"Ugh…are you ok?" Acht asked after a small groan of pain escaped his mouth. Leislet nodded as she stood up from her position.
Acht's calculations were accurate and their landing was somewhat safe and with minimal damage. As for the thing they landed on, it was a big rock that was floating on the acid of the stomach of the monster.
It was indeed a gamble to think that a rock could exist inside this monster's stomach. But, Acht's life was a huge gamble in and out of it itself so making another gamble won't make any difference.
The duo looked at their surroundings with a weird expression. It was their first time being inside a monster's stomach so no one can blame them.
Was it not for the fact that there was acid all around them and the foul stench of this place, it was no different than a chamber inside a cave or a dungeon.
Even the stomach walls looked as if they were made out of rocks and not flesh.
"What kind of monster is this? The huge size and now this weird stomach. Is it really even a creature at this point?" Acht commented as he bent down to look at the acid.
He didn't dare to touch it since he knew that it could melt his hand like a stick of butter. What he wanted to know however is whether it could be affected by an external stimulus that could make the creature throw up.
"I heard of this monster somewhere before but I don't recall it clearly since I thought it was nothing but a stupid legend or a story for kids," Leislet muttered as she kicked a rock and looked around aimlessly.
Then, her eyes caught something weird. These things were so distinct that they stood out from their surroundings ignoring the distance between them and the duo.
Leislet squinted her eyes and looked at them to see what they were. Then, her eyes widened and she felt her heart stop for a moment.
Then, she tapped Acht's shoulder in slow-motion. She didn't avert her eyes from them, not even once.
"Wha-" Acht was about to ask but then he caught the sight of what looked like a group of humans. He was looking at the same thing Leislet was looking at. This group of humans was floating on one single huge rock far away in the distance.
Then, without saying anything, Leislet dashed toward them hurriedly. She knew that these were her team. But, what she feared is that they might be dead.
Acht didn't follow her immediately as he had to do something quickly. It was essential for them to get out of this stinky shithole alive.
Then, after dealing with his matter, he followed Leislet who had already reached them and was inspecting their conditions.
When he reached the place, the first thing he noticed was that their number was lower than before. At first, the team consisted of 18 people including Leislet and Acht.
Now he could only find 12 people laying there unconscious. All of them had deep burned marks on all of their body and numerous injuries that bled profusely.
However, luckily, all of them were alive, ignoring their critical states.
What he also noticed is that all of the S-Rank hunters were there so the missing people were all A-Rank.
Leislet was carefully checking their condition and helping them drink potions to start recovering.
Then, with a loud sigh, she stood up and said.
"So they got swallowed by the monster. Thank God most of them are safe." She said with a regretful tone.
He could feel the frustration in her emotions at the moment and it was justifiable. She was their leader, the one that is responsible for their injuries and also their safety so seeing how they were rendered into this sorry state made her feel as if she was a failure as a leader.
Acht didn't think it was a good idea to say anything so he listened to her as she continued.
"This is all because of me. Even though they relied on me, I ended up almost sending them to their deaths. Some of them are also missing. Dammit!"
She then sat down and bent down to hide her face. Her demeanor right now didn't befit the president of the strongest organization in the Lower World. She just looked like a small girl who made a big mistake and was now crying sadly.
This attitude of hers that she never shows to anyone shows that deep inside her heart, she was still a human who can feel sadness and can bend under pressure sometimes.
'She's similar to me in that department.' Acht thought with a complicated gaze before he also sat down and looked at the unconscious team members.
"You know…" he started after a long silence.
"I don't think they will blame you for this. All of this expedition is just a huge mess that you have no hand in. You could blame yourself for the losses but at least get these people alive out of here first." He said as he pointed at the group.
Leislet's eyes widened slightly before they returned to normal and a small smile appeared on her face. It was such a warm and soft smile that it could even melt the coldest of hearts.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me. I just said what was on my mind. Now, we should go." He answered while standing up.
"Where?" She asked confusedly.
Acht turned around and grinned widely before pointing at the top.
"We are going up."
"You have a plan?"
"Pretty much. But, I need all the help that I can get so we should wait for them to wake up and be able to move properly. My only fear is that the monster will digest us before we could even try to get out of here."
"Let's hope for the best."
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