"So, these twenty all followed you to this Guru Mountain, and that's the end of the story?"
In a stone house by the White Swamp of the Moonflow Stream on Guru Mountain, a young man, a monster, and an elder were discussing around a stone table mapped with the continent.
The young man was Igor, who had left the carefree Yonder Travel Academy in pursuit of monsters. He believed capturing a monster would prove his courage, and thus earn him the Courage dal. With that, he could join the Association of Adventurers and hopefully beco a qualified Adventurer.
Igor braved the wilderness, finally arriving at the fad Guru Mountain, said to be ho to monsters.
Luckily, he did encounter a monster.
The monster was Kadi, a one-eyed creature whom Igor t by chance.
However, this chance eting gradually led to an unexpected friendship, and Igor found a good friend in his prey.
This pair of friends experienced a series of unforeseeable events, and finally t the leader of the monsters on Guru Mountain, Guru Guru.
But they were stunned to realize that Guru Guru was actually a human nad Guzan, who was also a Great ntor of the human kingdom. This was extrely unusual, and it took them by surprise.
Grand Master Guzan treated them to grilled fish and shared countless captivating stories full of twists and turns. Igor was intrigued while Kadi was left puzzled.
Now, after Master Guzan had finished yet another tale, Igor voiced his doubts.
Igor did not understand why the monsters created by the Alchemy Workshop would choose to follow Guzan to Guru Mountain.
"It was their choice."
"But didn't you say they were hopeless and didn't want to live anymore?"
"Yes, Blaine gave them resonance, and they gradually felt that existence was a tornt."
"Then I'm even more puzzled. If they've experienced tornt, why would they follow you?" Igor cupped his chin, looking perplexed.
"What does extre pain lead to?"
"Extre pain leads to despair."
"Despair isn't the extre. The apex of pain is hatred."
Igor turned his head, not understanding.
"Even now, I've co to realize that the advice my old friend once gave was a dangerous gambit."
"Hatred provides motivation, and the desire for revenge keeps them going."
"So, these monsters... they're all waiting for revenge?" Igor asked in alarm.
"Only a portion of them."
"Then you're planting the seeds of evil," Igor stated.
"Indeed, I'm filled with regret. But to keep them alive... that's already no easy feat."
"But you said it yourself, there were still many who were hopeless. How did you manage to bring all of them out?"
"I didn't bring all of them. I only brought a portion. So followed Blaine, as they were originally Blaine's brothers. A few others left on their own. It is those individuals that I'm still worried about."
"Why?"
"Because they are truly driven by hatred. They've experienced extre pain and reached the point of absolute despair." Guzan couldn't help but recall the past events.
"This…" Igor was still confused.
"Because including , there are only thirteen monsters on Guru Mountain," the usually quiet Kadi spoke up.
"Thirteen? But you previously said that there were twenty monsters in the Alchemy Workshop's cage…"
"Yes, and none of these dozen or so monsters harbor any hatred," Kadi added.
"Hm?" Igor was even more confused.
"I've lived with them for many years. Their hearts hold no hatred, just deep-seated fear, like ."
"Fear?"
"Yes, fear. A fear of loneliness," the Great ntor added.
"They followed to Guru Mountain because their hearts found a sense of belonging here."
"Belonging?" Igor was still clueless.
"As I ntioned, Blaine—the knight with only half a face—found his sense of belonging. He used to be the only one in the Empire with such a disfigured face. Now he has found others like himself, a place to call ho. Although I don't know where they ended up, they likely secluded themselves sowhere far from the bustling Imperial Capital."
"How can you be so sure that you could provide them a place of belonging?" Igor asked a crucial question.
"I can't be sure. I just offered them an alternative. I told them there are other paths besides choosing death. But no matter which path they take, they must rember who they are and never forget themselves."
"'Rember who you are, and never forget yourself.'" Igor slowly repeated the phrase, as if it had opened up new perspectives for him.
"Never forget your original intention. That's the most significant reason to keep living," Kadi added quietly.
"But why did these monsters listen to you?"
"I can't give you a specific reason. I brought them to Guru Mountain, and we endured various hardships along the way. Given their appearances, survival would indeed be their greatest obstacle."
"That's why Kevin stopped from going down the mountain. He was afraid I would be in danger," Kadi murmured to himself.
"Although Guru Mountain is remote, it is fairly rich in resources. For this period, it has been the mountain sustaining us," the Great ntor mused.
"Is this what you an by 'a place to call ho'?"
"Being able to live a peaceful life might not be their best choice, but it can't be their worst either," Kadi said, speaking again after a period of silence, as though he too had been pondering many things.
"Even though I don't quite understand, I do feel there's so logic to what you're saying," Igor said, scratching his head.
"But, there's still sothing I can't get my head around."
"It's normal to feel that way. Everyone has their own sense of belonging," said the Great ntor Guzan gently, his gaze benevolent.
"True, but I can't understand why monsters have to choose a remote place as their ho. Why do they have to hide? They're so powerful—why do they have to hide here? It's simply unfair," Igor said in a rush.
"I told you before, the stronger they are, the lonelier they beco. The world fears the strong, but the strong are always in the minority. The majority's fear consistently restricts the strong, and so extre individuals will always ostracize them."
"But…"
"Fortunately, they are strong enough to avoid the majority's ostracism," the Great ntor sighed.
"That's not fair!" Igor's inner scales began to tip again. He couldn't accept this reality. "Perhaps in their eyes, we normal people are the monsters. But why do they have to be the ones to hide?"
"Because if we expose ourselves, they will capture us, sell us, and then try to disassemble us to study what makes us different from you," Kadi, the usually silent one, spoke again. So of these words were things he had heard from a big lug nad Baharo during their journey.
"Fair or not, it's always decided by the majority. Sotis, that's just how the world is."
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