Zogarth
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Chapter 1093 - Divine Gift Exchange
🕑 Added 2025-03-14 12:22:03 +0000 UTCYggdrasil dispelled the many leaves again after a few seconds of giving Jake time to be in awe. He had a lot of questions, and he couldn’t hold back but at least ask some of them.
“This space is bigger than it looks from the outside, right?” Jake asked. Sure, Yggdrasil was already massive from the outside, but he still didn’t believe this many leaf continents – something he’d just decided now to call them - could fit inside.
“My realm is expanded, yes,” Yggdrasil answered. “And should one pass the boundary through force, they shall not find themselves in the multiverse outside but the void between universes.”
“Does that mean this space technically exists within the void?” Jake asked curiously.
“In some sense, all of existence lies within the void,” Yggdrasil said, not seeming in a mood to elaborate further on that point.
“You know, it’s quite rare we have guests within here,” Nature’s Attendant jumped into the conversation as he entirely changed the topic. “Will you allow me to be straightforward with you for a moment?”
Jake assumed it was a rhetorical question at first, but the god was looking at Jake as if he genuinely wanted an answer, making Jake nod in response.
“Thank you,” Nature’s Attendant began with a smile. “Seeing as this world is also Yggdrasil’s Divine Realm, visiting gods want to avoid it at all cost. As you no doubt know, a god is far more powerful within their own realm, and Yggdrasil is no different. Even other Primordials would find themselves threatened within here, and while they could perhaps escape, it wouldn’t be without paying a large price. Hence, they prefer to meet on neutral ground or would only ever send a weak avatar.”
All of this was something Jake could have easily guessed as he nodded along, still unsure what the god was getting at.
“Meanwhile, weaker gods who are willing to go here often cannot handle the pressure,” the god continued. “I asked you before if you felt it, yet you didn’t even point out the difference in aura displayed by Yggdrasil before and after we entered her realm. Why didn’t you?”
“I thought it was evident,” Jake shrugged. “As you said, gods are way more powerful in their own Divine Realms, and I did mention that this entire place obviously belongs to the Mother Tree. I guess the natives can handle the energy, but with a direct manifestation of the god who owns the realm, I can see even gods having a tough time.”
“You are entirely correct; it is indeed hard for them to handle, which is why we cannot have guests here for that exact reason. It wouldn’t be polite to invite them here knowing just what kind of pressure they would be put under, now would it?”
Jake was about to answer the question only for Nature’s Attendant to continue speaking as that one had apparently been rhetorical.
“Yet here you are. Unaffected and uninfluenced. Ah, yes, that is another thing I noticed with you... your lack of reverence is unnatural. Tell me, when you look at Yggdrasil, what do you see?” Nature Attendant asked.
“A powerful Primordial,” Jake said, remaining confused about what the god was fishing for. “If you’re talking looks, well, an impressively large tree...”
Nature’s Attendant chuckled as even Yggdrasil smiled. “And that’s exactly it. You have a resistance to auras, but it’s intrinsically tied to a resistance toward the base instinct of recognizing a superior creature. What’s more, I’m unsure if this is actually an effect of your Bloodline or merely a side effect of it. If it’s not, it would be difficult to explain what has happened to Dina.”
“What do you mean?” Jake asked with a frown. He wasn’t sure he liked this current line of questioning and wondered if playing ignorant could get him out of it. Probably not, but either way, he was interested in what had happened with Dina.
“Her aura resistance has grown to a level where it even surpasses some gods,” Nature Attendant said, a hint of pride in his voice. “What’s more, from conversations with her, I can see that her thoughts regarding gods have changed. No longer does she have the same instinctive desire to worship as she did before Nevermore. Because we’re family, she could already handle being around me, at least for the most part, but being near Yggdrasil for extended periods would have been impossible for her. Yet just a month ago, Dina spent an entire week being personally tutored by her here on this very leaf in the forest below. Did she still feel the aura of Yggdrasil, and did it still pressure her somewhat? For sure, but she could handle it.”
Jake simply nodded, having decided that ignorance wasn’t gonna fly. Instead, he went with the exact opposite. “Happy to hear that. We did spend a few decades in a party so it isn’t exactly surprising that happened. Seems to be what commonly happens to those I spend a lot of time around.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” Nature’s Attendant smiled. “She also opened up a lot more after coming back, which brings me to the reason why I summoned you here in the first place. I promised you a reward for helping her with Nevermore, and you certainly exceeded all expectations in that regard. Her progress was extraordinary. But perhaps more important to be me as her grandfather, you helped her develop as a person. For that, you have my genuine gratitude.”
“So, full transparency, I’m pretty sure the Sword Saint is responsible for that far more so than me,” Jake confessed.
“Oh, I’m fully aware, and he shall also be rewarded,” Nature’s Attendant chuckled. “But you are still the reason why she went with him. Even if Dina has admittedly spoken a lot more about both him and Sylphie than you.”
“Not exactly surprising,” Jake shook his head. Dina and the Sword Saint had gotten along a lot better than Jake and Dina, and as for Sylphie, well, everyone liked Sylphie. Well, except for those she went full murder-bird on, but that was more often than not their own fault. Shouldn’t have owned something tasty Sylphie wanted to snack on.
He did wonder, though. “This may seem rude... but why all the questions regarding my Bloodline? About me? I’ve had a hard time figuring out what you two are trying to discover.”
Perhaps he was being a bit too blunt just asking them outright, but Jake had never been good at subtlety outside of using his stealth skills.
“What makes you think we are aiming to discover anything?” Yggdrasil asked.
“See, there it is again,” Jake pointed out. “You answer with another question rather than, you know, actually answer. You’re clearly not asking for fun, and I have a hard time seeing why the two of you would care for my opinion on your Divine Realm.”
“Yet that is exactly why we ask,” Yggdrasil finally gave a straight answer. “Your perspective holds value you do not quite comprehend. You are a mortal who does not experience the suppression of divinity. A man guided by instinct over logic and a type of creature that has never stepped foot within this realm before. This uniqueness makes you intriguing and a curiosity to those who rarely experience the novelty of interacting with anything genuinely new.”
“I’m not quite sure how to take that,” Jake mumbled. Luckily, Nature’s Attendant stepped in quickly.
“Just be aware we have no ill intentions. We invited you here, after all. We do not demand anything from you, and if you are uncomfortable with our prying, we will gladly stop. I didn’t bring you here for an interrogation but to reward you, after all,” the old god spoke with a comforting smile.
“Oh, that reminds me,” Jake suddenly remembered. “The Viper had me bring two personal gifts personally from him for the two of you. I would love to tell you what it is, but I genuinely can’t tell.”
“Are these gifts in your current spatial storage?” Nature’s Attendant asked with concern.
“Yeah?” Jake confirmed, unsure what the caution was all about.
After his positive repose, Yggdrasil responded by summoning a powerful barrier that covered the entire mountain they were on. Jake also vaguely felt something else change, and when he used a few Pulses in quick succession, he noticed that nothing outside the barrier was moving, as if time had stopped.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out why Yggdrasil had done that.
“Now that is a little hurtful, isn’t it?” Jake asked jokingly.
“Seeing as I’m unaware of this gift’s nature, I prefer caution. A powerful unknown poison or perhaps even a plague could cause a lot of unwanted damage that I would much prefer to do without,” Yggdrasil answered, not a hint of jest in her voice.
Jake glanced at Nature’s Attendant, who had the same serious expression, and Jake couldn’t help but mutter out loud. “Has he seriously done something like that in the past?”
The two gods in front of him didn’t answer as Jake shook his head. Man, Villy, you really have been an asshole at times, huh?
“Look, I don’t think it’s anything bad, but sure, do be cautious,” Jake said, as he didn’t see any reason to keep them all in suspense anymore. Waving his hand, the two flasks appeared, with the gods staring cautiously at them for a moment. However, quickly, they realized that Jake hadn’t been carrying some plague in a bottle as both motioned for the flasks to fly over to each of them respectively.
“You said you aren’t sure what it is?” Nature’s Attendant asked. “These are some pretty hefty seals...”
“From what the Viper told me, he brought out some of his good stuff,” Jake tried to assure the two of them.
Yggdrasil was the first to remove the seal on her flask, and the moment she did, her demeanor changed. Nature’s Attendant noticed her change and also unsealed his own flask, doing a worse job at hiding his surprise than the Primordial.
“This is... hm,” he said with a frown.
“Is there a problem?” Jake asked, now feeling a bit nervous that Villy had just been messing with the three of them. I fucking swear, if he just had me hand over two bottles of tap water or some shit like that, I’m gonna punch him in the nose the next time we meet up.
“A problem? Quite the opposite,” Nature’s Attendant said as he looked at Yggdrasil, who also frowned. “This was very purposeful, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” Yggdrasil confirmed.
Jake fell very much in the dark, but once more, Nature’s Attendant came to the rescue. “I cannot share with you exactly what these flasks contain, but I will share with you the intent behind them. This is a statement, nay, a declaration.”
“A declaration of what?” Jake asked, confused.
“That he’s still the best alchemist in the multiverse,” Yggdrasil answered. “Despite the eras, he clearly never stopped honing his craft. No one has seen any creations by him similar to these since the seventh era, making many doubt if he was still as skilled as he used to be. Alchemy has gotten far more complex and powerful as the general power level of the multiverse has grown in tandem with the ever-increasing influx of Records, and no one could be sure if he had kept up. Most of the best alchemists learn through sparring with one another and exchanging knowledge... but then again, that was never something Vilas bothered much with. He always viewed all other alchemists as beneath him. I don’t think he’s ever encountered a single alchemist he even considered worth learning from.”
Well, Jake knew one exception to that statement, but if he only considered now-living alchemists, she was probably right. Even Duskleaf, who was clearly recognized as an alchemist at the absolute top of the multiverse, was excited whenever he could convince Villy to give him pointers.
“Guess I chose a good Patron for my profession,” Jake smiled as he tried to crack a small joke again.
Nature’s Attendant chuckled again and shook his head. “Once more, you seem to not understand how odd that sentence is. As a Chosen, you view your Patron as only the Patron of your alchemical Path.”
“Yeah,” Jake just agreed with a cheeky smile. “Snakes don’t even have hands; what does he know about archery?”
The two of them luckily found Jake’s joking amusing; at least, neither of them said anything negative. Jake also got the vibes that despite talking with him, the two were also having private telepathic discussions, likely regarding the gifts they had just received from the Viper.
Perhaps they even wanted Jake gone so they could properly inspect the items. At least, he got that feeling as they pushed the conversation forward. “Now, we shouldn’t keep Artemis waiting for too long, now should we? You have given us gifts, but we are unsure what you would want in return. I have some ideas in mind, but do you have any requests?”
Finally they were on to that topic, and Jake was happy that Yggdrasil was also present for what he was about to say next.
“You know all the members who were in our Nevermore party, right?” Jake asked.
“Yes, of course,” Nature’s Attendant answered, unsure what Jake was getting at. That was also when Jake realized that they likely didn’t know.
“During the system event... a False God appeared. One who could manipulate and use desolation,” Jake said, the two gods getting serious when Jake said this. “The Fallen King and Sylphie encountered this False God... but the Fallen King didn’t make it.”
“I... didn’t know that,” Nature’s Attendant sighed. “How long ago did it happen, and-“
“The Unique Lifeform is not dead,” Yggdrasil spoke, getting Jake’s attention. “I can still feel his presence within the mask you wear. The energy of life is faint to the level of being near-undetectable, but it’s there.”
“Yeah, I did kind of know that,” Jake nodded. “And that’s related to my request. While I could maybe find a solution myself if given enough time, I don’t want to wait. He’s already missing out enough as is.”
Jake was arrogant, yes. He did truly believe he could find a method himself some day. However, for once, he wasn’t selfish enough to wait. Jake didn’t like asking others for help, and if Yggdrasil and Nature’s Attendant offered to heal Jake’s own injured soul, he would have likely rejected it, but this wasn’t about him. He wasn’t willing to ask for help for himself, but if it was to help someone he considered a friend, he was more than willing.
“I also have this,” Jake added as he summoned a fragment. “This is an item I got after the death of the False God who originally slew the Fallen King.”
[Fragment of the Fallen King (Legendary)] – A single fragment and all that remains of what had once been the Unique Lifeform known as the Fallen King. Records and energy of the Fallen King remain within, granting this fragment incredible durability and the ability to enhance certain soul-related abilities when used as a catalyst. Has many alchemical uses, especially when used in any soul-related creations. WARNING: Unknown energies linger within that may lead to unforeseen effects upon use.
Nature’s Attendant looked at the fragment closely, Yggdrasil did the same before she spoke. “You wish for us to heal this Unique Lifeform?”
“If possible, yes,” Jake nodded.
“That’s not an easy matter,” Nature’s Attendant sighed. “We’re talking about a Unique Lifeform. Their bodies and souls are incredibly complex, and-“
“We accept,” Yggdrasil agreed. “But do consider what else you would want in addition. Usually, it’s true that rebuilding the body and soul of a Unique Lifeform is as difficult, if not more so, than a revival, but this Fallen King has already laid the groundwork. That fragment is a blueprint of his body, and within your mask, his Truesoul lingers.”
Jake couldn’t help but smile as he heard this. “Does that mean that his memories will be intact?”
This was the thing Jake had feared the most. Rebuilding the body of the Fallen King wasn’t what he thought was difficult; it was rebuilding the Unique Lifeform he knew as the Fallen King. If all he did was create an entirely “new” Unique Lifeform, then what even was the point?
“A sealed package of pure soul energy sits within your mask. Tell me, did he transfer something to it shortly before his near-death?” Yggdrasil asked.
Jake thought back before nodding. “Yeah... some energy entered it shortly before he went to try and take down the False God...”
“Likely a copy of his memories,” Yggdrasil said. “Give me your mask and the fragment. Reconstruction will take a while, but I do not believe you are in a rush right now.”
“Alright,” Jake readily agreed as he took off his mask and presented it. Energy gathered around the mask as Yggdrasil seemed to scan it from top to bottom.
“Intriguing indeed...” Yggdrasil spoke again. “Take back the mask for now. You will be called upon when your presence is needed again.”
Jake wasn’t even sure what Yggdrasil had done to the mask, but the fragment was gone, and he could only believe in the Primordial for now.
“Alright,” he nodded solemnly.
“With that, it’s time for you to return to Artemis,” Nature’s Attendant said with a knowing smile. “I believe you two have quite a lot to discuss.”
Before Jake even had time to agree, he was teleported out of the Divine Realm and back into the trunk, where he found himself standing in the wooden chamber with only one other person present, Minaga evidently already gone.
Jake and Artemis momentarily locked eyes once more, and this time, neither broke contact as there was no longer an audience for them to care about.
Comments
Kudugu
So, is it safe to assume that the Fallen King pulled a „Spock, dying in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan“ and we‘re about to experience a „Star Trek III: The Search for Spock“ revival?
Luke Scheffe
It's fertility potions, isn't it? All three of them.
AngeTrap
Est-ce que tu as des auteurs à me conseiller 🐰🥕 doc
Jonathan Campbell
I swear, sometimes I feel like all my favorite authors have either a purposeful schedule or an insane amount of probability to come down on their being close to if not actual cliffhangers on days like Friday when we’re going to be forced to wait until Monday, or else upgrade our tier of sub to get more chapters immediately!
E-million.agency
Il est très capable de dire ça
Chloe
Unselfish Jake, looking out for his friend. Yea. That's pretty darn awesome. Tyftc
Henrik Nørgaard
I'm guessing that this might have been the pre-family days.
Trumangolorian
Yay the fallen king will come back. Wonder if at the same level as Jake or at the level he died at.
Matthew Lemon
I was thinking that since he has soul powers maybe "King of Desolate Souls" which involves him taking lonely/unhappy creatures under his wing and leading them as their king (doubt this would even happen). Tbf if Jake got involved with the resurrection process I could see your idea occurring as many parts of Jake are paradoxical. "Heretic and Chosen. Stability and Destruction. Intelligence and Instinct. You walk a Path of paradoxes, forever maintaining a tight balance as you strive to bring your unique Path toward perfection"
Matthew Lemon
Could be called the King of Rebirth or King of Life as its his second time coming back and he being reconstructed by the leader of the POL
Fabian
The natural instinct to worship can be the unnatural part. It feels like children grabbing with their hands in the dark, that whole tree of knowledge likely being Forbidden Knowledge.
LongMickeyRicky
Please sir, could i have some more
Michael Fannon
Even better author to make one look forward to waking up early on a Monday.
Jordan Rogers
Jake will reach like level 20,000 this time in minagas labyrinth
Jordan Rogers
Yayay!
Keith Douglas
Oh, you sweet summer children. Jake'll be back in Nevermore at B grade. And A Grade and onwards.
Jordan Rogers
Is everyone’s biggest question whether or not minaga interrupts?
Jordan Rogers
Takes a pretty great author to make one hate the weekends
IntenseSushi
A few of us waiting on that cliff rn
Jordan Rogers
It’s a gentle-ish cliff but my grip is tired
Jordan Rogers
I need off this cliff
Mat
Dysfunctional family
Swan
When jake evolved to c grade villy was told about how jake might be a variant human race by jake, and told him to never mention it with anyone.
Jordan Rogers
I know it was far too short, still sad we missed out on nevermore+ and nevermore++
Michael Kawesa
He was there during the ceremony after the shenanigans with Yip of Yore.
Michael Kawesa
Why would Villy poison his in-laws?
Jordan Rogers
😵😂
ABTelford
That was my guess as well
ABTelford
My guess at the first thing Jake says next chpt. “So, I’m not sure how awkward this is supposed to be but…wanna go hunting?”
Ivo Wißen
Don't think so, the bottel that was used on the fallen king had no seal. Villy did say that what is in there is simpel system-magie-stuff, it does what the inspekt says. now the seal didn't even let jake inspekt the bottel and only let im know who it belongs to
bioticisbasic
Loved the chapter and story so far! Finally finished binge reading it all, so im excited to see whats next!
Shaibene
I think he'll come back as the "desolate fallen king"
Carrie Arnson
I like the idea of the kings trump card being resurrection with proper planning. If he can infuse records in Jake’s mask before going and doing xyz crazy thing then he can come back. Similar to how Minaga has near infinite clones of himself
MrCynical
Only reason I doubt that is how often Jake has interacted with Villy and Villy never noticing anything. Though Jake hasn't been inside of Villy's domain since the D-grade evolution when both Jake and he hypothesize that Jake's evolution split from standard human. I think it's more likely that Yggdrasil classifies pretty much anyone not a god as a creature that isn't a noncreature like a plant or possibly elemental or unique lifeform. Because Yggdrasil is a giant fucking tree.
TheRaptorOfHermes
fallen king+ jake juice-> erect king
Constantin
I bet it is a fertility drug
Johnsmith
So I noticed this line from Yggdrasil “and a type of creature that has never stepped foot within this realm before.” Am I reading too much into this or is she implying she knows Jake isnt a normal human? Its not that hes mortal as Dina has been there before.
J7
No one else has the King's ability. It's unique but not infallible if the mask was ever destroyed the King would have a true death. Not to be mean but anyone who didn't see this wasn't paying attention.
LongMickeyRicky
I mean to me the point of the kings death was a point of character growth where he was learning how not to selfish and sacrificed his life for his friends. I think it wouldve been a great conclusion to his life; from narcissistic tutorial boss to learning how to accept people into his life and sacrifice for them. I definitely thought as soon as he died that he would he revived, which left me with no emotional value because i was like “hes just gonna get revived” and kind of makes the character growth more shallow and tbh makes him as a character seem weaker since hes the only main character to actually lose his life, twice at that. It just doesnt do it for me and i think the entire point of his death couldve been done the same with some soul damage to him due to desolation, similiar to jakes broken skill. I still wouldve been like “oh shit they need to lock in” due to the soul creature getting soul damage, but i wouldntve been like “wow this is kind of a cheap attempt to get an emotional reaction out of me”. Im not saying it doesnt make sense for the soul creature to be able yo revive himself, especially if he did it in earlier grades, all im saying is death is a sacred thing in stories and it should be saved for when characters actually die. Im probably going to be going through the story thinking every main character dying now will end in some sort of revival, and that just takes away from the story imo.
WaxDinosaur
He just said two of the flasks would be worth killing Jake for. Didn’t really say much about the third. Maybe it’s his new batch of vodka 😂
WaxDinosaur
I agree with you in general, but not really this circumstance. 1. The king of the forest was not someone we knew or cared about. That death was shocking in that Jake survived and actually won, not because we cared about the king of the forest. This is the first time our friend and a fave character Fallen King died. And like Dominic says above: He is a Unique life form, who specializes in soul magic. If I could plant seeds for his rebirth from (E or F grade? Can’t remember his level in the tutorial) Anyway, if he could do that at such an early grade, it would be absurd to not be able to as a C grade powerhouse who has much higher conceptual understanding of himself and soul magic. If someone like Arnold, Miranda, or Miranda’s assistant who’s name i cant remember, dies and gets an easy res, then yeah, thats a disservice. 2: you say “it undermines the entire point of the death and shorts readers what could have been an emotional experience” So, I would say that Zog has a very strong idea and understanding of “why” he wanted the fallen king to fall like that. It’s not really fair to say him being brought back undermines that, because unless you are Zog or he has shared something with you about that, maybe you just missed the “point” of his death? It shorts the readers of … an emotional experience Not really. When the king sacrificed his life and fell, was your immediate reaction, oh well all good he’s totally still alive and will come back soon Or did you have more of an emotional reaction at that point? Looking back now sure, you might now think wow that was impactful, but again I would say maybe you missed the “point” of his death
WaxDinosaur
@Ferrum Maybe a future chapter using one of his charges of that skill he used to meet the sage?
WaxDinosaur
I was going to joke about him getting a title for dying and coming back so often, but then I realized if those exist Minaga has ALL of them. Also now I’m questioning if titles are a thing in this series or if I’m getting mixed up.
WaxDinosaur
After this second round of being brought back from dying, or almost dead, maybe he’ll see the benefit of keeping a sliver tied to the mask. It’s turning into Sandy’s rebirth egg but without the skill to ease the rebirth
WaxDinosaur
Also, I really hope the title of the chapter he comes back is “The Return of the King”
WaxDinosaur
The Reborn King Feels like a good theme. King of the Forest Fallen King Reborn King Or The King Reborn Or The Child King! *evil laugh
Phasmatic7
Thankies
Polaris
I think it would just be his origin. The King of the Forest
BearHandMan
Thiccc Juicy King
The Uub
Remember that Zog missed 2 days a couple weeks ago, this was supposed to be the Primordial/NA convo cliff
The Uub
I know your point is valid, but Vilas can also change the description of anything he makes with alchemy. Can he fool another Primordial such as the Wyrmgod? We'll, Villy does have a reputation as a sneaky-snek.
Goofy
What I think will be interesting is if Jake adds a bit of Jake juice when bringing the fallen king back and you get a different variant of the fallen king.
Jack Liu
perfect chapter, so many new threads!
Korrasis
I caught up :,( i hope this series never ends. I want to still be reading nee things about Jake and friends 30 years from now. :D
Hayden Leech
Yeah most of these comments are stuff he did in the 93rd era. Like duskleaf getting robbed and the mushrooom world wonder I’m talking about where he got the materials to research and progress in alchemy from eras 7-92.
Corvid
Yeah I mean if you think about it he already has a handful of factions that are basically kill on sight towards him because of his transmutation/ origin stuffs. He'll get there with the rest
Corvid
There was a whole schtick with Duskleaf I wanna say around nevermore where he jabs at the viper for stealing his alchemical ingredients without asking.
Corvid
Yeah both times he's only really died the same way Bertram has died. As in not at all really thanks to system fuckery and pure skill.
Corvid
Yeah completely agree. The king is Jake's Vegeta in every way and I'm here for it.
santiago villa reverte
I forgot hiw long was the evermore saga… 3 books wow…
Salguod
Lmao Zog is probably seeing this comment and thinking "am I really this predictable?"
tyler cissell
Nooooooooo! I don't want this bad juju! Lmao. Knowing garthy it's going to be a combo of b and c. Or both those will come before a. Damnit. I didn't even think about this until I read the comments! Grrrrrrr. Got a feeling we won't see the Jake and Artemis chapter until next Wednesday or Thursday.
Gwiddion
Mostly A and at the end a tiny amount of C to tease a mayor new thing
brjenness
nature's attendant and yggy then 1 or 2 sentences of Artemis slowly raising an eyebrow after an awkward greeting from jake for zee cliff.
Salguod
I thought about that but wanted to make it more open in case Dina wasn't involved
MrCynical
Could also be Dina & Sword Saint & Sylphie. But my money would be on Artemis & Jake.
Salguod
Alright I'm taking bets on the content of the next chapter. Is it going to be A. Artemis & Jake B. Sylphie & Sword Saint C. Nature's Attendant & Yggdrasil D. Some combination of the above
JJB4345_80_815
I could be wrong, but I think that Villy spent some time in the Void during his isolation. That way, he could remain separate from the Eras while also having a minimum of interaction with Void gods. Maybe Villy used the Void gods as suppliers?
DirePants
Why was I thinking Minaga would do the same?? I hope he doesn’t. 🤦🏾♂️ Minaga would never be that cringe
DirePants
This right here is what it’s all about lol
DirePants
Not strong enough yet…
Yeslek Nnamhctits
Thank villy, I was getting worried for the fallen king. I'm so glad.
JJB4345_80_815
Yes, thank you for the chappy Zogarth!
Dominic Smallwood
On the other hand, he is a being who specializes in soul magic. Resurrection is kind of his thing, or at least knowing enough about soul magic to prep himself to be brought back is
kinglemur
I don’t think it’s possible with the changes to his true soul, the king of the forest was killed and with his death came the birth of the fallen king
BearHandMan
I’m hoping to see him return as the King of the Forest F being fallen. I want a true revival.
Sarianne
Nah, been hanging here some other weekends too, you?
Phil Ritter
@brjenness let’s be honest it’s not like this was even the first time we witnessed that. Snappy brought the Wyrmgod something completely useless when he went to Nevermore to kill the stragglers of the Brimstone Hegemony
dash w
Thanks for the chappy though the cliff is killing me
Alex
Yes, but hers was considerably less valuable, and far more likely to be a joke like an aphrodisiac.
Phil Ritter
“Looks over”….”first time?”
Phil Ritter
Okay that saying goes hard
Matt
I'm sure Artemis will give details, she gets 1 too
Michael Ferguson
Villy copied the seal on his gift from seal on the bauble Jake used to resurrect the Fallen King with. It's like Villy's letting Jake know he has gained a lot from there friendship already. Neet
dragon
My fingers are going to get quite the workout, hanging on this cliff all weekend
Hezekiah Laguatan
You know the saying, if she ain't hunting with the bros, she belongs to the fungi foes
SmokeJam
If Artemis doesn't point him towards a True Dragon to fight, she ain't it.
Xander
I mean teccchhniccaallllyyyyyyyyy, Fk hasnt died at all yet. He has been very thoroughly defeated and maintained his TS in the universe as opposed to it returning to the system.
tyler cissell
I'm sobbing. My heart, it too fragile for all this teasing!
brjenness
sorry, I know what you were saying, I just wandered off into left field when I was thinking about it.
Sarianne
Have a nice weekend hanging on this cliff y'all 😅
austin kutz
I'm thinking it's probably just elixirs that work on primordials, but who knows. And the viper sending regular tap water would actually be basically shitting on himself since he's supposed to be the best alchemist ever
brjenness
oh villy.. just laughed for 2 mins because I decided it was tapwater that villy gave them all with the intent that Jake punches him in the mouth and they get in a tussle in front of a bunch of people before walking off talking non-sense like nothing ever happened. the "was this intentional" part was yggy and na realizing villy was pulling a prank on Jake
Will Murry
Don't get mad at Zogarth for that kinda thing just let them right their story
Tr0LLach
He can always introduce an item that is more valuable the more powerful the god is, e.g. items that would let Yiggy and Tonken have a child.
dibjuv
We already know some stuff that are valuable to Primordials though. Yip of Yore for example was a valuable ingredient for Villy to eat. The potion may even be partially made of Yip of Yore, like the remnants Villy's not eating.
kinglemur
I feel like it’ll be a merging of some kind so that’s why I’m going with fallen king of desolation
Sloth
The desolate king?
OldCase
Thank you Z
Anthony Smith
Writing profession: Author of Cliffhangers Edge
Rewdan
Thanks Zogarth top draw stuff right here
Alex
I doubt the gifts are going to get any explanation; they’re clearly something that a Primordial-level entity would consider extremely valuable. If Zog defines what they are then he’s giving a point of reference for “things that are valuable to Primordials” which would constrain the rest of the story because he’d need to keep the value of things he introduces from then-onwards within that upper bound to maintain narrative consistency — Jake can’t go stumbling onto things that are clearly more valuable than something a Primordial would covet while he’s still mortal after all. Zog could avoid a lot of trouble for free if he just doesn’t elaborate on what’s in the flasks. It’s the same reason he hasn’t explained what the rarities are above (Mythic) — if he fully defines the rarity scale instead of leaving it open-ended then he has to make sure that things he puts on that scale are consistent for the rest of the narrative, which is just an unnecessary pain in the ass because the story is going to keep going for many years.
Hayden Leech
Yeah that’s not really what I meant. I meant if the system spawned an entity that outclassed a primordial for a system event… an entity with an aura so vast it could suppress even Villy at full power… (Villy said there system has spawned such entities before) Would Villy be immune to its presence because of his association with Jake?
kinglemur
The fallen king of desolation
Keegan Moss
Who else is betting on a romantic campfire “conversation”
Alex
Unique Lifeforms can’t receive blessings, period. Also, the Fallen King has no relation to trees at all, he just kind of looks like one; he mentions this when he meets Dina and she says her Bloodline doesn’t work on him.
John Durrett
What if they did have a baby together and named Jake Godparent? Lol. Could be levels just in the title records
Phil Ritter
If we don’t get a primordial pov during the next few chapters I’m gonna be pissed. They seemed to be off towards the end and I really want to know what that gift was. We don’t even have a clue what things alchemy is able to do
TwistedVanity
Ps... who hoped the flasks contained tap water?
John Durrett
Some people never learn an Inside Voice. ;). Naw, the difference is that she is not speaking from the mouth. The words come into being and announce to gods thoughts
TwistedVanity
Awesome as ever. And delivered on all fronts. Just hope Jake gets an amazing bow as well
Phil Ritter
I’d agree with you if it wasn’t for Ygg doing the resurrection. Falling again might affect his records but I don’t believe fully healing his body and soul would be above the primordial of life
John Durrett
Naw. All depends on the writer to weave the story and for the conditions to make sense
Zizawah
I sincerely hope not. I’ve read grim-dark stories and I’m not a fan. PH is just right because it’s fun and brings me joy. I hope it will stay that way.
LongMickeyRicky
I mean it did that but i think when a main character dies it should do more than just make him be more careful. It should have extreme lasting impact especially if its a character as important as the fallen king. It just feels like it didnt really mean much like they were sad and now its like “oh let me go see the magic tree god and get my friend revived again” like i feel like chris’s death had more emotional impact than this and thats not a good thing Id just like to see more lasting impact from main character deaths because without it it undermines the entire point of the death and shorts the readers of what couldve been an emotional experience. Ik in other stories when the author uses fake out deaths (specifically one piece), i dont even believe that the characters actually dead until a year or two after.
Connor
Thanks for the chapter
John Durrett
I like to think of it as a lovers retreat . ;)
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
John Durrett
Ahh, I have a great title for him. “The Come Back King” !
brjenness
crustysock did you change your name?
TyranT-Rex
I get what you're saying, but from a story perspective, this was a wakeup call for Jake. Losing the Fallen King and nearly losing Sil, forcing Villy to us a transcendence, it all drove home the point to Jake that he needs to think more before acting.
Kendra M
Loved this chapter! Perfect cut off as well!
Alexx Morgan
Chapters just keep getting better ! Thank you
Jan
Calling it: King of Desolate Nature! The concept of balance and the constant cycle between creation/growth and destruction. Or perhaps destruction through nature/ creation, like a unique (pun intended), living anti-thesis?
Swaggernaut77
Villy aura farming as per usual
Carl Never
He does that thing where his evolution dosent really change him yet he only grew an inch or 2
Carl Never
He was under 6 in book 1 id say 5'10" and in book 3? He is now about 6' maybe 6'2"
Max
If zogahth had a profession it be cliffhanger specialists.
Arieh Sochaczevski
Thanks for the chapter!
DirePants
Good chapter. Perfect for a Friday. The intrigue of Jake’s disposition rises. Man, I really do love this story. Wondering if King will return looking different or have added/different powers or affinities. And damn I was really curious about what Villy made in those flasks! Oh well 🤷🏾♂️Have a good weekend everyone!
Tristan
Desolate King baby woooo!!!!!!!
Carl Never
Ell hakan was pretty bloody i think it just took a while
Hunter Ferris
Redacted
Carl Never
Zog said in an interview on the early books that people didnt respond well to the side storys. Well its been long enough weve scared all those cowards off yeah? Add it all well read it all jake and villy 100 years 100 years jake and villy
Phoenixdrop
Well can’t wait for this conversation to happen
Kyler
I’d like for him to mix his curse and origin stuff together to make like a cursed origin poison that could possibly twist someone’s path
Kyler
Wasn’t the reason because he’s like Jake and refuses to see anyone better
Carl Never
If you write a book ill read it
Darshar Griffonmane
Yes! Don't care what form The King Returns as, long as his personality is mostly intact. Cause the King is to Jake, what Jake is to the Divine. Not impressed most days and absolutely willing to take a swing when needed. Can't wait for monday! tyftc!
Amathew2
When Jake reaches godhood we’re gonna get a 4th wall break when he realizes we’ve all been watching him this whole time.
Tommy
Another 🔥chapter Zogarth was cooking this week
Michael Ferguson
S... they have us as an audience too. If Yggdy counts then me jerking off in my room does too.
Psyck0
Gotham logic he comes back with desolation in his Repertoire and is way stronger
Crjourdan
The desolate king? 🤨🤨
Michael Ferguson
Awesome! Now the wait till Monday is more painful! TFTC!
brjenness
primal king
spyks
Didn’t Villy visit that world wonder with all the alchemical ingredients before recommending it to Jake?
Jessica Anderson
At some point, when Jake gets a potion Villy can’t identify from the system, they talk about health potions being nothing more than a liquid the system accepts as influencing records. So nothing about the health potion in and of itself really does anything. It’s the way the alchemist interacts with the records of the ingredients that makes the system accept that the end result interacts with the recipient in a manner causing healing. Which is why potions always work better for the creator themselves as well. Villy has the ability to make alchemical concoctions directly interacting with records, as did the first sage. As long as he has records of sufficient quality available within himself he can basically make the system accept that anything does anything. Which is like the ultimate trump card alchemy skill. So the only thing he needs to keep up with current alchemists is access to current high quality records, especially if those records are new and innovative. And he just got those by eating Yip of Yore…
Carl Never
He went to that world wonder with all the mushrooms
Hotep Saxis
Thinking it has to be something we don’t know about yet. Since Villy said many gods would kill Jake to get the flasks it can’t be something related to procreation, or even just records.
Jessica Anderson
He’s just over 6’. It got specified evolution got him to get a bit taller but I don’t think it specified by exactly how much other than to note he’s in that “tall in the way women like, but not so tall it’s annoying to deal with” range.
Hotep Saxis
I hope it’s quicker than that so the King can join the gang for some leveling. He needs to keep up the pace.
FerrumMike YT
Honestly want a interlude to find out about the poison
Hotep Saxis
Man it really pays to be Jake’s friend. It’s like a powerful cheat code. Dina got one on one training with Yggdrasil. Wow. Another banger chapter, this arc is everything I hoped for. The whole King sequence was like an MMO quest. Got the drop from the False God, had a travel sequence, did the quest turn in with Yggdrasil…. Love it.
Ricky Keenum
As they say, I can cut that tension with a knife. Also the fallen king should be renamed the eternal rebirth fallen king at this point, welcome back in 20 chapters or so buddy!
Hayden Leech
Probably the exact opposite of a contraceptive. It’s supposed to be really hard for gods to have kids.
Benjamin
How tall is Jake? I can’t seem to remember.
brjenness
so many ways to zog the future up. yggy was nervous about what villy would do if he became too powerful. slowly the primordials realize villy is changed and views them as friends. then villy kills them all. Jake later kills villy. the multiversity is destroyed. Jake is injured and limited to c grade Jake takes some apprentices who shows promise. gives his boots to the final one he asks to kill him.
LongMickeyRicky
It also makes the fallen king seem not as strong as hes supposed to be. Ik hes died to two powerhouses but hes died once in two different grades now. It takes away from his perceived piwer as well
Razeel Nightfall
Will he be the reborn king when we next meet him?
Daniel Jackson-Woods
Using his low powered avatars seems likely
LongMickeyRicky
Im not arguing that it isnt set up in the story im saying it dulls any character death in the future. Hes going to be resurrected now twice. What was the point of him dying ? It serves very little value to the story other than cheap shock value. Character deaths shouldnt be treated as just something that can happen over and over it should a big permanent deal. It takes away from the storys emotional value when u kill a character and resurrect them multiple times
Daniel Jackson-Woods
Probably going to take quite a while probably right after jake heals his own soul damage before evolving to B-grade maybe even needing to bring the king back as an evolution quest.
Daniel Jackson-Woods
I have a feeling jake may use some of his origin energy to assist bringing him back with the origin energy of all unique lifeforms empowering the fallen king and possibly removing the "fallen portion of his namesake.
derrin davis davis
When the fallen king returns the whole nevermore party will be back together again and I think the unique lifeform will have a great experience on this great planet and training with managa
Tr0LLach
There's no way FK comes back normal. Dying twice with no consequence would suck. He's either gonna be influenced by Child of Loss or fucked up in some other way.
brjenness
the Jake effect could also be key to being able to defeat a primordial inside their own realm
brjenness
ohhhh. villy less evil because Jake exposure has given him more confidence so he's less confrontational....I like it.
Tanner Matone
Man Yggdrasil is so cool.
Adam McCarter
https://youtu.be/gIbw0OkC9po?si=Hm-cENswF1jzHAKm
brjenness
and also with the "extra" something stored in the fragment, we can have arguments in the future about whether or not fallen king will turn heel. some comments about separating his self from Jake. maybe he takes over a few planets without telling Miranda. then big cliff hanger confrontation where it was shown king was just eliminating some dissent in milky way and just didn't think to check if it was OK with Jake's little helper.
Michelle Maurice
Glad the king will live on. I'm here for his and Sandy's snark. TYFC!
Kevin Watson
what a hype fucking chapter, i didn’t expect the King’s return to start so soon, i wonder if his unique race will change at all given his insane circumstances? he spent a LOT of time essentially submerged in desolation and nine tenths dead. tfc
Kevin Watson
i see it as a possibility, primordials tend to be pretty mysterious even at their most open times, and seeing as Yggdrasil is one of the stronger ones, AND she’s focused around the concept of life, i could imagine seeing his face being in her wheelhouse
JonO
Nah i doubt she'll be jealous... fallen king will likely get a vial from an indirect source (in including aura use or touch by hand). Artemis, however, will be receiving a direct injection.
JonO
If they're inside yggdrasil... does that mean it's technically a threesome?
Palmer Evans
Haha someone called the Artemis convo cliffhanger a couple days ago
Xander
TFTC :)
Mrburns93
I doubt he was as isolated as he claimed to be. There were most definitely clones floating around collecting materials for his alchemy. I think his isolation was more of a spiritual isolation, but that he had bodies doing his shopping for him. They were most likely filling some non interference guidelines and focused on getting things he needed. Another option is a spacial tool that held 7 eras worth of divine ingredients but I doubt that would last another 86 eras so I would rather believe the first
Czar
May become a or the Risen King
Ty Cooper
I am so looking forward to the chapter with Nature's Attendant and Ygg after Jake leaves. The gifts from Villy and the reconstruction of the Fallen King. The Artemis chapter and gift to her that Villy made. I am betting she gets him a bow. Or hope
Kasey Lindenmayer
Have a great weekend everyone!
Borbino the great
That’s valid I gotta put some respect on his name
Stuart Thwaites
He had to leave his divine realm because he kept on levelling. I see Villy's absence as a sabbatical rather than a true self isolation. He left his divine realm but never interacted with anyone unless absolutely necessary and never as The Malefic Viper.
Joshua Kitchen
Unlikely reach, but perhaps he is able to make certain events about himself forbidden knowledge? Like doing a massive shopping spree once an era because it takes awhile to save up transcendent-juice to do it? I’m sure some shenanigans are involved at least
Seen Death
Small edit: Doomfoot the Godfucker
Lorenzo Campari
He’s definitely about to gift her some super aphrodisiac, isn’t he? And Minaga will be hidden somewhere recording the scene.
Daniel Brian
Maybe not, but I didn't even think about the connection with him looking like a force of nature!
Daniel Brian
His concepts seem to be antithesis of desolation, though not as much as Carmen apparently. I'd be surprised if he came back with a thing more than a strong understanding and resistance to desolation.
Daniel Brian
Could be a number of things: 1. Her speech is more felt than spoken. 2. A combo of speech and telepathy. 3. Put in bold for effect, to show how important or physically influential her speech is. Just off the top of my head.🤔
Amathew2
I
Julian
Well he did just finish up refining a godcorpse, maybe he bottled up some godjuice?
Jason Hardman
K
Hayden Leech
Last chap it said her mouth wasn’t moving. She’s speaking telepathically just like the Fallen King. Her bold font is the same one used for the King too.
Jason Hardman
How about, "Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down..." 🤣
Alexander C Hyde
More like standing in a tree.
Enzo Elacqua
I kind of doubt she meant that, likely she was taking more about his unique bloodline than something as earthshattering as a high human race since she was pretty casual about it
Jason Hardman
Guessing it would take extra effort to reduce the effect whilst within your own realm, and it obviously doesn't bother Jake. Not to say they aren't also testing him out by letting it happen.
Daniel Brian
It was kinda set up that he wouldn't stay truly dead with the whole 'truesoul is in the mask' thing. They even said that they didn't know what would happen if his new body was destroyed or if it would mean his permanent death. With Minaga being super unique in that he can effectively die infinite times, it may be an aspect of unique lifeforms that they are very difficult to permanently kill.
Daniel Brian
Hell yeah! Fallen King is coming back!
Hayden Leech
Where was Villy sourcing his alchemical ingredients from to be keeping ahead of modern alchemists? Was Snappy/Duskleaf sending shipments into villys diving realm? Was the viper sending out shopping lists to the order despite his isolation? I doubt he was able to stretch his stockpile to last him through 86 Eras of experimentation. Weird.
Jordan Rogers
Never thought I’d love a troll
Jordan Rogers
So intentional
Jordan Rogers
Desolationy kingy….
Temlat
Ga’dammit Zog! 😂😂 Tyftc, even if it is the anticipated Friday ‘Hanger.
Daniel Smith
Nevermind just remembered he couldn't accept blessings
Daniel Smith
I wonder if fallen king will stop being fallen after being resurrected and if he will accept a blessing from yggsrasil since they are both trees
Admorias
Desolation king
Hayden Leech
“a type of creature that has never stepped foot within this realm before.” Huh. So Yggdrasil picked out Jakes High Human Race. That could be funky
ABTelford
This was a fantastically composed conversation between these three. It could have been boring but you brought both humor and a little tension into it. 😘
Gareth Morgan
So what is in the last bottle? Massage oil? Contraceptives? Aphrodisiac?
LongMickeyRicky
Ok i think 2 fallen king resurrections is 1 too many. Cant have your story lose the value of character death. Either keep em dead or keep em alive
Mat
Okay, looks like those flasks real were worth kill Jake for. Makes me wonder if Jake’s alchemy will ever reach those heights. Maybe in the origin related stuffs
Hayden Leech
You know… I wonder if the Resistance to auras you get from being around jake has affected Villy the same way as Dina/SS/Carmen/Caleb etc. Like if the system spawned some extremely powerful entity, stronger than any primordial for some pinnacle tier system event that primordials would compete in… would Villy be immune to its presence? It’s a trancendent effect so it would totally bypass the extreme level gap and affect Villy anyway.
Gareth Morgan
Clearly his name will become 'Kingy'
Timothy Spradlin
I find it interesting that all of Yggdrasil's chats remain in bold, is she imputting her will in the conversation to keep testing Jake?
Beemoss
Tftc
C0bra$
Thank u for the story
Justin Moen
God I can’t take these Friday cliff hangers Tyftc
Naoko
Artemis and Jake moment coming! And I have just the song for the occasions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyBdCWhzlHA
Indevan Jones
Tyfc
Amathew2
Jake and Artemis sitting in a tree…
eatingpitza314
Volume 2
Walter Kimberly
🤣😂 your an idiot, I totally love it tho!!
AngelusDaniel
“Yeah,” Jake just agreed with a cheeky smile. “Snakes don’t even have hands; what does he know about archery?” loved this part 😂. thank you very much Zogarth
Blackbriar
Oh, man...this is some good stuff!
Daniel Hamilton
Could’ve been funny if he said that part about punching Villy in the face out loud
JSC
This is all I ever wanted and more. I’m sure most authors have incredible back stories, side stories, and world building that never makes it to the page. Things that they know to forward the story in their minds that the readers never get a glimpse of. I appreciate every single word I read…even in the arcs that might not be my favorite but helps the tale along. Thank you Zogarth.
Nathan Holliday
Long live the king! His death never sat right with me and because of Jake’s soul injury we never got to see the bloody retribution that I’d think would be the response to the death of one of his friends especially when Ell’Hakan was ultimately responsible.
joel southard
Nice thank you for the chapter
D3monEmper0r
That would be awesome, I mean Jake got one for Artemis as well that would be a statement on it's own xD
Cody
Queue up the return of the king entrance music!
Noname
Tyftc
Dallin S
The lifted king or something cringey would go along with Jake’s influence of bad names
Phillip Hazlett
Ahhhhhh tftc!!!
John Looney
I don’t know I what I want to see more the king’s return or Artemis x Jake
Kyle J Smith
What a great chapter! I can only imagine the Records boost from being resurrected by the Primordial of Life!
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
NSaaby
yes
IntenseSushi
TFTC
Aaron Lack
dun dun Dun!
Rick Lehmann
That was a fun chapter to read.
Shadowessence
Oooo, is Jake gonna give his fallen buddy some of his Jake juice? Artemis is gonna be jealous...
A Flashy BR
Tyftc I like this place
Walter Kimberly
YESSSS! Going to get back our favorite asshole King!! Tyftc
Daniel Wells
Hmm Nature's Attendant and his supreme god wifey feel rushed to use their gifts. Villy definitely created something interesting maybe something that helps with successful creation of a child since its very hard for gods to procreate based on what we heard earlier.
Greendalf
Welcome back Fallen King, you really need to stop dying
DDHG
The Friday tease again! Again.
Lay Nkay
Tftc What a cliffhanger! Vilas really sending sneaky gifts to his friends in the past huh!
mahdi aghajani
this was a primordial level cliffhanger
Kt-x
Ooh! Damn cliffhanger! 😂 Thanks for the chapter 😁
Ben Sheahan
I wonder if he'll get another name change. Risen King or something
taylor ritchie
Great chapter knew it would be a cliff hangef thow
Burkes
My Goat is gonna be back ya’ll. Fallen King gang right here 👇
Harbby
Thank Yggdrasil
Lawrence Dillon
Ugh pre friday cliff hangerrrr Zog pleaseee
Tilen Praprotnik
Thanks for the chapter
Borbino the great
They’re going to have to give him a new title after this Jake doomfoot god fucker
Polaris
There’s the cliff I was looking for. At least the view is nice while I dangle.
Almer Reyhan
BROOOOO THIS CLIFFHANGER IS RUTHLESS :((
Rick Delallata
Fallen King is coming back baby! Lets go!
Apollo Greed
Nice! Long live The King! Tyftc!
Zizawah
Love how the romance is building up with soulful gazes and unsaid words. Thanks for another wonderful chapter!
Zack Leach
Tftc! I cant wait for the return of the king before the system event fully ends. Its possible he might be freed from his connection to jake's mask too.
Bryn Thomas
RETURN OF THE KING!!!!
Straat Junon
Can we abolish weekends from society? Would be worth it just for more chapters! Tyfc and jokes aside enjoy the weekend ;)
Julian
They don't care about us :('
Steve Shelden
I’m not normally one to complain about cliffhangers… but I’m annoyed at having to wait for this reunion.
Mangamaven
Ree, ree, reeeeseeee!
Alexis Cassaigne
Thanks for the chapter! > there was no longer an audience for them to care about We are the audience! Fortunately, it seems Jake's powers are not strong enough to detect us.
Eden
this arc is gonna be goated
mitchell kaiser
YOU TEASE
DrRoq
LFG!!!!! THE KING IS COMING BACK BABY
Gavin
The King continues to be impressive AF. Lots of foresight and preparation.
wyattmon
Eagerly awaiting the Fallen Kings return!
tahae mahaki
Ree!
Austin Barton
Tftc
Staudi
TYFTC
Sylphie
REE!
Karana Jade
Tftc!
Loststar7
TFTC. Please keep up the excellent storytelling. Even the cliffhangers.
Samuel Granderson
TFTC
