She drank a Stamina Elixir.
[Stamina: 283 → 483]
Two hundred points restored. Better. She could maintain combat pace now.
Loki's HP fluctuated. The wolf was taking more hits as pack sizes increased. Vermillion kept him stable, but the drain on their collective resources was visible.
Six hours into deployment, they'd cleared forty-eight packs. Over six hundred Elite enemies eliminated. Experience gains were massive, but the cost in consumables was climbing.
Samael's fifth Mana Potion. Riri's second Stamina Elixir. Health Potions still untouched because Vermillion's drain was keeping everyone alive, but the swarm's effectiveness was starting to show strain.
Hour seven arrived.
[ENVIRONMENTAL CORRUPTION ADVANCING]
[Stage 3 → Stage 4 - MAXIMUM]
[New Effect: -30 HP per minute (90 HP per minute outside barrier)]
[New Spawn Rate: Continuous combat - no rest intervals]
[Warning: This is the final corruption stage]
The corruption peaked. Riri's debuff icon turned red. Even inside the barrier, her HP dropped thirty per minute. Eighteen hundred damage per hour from ambient corruption alone.
And the spawn rate had eliminated recovery time completely.
Two packs spawned simultaneously from different directions.
[Blighted Ghoul Pack - 20 enemies - NORTH]
[Blighted Ghoul Pack - 18 enemies - EAST]
Thirty-eight enemies. All Elite. All Level 24.
"Split formation," Samael said, already moving toward the northern pack. "You take east with all companions. I handle north solo."
"That's too many for one person."
"Trust me."
Through the Bond she felt his absolute certainty. Samael against twenty Elite enemies wasn't a fair fight.
For the ghouls.
Riri turned toward the eastern pack. "Loki, Kirin, Vesper, Vermillion—standard elimination. Fast and clean."
All four companions responded. Kirin's lightning struck the cluster. Loki charged into the center, jaws finding throats. Vesper shadow-stepped between targets, claws finding weak points. Vermillion's drain wrapped around the entire pack.
Riri moved through them like smoke. Shadow Step put her in range, Desert Viper's Fang applied poison, Shadow Step pulled her out before retaliation. The pattern repeated. Strike, poison, withdraw. Strike, poison, withdraw.
Her Stamina burned. Fifty points per Shadow Step. Eighteen enemies meant eighteen strikes minimum. Nine hundred Stamina consumed.
[Stamina: 483 → -417]
Her Stamina hit zero. The fatigue debuff activated immediately.
[Exhaustion - All physical actions cost 50% more HP]
She drank her third Stamina Elixir.
[Stamina: 0 → 200]
Better. Not good, but functional.
The eastern pack died. Eighteen Elite enemies down in seven minutes.
She turned to check Samael's progress.
The northern pack was already dead. Twenty ghouls reduced to corpses in the time it had taken her to handle eighteen.
His Combat Power advantage was showing. 24,856 versus her 17,103. The seven-thousand-point gap meant his elimination speed was significantly faster.
No rest. Two more packs spawned immediately.
[Survival Timer: 01:03:27]
One hour remaining. Sixty-three minutes of continuous combat at maximum corruption.
They fought. Pack after pack, no breaks, resources depleting at accelerating rates.
Samael's sixth Mana Potion. Seventh. His MP pool couldn't sustain the barrier plus combat usage at this intensity.
Riri's fourth Stamina Elixir. Fifth. Her Agility-based build meant high mobility cost, and Shadow Step consumed fifty Stamina per activation.
Loki's HP dropped below 40%. Vermillion focused drain on the wolf, pulling him back to sustainable levels. Kirin's electricity weakened as his own Stamina depleted. Vesper moved slower, fatigue showing in delayed shadow-steps.
Everyone was running on fumes.
Thirty minutes remaining. The corruption was a physical weight now, pressing against her lungs, making every breath taste like rot.
[Survival Timer: 00:29:47]
Another pack. Twenty-five enemies this time.
Samael's kinetic compression was weaker. His MP was critically low despite potions. The barrier flickered once.
"If the barrier drops, retreat to me immediately," he said. His voice was steady, but through the Bond she felt his concern. Not for himself. For her.
"It won't drop."
"If it does—"
"It won't."
She shadow-stepped into the pack, Desert Viper's Fang finding targets with mechanical precision. Poison stacked. HP bars dropped. Loki tore through weakened enemies. Kirin's lightning had reduced to single-target strikes, but every hit still eliminated.
Twenty minutes left.
Ten.
Five.
The final pack spawned with four minutes remaining.
[Blighted Ghoul Pack - 30 enemies]
Thirty Elite enemies. The largest pack of the entire deployment.
"One more," Samael said. His eighth Mana Potion was already in his hand. "Then we're done."
They hit the pack with everything they had left. Kirin's last lightning strike. Samael's kinetic compression at full power. Riri's Shadow Step burning her remaining Stamina. Loki's jaws never stopped moving. Vermillion's drain pulled HP from thirty targets simultaneously.
The pack died in nine minutes.
But nine minutes was more than four.
Combat ended with the timer at zero hours, three minutes, twelve seconds.
[SURVIVAL TIMER EXPIRED]
[OBJECTIVE COMPLETE: SURVIVED 8 HOURS]
[Mission Clear: PERFECT]
[No Player deaths]
[No companion deaths]
[All objectives achieved]
[Calculating Rewards...]
Golden light pulsed. The wasteland dissolved around them.
They were back in the Hub, standing in the B-Rank Gate's plaza, the containment barrier reforming behind them.
Riri's legs almost gave out. Samael's hand found her waist immediately, steadying her.
"I've got you," he said.
Through the Bond she felt his exhaustion. Eight hours of sustained combat, barrier maintenance, resource management. He was running on empty same as her.
But he was still standing. Still holding her up. Still refusing to let go.
The reward notification appeared.
[Rewards Obtained:]
[Experience: 234,000 (×3 multiplier applied)]
[Credits: 785,000 (×3 multiplier applied)]
[Level Up! Riri Lee → Level 24]
[Level Up! Riri Lee → Level 25]
[Level Up! Samael Santoro → Level 24]
[Loot Boxes: B-Rank × 5]
[Bonus Reward - Perfect Clear: Ring of Endless Stamina (S-Grade Accessory)]
Two levels. Over two million credits in their shared pool now. S-Grade accessory.
Perfect clear. Eight hours. Zero deaths.
"Home," Samael said. His voice was rough with exhaustion.
"Home," she agreed.
They walked back to the Sanctuary together, companions trailing behind them like ghosts. Everyone was spent. Everyone had given everything they had.
The Sanctuary's door closed behind them.
Samael pulled Riri against his chest and held her there, neither of them speaking, just breathing, just existing in shared space after eight hours of death.
"Bed," he said finally.
"Shower first."
"Together."
She was too tired to argue. "Fine."
They showered together, the water washing away blood and corruption and eight hours of sustained combat. Samael's hands were gentle on her skin, checking for injuries she couldn't feel past the exhaustion.
When they emerged, Loki was already sprawled on the bedroom floor. Kirin had claimed the reading chair. Vesper materialized on the dresser. Vermillion settled on the windowsill.
Samael pulled Riri into bed and wrapped around her like he was afraid she'd disappear if he let go.
"Perfect clear at B-Rank," he said against her hair. "We're ready for A-Rank next week."
"Next week is rest week."
"After rest week."
She could feel his satisfaction through the Bond. They'd survived. They'd cleared perfectly. They'd proven they could handle content two ranks above minimum and come out alive.
"Sleep," she said.
Consciousness faded fast.
Tomorrow could worry about stat allocation and loot boxes and planning the next deployment.
Tonight was for rest.