Zogarth
patreon
Chapter 886 - The Mystery Deepens
🕑 Added 2024-04-04 10:50:12 +0000 UTCShould Jake question why Carmen was half-covered in blood? Maybe. He didn’t overly care, though, as he waved when he saw her come over. “Hello again.”
“You got here faster than expected, huh? Didn’t anyone wanna host you longer or what?” Carmen commentated, and Jake saw his escort grimace at her curt tone. Even the poor S-grade threw Carmen a look, which she seemed to not notice or care about. As things should be.
“No, they all threw me out on the streets,” Jake said with an exaggerated sigh. “I only came here because I accidentally started four or five wars due to my sheer political incompetence and reckoned Valhal would be on-theme as my next visit.”
“Oh, so you’re looking to hire us, eh?” Carmen smiled. “Not gonna be cheap. I hope those potions have been selling.”
“If all else fails, I’ll just have to take out a payday loan… or does Valhal do commissions on credit? I can pay back in installments,” Jake kept joking.
“If the Chosen desires to hire any mercenari-“ one of the three bald warriors commented as Carmen threw him a look, making him shut up.
“For fuck sake,” she muttered before looking back at Jake. “See what I’m working with here?”
Olaf also sighed at the warrior, who looked confused for a moment. It appeared as if he had the situation explained to him telepathically in the next moment, as he looked like he wanted to somehow make himself smaller. Quite a tough task for someone of his size.
“Oh well, that killed the mood,” Carmen shrugged. “Guess I should do that formal stuff. Welcome to the Nevermore Valhal Compound or whatever the official name is.”
“Thanks for having me,” Jake smiled. “Now, I feel like it’s only polite to ask, but who did you just beat to death?”
“Hm? Oh, yeah, no. I was just having some light spars with some of the young ones who just got here and talked shit and groups who already did Nevermore and didn’t accomplish fuck-all,” Carmen scoffed, clearly annoyed. “They were bitching about there being no one from Valhal on any of the top 10 Leaderboards; who the fuck gives them the right to talk? These are groups who didn’t even hit the top 1000… they deserved a good lesson.”
“I see,” Jake nodded as he smiled teasingly. “Say, why didn’t Valhal take any of the top spots?”
Carmen glared at him as she shook her head. “Because we had a few dead weights in the party, and the Challenge Dungeons were absolute shit. Seriously, they sucked ass, every single one of them. Test of Character only tested how much bullshit I could keep up with, Neverending Journey was like going back to my old retail job, Minaga’s Labyrinth was just shitty equations and puzzles, House of the Architect was a bloody waste of time, and the one with any promise, Colosseum of Mortals, was ruined by its idiotic rules.”
“I would have thought you would do decently in the Colosseum?” Jake questioned.
“See these,” Carmen asked, raising a hand. “Yeah, right now, I can catch a speartip or use my palm to deflect swords. In the Colosseum, I would lose a damn hand if anything sharp hit it. I had to go back to how I fought before, making me feel like I regressed, and ultimately I had to pick up some fist weapons and stuff… it sucked.”
Jake slowly nodded. “Yeah… does sound like a bit of an oversight, honestly.”
“Sure as hell does,” Carmen sighed. “Anyway, wanna go show off in front of them or have a look around first?”
“Are you offering a tour of the compound?”
“I feel like Olaf here would get mad if I didn’t,” Carmen said, throwing the S-grade a smile.
“It does sound like I’m no longer needed here and am just getting in the way,” Olaf said with a nod. “I will be in the central building if there is anything. Do not hesitate to come by.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jake responded as he saw Olaf leave, the man not even trying to hide his smile from Jake and Carmen’s interactions. It was pretty understandable why, too. Jake and Carmen didn’t make it a secret they were close, and if Olaf had been tasked with trying to make Jake feel welcome, it had to be a huge relief to see the two of them interact.
“Now, what do you wanna see first?” Carmen asked once the guy was gone as she pulled out a washcloth and cleaned herself up a bit.
“Any recommendations?” Jake asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Just a few. First of all, we could go check out the arena and maybe even go for a bit of a spar if you’re up for it and not afraid of me hurting your pride. Secondly, we could go check out some of the training facilities, as Valhal has some interesting ones, including an archery range where you can spatially expand the range itself. Third, we could visit my personal residence, where having another kind of spar is possible,” Carmen offered, giving him a knowing wink.
“You know what… I think I’ll take the second one first,” Jake responded. “A spatially expanding archery range sounds pretty damn cool.”
“Right,” Carmen smiled, shaking her head. “My place is this way.”
Jake looked at her weirdly as Carmen stopped herself mid-step. “Wait, you’re serious?”
Scratching the back of his head, Jake couldn’t help but look toward where he thought this training area was. “We can go to your place after?”
Carmen looked at Jake incredulously for a bit before just shaking her head and smirking. “Fine, let’s go play at the archery range… man, are you a nerd sometimes.”
“Maybe that’s what it takes to reach the top of the Leaderboards,” Jake said, trying to look deep in thought. “Arnold also placed pretty highly, you know.”
“Man, fuck you,” Carmen sighed. “We’re definitely also making a visit to the arena later.”
“Does sound kind of fun,” Jake agreed. He was genuinely interested in seeing just how strong Carmen had become.
He could feel her aura, and it felt kind of… odd. It was incredibly stable, to the level of it being unnatural. Usually, people leaked energy all the time, but Carmen barely gave off anything. He knew part of the reason for this was her lack of mana, but even with stamina, one burned it all the time just moving around. Carmen surely did, too, but it seemed either far less than everyone else, or she had some way to keep everything internally somehow.
It had to have something to do with her unique Path as a Runemaiden. A Path that definitely was powerful, as the presence she did leak was unmistakably a top-tier one. So, a little visit to the arena to see just how tough she had gotten sounded fun, and he wouldn’t say no to another kind of spar before or after either.
But first… archery range.
And, damn, was it everything Jake had hoped for.
“So I can just turn this knob and… wow,” Jake muttered as he stood with a control panel floating in front of him. Turning a single knob, he saw the target move further away and come closer again, based on how he adjusted it. There were several other buttons, too, some of which added different kinds of targets, changed the nature of the environmental mana, and even summoned projected creatures for aim practice.
What’s more, it had different “modes” for everything from D to A-grade. Jake was currently in the B-grade version, where he could expand the range to what looked like an entire planet away. The only limitation was that Jake had to stay on the metal platform he was on, or everything would return to normal.
Carmen was with him, standing with her arms crossed as she looked at Jake, playing with the options. “You like it?”
“This is beyond my expectations,” Jake muttered. It felt as if he was in some sci-fi virtual space, but everything was real. The spatial expansion was just insane, though it was done using some ingenious means. By limiting what had to move within the expanded area, the space had to be far less stable all around, while it also didn’t have to house any living beings. It also didn’t really add any details when it expanded space, making it far, far more efficient. Still had to take up a lot of energy, but definitely not as much as one would expect… because Jake learned another interesting detail.
“Apparently, it was made by the Altmar Empire, and they made it by first creating the largest possible archery range and then shrank that down, making any expansion far, far cheaper, as spatial shrinking is a lot easier. Valhal has a few similar training grounds here and there similar to this, though in many cases, they also just make custom dungeons to practice within,” Carmen shared.
“I should definitely look into getting one of these myself,” Jake said as he pulled out his bow and shot a few arrows. All of them hit, as Jake tried to expand the range a bit more before he took more shots.
“Is it just me, or are your arrows somehow accelerating the further they fly?” Carmen asked with a frown.
“Yep,” Jake nodded.
“That… doesn’t make much sense.”
“Nope,” Jake agreed.
“But I guess it’s pretty damn useful,” Carmen muttered.
“Definitely is.”
Jake ended up spending another three hours or so in the training hall, also seeing some of the other facilities. There were some things Jake had never even considered one might need, including what was effectively weight-lifting equipment.
Carmen explained these weren’t really to train but to become more aware of your own power and how you applied your different muscles while completing tasks. This area was also pretty damn busy, and Jake saw many members of Valhal be engrossed as they did their practice.
While stats did mean the majority, the ability of each individual to apply those stats still mattered a lot. The difference between getting punched by someone who knew how to throw a punch and someone who didn’t wasn’t small, and with ethereal elements such as concepts also getting more and more mixed into every action one made, things got even more complicated.
Theoretically, Jake understood why someone might need machines like these… it was just that he couldn’t see why he, in particular, would need them. He already had a good grasp of his own power, and he felt as if he was pretty decent at using his body optimally. At least he felt like he was good at it.
It had to be noted that anyone who could reach C-grade already had a high understanding of themselves and that the differences wouldn’t be like the one between a professional and an amateur. It was more like that of an athlete and a top athlete.
“Wanna give it a shot?” Carmen asked as they stood before what looked like a shoulder press machine.
“I guess,” Jake shrugged as he took a seat.
“Remember, it’s not about using your full power on this one, but all about efficiency,” she reminded him.
Needless to say, a small crowd had gathered at this point upon seeing the Chosen of the Malefic Viper. They all looked on with interest as Jake grabbed the two handles and lifted up without really thinking much, making sure to engage the right back muscles by instinct. He did a few lifts, keeping a consistent pace before stopping.
“This does bring back memories of going to the gym before the system,” Jake smiled as he got up. “Anyway, how did I do? Does it even have some way of measuring?”
Carmen just looked at Jake with a glare. “Alright, time to visit the arena.”
“Why?” Jake asked, genuinely confused.
“Just… fuck you,” Carmen muttered as he turned and saw the machine did have a small display he hadn’t seen before. And, well… 99.95% did seem like a good percentage if Jake said so himself. The approving looks he got all around from the observers also confirmed Jake was indeed a master lifter.
“Did I break a record or something?” Jake asked Carmen as they walked out.
“You broke my damn record,” she said, shaking her head. “And by so little that it’s annoying.”
“… sorry?” Jake muttered.
“Just allow me at least one good punch in the arena, yeah?”
“Yeah… having seen some of the punches you’ve thrown in the past, not gonna make that promise,” Jake said defensively as they approached the arena.
--
On the terrace, the Viper was still smiling as he teased the shapeshifter, not really paying much attention to Jake playing around at the Valhal compound.
Eversmile’s visage changed as he returned to his “usual” form. He stared at the Viper with a level of seriousness the god rarely displayed. A look he had seen his fellow Primordial have several times before and always in the same circumstances.
He’s starving… starving to know what’s going on. The mystery is too intriguing for him to handle,” the Viper concluded, as he couldn’t help but broaden his smile even more.
Eversmile cared about studying karma more than anything else in the entire multiverse. The intrinsic web of connections formed between people, locations, objects, and anything that ever interacted with a soul. He wanted to explore every detail in an environment where details were infinite.
Over the years, he uncovered more and more as the “big” mysteries started to disappear and most of the time, he was actively seeking out new scenarios through his own experiments to make new major discoveries. However, now he had been faced with a new mystery when he saw Jake wearing boots with a powerful and unusual connection to the Malefic Viper, and even if it wasn’t necessarily that big of a mystery, it was still-
“You know exactly what I mean… why do those boots have a powerful karmic connection with every single Primordial, myself included?” Eversmile asked as the Viper’s smile instantly disappeared.
“What?
He… did not know that.
“What do you mean with what?” Eversmile said, getting riled up. “You gave him those boots.”
“The system did,” Vilastromoz said, deep in thought. “Can you explain what you meant when you said those boots have a powerful karmic connection with all of you?”
“Exactly what I said. Those boots are connected to us, and I cannot discern the cause,” Eversmile said. “My best theory right now is that this is due to your Records as a Primordial bleeding into them over time, which managed to form a karmic connection between the boots and anyone else with the title of Primordial. Boots, as equipment, represent the art of travel, progress, and shortening the distance between two destinations… it is theoretically possible for some of these concepts to have led to this, but I believe there is more behind it.”
The Viper remained silent as he listened to Eversmile talk with a fervor he rarely displayed. He understood why, too… because Vilastromoz earnestly wasn’t certain either. The boots were connected to him, yes… but also the First Sage. If it was him…
Deciding not to hesitate, the Viper waved his hand as a projection of a human man appeared. “Do you recognize this person?”
It was naturally a projection of the First Sage. It was odd, but Vilastromoz had never shown him to even another Primordial. In fact, he hadn’t thought overly much about his first and only Master for many eras. It was only now his name suddenly appeared so much… the Viper pretty much knew it had something to do with Jake. He definitely didn’t believe that any random person would have been rewarded with the same boots. They had been given to Jake specifically.
Eversmile looked at the projection closely, studying every detail before shaking his head. “No, I do not. Why? Who is he?”
Vilastromoz smiled as he looked toward the sky. “You know… these days, I’m asking myself that more and more.”
“Is he related to these boots?” the other Primordial pressed him.
“More likely than not,” Vilastromoz nodded as he dispelled the projection.
“Who is he? What’s his name?” Eversmile asked, clearly intrigued who this mysterious figure might be.
“I actually never learned his name, but he was known as the First Sage,” the Viper responded with a nostalgic smile.
Eversmile kept staring at the Viper oddly as he just stood there for a moment, as it felt like an eternity passed before the Primordial asked again. “So? Are you going to tell me why those boots carry a karmic connection with all twelve of us Primordials?”
The Viper frowned before shaking his head at the rare Eversmile joke. “Very funny. Good one.”
“Good one, what?” Eversmile asked, showing signs of genuine frustration.
“Wait… you’re not fucking with me, are you?” Vilastromoz said as he stood up. Without waiting for an answer, he summoned the projection of First Sage again. “Do you know who this is?”
Eversmile looked at the projection… studying it closely once more as if it was his first time seeing it, before shaking his head. “No, I do not. Why? Who is he?”
“The First Sage.”
Silence returned as the seconds ticked by.
Eversmile suddenly furrowed his brows and got a serious look in his eyes. “This… we were discussing the boots and their karmic connection with every Primordial... but…”
Finally, the other Primordial realized what was going on at about the same time as the Viper did. They stared at each other in realization as Vilastromoz and Eversmile muttered the truth they had both realized in unison.
“Forbidden Knowledge.”
This just left one grand question… why the fuck was information about the First Sage considered Forbidden Knowledge? Actually, make that two grand questions… why could Jake know about it?
Comments
Blaq Jesus
Now there is zero chance of The Viper dying plotwise.
Random Yep
fun chapter, thank you zogart
Endless Nature
Thx for the chapter
kapat
OooOooOh
Michael Meyer
the sage at c grade seems stronger than jake at c grade i think not
Chase Burton
dope! thanks for the chapter!
kpii
could jake be the same race as the first sage?
Olof Karlsson
Thanks for the chapter!
Mycroft
I am not sure whether it was mentioned before here (as reading all the comments is far too time consuming ) but at the discord definitely was.
Aerlevsedi
I might be misremembering something, but I think Valdemar was an incredibly bad match up for Yippy Skippy. At least I think valedmar had some kinda story thing going himself, which would probably nerf or tie up yippy's story abilities and valdemar is just stupid strong in a fight anyway, so...
Alison Blair
Maybe this has been mentioned by someone before, but anyone else think there may be a connection between Jake being called the Harbanger of Primal Origins / Primal Hunter and the Primordials? I feel there is something there. Like that is too much of a coincidence. Plus now we find that the first sage’s boots, which the system gave to Jake are connected to all the primordials? Jake keeps having interactions with him through his bloodline system fuckery and the system itself, which I suspect the first sage merged with. Plus the first sage lived during the first era, before the primordials emerged and helped train the viper, guiding him on his path of power as a primordial. Is the first sage is somehow related to the primal origins of primordials, the system or universe? I feel like we’re starting to see the rough edges of the larger picture…
Amazon Shopper
ah yes. as i will walk 500 miles. I will walk 500 more. Villy is the 500 miles that he will walk, while jake is the 500 miles more. The first sage in the concept of the mile. While eversmile is wheelchair-bound. riddle too simple
Deborah martins
Or recognize another "high human"
Kevin
Freaking Eversmile can’t find a way around forbidden knowledge. To me that signifies that Jake knowing about it is directly a result of either his bloodline or the first sage’s abilities. Either that or the knowledge is only forbidden in certain contexts making it not technically forbidden knowledge for Jake.
Kevin
That last bit about only rewarding what it sees is completely unconfirmed. In fact Jake states that Villy’s bloodline is identical to the first sages. so it is more likely that the system does grant the entire bloodline.
Red45jimster
Hmm what if the boots are just pointing to origan of powers and not to the primordias that would put the FS helping Jake grow his power like he did with villy and possible the other primordials
Hayden Leech
Probably.
Lizy Flore
I forgot the Wyrmgod in the first list, I think the entire multiverse would be pissed if yip went after him haha. And then there is Valdemar… way too strong I think, but as he has already spread legends about their fight, it would be a continuation of his groundwork… if Villy hadn’t come back, I think our War God would have been his mark - so to say.
Lizy Flore
You are right, I didn’t think of it from this angle. But on a side note, I wonder who he could go against. Eversmile, the Holy Mother, Yggdrasil, Aeon Clok or the Daofather would be very bad ideas imo. They are either too neutral or too strong as faction. Stormild I don’t know, maybe Rigoria (Mecha) or Inmortau (Risen) ? He could write a good story of him fighting the « bad factions » of the multiverse. But I genuinely think that if it wasn’t for Villy coming back, he would have waited a while longer before enacting such plans, and with greater difficulties too.
Arkenian
I don't think eversmile has lied to yip. Does eversmile want to see what happens if yip kills villy? I am sure he does. It would be fascinating karmically I am sure. That is not quite the same thing as wanting the viper dead, and it is absolutely not the same thing as saying that what he is doing is helping that along.
Spicyice101
Plus, it’s likely that in 10 years, we might only be just getting to the God levels, this story is set up in such way that I don’t know if it’ll ever finish
Jeff McCulley
His basement?
Jeff McCulley
I dunno, I suspect that constantly wearing a pair of boots that have a vested interest in him knowing it has something to do with it.
Spicyice101
“One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you!” Jake, to the primordials probably
Jeff McCulley
I’m pretty sure they have a problem with him. Simply put, if he succeeds in taking down Villy…who’s next? And that doesn’t even consider how it would encourage others.
Jeff McCulley
I’m sure it’s just coincidence that his chosen initials are the reverse of System Fuckery.
Martín Ballesteros Arias
Thanks a bunch for the chapter!!
Lizy Flore
I don’t really think they have a problem with yip... In their eyes he is probably just a young genius god that maybe is a bit powerful but nowhere near an actual menace.. Actually I think they look forward to Villy beating his ass, as we have seen them in the wyrmgod’s room assuming their fellow primordial was planning sth.. which he definitely is. I think they are all glad their Villas is back and at most are cheering for him. But they don’t really seem to be the kind to cooperating together for such matters..
Bobby B
The First Sage (integrated into the System…on purpose by his own design) recognizes Jake’s bloodline has the ability to further his plans concerning the Multiverse.
Bobby B
Primordials stick together….always
Josh Hietpas
Hot take: the First Sage design system fuckery. He is the pinnacle of all things fuckery
Josh Hietpas
Ahahahahaa
Charles Ryan
The void god Oras called Villy 'keeper of forbidden knowledge' several times
Numbzy
Not a new concept. Oras the All Seeing called Vilas "The Holder of Forbidden Knowledge". Though this is the first time we've(as the reader) have gotten to see any forbidden knowledge directly.
Tristan
I had to reread that like 3 times to actually see the words thank the gods it wasn't a frown thanks for pointing it out to me btw
KenTX325
I agree. I think Villy learned something from the contract between Jake and Silphie that lets Smilley lie to Yip. I think all the primordials have an issue with Yip and are cooperating to take him down.
Ty Cooper
It would be super sweet if one of Jake's godly powers is to see the origin of anything maybe just by looking at their true soul.
Richard Horner
Remember, the concepts of karma and reincarnation go hand in hand. Truesouls and Bloodlines are the only concepts the system cannot control outright and just because it can "reward" a bloodline to someone, that doesn't mean it's giving away it's whole concept. It only rewards what it's seen.
Nikolai Beckel
hmmmmm, definitely sus, forbidden knowledge is definitely a new concept, unless it was mentioned before, but it is pretty clear what it is, but who was the First Sage, likely the creator of the system in some way or someone important to the system in one way or another in its inception... interesting mysteries.
SmokeJam
I do not think he was a founder, but I think he is an integral part to the current system functions. In the snippets we got about the First Sage, he always tried to get Villy to think outside the box so to speak. Not against the System, but like a beta-tester always looking for exploits. The modern System feels more like it actually encourages exploits and set soft boundaries (bloodline, transcendence e.g.) so that it wouldn't "malfunction" if somebody like Jake appeared, who seems to carry traces from the origin of the multiverse. Because we can definitely make that one clear: at least one universe existed before the System did, so there has to be primal energy or whatever that the System was able to be born out of and probably use to do System-fuckery nowadays. It is still a complete mystery what Jake Juice actually is and why he can do impossible stuff like casually reviving a True Royal with a bloody C-Grade ritual and before that helped to create 2 completely new species. Any sane person would account that to System-Fuckery, if it wasn't a goddamn human doing it. So my (slightly high) guess: The metaphysical stuff of the First Sage was spread across the multiverse, while a part of him turned into a system function. Maybe this is something like the debug mode and it is expanding in search of the rest of the FS to integrate and refine itself. Why would it encourage development and endless striving if it didn't do those itself either? You rarely have a System without an explicit goal behind it, so I think we are scratching at that topic and Jake might be a key to unlock more potential for the System itself.
Lizy Flore
Okay, everyone here seems riled up about this FS business but I’m gonna break that tendance. I wanna speak about Smiley and Snaky’s relationship. Specifically, the YoY problem. I mean, Eversmile is very clearly involved with the storyteller and Villy obviously knows about it, yet neither of them seem concerned by that fact through the discussion. Sooooooo, here is my theory. Remember when Eversmile saved William back at the tutorial ? Villy let him go only in exchange of a favour (or karmic debt). I think our favourite black snake asked Eversmile to pay his favour by helping him with Yip of Yore. It’s not much compared to all the FS drama, but I wanted to point that out. Anyway, great chapter as always ^^
11037
"z" is now Forbidden Knowledge.
Thomas Laptain
I can't quite remember when he officially became a heretic chosen, but could it be something to dow ith how he has a drop of Villy's blood in him? Him taking that, and the records contained, might grant him access to forbidden knowledge Villy has access to.
Thomas Laptain
"They stared at each other in realization as Vilastromo and Eversmile muttered the truth" - I'm guessing 'Vilastromo' should be 'Vilastromoz?
evan maples
I beginning to think the first sage did some fuckery in the first era that he shouldn’t had
Themo Grulld
He would not have the source code more admiration / or a admin spot towards the system.What he did in the duel to the death with Valdemar ,can be a indicator of this.All of this is speculation.But this would literally break the system...Also Sim-Jake of another timeline so to speak,can be a indicator for it.But I really hope this story won't become a time loop mess.
One Winged Angel
Aha, it makes sense now, Villy is the holder of Forbidden Knowledge because of his attained bloodline through godhood, and Jake, as holder of his blessing and legacy, usurped some of that legacy when he became a heretical chosen, a chosen acts as their god wills, a heretic acts against their gods wills, but a heretical chosen is meant to grow beyond in innate recognition of superiority. Jake took the forbidden knowledge as it was glimpsed through the heretical chosen ability to peer into the past and speak to The First Sage, and i get the feeling that the reason why no one remembers the First Sage is because of hidden knowledge, thats why none of the other Primordials remember him but Jake and Villy do.
Hayden Leech
“Boots, as equipment, represent the art of travel, progress, and shortening the distance between two destinations… “ And you know… standing on things. Standing above the strongest gods sounds very primal huntery
kingofshibainu
Mysterious boots made for walking, and that's just what they'll do.
Krish Gupta
If Jake has a link with the first sage that could actually explain why his bloodline gets to the origins of things. If the first sage was was somehow related to the formation of the system in its early years, and if all the records that come after are partially derived from the ones that he gave the system, it would explain why Jake gets to the origin of things. If his bloodline is related to or has fragments of those precursor records, it would allow him to derive anything that has those records as an origin. He would have the source code of records, so to speak.
Nick Elliott
Remind me. What am I forgetting about Jake. His what? Race? He hasn't had to do any racial challenges when he evolves between grades. Suggesting a bit like a beast he hasn't reached his natural grade yet? Something like that. Along with tge other system fuckery related to him and his bloodlines ability to bypass many system rules. Could this link him to tge first sage who as a C grade seemingly learned how to become one with the system. Neo style.
Anthony Smith
I get a weird feeling like the First Sage was the physical manifestation of the system but his all encompassing knowledge couldn't be contained in a living body and that's why he wanted death.
Ty Cooper
Anyone else wonder if the first Sage was a founder of the system?
Henscratch
It makes him sound Italian
Henscratch
The system seeded the first universe with concepts for godhood [JJMand were in the same wavelength but not necessarily Minaga-like avatar plants] using myriad means which included the First Sage to scout and bequeath those concepts. Villy literally sat and stared into space for a million years at wyvern so there was time for shenanigans before and after. FS was an integral part of Villy’s path both in alchemy and fundamentally how he perceives and interacts with the multiverse (as reflected in his system avatar form); plus, his being granted the bloodline all adds up to Oras’s name for him (easy part). Maybe FS wore those boots when he was scouting all primordial candidates since we know he was stalking Villy before they met? It could be him personally, his bloodline multi-recycled like reincarnation or his teammates that shared his role records-wise. Jake’s special pass: 1. His bloodline/origin juju auto exempt. 2. His origin juju + Villy connection 3. Inherited memory free-pass by Villy’s alchemy path, system breaking blood drop fusion, and/or heretical record stealing 4. Attention garnered during his heretic peeking put him on FS list with weird time-fuckery 5. All of the above
joel southard
Nice thank you for the chapter
MacMahon Wenzl
Eversmile furrowed his brows! Now ain't that serious.
Jason Davis
Bet he could put one into his Minaga's Dungeon directly.. or at least something similar.
Brad S
Small note: Villy should probably say "all of us" instead of "all of you" when talking about the primordials.
Spirit Stones
Is this Genshin Impact thing
Cayla
“Finally, the other Primordial realized what was going on at about the same time as the Viper did. They stared at each other in realization as Vilastromo and Eversmile muttered the truth they had both realized in unison.” Unless Eversmile calls Villy something different I think a Z is missing although not gonna lie I would love it if he did have a random name only he calls him.
Mat
@JJB with how forgetfull Jake is records related ot the Immortal Mind are lacking in Jake
Dominick Gelardi
Wow. That's incredible
Austin Barton
Yoooo. With that thought what if the sage is the origin of the system. Kinda makes that theory more valid with concepts taking such an important role in the story.
Rahsheem Reid
Descendant of said sage maybe?
James Faulkner
Goddamn here we go!!
Frank Allen
No he 'furrowed his brows' and the viper frowned.
Michael Jewell
Lmao please, and just have her sniff the air and give him a nasty look.
Jeff McCulley
But is it unlawful carnal knowledge?
JJMand
Oh yea, good point about Umbra, she was the first to become a good of the 2nd era, although I am unsure if she was born during the 1st or the second, either way she became a god after the primordials so going by my half baked theory, maybe she doesn’t qualify for first save guidance? I am pretty sure Minaga was way later through, I think I remember something about him slaying a pantheon of gods or something, so for there to be a pantheon to slay it would have to be later. Saying that the system only helped the primordials because they each provided something to the multiverse seems wrong to me, as that isn’t how I think the system has worked at all so far, to me it seems like it provides everyone the same opportunity, in some way at least, the enlightened gets events, beast and monsters gets natural treasures to give them a head start? The primordials are just the ones that had enough skill and talent to grasp the opportunities provided by the system.
Jeff McCulley
Wait until he walks out the door of the Compound, and Arty is standing there. You haven’t wondered why she hasn’t shown up yet? Zogarth is simply saving the coup de gras.
Jeff McCulley
I don’t think that’s it. I think he’s going to be in a position to *add* something to the system. Something the System wants. He’s already adding an ability to erase “mistakes” of extinction. Making the universe whole again.
ItWasIDIO!!
Man plans the heavens laugh so with it might being longer than his human life expectancy well things happen
Jeff McCulley
I feel that Jake knows about the First Sage because he owns the boots—and the First Sage *wants* him to know.
Jeff McCulley
What’s upsetting? He’s just saying he has enough material to write for another fifty years or more. Er, not that that I know how old Zogarth actually is.
Zizawah
At least this way Jake got to have it all. A girl in every port.
Jeff McCulley
You misspelled “Arkansas”. ;)
Jeff McCulley
Fascinating. I’m seeing two things are going to happen here. A. Jake throws off everyone watching by making *another* stop at the Altmar Empire outpost…to order two spatially expanded archery ranges—one for Earth, one for at the Order. B. After kicking boots with Carmen one last time, Jake walks out of the gates of the Valhal outpost…to find Artemis standing there waiting. Er……make it three archery ranges?
Jeff McCulley
Oh what a tangled web Zogarth weaves When first he practices to deceive… Us.
Ben Heggem
I assume it’s because he got the knowledge from his inheritance skill plus the sage seems to have some control still so it would make sense the sage let Jake know as his “grand student” but no one else
Jeff McCulley
I think it’s more that he’s currently *exoeriencing* forbidden knowledge, than learning it.
TwoMoreYears
We know primordials aren’t the only ones left from the first era as both Umbra and I believe Minaga are gods from the first era that didn’t ascend to godhood until at least the second era. We also know that both Jake and the Viper see the first sage now when a system avatar appears to them. From what little we know about the primordials it seems there is a good spread of races/paths/etc. I think the system helped the primordials ascend to godhood in the first era because each of the primordials brought something to the table the multiverse needed going forward in the eyes of the system. Even if that something was simply having a human god powerful enough to prevent humanity from being subjugated by elf or monster deities before enough time had passed for their records to spread and catch up to the other races. In the vipers case, it gave beasts a path forward to use alchemy and create potions and what not without having an associated profession.
Kevin
Jake has shown a keen ability to detect and uniquely interact with system avatars like nevermore. If he sees the first sage as human he is most likely human. Maybe the system could directly mess up and prevent his bloodline from being aware of something like that, but that would undoubtedly go against the system’s own rules regarding bloodlines.
Phasmatic7
Thanks for the chapie zogie
Ignatius
tftc, also the forbidden knowledge is going to be very cool
StuBee3
Great chapter!!!
Shaine K.
Low key love that The Viper and Eversmile are just kinda hanging out talking about boots. Great chapter as always
Tommy
Nah. Getting everything all at once is never as much fun as taking your time! This way is better (I keep telling myself anyways! 😂)
Kade
Love this mystery going on and can’t wait to see how it plays out. I have a feeling The First Sage somehow inserted his records to elevate perhaps even make the primordials come into power
rossmwi .
Fair. You guys aren’t wrong about it being in character.
Steve
Might not be an accident. Carmen's not exactly painted as a scholar. Likely she doesn't care about that sort of thing or isn't interested in the difference. Regardless it's totally in character for her to say that imho.
Gumwadd
It’s a double negative but he used the saying correctly. They how your supposed to use fuck-all.
Damon Moore
Yeah I'm sure Carmen cares a lot about proper grammar.
Frederik
Na he already remembers his memorys are wrong and jake and villy are connected to it so he will probably Poster them a lot
Frederik
at times I think the same but I dont think it would make the Story better the System is already on the side of pretty much every cultivator so I cant see jake deciding he should contest it If the seting was more like defiance of the fall I would love something like that but in PH I cant see it working
rossmwi .
Hey, Zog. Nitpicking here… “didn’t accomplish fuck-all”. This is a double negative. Just get rid of “didn’t” as “fuck-all” means nothing.
Frederik
I dont see him ever "Enjoing" meira
Michael
My reasoning for saying it seemed rather specific that there were 12 is because of how significant each of the primordials were and the areas in which they heavily specialized in. All being areas the system has heavy control over and has more heavy focus on. The reason why I believe Jake's bloodline or at least a variation of it likely should've, or was supposed to be in the first Era, is because of how prominent his abilities to manipulate origins are, and the systems loves new things. And given that I believe the first sage was a living incarnation of the system, his genuine interest in Jake in the 93 Era comes from his want to learn about origins and their manipulation. Thus I would argue, if Jake's bloodline somehow was to exist back in the First Era, the bloodline patriarch would have been the 13th primordial, likely the one that was meant to be there, but Jake's bloodline took 93 era's to manifest
Joanna Newhard
Only if he remembers.
Jason Davis
I'm with you on #2. No idea why the number 12 would be weird.. Villy actually explained that way back at the beginning; it gets progressively easier to become a god, both because the multiverse has a lot more total Records in it now, and because back in the first era, nobody even really knew godhood was a thing that could happen. #3 I don't think Origins have anything to do with the first era specifically. There are new Origins every day. Jake is the Origin of his bloodline, Eron is the origin of Eron's bloodline, etc.
SunDI7
His bloodline can also forcibly upgrade a skill that intersects with its abilities. Plus intuition so strong he could feel Ell’Hakan’s invasion hours to a whole day before it happened. Finally a 5% perception increases every time he goes up a grade.
Seiryus
And the first time Jake had a vision about the First Sage, he and Villy had a talk about how the bloodline he inherited from the FS allowed him to remember things other people didn't.
Jason Davis
Well, Villy just made a "turn that frown upside-down!" joke, and Eversmile said he couldn't turn his smile upside-down (which would be a frown.. that's the joke), and then a minute later he actually did... The "furrowed brows" I think works very well to convey the same thing without calling Eversmile's mysterious Path into question. While frown doesn't technically mean you have to turn down the corners of your mouth, within the "frown upside-down" saying Villy referenced, it IS the opposite of a smile...
Seiryus
It did have context. We'd already known since the first time the First Sage was mentioned that Villy has a bloodline that grants him perfect memory and that he could remember things most people were made to forget.
Ben Heystek
I believe it's due to Jake absorbing villys blood since he has been holding for many years now his records have been boosted because of villys blood and since villy has taken on that of the bloodline from the first sage jake is now apart of it. Also I believe Jake is the first sage reincarnated.
Hunter Thornton
Uh ohhhhh. The blood hound Eversmile is on Jake’s trail down the karmic rabbit hole. This story just took an interesting turn. An to the fella that asked what an elf would turn into with Jake’s primal origin juice. Not what I was referring too, but it will be interstin to see what happens. I also don’t thjj in no it’s gonna happen cause then Mera would essentially become his daughter and this ain’t Alabama
ItWasIDIO!!
This is the stuff that makes & takes your writing to peak of its genre although it'd kinda upsetting hearing it also has you thinking you might be dead before you finish pulling a mangaka on us(without the working to death)
BumAssBumAss
I feel that Jake knows about the first sage because of his connection to origins.
Kenneth Dennis
Bah skipping ten years won't stop you from the cliffs. You will read all the cliffs and know our pain muahaha
Ty Cooper
I can see forbidden knowledge being the bain of Eversmile's existence. All those data points he will never have.
Barkyy
Jake's legit born to be above the system. His bloodline's gonna make the system kneel.
Barkyy
Do you mean "The First Sage" is/was an avatar of the system that has it's own existence. Because if thats the case why would "The First Sage" want to merge with the system? If he was some kind of avatar of the system, maybe he was trying to disconnect himself through records before becoming part of the system again to keep some sort of conciousness seperate from the system.
Tommy
My guess is The First Sage took on a system role
Mrburns93
He frowned? Or furrowed? Him frowning would immediately fuck up his path wouldn't it?
Chase Koehn
Didn’t know how much I needed a chapter like this. Exquisite🙌🏼
GraveZ
I would have celebrated if Jake had said to Carmen that he currently has a thing going on and he doesn't know where it's going and therefore refuses. If she had then asked with whom, he would have simply replied, just a goddess Thanks for the chapter, I laughed hard
Ollie
Wonder how this will turn out. This ought to put a “bounty” on Jake’s head in a sense, as this must’ve increased Eversmiles interest in Jake a ton.
Devin
I still think it’s more of the first iteration type thing. Like he is what started the system… this is becoming a chicken and egg thing.
James Squibb
I forgot about that tidbit! Ty for the reminder!
JJMand
It is just a theory(a game theory XD), but we have heard that a clone/avatar can have its own existence and develop in a different direction than the original. IMO this theory also ties in nicely with the fact that the system entity appears to the viper as the first sage.
ByLordMatsLuck
Love this theory
Numbzy
I have a feeling that an Eversmile frown is more eyebrows and less mouth.
Numbzy
This makes the most sense by far. System projections that assist the mortals in molding proper mentalities. Vilas did say that the thing the First Sage did was help his mentality going forward, and how that was a major reason he was able to become a God. I would be a lot less surprised if this was the case.
Irakli Jishkariani
Dude has to have some primordial face muscles 😄😄😜
Karim Saadi
Daaamn, system inforced censoring? This is going deeper than expected.
daniel gager
Maybe the first sage in the system intends to use jake.
MrCynical
Seems unlikely with the messages Jake has been getting. Plus the whole dying thing. I'm more curious is Jake's connection to the first sage from the 90 whatever era influenced the sage's death or at least his attempt to merge with the system or whatever he did. Cause it's seeming more likely he was successful to at least some extent now.
Ty Cooper
Yeah Oris calling Villy the holder of forbidden knowledge and the first Sage remembering everything even the first initiation. I love this First Sage side story. This chapter even had Eversmile frown. Cannot wait for Jake to meet him.
Klown Keidra
With eyes, ears, and nose.
JJB4345_80_815
Upside down-ie?
donvitogonzalle
Be honest Zog, you forgot that Villy told his wife too, didnt you? :D
Ryan Ulrich
How did Eversmile frown?
MrCynical
Or he successfully merged with the system and is consciously restricting knowledge related to himself from all but Jake and Villy. Still curious how the boots have such a strong connection unless it's because the primordials have been part of the system and therefore the first sage for so long.
Klown Keidra
It might be more that he mentioned it, and then moved on in the conversation, so that the memory loss didn't really come up.
GuyWhoReadsALot
The Mystery of the Dirty Boots.... I think that was a Scooby Doo episode.
MrCynical
It was when he traveled the void with the earth group on the way to the order for the chosen ceremony. Oras or the other void god called referred to the viper as keeper of forbidden knowledge when giving him those gifts.
ValVal
So is it just the first sage, or can Jake learn other types of forbidden knowledge?
ValVal
Don’t forget that once he’s strong enough to not die to it his bloodline should let him slow time at will, and also gives him a “gut instinct” that borders on true divination.
Klown Keidra
Smile, then make angry eyes. It is really funny looking.
JJB4345_80_815
I myself took a peek at Discord and got lost. My wee wittle brain couldn't handle it.
JJMand
First sage might actually have been an avatar of the system in the 1st era, since there were no gods back then to help and guide mortals, it might have helped everyone, as in every single mortal, and the primordials are the only ones left from back then. The fact Eversmile doesn’t recognize the first sage doesn’t matter, as the system could have given the sage avatar a unique appearance and personality suited to who it was helping/guiding.
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter
JJB4345_80_815
I now have an image stuck inside my head of a Hollywood director yelling at the main actor playing Eversmile: "No! That's JUST a frown! Ya gotta frown, but while still smiling! Nuance! Somebody get this moron a mirror!" Totally unrelated question: any movie deals yet? Asking for me. And like a couple of friends that I have never met IRL...
Mohammed Sheekh
I have tried to do it myself while looking at the mirror, I just don't see it 😭🤣
Trugath
Not sure what everyone is talking about. You can totally keep smiling while frowning. The frown is the rest of your face. You can do a smiling frown, a neutral frown, angry frown, sad frown; a world of frowns in the frown spectrum.
Irakli Jishkariani
Wooow don't tell me this is some kind of plot where it's closed world or multiverse I guess and this is experiment or something and there are tons of politics and intrigues outside the system whoever is administrator or something 😀😀
James Lucas
Looking forward to the Jake and Carmen spar...
Namorat
Fascinating chapter!
Mycroft
not necessarily. Could also be because first sage had a more important role in villy's life than for the other primordials. It is said that his carmic connection was stronger with the boots than for the others and maybe him forgetting first sage was not feasable for the system considering the impact first sage had on villy (also i am typing on smartphone so sorry for any typos)
Zach
I believe it’s only his actual smile that matters. It says he furrowed his brow, didn’t really mention anything about his smile in this chapter.
JJB4345_80_815
So, Jake has a drop of Villy's blood. If a Void god calls Villy the "Keeper of Forbidden Knowledge," then Jake has a drop of that as well considering the Malefic Viper had help from the First Sage using a Transcendent Skill to create the "Sagacity of the Malefic Viper" skill and Villy absorbed The First Sage's records upon his death. So wouldn't a very small part of the First Sage's records be held within that drop of Villy's blood Jake is carrying around? Especially since Villy also requested and received by the system the Bloodline of the First Sage? (Immortal Mind)
Irakli Jishkariani
Making bloody smile or something? 😀😀
Skyler Brown
he posted that seconds after the chapter was posted
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
Irakli Jishkariani
You know, eversmile has to keep smiling. So I can't connect how the hell can he be frustrated, riled up and speaking with fervor and keep smiling. Seriously can't put that image in my mind.
Michelle Maurice
🔥🔥
Hayden Leech
I wonder why knowledge of the first sage didn’t slip out of Villys wife’s head. I think Villy mentioned that she knew.
Zogarth
I did... but frowning doesn't mean to stop smiling. You can frown and still smile easily.
Frederik
Well that escalated quickly
Hayden Leech
Hahaha
secretchicken
knop noun ˈnäp : a usually ornamental knob that's what i got from merriam-webster
Thijs Damen
Daylight saving time occured to one of you and not the other causing the hour shift
Burkes
THE PLOT THICKENSSSSS
JJB4345_80_815
Wait a minute (or 60)!!! Europe is also cursed with the dreaded Daylight Savings Time!? All hope for humanity is now lost...
Yaldabaoth
Aaaah, shit it's getting juicay! 🔥🔥🔥
secretchicken
"Eversmile suddenly frowned" not so Eversmile now, are ya? when reading Villy's and Eversmile's interaction i had to consciously re-imagine the expressions on Eversmile's face. Eversmile is supposed to be permanently smiling all the time, and whatever his expressions of impatience and being riled up are, they would be extra weird because of his smile, but that wasn't mentioned.
Michael
*breaks out the lore book to note down another universal shaking moment* ok, theory time, now that we're getting more lore about the first sage until Jake's eventual meeting with him, I'm starting to ponder a few things. 1. The number of Primordials being specifically 12 seems a bit odd espresso when by the 2nd Era, there were hundreds. 2. The first sage in some way, shape, or form was directly involved with all the Primordials at some point in their ascension to God hood (likely as a living embodiment of the system given his vast knowledge and loop holes he abused) 3. Jake being able to pull on records of primeval origins as well as the ability to look back at the first Era to events see the first sage makes me believe that his bloodline was originally meant to be within the first Era. And given the third option, I would like to propose another theory that while Jake's bloodline operates outside the system, yet not above it; it could possibly evolve enough to surpass the system and it's boundaries. Jake and his bloodline need to hunt the being at the edge of the horizon, and to his bloodline, the system could be that final thing at the horizons edge
Jason Hardman
Now I'm curious as to whether the Dutch word gets used as slang for male genitalia like the English version does?
Alex
You can frown with a smile. Its kinda weird, but technically possible
brennon Petersen
Tftc!
Jason Davis
It had no context at the time, so I suspect you are correct.
Lars de Tombe
I'm dutch and it didn't even register until you said it.
M. D. Quill
Fair enough. I don't pay attention to the Discord so I would have missed it.
CinnamonHawk263
If I remember correctly it’s was just before Jake and Carmen set out to find her family, after the mushroom dungeon in the order.
Jason Davis
“Eversmile suddenly frowned” .. um.. you might want to rewrite this bit.
Cory Sauls
The plot thickens. Loving the FS mystery. Great interaction between these two. Very genuine.
JJB4345_80_815
Friendly possible edit: “So I can just turn this knop and… wow,” Jake muttered as he stood with a control panel floating in front of him. Turning a single knop, he saw the target move further away and come closer again, Could knop = knob, or do I not know what a knop is? Like, I am a little worried about this... Oh, and thank you for the chappy, Zogarth!
Atoms88
He clarified on the discord, you can frown and still smile
Jul Silver
When was that?
Atoms88
He clarified on the discord, you can frown and still smile
Atoms88
He clarified on the discord, you can frown and still smile
M. D. Quill
Wait a moment? EverSMILE just frowned. This sounds like a big incident, excluding the stuff about the First Sage.
Max
Yes by the void god oras.
Jana
This means technically the first Sage could have influenced all primordials but only Villy would remember due to his boodline? But there’s a small hiccup there as Villy only got his bloodline late in life and he requested this specific bloodline due to the sage. Hmmm I love a good mystery this is getting more and more fun.
Robert Vick
yep by oras the void god eye thing
One Winged Angel
They stared at each other in realization as Vilastromo and Eversmile muttered the truth they had both realized in unison. Add a Z to Vilastromo my good sir.
mitchell kaiser
Oooooooo intriguing I’m hooked.
Shadows_End
Hey boss man Zog you said Eversmile frowned. Don't know if you meant to put something else there or not
Nicholas
That is massively bad. IIrc it has been so massively long that smiling has become part of his records. This may just ruin his records. Did Jake just in a roundabout way f up Eversmile?
Alexikon
In Europe the clocks were set back 1 hour this weekend
Robert Vick
oras calls villy the keeper of forbidden knowledge
Atoms88
Wasnt the viper called the keeper of forbidden knowledge?
Jason Hardman
Live long and prosper. 🖖
Skyler Brown
this is a 93 era plan starting to come together for the sage maybe even the system itself thats scary stuff
Jordan Bradley
Wait wait wait... Eversmile... Frowned????
Tristan
A frown is like the direct opposite of a smile what do you mean?
Michael mann
Tycoon! Also should “Knop” be “knob” in the archery range segment?
KollegvomMirgan
Has a case of forbidden knowledge been mentioned before?
Robert Vick
villy said that eversmile had either been cooking something for 93 era's or it would brake his path to stop smiling. also i don't think it means he stopped smiling
Michael Fannon
Good chapter. Yeah, Jake needs to be punched every now and then. Side note: I'm not sure why you started releasing your chapters about an hour earlier this week, but thank you. So wonderful to have a new chapter drop just as I'm waking up
Daniel is ŁØNE
Honestly calling jakes bloodline a bloodline feels like its selling it way to short. It is starting to feel like it being labeled as a bloodline by the system is just some way to quantify his strange existence in terms that are familiar to the greater multiverse. The amount of things his bloodline is currently capable of is absurd and Jake literally functions outside the spectrum of known variables. 1. He has an aura at the level of a God at C-grade 2. He also has some inexplicable connection to the origin of all things 3. Has a sphere that gives him absolute perception within his range 4. Access to Forbidden Knowledge on a multiversal standard 5. Inexplicable connection to the first sage. 6. Some uber powerful, final stand form that gives him absolute authority within his domain At this point you could divide his bloodline into multiple parts and each part would still qualify as a top tier bloodline in it's own part.
Dave
Some tasty lore tidbits
Dave
Oooh, so it does
Xander Cadence
I just love this series
Naotsugu97
Good chapter. Thanks!
Skyler Brown
what is the First Sage scheming is the real question here
Ritsu
So my take is the First Sage did something to break the System so badly it restricted knowledge about it as some kind of defense mechanism.
Micah Molina
Holy Villy, Zogarth! What an amazing web you weave. Absolutely utterly fantastic, lol. Jake's like a Villy damn simpleton, unknowingly walking around utterly breaking common sense. Love it!!
Harvey Cross
Love this
Boombaga
I love this story so much so firstly I'll say tftc but also god's I am suffering with this coming out like this! I don't have any issue with how it's coming out or anything, but I just wish I could hop forward in time 10 years and read it all! :D
Pablo Barbatto
Yes forbidden knowledge!!!! I feel like Jake should get a new a tittle after he gets enough charges in the his skills and learns from about and from the first sage
CinnamonHawk263
I remember oras saying the viper holds forbidden knowledge was it talking about the first sage or something else.
Jason Hardman
Apparently "knop" is Dutch for the English word "knob". Who knew.
Athyrium
The First Sage has always been fascinating, but that just cranked it to 11!
Tristan
Okay sooooo I have a really important question did eversmile just fucking Frown? Isn't that bad I'm almost positive we were told in like book 2 or 3 thats really bad
Thomas Todd
My theory is that Jake met the first sage during the path while he was implementing a transcendence so the records associated with that now exist outside the systems limitations
Ira White
Thanks fir the chapter zogs
Strato Junon
Who hurt you?
Strato Junon
Oh dang. That's interesting. I need more
Brisyngr
Maybe because Jake is soo much his own bloodline and the system cant really interfere with it ?
Skyler Brown
yo wtf the ever smiles getting brain blocked
Juozapas
🖖
TwistedVanity
Thank you
Duck
Cheers mate
Skyler Brown
na fk u
Bob Fight
Interesting
![[TR] Toxxic Rhiannyr from gumroad](https://patrefans.com/kistorage/109235.jpg)
