The Primal Hunter

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 to be Arcane Awakening, which wasn’t overly surprising, but he was a bit surprised at Arcane Powershot being the second skill that got the most out of the upgrade. Pure arcane magic benefitted the most, but something like Arcane Powershot dipped into several concepts along with the purely physical aspects.

Arcane Awakening, on the other hand, dipped into all of the benefits provided by Arcane Supremacy. The lowered cost naturally made the skill more efficient, and the increased potency materialized in Jake just having to move less energy through his body to achieve the same effect as before, thus also lessening the strain on his body and increasing the time he could keep the skill active.

Adding on his increased resistance to his own arcane energy, the benefit was massive. He could now keep the stable 30% boost active nearly indefinitely without suffering much strain on his body, while the offensive and defensive modes were also pretty easy to deal with. He wouldn’t even suffer any period of weakness from just using these two anymore as long as he didn’t use them for a prolonged period.

A full Arcane Awakening boosting all his stats by 60% still took a lot out of him, and getting around the period of weakness wasn’t going to happen. It wasn’t as bad as before, though, and he could keep the full boost active for longer, with especially the health drain reduced significantly. The passive shield and the extra arcane damage with every attack had naturally also both been improved.

Arcane Awakening still didn’t allow him to boost above the percentages set by the skill without him deciding to purposefully push it higher, which was something he hadn’t dared to do, lest he would blow himself up. Even if Arcane Supremacy had given him more control over his energies, he still doubted he would get out of doing that unscathed, assuming he survived it at all. But… the potential for doing so was definitely there. Circumstances would decide if he would ever do it.

The second skill that experienced massive benefits was, as mentioned, Arcane Powershot, and some of the benefits were for quite obvious reasons. He could charge it for longer due to his increased resistance, do it faster due to increased control, and release far more potent shots due to everything put together. As the skill wasn’t only about arcane energy, it “only” got around thirty percent better in total… but adding thirty-percent extra power to his most reliable attack? Yeah, that was massive.

However… Jake did find one skill that got worse, and Jake had no idea how to fix it. One Step had been hit with the increased resource cost quite hard, which was a real bummer as he, quite frankly, had no bloody idea how to integrate his arcane energy into that skill. It was a well-defined Legacy skill, so even if he wanted an upgrade, it definitely wasn’t going to be easy. Shit, if he broke the set upgrade path, it would only get harder to upgrade it in the future… so as things were now, this was just a loss he would have to live with. It wasn’t all bad, though.

The one good thing was that the increased stamina cost was only a thing in combat. When Jake used it just as a skill to travel, the cost remained unaffected, which he assumed was due to the skill being originally invented as a traveling skill, not a combat skill. He was also very happy that the system distinguished when a skill was used in combat and not in combat wasn’t being applied to the Malefic Viper Legacy skills.

Oh, and there had been one other skill that had been negatively affected… though that hadn’t been for long. Jake was naturally talking about Splitting Arrow Rain, which he pretty damn quickly got upgraded with inspiration from his skill selection.

[Splitting Arrow Rain (Rare)] – A skill most often used by archers, now usurped and reformed by the Avaricious Arcane Hunter. Allows you to clone your arrows while in flight, allowing them to retain innate magical properties. Each arrow has variable strength and can be further split into less potent versions. If the original arrow is shot upwards, it can be split to create a far more potent arrow rain. Adds a small bonus to the effect of Agility and Wisdom when using Splitting Arrow Rain. Increased damage based on Perception and the distance the arrows fall from when creating an arrow rain.

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[Splitting Arcane Arrow Rain (Epic)] – A skill most often used by archers, now usurped and reformed by the Arcane Hunter of Horizon's Edge. Allows you to clone your arrows while in flight, allowing them to retain innate magical properties. Each arrow has variable strength and can be further split into less potent versions. If the original arrow is shot upwards, you can explode hundreds of smaller arrows, creating an Arcane Arrow Rain. Cloning arcane arrows or creating Arcane Arrow Rains using arcane arrows has a far lower mana and stamina cost. Adds a bonus to the effectiveness of Agility and Wisdom when using Arcane Arrow Rain. Increased damage based on Perception and the distance the arrows fall from when creating an Arcane Arrow Rain.

The skill honestly just integrated what he could get from the better Arrow Rain in the skill selection. It now used arcane energy, allowing him to clone arrows cheaper while also adding on the part where he exploded an arrow to make it rain. That was definitely better than what he did before, where he just shot upward and waited for the arrow to begin falling downward on its own.

He also finally got working on some curse-based poison, but it proved a lot more difficult than he had thought it would, so progress was slow in that department. Overall, things felt pretty slow, considering that even after two more floors, Jake had barely gotten any levels.

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

Race: [Human (C) – lvl 232]

Class: [Arcane Hunter of Horizon’s Edge – lvl 232]

Profession: [Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – lvl 233]

2 class levels and 3 profession levels were all a bit over a year, and two floors amounted to. By now, Jake had to get used to slower levels unless he did something truly impressive. He kind of wished he could do a Minaga fight every floor, but alas, that wasn’t how Nevermore worked. Or anything worked, really.

How it did work was by throwing them on another floor meant to teach them a lesson. And the old man already had a good guess of what the last “lesson” floor would be about before they entered it.

“It will be related to gods and religion in some way,” the Sword Saint said with certainty as they were about to exit the in-between room.

“That… can either go very well or really badly,” Jake muttered. “Assuming you are right, that is.”

He was right.

Stepping through the gateway, they appeared standing in the middle of a town square in what seemed to be the middle of the night. The place was pretty damn deserted, with many old medieval-looking buildings surrounding them. The only place with bustling activity was a massive church at the end of the square, and through a quick Pulse, Jake saw the place was jam-packed. Tens of thousands were within, praying.

Fuck me, Jake cursed as the welcome message appeared.

Welcome to the forty-fifth floor of Nevermore: Peerin Kingdom of the Starcross Pantheon

You have stepped onto a planet owned by the Peerin Kingdom of the Starcross Pantheon, a powerful Pantheon ruled by over a dozen gods. The kingdom you have appeared in has been derelict for a long time, with no hopeful prospects appearing for over a thousand years, making it fall out of favor with the Pantheon.

As newcomers, you are unknown entities to the planet and must establish yourselves. Gain favor and recognition to gain access to the features of the kingdom as you aim to leave the floor and proceed to the next. Luckily, you have a token that will allow you to teleport to the next floor. There is just one problem.

The entirety of Peerin Kingdom falls within the protective formation laid down by the Starcross Pantheon, blocking all kinds of teleportation that takes one outside of it. The only way off the floor is by leaving this formation first. You must navigate the kingdom and reach the waygate station at the edge of the kingdom, which will allow you to fully leave the Starcross Pantheon’s territory and, thus, the floor through the use of the token.

However, these teleportation circles are not available to the public and require permission to use. With B and even A-grades present in the kingdom, trying to force your way through seems ill-advised.

No matter how you wish to approach this, getting the attention of the clergy will be vital to your mission, as they can either help or hinder you on your path. For they control the entire kingdom.

Main objective: Use the teleportation token to proceed to the next floor.

Bonus objectives: Get the attention of the clergy of the Peerin Kingdom (0/1)

Current progress: Token used (0/1), Get the attention of the clergy of the Peerin Kingdom (0/1)

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

Current Nevermore Points: 102.073

Right as Jake scanned the message, an odd emblem teleported right between the five of them. It didn’t take a genius to figure out this was the teleportation token, and Dina instantly grabbed it, being the designated “taker of mandatory items.”

“So…” Jake muttered as he scratched the back of his head.

“Firstly, we need to ensure the little hunter doesn’t instantly anger the clergy and get us all killed,” the Fallen King said.

“Seems like a good start. Sylphie should also be careful,” the Sword Saint smiled, getting an annoyed screech from the hawk. “Dina, would it be best if the two of us took the lead? I am sure you have plenty of experience with how one is supposed to act around religious figures, while I myself have had some unpleasant experiences with a certain god and am fully aware of how… demanding people of worship can be.”

Dina thought for a second before speaking. “Do we care about the bonus objectives here much? Or would it not be better to move on as fast as possible?”

A total no-brainer.

“Swift progress is preferred.”

“Ree.”

“Better to finish it quickly,” the old man said, unsure what she was getting at.

Jake was a bit slower at answering before he understood. “I take it you also wanna just move on quickly?”

“Yes,” Dina said. “That should be more efficient.”

It was a bit absurd, but these last four floors since the Minaga fight had nearly doubled their total points. Jake and company had known that points would increase as one got further in Nevermore, but they hadn’t expected every single floor after floor forty to give over 10.000 Nevermore Points each. Especially not considering that they didn’t even go insanely out of their way to do all the bonus objectives and achievements they could. But… just the huge floor clear bonus being more than four thousand for each floor meant the gains were massive.

So if they could pass the floor quickly and get 4500 Nevermore Points, that would likely give the best overall gain. Later floors just gave that many more points.

“I assume you have already felt it up ahead?” Dina continued. “There are many blessed inside… so I think it is worth a try.”

The Fallen King and Sword Saint also seemed to realize what the two of them were getting at, and the old man chuckled. “Sure, give it a go… if the floor blocks others from feeling Blessings, we can just do it the usual way.”

“And if they can feel Blessings?” Jake grinned.

“May the young master have whatever he pleases,” the Sword Saint said cheekily.

“Roger that,” Jake said as he stepped toward the church ahead with the others in tow. They had to walk up nearly fifty steps to reach the giant closed double door leading into the church proper, but about halfway up, Jake let it rip.

An aura blasted out of his body as Shroud of the Primordial entirely fell away, and he purposefully amplified his presence. It spread out of him… and less than a second later, the giant double doors slammed open, someone inside having felt Jake.

Felt his presence.

A priest flanked by two paladins appeared, standing at the top of the steps only a few seconds later, staring down at Jake and the three with him in confusion.

[Starcross Priest – lvl 280]

[Starcross Paladin – lvl 285]

[Starcross Paladin – lvl 282]

“I… who are yo-“

“Call your god down here,” Jake interrupted the guy.

“What?” the priest said, looking confused before suddenly turning angry. “How dare yo-“

“I wasn’t asking,” Jake said as he flared his aura even more, mixing in Pride of the Malefic Viper to further amplify it.

“And unless you want to create trouble for the Starcross Pantheon by ignoring the Chosen of a Primordial, I would very much comply,” the Sword Saint added in, also tossing in a bit of his own aura as someone with a Divine Blessing from another Primordial.

Dina and Sylphie also joined in as the priest stared, clearly unsure how to react. The two paladins moved forward in a defensive manner as Jake just sighed.

Very well… full Young Master mode engaged.

“I gave you a fucking order, so stop standing there like a moron and contact your god,” Jake scroffed. “Or are you some damn heretic? Is that why this pathetic kingdom has fallen into shambles?”

Jake wasn’t sure what more he could say as they discovered that the priest had indeed contacted someone. An aura appeared toward the back of the large church, and a second later, a figure teleported out to stand between Jake and the priest. Instantly Jake was aware… A-grade.

But, he was in young master mode.

“What is going on he-“

“Fucking finally,” Jake sighed loudly. “Hey, you, are you as useless as this priest, or can you get your shit together and contact that Pantheon of yours already? I haven’t got all day.”

The A-grade looked at him and the four with him for a moment before suddenly falling to his knees. “I greet the Chosen.”

Alright, seems like we are getting somewhere.

“Yeah, yeah, just contact the Pantheon. I would prefer to converse with someone possessing a worthy status.”

“Naturally,” the A-grade said as he put his hands together. His body glowed with divine light for a moment before he stood, still keeping his back bowed. “They will arrive shortly. I apologize for the disrespect and will make sure to right any injustices.”

The priest and paladins looked pretty damn frightened by now, but before they could do anything, the A-grade pointed at them as a beam shot into them, making them freeze and fall to the ground. “I shall remove these heretics from your sight at once.”

Jake thought he was overdoing it a little… but he was in young master mode. Still, he felt bad if they got punished for something he did.

“You only got yourself to blame for not properly teaching your clergy about proper procedures if they should ever meet the Chosen of a Primordial,” Jake scoffed. “Now begone. You have done as I asked and you are no longer of any use or concern.”

The A-grade didn’t even speak but bowed deeply once more before teleported away with the priest and paladins.

“That went well?” the Sword Saint asked through the mark.

“I think so, let’s just ho-“

Before Jake could even answer, a presence washed over the entire town. It utterly suppressed anything, and Jake felt everything warp. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a flickering torch suddenly slow down its flickering as it stopped entirely. The feeling reminded him of the Tutorial when Eversmile stopped time… because that is exactly what had happened.

Two figures appeared in the air, floating above them. It was a man and a woman, both with blueish skin and eyes reminding Jake of a starlit sky. They looked nearly identical, except for the difference in gender, though both were rather androgynous.

“What era are we in?” the male god asked as his eyes landed on Jake. “The Chosen of the Malefic Viper… never did I think I would see the day a new one would appear.”

“Ninety-third era,” Jake answered. “Not long since the integration, considering I am a Progenitor along with being a Chosen.”

“Truly? How surprising, but not a thoroughly unpleasant piece of news,” the male god nodded.

“Quite the party, too,” the woman spoke. “A Unique Lifeform, a relative of the Nature’s Attendant, and two individuals carrying the Divine Blessings of Stormild and Aeon.”

“The one blessed by Aeon is also a Transcendent,” the male god smiled.

“Oh my,” the female god said in an impressed tone.

Both gods had floated down by now and landed in front of Jake and the others. Once more, the Sword Saint, Dina, and Fallen King felt the pressure, while Jake stood unaffected, Sylphie perched on his shoulder unbothered.

“Entirely immune to the auras of gods?” the male god said, looking even more at Jake. “I am curious, but asking wouldn’t do me any good.”

“Yeah, images in Nevermore and all that,” Jake nodded.

“Indeed it is so,” the god smiled. “I am glad to see that the Malefic One has returned to the multiverse, and you must give him our greetings once you are done in Nevermore. Just say the Starcrossed Twins send their regards.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Jake nodded. Yeah, not gonna lie; chances are he was going to forget that.

“Now, let’s get on with why we are here. This floor was made to teach the masses to respect divine authority, and… hm, there is no need to explain, now is there? As the Chosen, you are a living symbol of a Primordial's divine authority,” the female god began before giggling. “We shall not hold you more. Ah, but do take this.”

She tossed a small coin to Jake, which he instantly caught.

“If you ever feel like visiting the Starcross Pantheon’s territory in the true multiverse, you would be more than welcome, and that token should help you,” she said with a smile. “Now, let’s get this silly barrier down.”

She reached out and took the hand of the male god as both glowed with starlight for a second. She then let go and looked at Jake and the others. “We wish you godspeed on your continued descent of Nevermore.”

“Thanks. From all of us,” Jake smiled as he looked at Dina, who took out the teleportation token.

Floor forty-five?

Easiest floor of his life.