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.

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

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

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

had just done alchemy so far… well, he

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

Nevermore, making this item especially suited to upgrading items

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

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

tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on

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

he was stalling, and rather than keep doing alchemy, which would no doubt lead him to get another level

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

setting them aflame. Jake felt a bit worried as he saw the torrent of fire only grow

like they couldn’t even be given away for free at a thrift shop. As for feeling an aura from them…

used Identify on the boots

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

200+ in

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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

Requirements: Soulbound

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

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

could both be extremely powerful but also kind of useful…

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

of written that theory off, but now he wasn’t sure. As he looked at the boots, he