The Author's Viewpoint-Chapter 121 - Glowing Ring and Terrible Plans

The team had spent a full day resting in their hidden sanctuary. A deliberate choice. Everyone needed time. Not just to recover, but to meditate, realign, and plan their next move now that they had a safe place to retreat to.

And then night came.

Under the darkness, Tave felt himself sharpen. It was like the world itself had slowed, and every fiber of his being moved in perfect clarity. He stepped lightly outside the cave, his movements fluid, precise. Every sound, every shift in the wind, every flicker of light in the shadows. They all felt heightened.

His vision cut through the dark like it was nothing. His hearing picked up even the faintest rustle of a leaf. His instincts hummed with an edge he hadn’t known before.

This... this is the peak.

He was alone now. On purpose.

Because tonight, he was going to activate his new sigil.

He closed his eyes, steadying his breath, focusing his Gaia Force inward. Slowly, he directed the flow toward the back of his neck, where the sigil pulsed faintly, hidden beneath his skin.

And then it awakened.

A surge of energy tickled across his spine, then burned hotter as it reached the sigil. His heart pounded faster. His breath hitched.

Then the pain hit.

His right forehead throbbed violently, like a blade was being pushed from within. He clenched his jaw, hand instinctively rising to his brow.

The horn had emerged. A few moments, until... ah, it turned out to not be too big, just a small protrusion the length of his thumb.

Damn... I’m really not fully human anymore.

Tave exhaled slowly and drew his Relic. He gripped the hilt tight, then moved. Slashing, twisting, dashing through imaginary enemies. His body moved smoother, faster, more efficient. Every strike hit with more force. Every step landed with more control.

"So this is the catch..." he muttered to himself, pausing. "This form can’t last too long. Unless... I don’t fight."

He needed to know how long he could maintain this transformation.

He would venture the forest under moonlight, with his demonic form active. No fights. No unnecessary risks. Just endurance, control, and the measure of how far he could go without burning out.

With Fang leading the way through the dense, moonlit forest, Tave moved swiftly just a few paces behind. As usual, Fang was silent, sniffing out any potential danger before they got too close.

Tave’s focus, meanwhile, was broader, scanning the terrain, mapping the monster presence across their sector. He was analyzing, tracking what types lurked nearby, where their concentrations were thickest, which ones could be wiped out early to reduce risk, and what strategies might work best against them.

Two hours slipped by almost unnoticed.

And yet... He was still in his half-demon form.

He could feel the fatigue creeping into his limbs now, a dull burn that buzzed under his skin. But it wasn’t overwhelming. No collapse. No loss of control. It seemed that, so long as he avoided combat, the form could be sustained for around three to four hours. That, at least for now, was a safe estimate.

Good.

That gave him a solid window for infiltration, ambushes, or rapid scouting in full power mode. It wasn’t perfect. But it was more than most ever got.

Now it was time to test the second part of his plan.

Tave stopped beneath the canopy of a wide, moss-covered tree. He raised his left hand slowly, glancing at the ring now secured on his finger.

It was a trophy taken from the Swamp Hydra.

He channeled a pulse of Gaia Force into it.

Instantly, he felt it activate.

A shift. A sudden sharpness in the air.

The ring began emitting a scent. Subtle but unmistakable to the beasts of this region.

The scent would radiate outward, spreading into the forest, calling monsters in.

And then... It began.

Tave’s instincts surged to full alert. Every fiber of his enhanced senses flaring like lightning across his nerves. He could feel them. Monsters. Dozens of them. Closing in from all directions, drawn by the scent radiating from the ring.

This was it.

Without hesitation, he turned on his heel and bolted, his movements fluid, fast, every step gliding like wind over stone. The forest blurred past him.

A shadow burst from his right. A Charging Lizard.

Tave halted in a flash, letting the beast lunge past him. He pivoted hard, ducked low, and sprinted again just as another creature. A massive beast with claws like spears, leapt toward him from the trees.

A few weeks ago, this would’ve been pure panic.

Back then, he would’ve run for his life, heart pounding in terror, praying not to be torn apart.

And yes, he was still running now. But it wasn’t fear that drove his feet. It was precision. Focus.

Because this demon form had taken his physical abilities to a whole new level. Strength, speed, reflexes. Every part of him had evolved!

How many Gaia Guardians could outrun Tier 5 monsters like this? None. No one would believe it if they heard the tale.

Wings beat the air above him.

A flying monster screeched, shadow passing over the canopy.

Tave pushed harder, leaping over roots, ducking under branches, weaving between trees with inhuman grace. He wasn’t just luring them anymore. He was leading them.

The moment he spotted the entrance to the cave ahead, he didn’t slow.

He raced straight toward it, wind roaring in his ears, the howls and shrieks of monsters chasing his heels. The ground trembled with their stampede.

He could hear their claws skidding against the stone as they scrambled for the entrance, desperate to follow.

Just as he dove into the mouth of the cave, the beasts slammed against the opening, snarling, clawing, thrashing to get through.

As he crossed the threshold into the deeper chamber, he deactivated his sigil. The change was instant. His strength dimmed, his speed dipped, his senses dulled.

But he kept running, pushing through the tunnel, ignoring the pain in his legs.

And then. He leapt.

Straight through the narrow tunnel that connected to the inner sanctuary.

The moment he cleared it, a massive protective shield activated behind him, blazing to life and sealing the entrance with a pulse of pure energy.

Tave rolled across the stone floor of the chamber, breath ragged, adrenaline still spiking.

But he was in.

Tave settled back down, still catching his breath, only to look up and see Elowen standing in front of him, an amused smile playing on her lips.

"Where did you even find the nerve to pull something like that, Tave?" she said with a teasing tone. "You pulled it off. Congrats. But I really doubt you can keep doing this over and over."

Tave smirked faintly, then reached out to take the hand she offered, letting her help him to his feet.

"You think the barrier can hold the monsters back properly?" he asked as he stood.

Elowen raised both eyebrows. "Well, as long as I do nothing else and just chill, I can keep them sealed out for, say... twenty-four hours."

"Twenty-four hours is more than enough to wear them down."

They began walking slowly through the tunnel, side by side, their steps echoing lightly as their voices blended with the quiet hum of the cave.

"So what makes you think they’ll actually weaken just by being trapped out there? And how many did you lure, anyway?"

"I’m not sure," Tave admitted with a casual shrug. "Maybe around nineteen if I had to guess. I wasn’t counting exactly, just estimating."

Elowen gave him a look. "And you’re confident we can take on nineteen monsters?"

Tave exhaled. "Well, worst case? We hide behind your barrier again, right? Besides, you’re the best spellcaster in this team."

"Don’t joke," she replied dryly. "I didn’t sign up for this expedition to die a ridiculous death because of some half-baked plan from a Gaia Guardian."

Tave chuckled. "Too late to complain now, Elowen. You all agreed to follow my plan. So we’re doing this, start to finish."

"Hua... well, it’s not like we have a better option," she sighed. "Just do it, as long as it stays fun."

Tave raised an eyebrow. "You still think this is fun? Is that all that’s ever going on in your head, just enjoying the chaos?"

They kept walking, their pace easy, like they were just wandering through some quiet underground trail instead of preparing for a full-on ambush.

"Do you have a better option than trying to enjoy it?" she replied smoothly.

"Not really," Tave said with a shake of his head. "But seriously, I’ve always wondered what’s going on in that head of yours. How do you manage to keep smiling like this, even now?"

Elowen grinned and shrugged. "Maybe it’s because I don’t overthink like you."

"Must be nice. Not thinking."

She laughed and nudged his shoulder. "Good thing there’s someone like you to overthink for people like me."

"Thanks," Tave said dryly. "I’ll take that as a compliment."