Chapter 182 - Earth Activities
Thus far, Renan had been taking things a bit slower in the real world. He hadn’t been going in as many expeditions as he could.he needed power for that, and though he had gained Narinder’s blessing, he had to give his real body time to acclimate to the power of his soul.
It wasn’t an optional precaution. It was necessary. A simple scouting mission was one thing, all he needed was to be invisible for a bit. But for an actual mission, he needed everything he could get.
But it was finally time to take action once more. He’d wasted enough time being cautious. There was work to be done, and he couldn’t afford to keep delaying it.
Last time he’d operated in the real world, he had investigated a Nexarch Technologies branch office. What he’d found there had confirmed his worst suspicions. The director of that facility had been infected with part of the Dark One’s power.
Not possessed, not exactly. The director was still himself, still functioning as a human being with his own thoughts and personality. But there was something else inside him now. A fragment of the Dark One’s essence, parasitizing his existence, influencing his decisions, guiding him toward actions that served the entity sealed in Masteria.
Renan sat down on his bed and shifted into the lotus position, crossing his legs and straightening his spine. He closed his eyes and began several breathing exercises.
He breathed in, held it. Breathed out, held it.
The rhythm was simple, but the effect was profound. With each cycle, he sank deeper into his own internal awareness, examining the state of his body and soul.
His mana reserves were full. That was good. The passive regeneration rate in the real world was abysmal compared to Masteria, so he’d been careful not to expend any unnecessarily. Every drop of mana mattered when operating on Earth.
More importantly, he somehow felt a bit stronger.
Not dramatically so. The change was subtle, almost imperceptible. But it was there. His body had gotten a bit more used to having a strong soul within. The adaptation was proceeding naturally, his physical form slowly adjusting to accommodate the spiritual power it now contained.
He opened his eyes and stood up, rolling his shoulders and stretching his neck. Everything felt stable. After making sure everything was alright, he set out.
He grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair and headed downstairs. His mother was in the kitchen, preparing something for dinner. She glanced up as he passed.
"Going out?"
"Yeah." He didn’t elaborate.
Renatta put her knife down, and faced him. She took a few steps. "Is... is it dangerous?"
Renan pursed his lips. He couldn’t lie. "Only a bit."
Renatta stood silently for a bit, a complicated expression forming on her face. "Alright... Good luck. Please. Please be well."
He nodded. "I will."
He left the house and got into his car and set off. As he drove, his mind worked through the plan he’d been developing over the past few weeks.
He considered it carefully, analyzing his previous approach and the assumptions that had guided his actions.
He believed he had been too conservative regarding his ideas.
Ever since he’d started operating in the real world, ever since he’d begun using magic on Earth to interfere with the Dark One’s preparations, he’d been working under a strong "they can’t find out" mentality.
Though he had only gone on one mission, to scout out Nexarch, he had been operating like this. Every action had been carefully calculated to avoid detection. He’d operated like a spy deep in enemy territory, convinced that the slightest misstep would result in immediate and overwhelming retaliation.
But now, thinking it through more rationally, that mentality was flawed.
The Dark One’s plans would proceed in full force regardless of whether he knew there was any opposition or not.
The entity sealed in Masteria wasn’t sitting around waiting to see if anyone on Earth would resist. It was executing a thousand year old scheme with absolute confidence in its success. Whether Renan interfered or not, whether his actions were detected or not, the Dark One would continue pushing forward with the same relentless determination.
Even if they found out there was an Earthling using magic against them, did it matter?
What would they do about it?
Increase security? Please.
Renan’s hands tightened on the steering wheel as he thought through the logistics.
First off, could they even increase security?
The Dark One’s forces on Earth were limited. That was the entire reason for the elaborate scheme with Masteria Online in the first place. If the Dark One could just send an army to Earth directly, why bother with the convoluted plan of creating a game, luring players in, training them up, and then seizing control of their avatars?
The answer was obvious. Direct access was restricted. Whatever barriers separated Masteria from Earth, they weren’t easy to bypass. The Dark One could send tiny fragments of its power through, enough to parasitize a few key individuals, but nothing more substantial than that.
Second off, if they did manage to increase security somehow, that was actually a good thing.
Nothing came for free. If they seriously found a way to increase security measures in response to his interference, it would come at a steep cost.
Even something as simple as stationing a single magician guard in every Nexarch Technologies office would require hundreds of magicians. Those magicians would have to be created somehow, or transported to Earth through whatever limited channels the Dark One had access to.
If it was so easy to move forces from Masteria to Earth, the invasion would have happened already. Earth would be long gone, consumed by the Dark One’s armies years ago.
At most, Renan’s actions might cause hyper-vigilance among the parasitized directors. They’d be more careful, more suspicious, and more cautious in their operations.
And that was a good thing.
Caution slowed people down. Paranoia made them second guess decisions. If Nexarch Technologies started wasting resources on internal security measures and counter-espionage procedures, that was time and money not being spent on their sinister plans.
Regardless, the only thing he truly needed to do was make sure his identity was not exposed.
That was the singular risk, beyond being beaten in combat. If they somehow traced his actions back to his real world identity, then he’d have a problem.
But that was extremely easy to avoid, given the low power levels of enemy forces on Earth.