Frostfire Legacy

Upon hearing Aster's little "threat," the men frozen from the waist down instantly became statues. They didn't even dare to blink, afraid of testing his warning.

"Good. Stay like that for a bit," Aster continued, casually walking through the gaps in their formation.

"HAAAP!"

"...?"

But, of course, not everyone was so easily intimidated. As Aster made his way past the frozen group, some of the female adventurers, who weren't as concerned about losing their "treasures," leaped into action. One of them swung her blade toward Aster's neck.

He caught the blade effortlessly, pinching its edge between his fingers. With a casual motion...

*CREAAAAK!*

He folded the sword like it was made of paper.

Aster's strength, although sitting at a base of 7—or 10 with his passive—was boosted tremendously by his level. At level 50, adventurers were already considered superhuman, and Aster, who was well past that threshold, operating at level 60 strength, far outclassed those around him.

"Hmmm..."

Aster regarded the female adventurer with a thoughtful expression. He couldn't be too violent—he wasn't trying to become a full-fledged outlaw, after all—but if he was too lenient, the others might not take him seriously.

"Alright!" he announced after a moment of deliberation.

Tossing the crumpled sword aside, Aster folded his finger and aimed it at the woman's forehead.

"A flick? Seriously?" she sneered, her teeth clenched in defiance.

Aster didn't respond, only smiling mischievously. Then, he focused his strength into his finger and...

*THWACK!* *CRACK!*

The flick sent her head snapping backward with an audible crack. She immediately crumpled to the ground, unconscious but still breathing. Aster quickly checked to make sure she was alive and smirked with satisfaction.

"Good. I'm getting better at holding back my strength," he muttered to himself. Then, turning to the others, he asked with a sly grin, "Anyone else want to try?"

The remaining adventurers—both men and women—had already learned their lesson. No one dared to make eye contact, and they all silently prayed he would just move on. To them, Aster was no longer an enemy, but more like a force of nature—something to be endured, not confronted.

"You should've done that from the start," Aster sighed, continuing on his path.

After a few more moments of walking, he reached the center of the camp. There, he found what he was looking for: a complex teleportation array etched into the ground, cordoned off by red ropes like some kind of VIP section.

"This is it," he murmured, pulling out his sword.

With a single slash, he cut a deep groove through the magic circle, effectively severing the formation in two. To be thorough, he followed up with a second slash, crossing the first and carving a large 'X' through the array.

Satisfied with his handiwork, Aster sheathed his sword and turned to leave.

As promised, once he exited the camp's gates, he released the freezing spell holding everyone in place. A collective sigh of relief swept through the camp as adventurers realized they were truly free, just as Aster had said.

The only unlucky ones were the two guards and the woman who had challenged him. "Well, they're still alive," Aster muttered with a shrug. "Someone will heal them up."

With that, he walked away, taking no responsibility for the chaos he'd caused.

As soon as Aster arrived back at the cart, he noticed Kali had already returned, distributing the goods she had "borrowed" from the camp's storage to everyone. Her Fanny Pack was now free, ready for whatever "subsequent raids" they had planned. The sight made Aster chuckle; she always worked fast.

Once they were set, Aster resumed pulling the cart, this time pushing his speed to the limit. In no time, they reached the boss at the end of the floor—an enormous beast that barely had time to react before Argus obliterated it, leaving no trace behind.

Without slowing down, the group pressed onward to the next floor.

The 17th to 19th floors were a peculiar stretch. Unlike other parts of the dungeon, these floors shared a single biome that changed every day, altering the terrain and the monsters with it.

It was one of the most challenging zones to pioneer because you never knew what to expect. However, luck was on their side today—the floor was currently the grassland biome, a vast, flat terrain crawling with nothing more than slimes and wolves.

There were only two camps on these floors—one at the entrance and one just outside the boss' summoning range at the far end. Aster considered raiding the first camp they passed, but Liz chimed in with a thoughtful suggestion.

"Aster, since there are only two bases on this floor, destroying just one will delay our pursuers, right?" she confirmed, then continued, "Let's ignore this one and focus on the camp near the boss instead."

Aster raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it be easier to hit this one now?"

Liz nodded but quickly elaborated.

"Yes, but if we destroy the first camp, the adventurers there can easily retreat to the surface. The ones at the other end would be stranded. They'd either have to cross the entire floor to return to the surface, or they'd be forced to beat the boss and move to the next floor to escape."

Aster considered her logic. Destroying the array at the far end would cut off the adventurers from their supply lines, trapping them in a desperate situation. It was more strategic than just smashing everything in sight.

"Alright, I guess we can do that much," he agreed.

With their revised plan in place, Aster set off again, running at a blistering speed. His pace reached over a hundred kilometers per hour as they raced across the flat expanse. In less than four hours, they made it to the far end of the floor—a record-breaking time!

As the portal to the next floor came into view, Aster veered right, where the second camp was located. It was similar in design to the others they'd encountered: a fortified circular area, protected by a wooden fence. But Aster wasn't here for sightseeing.

"Alright, time to play the villain again," Aster said, grinning as he cracked his knuckles. "Girls, stay put. Argus, keep watch."

Leaving the group behind, he strode confidently toward the camp, an intimidating aura of ice and flame swirling around him, blending into something otherworldly.

"Knock, knock!" Aster called out in a mocking tone, raising his hand to launch a large fireball into the sky. The fiery sphere arced through the air before exploding above the camp, sending shockwaves through the adventurers stationed inside.

Like a hive of disturbed hornets, they poured out, weapons in hand, ready for a fight. Aster watched them with amusement, barely phased by the sight of so many opponents.

"There you are," he said, spreading his arms wide. His aura flared, a mixture of searing heat and biting cold intensifying as he spoke. "Now, you have a choice!"

The adventurers hesitated, unsure of what to do.

Aster's grin widened. "You can either stay here and protect your precious camp from me, the Demon King…! Or you can activate the teleportation array and get everyone out of here! Your choice."

The words hung in the air, a sinister challenge they couldn't afford to ignore.