Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

Chapter 221 - 221: Are the Floating Islands Real?

William didn't know what to do. He just stood there, staring at the desperate faces of those adventurers.

"Why? Why are you so desperate?" he asked.

He needed to understand more about this settlement, which, at first glance, seemed pretty basic.

The young man who had been their leader explained, "It's hard for us to move through the jungle, and the portal is even harder to find… We're kind of stuck in this place. We've been here for around three months."

William gaped. Three months? That was a long time to be trapped in a place like this. Now he understood why they were so desperate for someone to lead them—why they looked so relieved to see a new face. They didn't just want guidance; they needed someone who could help them move forward.

In the end, they all had the same goal. So, William went along with it and became their leader.

"First, tell me everything about this settlement," he said. "The people in it, the number of houses, how food and water are handled, protection—everything."

If he was going to do anything, he needed to know exactly what he was working with.

The ex-leader didn't just explain it—he showed William. He took him through the settlement, introducing him to each of the treehouses, asking the people to introduce themselves, and even showing off the small farms they had managed to build.

"You even have farms?" William asked, surprised.

"Yeah," the ex-leader said proudly. "Our only problem is getting out of here, but building all this? We're decent."

William spoke with all the other adventurers living in the settlement. In total, there were around ten people.

Most of them had a similar level of strength, with a few having a slight advantage, but nothing too significant. As always, William liked to compare his strength to those around him.

He gathered everyone in the settlement for a meeting. This was the best way he could think of to get more information about the area. After all, some people might not have shared everything they knew before.

"So, what do you know about the area?" William asked, looking at the gathered adventurers.

They began sharing what they had seen—deadly beasts, poisonous plants, strange noises at night, and flying creatures that were best avoided.

But there were also other interesting details, like human footprints in the jungle. None of them claimed responsibility for those, which meant there might be other adventurers passing through.

"How far have you gone to look for the portal?" William asked.

That was the key question. Only by finding the portal could they reach the next floor—and have the chance to return to the hub if they wanted.

"We haven't found a single clue about it," the ex-leader said. "The jungle is just too big."

Then, William asked something else. He wanted to know about the floating islands he had seen when he arrived, but as soon as he brought them up, most of the adventurers gave him strange looks.

"Floating islands?" one of them said. "I mean, we recently climbed the trees to get a better view, and there were no floating islands… Maybe you hallucinated? That's pretty common because of the high amount of poisonous plants."

William was certain he hadn't hallucinated, but he didn't push the matter and simply nodded.

"It could be… Well, I need to rest tonight, but tomorrow, we can start

Rena had no choice but to accept that and follow William deeper into the jungle. Once they were far from the camp, he finally shared his plan. He hadn't wanted to discuss it near the settlement in case anyone overheard.

"We need to find a decent flying beast," he said. "I can tame it, and with it, we can fly toward the islands. It'll be dangerous because of the other flying creatures, but I believe both of us are willing to risk it, right?"

"You can tame a flying beast? That's a really cool ability to have!" Rena said, surprised.

The way she looked at William changed. He felt a slight discomfort—it was like the gaze of a student looking at their professor, full of admiration.

They kept moving through the jungle, dealing with the poisonous plants. Rena had been in the jungle far longer than William, so she knew which plants to avoid. It was much better to have someone with that kind of knowledge. William's only concern was dealing with any beasts that might attack them.

Rena wasn't weak, either. She was more of a support-type mage, using CC and buffs, but that was exactly the kind of mage William liked to have around. It felt great when the buffs hit him, and he could feel his power increase.

But if they stayed on the ground, they'd never find the flying beasts they were after. Both of them knew that.

First, though, William needed to get far enough from the others. If they saw him climbing a tree or heard the fight with the flying beast, it could cause problems. He wasn't willing to risk it.

Once they got far enough, William said, "Let's climb."

He went first, but it didn't take long for him to notice that Rena was struggling. She was really, really slow, and he was starting to worry she might slip and fall.

With a sigh, he climbed back down and grabbed her.

Rena didn't know how to feel about being carried around by a handsome guy like William. Her mind raced, but she kept quiet. William didn't say a word either.

Effortlessly, he climbed the tree again with her in his arms. Once they reached the top, all they had to do was wait for a flying beast to come.

Rena's voice was shaky when she finally spoke. "Y-You can put me down now."

Only then did William realize he was still holding her.

"Oh, sorry..."