「At the foot of Guru Mountain.」
Igor shaded his eyes with his hand and stared into the distance. He had prepared climbing tools according to Liko and Pita's suggestions. Of course, the crude tools were mostly provided by them.
Liko and Pita were puzzled. The young man had paid 30 copper coins without haggling, addressing them respectfully as 'seniors' all the while.
If it had been anyone else, Liko would have questioned their motives for being so generous; after all, their guide service was only 10 copper coins. Why offer us 30 coins? What's your angle? he would have wondered.
Pita might have also suggested, "We only provide guidance. You can hire others for matters like fighting monsters or finding White Cloud Fruit."
However, being addressed as 'seniors' seemed to have a tranquilizing effect. It pacified Liko and Pita's suspicions, which contradicted years of caution accumulated through their struggles on Guru Mountain. They quickly let down their guard, their carefully constructed defenses crumbling before those deferential words as they basked in the sweetness of the treatment.
Those calls of 'senior' were just too pleasant to hear!
Besides, the young man had no additional requests and simply insisted, "This is all the copper coins I have left. Seniors, please take good care of me during the journey."
In Liko and Pita's experience, such exorbitant pay often signaled ulterior motives. They should have unleashed a barrage of inquiries. Liko might have even exhausted his spiritual power to tap into his unpolished Fighter's Environment Sensing Skills, and Pita might have talked himself hoarse setting all sorts of verbal traps.
However, being addressed as 'seniors' inflated their egos. They felt like bears that had successfully stolen fresh honey, constantly licking their paws in delight.
While ascending the mountain, Liko and Pita remained immersed in the sweet sound of being called 'seniors.' They no longer saw Igor as a client but more like a junior—no, more like a disciple.
"This won't do," Pita said earnestly, patting Igor's backpack. "Carrying this backpack everywhere, aren't you tired?"
"Seniors, are you suggesting we don't need to bring these bags while climbing?" Igor asked.
"Of course not. October is upon us, and winter is nearing. If we're slow, we might get caught in winter on the mountain. If we don't bring enough food or drink, freezing to death at Dawn Peak would be such a waste," Liko said, shaking his head. "Though there are wild fruits on the mountain, if heavy snowfall traps us, we'd only have the dried food we packed to survive the winter in a cave."
"Then how would you Seniors manage these bags?" Igor asked, puzzled.
"Haven't you learned the Concealment Spell?" Pita asked, puzzled, as Igor scratched his head.
"Concealment Spell? I thought that was a skill only Hunters needed!"
Seeing Igor's reaction, Liko and Pita exchanged glances, their expressions complex. Then, they both couldn't help but put a hand to their foreheads and sigh repeatedly.
"I've never met anyone like you!" Liko blurted out, being his usual outspoken self. "Are you that simple-minded? What would you do if you encountered fraudsters?"
"Ah, you should read more when you're young!" Pita said earnestly, sighing again. "The Concealment Spell you're referring to is the Stealth Ability, a high-rank version that only those who qualify as Hunters can practice. The Concealment Spell we're talking about is just the ordinary Concealment Object Spell, a must-have skill for travelers."
"Erm, so there is such a skill..." Igor once again felt his own ignorance.
"Of course! Look at me, I'm not carrying anything, right? I've transformed and compressed all my bread slices, water flask, ropes, and other things into this small box," Liko said, holding up a palm-sized small cube.
"Transform? Compress?"
"You're being too direct; he won't understand yet," Pita said, pushing the showboating Liko aside. "Look at this flask of water and this flatbread. Their weight is the same, right?"
"Yes," Igor nodded.
"But the space they occupy is clearly different. This flatbread takes up so much space, while this flask of water only takes up this much." Pita explained step by step, "Now, I fold this flatbread, and I pour this water into a waterskin..."
"Ah, so you mean you try to compress the original objects as much as possible to fit them into your backpack?" Igor interrupted, thinking he'd figured it out.
"Oh heavens, you're just too clever..." Liko said, covering his face with one hand again.
"..." Pita was at a loss for words.
On the Yowein Continent, the Concealment Spell is a basic survival skill.
Equivalent Exchange is the first rule followed by the Yowein Continent.
The spell transforms simple, non-living objects in the original space into another homogenous non-living entity through Spirit Power.
Liko, for instance, liked to transform individual items like bread, water, and tools into an equivalent mass of gold dust and store it in a small box.
Those who are new to practicing the Concealment Spell often think they have mastered an incredible skill. Liko was like that. He would transform everything into gold and then try to use it to buy things at a shop, only to be thrown out by the shopkeeper.
The Concealment Spell could only transform the form of non-living objects, not their nature. If it could change a non-living entity's essence, it would be Alchemy.
Moreover, the Concealment Spell could only transform simple, individual non-living entities. During his days as a Scholar's apprentice, Pita once tried to transform a carriage. He ended up exhausting a great deal of Spirit Power only to transform a single wheel (a carriage has too many components; it's not simple at all). The imbalance of the carriage injured the horses, and Pita received a severe punishment as a result.
More importantly, objects transformed using the Concealment Spell retained their original mass. So, even if you were incredibly strong, you still wouldn't be able to carry something as heavy as an entire carriage just because you'd transformed it.
Our Igor wasn't particularly dense. However, his understanding of the Concealment Spell had been led down a blind alley by misinformation. He initially thought only Hunters needed to learn the spell...
Furthermore, 'Teacher' Pita's detailed and convoluted explanations only made Igor more confused.
Liko had fallen asleep leaning against a tree.
After Pita's long and profound 'instruction,' Igor suddenly had an idea. "Then what if I transform all this luggage into clothes and wear them? Wouldn't that be much simpler?" he asked.
"Er, theoretically, that seems feasible, but it would require a certain amount of Spirit Power…" Transforming luggage into clothes to wear them! The idea sounded quite novel. However, Pita was merely a third-rate Scholar, at best, and couldn't accurately answer Igor's question.
"We'll know if we try!" A thrilled Igor began to unpack his luggage. He stretched out his hands, gathering natural Spirit Power.
Liko was still snoring soundly under the tree, seemingly unconcerned with any of this.
Pita, his forehead beaded with sweat, cautiously gathered his Spirit Power. He was curious to see if his Concealment Spell could indeed advance to a higher level and transform even more intricate objects, as Igor had suggested.
It seemed they had completely forgotten about climbing the mountain.
"By the way," Igor said, unable to keep his mouth shut while he was busy with his attempt, "Seniors, what were you really up to last night? You were so secretive."
This question jolted Liko, who had been sound asleep, straight to his feet. At the same time, Pita, whose back had been warm with exertion, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
This was the last thing Liko and Pita wanted to happen...