He polished a glass with a rag that smelled of burned electronics.

“Ah.” Kael smiled, revealing a row of vibranium-capped teeth. “Because you’re not selling Groot . You’re selling the story .”

His greatest triumph wasn't a 7-Star Herculean God. It was a 3-Star, Sig Level 99, duped-six-times-over .

The Battlerealm’s economy ran on Catalysts, Gold, and desperation. For most Summoners, a duplicate Champion wasn’t a cause for celebration; it was a trip to the Nexus crystal recycler. You fed the duplicate to the ISO-8 vats, shrugged, and moved on.

“The secret,” Kael said, closing the drawer, “isn’t power. Power is a commodity. Anyone can sell a 7-Star King Groot. The real art, the luxury trade, is selling absence . You convince a whale they’re missing something. You convince a hustler they need a joke. You convince a mad scientist that the worst champion in the game holds the key to the best strategy.”

Lyra left the cantina with her head spinning. Behind her, Kael activated his holo-broker and posted a new listing:

A young Summoner named Lyra frowned. “So why would anyone buy him?”

He slid open a reinforced drawer beneath the counter. Inside, nestled on a bed of shredded ISO-8, were seventeen identical 3-Star Groots. Same signature level. Same dupe count. Same pathetic stats.