The Primal Hunter

Chapter 873: Nevermore: The Final Stretch

To a C-grade, while fifty years wasn’t considered a very long time, it was definitely still a significant part of their lives, especially for those from the new universe, who were all very young by multiversal standards. For many, it was even a majority of their lives, truly highlighting the pure momentum of the natives in a new universe.

For another group who had also been heavily involved in Nevermore, fifty years was but the blink of an eye. The gods who kept an eye on everything that was happening – both from inside of Nevermore and those outside using messengers they sent in – a fifty-year period was barely ever of any consequence. At least not usually… but when a new universe was integrated, things always got exciting.

The Records were flowing freely, as the system was more active than ever, throwing events and special happenings around everywhere, not just for those in the new universe, even if the majority were for the newly integrated.

To the gods, this was a prime opportunity to grasp power for themselves and to expand their factions… Nevermore being a huge aspect in this. The Leaderboards were perhaps the best advertisement, not just for the groups with powerful people on it, but for the geniuses of the new era who had yet to fully integrate themselves with a faction.

Few would dare aim to recruit those who were in the top spots, and most of them were already in big factions anyway… but the ones who would have ranked in the top thousands were still more than worth it to recruit. For these geniuses who were close to the pinnacle, the best thing they could do personally was to get closer to the peak while also aligning themselves with the factions capable of nurturing these other peak C-grades who did top the Leaderboards.

Perhaps the luckiest of all wasn’t the newly integrated mortals or the gods who could now finally progress once more but the young talents who had been born in other universes before the new integration and could now partake in the festivities. They had the advantage of growth before the integration and tended to be older with far more stable foundations than the newly integrated Nevermore Attendees… yet no one expected any of them to actually take the top spot, at least not right away.

History had proven that it was always newly integrated people who disproportionally dominated the Era Leaderboards, at least in the beginning. Each era was a few billion years at least, so many records would be broken during that time, but it did happen on occasion that a record set in the initial stages held strong for an entire era. Yip of Yore was one such happening.

When he had done Nevermore back in the day, he had taken the top spot, with his rival at the time, Altius, taking the second spot. Over time, Altius was pushed down to number four – still showing he had been an absolute pinnacle talent – but Yip had managed to maintain his rank, even as all the geniuses of an entire era competed with him, truly proving himself the pinnacle talent of the ninety-second era. He had been alive during the integration and set an unbeatable record… and now the question was if that feat would repeat itself as the next generation began to appear on the Leaderboards.

“Any spoilers?” Minaga asked the Wyrmgod, who was sitting silently and watching a myriad of lifestreams and timers with the other gods.

“No,” the Primordial shook his head. “But I do believe most can infer some things.”

“Alright, alright… thoughts from the room how their factions did?” Minaga asked loudly, even calling out to the large gathering of gods observing from the back.

Yet it was the Blightfather who spoke up first. “Can’t say I’m particularly disappointed or overjoyed. There were some pleasant surprises and some who underperformed, but that is all to be expected. Overall, while Nevermore is certainly an important step in the Paths of C-grades and an excellent recruitment tool to find worthwhile talents, it isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things.”

“While I will not disagree with your main point, we shouldn’t downplay the most well-known World Wonder of the multiverse either, now should we? Also, let us not pretend this iteration hasn’t been a bit out of the ordinary… our very presences in this room here is proof of that,” the Holy Mother countered.

Vilastromoz just sat back, once more seeing no reason to get involved when the two of them got into it. He also knew that the reason the Holy Mother wanted to put more emphasis on Nevermore was due to how well the Holy Church always did. They were a faction focused on working together and the single-largest faction in the multiverse, after all, so for them to be displayed prominently on the Leaderboards was only to be expected.

Overall, they were definitely the ones doing the best simply due to their sheer numbers, but if one looked at the factions with the highest average placement, they were far behind. This space was instead dominated by the most elite factions, such as the Order of the Malefic Viper and Court of Shadows. Ones that didn’t solely care about making a big organization, but that every member part of it had to be worthy.

Of course, there was one faction that dominated here more than any other when one still looked at major factions… one that was focused nearly solely on combat: Valhal.

Valdemar also did seem pretty happy with how things had gone. Even if their average placements were high, they tended to not have anyone at the top either. It did happen from time to time, but their members tended not to really focus enough on their professions or crafting in general to place that high.

As for the factions that did the absolute best, it was the incredibly small ones that had very strict requirements. Organizations such as the Crimson Flame, led by Gwyndyr. Even that archer from Earth affiliated with him had done pretty well for herself. Not to the level of beating any of the true top contenders, but a respectable performance, a bit like Jake’s brother from the Court of Shadows. Pretty good but not outstanding.

The discussion of how each faction would do had quickly filled the hall as the gods talked openly, some even making subtle bets here and there. This was a rare chance for many of these representative gods to talk to a Primordial, something they were both open to in this forum. Didn’t hurt that it was primarily just them being rained with praise while bragging, but that was neither here nor there.

Talks continued for a while until quickly, the topic moved toward what most of them ultimately cared about. The most interesting part of this period in Nevermore. It was a time where, more likely than not, the top spots of the Leaderboards would be switched out several times a day as more and more pinnacle geniuses finished until finally, the dust would settle, and only one name would remain atop as the Era’s Pinnacle.

And while there was much discussion about who could take the top ten and even top five slots in the end, there was no doubt only two people were truly in contention for the top two:

One of the most spoken of Chosen of this generation, primarily because of the stuff one of them had pulled off recently and because these two had gods on open conflict:

Ell’hakan, Chosen of Yip, the former Era’s Pinnacle and top genius of the last era.

And naturally the absolutely most spoken up, the Harbinger of Primeval Origins, and Villy’s own drinking buddy, Jake.

They would soon know who would take the top spot as both were about to finish the World Wonder, and it was certain one of them would finish before the other, potentially blocking the other from holding the Era’s Pinnacle title for even a moment.

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“We should quickly sort our order and get going,” the Sword Saint suggested after they had been talking for a while. “Also to put additional pressure on other factions who may be dallying too much.”

“It isn’t like we will finish immediately either way,” the Fallen King also added. “It will take some time, even with our respective time chambers. Does the Order of the Malefic Viper have some prepared already?”

The final part was naturally to Jake, who confidently shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“No cause for concern in that area,” the Sword Saint shook his head. “Someone affiliated with my Patron shall be there and have everything ready.”

“That’s convenient,” Jake tilted his head. “Did Aeon contact you or something?”

“No, this was planned before I even entered Nevermore in the first place. Also, let me be clear, this isn’t something specifically prepared for us. Others are also very much interested in the services of the best time mage one can find in C-grade,” the old man explained.

“Makes sense, I guess,” Jake nodded.

“Ree?” Sylphie also asked.

“No, it’s definitely faster to stay inside of Nevermore to take advantage of the compounding time dilation,” the Sword Saint answered.

Sylphie had asked if it wouldn’t be faster to go to Nevermore City – the entrance of Nevermore – and have someone above C-grade set up a time chamber there. One had to remember that even if they left Nevermore and the time expired out there, it would still count. But, as the Sword Saint said, it was better to stay in Nevermore to double-dip on the time dilation.

Even if the C-grade in Nevermore could only do a, let’s say, ten-to-one dilation inside of Nevermore, coupled with the natural dilation of Nevermore, one easily hit a 100x multiplier in Realtime. Or, well, the opposite of a multiplier, as more time would pass inside the chamber than outside.

“Now, let us proceed to decide our order… and as much as it annoys me, I reckon the bird and I are first, considering our performances in the Challenge Dungeons,” the Fallen King said.

“We still need to decide the exact order,” the Sword Saint said. “As in… how many points do each of you have exactly?”

Jake perked up at hearing that. Each of them naturally had a lot of points, but if Sylphie somehow ended up with more, it would be hilarious.

Spoiler.

It was hilarious.

“A measly, not even two thousand points is…” the King said, trying to make excuses.

“Ree.”

“The sheer incompetence in design behind that ridiculous labyrinth…” the Fallen King shifted the blame.

“Ree.”

“No, it was by far the worst of the Challenge Dungeons, of that there is no doubt,” the Unique Lifeform said, now moved onto anger, before finally… acceptance. “Let us not waste time on what has happened. Additionally, the hawk has gained more levels, which will add even more points at the end. So, move on to decide the winner between the dryad and swordsman.”

“Ree,” Sylphie courtesly agreed as they moved on indeed.

Jake had kind of forgotten the extra points one would also get from levels and wondered how that worked. It was one of the reasons it was advised to be as close to level 200 as one could when one entered, even if one could compete on the Leaderboards as long as one was below 210. Anyway, he would definitely find out soon.

“There is no need to compare us,” Dina shook her head. “I think it’s best he finishes first. With a 70% multiplier from the Challenge Dungeons, neither of us are getting on the top 10 Leaderboards for the era, but the Sword Saint does have a very good shot at the top ten on the ninety-third universe Leaderboards.”

“We should still decide,” the Sword Saint smiled. “Even if we don’t get top ten, reaching top 100 or top 250 is bound to also have certain rewards, and I want no enmity born from one of us blocking the other.”

“I wouldn’t-“

“1,952,976.”

Dina was silent for a bit before muttering. “Fifty-eight thousand…”

“So, you got me beat,” the old man smiled.

“No… no, you got more levels than me,” Dina shook her head. “While I’m not sure about the details, I am sure that will add even more at the end, making you overtake me.”

The two of them ended up agreeing on the old man going first after a bit more back and forth, which just left Jake.

“Anyone wanna know how many points I got?” he asked with a bright smile.

“I will assume so many that it would be shameful if you failed to reach the top spot of the Era and Universe Leaderboards,” the Fallen King shot back.

“I wouldn’t say shameful… but enough so that I would be disappointed if I didn’t top at least one of them,” Jake shrugged. “And I say that knowing full well that there is a good chance a certain orange fuck is already topping one if not both of them already. Anyway, we’re all good, right? Let’s get moving and finally get done with Nevermore.”

There were no complaints as everyone finally got up, and Dina dispelled the recovery circle. They all at least looked representable now as they moved toward the door and the final city floor. On the way, Dina threw Jake a few glances before finally asking.

“Would… would you really be disappointed if you didn’t get the top spot? Do you expect to get it?” she asked a bit cautiously. “My grandfather said that to take the top spot isn’t easy, and even if getting it doesn’t necessarily mean one is the strongest of a generation… it won’t be far off.”

“I think I would be, yeah,” Jake muttered. “I did my best here in Nevermore, and as you said, the spot is often reserved for the top of a generation, right?”

“Yes,” Dina nodded.

“Well, then I belong there,” Jake shrugged as he grinned. “My goal has always been to be the very best like no one ever was.”

“Ree?” Sylphie asked, still held by Jake as she was still very tired. Or, at the very least, pretended to still be very tired to get carried.

“No, no, you’re in the generation after mine, so you can be the very best of that one,” Jake shook his head while scratching her.

“Does that mean I am from the generation before you?” the Sword Saint asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Of course not,” Jake said, sounding almost offended. “You’re at least three generations before me, if not more.”

“That… isn’t how generations work in the multiverse,” Dina said. “While a generation isn’t a set time, in most instances, especially when talking about C-grades, one considers a single generation at least a few hundred years…”

“That sounds like something I will definitely ignore ever learning,” Jake grinned as the five of them finally entered the door and went to the final city floor they would ever see.

It was… pretty basic and very empty if Jake said so himself. Especially compared to City Floor Fourteen, the one where all the top teams were doing Challenge Dungeons. Still, the ones that were present were either those not competing on the Leaderboards – in other words, those who had entered while already above 210 – or the absolute top teams. And most of those teams wouldn’t be found just wandering about as they were doing exactly what Jake and company were about to do.

Ignoring the system message welcoming them to the city floor, the five of them made their way toward somewhere the Sword Saint felt powerful time energy gathered. Jake also felt it, and using Pulse, he spotted the place the old man was talking about.

Reaching the area, they saw a large set of buildings that looked a bit like one of those motels where the doors opened directly from the outside into the rooms, except the doors, in this case, were heavy enchanted gates, and the rooms were lined up boxes of metal.

“This the place?” Jake asked the Sword Saint as he read the sign above the fence surrounding the weird, motel-looking place… and it did not inspire confidence.

Time Chambers For Rent! Best Rates, Best Service, Best Performance!

“It is indeed,” the old man nodded, Jake choosing to believe him as they walked inside. They had barely managed to get in before Jake spotted an approaching figure who raised a hand and waved.

“You’re finally here! Damn, I was getting scared you fucked up and got stuck on floor seventy-five or something, as you didn’t go to the city floor,” the newcomer said. “A fellow follower of the glorious God of Time, too!”

Jake observed the man and used Identify, quickly being told what he already knew… this guy was strong.

[Hobgoblin – lvl 349 – Divine Blessing of Aeon Clok]

“Greetings,” the Sword Saint bowed. “I do not believe I need to say why we’re here?”

“Of course not,” the hobgoblin shook his head. “Seeing as you’re a follower of our god, I can even throw in a three percent discount! No, wait, with the Malefic’s Chosen also here, I believe I can make it three-point-five percent! The true VIP treatment!”

“How generous…” Jake muttered.

“I know, right?” the hobgoblin said, still smiling. “Now, let’s get you all settled, alright? I will naturally need payment up front as you’ll all just pop right back to Nevermore City when the timer expires.”

“Can I ask, has the Chosen of Yip of Yore also arrived here?” Jake asked.

“Yep, he already got here over a full day ago and will pop out soonish, I reckon,” the peak C-grade explained.

“I see…” Jake muttered. “Say… would it be possible to pay a bit extra to maybe do it so his time dilation isn’t as effective as it maybe should be, allowing a certain other Chosen to finish first?”

The hobgoblin looked at Jake for a moment as his smile faded entirely. “Are you asking me to divert from my own Path by maliciously breaking my business practices?”

“I would never ask that and simply made a tasteless hypothetical,” Jake quickly backtracked quickly as he smiled. “Anyway, five rooms, please.”

“Oh, of course, you would never truly ask something preposterous like that,” the hobgoblin said with a serious look before he went right back to smiling. “Now, follow me, and I’ll show you to your rooms.”

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