Chapter 2 Me, A Hero?
"What the..?" Jackson scratched his head and looked to the people crowding around him. "What's going on?"
"A HERO!" the man in front yelled in excitement. "It's a hero, the summoning was successful!"
While the crowd was in awe of Jackson's presence, he thought to himself about the situation. The last thing that he could remember was finally getting the last achievement and accepting the new quest. Thinking back to the quest description, if him being transported to a new world was the quest, then the description of escaping reality was very fitting.
"Hero, you must come with me," the same man spoke again and motioned towards Jackson. "My name is Arnole, I'm in charge of his highness' personal magic guard. I'll explain on the way."
Arnole turned and quickly led the hesitant Jackson through the stunned crowd. Jackson asked, "What's going on? Where am I?"
"Calm yourself, hero, all will be explained. You are currently in the capital of the Reinolt Kingdom and we are on the way towards his majesty, Leodoro Reinolt," Arnole replied.
"And why are you calling me a hero?" Jackson asked.
"Because that's what you are, a hero to the Reinolt Kingdom and the world. During drastic times in history, the various countries spare no expense to summon heroes to their cause. It's rarely successful and not many countries have been able to pull it off. But seeing that you're here speaking with me, we obviously succeeded," said Arnole with a proud smile.
"And what makes you think I'll help you?" questioned Jackson, stopping Arnole in his tracks. "I don't have a clue as to what's going on in the world or how bad things are. For all I know, this country isn't worth saving. Why should I join your cause?"
"What do you mean?" Arnole was at a loss for words. No summoned hero had ever said such a thing. In all recorded history, each hero took up their calling with pride and without hesitation. He felt like it was his rotten luck to get such a reluctant hero.
"Like I said, why should I join your cause? What good does it do me to give my life for a kingdom that I know nothing about and shares no relations with me?" Jackson rephrased his question.
Arnole felt some relief and replied, "Of course, you will be handsomely rewarded for your actions hero. The king's throne room is further ahead, please hear what he has to offer before making any rash decisions."
"Fine, I'll hear him out," Jackson stepped forward, rushing Arnole towards the throne room. He chuckled to himself, confident that he'd be able to squeeze every benefit possible from the king and this new country he found himself in.
Before long, they stood before a massive door with guards at both sides. The guards made no motions towards the two approaching them and only opened the door with smiles, glad to see a hero following their captain.
Arnole and Jackson walked right in, not even looking at the guards. They both had their eyes glued on the man sitting atop the golden throne in the center of the room. Wanting to warn the king of the hero's concerns, Arnole tried to approach the throne but was cut off Jackson's self-introduction.
"Greetings your highness. My name is Jack and it seems that you've summoned me, mind telling me why?" Jackson decided to ditch his old name and identity completely. He was in a new world and was given a new identity from the get-go, so why not replace his old, boring reality with the one he had always dreamt of as Jack_J, the Achievement Junkie.
"Oh, greetings young hero," the king was caught off guard and gave a simple greeting. Arnole came to his side and quickly explained the exchange he had with Jack, leaving the king startled yet more at ease.
"Sir Jack, let me fill you in further on the state of our world. Chaos is spreading across the land, regardless of the country. The despicable Chaos Syndicate is the cause of this. They are a powerful organization that has existed in the shadows for centuries and only grows stronger with time," explained the king.
"With global chaos as their goal, they hope to topple the other world powers and reign supreme. We don't know who leads them or how they control the chaos, but their threat has grown incredibly over the past few years."
"So, you want me to fight this chaos?" Jack guessed. "And what's in it for me? Like I told Arnole, I have no reason to fight for a kingdom that I don't know or have any connections with. And if you're hoping to touch on my sense of justice, you'd have better luck summoning a new hero."
Both the king and Arnole were stunned at how blatantly Jack spoke. The king replied, "Of course, you'll be rewarded for your bravery and your willingness to help us in our time of need. What is it you'd like, hero?"
Jack began his list of requirements, "I will need all information on the country and world that you have; maps, trade routes, and a list of allies and enemies would be a good start."
"Easy enough," King Leodoro nodded.
"Second, I'll need funds to begin my adventures. I can't be going into battle naked, not again at least," Jack laughed as he remembered one of the more ridiculous achievements that he had to accomplish before.
King Leodoro was hesitant to reply, "Very well."
"Third, I need your complete trust. My methods can be… unorthodox at times, and I don't need you or anyone else interrupting them."
"Sir Jack, I can assure you that you will have my full support and the help of my Royal Court, the strongest force in the entire Reinolt Kingdom," said King Leodoro, who was trying to imagine how unorthodox Jack's methods may be.
"And fourth, I refuse to swear loyalty towards you as my king," stated Jack.
The room went silent. All guards were shocked at the new hero's statement, Arnole included. The king regained his composure and rebutted, "Hero, I have gone to great lengths to summon you and bring you here. If there is anything that you disapprove of, please make it known so that—"
"I never asked to come here," Jack interrupted. "Yes, I'm grateful for the opportunity to come here and explore a new world, but I have no reason to call you my king. Sure, you've summoned me and you reign here. I will acknowledge you like a king and show you your deserved respect, but what have you done for me other than dragging me into your problems? You'll give me these things that I've asked for, but that's only logical because it's to your greater benefit for me to solve your problems for you. Am I wrong?"
It was then that the king and those present got an idea of just how hard it was to deal with Jack, the Achievement Junkie.