Guru Mountain, Dawn Peak, halfway up the mountain.
Musa still couldn't believe what had just happened. His entire body ached, especially his head, which throbbed so intensely it felt detached from him. He remembered the surge of excitement he'd felt earlier. Facing fools who willingly walked into a trap, the only way to fail was if he himself were a complete waste.
Am I useless? The thought, like a bamboo shoot, pierced through the soil of his mind, appearing abruptly and without warning. By the time Musa acknowledged these shoots, they had already grown tall and firm, unwavering, reaching ever higher, threatening to become a dense bamboo forest.
The seeds of this forest had been sown an hour ago during that strange "capture operation"—a failed, bizarre, indescribable, shameful operation that had led to his now, or rather, already, tarnished reputation.
Musa's muddled mind couldn't fathom why he had loosened his grip on the New Fool's wrist. Was it because the other fool's audacious and absurd proclamation, "You're in big trouble!" had made him laugh too hard? Or had his own arrogance made him overconfident? Even if an odd mishap had led to a small mistake, with his abilities, shouldn't taking care of those two fools have been a certainty?
At this thought, Musa's fist throbbed faintly. The sensation of hitting that "wall" was deeply unsettling. My Bouncing Fist is known for its speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness in Physique Techniques. Normally, one punch would shatter or at least crack an opponent's Spirit Defense Wall. But when I hit that boastful fool, there was no reaction at all! Instead, my own fist was left trembling… Under the veil of night, Musa couldn't see his aching fist, but the throbbing, swollen sensation told him his precious fists were likely bruised purple.
Could it really be that I am useless?
The bamboo forest in his mind swayed and rustled again.
Motan supported the staggering Musa. The proud expression Motan had worn after his earlier successful mission was now replaced by a gloomy pallor. The events that had just transpired were so bizarre that Motan knew it would take him a long time to process what had actually happened. The details were obscured by the darkness, but the outcome was painfully clear: Musa had failed to subdue the two fools and was now rolling on the ground, clutching his fists.
The New Fool had seemed concerned about Musa's injuries, but in less than a few Gudu Time, he suddenly appeared terrified by something and bolted off like a rabbit. What happened next was unimportant. The fool Musa had attacked didn't fight back. Stranger still, that fool acted as if nothing had happened and continued to spout nonsense only a fool could comprehend.
Motan couldn't sense Spirit Power—a fact he hated to dwell on. At that moment, he could only stand there like a wooden stump, swallowing hard again and again. He knew Musa's capabilities; Musa was counted among the top fighters in Black Mountain, and his previous missions had never ended in failure. This inexplicable defeat could only be attributed to Motan's own inability to perceive the Spirit Power involved in the fight.
"Useless… I'm useless…" As the bamboo forest rustled in his mind, Musa's gaze grew listless, and he began to mutter dejectedly.
These words of self-loathing swirled in Motan's ears, leaving him unsure how to respond. Musa's earlier arrogance was still fresh in his memory; the phrase, "I just saved you along the way," still stung like a sharp sword, piercing his already fragile, insecure psyche.
Right now, I really want to scoff, "That's right, you *are* useless! You couldn't even complete the mission. I might be useless too, but at least I completed my task!"
What stopped Motan from blurting out those words was the Spirit Defense Wall that constantly manifested deep within his soul. That wall had saved his life, allowing him to now breathe the air of Guru Mountain.
"Useless… I'm useless…" Musa continued to mutter.
"No, you're not useless. You're Musa." Ultimately, the wall deep within his soul and his own sense of inferiority overcame his desire to scoff, and Motan began to console him. "Look at me. During both conflicts, I just stood there like a wooden stump, motionless, unable to fight back. *That's* what you call useless!"
Musa looked up at Motan beside him.
Motan continued, "You unleashed the Spirit Wall to save me, using up so much of your strength and Spirit Power. I was the one who burdened you.
"It's also possible the other side was hiding their true strength all along, just playing dumb and acting crazy.
"We need to get down the mountain as quickly as possible. It's getting dark, and it's not safe up here. We need to bring reinforcements.
"Besides, it's not like we came away empty-handed. After all, we managed to steal the book from that New Fool."
Right, we need to get down the mountain quickly. Motan's simple words had somewhat curbed the wild growth of the bamboo forest in Musa's mind. Musa's steps, as he descended the mountain, began to steady; he was no longer faltering.
That damned fool was definitely concealing his strength, playing the fool! He must have used something like a Spirit Power Helmet, a high-rank Environment Sensing Skill, to break my Physique Technique…
Musa was chaotically trying to make sense of his defeat when he vaguely noticed a dotted line of faint lights on the path ahead. The line was moving rapidly upwards, and soon, it met them on their descent.
"Well, well, if it isn't our lone ranger, Musa! What happened, did you get injured?"
"Who could possibly hurt our lone ranger? HEHEHE."
The moving lights were Earth Wolves carrying torches. They halted their ascent, surrounding Musa to offer their "concerns."
"Our lone ranger is usually so swift. We didn't expect to see you injured. Which power dared to snatch someone from our Black Mountain?"
"Don't worry, Musa, we'll beat those guys until they're crying for their mothers, KEKEKEKE."
The Earth Wolves chimed in one after another. Though some remarks were tinged with mockery, Musa felt a sliver of warmth. "You need to be careful with those two fools, Liko and Pita. They're definitely playing dumb. I was defeated by Liko; that guy can even activate a Spirit Power Helmet."
The Earth Wolves fell silent.
"Yes, that's right! That Liko seemed very formidable!" Motan confirmed from the side.
The Earth Wolves' silence didn't last more than a few Gudu Time. Soon, bursts of laughter erupted, startling the usually slumbering Guru Mountain in the darkness.
"Li… Liko… HEHEHEHE, *he* defeated our lone ranger? HAHAHAHA!"
"KEKEKEKEKE, *he's* formidable? KEKEKEKE, that guy doesn't even dare to activate his Environment Sensing Skills, KEKEKEKE…"
"HAHAHA, that fellow was licking my boots just the other day, HAHAHA…"
"Spirit Power… Hel… UWAHAHAHA, Liko… UWAHAHAHAHAHA…"
The Earth Wolves howled with laughter, doubling over, leaving Musa utterly baffled and lost once more in the encroaching bamboo forest of his mind.
"We didn't get the person, but we stole the book! Musa did his best!" Motan burst out, unable to bear it any longer, and presented the fruit of their mission.
The Earth Wolves ignored Motan's indignation. One of them snatched the Spirit Book and, by the light of a torch, began to read it aloud amidst their continuing laughter.
"September 37th: Accepted client's commission to guide them!"
"September 38th: Prepared supplies for mountain ascent!"
"Rabbit holes are quite concealed. Speaking of which, a rabbit usually has two or three holes for escape…"
"UWAHAHAHA! Is this scrappy notebook the 'Spirit Book' you two tried so hard to get? UWAHAHAHA, what a joke!"
Another wave of uproarious laughter followed.
This torrent of ridicule caused the bamboo forest in Musa's mind to grow explosively, transforming into a vast, suffocating sea of bamboo.
And amidst this bamboo sea, filled with echoing cries of "useless," Motan stared in stunned disbelief at the "Spirit Book."