As soon as the woman left, Zena apologized to Aster and began to explain. The woman who blasted the door open was called Octavia Nebulae, an active adventurer currently on the 125th floor.
"Joph is someone from her batch but took a different path than her. As such, she swore to put him down by her own hands if he ever returned to the surface."
"..."
Aster recalled Joph calling her name once, mistaking Argus's attack to be hers. From how she manipulated golden lightning—similar to the little puppy—it wasn't weird that he got mistaken, of course.
"She's quite obsessive with things she's curious about, so you should be careful around her, alright?" Zena added with a hint of worry in her voice. "And she's an airhead, so be doubly careful."
With a new problem in mind, Aster left the guild and returned to the dungeon's entrance.
Like Kali, Tina was also already sent to the hospital for further checkups, so he was left alone in the Medical Tent once more.
As soon as he arrived, he quickly paid Tina's healing bill. Kali didn't have any outstanding balance, thankfully, as her injuries weren't severe enough to require immediate emergency healing.
Right as he settled the bill, he sat down on the bed, playing lightly with Argus as he lay down, waiting for good news.
"Cassy, Liz, Lory..."
Only the three of them remained, two of which—Cassy and Lory—were the biggest worries. Every few minutes, Aster would take out his card and check the party list, making sure that they were still alive and kicking.
Although he could see their names in white, and not grayed out, not being able to see their present state made him worry a lot.
"Can't they include detailed state of party members in this damned card...?" Aster mumbled, grumbling to himself.
Time passed, and Aster's nerves were getting stretched taut the longer he waited. The sun had long set, making the dungeon's surroundings dark. Reporters were still around, of course, not leaving their spots. Some were doing live broadcasts, waiting for "something" to happen, and hoping that it was something that could go "viral."
"T-The dungeon is shining again!"
"...!"
Aster quickly rose after hearing someone shout. He rushed out of the tent and stared at the entrance, waiting for whoever would come out. Slowly, a figure appeared, looking tired, but uninjured. The wings behind her ears were pointing down, showing how lethargic she was.
Just as the door to the room opened, a familiar voice echoed, as a shadow flashed across the room. "Darling~!"
"...!"
Aster, partly expecting such an event, managed to catch her properly, holding her up like a child, and avoiding a tackle-hug. "Ahn~! You're quite bold, doing this in front of everyone~!"
But his palm ended up "puffing" her chest, clamping them tight together.
"Being on the brink of death made me extremely horny too. How about doing me tonight~?" she suggested with a warm, intoxicated gaze.
*THUMP!*
"NYA?!"
"Stop that, you horny vixen. You're a patient, so lie on your bed obediently." Your journey continues on m v|l--novelhall.net
But her wish was quickly blocked by another cat. "Kali..." Aster whispered, seeing her last. "You must've suffered." He smiled lightly, before patting her head.
"...!"
Kali's tail stretched and puffed as if she felt threatened, but she didn't move Aster's hand away. Her expression remained as stoic as ever, not showing any changes.
"Ah! Unfair! Me too, darling~!"
"Stop making a fuss, you...!"
"Ahaha, it looks like everyone's fine~! I'm so glad!"
"Right. With just one misstep, we could've died, after all."
"..."
Aster took a step back, watching the girls frolicking. He felt happy that he didn't lose anyone this time. However, his smile soon turned into a frown. Their struggles still weren't over.