As I wondered how to open the Market System, a translucent golden screen appeared floating in front of me.
[Welcome to the Godly Market System]
[You have been registered as an Honorary Demi-God]
[Rejoice, Hermes The Handsome, has granted you a username]
[Your current username is Nectar_4_All]
'Hermes the handsome? I can imagine Narcissus calling himself that, but Hermes?... As for the rank of Demi-god, is it because the nectar I create has divine energy? Or is this the lowest possible rank?'
Looking at the username written in purple text, I couldn't help but sigh.
'The username he gave me is a little on the nose, but that's not bad. It should get the attention of the other gods, so I'll keep it for now.'
After clicking on the screen, the text in front of me was replaced with an online shopping screen.
For each item, there was an image, an item name, cost, available stock, a small description, and the seller's name. In short, it was no different than a typical online shop.
My eyes were glued to the screen as I skimmed through the recently added for-sale page.
.
.
.
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Item: 100% Genuine Planet Stress Ball
Cost: 749,999 DP
Units Available: 1
Description: A minuscule planet that you can hold with one hand. The planet and its inhabitants are so squishy and resilient that you can squeeze them as hard as you want without worrying. Just squeeze and enjoy the endless screams of its inhabitants.
Seller: Beerus God Of Destruction
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Item: Mjolnir
Cost: 69,999 DP
Units Available: 1
Description: The favorite weapon of that idiotic Thor. It has been enchanted so that only those deemed worthy can wield it. It allows the user to call forth lightning. You can throw it and call it back. My detestable brother, Thor, swings it around a few times and can ride it. Thor, if you try to purchase this, then be prepared to pay three times the listed price.
Seller: Loki_Odin 's_Favorite
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Item: Dark Lantern Of Revealing
Cost: 29,999 DP
Units Available: 5
Description: A lantern lit by a dark, shadowy fire blessed by me. It can reveal invisible creatures lurking in the shadows.
Seller: Hodri Of Darkness
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All the items were amazing; while some were disturbing, they were still unbelievable. Sadly, they were out of my budget. What I was interested in at the moment, though, was the item descriptions, which gave more information on the gods themselves.
"Loki is a Nordic god. From what I remember in Mythology, he is Odin's blood brother, not his son. Why is he saying that Thor is his brother? Could Mythology have gotten their story mixed up? If that's the case, I need to be on my toes and not judge gods based on what I know."
After exploring the main sales page, I found a filtering option, which I used to show items below 100 DP.
When I did that, I was surprised to find some of the Seller's names written in gray text.
- - -
Item: Death Cavalier
Cost: 49 DP
Units available: 300
Description: A mythic undead mounted knight that strikes fear in the hearts of his enemies. They can speak, allowing them to communicate with other species or command your forces. If their military strength doesn't suffice, their tireless undead bodies make them great laborers. Confirmed by Hermes.
Seller: Ainz The Big Skelly
- - -
I looked at the image of the large black armored knight with glowing red eyes mounted on his black unicorn-like mount.
"Is this a bug?! Did Ainz, the seller, mess up somehow? How is a knight that looks that strong only worth 49 DP?! Doesn't that mean I can buy a knight for every unit of nectar I sell?! To be able to buy knights that look this cool would be awesome?! I could become a one-man army…..well, an army commander!"
I looked at the grey username, but I couldn't recall ever hearing the name Ainz.
"Could his rank be lower than Honorary Demi-God? My username is purple, and I've seen the gods' usernames are dark gold, so it is possible…..Well, Ainz, I feel that you and I will become best friends. If your rank is lower than mine, then the whole talk about turning these knights into laborers might be because the gods' strength is at a whole other level. I, on the other hand, don't need world-defying powers like that 100-foot radius talisman explosion."
After looking at a few more amazing items, I looked into the system manual Hermes had mentioned. It took some more exploring before I finally found it. The moment I clicked on the manual, my vision became completely white. I saw quick flashes of words that seemed to be absorbed into my head.
The pain that I felt was unlike any I had ever felt before.
When the pain began subsiding, and I regained my vision, I was bathed in sweat. I looked around and found that the sun had already come out. The information implanted into my head was organized, letting me know all there was to know about the functions of the GMS (Godly Market System).
"Hermes, you really have to recheck the meaning of reading. That…whatever it was, isn't reading."
After some light stretching, I placed the anklet Hermes had given me inside my drawer. I didn't know its effects, but now I knew how to find out. All I needed was to sell a few units of Nectar.
"Wait, where the heck are the pups?!"
I looked around wildly, but they were nowhere to be found.
As I whispered their names, they suddenly jumped out from my shadow and pushed me to the floor.
"You guys can go into my shadow?!..... So that's what Hermes was trying to say before the thunderbolt hit."
"They patted the heads of the two pups and pointed at my shadow. You two stay in there and don't come out no matter what unless I tell you, okay?"
The two dogs gave a loud bark and jumped inside my shadow.
'Can I really trust them?'
Having no choice but to believe that they had understood me, I quickly went to the laundry room. There, I saw that my clothes had already been placed in the dryer.
'Mom must have put my clothes to dry this morning. Thankfully, she didn't enter my room and find me sitting on the floor.'
As I was about to grab my clothes, my body froze. In a matter of seconds, the memories of the yells of the villain as he melted and the slime-covered clothes reappeared.
I clenched my teeth and fists and pushed myself forward, grabbing them.
'What's done is done. It wasn't my fault that the villain died. I had no control over my quirk, and it was self-defense anyway. I won't let my life be disrupted by someone who reaped what they sowed.'