Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons

He clapped his hands once, his voice cutting through the chatter of the crowd. "Everyone! It's time to announce the twenty players who will receive the uncommon items I promised. Gather around!"

The buzz of the players immediately dropped down as players eagerly crowded closer, their exhaustion momentarily forgotten.

Whispers and murmurs rippled through the crowd, a mix of anticipation and hope lighting up tired faces.

As the players drew near, a few among them began to notice Borak and Hank.

The recognition sparked a ripple effect, and those who had been assisted by his summons during the battle began murmuring amongst themselves.

"Wait… wasn't that boar the one that charged through the monsters at the east gate?"

"Yeah, and that hawk—I saw it attacking the ogre that almost broke through the defences!"

Realization dawned on several faces, and before long, voices began to rise in appreciation.

"Fateless is the best! He's not just giving us free items; he even helped with his summons during the fight!"

"I knew he was strong, but this? He's definitely contributing a ton."

"Yeah, he's definitely going to get massive contribution points, and honestly, he deserves every single one of them."

Arthur didn't outwardly react to the rising chorus of praise, but inside, he couldn't help but smile.

Public sentiment was leaning in his favour, just as he had planned.

He raised a hand, signalling for silence.

The crowd quieted quickly, their attention fixed on him.

"Alright," Arthur began, his voice clear and commanding, "here's how this is going to work. I'll be calling out the top fifteen players who contributed the most during the first wave. If your name is called, step forward, and you'll receive an uncommon item of your choice from my bakcpacks."

Players exchanged nervous glances, some fidgeting with their weapons or armour, while others stood rigid, silently hoping their name was on the list of people that Arthur had chosen.

Arthur's smirk widened slightly as he raised a hand to silence the growing chatter.

"Oh, and by the way," he added, his voice taking on a sharper, more sardonic edge, "I will be the sole judge of who contributed the most. After all, I'm the one giving the rewards. So if you feel like you've done more than the people I've picked, here's your option: you can either step up in the next wave, where I'll be picking ten more people or…"

He paused dramatically, his smirk turning into a wolfish grin, "...you can slam your head against the nearest wall and argue with it. Maybe the wall will care more than I do."

A stunned silence followed his words, the crowd collectively processing his blunt proclamation.

Then, a ripple of laughter broke out, mingled with a few groans and amused mutters.

"Classic Fateless," someone said, shaking their head with a grin. "He really doesn't pull his punches, huh?"

"Argue with the wall," another player repeated, chuckling under their breath. "Brutal but I like it."

Arthur's eyes scanned the crowd, noting the mixture of reactions.

His words had done exactly what he intended—they diffused potential dissent with humour and assertiveness, leaving little room for anyone to seriously challenge his authority.

He crossed his arms, his posture relaxed but still exuding confidence. "Now that we've cleared that up, let's get started. First name…" He glanced at the players before pointing towards a woman.

"You, come over here."

A small cheer went up as a petite woman with a bow slung across her back stepped forward, her face lighting up with excitement.

"What's your name?" Arthur asked.

"Mila, Sir Fateless."

"Alright Mila, what item would you like?"

"Preferably a quiver sir," She said, with a shy tone.

Arthur nodded, before taking out an uncommon quiver from his backpack. He had an abundance of uncommon items, of all sorts of kinds, so it wasn't a problem

"Well done, Mila," Arthur said, handing her an uncommon quiver. "Keep it up in the next wave."

One by one, he continued calling people, each announcement met with a mix of cheers and applause from the crowd.

The atmosphere shifted from tense anticipation to lively celebration as players accepted their rewards, their faces glowing with pride.

As the fifteenth person was called, Arthur raised a hand once more to quiet the crowd. "And that's it for this round," he said, his tone carrying a hint of finality. "For those who didn't make the cut, remember—this isn't the end. You've got another shot in the next wave."

...

The countdown of the second wave ticked down like a drumbeat in the minds of the players.

Tension filled the air as Adam once again moved between groups, assigning positions and barking out orders.

Everyone took their places along the gates, gripping their weapons tightly, eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of movement.

As the timer hit zero, the crowd collectively held its breath, bracing for an onslaught.

But, like the first wave, no monsters came.

The silence stretched on, broken only by the shuffling of feet and the occasional nervous cough. Murmurs began rippling through the players, their unease growing with every passing second.

"Why is nothing happening?" a swordsman muttered under his breath, his grip tightening on the hilt of his blade. "This is exactly what happened last time."

"Yeah," another player whispered. "And then we almost got wiped out because we weren't ready when the monsters finally showed up."
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"But the monsters didn't just show up—they were already dead," a mage added, her voice low and laced with suspicion. "What if it happens again? What if someone's taking them all out before they even get here?"

"That doesn't make sense," another player argued, shaking his head. "How could one person kill that many monsters? There were hundreds!"

Adam raised a hand to silence the growing whispers. "Calm down," he commanded, his voice steady but firm.

"This happened before, yes. But we can't leave our post this time, we're dealing with the second wave. It's going to be bigger, stronger, and more dangerous. If you break formation now, we'll be putting our village in danger."

The players reluctantly nodded, though the unease didn't leave their faces.

"Maybe he's right," a young archer thought to herself, glancing nervously at the empty field beyond the gates. "If we stay put, we can react faster when the monsters show up."

"Where the hell is Fateless?" another player wondered, his eyes scanning the gathered crowd. "He was here during the first wave. Maybe he knows what's going on."

"Yeah, where is he?" a tank mused, gripping his shield tightly.

"Yo!" Arthur waved with a smile on his face.

"Do you have any plans? Can your hawk fly over to check where the other monsters are?"

"That wouldn't be ideal, my hawk can't fly too far away from me, otherwise my summoning will fail."

"Bu-"

Adam's voice cut through the noise once more. "I know you're all anxious, but we've already learned from the first wave. Stay focused, stay in position, and don't panic. The moment you lose your discipline is the moment we lose this village."

The players exchanged uneasy glances but obeyed, their resolve hardening slightly under Adam's command.

"He's right," a cleric thought, clutching her staff. "If we scatter or act on our own, we're as good as dead."

"Easy for him to say," a brawler grumbled internally, shifting his stance. "He's got a whole squad to back him up. Meanwhile, the rest of us are just fodder."

"Come on," a mage urged herself, taking a deep breath. "Focus. This is just another challenge."

But as the seconds turned into minutes, and still no monsters appeared, the tension in the air became almost unbearable.

"This isn't normal," a warrior finally muttered, his voice barely audible. "Something's wrong."

"Something's always wrong," a rogue thought grimly, his knuckles white as he gripped his daggers. "And it's always the rest of us who pay the price."

Adam scanned the field beyond the gates, his own unease hidden beneath a mask of authority.

'Where are they?' he thought, his jaw tightening. 'This doesn't feel right. The time it's taking is even longer than the last time.'

His sharp eyes scanned the crowd, catching sight of Arthur standing near the back. For a brief moment, Arthur appeared anxious.

The restless murmurs of the players began to rise again, frustration and uncertainty rippling through the group like an infectious wave.

"This is getting overwhelming," A player muttered under his breath, trying to distract himself. "These monsters are edging me so hard. Wait—pause." His eyes darted to a female player nearby who raised an eyebrow at him, clearly misinterpreting his words.

The player coughed, averting his gaze, and muttered quickly to himself, "Bad phrasing. Moving on."

Adam stepped forward, about to give the order for scouts to spread out again. But before he could open his mouth, a sharp ding echoed in everyone's mind, and a notification screen appeared before all the players.

[Wave 2 Cleared: Monster Horde Event - Phase Two Completed!]

[Congratulations! The second and final wave has been completed. Rewards will be distributed shortly after contribution points have been calculated. Please check your inventory for rewards.]

For a moment, there was stunned silence as everyone processed what had just happened. Then the whispers began, growing louder and more chaotic with every second.

"Wait… what?" a tank muttered, staring at the notification in disbelief. "The wave is cleared? How?!"

"Did anyone see anything? I thought the monsters hadn't even spawned yet!" a mage exclaimed, her staff trembling in her grip.

"This is impossible," another player exclaimed, clutching his head. "How did all the monsters die? Doesn't that mean there is an entity that is capable of wiping us all out?"