My Ultimate Sign-in System Made Me Invincible - Chapter 301

Chapter 301: Finally, A Customer
More than three hours had passed since they opened the store, yet not a single customer had walked in.

Chrises sat quietly on the long, comfortable sofa behind the counter, her fingers tapping lightly against her thigh. She sighed again, the same soft, defeated sound that had left her lips at least a dozen times already.

She knew business would be slow on the first day. Liam had prepared her for that. But she didn’t expect it to be this slow. The fact that not even one person had stepped inside the store—not out of interest, not out of curiosity, not even by accident—made her chest feel tight.

People stopped, stared and whispered, but not even one of them entered.

Even with the glass doors almost completely transparent, even with the store interior visible from the street, even with the strange artifacts glowing inside—still, no one dared to walk in.

Chrises wondered if she should step outside and tell passersby to take a look. But she dismissed the idea quickly. She wasn’t here to call people off the streets like a desperate vendor. Liam trusted her with this place. He was watching her. He wanted to see how she handled things. He wanted to see if she could run this store without relying on him every second.

She had to prove he made the right choice.

Two days ago, she wouldn’t have cared this much. Back then, running a shop or failing at it wouldn’t have meant anything to her.

But after yesterday, after everything she saw, after her little chat with Lucy, after learning about Liam’s world…

Her heart wasn’t the same anymore.

She wanted to experience his world one day. She wanted to see the things he saw. She wanted to walk in a place where the sun wasn’t one sun, but maybe many. Where machines flew, where cities glowed, where knowledge was endless.

And the only way she would ever earn that chance was by proving her loyalty and usefulness to Liam. She wants to do it and show him that she’s doing it not because of the slave mark or because she’s being compelled, but because she wanted to.

She sat straighter and took a deep breath.

“Someone will come,” she whispered to herself. “Someone will be the first.”

She hoped it would be soon.

***

Today was an important day for little Gartner.

He woke as the first streak of sunlight hit the ground, practically jumping out of his bed in excitement.

His mother had scolded him for running through the halls, but even she couldn’t stop the bright smile on his face.

He had begged for this chance for weeks, and his parents finally agreed to let him join a dungeon expedition tomorrow.

They agreed only because they thought the experience would scare him. They hoped he would give up his dream afterward.

But Gartner had other plans.

His heart had loved monsters and adventure since he was old enough to walk. He dreamed of fighting beasts, clearing dungeons, and becoming a famous adventurer. But fate had placed him in a moderately large merchant family—one with wealth, expectations, and traditions.

He was the only child and as one, he was expected to inherit everything, to run the family business and he was expected to be “normal.”

But Gartner did not want normal.

If he had been a commoner, he would have joined an adventurer guild by now. If he lived in a village, he would have followed hunters into the woods. But in a huge imperial capital like Velaris, bound by noble laws and societal expectations, his freedom was thin as air.

Still, tomorrow’s dungeon trip would hopefully be the first step.

He walked through the business district with his two guards. Both of them being seasoned men who had seen enough danger to understand why a child should not be near it.

For hours they purchased equipment: boots, light armor, potions, rings for safety, small daggers, even a short sword meant mostly for show.

Gartner bought everything with bright eyes and hopeful energy, while the guards followed with tired looks, but they were used to this.

On their way back home, something caught Gartner’s eye.

It was a new shop. A strange one. A shop he had never seen before.

He paused instantly.

Behind the almost-clear glass doors, he saw glowing rectangular screens with things moving on their own. He saw shelves holding eyeglasses, which looked strange to him.

Curiosity hit him like a wave and unable to stop himself, he stepped toward the shop.

“Y-Young master, wait! This place… it looks suspicious!” one guard stammered.

“It might be selling forbidden artifacts. We should leave,” the second guard added quickly.

Gartner ignored them, as he walked straight to the door.

When he reached it, the door slid open on its own. He froze in shock and the guards froze too.

Neither of them had ever seen a door that moved without anyone touching it. The guards rushed around him instantly, blocking him as if something might attack from inside.

But no attack came, except if they count the cold air that rushed out of the store

***

Inside the store, Chrises noticed the doors sliding open and her heart jumped. She stood up immediately and looked toward the entrance.

Two men, swords in hand, their body was tensed and in a defensive position.

Guards Customer? Chrises smiled warmly.

“Welcome,” she said.

Though she didn’t see Gartner, she was sure that the two men are with someone of status.

The guards jerked their heads toward her, eyes wide. They didn’t expect to hear a soft voice in such a strange place.

Gartner pushed between them again. He stepped inside completely this time, ignoring the guards’ panic.

The door slid shut behind them.

Both guards turned and nearly drew their swords, but their grip froze when they saw the two humanoid robots standing by the walls—tall, silent, and glowing faintly with red eyes.

The guards swallowed hard and put their weapons down quickly.

Gartner, however, was fascinated.

The air inside was cold and refreshing, like stepping into a different world. The lights overhead were bright but soft. The strange rectangular screens showed moving images—demonstrations of spells and sword techniques.

He stared in awe. He had never seen anything like this.

He looked at the display glass. Eyeglasses rested inside rows of cushioned stands. He frowned at first—they seemed too simple. Why would a mysterious shop sell mere glasses?

But then he turned to one of the screens and watched the demonstration begin.

He watched a man put on the eyeglasses and learn a new spell instantly. He watched him communicate with someone far away and be watched him fight, memorize, create.

The more he watched, the more his eyes widened.

He turned to Chrises quickly.

“All of this… is real?” he asked.

“Yes. Everything shown there is real,” Chrises nodded.

Gartner inhaled sharply, as his heartbeat sped up. His mind raced through a hundred possibilities within seconds.

A device that could teach him spells? A device that could let him contact anyone? A device that worked without mana? A device that even his father would find useful?

This was beyond anything known in Velaris.

He turned back to the display and pointed.

“I want five,” he said.

The guards flinched. “Young master—!”

“Five,” he repeated calmly.

Chrises nodded and went to the display case. She opened it gently, picked out five units, and packaged them neatly. Her movements were smooth even though her heart was pounding. She reminded herself again and again to remain calm.

When she handed the boxes to Gartner, he and his guards accepted them with both hands, his expression full of excitement.

He turned once more to the large screen and watched a bit longer, trying to memorize how the device worked. He wanted to try it at home, with his family watching. He wanted to see their reactions.

After a few minutes, Gartner bowed politely and left.