The Sky Wyvern King was dumbfounded.

The invaders who came before had always gathered in large groups, bringing anyone and everyone they could muster.

But this time, there was only one.

At first, the Wyvern King doubted its own eyes.

What is this?

Was this human underestimating me?

Or had he entered the wrong place by mistake?

But that thought didn’t last long.

“Kyaoo!”

A high-pitched screech resounded from below.

It was one of its subordinates.

Ah, I see.

This intruder hadn’t come alone out of recklessness or by mistake.

He was strong—strong enough that even the lower-ranking wyverns couldn’t deal with him.

The proof lay in the fact that this human was unaffected by my Fear.

Interesting.

Perhaps this might finally bring some excitement to the monotonous life of Sky Mountain.

With that thought, the Sky Wyvern King began circling around Suho, watching him closely.

Suho let out a quiet laugh at the display.

“How ridiculous.”

Even from its slow, deliberate flight, he could sense it—the wyvern was cautious, testing the waters.

These were the most annoying kinds of opponents:

Those who weren’t blinded by their power.

Those who stayed calm and calculated, like a lion going all out to catch a mere rabbit.

That’s why Suho couldn’t help but scoff.

“So what if you’re cautious? You’re just a flying lizard, after all.”

Of course, it was true that this one was more troublesome than the others.

Suho didn’t yet have those skills.

But so what?

He hadn’t needed those skills to rise to the top before.

Determined, Suho began to move swiftly.

His goal was the summit of Sky Mountain.

He had to reach the nest and disturb it if he wanted to make the Wyvern King lose its composure.

As Suho scaled the mountain at full speed, the Wyvern King stopped its slow circling and flapped its wings furiously.

- Kyaoo!

The Sky Wyvern King charged.

It closed the distance to Suho in an instant and twisted its massive body, lashing its long tail like a whip.

Boom!

The tail strike smashed into the mountainside, sending debris flying everywhere.

But Suho wasn’t there.

He had jumped away a split second before the tail struck, completely avoiding its trajectory.

“Heavy.”

Indeed, the Sky Wyvern King was on a different level from the creatures Suho had fought below.

At least one fortunate thing was that Sky Mountain was sturdier than he had anticipated.

Though debris flew and dust clouded the air, the surface of the mountain showed only minor cracks.

“So that’s why they’re comfortable going all out here.”

If the mountain had been fragile, even the wyvern would have to hold back its attacks.

Suho resumed his climb without a second thought.

- Kyahhh!

The Sky Wyvern King continued to attack relentlessly, using its Fear skill and physical strikes.

Suho dodged what he could and counterattacked whenever the opportunity arose.

[ Steel Cutter activates. ]
[ Quick Draw activates. ]
[ Leap activates. ]

However, the Wyvern King’s hide was tougher than expected—so tough that even Steel Cutter failed to penetrate deeply.

“Hmph, is the 40-level gap really that much?”

And yet, Suho smiled.

A sturdy opponent like this was perfect for honing his techniques.

At least it was durable enough to withstand his relentless practice.

He hoped it would endure for a while longer—he needed to master a particular skill in this gate.

The Wyvern King switched tactics, sweeping its massive wings like claws to scrape the cliffside.

But such attacks were futile.

Whether the range was large or small, Suho could simply leap out of harm’s way.

“Glad I invested in strength stats first.”

There was a reason Suho prioritized his strength stat.

While it didn’t directly boost his stamina, it greatly enhanced his destructive power, speed, and jump height.

That’s why he was able to execute such evasive maneuvers that others could only dream of.

Eventually, the summit of Sky Mountain came into view.

- Kyoooo!

The Wyvern King let out a piercing screech, and a system notification appeared.

[ The Sky Wyvern King calls its subordinates. ]

As expected.

It must have realized it couldn’t handle this alone.

In response to its howl, silhouettes emerged from the clouds below—a swarm of Sky Wyverns.

But among them, Suho noticed a familiar face.

“Huh, look at that.”

One of the wyverns had a wounded wing—the Leader Wyvern Suho had thought dead.

Somehow, it had survived and returned.

Not that it mattered.

Even with its previous status, it was now just another grunt under the King’s command.

Suho wiped the blood off his sword and muttered, “That’s quite the crowd you’ve gathered.”

There were dozens, far more than the initial group he had faced.

And yet, Suho smiled.

These were perfect training dummies—just what he needed to refine his skills further.

Instead of climbing the cliff, Suho stepped onto a wide ledge and prepared for the onslaught.

Surely, they wouldn’t let him reach the nest unopposed.

As if on cue, the Wyvern King roared, and the wyverns swarmed toward Suho like moths to a flame.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Unlike the cautious strategies of the Leader Wyvern, these wyverns, driven by fear of their king, threw themselves recklessly at Suho.

They had no choice—retreating meant certain death either way.

Suho knew this and treated it like a game, cutting down each attacker as he dodged their assaults.

After some time, a system message appeared.

[ Your understanding of Leap has greatly increased. ]
[ The system is re-evaluating your abilities. ]
[ Congratulations! The skill Leap has been upgraded to S-rank. ]

Suho smiled.

Finally, one of the skills he’d been aiming for.

[ Leap ]
- Rank: S
# Mastery of jumping.
# Jump height increases by 500%.
# Gain one additional mid-air jump.

“A double jump, huh?”

Suho’s grin widened.

The upgraded Leap wasn’t just helpful—it was game-changing, especially for aerial battles like this.

Satisfied, Suho continued his ascent.

When the wyverns closed in, he used his new skill, jumping once and then again mid-air.

[ Leap activates. ]
[ Leap activates again. ]

Effortlessly leaping higher, Suho closed the distance to the Wyvern King.

Its yellow reptilian eyes widened in shock as Suho’s crimson blade extended toward it.

[ Quick Draw activates. ]

Slash!

The blade tore into the Wyvern King’s hide, drawing a pained roar from the beast.

As Suho fell, wyverns swarmed toward him with jaws agape, but he wasn’t worried.

[ Blood Weapon activates. ]

The crimson blade extended like a staff, piercing through several wyverns in a single motion.

Using their impaled bodies as a platform, Suho leaped again, landing on the cliffside.

With each strike, the wyverns hesitated more, and even the Wyvern King began to falter.

Seizing the opportunity, Suho dashed toward the summit.

“Once you hesitate, it’s over.”

Ignoring the remaining wyverns, Suho sprinted straight to the peak.

- Boom! Boom! Boom!

The entire mountain trembled as a deafening roar echoed across the skies.

A massive shadow loomed over Suho.

Far larger than the Wyvern King, a colossal figure emerged.

- Sky Wyvern Queen Lv.120

The Sky Wyvern Queen—the true ruler of Sky Mountain.

Suho gripped his sword tightly, a grin spreading across his face.

Finally, the real challenge awaited.