Ch. 301..310

Chapter 301

"All bow for Grangor, the shadow goblin chief!"

Going with the flow, Jack, Bowzer, Tralon, and Argyle all lowered their heads in respect for the goblin chief.

"You may stand. That way we can talk like men." The party stood as the aging goblin rose from his seat and walked toward them. "You’re humans indeed, but why have you come here? How have you come here?"

Jack was the one to step forward. "What matters most is that our reasons for entering this dungeon lie on the eleventh floor. However, I would like to offer our help to you and your people, Grangor."

"Your help? And what help would that be?"

"That depends on what you and your people want, but we came here mercifully to make peace with you, not destroy you," reasoned Jack. "My friend Argyle is over lv. 70, so surely you wouldn’t underestimate our abilities, since you’re only lv. 66, Grangor."

Grangor squinted, appearing neither mad nor happy. "And if we sought your aid, what would you ask in return?"

"I would ask to keep a friendly relationship, even to remain allies if you were willing. And forgive me for asking, but how old are you Grangor?" Jack asked.

"Hmmm..." The goblin chief itched his scraggly chin in thought. "I’m near the end of my life, approaching six hundred years of age this decade."

"And what are your intentions for your tribe? You obviously know you’re in a dungeon, but what do you plan to do about it?"

"We’d like to escape, but that’s impossible."

"Is it now..." Jack chuckled. "Chief, can we speak with you alone? If it would make you feel better, it can be only us two."

"Guards, leave this place be. We’ll chat in private, as I believe there is something special behind this man’s confidence," Grangor shouted as he eaves off his reluctant guards. "And your friends may stay also, I wouldn’t want one of my men to accidentally anger any of them while we chatted."

Both Argyle and Tralon gave a grin of approval, acknowledging the insight of the old goblin chief. Bowzer smiled too, happy he could be included and not set aside.

With resistance, the guards were shooed away by Grangor, leaving the goblin chief alone with the four-man party. "So, I presume that you’ll be making me an offer or telling me more about your connection with this dungeon now that we’re alone. Am I wrong to assume so?"

Jack sighed and smiled at the same time. "Since you’ve been in this place your whole life, you’re not entirely sure of all the things that happened outside of this dungeon. In a way, it actually preserved your race."

"Oh?"

"While you’ve been in here, there was a war of the gods and the decline of ancient heroes," Jack explained. "There are still heroes, but their summoned and not as powerful. I’m a summoned hero that came from the time of ancient heroes. Also, I happen to know everything about this dungeon."

"Please, explain more about the dungeon and your offer to help us get out of it," replied Grangor.

Jack nodded. "I’m going to be honest with you. Long ago before I was summoned to this time, I was the one who captured your ancestors and put them in this dungeon, the dungeon I created."

"Hmmm... That’s why you didn’t want the others to hear your story."

"I’ve nothing against shadow goblins. If I had, then I would’ve killed your ancestors instead of placing them here," Jack continued. "And though your people may have been forced to grow within a less hospitable place like the outside world, you did manage to avoid the extinction of your race."

"Our extinction?" Grangor looked carefully into Jack’s eyes. "Please explain."

"The modern world knows nothing of your kind. There’s only one shadow goblin remaining according to my knowledge and she’s a member of my usual party. But I didn’t bring my usual party here as they were too weak. Lucky for her and your race, your tribe has grown and survived in a place sealed away since ancient times."

"Hmmm... That’s fortunate indeed."

Jack paused for a moment. "So... Do you forgive me for placing your ancestors within the confines of an inescapable dungeon?"

"Yes, I do." Grangor smiled and nodded. "I don’t see why I shouldn’t believe you, and the fact that you’re here discussing this with me is a good sign. But if you really want us to be free of this dungeon, then what will you do to us after we’ve exited?"

"I... I’m not completely sure," Jack stated. "But I would like to help you and your people live outside. It may nor be able to happen immediately as we still need to prepare a few things before we reintroduce you to the outside world."

"Alright, but how do you plan to get us out of here?" Grangor questioned. "We’ve sent many warriors over the years to try ad conquer the dungeon, yet even when we sent a small army no one ever returned victoriously."

"That explains why your civilization is so small. By now, I was expecting hundreds or even thousands of shadow goblins to here."

"Sadly, that isn’t reality. We’re barely two hundred strong if we include the young, which is terrible considering our races great lifespan."

Jack nodded. "Right... But either way, you won’t have to worry about trying to clear this dungeon. We’ll take care of that. However, there is something we must do."

"And that is?"

"A few powerful men will be following us into this dungeon and we want to make sure that they don’t attack you and your people. How do you propose we do that?"

"Grangor looked to Tralon, the wisest looking of Jack’s party. "Are we able to fight them?"

"No." Tralon shook his head. "We wish to lure those men to the tenth floor, so we can’t make contact with them till that time. How adept are you and your people at illusion magic?"

"We’re quite capable, but do you think those powerful men will fall for our tricks?"

Stroking his beard, Tralon thought hard about it. "That depends. If we leave them to their own devices, there’s a chance you’ll be discovered. But if we make a strong enough diversion, then we’ll lead them on."

"A diversion? What do you recommend?" Grangor asked.

"Well..." Jack answered. "I have an idea, but your people aren’t going to like it."

"So long as you can guarantee the safety of my people, our exit from the dungeon, and our prosperity in the outside world, then I’ll convince them."

"You’re not against me supporting your tribe after you escape here?" Jack asked.

Grangor shook his head. "We lack all knowledge about the current outside world. And if you had lied about what occurred outside, that doesn’t mean we know it any better. What we would need more than anything is a knowledgeable, reliable partner to guarantee our prosperity and security."

"Than consider my assistance here as an offer to ally with myself, my guild, and my country." Jack smiled, happily holding out his hand.

Grangor’s wrinkled hands clasped around Jack’s hand. "Thank you, kind sir. What’s your name?"

"Oh yeah! My name is Jack. That’s Bowzer over there and these two friends of mine are Tralon and Argyle," Jack introduced the party, glad to see that the old goblin chief was humble and a good listener.

"Now, tell me your plan to aid my people in avoiding these other men."

"We’ll have your people flee to the outer edges of the floor and leave the city in flames."

"Oh... That... could work, I guess..." baffled by Jack’s idea, Grangor listened carefully for more.

"We’ve already wiped out the entire third floor and exterminated the jakals, so if those men come here to find the city in flames, it wouldn’t surprise them. Most likely, they would think that we had already moved on to the next floor."

"You’ve exterminated the jakals?!"

"Yeah, it didn’t take long," Jack laughed.

Grangor’s face twisted slightly. The jakals were one of the biggest deterrents of the shadow goblins, always overwhelming them with outstanding numbers, so having a party of four claim that they exterminated the jakals entirely was hard for Grangor to swallow.

 

Chapter 302

"Don’t act so surprised, Grangor. You should never underestimate the power of legendary spells," joked Jack.

"Legendary..." Still overwhelmed, Grangor tried to keep calm.

"So, what do you think of that plan?"

"I... I would like to see evidence of your strength," stated Grangor. "I’ve heard you out and I like what you’re offering, but I’ve never witnessed your strength and you haven’t offered any real proof behind your claim as the dungeon’s creator."

"That understandable, I guess." Jack shrugged. "How would you like us to prove those things?"

"I want to see one of your most powerful spells in action. As for your identity, if you can prove that you’re connected with a shadow goblin from the outside world, I’ll believe you."

"Okay... If I can get her to talk with you, will you have a way to prove she’s a shadow goblin?"

"What do you mean? To speak she would need to be here with you."

Jack chuckled and flicked his contact crystal in the air. "Not anymore."

While the goblin chief watched closely, Jack shouted into the crystal, "Hey! Trax! Are you there? Hellooooo?!"

"What is it?! Don’t just start yelling at me for no reason," replied the ninja. "Also, why are you calling me over the crystal?"

"I need to speak with Daliea immediately. She needs to know something."

"Fiiine... One sec..." Trax groaned.

Grangor was a bit confused, but he surmised that Jack was having a conversation with someone based on what he could hear.

"Yes, Jack. What’s the matter?" A gentle feminine voice came over the crystal.

"Are you sitting? If not, I’d recommend it."

Daliea sat herself on her bed and worriedly asked, "Why? What happened? Are you okay?"

"Daliea... you’re not the last shadow goblin."

"WHAT?!"

"I’m standing across a man named Grangor, he’s a chief of a tribe two hundred strong. I’m calling you because I need to prove I have ties with you and your race."

"Jack, you found a shadow goblin tribe?!"

Jack nervously chuckled, "That’s... a long story. I’ll explain everything later, but right now can you somehow prove to Grangor that you’re a shadow goblin?"

"Let me speak with him." Daliea did her best to calm down and do as Jack asked.

"Here. With this, you’ll be able to talk with her." Jack carefully placed the contact crystal in Grangor’s hand.

Not entirely sure what to do, Grangor gave it a try. "Oh... Hello? Can you hear me?"

Daliea responded immediately, "Kreychu ara wo."

"K... Kreychu ara wo na?"

When Grangor began to speak in a different language, Jack was blown away. He had never considered that other races might have their own language aside from what was commonly spoken. Once he started thinking about it, he didn’t even know what the common language of the world was called.

Jack’s curiosity about the differences between Kartonia and "A Hero’s Tale" was reignited like it never was before.

However, something became very clear to Jack’s party. Grangor was speaking a different language but he was struggling with it. Occasionally he would revert to the common language for a few words before returning to whatever he and Daliea were speaking.

"Here, Jack." Soon Grangor said goodbye to Daliea and returned the contact crystal to Jack.

Jack meant to continue his conversation with Grangor but Daliea hadn’t finished speaking. "Jack, thank you so much. I can’t believe it... You really found a surviving tribe..."

"There’s no need to thank me, Daliea. I’ll talk to you about it later. For now, I’ve got to help Grangor and his tribe with something."

"Alright, but don’t hesitate to call me if you need my assistance. Bye, Jack... No way, Eliza! I’m not saying..." A piece of Daliea’s conversation outside of the crystal was caught before she dropped their connection, putting a smile on Jack’s face.

"By the way, what was that language you two were speaking?" Jack asked Grangor.

Much more willing and excited to receive Jack’s help, Grangor replied with a smile, "That was the language of our people. I don’t believe it has a name, but that was most definitely the language of our ancestors."

Some blush filled Grangor’s grey cheeks. "However... only a handful of us in my tribe can speak it. And though I’m the most proficient, I wasn’t able to keep up with your friend."

Laughing, Jack shook his head. "Don’t worry about that. I’m sure she can help you and your tribe learn it after this. Now, as for the plan..."

"Yes, I’ll agree to whatever you wish. But, please, show me and my people the power of your strongest spell. That will prove that you’re capable of clearing this dungeon and it will help convince the others to go along with your plan," reasoned Grangor.

"True... That makes sense."

"If I may," Tralon interjected, "Jack, maybe there’s a better way to handle this."

"Really?" Curious, Jack looked back to Tralon. "If there is, then I want to know it."

"It will be strenuous for me and I’ll have to waste some of the supplies you bought, but I can kill two birds with one stone," Tralon stated proudly. "I can cast my legendary spell, Spatial Rift, and help the shadow goblins escape the dungeon immediately. However..."

"You’ll need a place to put them," Argyle finished Tralon’s thought.

"Correct. What do you think, Jack? Are you alright with me wasting potions and needing a bit more rest?"

Pondering the idea, Jack rolled it around his brain in search of what could make it possible. The biggest issue was where he would put them for the time being. If a tribe of over two hundred shadow goblins suddenly appeared, then the world would be alarmed. And since they were stronger than the average warrior of Modern Kartonia, they would be seen as a threat without the proper preparations.

It took a minute or two, but Jack finally came to a conclusion he was willing to accept. "Tralon, we’ll do just that. But I’ll need to contact someone first."

"I could probably make room for them at the Fat Goose," added Argyle.

"Don’t worry about that. I know exactly where to send them for the time being." Jack reactivated his contact crystal and crossed his fingers. "Hey, are you two still chatting away?"

"Yes... What do you require?"

"So, in order to better contact Daruun, I set out to retrieve something from my guild’s storehouse. But on the way through its dungeon, I’ve come across a tribe that’s grown while it was sealed away. Can I send them to you and your vast tunnel system for the time being? At least till I can make a place for them in Trodar?"

"That’s fine... What race are they?"

"Shadow goblins."

"Shadow goblins?!" Sterfen interjected, having placed his hand on Choron’s contact crystal from the get-go. "Jack, you had shadow goblins in your artificial dungeon?!"

"Yeah... I kinda forgot about them, otherwise, I would’ve gotten them out sooner."

"Jack... you don’t know what this means..." Sterfen struggled to get his words out. "I’m guessing you want Tralon to open a rift for them. Do that immediately! You were smart to send them here and keep them out of sight for the time being."

"Right, we’ll open it immediately. Thank you, Choron."

"No, thank you, Jack... This will greatly help our cause," Choron chuckled, ending the conversation.

Jack retrieved all the potions he had purchased earlier and passed them to Tralon. "Waste as many potions as you need. We’re sending them all to Choron for now."

"Oh... Well thought, Jack." Tralon smiled.

"Choron? As in Choron, the Ninja God?" Grangor eyed Jack, curious to know how he had such connections.

"The same. He’s an ally of mine, as well as a few other gods," answered Jack. "You and your tribe will stay with them while I prepare a place for you in Trodar."

"Thank you!" Without any hesitation, Grangor fell to his knees and prostrated himself. "If you can truly make this happen, we will owe you our lives."

"Calm down, it’s only--"

"No, we’ll truly owe you our lives," continued Grangor. "If my race was wiped out in the outside world, that means you saved us, even if it wasn’t in your plans to do so. And by offering us a painless escape into the protection of a god, we’ll be forever in your debt."

"Okay, okay, just calm down!" Jack pulled Grangor up off of the floor. "Look, I want your people to prosper again, and that means I need to guarantee that you’ll be safe. I’m doing this for me, my guild, and Daliea. Okay?"

"Yes, Master Jack."

"Master..." Jack face palmed himself, unsure how if he could get Grangor to think differently.

"Jack, this is great!" Argyle beamed and slapped his son-in-law on the back. "Now you’ll have your own forces. So long as you can equip them with good equipment and train them properly, they’ll be a strong force in the continent, possibly one of the strongest."

"Please, Master Jack, allow us to swear fealty to you after you take us away from here." The moment Argyle mentioned training and equipping the shadow goblin tribe, it only proved that Jack was far more capable than Grangor had assumed. If his tribe could truly become one of the most powerful forces in Kartonia, then it was worth swearing fealty to such a mysterious young man.

With that in mind, Jack sighed and chuckled. "Well... I guess I’ll accept it."

Chapter 303

"Thank you, Master Jack. I’m sure that my tribe can prove useful to you so long as you treat us respectfully like your friend promised me."

"Ohhh..." Realizing that Daliea had talked him up, Jack understood why the shadow goblin chief was so willing to accept him. "We’ll have to act fast, so get every member of your tribe outside of the city gates. And tell them to bring all of their precious belongings."

"But if we do that, it would take much longer to--" Suddenly, a ring was flicked to Grangor. "W-what is this?"

"It’s a storage ring and it should be able to hold everything your tribe holds dear," answered Jack. "You can keep that. Once we’re finished here with this dungeon, we’ll come to visit you all again and discuss your relocation, as well as give you everything you and your tribe could need."

"T-that... Thank you, Master Jack!"

"No more bowing! Hurry and gather your tribe so we can get this over with. We’ll be outside the gate getting ready."

Jack and the others were the first to leave the main hall but Grangor wasn’t far behind. His aging body had an unusual pep in his step as he ran to inform his men and the tribe.

"Jack, just so you know, I’ll be needing at least five of these high elixirs to transport so many people, maybe more." Tralon let out a regretful sigh. "If only I was still lv. 85... then I wouldn’t need these."

"Don’t worry about it, Tralon. A few high elixirs are worthless compared to gaining a tribe of shadow goblins as allies. Use them all if you need to," Jack joked.

"How long do you think it’ll take them to gather?" Argyle asked.

"Hmmm... At least an hour maybe?" replied Jack.

’Then how about we talk business while we wait?’ Switching to telepathy, Argyle got straight to the point. ’I’ve been wanting to do something for a long time and I think now is finally the time to do it.’

Jack asked, ’Do what, exactly?’

’I want to open a second branch of the Fat Goose in Gilga,’ admitted Argyle. ’I was hoping that we could ally with the Leisure Guild, and possibly share facilities for the time being.’

’That’s very business-like of you,’ Tralon laughed. ’We have plenty of space for it, so I wouldn’t mind renting out some of the space to an old friend, so long as Jack’s alright with that.’

’Why would I be?’

’Jack, you may not know it, but almost every council member has been wanting to occupy our guild’s property and they’ve tried every means possible. They’ve offered to purchase portions of it, rent it out, have it donated in exchange for a temporary portion of the city’s revenue,’ explained Tralon. ’Argyle has mentioned the idea before, but he never made an offer. He probably assumed that I would be more willing now that you’re involved in the decision.’

’Oh, that makes sense. Well, I am okay with it and that’ll give Argyle a way to help the Leisure Guild in the form of paying rent, right Argyle?’

’Right your are,’ laughed the swordsman. ’But it’s also great for me. Things in Federal City have been getting a little hectic and I like the option of relocating should the need arise.’

’Well, even if your entire guild came to Gilga, we’ll have more than enough room. Our guild was built to house thousands, even though we’re more of an empty shell with only a few hundred members in such a cast property,’ stated Tralon.

’Then I can move in immediately?’

’Sure, why not? Once my level is high enough, I might even be able to draw you a teleportation circle,’ Jack joked.

’Hey, don’t promise me that unless you can deliver." Argyle took Jack seriously, not daring to miss out on such a thing. "What level do you need to be to make me one?"

’Once I’m lv. 55 I’ll be able to if I really push myself, but Tralon could also write one, couldn’t he?’

’Seriously?! You lied to me?!’ Pointing a finger at the aging mage, Argyle glared with a fiery passion.

’Yeah...’ Tralon innocently laughed. ’If I’m the only man who could make one, then why should I accept that burden if I can merely act like I forgot in my old age.’

’You... Send me a list of materials and I’ll make sure to have them ready,’ replied Argyle, not wanting to argue over something he would’ve done as well.

’Are you sure you can afford it?’ Jack asked. ’A local teleportation circle is one thing, but circles spanning across different nations is completely different. The further apart the two circles, the more costly it becomes.’

’Makes sense, but it’ll be worth it so long as it’s operational and we keep it a secret,’ stated Argyle, intent on making it happen.

’Fine. Once we’re done here, I think I know what you’ll want from the vault. If you take that item instead of a treasure for your auction, then the price will be cut in half.’

’Really? What item?’

’It’s a magic crystal,’ explained Jack. ’Every long-distance teleportation circle needs a powerful magic crystal built into its foundation. Inside the vault, we’ll find a few of them."

"Perfect, then I’ll take the biggest one!’

’Sorry, but the biggest one will be used by us,’ Jack argued. ’I know I said you could take anything, but the biggest one will be used for a teleportation circle in the Leisure Guild. We used to have one, but I’m guessing it was destroyed during the Holy War. And I want to make a bigger, better one.’

’That one wouldn’t be the second teleportation circle that connects to one I’ll have in the Fat Goose, would it?’

’That’s right, but you’ll have free access since you’ll be paying rent and won’t need to pay for it,’ Jack added. ’Ours will be much bigger. That way we can use it as a hub for other teleportation circles in the future. But that’s all for a later time. Before that, we’ll need to find a good blacksmith to help make them.’

’I might be able to help you there,’ replied Argyle, ’but it’ll take some convincing to get him to help.’

’We’ll get there when we get there. For now, let’s focus on the task at hand and beat the dungeon," stated Tralon. "After we’ve gone through all eleven floors, beaten the boss, and retrieved our treasures, then Argyle and I can discuss the finer details.’

’Sounds good to me.’ Jack shrugged. ’But since you’re opening a branch in Gilga, Argyle, does that mean you’ve been considering running for the council?’

’I’ve thought about it, but I’m not sure I’d be able to commit enough time for it,’ answered Argyle. ’I’ll be busy getting this new branch up and running while helping Baral manage the branch in Federal City.’

’Oh... Baral won’t be managing the new branch?’ Tralon asked in surprise.

’No. He’s more than capable, but I thought it might be better for you and Jack if I was in Trodar personally.’

’Thanks, Argyle. You’re quite the father-in-law,’ Jack added with a bow of the head.

’I’m just doing what I want to do. Also, this might help me get closer to learning about my wife’s murderer.’

’Ahhh... Now I get it. If you ever need our assistance, you’re more than welcome to ask Argyle. Considering you’re willing to do all this, it’s the least we could do,’ Tralon offered.

Argyle nodded. ’I’ll remember that. Just don’t mention this to Eliza. That’s all I ask.’

Jack slapped Argyle’s shoulder. ’Consider it done. Just let me know what you’re up to before you do something stupid, okay?’

’Yeah, Jack’s got more experience than anyone in succeeding at stupid things,’ joked Argyle, getting both of them to laugh.

Chapter 304

While the three men laughed, they also discussed their future plans to bring gods to Trodar so that Argyle was fully up to date on what had to be done.

As their conversation neared its end, Grangor approached them with over two hundred shadow goblins of all ages. There was more youth then elderly due to the tribe’s constant push for clearing the dungeon and sending out their warriors.

Because of that, most of the shadow goblins were between levels 20-39 but a fair share of goblins was in the 40’s as well. Aside from the chief at lv. 66, there were six other shadow goblins over lv. 50, which included the lead scout that Argyle had intimidated upon entering the fourth floor.

Grangor was ecstatic, eager to finally see his people leave this dungeon and find a more prosperous place to live. But most of the shadow goblins behind him were still unconvinced.

"Master Jack, please forgive us for taking so long."

"No worries, Grangor. You were faster then we were expecting, which is good because we need to get you all out as soon as possible," Jack replied with a smile. "Tralon, it’s time. Have the potions at the ready."

"Right."

Tralon closed his eyes. His focus left the dungeon and honed in on a place he had recently memorized deep below Churstin Canyon. As he pinpointed the vast chamber where he had sat beside gods, Tralon smiled.

"Spatial Rift!"

Dark violet energy suddenly appeared and starting dancing violently around Tralon’s body. And as that energy grew thicker the shadow goblins in disbelief were blown away by the sight of the old man drowning in vibrant power they had never seen before or imagined could exist.

The violet energy oozed out from Tralon, gradually pulling apart the space behind him. Soon, a tear emerged, then grew wider and wider.

Now, even the shadow goblins over lv. 50 were convinced that they were finally getting out of the dungeon.

Grangor was delighted to see this taking place. Unlike the others, he knew that the spell Tralon was casting was a legend-tier spell, something most people would never be able to witness in real life.

Finally, the rift steadied itself after becoming large enough for twenty goblins to enter at once.

"Now! Hurry and go!" Tralon shouted.

"Run, Grangor! We’ll see you again after we’re done here," Jack laughed loudly, letting all the goblins hear him.

With an anxious grin on his face, Grangor yelled, "Everyone! We’re finally getting out of here, so thank Master Jack before we leave this place."

Altogether, the shadow goblins bowed in their own ways and replied, "Thank you, Master Jack!"

"Go already!"

Not wasting another second, Grangor and the other shadow goblins ran at full speed. They funneled into the rift without ever looking back to their homes or the dungeon that housed them. Each shadow goblin was excited to finally escape the dungeon that had contained their people for over one thousand years.

As the last shadow goblin exited, Tralon instantly released the spell. He collapsed to the ground, not paying attention to his soaking wet robes or the sweat covering his body. Tralon looked to his side and laughed at the seven empty bottles beside him.

’That was a lot harder than I wanted it to be...’

’Just rest Tralon. Rest as long as you need.’ Jack walked over to Tralon and lifted the old man onto his back. ’As long as we clear the first four floors in nine days, then we’ll reach the fifth floor before they reset again.’

’Thanks... Jack...’ Drifting to sleep from pure exhaustion, Tralon let his body go unconscious and enter a state of recovery.

’Bowzer!’ Jack carefully laid Tralon across Bowzer’s back. ’We’ll rest in the city until Tralon is fully recovered. Find him the best bed in the chief’s home.’

’Okay!’ Slowly but steadily, Bowzer took Tralon away in search of a comfortable bed.

’So, Jack, what should we do while we wait?’ Argyle asked. ’Got any ideas to pass the time?’

’Hmmm... We could check in on the others and how their leveling is going. But then they’ll ask about my level...’

’Hey, sweetie. I’m just checking in on you and the others.’

’Argyle! I just said--’

’Hey, Dad. We’re doing alright for now,’ Eliza replied, noticing that something was off from Jack’s interruption.

’Are you still leveling or are you back at an inn?’ asked Argyle.

’We’re almost back at the inn. Sunset Valley is more difficult than we anticipated, but we’re doing fine despite the recent changes to our party.’

’Recent changes?’ Argyle gave Jack a questioning look as he continued, ’What changes?’

’Oh... Jack hasn’t told you yet?’

’I... Umm...’ Jack tried to break the awkward tension to the best of his ability. ’Argyle, back in Limneer we succeeded in delaying the army but we were ambushed by bounty hunters... In the chaos, many of us almost died. If it wasn’t for those Phoenix Lillies, neither Rydel, Eliza, nor myself would’ve been alive. But Daliea and Keela still passed...’

’But... You spoke with Daliea earlier, didn’t you?’

’I did, but only because we used a life spring jewel to revive Daliea... But we had no way of reviving Keela,’ explained Jack. ’We held her funeral and welcomed two new temporary party members, a swordsman and a ninja who led me to Choron.’

’Oh... I see... Well, I’m glad that you and Eliza are still with us.’

Argyle didn’t want to say it out loud, but he was overjoyed. Though he understood that losing Keela was a great blow to the party, Argyle didn’t know her personally and he had seen plenty of death in his life. He was so glad that he offered the Phoenix Lillies at the auction. And if he ever got such an item again, Argyle would directly sell it to Jack, no questions asked.

’I’m glad you’re all working well together, Eliza. But I’m sure you’ve got your hands full as the main support of the team,’ Jack added.

’Yeah, but Rydel is helping too,’ replied Eliza. ’His arrows help keep the battles under control and make it more manageable for me. However...’

’You think we need to find another cleric?’

’... Yeah... I know they can’t replace Keela, but the party could really use one.’

Jack sighed, ’I agree. We can’t have an unbalanced team, that’s just asking for trouble when things get tougher. I’ll see if I can find one before we meet up again.’

’So, sweetie, what level are you guys so far?’ Argyle asked, not hiding his smile from Jack.

’We’ve all gone up a level so far, and Maura is about to go up a second level. It’s hard work clearing out the place, but we’re lucky that almost no one else visits the valley anymore. Oh yeah, we also got hired to clear the valley after the townspeople saw us doing so well compared to past adventurers.’

’That’s great! So some of you should be lv. 40 soon,’ Argyle congratulated his daughter. ’Unlike Jack, you’re all working so hard and grinding away to earn each and every level.’

’Argyle...’

’What do you mean, Dad? Has Jack leveled up too?’ Eliza asked, noticing Jack’s avoidance of the question.

Argyle laughed as he stared Jack in the eye. ’This pestro had me and Tralon carrying him through a dungeon, so his gains have been unbelievable. I was pissed when I found out how fast he’s going up.’

’Jaaack, where are you guys? And are you really having them carry you for free levels?’ questioned Eliza.

’It wasn’t my original intention, but my plans had to change so I recruited them to help me raid an old dungeon that’s too strong for Bowzer and me,’ answered Jack.

’What dungeon?’

’... The storehouse of the Leisure Guild.’

’The storehouse?! Isn’t it filled with lv. 50 monsters?!’

’Actually, they ranged from lv. 55 to lv. 65. But some mobs might be even stronger now that no one’s touched the storehouse for a thousand years.’ Jack nervously corrected his furious wife.

 

Chapter 305

’JACK! Are you crazy?!’

’Eliza, calm down.’ Jack put his hands up innocently even though she couldn’t see him. ’I have to get a certain item out of the vault so I can better contact Daruun. Also, it turns out that it’s a great opportunity for me to gain a few levels before the election at Trodar. There are only six months until the first round of elections starts, so I’ve got to hurry.’

’Jack... remember, you promised me that you’d stay alive.’

’I know, and I’m very much alive. Nothing in here has been able to so much as touch me thanks to Tralon and Argyle,’ Jack stated.

’Okay... But you’d better be willing to spend some money when we go on our dates, considering it’s the storehouse you’re raiding,’ reasoned Eliza. ’And don’t tell me that’s not worth it, because your wives should be more important than anything else, right?’

’I... Okay, I won’t hold back but at least keep it within reason.’

’Thanks, Jack!’ Eliza giggled. ’By the way, what level are you, Jack?’

’...’

’Jack? Jaaack? I know you’re there.’

Hesitant, Jack swallowed some saliva lodged in his throat before whispering softly, ’We’re... lv. 47.’

’What was that? I didn’t catch what you said,’ prodded Eliza. ’Speak up, Jack. Are you trying to keep secrets from your wife?’

’Bowzer and I are... lv. 47,’ Jack sighed.

’You’re what?! You’re lv. 47 in just a few days?!’

’Eliza, calm down. This leveling strategy only works because we’re using my old pact that takes half of Tralon’s and your father’s EXP. Without that, I wouldn’t--’

’Are ya serious?! Ya already reached lv. 47?!’

’Jack, how’d you do that so quickly?’

’Big Bro! Why’d you forget about me? I want to level up too!’

’Jack... Have you really leveled up that much? Will you not need us anymore?’

Each of his party members quickly joined the conversation, adding their own question or thought to the mix. Jack was helpless against the slew of interjections, incapable of answering everything all at once.

’Guys... Guys! Please, calm down for a second. I can explain!’ Jack did his best to regain some control. ’I’m in the storehouse of the Leisure Guild, which has a dungeon I built with mobs reaching levels as high as lv. 70. That’s why Bowzer and I are traveling with Argyle and Tralon. I only got there so quickly because the storehouse mobs have grown too much after the past thousand years and we wiped out a city’s worth of jakals.’

’Jakals? Are they supposed to be as strong as lv. 60? Even with those two doing the killing, that many jakals would take forever to kill’ asked Rydel.

’Not if you take them all out in one attack from a legendary spell.’

’Then what about the shadow goblins that Daliea’s been talking about?’ Eliza asked. ’She’s been so excited to know that her race still exists and can’t wait to meet them. But if they were in the storehouse, that means you put them there in the past. If you had placed some shadow goblins in the storehouse, how come you only mentioned that now?’

’I... I forgot...’

’You forgot?! Jack, don’t just scratch your head and dodge my question! For something that important to Daliea, you should’ve told her from the beginning. Also, how do you plan to get them out of there?’ Eliza questioned her husband mercilessly.

’First off, the shadow goblins have already been removed from the dungeon and she’ll meet them once we’re done handling things on our end,’ answered Jack. ’Second, I really did forget! Making this dungeon was something I did when I first started being a hero, way before I was even lv. 85. Most things I’m known for happened after I was lv. 85, so of course I’m going to forget a few things.’

’Jack, how did those shadow goblins get in the dungeon if you’re the one who made it?’ DAliea asked, grabbing everyone’s attention.

’Well... I don’t remember who it was, but someone had given me a quest to capture a small number of shadow goblins. I didn’t kill any of them, I only placed them in one of my dungeon floors because each floor was supposed to be different...’ Jack explained his past actions. ’But because of that, this tribe was forgotten by the rest of Kartonia and avoided extinction.’

’I guess you’re right...’

’Daliea, I didn’t do it with the intent to hurt your people. Honestly, at the time I was so focused on leveling up and grinding, I was doing anything and everything to get stronger. And it was a great test of my skills to face your people without killing them. It was very difficult so I thought it would be a waste to kill such amazing opponents,’ Jack reasoned, trying to persuade the goblin girl. ’I had never known them as anything other than mysterious goblins at the time... But I am sorry for acting in such a way and for not remembering them up till now.’

’It’s okay, Jack. At least you know better know,’ replied Daliea in a calm, glad tone. ’It may not have been your intention, but you still managed to save my race... That’s something I can’t overlook, Jack. And I’m so happy that my people are still alive.’

’You’ll have to help them relearn your native tongue but I’ll make sure they’re properly trained,’ added Jack.

’Jack, how could I ever thank you?’

Eliza could sense the tension building in the conversation and she could also see Daliea’s blushing face. She nudged Maura beside her, making sure that her fellow wife saw how affectionate Daliea appeared to be at the moment.

With a sigh, Maura nodded to Eliza. They seemed to act in code, understanding the meaning of each other’s thoughts and actions while others only saw the surface level.

’Daliea, you don’t have to--’

’How about you marry Jack?’

’Eliza! I don’t want to force--’

’I-I would be willing.’

’...’

’Jack, speak up!’ Eliza shouted. ’A beautiful woman that we all care about just offered you her hand in marriage. Don’t tell me you’re opposed to having more than one wife because we already know the truth behind that excuse.’

’...’

’Jack,’ Maura chimed in, ’we feel that Daliea cares about you just as much as we do. And after everything she’s done for us, we know that you care about her too. Right’

’...’

’Right, Jack?’

’Can we please not talk about this right now?’ Jack pled with his wives.

’Why not listen to them? They’re your wives, they deserve that much respect.’

Jack turned to Argyle. He could feel the seriousness behind the swordsman’s intimidating glare and his sudden opinion. ’Fine... We can talk I guess. I’ve got some time while Tralon recharges his mana.’

Back in Prachten, the party had paused their return to town and stopped at the side of the road. There, both Eliza and Maura looked to Daliea. Speaking verbally so Jack couldn’t hear here encouragement, Eliza smiled, "Daliea, if you want to, then just do it. Maura and me won’t be mad at all."

"But... Eliza--"

"She’s right, Daliea," stated Maura. "Jack’s dense and hard-headed, so it took forever for him to open up to us, even after we became his wives. If you don’t act now, then I’m not sure when you’ll get another chance like this."

Without a word, DAliea nodded.

’Hello? You wanted to talk, but now you’re silent... If we’re not talking then we’ll--’

’Jack!’ Daliea’s shout got Jack to be silent and listen. ’Jack... A lot has changed since I first offered myself to you. In Reinolt, I almost forced you to make me your wife... But after traveling and seeing your party grow I couldn’t find it in myself to act that way again.

’Jack, I still want to be your woman... more so now than ever.’

’I... I don’t know what to say...’

’Do you care about her Jack? Yes or no?’ Argyle threw out his question without fear or hesitation, gaining his daughter’s respect.

Speaking in person, Jack looked back to his father-in-law, "Argyle--"

’Jack, if you care about her, then why not? Give me one good reason.’ Argyle didn’t let Jack hide their conversation from the others, keeping it within the group.

A rollercoaster of emotions started to fill Jack’s mind as his party members didn’t let him bottle anything up.

Chapter 306

’I... do care about Daliea.’

’How much?’ Argyle asked.

’A lot.’

’Jack--’

’Don’t say it, Daliea,’ Jack cut off the goblin girl, not letting her say what he already knew. ’Now’s not the time or the place... You and I can’t talk about it alone after we’re done. Would you prefer that?’

’Yeah, I would.’

’Oh, Jack’s finally manning up!’ joked Argyle. ’Just don’t forget about my beautiful daughter or your other wife during all this. You chose to have more than one wife, so you’ve got to care for them all.’

’Of course, Father-in-law,’ Jack cheekily replied. ’This conversation will happen later between Daliea and me so let’s leave it at that for now.’

’But Jack, what about your level? Are you really lv. 47 after clearing just one floor?’ Rydel insisted to continue the conversation Jack was ignoring.

’Yes, but it was only because I wanted that level completely empty for future use. Most floors will be cleared enough to get by but not ruin the ecosystem.’

’So ya aren’t going to level up again like crazy, are ya?’ Maynard asked.

Jack sighed, ’I’m not saying it’s impossible. If we come across a mob that I would deem better as killed off, then we’ll exterminate that one too. Also, there’s still the boss on floor eleven so I’m not sure what level I’ll be by the end.’

’How come ya didn’t bring us, huh? We want free levels too!’

’Maynard, it’s not that simple. I had to change the pacts with Argyle and Tralon so that they gave me half of their EXP in order to do that. But that wouldn’t work for the rest of you. You would have to make contact with the enemy in some way to gain a fraction of the EXP, but doing that would slow Argyle and Tralon down to the point where we could get wiped,’ reasoned Jack.

’I guess ya have a point...’

’But Big Bro is so much stronger now... What about us? What if we can’t keep up any more?’

’Lina, I don’t think you of all people should worry about that,’ Jack chuckled. ’Out of everyone, you have the most potential to be even stronger than both me and Bowzer. We’ll still be a party and you’ll always be my Little Lina.’

’Thanks, Big Bro!’

’For now, just keep trying to level up. How about we race?’ Jack proposed. ’We’ll see if you guys can clear Sunset Valley before I finish up this dungeon raid and my preparation with Choron.’

’If we beat you, then you’ve got to buy us all new equipment!’

’Yeah, I’ll need some new katana soon!’

’And I’ll need a new beast companion.’

As everyone started to add to the list of things Jack needed to supply the party, Jack was scratching his head and watching Argyle laugh at his predicament.

’Fine, it’s a deal. I’ll get you everything you need if you can clear sunset valley before I’m done with my errands.’

’Yay! Thanks, Big Bro! We’ll kill all the monsters in no time!’

Everyone started to laugh at Lina’s youthful enthusiasm, happy that it was contagious. The party eventually said their goodbyes and starting returning to the inn before it got too dark.

Jack and Argyle, on the other hand, had nothing but time on their hands as they waited to Tralon to recover from his over-expenditure of mana.

Soon after the group conversation came to a close, Bowzer returned with a smile. ’He’s resting in the chief’s bed.’

’Thanks, Bowzer. You’re always a huge help when I need it.’ Jack rubbed the fox’s belly, making Bowzer kick his back leg out of reflex.

Argyle decided to take a nap while Jack was still awake. They agreed to take turns resting just in case the council members arrived and decided to try something. And as the current lookout, Jack cast God’s Eye and began his search for the council members.

To his luck, he saw them near the entrance of the storehouse. Three were already there and one other council member was almost there.

"So there are for of them..." Jack mumbled to himself as he maintained a bigger picture. " We should be fine for now..."

Deactivating the spell, Jack opened up his system to find a few notifications waiting for his attention.

[Unreasonable force of nature: complete]

[Elven language detected. Translate?]

AS tempting as it was for Jack to see why he was labeled as an "Unreasonable force of nature", Jack was fixated on the new ability he discovered within his Achievement System.

Jack selected the old notification offering to translate but was disappointed by what came next.

[Couldn’t recognize or distinguish any languages being spoken. Search for language manually?]

Selecting that instead, Jack was floored by the list that popped up in front of him. At least a dozen different languages were listed but most were unnamed and only one was marked as fluent. Jack selected that one, curious what his system could tell him about the common language of Kartonia.

[Modern Humanian: fluent]

[User is fluent in Modern Humanian, the most common language of Modern Kartonia, and the standardized form of Ancient Humanian. Created by humans who populated the majority of Kartonia, influencing the rest of the world to pick up the language for reasons of trade, interaction, and communication.]

Curious, Jack returned to the menu and selected one of the unnamed languages.

[???: unheard]

[??? must be heard by the user in order to decipher the language and/or the dialect.]

He then came back to the language menu, selecting the only other language he had recognized so far.

[Elven, Greis Dialect: completely foreign]

[Unable to understand or comprehend the language to the user. The Greis dialect is completely foreign to the user and the majority of the continent. A forgotten ancient language from a forgotten people, the Greis Elves.]

Reading the description, Jack froze up.

Stated clear as day in the description, Jack learned the name of the language that even Grangor thought was unnamed. He also figured out something that left him at a cliffhanger.

Wanting an immediate answer, Jack whipped out his contact crystal, the next best thing to having a tutorial stone. "Sterfen! Father! Are you there?"

"Yeah, I’m here. Did something come up?" Sterfen eventually responded.

"Tell me what you know about the Greis Elves."

"Oh, so you found out the truth. What gave it away?" Sterfen chuckled.

"It was thanks to my subclass that Darrun gave me," Jack explained. "I heard Daliea speak with Grangor in their native tongue and my subclass has a language feature I just discovered. That feature informed me about the Greis dialect, a forgotten dialect specific to the Greis Elves."

"Really? Well you found out sooner than I was expecting you too, but you are my son after all," laughed Sterfen. "What do you want to know? My knowledge is pretty limited on that subject because the events around the Greis Elves happened before I was a god."

"Tell me everything you know."

"Well, for starters they were like other elves with their long life spans and high affinity for magic. But they also stood out as the only elves who could wield dark magic and had zero chance of learning light magic," explained Sterfen.

"A lot of disputes rose up between the Greis Elves and the other elves. Eventually, something major happened involving the Greis Elves being hunted down and killed. Their kind gradually vanished from history, or at least that’s what humans and most people believe. Most elves don’t even know the truth behind what happened or that the Greis Elves managed to hide themselves as shadow goblins. At some point, even they entirely assumed the identity as shadow goblins and forgot about their true origins."

"Wow... No wonder I was able to learn little to nothing about them in the past." Jack blinked and shook his head. "What else can you tell me about the Greis Elves?"

"According to the official records, only one Greis Elf remains alive that knows the full history."

 

Chapter 307

"Are you saying that one of the original Greis Elves is still alive? From the time before Ancient Kartonia?"

"Yes."

Perplexed, Jack’s brain was running out of breath. "That person... who is it and where can I find them?"

"If you found me, then you’ll be able to find them too. But you’ve already made plans to visit him, so don’t worry about it," Sterfen casually replied.

"What?!" Gradually picking up the hints that Sterfen was throwing to him, Jack was left dumbstruck. "Eedaj?!"

"Bingo."

"Eedaj, the second most powerful Neutral God, the Mind God, is a Greis Elf? Then how on earth were the Greis Elves chased away and nearly killed off?" questioned Jack.

"What do you mean?" Sterfen paused. "What’s this "earth" that you--"

"How did Eedaj not put a stop to the persecution of his people?!"

"Okay, okay, calm down a little," Sterfen chuckled, forgetting Jack’s use of a foreign word. "That’s something I feel would be best described by Eedaj himself."

"But Sterfen?! Father?"

"Buttering up to me won’t get you anywhere this time, but I do appreciate it," added Sterfen. "I don’t know the whole truth behind it either, so it would be best if you spoke with Eedaj and informed me about after."

"But... How could you now know? You’re the God of Secrets!" shouted Jack.

Sterfen sighed, "Just because I’m the God of Secrets doesn’t mean I know everything. For nearly every event after I became a god, I have plenty of information to share. But for the ones before my immortality, especially something as complicated as what happened with the Greis Elves, I don’t feel I have adequate information to share it with others."

"But... Can’t you at least tell me what you know?" Jack begged.

"No, because I’m not sure if my tiny amount of information is correct. There are two people who you could ask for more information. Obviously, there’s Eedaj, and we can’t forget about the all-knowing man who brought you here."

"I... I guess I could ask Daruun... But I don’t have a way to do that yet."

"Then hurry up and find what you’re looking for in the storehouse. That or wait patiently for your time to visit Korten and seek out Eedaj. Now, if you’ll excuse I have to go punish your mother."

Sterfen closed off the conversation, not letting Jack ask him anything else.

The young hero sat and stewed in his thoughts. There was also the option of calling Daliea and talking with her about all of this, but he felt that would do more damage than good.

At the moment, Daliea was already distracted by Jack’s discovery of more shadow goblins. Adding even more mystery and confusion to that would only keep her from focusing on Sunset Valley and helping the party succeed.

*****

Outside the storehouse doors, three men were gathered, waiting on their last comrade.

"Where’s Bikkem? Wasn’t he supposed to be here hours ago?"

"Don’t worry about that. Something came up involving the war and he had to attend to it right away," replied Quallace. "He’ll be here any minute now, so there’s no need to worry."

"Can I tell him to hurry?" asked Kims. "I want to hurry and get in there before Tralon and Argyle kill everything."

"I told you to calm down, Kims. Remember, we’re here for the treasure and to take care of Tralon."

"But Kims does have a point. Though I’m entirely fine with allowing Tralon to do our heavy lifting, won’t they get too far ahead and make things difficult for us if we don’t get in there now?"

"Waiting a few more minutes won’t hurt the plan, Vixus," explained Quallace. "We need him if we want any chance of competing with tralon in terms of strategy. I hate to admit it, but Tralon’s advantage in experience is hard to overcome without Bikkem’s help."

"I’ll admit to that, but you told me that you wouldn’t wait for me if I was late. So why wait for him?"

"Come on, Vixus, lighten up. Soon, the weight holding down the council will be removed and we’ll be able to usher in a new era for Trodar, not one relying on ancient traditions that have long faded away."

"But I still want to kill something!"

"Kims, calm your sword," Vixus stated. "I’m sure you’ll have things to kill and will thoroughly enjoy ramming your blade through Tralon later."

"Ohhh... I’d like that a lot," Kims laughed, putting his sword away. "Anyway, how much longer are we going to wait here?"

"Not another minute!"

The three men all looked out with smiles to see a broad, mountain of a man approaching them with great speed. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to speak with the general over the Prachten border."

"What about?" Vixus asked.

"Apparently the Prachten forces backed away from the border. They’re still there in case we invade, but they’re no longer on the offensive."

"Strange... Are there any guesses as to why?"

Bikkem nodded. "After the last few skirmishes, the Prachten army seemed to be lacking resources, especially weapons and armors. They may be switching to the defensive since they’ve run low on equipment after the war effort has been dragged out so long."

"A logical answer. Any other suspicions?"

Bikkem shook his head. "No, we’ve yet to learn anything else. But ever since Tralon organized that flash army and sent it to the Limeer border, the other fronts have lessened their attacks. Maybe they’ve also learned that Limneer broke the war pact and slowed because of that."

"Or they fear Trodar all the more now that we somehow managed to stop a surprise army."

"Right, Vixus," explained Bikkem. "There’s also a chance that they learned about how devastated that army was by the time it reached our borders. To be honest, I also have no clue as to what happened or who Tralon got to accomplish such a feat."

"Whoever it is, they must be devoted to Trodar if they’re willing to go that far," stated Quallace. "And if they’re devoted to Trodar, then all we have to do is get the council behind them and allow them to see that our ways are more prosperous then that old man’s."

"Not a bad idea. I like it." Vixus smiled. "Once we get them on our side, we could have them run raids through Limneer, Prachten, and Iscantor. That should weaken our enemies’ morale and allow us to overwhelm one of the three."

"And once that happens, then it’s only a matter of time for the remaining two fronts, regardless of who they are," added Bikkem. "But enough of that. Let’s hurry up and get inside. We don’t want to be left behind with no way to track them. Then it would be pointless for Kaldor to come."

The four men walked over to the giant black doors, patiently waiting thirty seconds.

As the ancient doors creaked open, each of the four council members showed a different smile. Kims was excited. Vixus was curious. Bikkem was anxious. Quallace was relieved.

They all stepped inside the door, letting it close behind them. The cave was simple enough to figure out as the neared the teleportation circle and were wicked away in a display of purple, spacial energy.

When they reached the "first" floor, they were surprised by how quiet it was.

They assumed that they would need stealth in such a place, so the quickly trekked across the floor. It was much larger than they had anticipated but it was also much more empty. In fact, it was entirely empty. They couldn’t find anything at all no matter where they looked. There were no enemies, no mobs, no major signs of battle.

What they didn’t realize was that the only major sign of battle was so huge that it made that portion of the terrain appear to be naturally flat, the same place where the gathering of jakals’ huts used to be found.

 

Chapter 308

With nothing to do but walk on what they assumed was the first floor, the councilmen wandered until they came across the next teleportation circle.

Now on the next floor, the four men even more careful to not be seen since this floor had artificial lighting.

They stuck close to the walls and allowed one of Vixus’s scouting beasts to scan the area for them. He chose to use a small, speedy lizard as Vixus felt it was most befitting of the cave environment.

Traveling slower than on the first floor, the councilmen made sure to be extremely cautious. They had no desire of getting caught on the "second floor", long before they reached their goal. In their minds, the best way of clearing the mysterious, unpredictable dungeon was to allow Tralon, who they assumed had traversed the dungeon long ago, to lead the way.

"Hmmm... interesting..."

"What is it, Vixus?" Quallace asked in the world’s softest whisper.

Seeing through the eye of his lizard, Vixus described the sight before the lizard. "There’s a roughly built city here, but it’s just as quiet as the empty floor we just passed. It’s possibly abandoned."

"How large is it?" Bikkem asked.

"Small. Even its walls aren’t much taller than us. It was probably a small civilization of some race that those men have wiped out," deduced Vixus.

"Makes sense. Check the city, please. I want to know if they’ve left yet or if they’re resting with the city as their camp."

"Right." Vixus sent his lizard companion over the short city walls in search of any signs of life. "Nothing so far..."

After scouring the city and taking its time, the lizard reached the chief’s home.

"I see a light inside one of the buildings. I think they’re camping for the night after successfully clearing the two floors," stated Vixus.

"Good, then we’ll let them rest for now. We’ll consider what to do about Tralon once Kaldor arrives tomorrow. Till then, let them do whatever they want," Bikkem reasoned.

"Then I’ll just have my lizard-- Hey!"

"Shh..." Bikkem and Quallace both tried to silence Vixus’s sudden shout.

"That fox..."

"What about the fox?" asked Quallace.

"That fox just ate my lizard."

Not sure how to feel, the other councilmen looked to the annoyed Vixus. They were all smiling, hiding their laughter about their fellow councilman’s poor luck.

"We’ll check on them in a few hours with a different beast. Now we know not to get to close or that fox might get hungry again."

*****

After Sterfen ended their conversation, Jack wasn’t able to focus on much else beyond the mysterious events he knew nothing about. So, to get his mind off of what he wasn’t able to learn at the moment, Jack cast God’s Eye and paid close attention to their followers.

Jack enjoyed watching the four councilmen wander around the third floor so carefully. He would check on them every ten minutes or so, keeping track of their speed and location at all times.

Once they were teleported to the fourth floor, Jack paid extra close attention. To make sure they were found but not seen, Jack had Argyle and Bowzer join Tralon in the chief’s house.

When Jack noticed that the councilmen were no longer moving, he searched for anything that might be foreign to the dungeon that could be used to scout them out. Jack quickly found a lizard coming from the direction of the councilmen. As the lizard gradually entered the city, Jack snickered.

The hero waited for quite some time for the lizard to get close to the chief’s house and spot the light they set. As soon as Jack was sure the lizard saw them, Jack chuckled.

’Hey, Bowzer, you hungry?’

’Yeah!’

’Sadly, most of the creatures on this floor are insects, but you got lucky.’ Jack pointed to the outside wall. ’On the other side of this wall is a tasty lizard. But you’ll have to catch it by surprise or it will run away from you.’

’Really? Thanks, Jack!’

All smiles, the Hell-flame Fox silently got up and trotted through the halls. He swiftly exited the house and located his dinner. The poor lizard didn’t stand a chance against Bowzer’s speed or his powerful fangs.

’That should do it.’

’What are you talking about, Jack’

Jack smiled at Argyle motioned to the outside where they could hear Bowzer loudly chewing and crunching on the lizard. ’If I’m not mistaken, Bowzer’s dinner was a beast scout sent out by the councilmen.’

’Oh... Nice move, Jack,’ Argyle laughed. ’Then we should be fine for another day so long as they know we’re in here.’

’I just hope a full day’s rest will be enough for Tralon.’

’Knowing him, he’ll be a bit sore but he’ll muster through it for now. By the way, what in Halmut’s beard is on the tenth floor?’

’Oh, I should warn you about that,’ Jack laughed. ’It’s almost as big as the third floor with the jakals, but I only placed a handful of monsters on that floor.’

’So what makes it so fearful?’

’Also like the third floor it’s pitch-black down there, but unlike the third floor, it had illusory mists and mobs specializing in illusions and charms. If you don’t know the layout of the floor, then you’ll be forced to wander aimlessly until you happen to step on the teleportation circle.’

Startled, Argyle gave Jack a crazy look. ’It’s that bad?’

’Yeah but it’s probably much worse now. The beasts on that floor were actually some of the weakest in the entire dungeon, they just made the tenth floor impossible to navigate. There’s no telling how many of them there are now,’ explained Jack. ’Also, if you can’t properly understand teleportation circles, then you might end up going somewhere you don’t want to go.’

’You put more than one kind of circle down there, didn’t you?’

’Guilty as charged,’ Jack laughed. ’Without our mental link, it would almost be impossible to travel together. Even if we’re tied together or holding hands, we wouldn’t be able to see ourselves down there. And I don’t want to use Bowzer’s flames either, otherwise, we may not be able to trick the councilmen.’

’And what if the councilmen decide to attack us before we reach the tenth floor?’ Argyle asked.

’Well... In that case, we fight. And since they may try to eliminate Tralon, then I wouldn’t be against eliminating them if necessary.’

’Oh, so you wouldn’t care if I killed them?’ Argyle smiled. ’Even if some getaway and they can prove we did it?’

’Even then, because they entered uninvited into our guild’s storehouse. And since they would be forced to explain why the dared to try that, then I think our arguments would balance out,’ reasoned Jack. ’As for the upcoming election, I think once we reveal ourselves as the culprits behind success in both Limneer and Prachten. And by then I’ll also have an alliance with Korten, hopefully.’

’If you can prove all that public and you get the treaty with Korten, then I can see why you would be a shoo-in for the council.’

’Also, I may be able to get a god to move to Trodar by then, I think.’

’Seriously?! Which one?’ Argyle’s eyes were filled with excitement.

’It would be a Neutral God that most people have forgotten, but he’s still a god,’ stated Jack. ’His name is Eedaj. I should be able to meet him in Kortan, and if I’m thinking correctly I might be able to convince him to relocate to the Leisure Guild.’

’You and your wild schemes... I’m glad I’m getting mixed up in them,’ laughed Argyle. ’This is far more exciting than just preparing for auctions or making business deals.’

’Well, you’re always welcome to participate in them when you’re able, and under certain circumstances, I might request it.’

’Consider it done.’

Jack and Argyle proudly shook hands, not as son-in-law and father-in-law but as future partners both anxious for adventure.

 

Chapter 309

With nothing left to do but wait, Jack fiddled with his system.

At first, he was inspecting the language feature and moved it out of the settings tab and on to the main menu. After that, he reopened his achievement list and was reminded of the achievement he had yet to claim.

[Unreasonable force of nature: complete]

[Be the cause of the extinction of a species, eliminating it permanently from history. Unique reward: 125 skill points.]

Part of Jack was ecstatic to find himself with one hundred and twenty-five free skill points, but another part of him felt some regret and guilt. He didn’t know that jakals were no longer alive outside of the dungeon and part of him wished to keep a few jakals alive to relocate them or experiment with them and their cultural development.

But it was too late for any of that. All Jack could do was accept his reward and accept that he had not only saved a species from extinction but had effectively exterminated one as well.

Jack took the hundred and twenty-five skill points, now leaving him with one hundred and thirty-four skill points. Now he had to make a decision, to spend it or to save it. He could spend it on some smaller skills that he had been ignoring for a long time or he could try to save up for something more expensive.

The temptation of the powerful spells was tempting, but Jack decided to spend them on something that could help both himself and the party in Prachten.

First, Jack upgraded his companion bloodline skill to lv. 3 for forty skill points, leaving him with ninety-four points to spend. Those were mostly spent on the companion telepathy skill, making it lv. 4 and leaving Jack with fourteen skill points.

Doing this, Jack hoped that the party would be able to better communicate with their beast companions and that his own flame body would get stronger.

’Jack, did you do something again?’

’What do you mean, Bowzer?’ Jack turned to see Bowzer walking back into the room.

’Wait, Bowzer just talked?!’

’Yeah, I’ve always been able to talk with Jack.’ Bowzer tilted his head, not surprised in the least.

While Argyle was blown away by Bowzer suddenly speaking telepathically, Jack realized what had happened. ’Bowzer, do it again.’

’Do what again?’

’Jack, has Bowzer always been able to speak?’

Laughing, Jack looked at his startled father-in-law. ’Argyle, calm down. He’s been speaking with me from the beginning, but now he can speak with others I guess.’

’Really?! Everyone else can hear me now?!’ Excitement filled Bowzer’s adolescent voice. ’Eliza! Can you hear me?!’

’What is it now?’ Eliza shouted back. ’Who did Jack make a pact with this time? He should at least warn us--’

’Eliza, it’s me! Bowzer!’

’Bowzer?!’

’Bowzer, that’s enough!’ shouted Jack. ’Let them sleep. You can talk to them when we finish the dungeon, okay?’

’Okay... But I can talk to everyone now!’

’Shhh!’

’Oh, right.’ The fox chuckled as he grew quiet, but he couldn’t hide the smile on his face or the excitement in his steps.

’Sorry, Eliza. I upgrade my companion telepathy skill and now he can speak to you guys. Also, now you should be able to better understand your beast companions,’ explained Jack.

’Oh... Just make sure he doesn’t wake us up again.’ Eliza yawned and ended the conversation, too tired to get excited.

’So Bowzer can talk now,’ sighed Argyle. ’Listen up, Bowzer. You’ve can’t just shout at people. At least be courteous to others, or I’ll have to remind you personally.’

’Okay, it won’t happen again.’ Bowzer nodded.

’Good, now it’s my turn to rest. Wake me up if you need me or if Tralon gets up.’ Stretching his arms and back, Jack stood up and left to find a bed of his own.

Jack slept for a few hours but nothing had changed. Tralon was still unconscious, but his complexion seemed healthier and livelier. Lucky for them, the other councilmen didn’t bother attacking them or trying anything. It proved that Tralon had guessed correctly, that the councilmen wanted to let Jack, Tralon, and Argyle act as their guinea pigs in the dungeon.

But it also showed that the councilmen were on guard, something Jack would keep in mind as they pushed forward.

A full twenty-four hours had almost passed before Tralon started to move again. ’Oh...’

’Tralon, how are you feeling?’

’Better... I’m feeling much better, Argyle.’ Tralon found Jack and smiled. ’I think I’m well enough to keep going now.’

’Don’t push yourself too hard, Tralon,’ Jack replied. ’We’ll keep going, but if you need to rest than say so, alright?’

With a sigh, Tralon nodded. ’I will. Thank you, Jack.’

’Then it’s time to move out! Where to, Jack?’ Argyle laughed, happy to continue the adventure.

’From here it should be northwest. But let’s keep a calm, steady pace now that we’ve got an audience watching us.’

’Oh, so they’ve come,’ laughed Tralon. ’Then I’ll be extra careful to keep their attention on me and not you, Jack.’

’Good, then let’s go!’

Jack mounted Bowzer and assumed the back position of their triangle formation, letting Tralon and Argyle guard the front on both sides. Thirty minutes of walking later, the party vanished in a pulse of purple energy.

Not too far away, four men waited for information to come from their beast scout.

"So, they’ve finally moved on... They took their time, didn’t they?" Vixus commented as he commanded his last lizard to return.

"Maybe they were recovering after wiping out the two floors," added Bikkem.

Quallace nodded. "Right, then it was smart of us to let them handle the floors for us. Let’s wait here a while and give them time to clear the next floor."

"Isn’t now also a good time to contact Kaldor?"

"I’ll do that now, no need to remind me, Vixus." After rolling his eyes at Vixus, Quallace pulled out his contact crystal with haste. "Kaldor, how far out are you?"

"I should be arriving within the hour. It’s to the north of the city, right?" asked Kaldor.

"To the northwest. You’ll see a clearing and some giant, black doors that you can’t miss," explained Quallace. "Once you’re there, stand in front of the doors for thirty seconds for them to open, and don’t worry about closing it."

"Alright, I’ll be calling you soon!"

Kaldor hung up, not wanting to waste time talking. He was busy imagining all of the treasure he was about to receive, dwarfing everything that Hurmot and Argyle had won at the yearly auction.

Picturing mountains of gold and platinum... Imagining the piles of ancient weapons and equipment... Visualizing all of the priceless treasures that had been sealed away within his grasp... Kaldor enjoyed his daydreams for the rest of the ride as his Giant Condor carried him to the northern region of Trodar.

By the time the condor descended, Kaldor was antsier than ever.

Raids weren’t an uncommon occurrence for Kaldor, but he had never gained exclusive access to a newly opened dungeon that had been sealed for a millennia. That was a dream come true for him.

Now standing in front of the black doors, Kaldor was feeling anxious, so anxious that he struggled to stand still in front of the ancient doors.

But after thirty long seconds, Kaldor’s smile got wider.

He stored the condor and strode forward to enter the opening doors. Once there was enough room to fit the large man he stepped in, or at least he tried to.

For some reason, Kaldor was unable to enter the doorway. Even with the doors open and unlocked, Kaldor still felt an invisible force blocking him from entering the dungeon he was so eager to raid.

A minute passed as Kaldor struggled against the invisible force. Another minute passed. Soon five minutes passed and Kaldor remained unable to go any further. Rage and fury were painted on his face as he retrieved his contact crystal.

Chapter 310

"Quallace! Why can’t I enter!"

"What do you mean?" Quallace questioned. "We’re already on the second floor waiting for you."

"But why can’t I enter! The doors have opened but there’s some invisible force not letting me enter," barked Kaldor. "Did you trick me into coming?"

"Of course not! What would I gain by sending you all the way here," Quallace replied as he tried to grasp the situation. "Argyle is already on the third floor, so the level cap should just be a rumor."

"Level cap? You sent me to a dungeon with a level cap and didn’t tell me about it!"

"Kaldor, calm down. There has to be a way for you to get inside. Argyle’s with Tralon already so there has to be a way," argued Quallace, trying to reason with their ace-in-the-hole.

"Maybe Tralon knew about the level cap and had a way to get him inside," Vixus stated, overhearing Quallace’s frantic side of the conversation.

"Right, Tralon must have some way to get people in despite the level cap!"

Still furious, Kaldor shouted, "But how does that help me? You got me involved so I would hold back Argyle while you faced Tralon, but you can’t get me in without facing Tralon and stealing whatever it was that got Argyle inside. You pestros!"

"Kaldor, we didn’t mean for this to happen. How could we know that the Leisure Guild had an enforced level cap on the storehouse? No one has ever entered it since the guild’s founder disappeared," Quallace reasoned. "There was never a chance to learn the truth, so don’t blame us."

"I don’t the others, I blame you, Quallace! Don’t go around offering deals when you can’t back them up, pestro!" Kaldor refuted.

"But Kaldor--"

"I still expect to receive a share of the treasures. I didn’t come all the way here for nothing!"

"Kaldor, that’s absurd! How could you expect us to do that when you aren’t able to help us?"

Kaldor barked, "You offered to be allies but you want to be enemies instead?"

"We..." Fearing the wrath of a lv. 72 and his organization, Quallace chose his words carefully. "Let me speak with the other councilmen first. We can get you a portion of the treasures, but not a majority."

"Fine, inform me once you’ve made a decision."

Quallace stopped speaking with Kaldor and looked around him. The other three councilmen were eyeing him, already knowing what Quallace wanted to discuss.

"I say we give Kaldor your share of the treasures, Quallace."

"Vixus, that’s--"

"You’re the one who got Kaldor involved without guaranteeing that he could enter," argued Vixus. "Also, you convinced us that we would have his support to face Tralon and Argyle. That also turned out to be a lie."

"That’s unreasonable to say. How did I lie?"

Kims replied, "Sure, I’m fine with coming to kill things and gain EXP, but you said that Kaldor would be able to hold off Argyle while I got to kill Tralon. Now we’ve already entered the dungeon and can’t turn back, so who’s going to hold off Argyle?"

Quallaced gulped, not happy to have the other three men eyeing him like that. "Don’t look at me. I’m a sorcerer. With his speed, Argyle would close the distance and do me in."

"But you’re the highest level," stated Vixus. "Even if you don’t face him alone, you should still bear that responsibility."

"Then who will help me? Any volunteers?" Quallace looked to both Bikkem and Vixus. "Kims may have the most fighting experience, but he’s also five levels lower than Argyle. One of you two should help me with Argyle."

"I think the monk should do it."

"What about you and your beasts?" Bikkem argued. "With the help of your beasts, you’d be able to divert Argyle’s attention off of Quallace while Quallace goes for the killing blow."

"But you have the greatest defense, greater than all of my beasts," reasoned Vixus. "You may be able to hold Argyle off just as well as Kaldor with Quallace backing you up. My beasts will be needed elsewhere."

"Really? And where would that be."

"Have you forgotten about the son-in-law hero with a Hell-flame Fox?"

Everyone paused for a moment, remembering the legendary beast. Quallace shook his head. "Vixus, he’s much too low to be--"

"I doubt he’s as weak as you believe him to be," stated Vixus. "If he’s gone up against the syndicate and been successful, I doubt he’s so easy to handle. Either he’s much stronger than we give him credit or he’s a master tactician that we should fear facing. Both scenarios are something we should be ready for."

"Vixus, stop complaining and--"

"Quallace, Vixus has a point," added Bikkem. "In that case, I’ll team up with Quallace against Argyle. We’ll hold him off while Kims faces Tralon and Vixus quickly finishes off the young hero and the fox."

"Really, Bikkem? Are you sure?" asked Quallace.

"Yes, I’m sure that would be best. Once the hero and the fox are dealt with, Vixus could then control Tralon while Kims goes for the killing blow. Then all four of us will be left against Argyle, should he choose to keep fighting by that point," Bikkem explained.

"So long as I get to have my fight, I’m fine with that."

"I second Bikkem’s plan."

Quallace looked back at his fellow councilmen in a stupor. "And... what about the treasures?"

Bikkem nodded. "How about this. Kims, Vixus, and myself will take fifteen percent each. We’ll give Kaldor ten percent and you five percent, leaving the remaining forty percent for the city’s treasury."

"That--"

"I second that thought," added Vixus.

Kims chuckled, "Sounds good to me,"

"But I shouldn’t be getting only five percent. I was the one who organized this!" shouted Quallace.

"And due to your poor organization, we’ve had to completely change our plan. You’ll already be taking the most credit for bringing the storehouse treasures to the city, so be lucky that you’re even getting five percent," reasoned Bikkem with a straight face.

"I... fine. But at least let me pick the first item."

When the three councilmen agreed to that condition, Quallace sighed into his contact crystal, "Kaldor, you’ll be receiving my share of the treasures. Alright?"

"Good. Then I’ll be patiently waiting outside these doors," Kaldor angrily chuckled.

Quallace put his contact crystal away and looked back to the party of councilmen. "So, are there any other things we need to discuss?"

"When are we making a move against them?" Vixus asked, wanting to get a read on his fellow councilmen.

"The sooner the better!" shouted Kims.

Quallace shook his head. "We should wait until we near the final floor. So long as we attack before the eleventh floor, we’ll be fine. Let them handle the mobs while we attack their backs."

"But should we wait that long?" Bikkem questioned. "What if they present us with a better opportunity? If they get caught up facing mobs and are left weak, why not strike sooner?"

"We could do that, but what about the rest of the dungeon? The eleven floors only get more confusing and random as we go deeper, right? If we kill Tralon in the early levels, can we guarantee our success on the later levels?" reasoned Quallace.

"For once, you have a point, Quallace," Vixus laughed. "I think we should wait till the last half of the dungeon to strike, but as soon as an opportunity appears in the latter half, we should take it. I don’t think we should wait till the ninth or tenth level unless it’s absolutely necessary."

"I’m alright with that reasoning," Bikkem agreed. "We shouldn’t waste opportunities when there’s no guarantee of a better one to come."

"I just want to kill him, so I’m fine with whatever. But that does sound like the best plan, so let’s go with that."

Quallace covered his face with his hand and sighed. "Fine... then we’ll strike on either the sixth, seventh, or eighth floor, depending on when an opportunity presents itself. Does everyone agree?"

"Agreed."

"I’ll agree to that."

"Yeah!"

With everyone reaching an accord, the councilmen waited a bit longer. They wanted to make sure that the next floor was clear and that they weren’t spotted till the last half of the dungeon.