Since Jake wanted to make Alchemy level up as much as possible, he worked for quite a while. His goal was to make it reach level ten before he went to the next mission… he never thought that his own plans out of battle would come to haunt him out of battles. He sighed when he heard that familiar voice and she sure looked like she was having fun.
"Heh, so this is where you are hiding…" Lana said. "Not too shabby, I guess."
Jake looked around for a moment, and then he lost interest. Aside from those three, the kid was also with them. Louise looked apologetic since she was smart enough to understand that their visit might cause problems for Jake. She was smart, unlike Lana. In any case, now that things had reached that point, might as well accept it.
"I am sorry, Jake… I knew that this is troublesome for you, but…" Louise said.
"I know, the Lana virus is spreading and you couldn't help it," Jake said while he kept working. "It is such a terrifying virus."
"I am not to ask what that virus is supposed to do since it is all in your head," Lana said.
"It is in the head indeed, the virus affects your brain and prevents you from using your brain cells at decent levels," Jake explained. "Anyway, it is fine. I am changing my approach nowadays, so it doesn't matter if people discover where I live."
"What kind of approach are you taking now?" Karina asked.
"I am going to kill those that approach me with the intention of killing me, no questions asked," Jake replied. "Who cares about their motives, those willing to kill must be prepared to die as well."
It felt like the atmosphere had changed for a moment. Jake's friends knew that he had been fighting the criminals here and there, but they didn't think that he would openly say that. He wasn't the patient type, but he was becoming a bit… unreasonable with that kind of attitude. He was basically trying to lure the enemies into attacking and making things easier for him.
"... I am sorry for causing trouble to you earlier," The kid suddenly said while looking down and to the side. "I am sorry for interrupting your conversation as well… I guess."
"That is one way of apologizing," Jake said. "Anyway, just don't make the same mistake trying to fight what you can't handle. The next time you won't be so lucky to have someone as helpful as me passing by to save your ass."
"Helpful, huh… my ass," Lana said. "Speaking of which, we came to check things about you because we heard that a forced dungeon break happened in some map, a pyramid like dungeon or something. None of ours were there, so Frederick assumed that you were the one the enemies trapped there."
"He sure likes to assume things…" Jake said. "Still, if those assholes prepared that much, then Frederick would have known where I would go next. You are right, they prepared a trap there for me. Still, they are just a bunch of spineless cowards, they only waited for the monster do all the work for them. Naturally, it didn't work."
"So it was you… speaking of which, Julian's party was also attacked by the criminals," Louise said.
"Who the heck is Julian?" Jake asked.
"I am…" the kid said. "I was trying to find clues at high ranked missions for the criminals, but I am not used to fighting alone yet, so I collapsed after fighting a few of the grizzlies."
"That so…" Jake said while wondering when those guys would leave. "Well, you are Frederick's problem now, so you can use him to achieve your goals. If you aren't used to fighting alone or if you collapsed after just a few fights, then you shouldn't even try to complete missions alone. That guy probably won't refuse you and there is someone behind you severaly lacking in the number of brain cells, so she will probably let you join her party. I won't say any names, though."
Even without telling any names, it was clear who Jake was referring to, but Lana knew that if she reacted in any way, it would be the same as assuming that Jake was right. Not reacting was too much of a test of patience anyway.
"No… I can't join a guild when my goal is something like revenge," Julian said. "So, I was thinking…"
"Hell no, don't even think about it, kid," Jake said. "You are in no position to demand or ask anything from me. Even if you think that I will be attacked by the criminals again and that is the best chance you have to find them, you will only get in the way. You would be dead weight for me."
"I told you that Jake would say something like this…" Lana said when she saw Julian clenching his teeth. "You might get used to his attitude, but now it isn't a good time to insist on your plans."
"Yes…" Julian said.
"Thank you for the information, Jake," Louise said. "Guildmaster Frederick said that we could give you this if you give us more details about the incident. He said that you are a fan of the equilavent exchange, so this would do to balance things out."
Jake didn't want anything coming from Frederick, but making business was something absolutely essential now. Considering that and the fact that Louise was holding a pretty sharp-looking knife, he decided to give some details once he saw the effects of the item.
Sonic Assassination
Luck + 30, Flash. Master this item to obtain its effects permanently.
Durability: 50/50
Flash: it grants you the power to cross a distance in meters instantly that will be equal to the level of the skill.
Cost: 30 mana
Jake was left speechless. That movement skill was more than just good, it was awesome, and it could help him in many ways.
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