Chapter 348 — The Loudest Volunteering in History
Liora crossed her arms, looking serious.
— So… I think one of us should take care of this matter.
Silence.
Then.
— Me.
Ethan raised his hand, calm.
Valor slowly turned his head toward him.
— Hmm.
— Why you, exactly?
— It's a minor affair. Nothing that deserves the attention of the great—
— I feel like blowing off steam, Ethan cut in.
— After you pissed me off earlier.
He shrugged.
— So either I deal with some random…
— or I beat you up to feel better.
Silence.
Then.
— …Keep talking, Valor replied, placing his hand on his hair.
— Keep hoping to beat me.
— Even in your dreams, you've never defeated the great Valor.
— So in real life? You're dreaming.
Ethan blinked.
— Wait…
— Did you really just say that?
— Yes.
— So let me summarize.
— You're saying that I, ranked higher than you,
— dream of defeating you…
— while you keep repeating "the great Valor" every sentence to convince yourself you exist?
Valor narrowed his eyes.
— You're looking for trouble.
— And if I am? Ethan replied with a smile.
— What are you gonna do?
Valor smiled back.
— The great Valor doesn't waste time on frauds who usurp their rank.
— Jealous that I'm above you, Ethan answered calmly.
— You? Superior to me?
Lya buried her face in her hands.
— But…
— Why are they doing this here?
Arelis sighed.
— Why do we have to endure this again…
Liora stomped her foot.
— STOP YOUR CHILDISHNESS.
— Aren't you tired of doing this in my room?
Valor shrugged.
— No. So what?
Ethan added:
— She's here playing commander, seriously…
Elyon slowly turned his head.
— …Did you really just disrespect her?
Valen whispered to Zarion:
— These two…
— We can't take it anymore, Zarion replied calmly.
Liora reached her breaking point.
She took a deep breath.
— Enough.
— THAT'S ENOUGH NOW.
Instant silence.
— Ethan.
— Since among all of us, you volunteered…
— You take the mission.
Naël smiled.
— I know someone who will never volunteer.
— He always looks away next to Béatrice.
Béatrice patted Arthur's shoulder.
— Leave him, baby.
— He's just jealous.
Arthur nodded, very serious.
— It's normal.
— Singles—
— (not those who aren't married, but those who aren't in a relationship)
— are always like that.
— Shouting at couples.
Naël straightened.
— What do you mean?
— Someone as strong as me in a relationship?
— Do you really imagine that?
Valor chuckled.
— Correction.
— The greatest fraud of all time, zero achievements,
— and yet second in the hunters' ranking.
— That's insane.
Ethan rolled his eyes.
— Whoever wrote that ranking must've been high.
— Otherwise it's impossible to put so much fraud at once.
Naël crossed his arms.
— So according to you, everything above you is an imposter?
Arthur answered calmly:
— Believe me.
— He's stronger than you, Valor.
Valor twirled his finger around his temple.
— Must be that, yeah.
Shadow sighed.
— Your arrogance is beyond me.
— Shut up, Valor replied.
— You don't have the right to talk to me.
Ryn gently tugged on his sleeve.
— Be nice, Valor…
— Fine.
— Okay.
Everyone blinked.
— …Wait, did he just obey? Lya murmured.
Marie stared at Valor.
— What did I just see and hear?
— Don't worry, Lya replied.
— You didn't hallucinate.
Elyon looked up.
— Seriously, in this group of idiots,
— I'm the only one lucid.
Valen nodded.
— Yeah, must be that.
— Look at Drake.
— He's serious, silent.
— He's the most lucid one.
Elyon burst out laughing.
— 😂😂
— He's so dumb he's got muscles instead of a brain.
Arelis burst out laughing.
— Hahaha!
Zarion frowned.
— No.
— It's not nice to say that.
Valen looked around.
— And Nova?
— For I don't know how many chapters,
— he hasn't let go of his book.
Zarion replied:
— Since the Duplicator arc.
— When he one‑shot Valor's clone while holding his book.
Valen smiled.
— Honestly…
— That was stylish.
Elyonna, the sword spirit, added:
— Since that day,
— he only reads.
— That's not true! Nova protested without lifting his eyes from his book.
Liora sighed, exhausted.
— Well.
— Ethan.
— Even if I'm not sure you're the smartest
— or the most intelligent here…
She fixed her gaze on him.
— Since you wanted to go.
— I entrust you with the mission.
Ethan smiled.
— With pleasure.
Valor clicked his tongue.
— Come back alive, fraud.
— Don't worry, Ethan replied.
— I'll come back…
— and still above you.
Liora rubbed her temples.
— …One day,
— I'll lock you all in a room.
— And throw away the key.
And for once…
No one had anything to say.
Chapter 349 — Botched Plans, Demonic Laughter, and Dubious Ambitions
Brakk smiled.
A slow smile. Calculated. Wicked.
— Wait for me, Llan…
He clenched his fist slightly.
— You dared to try and humiliate me, huh?
— Now we'll see who humiliates who.
A short, dry laugh escaped him.
— Honestly…
— Vareth, Aeris, and Nyra could complicate things for me.
He grimaced.
— Not that I'm afraid.
— But let's just say…
— Getting crushed three against one isn't very profitable.
A sly grin spread across his face.
— So the solution is simple.
— Separate them.
He raised a finger.
— Divide and conquer.
— Classic.
— Effective.
— And above all… humiliating.
He paused.
— Well.
— Second important point:
— avoid being spotted.
He glanced around, narrowing his eyes.
— The guild hunters are probably already on my trail.
— With their serious airs and useless reports.
— "Suspicious aura detected," "abnormal activity," blah blah blah…
He chuckled.
— You'll see.
— You'll all see.
— You'll see what you'll see.
Even he thought that sounded a bit ridiculous.
— …Alright.
— I'll have to rephrase that.
He tightened his grip, a wicked gleam in his eyes.
— But one thing is certain.
— Llan…
— you'll regret what you did to me.
Somewhere, far beyond propriety,
Zahkariel watched the scene, comfortably seated in a dimension that had absolutely no right to exist.
He rested his chin on his hand.
— Hmm…
He observed Brakk thinking.
— Interesting.
— Very interesting.
He tilted his head slightly.
— He's not brilliant.
— Not wise.
— Not particularly cautious.
A demonic smile spread across his face.
— But he has something.
He snapped his fingers.
— Pride.
— Resentment.
— And above all…
— An incredible ability to get himself into catastrophic situations.
He burst out laughing.
— Hahaha!
— That kind of guy…
— is exactly what I love.
He narrowed his eyes.
— Even if he fails.
— Even if he gets crushed.
— Even if he begs.
His smile widened.
— It will be useful.
He placed a hand on his chest.
— No…
— This guy…
He chuckled softly.
— He's without a doubt the perfect host.
He laughed even harder.
— Hahaha!
— A gem like this doesn't come around often!
— Too proud to retreat.
— Too stubborn to listen.
— Too resentful to let go.
He wiped away an imaginary tear.
— Magnificent.
— I can't wait to see his plan.
Back to Brakk.
Brakk felt a shiver run down his spine.
— Tch…
— I don't know why, but I feel like I'm being watched.
He shook his head.
— Whatever.
He smiled again.
— Don't worry.
— You're going to enjoy this, my dear jinn.
A dry laugh echoed in the air.
Two laughs, in fact.
One human.
The other… far too ancient.
And somewhere, without realizing it,
Brakk may have just taken the first step
toward something he would never again be able to control.
Chapter 350 — The First Move
Ethan stood atop the building, hands in his pockets, watching the street below as if he were observing a wildlife documentary.
— Brakk… so he's the one I'm supposed to deal with, he murmured.
Whatever the case, I'll find him.
He paused.
— …after I get some coffee first.
He immediately imagined the look Liora would give him if she knew that instead of tracking a potentially catastrophic threat, he had thought, *"Well, an espresso first."*
*"Ethan… are you on a mission or on a snack break?"*
*"Both. Efficiency runs on caffeine."*
A smile stretched across his face.
— Bah. They're just randoms, after all.
Meanwhile, several streets away…
Brakk stood in a half‑collapsed parking lot, surrounded by a few silent figures. He crossed his arms, visibly pleased with himself.
— The first move of the plan can begin.
One of the men timidly raised his hand.
— Uh… boss?
— Yes?
— What exactly… is the first move?
Brakk sighed, like a teacher tired of explaining something very simple for the hundredth time.
— Fine. Listen closely. I won't repeat it.
He took a few steps, tracing imaginary lines in the air.
— The first move is not an attack.
— Ah.
— It's not an explosion.
— Darn.
— And it's definitely not a frontal fight.
He suddenly turned toward them.
— The first move is imbalance.
Silence followed.
— …the what?
— Imbalance, Brakk repeated. We make the enemy think he understands what's happening. When in reality, he understands everything wrong.
He smiled, a little too proudly.
— We plant useless clues.
— We trigger meaningless events.
— We draw attention where nothing is happening.
He snapped his fingers.
— Result? They analyze. They theorize. They overthink. And meanwhile…
He pointed to the ground.
— …the real move is prepared elsewhere.
Another man frowned.
— So, if I summarize… we do nonsense so they think it's important?
— Exactly.
— Isn't that risky?
— Of course it is, Brakk replied with a grin. That's why it's brilliant.
He straightened.
— The goal of the first move is simple:
make smart people waste time…
and expose those who think they're smarter than they really are.
There was a short silence, then:
— Boss?
— Yes.
— And what if someone doesn't care at all and just goes for coffee?
Brakk froze for a second.
— …
— …
— Then, he admitted with a slight cough, that someone is probably a problem.
On the rooftop, Ethan sneezed.
— Weird… I feel like someone's talking about me.
He checked the time, then the street.
— Well. Coffee's done.
— Let's see this so‑called "first move."
A dangerous smile appeared on his face.
— Spoiler: I don't like overly complicated plans.
Chapter 351 — The Walking Problem and the Nonexistent Jinn
Brakk felt a slight shiver run down his spine.
Not an immediate danger.
Not an alarm.
Just… a very unpleasant intuition.
— Accelerate the first move.
He straightened abruptly.
— Before that walking problem decides to come here.
One of the men around him blinked.
— Boss… when you say "walking problem," you mean…
— Ethan, Brakk replied without hesitation.
— Ah.
— Yes. That Ethan.
He rubbed his forehead.
— If he shows up now, the whole plan collapses.
— Is he really that dangerous?
— No, said Brakk. It's worse. He's unpredictable.
He took a few steps.
— A logical enemy, you can anticipate.
— An arrogant enemy, you can exploit.
— But someone who goes for coffee in the middle of a mission…
He sighed.
— That's a strategic anomaly.
At that moment, a voice echoed.
— You're dramatizing.
Brakk didn't even flinch.
— You're late.
— I don't arrive.
— Obviously.
The Jinn spoke, but he was nowhere.
No physical presence.
No shadow.
No visible aura.
Just a voice, calm, mocking, perfectly lucid.
— You want to accelerate the first move?
— Yes.
— Then stop thinking like a stressed human and listen.
Brakk closed his eyes.
— I'm listening.
— The first move must no longer be passive.
— Explain.
— You don't just distract. You force a reaction.
Brakk opened his eyes.
— A reaction from who?
— From his friends.
He froze.
— Ethan alone is a problem. Ethan with others is uncontrollable.
— Exactly what I feared.
The Jinn's voice dropped lower.
— Separate them.
— I planned to do that later.
— Later will be too late.
Brakk clenched his teeth.
— Ethan is going to be a problem…
— "Going to be"? the Jinn corrected. He already is.
Silence.
Then Brakk spoke slowly.
— If Ethan stays with the others, I'll never be able to separate them.
— Correct.
— And if they stay together…
— Your plan dies.
Brakk took a deep breath.
— So how do we divide them without them realizing?
A faint laugh echoed.
— By giving them a good reason to split.
— A false emergency?
— No. A real one.
— …but controlled.
— Exactly.
Brakk smiled.
— Create an event credible enough to force each one to act differently.
— Precisely.
— One to protect.
— One to investigate.
— One to attack.
The Jinn approved.
— And Ethan?
— Ethan…
Brakk thought.
— …Ethan will want to handle it alone.
— Because he thinks he's responsible.
— Because he's an idiot, Brakk corrected.
— Both can coexist.
Brakk raised his hand.
— Very well. We modify the first move.
— Finally.
He turned to his men.
— Change the beacons.
— Activate the secondary signals.
— And above all…
He smiled.
— Make it look like a huge mistake.
— A mistake?
— Yes. A mistake so obvious that even Ethan won't be able to ignore it.
On another rooftop, Ethan finished his coffee.
— Hm.
— Bad feeling.
He looked into the distance.
— When a plan looks too clean… it's suspicious.
He smiled.
— And when someone tries to be clever…
His eyes sharpened.
— …I enjoy ruining the surprise.
In the shadows, the Jinn's voice whispered to Brakk:
— He's coming.
— I know.
— Still confident?
— No.
Brakk smiled nonetheless.
— But at least now…
— You're playing chess.
— And he's playing bowling.
Silence.
— With the pieces.
— Exactly.