I didn't hesitate. I only had a couple of moments to react, so I swiftly flew back into the puddle of blood I'd come out of a few moments prior. My vision turned crimson once again, and movement became ethereal.
Many pairs of footsteps quickly moved closer from one of the passages. Soon, a group of five youths entered the room. All of them donned different types of armour, like they were straight out of a fantasy book. A shining orb hovered above a girl's hand, which illuminated their surroundings.
'Well, I can't really say much about that,' I thought to myself, remembering I was now a monster.
"Tsk, there's nothing here."
A boy wearing light armour, with a scabbard on his belt, commented.
"No, look around, Justin. This place is a wreck. We definitely missed something just now. It might've run away," another young man with blonde hair and red armour commented. He calmly stood at the front of the group - a jet-black bow hanging around his back.
'Strangely enough, I can understand them. The System maybe?'
A girl with dark hair donning a full-length sable robe argued, her lips pulling into a smug smile, "Or, it could still be hiding here. Right, Carl?"
She was also the one holding the orb of light.
The boy with blonde hair sighed before nodding at the girl donned in black, "Yes, yes, Tessa. It might still be here. Go ahead and use that Spell you've been talking about."
Tessa stepped forward with a triumphant smile on her face. She left the illuminating orb floating and then took a deep breath before focusing her gaze.
'Spell? That can't be good.'
There wasn't much I could do. I decided I would make a run for it the moment the girl showed any signs of having noticed me.
I watched the girl wearing black make a combination of symbols with her hands. After a couple of movements, she paused, and I felt a wave of energy pass through the room. My entire body shuddered as the energy shot straight through my puddle.
I prepared to jump out of my hiding spot to make a run for it in my exhausted state. Imagine I died right after arriving, wouldn't that be funny?
"Ah, there's nothing. Unfortunate."
Tessa quickly lost interest and moved to the back of the group.
'Oh? Looks like [Blood Dive] conceals me as well. Hmm, maybe the Spell was weak, though?'
I didn't have time to dwell on my thoughts as a bulkier adolescent boy wearing heavy, spiky armour and holding a shield noticed the dead Flower Angler.
"Hey, take a look at the wall on the other side of the room. There's something stuck there."
Carl the archer narrowed his eyes for a moment before acknowledging, "You're right. It's a dead Flower Angler. Quite badly torn up. Seems it was quite a fierce fight, considering the state of the room as well. Whatever minced it up was quite weak, though if it took so much effort. Not worth the effort to track down."
I rolled my proverbial eyes.
'Gee, thanks.'
"Hmm, maybe someone should go take a look. Maybe its Essence Fragment is still there. Lumina~?" Tessa spoke with a mocking yet playful tone.
'The fuck is her problem?'
I really didn't like this woman. There was something off about her, like she was venomous. I continued to observe.
At the back of the group, a girl with snow-white hair shot her gaze towards Tessa. She had mirror-like eyes, which reflected the world on itself. Light, ivory colored armour covered her entire body, and a scabbard hung from her belt.
She didn't say a word and calmly made her way towards the other side of the room, where the corpse was. There was a certain graceful confidence in her step I had never seen before. She moved very deliberately.
Soon, the graceful figure stood next to my puddle.
I stared up at her as she casually shot her hand into the bloody carcass without flinching and pulled out a pulsating auburn orb. She didn't even look in my direction. Guess I was just that well concealed. Still, I held my breath. It felt like she would sense me if I even breathed a little bit too hard.
'So there's something like that, too? Noted.'
I was a bit upset about not getting my hands on the strange orb, but it was fine.
The girl, Lumina, walked back towards the group expressionlessly before handing the orb to Carl and quietly blending into the background.
'Interesting group dynamics. Everybody just let her take such a risk. What's their game here?'
Approaching a dead monster with potential danger nearby was definitely a risk, so sending her alone felt quite careless. Were they trying to get her killed? Or was she that strong?
"So, who's getting this one?" Justin pried immediately.
"No, we're splitting these later. We've already discussed this," Carl reprimanded and promptly made the orb turn into a cluster of white sparks.
Justin rolled his eyes and dropped the subject, leaving the room in a heavy silence.
"We're still only at the Outer Layer after three days. We need to pick up our pace. We'll continue towards the middle layer for a couple of hours before setting up camp. Any objections?" Carl announced to the group.
Everyone remained silent before Carl began moving into one of the passages.
"It should be this way," he said, not looking over his shoulder. Everyone silently followed after him without any reply.
Soon, the room fell back into silence, and the footsteps faded into the darkness. I let out a sigh of relief.
'Holy, that group was tense.'
It felt like everyone hated each other. There was no banter or rebuttals, just tense silence. I'd have died in such an atmosphere.
I felt a shiver run down my spine. These were the types of people you wanted nothing to do with.
'Only the girl with white hair and the man with the shield seemed normal. Lumina and unknown. That girl had a presence about her, though. Definitely not somebody you want to mess with lightly.'
I'd dealt with such people before, and messing with them was never a good option.
I shot out of my hiding spot. I enjoyed the feeling of my body. I felt slightly better, and my leg didn't hurt as much after leaving the puddle.
'I really am a tough bastard now. I should be able to move properly even after such a scuffle.'
I quickly realized something, however.
In my panic, I had forgotten something crucial. I was currently in desperate need of blood, and I had just happened to see a group of people armed to the teeth and seemingly experienced pass me by. They didn't exactly seem like a bunch of peacemakers. I had no choice.
I sighed.
'As much as I don't want to watch this grim soap opera, I really don't want to get myself killed either.'
I had decided. I was going to follow this unpleasant ensemble, looting the leftover blood like a scavenger. They wouldn't have any need for it, so there'll be plenty too.
I stretched myself a bit and took a final look at the dead Flower Angler.
Finally, I sealed my fate.
I dove after the antagonistic group into the darkness of the passage.
'Something tells me this won't exactly be smooth sailing.'