As Jake waited patiently for the results of his Ordeal in utter darkness, he had a sudden surge of hope when the Oracle System interface popped up in his face, but he soon regretted it.
[Participant: Jake Wilderth, Earthling]
[Assessment of injuries in progress...]
[...]
[Assessment complete. Serious injuries have been detected and treatment will begin imminently. The cost of treatment will be deducted from your Ordeal Credits and if not sufficient from your Aether points. Keep in mind that the care performed in the Red Cube post-Ordeal is 100 times cheaper than in a Green Cube outside.]
[Will you accept the care?]
What could Jake respond to that, frankly? He was down to one head, his Soul had suffered badly after all his suicidal spirit attacks, not to mention the fact that his Myrtharian Bloodline was at its lowest level since he obtained it. It hadn't regressed in levels, but it was indeed nerfed. If he refused the healing, it would be great if he could produce the power of his Level 1 Myrtharian Bloodline.
Bloodline Ignition used so abusively came at a price, not to mention the fact that it would take time to raise the Bloodline level of his new cells to the same level as those in his head.
But above all he remembered perfectly the outrageous prices displayed in the Green Cube. Restoring a body with only a head left cost 100M Aether points at the time and that was with his stats, Bloodline and biomass from back then. It would probably cost a lot more today. As for spirit wounds... He didn't want to know.
His only consolation was that the Ordeal Credits doubled in value with each Ordeal and one credit was already worth 100,000 Aether points at his First Ordeal. Now, each credit would be worth a grand total of 400,000 Aether points.
With a fatalistic sigh, Jake accepted the offer. He couldn't win every time. The previous Ordeal he had netted 27 tons of liquid alloy and this time he would have to spend his Ordeal credits to heal himself before even knowing how much he would earn.
[Physical Body Restoration. Cost: 7.5 credits]
[Spirit Body Restoration. Cost: 57 credits]
[Soul Restoration. Cost: 247 credits]
[Bloodline Restoration. Cost: 48 credits]
[Total Care Cost: 359.5 credits.]
"Fuck!"
For a second, Jake had almost thought he was going to get away with it, but reality had quickly turned on him. The Oracle was still as cunning and hateful as ever, and he had long since visualized him as a greedy, intractable businessman or a crooked dictator.
In any case, Jake had to admit that the care was impeccable. This was the first time he had ever enjoyed the services of a Green Cube, or at least the Healing Magic they were equipped with, and he had to admit that it was just awesome.
Although he couldn't feel his body in the Red Cube's dark space, the recovery of his Soul, Spirit Body and Bloodline was the most delicious thrill he had ever experienced. Not even the Oracle Heal he had used during the Ordeal could compare to this.
[Third Ordeal concluded]
[Type: Horror/ Space Travel]
[Aether density: *20 or 200 pts]
[Number of participants: 6,694,729]
[Main Mission: Discover the truth behind the premature awakening of the Titan Pearl's crew and passengers as well as the mystery behind the call for help.]
[Penalty for failure: None.]
[Evaluation of the Ordeal in progress...]
[...]
[Evaluation complete. The result is as follows:]
[-First Side Mission: Go to the command room and make sure all your companions are safe and sound : Rating: Perfect= +50]
[-Second Side Mission: Escape the creatures of Yotai Shien 3 for as long as possible: Rating: Perfect: +100]
[-Third Side Mission: Find a way to leave Yotai Shien 3: Rating: Perfect= +100]
[-Fourth Side Mission: Discover the truth behind what really happened on Yotai Shien 3: Rating: Perfect= +100]
[-Fifth Side Mission: Try to keep the people under your protection alive as long as possible : Rating : Average= +50]
[Exploration; Rating: Very Good= +30 pts]
[Proactivity; Rating: Excellent= +50]
[Fighting; Rating: Very Active= +25]
[ Other exploits:]
[Exploit n°2: Inquisitor Massacre (5/8) : Rating= +100]
[Exploit n°3: Survive a 1vs1 duel against Nylreg : Rating= +200]
[Exploit n°4: Attend the fight of Verxes and Faeyr and live to tell the tale : Rating= +100]
[Special Exploit n°1: Rescue a ghost: Rating= +10]
[Special Exploit n°2: Win a Round of the Monster Game: Rating= +10]
[Special Exploit n°3 : Recruit a Fluid Grand Master in his Faction : Rating= +30]
[Special Exploit n°4 : Defeat Nylreg as a team : Rating= +50]
[Total rating: +1205]
[ This score is ranked first in this Ordeal and in the top 0.000 000 000 01% of all Third Ordeals combined. Congratulations!]
[Reward n°1: Oracle Rank +3= Sergeant Major>Command Sergeant Major(-200)>Second Lieutenant (-400)> First Lieutenant(-400)]
[Reward n°2: Bronze Artefact : Purgatory. The conversion of the Fluid Artifact into an Aether Artifact will be carried out for free by the Oracle System.]
[Reward n°3: The Fluid Master Core developed during the Ordeal can be kept as an Aether Soul Core for only 100 credits. In case of refusal, 200M Aether points will be returned to you in compensation.]