SSS Awakening: Only My Summons Evolve

"Ugh, I hate you so much..."

Verso’s voice was strained and strangely muffled by the layer of stinking purple swamp mud and green bug blood currently coating his face.

He slowly walked behind Moon, his boots sinking into the mud as he wore a pensive look.

"Then you should not have thrown mud at me you bastard!" Moon replied, his voice full of petty irritation.

As the noble spoke, he did not turn around, making sure to keep his focus locked on the new overgrown terrain ahead.

The pair had spent the last hour clearing out the remaining centipede nests.

After the golem incident, Moon had made it his personal mission to drag Verso into every single fight physically, ensuring that he got just as dirty as he was.

It had been a complete hour of dodging the centipede’s venomous stingers and getting sprayed with their foul smelling blood.

But as miserable as Verso felt, he had to admit it was worth it. He subtly glanced down at his hand, feeling the three solid attribute crystals in his palm.

’The stats on these are not that fantastic, but they aren’t garbage either. They should easily fetch seventy to eighty thousand credits a piece...’ Verso calculated, his mood lightening slightly.

That was almost a quarter of a million credits earned in a single hour of suffering, which made the pain he suffered at the VIP clothing store fade away slightly.

Suddenly, Moon stopped dead in his tracks, the boy’s posture stiffening.

"I’m pretty sure this is the spot." Moon’s voice cut through Verso’s thoughts. The boy sounded noticeably quieter, stripped of his usual arrogance and which was replaced by serious focus.

He turned his head slightly to look back at Verso.

"Listen up. The Python has incredibly high agility, so do not get caught off guard by it, the last thing we want is to lose the fight before it even starts."

Moon paused, his red eyes scanning the area which was covered densely with the mangrove trees.

"And only bring out your summons after you spot it. The beast has an insane camouflage ability, so once we find it we need to make sure it does not run away."

As he spoke, the massive iron greatsword in his hand dissolved into particles of dark smoke, most probably returning back into his summoning space.

’Huh. He’s taking this seriously. Much more seriously than the Sirens during the exam...’ Verso noted the change in the boy’s attitude.

He knelt down carefully, hiding the three attribute crystals beneath a thick root where they wouldn’t be crushed during the impending fight.

As he stood back up, he couldn’t help but ask Moon a question.

"Why did you abandon the greatsword?"

Moon glanced over his shoulder, looking at Verso, flashing a deeply smug smile.

"Well, I have a small trick up my sleeve for this fight. Don’t worry about me."

Moon turned and began to walk deeper into the new area.

This section of the swamp was vastly different from the clearings they had previously visited. The mangrove roots here were as thick as tree trunks, weaving together to form a weird cage like environment.

The fog here was also thicker and the air felt deathly still. High above them, Verso could also hear the faint, unsettling rustling of leaves even though there was no wind to move them.

’Why does this place give me such bad vibes...’ Verso mumbled, tightening his grip on the Dark Scythe as he stayed glued to Moon.

Both boys stood completely silent, water moving quietly against their knees. They scanned the dense area, searching for any ripple in water or a shadow, but they could not see anything that stood out.

’Fuck... why am I sweating?’

Verso felt a bead of cold sweat slide down the side of his face. It was not because of the terrible humidity of the swamp, but rather the primal terrifying feeling of being hunted.

Knowing that an elite tier beast was hiding somewhere within striking distance, completely invisible, was wrecking his nerves.

Splash. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

A tiny ripple broke the surface of the purple water to their right. Verso instantly shifted his stance, bringing the black handle of the scythe up to his chest, ready to swing.

’Where is it...’ He thought, his eyes opened wide.

Just then, a sickening heavy creak of wood echoed directly above them.

Moon and Verso locked eyes for a fraction of a second.

"I will take this one. Cover me!" Moon shouted, his voice echoing off the trees.

Verso gave a small nod. And without any hesitation, both boys dove in opposite directions.

CRASH.

Something massive fell from the canopy, slamming into the water exactly where they had just been standing.

A big splash of mud and murky water erupted into the air.

Through the mess, Verso caught sight of the beast. It was a monstrously long Python, its scales perfect mossy green in color. It had to be at least twenty feet long, while being wide enough to eat two full grown humans in one gulp.

The Python coiled instantly, raising its massive head high.

Its slitted yellow eyes darted around before locking onto Moon. The beast let out a deafening, bone rattling hiss that sent ripples across the entire clearing.

"Come to papa!"

To Verso’s utter shock, Moon was not scared at all. He was not even cautious about the Python as he had finally spotted it.

The noble just threw his arms wide open, shouting at the giant snake with pure enthusiasm like someone who was clinically insane.

Suddenly, the air in front of Moon twisted violently as a massive crimson red portal tore open in front of him.

’An Elite summon!?’ Verso realized instantly, his jaw dropping.

Moon was finally showing his hand.

From the depths of the red portal, a heavy armored boot stepped out into the swamp water. The figure that emerged was towering.

It was a massive, iron clad Knight covered in heavy spiked plate armor, its red eyes shining from the visor. And even more surprising, gripped tightly in its hands was the exact same iron greatsword Moon had been wielding all this time.

’No way...’ Verso thought, watching the behemoth step forward to challenge the Python.

He finally understood why Moon’s weapon always gave off such an oppressive, heavy aura.

Moon had been using his elite beast’s manifestation the entire time during the exam which explained why he had been able to overpower so many people at the venue and steal their points.