The Oracle Paths

Louis Nosferati, Duke Gole and their bodyguards swallowed with difficulty after his introduction. With the exception of the Duke, who was relatively calm, the others all held their sphincters tight as if they were afraid of crapping their pants at any moment. As for Usadra's bodyguards, they were paralyzed with terror, unable to move an eyelash.

In stark contrast, Jake was focused on something completely different.

[Your Spirit Body has reached level 38.]

Killing enemies with a higher spirit body level than his was always rewarding, but alas, it would be even more so if he could defeat them spiritually. His Aether and Soul Tribute skill was somewhat biased towards his Aether stats and his Spirit Body only benefited slightly. Without the Eltarian part of his bloodline, he would get nothing at all, only an Aether gain.

Quanoth was full of enemies with a Spirit Body superior to his, but in practice their stats were often too low for his Myrtharian Bloodline to judge them as worthy opponents.

However, one should not be misled. This Usadra was certainly strong. The mere fact that Jake's Aether stats had jumped by 5% spoke volumes. If he hadn't ironically ambushed this assassin, defeating him in such a short time would have been much more hazardous.

In any case, his objective was achieved. His interlocutors were taking him seriously.

Duke Gole was a sturdy, athletic middle-aged man with a stern face and thick, perpetually creased eyebrows. His brown hair draped over his shoulders and his zygomatic muscles clenched regularly as if he were holding back from barking, emphasizing his square, chiseled jaw.

Cautious, he wore his general griffin-knight armor, save for his helmet, which lay on the table at arm's length. After Usadra's swift assassination, the warrior had immediately drawn the short sword at his belt before putting on his helmet again right after.

Louis Nosferati was a rather skinny young man, not to say emaciated. With his ghoulish skin and lackluster black hair clinging to his skull, he lacked the ethereal, bewitching beauty that Vampires were commonly known for. Still, the corner of his lip was constantly curled up as if he was mocking the other leaders, while his sharp, owl-like nose made him look uncharismatic and sly.

Even after Jake's dramatic entrance, the Vampire continued to sip his blood cup as if nothing had happened, his eyes half squinted like those of an expert oenologist sampling a new wine with great focus.

As for Remus Dracul, or rather Jen the Mimic, he spat out the contents of his glass at his bodyguard, so stricken with shock that he had to hold onto the armrests of his seat to keep himself from fainting.

'The fuck?! What is the Master doing here?'

Seeing his slave's frightened mouse-like reaction, Jake winked at him to play along, but this discreet wink was interpreted in a very different way by Sire Gole and Louis Nosferati who sat nearby. A wink might go unnoticed by regular humans, but not by natives with powerful souls like them.

'Is he hitting on me?' The Vampire looked left and right, then behind him before swallowing with fright.

'Does he know Louis or Remus? Unless it' s one of our bodyguards?' The griffin knight sprang back together with his bodyguards, slamming his back against the wall to fend off any surprise attack.

Upon seeing the very different response of his audience, Jake immediately understood what was going on and although he didn't take offense at the Duke's explosive reaction, his face darkened when he saw the Vampire's horrified and disgusted attitude. For a moment, he regretted not killing him instead of Usadra.

'Even if I were gay, look at yourself in the mirror first.' Jake hastily averted his gaze, as if looking at this prick any longer might pollute his eyes.

As if the heavens pitied him, the door swung open at that moment and his eyes were immediately blessed with the gorgeous vision of a certain fiery Dhampir Demon. If normally his gaze would not have lingered on her for more than a moment, this time he felt it necessary to gawk at her a little longer, as if his soul needed that to curb its urge to commit a second murder.

He didn't know exactly when, but the young woman had gotten rid of what was left of her busted breastplate. Glancing behind her, he found a large piece of mythril covered in cracks that matched the missing breastplate.

Since her release, Aisling had not changed her clothes, and her once pristine mythril armor, which contoured her body to perfection, had suffered greatly during the intense battle that led to her capture. It was only at this point that Jake realized how badly.

One of her leg plates was missing, her breastplate and shoulder pads were damaged beyond repair, and the rest of the metal plates that made up her armor were either deformed or heavily dented. The black leather of her tight-fitting outfit underneath had not fared much better and one could see a fair portion of her thigh skin, her lower belly as well as a cute belly button along with the side of her left breast where the protective fabric had been ripped.

If one looked closely, a nasty dark green gash could still be seen, proof that a powerful poison or corrosive magic had been used to injure her, which was the only way to counteract her great regenerative abilities. The young woman had hidden it well until now, but her status was displaying several malus, and her stats were not at half their normal values.

At this point, she was rather weak, but her countenance was as deadpan as stone, and one could sense an unwavering resolve. By tossing off her battered breastplate, she was exposing the injuries she had incurred as well as her vulnerability, but she was also making it clear that she had survived and escaped her captors and was ready to reclaim her rightful due.

If she were still the leader of the Mutants, she would never have risked showing herself in such a suggestive and pitiful light, but since she had joined the Myrtharian Nerds and Jake had proven his strength, she had nothing to worry about. As soon as Usadra had been disposed of, all her misgivings left her.

She was a Dhampir Demon. Her greatest asset was not her swordsmanship, but her charm. Watching her mother turn men into lapdogs, including her father, she had long ago learned how to tame the hearts of men. If she gave up her pride and principles, she could easily resolve the situation without bloodshed.

When she entered the meeting room, the mere act of flashing half of one of her perky white breasts instantly raised the temperature in the room by several degrees, and as Jake felt a certain unruly part of his body react against his will, he unhesitatingly stabbed his claws into his own thigh.

Before his symptoms worsened and his consciousness slipped, Jake drew several protective Aether Spells to guard his mind and repel the pheromones emitted by Aisling, then sensing that this was not nearly enough he also pulled out his Soul Stone to purge this harmful influence from his mind.

Louis, who was himself a high level Vampire, withstood her charm with great difficulty, but he too, biting his lip in humiliation, was forced to look away to avoid being unknowingly hypnotized by her glowing crimson eyes.

Remus Dracul was a Mimic indifferent to human charm, but that also meant that his desires were much simpler. The aroma of adventurer's meat like he hadn't tasted in centuries captivated his senses, the young woman emitting this flagrance suddenly transforming into a shimmering diamond chest promising wonders. The next moment he was drooling like an idiot, his eyes turning blank.

As for Duke Gole, his level was higher than Aisling's, but he was only human. Like Jake, he decisively planted his short sword in his thigh, letting out a muffled grunt, and only by barricading his mind with all his might did he manage to barely endure it. If he wasn't level 86, he would have definitely fallen under her spell.

The most frightening thing was not the charm itself. At this level of intensity, even Jake had the means to react to protect himself from it. The true danger was that Aisling was doing absolutely nothing to achieve this result.

It was as if she had been holding her breath for years and suddenly decided to breathe normally for the first time. Such a high degree of charm, she could maintain it all day long. Too bad her body and soul were digitized, or her hypnosis abilities could have reached an unimaginable level of prowess combined with her level 82.

It was a blessing for the other natives, but also for all the Players scattered across Quanoth.

"Where is my sister?" Aisling asked politely as she sat demurely in the vacant chair to Jake's right. Noticing his claws digging deep into his thigh and his shifty look, she couldn't help but giggle endearingly.

Sire Gole gritted his teeth to refrain from speaking, but Jen the Mimic spilled the beans on the spot with adoration.

"She's kept in Usadra Castle. He must have sensed that you might not be dead and took your sister hostage as a precaution."

" ... "

'Damn it. I only needed to ask him instead of coming here.' Jake complained inwardly as he realized he could have known everything with a snap of his finger just by questioning his slave.

Aisling immediately put on a relieved and happy expression. Jumping to her feet, she seemed ready to leave when Jake grabbed her arm without looking at her and reminded her,

"Hmmm, what about the treasure?"

Clapping her fist into her palm, her mouth made an O of realization, then Aisling turned to Duke Gole as she leaned forward in an impish manner, offering a dizzying glimpse of her cleavage.

"Hmm, what about the treasure?" She simpered again.

" ... "