"There's something wrong with this picture. WRONG!"
Many players stared at the militia troop, but especially at Jack. Why was he so relaxed?! Wasn't he supposed to be doing a quest? What kind of joke was this?!
It had all started with that duel against Sword Genius Derek….
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They didn't waste any time, heading for the Sprigfield Plains with a force of 30. There resided big and scary boars that had to be cleared regularly or they'd overflow to the town and farms.
< Headstrong Red-Maned Boar Lv 20!>
They were large creatures with huge tusks that would ravage everything when they charged. It didn't help that they were extra stubborn and mean.
Annoy them? They'd run at you till the end of time!
The so-called Test of Mettle was to participate in such an expedition. It was actual combat!
The hunt began, and they quickly managed to surround one such creature. At first, it seemed like a test of combat skills, but the true meaning was to test Jack's ability to cooperate.
The Militia didn't need reckless heroes: they needed soldiers! It was fine to show courage, but not stupidity. Knowing this, he kept his temper in check, but one guy couldn't stand still.
"Senior, why are you taking orders from these people? Their skills are infinitely worse than yours!" Derek asked.
"Coordination is vital."
"How about you lead us, then? You'd be infinitely better at it than that guy!" Derek pointed at Bobby, their expedition leader, a middle-aged man with lots of experience.
"Tch— Without order, we'd be barbaric wretches! He'll be able to command a unit in time, but not now, not yet. Pigs will fly before I just give command right to a rookie!" The man snorted.
Thus, they kept surrounding boars steadily and killing them with teamwork. Some would bait them, while others would dish out the damage.
All the while, Derek complained that it was way too slow… He really seemed to have the talent to irk people. Luckily for him, his genius' status saved him from a public beat down.
"Senior, the weakness of this creature is its underbelly. Sadly it's tough to reach given its high charge speed! But there's a trick to it, here watch!"
A second later, he avoided the creature like a toreador, making it crash into a lone sturdy tree. As the whole trunk and boar vibrated from the collision, he managed to place a few hits in.
Many militia members couldn't help but gasp in shock while he beamed in pride.
"As expected of Derek, did you see that?!"
"Of course, I have eyes! Anyway, kill it!"
"Senior, how about you try it on the next one?" Derek excitingly asked, his eyes shining. He wasn't the only one eager to see his performance.
"Fine." Jack agreed as he started looking for something.
He'd go around, stare at a rock, shake his head, and finally proceed to the next one. What was he doing? After what felt like an eternity, he finally found his fated rock.
"That's one good rock. I like it." He nodded, satisfied.
"Senior, what's special about this rock?" The puzzled Derek asked what everyone else was thinking. It was gray, big, and uneven….it was just a rock.
"What? You can't see how magnificent this rock is?! Your brain is really rotten from thinking about swords all day!" Jack chuckled.
Was he trolling them? Were they simply all blind? Even Derek wasn't sure!
"Someone fetch me a boar." Jack declared as if a king. He had inadvertently returned to his usual domineering attitude since he was in teaching mode.
The NPCs weren't supposed to obey him, this was his test after all, yet one still ran to kite a giant boar over.
Giant Boar chasing a crying militia member? Check!
Jack Stealing the aggro by throwing a pebble? Check!
Still looking calm in the face of death? Check!
The Boar growled as the man who clearly didn't fear it. It wouldn't stand for the human's provocations! It charged with so much momentum that the ground trembled!
Yet Jack didn't even twitch, nor did he bother to take out his sword. The monster was almost upon him too!
"Careful!"
Jack gave a small smile. At the last possible second, he dodged. Many expected the Boar to collide with the rock and be stunned, but what happened almost felt magical.
There was a reason he had chosen this specific rock, this specific angle, and had dodged when he had.
The Boar collided with a crooked side. The inclination then caused it to fly upward as if a jump ramp! The poor Boar even did majestic flips in the air! What the heck?!
— THUD! —
It fell to the ground heavily, creating a small crater. But as they saw its state, many couldn't help but hold their breath. The creature was now flipped over on its back, clearly having a concussion.
What kind of insane hunting method was this?!
That's when Jack approached the creature: he did it so casually, so damn lazily, taking his time! He slapped the Boar's exposed underbelly, feeling the coarse yet silky fur.
"That's how you hunt a boar." He simply declared. He hadn't even attacked it once, and it was already as good as defeated!
After freezing for a second, they suddenly erupted in boisterous cheers. They were so loud that they woke the Boar up. It kicked its stumpy yet powerful legs, but it was stuck!
As they saw this, they went mad with joy.
"Wow, amazing!"
"Holy hell, he's a one-man army!"
"Hehe, should we call him senior or god?!"
That's when Derek suddenly gave a mischievous smile as he glanced at the wide-eyed expedition leader.
"Say, didn't someone say he'd let senior be in charge the day pigs flew?" He teased.
The man came back to his senses as he surprisingly nodded.
"You're right. As a proud member of the Militia, I have to honor my word! From this point onward, you're leading this hunt. Where shall we head now?" He so easily conceded.
"What, seriously, I was only joking?!" Derek gasped.
"Well, I wasn't." The ex-leader shrugged.
Militia peeps were prideful and wouldn't easily accept anyone lording over them. But at this moment, there wasn't a single complaint. Jack had won their respect!
Naturally, he wouldn't refuse such a nice thing. He glanced at them all before grinning:
"I see. Let's bring things to the next level, shall we?"
They couldn't help but gulp. Next level? There was another level?!
"Men, scatter around the area. I want one Boar each. Let's fill the sky with flying pigs! From now on, this is a militia-exclusive technique!" He thundered.
Militia —> Kiting Duty
Jack —> Sky Launching Duty
Boars —> Genocide in Progress
Players Trying to Spy —> Driven away or killed by the Militia.
Sadly, all good things had to come to an end. He really would have loved 30 permanent slaves but…
[Congratulation! Completed the Hunt!]
[+200 XP, + Militia 150 Reputation!]
[Reached Level 21!]
"Wow, that was fast. We did it, everyone!" They all rejoiced as they glanced at Jack with utter awe. This guy was destined for greatness!
The players outside were peeved. Their respective factions had sent some to keep a tab on Jack, the Militia, or both.
Sadly, any time they tried to come closer the NPC would shout at them to leave. If they didn't comply the NPCs would bring a boar to trample their ass! Such a pitiful way to die!
They could only grind their teeth as they waited for them to be back. Whatever was happening in the plain had to be major, right?!
But once it was over, many couldn't help but gasp in shock and unease. They clearly remembered the Demon King following the NPCs…why was he now leading?! Wasn't this promotion a little quick?!
The spotlight on Jack also made them notice the man at his side. Sword Genius Derek?! This man was known to bully braves. Why did he seem so respectful now?!
At this moment, Derek couldn't care one bit about the strange looks they were getting, even as they reached Sprigfield.
"You're really not related to my master? For real?!"
"Nope, not related. I don't particularly care about swords either. There are countless ways to win fights, and a sword is merely one." Jack explained.
"Senior, what you did back then was amazing! Say, could you teach me? Please! I swear I'll be a good student!" He begged.
"Sorry, but I don't teach geniuses," Jack remarked.
"W-what? Why?!" Derek asked in stupefaction.
"Think about it. When you teach a weakling, there is no downside. He fails, and people blame the student's poor talent. Then when he succeeds, it's especially satisfying."
"Satisfying?"
"Yep, nothing beats slapping arrogant asses that think they rule the world." Jack chuckled.
"I understand! From now on, I'll beat whoever calls me a genius. I'll simply be an eager student!" He uttered.
"It's not that easy. Besides, don't you already have a teacher? White Eagle Something, right?" Jack chuckled at seeing his antics.
Many looked at him strangely. White Eagle Something?! He was a bona fide sword Legend!
Why did Derek even want the man to teach him? Still, it wasn't uncommon for students to have teachers besides their master.
The random conversations slowly died down as the various NPCs and players stared at the two, perking their ears up.
"No worry! When I became his student, he declared that I could quit his tutelage if I ever found a master worthier than him! Please accept me as a student!" He bowed.
That's when the whole place froze. Blasphemous, this was blasphemous! Had anyone else defamed the Legend, they would have pulled his tongue out….but Derek was his protégé!
"What makes you think that I'm better?" Jack asked what everyone wondered.
"He needs a sword to kill, but you don't. I, Derek Singsword, hereby renounce my identity as a genius and White Eagle's student. Please accept my bow, master!"
At this moment, the entire street awaited Jack's answer.
Was this guy mad?! He could already picture how out of hand the rumors would get….goddamn!
"I…."
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[A/N] Thoughts? xD