Frostfire Legacy

Despite the earlier mishap, everyone enjoyed the warm bath together. To prevent another "incident," Aster swapped the towel wrapped around his waist for a proper pair of swim trunks designed for bathing.

Likewise, apart from Tina—who stubbornly insisted on wearing only a towel—the other girls changed into modest bathing suits, covering the essentials and significantly reducing the awkward tension.

Under Kali's watchful eye, Tina was effectively prevented from pulling any more stunts, making the short, mixed bath a surprisingly peaceful and relaxing experience.

But, as expected, Tina wasn't one to let things end with a "failed attempt."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Later that evening, after a hearty dinner—another exquisite full-course meal prepared by Aster—everyone retired to their assigned individual rooms for the night.

When the house fell silent, a faint shadow crept into one of the rooms—the one Aster was supposed to be sleeping in. Her glowing blue eyes gleamed in the darkness, and her lips curled into a mischievous crescent smile.

With silent, deliberate steps, she approached the bed, her heart racing as she reached the lump beneath the blanket.

"Oh, Darling. The night is just beginning~!" Tina whispered gleefully as she tugged at the covers.

"Knew it."

"...Huh?"

To her shock, the figure beneath the blanket wasn't Aster, but Kali—the silver-haired catkin!

"We all agreed that joining Leader in the bath was the limit," Kali said firmly, her voice calm but edged with authority. "Sneaking into his supposed room crosses the line."

It didn't take long for Tina to realize what had happened. Kali, having anticipated her antics, had switched rooms with Aster! But before Tina could bolt, she felt herself being pinned.

"It's futile," Kali stated.

*THUD!*

In one swift move, Kali restrained Tina in a painful joint lock, immobilizing her completely.

"Ugh!" She groaned, struggling fruitlessly. "You damn cat! Let go! I have to sleep with Darling tonight!"

Kali sighed, adjusting her position slightly for comfort but without releasing her hold. "Give it up. You're not going anywhere."

And so, the two catgirls spent the night tangled together in a sweaty, sleepless standoff. Meanwhile, Aster, blissfully unaware of the chaos he'd narrowly avoided, slept peacefully in another room.

---

Morning came.

After they had their breakfast, along with finishing their preparation and cleanup, everyone entered the EM Van. Aster, having already near-mastered the controls, drove the car through the air without much hesitation.

"Ahh, peace..." Liz whispered, relishing the rare moment of quiet from the two catkins.

Both of them were resting, catching up on sleep after spending the entire night awake. Thanks to that, they switched up their seating a bit, with Cassy now in the passenger's seat, Kali still behind Aster, and Liz sitting between her and Tina.

Thankfully, the sky held no threats.

After all, flying monsters, which could pose a threat to their air travel, would only start appearing after the 50th floor. Until then, they could travel without worry, heading straight to each Floor Boss.

Furthermore, since Argus could take down the bosses in one hit, they progressed smoothly, floor after floor.

"Alright, everyone. We're landing again!"

At times, they would descend to let the EM Van recharge. Its mana reserves were consumed faster than they could recharge fully. Without Aster focusing on refueling the vehicle's mana stores, it would take nearly 10 hours to fully charge for just an hour of continuous top-speed use.

"Hnngg~!"

"My body hurts..."

It was obvious that both Kali and Tina were tired and sleep-deprived, but rather than resting, their suggestion was—

"Let's hunt some monsters to pass time! I'll go and lure some in!"

"Just right to stretch my body!"

Each time they stopped, they would either sit down for a short break or snack, but more often, they hunted nearby monsters, increasing their EXP and gathering sellable loot.

"Oh, a pretty gem!"

"This wolf has a golden horn..."

"I heard spider silk's price went up. Let's collect all of it!"

Despite their eagerness, the loot they gathered was negligible compared to their recent expenses. The EM Van alone had cost trillions. Still, as they say, even dust, when piled, could make a mountain!

The girls, along with Argus, continued hunting monsters until their levels increased—just in time for Aster to finish recharging the van and set off once more.

From 6 a.m. straight until 10 p.m., they moved from one floor to another. They were progressing so fast that they barely noticed the changes in the environment or monster types.

Then again, the scenery hardly changed during the first 50 floors. Grasslands, forests, deserts, and swamps repeated in a cycle, with the occasional ruined area or rocky mountain. But from their vantage point in the sky, those details hardly mattered.

"Let's rest for today," Aster finally decided after breaking through the 50th floor and reaching the 51st. They could press on, but starting from this floor, a new type of monster would appear—Daft Eagles.

The name didn't mean the monster was stupid. On the contrary, they were so cunning that anyone fighting them would feel like the idiot one!

"We need to be careful against those Daft Eagles. Better to travel in daylight than risk it at night," Aster explained.

"Right, there's no need to risk our lives for one more floor," Liz agreed, nodding. "I'll set up the portable home."

"Thanks. Then, I'll..."

Before Aster could finish, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

*GRRR!*

Argus growled low, his gaze locked on the darkness ahead. Aster quickly followed his line of sight and frowned.

"Everyone, retreat a bit. A tricky opponent has arrived."

Ahead of them was nothing but darkness—no silhouettes of the forest or the grasslands they had been traversing. It wasn't just shadow; something enormous was blocking the light and their sight.

"T-That's...!" Kali stammered, recognizing it immediately. "A Titan?!"

Right.

Their view wasn't obscured by darkness but by a gargantuan creature so massive it blocked the starlight entirely.

Aster craned his neck to gauge its height, his breath catching as he spotted two glowing red eyes—thirty meters above the ground.

It was the Field Boss unique to the 51st floor!

Aster hesitated for a moment. If they fought right then and there, the girls—barely reaching level 50 after all their efforts—would be in grave danger!