Frostfire Legacy

The 101st to 110th floors were, in short—Hell. Those attempting to pass through faced not only the scorching heat, as if being cooked alive, but also the constant threat of monsters lurking in the shadows, crevices, or, worst of all, beneath the flowing magma.

Surprise attacks from unexpected directions ranked as the second biggest threat on these floors. However, the leading cause of death was the oppressive heat. It could cause heatstroke, dehydration, or, in the worst cases, hallucinations that led adventurers to their doom.

"They're coming again! Watch out at three and ten o'clock positions!"

Fortunately, neither of these dangers posed a problem for Aster's party.

The heat was neutralized by Crysta's abilities, keeping everyone cool and composed despite the infernal environment. As for the monsters planning surprise attacks, none could evade Cassy's sensitive ears.

"On it! Knight's Challenge!" Liz called out, stepping forward and raising her gold-rimmed heater shield.

She taunted the enemies at three o'clock, then quickly rushed to cover another direction, standing firm like a wall—effectively covering both directions at once! Since her taunt skill had a cooldown, she had to adapt on the spot.

*BLOP!*

At that moment, the magma behind her surged upward, bursting into a fiery spray. Taunted by her skill, the Fishman-like monsters emerged, their small, humanoid, red-scaled bodies and grotesque fish heads baring jagged teeth and disfigured eyes. They lunged toward her exposed back, claws poised to strike.

"Triple Stab!"

"Vertical Slash!"

But Kali and Aster intercepted the creatures as if predicting their movements. They swung their weapons with precision, aiming to end the monsters in one strike—or so they thought.

"Tsk! Tough bastards!"

Kali groaned as her dagger barely scratched the monster's thick scales, leaving three shallow cuts. Designed to protect them from the molten magma, their scales were naturally resistant to physical attacks.

On Aster's side, there was no such issue. His sword sliced through the Flame Sahuagin with ease, cutting one cleanly in half with a vertical slash. His strength—far surpassing what was required for these floors—rendered the monsters' defenses useless.

"Shield of Valor!"

Liz activated her defensive skill just as the monsters she faced began to emerge from the magma. A split second later, six sharp, high-pitched noises rang out—attacks deflecting off her shield. The strikes were so fast that they were nearly invisible to the naked eye!

"That won't work anymore!" Liz shouted, grinning with excitement. "Tina, now!" she called for backup.

"Don't boss me around—I know!" Tina snapped as she darted toward the six heads emerging from the bright, molten surface.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The creatures resembled seahorses, but were far larger and more grotesque. They were eyeless, with long snouts that resembled sniper rifle barrels. Cautious by nature, they kept their distance and only peeked their heads above the magma's surface to attack. The moment danger approached, they would retreat into the magma—just as they were preparing to do now.

Tina charged forward fearlessly, leaping onto the molten surface. Under her feet, the magma cooled and solidified instantly, allowing her to "run" across its surface. This was thanks to Crysta's cooling barrier, which rapidly reduced the temperature to room level, affecting where she stepped on and solidifying the magma into stone.

Reaching the creatures' hiding spot, Tina glared downward at where they had disappeared. Her fist began to glow with a radiant blue light. "I won't let you escape this time!" she growled, her voice tight with anger. "Focus! Charge Attack! Elemental Fist—Ice!"

She activated three skills in quick succession, combining them into a single, devastating attack.

"DIE!"

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Tina extended her glowing fist downward, unleashing a freezing wave. The light traveled in a straight line, solidifying the magma in its path. Within moments, the solidifying effect spread, freezing the creatures in place. Tina felt the familiar rush of experience points, confirming that her attack had been successful.

Turning back toward her team, she prepared to help them finish off the Sahuagins. However, it was unnecessary. Aster, Kali, Liz, and even Via had already dispatched the remaining enemies with swift efficiency.

In just 10 seconds, the group had defeated 12 Flame Sahuagins and six Sniper Lavahorses. To save time, they stored the monsters' bodies in Liz's expansive storage inventory, which remained far from full despite holding hundreds of corpses, including that of a titan.

"This should be enough practice, right?" Aster asked, glancing at the group. "Our coordination is improving, and Via's adapting to our fighting style. Let's press forward! Argus!"

*Arf~!*

The small puppy, who had been sitting beside Cassy the entire time, let out an eager bark. Since entering the 101st floor, Argus hadn't been allowed to fight. His overwhelming attack power made it impossible for him to hold back, and every one of his attacks was lethal to the monsters.

Now that the group had refined their teamwork, there was no need to keep him sidelined.

"Can this little guy really handle it?" Via asked doubtfully.

To her, Argus seemed like nothing more than an adorable puppy—not remotely threatening. But as the saying goes, appearances can be deceiving. As if to prove her wrong, Argus sniffed the air, his nose twitching, before barking sharply.

*GRRR!* *ARF!*

Argus's body began to glow with a golden hue. A moment later, a bolt of lightning crashed from the cavern ceiling, striking something submerged in the magma.

"...!"

Via was stunned—not just by the sheer power of the attack, but by the golden light now surrounding her. She realized she had leveled up, even though she hadn't landed the finishing blow to a monster!

"T-This is... What's going on?" she asked Aster, her voice laced with confusion.

Seeing her awe-struck expression, Aster chuckled. "Consider it one of our party's secrets. Argus can share the EXP he earns with everyone."

"EXP Share?!" Via exclaimed, scooping up the puppy in her arms. "If those nobles found out about this, they'd stop at nothing to get their hands on little Argy," she murmured.

"Nobles?" Aster tilted his head in confusion. Nobility had long since disappeared from the current society.

"Well, there you have it," Aster said, choosing to ignore her comment. "Let's move. We've got a long way to go!"

Unfortunately, the cramped space of the cavern meant they couldn't use the EM Van. Otherwise, they would have already reached the boss room by now.