Jack awoke in the middle of the night, his heart racing. He quickly sat up, the thought of the hunt weighing heavily on his mind. "The hunt... I need to go," he muttered to himself.
Throwing off the covers, Jack stumbled out of his room, still feeling the remnants of his earlier injuries. As he wandered through the empty halls, the realization hit him—everyone was already gone. "They really left without me... I was so excited for this."
Feeling a mix of frustration and determination, Jack decided he couldn't just sit around doing nothing. "Alright, let's practice," he said, making his way to the training ground. But as soon as he tried to stretch or throw a punch, a sharp pain shot through his muscles. His body was still far too sore for any physical training.
"Alright then," Jack said with a sigh, "let's see if I can summon an element now."
He focused, trying to cast a spell. He could feel the energy within him, but when he attempted to channel it into something tangible, nothing happened. The air around him remained still and unchanged.
"Why didn't it work?" Jack asked aloud, frustration creeping into his voice.
Myth's calm voice echoed in his mind. "Because your body condition is still very low. Your summoning element is the strongest form of flame, the White Flames of Eternity. To summon it, you need at least a Level 40 body condition."
Jack's eyes widened. "Level 40? So how am I supposed to increase my level?"
"In order to level up, you need experience points," Myth explained. "And to gain experience points, you need to form a dual contract."
"A dual contract? So, you're saying I need to challenge people to fights?" Jack asked, trying to wrap his head around the concept.
Myth responded patiently, "No, the dual contract system doesn't work like that. You can create a contract with anyone—humans, monsters, dragons, even demons. Once you've formed a contract, every hit you land on your opponent will earn you one experience point. This system is also useful for friendly fights, like the ones you've had with Master Kai. But remember, once you create a contract, you can never break it."
Jack considered this for a moment. "So how do I create a contract?"
"To create a contract, you just need to touch your opponent and say 'dual lock,'" Myth explained.
Jack groaned, realizing the implications. "So I have to touch my enemy who's probably trying to kill me, huh?"
Myth's voice didn't waver. "Well, indeed, yes."
Jack sighed heavily, rubbing his face in frustration. "What a pain in the ass."
Exhausted and still feeling the pain in his body, Jack decided that there was no point in pushing himself further tonight. He slowly made his way back to his room and collapsed onto the bed, his mind swirling with thoughts of contracts, leveling up, and the powerful flame he had yet to summon. Within minutes, the exhaustion overtook him, and he drifted back to sleep.