The Author's Viewpoint-Chapter 106 - Conquering the Sky

Which monster was this now?

The fourth!

And that alone was a remarkable milestone. Especially considering it had taken them nearly five hours to get here.

Every single encounter had demanded full coordination: baiting one monster at a time, taking breaks in between, recovering strength, then setting up again.

Painstaking, disciplined work... but it was working.

Tave could feel it with every breath. How much easier it was to fight when the team moved as one. He could strike freely from a distance, unleashing calculated ranged attacks while Darian and Finn held the front line, locking the creature’s attention and absorbing its fury.

The monster shrieked again, its wings beating wildly, claws raking at the ground. But the team didn’t relent. They came at it from every angle, weaving around one another like an engine finally running on rhythm and grit.

Even Fang leapt in and out of the shadows, striking with ghost-like precision before vanishing again, each strike adding pressure, adding momentum.

Each monster they brought down forced them to grow. Pushed them harder, tighter, made them sharper. And if they could maintain this discipline, hold this fragile rhythm long enough...

Then maybe, they could clear the sky of these winged threats. Remove one of the greatest obstacles in their path forward.

And then. It fell.

Another monster down.

"Yeah! One more down!" Elowen’s voice rang out first.

She darted across the group, practically bouncing on her feet, tossing high-fives and slapping hands with whoever she could reach. "We did it, hahaha!"

Then she stopped in front of Finn, grinning from ear to ear.

"Finn, you were great too. You and Darian actually made a pretty good team out there," she said, giggling like she hadn’t just been dodging death a few minutes ago.

"Hah! Shut up," Finn muttered, clearly flustered. Though the flush on his cheeks gave him away.

Yeah, Tave thought, watching them from a short distance, his blade still warm from the fight.

This team’s not perfect... but maybe we’re starting to figure it out.

And finally, they decided. This would be the last monster of the night.

With the fourth Tier 5 beast brought down, they completed their hunt and moved immediately into post-battle protocols: evaluation, healing, resource checks, and brief recovery. Some took to resting their bodies, lying down or meditating in silence to rebuild what the fight had drained from them.

It all looked slow, perhaps, from the outside. But, hell, four Tier 5 monsters. That was no small feat. In fact, it was nothing short of extraordinary.

Better slow and steady with clear progress than rushing headlong into ruin.

And just as the final battle ended, the sky had begun to tint with the earliest signs of dawn. No time to sleep yet, not for Tave. He slipped back into silent mode, entering his meditative state, and sent Fang out once again to scout the perimeter.

He wasn’t about to let the noise and blood draw in more threats while they rested. Not when one mistake could cost lives.

One day. Then two. Then three.

They continued with discipline. Tight, calculated movements. Fight, retreat, recover. Lure. Strike. Repeat. Each day, the team grew more synchronized. Their coordination sharpened. Even Panpan grew more skilled, baiting monsters with flawless timing.

By the fourth night, they did the unthinkable.

Ten monsters. In one night.

The battle drained them, left them aching, sweating, gasping for breath. But the moment the last beast fell, they all knew. It had been worth it.

Every drop of energy. Every scream. Every swing.

Because this wasn’t just survival anymore.

They were conquering the sky.

[ Name: Tave ]

[ Level - Stage: 23 - Gaia Guardian ]

[ Elements: Fire (High) | Shadow (Medium) | Soul Fire (Low) ]

[ Sigils: Shadow Cloak ]

[ Relics: The Flamebound Seraph ]

[ Echoes: None ]

[ Pacts: None ]

The first light of dawn was creeping over the horizon, a faint gold brushing against the edge of the dark sky when Tave took a moment to check his status. Hoping, just maybe, something had shifted again.

And though the gains weren’t explosive, he couldn’t deny the quiet satisfaction of two major developments during their time in this Rift.

First, he had reached Level 23. Closer now. So close to Level 30. It still felt slow, yes. After all those battles, he’d hoped to push up two levels. But progress was progress. And right now, every step forward mattered.

But the real prize?

His Advanced Element: Shadow had advanced to Medium affinity. And that meant everything.

It signaled a turning point, a clear rise in potential. Shadow, now at a higher grade, would boost his combat capabilities under darkness, sharpen his stealth, and enhance how effectively he moved through terrain veiled in shadow.

And more than that... It directly influenced the performance of his Soul Fire.

Tave smiled faintly. He had made it a point to use Soul Fire in every kill where possible. Small attacks, precise burns. And it had paid off. The damage was more refined, more responsive. The stamina drain that had once left him breathless was now far more manageable.

But still. Limitations remained.

He could only manifest Soul Fire in a small size, no bigger than his finger. That alone was already pushing it to the limit of safe usage.

Applying it to his weapon? Not yet.

Not until he could scale the flame without losing control. The further the Soul Fire extended from his casting hand, the less stable, and the less effective it became.

For now, he was restricted to placing it on his left hand alone, holding it like a last-resort dagger of raw soul-fueled energy.

It wasn’t much. But it was growing.

And soon... It would burn brighter.

Now... What about Fang?

[ Name: Fang – Shadow Wolf ]

[ Grade: Elite ]

[ Level: 25 ]

[ Element: Shadow (High) ]

Tave exhaled slowly, not out of disappointment. No, far from it. Fang had been leveling up incredibly fast. In fact, he’d already surpassed Tave.

Level 25!

Tave should’ve been thrilled. And he was, mostly. But there was a small, selfish part of him that wished he was the one who’d reached that level first.

Fang no longer carried the slightest trace of the adorable little pup he’d once been. His form now was that of a true predator. His stance, his eyes, the effortless precision of his movements. He was a hunter in full.

And now that Fang was this strong, Tave couldn’t help but hope for something even greater.

Could Fang awaken a Sigil?

Tamed beasts, under rare and unique conditions, could awaken Sigils.

It was why Tave never hesitated.

Every monster core he earned, every piece that was rightfully his. He gave it to Fang.

Sure, those cores had immense economic value. But what use was money if he couldn’t survive this Rift?

So yes. If Fang got stronger, they got stronger. And for Tave, that was all that mattered.

"Tave?"

The voice snapped him gently from his thoughts.

He turned.

There she was, blonde hair catching the pale morning light, long cloak shifting softly as she approached.

Panpan.

She smiled as she walked closer. "Am I interrupting?" she asked quietly.

"Of course not."

And before he could even think, Tave answered aloud.

Panpan blinked, surprised. That... hadn’t been a thought. He’d actually said it.

She let out a small laugh and settled down beside him, sitting on a thick log just next to where he stood. Her eyes turned to the horizon, watching as the first rays of sunlight crept into the world.

They sat there, in silence, just watching the Rift’s morning wake.

This had quietly become a ritual. One that Tave hadn’t even realized he was forming until it had already rooted itself deep.

Every time they survived another brutal night of battle, Panpan would be there. Sitting beside him, just like this. Always before he slipped into his half-day hibernation. A deep, dreamless sleep that claimed him as the morning light rose.

And honestly? Tave cherished it.

He truly enjoyed these quiet moments shared with the forest elf girl beside him. And he was quietly, deeply grateful that Panpan was always willing to talk with him.

He didn’t speak much with the others. A few words to Velion now and then, usually to report what Fang had seen or to suggest a minor adjustment to the next plan. But beyond that?

It was only Panpan.

It was almost ironic. He, a human, felt more at ease with the forest elves.

Even so... none of that really mattered to him. What did matter, what consumed every corner of his focus, was one simple truth:

He had to keep getting stronger.

He’d become more shadow than a human seems. Like Fang, really.

He fought best at night. While the others slept or recovered, he hunted, planned, and scouted. And when the sun rose, he collapsed into the safety of sleep, buried beneath thick blankets and even thicker exhaustion.

But it wasn’t a new pattern for him. Not really.

Back in his old world, he’d often lived this way. Working through the long nights, sleeping away the daylight.

"Any word from your scouting, Tave? Is it still safe to stay here?" Panpan’s voice drifted into his thoughts, soft and unbothered. Not a trace of fatigue in her tone, even after the ten-monster fight.

"For now, it’s clear," he replied with a quiet nod. "Hopefully it’ll stay that way for the next few days."

And that was all they could hope for. Time.

Time to hold their ground.

Time to gather resources.

Time before the demons inevitably closed the distance.

Because once they were found... The game would change completely.