Boundless Evolution: The Summoning Beast

Chapter 6: Summoned

'Hmm?'

Boy was caught off guard as he did not expect the mission to have a follow up mission. He was still happily relishing the feeling of his Aether being increased alongside the level up.

The buzzing of the summoning circle reached his ears, bringing him out of his thoughts. His gaze turned to it as he realised that he had just taken out the two biggest contenders for the summoning.

He had only been focused on the mission that he did not even consider to try being summoned.

Now he had the chance. With the two biggest contestants now eliminated, there was no one else to contest for the summoning circle as the other beasts in the area were now afraid of him as they had just seen him kill the two.

'Don't mind if I do...' Boy thought as he began to make his way towards the summoning cirlce.

The arcane energy being emitted by the summoning circle began to glow even brighter as the vibrations became stronger.

And unlike the last time, there was no fear in the boy's eyes as he knew that there was nothing that was obstructing him now.

'My first summoning... I'm so excited...' he thought as he wagged his tail in excitement.

In about fifteen second, the runes that formed the circle began to glow at a brighter intensity with the wind beginning to blow while picking particles of arcane energy into the air as a small vortex began to appear.

Inside, Boy felt a unique type of energy that he had not felt before, it was like his shadow affinity but unlike that, this one felt like it had a sense of familiarity with the boy.

'Strange...' thought the boy as he began to run through his memories and he immediately knew this feeling.

It was the exact same as the affinity that he had awakened when he was a human.

However, as quickly as the thought came, it was just as fast, replaced by another thought.

'I am going to get summoned by a human!' he panicked...

A burst of light enveloped the circle and in an instant, the whole summoning circle vanished along with the boy.

Boy felt his body being pulled through an endless darkness at an extreme speed, it was like when he met that soul but he could instinctively tell that the area that he was being pulled through was a different place.

And just as fast as he was pulled, he suddenly felt the sensatiion of his body lying onto soft dirt.

Blinking rapidly, he observed his surroundings and found himself in the middle of a vast farmland. He could see rows of crops stretched out in a field around him, the air was thick with the scent of soil and livestock.

Beyond the fields were rolling hills in the distance that were covered with a luscious green forest. The ky overhead was a soft blue with a tinge of streaks of golden rays that came from the setting sun.

[Mission Complete!

"The Beginnings: My First Summoning Circle", Chain Mission:

Get Summoned (Completed)

Reward: Pack Instinct (E)(Trait), 500 exp, 100 AP]

[Rewards gained]

[Levelled up! Congratulations, you are now Level 4. Gained 5 stat points.]

Just as Boy was about to enjoy the fact that he had just leveled up and completed the mission, his nose twitched as he caught the scent of an animal next to him.

His hackles rose instinctively as he turned to face the animal.

The sight of a stout man with a weathered face and a grayish-brown unkempt beard with a smirk plastered on his face. He was wearing a simple, dirt-stained tunic and rough trousers.

A wide-brimmed straw hat sat lazily atop his head, casting a light shadow over his face, but it did little to hide the condescending expression that made Ash's hackles rise.

'Human...' the thought flashed in his head with a chain of mixed emotions of anger, hate, fear, and anxiety as a growl bubbled in his throat.

Boy tensed subconsciously, his muscles coiling as he prepared to lunge, ready to tear this human apart before he could even react.

'I'm going to kill him!'

However, just as this thought came, a system notification came.

[Ding! Temporary Summoning Contract in Progress]

[Host, you are not able to directly hurt your summoner. Doing so will caused your immediate death.]

'What?' Boy was bewildered by what the system had just told him, 'I am going to die?'

In that instant, the growl in his throat died as he lost all sense of attacking the farmer.

"Heh," the farmer snorted, crossing his arms with a smug grin, "I thought I would summon something a lot stronger. You look scrawny, a simple shadow hyena huh..."

Boy's amber eyes narrowed at the audacity in the farmer's voice and he immediately let out a low deep growl from his throat, staring at the farmer with hostility.

"Don't just lie there and give me that. I need ya to deal with a pest problem of mine. Wolves have been attacking my livestock, especially my sheep. I need you to deal with them for me. Think you can handle this meager task?" the farmer chucked clearly underestimating him.

Hearing the tone at which the farmer was speaking to him with, rage bubbled inside Boy.

[Host, please remain calm. This is how you will grow stronger]

[Unlocked Chain Mission: "Summoner's Request"]

["Summoner's Request", Chain Mission:

Defend the Farm:

Kill the wolves (0/15)

Keep more than 50 sheep alive (Alive: 60)

Keep the farmer alive (Status: Safe)

Reward: 30 Stat Points, 1000 exp, 200 AP]

'Those rewards are double of the other mission I did in Aetheris... sigh... I really have to do this...' Boy thought begrudgingly as he calmed himself, his eyes scanned the farm in frustration as he could see the sheep enclosure in the near distance, 'To get stronger...'

"Get to it, mutt. I've got more important stuff to do," the farmer waved him off dismissively as he walked off, heading towards his shed.

Replying with a low growl, Boy began to make his way to the sheep enclosure while pondering on his mission.

'Let's make sure the sheep are secure first,' he thought as he made it to the enclosure and began herding all of the sheep into their pen which was a large wooden fencing.

As he herded them, he began counting them as the bleats of the sheep filled the dusky air.

However, as he got towards the end, he found that one of the remaining sheep was moving quite strangely. It had a strange wobble so he immediately went over to go and check it out.

He crept silently closer and closer, his nose twitching as he neared.

The scent of blood faintly entered his nostrils, alarming.

'It's bleeding...' he thought as he immediately looked at the leg that was limping.

A jagged bite wound was seen on its left hind leg, still slowly seeping blood, causing the wool to be matted with a dark crimson.

'So you managed to survive...'

[Ding! Hidden Mission Unlocked: "Bring The Fight To Them!"]

["Bring The Fight To Them!", Hidden Mission:

Find clues in the sheep enclosure (Not Completed)

???

Reward: Skill Upgrade]

Boy's eyes narrowed at the sudden emergence of the hidden mission but his interest was immediately caught by the reward, 'Sweet!'

He looked at the sheep with appreciation and gratefulness as he thought, 'Thank you for allowing yourself to get bitten and for also surviving to this point. I will get revenge for you...'

And so, he placed all of the sheep back in their pen before he lowered his nose to the sheep's wound, inhaling deeply as he tried to catch onto any scents or trails that might help him.

The scent was a sharp and foreign smell, it gave off the vibe of a predator but not just that. He immediately began searching around the enclosure of the sheep, trying to find clues.

'Aha!' he thought as he let out a laugh. It took him around ten minutes before he stumbled onto his first clue- a faded paw print that could be seen right near one of the fences.

However, the paw print did not look like it belonged to a wolf as the paw was deeply embedded into the mud, indicating that it was very heavy so it must have been large.

There were also large sharp claw marks that extended from each of the digital pads of the paw.

And just as he got to the pawprint, an even strong smell, that was different but very similar to the one that he had been following, assaulted his nostrils. There on the sharped barbed spikes that were on the fence, was a clump of black fur.

'It's not just a regular wolf pack that's hunting here...' thought Boy as the system notification came.

[Ding! Progress made!

"Bring The Fight To Them!"

Find clues in the sheep enclosure (Completed)

Follow the scent found on the wolf hair into the forest (Not Completed) @@novelbin@@

???

Reward: Skill Upgrade]

'Looks like theres only one way this goes...'