Chapter 410: Greed Candidate!

[The host’s state is caused by malformation of cell data duplicating through regeneration, induced by the host’s regenerative capacity...]

Seth’s jaw went slack, "..."

"S-so you’re saying I have cancer?" Seth stuttered, his voice thin.

[...]

The oracle flashed for a second...

[Searching for the meaning of the word cancer in the host’s linguistic heritage...]

"..."

The oracle sparked and pulsed, flickering with a jade-green fluorescence.

Flashing and processing...

Within a few seconds it gave a final pulse, signaling its confirmation, a voice billowing loud in Seth’s mind.

[Yes, host, you have cancer!]

"!!!" Seth lurched forward, "What the fuck do you mean cancer?"

[To be specific, the host has a condition of malformed cells plaguing your pathways’ connection to the nerve endings of your brain!]

[Essence Carcinoma! Your people might call it? But by your measuring standards it should be at stage four, serious yet not yet complete as the host still has access to intelligence...]

Seth almost went dizzy from trying to process the info, everything not making sense to him at all...

"Wait! Wait, wait," he waved his left hand as his right massaged his forehead, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"Slow down... break it down for me I’m overwhelmed..."

[Sure thing host...]

[Due to what can be estimated as overstimulation or stress put on the cells, a single malformation occurred...]

[A product humans can call a cancerous cell, unfortunately this cell adapted really fast and masked itself from the immune system, giving it time to duplicate...]

Seth blinked, he sighed, he could already see where this was going...

[It just so happens that this malformation appeared at the essence stems at the nerve ending of your brain’s central unit...]

[Essence stems that allow you to perceive the essence nodes, also allowing you to access the essence force and stats.]

[Since stats were forms of essence that integrate into cells, it also fell under this category, so as the cancer spread it corrupted the stems, disconnecting the host access to corresponding essence nodes and hence access to these forces...]

[Though the cancer is not yet done as it has yet to corrupt the essence stem linked to intelligence, hence why the host still has access.]

Seth’s jaw hardened as he deciphered...

He also had reason to believe that if he had woken up earlier he would still have had some access to his attributes, as the cancer’s growth was fast but it still needed time.

Over the course of five weeks of total blackout, the cancer had spread without facing any hindrance and it had gained so much momentum.

Eating through so much of his strength that he wasn’t sure he would be able to stop it now.

"Is there a cure for this condition?"

[Sure, host, there’s always a universal cure for terminal conditions...]

Seth sat up straight, hope beginning to surface in his chest. "And what is it?"

The orb flashed brilliantly, its voice echoing in Seth’s mind.

[The Evolution of Life! Ascension as some would put it...]

Before Seth’s hope could get up completely the oracle continued.

[Though the requirements for this case would be several times more difficult... an 86.3% fatality rate, to be exact...]

Seth blinked, "..."

[Well, on the bright side, those who succeed gain access to stat efficiency that dwarfs their peers’ by about 80%... it is an Equivalent Exchange of sorts...]

Seth remained silent, "Fuck! To evolve I will need to get a second class, gain a Profession, and level them and the currently existing one to 50..." he hissed painfully as he calculated...

Though he had access to enough x-cells to initiate the evolution, he still hadn’t met the requirements...

And to meet the requirements, he would have to go to the origin realm, a feat that would be impossible unless he could somehow regain access to will...

And to top all that off, the oracle was telling him that he would still have to fulfill a few extra, more difficult requirements on this list...

Only to get a 13.7% chance of survival at the end...

"I’m fucked, aren’t I..." Seth cursed, collapsing weakly onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.

The oracle, taking his words as a question, flashed and gave a response...

["Fucked!" Searching for the meaning of the word "Fucked!"...]

[Interpreting meaning through context....]

Seth sighed, face-palming, not bothering to stop the oracle.

[Context meaning analyzed!]

[No, host, you aren’t "Fucked!" You still have a way out of this, especially seeing you have an astounding amount of providence...]

Seth brought his hands away from his face, his brows furrowing, "How do you know that I have astounding fortune?"

The orb pulsed...

[The host required me to perform a diagnostic which in turn also required me to perform a scan, from this I caught a glimpse of the host’s magnificent providence...]

Seth’s frown eased, and he sighed bitterly, "Magnificent my ass, if it was so great I wouldn’t have gotten cancer..."

Once more taking Seth’s words as though they were posed to it the oracle crystal pulsed and responded.

[Actually that might not be related to your fortune but instead be connected to a possible misfortune contamination...]

Seth blinked, ’Misfortune...’ the word casting him back to a recurring, irritating feeling itching at his sixth sense.

A feeling he got from Zoan when her providence tried linking with his...

This... no wonder it provoked irritation from his heart, so it was misfortune, he had mistaken it for fortuitous providence.

To think that despite actively resisting it, it still contaminated him.

With his intelligence still active and his mind slowly recovering, Seth’s mental processing capabilities were being restored.

Allowing him to regain the ability to deduce accurately from just a few clues...

Now that he had established the problem and the source, it was time to find a solution.

Finding a sliver of control in the chaotic situation he found himself in gave Seth a sense of hope he never imagined he would get.

While he was initially disappointed by the low percentage, the more he thought of it the more eager he became, like they say, half a loaf is better than none...

He asked... ’Is there a way I can access the origin realm in my state?’

The oracle crystal flashed.

[No, host, without access to will you can’t interact with the origin gate, but you can regain access to will without the need for reestablishment of the cancerous essence stem...]

Seth perked up, "How?"

[Through only specific, fortuitous circumstances that can only be initiated by chance...]

Seth’s shoulders sagged, his morale beginning to deflate, "Sigh... what’s the point of giving me hope?"

[Don’t misunderstand, host, you are awake because the halo of misfortune corrupting your providence has been expelled...]

[Right now everything in this world would align to your favour, you need not fret...]

The oracle had barely finished speaking when a flare of green lit the windows, catching Seth’s attention...

He rushed to the windows, glancing through them, the scene above revealed to him, the image of a sky dyed completely green reflected in his pupils.

A strange force infiltrating the air, and converging around him...

The system sparked to life, a notification bar hovering above his vision...

[Congratulations! Seth Duskreaver, you have been selected as the candidate of Greed!]