The Primal Hunter

Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise, but having the strongest people all leave their planets for Nevermore at roughly the same time could cause some… troubles, especially for those who had usually ruled with an iron fist. In the absence of a tyrant, a tyrannical rule could easily collapse, and this happened all across the ninety-third universe as uprisings took place, even if the revolutionaries would more likely than not be utterly crushed once the tyrant returned from the World Wonder.

One also had to remember that many places were also still struggling with battles against beasts and monsters. This forced the stronger ones there to make a choice… use the token provided by the Wyrmgod to leave for Nevermore, or remain and fight for your faction, family, and friends. To many, this wasn’t even a choice, as they wouldn’t abandon those they cared for, but for others, it wasn’t a choice simply because their own power was the most important.

As for who was right, it could honestly be difficult to tell because even if they fought against the beasts and monsters now, what about the future? What would the plan be to face the Prima Guardian when that descended? It was clear to many that Nevermore wasn’t simply an optional World Wonder for people to go visit if they felt like it but a borderline mandatory power boost to make the world capable of facing the Prima Guardian.

This difficult choice of sacrificing the now for the future or risking the entire planet with the hope that they would be capable of facing the Prima Guardian haunted many. Especially those who had managed to become World Leaders, who now had to figure out how to strike a balance between having the strong fighters go to Nevermore or remain and fight.

Of course, some planets didn’t face this issue. As only C-grades monsters that hadn’t consumed the special unique treasures provided during the integration could enter the areas designated for the enlightened races, the risk of hordes of C-grades invading simply wasn’t there. Only the weaker worlds with only a handful of C-grades faced this, and they were at least lucky that beasts could also go to Nevermore, making many of these potential threats leave… which kind of added another threat down the line, as how would those who didn’t go to Nevermore compete with those who did?

Honestly, in many places, it was a mess. However, one place that appeared entirely unaffected was a certain little planet called Earth. There, things were very much running as usual, even with nearly all of the most influential people gone. One would think that with the massive influx of freed slaves and other individuals sent by the many factions who wanted closer relations with Jake, things would get a bit chaotic, but things remained calm.

There had been some fear that after Miranda left, issues would prop up with no one to handle them. Especially when Lillian also went to Nevermore, along with several others who were part of the leadership. The only ones from the World Council who remained behind were the Sky Whale, who saw no rush to go to Nevermore, along with Arthur, who wouldn’t go at all.

This pretty much left Arthur as the only one in charge at the very top when it came to governing the enlightened races, and his presence was a big reason for the calmness. While he wasn’t powerful in the traditional sense, he was a man who had more than enough know-how when it came to management, and with the influence he had been given by being part of the World Council, he easily governed when everyone else was gone as the continued all the policies he, Miranda, and others had enacted.

The factions that still remained on Earth, such as the Court of Shadows and the Sword Saint’s clan, also didn’t start anything during this period. Even if they wanted to, the risk was simply too big. And not just because of what would happen when Jake and the others returned but due to the many people who had arrived vehemently supporting any establishment Jake was part of.

Especially the freed slaves had a high level of loyalty, moreso to Miranda than Jake. She had put a lot of effort into integrating the influential former slaves, giving many of them official positions of leadership, and even if many of these influential ones had now also left for Nevermore, those loyal to their former fellow slaves kept carrying out their wills.

The beasts and monsters were also very much not wanting to start anything. Some because of the Sky Whale, but many also due to the overwhelming presence of the Fallen King, whom many saw as the true leader of the monster factions on Earth. Even if the King ruled as a tyrant through power, this was one of the instances where even in the absence of the tyrant, stability remained… for they all knew he would come back one day, and none had confidence that even if they tried to take control of things, they wouldn’t lose it immediately upon his return. Along with their lives, of course.

All of this is to say that Jake had, very much unknowingly, been the impetus behind establishing one of the most stable planets when it came to internal conflict in the ninety-third universe. And he didn’t even need to use his arcane affinity.

Jake didn’t really listen to much of the buzz about people getting big Nevermore Points multipliers and all that other noise. In all honesty, even when he heard some mutters from others in the small Order base, he didn’t care either. Despite people probably being curious, he also didn’t see any reason to publish his own results.

While it was likely others had worked hard partly for their factions to gain recognition, Jake wasn’t like that. The only person Jake needed to recognize he had done well was Jake himself and no one else. His pursuit of power and rewards was as selfish as could be. Not to say that Jake wouldn’t go out and tell everyone, he just wouldn’t take the initiative to.

If the Viper asked for him to go out and flex, Jake would do it. If Ell’Hakan or some other asshat tried to taunt Jake with their super cool score, Jake would gladly smack down their ego. Going out to brag on his own just seemed a bit too tacky, in Jake’s opinion. Besides, they would all know how well he had done when Nevermore ended, and they saw the Leaderboards. That was the score that truly mattered, not this small milestone of Challenge Dungeons.

No, rather than waste his time on all this flexing, Jake focused on far more important stuff. Alchemy-wise, Jake had spent a good amount of time just crafting stuff. He even felt he was very close to gaining a level, though he didn’t get one right away as he had only been going for a week, making a few potions and elixirs while also stocking up on poison.

As for why he had just done alchemy so far… well, he was kind of stalling.

Jake would be lying if he said he didn’t second-guess himself quite a few times when it came to using his newest mythical reward. He hadn’t really doubted himself at first when he decided to upgrade his boots, but a small sliver of uncertainty did begin to creep in the more he considered it. Not because he didn’t want to upgrade the boots, but because of something in the Wyrm’s Breath description…

“Contains faint Records related to the Wyrmgod of Nevermore, making this item especially suited to upgrading items related to the space affinity.”

This little part of the description made Jake question if it would even be a good idea to use it on the boots. Not just because of this space affinity thing, but because Jake wondered if perhaps he should actually use it on one of his existing mythical items… or maybe even the Mask of the Fallen King. However, without even needing to try it, he understood that the item would have no effect on the mask, likely due to its unique origins.

Improving Eternal Hunger could be big, though. Or maybe even turn his bow into a mythical one. The bow had been given directly by the system, and even if he had upgraded it once, it should still have enough innate Records, right?

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

There were honestly so many good options. Shit, there was even his necklace… alright, that one would be a waste, as it was one of the easier items to upgrade. But maybe his creepy cloak could be good to upgrade? At least that would help him find out why that damn merchant had been so happy to get rid of it when Jake bought it.

At this point, Jake fully recognized he was stalling, and rather than keep doing alchemy, which would no doubt lead him to get another level and, thus, a skill selection that would inflict him with even more decision paralysis, Jake stopped fucking around.

After taking off his boots and putting them on top of a small table, Jake also took out the Wyrm’s Breath. He looked a bit at both of the items before using the Wyrm’s Breath. Doing so was pretty easy, as Jake just had to hold it while willing for it to affect the boots in front of him. He really hoped things would end well as the Breath began to shine brightly as it let out a torrent of energy. In the next moment, it looked as if the sculpture-like item came alive as it began to burn, releasing a bright white flame that seemed to distort space itself.

The flames soon moved as they flew toward the boots, setting them aflame. Jake felt a bit worried as he saw the torrent of fire only grow until it reached the ceiling, the boots just sitting there, seemingly unaffected. Then, just as fast as everything had begun, the flames dispersed unceremoniously.

Jake stared as the table and boots both looked utterly untouched. The boots themselves were also the same old leather boots that looked like they couldn’t even be given away for free at a thrift shop. As for feeling an aura from them… well, Jake had never really felt much from the old things.

However, he did get a system notification, and as he used Identify on the boots and saw the change, he knew it had been a success.

[Boots of the Wandering Alchemist (Ancient)] – Boots once offered to an alchemist before setting out on a journey to experience the world outside at the behest of his master. Despite being made of simple leather, the Records of the ancient alchemist have left a deep mark on this item, allowing it to transcend many ranks. With every awakening, the Records within grow in power, the item improving in tandem to reflect its growth, even if many secrets within still elude you. Enchantments: +350 Endurance, +250 Agility, +200 Perception. Reduces energy expenditure from all movement-related skills by a moderate amount. Increases sensitivity towards earthbound plants and natural treasures.

Requirements: Lvl 200+ in any humanoid race

-->

[Boots of the Wandering Sage (Mythical)] – Boots once offered to an alchemist before setting out on a journey to experience the world outside at the behest of his master. With time, this wanderer became recognized as a Sage, the same as his master who once wandered in them, too. This has left a deep mark on this item, allowing it to transcend many ranks despite being made of nothing but simple leather. With every awakening, the Records within grow in power, the item improving in tandem as they reconnect with their Origin. Enchantments: +1500 Endurance, +1000 Agility, +500 Perception, +500 Willpower, +500 Wisdom, +500 Intelligence. Reduces energy expenditure from all movement-related skills while also increasing their effectiveness by a substantial amount. Increases sensitivity towards earthbound plants and natural treasures. While wearing the Boots of the Wandering Sage, never let difficult terrain impede you, as you shall always find a solid foothold.

Requirements: Soulbound

First of all… that was a lot of stats. Secondly, a lot had changed, first and foremost being the name. Boots of the Wandering Sage. However, it still confused him a bit… who was the sage? The First Sage? Villy was also considered a Sage, right? Or was it a third person altogether? Yeah, alright, Jake would definitely have to ask Villy about this.

When it came to the effects besides the stats, the natural treasure detector seemed the same. He also quickly spotted that the energy-cost reduction on movement-related skills had changed to also increase the effectiveness of movement-related skills. Such a change was quite frankly massive, and he very much looked forward to seeing how much it did.

The final effect was a bit weird. It said difficult terrain would never impede Jake and that he would always find a solid foothold. This effect could both be extremely powerful but also kind of useful… honestly, there was no time to tell before he put on the boots and did some testing.

Now, did this item truly look like a mythical piece of equipment? Fuck no, it was a pair of old worn-out leather boots… alright, effect-wise, they probably did. Jake didn’t really have a great frame of reference, but he felt like the boots did qualify; it was just that many of their effects were hard to quantify. Also, it was quite shocking to see that even after becoming mythical, they still apparently had room for improvement. This was also part of the reason why Jake was so sure these boots had either belonged to Villy or the First Sage at some point. Who else would have powerful enough Records?

He had questioned if they belonged to Villy before and kind of written that theory off, but now he wasn’t sure. As he looked at the boots, he also remembered something as he leaned forward and grabbed them.

Jake quickly checked the lining of the leather boots. He saw that the message about looking forward to meeting him was still there, and for a moment, he was worried until he found another message etched into the other pair. A new one. This one was a lot shorter than the first but perhaps even more impactful.

When two becomes five, reunite with one.

- A Sage

While it wasn’t definitive… Jake was pretty damn certain this was related to the First Sage. It had to be. Also, when it came to the riddle of sorts, Jake instantly solved it. He currently had two charges of Path of the Heretic Chosen, and this message was telling him to save up five. As for reuniting with one, well, he was called the First Sage.

Jake didn’t really need to think much before he decided to try and reach out to the Viper, as he felt like a conversation about his old boots was long overdue. He barely had reached out when he felt the Malefic Viper respond, surprising Jake a bit, as Jake thought he couldn’t normally talk to Villy while inside Nevermore, but things were quickly cleared up.

”Alright, got a closed and secure connection. See it as an extra reward for your performance and for your great bug-finding efforts during the Challenge Dungeons,” the Viper said. ”Now, I already have a good idea why you want to talk… it’s about those boots, right?”

”It is indeed about the boots,” Jake responded. ”So… what’s up with them?”

”Eh, alright, I’ll give you some lore on the old things. Yeah, they belonged to me. For a while, at least. As a beast in humanoid form, my equipment didn’t give me any stats, so it didn’t really matter what I wore. So, for a long time, I didn’t care much but just took whatever I could get here and there. But honestly, everything just kept getting torn, as nothing was enchanted. After I met the First Sage, he gave me these boots when he sent me out to do stuff, and even after his death, I kept them. Even back then, they were always a bit… special. Believe it or not, they haven’t changed at all from how they looked when I first got them. While I won’t say they are indestructible, I sure never encountered anything that could ruin them for good. I don’t really know much about them besides that, only that they belonged to the First Sage before me.”

”If they are so precious… why give them out as a dungeon reward?” Jake questioned.

He knew how much the Malefic Viper cared about and respected the First Sage, so to give his boots to some E-grade in a Challenge Dungeon really didn’t seem like something the Viper would do. Even if Jake was his Chosen, it was still a massive risk to just hand out an item like that. If Jake had died or lost them, they would be gone for good.

”Oh… well, I guess I didn’t include the part where I lost them in A-grade when I had to escape a collapsing minor dimension,” the Viper said nonchalantly. ”So I was a bit surprised when I saw them again… because the only reward I had designated to be given for that Challenge Dungeon was the spatial storage necklace. That’s why I was so insistent on you upgrading them because they sure aren’t the exact same boots I used to have. Those weren’t even real pieces of equipment with a rarity attached to them.”

”Wait… so the system just decided to randomly reward them after modifying them as a reward suitable for someone in early E-grade?” Jake asked, even more confused. ”Why? Isn’t this all a bit too much of a coincidence when I also happen to have met the First Sage in a vision? That I suddenly end up with an old pair of boots of his?”

Jake still hadn’t shared the thing about the etched messages. Not the first one, and not this new one, as Jake got a weird feeling that he probably shouldn’t share it either. The implications behind these messages appearing were simply too impactful, and Jake wanted to figure out more before he would talk about it. And so far, he only had some vague theories. Was the First Sage communicating with him from beyond the grave? Did he have some weird Transcendence that allowed him to somehow know Jake would one day get them? Some kind of future-prediction stuff? Or maybe he really had somehow merged with part of the system or something? There were so many possibilities, and Jake felt equally unsure about all of them. If this was all just some weird coincidence or something, Jake didn’t want to give Villy false hope that Jake could somehow communicate with the First Sage directly.

The Viper took a bit before he answered Jake’s question as the Primordial sighed.

”With the system, coincidences are rarely just coincidences,” he said in a thoughtful tone. ”As for why you got the boots… now that’s the big mystery, isn’t it?”