The Oracle Paths

1214  Mascots of Mayhem

The animals pointed out by Cho Min Ho drew a few surprised eyebrows, but those in the know remained impassive. An unexpected, thorny complication must have cropped up in his plans to force him into unveiling these precious secret weapons under the spotlight.

He had picked three seemingly innocent creatures: a chihuahua, a brilliantly green lizard that was only just a bit more imposing, and a juvenile marmoset that looked even more harmless and peaceful than the others. Undoubtedly, the kind of critters youʼd rather cuddle than send to commit suicide in a cage match that would decide the fate of two peoples.

These three mascots were relatively famous among the ordinary members of their faction for their cuteness, but the higher-ranking Players tended to despise them—or even completely ignore their existence. After all, the Kingʼs Idol Alliance was a massive faction boasting millions of subordinates.

As a result, nearly no one in Cho Min Hoʼs shock troop had any idea of their names or nicknames—not even whether these three had one at all. Just as they were paying attention to what their leader was about to instruct, they were quickly disappointed to realize that the orders had been transmitted telepathically in the blink of an eye.

Once his commands reached their recipients, Cho Min Ho broke the silence and said coldly,

”You understand whatʼs at stake, right?”

The three mascots swapped glances, then solemnly nodded. After a beat, the tiny marmoset scratched its head in embarrassment, as if wondering how on earth they were supposed to execute their first order.

A vein throbbed along the Koreanʼs temple as he watched them stand there like idiots—their phony, adorable act repulsing him just as much as the riffraff surrounding him.

”Donʼt get smart with me. If I give you the order, youʼll be rewarded accordingly. Mani will serve as the anchor and cover the activation cost of the Space Link. Iʼll reimburse him later.”

If Jake had been there, heʼd have definitely bristled at the mention of the Space Link—a Faction Skill that their faction also possessed.

Much like the Vitality Link, it allowed Players within the same faction to establish a connection and teleport to a teammateʼs position, provided that the teammate granted permission. The cost in Aether Points was astronomical and quickly skyrocketed as the teleportation distance increased. If the requesting Player couldnʼt foot the bill, the receiver could pay on their behalf—or even split the cost.

The three pets, acting like brain-dead idiots instead of following orders, flat-out declined to shoulder that expense. It was no wonder that Cho Min Ho and the other elite Players held them in contempt.

Even for Cho Min Ho, transferring the three creatures was going to set him back a pretty penny. Their current position was separated from the central battlefield—where his double, Mani, was stationed—by hundreds of millions of kilometers.

Meanwhile, Mani had already activated the Space Link, shedding tears of blood. Their boss had promised to reimburse him, but would he ever actually pay him back?

Having access to a huge chunk of the memories of the person he once was through his metamorphosis, Mani knew better than anyone what kind of man their boss truly was. It would have been more than enough if he reimbursed even a part of the cost.

Shortly afterward, the three mascotsʼ eyes went wide as they received a notification confirming that the Space Link had been activated on Maniʼs end. The shapeshifter had indeed fronted the expense—their detestable smirk said it all.

Glancing at their hideously joyful expressions, Cho Min Ho immediately sent them packing with a dismissive wave of his hand.

”Scram!” he barked, eager to be rid of those eyesores.

The three creatures didnʼt hesitate, but the time they took to accept the teleportation was so unbearably slow that it could only have been on purpose. Once the icons were gone, Cho Min Ho took in the mocking looks and jeering smirks fixed on him and snorted dryly,

”The first one to open it dies. Letʼs move out!”

”Wow, the bossʼs otherworldly temper got taken down in seconds by three silly pets. Awesom—”

Bang!

The lanky guy—fearless as ever and still giving a thumbs-up—had his head explode in a geyser of blood, shattered skull fragments, and chunks of brain matter. Every Player within a ten-meter radius got splattered; some even ended up with bits in their mouths. You could say the ex-death-row convict had finally gotten his just deserts, albeit a few years overdue.

As if…

A second later, a bloody bud burst from the stump of his neck with a squelching noise, and a few seconds later, a head identical to the one that had just exploded popped into existence.

That explained his fearlessness: he was nearly impossible to kill. Of course, that was only by conventional means. Cho Min Ho never intended to kill him—just to teach him a little lesson.

”Let this be a warning.”

”Sure, hehe…”

During that brief interlude, the group pressed on, still completely in the dark about the commands the three icons had received. But really, who cared? They were far more fired up about the upcoming mission. If it delivered on its promises, theyʼd have a real shot at boosting their Ordeal Rating significantly…

*****

At the moment the three icons accepted the teleportation invite, Jake and the other Myrtharian Nerds present immediately sensed fluctuations in the space around Cho Min Hoʼs double.

Only Jake had a strong affinity with space, though all of them possessed senses far beyond human limits. Without fully understanding what was happening, they all felt something—the same sensation they experienced when traveling through a Yellow Cube.

”A Space Link?” Jake mused. He could clearly discern the web of Aether Runes and Symbols weaving through the layers of the Aetherdream, and in a single glance, he recognized the fluctuations.

Mani, who was still hoping to discreetly call in the trio, darkened upon hearing his murmur but kept silent, gritting his teeth. If Cho Min Ho ever found out heʼd let slip that information, heʼd be in for the beating of a lifetime.

It should be noted that even Amy and Lee Yoon had never divulged in detail the Faction Skills of Kingʼs Idol Alliance to Jake—despite their obvious desire to cooperate with him. Worse yet, they werenʼt even aware of it.

Just as they had found themselves that morning in an unknown location without understanding why or how, there were other filters imposed on their behavior that they didnʼt even know existed. All the Players in Kingʼs Idol Alliance were like that, oblivious to the fact that they were under the yoke of a terrifying mental enslavement.

Jake and Asfrid had, of course, noticed these signs for a long time—they just hadnʼt gathered irrefutable evidence yet. The traces of foreign energy detected in these Players werenʼt enough to pin the blame on their leader.

Soon, the Players and generals present fixed their eyes on the three ”champions” Mani had magically summoned, sparking a variety of reactions.

Crunch, who had just returned, was the first to swivel his head haughtily, refusing even to glance in their direction. Lord Phenix, more upfront, soared directly over their heads before gleefully shitting all over them—in a style reminiscent of a WWII bomber.

By some utterly mysterious method, his droppings didnʼt follow the logical acceleration dictated by the laws of gravity; instead, they suddenly picked up speed, splashing almost instantly.

The chihuahua—who had been excitedly barking to announce his arrival—got hit square in the face. The lizard and the marmoset scrambled away in panic, their expressions shifting from furious to shocked, especially upon seeing the poor dog coughing flames as if heʼd just choked on liquid fire.

Most of the generals and Myrtharian Nerds either sympathized or felt awkward, but the true connoisseurs frowned solemnly. After the chihuahua finished vomiting, it turned out he hadnʼt suffered a scratch. This wasnʼt regeneration—he was simply unscathed.

”Well… I guess thatʼs one way to say hello,” Will cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to defuse the mounting discomfort. ”I take it these are the candidates youʼve chosen for the upcoming beast duels under your command. Looks like youʼre taking this seriously. I was worried youʼd sabotage us, so I suppose I owe you an apology.”

”Weʼre on the same side,” the shapeshifter replied in a civil tone, regaining his impassivity. ”We might be rivals—or at least competitors—but weʼd never lose sight of the greater interests that bind us all.”

”Glad weʼre on the same wavelength,” Will chuckled, giving him a pointed, loaded look.

A minute later, the enraged, uncontrollable chihuahua was hurled over the stands by an impatient Mani, landing directly in the arena. The duels could finally resume.

Iʼm repeating this for those who havenʼt seen it on Discord: the daily releases resume today. My writing conditions are better this month, so Iʼll do my best to catch up. Thanks again to everyone who keeps supporting me and remains patient despite all these setbacks.

Arkinslize