"Mayor, you're... not human, are you?"

Yan Yi stated it as casually as discussing the weather. A chill shot through the other three—just what had they been talking to moments ago if the mayor wasn't human?!

"Oh? Young man, why do you say that?"

The mayor merely paused briefly before smiling faintly, utterly unruffled.

"Simple. You don't carry the aura of the living."

Yan Yi nodded, wearing a self-satisfied smirk as if he'd seen through everything all along.

"Hmm? Aura? My manifested form should be indistinguishable from a human's. After all, I was human once."

The mayor frowned, resting his right hand on his chin while gripping his elbow with his left—just short of crouching into a thinker's pose.

"No, no. It's hard to explain this 'aura' difference. Since you're not truly alive, you lack the essence of the living. Mana can't sense it."

Yan Yi waved dismissively, offering a helpful reminder.

"I see... So that's another aspect to master? I'll need to keep practicing then—at least to mimic a living person's aura. Hahaha."

The mayor slammed his right fist into his left palm, his expression shifting to sudden enlightenment.

"Hahaha, don't worry, Mayor! I doubt anyone but me could tell. Ah, hahaha!"

Their ordinary chat, as mundane as gossiping over tea, dissolved the tension gripping the three standing listeners.

Watching the two drift further off-topic amid shared laughter, Interle finally snapped.

"Wait! What do you mean the mayor isn't human?!"

"Hmm? Didn't I just say? Mayor is a Spirit."

Seeing Yan Yi's explanation confirmed by the mayor's nod, even Interle—knowledgeable as he was—stared in shock. The other two were utterly dumbfounded.

*How could a Spirit possess such a lifelike body? How could it become mayor without memories? What kind of existence was this man in life to wield such a powerful soul?*

"By the way, Mayor," Yan Yi pressed on, ignoring the trio's bewilderment. He was genuinely fascinated—ghost-like beings were a first for him. "Aren't Spirits born from obsession? How can you live so normally? Have you already fulfilled your obsession?"

"No. If I had, I'd have faded long ago."

The mayor shook his head, gazing toward the village entrance with a wistful expression.

"My obsession isn't vengeance or reuniting with someone. It's simply... waiting. I don't know who I'm waiting for, or where. So I stayed here. If I'm meant to meet them, that's best. If not... this body will naturally dissipate when its time comes. Since I've been given a chance to almost live again, I'll cherish every day."

Seeing the mayor's melancholy, Yan Yi understood—he desperately wanted to fulfill that obsession, to witness the promise that bound him even beyond death.

Yan Yi sighed inwardly, a pang of resonance striking him. *In this world of vast unknown between life and death, at least there's a sliver of hope. My old world gave nothing.*

*If only Spirits existed there... I might have had hope too...*

Just as Yan Yi nearly drowned in memories, Juben's voice cut through.

"Mayor! Then why weren't you affected? Why didn't you tell me exactly what happened to my sister?!"

His voice trembled with anger. If the mayor was a Spirit, he must know the dangers of the Bone Forest.

"The green-haired girl? It's not that I withheld it—I truly don't know. My strength is limited; I only possess soul power strong enough to resist influence."

The mayor's apology was sincere. His current power barely reached Class B. Having never cultivated mana as a Spirit, he could resist the unknown entity's control but couldn't gauge its strength.

Juben clenched his fists. He couldn't blame the mayor—Spirit strength depended solely on one's power in life.

"Anyway," Luris interjected after long silence, "shouldn't we hurry to save Xiamu?"

*The Moonlight Forest is huge—will we even make it in time?*

The trio froze. *Right... that was the whole point.*

The Moonlight Forest seemed ordinary. Even its Magical Beasts were weak—the strongest barely qualified as Class C.

Rushing ahead to prove his worth, Yan Yi cleared the path. A faint aura radiated from him. Humans couldn't sense it, but Magical Beasts shuddered with primal terror long before nearing within a hundred meters, as if facing a beast king. They all veered away.

For speed, Yan Yi simply swung his right fist. Trees ahead shattered explosively, carving a straight path forward.

Yan Yi didn't know about the dual-faction decree forbidding forest destruction. The others did—but with time critical, they'd let him deal with the consequences later.

The four sprinted. Interle and Luris coated their bodies in mana to enhance speed, barely keeping pace with the two holding back. Even so, they only reached the Absolute Safe Zone by 10 a.m.

The zone was bizarre—a barren strip exactly ten meters wide. On one side stood ordinary trees; on the other, bone-like growths. No transition. It looked deliberately planted.

Here, they split to search horizontally. Assuming Xiamu entered from the village, they'd each cover five miles left and right. If she wasn't found, they'd improvise.

This time, reality cut them a break. After searching barely three miles, they found Xiamu collapsed at the center of the safe zone.

Behind her in the Bone Forest, dozens of Spirits drifted—but none crossed the boundary.

"Big sis!"

Spotting his sister, Juben accelerated. Yan Yi's training paid off; his speed had drastically improved.

Xiamu lay facedown, her back a mess of torn flesh. Blood had clotted, but the sight was gruesome.

Heart wrenching, Juben moved to lift her—until two voices snapped from behind. Yan Yi and Interle.

"Idiot!"

"Don't move her!"

Her condition was unknown. Rough handling could tear wounds open. Luckily, Xiamu knew basic healing magic—she'd likely cast one before passing out. Without it, infection would have killed her by now.

Juben stilled, realizing his rashness might harm her.

The trio arrived. One glance told Yan Yi Xiamu's back bore claw marks, blunt impacts, even blast injuries. Honestly, she should have died a day ago. *Life Magic's healing power is terrifying.*

Interle carefully examined the wounds. Even with Yan Yi's medical knowledge, this required delicate hands. Luris assisted, conjuring pure water on demand.

Interle's Wood Magic had ties to Life Magic. Some regenerative spells were potent, but unlike her mother, she could only heal incrementally. Deep gashes demanded extreme caution. Sweat soon beaded on her forehead.

Confident Xiamu was in good hands, Yan Yi turned to the Spirits. This was his first sight of non-corporeal Spirits. Most were translucent humanoids wreathed in wisps of white mist. Some retained clear human faces—but their eyes held no spark. *The controlled villagers.*

Yan Yi clenched his fist and punched. Just as expected, the shockwave shattered bone-like plants ahead—but the Spirits remained untouched.

"Forty-six total. Only eighteen villagers?"

*No wonder Moonlight Village is smaller than Ink Village. Even counting Spirits, its population barely hits fifty.*

Most Spirits were weak—Class D. Fewer than ten reached Class C or B. Their numbers must have overwhelmed Xiamu as she fled the true enemy.

Noticing Juben's gaze fixed on the Spirits—the culprits who hurt his sister—rage flared in him. He grabbed the sword on his back, mana surging. Invisible Wind Blades began forming around him.

"Stop!"

Yan Yi materialized before him, hand clamping down on the half-drawn blade.

"Villagers are among them! They're controlled—they didn't choose to hurt your sister!"

Juben gritted his teeth, mana receding. He exhaled sharply and shoved the sword back into its sheath. He could rage, but he wouldn't harm innocents.

"Damn it!"

Fury contorted his face. His knuckles crackled; his teeth drew blood. He longed to charge in and slash the true mastermind—but knew he stood no chance. Regret, agony, helplessness flooded him.

"Why... am I so weak?"

*Like this... I can't protect Luris. I can't protect anyone I care about.*

*I'm still the same... pathetically weak.*