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The mighty wolves were akin to kids excitedly waiting for their friends to come over. They didn't know what to do with their body as they walked back and forth.
As soon as they noticed the approaching newcomers, they stood at attention in a respectful pose. This was the illustrious leader of their faction and its unholy guardian beast!
"Welcome, Sir! We can't wait to work with you today!" CPR dude happily uttered.
But seeing this, the Demon King raised a brow.
"Working? Naw, I got my own stuff to do. I don't have any time to play with you in such a low-level dungeon." Jack instantly denied.
They all sucked a cold breath. It hadn't even been a week since the game had been released. Most players wouldn't even think about trying to run this instance for a few reasons:
1. Most weren't level 5 yet
2. It required decent gear to even think of running it
3. To fight the bosses, one needed plenty of potions
4. The mechanics were way too hard for a beginner dungeon!
Then again, it did render it meaningful. It wasn't like the games that would have the first dungeon be a walking tutorial.
Still, they couldn't help but be curious.
"Boss, quick question, what level are you now?" One asked what they all wondered.
In their minds, he was bound to be level 8 or perhaps even 9, right? Even while considering that every level up was harder, it had been a few days since he had cleared a level 7 dungeon.
"Obviously level 10. Anyway, tell me about all the problems you guys have been having." Jack ordered.
Level 10?! Obviously?! How was that obvious?! At that moment, they realized that they had once more underestimated him. But since he wanted them to share their issues, they would gleefully do it.
The strong-looking party turned into small kids telling their dad about how they had been bullied at school.
"The foxes are horrible!"
"They don't even let us rest!"
"Why is that NPC so useless?!"
"Yes, no matter what, he just keeps talking on and on and on!"
As they complained, the irony totally escaped them. They were also babbling non-stop, akin to that NPC.
As soon as they were done, they saw Jack clap his hands before turning to his pet.
"See? What did I tell you? It's not you that's useless but the dungeons that are challenging. With all of them, they can't even do it. Don't be too hard on yourself" He rubbed its small fury head reassuringly.
Moon Moon had been hanging its little head low in the background. It had even been softly and sorrowfully crying at times.
"Woo…" (Depressed.)
It now seemed that it had been sulking from a defeat. Jack had wanted to cheer it up….by showing it that it wasn't the only failure around?! They were the ones used for that example? Talk about a low blow!
Moon Moon raised its head and locked its gaze with them before slightly sneering. Even a wolf was looking down on them now?! It was laughing at their struggles?!
The mighty wolves gasped as they exclaimed:
"Wait, we're weaker than the leader's pet?!"
"Holy shit! This is a first for sure."
"Should we feel bad?"
"We should git gud!"
They felt a shiver run down their spine. How crazy strong was Jack'O for even his pet to be able to look down on them?! Talk about a mascot worthy of Demonic Legion, a true demonic wolf!
As they were still flabbergasted, Jack addressed them:
"When inside the dungeon, you have to observe your surroundings carefully. From every corner of the village to the very shadows under your feet. Only then can you complete it." He winked at them.
Then without saying anything, he casually waved them goodbye and left toward the village. They weren't sure what to do. Wasn't he going to give them any more info?!
Seraphine gave one last look at the leaving wolf. It was one thing for her to be defeated by the mysterious Jack'O, but his pet?! Hell no!
At this moment, she swore to herself that she would get stronger, way stronger. After all, there was no way that a former pro gamer like her could be weaker than a goddamn pet!
"Let's go. He already told us plenty. We have to watch our shadows and do something in the village. As for the boss, apparently we aren't supposed to fight it at full power." She instructed.
They all disappeared inside the orange portal. This time for sure, they would clear it…
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A second after leaving, Jack turned toward the proud Moon Moon. After witnessing how much trouble the other braves were having, its ego was at an all-time high.
"Don't get too cocky either. Do you know why?"
"Woo?!" (Shock.)
The little wolf came back to its senses. It had been daydreaming about defeating an army of braves that wanted to attack its master. What did its master ask again?!
"You can't sulk from a defeat, but you can't become arrogant either. So far, what we have accomplished is nothing in light of all there is to do in Infinite. Do you understand?"
"Woo!" (Nodding!)
Jack nodded, satisfied seeing how serious his pet was, but soon blanked. What the fuck were these guys doing?
They were now at the New Leaf plain. Next to the chicken dungeon's entrance, players were assembled in a circle. They were shouting toward the center as their bodies hid whatever lied there.
"Go, Titan. You can do this!"
"Fight back, Joey, you got this!"
"I bet it's gonna end up as a tie!"
"A tie? Are you crazy?! Joey is 100% coming on top!"
There seemed to be a duel going on? Jack couldn't help but feel curious about it. Duels weren't rare at all, but why were they fighting here? The training ground was right next to them!
Jack very gently pushed his way amidst the crowd to get a better view. Feeling his touch, a woman instantly turned around before bellowing:
"Stop pushing, bastard! If you continue, I'll shout that you're sexually harassing me!" She sneered, appearing very domineering.
Sexual harassment? All he had done was push a bit. Jack simply stared at her, giving her a radiant smile. As she saw his face, she turned pale as her brain seemed to stop working.
"Y-y-you!"
"Me-me-me?" Jack raised a brow.
"Y-you're, y-you're!"
"I'm? Are you going to complete your sentence?"
She couldn't utter a complete sentence, but she could move her legs as quickly as possible. She tripped over other players in her confusion, sending them tumbling akin to bowling pins.
"Hey, watch where you're—" But then they would also notice the man behind her. "T-the Demon King!"
This shout was instantly heard by the others that turned Jack's way. After that, he was able to just walk straight toward the middle.
The fighters in the middle ignored the commotion entirely as they attacked one another with the ferocity of bloodthirsty animals. Well, this much was normal. The so-called Titan and Joey were chickens?!
Jack turned toward the crowd.
"So, who's organizing this in MY New Leaf." He growled.
The players all took a step back, leaving a lone player behind. They knew shit was about to hit the fan…
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[A/N] It's been a few chaps since this novel started. What part of it do you guys especially like? I want to write a novel that you all will enjoy. There hasn't been much feedback. Here are a few points:
1. Dungeon described in detail or skimmed? Normal, Hard, and Hellish
2. Thoughts on the random players' reactions.
3. Introducing more side characters or more focus on Jack?
4. Also, what races do you want to see in the next arc after the tutorial?