Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons

[Crimson Light Armour]

[Rank: Epic]

[Details: Despite its lightweight construction, the armour provides exceptional protection through special displacement technology that redirects incoming force rather than simply absorbing it. Most remarkably, the armour possesses an active defensive capability that can be triggered during moments of extreme danger.

Special Skill: Crimson Reflection – A one-time use barrier that activates automatically when the wearer sustains damage that would exceed 50% of their maximum health in a single attack. The barrier not only absorbs the incoming damage but also reflects 30% of the total force back at the attacker with interest. Once used, the skill requires a full day to recharge through ambient mana absorption. (Note: If the damage is too severe, the armour might break.)]

Arthur immediately recognised the armour's superior qualities compared to his current equipment. While he maintained somewhat of a sentimental attachment to gear that had served him well through previous battles, effectiveness always took precedence over such considerations.

He quickly exchanged his existing armour for the Crimson Light Armour, feeling the epic-rank equipment settle into place comfortably. The armour's adaptive properties immediately began adjusting to his physical parameters, creating a perfect fit that enhanced rather than restricted his natural movements.

Just like the other items, the armour had the function of hiding its look, which Arthur activated.

The special skill was particularly valuable, an automatic defensive response that could save his life during encounters with opponents whose power exceeded his current defensive capabilities. The 30% damage reflection meant that any enemy strong enough to trigger the barrier would find themselves taking substantial damage from their own attack.

As for the armour breaking, although it was a pity, the armour would have served its purpose of protecting him.

Arthur stored the remaining epic items in his dimensional storage, each piece representing potential upgrades for his guild members or valuable trading materials for future negotiations. Epic-rank equipment was rare enough that even pieces unsuited to his personal combat style held significant strategic value.

Arthur's attention returned to Aether's ongoing punishment of the Cackle Queen. The void dragon's vengeance showed no signs of diminishing, his protective fury ensuring that the legendary hyena would suffer appropriately for daring to harm Arthur.

The elimination of the elite guard and acquisition of their equipment had been completed with efficiency, but the real prize—the legendary queen herself—still awaited final resolution.

...

Aether continued his relentless assault on the Cackle Queen, his fury showing no signs of diminishing despite her increasingly desperate attempts at resistance or escape. The void dragon's protective rage had transformed him into something approaching a force of nature, each strike calculated to inflict maximum agony while keeping his victim conscious enough to experience her punishment fully.

The queen's legendary durability proved insufficient. Her crimson fur became matted with blood as Aether's mauling reduced her from a proud legendary predator to a broken victim.

Her attempts to use psychological warfare became increasingly pathetic as pain overwhelmed her ability to concentrate. The Nightmare talent that had been her greatest weapon proved useless against an opponent whose fury burned away illusions faster than she could create them.

SLASH! TEAR! RIP!

Aether's claws found their mark repeatedly, each strike more devastating than the last. The queen's form became increasingly unrecognisable as the void dragon's vengeance carved away everything that had made her a legendary creature. What remained bore little resemblance to the magnificent predator who had ruled this territory through fear and dominance.

Her screams echoed across the forest clearing, no longer carrying the tone designed to induce terror in listeners. These were the raw vocalisations of genuine agony, stripped of all artifice and manipulation.

Finally, after what felt like hours but had been only minutes of beating, Aether's fury reached its natural conclusion. The small dragon, still enlarged to Pride's impressive body, delivered a final strike that severed the queen's connection to life cleanly.

The legendary Cackle Queen, who had terrorised this region for centuries, died without dignity or ceremony, reduced to nothing more than another victim of violence she couldn't manipulate or escape.

[You have killed a level 24 Crimson Hyena Queen (Legendary-Boss)]

The notification appeared before Arthur with the familiar chime that accompanied significant victories. Another legendary creature had been eliminated, adding to his growing collection of impossible achievements that continued to defy conventional understanding of power scaling.

As the queen's life force dissipated, an item materialised from her corpse, another epic-rank piece of equipment that represented the accumulated power of a legendary ruler.

Arthur walked over and picked up the drop before storing it in his dimensional storage without immediate examination. The battlefield was no place for detailed equipment analysis.

With the queen eliminated and her equipment secured, Arthur turned his attention to the crimson hyena he had summoned earlier from the pack member they had encountered during their approach. The creature stood nearby, awaiting commands with loyal attention that characterised all of his summoned entities.

However, Arthur felt no emotional attachment to this particular summon. Unlike Pride, Aether, or his other companions, who had earned his respect through demonstrated capability or personal connection, this hyena had served only one purpose: guiding them to the queen's location. That function had been completed successfully, making the creature expendable.

Without ceremony or hesitation, Arthur dismissed the summons from his service.

"You have served your purpose," Arthur stated with detachment.

The hyena's body slowly began to fade, its form becoming translucent as the magical bonds that tied it to Arthur's will dissolved completely. Within moments, it had disappeared entirely from existence.

That hyena had been nothing more than a temporary tool, a mob character used for a specific function and then discarded when no longer needed. Arthur maintained no sentimental attachment to such summons.

It wasn't because the hyena was weak. No, Hank was much weaker than the hyena, yet Arthur kept him and would never let go of the hawk. He had a special place in Arthur's heart, and others, such as Sunless, Sylvaris, and the others.