He didn't know how they'd managed to create summoning skills, but it didn't matter now.

"It's too fucking hard without my summons," Reidar said, his jaw tight.

"Welcome to the club," Lena said.

He watched the Tiger roar and collapse, its leg shattered by a well-placed hammer strike from a Zealot.

"We need to break that rhythm."

"What did you have in mind?" Jake asked. Reidar grinned and looked toward the deeper forest, away from the area.

"I can't use my summons for the sake of increasing my proficiencies." He paused. "Plus, I need to get used to fighting with fewer summons." He paused again.

"But this doesn't mean other tactics are out of the question." He looked at both Lena and Jake. "We don't fight forty people and three bosses," Reidar said while a cold smile touched his lips. "We add a variable they can't control. Something they didn't plan for. I'm going to lure something strong here. Something that doesn't care about formations or tactics, and that we can eventually hunt to get some levels."

He raised his baton and summoned the Vorathid Sky-Hunters.

Ten winged insects materialized. Reidar sent them around, spreading into the wilderness to the farther east.

"Find me a problem," Reidar said. "Find me something that should be able to put these bastards in a pinch. Possibly, something territorial and angry."

…

…

…

An hour passed. The Church party finished off the Thunder-Hide Tiger and moved deeper into the forest.

Reidar watched Drecht. The Deacon was impatient, shouting orders and pushing the elites to move faster.

"Don't waste more time than you already are!" Drecht's voice carried up the ridge. "The Progenitor does not wait for the slow! We need another kill before sunset! Move your feet, or I'll move them for you!"

"He's working them to the bone," Lena said, with a smile on her lips. "The group was pushing too hard, as they had hunted two monsters already, and at this level, these came with plenty of skills that were not easy to counter or defend against."

"Good," Reidar said. "Impatience kills. Maybe we will be lucky enough to not have to intervene."

"What? I need the C.L.A.S.P. points!" Lena said. "I'm not giving those goodies to a random monster!"

But Reidar was focused on something else. One of his Sky-Hunters had found something four miles north: a deep ravine filled with mist. The insect had flown too close and had been snatched out of the air by a tongue. Reidar didn't see the creature, but whatever could kill a summon around level 380 had to be strong.

Then the rest of the Sky-Hunters arrived and found the creature.

—[Mist-Gorged Hydra—Level 375]—

"Found it," Reidar said.

"You found a monster?"

Reidar nodded. "Yes. It is a… hydra? That's some cool stuff; it has five heads! Plus, it's territorial, so it's easy to lure, as it doesn't like visitors."

"How do we bring it here?" Jake asked. "Four miles is a long way to kite a territorial monster. We'd have to keep it angry the whole time."

"Don't worry," Reidar said with cold eyes. "I have the right idea in mind."

"Whatever you say." Lena grinned.

He focused on the Sky-Hunters in that sector. He ordered them to dive into the ravine and unleash hell on the beast's territory, just to piss it off. Of course, the monster reacted. A roar shook the trees, sounding like grinding tectonic plates.

"Done," Reidar said. "Get ready."

Lena and Jake nodded.

He directed the Sky-Hunters to fly toward the forest, staying low enough for the monster to focus on them. The Hydra, enraged by the attack on its nest, surged out of the ravine, crashed through the trees, and followed the pests that had dared to disturb it.

"This thing is still chasing," Reidar said after they'd covered quite a bit of distance from the ravine.

"Isn't it good?" Jake asked.

"It is. I was just surprised."

Close to the hunting party, the ground began to shake. Drecht stopped and looked north.

"Hold," the Deacon said. The Elite Zealots froze.

"Something is coming," Lucius said, his voice cutting through the tension as he raised his shield high. "It's big. Be ready!"

Reidar watched from his vantage point. "I'm having fun, for real."

He turned to the others. "When it hits," Reidar said, "chaos will break out. Lucius will try to tank it. Isadora will try to keep the man alive. Drecht will try to coordinate damage and maintain order. We must act at the right moment," Reidar said.

He looked at Jake.

"Your target is Isadora. When the Hydra engages, she'll be focused on the frontline. She'll be trying to keep Lucius from getting ripped apart. You take her out. If the woman goes down, the formation collapses."

Jake nodded. "Consider it done."

"Lena," Reidar continued, his eyes shifting to the woman. "You're going to fight Lucius. The forty Elites will try to swarm the Hydra or protect the leaders. Either way, there is a high chance they'll try to clump up, but you must just focus on Lucius."

"Got it," Lena said.

"And you?" Lena asked. "On Drecht, I suppose."

Reidar looked down at the pale figure of Deacon Drecht.

"Yeah. I'm going to kill Drecht," he said. "And I will make sure the others won't bother you as much as I can, monster included."

Reidar found the creature magnificent and hideous at the same time. He watched the five heads writhing on serpentine necks, swaying above a body that looked like a mountain of scales. He noted the toxicity immediately; as the sludge and acid dripped from its hide, he saw the grass wither and die the moment the beast stepped on it.

—[Mist-Gorged Hydra—Level 375]—

The Church soldiers stepped back, fear breaking their discipline for a split second.

"Hold the line!" Drecht said. "It is just a beast! Just another monster! Kill it and take its corpse!"

Lucius stepped forward. "Over here, you ugly bastard! Come get some!"

The Hydra's heads swiveled. Ten yellow eyes locked onto the shiny metal man. It roared, and all five heads lunged at once.

"Let's wait."

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