The Primal Hunter

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.”

It was a bit melancholic hearing her make promises of the future when the five of them knew such promises could never be fulfilled. Making her leave the dungeon with them also wasn’t an option. Chances are that even if the Dark Witch had ever been a true person, she was long dead in the real world, and if she still lived, it was because she had reached godhood… in which case this dungeon image also wouldn’t be able to leave. Not that any of that even mattered either, as Nevermore didn’t allow the attendees to bring anyone from the dungeon out of it.

“Take care of yourself,” Jake had just said. “And keep fighting the good fight. The Lord Protector of the Enlightened Republic had some documents related to creating a way to teleport off the planet that may be able to help you leave if that is what you want. There is a lab hidden beneath where the now-destroyed capital is.”

She nodded with gratitude as Jake and company walked through the gateway. It was odd how the Dark Witch seemed to know what the gateway was. But not truly. She knew it could take them off the floor – or planet - but not where it led or why she couldn’t enter it herself. Just that she couldn’t.

Appearing in the in-between room, Jake sighed loudly. Not because of the pretty damn boring room they appeared in that really paled in comparison to the cozy lounges Minaga’s Labyrinth had, but because of the floor they had just done.

“Disconnecting these dungeon layers and the real world is difficult when the people become too real,” the Sword Saint muttered. “I will not lie; I find the floors where they seem more like pre-programmed characters preferable to this. Makes it all more straightforward.”

“Yeah,” Jake nodded.

“Having some experience with her fate myself, being a boss in a Tutorial, I believe I have some unique insights. Even if the dungeon we experience is something we know isn’t truly real, to the individuals living there, it is their only reality. To the Dark Witch, she was just a member of some organization who had arrived to help cure it of the plague. From her perspective, she was truly saved. Ultimately, even saving a “true” being in the multiverse is a mostly useless task as they are but one soul in an infinite sea of lives, living in an endless timespan where their paltry mortal existences matter not. So act according to what you judge best, be it in a dungeon or in the true world. In the grand scheme, neither truly matters, and consciously writing off beings as unreal is an easy path to apathy. It is a path all gods eventually find themselves walking down… for is the life of a mortal which will end in the blink of an eye truly more real than the life of a being in a dungeon that only exists when you are in there? Both are but momentary blips on the tapestry of the infinity that is their lives,” the Fallen King said, getting oddly philosophical. Definitely seemed like he had some unresolved thoughts from being in a system event… but he did also have some good points.

“I think what we did was good,” Dina said with a smile. “And being true to ourselves even in a situation where the stakes are low is only proof of being a strong character.”

“Ree,” Sylphie added wisely.

Jake just nodded, and before anyone else could say anything, they were hit with some long-awaited system messages.

Forty-first floor completed. 4100 Nevermore Points earned.

Achievement earned: Destroy the Karmic Plague from Tri-World entirely using the ritual in partnership with the Dark Witch, curing the planet while still giving it a path to recovery. 2000 Nevermore Points earned.

Reading over the floor completion and achievement, Jake nodded. The 4100 were expected with the rule change of every floor giving more base points, but the achievement felt a little low, only giving 2000 extra for choosing what was effectively the hardest way of completing the floor. Then again, they did complete a bunch of bonus objectives doing it this way, more than if they had chosen an easy path, so it probably was worth it.

The fact there wasn’t any reward for saving the Dark Witch also didn’t really surprise him. It wasn’t part of their goals at all, after all, but just something Jake had done out of an odd sense of vanity. No… he had done it because it just felt wrong to let someone sacrifice themselves for his gain, so he had done all he could to stop that from happening. Even if it had wasted time and led to him damaging his Soulspace, he didn’t regret it a single bit and would gladly do it aga-

Extraordinary Message: Additional achievement(s) based on unpredicted performance on the previous floor are being processed. Reward(s) pending; please wait.

Not that Jake was going to say no if the Wyrmgod and the system decided that an extra reward was in order.

“I did fear for a moment that Nevermore would not recognize what you did,” the Sword Saint said, smiling at Jake. “I am pleasantly surprised it does.”

“Yeah,” Dina nodded. “It isn’t surprising that there is no set achievement for it… I don’t think anyone else in C-grade could have cured her unless they had a Transcendent skill or a Bloodline allowing them to uniquely cure plagues.”

“Eh, I am sure someone else could find a way,” Jake smiled, waving it off. Underestimating what others were capable of was never a good idea, and just looking at his four party members, Jake knew there were some real monsters out there.

“No, I don’t think they could,” Dina shook her head. “It took a unique combination of skills and abilities. Moreover, you had to handle the backlash of an angry Karmic Plague created by an early S-grade. The sheer level of pressure on your soul should have been suffocating… though I guess you never do tend to feel that kind of pressure.”

Jake was about to protest when he stopped himself. Well, okay, he had to admit, he wasn’t even aware there was meant to be some weird pressure from the Karmic Plague… or wait, was that what the drop of blood from Villy had promptly squashed the second he ate it? It was possible… either way, Dina probably did have a point. Even if someone else could replicate what he had done, chances are no one had done it yet in this incarnation of Nevermore.

“Let us just hope that the reward matches the uniqueness of the feat,” the Fallen King said. “I shall meditate till the reward is done calculating. I would presume it is ill-advised to leave here before that is done.”

“I concur and shall meditate for a while too. Even if using a Glimpse does not take much out of me, it isn’t as simple as simply consuming a few resources,” the old man said as he found a nice spot to sit down.

Dina did the same, with Sylphie deciding to take a nap on Jake’s lap as he decided to go through some stuff of his own.

While it could be argued that saving the Dark Witch was just a moment of selfish vanity for Jake that didn’t actually do much, the process by which it had happened certainly benefitted him. Two skills had been upgraded even if their rarity remained unchanged, and this downtime was the perfect opportunity to go through them.

First up was Touch of the Malefic Viper, which had gotten an even longer description than the last time he checked.

[Touch of the Malefic Viper (Legendary)] – With a single touch, the Malefic Viper seizes control of the world. Attempt to inject toxic energy into a being through contact. The nature of the toxic energy is determined by the user. The Alchemist can only use toxic effects he has concocted or created prior or to further empower an existing toxic effect within a chosen target. Allows the Alchemist to far more effectively control all toxins he is in contact with when using Touch of the Malefic Viper. Can be used to cultivate toxins of various forms. Can be used with all compatible types of mana affinities, further altering the effects. This effect is especially effective using your arcane affinity. Vastly increases the potency of transmutations made using Touch of the Malefic Viper at the cost of partly binding them to your soul. Some effects cannot be replicated. Adds an increase to the effectiveness of Touch of the Malefic Viper based on Intelligence and Wisdom. Passively provides 9 Intelligence per level in Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper (C-grade variant). May your touch be the catalyst of corruption as you bend the world to your will.

Reading through it, it was mostly the same outside of the upgrade from 3 stats a level to 9 and the added clarification that he only got 9 stats for every level in the C-grade variant of the profession. Besides that, there was only one place with any changes as far as he could see.

“Allows the Alchemist to far more effectively control all toxins he is in contact with when using Touch of the Malefic Viper. Can be used to cultivate toxins of various forms.”

This part was still there before, but It had changed to be a lot more general, and when focusing on the skill, Jake felt unsure if he had even lost any of the effects of Cultivate Toxin. Upon further inspection, he did find one downside to the merge.

Before, he could just use it on any toxin, and it would be cultivated. Now it only worked on toxins that he already had some level of familiarity with, or in other words, types of toxins he had eaten before. This did seem like a big downside considering he wouldn’t be able to cultivate powerful and unique natural treasures using Cultivate Toxin, but on second thought, why wouldn’t he just use Palate and eat those with the special internal stomach, in which case, he would learn from the item through that?

Yeah, didn’t seem like a big downside. Jake could also still use it to cultivate plants and such. In fact, this part was strictly better as far as Jake could see, considering he would now cultivate using a skill related to the Malefic Viper, and there had to be some Record-related benefits to that.

Moving on to the second upgraded skill, Jake saw a few more changes with this one.

[Palate of the Malefic Viper (Legendary)] – The Malefic Viper has honed its venom by devouring myriad toxins and treasures found throughout the multiverse. In the same vein, the Alchemist of the Malefic Viper can consume toxins to learn their effects and properties. Further evolved, you can now also learn the properties of herbs while at the same time enjoying a greater benefit from all potions consumed. Natural treasures can be swallowed and refined at an accelerated pace using your current level of Touch of the Malefic Viper (Legendary). If the item is not a toxin, the item will still be refined but at a slower pace. Allows you to learn the properties of any treasure in your stomach as you slowly refine it. Allows the Alchemist to fully consume a swallowed item, destroying it in the process if possible. If the item cannot be destroyed or the result of its destruction is too violent, the Alchemist will suffer a backlash, and the internal space will be damaged. Grants immunity or resistance to most poisons. Passively provides 9 Endurance per level in Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper (C-grade variant). Through endless consumption, may your power grow; through gluttony, may your Records expand as you devour the world.

Ignoring the equally ridiculous length of the description, the same thing with more stats and clarification that it was only for the C-grade variant of his profession was present in this one. Besides that, there were two changes. One was the addition of Touch of the Malefic Viper now being used, and the changed wording around that addition. The second one was the ability to fully consume an item, something Jake had not directly aimed at doing but had ended up unlocking pretty accidentally during his recklessness.

“Allows the Alchemist to fully consume a swallowed item, destroying it in the process if possible. If the item cannot be destroyed or the result of its destruction is too violent, the Alchemist will suffer a backlash, and the internal space will be damaged.”

This sentence pretty much summed up what Jake had ended up doing with that World Core, including the part where the internal space got damaged. Seeing it described as part of the skill was honestly a big relief to Jake, as it made it clear this was “intended” damage, giving him hope it would heal naturally with time. He would still need to have Eternal Hunger get done eating all the remnant energy before the repair could begin, but hopefully, he wouldn’t stumble upon an awesome treasure he wanted to eat before Palate was ready again.

Satisfied with seeing the two skills improve, he also noted these two upgrades provided an immediate boost of 180 Intelligence and 180 Endurance before all bonuses. What’s more, he would get even more stats with every level-up… no matter how Jake looked at it, these Malefic Viper skills were truly overpowered, and he was all for it.

The upgrades, along with the entire curing process, had naturally also rewarded levels. Two of them, in fact.

*’DING!’ Profession: [Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 228 - Stat points allocated, +35 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Profession: [Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 229 - Stat points allocated, +35 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (C)] has reached level 228 - Stat points allocated, +45 Free Points*

Jake noted he was just one level away from getting his very first skill selection of C-grade, and while it was tempting to just grind out that level immediately, he couldn’t just make his party wait.

Seeing as the processing of whatever bonus achievement they would get wasn’t done yet, Jake also entered meditation while pulling out his Soulflame Cradle, as he had mentally shortened the name to, and infused some more arcane energy while he checked on the situation within it. Nothing much had really happened on that front as he was still waiting for his arcane affinity to get a proper foothold in the Cradle’s world.

A few minutes later, Jake and everyone else exited meditation simultaneously as they all finally got the notification.

Calculations of extraordinary achievement completed. Special Grand Achievement earned based on actions performed with majority contribution from Nevermore participant Jake Thayne.

Special Grand Achievement earned: Allow the Dark Witch to survive while successfully curing her of the Karmic Plague. 500 Nevermore Points earned. Due to completing a Grand Achievement, you will receive a 5% multiplier of all Nevermore Points at the final calculation.

Jake stared at it for a while. 500 points wasn’t much… but 5% extra points were.

“Is this really… okay?” Jake questioned out loud. The implication that this kind of Special Grand Achievement could even be earned honestly scared him a bit. What had other people gotten that he wasn’t aware of? Was that why they had been behind on points at times on previous floors?

“Jake,” the Sword Saint said. “When you get a good thing, you just smile and nod.”

“But-“

“Smile and nod.”

Jake and company appeared on the next floor not much after, having all recovered. This time, they found themselves standing on a cliffside overlooking a city below with a large compound right in the middle. Within that compound was a training ground directly in their line of sight, and Jake’s attention was instantly drawn there even before the welcome message appeared.

Welcome to the forty-second floor of Nevermore: The Aloft Empire

You have arrived on a large planet ruled by the Aloft Empire, a faction ruled by a powerful A-grade emperor. More specifically, you find yourself within the land controlled by the Lunevile family, a small noble faction with an early C-grade leader at its helm.

Soon, the Lunevile family will attract some attention from forces they cannot handle. Uncover the nature of why the Lunevile family has become so conspicuous and ultimately decide their fate.

Note: Attracting the ire of the Altoft Royal Family will result in automatic elimination from the forty-second floor and require the party to start over.

Main objective: Decide the fate of the Lunevile family without drawing the ire of the Aloft Royal Family.

Bonus objectives: N/A

Current progress: Fate Determined (0/1)

Note: More hidden events, achievements, or objectives may be hidden on the floor.

Current Nevermore Points: 68373

Jake read the entire thing over as he already had a guess of what this floor would be about. Especially coupled with what he saw down in the courtyard.

“This is an even more tricky one… if the emperor is A-grade, simply fighting our way through is out of the question… scratch that, just making the royal family angry will result in an automatic loss…” the Sword Saint muttered.

“This floor is another attempt to teach us the rules of the multiverse,” Jake shook his head.

“What makes you think that?” Dina asked.

“That guy,” Jake pointed to a kid down in the courtyard swinging a sword. He looked no more than nine or ten years old and was only E-grade, but Jake’s attention had instantly been drawn to them the second they entered.

“His form is simple but shows some promise, but I cannot see what else is special about him?” the Sword Saint questioned.

“Dina?” Jake asked.

“I can’t see anything either… wait… I think…” DIna said as she trailed off before her eyes opened in realization.

“Yep,” Jake smiled. “Kid’s got a Bloodline.”

While many would argue two didn’t make a pattern… well, Jake was pretty sure he knew what to expect of this floor and several of the floors to come as he felt like they had just been thrown into a forced education plan on multiversal laws and etiquette.

Something the coming years would only further confirm.