The Primal Hunter

Jake got quite varied reactions from the different people in the room upon joking with Minaga. Casper smirked slightly, Carmen gave the Unique Lifefrom a friendly wave, Caleb looked a bit worried, Maria was still not entirely over the guy just popping into the room, and Jacob looked more confused than anything. Eron and the Sword Saint both looked relaxed, with Eron bowing his head slightly, making Jake more sure than ever that the guy knew something they didn’t about Minaga.

”A good joke begets repetition,” Minaga answered, still standing on the ceiling. ”Plus, it works every time, so why not keep doing it? Just because you are never surprised doesn’t mean others can’t enjoy the experience.”

Throwing the startled people in the room a glance, Jake smirked. ”They sure look to be enjoying your presence.”

”Who doesn’t feel happiness at my presence? Look at me, I am always in my own presence, and that has turned me into a very joyful and positive person,” the Unique Lifeform joked as he stopped sticking to the ceiling and did a flip before landing on the floor.

”For the record, Casper and Jake are both correct when it comes to their assessments of me. I monitor how people do my labyrinth to see places I can improve, but also to get a feeling for the general power level of the generation. It’s good research and valuable data,” Minaga explained. ”As for engaging with you while doing it… well, that is purely for entertainment purposes, of course! To add a unique flair of me to the experience, making my part of Nevermore truly stand out.”

”Does it not hurt the competitive integrity of Nevermore that you so openly interfere and engage with the individuals doing the dungeon? Especially as you take a subjective disposition toward each party, either becoming a helpful or detrimental force?” Jacob asked, looking to have gathered some courage with all of them present. He still did look pretty damn nervous just asking that question.

”Eh, nothing is ever perfect,” Minaga waved him off. ”With how varied the multiverse is, creating a truly balanced playing field is utterly impossible, and adding myself and my mostly meaningless commentary is such a small factor it isn’t worth mentioning. I have said it before, but if my talking and commenting are enough to throw you off your game and make you fail, then you have bigger problems. In other words, stop being so damn punctilious with how you think a dungeon is supposed to be run. The multiverse isn’t fair, and neither is Nevermore. What it does give is mostly equal opportunities, and so do I.”

”How is it mostly equal when some Paths are downright handicapped while others are assisted?” Jacob argued.

”How is it mostly equal when someone with a Bloodline or a Transcendent can walk in and ignore ninety percent of the challenges?” Minaga pointed out as he threw Jake a glance.

”How is it fair when some are not only immune but can use the fire energy of the Demon Lord to empower themselves?” he continued as he pointed at Maria.

”When others are borderline invincible, no enemy capable of breaking through their sheer level of durability or seemingly infinite health pool?” Minaga said, referring to both Carmen and Eron.

”Or… when someone is able to continuously resurrect a party member of theirs, allowing that party member to repeatedly burn their very life away to release suicide attacks over and over again?” Minaga finished, looking straight at Jacob.

”My point is that you can cry about equality or fairness from now till the end of the multiverse, and you will sound like an idiot all the way,” Minaga smirked. ”So embrace the unfairness and overcome it. That is how you become strong. I should know, seeing as I am a Unique Lifeform. I was born only being awesome and managed to overcome that fate to become amazingly awesome.”

”I, for one, commend assisting dungeon engineers,” Casper raised his hand.

”See, I have the crowd on my side,” Minaga smiled confidently at Jacob.

The Augur seemed to consider the Unique Lifeform’s words as he just sighed and nodded. ”Very well… it is ultimately your creation.”

”Exactly. But if you do have any grievances, you can file a written complaint after you have completed Nevermore, and I will be sure to read it. I am not saying I will do anything, but I do read every written complaint we get.”

”How many written complaints do you even get a year?” Jake questioned.

”Well, we don’t really count them by the year… but at least one every million years or so,” Minaga nodded. ”People just can’t be arsed to go through proper procedures to submit them, you know?”

”Pray tell, what are these totally reasonable procedures,” Jake smirked.

”Well, first of all, you need a written letter, right?”

”Right,” Jake nodded.

”And you need to go to Nevermore,” Minaga continued.

”Reasonable.”

just have to do the final stop of handing the

Jake grinned. ”I am sure you two

all gods that come by within the very reasonable waiting time of a single second to a few eras, based on how much we like the god that showed up,” Minaga

you are

did,” Minaga

am pretty sure you just implied it

proof of anything, and I deny all such accusations. It’s all

you were the one who said it,” Casper jumped

the same

at Jake. ”He is clearly not a god, and if you keep making such unfounded accusations, we will

and bowed. ”I apologize on account

reach a settlement,” Minaga smiled wide as he clearly had fun. Still smiling, he looked around the room. ”Anyway, are there more questions? If not, then we

mean…” Jake began as the

the wonderful harem

Jacob began. ”That one

what you were. You just made friends with everything that wasn’t a demon or the Prime Consort, and that was it. I am not saying that wasn’t allowed, just that it was thoroughly uninspired,” Minaga said with

sighed. ”I guess

any living being outside of that first demon,” Minaga pointed out. ”It was pretty damn good to see the sneaky boys

you

have been way better than trying to make friends

Mistress you met because she tried to flirt with you,” Minaga

she tried to

to

can be constituted as an attack,” Carmen smirked. “But,

Mistress into the new Prime Consort and gained access to all the Secret Scrolls through that. Maria’s team turned out to have a demon

a ritual. The difference was that while Jake had resisted the poison, this demon hadn’t, and the guy had been damn close to dying. Luckily they managed to save him in time and kill the Prime Summoner. All of the Mistresses and even the Guard Captain had witnessed the Prime Summoner try to sacrifice him, and the group managed to spin a tale where they had taken down the corrupt Prime Consort who wanted to replace the Demon Lord. From there, they were welcomed into

had a pretty normal experience. They had allied with natives from earlier floors and made some allies and enemies on the thirty-fourth, initiated a vote, and started an internal conflict that ended up creating enough chaos for them to get the Secret Scrolls and move on

stupid stuff that had happened and even praised the Sword Saint for properly understanding the assignment when the floor was called a harem. They also all had a good laugh when Minaga took over and narrated Jake’s ”flirting” with the Prime Consort. Jake had to threaten Minaga to stop the Unique Lifeform from sharing

turned to the last person in the

and your party take on that

Lifeform seemed powerless as he sighed before speaking. ”Well… the rules of

a single entity

is there truly that big of a difference between what you did

sparks still burn… and do not try to convince me that the original dull flames of their souls had any more meaning than what they do now. They

done, and I guess I should leave you all alone again. See you all soon, and I

Seeing as the Unique Lifeform had left, the others also soon began taking their leave, with Jacob leaving first. The Sword Saint followed soon after, with the

and Eron were left, and he knew that was no coincidence. Jake felt the gaze of Minaga still on them, but he threw a brief look toward the ceiling as he frowned, making the god back off. He seemed to understand Jake was about to say something he did not want to

gazes of all those curious are now dispelled,” Eron said in

nodded to confirm. ”You were less than interested in the actual meeting, and I

floor for a bit. ”But you are correct. My primary reason for attending was not to learn of Earth or those we share a home planet with. I came to seek you out, and I would prefer for it to have been done under less suspicious circumstances than a one-on-one