Frostfire Legacy

Chapter 166: Return and Reunion!

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"Yes, I am..." Aster nodded, a little wary.

After all, the person before him called him with his full name, as if expecting to see him there. "And you guys are?"

"Ah, sorry." The man, who was a lizardman with red scales, scratched his bald head and smiled. "I'm Three-O-One, a part of the Black Numbers. We're here to search for Aster Mistral and his party members, who got randomly teleported across various floors of the dungeon."

"A rescue team...!"

Of course, Aster didn't know what the "Black Numbers" were, or their importance. Still, he could tell that they were rescuers sent to help him and the girls out. "That means someone already got out before me. Is everyone safe?!" he asked immediately.

Of course, he knew they were all alive since their names were still up on the Adventurer's cards. However, just knowing they're safe, and knowing about their current state, were entirely different.

The bald lizardman, Three-O-One, smiled wryly.

"Only one of your members has successfully returned. The operation to search and rescue you just began, about 5 hours after your situation was reported, but gathering members took time. Right now, it's roughly 18 hours after your Ms. Kali Norma returned."

"I see..." Aster sighed. "So only Kali managed to get out fast."

"Yes..." The man nodded. "Don't worry, she's already out of the ICU—!"

But before he could finish his words, Aster shook his shoulders greatly, even shaking his brain and making him dizzy.

"ICU?! Is she alright?! What happened?!"

After that, it took a while to calm him down. Then, hearing the explanation, he finally settled, sitting on the hard ground.

"I see... so she was full of wounds and in a critical state upon return..."

Aster turned to Argus and frowned. If not for this little pupper, then his situation might've been worse than Kali's and could even have lost his life.

When the briefing about what happened ended, Aster followed the rescue squad out of the dungeon. Their job ended right after entering the portal, making everyone else who was waiting for their turn to enter stare in wide-eyed shock.

Seeing the large crowd, Aster couldn't help but feel weird. However, he also couldn't help but feel thankful for their effort. Sending one party to all floors below floor 50 required many participants, after all.

For some reason, there were even media personnel hanging around, making the situation even bigger.

Aster hid his face with his scarf and headed toward the Medical Tent immediately, taking shelter from prying eyes. Just as Aster was allowed to use a free bed, his Holo Tab, running low on battery, released a loud beep.

"...?"

Of course, there were only a few people able to contact him through it, so he was curious which one it was. Still, seeing the timing of the message arriving, there's only one person who could do that.

"Magnus..." Aster sighed, reading his short message.

His message was mostly trying to confirm if he was injured while congratulating his safe return. It was as businesslike as could be.

'I guess he's worried about me losing the ability to keep my end of the deal.'

Aster shrugged, replying that he was fine, before throwing the tablet to the table beside him. He lay down on the soft bed, staring at the ceiling and lights, while wondering what to do next.

"OOOF!"

Right then, a little furball jumped over his stomach. It wasn't painful, but still uncomfortable, as if getting punched lightly in the gut. "Argus...?" Aster whispered, staring at the excited beast.

*Arf!*

"... Right, there's you too." Now, his problems increased. "I wonder if I can keep you in my hotel?"

Most hotels that he knew in the past don't really allow pets inside. Of course, there might be some exceptions, like for celebrities, or powerful people, but for most, it's not allowed.

"Well, for now... we should rest."

He was tired, not only physically, but also mentally. Aster closed his eyes, trying to relax, but then, the people outside started to clamor.

"What? What's happening?"

Curious, Aster peeked out of the window, checking the state of the gate. "...!" But then, he couldn't help but gasp.

Without thinking, Aster rushed out of the Medical Tent and came to the gate, where a familiar face could be seen. "TINA!" He shouted.

"Dar... ling..."

But her response was lackluster. Mostly due to the heavy injuries she had suffered.

Aster grabbed her, checked her injuries, and heaved a sigh of relief. All her wounds have healed already, probably thanks to the healer who came with the rescue team. However, she's out of energy, probably from losing a lot of blood.

Mustering all her strength, Tina pushed herself off of the one supporting her and landed in Aster's embrace. "Ahh... It's truly my darling..." She whispered as if finding bliss after a long ordeal, burying her face against his chest.

"Tina? Hey, are you alright?!"

And soon after, she fell asleep in his arms.

As Aster couldn't heartlessly leave her to the rescue team right after, he carried her back to the Medical Tent and put her on the bed he was originally using. Soon, professional medics approached, focusing on healing her completely.

As he watched the procedure, one of the members of the team who saved Tina approached and spoke to Aster in a low voice.

"We found her on the 20th floor, fighting nonstop against a pack of wolves. If we were even a minute late, then I fear..."

"Thank you, mister," Aster bowed. "Without your help, I would've lost a precious party member."

Although he didn't mean it to be, he grew attached to the girls. Even to Tina, whom he finds a little obnoxious for calling him Darling all the time, and declaring him as her fiancee.

After a few more minutes, the professional healers and medics moved away. "The procedure is over. She should be fully healed now," they declared, along with passing a long receipt. "And this is the bill; please settle it within one week."

"..."

The receipt, which only included the skills used to heal up Tina—which wasn't covered by the "free heal" range—already reached a total of 10 million Tels! It was daylight robbery!

Although it was an astronomical amount, the skills and their prices were all managed by the Healer's Union, so it wasn't "unfair" in any way. They were just unlucky that the ones that Tina required, specifically the "Blood Restoration Spell," were quite expensive.

"Ah right..." Then, Aster remembered the heads he collected. "I should cash it out before the guild closes."

After paying Tina one last glance, he covered his face with the scarf and pulled the hood of his windbreaker deep. Then, he got out, and quickly jumped outside of the gate's premises, bypassing the crowd and reporters present.

"Woah! What's that!"

"I felt a breeze pass by."

With his speed, only a few managed to catch his afterimages. And thankfully, none of the reporters got it on camera.