Second World Novel

“Le… Level 95 eternal…?” Jack stammered. That was as strong as Broidrireg. He doubted he could do anything if he had to face this king of hell.

Jack pondered this information with a solemn face.

“Still confident?” Peniel ridiculed.

Jack glanced at Pandora. The nightmare had been staring at him the entire time.

Even if it was dangerous, he still had to go. Unless, of course, he no longer wanted Pandora for his steed. But even if there was no benefit, he still had to go. He considered Pandora as a friend, even if the nightmare didn’t return the same sentiment. He was not one to avoid braving dangers to help a friend in need.

“Do you know where Mammon stays? How far away is he from Hraghshu’s manor?” Jack asked Yvok.

“Each king of hell rules over a demonic city and resides inside a palace. Mammon’s palace is in a city called Dawnburn. By Pandora’s speed, it would take around three days. But I’m sure Mammon’s travel speed will be faster.”

“Even if he is three times faster, he still needs one day to arrive,” Jack said. “It should still be enough time for us to do our things, as long as we immediately act once Hraghshu finds out about us.”

“Don’t forget there is a chance Hraghshu’s manor has a teleportation chamber that Mammon can use to arrive instantaneously,” Peniel said.

“Hm… What is the nearest town with a zone portal to Hraghshu’s manor?” Jack asked.

“That will be Deciridge. It is around nine hours of travel by Pandora,” Yvok answered.

“Then our first order of business is to sneak into Hraghshu’s manor and find out if there is a teleportation chamber. If there is, we destroy it to prevent Mammon from using it. After that, we will take it that we have three hours to find Luna and get away from there.”

“When will you depart?” Yvok asked.

Jack glanced at Pandora again before answering, “As you said, It’s better if we make haste. We don’t know what Hraghshu is doing to Luna. We will depart at once.”

“That’s great. Thank you very much for doing this for us.”

Jack waved him off. “This is for my benefit as well. If this Hraghshu managed to enslave a nightmare, he might be able to travel to the upworld. Who knows what chaos he will cause.”

Yvok nodded. “Before you leave, please come back with me to the village. I’ll introduce you to two of the villagers I’ve sent to scout the place. They should be able to give you a clearer picture regarding the situation around Hraghshu’s manor.”

Yvok gave Sol and Fira a warm hug before he used his pipe to open the exit. Pandora said goodbye to the little ones in her own way. Probably also reassuring the two that they would bring their mother back soon.

The group went back to the village after coming out of the secret dimension. They saw the villagers gathering when they got near. Those villagers seemed agitated.

When one of the gathering satyrs saw Yvok, he came running.

“Yvok! Yvok!” He called out. Jack could hear the nervousness in his voice.𝑵𝑶𝒱𝑒𝐋𝒏𝖊xt.𝓒𝑜𝔪

“What’s the matter?” Yvok asked.

“It’s… It’s Tenka and Yrin. They have left for Hraghshu’s manor. They said they will save Luna.”

“Those fools…!” Yvok cursed after hearing it. “They completely go against my wish.”

“Don’t worry. I will catch up with them on Pandora and bring them back,” Jack said.

Yvok turned to the satyr who had brought the news. “Did they take the hang gliders?” He asked.

“They did,” the satyr answered.

“Hang gliders?” Jack asked.

“It’s a tool,” Peniel explained. “It’s a consumable item that allows fast aerial movement covering large distances.”

Yvok nodded. “The hang gliders we have are produced from a unique-grade recipe. Their speed rival even a nightmare’s speed. Even if you leave now, they will still reach the destination a few minutes earlier.”

“Then I have no time to listen to your scouts. I will study the place myself after I arrive there. The most important is to catch up to the two and stop them from doing anything stupid. It will be troublesome if I have to end up saving three individuals.”

Yvok sighed. “I’m sorry to place this burden on you. It should have been our job as the nightmare’s custodians. Instead, we are being useless.”

“Don’t say it like that. You have done a great job helping Pandora grow up. Without you, I wouldn’t have met her. She had helped me greatly this past year. So, consider what I do now as my thanks for having taken care of Pandora.”

Jack climbed up to Pandora before continuing, “I don’t think that son of yours will listen if I tell him to return here, so I hope you don’t mind if I give him a bit of whooping.”

“You have my permission,” Yvok said with a smile.

Jack opened his map to see the direction of the coordinates Yvok had given him earlier. He pointed in a direction and said to Pandora, “Ma’am.”

Pandora didn’t need Jack to ask her a second time. She dashed at once in the direction Jack pointed, leaving a trail of fire on the ground. Yvok looked at them disappear in the distance and prayed that all of them return safely.

Based on what Yvok said, it took one day to reach Hraghshu’s manor. He hadn’t had enough sleep since Pandora woke him up in the middle of the night and brought him to this underworld. So, he now lay on Pandora’s body and shut his eyes.

As long as Pandora didn’t will it, he would magically attach to her body and won’t fall off. It was also unlikely for the journey to get interrupted since her aura scared off half the monsters and the other half which were resistant to her aura mostly unable to chase her. So, Jack slept without worry. All he had to bear was the discomfort of the constant movements of his makeshift bed, but he was too tired to be affected by that discomfort. He slept soundly as Pandora rushed at high speed.

He woke up after half a day of sleep. It was not a good experience sleeping atop a running horse. Luckily, his body was a game body that didn’t truly need a rest. He didn’t feel any aches from the wrong sleeping position. It was his mind that required rest. Now that his mind was rested, he felt refreshed.

Peniel informed him that they should have another ten hours before they reached their destination. Jack spent the time practicing mana sense and mana manipulation while riding.

The first few minutes he started practicing, he felt strange. The corrupted mana here was slightly different from the upworld mana. It felt heavier and stickier. It was easier to sense but harder to manipulate.

Due to the difference, Jack decided to focus on practicing mana manipulation. Practicing mana manipulation here could be compared to people lifting weights to train their muscles. He figured his mana manipulation should be stronger if he could get used to doing it here.