World Online

Nine Jasmine's eyes trembled, but she didn't say anything in retaliation.

"Do you have an answer to this or not? What is our Blue Star Alliance going to do about this?" She asked.

"Well, you said that they were front runners, didn't you." Jake chuckled.

​ "Why did you say that? Do you have an insider source about what they are doing?" He asked.

"I don't need to. Word on the street is enough to know that the alliance that we made is a joke, for someone else to swoop in." She said, shaking her head.

"Maybe whatever you accomplished was all just a fluke. A ruse to force our hand, and now, your true colors are being shown." She said.

Behind them, Purple Rain knew that this was not a conversation that she was supposed to be a part of. She turned around, about to leave, when Jake stopped her.

"Why leave, Purple Rain? It has been what? Some three days since Aries and the other two guild left for the expeditions? I mean, everyone knows about that, don't they?" Jake asked.

Purple Rain and no choice but to just nod meekly.

"And a socialite like you certainly has one or two friends in those circles. In these guilds. Why don't you ask them a single question?" Jake said.

"A question? What do you want me to ask them, Guild Master?" Now, her fear turned into curiosity.

"I heard that your expedition was a failure. Is that actually true?" These specific words. Ask them this. Let us see what they say to that." Jake said.

Purple Rain nodded, and she opened her chat window, typing out this message.

"There is no need to do that." Nine Jasmine shook her head.

Jake smiled.

"Looks like you little bluff to force my hand is all for naught." He said, clicking his tongue.

"How did you know that the guilds failed utterly though? This matter was kept under wraps, and every single guild member of those guilds was told not to leak this information to anyone." Nine Jasmine asked.

"You can leave now, Purple Rain. Don't tell anyone what you heard for a while. After that, you can do whatever you want." Jake said.

He then looked back at the guest he was to accommodate.

"I heard that Venur's chairman was ruthless, and always trying to suck out the life out of everyone that he enters a relationship with just to salvage what he can out of them. But to think that he would want to force the hand out of his own ally." Jake shook his head.

"This is something that he had to do. With an unpredictable person like you at the helm, who knows where this alliance is going?" Nine Jasmine said.

"You know exactly how fit I am. If any of you were the leaders, your impatience would have been our ruin. Instead, I am preparing for a real push to the unknown lands." Jake scoffed.

"Right now, every single guild's focus should be on growing their power. Not rushing to the unknown lands and dying. With the push by Aries, certainly a few more guilds will try their luck. They will fail. And with Aries staying quiet like this, they want to level the playing field and their own losses by letting everyone go through a round of defeat." Jake said.

"I am no greenhorn like you. I know more about World Online than anyone else, for I have studied it more than you. Go back and tell your guild master, or whoever you answer to that Shadow King will forgive you just this once. After that, you will feel my wrath for testing my patience like this." Jake's voice grew in sound and timbre.

Nine Jasmine passed for a second.

"Do you really want to-"

"Maybe you do not remember a small story that happened a few weeks ago. Someone said these exact words, and I declared war with that guild. I trust that Venur under Phoenix's leadership will go nowhere but up, but it seems like she still hasn't taken full control of the reins. Until then, maybe I will also hesitate to fully trust your guild." Jake said.

"You can leave now. You got what you came for. Until around ten precent of our force is of the second tier, we will not be ready for the expedition. The expeditions are more dangerous than all of you think." He said.

"Do you think that getting to the second tier is that easy? There are only three players in the whole world who are in the second tier right now. And only one of them has a class higher than normal, and that is a rare class. Nine Jasmine scoffed.

"If you think it is so easy to get to the second tier, then why don't you do it and show us how it is done." She spat on the ground.

Luckily, this was a game, and that saliva didn't actually stain the carpet.

Jake smiled, shaking his head.

"I hate being a hypocrite." He said as he snapped his fingers.

All of a sudden, right next to the name that was being displayed above his head, and right above the health bar, a small line of text appeared.

[Shadow King. Tier 2

5000/5000 HP]

Nine Jasmine stumbled back.

"Impossible. You are already in the second tier?" She gasped.

"It is just the second tier. Why is everyone such a baby about it." He shook his head.

"Soon enough, you will see exactly why Bright Horizon is the true leader of the Blue Star alliance. Now then, scram back to your guild and tell them that they don't get to say anything until they have at least ten percent of their force in the second tier."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

076205