Chapter 81: Bedrock of Havenwood (9)

“Reidar!” Lena’s voice cut through the rockfall, strained but clear. “Are you still alive?”

He took a steadying breath. “I’m here. Are the others alright?” The silence that followed was uncomfortable.

<Something happened.>

“Torren and Lysa took some heavy hits—deep gashes, broken ribs, the works. Jorik’s patching them up now, but it’s slow going.” Then a pause followed. “We all got the quest completion notification just now. Did you… did you actually kill that thing?”

“I did.” Reidar’s words were heavy for multiple reasons. For the others, it meant that he was even stronger than them; for him was that he would have to find a way to justify the kill.

“How? That was a Level 65 Alpha. Even we couldn’t have taken it down together.”

Reidar paused. He couldn’t explain how he’d pulled it off. That trick, if one wanted to call it as such, the one of using his own summons to summon more creatures, was his biggest secret. His trump card. His get-out-of-jail card.

In a world where trusting people was risky, showing that kind of power to strangers, especially after what Jorik said about people controlling monsters, felt like asking for trouble.

“It’s… complicated,” he said. “And I would like you not to ask about it.”

Reidar already told Lena his summons had a duration; they weren’t permanent guardians. If she or Martin wanted him gone, the window was clear. Wait until he slept and his army faded.

A now level 49 survivor like her wouldn’t even break a sweat given how specialized she was in speed and strength, and how far from that was for Reidar.

The thought made his skin crawl.

Reidar knew his dodging the question would sound suspicious. Jorik and Torren had just revealed that someone was deliberately herding monsters toward Havenwood, someone powerful. Now he’d single-handedly eliminated a threat that should have required their entire elite team, and he was refusing to explain how.

He could picture how the seed of doubt would harden into certainty for her, or at least plant itself. In her eyes, his silence would be a confession.

<She might even think I’m the orchestrator of the attacks, or that at least I might be aligned with them, a wolf they’d foolishly invited into their den. >

The irony tasted bitter. He would hide his biggest strength to stay safe, but keeping it secret would exactly make him look guilty.

Yet he didn’t have a choice. Or did he? Surely, trust was something he couldn’t risk giving, even if it meant they’d all start suspecting him, but what if he simply crushed everything on his path?

Nothing big had happened to Reidar already, but given the situation, and how he knew was going to unfold, he started thinking the idea of hiding his powers had been wrong.

<Maybe not in this case, though, because if they learned I could summon so many creatures, they would have really thought I was with whoever is attacking them. By hiding this power, I at least got a chance to prove myself.>

And yet, while his reasoning was right, Reidar hated it, because he didn’t want to be in that situation at all.

Reidar had only come to Havenwood to restock his supplies, but somehow he’d gotten dragged into a human conflict Martin had pushed him into.

<Jeez, that man is a fucking bastard, but I’ve been naïve too, there is no doubt about this.>

The problem was, how could Reidar tell what the situation was inside a settlement if he never went there? Somehow, he needed to find a way.

“The tunnel’s mostly clear on my side. I’m going to scout ahead to see if there’s another way to loop back to you.” He didn’t give Lena an answer.

The silence from the other side of the rubble felt heavier than the stones separating them. He could practically feel Lena’s suspicion hardening.

“I see,” Lena’s voice came back, clipped and neutral. Too neutral. “The ceiling collapse opened a new passage on our end. We’re moving toward what looks like an exit. Can you dig your way out?”

Reidar checked the rockfall. “Not without bringing the rest of the mountain down. I’ll find another way.”

“Understood. We should regroup at the quarry entrance. There is no point in remaining down here with the quest completed.” Her tone made it clear the conversation was over.

Reidar leaned against the cool stone wall, listening as their footsteps faded. He’d just made himself look guilty as hell, and Lena was Martin’s second-in-command. If there were traitors in Havenwood, he’d just given them every reason to see him as a threat.

Worse still, they knew his summons had time limits. They knew exactly when he’d be vulnerable.

<I should’ve just said no. Stupid, stupid greedy idiot!>

…

…

…

Navigating the collapsed tunnels was a brutal grind. Reidar sent his Bone Militia and Rift-Sprite Contubernium ahead as scouts and shock troops, while he kept the Primal Pack close.

The monsters engaged Shard-Tooth Skitterers and Crystalline Rock-Hide Brawlers in the tunnels that stretched ahead of him.

Each skirmish was a brief, violent eruption of claws against bone and the sizzle of elemental spells from his Rift-Sprites.

There was something positive about the situation, though. Without the Havenwood team siphoning rewards, the C.L.A.S.P. points flooded in with each kill, and they were five times higher than before.

The System’s damage notifications flickered, followed by those describing the death of another monster. He pushed deeper, to the point he leveled up twice just to get out of the cave.

<Jeez, I’m really a cheat…>

A thin strip of orange daylight finally showed up ahead. He sent some of his summons away but kept the Guardian Shade pulling in mana for him, then stepped out of the cave alone. The cool air felt good after being stuck in that cramped darkness.

Jorik’s broad face broke into a relieved grin as Reidar emerged from the cave mouth. “You are here!”

The rest of the team was already assembled, dust-covered and looking worse for wear.

Lysa leaned against a boulder. Lena stood with her arms crossed. Apparently, there wasn’t a shift in their demeanor based on what happened.

That was if only Reidar didn’t see Torren. His posture was slightly guarded; his massive arms were folded, and his gaze held a new, assessing chill.

“Are you alright?” Jorik asked, stepping forward with genuine concern, or so it looked. “That was one hell of a cave-in. Let me take a look at you. I can—”

“I’m fine,” Reidar cut him off. “My healing spells handled it. There is no lasting damage.”

In truth, he didn’t even get injured, but it was better to make them think otherwise. He subtly checked his mana pool; the Guardian Shade’s work had already replenished part of it.

Lena’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. “Good. If you’re not injured, then there’s no reason to stick around. We’ve secured the quarry, killed the boss, and completed the quest. Our priority is to get back to Martin and report.” Her tone left no room for discussion. “We move out. Now.”

She turned on her heel, leading the way without a backward glance. Lysa fell into step behind her. Torren gave Reidar one last, long look before following, his Zweihänder resting on his shoulder.

<The situation is really fucked up, and why is she giving orders now?!.>

Jorik clapped Reidar on the back. “Don’t mind them. You pulled off a miracle back there. Come on, let’s get out of this place.”

Reidar took his place at the back of the group. The quarry was safe now, but the bigger job, finding out who was controlling the monsters, was still far off. Now he was heading back into a settlement where at least one person, probably more, didn’t see his survival as a win—just something to wonder about.

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