Walking through the dense dark forest, we reached an area where daylight barely reached the ground, making it difficult to tell whether it was day or night. Even with the [Light] spell, we could barely see more than a dozen meters ahead of us.

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"How many miles have we crossed?" Link asked in a worried voice as he used his light magic to lighten up the area, while G made sure to sense any nearby monsters as usual.

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While we did encounter a few monsters, we were easily able to evade them with a few quick tricks, like using a smelly plant or hiding behind a tree until they vanished.

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Not the best play, but I would rather not waste my energy on weaker monsters in case I ended up at a point where I had no choice but to fight. I thought as I then looked at the map, and did a rough calculation before answering,

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"About 30, I guess?"

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Looking around, I was searching for something that should have appeared an hour ago, if I wasn't wrong. Or if we weren't lost.

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The pale blue night, Rivelia Flowers should be here. I thought as I looked out for them. That was the first landmark we had to reach on the first day, signifying that we are on the right path to the temple.

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The only problem was that I didn't remember whether they bloomed in the darkness or during the night. If it were the former, then we still have to travel before we arrive in that area. Though if it were the latter, then that means we had no way to tell before the sun sets.

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Which was still about half an hour farther.

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"Say, Ezekiel. I was wondering, are you going to create a guild after this quest is over? I mean, can we join your guild if you don't mind?" Link proposed as he observed my face. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Blaze also looking at me with a darted look.

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A guild, huh? Honestly, I forgot about that. I mean, I had already planned to own one, so joining or creating another is impossible. Plus, I honestly don't want anyone to know my connection with my guild, really. I pondered the situation with Ciana. It was something that I could control behind the scenes without getting directly involved. Plus, with the contract still being a secret to all, it would be impossible for anyone to draw a connection with that guild and my name.

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Under normal conditions, it would be the best choice to create a guild given the amount of advantages it gives. From the perks of additional Exp and the money it would generate, it was pretty much a given that anyone would like to create, or at least join, a guild.

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Though…

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"No. I won't be creating or joining any guild," I answered seriously.

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After all, I will be owning one. I thought that I could have all the benefits of the guild without being tied to it. It was much better than being a part of one. Even the guild master has many restrictions and responsibilities despite being the head. Or perhaps, especially because of being a head.

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It's sad that being a part of a guild, even as an owner, doesn't allow one to be a part of another guild. Otherwise, I would have tried creating half a dozen guilds, owning all of them while working behind the scenes.

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"You are not?!!" Trisha was really surprised, a bit sad too, as she looked at me with her puppy eyes.

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Was she planning to make me join her guild or something? Or was she thinking she would join my guild if I were to create one? I thought as I turned to her and answered,

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"Not really. But we can go on a bunch of quests at times with each other. You guys join or create your own guild while still being a part of the party. We can even help each other in quests, if it's personal, or request help in case of guild wars or something."

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Honestly, it was not a bad thing. Despite being in different guilds, we can call on each other at times, or perhaps the entire guilds to support each other. An alliance link of some sort?

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Though disappointed with my answer, Trisha began pondering it deeply. Blaze wasn't really joyful as he simply sighed before keeping his silence, though Link seemed to have understood my thoughts, as he thought deeply about the whole thing.

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"That's… not a bad idea," Raven, who mostly kept quiet, spoke as her eyes glimmered slightly. Perhaps she was already going to choose another guild, so this idea made her feel relaxed?

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As we walked, I saw the dusk time slowly passing, and the dark forest, with bare light, turning pitch black. The only source of light around us was the one that Link was lighting up.

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"Link. Turn off the skill for a few seconds," I asked Link, who followed my words before turning off the skill, erasing the only source of light we had. A few seconds passed in dark silence before…

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"Wow!"

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"Beautiful!"

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"This is…!"

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As all the light sources dimmed, the entire forest slowly glowed blue with the flowers brightening up every corner of the area. The night forest, where a few seconds ago even a single step was hard to take, soon morphed into a blue light valley, breathtakingly beautiful as it calmed our gaze. Glimmering up a beautiful, never-ending forest path.

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A breathtaking fantasy view that would make any traveler or adventurer have butterflies.

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So it was the latter condition, huh? I smiled as I looked at the area with a smile on my face. I then focused on the surrounding area, trying to find a certain hue that should be visible from here.

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It should be… ah! There it is!

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"All right. Let's go," I spoke as I commanded the rest of the party members, walking deeper into the forest. At a certain reddish hue that I noticed from here.

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