Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons

Arthur darted toward the side, engaging a goblin cautiously.

His movements were slow, each strike and dodge designed to stretch out the fight and avoid drawing too much attention. "Don't worry! I've got this one!" he called, his voice tinged with frustration to sell the act.

As Gates continued to fend off the other three goblins, Arthur couldn't help but smirk inwardly. 'He's doing well enough. This'll keep him busy while I take my time.'

Gates slashed at another goblin, managing to wound it but taking a hit to his armour in the process. "Fateless!" he shouted. "Hurry up with that one and help me out over here!"

"Almost there!" Arthur replied, deliberately drawing out his engagement with the goblin in front of him. He finally delivered a stab, the blade sinking into the goblin's chest with a satisfying squelch.

The goblin crumpled to the ground, and Arthur turned toward Gates who was occupied after quickly picking up the dropped item. "One down! I'm coming to help!"

He darted toward the nearest goblin attacking Gates, delivering a well-timed strike that forced the creature to stumble back. The distraction gave Gates just enough breathing room to finish off another goblin with a heavy downward slash.

"About time!" Gates grumbled, panting slightly.

...

With only three goblins remaining, Arthur and Gates took a moment to reassess the situation. The large goblin, clearly their leader, stood back barking orders at the remaining two.

"That one's a level 4," Gates remarked, nodding toward the leader. "Good thing he's just shouting and not jumping into the fray."

Arthur gave a small nod, his expression calm. "Alright, I can summon now, but only Borak. Hank's cooldown is still active."

"That's fine," Gates replied, tightening his grip on his sword as he prepared for the next engagement.

Inwardly, Arthur's thoughts raced. 'Borak's size will work in my favour. His large body can block Gates's view, letting me sneakily pick up the items that drop.'

'It should be fine if I let one or two uncommon items slip through, but if I keep dropping them, Gates is going to get suspicious. He didn't get a single uncommon item so far, and only one common item.'

Arthur summoned Borak, the familiar swirling portal forming in front of him. A moment later, the massive boar emerged.

"Borak," Arthur commanded, keeping his voice low and firm, 'engage the goblins, but don't use too much force. Just do the same thing as before.'

Borak snorted again, nodding slightly before charging into the fray. The nearest goblin turned with a startled cry, barely managing to raise its crude weapon before Borak's tusks sent it backwards.

Gates rushed forward, engaging the hobgoblin directly. The leader, clearly more skilled than the others, parried Gates's attacks. Their weapons clashed in a series of sharp metallic rings as they exchanged blows.

Arthur, meanwhile, focused on the remaining goblin, letting Borak take the lead while he darted in for opportunistic strikes.

The goblin was clearly outmatched, its movements frantic as it tried to fend off both Borak and Arthur.

A well-timed swipe from Borak sent the goblin stumbling, giving Arthur the perfect opening to deliver the finishing blow or so it seemed to Gates.

The goblin crumpled to the ground, and Arthur quickly bent down, his movements smooth as he grabbed the faintly glowing loot and tucked it into his inventory.

[Uncommon Item has been dropped]

Arthur glanced toward Gates, who was still locked in combat with the hobgoblin. The larger goblin fought fiercely. Gates, however, was relentless, using his superior skill to press the attack.

With a final, powerful swing, Gates's sword sliced through the hobgoblin's defences, cutting deep into its side. The goblin let out a guttural roar before collapsing to its knees, its spear slipping from its grasp. Gates didn't hesitate, delivering a finishing strike that ended the creature's life.

-25HP

"Nice work," Arthur said, keeping his tone even. "That one was tougher than the others."

"Yeah," Gates replied, exhaling sharply as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Not bad for a normal-difficulty secret realm, though. Let's finish this."

The final goblin, now visibly trembling, raised its weapon in a feeble attempt at defence. Arthur gestured to Borak, who charged forward with a deafening roar. The goblin let out a panicked cry as Borak's tusks slammed into it, sending it sprawling. Before it could recover, gates stepped in and finished it off with a swift strike.

-10HP

Arthur straightened, glancing at Gates, who was already examining the loot from the hobgoblin.

"Looks like you struck gold with that hobgoblin. You got an uncommon item?" Arthur said, his tone casual. "Not a bad run."

"I wouldn't necessarily call it gold, I think silver would be better fitting. Considering the price of that thing."

"Let's see what's next," Arthur said, gesturing toward the faint glow of a portal forming in front of them.

[You have cleared the second floor.]n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

[Would you like to move to the next floor?]

As the glowing portal swirled with energy, Arthur stared at it, his mind weighing the risks and rewards.

"Just how many floors are there?" Arthur muttered under his breath, glancing at Gates. "The difficulty is increasing by quite a bit. It's a gamble."

Gates nodded thoughtfully, his brow furrowed. "Yeah, it feels like we're being kept on the edge. This could go either way. We quit now and play it safe, but we'll never know what rewards the next floor might hold. Or we go forward, risk it, and face who-knows-what."

Arthur tilted his head, considering the options. "I think the third floor will be tough, no doubt about it. But based on the progression so far, it seems manageable—if we put in more effort and stay sharp. Plus…" He paused, a faint smirk crossing his face. "I should be able to summon Hank soon. I won't be as powerless as I was earlier."

Gates gave him a long look before nodding. "Alright. Let's do it. But if it gets dicey, we pull out immediately after clearing the floor."

Discover stories with empire

"Agreed," Arthur replied, stepping closer to the portal. The swirling energy grew brighter as they both approached. Without hesitation, they stepped inside.