Night in the jungle was even more exciting than the day. Mosquitos and moths buzzed through the air like a rolling fog. The tree trunks were alive with frogs, snakes, and spiders. While between the branches, dark shadows of birds and flying rodents flitted about. Even the ground was teeming with worms and bugs as if all of them had been hiding just for this moment to burst out.

Atop a large tree with twisted limbs that spread out in all directions, three figures squatted on separate branches. They silently observed a net trap made from green vines. In the middle was a small dead mouse, the bait for whatever creature was willing to seek out a tasty meal.

Time passed slowly. The jungle was filled with the energy of life. There were all kinds of living things, big and small. They lived and died and survived to create the next generation. A summoner was but a small part of this world.

“Hoo… hoo!”

Zachary jumped slightly at the sound. It was an owl’s call, eerie and majestic. Unseen hunters of the night, they were respected creatures and valuable summons.

“Hey…” Jean-Pierre nudged him, “You’re in luck.”

Zachary shook his head. He didn’t think an owl would go for a dead mouse. They preferred to hunt living prey.

The three of them had agreed that the first catch would be his since the net trap had been his idea. The other two helped him make it by gathering green vines and tying them together the way he demonstrated. The trap was big enough to ensnare a human-sized Ensouled. Hopefully, he could catch his first summon of the New World tonight.

As for the mouse, he had caught it will a smaller net trap and a small chunk of dried rations as bait. The tiny creature's body was barely the size of two fingers. It was not suitable as a summon because it didn’t have a soul.

In this world, a creature had to have a certain size and mass to become an Ensouled. Small insects and critters couldn't achieve this. The general rule was that it had to be big enough to fill a person’s palm in order for it to manifest an individual soul of pure Eternum. Everything else, such as the small mouse, existed as ordinary living things at the very bottom of the food chain.

“Shh…” Zachary held a finger to his lips.

He sensed a disturbance in the surrounding Eternum. With it came feelings of hunger as well as curiosity, prickling against the edge of his soul.

The underbrush rustled. A pair of shiny horns appeared. Then an armored head with small, black eyes. Six spindly legs followed beneath an oblong body.

It was some kind of stag beetle. Its smooth shell was tinged with purple color. Its two pincer-like horns were as large as the rest of its body. In total, it was about an arm's length long.

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Zachary wondered why a stag beetle was going for the dead mouse. They usually preferred flower nectar and tree sap over the flesh of other creatures. Regardless, his luck was quite good.

Stag beetles were a popular type of creature for summons. They had a strong defense and strong attack. Their mobility was limited on the ground but they could usually fly. It was a well-rounded species. And if this one had any special attributes or skills, it would make it even better.

The stag beetle looked around and approached the dead mouse. It was wary but also excited about the food. As an Ensouled, it had basic intelligence but not enough to identify a trap, something it had never seen before.

It clattered forward and fell on its meal. Its mandibles opened and took a big bite.

“Eee… Eee…” It let out high-pitched squeals of what had to be joy as it ate.

It was almost cute.

Zachary pulled hard on the vine rope in his hand.

“Eee!”

The net rose into the air, carrying the frantic beetle with it. Its back opened and wings sprang out. But it had nowhere to fly to as its limbs and horns tangled with the strong vines.

Zachary leaped down with his dagger in hand and rushed toward the struggling creature. In the few seconds it took for him to reach it, the beetle had already managed to slice a small hole through the net with its horns. Its will to fight was admirable. It even glared at him as if it wanted nothing else than to cut his flesh apart.

Zachary pressed down on the head of the large insect with his free hand and stuck his dagger into its back.

“Eeee!!” The beetle cried out in pain.

He pushed the dagger deeper, causing greenish inner fluids to gush out. He could have gone for the kill but he only chose to wound heavily. An Ensouled could be captured at the moment before death but he would only have one chance. If he failed, then he was out of luck. A wounded Ensouled would resist capture more strongly but he would have more chances as long as it remained alive.

The beetle gradually stopped moving as if it understood that was useless. It seemed almost docile.

Zachary drew a summoning card from his belt. Close up, the surface was flat and featureless exception many small and faint carvings on both sides. Some of it looked like writing of some archaic language while others were indistinguishable patterns.

He put the card to his forehead and summoned the power of his soul. After a moment of concentration, a thin amount of Eternum flowed out and into the card, binding it to his soul. He then placed the card against the beetle’s head.

“Little stag beetle…” He said, his voice soft and slightly hoarse, “Little stag beetle… heed the call of my soul. Be my summon.”

Eternum surged and the summoning card glowed with a soft white light. The beetle trembled as the energy hit its body and pierced towards its soul.

“Yeeehh!”

Another surge of Eternum came from the beetle and clashed with the one from the summoning card. The card’s white light was instantly overwhelmed.

Ka!

The backlash from the failed capture landed squarely on the summoning card, causing a hairline crack to appear on one corner.

Zachary bit his lip to suppress a curse. Truth be told, he was not disappointed in the first attempt failing. This Ensouled was strong and defiant. It was a good thing. It meant that it had a fighting spirit and that its combat ability was probably not low.

He was more disappointed in the shoddy quality of the summoning card. This stag beetle was the lowest of low among novice rank Ensouled. To suffer a crack after one failed capture, it meant these cards were probably defective products that even the poorest summoner wouldn’t consider.

But in his current situation, he had no other choice. He held the summoning card to his forehead, refilled it with Eternum, and tried again.

Another failure.

He tried a third time.

It failed again and this time, the card split into two and then quickly crumbled into pieces.