CHAPTER 167: CHAPTER 167 - POWER IN PIECES

How long had Tave been asleep? Days, maybe? He woke with a body that felt completely restored, like every fiber of his being had finally caught up on months of exhaustion. For a moment, he winced, his head still ached faintly from the sleep deficit. But the pain quickly faded.

Sunlight poured through the window, casting warm light across the room. He exhaled in relief, then walked over and pushed the window open wide.

Fresh air swept in, cool and clean. It was something he hadn’t felt for so long inside the rift.

Even as the calm settled around him, he knew. It wouldn’t last forever.

He sighed, pulled up the nearest chair, and summoned his status window.

[ Name: Tave ]

[ Level - Stage: 33 - Gaia Master ]

[ Elements: Blaze (Medium) | Shadow (Medium) | Soul Fire (Low) | Netherblaze Flames (Low) ]

[ Sigils: Shadow Cloak | Hellforge Form ]

[ Relics: Destinova (The Flamebound Seraph) | Nameless Hollow (Shadow Wolf) ]

[ Echoes: Verdant Sin (Dormant) ]

[ Pacts: Vanya ]

Well... he couldn’t help but feel a surge of satisfaction. Every attribute on his Gaia status was now fully filled. Though, the Echo section still flashed "Dormant."

Just as he had suspected, simply rescuing Vanya from the emergency rift hadn’t been enough to persuade the World Tree to grant him its Echo.

Did Tave truly have to go that far? To change fate entirely? To ensure the survival of the Vensalor Kingdom?

It seemed like that was the only path forward. The only way to unlock this Echo.

The weight of that kind of destiny... It was staggering. Monumental.

Because... even now, demons had breached the Dissidia Kingdom’s borders. The numbers were still low, and the demons involved appeared to be low-ranking Named Demon.

But when the next wave of chaos came, it would be worse. Much worse. And this was already a sign. A warning that things were moving too fast. And that somewhere, they would find another way into Yunatea.

He reached for a sheet of paper and a pen, then began scribbling across the surface. Notes, thoughts, sketches of power and potential.

Tave weighed his options carefully, considering how to develop himself further now that he fully understood his status and abilities.

He had two Advanced Elements: Shadow and Blaze. And two merged elements, Soul Fire and Netherblaze Flames.

Then there was Fang, his companion, skilled in scouting, deadly in execution, and able to enhance Tave in combat by acting as a second layer of armor.

But the two merged elements... Well, they came with vastly different properties. Soul Fire could be applied directly to an enemy, sticking to them and consuming their soul over time. Though the price Tave paid for using it wasn’t cheap.

Netherblaze Flames, on the other hand, was a wide-area element. Devastating, chaotic, with a mental-damaging effect that could break weaker opponents just by exposure.

He also possessed a relic that allowed him to alter his appearance—morphing his face based on those he had killed. And his sword relic... it granted him Gaia Wings, impressive regeneration, and immense fire damage potential.

Looking over it all, Tave found himself torn—caught between the promise of a shadowy assassin’s path and the raw, destructive flash of overwhelming area damage.

He needed to rethink his fighting style, his role in the team. Because if he spread himself too thin—dabbling in everything, mastering nothing. He risked becoming the kind of fighter that was good at many things... but strong at none.

A jack of all trades. A king of nothing.

Looking at Tave’s combat style so far... one thing was clear: he truly excelled in darkness. But that, too, came with its limitations. His full potential as an assassin only revealed itself at night or in areas blanketed with shadows. In broad daylight or open spaces, that strength was severely diminished. Assassination tactics became nearly unusable.

Still, he wasn’t without options. His raw damage output remained formidable, thanks to his mastery of Blaze elements.

On top of that, his regeneration abilities gave him the resilience to sustain himself during prolonged fights—without constantly relying on a support or healer.

Though, of course, handling everything on his own quickly drained his stamina. It wasn’t a sustainable strategy for long.

So... what did he really need to push himself to the next level?

Did he require a single-target, high-damage skill? Something that could eliminate a foe quickly and silently?

Or should he double down on raw area damage, becoming the type who could wipe out entire squads in a single, overwhelming wave?

Or perhaps... he needed to invest in defense. Reinforce himself enough to fight on the front lines and lead others from the front?

He already had Gaia Wings, he could fly. But as a Gaia Master, he couldn’t maintain flight for long durations. His current build wasn’t designed to carry that kind of weight for extended periods.

The wings, however, were invaluable for mobility. On the ground, especially at night, he could move at high speed, and when needed, he could take to the skies. At the very least, he had reliable escape tools.

And in battle, escape was just as important as attack. Mobility, retreat options, the chance to reposition and re-strategize... Those were everything.

Another thing Tave had to consider was his Sigil, Hellforge Form. A major asset in any serious battle. When activated, it allowed him to transform into a demonic form, drastically boosting his power and capabilities.

But clearly, this wasn’t something he could reveal openly. It was his ace, a hidden trump card meant for moments of true desperation, or for infiltration, disguise, or a swift and unexpected escape.

For now, he didn’t need to worry about what abilities his Echo might eventually grant him. That power was still dormant, not yet fully awakened.

No, there were far more immediate things he needed to explore. He had to prepare for whatever scenarios the future might throw at him. The enemies he might face.

He needed to stay one step ahead. Always. It would be a waste to sit on all this knowledge and not use it to become stronger, and fast.

Tave paused, thoughts drifting.

What if... he hunted down the Named Demon?

If he could defeat that guy, he could use its body to trigger another bloodline override. Using a Named Demon as the source? That would massively upgrade his current demon bloodline.

Only... Why was he hesitating?

Because the particular Named Demon he had in mind... had a horse’s head.

Tave’s face twisted with distaste at the thought. No. No, absolutely not. He wasn’t about to end up with some twisted horse-headed trait.

Yeah... maybe he should cancel that plan altogether. There had to be a better option for his next bloodline override. Something that didn’t involve hooves and a muzzle.

Honestly, he was already lucky that no wolf-like features had shown up in his physical form. Even though transforming into a werewolf sounded cooler than it probably should, it was still leagues better than ending up with a horse’s head. At least werewolves had style, right?

Maybe what he really needed was to go on another hunt. Track down a wolf-type monster with a higher tier. An Epic-grade, or even something beyond that.

Of course, finding such a creature in the Dissidia Kingdom would be no small feat. Rare beasts like that weren’t just roaming around waiting to be claimed.

He sighed, remembering something he had pushed aside after reaching Gaia Master level.

The reward from Echelon Chest IV.