The Bloody Chains were a ruthless, unforgiving, and greedy bunch that would enslave their own mothers for the right price. They were indubitably evil and the scourge of Infinite.
The disciple and master duo were now deep into enemy territory, guided by the mysterious black hooded Boss.
The Blood Chains had an entire underground base to hide their activities. There were corridors upon corridors, many holding cells and members patrolling all over the place.
What kind of terrifying horrors awaited them?! Derek had imagined plenty of scenarios but never what he was now witnessing. What the actual hell?!
An evil lair would be dark, bloody, and filled with screams of anguish, right? Nope! They were in a cozy room, gently illuminated by luminescent orange crystals from the Eternal Mines.
Derek stood on the side while the two others sat in expensive-looking chairs, soft enough for their bodies to sink in. Between them was a small mahogany round table with doves carvings.
But what was truly strange was the Slaver Boss' attitude. Wasn't he way too relaxed for a man who had been given the heads of his subordinates as an "invitation card"?!
Since the beginning, he hadn't shown any hostility whatsoever! Even if he didn't care about the dead, he should have hated the affront, right?!
"Here, my new friend, have some more wine. It's not every day that I get such a remarkable visitor." The Boss graciously poured them both a drink.
"Hehe, mister wannabe-tailor, the pleasure is all mine. It's not every day that I'm served such high-quality poison!" Jack praised.
"Haha, it's only normal for you to be wary." The man drank a sip, proving that it was safe for consumption. "Now, let us toast to prosperity!"
"Here's a toast to good wine ruined by poison!" Jack happily raised his cup, not touching the liquor. "Here's another to irony! A scaly bastard who's hunting magical races, hehe."
"?!?" How?!
"No need to play dumb." Jack chuckled.
"You know, most people assume "Old Snake" is just a moniker." The man sighed before lowering his hood. Derek couldn't help but stare in shock.
Piercing yellow eyes, no nose, sharp teeth, and dark-green scales. A lizardman?! In Sprigfield?! Since when?! Wait, those guys were immune to some poisons, right?
"Still, how did you know? Not even my closest aides are aware of it." Old snake inquired, showing concern.
"Do gods exist? Do the livings crave? Do the dead regret? Do I know more than you can ever fathom? Let's drink to that!" Jack grinned as he took a swig of the poisonous wine.
"Y-you! What are you doing?!" Old Snake uttered flabbergasted. O_O
As he watched the human gulp it all, he couldn't help but tremble. Was he tired of living?! This was an incredibly deadly poison that contained both toxins and Demonic Energy!
"Next time, it can do without the Necrombral Grass." Jack gently burped before declaring as if a food critic.
This poison grew on cadavers in the swamp, only where the sun never shone. It was as deadly as easy to neutralize: the thing was vulnerable to bright light.
Had it been worth it to summon a small-scale fireball in his own mouth? Seeing the total confusion in the Lizardman's eyes: heck yes, it had! So what if he had burned himself?!
Jack sure made one hell of an impression:
Emergency Alarm? Seen through!
Countless Minions? He freaking scolded them!
Bloody Chain's Reputation? He was even more ruthless!
Old Snake Being a Scaly? He knew from the very damn beginning!
Deadly Poison? He not only recognized it but ended up drinking it casually!
It didn't help that Old Snake wasn't sure what had happened to his men even now. Everyone present on the scene had scattered quickly and stayed mum, fearing retribution.
There would 100% be rumors in a few days, but Jack was an incredible enigma for now. In fact, every single of his moves were meant to let Old Snake misunderstand even more:
He may have started playing with his militia emblem.
He may have flashed the imperial seal, taking it out "totally by mistake".
He may have nonchalantly summoned a random World-Devouring Chicken that seemed smarter than Old Snake's subordinates.
He may have "casually" ordered Derek to send a letter to his master White Eagle (before he forgot). "Just write: this disciple is quitting to be a stable boy, take care and good day."
He sent so many contradicting signals that the scheming lizard found himself in a web of his own speculations.
Jack was:
1. In the Militia?!
2. Linked to the Empire?!
3. Able to use necromancy?!
4. Didn't care about an OP sword master?!
5. Seemingly omniscient and treating him like a cute junior.
6. Conclusion —> The poor lizard was going insane. Who the fuck was that guy?! Seriously!?
At this point, it felt like his entire life was a lie. "Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing here? Was this still the small and quiet Sprigfield Town?" He thought.
The poor lizard was having an existential crisis in the warm and cozy room. His scales trembled, and his eyes were filled with great distress.
[Congratulations! Caused mental Distress!]
[Made Old Snake question life itself!]
Mental defenses? All down! But would Jack stop there? Nope, now was the perfect time for a decisive blow!
"Little Lizard, you seem confused. Did you forget why you're here?" Jack chuckled.
Old Snake suddenly felt his blood grow even colder. The man's tone was so eerily strange. He suddenly had the feeling that he was an archaic demon eying his soul!
— Jack used: Demon King Title! It's super effective! —
"You're here because I invited you over, all of you." The Demon King gave the little lizard a meaningful grin.
Invited all of them? Old Snake suddenly froze. Did this being… cause the mana renewal?! He did, didn't he…oh god! He forgot to breathe as the revelation sank in.
He wasn't just a mysterious man. He was a goddamn calamity! Somehow such a being had shown up at his front door carrying the heads of his subordinates.
He could feel the shadow of death hovering above him, no, right in front of him. It was gently smiling while playing with a militia emblem.
That's when he understood. This demon didn't particularly have set ulterior motives. No, he was simply toying with them all: the Town, the Empire, the righteous, and the evil.
That's why he could be so calm. No matter what happened, he would rejoice: it was all a game to him. This man was worse than evil: he was chaos incarnate!
"You've been silent for a while, little lizard. Are you drunk already?" Jack teased as a million thoughts flashed through the lizardman's head.
The Slaver Boss suddenly came back to his senses, his eyes flying over the man's student. Wait, there was still hope! Without hesitating, he made hatchling eyes at the demon.
"S-sir, would you perhaps need another stable boy? I'm very good at taking care of mounts!" He bragged as he begged, his eyes filled with hope!
"…."
"…."
The master and student shared a perplexed glance.. Had they gone a bit too far with the letter? It wasn't like Jack had ever planned to actually send it….