Second World

"Look at the guy pretending, he will soon be running back here asking for everyone's help," Glorysurge said as he watched Jack proceeding to approach the rare elite boss.

"But, bro… I heard that he had entered this legacy dungeon for several days," Gossipking said. "And he always faced the boss alone."

"How can you believe that shit? Now that we know the boss is a level 50 rare elite, it is clearly bogus."

"The rumor says he has a really strong companion and beast form"

"What beast form?"

"I don't know. I never pay attention to the talks."

"Then you are right to do that. It's just horseshit if you ask me."

"But… He is still walking towards the boss like it is nothing…"

"… He is just pretending."

The two continued to try persuading themselves to fit the realities into their own images, right until the point where Jack unleashed his supreme dragon form. The two watched with lost words as Jack took the sky and rammed onto the boss before engaging it in a direct confrontation.

They were entranced by the scene but at the same time still trying to convince themselves that this was all just an illusion. That the humanoid dragon fighting the boss was not Jack, it was another high-grade monster that had somehow intruded here unnoticed and was now fighting the dungeon boss for a territory claim or some other shit like that.

They stayed their ground. They spent all their efforts in trying to reason with the unreasonable scene before them that they had no conscious effort left to steer their body away to a safer distance. Grace was shouting at them from the back. Their ears heard her voice yet it was as if their brains were too busy processing the data from their eyes that they had no more processing capacity to process the information received by the ears.

It went on like that for a long time. Until some other scene forcefully tore them out of their intense internal debate. The scene was when the entire ice spears were sucked up into the air. The spears disappeared into the void above for a moment of silence before they all came raining down.

This time, the ice spears didn't all fall where Jack was at. Since Glorysurge and Gossipking were inside its territory, some of the ice spears fell on them as well. The danger from the falling ice spears snapped the two out of their trance. Their survival instincts took over.

Gossipking made an urgent spell casting and completed it just before the ice hit. Magic Wall appeared above the two and served as a protective umbrella. Glorysurge activated Protection Field and Shield Stance. The Magic Wall was shattered by the ice spears after several hits. The spears then fell on them. Gossipking hid behind Glorysurge as the sentinel used his tower shield to cover them both.

John didn't make wrong choices when he said he only filtered the best when accepting applicants. Despite the two questionable mental capacities, they survived the ice spears with their swift actions, albeit in low health already. Grace hurriedly approached since the ice spears were no more and threw some healing spells on the two idiots.

<br/>The two were back to their hollow stares after the danger had passed. They continued that way until the ice demon fiend fell to the ground and dispersed. The humanoid dragon monster who had come claiming the boss' territory had transformed back into a human.

The other members cheered and ran forward. Grace followed them. Glorysurge and Gossipking continued standing where they were, unsure of what to do. After a short while, they finally decided to approach as well.

Jack took the coins and mana cores to be donated to the guild, as well as the exp pills for himself. The rest he gave to the others. But when Glorysurge and Gossipking approached, he blocked the two.

"You two have no share of the loots," he announced to them.

"Hah? Why?" Gossipking asked. He saw the others had started rolling to decide who got what.

"I don't like the way you two talked to me," Jack replied. "It's fine sharing the exp points with you, but not the loots."

The two were quiet. It was true that they had been rude previously. They also never expected Jack to be truly so formidable as the story they heard. If they tried to force their way now, they would be the ones that got crushed.

"Jack, can you please not give them a hard time?" Grace came and said. "They did get overboard a bit, but they are good persons. They have helped me a lot in the past."

Jack turned to Grace, before looking back at the two.

"You two. Apologize to the guild leader now! Or do you want to get expelled?" Grace said to Glorysurge and Gossipking.

The two looked at one another. Gossipking was the first to say, "Forgive me, leader. I was in the wrong."

It took Glorysurge longer to say, "I… I'm sorry."

Jack touched his chin. 'Hm, it does take power to get respected,' he thought. Jack was not a petty person. Since the two had apologized, he could just forget everything. He said to the two, "All Right, let's bygone be bygone. Go ahead and roll for the loots. I've taken my share."

Glorysurge and Gossipking approached the loots. Many rare-grade equipments were on the ground. The loots from a rare elite boss were indeed generous.

When they came out of the legacy dungeon, Grace asked Jack, "What will you be doing now?"

"I'm going to the training cave. I need lots of exp to catch up with the others," Jack answered.

"In that case, let me join you," Grace said.

"Um, it will be faster if I do the training cave alone," Jack said.

"Are you saying I'm a burden if I join?" Grace asked with a frown.

"Uh, of course not! You are very welcome to join," Jack hurriedly replied.

"Good," Grace said and turned away.

Jack's shoulders slumped when she did.

"Grace, we will be joining you as well then," Gossipking said.

"No!" Both Jack and Grace said at the same time.

The two were more obedient this time. Though they still felt dissatisfaction and jealousy, they no longer expressed them openly. They only watched in silence as Grace followed after Jack.

For the following days, Grace continued to accompany Jack every day in raiding the legacy dungeon and training caves. The two chatted as they did in the old days, but both still pretended to not know one another's past. If Paytowin was there, he would have been unable to take it any longer and slapped them both. Even Peniel felt like doing so herself.

On the eighth day, Jet came back and joined the legacy dungeon again. His friends' quest was done and he had free time to kill. When they met, Jack asked him, "my pervert uncle, in these few days that I spend in this headquarters, why do I hear gossip about you regularly sneaking into the women's bathhouse to peek them bathing?"

The bathhouse was one of the facilities they could build after reaching level 3. It was more of a leisure place. But using the bathhouse also had the effect of granting an exp boost for eight hours. And it was not limited to region restrictions like the Power Crystal. It was divided into the male and female sections. Jack had also used this facility before he entered the legacy dungeon and training cave.

"Haha, you must have heard wrong," Jet laughed awkwardly.

Jack gave him a suspicious stare.

On the ninth day, Jack received Fierce Flame's message, informing Jack that she was available. They could depart tomorrow morning. When Jet and Grace told Jack that they were looking forward to tomorrow's dungeon raiding, Jack told them today was the last. Tomorrow he would be heading out.

"Where to?" Jet asked.

"To meet someone who can make armor for my pet," Jack answered.

Jet eyed him for a while before jumping up and knocking him on the head.

"The hell, man!" Jack uttered.

"I should be the one that says that!" Jet retorted. "You are going to make armor for your pet and you don't think about asking me to come? What class do you think I am?"

"Oh…" Jack realized his oversight. "Haha, all right, we will depart together tomorrow."

"Yeah! Road trip!" Jet exclaimed.

"Then I will come as well," Grace said.

"Um… But, you have no pet," Jack said.

"So?" Grace said back with a stern face.

"Nothing! We are glad by your company," Jack uttered. "But none of your boyband entourage, okay."

"No problem," Grace replied.

After agreeing to meet tomorrow morning. They went their ways. Jet came to Jack before that. "Jack boy, why does it seem like something is going on between you and that lass?"

"Oh? Why do you say that?" Jack asked.

"You two talked very pleasantly as if old friends, yet both of you seemed to keep a certain distance from one another."

"Really? Must be your imagination," Jack said and walked away.

Peniel shrugged at Jet before following Jack away. Jet was wondering what the fairy meant by that.

*

The Next morning, they gathered in the lobby outside the Guild Hall. Jack was expecting only Flame, Jet, and Grace. However, there were also Weird Trap, Salty Trade, Wondrouslife, and Sturdy Serpent. Jack was confused about why these additional people but then he realized something that linked them all together. They all had pets.

Tip came out of the Guild Hall and explained to Jack. He told Jack that these four were originally tagging with Jeanny on Prince Alonzo's trip, but when they learned about Jack's plan from Tip, they sent these four back to tag along.

Jack didn't mind. Flame mentioned that the place they were going to was not particularly dangerous. It would be for the guild's benefit as well if these four's pets were strengthened.