Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons

"Coordinate with our members who possess relevant skills for sharing with Gilderhaven participants," Arthur instructed with consideration for maintaining internal morale. "Pay them appropriate compensation for contributing their skills—gold payments that reflect the value of what they're providing."

The instruction reflected Arthur's understanding that asking guild members to share their most valuable capabilities without compensation would create resentment and reduce cooperation for future initiatives.

"Make it clear that this skill-sharing arrangement benefits everyone involved," Arthur added with strategic emphasis. "Our members receive payment for their contributions, gain access to Gilderhaven techniques, and help establish our guild's reputation for honoring agreements completely."

"Is this arrangement understood?" Arthur asked with the expectation of immediate implementation rather than extended discussion.

"Completely understood, sir," Oliver replied with professional confidence. "I'll begin personnel selection immediately and coordinate with both organizations to establish training schedules that maximize benefit for all participants."

Arthur's smile carried satisfaction as he prepared to delegate these crucial assignments to someone whose competence would ensure perfect execution.

The strategic alliances he had carefully negotiated were about to become operational realities that would strengthen Power Guild's position within Caldera's complex political landscape.

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With the guild administrative issues properly delegated to Oliver's capable oversight, Arthur left his subordinate to handle the complex coordination requirements and returned to Earth through dimensional transit. The familiar sensation of crossing between worlds carried him back to the ongoing crisis that was reshaping human civilization.

Detroit looked remarkably better than when he had last observed the city's condition during the initial stages of the demonic invasion. The improvements weren't coincidental—they reflected the effectiveness of Arthur's strategic deployment of protective assets throughout key population centers.

Arthur's enhanced senses allowed him to perceive the exact locations of his scattered summons across multiple continents, their mystical connections providing constant awareness of operational status regardless of physical distance. Whether monitoring the epic-rank demon summons following the captains he had specifically chosen, or tracking the movements of his summons like the Frost Wyvern, Formicia, or Aamon, Arthur maintained comprehensive oversight of his global protection network.

All of his deployed assets had been consistently sending status updates through their mental connections, and the reports painted an overwhelmingly positive picture of defensive operations. His summons weren't merely eliminating demonic threats—they were training human forces while creating environments where rapid advancement became possible.

The strategic benefits extended far beyond simple demon elimination. Arthur's protection had transformed the allied nations from struggling survivors into ascending powers whose military capabilities were advancing at unprecedented rates.

During Arthur's absence in Armageddon, Gates's intelligence network hadn't remained idle either. His operatives possessed a unique advantage that transcended conventional espionage capabilities—many of them had awakened relatively weak talents during the initial beta selection process, but their previous professional backgrounds in intelligence gathering remained extraordinarily valuable.

People who had spent careers infiltrating government databases, intercepting classified communications, and maintaining surveillance networks could continue operating using conventional methods even while adapting to supernatural threats. Their awakened abilities, modest though they might be, provided just enough enhancement to make them significantly more effective at their traditional specializations.

Whether it was mental enhancement or auxiliary talents that supported. They had become better at what they do.

Many countries had been maintaining comprehensive surveillance files on their powered beta players since the initial selection process. Governments recognized that individuals with supernatural abilities represented both saviours and possible threats requiring constant monitoring and assessment.

Gates's operatives had successfully penetrated these classification systems, providing Arthur with detailed intelligence profiles on awakened individuals across multiple nations. The information included talent rankings, character assessments, current operational assignments, and most importantly, location data that would facilitate direct recruitment approaches.

Arthur possessed comprehensive files on several beta players who had awakened powerful talents in the B-rank and A-rank categories. Many of these individuals were currently operating within the United States, making them geographically accessible for potential recruitment efforts.

However, despite their relative proximity to his current location, Arthur felt no urgency to pursue these particular candidates. B-rank talents, while respectable by normal standards, were essentially average within the context of supernatural capabilities he now considered relevant.

His summoned creatures possessed mostly A-rank or S-rank talents, with only a few exceptions like Hank representing his earliest summons when he was on the weaker side. From Arthur's current perspective, B-rank individuals simply weren't special enough to justify the time and effort required for active recruitment.

Even A-rank awakened, while certainly competent, didn't represent the kind of exceptional capability that would significantly enhance his existing operational capabilities.

The truly special individuals in Arthur's assessment were those who had awakened S-rank talents—people whose supernatural abilities approached the legendary tier that made normal military forces seem primitive by comparison.

Arthur currently maintained intelligence files on exactly six such individuals, scattered across different countries and continents in a distribution pattern that reflected the rarity of such exceptional awakening events. These weren't merely powerful combatants—they were potential subordinates whose capabilities could reshape regional power balances when properly deployed.

Each of these S-rank awakened was being treated exceptionally well by their respective governments, recognized as national treasures whose protection and development represented critical priorities for state security. They held positions as their countries' designated champions, the individuals expected to serve as ultimate defensive measures against threats that exceeded conventional military responses.

Arthur's recruitment objectives for these six individuals weren't based on coercion or intimidation tactics that might work against weaker targets. Instead, he intended to approach them through demonstrations of his own power, skills, and the strategic advantages that alliance with him could provide.

He believed completely that he possessed what was necessary to recruit such exceptional people through persuasion rather than force. His own capabilities, combined with the protection and advancement opportunities he could offer, represented compelling arguments for voluntary cooperation.

These S-rank awakened were by no means weak individuals who could be easily manipulated or overwhelmed. They had earned their positions through demonstrated competence and possessed both the personal strength and institutional support necessary to resist external pressure.

Arthur's recruitment strategy acknowledged this reality while recognizing that truly exceptional individuals often possessed the vision necessary to recognize superior opportunities when they were presented clearly and honestly.

The intelligence files didn't provide exact residential addresses or real-time location tracking—such detailed surveillance would have required resources beyond even Gates's extensive network capabilities. However, Arthur did possess city-level location data that would be sufficient for establishing contact when he decided to begin active recruitment efforts.

The first candidate on his priority list was currently operating in Sydney, Australia—a location that would require Aether's taxi travel services for the time being. With Aether by his side, cross country travels remained easily accessible through spatial manipulation abilities.

The recruitment campaign had already begun with careful observation, tactical assessment of the target's personality and motivations, followed by an approach designed to appeal to their specific interests and ambitions.

Arthur did not need to study the character. Their government had already done so. He just read the filed and made his plan.

Arthur's confidence in eventual success wasn't based on arrogance but on realistic assessment of what he could offer compared to what conventional government service provided. His global protection network, access to resources, and ability to facilitate advancement at rates impossible through normal channels represented compelling alternatives to mere military service.

The six S-rank awakened would soon discover that Arthur Fate offered opportunities that their current positions couldn't match.