Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons - Chapter 285

Chapter 285: The Verdant Maw
They continued deeper into the Verdant Maw, the unnatural silence growing more oppressive with each step.

No rustling leaves. No distant monster sounds.

Nothing.

Arthur’s instincts screamed danger.

‘Something is wrong. We should have encountered at least one beast by now,’ he thought, scanning the unnaturally still forest.

“Aether, wait.”

The void dragon, who had been prowling slightly ahead, stopped and glanced back, scales rippling with alertness.

Arthur made a full scan of their surroundings, enhancing his senses to their limits. The forest stretched in every direction, huge trees reaching toward a canopy so thick that only slivers of sunlight penetrated through.

But there was no sign of monsters. No traces. No territorial markings. No half-eaten prey. Nothing to indicate any sign of life.

This wasn’t normal. After hunting in Armageddon’s forests for so long, Arthur knew that predator-free zones simply didn’t exist—unless something far more dangerous had cleared them out.

Before he could voice his concerns, a strange sensation crept over him, like a cold finger running down his spine. The connection to Hank and Skyla, perched on his shoulders, suddenly felt… different.

It felt hindered.

Arthur’s eyes darted to his right shoulder. Hank’s normally sharp, intelligent eyes had gone hazy, unfocused.

“Shit,” Arthur muttered, immediately recalling both hawks to his summoning storage with a swift gesture.

“Master? What’s wrong?” Aether asked, sensing his sudden tension.

“Something is wrong here. I lost my connection to both of them,” Arthur explained, hand moving to his blade. “It was as if they lost control of themselves.”

Aether’s eyes narrowed. “Summon Hank back. Let’s examine it more carefully.”

Arthur nodded, summoning Hank back into existence.

The hawk materialized before them, appearing perfectly normal. His eyes were clear, and his posture relaxed.

“Hank. Did you feel anything earlier?” Arthur asked, studying him closely.

Before the hawk could answer, his eyes clouded over again—pupils dilating until they nearly disappeared.

“Is something controlling his mind?” Arthur muttered, extending his senses further, searching for hidden enemies in every direction. “I’ve lost connection again.”

Hank’s posture changed, feathers bristling as his head swiveled mechanically toward Arthur. The friendly intelligence that normally characterized the hawk was gone, replaced by something cold.

Without warning, Hank launched himself at Arthur’s face, talons extended for his eyes.

Arthur sidestepped, unwilling to harm his summon. “Aether, defensive position only. Something’s using Hank.”

The void dragon growled in acknowledgment, positioning himself to intercept if necessary without injuring the hawk.

Hank banked sharply, wings slicing through the air as he made another pass at Arthur. His movements were different from his usual fighting style.

Arthur ducked under the attack, simultaneously focusing on his senses, trying to reveal hidden presences.

But there was nothing.

“Show yourself!” he called out to the forest as Hank circled back for another strike.

This time, the hawk dove at incredible speed once again, but Arthur dodged it. Hank’s momentum didn’t stop as his talons scraped across the wood, sending splinters flying.

“Whoever’s controlling him knows how to use his abilities,” Arthur noted, springing back to his feet just as Hank made another pass.

The possessed hawk executed a complex manoeuvre—feinting left before abruptly changing direction and attacking from below.

“Too coordinated for simple mind control,” he muttered, scanning the trees while keeping Hank in his peripheral vision.

For five minutes straight, the dance continued. Arthur dodged and weaved through the forest while attempting to locate the source of the control. Hank pursued relentlessly, each attack more vicious than the last.

“Aether, did you find anything?” Arthur asked, leaping over a fallen tree as Hank dive-bombed him again.

The void dragon expanded his search, moving in concentric circles around them, senses stretched to their limits. “Nothing, Master.”

Arthur frowned, deflecting another attack with the flat of his blade. This made no sense. Mind control required either line of sight or a pre-established connection, at least that’s what he knew.

As Hank prepared for another assault, Arthur noticed something strange.

The hawk’s breathing was unnaturally rapid—chest heaving as though starved for oxygen despite the short duration of their fight. He was gasping like he’d flown for days without rest.

Arthur frowned, dodging another talon swipe. “What is going on?”

He’d tested multiple theories during their skirmish. He checked for parasitic control but found nothing. Whatever affected Hank was invisible to his detection abilities.

After another failed attack, Arthur decided to change tactics. He unsummoned Hank with a swift gesture, eliminating the immediate threat.

“Aether, to me,” he commanded.

The void dragon teleported to his side. “Did you find the source, Master?”

Instead of answering, Arthur grabbed Aether’s shoulder and activated his spatial teleportation. The Verdant Maw blurred around them, replaced instantly by the familiar rocky terrain of the village mountain.

The crisp mountain air replaced the heavy atmosphere of the forest.

“Are we running away?”

“No. I need to check something.” Arthur’s eyes narrowed as he once again summoned Hank into existence.

The hawk emerged, his head tilting in confusion as he took in their new surroundings. His eyes were clear, his posture normal, breathing steady.

“Master? Why are we on the mountain?” Hank asked, showing no signs of his earlier aggression.

Arthur studied him carefully. “Do you remember attacking me in the Verdant Maw?”

“What?” Hank’s feathers ruffled in alarm. “I would never—”

“You did. Something was controlling you.”

Arthur explained what had happened—the loss of connection, the attacks.

With each detail, Hank’s alarm visibly grew.

“I don’t remember any of this,” the hawk finally said, wings folding close to his body in an almost defensive posture. “I felt like I was sleeping.”

Arthur paced along the mountain ledge, mind racing. “It’s definitely not a parasite, that’s for sure. What’s bugging me is that neither Aether nor I could detect anything controlling you.”

Aether’s crimson eyes tracked his master’s movement. “Perhaps it wasn’t a creature at all?”

Arthur stopped pacing, replaying everything he’d observed during the confrontation. Only one detail stood out.

“His breathing was unnatural,” he muttered, the pieces clicking into place. “There must be something in the air. That’s the only possible explanation.”

“A toxin?” Aether suggested.

“Not sure.”