"Look! Another sparrow just flew by. Wish there were as many birds yesterday," Igor sighed, reminded of their hunting expedition the previous day. He had spent considerable effort building a cage, but the carefully set trap hadn’t attracted even a single bird. Instead, it had attracted Kadi—that monster.
And now, these birds flew over his head, one after another, a cruel mockery of his poor hunting skills. For Igor, this insult was even more demeaning than ridicule.
Igor wished he had skills like Stan. He didn’t aspire to hunt flames as Stan did; just being able to hunt these birds would be enough for him.
At least, if he learned this skill, he wouldn’t have to worry about going hungry during their journey up the mountain.
By now, Stan’s image in Igor’s mind had clearly risen to a height he could only look up to, wreathed in a kind of mystical aura. This aura made Igor’s eyes shine as he followed Stan without complaint. Stan didn’t even need to tug the Binding Beast Rope; Igor had completely forgotten that his hands were tied and he was a captive.
Of course, there was a deeper reason for this phenomenon: Stan Sol treated his "captives" remarkably well.
Igor was still savoring the taste of the Zhì Rou Grass from last night. The ugly, stick-like things had actually "bloomed" into lovely "flowers" when roasted, and those "flowers" tasted exceptionally fragrant. Stan Sol had not only shared this magical item with them but had also revealed an important characteristic of the Zhì Rou Grass. Despite Stan’s slow, deliberate explanation, both Kadi and Igor had listened attentively.
Igor’s clamoring for breakfast was satisfied as the sun rose. Stan gave them a leaf-sized piece of fruit. When chewed, it had a rich, fruity flavor, much like the malted milk he usually drank in the morning. As he munched on the magical fruit, Igor understood from Stan’s explanation why they had to wait for sunrise to eat breakfast.
Stan explained that Zhì Rou Grass contained a high amount of Energy. Consuming it provided unexpected warmth, which was a significant factor in keeping Igor and Kadi from feeling the night’s chill.
However, after consuming Zhì Rou Grass, the Energy was not fully absorbed. Some of it circulated within the body. Over time, this could lead to a strange phenomenon where the Energy began Devouring the consumer’s Spirit Power. As for how this Energy managed to steal Spirit Power, no one could say for sure.
In other words, one needed to be cautious after eating Zhì Rou Grass, as the Energy it contained might have some side effects.
This was especially true if the Energy hadn’t dissipated from the body before new Energy was consumed—for instance, by demanding breakfast immediately upon waking.
Consuming new Energy before the previous Energy had dissipated would only make the circulating Energy go haywire. It would then more recklessly Devour the consumer’s Spirit Power.
There was a way to eliminate this surplus Energy from the body. Once exposed to sunlight, this roaming Energy would scurry and hide like mice seeing a cat. Soon, these "mice" would slip away from the body, leaving nothing behind.
Could this Energy be Darkness Type? Why else would it fear sunlight? Igor had wondered at the time.
Stan had said, "Sunlight. Antidote. Reason. Unknown."