The Achievement Junkie 134 Don't Trust Anyone

There was a dirty, foul-smelling marsh not too mar away. As the man lifted his hand and raised a magical pendant, the marsh opened up and a sinkhole appeared in the ground. "That's the entrance. Good luck to you all."

With that, the Pon Family young masters led the other nobles into the sinkhole. As they trickled inside, the sinkhole stayed open and showed no signs of closing.

Once they were out of sight of the crowd, the different groups split up. The nobles didn't spare the commoners a single glance and left in different directions.

The inside of the catacomb was larger than anyone had expected. It had multiple paths and could suffice to contain a small battlefield on every path. There weren't any undead yet, but hey had just entered and were in the most well-lit part of the catacomb.

Jack pulled out a torch and lit it. He looked at the others, but no one said anything. Some ran off even faster than the nobles while others waited patiently at the exit as if they were waiting for someone to follow.

Shaking his head, Jack quickly said, "Well, I wish you, kids, good luck. I've got some exploring to do."

"Wait!" The one lv. 25 commoner shouted to get Jack's attention. "You should stay with us. You may be the weakest at lv. 20, but you seem to have a lot more experience than any of us. With your help, we'll be able to find some good treasures between us all."

A hearty laugh echoed in the cavern, confusing the commoners. Jack calmed his laughter and looked back at the others. "You don't get it, do you? They may not kill you, but those nobles are gonna rob you blind after you do their dirty work and snatch their treasures."

"That's all the more reason to work together! If all us stick together, then we can stand up to them," reasoned the young man, instilling courage into the others who were listening.

"And what about all those lv. 29 bodyguards? How do you plan to handle them?" asked Jack. His harsh questions stifle some people's courage. "I'm after gold and jewels since they won't be taking those from me and the noble already have plenty of that. And since that's what I'm after, why should I split it with any of you?"

"Y-you…" The others stared at Jack. Angered by his words, some tried to approach him.

"Don't worry about little, old me, kids. I'll be just fine." When he finished speaking, Jack vanished into thin air, startling those who had tried to surround him.

The commoners were are all amazed. They understood that the man was special yet that made them even madder when he refused to help them. He just ran away and it was impossible to catch him. Deep down, some wished they wouldn't have to fight the mysterious man later.

Jack had disappeared into one of the winding paths that no one had taken.

Sensing that no one was following him yet, he smiled and retrieved something from his storage. It was Ponlinne's staff, and it was emitting a blinking red light.

Before the Treall Family had arrived, Jack had already performed the needed ceremony in secret. Now, he would be able to let the staff guide him toward the hidden tomb. Of course, he couldn't let others see it. He had to hide the staff the best he could because everything was riding on that staff.

If the others somehow forced him to give up that staff, he'd never make it to the tomb first.

After understanding the general direction he needed to go and sensing that he wasn't anywhere near it yet, Jack stored the staff and starting walking. He took a couple of turns and found an intersection of paths.

In the middle was a group of people facing off with a small batch of zombies. Jack laid low and didn't join in the fight. He wanted to see how strong the Lyre Family mages were.

As expected, the fight didn't last for very long. A few holy spells were enough to render the zombies to ashes and allow the group to move forward.

'So, they can use multiple types of magic. I'll have to keep that in mind,' thought Jack. 'If they went that way, then…" With the coast clear, Jack checked his staff. In a second he knew to take the opposite path and put away the legendary weapon. 'Looks like the Lyre Family chose the right path. Here's hoping I don't run into them just yet.'

Keeping his distance, Jack always stayed out of sight and out of mind of the Lyre Family. Eventually, there was another split but Jack went the direction opposite the Lyre Family that time.

'So far there have only been low-level zombies, between lv. 20 and lv. 22. Any deeper and we'll probably find more powerful undead.

Jack hit the nail on the head with his guess. Before, he had the Lyre Family to clear the way, but now he was alone. However, why should he be worried?

Zombies and most undead were weak against flames, so why should he be scared when he had a Hell-flame Fox with him?

Obviously, Jack didn't want to reveal Bowzer at all, but Jack could confidently peruse the catacomb that nothing there could kill him if things went haywire.

When Jack neared another intersection, he found three zombies waiting for him.

He smiled when he saw that they were lv. 23 and lv. 24. 'Looks like I'm making progress.'

Without hesitation, Jack cast Flame Burst. The zombies exploded in the fiery plumes, leaving only ash and bone behind.

Jack removed his staff and checked his way, making sure not to lose track of his path.

"Hey, old man!"

That shout startled Jack. Immediately storing his staff, Jack glanced at the people who had come up from the intersecting path. Jack recognized them as the Maronn Family, the bright ride robes and armor gave it away.

"That was some spell! Why don't you journey with us? We could use a powerful mage like you," offered the young man leading the group.

"Sir, I don't think we need--"

"Quiet, you may be lv. 29 but what's wrong with partnering with a powerful mage?" That young man cut off one of his bodyguards, refusing to be swayed. "He may be lv. 20, but I doubt the Lyre Family mages are any stronger than that.

The young man pointed to the crater filled with ash and charred bones. As they all looked at it, even the guards felt amazed.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm not interested in traveling as a group. Since they'll be taking everything later, I'm after gold and gems. That way I can at least keep what I find," answered Jack. He wanted to appear transparent and blunt yet stubborn, like most cranky old men.

"If that's what you're after then you can have all the gold and gems we find. Or is that not tempting enough?" asked the young man.

Jack squinted and answered with a question. "What's your name, kid?"

"You must address him proper--"

"Flint Maronn is my name, but you can call me Flint if I can call you a friend. How about it?"

Jack grunted. He understood that Flint was persistent but was seemingly a kind person. Also, Jack knew that if he didn't join them, there was a chance that they would follow him.

"Hmmm… I don't like teams. I don't trust anyone I don't know, just like how they don't trust me," said Jack as he pointed to the two guards.

"See, he doesn't know kindness when he sees it. We should just take his treasures now and save the time," groaned one of the guards.

"Do you really want to test me?" Jack's right arm suddenly caught fire, yet his clothes didn't burn. The flames were condensing toward his palm, showing off how much explosive power was contained in a single Flame Burst spell.

When they saw the fire personally, the guards swallowed some saliva. They were both lv. 29, yet they were intimidated by the intense heat, and they were five meters away. Imagining the explosion that terrifying flame would cause scared even them.

"Now, now, come down friend!" yelled Flint. "You, why are you opening your yap when you're not asked to speak? Speak out again, and I'll have you demoted!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" responded the guard who had threatened Jack.

"Your name was Jack, right? I'm sorry for troubling you. We'll take our leave first." Flint gave a quick bow despite his high social status and led his group into one of the tunnels.

As he was leaving he shouted, "I hope you can trust me if the occasion arises!"

Not sure what to think of Flint, Jack recalled his flames. He then moved ahead into the tunnel opposite the one Flint took. That was the way his staff told him to take.

Chapter end