The bandit contract was different from Jak's usual work.
Human threat. Not monsters. Not rift spawns. People.
Organized group. Disrupting trade routes. Attacking caravans. Stealing goods.
Twenty bandits estimated. Armed. Experienced. Operating from forest camp.
Pay was four gold. Plus bounty for the leader's capture. Another two gold.
C-rank contract. But complicated. Human opponents used tactics. Strategy. Weapons.
Different from fighting beasts.
Jak took it because he needed the variety. Couldn't only fight monsters or the guild would notice he was avoiding certain contract types.
Also, he needed to learn human combat. Eventually, he'd face human opponents. Other cultivators. Guild enforcers maybe.
Better to learn now. With bandits. Before stakes were higher.
The bandit camp was three days north. Deep forest. Hidden location. Scouts had reported twenty fighters. Standard mercenary equipment.
Jak approached at dawn. Alone. Shade scouting ahead.
Through the bond, information. Camp layout. Sentry positions. Patrol patterns.
Twenty-three bandits total. Not twenty. Three more than reported.
All armed. Swords. Bows. Basic armor. Former soldiers probably. Discharged or deserted.
Jak studied the camp from distance. Planned his approach.
Beasts attacked head-on. Humans needed different tactics. Psychological warfare. Fear. Uncertainty.
He started with sentries. Shade killed them silently. One by one. Bodies hidden.
Six sentries eliminated. Camp didn't notice.
Then Jak set fires. Small ones. Around the camp perimeter. Not dangerous. Just visible. Threatening.
The bandits noticed. Organized. Started shouting. Grabbing weapons.
Confusion. Fear. Unknown threat. Perfect.
Jak attacked during the chaos. From unexpected angle. Blade finding targets in the confusion.
Three bandits down before they understood what was happening.
Shade moved through the camp like shadow. Appearing. Disappearing. Killing.
The bandits tried to organize. Form defensive positions. Their leader was shouting orders.
But they were disrupted. Scattered. Panicked.
Jak targeted the leader. Older man. Scarred. Experienced. Holding a two-handed sword.
The leader saw Jak. Smiled. "Tamer. I was hoping they'd send someone interesting."
He attacked. Fast. Skilled. Better technique than Jak expected.
The first exchange nearly killed Jak. The leader's sword work was professional. Military training. Years of experience.
Jak blocked. Parried. Barely. His technique was adequate but not exceptional.
The leader pressed advantage. Heavy strikes. Forcing Jak backward.
"You're C-rank," the leader said. Mid-fight. Conversational. "Good. But not good enough. I was B-rank. Before I deserted."
B-rank. That explained the skill gap.
Jak couldn't beat this man in straight combat. Not with technique. Not with experience.
But he didn't fight fair.
Shade appeared behind the leader. Jaws aimed for the throat.
The leader spun. Somehow sensed the fox. Sword catching Shade mid-lunge.
The fox was thrown back. Wounded. Not badly. But enough to slow it.
The leader turned back to Jak. "Nice try. But I've fought tamers before. You're not—"
Jak's blade found the gap under the leader's arm. Between armor plates. Deep.
Not a fair strike. Opportunistic. Exploiting the leader's distraction while he was talking.
But effective.
The leader stumbled. Blood pouring from the wound. His sword dropping.
"That... was cheap," the leader said. Falling to his knees.
"I'm not here to fight fair," Jak said. "I'm here to complete a contract."
The leader died.
The remaining bandits saw their leader fall. Broke. Scattered. Running into the forest.
Jak let them go. Contract specified leader elimination or capture. Didn't require killing all bandits.
Seventeen dead. Six fled. Close enough.
♢♢♢♢
Jak returned to the city with the leader's head. Proof of completion.
The guild clerk examined it. Verified identity. Approved payment.
Six gold total. Four base. Two bounty. Good pay.
But Jak felt unsatisfied. The fight with the leader had exposed limitations.
His technique was adequate against beasts. Monsters had patterns. Predictable behaviors.
Humans improvised. Used tactics. Exploited weaknesses.
Jak had won through opportunism. Not skill. That wouldn't work against better opponents.
He needed training. Real training. From someone who understood human combat.
Marcus found him that evening in the training yard.
"Heard you cleared the bandit contract," Marcus said. "Leader was former B-rank warrior. That's dangerous work."
"I managed."
"Barely, I bet." Marcus sat down. "Human combat is different from beast combat. You can't rely on patterns. Can't predict moves. Humans think. Adapt."
"I noticed."
"You need proper training. Dueling. Tactics. Psychology." Marcus gestured to the yard. "I can teach you basics. But you need a specialist for human combat."
"Who?"
"There's a rogue instructor. Former assassin. Teaches tactics. Dirty fighting. Survival methods." Marcus pulled out a note. "Her name is Kira. Expensive. Ten gold per week. But worth it."
Jak took the note. Read it. Location. Contact information.
Ten gold per week. That was expensive. But necessary.
Eventually, Jak would face human opponents. Cultivators. Guild enforcers. Maybe worse.
Better to learn now. Before mistakes were fatal.
"I'll contact her," Jak said.
"Good. Because you're approaching evaluation. You'll test as high C-rank. Maybe low B-rank. That brings attention. Human attention." Marcus's expression was serious. "Not everyone in the guild is friendly. Some people see rising talent as threat. As competition."
"You're saying someone might try to stop me?"
"I'm saying be careful. Watch your back. And learn to fight dirty. Because people who want to stop you won't fight fair."
Marcus left.
Jak sat alone. Thinking about his warning.
He'd been focused on cultivation. On gaining power. On crossing thresholds.
But he hadn't thought about politics. About people who'd see his growth as threat.
The guild wasn't just bureaucracy. It was people. With ambitions. Rivalries. Fears.
Fast growth threatened established power structures. Made people nervous.
Jak needed allies. Training. Resources. Backup plans.
He was two weeks from B-rank evaluation. After that, everything would change.
Better to be prepared. Better to be trained. Better to be ready for threats from all directions.
He read Marcus's note again. Kira. Former assassin. Ten gold per week.
Expensive. But necessary.
Jak would start training tomorrow. Learn human combat. Dirty fighting. Survival.
Because cultivators weren't his only threat. Humans were threat too.
And unlike beasts, humans held grudges.
Through the bond, Shade's agreement. They needed to be ready. For everything. All threats. All directions.
The path forward was clear. But dangerous. More dangerous than Jak had realized.
He'd walk it anyway. Carefully. Prepared. Protected.
Whatever came next, he'd face it. And survive it.
That was the only option.