'Why are there humans here?'
Luan remained in his position without moving while keeping the fourteen humans in the periphery of his vision.
He didn't take any chances.
'This is weird... I have no idea what they are doing so... I can only observe, for now.'
He took a silent breath,then focused his gaze below.
He couldn't really hear the words the humans were saying, but he didn't try to release the restrictions he place on himself.
If he did that, he would undergo a sensory overload that would cause the control he had on his mana to loosen, exposing him to everyone.
That would just be him delivering himself to potential enemies on a silver platter.
These humans may not be enemies, but there was one crucial thing he hadn't forgotten.
His skin was light brown, having being lightened by the silver moonlight, but this was still a far cry from the normal skin colour of the humans he knew.
Also, his hair was stark white to the point of almost glistening and his eyes were stark blue.
The contrast each of his features had made it seem as if he was something other than human...
These humans may also be different, but Luan wasn't willing to take any chances when faced with a group, not to talk of one as strong as this.
The green robed mage lifted his staff, muttered some words, and then slammed the butt of his staff into the ground.
Suddenly, fourteen walls of earth rose up around them in groups of four with each one forming a rectangular structure that wasn't too large or too small.
Three structures that looked like the walls of a house clicked into place, seamlessly fusing into each other.
Then, another fourteen walls rose, forming three more structures and leaving another extra wall.
This process, which took almost fifteen minutes per turn, repeated itself two more times as the remaining thirteen people simply watched on.
Luan saw nothing but silent patience on the faces of the three armoured warriors, but the flickers of impatience and annoyance that passed through their scrunched up expressions couldn't escape Luan's improved eyesight.
With a rumble, the last set of walls were connected, completing two rows of earthen structures before the surroundings went silent.
A warrior with raven black hair and brown eyes that sparkled vibrantly stepped forward, his seemingly clunky armour not impeding his movement in the slightest.
"Our purpose in this forest is as clear as ever. To hunt beasts of different classes and hopefully, a monster.
"At the same time, we have the option of snatching the sport of the remaining five groups.
"While a good plan is needed in order to ensure that we claim victory, all that would be useless if we aren't able to survive.
"You all experienced what happened last night. "Despite our strength, we had to struggle so badly to find somewhere to stay for the night.
"I see the dissatisfaction on all of your faces, but we, as well as you, have no choice in this matter.
"It doesn't matter if you are children of nobles or not."
The youths grumbled in dissatisfaction, but none of them refuted the warrior's words.
After another round of talking, the youths dispersed in groups of twos and threes.
In the tree, Luan looked at the dispersing group without any particular expression on his face.
His mind, on the other hand, spun at speeds totally incomparable to before as he drew one conclusion after another from the information he had heard from the armoured guard's mouth.
'So they're here for a... competition? What kind of competition is this? Don't they have any idea of how bad things can get at night...?
'Oh wait, they know. According to what was said, they nearly lost their lives, but they were still able to fight back in the fog... against those bizarre entities!'
Luan looked around, making sure that he was the only one left in the area before descending from the tree.
His feet had barely touched the ground when a blast of mana kicked up a cloud of dust behind him and sent him flying into the distance.
What Luan had done was using mana in his foot to propel himself farther than normal in a straight line.
In simple terms, he accelerated himself.
He sped past the earthen constructs without giving them a second glance as his mind kept spinning while the words of the warrior echoed in his mind.
'They're in a competition with four other groups, which means fourteen more people in each group, if the competitions fair.
'If it isn't fair, that can only mean that there would be other unforseen circumstances...
'Also, these people don't seem to know the locations of the other groups, which can only mean that either they're from different origins...
'If that's the case, the groups will be sparsely placed within the forest and it will be up to them to scour the forest...'
Luan's eyes flashed.
'I can't just go back to the temple.'
Even as his thoughts spun from one place to another, Luan's speed didn't decrease at all, instead, it only seemed to increase as he familiarized himself with the process of using mana to displace the resistance that the wind had on him.
He also erupted with short bursts of speed from time to time, with each burst getting more controlled and refined.
Luan was thinking, improving and tracking at the same time.
He had been staying on the tree for well over thirty minutes, but the mana he used to coat his arrow hadn't dissipated.
He rejoiced inwardly, not knowing that he had brought another shock to the godly tenant residing in his consciousness.
As Luan ran forward, he steps seemed to slow down for a moment before suddenly picking up again.
At that moment, Luan had felt the arrow move slightly forward before being moved to his left in a flowing motion.
A grin spread to Luan's face as he continued running.
Soon, he spotted a dense thicket of trees, but he quickly passed through using the vines that hung off them.
Seconds later, Luan landed on the floor and looked up.
He smiled.
In front of him, was a river, one that flowed downstream.
Luan had found his way to the nearest human settlement.