The Oracle Paths

Jake could always focus on his Lumyst Aura by racking up kills to gain the favor of Twyluxia, but if he just diligently cultivated his Lumyst, the result would eventually be the same.

This detail mattered, because with all the Players who had fled last night, many survivors must have come to the same realization.

If we wanted, we could slaughter each other like last night and end the Ordeal in a few days, but that'd be terribly counterproductive even for the future winners. Only by prolonging this war as long as possible can we reap the maximum benefits. Jake summed up to himself with a strong sense of conviction.

His instincts were telling him that his enemies wouldn't make an attempt on his life anytime soon. If they did act, it would only be when they had a foolproof plan guaranteeing their success with the least possible losses.

Then… Back to the original plan. We climb the ranks by accumulating feats of arms, Jake concluded, blending in with his squad among the tens of thousands of recruits currently filling Ground 3.

This would also give him time to explore his new powers. He had gained so much in a single night that he hadn't yet had time to digest it all. In addition, there were the materials he had consumed the night before by spending his Contribution Points and the 17 volumes on Spirit Enchantment he hadn't yet put into practice.

Fortunately, among the treasures Faye had 'kindly' bequeathed to him, there was a stack of grimoires about Life Enchantments, written by none other than Valandar himself, the Celestial on duty. The big boss of the Lustra Plains apparently had more merit than he had given him credit for until now.

While Jake meticulously planned his future schedule to optimize his progression curve, his companions were at a loss, slightly intimidated by the smell of blood and sweat permeating the sand of Ground 3 where they stood waiting for their next orders.

A sea of conscripts just as bewildered and nervous as they were also wondered why they were here. They searched in vain, none of the barbarians with them seemed to be an important officer of the Ironsoul Berserker Army. Before their rabble had arrived here, Ground 3 was a vacant lot left completely abandoned.

There was indeed a large rectangular wall looming over them nearby, but it was too high to see the fortress and quarters supposed to be on the other side. Being just a wooden palisade 7 or 8 meters high, it looked misleadingly like a hastily set up camp. So, if they were not mistaken, the buildings inside must be... tents.

"Not really the image I had of the quarters of a great army like the Ironsoul Berserkers," Ekho grumbled, more perplexed than shocked.

The alcoholic was still on edge since his last drop of alcohol, but it was starting to get better.

"It's because the fortified encampment carved into stone where we slept has made you too complacent. Once assigned to a new regiment and dispatched to the battlefield, it won't be as easy to go back there to stay without enough Contribution Points," explained Sank-Uk, the former 3000-man Commander, stoically with crossed arms. "When we're not sent to the meat grinder on the battlefield, this is where we'll train and sleep the rest of our time when we have a moment of respite. If it hasn't changed, you'll see that they'll soon ask us to set up our camp here or a little further away…"

The other conscripts spread out over the other Grounds were coming to the same conclusion without the veteran warrior's clarification. Considering there were 5 Grounds, and tens of thousands of recruits gathered waiting on each of them, the former 3000-man commander estimated that there was sufficient to form two or three new legions, or 2 to 8 divisions depending on the number of regiments they would include.

"Do you think they're going to send us into battle today?" Jashuzen asked Sank-Uk, clutching his enchanted ax anxiously.

"For sure," Thonzo shattered his illusions mercilessly before the veteran could. Unlike the other recruits, the bandaged barbarian had previously participated in a first battle before being repatriated to Havocspire for injuries and could therefore be taken seriously.

"By the way…" Scalacabe, Thonzo's female counterpart, "what's with the obese cat and the parrot here?"

Crunch and Lord Phoenix, standing proudly to Jake's right and left, immediately gave her a baleful glare.

"Who's this bitch? I'm not fat, just a bit chubby!" Crunch meowed, striking a furious yakuza pose.

"A-a parrot?!" The turkey pressed his heart with his two wings in a traumatized manner as if it had just been pierced by a bullet. "At what point do I look like a parrot?!"

Jake, Hephais, and Crunch gave him a sideways glance, then turned away without a word. The other recruits in their squad, not yet aware of who they were dealing with, weren't as 'perceptive', and Ekho muttered under his breath,

"He does look a bit like a parrot with his colorful plumage…"

"I think he looks more like a big turkey, or a dodo…" Jashuzen added, unaware that he had just signed his death warrant.

Thonzo, Claire, and Sank-Uk were a bit better at judging character and immediately sensed the mood shift from the suspicious behavior of the two foreigners.

"It's definitely a phoenix," Thonzo nodded emphatically.

"Yup, definitely," Claire agreed with a slight smirk.

The orange turkey, whose ego had just been bruised, regained some of his dignity after being flattered and decided to exhibit mercy by forgiving their insolence. A noble creature like him should never stoop to the level of these inferior beings.

Back to the story, Jake had introduced them to the group upon their return, but it was hard for them to take the two pets seriously without having seen them in their true form. If they had had that chance, the recruits would surely never have dared to say those truths right under their noses. They wanted to live a little longer!

When the sun was about to rise and whereas the other conscripts were still wondering how much longer they would have to hang out in this godforsaken hole, they finally heard a hubbub of armor clinking and footsteps approaching them with a metronomic rhythm.

The officer of the Ironsoul Berserker Army had finally arrived.

Jake and Hephais had obviously heard them coming long before with their hearing. In fact, they even knew that they weren't coming from the nearby camp, but from the fortified city behind them.

Each Ground had its own senior officer serving as the officer in charge, but Hephais and he couldn't help but note in their minds that only their officer was coming from the city. Even her escort was different.

While the other officers had well-equipped soldiers who appeared battle-hardened, those accompanying their Ground's officer too possessed dominating and oppressive Spirit Lumyst Auras, as considerably as very bright souls. There were only about fifty of them, but each was significantly stronger than Sank-Uk.

As for the woman leading them, she was even more formidable, with spiritual strength rivaling about 10% of his own. It might seem little, but his spirit was much more powerful than his body. 10% was enough, by his estimation, to dominate a Rank 17 Oracle Knight whose spirit was not the primary focus.

The only two other comparable individuals Jake had encountered in the Duskwight Lands outside of the Abyssal Revenants were the mysterious Great General of the Vorzhul Legion who led the reconquest of Havocspire, and the Soulmancer King himself hiding at his side. The latter did a good job suppressing his fluctuations, but it was insufficient to deceive his senses.

Especially now that his soul had too endured 14 enchantments and his bloodline advanced a level...

"What's a Great General doing here?" Sank Uk voiced what Jake, Hephais, and the two clowns were thinking quietly.

As in case it was her cue to introduce herself, the domineering woman confidently separated from her squad and calmly climbed the platform intended for addressing her new troops. Once facing the confused crowd, she didn't immediately open her mouth, unfurling a scroll in front of her that she inspected attentively. Her cold, predatory eyes detached a moment later from the sketch drawn on it to procedurally scan the face of each conscript.

When she stopped on Jake's face, she ignored the others, the corner of her lip imperceptibly curving. Jake understood at once that she had received orders about him. He didn't need to rack his brains too much to guess from whom...

The warrior then once again enveloped the gathering with an apathetic gaze, then declared in a thunderous voice reverberating for miles around,

"I am Ceythie, Great General of the Ironsoul Berserker Army. From currently on, you are under my command."