The Oracle Paths

A blasé and indifferent silence was the only reaction Aslael received after this enthusiastic declaration of ill omen.

"..."

Unsatisfied, he suppressed a twitch of his eyebrow and dropped another bombshell,

"The average death rate compiled over the last thousand years of 5th Ordeals is approximately 99.8%."

This time, in addition to the silence, several Players blatantly yawned. With the exception of perhaps a few natives who had only known the reassuring walls of the Divine Academy, the other spectators had absolute confidence in their ability to survive anything that fate would throw their way.

"What a disappointment..." Aslael grieved inwardly. That's why he preferred teaching ignorant newbies.

Indeed, for a moment he had almost forgotten that these Players were not just anyone. They were the ultimate victors of Quanoth, a Fourth Ordeal that brought together the elite of an entire System.

A death rate of 99.8% did not worry them at all. Simply because this figure was calculated over all participants in the Fifth Ordeals.

If this statistic were calculated on a sample of exceptional Players like his current audience, the result would certainly be much more optimistic. These Players, resistant to intimidation, knew this perfectly well.

Naturally, Aslael was an experienced Instructor. Even if his audience's reaction was a bit lukewarm, it took much more to discourage him. Adapting his demeanor, a sardonic smile distorted his uncommon face.

"This information doesn't surprise you much and I understand that," He said calmly, maintaining his thin knowing smile. "After all, most of you have a pretty special background, and this information is not exactly a secret. Even if the Oracle tried to conceal it, you could easily count how many participants come back alive from their Fifth Ordeal to compile this statistic yourself."

Several Players nodded in agreement. Jake himself had already heard this information. That was why he wanted to be much stricter and more selective when choosing the Myrtharian Nerds who would participate with him in his next Ordeal.

Will was also aware, but even though his Oracle Device could theoretically record everything, he still began to write everything down on a notepad, even though his intelligence was supposed to be more than enough to remember a few phrases forever. This earned him several eye rolls from his peers, notably Enya who was sitting on the seat to his right.

Failing to elicit any reaction from his audience, Aslael stopped wasting their time and began to formally instruct them, revealing information that their previous status as Fourth-Ordeal contestants did not allow them to access.

"You already know that the death rate is abysmally high, but you don't know why," the Instructor resumed his lecture in a monotone voice, his enthusiasm buried under his audience's indifference. "Let me explain it to you.

"Starting from your next Ordeal, you should be aware that you will formally graduate from your beginner status. The first four Ordeals are like a demo, a long four-step tutorial intended to prepare you for the real challenges that await you. It's also an opportunity for you to learn more about yourselves, but it's also proof of the Oracle's sincerity. To make you participate in these deadly Ordeals, we could conscript you by force or dangle only the enticing rewards and promises of power and wealth associated with them. But the high-ranking officials of the Mirror Universe did not do so. On this point, even if some of the Oracle's practices are questionable, you cannot doubt its transparency."

Despite his reservations about the Oracle System, Jake could only nod in agreement. An entity as all-powerful as the Oracle could indeed decide their future with a snap of its fingers if it so desired.

"... So now, let me explain to you what will really change starting from the Fifth Ordeal, besides the fact that you will now skydive without a 'parachute'." Aslael's eyes narrowed at this moment, becoming as cold as a serpent's. Counting on his fingers, he apathetically enumerated, "The first thing that will change is that your status as a Player will take on a whole new dimension. Until now, the Ordeals in which you participated took place in the Mirror Universe and were organized directly by the Oracle System or another entity native and loyal to it. As here on Quanoth, the Ordeal can be created or under the jurisdiction of an Ancient Designer, but most of the time a simple Oracle Sovereign or Governor suffices.

"From the Fifth Ordeal, that will no longer be the case. For those who have managed to live with blinders on until now, the Mirror Universe is not the only macro-universe in the cosmos, and it is constantly competing with other Mirror Universes for space or Aether. These Mirror Universes, in some respects, have the same instincts as any living being. They want to grow and above all, they do not want to disappear. The Oracle, for many, would be the manifestation of a form of sentience of the Mirror Universe, although the truth is much more complicated and a mystery that few people are qualified to hear."

"Anyway, let's move on. As luck would have it, these other Mirror Universes also have their own versions of the Oracle. They might have a different name, but essentially, their functions are the same. The crucial point here is that each of these Mirror Universes has its own Aetheric signature, and everything that comes into existence is marked by it, like an indelible barcode. It's like an Aetheric ID card that each of us possesses, guaranteeing our loyalty and affiliation to our Mirror Universe. Under normal circumstances, you cannot betray either the Oracle or your Mirror Universe, but I digress.

"The point of all this is that you are like cells in a huge body. You are the equivalent of an immune system for our Mirror Universe and the Oracle."

Aslael paused and, this time, a genuinely proud and satisfied smile appeared on his face as he surveyed the crowd. These crestfallen and flabbergasted expressions were exactly what he wanted to see! Gloating, he added, "Hahaha! That's right! You're just some fucking white blood cell. Those who refuse to fight are worth even less than that. At best, you're inert connective tissue!"

The Players had already regained their initial composure, and he only elicited thoughtful frowns from them. It was really difficult to rattle these hardened veterans.

"Cough…Anyway. Some Aetherists claim that at a certain point in time, these Mirror Universes were growing peacefully by absorbing infinite Dream Aether until their borders collided. This Aetheric signature that we possess within us instinctively allows us to recognize and reject what comes from another Mirror Universe. To continue the immune system metaphor, anything that comes from a different Mirror Universe than our own will be instinctively perceived by each of us as a foreign body, an antigen to be eradicated."

All the Players present in the room frowned at this moment. This instinctive revulsion and hostility...wasn't that what Digestors felt towards them? Conversely, although they all hated Digestors, it was not some kind of inexplicable deep-seated hatred.

Jake tried to remember what he had felt when he had encountered his first Digestor, and the image of a partially translucent gray mouse dragging a stray cat in the darkness flashed in his mind. He immediately felt a chill.

What he had felt the first time he saw a Digestor was a terrible primal fear triggered by his survival instinct. At the time, it seemed normal given his surprise, but in hindsight, it was a typical fight-or-flight reaction. When he had encountered that Rank 0 Digestor again, he had fought it to the death without hesitation.

"No, it's different," Jake shook his head. He was certain that no strange force influenced his behavior when encountering a Digestor.

Even if it did exist, it was only a disgust or a diffuse animosity. Not the kind of instinct that would foolishly push someone to put their life on the line to exterminate these aliens under any common sense.

Aslael chuckled sadistically as he contemplated their troubled expressions.

"I can guess what's bothering you, and you're right," He confirmed their fears. "Digestors are something that the Mirror Universe considers a threat. But while living beings from another Mirror Universe are just considered foreign bodies or antigens, Digestors are closer to a virus or parasite that no vaccine or medication can purge.

"This is true for our Mirror Universe... and it's true for others. I don't know how many Mirror Universes exist, but the six Mirror Universes with which our borders are in contact are also infested with Digestors. These creatures corrupt and devour our Mirror Universes, and no one knows why or where they come from. Perhaps they were there from the beginning.

"No Mirror Universe wants to disappear or be corrupted. If these Mirror Universes let their white blood cells fight without surveillance, due to their forces being of equal size, none of them would be able to come out on top. The Digestors would take advantage of the situation to fish in troubled waters with even less restraint, and in the end, all these Mirror Universes would be devoured or corrupted over the very long term.

"There is only one thing that can really buy time for these Mirror Universes against these Digestor parasites: more and more Aether and increasing the Grade of their Aetheric signature until it surpasses the Grade of the Aether Code at the origin of the Corruption."