The Oracle Paths

Before leaving his room with a resolute step, and even before putting on his armor, Jake had coldly inspected himself in the bathroom mirror to measure the extent of his transformation. He was so captivated by his training and reading over the last three days that he had completely ignored the changes his body was undergoing.

Although he had expected it, the changes in his appearance had shocked him deeply. No wonder his grandfather was pulling a funny face when he knocked on his door to inform him of the death of his cousin Stephen and his Aunt Maeve. Sadness and grief was probably not the only reason.

As he climbed the spiral staircase to the living room where the meeting had been held the day before, he considered his new status.

BODY STATUS:

[Physique: Myrtharian Body lvl1]

[Height: 2.01 meters]

[Weight: 114kg]

[Strength: 47.3 points.]

[Agility: 39.5 points]

[Constitution: 62.2 points]

[Vitality: 57.6 points]

[Intelligence: 31.4 points]

[Perception: 28.6 points]

(NB: Average human stats: 5 points)

[AETHER STATUS: Oracle Rank 5, Sergeant [15,43M/ 100M], Aether Storage: 403848pts ]

[Strenght(S): 100.6 points]

[Agility(A): 100.6 points]

[Constitution(C): 102 points]

[Vitality(V): 102 points]

[Intelligence(I): 112.3 points]

[Perception(P): 107.2 points]

[Extrasensory Perception(EP): 127.4 points]

[SOUL STATUS: Myrtharian Soul and Spirit Body(lvl1), Unattributed]

[Spirit Body lvl1.5]

That Myrtharian bloodline was just heaven defying. His Body Stats showed clear signs of growth, but the most incredible thing was that the comparison was now being made with the Myrtharians, of which he was the only member.

Thanks to the Myrtharian Body lvl1, which gave a body twice superior to a normal human, the reference value of 10pts for a human was now only 5, which means that even if these Body Stats had not budged one iota in the last three days, the difference would still have been staggering!

As for his Aether Status, all this mental training in trying to create his Aether Core had strongly stimulated his mental stats such as Intelligence, Perception and Extrasensory Perception. The theoretical barrier of 100 points that blocked so many humans simply no longer existed.

The funny thing was that he had been sitting cross-legged in bed most of the time and his Aether Strength, Agility, Constitution and Vitality had still improved slightly, although this was anecdotal. This meant that even without doing anything, with patience and a strong mind, he was sure to get stronger.

His Spirit Body was also halfway through lvl 2, which clearly showed that his repeated attempts to create an Aether Core were not completely useless. This was to be distinguished from the Myrtharian Spirit Body lvl1 affecting and determining the nature of his Spirit Body. This skill gave him a Spirit Body 3 times stronger than that of a normal human, which was equivalent to a level 4.5.

In front of the doors leading to the previous day's living room, Jake took a deep breath as he tried to display a serene and peaceful expression, then once satisfied with his bearing, he pushed the doors open with renewed determination.

Other members of his family and part of his own group were already up, silently eating breakfast around the coffee tables, waiting for the late risers to join them. Jake's arrival made them turn their heads in his direction, and as he expected, his physical transformation unsettled quite a few of them.

In addition to having grown half a head during those three days, his skin was now extremely tanned and the veins under his skin were showing as a subdued light, as if lava was flowing through his body instead of blood. His hair and eyebrows were now mostly white, but his wild hair was streaked with golden strands that strangely refracted the light. Matching his hair, his irises were a mixture of silver and gold behind which pulsed a mixture of radiance reminiscent of the stars of a galaxy. Combined with his translucent claws and fangs, through which bundles of lava-coloured filaments regularly passed, he was definitely no longer human.

Wearing his brand new black armour, Jake was emitting an overwhelming aura that his cousins and those who knew him well were not used to. Aware of the effect his appearance was exerting, he focused on "extinguishing" his blood, but to no avail. His glowing blood was certainly controllable since Gerulf was able to do this effortlessly, but it took more than just a thought to understand the process.

All he could deduce was that his body was hot, and his blood even hotter. The hotter and more radiant an area was, the brighter his body would glow. At least, if he didn't learn to control his new body.

Testing his theory, he used his Spirit Body to control his body heat, and his blood and irises dimmed abruptly, making him look almost normal again. Relieved and happy to have found the solution so quickly, he let himself fall into a chair before starting to eat with appetite in front of his family's stunned eyes.

' Bloody hell! Is that really our cousin...?!' That was the line we could read all over their faces.

Sarah, Enya and Esya were also present and couldn't help but gaze curiously at him.

Sarah had more or less returned to her usual behavior, but it was clear that her personality was much more outgoing and defiant than before. Every opportunity for challenge was met with excitement, even when there was really nothing to get excited about...

When Jake glanced at her, she held the eye-contact forcibly, and smirked with pride as his gaze wandered to the two sisters in total indifference. When he wanted to help himself to the coffee, she also rushed to grab the coffee pot before him, which annoyed him more than just a little.

The two sisters had felt uncomfortable from the beginning because of their pink hair, which did not naturally exist in these humans and which clearly stood out in this mansion full of Wilderths with chestnut or hazelnut hair. Some Wilderths had a bloodline that changed their appearance or blonde, black or brown hair as a result of some marriages, but nothing as visually striking as their pink hair.

Nevertheless, when they discovered Jake this morning they felt normal for the first time. Jake's hair and eyes would have made him a freak show, even in their home world.

No one really wanted to talk that morning. Everyone was far too focused or anxious about the next Ordeal to engage in small talk.

Over the next half hour, the rest of his cousins, along with Will, Kyle and Tim, joined the lounge for breakfast. About an hour before the start of the Ordeal, about 7:00 am, their grandfather entered the room and signaled them to follow him.

For some, their grandfather's arrival sounded the death knell for them, and they felt their stomachs knotting up as if a teacher had called them out of the blue to give an oral presentation in front of the rest of the class, but far worse.

Kyle was shaking slightly, but he wasn't planning to run away. He was just extremely nervous. Tim was pretty calm, both sisters looked sad. Yes, sad... How nice it would be if they could stay in a mansion like this forever!

Thinking back to their first Ordeal in the savannah amidst an indigenous village with mosquitoes and ticks the size of small apricots, they couldn't help but have tears in their eyes.

Will was surprisingly calm. Maxing out his stats except for the Seventh, which he had strangely failed to unlock, had restored his confidence and he was willing to give his all to make up for his lackluster performance in the first Ordeal.

With the exception of Noemie and Edward, all the Wilderths were as calm as their grandfather had hoped. Each of them were born actors and nothing gave away their true emotional state. The latecomers, Daniel and his daughter Lily, looked gloomy and sullen, but that was understandable after what they had been through.

While Jake thought their grandfather would lead them straight to the nearest Player Hall, he made them run down another staircase to the basement of the mansion. Inside, they discovered that equipment, ammunition and firearms had been stored.

"Help yourselves."Their grandfather encouraged them by beckoning them in. " It shouldn't come into play in the next Ordeal, but it's a precaution. " The old man added in a low voice.