The river flowed through a dense forest, with green trees and climbing plants lining its length.
Red flowers in vibrant clusters decorated certain spots, creating a striking contrast against the green leaves.
The river was about half a kilometer wide, with calm currents and crystal-clear water.
The two jeeps followed the river upstream to its source, heading to the location where they needed to collect the Dewdrop Elixir.
Without wasting any time, since it was still early in the morning, they got out of the jeeps and cautiously made their way toward the riverbank.
They walked carefully, staying alert and scanning the area around the river in case any Naiads appeared.
The Dewdrop Elixir was stored somewhere on the other side of the river, so they needed to cross it.
Milo and the others had decided to move as a group, with Hank and Mia staying at the riverbank, ready with their bows and arrows.
The five team members carefully waded through the waist-deep headwaters of the river.
Without much discussion, they eventually made it across the river.
They immediately went to the location of the object that had been described to them by a Finder.
Xion reached into gap between the roots below a large tree and pulled out a small red box.
He opened it, and inside was a small crystal bottle containing a liquid that looked like blood. It was placed carefully inside the box.
After showing the contents of the box to Milo, and she nodded in confirmation, he put the box inside his Inventory.
Then, she signaled everyone to return to the jeep.
But as they were walking back down toward the river, Dwayne and Luca, who were ahead of them, suddenly changed direction and headed toward a large, flat stone by the riverbank.
Their eyes were fixed on that spot, with expressions that resembled being lovestruck.
Choked with alarm, Milo immediately tried to grab their hands, but her effort only partly succeeded. They were too strong for her to pull.
Dwayne, with his strong and muscular build, kept walking toward the large stone. Luca followed as well.
"Stop!" Milo finally shouted, turning to block their path in front of them.
"Snap out of it! Stop!" She held onto Dwayne and Luca's hands tightly, one in each hand.
Xion, who was just about to help Milo hold back their two companions, suddenly froze as he saw what his companions had been looking at on the stone.
And then, with an expression of blind infatuation, he too began walking in the same direction as his companions.
"No! Not you too, Xion!" Milo screamed in panic.
Ash, who also caught a glimpse of what the three men were staring at, quickly shut his eyes. Instead, he switched to seeing through Jagu's eyes—he was standing on the other side of the river.
Jagu's perspective was completely different from what Ash had seen earlier.
What he saw were several beautiful women dressed in very revealing clothes, standing and sitting on the stone. They were waving their hands and calling out their names, including Ash's, in voices that were incredibly melodious.
Occasionally, one of the women would blow a kiss and giggle flirtatiously.
From all of them, there was a captivating and alluring fragrance in the air.
Unfortunately, Hank also saw the half-dressed women. He started moving toward the river, but Mia quickly held him back.
Meanwhile, Milo and Mia, being women, didn't see the alluring women at all.
However, Jagu saw something entirely different.
He saw five creatures with lower bodies resembling fish and heads shaped like frogs.
Ash was stunned by the appearance of these creatures.
It was nothing like what he had learned in the real world, where Naiads were supposed to be beautiful spirits.
Ash's thoughts were jolted by Mia's scream, followed closely by Milo's, as they stumbled and fell, pushed by the men.
Without hesitation, he commanded Jagu to transform into his larger form and confront the creatures.
In an instant, Jagu transformed into his larger form and launched an attack on the creatures.
The creatures, completely unprepared for an assault by a giant jaguar, let out ear-piercing, shrill screams.
And at that very moment, the male members of the team regained their senses, looking around in confusion to locate the source of the shrill screams, while drawing their weapons.
Hank ran back toward the riverbank, where he had dropped his bow and arrows.
But none of them could see the creatures—only Jagu and, of course, Ash, could see them.
The giant jaguar savagely bit two of the naiads in half, while its paw crushed the head of another against the stone.
The last one managed to leap into the river with a piercing scream, and suddenly, the river's current surged, growing stronger and faster, as if a flood was rushing through.
The entire team had no choice but to retreat, but not Jagu, with his massive body.
He let out a thunderous roar and leaped into the rushing water, charging toward a specific direction.
Then, it seemed like he caught something in his mouth. Jagu raised his snout high and shook his head side to side, almost as if he were playing with a fish.
But before long, he clamped his jaws shut in one swift motion, sinking his sharp teeth deeply into the creature's body.
The river's current began to calm, and now the entire team could see what was in Jagu's mouth.
They finally saw what the large black cat had killed on the big stone.
The male team members felt sick at the sight, and both Luca and Hank ended up vomiting from what they witnessed.
And Jagu began walking toward Ash, who was standing on the other side of the river, after tossing aside the creature from his mouth.
Then, Jagu partially lay down, allowing Ash to climb onto him. He then signaled to Milo and the others to climb onto the jaguar's back as well, and they climbed it.
Together, they crossed the still slightly turbulent river safely and made it to the other side.