Ash sat on a large rock in the Eldrathil forest, with Jagu sniffing around the area near where they were sitting.
The other team members sat nearby, taking a break. They had been walking for two days, heading toward a distant location deep within the Eldrathil forest.
This was Ash's first mission to a place where the team had no prior knowledge or information about the location.
Their goal was to retrieve an item called Arcanis, left behind from a battle between swordsmen and mages.
They had to leave their vehicles behind at a rest house they had recently claimed after defeating a group of robbers who had been occupying it.
From there, they had to proceed on foot into the Eldrathil forest. The journey was far from easy, as the forest was dense, and they occasionally encountered wild animals along the way.
Night had fallen, and they still hadn't found a place to rest for the night.
The forest was too dense with trees, and the ground was damp, making it impossible for them to start a campfire.
Ash eventually sent Jagu to search for a cave or something similar, and he discovered a small, abandoned shrine.
The entire team then made their way to that location.
Before long, they arrived at the shrine. The shrine was built from neatly stacked natural stones, giving it a solid and organized appearance.
Although small, the place was large enough to accommodate all seven of them, including Jagu, and also provided enough space to set up a campfire.
The air in the area was quite cold, as it was located to the north, and according to the map, Ash knew that Eldrathil Forest was not too far from BlizzViel.
It didn't take long for the campfire to be lit, and they each warmed themselves by the fire.
"Damn it," said Xion, "I forgot to bring warm clothes."
Dwayne, kind-hearted despite his tough appearance and large build, offered, "You can wear my warm clothes."
"No, your size is way too big for me," Xion declined.
"Whatever," Dwayne responded indifferently.
However, Luca handed a warm jacket to Xion, saying, "Here, wear this. Your size shouldn't be much different from mine."
"Thanks," Xion said, accepting the jacket and putting it on right away.
Mia, who was sitting beside Ash, suddenly asked, "Is it true that Shadowmoor plans to attack Percival Castle?"
Ash, chewing his food slowly, stopped and froze at Mia's words.
Hank, another quiet member of the team, replied, "Yeah. I heard so."
"Shadowmoor has many fighters from the Hunter profession, and Percival probably only has half as many. They'll definitely lose," commented Luca as he turned the meat over the fire.
"But Drogo Castle won't just stay silent. We'll likely get involved, considering Drogo sells a lot of goods to Percival," Milo added.
Milo's statement caused the entire team to turn their attention toward her.
'Drogo Castle has more Hunters than Percival Castle, which is located right next to it.'
Additionally, Drogo Castle has a larger population because Drogo governs the city well. Many people choose to live under his leadership rather than elsewhere.
Dwayne chimed in, "That's possible. What you said makes sense, Milo."
"It's ironic, isn't it? Drogo and Percival are places where people prefer to live in peace, while Shadowmoor is inhabited by those who are constantly seeking war," Xion remarked.
"If that's the case, we might have to fight Shadowmoor. Hmmm," said Mia, her lips slightly pouting in a cute manner.
Ash listened to all this with his heart beating a little faster.
'War? Are we really going to war?' he thought.
Based on what he had read in The Captain's Diary, group wars were the worst scenarios in the game Finding Objects, second only to encountering ferocious Fantasy creatures.
He hadn't faced a Dragon yet, but he had witnessed a giant sea creature that sank a pirate ship during his first days in this world.
But a group war on the scale of castles like this would be catastrophic.
He knew the locations of Percival and Shadowmoor, and all three castles were home to a variety of professions, levels, and unique items used as weapons.
The three castles were the largest ones in the land Ash now stood upon.
Another large castle was situated farther away from the others, and Ash had heard that this particular castle was predominantly inhabited by mages.
It would be a disaster, especially if they managed to acquire cheat items like The Heart of The Jaguar.
From his sparring session against a Centaurion recently, Ash realized that Jagu's strength far exceeded that of the creature, even though it had an elite-warrior level status.
Even Spidy was at the level of Elite Warrior.
Ash estimated that Jagu's strength might have already reached the level of Elite Champion.
'Hmm. I should document and classify the creatures in this world later,' he thought, as his mind drifted back to the original topic, group wars.
If one of the groups in the upcoming war were to acquire an item that allows them to summon creatures from the Divine or Godlike tier, Ash couldn't begin to imagine the chaos that might unfold.
"But I heard Shadowmoor has a Warrior with a Rare item that can summon a Giant Eagle, rumor has it, it might even resemble a Roc," said Luca, one of Milo's team members, known for his outgoing nature.
Thanks to his habit of socializing, Luca often gathered more information than others.
All the team members turned toward him, and Milo asked, "Where did you hear that?"
"One day, I got acquainted and had some drinks with a merchant from Shadowmoor," Luca replied casually while chewing on his meal.
"I estimate that all the creatures Ash has are still within the Elite rank," Milo said cautiously, then turned to Ash, looking for his confirmation.
Then he responded to her, "Yes. All the creatures I can summon are still at the Elite level, including Jagu."
They all exchanged glances.
His mind wandered off, and the conversations among the rest of the team became faint, almost inaudible to him.
If it were true that they possessed a Legendary Creature, what would become of him, knowing he would undoubtedly be assigned to fight in the war?