Chapter 258: Hidden Gems Store (1/2)

His virtual store was of the cheapest kind, A Small Store. As he chose the type and paid, he was presented with several options. He needed to choose a name, a category, a selling method, a slogan, a quality-check agency, and identification.

For the name, Arthur named it Hidden Gems. He chose the artifact category and then chose artificial ones. He was torn between direct selling and bidding, so he chose the bidding system with a direct selling option.

He would estimate the price the item would go for and include the option for customers to pay that price to buy it directly. He made the starting bid half the price of the selling option and moved on to choose a slogan.

”A hidden gem is better than a flamboyant ore.”

Arthur wrote whatever occurred to him and then listed the Runes Research Department as his agency. He read somewhere that he can send his artifacts anonymously to the department to appraise them before it's sent to the community.

As for the identification, Arthur simply used his student's ID number and it was accepted. Even though no one would have access to this information, he was still uncomfortable sharing them.

However, he needed the points. The outside world's cash was useless at the moment. If he wanted to create better artifacts and buy better gear, he would need to get Jerano Points.

Arthur returned to his room despite the student's stares and hostile gazes. If he was only hated for not fighting back, his strength would have solved the issue. But if he was a suspect of killing a student, his strength becomes a threat.

As he entered his room, Arthur asked Lilo to construct another barrier to keep the gaze off him. He took out the items he bought the day Trevor died and took out the cores he had.

For neo rankers, the artificial artifacts he was about to create were more than enough. With how efficient his runes are, even an artificial one would be like an extra skill.

The inscribing moment was always a relief to his stressed-out mentality. He was doing the thing that no one else can, and it gave him a sense of fulfillment.

***

As the days passed, the students grew antsy over their tasks. The fact that this week's practical class was about the party system and exploring dungeons.

Unfortunately for Arthur, the exploring was done through virtual reality. He couldn't level up like this, so he had to team up with a few students who ignored his existence.

The investigation was still ongoing. The day before, the college released a statement that no evidence has been found yet. They only mentioned that the cause of death was internal bleeding, but there were no signs of trauma or injury.

The fact that no conclusion has been reached bugged Arthur greatly. The rumors about him being the culprit kept resurfacing as soon as they die down. With the resources that the college has employed, he didn't understand how they couldn't find the culprit.

He had become the outcast and not even in a way that made him kidnappable. The gaze never left him, making him the worst target to be kidnapped.

As they walked through the dark dungeon as a team, Arthur stayed to the back as support. He was grouped with five other students who he hasn't met before. There were two commoners and three nobility excluding him.

He was shunned to the back and even though they discussed the signs of danger, none of them asked for his opinion. This practical test would award the people who complete the dungeon first, but there was very little chance of that with his group.

”That's a dangerous route.” Arthur used his keen senses for existence and felt the monster lying ahead. Even though this was a virtual reality, the 'existence' energy was very faint compared to the real thing.

There was still contrast between nothing and something and contrast between something alive and inanimate. That's how he was able to tell there were monsters ahead.

”There are no trails here.” The archer looked at him with doubt. ”I think it's a safe route. The other one is longer and darker.”

Even though he was dismissing Arthur, he was still polite about it. Arthur simply shrugged and looked at the leader, the highest-ranking person among them.

He was a tribesman from Thiria with tattoos over his face. He looked at Arthur and sneered.

”We do not respect those who bully the weak and bow to the strong.” He said with a thick accent. ”We go this way.” He discarded Arthur's idea and kept moving forward.

'You really can't win every one. For me, it seems you can't win anyone.' Arthur sighed inwardly as he followed silently. If this was the case, he wouldn't intervene until the last second.