It was a paradise for the wyverns.
On Mount Alpha in the Southern Mountain Range, no monster existed that could surpass them. While creatures of equal rank inhabited neighboring peaks like Mount Beta and Mount Gamma, as long as they didn't trespass into each other's territory, conflict was rare. As long as they remained on this mountain, the wyverns were the undisputed apex predators, hunting and devouring their prey at will.
"Gru?"
"Jaa?"
But on that day, the wyverns witnessed a strange sight.
An intruder was boldly trespassing into their domain.
"..."
It was massive—roughly twice the size of a wyvern. It had a giant, brown-scaled body, two pairs of wings spreading out from its sides, and a gargantuan maw. The terrifying creature bore a striking resemblance to a dragon as it soared leisurely from the north toward the summit of Mount Alpha.
It made no sound, approaching with an eerie silence as it drifted through the air like a leaf on the wind. The wyverns shifted into a state of high alert.
"Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
"Gruuu! Jau, jau!"
Several wyverns took to the sky, circling the unidentified intruder. They barked threats from a distance at the monster that dwarfed them.
"..."
The creature merely continued its unsteady drift, showing no reaction to the wyverns' intimidation.
"Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
"Jaa! Jaaaaaaaa!"
Finally, unable to restrain themselves any longer, the wyverns attacked. They lunged at the intruder's wings with their fangs and slammed their tails against it, trying to knock it from the sky.
"..."
Yet the monster didn't fall easily. It simply continued its unsettling, silent float, making no effort to retaliate.
"Looks like it's working."
"Oh... they haven't noticed us at all."
Watching the skirmish from below, Rest and Yuri began to move.
The two were concealed within a dome constructed of earth. The magical craft moved silently according to Rest's will, creeping steadily toward the wyvern nest.
This was the strategy Rest had devised: use a decoy to monopolize the wyverns' attention while they approached the nest hidden inside a magically propelled Earth Dome.
Naturally, the monster hovering in the sky was a sham—a magical construct. Rest had shaped a frame out of wood and earth and used Floating magic to make it hover. It was essentially a giant balloon, released to drift downwind toward the peak.
Normally, Floating magic would fail if the caster didn't maintain it continuously. Rest had circumvented this by saturating the monster’s frame with mana and then coating it with Barrier Arts. The barrier suppressed the dissipation of mana, creating a "Monster Balloon" that would stay airborne until its internal mana supply was completely exhausted.
"Behold, the work of a master... just kidding," Rest joked as he successfully infiltrated the wyvern nest.
While the flock's vigilance was fixed on the massive intruder in the sky, Rest took aim at a wyvern that had strayed from the group.
"Keep it quiet. One shot, before it has a chance to flee..."
He waited for the perfect moment.
"Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Several wyverns latched onto the decoy, their teeth finally tearing through its body. At that exact moment, the frame burst, releasing an intense flash of light and a deafening roar from within.
"Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?"
The wyverns' panicked shrieks joined the sound of the rupture. Rest had rigged the hollow interior of the buoyant decoy with light and fire magic, designed to detonate as soon as the frame was compromised.
"Now!"
Rest unleashed his magic.
Amaterasu—a beam of concentrated light—pierced the head of the wyvern on the outskirts of the flock, killing it instantly. Masked by the chaotic light and noise, the attack went entirely unnoticed by the rest of the flock; even the victim likely died without ever realizing what had happened.
"Alright, hurry!"
Yuri dragged the falling wyvern over and hauled it into the Earth Dome.
Subjugation complete. Material collection complete. All that remained was to retreat.
"Gishaa! Gishaa!"
"Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
"Okay... let's get out of here!"
Above them, the wyverns were flapping their wings in a confused frenzy. They hadn't even realized one of their own had been shot and stolen right out from under them.
Rest and Yuri made a quiet, hurried exit, carrying their prize back down the mountain.