Chef in the Apocalypse

Jayce suddenly felt deflated, it seemed as if he had used the wrong line of questioning and possibly blown his shot of gathering more information from the enigmatic man in front of him.

Yet he didn’t despair too much what Rubick said was true. The Human Alliance had just suffered a huge blow from unknown enemies who had infiltrated their ranks. Not only was Jayce unaware of who had interfered, he also did not know which humans had been compromised.

"You’re right. What do we need to do in order to get back on track? With the invasion coming in 18 months, we can’t afford to worry about snakes within our ranks."

Jayce replied tactfully, hoping that the thin man in front of him would have some solutions.

Rubick nodded. He was inwardly pleased at how Jayce could change gears so quickly. Were he dealing with a less capable person, they likely would not be able to see the bigger picture. His good impression of the chef had increased once again.

"I’ve been able to ascertain who has defected and where they are hiding. However, you will not be able to kill them, not with your current level of strength." Rubick stated plainly.

Jayce was surprised at this statement, from his understanding he was by far the strongest on Earth thanks to his Foundation Establishment cultivation level right now. Perhaps the closest would be Colin, but he still needed time to accumulate his power.

"If you don’t mind me asking, why do you think I can’t kill them?" He asked curiously.

"They have been boosted by the system. Those bastards have supercharged them, increasing their levels and stats as high as possible without attracting the attention of the tribulation."

Rubick stated these words matter-of-factly, as if he was talking about a hacker in a game. Yet these words had a greater effect on Jayce who could not believe what kind of power these people could have in order to do such a thing.

However this only served to increase his distrust towards the system. Once again he was thankful that he had stumbled upon his current path of Inner Qi.

Tribulation was also a word he had heard in the cultivation novels he used to read. This made him ponder the relationship between these novels and the truth of the world.

"When you say Tribulation, do you mean Heavenly Tribulation?" Jayce asked hastily.

Rubick raised his eyebrow in question, "You’ve heard of this?"

Jayce nodded. "I used to read a lot of cultivation novels. They were a genre of fiction which seems to share a lot of similarities with what we’re going through now. Heavenly Tribulation, meridians, Inner Qi, Dantian. All these terms are used frequently in them."

"Interesting..." Rubick pondered on this information for a moment before nodding.

"Those novels are probably derived from the myths and legends of when Earth was Ascended. While they probably share similar phrases and such, do not use them as a basis for your cultivation." He stated explicitly.

That made sense. Oftentimes things would deviate farther and farther from the truth the more the time passes. If this genre was a bi-product of myths and legends passed down through the years, god only knows how inaccurate and misleading they would be.

Jayce merely nodded. He had never planned to use these cultivation novels as a basis for finding his path forward in his cultivation. However it had probably helped him understand the core concepts of Inner Qi along the way.

"Let’s get back on topic. Unfortunately I am hamstrung in what I can do for you, due to my unique position in all of this. While I am a human from Earth, I currently have another identity which does not allow me to interfere directly."

Rubick continued, not allowing Jayce to interrupt.

"That being said, I am able to provide you with some cultivation manuals as well as some resources and array blueprints. I can also give you the name and location of the people who attacked you tonight, as long as you promise not to go after them until you’ve had a breakthrough."

Jayce did not need to ponder long, he agreed instantly, almost jumping out of his chair in excitement. "Yes, not a problem."

This was something that he had desired from the beginning; Cultivation Manuals. It had been a perilous journey to reach his current level, especially since taking a single wrong turn could have disastrous effects on his future.

Now that he had been offered a clear direction in order to increase his strength, he would be an idiot not to accept such help.

However, in the next moment his brow furrowed. Those people who had attacked them tonight had also taken a prisoner with them... Leah.

How could he tell Lianna that they would not be pursuing the attackers? Although it was possible that she would understand, he knew enough about her relationship with her sister to know that he couldn’t possibly stop her from going alone.

Rubick looked at Jayce who seemed to be having an internal battle and spoke, interrupting him.

"Don’t worry about your friend. They’ll be using her as bait in order to get the real prize... You." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"What?" Jayce blurted out in confusion.

Rubick let out a chuckle. "It’s not only me who has their eyes on you Jayce. The three deities believe you are the biggest threat in Earth’s resurgence into a higher plain. I wish I could have seen their faces after they discovered you did not die after their interference"

His face was a picture of amusement as he imagined the three beings experiencing such a failure.

"While they have not acted directly since, you can be sure that they have mobilized others to do so in their stead. After all, once Earth successfully evolves, it won’t just be me who comes back to take what is rightfully ours."

Jayce shuddered at these words. He was filled with a great feeling inside that he didn’t know how to put into words. It was something similar to patriotism, yet it embodied the whole world rather than one’s own country.

He felt as if he was not alone anymore on this venture. Too many times he had been thwarted by these high and mighty deities, so much so that he had begun to question if there really was any fairness in the universe.

Rubick’s words were like embers that ignited his determination.