The last Crystalline Rock-Hide Brawler of this group fell while its quartz-studded hide shattered under Reidar's Primal Pack and Torren's powerful sword.

The creature hit the floor, making the cave tremble. It was too sturdy and large for it to collapse, though. The monsters basically reshaped it to their liking, and the planet's expansion made everything vastly larger than it was.

Reidar wiped sweat from his brow, his mana reserves feeling the strain of re-summoning so many creatures in such a short amount of time.

They had been pushing deeper into the quarry for almost the entire day, and the resistance had grown considerably.

The monsters here weren't just higher level; they had more skills too. The Brawlers, all pushing level 52, had used the narrow stone corridors to their advantage, forcing the group into brutal, close-quarters fights where their sheer physical defense shone.

"There are too many of them…" Lena said. If it wasn't for Reidar keeping the monsters at bay, they would have needed to retreat.

"Yeah. I wonder what happened in this place after we left," Jorik panted, his barrier having flickered out moments before one of the monsters injured him. Luckily, Reidar's bear stopped the creature before Jorik could get too nasty wounds.

"We are still making giant progress, thanks to Reidar," Torren said. They covered more ground in a day with him than they did in several days when they were alone.

"Yes, but it's still not enough."

"I almost got to your level!"

"You are still one short," Lena said.

Reidar's Stone Rift-Sprite went scouting ahead earlier, but it was back already.

"Another group."

"Shit…"

Lena had an ashen face.

"Same type. Same level." He didn't need to say the number, because it was high. The group killed around 300 creatures alone that day. If Reidar had been alone, with so many kills, he would be 20 to 30 levels higher. Unfortunately, everything he got was divided by 5, so he only got to level 46, just one level lower than the others.

Twenty more Brawlers rounded a bend in the quarry path.

"Form up!" Lena said.

Reidar didn't wait. He sent his Bone Militia forward; the skeletons swarmed the lead Brawler, but their blades scraped uselessly against its rock-like skin. It was a distraction, a costly one at that. The Brawler swung a massive arm, pulverizing three skeletons into bone dust.

"Now, Torren!"

Torren roared, charging in the attack's wake. His massive sword slammed into the creature's knee joint, finding a slight weakness. A chunk of crystalline rock sheared off. The Rift-Sprites ended the beast.

[You have gained 1073 C.L.A.S.P. Points.]

[You have earned 240 survival points.]

Another Brawler ignored the melee and focused on Jorik, who was already channeling a defensive barrier.

A fist the size of a boulder slammed into the shimmering energy. The shield held, but Jorik grunted from the feedback strain.

Lysa blurred past, daggers flashing as they probed for gaps between another Brawler's armored plates. One blade sank deep into a seam along its back. The creature roared, a grating rumble of shifting stone, and twisted, its massive arm catching her mid-air and hurling her against the quarry wall. Her body struck the wall, making a wet crack before she slumped motionless to the ground.

"Lysa!" Jorik's shout was strained, his focus split.

Reidar's Aqua Rift-Sprite surged forward, its form shimmering with contained energy as it unleashed a high-pressure jet of water directly into the first Brawler's head. The plates around what might have been its eyes were instantly obscured by the torrent, and the elemental's attack struck with enough force to make the massive creature stagger back a step and claw blindly at the air.

Seizing the opening, Reidar poured mana into a Void Javelin. The spear of dark energy materialized in his hand, and he hurled it.

[You have gained 1132 C.L.A.S.P. Points.]

[You have earned 340 survival points.]

Torren was on another monster and drove his sword through its neck.

[You have gained 1132 C.L.A.S.P. Points.]

[You have earned 340 survival points.]

Reidar went over to Lysa.

"Jorik, drop it on my mark!" Reidar said.

Reidar dropped to a knee beside Lysa's still body. He channeled mana; his hands glowed as he cast Circle of Renewal around her. A luminous ring settled around them, its healing energy knitting broken bones and mending internal damage.

The woman's eyes snapped open, and she pushed herself up, rolling her shoulders as if shaking off a minor inconvenience. She gave a curt nod in Reidar's direction. "Thanks."

"No problem."

She was already moving, returning to the fray. Then, more monsters arrived, but they were too many for the man's summons.

"Reidar!"

"I can't hold them for long! We need to take care of them fast!"

Reidar's mind raced, trying to keep up with the endless rush of rock-hide monsters. His Bone Militia shattered under crushing blows, so he summoned more skeletons right away. The Rift-Sprites, the primal pack, and the guardian shade were there.

Elemental bolts from the Rift-Sprites struck the monsters' bodies, chipping away fragments of crystalline rock-hide with each impact.

A Fireball from his Ember Sprite exploded against a Brawler's chest, staggering it long enough for Torren to sever its leg. The creature crashed down, and Lysa finished it with a dagger through its glowing eye-slit.

[You have gained 1098 C.L.A.S.P. Points.]

[You have earned 315 survival points.]

But for every rock brute they killed, two more lumbered around the quarry's corners, their heavy steps shuddering through the stone beneath their feet.

Jorik's face was pale with strain, stark white beneath all the grime and sweat. His gray beard bristled seemingly with tension, every strand standing out against his cheeks as if his skin was crawling. Deep lines of effort cut across his forehead, and his eyes remained wide and fixed, reflecting the flickering chaos of the spells shattering stone just a couple of meters in front of him.

"This is unsustainable!" Jorik gritted out, sweat beading on his forehead.

"There's a fissure. A tunnel offshoot to the left, fifty meters back. We need to fall back into it. Now!" Lena gave her orders.

Reidar didn't hesitate. He poured the last of his current mana reserves into a last command. His entire force surged in a suicidal charge, creating a wall of snapping jaws, elemental fury, and clattering bone that barred the monsters' way.

"Go!"

The group broke off the fight, sprinting toward the tunnel Lena pointed to. Reidar was the last to dive into the narrow space just as the enraged cries of the Brawlers echoed behind them. They went into the tunnel, unseen, and the sound of combat ended.

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