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Chapter 852 - Nevermore: Mysterious Better Boots
🕑 Added 2024-02-16 11:00:53 +0000 UTCPerhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise, but having the strongest people all leave their planets for Nevermore at roughly the same time could cause some… troubles, especially for those who had usually ruled with an iron fist. In the absence of a tyrant, a tyrannical rule could easily collapse, and this happened all across the ninety-third universe as uprisings took place, even if the revolutionaries would more likely than not be utterly crushed once the tyrant returned from the World Wonder.
One also had to remember that many places were also still struggling with battles against beasts and monsters. This forced the stronger ones there to make a choice… use the token provided by the Wyrmgod to leave for Nevermore, or remain and fight for your faction, family, and friends. To many, this wasn’t even a choice, as they wouldn’t abandon those they cared for, but for others, it wasn’t a choice simply because their own power was the most important.
As for who was right, it could honestly be difficult to tell because even if they fought against the beasts and monsters now, what about the future? What would the plan be to face the Prima Guardian when that descended? It was clear to many that Nevermore wasn’t simply an optional World Wonder for people to go visit if they felt like it but a borderline mandatory power boost to make the world capable of facing the Prima Guardian.
This difficult choice of sacrificing the now for the future or risking the entire planet with the hope that they would be capable of facing the Prima Guardian haunted many. Especially those who had managed to become World Leaders, who now had to figure out how to strike a balance between having the strong fighters go to Nevermore or remain and fight.
Of course, some planets didn’t face this issue. As only C-grades monsters that hadn’t consumed the special unique treasures provided during the integration could enter the areas designated for the enlightened races, the risk of hordes of C-grades invading simply wasn’t there. Only the weaker worlds with only a handful of C-grades faced this, and they were at least lucky that beasts could also go to Nevermore, making many of these potential threats leave… which kind of added another threat down the line, as how would those who didn’t go to Nevermore compete with those who did?
Honestly, in many places, it was a mess. However, one place that appeared entirely unaffected was a certain little planet called Earth. There, things were very much running as usual, even with nearly all of the most influential people gone. One would think that with the massive influx of freed slaves and other individuals sent by the many factions who wanted closer relations with Jake, things would get a bit chaotic, but things remained calm.
There had been some fear that after Miranda left, issues would prop up with no one to handle them. Especially when Lillian also went to Nevermore, along with several others who were part of the leadership. The only ones from the World Council who remained behind were the Sky Whale, who saw no rush to go to Nevermore, along with Arthur, who wouldn’t go at all.
This pretty much left Arthur as the only one in charge at the very top when it came to governing the enlightened races, and his presence was a big reason for the calmness. While he wasn’t powerful in the traditional sense, he was a man who had more than enough know-how when it came to management, and with the influence he had been given by being part of the World Council, he easily governed when everyone else was gone as the continued all the policies he, Miranda, and others had enacted.
The factions that still remained on Earth, such as the Court of Shadows and the Sword Saint’s clan, also didn’t start anything during this period. Even if they wanted to, the risk was simply too big. And not just because of what would happen when Jake and the others returned but due to the many people who had arrived vehemently supporting any establishment Jake was part of.
Especially the freed slaves had a high level of loyalty, moreso to Miranda than Jake. She had put a lot of effort into integrating the influential former slaves, giving many of them official positions of leadership, and even if many of these influential ones had now also left for Nevermore, those loyal to their former fellow slaves kept carrying out their wills.
The beasts and monsters were also very much not wanting to start anything. Some because of the Sky Whale, but many also due to the overwhelming presence of the Fallen King, whom many saw as the true leader of the monster factions on Earth. Even if the King ruled as a tyrant through power, this was one of the instances where even in the absence of the tyrant, stability remained… for they all knew he would come back one day, and none had confidence that even if they tried to take control of things, they wouldn’t lose it immediately upon his return. Along with their lives, of course.
All of this is to say that Jake had, very much unknowingly, been the impetus behind establishing one of the most stable planets when it came to internal conflict in the ninety-third universe. And he didn’t even need to use his arcane affinity.
--
Jake didn’t really listen to much of the buzz about people getting big Nevermore Points multipliers and all that other noise. In all honesty, even when he heard some mutters from others in the small Order base, he didn’t care either. Despite people probably being curious, he also didn’t see any reason to publish his own results.
While it was likely others had worked hard partly for their factions to gain recognition, Jake wasn’t like that. The only person Jake needed to recognize he had done well was Jake himself and no one else. His pursuit of power and rewards was as selfish as could be. Not to say that Jake wouldn’t go out and tell everyone, he just wouldn’t take the initiative to.
If the Viper asked for him to go out and flex, Jake would do it. If Ell’Hakan or some other asshat tried to taunt Jake with their super cool score, Jake would gladly smack down their ego. Going out to brag on his own just seemed a bit too tacky, in Jake’s opinion. Besides, they would all know how well he had done when Nevermore ended, and they saw the Leaderboards. That was the score that truly mattered, not this small milestone of Challenge Dungeons.
No, rather than waste his time on all this flexing, Jake focused on far more important stuff. Alchemy-wise, Jake had spent a good amount of time just crafting stuff. He even felt he was very close to gaining a level, though he didn’t get one right away as he had only been going for a week, making a few potions and elixirs while also stocking up on poison.
As for why he had just done alchemy so far… well, he was kind of stalling.
Jake would be lying if he said he didn’t second-guess himself quite a few times when it came to using his newest mythical reward. He hadn’t really doubted himself at first when he decided to upgrade his boots, but a small sliver of uncertainty did begin to creep in the more he considered it. Not because he didn’t want to upgrade the boots, but because of something in the Wyrm’s Breath description…
“Contains faint Records related to the Wyrmgod of Nevermore, making this item especially suited to upgrading items related to the space affinity.”
This little part of the description made Jake question if it would even be a good idea to use it on the boots. Not just because of this space affinity thing, but because Jake wondered if perhaps he should actually use it on one of his existing mythical items… or maybe even the Mask of the Fallen King. However, without even needing to try it, he understood that the item would have no effect on the mask, likely due to its unique origins.
Improving Eternal Hunger could be big, though. Or maybe even turn his bow into a mythical one. The bow had been given directly by the system, and even if he had upgraded it once, it should still have enough innate Records, right?
There were honestly so many good options. Shit, there was even his necklace… alright, that one would be a waste, as it was one of the easier items to upgrade. But maybe his creepy cloak could be good to upgrade? At least that would help him find out why that damn merchant had been so happy to get rid of it when Jake bought it.
At this point, Jake fully recognized he was stalling, and rather than keep doing alchemy, which would no doubt lead him to get another level and, thus, a skill selection that would inflict him with even more decision paralysis, Jake stopped fucking around.
After taking off his boots and putting them on top of a small table, Jake also took out the Wyrm’s Breath. He looked a bit at both of the items before using the Wyrm’s Breath. Doing so was pretty easy, as Jake just had to hold it while willing for it to affect the boots in front of him. He really hoped things would end well as the Breath began to shine brightly as it let out a torrent of energy. In the next moment, it looked as if the sculpture-like item came alive as it began to burn, releasing a bright white flame that seemed to distort space itself.
The flames soon moved as they flew toward the boots, setting them aflame. Jake felt a bit worried as he saw the torrent of fire only grow until it reached the ceiling, the boots just sitting there, seemingly unaffected. Then, just as fast as everything had begun, the flames dispersed unceremoniously.
Jake stared as the table and boots both looked utterly untouched. The boots themselves were also the same old leather boots that looked like they couldn’t even be given away for free at a thrift shop. As for feeling an aura from them… well, Jake had never really felt much from the old things.
However, he did get a system notification, and as he used Identify on the boots and saw the change, he knew it had been a success.
[Boots of the Wandering Alchemist (Ancient)] – Boots once offered to an alchemist before setting out on a journey to experience the world outside at the behest of his master. Despite being made of simple leather, the Records of the ancient alchemist have left a deep mark on this item, allowing it to transcend many ranks. With every awakening, the Records within grow in power, the item improving in tandem to reflect its growth, even if many secrets within still elude you. Enchantments: +350 Endurance, +250 Agility, +200 Perception. Reduces energy expenditure from all movement-related skills by a moderate amount. Increases sensitivity towards earthbound plants and natural treasures.
Requirements: Lvl 200+ in any humanoid race
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[Boots of the Wandering Sage (Mythical)] – Boots once offered to an alchemist before setting out on a journey to experience the world outside at the behest of his master. With time, this wanderer became recognized as a Sage, the same as his master who once wandered in them, too. This has left a deep mark on this item, allowing it to transcend many ranks despite being made of nothing but simple leather. With every awakening, the Records within grow in power, the item improving in tandem as they reconnect with their Origin. Enchantments: +1500 Endurance, +1000 Agility, +500 Perception, +500 Willpower, +500 Wisdom, +500 Intelligence. Reduces energy expenditure from all movement-related skills while also increasing their effectiveness by a substantial amount. Increases sensitivity towards earthbound plants and natural treasures. While wearing the Boots of the Wandering Sage, never let difficult terrain impede you, as you shall always find a solid foothold.
Requirements: Soulbound
First of all… that was a lot of stats. Secondly, a lot had changed, first and foremost being the name. Boots of the Wandering Sage. However, it still confused him a bit… who was the sage? The First Sage? Villy was also considered a Sage, right? Or was it a third person altogether? Yeah, alright, Jake would definitely have to ask Villy about this.
When it came to the effects besides the stats, the natural treasure detector seemed the same. He also quickly spotted that the energy-cost reduction on movement-related skills had changed to also increase the effectiveness of movement-related skills. Such a change was quite frankly massive, and he very much looked forward to seeing how much it did.
The final effect was a bit weird. It said difficult terrain would never impede Jake and that he would always find a solid foothold. This effect could both be extremely powerful but also kind of useful… honestly, there was no time to tell before he put on the boots and did some testing.
Now, did this item truly look like a mythical piece of equipment? Fuck no, it was a pair of old worn-out leather boots… alright, effect-wise, they probably did. Jake didn’t really have a great frame of reference, but he felt like the boots did qualify; it was just that many of their effects were hard to quantify. Also, it was quite shocking to see that even after becoming mythical, they still apparently had room for improvement. This was also part of the reason why Jake was so sure these boots had either belonged to Villy or the First Sage at some point. Who else would have powerful enough Records?
He had questioned if they belonged to Villy before and kind of written that theory off, but now he wasn’t sure. As he looked at the boots, he also remembered something as he leaned forward and grabbed them.
Jake quickly checked the lining of the leather boots. He saw that the message about looking forward to meeting him was still there, and for a moment, he was worried until he found another message etched into the other pair. A new one. This one was a lot shorter than the first but perhaps even more impactful.
When two becomes five, reunite with one.
- A Sage
While it wasn’t definitive… Jake was pretty damn certain this was related to the First Sage. It had to be. Also, when it came to the riddle of sorts, Jake instantly solved it. He currently had two charges of Path of the Heretic Chosen, and this message was telling him to save up five. As for reuniting with one, well, he was called the First Sage.
Jake didn’t really need to think much before he decided to try and reach out to the Viper, as he felt like a conversation about his old boots was long overdue. He barely had reached out when he felt the Malefic Viper respond, surprising Jake a bit, as Jake thought he couldn’t normally talk to Villy while inside Nevermore, but things were quickly cleared up.
”Alright, got a closed and secure connection. See it as an extra reward for your performance and for your great bug-finding efforts during the Challenge Dungeons,” the Viper said. ”Now, I already have a good idea why you want to talk… it’s about those boots, right?”
”It is indeed about the boots,” Jake responded. ”So… what’s up with them?”
”Eh, alright, I’ll give you some lore on the old things. Yeah, they belonged to me. For a while, at least. As a beast in humanoid form, my equipment didn’t give me any stats, so it didn’t really matter what I wore. So, for a long time, I didn’t care much but just took whatever I could get here and there. But honestly, everything just kept getting torn, as nothing was enchanted. After I met the First Sage, he gave me these boots when he sent me out to do stuff, and even after his death, I kept them. Even back then, they were always a bit… special. Believe it or not, they haven’t changed at all from how they looked when I first got them. While I won’t say they are indestructible, I sure never encountered anything that could ruin them for good. I don’t really know much about them besides that, only that they belonged to the First Sage before me.”
”If they are so precious… why give them out as a dungeon reward?” Jake questioned.
He knew how much the Malefic Viper cared about and respected the First Sage, so to give his boots to some E-grade in a Challenge Dungeon really didn’t seem like something the Viper would do. Even if Jake was his Chosen, it was still a massive risk to just hand out an item like that. If Jake had died or lost them, they would be gone for good.
”Oh… well, I guess I didn’t include the part where I lost them in A-grade when I had to escape a collapsing minor dimension,” the Viper said nonchalantly. ”So I was a bit surprised when I saw them again… because the only reward I had designated to be given for that Challenge Dungeon was the spatial storage necklace. That’s why I was so insistent on you upgrading them because they sure aren’t the exact same boots I used to have. Those weren’t even real pieces of equipment with a rarity attached to them.”
”Wait… so the system just decided to randomly reward them after modifying them as a reward suitable for someone in early E-grade?” Jake asked, even more confused. ”Why? Isn’t this all a bit too much of a coincidence when I also happen to have met the First Sage in a vision? That I suddenly end up with an old pair of boots of his?”
Jake still hadn’t shared the thing about the etched messages. Not the first one, and not this new one, as Jake got a weird feeling that he probably shouldn’t share it either. The implications behind these messages appearing were simply too impactful, and Jake wanted to figure out more before he would talk about it. And so far, he only had some vague theories. Was the First Sage communicating with him from beyond the grave? Did he have some weird Transcendence that allowed him to somehow know Jake would one day get them? Some kind of future-prediction stuff? Or maybe he really had somehow merged with part of the system or something? There were so many possibilities, and Jake felt equally unsure about all of them. If this was all just some weird coincidence or something, Jake didn’t want to give Villy false hope that Jake could somehow communicate with the First Sage directly.
The Viper took a bit before he answered Jake’s question as the Primordial sighed.
”With the system, coincidences are rarely just coincidences,” he said in a thoughtful tone. ”As for why you got the boots… now that’s the big mystery, isn’t it?”
Comments
kapat
First Sage content (booots!!!) my favorite 🥾
Kconraw
Thx for the chapter
Lizy Flore
Okay : here’s my theory. The 1st Sage and Jake belong to the same race, but the Sage never wanted to reach his « true » level, hence why he stayed at C-Rank. Makes me believe Jake will become « it » (whatever « it » will end up to be) at B-Rank, at least. Could explain why the Sage wants to meet Jake, too. And even if they don’t belong to the same race, then the 1st Sage might have some insights on the same matter. As for why I think they are of the same specie ? Well, they are both peak-geniuses multiversal monsters. The 1st Sage possessed several Transcendent Skills and Jake has his broken Bloodline. Maybe it’s a weak argument, but I struggle to see it as a mere coincidence. Thoughts ?
daniel gager
Finally confirmed who's boots they were!
Olof Karlsson
Thanks for the chapter!
JJB4345_80_815
@ Numbzy - Being bullied via Social Media is a thing. Taunting doesn't have to be face-to-face. Edit: Think on it this way - They all have a limited time (50 years) to earn points. It was stated in this chapter that Ell'hakan's multiplier reveal was DELAYED to maximize interest. It takes 7-12 years to finish all of the Challenge Dungeons for Leaderboard contenders and 8.5 years before Jake's group even started the Challenge Dungeons they had solid intel that Ell'hakan had reached the floor before them. Do you really think that Ell'hakan would be sitting around on that city floor twiddling his thumbs wasting his time not advancing further into Nevermore on the off chance that he could get into a shouting match with Jake? That would be a horrible waste of the most precious resource of time.
Numbzy
Sorry, I didn't see this until today. It's somewhat implied that EH is still on this floor. In this very chapter it's stated, "If Ell’Hakan or some other asshat tried to taunt Jake with their super cool score, Jake would gladly smack down their ego. Going out to brag on his own just seemed a bit too tacky, in Jake’s opinion." Implying that EH could taunt him so he has to be there.
Hunter Thornton
I got a feelin the first sage knows what is really up wit Jake’s op as fuk bloodline.
Vega
Nah Temlat’s story was cool
Michael Fannon
Yes. Because Jake probably has a 15 to 20% lead on Ellhakan over all. 10 from the challenge dungeons, 5 from the witch, and 5 from some other thing never fully explained. There is no way anyone else got the boost from the witch, so even if Ell got the other boost, that would still mean Jake has a 15% boost over Ell. Plus, there are the final floors. If they follow the pattern as before, then each will give out insane amounts of points.
Michael Fannon
My thought exactly.
Michael Fannon
Villy says he hasn't. Yet. I kinda expect it to happen in the future as his bloodline keeps getting stronger with each grade.
K. Johnson
I wonder if Jake gets records when he perceives people watching him making Perception the ultimate build
JJB4345_80_815
@ Numbzy - I think we have interpreted the written words completely opposite of one another. I see what was written and go "Oh, Ell'hakan was already on the next floor and ordered someone(s) via his bloodline to disseminate the info for him in a manner and time chosen ahead of time." Since a follower of Aeon Clock had given the Sword Saint an info dump in chapter 737 AND the order of the Malefic Viper has outposts set up on all of the city floors that makes the most sense to me. From what I can tell, I think that you believe that since Ell'hakan's info is being distributed then that must indicate that Ell'hakan must still be on the same city floor? Is that correct? I could be wrong and Ell'hakan is only 3-4 years ahead, but with the prior floors taking multiple years to complete for Jake's group, just imagine how fast Ell'hakan's group can complete floors with the assistance of B-grades as stated in chapter 737! Also, on Minaga's City Floor Ell'hakan's group shaved (If I recall correctly) over a year just on that single floor! Maybe I'm pessimistic, but until we get a more concrete understanding of exactly which floor Ell'hakan is on I'm gonna think what I think.
JJB4345_80_815
For those who believe that Ell'hakan isn't further along in the Nevermore floors I decided to copy/paste the vital excerpt from Chapter 737: Nevermore - Time Skip Status: "Another one of those ahead he, unfortunately, did know quite well was Ell’Hakan, who had managed to cheese far more of these floors than they had been able to. The fundamental problem was that most floors had people on them, and Ell’Hakan’s Bloodline was simply too well-suited for those kinds of situations. In places where Jake and company had to act solo or purposefully avoid the attention of B-grades or others too powerful to handle, Ell’Hakan had been able to actively enlist them. As for how they knew this, for sure? Well, through the guy bragging openly and spreading the news. He simply beat floors faster than them and was thus ahead." Remember, Chapter 737 was roughly 9 years ago in Nevermore time from now, chapter 852. EDIT: It is interesting that when they arrived on the City Floor that they had gained the most points at that city floor marker: "Current Nevermore Points Record (Floor 1-70): 744,673 Jake and company had kept the top spot. After floor sixty-five, they also had it, and not losing it was great. Of course, not everything was great. The Sword Saint had gotten an annoying update on other people also doing Nevermore. As far as they were aware, a bit over a dozen groups they knew of were ahead of them" So, not only does Jake have a 10% Challenge Dungeons multiplier advantage, but also an advantage in the amount of un-multiplied points earned by basically breaking 3 of the Challenge Dungeons, and a lead in points from earlier floors. Still, how many levels ahead is Ell'hakan's group AND have they earned any grand achievement multipliers on other floors???
JJB4345_80_815
Since others mentioned chapter 631 I just decided to copy/paste the relevant section: "The cloak itself was black as night and was incredibly light yet durable. The properties were, as always, where the real greatness was at. [Midnight Shadow Cloak (Ancient)] – A cloak created from the essence of an unknown creature dwelling in the realm of shadows. Incredibly durable to all kinds of attacks. Allows the wearer to meld into the shadows when they stand still or move slowly, masking their presence and all of their actions, including energies. Improved further if already dwelling in the shadows. When worn within the realm of shadows, the cloak will passively absorb energy to repair itself or assist the user during their travel through the darkness. Requirements: level 200+ in any humanoid race. Must have touched upon the realm of shadows. The most interesting thing about this cloak was definitely the requirement to even use it. The requirement to have touched upon the realm of shadows was something Jake had never seen before and made him wonder even more about that weird place. Jake could only use this item due to his Eternal Shadow skill, and he knew that actually connecting with this realm of shadow wasn’t easy and was most often only done by people following Umbra. Why it was even on sale at the Order was a mystery."
JJB4345_80_815
@ Numbzy - I copied/pasted this from the previous chapter: "but none of them had expected it to have already happened a while ago, as the announcement had merely been delayed. Definitely intentionally so to make it at a good time to generate the most attention. It was naturally made by someone who cared a lot about his reputation and one of the people most had their eyes on… the Chosen of Yip of Yore: Ell’Hakan." I stand by my belief that he's 10 years ahead of Jake. He could even be farther ahead...
Numbzy
Does anyone suspect that the first two paragraph about tyrants and rebellions is directly targeted at EH? How EH temporarily abandoned his planet and now there are problems going there... We know that William is on EH's planet. Maybe he's starting problems, or exacerbating the existing ones about tyranny and EH's illegitimate claim to the throne.
Numbzy
So EH is not a full 10 years ahead of him. Chapter 737 is where Jake says that EH is ahead of him, but only a chapter or two ago is EH running around telling people his score. Jake also did not mention how far ahead EH was, so its safe to assume that they are basically "tied" again in terms of progression.
Adam
Chapter 631- Getting that Booty
KenTX325
Meaningless in regards to the overall story. It is predictable that Jake gets a decent score, so this arc does little to impact the plot of the main story. That is why the best sections are when we get to see other characters outside of Nevermore. I care more about Mira freeing her village or Miranda managing the new Earth government than Jake’s student who doesn’t really exist.
Chaotic Chaos
‘But maybe his creepy cloak could be good to upgrade? At least that would help him find out why that damn merchant had been so happy to get rid of it when Jake bought it.’ What is Jake referring to? I completely forgot what this is.
JJB4345_80_815
So it's roughly 13 hours away from the next chapter drop but I'm bored so I'm gonna ask: "Is Jake's 105% multiplier enough to overtake Ell'hakan (at 95%) since Ell'hakan's group has roughly a ten year head start from this point? Remember, Ell'hakan's group had already moved on from this city floor by the time Jake's group had arrived. And I have to wonder if the further one's group progresses if it's not more commonplace to earn a Grand Achievement, Like how both groups killed their Minaga clone without losing anybody roughly 35 floors ago or how Jake's group earned a 5% modifier on the Karmic Plague floor as well as another floor. Did Ell'hakan's group already earn some extra modifiers on past floors, like for exemplary finishing times? Jake currently has 1,242,425 Nevermore points, right? I am probably WAY oversimplifying this but the known 10% edge that Jake has for being better in the Challenge Dungeons would end up being 124,242.5 extra points. Is that enough Nevermore points to combat Ell'hakan's current floor lead?
Michael Fannon
Am I the only one hoping the gods ask Jake to go flex?
Michael Fannon
Books. Nevermore will likely be spread between 2 or 3 books with the amount of chapters it has.
JJB4345_80_815
Thank you Skyler!
Michael Fannon
It's been a good saga made of a lot of smaller arcs with some being among the best of the series. It also has been long. Around a quarter of all chapters have been in nevermore. It's like the wholecake arc in One Piece. Great arc, but was ultimately just a side job with only a few of the crew that took years longer than many of the main arcs to get through. Nevermore has been fun. It is also a sidestory to build up for the stuff to come.
Michael Fannon
System fuckery.
Michael Fannon
I think Jake will be off to conquer the galaxy in B-grade as part of the Prima things. Jake with his kid the Royal wasp that can grow armies. Riding on a cosmic space worm as the move from planet to planet in a glorious charge to spread the will of Danger noodles.
Michael Fannon
On the topic of lots of revolutions happening on the various worlds while the leaders and strong are gone, I forgot that William is currently on EllHakan's world. Mango man returning to see his world rejecting him and loose control would be wonderful. Especially with Earth be stable thanks to Jake's whims.
Skyler Brown
Perennial Arcane Marble (Unique)
But they arn't meanless because of the item rewards titles and personal progression
KollegvomMirgan
I think the nevermore arc has great heights but as day to day read sometimes turn really slow. I imagine as book when you can read all chapternat once it is much better balanced.
JJB4345_80_815
@ Allen - I absolutely love your theory! I've been so focused on the First Sage's Transcendent Skills and his obsession with records and Origins that I didn't really think enough about his bloodline. When the First Sage asked Villy's help to Transcend this mundane world I didn't give enough credit to an Immortal Mind bloodline. So of course the First Sage was able to find his own path to immortality! And now Villy has that bloodline, while Jake has a drop of Villy's blood in his Soulspace (or is it his Truesoul?). And Jake, having that drop of blood which contains a portion of Villy's records which should also contain a portion of the records that Villy absorbed from the First Sage... What name did the system use to designate the everlasting bead that Jake created in the House of the Architect? Just how many interconnections are there between the First Sage and Jake???
JJB4345_80_815
Well, he couldn't level in the Challenge Dungeons but since we are done with that arc he should start leveling up soon. I kinda wonder if the Challenge Dungeons and the Minaga's City Floor are strategically placed in Nevermore to allow one's records to catch up to their leveling so the participants don't get lopsided/help them to prevent bottlenecking through C-grade. Eh, it's a thought...
KenTX325
I don’t dislike all of the Nevermore arc but I think the pace of it was awfully slow. It needs to be edited to remove 1/3 to 1/2 of the material that is useless fill. The low level fights, the back story on side characters that are meaningless images, and stuff that doesn’t push the main story. This was especially true in the coliseum where we had chapter after chapter of boss fights that weren’t challenging or boss fights. The other thing I disliked about the challenge dungeons is they are meaningless. No levels, no chance of death, no real characters. And the last thing that bothered me is this takes us away from the main story and characters I like.
KenTX325
So if Jake needs 60 levels to get 3 more uses of the skill, and it took about 200 chapters to get the last 54 levels, then we will find out what the sage has to say in about a year.
Zizawah
I really enjoyed the entire Nevermore arc as well. Compared to the tutorial dungeons (of which I was really bored of and felt went on too long) I think Nevermore is much better paced. Could it be cut in places? Sure! For the story time ~40 years, there are several highlights that are vivid in my mind -- the plague, Minaga final fight, the grand champion fight with Valdemar, taking in and losing a disciple, and speed running the endless journey. Yes, I'm ready for this arc to be over but the chapters were fun nonetheless!
Skyler Brown
I like it so adding to this what if the first sages bloodline allowed him to remember everything even alternate version of himself created in a visions/ recreated past moments where he is "alive" with his bloodline fully unleashed but technically still fully part of the system in these moments allowing the true one to fully know because the system is ALL making Jake the very impetus for the First sage wanting to become one with the system in the first place
Lillie30
I don’t know why so many dislike the nevermore arc, sure it’s been going on for about a year now but… I think it’s my favorite arc. Unpopular opinion. Also fuck you anyone who berates me
edgardo rossi
What a legend! Thanks for your hard work
Marcel Diaz
I doubt he'll mmake us do it all again for real. I'm over it too though. Been over it since the demon lord city floor. I've been pleasantly surprised plenty since (that I can still find enjoyment in nevermore).
CaptainFlowers
With the final scores complied and few more floors to go, I for one am really, really looking forward to some C-Grade Jake and God-level Artemis. 🥴
Hayden Leech
Oh fuck we have to do it again in B grade.
Hayden Leech
Hey! Let’s put it to a percentage. Just for laughs. 23.482% of all zogarth posted chapters take place in nevermore. Oof.
Hayden Leech
I mean… it’s our hundred chapter nevermore anniversary….times two. Onwards to nevermore was chapter 652. We are on 852. That’s two hundred chapters of nevermore. Two hundred chapters of a zero consequence simulation aside from the implications that a high rank holds for wider multiversal politics. Bruh.
Hayden Leech
Man. I love primal hunter, been a earliest chapter patron for years. But I’m so done with nevermore. Every not nevermore chapter is a delight but I find myself scrolling through the nevermore chapters looking for other povs. Because I’ve stopped caring how Jake gets his tip score. I personally feel like the story lost the majority of its inertia. I had to go back and re read chapters to figure out exactly why we are supppsed to hate El’Hakan. It’s been SO long!!!
Allan
Here’s a theory, regarding the First Sage’s bloodline and how it might have helped him influence the system. Each and every bloodline has many secrets and abilities, and the First Sage’s has many implications regarding its capabilities, but the thing we’re focusing on today is his bloodlines’ name. The name given by the system to describe the records of First Sage’s bloodline is “The Bloodline of the Immortal Mind” and it allows him to remember everything constantly as if he had just experienced it moments ago, instead of how memories usually work and are only brought out if you need them. But that can’t be all it does, bloodlines operate on a spectrum outside the system, and given the examples shown so far, they seem to get stronger as their owners progress simply due to higher stats and comprehension of the world around them. This is not an increase in the bloodline’s power but merely due to a higher understanding of the world around them. Knowing this, I’m almost certain that the bloodline of the First Sage isn’t as simple as it seems much like all the other bloodlines, perhaps there are other aspects, or simply ways to abuse the bloodline that The Malefic Viper hasn’t discovered so far. The First Sage was born with it after all, and has spent a long time pondering on it’s abilities as it was with him during his whole lifetime, and before people ask why the Viper doesn’t know it’s capabilities as he has had it for a longer time. Well, my theory is that the Viper sealed his bloodline and it’s abilities as well as his memories of the first sage at least somewhat to forget [Redacted] which happened in the 7th era, this was already shown in the novel when the First sage was introduced, clearly stated by the Viper that Jake made him unlock the seal he put on his memories. Now back to the bloodline, there has to be more to it, and it seems perfectly capable of causing him to keep his memories even in death or something similar that might perhaps affect the system in someway, as it is very improbable there just happens to be those two messages left for Jake specifically, if this is good or bad though we would have to wait and see. It is called “the immortal mind” by the system after all, and it wouldn’t seem very immortal if that’s all it did even if it’s already very strong.
KenTX325
I’d like to see Jake spend some time with Artemis , work with Arnold on the space ship, and get some levels. 254 is too low. Maybe get his soul flame before the big fight. I’m hoping the last 10 years of Nevermore and the wrap up takes less than a week.
JJB4345_80_815
No problem! When I re-read the series a few months ago I started to take notes mainly on this one thing. I've been waiting all this time for an appropriate chapter to finally share with others my compilation of minute nuggets of info that I hope coalesces into a wonderful story arc! 🙏🙏🙏
Henscratch
2nd gen fun, literal twist to student “walking in his master’s shoes” Sage has jokes when dropping clues from beyond the grave
Mark Ryane
Jake is getting +5% to everything, all 9 stats, compared to +5% in 3. That is a 300% reward if looking at number of % bonuses. Also your total stats contributes to your overall power and aura, and getting bonuses in all rounds you out a little better, compared to a small increase in just what you're good at.
Ty Cooper
Maybe the Sage saw a chance and sent it into the system and the system made it happen when everything aligned.
Ty Cooper
The Sage had a lot of transcendent skills and only knew what a few did. And I totally forgot William went to El's home world. Nice foreshadowing I didn't catch. El pretty much had his whole world under mind control and he has been gone. Oooh man that might be a great side arc
Mark Ryane
Probably related to Umbra, since she wants to maintain any kind of connection to Jake.
Vega
Success through delegation. The Jake & Viper way.
Steven Myer
IS THE FIRST SAGE THE SYSTEM? WHAT IS HAPPENING AHHH
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter
Yaldabaoth
WooooHoooo! LesssGooooooo!?
Aerlevsedi
A true Hero among us. Thank you.
secretchicken
this just makes it slightly less shit for jake. imagine if a mage doesn't get INT or WIS unless they get 100%. it's still a good title, +5% to a lot of things means more eventual points into one of those primary stats. but Jake would be the envy of many of those 70+% achievers because he's getting +5% to his most important stat and they don't.
ABTelford
No, I doubt that because the sage wanted to die and bringing him back would be cruel and Villy respects the sage too much to do that. But, what if the sage has info that would help bring back Villy’s wife and kid? That would be awesome!
JJB4345_80_815
I'm hoping that the 5 charges will show Jake the First Sage either before the start of the System or right at the Advent of the System. The First Sage was alive before the start of the First Era and has knowledge of what the System Changed. I also believe that Origins is a huge connection between the two of them AND since Jake has a drop of Villy's blood AND Villy absorbed The First Sage's records at the time of his death that a resonance of sorts is amplifying that connection. In the Chapter "Library of the Sage" the First Sage used a Transcendent Skill which the word "Origin" was mentioned twice. And in the chapter "One Hundred Eggs" Jake was able to Manipulate a bee queen core into it's Origin Vesperant Hive Queen Core. Those two have a lot of stuff to talk about...
ABTelford
Yay! Jumping right back into main plot stuff and it’s a tantalizing tidbit! I’m wondering if ELL-Hakans planet is being disrupted by William with his Karma magic? Also the bit about the boots is so good - theories abound! Mine is that the sage could somehow see the future and he saw the Viper being crushed by the death of his wife and kid and will somehow give info to Jake that will help the viper bring them back. Long shot but it’d be so cool!
JJB4345_80_815
Who's to say that the First Sage isn't exactly where he wants to be? He created at least 4 separate Transcendent Skills before dying at peak C-grade. In the Chapter titled "The First Sage" Villy said that to the First Sage death was just Transcending the mundane world. It's kinda obvious (to me at least) with the First Sage communicating through the system generated Boots of the Wandering Sage that the First Sage did in fact find a way to Transcend death. It was also mentioned by another how Villy sees the System Generated Individual used to interact with people on very rare occasions as The First Sage after his passing...
Julian Lienenbecker
I think your assumption about the First sage needing more Power Sounds the Most valid 2 be honest.
Seiryus
Jake uses all stats to at least some degree, so any point he gains in the less important ones is a point he doesn't have to take away from his free stats later on when he needs to round out his build.
Isley
good chappie
Zizawah
I imagine just as we can't see what an actor is reading unless the camera is able to zoom in, they can see Jake examining the boots but can't really tell if he's reading vs. just closely looking at the boots.
mohamed sulaiman
and to add to that, it would make sense for why would he need 5 charges. Tew charges summoned valdemar and helped jake, so maybe the amount of charges brings more power to the reality that gets generated by the skill, and villy did say that the first sage was crazy enough that he shouldn't have existed, which is obvious, so he might be able to gain enough power to hold the system at bay for a while to tell jake something.
mohamed sulaiman
Probably the system, do we remember when the first sage tried to talk to jake after he noticed him in the library when villy was training a skill, then it was stopped? It's obvious to me the system doesn't want such a communication, but there's a chance first sage has a loophole around it and speaking it out loud might draw the atention of the system or something.
Dustin
Sage was a title on the planet he lived on, like Elder, and the First Sage was the oldest.
Darthnarciss
The sage wanted to die. And his power was a curse. Villy as much as he loved the man wouldn't and couldn't do that to him
BearHandMan
Shattering their story
Mat
Villy bring back First Sage to life would be disrespecting the last wish of his teacher. And Villy won’t do it and give what it would mean for Villy, Jake won’t even try to do it. I expect Jake to learn just as much as Villy did from the First Sage. Will that end up helping Villy final succeed in his eras long trials, most likely but when Jake is in higher grades if not Godhood.
ReadingObsessed
Hmm. I wonder why his instinct tells him not to talk about the inscriptions.
Mat
It was a title used in the Territory which the First Sage belonged too
JJ Bb
That's been my understanding so far as well, the multiplier doesn't apply until they exit the dungeon. So right now the leaderboards are just showing their raw points.
Michael
Ok, now I'm curious about what Jake and the sage are gonna talk about. I'm going to laugh if he invites Jake for tea when he uses the 5 charges
Endern
I don't remember it being discussed, but at this point I feel like [Sage] is a Title. And I wonder what its requirements are. Because it does not feel like one a C-Grade should have, so the First Sage getting it in the first era makes it even more impressive.
Decibel790
Oooh, this is a fun twist. Looking forward to seeing the sage again.
austin kutz
I'm pretty sure that Jake and Villy are going to bring the First Sage back to life using the boots. Villy is working hard figuring out how to bring people back to life and here are the boots, a mythical item deeply connected to the records of someone important to the both of them. They're definitely going to find his true soul in the boots or a link to it
Micah Molina
Maybe, but that means the leaderboard is useless on this floor. Because teams like Arnold's have been doing the Challenge Dungeons as they became available. Meaning they completed 2-3 out of the 5, before floor 70. So it's skewed in favor of those who already completed those with good scores.
mohamed sulaiman
Yeah I'm pretty sure when the first sage arc comes, if there will be ever one, it'll probably be the best arc in the entire story, unless if villy really fights yip, and even then it's doubtful, call me crazy but my favorite arc is the vampire one because it really gave the creeps and it had the fight where jake fought old man miamoto, which in my opinion is the best fight in the entire story.But I like mystery characters more, especially old overpowered folks who somehow can break the broken laws of reality themselves.
Anthony Duenas
If Villy is watching Jake why couldn't he see the inscription when Jake looked at it.
Devin
Looking forward to seeing the sage again! Something truly unique, no wonder he is so interested in Jake, it’s probably something they have in common. A unique characteristic this is not only outside the system but above it as well
jb qspam
And that’s just the Challenge Dungeons, he’s sitting on 140% total multiplier, and who knows if he’ll get more later.
Christian Sullivan
Can't wait for the final 140%+ to knock everyone down a peg.
jb qspam
I’m wondering if the multiplier doesn’t kick in until after a Nevermore run is finished. So point totals might be base numbers and we don’t find out what someone’s final total is until after the 50 (?) year run. Anyone know if I’m off base?
joel southard
Nice thank you for the chapter
Ty Cooper
Oh it will be great. El' will come up all boastful with his huge crowd that tails behind him, while Jake compliments a 95% making El' think he had a higher score and after the sh*t talking starts admits he killed Valdy and got a 105% bonus.
Ty Cooper
Been curious about that also, but I think the clerk looted it off an assassin. Either a failed assassination or the clerk killed an assassin and is worried about repercussions.
Daniel Hamilton
It’s Friday, the worst day of the week, Monday is a long ways off 😪
Daniel Hamilton
Could be because Jake’s party is not all done yet
Johnny_B
Thanks
Endern
It was in Chapter 631 - Getting That Booty
secretchicken
you can easily identify primary stats as the ones most heavily invested in, the higher the stat the higher it's priority. or go by class point distribution. again, the rewards are great, the reward for 100% is objectively better than 90%. but what i'm trying to say, is 90% is an amazing jump in power, but the power jump from 90% to 100% is not as amazing, but the difficulty and rarity is immeasurably higher to get to 100% some hypothetical numbers to get my point across: if primary stats contribute 75% of total power output: the 90% achievement: 1.05*0.75+0.25=0.7875+0.25=1.0375 that's a 3.75% increase in power from the 90% achievement the 100% achievement 1.05*1=1.05, a 5% increase in power. objectively better, of course. but the reward for the SUPER DUPER AWESOME ACHIEVEMENT is only 5/3.75=1.33=33% better than "2nd" place. just looked up some tourney IRL, and the reward for 1st place is more than 300% better than that of 2nd place. (300k$ vs 1mil$) but if nevermore awarded money, 2nd place would be 300k$, and 1st place 400k$. IMO, this devalues the incredible achievement and reward for doing the (almost) impossible.
Martin Hájek
Leaderboards so far always updated on entering the floor… so it will be visible on next city floors leaderboard
Johnny_B
What's with his cloak? I don't even remember it or where he got it.
TwistedVanity
I do love chapters this intriguing... First sage stuff rocks.. and the slow boil
TwistedVanity
EDIT. ...been to impetus behind establishing one of the most stable planets Should be been THE impetus
Lo-Fi
I'm not saying the title's rewards are overwhelmingly great but I think it is because Jake has been kind of spoiled with the amount of OP titles he's been given as he is an Integratee of a new universe and this is Zogarth trying to establish the multiversal norm.
Lo-Fi
I mean firstly Jake's build uses a lot of different stats so I don't know what stats the system would identify as his "Primary ones" beyond perception. Secondly, sure in your hypothetical example a person might not give a sh*t about their lesser-used stats but surely if you're in a multiverse full of talented people - you should want as many stat points as you can get in all stats, right?
brennon Petersen
Tftc!
secretchicken
it's not a bad thing, just not as good. the jump in power from getting +5% to primary stats is bigger than getting +5% to secondary stats. you want both, but the bigger reward is a boost to the primary stats, and yet this reward is given towards the lesser achievement. and this isn't as much about what stats are good for jake but about reward distribution. if 2nd place in a tourney is a 500,000$ and 1st place is 520,000$, you would feel kinda cheated, the reward for 1st place should be 750, or 1mil, or more. For another example: imagine a lopsided build where the person doesn't give a fuck about the lesser used stats, literally useless. but the reward for performing better in the challenge dungeons is literally wasted on them.
TKOva
Also he uses 5 all his stats. Which all stats are great and do something different. And Jake is an all rounder so it make sense.
Micah Molina
Awesome! Finally the Heretic-Chosen charges have been settled. I was beginning to think Jake had forgotten them again. So the System, straight up gave Jake the boots. That's interesting, if the System is a type of collective that the First Sage became a part of, then that kind of implicates the System has direction for its own growth. Edit: a question: doesn't the current city floor have a leaderboard? Do they not update with the Nevermore points acquired from the Challenge Dungeons? I'm just asking, because shouldn't they be able to see when the top score changes?
Xarow
Great chapter thanks!
Max
Now I want to know what’s up with that cloak.
Adam Owada
Can't wait for Ell'Hakan to learn Jake got 105%, that guy's a douche
Naotsugu97
TFTC. Enjoy the weekend y’all!
Athena
tftc :) "been to impetus" -> "been the impetus"
Lo-Fi
He is getting +5% in all stats, how is that a bad thing? Plus we've been told how difficult it is to attain stat percentage-boosting titles so it shouldn't be too surprising.
secretchicken
sorry if this is a bit late, but i thought of this a few minutes ago and it's kinda bothering me, the rewards for the 90% challenge dungeon multiplier is 5% boost to the top 3 stats, shouldn't it be for the bottom 3 stats? as it is now, Jake is getting diminishing returns for performing above and beyond. cheeto is getting 5% to his most useful stats and jake is only getting that and 5% to his lesser used stats.
JJB4345_80_815
Thank you for the chappy, Zogarth! Edit: For those of us that might want to do their own research into the First Sage (FS), I compiled a list. The FS was first introduced (to my knowledge) in Chapers 542-544 where Villy tells Jake a lot about FS in 544. Among the info, the First Sage died in peak C-grade, Had the Bloodline of the Immortal Mind and AT LEAST 4 Transcendent Skills, Was obsessed with Records b/c they were the perfect form of memory and viewed dying as simply a form of transcending above the mundane world. In chapter 568 - A Feathery Reunion - Jake felt the gaze of the First Sage upon Villy w/o Villy noticing. Then Chapters 576-578 are big ones where in 577 Jake witnesses the First Sage using a Transcendent Skill on Villy where the FS says "...Allow your mind to form the Origin." 578 - Origin is something to do with the core of a Truesoul. In Chapter 593, Jake was offered the profession of "Harbinger of Primeval Origins" which he rejected BUT it does go deeper into the mythos of Origins. In Chapter 618 - A Hundred Eggs Jake uses his Primal Energy to get the bee queen core to embrace it's origins and in 619 Jake is rewarded with Core Manipulation of the Primal Hunter. Jake upgrades his boots in Chapter 631 & the first message of the boots appears in Chapter 634. In Chapter 639 a void god called Jake the "Human of Origins Lost. Beings of Paths Once Untravelled." As you might have guessed from the above, I might have an unhealthy obsession with the First Sage/Origins... 🤪
Mohammed Sheekh
FINALLY, the challenge dungeon is finished, let's sum this whole arc up please, let's get to the prima guardian arc now
Dennis Bell
Thanks for the Chapter
Maybe a typo especially for those who had usually ruled with an iron first -> especially for those who had usually ruled with an iron fist
Blem
One must remember when the viper “sees” the system it is the first Sage. Like when Jake sees that blank humanoid thing.
Valhazstromoz
Good ol sage trolling Jake through item descriptions
Strato Junon
The first sage merging with the system seems most likely to me. But who knows. Looking forward to the eventual resolution of this. Looking forward to Jake releasing his score as well. Tyfc!
Thenais
Nice
Lo-Fi
Epic
