Chapter 122 - Low Blaze
The true purpose of a Rift Expedition for Gaia Awakeners had always been clear, rapid progress. By diving into high-intensity combat against relentless monsters, they forced their bodies and minds to adapt, evolve, and break through limitations. The environment itself was their enemy: harsh, unforgiving, and constantly demanding survival through strategy and strength.
There were no exits. No easy way out.
Win or die. That was the reality.
But things took a far crueler turn when fate dumped them into an Emergency Rift. Here, it wasn’t just difficult. It was brutal. Unfair. A misstep means death.
Still, there was one way forward: hunt. Keep hunting. Kill monsters in large numbers. Use their remains for resources, growth, and power. It was a grim cycle, but it worked.
Tave’s strategy, reckless as it seemed, only worked because of one critical factor: the cave. A perfectly chosen trap.
The monsters, lured inside by the scent from the Hydra’s ring, found themselves in a place thick with Lunaris Bloom. Here, their senses dulled. Their instincts faltered. The elemental density and the strange effects of the flowers slowly drained their vitality.
And the team, prepared, and well-coordinated, took full advantage.
With the cave system mapped and every tunnel logged, and with Tave and Fang’s expert scouting, the team launched their operation twenty hours later.
By then, the monsters were weakened, disoriented, and boxed in.
Working as a unit, they moved efficiently through the tunnels. Fang took point, darting through the cave paths to detect movement and signal positions. Tave led the main strike team.