The Guardian System: The strongest Summoner's quest to save his family-Chapter 421: A Summoner in a Market Town (4)
It was a common trap for survivors who relied on hunting for survival points.
Fighting was faster and more rewarding in the short term, but crafting provided independence in the long run.
A survivor who could make their own equipment didn't need to rely on vendors or the uncertain loot drops from monsters.
Reidar made a mental note to work on his professions once the current situation was over.
He didn't know if he'd be able to level up more, but without opportunities on the horizon, improving his crafting skills would be the natural next step for his survival.
<Maybe I can open a shop with my son.>
He reached the town's eastern gate just as the sun went below the horizon. The guards were changing shifts, and their attention was on the change itself rather than the survivors passing through the gates. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
Reidar slipped through the gate without particular problems, and once outside the walls, he went through it. The underbrush was thick but didn't pose a problem for him or his summons, and the ground was covered with a carpet of fallen leaves and pine needles that muffled his footsteps.
Reidar walked for about an hour before finding a suitable campsite. It was a small clearing surrounded by very dense bushes with a fallen tree in the middle that provided a natural windbreak and a place to sit. Plus, a small stream ran nearby, so it was the ideal place.
The area was also invisible from more than ten meters away because of the vegetation, which was a plus for Reidar.
He set up a basic camp but started no fire or did anything that would attract attention.
As he settled against the fallen tree, Reidar let his thoughts drift.
<I will start by sending the Vorathid Sky-Hunters around to see if they can find Lena and Jake. This will also give me more information about the monsters in the area. I should also be able to find some monster worth killing. >
He paused.
<I think it's also time to level up my skills and to take advantage of the First Killer title.>
While he could not level up, getting skills through the title was not a bad idea.
He would need to kill an absurd quantity of monsters to do so, but he also had to be clear about which monsters he hunted.
…
…
…
Two days later.
Reidar sat in a dark corner of "The Broken Hilt," a tavern located near the southern district of Sweetwater.
The air was filled by the smell of stale beer, unwashed bodies, and roasted meat that Reidar suspected wasn't beef, while survivors, merchants, and off-duty guards filled the space, talking and drinking as if the world outside the walls wasn't trying to kill them.
He sat with a hood pulled low over his face, a common enough sight in a town filled with refugees and hunters who valued their privacy, and on the table in front of him sat a wooden mug filled with dark, watery ale he hadn't touched. The Stealthy Presence perk was active, making him unremarkable to the other patrons.
Their eyes slid past him without registering his presence, their attention drawn to more interesting things like the barmaid carrying mugs or the loud argument happening near the fireplace, and Reidar listened.
"—three caravans lost this month alone," a merchant was saying to his companion.
"The monsters are getting worse. If the church hadn't set up those patrol routes, we'd all be dead by now."
"I'm telling you, it's getting worse out there," a man with a scarred face said at the next table. He was nursing a bandaged arm.
"It's the Behemoth," his companion said, shaking his head.
"Its influence is spreading. The closer you get to Kingsgate, the worse they get."
"Thank God for the Church," a third man said. He raised his mug.
"If it weren't for those walls, we'd be wolf chow."
"Yeah," the scarred man agreed, though his tone was grudging.
"They're weird, I'll give you that. Creepy bastards sometimes. But their magic works. That barrier hasn't flickered once."
"The church saved my brother's family," the companion said.
"They were trapped in a farmhouse outside the walls. A patrol found them and brought them in. Didn't even ask for payment."
"That's what I'm saying. Without the church, this town would have been wiped out months ago."
The survivors in Sweetwater genuinely believed the church was protecting them. They didn't know about the portals, the kidnappings, or the ritual sacrifices. To them, the church was a group of powerful warriors who had stepped up when no one else would.
<They've done a good job controlling the narrative.>
The public sentiment was firmly on the Church's side, as the fear of the monsters outweighed any uneasiness about the Church's methods—a classic protection racket, but on a global scale.
The door to the tavern opened, letting in a draft of cold air and the noise of the street, and Reidar looked up to see a familiar figure walk in.
Kara.
She looked tired, her helmet removed to reveal hair matted with sweat and dust, while her armor was scratched with fresh marks crossing the old ones as she scanned the room, looking for an empty table.
The caravan guard leader spotted him immediately, which surprised Reidar until he remembered she had seen him before; the Stealthy Presence perk made him unremarkable to strangers, but people who already knew him had an easier time.
Kara blinked, then walked over and pulled out the chair opposite him, sitting down heavily.
"Reidar," she said. "I was wondering if I'd run into you again. I figured a high-level hunter like you would be in the VIP lounge at the Mayor's estate or already back out in the wilds."
"I like the silence," Reidar said. "And the VIP lounge attracts too much attention."
"Fair point," Kara said. She signaled a serving girl and ordered a stew and a beer. "Most of the inns are packed with refugees. I'm sleeping in the open tonight."
There was a pause.
"How are you?" he asked.
"Better than expected. The caravan made it to the warehouse with no more incidents. The merchants are happy, and I got paid." She signaled the barmaid for a drink. "What about you? Where have you been staying?"
