A force of fourteen men, or rather, only 2, according to Igimo.
There were about 11 young men, all older than Ethan, but far weaker. They were mostly farmers and workers, excited about the chance to explore the forest. According to Igimo, he had tried his best to stop them, but unfortunately failed.
They were simply too eager. They were armed with daggers and farming equipment, like sickles and hoes. The only one here who had some proper weapons besides Ethan and Ian was Ravu.
He had a pair of war-axes, a gift Ian had given him years back, but the man was easily frightened and rarely used them in real combat. Ravu was probably worth more than the eleven young men, if he wasn't a coward.
Nonetheless, they had good endurance at the very least, so hardly any stop was made during the trip towards the forest, while they were travelling, Ravu found it hard to close his mouth.
The man was jittering, even breathing heavy, even though no danger was close, and in this cold, Ethan could even see beads of sweat.
'... All I ever wanted, and someone who is such a coward to have it.'
Ethan cursed the gods, if there were any, and continued to glean information from Ravu, who couldn't shut up, trying to hide his fear.
Most of it was him trying to get closer to Ethan, telling him about his life and talents. Ethan was mostly uninterested in that kind of stuff, but paid close attention whenever Ravu mentioned things about the village and the land beyond. He was seriously lacking in information about the Alapur continent.
There was, however, one time when Ravu was serious, and not shaking with fear, but rather filled with uncertainty. It was about the forest, and how he had found Ethan.
"That clearing was weird; there's almost no way something like that can exist in the forest. A wide clearing like that... and to top it off, everything felt strange there even before I found you.
It was... odd."
Ethan let Ravu continue, as he had no choice.
"You were buried deep in snow; if it weren't for Tirmi, you would have died there, friend. My wolf is special! But... how was it?"
Suddenly, Ravu stopped and turned back, gazing at Ethan with excited eyes like a child.
"How did you fight that... spirit? Igimo told us you had experience with it... ah. Sorry, sorry."
He realized Ethan couldn't talk back at the end of his sentence and apologized. Ethan offered a bow with his head in response, and the man went on with his tread.
Ravu's job was simple: lead Ethan to the clearing he had found him in, and then just turn back and run back to the village. It was what Igimo intended.
Ethan had requested it, even. He knew he wouldn't fit well with the rest of the group, not being able to speak their language, and even being an outsider. Ethan merely wanted to check the clearing and was confident in being able to track the Huntress alone.
And defeating her. He had done it when he was startled, struggling from the cold, and moments after experiencing a traumatic event. Though that battle had ended in his loss due to the illusion.
In fact, it was a draw. The Huntress should have killed him after the illusion, instead of leaving him alone in the clearing. He was certain he had gravely wounded the spirit.
He would be able to win this time, because he was in perfect condition now.
Ravu silently proceeded, leading Ethan towards the forest. Ethan knew the man was feeling down, seeing everyone up ahead chatting, while he was stuck with the silent guy. He wanted to comfort his savior, but alas, all he could do was pat him on the shoulder.
'... It's like he's made of steel.'
... Without even using Ki to augment his body... Ravu would be someone Ethan would struggle to defeat if he had even the slightest knowledge to use the vast reserves of Ki he had.
A bearman was built differently, indeed.
After a while, about an hour or slightly more, they had reached the forest. Ethan let out a whistle as he saw the large trees.
'... He cuts these for a living? Damn.'
They were the width of a horse, and as tall as twenty meters. Verdant green leaves and lively foliage were present throughout. It was a land ruled by life and nature. Ethan could feel it.
The forest had a special aura to it, a shame he hadn't felt it during the fight. It was refreshing, and even though the entire forest was covered with snow... There was a warm breeze flowing from it.
"The trees on the outside are usually thick. I can cut them down... but honestly, it's not worth the effort. The ones that are a bit inside are much easier to work with."
'... How much Ki would it take to even cut these things? A solid two swings.'
As a person born with lower energy reserves than normal people, Ethan was incredibly efficient and careful of his reserves. He had trained his entire life to make use of his lower reserves, and as a side effect...
He had this particular habit of calculating how much Ki everything would take.
How much Ki is required to perform this special move? How much Ki is needed to jump at the level? How to be more efficient with Ki? How much Ki to split a tree in half with his bare body? How much Ki to finish this as quickly as possible? How much Ki to cut a boulder?
"Come, friend, the clearing is only a bit further."