Ch. 191..200

Chapter 191

Jack met their gazes with his own. He had a feeling that it had all been too easy. His fate was already mixed up, so he wasn’t too surprised to find a beast waiting for them inside.

He knew that the beast was likely the strongest on the mountain and it would be the most difficult thing they had ever faced, but Jack still wanted to enter that cave.

A part of him still believed in Daruun, who told him to seek out the neutral gods. And since Daruun knew that Jack’s party would come here for Rydel, Jack assumed that there had to be a way to accomplish their goal. Daruun wouldn’t send his own champion to his death before the champion’s purpose was fulfilled.

’We’ll have to enter the cave with the utmost secrecy. Normally, I would go alone with the blessed bracer, but I’d be dead meat if I was caught."

"...roooaarr..."

Again, that gentle roar sounded out from the cave. This time, Jack listened more closely and waited in silence, confusing the others. He warned the party, ’Shhh.’

A few moments passed and the same roar came from the cave. They waited again, finding that the roar was following some sort of patter with the same amount of time before each roar.

’Is it... sleeping?’ Rydel asked the others for their opinions.

’Hmm, if it is, then we may have a chance after all,’ laughed Jack. ’Everyone, we’re going in. Since we’ll be out of the weather, if things go south, don’t hesitate to summon your beast companions. Now, be as quiet as possible.’

They all shared one last glance, reaffirming each other’s determination. Since the beast may be asleep, they all felt a bit better.

As Jack took the lead, he handed Rydel the blessed bracer they had found in the goblin cave. He didn’t want to leave anything to chance and he thought that Rydel might need it to enter the hidden temple.

Following Jack, the party took their time entering the cave. The path narrowed and started to wind further into the Glacier Peak.

Something felt off to Jack, though. If the roar they heard was from a slumbering beast, it must’ve been massive. Yet, the path they were on was only wide enough for two people two walk side-by-side. He wanted to know, how did such a large beast get so deep inside Glacier Peak?

The path continued for quite some time. Since they couldn’t sense any threats and the cavern was already too narrow to hide inside of, Jack, Maynard, and Rydel retrieved their kari crystals to light the way.

It was perplexing how long the cavern was, slowly appearing more man-made than natural.

When they all noticed the subtle changes, everyone smiled. There really would be some kind of place hidden deep inside the peak, and the odds of it being the hidden temple were increasing the further they went.

Carved into the stone around them, the party found a few symbols and what appeared to be a serpent’s head. The most surprising part was that the serpent’s neck went along the wall and the end wasn’t in sight.

They followed the path, continuing to inspect any new symbols of images they found. Just when they thought they had reached the end of the serpent’s neck, another serpent’s head appeared beside it, also going along the entire wall.

This same pattern happened again for a third time... a fourth time... a seventh time!

They had now passed seven serpent heads, and the end still wasn’t in sight. They wondered how many serpent heads they would find and why they were there in the first place?

The roars still followed the same breathing pattern and remained soft, but now they were much louder. It almost sounded like there were multiple beasts in a heavy slumber at the end of the path.

Jack wasn’t feeling very well. In worry, Jack stopped the party and opened his system. He then opened the map and double-checked their location compared to the hidden temple. According to the map, they were right on top of it, but Jack wasn’t done with the map.

He changed the map’s tab, searching through the temples of the holy gods. That was when Jack’s heart sunk into the pit of his stomach.

’How is that possible?!’ Jack shouted within the confines of his mind.

’Jack, what’s wrong?!’

Rydel was the one to respond but everyone wanted to know why Jack had suddenly become so worried. And based on the anger in his shout, something bad may happen.

’This...’ Jack didn’t want to believe what he was seeing. He selected both tabs, looking at both the neutral and the holy gods. ’That’s impossible! No, that can’t be!’

Maura stepped up and grabbed Jack’s shoulder, but still talked with her mind, ’Jack, tell us what’s wrong!’

’This... Apparently, this is the shrine of the Water Goddess, Lunara...’

’HUH?!’

Maynard asked, ’But, wasn’t this supposed to be Sterfen’s hidden temple? How could you mix them up?’

’I didn’t mix them up,’ stated Jack. ’Sterfen’s hidden temple is also here.’

’What?! You mean that there are two gods with shrines here? How?!’ Rydel also struggled to believe it, while the girls were filled with disbelief and confusion.

’I don’t know, but that’s how it is. I know my information is correct because it came from Daruun himself.’

The others wanted to argue more, but they kept from saying more. They all knew that Jack wouldn’t make a mistake like sending them to the wrong temple. But how could they expect to find two temples in such a secluded place?

’This confirms it.’ Jack pointed to the seventh serpent head carved onto the wall. ’Do any of you know what the symbol of Lunara is?’

No one answered.

’It’s the nine-headed Glacial Hydra.’

Everyone’s spines stiffened, not letting them move or breathe. They all glanced at the wall, now hesitant to move forward a single step.

’Everyone, I’m going to keep going forward.’

That sentence chipped away at the fear that had frozen the others. They still said nothing, too shocked and afraid to say anything.

’If you want to go back, then I understand. However, I’m going forward. Will anyone join me?’

Everyone stared at Jack with a feeling that Jack was ludicrous!

’Jack... If you’re really going to go, I’ll join you.’ Maura was the first to break the minute-long silence.

’Thank you, Maura." Jack smiled and bowed his head to her, showing his gratitude.

’Me too.’ Daliea also stepped forward. ’Let’s at least see if whatever lies at the end is sleeping or not.

’Count us in!’ Maynard and Rydel replied together. ’We don’t want to keep getting shown up by ya youngsters.’

Now alone, Keela and Eliza gave a sorrowful laugh and looked at each other. They said nothing, but the stepped forward, standing behind Daliea and Maura.

’Everyone... Words can’t describe how I feel right now,’ said Jack, almost getting teary-eyed.

’Remember, we’re just checking if it’s asleep. If not, let’s get out of there as fast as possible,’ reminded Rydel. He may have been willing to help, but he still didn’t want to die.

’Alright then, let’s go!’

With renewed energy, Jack led them deeper into Glacial Peak. After almost ten minutes of walking, they found the eighth serpent head, but the kept their pace.

Another twenty minutes passed and the path flattened out, no longer dropping at a slope. They had no clue how deep inside the peak they were, but it was too late to turn back so easily.

Soon, they saw the ninth serpent head and followed the path ahead. An hour passed in silence. Finally, they saw all nine necks gather and connect to a body carved into the stone wall. Also, a few meters in front of the party was an archway.

’We’ve finally reached the end...’ Staring at the archway that was barely lit from their distant kari crystals, Jack took some deep breaths. ’Everyone, are you ready?’

’Ready!’ The party responded in unison, anxious to see what beast or beasts were snoring so loudly.

They stored their kari crystals and let Jack and Rydel stay in front with their eagle eye. Though they couldn’t see too clearly, at least they could still see figures and movements.

The party poked their heads through the archway, but neither Jack nor Rydel saw anything besides a huge, open room.

’Slow.’

Everyone kept a hand on the person in front of them, ready to activate some kind of light at a moment’s notice.

They walked slowly, barely moving at all. It took them five minutes to travel twenty meters. And despite hearing the loud snores, Jack and Rydel were still unable to see anything.

Traveling five meters at a time, both men used their Eagle Eyes to the fullest, trying to learn what this place was and what might be inside it. Now, they couldn’t even see the ceiling above them.

Another five meters, a total of seventy meters from the archway, they finally saw something.

It was large and smooth, too smooth to be a boulder. As the next snore sounded out, they noticed some slight movement. They finally found a sleeping beast, and its head was large enough for the entire party to sit on.

Chapter 192

Jack and Rydel both swallowed some saliva. They both thought it was way too big.

Following the neck, both of them tried to find another head, but they never found another head or the end of that neck. But if both of them had to guess, their worst nightmares were true.

’Everyone, we’re going to back up twenty-five meters. Rydel and I are going to leave to inspect the cave further, and you’ll have to wait there,’ explained Jack. ’Don’t move around too much or make any noise. And if either of us says so, be ready to light up the place and attack. Okay?’

’Did ya find something?’ asked Maynard.

’Yeah, and it’s way too big. Inspecting this place won’t be effective with everyone, so you’ll just have to wait,’ Rydel replied, agreeing with Jack’s plan.

The party didn’t like waiting and doing nothing but they had no other option so they followed orders. Everyone backed up and waited quietly like they were told.

Both Jack and Rydel then let go of the others and went off in separate directions.

They wanted to go around the hydra, hoping that they could find an entrance to another room or something about Sterfen.

As they went around the hydra, they counted the heads together. When they had found all nine heads, they eventually met up on the opposite end of the hydra after going all the way around. There they found the hydra’s body.

The hydra’s body was huge. They were unable to see just how large it was because, like the ceiling, it was too high for them to see. It was possibly bigger than the entire association building in Reinolt, and that wasn’t including the heads.

’Did you find anything?’ asked Jack.

Rydel shook his head. ’Nope, not a thing. There were no rooms or anything around the outer walls. What are you thinking?’

Staring at the monstrosity before them, Jack scratched his head silently. ’The only place we haven’t been to is the center of the room since the hydra is blocking the way. Maybe there’s a way up or down but the hydra is blocking it.’

’Are you sugesting--’

’I’ll get in closer and see if I can find a trapdoor or a staircase.’

’Jack, are you sure about that?’

’What, would you rather do it instead?’ Jack joked with Rydel, trying to keep himself from tensing up. ’At least I have Sudden Death, so there’s a chance that I can get away in the worst-case scenario.’

’Good, then you’re not thinking of fighting this thing,’ Rydel sighed in relief.

Both of them had Eagle Eye and could usually inspect a beast’s level, but neither of them could see how strong the hydra was. That only added to their fright after seeing just how big it was.

’Alright then, you get back to the party and I’ll get closer. Remember, be ready to escape at any moment!’ reminded Jack.

They walked together until Jack was back at the front of the hydra. Once there, they split up, one going to the party while the other followed the hydra’s necks in search of a way out of the room.

The party was confused when only Rydel came back but they were frightened when Rydel explained what Jack was doing.

Jack was in awe of the massive hydra. He started to imagine Maura riding and taming such a beast after the egg finally hatched. From the size of the egg, Jack would’ve never thought a Nine-headed Glacial Hydra was so terrifyingly gigantic. It could probably march on Federal City and be able to hold its own against the strongest of experts.

"...rrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh..."

Just then, a long yawn came from the inside of Jack’s coat. It wasn’t too loud, but when the entire cave is in silence, even the party could hear it from far away.

Before Jack could do anything, another yawn was heard, and it was louder than the first.

"Rrraaaaaaaaaahhh..."

Some rustling was heard as Bowzer popped his head out of the cloak and then hopped onto the cave floor.

Suddenly, he started glowing. Red fire type energy was gathering around him.

’Bowzer! What are you doing?!’ Jack was frantic. Finally, Bowzer woke up but at the worst possible time!

’Bowzer grow now!’

A happy tone filled Jack’s head as he heard Bowzer, making Jack frown.

The red glow intensified, started to become lighter and brighter. Bowzer was also clenching his teeth and groaning in pain.

With the bright glow Bowzer was giving off, Jack could see the hydra more clearly. He saw that the neck alone was three meters thick, and the ceiling was still out of view. But Jack did notice that there was a staircase in the middle of the hydra heads.

Now, everyone else could see the form and shape of the hydra too, making them gasp in terror.

"What brings you all here?"

Five words echoed off the cavern walls, sending chills down the party’s spines. They all wanted to know what Jack was doing, why did he suddenly light up the place and start making noises?

Jack glared at Bowzer, who never stopped glowing. If anything, Bowzer’s light was getting stronger and his grunts were getting louder. He really wished that he had stored Bowzer instead of carrying the pup as usual.

Just then, the hydra heads started moving, rising off the ground one after the other. It was easy for everyone to see them all lift up and stare at a single point, Jack.

"Oh? What’s a Hell-flame Fox doing down here? And why are did you choose to evolve in my home?"

That voice filled the air but none of the hydra’s many mouths were moving. Also, the voice was gentler than they had expected. It sounded feminine despite coming from such a huge beast.

"Are any of you going to talk, or will you just stand there until you soil yourselves?" The hydra laughed, enjoying the unexpected company.

"Um, you’re a Nine-headed Glacial Hydra, right?" Jack asked it a question, curious how friendly the hydra might be.

Again, the hydra laughed as one of the heads got closer to Jack and Bowzer. "That I am. I’m surprised that such a young adventurer can recognize me. What’s even more surprising is that I can’t see through you, at least not without using a skill. What’s your name, boy?"

"Jack."

"Jack... What an interesting name. Jack, I want to ask you a few things. It’s been a long time since I’ve left this place, so I’d like to know what I’ve missed," stated the hydra, totally relaxed as one of the heads also glanced at the others. "And please don’t try to leave without answering my questions. I don’t want you causing any trouble."

Jack and the others all nodded.

"Good, now tell me, who was the winner of the holy war?"

"Skaryn was sealed away and Halmut won, according to the ancient records," answered Jack. "Though there aren’t as many followers now, Halmut is respected while Skaryn is feared."

"Oh, so neither side won?" mumbled the hydra, startling Jack. "Was Skaryn really sealed away?"

"I don’t know, it happened around five hundred years ago..."

"Wow, it’s been that long. I guess I lost track of time." For a moment, everyone thought they saw the hydra shrug its shoulders before it continued. "Next question, who’s the strongest hero now? What’s their name?"

"Umm... If you’re talking about the same heroes from Ancient Kartonia and the Holy War, there aren’t any."

"What? Explain." The hydra squinted its eyes at Jack, finding that hard to believe.

"There are still summoned heroes, but they’re not the same as before. We can’t revive ourselves and I’ve only met one other summoned hero besides myself. There aren’t that many of us."

"So you’re one of these ’summoned heroes?’" It took a moment to think before it asked, "What’s the highest level person on the continent?"

Jack scratched his head, trying to think of the best way to answer. "I’m not sure. The strongest people I know are all lv. 70’s but the founder of the Adventurers Association might be near lv. 80."

"Adventurers Association? What’s that?"

"It’s a giant, international organization that has gathered adventurers from all Kartonia. Think of the Adventurers Association like a giant guild, and it’s arguably the strongest organization in Kartonia."

"Arguably? What other organization can compete with it?"

Amazed that the hydra was happy with such general information, Jack made sure to stay on the hydra’s good side. Especially since Bowzer was in the middle of evolving and was extremely vulnerable at that moment.

"There’s one other organization that could compete with it, but it lives in the shadows. It’s called the Chaos Syndicate and it’s believed that they follow Skaryn even though he’s sealed," explained Jack.

"Hmm, that could be trouble..." The hydra paused its questions, taking more time to think.

"Um, what should I call you?"

"Oh, where are my manners." Laughing, the hydra looked at Jack and the others with smiles. "My name is Lunara."

"Lu... nara..."

While the others looked at the hydra with fear in their eyes, Jack’s entire body relaxed, so much that he fell to his knees. Jack also started laughing and looked back at the hydra.

"You’re Lunara, the Water Goddess?"

Chapter 193

"You’re Lunara, the Water Goddess?"

Giving Jack a peculiar look, the hydra nodded. "You know who I am? How is that possible?"

"What do you mean? This is your shrine, isn’t it?"

"Yes, but how did you find it? My previous shrine was destroyed and I’ve never revealed this place to anyone since before the Holy War." Lunara’s tone was getting colder, suspicious of Jack’s intentions.

"Well..." Realizing that Jack again stuck in a hard place from his lack of information, he pondered what would be best to say next. "Lunara, by any chance is this also Sterfen’s hidden temple?"

Suddenly, everyone felt a bestial pressure suppressing them.

With fury in her eyes, Lunara asked, "Who sent you?! Was is Halmut?!"

"No, no! I’m pledged to Daruun!"

"Daruun?!"

The hydra’s long tail was about to lash forward at Jack, but the rage quickly disappeared from Lunara’s eyes.

"You... You’re really pledged to Daruun?"

"Yes, he’s the reason I found this place. We came so that a member of our party could pledge to Sterfen, but I only realized that it was your shrine after seeing the hydra heads carved along the path," explained Jack, hoping that Lunara didn’t have a grudge against Daruun.

"Can you prove it?" asked Lunara, still acting warily.

"Can’t you just inspect my class and level?"

"I tried, but I was still unable because you’re hiding it with a legend-tier item," stated Lunara.

"Oh." Storing his cloak that had turned coat, Jack asked, "How about now?"

A moment passed before Lunara smiled. "Why didn’t you tell me you were Daruun’s champion? This changes everything."

The others in the party were too confused to do anything. From the moment that they discovered the hydra to be an ancient god to the moment Jack admitted to having a legend-tier item, they were shocked to process everything going on.

Then, the cave filled with bright blue light, emanating from Lunara’s giant body. It easily overwhelmed the light from Bowzer as her body started shrinking. Gradually, it started to take on a humanoid shape and eventually became their size.

The blue light from her body faded, but the carvings of hydras on the walls stayed lit, letting them see the entire room.

"Jack, since you’re with Daruun, we’re on the same side," stated Lunara as she appeared before the hero in her human form.

She was wearing a long, celestial-blue dress that faded to light blue at the dresses edges. It was neither form-fitting nor frilly, but it couldn’t hide her outstanding, immortal beauty.

Curious what she meant, Jack asked, "What do you mean, we’re on the same side? Aren’t you one of the holy gods?"

"I was at a time, but I also refused to fight in the Holy War," answered Lunara. "There were a few battles that Halmut forced me to join, but I’ve been against that lying pestro for a long time now."

"So, does that mean you’re like an unofficial neutral god?"

"Well, my husband is a neutral god, so that should count for something."

"Husband?!" Not expecting such an answer, Jack asked, "You mean..."

"Sterfen, yes," replied Lunara with a chuckle. "Sterfen and I have been together for a long time now, since before the Holy War..."

She stopped talking and let her words trail off as if she was recollecting her memories from long ago. But sad frown appeared on her face, not a smile.

"You came here for him, right? I see you’ve already gotten one of his cloaks, so he’ll like that. Come, you and your friends can follow me." Lunara turned around and started walking toward the spiral staircase at the center of the large room.

Looking back to the others, Jack shouted, "Come on guys, let’s get going!" He followed behind Lunara, not waiting for his confused party members.

He wasn’t worried about Bowzer. Jack wanted to leave Bowzer down there since he was in the middle of evolving, and it’s not like there were any threats to him so he could be alone. Once he was done evolving, he could just come upstairs.

Eventually, the party members ran toward Jack, not wanting to be left behind.

"Jack is she really..." Maura was hesitant to ask, too caught up on the fact that she might be standing so close to an ancient deity.

"Yeah, she really is a god. It explains a lot, now that I think about it."

His earlier confusion about there being two gods sharing space was cleared up and it explained how a holy god could share space with a neutral god. It actually made Jack happy, since it would allow him to ask them all kinds of questions.

It took them almost ten minutes to reach the top of the staircase and reach a trapdoor in the ceiling.

Lunara waved her hand and blue energy covered the door, opening it for them. "Everyone, please come in. We haven’t had guests in a while, so we’re glad to finally have some company."

Jack just smiled.

The others nodded nervously. During this trip, they had expected to face some of the strongest opponents they would ever meet in order to enter a god’s hidden tomb.

Now, after being cordially invited by one ancient god to meet her husband, another ancient god, in their own home, it was too much.

Lunara entered first, followed by Jack and the others.

To there surprise, they walked into what looked to be a luxurious living space with white and blue everywhere. With four elegant blue couches and a white table between them, there was enough room for everyone to sit comfortably.

Not sitting down, Lunara left the trapdoor open for Bowzer and went to a hallway. "Just make yourselves at home. I’ll send my husband in while I prepare some hot tea for everyone. I’m sure you would like that after your cold journey to get here."

Everyone looked at Jack, not sure what they should say.

"Just relax guys, it’ll be fine, we’re their guests after all," Jack joked.

Eliza gave Jack a stern look. "Jack, how come I feel like you’re not telling us everything? And you didn’t mention that the cloak you bought from us was a legend-tier item!"

"Actually, I already told your father about that," stated Jack. "As for everything else, can you blame me? I barely knew you."

"I’m your wife! If you can’t tell your wife your secrets, then who can you tell?"

"Well, I don’t have to tell anybody... That’s an option too," reasoned Jack, trying to keep everyone calm. "Besides, something tells me you’re all about to learn everything."

"Oh, so you’re the ones my wife told me about."

They all looked and saw a man coming out of the same hallway that Lunara went into. He was wearing a white robe. It was cozy and casual, nothing that seemed worthy of a god’s status.

"Allow me to introduce myself." The man bowed his head slightly. "I’m Sterfen, God of Secrets. I’m amazed that you all were able to find me. Then again, if my wife was correct, it shouldn’t have been too difficult if Daruun was the one who sent you."

Taking the liberty to speak, Jack stood up and bowed to Sterfen before he spoke, "I’m Jack, the champion that Daruun has chosen."

"Yes, I can see that," laughed Sterfen as he joined them on the couches. "I also heard that you own one of my precious cloaks. I’m willing to trade you for it, I’ll make it worth your while."

"Actually, I’m not the one looking for you."

"Oh, then who is?" asked Sterfen curiously.

Knowing it was his time to speak, Rydel stood up and bowed deeply to their host. "My name is Rydel and I’ve come to pledge allegiance to you."

"So that’s what this is about... What if I say no?"

Rydel kept his head down. "Then I’ll ask again, but I can’t possibly force you."

"Hmm... I’ll think about it," stated Sterfen, looking back to Jack. "As for you, I’ve got plenty of questions I’d love to ask. I’m also willing to answer any questions that I’m able to. Sound fair?"

"I can agree with that."

Seeing Jack acting so calm and being treated so highly by a god, Maura, Daliea, Eliza, and Keela all admired Jack even more. It reinvigorated the drive they had to be with him. There was no way they would ever find another man like Jack.

"So Jack, since your that man’s champion, I can assume you’re nothing like common heroes. Please, tell me who you really are and don’t you dare lie to me. Not even my wife can hide the truth from me," Sterfen laughed, making sure that he was warm with Jack since he was sent by Daruun.

Jack knew that if anyone could keep a secret, it was the God of Secrets. "Technically, I’m a summoned hero with my own unique class and subclass. The thing I know you’ll find interesting is that at one point, in a different body, I was a hero from Ancient Kartonia, one at the very top."

"Oh, really?! Then, tell me your title."

"Like every hero at the top, I had more titles than I can remember, but I had my own title given to me by the other heroes which you may know," stated Jack. "I was a cofounder of the Leisure Guild in Trodar, Founder of the Trodan Council, and the more accomplished of all heroes in Kartonia. The others would call me the Achievement Junkie."

 

Chapter 194

"Others would call me the Achievement Junkie."

Jack smiled, curious to see how Sterfen and the others would react.

Sterfen tilted his head. "The Achievement Junkie, huh? I’ve never heard of you."

"Hmph! Hmph!" Jack choked on his pride, meeting much lower about himself. He looked around at his friends and saw that they were just as confused.

"However, if you really were the cofounder of the Leisure Guild and founder of the Trodan Council, then you must’ve been Jack J.," reasoned Sterfen, easily figuring that much out.

"Jack J.!" Rydel shouted. He was already sitting back down, but his head was spinning now.

Jack had already told him that he was an ancient hero from Trodar, but he was unwilling to tell him his old titles in the past. When Jack had mentioned his title as the Achievement Junkie, it only confused him more.

But when Sterfen said that Jack was Jack J., the Legend of Trodar, that was way more than he was expecting to learn.

"Right, so you do know me!" said Jack.

"Of course I’d know of Jack J.! I’ve never heard of this title called "Achievement Junkie," but it must be real since that’s your current subclass. Do you not know how the people of Kartonia remember you?" asked Sterfen with a smile.

"Um... To be honest, I don’t."

With a laugh, Sterfen shook his head. "Jack J. is known as the hero with too many titles to remember, so it’s only fitting that he himself would forget. Though he disappeared for unknown reasons, it’s impossible to now remember one of Ancient Kartonia’s most legendary and successful heroes. Eventually, the world cam to know you as Jack J., the Legend of Trodar."

Thinking back, Jack remembered his conversation with Argyle. He remembered that Argyle was at a loss for words and thought Jack was a pinnacle hero. However, Jack didn’t think Argyle would’ve known Jack by a name that Jack had never known. He assumed that Argyle was guessing his Achievement Junkie title, which led to him looking like a fool now in front of Sterfen.

"Jack... is Jack J., the Legend of Trodar..." Eliza was mumbling to herself, now aware of the reason her father forced their marriage and offered Jack the full support of the Fat Goose Guild.

Keela was in awe, reveling in the fact that the man she was chasing was one of the most prominent heroes of all time. And now, he was back to make a new name for himself, a new legend.

Maura said nothing. She knew that Jack was special and that he was always more knowledgable about the world than anyone she had ever met. But knowing that he was the Legend of Trodar...

Even though she was from Polt originally, every child would learn about the legendary heroes of old. The one with the most stories, both amazing and strange, is Jack J. It was a hero she loved to hear more about, especially how free and passionate he was to travel and try new things. And now, Maura discovered her husband to be that very hero she had heard so much about as a child.

"Ya are Jack J..." Maynard thought back to his first conversation with Jack when he decided to form a pact with the young hero. Jack had made a strange comment about battling nude, and now he understood why. As Jack J., he really had done the most outrageous things imaginable as a hero.

"So that’s who the old man chose, Jack J... Not a bad choice at all," Sterfen was thinking out loud, letting others agree with his open statements. "I’m no longer surprised that you found me here or that you were crazy enough to try and sneak past my wife."

Laughing weakly, Jack asked, "Oh, did she tell you about that?"

"Of course, she also mentioned that you’ve gotten yourself a Hell-flame Fox, a kind of beast only a guy like Jack J. would dare to tame."

"Everyone, I’ve brought you all some hot tea to warm you up," Lunara walked in, announcing her entrance.

"Honey, you’ll never believe who has come to visit us!" Sterfen stood up, helping his wife pass out the cups.

"What do you mean, I was the one who brought them here."

"Okay, then tell me his name." Sterfen pointed at Jack, making a game out of his identity.

"That’s Jack, Daruun’s champion."

"Yes, that’s who he is now, but do you know who he was in the past?" With a smile, he waited for his wife to frown and give up. "Of course you know him, we’ve heard all about him. He’s even stolen from me in the past."

Hearing that comment, everyone looked to Jack who laughed shyly and looked away, admitting his guilt in silence.

"Stolen from you? But who was capable of that? The only one I can think of would be... Jack J.!" As if struck by lightning, Lunara looked back at Jack with newfound respect in her eyes. "You’re Jack J.!"

"Why is it that I’m meeting with gods, yet they’re more excited to meet me than I am to meet them?" Jack asked, trying to avoid the overwhelming attention. He knew he might have been famous in the past, but apparently he was more famous than he had given himself credit.

"Well, that explains how you recognized me so easily," laughed Lunara.

"Am I really that famous? Wasn’t it over five hundred years ago?"

"Actually, by my count, you vanished from Kartonia well over one thousand years ago," stated Sterfen. "If you were still around and managing the Leisure Guild, Trodar may not have suffered so much during the Holy War which started roughly one thousand years ago."

"That long... and you still know me?!" It was easy for Jack to see the admiration welling up in the eyes of all his party members.

"Jack, you may not know this, but almost all Kartonia knows who Jack J. is. You were in all of my favorite children’s stories... Did you really fight with an ancient chimera with no weapon or armor?!" Maura spoke up, unable to contain some of the excitement.

"Well, yeah, but I had my reasons," argued Jack, not wanting to elaborate and possibly explain all the insane achievements he had done in-game.

Sterfen looked at Jack with his devilish smile. "Jack, you’re arguably just as famous as my wife, even more so actually. They still know your name, even if it’s through kid’s fairy tales and stories."

"But this should at least make it easier to believe that I’m Daruun’s champion, right?" stated Jack, changing the subject. "I showed up in Modern Kartonia as a lv. 1, but I won’t be happy until I’m back at the peak."

"I’ve already met who I presume is Halmut’s champion, and I’m guessing Skaryn’s champion is the one at the top of the Chaos Syndicate. I won’t rest until I can hold my own amongst the other champions, and for that, I need to level up."

"So, Jack, do you already know about the level cap?" asked Sterfen, attracting everyone’s attention.

"We can go beyond lv. 85 now, right?"

"Right, but do you understand what that implies?"

"No, I was hoping to ask you about that."

Giving Jack a meaningful look, Sterfen sipped his tea. "Jack, do you know what it is that makes us gods?"

Baffled by the strange question, Jack shook his head.

"Let me explain. One of the biggest differences between us gods and you mortals is our level. Every god is at least lv. 90, but you can imagine how hard it would be for us to level up anymore, right?"

Jack’s eyes went wide. "So that’s what the Holy War was about..."

"Right you are." Sterfen nodded. "Luckily, we neutral gods avoided it thanks to Daruun’s help, but my wife almost lost her life in that war. Also, we lost something too precious to replace."

"The three major gods all chose a champion to confide in as a chance to rebuild the structure of the gods in their favor."

"Wait?! You mean that I--"

"That you’re expected to cleanse the gods?" Sterfen finished Jack’s statement for him, nodding as he spoke. "I’m not sure how you’ll pull that off, but that’s what expected of the champions. That’s also the reason that my wife almost killed you before."

Lunara bowed her head to Jack and the others. "I’m sorry that I doubted your intentions earlier. I thought you were sent by that despicable Halmut to kill me and my husband. Please, forgive me."

Something Lunara said stuck out to Jack. "Lunara, if you were a holy god before, why do you hate him so much now? Was it because he forced you to join the Holy War?"

"It’s not so much that he forced me to join it, it was how he forced me that neither I nor my husband can ever forgive!" shouted Lunara, not hiding her animosity in the least.

Sterfen grabbed his wife’s hand, a broken, forlorn look in his eyes. "Honey, please calm down! It’s been so long, there’s no telling what’s happened to her by now."

Chapter 195

"Honey, please calm down! It’s so long, there’s no telling what’s happened to her by now."

Hesitating from her husband’s words, Lunara struggled to compose herself. "I know Sterf, it’s just that I can’t help myself when I think about that terrible man."

Reading the mood, Jack was slowly starting to understand. "So, Halmut forced you into fighting by taking someone away from you? But, who could he have taken to make you agree?"

Sterfen looked at Jack. "You, Jack J., were the one who stole from me the most, but I don’t hold you to it at all. I already know that you heroes were just trying to get stronger by completing missions given to you by the gods."

"But you weren’t the only one, many others tried too. While most of them failed, a couple did succeed. One hero managed to steal something priceless from my wife while she was in her hydra form," explained Sterfen. "She had just gone through labor and she wasn’t at her full strength when countless heroes attacked her and someone stole her egg."

Jack, Maura, and Daliea, the three people who knew about the egg, all glanced at each other, thinking the same thing. Could it be...

"That egg soon turned up in Halmut’s possession. With it, he forced my wife into joining some of the key battles of the Holy War."

The God of Secrets went silent, staring at his wife’s sad face.

"Eventually, we discovered that he had no intention of ever returning the egg. That was when I made it a point to steal it back, being the God of Secrets I felt it would be possible," explained Sterfen. "However, the egg was no longer in Halmut’s possession... I searched all of the holy gods but couldn’t find it no matter where I looked. That pestro had the gall to trick my wife with the egg, yet he had rid himself of the egg the entire time."

"That pestro!" yelled Lunara. "He deserves death! Jack, you must make sure to kill that man!"

"Calm down, please, Luna," holding her hand tightly, Sterfen pled with his wife. "Jack may be Daruun’s champion, but I’m not sure he’ll be able to kill a main god. To do that, he’d have to become a god in the first place."

"Actually, that sounds like an interesting idea," Jack showed Sterfen an intrigued look. "Something like that is possible."

With a nervous chuckle, Sterfen added, "I may have said too much. Either way, now you know why my wife got involved in the Holy War against her will."

Jack’s party members were mumbling to themselves in the background, to nervous to speak up.

"So... the Nine-headed Glacial Hydra from the Holy War wasn’t just a beast, it was Lunara fighting in secret?" Jack deduced the truth easily thanks to there explanation. "Sterfen, Lunara, is there any way that we could get you to help us on our journey?"

"What exactly do you mean?" asked Sterfen with a puzzling look on his face.

"I don’t mean for you to actually be with us. If you did that, we would never level up ourselves. But, would you allow Rydel and Maura to pledge to you and received your highest blessings, your legendary blessings?"

Rydel wasn’t too surprised by Jack’s question, but Maura was. Though she hadn’t yet chosen a neutral god she wanted to pledge to, she never expected to get a chance to pledge to the Water Goddess.

"Hmm, that’s quite a bold question to ask. You know full well that such blessings require, so that must mean you have something of equal value to offer. And no, I won’t accept your cloak in exchange for such a blessing," stated Sterfen.

Lunara looked at Jack, surprised that he was so confident when asking for such a blessing.

"Jack, you may not know this, but we can only have one legendary blessing active at a time. While we don’t have anyone pledged to us at the moment, asking such a thing is too much, even for the legendary Jack J."

"Well, since you know I’m Jack J., you know that I’ve always found a way to accomplish anything I want, no matter what," Jack laughed, still remaining confident. "I think that after we show you what we have to offer, you’ll be begging for us to accept your legendary blessings."

"Bold words indeed..." Sterfen smiled a little. "You’re definitely Jack J., no one else could ever talk to a god like that unless they were a god themselves. So, what is it that you’re offering?"

Jack sighed and gave Maura a nod, making both Sterfen and Lunara turn and look at her as well.

She trembled as she tried to calm her nerves. Maura stood up, bowed, and retrieved a large item which she placed on the table for everyone to see.

The other party members were startled. They had no clue that Maura had come to possess such an egg.

Eliza recognized it as the egg she sold to Jack but wasn’t able to figure out why they brought out a fossilized egg.

"I’m guessing you both know better than I do as to what kind of egg this is," said Jack with his confident laugh.

The peculiar looks on Sterfen’s and Lunara’s faces vanished instantly.

Unable to hold herself back, Lunara put her hand on the egg, crying. "You... How did you..."

"If there’s one thing I don’t question anymore after meeting Daruun, it’s fate," stated Jack with a shrug. "From what I know, that egg isn’t dead yet but is only lacking water type energy. It should’ve run out of energy long ago and perished, but if it’s the daughter of two gods, then I guess that would explain how it had abnormal energy levels to begin with."

Holding the egg tightly, Lunara dropped to her knees. She didn’t care if Jack’s party saw her like that. It had been almost one thousand years since she had lost her child and they were unable to successfully have another one.

The odds of two gods having a child were startlingly low, so it was a miracle that it happened in the first place.

Laughing uncontrollably, Sterfen looked to Jack and his party. "Of course, expect the Legend of Trodar to do something that even the gods thought impossible. You’ve done it again... I think my wife will agree with me when I say that we’re willing to offer these two our legendary blessings."

"Yes, I agree!" shouted Lunara. "To have her back... Even in my wildest dreams, I was unable to find her, yet here she is in my arms. Thank you, Jack, thank you!"

"Don’t thank me just yet, I have one other favor to ask."

Hearing that, Sterfen kept his smile and waited for Jack to ask the favor. Lunara returned to her seat on the couch, but she kept the egg in her arms as she did so.

"You both know that your daughter will hatch after giving her enough water type energy. And since it’s been so long, I’d imagine that the egg will hatch the moment it has enough, which shouldn’t be hard with Lunara taking care of that," stated Jack.

"What I want to ask of you two is if you’ll let your daughter join our party."

"Absolutely not!"

"Absolutely!"

Two replies came at the same time.

Lunara, who disagreed, was startled to hear that her husband agreed to such a thing. "Sterf, why would you agree to that?!"

"Honey, you know that she’ll have to level up and get stronger. Here, hidden away with us, she’ll never get very far. And if Halmut learned that we found our child, what would he do?" reasoned Sterfen, shaking Lunara’s heart.

Jack agreed with Sterfen, "I was thinking the same thing. And since your daughter isn’t like other monsters, I think she’ll be able to make a pact with me while at the same time have a mutual seal with Maura, the girl that would be pledging to you, Lunara."

"And since you agreed to give her your legendary blessing, you’ll know where both Maura and your daughter are at all times. It’s not like she’ll be far away. If anything, Maura and I would be able to help level her up while you would still be able to protect her and care for her from a distance."

The Water Goddess carefully considered Jack’s words.

Her maternal instinct wanted to stay with her daughter from the moment she hatched, but a part of her maternal instincts also agreed with Jack’s logic. To survive in the future, her daughter would need to grow, and there wasn’t a party that could offer a better leveling experience than Jack’s.

Continuing, Jack added, "Also, I happen to have plenty of low-level EXP pots. I can help her instantly reach lv. 30, so you won’t have to worry about her not being able to protect herself while she’s with us."

"Plus, if I’m able to accomplish whatever it is Daruun has planned for me, then there’s a chance that you and your husband won’t have to hide away anymore," persuaded Jack. "You’d be able to live in the open again, together with your daughter."

Jack’s offer was sounding better and better every time he opened his mouth.

Sterfen was already sold since Jack was the champion his leader had chosen, but Lunara was still on the fence. She clutched the egg and hugged it tightly, pondering what was best for her daughter.

Chapter 196

While Lunara was holding tight to the egg, Sterfen sighed and put his arms around her. "Luna, you know that it will be best for our daughter. And, she’ll still know about both of us, we can visit her every now and them."

"Do you two have contact crystals?" Assuming that they didn’t, considering how long they had been hiding, Jack threw two purple crystals onto the table. "These are high-tier contact crystals. They’ll let you contact anyone instantly, no matter where they are on the continent, so long as you link the crystals with the person your contact."

Lunara picked up one of the crystals on the table. "So, with this, I could call you or my daughter at any time?"

"Correct. And we could do the same, just in case something happens and your daughter needs your help. Besides, me and Maura won’t be her parents. She can think of us as her brother and sister than you’ll know we’ll take the best possible care of her."

The Water Goddess was silent, still struggling to agree, but she eventually nodded.

"Alright, then how about you go and help our daughter hatch. In the meantime, I’ll explain a few things to Jack. Since he’ll be caring for our daughter and is willing to be her big brother, I’ll be nice and help him, like I would a son."

Shocked at how cooperative Sterfen was, Jack put up his hands innocently. "I won’t turn down your offer, but I’m surprised you’d be so willing to--"

"Jack, you’re the champion that my faction chose and supports. Also, you’ve managed to save my wife from the biggest regret of her life, her greatest worry and misery. Since you’ll be protecting my daughter and helping her grow, the least I can do is share some of the many secrets I know," explained Sterfen.

"And my information network is only second to Daruun’s, but unlike him, I can say anything I want without worrying about the laws of fate," Sterfen laughed with a proud smile.

"In that case, should I call you father?" Jack joked around with him.

"To be honest, I’d find it an honor. With someone Jack J. as an adopted son, I think we’d be the envy of the gods. If Luna is fine with that, I wouldn’t mind it."

Jack froze, not expecting the God of Secrets to agree so easily. He thought it would be fine to play along with the joke, but didn’t expect to get setup.

"I have two conditions," stated Lunara. "First, swear on your life to protect our daughter, like a true brother would. Second, swear to kill that pestro Halmut, even if it isn’t necessary for your mission as Daruun’s champion."

Not sure how to respond, Jack just stared at the two gods. "Hmm, the first condition is a given. If she’s in the party, I’d be willing to lay my life down to protect her. The second condition is the one I’m not sure I’ll be able to fulfill."

"Then you can forget having her in your party. A true big brother would willing to protect and avenge his sister and parents. If you can’t do that, how could I ever accept such conditions?" reasoned Lunara, making her intentions clear.

"But--"

"She has a point, Jack," Sterfen chimed in. "Otherwise, we’ll just have to thank you for returning our daughter to us with a warm meal."

Pondering the offer, Jack started to wonder what he would have to do exactly as a champion.

If his true goal was to cleanse the gods, then there would be a chance that he would have to fight Halmut anyway, whether he liked it or not. It would make sense since Jack would have to face either Halmut’s champion or the other gods.

"Jack, please accept these two conditions," begged Lunara, catching Jack off guard. "I hate to admit it, but you and your party will be the best place for our daughter to grow. And you also might be the only one who could kill that pestro and free me from the contract I made long ago."

"Contract?"

"If you agree, that and more will be explained," stated Sterfen. "I’ll tell you how we became gods and how it is you can do the same. Considering your mission, you’ll have to become a god at some point, Jack."

With a pounding heart, Jack was hard-pressed to turn down the offer. The only doubt was Halmut, would Jack be able to kill such a powerful being, a main god?

"I... I’ll accept the terms."

"Wonderful!" Sterfen rose to his feet and walked over to Jack.

He stuck his arm out, wanting to shake Jack’s hand. But when Jack reached out, Sterfen pulled him up into a hug. "Then, I guess I’ll have to start calling you by your newest title. Jack, I’m sure you’ll make me proud, Son."

Suddenly, a blaring alert flashed across Jack’s eyes, leaving his notification alert golden in color.

Too curious not to open it right away, Jack opened the notification and almost lost all of his strength in shock.

[New title earned: Demihuman]

[Become a Demihuman: completed]

[Become the son of a god, gaining their support and their ultimate, unremovable blessing. Unique reward earned for becoming the son of two gods. Unique reward: 500 skill points.]

As Jack inspected his golden alert, he was too distracted to realize what was happening to him.

Everyone was staring at him. His body was giving off a golden light, blinding the party members.

Lunara watched her husband, surprised that he was willing to give Jack such an opportunity. She understood that each god was capable of choosing a single mortal as a son or daughter, and that person’s fate would forever be linking to that god’s fate.

If that person were to perish, the god would lose their title and power as a god, also losing levels in the process.

But if that person successfully became a god, the original god who made the new god their child would gain the potential to become a main god, gaining levels in the process.

It was the riskiest move a god could make, hence why Lunara only agreed after giving strict conditions. And if those conditions were not met by the selected son or daughter, they would lose their title as demihuman and that god would never be able to choose another son or daughter again.

The golden light didn’t last long, only for a brief moment, so it had vanished by the time Jack’s attention came back to the other’s.

He looked at them all, surprised to see them looking at him with open mouths and such astonishment.

"Don’t mind them, Jack, they’re just in awe of the new title you just gained. You’re now a candidate to become a god, a demihuman."

Jack heard Sterfen’s comment, now gaining a better understanding of why they had given such a strict requirement as killing Halmut.

"Demihuman?!"

The party was still going through a rollercoaster of emotions. What was surprise quickly turned into confusion, because they had never heard of that term before.

"Before I explain, please excuse my wife. I’m sure she wants our daughter to hatch as soon as possible," laughed Sterfen.

"Please, excuse me." Lunara sent down the stair, and a blue glow immediately came through the open trapdoor.

"Now, Jack, let me explain what it means for you to be a demihuman and then we’ll see if you have any unanswered questions, okay?"

Jack nodded. "Sure, I’m all ears."

"A demihuman, like I said earlier, is a candidate to become a god. A god can only select a single mortal to make a demihuman, and it’s a great risk to the god. If the candidate fails to become a god within ten years of being selected, then the candidate will lose the title of demihuman," explained Sterfen.

"The god who selected that candidate will then face punishment, losing their status as a god and the levels they had gained as a god. But if the candidate successfully becomes a god in the allotted time, then the god who selected the candidate will gain levels, EXP, and the opportunity to become a main god."

"Hmmm..." Surprised to see that the risk and reward were so great, Jack paid close attention.

"As a demihuman, you gain no additional benefits until you’re lv. 89. At that time, you’ll gain the skill to absorb a new type of energy, and once you’ve accumulated enough of that new type of energy you’ll reach lv. 90 and become a god."

"Now, a word of warning. You’ll be considered our son from this time forward but you shouldn’t declare this publicly while you’re so weak," stated Sterfen. "If the other champions learned about this, they would hunt you down. As a champion of a main god, that god is not able to declare you a demihuman, but I doubt that you haven’t already received some amazing benefits that even I don’t have as a champion."

"Any questions?"

"How did you and your wife become gods? Was it through one of the main gods?" asked Jack.

Sterfen nodded with a slight chuckle. "You’re smart. I became a neutral god because I accepted Daruun’s offer years ago."

"So, that means Halmut was the one who offered it to Lunara? Wouldn’t that technically make Halmut her father?"

"Correct, Halmut is indeed her father."

Chapter 197

"Correct, Halmut is indeed her father," replied Sterfen.

"The relationship is complicated between those two. Out of respect for my wife, I’ll give you the briefest of explanations. When she was made a demihuman, Halmut had indeed adopted her and gave her everything she could ever ask for. Yet, in the end, it turned out that he didn’t care for her, but only cared about the strength she added to his group of influence. I think you already understand that part."

"Right, that’s pretty obvious if he would hold her child hostage and then toss it aside like it was nothing."

"But do you understand why Halmut tossed away the egg instead of helping it hatch?" asked Sterfen.

Thinking about it, Jack shook his head. If it were him, he definitely would’ve wanted it to hatch.

"It’s because our daughter will already be a demihuman. She’ll never have to agree to anyone’s terms to become one since both of her parents are already gods," stated Sterfen. "You’ll need to conceal her title, but don’t worry about that too much. She has my blood, meaning that she can conceal anything with just a thought. It will take a legendary item stronger than your cloak for them to see the truth."

"Do you have any other questions?"

"Hmm... I’ll have to think about it," replied Jack. "Do you know how long it will take to hatch the egg?"

"Probably a couple of days. Please, make yourselves at home in the meantime," Sterfen said as he looked at Jack’s party. "And since you all are his wives, I guess that mean’s your my daughters-in-law. What are your names?"

Maura was hesitant to say anything, but Eliza was too excited to keep her mouth shut. "My name is Eliza Dyrshire, Jack’s second wife. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Father-in-law."

"You adjust quickly, I like that," laughed Sterfen. "And you, you must be Maura, right?"

She nodded her head, "Y-yes, I’m Maura. Sorry, I’m just nervous to meet someone of your caliber."

"Don’t be nervous, we’re family from now on. You’ll be my daughter’s big sisters, so you’d better treat her well."

"Of course!" Maura and Eliza bowed, both happy to get that over with.

"And what about you two, has my son not yet made you his?"

Jack suddenly choked on his tea, almost coughing up a lung as he cleared his throat.

Before Keela could answer, Eliza spoke up, "Actually, Jack still hasn’t made either of us his woman yet. I think we should have the rights to be his first since we’re already his wives.

"Really?!" Sterfen glanced at the nervous Jack. "You’re just full of surprises. I never would have pegged you as such a straight shooter when it comes to women. Just make sure to take care of them, because if you neglect them for too long, they’ll come to neglect you too. And in a party, you can’t have that happening."

Jack wanted to thank Sterfen for the advice but he also noticed the god give him a cheeky smile with a wink.

"I’m never said it wouldn’t happen, I’m just against going so far without any true emotions behind it," stated Jack, defending his romantic ideology.

"Really?! I’ll hold you to that!"

"Me too!"

Both Eliza and Keela immediately spoke up, committing Jack’s statement to memory. If Jack was being honest, then it was only a matter of time.

Maura and Daliea said nothing, but they both gave Jack a meaningful look, causing the hero to blush and look away.

Sterfen kept quiet for a moment, but he wasn’t laughing or smiling. He was staring at Daliea, who only noticed after the commotion about Jack subsided.

She felt uncomfortable as if Sterfen was able to see right through her. Since he said nothing, she eventually asked, "Umm... Are you against me, a shadow goblin, being here?"

"Not at all, but I think you’ve got the wrong idea," Sterfen chuckled and looked at Jack. "Do you understand what I’m talking about, Jack?"

"No... I don’t think I do..."

"Hmm, that makes sense, I guess. It did happen before the time you were a hero, after all."

Jack’s curiosity was instantly piqued. "What do you mean? What happened before I was a hero? You mean, before I was an ancient hero?"

"I sure do. Before you were an ancient hero, her race went through struggles that very few races survive. They did somethings to guarantee their survival, even if it eventually led to your generation not knowing the truth about your own people," stated Sterfen while pointing to Daliea.

"I won’t explain anything to you since I had only recently become a god at the time and only learned a part of the story, but I can point you in the right direction."

Jack turned to Daliea, noticing that she was genuinely confused. With her like that, it was clear to him that the origin of Daliea’s people was even more mysterious than he’d expected.

"You know how we can learn more about her people, Father?" asked Jack, already trying to abuse his new title.

"Smart move, calling me father in hopes that I’ll give you special treatment. Well, it worked, sort of. I’ll tell you this, the origin of your people can be found in Korten."

"Korten?!"

Everyone was shocked to hear that because it made no sense. Korten was one of the ancient kingdoms, and no one bothered to invade them because it was the Elven kingdom. Since the Holy War, the Elven Kingdom of Korten rarely made any contact with the outside world. All who tried to enter were never heard from again.

"My people... really originate from Korten?" asked Daliea, struggling to keep herself together.

"Yes, I never lie," stated Sterfen.

"Jack..."Daliea looked to him with begging eyes.

He knew what she wanted to ask him. Their only chance of ever getting into Korten was with Jack.

Lucky for him, there was a time that the Leisure Guild had an exclusive trade treaty with Korten because they shared borders at one point. He thought that he might be able to find a way in, but only after the revival of the Leisure Guild and after Trodar reclaimed its lost territories.

"I’m sure my son will think of a way to enter Korten, but till then you’ll have to wait patiently." Steren then looked to Rydel and nodded. "Are you ready to receive your blessing?"

Rydel didn’t say a word but he immediately dropped to his knees and bowed to Sterfen, ready to accept his blessing.

"By my godly authority, I hereby place you under my care, Rydel Kalen."

Those few words seemed ordinary to everyone except for Rydel. For him, those words were echoing inside of his head as if they were burrowing their way into every part of his being.

White light covered him for a moment, marking that the blessing had been completed.

"With my legend-tier blessing, you’ll now have a passive invisibility skill that doesn’t use mana and works even when attacking. Also, your stealth abilities will increase tenfold, giving you the ability to go anywhere without ever being found or noticed," explained Sterfen. "Unless it’s legend-tier detection magic, you can’t be found. Use this wisely."

"Thank you, Master Sterfen!"

Rydel slowly rose to his feet, elated to have such abilities.

Curious, Jack checked his skill list and opened Rydel’s tab. Just as he thought, he was unable to acquire Rydel’s new stealth abilities.

"Before I go and prepare us lunch, let me tell you about a few people that might catch your interest, Son," added Sterfen, grabbing Jack’s attention.

"My wife isn’t the only god that stands against their benefactor. There are other lower gods that would rather follow Daruun, but are bound by the terms the accepted as demihumans and can’t betray the main god that helped them."

Sterfen continued, "Though there are seven neutral gods, you’ll find that others might be more suitable for your companions."

"Would the Sword God happen to be one of those?" Maynard blurted out his question, still not wanting to give up on pledging to the god he admired the most.

"Of all the holy gods, Tyres, the Sword God, is the most loyal to Halmut. I’m sorry, but I would heavily recommend that you forget trying to seek him out," answered Sterfen, stomping out the small fraction of hope Maynard had left. "I’m sure that Jack would agree in saying that your dedication to your craft would be a perfect fit for Jin, the God of Discipline."

"Plus, I think he’ll take a liking to you. You’ll figure out why when you finally meet him," added Sterfen with a smile.

Maynard was sad by the truth but felt better about pledging to Jin since Sterfen, a god, also said it would be perfect for him. With that in mind, Maynard was more at ease.

Looking back to Jack, Sterfen stated, "There are a total of six gods that aren’t willing to follow orders, and Lunara is one of them. Would you like to guess the other five?"

Chapter 198

"Would you like to guess the other five?"

"Hmm..." Jack took his time to answer, pondering and hoping that a select few might be available for people to pledge to. "Honestly, I have no clue. I know about the gods, but I have little to no knowledge about the Holy War or the relationships that exist between the gods."

"I guess that fair to assume," replied Sterfen. "First, I’ll tell you that there’s definitely one holy god that you must visit whenever possible, Kori."

"Kori? The Fox God?"

"Yes, Kori, the Fox God. You’ll understand why when you meet him, but you should definitely visit him, even if no one wants to pledge to him," stated Sterfen. "Now, for the other four. Two of them are holy gods and the other two are chaotic gods."

"Wait, doesn’t that mean that Halmut’s side is technically weaker since there’s more division amongst the holy gods?" asked Jack.

"Right again, that’s exactly how it is. It’s for that reason that Halmut took advantage of Lunara, your mother."

Still getting used to the sudden family dynamic he was thrust into, Jack chuckled. "So, that means that Halmut’s struggling more than Skaryn, now?"

"That’s complicated. Skaryn was in fact sealed away by Halmut, but Halmut wasn’t much better off thanks to his grave injuries. One is sealed and one has uncurable injuries. This is why it’s up to their champions to settle most things," explained Sterfen.

"Now, back to the rebel gods. From the holy gods, we have your mother and Kori, as well as Perchet and Lyrun."

"Lyrun?! Lyrun rebelled?!"

"I know it’s hard to believe, but he has," mentioned Sterfen. "It’s strange that Lyrun, the God of Space, the third strongest of the ten holy gods, rebelled, but it’s true. The other three are the lowest of the holy gods, so its a bit more understandable."

Jack instantly turned to Eliza, who was smiling wide.

Not everyone knew all of the gods, but it was common for them to know a couple of gods that they favored like Eliza did with Lyrun, the Nature God.

"As for Perchet, I’m not sure if you’ll have someone fit to pledge to the God of Sound, so I’ll mention the other two," continued Sterfen. "I think your old pal, Tralon, will be happy that Moranti has rebelled."

"Moranti too?!"

"Yes, both Moronti and Choron have rebelled out of the ten chaotic gods. As for any of the gods who haven’t rebelled, don’t dare to step foot in their temples or shrines. It may cost your life," warned Sterfen.

"Father, of all the neutral and rebel gods, who do you think would be best for my friends?" asked Jack, hoping that Sterfen’s opinion would heavily influence the decisions of his party members.

All those who were listening in on the conversation suddenly felt Sterfen’s gaze see through them. They felt completely naked and exposed in his eyes.

"For starters, Rydel and Maura are already accounted for. As for Maynard, you’ll be in good hands with Jin, very good hands. Obviously, Eliza should pledge to Lyrun, no questions asked," explained Sterfen. "Keela may need to pledge to Dragas, but then you’ll have to help her with that one."

Giving his new son a crude smile, Sterfen laughed, making Jack even more curious about the matter.

"You don’t yet know why, but I assure you that Eedaj is the god Daliea should pledge to."

"Eedaj? The Mind God?" Daliea mumbled to herself.

"If you say so." Jack shrugged, trusting Sterfen’s opinion of the gods more than his own, for good reasons.

"But also, you really should visit Kori as soon as possible," added Sterfen. "Make it as urgent as possible."

"But why--"

"Just do it, or you’ll regret it."

Jack sighed, "Fine, we can squeeze it into our plans I guess."

"Great! Now, I’ll go prepare some lunch. Please, make your selves at home. We have plenty of guest rooms, so don’t worry about anything. We can only wait until our precious daughter is finally born," said Sterfen as he left back through the hallway.

For the next two days, the party spent their time with Sterfen and Lunara as they prepared for their child to finally be born.

Most of the time the party members kept to themselves, each person pondering about the god that Sterfen had recommended for them.

Jack spent a lot of time inspecting his skill list, perplexed at what he should do next and still taking in the fact that he suddenly gained five hundred skill points at once.

Looking closely, the words "unique reward" caught his eye. He had no clue that there was something above special rewards, but it made him question his approach to achievements. Eventually, Jack came to a conclusion about special and unique goals after a day of reading over past achievements.

Special rewards were given whenever Jack went above and beyond what the achievement had asked for.

Unique rewards, Jack speculated, came from completing achievements in a way that had never been done before.

Jack was very eager to test this theory, but he would have to wait a bit longer. Once the egg hatched, he would have to help it reach lv. 30 and then he would be able to leave with everyone.

It was already the end of the second day. That was when Bowzer climbed up the stairs to find Jack on the couch, but it was hard for Jack to recognize him.

True, it wasn’t too difficult when Jack realized he was the only fox nearby, but Bowzer looked completely different now.

He was almost as big as Jack if he stood on two feet. And his fur was a passionate red, much brighter than his mother’s dark brown fur. Bowzer was still his playful self, but he resembled a puppy that had grown up and still thought he was a lap dog.

The moment Bowzer saw Jack on the couch, he leaped into the air and tried to land on his shoulders.

Jack saw Bowzer, but he was too late to avoid the leaping fox.

As Bowzer hit his mark, landing on Jack’s upper body, Jack was thrown backward off the couch, tumbling to the polished stone floor. Yet, Bowzer didn’t seem to notice and continued to lick Jack’s face clean.

Hearing Jack’s tumble, everyone came rushing into the great room, startled by the scene in front of them.

While Maynard and Rydel laughed at Jack, the girls all crowded Bowzer and started petting his new fur coat.

Still on top of Jack, Bowzer stopped licking Jack and gave the girls his attention. He let them pet him all over, proud of his colorful fur that was even softer and more protective than before.

"Bowzer, get off me!"

Realizing that he had Jack pinned, Bowzer nodded. ’Okay!’

Jack scrambled to his feet and wiped the slobber from his face. "Bowzer, you’re still a cute fox, but I don’t think you’ll be able to rest on my shoulders anymore."

’Huh?! Why not? Jack no let Bowzer rest on shoulder?’ begged the fox, showing everyone his big, puppy dog eyes.

"Aaaaah!" captivated by Bowzer’s cuteness, the girls proceeded to hug Bowzer tenderly.

’One second, Bowzer. You can play with the girls until I’m done’ Jack ordered mentally with an annoyed look on his face.

Since Bowzer was no longer interrupting him, Jack returned to his skill list and purchased a few things. One hundred skill points went to Pocket Dimension because he felt it was absolutely necessary. Another two hundred and forty skill points upgraded mana capacity and mana regeneration to lv. 5. Sixty skill points also went to upgrade health regeneration to lv. 4. Finally, Jack spent one hundred skill points on Blood Thrust and Blood Cross, leaving him with ten skill points.

It took him a few days to decide his spending strategy. In the end, he decided to play it safe and spend his points to strengthen his passive skills and low mana abilities rather than blow it all on a single, high-cost spell. Plus, now everyone had more mana to work with, meaning he would be better suited for when he finally bought peak tier spells.

Satisfied, Jack looked at saw Bowzer rolling around with the four women rubbing his belly.

For a moment, Jack felt a tinge of jealousy but said and did nothing.

Instead, he went downstairs. Sterfen had already told them that the egg could hatch anytime now. And since it was a once in a lifetime experience, Jack wanted to see the hydra hatch from its egg.

"Come down guys, or do you want to miss the show?"

Maynard and Rydel hurried behind Jack while the women slowly followed along. Soon, they were back in the giant room, watching Lunara in her hydra form pouring bottomless water type energy into the egg.

Sterfen was sitting on one of her hands, passing some of his energy to his tired wife. At this rate, the egg was glowing on its own, ready to hatch at any moment. Then, finally, the egg trembled a little.

 

Chapter 199

As the egg trembled, everyone shook in anticipation. They continued to wait another five minutes until it trembled again. Then it happened again in three minutes, one minute, ten seconds.

Now the shaking was constant, rocking back and forth as Lunara’s energy was being poured into it.

"Crack!"

Crackling sounds filled the large room, echoing off the walls. The shell started to break, with cracks slowly covering its surface.

"Crack! CRACK!!"

A piece of the eggshell fell to the floor, shattering on the stone floor. Another piece fell, doing the same. Now, there was a hole the size of a human head.

"...rrrraaaaaaa..."

A soft whine came from the egg, filling all eighteen of Lunara’s eyes with tears. She and Sterfen immediately stopped wasting their energy, taking a moment to catch their breaths and watch their daughter finally be born.

"...rrraaaaaa... RRRAAAA...."

The whining got louder as the shell continued to splinter and break apart. Finally, a single hydra head poked out from the now open shell. It’s baby blue scales beautifully reflected the magical lights of the room.

"...Rrrrraaaaa..."

"Linala..." Lunara’s voice trembled as she said her daughter’s name.

All of Lunara’s heads gradually surrounded the baby hydra as the rest of the shell was destroyed. It crawled around for a few minutes before it learned to use its cute, stubby legs. Recognizing Lunara as its mother, the baby hydra cuddled up to the giant mother hydra.

Sterfen also appeared next to the baby hydra, holding out his hand to pet her.

The baby hydra hesitated but soon felt a sense of familiarity with the man in front of her. That familiarity came from her bloodline, letting her know that the man’s blood was also running through her veins. She didn’t know how, but the baby didn’t question her instincts.

As Sterfen pet the baby hydra, he got closer until he was hugging her tenderly. It was as big as Bowzer’s adolescent form, so it curled its long body around Sterfen, happy to be pet.

Lunara then shrunk down to her human form and joined her husband in hugging their child. It was a moment that they had waited almost a thousand years to see. A moment they thought they would never have.

The others had watched the whole thing from the stairs, touched by the tenderness that both parents showed. Though gods were also imagined as all-powerful, this was a rare moment that showed how gods were just like everyone else. They would never forget that.

A few minutes passed until both parents carried their daughter to the stairs and then up to the great room.

Jack’s party followed them. They all wanted a turn to pet the baby hydra.

Another hour passed as Lunara cradled the baby, engraving this moment into her memories. Sterfen was beside her for most of the time, but also chatted with the others. He wanted to give his wife time with the baby since they would soon have to part.

"Here." Jack pulled out a velvet bag filled with EXP pots, startling Sterfen.

"You weren’t kidding when you said you had plenty," laughed the new father. "You should give them to her. That way she really will see you as her big brother. Otherwise, it may be hard to get her to listen to you while traveling."

"You have a good point."

"Jack, you’re my son now. I would rather treat you like the son I never had, then for it to just be a name. So, know that I’m entrusting your sister’s safety to you. If you need us, we’re just a call away." Sterfen smiled.

"Well, technically I didn’t have any parent in the first place since I was summoned here. If you’re serious about being my parents, I wouldn’t mind, Dad."

Moved and still emotional from the baby’s birth, Sterfen’s eyes watered a little bit. "My boy."

The father reached out and hugged his son, finally happy to have a son he can call his own. To make sure Jack knew that, a white glow surrounded Jack and seeped into him.

"There, now you’re truly my son. It’s not much, but now not even legend-tier items will be able to see through you. Just like me, you’re truly unreadable."

"Thanks, Dad." Jack hugged him again. "Is there anything in specific you want me to teach little Lina?"

Sterfen got a chuckle out of Jack’s nickname for Linala. "It’s up to her, but I’m a master of knives and illusion type magic while your mother is a master of water type magic and has her bestial form. If I’m not mistaken, little Lina should have both illusion type and water type magic. Help her surpass us, that’s all I ask."

"Will do, Dad."

"Well, since you’re all leaving, how about I say goodbye to your lovely wives and your future wives."

"Dad!"

"Come on, you know is fathers joy and responsibility to embarrass his son with the honest truth," joked Sterfen. "Take good care of all my daughters-in-law, it’ll be good for little Lina to have so many sisters."

He then hugged each of the girls one by one, thanking them for returning their daughter, as well as asking them to take good care of both his son and his daughter.

It made them all proud that Jack was officially the son of two gods. Even if he was adopted, it was still an honor that no one else had ever earned in history. And it was the man that they cared about the most.

Sterfen reached Maynard and said, "Make sure to tell Jin I said, ’Hi.’ Jin’s like a brother to me, so I know you’ll be in good hands."

"As for you," Sterfen looked to Rydel, the man who he had given his legend-tier blessing. "You’re traveling with my son, so I hope you represent me well."

"Of course, Master Sterfen."

"Good." He placed both hands on Rydel’s shoulders, giving him an encouraging nod. "I look forward to seeing and hearing all about the great things you’ve done in my name."

Another couple of hours passed and everyone trickled into the great room, where Lunara was now standing with a sad smile on her face.

Sterfen approached her and wrapped his arms around her. "Luna, everything will be fine. Our son will protect her and they can reach us if they ever need help. It’s time."

She nodded slowly, agreeing with her husband. Lunara walked to Jack. "Jack... no, Son, please take care of her."

"I’ll protect Lina with my life." Proceeding to take out the velvet bag of EXP pots, Jack retrieved one and placed it on Linala’s chest.

Linala, like any other baby, bit down on the EXP pot. But before she could swallow it, it glowed and disappeared as the EXP transferred to her.

The baby hydra started to grow, quickly becoming lv. 6 in an instant. Soon, Lunara was forced to put her down.

Jack pulled out another two EXP pots and put them on the ground for Linala to play with. Again, she bit down on them until both vanished and her level rose to lv. 14.

This process continued until seven EXP pots were used and Linala had grown to lv. 32.

Also, her body was now ten meters long from head to tail and she had three heads. Linala no longer acted like a baby, but she did seem shyer.

She noticed something strange about Jack. For some reason, Linala felt some both her father’s and her mother’s energy when she looked at Jack. Because of that, she slowly brushed her three heads against him, testing to see if he was friendly.

Jack pet all three of her heads. "Little Lina, I’m your big brother, Jack."

"Ja-ck?"

Everyone was startled. Linala had already said her first word, and it wasn’t they had expected.

Sensing that something was off, Jack pointed one of Linala’s heads toward Lunara. "That’s Mom, can you say hi?"

"Mom!"

Lunara felt like electricity had just run through her body. Hearing her newborn baby calling her that was too much.

"And that’s Dad, say hello."

"Dad! Hello!" Linala repeated anything Jack told her.

"Lina, for now, you’ll have to travel with me and your sisters."

"Sisters?" Linala saw Jack pointing at the other girls behind him. "Sisters!"

"Yes, they’re your sisters. I’ll keep you safe, together with your sisters and your uncles."

Linala saw the two middle-aged men in the back. "Uncles!"

"Yes, but now we have to say goodbye to Mom and Dad."

"Good-bye?"

"Yes, we won’t see them for a while, but we can talk to them whenever you want, okay?" Jack pet her heads and led her to Lunara and Sterfen. Once in from of them, he hugged one of her necks. "Make sure to hug them tight, just like this, okay Lina?"

"Hug!"

The young hydra wrapped one head around Jack, one around Lunara, and one around Sterfen.

Both parents were teary-eyed, happy that Jack was really acting like a big brother. They both felt a bit more at ease, glad to have chosen him of all people as the son they had always wanted.

"Little Lina, do you want to know something cool?" asked Lunara. As Linala nodded cutely, the mother leaned in and whispered something into her ear.

Suddenly, Linala started glowing bright blue and her form started shrinking. Just like her mother, Linala was able to take a human form. Normally, it was only possible for bestial gods, but having no mortal blood and being born a demihuman allowed her to inherit the ability naturally.

As she shrunk and the light started to fade, Lunara retrieved a blanket and covered her naked daughter.

Linala looked like a young, barely-teenage girl. She was small and cute, with bright blue hair, just like her mother.

Sterfen held up the blanket as Lunara helped Linala into a battle dress, made for both beauty and battle. At last, she handed her daughter a ring. "This is a special kind of spatial ring that will hide in your scales when you transform. That way, you won’t need to worry about it."

Sterfen threw Jack a ring as well. "There’s not much in there, but consider it a sort of early inheritance."

With a questioning look, Jack inspected the ring and almost had his eyes pop out of his skull.

Inside the ring were all kinds of gold, platinum, and luxury items for travel. Also, there were many water type and illusion type spellbooks, two of each kind.

Jack mumbled to himself, "Yeah, not much at all."

"One last thing," stated Lunara, staring at Maura. "By my godly authority, I hereby place you under my care, Maura Dyrshire."

Blue energy gather around Maura, gently merging with her, giving her a sense of comfort. It was over in but a moment and Maura quickly bowed. "Thank you, Mistress Linara."

"Please, you can call my Mom. You are my daughter-in-law and my daughter’s sister, after all," laughed Lunara, not thinking much of it.

Sterfen looked at them all and gave his final hug to his daughter, together with Lunara. "Little Lina, make sure to listen to Jack and your sisters. Do whatever they say, okay?"

"Okay, Dad! Okay, Mom!"

"Alright, now go and stand with them. We’ll send you off," stated Lunara, again with a smile filled with both sadness and hope.

When Linala ran to Jack’s side and grabbed his hand, Sterfen and Lunara also grabbed each other’s hand. Together, they recited, "To the base, we send you, to the place marked in the past. Down the mountain you’ll go, to the city you saw last."

White, blinding light filled the room, originating from Jack’s party. Like a bolt of lightning, the light appeared and disappeared in a blink of an eye.

Left alone in the great room, Lunara was crying into her husband’s shoulder. They were both tears of joy and sadness.

 

Chapter 200

White light surrounded the party, blocking their vision entirely.

It gradually faded away, but they could still only see white. It took them a moment, but the party soon realized that they were at the base of the Glacier Peak, not too far from Frostburn City.

Beneath them was an enchanted platform embedded in the mountain. It was impossible to find in the blizzard, but them being sent there must have blown away the snow covering it. However, the blizzard was making quick work of covering it back up.

Everyone immediately geared up and put on their warm clothing.

When they saw Linala start playing around in the snow, not caring about a jacket, they all laughed. The little girl was adorable, making it easy to forget that she was actually a beast with the most powerful hydra bloodline in the world.

"Big Brother, what is this?" Linala asked as she rolled around in the snow.

"That’s snow. Right now we’re in Aazoon, the coldest country in the world. There’s lots of snow here because it’s really cold. But look." Jack pointed at everyone else in the party. "See, most people can’t be here where it’s so cold. Can we play in the snow later, somewhere that’s not as cold?"

"Okay!" Lina nodded, happily agreeing since Jack promised to play with her.

"Everyone, let’s go get something to eat. We’ll reach Frostburn City by noon," stated Jack, taking the lead.

The mood was very relaxed since the strong beasts of Glacier Peak were behind them. With only the base of the mountain between then and the warm, artificial environment of Frostburn City, the party was happy.

Just like Jack said, they arrived at the capital just after noon and quickly got themselves a few rooms at a local inn.

Not wasting another minute, they all hurried to the tavern and made their orders. Maura took care of ordering for Lina, who was very curious about why everyone was so excited.

"Here’s your drinks. The food will be out shortly."

The waiter brought them all their drinks, mainly the local brundy and a big glass of milk for Lina. They all watched little Lina guzzle down the milk like there was no tomorrow. In the end, they ordered a whole pitcher of milk, slowly portioning it out to her.

Since it was a large inn with a decent-sized kitchen staff, the food came out quickly.

When it hit the table, everyone started to dig in.

Surprising them all, the first to finish was Lina, who was licking the plate clean. "More!"

"Lina, you need to say please when you ask for something. If not, you’ll be rude to others," stated Maura, taking the moment to educate the little girl.

"More, please!" Lina repeated with a nod.

Jack smiled and told the waiter, "She can order whatever she wants and however much she wants. Don’t worry about the cost."

"Sir, with such a large party already--" Just then, the waiter was cut off by Jack handing his a few gold coins under the table. "Very well, sir, we’ll bring out today’s special stew for the girl."

"Yay!" Lina shouted, smiling at Jack.

After seeing her almost empty a carton of milk and lick her plate clean, it was obvious to Jack that Lina’s appetite was enormous. Then again, he remembered her hydra form, which was almost big for the party to ride.

He tried to think of some sort of plan to handle her appetite, but only two came to mind.

The first option was what was currently happening, just order as much food as possible and don’t worry about the coin. Though Jack had enough money to do that, especially after Sterfen’s gift, that wouldn’t allow the party to be low profile.

The second option was for Jack to finally level up his cooking skill.

By cooking most meals, they could cut costs and the party would be able to blend in better with the other travelers. Jack would have to feed her enough so that she wouldn’t need more than a few plates at the taverns.

When the party left at the end of the night, Lina had drunk two and a half pitchers of milk and eaten ten separate dishes.

Everyone in the tavern was blown away, but Jack made sure to tip well in order to keep the staff from talking too much. The party left to one of their rooms to talk in private, letting the dinning room return to normal.

They all gathered in Jack’s room, wondering what was next, excited to meet another god.

"First, before we do any of that, me and Maura need to perform the pact and the mutual seal with Lina."

"Huh?"

"Lina, to help you get stronger faster, me and Maura are going to help you. But you have to let us do some things, okay?"

"Okay!"

"I’ll go first." Jack stepped forward and smiled at the girl. "Don’t worry, this doesn’t hurt."

Taking out a knife, Jack slit his finger, making Lina give him a weird look. But Jack continued, using his finger to draw the pact in blood on Lina’s forehead.

"Okay, now you need to bite your thumb and put a drop of blood where I just drew on your head," explained Jack.

With no hesitation, the girl obeyed Jack and bit her finger. In a flash, she pressed her thumb against her forehead and the blood slowly disappeared into her skin.

’Can you hear me, Lina?’

"Oh! I hear Big Brother in my head!" Amazed, the girl shouted back to Jack.

Jack laughed, along with the others. ’Silly girl, try and talk with your mind. Just think of words you want to say.’

’Like this?’

’Yeah, that’s perfect!’ Jack gave her a big thumbs up. ’Now we can talk without anyone else hearing. Or if you’re far away and need to talk to me, you can do it just like that.’

’You can also talk with all of us," added Eliza with a laugh.

’Really?! I can talk with sisters too, and uncles? Amazing!’

’Okay, now it’s my turn,’ said Maura. She stepped in front of Lina while Jack stepped to the side.

’Both of you please be patient with me. I’m still new to writing seals, so I won’t be too fast,’ stated Jack.

True to his word, Jack took his time drawing the bestial seals. Luckily, Lina’s physical body was incredible, so she felt little to no pain during the procedure. Soon, the seal was over and successful.

"What does this one do?" asked Lina.

Maura answered, "This seal lets you and me be like partners. We’ll share EXP and grow faster together."

"EXP?"

"That’s what you get after winning fights and battles," added Eliza. As Jack’s wife, she made it her duty to cherish Lina. "You’re so strong already, but you can only be as strong as your mom and dad by getting a lot of EXP."

"Oh! So I need to fight a lot, I can do that!" Lina was pumped up. She was excited to get strong like her parents, though she wouldn’t be if she knew how long it would take.

"We’ll do it together. From now on, we’ll fight together, you and me. Okay, Lina?" asked Maura.

"Okay! I’ll fight together with Sister Maura."

"Now, we can move on," stated Jack. "I’ve got to make a detour to the palace. We’ll be leaving in the morning, so I wanted to say goodbye one last time."

’Then I’m coming too!" shouted Maura. "I want to say goodbye to Erina."

"Oh, then I go too!" shouted Lina, latching onto Jack’s coat.

"Fine, but no one else. You all need to make sure we have supplies for the trip through the tundra. We had it easy getting here, but we need all the grinding we can get," said Jack. "Everyone already has snow stallions, but ask around and try to get a map of the tundra."

"We’ll take care of that." Both Maynard and Rydel nodded.

Turning to the other three women, Jack asked, "Can you all search for all the high-tier and peak-tier spells you can find. The more, the better."

"And the cost?" asked Keela.

"Knowing Eliza, she’s got plenty on her and I’ll pay her back for whatever the costs were."

Eliza nodded. "That’s fine with me. Tell little Erina I said goodbye, okay?"

"I’ll tell her," replied Maura, who was walking to Jack’s side. She grabbed Lina’s other hand. "Are you ready to go, Lina?"

"Mhm, let’s go! To the palace!"

"Silly Lina, you don’t know where to go," added Jack, keeping her from running out of the room without them. "We’ll lead the way, so just hold both of our hands."

"Okay, I’ll hold Big Brother’s hand too!"

The three casually left, leaving smiles wherever they went. With Lina’s natural beauty and her acting not quite her age, she was adorable to the older travelers and they all thought she was Jack’s and Maura’s daughter.

Many made small comments along those lines, making both Maura and Jack blush, but Lina was unfazed. She was happy to go to the palace.