Frostfire Legacy

Chapter 191: A Week of Rush! (1)

Around 3 p.m. that same day, Aster and the rest were already standing before the dungeon's gate. Their meeting had concluded, with all details finalized.

Their plan was simple: rush through the floors using the same process as before—riding Aster's cart for two hours and moving on foot for one hour, repeating the cycle.

The only difference this time was that they would exit the dungeon after clearing each floor to pass the loot to the company Tina had arranged to handle it. This was the same company that had lent them their warehouse the night before. However, unlike before, this time there was a proper contract, with the company taking 10% of their profits as payment.

Aster and the others didn't mind this minor setback.

"Alright, let's go!"

*ARF!*

After learning from Kali that bringing "pets" into the dungeon was allowed and free of charge, Aster no longer hid Argus inside his clothes before entering.

"Oh, it's you guys again!" The Oni Uncle grinned. "I heard what happened last night and figured you'd all be taking a break today. Looks like I underestimated how hard-working you all are!"

"Ehehe, we're going to stay in the dungeon for a week!" Cassy explained.

"A week? Damn, that's a long time! That makes me think you're already in the middle floors or something!"

From floor 200 and above, a week-long conquest was the norm. Of course, this could be shortened using teleportation services, but those were costly. That's why mages who could teleport or warp were always in demand.

Big clans like Dragon's Roar had Teleportation Arrays set up on certain floors, which made their progress faster. However, they rarely allowed outsiders to use those arrays for free, making it costly even then. And even with those arrays, skipping floors was impossible, much less traveling to lower ones.

After chatting briefly, they paid the entrance fee and went inside. As they did, they saw a familiar face who was on their way back: the leader of the 177th and 178th teams of the Dragon's Roar Clan, Seiji, along with his team.

"So, you guys are on the 7th floor too?" Aster couldn't help but comment.

He thought they would stay longer and clear the Crypt that appeared on the fifth floor, but they were already on the 7th floor.

"Hmmm? Do we know you?" Seiji scoffed, raising a brow.

From his reaction, it was clear he didn't remember Aster's team at all. However, the same couldn't be said for the sharp-tongued spearman beside him.

"AH! It's that party, Seiji! The one who stole the boss on the 4th floor from us!" he whispered loudly, though his voice was far from discreet.

"...?"

Aster glared at the spearman, who was spouting nonsense. They hadn't stolen the boss—they had saved the Dragon's Roar party from being wiped out!

"Ah, so it's you, huh?"

But Seiji quickly remembered Aster from that one clue, meaning he, too, believed the spearman's version of events.

"Filthy adventurers who steal others' hard work... You're a disgrace to all adventurers who fight hard to clear the dungeon."

"Fuckers...!"

Kali and Tina's blood boiled, but Aster quickly extended an arm, stopping them from lashing out.

"Hard work? Well, I guess lining up to get spanked by the boss IS hard work. Don't worry, we don't need your thanks for saving your lives," Aster said with a smile.

"YOU!!!"

As expected of someone with a shorter temper than Kali, the spearman flared up and attacked. His spear shot toward Aster's right shoulder, clearly meant to wound but not kill—at least he had the sense to avoid fatal blows.

Aster observed the spear's trajectory and was surprised by the spearman's speed, which was probably faster than Kali's. "But still too slow for me."

He pinched the tip of the spear, stopping it in mid-thrust. The spearman was stunned! He tried pulling at his weapon, but it didn't budge! Aster's hand didn't even move.

"That's enough, Ador." Seiji stepped in, placing a hand on the spearman's shoulder. "Attacking another adventurer is against the code of conduct. Stop it."

"B-But these shameless bastards...!"

"Ador! Don't make me repeat myself," Seiji growled, anger rising in his voice. "We're already lagging behind the other teams—we shouldn't waste time on trash like them."

Aster scoffed and released the spear tip, shrugging. "Heh! Sorry for being trash, then, Mr. Worse-than-Trash."

"Don't push your luck, weakling. Even I don't have infinite patience."

"Oh? Don't worry, neither do I."

"...!"

Seiji's hand moved toward his sword's hilt, preparing to use his fastest attack, Battou, to intimidate Aster. But before he could act, he found his sword stuck in its sheath—Aster's foot had locked the base of the hilt in place!

"You better not, Mr. Worse-than-Trash. That's strike two already," Aster said, narrowing his eyes and smiling thinly.

Seiji's body stiffened as his instincts screamed for him to flee, but his pride held him back. The fear he felt was undeniable, and it made him hesitate.

"Seiji, it's almost time..."

The cleric of their team spoke up, glancing at her watch. They had a meeting scheduled, and they couldn't afford to miss it. Enjoy new stories from M V L

Seiji seized the opportunity to retreat, removing Aster's foot from his sword hilt. He sneered. "Hah, you're lucky, weakling. If we had time, I'd teach you a lesson." He motioned to his team. "Everyone, let's go!"

As if running away, Seiji turned and walked toward the portal.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't want someone worse than trash teaching me anything anyway!" Aster called out, timing his words as Seiji was halfway through the portal.

After the spearman, glaring at Aster until the last second, finally disappeared, Cassy then spoke up.

"Star, picking fights is bad!" she scolded.

"Stupid rabbit, they're the ones who picked a fight with us!" Kali snapped. "Claiming we stole the boss when they didn't even damage it... How shameless!"

"Well, don't mind it," Aster shrugged. "I doubt we'll see them inside the dungeon again after this."

"...That's true." Kali sighed, trying to let her anger go. "But I still want to beat that spearman again."

"Agreed! How dare he look down on darling?!" Tina grumbled. "We should crush him later!"

"Alright, alright, enough talk." Aster clapped once, signaling the end of the discussion. "We've got a long way ahead of us. Let's go."

The cart was ready, waiting for them to board. Meanwhile, Argus was already playing with slimes a short distance away.

"To the 8th floor!"