The satisfaction of his victory was short-lived. From the dark, winding tunnels high in the cavern walls, answering shrieks echoed—sharp, piercing, and filled with fury. One after another, massive, feathered forms emerged, their eyes glowing with malevolent intelligence.

A Murder of Cave Rocs. Four of them. They circled high above, their shadows crisscrossing over Adam and Alice. The one he had killed was not a lone hunter, it was a scout, a sentry for its flock.

"You have got to be kidding me," Adam thought, a familiar, weary exasperation cutting through his triumph. "My luck is a physical law of the universe, and it is always, without fail, terrible."

Alice immediately Void Stepped to his side, her back pressing against his coils. Her mental voice was not fearful, but fiercely determined. "It does not matter. They hurt you once. They will not get a second chance. We will break their entire flock."

The Rocs didn't dive immediately. They were smarter than that. They coordinated, two breaking off to flank them while the other two began a steep dive from the front, talons extended.

"New plan!" Adam projected. "You bind, I break! We take them one at a time!"

As the first two Rocs dove, Alice vanished. She reappeared on a rocky outcrop directly in their flight path. As they adjusted to avoid her, she unleashed Void Bind. The lead Roc screeched in surprise as its wings suddenly felt heavy, its dive turning into an uncontrolled, clumsy stumble.

That was the opening Adam needed. He didn't meet the charge. He used Phantom Onslaught, teleporting not away, but up, above the struggling Roc. He dropped onto its back, his fangs sinking into the base of its neck while his claws dug in for purchase. He pumped it full of venom and then unleashed a point-blank Gale Slash down the length of its spine. The Roc died before it hit the ground.

[ Defeated: Cave Roc (Lvl 23) ]

[ +125 EXP | +185 EP ]

The other Rocs shrieked in rage. One broke off to pursue Alice, but she was a ghost, teleporting away the moment it got close, leading it on a frantic chase through the stalagmites. The remaining two focused on Adam.

He was now the center of a storm of feathers and talons. He used Earthshaker, not to damage them, but to disrupt their coordinated dives. The shockwave forced them to veer off, buying him precious seconds.

He used Venom Mist, creating a toxic cloud around himself that the Rocs were reluctant to enter. One, enraged, charged through the mist, its eyes stinging. Adam met it with a Mantis Slash to the throat.

[ Defeated: Cave Roc (Lvl 24) ]

[ +130 EXP | +190 EP ]

The Roc that was chasing Alice, frustrated, turned its attention back to Adam. It saw its companion fall and let out a piercing cry. It dove, a feathered missile of pure hatred. Adam, low on mana and stamina from the relentless assault, braced himself.

A flicker of violet. Alice materialized directly in front of the diving Roc. She didn't try to bind it. Instead, she unleashed her Mana Siphon. A visible strand of violet energy lashed out, connecting her horn to the Roc's chest.

The monster faltered mid-dive, its strength momentarily sapped. It was only a second, but it was enough for Adam to gather himself and launch a final, desperate Crystal Shard Shot that took it in the eye. It crashed to the ground, dead.

The final Roc, seeing its entire flock decimated, let out a cry of despair and tried to flee. Adam, summoning the last of his strength, beat his wings and gave chase. He caught it before it could reach the tunnel, his coils wrapping around it in mid-air, ending the fight as it had begun: with a powerful, crushing constriction.

[ Defeated: Cave Roc (Lvl 23) x2 ]

[ +250 EXP | +370 EP ]

The cavern fell silent once more, save for Adam's heavy breathing. The massive influx of energy triggered another surge of power.

[ Ding! Level Up! ]

[ You are now Level 28! ]

[ Ding! Level Up! ]

[ You are now Level 29! ]

[ Next Level: 20/150 ]

[ Skill Point: +2 ]

[ Evolution Points: 1402 -> 2147/2500 ]

He was now agonizingly close to his next evolution. As he consumed the Rocs, he gained not just their energy, but a new understanding of their nature.

[ Skill Fragment Acquired: Aerial Dominance (0.8/1.0) ]

Effect:Grants enhanced understanding of three-dimensional combat and mobility, improving the efficacy of all aerial maneuvers and attacks.

With the Aerial Dominance fragment so close to completion, Adam and Alice spent the next hour seeking out one last, lone Cave Roc. They found a straggler patrolling a high ledge. The hunt was swift and clinical. Alice pinned it with a Void Bind, and Adam ended it with a single, efficient Mantis Slash from above.

Consuming it yielded the final piece.

[ Aerial Dominance Fragment: 1.0/1.0! ]

[ New Passive Skill Acquired: Aerial Dominance ]

The moment the skill integrated, Adam felt a profound difference. The air was no longer a medium to be fought against, but an extension of his own body. A simple beat of his wings sent him slicing through the cavern with a speed and silence that was breathtaking.

He executed a series of complex, banking turns and dives that would have been impossible before, his movements as fluid and natural as slithering on the ground.

"You move like a shadow on the wind," Alice commented, her mental voice filled with warm admiration as she watched him from below. "It is beautiful."

"It feels right," Adam replied, landing beside her with a grace that barely disturbed the dust. The constant, draining effort of flight was now a thing of the past.

With the immediate area cleared of threats and his power significantly augmented, it was time to rest and take stock. They found a secure, high alcove overlooking the vast cavern.

"Alice, let's see what those adventurers were carrying. Maybe there's something useful."

With a flick of her horn, Alice began emptying the contents of her Void Locker onto the stone floor. A small pile of gear clattered before them.

Adam sifted through it with a critical eye. There were several longswords and a shortbow, all of standard, functional make, but nothing magical or exceptional. The leather and plate armor was scarred, worn, and would offer him no benefit. It was all... mediocre.

"They were hunting a legendary monster with this?" he mused, a hint of disdain in his thought. "No wonder they were so desperate."

He did find a few items of note. Another ring, this one with a faint blue gem. His system identified it as a Ring of Clarity, granting a +5% boost to maximum Mana.

Useless for now, but he had Alice store it with the other ring. There were also three potions: two red, which his system tagged as Basic Health Potions, and one yellow, a Mana Potion. Potentially useful in a pinch.

Lastly, there was a small, heavy pouch. Inside were about two dozen gold coins, stamped with the symbol of a sun—the crest of the Kingdom of Solaria from the journal.

"A handful of gold," Adam thought, the irony not lost on him. "So this is what my life was almost worth to them. A few coins and some shoddy gear. They were poor, which made them greedy."

He had Alice store the rings, the potions, and the gold coins. The rest of the gear—the common weapons and armor—he pushed off the ledge with his tail, listening to it clatter uselessly into the darkness below. It was junk, not worth the space in her locker.

He looked at Alice, who was curling up contentedly, her job done. "We rest now," he said. "Tomorrow, we dive deeper than we ever have before."

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