One headed north, and then east along the outskirts of the forest. The other went eastwards, then north.

This time, they went by the first route.

Travelling along the edge of the forest meant that there would be a higher chance of encountering beasts. It was the wrong choice, from a Mireille’s perspective, who was supposed to distant the group from danger.

That said, everyone still wanted to go by that route. This was because Lord Piero Sraffa wanted to fulfill the main goal he set, that of drawing the map of the forest. Although it seemed like they were taking a great risk — in the same way that a hunter chasing two hares would catch neither — the presence of  female mercenaries at least gave certain assurance to Matta and his son, Jak. 

In addition, they would not be entering the innermost of the forest, just travelling along the edges. Thus, any beasts that appeared would not be too strong, and could be taken down by everyone working together. It was also a good chance for each person to observe the other’s strength. They had taken these points into consideration before making their decision.

After leaving the second campfire, the sun was at its zenith, and the travellers could see a vast stretch of dense and primeval dark green forest in the distance. The thick tree trunks stood tall, while their leafy branches spread wide. Because light could not penetrate into the depths of the forest, there was a feeling that they would be swallowed by the blackness. The gaps between the trees looked like a gaping maw waiting for prey to throw themselves into it, which contributed to the sense of unease that they felt.

The group was arrayed around the lord as they moved forward. Naturally, Hiro who was possessing the body of Lord Piero Sraffa was surrounded by the others. 

Mireille the red haired ranger walked ahead of him, Matta the big village chief was on the left of the lord while Daciana the healing priest and Ninya the magic caster were on the right. Finally, the axe wielding Jak brought up the rear.

Visibility was good, so everyone was not too tense. However, Mireille’s voice contained its first hint of severity as she spoke:

“Lord Piero, this stretch is a dangerous area. Although we should be able to handle any beast that appear, please be careful all the same.”

“Understood.”

As Hiro nodded, he suddenly thought of something.

If he was in a RPG game, he could tell what sort of monsters would spawn in a given location, but in reality, that would be impossible. Only God knew if a troublesome enemy would show up.

After the battle against the large wolf on the first night, he was worried as the mercenaries and strong men struggled, but upon victories over three groups of much smaller wolves and monkeys, he was convinced that the large wolf was a very rare occurrence. 

As someone who transmigrated from the other world, Hiro could purchase a shotgun from the translucent dashboard but the accumulated points were limited. If the points were  utilized to summon the modern weapon, his entire resource would almost be used up. Nevertheless, if a life and death situation arises, he would be forced to do that.

It’s a pain in the ass.

He turned to look at Daciana who carried a bag of herbs collected during their adventure. That's their side goal after all.

Everyone chatted as they progressed forward, under the blazing sun that tanned the skin. Their boots were covered in the juices of trampled grass and smelled of plants.

Only the middle aged village chief , Matta remained energetic and cheerful, talking and laughing with the others, who were marching in silence.

"I have some things to ask you about magic.”

After seeing Ninya nod his head, the lord began with his question. Daciana seemed interested in their conversation and looked over.

"Is it difficult to find someone like you and Daciana who could use magic?" That question immediately stunned everyone.

"Em, my lord. Don't you know magic is an innate talent one was born with?" Daciana was the one who interjected.

Mireille spoke from the front, "We can say that one in every 10,000 humans could use magic. Even if one could cast magic, some are very useful and some are pretty much useless. Decent ones like Daciana and Ninya were able to use their abilities as mercenaries."

Ninya answered, "Types of talents differ between magicians. For example, I am an elemental sorceress who could shoot some flame while Daciana could heal light wounds and cure light sickness."

"That's really awesome!" Hiro exclaimed innocently.

Daciana sighed and added, "It's not all fine. Magic can only be cast as long as our magic reserve is not fully used up. I myself can only heal or cure up to twelve times."

"I can only shoot fire seven or eight times." Ninya added.

Hiro's expression turned gloomy, "That's all?"

Mireille injected, "Both of them can be considered above average in terms of magic reserve."

"More powerful magic consumes more magic reserve. My fire magic and Daciana's are low level magic though."

Disappointed Hiro turned to Mireille, "How about you, ranger like you doesn't have magic."

"Hm. I am born with a hearing much better than average humans and my eyesight could see a lot further than most people."

"My son and I are talentless. We have nothing other than these large bodies and strength!" Matta spoke and laughed.

The sun began its descent, casting long shadows across the forest floor. Matta, noticing the changing atmosphere, raised a hand, signaling for the group to pause. The forest, once alive with their footsteps and laughter, now seemed to hold its breath.

In the hushed silence, Mireille's gaze fixed on the surroundings, her instincts alert. A low growl echoed from the shadows, and the air became charged with tension. The tranquility shattered as a pack of small wolves emerged from the depths, their eyes gleaming with hunger.

Hiro felt relief as they had defeated these levels of danger the day before. 

Chaos nevertheless ensued as the companions, tested by the unexpected threat, readied themselves for battle. Mireille, drawing her bow, locked eyes with Hiro, determination etched across her face. The forest, once a backdrop for their journey, transformed into an arena where survival depended on skill, magic, and the unspoken bonds forged in the face of danger.