Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons

"Damn it," one of the players whispered under his breath. "How lucky is this guy? A rare item this early in the game? Seriously?"

"I've never even seen a rare item halo before," another added, his voice tinged with disbelief. "That has to be worth a fortune."

The leader of the group frowned, his sharp eyes fixed on Arthur. 'This guy... he's not just a good player. John underestimated him by a lot, he said he only had one summon but it seems like he already has three and they are not weak, to say the least' he thought grimly.

Unlike the others, who were consumed by jealousy, he focused on the way Arthur carried himself

"You can come out now," he called, his voice filled with amusement. "Or should I send Borak to fetch you?"

The group exchanged uneasy glances immediately.

The forest responded with silence, but Arthur wasn't fooled. His eyes checked the shadows, and his smirk only deepened.

Behind the trees, the group of players froze. One of them broke the silence with a whispered curse. "Damn it. How does he know we're here?"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"What do we do?" one of the younger players whispered, his voice barely audible. "Should we confront him?".

Another shifted nervously. "He's bluffing! There's no way he can see us. That hawk was probably his only tracker, and it wasn't able to detect us at all. The leader's talent should be able to hide our trails."

He raised a hand, silencing the whispers. "Don't move," he ordered in a low voice. "We don't know what he's capable of. He might still have more tricks up his sleeves, just wait for my signal."

Arthur chuckled, his voice dripping with mockery. "Oh, you're capable of staying quiet. Impressive! Now, let's see if you're capable of listening. You've got three seconds to step out before I decide to get creative."

The players exchanged panicked glances.

"One," Arthur began, his tone light but dangerously sharp.

"Crap, crap," a player whispered. "What do we do? He's counting!"

"Two," Arthur continued, his voice dipping into a sinister edge. Borak let out a low growl, and even Neko, who had been lazily grooming herself moments ago, flicked her glowing golden eyes toward the trees.

"Alright, alright!" the leader barked, stepping out with his hands raised. His expression was strained, his movements cautious. "We're coming out."

Arthur's smirk widened as the rest of the group emerged from the shadows. Explore more stories with empire

"Well, well," Arthur said, playing with his dagger. "Look what the cat dragged in. Literally." He shot a glance at Neko, who yawned and looked away.

"We weren't planning anything!" The leader started. "We just happened to be nearby, we didn't want to scare you so we stayed hidden."

Arthur raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms as he leaned slightly on one leg. "Nearby, huh? Just a friendly little group hike through the wolves' territory? No big deal, right?

The leader cleared his throat. "Look, we admit we were following you, but it wasn't with bad intentions."

Arthur's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Oh, I'm sure. You just wanted to… what? Offer me emotional support? Cheer me on while I fought the wolf?"

"We thought…" The leader hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "We thought you might need help. And—"

Arthur held up a hand, cutting him off. "Let me stop you right there, Captain Bullshit. You thought I wouldn't notice you stalking me, and now that I have, you're trying to play it off like you're my guardian angel. Let me just say... I'm not buying it."

One of the younger players tried to speak up. "But—"

"Shh," Arthur said sharply, holding up a finger. "Adults are talking."

The younger player clenched his fist tightly, about to swear at Arthur but stopped himself after seeing the leader's face.

Arthur stepped forward slowly, his smirk turning into something more dangerous. "Now here's what's going to happen. You're going to turn around and walk back to whatever respawn point you crawled out of. And if I see you again…"

Borak snorted loudly, stomping the ground.

"…you won't like what happens next."

The leader of the group frowned, stepping forward. "You're very rude for a player who's alone against five others."

Arthur smirked, his dagger twirling lazily in his hand. "Who said I'm alone? Don't you see my companions?" He gestured toward Hank circling overhead and Borak who snorted from the edge of the clearing.

The leader's eyes flicked to the summons, his frown deepening. "Tch." He signalled to his team without another word.

Before Arthur could react, the group dashed toward him in unison, their weapons drawn and malice blazing in their eyes.

Arthur's grin widened. "So you chose violence, huh?" His voice dropped to a whisper dripping with mockery. "Guess you missed the loading screen warning."

Hank swooped low, his sharp talons aimed at the nearest attacker. The player yelped, ducking just in time, but Hank's sudden assault threw their formation into chaos.

"Borak, now!" Arthur shouted.

The wild boar charged forward with a feral roar, its massive tusks gleaming. It barreled straight into one of the attackers, sending them sprawling into the dirt.

-15HP

"Damn it!" the fallen player cursed, scrambling to their feet.

"Hank, attack the others!"

Arthur moved next, darting toward the leader. His dagger flashed in the sunlight as he aimed for a critical strike.

-20HP (Critical Hit!)

The leader staggered, his face twisting in shock and pain. "You bastard!"

"You're the ones who rushed in," Arthur said with a shrug, his voice infuriatingly calm. He sidestepped another player's attack, countering with a swift kick to their shin.

-10HP

Neko, watching from a tree branch, seemed bored as her tail flicked around.

"Keep pressing!" the leader barked, trying to rally his team. "He can't keep this up forever!"

Arthur laughed, a low, chilling sound. "You really don't understand what you're dealing with, do you?" His eyes gleamed dangerously as he motioned toward Borak. "Show them why you're the boss of the boars, big guy."

Borak roared again, charging another player and slamming into them sending them crashing into a nearby tree.

-25HP

The player slumped to the ground, their health critically low.

Hank, sensing an opportunity, dove toward another attacker, raking their arm with his talons.

-10HP

The player screamed, flailing wildly to fend off the hawk. "Get this damn bird off me!"

Arthur's smirk deepened as he closed the distance to the leader once more. "Looks like your squad's falling apart," he said, feinting left before slashing upward with his dagger.

-15HP

Looking at his scattered team, the leader named Yohan thought.

'Damn it, how did four level 4's which could be considered elite in any village get reduced to this state just from 2 summons. The cat hasn't even attacked yet either.'

The leader gritted his teeth, his health bar dipping low. "It seems like I have to use this now," he gritted his teeth, stepping back to create distance as he drank a health potions.

"Everyone gather around, I will use my new class's skill!"