The Oracle Paths

Long after Cekt's barrage of distressing news ceased, his disciples sought an exit with their hangdog faces, their eyes glazed and devoid of hope. Jake's allies were hardly faring better, but their despair was less evident.

"Jake, stay," the Wendok halted him as he too began to politely withdraw. Noticing Lucia, Hade, and Ulfar's curiosity, he graciously allowed them to stay as well.

Silently, he gestured for them to follow him into an adjacent room, Saros'

hologram trailing them like a spectral chaperone, resolved not to lose sight of his protégé even if he couldn't physically show himself to his corrupted companions.

Minutes later, the aged alien came to a stop in a barren room that had been stripped bare during a renovation by the Dungeon Digestor's spirit. Wielding his cane like a maestro, he then cast a soundproofing spell to shield them from prying ears before he said, "I didn't disclose everything earlier, so as not to load the others further, but since you're the Nexus recipient, I must inform you of certain things. Don't worry. This is more of positive news, although for others, it might exacerbate the situation."

He cast a meaningful glance toward Lucia, Hade, and Ulfar, silently questioning Jake if he indeed wanted them to hear what was to follow. Jake hesitated momentarily, but seeing the steely expression on his girlfriend's face, he knew it would be futile to try and sway them.

"Don't sugarcoat it. Give them the same direct truth as me," Jake declared, dead serious.

"Excellent... In that case, lend me your ears. The Nexus you've obtained is not riskfree but a ticking time bomb, considering the consciousness of the Dungeon Digestor within, though injured, is still alive. Owning a Nexus with preserved intelligence poses both risks and benefits, but in my view, the advantages hardly offset the substantial risks you'd face."

Jake didn't react upon hearing this. His mentor's aim might've been to alarm or pique his interest, but he simply wanted to get things over with. Whatever the final decision, he trusted the old alien would choose the best option for him.

"Tsk, not fun," Cekt grumbled, not obtaining the desired reaction. Suppressed a weak sigh as if contemplating what he'd done to deserve this, he resigned himself to get to the point and explained, "As I said, it's still alive, but while I was handling the brainwashing of Rigel and Syrbarun-bis, I also dealt with the Nexus's mind. I had it sign the same sort of contract as the two Brain-Eaters. Although I can't show you this contract for your own safety, I've indeed made you Party B of it. The Nexus represents Party A and, according to this contract, must treat you as its absolute master, even ignoring my orders if they conflict with yours. Of course, it's also forbidden from plotting against you, attacking you, or even harboring hostile or negative thoughts about you, and this directive extends to your companions and anything you deem important."

"Sounds pretty positive to me," Jake agreed, stroking his chin in satisfaction. "So. Where's the catch? You mentioned risks."

"As expected from my best disciple," Cekt praised. "Always sharp. Anyway, back to the topic, while this contract is legitimate, foolproof, and in theory, inviolable, the thing is, we're dealing with a Rank 13 Dungeon Digestor. Its spirit is young and immature, but due to its Rank, its Aether stats hover around 17 million. Its Spirit Body level isn't high due to its youth, but it's formidable, and its Nexus plays the role of both a physical brain and a Soul Core, granting it formidable Body Intelligence and long-range Extrasensory Perception.

"While it cannot harm you due to the contract, I can't erase its instincts or change its nature. Therefore, this contract isn't without loopholes, and you must remain vigilant at all times. For instance, this Dungeon Digestor could harm people or things dear to you, genuinely believing it's benefiting you if your instructions aren't clear enough. On the other hand, you can't just forbid it from doing anything in your absence, or it would become nearly useless. It's up to you to find the right balance."

Jake frowned but nodded in agreement once more. Hade was just as grave, having firsthand experience with a Digestor offspring striving to earn his father's love. To say that Nylreg's efforts had been... counterproductive would be an understatement.

"I'll be careful," Jake promised moments later, after mentally discussing with Xi the long list of instructions they'd give the Nexus once it was in their hands.

"No doubt about it." Cekt smiled, his expression quickly returning to its default gruffness. He gave another sympathetic glance toward his disciple's companions before continuing, "Now that you know the primary risk, let's talk about the Dungeon Digestor's biggest advantage-and disadvantage. For you, the drawback will be minor, but it'll pose a meaningful problem for your corrupted friends..."

"Spit it out," Jake growled tersely, a hint of impatience prickling his words.

"Hehe." The alien chuckled, relishing the moment of Jake's frustration. Yet, he did not muster the audacity-or perhaps the mood-to continue toying with Jake and his friends any longer. As his grin faded, he blurted out, "As it stands, you've lost four years of your life. Not your lifespan, relax, but in the fast-paced reality of the Mirror Universe, four years lag is quite substantial. Tomorrow, you'll undertake your Fifth Ordeal, leaving you with little prep time. But as they say where I'm from, only when you court the storm can you ride the lightning. You've lost four years, but you've gained the Nexus behind all this. If it can create a temporal trap that slows time, it can also do the opposite-given you feed it enough energy, of course..."

Jake and his companions sobered at Cekt's revelation. It's not that they hadn't considered this possibility, but it felt almost too positive to be true. And indeed, there was a catch. A big one. Not for Jake, but for his friends, as the Wendok hinted.

"The problem isn't energy," Cekt continued, slipping into a professorial tone. "We have a monopoly on the Magnetic Resonator and while I can't give you back four years with just a day's recharge, I can get you a year and a half. That's more than enough for an anomaly like you to make the necessary preparations and even get a few trump cards with my assistance.

"The real issue isn't that, but the Corruption generated during this period. The true danger of a Dungeon Digestor isn't the Digestors within, who can even spawn generous rewards in the form of artifacts or ingredients. It's the continual, albeit slow, rise of Corruption in the explorers daring to venture inside."

Upon hearing this, Lucia and the others didn't need to hear more to understand the problem. For Jake, a year and a half inside the Dungeon Digestor wouldn't push his Corruption levels to intolerable limits, but for the other followers and themselves, it would likely be the final straw.

"That's right." Cekt offered an apologetic smile to Lucia, Hade, and Ulfar. "Jake can train a year and a half in this Dungeon, but not you. I'll have no choice but to usher you out of the Dungeon Digestor territory within the next twenty-four hours while Jake trains here. That means you'll have to visage your Fifth Ordeal without preparation if we follow this plan. Hade and Ulfar might risk staying, given their Corruption levels are a bit lower, but I must apologize to you, Lucia. You absolutely must get back to the surface as soon as possible."

Witnessing Lucia's sour expression, the Wendok felt bad for her and, out of guilt, offered a potential solution while scratching his bald head, "I'll try to tweak some things to get you a few more days, but Time Magic and Arrays aren't my specialties either. I can't promise anything..."

Jake was as worried and disheartened as his companions upon grasping the full extent of the matter. He no longer felt certain about seeing Lucia and the others undertake their Fifth Ordeal with him. If anything happened to them, he'd never forgive himself.

On the other hand, if they decided to take their sweet time training and perished during their Fifth Ordeal without him, the regret would be even more torturous.

"You shouldn't hesitate," Hade suddenly declared, crossing his arms calmly.

"According to my Oracle AI, we're not that weak. Even without preparation, we're at least in the top 0.1% of Fifth-Ordeal Players.

"I can confirm that," Cekt nodded approvingly. "The gap between the average player and the top tier percentile isn't as extreme as in the fourth Ordeal. Because of the ridiculously high death rate, participants think twice before risking their lives so there aren't as many cannon fodders. But even so, your friends are still quite strong. They won't go down easily as long as they act wisely. Then it's up to you to do your best to find them and protect them from those who could harm them."

Seeing Jake still wavering, the Wendok rolled his eyes, grinned devilishly, and flippantly remarked,

"Besides... I think you're oblivious to how fearsome your strength is. It's not your friends who should worry, but the poor Oracle Knights who'll be facing you on the other side."