The Guardian System: The strongest Summoner's quest to save his family-Chapter 363: Ancient Stone-Eater Behemoth (5)

Reidar kept the summons moving, leading the Behemoth deeper into the volcanic region. The creature followed, its movements growing slower as the heat and damage built up. More steam rose from its body, and Reidar saw cracks forming in its armored plates.

<Yes. Yes. More. More damage! >

He ordered another group of hundreds of Sky-Hunters to attack, and this time, the damage notification was different.

[Vorathid Sky-Hunter deals 10 Damage to Ancient Stone-Eater Behemoth.]

The number was higher than before. The heat was not only damaging the creature directly but also weakening its armor, making it more vulnerable to physical attacks.

Reidar summoned more Sky-Hunters and positioned them around the Behemoth. He had them attack in a pattern, making sure that at least one was striking the creature at all times while the others circled and prepared their next dive.

For each of the Sky-Hunters, the attack happened every five seconds so that Reidar would be able to figure out how much he was dealing and how big the monster's health was.

Without a monster compendium telling him what this thing actually was, he didn't have much information, so whatever he knew was what he figured out.

Understanding the Behemoth's health pool and abilities was crucial for his survival. If he could figure out how much damage it took to kill a level 532 creature, he would have a baseline for estimating the strength of other monsters at similar levels. This would help him decide which fights to take and which to avoid, giving him a much better chance of staying alive on this hostile planet.

Of course, Reidar had to stay away from the monster because, contrary to the Vorathid Sky-Hunters, his S.H.I.E.L.D. was pitifully low. Reidar had 13900 health points; a stray attack, even an accidental one, from a level 532 monster would do enough damage to kill him dozens of times.

The Behemoth fought back. It caught one Sky-Hunter and crushed it. It swung its massive body to slam another against the ground. But the creature was slowing down, and its attacks were less precise than before. [Your Summon (Vorathid Sky-Hunter) has been destroyed.]

[Your Summon (Vorathid Sky-Hunter) has been destroyed.]

…

[Your Summon (Vorathid Sky-Hunter) has been destroyed.]

[Your Summon (Vorathid Sky-Hunter) has been destroyed.]

Reidar replaced the losses and kept the pressure on. He also had to manage his own health. The environmental damage was constant, and his health bar had dropped to sixty percent. He backed away from the heart of the volcanic zone, finding a place near the edge where the heat was slightly less intense but where he could still keep an eye on the Behemoth.

The creature tried again to leave. It turned toward the badlands and started walking, ignoring the Sky-Hunters that harassed it. Reidar saw the determination in its movements. The Behemoth knew it was in danger and wanted to escape.

<No. I can't let you leave.>

Reidar summoned 250 more Sky-Hunters in a single burst, draining a large portion of his remaining mana. He positioned them in a line between the Behemoth and the badlands, and when the creature approached, he had all of them dive at once, striking its head and forcing it to stop.

The Behemoth roared and lunged at the Sky-Hunters. It killed four dozen in quick succession, but the remaining continued their attack, driving the creature back toward the center of the volcanic zone, if not to kill the summons, at least to eat them.

Reidar checked the Behemoth's condition. More cracks had formed in its armor, and the steam rising from its body had thickened into visible steam. The creature's movements were slow and labored. It was dying.

<Just a little longer.>

Many hours passed at that point, and based on Reidar's calculations, killing the creature was within reach.

He continued the rotation of attacks, summoning new Sky-Hunters as the old ones fell. The mana cost was brutal, and Reidar felt his reserves dropping toward dangerous levels despite the regeneration, but he could not stop now. If the Behemoth escaped, all of this would have been for nothing.

Then, after a couple more hours, the creature collapsed.

It happened suddenly. The creature's legs buckled, and its body hit the ground with a crash that sent tremors through the rock. The creature did not get up. It lay there, steam rising from its cracked armor.

Reidar ordered his Sky-Hunters to continue attacking. He did not trust that the creature was truly helpless. Even dying monsters could kill.

The Sky-Hunters dove and struck, their talons raking across the Behemoth's exposed areas where the armor had cracked away. Each attack dealt over one hundred damage now, and the creature barely moved in response.

[Vorathid Sky-Hunter deals 3 Damage to Ancient Stone-Eater Behemoth. h]

[Vorathid Sky-Hunter deals 6 Damage to Ancient Stone-Eater Behemoth. h]

[Vorathid Sky-Hunter deals 12 Damage to Ancient Stone-Eater Behemoth. h]

The numbers scrolled past as the Sky-Hunters tore into the dying creature. The Behemoth let out one last roar, a sound that looked far too much like a mountain breaking apart, and then it went still.

The interface flashed.

[You have defeated the Ancient Stone-Eater Behemoth—Level 532.]

[Calculating rewards...]

Reidar held his breath. The level difference was massive, and he knew he was about to receive significant amounts of C.L.A.S.P. points.

The notifications began to appear.

[Level 532 Monster Ancient Stone-Eater Behemoth defeated.]

[You have gained 63,137,760 C.L.A.S.P. Points.] 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

[You have earned 18,941,328 Survival Points.]

[QUEST COMPLETE: The Apex of the Wastes]

[Quest Reward: 70,000,000 C.L.A.S.P. Points, 40,000,000 Survival Points, Title: "Giant Slayer," Legendary Material Cache]

[LEVEL UP! You have reached Level 396.]

[You have gained 0.5 attribute points to distribute.]

[LEVEL UP! You have reached Level 397.]

[You have gained 0.5 attribute points to distribute.]

[LEVEL UP! You have reached Level 398.]

[You have gained 0.5 attribute points to distribute.]

[You have reached Level 400!]

[New Perks Available]

…

…

…

The list continued, scrolling faster than Reidar could read. He watched in shock as his level climbed from 395 to 464 in a single moment. The gain was absurd, far beyond anything he had earned on Earth.