Zogarth
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Chapter 805 - Nevermore: House of the Architect
🕑 Added 2023-12-08 11:35:14 +0000 UTCJake closely read the system message regarding the Challenge Dungeon, and outside of the thought that he really hoped he could level up in there, he had a few more opinions. However, overall, it wasn’t that bad.
Firstly, it was actually pretty straightforward, if still incredibly broad. Sure, there was some confusion about how exactly these evaluations would work, but compared to that horrible hellhole of confusion known as the Test of Character Challenge Dungeon, you had something truly unique in this one:
People you could actually ask about stuff. From the vibe Jake got, it was even possible these attendants would be helpful and not just be like Minaga, who commented on stuff happening while providing nothing of substance more often than not.
Anyway, even without Jake asking anyone, it was obvious you were meant to make stuff in this dungeon. He would have to ask about more details, but he got the gist of it.
In some ways, the Challenge Dungeon reminded him a bit of Minaga’s City Floor. There, one also had to do things to earn points, though here, you would use these Merit Points to buy stuff you needed in your creative endeavors.
Jake also knew that the system had limited his access to his inventory, but when he tried to open the spatial storage, he was fully able to. What’s more, he would even take out things like his weapons and other tools, such as his cauldrons. However, when he tried to take out some of the stored ingredients, he found himself unable to do so.
Alright, so you have to buy the raw materials, Jake quickly understood. It was probably for the best, though. It was the same thought as Minaga’s City Floor again, where if rules were not in place, someone could just bring in expensive shit from the outside and breeze through.
However, like Minaga’s City Floor, Jake also instantly got worried about one thing.
Ell’Hakan is going to get a free ride in this dungeon, Jake quickly concluded. Of course, he couldn’t be entirely certain yet, as he had literally just arrived and was still unclear about many things, but he could totally see this being the case.
Not that Jake would let that bring him down. He was pretty skilled at creating stuff himself. Especially unique stuff, which the Architect valued higher than regular goods.
Concluding his initial thoughts, Jake turned his attention toward the actual building he found himself in. As mentioned before, it was a huge atrium-like construction with a sunroof far above. Hundreds of stories ascended upwards from the floor, with the middle of the hall filled with different exhibits. Glass boxes with odd items inside, entire skeletons of weird creatures, and even a few things straight out of some sci-fi could be found if one looked around. Floating up throughout the atrium were also several skeletons of flying creatures and even a spaceship-looking thing.
Through his sphere, he also saw how paintings hung on most walls, and looking to the side, he saw one of them depicting a landscape that seemed to be in constant flux. The painting itself warped with every second, going from filled with light to entirely dark in the very next moment. He also saw that the first to the seventh floor of the atrium was a large circular library that went the entire way around the round building.
Below him was a cellar that also seemed to extend downward for many kilometers. Down there, Jake wasn’t quite sure what he saw. Several rooms were filled with what looked like prisoners of all kinds of races, cages with beasts, and even areas filled with water or elements that housed creatures or just plants and other odd baubles. Jake was a bit confused, considering that beings with True Souls could not be submitted as Creations, but it was entirely possible that not all these things were collectibles. It was also entirely possible some of them were for the creators to “make use of” when they worked on their Creations.
All in all, it looked like the home of some mad collector who just liked shiny, weird, and sometimes highly disturbing things. The building was also utterly massive, and that was without taking into account the fact that many of the rooms and floors were spatially expanded based on how things warped when Jake observed with his sphere.
When it came to other living beings who weren’t trapped in cages, Jake saw quite a few mull around. However, they all stayed off to the sides, all wearing the same white robes with an insignia on the chest. It wasn’t hard to figure out these were the attendants mentioned in the system message.
Jake decided that he would go ask one of the attendants first thing to clarify some things so as to not waste too much time… which was also when he noticed something else about this Challenge Dungeon.
No time limit.
He didn’t have any deadlines to submit anything. At least nothing of the sort was mentioned yet. Nevertheless, Jake saw no reason to dally as he walked toward one of the many attendants who stood off to the side of the atrium, currently working on polishing a statue depicting some kind of scaled beast.
“Excuse me,” Jake asked as he went over. “Are you available right now?”
Without really thinking about it, he treated the attendant as if they were the average store worker before the system.
The attendant, who was some kind of dragonkin, quickly turned toward him and smiled. “Of course. What can I help you with, Creator?”
“I was wondering if you could answer some clarifying questions regarding this place. Mostly on how the Architect will evaluate my creations,” Jake asked politely.
“Most certainly,” she nodded. “What do you wish to know?”
Jake decided to start with the first question on his mind. “Am I able to submit items I created outside of here for evaluation? Say, if I had made some kind of weapon in the past I believe the Architect will find impressive?”
“Unfortunately, the Architect only cares about what is created within their house,” the attendant said as she shook her house. “As the Architect often says, what truly matters isn’t only the final Creation but the method by which it was created. Every Creation is a journey that is documented by the building, and the creation process will also serve as part of the evaluation.”
“I see,” Jake nodded. “What if I make alterations to a current Creations and submit that? Would that be a possibility?”
“Yes, but only the alterations will be evaluated, not the full Creation,” the attendant clarified. “The Architect cares much for the journey, and having missed part of it will inevitably lead to a worsened evaluation, so unless the Creation and the alterations are truly impressive, getting a high evaluation will be difficult.”
That was a bit of a bummer if Jake had to be honest. He would have loved to show off Eternal Hunger and even Eternal Shadow of the Primal Hunter, as you could submit even skills as creations. Oh, and also Moment of the Primal Hunter… but maybe that was too similar to Eternal Shadow, as they both had the Primal Hunter tag? Actually, he should ask about that.
“When it is said that similar creations are penalized, what exactly does it mean?” Jake question. “Let’s say I submit two bottles, where one is a mana potion, and the other is a poison that destroys mana. Will they be viewed as similar?”
“Uniqueness comes in two forms. One is the Creation itself, and the other is the method by which it was created. To truly achieve great diversity in Creations provided, there should be a difference in both of these aspects, but either will count and be looked favorably upon. In your example, both the poison and potion have many similarities in their crafting process, but the Creations themselves do vary somewhat. Overall, I believe the Architect would view there to be acceptable, if still a bit low, diversity between such two Creations. I also have to point out that the Architect appreciates improvements as part of the journey, so simply making Creations you are fully familiar with will not gain bonus points for improvement to your crafting process during the final evaluation, but do not let it push you too far away from making what you are comfortable with. The quality of the final Creation and the complexity and skill required for the crafting process is still imperative to the evaluation,” the attendant gave a pretty in-depth answer. Way more so than Jake had expected.
Jake thought for a bit, and while making entirely new stuff he wasn’t familiar with would give him some bonus points for improving, he ultimately decided it was best to at least stick with things he was familiar with for the most part. Deciding that now was a great time to become a super plant cultivator was definitely not the play. But he still had some questions about the diversity part.
“What about if I create a weapon using transmutation and a powerful poison? Both use alchemy, but different schools of alchemy?” Jake tried to probe more.
“I cannot comment on specific examples, but I would guess that transmutation and concocting poisons have more differences than concocting poisons and brewing potions. However, I cannot comment on a specific case without knowing all the details. Also, I would warn that the nature of what is transmuted shall matter much. If you transmute something crafted by others, their Records will also be part of the final Creation, worsening your evaluation. Of course, this can be made up for with a wonderfully executed transmutation, and considering a better-crafted product by another will lead to a better final Creation and a higher skill requirement to successfully transmute, you may still consider doing it.”
Okay, that made sense, and once more, the answer was quite informative. It was definitely a breath of fresh air to have a Challenge Dungeon that didn’t purposefully try to obscure information. Jake did have some more questions, but for now, he decided to ask just one.
“Final question. Will I get to keep any Creations I make when I leave here again?” Jake asked.
“Sadly, that is not for me to answer. Only the Architect can decide such things,” the attendant shook her head. “But the intangible Creations can never be taken away from you. No skill can be taken, no enlightenment can be taken back, and no improvements gained will be lost.”
He pretty much got a non-answer. Jake was already pretty damn sure the system would not outright take a skill from him, much less wipe his memory of the Challenge Dungeon and what he had achieved. That would make the entire place meaningless.
Now, if only he could also get experience in the Challenge Dungeon, he would be golden. He just had to figure out if he could… so…
“Actually, final, final question. Can I get experience points here?” Jake asked as he grabbed back the attention of the attendant, who was turning away to continue wiping down the already pristine statue.
“You can most certainly gain experience,” the attendant answered. Jake got the feeling she didn’t really answer, though.
“So I can level up?”
“You can level up your creative process and abilities as a creator for sure.”
“So... that’s a no,” Jake muttered to himself. Why in the living hell did these Challenge Dungeons not give any experience? He also hadn’t gained a single level in Minaga’s Labyrinth, even if he did kill a few gatekeepers. Not that many, mind you, but it never said he got any experience when they died. Sure, that could have been because they were just summons bound to the barriers and that this one would give some, but alas, it wasn’t gonna be that way.
Having gotten all the answers he needed for now, Jake decided to do something he rarely did as he sat down and began to formulate a plan for the Challenge Dungeon. He couldn’t just rush through this and do everything purely based on his instincts this time around, but he had to actually use some brain power.
From what Jake had gathered, three things were important when it came to Jake’s Creations. The first of which was naturally the requirement for there to be diversity. The second one was the complexity and difficulty of the crafting process. Finally was the quality – likely expressed through rarity – of the final Creation.
Thinking about it, 10 Creations was kind of a lot, especially if you shouldn’t submit similar things. Unsure exactly what he planned to do, Jake sat down and decided to write out a list of ten things he could make. However, he quickly ran into some problems as he tried to keep things relatively diverse, ending up with a list that, while it was useful, couldn’t exactly be called a plan of action.
Looking down at the paper, he sighed as he read over the options he had impromptu come up with.
1. A poison, using either hemotoxins, neurotoxins, or necrotic poison, mixed with soul-based poison and plenty of Blood of the Malefic Viper. Potentially try a mix of all the different toxins for maximum effect.
2. Something transmutation-based.
3. Maybe elixir?
4. Grimoire
5. Use Teachings of the Heretic-Chosen for something?
6. Skill-related thing. Based on magic and mana.
7. Skill-related thing. Based on archery or melee combat and stamina.
8. Origin-related Creation. This may be done during one of the prior Creations.
9. Something weird Bloodline-related?
10. Ritual stuff.
So… yeah, things could be a bit more concrete, and Jake was sure he had missed something obvious. Jake wouldn’t call himself super creative, as most of the unique Creations he made were something he kind of stumbled into. He hoped that could happen again inside this Challenge Dungeon, but if not, he would just have to make do with what he was confident in already making.
One very notable option Jake had put on there was the Grimoire one. When Jake had evolved to C-grade, he had also gained the ability to create Grimoires related to his path as a Heretic-Chosen Alchemist, and quite frankly, Jake had no idea what to use that skill for. At least not before now.
A damn Grimoire granting a profession or class related to a Path that the system called unique quite a few times had to give a lot of bonus points for diversity and uniqueness both, right? Jake had also never made one before, so he would get bonus points for learning something new. Finally, Jake also believed the final product would be of high quality, making the Grimoire one of his trump cards for this dungeon. He also considered if maybe he should use a bit of Jake Juice to spice it up but ultimately decided to put that plan on hold.
First of all, he was pretty much still out after his fight with Valdemar. He could feel a bit of it had recovered, but a few years just wasn’t enough for him to get much back. Even if Jake had felt that after his visit to the divine streaming party, he had gained quite a bit from the level-ups, he was still pretty darn low.
Secondly, Jake believed he could make a pretty good Grimoire without using any of his unique energy. It also wasn’t even certain it would improve the Grimoire much in the first place. If his Origin Energy made something “return to Origin,” what effect would it have on something where Jake was already the Origin? That was an answer Jake didn’t feel like wasting his limited energy on finding out.
Jake would still use his Origin Energy, mind you. Just somewhere else or maybe through some wholly unique creations. Who knows, maybe just a bit of the energy itself could be submitted as a Creation?
However, before he began to do any of that, one thing still bothered him. The attendant had not said Jake would necessarily get back all his Creations and be allowed to leave with them, which begged the question: where would they go?
Who would see them?
Because Jake wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to hand over or even show things that included many of his deep-rooted secrets to the Wyrmgod. Especially not ones related to being a Heretic and whatnot.
So that was definitely something he had to ask this Architect about… though, of course, that was also another question in of itself.
Who exactly was this Architect?
<AUTHOR NOTE>
Hello there, people. Today I bring with me news of Book 8’s arrival to not only the Kindle but even the Audible store. That’s right, we’re having a simultaneous release once more after several books where that wasn’t possible! Do any of you know what that means? Well, alright, it would be kind of weird if you did, but it means that I have a good shot to get on something known as the Amazon Charts.
The Charts are a list that takes combined sales across all formats into account, so if you sell a certain number and reach a certain combined rank, you get on there. What does this mean in practice? That I have the potential to get on a fancy list that may get a bit more exposure if the release goes well, which will undoubtedly give me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside (along with a cool author achievement).
So go check out the release and make me proud! Remember, if ya got KU, downloading a book is effectively free :D
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Primal-Hunter-LitRPG-Adventure-ebook/dp/B0CHSJVWL7
Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Primal-Hunter-8-Audiobook/B0CQYVL43H
<AUTHOR NOTE OVER>
Comments
Sean Dawson
I hate how enter can make a new row and also post so sorry about so many parts. Stormild With his bond. The last would be the Doafather but there is a slight connection with the other bloodline guy who has a huge health pool.can’t remember his name. So it would be nice to get more info or just a name drop to keep Rigoria in the mind as I only know she is a primordial from looking up the 12th after a friend and I were trying to count them all.
Sean Dawson
Starseizing Titan With villys staff
Sean Dawson
I wonder if this will be where we get to see more of (Rigoria the Maker). She is one of the primordials we don’t hear of like ever. So it would be cool as we are getting more info/contact on the others recently. He was in a room with Valdemar, Eversmile, Villy, Blightfather, Holy mother, and Wyrmgod. We learn about Villys connection to Yggdrasil through Nature’s Attendant. Aeon clok and sword saint
Austin Richins
Ah, but strength is also conceptual. El Hakan is the chosen of a God who gains actual power through some kind of bullshit meta storytelling ability. Power and the perception of power are one in the same for him. Besides that, being able to protect what you own would also fall under the purview of power. If El Hakan could incite the masses against Earth, that would be a problem.
Clint
Oh. Good point, right. Now I'm wondering how many poisons he'd need to grind out to buy a demon core.
Seen Death
I fully agree with Micah, but im not sure if jake's thought process reached that point haha. It might have just been jake complaining about cheetos situationally OP bloodline- similar to how minaga always complains about jakes less-situationally OP bloodline. But like Micah said- Jake is trying to completely dominate El to promote Villy in his fight with Yip
Seen Death
I dont think his bloodline would work on the architect themself, but he could get all of the most premium supplies from the normal people- greatly boosting his products. But if the whole process is being evaluated, he might loose some points because he would have acquired all of the materials in a similar manner, making it seem partially redundant to the architect. Cheeto boi's bloodline only offended minaga when he attempted to use it on him (not realizing he was a god)
Seen Death
Yeah i kind of suggest rewording the story to say "jake mentally made a list" instead of "wrote it on paper" - i doubt jake would need a physical list for this sort of thing, but jake also isnt the best at fully thinking things out so it would definitely be a blunder his character is prone to doing ::edit:: Thinking further, if jake intends on revealing some of these creations it might not matter if they saw the paper, because they would see the result? If i was him i wouldnt use my bloodline / origin for anything here, although he would most likely get a worse grade... that seems very trivial when it comes to the potential headaches/dangers that comes with people knowing too much. Although artemis is on good terms with jake, she is also watching and isnt necessarilly a guaranteed ally yet. Jake seems to be taking massive risks while being tunnelvisioned on doing this challenge dungeon (him taking the risk while fighting and beating Valdemar paid off massively). I cant wait to see te results lol.
Seen Death
"And if the other “arc” is jake vs leaderboards. Why haven’t we seen them in about 30-40 chapters?" (FYI im feeling completely neutral right now, i dont mean to come off like an ass so hopefully it doesnt sound that way) I dont really understand who the "leaderboards" are? There wont be final results until people are completely finished, and although they could check at the towns it is a bit misleading because not everyone is at the same place. So although the first person to get there would be in the lead, they might not actually be impressive? Especially when all of these challenge dungeons give % multipliers, greatly effecting the individual's scores. On another note, ive been looking foward to new chapters here for quite a while. While it is true some chapters/sections arent as impactful as others- ive still been able to find enjoyment. I dont really see what the rush is for progression. One way or the other progress is being made, but maybe its just a difference in what we desire to progress? I personally am a huge fan of world building in a series that i enjoy, it makes everything seem that much better. Thats the reason i prefer reading books, compared to watching movies- they just cant fit all of the world building into a movie/show, and its not uncommon for the movies/shows to stray from the written facts of the story or entirely skipping big sections- which is immersion breaking for me.
Chris
things I can think of, that I feel are practically guaranteed... 1. A Skill Upgrade - probably '[Core Manipulation of the Primal Hunter (Legendary)]' that he used to make '[Origin Core of the Hundred Royals (Unique]', because it reached near peak legendary, in chapter 619 (Jake felt "it was a high-tier legendary skill"). So I think it is the most likely for Jake to push to (Mythical). 2. Supreme Soulflame (or higher) - (Supreme was the highest tier according to chapter 711, but Jake might be able to push it higher) 3. something super heretical
JJB4345_80_815
El piso está mojado. Jake pissed all over it. 🤣
JJB4345_80_815
I believe it's been stated before that even Villy and Minaga are watching on a delay, that the only one watching live is the Wrymgod? If that's the case, it would make sense that anyone else watching is also on a delay (and maybe a longer one at that) which can be used to filter sensitive data. Also, the cat's kinda already out of the bag with him being a heretic. When he got into an "Aura" measuring contest with the Primordial Valdemar, that is a VERY heretical thing to do. A mortal challenging a god is heresy. By it's nature, his Bloodline makes him a heretic.
JJB4345_80_815
The Sword Saint should also slay this. He's an artist, a Transcendent, a swordsman who could make an elegant fighting routine/dance, a clan leader/empire builder with insights into the psyche, a business owner with a history of successful investments, a mage with a high water affinity AND time affinity. He's diverse and talented and has the experience to implement it. I think Casper will also have an upper hand here since he's a trapper, a dungeon architect, a curse mage, and probably a few other things that I only kind of remember.
JJB4345_80_815
Or Rigola?
JJB4345_80_815
I don't think he can pull out the demon core from his necklace since it's probably labeled as an ingredient (he could pull out his cauldron but not the stuff to put in his cauldron), right?
JJB4345_80_815
Zogarth, unlike everyone here, has an idea where the story is heading. I can understand why there is criticism on how slow the story through Nevermore is progressing, but all of us are more in the dark of the future than the writer. In order for the writer to tell the story to the best of his ability, he believes that these chapters are important. I think of it as consolidation of gains. If Jake blazes through Nevermore, and the only thing being told are the fights and the levels and the "good stuff," then how relatable is that? Life is a slog sometimes, and without something to anchor all of the good stuff to reality, then this story just turns into a jack-off fest (pardon my analogy). I'm trusting the author that he is following through his plan of utter awesomeness. Already, some of his best chapters (my opinion) have been in Nevermore with Valdy, Artemis, Minaga and Sylphie. Sometimes the author needs to set up the scene properly and due to Zogarth's Record(s), I'm inclined to give him that trust. 😉
jazz
Clint: my guy… villy vs yip is a continuation of jake vs eh. It’s the same storyline lol. Jake vs leaderboards and the universe realizing jake is op is one of the weakest takes I’ve heard. We got the universe realizing right before nevermore. Did you forget about vesperia and the commotion that caused? Let alone being the chosen of a primordial. And if the other “arc” is jake vs leaderboards. Why haven’t we seen them in about 30-40 chapters?
Clint
Interesting. "The arc we are in now is villy vs yip." Definitely not how I'd have called it. I would have said that Villy vs Yip is an important thing happening in the background, but absolutely not the main plot arc in JAKE'S story. I'd have said there are three main arcs right now: Jake vs EH, Jake vs Nevermore's Leaderboard, and the Multiverse realizing how crazy OP Jake is. From your perspective, I can see how you'd think the whole Nevermore arc is a complete side-track. But to me, that feels like coming out of the theater after seeing Saving Private Ryan and raging about how we didn't get to see any of the important battles in the main WWII arc with two hours of irrelevant filler.
Gnothi Seauton
Nope, it's three Minagas in a trench coat.
Seiryus
Duskleaf is from the 4th era according to the wiki, though that doesn't invalidate your theory. I just don't see it happening because Duskleaf is very much an Alchemy-only guy and this dungeon is not.
Hunter Thornton
Now sold in stores every where. Need a pick me up that’ll grant super sayian stamina and strength? Or are u lookin to turn anything boring and mundane into a cosmic level artifact? Then rush to get your supply of “Jake Juice”. Supplies limited
Micah Molina
I remember reading the first 2 books and seeing a lot of povs with William. It made it seem like he was a true threat to Jake. Jake was always of the mind set if he makes it an issue, Jake would just take care of him then. The only time he wanted to be proactive was when William confronted Jake's family. The reasons Jake is making Ell'hakan an issue is because 1: Ell'hakan has publicly issued he's targeting Jake and attacked first. And 2: Jake's playing his role also for the sake of his friend, Villy. Villy is the main target, and Jake not doing his part would be like hanging friends out to dry so to speak.
Jack Stiles
Anyone not get this as a full message in E-mail, I used to read at work.
Travis Nevins
Agreed! I think a thing that would make Earth get even more of a target would be if the grand prize for that exhalated prima event was the gift of changing one's home world into a great planet if planet does it their own like earth plans one doing. Or it might just be earth in charge of the world wonder. Either way earth is gonna get a hell of a lot of records the people and Jake alone so it's already a target.
Zizawah
Jake needs Jacob to be his wingman or PR person. :)
Nicolas Maganto
I do get and understand that, I just feel like as it has been said many times in the past only the truly strong matter. And in the end, what people think of you is of no relevance in the face of absolute might ! Jake knows EH is going to play scum but in the end his power is the answer in being able to deal with him. He doesn't have that kind of intelligence to deal with EH on a social or political scale.
Austin Richins
I think his ability is stronger than advertised, but it would be hilarious if he brought a bunch of garbage creations to the Architect, smugly believing he was duping the shit out of her, only to complete the challenge and realize she was leading him along, to let him absolutely tank it.
Austin Richins
Just give her a cup of "Jake Juice!"
Austin Richins
Because, fuck that guy! I'd be pissed, if my rival-through-proxy could only be considered as such, due to his natural ability to be a total weasel. El Hakan is actually the worst possible rival for Jake to have. He'll do everything he can, to avoid facing Jake personally. Instead, he'll do more of what he did on Earth. Create alliances that shift neutral parties to opposition. Invent an agenda that generates hostility. Target those Jake is allied with and/or cares about and force him to run around putting out fires, keeping him from forcing a direct confrontation. With the Milky Way being the next step in local control, Jake is up against what is basically the perfect politician, who can position the whole galaxy against Earth without lifting a finger. Jake obviously doesn't care about ruling anything, but he'll have to throw his hat in the ring just to keep El Hakan from taking over.
Micah Molina
I can't wait to see how the final leaderboard is going to shake out. I'm not sure about Warlord Davion but it seems most of Jake's and Ell'hakan's competition are from outside the 93rd Universe. Exempting Arnold and Eron ofc. Which means as of now the 93rd leader board is essentially 9 people from Earth and Ell'hakan, unless there's an unknown dark horse. And the 93rd Multiverse leader board, will probably have 4-6 people from Earth in the top 10. Which is really cool. Go Team Earth! Lol. It seems like Warlord Davion's prediction will come true, painting a target on Earth.
Luke Scheffe
For Jake’s question of why the dungeons don’t allow level ups, I’m pretty sure that the dungeons are meant to be record builders. For this one, if you’re a crafter, but have been rather limited in what you can make to level up? You can make something wild in here to enhance your crafting related records, without accidentally pushing yourself over the edge before you’ve maximally enhanced your records. If you’re a blacksmith, deprived of good materials, you can get some in here and make a few dozen awesome items, and then you have these awesome items included in your personal records. You might lose nevermore points on it, but most aren’t here to top the leaderboards.
John Grizzly
also the gods watching are wyrmgod who can already basically see everything happening in his dungeon im pretty sure, villy who already can see everything basically, and minagi who already knows so much, the two outcasts are natures attendant and artemis, who can only see what minagi shows them. that is if minagi can even show anything now since jake is done with his labrynth
John Grizzly
5. Use Teachings of the Heretic-Chosen for something?
Precursor
No he never wrote down heretic chosen he only wrote down spell book.
hayden jack cowell
Wyrmgod "what the.. How is that even possible! Teachings of, he is messing with us right?" Minaga "I told you! He's complete Bull$#!T!"
Matt Spratte
Lmao
Andrew K
I seriously doubt it will actually happen, but would be quite amusing if he finishes with a ritual that does something so ludicrous that it literally breaks the challenge dungeon to the point the Wyrmgod has to put up a sign saying something like "The House of the Architect is closed for the next ____ for repairs."
Kirivina
His vision skill is not from Villy.
kry
Minaga and the Fallen King are both “he”, not exactly a gender-less pronoun. I believe the Starseizing Titan was also “he” though I don’t remember. I’m pretty sure Sandy is the only canonically gender-less character
Aurora1325
only vil and wyrm and migdla are watch
Daniel Hamilton
Time for Jake to make something divine
Neil
Isn’t this primarily made by the thing he was given? He just shoves in mana and waits. Not exactly a unique process.
Nyroe
He is being competitive, it is very in character for Jake to rise to a challenge, especially from a guy who threatened what was 'his' back on earth.
Chloe
I love the Artemis tie in as well. I'd like to see ... love notes passed back and forth? And something better than "J: hey A ... you up?" Nevermore is a lot. It's a central thing every Era has to experience. Jake is only staying as he is going for the highest score in the Era. As a ... measuring stick for how good you are at C grade in an Era, we want Jake to get the high score. Yes that may mean that Nevermore is a big longer... there's gonna be maybe 10 chapters of making things, a chapter or 2 of impact, a chapter of 3 of other stuff going on. Then some more chapters of last challenge dungeon, it's impact. Then 10 years are up. Get the gang back together trade stories kf what did you think of xyz ... for a chapter or 2. Then finish floors of Nevermore till the 50 years are up. It's supposed to take not time dilated - 50 years. At the end of 50 years, Artemis and Jake get a date. As well as other stuff. Thanks for the Chapter.
That image just started my weekend off perfectly. 😂
Joshua Morris
Cause a lot of powerful gods are watching him right now and it might not be a good idea to let them all definitely know that he is a heretic.
John Balman
Thanks for the chapter!!
Blake Noyes
I’m sure Villy hid that
Red45jimster
Create his soal flame
Chris
Sooo... he wrote down on a piece of paper with a bunch of gods watching, that he's a Heretic-Chosen?
Henscratch
Hopefully he’ll get to disregard most of his list after being inspired later…too many secret sharing risks. He’s basically just in the front lobby now. He hasn’t been in any materials shops or seen any workshops or testing zones. There’s gotta be some fun sub-environments to test useful creations. He learns by seeing and doing so there’s a lot of room for something completely new. He can also make creative artwork from Arcane energy as last minute filler since anything from an Earth aesthetic would seem more unique. I’m hoping to see him get surprise credit at the end based on interacting with someone.
Nicolas Maganto
I find that El Hakan as a big bad wolf is kind of not really Jake's problem.. I don't see why he would 'worry about El Hakan being able to cheese' it doesn't feel in character to me coming from Jake who takes things as they come !
Clark Price
Of course he is hahaha
John Findlay
It had to be the first era... a primortial claimed it. Jake is in the running for some version of nevermore from his era. I'm not positive but I think the world wonder is claimed before integration is complete.
Gavin
Arnold is going to do it more easily, I suspect Jake is about to do something insane
Thenais
I would say artemis makes it worth it
Thenais
Obviously already forgotten 😅
Chase Koehn
My favorite comment ever🤣🤣🤣
Tommy
Ted Moseby, architect! 😂
Tucker Longstroth
Time for another skill to get upgraded by the bloodline, woohoo! Some kind of deconstruction skill that his bloodline takes and integrates into his return to origin ability, kind of like what happened with Moment. It’s gonna be lit!
Clark Price
Lol Arnold is going to body this dungeon
Darthnarciss
As has been said, his bloodline is at least partially related to emotional and mental manipulation. As he did in the City, he just used it and told them the item was extremely valuable so they bought it as such, with a back up plan of using it to gain cheap materials. Bloodlines are...wonky when it comes to Grades, as in they break the normal grading scale and are always usable in some manner, to a greater or lesser extent, no matter the Grade of the other person. So there's every chance, barring a specific skill or a countering-bloodline, that he will be able to use it on the Architect, even if only enough to nudge a barely fail into a barely pass.
Sammot
Honestly don't know if elkahan Will be able to cheese this, it all depends on who the architect is. I guess
Specter
Thank you! “Unfortunately, the Architect only cares about what is created within their house [head],” the attendant said as she shook her house.
Micah Molina
Where does it refer to the Architect as a "she"? It doesn't seem to be in the two most recent chapters. I can't remember where it talks about the Architect. Btw, I think that whomever the Architect is, it's probably the Autarch(spelling?) that leads the Altimar Empire. Nobody outside of the Pinnacle know much about that person, so they are probably like Jake. Powerful but hate dealing with things. This also makes sense, since the Altimar Empire seems to take pride in creations. We've seen alchemists, dungeon designers, mech/automation designs, researchers etc. The reason I think this, so far, the Challenge Dungeons are kind of regulated by pinnacle beings. The Wrymgod is the chief designer of the Test of Character. Minaga the same for his own. Wrymgod went out of his way to get someone like Valdemar be the final boss and judge for the Coliseum. So, by simple deduction, the Architect must be a pinnacle being, such as a Primordial or Faction leader. If you have some random it would just feel kind of weird.
Chase Koehn
The name “architect” makes me think it’s Rigoria but that doesn’t feel right to me… excited to find out who! Tftc!
Klown Keidra
Minaga with a fake mustache speaking in an obviously fake british accent.
Klown Keidra
Why? Villy has specifically told him to make some, both because it would be good for Jake and he thinks it would be funny.
John Findlay
Lol... man this is funny. Jake is a good alchemist because of focus and determination. All his other skills are truesoul related. Make a tool to alter a truesoul is the best he can do and he can't take it with him.
Ryan Ulrich
I really want to see Arnold do this dungeon
Darnell Maxwell
"Villy.... I need help! If I make stuff that gives info about my profession, bloodline, or.... unique creature creations? Can you make a deal with the Wyrmgod to keep the info secret?"
William Wilson
Because of his bloodline and its effects on people
Flusspferd
Same reason he had it easy on the city floor. He just convinced the judges that his creations are awesome using his bloodline. If that fails, he can still use it to get ingredients for cheap.
donvitogonzalle
Yep, very noticable that he is stalling. Sadly, this seems to be the destiny of all popular progression fantasys.
austin kutz
Using vision causes the skill to gain more records from Villy, not from Jake. Based on the above, that would count against Jake greatly since that means that he didn't make it at all
Blackened
Thanks for the chapter!
Greg Rowan
I'm confused as to why Ell’Hakan would have it easy in the dungeon
jazz
And at the end of the day it’s literally an opinion. I’m not trying to correct your opinion. Y’all are so quick to try to debate anyone that has a less than an amazing review of nevermore
jazz
Clint: progression is the genre not the story. That’s like saying they’re doing magic and it’s a fantasy story so the plot is progressing. And meeting 4 new characters takes up 20% of the story? I’m hearing you but you’re kinda acting blind here. And meeting the other standouts? Those were literally paragraphs. We’re talking about 20% of the entire series
jazz
The story is not advancing. The level system is what the story is built around. Not the actual story. The “tutorial plot” has so much plot progression it’s criminal to compare it to nevermore. Meeting villy, setting up jakes character, umbra, Jacob, William, king of the forest…. That was a story arc. The arc we are in now is villy vs yip. Yet it’s been on pause since the start of never more, other than a paragraph or two. What would you say is the storyline in nevermore?
Clint
It's a progression fantasy... progression is a big part of the plot. We've also gained a number of new long-term characters -- most notably Minaga, Dina, Nature's Attendant, and Artemis. We've met Valdemar, and sort-of the Blightfather. And we've gotten glimpses of some of the standout talents of the era who will be Jake's competition as he advances to B-Grade, when we see the other top parties compete. Jake's making huge waves in the Multiverse through his Nevermore accomplishments and shenanigans. And he's gaining loot and experience as well as those XPs -- things that will be the basis of future upgrades and accomplishments. In terms of overarching series plot, think of the Nevermore arc as the part where Jake learns more about the Multiverse outside of just the Order and where the Multiverse in turn learns more about Jake.
Jana
True but they should be able to watch their own blessed and there is no way Casper and Jacob would miss another Episode of Forbidden Love - Light and Dark Edition:-P
Atoms88
Time to make a super illegal curse
Asas
Why would they see it? It's quite possible that they aren't even seeing Jake right now, much less Sword Saint, who doesn't have anything to do with them.
Michael Fannon
Architect has been refered to as a "she". The starseizing titan is a unique lifeform, so no gender like Minaga or the Fallen King.
john henderson
For example, the tutorial arc contained 100% of the tutorial plot, and about 3% of the Villy vs. Yip plot. Nevermore is its own storyline, you being salty because the overarching plot isn't advancing at the rate you want is fine, but to argue the story is on pause is false. It is advancing steadily. If you wanted to say "the plot" in an all encompassing sense, then the only empirical metric I could think of would be Jake's level progression as that is "the plot" of the series right? Jake's advancement to becoming the primal hunter. Therefore yeah it has been 20% of the plot. As for "the plot" of Yip v. Villy, it was already setup to be after Nevermore. But I totally get you, I couldn't stand when I was watching Revenge of the Sith and they were fighting General Grievous, cause I was just like "This isn't Luke vs. Darth Vader can we just get to the plot already?!"
Michael Fannon
So just throwing a wild theory out there. Nevermore came to be in the second Era. Now while the nevermore has been upgraded mutiple times (Minaga was added in the 5th Era), it is at least possible that this challenge dungeon has been around since the beginning. There also happens to be an extremely powerful creation based god that we know of from the 2nd Era that we know quite well buy has many secrets: Duskleaf. I'm not claiming that the architect is Duskleaf (has already been refered to as a "she"), but I'd say there is a very good chance that of the architect is from the 2nd Era, they probably know each other and are fairly close, both being creator gods from the 2nd. That could cause all sorts of chaos for Jake, both good and bad.
Decibel790
Thanks for the chapter!
jazz
John: Plot progression. Events that progress the story line. It’s been 20% of the series but how far has the plot progressed
brennon Petersen
Tftc!
john henderson
What does 20% of "the plot" mean?
Michael Fannon
While the holy mother and blightfather can see. Yeah, that might end well. So of course I want this.
Michael Fannon
That would be amazing. Thank you for making laugh just from that image.
Â̴̖̈́͛̓z̴͕̤͑̀̈̈́͋ȕ̷̡͙̲̱̗̺͈̯̋̍̋̑w̸̯̳͔͕̺̫͂̚i̶̡̹̗̺̺̒̋̿̏̈́̾̏̕͘l̵̛̲̱͓̈̀ͅt̴̫̩̟͎́͒̂̾ͅ
"Who exactly was this Architect?" It would be funny if it was Minaga with a fake mustache 😆
Joshua Morris
Jake needs to use a lifeline and phone a friend to see if it's okay to make a grimoire.
Naotsugu97
Ah, right on schedule! Enjoy the weekend!
CinnamonHawk263
It should just be the Viper and the Wyrmgod observing now that Jake is out of Minaga’s dungeon.
Derze
This
Algebrute
If the Wyrmgod (and Minaga) is observing everything, would he not have seen the paper with heretic-chosen and other incriminating stuff written on it already?
Jana
Sooo this will be another Floor to be decorated with the tragic Lovestory between a certain Risen and an Augur of the Holy Church?
JJB4345_80_815
Thank you for the chappy! Also, it looks like a lot of the speculation from the previous chapter's comments have had some clarification.
Steven Ramey
Wild guess but the architect could be the avatar of that smith god villy visited a while back
jazz
Very true. Is it 20% of the plot tho? Plot has pretty much been on standby till we finish nevermore. I think that’s where a lot of the criticism is coming from
Spirit Stones
It’s probably the wyrm
Ral
SOUL FLAME!
Rad
I’m hoping the architect is an image of the Starseizing Titan.
BerciTheBeast
TFTC!
Clint
It's also about 55 of his 259 levels, which is 21% of the MC's progression in a progression fantasy... so that sounds about right, no?
Clint
thanks! No experience is a kick in the gut. Especially when he's at level 259 in his profession. things he missed in his list: - using Vision to upgrade a skill (maybe even a crafting skill) - using his "new" curse fragment skill from level 230 - possibly a soulflame from his new Cradle - enhancing the Demon Core he got on floor 35
Olof Karlsson
Thanks for the chapter!
Valhazstromoz
Ah yes the "this is how this is going to work in this place" chapter right before the weekend cliff gotta love em
jazz
Just putting this out there. We’re at 153 chapters in nevermore. That’s about 20% of the entire series
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter
Tim Schillinger
Tftc
Bryandbc01
Hi
