Frostfire Legacy

Aster's raw stats far exceeded those of an average level 100 adventurer. With his passive skill Boost, which amplified his stats by an additional 50%, he was untouchable in one-on-one battles. Even in small skirmishes of up to six opponents, victory was a certainty.

But this wasn't a small skirmish.

"Ugh!"

Hundreds of enemies swarmed him, each one fighting with lethal intent. Even Aster couldn't avoid being pushed back repeatedly. He had to retreat to catch his breath, stepping back again and again, before pushing forward once more.

His sword swings were deadly, capable of taking dozens of lives in a single motion. Yet, for every monster he cut down, two more rushed forward to take its place, filling the gap as if nothing had happened.

"There's no end to them!" he groaned, forcing his labored breathing to steady.

The danger was unrelenting, the sense of peril thick enough to choke on. Still, amidst the chaos, a faint smile tugged at Aster's lips.

The endless horde presented an unusual opportunity. Thanks to his skill Life Plunder, Aster was beginning to address the looming shadow that had haunted him from the start: his dwindling lifespan. Each kill added five precious minutes to his life, and with the sheer number of monsters he was slaying, those minutes were rapidly accumulating. In mere moments, he had extended his life by nearly half a day.

'My lifespan's ticking upward,' he thought grimly, 'but my HP feels like it's hanging by a thread.'

Even with his extraordinary stats, dodging every attack was impossible. The Sniper Lavahorses—those wary creatures that fired supersonic projectiles at their prey—were particularly troublesome. Their deadly "bullets" forced Aster into a desperate game of survival. Without his inhuman reflexes, he'd have been a corpse long ago.

To avoid their relentless sniping, he plunged into the heart of the monster swarm. The creatures became his unwitting shields, their bodies absorbing the deadly projectiles.

But this tactic came at a steep cost. Being surrounded meant enduring constant, close-range attacks. Aster could parry the strikes he saw coming, but blows from his blind spots landed with jarring impact.

*TING!*

Claws raked against his armor, their force leaving jagged streaks across its surface. His windbreaker—once a reliable companion—was now so shredded it barely clung to his frame. At this point, it looked more like a collection of tattered rags than an article of clothing.

"Kuh!"

Aster staggered forward as another powerful blow struck him. The momentum carried him into the path of yet more attacks. Fangs, claws, and spells converged on him, aiming to tear him apart. Yet, with a flick of his wrist, Aster's sword danced like a shadow in the flickering light. Each enemy within reach was cleaved in two, their attacks cut short.

Without missing a beat, he ducked low, anticipating an attack aimed at the back of his head. A sweeping slash to his rear followed, and the bodies of Flame Sahuagins and humanoid golems were split cleanly in half, their lifeless forms crumpling to the ground.

"Haa… Haaa…"

Fatigue weighed on him like a lead blanket. His breaths were shallow, his chest heaving as he struggled to draw air. His vision blurred, his brain screaming for oxygen. Yet, his grip on his sword remained firm.

Enjoy more content from empire

"This should be far enough," he murmured, his lips curling into a determined smile.

Aster's plan was simple but dangerous. From the outset, he had noticed a pattern: the monsters prioritized attacking the closest target. With that in mind, he had deliberately plunged deep into their ranks, drawing their attention entirely to himself. Now, everything within a 100-meter radius was focused solely on him.

He growled hoarsely, "Crysta, it's time!"

"As you wish. ❄"

At his command, a brilliant wave of frost exploded outward, emanating from Aster's position. The icy blast swept through the cavern, freezing everything in its path. The once-burning walls and burning floor transformed into a glistening winter landscape, encasing everything along with all enemies in solid ice.

The attack wasn't strong enough to kill the monsters outright—Crysta hadn't unleashed her full power at the cost of Aster's lifespan. But it was more than enough to immobilize them for a few precious moments.

Aster sheathed his sword and crouched low, his body coiling like a spring. His focus sharpened, and he took a slow, deliberate breath.

"Elemental Sword—Wind! Quickdraw!"

In an instant, a white flash erupted from his position, slicing through the frozen monsters in a 360-degree arc. The vacuum of the wind blade tore through them with surgical precision, shattering their icy forms into countless shards. The wave of destruction continued outward, cutting through everything in its path.

By the time Aster's sword returned to its sheath, the frozen cavern began to half-collapse. Jagged chunks of ice and shattered bodies littered the ground, a grim testament to his power. He felt the rush of life essence returning to him, confirming the success of his gambit.

"Phew…"

For the first time in what felt like hours, Aster allowed himself a moment to breathe. The horde that had surrounded him was annihilated. Every monster within 100 meters lay dead, their numbers reduced to nothing by his devastating combo.

"That had to be tens of thousands in one strike," he muttered, a weary grin spreading across his face as he dropped to one knee. "About 200 days added to my lifespan… not bad. Not bad at all."

*CRACKLE!* *BOOM!*

A massive lightning strike illuminated the cavern, followed by a thunderous roar. Aster didn't need to guess the source. Octavia, the Thunderbird, was still fighting with everything she had.

"She's doing her part… I wonder if the others are holding out."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

He sighed heavily, wishing he could help. But in his current state, even standing was a challenge.

*GRRRR!*

A deep growl echoed from somewhere in the distance. Aster's eyes narrowed as he spotted movement in the shadows. Despite his overwhelming victory, more monsters were already pouring into the cavern, rushing to replace the fallen.

"They just don't stop," he muttered.

So far, he had killed over 50,000 monsters, and yet the end was nowhere in sight.

Reaching into his Spatial Ring, Aster pulled out two potion vials and downed their contents in quick succession. The first was a health potion; the second, a stamina potion. Together, they would hasten his recovery. The cost of each vial was astronomical—1 million Tels apiece—but right now, survival was worth any price.

"My life's worth more than money," he muttered, rising to his feet.

He gripped his sword tightly, steeling himself for what was to come. The faint glow of his blade reflected the icy cavern around him, a testament to the chaos he had unleashed.

"Alright," he said, exhaling slowly. "Time for round two!"

The battle was far from over.