In Godpath, partying up came with an experience penalty for each individual. A monster worth 100 XP, for example, would grant 85 XP to each player in a two-person party.

  Every additional member decreased that share by another 4%. At a full ten-person party, each member only received 50 XP.

  While the individual gain was halved, the total experience generated was quintupled to 500. Since the total XP capped out at the ten-player mark, a ten-person team was the undisputed optimal configuration for power-leveling.

  Kael’s squad marched north. For the first half-hour, they encountered low-level mobs that were easily cleared by Lila, Lunara, and the others before Kael even had to draw his weapon.

  After crossing a stretch of grasslands and shrubs, the ten of them arrived at a muddy swamp, the most popular leveling zone for players in their level range, which also housed a Level 15 dungeon.

  Beyond the swamp lay a massive gator-infested fen, teeming with crocodiles between levels 20 and 25. This was a significant jump in gear requirements, so very few players dared to grind here. Lila glanced at the dense swarm of reptiles, then at Kael, who just shook his head.

  “Not here. Keep moving.”

  They skirted the edge of the fen. The landscape changed, funneling them into a narrow, winding trail flanked by two towering mountains. The eastern mountain was a sheer, unclimbable cliff face, while the western one seemed more accessible, with a faint path visible in the distance.

  Kael, leading the pack, came to a halt. He turned back to the nine women following him. “Alright, be careful from here on out. The mobs are high-level. Don’t wander off. Stick close to me.”

  “Got it!” they replied in unison.

  Lila had already noticed that the trash mobs along the roadside had surpassed level 25. The monsters further up the mountain would be even higher. She watched Kael, wondering what kind of secret grinding spot he had found.

  Suddenly, he blurred before her eyes. Kael’s form became indistinct.

  Poof.

  He vanished. A half-second later, three identical figures of “Dawnbreaker” stood in his place.

  “Whoa!” a collective gasp came from the women behind her. It was the first time any of them had seen a skill like that. “Which one is the real one? Can you tell?”

  One of the Kaels turned and smiled at them before sending the other two clones to scout the path ahead.

  Though momentarily stunned, Lila quickly recovered. “Do you need a priest to heal your clones?” she asked.

  Kael shook his head. “No need. The skill’s only on a twenty-second cooldown. The clones are cheap.”

  With that, the group began their ascent up the western mountain. The path was crawling with various apes, all level 25 and above.

  [Grasping Macaque] - Lv. 25

  Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

  [Long-Armed Gibbon] - Lv. 26

  [Stone-Hurling Howler] - Lv. 28

  To Kael, they were all trivial, about as difficult as the yetis in the Blackheart Grotto, only more agile, which made them slightly harder to hit.

  [System: You have slain Grasping Macaque. You have gained 10,000 EXP.]

  [System: You have slain Long-Armed Gibbon. You have gained 10,500 EXP.]

  [System: You have slain Stone-Hurling Howler. You have gained 12,000 EXP.]

  …

  He effortlessly dispatched over a hundred apes on the way up the mountain, leaving the women of Crimson Bloom completely floored.

  “Whoa, I got 18,000 experience from that one Grasping Macaque!”

  “The Stone-Hurling Howler gave me 20,000!”

  “I’m level 19! I dinged!”

  “We should have left the swamp ages ago!”

  “And done what? You think you could’ve handled these monkeys without Dawnbreaker?”

  Because the experience required to level up skyrocketed past level 23, monsters above level 25 gave a proportionally massive amount of XP. Combined with the nearly doubled bonus they were getting for fighting monsters almost ten levels higher than them, each of them was earning around 20,000 XP per kill, even in a full party.

  Lila watched her experience bar fly up, a grin spreading across her face. But in her excitement, a question nagged at her: if Kael didn’t need their help to kill these things, why had he insisted on bringing at least three healers?

  She studied him, hoping to find an answer. When they finally reached the summit, she thought she understood.

  The entire climb had been under a thick canopy of trees. But the mountaintop was a massive, perfectly flat, and barren clearing, nearly the size of a football field.

  In the center of the clearing was the entrance to a large cave, and standing beside it, as if on guard, was a single, colossal macaque. It was a boss.

  [Greatear, the Alpha Howler (Boss)] - Lv. 30

  HP: 5,000,000

  Physical Attack: 5200

  Physical Defense: 3200

  …

  The sight of the beast struck fear into the party.

  “We’re fighting that?” Lila asked, moving to Kael’s side. “There’s no way we can beat it.”

  “Yeah, we can’t tank that,” someone else added. All eyes were on Kael. It was no joke. With 5000 attack power, it could one-shot anyone in the party besides Hazel and Kael himself.

  Kael just smiled and shook his head. “We’re not going to kill it. Hazel, come here.”

  “What do I do?”

  “In a minute, you and four of the healers are going to pull the boss. Drag him to that corner, over by the large boulder. Once you’re there, your only job is to hold his aggro. Don’t move from that spot.”

  Hazel nodded, but looked worried. “What if I can’t hold aggro? Your damage output is too high!”

  Kael patted her head reassuringly. “You’ll hold it just fine, because I’m not going to attack it.”

  His statement baffled everyone. “Then how are we going to kill it?” they asked in unison.

  Kael’s smile widened. “Who said we’re going to kill it?”

  “Huh?!” The group was more confused than ever.

  Then, a look of realization dawned on Rena’s face. “Oh, I get it! You’re going to sneak into the cave and steal its treasure, right?”

  “Yes and no,” Kael said cryptically. Seeing his refusal to explain, the girls were practically buzzing with curiosity.

  He didn't elaborate further, instead turning to the support classes. “Supports, get all your buffs on Hazel. The boss’s attack speed is slow, so you should have no problem keeping her health topped off. Healers, rotate your cooldowns to conserve mana. And make sure you cleanse any debuffs on Hazel immediately, or the boss’s damage will get out of control.

  “Lunara, you can hit the boss with frost spells, not for damage, but to slow its attack speed. Starbloom, keep your debuffs active on it at all times.

  “I’ll say it one last time,” he said, his voice firm and commanding. “Your goal is to contain it, not kill it. Understood?”

  “Understood!” came the chorus of replies.

  “Lila, the rest of you, stand back,” Kael instructed. “Don’t get anywhere near that cave.”

  “Okay.” They retreated to a safe distance.

  Finally, following Kael’s plan, Hazel raised her shield and, with her retinue of healers, cautiously approached Greatear.

  The giant macaque shrieked as they entered its territory, leaping into the air and bringing a massive claw down on Hazel.

  -4122

  In a single blow, a huge chunk of Hazel’s health bar vanished.