Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons

"Negotiable, based on the land offered."

The receptionist nodded and tapped her fingers on the tablet, her crystal pen floating beside her, jotting down his words in glowing script.

"Alright, that'll be one gold coin." She extended her hand without missing a beat.

Arthur's brow furrowed. "You charge to post missions?"

The woman raised an eyebrow, as if surprised by his question. "Obviously. Do you think we run this place for free? Posting missions costs time and resources. One gold is standard for purchase or sale requests."

'Tsk.' Arthur clenched his jaw.

He hadn't anticipated that.

'So much for thinking that I could run short-term postings to pressure sellers to reach out...'

Arthur weighed his options.

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If he posted the mission for only two days and got no responses, he'd have to pay another gold coin just to repost.

That was a waste, even if his coin pouch was still heavy.

"Alright, change the duration to unlimited." He sighed.

The receptionist adjusted the form on her crystal tablet and nodded. "Unlimited it is. Your mission will stay on the board until you cancel it or finalize a deal. However, you will have to pay an extra gold coin for every week that passes by without the mission being taken."

Arthur handed over the gold coin, the heavy disk clinking against the counter as she swiped it into a pouch behind the desk.

I wanted to set a short deadline to pressure potential sellers, Arthur thought bitterly. 'Now it's an open-ended request. No urgency, no rush. And, I would have to pay an extra gold coin every week.'

The receptionist finished processing the mission and looked back at him. "It's live now. You'll be notified directly if any sellers show interest. Good luck."

Arthur gave a curt nod and turned away, his mind already churning with the next steps.

As he walked past the mission board, he glanced at the glowing interface. His request was now pinned near the top of the "High-Value Requests" section, standing out among escort missions and rare item hunts.

'Now, I wait.'

But Arthur knew better than to fully rely on the guild system.

'Connections still might be the better option...but, I will wait for now.'

With that thought, he left the Gilderhaven Guild.

After leaving the guild building, Arthur felt a pair of eyes on him.

A prickle ran down the back of his neck, that unmistakable sensation of being watched. His instincts, sharpened by his Rare-Ranked enhanced senses Skill, screamed at him.

'Someone's following me.'

He didn't react outwardly. Instead, he walked casually through the bustling streets of Caldera as if nothing was wrong.

Merchants called out from their stalls, hawking wares, and adventurers bustled past, their conversations filling the air. But beneath the lively atmosphere, Arthur's focus zeroed in on the subtle cues—the soft scuffle of boots matching his pace a dozen paces back, the faintest shift in the crowd every time he turned.

He scanned the street ahead. 'Too crowded here.'

Without breaking stride, Arthur veered into a narrower side street, less populated and quieter.

The rows of stone buildings towered on either side, he took another turn, leading himself deeper into a less-travelled part of the city, where only a few stragglers moved about.

'Still there.'

The pressure of the gaze hadn't faded. Whoever was following him was skilled—keeping his distance, avoiding obvious tells—but Arthur's senses were too sharp.

Arthur decided to lead him to the forest.

...

Arthur stood still in the middle of the dense forest, the towering trees around him swaying gently with the breeze.

Sunlight filtered through the branches, dappled patterns dancing on the forest floor. His breathing was steady, and controlled, but his mind was on the person following him.

'They're still there.'

Whoever was following him was skilled. But not skilled enough.

Arthur clenched his fists, the cold grip of caution tightening around him.

'Let's see if you're bold enough to make the first move.'

For a long moment, there was silence—only the distant chirping of birds and the whisper of the wind through the trees.

Then—another rustle.

Arthur's eyes narrowed. He twisted his body slightly, making it look like he was about to continue deeper into the woods.

'Bait them out...'

But the person didn't fall for it. Instead, Arthur sensed the pursuer pulling back, increasing the distance.

'You're cautious… good. But not cautious enough.'

Arthur took a deep breath, letting his senses stretch wider, trying to pinpoint the exact location.

'He is out of my senses range...'

'Time to catch the sneaky rat out.'

He focused his mana, activating the summoning talent. A swirling dark portal cracked open in front of him, its energy humming as it bent the space around it.

The portal tore open, and from it came Hank, his wings spread wide as he landed gracefully atop a nearby branch. His piercing yellow eyes scanned the surroundings immediately.

'Hank. We have a tail.' Arthur's voice was transmitted to Hank's brain through telepathy.

"He's somewhere on the north side. Out of my sensory range."

The massive hawk took off from his perch and landed atop Arthur's shoulder.

"He's somewhere on the north side. Out of my sensory range," Arthur continued.

Though Hank was a capable scout, Arthur knew that whoever was following them had to be skilled—definitely a talent higher than C-Rank.

Hank's usual scouting ability wouldn't be enough to pinpoint them. But that wasn't the point.

Arthur wanted the stalker to create some distance from him so that he could bait him out.

'Bait the mouse out of the hole...'

Arthur began walking deeper into the forest, as if unaware of the tail.

"Hank," he murmured through the link, "we're going to act like we don't know he's there. Let him think he's got the upper hand."

Hank let out a soft shriek in response before taking to the skies. His massive wingspan spread wide as he flew low, circling in a casual, almost lazy spiral—keeping up the ruse.

Arthur veered north, letting the dense foliage swallow him, crunching leaves underfoot as he moved. He wanted to sound like easy prey.