Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill-Chapter 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 searching for the gate," he said.

Everyone seemed excited about it. They prepared a meal for William, using food from their farms and the meat from the beasts they hunted. He savored every bite.

There weren't many treehouses to choose from, so in the end, he had to share one with someone else. His roommate was a shy girl with black hair who had barely spoken during the meeting.

Now that they were alone, William tried talking to her. She was more willing to speak in private—she just disliked talking in front of big crowds.

"Have you been here for long as well?" William asked, staring through the window of his treehouse. The view up there was decent enough.

The girl nodded. "Yes, two months. I really want to move to the next floor."

She was different from the others. Most of them wanted to pass this floor just to return to the hub, rest, and maybe leave the dungeon for a while.

But she wanted to keep moving forward. She wanted to reach the next floor. William liked that attitude. Only with that kind of mindset could someone grow strong.

"Don't worry, we'll find the portal," William said.

They remained quiet for a while. Then, the girl broke the silence. She whispered to William as if she were afraid someone else might be listening.

"I don't think you were hallucinating," she said. "I've seen the floating islands too. Before you came, I was the only one who saw them! I never told anyone."

William's curiosity sparked instantly. Why were they the only two who could see the islands? What did they have in common?

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"Really?"

"Yeah. I wish I could go there to see for myself, but it's impossible, right?" she said.

With a smile, William replied, "It's not entirely impossible. Wanna go there with me?"

The girl couldn't believe what she had just heard. At first, she thought William was joking—after all, reaching the floating islands was no easy feat.

But when she saw how serious he was, she realized he meant it.

William had a plan, and he was eager to try it.

There were no actual beds for them to sleep in. The adventurers had used the forest to build something more comfortable than plain wood, but it was far from ideal.

William didn't mind. He slept like a rock, and the following day, he set out with the other adventurers to search for the portal—or at least explore more of the area.

They decided to split into teams to cover more ground.

"We need to go far if we want to find something, alright?" William said. "But don't take unnecessary risks. If things get bad, just return to the camp and wait for help. We're all in the same boat here, so we'll look out for each other."

Everyone nodded and headed off. William did too, and with him was the shy girl from the night before. Her name was Rena.

"Why are we looking for the portal now?" Rena asked. "Didn't you say something about exploring the floating islands yesterday? I want to go there!"

While finding the portal was important to everyone, the idea of exploring floating islands—especially ones that only the two of them could see—was way more exciting.

"Relax," William said. "We have time. And my plan needs time. Come on."

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..."