Reincarnated Jester: Taming Players-Chapter 72: Lola

The player, responding to Jung’s call, halted.

"Sorry, do you want anything?" she asked, petting her dog.

Before Jung posed his demands, he eyed the girl and the beast beside her. "Someone already started taming them?"

He asked it in his mind.

[Perhaps, she found taming pills, but it’s too early for other players,] the system answered.

"It means there is talent in front of us we can recruit." Jung’s eyes sparked.

As for Nero, she said in annoyance. "I don’t like that ugly creature."

She was a cat, and in a world where only dog-like beasts dominated the market, it was understandable where she was coming from.

Yet, Jung chuckled at her words and focused on the girl. She was a caregiver with a friendly but enigmatic aura.

"So you tamed one already," he said, showcasing Nero as he patted her.

This entire time, Snowshade was silent, but with curious eyes, she observed the interaction.

Suddenly, the player’s face lit up.

She was excited that someone showed interest in her friend, and she started rambling, describing her beast.

Jung listened to her attentively, and even though he disliked dogs, the information he got about the taming mechanics proved to be fruitful.

After five minutes of conversing, he asked the player whose hair shone with a light golden hue.

"Have you heard of the player named HugeP? He should be popular in forums."

The girl paused for a second, and with an all-knowing smile, she said.

"So, you’re the NPC everyone is going nuts over."

Then she clarified, "I know little about him, but according to the rumours, he should arrive here in a couple of days."

"Thanks," Jung acknowledged her feedback.

He had two more questions, and before asking the crucial one, he offered.

"Tell me your name, and when that brat arrives, you can join my sidekicks. As a lovely person, you will receive privileges and status."

"My name is Lola..." she said, and the conversation advanced to the logistic side of things.

Two minutes later, when Jung coaxed her with money, food, and fame, it was time for the main dish.

"I want you to tell me about the biggest guild in the player base—their location, spawn point, and if they are assholes deserving punishment from me, even better."

The girl was caught off guard.

She thought for a while, and petting her doggo, she said,

"I’m not super knowledgeable in that matter, but everyone knows about the ’Poker Bros’ guild."

"And they have huge numbers?" Jung doubled down with his questions.

Lola nodded.

"And bastards?"

Lola agreed. "Based on the stories I heard, not only are they murdering players, but innocent civilians as well."

"Good, excellent... Now onto their location, spawn point, and how do I meet them?"

He sounded like a warrior who wanted to avenge people and punish the evil. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

Both Snowshade and Lola thought he had a good intention and praised his dedication.

Though Snowshade wasn’t well versed about the immortals, she admitted their importance, especially in the second Fracture.

According to the information the prophecy leaked, they were pivotal pieces to guard this world.

It wasn’t guaranteed, but government officials tried and still were seeking ways to use them.

Even the principal was working on a project to make another academy branch just for those immortals.

But seeing how quickly Jung connected with them, Snowshade was contemplating his actions.

Lola had a somewhat different reaction.

She had heard about this infamous NPC who was sometimes a quest-giver, but other times a player killer.

He was strong and daring, but his most notorious quality was that he understood players as if he knew Maskera was a game.

Some speculated that he was an important NPC designed by game developers to lead players in the main scenario.

Others believed he was just a bug or someone from the developer team.

However, no matter what most of the players claimed, with each appearance, Balatro’s name spread like wildfire and gained more and more popularity.

"They have a base in this city,"

Lola broke down their location, how to meet them, and so on.

This conversation increased Jung’s grasp on the game structure and helped him strategize his future operations.

Of course, it was only limited to his thoughts and didn’t contain any sound plans.

All in all, it was like the novels and anime he watched on Earth, long before his first reincarnation.

Stirring his memories, Jung listened to Lola and recalled how much he enjoyed fantasy stories back in his old days.

But Maskera wasn’t a game.

The World of Archetypes was more than that, and somehow people from Earth found ways to connect these two different planets.

Mixed feelings surged inside Jung, and he asked about the spawn points and the death penalty players experienced.

"They should have a spawn point inside their guildhall, but the death penalty is quite harsh." Lola took pleasure in helping him figure out how the game worked.

"We are losing all the progress in our current archetype, and including the item loss, we can’t log in for an hour."

"Good," Jung repeated maniacally and said. "What if you die more than once?"

Hearing his words, Lola shuddered. "Each subsequent death lowers our attributes by 10%. It’s a cruel penalty and might even cripple some accounts."

With a slight twist of his head, Jung whispered, addressing the system. "Wait, they have attribute panels, and how come I don’t?"

[It’s exclusive to their junk system and is a useless feature, anyway. You have no need for that.] Vex said with no remorse.

"You don’t understand,"

Jung almost spat loudly.

"Seeing how your stats go up is every gamer’s wish come true."

Then, changing his inner voice to make it sound more dejected, he added. "Damn, I am so jealous."

His trap was set, and the system fell into it.

[I can work around it in later evolution stages, but no promises.] Vex said, fully knowing what game Jung was playing.

"Sweet," he said, bringing his attention back to the girl.

As the exchange went on, Jung’s brilliant mind came up with not-so-splendid ideas.

Yes, he was going to massacre that Poker Bros, but why would he go alone, leave Snowshade and Lola, and miss the chance to increase his prestige on two different fronts?

So he asked the girl to come with him and film his every action with a recording function.

She then can upload it on the web and gain a huge following and money on the side.

His offer was immediately accepted, and the three humans, along with two tamed creatures strolled through the streets.

"Are you heading there?" Snowshade asked, and from what she guessed, Jung wanted to teach these lawless immortals a lesson.

"Wait and see," he said, hiding his scheme for the very last second.

Only Nero could guess his future endeavours, and she supported him without complaining.

Jung was doing all of this just to lift her curse, and she was thankful for that.

But he was more of an asshole than his cute companion believed.

Helping Nero was only one aspect of his performance.

He was looking at the bigger picture, and arriving before the five-storied, grey-stoned building, he halted with a thrilled heart.

Guards were positioned in front of the gates, while the street was busy with traffic.

Not only players but also residents packed the road, but with a clear objective in mind, Jung stood in front of the guards.

One of them, dressed in a blue shirt and white pants, glared at him, but before he could say anything, another swordsman exclaimed.

"Wait, it’s Balatro."

Recognizing Jung and the cat on his shoulder, the player yelled in surprise.

"What are you doing here, sir? Do you have any business with Poker Bros’ guild?"

Nodding, Jung giggled, and not hiding his joy, he said.

"I want to join this guild."