Frostfire Legacy

*CRACKLE!*

A flash of lightning swept past the dumbfounded monsters, roasting them mercilessly. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't even catch a glimpse of their assailant—let alone her shadow.

"This is getting boring..."

Octavia mumbled as she zipped across the battlefield once more. Wherever she passed, the monsters shook in place—as if having a seizure—dying without even knowing why.

Her innate special skill—Lightning Body—allowed her to release powerful currents all over her body, enough to fry someone's nerves upon contact. The only downside? She could only control the output, and never stop it completely, making most animals instinctively avoid her.

It was a little inconvenient, sure, but nothing could beat its effectiveness in combat.

"I guess 100 amperes was still too low," she sighed, pausing briefly to survey her side of the battlefield.

Monsters were crammed so tightly together that it was hard to see gaps between them. Some of the dead even remained standing, propped up by the bodies around them, as though they'd simply fallen asleep.

After checking her area, Octavia turned toward the other two sides of the cavern. "I wonder how the others are doing."

To her left, everything on Aster's side was covered in thick frost. It almost felt like they'd stepped from the hellish 101st floor into the arctic wasteland of the 150th floor! And, unsurprisingly, his kill count was off the charts, completely overshadowing her own.

On her right, Argus was handling most of the enemies, carving out a clear gap between the defensive line and their portable home. At this rate, they'd have enough breathing room to take breaks in turns.

"...Guess I should start getting serious too!"

Realizing her side was lagging behind in kills, Octavia shifted gears. She flew high, almost brushing the cavern's ceiling, before glancing down at the monsters swarming below.

"Skill," she whispered, the air around her growing harsh. "Lightning Domain."

A powerful flash of light erupted, blanketing the entire area. It was so blinding that anyone caught looking in her direction would be temporarily blinded.

A heartbeat later, devastating rumbles echoed through the cavern, shaking it as though an earthquake had struck. The sheer intensity of the attack was unimaginable!

As the light faded, the aftermath of her skill came into view. Where once there had been a writhing mass of monsters, now there was nothing but an empty expanse—only faint traces of ash remained.

"Hmm~! As expected, 50,000 amperes did the trick!" Octavia nodded in satisfaction, surveying her now-cleared area. "Though... I'll have to groom my feathers again later..."

Her entire body crackled with residual electricity from the high-current attack. Her hair stood on end, and her feathers were a chaotic mess, making her look like a bird fresh out of a scuffle.
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Landing slowly, she scanned the cavern and sighed as more reinforcements began pouring in.

"Gosh, is there no end to this?" she grumbled as she patted her hair down while shaking her head lightly.

Despite her nonchalant attitude, with just her last attack, Octavia quickly rose to the top spot in the kill count leaderboard among everyone—overtaking even Aster! But given the level gap between them, it should be obvious. Rather, it was an anomaly that Aster—who was 100 levels lower than Octavia—was able to keep up!

Hours passed, and finally, the last few monsters arrived. The end was in sight!

Seeing that no more reinforcements were coming toward them, Aster sped up, handling the last few hundred or so monsters before taking a deep breath—his breath turning white from the freezing air around him.

"It's over..." he muttered before turning and walking in the other direction without even bothering to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "I should go and reinforce Cassy and the others' side."

They weren't far anyway, so Aster arrived in less than five minutes without even exerting himself too much. However, to his surprise, no monsters were left standing in their area.

Turning toward the group, he found Liz lying flat on the ground, with Argus playfully licking her cheeks, while Kali and Tina leaned against each other's backs, sitting directly on the cavern floor. Cassy was the only one still standing, diligently casting heals toward the others—exhausting the last remnants of her mana.

"Everyone still alive?" Aster asked playfully, his voice breaking the heavy silence.

Liz weakly raised an arm, giving him a thumbs-up. "…Barely."

"Darling…" Tina let out a playful whine, her voice thick with fatigue. "I'm wiped. Carry me back to bed, and sleep with me while you're at it~!"

"You… horny vixen… stop," Kali immediately quipped, though her usual sharpness was dulled by exhaustion.

Even though everyone was tired, it was clear none of them had sustained any serious injuries. Furthermore, the sheer number of monsters they'd defeated brought incredible rewards. Everyone's levels had skyrocketed from the battle!

On average, the girls rose from level 100 to level 125 in just three hours, an unprecedented leveling pace! Aster himself also rose in level. Since he fought independently, taking all the experience for himself, he managed to reach level 135 by the end of it all.

After ensuring everyone was safe, Aster turned in the other direction and muttered, "How about Via—"

"I'm right here~," a familiar voice echoed from behind him.

Aster turned around and almost burst out laughing. Right now, Via's hair was standing completely on end, as if she had just been zapped in a failed science experiment. Her feathers were ruffled and disheveled, while her body was coated in ash and grime from head to toe.

"Pfft… What happened to you?" Aster chuckled, biting back a full-blown laugh.

"Gosh, stop laughing! You're not that different either!" Via shot back, though her flustered expression only made her current appearance even funnier.

Aster glanced down at himself and realized he wasn't in much better shape. His clothes were soaked in sweat and smeared with blood, sticking uncomfortably to his skin. Even with his passive skill regulating the surrounding temperature, it wasn't enough to stop the sweat from pouring during intense combat.

"…Everyone worked hard," Aster declared, looking over the disheveled group with a mix of pride and relief. "Let's rest up and prepare to move. We'll take a 12-hour rest!"

There were no cheers, no celebrations—just quiet, unspoken gratitude that the battle was finally over.

With their limbs heavy and spirits weary, the group leaned on one another for support as they retreated to the safety of their portable home. Every step they took felt like the weight of the fight still lingered on their shoulders, but they'd earned this rest—every second of it bought with their blood, sweat, and resilience.