Chapter 1196 Beneath the Surface, They Stir

Chapter 1196 Beneath the Surface, They Stir

Naive Esya, still caught in the whirlwind of emotion, glanced back and forth between Jake and her sister, confusion etched on her face. Neither of them bothered to explain themselves. Before she could find another excuse to throw herself into their leader's arms, Will cleared his throat loudly and fixed Jake with an intense stare.

"Jake... Can I assume this is all part of the plan?"

"Will," Jake greeted, meeting his gaze with a look heavy with unspoken meaning. "This is very much part of the plan. To both our allies and enemies, I'm a hot potato nobody wants to handle, but on the flip side, they can't just bury their heads in the sand about me unless they're willing to give up control over their own fate. By showing up here openly, I'm not only revealing my location but also giving them the freedom to react to my presence on the front lines however they see fit. Pretty fair play on my part, wouldn't you say?"

"... As long as it doesn't turn into overconfidence," the dragon rider grumbled reluctantly, feeling torn about this strategy that put them in a passive position.

Everything would hinge on how well 'Jake' could react and anticipate the enemy's countermeasures. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"And Cho Min Ho?" Jake prompted casually.

"His army and what's left of his faction arrived a few hours before you. The Wargod Raiders, the remnants of the Protectors, and many Soulmancers loyal to Grandmaster Lorentz are following him... To them, he is the Soulmancer King." Will reported gloomily. He projected his mental sense around them to ensure no prying ears were listening in. Once certain they were alone, he murmured telepathically, "Be careful. Something's off with them. Asfrid confirmed it too."

Jake's eyes narrowed at the warning, but a moment later, he returned to his usual indifference. Discreetly, he scanned the area where the King's Idol Alliance troops and Players were camped, using his body as a conduit for the Oracle Scan. The Oracle System and their bracelets were compromised, but with his bloodline ability, Artifact Incarnation, he was the exception.

It didn't take him long to find what was wrong with them.

[Fenr'ol]

[Age: 23 years]

[Race/Bloodline: Underworld Barbarian]

[Faction: King's Idol Alliance / Dusken Throne]

[Cultivation: Spirit Shimmers (no Lumyst Core)]

If they had doubts before, thanks to the Soulmancers acting as double agents with the idol, they had a good grasp of all the public and private decisions concerning them. Since Cho Min Ho was clearly abnormally well-informed about their actions, it was enough for them to test him by dangling some bait.

At every chance he had to interact with Amy or Lee Yoon, Jake, with Xi's approval, had dropped all sorts of seemingly harmless information about himself and his companions, but which could significantly impact the smooth execution of the Korean's plans. By mixing lies and half-truths, he made sure to feed him false information as credibly as possible.

Jake didn't know if Cho Min Ho was gullible enough to fall for it, but one thing was certain: the colorful stream of insults he'd aimed at him during these discussions when he had Amy's ear would have provoked an emotional reaction even in the most stoic Buddhist monk.

It didn't miss the mark. Meribelle had confirmed from a reliable source that several times a day, the self-proclaimed substitute Soulmancer King had displayed odd behavior during the previous day's military meetings.

Nothing major—a few eyelid twitches, a clenched jaw, or a muted killing intent. Those who didn't know him well wouldn't have seen anything suspicious, but Meribelle's double agents allowed to attend these meetings were on the lookout for such reactions.

The verdict was clear. These shifts in demeanor coincided with his tirades of insults.

Once this confirmation was in hand, Jake had, logically, kept Amy and all members of King's Idol Alliance away from his plans. Players from other factions and natives infested with foreign spirit energy or unidentified magic as well.

This last point was crucial, and it was mainly why he was on high alert. All the Players of King's Idol Alliance brought by Cho Min Ho were infected by foreign spiritual energies—plural—but they weren't the only ones.

All the barbarians in the Wargod Raiders and Protectors' armies were affected by the same anomalies. In total, several billion soldiers, all loyal to the Korean—or at least supposed to be.

Even if he'd been a thousand times dumber, Jake would have realized something was off with them. These anomalies weren't easy to detect. Amy, for instance, was unaware of being under the influence of some unknown magic or that Cho Min Ho's spiritual signature was present within her.

Of all the Myrtharian Nerds, Asfrid was the only one who had noticed, but only because her psychic powers were outstanding. Her Oracle Scan hadn't picked up anything, despite her Rank 15. Hephais, who was Rank 16, hadn't noticed anything either.

As a reminder, the Oracle System had been hacked, but the basic functions of their bracelets were still there. Their Rank no longer allowed them to access more detailed information archived in the network, but that didn't mean that their bracelets, enhanced by their promotions, no longer worked at all.

From all these observations, they could deduce they were dealing with a deep scheme involving at least two people, each at least Rank 17, or a being capable of fooling their Oracle Scans. Jake, being an anomaly himself in this area, could only approach these revelations with the utmost caution.

"It's time to pay a visit to my dear colleague—and those disloyal subjects of mine," Jake finally declared with a resigned sigh.

He was eager for this war to be over.