Cheers erupted throughout the chamber. Survivors hugged each other, laughing and crying in equal measure.

Helga stood over the Arachne's corpse. The rage was slowly draining from her.

Lorian approached her. "Good kill," he said.

Helga grinned, though it was more of a grimace. "I hate spiders."

Around them, the raid began looting the creature's corpse and harvesting materials. Void-Silk Thread, Spectral Essence, and fragments of its carapace were all valuable crafting materials.

Reidar watched from the entrance. He hadn't moved from his position throughout the entire battle. He'd simply observed, ready to intervene if necessary.

It hadn't been necessary.

The raid had handled the Void-Thread Arachne without his direct help. They had to thank Helga and Aldric for that though, because their levels spiked up quite a lot during the raid. Every member had grown. The average level was now ninety-five. Helga had reached level 110. Aldric was at 112.

They were becoming genuine powerhouses.

<I bet Seraphine will be mad…>

He pulled up his quest interface.

—[The Shepherd's Gambit: Progress Updated]—

Collective Raid Success: 80% (4 of 5 major objectives completed)

Average Participant Level Increase: 30 levels

Current Reward Multiplier: 4.3x

—[END]—

Reidar's eyes widened. The multiplier had jumped down.

In general, since the raid progress was good, Reidar was going to get a lot. An average level up of 30 levels meant he would get around 129 levels when this was all over. Maybe more, depending on how the last quest went.

The problem was that he got to 4.6 during the previous quests, and yet he was now at 4.3.

<It looks like I took too great a role until now.>

He didn't know how exactly the multiplier worked, but its decrease had to do with something Reidar did before killing the arachne.

Reidar thought about why that had happened. It wasn't just the constant combat, though that certainly helped. It was a combination of factors working together.

First, the summoning skills he'd shared. The Feral Pack provided a safety net that allowed the survivors to take on monsters they would normally avoid.

They could fight higher-level creatures without the constant fear of death, which meant more kills, meaning more C.L.A.S.P. points.

Second, the crafting materials they got from the thousands of monsters they slew provided high-quality materials that the survivors used to upgrade their equipment. Some of them had really high crafting skills, after all, so they wasted no time with what little of it they had.

Better armor meant they could survive more hits. Better weapons meant they dealt more damage. Better equipment overall meant they could punch above their weight class. All of this meant better overall results.

Third, the titles and skill books from quest rewards. Each completed objective had given the raid members new abilities and passive bonuses that stacked with their existing build.

It wasn't something to be underestimated.

And finally, the sheer number of monsters they'd killed in general. The Crimson Briar Patch had been a slaughter, or better, a burn. All those deaths fueled the raid's C.L.A.S.P.s.

The Twin Boulderback Behemoths had provided massive experience for everyone too, and now the Void-Thread Arachne, despite being difficult, had given substantial rewards simply because of its high level. Although not to Reidar, Helga, and Aldric.

The others benefitted from it. But if this worked in the raid's favor, then why did the multiplier decrease?

Because the number of available people did, and that forced Reidar to summon creatures more often.

He hadn't killed the monsters himself, but he'd created the conditions that allowed the raid to thrive.

In general, he'd given them the tools, the safety, and the opportunity to grow stronger than they ever could have on their own.

And now they were strong enough to matter.

Helga approached him, her hammer dragging on the ground behind her. She looked like she'd been through a war, which she essentially had.

But she was grinning.

"That was fun," she said. "I fucking love killing things that are bigger than me."

"You did well," Reidar said. "The entire raid did."

Helga glanced back at the Arachne's corpse. "It was a nasty fight. That phasing ability was nonsense. If Lorian hadn't collapsed its portal, it would've kept running forever."

She paused.

"We could do this only because of you. We're this strong because of you."

Reidar didn't respond. He didn't need to. They both knew it was true.

Aldric joined them. "One quest remains. The Mire-Crawlers."

"The Alpha and its pack," Helga said. "Should be straightforward after this."

Reidar pulled up the final quest details.

"It's another kill-a-ton-of-monsters quest…"

"Another chore," Kara said.

"Any word from your… scouts… about the Church?" Aldric asked. "After those assassins in our camp, I've been on edge."

Unfortunately, the two assassins didn't spill the beans, not even after Lorian took a round of torture with them.

"No, nothing new," Reidar said. "My foragers haven't picked up any unusual movements around the valley, at least not in the immediate area. They're better at hiding than we thought."

Or maybe it was just because the Vorathid Foragers only lasted two hours at best. They could get quite fast if they shrunk their size, but two hours was not enough to cover the entire valley.

"Lying low seems unlikely." Aldric's gaze drifted toward the others. "Their preparations… the assassins… It is worrying me, Reidar. This raid has drawn every major group in the region. It would be the perfect stage for them to take control of the area."

"I don't know," Reidar said. "Something is telling me that is not their goal, at least not for now."

"We'll rest here tonight," Reidar said. "Recover as best as you can. Check the loot. Tomorrow we head for the Mire and complete this."

The raid settled in. They cleared the Arachne's webbing from the lower levels of the spire, creating a defensible camp. Fires were lit, food was distributed, and healers moved among the wounded.

Reidar found a spot away from the main group and sat down. His Feral Pack materialized around him.

He checked his status at that point. <Lena was right; today marks the fifth day, and we are almost done.>

These had been a hell of five days.

—[«STATUS»]—

Name: Reidar Miller

Level: 120

Health: 1070

Mana: 8570.70

C.L.A.S.P.: 198515 / 384800

Available Attribute points: 0.00

Skills: Summon Razor-Gill School, Wind Barrage, Granite Shard, Aqua Cannon, Fire Bolt, Summon Murk-Fin School, Stone Skin, Chitinous Carapace, Hive Mind Echo, Formic Acid Barrier, Corrosive Demise, Summon Vorathid Foragers, Summon Skeletal Warriors, Summon Feral Pack, Summon Shadow Guardians, Sanctuary's Embrace, Domain of Eternal Spring, Worldroot Binding, Warchief's Command, Oblivion Lance, Primal Maelstrom, Summon Spectral Legion, Summon Elite Rift-Sprite Battalion

Equipment: Shepherd's Crook of the Wild, Summoner's Cowl, Summoner's Mantle, Summoner's Leggings, Summoner's Handwraps, Summoner's Treads, Summoner's Bracers, Summoner's Cloak, Summoner's Sash, Aqua Sprite Pendant, Ember Sprite Ring, Stone Sprite Ring

Proficiencies: Velia's Regional Map (59%), Velia's Monster Compendium (67%), Fundamental Spellcraft (99%), Combat Instinct (99%)

Attributes: (S.H.I.E.L.D.: 10,7), (A.C.U.M.E.N.: 56,8), (F.L.A.I.R. : 9,5), (F.L.I.P.: 8,7)

Minions: Summon Feral Pack

Survival Points: 4,423,089

Trait: Skill Sharing

Perks: Efficient Scavenger (6/6), Arcane Potency (6/6), Mana Attunement (5/5), Mana Font (6/6), Focused Mind (5/5), Rapid Learning (5/5), Arcane Resilience (4/4), Empowered Effects (5/5), Arcane Leech (5/5), Spell Control (5/5), Pack Tactics (5/5), Elemental Infusion (5/5), Resilient Constructs (1/6), Ethereal Anchor (5/5), Mana Siphon (10/10), Inspired Creation (4/8)

Perk Points: 0

Titles: The First Killer, The First Apprentice, The Pioneer, Creature Slayer IV, Rift-Sprite Hunter IV, The Exterminator, Guardian of the Innocents, Adept Learner, Abyssal Caller, The Apex

Profession: Tailoring (LVL45), Woodworking (LVL67), Enchanting (LVL58)

—[«END»]—

The number had climbed significantly. Each quest completion had given him hundreds of thousands of survival points, even though he wasn't directly taking part in the kills. The system recognized his role in the raid's success and rewarded him accordingly.

4,423,089 Survival Points.

Nearly five million. He could buy almost anything he wanted from the System Shop now. At least around his tier. Powerful skills, high-tiered equipment, and rare crafting materials. It was all within reach.

But he'd save most of it for Creamont. For his parents. For whatever the War Hounds' situation required.

One more quest. Then he could finally leave this valley and go see his family.

Reidar stared into the fire, his mind already racing ahead to the challenges that waited beyond the raid.

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