Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons

Arthur opened Lupin's status panel again, comparing Lupin's stats to the other summons. "Agility at 14… He is the second fastest out of all my summons, I think I should add his attribute points to his speed. It's his speciality after all, and with that, he will be shaping up to be the perfect hit-and-run specialist, especially with that Enhanced Speed talent."

After using the attribute points, Lupin's status looked like this.

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[Race:] Canis lupus

[ID:] Lupin

[Level:] 10

[Talent:] Enhanced Speed (C-Rank)

[Health Points:] 100

[Mana Points:] 90

[Magical Damage:] 9

[Physical Damage:] 12

[Damage Resistance:] 10

[Attributes:] Strength 12, Agility 20, Vitality 10, Intelligence 9

[Skills:] Scent Tracker (Rare), Howl of Fury(Rare)

[Attribute Points:] 0

[Skill Points:] 4n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Twenty points in agility, that must be terrifying in combat," Arthur muttered with a smile.

"Alright Lupin, I will see you later in the forest. I need to check out the others too, you can't get all the spotlight." He chuckled, before returning him to the summons space.

Next was Hank, Arthur didn't bother using his skill of hearing thoughts because it would only give him a headache.

[Race:] Hawk

[ID:] Hank

[Level:] 10

[Talent:] Scout (C-Rank)

[Health Points:] 120

[Mana Points:] 130

[Magical Damage:] 13

[Phyiscal Damage:] 12

[Damage Resistance:] 12

[Attributes:] Strength 12, Agility 12, Vitality12, Intelligence 13

[Skills:] Claw Grab (common), Clairvoyance(Rare), Predator's Mark (Rare)

[Attribute Points:] 9

[Skill Points:] 9

"Predator's Mark? That sounds quite powerful." Arthur thought, before pressing on the details of the skills.

—

<Predator's Mark>

<Rank: Rare >

<Active>

<Description: Focuses the gaze on a single target, marking it with a familiar aura. Once marked, the target becomes highlighted, making it impossible to lose sight of them, even through obstructions or concealment, for five minutes. Cooldown: 1 Hour.>

—

"That's a very useful skill. Hank's role in combat isn't dealing damage after all. It's gathering information and making life difficult for the enemy," Arthur muttered, nodding in satisfaction as he reviewed the skill Hank received from the level-up.

The hawk's potential as a scout was becoming more refined.

Arthur leaned forward, considering where to allocate the attribute points. "Alright, Hank, let's make you even more effective," he murmured thoughtfully.

After a moment of thinking, he placed 5 points into intelligence, (Intelligence: 13 -> 18). The boost would enhance Hank's mana reserves allowing him to use his skills more often. The remaining 4 points went into agility, (Agility: 12 -> 16).

This was to make Hank even harder to hit in midair.

...

This time, Arthur allocated Borak's attributes before checking out the skill. Borak was the tank of the team, so he placed all the attribute points into his vitality.

[Race:] Wild Boar

[ID:] Borak

[Level:] 10

[Talent:] Leader (C-Rank)

[Health Points:] 200

[Mana Points:] 100

[Magical Damage:] 10

[Phyiscal Damage:] 12

[Damage Resistance:] 20

[Attributes:] Strength 12, Agility 12, Vitality 20, Intelligence 10

[Skills:] Horde Lead (Common), Leader's Snort (Uncommon)

[Attribute Points:] 0

[Skill Points:] 5

Seeing the uncommon rank instead of rare on Borak's new skill made Arthur frown, but he decided to check it out anyway.

—

<Leader's Snort>

<Rank: Uncommon >

<Active>

<Description: Emits a commanding snort that rallies all boars under your leadership, granting them a 10% increase in maximum health for 10 minutes. Cooldown: 30 minutes.>

—

"That's pretty good, it seems like Lupin isn't the only one with a team buff. Although Lupin's buff is better since it encompasses all allies, not only boars." Arthur muttered, a thoughtful look on his face.

As Arthur was about to summon Neko and check out her new skill, a global announcement was made to all players in Armageddon.

[Global Announcement! Conditions for stage 2 have been fulfilled!]

[Global Announcement! Conditions for stage 2 have been fulfilled!]

"What does that mean?" Arthur muttered, receiving the answer shortly after.

...

[Global Announcement! Main Event: The Monster Horde has been initiated!]

[Global Announcement! Participation in the Monster Horde event is optional. However, it is strongly advised for all players to join in order to maximize the chances of success. Failure to defend the village will result in all players in the affected village losing five levels. Additionally, players will be restricted from leaving the village until they successfully pass the next event. Please note: rewards for subsequent events will be significantly reduced compared to the first event.

The higher your contribution during the event, the greater your rewards. This includes rare items, experience points, and potential unique titles.]

[Global Announcement! The countdown for the Monster Horde event has begun!]

[Event Countdown: 6 Hours: 59 Minutes: 59 Seconds]

[Prepare yourselves, players! Use this time wisely to strategize, gather resources, form alliances, and bolster your defences. Remember: the higher your contribution, the better your rewards. The fate of your village depends on your efforts.]

The words struck like a thunderclap. Arthur felt his jaw clench as the announcement finished.

"Five levels?" he murmured to himself.

For casual players, that kind of penalty would be devastating, returning them back to level 0, not to mention the restriction of being locked in a single village, unable to progress further until another event was triggered and successfully completed.

Arthur stepped out of the inn, his eyes scanning the streets where the players were in absolute chaos. Some were shouting for help to find better equipment, others were scrambling to form the best groups.

"They are panicking so easily," Arthur muttered to himself, his smirk widening. "And panic means opportunity."

He strolled casually toward the plaza, his pace unhurried despite the frantic energy around him.

Players ran past, too absorbed in their own concerns to notice him. His mind was already calculating.

"With all this hysteria, they'll pay anything for an edge," he thought. "Contribution points mean better rewards, and they're desperate to get ahead."

When he reached his usual auction spot, he clapped his hands together, grabbing the attention of a few nearby players.

Then, in a loud voice, he called out, "Attention, everyone! Special, limited-time auction starting now! The best items to help you survive and dominate the Monster Horde event are right here! Don't miss your chance!"

A crowd started gathering, drawn to the confidence in his voice and the promise of something valuable.

"Arthur's selling something? Is it rare stuff only again?" one player whispered to another.

"I hope not, I can't afford rare items. But I can definitely afford uncommon items, a few silver coins won't hurt to get better rewards." another replied, inching closer.

Arthur stood casually on the podium he had in his usual spot. "My popularity really isn't to be messed with, hopefully, it doesn't come back to bite me later on," he thought.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, his tone calm but commanding. "We all know what's coming in six hours—a Monster Horde that could decimate this entire village. Failing this event means losing five levels. Five levels! And not to mention, being stuck in this village until you scrape through the next event." He paused, letting everyone talk to each other.

The murmuring grew louder, with several players nodding in agreement, their anxiety showing.

"But fear not," Arthur continued, a sly grin playing on his lips. "Because I, your friendly merchant, have exactly what you need to not just survive—but gain more contribution points. Weapons and armours that will give you the edge you need to rack up those precious contribution points."

One player raised a hand. "What kind of items are you talking about? Are you only going to sell Rare items?"

Arthur's eyes swept across the crowd, his lips curving into a subtle smile as he responded. "No, I won't only be selling Rare items. While I have some high-quality Rare items for those of you who aim to dominate the event, I also have Uncommon items available. But let me make one thing clear, I will not be selling any Common items."

The crowd murmured amongst themselves, some nodding knowingly.

"That makes sense," one player whispered to another. "He's known for his auctions. Fateless has never sold a Common item before."

"Yeah, who would buy common items now anyway. It's either you are broke, or you don't take this seriously."

Arthur caught some of their comments and smirked, folding his arms casually. "Exactly. Common items? You can find those in any shop around this village or loot them off the weakest monsters. But what I'm offering here? These are items that will give you exactly what you need in the Monster Horde."

A player raised his hands before he called out, "But what if we can't afford Rare items? Uncommon might not be enough to help us rack up contribution points."

Arthur's gaze turned sharp but not unkind. "Let me put it this way, If you want to win a war, you don't go to battle with scraps. My Uncommon items will still give you an edge, but they won't fight for you. It depends on you, but my items should at least increase your combat prowess by 25 to 50%."

The crowd chuckled nervously at his remark.

"Look," Arthur continued, his voice softening slightly, "I'm not here to sell you false hope. I'm here to offer you an opportunity. Contribution points mean better rewards and those rewards might be incredibly amazing. No one knows what the rewards will be for the first main event in this world, but it definitely won't be bad, i think everyone can agree on that."

The players nodded, agreeing with Arthur's words.

"But if you're not equipped properly, you'll fall behind—or worse be a reason that we lost in fending off the monster horde. Thus making everyone lose levels. So, consider this an investment in your future success."

One bold player shouted, "Are you just saying that to hike up your prices?"

Arthur chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, the prices will hike up all on their own, my friend. That's the beauty of supply and demand." His grin widened as the crowd fell silent, his confidence oozing in every word.