Chef in the Apocalypse

At the mention of the word "Teleportation" everyone in the vicinity’s ears perked up, drawing their eyes to the sheet of paper that was situated in between Jayce’s fingers.

While teleportation was not uncommon in games and the like, none of the people present had ever considered the possibility of being able to see or even utilize this mode of transportation in the real world.

"W-Where did you get that?" Agni stammered, a hint of greed flashing onto his face before he quickly stifled it.

Tai also felt an urgent sense of wanting to acquire this power, however he was a lot more tactful, having experienced the other party’s strength firsthand. He gulped loudly, his mind racing with all the possibilities that came with the ability to teleport.

Jayce’s wide smile did not dissipate, expecting this sort of reaction. He simply responded playfully, "Oh this? We researched it ourselves."

In truth, teleportation had eventually made its way into the world in his previous life, however it wouldn’t appear until the 5th year. It had taken the collective work of hundreds of mages over a long period of time to produce a blueprint, and even then it had taken years to perfect.

It wasn’t until his 8th year in the Apocalypse where teleportation had become the main mode of transport within cities, allowing others to travel across continents and large bodies of water with only a thought.

However, by that time the world was already overrun with monsters and humanity was well and truly on the back foot. Jayce had always wondered what would have happened if they had perfected this method much sooner.

Bastion had been where the idea had originally formulated, bringing the best mages on the Asian continent together in order to execute it. Therefore it was almost a form of destiny that it was created in this life from the same place.

At Jayce’s admission, the surrounding people broke out into discussion verbalizing their awe and amazement at such a feat. Agni however, felt a little suspicious about the whole thing. Could the small piece of paper really hold the power to teleport people such great distances?

He frowned for a moment before deciding to voice his doubt. "Are you saying that that piece of paper is capable of teleporting people?"

Jayce’s smile disappeared and his face turned serious. His clear blue eyes locked onto Agni, making him feel uncomfortable. ’Shit, have I pissed him off by doubting him? Damn it, me and my big mouth.’

"Are you stupid?" Jayce blurted out, causing the surroundings to quieten. An awkward silence stretched on as the two stared at each other.

Agni suddenly felt flustered, his cheeks turning almost as red as his hair. He wanted to retort, but his mind blanked, feeling as if all relevant thoughts were expunged from his brain in that moment under Jayce’s gaze.

Jayce shook his head, muttering something under his breath before he responded. "How could this flimsy piece of paper possibly hold the ultimate power of teleportation?" His expression was incredulous, wondering how such a person was able to become a top figure in his last life.

A few muffled chuckles rang out around the fields, some even coming from Agni’s own faction members. Agni looked around, suddenly feeling as if he were being bullied at school. His hair danced around as his gaze shuffled back and forth between those who were making fun of him.

"It’s a blueprint right?" Tai spoke up, easing the pressure on Agni considerably.

"Oh thank god." Jayce exclaimed, suddenly feeling as if humanity had a semblance of hope remaining. "At least someone around here is smart enough to understand something so simple." He quipped, staring at the blushing Agni for a moment.

’This guy is meant to be a mage right? How could he not understand the fundamental principles of mana?’ Jayce thought inwardly, chastising the red-head in his mind.

Agni wanted to cry, yet he had no tears. He honestly could not be blamed for making such an assumption. Although he was a mage, his class was a little different. Focused more on overwhelming strength rather than acute mana control like other basic mages.

In fact, Agni had yet to level his mana manipulation past level 3, meaning he had very little control over his flow of mana. This was in large part due to how his skills and abilities worked, allowing him to brute force his way through any monsters that he needed to.

What he did not realize was that if he were to focus on improving his mana manipulation, not only would he be able to conserve his mana, his skills would be far more lethal. This was also a big reason as to why Flame Caster had taken so long to rise to his position at the top in Jayce’s previous life.

Jayce sighed, looking at the bumbling mage with a sense of pity. "Tai is right, this is a blueprint for a teleportation circle that can be built at a fixed location. It would need to be attuned to another teleportation circle in order to operate."

He continued, "If you both agree to enter the Human Alliance with us, I will happily build a teleportation circle near your residence, allowing us to trade and help each other if the need arises in the future."

Agni’s embarrassment faded slowly, pondering Jayce’s words. The deal didn’t seem too bad, as they were sorely lacking in certain resources, despite being so close to a dungeon.

While Agni was in thought, Tai spoke up first, "Has anyone else joined your alliance, or are we the first?"

Jayce smiled, impressed at his intelligence. "Including Bastion, we have another 2 teleportation circles set up in East Asia." He responded, happy that there were some decent questions being asked.

He let the words settle for a moment, before addressing Agni. "However, I have a condition. If you want to join the alliance, you must create your own city located next to the dungeon. There should be enough people to inhabit and rebuild that city."

"W-What? Why would I do something like that?" Agni retorted, feeling annoyed at the prospect of returning to his old home town and seeing those shitty people. Not only that, he would have to migrate them and rebuild a city near his Dungeon, meaning they will probably want a cut of his resources.

"Do you remember what an eccentric existence once told us?" He responded flatly, "We are the Heroes of humanity."