Zogarth
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Chapter 825 - Nevermore: No Regrets
🕑 Added 2024-01-10 11:49:18 +0000 UTCTemlat undoubtedly had one person he hated more than anyone. An individual that represented everything he despised above all else. Despised how she was just sitting up on her floating island, staring down with mockery at the average folk beneath. She had been such a shitty person Temlat had even awakened his innate curse affinity due to how much he hated her.
This hate was felt throughout a huge part of the planet as Temlat descended upon the cloud island. The others infected by the cursed plague, even the C-grades, backed away instinctively when they saw the cloaked figure approach. Be it because they sensed the dangerous energies he emanated or simply his power, Jake didn’t know.
Landing on the floating island, Temlat began levitating forward. A few times, he reached out and made a guard or servant erupt in black cursed flames, rapidly consuming them. Jake made the educated guess these were servants of the mansion he hadn’t been a big fan of.
Following along, Jake remained true to his promise as he only observed. In his sphere, he saw the woman Temlat was aiming for, hiding with two others inside a room with heavy magical seals on it. A safe room of some kind, it appeared.
Considering the state of the mansion, a large metal box buried toward the middle stood out quite a bit, and Temlat approached it at a steady pace, not rushing at all but keeping a calm demeanor. One side of this metal box was partly transparent, allowing the people inside to look out but no one to look in – outside of people like Jake who had high enough Perception to entirely ignore the one-way glass. Temlat clearly knew they could see out as he floated down in front of the box, and his voice echoed out from beneath the hood, showing the Cursed Plague Remnant had gotten a better hold of his new form, even capable of transmitting sound now.
”I hear you’ve been looking for me… well, here I am.”
Promptly, the one-way glass became two-way, revealing to Temlat the three within. Standing at the glass was the woman who had originally hired Jake to ”retrieve her pet.”
The woman who had set everything that was happening into motion. She looked through the glass at Temlat, clearly unsure what she was looking at.
”My dear? What happe-”
A huge blast of black flames shot at the metal box, making it rumble, and the magical formations crackle from the sheer energy.
”Do not call me that!”
”I… why are you doing this? No, it cannot be; my sweet little one isn’t like this,” the woman said in denial as she leaned onto the side of the wall, looking scared. However, some-fucking-how, she gathered herself and took on an adversarial stance. ”You are from those dirty slums, aren’t you!? I’ll tell you, when the security forces arrive, you’ll be in big trouble! Are you also the one who hurt my dear little one and stole its gentle visage?”
Temlat looked at her, seemingly lost for words for a moment before he just started laughing. The cloud of curse energy around him ebbed and flowed as Jake found not a single trace of happiness or humor in his voice.
”It. You keep calling me an ”it.” Tell me… what is the name of your former dear little pet? Do you even know it?”
The woman just stared as she seemed offended. ”My dear was always called my dear; it didn’t have a name.”
The response was swift and decisive. A massive inferno of black flames erupted all around the metal box, burning away at it incredibly rapidly. Curse energy and plagues both sucked against magic formations like this, but the sheer energy output was enough to rapidly overwhelm the defenses. One crackle after another sounded out as the magic formations broke, and the metal itself began to break apart.
”Then allow me to remind you. Let my name be the last word you ever hear and your final memory: Temlat.”
With that, the metal box broke apart. The two other women in the box died instantly as nothing more than collateral damage as the flames enveloped the source of Temlat’s hatred. She didn’t share the same quick death as they suffered. Her screams began to echo as the Cursed Plague Remnant floated in front of her, controlling the black curse flame.
For a good while, the only thing Jake heard was the woman’s screams, with only the faint echoes of battle in the background. Temlat was not in a hurry, as he did what he could to make it the most painful death imaginable.
Jake stared for a while at Temlat’s actions before he finally sighed and used One Step, appearing right beside Temlat, standing firmly within the cloud of cursed plague energy.
”It’s enough,” Jake said.
”Enough!? No, this bitch could burn for eternity, and it would never be enough! She deserves more than I could ever do to her!” Temlat’s enraged voice echoed out as his curse energy rumbled like a thundercloud. Jake absorbed the pure curse energy of hatred as he understood… as least as best as he could.
”I said it’s enough. Simply torturing her will accomplish nothing beyond this point,” Jake spoke in a calm voice. ”To end her Path is the ultimate revenge. To sever her impact on the world and allow her Records to fade into obscurity. That is the true way to destroy someone. Erase her from existence and show her just how insignificant she is.”
Temlat’s attention was on Jake for a moment as he finally released a pulse of power. The flames intensified, and after a final scream of pain, the woman’s entire body disappeared, not even leaving ash behind. In the final moments, a bit of curse energy was released from her dead body, but Temlat instantly motioned and scattered it, refusing to allow it to be absorbed into him.
Jake had said before he wouldn’t interfere, and yet he had stepped in anyway. Not just because he believed that Temlat was doing something senseless but because of what had to come next.
It was his time to take responsibility as a teacher. To see if Temlat truly realized the consequences of the Path had had chosen.
Sin Curses were the most powerful… but they were also insatiable. They would never be satisfied and never reach their goal. Jake’s Eternal Hunger would always demand more, always be a glutton, to the level where it would try to consume Jake if it got too famished. In the same way, Temlat would always need an outlet for his Sin Curse of Wrath. Sin Curses were based on emotions that couldn’t be killed simply by fulfilling them. Wrath was something internal. What you yourself felt, regardless of what you direct your wrath at. You would always find a new target to hate, always find a new outlet. Not feeding the curse would only result in an internal collapse as the hatred turned toward the one and the only thing it could: himself.
The anger would be fully directed toward Temlat. Toward his own existence. He would begin to hate life itself, hate the entire world. This often resulted in someone infected by a Sin Curse of Wrath simply losing their minds and beginning to mindlessly destroy anything and anyone around them, only stopping when slain.
That’s why people used Sin Curses so sparingly, and if they began to lose control because the curse grew too powerful for them, they sealed it away. A bit similar to what Villy had proposed Jake could do with Eternal Hunger if the weapon ever got too much. He could ”sever” it from himself and have it sealed away and drained of energy until the weapon just became an inert object many, many years later. It seemed like a waste, but it was better than Eternal Hunger getting hungry enough to just outright eat Jake, even if it would result in its own demise.
Temlat… couldn’t seal away his curse. He was the curse incarnate.
There was no breaking free of the curse’s influence, no escape from its effects. Temlat’s Path was to be a Cursed Plague Remnant until the day he died. He was to spread the Sin Curse of Wrath, with the only reprieve coming when the curse also took his own mind… or if he managed to fight it long enough and stay lucid, see himself fade away and die in a struggle against his own emotions of wrath.
”What will you do now?” Jake asked after a long silence.
Temlat didn’t answer right away as he just stood there, looking at where the source of his hatred had died. Where he had killed her. Jake felt that a sense of emptiness and lack of purpose had begun to affect the curse energy around him, but after Jake asked, it refocused.
”End what I started. She was a symptom of a disease… one that only a plague can cure.”
Jake nodded, understanding what Temlat would do.
”Then do as you have to. I will stay and watch as promised… and once you’re done, let us speak once more. As you said, I’ll be a witness to your Path.”
Temlat turned to Jake, his face clearer than ever, even seeming to have a bit of color to it. He nodded decisively as he took to the air, Jake focusing on reentering his stealth state before following. Jake also quickly saw where his student was headed.
The woman had mentioned it, but the most powerful people on the planet hadn’t fallen yet. While the whole planet was effectively just one massive city, there were more dense areas than others. Temlat had resided in the second-to-most dense area, with only one other place having more people living there. With more people also came more C-grades and the closest thing to a government this world had.
One could view this fighting force as the army, even if they called themselves security forces. There were thousands of C-grades in the mix, but they all faced an opponent they weren’t fit to fight. Temlat also had an army with him, as the central government was the main focus of the outrage of many. A full-on war was happening as the soldiers tried to defend their stations, but killing only served to turn them to the side of the enemy.
Some could resist, but they were in the minority. Mages and those with high Willpower, more often than not, managed to stay clear-headed even as the cursed plague infected them, but their calmness only made them targets of the irrational rage of others.
As time passed, Jake noticed how Temlat had begun to slightly change the target of the curse of wrath. No longer was it merely those in power… it became those withpower, too. Those with the potential to grow powerful and become the ruling class once more.
The army quickly fell to Temlat and his army of infected. From there, the slaughter truly began. Those who had been fighting side by side before began to butt heads, and the D-grades turned toward the C-grades, while the C-grades turned to the C-grades higher level than themselves.
Jake’s estimation of the cursed plague taking an entire week to infect the planet also turned out to be off by two days. Five days was all it took for the cursed plague to infect practically every single person on the entire planet. Due to how everything was constructed, there were truly no places to hide, and as long as someone – anyone – knew who and where you were, you too would become infected. It also helped that the planet was pretty small compared to something like Earth.
Slaughter roamed every street and building. Megastructures fell like dominos, and every single sky island was brought to the ground, viewed as monuments of oppression. The mines were blown up and collapsed, as barely anyone was spared.
A week after Temlat had appeared, the planet was borderline unrecognizable. Not a single towering building remained standing as the entire surface of the world was covered in debris. Trillions had died and killed each other in rage.
Throughout it all, Jake had kept to his promise and witnessed Temlat carrying out his Path. He nearly stepped in many times, but at every instance, he stopped himself upon confirmation that Temlat remained lucid and in control despite everything. As long as that was the case, Jake wouldn’t directly interfere.
Everything seemed senseless, but Jake began to see a purpose. At the end of the day, he also saw that Temlat had grown in level far more than he had ever expected possible for a newly evolved C-grade… but he had also seen how it hadn’t increased in a day, communicating he had hit a wall. One he would find very difficult to ever overcome. He had gotten powerful, though.
[Cursed Plague Remnant of Wrath – lvl 248]
Temlat himself had finished off the last C-grades on the planet, meaning none remained. Jake released a Pulse of Perception and did see some survivors. Not many, but there were some hidden beneath. E-grades, children, the weak and oppressed who had been living in squalor only a week prior.
Flying down, Jake appeared standing beside Temlat, who was floating above where the governmental head office had once been. Now, it was only a huge black crater as Temlat had burned away even the debris to erase information about the society that once was.
“My question comes again… what now?” Jake asked.
The feeling of emptiness from the Cursed Plague Remnant of Wrath was even stronger than before. With everything destroyed, he would soon need a new target. Seconds ticked by before Temlat finally spoke, his voice as empty as his aura.
“From the very beginning, I just wanted revenge. I wanted that bitch to die and see the world that allowed someone like her to exist crumble to the ground. Both of those things have now become a reality. The only survivors are those who remember the injustice… who were so pitiful no one even felt any wrath toward them. Let them be the ones to rebuild a new world for themselves, one that is better than what was,” Temlat said, having clearly given this entire scenario a lot of thought.
Jake simply listened, knowing now was not the time to add his two cents to the situation.
“Even now, I feel it creeping up. I feel my mind being consumed because I suppress my own urges. I want to just fly into the multiverse and look for my next target… to infect everything. Without you, Teacher, I wouldn’t even be able to remain lucid right now…”
Temlat looked toward the sky as he began to condense his form. The huge cloud of curse energy gathered into one singular humanoid form as Jake saw the half-elf he had first seen appear before him once more. He kept looking upward for a while before turning to Jake.
“Teacher… am I an idiot?”
“Very much so,” Jake nodded. “But you at least chose to be an idiot yourself. Chose your own Path.”
Temlat smiled despite the Sin Curse. “I did… and it was totally worth it. I do not regret my decision to become what I am in order to fulfill my goals. But… I do have one regret…”
“What is it?” Jake asked.
“I don’t want to just die with this world. Your words… that allowing Records to fall into obscurity is the ultimate revenge… to be forgotten… I don’t want that,” Temlat said, turning to look at Jake. “Will you remember me?”
“I am known for having a shitty memory, but I think you’ll be hard to forget,” Jake shook his head and put a hand on Temlat’s shoulder. Even with his student’s control of the cursed plague, it still tried to constantly infect Jake, failing at every turn when faced with Palate and Eternal Hunger.
“Thank you,” Temlat muttered. “Then, could you fulfill one final selfish request of mine?”
Jake already had a good idea of what he wanted as he nodded. “If it’s something I am capable of.”
“Please allow me to die when I am still me and have no regrets of my actions. Consume my existence so my Records can at least still persist in some way,” Temlat finally said. “Please consume me with your own Sin Curse.”
“Alright,” Jake simply agreed, knowing Temlat had thought this through.
Motioning, Eternal Hunger appeared in his hand. Without Jake even doing anything, it began to give off a hungering aura toward Temlat, wanting to devour him.
Temlat looked at the katar as he bowed deeply. “Thank you for giving my life meaning and allowing me to do something with it.”
With those words, Temlat’s form began to break apart. Eternal Hunger lashed out to eat, and Jake, for once, didn’t hold it back but just held up the weapon. Temlat’s form began a torrent of black smoke that buried itself into the black katar, getting consumed in the process as one Sin Curse devoured another.
After less than a minute, nothing remained, and as Jake looked down at the mythical weapon in his hand, he could only sigh loudly as he clenched his fists.
“My first student… Temlat… and this is how it ends. Fuck I’m a shitty teacher…”
Comments
Juozapas
Yep
sknasen
Well hey, at least he’s living up to his title as the Chosen of the Malefic Viper.
keyra knightley
Ree
Jesus Christ, let's move on already
Dan
I imagine he can submit the concept or death of Temlat and the story leading up to his finale, since he submitted a conversation as his first creation
Matt Spratte
Wait if he died i guess Jake can not submit him as a creation right?
kiwi
I'm not gonna lie, the Temlat sub plot may be my favourite in this entire novel. It hit some of the same feels I experienced when watching Attack on Titan, or reading Fire Punch. Thank you for this.
JJB4345_80_815
Thank you very much, Palmer Evans! I selected that link and selected "open YouTube" option and finally found out that I've been mispronouncing Zogarth all along and that he's actually a Velociraptor wearing a top hat and spectacles (which aren't even in front of his eyes) and a mustache. 😄 It was interesting to hear that he'd written 160 chapters before even posting a single chapter on Royal Road and how he wanted to approach his story a bit differently from The First Defier. It's definitely worked out for both of them.
Palmer Evans
https://www.youtube.com/live/uH0cTpfw_Ko?si=_Rew18VfFxs4-mMU
Alexikon
Maybe one day in the future. Jake is from now on on an imaginary quest to collect the other (seven deadly) sins.
Chris
Hope Jake takes the planet core to do something.
VenL.C.
Great chapter! Heh, I too am excited to see some reactions from both Nevermore and the God Party. 👍 and great ending Line!
JJB4345_80_815
Jake cares about Meira and handled her differently than Temlat, probably because teaching Temlat was mainly for Jake's own sake (good submission). With Meira, Jake's goal was training her to become self reliant and able to stand independently on her own merits.
JJB4345_80_815
She probably has questions about Earth's educational system before integration and whether Jake subconsciously emulated his own teachers of knowledge (KIDDING) 😅... Or just figures this is a key component to why he's Villy's chosen.
Justus Saucedo
I was right! I called it about temlat! Hahah. I mean it's sad he is gone, but I was totally right about how it would end.
JJB4345_80_815
I kinda like "Deadly Sins of the Primal Hunter" for a Legacy Skill name...
JJB4345_80_815
Too bad tattoos don't come with autocorrect... Ha!
JJB4345_80_815
Palmer Evans - I would like to second Numbzy's request for a link to that interview as well... That sounds awesome! (I also read DotF but on a lower tier of Patreon so I will have to wait patiently for the chappy you mentioned).
JJB4345_80_815
Micah - Destroying a world filled with C-grades via a curse might not be new BUT it's important to keep in mind that Jake is just a C-grade himself. How many solitary C-grades would be capable of destroying a world with a trillion lives in it and a substantial number of fellow C-grades as well? And by creating a Plague Curse Remnant of Wrath without accidentally being swept up by the sin curse? I have a feeling that when all factors are figured that Jake made a fairly unique submission (via Temlat).
JJB4345_80_815
Villy is also a god that can make a crazy amount of avatars that can keep track of anything even mildly important to the Malefic Viper. Jake's just a C-grade who can't be in two places at once. While Jake does deserve some criticism, I believe that if he could have devoted an avatar to keep track of Temlat then he would have done so.
Numbzy
While he monitors Jake a ton, he doesn't interfere much at all. Vilas said it great when he explained how he mentored Duskleaf. Just pushing his 'students' to more challenges so they don't stay stagnant.
Numbzy
I mean, Jake has some pretty clearly defined weaknesses though. He's not a "perfect" character that's solves everything for everyone. I mean, if you need someone dead, he's a great person for the job. But anything to do with not killing people he's kinda meh at.
Numbzy
While that is definitely a valid argument, let me propose a counter. While it might not matter for his score, Temlat that is, I feel this is a very important part of Jake's progression as a character. Villy has stated multiple times about Godhood requires you to be able to watch those you know and care for die. To let them make decisions that will lead to their deaths, in this case obviously so. The fact that Jake taught/mentored Temlat makes it even more impactful. So this moment was always going to happen, and honestly it being in a Challenge dungeon or in the real world doesn't really matter to Jake. Who could take revenge on him if Jake decided to do this experiment in the real world? No one. Some gods, cough Eversmile cough, might even help him do it. So I think the idea that it doesn't matter is completely short-sighted. Remember that Nevermore specifically said that while no levels are gained in here, this place is a gold mine for records for afterwards. And these records will probably be pretty impactful for Jake in the future.
Numbzy
Can you link that interview?
Tommy
Yeah even though it’s in a dungeon, the system is still taking note of it and what happens. The records Jake absorbs with eternal hunger will still continue on. And the record of Jake interacting with Temlat will still be submissable to the architect
brian rowan
Only nevermore is watching the gods visions are blocked everywhere but the central chamber
John Grizzly
That's why I don't think Jake will ever be a teacher, he is all instincts. It's less learning and more reactionary to him. How does he teach someone to be stronger? Throw them somewhere dangerous and see of they live. How does he teach someone how to get revenge? Leave them alone until they figure it out. This whole entire time he is just an observer, beyond providing resources and an opportunity for telmat. He hadn't taught him a single thing. Even resistance training is just him blasting his aura at people vs actually being able to teach them how to resist auras. So for him to consider himself a teacher is just funny to me. You can't be a bad teacher is you never taught someone in the first place xD
John Grizzly
Teaching someone doesn't need you to care for them or empathize with them, it just makes it easier. Teaching can be done completely methodically and purely logically. To impart knowledge of something to someone. Empathy/caring acts more of a lubricant to a change of ideology or world view than really what teaches someone something. Like learning how to cut onions from your mom as a child and learning how to cut onions from an instruction video off of youtube. I'd be more likely learn something from someone I care about and cares about me enough to work around any difficulties in my learning easier than throwing myself in repetition and study on YouTube. But I will still end up learning to cut an onion.
mag28
He's also lacking empathy/caring for others. I don't get how you teach someone when you don't really care about them.
Hayden Leech
Yeah.. I hit the point where I was skim reading chapters to see if the nevermore arc seemed to be wrapping up. This one was cool. It just feels so… zero consequences. I pretty much forget what was going on before this arc. El Hakan stuff? This was an interesting event… but still just a simulation with no consequences.
Hayden Leech
So the new Eternal hunter has to got to be called “Original Sin”
Hayden Leech
“Original sin?!?” That’s a loaded phrase with a lot of weight. Jakes origin powers, sin theme, biblical reference. That’s gotta be the new namw
Luke Scheffe
I’m going to guess that Jake will be able to unrestrict the recordings for Villy.
jord
I personally I believe the best revenge is living a good, long and happy life. But I also understand that I haven't had the NEED for real revenge, and I think if someone pushed me to that point, I wouldn't be so sure anymore. In the end Temlat got to succeed, he accomplish everything he wanted to achive, and it killed him. A sad end, but one he wanted.
Palmer Evans
I think the laissez-faire approach is fine as long as you’re particular about who you choose to mentor. It already requires someone with mental and emotional stability/confidence. Temlat being allowed to choose his own Path without any influence from Jake outside of “might makes right” ended very predictably. Ironically, the newest chapter of DotF that came out on Patreon today showed Zac imparting his whole journey to a group of students focused on the heart and sustainable self motivation. This anecdotal difference is very emblematic of the overall, major difference between their characters which I believe is completely by design based on an interview where Zogarth explained the influence DotF had on the creation the Primal Hunter series.
John Grizzly
Well to be a teacher you really have to teach someone, Jake was really more of a coach than a teacher. I really don't think Jake could ever be a teacher, don't have the patience for it. Coaching and providing a learning environment/resources is prolly the best he can do.
One Winged Angel
Primal Sin.......so....we talking like Fullmetal Alchemist level Sin or Biblical level?
kry
I really want to see what Nevermore has to say about this, I hope we get to see her reaction tomorrow!!
kry
only the architect is able to watch him
Joanna Newhard
No that's Jacob
Kirivina
I am now. 😂
Dominick Gelardi
@Legacy 🤣🤣🤣
Micah Molina
In reserving my full opinion, until we see any outcomes in the next chapter. I indeed hope some consequence whether positive or negative comes about, otherwise the whole Temlat arc is going to fill wasteful and filler. To put it into perspective, the marble Jake created as of now has more impact on the story than Temlat. And we spent 10x the time reading about Temlat. This is why I've said before, Nevermore's biggest issue is the time spent on nonreal images, imo. The context regarding them could been more summarized, as they have little to no consequence to the story. Edit: I mean the Challenge Dungeon part of Nevermore. The regular dungeon floor images were perfectly fine.
mrthorwahl
Yeah, with Temlat I actually felt Jake channel his inner Eversmile. Just watch and interact minimally and see what happens. No matter the result, it is A result.
Joe Foreman
I wonder what everyone is thinking that is watching Jake right now
Alex Cox
Kinda wonder if he absorbs enough sin curses Eternal Hunger will become something like Original Sin or Sin of Origin
Seen Death
While i understand your points, jake didnt have a specific goal in mind innregards to temlat. All jake did was basically give him information and aura resistance and let him do his thing. While temlat himself might not be the first remnant of wrath (and therefore not actually be "unique" i doubt that anyone else would have submitted a curse-plague as a submission to the architect lol- which does kind of make it unique
kingofshibainu
And this is why binging a few chapters at a time can be so satisfying. Individually, any chapter on the "fake" Temlat might be viewed as filler, but now it becomes clear what his role is as an dramatically ironic and bittersweet teaching moment for Jake.
Seen Death
I agree that Jake wasnt a failure, usually his creations have a set duration in mind, if they have a longterm purpose they have that opportunity. If its short lived thats fine because he didnt need them to last long. With temlat he didnt really have any expectations but was offput by a living being becoming a "shortterm creation". To jake a path is something to persue for eternity, to others like temlat he was satisfied with completing a "shallow purpose"
Seen Death
The caps locked words are a bit jarring but i think hes implying that "because the system has observed this happening, it is now a actual possibility in the actual multiverse" but i dont believe this is a unique occurance. This is a good example of why plagues are viewed as priorty targets to be stomped out, sometimes even before they occured. Even jake not being "a defender of the universe" and temlat being his student didnt completely prevent jake from also wanting to end the plague
Collateral_ink
Am I the only one waiting for jake to end up with a legacy skill called "Sin of the Primal Hunter"?
Â̴̖̈́͛̓z̴͕̤͑̀̈̈́͋ȕ̷̡͙̲̱̗̺͈̯̋̍̋̑w̸̯̳͔͕̺̫͂̚i̶̡̹̗̺̺̒̋̿̏̈́̾̏̕͘l̵̛̲̱͓̈̀ͅt̴̫̩̟͎́͒̂̾ͅ
https://zalgo.org/
One Winged Angel
I dont really count ties, as they both would have died at the end if it was for realsies, and since then Jake has proven that C grade is when he is starting to pull ahead. Based on the Coliseum of Mortals POVs
mrthorwahl
Hey, I've seen the alien language dripping font you are using in some litrpg but never been able to find it. Could you please tell me what it's called?
Mohammed Sheekh
he lost to the sword saint in the 1v1 they had at the vampire planet event
Kendra D
Absolutely loved this chapter. Jake knew he was gonna be faorly bad at this if we are honest. Some form lf reaction to the consequence was nice to see too. I thought this was a fantastic chapter! Thanks!
Â̴̖̈́͛̓z̴͕̤͑̀̈̈́͋ȕ̷̡͙̲̱̗̺͈̯̋̍̋̑w̸̯̳͔͕̺̫͂̚i̶̡̹̗̺̺̒̋̿̏̈́̾̏̕͘l̵̛̲̱͓̈̀ͅt̴̫̩̟͎́͒̂̾ͅ
In the end, he became the one with all the power, the very thing he fought against.
StuBee3
I think “No Regerts” would be a better chapter name. 😝
ABTelford
Fantastic chapter! When it ended I felt a little melancholic but completely satisfied. Well written, well thought out! And Jake’s reflection throughout and especially at the end left me feeling very satisfied that he both learned from this and can grow as a person from this experience.
Bacon Sir
That Wrath aspect of “targeting those with power/authority” seems like it would fit well into Jake’s path, given his bonuses when doing just that. I wonder if Eternal Hunger will gain anything related to this aspect?
BelligerentGnu
You know, this really doesn't feel tragic to me? I mean, it has the elements, but so what? Temlat got everything he wanted from life.
Numbzy
No, Nevermore is heavily restricting viewing access to everyone about everything. It was start that the only times they see Jake is in the areas between crafting areas. They have 0 idea what Jake has made. Vilas even made a comment to himself about Jake making a Grimoires.
yo dude
I don't think Jake is a bad teacher, he's a bad role model. No amount of teaching is going to undo Temlat's trauma, and he chose his path himself, with full knowledge of where it lead. The only possible way I see things turning out differently is if Jake goes all in on breaking Temlat down and then forcefully giving him a whole new set of values and goals like what they do in military boot camps. And that's just not Jake.
Legacy
While I don’t fully disagree considering the universal standards that have been created in this world, it’s funny that Temlat killed literally trillions and we say it’s fine because he ended himself “before he went out of control”
Jordan Jones
Yep, no lies detected. The guy just straight up doesn’t care enough to be a Master in that way for someone with real developmental problems that could lead them astray. Jake should not mentor anyone if can’t be bothered to guide them through their personal development. Better to learn the lesson now in sim than in the real world that he is not infallible, and his bloodline instinct/foresight is fundamentally selfish, or at least only applies to his interests. He was responsible for Temlat, and he let him destroy himself with this laissez-faire teaching bullshit.
Tommy
What?
Micah Molina
Good chapter! I'm curious how this is going to be scored, though. Unless this is the first time recorded someone overcame being infected by a Sin Curse? If you could even call it that? Other wise I just don't see how this is unique at all. Again, the curse infliction could be the novel part. Destroying a world with a curse isn't new either. Nor is someone getting revenge or destroying out of anger, only to eventually find peace or enlightenment doesn't seem to be unique. Heck, Villy did that until he became more chill. Maybe Jake gets an upgrade due to the curse strength? Or maybe this is just a poor outcome to increase Jake's score?
RedFaux
I mean, you made a D grade be able to destroy an entire small planet full og C-Grace enforcers within less than aweek. And did it in 2 years. That's some pretty effective teaching I would say. But yeah, a shitty first time
One Winged Angel
Ok im actually ok with this, i feel like Jakes been winning constantly, and while im not opposed to power trip stories, every now and then we gotta be reminded that he is brand spankin new to this system and still C Grade, i think its really important to show Jake not being a mary sue every now and then to remind us he is still human. Good Job Zogarth!
Michael
For a while, I actually believed Temlat would try to kill Jake, but this is actually a pleasant ending for it. While Jake may think he's a shifty teacher, I'd argue he's not because he teaches the way he should. If anything he's just having to experience the feeling of letting go of a student who had an impact on him
Darthnarciss
Nah Jake, you're a fine teacher. You helped a student get to where he wanted to go. Sometimes our goals consume us. Jake could have helped turn Temlat against his own desires, stupid as they were, and maybe directed him towards another way to achieve his goals, but it wouldn't have been true to Jake or Temlat. He took an individual doomed to obscurity and torment, and helped him raise himself to utter infamy, not only that, but he maintained himself enough to leave the "truly innocent" alone. A better ending to his chosen path he could not have asked for.
Darthnarciss
I mean, he cheekily submitted an interaction as hist first creation.
Darthnarciss
It's enough is fine in this instance. Maybe not in collegiate papers or the like, but in everyday conversation, and especially coming from Jake it's perfectly acceptable. "That's enough", can come across as a command or order, a direction, a more exact interference. "It's enough", is a more casual, or even emotional, statement of opinion. The conversation flow came across as perfectly natural. But that's just my opinion.
IceHeart
It's not in the blocked off room to make things in or the submission room, so I'm pretty sure the gods can see what is going on.
IceHeart
I think "It's enough" works better due to the tonal implications that "That's enough" has. It's enough sounds like a more gentle and soft plea to stop where That's enough is more of a harsh rebuke to stop and that you've gone to far.
Thomas Laptain
I'd say that it's enough works here, as Temlat was aware of him observing the entire time.
Sam Rosenberg
Nice chapter. Curious to see how this gets scored
Henscratch
Villy seems hands off but he monitors Jake super closely and heavily manipulates events, people, & resources around Jake to optimize his chances, as well as gives advice to avoid major pitfalls. Jake just let his student run around free range with powerful and unvetted (by Jake) resources. The seemingly simple “set it and forget it” method has a ridiculously complex initial setup that Jake skipped…a bad match for Jake working with thinking beings.
Daniel Lampl
You can’t gain levels but you can gain records. And since the records are the important part of the evaluation there shouldn’t be a problem.
Daniel Lampl
Thanks for the great chapter. Temlats bittersweet yet mostly tragic story is a great contrast to the usually easygoing, lighthearted adventure and for sure a highlight of Nevermore. Amazing how the novel incorporates both sides, but the protagonist never feels out of character. 👌👏
Victor Augusto Dantas Ferreira
Because it was not related to Jake's bloodline he can.
NaPewnoKtoś
Wow, what an inspiring chapter!
BerciTheBeast
Ah yes, Jake collecting Sin curses like Thanos collects infinity stones hahaha. :D
Bent Sommer
Or maybe he can submit the eternal Hunger upgrade which hopefully comes in the next chapter?
Dominick Gelardi
I have to disagree with Jake. He's a great teacher. His student realized he made a mistake and asked Jake to kill him before he went out of control. It seems to me that having that trust there is far rarer in this universe
Thenais
no surprise, fully expected, but well written.
Tyler S.
Plague away, dont leave home without your own primal eternal hunger.
Branden platt
I think everyone is missing that the SYSTEM is recording everything of RECORD for other to follow they path in this DUNGEON that it can spread to all under it rule
Tyler S.
He could, he just needs to submit the student/teacher related records he experienced
Decibel790
If that isn't impactful I don't know what is. Excellent writing, and thank you for the chapter.
Namorat
What a fascinating mini arc!
Tarodan
Nevermore witnessed Temlat's entire jouney with Jake from beginning to end. Temlat's Path, Records & actions are the submission.
BerciTheBeast
TFTC! I was under the impression that EternalbHunger couldn't grow much in this challenge dungeon? Also, will Jake still be able to submit the teaching of Temlat as a creation. A sentient Remnant has to be pretty unique, right?
Yaldabaoth
Damn good chapter, m8
Tomer Yud
shame Villy cant see and comment on what happend
Strato Junon
Welp kinda figured it would end something like this. Guess he can't submit him now
Sheffi Ben-David
Honestly, this is the best ending Temlat's story could have had. I'm glad Jake is self-aware enough to hold regrets about what happened since self-reflection is always a good thing, but there was very little room for any other outcome for someone walking a path like Temlat's. I did like his one intervention, though. Jake was entirely correct about that; showing the woman how insignificant she is was more of a revenge than anything else he could have done. One point, though: "It's enough" should be "That's enough". It's enough isn't something you say in english unless the subject has already been established in conversation.
dubois gordon
The last two chapters have been great. There is a strong tonal shift, and it was rather jarring, but the emotions are so strong. I absolutely loved it. Great story, Zogarth! I can't wait to see what comes next.
Nate Oppy
Was hoping for an Oppenheimer quote… “now I am become death” kinda thing. Epic chapter tho!!
Sheffi Ben-David
He could never submit Temlat himself as the creation; remember, beings with truesouls are not valid as creations. From the start he could only ever have submitted Temlat's Path.
BubblyGhost
Smh, these pop quizzes suck. Jake's worse than my highscool physics teacher
Alexikon
He probably turns in Temlat's Records.
JJMand
He was able to turn in a conversation as a ”creation”, so turning in the path of Temlat, a path that he helped forge shouldn’t be an issue in my opinion.
Michael McMahon
After consuming him with Eternal Hunger, I am guessing he will submit a copy of the Records he received to the Architect?
JJB4345_80_815
Yes thank you for the chappy Zogarth!
hachetnif
At least Jake can say that he was partly to blame
James Lucas
Kind of saw that coming... it is the only way it could have ended. But I wonder if it will lead to Jake never teaching again or if he just waits a millennium or two before he does...
Olof Karlsson
Thanks for the chapter!
JJMand
I had a feeling it would end like this.
Alex
Well, he did accomplish his goal, so you're not completely terrible. Problem now is that he can't turn him in to the architect anymore? Or can he? He turned in a conversation, maybe he can turn in his students results or evolution or sth instead of the student.
Athyrium
At least Jake is aware that he's a shitty teacher? Pretty cool though
Den
He didn't create a student rather a sentient biological worlds-ending superweapon.
Kyle Pemberton
I wonder how that works with the submission.
Sanderson
Great last line!
well i did not expect that
ThatOneDamnWeeb
Thanks for the chapter
Michael Fannon
Um, how will Jake submit his student as a creation now?
Valhazstromoz
Let this be a lesson for Jake it's a shame I was starting to like temlat
Karim Saadi
Cheer up Jake, your student achieved what he wanted perfectly, died happy, satisfied and by his own conviction.
Detrox
Damn, wonderfully chilling chapter.
Gavin
I thought this would be the ending. I don't know that Jake is a shitty teacher that depends on what the goal is tbh. I'm curious about his reflection on this point because there are shades to be had here. Jake already noted how revenge alone is a weak driving force but the full ramifications etc and also it's practical implications on his growth will be fascinating
My Give
Great chapter loved it :3
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter!
Yaldabaoth
Lesss gooooo!
Alex Cox
Tftc
