Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons

Arthur leaned back in his chair, folding his arms with a smug expression. "I just finished a quest, princess."

"A big one. I need to check out the rewards I got. You know, those shiny things I earn by doing actual work?"

Jasmine huffed, crossing her arms. "Excuse me, but I could be useful too, you know. What if I helped?"

Arthur barked out a laugh, loud enough to make her glare at him. "Help? Oh, that's rich. You can't even afford your own room. What're you going to do, lend me your imaginary royal treasury?"

Her eyes narrowed. "You're rude."

He waved her off again, a mischievous grin on his face. "Why don't you go play with your royal dolls or something? Oh, wait." He paused dramatically, tapping his chin. "You didn't bring any. You're broke, remember? No room, no food, no royal dolls."

"..."

"Just being honest," Arthur said with a shrug. "Now, go on, run along. Do… whatever it is that broke princesses do. Maybe practice curtsying? Or come up with a convincing story so I can keep paying for your lodging."

She grabbed a pillow from the bed and launched it at him again, but Arthur was ready yet again.

"Nice try, but your aim is as broke as you are."

Jasmine glared at him, but the corners of her mouth twitched. "You know, one day you're going to need my help, and I'm going to remember this."

Arthur smirked, turning his focus back to his inventory. "Sure, remember it all you want."

Jasmine stormed out of the room, muttering something about "arrogant jerk" and "royal injustice," but Arthur barely noticed, too busy pulling the rare skills. Just as the door slammed shut behind her, he couldn't resist one last parting shot.

"Don't forget to knock, Your Highness!" he called out, grinning to himself. "Wouldn't want you catching me in a towel."

'Time to see the rare skills that John gave me, that fake princess delayed me.' He thought with a wry smile, as he checked the first skill book.

—

<Mana Coating>

<Rank: Rare>

<Active>

<Description: Harness your mana to form a protective barrier around your body. This coating increases your defence against both physical and magical attacks for a limited time, the mana cost scales with the duration of the ability.>

—

Arthur's eyes scanned the skill description with growing excitement.

"That's an amazing skill," he muttered to himself, his voice enthusiastic. "I finally got my first defensive ability."

He clenched his fists as if testing the imaginary mana barrier. "This skill will increase my survival rate, especially in emergencies or against those sneaky ambush players."

Arthur's mind raced as he thought of different scenarios where the skill could save him. "I can already imagine using this in the middle of a fight. A critical moment, they think they've got me, and bam! Mana Coating activated."

"Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little, considering that it only decreases the damage I take and doesn't reflect it or negate it fully."

His grin widened. "Nonetheless, it looks intimidating. A faint glow around me? That's going to mess with their heads. With it turned on, I think my physical defence will be stronger than the damage that the players in this village can output."

"Doesn't that mean that I can be completely unharmed if their damage is lower than my physical resistance?" He muttered faintly, deciding to test it out later.

Arthur leaned forward, rubbing his hands together. "All right, let's see what else we've got. If this skill is just the beginning, I can't wait to see what the next two skills are like."

—

<Enhanced Senses>

<Rank: Rare>

<Passive>

<Description: This skill amplifies the user's five senses to the next level, granting them better awareness of their surroundings.>

—

Reading through the description of the Enhanced Senses skill, Arthur nodded in approval, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Another useful skill," he muttered.

"Sharper vision, better hearing,… it's practically begging to be paired with Hank's scouting ability or even Lupin's tracking expertise. With this, I won't just rely on them. I'll actually complement their strengths."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

He paused, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smirk. "Not to mention, catching sneaky little rats like John's friend might be easier now. Hopefully, no more invisibility tricks will be slipping past me. I still need to test it, to actually check its limitations."

"This skill isn't flashy, but it's practical. Also, with that heightened sense of taste, I might actually figure out what kind of food this world's taverns are serving. I have been wanting to try it out since I see players eating all the time."

Arthur eyed the last skill book on the table with a mixture of curiosity and expectation.

"Alright, let's see what the final skill book has to offer," he muttered, leaning forward as he picked up the book.

—

<Sword Slash>

<Rank: Rare>

<Active>

<Description: Releases a concentrated energy wave through a powerful slash. Effective for wide-range attacks.>

—

Arthur skimmed through the description, nodding slightly. "Not bad," he murmured, closing the book and placing it back on the table. "A solid, straightforward skill—literally."

But the initial interest faded quickly.

"The problem is, I'm not exactly a sword guy right now. I've got my very rare dagger, and honestly, I don't want to be juggling weapons like I'm running some kind of armoury. Sticking with the dagger feels more natural for now."

He tapped his fingers against the table, a smirk playing on his lips. "Besides, daggers are fast, efficient, and pair perfectly with my other skills."

"Switching to a sword means readjusting my entire combat strategy, and I'm not about to do that just because of a rare skill."

Arthur picked up the book again, flipping it idly in his hands.

"That said," he muttered, "this skill is going to be a gold mine. Swords are very popular amongst players."

"Everyone and their mother thinks they're the next great hero with a blade in hand. A rare sword skill like this? It'll fetch a stupidly high price."