The moment the brilliant light subsided and the eggshell shattered, the hologram screen wavered and transformed into a landscape of the vast azure sky.

  An illusion so real it felt as if I were swimming through the sky myself.

  Between the scattering clouds, unidentified silver feathers fluttered down like snowflakes.

  "SKREEE—!"

  The roar of a beast tearing through the air struck my eardrums.

  The dense clouds cleared in an instant, and a clear system message floated above its majestic and imposing figure.

  [Storm Feather Griffon]

  Its lower body took the form of a lion, but it was on a completely different level from any beast on the ground.

  The pulsating muscles beneath its golden mane were as solid as exquisitely forged armor, and every time it exhaled, hot steam spewed from between its ribs.

  Its eagle-like front claws planted on the earth; as those hook-like talons gripped the dirt, the ground screamed and cracked apart.

  Just by simply standing there, it emitted an overwhelming pressure that seemed to crush the battlefield.

  And, slowly.

  Massive wings spread from its back. A chilling silver light flashed between the pitch-black feathers.

  [Storm Feather Griffon]

  Grade: Epic (Heroic)

  Type: Mount / Combat

  Special Ability: [Skyward Leap, Glide]

  As soon as the acquisition animation ended, I opened the Pet Index window as if possessed.

  '......Epic grade.'

  Honestly, it'd be a lie to say I wasn't slightly disappointed. I didn't even wish for Mythic. I was just hoping for the brilliant golden light of the Legendary grade.

  However, as I read down the detailed information recorded in the index, my eyes grew wider and wider.

  It wasn't a simple Epic grade. It was a hybrid type that perfectly performed both riding and attacking roles. A Tier 1 entity.

  And above all, what caught my eye was a single phrase written in the special ability section.

  [Special Ability: Skyward Leap, Glide]

  I scrolled down the list of thousands of pets listed in the index.

  Flipping even to the Legendary grade pages, the fact I confirmed was shocking.

  Even among the Legendary pets boasting jaw-dropping price tags, the entities possessing a 'Glide' or 'Flight' function could be counted on one hand.

  My Griffon was a mutant that broke through those rare odds, a practical 'Tier 0'.

  'This is a total jackpot, isn't it?...'

  A miracle of the Epic grade that was far more substantial than the outward flashiness of a Legendary grade. I finally realized the sheer size of the luck I had grasped.

  I touched the summon button without hesitation.

  At that moment, a sudden gust of wind surged upwards from beneath my feet.

  The surrounding dirt and dust swirled and obscured my vision for a brief moment, before a sharp sound of tearing air came from above my head.

  SKREEE—!

  A massive shadow that plummeted as if piercing through the cloud layer landed right in front of me.

  A heavy vibration transferred as its massive front paws crushed the ground.

  The creature flapped its massive silver wings once broadly, instantly suppressing the surrounding gusts of wind.

  Golden eyes stared at me.

  As if acknowledging me as its master, the beast lowered its head and growled deeply.

  "Crazy, it looks so freaking cool......"

  An exclamation burst out of me naturally.

  Just the thought of wanting to mount it made the Griffon react agilely.

  The beast lowered its head and obediently offered its back.

  The cool yet firm texture of the feathers touching my fingertips was so vivid it gave my entire body goosebumps.

  As I climbed onto the saddle, the Griffon straightened its back and took a stance, as if it had been waiting.

  My field of vision drastically heightened, bringing a strange sense of isolation.

  'Wait, how do I make it lea—'

  BOOM—!

  "Gasp!..."

  Before my thought could even finish.

  The Griffon powerfully exploded off the ground with its front paws and soared into the air.

  Along with an eardrum-shredding sound of tearing air, my body was violently pushed back against the saddle.

  It was an overwhelming thrust that ignored gravity.

  As the altitude reached its peak, the turbulent flapping stopped.

  The moment the Griffon spread its two massive wings horizontally and rode the air currents, a silence fell as if the noise of the world had been temporarily paused.

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  I slowly opened my tightly shut eyes.

  "......Ah."

  The Goblin Camp where I was standing just moments ago was scattered beneath my feet as a spot the size of a fingernail.

  The vast world map flowed beneath my feet, and the end of the horizon appeared to curve roundly.

  The moment my sense of reality was paralyzed, the beast lowered its head and began to accelerate.

  Whoooooosh—!

  Due to the excessive speed, looking to the side only showed unidentifiable afterimages zipping past.

  As we glided, carving into the massive mountain foothills like a blade, wind pressure that felt like it would tear my eardrums battered my ears.

  It was then. A majestic coniferous tree rushed to fill my vision.

  "Uh, whoa! Watch the front!!!"

  I instinctively grabbed the saddle tightly and screamed.

  However, as if mocking me, the beast banked its body 90 degrees and passed by, barely grazing the tree.

  Swoosh!

  Passing the tree so closely that I could see the texture of each individual leaf in that split second, the beast folded its wings and went into a steep vertical dive.

  "Huaaargh!"

  A dreadful sensation of weightlessness as all my internal organs rushed upward.

  Amidst the pressure that felt like my heart would pop out of my mouth, the Griffon wove through the dense foliage of the forest like an acrobat.

  Sprinting while dodging the cobweb-like tangled branches by a paper's width, the beast forcefully spread its wings again and soared, piercing through the forest canopy.

  The moment we popped above the clouds where dazzling sunlight poured down, my screams had already turned into a thrilling rush.

  As the landing zone approached, the Griffon spread its massive wings wide in the opposite direction to reduce speed.

  Thud—!

  As we landed on the ground with a heavy vibration, beyond the thick dust fog, I saw Ian, Succubus, and Jude standing there, mesmerized.

  Awe was etched into the trio's eyes, as if they couldn't believe the sight they had just witnessed.

  "S-Savior......! Did you just pull that pet? Wow, that is seriously a total jackpot......"

  Ian swallowed hard and continued.

  "Ah, I'm seriously dying of jealousy! I'm going to pull right now too, you know? Just watch. I'm absolutely pulling a 'Legendary' grade!"

  Unable to hold back his burning jealousy, Ian called up the Premium Shop window in a fit of pique.

  Madness blinded by the 'gacha' was already lingering in his eyes.

  Succubus and Jude, watching from the side, also seemed stimulated by the majesty of my Griffon.

  Looking back and forth between me and Ian's shop screen with mesmerized eyes, they stealthily began reaching for their own gacha categories.

  Dong—! Dong—! Dong—!

  A massive tolling bell that resonated in the heart vibrated through the atmosphere.

  The clear sky wavered with an artificial light for a moment, and a colossal golden system notice window rose, cutting across the clouds.

  [System Notice]

  "Welcome, players who are pioneering a new life in the world of Liberty. To repay your passionate support, we have prepared a special festival."

  At the system voice echoing across the entire world, every user's gaze was drawn to the sky.

  The subsequent text was enough to make everyone's hearts race.

  [Event Name: Tournament PK - The Strongest Determination Match]

  The rules were simple yet brutal.

  Only 64 players who survive the survival preliminaries can place their names on the main tournament bracket. A strict 1v1 tournament.

  The more interesting point was the strict 'anonymity'.

  On the main stage, after completely resetting one's face and nickname, they must compete solely with their skills and equipment.

  The screen transitioned, and the reward details by rank were revealed along with a majestic sound effect.

  The prize money for 1st place was a staggering 1,000,000 Lumina.

  [Tournament Rewards by Rank]

  Champion (1st Place): 1,000,000 Lumina + [???] (Legendary-grade prize)

  Runner-up (2nd Place): 500,000 Lumina + Epic-grade Probability Supply Box

  3rd Place: 100,000 Lumina

  4th Place: 50,000 Lumina

  5th Place: 30,000 Lumina

  Ian's eyes, which had been heated up for the gacha just moments ago, changed. This was no simple amusement.

  It was the beginning of a massive storm that could overturn the hierarchy of the Liberty world.

  '1 million Lumina...... Given that it's the early days of the server right now, I definitely have a winning chance. Moreover, anonymity. The time has come to show off the skills I built up back in the day as a Cartel Guildmaster without holding back.'

  The calculator in my head probing the possibilities stopped.

  The conclusion was already drawn.

  I will be the protagonist of this board.

  "Hehehe... Hehehehe!"

  Staring into empty space, I couldn't hold back the laughter leaking out.

  It was then, while I was drenched in groundless, happy delusions.

  "Are you okay... Savior?..."

  Succubus asked, looking at me with a very serious and pitiful gaze, as if looking at someone who had caught a truly terrible disease.

  I hurriedly wiped away the drool that was just about to flow down to my chin with my sleeve, and waved both hands as if nothing had happened.

  "Ahem, anyway...... you guys are all going to participate in that event, right?"

  As soon as my words dropped, a fire ignited in the trio's eyes simultaneously.

  "Of course! I'm putting that prize money in my pocket no matter what happens!"

  Ian roared, clenching his fists. It was a momentum as if he were already writing a shopping list in his head for how to spend the prize money.

  "We have nothing to lose by trying...... I should also try as much as I can."

  Succubus seemed a bit shy, but her eyes alone showed she had absolutely no intention of backing down. And,

  "I'm going."

  Jude adjusted his grip on his weapons with a short, heavy answer. That single phrase without any frills actually felt like the strongest resolve.

  With the clear goal of a million Lumina established, storm-like growth became desperately needed for us.

  The massive guild was blocking our path by locking down the abandoned mine, but it actually turned out for the better.

  We turned our heads without any lingering attachments and headed to the next hunting ground, the Black Mist Swamp.

  The place we faced after pushing through the sharp brush was grotesqueness itself.

  Thick fog blocking our vision and tangled thickets were encroaching everywhere like a mire, and massive poisonous spiders the size of houses were crawling around between those dismal shadows, making unpleasant scraping noises.

  But what was truly spine-chilling was beneath their feet.

  Pale hands abruptly shot up from the rotted, festering swamp water.

  The dead, turned into mummies tightly wrapped in spider webs, roamed through the fog with lifeless eyes, sobbing.

  The groans of the dead craving the warmth of the living mixed with the cries of the spiders, creating a landscape akin to a painting of hell.

  There was no time to get caught up in sentimentality.

  I immediately summoned the [Goblin Royal Guards] and activated the system's 'Aggressive Mode'. And my radiant partner, the Griffon as well.

  As if answering my call, the Griffon revealed itself with a massive flap of its wings.

  Following that, Ian and the rest of the party also summoned the pets they had respectively pulled and took a combat stance.

  Seeing that they were all uniformly 'Rare' grade, it seemed the guys had played it quite safe to save their Lumina.

  "Shall we go?"

  I sent a signal, lightly snapping my fingers.

  As if that short popping sound became the flare, an explosive advance began over the quiet swamp.

  It wasn't simply the Royal Guards.

  The Goblin Royal Guards stood at the vanguard, shrieking, and Ian, Jude, and Succubus also dove en masse towards the swarm of massive poisonous spiders, putting their respective pets at the forefront.

  The Goblin Royal Guards rammed into the spider swarm with their massive shields leading the way.

  Taking advantage of the moment their movements dulled, the tips of the Royal Guards' spears ruthlessly tore through the gaps in the spiders' exoskeletons.

  Alongside them, Ian dug in, emitting flashing sword energy.

  As his sword, swung widely horizontally, slashed down the spiders' legs, a shriek that tore the atmosphere rang out from the azure sky.

  CRASH—!

  My lovely Griffon plunged from mid-air, thrusting out its massive front paws.

  With a heavy impact sound, the spider's head was crushed as if the swamp floor was being smashed.

  Taking advantage of that chaotic opening, Jude roamed the battlefield like a ghost.

  He accurately slashed the backs of the knees of the dead crawling up over the swamp water, completely cutting off their approach from the source.

  Succubus and I watched that entire spectacle, providing fire support from the rear.

  "Ian, one more to your side!"

  Whoosh—!

  At my warning, Ian threw his body, and the empty space was completely filled by the magic bullets Succubus fired off.

  "Succubus, don't panic and keep firing magic bullets! Focus on one at a time!"

  Pew! Swish—!

  She diligently moved her hands in accordance with my instructions.

  Succubus's small magic bullets accurately embedded themselves into the spiders' eyes and wounded areas, scraping their nerves.

  "Jude, finish off the incapacitated ones!"

  "Hup!"

  I could definitely feel that the difficulty had jumped significantly compared to the previous hunting ground, but it didn't pose a major obstacle to our party.

  'Even if the difficulty went up, this level is quite pleasant......'

  Under the veteran command of a former Cartel Guildmaster, the swamp was rapidly turning into an efficient hunting ground.