Chapter 102: Snow Valestorm (3)

"Yes baby, it will be our home," Snow said, her voice filled with absolute certainty. She walked right past Leon, marching directly up to the terrifying dragon.

Auris lowered his massive sapphire-plated head, letting out a low, warning growl that vibrated the ground beneath their feet. The dragon’s cyan eyes narrowed, assessing the small human who had just thrown a buster sword at him minutes prior.

Snow didn’t flinch. She reached out with her black-gloved hand and boldly slapped the flat of her palm against the dragon’s armored snout.

"Listen here, big guy," Snow said sternly, wagging a finger at the Level 100 beast. "I’m the wife now. That makes me the co-pilot. So no more growling at me, got it?"

Auris blinked, utterly bewildered by the sheer audacity of the creature. He looked at Leon, his draconic eyes practically asking for permission to eat her.

"She’s with me, Auris," Leon called out, walking over and placing a calming hand on the dragon’s neck. "Stand down."

Auris snorted a massive plume of freezing vapor that washed over Snow, frosting the edges of her white fur coat, before begrudgingly lowering his shoulder to allow them to mount.

"See? We’re going to be best friends, baby," Snow giggled, shivering slightly from the frost as she scrambled up the dragon’s armored side.

Leon vaulted up behind her, taking his position at the base of the dragon’s neck. He reached around Snow, gripping the edge of the steel plating to secure himself, naturally pulling her back against his chest.

"Hold on," Leon warned, his breath ghosting over her ear.

"I’m holding on, baby!" Snow cheered, wrapping her arms tightly around his forearms.

Auris roared, launching them violently into the sky. The sheer G-force of the takeoff pressed Snow heavily against Leon, but she didn’t scream in terror; she let out a loud, exhilarated whoop of pure adrenaline.

As they leveled out, soaring high above the crystalline forests, the wind whipped around them. Leon engaged Aegis of the Tempest, creating a localized pocket of calm air around the saddle so they could speak without shouting over the rushing wind.

"So, Leon," Snow said, leaning her head back against his shoulder. "Are you going to tell me how a guy with a support-class talent ended up riding an armored High-Dragon?"

"My talent is an anomaly," Leon replied vaguely, keeping his cards relatively close to his chest. "It allows me to survive things that should kill me. And when you survive the impossible enough times, you tend to accumulate high-tier assets."

"Mm-hmm," Snow hummed skeptically, turning her head slightly to look at his profile. "Baby, I’m a Level 47 SS-Rank. I know what high-tier looks like. You aren’t just high tier. What level are you really?"

Leon looked down at her, considering the question. She was his partner now. Deception in a survival game bred fatal errors.

"I am Level 100," Leon stated simply. "I crossed into the Steadfast rank a few hours ago."

Snow’s entire body went rigid against him. She slowly turned her head fully around to stare at him, her blue eyes wide as saucers.

"Level 100?" she choked out, her voice barely a whisper. "Steadfast? Baby... the elimination cycle hasn’t even ended yet. How..."

"I found a hidden Battlefield Realm," Leon explained calmly. "The Abyssal Fracture. It had an exponential experience multipliers. I spent a significant time inside it, grinding bosses."

Snow stared at him for a long, silent moment, processing the sheer magnitude of what he was saying. Then, a massive, brilliant smile broke across her face.

"I knew it!" she cheered, throwing her hands up in the air. "I knew my gut was right! I married a literal god! Oh, the other girls in the starting zone are going to be so jealous when I show up with a Steadfast husband!"

Leon couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. "You’re not intimidated?"

"Intimidated? Baby, I’m turned on," Snow said shamelessly, leaning back heavily against his chest. "Why would I be intimidated? You’re on my team now. We are going to absolutely crush this thing."

"The cycle is a concern," Leon admitted, steering Auris toward the northern permafrost mountains. "We only have fifty-three days left before the purge. And because I am Steadfast, I am currently time-gated. I cannot enter Sector 11 to hunt Level 100 monsters until the cycle officially ends."

"So you’re stuck at Level 100 for two months?" Snow asked, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"Essentially, yes," Leon nodded. "I can optimize my skills and talents, but my raw stats are locked until the golden barrier falls."

Leon had already begun planning how he would spend that time. He would most likely continue hunting monsters, using the opportunity to further refine his combat instincts and sharpen his fighting techniques.

More importantly, his SSS-Rank Talent Devourer meant that every powerful monster he encountered was another potential source of Talent Fragments. As long as he kept hunting, he could continue accumulating fragments, forming new talents, and strengthening the abilities he already possessed.

Even if he had to wait, Leon had no intention of wasting that time.

"That’s fine, baby," Snow said confidently, patting his arm. "That just means we have fifty-three days to focus on me. I’m Level 47. With your assistance, I’ll hit the Adept peak before the cycle ends. And I can forge you a weapon in the meantime. We can hoard resources, clear dungeons, and prepare for Sector 11."

"That is exactly one of the tactical approach I was considering," Leon agreed, genuinely impressed by her immediate pivot to strategic planning.

"Of course it is, baby. Great minds think alike," Snow winked. "But seriously, how did you beat the bosses in that hidden realm? I struggle with standard Level 50 Elites."

"I have a versatile skill set," Leon deflected slightly.

"Interesting," Snow grinned. "Enough about that. Tell me about your dragon. Does he have a name, or do you just call him ’Hey you, breathe ice’?"

"His name is...."