After their long chat, just as the sun was about to set, Cassy and Kali returned to their lodgings. Unlike Aster, their injuries weren't anything worth getting hospitalized over—or more like Aster's only kept there as he was someone important to the city, someone they couldn't afford to lose.
After a series of checks, Aster was deemed healthy without any problems and was released.
Of course, he didn't have to walk back to the Twister Hotel, as a group of men in black were already waiting for him. They drove him back in an elongated flying car, something like a limousine, which was quite a fresh experience for Aster!
Well, he didn't have enough time to enjoy the ride, however, as they arrived at their hotel, their destination, in mere minutes.
Aster walked to his room and plopped down on top of his bed, feeling the wave of fatigue catch up to him in that instant.
"... Right. Those voices..." Just as he was about to close his eyes, he suddenly remembered the two cute, feminine voices he heard before fainting back at the dungeon. "That... wasn't my imagination, was it?" He muttered while raising his right hand over his face, examining the carved seal.
The Legacy Level Magic Carved Seal on his hand was already mysterious as is, and now another mystery was added on top of it!
"..."
Aster waited for a while, but other than the low hum of the air conditioning unit and the faint sound of air entering through his nostrils, no other sounds were entering his ears.
Soon, he began to feel like bricks were pressing down on his eyelids. His eyes gradually closed as he fell asleep. But when his arm fell back on the bed, the seal on the back of his hand glowed a little.
Two wisps of light flew around playfully, one red and one blue, moving as if checking Aster's state before returning to the middle of the carved seal. Too bad that he was no longer able to observe this mysterious phenomenon, as he was already snoring lightly by then.
---
The morning of the next day. Aster woke up quite early, finished all his preparations, and was already at the Adventurer's guild at around 5 a.m. It was too early, with none but guild employees present at the moment.
None of them were free, however. Even Zena was busy assessing materials over the counter, not able to spare a single second.
"Two solo adventurers on the second floor..." He whispered, wondering what they looked like.
If he didn't hear that they were women, then he'd imagine a man with thick muscles laughing while massacring the monsters that stood in his way.
After listening to their talk further, he managed to get their details, at least. One was a cat beastwoman brawler, overwhelming her enemies with fatal force, while the other was a dragonkin knight, who keeps a balanced offense and defense.
Aster placed a hand over his chin, wondering. "Hmm... They'd be perfect to fill up our party. We lack tanks, after all."
Cassy was originally a "healer" but was currently fighting as a melee. Kali was more of an "assassin" than a frontline fighter. And Aster himself was currently too weak to be a reliable "wall" for the party. If forced to choose, he'd be more of a "mage" or "wizard" with his Magic Carved Seal more than a "warrior" with a sword.
None of them could be considered a good tank.
"Well, they're exploring solo, anyway. I guess it'd be hard to pull them in." Aster shrugged as he turned to the entrance.
Right then, two figures entered as if on cue. The drunkards, too, turned to look at the beauties who entered before averting their gazes. After all, those two were more powerful than they were, and they couldn't afford to antagonize them!
"Oh! Star! Good morning!" One of the two, the orange-haired rabbit, Cassy, waved to him. "You're early today! And what's this? Image change~?"
"... Morning."
The drunkards, after Cassy called him out, turned toward Aster, who was staying quiet at the corner. Their eyes were filled with anger and envy, but Aster just ignored them and greeted the girls back.
"Good morning, you two. And it's not an image change. I just chose a different windbreaker today."
Thick clothes with a lot of pockets can be convenient, after all. Although he might change colors from time to time, he would not change his choice of type of apparel.
Aster stood up, meeting the two near the entrance while announcing his intentions. "Well, then, as planned, let's head to the next floor today!"
Before that, they would first need to reach their target: Aster reaching Level 3!