Aeon woke up in the middle of the night, hungry. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't cook for the meantime lest he wakes up the others from the aroma of the food. He could only make do with the biscuits he brought for the trip. He munched on them as he walked outside.
Although it was a moonless night, it was quite bright because the stars shined brightly. Aeon looked up and saw that the sky was so beautiful. Suddenly he felt the urge to look at them more and he rushed towards the nearest hill. The area there was also devoid of trees, making it the perfect place for stargazing.
After he arrived on site, he marveled at the sky's wonder. He placed both his hands inside his pockets, and he crossed his left leg in front of the other. Aeon felt thankful for how beautiful the world they were living in was.
Suddenly, he felt hot tears stream down his face as he thought about his dad. That person may never witness such a view for the rest of his life. He didn't wipe his tears away. He let it stream down his face. It was okay to cry, he told himself.
Unless Aeon makes a name for himself and swears his loyalty to the Florentine Empire, his father would not even be permitted to exit the house. With the pace Aeon was progressing at, it looked like he wasn't even capable of achieving an inkling of that. Aeon's tears flowed as he stared at the sky. He wanted to scream out loud, but he held himself back.
He had always been good at hiding his emotions. From the day he met his father after his capture, he smiled at him, showing that everything was alright despite the misfortune they encountered. Ever since, he wore the same mask regardless of who he was facing, be it a stranger or not. Now, when he was finally alone, he broke down.
Hecate, please give me the strength to endure the burdens so I can achieve my dream.
Aeon smiled. He extended a fist towards the sky and swore that he would make a legend for himself. He would make a bunch of alchemists work for him and have them make a potion to cure his father's paralysis.
Realizing that he had forgotten to bring his weapons with him, Aeon rushed back to the camp and took his swords. He immediately returned to the hill and started practicing his swordsmanship. His father didn't have any sword techniques. So what?! He would make some for himself! He couldn't fight gigantic magical beasts? He would train until he could cleave them into two.
Unknowingly, Aeon made a breakthrough. His magical constitution started to evolve.
Aeon danced with his swords in the middle of the night.
….
Aeon and the others were able to enjoy two days worth of rest.
Since the number of required items did not go down for the past six days, it meant that no other groups were able to successfully collect any items. With this, they concluded that Dan's list was valid and accurate. The group huddled in an empty space near the list. They were not afraid of anyone seeing their map because, lately, the camp had been very quiet and only a few people remained. Others camped out. The quota was even forgotten.
Levi spread the map wide open on the grass. On top of Dan's modifications, Levi had his own. He marked the spots that they had already searched. He also drew color-coded lines according to the difficulty they faced in their "extended trip" deeper into the forest. Seeing this, the group shivered, remembering the horrors they faced in their 2-day trip back to the camp. It wasn't too tough because they circled around through the outskirts down south, but the sheer count of beasts… they couldn't forget it.
Each member got to speak about their evaluation of the other teams based on their observations for the past two days and what they knew about its members. So far, the largest one was a group of seven, including Samuel, Levi and Selena's old teammate. Everyone in the group agreed with Levi's assessment that they were still behind that group when it comes to overall strength. They also acknowledged that that group was the strongest team at the moment.
With this said, Levi marked an area on the map. The boundary for that area is estimated to be the limit of what the strongest team could reach, and a little below that is what they could reach.
Everyone reassessed the map.
Within their capabilities, based on Dan's tips, they could only find three out of six items while Samuel's team could find four. They didn't include the Saphirric Witch Grass anymore because the required amount was already fulfilled by what they currently have.
The other two items that Samuel's team could not reach was somewhere around the area of the Witch Grass, a few kilometers north from the center. Now, they have another dilemma. They also need to get their hands on one of those two for them to pass the grass as theirs. If not, they will be suspected of being assisted by Dan, and them passing the grass won't be valid.
Based on the list, every eight blades of grass was worth 500 gold coins, and the limit was 56 blades. They currently have over 80.
3500 gold coins!
They couldn't simply pass out on that amount of money. They had to make their submission valid.
Luckily for them, they had what others do not.
A guide.
Dan was a peak D-grade mage. That level was already their whole class combined into one. But when he was searching for the grass, did his level as a mage mattered? Maybe a little bit! What mattered most was his experience in avoiding magical beasts. That means even they can do it, with the help of his guide, if they stick together and fill each other's gaps.
The group decided to get as many items they could from the area within their capabilities. They could take the other items at a later date because they were sure that there would not be any competition. Of course, it wouldn't be too easy.
The group set out once more.
….
Three weeks later.
"Alright, all clear! This is the last Fort Gem we need," Levi said as he eyed the brown crystals attached on a rock. His voice echoed through the cave they were currently in.
Aeon nodded and asked, "do we need more for ourselves?"
"We can get some at a later date. It won't be worth spending more time on. Let's keep what we can't turn in," Levi replied.
After two weeks, the other teams started to keep up with them. In turn, they could not get the full reward for any items. Fortunately, the items were scattered and only one or two could be found in one area.
Currently, they have 17 Fort Gems, the exact number that they need to pass since they last checked two days ago.
After 3 weeks of searching, only the required count for four items was not updated, the Spirit Fox Gem, Saphirric Witch Grass, Ur Tree's Essence, and Kravic Whale Rock. For the rest, excluding the Fort Gems, they turned in about 30% of the amount necessary for each item. In total, they have already earned 2460 gold coins to be split into five. This was already a huge sum of money, but if they have the capability to earn more, why shouldn't they? It is also part of their training.
The group left the cave and returned to camp after six hours of traveling. Thankfully, the number of required Fort Gems did not decrease any further, and it was still 17 after they arrived. They turned it in for 1190 gold coins, almost half of the total amount they currently have. It was their biggest haul for the past three weeks.
After this, four items now had big zeros beside their names. The required amount for 4 items was fulfilled. Only three remained.
The group rested for a day before starting the real treasure hunt.
….
At dusk, the group left the camp.
They estimated their trip to be two weeks long. At most, three. Aside from being quite far from the camp, they had to move slowly. They're not like Dan who was capable of traveling at a much higher speed without stopping for almost an entire day.
Their next target is the Spirit Fox Gem, the item that supposedly only Samuel's Team could lay their hands on. Their search range included 14 caves northwest from the center of the forest. that they were supposed to scour.
The number of gems they need: 1.
This shows how rare the item is.
After finding one Fox gem, they had to move directly east, towards a certain part of the forest where Ur Trees grow, an area a little north from the center. These trees release a part of their essence through their sap. The sap that touches the ground will then enrich the soil they were growing in. They needed a vial full of essence, so they need to filter it out of the sap.
The last item they need is the Kravic Whale Rock. It is supposed to be an item that can be used to store magic energy. When the stone is activated, it will release the stored magic inside, fuelling Magical Energy to any mage around the area. The bigger the stone, the higher its capacity for storing magic becomes. According to the list, only one is needed, but it should at least be fist-sized. The bounty would be relative to the size, and it starts at 2000 gold coins.
The group had many things to look forward to.
….