Tave had finally reached level 20. A significant milestone that left him only a breath away from breaking into level 21. And once he crossed that threshold, he would ascend to the revered stage of a Gaia Guardian. It was no small step. It was a transformation.

  For a Gaia Awakener, reaching the Gaia Guardian stage was nothing short of extraordinary. It meant unlocking the ability to channel Gaia Force as elemental magic, not just internally, but outside the body. Into the world itself. With that, came a whole new tier of abilities, rare and powerful. Reaching this stage didn’t just elevate one's strength. It could multiply it exponentially, changing the bance of power entirely.

  Ideally, Tave and the team would continue their push, clearing out more monsters within the rift expedition. Each victory would give Tave more space to grow, more chances to inch closer to that next evolution. And once he joined the ranks of the Gaia Guardians, just like some of the others. Their team's overall strength would surge. Not just incrementally, but dramatically. It could be the edge they needed.

  But time was no longer their ally. Overhead, in the sky that looked endlessly high and impossibly wide, something unnatural had begun to appear. A crack, barely visible, yet spreading steadily, ran across the heavens like a spiderweb fracture on gss. It was subtle, almost ghostlike, but unmistakable. The sky itself seemed to be coming apart, betraying the illusion. It was the sign. The rift was beginning to destabilize.

  This wasn’t a real world they were in, after all. Lower-tier rifts like this one functioned more like simutions, fragmented, pocket-sized dimensions that mimicked reality but never quite captured its depth. These rifts had edges, boundaries, and limits. Unlike the boundless nature of the true world outside.

  And now, with that fracture forming in the sky above, the signs were clear: the rift was reaching its breaking point. Time was running out.

  If they failed to bring down the boss monster in time, the rift would colpse. Everything within would reset. And worse, the dangers would escate. The creatures, the energy, the destruction, it wouldn’t stay contained. It would spill out, bursting through into the real world beyond.

  And that was not a risk they could afford. Rift colpses, even from a tier 3 rift, had proven devastating. Powerful enough to level half a city. The consequences were real, irreversible. And that was why, no matter what, they had to finish this. Fast. Before the crack in the sky became a tear too wide to mend.

  ***

  The team of eight gathered at high noon, standing at the threshold of what would be their final challenge. Everything had led to this moment. This was the battle that would determine their fate. Whether they emerged victorious… or whether this day would mark the end of them all.

  Tave led the way, his steps steady as he moved to the front. They entered the cave through a narrow, almost hidden passage. Each footstep echoed sharply, the sound of their breath unnaturally loud against the stone walls. There was a kind of silence here that pressed in around them. Thick, heavy, different. It felt like the air itself was holding its breath.

  Fang had already darted ahead. Earlier, Tave had mapped out the entire corridor using Fang’s vision, scanning for traps, pressure triggers, or any signs of an ambush. Everything had looked clear. They were supposed to be ready for anything.

  And then, it hit him!

  Tave’s instincts screamed. Without thinking, his body froze mid-step. He stopped cold.

  Instantly, the rest of the team halted behind him, their bodies tensing just as a flurry of arrows exploded from the cave walls. They came from both sides. Fast, sharp, and far too close… Cutting through the space right in front of Tave’s face.

  Some he dodged just in time. Others grazed his armor, cttering to the floor with a chilling ring.

  "Damn it… you said there weren’t any traps in here?" Elias was the first to speak.

  "Tave, are you okay?" Oriana’s voice broke the tension, soft but ced with concern.

  "Yeah... I'm fine," Tave replied, steadying his breath.

  No one moved. The team remained frozen in pce, waiting. Either for the next trap or for someone to give a signal.

  "Elias," Tave said, turning slightly, "I think this one’s your job."

  Elias didn’t look thrilled. His expression twisted into a reluctant scowl as he raised his hands and began forming a series of precise hand seals. The motions were fluid, practiced, and then, with a faint shimmer, something began to emerge from him.

  A rush of water spilled outward, swirling rapidly before taking form beside him. In seconds, the liquid mass molded itself into a copy of Elias. Fluid, translucent, yet moving like a living person.

  Without a word, the water-formed duplicate stepped forward, walking past Tave and into the trap-den corridor. Its movements were natural, almost eerie in their resembnce to the original.

  The moment it crossed the threshold, the walls reacted again. Panels creaked open just enough to unch another barrage of arrows, aimed with deadly precision. The projectiles smmed into the water form, bursting it apart in a sptter that sprayed cold droplets across Tave’s face.

  He grimaced, quickly covering his mouth to keep any of the strange liquid from getting in.

  "Take it easy, Tave," Elias called casually. "That’s not my bodily fluid."

  "Ugh, that made it so much worse, Elias!" Oriana shot back, recoiling.

  They all watched as the water copy moved steadily forward, arrows and traps hammering it from all directions. The cave walls seemed alive. Launching relentless attacks that tore into the duplicate again and again.

  Yet the water form didn’t stop. It pressed on, unfazed, even as chunks of its body spshed away with each hit. It was losing mass quickly, but it didn’t flinch, didn’t falter. It had no need to.

  "Why didn’t the traps activate when Fang passed through?" Elias’s voice rang out from behind Tave.

  Tave paused, just for a moment. He knew the answer. Some traps were smart. Smart enough to detect mass, shape, or even the type of energy signature stepping on them. But expining all of that would mean revealing more than he wanted to.

  "Maybe…" Tave began slowly, choosing his words, "Maybe because Fang isn’t an original member of the expedition?"

  There was a silence. Then Elias let out a dry, annoyed sigh.

  "That… is incredibly annoying," he muttered.

  "More like…" Oriana spoke, and everyone turned toward her. "More like the rift is just really smart, isn’t it?"

  "No. This rift is just an asshole," Orion replied ftly.

  Their eyes shifted back to the corridor where the water form pressed on, enduring the constant assault. Without hesitation, Elias formed another copy, sending it forward to shield the first.

  Tave stepped forward again. Still, nothing happened. No arrows, no hidden triggers springing to life. Seeing it was safe, the rest of the team began to follow. He might’ve looked like a scout, but at that moment, he felt more like a living test subject than anything else.

  Still, if anyone was going to walk through this hell and survive, it was Tave. Out of them all, only he had instincts sharp enough to sense danger before it struck. That wasn’t luck. It was his Bloodline Override in action. A gift that had saved his life more than once.

  They moved carefully through the winding cave corridor, the journey stretching on for hours. It was long and grueling. Not because of the distance, but because of the traps. So many of them only activated when someone came close, making every step a gamble.

  "Let’s just blow up the whole cave and be done with it!" Orion shouted now and then, clearly agitated, his voice echoing down the stone hall. The urge to fight was practically itching under his skin.

  "You dumbass. You’d bury all of us alive if you did that!" Oriana snapped back instantly.

  "No worries. I’ll survive, and finish the rift solo."

  "Idiot. You’d better shut up before I tie you up again," Oriana growled.

  "Try it if you dare, Oriana!" Orion barked, and once more, the rest of the group sighed. The two never seemed capable of making it through five minutes without a fight.

  And then… they saw it.

  A faint but steadily growing light at the end of the tunnel. Brighter than anything they’d seen so far. This was it. The real challenge y ahead.

  This wasn’t going to be simple.

  Demons were intelligent creatures. Not like the usual mindless monsters they’d fought so far. Especially not the final boss of a rift. This opponent wouldn’t fall to brute force alone. There would be trickery. Traps. Manipution. Nothing about what they were about to face belonged in a low-tier rift.

  They stepped into a vast chamber, where glowing crystals embedded in the walls bathed the space in an eerie, shifting light.

  Ten towering statues, each nearly twice the height of an average person, stood in a circle around the room. At the center y a massive circur ptform, etched with an intricate magical pattern.

  What were they about to face here?