Chapter 34 Alone...

"Quick, we have to get the fox back!" Jack urged.

The Divination people had taken it with them as they had left the place in a rush. Was it time to appear as Mister Immortal again to "explain" the situation?

He could—

[Ding! Master of the Foxes Activating!]

[You Subordinate Unlocked a Title! Underground Terrorist!]

[You Pet Unlocked New Secret Underground Quest! Will You allow it?]

"A quest? What's that supposed to be?" Jack exclaimed, surprised, the ghost appearing all of a sudden.

"DO NOT REFUSE! Completing tons of quests is the mark of a great man! It's the world allowing you to improve yourself. It takes luck and skill to complete one. Do you understand?"

So it was a good thing? While it was bound to be challenging, perhaps it was worth tackling? Seeing the ghost's exhilarated expression, it seemed to be.

"How does it work for completion? Can you hire mercenaries or something?"

"NOPE! You gotta do it yourself, or it doesn't work."

"I see. Follow my lead!"

Jack departed on his own two feet for once. After the chaos, they had emerged in another district entirely, and most of his troops were far away, all but one...

"Woo?! Woo?!" (Fate?! What's that? Can it be eaten?)

After crossing a few streets, Jack and fox (surrounded by "saviors") made eye contact. The latter seemed so relieved that it almost ran to him… only to remember this was a covert op, covert!

But then Jack spoke with hand signals.

'Check your notifications'

'Woo? (The flying text?)'

As the fox brought up the system, it had the shock of its life. What was that flashing?! QUEST! Was it dangerous?! But then it saw its master point at it.

'I believe in you, little one. You got this! Drop the things we bought home, then do your best!' Jack gave it a thumbs up before leaving sneakily before the humans saw him.

Jack found himself fox-less for the first time in forever.

How long had it been since he walked alone? The solid feel of the stone and the ginormous houses, compared to his tiny self, made him feel like he was in a City of giants.

It was so peaceful, and his reward for working so hard. Now that he had most of the magical catalysts, he was one step closer to learning magic and becoming stronger.

In his previous life, this would have never been possible. He would have long been shot at, or a passing Awakened would have sprayed him with acid. This was almost perfect, almost...

"Say, Old Ghost, can one summon beings from other worlds?"

"Of course! Given enough power, one can summon anything! Well, theoretically, anyway. But you're far too weak to be thinking about that! Even an archmage like me can barely…."

Jack stopped listening, a crazy thought coming to him. What if, just what if, he could one day summon his sister from Earth? Or, at the very least, talk to her? What would he even say? Even now, he missed her so much…

The peace brought out the thoughts he had buried inside him since coming to this crazy game-like world. At this moment, a lone tear went down his face, yet it was one of relief. As long as there's a chance…

But it was now time to regain his bearings. He could already see his fellow foxes in the distance. They had come for him, panicked after seeing the Dawn Guards raiding the Underground.

Jack wiped his tears. It wasn't that he wanted to appear tough; he didn't give a flying fuck about that. No, he just didn't want to worry his foxes with his otherworldly regrets.

But just as he was about to go holler at his troops…

"Poor little guy!" That's when the entire world turned upside down, a giant picking him up out of nowhere!

W-what?! A kidnapping? In broad daylight?! As if! Jack would order his foxes to maul the miscreant and— but then he froze. What was up with that warm look?!

The man that had picked him up seemed as if he was looking at his biological child, deep love in his eyes as he stared at the tear-eyed baby carrying a picture book.

He was full of muscles, his towering silhouette emanating power and gentleness. For some reason, he gave Jack knight vibes, the kind that would protect the innocents at all costs.

"Don't worry, child, I'll bring you home!" the giant reassured.

Then without waiting, he departed… except he wasn't going toward the Flame Mansion at all! 'Home isn't that way at all!' Jack wanted to retort.

Luckily, a few steps later, his foxes noticed him. It was time to coordinate the greatest escape. He'd give them the signal to attack and—

"Woo!!" (Quick, get the Flame Lord! IT'S HIM!)

"Wooo!" (We'll be right back, Master! Stay strong!)

W-what?! Jack felt like crying. Had he been mistaken for the wrong baby? Was the man face-blind or something?! Also, who was he for the foxes to react like that?

Surely this misunderstanding would be resolved soon, right?! Also, why did it seem like the Old Ghost was hiding? Oh well…

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Jack Bright (Classless)

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BODY 9 (STR 3 / AGI 3 / RES 3)

SOUL 44 ( MAGIC 8 / SENSE 17 / WILL 19)

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(NEW!)

- Sign Language! (F) ????

- Fox Language! (F) [ERROR!] [Fox-Only Skill!] [ERROR!] ????

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