Mysterious Person
"It is been half a day now since we started searching for the Naga that adventure guild mentioned " said a swordsman in his 30s, his voice tinged with impatience, as he addressed a warrior-looking man who was studying a map. The old warrior let out a sigh and then glanced towards a young lady, cautioning her, "Don't touch that, it's poisonous," as she reached out towards a rainbow-colored flower. The young lady, Sharlyn, quickly withdrew her hand, dressed in blue attire and clutching a book in her left hand. She was a mage in their party.
"We can't afford to lose a valuable asset like you before even facing the Naga, so don't do anything foolish," said the gloomy-looking guy who was gathering grass from the ground.
"Yes, yes, I understand. So stop lecturing me, brother Kane," replied Sharlyn, pouting in annoyance.
"By the way, why are you collecting grass from the ground?" asked Sharlyn, her face displaying confusion.
"This isn't just any grass. These are herbs used in making potions as well as poisons," explained Kane, a creepy smile forming on his face as he mentioned the latter part.
Sharlyn shivered, feeling a chill run down her spine as Kane looked at her with his unsettling smile. "Don't look at me like that, or else I'll burn you to a crisp. All assassins are creepy as hell," she retorted, her annoyance evident.
"Naga should be around here. I think we should find a spot to rest before we confront it," suggested Torin, looking helplessly at his party members. They split up to search for a suitable resting place.
"Hey, guys, I found something interesting!" Sharlyn called out, gathering the attention of her companions.
They rushed over to her, their eyes widening in shock at what they saw.
"Am I dreaming or something?" muttered Kane, his body slumped on the ground.
"No, you're not, you idiot," snapped Sharlyn, irritated by Kane's reaction. "But explain to me how there's a dead Naga lying here, its head split open," Kane exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"He's shocked because the Naga is an A-rank monster, the highest level monster one can find here," explained the swordsman, who was the same man from earlier.
"Someone is here. I can sense their aura in that direction," the swordsman added, pointing in a specific direction.
"You're joking, right? It's impossible for a single person to kill a Naga," Kane protested, looking at the swordsman.
"I can sense a similar aura on the snake, despite the person not using any aura-based attacks on the Naga. They must have left some traces," the swordsman explained, shedding light on the situation.
"But what should we do with the Naga's body? We can't let it go to waste," Kane said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Let's take it with us for now. If it belongs to that person, we'll return it," suggested Torin, his curiosity piqued about the individual who had managed to defeat a Naga alone.
They made their way towards the direction indicated by the swordsman. Eventually, they arrived at an isolated spot where they saw a person meditating.
"Is this the person you were referring to?" Torin asked the swordsman, seeking confirmation. The swordsman nodded in response.
"I'll go and check on them," Kane volunteered, starting to approach the meditating figure.
"No, don't. We should wait," the swordsman intervened, stopping Kane from disturbing the individual.
"But why?" Kane asked, his confusion evident.
"They are currently training their aura, and it's considered bad luck to interrupt someone during their training. We should wait," the swordsman explained, his gaze fixed on the meditator.
After three hours had passed, the person finally awakened and asked, "Who are you people?"
To be continued...