The Oracle Paths

About a month after Jake had immersed himself in the creation of various Cubes and Aether Cores, he was finally visited by his mentor, Cekt, who promised to offer direct aid in his training. To Jake, a month had elapsed, but for the alien, barely more than an hour had passed since their last encounter.

"Ugh? I see what you're attempting here, but these Grade 9 Aether Cores are useless if you can't wield them without risking your own safety," the small alien commented, floating just behind Jake's ear.

With an alertness hardened by the ever-present threat of the Dungeon Digestor, Jake remained stoic, simply nodding in acknowledgment of his mentor's words. "I'd like to configure them to draw their Aether from another source like my Energy Body, but so far, the results have been disappointing," Jake admitted, his voice devoid of joy but far from defeated.

This was the inherent issue with Grade 7 and higher Aether Cores. They siphoned the surrounding Aether so rapidly and broadly that the local Aether density plummeted in minutes, sometimes seconds, resulting in a sphere of zero Aether-hostile to any form of matter or energy, since even they are composed of it. In the end, everything was merely Aether in different states.

In the span of a month, Jake had amassed nearly four million Grade 9 Aether Cores and half as many equivalent-quality Cubes, as these were material objects rather than purely Aetheric. Such a fortune would seem unimaginable to the average Evolver, but it was of no use if it could not be utilized.

These four million Grade 9 Aether Cores, based on Jake's current understanding, could only be used in two ways: as a tool of mass destruction or to power an ultra-high-speed structure with Aether, thereby maintaining a stable Aether density. The higher a Core's grade, the faster the object it was attached to had to move.

Because the Magnetic Resonator on which they currently orbited traveled at near-light speed, Jake had already confirmed that his Grade 10 Aether Core posed no immediate danger.

But this didn't mean he could simply multiply the available Aether by invoking his millions of Grade 9 Aether Cores. The issue was that the atmosphere's Aether was finite, as was the speed at which it replenished after being drained. Even at the speed of the Magnetic Resonator, a few thousand Grade 9 Aether Cores in one place would be enough to deplete all the surrounding Aether in the blink of an eye.

More dangerous still, if the Cores were too close, they could fuse together, potentially creating a Grade 10 Aether Core-or something even more terrifying. Regardless, Jake didn't view these Aether Cores as useless. He was confident that merely bombarding his foes with Grade 9 Aether Cores would be enough to decimate anything the Fifth Ordeal might throw at him. Of course, such a cheat would likely be banned from the trial to maintain fairness and competitiveness among Players.

"What you're attempting is not impossible, but it requires a deeper understanding of Aether than you currently possess." Cekt continued, adopting an instructive tone. "The Aetherdream is layered. As long as you don't know how to dig a deeper well, using these Aether Cores in the way you envision will remain impossible. For you, without the right bloodline, it should remain difficult. Even for me, it's barely feasible. The main obstacle here isn't only your knowledge but also your perception. Those who can perceive the nuances of the Aetherdream clearly are few and far between and are considered precious Chosens by their organizations."

Rather than being discouraged by his mentor's words, Jake experienced a flash of insight, his thoughts landing on one of his Soul Class Skills.

'Aetherdream Inception...'

Wasn't the purpose of this skill precisely to better discern the dissonances between these layers of reality? If he could truly tap into a more enduring and pure Aether source this way, then his dream wasn't as unreachable as it seemed! Nevertheless, this remained a project for the future. Until now, Jake had never detected one of the dissonances between the layers of the Aetherdream necessary to make this possible. As his mentor had pointed out, his perception was probably inadequate. On the other hand, he'd never seriously attempted to find one either.

It was worth a shot. But before that, he needed to take advantage of his mentor's presence to clarify all the unresolved questions he'd accumulated over time.

After all, the Wendok had already warned him that he intended to stay with him for a maximum of one or two months, having to tend to his other disciples who needed him more. This meant he'd be absent for only one or two hours, which was acceptable.

Thus, Cekt spent the next two months guiding and correcting Jake's shortcomings. Jake initially thought his mentor wouldn't have much to offer him, but he was mistaken. The experience of a Rank 3 Aetherist couldn't be dismissed.

Cekt provided Jake with invaluable guidance for devising his own unique Original Spell, a distinct self-created ability each Aetherist worth their salt should possess. Upon perfecting this, Jake would be formally recognized as a Rank 1 Aetherist and merely need to pass the promotional exam to make it official. The best way to accomplish this was by merging his Aether expertise with his unique traits such as his bloodline, True Will, and Soul Class. Without this personal touch, any Rank 5 Aetherist could easily replicate a Rank 1 Aetherist's Original Spell after mere observation. His unique spell needed an extra element to make it impervious to imitation.

In this regard, Jake had numerous attributes making him a rarity even among his peers. If one were to only mention the most pivotal, there were four: His Digestor-derived ability to assimilate the strength and properties of the food he ingested, his adaptability to all types of environments and situations, his True Will Move 'Grabbing', and lastly, his Soul Class.

Cekt had sparked inspiration within Jake, particularly relating to the first and third points, with his sage advice. Regarding digestion, the Wendok wasn't opposed to Jake consuming the arm of the Voidshifter he'd severed. Instead, he insisted quality mattered over quantity in terms of Jake's bloodline.

For other Evolvers, if they wanted a new bloodline, the quality of the Blood Essence received was critical. If its Aether levels were too low, they'd obtain the desired bloodline but in such a weakened form that it could take decades, even centuries, to stimulate any significant progress.

There were remedies for this issue, like the legendary Black Aether. However, Cekt explained its production was tremendously complex and, although it had a price, no market existed for it.

Jake didn't have this problem. As long as he digested a particle containing his prey's complete Aether Code, it would join his internal database alongside the rest, ready to be reshaped at will.

After that, he simply incorporated the portions that intrigued him into his active bloodline, and the rest of his Aether Code would share its Aether with these parts, upgrading them. It would weaken the overall level of his Cosmic D Starfeyrves Bloodline, but not that much. With his Energy Body, this was a non-issue.

This Digestor ability was what made them so terrifying, and Jake had precisely acquired this power while keeping his Corruption at an acceptable threshold. This unusual context made Jake an anomaly in the Mirror Universe.

But compared to the Digestors, Jake had an additional edge: His virtually limitless adaptability and metamorphosis power allowed him to modify sections of his Aether Code in real-time, meaning his bloodline wasn't fixed post-rank advancement like the Digestors'.

As long as he didn't play God with his DNA, Jake would remain incredibly versatile, his bloodline skill 'Artefact Incarnation' epitomizing this paradox.

Under the watchful eye of his mentor, who wished to document the process for future research, Jake ingested a Voidshifter cell, which was digested without a hitch. His mind instantly sensed the difference, an indescribable ecstasy coursing through him as his mental database received the Aether Code of a new bloodline equipped with distinct abilities he didn't yet possess.

Just like Digestors always evolved by selecting the best possible evolution for themselves, Jake promptly altered his active bloodline to include the portion of Aether Code his cells craved.

Right after, his mind trembled, and he felt his awareness of the world subtly shifting, as if he'd acquired an additional sense. It was as disorienting as moving from a two-dimensional plane to a three-dimensional space, and if his intelligence hadn't been so high, the sensory overload could have permanently damaged his mind.

"So this is what the flow of time feels like when you perceive its existence directly..." Jake muttered, a fascinated expression on his face.

Simultaneously, he found it possible to interact with this added element and immediately began experimenting under the enthusiastic guidance of his mentor. Within a few weeks, Jake had perfected the basics and all the theory needed to continue his progress.

It wasn't as overpowered as he'd hoped, but he estimated that thanks to this recent addition to his arsenal, his combat effectiveness had at least tripled.

Unsurprisingly, when he checked his Oracle Status at the end of his first month with his mentor, his bloodline now displayed a new ability:

[Time Manipulation: You can perceive the flow of time and exert some influence over it, forming a positive synergy with your Space and Cosmic affinities.]

With his first goal achieved, Jake and his mentor spent the second month focusing on his Original Spell itself, making use of his True Will of Grabbing. Though Jake had been utilizing this as a straightforward attack, he quickly discovered, thanks to his master's guidance, that such a skill harbored an infinity of variations when woven together with the rest of his arsenal.