Nero's eyes widened as he unconsciously shouted out loud.
"This is… water!" He could feel the moist air on his skin and the faint scent of flowing water. The atmosphere in the forest was naturally damp, however, the faint scent of flowing water was proof enough that there was water nearby.
"What is it?" Amaya who was standing beside Nero shockingly asked.
"Let's move faster." Nero briefly replied before dashing out.
"Wait!" Amaya shouted and quickly dashed out after Nero.
Nero's steps were insanely quick. In a few breaths, he arrived at an entirely different landscape. Before him was clean and clear water flowing downstream! Nero couldn't hide the relief in his eyes; It has been days since he last had a bath. But… there was something else he had to be wary of, and that was Bardian dragons!
When Nero was at the mortal village, he had received a request to hunt down a level two vicious beast… the Bardian dragon. Bardian dragons mostly live in pairs by the riverside; one in the river and one by the shore. Nero didn't let his excitement propel him to forget this small but crucial detail. He stopped at the branch of a massive ancient tree. Nero spread his perception to cover a wide range whilst releasing a domineering aura.
Seeing the landscape change before her eyes, Amaya let out a burst of satisfying laughter. Without knowing that Nero was hiding among the broad leaves of a tree, she shuttled past him but was immediately stopped in her tracks. Nero held onto her arm and pulled her to where he was hiding.
"Do you want to get yourself killed? How many times do I have to tell you that everything in this forest is a trap!" Nero reprimanded.
Amaya was confused. Why had she gotten reprimanded all of a sudden… She was about to scold Nero when he abruptly placed his hand on her mouth, covering it. He needed to concentrate on finding even the slightest changes in his surroundings, not bicker with a woman who didn't know how dangerous this forest was.
After some time, Nero slowly removed his hand from her mouth and whispered, "Follow me."
The confused Amaya didn't know what else to do but follow him. With slow, soft, and careful steps, the two approached the shore. Nero still spread his perception as wide as he could, however, nothing was in range.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Nero said, "Nothing's here, we are safe now."
Safe now? Amaya was about to ask Nero what he meant by that when he chipped in…
"Bardian dragons live in pairs by the riverside. They are level two beasts and are adept in camouflage and poison."
What!?
Amaya was immediately panic-stricken. Adept in camouflage? That means that they can hide anywhere!
As Amaya thought of this, her breathing became uneven, cold sweat dripped down her back. A level two beast is comparable to a human martial artist at the Foundation Establishment Realm. Amaya was at the Divine Sea Realm, a realm directly above them so she was naturally stronger. But if she was to face them in her current state, then she would undoubtedly be at a loss and coupled with the fact that they also used poison made her feel more frightened to face them.
The more Amaya thought of it, the more apprehensive she became. Unknowing to her, she unconsciously drew closer to Nero sharing the same air space with him.
"What is it? Don't tell me you're scared?" Nero said mockingly. He could see Amaya's body tremble as she slowly approached him.
Sensing the mockery in his tone, Amaya scoffed, "It's not your business."
Nero only shrugged his shoulders and walked towards the shore.
"What are you doing!!" Amaya suddenly screamed as her face instantly flushed red like a tomato. A few meters in front of her, Nero slowly took off his shoes and his outer robe.
"What does it look like I'm doing, I'm trying to take a bath I've been sweating for days. If I don't take a bath now it's going to be an injustice to my hygiene."
"I understand, but why do you have to do it now… while I'm here!"
"If that's a problem then leave. Go stand watch somewhere else. Shout if you notice anything." Nero said indifferently and took off the rest of his garments.
"Ahhhhh!" Amaya screamed again and ran into the forest.
Nero only chuckled sheepishly before plunging into the water.
After about half an hour later, Nero who was still immersed in water was suddenly interrupted from his rest.
"What are you still doing there?" Amaya's voice rang out from behind him.
"You keep asking obvious questions you don't want an answer to. Besides, what are you doing here? I thought you said you didn't want to see me like this."
"I need to take a bath too, it's already been half an hour and you're still here. And aren't you the one who always complains that we have to move fast all the time, why are dawdling now?"
"You sure do complain a lot. Fine… I'm coming out now so you better look away." Nero replied as he reluctantly walked out from the water.
"Urgh... shameless." Amaya scolded.
Nero disregarded Amaya's remark and put on his clothes.
"It's your turn to stand watch, so… go away."
"And if I refuse?"
"You wouldn't dare!"
"And what If I did?"
"You're so shameless!"
"I don't care. And you might want to pause on taking your bath just yet, we have company."