"He is gone? When did that happen?" with confusion once again asked Izumi. "What do you mean with that?" she looked exasperated as she damn near stared at Kenji who was left as the last watch for the night shift.

  "Said he would do some early exercise and left." Kenji replied a bit timidly.

  "And you did not think it wise to wake us up and warn us?" Fumiko asked with a raised brow.

  "Why would I?" Kenji replied, not quite aware of the issue at hand.

  "So, what did he promise you, huh? First pick or something? Spill it!" Hanzo hissed, almost ready to start beating the other guy up, his hand, covered in metallic combat gauntlet already being pulled back for a hit that would inflict a considerable amount of pain.

  "STOP IT! DON'T HURT HIM!" yelled Kaede as this was unfolding, a bright light pushing back the rest of the group, leaving only her, Kenji and Chiyo, who had stood aside and not taken part in this shakedown of an interrogation, in a safety bubble of sorts. Kaedes sanctuary spell. It pushed back all the caster perceived as danger at the moment of cast and created a shielded zone for her allies, dissipating a moment later.

  "Ahhh. the pet has decided to bite the hand that feeds it. How fitting." Hanzo sneered in his moment distraction, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes as he eyed Kaede. And that look, that unnerved all the girls in their group.

  "Did you even bother to ask for his full reasoning?" In the short lull Chiyo asked, judgement clear in her voice. "Emi I could understand, she grew up around boys and might fail to see what's wrong with the way Hanzo acted just now, though even that is a tall ask. And Emi is too lazy to take part. But Izumi, you are supposed to be the leader, you should handle such things. What is wrong with you to be so off your game?" she straight up went for the jugular so to speak, puting Izumi on the spot.

  "You will have time to think on it, as well as you Hanzo. Don't think you are some big shot around here like you used to be back in our world where your parents could just sweep things away with their money. I thought you have wisened up, but it seems I was wrong." she continued "I will stick around for the time being, but I am out as soon as I find someone more reliable." she then dropped a bomb on the remaining party, then glanced at Kaede and Kenji "You are welcome to come along, your personalities are good enough to fit in anywhere. So, what's up with this Jack fellow?"

  By the time Chiyo asked the question, the sanctuary's effect ended, though no one moved to action once again, only Kaede having moved behind Kenji. Thanks to Jack's words of encouragement, the timid guy had gathered all of his courage to ask Kaede out, who, as expected, readily agreed and clung to him for the rest of the night, except when they were on the watch, like a koala baby to its mother, though with slightly different emotion in heart. Nothing dirty mind you, at least not for the time being as they had a lot bigger problems to solve.

  "He told me his class yesterday when I asked if he was summoned alone or with someone and since Emi had already informed us of the appraisal she had done on him I knew he was saying the truth. When he said he was going out to exercise I also believed him because his camp is still there. If he wanted to leave already he would have collected everything of use. And he also asked if I could show him the direction to town once he comes back."

  "What if he does not come back?" Izumi asked as she massaged her temples, a bit exasperated by the naivety of the boy.

  "So what? Not like we have a deal with him or anything. He is free to do as he wishes. Or was I supposed to tell him he can't leave when it was our group that stormed in his place seeking shelter?" Kenji replied with anger, clearly unhappy with the unfair treatment both him and Jack was receiving at the moment. Good thing that things played out as they had, he reasoned, or he might just have told the rest of them what Jack said about his crafting capabilities. No longer. He would aske Kaede if she would go along with him and beg Jack to take them along. Maybee Chiyo too. She was a solid scout as far as they had seen so far, with a good head on her shoulders and most importantly calm demeanor. Plus the fact that she had never been among those that laughed about him or kaede also helped. He had initially thought that with izumi at the helm and in this strange new world the previous problems would come to an end, but it seemed that his misfortune was hell bent on following along with him. There was a silver lining at least- Kaede agreed to be his girlfriend. He already felt incredibly thankful to Jack for that alone.

  "Right. Already forgot I was not alone here." a sudden voice caused the entire party to whip their heads in the direction of the sound, seeing once again topless Jack walking inside the cave, the halberd in his hand. The guy had clearly just taken a swim as indicated by his wet hair. "Carry on with whatever you were doing. I will leave the cave in your hands in just a few hours. Right, Kenji!" he exclaimed as he looked at the guy and just how close Kaede was to him.

  "Hoh? Already took my advice huh? Good on you. I am going to need that direction after I am done with my breakfast." he grinned and added, walking over to his campfire and starting to reignite the still hot coals, humming in half whispered tones "Ahhh, to be young. How refreshing." and giggling to himself like a madman. A single thought ran through the heads of all teenagers at this moment 'Eccentric indeed!'

  Kenji's mind was racing a thousand miles an hour, the two contrasting treatments he had received in just a few moments were overwhelming him. Where he was supposed to receive help and understanding from his own group, he had been glared at as a traitor, a scum, Kaede and Chiyo excluding, and where he was supposed to receive cold indifference at best, he was treated with friendly attitude. And sure, Jack might just be a sociopathic murderer for all he knew, but was his suffering while in the group he was right now any better than short lived, but happy life somewhere where he was not loathed and despised? It was at this moment that he made a monumental decision, one that just make his and Kaede's life. were she to agree, much harder. It could also open a new path before them.

  "Are you with me Kaede?" he asked in a whisper, quiet enough for only Kaede to hear.

  "Always." the girl nodded her head without even a second of hesitation, taking his hand in hers and squeezing reassuringly.

  "Come with me." he pulled Kaede along with him, heading over to Jack so quick that the rest of the group just stood there gobsmacked until Kenji and Kaede were way over on the other side of the cave- Jack side.

  "Uhm, Jack?" Kenji spoke a bit awkwardly, though quickly regained his courage. "This is Kaede, the girl I talked about yesterday. It's thanks to you that I got the courage to ask her to be my girlfriend and she agreed. Thank you, trully."

  Jack slowly turned his head towards the duo standing quite close to his campfire that was slowly coming back to life, the small flame greedily licking the freshly placed wood on top of it.

  "Ho ho?" a friendly and overall chuckle escaped his lips. "Let the big bro have a look at this new girlfriend of yours." he spoke and looked at Kaede almost like a parent would after their child brings their significant other over for the first time. She could not help but straighten her back just a little bit, Jack exuded air of an authority around him that was hard to explain, especially so felt when this close to him.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  "A fine girl indeed, if a little bit skinny. Did your parents not feed you enough?" he joked, though quickly changed his tone "Sorry. That was a bad joke. I know how hard life can get sometimes and how unfair circumstances can people be born in." he then clapped his hands together, like resetting the board. "Let's start with fixing that, shall we?" he spoke, a light smile on his face appearing once again. "Ready to help out you two?"

  "O-of course. Anything that you need big brother!" Kenji exclaimed, a smile blooming on his face. Even kaede could feel a slight warmth at the unexpected kindness they received, but she could not help but ask.

  "Why?"

  "Because I felt like it?" Jack just shrugged. "And I feel that you two are people who know to repay kindness with kindness. And it costs me literally nothing do to this. Call it convenient kindness if you will, or me investing in good people. Is that not good enough?" A playful smirk then appeared on his face as he added, trying to sound outright sinister, with plenty of sarcasm in his voice "Or maybe I am gathering my fellow weebs to take over the world? Kenji is one us us, you seem like another of my kind, or was I wrong? Might have to silence you then." he squinted his eyes downright comically, as if trying to figure out the truth. It did have the desired effect though as both bookworms cracked a smile, with Kenji speaking up.

  "Indeed brother, she is one us us. She might even have more to talk to you about than even I. She is into a bit older stuff than fresh releases."

  "Hoh? Lone samurai? The space wanderer? Sound familiar?" Jack asked with anticipation.

  "God yes! They are incredible. Both are in my top ten ever!" Kaede exclaimed with unrestrained joy "The kids these days just don't understand what good writing and stories are. So what if the art is a bit dated?" she huffed in righteous indignation.

  "Exactly! Preach the truth girl!" Jack laughed, looking at Kenji "I approve. This one's a keeper. Good job kid!" he gave Kenji two thumbs up, at the same time fishing out a small pile of odd looking plants. "Looks weird, I know, but they are perfectly edible. I need you guys to cut them in small pieces after the skin is peeled. Will go great with the main dish." he spoke as he prepared a wooden board that was soon covered with a few choice slices of red meat. "Ran into a boar while training this morning. Poor fella had a lack of steel in his system. I, being the kind man you have seen me be, helped the porker out and he, in his eternal gratitude, game me some of this. God bless its soul." Jack laughed as he sliced the meat in smaller pieces, taking a few more fruits from his spatial storage and squeezing them of their juices in one of the empty bowls he had prepared beforehand. Then mixed a couple of the freshly squeezed juices together and dropped the sliced meat inside, soaking it in the mix.

  "I have to warn you two, the stuff I make could be addictive." he joked with a grin. "Okay, that was a joke, but it should be finger licking good. My class allows me to have a good read of ingredients and their uses." he cackled like a maniac. "I feel like Frankenstein in the kitchen. Muahahahaha."

  "Uhm, Jack?" Kenji asked when most of the preparations were done and Jack was roasting the meat, a few bowls of already mixed salad lay in wait, waiting for the main piece of their meal.

  "What's up kiddo?"

  "Could we join you? Me and Kaede I mean?"

  "That bad huh? Seemed like a bad fight from where I was. Guess I was right. The other dude is that much of an ass yea? What about the rest of your group? Be honest."

  "Chiyo san is a decent person. Calm and reliable. Emi san is a bit of an air head and can be lazy sometimes. Fumiko san is quite crude and bratty. And Izumi san, well she is the best of us, though that comes with it's own demons as she often overlooks the smaller things. And Hanzo, well, he is a bully, covered for by his rich parents."

  "Anything to add Kaede?" Jack asked with a calm voice.

  "N-no."

  "MM- kay. I will take care of you two in the tutorial, providing with better weapons as well. In return, you help me out once we are on the other side, yea? My class ain't exactly easy to advance, though you two will get plenty of benefits in the beginning. And I have a glaring suspicion that's precisely what you two need. Sounds good?"

  "Yes!" the duo exclaimed in unison.

  "Alright then. Let's take care of the garing issue then, shall we?" Jack added, rising his voice a bit so it was clear he was addressing the still gobsmacked remaining members of the Asian harem story. "You heard that, right? These two kids will be going ahead with me, though since I assume it would be a problem for you right now, we will accompany you till the village."

  "How are we to know you will not harm them? They are my classmates after all." Izumi asked.

  "Seriously? From where I stand, I should ask the same to you. Clearly you stood by and was fine with that bully smacking Kenji around. Good thing he had Kaede on his side. What would happen the next time when she is not there, for there would surely be the next time. He seems much safer here thank you very much. I do have a warning for you girls though. Watch out that one of you don't become his focus next. There is no way he would just stop at a few slaps. Not in a world like this."

  His words sent involuntary chill down the girls spines, well aware of what he was implying.

  "And you would be any better?" Fumiko asked, scoffing.

  "You sound like I am extending an invitation. I am NOT, in case you misunderstood. Just an observation and a fair warning. Keep him at an arm's distance. I can almost smell the rot of character from here."

  "SHUT UP OLD MAN!" screamed Hanzo, clearly pissed off not only about Kaede and Kenji doing as they wished, but also about the words spoken by Jack.

  CRASH! A small sized rock shattered near Hanzo, indicating just how powerful the throw was, scaring the bully shitless. "There is a big difference once your strength goes past ten. I doubt you have gotten there yet. No one is going to save your ass here brat. Learn it quickly or be prepared to die a miserable death." Jack warned as he turned the meat skewers one last time. "Should be about ready." he said, taking three bowls and placing the meat from a skewer on each, a solid amount of the sallad already pre-laid below. "Dig in." he said to his new party members as he started to enjoy his own, humming in satisfaction."Mhm, This is a good mix."

  The clear display of power had once again left the rest of the group frozen in place. Only now did they realize just how strong this eccentric was. Clearly, he was in a league of his own at this moment, though they just had no idea how correct that assumption was. Some, like Izumi, were watching him with ever increasing vigilance, scared of just what he might be planning and could do if he so desired. Fumiko just looked at him with dislike, though nowhere near the level of hatred and fear Hanzo was feeling. He was supposed to be the epitome, the man who made the shots here. It was his birthright after all, and yet, not only was Izumi in his way, now even more unreasonable entity had appeared, a gaijin at that. That just could not stand. It was fine though. He could lay in wait and strike when the opportunity arose, even if he had to wait till the end of tutorial. There was no way the heavens would hold out on him for too long, Hanzo reasoned. A test. Yes, it was a test for him to prove his mettle and will.

  Emi lazily looked at Jack, then focused her attention on what would Chiyo do. The latter was quite reliable person to follow if she wanted to coast along, and so she would just continue to do so. Chiyo was both intrigued and vary at the same time. This Jack guy was competent, dangerously so, and while on the surface that was a great thing, there was nothing to equalize his current status, keeping her on the fence whether it was a good idea or not to try and join his forming group. In the end, she decided to remain as an observer for the time being, It was never too late to ask at a later time, or so she assumed. She had a couple of votes of confidence by his side already after all.

  "Mhmmmm." both Kaede and Kenji nearly melted as they enjoyed the food Jack had prepared "Were you famous chef back on earth?" gushed Kaede as she floated in the clouds.

  "Not at all. It's the spices i made. Once we get proper containers, I could make them so anyone of us who cooks can prepare it at this level. Actually, I would dare to say that someone who is actually a competent cook could make this even better."

  "NO WAY!" the duo exclaimed in unison.

  "You get me a good cook and we can test it out later. My creation next to theirs with the same spice mixes available. My mixes."

  "Deal!" the duo agreed instantly. Once they were done eating and their camp cleaned up, both groups departed. Jack was right after all, without Kenji holding the front line and Kaedes healing in case someone gets hurt, it would have been a tough task for the remaining group of japanese students to get back to the village in one piece.

  Jack Raja(?)

  Age- 27

  Species- human(?)

  Level- 6

  Class- Twin aspect of Creation and Destruction(EX)

  Stats unassigned: +8

  Attributes:

  Strength- 17 (9+7+1)

  Vitality- 16 (7+7+2)

  Dexterity- 11 (5+6)

  Intelligence-7

  Spirit- 25 (20+5)

  Skills- Wisdom of Creation and destruction(EX), Choice of the creator(EX), Eyes of procurer(EX), Matter storage(EX), Arukain language(C)

  Spells- temporary spatial storage (shrinking)

  Titles(unlocked): The real Monster, Big Game Hunter, The brilliant rookie, The insane Solo.