Reidar was uneasy. In three weeks, inside that cave, Silas reached level 390. There was now a thirty-level gap between him and the mutant human, but it wasn't just a difference in numbers; at this tier, every level represented exponential gains in power, it was a canyon that separated a tough fight from instant death.

Silas might be able to move faster than they could see, hit harder than their armor or skills could absorb, and regenerate faster than they could deal damage.

"Three hundred and ninety," Jake said, to which Reidar nodded.

"He's almost Tier 4," Lena said. "We can't fight that. Not even with your army."

Reidar opened his mouth to retort, but the chime of the System ringing inside his skull cut him off.

The same chimes appeared for Jake and Lena as blue light flooded their vision. The trio got some new quests.

—[QUEST RECEIVED: The Ascendant Threat]—

Goal: Defeat Archdeacon Silas Bishop.

Progress: 0/1 Archdeacon Silas Bishop defeated.

Time Limit: Until Ascension is complete (Estimated: 10 Days).

Reward: 20,000,000 C.L.A.S.P. Points, 6,000,000 Survival Points, Title: "Demi-God Slayer", Skill Book: [Primal Resonance].

Special Conditions: Target is undergoing growth. Failure to eliminate the target before Ascension results in the permanent destabilization of the Velia Region.

Description: Archdeacon Silas Bishop has tapped into a Mana Source to speed up his evolution. He is attempting to breach the Level 400 threshold. Eliminate him before he reaches Tier 40.

Warning: Target possesses "Primal Mana Saturation." Magical attacks below Tier 30 have a 30% chance of being negated.

—[END]—

Reidar read the numbers twice, realizing that twenty million experience points and six million Survival Points was a fortune large enough to push him well past Level 370, maybe more.

It was the kind of reward the System offered when it expected the user to die, basically, but before he could process the first window, a second one slid out from behind it and locked into place in front of him.

—[CHAINED QUEST RECEIVED: The Fortress of Shadows]—

Goal: Dismantle the military capabilities of Ashwick.

Progress: 0/100% Destruction.

Sub-goals:

Defeat Battle Priestess Isadora Thane (Level 340)

Defeat Captain Lucius Grey (Level 355)

Defeat Deacon Cornelius Drecht (Level 365)

Reward: 5,000,000 C.L.A.S.P. Points, 1,500,000 Survival Points.

Constraint: This quest is CHAINED to "The Ascendant Threat."

Description: Ashwick is going to mobilize its military forces toward Highmont. A large-scale assault is imminent. Destroying Ashwick's defenses, supply lines, and command structure will prevent the attack.

—[END]—

Reidar swept his hand through the air to minimize the windows while keeping them in his sight.

"Did you get them too?"

Jake nodded as he read the text. "Twenty million points," he said. "And six million survival points. We could buy… everything with that."

"We could buy a coffin," Lena said, swiping her screen away with a sharp, angry motion. "Look at the warning, Jake. 'Magical attacks below Tier 30 have a 30% chance of being negated.' Do you know what that means?"

Jake blinked. "That we need strong magic?"

"It means Reidar is going to have many problems," Lena said, looking at Reidar. "Most of your summons are not at that tier."

Reidar nodded because she was right. But it wasn't that which irked him, but the fact that the system basically forced him to also destroy Ashwick. He said yes to Lena already, but the quest basically put the nail in the coffin. Reidar had to destroy Ashwick; it wasn't a matter of choice anymore.

"Yeah," Reidar said, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth. "Basically, if we attack Silas, there is a high chance we will do nothing to him."

Frustration boiled up in his chest, and he kicked the dirt.

Jake looked between the two quests. "So we have to destroy a fortress filled with Level 300 elites and then fight a Level 390 boss who can negate skills? In 10 days?"

"That's what the System says."

"Can we do it?" All three of them were leaning toward a huge NO.

Reidar looked at the quest timer and realized that once Silas hit Level 400 in 10 days, the quest would likely fail or change into something else. The twenty million points were taunting him, acting as a carrot over a pit of spikes, but he forced his voice into a detached, analytical tone to suppress his anxiety.

"The System scales rewards to risk," Reidar said. "Twenty million points isn't a gift. It's a valuation of the threat. The System calculates that Silas is worth that much because the probability of us killing him is low as we are now."

He paced back and forth.

"But this doesn't mean it says we are going to file in general; rather, it's telling us we will fail if we don't do something about the power disparity." He paused. "It's telling us we are under-leveled. And it's telling us that if we try to fight him as we are right now, we are just dead meat. But it's not telling us it is impossible."

Lena watched him pace while leaning against the oak with her arms crossed, looking worn out in a way that sleep wouldn't fix.

"So," she asked, "It is asking us to level up?"

Reidar stopped pacing and visualized the map in his head—the red dot of Ashwick, the pulsing purple marker of the cave, and the green expanse where Drecht was hunting. Comparing his Level 358 to Silas's Level 390, he knew the thirty-two-level gap was a large one; skill could bridge five levels and strategy could bridge ten, but this required a miracle or a higher level.

"We can't fight Silas. We can't besiege Ashwick. Not yet. We need levels. We need the attributes. We need to hit Tier 36 or 37 just to have a chance at scratching him."

He gestured toward the deep woods, where the heavy footfalls of Drecht's hunting party had left tracks miles back.

"Drecht and his elite forces are hunting nearby. They're high-level targets worth a lot of C.L.A.S.P. points. We go after them and the monsters in the area."

Reidar sighed.

"Essentially, we do the only thing we can do," he said. "We farm."

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