The Author's Viewpoint

Chapter 117 - Dreams of Wings

Chapter 117: Chapter 117 - Dreams of Wings[ Name: Tave ]

[ Level - Stage: 25 - Gaia Guardian ]

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

[ Sigils: Shadow Cloak | Hellforge Form ]

[ Relics: The Flamebound Seraph ]

[ Echoes: None ]

[ Pacts: None ]

Tave stared at his status window, eyes wide, lips parted slightly in awe. He was completely absorbed, borderline dazed by the updates now glowing on the screen in front of him.

And yeah... unfortunately, the effects of the Bloodline Override weren’t fully reflected in the window. The system could barely comprehend or categorize something like this. But still, the signs were there. Clear, undeniable.

He’d leveled up, twice.

And more than that... he was now halfway to becoming a Gaia Master. That alone was massive. The kind of progress that would take most people months.

If only the process could be repeated as easily as leveling up a skill.

But no.

It didn’t work that way.

Bloodline Override wasn’t something you could just spam. If he tried it again with the same type of creature, or worse, the same level of demon. The effectiveness would drop drastically. And there was a high chance he’d develop... A resonance backlash. Something dangerous. A curse locked into the very fabric of his soul.

So if he ever wanted to attempt another override in the future, he had to be smart. Very smart. He’d need a creature even more powerful than the one he just sacrificed. Stronger. Preferably A Named Demon, if that was even possible.

Still. Just the thought made his pulse rise.

Now, he had two sigils. The original one, and now Hellforge Form. But where exactly was the new sigil located on his body?

He was still figuring that out when he noticed something.

Panpan.

She was right in front of him now. Close enough that he could see the shimmer in her eyes. And she was looking directly into his eyes.

"Tave. Are you... okay?"

"Who are you!"

Panpan froze, eyes wide. "...Tave?"

Then he smiled faintly, because it was quite funny to see Panpan’s response.

Panpan chuckled quietly, her smile warm but cautious.

"Good... it’s still the same Tave," she said gently. "I was starting to wonder."

Tave took a deep breath and brushed the dust off his clothes, then instinctively reached up to his forehead, fingers

He needed to be absolutely sure.

Tave raised his left hand, testing the flow of his Soul Fire. Instantly, dark flames ignited from his palm. This time flaring nearly twice as large as before. A subtle smirk touched his lips. Yes, this was good. This was power.

If he pushed harder, he could make the flames roar even higher. What he held now was just the safe limit. What his core could handle without strain.

But then he pushed it further.

The fire surged, licking up his entire palm, coiling in black tendrils that radiated with raw, sinister energy. He could feel it clearly. The weight, the heat, the potential devastation packed behind every flicker.

With this Soul Fire, he could kill more efficiently. Trap his enemies in suffering. Drag them into the deepest corners of the abyss and burn away every last hope they had.

He wouldn’t hold back.

He shut the fire off with a snap of his fingers and let out a slow, satisfied breath.

Then, his eyes drifted toward the demon’s corpse lying motionless on the ground.

"We loot this demon," he muttered.

He crouched beside the body, his hands moving quickly. The armor was damaged but still intimidating, still worth checking. And then, something caught his eye.

A ring.

A storage ring?

Tave slipped it off the demon’s finger, examining it for a brief second before a grin curved on his face.

"Let’s hope this demon left us something worth bringing home," he said under his breath.