Ch. 271..280

Chapter 271

With Appa flying at full speed, there was no one nearby that could keep up. And for anyone that saw the massive bird rocketing through the sky, they were too busy with the white-hot forest fire.

The party flew for an entire day, continuing through dusk. They were too preoccupied with worry to bother changing out of their tattered, bloodied clothes.

Eventually, Rydel had stopped trying to dowse his emotions in alcohol. Dirk stopped with the first bottle while Rydel managed to go through most of his personal stash. Eliza stayed vigilant with Jack resting on her lap, waiting for the moment he opened his eyes.

Beside Eliza laid Bowzer, who now appeared to be sleeping soundly in place of lying unconscious. Eliza occasionally ran her fingers through his fur, always amazed by how soft it was considering it was able to burst into flames but was never dry or rough.

Entering the second day of travel, the three party members were all caught up in what to do next.

Dirk was the first to voice a question, "So... What happens next? We’re not heading for Trodar, so where are we going?"

"Prachten," answered Rydel, hungover and grumpy. "We’re joining our other party members in Prachten and... we’ll be cutting off their supply lines from Churstin."

"Supply lines? Churstin’s aiding Prachten?"

"It’s within the grey area of the war pact, so if they’re found out it’s... not exactly condemning," Rydel stammered in his uncaring state. "Also, it should be easier than dealing with your presto of a general... and that pervert Trank."

"That’s good, I guess." Dirk took a moment to think before touching a more sensitive topic. "So... When are we going to bury the--"

"We’re not burying them."

Both Rydel and Dirk stiffened as Eliza cut in, "We’re not burying them. Once Jack wakes up, we’ll bring them back."

"Being them back? But that’s impossible--"

"Nothing’s impossible. Not with Jack," stated Eliza as if trying to convince yourself.

"She’s may have a point... You know?" Rydel coughed. "We already have a way to revive one person... But I don’t know what to do about the other."

"What?!" Dirk’s mind was getting overwhelmed. He had already been amazed when he saw Eliza, Rydel, and Jack come back from death the moment they died, so he somewhat accepted the thought of resurrecting the dead. "Then... How exactly are we doing that? Is it some powerful spell or an item?"

"That depends. Jack’s got ways of knowing these things and finding artifacts and tombs. If anyone can revive a fallen ally... then it’s Jack."

"Jack can do it. I’m sure," restated Eliza, combing Jack’s hair with her fingers.

"By the way, Eliza... Do you know how Jack got a Phoenix Lily? Or why Keela didn’t have hers?" asked Rydel.

"I... I may have given my lily to Jack." Eliza didn’t hide anything. "I gave him a letter that he swore never to open unless I was ever killed."

"Hmmm... And Keela?"

"She... Keela gave me a letter too, but I didn’t expect her to pull something like that..." Following instructions, Eliza took out Keela’s envelope. She opened it up to find a storage ring hidden with the letter. "She... Because of her, I’m..."

"Eliza, don’t blame yourself, okay?" Rydel stopped Eliza from saying more. "If Keela did that, then sho chose to. Don’t blame yourself for something... she wanted to give you."

The enchantress remained silent, struggling to accept both Rydel’s words and the clear intent Keela’s actions showed.

Dirk paid close attention to the two of them. He could tell that there was more to this party than meets the eye.

The swordsman understood that this wasn’t just a team put together for a mission. It was a true party made up of comrades who cared for each other. Everyone had a function and it was well balanced. And now that he knew some party members weren’t present, Dirk was wondered if this party may be one of the strongest under lv. 40. He also grew curious about the remaining party members and who they would be.

Then he realized something. These last two conscious party members are going to have to break the news to the others upon arrival.

"Why are you so quiet now?" Rydel chuckled. "It’s not like you knew either of them."

"I..." chuckling with Rydel, Dirk put up his hands. "I’m sorry. I just... I was thinking about how tough your current situation is."

"This isn’t the first time a party member died, you know?" stated Rydel. "Though we failed to bring her back to life, Jack got a special item while trying to. Now, we can resurrect someone else thanks to that."

"Sounds like Jack really cares about his party members."

"In my opinion, he cares too much... Like an overbearing parent," Rydel’s chuckles continued. "When we first started this mission... he was terrified to fight you guys directly. He refused any sort of plan that would put us in immediate danger of death."

"Really?" Dirk struggled to believe that. "But this is war?"

"Jack’s got a lot of experience, but he’s also very different. In the past, he would only fight by himself and never worried about others..." The hunter paused as he caught himself in a tangent. "Sorry, I shouldn’t talk about Jack’s past without his--"

"Please, continue."

Rydel turned to see Eliza’s sincere gaze melting through his reluctance to say more. "Fine... But only cause his wife said so. I’ll blame you when he finds out."

"In the past, Jack gained quite a reputation... But he did it alone. He rarely worked with others, and it was never... as comrades," Rydel explained the little he had learned from his heart-to-heart conversation with Jack. "He gained that reputation without intending to... And now he’s a summoned hero that struggles to believe he’s a hero..."

"So... Jack really is that summoned hero from the rumors?" Dirk couldn’t help but ask, even after witnessing Bowzer reveal himself as a Hell-flame Fox.

With a nod, Rydel continued, "Yup, that’s him. He’s a great kid, but he’s not as strong as you give him credit... Sure, he’s dependable in a fight and I trust him with my life... But under that confidence, he hides doubt and worry."

Then, Rydel laughed again while pointing at Dirk. "Are you wondering why Jack didn’t actually burn Zurden to the ground? Or wondering why he didn’t have me use that crazy spell back at the camp?"

"Yeah... I’m definitely curious."

"Because he’s not only worried about his party but everyone." Rydel smiled warmly. "That kid... who can command a Hell-flame Fox and use its powers for himself... doesn’t want to be known for strength through destruction. He refused to destroy Zurden, even after I asked him to do it."

Startled by Rydel’s statement, Dirk didn’t know how to reply.

"I was born and raised as a kid in Trodar, just beyond the border of Limneer..." Rydel didn’t wait for Dirk to question his opinion and just explained it outright. "My village and many others were razed to the ground by Limneer troops without mercy. My father was strong enough to get us away... but he lost his arm in the process. We were forced to move to Gilga and his only choice for work was hard labor after losing his arm, barely making a living... Eventually, we fled Trodar for something better, but we only escaped the border patrols thanks to my dad’s sacrifice..."

"I’m sorry..."

"Don’t be, you weren’t even a soldier at the time."

Swallowing some saliva trapped in his throat, Dirk replied, "I wasn’t a soldier yet, but I’ve been serving under the man who caused you that turmoil."

"What?" The warmth in Rydel’s face vanished as Rydel stared holes into Dirk. "You mean General Toms, don’t you?"

"Correct... He’s always been the greatest orchestrator of the war," explained Dirk. "He was the man the nobles chose to direct the war and gave him full control to do whatever was necessary, at least that’s how Toms always stated it."

Rydel ceased speaking, only looking back to the no-longer-visible army.

Eliza kept her thoughts to herself. Since the two men were discussing other matters, Eliza pondered Rydel’s statement about Jack’s worries and self-doubts, wondering what she could do to help remove them.

Chapter 272

Inside the tavern of a small inn, three people sat at a large table waiting for their dinner to arrive.

"Big Sis, I’m hungry."

"Lina, the food is on its way. You don’t have to wait much longer."

"Just drink your juice. Ya know ya can have as much as ya want."

Almost on cue, three waiters approached the table, each carrying a large tray filled with hot plates. "I’m sorry for the long wait, but the kitchen made sure all of your food was cooked to perfection."

"Yay! I’m so hungry!" Lina grabbed her fork and knife and stared longingly at the food being placed in front of her.

The waiters started to scatter the dishes across the entire table, but Maynard laughed, "Put them all in front of her. Just place my steak and her stew by us."

They didn’t question Maynard’s statement, only doing as he said with a smile. This was not the first time the waiters had witnessed the little girl’s outrageous appetite or the group’s unrivaled tips. "Very well. Enjoy!"

While Lina began her nightly feast, Maynard and Maura chatted.

"Do you think they’ll be okay?" asked Maura. "I know they’re strong, but they’re up against an army. Wouldn’t it have been better if you had joined them? Then, maybe Rydel could stay here and gather information by himself?"

"Listen, Maura, Jack chose the teams and I agree with his decision," Maynard replied in between bites. "Ya should just eat your stew before it gets cold. And don’t worry about them so much."

"But if we--"

"Maura, even if Rydel would be better suited them me for gathering information here, he’s much better as a scout and informant when dealing with an army," Maynard continued. "Ya forget about his experience in our wars back in Reinolt. I’m just good for killing things, though I am jealous that I couldn’t fight my way through an army of soldiers. That I’ll admit."

The young woman took a few bites before asking, "But we haven’t been able to learn much here... We both specialize in offense, not stealth."

"But I’ve been able to teach ya a lot while we’ve been here," stated Maynard. "Ya have improved your techniques plenty cause of that. And who else can watch over Lina? Ya want her to face an army?"

"No... I’m just... I’m just jealous..."

"Oh, ya finally admitted it! It’s about time! Come on, let’s celebrate with a drink!"

"Maynard, I’m not your drinking buddy like Rydel. I’m your student and fellow party member. Also, I have to care for Lina, so I’m not spending the night with you at the bar," stated Maura, as if repeating something she had said many times before.

"Come on... What good is drinking when ya drink alone." Feigning disappointment, Maynard tried to make Maura feel guilty.

"Big Sis, I want dessert!"

Lina’s shout caused them both to find her surrounded by empty platters with a big smile on her face.

"Of course, but only one tonight. We can’t let you have too much sugar," replied Maura, giving Maynard the cold shoulder.

"Oh... But I’m still hungry?" pouted the young girl.

"Lina, would you rather not have any dessert?"

"No! I want cake!" shouted Lina. "But I also want pie, and pudding, and--"

"You can only choose one." Maura remained firm.

"Fine... I’ll have the cake!"

Like clockwork, a member of wait staff arrived waiting for Lina’s dessert order. He humbly bowed and took his gold coin tip before hurrying back to the kitchen. In moments, he was walking back to their table with a large, high-rise cake. "There you, go, little missy."

"Lina, what do you say?"

"Thank you!" The girl shouted it only a fraction of a second before her fork plunged into the layered cake.

Happy to see his well-paying customers content, the waiter left with a bow.

"Can’t I get a pie too?" Lina pled with frosting all over her face.

"Nope, you only get one dessert. So hurry and finish your cake. It’s almost bedtime."

"Okay..." Lina pouted but only momentarily before she filled her mouth with more and more cake. She had no clue that when most kids get one dessert, they would get only one slice and not one whole dessert. But she would never come to terms with such a thing, and Maura understood that.

’Guys, go to the northwest forest outside of Talmook. We’ll be arriving soon.’

"Yay! Big Bro’s coming back!" Lina shouted with joy as she paused her eating at the sound of Rydel’s statement.

"Shhhh!" Both Maura and Maynard put a finger to their lips as Lina giggled innocently.

’We’ll leave now. See ya soon,’ Maynard happily responded.

"Now hurry and finish your cake, Lina. If you want to see Jack, then you’ll have to..."

Maura never finished that sentence as Lina had finished the cake in record time. She had activated her devour ability and practically inhaled what was left, but they were wouldn’t be staying there any longer so Maynard and Maura only laughed at the sight.

Lina gladly grabbed Maura’s hand and pulled her through the city at a breakneck pace. Passersby were startled by the young girl’s tremendous speed while Maura and Maynard were either dragged by the hand or running just behind her.

After ten minutes of running, the three of them had entered the forest and were deep enough to not be easily seen.

’Okay, we’re here and ready for ya.’

’Give us a few minutes. We’ll be there shortly.’

’Big Bro!’ Lina struggled to contain her excitement. ’Big Bro, you’re almost here!’

When no reply came, Lina only kept speaking, ’Big Bro? Big Broooo?"

Lina continued her mental questioning, intent on getting her big brother to respond. At the same time, Maynard and Maura felt that something was off.

Rydel’s tone of voice was neutral and detached. There was no emotion behind the few words he said. And with Jack not responding to Lina of all people, both of them started to worry about what may have happened.

’Big Brooooo? BIG BRO!’

"Lina, that’s enough." Maura knelt beside the girl and patted her head. "What if Jack’s tired after everything they did and fell asleep? Do you want to wake him up?"

"No... Maybe..." Lina was indecisive, not good at hiding her feelings.

"Lina, let’s just wait for them to arrive, okay? That way, Jack can get a bit more sleep before he sees his cute little sister."

"I am pretty cute, aren’t I?" Lina laughed. "Okay, I’ll wait."

’Do ya really think Jack is just sleeping?’ Maynard mentally asked Maura.

Maura smiled back at Lina while responding, ’I doubt it... But our pacts are still working, so he’s not dead.’

’True.’ Maynard nodded while he looked up to the sky. ’I guess it could’ve been worse, considering he’s at least alive. But what about the others?’

’... I’d rather not imagine things like that.’

’Just a thought.’

Thinking back to Rydel’s deadpan words, Maynard already had some assumptions as to what happened in Limneer. He knew Rydel well and Maynard understood how Rydel spoke whenever the hunter was hiding or prolonging something. And it was always in that same deadpan tone.

Lina did her best to wait patiently, but she quickly started pacing and marching around while staring at the sky through the trees. "When are they gonna get here?"

"Calm down, Lina. They’ll be here soon," stated Maura, who had started imagining the worst. She was reluctant to do so, but she couldn’t stop herself in such a situation. All she could do was hope that her friends were alright, no matter how grim her thoughts were.

After a few minutes had passed with what felt like the speed of hours, the three of them all saw a large bird come into view. It got bigger and bigger until it descended right in front of them.

"Big Bro!" Lina couldn’t hold herself back any longer and jumped onto the bird’s back. She had tunnel vision as she hugged Jack’s unconscious body.

Maura and Maynard, on the other hand, were at a loss of words as their breath was stolen by the sight before them.

 

Chapter 273

"No..."

Only one word managed to escape Maura’s lips. Her eyes were torn as to what they wanted to see, Jack’s unconscious body beside a resting Bowzer or the corpses of Daliea and Keela.

"Big Bro?" Lina finally noticed that something was wrong when Jack wasn’t waking up. "What’s wrong..."

The young girl’s tunnel vision was shattered as she looked up to see Eliza in her bloodied dress. "Big Sis Eliza... What happened?"

"Lina... I’m sorry." Eliza pulled the girl into a hug, letting her tears fall onto Lina’s shoulder.

Looking over Eliza, Lina noticed a man she didn’t recognize sitting next to Rydel, who was also wearing clothes covered in dry blood. Lina then looked down behind Eliza, recognizing the lifeless bodies of her two other "sisters".

"Big... Sis..." The little girl had no hope of holding back tears. Her eyes instantly puffed up and filled with water. "Big Sis... What happened?"

"I’m sorry, Little Lina... I’m sorry..."

"Lina," Rydel spoke up, "Things didn’t go as we planned. It was a lot harder than we expected."

"Uncle Rydel..." Lina struggled to get the words out as her mind tried to accept the terrible sight in front of her eyes. "They’ll be okay... right?"

"I... don’t know," Rydel answered honestly. "We would need Jack for that, but he’s been unconscious since his fight with a bounty hunter."

"Bounty hunter?" Maynard questioned. "Ya guys had bounty hunters chasing ya?"

"Yeah."

"What about the army?"

"It’s been delayed."

"So ya were successful, then?"

"... Yes. The mission was a success." Rydel looked to Maura’s forlorn face, not sure how he should explain everything.

"Allow me to explain. That might make things easier." Dirk stood up and introduced himself, "My name’s Dirk, the former assistant to General Toms of the Limneer army."

"Former assistant?" Maynard was blown away by the man’s reputation.

"Correct. I’ve decided to aid Trodar in ending these wars as peacefully as possible," Dirk continued. "As for what happened, the army was successfully delayed and the party managed to escape them. However, the bounty hunters that General Toms hired caught up with us."

"Daliea," Dirk pointed to the grey-skinned girl, "had used up all of her mana and had already consumed multiple elixirs in order to make the delay possible without harming the innocent citizens of Limneer. That left her vulnerable and the leader of the bounty hunters made sure to exploit her weakness."

"Keela," he next pointed at the cleric, "gave her life protecting Eliza. And apparently, she had also given her means of self-resurrection to Eliza as well, effectively trading her life for Eliza’s. She also was the only one who could directly counter the bounty hunter’s stunning abilities, making her a prime target to remove as quickly as possible."

Dirk continued as if he were giving a military report, not paying mind to the sorrowful expressions of the others at the moment, "Jack eventually managed to kill the leader of the bounty hunters while Bowzer went on a rampage and slaughtered the remaining bounty hunters under that man. Also, the fox started the worst forest fire that Limneer has ever seen in all its history. However, I’d guess that both of them were left quite weak after the encounter, especially Jack after all of the damage that he took. Hence, both of them have been either resting for days on end or remaining entirely unconscious."

"... So, ya betrayed your superior to help make this possible?" asked Maynard, who like Rydel was more experienced in the tragedies of war.

"Correct. I made sure to lead the general and the army along to a certain point where the Rydel and the others could make their move, finally giving the general no choice but to delay his invasion," explained Dirk. "Also, I was offered a home for my family in Trodar and a job within the Leisure Guild."

"Then where’s your family now?"

"Already in Gilga," replied Dirk. "Jack was kind enough to bring the guild leader as their personal escort. He teleported them away before the final plan was underway."

"Then your family is out of harm’s way and we have no reason to go back to Limneer as of yet..." While the others were filled with sorrow, Maynard began to emit a near-palpable blood-lust. "I guess I’ll have to slaughter that general some other time."

Though Dirk was familiar with Toms and his strength, he couldn’t deny the sense of fear he felt when Dirk saw Maynard’s crazed eyes and the samurai’s unwaning desire to kill. The former assistant still didn’t believe that Maynard could do the general in so easily, but he felt that the samurai would possibly give the general the fight of a lifetime.

"Either way, we’re stuck with what to do next," Rydel interjected, calming Maynard slightly and gathering everyone’s attention. "Remember, Jack has a life spring jewel."

"Right, we can bring back... one of them..." Maura struggled to admit the harsh reality.

With a nod, Maynard continued, "Jack will wake up but we’re not sure when. Last time it took him a week, and I think he took far more damage this time around so it could likely take even longer for him now."

"But the life spring jewel can only revive someone within a week of their death," Maynard picked up on Rydel’s train of thought. "Ya think we’ll have to choose who lives and who doesn’t since Jack won’t wake up in time, right?"

"No..." Eliza mumbled to herself as the thought of choosing returned to her mind. And it was only made worse that they were the ones to choose and bear the burden, not Jack.

"That’s right," nodded Rydel. "Also, we don’t currently have a way to preserve the bodies, so we’ll have to choose quickly."

"But... how can we?" asked Maura, struggling to process everything.

"Sadly, I have to think about what’s best for the party. And if you remember that we need to go to Korten..."

"Then it would be best to have Daliea come back." Maynard didn’t hide his opinion or soften his voice in any way.

"But what about Keela?" Eliza’s conscience forced her to ask, even if she couldn’t refute their argument. "We can’t just... let her die."

"Eliza, it’s not that we don’t want Keela back," explained Maynard, "but we’ll probably need Daliea if we want to be successful in Korten. That’s just how things are, we can’t change that."

"I’ll be honest," Dirk’s unexpected voice broke the debate. "Nearly every party in Kartonia would have to let both of them go. In my life, I’ve had to say goodbye to countless comrades in arms. You guys being able to revive even one of them... That’s a miracle that everyone else in the world would die for."

Taking Dirk’s opinion to heart, everyone else remained silent for a while.

Only Lina who was willing to speak up, "But... I don’t want to say goodbye to Big Sis Keela..."

Maura tried to wipe some of her tears as she climbed onto Appa. She nestled up to Eliza and Lina, throwing her arms around them both. "It’ll be okay... Sometimes... fate’s not too nice to us. But other times, fate’s really nice to us. You don’t remember it, but when you were an egg, you were stolen, right?"

"Right..."

"Your mom and dad thought they lost you forever. They eventually gave up on finding you after hundreds of years. But we found you and we helped you hatch. That’s also because of fate," stated Maura.

"So fate... is good and bad?"

"Yes, Lina... it is." Eliza lifted her head and shared a sad smile with Maura. "Fate has a lot of hellos and goodbyes..."

"Ya will never forget the goodbyes, but ya can always focus on the hellos," added Maynard with a chuckled.

"Focus on hellos... But I still don’t want to say goodbye." The stubborn girl shook her head.

"Lina, sometimes fate doesn’t give us a choice... Or it gives us a really hard one, like now." Tears continued to fall from Eliza’s cheeks as she hugged Lina and Maura even tighter. "I don’t want to say goodbye either, but I have to say it too... Maybe if we say it together, it will be easier."

"... Okay..." Lina wiped her tears and looked at the smile left of Keela’s face. "Goodbye, Big Sis Keela."

Maura and Eliza couldn’t hold back any longer. The floodgates were forced open and they let all their tears spill unimpeded.

"Big Sis Eliza, you said together..."

"Okay..."

"Me too..."

Eliza and Maura repositioned themselves around Lina, letting the three of them have a good look a Keela’s smile.

"Goodbye, Keela..."

Together, the three girls embraced each other as they were forced to begrudgingly accept the truth.

"Bye, Keela," Rydel added with a bow of the head.

Maynard held both sheathed swords and formally bowed. "Goodbye, Keela."

Dirk watched with moist eyes as the party members each took their turn saying their goodbyes. If he had any doubts about their loyalty to each other before, they were all eradicated by witnessing this sorrowful event.

 

Chapter 274

"You were quite reckless, you know? You know...?"

"Hmmm..." Jack groaned as a voice echoed between the walls of his skull like they were canyon walls.

"Get up already. You know it’s me," berated the voice. "Who else could speak with you while you remained unconscious?"

Fighting with his mind, Jack managed to open his eyes. He was startled to see such a vibrant, bright blue sky. As he sat up, Jack noticed a not-too-distant sun peeking over the clouds. It was an unusual place to be, but Jack soon remembered that he had seen it before.

"Daruun... What’s up? And... I’m unconscious?"

The god walked over to Jack and patted the hero on the back. "First, congratulations! You’ve accomplished the first step to gaining control over Trodar, albeit you nearly destroyed your body and mind while doing so. You just had to go and forcefully use a spell you knowingly didn’t have enough mana to cast, didn’t you?"

"Shut up... I lost two party members to make that happen," Jack stated angrily.

"No, you lost one party member," corrected Daruun. "While you’ve been unconscious, your party took it upon themselves to use the life spring jewel and revive Daliea."

"What?!" Finally standing up, Jack met Daruun’s gaze. "What exactly is going on right now? Tell me that first before I get too mad to listen."

"Good... You’re making progress." Happy to see Jack a bit more open, Daruun threw his arm around Jack’s shoulder. The god waved his hand, causing the scenery around them to shift and recreate a past event.

Jack loosened up as he saw Rydel, Eliza, and Dirk meet back up with Maynard, Maura, and Lina. He saw their conversation. He felt their pain and matched some of their tears. He struggled to keep it together when he saw Eliza and Maura lose completely to their emotions.

Next, he saw Eliza retrieve the life spring jewel from Jack’s storage ring. She knelt beside Daliea’s body and poured some mana into the jewel.

Everyone was startled as the jewel shattered instantly, but they were reassured when all of its energy poured into Daliea, filling her with vitality once again. After a few moments passed, her chest began to rise ad fall, proving to everyone that the goblin girl was breathing yet again.

The scene began to fade, returning to the cloudy landscape as the party gathered around the sleeping Daliea.

"Please tell me you noticed your unconscious body lying at the side?"

"Yeah... I saw it."

"Good, then you should understand that right now you’re still unconscious," explained Daruun. "I’m not here to answer any questions, I’m just here to check up on you."

"To check up on me?" Jack gave Daruun a strange look. "Since when did you care about me personally and not just my duties as your champion?"

Daruun shook his head. "Jack, I’ve always cared about you. In fact, you don’t know it but I’ve also been watching you, even your entire life prior to your acceptance of my quest."

"I call bull..."

Before Jack could curse the god, the clouds reshaped and showed a young man sitting at a makeshift computer desk in his tiny bedroom. The computer was old even for the late 2000’s, but the young preteen didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. All he cared about was his ability to play his favorite game, "A Hero’s Tale".

"This... How is this..."

"Like I’ve always said, I have seen everything past and future, as well as everywhere," stated the god, not surprised by Jack’s stupor. "If you remember correctly, this was the first day that--"

"This was my first day playing "A Hero’s Tale", but how can you..." Feeling assaulted with the new information, Jack’s current understanding of Daruun was broken beyond recognition. "Aren’t you just... A god from Kartonia?"

"Well... technically no."

"What?!"

"If you want me to better answer that question, then you’ll need to use your tutorial stone’s last charge. I can activate it in your place if you’d like?" Daruun smiled.

"I... But won’t I..."

"It’s your choice, but you already know what to do until you’ve joined the Trodan Council. By then, maybe you’ll find another tutorial stone, who knows?" laughed Daruun.

"You would..." Jack mumbled to himself. After realizing that Daruun had seen not only Jack’s life in Kartonia but his growing years back in his homeworld, Jack’s opinion of Daruun changed instinctively. Before, Jack felt that he was only a pawn to the fate that Daruun had given him, but now... Jack wasn’t sure what to feel.

Following his gut, Jack asked, "Daruun, can you tell me about your origins and how you’re tied to Kartonia if you’re not from here?"

Daruun chuckled, "Since that’s your question, I’ll give you an answer. But only if you’re truly open to me and my insights. Do you promise to follow my guidance and not act like an ignorant, spoiled child?"

"Yeah... I’m sorry about that. If I had followed your guidance, I could’ve used Spacial Disruption to counter Trank’s insane speed, right?"

"Correct."

Jack took a deep breath before he humbly bowed. "Daruun, as your champion, I’ll do better to follow your guidance."

"Good. Now, let’s take a seat before I ramble on about myself." The god waved his hand, creating some simple but comfortable chairs for the two of them. Between the chairs was a small table with a bottle of wine and two glasses already poured. "Please, help yourself."

Jack and Daruun grabbed their glasses. They took a sip, shocking Jack’s senses with its divine taste.

"First and foremost, I accept your apology," stated Daruun. "I know how stubborn you are as well as your ignorance towards authority, something you’ve always shown a tendency of with your parents."

Shrugging his shoulders, Jack took another sip of the heavenly wine in place of responding.

"As for my origins, they aren’t much," Daruun continued. "I come for an impoverished world in the corner of this sector. I grew up in a humble family and eventually had my--"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Jack put up his hands in protest. "What do you mean by ’world in the corner of this sector’?"

"Right. Allow me to explain the galaxy’s general layout first," stated Daruun, stealing what was left of Jack’s attention.

"The galaxy is made up of twenty-eight sectors, eight at its core and twenty others surrounding them. Both of us come from sector twenty-six on the edge of the galaxy. That’s where my homeworld, your homeworld, and Kartonia are all located. Each sector is then divided into districts and then into systems. All three of these worlds are located within the Fate District, but each is in a different system, as each system has upwards of a dozen worlds."

Following along hurt Jack’s brain, which wasn’t expecting Daruun to share that big of a picture.

"Like I said earlier, my world was impoverished in comparison to the others, even worse off than yours," explained Daruun.

"Wait, WAIT!!" Again, Jack put up his arms in protest. "What do you mean worse off than mine?"

"Jack, that’s an entirely different question for another time. Unless you don’t want me to answer your original question, I’d suggest that you either find more tutorial stones or find my temple. Either will work."

With that over with, Daruun continued, "As I was saying, my world didn’t have much to offer. There was no means of communication or travel between it and its neighboring planets. And it offered people little to no means of growing stronger and eventually breaking through the void between worlds."

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA! Are those things supposed to be commonplace?!"

"For the sectors closer to the galaxy’s center, they’re mostly commonplace. For sectors like ours, I’d say it’s about fifty-fifty at most," Daruun explained. "Anyways, my world lacked a means of growing stronger and we couldn’t even attempt to create technology that could reach another planet, let alone fly. The world was more primitive then Kartonia in that regard."

Jack patiently sat down. He was glad Daruun had given him a chair, otherwise, he may have fallen over after getting hit with such outstanding information.

 

Chapter 275

"I grew up with nothing. My family consisted of my father, my mother, and myself, but I rarely saw either of them. I had been sent away to nearby mines to work for a wage given to my parents. Though I hated it as a child, I have to thank them when looking back." Daruun showed a sad smile. "Because of that hard manual labor, I grew to be quite strong for my age.

"However, as years passed and I was sent from one mine to the next, eventually something happened without my knowledge. My parents had been killed for the savings they had amassed from my earnings. I don’t know what they had planned to do with that money, but I’ll never know so I don’t like to think about that too much."

Jack listened closely, surprised that the all-seeing god came from such a lowly beginning.

"The mine I was working in didn’t tell me about their deaths. They kept working me until the mine was depleted, acting as if they had been sending money back home. I only found out the truth when I returned home and found that another family had moved into our small, dilapidated home...

"They didn’t tell me anything, only shooing me away. I had to track down a distant neighbor that worked with my dad in order to find the truth. But... I wasn’t even sad about my parents’ passing. After growing up in that forsaken world, my fourteen-year-old self thought it was just part of life, or fate if you will," stated Daruun.

"That was the first occurrence that had me pondering what fate was. At the time, I believed that fate was a destiny of sorts as if it were something that I was just born into and had no say or control over.

"My stubborn and foolish self believed that my parents’ passing must have been a way to let go of the past as if I was born for something greater. With that in mind, I made it my mission to find the largest city I could and prove myself capable of living a better life than my parents in every way possible."

Daruun paused his story to take a satisfying sip of wine. "Are you keeping up? Or should I slow it down a tad?"

"No, I’m following along fine. Don’t worry, if I have any questions then I’ll let you know," Jack joined Daruun in taking a sip but he hadn’t stop imagining the god’s ongoing story playing out in front of him.

With Jack keeping up, Daruun continued, "It took me two years of travel and wandering to reach Bragdor, a city the size of Zurden in the center of one of my home planet’s many deserts. There, I was sure that I would leave my mark on society and prove successful.

"And no, I didn’t have any idea what I was going to do next," chuckled Daruun, understanding what was going through Jack’s attentive mind.

"I ended up working more manual labor with a merchant company. After proving I was smart enough to count and loyally working with them for a year, the owner started to take a liking to me. He started to teach me how to read and write, showing me that I can work with my brain and not just my body.

"After another year, I was then placed in charge of organizing the man’s storehouse. I was to make sure everything was accounted for and was in its proper place," explained Daruun. "The owner had practically become a father figure to me, a boy now eighteen years of age. And since I proved capable of working well with numbers and was also his strongest employee by far, the man had instinctively started treating me better, like a son of sorts.

"He allowed me to live with him in his large home and eat with his family..." Daruun paused again, this time taking a deep breath. "That’s where I met Turmea for the first time. She was the owner’s daughter, and he always kept her hidden away at home to protect her. She was the most beautiful person I had ever seen..."

Since Daruun had paused again, Jack asked, "Was the owner okay with the two of you being together?"

"Not at first... It took more time to convince him I was not only capable of providing for her but that I truly loved her. He was an incredible man, unlike every other greedy man on that miserable rock of a planet.

"When I started pursuing her, he wasn’t directly against it, he only kept us from rushing into something without developing true emotions first," Daruun explained with a smile. "And once Turmea started to reciprocate my feelings, her father took it on himself to teach me everything there was to become a merchant. He showed me how to manage costs, negotiate deals, plan for travels, and anything else involved in the business. He hid nothing from me. Soon, I was his right-hand man, as well as his son-in-law.

"That time of happiness ended not much later," Daruun stated as the smile fell from his face.

"After I had the privilege of marrying my wife, Mea, my reputation as the greatest merchant’s right-hand man and possible successor became known throughout the city. One night I was wandering the streets in a shadier part of town, uncaring of my growing reputation. That was the first time I was confronted with a dubious offer. They asked me to help them raid the man’s storehouse and I’d get half the profit in return.

"I told them no without hesitation and walked away, not listening to anything else they had to say. They tried to hold me back, but I was more than strong enough to deal with those muscleheads.

"When I came home I didn’t mention it to my father-in-law, though in hindsight I most definitely should’ve," sighed Daruun. "One week later, the same thing happened in a different part of town, only they had brought more muscle to try and keep me in check. I beat my way out of that encounter and did my best to keep it hidden from my father-in-law.

"He would’ve found out eventually through the rising rumors, but it happened a third time in the middle of the city market. But that time it was the men of the city’s second-largest merchant. They pulled me aside to make sure our conversation wasn’t witnessed by the masses, offering me everything that my father-in-law owned so long as I helped run him out of business.

"Like always, I said no. But that time I didn’t have to fight my way out. They let me go without any objection. However, they told me I had one week to accept the offer as I walked away."

Jack was engrossed in the story, forgetting about his original question and taking mental note of Daruun’s experiences.

"That week passed quickly and I hadn’t bothered counting the days or even considering the offer I had long forgotten. The day after that encounter I left the city on a journey to procure a new product from a distant village. I was gone for an entire week and was glad to return to see my wife again...

"Before I entered my home, I saw the doors and surrounding walls battered and destroyed. Some parts of the wall were still on fire, gradually spreading across the property. I rushed inside to see my worst nightmare I had never imagined..."

Daruun’s face was deadpan, emotionless. His eyes were hardened and lifeless.

"When I entered my home... I wasn’t welcomed by what I found... I was destroyed..." The calm-minded Daruun struggled to get the words out of his mouth. "In the main hall, I found my father-in-law chained up by the same guards he had hired to protect his home... In front of him was my mother-in-law... being raped... by the same merchant who had made me the offer to betray my father-in-law...

 

Chapter 276

Those words were hard enough for Daruun to share, but he choked on the next sentence, "And... beside her was... Mea... my pregnant wife... she was... surrounded by his men and his son..."

Daruun remained silent for a moment, still not showing emotions, only letting them loose through his words or the lack thereof.

Seeing the confident, all-knowing god of fate breaking down right before his eyes, Jack was speechless. Nothing he thought of was worth saying and had no way to comfort the immortal god before him. And Jack understood that even if he had something to say, what good would it be compared to the vast knowledge or experience of Daruun?

"That was the day I broke."

Daruun finally continued. "I charged toward the men holding down my wife, intent to slaughter them all regardless of the reputation that my father-in-law taught me to uphold. But I was intercepted by some hired mercenaries. Compared to nearly everyone in the city I could hold my own, but I had never considered the possibility of facing someone bred to fight and kill. I didn’t let myself think that the other merchant would go so far and pay such a high price...

"I was chained and beaten while my wife was defiled in front of me... Afterward, they tortured her, killing her slowly along with my unborn child... Next, they killed my mother-in-law and eventually my father-in-law...

"I’m not sure why, but they didn’t kill me," added Daruun. "Instead, they continued to beat me and then paraded my naked, beaten self around town like a trophy, an example of what would happen if someone stood against them.

"After some time, they released me and banned me from the city. I was thrown out into the barren desert without a shirt on my back and with dried blood covering my entire person. My only choice was to die or struggle beyond what I was physically able in order to survive.

"I swore that I would get revenge. There wasn’t any devil or god that could’ve convinced me otherwise. I had to kill them. Part of me even wanted to burn the entire city to the ground to erase such terrible memories from existence..."

As Daruun’s voice faded and he paused yet again, Jack remembered something. The story that Daruun had shared back at the camp. The story of a merchant who was broken and lost everything, succumbing to the hunger for power and revenge.

"Daruun... That story you told me earlier, was it about you?"

The corners of Daruun’s lips slowly and painfully curled upward. "You’re right. That story was mine. Since you’ve realized that, then you should understand how the rest goes. After spending years in search of strength by any means, I finally found it.

"I raced back to Bragdor. I stormed through the city’s main gate and forced my way towards my old home, which had been renovated and became that disgusting merchant’s new manor. I left nothing standing as I razed the place. After destroying the manor, I killed his guards, the same men I once worked alongside. Next, I dragged the merchant and his son through the streets, beating them and all city guards that dared to stop me.

"They hadn’t recognized me, something I didn’t notice till the merchant beaten so badly that he wasn’t able to lift even a finger. I said my name, but he only shouted for more guards to came and take me away. For some reason, he thought it impossible that I could kill him. But I did.

"And once the merchant was dead, I slaughtered his son and his family... After that, I slaughtered the families of the guards that had betrayed me... and the other smaller merchants that had made similar offers in the past... and everyone who had laughed and mocked me when I was paraded around town in shame...

"I had massacred an entire city," Daruun sighed, leaving Jack stunned.

"Don’t you have questions to ask me? Like, ’Why would you go too far?’ ’Why the whole city?’ Or ’Was it worth it?’"

Jack said nothing but was still unable to keep his thoughts to himself as Daruun listed the questions Jack had at the front of his mind.

"First, I went that far because no matter how many people I killed, it never felt like enough," answered Daruun. "Second, I killed the whole city because I blamed the development of that situation on the environment that created the filth and sleaze that was that grimy merchant.

"And third, no... It wasn’t worth it."

Surprised by Daruun’s third answer, Jack asked, "What do you mean? Didn’t you finally avenge your family and gain closure?"

"No, I gained no sense of closure from the massacre I had caused. No matter how I thought about it or how I tried to justify my actions, I could never remove the scar that was branded on my heart. No amount of spilled blood was able to wash that scar away."

Daruun let Jack ponder that a moment before continuing, "Only after searching for what fate truly was did I start to heal the hole in my heart. I spent countless years searching for some kind of meaning to the fate I had experienced. I wondered what I could’ve changed or what was unchangeable. I soon started to look beyond my pain and question my very existence.

"After spending many years wandering the deserts of my homeworld, I stumbled upon a discovery. Beneath the sand were ancient ruins. It took time, but I eventually found more and more of those ancient ruins. It was through those ruins that I found a way off of that planet. And after spending lifetimes gaining more and more strength, I stand before you as the Daruun I am now, the all-seeing, all-powerful ruler of the Fate District."

"HUH?!"

Floored by the sudden shift from Daruun’s emotional storytelling to the reveal of his true position, Jack had no idea what to say next.

"You... You’re the... There’s a..."

"Calm down, Jack. Take another sip of the wine, it’ll help your nerves," Daruun chuckled.

Doing exactly that, Jack downed the contents of the wine in one gulp, which forcefully calmed his body and mind.

"Good, now I can answer the second part of your question if you’d like."

Confused, Jack scratched his head. "Second part?"

"You want to know my ties to Kartonia, don’t you?"

"YES! Yes, I do!" More anxious then ever, Jack leaned in to pay better attention as Daruun willingly offered more information.

"This part of my story isn’t as long," stated Daruun. "Simply put, I created this world as an experiment."

"Huh?"

"Jack, remember this." Daruun looked Jack in the eyes. "Beyond this world are people far stronger than anything you can imagine. Something like creating a world is rare, but not impossible. As for why I made it, I wanted to test my abilities and ended up creating Kartonia ages ago.

"Though I created the world, my position as a district ruler keeps me from directly interfering with the happenings of this world," explained Daruun. "That’s why I devised the level system and integrated it into how this world and its people react to cosmic energy."

"Cosmic energy?" Jack was only getting more confused as Daruun continued his explanation.

Daruun sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Don’t worry about cosmic energy for now. Just understand that throughout the void that our galaxy exists within, cosmic energy flows eternally. Every world reacts to it differently, some only gaining enough to create life, like your homeworld, and others naturally gaining abilities to accumulate that cosmic energy and grow stronger.

"Here, I wrote the level system into the very fabric of the world, making sure that its inhabitants would have a way to grow stronger and possibly become strong enough to leave the planet naturally," Daruun explained further.

"But while I managed to create a means for growth here, I eventually made a couple of mistakes that almost led to the extinction of the world. Remember the godly war you’ve heard so much about?"

Jack tried to piece together the jumbled up puzzle that was the conversation. "You mean... You created the gods... by accident? And that led to you needing me to fight them in your stead?"

"Exactly!" Happy to see Jack figure it out, Daruun poured Jack another glass. "I’m glad you’ve come to more properly realize your role."

"I do have one question though," Jack added.

"So long as it pertains to this topic, I might answer it."

"You said people would eventually get strong enough to leave the planet naturally. Has that ever happened?" asked Jack.

Daruun answered him outright, "No."

"Has anyone gotten close?"

"I’d say that Halmut and Skaryn are close, but they’ve deceived themselves and made it impossible."

"What do you mean?"

Daruun smiled back at his champion, glad that after the many conversations he and Jack had shared, Jack was finally open to genuinely listen and take Daruun’s advice to heart.

"Imagine this," stated Daruun. "What if Halmut and Skaryn weren’t fighting each other, but fighting alongside each other?"

"That would be a terrifying force to face," Jack replied with a shake of his head. "But how would they get stronger when there’s no one else to face for EXP?"

"A good question. Something that they should’ve asked my ages ago."

With a thought in mind, Jack asked, "How well do Halmut and Skaryn know you?"

Daruun started to laugh, "That’s another question that you don’t currently have the means to ask."

Chapter 277

"Uhh..."

Eliza’s head jerked the moment Jack’s incoherent groan reached her ears. "Jack..."

"Uhh... Huh..." As if coaxed by Eliza’s tender voice, Jack’s eyelids cracked open.

"Jack... You’re awake." Maura rushed to the bedside opposite Eliza. She grabbed her husband’s hand and gently caressed it.

Jack’s minimalistic movements weren’t enough to return the favor, but he managed to curl his fingers loosely around her hand. "Eliza... Maura..."

"Yes," they answered together.

It took another moment for Jack’s eyes to fully process his new surroundings. As the blurriness faded, Jack came to see both of their smiling faces looking down on him. "Where am I?"

"You’re in one of the largest hotels in Talmook. We needed a room big enough for all four of us or we would’ve fought over who stayed by your side," explained Eliza.

"Oh... Wait... Four of us?" Jack repeated. "But I only see..."

"Jack!" The bed-ridden hero heard the door swing open and another familiar voice rang out as Daliea hurried to sit beside Eliza. "Jack, you’re awake."

"Yeah, I am..." Seeing her made Jack happy, but it also reminded him of the event he saw play out alongside Daruun.

"Daliea... I’m glad you’re still alive..." As Jack uttered those words, the others all hesitated to respond. But Jack continued, "I guess that means... Where is she buried?"

"She hasn’t been buried yet," Maura replied. "It took a couple of days but we managed to find a shop selling caskets. We bought an enchanted casket that helped slow her body’s decomposition with some of your money, but we haven’t been able to decide where to bury her."

"By the way," Eliza added, "at some point, we need to discuss our finances."

Jack’s weak body failed to tilt his head in confusion. "Why? Has something come up?"

"Yes. You’ve been holding out on us!" pointing her finger at Jack, Eliza guilted him. "You have that much?! And you weren’t willing to at least buy us some dresses or accessories?"

"That... But I’ll need all of that for reviving the Leisure Guild," reasoned Jack as he turned to Maura for support.

Maura’s sad expression warmed up as she giggled, "Jack, I think Eliza has a point. We can spare at least that much, can’t we?"

"I think Jack made the correct decision," stated Daliea in his defense. "He’s spoiled all of us so I don’t get why you’re acting like you’ve received nothing from him."

"Daliea..." The young hero smiled, glad to have someone help protect him from his wives.

"But he’s got WAY too much already. He could at least get us something without Lina being the excuse," argued Eliza. "Why can’t he just treat his wives for once..."

Now that he understood their motives, Jack tried and failed to sit up, which caused Eliza and Maura to immediately drop their little game and hold Jack softly.

"Eliza, Maura, once we’re in Gilga we’ll go on a proper date. Okay?"

"Promise?" Eliza smiled.

"You mean that, Jack?" Maura blushed.

"Of course, you are my wives after all," laughed Jack. "I don’t know what I would do if I lost you..."

Both women leaned in close and took a turn to kiss Jack’s cheek. Daliea sat next to them, unsure of how to contain her jealousy.

"I-I’ll go get the others. I’m sure they’ll want to see you too." Not liking the feeling of being the fourth wheel, Daliea gave a quick bow before she darted out the door.

"You know, Jack, she really cares about you. You’ve realized that by now, right?" Eliza prodded Jack with her words.

"... Yeah... I’ve noticed," Jack sighed.

"Wait, really?!" Acting surprised, Eliza looked to her fellow wife. "Maura, did you hear that? Jack is noticing that we have feelings for him."

"You know I’m right here," Jack dryly stated. "And I thought that was obvious since me and you spent that night--"

"Shhh! No more." Eliza threw her hand over Jack’s mouth but was unable to keep Maura from catching on.

"What’s he talking about?" asked Maura.

"Nothing. He’s just trying to talk his way out again, like always."

Maura lifted one eyebrow as she removed Eliza’s hand from Jack’s face. "Jack, what were you saying?"

That was when he realized that Maura still didn’t know about Jack and Eliza taking that next step in their relationship. "Ummm... I’m just reminding her of that last battle we had. I did everything I could to protect them."

"Jaaaack?" Maura repeated his name, intent on getting this crucial information out of him. "Tell me the truth. I’m also your wife, remember?"

"I... We..." Jack hesitated but couldn’t think of a way out of an awkward explanation. "Maura... You see, Eliza and I--"

"Jack!"

"Jack, ya finally got up!"

"Big Bro!"

The door was suddenly thrown open as more and more people charged into the room and Lina dove into Jack’s injured chest.

Taking this opportunity, Jack retreated from his conversation with Maura and greeted them all. "Rydel, Maynard, Lina... Sorry I’ve been out again. I hope I wasn’t a burden on you."

"Nah, ya can just keep resting for a while," replied Maynard. "With Rydel handling the intel, we’ve already learned most of what we need."

"Really? Then, what’s the situation?" asked Jack.

Rydel explained, "Well, this job may be a lot harder than we thought. The man in charge of the deal is a ninja from Churstin. He’s lv. 44 and he’s unlike most of the few ninjas I’ve seen. His stealth abilities rival mine, but I’ve already witnessed his ability to kill. He should specialize in assassination if I’m not mistaken."

"Assassination?" Somewhat surprised, Jack thought for a moment. "What’s an assassin doing selling weapons?"

"I’m not sure, to be honest," replied Rydel. "From what I’ve seen he might be working alone or for a third party and not for Churstin. Also... He knows that I’ve been tailing him."

"What?!"

"Hold on, ya never told me that?!" Maynard turned in shock. "Ya, the best spy and stealth master I’ve met, were caught spying on him? And this assassin didn’t kill ya or threaten ya?"

"No, he didn’t. That’s the scary thing... There have been a few times that he’ll look back at me while I’m hiding and wave to me as if he wants to talk. He’s never told me anything or approached me, but I’m confident he knows that I’ve been following him for the past couple of weeks," explained Rydel.

"I see... Wait, the past couple of weeks?! How long was I out?" Jack was startled.

"Almost three weeks now." A less familiar voice came from the door. Dirk chuckled as he slapped Maynard on the back. "While you’ve been napping, we’ve been busy. Rydel, and occasionally Daliea, will go and find new information on the various weapon transactions. Maynard and I have been sharpening our swords against one another, teaching each other a few new tricks. And your wives have been here with you, even if we invited Maura to come spar and learn."

Grateful to Dirk’s military training and his straightforward way of reporting, Jack felt caught up on recent events for the most part. "Thank you, Dirk. I’m glad you’ve made your self at home in the party."

"If I didn’t already have a wife and children to tend to, I would be hard-pressed to part ways with you all," praised Dirk. "But I’m sure we’ll spend plenty of time together at some point in the Leisure Guild."

"In time, yes. But for now, we should figure out what’s up with this strange ninja. Rydel, have you at least learned his name?" Jack asked.

"He’s refused to share that information with anyone, even his paying customers."

"Hmmm... If it’s a third party, I wonder if they’d be willing to leave Churstin if another big buyer made an offer?" reasoned Jack. "Rydel, give me a few more days to rest. Then, we’ll both go and visit this ninja with an offer he can’t refuse."

 

Chapter 278

Three more days passed without Jack leaving his bed. Eliza and Daliea were constantly at his side, either tending to him or chatting together. Maura would either be with Jack or sparring with Dirk and Maynard since she could use all the technical training she could get. Bowzer was also let out so long as he remained in Jack’s room and stayed quiet enough to not be heard.

After three days, Jack was finally able to stand but he struggled to walk without wincing in pain every step.

They decided to wait another three days for Jack’s body to readjust further, at least letting him walk and talk without feeling unnecessary pain. Once Jack was able to at least appear like his usual able-bodied self, Jack and Rydel planned to make their move the following day.

Three and a half weeks had passed since Jack had blacked out and they were finally moving on with step two of his plan to gain control of Trodar.

Rydel led the way as the two men left the hotel before midday. They wandered the streets in a way that seemed aimless, but they eventually reached an alleyway tucked away in a corner of the city that most locals wouldn’t know existed.

Since it wasn’t like before where Rydel was keeping his distance and trying his best to remain unseen, Jack entered the alley with a neutral expression as Rydel followed his lead.

"What’s up?" The ninja was leaning against the back corner as he looked up at the two men approaching him. He turned toward Rydel and smiled. "Are you finally gonna buy something?"

"We’re here to browse your wares," Jack answered for Rydel. "If you’ve got anything good, then I’m not leaving without cleaning you out."

"Well, what are you after? Common items? Peak-tier weapons?" The ninja casually faced Jack, proud to gain such an interested customer. "Or are you after custom and mythic-tier weapons?"

"You’ve got custom weapons? Show me."

In the blink of an eye, a spear appeared in the ninja’s hand. "Here, check it yourself. If you like it, make me an offer."

Jack eyed the weapon as he tried to see through the ninja’s level. However, since Jack failed to see through the man, he gladly took the spear that his system instantly recognized as the item of an ancient hero. "Where did you get this stuff?"

"I have my sources. Pay enough and I may say more," laughed the ninja.

Feeling that something was different about the ninja, Jack took out a moneybag and threw it to the ninja. "That should cover it, right?"

"Hardly," the ninja scoffed as he stored the moneybag away without even opening it. "That’s just a down payment."

"You don’t even know how much I’ve given you, how could you--"

"I know the difference in weight between platinum and gold, buddy. I’m no noob."

While Rydel was slightly confused by the ninja’s choice of words, Jack’s suspicions grew the more the ninja spoke.

"Then show me what else you got. I’ve got more to offer if you’ve got something better than this."

"Check these bad boys out." A pair of wristbands were thrown to Jack. "If you like those, then make sure to pay up properly. And don’t think PK is an option for you, cause it’s not."

Jack was happy to see the ninja willingly selling such items. The more items he had from ancient heroes, the more tombs and achievements he could get. In that short exchange, Jack had already gained three new achievements to find tombs, and two of them were to find the same tomb.

"I like them, but your prices are too high based on the spear," argued Jack.

"Are you kidding?" laughed the ninja. "Back in the day, those would’ve been must-have items! Each band boosts half of your stats greatly while slightly decreasing the other half. With both equipped, you’ll give all stats a boost that outweighs and eliminates the debuffs."

"So what? They’re only yin-yang bands. Back in the day, these were a dime a dozen. Everyone had them but only up to lv. 30. After that, it’s better to just get custom armor made for you in sets," stated Jack, standing his ground with a smile on his face.

"You..." Staring deeply at Jack as if he had just been seen through, the ninja chuckled, "Who are you? You a summoned hero?"

"Maybe. And you?"

"Maybe."

Jack laughed as he extended his hand to the ninja, "The names Jack. What’s yours?"

"The tag is Ghositrax, but Trax will do." The ninja happily shook Jack’s hand. "You can keep those trash bands since you overpaid for the spear."

Though Jack’s hunch was confirmed, something was still off. He wanted to know why this summoned hero still talked like a gamer, unlike the other summoned hero he’d met before. It was something Jack took a mental note of so he could ask Daruun about it the next time he got a chance.

Also, Jack didn’t have time for it at the moment but, a notification popped up the moment Ghositrax shared his name.

"You said your name was Jack?" Trax’s smile widened as if he was anticipating something.

"Yup, and this is my friend Rydel." Jack motioned toward the hunter beside him. "As you know, he’s been following you around for a while."

"But that’s it?"

"Well, I was technically the one who asked Rydel to--"

"That’s it? It’s just Jack?" Trax repeated.

Not sure what to say, Jack scratched his head. "What do you mean?"

"Jack? Your name is only Jack?" The ninja’s smile started to fade as his shoulders drooped in disappointment.

"I don’t understand what you’re getting at," stated Jack.

"Nothing... I just thought I finally found who I was looking for..." Trax then turned around waved goodbye. "See ya, Jack. Good luck with whatever it was you’re up to."

"Wait! Where are you going now?"

In a single leap, Trax was now on top of the roof overlooking the hidden alley. "Nothing, I’ve just got to get back to work. Sorry I don’t have time to chit-chat."

"Wait, Trax!" Jack followed the ninja onto the roof. "What’s going on? Why are you just leaving like that? At least sell me more stuff. If you come with me, I can bring you to a promising clientele that would--"

"Thanks but no thanks. I need my loot to find him." Not listening to Jack’s offer, Trax dashed away across the rooftops.

"Trax!" Jack and Rydel followed after him, intent on at least completing the second step of his plan if they couldn’t learn anything more from the ninja.

"Stop following me! You’re drawing too much unwanted attention!" The ninja dove back into an alleyway, disappearing behind one of the winding turns of the back streets.

’Rydel, find him at all costs,’ Jack relayed his mental message.

Without a word, Rydel dove after the ninja, testing his tracking abilities to the max to try and find even a hint of the ninja’s trail.

Jack paused on the rooftop, quickly opening up his menu and checking his recent notifications. After passing over the three quests about ancient tombs, Jack was baffled by the final notification. It was anew achievement, one with an event reward.

[Fulfill Choron’s Personal Request: in progress]

[Visit Choron and hear out his request. Fulfill it to your utmost ability. Event reward: 50 skill points; Special reward: determined by how effectively you fulfill Choron’s request.]

There was little to no information given about what Jack would have to do to complete the quest, but the fact that it offered an event reward and involved Choron, the Ninja God, was all that Jack needed to bite the bait.

And since the event triggered the moment Ghositrax introduced himself, Jack wondered how the ninja and Choron were connected.

 

Chapter 279

As Jack tried to figure out the situation taking place before him, Rydel was doing his best to find the ninja. But no matter where he looked or felt Trax would’ve been hiding, Rydel came up short.

A part of Rydel was glad to face a challenge, but for the most part, he understood that the ninja completely outclassed him in terms of stealth. Rydel felt that he could search all day and still come up with nothing, forcing Rydel to gain more and more respect for the ninja.

Jack took a different approach. He stood atop the roof and shouted, "Hey Trax, how’s Choron doing?"

There was no response.

"Are you looking for someone to fulfill his request?"

"Maybe."

Jack turned around to find Trax standing still behind him. With a laugh, Jack held out his hand again. "Well, I would like to accept that request. Can you take me to him?"

"I refuse," Trax scoffed. "I have specific orders to find a specific person. I can’t see through you, but I’m sure that someone would’ve been able to find me in a heartbeat. You failed to do that much, so how could you ever fulfill the request of a god?"

"But didn’t I easily find with only a few words? Come on, I’ll surprise you for sure." Unfazed, Jack showed his confidence and kept his hand extended. "Who are you looking for, anyway? Maybe I’ve heard of him."

"Sure you have, but that doesn’t mean you’ve met him or know where to find him," replied Trax. "If I told a low-leveled hero like you who I was searching for, then you’d just cower and hide from his strength."

"But aren’t you just selling weapons to Prachten to increase the war effort? What has that got to do with finding someone?"

"To find the person I’m after, I need to get his attention. To do that, I was ordered to sell weapons to Trodar’s enemies while not directly interfering with the war," explained Trax.

"That’s strange since I’m the one who was sent here because you’ve been meddling with the war from the sidelines," stated Jack. "Who’s to say that I’m not the one you were trying to attract?"

"Really?!" Trax burst into hysterical laughter. "You? They sent you? Why would they send someone so week?"

"Well, my level is within the terms of the war pact, for one. And two, because I have the backing of the Leisure Guild," as Jack chuckled he took out his emblem, catching the ninja off guard.

"You, a member of that legendary guild?!" Trax snatched the emblem from Jack’s hands and examined it closely. "This... You must’ve stolen it."

"Or been given it by Tralon, the current guild leader and my personal friend."

Trax reluctantly returned the emblem to Jack, sizing up the man. "You... Is your name really Jack?"

"Yes."

"And what’s your level?"

"I reached lv. 34 just a few weeks ago."

A long sigh left the ninja’s mouth as he started to mumble to himself, "The name might work... But the level is way off... There’s no way..."

While Trax was busy conversing with himself, Jack called Rydel back and opened up the map tab from his menu.

"Tell you what, Trax. How about you stop selling weapons to Prachten and you take me to Choron’s hidden shrine? We’ll let him determine whether I can do the quest or not," reasoned Jack.

"Impossible. I’m only allowed to bring him back."

"Then just stop selling weapons to Prachten and I’ll go visit Choron myself."

Again, Trax broke out in laughter, "Very funny, but how could you ever find him or his shrine? That’s impossible. It took me years of searching and investigating and, most importantly, luck to find that place."

"But the Churstin Canyon isn’t too far from here. It wouldn’t take that long, would it?"

That response shocked Trax to his core. "You... How do you know where to find Choron?"

Jack closed the menu and smiled, "Because I’m probably the one you’re looking for."

"Impossible... Simply impossible!" Trax’s mumbles escalated to shouts as Rydel joined them on the rooftop.

"Trax, does Choron have a contact crystal?" Jack asked.

"Maybe..."

"How about you call him and ask. If you want, I’ll speak to him and prove you wrong," argued Jack. "I’d even bet on it."

"Not happening," scoffed the ninja. "Besides, there’s no way you’re the one I’m looking for."

Suddenly, the sound of rattling coins disrupted the conversation. Trax looked down to see a mountain of thick, well-crafted moneybags lying on the roof tiles, the types of coin purses used for carrying platinum or precious gems.

"I’ll bet all of this that I’m the one you’re looking for. Care to match me?"

Tempted by the odds he felt were in his favor, Trax took a calming deep breath. "Fine, I’ll match you with these." A small mound of weapons appeared at the ninja’s feet. "Do you dare accept?"

Jack’s eyes were glued to the various weapons lying on the rooftop. Their levels were all over the place, but they were all mythic-tier and custom made for ancient heroes. With that many former belongings of ancient heroes, Jack could tomb raid to his heart’s content.

"Deal!"

"Your loss!" Trax chuckled and finally shook Jack’s still-extended hand. "I’ll call him right now."

"Wait." Jack stopped the ninja from retrieving his contact crystal. "You aren’t just going to kill me and run if you lose the bet, right?"

Trax stared at Jack, immediately understanding what type of player Jack was. The type he hated mast to bargain with. "If you’re the guy I’m after, then Choron would kill me for killing you."

"But what if you just got back on the deal like we never made it, huh? What’s stopping that from happening?" reasoned Jack. "How about you tell Choron about our bet before I talk to him. That way, he’ll make sure the winner doesn’t back out."

"You’re crazy! How could I just--"

"You know, I can back out too," Jack stated. "I can call Tralon whenever I want and he can simply teleport to my location. I could just have him steal all of your weapons in the name of the Leisure Guild."

"The Leisure Guild is too noble to ever--"

"The Leisure Guild... noble?" Jack’s sudden laughter made it hard for him to speak. "Listen, if you really know about my guild... then you should know it’s anything but noble."

"I..." Trax restrained from saying more. Though the current Leisure Guild was more laid-back and respected as the longest-surviving guild, he was reminded of the guild’s original reputation as the most shameless guild of any server.

"So, you’ll tell Choron, right?"

"... Fine. I’ll tell Choron before you speak with him." Irritated, Trax took out his contact crystal and spoke loudly, "My Lord, I’ve got something to tell you."

A moment of silence passed before Trax nodded. "Yes and no. I’ve found someone claiming to be sent from the Leisure Guild, but he doesn’t fit the description or the requirements. But he had the audacity to claim that he was the one you were seeking, so much so that he wagered a dozen high-quality moneybags just to speak with you."

Trax nodded again. "Yes, I met his wager with the remaining custom items that you’ve given me."

After one last nod, Trax handed the contact crystal to Jack. "Your turn."

Jack snickered as he casually took the crystal. "Hey Choron, long time no see."

"Hmmm... What do you mean by those words? You’ve seen me before?" an aging voice responded.

"Of course! I was the one who stole your prized katana back in the good old days," Jack laughed loudly, causing Trax to frown heavily.

"You... What’s your name? And what makes you so confident as to wager everything you own to speak with me?" asked the voice.

Jack continued laughing, "Oh, that’s not even close to everything I own. I’m confident because I’ve stolen from you before and already know that your hiding beneath the Churstin Canyon. If your servant here hadn’t chosen to take the wager, I would’ve gone and found you myself."

"You... And your name?"

"The name’s Jack, but you’ll know me better as Jack_J."

 

Chapter 280

"The name’s Jack, but you’ll know me better as Jack_J."

"Y-you?!" Trax tensed up as he overheard Jack’s statement.

"You... When can you come to see me?" Choron asked, not doubting Jack in the slightest after Jack’s verbal recollection of ancient events.

"Well, I’ve got a few things I need to finish first," replied Jack. "I know you’re a god and all, but I’ve already made plans to visit Jin, Lyrun, and Eedaj first."

"Jack, this request is of the utmost importance."

"Maybe, but visiting those three has something to do with reviving Trodar. And since you orchestrated selling weapons to Prachten, I’m sure you already realize how important that is to me," reasoned Jack.

Choron chuckled, "Of course, what I have to offer will be of aid to Trodar as well. I’ve become labeled as one of the rebel gods and I can offer you information on the other rebel gods."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I’ve already spoken to Sterfen about that."

"Sterfen... Well, then allow me to offer my support in your endeavors should you need it."

Jack paused for a moment, taking that in. "You, the Ninja God, are offering me a favor?"

"Such a thing is not impossible," stated Choron. "There is something I need done and you are the only hero to ever achieve something of equal caliber."

"But how did you know that I would be here?" Jack questioned. "It’s no longer Ancient Kartonia and this method wouldn’t work to find me in the past. How did you know this would work, or that I would even be in Modern Kartonia?"

"Daruun told me of his champion, and that is why I seek your aid."

"Daruun told you about me? When?"

"Before the Godly War, just after your disappearance from Ancient Kartonia," explained Choron. "It was at that time that I wished to seek you for aid, but you had already disappeared and could not be found by myself or Sterfen. With neither of us able to find you, Daruun was my only option to find you.

"I made an exchange with Daruun in exchange for the information and learned that you would be here as his champion. For that reason, I’ve had my pupil acting on my behalf for the past few years to draw you out."

"Wait... You’ve been sitting on this quest since before the War of the Gods?"

"Correct."

Jack’s mind went crazy trying to quickly come up with an inkling of what the quest might be. "And what’s in it for me if I complete this task? I may just be a mortal, but your next few words will determine if I accept your request and when I’ll get around to it."

"Very well... My offer contains a few things. First, you’ll gain that pupil as a member of your party and will be allowed to use him as you see fit."

With a laugh, Jack started to understand how shrewd the Ninja God was.

"Second, I will owe you one favor that I will be bound to fulfill so long as it is within my power."

The smile on Jack’s face widened exceptionally. He loved the thought of having a god owe him a favor. That was something money couldn’t buy, something that even during his hunt for achievements Jack had never been able to earn.

"And third, I’m willing to relocate to and operate publicly from Trodar."

That final reward rocked Jack’s unprepared heart. From what Sterfen and Lunara had told him, the gods were being ordered to remain hidden. He didn’t sully understand their circumstances, but Jack knew that Choron’s third offer shouldn’t be possible."

"Choron... Are you and the other gods unable to go public for the time being? According to Sterfen, you all have been ordered to--"

"The order was given but that changes nothing," Choron confidently replied. "Once you succeed in fulfilling my request, I’ll be more than able to go public once again."

"But... How?"

"Come to me and you’ll learn," stated Choron. "I’ve been waiting for over a millennia and now I can finally fix that error I made ages ago. But only with your help."

"Hmmm..." Jack was torn. He needed to finish the necessary steps to gain control of Trodar, but such a tempting offer had to be considered.

But, one thing wasn’t making sense. If Daruun knew that this was going to happen, why didn’t he include visiting Choron in his steps to gain control of Trodar? Surely, convincing a god to relocate and make Trodar his new public home would instantly give Jack influence over the people. Yet this wasn’t included.

"You won’t tell me anything else over the crystal?"

"Jack... I need your aid and I’m willingly offering you something that no god has ever granted. At least come and see me personally. Then we can talk more clearly of this," reasoned Choron. "Your stay doesn’t have to be quick, but I wish that you can hear me out and accept my request, even if it’s not fulfilled immediately."

"... Okay, I’ll see you. But promise that you’’ll stop supplying Prachten with weapons."

"Done," Choron chuckled. "Oh, and come alone. It’s best if only you know where my shine resides."

"Alright, I’ll have Trax take me..."

"No, I’d prefer he stay with your party. Consider it as my offer of protection for them while you’re away. Also, he’s only ever entered with my aid. But you should be able to enter by yourself, given your reputation."

Jack laughed, "You want to test me?"

"Correct," replied Choron. "It will prove you are who you’ve claimed to be."

"This won’t take like a year or two to complete, will it?" asked Jack in an annoyed tone.

"No. For Jack_J., this should be simple."

"Alright, I’ll find my way over but I’m bringing my beast companion."

"I’ll allow the Hell-flame Fox to accompany you. It shouldn’t affect anything," stated Choron.

"Then I’ll be seeing you soon."

"Yes... I’ll be waiting."

Taking in the meaning behind that conversation, Jack let loose a long sigh as he tossed the contact crystal back to Trax. He walked up to the ninja and threw his arms onto Trax’s shoulders. "Welcome to the party, Trax!"

"HUUUH?!" Even more confused than before, Trax stammered and mumbled, "T-that can’t be. I’ve got so much... And with Choron I need..."

A few seconds later, Trax heard an aged voice in the depths of his mind. "Follow Jack’s orders. From now on, you will party with the greatest hero of all ages."

"But I..." Trax then remembered the fame and notoriety behind Jack’s former self, the Legend of Trodar. The thought of partying with such a famous figure filled Trax’s heart with pride, but Trax also remembered Jack’s infamy among the heroes, which practically outweighed Jack’s worldly fame.

"No buts... From now on, you can consider him as your Lord, whom the ninja serves whole-heartedly," stated Choron, filling Trax with a sense of duty and pride.

"Y-yes, my Lord."

"I’m no longer your lord, I just told you this," sighed Choron. "I’m still your master, but Jack is your lord. Remember that."

"Yes, Master."

"What’s wrong?" laughed Jack, overhearing Trax’s side of the conversation. "Begging Choron to no join my party? It’s too late for that."

"No, I just had my doubts as to whether you’re worthy of being my lord with your noob level," replied Trax.

"Well, that will get fixed in time. For now, let’s all get back to the hotel. We’ve got a slight change of plans," Jack stated as he started sprinting through the alleys.

Rydel followed closely while Trax stayed at the rear. He would need some time to fully incorporate himself into a new party as a former solo player, much like Jack before Jack was summoned to Modern Kartonia.