"You've seen it yet?"
"No... Ah, I found it! Over here, Star!"
As they entered the woods, it became a lot harder to identify the blood drops on the forest floor. One reason was that as more time passed, the bloodstains started turning black, making it harder to identify within the dark forest and the dark-colored forest floor.
"If only my nose were even remotely useful right now..."
Rabbits should have a strong sense of hearing and smell, but Cassy is currently having trouble with her nose.
After moving to her new lodging, she ended up missetting the air conditioning unit and setting it too cold. She didn't realize it at first until the second day took a toll on her.
Due to that, she caught a slight cold, not to the point of having a runny nose, but was still messing up her sense of smell greatly!
"It's fine; things happen," Aster whispered while gently patting her back. "Don't blame yourself for something that was beyond your control."
However, if Kali was there, she would definitely say, "Adventurers should take care of their health first and foremost!" calling her stupid again and again for catching a cold.
Although they were having a harder time looking for bloodstains, they were already quite deep into the forest.
Luckily, the goblins around were already hunted down, making it a safe passage for the two. If not for that, then they would already be tired as hell and delayed by several hours!
It had been roughly 3 hours since they began tracking the kidnappers, and the two were already too deep into the forest, making them wonder just how deep it could go.
*Twitch!*
Suddenly, Cassy's ears flicked, straightening up in attention. Aster, who was slightly behind her, noticed this and held his breath, trying to get as quiet as possible.
"... Found them!" She exclaimed with a joyful smile. "Over there!"
"That is...!"
Cassy tried to counter, but as if she had regained her cool, she slowly quieted down.
"Of course, I'm not saying we should abandon Kali." He continued with a grin. "I have a plan, and you would be at the center of it all. Are you willing to do it?"
"..."
Cassy thought for a moment before nodding her head with a serious face. "Alright. Tell me about it."
"Great resolve," Aster praised. "First..."
Aster drew the layout of the enemy's camp over the ground, explaining the key points of his plan. However, the more he told Cassy, the more her face turned pale.
"Wouldn't that place all the risk on yourself?!" She asked, now more worried about Aster than Kali. "There's no way I would agree to this!"
"Right, you won't... but this is the only valid choice we have." He explained. "And the more we delay, the higher the risk is for me and for you too."
They didn't have time. Although there's a possibility of the enemy numbers decreasing later, the possibility of them increasing or moving toward their own "exit," leading to probably their main base, was a lot higher.
"But..." Cassy seemed to be unconvinced, worried about Aster's safety.
However, at the same time, she realizes that delaying the matter would make it riskier for either or both of them.
"Alright," Cassy responded while wiping away the tears from her eyes. "But promise me you won't try to push yourself!"
"I won't. It's not like I want to die." Aster grinned. "Rather, I can't die until I reach the 1000th floor of this dungeon!"
With the two of them on the same page, they quickly moved to their designated positions and prepared. Aster went to the opposite corner of the camp, staying low and waiting for the time they agreed upon to come.
Three more minutes until their operation starts!