326 The Youthful Phoro (1/2)

'Then I'll wish you the best, Jack. Phoro, I'm sure you're smart enough to act appropriately when needed, you always have been,' Phara sighed. 'Farewell, my son.'

'Goodbye, Mother, Father.' Showing them one last bow, Phoro then turned to Jack. 'After you.'

The party began their trek southbound, eventually leaving the Minokawa's territory. Once outside of their territory, everyone heard a huge sigh of relief from behind them.

'Fiiinally! I don't have to listen to my father and his rants about duty and responsibility.' Using his telepathic ability, Phoro spoke loudly and shared his thoughts with the entire party.

Jack broke into laughter and looked back at the Minokawa. 'Wait, you're not some duty-driven son of the Sovereign? What was up with that act back there?'

'That? I can't just say no to my parents in front of the elders. He may not look it, but my father is way more overbearing than my mother,' replied Phoro, smiling with his eyes. 'So, what are we really up to? You seem a bit young to be fighting dragons.'

'Well, we're still going to fight dragons in time,' answered Jack, reequipping his cloak. 'Also, I really am planning to become a god alongside Bowzer, and I have been charged with the mission to kill the world's strongest dragon. That part wasn't a lie.'

'WHAT?! You can't be serious!'

'Calm down, I think we'll get along better than you'd expect. I have a special way of doing things,' Jack laughed. 'Would you believe me if I told you that less than a week ago I was lv. 34?'

'That's impossible! No one can level up that quickly.'

'But me and Bowzer did. And you will too in the future, Phoro. I think we'll become great friends in the future.'

'Does that mean I can level up without doing anything?' Phoro asked, praying to get a yes in response.

Scratching his head, Jack replied, 'You'll still have to try, but I'll make it go faster. However, some particular situations might get dicey if you don't do what I say. Got it?'

'Got it! So long as I can relax most of the time, then I'll be happy.'

'We'll see about that,' chuckled Jack. 'At least I can say you'll relax more with me than you would with your father and you'll still out level him in the end.'

'That's good enough for me! I look forward to our time together!'

'Mind if I ride on your back for a while? I imagine you would barely notice a difference and I'm sure it would be a fun ride,' asked Jack.

'Oh, you want to have some fun? You've chosen the right Minokawa for the job! Hop on.' Phoro leaned forward and spread his wings wide, making it easy for Jack to climb onto his back. 'Hang on tight, because I'm about to give you the ride of your life.'

'Rocs may be bigger than me, but they can't keep up with me!” laughed Phoro.

Suddenly, it was as if Phoro skipped a gear or two. Jack brutally fought the wind to lower his chest against Phoro's back. Even with his new increase in level, he couldn't take the wind pressure any longer. Curled up like he was, Jack struggled to hang on securely.

Then, at the drop of a dime, Phoro came to a stop, jumbling up Jack's internal organs and bringing him a sense of nausea.

'How was the loop de loop?' Phoro proudly asked.

'I… I didn't know we did one…' Both in awe and in pain, Jack fell from Phoro's back and sighed. 'I will say… that was something else…'

'Amazing, right? Never underestimate a Minokawa's speed!'

'Just give me a minute to recover. Then we'll head back to the party. I don't mind the loop de loops or tricks, but let's not travel quite so fast till I'm a bit stronger, okay?'