The Vorathid Sky-Hunter climbed higher, carrying Reidar away from the crater where the Elite Feral Ignis had died, its massive wings beating against the cold air as ash and smoke from the battlefield faded into the distance below.
The wind was cold up here, and it hit his face without mercy, but Reidar didn't care because he was too busy looking at the landscape below, trying to figure out where he was. The hills stretched in every direction, covered in grass and dotted with clusters of trees. There were no buildings, no roads, and no signs of human civilization anywhere in sight.
<Where the hell am I?>
He had no idea which part of Earth he'd landed on, which meant he needed to find out before he could do anything else. The portal had been unstable, and the magic circle had been destroyed during the transition, so there was no telling how far off course he'd been thrown.
Reidar opened his status interface while the Sky-Hunter continued to climb.
—[<<STATUS>>]—
Name: Reidar Miller
Level: 557
Health: 34980
Mana: 144596.
C.L.A.S.P.: 1089534 / 3519800
Available Attribute points: 13.50
Skills: Storm-Wyrm's Ire, Summon: Mana-Forged Dreadmaw, Dreadmaw's Corrosive Mist, Tetra-Lion's Cataclysm, Sovereign's Absolute Carapace, Overmind Consciousness, Apocalyptic Catalyst, Summon Vorathid Sky-Hunters, Summon Undying Legion, Summon Apex Menagerie, Summon Shadow Sovereigns, Summon Spectral Quadraginta, Summon Archon Rift-Lords, Touch of the Eternal Sovereign, Genesis Garden, Yggdrasil's Grasp, Emperor's Decree, Event Horizon Javelin, Chaos Storm, Presence of the Sovereign, Gaze of the Pariah, Sovereign's Aegis, Wellspring of Vitality, Aura of Absolute Purity, Summon: Twin Obsidian Siege-Breakers, Summon: Verdant Sovereign, Summon: Avatar of Primal Convergence, Summon: Void-Claw Pack, Primal Resonance, Sentinel Armory
Equipment: Ignis Cinder-Core Wand, Ignis Pyre-Crown, Ignis Molten-Heart Robe, Ignis Scorched-Strides, Ignis Ember-Grips, Ignis Ash-Walkers, Ignis Vambraces of the Flare, Ignis Smoke-Cloak, Ignis Cinder-Link Belt, Ignis Heart-Amulet, Ignis Spark-Band, Ignis Eternal-Flame Ring
Proficiencies: Velia's Regional Map (64%), Velia's Monster Compendium (72%), Advanced Spellcraft Mastery (12%), Warrior's Sovereignty (5%)
Attributes: (S.H.I.E.L.D.: 70 + 248), (A.C.U.M.E.N.: 141 + 750), (F.L.A.I.R.: 25 + 227), (F.L.I.P.: 41 + 140)
Minions: #N/A
Survival Points: 181,161,
Trait: Skill Sharing
Perks: Hardened Resilience (5/9), Endless Endurance (4/6), Efficient Scavenger (6/6), Stealthy Presence (8/10), Environmental Adaptation (7/4), Item Durability (7/7), Intuitive Navigation (5/8), Arcane Potency (6/6), Mana Attunement (5/5), Mana Font (6/6), Focused Mind (5/5), Rapid Learning (5/5), Mana Regeneration (10/10), Arcane Resilience (4/4), Empowered Effects (5/5), Arcane Leech (5/5), Spell Control (5/5), Familiar Bond (10/10), Pack Tactics (5/5), Elemental Infusion (5/5), Resilient Constructs (6/6), Grave Calling (41), Boundless Legion (10/10), Legion's Fortitude (5/5), Volatile Essence (1/1), Ethereal Anchor (5/5), Mana Siphon (10/10), Shared Resilience (1/1), Generous Soul (1/1), Master's Aegis (7/5), Crushing Presence (9/9), Legion Commander (5/5), Unsleeping Sentinels (1/1), Enduring Summons (5/6), Anchor Point (1/1), Coordinated Assault (5/5), Mana-Efficient Minions (4/7), Territorial Dominance (9/9), Adaptive Evolution (10/10), Symbiotic Regeneration (8/8), Soulforged Armor (10/10), Legion's Onslaught (8/8), Inspired Creation (8/8), Master Gatherer (8/8), Systemic Salvage (10/10), Deft Hands (9/9), Blueprint Genius (9/9), Production Efficiency (6/8), Resource Purity (10/10), Item Durability (7/5)
Perk Points: 17.00
Titles: The First Killer, The First Apprentice, The Pioneer, Creature Slayer IV, Rift-Sprite Hunter IV, The Exterminator, Guardian of the innocents, Adept Learner, Abyssal Caller, The Apex, Titan Breaker, Mana-Forged Will, Demi-God Slayer, Giant Slayer
Profession: Tailoring (LVL401), Woodworking (LVL413), Enchanting (LVL507)
—[<<END>>]—
Level 557. The eight levels from killing the Elite Feral Ignis had pushed him some levels higher, and he now had 13.5 Attribute Points and 17 Perk Points sitting unused.
Reidar considered his options as the Sky-Hunter leveled out at a cruising altitude, high enough that the ground below looked like a patchwork of green and brown. He looked around in all directions, searching for any landmark that might tell him where the portal had brought him, but there was nothing, just endless hills and scattered forests stretching toward the distant mountains.
At this point, there was very little on Earth that could genuinely threaten him since the only monster that came close was the World-Carver Behemoth, and that thing was an anomaly. Most survivors were still struggling against creatures in the Level 200-300 range, which meant Reidar was acting on an entirely different scale.
But that didn't mean he should get complacent.
He opened the Perk Tree interface and scrolled through his options, looking for something that would give him the most value, and his eyes landed on Grave Calling.
—[«PERK TREE»]—
Grave Calling: All your undead summoning skills get an increase in creatures summoned per point. (+1 to max raised minions per point)
Current points: 24
—[«END»]—
The perk had no cap, which made it unique among his options since most perks maxed out at 5 or 10 points. Grave Calling just kept scaling, adding one extra undead creature per point invested, and it worked on all his undead summoning skills.
Reidar knew something else about it too: it also worked on single-target summoning skills, not just batch skills.
If he managed to get a skill that summoned a single powerful undead creature, the perk would turn it into a batch skill by adding extra summons based on his investment, without losing the strength coming from a single-target summoning skill.
<If I put 17 more points into this, I'll have 41 extra undead per skill.>
The math was simple. His Summon Undying Legion skill already benefited from Boundless Legion and Legion Commander, which meant the base number got multiplied before Grave Calling added its flat bonus. The synergy between the perks was stacking in ways that turned even a modest summoning skill into a small army.
And on Earth, he could buy new skills from the vendor stations, which meant he could pick up additional undead summoning options and immediately benefit from the 41 points invested in Grave Calling.
Reidar made his decision and confirmed the allocation without hesitation.
[Perk Points: 17.00 → 0.00]
[Grave Calling: 24→41]
The knowledge settled into his mind, and he felt the connection to his summoning skills deepen, as if the roads for calling undead creatures had been widened. It wasn't a dramatic change that meant he didn't feel stronger or faster, but he knew the numbers would reflect the investment the next time he cast a summoning skill.
<Now I need to find civilization.>