Second World

”Where should I go to do those challenges?” Jack asked.

”Right here, see all these smaller obelisks around?” Janus replied.

Now that he mentioned it, Jack realized there were lots of obelisks. Weird, before, this place was an empty field with only this large black obelisk. When did these other ones pop up?

As if sensing his question, Janus said, ”you can only see those obelisks once you become a member of the Order.”

Like the colosseum courtyard in the League of Champions, these obelisks also sported numbers. Their numbers were high up on top floating above each obelisk. Jack could see number 1 till 100.

”Want to give it a try?” Janus asked.

”Try? I do not have any challenge point yet,” Jack replied.

”Here, I will give you some. Considered it an entrance gift.”

Jack checked his badge and found it to have 10 challenge points. ʼThat was generous,ʼ Jack thought. That shitty Gruff had to cheat him into performing a quest before he was awarded the same amount of challenge points.

”Come,” Janus guided him to the obelisk marked with number 1 on its top.

The process of activating the challenge was the same as in the League of Champions, the feeling when getting sucked into that separate dimension where the challenge took place was also the same. As he came out in that space, a level 10 basic Goblin appeared.

ʼOh, different monster, but same difficulty. Letʼs finish this by one hit as well,ʼ Jack thought as he summoned his Storm Breaker. However, his hand was empty.

ʼEh?ʼ He tried again. ”Hey, why canʼt I summon my weapon?” He asked.

He looked around and realized he was alone with the Goblin. He remembered now that when he entered the challenge of League of Champions, Peniel was also unavailable inside.

The Goblin was already coming at him while he was still confused. He ran away from the Goblin to have some time to think. They are not asking him to fight using hands and feet, right? Oh, right! They are magic users. He then tried to summon his magic staff. This time it worked.

The Goblin had already arrived at him and jumped as it made its attack. Jack gave the small creature a kick. The poor critter tumbled back a distance away. Jack then shot a Mana Bullet. 1213 damage appeared as the spell disintegrated the Goblin.

”Super Rare staff truly is badass!” Jack exclaimed. It was worth all the time and materials spent to upgrade its level. He whistled and twirled his staff in style before storing it back in his bag.

He soon reappeared outside.

”That was slow,” he heard Janus commented from behind him, ruining his current good mood. ”I would have expected you to finish this first stage with one hit.”

”I did finish it in one hit. I just didnʼt expect that I can only use magic equipment here,” Jack tried to defend himself.

”Not just magic equipment actually, you can only use magic spells as well,” Janus said, and then added, ”Ainʼt it the same with League of Champions?”

”League of Champions?” Jack was puzzled at first before he said, ”do you mean that I can only use Physical skill and equipment in League of Championsʼ challenges?”

”Yeah. You havenʼt taken a challenge there yet?”

He had completed eleven stages actually, but because the monsters were too easy, he had never bothered to use his Mage spell. He simply cut the monsters up with his martial arts and Warrior skills. And here he thought the restriction was only for using tools, those challenges appeared much harder now.

”Want to continue?” Janus asked.

He still had 9 challenge points left, so he decided to just use them all. He completed four stages in total, collecting 10 knowledge points.

In between the challenges, he asked Janus, ”By the way, why do you keep accompanying me? What if someone else comes to apply to join this Order and found that no one is in that waiting room?”

He simply shrugged and answer, ”Donʼt worry about it. Another me is on standby there already.”

Another you? Jack was confused but didnʼt pry further. Itʼs not like he didnʼt enjoy such a VIP treatment anyway. This was completely different from the bureaucratic treatment he received in the League of Champions.

He then asked to take a look at the exchange list. He knew his pitiful 10 points wonʼt be sufficient to exchange for proper goods, but he was still interested in the list, just to get an idea of how many knowledge points he should aim for.

The list was roughly the same as the ones in League of Champions, only that the items here were much more catered towards magic userʼs needs. Jack expected to see limited items like the Monster Books from the League of Championsʼ list, but instead, he found items marked with monthly, and they were all recipes.

Blacksmith Recipe: Blood-Drenched Axe (Monthly, days left: 3),

Alchemist Recipe: Mind Panacea (Monthly, days left: 3)

Cooking Recipe: Verremorian Barbeque (Monthly, days left: 3)

Scrollmaking Recipe: Eye of Truth scroll (Monthly, days left: 3)

”Monthly?” He turned to Janus.

”It means those items can only be exchangeable within this month, which left only three more days,” Janus explained. ”Next month they will be replaced by different items. So if you missed this chance, you will have to wait until they appeared again some other month, or if ever.”

Jack looked at the list, all of these monthly recipes required 30 knowledge points to exchange for each. He only had 10 points on him. With only three days left, he had not much luck with these recipes.

He closed the list. No new spell was available in this list, just like in the League of Champions. He asked Janus what challenge stage he needed to beat in order to get to the next rank, to which Janus replied by saying he had to beat stage 30 for that. Hearing that, he surmised then that the rank arrangement of this faction was also the same as for League of Champions. So the number of challenge points he needed to advance was roughly the same.

After learning about the basic operation of this faction, Jack expressed his intention to leave. Janus told him that he only needed to say, ”Exit point reveals yourself” in order to leave.

He felt corny to have to say that. He would prefer open sesame or in this case, exit sesame, or something like that. Since there was no choice, he just had to oblige.

”Exit point reveals yourself!” He yelled in an exaggerated manner while lifting his hand as if making an oration. When doing something, put all your heart into it, he said to himself. Janus and Peniel watched him with amusement.

A rectangular opening abruptly appeared in front of him. It looked exactly like the same one that had taken him here, the opening showed the same void as before.

Before stepping in, Jack turned back to Janus and said, ”thank you for your time, I will be taking my leave now.” To which Janust replied with a nod.

He and Peniel went into the opening and find themselves in the large space of beige color inside the Orderʼs hut. The opening shut behind him. He was just about to head to the door when he noticed that the desk in the middle of the space was not empty. Janus was sitting there smiling at him.

”Finish with your affair?” He asked.

”I… didnʼt you…,” Jack was lost for words. ”Did you teleport here?” He finally managed to ask.

”What do you mean? I have always been here.”

Jack turned to Peniel, who simply shrugged. He decided to just not think about this magic business, he said to this Janus, ”thank you for your time, I will be taking my leave now.” And then realized, didnʼt he just said that to the other one before?

This Janus also replied with the same nod. Jack ran out the door.

”Damn, this magic business is creepy!” He said after he was outside from the hut and closed the door.

”I can still hear you,” Janusʼ voice was heard from behind the door.

On the next day, since he told John and Jeanny that he would depart at noon, his morning was free. He spent 10 merit points to use Commander Quintusʼ Training Ground. His Ice Ring increased to the first star after the training. Its first star gave it an increase in radius of effect by half a meter, which meant an extra one meter in circumference, allowing him to hit more surrounding enemies.

When the sun was high in the sky, he stood at the city gate waiting. John and Jeanny had expressed interest to join the raid. He saw the two of them coming not long after, with all the others in the guild trailing behind.

”Why do you all come?” Jack asked.

Bowler said, ”Are you serious, bro? They said you will be going to fight a bandit outpost for our guild, which sounds dangerous. Do you think we will just stay behind?”

”Well, I donʼt mind you all come, but you wonʼt be doing any fighting,” Jack told them.

😉