“Excuse me?”
Jason tilted his head. If he had any emotions left in him, this was the best time not to let them show. The man in front of him was handsome. And he has fangirls. With that alone, this guy needs to die a thousand times. No, two thousand times with lots and lots of stab wounds. He’s flexing. The man was wearing plate armor and he had a longsword strapped at his back. A literal white knight.
He brushed his hair with his fingers and dramatically sighed. Jason could swear that one of the girls forced herself to swoon just to get his attention. She choked. But Jason was thankful that the rest of the girls pretended that she didn’t exist anymore.
“Must I repeat myself again?”
“That’s…” Jason tasted his own tongue. That was glitter and powder. Maybe. That or the guy stank so much with perfume that he could taste it even with about two meters between them. “That’s what the ‘excuse’ was for, yes…”
From what Jason could remember, this knight literally moonwalked towards him out of nowhere and blasted him with his grace as big and bright as the sun. And like the actual sun, he’s orbited by nameless planets and other types of rocks.
“Arthur. Arthur Montefalco.” His fangirls screamed as he brandished his golden-brown hair like a wet dog. “Actor. Singer. Dancer. One of the hottest men in the world. I can crush eggs with my biceps. I can grind cheese with my abs. My winks cost thirty million dollars. And just before everything this happened, a mere sway of my big fat and wagyu-quality booty, which is worth much more, caused a car crash.”
“I see.” Jason wanted to hit his head against the wall and forget everything. He didn’t want to imagine abs that were so defined and hard that someone could literally grind cheese on them. Stabbing him in the neck might work, maybe just below that perfect jawline.
“I need capable people.”
This Arthur will probably kick his ass. Jason crossed his arms. He was so sure that, for a moment, his blue eyes burned white. Anything that he felt that made him want to stand up and stab him in the neck was snuffed out.
“But not just capable people. I need normal, capable, people. People that are useful and at the same time have little to no charisma so as to not overshadow me.”
“Well… that is interesting.” Jason stood to meet his gaze. His weapon was not equipped just yet. But a part of him hoped that Arthur would not do anything in front of his fangirls. “I’m afraid I won’t join you. But since you’re nice enough to tell me your name again, and your net worth for some reason, I’ll tell you mine.”
Arthur raised a brow. “Your net worth?”
“M-my name.” Jason coughed. “Jason de la Cruz. I am a man of my own plans. And besides… you would not want to have me there.”
Arthur Montefalco stepped forward, a corner of his lips curving into a confident smile. This guy will kick Jason’s ass. It took Jason his all not to look away as he crossed the distance between them. He could now taste his perfume.
“Are you saying that you will actually overshadow me? Interesting. I will remember your name, Jason.”
Jason stepped back and offered his hand. “Wanna be friends instead?”
“You have not earned that yet.” Arthur Montefalco humphed and turned. If this guy had a cape, it would’ve slapped his face. “I am inclined to agree, Jason. This is interesting. Not a lot of people can defy me… so for now, become the darkness to my light. If you can, then I shall consider my offer.”
Jason was not entirely sure if this guy was weird or if he was still playing a character for the sake of his fans. He can at least respect that.
“Watch your back for me, Arthur.”
“There’s no need to, Lancelot. My back muscles are greater at reflecting the spotlight than my nipples.”
They are definitely best friends now. At least at the nick-name tier. He could tell, judging from how jealous the girls around him looked. That or they’re mad because Arthur lowkey offered him to see his nipples for some reason.
Jason watched him leave the room with eight people. They’re going to be useless at best. Jason would be lying if he did not want to see his ass to be beaten, but if they encountered something dangerous outside this room, the sheer number of fangirls will not help him.
Jason cupped his left eye and sighed. “Equip. Leather Bracers, slot six. Dagger, slot one. Torch, slot two.”
A pair of leathers wrapped his forearms and a dagger appeared in his hand. The dagger’s scabbard was strapped to his side. It was about time he picked himself up too. It pains him to admit, but if he ran into a monster right now, alone, he’s going to die. Again, there’s no rule for respawns. It is better to assume that they only have one life. He’s mildly excited by this.
But for now, what Jason needs is a decent party. The rest that are in this room are the ones that were left alone. Either they’re weak as hell or they could not handle the stress of potentially dying and would rather cry.
He would have preferred if he had a bigger weapon and decent armor, but there’s no need to cry about it now. It has been a while. No other parties have returned. Some might even be dead right now, so that’s where he’ll start.
His eyes wandered. The closest to him was a man, around the same age as him, on all fours on the ground, crying. The guy was slamming his fist on the ground as he watched Arthur leave the room. Jason sighed. He might as well start with that.
