Frostfire Legacy

Aster, as if by magic, could see the woman's entire face in just a single instant. Her long, silver hair flowed like a waterfall. The two wings beside her head flapped lightly, adding a slight breeze to give more dynamics to her face.

Sharp chin, high nose bridge, and lush pink lips. Adding to that, her alluring pale blue eyes. Without a doubt, she was a beauty who would make eleven out of ten men turn their heads once she passed by.

"Hey there." She greeted him casually, as if they were long-time acquaintances. "You're looking at information about monsters? I can help you if you want, you know?"

'Is she perhaps an assistant for this floor?' Aster quickly assumed.

After all, other than that, he couldn't think of any reason a beauty like her would strike up a conversation with him!

"Ah, it's fine. I already found what I was looking for." He answered after a short delay.

"Really? I'm sure you can use my help somewhere, right?" But the woman didn't give up just yet, asking persistently. "I'll make sure you're satisfied, whatever you want."

Her hand moved over her heart as if to show her sincerity. However, it instead emphasized her assets, which were visibly soft and supple, even over her clothes.

"..."

Aster suddenly couldn't help but stare straight into her eyes. Something within her gaze was making him feel a little weird. His mind slowly became muddled as his lips parted.

"Then... I..."

*Fwoooo~!*

"Hiik...!"

Just as he was about to respond, someone else blew warm air straight into his ears, disrupting his sentence. Aster quickly held a hand over his left ear, kicking back his chair loudly as he turned to the other side.

"V-Vanessa!" He exclaimed as soon as he saw the face of the prankster. "Why are you here? Rather, why did you...!"

Vanessa Ross, the scientist who Dr. Zell introduced, told Aster about his Frostfire Legacy's identity.

Unlike her attire in the hospital before, however, she wasn't wearing a lab coat over her dress. She only wore a white, short-sleeve top with a diamond-shaped window in the middle and a black corset with gold ties paired with a short black skirt with a slit on one side. Her overall impression was daring and impish, almost as if she were flaunting her voluptuous body for everyone to see.

"What?" She grinned lightly, moving to Aster's back and wrapping her hand around his neck, resting her chest on top of his head. "I just saw a familiar face while I was doing my research, so I decided to say hi. Was I perhaps a third wheel?"

Her red eyes gazed at the other woman, who wasn't losing in terms of appeal and exposure. Now that Aster could get a good look, the woman to his right also wore an extremely revealing white one-piece, making her look innocent and fresh and wrapping her body tightly. From how he could faintly see two protrusions over her twin mountains, he could tell that she wasn't wearing anything underneath!

'Wait, earlier, I...'

Just as Aster remembered what he was about to do earlier, he became confused. The memory was still fresh in his mind, after all. He almost accepted the girl's offer and asked her for help finding information about monsters!

It was weird since he already found the information he needed. He didn't need assistance anymore, so even if he accepted her offer, she wouldn't be able to do anything to help!

'Why was I about to accept her offer?'

But whenever he tried to think of his logic for coming to that conclusion, he was pulling on blanks.

Vanessa turned her red eyes, glaring at the woman in silver hair, and asked. "And? Who's this little girl here anyway? Your girlfriend?"

"She's..." Aster stopped for a moment, hesitating, before continuing. "I haven't heard her name yet. You're a staff member of this place, I presume?"

The woman's face retained her smile while staring back at Vanessa. But under their smiles, a silent battle was unfolding between the two. Their staring contest lasted for a few seconds before the silver-haired woman closed her eyes and sighed.

"I'm just a passerby who wanted to offer some help. However, it seems like my services aren't needed, so I'll take my leave."

She turned to Aster, gently caressing his hand as she stood up. "I'm Lorelai, by the way. If you ever come across me later, please don't hesitate to give me a call."

Without waiting for his reply, the woman, Lorelai, turned around and walked toward the elevator. Aster stared at her fading figure, still confused as to what she wanted to do.

As she disappeared into the elevator, Vanessa leaned forward, almost crushing Aster underneath her chest while warning him. "That was close. You almost got caught in some weird skill."

"... What?" He asked while trying to push Vanessa away.

However, the disparity between their stats was too great, so his struggle was futile. Since he couldn't fight against it, he simply decided to enjoy what he could in the situation.

"I'm not sure myself, as I only saw that last moment. But that girl seemed to have used some sort of ability on you." Vanessa explained. "She seemed to have given up as soon as I appeared, though, so that means I saved you. I won't mind you thanking me."

"Is that so?" Aster took a deep breath. "Then, thank you. If you ever need something from me, then just ask, and I'll do what I can."

Vanessa finally let go of him, walking in front of him and holding Aster down by his shoulders. "That's great~! I just got permission from the government yesterday. They said that as long as you're willing, they will allow me to study your disease~!"

Hearing that, Aster recalled their talk at the hospital and frowned.

Having a backup plan was indeed good. After all, now that he could estimate how long it would take to reach the 1,000th floor, they had a higher chance of failing to reach it within five years than succeeding. If Vanessa studied his disease, there's a fair chance that she could find a cure or something else that could help his case.

"... Alright." Aster nodded after thinking deeply about it. "What do I need to do?"

Vanessa stared at him, her red eyes glowing scarily. "There's no need to be stiff! I just want your blood sample and to see your disease in action. How about tonight? Are you free~?"

"..."

For some reason, seeing Vanessa lick her lips after she asked sent chills crawling down his back.