Jack shortened the distance at a rapid speed, his sensory skills working overtime- Anything that moved in his field of vision, he would be ready to react to. Continuously scanning his surroundings, straining his hearing to catch the distinctive sounds of battle and estimate the number of attackers and being in a state of constant vigilance.

Fifty meters had been reduced to thirty meters, and Jack had a hunch that the moment he passed through the shrubbery up ahead, he would have the assailants in his sight. But something was off. With his senses, he should have been able to overhear them by now. The dead silence in the forest was eerie, when his bond indicated Luna was just up ahead. On the other hand, every second he tarried was one where Luna could lose her life.

‘Proceed.’

Jack didn’t slow down his speed, feeling that the possibility of a trap was a bit far fetched. How would they even know he was coming, anyway. Cutting down branches or shrubbery obscuring his way, Jack finally arrived at a small bald patch of land surrounded by trees at all sides, about twenty meters in circumference.

Covering almost the entire clearing, was a dome created out of light-green energy, constantly shimmering under the natural sunlight. If Jack wasn’t in a hurry to save Luna’s life, he might even appreciate the beauty of the construct.

Tier 1 Innate Talent: Barrier has been used in the vicinity.

The system’s voice transmitted the information directly to his mind, and it took Jack only a second to reach a conclusion. He had already guessed it, but now reality was staring straight at him. How many times had Jack encountered near death scenarios in the past day? While some of his experiences might have been too unique to be replicated, he couldn’t imagine anyone having an easy time in the wilderness.

They too would have had their life and death battles, and those who were not able to adapt or trick their way to survival, like that woman Sam he’d met earlier, would have already died. He had to assume that every single one of them had already unlocked their talents, otherwise he might be in for some suffering.

‘That doesn’t mean I’m going to let a puny barrier stop me.’

Jack slashed his sword down on the barrier ferociously, causing a grating sound to ring out before a loud crack was heard. There was one large gash across the barrier, followed by smaller surface cracks spreading from the point of impact. He was honestly surprised that a barrier didn’t shatter, he was level 9 now after all.

Another slam echoed out at the exact same place, and a portion of the barrier collapsed, followed by the entire thing dissipating.

Jack saw two men, one a five foot nine white man with a patchy beard and blond hair, and the other a dark skinned taller man standing at five feet eleven, clean shaven and bald. Both of them were holding two tower shields, standing side by side with each other, intimidatingly holding maces. From behind them, a brown haired lithe woman had notched a bow, peeking out of cover, and a hooded man was crouching, with his palm placed on the ground- Jack was able to make out a surprised expression on his face.

A few meters away, an older white man lay sprawled on the floor, his hollow eyes staring at the sky with a shocked expression on his face. A distinct claw mark could be seen on his throat, blood already spilled all over the ground- in the process of coagulating on the ground.

Opposite the remaining group of four, was Luna. The right part of her lustrous silver coat was singed black, while three arrows were embedded in her torso. Her right hindlimb had a coat of frost emanating from it, further slowing down her movement. Seeing her strafing while limping trying to dodge arrows made Jack’s blood boil.

“Who the hell are you?” The blonde Mace-Knight shouted at Jack, clearly caught unaware by his flamboyant entrance.

The archer switched its target to Jack’s forehead, while the kneeling man hurriedly pressed his hand to the ground again. One of the Mace-Knights stored the Mace in his inventory, his right hand starting to grow in a bright red color, while the other Mace-Knight’s weapon started to exude a chilly frost. Before Jack had much time to react, another barrier had been cast encompassing both him and Luna.

Luna took the opportunity Jack’s distraction had brought him, running for two steps before leaping in his direction. The archer, no longer able to hold back, let the arrow loose at Luna’s torso.

‘Did she think I’m here to steal her kill?’ Jack thought as he moved with grace and finesse, stepping in front of Luna with his Qi Shield.

A clinking sound rang out as the arrow grinded against his Qi shield, before losing momentum and falling harmlessly to the ground.

“Can you stop trying to kill my pet?” Jack calmly questioned the group in an even tone, displaying a level of control over his anger that surprised even him.

“.... Your pet? That alien is your damn pet!?” The archer questioned angrily, as she notched another arrow, this time aimed directly at Jack’s head.

“That monster killed James, you piece of shit!” The dark skinned man with the glowing blue mace that seemed to freeze the moisture in the air around it, didn't scream at him but seemed equally aggrieved at the loss of a companion.

Jack too was in shock when he saw the older man’s body lying on the floor, never having expected the situation to escalate this far. But he wouldn’t make any judgments before getting Luna’s side of the story first.

“I sense danger from this man,” the hooded man who was still hunched over behind the shields lightly whispered to his group- by this point Jack was sure he was an Assassin class holder. Jack’s improved sensory skills allowed him to hear the Assassin's whispers. He figured it would buy him a few seconds, so he asked Luna about the situation.

“I see. Did Luna attack you first?” Jack asked, as his thought processing went into overdrive.

The brown haired woman’s mouth slightly twitched, and Jack didn’t miss that small movement.

“No, but why does that matter? Things a damn monster like the ones we’ve been fighting, why should we care? You're gonna side with this thing over your fellow man?” The blonde Mace-Knight retorted, slightly holding back his aggression after the Assassin’s remark.

“I noticed that there were three different types of wounds on my pet. Now it’s quite evident who the arrows belong to. Fire and Ice powers are also pretty obvious. That barrier innate talent looks quite handy too, Mister Assassin. May I ask what talent that man had?” Jack asked, as if he were trying to piece the course of events together.

“What are you trying to prove, murderer?” The archer, almost defensively, snapped at Jack.

“Wait, Elise. No, he did not have any innate talent, what is your point?” The dark skinned Mace-Knight seemed to be the voice of reason in the group, or at least able to regain his composure quicker.

“Ah, I see. At first I thought it was incompetence. No, I don’t think so. Three of you have manifested their innate talent, and a fourth has managed to get a bow somehow. Could be all four, for all I know. See what I find curious is how none of you have a single scratch on your body, while your fifth teammate mysteriously ends up dead,” Jack saw their expressions fluctuate, though they tried to hide it. So he continued to press on.

“On my way here, I saw a young woman backstab a man who was guarding her- leaving him bleeding out on the floor for the monsters to feast on. You are skilled, and you coordinate well- with the barrier in place, you can ensnare and finish off monsters easily. Well, the four of you do. The fifth guy, he was a liability wasn’t he? An aged man with no innate talent that was struggling? Very pragmatic,” Jack shot off his conjecture which he mostly knew to be true, based on Luna’s narration of the events. The older man kept charging at her with the Qi Blade skill, while the others supported him from a safe distance by pelting arrows, or using their innate talents- never in any real danger. He was basically cannon fodder, used to weaken and scope out the monster’s abilities before they attacked in unison- until he almost lopped off Luna’s head and she decided to reply in even.

“Shut the fuck up, prick,” The archer muttered, but her head was hung a little lower and her tone a little meeker.

“What do you want?” The dark skinned man asked, seeming wary of Jack after witnessing his so-called ‘deduction’ skills.

“I am not here to avenge that man. Let me and my pet leave, and you will never see my face again,” Jack replied, his tone even and calm to not reveal any of his true emotions. But inside, he didn’t know what to feel. He felt disgust at the groups actions, forcing an old man out in the front to face the brunt of the monster's attacks, but this group was no pushover. He was a survivor, and challenging these four wouldn’t bring him back. But he still felt terrible, and his consciousness seemed to struggle to reach a consensus.

‘The only one you owe an obligation to is the one behind you.’

That was right. He had to think of himself and Luna first.

“Let him leave, Mike. It’s not worth it,” The Assassin, who had been wary of Jack since the start, cut in with certainty in his voice.

“Are you serious, Bryan? Elise got her bow from killing a monster that didn’t look half as impressive as that. We’re just supposed to let him walk away after his pet monster killed one of our own!?” The Blonde Haired Mace-Knight burst out in a fit of rage, staring at Luna with greedy eyes.

Elise looked over to the dark-skinned man, who was clearly the decision maker in the group, asking, “Andreas, what do you think?”

Andres looked over to Jack, staring him right in the eye, and Jack glared back without flinching. “You can leave….” Jack saw Mike’s expression to change into a scowl, while Bryan seemed to release a sigh in relief.

“.... But. Leave that armor and weapon behind,” he concluded, taking all of them aback.

“Hahahaha…..,” Jack burst out laughing, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Man, you’re a real piece of work aren’t you. Leave my weapon and armor behind? You want to kill me, don’t you? At least have the guts to say it out aloud, you coward. Oh and for the record, I refuse.”