The Primal Hunter

“Okay, not gonna lie, that was kind of hilarious,” Minaga chuckled after seeing Jake pass floor forty-five so easily. “Really just tossed his weight around and got all those poor suckers to get him out of there right away. They didn’t show it, but those Starcrossed Twins were pretty damn submissive compared to how they usually are.”

“I am surprised you got those two in here for such a floor,” Vilastromoz said with genuine confusion. “Any god would do, so why have two gods as old and powerful as them? That can’t have been easy.”

The Wyrmgod was silent as he just sighed. “I had my reasons.”

Minaga raised a hand. “I know the reasons.”

Vilastromoz smiled and looked at the Wyrmgod, who reluctantly explained. “The origin of the images of mortals don’t truly matter that much as before any of them are ever used, the mortal will more than likely already be dead. Things are different for gods. While nothing that happens to the image affects them, and they never become aware of any interactions these images had, there can still be consequences. For the gods, that is.”

The Viper suddenly understood as he nodded while the Wyrmgod kept explaining. A bit needlessly, but the old dragon did like to talk about his work when given the chance.

“There was an incidence a few eras ago where the image of a god thoroughly pissed off a Chosen belonging to the Altmar Empire, to the point of just airing out his grievances that had arisen due to prior conflicts that the Altmar Empire thought they were over. While the god wasn’t able to hinder the Nevermore participant – or even made any attempts to - the Chosen still left deeply offended, and it turned into quite a situation. This resulted in all the images of gods from the Nevermore of the next era being far too… meek. Any time a Chosen or even someone with a Divine Blessing from a powerful god appeared, they would capitulate and pop in to help them right away with the hope of forming a good relationship with the young influential C-grades and allowing them to effectively skip the floor. Needless to say, this went directly against the purpose of the floor.”

“So he thought up a great solution,” Minaga grinned.

“The thought process was to put gods here that wouldn’t feel the need to try to gain favor with even the Chosens of high-level gods but would treat them like any other regular Nevermore participant. The Starcrossed Twins are part of a powerful alliance already and are not people even pinnacle factions would create trouble with, meaning they didn’t have to act courteously and respect the status of any C-grades,” the Wyrmgod said in a rather annoyed tone.

“Yeah, brilliant thinking, and it worked out perfectly,” Minaga said, holding back a giggle. “Poor Jake had a horrible time in there.”

“The reappearance of the Malefic Viper and the fact he chose to have a C-grade Chosen were unexpected factors, and I cannot blame them for making an exception. Also, it wasn’t as if I viewed it as an impossible outcome, seeing as I had already created an achievement for the feat,” the Wyrmgod finished, as he didn’t seem interested in discussing the floor more.

“It’s a shame, though. Pretty sure that of everyone doing Nevermore, Jake is the one who needs to learn how to respect divine authority the most,” Minaga grumbled a bit, clearly not as happy with just dropping the topic as the Wyrmgod.

“Or, have you considered this: he is the only one showing the proper level of reverence towards other gods as my Chosen? My Chosen being all subservient in front of other gods would be a bad look, you know? I never really thought about it before, but having a Chosen that isn’t naturally suppressed is quite nice,” the Viper countered.

“You know, the way you phrased that makes it sound like he is subservient only to you as his Patron,” Minaga said. “And I somehow have a hard time believing that.”

“Oh, he is showing plenty of reverence. Jake is just the kind of guy that is all about action and not petty words or platitudes,” Vilastromoz smiled. “I just view it as every level he gains and every feat he accomplishes it partly in my name.”

“If that helps you meditate in peace,” Minaga said skeptically.

“His relatively selfish actions make me question that claim… though I reckon that if he proceeds on his Path as things are now, he will be a good return on investment simply due to the Records he obtains,” the Wyrmgod added. “Perhaps I should get a Chosen myself, though finding a good prospect is quite difficult.”

Vilastromoz nodded but didn’t elaborate. It was tempting to reveal that he had already gotten his return on investment simply through Jake’s action of consciously creating the Vespernat Hive Queen. That feat had even led to a cascade effect of Records from all his prior creations.

“Finding a good Chosen can indeed be a struggle, but if I find someone worth referring to you, I will let you know,” Vilastromoz said to his fellow Primordial. “If not, then at least someone to give a Divine Blessing.”

“Perhaps,” the Wyrmgod said with little commitment. “I wonder, will your Chosen be capable of influencing the birth of another creature like the Vespernat Hive Queen any time soon? Assuming it is indeed a replicable act. That seems like a potential avenue to secure a good prospect.”

“I can’t answer that. You will have to ask Jake directly. I already told you and everyone else that the ability belongs to him and not me,” the Viper shook his head. “And I am a snake of my word.”

The Wyrmgod looked to be in for thought for a moment before simply nodding. “If that is how you wish to do things, fine. I am beginning to understand you have adopted an unconventional relationship with your Chosen and will not interfere in whatever you are planning.”

“Who says I am planning anything?” the Malefic Viper smiled.

Minaga and Wyrmgod just looked at him for a while before Minaga shrugged. “Yeah, true, you are the straightest of straightest shooters, never done anything shady or had any underhanded plots or plans. Anyway, I sure hope you make it out of your conflict with Yip of Yore because if you don’t have a plan, things are looking bleak.”

“Who knows?” Vilastromoz smiled without answering.

“You do, and I wanna know,” Minaga tried to insist.

“It is not odd to want things you cannot have. In fact, isn’t that what brought us all to godhood? Trying to obtain the impossible,” the Viper kept avoiding answering with an amused smile.

“Well, I am the curious sort, you know that. And I like to try and figure out things on my own when people aren’t telling me the whole truth,” Minaga smiled in response, making Vilastromoz have a bad premonition. “Which reminds me. That Vesperia lady is real nice, though I can’t quite see the resemblance between her and her dad… oh, sorry, I meant Sire.”

And this was why catching the curiosity of a god with a legion of clones, insatiable curiosity, and limitless time could be problematic.

Vesperia felt the strain on your soul as she knew she had reached her limit when it came to absorbing energy from the Hive Core. Absorbing the energies and Records of old was far from easy, and the strain on her was substantial. However, she had already exceeded all expectations and gotten further than any of her sisters had ever predicted she would. It had only taken her a few months, and yet she still wasn’t fully satiated.

Opening her eyes, the lights on the diadem on her head shone with golden lights as she had once more reached a new threshold. She felt the power rushing through her body, knowing she had finally stepped into mid-tier C-grade. Opening her status, she saw that was indeed the case.

Status

Name: Vesperia

Race: [Vespernat Hive Queen – lvl 252]

Health Points (HP): 409000/409000

Mana Points (MP): 59842/60850

Stamina: 95743/100600

Hive Energy: 24600/25200

Her health had grown more than before, naturally empowered by her racial skills. She knew that humans were simple and only got ten mana per Wisdom or ten health per Vitality, but monsters weren’t like that. There were too many passives to easily compare, and her health pool which would be considered ludicrous by the standards of enlightened species was only regarded as high and not even top-tier amongst monsters.

When it came to Hive Energy, she had barely used any. It was not a resource one spent like normal and then replenished, but every point spent was a point lost unless the being you spent it on disappeared. Vesperia herself had only made some eggs so far while familiarizing herself with her innate power.

As she was sitting there getting her bearings fully, she got a notification informing her she had a visitor.

The chambers she had been given were on a planet only slightly smaller than the planet her Sire had been born on, and it was a nice place to do some experiments while still in C-grade. The entire place was also enforced with the protective formations of more than a dozen True Royals having ascended above the rank of Godqueen and was placed in the very heartlands of the Endless Empire.

This piece of information was important… because when she checked the projection of who had come to visit, she saw the Odonstrom Hive Queen together with an odd creature she didn’t quite recognize. It looked humanoid but had four eyes and blue skin. Based on how they stood together, Vesperia assumed he was a god, and seeing no reason to reject them, she welcomed them inside. She also knew that any being that could walk into the heartlands of the Endless Empire like this was someone Vesperia had to vary of.

A second later, both figures teleported into the welcome hall that had already been set up a long time ago by the other Ectognamorphs that served her.

“I apologize for the sudden visit, sister,” the Odonstrom True Royal smiled.

“Hey-o, I’m Minaga. Nice to meet you!” the blue four-eyed god smiled.

Vesperia was a bit taken aback by the god’s greeting, especially considering her fellow True Royal didn’t even react. Instead, she sent her a telepathic message.

“Sister, I must warn you. This Minaga is no simple figure but is a being known as the All-God Legion. He was originally a Unique Lifeform with the ability to perfectly clone himself, and he kept this ability even in godhood. Making him an enemy would be ill-advised and not just for you personally but the entire Endless Empire. Thread with caution and try to not anger him. He is known to be highly unpredictable, and he insisted on meeting you,” Odonstrom warned Vesperia.

“I am not aware of this Minaga figure, but I shall heed your words. Any idea why he wanted to see me?”Vesperia answered telepathically.

“Likely related to the Chosen of the Malefic Viper, but he never answered directly,” her fellow True Royal answered.

“Hey, while I know telepathy is pretty fast, it is still pretty obvious you two are talking secretly behind my back, which is honestly quite hurtful,” the Unique Lifeform known as the All-God Legion complained.

“I apologize; I was merely not aware of your identity,” Vesperia apologized with a bow. “I am Vesperia, also known as the sole True Royal of the Vespernat Lineage.”

“Yep, I heard. Quite the happening to have a True Royal reappear like that,” Minaga nodded as he studied her closely for a few seconds before scratching his cheek. “Hard to see the resemblance.”

“Pardon?” Vesperia asked, confused.

“With Jake. Well, I guess you maybe have kind of the same eyes? No, not really… hm…” Minaga said, stretching his neck to look at her from other angles. “Ah, never mind... I found it.”

The powerful aura of a god descended upon the hall. Vesperia frowned but remained standing like normal as Minaga grinned from ear to ear. “There we have it indeed.”

“May I ask why you thought such tests were necessary? And how are you related to my Sire? As far as I am aware, he is at Nevermore,” Vesperia said, very unsure of what this odd god wanted.

“Oh yeah, he is in there right now. Can’t say more than that, as I am not allowed to give out information like that, and that old grouchy dragon would probably toss me out of his dungeon if I broke that rule, so definitely not worth it. Ah, but I did talk to him quite a bit. Interesting chap, for sure,” Minaga nodded with a big grin.

“He is indeed a peculiar figure,” Vesperia nodded with a smile.

“Right?” Minaga said happily as he looked at the Odonstrom Hive Queen. “Would it be fine if I stick around in the area for a while? Just looking to make friends.”

“We would be happy to welcome you, Lord Minaga,” her fellow True Royal nodded, though Vesperia could see she wasn’t overly happy about it. Yet she also knew that should she say no, the god would likely just stay anyway.

“He does not strike me as that dangerous... just odd,” Vesperia sent to the Odonstrom True Royal.

“The All-God Legion has been evaluated to possess a threat level roughly equal to a Primordial. While each version of him may not reach the peaks of power, he is, as cliché as it sounds, legion. We are utterly incapable of ending him, and should he choose to make us an enemy, we would enter a war of attrition that would only end when he gets bored or we reach a truce… and he is known to be both petty and vindictive, making both of those unlikely.”

“And you guys were worried that floor was going to be a disaster,” Jake grinned as they wanted into the in-between room.

“Well, excuse me for not realizing you could just act like an entitled customer and get your way,” the Sword Saint said in jest.

“The most important thing is that it worked and was not even that high risk. If they couldn’t feel Blessings, we would just have done the floor normally,” Dina said. “And I think the loss of points on this floor is worth it to move on quickly as it seems to only be increasing.”

Jake was about to agree as they were flooded with notifications.

Bonus Objective Completed: Get the attention of the clergy of the Peerin Kingdom. 500 Nevermore Points earned.

Forty-fifth floor completed. 4500 Nevermore Points earned.

Achievement earned: Complete floor forty-five by enlisting the help of the Starcrossed Twins to take down the grand barrier. 5000 Nevermore Points earned.

Achievement earned: Complete floor forty-five within one week (7 days). 2500 Nevermore Points earned.

Achievement earned: Complete floor forty-five without killing a single member of the clergy. 1500 Nevermore Points earned.

Achievement earned: Complete floor forty-five without causing any damage to or breaking any divine laws of the Peerin Kingdom. 3000 Nevermore Points earned.

“You were saying?” Jake chuckled.

“That is…” the Sword Saint began.

“Ridiculously dumb.”

17000 Nevermore Points – the most of any floor thus far in Nevermore - from one floor that had taken them fifteen minutes to do.

Yeah, that was definitely balanced.