The Achievement Junkie

"Me?!" Moranti's face instantly became more lively as an enormous smile painted itself from ear to ear. "You mean--"

"Yes, I want both you and Lunara to reach lv. 99. Then, our disadvantage of having a single party would become our advantage," reasoned Jack, leaving everyone in awe. "As a lv. 91, I was able to keep up with Torian and overwhelm Tralbok. I'm lv. 93 now thanks to them."

Jack motioned to the opposite end of the table, pointing to the four newest gods.

One had burning red hair and a tight, cut physique. He seemed agile and flexible yet unusually strong with his well-cut cheekbones, matching his father's. Beside him was a man with pale purple hair, who was slimmer yet his deep purple eyes showed off his incredible strength.

However, the two in the spotlight stood at the very end of the table, in the most junior seats a god could hold.

With silver hair that contained streaks of gold, the slimmest of the four men chuckled. He leaned back into his chair while craning his neck forward, showing off the most flexibility of all. But his golden draconic eyes were sharper than ever, proving he was more than meets the eye.

The last man sat up straight, unchanged by Jack's motion, apart from showing a smile. Though he was sitting, the man's head towered over the others at the table and matched or surpassed the height of the mortals standing at the side. His shoulders were so wide that the only person capable of sharing the table's end with him was the slimmest of all gods, who also happened to be at the bottom of the godly hierarchy out of luck. The well-built man's eyes weren't as demonic as the slim man's, but those dark brown eyes still contained a hint of bestial strength and the man's rows of sharp, smiling teeth proved that he was no ordinary human.

"With Phoro and Dragov ascending, I should be able to face any god in a one on one fight, including Halmut. And after Jin and Hadurt ascend, then I should be able to overwhelm Halmut and not just fight him evenly," continued Jack. "I know that everyone else wants me to assist your ascendance, but we can redo that later if needed, right? Since you'll all be lv. 90, what's wrong with dropping a single level again once this is over and we're able to act without Halmut interfering?"

"But what if that's not an option?" Lorwynn asked.

"Given Halmut's situation, I think our troubles with him will be ending sooner rather than later," stated Jack. "After Glacier Keep, I think someone will be passing lv. 99. That's what we're racing for now. The first side to get that will automatically win."

"Then why not use this time to do that yourself?" Rydel spoke up from the side.

Jack shook his head, thinking back to his many conversations with Daruun. "It's not that simple… I understand why Halmut hasn't passed lv. 99, but I don't think that same reason applies to Skaryn, at least not to the same extent. There has to be a reason why passing lv. 99 isn't as easy as the other levels. And I think that secret might be what's hidden inside Glacier Keep, considering Daruun built the place to train gods."

"So you'd rather give that chance to Lunara and Moranti, as you may be able to reach lv. 99 with ease later while also rounding out the team?" questioned Rydel, sharing his thoughts aloud. "But how will you get Lunara to lv. 99?"

"I want to ask if the other gods are willing to die."

"Wha--"

"So that we can immediately revive you. If I 'killed' you, then I'd gain EXP and give Lunara and Moranti the chance to level up as well after they make you their demigods," reasoned Jack, not letting anyone interrupt him before finishing his thought. "I'll level up once or twice, as will the fourth member of the party."

"I knew you wouldn't leave me out!" shout Hadurt, sticking out his chest.

"The helmed hero will be the fourth party member."

Jack's statement left everyone startled, including Moranti and Lunara. But they were momentarily speechless and Jack was quick to share his reasoning.

"He can act as both a support and a lead attacker with his incredible speed. We could even argue that he has the greatest short-distance speed among the gods while he's still a mortal. Am I wrong?" Jack glanced to the side, getting everyone to find the helmed swordsman leaning against the wall, who silently nodded.

"His teleporting attacks combined with lightning and wind magic make him to hard to hit while making him the perfect ally to flank a busy enemy. That would give us three teleporting gods who could switch between enemies at will, keeping the opposing gods on guard at all times while offering little to no opportunities to strike us. Are there any objections to that strategy? It should match what Moranti was explaining earlier to perfection."

Sighing and shaking his head, Moranti chuckled, "You're right… Such a team would be devastating. I'd prefer if he was higher-leveled, but after executing your idea to level up, he wouldn't be any weaker than the others are right now."

"I agree," reaffirmed Lunara. "My superior health will let me play the role of tank while the rest of you can pick them apart with pure offense. It's not how I usually fight, but I believe it could work if I can really reach lv. 99."

"If Dragas, Eedaj, and Rikko agree to the plan, we'll be able to gain six demigods that will plow through Earthen Keep, giving you and Moranti a combined six levels. One for Moranti and five for you, Mom," Jack explained.

"I'll agree, but only on one condition!" Dragas immediately objected. "I want to form a pact mutual seal!"

"Dragas, there's no point in--"

"You'll make my seal with Moranti as proof of our marriage!" shouted Dragas, leaving everyone floored.