Outlands And The Mainland

King extended his hand, offering a handshake, his eyes fixed on Jax with an expectant smile.

A Divine Scroll that could teleport a young brat to that place freely...

Wasn't that the key he needed the most?

It wasn't too late yet. He had to get that Divine Scroll, no matter what.

Even if it meant humbling himself and forming a bond with a lowly human brat.

Meanwhile...

Jax mirrored King's gesture, extending his own hand and clasping it firmly around King's in a solid handshake.

And with a bright smile, he replied, ''So, you are King. My name is Jax by the way.'' There was a moment of pause before he added, ''Jax Jabat.''

''Ah, okay.'' King nodded, his expression apathetic, before blurting out a question without filtering his thoughts, "So, when are you going to give me the Scroll?"

"What?" Jax asked, his eyes widening in surprise as he subconsciously took a step back. His posture seeking clarification, unsure if he had heard King's words correctly.

"Huh?" King replied, equally caught off guard. Realizing his mistake, his grip of Jax's hand tightened subconsciously. He swiftly changed the subject, attempting to cover up his blunder. "I mean, how can you get out of this place? You did enter this place, right? So, you must have a way to leave as well, right?"

"Hmm... Maybe?" Jax's response was laced with uncertainty, and a faint, forced smile flickered on his lips. He could feel King's grip on his hand tightening, but he didn't press the issue. Instead, he replied with a hint of doubt, "If I complete the Lord's Quest?"

His tone implied that he wasn't entirely sure if completing the quest would guarantee his escape.

''So, you're not sure?'' King asked, the corner of his lips twitched slightly. ''What is this Lord's Quest you're talking about?''

"Ah, that..." Jax trailed off, forcing a smile and letting out a dry laugh. "To be honest, I'm not really sure. The Scroll just gave me this quest, but the details are fuzzy."

He only knew what little information the Scroll disclosed to him. And beyond that, the truth remained a mystery.

''Just let go of my hand, okay?!'' Is what he wanted to say. He could feel King's grip was becoming increasingly uncomfortable, threatening to crush his hand. Sadly, Jax's apprehension held him back from voicing his discomfort.

"Is... that so..." King's smile felt strained, his lips twitching at the corners. His hand clenched into a fist, and the other's grip getting tighter. The veins bulging beneath his skin, as if he was on the verge of crushing Jax's hand in a burst of rage.

A sudden, intense urge to kill the young man had welled up inside him, and he couldn't understand why.

Hold on. Hold on. King reminded himself that his freedom hung in the balance here, and he couldn't afford to let his emotions get the better of him.

Taking a deep breath, King finally let go of Jax's hand, afraid that his pent-up rage might accidentally crush it if he held on any longer.

Jax quickly snatched his hand back and cradled it in the other, relief washing over him. For a moment, he genuinely believed King's grip would snap his hand broken.

"Ah, right, you keep talking about the Lord's Quest and collecting the souls of those insects," King said, a look of realization crossing his face. He paused for a moment before continuing, "How do you plan on doing that, exactly? Souls are intangible, after all. Unless you're a Necromancer, or someone who dabbles in dark magic, or a Spiritualist, or an Exorcist... you wouldn't have the ability to interact with souls, would you?"

Jax smiled enigmatically and took a step forward. "I don't know what you're talking about," He replied with a hint of amusement, "But just watch me from behind and relax."

As a complete novice, Jax was unaware that showcasing his abilities could also expose his weakness. Yet again, against an opponent as formidable as King, it didn't matter if he kept his powers hidden. Every part of his body was vulnerable against him, after all.

Jax approached one of the seemingly lifeless fishes, placed his hand on its body, and then, with a soft whoosh, lifted his hand again. As he did, the fish's soul emerged, attached to his hand. After a brief moment, the soul underwent a transformation, condensing into a wisp — a translucent, formless orb of light that hovered before Jax's hand.

A pleased smile surfaced on Jax's face as he decided to take the soul for himself, rather than collecting it for the Lord's Quest. Acting on instinct, he brought the wisp to his mouth and swallowed it whole, the translucent orb disappearing down his throat.

A warm, satisfying sensation coursed through Jax's veins, invigorating him with a surge of vigor and strength. His body trembled with pleasure, as a mix of excitement and euphoria washed over him.

"What the...? He's eating the soul?!" King's eyes widened in shock as he watched Jax from a distance, his mind struggling to comprehend what he was seeing.

But what really left King reeling was that Jax had extracted the soul from the corpse without any semblance of ritual or preparation — no chants, no incantations, no sacred symbols. It was as if Jax had simply... reached out and taken it.

This wasn't any dark magic King was familiar with, nor was it anything like the methods Exorcists used to deal with spirits. It was something entirely different, and utterly baffling.

What kind of human was that brat? He looked pretty normal, yet he could pull out something like no other human had ever done in the past? It seemed like this young brat had quite a few secrets.

"Sigh, it seems like there's still a lot to learn from this world..." King let out a deep sigh as he muttered to himself, drifting back his gaze to Jax, who was voraciously absorbing the souls. King's expression turned thoughtful as he began to walk towards Jax, his pace unhurried. As he approached, he asked, his voice tinged with curiosity, "Are you from the Outlands?"

If there was something he didn't know about the world, it was likely to originate from the Outlands. The people of the Outlands were known to focus on scientific knowledge and technological advancements, rather than the mystical and arcane understanding that was prevalent in King's world.

But now, it seemed that the Outlanders had made significant strides in grasping the true nature of the world, developing knowledge that was eerily close to the truth.

This realization sparked a mixture of curiosity and concern within King.

It seemed like he really needed to put an eye on the Outlanders this time.

Jax's eyes went blank, and he stared at King with a confused expression, two metaphorical question marks hovering above his head as replied, "Outlands? What's that?" his tone puzzled as he added, "I'm from Mindoro, a province in Maharlika country."

After he said that, Jax refocused on collecting souls. He had already gathered enough to meet the requirement for the Phase 3 of his ability. Now, his sights were set on the final hurdle: defeating an Elite monster, which would unlock a new skill for him.

That said, Jax swiftly collected the remaining souls to further his progress in the Lord's Quest. With numerous souls scattered around, he sought to expedite the process.

"Maharlika? So, you really are from the Outlands... An Outlander, huh?" He replied with a low voice, as he nodded in realization. Since he was familiar with all the places on the Mainland, a location he had never heard of before must be from the Outlands, a region he had never bothered to learn about.

"Haha, I don't know what you're talking about. Anyway, where did you come from?" Jax chuckled in responses as he deflected the conversation with a question of his own. His intuition telling him that King was a native of this world, and that he referred to outsiders like him as "Outlanders".

However, if King was a native of this world, why did he seem so desperate to leave? It was as if King was trashed to this place, and it had become a kind of hell for him as well.

"I am... from the Mainland." He hesitated for a moment before responding. His expression turned slightly dismissive as he added, "You people from the Outlands have no idea about that place, so don't ask."

''Mainland? You mean the place inside the Mists?'' Jax replied as he joked. Legends had it that there was a place on the other side of the mist that people couldn't get through. That Mists was located in the middle of the North Ocean, stretching across the horizon as far away as eyes could see.

Numerous adventurers and archaeologists had attempted to explore the mysterious realm beyond the Mists, but none had succeeded. They would venture in, only to find themselves traversing in circles, inevitably returning to their starting point. The Mists seemed impenetrable, defying all human innovations. Boats, airships, submarines, and aircraft – nothing could breach the veil.

Even satellite imagery from outer space revealed nothing but a vast, impenetrable expanse of mist. As a result, the people of Earth concluded that the area was simply a peculiar, uninhabitable region where oceanic evaporation created a perpetual veil of mist.

This explanation, however, only fueled the imagination, giving rise to a multitude of legends and myths that surrounded the mysterious place.

And the most enduring and captivating legend of all was that a vast continent, teeming with life and inhabited by people, lay hidden beneath the Mists.

This fabled land was known as the Mainland.