The Achievement Junkie 136 Playing the Bully

None of the other members of the Lyre Family understood what Jack was doing or why he had suddenly ambushed their young master.

"Sir, what are you trying to do?" asked one of the bodyguards as he stepped closer.

"I wouldn't recommend you come any closer," stated Jack, keeping his cool. "You all are fine with picking on others when they're down, so why can't I do the same?"

"But sir--"

"Hurry up and pass me all your rings!"

The sudden demand caused everyone to freeze. Even the Maronn and the Treall Families put a pause to their battle.

"Are you threatening the Lyre Family?! You're insane!" One of the other young masters shouted back. He looked almost identical to Tarnel, so Jack assumed them to be brothers.

With a smile, Jack replied, "Sure, why wouldn't I?" Just then, a bead of red blood started to dribble from Tarnel's neck. "Do you believe me now?"

"You are insane, you know we can't kill here!" Both of the Lyre guards started to panic. It's one thing if their young master was injured and needed some healing, but to be disgraced like this and possibly lose him would lead to their death. They would fail at their only job!

"Maybe not, but I can do this." The sword vanished as Jack put Tarnel in a headlock. His other arm smashed into Tarnel's other arm, cracking many bones and letting it hang limp like the other. "Shall I keep going?"

"You…" The guards froze. They weren't able to decide, it was up to their young masters.

"J-Just give it to him!" Tarnel's shaky voice filled the cavern.

His younger brother nodded and threw a ring at Jack's feet. "Here, you can have it for now. But don't think you'll be able to avoid punishment after you exit the catacomb."

The others nodded and followed suit, each throwing their storage item in front of Jack.

Like taking candy from a baby, Jack slid Tarnel's ring off his finger and quickly stored it away. "Alright, now all of you should head back to the catacomb's entrance. I don't want to see you until morning when I'm about to leave this place."

"Why should we--"

"CRACK!"

"Aaah!"

As Tanel's brother tried to speak up, Jack sent another punch to Tarnel's left thigh. Tarnel's femur had not only broken, but it had also splintered and was now impossible to walk on. The young noble yelled in agony as his leg also fell limp and dragged on the floor.

Jack didn't say a thing. Instead, he smiled and watched the Lyre Family carefully. Just when they wanted to open their mouths in anger, Jack's fist would get closer to Tarnel's last functioning limb, his right leg.

"J-Just go already! Wait till morning!" Tarnel was fuming mad but was crying in pain as he sent his people away. 

None of this was warranted in his mind. It was always the strong taking from the weak, but he never would have guessed that he would be weak to someone else.

Everyone's eyes were on Jack. After some silence, the Lyre Family members started backtracking. Soon they were out of sight and earshot.

Flint had a huge smile on his face. There was a lot of admiration in his eyes as he watched Jack. He wanted help, but this was way more then Flint had asked for, but he was more than happy it happened. Anytime the Lyre Family was oppressed, the Maronn Family would relish in it.

Gret had an aching feeling in the pit of his stomach. He and his followers had already tried to steal Jack's stuff earlier, yet he somehow escaped into thin air.

Now, the middle-aged man had reappeared out of thin air and he successfully robbed all the members of the Lyre family in front of his eyes. And he did it without anyone even daring to attack him!

Jack waited a couple of minutes until he let go of Tarnel and picked up the items at his feet. "Until this is over, you'll be with me. I won't kill you, that I can guarantee."

Tarnel swallowed some saliva and sat on the ground. He was too injured to run even if he wanted to try.

"As for you…" Jack glanced at Gret with a wicked smile. "I think we have some unfinished business, don't we?"

"Shut up old man! You only caught that idiot by surprise because he was distracted. You can't take on all of us!" Gret shouted, keeping his followers on their toes.

"Who said he's alone?"

Gret instantly frowned and looked Flint in the eye. "What does this have to do with you?!"

"We're you and Tarnel competing to see who could get this first?" Flint retrieved the magic sword and held it up high. "Well, now that he's taken my offer to help me, it's his."

Disbelief filled Gret's heart as the magic sword was thrown to Jack, who caught and stored it without a glance. "You-you planned this?! How dare you plot against the Treall Family?!"

"Shut up!" Jack's voice echoed in the open space. "I may have been paid, but I haven't finished my job yet."

"Guards! Protect me!" Gret and the two other young talents of the Treall Family tried to escape.

"Not so fast!" With another heavy strike, Flint swung his greatsword but was blocked by one of the lv. 29 guards. "You can't…"

Flint never finished his sentence. He was too amazed to see Jack already on the other side of the guards with Gret held up by his neck.

"CRACK! CRACK!"

"NOOOOO!!"

Tears of pain rolled down Gret's face like mountain streams. Unable to fathom how Jack could teleport at will, all he could do was cry. Why was Jack so strong? He was only lv. 20 but Gret's defenses couldn't take a single blow. And he was a powerful mage too. Who was he and where did he come from?!

"I think you all know the drill, or should I repeat myself?" Jack laughed as Gret was squealing in his hands.

"How dare you?!" Gret managed to find the strength to try and defend his pride. Unlike the more humble Tarnel, Gret was hurt more mentally than physically. "When this is over, my father will--"

"CRACK! CRACK!"

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH…"

"Will you shut up now, or do I need to teach you another lesson?" Giving Gret another two punches, Jack rendered Gret immobile until someone could get him medical attention. "Now, throw me your things."

The two other young masters complied without a word. They were absolutely terrified of Jack and needed no more convincing to do as he said.

Both guards for the Treall Family groaned as they both removed storage rings and lobbed them to Jack.

"Good, now get! And make sure to remind the Lyre family that if I see them down here, it'll only cause more harm to their young master," stated Jack while he found Gret's storage bracelet.

Though they wanted to curse Jack to hell, the guards kept quiet and led the other two young masters back toward the entrance. They followed the Lyre Family's path and disappeared.

Letting Gret fall to the floor, Jack let go of the now crippled young master and gathered his new things.

"Wow! You're amazing!" Flint was even more amazed now. "Seriously, you should join us, and I don't just meanwhile you're in the cave. You and I can be great friends. If only you were younger than we could enjoy our youth as friends of adventure!"

A chuckle left Jack's mouth when Flint spoke about Jack being younger. The disguised hero glanced at Flint and shook his head. "And what's to say that you and your guards will just ambush me and take everything I've worked hard to earn?"

Before Jack finished speaking, a ring fell to the cavern floor in front of Jack. "If you want our things, I'll make it easy for you. But seriously, why don't you join me?"

Jack was at a loss for words. He had contemplated doing the same to Flint to guarantee his safety while he was in the catacomb, but his opinion of the crazy young master of the Maronn Family only got better by the minute.

"I don't think I'll need this, not after everything I've already found in the cave," said Jack as he kicked the ring back to Flint.

The others were flabbergasted, not only by their young leader but by Jack.

Flint, without any second thought, had given up his personal storage ring before Jack even threatened them. Not even Halmut knew what kind of treasures might be in there since Flint was the heir of the family. And then, after giving up everything he owned, Flint proceeded to again ask Jack to join him in the Maronn Family.

Jack had just robbed two noble family heirs and their servants after taking both heir's hostage. He was supposedly only lv. 20, yet his skills and abilities allowed him to do that without a single scratch on him. Then, he returned Flint's ring by saying that he had "found" enough treasures already. Didn't the old man say that he was only interested in gold and gems a little while ago?

Things had changed drastically and none of them understood what would happen next.

Chapter end