Frostfire Legacy

Chapter 162: Mega Ruby Slime, Again!

Aster and Argus had been walking and fighting almost nonstop. Given the situation, they couldn't help it, but he was slowly reaching his limit physically.

"Argus, buddy... I need to rest for a bit."

Although he was uninjured, moving around and testing his skills here and there completely sapped him of both Mana and stamina. If not for his strong will, then he might've called down way earlier than this.

*Arf!*

The little husky sat before Aster, who was leaning against a large tree and taking a rest. Its tail was wagging, with his tongue peeking out as he panted.

Even the overpowered pup was starting to get tired. It was no wonder Aster felt like he'd black out at any moment!

'Still, if not for me increasing my CON, I would've been downed much earlier.'

He sighed, thinking that his decision was correct.

"Come here," Aster called to Argus, allowing the dog to stand on top of his stomach.

"I'll be sleeping now. You can rest too, but please keep guard of the surroundings. Sorry about this..."

Leaving a small dog to watch out for monsters while he rested—the sense of guilt for doing such was overwhelming. However, thinking about how Argus was not a normal dog in the first place, the guilt was slightly alleviated.

*Lick!*

As if telling him to cheer up and not mind it, Argus licked his cheeks in a show of affection. A thin smile appeared on Aster's lips before his eyelids started to feel heavier than lead, closing shut uncontrollably.

His physical and mental fatigue reached the limits.

*Whine...*

Argus looked worried as if he wanted to do something for his master. However, he already received the command of guarding Aster's sleep.

The little pup curled up on his stomach, closing its eyes to take a short nap. However, its ears were perked up, a sign that he wasn't lowering his vigilance even while resting.

Just like that, time passed.

"M... Mmmh?"

After an unknown amount of time, Aster finally stirred away. "Woah?!" but quickly panicked upon seeing monsters around them, barely a meter away. "Wait..."

But upon closer inspection, the monsters that were piled into small mountains were no longer alive. All of them were dead, killed by the powerful bodyguard watching over him!

"D-Did you hunt all these?" Aster asked, counting the number of bodies.

There were at least a hundred of them, and he didn't even wake up while Argus was fighting!

"If it's this many, then...!"

In a hurry, he pulled out his Adventurer's Card, and as he expected, his level rose again. He's now level 32!

'This leveling pace is unbelievable. Who would've thought that I'd reach over level 30 in barely three days?'

Although he had to face a proportional amount of danger, pushing him to the brink of death at every fight, his pace was still worthy of envy from others.

Of course, he still hasn't touched the extra stat from reaching level 30, and added to the two extra points he gained, he poured all of them into the WIS stat. It was time he stopped building his body and started building his resistance to the Frostfire Legacy!

'Even with Boost increasing all my stats by 50%, I would still need a bit more to be able to say I'm safe from their control.'

At least level 40. By then, he would gain enough WIS to give him confidence that he wouldn't get controlled!

Aster stood up, stretched a little while feeling how refreshed he currently was, and spoke to Argus. "Alright, let's...!"

*Grumble~!*

"... Eat first."

His last meal was over 12 hours ago, so it was just the right time for another meal. Still, they didn't have time to prepare anything too fancy, so Aster simply did another pan-grilled steak instead.

Although Argus enjoyed the meal, Aster was getting fed up with having the same meal twice in a row. "I guess I'm just being luxurious," he sighed, chuckling to himself.

It didn't feel bad, however. After all, this meant that he had enough leeway to think about luxury. "I'm getting strong enough, but still far from enough!"

Experience tales at m v|l e'-NovelBin.net

The average level of monsters on the 30th floor would be around 40 to 50. That means he wasn't even an "equal" to the floor's monsters yet. Thankfully, hunting monsters of a higher level than he was earns him high EXP; he really didn't have many complaints.

"And with Boost active, my stats would be equivalent to a level 45 already."

After cleaning up, the two started on their way to the entrance once more. Still, they didn't rush. Walking slowly, careful of monsters around them, and not letting a single one escape. Aster was gradually increasing his strength!

Soon, they got out of the forest and entered a new region.

"This... a ruined city?"

All over the place, destroyed buildings could be seen. At a glance, it reminded him of the laboratory and its surroundings, but he quickly noticed that the building materials were different.

It was mostly stone instead of concrete, telling him that whatever civilization the ruins came from didn't have advanced construction technology yet.

"..."

But Aster stopped in his tracks, causing Argus to also stop, and tilt its little head in confusion. For some reason, Aster was getting the idea that stepping into the ruins area would be dangerous. However, seeing how Argus wasn't reacting, he was losing confidence in his gut feeling.

'Was it my imagination? Or am I just being paranoid?'

Anyway, better safe than sorry. "Argus, let's turn around," he commanded, taking the dog on a wide detour through the forest.

However, his steps stopped right after, as a large presence started to approach them at a rapid pace.

*GRRRRRR!*

Argus, of course, didn't miss this one, as it was too powerful to ignore. The sound of trees falling, branches breaking, and something jiggly moving, echoed loud enough that it was deafening!

It was a familiar presence, one that Aster could never forget. After all, he was chased by it right after arriving on this floor.

"Fuck my luck...!"

Aster cursed as a large red blob jumped out of the forest, and stopped a few dozen meters away from him.

It was none other than the Field Boss... No, the Field Boss of the 30th floor is the variant of the Herculean Horn Rabbit. Instead, it was an irregular—a Rogue Boss! The Mega Ruby Slime!

Aster wanted to curse. After all, even though he got stronger, his power was still far from being able to face a Boss by himself!

"Argus..." Thankfully, he wasn't alone. "I choose you!"