Nighttime in the jungle was far livelier than during the day. The buzz of insects seemed louder. The strange cries of unseen beasts echoed all around and seemed far closer than they actually were. Creatures that hunted at night were also tended to be more vicious.

Zachary sat silently on a small platform he had built for himself. It was situated halfway up a tall tree. series of dead branches were tied together by vines into a seat, allowing him to rest against the near vertical trunk. Similar trees surrounded him, forming a towering grove. From his vantage point, he was separated from the dense foliage on the ground and whatever dangers lurked below.

A week had passed since he had left the ruins of the underground city. He had caught a few summons during his travels. But since two days ago, he had not moved from this position.

It was an excellent hunting ground. This grove of trees attracted many wild Ensouled, especially during the night. It was the perfect place to hunt for powerful Ensouled summons and gather anima crystals.

A few trees away from Zachary's hiding spot was a small bush that grew out of an old, rotted stump. Apart from small leaves with pointy edges, it seemed unremarkable. However, his attention was completely focused on the stump, the bush, and the singular flower bud poking out of the leaves.

This flower bud had been growing throughout the day, at a visible pace. In the morning, it had been the size of a cherry. By midday, it was as big as a plum. But now, it was larger than his fist. As it grew, it let out a faint fragrance. He wouldn’t have noticed it if not for Wander’s sensitive nose.

Without warning, the flower bud opened. With a burst of fine pollen, it bloomed into a beautiful white flower with five petals. A waft of sweet aroma filled the air like a freshly baked berry pie. A gentle wave of Eternum followed, spreading out in all directions.

Soon, the dark jungle stirred to life.

Insects, rodents, frogs, and snakes; small creatures of various shapes and species made their move. They appeared from all directions; their goals were the same flower that gently swayed in the evening breeze.

Kacha!

Shu!

A deadfall trap was triggered, causing a heavy rock to crush an unlucky Ensouled. A sapling creaked in the distance as something was caught by a snare trap. All around Zachary’s position, the traps he had laid out during the day harvested unwitting souls.

He waited until no more traps were triggered. Then, he sent a silent command through his soul to Wander who had been hiding right by the bush.

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“Dinner time!” Wander barked. He reared up on his hind legs and swallowed the flower whole in one bite. “Yum!”

“Incoming!” Zachary warned.

Wander burped and quickly retreated into his shell. It was just in time as the first of the wild Ensouled arrived to an empty bush. Furious at its prize being stolen, a brown mantis tried to slash Wander’s shell. Its twin blade-like limbs clanked away, only coming away with a bit of moss each time.

Another beast arrived, a multicolored frog which landed on Wander’s shell only to be accidentally sliced in two. However, as it died, it spat out of mouthful of poison which landed squarely across the mantis’ face. Soon after, both were dead, only to be replaced by more beasts of all kinds.

A chaotic melee erupted in the dark forest. Killers against killers, wild Ensouled that were lured here by the fragrance were driven mad. The sweet smell that lingered in the air was like a death trap.

Zachary watched intently. When the sounds of fighting started to die down and the cries of beasts waned, he reached for his belt and touched the first orb which belonged to Onkie.

“Onkie, go! Attack anything that moves!”

“Onn!” Onkie let out a sharp cry as she charged at several wild Ensouled that were still fighting like a runaway train.

Zachary felt for the next orb. A ray of light shot out of his brow and took a bipedal shape on the ground below. It let out a long groan like a tree creaking in the wind.

It was another treant. He wasn’t planning on it but he just happened to run into a group of them south of the ruins. Remembering Oakley’s strengths, he couldn’t help himself and caught one that was thicker around the trunk and seemed more resilient. After a few days of soul cultivation, it had already reached the Seven Paths Novice Rank.

“Elmont, clean up the wounded ones!”

“Aaah.” It groaned as it waded into the fray.

Its tree-like body creaked as it stomped on struggling beasts. It also swung its long, vine-covered arms like a bat, sending small creatures crashing into nearby tree trunks.

Zachary wasn’t done yet. He didn’t want to let go of the smallest morsel of this big feast. He grabbed the third orb and summoned a large spider with green leaves covering its body and limbs. It was the same one he had caught recently. Unfortunately, its flowers had been eaten by Wander and new ones hadn’t grown yet.

“Archer, pick off the ones trying to flee. Don’t hold back!”

The air soon filled with flying leaves. Each one was an arrowhead without its shaft, flying haphazardly in all directions. In the darkness, the aim was even worse. However, Archer shot so many leaves that it was bound to hit a few.

"Don't forget about me!" Wander barked and joined in, biting anything he could reach.

By dawn, the grove was silent. The battle had reached its inevitable conclusion. The wild Ensouled that had been attracted by the flower were relatively weak, all at the first few soul paths of the novice rank. While they were busy slaughtering each other, there were four powerful summons causing even more destruction. Those that could flee fled. Those that couldn't died.

The final tally was twenty-eight anima crystals and three captured with summoning cards. These three were the strongest and had put up a respectable fight against his summons. He would figure out their abilities later and how they would fit in his lineup.

Zachary cleaned up the area and buried the carcasses. Another flower would grow during the day and blossom at night, leading to a repeat performance. All he had to do was wait and watch over the stump.