The third attempt to grab one of the slaves by the hair was successful, the wolf beastman's arm then pulling back and dragging Lita, the dark gray haired woman in her mid thirties to the ground, momentarily considering if he should grab another one of the slaves in his other hand while feeling particularly good about the scream of pain said slave released, imagining the sight of him walking through the streets with two slaves dragged by their hair behind him twice as impressive. The gleeful wolfman was so absorbed in his own fantasy that he failed to hear a rather loud sound of doors slamming open, with someone clearly rushing outside. What he did not miss however, was the sudden bone crushing pain he felt in his wrist just a moment later.

  A loud howl of pain suddenly filled the surroundings, causing all of the Kirinoid apprentices raise their eyes from their work, the previous altercation with the slaves not being enough of a reason for them to stop, only to gaze upon quite the sight. The man who had arrived with the group had, for some unknown reason to them, rushed outside and was now standing right next to the wolf beastman, clearly squeezing said wolf beastman's amr with quite the impressive force. Some of the Kirinoids closer to the altercation might have even heard the crunch of bone crushed under immense pressure, drowned out by the aforementioned howl of pain that soon followed.

  Unfortunately for the wolf beastman, his misfortune did not end there. The moment his hand holding Lita was crushed, forcing his grip on said slave loosening, a devastating kick connected with his abdomen, sending him flying all the way to the entrance of Kirin forge courtyard- almost ten meters away. Those who with eyesight sharp enough might have even seen the split second the humans leg connected, folding the body of wolf beastman around it before launching him away. It was clear from the distance said beastman's body had traversed that damage done was devastating, with the likelihood of survival quite low.

  "No, No, No. You are not dying so quickly. Not after the shit you just tried to pull." Jack spoke in dangerously calm and collected voice as he moved towards the slumped body, weak whimpering sounds leaving the smashed wolf beastman's mouth, along with copious amounts of blood, a clear sign of the devastating inner bleeding he had just suffered. "No one and nothing, and I mean that quite literally, gets to mess with what's mine and gets away with it."

  Jack's voice was not thundering, but with the held breaths of everyone around, the obvious might of the angry human forcing a deafening silence, his words were heard clearly, and while they might have slipped past the understanding of the beastmen present on every other occasion, Sindu and the shopkeeper had managed to reach the doorstep at the very same moment, allowing for Sindu to continue her assigned task- translating everything Jack said. And she was hellbent on fulfilling her task, doing so even now, repeating his exact words in a language every beastman present would understand- even the unlucky bastard swimming in his own blood at the entrance.

  "I might just have to reconsider my previous plan to have business with your establishment, what with the lack of protection ones servants can expect on your property while their master is doing business with your higher ups." Jack added loud enough for Sindu to hear and translate his next sentence while continuing with his previous task, reaching the downed wolf beastman and grabbing him by the neck.

  Slight green glow encased the clearly struggling wolf beastman, the pain from the recently incurred injuries still wracking his body. Moments later, the expression of wolf beastman face calmed down a bit, light healing performed to patch up the worst of the damage, though the next words Jack spoke- instantly translated by Sindu once again- did anything but calm the mind of not only the wolf beastman who could once again think properly, no longer made near delirious from excruciating pain, but the rest of the beastmen present.

  "We are just getting started. A message needs to be made loud and clear." then, as if suddenly realizing something, Jack turned towards Lita, speaking now to his five maids who had been left outside to wait for him due to the local beastmen customs "Tell me everything that happened before this shit grabbed Lita by her hair like some worthless criminal. Everything he did, everything he said." his tone final and non negotiable. Jack had reverted back to his God of Destruction mode, willing to go scorched earth on anything that even felt like a possible threat to anything his, only at the last moment realizing that he did in fact miss quite a bit of context. He knew the wolfman had spoken, had also seen the moment same dirtbag had grabbed Lita by the hair and dragged her to the ground. But he needed to understand what was said to decide upon the full extent of the punishment.

  As expected, Jack's tone and his momentary brutality on behalf of Lita worked wonders, with the twins trying their best to accurately explain the words spoken, not a single aspect of the threats they received being hidden. Jack heard about the promised hours of torture as well their eventual death in the goblin pits, all while Sindu continued with the translation, making sure the shopkeeper and the rest of the Kirinoids realized the gravity of the whole situation. It was no longer as simple as some random few human slaves almost killed, a quick negotiation between their beastman masters all it took to come to a mutually acceptable reimbursement to the one having lost said human slaves. This was much, much worse, with the aggrieved party being an actual second awakening human powerhouse, as well as not a local resident. The latter making it even more of a problem than anything else.

  Normally, such a situation would be nigh unimaginable, with not a single non beastman ever getting even close to the second awakening, with such powerhouses being extremely rare even among the top clans, with precisely the same state being a requirement for a clan to be as one, however, every now and then during the season of trade, extremely capable second awakening experts leave their own home city in search of a new place, with such people most often being freshly advanced ones, having just recently reached level twenty five, though there was no actual records of recent history when such an expert arose among humans and their kind. Being a merchant or money lender did not result in quick leveling up, no matter how much money passed through their hands.

  "I would love nothing more than to kill you right now little shit. To slowly roast you until nothing but ash remains, your desperate screeching lasting for as long as possible. Your only saving grace is that I have just come to this city and you did not get to actually do anything you spoke off." Jack's calm and now near emotionless voice resounded, quickly translated by Sindu without a moments hesitation, a certain shine in her eyes as she gazed at a master who for the first time in her life as a slave protected someone of their status. "It would not fit to let you off without a mark of shame though. A clear reminder that what is mine is untouchable, lest something worse comes as retribution."

  With Jack's last words resounding, even as Sindu quickly translated them, seemingly black flames burst forth from Jack's hand holding the wolf beastman by the neck, enveloping its furry head and shoulders, disappearing moments later and leaving behind a mark of shame that would be seen by all who gazed at the wolf beastman face. What came into everyone's gaze was seemingly cleanly shaved wolfs head, with two patches of fur, no larger than thumb in size, left on the head, one still growing between the wolfs ears, though notably to the left side, and other positioned on the right cheek, like some sort of a furry birthmark, a couple of long hairs growing out from it. The sight was downright hilarious, no doubt bringing many an observer to tears, had it not been such a point of contention among beastmen.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  And, to make matters worse, though still unclear whether for Jack or the wolf beastman's side, it was at this moment that someone who had been called upon by the older shopkeeper and brought over by the younger one, came outside as well, witnessing the sight of utter humiliation for a member of the fur covered beastmen races. The master craftsmen, the greatest smith of the Kirinoid clan within Avalante, called forth by the older shopkeeper due to the quality of the weapon presented by Jack.

  To make matter even more fun, at least for Jack, one of the wolf beastmans possy seemed to have somehow gathered his courage, barking at Jack in a clear attempt at intimidation "You've no idea you just did you lowly human! The clans will have your head for this!" What kind or reaction said beastman expected, no one knows, however it was clear as day that absolute disregard, at least seemingly so, was not one of those reactions.

  Worse yet, the realization Jack did not even understand said words only came when Jack threw the now bald headed wolf beastman away a considerable distance, adding an extra bump or two the the barely stabilized and humiliated being, then turning his head towards Sindu who immediately translated the words.

  "Meh." Jack shrugged, turning his head towards the new arrival in the form of the younger shopkeeper and a kirinoid that his appraisal classified as Zermanar Kirinblood(150years), holding a unique class Kirinblood Forgemaster(level 35). Now that was something Jack had to admit was quite impressive, at the very least for a place as low leveled and isolated as this.

  "Zermanar Kirinblood, is it? I bet you are the master that was mentioned earlier. Lets see if there is a deal we can still make, or have I wasted my time coming here. Oh, and my maids are coming with me inside this time, screw your rules and whatnot, or we are done." his tone of voice conveyed just how non negotiable Jack's terms were, as well as his readiness to stand by them. Sindu, who had taken a moment to figure out the best way to translate Jack's words to also convey the same moment was about to speak when Zermanar did so himself, actually speaking in english , much to everyone's surprise.

  "Understood. Follow me then." the kirinoid then turned his head towards the apprentices, delivering orders with finality "And remove those loitering foolf from our courtyard. Beastmen or not, they disrespected our clan first and foremost, acting as they will in our home. make sure nothing like that happens ever again!" his orders clear and anger in his voice clearer still, pushing all those apprentices to raise from their work forges and move out, chasing away Mustafars beastmen.

  "A pleasant surprise, I must admit- one of the beastmen speaking my language, though I suppose for someone who has lived more than century and among humans speaking it it should probably be more of an insult to have not learned it. Am I about right?" Jack casually asked as he, followed by all six of his maids now, was lead back inside the building, earning a slight sigh from Zermanar before came a reply.

  "I suppose that's one way of putting it. You do understand the significance of your actions out there?"

  "Burning away the fur around that wolf beastman's head? Insignificant punishment. That fool should be happy he got away alive, and that is only cause of me showing some face to your kind and whatever rules the ruling clans here might have. Only a fool would expect a human to treat beastmen he has no dealings with, worse- clear enmity against them not only due to the way humans and their like are treated here but also their own actions, any better than they do our kind. As such, yes, I went easy and showed enough respect to the local rules. Anyone has a problem with it, can come and risk their insignificant and useless lives against me."

  Jack's answer was clear cut and non negotiable, his stance as crystal clear and obvious as one could ever hope to get- You are either a partner in any sort of business dealings, or stay out of my way, lest you are ready to fight and die for your convictions and imagined benefits.

  "I have seen plenty of young ones with convictions like yours over my admittedly long life, plenty had crashed hard and burned out far before their time as well." Zermanar spoke as the group neared the same fancy room Jack had been brought to before "Most, if not all, of them were beastmen of course, but the pattern remains. There is only so much an individual powerhouse can achieve. Look at the Maarg-Nume clan for example. Their leader Zunke the Mighty is hands down the strongest individual fighter in town, but despite that he is still lords over only one of the four ruling clans, sharing the control over here with the other three. No matter his might, he still needs others to keep the place in check and running properly."

  "Good thing I have no need for a control over such a city then." Jack snickered, more amused than anything about the comment. He could easily understand where the old Kirinoid was coming from, but he also knew the old smith was working with extremely lacking knowledge base. He did not care to enlighten the smith though, their business not likely to become one of long term. All Jack needed was to understand the general value of high grade gear and then to milk the ruling clans dry by creating weapons that go beyond what's in circulation while at the same time not providing anything too good. He was still considering the possibility of inciting a rebellion or something similar, crashing the current regime and provoking a rise of a new one with less racial superiority at its core, though that too was a rather unlikely scenario. He was more than fifty percent sure that in case the ones in charge are replaced with humans and the rest of the currently slave races, the only change taking place would be who is the slave and who is master. Still, that particular path was still quite a way off in the future, not even guaranteed to happen as of yet.

  Soon enough Jack was sitting right across from Zermanar at the same table he had been before the situation outside, with all six of his maid standing right behind him, much like behind Zermanar were the two shopkeepers.

  "Send your kin outside. What we are about to discuss is not for their ears." Jack spoke first, momentarily glancing at the two shopkeepers.

  "And why would that be the case?" Zermanar asked, clearly calm but slightly interested.

  "I assume you are the best smith of your clan, what with your unique class. Anyone much less would not cut it. Understand that the weapon I showed at the counter was simply meant to gauge the reaction and get someone more important out here. Since I got the top dog, I can skip on another few steps needed to get there and go straight to the point, though, as I said before, they have to go." Jack explained calmly.

  "And what about your slaves? Are they not a liability as well then?" Zermanar asked in turn.

  "Since I am their master, no, they are not. And no, whatever funny little ways to circumvent said ownership you are thinking of, they will not work."

  "I will humor you then." Zermanar nodded, sending his two kin outside, not before they shared their concern of course, only to be calmly told off "If he wanted to harm me, he could have already done so since the moment I stepped out those doors and he became aware of me." Zermanar added, trying to soothe the worry of the shopkeepers, only to seemingly make it worse. Still, moments later they were out, leaving in the room only the master smith, Jack and his maids.

  "Alright then. Let's get to business then, shall we?" Jack lightly smiled once only Zermanar remained and the door was closed, pulling out his unique two hander and showing it to the master smith "Can you make anything at this level?"

  Zermanar leaned closer, lightly touching the blades side, his eyes damn near bulging as he appraised it "Heavens!" he exclaimed, the shock clear on his face. Then he gazed towards Jack with newfound understanding. It was clear as day why this human second awakening expert showed no deference towards the local warlords and their rules. If he wished so, he could easily cleave through them, the sword in his hand making it a near guarantee.

  "If I may ask, where did you found such an artifact? And no, something like that if out of your reach. I might be able to create a unique epic grade item of an extremely lucky day, but not one that reaches this level of quality. We simply do not get enough high grade materials to allow enough practice to reach such heights." The master smith explained, clear sadness in his eyes at the cut off path of growth for them.

  "But that is the price you pay for such a peaceful and stable place to live in." Jack replied, a knowing smile on his face "But that much I already anticipated."

  "Then what else could you need of us?" Zermanar now asked, not quite understanding Jack's motivation.

  "That's simple." Jack replied "I need a front through which to offload my goods and I believe you could benefit from such a cooperation a great deal." He then pulled out a few parts of the level thirty ants he had grinded on the other side of the great river "How much are you interested in this level of stuff?"

  Jack Raja(?)

  Age- 27

  Species- human(?)

  Level- 30

  Class- Awakened twin aspect of Creation and Destruction(Ex)

  Stats unassigned: +4

  Attributes:

  Strength- 24 (14+7+3)

  Vitality- 23 (12+8+3)

  Dexterity- 21 (15+6)

  Intelligence-15

  Spirit- Spirit- 30 (20+10)

  Skills- Wisdom of Creation and destruction(EX), Choice of the creator(EX), Eyes of procurer(EX), Matter storage(EX), Arukain language(C), Spark of inspiration(EX), Origin of matter(EX), Unbound by laws of the lessers(EX), The end made manifest(EX).

  Spells- none.

  Titles(unlocked): The real Monster, Big Game Hunter, The brilliant rookie, The insane Solo. Monster debugger.The actor. Executioner. Survivor. Pioneer, Record breaker.The new champion supreme. Slavemaster.

  Gear: amulet +2 vit: weapon- Gundao+3 str. Rings- spatial storage,