After hearing what Kaito said, Kia also began to understand his plan. According to her analysis, if Zephyr were to join Genesis, it would be far more profitable than gaining a mere 10% of Storm Life Guild's shares.
If she had been a basic-level AI, she might have struggled to calculate the difference in value between a guild shareholding and one individual player. But Kia was an advanced AI. Her processing went beyond numbers. She could evaluate ambition, influence, and potential. To her, the answer was clear. Zephyr's worth to Genesis outweighed the shares of Storm Life Guild by a large margin.
Confirming Kaito's thoughts, Kia also began to see glimpses of his ambition. "I understand now, Young Master," she said. "You've had your eye on Zephyr for a long time."
Kaito gave a small smile and nodded. "That's right. Even if he does become the Guild Leader of Storm Life this time, I will slowly undermine their foundations. I'll find ways to provoke wars between Storm Life and other guilds, and when the time comes, I'll step in with aid. Aid in exchange for shares. Little by little, I'll acquire Storm Life Guild."
His eyes sharpened, his tone steady. "But I didn't expect Storm Life's old leader to be so cowardly. I suppose he just wants a peaceful old age."
At that moment, Kaito thought it was just the old guild leader's fear because Zephyr although through his help had gained an advantage but he had also directly or indirectly made many enemies, this was because he still didn't know the full truth behind the decision, If he had, he might have even given Grim Shade, a thumbs up for helping him.
Even so, Kaito's words were not empty boasts. With the knowledge from his past life, he could guarantee results others would think impossible. As long as he had the power to choose the battlefield, he could secure victory. He remembered two particular locations that had once become mass graves for countless players. In this life, they are yet to be discovered. To him, they were not graves, but opportunities, battlefields where he could secure triumph in guild wars involving tens of thousands of players.
"With what I know," Kaito thought to himself, "if anything were to happen to Storm Life within the next year, I could carry them through it. It's a pity their old leader is so cautious."
At this time, Kia watching him carefully, then spoke again. "Young Master, I've just received a message from Zephyr. Not only has he told me about the outcome of the presidency, but also the reason behind it."
Kaito paused, glancing toward her. "Go on."
"It was because of the Underworld," Kia said. "They interfered directly. The old Guild Leader of Storm Life made his decision to pass the presidency to Derick under their pressure."
The name caught Kaito's attention for a brief moment. Underworld. Hearing that they were behind this, he was surprised at first but then the surprise faded quickly.
As he already knew, Underworld was no ordinary organization. They were a Gold-level power, an entity with reach and resources that demanded respect. From that perspective, it was understandable that the old President of Storm Life, had chosen caution. Few would want to draw the ire of such a force, especially not an aging guild leader who desired stability more than glory.
Kaito let out a slow breath, his expression calm. He understood. But understanding didn't mean he feared them.
Even now, he didn't believe Underworld could truly harm him. Inside Glory, if they chose to come after him immediately, they might slow his plans for a while. His progress might regress a step or two, his pace might falter, but even then, he knew he could withstand them. He could fight back and win.
And in one month's time, when his own family had climbed to the rank of a Silver-level power, the situation would shift even more in his favor. With that backing, Underworld would be nothing to him. Not only in the game, but in reality as well.
"Let them come," Kaito thought, his eyes narrowing. "Even if they strike now, I can hold them off. And once I have Silver-level support, I'll crush them without hesitation."
His lips curling faintly. The Underworld's shadow did not intimidate him. If anything, it only gave him another reason to accelerate his plans.
And after learning that the Underworld had interfered directly in Storm life's leadership decision, Kaito even considered the possibility that they might not remain hidden much longer. Perhaps this time, Underworld planned to step into the light and reveal themselves openly.
But after thinking about it for a while, he calmed down. Even if Underworld became his rival now, he reminded himself that he was not a figure they would normally bother with. Despite being called a god-level player in the South Glade region, that reputation was limited to the players there. Once he entered the city stage of the game, the environment would change completely. In a much larger player base filled with powerful guilds and veteran players, his name would not carry the same weight immediately.
For now, the only person in Underworld who might truly pay attention to him was Grim Shade, the one who had contacted him before.
Kaito tapped his fingers against the desk thoughtfully. If Grim Shade became his rival, it might not even be such a bad thing. In fact, it could benefit him. Right now, the bigger powers had not paid much attention to him simply because the game was still in its early town stage. But once he entered the city and executed his upcoming plans, he knew he would attract much more attention than before. That attention would not always be welcome. Many large powers would covet him or even target Genesis.
He hadn't yet decided how to fend off that attention. But now, after thinking it through, he realized that this might be a solution.
If he could keep Grim Shade as a rival neither completely destroying him nor letting himself be destroyed and maintain that balance, it would serve as a shield. While they appeared locked in battle, other larger powers might simply watch from the sidelines, waiting to see the outcome. That would give Kaito and Genesis a much-needed period of peace to grow stronger without interference.
Kaito explained this line of reasoning to Kia.
Kia tilted her head, her voice soft but filled with concern. "Won't that be very troublesome for you, Young Master?"
Kaito smiled faintly and shook his head. "No, not at all. I already have the Mask of Nocturnis. With it, I can disguise myself easily. Grim Shade won't even be able to find me. This balance won't last long anyway it's just a short-term tactic. Once I gain enough strength to directly confront the Underworld, I won't need to hide or play games. I'll fight them openly."
His tone was calm, but his confidence was firm.
After contemplating his next moves for a moment, Kaito decided that once he completed his martial arts training, he would return online. As for Zephyr, he planned to wait until he came online as well. Then, he would approach him directly.
Before beginning his training, Kaito turned back toward Kia. "By the way, has the studio arranged a few small accounts yet?"
He was referring to a practice commonly used by large forces. Those guilds often hired small groups of players to remain stationed in novice villages. Their jobs were simple, manage basic resources, handle small logistics, and sometimes act as water armies on forums or social platforms.
This was something Kaito had already suggested to his second uncle earlier, when he gave him the idea of forming a news agency inside the game. These accounts didn't need to progress far in levels. Their purpose was different.
Such players would often delete their accounts and restart from scratch, changing their IDs in the process. Since forum accounts were bound to game IDs, deleting and recreating accounts allowed them to change forum identities easily. This flexibility made them perfect for operating as water armies or for other low-level but useful functions. After all, in novice villages, being low level didn't matter at all.
Kia responded, "Not yet, Young Master. But your second uncle already has the resources ready and has started recruiting them."
"Good," Kaito said with a nod. "Then tell my second uncle to find seven to eight first, and because right now, since the game hasn't entered a frenzy yet, it will still be easy to find seven or eight people willing to delete their accounts and restart. Have them adjust their appearances randomly by about twenty percent when entering the game. Then gather them and bring them to me. After meeting them once, they can delete their accounts again. The cost is his responsibility, but make sure they follow this process."
As he said this, a sneer curled on his lips. "For now, seven or eight faces will be enough."
These seven or eight accounts weren't meant to be simple assistants or water army members. Kaito had decided to use them for something far more important.
They would become the faces for his Mask of Nocturnis.
The mask required him to see a face once in order to copy it. Once worn, he could then take on that appearance perfectly. When he first bought the mask, he had tested it using the face of a random passerby. But now, thinking ahead, he realized he needed a proper set of identities prepared for the future.
By meeting the small-account players once, then having them delete their accounts, he could secure multiple disguises that no one else would be able to track. It was a clever, low-cost investment in his security and flexibility.
With seven or eight faces stored in the mask, he would have more than enough options to confuse enemies, disappear when needed, or reappear as someone else entirely.