Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons

Arthur groaned inwardly as he glanced to his right.

Jasmine, the so-called "princess," was grinning at him with a wide, triumphant smile as she trailed along beside him.

Facepalming, he thought, 'I can't believe I fell for the oldest trick in the book. How did I end up with her following me around like a stray cat? My hands are already full with Neko who acts like royalty.'

Breaking the silence, he looked at her, his voice firm. "Like I said, you can only walk with me in the village. Outside of it, I'm not taking you."

Jasmine's head bobbed up and down vigorously. "Yes, yes! Of course! Just the village!" she chirped, her enthusiasm unshaken.

Arthur sighed heavily, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Alright then," he muttered, clearly resigned to his fate.

Jasmine clapped her hands in excitement, almost skipping in step next to him. "This is going to be so fun!" she exclaimed, drawing the attention of a few nearby players.

"Fun," Arthur muttered under his breath, side-eyeing her. "Yeah, because babysitting a self-proclaimed princess without a single penny, in a different world is the definition of a good time."

Jasmine didn't seem to hear him, too busy glancing around the hustle and bustle of the village. "Oh, look at that shop!" She pointed to every stall they passed, her enthusiasm boundless.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Arthur's shoulders slumped further with every step. 'What have I done? What kind of princess gets excited seeing a damn stall, she is at best homeless like me,' he thought. 'I should've just walked away.'

A player passing by gave Arthur a thumbs-up and a knowing grin. "Nice catch, man! I've been trying to get one for the past few days and I almost lost hope. You just revived the fire that burned inside of me."

Arthur shot him a glare so cold the player's grin vanished instantly. "Shut up you scum, don't compare me to you," he growled.

Jasmine, however, didn't seem to hear or care. "Oh, Fateless, look at that sword! It's so shiny!" she said, grabbing his arm and pointing to a nearby stall.

Arthur stared at her, his patience wearing thin. "You do know you don't have any money, right?"

Jasmine paused, her excitement dimming slightly. "Oh... right," she said, her tone sheepish. "Well, I'm just looking around, maybe if you are gener-"

"No," Arthur cut her off immediately, walking ahead.

"But you didn't even hear what I was going to say!" she protested, hurrying to keep up.

"I don't need to. The answer is still no," Arthur said flatly, his eyes fixed forward as he tried to ignore her.

Arthur texted the owner of SoftMicro, checking if he wanted to buy his items.

Fateless: I have some more items to sell, they are of uncommon grade. Do you want to trade?

After waiting a few minutes without a response, Arthur shrugged his shoulders. 'Maybe he isn't logged into the game right now.'

Next, he sent a message to the lieutenant who had added him as a friend. When that too went unanswered, Arthur let out a long sigh. "Great, the so-called VIP clients are ghosting me."

Still, he had anticipated this and made his way to the usual spot where he set up his stall. "At least I was efficient with my time," he muttered.

As he began arranging his wares, Jasmine leaned in curiously. "What are you doing?"

"I'm setting up a stall," Arthur replied, glancing at her. "Unlike some prince who gets money handed to him on a silver platter, I have to work hard for mine."

"Oh, that's so cool!" she exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she watched him work. "Can I help?"

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "You helping me would probably cause more chaos than sales."

Jasmine pouted but quickly returned to watching him like a curious child.

Arthur cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Uncommon items for sale! Cheapest prices in the market! Come and get them!"

It didn't take long for a crowd of players to form around his stall.

"How much for this one?" a player asked, holding up a pair of uncommon boots.

"One silver coin and fifty bronze," Arthur replied.

The price of uncommon items had depreciated since he'd been flooding the market, and other sellers had jumped in to compete.

Still, Arthur held a monopoly on the supply.

The player nodded, paying without hesitation.

Soon, more players crowded around checking to see his equipment. Coins were flying into his inventory as players bought items one after another.

Jasmine, watching the chaos, tugged on Arthur's sleeve. "Wow, you're like a king with all these people around! Does this happen every time?"

Arthur smirked. "Pretty much. I'm the Santa Claus of uncommon items."

Then, as the crowd reached its peak, Arthur clapped his hands loudly to get everyone's attention.

"Listen up everyone! I have an important announcement to make!" he shouted.

The crowd hushed, their eyes glued to him.

"This announcement will make one of you unique. I am planning to auction a... RARE ITEM!" He paused mid-sentence, letting the suspense kill the players around him.

Gasps rippled through the crowd. The players began talking excitedly among themselves as they expressed their shock.

"Did he just say rare item?"

"No way, does he actually have one this early?"

"Rare items are game-changers! I have to get it no matter what! I haven't heard of a single person having one, uncommon items are rare let alone rare items."

One player, lost in his daydreams, muttered to himself, "While others are wearing common rags, I'll be strolling around in rare gear. Everyone will call me a legend! I will get all the beauties..."

Another player elbowed him. "Wake up, idiot. You're not the only one thinking that!"

"Ahem," The player woke up from his daydream.

The word spread like wildfire, and even more players began flocking to Arthur's stall. Some weren't even there to buy—they just wanted to see if what they heard was true.