The Oracle Paths

955 You Have Five Seconds

As Jake and his comrades made their departure from the Oracle Palace, on a course set for Cekt's laboratory, Kang Jun reunited with Cho-Min-Ho, Lee Yoon, and the third bodyguard who were patiently waiting in one of the gardens, cupping a warm teacup, basking under the artificial sun of Thelma.

The third bodyguard was the sole non-human alien among them. An alien more insect than human by the name of Natan. Only God knew if it was his birth name or a moniker Cho Min Ho later assigned to simplify their communications. His native tongue was but a series of clicks and mandible scrapes—utterly incomprehensible.

On spotting Kang Jun strolling towards them, hands nonchalantly in pockets, Cho Min Ho and Natan shot him a disapproving glance. Lee Yoon, meanwhile, made no attempt to hide her revulsion and contempt.

"Was it truly necessary to display such arrogance in proposing our alliance?" Lee Yoon spat spitefully.

"What do you know, eh?" Kang Jun retorted coldly, spitting on the ground before lighting a cigarette, indifferent to the daggers Lee Yoon's hate-filled eyes were hurling at him.

The relationship between the two bodyguards was far from cordial before their arrival on B842, and had only deteriorated since. Their mutual disdain was now blatant, especially from Lee Yoon, who could hardly tolerate Kang Jun's presence.

She might have been able to tolerate his aggressive, unsubtle flirtation bordering on sexual harassment, but Kang Jun was also an unmitigated prick, stirring trouble for their faction wherever he went. Lee Yoon couldn't fathom why Cho Min Ho kept him around when he seemed to bring more harm than good. Then again, she didn't understand Cho Min Ho either.

Having seen and heard many things since she started working for him, she kept a safe distance, maintaining a strictly professional relationship with her superior. But lately, she began to question the nature of her young master. If it weren't for the absolute loyalty her clan owed his family, she probably would have jumped ship a long time ago.

Unfortunately, Cho Min Ho was far from mad and just a tad paranoid. All his bodyguards had to sign a horrifically strict Oracle Contract. At the time, she hadn't given it much thought, but now she was starting to regret it.

In the end, Kang Jun was an excellent bodyguard, performing his duties with an overzealous fervor. He was the hound who barked the loudest and rushed to anticipate and fulfill his master's desires before they were even voiced. Perhaps that was why Cho Min Ho kept him around.

Then, there was also the fact that the loud mouthed jerk was quite strong. Replacing such a loyal Evolver was no simple task.

"You shouldn't have done that." Natan suddenly screeched, clacking his mandibles in a decidedly irritated manner. To the unprepared, the sound of his voice could easily instill terror.

Standing at an imposing nine feet, he carried himself with a rigid, predatory grace, his body a chiseled sculpture of tight sinew and resilient scales. His skin, if one could call it that, was a vibrant tapestry of iridescent blues and blacks, akin to a star-studded night sky, flecked with sharp, red streaks that mirrored the deadly venom of his lineage.

His visage was a fusion of the human and the insectoid. Dual onyx orbs were set deep into an eerily human-like countenance, shimmering with an alien intelligence and the promise of peril. Above them, two thin eyebrows curved like the sinister arc of a scorpion's stinger. Where a human nose would be, twin antennae twitched restlessly, ceaselessly sifting the air for scent and vibration. His mouth, a bold crimson gash, split open to reveal three pairs of supple, short mandibles.

From his wide, muscular shoulders descended arms that unnervingly mirrored human anatomy until the wrists, where the familiar gave way to the terrifying: formidable, clawed appendages. Encased in a hardened chitinous exoskeleton, these claws had the dexterity of a human hand, but with a bone-crushing strength that inspired dread.

A segmented, exoskeletal chest plate encased his torso, each piece shifting in a silent, fluid ballet with each breath. The armor-like plates offered defense that could rival any manmade armor, while permitting the flexibility and freedom that his predatory nature demanded.

His lower body followed the same uncanny pattern as his arms: mirroring human anatomy until his feet morphed into pointed, scorpion like appendages, tipped with razor-sharp talons, designed for swift and deadly strikes.

A menacing tail sprouted from his lower back, arching overhead in a grotesque mimicry of a human's spinal curve, ending in a venomous stinger that was ever ready to strike with lethal precision.

Yet, despite his terrifying form, there was a captivating, hypnotic allure about him. His movements were fluid, deliberate - each step, each gesture a testament to the lethal grace coursing through his veins.

No one knew where Cho Min Ho had found this Evolver, but one thing was certain: he was by far the strongest member of their faction and unquestionably loyal to their leader. Only Cho

Min Ho could face him without fear for his life.

As one might imagine, his personality was as cold and devoid of empathy as his insectoid appearance suggested, and in his presence, even Kang Jun had to mind his tongue.

Fortunately, the alien seldom, if ever, spoke. So Kang Jun's expression turned ugly when Natan suddenly addressed him directly. He wanted nothing to do with this fucking monstrosity!

"Cut him some slack, Natan," Cho Min Ho finally spoke, his voice sounding like divine forgiveness to Kang Jun's ears.

However, his relief was short-lived. The Korean leader then fixed his calm eyes on him and smiled kindly, but the arrogant bodyguard's hair stood on end as he sensed imminent danger, his body breaking out in cold sweat before he even realized it.

"Give me a good reason," Cho Min Ho said, maintaining his innocent smile.

Kang Jun cursed the pretty boy in his mind, but he responded constructively, "I thought showing him who's in charge would make it easier for you to control him if he decided to join us. If he refuses, we can simply find someone else instead of risking collaboration with Oracle Knight who might ruin our plans at any moment. Anyway, with your power and charisma, they will eventually succumb and be absorbed by our faction."

Cho Min Ho didn't show anger hearing his explanation, but disappointment was clearly visible in his eyes. "Even if what you say is true, it's easier for me to influence people when they have a good first impression of me. With your attitude, 1 1m afraid our faction will create many enemies... Give me a real reason. You have five seconds."

This time, he was not joking. As Natan's venom dripping stinger hovered less than an inch from his forehead, Kang Jun's life flashed before his eyes. Yet, gritting his teeth and exhaling a cloud of smoke, he coolly ground his cigarette into the dirt as if he didn't have a poisonous barb trained on him.

"Good cop, bad cop. I've got nothing more to say.

Isn't that how you always clean up my messes?"

Natan's stinger instantly retreated from his forehead. Lee Yoon seemed disappointed, but the inscrutable expression on her boss's face told her he had passed the test.

"As long as you remember the difference, I'll never stop you from being yourself," Cho Min Ho reminded him. "But there's a fine line between making a bad impression and irrevocably ruining a potential alliance."

Lee Yoon secretly rolled her eyes upon hearing the Korean's sermon. It felt as though she had witnessed this conversation a hundred times, and each time, to her great chagrin, Kang Jun would walk away without any punishment.

This was the first time Kang Jun had ever come this close to genuine retribution. It was unexpected, considering Cho Min Ho's unflappable composure, but she could tell he was truly displeased with his attitude.

'Are this Jake and his faction really that important?' She couldn't help but wonder, her curiosity piqued. 'But why? because of Amy? Impossible.'

Then she remembered that Cho Min Ho was filthy rich, and his Oracle Rank was higher than hers. Maybe he knew something else. Suddenly,Lee Yoon found herself excited about participating in the upcoming Ordeal.

Somehow, she had the sense that something interesting was about to happen - the kind of twist that would reveal her master's true nature and give her the chance she had been waiting for to break free from his control.