Frostfire Legacy

Chapter 325 Threat of Pursuers

Soon enough, Kurenai returned with food—easy-to-ingest porridge in a classy, polished, wooden bowl. Although weakened, Aster could still eat by himself, so he could at least avoid the awkward case of having Kurenai feed him.

"Right, Aster-sama." Just as he was about to finish the porridge, Kurenai spoke up as if just remembering something. "My master wishes to meet with you. Please tell me when it's convenient for you to do so."

"Your master?" Aster asked back, curious.

He himself had been curious as to who or what reason he was saved, so this works in his favor. "I understand. Then, can I bother to request some proper clothes first?"

Right now, he's wearing nothing but loops of bandages. He was in no state to present himself to someone else as he was.

"Oh, that's true." Kurenai gasped, eyeing Aster from head to toe—with a slight blush on her cheeks—and continued. "Then, I'll go and get something you can wear, Aster-sama. Please wait for a while."

She collected the used utensils and quickly left; Aster took a deep breath. "... It'd be best if you wore something less revealing too, Ms. Kurenai..." He grumbled to nobody in particular.

---

After a while, Kurenai returned with some clothes for Aster to wear. It was a simple pair of black "dougi"—a large "hakama" covering Aster's entire body and held tight by a black belt, combined with long pants made with seemingly unknown materials.

Although a bit "disappointing," Kurenai didn't get a wardrobe change. She was still wearing the skintight suit, the same as usual, even while she was guiding Aster to where her master was.

'So it wasn't a simple bamboo hut...' Aster sighed in realization, seeing the intricate structure and architecture.

After leaving the hut, he realized that the space he was staying at was just a small, separate corner of the premises. The main building was similarly made out of common materials from the forest, but the quality was heavens above the simple hut he was in.

They had already been walking for over five minutes but still hadn't reached their destination—a testament to how large the main building was. It wasn't after twice as long before Kurenai finally stopped before an intricately designed paper sliding door—with a motif of dragons drawn on it.

Kurenai knelt in a seiza before the door and pulled it open just enough for Aster to pass through. "Please enter, Aster-sama. My master is already waiting inside."

From the way she acted, Aster could tell that she didn't have any intention of entering the room with him.

Taking a deep breath, Aster calmed his mind and heart, preparing himself for whatever was to come. He took a big step forward, heading into the room while scanning it with a wary, observant eye.

"You've come, dear hero..."

But before Aster could even see the other party, an old man's voice reached his ears. He looked around frantically, trying to find the source, but the room seemed empty.

The floor was covered in grass-like flooring—what they call "tatami mats." The walls were painted a glaring red, with various weapons hanging on them, ranging from basic swords to intricate spears, bows, and some unfamiliar ones.

No matter how he searched around the room, he couldn't find anyone. It was barren, with nobody but him inside it.

But despite what the visual information told him, his other senses were shouting "danger" from all over. He was anything but alone in the room! However, rather than that, Aster's attention was caught by something else.

"... Hero?" He parroted the word, a little confused.

He knew that his being a 100% human is something that could save the world—but he never thought he could be called a "hero" for just that. The old man speaking to him had other thoughts when calling him one.

However, as if his words didn't even reach the other party, the old man's voice continued.

"We have rescued you from danger and kept you safe for three days, caring for you to the best of our abilities. However, this place is still far from being called a safe haven for you..."

The old man continued, his voice emotionlessly flat.

"As such, once you're able, you shall head to the dungeon... Just as the oracle said."

"Dungeon?" Aster was confused even further. "Is there a dungeon in here too? And an oracle...? What do you mean?"

From what he recalls, there should only be the last 13 dungeons remaining in the world—God's Thirteen Dungeons. He wasn't unfamiliar with dungeons but was still confused about one thing.

'Why is he making me go to a dangerous dungeon and call it a "safe" place?'

There's nothing more dangerous than being inside the dungeon—well, at least most of the time. But to Aster's current predicament, that dangerous place just so happened to be the safest one he could stay at and bide his time in.

"You must be confused, young hero... But this is all we can share with you. Everything else is up to your own decisions and actions..."

The old man continued, his voice slowly fading into the distance. After a moment, Aster's senses told him that right now, he was truly alone in the room. That "master" person disappeared without even showing his face.

"Oracle... Dungeon..." Aster repeated words from what he just heard, his mind churning around possibilities. "Could it be related to my job class...?" He muttered to himself in wonder.

Ever since he got the "**n's Avatar" class, he felt like his life became a lot more turbulent—as if a young demigod facing trial after trial, proving himself to the gods.

After a while of pondering, Aster decided to leave the room. He had no more business there now that the owner of it was no longer present. As soon as he went out, Kurenai, who had been just outside the room, greeted him.

"It seems like the talk finished, Aster-sama. Would you like to return to your room?"

"I..." Aster hesitated for a moment, thinking deeply about what he should do.

First of all, instead of finding answers to his doubts, his questions simply increased. Kurenai's master didn't even allow him to ask a single thing and disappeared.

Aster raised his fist, clenching it tight to judge his recovery; however, right now, he was still far from having fully recovered. At most, he only got about 30% of his strength back. With just that much, it would be hard to win even against weak opponents.

He turned to look at Kurenai, the tiger beastwoman who had been helping him until now. The smile on her face remained unperturbed as if no matter what Aster said, she would simply obey.

"Before that, can I ask just one thing?" Unable to hold his curiosity any longer, he decided to voice his doubts.

He tensed up his muscles to act in a moment in case things went south and warily asked.

"Why did you save me?"