Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons

Lisa stood quietly beside Moon, her new bow in hand, watching the desperate display with a mixture of pity and relief. She understood now why Arthur had chosen not to bring anyone else.

To say that she didn't resent him for a second for being so cruel would be a lie, but the feeling immediately vanished after the seeing their reactions. Not just because they swore at her, or degraded her but because of the way they reacted to the situation.

The others had revealed exactly who they were when tested, and Arthur had no use for people who would sell their dignity for the mere possibility of protection.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Arthur walked out of the shelter with purposeful strides. Lisa followed closely behind, carrying Moon on her back as the injured boy couldn't walk properly on his newly treated leg.

The weight of her decision felt both liberating and terrifying. The bow in her hand and Arthur's offer represented possibilities she had thought were lost forever.

Moon clung to Lisa, his chin resting on her shoulders. His small arms wrapped around her neck as she carried him, finding comfort in her gentle care.

The other survivors could only watch their departure with grim expressions etched by despair and resignation. They were once again trapped in the same place that had become a prison of exploitation and abuse, waiting for deaths that seemed increasingly inevitable with each passing day.

Their hysterical pleas had revealed the depths of their desperation, but also their fundamental inability to understand why some people earned opportunities while others didn't. They had mistaken physical attributes and desperate offers for the kind of character that Arthur valued in his allies.

Once Arthur's group had disappeared from view, the shelter leader turned toward his dead friend's body with heavy resignation.

Despite everything that had happened, this man had been his companion through the worst crisis humanity had ever faced.

He closed his eyes and spoke quietly to the still form.

"Rest in peace, old friend."

The words carried the complex emotions he was feeling. Grief for a lost companion mixed with understanding that his friend's actions coupled with his bad luck had ultimately led to this inevitable conclusion.

The shelter would need to find new leadership and new ways to survive, assuming any of them lived long enough to worry about such things.

The silence that followed was broken only by the quiet sobs of survivors who finally understood that their rescue wasn't coming from external sources. If they wanted to survive, they would need to find strength they had never been forced to develop.

After the humbling experience of being reduced to a helpless bystander and realizing how utterly powerless he was against true strength, the shelter leader tightened his fists until his knuckles went white.

He sighed deeply, the weight of his friend's death and his own inadequacy settling heavily on his shoulders. Looking around at everyone in the shelter, he made a decision that would change everything.

"Nobody stays idle anymore," he announced with grim determination. "Everyone will fight and train to become stronger. Those who refuse will be kicked out of this place immediately."

His voice carried new authority born from harsh understanding rather than petty dominance.

"You'll be left to fend for yourselves if you won't contribute to our collective survival."

The death of his friend had taught him something crucial about their situation. Sure, he had been strong within this small enclosed space, but only because it was such a limited environment. Outside this shelter existed rivers and seas of power that dwarfed his capabilities completely.

He was nothing but a frog in a tiny pond, and without real strength, he would die without even understanding what had killed him.

He had been fortunate to survive Arthur's visit simply because he hadn't personally abused Lisa. But he had mistreated others during their time here—what if they also had powerful protectors who would eventually come seeking justice?

The people in the shelter looked troubled by this sudden shift in leadership philosophy. They had grown accustomed to simply eating, drinking, and performing basic maintenance chores while their awakened protectors handled all dangerous responsibilities.

Now he was demanding they fight against the same supernatural beings that had been killing people throughout the city? The prospect seemed impossible for ordinary survivors.

"That's insane!" one woman protested. "We're not fighters! We're just trying to survive!"

"You can't expect us to face those monsters," another added with obvious fear. "We'll all die!"

Multiple voices joined the rejection, their comfortable dependence on others making them resist any suggestion that they needed to develop their own capabilities for survival.

The shelter leader watched their protests with the cold assessment of someone who had just learned that comfortable illusions could be shattered in an instant by forces beyond their control.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

He was no longer fooled by their nice words. His ego was no longer fed by their words. The reason why he had kept so many was because of his ego. But after that man's visit, that ego was fractured.

He could no longer afford to keep succh a large number of survivors without any use.

His eyes tracked each person that had disagreed with him like a hawk looking at their prey.

"Are you done?" He said coldly, his eyes emitting a glint that wasn't assuring.

The voices of the people that had just voiced their rejections died down immediately. The tone of their leader was really scary.

The leader then turned toeards his subordinates and said. "Take every scum bag that refused to fight and throw them outside. If they dare to try and come back, break their legs. This way, the demons wouldn't need to trouble themselves. They can simply erase their existance at once."

His subordinates nodded before immediately moving to establish their command.

"No, no, NO! Wait, we can fight, but…help us. You can't just expect us to fight without anything!"

Hearing their pleas, the leader raised his hand to stop his subordinates.

"This is your final chance. I will create a rota for the number of new awakeners to fight with us. We will train you slowly, if you dare say no. I will personally kill you, this is your final chance. Either leave now, or stay and fight."