The Oracle Paths

When Jake returned to that claustrophobic dark place, he experienced a tingling rush of excitement. After a year of learning and practicing all sorts of different professions, his fierceness had lost its edge and it was time to sharpen it again.

As with past Ordeals, the mental notification briefing him for his next Ordeal did not appear right away. The next few hours constituted the first real break he had taken in several months. He took the opportunity to inspect his Oracle Status.

[AETHER STATUS:]

[Aether Strength, Agility, Constitution, Vitality, Intelligence, Perception, Extrasensory Perception, Luck: 3127.3 points]

[Charisma: 1000 points]

[ Aether Core: 5000 points ] (406>5000 pts)

[BODY STATUS:]

[ Physique: Silver Myrtharian Body lvl3 ]

[ Height: 4.21 meters ] (3.31>4.21m)]

[ Weight: 3564kg (1241>3564kg)]

[ Strength: 1200 points (263>1200)]

[ Agility: 631 points (136>631)]

[ Constitution: 1250.3 points (301.2>1250.3)]

[ Vitality: 968.2 points (276.4>968.2)]

[ Intelligence: 340.9 points (188.7>340.9)]

[ Perception: 713.7 points] (181>713.7)]

[Luck: 43 (10>43)]

[Aether Soul Core : Lvl 6(5>6): Can contain up to 10M(5>10) Aether points. Amplifies mental attacks, Intelligence, and Extrasensory Perception by 60%(50>60) when the Soul and Spirit Body are merged with it. In addition to protecting the Soul, it can be considered a proto Soul Artifact. As it evolves and becomes imbued with the thoughts of its host, it will develop its own abilities.]

[SOUL STATUS: Myrtharian Soul lvl 3(Intermediate Heat, Earth, Radiation and Metal attributes), 71 Soul Glyphs: A Fish in Water, Apex Predator, Extreme Diver, Harbinger of Chaos, Blacksmith, Farmer, Swordman, Alchemist, Monster, Hunter, Warden ect...]

[Spirit Body lvl 28(24>28) (Ghost): Its density is such that the Spirit Body begins to have tangible effects on the physical world and can temporarily separate itself from its carnal envelope. Out-of-body journeys are now possible, but keeping in mind that in this form the soul is extremely vulnerable and the physical body abandoned in a state of clinical death. The soul is now partially resistant to heat and radiation and can extract a portion of the energy it contains.]

[True Will: 25 points.(3>25)]

His still mind churned several times as he read. He had mentally prepared himself for such changes, but when he actually faced them he was still astounded.

First of all, his Aether stats had almost evened out, except for his Charisma Aether which was not part of his Bloodline. This was the first time such a phenomenon had occurred.

[Your Silver Myrtharian Bloodline certainly played a role, but I think the way you've been training this past year is the main cause.] Xi gave her opinion gently, before reminding him, [Don't forget, you haven't killed anyone in the past year.]

"Right..."

Besides the difference in Encoding cost of each stat, the most important reason why his Aether stats had different values was because by killing, defeating his enemies he would get a portion of their Aether and Soul Energy. Since their Aether stats were most often unbalanced, this reflected on his own Aether Status.

"But this height... And this weight..." Jake was about to burst into tears. "How am I going to get through the doors?"

Cekt's tasteless joke eight months earlier wanting to humiliate them by crawling under a miniature door now had a nasty ring to it. Even if he wanted to, Jake couldn't crawl under that door anymore.

He began to regret not buying the Miniaturization Aether Spell at the Oracle Store. He had more than enough money to afford it...

[While you were training, I took the liberty of connecting to the Blue Cube on your island to buy it on your behalf. Not knowing which one you wanted, I bought the three available spells.]

She could have found out by searching his conscience, but they had forbidden it in order to respect each other's privacy.

Indeed, Jake found the Aether Spells Compression lvl1, Fake Miniaturization lvl1 and True Miniaturization lvl1 at the bottom of his skill list. He would have time to try them once the Ordeal started.

Speaking of skills, his stats weren't the only thing that had changed over the year. To earn those 67 new Soul Glyphs, Jake had to pour his heart and soul into soaking up all the knowledge that they tried to force down his throat until he was sick of it.

All this knowledge had been etched into his brain, nerves and muscles, while his reflexes had been deconstructed to better accommodate all this data. It showed in his skills.

His list of skills and masteries were endless and each one had exceeded 200 points. For the record, 50 points was equivalent to a state degree, but the Oracle System labeled anything below that as Novice. From 50 to 100, one entered the rank of Beginner, and only after 100 points did it acknowledge their rank as Apprentice. At 200 points, one entered the Intermediate level.

His biggest gain this year was by far the following skill:

[Master of Arms: 206 points. (Intermediate level).You are an expert in the handling of all weapons who has transcended the boundaries of humanity. But on the scale of the Mirror Universe, you are still nothing.]

It sounded good, but to get the corresponding Soul Glyph Jake had been busting his ass for the past six months. Compared to the non-combat professions, this combat instructor was like an asura from the underworld. The Bronze Soul Glyph in question gave him a basic understanding and proficiency over any weapon in his hands, even for weapons he was wielding for the first time.

With his current intelligence and dexterity, it wasn't all that useful, but it might come in handy if it was a murky piece of technology or magical weaponry.

As Jake carried on painstakingly inspecting all the changes resulting from his year of seclusion, the long-awaited notification from the Oracle System finally popped up in his mind.

[Participant: Jake Wilderth, Silver Myrtharian.]

[Successful Ordeals: 3.]

[Awaiting matchmaking for Fourth Ordeal. Species allowed: All.]

[...]

[Matchmaking complete, Fourth Ordeal determined.]

[Type: Heroic-fantasy/Race Against Time]

[Aether density: *100 or 1000 pts.]

[Number of participants: 9,891,386.]

[Background:]

[Quanoth is the creative sandbox of the Ancient Designer Aurae, also known as the God of System. Everything that exists there, from the earth to the stars and their inhabitants, is a figment of his imagination. Each new play that Aurae imagines is only the invariant reiteration of the previous one. What is he looking for by this process? No one knows.]

[The opportunities that abound in this world with its peculiar rules become the perfect excuse to become a cruel playground for the valiant players who have proven themselves in the previous Three Ordeals.]

[Alas, each iteration of Quanoth is as ephemeral as a thought for Aurae. Every few thousand years, an unprecedented cataclysm called "The Purge" resets this world, destroying all remaining life forms.]

[However, aware of playing with lives and under pressure from the Oracle, the God of System has created an escape route for the inhabitants of Quanoth. When the end of the world approaches, the Celestial City, home of the Divine Academy will descend from the heavens to recruit anyone who proves worthy.]

[Unfortunately, the number of places is limited, so all kingdoms and even the fiends and beasts of the most remote seas and forests will stop at nothing to win their ticket to board this life-saving ark.]

[In this Ordeal, you are a Vagabond who has lived your whole life away from civilization after a certain past event and decides to come out of your solitude after learning by chance about the impending new Purge.]

[Because you were living as a hermit, you learned about the Divine Academy's descent too late and already missed the official recruitment period. The Celestial City is not heartless, however, and has volunteered a portion of its land. Those who failed or missed the official recruitment are free to claim these lands as they see fit.]

[Main Mission: Find a way to board the Celestial City before its departure. If you fail, you will be left to undergo the Purge with the rest of the damned.]

[Penalty for failure: None.]

[Benefits and Specifics during Mission Time: ]

[-A new temporary identity to match your First Lieutenant's Oracle Rank.]

[-Your body and soul have been digitized according to the rules of Quanoth defined by the God of System, Aurae.]

[-Your Aether stats are suppressed by Quanoth and can neither grow nor exceed the local Aether Density.]

[May fate work in your favor.]

No sooner had Jake finished integrating all of this information than his soul was abruptly pulled into some sort of vacuum, and when he opened his eyes a mere blink later, an ordinary forest, shrieks of agony, and the clash of steel weapons greeted him with a bang.

While he was not yet fully aware of his new surroundings, a sharp breeze, followed by the swish of a blade flashed across his line of sight along with a furious roar,

"Die, monster!"

Without flinching, or even looking at his opponent, Jake clutched the blade flying towards his throat with two fingers as if it were a toothpick, but was surprised when it began to shimmer and chime, emitting a clear radiance. The sword began to vibrate with a mysterious force and the skin in contact with the blade began to tingle.

Still unfazed, Jake dropped the weapon and paralyzed his attacker with a glare. Literally. The individual fell back heavily to the ground while letting out a groan of pain.

Surprisingly, it was a human. A young boy barely older than Tim, only knee high. In an attempt to slit his throat, he had leapt high into the air. The teenager was scrawny and pale, but he wore an old chain mail that was too big for him and a claymore that he struggled to wield.

Despite this, he was not weak. Especially, his look had something desperate and zealous, like that of a starving ferocious beast ready to do anything to gnaw on a bone. People in such a state of desperation were completely unpredictable and dangerous.

"Do-don't kill me!" The child screamed in terror as he saw Jake take a step toward him.

Jake halted his step and looked up to see the battle coming to an end around him. A scene of gruesome carnage immediately made him frown.

"What crappy place have I stepped into again..." Jake grumbled inwardly before leaving the battlefield without looking back after turning invisible.

The army of monsters, aliens and humans alike kept slaughtering each other without noticing his existence. Only one emaciated boy wearing chain mail too large for him stood dumbstruck, still in shock at having been spared.