The Oracle Paths

Upon returning to the familiar darkness and loss of sensation that made him doubt his own existence, Jake reacted with a stoicism befitting a king. No longer was he the ignorant and easily impressed neophyte who had not yet faced his first Ordeal. He had grown in strength, in knowledge, and in the ability to face whatever challenges the universe threw at him.

But this return was different. His mind, still in Lucid Aetherdreamer mode, struggled to make sense of the torrent of information and Dream Aether flows that accompanied his repatriation to the Red Cube. Even with this precaution, he was overwhelmed and disoriented, left without a sense of his body or surroundings.

As he grappled with this strange state, Jake realized that his Aetherdream Vision was the key. With this heightened perception, he came to a startling realization: he no longer had a physical body. Inside the Red Cube, he existed only as a mass of static information and Dream Aether, his Soul the only thing retaining its structure.

But this newfound security was tempered by the knowledge that this state was fragile. The Red Cube, with all its magic and technology, was not infallible. Jake had studied its anatomy and technology in great detail during his year of seclusion, and knew that it was vulnerable to tampering.

The thought of being trapped in the Red Cube sent a chill down Jake's spine, if he still had one. He couldn't help but think of worst-case scenarios, but he knew that his Aetherdream Traveler Skill offered a way out if needed.

As the familiar Oracle System mental interface popped up, signaling the start of the Ordeal Rewards, Jake couldn't help but wonder what new challenges awaited him. But he was ready, his steely resolve unshakeable even in the face of the unknown.

[Participant: Jake Wilderth, Cosmic D Starfeyrves]

[Assessment of injuries in progress...]

Upon reading these first two lines, Jake figuratively shed a symbolic tear of emotion. And with good reason. Compared to his critical state at the end of his Third Ordeal, he definitely preferred this outcome. Back then, upon reading the same line, he was far from serene.

[...]

[Assessment complete. No injuries detected. Corruption... negligible. Estimated medical cost: 0 credits.]

It was only upon receiving confirmation that he had no hidden injuries that Jake truly relaxed. At least now he knew for sure that, from the perspective of the Oracle System, his soul and body were doing well.

Wait! Negligible corruption? What was this half-assed diagnosis? Jake immediately started to doubt.

Negligible... According to what criteria?

Jake wanted to curse someone, but he didn't know who to complain to. Perhaps because the Oracle System sensed his agitation, the rest of his Ordeal results arrived immediately after.

[Fourth Ordeal concluded]

[Type: Heroic-fantasy/Race Against Time]

[Aether density: *100 or 1000 pts.]

[Number of participants: 9,891,386]

[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.]

[Assessment of the Ordeal in progress...]

[...]

[Assessment complete. The outcome is as follows:]

[-Main Mission; Rating: Perfect= +200]

[-First Side Mission: Obtain at least one Soul Class. The rating will be based on the Soul Class(es) obtained at the end of the Ordeal; Rating: ...Uncertain... +500]

[-Second Side Mission: Keep Ruby Hale alive; Rating: Perfect= +50]

[-Third Side Mission: War between Ret'Asi and Khinchod. Regardless of the final outcome of the conflict, your rating will be determined by your performance; Rating: Good= +50]

[-Fourth Side Mission: Save the population of Laudarkvik from the Purge; Rating: Beyond perfect= +200]

[-Fifth Side Mission: Obtain revenge against Lost Divinities; Rating: Good= +150]

[-Sixth Side Mission: Assist the Mirror Vanguard in their war against the Serinese Theocracy; Rating: Perfect= +150]

[-Special Ordeal Mission: Prevent Ruby's Digestor half from entering her building. Failure will result in a deduction of 1000 points from your final Ordeal Rating and a demotion of 2 Oracle Ranks. Rating: ???]

[Exploration; Rating: Excellent= +50]

[Proactivity; Rating: Excellent= +50]

[Combat; Rating: Very Active= +25]

[Other exploits:]

[Exploit n°1: Obtain a unique Soul Class of Tier higher than 10: Rating= +100]

[Exploit n°2: Obtain a unique bloodline of Tier higher than 10: Rating= +100]

[Exploit n°3: Creation of an Original True Will Move: Rating= +50]

[Exploit n°4: Become an Intersystem Class Player: Rating= +200]

[Exploit n°5: ???: Rating= ???]

[...]

[Special Exploit n°1: Obtain the favor of a Minmin= +20]

[Special Exploit n°2: Traumatize an android= +50]

[Special Exploit n°3: Stele Pillager: Rating= +50]

[Special Exploit n°4: Destroy the Sun: Rating= +100]

[Special Exploit n°5: ???: Rating= ???]

[...]

[Total rating: +2120]

[Some exploits and mission results could not be correctly interpreted by the Oracle System. After deliberation, an additional 800 credits granted.]

[Total rating after adjustment: +2920]

[This score ranks first in this Ordeal and in the top 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000 01% of all Fourth Ordeals combined. Congratulations!]

[Distribution of rewards in consequence:]

[Reward n°1: Oracle Rank +4= First Lieutenant>Captain(-400)>Major (-800)> Lieutenant Colonel(-800)> Colonel (-800)]

[Reward n°2: Gold Aether Artefact: Codex of Aurae (final form). A Codex of Aurae resulting from the fusion of 29 other Codexes.]

[Reward n°3: Digitalization: If you wish, you can choose to maintain your body and mind in a digitized state. If you refuse, this reward will be lost forever once you leave the Red Cube.]

[Reward n°4 : Ordeal Store. 2920 credits to spend.]

[...]

[After counting the 90 credits you had left, you still have 3010 credits to spend.]

As Jake finished reading, it would be an understatement to say that his mood was excellent. The result was insane, but it's not like he hadn't expected it a little.

If at the beginning of the Ordeal the Oracle had told him the results of his future performance in advance, he definitely wouldn't have believed it. The gap between his initial abilities and his accomplishments was too great.

Some Ordeal Mission ratings were disappointing, while others exceeded his expectations, especially the rating of his first side mission. 500 points! Jake was dying to know how the Oracle System calculated these results.

On the other hand, 100 credits for literally destroying a sun and creating a Grade 10 Aether Core seemed underwhelming compared to the obstacles and risks associated with such an accomplishment. Perhaps the Oracle was trying to subliminally tell him that such acts should not be repeated...

When he arrived at the passages full of ???, Jake had really thought that the Oracle was going to try to trick him, but in the end, it had worked out well. He didn't know if the extra 800 credits were a good deal, but it was better than receiving nothing at all.

Without needing to be too perceptive, Jake could assume that all these ??? were related to the Digestors, be it the Corrupted Schwazens, the Digestor Trojans, Digestor Ruby, or... himself.

The Oracle was undoubtedly aware of all these disruptive elements, having even personally issued the Special Ordeal Mission requiring him to restrain Ruby's Digestor half. However, even though the Oracle System could follow the situation to a certain extent, it seemed irreparably incapable of calculating anything related to the Digestors.

Jake could only imagine what bizarre and unfathomable method the Digestors used to so miraculously jam and parasitize the senses and algorithms of the Oracle System. It was a kind of power that even with his growing intellect, he was not capable of comprehending.

Another notable novelty was that it was the first time a Main Mission rewarded him with more than 100 credits. The Oracle apparently had some common sense and was aware of the difficulty of such a mission. Looking back, if Jake had rushed straight to the Celestial City from the beginning of the Ordeal, he would most likely have lost his life by acting without thinking.

It was a lesson for the Ordeals to come. No matter how much he thought he dominated or surpassed his opponents, it was wiser to keep a low profile and delay avoidable confrontations as much as possible to increase his strength. The time spent during the Ordeal mainly served this purpose, and it was a resource that should not be wasted.

And what in the world was that exploit "Traumatize an android"? In that instant, the image of a pitiful Vhoskaud teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown fleetingly flickered in his mind. To have secured a place among his roster of exploits, the extent of PTSD the android harbored towards him must have been nothing short of crippling...

In the end, time passed in silence in the darkness of the Red Cube... One minute, two minutes... One hour...

After two hours, Jake turned his attention away from the interface, his brain buzzing on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"Fuck! It's the first time I have more than 3000 Ordeal Credits to spend, but I don't know what to do with them..."