"The Pumpkin Witch is gone, my Lord! A subordinate just reported it. She's nowhere to be found!" The cultist respectfully but nervously replied. He knew what she meant to his master. 

  　　"Woo?!" (Oh no!) 

  　　The little wolf knew how dire the situation was. There was no way that she'd ever voluntarily leave her home willingly. After all, the Pumpkin Farm was her "paradise on earth". 

  　　That's when Jack lost his cool. The man who had faced an entire army by himself seemingly without a sweat, turned blue with worry as he dashed through the plains, leaving everyone in the dust. 

  　　On the way, they encountered many players that readily misunderstood the situation. Oh god, was the Demon King personally chasing them?! He had to be toying with them! 

  　　But he barely registered their existences, only returning to his senses once he saw their farm. It looked precisely as it usually did…on the surface. Life was missing from it! 

  　　Pets? Gone 

  　　Fairy? Nowhere to be found! 

  　　Pumpkin Girl? No sign of her whatsoever. 

  　　Had they all been kidnapped? It didn't seem to be the case: there was no sign of struggle. How did this make any sense?! 

  　　But then he finally found a clue. 

  　　Scrolls, dozens of blank scrolls! Why would anyone need that many on a farm? Wait, there was also a new set of very tiny writing tools, the kind only a Fairy could use. 

  　　Jack hurriedly approached the chimney, scurrying around, finally finding burnt parchment fragments stuck to the upper part.

  　　"Woo?!" (What's that?!) 

  　　"The Fairy's been spying and sending reports here. Pumpkin Girl has been careful and burned the messages afterward. This means whatever was on there was confidential information." 

  　　[Acquired Apprentice Detective Title!] 

  　　[Companion Side-Quest Started: Finding Pumpkin Girl!] 

  　　Jack frowned, already picturing the timeline. While he was gone, Pumpkin Girl had received some key information that had somehow prompted her to leave this place…but what?! 

  　　"We'd need to find where the Fairy went. Bloody hell, there's no way an invisible flying Fairy left any traces!" Jack couldn't help but curse. 

  　　But then Moon Moon stepped forward, sniffing the air… 

  　　"Woo!" (This way! The smell of wind!) 

  　　"Wind?!" Did wind even have a smell? Was it because of how close the two were? In any case, this was just what they needed. "Lead the way!" 

  　　The traces led them straight toward Sprigfield. 

  　　The two couldn't help but stare weirdly as soon as they saw it. Why the hell were their faces painted on the outer wall…seriously?! Oh, and it was just the beginning. 

  　　For some reason, there was a new entrance gate to the Town, one strictly used by the D.L. cultists. How the heck had they managed to accomplish that?! 

  　　As soon as they showed up, the cultist guards made a ruckus. 

  　　"Our God has returned, Muhahahaha!" 

  　　"Bask in his presence and rejoice!" 

  　　"He has vanquished death itself!" 

  　　… 

  　　— Jack + Wolf Used Run! — 

  　　— Equipped a Rough Disguise! — 

  　　As soon as they entered the Town, they were confronted with a huge construction site, countless players tirelessly working on a…temple?! Wait, was that his statue?! 

  　　There were plenty of banners everywhere: 

  　　 

  　　 

  　　 

  　　…. 

  　　#Exploitation! They sure had been busy while he was gone… 

  　　They turned a blind eye to the fanatics as they kept following the wind. 

  　　It led straight toward an NPC merchant, one in charge of transporting the materials from the forest and mountain to the construction site. He couldn't have looked more normal… 

  　　"Woo!" (This guy's very suspicious!)

  　　The little wolf warned its master. This guy smelled way too much of the wind. But he also had a foul scent that irritated its nose…but what was it?! 

  　　"You, how would you like to become rich?" Jack went straight to the point. "I need information about my wife. Orange hair, blue eyes, and—" 

  　　That's when the merchant turned hostile. Even if he kept a poker face, there were subtle signs like his fist unconsciously clenching up. He knew her! 

  　　No matter how much Jack tried to negotiate, the man didn't budge one bit. Even admitting that he was the Demon King wasn't enough to make him budge, the man refusing to believe him…
　　"I don't know anything. I have a crew to run, excuse me." The man quickly ended the conversation. 

  　　"Woo?!" (What now?!) 

  　　"Now we just have to be more "persuasive", right?" Jack's tone was so cold that it chilled Moon Moon. "You, stone merchant, how about you tell me what I need to know? Otherwise…" 

  　　"Humph, threatening me?! Guards, guards! Help!" The merchant grinned, knowing this was his victory. After all, the cult was very keen on protecting their allies. Using force here? Idiot! 

  　　The cultists in charge of protecting public safety in the area came swaggering in, their spears already raised and ready to dispatch the troublemaker. 

  　　"You, how dare you!—"

  　　Jack just happened to show his face at that moment, the guard suddenly gulping hard. Had he almost tried arresting the big boss of their organization?! 

  　　"How dare you disrespect the great one! Confess your sins already!" The guard hollered furiously, his colleague's eyes shining by the side. 

  　　That's when the merchant turned livid…..and yet he didn't change his stance! "I really don't know anything" He shrugged as he shook like a leaf. 

  　　Knowing he was doomed, he didn't bother to hide his feelings anymore, hatred flashing in his eyes as he gazed straight at him. Was he an enemy?! This meant she was in trouble! 

  　　"Grab him!" The time for peaceful discussion was over. 

  　　It didn't take long for the man to be strapped to a chair, a dripping towel on his face. Jack stood above him, making it rain all over him.

  　　"Gasp! No more! Mercy!"

  　　"Ready to talk yet? No? Oh well…" 

  　　[Player Has Absolutely No Morals!] 

  　　[Acquired Waterboarding Enthusiast!] 

  　　[This System Feels Bad For the Poor Merchant!] 

  　　Tch— Now wasn't the time to show mercy! Her life could very well be in danger. Compared to her, the suffering of this NPC was nothing. 

  　　But as he kept going relentlessly, he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. There really was something strange to the man's supplications. They were too…light? 

  　　Even a professionally trained assassin wouldn't take a round of waterboarding as lightly as he was. There was absolutely no sign that he was fundamentally suffering. 

  　　And yet there was none of the madness one would have expected from someone who had gone through countless tribulations. 

  　　He feared Jack but didn't fear drowning?! 

  　　"Woo?!" (Talk already!) 

  　　The little wolf was by the side copying its master, its cute voice wildly contrasting with the inhumane action it was casually doing. But then Jack waved a hand, stopping it. 

  　　"Carp, merman, octopus, eel, tuna…No, eel it is!" 

  　　The little wolf was completely confused. Its master had suddenly started listing food, only for their prisoner to turn from fearful to utterly terrified.

  　　"Woo! Woo!" (Salmon! Trout!) 

  　　— It wasn't very effective…. — 

  　　"That's not it. This guy IS the eel. I'm not sure how he managed to take human form, but that's why he's not afraid of drowning. Now let's get the rest out of him!" Jack evilly explained. 

  　　Then began another round of intense "persuasion", Jack becoming a sashimi artisan. Yet by some godly miracle, the creature managed to remain mum, fainting quickly. 

  　　"Woo?!" (Talk! Talk!) 

  　　"She's at the lake. She has to be." Jack grimly stated. 

  　　This complicated things so much. With the humans and the mermaids at war, even mobilizing the entirety of D.L. wouldn't suffice to invade. As for sneaking in… they'd be patrolling for sure! 

  　　They needed help, lots of help! 

  　　Jack didn't wait, exploiting the nearby cultists without any remorse. 

  　　In a matter of minutes, he had them run all across Town, gathering anything that could potentially be of help to their rescue operation.

  　　  They sensed the urgency, and they ran, causing quite the stir in the process. They'd enter every shop before rushing out while carrying a bunch of goodies in their arms. 

  　　"The cultists finally went crazy!" 

  　　"Quick, someone, get the guards! They're robbing!" 

  　　"You villains are finally showing your true colors! I knew it!" 

  　　It didn't take long for the guards to intervene, running left and right as they tried to keep up. But every "victim" shopkeeper they met was actually beaming with joy. 

  　　They couldn't believe how much stuff they had sold in one go. Was their leader equipping an army or something? Either way, they couldn't care less as long as they were getting paid. 

  　　The overworked guards endlessly grumbled while the root cause was already gone for the lake. He stood before it, a gagged and bound eel next to him. (Human form)

  　　"Water Elemental, you there? I really need you right now!"

  　　The lake water suddenly swirled as it rose into a water tornado, one that crashed right before him, the Water Elemental appearing. 

  　　"Hey! I need your help for—"

  　　— Growl! — 

  　　Moon Moon suddenly began growling at the creature, Jack freezing. The little wolf was right. There was something incredibly wrong with that guy! No, it wasn't him in the first place!

  　　"Oh? It seems you know the original! Anyway, today's your lucky day, for I am a very, very friendly elemental who's in a very, very good mood! How about I help you in his stead?" 

  　　"Woo!" (Really!) 

  　　"Well, yes, for a small price, of course. How about….your soul!" 

  　　"Woo?! Woo!" (Small price?! We'll just wait for our friend instead!)

  　　The little wolf couldn't help itself but sneer at the sight of the elemental trying to blackmail them. What an amateur!

  　　Jack knew better. This clone's presence meant that the Water Elemental was training in seclusion. This was the system blocking him from using the OP ally card, right? 

  　　He sighed: "It won't be that easy. My bet is this guy will prevent us from reaching the "original" in the first place."

  　　"Oh, what a smart one! Let's see how long you can endure before…." 

  　　"I agree." Jack cut the creature off. 

  　　"?!?" 

  　　"My soul for your help…." 

  　　At this moment, the creature, the eel, and the wolf were equally flabbergasted. Wasn't this a little too quick?! Either way, the Elemental jumped on the opportunity! 

  　　"Hehe, a pleasure to do business with you! Let's get this party started! After all, the sooner I help you, the sooner I get to eat!" 

  　　As the creature happily hummed, a shellshocked humanoid eel stared at Jack in utter disbelief. Why was he going that far?! Why was he willing to sacrifice so much?! 

  　　"Why? Didn't I tell you before? I'm getting my woman back." He shrugged. 

  　　That's when the eel began to cry, overwhelmed by guilt. She really was his wife, and he loved her that much?! Such pure love! How could a man like that be called the Demon King?! 

  　　"Let's go, shall we." 

  　　"Woo!" 

  　　The lake parted open before them, revealing a long tunnel. This would bring them near the mermaid kingdom. As for what came next, even Jack was far from confident…