Taking a deep breath, Zephyr hid his nervousness as he followed the villagers into the mangrove forest.
Mangroves were smaller, salt-tolerant trees found on beaches and swamps. The current forest they entered was filled with vines, trees, and shrubs.
Zephyr struggled to find his footing on the wet, muddy soil below his feet as rain drizzled down.
Fortunately, the boot he wore was sturdy, protecting his foot from the twigs and mangrove roots sticking up from the soil.
In front of him, the chief and the fishermen were walking, slashing apart the vines while making way for him. They ignored the cold rain, working tirelessly to save one of their own.
'They are strong…'
Zephyr silently said as he saw them chop through the vines effortlessly. Even the chief, who looked like he was in his sixties, could vigorously move when needed. Compared to them, Zephyr was just a burden.
'Not really. Despite being weak, I can use magic. They can't do that. So, technically, I am the most useful person here.'
He said to himself, quickening his pace.
Everyone was walking swiftly through the mangrove forest, evading the branches and twigs, while Zephyr kept an eye out for danger.
From what he knew about the world, all kinds of mysterious creatures exist here. A misstep, a single moment of carelessness, could send him to the afterlife.
So, being careful was the only way to survive.
"Chief, what kind of beast do you usually see in a mangrove forest?" Zephyr asked to calm his nerves.
"Hm…" The chief was startled.
Zephyr was someone who liked to keep to himself. So, he never expected a question like that.
"Beasts rarely appear around these parts, Sir Zephyr," he replied after a moment of hesitation.
"Beasts don't?" Zephyr was not convinced.
Any animal that can instinctively use mana could be called a beast, or a fierce beast. And any one of these creatures is known to be capable of defeating a normal person in a one-on-one battle.
From what Zephyr knew of the world, there were supposed to be beasts like that littered all around the world.
So, he expected to see one while they ventured into the mangrove forest.
"Not even a one-star beast?" He inquired.
Depending on the strength, the beasts were given a star rating, with one star being the lowest level, and the theorized nine-star being the strongest.
A one-star beast was similar in strength to a beginner mage with a 10 cm wide core or a warrior with a newly formed mana heart. So, technically, the star rating can be broadly applied to classify a mage, warrior, beast, or monster depending on their strength.
Currently, Zephyr is a mage with a star rating of one. But his strength was way below that. So, he was interested in knowing what kind of beast inhabited the land.
However, the chief said something he never expected.
"Yes, beasts are rare in these parts of the land. That's why we constructed our village along this side of the hills."
"Makes sense…then what are the dangerous animals you usually see here?" Zephyr slightly modified the question.
If there are no habitats of beasts around here, there must at least be dangerous animals like the giant crabs, right?
"Wild boars." The elderly chief stated, his eyes unfocused.
He was recalling one of his encounters with a wild boar. It was just a normal animal. But its towering figure still gave him nightmares.
"Wild boars? There are wild boars here?"
"Yes, giant ones as tall as us. They are rarely seen these days. But we come across one or two every once in a while." The chief turned and pointed at Jack. "He killed one last spring."
Jack giggled, scratching his head foolishly.
Seeing that, Zephyr relaxed a little.
Knowing there were only a few dangerous animals in the surroundings calmed him.
Still, he was not going to let down his guard. After all, the characters in horror movies never hear the ominous music that plays. So, he had to be ready to face unexpected situations.
Thereafter, Zephyr continued to ask one or two questions every few minutes until they reached what seemed like a large opening.
After walking more than a kilometer, they seemed to have reached the edge of the mangrove forest.
"Let me use the spell one more time to orient ourselves," Zephyr suggested.
For the past few minutes, as they walked, he had gathered enough mana to cast the search spell once more.
The chief nodded and waited.
As he did before, Zephyr took out a paper from inside his robe and shielded it from the rain. Then he stabbed the ground with a fishing pole, making it stand erect.
The rain's intensity was increasing every few minutes. Now, the downpour had grown to a level that could hurt a person looking at the sky.
Zephyr sneezed as the cold wind rubbed against his cheeks.
Then, without wasting time, he channeled mana into the paper, letting the runes come alive.
He had a few more papers with the rune engraved on them, tucked within his robe. So, he did not worry about using it.
Immediately, a light shot out from the fishing rod, flying into the sky, ringing like a bell.
A second or two later, an echo of the same sound came from far away.
But the echo made everyone frown simultaneously.
The radiant lightning lit up the surroundings, showing the frown on their face clearly.
"It's to the north west."
The chief said gloomily.
"Yes, it is."
Zephyr nodded.
"But it should have been to the south or southeast." The chief added.
"Yes."
To avoid the obstacles along the path, they had veered off to the north as they walked. They had begun their journey from the west. So, the ringing should have come from the south or southeast side of the mangrove forest.
However, it came from the north west.
West means towards the beach.
How could that be?
Why?
Is the person moving?
They were tracking a living person, so he could have covered the distance on his own. But if he could, would he have been missing in the first place?
Zephyr felt the chill in the air increase.
The cold wind was picking up, blasting over his body as the storm raged.