Boundless Evolution: The Summoning Beast
Chapter 62: Summoned Back

Chapter 62: Summoned Back

The screech of a creature ripped through the forest canopy, piercing the hush of the Lushwood like a blade of sound. But it barely had time to cry out.

Ash had struck in, his paw snatching the Grove Talon from the air mid-dive and slamming it into the forest floor with a painful crash that echoed through the trees.

The beast thrashed wildly, its talons slicing the air in a panic as dirt and feathers exploded around them.

Ash dropped low, a guttural snarl ripping from his throat as his legs pinned the creature’s chest, claws digging deep into its limbs to hold it down.

With its limbs now pinned down and its movement heavily restricted, the bird began to panic as its eyes went wide with primal fear but it was too late now.

With no hesitation, Ash opened his jaws and sank his fangs deep into the side of its neck.

Warm blood flooded his mouth, thick and pulsing with fading life.

The creature writhed beneath him, letting out a broken screech that turned into a strangled gargle as Ash’s bite tore through flesh, vein, and muscle.

He held until the thrashing stopped. Until the life drained completely.

Then, and only then, did he rise.

Ash spat out a fragment of sinew, the taste of iron lingering on his tongue, as he turned back to observe the bird.

It had been fast—lightning in the branches, a ghost among leaves with talons that were meant to impale... To end lives instantly.

But not today.

Ash had felt it before it even struck. He’d heard the subtle creak of tension on a branch, seen the drifting silhouette in the canopy’s blur.

He had moved, his body reacted like fire chasing air. A perfect counter—rising claw to descending fangs.

Three seconds. That was all that it had taken.

[Ding! Killed a D-rank Grove Talon. 220 exp gained. +35AP]

Ash exhaled, breath slow and heavy, shoulders rolling as the tension bled off.

’I’ve come far,’ he thought, flexing his claw. ’I used to struggle against things like this. Blind swings. Clumsy dodging. But now...’

He looked at the mangled corpse at his feet.

’I’m faster. Sharper. More efficient. Fighting isn’t instinct anymore—it’s instinct and skill.’

He stood straighter, exhaling slowly.

’I’ve gotten better.’

’System. Show me my status.’

[Name: Ash

Species: Shadow Hyena

Level: 11

Experience: 11,570/20,000

Rank: F+ Class

Aether: 2820/2820

Base Stats:

- Strength: 56

- Agility: 53

- Endurance: 60

- Intelligence: 52

Unused Points: 0

Traits:

@#$%&*!@$^ (?)[Locked]

Aetheric Sensitivity (E)

Shadow Affinity (B)

Pack Instinct (D)

Telepathy (E)

House Valen’s Bond (Unranked)

Skills:

Shadow Sprint(C): Short burst of speed for evasion or closing distance, leaving a brief afterimage. Range- 15m. (80AP) (3%)]

Eclipsing Fang(C): A strong melee attack infused with shadow energy. (100AP) (2%)]

Umbral Bind (C): Channels shadow energy into the ground, causing black tendrils to erupt around him in a small radius, ensnaring enemies. Range- 8m radius. (20AP/s) (0%)]

Signature Skills:

Shadows of the Pack (C): Summons 3 shadow clones to confuse enemies for two minutes. Clones are now able to use skills (300AP) (1%)

Realm Passage (Unranked): Freely traverse between Aegaryn and Terranis at will and arrive at placed arrival points (1/1). (1000AP) (Casting time: 30 seconds)

Evolution Path Progression (Draconic):

- Current Form: Shadow Hyena

- Next Evolution: Not Available

Defeat five creatures of equal or higher rank that wields shadow affinity (Not Completed)

Defeat one creature that contains the bloodline of a dragon (Not Completed)

Increase Strength to at least 50, Agility to at least 45, Endurance to at least 50, Intelligence to at least 35 (Completed)

Accumulate 5,000 experience through battle and survival (920/5,000)]

’That means I still have 4,080 left,’ he muttered under his breath. His voice was rough, dry from silence, nearly lost beneath the whispers of the trees.

The number echoed in his mind like a war drum—steady, demanding, endless, ’Not even close to halfway.’

Being reminded of how much there was still left to go, Ash forced himself up as he began to continue on his journey once again, making his way through the forest, leaving the battle scene behind.

’How many more?’

The words came as a whisper, part question, part curse.

’How many more kills until I can stand beside those at the top? Until I can look that thing at the clearing in the eyes... and not flinch?’

His voice dropped further, a rasp in the throat as he assessed his current strength before turning back to the Grove Talon’s body which was starting to disintegrate, ’Still not enough.’

’That shadow beast would’ve ended this thing before it could even realise. No, it probably would scare it off with simply its aura. And if a fight did happen... A flick of mist. A breath. One blink and done.’

Thinking that, he found his jaw subconsciously clenching tight, ’And here I am, just about able to see its ambush coming.’

The canopy above loomed distant, unreachable, sunlight filtered into thin, trembling shafts. Somewhere beyond this maze of fangs and roots lay the Umbral Nest. His next step. His promised evolution.

’How much longer till I reach it?’ he muttered, feeling lost at the fact that he could not visualise an adequate path to such power, ’The Nest... the next step... how far must I crawl before I’m worthy? Before I stop being prey?’

Then, as he was walking, he felt the air around him shift, or so he thought...

Ash froze mid-step, ears flicking.

At first, he thought it was just the wind—a quiet breath through the trees, maybe a trick of the Lushwood’s moods.

But no. This wasn’t wind. It wasn’t even external.

It was pressure—yes—but something about it crawled under his skin.

A tremor began in his chest.

He staggered, frowning.

The sensation bloomed, strange and foreign, spreading outward from deep within him. Not pain—something more ancient. Coiled. Waiting. As if something asleep in his bones had finally opened an eye.

His breathing quickened.

’What... is this?’

He looked around, heart drumming in his ears.

The forest was dead silent—unnaturally so. No birds, no wind. As if everything had stopped to observe.

The sensation worsened. Heat rolled through his chest like a ripple of aether being disturbed.

He clawed at the front of his torso on instinct, chest heaving.

Then he saw it.

A soft, silvery light—faint at first—began to glow through his fur.

It flickered in time with his pulse, slowly growing brighter until it shone through the center of his chest like a brand.

The summoning mark that he had gained when he signed the contract with the Valen family.

Ash’s eyes widened. And in that moment, as the warmth solidified into pulling pressure, clarity struck.

’Summoning.’

His body tensed, claws digging into the dirt as if bracing to calm his mind but as he had never been summoned through this method before, it had caught him off guard and he couldn’t help but be anxious at the newfound feeling.

The pull came—a lurch, violent and absolute. It gripped his center, tore at his essence like invisible chains wrapped in flame. And yet, he didn’t fight it.

Because now, he understood.

’So this is what it feels like... when they call me.’

He let out a slow breath, closed his eyes, and let go.

It didn’t ask.

It took.

Sound shattered. Light bent and split into jagged shards. The forest folded in on itself—trees becoming streaks of green and gold, soil becoming sky. Even the taste of blood faded from his tongue.

And then—

Silence.

Cold air swept against his skin, crisp and dry. Magic curled along his limbs like static, prickling at the remnants of his beast form.

His feet met polished stone. The earthy scent of moss and iron was gone, replaced by lavender and candle smoke.

He was no longer in the wild and as his vision reformed slowly, he found that he was standing back in Bennet’s study.

The late morning sun barely filtered through the high windows of the Valen estate, casting long streaks of pale light across the polished wooden floors. Despite the weight of grief that still hung in the air from the funeral just a day prior, the estate was already moving again. Footsteps echoed faintly from the halls beyond, but in this room, the silence held a different kind of gravity.

Bennett was already at work—his quill moving with sharp, mechanical efficiency, even as the weariness in his posture betrayed long hours and heavier burdens.

And as Ash appeared, and Bennett didn’t flinch or startle—he had been expecting this moment.

The quill was already set aside, the file on his desk left open to a page halfway signed. He stood from his chair with deliberate calm, walking around his desk with a quiet gravity. One hand rested against the table’s edge as he studied Ash with sharp, sleep-deprived eyes.

"You’re right on time," Bennett said, his voice low, steady, "I summoned you myself. The Coming of Age ceremony is today."

Ash’s brow furrowed slightly, ’Ceremony?’

Bennett rose, fastening a dark cloak over his shoulders, "Yes. We’ll be departing shortly to the arena on the outskirts of the city. That’s where all children of the Westreach region will gather—where their affinities are tested. Where their futures begin."