Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons

The Bloomcrawlers didn't hesitate. All three surged forward, limbs crashing through brush, mandibles clacking. One launched itself high, aiming to flank.

Aether didn't blink.

He activated his <Dimensional Slash> skill.

His claw traced a line in the air — no glow, no theatrics. Just a ripple, like heat haze, warping a ten-meter stretch directly in the path of the charging creatures.

One second passed.

The rift collapsed with a thunderclap.

Silence.

Then — reality screamed.

The lead Bloomcrawler slid apart, severed at the torso. The second had been caught mid-lunge; its upper body remained suspended in air for a breath before crashing down in halves. The third, just outside the core cut, howled — a jagged line cleaving into its flank.

Then came the shockwave.

The rift's implosion birthed a pulse of compressed space. Air imploded, then exploded — a violet ripple tearing through the clearing.

Bark flew like shrapnel. The third Bloomcrawler was launched, limbs folding the wrong way as it smashed through two trees before slamming into the dirt with a wet crunch.

[You have killed Level 19 Bloomcrawler(Elite) ×2]

[You have killed Level 20 Bloomcrawler (Elite]

The wind returned in the aftermath, dragging leaves across blood-soaked moss.

Arthur exhaled through his teeth.

"This skill is too...strong."

—

<Dimensional Slash>

<Rank: Epic>

<Active>

<Description:>

The Void Dragon tears through space, creating an invisible rift up to 10 meters in a chosen direction. After 1 second, the rift collapses, instantly severing everything caught within. Enemies struck suffer high spatial damage, ignoring 50% of physical and magical defences. If an enemy is killed, a spatial shockwave erupts, dealing AoE damage in a 5-meter radius.

Cooldown: 40 seconds.

—

"Well done, guys." Arthur nodded approvingly as Skyla and Hank finished their opponent and joined them.

"But stay focused. These are just the forest's first line of defence."

"What's deeper in?" Skyla asked, cleaning her talons on a nearby tree.

"That's what we're going to find out," Arthur replied, already moving forward after having collected the items.

His beasts walked around him – Aether on his right, the hawks flanking their left. Together, they pushed deeper into the forest.

The next hour was a blur of combat. Six more Bloomcrawlers.

With each kill, Arthur felt his beasts growing stronger. Skyla was faster now, her aerial attacks more precise. Hank had developed a new technique, using wind pressure from his wings to divert opponents from his main attack. And Aether...

Aether was something else. His combat strength did not need any improving, at least not yet. He was shredding everyone with a single skill.

Finally, they arrived at the Verdant Maw's entrance. Impossibly tall trees formed a natural archway, their trunks wider than houses. A light fog clung to the ground, with overwhelming greenery all around.

Arthur stopped abruptly. "Let's stop here for now."

His summons halted immediately.

"Aether, don't enter inside. Skyla, Hank, you too. You guys can either chill around where we've been hunting or go back to the village forest. What do you want?"

Aether glanced around, sniffing the air. "There's no food here. All these creatures look mangled and disgusting. I'd rather go back to the forest and eat some bear meat."

"What about you guys?" Arthur asked the two hawks.

"Village forest,"

Arthur smiled. "Alright, let's go." He grabbed his summons and teleported them back to the village forest.

"Okay. Enjoy your time, guys. I'll leave you to it."

Arthur logged out of Armageddon, and his body appeared back in the real world.

The sterile smell of hospital disinfectant replaced the wild scents of the forest. Arthur blinked, adjusting to the fluorescent lights above his bed.

He stood up from his bed.

He had stopped the hunt at the Verdant Maw because he knew it was going to take some time. So he decided to check up on his sister, see if she woke up and reassure her if possible.

Light from the hallway spilt across the floor as he opened his door. The guard stationed outside, a broad-shouldered man, stood at the door.

"Mr. Arthur," the guard acknowledged with a respectful nod. "Good to see you up, sir."

Arthur returned the gesture, noting the subtle shift in the man's posture. These guards had seen what he could do, what he had done to retrieve his sister. Their deference wasn't just protocol, it was caution.

"Sir, do you need anything? Any food, drink..." the guard offered, hand hovering near his earpiece.

Arthur considered the question. "Sure, just a simple meal."

The guard nodded crisply, pulling out his phone and dispatching the request.

Arthur moved toward the observation window of Charlotte's adjacent room. Through the reinforced glass, he could see her lying motionless, surrounded by a constellation of medical equipment. IV lines snaked from her arms, monitors displayed vital signs in steady, rhythmic patterns, and the ventilator rose and fell.

A nurse approached from the monitoring station, clipboard in hand. "How can I help you, Mr. Arthur?"

"Has she woken up at all?" Arthur asked, gaze fixed on his sister's pale face.

"No, sir. It's unlikely that she will wake up soon." The nurse's voice was soft. "Her neural activity remains minimal."

"I see." Arthur's reflection in the glass stared back at him—hollow-eyed, tense. "Any changes in her condition?"

"No, sir. She's stable but critical."

"Alright." He continued watching Charlotte, searching for any sign of consciousness.

The silence stretched between them until Arthur broke it. "Is there any balcony around here? Or a garden?"

The nurse seemed relieved at the change of subject. "There's no balcony or garden. But there is a rooftop, if you would like."

"Sure," he nodded.

The guard stepped forward. "I'll take Mr. Arthur to the rooftop." The nurse nodded gratefully and retreated to her station.

As they walked the sterile corridor, the guard glanced at Arthur. "Sir, would you like to eat your food on the rooftop?"

"Yeah."

They ascended in silence, the elevator's soft hum underscoring the tension. When they reached the rooftop, the guard respectfully remained by the door, granting Arthur the solitude he craved.

The late afternoon sky stretched above him, vast and indifferent. Arthur inhaled deeply, the first genuine breath he'd taken in what felt like months.

The air here was tinged with industrial exhaust and urban density. It was not clean by any standard, but authentic in a way the filtered air of the facility wasn't.