The Achievement Junkie

'It's acceptable… There are no downsides?'

'Nope, not at our levels,' replied Jack. 'Is that a yes?'

The giant, rock-like head nodded. 'Go ahead…'

Teleporting off Lunara's back, Jack was ecstatic to feel the dense armor atop Jinbe's head. It surprised the Mantis Leviathan but he did nothing to stop Jack.

"Is it possible for you to bleed? Or to secrete biogenetic fluid? For this, you'll need a drop of that fluid.'

'It's possible… form your seal first and I'll comply… To grow stronger, anything…' stated Jinbe, surprising Lunara.

'Then don't mind if I do.'

Jack suddenly kicked up a cyclone of wind around him, creating a small bubble of air around him and the spot where he began writing. The seal was finished easily without the interference of the surrounding water, surprising Lunara further.

'It's ready.'

Jinbe tilted his head sideways, almost ruining the seal as Jack was forced to move the air pocket as well. 'Prod my joint… A small cut from you won't affect me at all."

Complying, Jack swam to the side and took out the rapier he had upgraded earlier. It was still only lv. 85 but was more than enough to make a small poke in the beast's joint. Then, Jack used a medical needle to extract some blood from the small wound, which the leviathan hadn't felt at all.

Back at the seal, Jack dripped the blood onto the seal and tapped the rapier's tip with his finger, letting a drop of his own blood fall on the seal as well. The seal was now finished and faded into Jack and Jinbe, but the behemoth of the deep still felt nothing.

'There… we're linked now. We can communicate from afar now and locate each other,' Jack stated, trying his best to contain his joy.

'Then go… I await your return…' The Mantis Leviathan nodded to the party, again pointing toward their desired trench.

'Wouldn't you rather tag along?'

'No… My presence there would complicate things… But if you need my assistance again, contact me…'

'Then contact me if you need assistance too,' replied Jack. 'Soon, others will be searching for Glacier Reef also. It would be best to avoid them and join us.'

'Others… Then I'll remain hidden… Thank you for the warning, Jack…" Having said that, the Mantis Leviathan nodded and released himself from the wall. The ground shook as it landed and picked up the Giant Spider Corpse. Then, faster than Lunara's top speed, the Mantis Levianhon bolted down into the depths of that trench.

Jack, Lunara, and Lina took off again as Lunara no longer needed to waste time searching with proper directions. She remarked, 'Lina, I told you to remain on my back.'

'But… I was…' Lina pouted but wasn't in the mood to argue.

'You realize what would have happened, don't you? Lina, you were almost eaten by that thing.'

'That thing is named Jinbe and he's my newest companion!' Jack stated, not letting the others forget it.

'But why would you make a seal with that beast?' asked Lunara

Jack replied with a question, 'Do you know what that beast is, exactly? You seemed to have been quite respectful.'

Lunara sighed, 'I've heard stories of them but never seen one. The hunters would sometimes fight over prey with such a beast, but I had long forgotten the stories until I saw it clearly.'

'It fights with Glacial Hydras? But you've never seen one? Doesn't that mean it never lost against your people?' reasoned Jack, startling Lina.

Nodding, Lunara answered, 'Never had they successfully killed such a beast but they've chased them away. They're too fast for us to catch and their armor is greater than ours. But their attacks are primal at best, nothing more than physical prowess with no long-range attacks, according to what I've heard.'

Jack felt all the giddier. This only added to his excitement while reading his newest achievement.

[Form a seal with a primordial species: claimed]

[Discover and create a linking seal with a Mantis Leviathan, a primordial beast that predates dragons, hydras, and the like. One-star reward: 3,000 skill points.]

At first, Jack had no clue that the Mantis Leviathan was even there. His system only recognized it after getting a clear picture of the beast's head, labeling it "Mantis Leviathan, Primordial Bloodline". Such a bloodline was more ancient than anything that Jack had seen prior, so how could Jack not want such a bloodline for himself?

'Jack? Jack?'

'Oh, sorry. What is it, Mom?'

Lunara repeated herself, no longer lecturing Lina, 'Why would you make a seal with such a dangerous beast?'

'You mean, 'why wouldn't I?', right?' replied Jack. 'According to my system, Jinbe might predate your whole species. For him to remain alive this whole time, his bloodline must be insane! I need that kind of strength!'

'But I thought you could only have four beast companions?' argued Lunara.

'The worst part of that was the sharing of EXP with so many beasts. But that's not an issue for me now, since I've ascended and the seal can't pass cosmic energy. After leaving Kartonia, EXP won't be a thing and we'll get pure cosmic energy without the help of the world,' explained Jack. 'And if Jinbe's bloodline predates event he dragons, then I want him with us more than anything right now.

'Also, what if Kylon and the Flood Dragons find him? Wouldn't they bully him and kill him for EXP? They may be gods, but I imagine the amount of EXP a beast like Jinbe offers would be enormous, even worth the time of newly risen gods.'

'You want to protect that thing?!'

'Yeah! Someone has to!'

Lunara telepathically shouted, 'But it has killed so many of my people?!'

'I thought you never got along with your people?' refuted Jack. 'You're too afraid to show your true self to them yet you're mad at a beast for sharing the same prey and fighting a few times?'

'That…' Lunara sighed, searching for some grounds for an argument.

Jack added, 'If Jinbe needs it, I'm going to teleport and help him. No ifs, ands, or buts!'