In the end, the attack stopped before hitting the ground, and king Judas smirked while looking at the expression of designation on Helena's face. He could already tell what was going to happen, but he decided to enjoy the moment a little more.
"... I swear allegiance to you," Helena said and then dropped to her knees before pressing her face against the ground. "If you spare the lives of those in my camp."
"You people are so quick to say those words… most of you did that before and then lured me into a trap," King Judas said. "So, how about no? You will die while in that pathetic position, and then I will wait for your pathetic comrades and then kill them when they try to avenge you. That will be refreshing."
"YOU! " Helena shouted. "You killed many of my friends and even him! I will never forgive you!"
"Those are my words," King Judas swung his sword when the dark spears appeared around him and when they assumed a more physical shape and then beheaded Helena.
You have learned Flames of Wrath.
When Jake opened his eyes, he contemplated what he had witnessed… his version of that universe was truly the kind of person that pretty much everyone would hate. Self-centered, using cowardly tactics, cruel to the point that it could be compared to the sadism of a psychopath… no wonder so many people wanted to kill. He finally could understand a little the feelings of the criminals, Diego, and the fear of the guild masters. The worst of all was that Jake shared some similarities with that guild, which wasn't surprising.
"I am an asshole and self-centered. I can't deny that," Jake said. "Still, to think that someone like me would fall so low after a few betrayals…"
Truth be told, Jake was a bit scared of himself now. If something similar happens, will he follow that path as well? The idea alone was nerve-wracking… Still, Jake didn't want to lead anyone, nor did he want to save the human race, so the chances of the same things happening were small. That being said, he couldn't help but wonder if his lack of empathy toward the problems of others was because of those memories…
Jake barely showed any interest in others, so it was no surprise that he thought about that… not to mention, what if somehow, himself and the version of that universe was somehow connected beyond the use of that body… that would explain why he has been such an antisocial prick for a very long time. It was hard to get the answers that he wanted or think logically when all that magic bullshit was involved.
"This is the worst… Having too much free time is making me think of useless things," Jake said while massaging his forehead. "I can't let those dreams control my mind… It wasn't me who did those things… theoretically."
Jake saw the bodies of some monsters around and decided to change his mood. The wolves did a good job protecting him… Probably because he didn't sleep for long, and the enemies didn't have the numbers in the first place. Regardless, Jake didn't find anything worthwhile… He was planning to grind some extra recovery there, but once he found a bat and killed it using his dark flames and mana Blade, he had to wait for a while, and those thoughts began to bother him again.
"I can't rush ahead and ignore this opportunity; I also have to give more time for my body to recover from the recent damage," Jake thought while he approached the cave that was the dungeon. "Besides, running away from these thoughts won't help me in the long run. I have to deal with them and move on."
Although those memories bothered him, Jake couldn't help but wonder about that still that king Judas almost used to destroy the area. It sure was powerful, but it wasn't anything like he had seen before. Jake wondered if learning that kind of thing would make others think that he truly was becoming like King Judas… Still, he couldn't afford to make his decisions based on the opinions of others. As usual, he had to focus on efficiency.
It didn't seem like a single skill that could do such a thing, like a combination of several others, and that king Judas could control them completely… Regardless, Jake never saw anything like it and had no idea how to replicate it.
While Jake was thinking about that, he suddenly felt the atmosphere in the area change. It was hard to say if the sun that he couldn't see was setting or rising. However, he was sure that something had happened. After a while, he felt his mana being drained… Someone tried to use Appraisal on him. While he tried to make it look like he didn't notice, Jake raised his guard.
After waiting a few more seconds, Jake finally felt some eyes in the distance, and he also saw a group approaching… He recognized Luke, the hooded user of Telepathy, and the other four he didn't recognize…
"Why now, when I am in a sour mood…" Jake said and then sighed.
At least those guys weren't emitting any bloodlust. Still, the hooded magician seemed annoyed. Jake recalled that even if they Skip some quests, as long as one of them is the leader, they could go to other worlds. The difficulty would be high, but that wouldn't be a problem for a good team.
"What do you guys want?" Jake asked. "Do you guys have that much free time now that the criminals aren't doing much?"
"We need to talk. The dreams are getting more frequent, and more people are hunting you now," Luke said.
"You don't say," Jake said.
"... This place looks pretty weird… The land has been flattened, and there aren't many signs of monsters considering that you are the first one here," Luke said.
"Some guys were here, but they left after a while," Jake said.
"Who were they?" Luke asked.
"What are you going to offer for that information?" Jake asked.
"... He has all the reasons to treat him like an enemy, and this is how you talk with him?" The Telepathy girl asked.
"That is how I talk with everyone," Jake replied.
"You are ahead of us now. We don't have anything that is valuable to you," Luke said.
"Coins will do. Three hundred thousand will be enough," Jake said.
"That is…" Luke said and then sighed.
"Once I am gone, you will be able to keep this place to yourselves. You will recover that amount in no time," Jake said.
"Are you claiming ownership of this place for as long as you are here?" Luke asked while frowning.
"Didn't you guys do the same thing in your territory?" Jake asked.
Luke sighed again. It was hard to say if Jake was being reasonable or he was just showing that he had his grudges for before. Regardless, it was clear that he didn't want to be followed for at least a day.
"I see, so you believe the leaders of the criminals were here, and they took the machines with them," Luke said after hearing Jake's history. "The one you killed was the guy who ambushed you before, and he also was someone who had a grudge against you because of the memories of these bodies."
"That is pretty convenient… He was weakened, and the leaders still decided to leave him alone," the Telepathy girl said.
"True, unlike them, you guys might want to fight me while I am not one hundred percent," Jake said. "Should I pretend to be surprised when it happens?"
"... How do you feel about those memories?" Luke asked.
"They are bothersome, that is all," Jake replied.
"Don't you feel the urge to attack anyone for what they did to you, even if they were an alternative version of you?" Luke asked.
"No, I have better things to do," Jake replied. "That being said, I can't deny that i find you guys annoying because of those memories, but that much is fine."
"True, we also have complicated feelings on this matter," Luke said.
"Still, some of you will probably change your minds while some will never allow me to exist," Jake said. "I just had a dream where I saw that guy killing a mage called Helena. She is one of the guild masters. Are you going just to watch your friend fight me and possibly die again?"
Luke didn't know how to answer that. He knew Helena, and while she was a bit reserved, she was a good guild master. Frederick also considered her a good friend, so he wouldn't leave her alone if something happened, and Luke wouldn't let him alone either…
"That is a good answer… I don't know if that guy killed other guild masters. You should look for the others and ask about their dreams if you want to avoid a large battle," Jake said.
"Aren't you worried about this?" Luke asked.
"I will leave my future problems to the future me," Jake replied. "Still, I am pretty sure that the future me is like the current me. While I may be patient, I don't let problems bother me more than once. I will do my part and stay away from the guild masters. The rest is up to them."
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