Ch. 181..190

Chapter 181

"We’ll check out the issue tomorrow morning and we’ll make sure it’s taken care of."

The waitress couldn’t hold back her tears when she saw the meat on the table. She grabbed as much as she could in her arms and bowed her head. "Thank you! Thank you! Stay as long as you like, don’t worry about paying. Just, please, help our small town."

She made her way to the kitchen and brought back the cook, who also thanked them and helped take what was left of the meat Jack had given away.

"Any guess as to what’s going on, Jack? Most of these border towns are placed in safe zones outside of the South Forest, so hearing about such strong beasts it definitely unusual," reasoned Rydel.

"Yeah, maybe we’ve already found our first grindstone to sharpen ourselves," Maynard joked with them, anxious to finally let loose. It had been a while since he had just been allowed to slaughter everything in his path.

"I’m not sure but if we’re lucky it could be a frenzy."

Jack’s mention of a frenzy startle Eliza and Keela, but it excited the rest.

Frenzies were rare, unnatural occurrences when a lot of a certain type of animal suddenly went berzerk. Frenzied beasts came in unknown numbers, had stronger attacks and defenses than normal, and offered more EXP than normal too. Also, it was common for there to be an unusually powerful beast that caused the frenzy and drove the frenzied beasts out of their usual hunting grounds.

"If it really it a frenzy, then we’ve gotten very lucky," stated Daliea.

They all chatted about any possible types of bears it might be, but they couldn’t reach a conclusion.

Soon, they were all feast on the food brought to them. As a show of thanks, the chef prepared extra for those who had ordered a lot, guessing that they were plenty hungry.

The table was slowly cleared as the many different dishes were eaten. Gradually, everyone left the table and turned in for the night. Like usual, the girls paired up and shared two rooms while Maynard and Rydel did the same.

Jack was the only one with his own room, but he let Bowzer have the other bed.

Ever since they became lv. 30, Bowzer had entered a coma-like state. All he did was sleep and nothing could wake him up. However, Jack didn’t try to wake him up after noticing that Bowzer was growing rapidly while in his sleep. He didn’t know how long it would take, but Jack knew that Bowzer was finally evolving into his adolescence.

There were only three people left at the table now, Jack, Maura, and Daliea.

Looking to them both, Jack said, "Thanks for your help in keeping the other two girls in check. Without your help, I don’t know what would’ve happened by now."

Though Jack’s will was strong, he understood that he could’ve easily succumbed to temptation with either Eliza or Keela. Without Maura and Daliea helping him avoid such problems, Jack was convinced that he would’ve given in already.

"I still don’t see why its a big deal, but since you’ve asked for help, I’ll keep helping," reasoned Daliea.

Maura chuckled, "You know, maybe they aren’t the only ones who want that sort of thing?"

"Either way, thank you for your help." Changing the subject, Jack pulled out a black spellbook. "Daliea, you said you specialize more in dark type magic, right? Then this should be useful to you."

Taking the spellbook and examining it personally, Daliea’s eyes sparkled. "Jack... Where did you get this?"

"It was on sale at an auction and I got it for an amazing price, not even twenty-thousand gold!"

"That’s because there aren’t any noble families that use dark type magic. If there were, the price would’ve easily doubled," explained Daliea as she put the spellbook away. "This is perfect for me, and I’ve been needing a peak-tier dark type spell. Thank you, Jack!"

Catching him off guard, Daliea vanished from her seat and reappeared beside him. Before he could do or say anything, she was already hugging him tightly.

"That’s enough, you’re more than welcome, Daliea. Just calm down, okay."

"Okay," Daliea giggled as she let him go. "Really Jack, this spell means a lot to me. I’ve already offered you everything, but I’ll mention it again because that’s the most I can say after getting such an amazing gift."

"Just keep calm, and make sure to use it whenever we’re in a bind." Now looking at Maura, Jack retrieved another item that he had won from the auction. "Do you remember me buying this?"

"Sure, it’s that fossil egg, right? But why are you bringing it out now?" Though there was no one in the tavern at the moment, it still surprised her that Jack would be bringing out the egg, especially after he had gifted something to Daliea.

"This is for you."

"What?! But why? This is already dead and fossilized."

"Who said it was dead?" Jack smiled as he explained the egg’s true nature. "It’s currently in a dormant state. This egg belongs to a beast so powerful that its bloodline rival’s Bowzer’s."

Both Daliea and Maura went wide-eyed, finding that hard to believe.

"This egg belongs to a Glacial Hydra, the kings of water type bestial magic. If you can feed the egg enough water type magical energy, then there’s a chance that it can hatch," explained Jack.

"Glacial Hydra..." Maura didn’t know what that was, but Daliea shivered just from imagining that terrifying beast. "Is it really a Glacial Hydra?"

"What’s a Glacial Hydra?" Maura asked, curious to know what exactly it was.

Daliea looked at the egg and said, "Glacial Hydras are ancient beasts that haven’t been seen since the Holy War when they were used by the gods. When fully grown, they have nine heads and can rival even flood dragons, one of the five strongest dragons."

Now trembling, Maura stared at the egg with a newfound respect and fear. Such a beast could definitely rival a Hell-flame Fox.

"This is for you, Maura," Pushing the egg toward her, Jack laughed. "You’re the only one with water type magic and with your spell sword class, a Glacial Hydra would be the perfect beast companion for you."

"I... I don’t know... what to say..."

"Just say thank you and take it. Make sure to give it water type energy every day," replied Jack. "If we can find any water type magical items, we’ll make sure to buy them to help it out. I want that egg to hatch before we go to Trodar."

"... Okay." Accepting the egg, Maura felt that she had gained more of Jack’s trust. "I’ll make sure it hatched in time. But make sure you help me take care of it, Jack, cause I don’t know how to tame such a powerful beast..."

"Of course I’ll help, but I think you’ll be just fine. You’re so caring, maybe the hydra will think you’re its mother," Jack joked with her, getting both Daliea and Maura to laugh.

"Anyway, I’m off to bed. Goodnight, girls."

"Goodnight!" replied both of them, happy with the gifts Jack had given them.

Looking to Maura, Daliea smiled. "Still, you’re the one he likes the most no matter what I do."

"Stop it!"

"Really, you can see it whenever he talks to you. He’s kind to me, but he’ll joke around with you and show a side he never does with me," reasoned Daliea. "Maybe it’s because of who I am..."

"Just stop it, Daliea. You’re plenty beautiful, and I wouldn’t guess you were a goblin unless someone told me. You’re too beautiful for him to just think of you as a goblin," replied Maura. "Plus, he gave you a gift too, so of course he likes you. Just give it time and maybe we’ll both get lucky."

Even though Maura knew Daliea was the goblin queen, she really couldn’t deny that she had her own kind of beauty. She wasn’t as voluptuous or sexy as girls like Eliza and Keela, but she had her own feminine curves and seductive body. Daliea was like a shorter Maura, fit yet curvy. And despite being a goblin, she wasn’t flat chested either.

"Maura, thank you." She was touched by Maura’s words and glad that she had made such a great friend.

"Now, let’s go to our room and check out our gifts."

Maura and Daliea cleaned up their spots and went upstairs to their room. They spent a long while inspecting their gifts and getting used to them.

By the time morning came, the party was excited to finally find a worthy challenge to test their new strength.

Jack led the girls to some of the local farms and asked the farmers some questions. In the meantime, Maynard went to find some hunters in order to learn their side of the story. During all that, Rydel was scouting the nearby edges of the forest in search of unusual tracks or signs of carnage.

No matter what, they were determined to find these beasts as fast as possible.

Chapter 182

It wasn’t too hard to find information on the bears. What surprised Jack was the type of bear they were up against.

According to the farmers and the hunters, culprits of the missing animals and the dead hunters were Flat-nosed Bears. Known as one of the few types of bears to form a pride, Flat-nose Bears were giant, five-meter tall bears. They would dominate a region of wildlife all their own and had average levels ranging between lv. 28 to lv. 32.

Mentioning this to Rydel, the hunter shook his head. "I’m not sure if they’ve formed a pride, though. From the tracks, only one or two have come around the village."

"But if they really are frenzied, then they might be in the middle of migrating," reasoned Jack.

Everyone smiled, happy that they might finally find some good fodder for their EXP grind.

After thanking the farmers and hunters, the party left for the forest. It was still morning and they had Rydel lead them, that way not a single bear could escape. When a half an hour of walking passed, Rydel suddenly stopped.

"Look, there it is."

They all glanced through the trees, following the trail of a dragged animal. Hiding behind a small gathering of trees, Jack and the others saw a huge, furry creature slouching over a cow that it had dragged into the woods.

Seeing its round face, Jack was certain that it was a Flat-nose Bear, confirming that there should be more in the area. Also, his system verified that the Flat-nose Bear was definitely frenzied.

"It’s true, they are frenzied." Rydel could also tell thanks to his Eagle Eye. "This one’s only lv. 30 though."

"No, it should normally be lv. 28, meaning its one of the weaker bears. And with frenzy, it should be a great test of strength," Jack reasoned as he looked to Maura. "Do you want to test it out first?"

Two shortswords appeared in Maura’s hands, one giving off a frosty aura. "Just surround it and let me test a few new skills."

"You all heard her. Let’s surround the bear and see just how strong it is."

They all took their time to surround it. Thanks to Jack’s passive lv. 2 stealth skill and the bear being distracted with its meal, the party successfully cut off all means of escape.

Taking the lead, Maura gave a battle cry and charged through the trees to take on the hulking beast.

The bear quickly noticed Maura and growled angrily at her, raging that its meal had been interrupted. It lunged forward, swiping its giant claws at Maura.

Without hesitation, Maura sidestepped and slashed the bear’s arm with her frost sword. As the bear’s flesh was torn open, the freezing of its body was audible to the entire party as the shards of ice crackled.

That frost sword was powerful, enough to make even Maynard jealous that he couldn’t use it himself.

"ROOOOOOAAAARR!!"

Angry and in pain, the Flat-nose bear kept swiping its long arms at Maura. However, even though the giant bear was strong enough to crush boulders and trees with a single swipe of its paw, it wasn’t fast enough to catch the light-footed Maura.

"Die!"

Taking advantage of her dual-wielding, Maura evaded the blows while slashing each arm that neared her. Very quickly, she was almost under the large beast.

First, Maura thrust her sword into the bear’s chest and then she thrust her frost sword into the bear’s armpit, making sure that it was a killing blow.

"Roar! Rooooaaaa..."

As the bear toppled over, Maura pulled out her blades and smiled at the others. Some of the bear’s blood had splashed onto her outfit and face, but she didn’t seem to care.

In a way, it added to hear tranquil beauty, but mainly it sent a shiver down Jack’s spine. It became clear that he would never want to get on Maura’s bad side.

"Well, that was easier than I thought," shouted Eliza, somewhat disappointed.

Maura laughed, "Maybe, but I got a ton of EXP! A few more and I’ll reach lv. 33."

"Then it’s a good thing that they form prides," Jack joked with them, forgetting Maura’s moment of brutality. "Rydel, do you think you can take us to the rest of them? If they’re all like this, then just make sure to hit them through the armpit. That should be their weak spots."

Rydel chuckled as he let Maura store the large bear’s corpse. "If there really is a pride of these things, then I can definitely find it."

Taking Rydel’s word for it, the party started to wander deeper into the forest. This time, they weren’t too worried about being secretive since they now knew they could handle the bears without much trouble.

For hours, they wandered the forest, following Rydel through creeks, over hills, and across fields. With only four bear corpses to show for their time, the party was getting a little restless.

Just then, Rydel signaled for them all to stop.

There were no signs of any bears near them, but Rydel had found not one set of tracks, but the tracks of almost a dozen Flat-nose bears. He turned to Jack and asked, "About how many bears are usually in a pride?"

Thinking back to some early game events, Jack came up with an average. "I’d say maybe two or three dozen."

"Well, if I’m not mistaken, these tracks are from a dozen bears and they were probably a scouting party."

Everyone paid close attention to Rydel as he said that. They all had the same thought. If the scouting party had a dozen bears, then how big was the pride?

"That’s perfect! We need enough fodder for both us and our beasts, so this will work perfectly," reasoned Jack. "Any guess as to how far away the pride is?"

"If they’re migrating and the scouting party was here not too long ago, then we should almost be on top of them."

"What do ya want to do now, Jack?" asked Maynard, hoping their tactic would focus on frontal assault instead of stealth.

Jack looked around at everyone, sensing everyone’s anxiousness. "Let’s get closer. Once the entire pride is in view, we’ll split up and work in tandem with our beasts. But don’t spread out too far, only enough to make sure you’ve got your own opponent but close enough to help others if they need."

"Eliza, Keela, since Bowzer’s out of commission for the time being, I’ll be sticking close to you for support."

"Alright!"

"We’ve got your back!"

Both girls were happy to see that Jack would finally need them for something. Since Daliea and Maura would be busy attacking, it made them happy to have an important role in helping Jack personally.

"Good. As soon as the pride is in view, bring out your companions. Also, keep in mind that a pridelord may also be leading them. If that’s the case, no one should attack the pridelord alone. At the very least, two groups of two should work together, if not all of us. Does everyone understand?" asked Jack.

When everyone gave a silent nod, Jack smiled and let Rydel lead the way.

Another half an hour passed, but no one complained. They had finally found the pride, and it was way too big. Altogether, Rydel had counted over fifty Flat-nose bears.

The good news was that if there was a pridelord, it wasn’t currently with them. Taking on the entire pride and a pridelord together would have been incredibly difficult.

Jack couldn’t help but wonder how such a strong pride of Flat-nose Bears suddenly appeared in the South Forest. They weren’t natural predators there and there were way too many bears for it to be a natural cause. Something or someone should be behind such a thing.

Not having much time to waste before they were spotted, Jack quickly opened his skill list. After reaching lv. 30, Jack gained another thirty skill points, giving him forty in total.

All forty will then spent, twenty to upgrade companion telepathy to lv. 2 and twenty to upgrade his sword skill to lv. 3.

After mentally telling everyone that they could now telepathically speak with their beast companions, they spread out. Once everyone was ready, Jack yelled, "Now!"

At that moment, six different beasts appeared from various bestial rings and filled the forest with their roars.

The nearby bears growled and turned to see seven humans and six beasts charging toward them at full speed. Before the bears could do anything, two of the large beasts were killed in surprise.

Both the Thunder Cat and the Wind Roc took advantage of their speed, instantly killing one bear each.

Maynard quickly appeared beside his Thunder Cat, using the same tactic to slay his first Flat-nose Bear. Relishing in the slaughter that was about to happen, adrenaline was pumping through his body at full speed.

Rydel too a different approach, sitting on top of his Wind Roc and working together with it. While Rydel would weaken any bears that dared approach them, the roc would go in for the kill.

Maura and Daliea weren’t far behind, joining the slaughter with the cetus and the Flame Tiger.

To the rear, Eliza and Keela supported the party with aid from their Forest Dryad and the small Light Fairy.

Alone but not too far from Eliza or Keela, Jack held the center position of the party, keeping them all in formation.

Chapter 183

The war between Jack’s party and the Flat-nose Bear pride was finally underway.

Maura, Daliea, and Maynard were gods of slaughter as the carved through the rampaging bears. Of course, their beast companions played a huge role. Without them, the adventurers would be hard-pressed to face so many bears at once.

Offering aerial support, Rydel and his Wind Roc dominated from the skies, making sure that no one was facing too many bears at once. The other two supports were in the back, guarded by Jack. Together, Eliza’s buffs and Keela’s healing were a huge help to the party.

Everyone was in perfect sync, using their new ability to communicate telepathically to the fullest. Since they were all linked to Jack, everyone was always aware if someone needed help.

With how much easier it was, Maynard and Rydel almost felt like they were cheating compared to how their previous parties had handled things. Then again, they weren’t complaining at all.

"Keep it up! We’re halfway through them!" yelled Jack. He always tried to keep a view of everyone, keeping them all on their toes and ready for anything. Facing such strong beasts, one wrong move was all it took for things to turn for the worse.

"RRROOOOOAAAAAAARRRR!!!"

A resounding roar echoed through the forest, startling everyone, including the Flat-nose Bears.

As they looked behind them, an enormous beast was rushing towards them. With a hulking frame over six-meters tall and almost four meters wide, the Flat-nose Bear Pridelord had finally made itself known.

"Maynard, protect Eliza and Keela!"

Jack’s yelled caught the party off guard. They all understood what Jack was planning to do.

"Are you insane!" yelled Rydel.

"Rydel, have Aiden take me to the pridelord before it joins up with the pride," shouted Jack. "If they work together, then we’ll get overrun."

With a worried yell, Maura looked to Jack. "But Jack--"

"Don’t worry, I’ll just hold him off with my flame body while you all finish off the pride. That way we can all fight the pridelord together," yelled Jack. "Now hurry up and take me over there!"

"Fine, but you’d better not do anything too stupid! Just wait for us." Knowing that Jack was right, Rydel had his roc, Ayden, pick Jack up and carry him over the pride. Once on the other side and near the charging pridelord, the roc released Jack.

"Flame on!" Out of habit, Jack yelled as his form became fiery and expanded to the size of a toll, almost matching a typical Flat-nose Bear. His level shot up from lv. 31 to lv. 37, almost matching the pridelord’s lv. 38.

A lv. 35 greatsword appeared in Jack’s hand, but he was wielding it like he would any regular sword. "Let’s see how strong you are!"

"RRROOOOAAARRR!!"

As is accepting Jack’s challenge, the bear pridelord eyed Jack and dove at his flaming body. It’s giant claws pressed forward, intent on tearing Jack to smithereens.

Just before the claws reached Jack, he disappeared from where he stood. While the pridelord was confused, Jack reappeared beneath it and slashed into the pridelord’s armpit. Though it wasn’t as effective as Jack would’ve hoped, at least he was able to make dents in the pridelord’s impressive defenses.

Enraged by Jack’s unexpected attack, the pridelord roared again, but this time Jack could feel his very soul shaking.

It was a soundwave attack used to stun prey and intimidate other beasts. Even if Jack was smarter than an average beast, he was still stunned momentarily and saw the bear’s claw coming at his.

Again, he vanished and reappeared in the air right above the pridelord’s head. Jack swung his sword down, aiming for the bear’s neck.

This time the pridelord wasn’t surprised, though, it was smart enough to understand that Jack could vanish at will and kept its guard up. Sensing Jack above it, the bear swipe again, this time meeting Jack’s attack with its own.

With a shrill grinding sound coming from the clash of blade and claw, Jack was thrown back.

The pridelord’s paw was numb from Jack’s attack, but it didn’t care. With Jack thrown back, it leaped toward him, swinging its paws yet again.

For the third time, Jack vanished and reappeared in the distance. He was breathing heavily and his arms were shaking after taking colliding with the bear’s attack. His mana was starting to run low thanks to the combination of his flame body and his constant use of Sudden Death. At that rate, the fight wouldn’t last too much longer.

Changing his strategy, Jack let a mass of fire gather in his palms before he launched the Fireball spell he had gotten from Lillith’s Literature. Since he was already using his flame body, Jack’s the fire type high-tier spell didn’t use much mana.

The bear flinched as it blocked the fireball with its paws. It hadn’t taken too much damage, but there were patches of burnt fur now.

Seeing that, Jack kept throwing Fireballs as he circled around the pridelord, not letting it reunite with its pride.

Each time a fireball cam near the bear, it swiped with its claws, destroying it on contact. However, more fur was now burnt and a few patches of skin were now charred.

Jack realized that the pridelord’s resistance to the fire was weakening and sped up his production of fireballs. As he did so, Jack drank two elixirs to regain his last mana. It helped Jack keep up the volley of flames, but it was only a temporary fix. Any more and his mana would be affected by consuming too many elixirs.

"ROOOAAR!!"

Unhappy that a human was able to stop it, the bear pridelord hurled itself toward Jack. When Jack’s fireballs came at it, the pridelord didn’t block them. Instead, it let the flames crash on its thick fur so it could finally catch Jack.

Since the pridelord had given up on its chances of blocking, Jack smiled. Another mass of flamed emerged from Jack’s hands, but this time it was different. The flame was more concentrated and intense as if it would explode into a fiery oblivion on impact.

"DIE!!!"

Yelling at the top of his lungs, Jack hurled his most powerful fire type spell, Flame Burst, at the pridelord.

Sensing a major threat from Jack’s attack, the pridelord halted its charge and swung both of its arms at the flames nearing it.

A fiery explosion ensued and consumed the entire pridelord.

All trees, bushes, and greenery in the surrounding twenty meters were destroyed by the heat. The hot light of the explosion lit up the shaded forest and the battlefield.

Most of the bears were already dead and there were only small injuries thanks to them having both a cleric and an enchanter.

When the party saw the fiery explosion completely engulf the bear pridelord, they were in awe. They all understood that such an attack would completely obliterate any one of them. To see Jack create such an attack, even though he was almost out of his mana for the second time now, was a huge boost in morale.

With a rise in their determination, the party carved through all bears in their way. Not a single bear would have a chance of survival.

Breathing heavily and feeling like he would soon collapse from exhaustion, Jack watched the flames slowly disappear. Left behind was a charred and almost hairless pridelord.

Still breathing but in agonizing pain, the behemoth Flat-nose Bear glared angrily at Jack, the cause of it suffering.

With firm but slow steps, the bear pridelord walked toward the weak Jack.

"Really?! You still want more?" Jack laughed, feeling his lungs ache with every deep breath. "Fine, I’ll keep playing with you."

Another elixir appeared in Jack’s hand as he popped off the top with his teeth and chugged it. As mana started to fill his body, Jack’s veins felt like they were on fire and about to burst.

As all the mana and fire type energy Jack had left was gathering into his palm, his flame body was also absorbed into the condensing ball of fire. Jack smiled madly at the approaching pridelord. "I wonder, can you handle another one?"

"RRRROOOOOOAAAAARRR!!!"

Frantic and unwilling to take another one of Jack’s Flame Bursts, the bear pridelord summoned all its strength to charge at Jack, closing the gap with record-breaking speed.

"Try this one," Jack taunted the pridelord once more as he tossed the flames at the giant bear.

He laughed when he saw that the pridelord had given up blocking the attack and instead swung its powerful arm at Jack’s chest. It had already understood that Flame Burst wasn’t like Fireball and that the explosion was where its damage came from and not the actual hit of the Fireball.

Both attacks hit their marks. The bear pridelord let out an agonizing cry, filled with regret and suffering, as it was again consumed by the flames. Jack was flung through the air, crashing through some trees and undergrowth and leaving his blood all over the place.

The party was about to finish and join the fight against the pridelord, but they were already too late.

 

Chapter 184

"JACK!!"

Everyone yelled as the heard the young hero crash through all kinds of undergrowth.

Some of the last few bears also eyed Jack, intent on killing the one responsible for harming their pridelord. But they wouldn’t get the chance because the adventurers used the bears’ distraction to give quick lethal blows.

In less than a minute, the fight was over and all the girls hurried to Jack’s side with Keela and Eliza in the lead.

Seeing that Jack would be well taken care of, Maynard and Rydel decided to charge the pridelord. But their hopes of finishing it off ended before they even began.

Charred and burned beyond recognition, the Flat-nose Bear pridelord laid on the ground, no longer breathing. It was sad for them to see it like that because now they wouldn’t be able to harvest any of its materials. All the fur had been destroyed, its meat was ruined, and even the bones had become brittle.

"Man... What the heck was that fire?" Rydel asked himself.

"Maybe it has something to do with Bowzer reaching adolescence?" reasoned Maynard. "I’m curious, what will Bowzer be like after his done evolving? If it means Jack’s flames get stronger, then it would definitely be amazing!"

They bantered as they walked over to Jack, who was surrounded by women.

Barely conscious, Jack groaned as he looked around him. Even though Keela had already started to heal his injuries, his body was beyond exhausted after drinking three elixirs in a row. He struggled to move his head back and forth, let alone walk.

"It’s okay, I’ll be fine after some good rest," Jack joked around with them, trying to lighten the mood.

"Be quiet, you shouldn’t exert yourself." The playful, teasing Keela was gone at the moment. Instead, she was much gentler and stared at Jack with worried eyes.

"Really, I’ll be fine after I sleep it off."

"Shut up! Can’t you see that you’re too injured to even walk? Just let us help you and relax."

Eliza yelled at Jack, showing a bit more of her true self. She had never been outside of Federal City, so this was her first large scale fight. And with this being the first time she’s had a party member be so injured, it was hard for her to keep calm.

That’s when Jack was suddenly lifted up, carried away by Maura. She looked at the other girls. "I’ve seen this before. Because it involved his flame body, he really will need time to rest. It’s not as bad this time, but we should get him back to the inn."

Keela and Eliza found it hard to believe that letting Jack sleep it off would do much, but Daliea also spoke up, "She’s right. This happened after his fight with a troll captain not too long ago. At least this time he’s still conscious, so that’s a good sign."

"Well... If you really think that would be best."

Reluctantly, Keela agreed and stopped wasting her healing spells. Strangely enough, she could tell that Jack wasn’t able to be fully healed with magic.

That was the first time she’d experienced something so strange. Her family was reputed as the best clerics in the Zuran Empire, yet she was unable to heal her own party member. In her heart, she felt like she had failed.

"Don’t worry about him, they’re right, ya know," Maynard chimed in. "That kid’s flame body is strange. It gives him crazy boosts of strength, but his defenses remain the same. And if he’s hurt in that form, then he can’t be healed magically. Jack said it had something to do with the fox’s bloodline."

Feeling a bit better thanks to Maynard’s explanation, Keela nodded and followed the others toward the dozens of bear corpses.

Still depressed, Eliza also felt like she had failed. She felt that if she had been able to buff Jack, then maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as it was now. But that was no longer a possibility and would serve as a reminder for Eliza in the future.

The party divided up the corpses equally, letting everyone get their own share, including Jack.

Rydel gathered Jack’s portion for the time being and offered to carry Jack. Even if it would be easier, they couldn’t use their beasts to carry him or they would risk revealing them to people unnecessarily. For that reason, Rydel offered to take him from Maura.

"No, I’ll be fine."

Now that she was higher leveled, carrying Jack wouldn’t be too difficult. So long as she doesn’t have to fight, Maura could handle carrying him back the rest of the way.

Returning to the small town was much faster than tracking the bears. Since they didn’t have to conceal their movements, the party ran most of the way.

Before sunset, they reached the inn with Jack on Maura’s back.

"Oh, you’re back--" The waitress saw them enter and greeted them, but she cut herself off when she saw them covered in blood and the half-conscious Jack. "What happened?! Are you okay? Let me get a medic--"

"That won’t be necessary," stated Keela, waving her hand and releasing some holy type energy to show that she was a cleric.

"Then... What about him?"

"He just needs some sleep," replied Rydel, laughing quietly at the frantic waitress.

"If you’ll excuse us." Maura immediately started up the stared, followed closely by Daliea. The other two girls did the same, eager to help Jack in any way.

"Man, that kid is too lucky," laughed Maynard. "Shall we drink?"

Rydel nodded and took a seat at the bar. "Waitress, get us two specials and a couple of mugs with your best brandy."

"I-I’m on it." Shaken to see that the two men weren’t concerned for the injured Jack, the waitress moved a little slower than usual. It took her a couple of minutes to put in the order and return with their drinks. "Here you go. And... do you really think he’ll be okay?"

"Yeah, he’ll be fine. He’s experienced much worse before," laughed Rydel. "Don’t worry about him. Also, we took care of your bear problem."

"Really?! They’re all gone?!"

A few men were sitting at a nearby table. Rydel didn’t recognize them so they must not have been locals.

"Yeah, we found an entire pride of those Flat-nose Bears. But they’re all dead now, even the pridelord."

"Pridelord..." Those men thought about Rydel’s words before one of them yelled, "I don’t believe you! A party of only seven lv. 30’s took down an entire pride of Flat-nose Bears? You just don’t want others to kill them before you do!"

"Thud!"

Suddenly, a huge, furry corpse fell to the floor beside Maynard, making the entire table shiver. To their shock, it really was a Flat-nose Bear. They weren’t able to identify what type of bear they might’ve been, but that small band of people was ready to start searching for the bears in the morning.

Unlike Jack’s party, they only agreed to do the job for a hefty sum of gold. Though it would cost the local businesses dearly to agree, they did because they were desperate.

But now that party’s plans were ruined before they could even search for their first bear.

Rydel laughed when he saw the surprise on the men’s faces. "If you don’t believe us, would this prove it?"

"THUD!!"

An even larger corpse hit the tavern floor, echoing in the empty restaurant. It was charred and destroyed, but it resembled the Flat-nose Bear corpse even though it was much larger.

"If ya are mad and want to fight about it, know that I only unsheathe my sword to kill. I don’t care who ya are," Maynard joked around with the frightened party. "We’re with the association, what about you?"

Hearing that they were from the association, the other party was instantly humbled. Their bravado vanished and their leader stood up and bowed. "We’re sorry for not believing you and claiming that the association wasn’t capable. As members of the Snow guild, the locals reached out to us and asked for help. Please, forgive our offenses to you."

"Snow Guild, from Aazoon?"

"Yes."

"I didn’t know any locals had crossed the border in search of help." Rydel couldn’t argue with the town’s logic though. The closest city wasn’t in Reinolt but in Aazoon. And since the two countries are on peaceful terms, they can easily cross the border.

"We’re actually heading there next, do you mind waiting a few days to return? It would help us to have a guide."

"Of course!"

Even though that man was the same level as Rydel, he bowed again out of respect. The Snow Guild was powerful inside Aazoon, but it couldn’t compete with the strength or the fame of the association.

"Great! Then just wait here in town. In a few days, we should be ready to leave."

Maynard and Rydel then stored the corpses and returned to their drinks, ignoring the men from the Snow Guild for the rest of the night.

Jack rested for three whole days before he was back to his full strength, but Bowzer was still sleeping.

During that time, he was happy the Maura had decided to stay in his room. Without her there and with Jack’s inability to move, there was no telling what Eliza or Keela might try.

 

Chapter 185

With Jack fully recovered, it was finally time for the party to leave the small town. With their own guides, things would be much easier, especially when considering what kind of place the Aazoon Kingdom was.

Though it did share the southeast edge of Reinolt’s South Forest, the Aazoon Kingdom only owned that small strip of land in order to have a direct route to the Polt Federation. The majority of their kingdom was to the east of the South Forest. There, it was a frozen tundra with Icicle Mountains at its center.

The Aazoon capital, Frostburn City, was located in between the Icicle Mountains and very hard to reach for travelers that had never been there before.

Technically, Jack had been there before but it was through his computer screen. He’d much rather have a guide to make things go smoothly.

And even though Bowzer was still asleep, Jack wanted to test his new strength.

Thanks to the frenzied bears, everyone in the party had leveled up at least once, including their beasts. Some lucky people at the edge of their level were even able to go up two levels.

Eliza was the lowest of them all at lv. 31, but her Forest Dryad jumped to levels to reach lv. 33.

Jack and Bowzer were next, both at lv. 32.

Happy to not be the weakest, Keela had also managed to skip through an entire level and reach lv. 32 while her Light Fairy was now lv. 34.

Rydel was also lv. 32 now, happy to not be the weakest despite his age. His Wind Roc barely managed to level up, keeping its status as the strongest in the party at lv. 37.

Muara and her cetus followed after that, at lv. 33 and lv. 35 respectively.

Finally, Maynard had been able to level up. And with his Thunder Cat, they both went up two levels. Now, they were both lv. 35.

It may nor seem like much after facing dozens of giant, frenzied bears and a pridelord, but it meant a lot to them. The higher the levels went, the harder it was to grind. For them to level up at all so quickly made them all happy.

Jack was the only one who was unaffected by the level gains. In his mind, he could’ve grinded for hours in-game and get there much quicker. Though the circumstances were different, they still affected Jack’s perspective on leveling.

Now, the party was stronger and had a better sense of unity since they had already had their first battle. Entering a new country together would be perfect to help them bond and grow closer.

Glad to be on his feet, Jack was waiting downstairs in the tavern with the girls. Soon, Rydel and Maynard came down with a group of five men. That group of lv. 30’s were the men that Rydel had convinced to become their guides.

When the leader of that group saw Jack, he hesitated and gave him a second look. "You’re Jack, right? The new hero in the association?"

"Right. And you are?"

"Call me Karo. Me and my men will help you enter the Aazoon Kingdom."

"Can you take us to Frostburn City?" asked Jack.

Shaking his head, Karo replied, "Sadly, I can’t. We, the Snow Guild, are based in Quazur. We can help you enter the tundra and take you as far as the Quazur, but from there you’ll be on your own. But there are guides you can hire once you enter Quazur."

"Good to know, thanks."

With a polite bow, Jack looked over the rest of Karo’s party. They were well-rounded, but they were all warriors despite having long-ranged, mid-ranged, and close combat covered amongst the five of them.

"Well, let’s hurry up and get going. We’ve got to reach Frostburn City as fast as possible."

Letting Karo and his men take the lead, Jack’s party followed them out of town. Thanks to the lack of horses from the recent bear attacks, they were forced to travel on foot until they reached the border town inside Aazoon’s borders.

It took them a couple of days, but they managed to get there without any trouble whatsoever.

Since the Reinolt Kingdom and the Aazoon Kingdom were in a trade agreement, the borders had no checkpoints and were free to cross. This made things a lot easier since both border towns were used to having visitors from the other country.

Once in the border town, the entire party had to purchase winter clothes. Originally, Jack wanted to commission some winter clothes made of Flat-nose Bear hide, but the border town lacked an artisan who could craft such a material.

Since that was the case, they didn’t even stay the night and purchased some horses before leaving straight away.

Traveling then sped up, especially because they all bought a snow stallion. If they wanted to cross the tundra on horseback, it would be impossible without a snow stallion, whose fur and muscles were thick enough to withstand the cold weather.

They crossed the last bit of grasslands over the next three days, enjoying the warm air while the could. On the fourth day, the party finally entered the frozen tundra.

With a change of clothes, everyone quickly bundled up and get back onto their snow stallions.

Jack was the only one to not change his clothes. With a thought, he activated Sterfen’s Cloak and it became a warm snow jacket that covered his whole body. The more he used Sterfen’s Cloak, the more he fell in love with it. It also solved his nakedness issue after using his flame body. Being a legendary item that could shapeshift, it was able to survive inside the flames, letting Jack stay clothed afterward.

He was very happy went he thought about that. At the moment after he was injured by the pridelord, the thought never crossed his mind. But now, he was eternally grateful that the cloak kept him from revealing himself to the women in his party. He would’ve never heard the end of it.

It was on the fifth day the party finally reached Quazur.

It was a city, fully developed with its own stone walls to protect the citizens. Since it was the last city in the tundra and the closest major city to the Polt Federation, it was a major trade hub in Aazoon.

The Snow Guild was in charge of the city’s safety and security. Every major city other than Frostburn City was run by a different guild or a noble family. But the overall rulers of Aazoon were still the royal family, who were on good terms with all noble families and guilds.

As a whole, the Aazoon Kingdom was far more unified than Reinolt, making it hard for Jack to believe that the syndicate had weaseled into the royal family.

"We’re finally here, so now we’ll say our goodbyes. There’s a small guild of guides you can find in the town square if you’re interested. If something happens to you while you’re staying here, just tell the nearest member to come find me." Karo pointed at his chest, showing the insignia of the Snow Guild on his coat.

"Though there isn’t a branch of the Adventurers Association in Aazoon thanks to its unforgiving weather, we’ve always been on good terms with them. Here, you’ll be treated with the respect you deserve."

"Thank you, Karo. If something happens, we won’t hesitate to call for you," replied Jack, bowing his head respectfully.

"Men, let’s go!" With a shout, Karo led his five men toward the city gates and disappeared.

"Let’s store the stallions for now. We’ll need them for our travels and its cheaper that way."

Everyone agreed with Rydel and stored their horses. Then, they all walked toward the gate, holding a piece of paper that Karo had given them. Thanks to the paper, the party didn’t need any inspection and was instantly granted access into Quazur.

It wasn’t hard to find an inn, so they were settled down before sunset.

While the others were getting ready for dinner, Jack left the inn to find an artisan to commission his bear fur coats. However, he failed to escape Daliea, who caught him sneaking out of the inn alone and would only keep it a secret if she could join him.

He agreed, but only if she did so in her goblin form. So, with some reluctance, Daliea cast an illusion and made herself look human.

In the town square, they found a small market with plenty of tents set up. Outlying those tents were some stores and shops.

Picking a store with plenty of high-quality goods, Jack and Daliea entered and made the order. They were told that the fur coats would be done in a week since Jack had ordered six of them.

Jack didn’t want to wait so long, but he knew that the closer they would get to the Icicle mountains, the worse the weather would get.

Also, what the others didn’t know was that Sterfen’s hidden temple was supposedly on one of the mountain peaks. That meant they would need the best coats possible, so a week’s wait was worth it.

Exiting the shop, Jack saw the open market. With so many new shops, he wanted to see if he could find anything good, especially for the hydra egg.

Chapter 186

"Daliea, are you okay?" Almost forgetting that Daliea was with him, Jack surprised her with a question. "As a goblin, you’re even more prone to the cold aren’t you?"

Daliea blushed a little but didn’t look away. Happy that he was concerned for her, she smiled. "You’re wrong, I’m not like the other goblins. I don’t have any natural weaknesses, just like you."

"Really?"

That shocked Jack especially. With his vast in-game knowledge from "A Hero’s Tale," Jack was certain that all goblins were weak to both cold and fire due to their weak constitution. The shadow goblins were the only race of goblins he didn’t know much about.

"Are you sure? You haven’t felt weak or too cold since we entered the tundra?"

"No, I’m fine, really."

"Oh... Well, either way, you’ll have a better coat soon. You’ll need it when we reach Frostburn City." Jack looked away, trying to recover from her awkward questioning. "Let’s check the market if there’s anything good, okay?"

"Alright!" Daliea smiled, hoping she could find something for Jack to buy her.

Together they started rummaging through the different tents. Though the market was small, Jack was amazed that each tent had quality items. Compared to Reinolt’s central square, Quazur’s market was even better.

They took their time, not worrying about the others back at the inn.

Soon Daliea found something interesting with an old, sickly-looking man sitting behind a stand. He still had plenty of vitality, but one of his arms was black and rigged. Clearly, it was no longer in use.

"Did you find anything you like?" asked the man.

"Mhm, I like this bracelet. It’s an illusion type item, right?"

He let out a weak laugh and sat upright. "That must mean you also use illusion magic. It’s not valuable to anyone who doesn’t, so you must be."

"That’s an illusory charm. It’s a one-time use item that lets the user take the appearance of another race or another person. It’s a peak-tier charm too, meaning it’s undetectable and your body will actually take that form temporarily."

With a twinkle in her eyes, Daliea asked, "How long does it last and how must is it?"

"It will last for one hour, and I’m willing to part with it for at least ten thousand gold."

"Ten thousand..."

Daliea sighed. She had nowhere near that much. And she would feel bad to ask Jack for such an outrageous sum.

Jack, who was at the stand next door, approached them and saw the trinket in her hands.

"Wow, you actually found something. How much?" Jack looked at the man, blinking in surprise when he saw the man’s frost burnt arm.

"Ten thousand gold and it’s yours."

"That much? Nah, it’s not worth it." About to leave, Jack saw the sadness in Daliea’s eyes. "What’s wrong? It’s a good item, but its uses are too limited to be worth that much. I’m sure your illusions will work just fine."

Seeing that she still held onto the item, Jack asked her telepathically, ’Daliea, why do you want this so bad?’

At first, she didn’t dare reply and blushed, but her straight forward nature eventually overpowered her shyness. ’I thought... that maybe if I wasn’t a goblin, even for only an hour, then maybe you would notice me.’

Both touched and hurt by her answer, Jack laughed at himself.

’Daliea, that’s not the reason why I’ve rejected you all this time. I don’t want to do that with just anyone. I’m--’

’But that’s why I thought I would need it. To you, I’m just another girl... a goblin girl...’

His heart ached a little bit with every word she added. ’Daliea, really, it’s not your fault. You’re beautiful, even compared to humans. I’ve been turning you down for the same reason as the others, I’m only willing to do that with someone I completely trust, someone who I want o spend the rest of my life with.’

’So don’t blame yourself, you’re plenty beautiful already. I’m just not ready to take the step with anyone, okay?’

’... Okay.’

Daliea was on the verge of crying and was holding back her tears. Thinking back to Maura’s encouraging words, Daliea felt much better about herself.

It was also one of the first times she felt closer to Jack on a personal level. She had already offered herself out of duty to her tribe, but that part of her was weakening as time went on.

Daliea wondered if she would actually be willing to leave Jack if he ever agreed. Her mindset was changing and she was starting to think it was better to travel with Jack than to leave him and fulfill her duties to her fallen tribe.

The old man watched as the two stared into each other’s eyes. He had no clue that they were speaking telepathically, only seeing that the two deeply cared about each other.

"Since you two lovebirds don’t want it, just leave already," grumbled the old man, a little jealous.

"Huh?!" Jack gasped, forgetting that the old man was there. "Sorry, she’s not my... We’re in the same party."

"Yeah, yeah, say whatever you want. You’re lucky enough to have someone but don’t blow it so easily!" yelled the old man, startling both Jack and Daliea. "I used to travel too, but look at me now. If all you’re going to do is show off your woman, just give it back and go."

"I’m sorry." Placing it the charm back on the stand, Daliea put her hands up innocently.

They left the stand in a hurry, not daring to look back at the angry old man. The air between them was a little awkward, but Daliea was very happy to have someone think she was Jack’s woman.

That’s when they noticed a commotion at one of the distant stands. A crowd was gathering around a group on horseback. Apparently, they were looking for rare items like Jack. Only, that stand owner happily brought out some of her finest items the moment they arrived.

Jack got closer and took a look at the items, intrigued at what they might be and who the influential people were.

The moment Jack saw a small crystal-clear, blue bead in the merchant’s hand, he hurried to the front of the crowd.

There was a young man leading that group. He had gotten off his stallion and was personally inspecting the merchant’s wares. When he saw that bead, he had the same reaction as Jack and reached for it.

"Wait! I’ll buy that pearl off you! Name your price!"

Everyone was in shock to hear Jack’s offer. The merchant froze, unsure of what to do since the young man in front of her also wanted the pearl.

That young man smiled and laughed when he heard Jack’s shout. Turning around he got a good look at Jack, who had not broken through the surrounding crowd. Almost playfully, the young man asked, "Who are you?"

"Does that matter? I want the pearl and I think you do too. Who are you?"

That young man laughed again, surprised even more by Jack’s second statement than the first. "You really don’t know who I am, huh? You must not be from Aazoon then."

He stopped laughing but kept his friendly smile. "My name’s Willim Frant, and since I’ve told you mine, at least tell me yours."

"I’m Jack." Confused at how courteous the noble-looking youth was, Jack was hesitant to offend him. "With such an entourage, you must be from a powerful group. Who are you with?"

"Me?" Willim laughed again, unable to contain himself. "I’m the crown prince of the Aazoon royal family."

Jack’s heart skipped a beat. This was definitely not someone he wanted to offend. It also reminded him that the prince had unknowingly invited Jack to visit. Funnily, here they were, again fighting over an item for sale.

"My apologies for the discourtesy, your highness," stated Jack, giving Willim a bow. "However, I really need that frost pearl."

"Hmm..." Willim paused the conversation, taking his time to examine Jack more closely. "You wouldn’t happen to be Jack Dyrshire, the rising hero from Reinolt, would you?"

"I am."

"Ah hah! I knew! Who else would be bold enough to act like that in a foreign land," Willim chuckled, explaining his thoughts. "If you’re really the same Jack, I have a way to settle who gets the pearl. Would you like to hear it?"

Taken aback by the prince’s jovial attitude, Jack nodded.

"You and I will have a sparring match. Whoever wins can purchase the pearl. Sound fair?"

Hesitating to answer, Jack quickly inspected the prince with his Eagle Eye. When he saw that the prince was already lv. 30, he was astounded. The prince couldn’t be much older than Jack, yet he was already that high of a level, which meant the Aazoon Prince was likely the most talented noble youth he had met to date.

Glad that he had recently level up and that the prince had no way to see Jack’s level for himself, Jack laughed along with the prince. "I think that’s fair. Shall we?"

Chapter 187

"I think that’s fair. Shall we?"

With a big smile, Willim replied. "Yes, lets. Follow me."

Willim parted the crowd and led Jack to the very center of the town square, where it was the most open. With help from his party on horseback, the foot traffic was redirected and there was plenty of room for the match.

"I’ll warn you beforehand, be careful with my ice. I don’t want to turn you into a hero icicle."

"Just try your best, your highness, and we’ll see how it goes. I think I’ll surprise you even more."

As they shared some friendly banter, both of them took their positions about ten meters away from each other.

Of the men on horseback, one had a more imperial uniform, showing his higher rank. At the edge of the battle area, he dismounted and looked at the two young men. "This is a sparring match to test your skills and not a match to the death. The victor will purchase the frost pearl and that’ll be the end of it. Please, take care of each other. Fight!"

Frosty air whirled around Willim, growing with each passing second. Hail and icicles formed inside that wind but stayed airborne, guided wherever the wind went.

"Icicle Storm!" Willim yelled as the winds were directed towards Jack.

At the same time, a heatwave was coming from Jack. Flames were gathering at his fingertips and coalescing in his palms. Launching the flames forward, Jack shouted, "Fireball!"

Half a dozen small fireballs flew from Jack’s hands and collided with the cold wind filled with shards of ice. A small explosion of steam sounded out, alerting everyone in the nearest kilometer of the duel taking place.

For the crowd, the steam seemed to heat up their blood, riling them up for a good show. They all thought their prince as nigh unbeatable, yet here was another young man matching him.

"Good! If you couldn’t handle that much, your reputation as a hero would have been undeserved. Now, try this one."

The warm air vanished in an instant. Cold, blue energy gathered in Willim’s palms, appearing frozen yet still agile. Growing without end, the wind was blowing together with that blue energy to form a sphere. As Willim opened his arms with a smile, that ball of cold wind expanded drastically, becoming two meters in size.

"Blizzard Orb!"

That condensed ball of raging winds and frost was launched at Jack with incredible speed.

Luckily for Jack, he wasn’t just wasting time, watching the prince cast spells without preparing a counter. More fire was condensing into a ball, this time becoming lighter in color as it condensed more and more. All of Jack’s flame energy was forced into a palm-sized ball before threw it toward the Blizzard Orb.

"Flame Burst!"

Again, more steam was created, but this time a shockwave rocked the town square. Some of the nearby stands were too weak to take the blow, splintering as the shockwave spread. Many of the spectators were pushed back, in awe of the power that both young men were showing.

That royal guard who was judging the match was surprised. He was unmoved by the shockwave, but he was excited to know that his young master had finally found a worthy rival.

"Amazing!" Willim was getting more excited with every exchange. The more power that Jack showed, the more enthused he was. "How about this? We’ll see who has the most powerful spells and the first to run out loses."

"I like the way you think, but I’m not just a mage."

Willim was about to say something in response when Jack suddenly vanished without a trace. He has a sinking feeling all of a sudden and turned around as quick as his body would let him. But he was too slow.

A fist drilled into the prince’s side, knocking the wind out of him and launching him a meter in the air.

Everyone’s jaws dropped as they witnessed the undefeated prince crash into the cold hard ground. There was no blood or harsh words, but it was clear that Jack had the upper hand. With an ability that let him vanish so suddenly, Jack could’ve easily dodged all the prince’s spells and punched him much sooner.

Knowing that he was being played with, the crown prince tried to laugh but couldn’t with his aching chest. Soon he was up on his feet but he didn’t gather any energy or start any spells. Willim knew that he had lost.

"That was great! If it was that easy for you, you should’ve said so. I would’ve just let you take the pearl in the first place."

Giving the prince a funny look, Jack laughed as well. "For some reason, I don’t believe that."

"Yeah, you may be right." The prince waved at his guards, letting them know that it was all over. Then, he walked to the merchant and handed her a large sack of gold in exchange for the pearl.

Not knowing what to do, she handed the prince the pearl. If the prince wanted to go back on his word, then she wouldn’t dare offend him.

Before Jack could yell in anger, the frost pearl was thrown to him, catching him off guard. Jack caught it again gave the prince a funny look.

"Jack, you’re the first person my age to best me. Take that as a token of my friendship. Would you mind coming with us to Frostburn City and visiting the royal palace?"

Taken aback by how genuinely straight forward the prince was, Jack struggled to respond. "I... My party is already planning to go there, but we’re waiting for our new coats to be made."

Happy to not be rejected, Willim asked, "How long will that take?"

"About a week."

"A week, huh?"

The prince scratched the side of his face, thinking something over. Suddenly, he clapped his hands together and shouted, "In that case, I’ll stay here too! When the week is over, we’ll use the ancient relic to teleport to the capital!"

"You have a strange way of doing things, don’t you?" asked Jack.

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?"

"Nope!" Jack shook his head with a smile. "In fact, I quite like it. I’ll go inform my party, they’ll be happy to know we have permission to use the relic."

"Mind if I join you?" asked the Prince, eagerness written all over his face.

"Sure, why not? They’ll meet you at some point."

Daliea hurried to Jack’s side. She was overjoyed to see Jack defeat the prince, then again, she knew it was bound to happen. Anyone facing Jack while at the same level would be at a severe disadvantage, let alone a lower level like the prince.

Jack and Willin walked side by side, chatting about each other’s adventures thus far. In tow were Daliea and the head guard who had been the match judge. The other men left under Willim’s orders.

As the night rolled in, Jack and Willim entered the tavern with hungry bellies. They walked past the bar and found the other members of Jack’s party finishing a late dinner.

"Jack! Where have you been? I missed my husband," pouted Eliza, trying to grab his attention after she saw that Daliea was with him.

"Come and sit down, the food’s pretty good here," Maynard said as he looked at Willim. "And who’s the new friend ya made?"

Jack, Willim, Daliea, and the guard all sat down before Jack introduced him. "Everyone, this is Willim Frant. He--"

"Pfffeeewww!!" Rydel coughed on his brundy as he immediately recognized that name. "Willim Frant? As in, the crown prince of Aazoon? That Willim Frant?"

"Do you know any others?" Willim joked. "Waitress, four specials and as many drinks as they want! It’s all on me!"

In awe of Jack’s influential new friend, they all looked to Jack, waiting for an explanation.

"What? Why are you all looking at me like that?" asked Jack.

"Daliea, can you explain this, please?" Maura looked the Daliea, who dropped the illusion spell now that she was back and her deal with Jack was over.

The guard chuckled and spoke up, "Allow me. We’ve been accompanying the prince while he traveled and grinded in the tundra for the past couple weeks. We got here this morning and used the day to relax."

"While we were here in the trade hub of Aazoon, the prince was looking for something special to gift his younger sister. That’s when he and Jack both found a frost pearl. They both wagered it over a sparring match, but the prince lost in the end and gifted the pearl to Jack. And, here we are now," explained the man.

"Oh, you were looking for a gift for your sister?" asked Jack. Now that he understood why the prince wanted the pearl, he felt bad, a little.

Finishing the mug of brundy that was brought to him, the prince slammed it on the table. "Nah, don’t mind that at all. I’m sure I’ll find something while we wait for your coats."

Jack saw a thread of hesitation in Willim as he said that. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it wasn’t fitting of his usual brazen nature so it stood out to Jack.

 

Chapter 188

Despite what his guards wanted, Willim decided to stay in the same in as Jack. Every day they would check what new items had arrived in the town square and talked about all kinds of things, ranging from past adventures what was currently going on in the world.

The citizens of Quazur were happy to see their prince interacting with them. It wasn’t often that someone so influential would lounge around in a city outside of the capital.

Jack’s party quickly took a liking to him. His playful personality proved inviting and he loved to joke around, even if the joke is on himself.

By the time the week was over, Willim was unable to find something to gift his sister. He would never explain what exactly he was looking for to Jack, though, just saying nothing was suited for her.

As for the frost pearl, it was fastened into a necklace and given to Maura. But Willim was surprised that Maura never wore it and struggled to figure out why, even though Maura was so happy to receive it.

Little did he know that the necklace was currently around the hydra egg, slowly pouring its natural ice type energy into it. It wasn’t the most effective way of incubating the egg, but it was better than nothing.

On the seventh day, after picking up their coats, they all made their way to the town hall run by the Snow Guild with Willim and his guards.

Willim led the way as they entered. "We need to use the relic so I can get back home."

"Right away, Prince Willim. We’ll have it ready in ten minutes. Right, this way."

The receptionist was very warm to them, most likely because of Willim being present. She led them through a couple of hallways until they reached an open courtyard.

There, the party saw a platform with strange symbols and etchings covering it. Below the platform was a very powerful crystal emanating spatial energy.

Jack was happy to see it, recognizing them as the teleport relics from "A Hero’s Tale." He had no clue that some still existed. If that was the case, Jack wondered if he could find an unused one somewhere and steal its crystal.

Very soon, a total of ten lv. 30 mages entered the courtyard, surrounding the platform.

The receptionist motioned to Willim, waiting for him to step on as usual. She was surprised to see that Jack’s entire party joined him on the platform.

"Your highness, are they also using the relic?" asked the receptionist hesitantly.

"Of course! They’re my guests of honor."

She sighed and nodded to the mages. "Wait just a moment your highness." Another ten mages came and joined the others.

Realizing why the teleport relic was regulated, Jack shook his head. He had no clue that it would take so many mages just to activate the teleport relic. And it wasn’t even the most powerful kind of teleport relic. There were two kinds, one that had only one location linked and others with multiple locations linked.

Thinking about it, Jack was still expanding his knowledge and understanding of just how underdeveloped Modern Kartonia was.

"Thanks for visiting us here in Quazur, your highness."

With those last few words, everyone on the platform was drenched in spatial type energy. The energy was so thick, it felt like they were all swimming in it. Then suddenly, in the blink of an eye, their surroundings changed.

They were still in an open courtyard, but the sky was totally different. It was like the sky outside of the tundra, clear and sunny. Also, the courtyard they were in now was five times larger than the previous and guards were seen all around them.

That thick spatial type energy slowly dissipated. The teleportation was a success.

"Men, tell my father to prepare some guest rooms! We have guests, and they deserve our respect!" yelled Willim.

All of a sudden, Willim was a totally different person. The air about his was serious yet warm, and he handled the palace guards with authority instead of acting childish. This was the same prince that Jack had met in Polt.

Understanding that Willim was now acting like a man of his position, Jack’s party also showed their more serious side.

More people arrived in the courtyard but they weren’t wearing armor. They were all wearing noble blue robes or dresses. Willim was flocked by them and bombarded with all sorts of questions.

"All of you, just calm down!" shouted Willim, not happy to see so many people questioning his decision to bring Jack’s party through the relic. "This is my new friend. You all know him as the rising hero of the Adventurers Association, but I know him as Jack while he knows me as Willim. They’re my guests, so don’t you dare mistreat them."

Some of those people eyed Jack, intent to learn more about him.

"Jack, follow me!"

Willim took charge, pushing his way through the crowd of people coming to the courtyard. Thanks to him, Jack’s party was able to squeeze their way out of the courtyard and officially enter the palace.

"Jack, let’s have a feast for breakfast. It’ll be easier to talk then."

The party nodded, happy to be fed regardless of the undesired attention. While they didn’t like it, they all understood that it was a strange occurrence, and since both Jack and the prince were involved it was bound to grab everyone’s attention.

Soon, the party entered a private dining hall with only the prince. There, they found an enormous spread of different foods. It wasn’t all breakfast items either. Plenty of steak and pork dishes were found as well.

"Dig in!"

Everyone enjoyed themselves, glad to no longer have wandering eyes all over them.

Jack looked to Willim and asked, "What was all that about? They didn’t seem too happy with you?"

"Don’t worry about them." Willim waved his hand nonchalantly as he swallowed a mouthful of roasted boar. "Those guys were all on my uncle’s side, so it doesn’t matter what they think. Since my father became king and not him, we’re the ones with the say around here."

"Are there contentions inside your family?"

"I guess, but what royal family doesn’t have those? If people weren’t fighting over the throne, what else would they fight for?" Willim joke with them, returning to his jovial nature.

A knock was heard at the main door and Willim yelled, "Hurry up, Sis, or it’ll be cold!"

"Don’t mind if I do!" A soft voice was heard as the door opened and closed. Willim’s teenage sister skipped to his side and sat down to join the feast.

"Jack, this is my little sis, Erina. Erina, this is my new friend, Jack." Willim introduced them, making sure to be extra polite with his sister.

"It’s nice to meet you, Jack. We’ve heard a lot about you so it a surprise to have you show up so suddenly," Erina tried to explain some of the confusion that was Jack’s welcoming party.

"Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to finally meet the little sister your brother has told me all about. If it wasn’t for me, he would’ve gotten you a gift too."

"Really? What were you going to get me?" Her eyes lit up like a child on Christmas morning.

Willim shrugged. "Forget that, it’s not important."

"I don’t know, a frost pearl sounds pretty important to me, Willim," joked Jack.

"A frost pearl?!" Erina was shocked to hear that. "Does that mean you took it from Wil?"

"No, he won it, fair and square," stated Willim. "We had a little sparring match and he wiped the floor with me, so he won it."

"Oh..." Her enthusiasm dropped drastically as she reached slowly for food to fill her mouth.

Unclear on what just happened, Jack asked, "What’s wrong? Why are you so sad all of a sudden, Erina?"

"Just eat up, there’s no need to keep bringing that up," said Willim, making it obvious that he wanted to drop the subject.

However, Jack didn’t like how the mood became somber so quickly. He wanted to know why. "Really, Erina, did you need a frost pearl for something?"

"Well..."

"Erina, you don’t need to tell them if you don’t want to." Looking at his timid sister, Willim tried his best to support her.

She looked at her brother and then at Jack. Her face was riddled with sadness and confusion, leaving Jack even more anxious to get to the bottom of the issue.

"Did you want it?"

That question came from one seat over from Jack. Everyone looked and saw Maura holding a necklace with a frost pearl embedded in a little amulet. "We were going to use it for something, but if you need it, you can have it."

Sniffling, Erina’s eyes started to water. She didn’t say anything, but she wiped her eyes with her sleeve and nodded.

When Maura got up and placed the amulet around Erina’s neck, the young, barely-teenage girl made the most adorable face. More tears fell as she bowed her head and thanked Maura for the gift.

No one in the room was eating anymore, or even thinking of the food for that matter.

Chapter 189

All eyes were on the crying girl.

Erina hopped out of her chair and wrapped her arms tightly around Maura. "Big Sis, what’s your name?"

"Big Sis?!"

Maura was taken aback by Erina’s statement. She had never been called that before, but it made her happy when she saw Erina’s innocent face.

"Call me Maura, okay Erina?"

"Okay, Maura!"

Jack didn’t know what to say or do. He now understood that being overfriendly ran in Willim’s family, but he still wasn’t sure why Erina was crying in the first place. Why would she need a frost pearl so badly?

"Jack, I’m sorry about this," Willim apologized and shook his head.

"Don’t worry about it. Since Maura gave it away, it’s Erina’s now. I’m just confused. Why does she need something like a frost pearl so badly?" asked Jack, hoping they’d be more open after receiving the frost pearl.

"I’m not the one who should answer that. If Erina is willing, then let her."

"Mhm!" Erina lifted her head from Maura’s chest, looking at everyone else in the room. "Can you keep a secret?"

Jack’s party looked at each other, laughing at themselves. What secrets weren’t they keeping?

"We’ll all keep your secret Erina. So, please, tell us," Maura answered for everyone.

The small, teenage girl nodded and put on a more serious face. "I’m different from other people. Ever since I could remember, I’ve had something inside me. If I’m not careful, it attacks me and trying to take control of my water type energy."

"If I ever run out of water type or ice type energy, then the thing inside me will take over my body."

"Take over your body..." Jack pondered her words, trying to come up with what might be able to cause such a thing. "Erina, if you run out of energy, do you start to feel cold like you were frozen inside your own body."

"Yes!" She nodded frantically, surprised that someone was able to understand how she felt.

Scratching his head, Jack made an ugly face and groaned.

Rydel and Maynard both watched him carefully. They had been with Jack the longest and understood that Jack’s reaction wasn’t a good sign.

"Can I have your permission to inspect you with one of my skills, Erina?"

Willim asked, "Do you know what might be the cause of this? I’m not sure if we can let you do that since she has royal--"

"Okay!"

"Erina!" Startled to see his shy sister willing to be inspected, Willim gave her a strange look.

"Maura, do you trust Jack?"

She chuckled when she heard Erina’s question. "Erina, Jack is my husband. Of course, I trust him."

"Oh, so he’s Big Bro Jack? Then I trust him too."

Willim let out a pained sigh. "Erina..."

"Don’t worry Willim, it won’t hurt her in any way. It’s not that kind of skill."

With permission, Jack activated the second part of Eagle Eye. So long as the target being inspected willingly agrees, Eagle Eye can find more in-depth details about that target. It was a part of the ability that never existed in-game, but Jack was happy to have it.

A part of Jack was happy he could test that part of the skill. It also made him curious if other skills had abilities that never existed in-game. But that was a thought to ponder at a different time.

Thanks to Eagle Eye, Jack better-understood everything about Erina and noticed a strange status.

"That’s what I thought... Willim, was she born with this?" asked Jack.

"No, she wasn’t. But she was like this since she was little. We were never able to find a cause or a doctor who could figure out anything. Why, did you find something?!"

"Erina, don’t freak out from what I’m about to say, alright?" Jack made sure to prepare the little girl for the bad news. "You’ve been cursed, and I think its an Ice Spirit that has been trying to take over your body."

"What?!" Willim shot to his feet. "Are you serious?! You’d better not be lying!"

"I’m not lying, she’s really been cursed and an Ice Spirit really is inside of her body," stated Jack. "I think the biggest issue, besides trying to get that out of her, is trying to figure out who did this. A curse doesn’t happen without a castor and an Ice Spirit doesn’t appear without a summoner."

"Jack, I appreciate you trying to help, but are you absolutely sure about this?" Willim asked again, feeling a bit calmer since Jack didn’t yell back at him.

"I’ve been through a lot more than you give me credit, Willim. If there was anyone that could figure out that it was an Ice Spirit at my level, it would be me. I can’t say why, so you’ll just have to trust me," stated Jack, letting Willim decide what was true or false for himself.

"I’m... cursed..." Worry riddled Erina’s youthful face, losing some of her innocence.

The others in the party were just as surprised by Jack’s statement as Willim.

Spirits were commonly found in records of Ancient Kartonia or the Holy War. They were strong summons with the ability to possess people who shared a common energy type, eventually taking over them and serving they summoner with their new body.

They were things of nightmares, mentioned in ghost tales to scare disobedient children into compliance. But to actually find one inside such a young, innocent girl couldn’t be a coincidence, not when that little girl was second in line to inherit the throne.

"Jack, do you realize how bold of a statement your making? If she’s really been possessed by an Ice Spirit, that means that someone is making a move against the throne."

"Like I said, it’s up to you whether you believe me or not. I have no other way to prove it besides my word, sadly," sighed Jack. "If you want, we can take our leave. We have some important matters to handle in the Icicle Mountains."

"In the Icicle Mountains? What in Halmut’s beard does the association need from the Icicle Mountains?" Willim asked, still trying to take in the information Jack had presented them.

"Who said it had anything to do with the association?" Jack laughed and stood up. "Do you mind having someone show us out? It would be awkward to get lost inside the palace."

With the wave of Willim’s hand, of the servers stood in front of Jack, motioning to follow him.

"Thanks for everything, Willim. I still consider you a friend and I might come to visit before we travel back through the tundra. Till then, take care. You too, Erina."

The others also stood and bowed before they followed Jack.

Maura sighed, giving Erina one last look. Even though Willim had reason to doubt Jack’s bold statement, she knew that Jack wouldn’t say such a thing if he had any doubt. She didn’t like it, but she knew that the cute girl who had called her "Big Sis" was cursed by a frightening Ice Spirit, like something from Erina’s nightmares.

"Maura..." When Maura let her go and followed after Jack, Erina couldn’t hold back her tears anymore.

Now alone in the private hall, Willim went to his sister and picked her up, embracing her warmly. "I’m sorry, Erina. I wish I could do more for you. It’s too bad Mom’s not here... She would know what to do."

"Sniff!"

Wiping her nose with her sleeve, Erina looked up to her big brother. "Big Bro, am I really cursed? Does that mean I’m going to die?"

"You’re not going to die, Erina. Me and Papa will make sure of that," said Willim, struggling with what to do next. "Erina let’s go and talk to Papa about this. I would never want my adorable sister to be cursed, but I want to know what he thinks."

*****

Later that day, a party of seven people left the protection of Frostburn City and entered the Icicle Mountains.

There, the clear, warm sky was no more. Only cold, bone-chilling wind existed there. It was far worse compared to the tundra they had entered earlier, and they would never be able to go through it without there new coats. Even with the coats, the party was still feeling the cold, including Jack with his legendary item.

’The Icicle Mountains were always known as the coldest place in all Kartonia and we need to reach the top of Glacier Peak. There, we should find Sterfen’s hidden temple!’

Jack filled the party in of the details using telepathy. In such stormy conditions, speaking verbally between party members was practically impossible.

They all nodded and continued to move forward at a snail’s pace.

Everyone was excited. Even though they were searching for Sterfen so Rydel could pledge to him, it was enough to find a real hidden temple. If they could find one for Sterfen, it meant that they could find one for each of them.

The thought of being blessed by a god kept them all motivated, willing to press through the endless blizzard.

Chapter 190

The party trudged through the dense wind and snow, slowly climbing one of the three main mountains within the Icicle Mountains. It was the tallest of the three, Glacier Peak.

’Hang in there, everyone! It’s best not to rest, but if we must then we can use the snow tent I borrowed from the Fat Goose,’ Jack did his best to motivate his friends and make sure they were okay.

’Is it at the very top?’ asked Eliza, hoping they wouldn’t be in the blizzard for too long.

"It is, unfortunately. But that does explain why it’s still hidden," reasoned Jack, trying to find some kind of positive.

They continued pushing since it was still morning by the time they left the city. When they asked around town about Glacier Peak, everyone thought Jack was suicidal.

According to the townsfolk, it was going to take them three days to reach the peak if they didn’t run into any complications with beasts along the way. If they did, there was no telling what would happen.

Also, they had to consider that most of their beast companions wouldn’t be able to last for long in these conditions if a fight broke out. Other than Maura’s cetus, the others could last a few minutes at most. Though the cetus wasn’t used to snow, it was used to the cold of the deep sea so it wasn’t bothered by the snow.

They spent an entire day to finally pass the base of the mountain and make camp.

Taking advantage of Maura’s cetus, they had it keep watch overnight as they all slept in the thick snow tent Jack had prepared. In the morning, Maura stored the cetus away, letting it get its needed rest.

’Remember, we may not be as lucky today. If we face any beasts, stay together and defend until we know what the beasts are capable of,’ warned Jack.

With a decent night’s sleep behind them, the party pressed forward again. Their trek up the mountain was still slow, but it was unwavering.

They continued for hours, snacking on rations inside their thick coats along the way.

Around midafternoon, Jack suddenly stopped, catching everyone’s attention.

’Everyone, listen closely.’

’Jack, they should be wolves from the howls.’ Rydel was the first to recognize the beasts from their cries. ’But something’s off. It seems like the wolves are already fighting something else.’

"...roooaaaarrr..."

A quiet roar reached everyone’s ears, confirming Rydel’s last statement.

’Any guess what it might be, Rydel?’ asked Jack.

’I’m not sure, but it’s strong enough to scare a pack of wolves,’ stated Rydel. ’Do you think we should try to avoid it, or should we confront it?’

’Hmm... I think it’s best for us to confront it. If it’s that strong, we’ve already wandered into its territory. And I’d rather face it on our terms then have it stalk and hunt us down,’ reasoned Jack, getting everyone to nod in agreement.

’Rydel, lead the way.’

With the shift in party leader, the party kept its slow pace but changed direction slightly. In a few minutes, a battle scene appeared in the distance.

Five wolves were circling around a larger beast covered in light blue patches over white fur. It was scary how well it blended in with the snowy landscape.

’So it’s a Frost Leopard. This won’t be easy, not with this weather,’ stated Jack, letting everyone know what they were up against.

As they got closer, they noticed three wolve corpses bleeding bright red on the white snow, and a fourth one soon fell as well.

’It’s lv. 41...’ Jack shook his head, not happy with their luck.

It would’ve been perfect if they were trying to grind and level up at the moment, but they were in a hurry to the peak. If they became too injured to continue the trip, they would’ve wasted three days to make it so far and turn back.

’Jack, what do ya think?’ asked Maynard, curious what plan Jack was coming up with.

’Well, this would be a lot easier if Bowzer was awake,’ whined Jack, still not sure what to do. ’Maynard, me and you will be the ones at the forefront. With Sudden Death, we’ll have to kite it toward everyone else’s attacks. We’ll let the Flame Tiger, your Thunder Cat, and the cetus join the fight. Sadly, Aiden won’t be able to help in this weather, not at his level.’

’Sounds like a plan. Let’s get ready, the fight won’t last much longer," said Rydel, who was still paying attention to the battle of the wolves and the leopard.

They started to get in formation as another wolf fell dead. Since only three were left, they were killed even quicker since the leopard had fewer enemies to worry about. Though the Frost Leopard had taken some damage, it wasn’t anything too serious since the wolf pack leader was only lv. 33, while the rest were only lv. 30.

Easily sensing more threats nearby, the Frost Leopard growled as it eyed both Jack and Maynard who were closest.

’Now!’

Just as the leopard pounced at Jack, it found that it was unable to hit the small human.

At the same time, three separate roars echoed on the mountainside. Maura hopped onto her cetus and drew her blades. Daliea kept her distance with Rydel, Eliza, and Keela while her tiger charged the leopard with flames protecting it from the cold. The Thunder Cat joined Maynard and Jack, distracting the leopard amidst attacking it.

"ROOOAARR!!"

Raging about the sudden rise in threat, the Leopard tried to escape but was cut off by the Thunder Cat.

While Maynard and Jack also cut off the leopard’s other paths of escape, the Flame Tiger roared back and lunged forward with fire wrapped around its claws.

Both large cats were ferocious, attacking each other without fear. Though the Flame Tiger had a lower level, being a flame type helped make up some of the difference. With the support from Rydel’s arrows, Daliea’s and Jack’s fire spells, as well as Maura’s and Maynard’s swords, the Frost Leopard eventually fell.

The party was lucky that the injuries were minimal, but it was clear that they couldn’t face another powerful beast without needing to rest and heal.

Daliea’s Flame Tiger was the most hurt of the party, taking most of the leopard’s attacks head-on. Even after magical healing, it wouldn’t be able to help them for the rest of the day.

With that in mind, the party took things easy.

After storing the wolf and leopard corpses, they made decent progress. They did have a run-in with some nearby wolves, but they were only lv. 30 and were missing a pack leader. It was assumed that those wolves had escaped the panther at the sacrifice of the others. Too bad they stayed nearby and attacked Jack’s party right after that.

When night came, they again let the cetus take guard.

Inside the snow tent, the wind didn’t affect them, but it was still plenty loud. Jack was the only one who wasn’t annoyed by it since he was busy looking at his achievement system.

Another new achievement was suddenly completed.

[Predator turned prey: completed]

Apparently, that leopard was in the middle of its hunt when Jack’s party had intervened. Thanks to their intervention, Jack now had a total of twenty skill points, but he didn’t dare spend it yet.

Night came and went, letting the morning light barely pierce through the stormy weather.

’Remember, stay vigilant. The closer we get to the peak, the stronger the beasts get. We’ll have to avoid fighting at all costs, even if we add a day or two to the journey,’ stated Jack, making his stance clear.

With a new day ahead of them, the party continued their trek up the mountain.

Whenever they found any signs of nearby beasts, the party took their time going around them. It slowed them greatly, but they felt it was necessary. At times, they all wished they had come to the mountain after they were stronger, but Jack would remind them that the other hidden temples or shrines could be just as dangerous or worse.

Satisfied that they were getting close, the party didn’t complain and kept their focus on the task at hand. Making it through the treacherous weather was their priority.

It took them an extra three days to skirt through the territories of the many beasts unscathed, making it to the peak on the sixth day.

They were all feeling better. Making it to a place rarely visited by mankind felt like quite an accomplishment for the party, filling them with pride.

Jack enjoyed the view, as they had finally started to look above the clouds. Another alert flashed by him, letting him know that another achievement had been completed.

[Looking down on the world: completed]

Giving Jack another thirty skill points, Jack was happy to have fifty skill points. But then he would look back at his skill list and shake his head, unhappy to be so far from what he wanted.

"...Roooaarr..."

A calm, relaxed roar echoed out from behind the party. They all looked up toward the peak. It was difficult to see, but there was the opening of a large cave hidden in the snowy peak.

With one collective sigh, everyone looked at Jack, wondering what he wanted to do.