The Oracle Paths

As Jake went into seclusion for an indefinite period of time, the other Myrtharian Nerds also began to prepare for their next Ordeal.

On another Floating Island much larger than Jake's and all his comrades combined, two sisters with long silky pink hair stood nervously in the lobby of a huge mage tower in front of a handsome middle-aged man with flame-red hair who was none other than their beloved father.

"Err... That bastard still doesn't want to meet me?" Phirune aggressively tapped the armrest of his throne, jetting out scarlet flames from his nostrils with each exhale. "I want you to leave his faction, that's an order. I will not trust the lives of my daughters to an irresponsible man."

"Father!" Esya shouted red with anger. "That's enough! He'll come to you when you stop nagging him and he's certain you won't try to kill him on sight."

"Or rather when he's certain that even if you try you won't succeed..." Enya sneered just after without hiding any of her utter disdain.

"Oh? So that's the kind of guy you admire?" Surprisingly, Phirune stopped snapping at him and flashed an excited toothy smile. "In that case, I'll wait for him to come visit me in person."

"Perfect." Enya rolled her eyes. "Now, if you don't mind, we're going to do what Jake did and go into seclusion for training. Although we depend on him, we don't want to become dead weight either."

Esya nodded vigorously in assent. The Fire Archmage looked alternately at his two daughters with a crestfallen expression, then suddenly burst into a spray of flames and reappeared behind them.

Neither Esya nor Enya was able to to keep track of his movement.

"In that case, I will personally supervise your training." Their father grinned ominously. "If you still hold him in such high esteem after that, then perhaps I will give him a chance."

Enya rolled her eyes again while Esya smirked.

"Sure."

*****

Like the two sisters, no one wanted to be a burden to Jake, but there was one among them whose sense of incompetence and guilt was far more overwhelming: Kevin.

The Corruption that had caused his cannibalistic acts and loss of control in the previous Ordeal had unknowingly turned him into an enemy of his faction, and he intended to make sure it never happened again.

Surrounded by a dozen refugees who had accepted his bite, he had finally met the minimum requirements to become an Alpha Werebear. To maintain control, he had set up his island to simulate the amplified radiation of a full moon like the one on his First Ordeal's world. He had also purchased an artifact that could charm, hypnotize and manipulate the emotions of his targets to expose himself to this state of mental alienation and learn to resist it.

Will had also given him the promise to drop by from time to time to familiarize him with the powerful influence of his Charisma-based Aether Skills.

Seeing his cousin Kevin training so seriously, Vincent, who had been relatively quiet for the past few days, also decided to go into seclusion.

Tim, who was waiting for Jake's answer about their bloodline exchange, knew that his sample was in Cekt's hands. So he willingly moved to Jake's island to learn how to better use his bloodline from Ulfar and the other veteran Beskyrians.

Daniel and his daughter temporarily joined the Heroes of Velsyos faction led by Mihangyl, the Wood Archmage, so that Lily could become a true Light Healer as she desired. There were several Egaeans among them capable of healing with magic.

The new members, both refugees and veteran warriors, also began to participate in their own first Ordeals and for a time Jake and Will's Floating Island became quiet.

The only one who never went into seclusion was Will, who was too busy running the Myrtharian Nerds and his own sub-faction to do any training. Anyway, bargaining and networking gave him plenty of opportunity to practice his eloquence-based abilities.

With the help of hired Beskyrians and Eltarians, as well as the occasional participation of Fumdalf, and the new Contribution Point System, it wasn't long before the Myrtharian Nerds' savings were replenished and they were out of the woods for good.

Three months went by without any significant changes. One by one, the new members completed their first three Ordeals, and they too went into seclusion to prepare for their fourth and final tutorial.

Noting that the majority of the Myrtharian Nerds were wisely training at home, Will decided to use a portion of the profits generated over the past few months to activate the United We Stand skill for 8 hours a day.

The boost in Aether stats, including vitality, constitution, intelligence and perception, would allow them to train harder and drastically improve their ability to understand. Will, himself, was tempted to train on Jake's island, but without his efforts it would be impossible to afford such an expensive skill faction.

Aether density gradually rose to 210 points, but neither Jake nor any of his comrades paid attention. What they didn't know, however, was that there were others who had never stopped watching them.

Somewhere in a New Earth military base, a voluptuous secretary with curves threatening to spill out of her black suit walked in heels to a certain general's office and dropped off a report and a steaming cup of tea.

The general, a stern man in his fifties whose suit was plastered with medals, took the cup in both hands and sipped before slumping back into his chair with a tired sigh.

"Thanks, Janet. Anything new?" The man asked without much hope.

"Alas, no, General Eric." The secretary named Janed shook her head apologetically. "Colonel Hale has decided to synchronize Team Prodigies 127's Fourth Ordeal with that of the Myrtharian Nerds and nothing will change her mind.

"Damn it! Stupid ungrateful woman!" Eric smashed his desk with both fists in an excess of fury. "Delaying the progress of several exceptional talents just to recruit and closely monitor one individual. It's really not worth it!"

"That's what many have told her, but she insists."

"Then let her keep waiting!" The general snorted once he had calmed down. "When even our new recruits have surpassed these geniuses, I can't wait to see if she still dares to sneer at me."

*****

A month later, Jake received a notification from his master Cekt that prematurely ended his training. The result of the analysis was finally in. He would have to go with Tim to his lab in Thelma to discuss the upcoming transgenic operation.

The first thing that shocked him was the exponential increase in Aether density. In just four months, it had surpassed 290 points. Even for a spineless loser, the First Ordeal would now be a breeze.

Of course, the difficulty of the missions and the rewards would be adjusted, but it was still enviable. Ironically, because prices had only gone up to keep up with the increase in Aether density, those refugees residing in the Oracle Shelter slums still couldn't afford the Aether fee required to access the Cubes in the inner Shelter.

Eager to return and win the other Soul Glyphs in the Purgatory, Jake teleported out of the lava pool and materialized clothes from his Space Storage before trying to put them on. His face crumbled as he realized he didn't fit into them.

"Fuck!" He cursed loudly.

A fleeting glance at his Oracle Status confirmed his fears.

[Height : 3.31 meters]

[Weight : 1241 kg]

Although he hadn't actively trained his body, those four months in the lava had profoundly revamped his cells. His Aether Stats had also improved, but his Body Stats, especially his Strength and Constitution had nearly doubled.

Dejected, Jake used the lava from the pool to condense an obsidian armor around his body, then when he was satisfied, he crossed the force field. The armor was nothing like the ones he once fashioned in a hurry with his Earth and Heat Control. Despite the fact that he used ordinary lava, this armor was as solid and dense as hardened steel.

[Blacksmith Soul Glyph(Silver): Increases the attributes of any tool, weapon or armor forged by the holder of this Glyph by 100%.]

This was just one of the seven Glyphs he had gained during his seclusion.

The joyful rustling of Melkree leaves greeted his return and after a nod, he headed for the Beskyrian district.

He didn't even need his Shadow Guide to know that Tim was there. A quick Oracle Scan of the island had automatically disclosed his presence. He teleported back and reappeared a split second later in front of King Ulfar's now completed palace.

He walked through the patio as if it were his own backyard and spotted Tim and Ulfar practicing their axe skills amidst a group of shirtless Beskyrian warriors.

"Hey Jake! How are... Holy shit! Man, what do you eat for breakfast to grow so big? A little more and you'll outgrow the Melkree tree. I like your new style, though."

Ulfar's sarcastic taunts quickly got to him, but he was in a great mood.

" I just came to borrow Tim for a few hours." He replied calmly.

Ulfar and the other warriors frowned, but when they saw Tim's eager and expectant expression, they shut up and let him take the teenager.

A few minutes later, Jake and Tim stood atop a Transportation Tower in Thelma, ready to meet the little Aetherist.