Chapter 79 Hostage Situation!

"What the heck is this? So noisy." Jack complained.

"This is an alarm, right? Are we in danger?! Should we evacuate?" Aisha asked, worried. After all, when all was said and done, she'd be the one blamed if they met trouble.

"Nope, all good. This is obviously a practice drill. I bet no one will even notice that we're missing, so we can calmly settle down." He shrugged, his Danger Sense not reacting.

"Now, guild meeting! Let's list everything we need to do here!" He enthusiastically brought out a whiteboard from their luggage, furiously scribbling on it.

World-Domination Plan!

1. Acquire Knowledge

2. Open a FoxZone Branch

3. Acquire Competent Talents

4. Establish a communication network

"This, ladies, will be our goal in the upcoming weeks! I want every point on this board checked out, allowing us to thrive and develop. Any question?"

"How will you deal with this?" Lizzy remarked, pointing at his baby body. Heads would obviously turn if he walked around in this form.

"Hehe, good question. You see, I have the perfect plan for this! The booklet we received contains a list of classes one can take in the Academy… but there are also lectures!"

"You'll skip all classes since they take attendance and only show up at the short lectures? Won't that stunt your progress?" She remarked.

"Indeed! But that's why I have you two! I'll be counting on you to share your notes with me!" He gave them a radiant smile…. He planned to mooch off them!

As for any question he potentially had, he could always ask the Old Ghost. This would give him insight into what others were learning to… and how to counter them!

"Sigh. More work? Fine, but you have to help me get test subjects!"

"You got yourself a deal, Lizzy!"

By the side, the poor Aisha couldn't stop frowning. Didn't this mean she'd have to attend Magic Lessons too?! What was an aspiring business lady like her supposed to do with that?!

"Getting cold feet, Aisha? That's naive of you! For a merchant to be successful, you need to have VISION! Remember that magical note-taking screen that girl had before?"

"It seems nice, but there are countless other methods to do the same thing…." She protested.

"Is that so? What if we modify it to work with foxes? What if this lets them easily communicate with customers? What if we can connect this to a communication network?"

The more he spoke, the more her slender frame trembled. This was what he meant by VISION?! He didn't just see its current uses but also its potential.

"Ah?! That's why you were so eager to buy it?!"

"Yep! I want you to always think about running a business when you attend classes. You need to know what spells exist to plan around them. Understood?"

By now, she was furiously nodding, the scene of a grown girl listening to a baby quite ridiculous. That's when she started furiously flipping through the Academy's booklet.

"Principles of Chanting? Yes!"

"Elemental Magic for Dummies? Definitely!"

"Magical Beasts and where to find them? 100%!"

"Finding One's Inner Mage Through Meditation? Why not!"

The one who had been the most recalcitrant to coming here in the first place was now fired up. What had previously seemed like a waste of time suddenly became an information gold mine!

But just as she was getting enthusiastic about the whole thing…

— KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! —

There was someone at their door? Not only that, but judging by the sound of it, they seemed extremely angry. Jack sighed. What now? After all, he just wanted to settle down quietly.

"Villain, open this door, or I swear we'll break it down!"

Villain? As far as he knew, his only enemy here should be that Blond Thunder Kid. He should have still been hospitalized… perhaps an angry relative? "Fine, fine, I'm coming!"

He opened the damn thing… only for an odd sight to appear before him. A bunch of girls awaited him, but why were they wearing gas-mask-looking things?!

It seemed they had dressed hurriedly, their disciplinary squad armbands crooked, and their robes crumpled. Except, that wasn't the only odd thing.

The very air seemed distorted, a yellowish aura overflowing from it. But that wasn't all; the whole thing gave a nauseating rotten egg smell that stuck to everything!

What the heck had happened here?! Was it a biochemical attack?! Lizzy would know! He turned toward her, a worried look in his eyes.

Yet, this movement only enraged the girls further. "Bastard! Do something about this damn smell already! It's your spell, for crying out loud!"

His spell?! Then again, now that he looked at it more closely…

It really resembled his Stink-Cloud spell., but why the hell was it this potent?! He could have never done something like this with his meager Mana!

"Kid, holy shit! This is amazing! This amplifying power is so damn powerful! This place's barrier has the perfect wavelength for your Stink Spell and turned it into a monster!"

How the hell could this happen?!

"Kid, ever heard of Magical Formations? Well, your spell managed to draw strength from this one! Instead of using your Mana and dissipating, it latched unto it and… CRAZY!"

While the Ghost seemed impressed, the girls before him didn't share his enthusiasm. This wonder of Magic didn't exactly appeal to their curiosity either.

"Remove it right now, or we'll apprehend you and—"

He appeared to be chilling there to them, but in reality, he was in a heated inner discussion with his Ghost Mentor. What could even be done about it?!

"Well, kid, it's your Mana in the end. You should be able to reabsorb it. Then the whole thing should dissipate in a couple of days… or weeks. That's the best you can do."

Days… weeks?!

Wasn't this a little too long?!

Just as he was about to express himself, another group of girls showed up. They, too, had armbands, ones that read "Special Hostage Negotiation Corp!"

"Out of the way, out of the way! This dormitory's been held hostage, so this thing's our jurisdiction! You guys leave ASAP and let us work!" Their leader berated the previous group.

Then she turned toward Jack.

"You, what are your demands!" Why did she seem amused by the whole thing? She radiated pride as if celebrating that it was her time to shine. Demands? What demands?!

Then again, he could think of a few requests…