The Oracle Paths

"Next!"

To make his entrance even more dazzling, Jake unleashed his mental pressure at full force, the air around him simmering with a palpable murderous intent. Despite the Digestors' infamous fearlessness, he expected at least a twitch or a startle. But instead, the monsters, struggling to their feet, swiveled their heads in his direction in unison.

Their chaotic trampling upon one another ceased. His single, intimidating command captured their attention entirely, making them oblivious to everything else.

As countless pairs of sinister silver orbs fixed upon him with a fierce hunger, Jake's countenance sobered. Yet, it was not out of fear. His thirst for slaughter and hunger was no less potent than theirs. However, unlike these creatures, he had to resist the urge to succumb to it.

"Now, we're talking." Jake snorted, seizing the initiative this time.

Stomping his foot on the ground, he lunged forward, disappearing from his initial position, only to reappear in front of the first monster struggling to its feet. His movement was so swift it generated a thunderous blast in his wake. Jake threw a casual punch forward, the resulting noise evoking the report of a rifle, momentarily overpowering the cacophony of beastly growls.

Before his fist even struck the creature's temple, oblivious to the lethal danger it was in, a shockwave crushed its skull into a bloody pulp. The shockwave didn't stop there; it continued, surging forth at supersonic speed, decimating everything in its path.

BANG!

A cylinder of vacuum, about two meters in diameter, purged the long corridor, atomizing all the piled-up Digestors unfortunate enough to be in its way. This was the result of a mere punch from Jake.

Retracting his fist with an indifferent expression, Jake looked down at the grotesque creatures shrieking and writhing in agony. The surviving Digestors lucky enough to be closer to the walls had lost anything from a few limbs to their entire thorax. The most unfortunate had lost half their brains, as if cleaved by an ultra-sharp blade.

Not giving them a chance to regenerate, Jake narrowed his eyes, an invisible psychic wave closing in on the survivors like a vice. Their soul's spiritual spark was snuffed out instantly as their Spirit Bodies collapsed, ending their existence definitively.

Without that, those with intact brains did not perish, but the rest collapsed as if life's current had been cut, their grievous injuries continuing to regenerate visibly for quite a while.

Only after Jake waved his hand again, absorbing a surge of blood essence and life force, did their cellular activity cease completely.

On the whole, Jake had been surprised by these monsters, but these Digestors should not pose a lethal threat to his comrades.

[Most are between Rank 7 and 8.5.] Xi reported immediately after the skirmish. [As for their Body Stats, particularly their strength and constitution, they're significantly inferior to their Aether levels, only 3 to 10 times higher than that of an average earthling. Only their vitality is decent. This places them at the lower end of the Digestor power spectrum]

[They are failures. Botched evolutions.] Xi concluded, finishing her analysis.

Jake nodded, showing no surprise. It was within his expectations.

Rank 7 Digestors had an average Aether density of 2050 units, but their stats were often skewed in favor of the physical. The average of Rank 8 Digestors stood at 9600 units, making them formidable adversaries even for Fifth-Ordeal Evolvers.

But it was the derived attributes of their Body Stats and Spirit Body level that truly determined their threat level. As the average Fifth-Ordeal Evolver had physical strength around 500 points, these Digestors were indeed botched evolutions."

"If this is the best this Dungeon Digestor can throw at me, then there's nothing to fear." Jake said coolly.

Yet, he did not intend to underestimate them. Before setting off again, he first scanned one of the relatively intact corpses with his real bracelet this time, the Artifact Incarnation not allowing him to access the Oracle System's database.

Unexpectedly, his attempt to connect to the Oracle System failed immediately, reminding him how deeply Lure's death and the sabotage of the Aether Network would affect his everyday life.

Even so... Wasn't the degradation of the Aether Network a bit too fast? Aside from potentially being inside a Dungeon Digestor, the fact that it likely controlled the Magnetic Resonator probably had something to do with it.

It complicated things. Fortunately, he now had the Mirror World as a backup.

Copying all the information he could, he let Xi connect to the virtual dimension in his stead, waiting for her return. It wasn't as straightforward as with his bracelet, but a few seconds later, Xi returned with news.

Regrettably, from her silence and her stern mood, Jake guessed he wouldn't like her findings.

[I have a good, a bad, and a very bad news.] Xi began gravely, confirming his suspicion. [Which one would you like to hear first?]

Jake's eyelid twitched, but exhaling with resignation he sighed, "Doesn't matter."

Xi rolled her eyes, figuratively speaking, and revealed with utmost seriousness,

[The good news is that the Mirror World recognizes these creatures. These Digestors are known as Sinewshades and although their power varies greatly from one specimen to another, they have only one ability we need to worry about.]

"What a fitting name." Jake sneered. With their rotting, slightly translucent flesh exposed, the name indeed suited them. "And what is this ability? Don't tell me. Judging by their disgusting faces... I'd say poison? Or some kind of infection?"

[Bingo.] Xi confirmed without being upset at being outdone. Because the real shock came right after. [This leads me to the bad news. Sinewshades are considered a kind of zombie. Those we just faced are not naturally spawning Digestors, but living beings irreversibly infected. The bad news is that their claws, teeth, and bodily fluids carry this infectious agent. You must not let them scratch you or come into physical contact with their blood and saliva.]

Before even hearing the "very" bad news, Jake had already guessed what it was going to be, and his expression was as ugly as if he'd just eaten excrement thinking it was his favorite chocolate cake.

And alas, Xi didn't disappoint.

[The very bad news is that if they are not naturally spawning Digestors, we are dealing either with a virus or a Digestor capable of infecting and rallying other living beings to its cause. Unfortunately, from the bits of info I could gather in the Mirror World, there's a high chance we are dealing with the former case. Considering we are likely inside a Dungeon Digestor, it's nothing short of a catastrophe.]

Jake was intelligent and immediately grasped the implications. Dungeon Digestors had the primary ability to generate Digestors based on the DNA and Aether Code of its victims, or its own imagination and knowledge if necessary.

The type of Digestors a Dungeon Digestor produced was not fixed, but they quickly developed a certain style based on their personalities and experiences.

If the worst scenario was confirmed, then this immature Dungeon Digestor had specialized in creating Digestor Viruses. Such an enemy could neither be seen nor dodged. Only their immune system could offer resistance.

For the vast majority of Evolvers, especially lower-level ones, this was an internal process over which they had no control. Once infected, it was the end.

The only lever at their disposal was their Vitality and Constitution attributes. The higher these were, the more likely they were to resist the virus.

The problem was that fighting a virus was different from fighting a flesh-and-bone Digestor. Once defeated, the virus's remnants decayed not in the open air but within their bodies.

In other words, even if they successfully defended themselves from the virus after infection, their Corruption levels would still rise, the corrupted proteins of the virus being devoured by macrophages and then reabsorbed by their organisms.

Realising all this, an expression of horror darkened his face, and he cursed loudly,

"Fuck!"

Seized by a sense of urgency, Jake dashed forward like an artillery shell in the corridor carpeted with silver blood and grayish viscera. If before he just wanted to find his friends, now he had to get them out of here before it was too late.

For unlike him, if they were infected, it would almost certainly be the end.

On that thought, Jake, barely having launched into his sprint, ground to a sudden halt. With trepidation knotting his stomach, he scrutinized his status. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he found his condition to be unaffected.

There appeared to be no sign of infection. Still, he sought Xi's opinion.

"Do you reckon the virus spreads through the air?"

[Unquestionably.] Came Xi's grave response. [You remain uninfected due to your phenomenal vitality and constitution, but it's merely a matter of time.]