Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons-Chapter 219 : Ash Ashencroft, Guild Created.

Lucas froze beside Arthur, eyes widening as he watched the superior-ranked beast obey without hesitation.

'He's tamed a superior-ranked beast?' Lucas thought, genuinely shocked. 'How?'

The surprise wasn't about power—Lucas could destroy Formicia if needed. But the rarity and difficulty of finding such creatures, let alone binding them to one's will...

Ash finally noticed them, his eyes sliding right past Lucas as if his older brother didn't exist.

His attention locked onto Arthur instead.

"Is that your pet beast?" Ash asked, pushing off the pillar.

No greeting. No introduction. Pure Ash Ashencroft style.

"She is," Arthur replied calmly.

Ash circled Formicia, studying her with expert eyes. His S-Rank talent might be Explosions, but like all top-tier students, he knew his monsters.

"Superior-ranked Spider Queen," he said, letting out a low whistle. "Didn't think I would see one in the academy, tamed too."

"She's registered," Arthur replied.

"I know. I'm not blind, I can see the medallion."

"How much."

It was not a question, it was more akin to being a demand. The way he said it made clear he considered the sale already done.

The crowd leaned in, eyes wide.

"Is he seriously trying to buy that monster?"

"That's Ash Ashencroft! He could afford it!"

"Look at those hairy legs... who would even want that thing?"

Arthur remained silent, his face unreadable.

Lucas leaned toward Arthur's ear. "Don't sell it. No matter the cost."

Ash's glare could've melted stone as he watched Lucas whisper. His jaw tightened, a vein pulsing at his temple.

"She isn't for sale," Arthur finally said.

Ash's eyebrows shot up, genuine surprise crossing his face before a smirk replaced it.

"Everything has a price," he insisted. "Ten thousand gold."

The crowd gasped.

"Did he just—"

"Ten thousand?!"

"That's a manor in the Noble Quarter!"

Arthur shook his head. "Not for sale."

Ash's smirk faltered. Students rarely refused him anything.

"Twenty thousand. Final offer."

Formicia shifted, her blue eyes fixed on Arthur. Whether she understood the conversation or simply sensed tension was unclear.

"The lady isn't merchandise," Arthur said, patting one of Formicia's legs. "She's family."

Something dangerous flashed in Ash's eyes—the look of someone unused to hearing "no."

"Your loss." Ash turned, the conversation with Arthur seemingly forgotten.

But to leave the square, he had to pass directly by Lucas.

The crowd parted instinctively, creating a narrow corridor between the two brothers. Temperature seemed to drop as they approached each other.

Neither slowed their stride.

In the instant they passed, their shoulders nearly touched. Ash's lips moved, his voice pitched so only Lucas could hear.

"Don't ever overstep your boundaries again." The words cut like ice. "You are nothing but a...bastard. I will inform father of what you've done."

He continued forward without breaking pace, without changing expression, as if nothing had happened.

Lucas matched his indifference perfectly, face a mask of calm. But a blue vein pulsed at his temple, betraying the rage beneath.

Lucas rejoined Arthur, his smile returning too quickly to be natural.

"Good choice," he said, the same smile on his face.

Arthur didn't catch what happened between the brothers despite his enhanced senses. Whatever words passed between them had been expertly concealed.

On the way to guild registration, Lucas didn't ask a single question about Formicia, which surprised Arthur.

'He knows when not to ask,' Arthur thought, filing away that observation.

...

Inside the guild registration office.

A clerk looked up from her desk as they entered.

"Purpose of coming?" she asked, quill poised.

"New guild registration," Arthur replied.

The clerk nodded, pulling a thick ledger toward her. "Name?"

"Power."

She glanced past him, catching sight of Formicia waiting patiently outside the window. Her eyes widened.

"Guild beast?" Her voice hitched.

"Yes," Arthur confirmed, as if having a superior-ranked monster was perfectly normal.

Lucas's head snapped toward Arthur, genuine shock crossing his face.

'A new guild's beast is of superior rank? I thought it was his protection, but it seems like I underestimated him,' he thought, calculations spinning behind his eyes.

He glanced at Arthur with new appreciation. 'I really wasn't wrong in betting on him.'

"Property documentation?" The clerk had regained her composure.

Arthur handed over the deed Lucas had provided. The clerk examined it, eyebrows rising at the prime location.

"Impressive," she murmured. "Most start with warehouses in the lower district."

She stamped the document and looked up. "Positions and members?"

"Two founding members," Arthur stated. "Myself as Guild Leader. Lucas Ashencroft as Advisor."

The clerk's eyes darted to Lucas, recognising him.

"100 Gold Coins. Guild creation fee."

Arthur nodded, reaching for his pouch.

Lucas stepped forward, faster, dropping his own coin pouch on the desk with a heavy thunk.

"Thanks," the clerk said, quickly counting the contents.

"Your guild has been officially registered. Two official members." She pushed a document forward. "Sign here."

As they signed, she rattled off regulations.

Arthur committed each rule to memory.

"Remember," she added, "guild responsibility extends to your beast. Any damage it causes—"

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"—is our liability," Arthur finished. "Understood."

The clerk handed over the official seal. "Congratulations. Power Guild is now part of Caldera City."

After creating the guild, they stepped outside.

"The guild flag," Arthur said suddenly. "I've decided."

"Oh?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"Pure black."

Lucas froze mid-step. "Just... black? No emblem? No sigil?"

"Just black," Arthur confirmed.

"Interesting choice," he said carefully. "Most guilds prefer something more... distinctive."

Arthur shrugged. "Black absorbs everything. Seems fitting."

Lucas studied him for a moment longer than necessary.

The last guild to fly a pure black banner had been wiped from the records centuries ago.

"Alright. I'll be heading back to the academy," Lucas said, recovering his composure. "I have a few things I need to deal with."

Arthur nodded. "I'll be recruiting in the upcoming days. If you have anyone in mind, let me know."

"I will," Lucas replied. "Quality over quantity."

They parted ways, each with their own thoughts.

As Arthur walked with Formicia following behind him, he felt an indescribable feeling as he picked the black flag as the representation of the guild.

'The die has been thrown, no need fussing over details.'

Power would rise under a banner that absorbed all light—just as Arthur intended to absorb all power.