Before Jack could react, Sinful threw something to the ground. An invisible shockwave exploded out. Both Pandora and Sinful’s mount vanished.
“What was that?” Jack asked.
“A precaution. I have seen your companion. That steed of yours is also worrying,” Sinful said. “It is called Disbandment Charge. It forcefully unsummons every summoned creature in an area and kept the immediate surroundings sterile from any summoning for a short period.”
“You don’t seem to be too surprised,” Sinful said.
“I was hoping I am wrong,” Jack said.
“Are you saying you are expecting this? Haha. Even if you pretend to be calm, there is no use. You can’t escape. This rope is a super rare-grade tool. Once captured, not only does it restrain your movement and messaging, you can’t use any skill nor access anything from your bag. So, you can’t take out any tool that might break the binding.”
The Cult natives, numbering ten. Seven level 35 basic Acolyte of Phobos and three level 38 elite Priest of Phobos, were circling them, forming a perimeter.
“Where is Arlstraxx? He is not joining this party?” Jack asked.
“That Cardinal is too unpredictable, he might end up killing you instead. This cult people is not exactly fully controlled by World Maker, so I am just given some helpers around your level. Not that they will make a difference, though. I alone am enough for this job.”
“You are not part of World Maker?”
“I am… a freelancer, you might call.”
“A mercenary?”
“Hm… not the one you think. I didn’t just do their bidding for payment. They provide me with an avenue that caters to my needs and I provide services for them once in a while.”
“This is one of it?”
“Yeah, I specialize in tracking people down and ambushing them.”
“That makes me curious, how do you track my position? You are in the town before me. Did those racist goons who bullied you were just an act?”
“Yeah,” Sinful laughed. “You chivalrous type is easy to predict. I pity those goons though, I told them they might get threatened and they can pretend to not want a confrontation and leave before things get messy. Who expected that you will just go ahead dealing them lethal blows right from the start. They have been sending me cursing messages once they are revived. I have to promise them hefty compensation to assuage them a bit, which of course, I do not intend to keep.”
“You are truly good at covering your true nature. So, how do you know I am coming to Tranviste?”
“I actually had come to Thereath looking for you. Being the only dwarf in the town does get its perks. I made lots of friends who then told me where you use to stay. I even make friends with that bakery girl and her mother. We have a meal together and they told me all about where you are heading. I just teleported here two days ago to prepare everything before you arrive.”
“How do you know when I will arrive?”
“You clashed with Rawprocessor near the border. It is easier to estimate from there.”
“I thought the World Maker supposed to know everything? There is an easier way to track, you know? Considering your class.”
“Are you talking about Assassin Guild’s VIP target marking? That shit is too expensive, even for World Maker people at this stage.”
“So, what now? You will take me back to the World Maker?”
“Yes. We will do that. After that, I will go back to Thereath and visit that bakery girl. Who is her name again? Oh, right… Amy,” Sinful said with a wicked grin.
Jack frowned seeing his expression.
Sinful continued, “I am getting bored playing with player girls. Yes, they can’t die, so I can play with them indefinitely. But I do miss the time when they do die. It gives you a sweet sense of loss. The sense as if you will not get such a wonderful play doll again. Now, maybe with a native, I can experience that again. I would like to start with that sweet Amy.”
“Let me repeat. You are truly good at covering your true nature, I never imagine you to be such a sicko. And here I hope I was wrong and you are truly a friend.”
“Hahaha, pretend tough all you like. Why do you think I am so good at tracking and ambushing? I have had a pretty good experience doing it in the real world, especially on little girls.”
“Seeing you laughing like that really disgusts me. I guess we should end this conversation. My skill is about to reach its time limit anyway.”
“What skill?” Sinful asked, confused.
“You said this rope prevents someone from activating a skill, right? Well, it doesn’t matter if the skill is already activated before I am tied by this rope.”
Sinful didn’t understand, yet his experience told him that Jack wasn’t bluffing. He readied his dagger.
“Time’s up,” Jack said, and then he vanished.
The rope that was holding Jack dropped to the ground. Sinful stared at it with befuddlement. Not long after, he heard a galloping sound. One of the cult acolytes pointed to his back, Sinful turned and saw Jack riding atop Pandora heading at them in high speed.
The ten cultists moved forward to protect Sinful. Jack jumped from Pandora’s back once he was near. Both his hands were holding swords, the right one was holding a black longsword while the left was holding a blue-colored translucent falchion, a spell formation was forming on the tip of the falchion.
Myriad Ensnaring Chains was cast and twelve crimson chains bound the ten cultists and brought them close to one another. Sinful was further away, so he managed to move back avoiding the chains from catching him.
Jack then cast Mana Beam, the beam lasted one second. Jack had learned that he could move his arm while the beam was being fired during that one-second interval, thus allowing the beam to hit more targets as the beam was being swung, similar to how Wilted Tree’s Mazin had done it with its laser eyes’ beam.
Jack then used blitz Slash on the clustered cultists, hitting multiple targets at the same time again. He then dove into them and swung his two swords around without reservation. He used the Formless Flowing Sword style as he danced amongst the restrained cultists, slicing one after another and then back again, fully utilizing his Blade Dancer’s inherent skill as twenty blade orbs swirled around his hands.
Sinful had been trying to give aid but one of the chains came at him whenever he entered the area. He could only watch as Jack bullied the ten cultists until they lost their lives and fell to the ground.
Jack leisurely picked up the loots that they dropped as Sinful watched. The chains had disappeared already as the spell duration ended, but Sinful didn’t rush over.
After picking up the loots, Jack walked over to Sinful casually.
“How… how did you escape?”
“I have this spell that is called Body Double. I can create an exact image of myself and change position with that copy.”
“When did you cast…,” Sinful stopped himself when he realized the answer to the question he was about to ask. “You did it before we left the gate..”
“Yes. When you toss that recall token, I have changed position with a copy that was following from behind on foot. I didn’t know what that thing you tossed does, so I just change position at that moment.”
Now that Sinful thought about it, he did notice something strange at the time. The fairy that followed Jack around had vanished a moment faster than Jack’s and his mounts. He didn’t think too much about it at the time and thought that the fairy’s disappearance was due to the token, but now he knew that the fairy had moved position following Jack because Jack’s real body was too far. Jack had then resummoned Pandora and rushed back here while Sinful was still talking with Jack’s copy.
“Why do you suspect me?” Sinful asked.
“Mainly two things. One is the tale you tell. You said you have many native friends in Doghbarum and you called them by dwarf.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“If you truly have native dwarf friends, then you will have known that calling them dwarf as an individual is an insult.”
Sinful frowned.
“You don’t know about that, eh? I guess you never make any native dwarven friends after coming into this world.”
Jack was not wrong. In fact, Sinful hadn’t made any friends at all. His cautious nature had made him avoid everyone. He was caught by one of the World Maker people when capturing a female player. The Master learned about his real identity and gave him an offer.
“What is the other reason?” Sinful asked.
“You are not surprised when I use magic spells during our fight with Luther,” Jack answered.. “You didn’t even mention it at all after the fight was over, as if it is a natural thing.”
