Once I had defeated the monster leaders, I allowed myself a day of rest. But the excitent—and a gnawing sense of curiosity—quickly got the better of . I couldn’t contain the urge to push my limits any further. The recent victories against the monster leaders had filled with a dangerous confidence. I felt certain I could take down the vulture-like beasts, too.
That day, I was seated inside the cave, ditating, trying to recover the mana I had spent during the battles. The stillness of the space offered so peace—until I noticed movent near the entrance.
Lilith.
She stepped inside the cave quietly, and for a mont, I was genuinely baffled.
"When... when did she leave?" I muttered, startled.
"Lilith," I breathed out, almost in disbelief. After all this ti, it seed like the Spirit Amulet was finally working. Or so I thought.
But just as quickly as hope had filled , it vanished. She returned to her usual posture—expressionless and detached, like a puppet waiting for a command. There hadn’t been a flicker of will in her eyes. Still, the fact that she had moved without instruction left confused.
When did she start moving on her own? I questioned inwardly. Was she always able to do so... or had I simply failed to notice until now?
The second possibility seed more likely. I had been too focused—my thoughts consud by a singular goal: the Dragon’s Heart. I realized that, even after all this ti, I couldn’t recall her ever attending to nature’s call. I always left her in safe zones whenever I went scouting or hunting through the deeper floors.
She would eat silently beside when I prepared als, and I had brushed off her passive behavior without thinking much of it.
Still, that brief flicker of action from her stirred sothing in .
I don’t know what gave the confidence—maybe it was instinct—but despite not being fully recovered, I found myself leaving the cave and heading back into the forest. I made my way toward an open field, and upon arriving, I used mana manipulation to erase my presence from the surroundings, blending into the natural mana currents of the area.
Luck was on my side—or so I believed.
A group of vultures was gathered on the ground, feasting on the carcass of a fallen sabertooth. These beasts weren’t hunters by nature. They fed on the dead, resorting to actual combat only when desperation forced their hand. Seeing them grounded like this was rare, and I recognized the opportunity it presented.
Perfect.
I crept closer, using the terrain to my advantage—thick roots, broken tree trunks, and uneven patches of brush kept hidden from sight. Their attention remained on the al before them, and I moved silently, slowly closing the distance.
But just as I prepared to launch my surprise attack, a sharp, piercing cry rang out from above.
I froze.
My eyes shot upward—and that’s when I saw it. One of the vultures had been circling high in the sky, acting as a sentry.
Damn it.
The alarm cry was all it took. Instantly, the entire flock spread their wings and launched themselves into the air, abandoning the sabertooth’s corpse below. All my careful maneuvers—every stealth tactic I’d set into motion—were rendered useless in a matter of seconds.
All that energy... wasted.
I felt a twinge of disappointnt rise in my chest, quickly replaced by a cold focus.
"So that’s how it is," I muttered under my breath. "Then I guess you’ll have to pay for that."
Without hesitation, I activated Frost Wings, and in an instant, translucent wings of pure ice unfurled from my back. Mana surged through my body, and I took to the skies, chasing after the flock that had dared to slip from my grasp.
The cold wind howled past my ears as I ascended into the sky, chasing the vultures. Frost Wings beat against the rising currents, each flap steady but demanding. I had flown before, yes—but never like this. Not in battle. Not against enemies who called the sky their domain.
They wheeled through the air effortlessly, soaring and diving with precision, while I still felt like a visitor in their world—out of rhythm, out of place.
I caught up to them just as they began to circle in a tight spiral above the trees, their predatory eyes now locked on . I had interrupted their feast. Now I have beco their next target.
They dove together—ten to fifteen of them—like coordinated blades falling from heaven.
The first strike ca fast. Too fast.
I twisted, barely managing to parry a razor-sharp talon with an ice wall. The force sent spiraling sideways. My shoulder throbbed from the impact as I righted myself midair, flaring Frost Wings wide to stabilize.
A second vulture struck from above, beak glowing faintly with mana. I shot a shard of ice upward in reflex. It pierced its left wing, forcing it to retreat—but not before another managed to rake my leg with its talons.
I had used ice embodint which saved from the injury
Tch... they’re faster than I thought.
I couldn’t rely on ground tactics here. No footholds. No terrain. Only the endless sky and shifting winds.
The air thinned the higher we climbed. My breathing grew heavier. My mana, already not fully replenished, had to work harder to sustain the wings while also casting spells.
The third and fourth vultures attacked in unison. I summoned a wide Frozen Gust, sending a burst of chilling wind in their path. One was pushed back, its wings stiffened midflight. The other swerved and ca dangerously close.
That was when I switched tactics.
If I couldn’t overpower them in speed, I’d outmaneuver them in unpredictability.
I channeled my mana—Shadow Cryomancy, the dual art. My body blurred into a mist of black ice, vanishing briefly before reforming behind one of the vultures mid-flight.
It barely had ti to scream before a jagged Ice Lance burst through its back.
The flock shrieked, breaking formation.
I didn’t stop.
I moved from shadow to shadow, flickering through the fading clouds as if I were part of the sky. My wings grew heavier with each second, but I pushed forward. Another cry, another wing shattered by a spinning disk of sharpened ice. One by one, I clipped them from the sky.
The final two tried to flee—but I wouldn’t allow it.
I surged upward, conjuring a halo of Shadow Chains, then fired them down—laced with freezing mist. They latched onto the fleeing beasts, freezing their wings solid in midair. They fell, helpless, their screeches fading into the forest below.
Silence returned. Only the wind and the faint hum of mana remained.
I hovered there for a mont, chest rising and falling with each strained breath. My wings flickered, unstable now. The cost had been high and they were not strong as he felt, when he first entered the floor sothing was missing. They were not really as strong as they felt when i entered hence I was preparing to leave and look for the floor boss to challenge it. When a familiar aura entered the scene, I was sure it was the sa as the one I felt when I entered,
so I turned around to confront it.
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