Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons

The bell signaled the end of class, and students eagerly gathered their materials, some still talking to their friends about the content of the class.

"Lunch time," Elara announced, stretching gracefully as they exited the classroom. "Do you guys want to head to the dining hall?"

Sarah nodded. "Sure."

Arthur shook his head. "Sorry, I need to meet with Instructor Lucas. I'll join you later."

The two girls exchanged glances.

"Important business?" Elara asked, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Not sure," Arthur replied smoothly.

Sarah shrugged. "Don't be too long. The good desserts disappear fast."

As they headed toward the dining hall, Arthur took a different corridor, heading towards Lucas's office. Other students moved aside as he passed, the S-Class uniform and growing reputation creating an invisible bubble around him.

Lucas's office was at the end of the hall. The door was simple oak with a silver nameplate: "Professor Lucas Ashencroft, Arcane Applications."

Arthur knocked twice, sharp and precise.

"Come in," came the immediate response.

Lucas nodded as Arthur entered, gesturing to the chair across from his desk. "Close the door."

Arthur did so, then sat without ceremony.

"What's important?" he asked, dispensing with pleasantries.

Lucas studied him for a moment, then leaned forward. "Sauron Ashencroft has been pressuring me heavily. He's trying to take control of your guild or—"

"Destroy it," Arthur cut him off.

"Yes." Lucas nodded grimly. "My father rarely accepts obstacles. Things he can't control become targets for elimination."

"Why are you telling me this? Your loyalty should be to your family."

A bitter smile crossed Lucas's face. "Should it?"

Arthur remained silent, leaving the reaction aside for later consideration. Although he had a hunch that Lucas's relationship with his father and brother wasn't good, Arthur still remained skeptical.

'He is an ally for now. He hasn't shown me anything that would make me doubt him.'

"How immediate is the threat?" Arthur said.

"It depends. I want to warn you to be careful," Lucas said, his voice dropping. "Inside the city, it will be difficult for him to do anything to you. Based on your interactions with the princess, it's clear the royalty has chosen to support you. That provides a certain level of protection within Caldera's walls."

His eyes met Arthur's directly. "But be cautious outside the city. My father's influence extends far beyond official channels."

"Has he taken direct action yet?"

Lucas hesitated. "Not that I'm aware of. Well, it's not like he would tell me. But there have been... inquiries. About your background. Your power, and who is truly behind your emergence."

"Let him inquire," Arthur replied coolly.

"You don't understand. Sauron doesn't just command House Ashencroft."

Arthur considered this information.

"Why did you join my guild?" Arthur asked suddenly. "Knowing it would put you at odds with your father?"

Lucas's expression tightened. "That's... complicated."

"Simplify it."

The professor stood, moving to the window. For a moment, he seemed to debate how much to reveal.

"Sauron..." Lucas's voice remained steady, but his fingers curled slightly against the windowsill, knuckles whitening. "Although he is my father in name, he never acted like one."

Sunlight filtered through the window, casting half his face in shadow. "He had always despised me."

Lucas straightened a stack of papers on his desk that needed no straightening.

"One of the main reasons is my talent," he continued, eyes fixed on the practice fields outside where students hurled spells at training dummies. A student's fireball went wild, scorching the ground. Lucas didn't blink. "As for other reasons, I don't want to talk about it."

The silence that followed filled the room like smoke—heavy and suffocating. Not a muscle in Lucas's face betrayed emotion, yet the rigid line of his shoulders spoke volumes.

He turned back to Arthur.

"Your guild is the first opportunity I've had to make a significant choice," he said, adjusting the cuff of his sleeve exactly one inch. "To build my own path."

His desk held no personal items. No paintings adorned his walls.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?" Lucas asked, his voice as neutral as the colorless robes he wore.

Arthur studied the man before him.

"I understand perfectly," Arthur replied.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Before leaving, Arthur decided to broach one more topic. "I've invited a few people to join the guild," he said.

The few people Arthur spoke about were Gates and his subordinates.

"I see," Lucas said.

Arthur didn't need to tell him or ask for his permission, but it was better to avoid misunderstandings. And it didn't hurt to let Lucas know.

"I thought you should be aware," Arthur said simply.

Lucas nodded once. "Appreciated. I'm still looking for a few people to invite."

With that, Arthur took his leave, navigating the now-crowded hallways toward the dining hall.

The Academy's central dining facility was a marvel of architecture—soaring ceilings with enchanted lights.

Arthur spotted Sarah and Elara immediately, seated at an otherwise empty table in the Elite section. The area around them remained conspicuously vacant despite the crowded hall.

Elara, seated facing the door, spotted him. She quickly waved, her golden hair fluttering softly.

Arthur made his way over, aware of the whispers and glances that followed him.

"That was quick," Sarah said as she put her spoon down.

Arthur nodded. "Yeah, it was."

Changing the topic, he said, "I'm not sure what food tastes good here. Can you give me some recommendations?"

Elara's eyes sparkled. "Of course! In my opinion, the yellow cow's meat is incredibly tender and juicy. It's meat also helps the body heal faster and rejuvenate."

Sarah nodded in agreement. "I agree. It's pretty good."

"Alright, any sides?" Arthur asked.

Sarah spoke first. "You have to try the shimmerroot purée. It's harvested from the roots that grow beneath the Crystal Falls west of the city."

She pointed to a violet-hued dish on her plate. "The roots absorb properties from the underground springs. Eating it enhances mental clarity for hours afterward."

Arthur studied the dish with interest. "Mental clarity would be useful."

"The chefs prepare it with starlight butter and crushed nightbloom," Sarah continued. "Takes three days to make a single batch."

"I'll try it," Arthur decided.

He moved toward the serving area, aware of the eyes following him. The serving staff straightened as he approached, their expressions shifting from boredom to alertness.

"Yellow cow, medium-rare," Arthur requested. "And shimmerroot purée."

"Excellent choice, sir," the head server replied, signaling to his staff. "Would you care to add thunderberry compote? It pairs exceptionally well."

"Sure."

As the staff prepared his plate with obvious care, Arthur scanned the room. The dining hall's seating arrangements told their own story about Academy politics.

A-Class students clustered near the Elite section, hoping proximity would translate to opportunity.

B-Class formed tight social groups in the center.

C-Class huddled near the exits,

"Your meal, sir," the server presented a plate that looked more like art than food, the arrangement clearly more elaborate than what other students received.

"Thank you."

Arthur returned to Elara and Sarah, setting his tray down.

Arthur cut into the meat, which practically fell apart beneath his knife.

As Arthur took his first bite, he had to admit the recommendations were warranted. The flavor was unlike anything he'd experienced—complex, rich, and somehow energizing.

"Good, right?" Elara asked, watching his reaction.

"It's really good," Arthur admitted.

As they ate, he couldn't help but notice how other students kept glancing their way.

Before Arthur could take his second bite, a commotion at the dining hall entrance drew his attention.

"What do you think you're doing?" A student in a yellow uniform shouted, grabbing the collar of a smaller boy in red.

The entire hall quieted, conversations dying as students turned to watch. The scene played out like theater.

A B-Class student looming over a C-Class, their faces flushed with anger and fear, respectively.

"I-I didn't mean to. I'm sorry," the C-Class student stammered, shoulders hunched as if trying to disappear.

The tray he'd been carrying lay overturned at their feet, food splattered across the B-Class student's shoes.

CRACK!

The B-Class student's hand connected with the boy's face in a vicious slap that echoed through the suddenly silent hall. The C-Class student crumpled to the floor, cheek immediately swelling.

"You think that's enough?" the yellow-uniformed student sneered. "Don't you dare bump into me again." He punctuated his point with a sharp kick to the fallen boy's ribs before sauntering to a table where his friends waited, already chuckling at the display.

Arthur watched the scene without expression, fork paused halfway to his mouth. Several staff members stood nearby, witnessing everything yet making no move to intervene.

'The pecking order being reinforced,' Arthur thought. 'Just like the assembly seating.'

He returned his attention to his plate, cutting another piece of the tender yellow cow steak.

Across the table, Elara frowned, but she remained seated. She understood the purpose of the hierarchy clearly, and she wasn't trying to break it.

Sarah's eyes narrowed, tracking the B-Class student as he high-fived his laughing companions.

"Don't come near us unless you bring his wrath upon us, too." One of the students seated next to a table nearby said, feeling some fear.

The C-Class student struggled to his feet, one arm clutched protectively around his ribs. For a moment, he looked around the hall, perhaps seeking a place to sit. Finding nothing but averted gazes and uncomfortable shuffling, he changed his mind.

Head down, shoulders slumped, he limped toward the exit.

"Leaving so soon? But you haven't had your lunch," The student called after him, sparking another round of laughter from his table. He had clearly enjoyed the attention he got from bulling the C-Class student, and wanted more of it.

Sarah mumbled. "It's the Academy hierarchy. Been this way for centuries."