a medium. The so-called Awakened serve as these mediums,” said the Great Mentor.

This explanation completely went over the heads of Kadi and Kuruto. Brad, Joseph, and Yuga also didn’t quite understand. Kuren and Igor had a vague sense of its meaning. Only Estev and Stan Sol, who had remained silent for a long time, fully grasped the Great Mentor’s point.

The Great Mentor lived up to his reputation, understanding Igor and Kuren’s complex descriptions in an instant. It had to be said that although the Great Mentor was advanced in years, his mind was by no means less sharp than anyone else’s present. At the very least, no one else in the cave had fathomed the idea of the intersection of two worlds...