The Oracle Paths

Jake was somewhat dismayed that the enemy had faltered so easily, but he took the opportunity to check on how the rookies in his squad were handling their new equipment. He had forged it hastily, but had still put his heart into it and was curious to see how they were using it.

The first he spotted was the former alcoholic, Ekho, who hadn't lost his old habits. Despite being decked out in a brand-new enchanted set, he hadn't abandoned his practice of shadowing Jake closely. Whether it was a sordid nose for opportunities, sheer fanaticism, or survival instinct bordering on paranoia, Jake couldn't help but admire his consistency.

But this time, it had backfired on him. While their other squadmates racked up their first kills chasing down the fleeing enemies, the barbarian found himself momentarily without an opponent.

"B-boss, aren't you going after them?" Ekho asked awkwardly, fidgeting with his sword as if restraining himself from joining the frenzied chase.

"No need," Jake grimaced. "Crunch and the other dumb turkey are on it."

It was only then that the alcoholic remembered that it was indeed the two unruly beasts who had initiated the charge. Right now, the two small pets were out of sight, but a jet of flame or screams of agony gave a rough indication of their whereabouts.

And when Ekho turned his gaze towards the direction of those distant cries and pyrotechnic displays... His eyes widened in shock!

"Holy shit, isn't that where the enemy commander was barking out orders?" He blurted out in astonishment.

Jake smiled. "And it's also the direction he was fleeing in. Crunch might be a slap-worthy idiot, but he's my cat. They'll make short work of a Light Paladin. Especially if he's foolish enough to turn his back on them…"

With his sharp vision, Jake had no trouble seeing their situation through the numerous rows of allied and enemy troops. Indeed, a few seconds later, he noticed the all-but-subtle orange turkey burst out from between two guards too slow to react, and with a flap of its free wing, propelled itself like a missile straight towards…

"AAARRRRRRRGH!"

The piercing scream of agony from the privileged Commander Lancel echoed across the battlefield, a 20-foot lance having impaled his rear end up to the hilt… The tragedy was that, like any Light Warrior with a decent degree of cultivation, his body was massive and resilient, and his Lifeforce abundant.

Believe it or not, but the Light Paladin so dramatically deflowered was still alive… Not for long, though…

Frustrated that his partner had snatched his target, Crunch appeared inconspicuously behind the already deeply lodged lance and with a 'gentle' paw stroke, drove it entirely in… The tip of the lance emerged through the top of the Light Paladin's skull, killing him instantly.

"That was… ugh… I'd rather erase that from my memory," Jake's jaw twitched in disgust, but he knew that, unfortunately, due to his eidetic memory, this repugnant vision would be imprinted in his mind forever.

Ekho, who didn't have a good enough view to comprehend what luck he had, showed a confused expression at seeing his boss's face distorted by disgust, but he attributed it to the pervasive smell of blood and guts enveloping the battlefield.

Meanwhile, the other rookies continued to pursue the Light Warriors in full rout, the death of their company commander only adding to the chaos. The other members of his squad also took the opportunity to nourish their Lumyst Aura as much as possible.

It was a veritable feast!

Jashuzen had finally decided to keep his previous axe and therefore wielded a battleaxe in each hand. The catch was that he only used one, his cherished heirloom serving only to parry a few rare blows.

The difference between the two axes was an unbridgeable chasm. The well-born barbarian didn't even need to touch his opponents to slice them in half. Simply slicing the air in their direction was sufficient, as long as they weren't too far away.

Watching a half-dozen tall and sturdy Light Warriors get minced from more than ten meters away by Jashuzen with a single invisible blade of unknown origin, Jake began to realize he might have made a mistake.

No need to lay low with such recruits... The corner of Jake's lip twitched imperceptibly, but the damage was already done.

[Recruits, who are from the same squad as you and whom you are the captain of~] Xi sang mockingly, enjoying rubbing salt in his wound.

"Fuck…"

"W-what?" Ekho stammered, thinking he had messed up, but received no response.

That said, they might also take an interest in where these weapons came from. Jake decided to see the glass half full for a change. If I supply such weapons and armor to natives of other armies, they might have a hard time tracing the origin back to me.

[Don't get your hopes up too high.] Xi scoffed sarcastically.

'Tsk… You're such a killjoy.'

[Take that as a compliment.]

Of course, assuming he had the time, energy, and inclination to arm everyone, which wasn't necessarily the case, Cho Min Ho would inevitably be informed. After what he had learned from Amy about the King's Idol Alliance, he didn't want to indirectly arm its members.

Because there was no fooling himself. Even if he only offered these weapons to the natives, it would be child's play for Players to take them back, whether by theft, blackmail, or legal requisition. After all, Cho Min Ho was currently the reigning Soulmancer King and theoretically had all the rights as long as the true king didn't invalidate his authority.

Speaking of the true Soulmancer King…

Thonzo was gleefully slaughtering one Light Warrior after another with his new claymore without touching them, his Lumyst Aura condensing visibly. Claire and Scelacabe were also racking up kills with their long spears with disturbing ease, their equipment boosting their combat strength indecently.

It was like giving level 100 mythical equipment to a level 1 newbie, who should only have access to common rarity items of the same level. Just one of the artifacts he had forged was more than enough to make them invincible among their peers.

At some point, a Vitalist, enraged at seeing his loyal troops decimated like minnows, decided to personally put an end to the killing spree by the two young women. He was the vice-

commander of the company that had just lost its commander and was already on the edge of losing his cool.

The warrior, towering over 5 meters tall, appeared out of nowhere, defying all sense, and covered fifty meters in a single leap. Neither Claire nor Scelacabe could react in time.

BOOOM!

Although they miraculously moved out of his trajectory just in time, the ground collapsed under the Vitalist's weight at the impact, burying the two undefeated women under a mountain of rubble.

"Claire! Scelacabe!"

Thonzo and Jashuzen, who were fighting at their side, let out anguished cries at seeing them taken down so easily, and their sense of invincibility took a hit. Their enraged killer, however, couldn't be satisfied with killing two women two stages of cultivation below him and immediately turned his murderous gaze towards the remaining two recruits.

Gulp.

Even over-equipped with their enchanted artifacts, the two natives were petrified with fear, on the verge of fleeing like those they had just been chasing. But as the powerful Light Warrior set his sights on Thonzo with a carnivorous throat rumble, the ground beneath his feet trembled and he leaped into the air just in time to see it explode.

Rocks and dirt shot into the air like omnidirectional artillery fire, taking out friend and foe alike. Thonzo and Jashuzen were not spared either, getting hit by two rock projectiles the size of footballs with the velocity of a cannonball.

"Ffuu-"

BANG!

The Vitalist, having calmly dodged in time, landed a little further away and after the dust settled, inspected the devastated area to try and understand what had just happened.

The first thing that struck him was the hundred or so Underworld Barbarians and Light Warriors lying dead or grievously injured on the ground. Neither their inferior equipment, nor their immature Lumyst Auras, nor their frail physiques could have saved them from such a destructive force.

But as the vice-captain of the company was about to leave the area, his bloodlust satisfied, his eye caught movement in his peripheral vision. When he identified the things responsible for these movements, his tranquil face paled substantially.

The four recruits he had come to personally kill were not only all alive, but also unharmed.

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