Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons

The demon's eyes widened as he realised that he was being sealed by the knight.

"You—!"

Before it could finish, the sword began to shine with an intense brilliance. The light spread rapidly, engulfing the demon in its entirety. The creature screamed, its voice echoing with a mix of rage and agony.

"No! This can't be happening!"

The knight's smile faded, replaced by a grim expression as he watched the demon's form dissolve into the blinding light.

The demon's body shrank, its shadowy mass condensing into a single, concentrated point. With one final, earth-shaking roar, the creature was transformed into a small meteor of pure light. The glowing projectile shot into the sky, streaking across the battlefield before slamming into the mountain with a deafening explosion.

Arthur's gaze followed the meteor as it disappeared into the mountain's peak, leaving behind a faint, glowing fissure where it had struck. The light slowly faded, and silence fell over the battlefield.

The knight slumped forward, the last of his strength leaving him as he collapsed onto the ground. His breathing was shallow, but his expression was one of peace.

Arthur, still floating above as a spectator, swallowed hard. His throat was dry, and his heart raced as he tried to process what he had just witnessed.

"That… that thing is sealed in the mountain," he muttered, his voice barely audible. The weight of the realization pressed heavily on him.

The scene before him began to dissolve once more, the colours fading into a swirl of light and shadow. But the image of the knight's final smile and the demon's desperate screams were seared into Arthur's mind, refusing to leave.

As the vision ended, a single thought echoed in his mind, clear and undeniable.

"The mountain isn't just a landmark… it's a prison."

Arthur felt a chill run down his spine, his body frozen in place as the weight of realization settled over him. For the first time since stepping onto the mountain, a deep, primal fear gripped him.

"Did I… enter the place where the demon is sealed?" he muttered under his breath, his voice trembling slightly.

He swallowed hard, the sound unnervingly loud in the silence around him. Every instinct screamed at him that he had just made the worst decision of his life. His heart pounded in his chest, the echoes of the vision playing in his mind on an endless loop.

The sheer power of the demon—and the knight, for that matter—was something far beyond him. It wasn't just overwhelming; it was incomprehensible.

Arthur clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms as he struggled to steady himself. "I just sent myself to my death," he thought grimly.

Even though he considered himself strong—in fact exceptional compared to the players in the village—he knew the cold, hard truth. Compared to the knight and the demon he had just witnessed, he was nothing more than an insect.

Insignificant. Powerless.

Even with all his summons at his side, he wouldn't stand a chance. The thought made his blood run cold.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Panic wouldn't help him now. He closed his eyes for a moment, centring his thoughts. The notification had said this was a hidden trial to become the protector of the village.

That meant there was a purpose here, a challenge to overcome—not just certain death.

"It's a trial," Arthur murmured, his voice steadier now. "That doesn't necessarily mean I have to fight the demon… right?"

But even as he said it, doubt gnawed at the edges of his mind. What if the trial required him to face the demon directly? The thought made his stomach churn.

He replayed the vision in his head—the demon's towering form, the horns protruding from its head, the malice in its crimson eyes. The memory alone was enough to make him shiver. The idea of standing before that creature, of trying to fight it… it was impossible.

Arthur shook his head, trying to banish the thought. "No," he muttered firmly, "it can't be that simple. If it were just a fight, the trial wouldn't be designed this way. There has to be more to it than that."

His eyes flicked to the faint glow emanating from the mountain's peak. The light pulsed rhythmically, like a heartbeat, and Arthur felt an inexplicable pull toward it.

"This isn't just about strength," he reasoned, his mind racing. "If it were, only someone like that knight would ever stand a chance. It's a trial to become the protector of the village, not a contest of brute force."

Arthur took another deep breath.

"One step at a time," he told himself, his voice firm. "Figure out the trial, focus on what I can do, and deal with whatever comes next. I can't leave this place, even if I wanted to.

Arthur glanced around, taking in his surroundings. The room he was in was small and confined, its walls constructed from rough-hewn stone. The dim light emanating from an unseen source gave the space an eerie, oppressive atmosphere.

Before he could process his situation or make sense of the sudden change, a bright flash enveloped him.

[You have been transported to the Arena!]

The system notification blared in front of him.

[You will be fighting against your enemies. Defeat them, and you shall proceed to the next challenge. You will have the choice of resting in between the fights only once. So choose it carefully.]

Arthur barely had time to blink as the words faded, leaving him standing in an entirely different space. He was now in a massive arena, its size dwarfing anything he had encountered before.

The arena was circular, its edges lined with high stone walls that loomed ominously overhead. The floor was a mix of stone and patches of dirt. Despite its grandeur, the arena felt eerily empty. There were no spectators, no cheering crowds, only silence punctuated by the faint sound of wind brushing against the stone.

"What the…?" Arthur muttered, his voice barely audible as he tried to make sense of the situation.

Everything had happened so fast, leaving him disoriented.