Chapter 1296 - Questioning Assumptions
Added 2026-02-02 08:47:05 +0000 UTCComments
TYFTC!
Rachel Clements
2026-03-09 17:07:53 +0000 UTCTyftc
Chloe
2026-03-08 22:56:53 +0000 UTCI like this chapter a lot. I think this story is at its best philosophically when it delves into the posthuman, where the civilized isn't more valuable than otherwise.
Summer Coff
2026-02-23 03:13:17 +0000 UTCWhen Jake mentioned the risen and holy church being natural enemies due to the nature of their factions made remember sanguine and the founding of the vampires. I would love to see a new god come in and make a version of a transcendent similar to what sanguine made. Would be fun to see
Levi Lowry
2026-02-05 04:10:55 +0000 UTCTftc Zog! Im crossing my fingers that its The Last Of Us style mushroom zombies
ZanSanCho
2026-02-03 22:47:43 +0000 UTCTftc š»
JW Saxby
2026-02-03 16:26:19 +0000 UTCUndead mushromms inc xD
Danny
2026-02-03 06:26:48 +0000 UTCGo to Collections at the top of the page and they will be under Side Stories. Theyāre mostly in order.
ABTelford
2026-02-03 04:54:43 +0000 UTCNope, because amphibians donāt have breasts and I am SO glad Zogarth didnāt give them any because I hate hate how all these authors give non-mammalian species milk-making organs. So, thank you Zogarth!
ABTelford
2026-02-03 04:53:10 +0000 UTCāThatās my good little chosenā
Thomas Mccullagh
2026-02-03 04:47:56 +0000 UTCI wonder if villy shut up because this entire pocket dimension will end up being worshipers of his, as soon as they learn of him when Jake unleashes his aura fully or something. And villy cracks jokes non stop about it
Thomas Mccullagh
2026-02-03 04:47:30 +0000 UTC*Daniel Brian voice* YES!
Daymond Walford
2026-02-03 04:28:25 +0000 UTCJake needs more points in perception if he can't perceive the difference between a male and female.
Yiskah
2026-02-03 04:26:01 +0000 UTCI'm betting tomorrow we'll be meeting some undead with mushrooms growing out of them.
TwoMoreYears
2026-02-03 03:19:35 +0000 UTCCan anyone help me? I am pretty new around here, and I really want to read all the Side Stories. Any help would be appreciated.
Robert Thomas
2026-02-03 03:03:45 +0000 UTCWell when the aliens invade and it turns out you slept with a man with 3 boobs ill remeber this comment ill still say hell yeah 3 boobs
Carl Never
2026-02-03 02:52:28 +0000 UTCThis is going to be so sick on audio ive been in the habit of driving into the sand dunes and listening with the sunset the world building from this arc is going to fit right in
Carl Never
2026-02-03 02:50:28 +0000 UTCIm still hopeing its that dragon at home
Carl Never
2026-02-03 02:46:54 +0000 UTCwhat are the chances of this shaman joining Jake monster family? he got Sylphie at E, Sandy at D, and Vesperia and Jasper at C. Following that, he would be making some at B ranks.
joker ledger
2026-02-02 23:53:15 +0000 UTCMushroom zombies? Dope
Mrburns93
2026-02-02 23:37:32 +0000 UTCEndless empire?
D
2026-02-02 23:08:57 +0000 UTCLast of us zombies? Mushroom zombies? Planet extermination?
Austin Barton
2026-02-02 22:08:12 +0000 UTCdemon lord greets jake by calling him dad. takes jake a little while to figure out villy is playing a prank on him.
brjenness
2026-02-02 20:25:56 +0000 UTCHeās definitely gonna try a taste of the tides they warned against
Tanner Lannister
2026-02-02 19:34:44 +0000 UTCThe Bizney Group had a chef use poisonous mushrooms to knock Zoggy unconscious so they could use their security forces to take over his dungeon shortly after it became popular. they also kidnapped his lifelong friend to get him to sign over rights to the dungeon and make it legal. Zoggy had to sign over his rights to save Astrid, but he was able to use a special amulet to escape with her to our dimension. so, yeah, you could say it was a bad experience.
brjenness
2026-02-02 18:11:11 +0000 UTCIt be kind of neat if these likely undead mushroom operated like the flood from halo with a hive mind. Hopefully Jake pisses off this A grade hivemind boss and has to come back in Late B grade or early A grade to deal with it.
Biggy smalls
2026-02-02 17:53:15 +0000 UTCLike the Flood from Halo?
Biggy smalls
2026-02-02 17:48:42 +0000 UTCEither that or he'll at least join for the event
Qu4rtet
2026-02-02 17:45:04 +0000 UTCThanks for the chapter!
blucube 14
2026-02-02 17:25:51 +0000 UTCJake could really benefit by having a toxic world right next door that grows his palate. And he could really help them since he just so happens to specialize in helping monsters evolve into high tier variants
E
2026-02-02 17:19:31 +0000 UTCKill all the shrooms!
That one, right there.
2026-02-02 17:13:15 +0000 UTCThe mycotic undead have arrived!
Foot of Doom
2026-02-02 16:56:06 +0000 UTCtheyāre absolutely mushroom related, iām guessing ophiocordyceps. is it too naive for me to hope that this shaman comes back with jake?
Kevin Watson
2026-02-02 16:49:57 +0000 UTCI think it'd be cool if Jake leaned more into his perception special interest by like easily being able to perceive things like the gender of a race. I get that it's like his personality but he's got way too much perception to play a fool on basic traits imo.
Andrew
2026-02-02 16:44:10 +0000 UTCI have a feeling that Zogarth has had a bad experience with mushrooms š
Rewdan
2026-02-02 16:32:47 +0000 UTCLet the carnage begin. A mass slaughter of the undead
Rewdan
2026-02-02 16:29:35 +0000 UTCOh my god! Itās an undead mushroom isnāt it!
Nathan Holliday
2026-02-02 16:16:48 +0000 UTCAh well it's not the awkward "you want me to genocide these snakes for you?" I was thinking of.. yet š
Josie
2026-02-02 16:12:44 +0000 UTCI am theorizing that Jake is going to "upgrade" one of these frog people by the end of this small arch, on purpose or by accident. This seems to be one of the primary means Jakes forms alliances. He influences one member of a society with Jake juice, that person becomes extremely powerful by comparison and has an innate alliance to Jake by seeing him as his father or patron.
Lemonsqueezy
2026-02-02 15:52:17 +0000 UTCEveryone, including myself, seems to think they are some sort of Ophiocordyceps mushroom.
Lemonsqueezy
2026-02-02 15:48:06 +0000 UTCOphiocordyceps: the mushroom genus that takes control of creatures making them zombies.
Lemonsqueezy
2026-02-02 15:47:26 +0000 UTCI got the same feeling. These are undead "possessed" by mushrooms making them zombies.
Lemonsqueezy
2026-02-02 15:45:51 +0000 UTCNext chapter: The last of Us Venus edition
Hornbach
2026-02-02 15:40:01 +0000 UTCCalling it now, Undead Mushroom Men lol.
James Quinton Webber
2026-02-02 15:37:36 +0000 UTCCordyceps body jackers incoming.
Jeryd Greer
2026-02-02 15:03:29 +0000 UTCtyftc š§
Gracie
2026-02-02 14:39:24 +0000 UTCTftc
Jared Bell
2026-02-02 14:37:56 +0000 UTCTyftc!
tigerfishie
2026-02-02 14:36:13 +0000 UTCIf Jake is automatically onboard with killing them - itās gotta be fungus among-us. My guess is an animating-the-dead parasitic fungus like there is in South America. If itās not some kind of mushroom then all us guessers are gonna have funny reactions tomorrow.
ABTelford
2026-02-02 14:32:40 +0000 UTCGotta be undead mushroom people
Nate
2026-02-02 14:32:20 +0000 UTCThanks for the chapter!
Arieh Sochaczevski
2026-02-02 14:24:53 +0000 UTCWouldn't he have to dump a hole tonn into it before anything happens though?
Noah Mclelland
2026-02-02 14:06:58 +0000 UTCCame to say this myself
Jesse
2026-02-02 14:05:50 +0000 UTCFentanyl?
GloinJr
2026-02-02 14:03:47 +0000 UTCUndead mushrooms people?
Brian Small
2026-02-02 14:02:06 +0000 UTCnew conspiracy theory... phentonyl was first created by a mushroom.
brjenness
2026-02-02 13:52:11 +0000 UTCUndead Fungi!! Death to them all.
Ctrl Alt Dust
2026-02-02 13:41:57 +0000 UTCI feel like Zogarth likes to sometimes remind readers that he doesnāt have a set release schedule. The chapter title says it all; Questioning assumptions.
NiceTryMate
2026-02-02 13:36:37 +0000 UTCYou just know that somehow jake is going to put some jake juice in that life pool and shenanigans, ensue..
Brandon King
2026-02-02 13:34:10 +0000 UTCTook the words right out of my... Mouth? Fingers? Keyboard? Eh, whatever. It's cordyceps
Corvid
2026-02-02 13:32:58 +0000 UTCnah, is improbably they are wrong, there very few things what could trigger such reaction from jake so quickly, so unless this undeads shares the likeness of a certain orange f ..... it must be mushrooms
zran
2026-02-02 13:29:16 +0000 UTCThe crusade must begin. š āļø
Colin
2026-02-02 13:26:47 +0000 UTCI like to imagine that while jake is casually drinking tea with the Githyanki, Miranda and friends are all screaming and running for their lives in the prima seat. Just show him casually taking a sip, then smash cut to Lillian and William coated in bits while some B grade tests their fate.
Corvid
2026-02-02 13:26:17 +0000 UTCWas a reason given for the new chapter timing? Itās coming out almost 3 hours earlier. Not that Iām complaining
Talmadge Hires
2026-02-02 13:23:17 +0000 UTCIām loving people going for the non majority guess. Saw another mention crossbows. But this feels like a more viable alternative.
Jeroen Turkstra
2026-02-02 13:19:48 +0000 UTCUndead mushrooms, calling it now
Childish Jordino
2026-02-02 13:18:37 +0000 UTCItās the swarm
Kyle
2026-02-02 13:15:23 +0000 UTCIm assuming given Jake's reaction to the undead that it's mushroom related somehow. Maybe zombie like monsters similar to the last of us
James Davis
2026-02-02 13:11:13 +0000 UTCUndead mushroom men? Tftc
Ty Cooper
2026-02-02 12:59:13 +0000 UTCtyftc
Episode 19
2026-02-02 12:56:14 +0000 UTCLmao i didnt even think about that, would make toysl sense for undead in this poison world to be fungal carriers
Eden
2026-02-02 12:55:53 +0000 UTCActual undead, not enlightened risen
Eden
2026-02-02 12:55:24 +0000 UTCTftc
IntenseSushi
2026-02-02 12:51:25 +0000 UTCDefinitely feels like a fungal plague that animates the corpses as a zombie hive. Somewhere between the yellow musk creeper and the last of us with a side helping of cordyceps.
Clint
2026-02-02 12:51:17 +0000 UTCUndead Mushroom Peopleā¦. Fun
Richard Rader
2026-02-02 12:44:49 +0000 UTCUndead mushrooms haha definitely
nathan
2026-02-02 12:41:13 +0000 UTCTFTC :) Welcome back peeps. I thought we'd be back on normal nonschedule after the weekend so I wasnt expecting this this early. Hope yer feeling better Zog. Oh and since everyone else has seemingly gone for "Fung-dead" I'm gonna put my money on Undead slavers instead :D Its a long shot but thats where the big bucks are. Suggested edits: "he had a lot of gaps in ** knowledge, " missing word "his" " in many plants and *whatnot* growing in" I realise this is a stylistic choice but maybe "other resources" instead. the "and/or whatnot" thing has always slightly jabbed my brain. It just seems too much like slang, especially from this well educated future leader or someone like the Sword Saint. YMMV though. " into *slumber once more*. We were one such team. The goal was never to slay the Boglord, but merely to make it return to the depths *and slumber once more*." Repetition. Since both sentences repeat the same information you could consider a rewrite of this bit otherwise I would suggest just ditching the last four words. "but was solely due to ** racial variant*," it feels like this is missing "the individuals" "about two monthsā worth of flying **." missing word "away" "Jake had *long noticed* that his range with One Step" odd phrasing. perhaps "noticed early on" instead. "Not that Jake thought...to affect" you use affect/effect in this paragraph four times. its a little repetitive. Disrupt, influence, alter, infect, change. Lots of choice for swapping one or two out just for the sake of some variance. "Why no race in this Minor World *were*." should be "was" i think since race is singular. " benefit the *entire* world innately" unnecessary and repetitive from the sentence before. I suggest just ditching this. "die early *without barely* gaining any levels." The phrasing here is wrong. Either ditch "without" and add a comma or change it to "while" "was that his *entire* view of the subject" "whole" feels more natural here " Holy Church *because of* how their souls" suggest "due to" instead to avoid repetition. "Unsurprising, *seeing* the kind of world " perhaps "considering" instead since you use "seeing" later in the sentence as well
Xander
2026-02-02 12:37:52 +0000 UTCSuch immediate hatred... could it perhaps be... the mushrooms return?!
P A J
2026-02-02 12:30:52 +0000 UTCDoesn't really feel like a monkey world so it's gotta be fungi.
djthomp
2026-02-02 12:30:26 +0000 UTCCordysept zombies! š Time for Jake to show his scary side!
Michael mann
2026-02-02 12:26:40 +0000 UTCDamn... everyone in chat is saying mushroom zombies. I agree but man what a twist if we were all wrong lol
Timothy Spradlin
2026-02-02 12:22:16 +0000 UTCtyftc
Aritra Gupta
2026-02-02 12:16:59 +0000 UTCTftc
Meir Banon
2026-02-02 12:10:28 +0000 UTCš š§āāļø Tftc!
Gregory Feddema
2026-02-02 12:09:34 +0000 UTCRee!
Sylphie
2026-02-02 12:02:06 +0000 UTCWas going to say, only one thing elicits that reaction from Jake.
Siethrobo
2026-02-02 12:01:55 +0000 UTCim thirsty for more
Tomer Yud
2026-02-02 11:57:53 +0000 UTCDef mushroom zombies haha š¤£
Tommy Littlefield
2026-02-02 11:52:55 +0000 UTCI doubt he can, though, since a lot of a Godās powers seem to be based on concepts, so Iām assuming even downgraded to B he will be overpowered due to his concept knowledge. He also canāt artificially trim his knowledge of concepts to be more in line with a B gradeās knowledge either due to his bloodline, so I doubt we are going to get a Villy & Jake adventure for a long, long time.
Spicyice101
2026-02-02 11:48:33 +0000 UTCOh no undead mushrooms
Rimantas Podlinevas
2026-02-02 11:47:15 +0000 UTCFrog, frog, MUSHROOM, MUSHROOM, SNAKE ITS A SNAKE
Borakthrash
2026-02-02 11:43:16 +0000 UTCI think this is Jake meeting undead based off the mushroom that rains spores down on ant colonies to further the spread. Always wondered if it would classify as a Plant Monster or as an Undead entity to the system. It'd be hilarious if this is the only 'enlightened species' here tho
Alex Cox
2026-02-02 10:32:14 +0000 UTCTyftc
John Durrett
2026-02-02 10:11:44 +0000 UTCUndead mushroom monkeys
Ray Light
2026-02-02 10:11:14 +0000 UTCProbably undead mushroom monkeys
Ray Light
2026-02-02 10:10:45 +0000 UTCThanks for the chapter.
Joshua Little
2026-02-02 10:04:57 +0000 UTCI'm going to guess that instead of mushrooms, they all have puns for names. Like the Polter-guys, or the No-bodies.
Comeback Kid
2026-02-02 10:03:36 +0000 UTCAbsolutely. Thought I'd sound smart posting the idea, but everyone has it apparently.
Mitha
2026-02-02 09:57:38 +0000 UTCHas to be mushrooms, how tragic that Jake avoided being dragged to mycotic depths by going to the pantheon of life only to stumble into Venus and find undead mushrooms. Tyftc
Ben Cox
2026-02-02 09:46:23 +0000 UTCYeah it's an undead fungus šāš« society
Levi
2026-02-02 09:34:53 +0000 UTCDidnāt see that coming
DirePants
2026-02-02 09:33:03 +0000 UTClol at everyone (including me) thinking, "Ooh, undead toxic mushrooms?"
Jason
2026-02-02 09:32:13 +0000 UTCI was thinking that as well. š
Buck
2026-02-02 09:26:31 +0000 UTCUndead mushrooms?!
mpop
2026-02-02 09:24:20 +0000 UTCUndead mushrooms?
Terry Robinson
2026-02-02 09:23:12 +0000 UTCMonkeys not mushies
Ryan Linus
2026-02-02 09:22:55 +0000 UTCUndead mushroom men?
Tom
2026-02-02 09:20:05 +0000 UTCThanks for the chapter
Kt-x
2026-02-02 09:19:55 +0000 UTCTftc
Misa
2026-02-02 09:17:30 +0000 UTCmushroom undead i believe? possibly wielding crossbows?
Dhia
2026-02-02 09:16:36 +0000 UTCCortyceps mushroom zombies. I'm pretty sure even the Risen would hate such disgusting creatures
Stevean Bozek
2026-02-02 09:12:55 +0000 UTCLoving the ballsy move, tbh I hope youāre right
Jeroen Turkstra
2026-02-02 09:11:48 +0000 UTCWould love to see Villy create a B-Grade avatar of himself and do a some cool insane shit with Jake on some world wonder.
Dave Mccoll
2026-02-02 09:11:36 +0000 UTCTftc
Beemoss
2026-02-02 09:10:51 +0000 UTCTyftc Loving the realizations Jake is having about differences between monsters and enlightened races. Iām guessing, like others, these are gonna be mushroom undead somehow, bc what else could get his extinction drive going but evil mushrooms.
Jeroen Turkstra
2026-02-02 09:10:15 +0000 UTCJake has an uncanny ability to find mushrooms wherever he goes
Seiryus
2026-02-02 09:08:40 +0000 UTCthat kinda sounds as if those are undead mushrooms :D knowing Jake. enjoyed the chapter, many thanks! plus there was tea!
Cinaeda
2026-02-02 09:07:54 +0000 UTCCalling it now itās a bait and switch. These arenāt mushrooms.
Azayrian105
2026-02-02 09:04:36 +0000 UTCSome kind of fungal parasite? Ttftc!
Scott Miles
2026-02-02 09:03:32 +0000 UTCIs it gonna be some sort of undead fungus? Or maybe like a cordycep?
micah Hogan
2026-02-02 09:03:12 +0000 UTCThank you for the chapter
joel southard
2026-02-02 09:03:00 +0000 UTCor zombie monkeys....it could go either way
Demi
2026-02-02 09:01:59 +0000 UTCIām guessing more traditional zombie virus undead than what the risen are lol probably those fungus zombies from that one show I canāt remember right now
Phoenixdrop
2026-02-02 08:59:31 +0000 UTCTftc
Fdrugc
2026-02-02 08:59:26 +0000 UTCZombie mushrooms really?
solomon pagan
2026-02-02 08:56:16 +0000 UTCWhats a poison world without mushroom? Thank you for the chapter!
wyattmon
2026-02-02 08:56:01 +0000 UTCFungi undead
Berks
2026-02-02 08:55:23 +0000 UTCMushroom undead ?š
Karim Saadi
2026-02-02 08:54:59 +0000 UTCOh I am surprised! Jake is not one to declare exterminatus on sight normally
GeneralBlack
2026-02-02 08:54:46 +0000 UTCWith that reaction, I bet it's fungal zombies
Belial
2026-02-02 08:54:29 +0000 UTCTftc
NicN
2026-02-02 08:51:17 +0000 UTCIām so excited to nerd out then pass out
Kaden
2026-02-02 08:50:29 +0000 UTCUndead mushrooms
Firinen
2026-02-02 08:50:25 +0000 UTCThank you for the chapter!
micah Hogan
2026-02-02 08:48:55 +0000 UTCThank u for the story
C0bra$
2026-02-02 08:48:40 +0000 UTCThanks for the chapter
BlackRazaras
2026-02-02 08:48:03 +0000 UTC
