The Primal Hunter

Time passed swiftly within Nevermore as the final sprint to complete as many floors as possible to rake up all the points possible continued. The gods naturally got more active as they monitored all the important groups as the end gradually approached. As of the final ten years, there had been approximately a few hundred individuals who were fighting for the top spots of the Leaderboards, with this number only decreasing as the months went by.

The gods chilling in the streaming room couldn’t hold themselves back from commenting on all the developments, especially when they viewed the ones associated with their own factions. Yet, one person kept being brought up, not just because of himself, but the party he had. It was rare to see a single group with close relations to four Primordials after all, and with Valdemar getting quite invested, too, the demand for Jake clips was through the roof.

“You still aren’t sad Jake didn’t want a skill based on your Records?” Minaga asked as they had just gotten done watching a highlight from a fight Jake and his party had. “I think he and that Runemaiden of yours could make a good team if you brought him to your side. One wielding a bow with devastating arrows in the back while the other keeps the foe at bay while being nearly impervious to damage…”

They all knew Jake had rejected a skill related to Valdemar. Not because they knew what kind of skill had been offered but because they knew he had to have been offered one. The Primordials were the gods that had been around the longest and knew the most about the system, so for them to deduce Jake would have to be offered some skill because of his clash with Valdemar was only to be expected.

“Heh, if it didn’t suit his Path, it didn’t suit his Path,” Valdemar shrugged. “Isn’t it only more exciting that he rejected me? Actually, isn’t it better? For someone powerful like him to join Valhal while not really having any skills from Valhal will only expand our Legacies! Gudrun is gonna be more than on board to recruit him.”

“Openly talking about stealing someone’s Chosen isn’t proper etiquette, now is it?” the Holy Mother chimed in, in a more playful than scolding tone.

“Bah, Jake is his own person; he can do whatever he wants,” Valdemar waved her off. “I’ll just make sure we give him the best offer to join us. I might even throw in a case of my personal brew to really convince him.”

“That one’s gonna be tough,” Minaga said, shaking his head. “The Endless Empire is already willing to- no, wait, never mind. That was confidential. Ignore that I said anything; the source is unreliable anyway, and I’ve never even met the guy in person. What I am saying is, if Jake ever shows himself open to recruitment, there’s gonna be competition.”

Vilastromoz had remained quiet as he finally joined the conversation. “You talk as if you stand a chance… don’t you think his current Patron may have something to say?”

“Sure he might,” Valdemar grinned as he leaned forward. “But if he can hold onto my fellow human is entirely dependent on if he’s powerful enough to, now isn’t it?”

Valdemar and Vilastromoz both spiked their auras for a moment as the Wyrmgod interfered instantly. His own presence washed over theirs before they could cause too much of a ruckus. It pushed both of theirs back, suppressing them slightly with a clearly superior aura.

“Behave when you are in my domain,” the Wyrmgod said with a sigh.

Vilastromoz and Valdemar both did as told while the human Primordial muttered, dissatisfied. No matter how powerful they were, they were still within the domain of the Wyrmgod. In Nevermore, he was the most powerful being beside the Bound God of the World Wonder itself. Considering the limitations of Nevermore and the contract that the Primordial and she had made, the Wyrmgod was definitely the one most able to use his powers of the two.

able to escape Nevermore if they were truly there and got into a

sour, but an unexpected savior of

expertly changed the subject. Quite easily so, as he hadn’t really been paying much attention to the bickering. “The hunter’s Path, that is. There are certainly many complicated concepts infused into his blows, but all the applications are so minimalistic in execution. Complexities are sheared away for pure useability when he fights. There is little thought, yet his actions are rarely ever something that could be considered questionable. I understand it when Minaga described him as a natural fighter indeed, his adaptability when facing any

Holy Mother asked

comprehend,” the Blightfather shook his head. “Besides, even if I did want him to join the Risen, I am uncertain how well his Path would mix with changing his race, especially as I sense his soul is altered, likely by a skill of some kind. His Bloodline certainly also complicates things. No, I wouldn’t

skill. The Viper had few he would say could match him when it came to the study of the soul, but the Blightfather was definitely one of them. If not, he wouldn’t have been able to create

how is that cursed trapper Jake knows doing?”

those who were born into the system simply cannot possess due

I will hear nothing to

that it's taken without the author's consent.

said as he changed the topic slightly once more as he glanced at the Wyrmgod. “Now, how are those Void God

his head. “But if you are asking if I expect

Viper added with a sigh. “I thought we

too

someone using void energy limited you to only having void energy, as it simply consumed every other trace of energy within the body. This meant there were many things one couldn’t do that could make some floors or Challenge Dungeons harder than usual, much like the Unique Lifeforms, who also had very limited Paths. This was also why Unique Lifeform

be in the presence of the five Primordials, who sometimes got into arguments and flared their auras.

fact he was interested in the Bloodline Patriarch from Earth didn’t surprise Vilastromoz either. The man was an absolute anomaly with magic clearly based on his Bloodline, making it almost transcendent in nature. The sheer absurdity of his existence simply went a bit under the radar

magic, it only made sense the Pantheon of Life was interested in what he did, even if the Viper knew Nature’s Attendant wasn’t a big fan of the C-grade. Because what he did

Daolord isn’t a contender for the Leaderboards, a party member of his is,” the Wyrmgod answered. “She is the disciple of the Heartsoul Daolord, and while she only carries a Divine Blessing, chances are big she will be made a Chosen when

made themselves known during the Challenge Dungeon period and truly grown into their power over the last decade. The multiverse was a big place with no lack of talent. Some young, promising geniuses from the United Tribes proved themselves, others from the demon factions showed their skills,

and then move on without thinking about that person again. People like Draskil fell into this camp, as well as, quite frankly, ninety-nine point nine percent of the geniuses of the many factions.

all the promising young talents showed themselves, and no matter how many rising stars proved their worth, two names were always mentioned. Two geniuses from the new universe who had already proven themselves as apex beings of this generation,

Thayne, the Chosen of the Malefic Viper, and Ell’Hakan, Chosen of Yip of Yore. These were the two people the gods were in agreement would more likely than not claim first and second… the only question is who would take the number one slot… and how