179 New Pact and EXP Pots (1/2)

Another half an hour passed, in which a few weak creatures had confronted the party only to get easily killed. Jack finally stopped and turned to face everyone.

”Alright, first off, let's bring out our beast companions. From this point on, I only want to see them put away when other adventurers are around us or it's absolutely necessary,” reasoned Jack. ”You all need time to bond with them, that way you and your companions can trust each other.”

Maynard, Rydel, and Daliea all nodded, releasing all the beasts inside their rings. Each beast then stayed with their companion, keeping to themselves and not infuriating the others.

The Flame Tiger was an exception. It stuck up its chest, acting like the other beasts were beneath it. That was until it saw the Thunder Cat and the roc, which were also level five beasts like the tiger. But the cat and the roc didn't pay the tiger any attention. Instead, they looked forward and saw Bowzer on Jack's shoulders.

When the Tiger followed the Thunder Cat's line of sight, it saw Bowzer but didn't think much of him.

Sensing the tiger's stare, Bowzer looked bat at it. Suddenly, the tiger sensed the threat of death, like it was only an insect in front of that small fox. It wanted to lash out and fight Bowzer, but it didn't dare. The strength of Bowzer's bloodline was enough to shut it up, so it wouldn't dare anger such a threatening beast.

”Now that we're finally alone and away from the public eye, I'll hand these out.”

Jack retrieved the other three rings and sighed. If he had known that Eliza would be joining them, he would have bought another bestial ring.

”Don't worry about me Jack, my father already gifted me one,” stated Eliza, noticing that Jack was one bestial ring short. ”But why is that important now, we're a long way from lv. 30.”

Smiling and happy that Argyle had anticipated the situation, Jack finished passing out the rings, giving all seven party members a lv. 30 bestial ring.

”This is where things are going to get interesting. Those of you who are new to the party, everything that it is about to occur will fill you in on some of my biggest secrets. If you dare share this information with anyone without my permission, know that I won't hesitate to silence you by any means. Is that understood?”

Keela and Eliza were shaken by Jack's threat. One was his wife and the other was someone who had willingly left her family behind to join Jack, yet he still was so cautious. It was clear to them that these things wouldn't be a joking matter.

”Since there are no objections, first, we'll make sure that everyone gets the new pact.”

”Maynard, since you were the first person to get the old pact, how about you be the first to receive the new one?”

Before Maynard could reply, two people had already stepped forward and stood in front of Jack. They looked at each other and both nodded before looking back at Jack, waiting to see what he would do.

”Maura, Daliea, you both know what this means, right?” Jack asked them, wondering if they would hesitate at all.

”Yes!” Both of them shouted in unison.

Seeing that they were determined to be the first, Jack looked to Maura and said, ”Okay then, you'll be first and Daliea will be second. Both of you, hold out your hands. Everyone else, get close so I don't have to waste any blood.”

Just then, Jack retrieved a knife and slit the edge of his finger, turning his index finger into a makeshift blood-ink pen. He proceeded to draw the new pact symbol on the back of Maura's palm.

Once he was done and he moved on to Daliea, Jack said, ”Now, place a drop of blood in the center and it will be official.”

Following his command, Maura poked her thumb with a knife and did exactly what she was told to do. The moment her thumb pressed into her hand, a sharp stinging pain came from everywhere the blood was. Slowly, the blood bonded with her skin and eventually vanished. The pain lingered a little, but Maura was feeling a lot better now.

By then, Jack had already finished with Daliea and Maynard's pact symbols. While everyone was feeling the stinging pain of the powerful pact, Jack had a slight smile on his face.

The new pact carried a lot of the same benefits as the last one, but there was no exchange of EXP involved with this one. Since they kept the skill-sharing ability, Jack would still be able to learn the other's skills while he would naturally be able to boost their skills.