Zogarth
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Chapter 1227 - A Fundamental Evolutionary Difference
🕑 Added 2025-10-10 11:19:29 +0000 UTCJake let out a loud yawn as he finally awoke. Still feeling a little groggy, he sat up in the bed and stretched, the movement not really doing anything as he wasn’t actually sore or anything like that. He just liked how it felt.
Through his sphere, he saw that the house was empty, which disappointed him a little. He’d kind of hoped to wake up to a sleeping Artemis lying beside him, but in her defense, she definitely had better things to do with her avatars than pretend to sleep beside him for however long his recovery would take.
On the topic of recovery, Jake felt he was back in top form. He tried moving his energies and found no issues whatsoever. While the damage his soul had suffered wasn’t even close to how he’d been after breaking Palate, this recovery still felt faster than it had any right to be.
Seeing as he was alone, Jake also couldn’t resist the temptation to actually try out his new Meditate skill real quick. Closing his eyes, Jake instantly appeared in his Soulspace, whereupon he immediately felt the difference.
Raising his hand, Jake felt his control over his Soulspace had grown to an even higher level, allowing him to more easily express his Path and inner thoughts. He also noticed something else as he felt around his Soulspace.
Usually, it was dominated primarily by the sky of arcane energy and the ground of lush plants everywhere he’d created after his training with the First Sage. Visually, it still looked the same, but when he felt for it, he detected the faint presence of more than his arcane affinity filling the area.
There were faint whispers of the wind, and the space seemed more stable. He vaguely got a better feeling for the passing of time, and when he inspected the ground, he found faint traces of the earth affinity there. It was all incredibly minor, and it wasn’t hard to figure out the source as he looked toward the portal close to the book left by the First Sage.
Jake’s exposure to all those concepts during his interaction with the Gate of Enlightenment had given him an incredibly rudimentary understanding of many different concepts, and seeing as concepts related to the elements were some of the most common, it wasn’t surprising that many of the insights he’d gained were related to them.
Now, these concepts had begun to express themselves within his Soulspace in subtle ways. Even combined, they were nothing compared to his arcane affinity, but it was a clear sign of growth and also further made Jake lean into a theory he’d held for a long time.
The Soulspace is definitely related to the Divine Realm of the gods.
He just couldn’t see them not having anything to do with one another, and the more he learned about his Soulspace, the more assured he became. Not that such a realization had much effect now, as Jake still had a long way to go before he should even begin to consider the divine. He’d only just touched upon the sacred, after all.
After his brief inspection of his Soulspace, Jake approached the portal leading to the Gate of Enlightenment. He only hesitated for a moment before stepping through, and upon doing so, he felt his entire mental state switch. Despite knowing that everything in the Soulspace was just representations of Records and that the portal wasn’t actually a portal. Instead, it was just a way to trigger Jake into entering a deeper state of meditation, using his Truesoul as a conduit to make contact with the Gate of Enlightenment. Jake still felt like he was teleported when he walked through, but that was probably also all in his own mind.
At least he found himself standing in front of the massive Gate of Enlightenment in the very next moment. However, rather than find himself standing in the middle of nothingness or a golden road of pages, he instead stood in a gazebo nearly identical to the one in his Soulspace. The only difference was that the table where the tome left by the First Sage usually sat had been removed, making the gazebo entirely barren.
Another minor difference Jake quickly realized was that the gazebo wasn’t just floating there in nothingness. Instead, it was on a small island that seemed to be made out of Jake’s stable arcane mana, and as he looked toward the Gate of Enlightenment, he also felt that the concepts leaking from there were far less noticeable than they were last time.
This honestly made Jake a little worried, but upon walking down the steps of the gazebo and closer to the Gate of Enlightenment, he quickly felt the pressure mounting. It seemed that when he was close to the portal, the concepts were more muted and suppressed, and if he walked only a few dozen steps away from it, he would be fully exposed once more.
Jake also took note that while he was in this state of meditation, he indeed lost connection with his outside body entirely, making him unable to passively feel his aura despite being able to normally while meditating or chilling in his Soulspace… except the moment he thought about being unable to feel his sphere, he also unconsciously tried to feel it, suddenly allowing him to be fully aware of the outside world once more.
Something that proved to be a bad idea, as the mental load of standing in front of the Gate of Enlightenment while perceiving the outside world put a lot of mental pressure on him all at once. He also partly felt himself lose his connection to the Gate of Enlightenment, and in the very next second, he was back standing in front of the portal within his Soulspace.
“So, I can’t do that,” Jake muttered to himself. It seemed that splitting his attention like that wouldn’t work. The stimuli and information from his Sphere of Perception clashed with the metaphysical and nomological nature of understanding concepts, causing Jake to lose the state of mind needed to experience the Gate of Enlightenment.
He wasn’t disappointed, though. In fact, Jake was relieved more than anything. When he first accessed the Gate of Enlightenment, he’d been entirely cut off from the real world, which was the first time Jake remembered that happening. He had been as vulnerable as he could be, and if Jake was being honest, the thought of not being able to detect nearby dangers while meditating made him feel very uncomfortable.
However, it seemed that Jake’s Bloodline-empowered instincts were still active even when Jake was in a state of meditation that cut him off from them. That should also mean that his danger sense was fully active, making meditation a far less precarious activity.
Not that Jake planned on going for long meditation sessions to comprehend concepts while in hostile territory. He also understood why most gods seemed to meditate only on concepts within their Divine Realms. Alright, it was possible they actually needed to be in their Divine Realms, assuming Jake’s theory that Divine Realms were just Soulspaces with a divine flavor was correct, but Jake reckoned that even if they could meditate outside, they would prefer to do it in the safety of their realms.
Pretty satisfied with this discovery, Jake considered going through the portal again to revisit the Gate of Enlightenment, but ultimately stopped himself. While it was certainly tempting to sit down and have a nice little meditation session and learn a bit more about why the wind goes whoosh, Jake had a few things he wanted to do first.
Exiting his state of meditation, Jake decided it was high time to have a conversation with the Malefic Viper about his most recent vision. He had a few questions and definitely also a few points of criticism he would love to bring up.
“Hey Villy, I know you’re watching, but I’m fully healed up now, and seeing as Artemis isn’t around, this seems like a good opportunity for us to have a little chat about my most recent use of Path of the Heretic-Chosen,” Jake reached out to the Primordial.
As expected, he got a response near-instantly as a figure appeared out of thin air, standing in the doorway to the bedroom. “Now, that does sound a bit ominous. Let me guess, I acted in a fashion you find questionable?”
“That’s an understatement,” Jake said as he walked by the Viper toward the living room, motioning for the snake god to follow him. “I guess the name Eye of the Magus rings a bell?”
“Oh, that, yeah, I remember,” the Viper said, looking all nostalgic. “Hard not to, considering my Bloodline and all, but that memory does stand out for sure.”
“No other comments than that?” Jake questioned as he went and sat on the couch he usually sat on when the two of them spoke, the Viper sitting down across from him.
“What do you want me to say, Jake?” the Viper said, tilting his head. “That I regret how I acted back then? Regret fooling a woman into falling in love with me only to exploit her emotions and kill her alongside her father? Because I won’t be doing that. Unlike her, I want to avoid lying to you.”
“I do hope you see how that statement can make it hard for me to trust that it isn’t just a lie also,” Jake said skeptically. He didn’t actually think the Viper was lying to him, but he sure as hell didn’t like the sentiment. “I’m not saying your method didn’t clearly work; I’m just saying that there are certain things that shouldn’t be done.”
“I feel like we’ve had a conversation like this before,” the Viper sighed and shook his head. “There’s simply a fundamental difference between the two of us and how we view certain things. You have a belief that all sapient life holds some kind of inherent value simply by existing. While I know many share a sentiment like that, and I can fully understand why you have it, it’s just not one I share. In my eyes, she had never had value in the first place, and neither did her father or anyone else associated with that auction house besides the few A-grades who posed a potential threat.”
Jake was silent as the Viper continued to speak.
“Humans and most other enlightened beings developed the natural evolutionary trait of having empathy towards those like them. It’s a basic requirement to make working civilizations, and it’s even a trait that many social monsters possess. However, do remember that I’m not like that. I’m a snake by birth, a solitary predator that does not have kinship or partners. As I walked my Path, everyone besides me was either predator or prey. That did get slightly expanded to those I could gain mutual benefits from, as I became a bit more of a social creature purely out of necessity. Truthfully, the only person to ever truly fall outside this definition during my mortal days was the First Sage. So yes, Jake, I understand your innate disgust at my actions, as that is indeed a natural reaction on your part, but to me, I was just acting like the evolved ambush predator I was. The trap had just gotten a bit more complex.”
“Again, by my definition, those are the traits of a psychopath who cares about nothing but themselves,” Jake shot back as he looked at the Viper. “I’m not saying you’re wrong or that your explanation doesn’t make perfect sense, but I am saying that the explanation truly does make it hard to imagine you ever genuinely caring for anyone.”
“Ouch, that’s a bit hurtful… but I’m not going to hold it against you,” the Viper said with a light smile on his lips as he looked down. “Not gonna lie, at that point in my life, the only person I had ever genuinely cared for was the First Sage, and even then, I justified my feelings with the explanation that the First Sage’s death was a massive loss due to all he could teach me. Not because of who he was. I believed then that any such emotions were purely detrimental and a weakness I had to root out. Don't get me wrong, I had times I tried to form relations, but it never ended well, and I adopted the philosophy that everyone was an enemy by default. It was only later on that I realized that denying myself the ability to care was just leading to a far less fulfilling life.”
“Yet you say you don’t have any regrets,” Jake pointed out.
“Which I still don’t,” the Viper shrugged. “All I changed was recognizing that some people were worth caring about. I’m not going to sit here and lie to you by saying that I would care about the vast majority of people in your life, independent of you. I choose to show some level of care only because of their association with you, and because I know that you care.”
The Viper let out another sigh and shook his head. “I feel like we’re just rehashing old conversations at this point, so let me put it straight once and for all. Yes, I was an asshole – more than now – in my mortal days. No, I don’t regret how I acted.”
Jake was silently listening as one question popped into his head.
“Who made you care in the first place?”
“I… wouldn’t say it was one person, but more something that came from personal growth over the years. I got better at reflecting on who I was, who I wanted to be, and how I felt about certain things. I realized that I had indeed truly cared about the First Sage. That I did have some people I considered genuine friends. However, if I had to mention one person who had the biggest impact, it would definitely be my wife. Before her, love was just a word with a dictionary definition, and I didn’t believe it was something I was even capable of feeling. Needless to say, she proved that wrong.”
The Viper had a sad smile as he spoke that last part before falling silent, making it clear that it was still a very sore subject. Seeing him like that, many of Jake’s concerns were also answered. Villy had indeed been an absolute piece of shit back then, and while he wasn’t exactly considered a good person now, he had clearly developed a lot when it came to emotions. Perhaps developed wasn’t the right word, but he’d changed for sure.
Seeing that, Jake also decided to change the topic and move on.
“You mentioned realizing you had some people you considered genuine friends… toward the end of the vision, I saw that other A-grade assisting you. Some guy who you said was from the most powerful faction in the multiverse… well, I guess just the universe back then,” Jake said, rambling a little.
“Ah, him,” the Viper said, definitely more than happy with the change of subject. “Yeah, you having seen him would certainly spawn a lot of questions, so go right ahead.”
“Alright, first question, what race was he from?” Jake asked.
“They were called the Neurotar and were indeed the most powerful race and faction back then,” the Viper answered. “You’ve seen your fair share of science fiction movies, right? How they depict massive civilizations spanning across galaxies created by a race possessing technology beyond understanding? Yeah, that was the Neurotar in a nutshell. Before the system arrived, anyway.”
Jake’s interest was instantly piqued as that sounded damn interesting. “Alright, yeah, I have a lot of questions.”
“Well, lucky for you, because I have a lot of answers,” the Viper answered with a smile. “And alcohol. But afterwards, I also want to ask you some questions. Deal?”
“Deal,” Jake agreed with a nod as he leaned forward. “Now, what the hell happened to them during and immediately following the integration?”
Comments
Chase Burleson
Tftc!
Chloe
Tyftc
Michael Click
❤️❤️❤️
Rachel Clements
TYFTC!
JJB4345_80_815
Thank you for the chappy Zogarth! And the Borg! Or Borg-ish individuals!
Sam simmons
So no smut poems? 😭
HPSCAR
I demand the poems, where are they
Elinar Godly
TFTC! I also want to express my gratitude for the morals of the Viper. Anything else would have been out of context, hollow, and a sign of poor writing. Of course, Zogarth doesn't disappoint! Thanks
DeAndrea H
Lol. If anybody in this story is going to have a harem…
That one, right there.
The start of the Author’s note made me think that Sword saint was getting a spin-off.
Shiralee
Thanks for the chapter.
Trumangolorian
It is nice to see mortal Villy and see God Villy and see how the two are still the same being but also not. Seeing Villy through the visions Definitely fulfills the need for a spin off book of Villy going from snake to a god. Keep it up. Tyftc.
Zogarth
Fixed stuff
beeve
Hopefully the banana musa has upgraded and minanga is done building his dungeon
Merchendize
That's a bit harsh imo. Neither Jake nor Villy enjoy a master-student type relationship. They're comfortable being friends, and part of being friends is being able to disagree about stuff. Personally I enjoy these little moments.
IsaacNewtonian
This moralizing on Jake's part is getting really old to be honest. He's trying to lecture or at least he wants to lecture a being trillions of years old about morality based upon what? His own personal feelings? Because he just doesn't like the Viper behaving in that manner? Jake's mindset is naive and childish. What does Jake hope to accomplish? Is his "I don't believe in just killing people" argument going to somehow force a change in the Viper? Jake doesn't even have a good reason for his belief. He just doesn't agree with it and Jake and the Viper are not equals in any way whatsoever. Every breath Jake takes is at the whim of the Viper. Jake really needs to just shut the fuck up and learn.
beeve
I know… it hasn’t mentioned him adding arcane energy to the soul flame box in a while nor how far he is on the puzzle box right? I know the puzzle box was mentioned when the seeker came to bless jasper but how far along is Jake? But I think he’s is gunna meditate on the concepts for a while which may include desolation and get a better Bane position made
brjenness
you can get pills to help with that
Nairne
Oh boy, I know the feeling. I binged 12 books in short order... now its the slow drizzle...
Almer Reyhan
I saved up 3 weeks worth of chapters. It's all gone in 1 day😭😭
JW Saxby
Getting juicy 😃 also I’m absolutely 💯 down for the vampire erotica- I mean the Primal Hunter hardbacks 😜 I’ve been wanting to add this series to my bookshelves since it first started 🤩 👍🏼 Tyftc Zogarth 🍻
StrangeBee
Thanks for the chapter Were you serious about the vampire smut I might be able to get my sister to become a fan
ByLordMatsLuck
Yeah I will say that Zog made it seem like Jake didn’t care in the past when it was brought us that Villy had destroyed planets. Why does he care all of a sudden and need answers?
Stoney
> but I am saying that the explanation truly does make it hard to imagine you ever genuinely caring for anyone.” I feel like this conversation should have happened much earlier and for Jake to bring it up here just seems...disingenuous? It almost feels like it's being addressed now due to readers as I got the impression that this really wasn't an issue for Jake anymore. Like the 2nd half was actually noteworthy and could have started from "you were so different back then, how did that change?" It's not bad by any means but i do hope that it's the last time that - at least Jake - raises this.
Damascus
Roses are red, blood is red too. These fangs are thick, my cock is too. Hey Zog I don't want to sign up for indiegogo reminder spam so make sure to link the project once we're able to buy it in an authors note. Ty
Chase
So I’m not getting the vampire smut?
Biggy smalls
I think Jake said in one of the previous chapters that he could now produce desolation. So I think he’s just about done with it.
Kota
Isn't she way over fifty by now?
Dani
„taking the rest of the year off“ - F*CK „to write a smut vampire romance poem“ - F*CK YES
scarredrazor
Gimme Gimme!
Staudi
Tyftc!
Seen Death
Patience haha, hes only just woken up! I might be wrong but i think the knowledge absorbed with his stomach while it was fractured was basically non-existant Probably 1/50th the normal rate or worse id imagine So i think desolate world core fragment still has a notable amount of stomach time left But i could be wrong, maybe something even better shows up in the near future
Seen Death
Ah good, i was worried for a second Villy had gone soft, but nope were still great! Jake forgets Villy is basically a devil in a snakes skin lmao Lots of time has passed but the Villy he knows, who has treated him these ways since they met has been genuine But any opposition is still ruthlessly stomped out lol And look how protective of Jake, Villy is The first person to show up after Oras opened up that portion of the locked void, was The Viper And hes still pissed lol Cant wait for more chapters! Happy friday everyone! Somehow Zog makes us look foward to mondays lol
Phil Ritter
My hope is that eventually I’d be able to collect all books and next time it’ll be 4-6 or something like that
Keion
So no soul flame ..?? No puzzle box ??? And why doesn’t he just put the weak dragon bane in his stomach?? And he’s gana leave the core in his stomach ? Where’s the upgrades from that does he have to take it out first? I need answers !!!!!!
Parker Cliche
I want to see how advanced technology collides with the system! Especially at the beginning when it was less polished I feel like that's going to be wild!
Darion Card
The way that authors note started had me in my feels for a second😂
Arieh Sochaczevski
By what standard is it that so many people say so? The Multiverse described in this story is not a place of high morality or universal rights. There’s not a single faction or powerful individual we’ve learned anything about that behaves any better. *MAYBE* Valdemar, but I doubt it.
Arieh Sochaczevski
Thanks for the chapter!
Xerecs
I've been wondering about that myself.. Considering he is nearing the peak of C grade would it even be as beneficial to him consuming it now or when he is a higher grade?
InfernoDroid
It seems like jake is actually starting to understand that Villy really is evil
BumAssBumAss
With Jake's palate being fixed, if he finally going to consume the refined record fragment of yip of yore? Don't know if there's a concrete plan for that yet or ell'hakan's heart
Jonathan R
I get the announcement was a big deal, but Is no one else excited in the comments super excited about the upcoming first universe integration lore dump!? I can’t wait to hear tales of the first integration and how it went.
Siethrobo
As long as you were a worm that was true to its path
Michael Ferguson
I want a hardcover.
Michael Ferguson
😂🤣 such a tease
ItsFin
Thats what im thinking, hopefully we get arcane dragons breath at B grade aswell
Shaibene
Will there be more artwork in the deluxe edition? the cover arts are really good, new ones like that would be great
Jeremiah Lambert
Of course!! Friend I would take you fishing in a heart beat. I would share food with you too....
Aaron Guhin
Needs more smut vampire romance.
deus vault
I think he died because the system felt too constraining. He already broke it several times, so imagine hoq many shackles it would've imposed on him. He left the system, in a sense.
The Dregs
Didn’t he just release 11 earlier this year?
The Dregs
Remind me who Rigoria is.
The Dregs
Thank you for clarifying. When I read that part it felt off. But that puts it into perspective.
The Dregs
The first book still hits so hard for me. It’s so visceral. Him discovering everything with us was so fun.
Xander
TFTC :) Enjoy the weekend peeps ;) see you back here Monday :) Suggested edits: "couldn’t resist the temptation *but* to actually try " ditch this. its unecessary and sounds weird. "He *hesitated only* for a moment" should be "only hesitated" "but just a way to trigger Jake into entering a deeper state of meditation to use his Truesoul as a conduit to make contact with the Gate of Enlightenment," this run on sentence has like 6 different parts and could be shortened to just "but more a way for Jake to contact the Gate of Enlightenment" or similar.
Jim Bob
Would you guys love me if I was a worm?
Nate
title suggestion - A Fundamental Evolutionary Difference -> Why the Wind goes Whoosh
Ira White
Yeah I am intrigued by this too. I hope it doesn't get in the way of Jake's story but if Zog decided to have yhe old man recite smutty poems to the Vampire goddess he was painting i wouldn't mind lmao
Ira White
Well Jake has destroyed a planet and he is rather touchy about the idea of lovers betrayal because of what happened between his college girlfriend and his roommate.
Naotsugu97
I commented before reading the comments. Turns out I’m not as original as I thought! 😭
Naotsugu97
I expect a smut vampire romance poem now. Perhaps the sword saint can pen it as a haiku?
Jennifer Leigh
They didn't actually intend to be sacrificed. Rigoria made that decision to reach godhood.
Spencer Miller
Okay, low-probability theory: what if the First Sage wanted to die to prevent the crazy amount of Records he generated from negatively impacting the Multiverse? We know that he created two legacy skills with Records or usefulness so powerful they are offered or given to every enlightened being. We know that he has massive Karmic connections to all the Primordials, and it’s possible that this is part of why they are so powerful across the board. So he needs to die. But killing himself would just generate tons more Records, this time involving beings killing themselves. So first, he creates a Transcendence to shorten his lifespan. Being a Transcendence prevents the related Records from tainting the main System. But it’s clearly not enough. He decides that maybe, if he dies to someone else’s hand, the Records generated could potentially be focused on Being Killed By that someone else. So he has the Viper kill him. Presumably, many Records are generated. The planet the event happened on is drenched in them, and eventually that entire planet is Killed By The Viper. The Records are so potent that even 10 eras later, they contribute to 10% of a universe being Killed By The Viper.
Dor Hanner
I must be jaded about multiverse morals, because I was wondering “why would Jake have a problem with that? The Viper just conned her and killed her” It’s also funny that Jake would make that the thing he was bothered by, but not the viper destroying the planet entirely.
Spencer Miller
Thank you for answering whether Villy’s Bloodline works retroactively so quickly. That rules out anything requiring the Viper losing memories before he got the Bloodline. It also confirms that the Bloodline isn’t storing the memories itself, it’s somehow accessing history (probably Records in the System) on demand. If it had a Concept, I would say it would just be Memory, but without touching on Time at all, kind of like how Jake’s Bloodline can overcome Time, if temporarily.
Eric Hicks
Wait… so where can I find your vampire smut poetry? Did I miss that part?
Chris
Sorry I got kinda scared reading that beginning🤭
Nate
By definition a cliffhanger can only be achieved at the end of a book. Not by being drip fed a chapter a day... that's just impatience to wait on the book to be published to read it. :-P
Nick Remis
If you want to write a Primal Passion series diving into the vampire harem the Sword Saint has in Yalsten and the backstory of that vampire queen hottie I won’t hold it against you. Just keep Sylphie out of that smut puddle. She’s a good bird and too young for such things.
DirePants
Oooh getting into some good lore dump next week. Nice. I knew Jake felt some kind of way about Villy’s actions during the vision. I just find it strange that he didn’t assumed the sane reasoning Villy gave. It only makes sense. Especially since Jake already had seen other moments from his past. But I guess he also wondered if Villy would turn on him too. I still don’t think so. Buuuut it’s not a zero sum chance lol
Spencer Needler
Sword saint writes: Vampire Poetry
Lemonsqueezy
I have always thought of Villy like an old wise grandpa that has been in several devastating wars. Even though in the web-comic Villy actually looks very young.
Lesley Holmes
Yeah, you know we expect vampire poetry now right?
Magic Eldo
I've really grown to like villy more than Jake tyftc
Tom C
Ahhh that is a hell of a cliff for a Friday! Lore cliffs are one of the worst imo 😂😂😂 Loving this stuff. TFTC!
Thomas Mccullagh
Signed up. But fill out the bottom of the website- generic text boxes Love everything your writing! Keep it up!
James Cobb
No no the vampire smit poems are three per hardcover book published on the back as an addition collectors book only smut.
Havokk
dammit don't tease us with smut vampire poetry and then say just kidding that's just mean seriously though good luck with the hard covers that's really exciting
ABTelford
Fun chapter thanks! And I am, strangely enough, happy with my Kindle editions of your books. So I don’t want a hardback. I do think your first few books are some of the best though. All the way through the Yalsteen chapters are lit!
Vega
Let’s be honest, the smut vampire poet would definitely be hailing from the Noboru clan. After all, they have the Sword Saint, a famed BL artist, to look up to as an example, as the one who’d captained the Casper/Jacob ship in Nevermore.
Devillelouch
There was never a no or just joking. We just need to find the secret vault.
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter!
Jayce Sul
I would buy the collector's edition... but honestly I don't enjoy the first 3 books as I enjoy these newer chapters. Zogs writing gets better and better, and these recent chapters keep me hanging like a drug addict. But the first 3.... Buying them would be more of a mantle piece deco than something I would particularly enjoy reading again. Guess I would need to think more.
tigerfishie
TYFTC!! What a great chapter and announcement for a Friday omg. I clicked on that link so damn fast, definitely gonna be one of those things I drop all my money on immediately 😭
Lemonsqueezy
Aww, I was hoping for a little more information about the vision Jake had, but it should be expected with the cliff-hanger Friday theme you have.
NerdyFellow
I theorize that the name of Jake’s next profession class will be Junior Brother of the Maléfic Viper, because it still shows deference to him ie the chosen part but still implies a heretical ability to rise up to his level.
CocoaBleu
I was right in that Jake would not be alright with Villy’s actions in that vision. It’s one thing to go after worlds in order to get a treasure… and a whole other thing to not only play with the emotions of another and use them like he did, but he then allowed her to know that he used her and not only never really cared about her but destroyed her whole planet and she(even if it was unknowingly) helped him do it. The torture in her last moments of knowing she doomed herself, her father and everyone she knew and cared about along with every innocent life had to be soul shattering. I can only imagine karmic energy, had Villy not consumed that planet it would’ve turned in to a cursed planet for sure.
NerdyFellow
As a broke ass college student, is there anyway I could get a price estimate on how much those books would cost?
Andyr98
I know alot of people are bashing Jake for judging the viper but you got to remember one of the things Jake's fears the most is betrayal that has been one of the things that sets him off the most since book 1
khielira
Yeah a snake coiled around a mushroom. A shadowy archer with a drawn bow. There's a lot of fun stuff you could have on the side of the book. Just please once you choose a size of book that all following books are the same size. It always sucks when a later book comes out and it doesn't match previous books.
Lemonsqueezy
Before I read this chapter I want to remark on your note at the beginning. I am definitely interested, but when it comes to actually purchasing it will depend on the cost of it and my financial situation at the time. Just wanted to let that be known.
Grant Griffin
I bet the neurotar are the race that built the first automata and created Rigoria
Koby
I’m excited for some hardback books!! The only thing that could make them better were some signed copies by the legend himself👀
Vega
I love this conversation about the different perspectives of right and wrong. However humanoid Villy seems, the Viper is a snake, and his explanation about adapting ambush predator strategies to his new environment is brilliant and makes so much sense. It’s so easy to forget sometimes, especially since every entity Villy has crushed in the narrative so far has been one that has actively defied him (Brimstone Hegemon, Yip of Yore, the gods who supported Yip, whoever killed his family) or were simply bystanders who became casualties and not actively involved in the scheme. This man vs snake mindset chapter peripherally reminds me of Scarlett, who kidnapped and dissected humans because she was curious about them.
Sushi
I don’t think Jake’s issue is with Villy killing these people. Although Jake has an aversion to killing a bunch of weak people if there are better alternatives, what Jake despises most is emotional manipulation and betrayal. So seeing his best friend do that to his girlfriend is tough to swallow.
J W
I have to say I was really looking forward to the vampire smut... Anyway we can actually get some of that poetry? Maybe one of the vamps can send the sword saint some poetry 🤔
Devillelouch
He never said he was joking about the smut vampire romance poem collection. So I am going to need a time and location. Also what will the tags of these poems be? Are the inspired by any fanatics?
shawn B
Jake pretty consistently does a lot of “holier than thou” type of stuff especially with Villy and it’s super annoying cause who tf does he think he is to judge? Also, he seems to think that’s how a friend is, let alone one who’s a god when you continue to talk to him like an asshole who owes you answers. That my main issue with Jake. He always talks to others like they owe him something
Starkly Glim
Since you mentioned publishing stuff - I'm an audiobook listener, and we're still at book 12 on audiobook with no sign of when 13 or the upcoming 14 might be released. Is there any news?
GeneticSloth
Tftc!
Ce-Nex
Low key would not mind vampire poetry; but tftc
Bunny Waffles
Thank goodness you are finally putting this silly Primal Hunter nonsense behind you and writing something truly worthy. I look forward to the smut poetry. Make sure to work the word "callipygian" in there somewhere.
Alexandre8901
Tftc
Bloodshadow
Laugh? I was panicking... I barely made it 2 wks can you imagine 2.5 months...
Jared Bell
Tftc
Aldrin
I feel like Jake is a bit of an ass to judge the viper here. The multiverse wasn't even formed back then everything was far more cutthroat. I understand Jake and Villy are friends, but because of that he should give the viper the benefit of the dought. Not trying to call him out on methods he used to gain power and reach godhood over 90 eras trillions of years before they met. The holier then thou attitude is annoying and pathetic especially from Jake of all people.
Ben Cox
I mean Friday cliffhangers suck. No doubt about it but to see "I'm taking the rest of the year off" at the start of a Friday I thought you'd been in a terrible accident or something and prepared to fling my phone out the nearest window in outrage at the universe depriving us of more Primal hunter. Tyftc
Blake N.
Do you think he’ll use classic vampires or vampires from this story?
Suzanne Pearson
Does Jake even have the right to say anything against the Viper’s path as Jake’s own path tells everyone to do their own thing and create their own path? Jake isn’t exactly a bed of roses either (Telemat plague planet destroying path and the Cheeto’s planet - where everyone would have died by Jakes hand with the missing planet core if Cheeto hadn’t harvested them first for their faith)….
Alex
That or different silly snake imefry
Blake N.
Aww, so no vampire smut?
Kt-x
Ooh! Thanks for the chapter!
Morazain
Yes
Colin
Sword Saint fanfics
Alex
You should make the author note something everyone can see and post on RR. Not just us
Boffadeez
YEAH ME EITHER! *zips pants* Those books are the worst! *puts back tissues*
Hopeless Harp
Hey Zogath, love the books and am excited to hear about the hard covers, I would absolutely LOVE if when the books are all lined up if they formed some sort of snake on like the bottom that connect with all the books. Just a thought and thank you for the chapter
Trent Noble
The start of that announcement had me shitting bricks for a second.
Jose Mora
Tyftc
SwiftVogel
Hyped for the premium hardback books! TFTC
Roy
Oh baby, I'm looking forward to them hardcovers. Have a good weekend Zogarth, and enjoy writing your romance smut 😏
Ty Cooper
Lol I was wondering how the cliff would settle this Friday. Luckily, it was a gentle one. I am wondering if this race is the one the primordial church killed every single one because they looked to much like a primordial. I also have a feeling rigoria was built by them before whatever made her capable of becoming a god. Tftc! Have a great weekend.
Bobo
Take my money! Of course we’ll support!
Alex
I find that doubtful. The Neurotar seem like the kind of race that was powerful because of their technical prowess rather than their inherent strength. Jake’s Primeval Origins ability favors creatures with inherent power, it doesn’t give a shit about technology, so it wouldn’t really care about the neurotar.
Rewdan
I just realised it’s Friday, a Friday without a major cliffhanger. Should I be worried?
Sergej Fel
Doubtful, remember: before he met Villy, he was known as the Dusk Emperor, and after he met Villy, her was the Broken Dusk Emperor. Villy tends to break stuff it seems
Rewdan
Thanks Zogarth, it’s been a great weeks reading. I hope you have a great weekend.
Skarsol
How’d you decide on Vault for the books?
joel southard
Thank you for the chapter
Loststar7
TFTC. Bit disappointed the smut line was a joke though 😂. Have a great weekend and best of luck with the crowdfunding campaign.
Mikesch
But if he just was a snake, the Label "evil" does not fit. He just was a snake. And if you say evil from our point of view, humanity sucks as least as much. So no leg to stand on. Let Snakes be Snakes
Fdrugc
Tftc also inflation he must ask about inflation
Carl Never
I thought so to but i think its right he has a place to be the gate protects him
Cyranosaurus
This whole week has been full of really fun chapters and would be a great section of book…..but dang if it isn’t terrible to be done each day. Thanks for taking the time and effort to write such a great story.
JJMand
I guess the Neurotar is probably some extinct race, and I if that is the case, then there is a decent chance that Jake will bring the race back with his bloodline abilities.
Carl Never
Great chapter btw. Excited for the lost civilization story
Carl Never
Zog you promised a vampire smut poem and im commenting every day untill the sword saint pulls one out of that lady jake has pictures of
Fdrugc
This honestly made Jake a little worried, but upon walking down the steps of the gazebo and closer to the Gate of Enlightenment, he quickly felt the pressure mounting. It seemed that when he was close to the portal, the concepts were more muted and suppressed, and if he walked only a few dozen steps away from it, he would be fully exposed once more. Is this partly backwards?
Fyrtue
I viewed it more as Jake's own eye after he got the gaze of the primal hunter skill. He is the legendary perception merchant after all.
Dhia
rigoria’s back strory is a civilization sacrificed them selves to form a super mega AI that will become the primordial rigoria so im pretty sure the neurtars are that civilization
Burkhard Mittelbach
Hear me out. Jake accepts the offer from the nalkars and we can have Jake vampire smut
Daniel Brian
That was my original thought, that he was The Maker, but I think there's more to it.
Meir Banon
Tftc
Mohammed Sheekh
We are getting rigoria lore
Steven Myer
Jake telling a primordial and his patron they're a garbage person to their face should be a heretic level if there ever was one. Not another mortal or God in the multiverse who would do that to the Viper and get away with it. Okay, Maybe Ole Papa TreeSprouts could do it, but thats it!
IntenseSushi
Tftc honestly id give your vampire smut a go
Daniel Brian
Oooo! New race that was super advanced? Maybe THEY are the mysterious "dead god faction"? Maybe their existence is forbidden knowledge?
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
Jesper Hansen
It's actually a pretty interesting question that's put here, or well, there could have been a good question, but we are pretty much just saying that there is a correct and not correct way to be.. Villy was born as a snake, why should he ever conform to how humans feel? Especially at his current status. If an ant is somehow dragging around a pure gold nugget, would any human ever think twice before taking it? I love it, and I'm glad Villy didn't outright come out and do a weird "I was an evil snake, but then I grew up, and now I'm a good snake", basically he "I was an evil snake, then I grew up, and I became an evil snake with friends"
Indevan Jones
Is it the first three books or the whole collection? I'd really like the whole collection in hardcover at some point. -gives big hopeful slyphie eyes-
Dhia
we are here not for jake, not for villy, no we are here for the vampire smut
Blake Dexter
Need the hardback collection. Can't wait!
atome 4 000
Bet that those are the precursor of Rigoria and the automaton.
Steven Myer
Nope at least it hasn't been said so that I am aware of. I also 100% could be wrong.
Shadowind
Tftc. Vampire smut would be funny haha
Eric Shivak
This!!
Kevin Hargett
Wait, are we gonna get some vampiric slit smut… or what?
Rewdan
I’m not sure I’d like the poems. 🧐
NicN
I certainly wouldn't mind a touch of zogarth's smut, even if it was only for April fools or something
RnR_ RnR
By vampire smut, do you mean an arc where the sword saint goes to see his muse for painting?
Colton Horton
But werewolf smut is so much better!
NicN
Tftc
Arrogant Savant
Hmm, I feel a good amount of the reason Villy is relatively open with his thoughts open with his thoughts is related to Jake's path of the heretic-chosen, especially the part about how Jake is evaluating Villy's path.
EmmericH.
Thanks Villy that you're not actually writing smut, I just can't stand this genre
TNT
Thanks for the chapter! But for real I haven’t laughed so hard in a while at that Authors note.
brjenness
I agree. He has definitely spent too much time with his head in the smelly pot if he thought we would fall for that one,
brjenness
Am I rem correctly that divine realms are most often hidden somewhere in the void just like true royals inner world?
Jim Meyer
Great chapter, and congrats on the hardcover releases!
Ra
Oh man, the jolting first line frantically got me trying to figure out how many months are left this year 🫨 . However, the cover is dope! Shout-out to Villy's all seeing eye from Book 1.
FocalLocket
He got me in the start
Kirin
Thank you for the update!
Gabe Stankiewicz
Thank you for the chapter! And the nanosecond of absolute PANIC before my brain cells started working and figured out that was a joke 😂
James B Barrett
Shut up and take my money!
Devin Trero
Haven't even gotten to the chapter yet. Had to check out the books first. Looks like it's just the first 3 for now or am I wrong?
Jacob Dara
Yeah that's the part I was excited for
Caleb Fritz
So no Vampire Smut? Shame
brjenness
Race to see who is the first to create a RR account with the name Zoqarth and publish their vampire poems.
solomon pagan
So is that a no to vampire smut poetry 🤣🤣🤣
Bob of Doom
Vampire smut poem collection … so it will be like Where The Sidewalk Ends?
Leviathan
And now I'll reas the chapter
Leviathan
You may have joked about the smut zog, bit do it. Make it a smut side chapter from sanguine
Corvid
If that vampire smut poem collection isnt the sword saint spinoff series, we riot
J. E. Barney
Thanks for the whiplash 👍
Christopher Nisonger
I’m totally game for you writing vampire smut, just don’t make them sparkle.
Connor
Thanks for the chapter
Michael Fannon
Wait, we aren't getting vampire smut poems?
C0bra$
Thank u for the story
Beemoss
Tftc
Farmingaround
Thank you for the chapter
Sylphie
REE!!
Ed Soto
thanks for the chapter!
K
First, TFTC!
