Chapter 3 The Price of a Second Chance
The Great Hall was cold. Jack stood in the middle of the room, still wearing his burial shirt. The King sat on a high chair and looked down at him. There was no love in the man's eyes.
"We need to know what you are," the King said. His voice was deep and hard. "Bring the testing ball."
Four men carried a glass ball to the center of the hall. It sat on a metal base. Inside the glass, a tiny spark of light moved slowly.
"Put your hand on it, Killian," the King ordered.
Jack walked forward. He felt the eyes of the nobles on his back. He reached out and touched the cool glass. He waited for something to happen because he had did not know what this strange thing was. The spark inside the ball did not grow. It stayed dim and small.
"E-Rank," the priest said. He sounded like he wanted to be somewhere else. "He is still at the bottom. No power. No growth. He is just a common boy."
The room filled with the sound of people laughing. Jack pulled his hand back. He felt a familiar heat in his chest. It was the same feeling he had when his boss fired him on Earth. He was an accountant who did all the work for no credit. Now, he was also someone part of a rich family who was worth nothing.
"So," the King said, leaning his head on his hand. "You came back from the dead just to remain a failure. You are a stain on this family, Killian."
"I don't understand what you mean but I just got here," Jack said. He tried to keep his voice steady. "Give me some time, I don't know what is happening." He had no memories of anything of this world but his body reacted emotionally to these people.
"I have given you twenty years," the King snapped. He looked at a guard. "Get a horse ready. The north village is being attacked by wolves. Killian will go there and deal with it."
The laughing stopped. The room went very quiet. A man at the side whispered, "That is a death sentence."
Jack looked at the King. He realized then that nobody wanted him here. He had just crawled out of a coffin, and they were already sending him away to die again. He was not a son to them. He was a mistake they wanted to erase.
Suddenly, a woman ran out from the crowd. She was beautiful, with long hair and a bright dress. She threw her arms around Jack and held him tight. She was crying.
Jack froze. His heart hammered against his ribs. He didn't know who she was. On Earth, women didn't even look his way. Now, this stunning person was hugging him as if he were the most important man in the world.
"Killian! You're alive!" she sobbed. She pulled back and looked at him, her eyes wet with tears. "I didn't believe them. I knew you would come back to me."
Jack stared at her, stunned. He didn't know her name. He didn't have a single memory of her face. But as he looked at her, his body reacted. A warm feeling spread through his chest—a ghost of a memory that didn't belong to him.
"I... I'm sorry," Jack whispered. "I don't know who you are."
The girl stopped crying. She looked at him with shock. "Killian, it's me. Mila. Your fiancée. We were supposed to be married next month."
"Mila," Jack repeated. The name felt strange on his tongue. He looked at the King, then back at the girl. At least one person in this world seemed to want him alive, something he never had in his past live.
"She is wasting her time," the King said. "Guards, take him to the gate. He leaves for the north now."
The guards led him away. They did not give him armor.
“Let me go.” He screamed trying to break out from their grip, but it was impossible.
“Stay still Lad.” They warned and that was the only thing needed for Jack to stop fighting. They gave him a horse and a rusty sword that looked like it would break. He rode for a long time toward the dark trees of the north.
As he reached the village, he heard a woman scream. He jumped off his horse and ran toward the houses. A woman in a torn coat was on the ground. She was holding a sword, but her arm was bleeding. Three large wolves with black fur and red eyes were moving in on her.
"Help me!" she yelled.
Jack froze. He wanted to run away. But then, the voice of Being X echoed in his head. If you die, you will come back as something worse.
"No," Jack said. "I'm not doing that."
Suddenly, a blue screen appeared in front of his eyes.
[System Active.]
[Skill: Mana Dissection.]
Jack did not think. His body moved on its own. He stepped forward and grabbed the air. He saw lines of light coming off the wolves. He pulled the lines, and the wolves fell over. Their bodies turned into smoke and blew away.
The woman, Lyra, stared at him. She was breathing hard. "How did an E-Rank do that? Who are you?"
Jack looked at the villagers who were watching from their doors, he wanted to turn answer yes and be proud he was useful but a thought stopped him, If the King found out he was strong, the next mission would be even worse.
"I didn't do anything," Jack said quickly. He pointed at Lyra. "She did it. She killed them just as I arrived. I am just here to help."
Lyra looked confused, but she was too weak to talk. "You saved us," she whispered.
Jack looked at his hands. They were shaking. "I'm not a loser," he muttered to himself.
The blue screen hovered in front of his face again.
[TASK 1 COMPLETE. CLAIM REWARD NOW.]
[LEVEL UP: D-RANK.]
[NEW GOAL: KILL THE DUNGEON MASTER.]
Jack looked up at the sky. What was this screen hovering around and giving orders? Which dimension was he in? A lot of questions were going through his head, he thought of the light he called Being X.
[COMPLETE TASKS AND GET REWARDS; STRENGTH, RICHES, POTIONS AND LEVEL OF A GOD]
"I don't know why you put me here," Jack said. "But I'm going to make you regret it. Just watch me."
