Light flared, then the world snapped into place. A wide expanse of grassland stretched in all directions, hills rolling like waves frozen mid-motion. The air was sharp and clean, carrying the faint trace of wildflowers beneath an undertone of iron.

  The Gaia System’s message appeared:

  [Welcome to the Harpy’s Nest – Hard Mode.]

  [Monster Levels: 5–15.]

  [Objective: Defeat the dungeon boss.]

  “Well, it seems we are in a grassland this time no trees to obscure our vision this time.” Veldora said.

  “let’s start searching for the monsters, they won’t be coming to us.” Sora replied slightly teasing Veldora.

  They pressed forward, grass brushing against their legs, the occasional gust carrying the faint sound of wings. The first encounter came quick—two shapes broke from the sky, diving fast with shrill cries. Young harpies. One larger, feathers mottled dark at the edges, the other leaner and still patchy in places.

  “Level five and six,” Ciel said under his breath as their status tags flickered into view.

  Veldora slammed his shield against the ground with a roar. “Taunt!”

  The skill pulsed outward, drawing the harpies into a reckless dive straight at him.

  Ciel’s figure blurred—Shift carried him upward in a flash of light. He reappeared behind the first harpy, mana gathering into his blade. One clean arc of steel and shimmering light carved across its chest. The creature shrieked once before collapsing into the grass.

  The second harpy veered, angling for Veldora’s exposed flank—only for Sora’s voice to cut sharp through the wind. “Chaos Bolt!”

  A spiralling dart of unstable black flame ripped from her staff, tearing through the creature mid-flight. It crashed to the ground, feathers still soldering. Then came the kill notification.

  [2 young harpies Defeated.]

  [Experience shared within party]

  The air stilled. Ciel exhaled slowly, then extended a hand. Both corpses shimmered faintly before vanishing into his realm.

  A pair of messages flickered before his eyes:

  [Biomass Acquired: 108 Units.]

  [Biomass Acquired: 76 Units.]

  His brows furrowed. “…That’s strange. Same tier monsters, but the one sora killed gave less biomass.”

  Sora tilted her head, uneasy. “Because of me?”

  He nodded slightly. “The body I struck was intact. Yours… not so much it was eroded by your spell. It seems this time you will need to be on passive”

  Sora replied jokingly, “Ok, I will be leeching exp from both of you but if situation gets bad I will be joining in okay.”

  “Fine let’s get moving.” Replied Ciel.

  The grass whispered around them as they pushed deeper into the hills. The cries came before the shadows—five young harpies breaking from the sky, circling once before diving in unison.

  “Flock this time,” Sora muttered.

  “This one is mine,” Veldora grunted, slamming his shield forward. “Taunt!”

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  A ripple of force burst outward, the harpies screeching as their eyes locked on him. All five dove recklessly, talons stretched wide.

  Ciel vanished in a shimmer of light. Shift. He reappeared behind the first harpy and cut it down in a clean stroke.

  Again, his body flickered. Shift. The second fell before it even realized he was there.

  The third shrieked, trying to veer away, but Ciel was already behind it. Shift. One more slash, one more body collapsing.

  The fourth tried to climb higher—too late. Shift. His mana blade drove through its back, pinning it to the earth.

  Four corpses dropped into the grass almost simultaneously, feathers scattering.

  The last harpy floundered in panic, wings thrashing as it tried to rise again. Ciel stepped aside, lowering his sword. “That one is all yours.”

  Veldora didn’t hesitate. He surged forward, shield catching the harpy mid-scream. The impact cracked bones; his follow-up bash drove it into the dirt, lifeless.

  The world stilled, and the Gaia System’s message appeared:

  [5 Young Harpies Defeated.]

  [Loot Acquired – White Mana Stone ×3.]

  [Experience shared within the party.]

  [Level Up! – Veldora Greyson – Level 6.]                         [Level Up! – Sora Laurance – Level 4.]

  Veldora blinked, then grinned wide. “Ha! Finally moving up.” He lifted his shield as if to toast the fallen harpies.

  Sora smirked faintly. “At this rate, second awakening is not that far.”

  Ciel exhaled slowly, then extended a hand. All the corpses shimmered faintly before vanishing.

  A number of messages flickered before his eyes:

  [Biomass Acquired: 117 Units.]

  [Biomass Acquired: 106 Units.]                             [Biomass Acquired: 114 Units.]                            [Biomass Acquired: 105 Units.]                                    [Biomass Acquired: 122 Units.]

  Ciel checked the total he had gathered till now.

  [Total biomass: 748/10000 Units.]

  Their path carried them over a rise, and the air thickened with the sound of wings. Three shapes cut across the sky, broader and heavier than the fledglings they had faced. Their feathers gleamed with a darker sheen, claws longer, beaks sharper.

  “Adults,” Sora murmured. “Levels nine to eleven.”

  The trio split as the harpies descended. Two broke toward Ciel, the third straight for Veldora.

  Ciel moved without hesitation, mana flooding his limbs. The first harpy dove low—Shift. He was above it, blade plunging down between its wings. It shrieked once before vanishing into his realm. The second came from his blind side, talons extended—Shift. He reappeared to its flank, his blade arcing clean across its throat.

  On the other side, Veldora caught his target’s claws on his shield, the impact ringing out like steel. He shoved upward with brute force, breaking its rhythm, then drove his shield forward. Shield Bash. Bone cracked, and the harpy tumbled limp into the grass.

  The System’s glow answered:

  [3 Adult Harpies Defeated.]

  [Loot Acquired – White Mana Stone ×4.]

  [Experience shared within the party.]

  [Level Up! – Ciel Nova – Level 4.]

  Ciel exhaled slowly, the faint glow fading from his frame. His grip tightened on his sword. Step by step.

  He absorbed the corpses and gained four hundred and seventy more units of biomass.

  They pressed onward, the sky seeming darker as more shadows circled. This time a full flock descended—seven harpies screaming as they came in a wave.

  “Big one,” Veldora warned, bracing himself.

  Ciel’s eyes sharpened. “I’ll handle it.”

  His form blurred into motion. Shift. One fell with a stroke across its chest. Shift. Another pierced through the heart. Shift. Shift. Shift. He carved through the flock like a phantom, every reappearance marked by another body crashing into the grass. The air filled with feathers and the sound of cut wings.

  When the last shriek faded, only silence and seven corpses remained.

  The System’s message pulsed again:

  [7 adult Harpies Defeated.]

  [Loot Acquired – White Mana Stone ×5.]

  [Experience shared within the party.]

  [Level Up! – Veldora Greyson – Level 7.]

  Veldora let out a low whistle. “You’re a damn storm, Ciel. I barely got to blink before it was over.”

  Sora nodded, though her eyes lingered on the carnage. “Hard Mode, and you’re cutting through it like paper, what a monster you are.”

  Ciel didn’t answer, only drew a steady breath as the feathers settled. The fights were victories, but the pressure of Hard Mode was mounting. And the deeper they went, the stronger the wings waiting in the sky would become.