Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons - Chapter 282

Chapter 282: The Verdant Maw
Arthur cut through the dense underbrush, making his way toward The Verdant Maw. The forest thickened with each step, canopies interlocking until sunlight became a distant memory. Darkness enveloped everything, but Arthur moved confidently, his enhanced senses mapping the environment perfectly.

A rustle to his left.

His body reacted before thought caught up. A pivot, heel grinding into moss. His katana hissed free.

Something burst from the underbrush — all slick bark and snapping limbs. Flowers bloomed along its spine mid-leap, vibrant red petals opening like mouths.

The scent hit him, it was sweet, sickly, and slightly familiar. Just like roasted meat.

Arthur’s blade sliced upward in a clean arc. The creature’s forward momentum did the rest.

A wet chhk followed by a twitching collapse.

The thing slid across the forest floor in two twitching halves, sap-like ichor splattering the undergrowth. Its petals convulsed once more, then wilted.

[You have killed Level 19 Bloomcrawler]

Arthur exhaled, the tension in his jaw releasing just enough for his breath to fog the air. He stepped closer, eyes narrowing at the mess.

Its body, now split open, revealed a tangle of muscle entwined with fibrous root. Where blood should’ve been, tiny white seeds rolled onto the moss, still warm. One twitched.

He grimaced.

The thing’s mouth — if it even was a mouth — had no teeth. Just a ring of tiny flower buds pulsing gently, like they hadn’t realized they were dead yet.

“Disgusting,” he muttered, wiping the ichor from his chaos katana with two sharp flicks.

Arthur continued forward. These forests leading to the Verdant Maw were supposed to be dangerous and challenging even for experienced hunters.

For him, they were merely a warmup.

An hour later, three more Elite-Bosses and an Epic-Boss lay dead in his wake. The last one—a twisted, multi-limbed abomination—had managed to graze his armour before Arthur killed it by collapsing the space around it.

As he collected his loot, a thought struck him.

‘Aether, Hank, and Skyla are just sitting around the village doing nothing.’ He shook his head at the wasted potential. ‘I might as well summon those three here. Skyla and Hank could get some training done, and Aether could take care of most beasts here.’

Arthur activated his summoning talent, dark energy pooling near him.

Three portals tore open beside him, shadows swirling like liquid night. Aether emerged first, nostrils flaring as he scanned the unfamiliar terrain.

“Master, where are we?” he asked.

“We’re in the city of Caldera’s forests,” Arthur replied, watching as Skyla and Hank emerged next.

Skyla stretched her wings, adjusting to the new area. “This isn’t like the village forests,” she observed, eyes gleaming in the darkness.

Hank responded to Skyla’s question.

“Yes. The village’s forests are relatively safe for us. But based on master’s personality, he probably brought us here to train.” The hawk said.

Arthur smiled at Hank’s precision.

“You know me well, Hank. We’ve been together for long enough.” He ruffled the hawk’s feathers.

“Hank is right,” Arthur continue. “We all need to get stronger. I can’t have you guys falling behind when the merge happens.”

Aether’s ears perked. “The merge?”

Arthur glanced at his void dragon, whose midnight scales absorbed what little light filtered through the canopy. It wasn’t time for a full explanation.

“Yes. You don’t have to worry about its meaning for now. Just know there will be lots of monsters and demons to kill, and we’ll be under pressure.”

Aether’s maw curved into what passed for a smile among void dragons. The promise of combat made his scales ripple with anticipation.

Hank flapped his wings impatiently, talons digging into the soil. “So what’s the plan, Master? Point me at something to shred.”

Skyla, the quieter of the two hawks, simply tilted her head, awaiting instructions.

“Here’s how we split it,” Arthur said, pulling up the region map and marking zones with a swipe. “Skyla and Hank, handle anyone at the epic rank or below. Aether, if there’s more than one epic rank beast, help them. Anyone above Epic, Aether, you take point.”

“What about you, Master?” Aether asked, his eyes blinking innocently.

“Me? I’ll join when I can. Got injured recently,” Arthur lied through his teeth.

The summons accepted his explanation without question. Loyalty was built into their essence.

“Kill everything in sight, except humans, that’s if you encounter any,” Arthur ordered.

The group moved as a unit through the dense forest. Five minutes into their journey, movement rustled the undergrowth ahead.

“Hold,” Arthur commanded, and his beasts froze instantly.

Another Bloomcrawler emerged – massive centipede body crafted from living bark, dozens of vibrant flowers blooming along its segmented back. Each blossom dripped nectar that filled the air with personalized temptation.

“Careful,” Arthur warned. “Their bite plants seeds that grow inside you.”

Hank’s feathers bristled. “Dibs!”

The hawk launched skyward with a piercing cry. “Race you to the first kill, Skyla!”

Skyla snorted, spreading her wings. “Sure.”

Both hawks circled the creature, which reared up on its hind segments, flowers pulsing with bioluminescent warning signals.

“Wait for my—” Arthur began, but Hank had already dive-bombed the creature, talons extended.

The Bloomcrawler twisted with unexpected speed, nearly catching Hank with its mandibles. Skyla struck from behind, tearing into the creature’s midsection.

Bark-like armor splintered under her attack, revealing pulsing, sap-filled organs beneath.

“Watch the spray!” Arthur called, sidestepping a jet of caustic fluid as the creature thrashed.

Aether circled the perimeter, his eyes tracking the battle. “Master, there are three more approaching from the north.”

“Perfect timing for practice,” Arthur grinned.

“Aether, you will take care of those three. Come with me,”

The void dragon fell into step beside Arthur as they moved to intercept the newcomers.

The underbrush parted with a hiss of shifting leaves and cracking branches. Three more Bloomcrawlers crept into view — each one bulkier than the last. Their bark plating shimmered with a waxy sheen, flowers along their flanks pulsing like slow, steady heartbeats.

“Elite rank,” Arthur noted. “Taking all three?”

“Yes, Master.”

The void dragon stepped forward.