Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons

Chapter 49 Danger

The leader, a tall, lean man turned his head slightly, his expression sharp. "Calm down. Don't make much noise. My Camouflage only masks us visually and suppresses some of the noise we make. If that cat of his has abilities we don't know about we will be in trouble, I already feel like she might have sensed us."

One of the players scoffed softly. "How is that possible? She can't bypass your B-Rank talent. That would mean she has at least a B-Rank talent."

The leader frowned, uneasy. "I don't know... but she keeps glancing back, almost as if she's aware. It's subtle, but it's there."

The group fell silent, exchanging wary looks. Finally, another player broke the quiet. "I think you're overthinking it. Cats are curious, right? She probably just glances around because that's what cats do. If she'd noticed us, the summoner would've reacted by now."

The leader mulled it over, his fingers brushing against the hilt of his blade. "Maybe... but keep quiet. If she truly notices us and warns him, this whole thing is over."

The rest of the group nodded in unison, but their movements grew more cautious as they continued to trail Arthur.

His leisurely pace betrayed no suspicion of them tailing him. He was oblivious, completely absorbed in farming up and the new territory he was entering.

Ahead, Hank swooped through the air, his sharp eyes scanning the area. The hawk's scouting abilities were unmatched for spotting dangers ahead, but the players trailing behind were banking on their leader's Camouflage Talent to keep them out of his sight.

Arthur approached the edge of wolves' territory, he was able to tell because of the deep claw marks on the trees and a chilling absence of other mobs, the group trailing him paused.

The leader turned back to his team, holding up a hand. "From here on out, no mistakes. Do not engage unless I give the signal. Understood?"

The players nodded, their faces tense in the forest's eerie quiet.

Arthur continued onward, unaware of anything happening. Neko glanced back lazily, her golden eyes meeting the concealed group momentarily. She yawned, her nonchalant behaviour only unsettling the leader more.

"See? She's just a cat," one of the players whispered again, trying to sound convincing but failing to mask his unease.

"Shut it," the leader hissed, gripping his weapon tighter. "We can't afford to make assumptions."

As they ventured deeper into wolves' territory, the forest seemed to tighten around them. Branches intertwined like jagged teeth, and the air grew heavier. The sound of distant howls echoed, sending shivers down their spines.

The group froze as Arthur stopped abruptly. He crouched low, motioning for Hank to circle closer above.

"What's he doing?" one of the players asked, barely able to keep his voice steady.

The leader shook his head. "Be quiet and watch. He wouldn't stop without reason."

...

Arthur crouched low, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the bloodied corpse of the wolf ahead.

Its body was mangled, deep claw marks crisscrossing its fur, and the forest floor around it was splattered with dark crimson.

"Hank, circle around the area immediately. Something is wrong here," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

The hawk let out a soft shriek in acknowledgement, flapping its powerful wings as it rose into the canopy. Arthur remained completely still, his hand brushing against the hilt of his dagger, his mind racing.

'This is bad,' he thought, his heartbeat steady but heavy. 'There are only two scenarios here. Either there's a new monster in the area that's strong enough to rip level 4 wolves apart like this... or an alpha wolf spawned. Either way, I can't afford to make a single careless move.'

The seconds felt like hours as he crouched there, scanning every shadow for signs of movement. Hank's form swooped silently above, weaving between branches as the hawk scouted the immediate surroundings.

Arthur's fingers drummed lightly on his knee. The blood was still fresh on the floor. The blood hadn't started disappearing yet, which meant the attacker was still nearby.

He suppressed a grimace. 'It's not just nearby. Whatever did this might already know I'm here.'

Finally, Hank descended, landing gracefully on a branch just above Arthur's head. The hawk let out a soft, low shriek, its wings twitching as if uneasy.

'No one in sight?' Arthur thought, frowning deeply. 'That's not possible. The blood hasn't even dried. Whoever killed that wolf has to be nearby.' Summoning his dagger.

And then the realization hit him like a cold wave. 'Wait... that means it can bypass Hank's scouting skill. This means this isn't just some regular mob. This is at least a level 5 monster, probably with a high-level talent.'

Details: Once subjugated and cast out by the alpha of his pack, this wolf endured countless battles and the harsh wilderness. After months of hardship, a fortunate encounter unlocked his latent potential, pushing him to evolve beyond his peers. Fueled by vengeance, he returned to his pack and tore them apart, asserting dominance as the ultimate predator.

'He's level 6, that's quite high. So the wolf I saw was probably a member of his previous pack, or maybe the alpha of the pack.' Arthur thought as he gave a quick glance at the dead wolf.

The wolf's lips curled, revealing blood-stained fangs as it crouched low, preparing to pounce again.

Arthur's mind raced. 'I can't allow him to have another hit like that. Its strength is insane for a lone wolf. I need to outmanoeuvre it.'

"Hank!" Arthur called out sharply.

The hawk let out a piercing shriek, diving toward the wolf with its talons outstretched. The wolf's ears twitched, and it leapt aside just in time to avoid Hank's attack.

Hank circled around in the air, readying itself for another strike.

The wolf growled, snapping its jaws toward the sky before turning its attention back to Arthur.

Its eyes glinted with malicious intelligence.

"Distract it, Hank!" Arthur shouted, gripping his dagger tighter.

Hank dove again, this time feinting toward the wolf's left side. The lone wolf twisted to follow the hawk's movements, exposing its flank.

"Now!"

Arthur lunged forward, his dagger aimed for the wolf's exposed ribs. The blade bit into its flesh slightly as the wolf dodged.

-15 HP

The wolf howled in pain, twisting violently as it lashed out with its claws. Arthur jumped back, narrowly avoiding the claw strike.

Sweat beaded on his forehead as he tried to catch his breath. "This thing's tougher than it looks, but I think I can handle it without sunless" he muttered silently.

The wolf's eyes blazed with fury as it circled him again, Its growls deepened, reverberating through the forest.

Crunch.

Another sound from the forest floor made Arthur freeze. His heart skipped a beat as he realized it wasn't coming from the wolf.

'That's... footsteps.' Arthur's mind raced as he processed the noise.

'Someone's here. Since when? Is it another player? No, it doesn't feel right. But why didn't Hank notice?'

His eyes flicked to Neko, who had been lazily watching from a tree branch.

For a brief moment, he saw her golden eyes glance toward the area where the sound came from. Then she stretched and began grooming herself as if nothing was amiss.

'Something's up,' Arthur thought, his grip tightening on the dagger. 'This is bad. Thankfully I didn't reveal all my cards at once, because I wanted to test out my physical strength.'

The wolf lunged, snapping Arthur back to the immediate danger. He sidestepped, slashing at the beast's side again.

-12 HP

The wolf snarled, backing off slightly as Hank swooped in to claw at its head. The hawk's attack landed and the wolf staggered for a moment.

-5HP

Arthur's eyes remained on the wolf in front of him, he didn't want to make it seem as if he knew there was someone ambushing him.

'Fighting both at the same time will be a problem, I should move from this place. I am exposed to them, if they decide to attack me at a critical moment it would be dangerous. I need a tighter space, a large clearing isn't great.'