Frostfire Legacy

Vertical Slash. For any class wielding a sword, like a blader or swordsman, it was a skill they would learn right as they reached level one. However, Aster just learned it at level four. This wasn't an error but was the natural course, as he lacked the prerequisites to learn it.

First, he didn't have enough strength. Of course, this wasn't pertaining to the STR stat but rather to overall strength. When he was under level 3, his overall power was below the minimum prerequisite for learning the skill.

Second, Aster was unlike others who "earned" jobs through training and earning a skill. Technically, he was still "jobless" and was someone who simply was swinging a sword and gun around. As such, without a Job's Status Correction, it was obvious he would learn the skill slower than the others!

'But a skill is a skill! And it's amazing!'

After activating the skill, he could feel strength flowing into his arms as the sword swung down vertically. This strength was multiplying his slash speed by at least two times!

*SLASH!* *SCREECH!*

And right as the sword landed on it, the Green Slime let out a short screech before it started to "melt."

"AH!" Aster raised his voice, seeing how the slime was leaking its contents.

He quickly moved to use his Carved Seal, drying the dead slime fast. Fortunately, the temperature needed to extract the slime's core didn't change. In one try, he managed to extract the green slime's core!

"One slime core: get!"

After keeping the core in his pocket, he then searched for the next prey and practiced using his skill. A few dozen meters away, two more green slimes were present. Without a hint of hesitation, he dashed forward and swung the sword down, using the same skill as before.

"Vertical Slash!"

The sword moved as fast as it did before, and in one go, it managed to bisect the slime. Its gel-like contents started to pour out, wasted!

Just as he was turning toward the next one, Aster was surprised. The slime didn't flinch as its buddy died, unlike the Blue Slime, but instead launched itself right at him in a tackle!

*BAM!*

"Ugh!"

Although the slime wasn't so powerful, its tackle was as painful as getting punched directly, at least. Aster's left side, having been hit, had almost cramped from the pain.

"AAAAARGH!"

He raised a bestial roar, plunging his sword in a swift stab at the falling enemy. The slime was unable to dodge midair and couldn't help but get pierced by the blade. As usual, even the slightest rupture of its outer layer was enough to kill it.

"... Damn. I let my guard down." Aster cursed while holding his still-hurting side. "Green slimes are different from blue slimes... I've got to remember that."

Right after, he no longer acted rashly. He was careful with every monster he found, swinging his sword down in a swift motion before intercepting its partner's tackle with a knee. As long as you're aware of the timing of its attack, it wasn't hard to stop it from landing a critical hit!

Of course, his reaction speed wasn't godly or anything. He would still fail at times, ending up getting hit by the slimes. All in all, he received five hits, which, for some reason, made him start to pant hard, as if he were running out of breath.

"This..." Aster felt curious about this phenomenon.

Although he wasn't technically heavily injured, it felt as if he was on the verge of death. His vision was narrowing and slowly fading, the same as the animation when a character ran out of health and was about to die in games.

"Priodis Sirreo Cura! Minor Heal!"

"...!"

And just as he was about to fall to his knees, a familiar voice echoed, calling him back to his senses. A faint red light covered Aster's body, letting him regain his slowly narrowing vision.

"Cassy..."

He whispered the name of the one who helped him while glancing at his back. There, Cassy and Kali were already moving, and with a worried gaze, they stopped beside Aster.

"Just when I was away for a few moments, you managed to reach the limits of your HP?! What would you have done if you fainted!" She lectured him with a strict expression, completely unlike her usual happy-go-lucky smile.

"I know you trust my ability to protect you, but pushing yourself until you fall isn't praiseworthy."

Even Kali, who was watching over him the entire time from afar, scolded him. "Weakling, don't you ever try pulling this stunt when you're alone, understand?"

"..."

Aster simply nodded his head. He was clueless about the fact that there's actually an imaginary HP bar for everyone in the dungeon, which, when used up, forces one into a fainted state. And, of course, while fainting, one could still end up being attacked by a monster, which would lead to a definite death.

It was unknown why such a function was present, however, and it was treated as one of the Ten Greatest Unsolved Mysteries of the Dungeon. The most widely believed explanation was that the dungeon added it to protect itself from the explorers and give its monsters a fair chance at killing the "intruders."

*Rustle!*

"...?"

At that moment, the trio heard someone approaching. They were unaware of the other party's presence up until they were ten meters from each other, telling them that the other party had quite high stealth abilities.

Turning in the direction the sound came from, they saw a cat beastwoman. Unlike Kali, who was of a silvery-white color, however, this woman had luscious, long black hair. When she walked, the sun shone through it, letting them see that her hair had blue accents.

However, her figure made Aster and Cassy worry. The person was wearing too little clothes, a highly revealing top, and hot pants. Furthermore, her entire body was stained with blood!

"Are you alright?!" Aster jogged to the woman's side, looking closer to see her injuries. "Ah...!"

However, a moment later, he realized that he had judged the situation wrongly. A thick wave of killing intent, followed by a black flash, approached him. A small fist, covered in leather gloves, approached his face without a hint of hesitation!

*Thud!*

Fortunately, Aster was lucky. He ended up tripping on a random pebble and falling face-down to the ground. The woman's fist flew past the top of his head, missing its target!

However, of course, she wasn't sluggish at all. In one swift motion, she moved to flip Aster over before mounting on top of his stomach. Her fist came down toward his face, about to lynch him until he was no longer recognizable.

*TAP!*

But two figures moved fast. Cassy caught her raised fist while Kali held her shoulder, both releasing intense auras.

"That's enough." They said at the same time.