Another in-between room, another small break before it was on to floor forty-five.
Over a year had passed since Jake had gotten his Arcane Supremacy skill, and throughout this time, he had time to thoroughly familiarize himself with the skill. He had time to relearn some things about his own body and truly discover how massive the bonus from the skill had been, despite the less-than-optimal setup of the floors he had been through.
The two skills that benefitted the most turned out...
2023-07-25 10:20:21 +0000 UTC
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Jake had a lot he wanted to test on the next floor, but sadly, he wasn’t really able to. At least not right away.
The forty-third floor was indeed another “lesson” from the Wyrmgod, but this one wasn’t as much about any hard rules as it was about a norm and something that was generally frowned upon. It was a message that if they decided to act in a way that many wouldn’t find acceptable, they could put themselves in a bad situation and make enemies unintentionally.
When ...
2023-07-24 10:23:38 +0000 UTC
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Choosing skills when there were four shit options and only one skill he wanted was much easier than having multiple skills that appealed to him. If possible, he would have picked at least two of them, as he was honestly fine with missing out on either Penetrating Arcane Arrow or Arcane Arrow Rain, but he really wanted at least one of them.
That entire supercharging effect was just too damn interesting. What’s more, if it truly was something inherent to Jake’s class, would he maybe b...
2023-07-21 09:54:00 +0000 UTC
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One skill selection was great.
Two skill selections? Now that was just awesome. And today was truly an awesome day.
Jake was already pretty happy with his new profession skill, even if he didn’t have the chance to start experimenting with it right then and there. Sure, he would like to sit down for a few weeks and just make Curse Fragments and see if he could find anything to use them for immediately, but that didn’t mean he was any less excited to get another class skill or m...
2023-07-20 10:32:34 +0000 UTC
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That day, the Chosen Ceremony Support Group (CCSG) once more had their bi-weekly meeting as six women met at Jake’s residence, as that was one of the only places they could be sure no one would interrupt or interfere. All of them were united in only one thing:
They each had a personal relationship with Jake and had all been severely impacted by his identity as a Chosen. No, they were repeatedly still impacted by his status.
This group consisted of Reika, Meira, Scarlett, Irin, B...
2023-07-19 10:10:06 +0000 UTC
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So… skill selections. It had been a good while since Jake had one last, and he would be lying to himself if he claimed he hadn’t been at least a little bit excited. Especially when it was his very first one in C-grade. The fact that he had gotten it while just sitting around waiting on a flying ship had definitely increased his enjoyment too.
He hadn’t rushed it, though. Usually, Jake wanted to jump right into them, but there was honestly no need to, especially not now that he had...
2023-07-18 10:23:20 +0000 UTC
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Floors forty-one to forty-five were a bit special in that they never truly changed between the eras. Every single iteration of Nevermore had these floors, and while they did vary, all had the same intent behind them:
Inform the denizens of the multiverse about some of the multiversally agreed-upon rules and best practices.
The choice of placing it so “late” into the dungeon wasn’t a coincidence either, neither was it accidental it had been placed on the C-grade floors. C-gra...
2023-07-17 09:59:07 +0000 UTC
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Their party of five only ended up staying on the floor for an hour or so more as Dina finished healing the Dark Witch as much as she could. Some of the soul damage would have to heal on its own, but the scalekin was more than elated at just having survived.
“I don’t know how I can possibly thank you,” the Dark Witch bowed as they stood in front of the teleporter leading them off the floor. “I hope you find fortune on your Path, and if I can ever repay this favor, I will do so....
2023-07-14 09:58:03 +0000 UTC
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“You know we can’t allow him to actually bring that Mimicry World Core out of that floor, right?” the Wyrmgod questioned the Malefic Viper.
“Does seem kind of counterproductive if he decides to reintroduce a Karmic Plague that was wiped out a long time ago back into the multiverse,” Minaga nodded in agreement.
“Relax, he isn’t gonna actually bring it out,” the Viper waved them off. “He is just going to eat it and consume all the knowledge of how to make plagues w...
2023-07-13 10:13:12 +0000 UTC
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When it came to rituals, their group only really had two individuals who could be of any use. Dina and Jake both knew quite a bit about rituals and formations, while the other three were just sitting ducks incapable of assisting with anything of substance.
At least not in the beginning. Jake and Dina helped the witch set up the initial parts of the ritual but soon hit an issue that they should have honestly seen coming.
“Many of the ingredients I wanted to use are no longer capa...
2023-07-12 10:21:04 +0000 UTC
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Jake could admit when he was wrong. Sometimes, at least. This was one of those times.
Witches aren’t fun to fight.
Dark tendrils lined the walls, all of them semi-ethereal as they sought not to physically attack people but leave them with some odd dark affliction that wasn’t a curse but seemed a lot like a curse. This particular affliction did damage and fucked with your senses, throwing them for a loop. Jake could definitely feel the roots of the magic in the dark af...
2023-07-11 10:23:15 +0000 UTC
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When Jake said he was good at zoning everything out when he focused on something, he meant he was really good at zoning everything out. Even the notifications he had gained during this time had gone unregistered. Luckily he hadn’t pissed off this party by missing some crucial messages, as the Fallen King had honored his wish of not contacting him outside of emergencies. Something that the Unique Lifeform hadn’t found necessary to do a single time.
Still… Jake could see wh...
2023-07-10 10:19:37 +0000 UTC
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Upgrading skills was indeed something one had to do with a lot of forethought and consideration. Well, that didn’t really count for most Legacy skills as, ultimately, they all led toward the same Origin, so even if you misstepped once, it was easy to realign. However, with skills like Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter that had no set progression path, it was easy to fuck up the skill’s future potential.
While it was true that entirely removing a concept from a skill was difficult, what ...
2023-07-07 09:49:59 +0000 UTC
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Jake still remembered the day he got the skill. It was the signature skill of his first proper class and had been damn awesome when he initially got it. He got a bit nostalgic when he remembered bombarding that massive Storm Elemental atop the cloud continent with Hawkie. The orb from that kill had even helped give birth to Sylphie. To say that the skill had been important would be an understatement… which is why it was just a shame to see the sorry state it was in these days.
2023-07-06 09:11:20 +0000 UTC
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“There was much debate if we should include this example of a Karmic Plague within the dungeon, but ultimately we agreed it would be for the best,” the Wyrmgod explained to the Viper as they observed the slaughter going on in the Enlightened Republic. “Many mortals don’t even know about them these days, so this can serve as… what did you call it? A public service?”
“Yeah, definitely a good idea to teach the masses. I can attest to how horrible those things are,” Minaga s...
2023-07-05 10:07:25 +0000 UTC
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Jake was pushed back by a wave of dense space mana as he quickly stabilized himself. The entire tower had erupted, sending stones falling to the ground below as the Lord Protector imploded the entire expanded space they had been sitting within, throwing them out.
The Lord Protector had an oddly empty, yet enraged, look in his eyes. His body was burning with power as a sword appeared in his hand. Yet he seemed to hesitate as if the gravity of his situation only hit him now that he had ac...
2023-07-04 10:41:15 +0000 UTC
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Jake had never been a big fan of killing humans, or any humanoid beings for that matter. However, he also wasn’t directly averse to it. It was more that if he had to choose between fighting a giant bear or a human to get levels, he would prefer the bear, even if both had the same level of intelligence.
What he definitely didn’t like and did feel averse to was killing low-level humans. That just felt wrong on a fundamental level… but… Jake did so anyway. The four others did too. ...
2023-07-03 10:24:00 +0000 UTC
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One had to skip back a few weeks to find out why Jake and company chose violence.
They had traveled with the Caravan Guard Captain and the caravan for around a week by then and had learned a lot more about the world. They had even entered the territories of two factions and traded with small local villages. The caravan they were on transported primarily people, but it also had foodstuff, herbs, and metals. All in all, everything seemed pretty normal. At least when they were on the road....
2023-06-30 10:16:33 +0000 UTC
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Jake stepped through the gateway to the forty-first floor and instantly felt the sunlight upon his skin and the light breeze of the wind. Immediately, he knew he had come to a massive space, which honestly felt damn refreshing after Minaga’s Labyrinth.
Greenish soil was beneath his feet as he opened his eyes and saw that they found themselves standing on a vast desolate plain of nothing but barren ground. The soil felt dead and bereft of energy, and looking around, Jake noted they wer...
2023-06-29 10:35:11 +0000 UTC
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Jake and company spent a bit over two weeks just relaxing in the in-between room, as they all had exerted themselves perhaps a bit too much during the Minaga fight. The fact they had also just all gotten cool new items they wanted to either absorb or experiment a bit with was certainly also a factor.
During this time, the Sword Saint managed to set up the Sword Formation within one of the bedrooms and even had a light spar with the Minaga clone. They also tested and discovered that only...
2023-06-28 10:36:40 +0000 UTC
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“Were you nervous?” the dragon god in humanoid form asked as he looked at the black-scaled god sitting across from him. “Your Chosen did look to be in trouble quite a few times there. He was lucky his teammates were able to assure their victory.”
Vilastromoz looked at the Wyrmgod, who clearly enjoyed watching the recording. Yes, recording. A live feed was all well and good, but Jake knew when they were watching using that. With a recording, he would only know one person was look...
2023-06-27 10:43:10 +0000 UTC
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<AUTHOR NOTE>
And we are back. Thanks for the support and patience, everyone. Things have calmed down quite a lot after the funeral, and now I am just trying to get back in the groove. The “break” naturally wasn’t planned, and I do genuinely feel bad about taking two weeks off without warning, so once more, thanks for your patience.
Anyway, here’s the chapter!
<AUTHOR NOTE OVER>
Soulflames were something Jake had pu...
2023-06-26 10:23:53 +0000 UTC
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Some of you may have seen my ping on Discord yesterday, but I am going to say it here too. A family member is in the hospital, and things aren’t looking good. Chances are, she won’t make it. I quite honestly haven’t had the mindset to be writing, so there is no chapter today. I can’t even say when the next one will be as I don’t think I can produce anything anyone wants to read right now. I wanted to write yesterday when I got back from the hospital, but I couldn’t get anything do...
2023-06-09 09:39:38 +0000 UTC
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Minaga’s absolutely shocking reveal left them all dumbstruck for a moment as Jake acted amazed.
“I cannot believe that the dungeon master, who refers to Primordials by their names, created an entire section of Nevermore, displayed skills above anything a mortal possible could while sparring the Sword Saint, and has acted like a semi-divine being this entire time was actually a god,” Jake said with utter befuddlement. “Where were the signs!?”
“I know, I know, an...
2023-06-08 10:50:18 +0000 UTC
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Jake charged forward to the changed rhythm of Minaga’s boss theme. It had once more shifted in this so-called final hidden phase, and the stars also seemed to pulse with the beat. The number of attacks descending from above was staggering, and only Jake had a chance to even approach the Unique Lifeform without having to take several hits on the way.
Vaulting over a meteor, Jake got closer as he didn’t dare use One Step due to how warped space was from the meteors that clearly had so...
2023-06-07 10:53:30 +0000 UTC
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Jake kept Minaga at a distance as he continuously retreated and took potshots at the Unique Lifeform, who had no way of fighting at long range without his magic. At the same time, Jake heard from the Fallen King that the entire labyrinth Minaga had summoned seemed spatially expanded, making it a nightmare to get through. He did try to blast walls apart, and while he did have some success, it appeared slower than simply rushing through as fast as possible. Jake did want to simply summon him ag...
2023-06-06 10:52:48 +0000 UTC
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Jake knew that winning versus Minaga alone in his fully empowered form was not gonna happen. He had won against the clone only due to how much weaker it was than the original, but even that had been a pretty hard-fought battle.
Of course, this was assuming Jake actually had to beat the Unique Lifeform to win.
Jumping back, Jake disengaged from Minaga as the Unique Lifeform unleashed a barrage of spells, clearly having decided to try and take Jake down before his teammates had time...
2023-06-05 10:41:24 +0000 UTC
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Jake’s eyes slowly adjusted as he sent out a Pulse of Perception, trying to get a read on what exactly Minaga had done when he exploded the giant orb. What met him was a mental image he had not seen coming.
The entire room outside of the now mostly bare floor was gone – even the tiles having disintegrated from the odd shockwave. The walls and ceiling had been blasted apart, leaving large floating platforms all around them, just there in empty space.
Because that is all Jake sa...
2023-06-02 10:40:41 +0000 UTC
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The Sword Saint had found himself in a lesson with quite a difficulty.
To face a superior foe was nothing new to him. Throughout his life before the system, he had fought many people superior to himself as he got better and better. Oftentimes, he also met those who simply had a stronger physique, making their speed and power higher than his own. Even so, he had risen to become one of the most talented swordsmen in the entire world, even before the system. With his many years of continue...
2023-06-01 10:47:18 +0000 UTC
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Blood flew into the air as Jake managed to slice the neck of Minaga, making him stumble back. His one arm already hung limply at his side as he tried to retaliate with the other using a blast of fire, but Jake dodged under it and stabbed Minaga in the arm.
A final eruption of power sent Jake stumbling back as a rain of lightning bolts struck him, making his entire body tingle from the impact and his scales crackle with energy. Minaga himself looked spent as he stood there, leaning on hi...
2023-05-31 10:46:14 +0000 UTC
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