Frostfire Legacy

Chapter 176: Solo Dungeon Delving!

Aster was unable to forget what the monster, the one called Nefra Eigen Solstice, said before sending them to random floors. He remembered her words clearly.

"With the power vested in me by the Dungeon Master, I hereby transport you all to a random floor. Survive and visit me again, and I will grant one wish for each of you."

Of course, aside from the part about "granting a wish," Aster's attention was drawn to something else.

"Dungeon Master…"

It was a term that didn't make any sense to the current generation, as only God's Thirteen Dungeons remained in the world. In short, "Dungeon Master" and "Dungeon Cores" were words that had lost their purpose... Since the things they referred to didn't exist anymore.

An unused word typically fades after a hundred or so years of disuse, with only linguists and eccentrics being aware of it. And thousands of years had already passed.

Still, a dungeon's monster not only spoke words but also used that ancient term. "This either meant she saw the Dungeon Master herself, or that she's a descendant of one."

To confirm his suspicions, he planned to visit the 5th floor again.

'I can't take the girls with me; it would be too dangerous. I should bring them next time, after making sure it's safe.'

Of course, he couldn't dismiss the possibility of being thrown onto random floors again. As such, it would be too risky for the girls to accompany him.

With his increased speed, even without running, he reached the dungeon's entrance in under 20 minutes. After paying the Oni uncle manning the gate, who flashed a bitter grin upon seeing him, Aster entered the portal with caution.

"…"

He quickly looked around, assessing which floor he had dropped onto. A familiar forestscape greeted him, one he had already become accustomed to after seeing it many times. "This is the 5th floor, as expected!"

He was worried he would be thrown straight onto the 30th floor again, but thankfully, that didn't happen.

"But if I ended up clearing the 30th floor, would that mean I get to skip floors 6 to 29?" he wondered.

*Arf!*

And just as he was standing still, a cute bark came from somewhere within his jacket. A cute head popped out of his top zipper, right below his neck, looking around curiously.

"Oh, Argus. Stay quiet for now. Others might see you."

Aster wasn't sure how others would view "pets"; after all, he had never seen anyone bringing along a pet monster anywhere. Although Argus wasn't a monster, but more like a divine being, others wouldn't figure that out at a glance.

*Whimper~?*

Realizing that it couldn't come out just yet, the little puppy let out a sad noise before returning inside to hide. Aster smiled bitterly, thinking that he should reach the secret entrance faster, to let Argus get some fresh air.

"Hold tight!"

Not holding back at all, he ran like the wind. His current CON and DEX were over 30, allowing him to sprint at Kali's top speed without getting tired. Monsters that tried to catch him ended up frustrated, unable to keep up.

With his speed, the distance that usually took a few hours was covered in under 30 minutes. To avoid attracting attention, he slowed down as soon as he got close enough to the crowded crypt.

'It's still popular even though it's been over a week since its discovery,' he mused in amazement.

After sneaking past the crowd, he arrived at the spot where the hidden entrance was. He expected the rope to still be there since they hadn't been able to retrieve it, but when he approached, he noticed something strange.

"This… Someone used it recently?"

The rope was dusty from being left out, but that wasn't the problem. The edge seemed to have been freshly chipped, a sign that someone had used the rope to descend in the past few hours. And from its state, there had been quite a few of them.

"…"

Aster opened his senses, trying to detect if there was anyone else around. However, he didn't find anything at all. "Did they all enter?" he wondered.

Since he wasn't sure if they were "good" or "bad" people, he readied his sword. After taking out an extra ascender from his Spatial Fanny Pack, he started rappelling down while whispering.

"Stay still, buddy. If you fall, then you're doomed."

Heeding his warning, Aster could tell that the little pup was trying its best to stay still, clawing at his chest to keep itself in place. It hurt him a little, but not enough to cause an injury, so he let it pass.

"Hup!"

After a few seconds, he landed on the cave's ledge. At a glance, there was nothing strange about it. However, he could see signs of a group entering the cave with wary steps. After checking for traps, he let Argus out, before drawing his sword.

"Be ready. Enemies could be lurking around," Aster warned.

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However, Argus behaved differently. He started sniffing the entrance and, shortly after, released a loud bark. Then, without waiting for Aster, he ran into the dark cave by himself.

"A-Argus!" Aster tried to reach for him but was too late.

The little puppy's figure vanished into the darkness within seconds! "Just don't kill them, alright?!" he shouted a reminder, just in case.

After fetching his flashlight from his pack, he started running after the rascal. It took him a few minutes before exiting the winding passage and reaching the main door. It was already wide open, which made Aster frown.

"So the intruders also know the password. This is bad. I hope they haven't encountered the Pharaoh yet."

He was sure that someone had entered before him but didn't know "when" they had entered. It could have been a few hours ago or maybe a day or two ago. If they were unlucky, they would still be stuck in the multiple passages, exploring them one by one. But if they were lucky, then…

*KYAAAH!*

"…!"

As if confirming his worries, a shrill scream echoed, reaching Aster's ears. Without a second thought, he dashed forward, crossing the familiar paths he had already navigated before, and reached the source in seconds.

"Argus, stop! Miss, are you alright?!"

Right as he arrived, however, it took him a few moments to comprehend what he was seeing.

"Eh? Cassy, Kali... everyone, what are you doing here?" he muttered in disbelief.

The entire party, except for him, was present!