Chapter 208: Bullied by a Sore Loser
Jacks hand wrapped steadily around the blood-red applethe Dao Sprouting Pill. It fit in his palm snugly.
The moment he touched it, the world went silent. Everyone around him paused mid-fight and gaped. Longsword glared with intense hatred.
Congratulations! Title Seventh Ring Conqueror upgraded to Eighth Ring Conqueror!
Efficacy of all stats: +35% +40%
Final Ring Quest:
The appearance of the next quest was a bit odd. He wasnt at the final ring yet. Then again, accessing it was so easy that he might as well be.
However, Jack didnt have time to consider titles and rings right now. He was surrounded by a large number of powerful, furious individuals. All battle had stopped, and all eyes were glaring at him.
Jack Rust Longsword said, gritting his teeth. His gaze alternated between Jack and the Dao Sprouting Pill like he couldnt comprehend what was happening. You
I played by the rules and won, Jack said, calmly pocketing the fruit. It barely fit in his secret pocket, which wasnt secret any longer. I really should get a normal pocket. Reaching for the back of my thigh is awkward.
You did what!?
I won, he repeated assuredly. He stared right at Longsword. The rules of this battle state that once someone gets the fruit, it is over. The title is already mine, anyway. That said, if you still want to duel meIm right here.
He expected Longsword to meet his challenge with hard words. Instead, the man laughed. Still covered in blood and burns from the Repeat Exploding Ball, he made for a gruesome sight.
The rules! he shouted. The rules, he says. What do you know about rules?
Jack got a bad feeling. Is that not the case?
Oh, it is, absolutely. Its even written in the Star Pact: Once the representative of a B-Grade faction gets the Top Treasure, the battle is over. Everyone will honor that. So tell me, Jack: just which B-Grade faction do you represent?
Jack pursed his lips. He glared at Dorman. The young man had previously explained the rules to him, but neglected to mentionor forgot, or didnt knowthe representative of a B-Grade faction part. Now, he only shrugged.
It suddenly made sense why all the other treasure hunters were content to simply watch.
Shit, Jack thought.
He belongs to my faction, Lady Priya intervened. Her gaze was stormy and conflicted, but her words were steady. He represents the Exploding Sun.
Bullshit, Longsword retorted immediately. He isnt even part of your faction. And you know damn well that each faction can only have one Lord.
Priya fell silent..
This was an honest mistake, Jack explained. I misunderstood.
Who cares? You got the title. It is gone nowfor all of us. Even if you hand over the pill, it changes little.
Despite the rough situation, Jack didnt really intend to surrender the pill. He had fought hard for it. Earned it. Listen, he said. I know how little your factions care for the Star Pact. Ive experienced it first-hand. No matter what the law says, this pill was placed here by the creators of Trial Planet for the worthiest to claim, and you cannot deny that I won it fair and square. I joined this battle openly. I fought you to a draw and proved my strength. I emerged victorious because I played my cards better than everyone else. Do you really think, deep in your heart, that I dont deserve this? That you deserve it more than me? He help up the apple.
He also glanced at Minerva, gauging her opinion. She seemed hesitant. After all, this pill didnt belong to one of their factions. It belonged to Trial Planet, a place open to everyone in the galaxy. Even if the law stated that only someone from the B-Grade factions could claim the pill, that was a law they had come up with. The truth was, Jack had indeed won this contest. Grouping up against him because he had no backing would be the behavior of a sore loser. A dishonorable thing to do in public.
On the other hand, he did pretend to be just a treasure hunter before, or he would have never made it here. And, at the end of the day, everyone wanted the fruit. What was honor before power?
Everyone besides Jack and Longsword were deep in thought. This situation was unclear.
Longsword laughed again. Victory and deservedness has nothing to do with this. You came here like a thief, rode our tails to this core area, and snuck into our battle to emerge with the pill. You ruined our chance to advance quickly. For one of us, you ruined our lives. How are we supposed to split the pill now?
Jacks brows fell. I earned this. You knew I was coming for the pill, and I beat you fair and square. I have every right to claim it.
Oh yes, fair and square, Longsword said, picking up a gray orb from the ground. He turned it in his hand, inspecting it from all sides. A Repeat Exploding Orb, I see. A fine treasure. This is the real reward of the Treasure Trial we entered together, isnt it? The one I was supposed to get. You swapped it with the Ticklish Pebble before I emerged from the trial.
So what? Jack replied. He didnt try to deny anything. You were going to get that treasure by bullying me with your higher level. I just used quick thinking to bully you first.
Spoken like a true thief! Longsword laughed. He raised the tip of his sword to the sky. Greedy, honorless scum. You are a fine little parasite, Jack. Your one deception led to another. If not for the trickery you played around this orb, how could you beat me now? How could you get past me?
By punching you in the face.
The temperature seemed to drop. Everyone else, who had been watching this altercation mutely, widened their eyes by a crack. Longsword stared at Jack as if struggling to grasp the height of his confidence.
Hand over the pill, Jack, he said, and stretch out your neck so I can cut it. Give yourself an honorable death, at least.
Jack smiled. Finally, Longsword was speaking his language. You are just a bully, Longsword. A sore loser used to getting his way. I joined this competition openly, and just because I have no big daddy behind my back, you think you can bully me? That I should stretch out my neck for you? Hah! He laughed. A death at the hand of trash like you could never be honorable. Both my head and the pillif you want them, come get them.
Jack clenched his fists. Brutalizing Aura rolled out of his body in waves, galvanized by his will to fight.
Faced with Jacks cutting words, Longsword laughed back. Oh no, you dont deserve a fair fight! You dont deserve the honor of dying in a duel. You will be slain like a dog on the street, crushed and helpless.
Oh yeah? By you and what army? I dont see any other Lord willing to stoop to your level.
It was a fine effort. However, Longswords grin widened. He turned towards Minerva. Hand of God! he shouted. This man broke a clause of the Star Pact right in front of you. What is the appropriate punishment?
Lady Minerva hesitated for a moment. Then, she made her decision. When she opened her mouth, she only uttered a single word: Death.
The moment she said that, her three beasts and Vocrich started pacing around Jack, seeking to entrap him. Bocor and the ice witch were already there, taking up one side each.
Lady Priya met Jacks eye and shook her head. She wouldnt help. Chuto, releasing his golden giant form, sighed sadly. Kareena looked away. And the Sage, who had given Jack the chance to fight, only shook his head.
Sorry, Jack, he said telepathically. I didnt know the Star Pacts exact phrasing. We cant fight all these people. Youre on your own.
Jack gritted his teeth. There wasnt even time to blame anyone. If he hesitated for a single moment longer, his escape would be cut off. Suddenly, he realized that he was deep in unknown territory, surrounded by enemies, and hed just earned their ire.
I must survive. No matter how hard they push me down, I refuse to yield. The thought came unbidden, filling his entire being. He suddenly felt like back in the Forest of the Strong. The time when an Earth Bear had chased him through the forest came vividly to his mind, until he could even remember the smell of its musky breath and the sound of its hooves stomping on the soil.
This time, there was no bear, but the killing intent surrounding him was almost palpable. These people were going to kill him. He couldnt fight them. He had to escape.
The world slowed down as he prepared for battle. The time for words was over. The time to act was nigh.
The other cultivators tensed up as well, sensing Jacks resolve. Everyone blurred into action at once. All these strong people, who had been fighting each other before, now turned towards Jack. Even if he used the Life Drop, which would cause him endless trouble in the future, there was no way he could win here.
His skin was tingling, his legs were filled with power. Fuck me, he muttered.
And he ran.
Stop him! Longsword shouted. Everyone was on him instantly. Shadows flew. Ice tubes grew everywhere. A sparrow flew in faster than sound itself, a hippo charged unstoppably, and a black blade fell from the sky.
Jack ignored everything. This wasnt about victory or minimizing the damage. It was about making it out of the encirclement alive.
He focused on the weakest link and charged over. He let the sparrow slice his back like a whip, let the tubes dig into his flesh, let the shadows hug and burn his skin. Only Longswords blade he dodged, ghost-stepping to the side at the last moment possible and suffering only a cut to the thigh.
Still, he kept running. With his three fused Dao Roots, there were two things that Jack was good at. One was durability and regeneration. His body could take the punishment. Skin and tissue already regrew where hed been cut, and his body kept moving despite the many wounds. Thanks to his Indomitable Body and two defensive Dao Roots, he could survive.
His other strengthwas pure offensive power.
Jack arrived before Bocor, who had steadied his tower shield and was ready to block anything. If he could stop Jack for just a moment, everyone else would catch up. Unfortunately for Bocor, he was the weakest cultivator present. He wasn't even an Elite.
Jack pulled his fist back. All color and sound was sucked in. The world trembled. The air shimmered around his fist. All that remained was a bright purple meteor, heading directly for the minotaurs shield.
MOVE! Jack roared.
Bocor bellowed. He dug his shield into the ground and put his shoulder behind it. He doubtlessly activated every defensive skill he possessed as well.
When the punch landed, the world exploded. A terrible shockwave pushed everyone back and made the sparrow spin. The ground was upturned, the wind rapped their hair. Bocors shield went flying, as did the minotaur himself, spitting out blood. His entire body took to the air, plate armor and all, as he instantly lost consciousness. His shoulder, which had been propping up the shield, was dislocated.
Jack blew through the defenses without slowing in the slightest. Even his broken wrist was only one injury upon many. His back was burning. He could sense blood flowing down his spine. His left leg faltered every few steps.
He roared and ran. More attacks fell on hima parting gift. Even burned and flayed, he made it through. He burst out of the encirclement and sphere of attacks like a train emerging from the mist, and he kept running at top speed, with his head down and his entire being focused on just going faster.
His path led straight towards the treasure huntersto the path where theyd come from.
Stop him! Longsword shouted, flying after Jack. Now that the latter had increased in level by so much, they were similar in speed.
Thankfully, none of these treasure hunters were stupid. Most were weaker than Bocor. Who would dare stand in Jacks way after seeing what he did to the minotaur?
As for Sage, Dorman, and their teammate Poppy, there wasnt even a question.
I will protect Brock, the Sage told him mentally. It was a welcome thought, because Jack didnt know if he could do that in his current state. A welcome repentance for pushing Jack into the fire.
The treasure hunters stepped over each other to get out of Jacks way, who bulldozed through like a hurricane. He dived into the mist head-first, with the Top Treasure in his pocket and the galaxys greatest mortal cultivators on his heels.
In his despair, Jacks plan was simple. Retrace his steps through the mist, go through the traps he already knew how to solve, and exit Trial Garden. By then, he would have hopefully left his pursuers in the dust, which would allow him to pick up Brock, Nauja, and Gan Salin, and escape Trial Planet altogether.
If he still hadnt lost his pursuers by thenhe would just turn and fight, and damned be the consequences. These guys were just bullying him. He would rather fall in battle than abandon Brock and run away by himself. Plus, if all went to hell, he could resort to the Life Dropit might give him a tiny chance of victory.
The mist filled Jacks vision. Even the sounds of footsteps and roars behind him came muffled. Could he outrun them while accurately retracing their path through the mist?
Even with his System-enhanced intelligence and all the titles enhancing its efficacy, he wasnt sure. But he had to try. Because, if he failed at any step, the only viable alternative was death.
The sourc𝗲 of this content is free(w)ebnov(𝒆)l