The Oracle Paths

1170  Fear and Strategy

In another pitch-black cave not far from here, three figures were staring with a wary seriousness at the strange 'human' sitting in a meditative position with his back to them, seemingly unaware of their presence. Any Player from the same Mirror Universe participating in this Ordeal would have instantly recognized them: Shadrex the Bipolar Seer, Weiss the Mindweaver, and Kaelum the Titan of Vrax.

But compared to the image of unfathomable power that their subordinates had of these three legends, their current aura was somewhat lacking. Far from their usual arrogance and superior indifference, they looked quite subdued.

"W-why did you let them escape?" Weiss was the first to break the heavy silence, daring to ask the question.

Far from her billions of Soul Slaves from whom she could command and drain Spirit Power to boost her own, the alien woman with nearly translucent skin no longer displayed the same confidence. Not that she was weak. She was still a Rank 17 Colonel, after all. But in front of the monster sitting before them, she was effectively powerless.

Even the brute Kaelum, whose perception was nowhere near hers, was trembling slightly, his bulging muscles rippling under his skin as if preparing for a fight to the death.

Shadrex was the calmest of the three, seemingly having already predicted what kind of encounter they were in for. Nothing surprising from a supposed soothsayer who spoke in riddles and hid his face under a hood.

He wasn't serene, though. The cloak absorbing the light and shrouding his body in darkness served him well at this moment. Otherwise, he feared his two companions would have noticed his goosebumps.

Coming from three Rank 17 Players, such a reaction to one of their kind was shameful, but it was unavoidable. The guy in front of them was that scary.

On the surface, they seemed to be facing a human teenager of 13-14 years, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a healthy but not particularly athletic physique. He wasn't wearing armor or carrying weapons, just a hoodie, pants, and comfortable boots. No horns, claws, tail, fangs, or other traits that would betray a certain danger. Even his spiritual presence wasn't particularly memorable.

If they had to mention one thing that set him apart, it was that he was one of those rare Players who openly wore his bracelet on his wrist. It was common among beginners just integrated into the Oracle System, but not among veterans like them, who preferred to keep it hidden under their skin. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Appearances, however, could be deceiving. With the senses of Weiss and Shadrex, they could tell that everything was a facade. Whether it was his ordinary teenage appearance or the bracelet on his wrist.

Undoubtedly, this kid was by far the most powerful Player from both camps they had encountered since the beginning of this Ordeal, Jake aside. Technically, they had never met him either.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Jake wasn't the only enemy they had underestimated. The response from the Oracle Hacker calling himself Kael immediately confirmed it.

"Wrong question," the teenager corrected with his eyes closed. "The right question is why should I kill them?"

The three Rank 17 exchanged confused looks. They had just arrived. The only thing they had witnessed in horror was Ulfar interacting with a group of Myrtharian Nerds, then a horde of black Lumyst-covered spawn swarming over Twyluxia.

From start to finish, they had wanted to intervene. Whether to eliminate Ulfar, the other Players, or prevent these monsters from decimating their armies. But since this mysterious Kael had refused to lift a finger, none of them had dared to move.

Ironically, none of them realized that the Oracle Hacker wasn't necessarily referring to that group. If they had been more focused, they would have noticed the King of Beskyr joining a group of severely injured Players in another cave after delivering his message, among them a certain blonde woman in a coma.

Initially, their trio had just followed Shadrex's divination and an Oracle Path leading them here. They were supposed to find a decisive element for their victory.

Seeing that none of the three Players seemed ready to entertain him, the Oracle Hacker sighed in disappointment. Then, opening his eyes, he lectured them in a reproachful tone,

"This isn't how you're going to win this Ordeal. No need to explain why you're here, I already have a good idea after that brief chat with Natan."

"Natan? Cho Min Ho's lackey?" Kaelum spat with disdain. If it hadn't been for that bug-faced guy trying to steal the Goblet of Ethershine at Lustris, they wouldn't have even paid attention to him.

"Aaaaand that's why you're not going to win anytime soon," Kael retorted, getting up. Far from his patient, almost amused tone, his face turned icy cold when he turned to face them.

The trio didn't know what to expect from seeing his real face, but perhaps because of his immature voice, they had hoped for something else. In any case, not this piercing chill reminiscent of a snake facing a band of shrews. Walking towards them with his hands in his pockets, the youth approached Kaelum and then pointed his finger to the sky.

Baffled, the warrior looked up, only to see the same finger pointing down. The next second, he was kowtowing, his face embedded in the cracked ground.

"Idiot," the Oracle Hacker sneered, putting his hands back in his pockets before turning to the other two, who were still shocked by the scene.

It had to be understood that Kaelum was by far the physically strongest of the trio. Right now, his head was still embedded in the ground despite all his efforts to end his humiliation.

The titan roared, tempted to activate his gigantism skill, but a look from the boy on his neck dissuaded him. Humiliated, the titan bit his lip in hatred until it bled, but stopped resisting after that. He had recognized his inferiority. For now.

"Natan… Could we have underestimated him?" Weiss murmured with more tact. Shadrex displayed the same worried look under his hood.

"Exactly. He's a Rank 17 like you," Kael confirmed lightly, touching one of her silvery-blue tails with curiosity, making her shiver. As long as he wasn't upset, he seemed to be conciliatory.

Hearing this, Kaelum, who was clenching his teeth, raised his head in astonishment. He hadn't even noticed that the teenager had released his hold.

"His power?" Shadrex asked seriously.

"Hmmm… It's hard to say," Kael took his time, contemplating their panic with detachment. "Although I injured him and forced him to retreat, I can say he hasn't shown all his cards. I can also say he didn't have a strong desire to kill me. My existence seemed to suit him. But if I had to estimate… I'd say he's at Kaelum's level in brute strength…"

Kaelum's expression changed.

"… At Weiss's level in spiritual strength."

The alien woman stiffened.

"… And at Shadrex's level in… mystery? I don't know, he hides his game well anyway," Kael chuckled without stress.

"And compared to you?" Kaelum snorted, clearly not having learned his lesson.

His two companions held their breath at the fool's carelessness, but internally they were curious about his response. Luckily, the Oracle Hacker wasn't offended. Whether he sensed the underlying sarcasm or not was irrelevant.

"Please…" Kael shrugged calmly. "Don't compare me to you three. Now tell me why you're here. My gut tells me that your intentions and Natan's are somewhat similar."

Shadrex and Weiss immediately remembered the secret messages exchanged with Cho Min Ho's faction. It was largely thanks to them that they had managed to withdraw their Players from the front against Jake. The method employed had impressed them quite a bit.

The messenger wasn't a member of his faction but a native of the Lustra Plains not even participating in the battles. A simple peasant from the neighboring village. After delivering his message, he had seemed bewildered and then left without seeing them.

It was very strange. In the delivered message, however, they learned that if they wanted to communicate with him, they just had to talk to this same native again. They could even erase his memory or kill him afterward, although that would be a waste. As long as the message reached his eyes or ears, Cho Min Ho would be informed.

This act of goodwill wasn't enough for the Korean to gain their trust, but given their circumstances, they couldn't afford to be picky. The Jake threat was that serious.

Cho Min Ho wanted to focus the enemy's attention on Jake to secure victory his way, but they were willing to play along. Once Jake was out of the game, securing victory would be no problem.

At least, that's what they thought before hearing Kael's warning and learning Natan's true rank.

Fortunately, they had made the right decision to come here. With the Oracle Hacker on their side, they finally had all the ingredients they needed to guarantee their victory.

Unfortunately, without knowing the full set of ingredients, any incomplete recipe was doomed to fail. Something Kael patiently made them understand by explaining the circumstances of what was happening under Twyluxia...

I know that not everyone is a fan of changing points of view, but I felt it was necessary to give the whole picture.

For those of you who are a little perceptive, you should have begun to realize that Natan has hidden his game well;

 By the way, the four Ranks 17 Players on each side are now known:

-Jake, Cho Min Ho, Natan, Ioan (deceased).

-Kaelum, Weiss, Shadrex, Kael.

Arkinslize

Creator's Thought