Chapter 9 Crazy Flame Mansion!

"From now on, call me Mom!"

The Flame Lord declared, positively beaming.

Then she dragged them toward what would be Jack's new home.

It was located on the East-side of Dawn and looked like….a ginormous sun?!

Even a distance away, Jack could sense the scorching heat. The City just allowed something so dangerous in its midst?! As he stared, his new "mother" chuckled.

"Hehe. This is the magical barrier protecting our home. It only hurts the intruders. You're with me, so don't worry. We'll Zoom through it!"

Then they went in.

The fire barrier was unlike anything Jack had ever seen.

The sight was unreal: it was a sea of fire! Sure he had seen stuff like this in movies, books, and on Awakened TV… but living it firsthand was so freakishly amazing!

Then there was the feeling. The Mana here was fiery and flowed so quickly, so tumultuously, as if a volcano about to erupt!

The more Jack saw and felt, the more desire he felt. The current him with F-Rank skills could barely move pebbles. How long before he could cast such a strong barrier?!

But just as he was rejoicing, they were through.

[Welcome to the Flame Mansion!]

Jack stared at his new home dumbfounded.

The interior was incredibly breathtaking, a majestic temple with oriental-styled shrines surrounding it. Oh, and it gave hot-spring vibes, a warm mist covering it.

But one thing especially stood out: Foxes, foxes everywhere!

The little orange buggers lazed around all over, looking as fluffy as cuddly! Jack felt them lock on him, their intelligent eyes radiating curiosity.

"Welcome to your new house, Jack!"

His new mother theatrically announced before turning to the foxes.

"All of you, listen up! This is Jack Bright, the new Prince of our Flame Mansion, and his father! Protect them with your life!"

The foxes froze….Prince?! Eyes as wide as saucers, they stared at the little one that'd rule over them. Why was their owner so enthusiastic about this baby?!

Jack actually didn't know either!

The Flame Lord had been this way ever since coughing blood. Perhaps she was a masochist? While she didn't seem ill-intentioned, he still wanted to know her endgame...

"C'mon! Let Mom show you to your bed chamber!"

Except she didn't bring them to a room.

It was an entire shrine!

If anything, it looked like one of those luxurious lofts he had only seen on billboards. The decor was the perfect blend of Heroic Red and Regal Gold. It felt like a dream!

Before long, Jack was on a Royal-looking bed that felt like Heaven, gentle light cascading on him. This place was the freaking best! He had all of this to himself?!

"Nice, isn't it?" The Fox lady chuckled, turning toward Edgar.

"As for you, follow me alone. I need to show you something."

Edgar went into full panic mode. Leaving his child?! There was no way this was ever going to happen! He had to protect him from— A gentle hand stopped his thoughts….

"Relax. I can't fathom what you two went through, but it's in the past. Don't worry. There's a reason I brought my new son here. The foxes will protect him." The Fox Lady reassured.

So this was a fox-manned nursery?! Talk about Epic!

Jack couldn't help but rejoice. This would be PERFECT!

The two adults left, knowing the baby to be in good hands (paws).

The foxes crowded around the baby. This wouldn't be the first child they raised, but he looked so damn cute! They couldn't wait for him to grow up and play with them!

But merely seconds later….

Jack's entire aura changed. Innocence of a baby? Utterly gone! It was replaced by a man who had survived countless apocalypses.

"Woo?!!" (W-what is this?!)

The foxes jumped back, tails between their legs.

Was something wrong with the baby? Quick, they had to report to their mistress! But before any could leave….

"Don't even think about it!"

Jack's Mana amplified bellow shook them to the bone.

His voice sounded so regal and domineering! All he had done was copy the adults he had met before, but all had been big shots!

The poor foxes seemed like they had seen a ghost! Not only could the baby talk…but he felt sooo scary! Their brains had shut down from the shock, their legs trembling non-stop.

Jack approached one and….

He started petting the poor shivering thing.

"Sorry if I scared you, little one. I never meant to."

He could feel the creature relaxing as he kept fluffing the soft fur.

Jack's aura changed once more. The survivor was replaced by the optimistic and easygoing man that just wanted to live as fully as he could.

At this moment, the little fox abandoned itself under Jack's touch. This hand felt so warm, as warm as the sun itself! It even found itself wishing for the petting never to end.

As for its previous doubts….who cared!

"Anyone else wants belly rubs?"

"Wooo!" (X15)

Before long, happy fox noises resonated endlessly. How long had it been since someone had given them so much attention? So what if this new young master was odd?

The foxes didn't care about his secrets anymore. They weren't protecting him for their mistress either. They simply wanted some godly belly rubs!

Except, soon cropped up a terrifying problem!

There were so many of them, but only one of him! Even if he used both hands, only so many foxes could be fluffed at once!

Luckily for them, Jack quickly resolved the problem.

He did so by appealing to their playful instincts.

He taught them the "Taskmaster game".

Its premise was simple:

1. Jack, the taskmaster, would assign missions.

2. The Foxes would complete them as quickly as possible

3. The fastest to do so would get rewards! It could be anything from belly rubs to tasty treats or special stuff!

Thanks to this fun game, a strange scene quickly appeared in the Flame Mansion. The usually lazy Fiery Foxes soon started running all over the place!

They'd rush so fast that they'd look like orange blurs! After all, there was no time to waste. They had to be the fastest!

Many had big dreams! If they were fast enough, they'd be able to complete more than one mission! This would mean double the fluff…or even triple!!!

Little did they know that the "game" they played was something called "information-gathering" back on Earth. Unbeknownst to them, they had all become spies!

Meanwhile, Jack lazed around on his fluffy bed, twisting and turning. He could barely lay still! What secrets would his new spies uncover?

But just as he was getting impatient, an orange blur appeared by the entrance.

A fox was triumphantly returning, one that seemed so smug!

"Wooo!" (^_^v)

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Jack Bright (Classless)

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BODY 1 (STR 1 / AGI 0 / RES 0)

SOUL 39 ( MAGIC 5 / SENSE 16 / WILL 18)

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(NEW!)

- Master of the Foxes! ????

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