"129: King of the Fomorians—Balor"

Once they were out of the Loki Familia's sight, Ais quietly followed behind Su Mo, her gaze fixed on his back. He didn't speak, and neither did she ask any questions. She simply followed, step by step.

Noticing this, Su Mo found himself even more satisfied with Ais as his supporter. She was obedient, quiet, and didn't ask unnecessary questions—an ideal trait for someone who needed to keep secrets. The only slight issue was her lacking strength. But that wasn't a major problem.

"I recall you possess wind magic, don't you?" Su Mo suddenly spoke up.

"Yes," Ais nodded. As the famed Sword Princess of Orario, aside from her masterful swordsmanship, her signature ability was her wind magic—Ariel.

Unlike ordinary attack-based spells, Ariel was a self-enhancement type that cloaked her body in wind, boosting her attack, defense, speed, and even granting limited flight capabilities. It was an extremely powerful all-around enhancement, dramatically amplifying her agility and allowing her to execute every combat move with even greater precision. Offense, defense, retreat, harassment—it covered them all. Just this single spell increased her combat prowess by over thirty percent.

After confirming this, Su Mo continued, "Activate your magic. I want to see it."

Ais blinked in mild confusion. There were no monsters around, so there didn't seem to be any need for it. Still, she didn't question him and quietly gathered her mana.

"Awaken, Tempest!"

With her chant complete, invisible winds swirled around her like armor, wrapping her body and even her sword sheath in protective currents.

"Wind's blessing, huh…" Su Mo observed her closely. While the winds were invisible to the average person, in his eyes, they were clear as swirling streams of elemental energy. As one who wielded authority over storms, he could instantly perceive the structure of the wind surrounding her. "Indeed, quite well-suited for a swordswoman. Flexible and versatile. Though… it's still not flexible enough."

He offered his brief assessment—flexible, but not to the fullest potential. While the magic certainly complemented her swordsmanship, there was still much room for refinement. Just as Ais was wondering what he meant, Su Mo suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Let's try this instead. It should help you travel faster."

Before Ais could react, Su Mo directly manipulated the wind around her using his Lord of the Skies authority, taking full control over the magic. He reshaped it entirely.

The next moment, Ais felt the winds that had previously surrounded her body like armor thin out. In their place, vortex-like wings of wind formed behind her back, generating powerful lift that lifted her off the ground effortlessly.

"Is this… flying?" Ais stared at the ground below in astonishment. While Ariel allowed her to perform long jumps that mimicked flight, this was completely different—this was true, sustained flight. And even more bewildering: why was her own wind listening to this man's commands?

She glanced over at Su Mo, seeking an explanation. But he offered none. Once he was sure she had her balance under control, he simply said, "Remember this feeling. Use this method when traveling—it'll save you a lot of time."

"Okay!" Ais nodded obediently. She was well aware that flying was far faster than running, and in the Dungeon, flight could help avoid many monsters and save energy—a very useful skill for solo exploration.

"Alright then, let's go."

Without waiting for her response, Su Mo pulled the blonde girl alongside him, launching them both into the air. Behind him, storm-forged wings burst forth like the engines of a jet, propelling them forward at astonishing speed. With a single flap, their velocity instantly broke the sound barrier.

In mere moments, they had crossed multiple levels of the Dungeon, ascending rapidly and nearly brushing against the ceilings. Within minutes, they had already reached the forty-ninth floor. Su Mo's flight was not only effective but extremely efficient, allowing them to avoid unnecessary monster encounters. The few flying monsters they did attract couldn't even come close to catching them.

Su Mo hadn't originally intended to stop here. The forty-ninth floor was still far from his goal. However, the path ahead was almost entirely blocked by a group of monsters, leaving no convenient detour. It was actually easier to simply eliminate the obstacle rather than navigate around it. Having made up his mind, Su Mo dispelled the storm wings behind him and gently descended to the ground.

Ais, experiencing supersonic flight for the first time, looked completely pale. Clinging to Su Mo's arm, her legs didn't buckle, but her arm was sore from gripping so tightly. At last, she fully understood: Su Mo had only taught her the wind wings to make travel more efficient—but his own traveling speed was in an entirely different league. His supersonic flight speed left even her, a high-level combatant accustomed to extreme maneuvers, struggling to keep up.

She recalled the sonic booms that had formed during their flight. While she didn't know the exact principles behind them, she understood well enough that such speeds were far beyond what ordinary flight could achieve—several times faster than her maximum.

"Are you still holding up?" Su Mo asked, noticing her pale complexion.

"Yes!" Ais immediately nodded. She wasn't forcing herself—she genuinely believed she could adapt. After all, she had years of experience using Ariel and was quite familiar with sudden bursts of speed.

What truly surprised her, however, was the wind wings Su Mo had just created for her. While she knew Su Mo was strong and rapidly growing in power, this was the first time she realized how profound his mastery over wind magic truly was—far beyond her own, despite her long-standing use of wind element spells. He had effortlessly created such a nimble and responsive form, while still preserving Ariel's defensive properties. It was essentially an advanced extension of her original technique.

Now she finally understood why Su Mo had previously critiqued her magic as "flexible, but not flexible enough." Compared to others, her magic was indeed quite agile—after all, a comprehensive enhancement spell like Ariel was rare even in Orario. But when held up against Su Mo's version, hers was utterly lacking. In terms of flight alone, the wind wings completely outclassed the gliding-like leaps of Ariel. If she could master this flying technique, her mobility in battle would improve dramatically. Even against flying monsters, she felt confident she could give chase.

And this wind wing technique was merely something Su Mo taught her for convenience while traveling. She couldn't even begin to imagine how terrifying his combat applications of wind magic must be. But one thing was certain—she had made the right choice. She needed to listen to Su Mo, to not displease him or risk being dismissed. Missing out on such a rare opportunity to grow stronger was simply unacceptable for her.

With that thought, her expression grew serious. Meanwhile, not far from them, the floor boss had noticed the arrival of its prey. To monsters, adventurers were natural enemies—an undeniable truth. The enormous creature let out a monstrous roar, "GEYAAAAA—!" and adopted a combat stance.

Ais broke out in cold sweat. Since she had no control over the wind wings yet, she had relied entirely on Su Mo's lead and had no idea which floor they'd landed on. But the overwhelming pressure radiating from the monster quickly told her everything she needed to know. Only a floor boss at level 7 could exude such a hopelessly crushing presence—one that made even a level 5 adventurer like herself feel utterly powerless.

Yet, despite that, she didn't despair. She had finally earned Su Mo's acknowledgment. There was no way she would die here. Gripping her sword tightly, Ais's fighting spirit flared.

On the other side, Su Mo studied the creature before him with interest. "The King of the Fomorians—Balor, huh?"