Arceus returned to his residence—no, not quite his anymore—rolling the motorcycle into its usual spot with a quiet hum that faded into the evening air. The engine died, and for a moment, he just sat there, hands resting on the handles, the cool breeze brushing past his face like a reminder that things were changing, whether he was ready or not.
But inside—
His mind wasn't calm.
It was moving.
Fast.
He stepped off, locked the door behind him, and walked straight to his desk without lingering, without letting the weight of the place settle in. The room felt the same, looked the same, yet something about it had already begun to feel temporary, like a stage set waiting to be dismantled.
_Squee___
Before he could even sit properly, a small blur of black climbed up his leg with determined little movements, claws barely making a sound against his clothes. Black curled into his lap with practiced ease, as if it had already decided that this was its rightful place, then immediately went still again, slipping back into sleep.
Arceus glanced down briefly.
A faint smile flickered.
Then—
He exhaled and turned back to the screen.
"Alright," he muttered, fingers already moving. "Let's not waste time."
***
The National Business Portal opened with its clean, sterile interface, all smooth transitions and quiet authority. He entered his citizenship number, passed the identity verification, and navigated through the menus with a focus that had no room for distraction.
New Registration.
Individual Proprietorship.
Each selection felt deliberate.
Each click—final.
Then—
Business Address.
He didn't hesitate.
Cloud Storage Facility.
The system responded immediately.
You have selected "Cloud Storage Facility" as your business location.
Note: This option restricts sales to online platforms only. Offline retail is not permitted under this license type.
Arceus leaned back slightly, crossing his arms as he read the warning, his expression calm.
"That's fine," he said under his breath. "I don't need a storefront right now."
Not yet.
This wasn't about pride anymore.
This was about survival.
And strategy.
***
Then came the name.
A simple field.
But it carried weight.
Arceus paused.
His fingers hovered above the keyboard, unmoving, as thoughts rose quietly in his mind.
_Dad's store.___
_The old name.___
_The old dream.___
For a brief moment, it lingered.
Then—
He shook his head slightly.
"No…"
His eyes sharpened.
"That dream ended with my first life."
This time—
He would build something of his own.
Not inherit.
Not carry.
Create.
His fingers moved.
Business Name: Nexus Pet World
The letters settled on the screen.
Clean.
New.
Untouched.
He clicked submit.
Application Accepted.
A digital business certificate will be issued in 24–72 hours.
You may begin selling under this name immediately. Temporary ID sent to your email.
A quiet breath left him.
But he wasn't done.
***
NovaMart Online opened next.
The largest merchant hub in the country.
Fast.
Efficient.
Competitive.
He registered quickly, linking his new business, inputting the temporary ID, setting up his seller account with the precision of someone who had already learned what mistakes not to make.
This time—
No wasted effort.
No unnecessary risks.
When it came to logistics, he didn't even hesitate.
Marketplace Fulfillment Model.
Let the platform handle packaging.
Shipping.
Complaints.
He would focus on supply.
On strategy.
On growth.
The moment the setup completed—
_Ding!___
The sound rang clearly in his mind.
[Detected new business registration: Nexus Pet World. Would you like to bind the System to this store?]
[Warning: The system can only be bound to one store. Multiple bindings are not supported.]
[Confirm] [Cancel]
Arceus didn't pause.
Didn't overthink.
He tapped—
Confirm.
***
_Ding!___
[Confirmed.]
Something shifted.
Not outside.
Inside.
The world blurred for a fraction of a second, like a lens adjusting, like a mechanism locking into place deep within his mind.
A quiet click.
And then—
The notifications flooded in.
[System Binding Complete]
[Exchange Rate Feature Unlocked]
[Credit-to-Coin Conversion Activated]
[Pet Inventory – Unlocked]
[Main Quest – Updated]
[New Side Quests – Added]
The interface expanded, reorganizing itself into something larger, more complete.
Arceus's eyes moved quickly, scanning.
Store Level: 1 (Bound)
Name: Arceus Blaze
Age: 24
Profession: Summoner, Store Owner
Business Name: Nexus Pet World
Rank: E
Bank Balance: 1,245,441 Credits
Store Earnings: 0 Credits
Store Balance: 62 Coins
Monsters: Luminous Direwolf (Level 1)
A faint exhale escaped him.
Everything—
Was finally aligned.
Then—
Skills.
He paused.
Read carefully.
Summon.
Cooldown: 24 hours.
Passive traits.
Absolute loyalty.
Emotional bond amplification.
His gaze lingered for a second longer.
Then moved on.
***
Quests.
Main Quest: Become a Rank-D Summoner
Side quests unfolded beneath it like stepping stones.
Second monster.
Level growth.
Sales milestones.
Dungeon clearing.
Each one—
A path.
A direction.
A system guiding him forward.
Not randomly.
But intentionally.
***
Two days later;
The room was quieter now.
Different.
Not his old home.
A temporary space.
Yet—
It felt… lighter.
Arceus sat cross-legged on the floor, his laptop casting a soft blue glow across his face, while beside him, Black slept again, completely unconcerned with the complexity of the world it had entered.
Outside, the city hummed faintly.
Inside—
Everything was focused.
"Open Character Interface," he murmured.
The panel appeared instantly.
He scrolled.
Exchange.
Tapped.
Two options.
[Exchange Store Earnings]
[Exchange Other Credits]
He clicked the info tab out of habit, eyes scanning quickly.
100 Credits = 1 Coin (store earnings)
200 Credits = 1 Coin (external funds)
He leaned back slightly.
"If only I hadn't wasted those coins earlier…" he muttered, a faint sigh slipping out.
Regret flickered.
Then—
Faded.
"No point thinking about that now."
His gaze sharpened again.
"Let's fix it."
He selected—
Exchange Other Credits.
_Ding!___
[Write the amount]
He calculated quickly.
Needed coins: 38.
Required credits: 7600.
He typed it in.
Confirmed.
***
A flash.
Bright.
Instant.
Then—
_Ding!___
[7600 Credits have been exchanged for 38 Coins]
His phone buzzed.
He picked it up.
Bank notification.
7600 credits deducted.
No trace.
No destination.
Just… gone.
For a moment, his eyes lingered on the message.
A faint thought crossed his mind.
_So the system can access even this…___
It was unsettling.
In another situation, it might have bothered him.
But right now—
He didn't care.
Not even a little.
Because this—
Was power.
And power didn't come without rules.
***
He lowered the phone.
Refocused.
Back to the interface.
Summoner's Shop.
Tapped.
The panel opened.
Clean.
Minimal.
Two items.
Waiting.
And for the first time since everything began—
Arceus leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing with intent, as if standing at the edge of something important.
Something that could define—
What came next.
[Direwolf egg] [Growth Pill]
The former costs 100 coins while the latter costs 500 coins.
Arceus clicked on the former.
*Ding!
[100 coins were deducted]
[A Direwolf King egg has been purchased. Please select the element.]
[Fire] [Water] [Thunder] [Earth] [Shadow] [Light]
"Hmm... an element, huh..." Arceus grabbed his chin, falling into thought.
He expected the system to have given him a choice because it is a beginner's gift. But, seeing that he can pick any type of Direwolf to sell, Arceus felt like slapping his forehead, realizing how foolish he was, trying to get a second monster.
"Hmm... anyway, which one should I pick for the sale?"
When he chose an element for Black, he chose light because he needed a light-element monster to heal him. But not everyone would want that.
"The ones who buy monster eggs from online shopping would be either youngsters in college or those in their 30s who were too busy to go out."
Arceus couldn't help but fall into a dilemma.
The youngsters would be bold and likely want an aggressive type of Direwolf, meaning a Fire/Thunder variant, while the older ones would play it safe, like the Light/Earth variant.
After thinking about it, Arceus clicked on Light in the end, as college kids mostly use their parents' money. Moreover, a King Tier healing wolf would sound more interesting.
[A luminous direwolf egg has been sent to the inventory]
"Okay, good."
Arceus nodded with a smile.
He went back to his laptop, opened his shop dashboard: Nexus Pet World.
No active products.
No followers.
No store badge.
No sales.
Everything is a flat line at the moment.
He clicked Add New Product.
As soon as he did that, a system prompt, on a holographic screen, appeared before his eyes instead.
*Ding!
[Please select the new product you wish to sell through Nexus Pet World]