novelraw Chapter 61: The Lone Hunter
Chapter 61: The Lone Hunter
Verso walked along a secluded stretch of beach on the far left of the Island, his boots sinking into the wet, coarse sand.
Away from the prying eyes of the other candidates and the oppressive presence of his new teammates, he finally felt like he could breathe for a second.
’Well then, where do I start.’
He stopped at the water’s edge, put his arm up to shield his eyes from the perpetual sunset as he looked out across the dark turquoise waves.
’I guess I have to get there somehow.’
Scattered around the main body of the Lost Island were several smaller, rocky islands.
They were made up of pillars of jagged stone which made them look like the broken teeth of some submerged titan.
These smaller islands were technically part of the dungeon, but they were effectively out of reach for most candidates.
The waters between them were infested with a magnitude of aquatic creatures, which made swimming towards these Islands a death sentence for anyone below an elite tier summoner.
"Well, thank god I have a summon that can fly." Verso muttered.
With a sharp flick of his hand, he opened a summoning rift.
The Stone Gargoyle manifested with a heavy thud, its grey, weathered wings spreading wide as it let out a silent hiss.
Verso climbed onto the creature’s back, gripping the stone ridges of its neck and with a powerful leap that kicked up a cloud of sand, the beast took off the beach.
As the wind whipped against his face, Verso’s mind drifted back to the conversation he had with the group.
’I did not really expect them to accept my proposal this quickly.’
After a few minutes of intense discussion, the group had surprisingly agreed to a three way split. The logic behind the idea was pretty simple. They needed to cover more ground to secure more trophies and ensure their place in the Top 100.
Han and Lua had paired up together which made them one of the strongest duos currently on the Island.
Xavier and Moon had formed the second group, both of whom were known to be quite unstable and unpredictable giving their group a certain edge over others.
’But there is something seriously off with Han...’
Verso’s grip tightened on the gargoyle neck as he started thinking back to the green haired boy.
When he had proposed the idea of going solo, Han’s face had undergone a jarring transformation. The eccentric ’Brother Verso’ persona of his had evaporated, replaced by a completely dead look.
It did not look like hatred or disgust but rather like a cold, hollow gaze of someone who had seen through a disguise.
He had asked Han if everything was alright, but the green-haired boy had simply snapped back into his usual smiling self, waving off the concern with his characteristic lunacy.
But for Verso, the damage was done.
’What did he find out?’ Verso wondered, his heart rate spiking.
He had been so careful. He had not revealed anything about his Endless talent, and he certainly had not summoned the Sea Serpent in front of them.
Yet, Han’s eyes had looked at him as if he were holding a winning hand in a game of high stakes poker.
’Fuck man, I can’t lose my focus.’
Verso clicked his tongue as he focused back on his flight.
They were approaching the center of a smaller, desolate island made entirely of jagged grey rock and from the air Verso was able to spot a dark opening at the island’s center.
This was another cavern.
"Land beside it." Verso commanded his summon.
The gargoyle adjusted its wings, gliding down and landing softly right in front of the cave entrance.
Verso slid off its back and immediately pulled the beast back into his summoning space. He could not afford to waste one of his few flying summons while he was underground.
In its place, he flicked his hand and opened a darker rift.
Little Bone stepped out right besides Verso, the massive black skeleton’s presence instantly cooling the air around them.
The black scythe rested heavily on its shoulder, and the flames in its eye sockets flared with a renewed intensity as it was ready for a battle.
"Hey buddy, keep your eyes peeled," Verso said, looking at his Mutant summon. "We are up against another Elite."
The skeleton froze for a second. Its skull tilted, and it slowly raised a bony finger, pointing at its own chest as if to ask: ’Wait, me? Again?’
It clearly remembered the toothy face of the Siren from the previous cove and was not entirely thrilled about a round two.
"Ugh, I forgot how dark these caverns were." Verso said, ignoring the skeleton’s silent protest.
He flicked his hand again, manifesting two Primitive Golems to act as scouts.
The bright yellow light from the runes on their bodies flared, cutting through the deep dark gloom of the cave.
’Okay, so I just need to make sure I ration my summons perfectly,’ Verso thought, his eyes fixed on the path ahead.
’If I can farm these solo, we should be able to rank in the top hundred easily.’
He started walking deeper into the tunnel, the heavy thuds of the golems’ feet making it feel less lonely.
As they rounded the first major corner in the cavern, the air changed. The saltiness in the air became more pronounced, and then, he heard it, a soft ethereal tune drifting through the darkness.
It was the same haunting melody as before, a beautiful, high pitched humming that made the hair on his arms stand up.
’I really don’t like taking such risks, but this is a matter of life and death.’
Verso smiled uncomfortably, the expression looking more desperate.
He pulled up his system window one last time, the blue light reflecting in his eyes as he stared at the words written there.
---
Mission: Pass The Summoner’s Academy Exams.
Reward:Function[Fusion]
Failure Penalty: Death
---
He closed the window and tightened his grip on the stone spear in his hand.
’Let’s see how the Siren holds up against a Serpent.’