Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Rain noticed that it looked like Sakaki was hiding something… but he didn't have time to worry about that because they were starting to cross the atmosphere of that world. The place was around two times bigger than Earth, so they would probably have to work there for a while…

The group didn't feel anything weird when they crossed the atmosphere. There was no turbulence either. Still, when they reached the dust clouds, they began to hear the sound of the sand colliding against something constantly.

"You are using magic to repel that. Are you going to be fine?" Terra asked.

"No worries," Rain said. "There is no mana in the wind or in the dust, so it is light."

Descending into the massive dust clouds that covered the planet's surface proved to be a challenging task for the expedition. The journey downward was not only time-consuming but also covered with difficulties due to the sheer size of the dust clouds. The visibility within the clouds was drastically reduced, creating an almost impenetrable curtain of swirling particles.

The crew members felt as if there was no solid ground beneath them, adding an eerie and disorienting element to the descent.

Navigating through this dense and turbulent environment became a difficult task. The colossal dust clouds obscured their vision, making it nearly impossible to discern the terrain below. To compound the challenge, the team's cautious approach, led by Rain and Isa, added to the duration of their descent.

Both leaders prioritized safety over speed, moving carefully through the thick atmosphere to avoid potential hazards or sudden surprises hidden within the swirling dust.

Fortunately, the group finally landed… and they didn't even see the approach. Rain undid the domain and soon found that his steps on the sand were sinking a bit. The others soon felt that as well… the gravity on that planet didn't seem different, so the issue was the sand. It was too lifeless, and it was very deep as well, even worse than beach sand.

"We landed safely on the planet," Roan said, using the communication device on his helmet. "Proceeding to split up and look for our targets."

"Understood," Esmeralda said. "Keep us informed regularly."

"All right… first, try to find anything underground, Rain," Roan said. "Our job is to fight the monster if it shows up, but we need to understand the terrain first and foremost. We need to stay ready in case it comes from below. Avoiding that ambush is your job."

"Understood," Rain said.

"The others will split into groups of six and guard the four directions for the time being," Roan added. "Jori, Terra, Liss, and Rein will choose the members of those groups."

They didn't waste time and soon did exactly that. After moving in four directions, Roan stayed close to Rain until he could barely see the groups ten meters away.

"Make sure that you can contact the other groups and report anything unusual," Roan said. "What did you find, Rain?"

"Nothing… the sand is like five hundred meters deep, though," Rain replied. "Big enough for that centipede to do whatever it wants."

"Any vibrations?" Roan asked.

"Nothing worth noticing besides the wind," Rain said. "I can feel the location of the other groups rather easily. "

"Make sure to alert me if something happens… not like we will have time to do anything," Roan said while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "We will have to charge toward them immediately…"

Roan tried to think for a while longer about what they could do to improve conditions in that situation, but nothing came to mind. Fortunately, not even Rain's magic attracted the monster to his group or the others, so they had some time.

"Your mana isn't affecting the environment at all, and it is being moved to the right side of the planet," Sakaki said. "At this rate, it will take a while for anything to find you."

"But wouldn't that mean that I don't have to do anything else for now, and the beast will eventually find traces of us?" Rain asked.

"The first dragons want energy and nutrients. If all that is being moved to a single spot of the planet, they will stay in that area for quite a while," Sakaki said. "That being said, this weird phenomenon would explain the changes in the planet in the last few months."

"It isn't very different from what happened to earth?" Rain asked. "Also, I can understand the enemies siphoning something like mana to a single spot in the world, but nutrients as well? Wouldn't they need something like the giant stump?"

"Usually, yes… but we didn't find signs of that here…" Sakaki said. "Regardless, we might find the centipede while heading East, but the weather conditions will worsen."

After reporting the information to Roan, Rain felt a responsibility to report the findings to the headquarters as well. He understood the gravity of the situation and recognized that such information needed to be shared with the entire group.

The decision ahead wasn't an easy one—they had to determine whether to split up even further, considering the scarcity of resources, information, and the potential presence of survivors in such a direction.

A discussion started among the headquarters team. It became clear that splitting up was a necessity to cover more ground efficiently and increase their chances of success. Each group would have its own challenges and responsibilities, and the collaboration among them would be crucial to achieving their common goal.

"For now, the other two groups will explore the area ahead in a circle to make sure that they will stay within range," Esmeralda declared. "Rain needs to keep track of them at all times, as well as trying to find signs of the giant centipede."

"She could, at least if that was possible…" Rain furrowed his eyebrows while thinking.

"That only shows how much faith she has in you," Sakaki said.

"Yay... that is great," Rain said. "I have to work more thanks to it."