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Chapter 165: One Path to Survival, a Thousand to Death
🕑 Added 2023-04-14 17:36:01 +0000 UTC“Your offer is tempting, Lord Longsword,” Jack said, consciously relaxing his body and mouth. He even forced a small smile. The first step was to give Lord Longsword his respect in front of everyone. “How could anyone refuse? You are an unmatched prodigy. Honestly, after fighting you once, my respect for you is through the roof.”
Longsword nodded. He assumed Jack was just complimenting him to make up for his earlier disrespect. Before he could say anything, Jack continued.
“Besides, I would have to be an idiot to let myself be handed over to that guy,” he said, jutting a thumb at Bocor and laughing loudly. “Not only is he an asshole, he’s also a weak asshole. Dying to him would make for an ugly tombstone.”
Longsword frowned. “I acknowledge your intention, but you shouldn’t insult my other subordinates. It is ungainly.”
“Oh? I apologize, Lord. I wasn’t trying to insult anyone. I was just stating the facts. That person is, indeed, weaker than me. There is no shame in that, right?”
“I could destroy you with one finger!” Bocor bellowed from the side. He was a minotaur, and bulls weren’t known for their composure. Just as Jack had hoped, he was outraged.
“Of course you couldn’t.” Jack laughed again, latching on to this opening. “We both know you’re the weaker party here. Wouldn’t you agree, Lord Longsword?”
Longsword didn’t reply immediately. Instead, his frown deepened. He wasn’t an idiot. He could sense Jack was up to something; he just didn’t know what. “Bocor is obviously stronger than you,” he said carefully. “What’s your point?”
To an outsider, Bocor absolutely looked stronger than Jack. Not only was there a difference of thirty-one levels between them, but the minotaur was also talented enough to be placed in Lord Longsword’s team. He was far stronger than most people at his level.
In fact, Jack also suspected he was the weakest of the two, but he didn’t have many options.
“He? Stronger than me?” Jack said, feigning surprise, even incomprehension. “My Lord, I understand you have to speak up for your subordinates, but this really isn’t proper. I have seen this minotaur fight. He is extremely weak for his level. In fact, his being part of your team is an affront to your great strength.”
His hesitant words threatened to take back the respect he’d already given to Lord Longsword—in front of everyone. That would be awkward for the Lord.
“Bocor is obviously not weak,” Longsword responded. He was starting to get impatient, so Jack cut to the chase.
“I see. Well, I happen to disagree, and I wonder; do you enjoy gambling, Lord Longsword?” The cat was out of the bag, so he spoke quickly, not leaving time for anyone to interrupt his carefully crafted speech. “You mentioned before that subordinates are part of one’s strength. However, that minotaur really is too weak. How about you let me test this part of your strength, my Lord? Let’s make a bet. I will duel the asshole and prove his incompetence. If I lose, I will gladly die for my disrespect, or join your team, or whatever you desire of me. But, if I win, you will let me and my friends go for now. You can hunt us down again in the next ring.”
Brows rose all around. Even Jack’s friends were surprised by this turn of events. Lord Longsword’s eyes were narrowed now, suspicious. “What are you trying to achieve?” he asked. Obviously, he didn’t think Jack had a shot against Bocor, so he assumed there was something else at play.
“Nothing, my Lord,” Jack assured him. “No plans, tricks, or ploys. I am simply confident in my strength. If you are confident in your strength, too, and the minotaur is part of your strength, let me duel him.” His expression hardened. “I refuse your previous offer. Go ahead and hand me over to the Animal Kingdom; but, in the process, why not offer a spectacle for everyone present, humiliate me, and showcase your subordinate’s strength—if there is anything to show?”
Jack seemed confident on the outside. Inside, he was gnawing at all his fingernails at once. This was the only plan he could come up with: take advantage of Lord Longsword’s playful arrogance to lure him into a seemingly impossible bet. Could Jack really beat the minotaur? He didn’t know. But he believed his chances to be above zero. He had grown a lot stronger since they last met. He had faced a peak E-Grade beast almost equally—and grown a bit since then, too.
Of course, that all hinged on Lord Longsword accepting this bet. Jack had already done his best. He had even used the lord’s previous words to trap him. His only deficiency was that he had nothing to bet besides his own death, but there was nothing he could do about that. Revealing the existence of any secrets—like the Life Drop—would be the same thing as revealing the secrets themselves.
Lord Longsword cupped his chin. He still looked at Jack suspiciously, like he suspected there were more tricks lying in wait, but he couldn’t find them—because they didn’t exist.
However, his eyes held a hint of intrigue. Jack’s heart lightened as he saw it.
“Very well,” he finally responded. “Form a wide circle, everyone. Bocor, show no mercy.”
The minotaur had the most bloodthirsty, sadistic smile Jack had ever seen. “Yes, my Lord.”
The cultivators quickly made some distance, leaving a wide, empty circle in the sand for Jack and the minotaur to face off. Bocor remained as everyone receded around him, solid as a boulder, staring down Jack while slowly grabbing his tower shield.
“I don’t know what got into you,” he said, “but I will enjoy this.”
Jack wasn’t paying attention to the minotaur; not yet. His eyes scanned the surroundings, taking in the cultivators. Lord Longsword stood at one end of the circle, accompanied by the icy witch—who still hadn’t expressed emotion or said a single word. Nauja, Gan Salin, and Brock were by her side, surrounded by smooth ice lines ending in sharp tips.
They watched Jack with hope. Gan Salin, with amusement.
“Hey, Jackie,” he said, ignoring the ice that almost bore into his throat, “I don’t know what you’re planning, but go for it! I’m sure it will be fun.”
“I’m planning nothing,” Jack replied honestly. “I’ll just kick his ass.”
Somehow, Salin believed him. His face dropped. He turned his eyes—he would be impaled if he moved anything else—to Longsword. “Say, Lord, normal battles are so last millennium. Could we consider something else instead? Perhaps a dance-off?”
“Shut him up,” Longsword ordered. The ice lines wound so thick around Gan Salin’s throat that even breathing was a struggle. When he swallowed, two shallow lacerations were drawn on his Adam’s apple. He didn’t speak anymore.
Jack drew his eyes from Salin to Nauja, who simply nodded at him, and then to Brock, whose eyes burned with passion. It warmed Jack’s heart. The little brorilla didn’t have the slightest of doubts about Jack’s victory.
Around them, people were getting ready to watch the show. Jack spotted the bald woman from before. She was glaring daggers at him—probably still pissed he’d killed her two teammates, the ferretfolk and the fire mage.
The wizened treant was also there, the one with leaf magic, accompanied by a club-wielding woman and a robed individual Jack hadn’t seen before—perhaps the invisible enemy from the Forbidden Cave?
Besides those, there were plenty of cultivators in attendance. More had arrived after Jack and Longsword started talking. A human with blue hair, white at the tips, through which ran blue sparks. A lanky, pale-faced teenager who rode a scaled lizard with a sneer on his face. A completely naked man. A kovan with a dirty apron and the most professional glare Jack had ever seen.
Not everyone’s powers were easily discernible. There were plenty more who just stood there, clad in robes or armor, carrying sheathed weapons or odd trinkets. For a moment, Jack let his mind wander. What Daos could these people be following? The Dao of Victory? Of the Drunken Fist? Of Love, War, Sand, or Sky?
Maybe the Dao of Bad Breath? The Dao of No Clothes?
He couldn’t wait to find out.
Then, relishing in this small respite, he took a deep breath and fortified his mind, focusing on one person: Bocor, the Animal Kingdom minotaur.
Jack had a bone to pick with this guy. Not only had he tried to kill Jack on multiple occasions, but he’d also mistreated Gan Salin badly. He had even slapped Brock during the Forbidden Cave chase. Jack still remembered the sound, crisp and clear. He was determined to get revenge, then—he just didn’t imagine the time would come so soon.
Bocor stood opposite Jack, weighing him with his gaze. “Are you done sightseeing?” he asked, but Jack ignored him.
Minotaur, Level 115
Faction: Animal Kingdom
Title: Resilient
Meanwhile, Jack himself was thirty-one levels below.
Name: Jack Rust
Species: Human, Earth-387
Faction: Bare Fist Brotherhood (E)
Grade: E
Class: Fiend of the Iron Fist (Elite)
Level: 84
Strength: 325
Dexterity: 325
Constitution: 325
Mental: 50
Will: 80
Skills: Ghost Step I
Dao Skills: Indomitable Body III, Meteor Punch II, Iron Fist Style I, Brutalizing Aura I
Daos: Perfect Dao Seed of the Fist (late), Dao Root of Indomitable Will (fused), Dao Root of Life (fused), Dao Root of Power
Titles: Planetary Frontrunner (10), Planetary Torchbearer (1), Third Ring Conqueror
He had gained four levels while touring the desert, which all went to evening out his Dexterity against the other Physical stats. Now, they all sat at a not-so-round 325, sixty-five times the average pre-System human. With all three working together, he would seem like a God to anyone in the pre-System era.
Unfortunately, his training with the Dao Soul through the desert trip hadn’t yielded any tangible benefits, but he felt himself sharper, more aware of his surroundings and how the System channeled his Dao to use his Dao Skills.
Compared to other people of his level, he had two fused Dao Roots, a perfect Dao Seed, the Immortality Serum, an Elite Class, a third-tier Dao Skill in Indomitable Body, and the old reliable, Meteor Punch. The Life Drop was unfortunately off-limits for this fight. If he used it, he still wouldn’t escape, and he would have revealed himself to the “great forces” the Ancient voice had warned him about.
He would have to win this purely on his own power.
The minotaur, on the other hand, no doubt had his own advantages. Elixirs, resources, fused Dao Roots, maybe an Elite class or a perfect Dao Seed. Undoubtedly high-class training, all sorts of top-tier resources, and who knows what kind of equipment.
But more than anything else, Jack had his fist and the resolve that, if he lost, he would die.
Simple and clean…
He licked his lips, finding them dry, and settled into a fighting stance. The minotaur’s hulking body was eight feet tall, crowned with sharp, twin horns, covered in bulging muscles, and hidden under a full set of plate armor that only left his face exposed. His face had thick, masculine features, his fur was a light brown, and his eyes were hateful little slits clouded with rage.
A large tower shield was in his hands, easily the size of a door and undoubtedly weighing ten times as much. When he stuck it in the sand before him, it sank down easily until it hit the stone below with a hollow thud.
“In the name of the Animal Kingdom, are you ready to die?” the minotaur asked, reveling in his soon-to-come glory.
“Are you?” Jack replied, clenching his fists. The Dao coursed through him, filling him with power. His body tingled, his pores opened, his hair stood on end, a wild grin appeared on his lips.
He was ready.
Bocor bellowed and charged.
Comments
Thanks for the chapter, looking forward to this fight!
Jumping Flounder
time to grab life by the horns i guess
