Chapter 56

Kenzo took a slow sip from his water bottle, his eyes fixed on the paths ahead. The air was dry, still, and filled with the faint scent of mineral dust that never seemed to leave this floating hellscape. Once finished, he handed the bottle to a female hunter standing beside him.

Elise accepted it without a word, along with several other empty bottles passed to her by nearby hunters. One by one, they vanished into her storage space, her ability silently absorbing them into a shimmering ripple of light in her palm.

Kenzo let out a long exhale, weariness creeping into his bones despite his hardened demeanor. They had spent the last four days clearing each and every floating, island-sized rock of its inhabitants, the stone giants. All one hundred and seventy-eight floating islands.

The terrain had been unforgiving. Solid rock, no vegetation, no water sources, and certainly no animals. The giants were too dense and inorganic to be considered for consumption. In short, there was nothing to eat or drink, nothing but the emergency rations Elise carried religiously, a habit born of her “personal reasons” that no one ever asked about.

Despite that, morale remained high.

The reason was simple, undeniable now, even for the skeptics.

They were growing stronger.

Everyone felt it. After four days of continuous battles and bloodshed, the change had become impossible to ignore. The hunters had leveled up. Strength surged in their limbs. Skills responded faster. Even the assassins, once overwhelmed and heavily disadvantaged against such dense foes, could now take on multiple stone giants solo.

Growl!

Kenzo glanced sideways. Vivi had joined him, flanking his left with her gauntlets already manifested and gleaming. Beside her padded one of her armour summoned blue-furred lions, ethereal with blue wisps wafting off it.

“Everyone’s ready,” Vivi said calmly, her breath steady despite the exhaustion of the past few days. She rolled her shoulders once, fists clenched. “And so am I.”

Kenzo nodded in response. Then he turned to face the rest of the hunters gathering behind him. “All prepared? Well rested?”

A wave of nods answered him, along with a few tired but determined smiles.

“Good.” He took a breath, his voice rising. “Let’s get the hell out of this dungeon.”

Laughter broke out among the group, subdued but genuine, relief mixed with anticipation.

Behind him stretched two long rope bridges. Each swayed gently in the high-altitude winds, their ends disappearing into the fog as they connected to two of the largest floating islands, massive rock formations that dwarfed all others, looming like twin fortresses in the distance.

The hunters began moving across the left bridge in careful formation: rangers leading the way, tanks behind them, followed by mages, with healers and assassins bringing up the rear.

Kenzo turned to Vivi one last time. “You remember the plan, right? Do not engage, no matter what you see. Scout, report back, then we move together.”

Vivi groaned softly but offered a playful smirk. “Yes, leader. I get it. Now go already. Let’s finish this. I need a bath.”

Kenzo gave a short chuckle, then turned and followed the team across the bridge.

Vivi lingered for a moment before stepping onto the second bridge, heading toward the other massive island, alone.

---

Vivi stepped carefully past the third broken stone pillar, her gaze sweeping across the desolate terrain. The pillars were ancient, fractured with age, and towered high.

“Was there some kind of civilization here?” she muttered, brow furrowing as she continued deeper into the floating island.

Despite her cautious advance, the island remained eerily silent, no monsters, no signs of life. Only dust, weathered stone, and towering structures scattered across the rocky expanse.

More of the massive pillars dotted the landscape, all cracked and leaning slightly, as though time itself had tried to bury their purpose. Each one was easily ten times her height, carved with faded symbols she couldn’t recognize.

“There’s no way this place is actually empty,” Vivi said aloud, though her voice barely broke the stillness.

Then, as she crested a low rise near the island’s center, she saw it.

"A lake!? Here!?"

Down below, nestled beside a perfectly still lake, stood a structure, a shrine-like temple half-sunken in the rocky earth. Its smooth stonework contrasted starkly with the jagged wilderness around it. Ivy curled along its cracked walls, and two statues flanked the entrance, their details long eroded by time.

Vivi paused on the hilltop, eyes fixed on the forgotten temple. Her gauntlets shimmered faintly at her side, reacting to something in the air.

“And there's a temple. A temple?” she whispered, heart beating a little faster now. “This… this has to be it.”

Vivi descended the hill cautiously, her eyes scanning the terrain for traps or hidden threats. The ground here was smoother than the rest of the island, worn flat by time and possibly footsteps, though none had passed here in what looked like centuries. The closer she got to the temple, the more it became obvious that this place had once meant something.

She stopped at the edge of the lake, peering into the glass-like surface. It reflected the sky perfectly, unnaturally still, not a ripple in sight. The water looked deep, bottomless even, but gave off no magical energy. She narrowed her eyes.

Crossing a narrow stone walkway that spanned the water, Vivi stepped onto the main temple grounds. Cracks snaked across the flagstones beneath her boots, weeds poking through where they could. The air felt... thicker here.

“The boss is definitely here,” she muttered.

The temple stood before her, worn but proud. Its roof had partially collapsed on one side, and the ivy that draped over it seemed more like a shroud than decoration. The double doors were half-open, revealing only shadows inside. She didn’t approach them yet. Instead, her attention was drawn to the towering figure just to the right of the entrance.

A six-metre-tall statue stood in solemn silence.

It was a peacock.

More accurately, a humanoid figure with the head and long tail of a peacock, draped in flowing stone robes that moved as if they were carved mid-motion. Its feathers flared out behind it like a royal fan, every plume etched with painstaking detail. A crest of what looked like a crown rested on its avian head, and its wings were folded in prayer.

Vivi stared for a moment.

Its presence was commanding, almost regal. Its beak was shut in solemnity, eyes narrowed in carved serenity. Power radiated from it, yet it was not magic.

She blinked, shook her head. “Okay, you're fancy, I get it,” she said under her breath.

And just like that, she moved past it without another glance.

Her attention returned to the temple. She circled it first, taking the long way around. On the far side, she found broken stone slabs arranged in a semi-circle. Possibly an old altar, now destroyed. Strange, faded murals were carved along the rear wall, faint images of people bowing to towering figures, one of which had the shape of the peacock statue.

Vivi tilted her head. “A god, maybe? Worship site? Cult? Humans worshipping monsters?”

She took a step closer. In the center of the carvings was a single black symbol, still glossy and untouched by time. It wasn’t any script she recognized. She reached out to touch it, but her gauntlet pulsed with heat.

She recoiled. “Okay... not touching that.”

Finishing her loop, she returned to the front of the temple. The doors remained slightly ajar, as if inviting her in. She didn’t enter, yet.

“Looks like there's nothing here after all,” she said quietly. “Really thought the boss would be here...”

She paused.

Behind her, the lake rippled.

Vivi turned slowly, one hand flexing as her gauntlet lit up in soft blue flame.

The lake stilled again. As if nothing had happened.

She narrowed her eyes and lowered her arm. “...the wind maybe?”

She turned back to the doors of the temple, and froze.

The statue was gone.

A chill slid down her spine. Instinctively, Vivi stepped back. "Ah. So it’s that type of boss? Great. This already sucks." She muttered, her voice low and dry with annoyance. "Better report back. Not dealing with any horror-type bullshit today."

She spun on her heel and jogged toward the stone walkway that spanned the lake, her armored boots echoing softly against the ancient path.

Halfway across, she stopped.

At the far end of the walkway, the statue stood, except it wasn’t how she remembered it.

It was leaning forward now. Both wings drooped low, their tips barely grazing the stone tiles. Its long tail feathers were folded beneath it, resting almost like a seated predator awaiting command.

Vivi narrowed her eyes and took a cautious step forward.

The statue stirred.

Wings unfurled slowly, the heavy feathers dragging against the stone with an ominous rasp. The tail lifted too, spreading open in a graceful but unsettling fan of carved stone.

Then, without warning, the peacock exploded into motion.

It reared to its full, towering height, wings flared wide, and its radiant tail fanned out like a ceremonial display. The sheer force of its movement unleashed a shockwave that tore across the lake, churning the water violently and throwing up bursts of mist.

Vivi slid back from the blast, boots grinding against the stone, but she didn’t fall.

Instead, she straightened with a grin tugging at her lips.

"Alright," she said, gauntlets gleaming under the fading light, "guess I am dealing with horror shit today."

The peacock opened its eyes, and unlike the rest of its body, its eyes were not made of stone, but a blue and green jewel.

Vivi's right hand bloomed into flames. "I'm sure Kenzo will understand. You're so strong, I can feel it in the air. I'm not losing this opportunity."

---

Name: Vivi Hachibana

Level: 81

Job Class: IGNIVAR (STR+30, VIT+40, AGI+20, DEX+10, INT+30)

HP: 8400 / 8400

MP: 2590 / 2590

Status: Exhaustion (Low)

Attributes:

STR: 159

VIT: 216

AGI: 151

DEX: 154

INT: 199

Physical Damage Resistance: 20%

Equipment:

Nimba's Cradle (AGI +15, INT +15, DEX +5)

Nimba's Grasp (INT +10, DEX +10)

Nimba's Stride (AGI +10, VIT +5, INT +10)

Nimba's Steps (AGI +10, DEX +10)

Fahjin {Gauntlet} (STR +30, ATK +200, DEX +20)

Skills:

Fire Generation, Fire Reinforcement, Flash Fire Fist, Flame Spear, Detonate, MP Boost (S) INT+20, MP Cost Down (S), MP Recovery Speed Boost (M), Magic Boost (M), Eruption, Flare Impetus, Incendion, Burning Spirit, Martial Arts Style: Sol Ignitus. Blue Fire. Paralyze Nullification. Stun Nullification. Burn Nullification. Freeze Resist. Chain Fire. Pyre. Insight.

SP (Party Leader Use Only): 0

---

SKREEEEEE!!

The peacock screeched, the sound shrill and thunderous as it launched itself toward her in a burst of impossible speed.

Vivi’s left hand lit up with flame, the fire crackling to life in response to her will. Without hesitation, she sprinted forward to meet the creature head-on, trails of fire blazing behind her with every step.

Her hands wove a quick sequence in the air, flames spiraling into a tight, pulsing core. In one sharp movement, she thrust the sphere of gathered fire toward the creature’s chest.

But the peacock was faster.

With a single sweep of its massive wings, it carved a slab of stone from the ground and raised it like a shield. The flaming orb collided against it a heartbeat later, erupting in a violent explosion of red-hot energy.

The blast scorched the air, but the stone was barely singed.

'Flame-resistant stone?' Vivi thought, narrowing her eyes.

She didn’t waste a second. Reaching into the very heart of the explosion, she grabbed the fire itself and tore it apart, using the force to pull herself through. Her body blurred through the smoke and flame just in time to intercept a vicious claw strike.

Steel clashed with steel as she blocked the blow, the impact sending sparks into the air. She responded with a swift kick, but the peacock twisted, catching it and deflecting her momentum.

Vivi didn’t falter. She spun through the air, using the momentum of her deflected kick, but the peacock followed smoothly, its wing arcing in a deadly slash toward her neck.

She bent backward in mid-air, narrowly dodging the edge of the razor-like feather. It sliced across her forehead, parting skin with surgical ease. Blood ran down the side of her face.

From beneath the walkway, water surged upward in a wide arc, following the path of the wing like a mirrored strike.

Her eyes widened. 'It’s not just earth-type?'

Still mid-dodge, her balance thrown off, she had no time to evade the secondary strike.

SKREEEEEEEEE!!!

The peacock screeched again, this time into the flowing arc of water.

Shockwaves burst forth from its throat, rippling through the stream. The water detonated into a compressed blast of wind and force.

BOOM!

The impact hit Vivi squarely in the chest.

CRASH!!

Her body flew backwards, smashing into the stone walkway. She went through it, through block after block of ancient stone, each impact cracking the air like thunder.

By the time she stopped, half the bridge lay in ruins, and she sunk into the lake.

And the peacock was still watching her.