Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons

"I need to find a way to cut down on the travel time," Arthur muttered as he walked along the path leading back to the village.

The forest's edge finally gave way to a clearer view of the village. "I think I heard rumours about using the inn as a teleportation point when not in combat or something like that." He shrugged, the faintest smirk curling his lips. "I'll figure it out soon enough."

As he stepped out of the dense trees, a flicker of movement caught his attention to the right. About 30 meters away, a figure emerged from the forest.

It wasn't surprising that a figure was emerging from the forest, as many players entered the forest to farm. But the sheer coincidence of arriving at the same time caught Arthur's attention.

Arthur narrowed his eyes. His lips curled upward into a smirk as the figure moved into Arthur's clear view.

"John..." Arthur muttered under his breath, recognition sparking instantly.

Without hesitation, he called to his hawk. "Hank."

His tone carried a clear command, and Hank immediately swooped down from his shoulder, his piercing screech slicing through the quiet afternoon air. "Attack this rat who thought it was a good idea to cross me—not once, but twice."

The sharp cry of Hank's approach caught John's attention as he was turning back toward the village. His head snapped toward the sound, and his eyes widened in panic as he spotted Arthur and Hank who were barreling down on him at rapid speed.

"Fateless!" John blurted out, his voice filled with panic that he couldn't quite hide.

He didn't need time to think, his instincts took over as a faint shimmer of energy enveloped his body.

'There is no way I'm fighting this monster,' John thought as he activated his B-Rank Talent, Speed, launching himself forward, his legs propelling him at a rapid speed.

Arthur's smirk deepened, but his steps were unhurried. "Running, John? That talent of yours is handy, but let's see if it's enough against a hawk."

Hank adjusted his dive, his eyes locked onto John as he zigzagged through a few trees on the way to the village.

Hank let out another piercing shriek, his talons just missing John as the player darted through the trees with a burst of speed.

Despite Hank's higher level, John's speed talent proved too powerful, widening the gap until he finally crossed into the village boundaries, which was a safe haven for all players as any fighting was strictly prohibited.

Arthur slowed his pace, coming to a stop just outside the village entrance. He sighed and crossed his arms, his gaze fixed on John's retreating figure. "I knew he had a speed talent, but outrunning Hank? Impressive. Annoying, but impressive."

"It's a fault on my side, I didn't expect his talent to give him that large of a boost." He muttered.

Hank returned, landing gracefully on a low branch above Arthur's head, ruffling his feathers in what could only be described as frustration. Arthur glanced up, chuckling softly. "Don't take it personally, Hank. He probably had to burn through most of his mana to pull that off. He'll be paying for it soon enough when we catch him again."

Turning his eyes back to the village, Arthur's grin widened. He could have stopped John. A single use of his Shadow Bind would have immobilized him completely. The thought of John frozen in terror, knowing he had no escape, brought a smile to his face.

But Arthur shook his head. "Nah," he muttered, a small smirk at the corner of his lips. "Why waste exposing a legendary skill on a two-bit runner like him? He'd just respawn in a day anyway. Not worth showing my hand."

Sylvaris hissed softly, curling around Arthur in an almost protective manner. Arthur chuckled, lightly brushing his hand over the serpent's scales. "Relax, Sylvaris. It's not like he's a threat to us. Just another minor inconvenience."

The group stood at the edge of the forest for a moment, watching the village gates.

Arthur's grin grew wider. "If anything, this just proves one thing, John's scared of me. And scared people make mistakes."

Hank still shrieked softly, clearly still frustrated even though Arthur had reassured him.

"Don't worry, we'll meet him again. Fate seems to have a habit of throwing that idiot back into my path one way or another."

Arthur entered the village with Hank on his shoulder. Arthur's eyes scanned the crowd. His attention immediately locked onto a familiar figure standing a bit further inside.

John.

Arthur smirked, half-expecting the man to scurry off into some alley like a frightened rat. Instead, to his surprise, John hesitated before walking toward him. His movements were slow and cautious, like someone approaching a sleeping bear.

When John finally stopped in front of him, Arthur tilted his head, his grin wide and sharp. "What's wrong? Do you need something, my fellow player?" His tone was filled with mockery, and on his face a grin that was almost predatory.

John frowned, shifting uncomfortably before letting out a deep sigh. "Look," he began, his voice low. "I know we got off on the wrong foot. That whole thing with the girl and the mission she had… I think we should let bygones be bygones. We're beta players in an unknown world. We need to stick together and help ea—"

Arthur raised a hand, cutting him off mid-sentence. "Oh, I get it. We should help each other, huh? Like when you help someone by sending a whole team of elite players to hunt them down, right? And then, when you realize you're too weak to handle that person, you suddenly decide to preach about teamwork and unity?" He leaned forward slightly, his smirk growing.

"Is that how it works, John?"

John froze, his face turning pale. His lips parted as if to speak, but no words came out. The shift in his posture didn't go unnoticed by Arthur, whose sharp eyes caught the way John's pupils dilated slightly.

'Gotcha,' Arthur thought, his smirk unwavering. 'He knows exactly what I'm talking about. So, it really was him who sent that team after me. Including Mr Invisible and his merry band of idiots.'

John finally managed to stammer out a weak reply. "I… I didn't do—"

Arthur held up a hand again, silencing him. "Save it. I don't need your excuses. You're just scared because you know what I'm capable of." Explore more at empire

He took a small step closer, leaning in just enough to make John squirm. "And let me make something very clear, John. I don't need your help. I've been doing just fine on my own. You are the one who is in need of me forgiving him, 'helping each other' is nothing but a fantasy of yours."

John's jaw clenched, a flicker of defiance sparking in his eyes. "Fine. I just thought… maybe we could put the past behind us."

Arthur looked at John, crossing his arms as he stared into his eyes with a mixture of amusement and disdain. "Don't think next time, you might get a headache."

"By the way, don't let me see you outside. Otherwise, the next thing you will see is probably a black screen or whatever you see when you die. I haven't died yet so I can't tell you, but I'm sure you are familiar with it. " His grin widened, the sharp edge of it cutting through the air like a blade.

John's face hardened, but he said nothing. After a moment, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd of players.

Arthur watched him go, his smirk never fading. Before long, he turned his attention toward the other John—the drunkard who had given him the hidden quest.

'Time to get my reward from that drunk old man,' Arthur thought as he made his way toward the house where the drunkard was always at.

As expected, he found John sitting slumped against the doorframe of his house, a bottle dangling precariously from his fingers. Arthur stopped a few paces away, watching him for a moment.

'Does this guy ever change positions? He's like a human quest marker,' Arthur thought with mild amusement. 'At least that's what he looks like, he fooled me the first day I entered this world.'

When John noticed Arthur approaching, his eyes flickered, his drunken demeanour momentarily faltering as focus returned to his gaze. He started to speak, but Arthur cut him off with a raised hand.

"Let's talk inside," Arthur said flatly.

John hesitated for a second before nodding. He stood, his movements surprisingly steady for someone who had just been drunk a few seconds earlier.

He opened the door for Arthur, letting him inside before closing the door behind them.

The few players walking nearby exchanged intrigued looks after seeing what happened.

"Isn't that Fateless?" one player whispered. "He's talking to the drunk guy again. He must've gotten a mission from him."

"Damn it! I knew that guy had a mission. I've tried everything—buying him drinks, talking to him every other day. He never even looked at me." Another player muttered in frustration as they walked off.