Chapter 155 Zuran Empire“s Summoned Hero
Once Jack finally got through the long, dragged out night, he was able to get some rest in his own room. Like the others, Marisha made sure they were all staying on the fourth floor, so all their rooms were well stocked and well furnished.
In the morning, Jack rolled out of bed with Bowzer. He was happy that he would soon be allowed to travel the world.
Also, he was looking forward to the moment when he could use those EXP pots to quickly reach lv. 30. Who wouldn"t want that?
Getting himself an ordinary egg breakfast at the bar, Jack made sure to pay attention to any gossip mentioned around him. When his food arrived, Jack still paid attention to his surroundings to try and learn anything special.
Sadly, he learned nothing new.
"Where is he?! Where that new hero at?!"
A few shouts were heard outside the Heavenly Palace inn, startling the guests. Some of the staff went out to calm the young man who was shouting, but he only got louder.
"I heard that Reinolt"s new hero was staying here. I came all this way to challenge him to a friendly duel, not even a fight to the death. If he can"t do that much, then he"s a coward that isn"t worth his fame!"
Hearing that, Jack understood that someone had come for him. Clearly, they weren"t too friendly, and by the sound of it, that young man had a grudge against Reinolt.
Wondering if it had anything to do with the Zuran Empire, Jack quickly finished his food and stepped outside. There he saw a few people being led by two young men that he didn"t recognize.
"Someone"s looking for me?"
When Jack exited the building and introduced himself, that small band of people instantly gave him a once over. They were all disappointed to not be able to see through him, despite being higher leveled than Jack.
One of the young men in the lead gave Jack a sharp look. "You"re Reinolt"s new hero? What are you supposed to be, a ranger? Are you really a hero ranger?"
"Shut up, who are you to talk like that, anyway?" asked Jack, not taking his taunts to heart.
"I"m Bart, the Zuran Empire"s summoned hero. But I was summoned at lv. 24 and have already reached lv. 27." That youth boasted a pompous smile as he looked down on everyone around him.
Shaking his head, Jack kept walking toward Bart. "You know, level isn"t everything when it comes to winning a fight. I"m not as high-leveled as you, but I already know I can beat you in a single move."
"Is that so?" The other young man showed a cruel smile. "Why not put your money where your mouth is? Do you dare?"
"And you are…?"
"I"m Tyrel Zuran, the fifth prince of the Zuran Empire," the young man introduced himself with a bow while he maintained his crooked smile.
All of a sudden, a certain person came to mind. Before he came to the Polt Federation, Jack had asked Keela if there were some people from the Zuran Empire he should remember given that all countries did trade in Federal City, there were chances that he might run into someone from the Zuran Empire.
Surprisingly, Jack had run into the very prince who was once betrothed to Keela.
"The fifth prince, huh? So, what"s so special about that?" mocked Jack. "If you ask me, it sounds like you only talk with your mouths and not your actions. If he wanted, then I would"ve even accepted a deathmatch, but I guess you"re too scared to even try that."
"Shut up! I only offered since we were both summoned heroes and I"m not personally against you. I just want to see if the Reinolt Kingdom"s newest hero. Unless you"re too scared to try…"
Suddenly a fat sack fell to the ground at Jack"s side, sending the sound of jingling coins. "You wanted to bet, right? Here"s one thousand gold saying that I can win in a single move. Do you dare?"
Bart looked back at Tyrel, hoping that the young prince would accept the wager.
Seeing Bart"s confidence and considering the terms of the fight, Tyrel finally agreed and wager another thousand gold of his personal funds.
"Good, then let"s get this started," shouted Jack. "I"ll give you three attacks. If you can"t finish me in three moves, then I"ll finish it in one move. And don"t worry, I won"t kill you or cause you too much pain, only enough to prove that I won."
Laughing as he pulled out his greatsword, Bart smiled crazily. "Bring it on! It"s been too long since I"ve had a worthy opponent."
As Bart charged with a heavy swing of the greatsword, Jack stood still and waited for him.
The greatsword swung down through the air and aimed for Jack"s shoulders. When he saw Jack"s calm expression, Bart didn"t know what to do. In his frenzy, he pushed harder to produce his strongest possible sword strike.
However, the moment the sword reached Jack, it appeared to phase through him.
"Not bad, you can generate more power than a common adventurer. Interesting…" Jack was thinking out loud, making sure that his opponent and his opponent"s party were able to here him.
"Shut up!" Sending another strike Jack"s way, Bart was furious. He was lv. 27 yet Bart couldn"t even touch another summoned hero that was probably weaker than himself.
"Is that all you got? Should I even bother with attacking you?"
Jack"s taunts only got worse after Bart"s second strike also missed Jack miserably. It always looked like it phased through Jack, but in reality, Jack was just using Sudden Death simultaneously to disappear and reappear in the same spot.
Though the other hero may have noticed under normal conditions, Jack had already successfully distracted Bart with his constant teasing and kept him from keeping a clear head.
"Fine, you asked for this, so don"t get too mad when if I accidentally kill you!" Bart kept yelling, making it easy for everyone in the neighborhood to hear him.
Sensing the fight, Zariff, Marisha, and Maura walked out to find Bart"s third strike nearing Jack.
"Jack?!" The moment she saw the greatsword by Jack"s head, her heartbeat sky-rocketed.
"Calm down, Maura. The brat will be fine, he"s just playing with him first."
"Playing with him?" Maura was shocked at how her father described the fight. However, when she saw that the sword strike didn"t affect Jack at all, she started to understand what her dad meant.
Bart was livid. He wanted to tear Jack apart for s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up his mental state and distracting him from his sword"s true power.
"That makes three attacks. Are you sure you don"t just want to give up now? Then at least you won"t lose all of your dignity, just a portion."
"Shut up! I"ve had it with you!" Bart stepped forward again to force in another attack.
Sighing and shaking his head, Jack finally took a step toward Bart. "I said you"d only get three attacks. The fourth one will be mine, and it will also be the last."
While Bart was getting madder with every step he took, Jack was the opposite. The closer he got to Bart, the calmer and more focused he got.
As the greatsword came cras.h.i.+ng down, something new happened. Jack didn"t just dodge the attack, he had disappeared.
It didn"t take long for Bart to find Jack because the next moment Bart found a cold blade pressed up against his neck.
"Like I said, If you can"t finish it in three attacks, then I"ll finish it in one." Jack"s tranquil voice only made Bart feel worse.
Prince Tyrel was speechless. He had just lost one thousand gold in front of a crowd that they had gathered themselves. If he denied the bet, his reputation and the reputation of the Zuran Empire would become a joke throughout Federal City.
"Of course, you"ve earned it." With that, Prince Tyrel let Jack take away his one thousand gold. When Jack had stored all the gold and his sword, the prince asked, "What"s so great about Reinolt? Why don"t you come with us instead, what do you think? We can offer you way more than the weak Reinolt Kingdom."
"Thanks, but no thanks. I already have plans and this been enough of a distraction." Jack turned and started walking toward Zariff, Marisha, Maura, and Martha just outside the inn"s main entrance.
"Oh, by the way, it"s too bad about what happened in Ponlinne. I guess it just wasn"t meant to be between you and the Pon Family"s young mistress."
Tyrel"s fake smile turned ugly, unable to hide his cruel thoughts. He said nothing, but he decided at that moment that he would eventually kill Jack no matter what in the future.
When those two and their party left, the street returned to normal and Jack entered the inn with the others to finish their breakfast and their preparations to travel back to Reinolt.