Trail

I quietly follow the marks left behind, the person is definitely got injured or injured while fighting the monsters otherwise he wouldn't have left such visible trail.

he or she probably hiding in a secure spot while healing their wound, as I walk ahead it is getting difficult to detect the trail.

He would have recovered enough to hide his trail from the monster but I could see the faint tresses of through my armature eyes.

I did not have much experience in following the trail but I read about it in details and many times put into use while hunting.

Ever since I entered this realm, my refinement had been going very well, I am pretty sure my mana purity would reach 75% seeing how concentrated this world mana is and also because of meat of Corporal grade monster I am carrying in my backpack.

'Grrr' my stomach growled as I thought of food, I haven't eaten anything since morning and there are only two hours till evening.

I can't eat anything despite me and Ashlyn feeling hungry, there are many dangerous monsters are here and I cant relax for any second, even for eating.

"Slice!" I killed the monster, it is Mid stage Private Grade monster, it tried to sneak attack me but I killed it, I have killed many of these monsters as I come across them, I only hide from those who are harder to kill or those I can cant kill.

As I follow the trail, I've come across the small hills and trail just disappeared, there are no signs of broken twigs and crushed, it's like a sign suddenly gone.

There are two ways that could happen, one is either he flew away self or with his monster or he is hiding nearby, l think it's former if he had an ability to fly he would have flown away earlier not walk all the way here that means he is hiding nearby.

I would have shouted if not for fearing the monsters will hear it, I look carefully around me, he may be hiding beside me, this is full of dried shrubs and vines.

I sigh in defeat as I failed to find the person, I am back toward the place which I noticed when I was following the trail earlier, it looks quite safe to spend the night.

I am just walking past the hill when something caught my eye, in the dried vines on the left side of the small hill looked little peculiar than rest.

I activated my sword and walk toward it cautiously when getting near enough, I moved the vines with my sword.

"I am right!" I said, behind the vines is a small cave entrance, the vine is narrow enough that only person at a time could walk it.

My guess was right, the vines around the cave entrance are too dense as it was clearly a mans work, no monster could do this perfect.

"Keep a close eye behind Ashlyn!" I said to Ashlyn as she is resting on my shoulder, "Chew chew!" she chirped in affirmation.

I light small fireball in my palm while keeping sword activated in other for unseen circumstances.

I notice some human footprints as I walk into the cave and they looked fresh, earlier I was only seventy percent sure but now I am hundred percent sure that there someone inside the cave.

I walk for five minutes before I reach the end of it but there is a problem, its entrance is blocked by a giant rock.

"dumb hub! hello! is someone inside." I said as I knocked on the rock with the grip of my sword, I could have cut down the rock with my sword but will be disrespectful to whoever inside.

"Who are you?" a voice from behind the rock, it's the female voice and sound young, from her voice she seems around my age.

"I am Micheal from Westblood city," I said, I deliberately said westblood city, whoever is inside is from westbound city, I think that because seeing prowess of those who from the central continent, they wouldn't need to hide in the cave, even if she were alone, at least in the out skin.

"Grrrr" The big stone stars to slide, I thought I would see them but I saw the monster sliding the rock.

It is a stone panda, it looked little roughed up, it must have fought some battle recently.

The stone panda looks like it made of grey and brown rock and are a Class 3 strain monster, it is a common monster and usually is a little expensive than a common monster because of its cuteness.

This one looked about one meter tall, Stone panda monster usually grew up to two and a half meters.

They usually gave their partner higher defense and strength and some luckily partners get stone skin.

My one classmate also has bonded with the stone panda but his was arm size and looked cuter than one front of me.

Seeing enough space had made, I entered inside the cave but when I saw monsters partner, I got shocked.

"You!" I and she said in unison, I know her, she lives in the same building as me and she is the first girl I talked to in my apartment building.

Her condition did not look good, she looked quite injured and using her clothes as bandages which made her look bloody and half naked.

The only things that are good shape are her artifacts, I even saw monster material beside in makeshift bag which made out of her clothes.

I didn't see her backpack or any emergency bag, she must have lost it some way.

She tried to activate her armor to cover her body but failed to do so, her looked injuries quite worst than I expected.

''Here!" I said and quickly remove healing potion from my pocket and gave her.

I felt little pinch giving as I only had three, one medium grade 1 healing potion and two low grade 1 healing potion, I just gave her medium grade one which is mostly used by Specialist Grade.

''Thank you!" She did not reject it and took with her feeble hands, she opened a bottle and drank it and lost conscious within second.

''Growl!" The panda monster quickly comes to the front of its partner and growled at me as a warning.

Seeing its warning I backed down a little, she is probably too tired and injured to stay awake, she will wake up when her injuries healed a little.