There were many risks involved in what Marcus was planning to do.
Even if he chose to ignore the mysteriousness of Daze, there was still the Beast hunting to worry about.
To the best of his knowledge, it required two to three Radiant-rank warriors to take down a proper adult Feral Beast.
The lowest rank of Beasts he was aware of. Beyond that was Prowler and then Ravager. Each rank above was a world apart from the previous.
For a Prowler, even ten Radiant-rank warriors would struggle to take one down if they weren't experienced.
Despite knowing all of this, Marcus still felt that the rewards were worth it.
Furthermore, he believed that his Marc Steel weapons would play a huge role in their hunt, making things a bit easier for them.
The only problem was that he had no specific idea of where to find any Beast.
One couldn't pick what Beast they would come upon first. They were walking in blind, which did nothing but increase the danger of the endeavor.
If they came across a Prowler or even a Ravager…
Time passed on as the group continued their journey.
After half an hour had passed, they arrived at the Iron Mine located a few kilometers away from the first mountain of Daze.
Marcus stopped here for a bit, asking his knights to get a cart from the mine that they could use to transport the Beast corpse.
After that, they resumed their journey, albeit slower than before.
Noon had passed by the time they arrived at the base of the first mountain.
Everyone looked around.
To their left were mountains that stretched up into the clouds and distance for as far as the eyes could see.
Only cutting into a bend right before the Dead Ocean.
And to their right was a forest of thick trees, their bark covered with green algae.
A few gasps ran through the group. Suddenly, their excitement at the possibility of growth was doused by the reality and the fables of Daze Mountain.
And perhaps because they had started to get nervous, the atmosphere around this mountain base felt suffocating.
Yet, at the same time, they all felt as though they were imagining it.
Except for Marcus. His eyes shone with wonder and a tinge of excitement.
"The Mana here is incomparably… pure." He whispered.
From where he was, till the entrance of the forest, Mana seemed to leak from the latter.
Every part of Marcus's body could sense that there was a whole world of Mana coming from the other side.
Suddenly, a vision appeared before Marcus.
Treasures upon treasures in his wake, where he had explored the entire expanse of Daze Mountain and emerged wealthier in every aspect he could think of.
I will become a lot more powerful if I train and practice Magic here… if not the most powerful. If I can just spend a bit of time here, absorbing this pure Mana, the world would play into my palms.
With that thought in mind, a slow, crazed smile spread across his face.
Marcus was just about to urge his horse forward when a feeling of foreboding danger encroached his heart.
His [Lord With A Will] title activated, creating a sort of mental barrier in his mind that snapped him out of that thought immediately.
Cold sweat wet his back as his eyes shone with fear and realization. Marcus's fingers trembled, and he quickly tightened his grip on the horse's rein.
What was that?
It was anything but good.
Suddenly, Marcus became more apprehensive about setting foot beyond the trees ahead.
Whether it was sorcery or the actions of an unknown entity, Marcus was unsure.
After all, it was his own thoughts and voice in his head. And he was sure of it because it was one thing for one's body to be taken over, and another for the mind to be influenced.
Bradley, by the side, saw the unsettling look on Marcus's face; "Is something wrong, sir?"
Marcus snapped out of his thoughts and looked around, observing the questioning looks on his men's faces.
"Did none of you feel that? Did any of you get the urge to charge into that forest in search of power and treasures?"
All of them exchanged looks, not certain of what the young lord was referring to.
They had indeed felt something odd about the place, but not similar to what Marcus was asking.
"Sir, perhaps… we should rest here for a bit?" Bradley suggested lightly.
Marcus ignored his steward.
Was it just me? But why?
His brows quickly rose as he came up with an answer.
Mana!
Out of everyone here, he was the only Mage.
Bradley wasn't considered a warrior of any measure, and then his knights had only awakened Blood Force.
"Yes, it has to be." He muttered as he jumped down from his horse and slowly walked towards the trees that marked the entrance.
The closer Marcus got to the trees, the more he felt the urge to open his Pulse Points and absorb the mana.
Fortunately for him, thanks to his title, his mind was able to resist the temptations, and Marcus was able to observe this Mana even more.
Now that he was closer, he could sense that it wasn't only the quality of the Mana that was different, but even its quantity.
It felt heavy on his body as the residual energy from the forest touched his skin. It awakened a sort of hunger in Marcus's body as well as his mind.
Like a starving man who just perceived the aroma of food wafting out a kitchen window, it was mesmerizing.
Everything about this Mana screamed power.
And yet, contrary to how his body felt and the jibes of temptations he felt, Marcus himself resisted absorbing this Mana.
All for one reason: if the Mana was as good as it felt, why then had Daze Mountain been left in his territory's backyard like a painting that no one pays attention to?
If it was as good as he imagined, then every Mage on the continent would choose to remain here.
Moreover, the quality of the Mana seemed to rapidly reduce after crossing a few meters past the trees.
As though it couldn't exist, or maintain its pure form beyond this area.
There's definitely something wrong with the Mana.
With a bit more resolution, Marcus stepped forward and into the forest.
As though he passed through an invisible barrier, an even stronger and heavier Mana enveloped him.
Marcus felt tremors run through his entire being.
"What sort of thing is this?" He wondered as a foreign sensation threatened to override his thoughts again. He had to stop moving just so he could actively focus on not absorbing even a wisp of the Mana.
He had heard a lot of things about Daze Mountain, but nothing of this sort.
Or perhaps this had been spoken about and he never truly articulated that it would be this way.
After all, this was Daze.
A few minutes passed, and Marcus was still standing in the same spot.
His men, wary and cautious, slowly approached the young lord, thinking that something had gone wrong.
"Knight Brown, Knight Joshua, I think the two of you should investigate what's happening," Bradley said worriedly.
Brown resisted the urge to roll his eyes, knowing that Bradley purposefully said this because he didn't like him much.
Is this another one of your ways of trying to get rid of me?
As for Joshua, he was mumbling, "Why me? Can't Caleb or Logail investigate this too?"
Though he was complaining, he still stepped forward nonetheless.
With Brown in the lead and Joshua to his side, the two knights slowly entered the forest, approaching Marcus.
The two of them were half expecting that they would freeze up the same way Marcus did.
But as they moved, they realized that there was nothing strange impeding their movements.
Joshua paused and looked behind, catching the confused expressions of those behind. He then looked back at Brown, who was observing Marcus.
"Hey, tap him," Joshua whispered.
Brown frowned upon hearing that. That would be… Improper. In return, gestured with his head.
'You, tap him.'
Right before Joshua could begin arguing, Marcus spoke: "Let's set up camp around here. Tie the horses."
His voice startled both Brown and Joshua, causing the latter to flinch.
Marcus then turned around and looked at the two knights. "Joshua, Caleb, Floki, Mercidin, the four of you will have to scout ahead for us. Since we don't have a map of this place, it automatically means that we do not know much about the habitats of the Beasts within Daze.
"I want the four of you to not only be our lookout for danger, but also help us identify targets to take out. Any Beast that you think the twelve of you can take down together is a target. Any hesitation automatically makes that Beast a predator. Understood?"
"Yes!" They responded, startled, but attentively and receptively.
"Move in twos. Make the pick yourselves." Marcus began walking out of the forest, while his mind raced as he restlessly tried to find answers to the questions in his head.