In a quiet village, there lived a diligent stone carver named Taro.

He worked diligently every day, but envied those with more power and wealth.

One evening, while he was resting under an old tree, he heard a mysterious voice through the leaves.

It was the voice of an old spirit of the forest, promising Taro the power to change anything he wanted.

However, the condition was that each transformation would shorten his life.

Taro accepted the proposal.

His first wish was to become rich.

The next morning, he woke up in a big house.

Although he enjoyed his new life, his satisfaction did not last long.

He felt jealous after seeing the village leader's wonderful event, and wanted greater power to become a leader.

As a leader, Taro had gained power, influence, and respect.

But soon, dissatisfaction began to torment him.

Seeing the enormous power of the sun, he felt small.

Disappointed, he wished to become the sun, believing it would give him true strength.

Taro turned into the sun and shined his light everywhere in the world.

He enjoyed his new power and took pride in his influence over the world.

However, his victory did not last long.

A cloud passed through the sky, covering his light and weakening his power.

Taro felt even more disappointed.

How could a simple cloud obscure his power?

He decided that he wanted to become a cloud.

As a cloud, Taro covered the sun, poured rain, and enjoyed having influence on the ground.

But his satisfaction did not last long.

The wind blew and carried him away to the sky.

His power disappeared, leaving him in a state where it was difficult to maintain control.

Realizing the wind's power, Taro wished to become it.

As the wind, Taro swept across the land, pulling out trees and blowing away clouds.

He felt joy as he experienced the strong power.

However, his power weakened as he hit a big, immovable mountain.

The mountain stood firmly and was unaffected by his power.

Taro gradually felt more despair and was sure that if he became a mountain, he would truly be strong.

Taro, who had become an old mountain, felt that he would be strong forever.

But one day, he heard a familiar sound next to him.

A stone carver was slowly carving his large body.