Jack occupied himself for a whole week to reforge the two Epic weapons. The result was exactly what he had expected.

You have leveled up.

Your level has increased from Level 5 -> Level 6.

You are granted 9 Stat Points and 9 Skill Points.

Your remaining Stat Points: 23.

Your remaining Skill Points: 18.

Even with the abundant stat and skill points, Jack still had no intention of distributing them. He had a few plans on top of his head, such as upgrading Maester skills to deal with poison, as well as conduct the awakening, or Artificer for some quick cash grab. Every faction seemed helpful in his current state as well in the future. Still, to best prepare for the unexpected, he decided to save them for a rainy day.

Jack’s joy was quick to fade when he recalled how rigorous the grinding process had been. The amount of crafting he had been doing had taken a severe toll on his mind. His intense concentration for many days had made him one step away from becoming a madman like Bastian.

One night, Jack returned to his lab and told Dean to leave. It had almost been a month since the day he got to witness the Plague Essence, which meant tonight would be the day the poison took effect.

As the clock moved past midnight, what he had been waiting for came true, for a stinging pain suddenly appeared, signaling the misery to come. The poison felt like a spiked ball rubbing against the inside of his stomach as Jack rolled around in anguish. Afterward, this ball of pain broke into pieces, shooting in every direction, piercing any unlucky organs and blood veins that happened to be on their trajectory. Jack’s body became numb, his skin covered in sweat and his chest puffing in agony.

Then, the peak of it came to his head. Jack swore he could hear the cracking of his skull inside his ears. The pain became so intense that he had to bash his forehead to the ground to numb it, so much so that a heavy thump could be heard. Another one of that. Then another one again. It wasn’t until his blood had splattered all over the floor that the suffering lessened, retreating to his belly and other nook and crannies in his body.

The same thing happened two more times before it was truly over. Jack lay curled up on his side, his lips twitching, his hair a mess, and his skin steaming red. Still, his eyes were wide opened as clear as day, not because of the shock but the anger. One day, he vowed, he would return the favor a hundred times more excruciating than what he had suffered today.

After having stayed in that position for a while to gather back some strength, Jack stood up and let the shower wash away the night. Then, he awarded himself with a good night’s sleep.

A few days later, Meinhard returned to Oxdale. Jack had to camp in front of the principal’s office for a whole day to be able to have some of his time.

“You look…” Jack opened his mouth as soon as he landed his butt on a chair.

“...Ragged, right?” Meinhard said with a smirk.

Jack’s most devoted mentor was now noticeably thinner, his beard messy, his half-gray hair tangled. Even his usual pair of bright eyes were clearly being weighed down on his shriveled face.

“Not the word I was going to use, but, on second thought, very accurate,” Jack commented.

“I don’t have much time to spare, so be quick with what you’re gonna say.”

“Can I ask why you have been leaving the town lately?”

Meinhard stooped forward, staring at Jack as if he was about to unleash all of his recent stress on the poor boy.

“Well, I suppose I will have to inform my old friend Abraham,” Meinhard said lethargically. “You’re the messenger, then.”

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“Alright,” Jack nodded.

“A disaster is on the horizon of Oxdale, so the Harper will have to start making preparation and lend the skeleton force of this town their strength. The army had fortified strategically important locations, leaving the towns and villages to fend for themselves.”

Seeing Jack’s unflinching reaction, Meinhard raised his eyebrows.

“I got my hand on a few pieces of info.” Jack shrugged.

Meinhard squinted at Jack, smirking a taunting smile.

“I heard the news of a strange man who had been stirring things up in Oxdale.”

“Is that so? I have no idea. I’ve been spending time with Bastian lately.”

“Such a shame! I really want to have some exchange about Watermelon with that person. Among the elements, I’m in need of the water one the most.”

Really, damn, Jack cursed in his mind. Am I that obvious?

Still, he really wanted to find Thomas’ most suitable element. The boy’s strength was his endurance and agility. Water might not be the match for his future development.

“Oh,” Jack said in a joking manner. “And how would you imagine this exchange?”

This time, Meinhard smiled for real, showing it with every bit of energy he had left.

“Oh, imagine those Oxdale’s old heads realizing they’re being toyed with by a kid!”

“How did you figure that out so fast?”

“It was obvious when I heard how you kept trying to warn them about the upcoming forthcoming disaster. Additionally, Julia also told me you seemed to know something was up. And when I saw how you were waiting for me the whole day, I couldn’t help but put the pieces together. A little bit of pretending goes a long way in verifying it, too.”

Jack put his arms up in surrender. This was the con of sharing too many things with a single person. However, Meinhard was always the trustworthy type, the kind who wouldn’t bring trouble, especially to a junior member of the Corvus.

“So, do you really have something to make the trade?”

With a wave of his hand, two Watermelons appeared on the table. More precisely, Jack thought, they were Elemelons since their colors were different from his own. One had greenish-white stripes, the other greenish-red.

“Airmelon and Firemelon,” Meinhard said. “I’ve collected them over the past few years, though they were of little use to me.”

Jack stopped acting and also put his Watermelon on the table.

Meinhard’s eyes brightened as if he could just snatch it right away.

“I want the Airmelon,” Jack suggested.

“I’ll give you both,” Meinhard said delightfully.

“Too good to be true.”

“Can you not always be so suspicious?”

Having said that and fearing Jack might change his mind, the principal quickly collected the Watermelon into his ring, then pushed the other two at Jack.

“Really?”

“Are you planning to use them?”

“Of course.”

“Then stop with the hesitation.”

Jack put them away just as quickly as Meinhard did.

“Just a reminder, but there are many types of Elemelons. Should you intend to use them, it best you get your hand on every single one before doing so. The Arcanists have a legend that says he who could use all the Elemelons shall attain great power. As for how to do it, I have no idea, so figure it out yourself.”

“Thanks, professor.”

Jack knew to figure it out meant to use his Maester knowledge.

“So, will the Monster Surge actually happen?” Jack asked because he himself also didn’t want all of this to be true.

“Yes, most likely,” Meinhard contemplated, fatigue returned to his face. “Normally, the army would be sent to engage it, but the current situation is not very bright since the whole Mocester is facing one disaster after another. However, that also means the intensity of this Monster Surge shouldn’t be too much to handle. Casualties are to be expected, but at the very least, it’s not gonna be a massacre. That’s my take.”

“All the great powers have already known this?”

“Indeed. I’ve been busy traveling to assess and inform people in various places. In a day or two, the Mayor should make the official announcement here. Adam’s weapons will be reasonably distributed. You really did craft some very impressive stuff.”

Jack didn’t spend a single moment on the compliment but stood up immediately.

“Are you capable of using Bastian’s Black Lightning Blade?” Jack asked.

“Maybe,” It took Meinhard a few seconds before answering. “Not completely, but maybe.”

“That will do,” Jack said.

“Don’t tell me the sword is also your pla...”

“You should take some rest. I think nobody deserves it more than you. I’ll take my leave!”

Leaving behind the principal and his skeptical gaze, Jack opened the door and walked out.