[System]
You are a skilled LitRPG progression fantasy author. Write chapters based on the story bible and instructions provided.

## Premise
The Primal Hunter — a LitRPG progression fantasy. For her, it had just been another typical and tiring day. She had to get up early, clean her room, and make it all nice and tidy before heading off for breakfast. After that, she would have to do a bit of studying before a nice workout in the yard. Then it was work time, a bit of recreational time in the evening, before her early bedtime. It was a constant routine that she had done now for nearly two years.

## Main Character
Name: Jake | Gender: male (he/him)
Key supporting characters: Jacob, Carmen, Bertram

## World & Power System
level-based progression; class system; skills (e.g. Archer – lvl 2, Geology (Inferior), Concoct Poison (Common), True Standout of the 93rd Universe, Boar – lvl 5, Human (G) – lvl 7, Evergreen Grass (Inferior), Basic One-Handed Weapon (Inferior)); stats (Perception, Wisdom, Strength, Intelligence, Endurance, Agility)
System notification style: "System’,” it explained."

## Writing Style
third-person limited narration, past tense. Narration-focused (0% dialogue). Balanced pacing.

[User]
Write 117 chapter - Danger Bath
Target length: ~2800 words

[Assistant]
The days passed by quickly as the two gods and one mortal immersed themselves in the laboratory. At first, Duskleaf had been less than excited, to say the least. Jake had already guessed that the Viper had forced him into it, and he was entirely correct. What he didn't know was that Duskleaf didn't like Jake himself either.

Why do I have to waste my time on this, was what the god thought in the beginning.

Duskleaf was an alchemist. Period. He had always been an alchemist and never cared much for anything else. He had mostly ignored his class, only leveling it sparingly whenever necessary. It was due to his extreme talent and dedication that he managed to ascend to godhood. A commitment he had believed Jake to lack.

The old alchemist had believed Jake just to be yet another of the young talented fighters that had picked up alchemy as a side-profession. A sentiment he well and truly hated. The Alchemist of the Malefic Viper profession and its related evolution were among the most combat-focused of all alchemy professions. This had led many to simply pick it up for those reasons, and that they didn't care for alchemy itself.

After the first day, however, he began to change his mind. He had seen Jake fight the King together with the Viper, and from that had indeed formed the image of a talented fighter who was far more brawn than brain.

Yet the young mortal dove into alchemy with the same zeal as he did a fight with a formidable opponent. His eyes burned with passion whenever he met a challenge, and his happiness genuine whenever he overcame his own limitations. It was as if every brewing or concoction was a fight to the death. And that… that Duskleaf liked.

Of course, all of it would be for naught if the kid was untalented. Another doubt that quickly got dispelled. While Duskleaf found it hard to evaluate him properly, he did see endless potential. The issue was just how raw it all was. Despite his passion, it was clear that Jake had never had proper training in alchemy or mana control in general. But at the same time, his skills made it hard for Duskleaf to believe that he had only been in the system for a couple of months.

When he learned that Jake had spent two of his five chances in the tutorial store to buy cauldrons, he truly got his seal of approval.

Jake himself didn't have the faintest clue about the old man's thoughts; he had only noticed that he now appeared at least marginally less bored. The Malefic Viper was full of energy as always, and he had to say… he was having a damn good time. It was hard but fun.

The only downside was how little experience he got. After a week, he had only gained a single level in his profession, taking him to level 56. The leveling was incredibly slow, without a doubt, due to the time distortion going on. He had been warned about it, but it still stung.

This isn't to say he didn't improve. Because oh boy, did he improve. It turns out that having two gods giving pointers helped a lot. Their advice was minimal as they mostly just told Jake to try something and then observed, only giving general advice here and there.

From what he had gathered, the Viper didn't want to limit him in any way by giving him too clear directions. He was very much a hands-off teacher. However, he did have many fun tests and challenges, his favorite by far being a particular cauldron.

[Practice Cauldron of the Malefic Viper (?)] – A cauldron with imprinted challenges and trials.

His Identify didn't give much, but he didn't really care either. The thing was awesome. It was like he was doing actual alchemy when using it, except it didn't use any ingredients but focused solely on the crafting process itself. It was like simulating a brewing or concoction, and he loved it with all of his heart.

Sadly he learned that he couldn't bring it with him due to restrictions on new multiverses. A sad day indeed, but that only motivated him more to spend his time efficiently with it.

Restrictions on him were actually quite far and wide. He couldn't get any items, and he couldn't use any consumables items that weren't his either. Which meant he couldn't just get handed a bunch of elixirs and free stats. He had, however, learned that the Viper was onto something in one of the side-rooms. What looked like a jacuzzi was being filled with all types of herbs and poisons, with the god himself carrying a quite malicious smile.

Eight days after he entered the chamber, Jake collapsed. Initially, he startled Duskleaf until he scanned the human and found him merely asleep. Even with all his stats, Jake was, in the end, still only E-grade. What was surprising, however, was Jake being so immersed in his practice that he simply collapsed. Second seal of approval earned. Duskleaf remembered how he had once burnt off half his hair and melted off the right side of his face because he fell asleep during a concoction. Good times.

Fifteen days in the chamber, and Jake earned his second level taking him to 57. He had also learned that apparently, 4-D chess was a thing. Or maybe they were just fucking with him. Most likely, the last one.

Eighteen days in and Jake collapsed for the second time while grinding out the trials in the cauldron. This time the old alchemist didn't even react as he just nodded proudly at the young man lying face-first, bent over the cauldron.

On the twentieth day, the Viper came out of his secret room with a larger than usual malefic smile.

"It is done! The Trial of Myriad Poisons has been prepared!"

"Master…" the old alchemist said with a sigh. "We are teaching him, not killing him. Even then, with the restriction in place, you know it won't work…"

"Ah, but I am only giving out an already promised reward. Remember what I offered you, Jake?" the Malefic Viper asked, still grinning.

"Alchemy training and alcohol," he answered.

"Exactly. So follow me."

None of them bothered to question the god as they both just followed him into the room. Within there was a massive barrel of sorts - more than big enough to hold a human within. It was filled with a liquid that set his Sense of the Malefic Viper off like never before. He could sense so many herbs and toxins it felt overwhelming.

Thousands… no, more. Millions? What the hell is this? Jake thought.

"Now, what I offered was a bottle of vodka, to be more precise," the creator of the barrel said, as he pulled a bottle out of thin air. Not a bad brand, Jake barely managed to think before the Viper opened it and began pouring it into the barrel.

"Oh no, I accidentally dropped it into this suspicious barrel. Well, it appears you will have to consume the entire thing to get your vodka!" the Viper said, his grin not able to get any larger.

"… While I am into experimental cocktails, I do have my limits," Jake managed to answer after looking dumbstruck at the silly actions of the scaled god.

"Ah, but it will be good for you, I promise!" the Viper laughed for a bit before turning serious. "Cutting the bullshit, this thing is called a Trial of Myriad Poisons. It is something that is sometimes offered to talented alchemists of the Malefic Order. Jake, do you know why my class is considered one of the best for alchemists?"

"Membership discounts? Dude, this is the first and only profession I have ever really seen."

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, the reason is of course because of the skills. The most sought-after being my Palate skill. A skill that is extremely strong even when first gotten and only gets better. However, the main issue is how difficult it is to upgrade and evolve due to its nature. One needs to consume and become familiar with a lot of toxins. Which is where the Trial comes in," he said, slapping the big barrel with his scaled hand.

"This bad boy can fit so many fucking toxins in it. The alchemist can, through this, enhance the skill, even possibly its rarity. Of course, while also vastly increasing their innate knowledge of many different toxins and herbs, which is undoubtedly a huge help on their path. Of course, actually absorbing all of that isn't easy. Hence why it is considered a Trial."

Jake looked between the barrel and the Viper for a bit as he considered his words. It all seemed too good to be true. "Isn't this just a straight-up cheat? Also, Palate only works with toxins last time I checked, and this thing has plenty of herbs within."

"Due to how the concoction is made, the herbs have become mixed with toxins and will be recognized as such by the system, so in that regard, it is a bit of a cheat. For the first part, even by ignoring how ridiculously expensive and hard it is to make the Trial, most alchemists fail to get anything worthwhile out of it. Most just die, actually. Also, it is often done with far more experienced alchemists. You have to actively absorb and digest the poison during the Trial while also managing to stay clear-headed," Duskleaf muttered, clearly not a massive fan of /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ the entire ordeal.

"Meh, stop worrying, it'll be fine!" the Viper said dismissively while gazing towards Jake. "Besides, it's up to Jake. So, you up for it?"

Jake looked at the barrel a bit as he considered what both of the two gods had said. Apparently, this Trial was both a great opportunity as well as risk. High-risk, high reward if you may. Just the way he liked it. "Fuck it, let's go."

"Knew it! Take off ya garbs and get ready. A fair warning, it will hurt like hell, and you will feel like your entire body is burning from the inside out the entire time while simultaneously being eaten by maggots and on a pain-amplifying stimulant. But just focus on absorbing the toxins. The more you absorb, the larger your gains."

"How long will it take?" Jake asked. He had no idea how long he had left within here. After entering, he had lost the timer and had no real concept of how much time had passed out in the real world.

"Once more, that depends on how long you can hold out for and how much you can absorb. But if you can't even hold out for a few hours, you suck," the Viper half-jokingly said while Jake disrobed. Disrobing, meaning just to put all of his clothes into his spatial storage. The only things he kept on were his rings and necklace as well as the mask. The rings and necklace because they were embedded in his body anyway, and the mask because he had completely forgotten he was even wearing it.

"I just jump in?" he asked out loud to the room, getting an answer from Duskleaf.

"I would suggest steeling yourself first. It will take every shred of willpower you have to succeed."

"Got some free points. Would it help to increase the stat?" Jake asked.

Shaking his head, the Viper answered. "I think I already told you this once. Willpower doesn't work that way. What my disciple means is to stay headstrong and determined. No number of stats can truly affect your mental state. Willpower helps defend against outside influences that can shatter or weaken that mental state, but it can never form it, to begin with. No skills or stats would help a thing against a Trial like this."

"Alright then, let's just jump right into it," Jake said as he leaped up to stand at the edge of the barrel. He stared down at the black sludge below him. Didn't look particularly appetizing or healthy. But he had already decided to do it, and he wasn't a quitter.

"Here we go."

Taking a step forward, he sunk into the sludge, slowly getting immersed into it. The first thing he felt was his feet, feeling like they were on fire. Then next was his legs, and then his entire body as his head slowly sunk beneath the surface. It honestly wasn't that bad. A thought he quickly came to regret.

It took only a few moments before he saw the Viper do something outside, making faint runes glow on the barrel. Around him, he felt the toxins and herbs become active. Like they had all been sleeping before, they now all awakened. The Trial had now begun.

Jake felt the toxins around him slowly seek out his pores and every other opening in his body. Resistance was futile as it slowly entered him. As if he had been hit with thousands of needles at once, it entered his body. Then the real pain came.

His teeth clenched shut first thing as he suppressed a scream. Blood began flowing from his mouth as his teeth pressed down. A few teeth even ending up being cracked, but he couldn't even feel it. The pain from that was trivial compared to what he experienced from the poison.

Now that he wanted to scream, he failed as his entire body was paralyzed from the poison. He couldn't move and felt like he was locked within his own body. Like a worse kind of sleep paralysis, he couldn't do anything at all.

Mentally gritting his teeth, he began focusing on his body and felt the many different poisons and herbs. He needed to not focus on the pain, no matter how hard it was. He needed to focus on all the energies in him. Feel them and absorb them.

His senses slowly faded away until there was only his internal realm. The pain a constant buzzing, knocking to try and shatter his feeble focus. He tried to concentrate on only his mana and internal energy. He distinctly felt a part of him grab unto the poison and absorb it. That part being the skill Palate of the Malefic Viper. It did so at a disappointingly slow pace, however.

For every unit absorbed, ten entered his body. He could feel his health dropping as his body began breaking down, yet he didn't feel any fear, only more focused. He slowly observed the process in which his skill made the toxins a part of him. Observed and emulated. He focused on how it felt over some advanced analysis of the skill.

It didn't take long for the process to get faster when he actively focused on it. Using his internal energy as a guide, he gathered the poison up to more easily absorb it. With every bit absorbed, he felt his understanding of what he consumed increase second by second.

One would think that his use of mana and inner energy would decrease those resources, but it was quite the opposite. He felt over-saturated as with every consumed bit of energy, he was replenished. Some of the poison would restore his mana, some his stamina, and some his health. He had reached equilibrium as he focused on the process, trying to push the pain to the back of his mind.

All went well for a while until it didn't. Jake had a huge misunderstanding of the Trial. Before, when the toxins were activated, it was only a tiny part of it - a mere fraction of a fraction. With a glow of the barrel's runes, the second wave came, harder than the first.

Nearly falling into delirium, he felt his mind waver for but a second until he steeled himself once more. It was a race, with the ever-increasing influx of energy competing against his capability to absorb it. It was a challenge that Jake didn't have the faintest intention of losing.

Time passed, and outside the barrel, the two gods stood observing the entire process - the Viper, a stoic neutral look on his face as his glowing green eyes seemed to peer directly into the young mortal's body - the old alchemist with a slightly worried look. Both could only choose to believe in the young man.

Without Jake noticing, the first day of the Trial quickly passed.

[User]
Write 118 chapter - Second part?
Target length: ~2800 words

[Assistant]
Many different organizations exist in the multiverse. Even if one took only the ones spanning across multiple universes, there were many. These organizations’ structures and goals all varied widely - their ideology and vision were all their own.

Those with gods at the helm often had the beliefs of their god placed front and center. Some were more akin to churches and religions, while others were closer to companies. Yet even in those, the members held a deep respect and even faith for their godly leader. It all came down to respecting the powerful, and none were more powerful than the gods.

For anyone to join these organizations, they had to offer something - the most basic, of course, being a place to belong, comrades to rely on, and protection from the myriad dangers of the multiverse. On top of that, they also provided status and social standing, making the high-ranking members respected, even if it wasn’t for their own personal power. In other words, it allowed the weak to become strong through association.

Other than that, it gave those less suited to combat a place to pursue their passions and talents. It gave those who fought a backdrop of support for all their needs, allowing them to focus on fighting and improving their own personal strength - a purely symbiotic relationship, allowing strong synergy between the two.

One such organization that mainly had craftsmen was the Order of the Malefic Viper. Primarily an organization comprised of alchemists, one would generally believe it to be weaker on the combat side of things. But to the contrary, it was quite the opposite.

Despite its derelict condition upon initiation of the 93rd universe, none would dare look down on it. Even ignoring the possibility of the Viper himself appearing to defend it, it had a lot of power in itself. Even to the day before the Primordial's reappearance, it still easily recruited powerful experts.

Because what the order offered was one of the other significant benefits of an organization. Classes, and especially with the order, professions. Alchemist of the Malefic Viper was, without a doubt, one of the most sought-after professions in the entirety of the multiverse due to the potent and influential skills it possessed, as well as its endless potential.

Of course, being a member of an order with some of the most talented alchemists to help you also didn’t hurt. The association with a Primordial even less so.

Of the desired skills, Palate of the Malefic Viper was front and center. A skill that was rare by default and only grew from there. Its growth path was also well-documented and, once gained, presented a clear way to progress it.

Some skills came with clear paths of progression. Most didn’t, but a minority did. For those with a clear path, it is often enough just to reach some kind of threshold of improvement or to familiarize yourself enough with the skill for its rarity to improve.

Those without a clear path require some kind of qualitative change. Needless to say, this was far harder. This isn’t to say you cannot change a skill with a clear path, making it diverge, but it is far rarer due to the difficulty.

The skills with a clear path also naturally had an end to that clear path. A point when reached would require a fundamental, qualitative change to upgrade it further. This is where the exact endpoint of the skills’ natural progression comes into play.

Gods powerful enough to have skills named after them were precisely that: Powerful. In turn, so were their skills, making them carry strong potential inherently. But even then, it varies a lot. So, few aren’t tempted when represented with a vast array of skills associated with the Malefic Viper.

Jake, in his well-justified ignorance, of course, didn’t know any of this. He didn’t understand many things, and in some ways, that lack of understanding had strength in itself. He wasn’t aware of what he could do. Nor what he couldn’t or shouldn’t be able to.

This leads back to the current Trial of Myriad Poisons.

The first hour was deemed the most crucial for all those who attempted the trial. Except for a few hiccups right at the beginning, Jake passed that stage with flying colors.

At the same time, however, Duskleaf noticed something that shouldn’t be.

“Master… what did you do to the concoction?”

“Oh, I just added a little something extra,” the Viper answered, a deep smile on his lips. His eyes were fixated on the internal movements of the energies within Jake, and with every passing moment, his smile only got deeper.

Duskleaf looked between the Viper and the barrel for a bit before he realized. “You didn’t…”

“I sure did.”

When the concoction was made, he had only made one minor change. A single small ingredient was added on top of everything else - a single drop of blood. His own.

“Master, we have to stop this. There is no way he can handle it. I am well aware he is a Progenitor, but the Soulstrain alone will kill him. Even in the best-case scenario, it will do irreparable damage to his soul,” Duskleaf said with an anxious look on his face. He had no idea what the hell his Master was thinking.

“Normally, I would agree with you. But I have a feeling it won’t be so. Jake’s soul is more powerful than you believe. He can handle it.”

“If even the tiniest mistake is made…”

“It will be fine. I haven’t known Jake for that long, but if there is one thing I have come to learn, it’s that he isn’t one to back down from a challenge.”

“I hope you are right,” Duskleaf sighed as he returned to being a silent observer. Either way, it wouldn’t matter yet. It was far too early for him to reach the stage of the trial where the blood would be activated. He could only hope that the young human would fail before it reached that stage.

The system was fair yet tough. Like with earning experience and levels, one couldn’t simply get a free ride. If one tried to go above their means and forcefully increase their strength, one would more often than not suffer from Soulstrain.

Soulstrain was when one’s soul wasn’t large enough to hold power put into it. If one used the metaphor Jacob had read, it was like pouring in insane amounts of contaminated water into the pond, hoping for it not to completely ruin the existing water but be absorbed by the pond itself, making it into one’s own. In other words, the Records had to be strong enough.

The most normal consequence of this going wrong was death. It was to have one’s soul shatter, leaving only the indestructible Truesoul behind for the system to reclaim.

Another consequence was for the soul to simply crack, resulting in lost stats, resources, skills, or even levels. Repairing a damaged soul was insanely demanding and often resulted in irreparable damage anyway.

Duskleaf had thought that the plan was to increase the rarity of Jake’s skill all the way to epic-rarity or maybe even ancient-rarity if all went well. To pour in a decent amount of water, but not too much. This wouldn’t be a problem at all. It would barely matter compared to the titles the human possessed. But what the Viper attempted meant way more. He was forcefully injecting Records into his soul through his own blood. Records of a Primordial into a weak E-grade mortal.

Which meant he wasn’t just pouring a lot of water into the pond but also tossing in a dirty bomb. If his pond weren’t currently large and stable enough to absorb the impact, he would be… changed. The structure of the soul altered.

Even if he somehow managed to absorb it into his body, Duskleaf couldn’t see it ending well. Yet his Master didn’t appear to have the faintest doubt in his mind that the mortal could handle it. What had he missed?

He knew that the mortal carried some secret. The mere fact that his Master had blessed him with a Divine skill to obscure him was enough to prove that. But could that secret really be enough for him to survive? What secret could a mortal that was newly initiated even hold?

Duskleaf had his theories, but it was a fruitless endeavor with the multiverse and endless possibilities. Bloodlines, variant race, special class, or profession, just to mention the more common ones. The fact that the human already had a skill related to time made the old man believe it was maybe related to that concept. Had he somehow managed to attain a deep comprehension of the concept of time already? No, even that didn’t make sense, considering his ignorance of the time dilation.

As the old alchemist thought, time marched onward. Soon, an entire day had ticked by. Jake within the barrel hadn’t noticed any of this as he simply focused internally. Every shred of focus was on consuming the energy, to the point where he didn’t even register anything from his passive sphere.

A day quickly became two, and then three. Every few hours, the runes on the barrel would shine, and more of the poison in the concoction would become active. Every time it did so, Jake would temporarily be attacked from all sides until he managed to stabilize once more. At the same time, he felt both his knowledge and general resistance to all the toxicity grow. He was slowly adapting.

After three and a half days, he heard a small notification but didn’t have time to check it. Yet he instantly felt that his Palate of the Malefic Viper had undergone an evolution becoming Epic-rarity. With it also came a big leap in the skills capabilities, and he felt many of the poisons in the barrel now no longer able to hurt but only nourish him.

It was a slight reprieve that was quickly outdone by a wave of assault stronger than any before. Jake’s growth didn’t mean it would get easier, just that the trial’s speed increased to match it. It was a nearly unwinnable trial by design - a fact Jake didn’t know, as he only saw it as a difficulty spike for him to yet again overcome.

Four days soon passed. Then five. Six. Until an entire week had gone by with Jake still immersed. Duskleaf was astonished by the young man’s fast adaptability and nodded in approval every time he quickly managed to overcome a new wave. His speed was impressive, to say the least - his ability to remain focused even more so. The ability to hold such singular focus was rare…

On the eighth day, something happened that surprised both the Viper and Duskleaf. The unmoving mortal appeared to smirk slightly as his closed lips parted somewhat, inhaling some of the concoction.

Duskleaf opened his eyes in fright while the Viper just began laughing hysterically. It appeared that Jake found the speed of the trial too slow. Something he indeed did.

After the sixth day, he was already assimilating the toxins faster than the difficulty increased. It was starting to get boring. Less challenging. He was ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) a maestro in his internal realm, guiding the energies effortlessly. Every toxic shred of energy that entered him was surrounded and consumed from all sides before it even had time to begin attacking his vital energy.

Which is when he began eliminating what had paralyzed him. Enough to open his mouth slightly, at least. He wanted more. Even if he had to take it by force.

After he directly inhaled the concoction, he felt like his entire stomach was invaded by millions of small worms, all trying to eat him from the inside out. Throughout it all, the pain had never stopped. It wasn’t the kind of pain one could simply zone out, but the type of pain that was all-consuming and impossible to ignore.

Yet Jake handled it. Despite his brief grimace when the poison entered his stomach, he didn’t lose focus as he began consuming that too. His mana moved in on it, carrying with it a powerful intent to break down and destroy the poison.

What he hadn’t noticed yet at this point was minuscule purple sparks appearing on his otherwise colorless mana. It was so unnoticeable that perhaps only the Malefic Viper noticed it. Yet the intent embedded in these sparks was evident, as his mana broke down the poison faster and faster.

His first mouthful was consumed within two hours. The second mouthful an hour and fifty-five minutes. The third an hour and forty-seven minutes. The fourth an hour and thirty-six minutes. He was exhausted from not sleeping, but he kept going, the energy nurturing him constantly and the pain enough to always keep him fully awake.

Nine days passed, ten, eleven, twelve. Barely an hour after the two-week mark, Jake heard the second notification. The growth was instantly apparent, and he felt himself fill with inner energy. Most of the poisons in his body now no longer appeared to affect him, and he even felt much of his mobility return as the paralysis was mostly gone.

He directed a sliver of his attention to the sphere and observed the smiling Viper and the, for some reason, worried Duskleaf. Not long after, Jake heard a voice in his head as the Viper spoke to him telepathically.

“Congratulation for passing the first part of the Trial of Myriad Poisons. Ready for part two?”

Jake opened both his eyes, ignoring the burning sensation in them as he did so. He only managed to see the two for a few moments before his vision turned blurry due to the still-potent toxins digging into his eyes. Yet he clearly saw the shining green eyes of the Viper looking straight at him. The look in his eyes clear. It was a challenge.

He nodded his head as he prepared himself for whatever was to come. His intuition told him this part wouldn’t be as easy. Because he frankly did think the first part was easy. Everything outside of the first hour was just too easy as he had managed to familiarize himself with the process.

At his approval, the Viper’s smile faded slightly as he turned a bit more serious. Duskleaf looked even more worried. He had heard the telepathic exchange too. He knew there was no part two to the trial. It was already over. No, what was to come was entirely new territory.

The Malefic Viper raised his hand as he pointed towards the barrel. From his finger came a green light that, upon hitting the runes, made them all turn green. At the same time, they twisted and turned, creating a script that Duskleaf had never seen before. One of a far higher level than what was there before.

Right after the runes changed, the liquid in the bowl changed from pure black to a dark green color. Mana in the entire chamber surged as an aura was released from the barrel. The aura of the Malefic Viper.

Within the concoction was a small drop of dark green blood. It hadn’t dispersed as a liquid normally would but was still whole. No other toxic substance even dared come near it, as if a divine law kept them away.

The drop stirred with the runes. Activated, it began releasing its aura, affecting the poison around it. Simultaneously, Jake was hit with another assault of toxins, one more powerful than ever before. One he managed to somehow withstand through sheer willpower and by channeling everything he had learned throughout the last two weeks.

It didn’t even take an hour before the assault ended. Jake felt a few seconds of solace as he consumed every last bit of poison, his Sense of the Malefic Viper informing him that there were no more toxic substances in the entire concoction around him. He had won. Or so he thought.

While his Sense of the Malefic Viper didn’t pick it up, his danger sense sure did. A single drop of blood was still in the mixture. Before he could react, it flew like a bullet straight towards his chest and, without any resistance, penetrated his skin, sinking deep into his very soul.

That was when the actual second part of the Trial began as Jake felt his consciousness shift.

[User]
Write 119 chapter - Embracing power
Target length: ~2600 words
Key events: dungeon content, combat-heavy

[Assistant]
Jake couldn't quite comprehend what had just happened to him as he suddenly felt himself being transported somewhere else. What made it hard to understand was that he could clearly still feel his physical body - the sensation of the now toxic-free liquid on his skin, and the feedback from his Sphere of Perception was somehow… doubled. He could feel both the outside and the inside of where he was now.

He found himself standing on a vast dark field, with only black stone everywhere in sight. A place he would likely never forget. It was the Malefic Viper's realm and where he had first encountered the god that would turn out to be his new buddy.

Trying to focus, he felt his senses of the outside world be suppressed. Intuitively he also managed to move his sphere entirely into this new realm, making him now feel as if he was indeed there, and the disconnected feeling lessened. And just in time.

On the horizon, he saw a figure rise, one also familiar to him. He had seen it only for a brief moment, but one didn't simply forget the sight of the dark green dragon that was coming towards him. Its wings spread wide; they had to be several miles across as it took flight.

Smaller than the Malefic Viper, he thought as it flew towards him. With his sight, he also noticed more differences. The color was slightly off, the spikes on its back not present. Taking a second look, outside of the dark color and overall dragon-shape, there was actually quite a few differences. He didn't have time to feel shame for his inability to distinguish dragons before it was just in front of him.

Landing on the ground, it caused a small earthquake. Jake just stayed there unmoving, weirdly enough, not feeling any sense of alarm or danger despite the massive, powerful form before him.

"At least I didn't lack confidence back then either," the dragon spoke, with a voice Jake always cringed at in recordings. Simultaneously it was enveloped by dark smoke that dispersed just as quickly, leaving a humanoid form behind.

Jake used humanoid rather broadly. The figure was covered in the all too familiar dark green scales, and on his back were two jet-black wings. His feet and hands were a weird mixture between humans and dragons, making them appear suitable for melee combat and using tools alike.

What was most noticeable of it all, however, was his face and eyes. Two green reptilian eyes stared back at him, with a face identical to his own. Even having the same smirk he himself made all the time.

"So, what do you think?" the scaled version of Jake said, spreading out his wings and showing off his body. "Quite the upgrade, eh?"

More than a little confused about the entire scene playing out in front of him, he answered with the first thought that came to mind. "Isn't it hard to hold a bow with those claws?"

In retrospect, perhaps not the most relevant thing to know at the current time. Nevertheless, the clone entertained the question with full seriousness.

"Quite the opposite, actually," scale-Jake answered, pulling out a black bow from some kind of spatial storage. "You see, unlike hands, these can be modified slightly. On top of that, the scales and resilience of the claws actually make them more suitable for archery."

A fact he demonstrated as he took out an arrow from thin air too and nocked it. His claws appeared to slightly warp as he did so, making them better fit around the string and arrowhead. After a brief channel of dark green energy, he fired the arrow into the horizon.

"Not bad, eh?" he said as he turned to the real Jake. Less than a second later, the realm shook once more. In the distance was a large green explosion. Power akin to thousands of nuclear explosions going off at once.

Jake could only stand there, staring in awe at the might on display. Exactly what rank was the scaled Jake in front of him? A casual arrow released held enough power to blow up a damn planet…. It made the King of the Forest appear like a weakling. And yet…

"Why am I here?" he asked himself.

"Always wanting everything explained. Well, I guess that part of me is still the same," scale-Jake laughed. "You are here to catch a glimpse of what we can become. A mere fragment of the power we can obtain through fully embracing the legacy of the Malefic One."

Jake quickly caught something off. He had never referred to the Viper as the Malefic One before. On top of that, the way he said it made his stomach churn. Like watching yourself do something cringeworthy in an old school play.

"Coming off a bit fanatical there, mate. Me. Whatever," human Jake answered, shaking his head.

"Nothing wrong with that, man," his other version answered. "This a Primordial we are talking about. A top-of-the-line badass. Not embracing that kind of power just seems stupid."

"Yeah, but nothing comes for free and all that. So, what's the cost?"

"Define cost. We know enough of the system to know that picking one path cuts others off. I just made a choice. Realized that some existences are above us and that sometimes accepting defeat can be a victory in itself. Besides, you see the results before you," fake Jake said, spreading out his long wings as the air hummed with power around him. His mana was carrying a vivid dark green tinge.

"Class, profession, and even race far more powerful than that of a simple human. Skills more powerful than anything I could have ever imagined. To be honest, I don't see myself NOT becoming a god with this path. To cut off a few other paths is not a high price to pay for that at all."

"Making it sound like I can't become strong without relying on him," Jake answered, sighing at the version of himself in front of him.

"Powerful? From a mortal's standpoint, sure. But a god? Doubtful. We are talented, yes, but we shouldn't waste that talent by scrambling in the dark trying to reinvent the wheel. The path of the Malefic One is tried and tested. It works. With it, perhaps we can even one day be able to stand beside him, having enough strength not to be a worthless bug anymore. Maybe… even his equal."

Jake looked at his dragon version a bit, thinking. He saw the logic; heck, it was his own logic. It made sense. It would be like learning programming and design to create a new complicated accountant system when you can just learn excel to get the job done. Yet…

"Yeah, no thanks."

"Seriously? Are you going to give up on this kind of pow-"

"Yep."

"What the hell is wrong with you? When did I get that stupid?" his scaled version said, a genuinely confused look on his face.

"Oh, we have always been this stupid. We just never had the balls to pursue it before the system. Balls you clearly lack as you pussied out," Jake said with a smirk.

"Do you honestly believe that you can make it on your own? That you can even come close to godhood on your lonesome?" other-Jake said, an exasperated look on his face.

"Who knows? But I will sure as hell try. Besides, I am still not alone. I recognize that I am already well on Malefic Viper's path, and I am not giving that up. But it won't become all I am."

"Seems there is no arguing with you… oh well, if soft methods don't work," dragon-Jake said, pulling out his bow. "We can try it the hard way."

Jake stared at himself as his other version, with a flap of his wings, took to the air. Jake, still standing there, looking up at him.

His scaled version drew his bow as he nocked an arrow. The air cracked as reality itself seemed to shatter and reform around the channeling half-dragon. The mana was on another level. Yet Jake recognized the skill clearly. Infused Powershot. Or, well, a vastly upgraded version of it.

"Final chance. An obvious choice. Choose to walk this path, or be consumed unwillingly."

The voice echoed throughout the realm, yet Jake didn't move or respond. He just looked up at the other version of himself with… pity.

Seeing the look, the other Jake had enough as he released the pent up energy. An arrow filled with unbridled power was fired straight for the weak-looking human below. Its speed too fast to even register, its inherent power enough to destroy everything.

A moment before impact, just before the measly human was annihilated, he raised his hand. Faster than scale-Jake could see, the real Jake… caught the arrow. The pent up energy exploded out in the area around him, leveling an area the size of a smaller country. Yet Jake was unscathed.

"You know… I thought something was off from the beginning," Jake said, as he snapped the arrow between his fingers. "We may have the same roots, but we have diverged already. Do you remember the thought we had when we first saw the Malefic Viper on the mural in the challenge dungeon?"

He didn't get an answer from his clone, who just looked gob-smacked. But he could see that he didn't know. Or perhaps had forgotten.

"Only a single thought permeated my mind at that moment. I wanted to one day be able to fight that dragon. To have the power to. That goal hasn't changed. How do you expect me to in any way surpass that dragon if all I do is follow in its footsteps? Chasing its shadow like some fanatical sheep?

"Nah, man, that ain't me. Besides, I can see on you that you don't feel it. You are, in the end, just a cheap imitation."

With that, he took a step forward, appearing mid-air right behind his dragon version. He didn't hesitate as he lightly smacked him in the back of the head, making his other version turn around in fright as he flew backward at supersonic speed.

"I would have seen that one coming."

Stepping forward once more, he instantly appeared before the still retreating other-Jake. Raising his ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) fist, he smashed into his back, sending him tumbling towards the ground where he left a vast crater. "That one too."

Jake had enjoyed the philosophical discussion with himself. It was an interesting and valuable learning experience for him - an excellent chance to reaffirm his own goals and convictions. The other version had good arguments, but his mind was already set.

The nail in the coffin, however, was what he felt standing before his clone. He didn't feel a shred of fear or weakness. In front of the Malefic Viper and Duskleaf, he always had a small voice in the back of his head telling him that fighting them would mean certain death. That voice had been silent in front of his other version.

In the end, this entire world wasn't real. It was inside Jake's mind or soul or whatever. Within such a mindscape, the normal rules didn't apply. Jake had felt that too. He didn't use any of his skills, and yet his body was full of energy. He felt like he was in control of everything.

Another step later, and he was in front of his scaled version who was trying to get up.

"You don't have it," he said, staring down at his struggling clone. "You are just a shell of one possible path - one that is pretty damn incomplete. You didn't even replicate our bloodline."

"… Did I choose wrong?" his other version looked up at him with a hollow look in his eyes.

"I wouldn't say that. You just didn't choose what I would. If you had to choose a higher power to swear yourself to, the Malefic Viper does seem like a good choice. Just not my choice. I want to see how long I can go on my own path," Jake said with a comforting smile.

"Are you going to just give up the path of the Malefic Viper just like that? Be content in your gains so far."

"What? Of course not. I am gonna double-dip. Take everything and run with it. As you know, we have always been a bit of a greedy sort. Why should I accept something when I can take everything?"

"You are insane."

"Yep, but my insanity is my own," Jake said with a small laugh. "Now it's goodbye."

He didn't even have to do anything but will it as the body of the scaled version of Jake dispersed into dust. Yet, not everything disappeared.

Left behind, floating in mid-air, was a single droplet of dark green blood. It didn't take long for Jake to recognize its aura. The Malefic Viper. A droplet containing a fragment of his Records, of what he is. It held power beyond anything Jake currently was.

But not what he could be.

The blood simply floated there in the air, radiating power. Jake bathed in its power… and he wanted it. Reaching out his hand, he tried to touch it but found himself unable to. It was like a forcefield surrounded the blood, denying him access.

He wasn't having that. It was just a damn drop of blood. No way he was going to let it get away.

Strings of mana sprung up around his hand. All of them reached for the blood, only to be eroded when they got close. Jake didn't let up, however, but kept up his assault. Ten strings became a hundred, as they surrounded the blood from all sides. Until a single string of mana managed to creep close enough to nearly touch it.

At the same time as this happened, the world around him began to shake. The cold desolate stone began to crack. The sky was slowly swirling into itself as if space itself began to collapse above. The world was breaking down.

He felt that it wasn't actually the blood itself resisting him. It was just its passive aura keeping him away. If it actively had tried to fight him off, he doubted he would be able to do anything. But as it was, he was winning.

The aura around the blood finally gave in as Jake managed to grasp it in his hands. The moment his hand closed, so did the world collapse, and the final thing he saw was a notification.

[True Blood of the Malefic Viper (?)] has been successfully absorbed, strengthening your [True Blessing of the Malefic Viper (Blessing - True)]

[True Blessing of the Malefic Viper (Blessing - True)] – An Alchemist recognized by the Malefic Viper himself. Few throughout the ages have found themselves blessed by the Primordial, despite their desire to be so. You are his Chosen. Now even the true blood of the Malefic Viper himself is found within your very being, only strengthening your bond further. Through your direct karmic and bodily connection, the wisdom, willpower, and vitality of the Malefic Viper empower you. +10% Willpower, +10% Wisdom, +10% Vitality. Grants access to many new paths. Only one blessing can be held at a time

[User]
Write 120 chapter - Defiance & Gains
Target length: ~2700 words

[Assistant]
Duskleaf nervously observed the young human as he appeared to sleep within the barrel. He knew that he was not in slumber, however. He was deep within his own soul. His Truesoul even. A domain where no outside force could interfere or peer into.

“Relax. Jake is stronger than you know,” the Malefic Viper said to comfort his worried disciple. However, he had to admit that even he had some small doubts. The god believed that he had a good understanding of Jake, but one can never be entirely sure. The fact that he couldn’t provide any guidance or help was also infuriating. He couldn’t even see what was happening in detail.

What Jake was currently experiencing only he and the system would ever know. But whatever it was, it was something that would inevitably lead to change - a choice. What would emerge when he awakened would still be Jake, but the Viper could only hope it was his friend that returned. If he even woke up.

Records carry power. They carry history. To reach above your station and try to grasp power beyond yourself would always lead to issues. It would become a fight between your own Records and the Records of whatever you tried to absorb. It could change your soul, affecting all layers.

After Jake had been immersed for nearly an hour, the Viper felt a slight change. One through his karmic connection with Jake through his blessing. Jake had made a choice; it appeared. However, what the Viper wasn’t aware of was that it wasn’t quite as he had imagined. Something he soon became aware of.

What the Viper had hoped for was for Jake to take inspiration and possibly even absorb a fraction of the Records in the drop of blood, for him to make the choice that would lead him the furthest. He didn’t want Jake to be his follower, but to be his equal. Yet, he didn’t know that Jake’s intent was different.

Defiance would be the only word to describe it honestly. Jake’s intention had never been to stand beside him. It was to surpass him. To stand at the pinnacle of wherever the system could take you. Stand at that pinnacle, and then go beyond even that. The Viper could only feel a faint sense of that dream through his karmic connection. It was audacious, arrogant, naïve, and completely nonsensical.

I like it.

He saw that Jake had once more managed to go above and beyond his expectations. He hadn’t just absorbed the Records in the drop of blood. He had claimed it. All along, it had been the plan to reabsorb the blood back into himself after the trial, but Jake had now managed to ‘steal it.’ Partly.

It was within him now. Dormant. In the end, Jake was still only E-grade. For him to absorb the power within the blood was impossible with his current strength. Yet, it was still suppressed, and it would only strengthen their bond for the future.

Two hours after Jake had entered his Truesoul, his eyes opened again. There were no brilliant colors or fanfare; he simply opened his eyes to see the two gods stand before him - one relieved and one grinning.

All mobility had returned to his body after his little adventure of literal soul-searching. Raising his hands, he lifted himself out of the barrel and unto the floor. Without even thinking, he used mana to dry his body in only a few seconds. Truly his mana control had undergone a noticeable change.

“That was quite something,” he said jokingly to the two.

“Sure was. So, all good? You don't suddenly feel compelled to fall to your knees and swear yourself to be my eternal servant?” the Malefic Viper said. He was only half-joking. He felt the power of the blessing had increased. The bond had undergone a qualitative growth. He was afraid of what kind of consequences that would have on his mortal friends’ frame of mind.

“Good question. Depends on if I can get an actual bottle of vodka any time soon. Mixing it in with the bathwater kind of ruined the taste,” Jake answered, with an admonishing tone.

“I guess I do owe ya one,” the Viper said with a laugh, as he went forward and gave Jake a slap on his shoulder. “Now get on some damn clothes.”

Jake noticed only now that he was still in his birthday suit. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he quickly summoned his armor and put it on. It didn’t take long before he was back in his nearly all-black leather armor. He didn’t bother to put on the cloak as it was overdoing it a bit. He also noticed at that moment that he had completely forgotten about the mask. Not that it appeared to matter as it was utterly unblemished.

“So, what’s the plan now?” Jake asked the two of them.

“First of all, check your system messages. If all went well, your Palate skill should have reached Ancient-rarity,” the Viper said, Duskleaf nodding along.

Having already wanted to do so, he opened the menu. He had already seen his blessing being improved as the newest message, but that didn’t mean it was the only one, far from it. First of all, on the list were several levels - more than he had expected.

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 58 - Stat points allocated, +5 free points*

…

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 63 - Stat points allocated, +5 free points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 71 - Stat points allocated, +5 free points*

…

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 73 - Stat points allocated, +5 free points*

Six levels in his profession were gained throughout the trial. He had been told that time dilation had effects on experience, so he quickly asked if perhaps it wasn’t a waste to do it here.

“Nah, it doesn’t really matter. Time and experience are weird like that. You do time dilation mainly to train skills or meditate on concepts. Experience is never the main goal, to begin with. Also, even if you lose out on a few levels now, it shouldn’t matter. You are E-grade man; you got a long way to go.”

Accepting the answer – not like he had much cause not to – he moved on down the list. The next few ones were Palate skill upgrading. A few times, actually, not all of them increasing the rarity. The final skill, however, did reach the desired Ancient-rarity.

[Palate of the Malefic Viper (Rare --> Ancient)] – The Malefic Viper has honed its venom by devouring myriad toxins found throughout the multiverse. In the same vein, the Alchemist of the Malefic Viper can consume toxins to learn their effects and properties. Further evolved, you can now also learn properties of herbs, while at the same time enjoying a greater benefit from all potions consumed. Grants immunity or resistance to most poisons. Passively provides 1 Endurance per level in Alchemist of the Malefic Viper. Through consumption, may your power grow; through gluttony, may your Records expand.

The description had gotten longer, and the effects had increased by quite a bit. Immunity and resistance from weak poisons had the ‘weak’ part removed. Potions were apparently better for Jake now, and he could now also learn about herbs by eating - all-around good stuff.

But the last part was by far the best when it came to immediate gains - bonus stats. Like Scales of the Malefic Viper, this one also provided stats for every level he had in his profession, effectively just making every level even more valuable. He was a bit surprised it gave endurance, but thinking about it, it was strongly related to internal energy. Or perhaps endurance helped with resistance to poisons in ways toughness didn’t?

“Does endurance help with resistance to poison?” He couldn’t help himself from asking.

“Yes, endurance helps a bit with internal resistance, and internal energy automatically helps fight off harmful energies, though not as well as vital energy. It mainly serves to suppress the effects of the poison,” Duskleaf said.

Nodding, he returned his attention to the notifications. Palate had been upgraded as predicted, and it was better than he expected. But it didn’t end there. After his little journey in his mindscape, he had unexpectedly gotten another skill upgraded.

[Blood of the Malefic Viper (Epic --> Ancient)] – The blood of the Malefic Viper is a toxin more deadly than most poisons. Allows the Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper to turn their blood poisonous, imitating their Patron. It has been further improved, even carrying traces of the True Blood of the Malefic One within. The blood can be used as an ingredient in alchemy and as a deadly weapon against your foes. The nature of the poison is determined based on the Records of the Alchemist. The blood’s toxicity level is based primarily on vitality and wisdom but receives an increase from all physical stats. Passively provides 1 Vitality per level in Alchemist of the Malefic Viper. May your blood be forever the bane of all that wishes you harm.

Man, those descriptions are just getting longer, was his first thought. His second thought was how the skill hadn’t really changed, except for providing even more stats. He was beginning to see a trend with these Malefic Viper skills providing stats upon reaching Ancient-rarity. By design, no doubt. If he didn’t have his One Step Mile, he would maybe even suspect that providing stats was a hallmark of all ancient skills.

The extra vitality was, of course, more than welcome. With Jake’s upgraded blessing now granting him an additional 10% vitality, the value was just even better. He was now getting a +65% bonus on vitality, even higher than his 60% in perception. The first title he obtained himself, Bloodline Patriarch, giving 10% added with all his others, was now making a difference.

He had actually surpassed 1000 vitality, making it the second stat to do that after perception. Which also meant 10.000 health. It didn’t appear to do anything special, but it still felt like he had passed some kind of threshold. Either way, more health couldn’t be bad.

It was also interesting how the description recognized the drop of blood he had absorbed. He could still feel that drop. It was inside of him somewhere, not quite physically, but more in a metaphysical way. Maybe a part of his soul? He wasn’t sure. But it appeared to grant quite the benefits. He felt it, and he also felt how it was suppressed.

All in all, the trial had been a significant success in every way. Two skills upgraded, several levels, and all only in a few days. Counting the whole time-warp-thing.

“So, did you get it upgraded?” the Viper asked, interrupting Jake before he could go further down the list.

“Yeah, got it to ancient-rarity. Also managed to upgrade the Blood skill from epic to ancient,” Jake answered, closing the menu to focus on the conversation. “That blessing you gave me also upgraded. Gives vitality also now.”

“Nice, you got more than I expected. I can feel the blessing has strengthened too,” the Viper said, making a faux lecherous smile. “So, how does it feel to have a part of me inside you? Very intimate, eh?”

“… moving on, I have been meaning to ask, why even do the blessings? I get what I benefit from it, but what’s in it for you?” Jake said, ignoring the last part of what the god said.

“Well, we gods can progress in other ways than just earning experience. Faith is one of those paths. A blessing is more or less an investment in someone to act as a conduit of your faith. Follow your doctrines and such. At least normally. I blessed you just for the heck of it, and honestly, it has worked out way better than I expected.”

“Does that mean I have been hoodwinked into being your preacher when I return to Earth?” Jake asked, fully aware there was no fucking way he was doing that.

“If you want to? I don’t really care. I am benefitting enough just from you getting stronger and not dying. But if you want to establish an official order on earth and begin recruiting, it wou-“

“Not gonna happen,” Jake interrupted. Again, fuck that.

“Master, I think you have chosen a poor prophet,” Duskleaf interjected. His deadpan manner made it incredibly hard for both the Viper and Jake to discern if he was serious or joking.

Choosing to take it as a joke, the Viper agreed. “I must confess I could have done better. Hasn’t even done a single mass sacrifice or committed his firstborn yet.”

“I am a bit scared to ask, but are you actually interested in both of those?”

“The firstborn? Nah, I would suck as a babysitter, and kids taste funny. As for the sacrifice? Sure, why not.”

“This may be a bit late to ask, but what exactly is the doctrine of your church or order or whatever?” Jake asked. A question he should likely have asked way earlier.

Smiling, the Viper answered concretely. “Greed, power, and freedom. You know, all the good stuff. A god’s creed is more often than not just a symbol of their personality and personal path to power. My path is one littered with corpses and killing anything in my way; my doctrine is a lot like that. In other words, do whatever the fuck you want, and it is likely according to my doctrine.”

“Seems easy enough. What about you, Duskleaf?” Jake asked, turning to the other god.

“Alchemy.”

“And?”

“Just alchemy. No reason to place importance on unimportant things. Anything that can further my progress towards the pinnacle in alchemy is good. I don’t have any followers, though, so it doesn’t matter,” the old alchemist explained.

“A god without faith? Is that fine? No danger of you suddenly disappearing by being forgotten or something like that?” Jake asked with genuine concern.

“What? No, why would I? Where have you gotten such a silly idea from?” Duskleaf asked with apparent puzzlement.

“Eh, I just remember some fiction where gods were a bit like that…” Jake answered, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ a bit embarrassed. Damn you, inaccurate fictional portrayals of gods.

“Faith isn’t actually that big a part of many gods. I am not particularly into that path either. It isn’t even rare that gods exist without any followers or believers at all. A lot of gods don’t do anything and prefer to be holed up in a secluded alchemy lab or something like that for unspeakable amounts of time,” the Viper said, throwing shade at Duskleaf.

“I don’t see what having a bunch of nosy followers does to help me get better at alchemy.”

The two of them continued bickering for a bit back and forth. It was clear that despite them being master and disciple, they were also old friends. The type of friendship forged over… how long actually?

“Hey, been thinking, how old are you two?”

“Well, that came out of nowhere,” the Viper said after being interrupted. “I have been around since before the first era, so 92 full eras and change. Duskleaf is from the 4th era.”

“And how many years is that?”

“Well, each era varies. The 92nd era was around 15 billion years. In other words, the amount of time it took for your universe to go from a seed to what it was just before the initiation. Each era varies in length, the longest being 228 billion years and the shortest being only 7 billion. Do the math.”

Computing for a few moments, making full use of his high intelligence stat, he quickly concluded.

“Both a bunch of old farts. Coercing a young man no older than 28 into some weird religion.”

“More like: two old studs, disrobing and putting their liquids inside young man.”

“Two old men, bathing with young stud.”

“Or-“

One of these old studs/men stood with a hand on his face in the background, looking in exasperation at his master and the young mortal. Cursing himself for having gotten himself involved in this entire debacle.

[User]
Write 121 chapter - You know, I'm something of a sage myself
Target length: ~2900 words
Key events: new skill acquired, class event, dungeon content

[Assistant]
After a long and very fruitful conversation, he was finally reminded by the old alchemist that he still had notifications pending. One notification to be more accurate. This one due to unlocking another available skill upon reaching level 60 in his profession.

*Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper profession skills available*

Jake was honestly quite excited. The last few skills gained from his profession had all been excellent, the most recent being Scales of the Malefic Viper. It was surprisingly long ago he got it, all the way back before he even fought the Great White Stag.

Now he had finally managed to unlock another. With great vigor, he jumped in, and with fervor, saw the first skill.

[Offering (Common)] – Offer an item to your chosen god, allowing them to better hear your pleas for a short period.

And it was shit. Seriously? For all his trials and tribulation, he got a shitty prayer skill? He was pretty sure the Viper could already hear whenever he did something akin to a prayer, so why the hell would he need a skill for it? The rarity alone was enough to put him off - the description was the bare minimum, telling nothing of value.

He knew that only five new skills were added at a maximum every time he unlocked the possibility of getting a new skill. Perhaps he had spent a bit too much time around gods recently. He could only imagine that it had pushed out better and more useable skills.

Moving on with great speed, he got to the next one, which was at least a rare skill.

[Ritualism of the Malefic Viper (Rare)] – To do a ritual is to pay tribute. To give your life for the Malefic One, an honor. Grants the Alchemist knowledge of different rituals pertaining to the Malefic Viper. The ritual’s effect is based on the nature of the ritual performed and the materials used during the ritual. Stat bonuses are applied according to the nature of the ritual performed.

… Had the system finally gotten a sense of humor and begun joking with him? The talk of ritual sacrifices was a joke. Ajoke. Yet Jake was a bit suspicious at the mere existence of the skill. Maybe it was just something all gods had?

Yeah, he assumed all gods would have fanatical followers that went overboard. It was the damn Viper's fault for speaking about sacrifices and such, to begin with. A horrible joke turned into a horrible skill that Jake, of course, had no intention of taking at all.

Everything about it was just ominous. No way he was actually going to return to earth and begin some insane cult with human sacrifices to a god named Villy, with whom he drinks beers with on weekends. As he said during the talk of sacrificial rituals earlier: fuck that.

Moving on down the list, the next one was epic-rarity, and… well, this one was good. Real good.

[Methodology of Duskleaf (Epic)] – Taught by a god who stands at the pinnacle of alchemy, you have begun to understand his methodology. Grants the alchemist a fragment of the knowledge of the god Duskleaf, increases your understanding of alchemy and mana, as well as overall control-techniques during all concoctions or brewings. Allows the Alchemist to make creations he does not have the associated crafting skill for. (does not receive stat effectiveness bonuses without associated skill).

“Hey Duskleaf, guess what?” he said to the god who looked to be daydreaming. Probably about alchemy.

“Hm?”

“I got a skill from you. Methodology of Duskleaf. It’s even Epic and has quite the descri-“

“I forbid you from taking it!” Duskleaf exclaimed loudly, the air slightly trembling at his voice. “No way! Choose something else! Anything but that!”

“I don’t know; it looks pretty good…” Jake teased. However, there was quite a bit of truth in what he said. The skill was good. Really good. It seemed like a skill that would just improve nearly everything during a concoction and brewing, and it would even allow him to make things he didn’t have the crafting skill for, such as flasks.

He had been told that he could anyway; it was just harder. In fact, anyone could still do anything. Jake, if he so wished, could pick up a hammer and make a sword. Of course, the sword would suck, but the system would recognize his creation if it met the bare minimum requirements. He would also not receive any of the bonuses associated with having a profession linked to crafting swords, nor any experience of any kind.

This skill would allow him to make flasks far easier without the associated crafting skill as it would allow him to get the system-assistance and instinctive knowledge. He would very likely still want the actual crafting skill at some point, but it was a good temporary solution. Besides, Jake knew he wouldn’t have enough skill and time soon to get all the crafting skills.

Transmutation, pill-making, flasks, powder, elixirs, and so on were just a few of the things he could learn to craft as an alchemist. And those were just the ones he already knew about. He knew there was far more out there. He wasn’t sure when he would ever get the skill selections for the skills at the current pace.

Currently, he only got a skill every 10 levels. It was every 5 levels before the first class evolution, so he had a strong suspicion it would be even less than every 10 levels after his next evolution. And on top of that, his biggest issue was that he often just had better skills - this very skill-picking-session being one such situation.

“… therefore you should refrain from picking it as it would have implications that-“

“Fine, I won’t. Sheesh,” Jake said as he exited his inner thoughts, noticing that Duskleaf had kept talking throughout his entire inner monologue.

“Too bad, you just missed the perfect chance to get your first faithful,” the Malefic Viper laughed in the background.

Jake just shook his head as he moved on to the fourth skill available. Another one of epic-rarity and this one also related to the Malefic Viper. Though perhaps not precisely what he was looking for.

[Dark Beacon of the Malefic Viper (Epic)] – As the holder of a True Blessing of the Malefic Viper, you’re his champion among the mortals. Allows the Alchemist to channel the aura of the Malefic Viper to more easily subdue others. Allows the Alchemist to guide others towards the path of the Malefic Viper. Forcefully or otherwise. Skill effect is based on wisdom and willpower. The larger disparity between your power and your targets, the larger the effect.

Is the system set on my becoming a cult leader or what? Jake thought to himself after reading the description. Also, what the hell did the skill even have to do with alchemy, to begin with? Maybe related to teaching others alchemy? It would take some serious mental gymnastics for it to make sense. Then again, it wasn’t like the prior skills were necessarily alchemy-related.

The only slightly positive thing that he could see was its possible combat applications, like an AOE aura to suppress weaker enemies or crowds. But thinking on it further, didn’t his new Gaze of the Apex Hunter do something similar to that? Just by sight instead of a constant aura.

Also, the wording on it was just too creepy. Talking about subduing others, forcing them into following °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the Malefic Viper and such. It was giving off clear ‘nope’-vibes all around. Jake did not, in any way, shape, or form, have the desire to become any kind of leader. Despite him having a ‘Lord’ title now.

He considered asking the Viper about the skill but ultimately decided not to. He hadn’t asked or shown any interest in the skills Jake had been offered. It was Jake’s choice to make, be they suboptimal or not. Though in many cases, the outright best skill was just clear from the beginning. It turns out this time was no different, with the final skill being a clear standout.

[Sagacity of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)] – To hold just a fragment of the wisdom of a Primordial is more than most ever achieve. Much less to be personally taught that knowledge directly by the god himself. Allows the Alchemist to peek into a fragment of the Malefic Viper’s Records to seek his knowledge. Grants the Alchemist of the Malefic Viper far better understanding of mana and of most affinities. Allows the Alchemist to make creations he does not have the associated crafting skill for (does not receive stat effectiveness bonuses without associated skill). Passively provides 1 Wisdom per level in Alchemist of the Malefic Viper. May your search for knowledge be as inexhaustible as the Malefic One.

Once again, a long-ass description. A tendency Jake was beginning to see with the ancient-rarity skills granted by the Malefic Viper. Like with the Scales, Palate, and Blood, this one provided wisdom. The pattern was clear, and Jake was also beginning to suspect that some of his other skills would be similar when upgraded to ancient.

But to focus on the actual skill in question… there was a lot to say, and yet not that much. It was awesome. Wisdom was an excellent stat when it came to alchemy, and the skill overall appeared to in many ways to just be a better version of the Methodology of Duskleaf skill. There were some minor differences, but the crafting without associated skills-part was there. It actually made him feel a bit sad for Duskleaf, but on the other hand, he had been forbidden from taking his skill.

Duskleaf’s skill provided a bonus while doing alchemy to mana control, while this one just granted a better understanding of mana and affinities without directly having to do with the alchemy. He was also interested in the ‘peer into a fragment to see Records of the Malefic Viper’ part. If he had to guess, then that fragment would be the drop of blood he now carried within him.

In the end, there was no contest as to which skill he would choose. The 63 bonus wisdom alone made the Sagacity of the Malefic Viper just too tempting to pass up. He found it interesting that he would now effectively get 4 more stats per level in his profession than otherwise stated with the skill. He had quite honestly lucked out hardcore when it came to stumbling across that challenge dungeon.

Or maybe it was the subtle guiding hand of the system, fate, destiny, or whatever else mumbo-jumbo people believed in post-system. He didn’t care about things he couldn’t influence or control, so he just decided to be grateful for what he had gotten.

He didn’t even consult the two gods before he picked the skill. Something he should maybe have done as they were both surprised when he knelt down to the floor holding his head. He had gotten many skills over the brief period he had been in the system, but this one was by far the worst when it came to knowledge imprinted in his mind.

It felt like hours as he was assaulted by a constant stream of information downloaded directly into him. There was so much he quite frankly couldn’t contain it all. The entire process took nearly an hour before the influx and pain subsided.

My fucking head, he cursed as he tried to go through whatever knowledge was just forced upon him. To his absolute bewilderment, he found barely anything. It was just a few wisps of knowledge about mana control and the nature of different affinities, most of which he already knew through prior testing or educated guesses.

Instead, it appeared that the knowledge was somehow locked away. Locked away within him. More accurately, inside that drop of blood he had absorbed. It seems that absorbing that drop of blood is the only reason I could get that overpowered skill to begin with.

It also made the description make more sense - the thing about peeking into a fragment of his knowledge. Just picking it up didn’t give him the full view but was more akin to downloading Wikipedia. Just because it was downloaded didn’t mean he wouldn’t actually have to study and understand it.

“That was a doozy,” Jake muttered, inadvisably opening up himself to question from the two gods.

“Got a nice skill, I reckon?” the Viper asked.

“Sagacity of the Malefic Viper. I would explain what it does, but I guess you already know,” Jake answered.

“Well, as the skill says, I am something of a sage myself. Surprised you unlocked that skill so early, though. The first one to get it for many eras, and I think the first one ever to get it at E-grade. I think you’ll come to learn it is quite the skill.”

“Glad to see that I can even surprise a sage with my humble actions,” he said, before turning to Duskleaf, a faux look of grief on his face. “I am so sorry I didn’t pick your skill. I promise to get one with your name in it next time if possible.”

“Just… don’t,” Duskleaf said, heaving a sigh of relief when he realized it was just a joke.

After talking a bit with the two, Jake decided to finally look at his status menu. However, before doing so, he dumped all his points into perception to truly see how far he had come.

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

Race: [Human (E) – lvl 73]

Class: [Ambitious Hunter – lvl 83]

Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – lvl 63]

Health Points (HP): 10030/10030

Mana Points (MP): 11350/11350

Stamina: 8024/8030

Stats

Strength: 629

Agility: 877

Endurance: 803

Vitality: 1003

Toughness: 650

Wisdom: 908

Intelligence: 442

Perception: 1689

Willpower: 550

Free points: 0

Titles:[Forerunner of the New World], [Bloodline Patriarch],[Holder of a Primordial’s True Blessing], [Dungeoneer V], [Dungeon Pioneer V], [Legendary Prodigy],[Prodigious Slayer of the Mighty], [Kingslayer], [Nobility: Lord], [Progenitor of the 93rd Universe]

Class Skills:[Basic One-Handed Weapons (Inferior)], [Advanced Stealth (Common)], [Advanced Archery (Common)], [Basic Twin Fang Style (Uncommon)], [Basic Shadow Vault of Umbra (Uncommon)], [Splitting Arrow (Uncommon)], [Hunter's Tracking (Uncommon)], [Big Game Hunter (Rare)], [Infused Powershot (Rare)], [Mark of the Ambitious Hunter (Rare)], [Descending Dark Fang (Rare)], [Limit Break (Rare)], [One Step Mile (Ancient)], [Moment of the Primal Hunter (Legendary)], [Gaze of the Apex Hunter (Legendary)]

Profession Skills: [Herbology (Common)], [Brew Potion (Common)], [Concoct Poison (Common)], [Alchemist’s Purification (Common)], [Alchemical Flame (Common)], [Toxicology (Uncommon)], [Cultivate Toxin (Uncommon)], [Malefic Viper’s Poison (Rare)], [Sense of the Malefic Viper (Rare)], [Touch of the Malefic Viper (Epic)], [Scales of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Palate of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Blood of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Sagacity of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)]

Blessing: [True Blessing of the Malefic Viper (Blessing - True)]

Race Skills:[Endless Tongues of the Myriad Races (Unique)], [Identify (Common)], [Thoughtful Meditation (Uncommon)], [Shroud of the Primordial (Divine)]

Bloodline:[Bloodline of the Primal Hunter (Bloodline Ability - Unique)]

Looking over his entire status menu, his progress was impressive. He had gotten so many titles and levels since last. Thinking back, he hadn’t actually gone through his status since back before he fought the Horde Leader. After that, he had killed that boss, killed the King of the Forest, and now even gotten way stronger from his, to quote: ‘cool-ass time-warped training session in alchemy.’

He was stronger than ever before by quite a lot. He hadn’t had the chance to fight anything and test himself, but perhaps he could win against the King if it was the current him.

“Hey, if I fought the King of the Forest now, do you think I cou-“

“Fuck no.”

“Absolutely not.”

The two gods answered simultaneously.

“Are yo-“

“Yeah, you would get your head ripped off in a moment. Seriously Jake, I still don’t think you understand the disparity. That was a true-blue D-grade unique lifeform. If he hadn’t been so far up his own ass, he would have killed you instantly. Perhaps if you had your current strength, all it would change is that he wouldn’t have bothered to play around but just killed you outright.”

“In other words, I just got extremely lucky?” Jake asked, a bit disappointed.

“Partly. You were offered a situation to exploit and the tools to possibly exploit it. If you had been any weaker, you would have failed; if you had been less deceitful and smart about it, you would have died. Don’t take anything away from your own victory. Besides, the King wasn’t a normal D-grade being. Far from it. So don’t belittle yourself.

"The tutorials are made to be theoretically beatable. They are balanced based on who attends them. The system naturally knew how much divine interference there would be, so it upped the overall difficulty. In fact, I reckon your tutorial was among the hardest of your universe and certainly the hardest for Earth. You beating it is fucking monstrous, so keep it up, you goddamn freak."

“Thanks, I guess. Anyway, what’s the plan now? More alchemy?” he asked, ready to try and practice his new skills.

“We got only a few hours before it is time for you to get whisked back to Earth, and that is counting the time-warping,” the Viper said. “I think it’s time we sit down and have a talk about what’s to come.”

[User]
Write 122 chapter - Homecoming
Target length: ~3100 words

[Assistant]
Sitting down around the table, the Viper finally brought out the owed bottle of booze. Duskleaf didn’t appear particularly interested but nevertheless joined them with a glass.

“I promised to answer a few questions, so here we are. Just know that there are things I cannot or will not tell you. Some because the system isn’t a fan, and some because the knowledge will do you more harm than good,” the Viper said, opening the conversation.

“I guess first of all… how the hell do you even know things? Things about Earth and such. I at first thought it was just a god-thing, but Duskleaf looks like a big question mark whenever you make a reference or a joke?” Jake asked. It wasn’t really valuable information, just something that had been irking him.

“Didn’t see that question being the first. See, I don’t know everything!” the scaled god joked before continuing. “There are a lot of skills out there. As you no doubt know, the system can give you access to knowledge and Records and I happen to have a skill that allows me to know things. Think of it as me having access to a limited form of Google or Wikipedia that provides me with widely known information.”

“That sounds overpowered as fuck. How to get it?” Jake asked, gaping slightly. Holy shit he wanted that skill.

“Yeah, good luck getting it before being well into godhood. And it isn’t actually as good as it sounds and has many limits. But yeah, it is called Partial Omniscience. Quite a few other gods have similar skills, but I doubt anyone has one better than mine. I got it a couple of eras ago, so it is a bit of a new addition. The amount of useless info it provides is staggeringly stupid,” the Viper joked.

“Doesn’t it take its toll to have that much crammed into your head?” Jake asked with genuine concern. A mere fragment of knowledge had brought him to his knees; he could only imagine the weight from all of it.

“Jake, I have more in wisdom than your entire planet collectively. I am good,” the Malefic Viper answered dismissively. “But we both know that my awesomeness isn’t what matters right now.”

“True,” Jake said, before leaning back in the chair a bit. “What can I expect when I return to Earth?”

“When the system comes, it changes a lot of things. Life planets, such as your Earth, is one such thing. As you can likely already guess, your planet was actually quite small and fragile before the system with what its inhabitants can and will be able to do in the future. It has thus been terraformed to be more fitting for the new world,” the Viper answered.

“What exactly does that mean?”

“First of all, size. It is a lot bigger than before. A lot of it will still feel familiar, but a lot will be different. The general layout of the planet remains; it is all just… bigger. Oceans are deeper, landmasses expand further, mountains now extend toward the sky, taller than ever, forests become endless metropolises of trees that extend into the horizon,” the god began.

“Secondly, the creatures that lived there will have changed. While the enlightened races – aka humans – spend their time in a tutorial, the animals that remained lived through this baptism. Now joined by others made by the system, they have changed. Don’t underestimate them.”

“D-grades?” Jake asked, concerned.

“From the original inhabitants? Yes. Many. The energy to terraform the planet has also gone into these animals, allowing them to grow far more than usual. But I doubt you will be able to find any, and they will be few and far between. Grouped around natural treasures or special areas. I would be more concerned about the third thing. Tell me, what do you think would have happened to the King of the Forest if you hadn’t killed him?” he asked.

“Don’t tell me…”

“Yeah, he would have joined you back on Earth. And he is far from the only one. Many creatures have been placed in tutorials, and now they will come to Earth. The same would have been true for the four Beast Lords you killed. Of course, now they are dead, which will leave a gap. One for you to exploit,” the Viper smiled mischievously.

“Hold your horses; what do you mean they would have come to Earth? Doesn’t that mean a bunch of extremely powerful, possibly sapient beings with their own agendas will come to Earth? What the hell?” Jake asked, slightly panicking.

“It isn’t that bad. These D-grades won’t be able to walk about as they please but instead be placed in certain areas. Remember the bubble from the tutorial with the inner area? That bubble would have been what moved. Only the original inhabitants can enter, while someone like the King of the Forest can’t leave. Of course, after a while, the bubble will disperse, and they will be free to roam about,” the Viper clarified, dispelling much of Jake’s concern.

He went back to the last part of what the god said before with a sigh of relief. “So, what am I meant to exploit?”

Smiling, the god explained. “A gap has been made with the death of the King of the Forest. More accurately, his forest has been left behind. It will, without a doubt, be close to where you will be upon returning to Earth. Find it and establish yourself there. Locate the Pylon of Civilization. Ought to give you quite the head-start and a nice base of operation. Trust me on this… it will prove very fruitful down the line.”

“Not sure I am interested in settling down and getting a base. My current plan is to search for my parents along with my brother and his wife,” Jake answered.

“I got the feeling that you were like me when it comes to leadership, so just find someone to dump it on while reaping all the rewards from being in charge on paper. As for the family situation…,” the Viper sighed. “I have some bad news on that front.”

Jake felt a creeping sensation as he hesitated to ask. “What?”

With a look more serious than before, not carrying a hint of joking around. “Don’t even think about it.”

Everything in his head stopped turning for a moment as he just sat there in silence, letting the word ring out in the room. It took him a while for the words to sink in. Why? was the only thing he could ask himself.

Didn’t they make it? His father, Robert, had always been a resourceful man, his mother kind yet strong-willed. Caleb and Maja too… why?

“Is… is there a way to bring them back?” Jake asked, trying to grasp unto hope.

“I am sorry. I have tried, more than anyone else, to try and bring someone back to life… if it is possible, I still don’t know how. If there were a body and certain items and skills, it had been done only for those who died just moments earlier. If the Truesoul is gone, however… it isn’t possible," the Viper answered. “Not like it matters currently… they still live.”

“What the hell!?” Jake said, a bit angry. “Then why the hell should I not go look for them?”

He was the kind of person who planned and followed that plan as far as he could go. One who set himself a ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) goal to accomplish. He would do everything to succeed and would struggle until he won. He had done so when he set his goal as killing the King.

“Because it’s a waste of time. Do you know where your family is? How far away they are? Are you even certain you are strong enough to help them? And have you considered the consequences of focusing on finding them over your own progress?”

“I had kind of hoped for you to give me a clue as to a general direction…” Jake said.

“I won’t do that. The system wouldn’t have given that information either. It is naïve to think that you can find a handful of people in a short time on a planet that has changed so significantly with your limited power. It’s far more important for you to get stronger. Also… for once, believe a bit in them. Maybe they can take care of themselves, and your babying will only do more harm than good?”

Jake thought a bit, and as much as he hated it, he didn’t really feel like he could dispute any of the points. But at the same time… he felt a bit regretful. He had chosen Hunter’s Tracking to better find them. One Step Mile to hopefully travel faster to them. Was that all for naught?

“Then what the hell am I supposed to do?” he asked as he stared at the ceiling.

“Grow stronger. Make it fuel to move forward faster because you want to find and protect them. The path ahead of you is long; you will meet other people you want to protect too, no doubt,” the Viper said, consolingly.

“Besides… no matter what, at least you have two buddies here who will more than likely stick around through it all,” he finished with a light smile while motioning to himself and the silent Duskleaf.

Jake looked at the two of them while contemplating his future. He had not come to terms with it, but… he had to recognize that he was going to Earth alone. It's just that he still felt a bit… lonely.

His colleagues and friends were now either dead or had a relationship with him that he was far from comfortable with. Jacob had somehow survived, but he was incredibly unsure precisely what their meeting would be like. Casper was apparently an undead, so that was a whole thing he wasn’t sure how to handle. Jake himself felt regret towards not helping either of them, while Jacob likely also harbored resentment towards Jake.

He never really had any friends outside of work and his family. They had all been pushed away through time, or he had distanced himself after his less than positive experience during university. The only other ones he had were friends online… and those relationships were even more ambiguous.

Perhaps he should just follow the advice of Villy. Find a base and plop himself down there and do alchemy or something. Get his head straight. But what then?

Would he become a leader of humanity and lead them in the new world? Yeah, fat chance of that happening. Would he become a hermit living alone in the woods? That didn’t appear tempting either. For the first time in a long time, Jake was unsure of what to do.

He didn’t have a plan. Not a long-term one anyway.

“I guess whatever comes, comes,” he muttered to himself. “How long till I leave?”

“Around an hour in here. Minutes outside where time moves normally,” the Viper answered.

“Let’s head out then,” Jake said, getting up.

Without arguing, the Viper complied as he began opening the door. Jake felt time slowly return to normal as the world returned to what it was before he entered. Except he now felt a bit more hollow inside. Hollow, but still determined.

They kept talking outside for a bit about other things he could expect back on Earth until he was reminded it was very soon time.

“I guess we will see each other later,” he said, addressing the two gods. “And thanks for everything.”

“No problem, that’s what friends are for, right? It would get monotonous if you thanked me every time I helped you. Just take care of yourself. Don’t die on me quite yet,” The Viper said, smiling.

“Stay safe,” Duskleaf added, opening his mouth for the first time in quite a while. “And remember not to slack off on your alchemy practice.”

“I don’t plan on dying any time soon. If ever. And don’t worry, I won’t slack. Gonna blow you away the next time we meet.”

With those words, they just stood there a while, taking in the atmosphere. It was likely the last time the three would meet in quite a while.

Jake had grown stronger once more. Titles, skills, and levels. After his last battle with the King, he had grown to entirely new levels. He was ready to unleash himself on the unsuspecting planet that is Earth.

Jacob stood beside his old friend and bodyguard as they prepared to return. The brief time spent in the temple had felt like far longer than it actually was. Well, for Bertram, it had been far longer. He had spent most of his time in a time chamber with the Grand Master after all.

While neither of them had grown overly-much in levels, both had grown in their own way. Bertram had skill-upgrades, his swordsmanship now a rare skill in itself. When he entered the chamber, he was a competent fighter by Earth’s standards. Now he was capable even by the standards of the multiverse, for an E-grade at least. He felt confident.

Jacob had instead spent his time learning. Due to his class, even this minor act had gained him two levels. Neither had done anything for their professions. Bertram because he didn’t have the time, and Jacob because he already knew which profession to get in the future… and it wasn’t quite time yet to get it.

A lot had been explained to them of what they would come to meet upon their return. And now the Grand Master, with his daughter by his side, gave them a final speech.

“Remember that safety is your number one concern. Avoid the danger zones to begin with while you build up your conclave of followers. Follow the Holy One’s word, and you are sure to succeed in your path to enlighten your planet, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have to be vigilant.

“You need to be especially wary of followers of other gods. Enemy gods of the Holy Church may have blessed individuals who will target you due to your position and purpose. We cannot offer you any material assistance for the foreseeable future, so you will sadly be on your own.

“But even more so than those who wish to kill you, you must be wary of deceivers. Those who wish to use you or mislead you. Liars and the ones you thought of as friends. Do not trust easily those your skills cannot read properly,” the bearded man said in his usual serious tone, finishing by turning to the guardian besides Jacob. “Bertram, your job is to protect the Augur. Your life and his are one and the same. Do not disappoint us.”

Bertram only nodded, returning the seriousness of his temporary teacher. Jacob was deep in thought at the man’s words as he was also still fine-tuning his plan upon returning to Earth. There were many things to address, and he needed to make sure he did things right the first time.

His resolve to spread the word of the Holy Church was genuine. His conviction true. He just needed to convince others. Religion had always been a tricky subject, one where more often than not, you were simply born into one.

With the system, it was very different. Gods no longer intangible things, no longer only representations of an ideology. They were now that and so much more. They were actual beings with the true power to influence the world.

“Has there been word on my inquiry related to the result of the tutorial I was part of?”

“Yes.”

A voice echoed out in the hall, startling everyone. The voice was overpowering yet gentle. A figure of light manifested before them, and upon seeing the visage of who had come, they all kneeled. The Grand Master had a mixed look of shock and pure reverence. The Mother…

Kneeling, none of them dared look up as the figure spoke. Even Jacob kneeled out of respect. “Your friend won. Defeated the destined King and became a Progenitor. Do not fight him, my son, but do not ally with him either. Avoid your friend for now. May you forever bask in the holy light, my children.”

With those words, the figure dispersed as fast as it came. Inera, Jacob, and Bertram all looked confused at words like ‘destined king’ and ‘progenitor.’ Only the Grand Master understood those terms. But he was too beside himself to explain as he was still awestruck by what had just happened.

He barely managed to break out of the spell and throw out a brief half-coherent explanation before the two young humans were gone, taken by the system back to whence they came.

Casper stood surrounded by floating runes as he finished up his final preparations. His skin was white as ash, and his body didn’t give off the faintest hint of life-energy, yet he appeared more lively than he had ever done since the tutorial went to shit.

All the runes around him spun around as they slowly came together and formed a single magic circle. Taking out a stake from his spatial storage, he moved the circle towards it as they embedded themselves on the weapon. Another trap prepared.

Exiting the tower, he gave a final nod towards the mighty Archlich that had served as his teacher for the last few weeks. He had progressed more than he thought possible, and he felt genuinely grateful.

The Archlich bowed back in recognition not of Casper but of the one who had granted him a blessing. That blessing was more than enough for Casper to be named the leader of the Undead forces that would return to Earth, but he had refused adamantly. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t respected or feared by the others.

The meeting in the courtyard below was also just about concluded when Casper made his entrance. They all stopped and stared at him for a while before turning back to their leader - a woman named Priscilla who had once been human like himself.

[Risen Human – lvl 58]

She gave him a sweet smile before returning her attention to the crowd.

Casper just sneered a bit, and it wasn’t helped by the locket around his neck heating up slightly due to the annoyance of the ghost within. I told you, Lyra, I don’t care about her…

With a sigh, he closed his eyes as he just waited for the end of the tutorial.

63 days and a bit over 22 hours ago, all humans disappeared from Earth. Now it was time for those who remained to come home.

[User]
Write 123 chapter - The Blue Marble
Target length: ~3500 words

[Assistant]
The sun hung above as it shone upon the serene lake. The sky was blue, inviting everyone to bask in the warmth outside and enjoy the weather. Everything appeared utterly ordinary at first glance. Until it wasn’t.

The surface of the lake erupted as a giant maw emerged. In the mouth of the enormous fish was a several meters long insect that had been invisibly surfing along the surface of the water only moments earlier.

The fish looked like a giant bass. Its teeth were far more prolonged and sharper than expected, and the sheen from their sharpness only amplified by the glittering droplets of water. Despite its size and jaw-strength, it failed to shut its maw tight.

Four powerful legs of what had been a small water strider before the system held it open. At ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) the same time it opened its tiny mouth and let out a blast of water straight down into the mouth of the beast that had tried to eat it. In a turn of events where the hunter became the hunted, the fish was bisected into two pieces by a water cutter.

Blood flew everywhere as the beast died from the powerful attack, unable even to comprehend its demise. The victory of the strider was short-lived, however.

From above dove the figure of a giant bird, and before the strider could reconnect with the water and make its escape, it was caught in two powerful talons that crushed its feeble head.

The giant hawk beat its wings as it flew off with its dead prey still clenched below it. The serene lake that was now filled with blood reflected in its eyes - the sun above uncaring.

Earth had become a battlefield. A battlefield the humans would now rejoin. Rejoin, and once more, strive to be at the top of the food chain.

What had once been a great city was now but a shell of its former self. The massive monoliths of glass that had marked the prowess of human engineering now lay shattered on the ground. The structures toppled to the ground or ripped apart from the inside out.

Nature had not been kind to human civilization. It had reclaimed most of what had formerly been taken from it by urban development. Grass now grew in the streets, moss covered the buildings that still stood, and one could even see trees that had grown to full size in mere weeks.

This day there was a significant change. Scattered around the city, humans appeared. All at once, the city that had been populated by nearly a million people was now inhabited once more.

Of the million people, around 800.000 – 900.000 returned - a phenomenon that was not just in this city, but the entire world. The survival rate of tutorials coming at 86% would surprise most, some for how low it was and some for how high.

Inside what had once been the lobby of a big office building, a cluster of humans appeared. The many-storied juggernaut was now reduced to only its ground floor. Among those who appeared stood a man with long blonde hair in a white robe, together with a stoic armored man by his side.

Jacob looked around to get a feeling for his surroundings. He instantly noticed many familiar faces in the crowd. Familiar, yet foreign. Only a bit over two months had passed, but he could see the changes on everyone’s faces.

His Lighthouse of the Holy Mother allowed him to soak in the emotions of all those around him. He felt mainly trepidation mixed in with a bit of relief. It was no surprise that many were happy the nightmare that was a tutorial was over.

The emotions were many and varied. But one stood out more than any of the others. Stood out in that Jacob couldn’t feel anything at all.

Solitarily stood a figure covered in the brown cloak given to archers. Beneath it, one could see the black leather armor and beneath him two shoddy-looking boots. Jacob couldn’t even look at his face as a mask now covered it. Yet, he didn’t fail to recognize his old employee. Jake.

Soon the silence was broken as people began talking. Some were simply looking for comfort, others asking about their loved ones. Not everyone had entered the tutorial with those closest to them, far from it. A few even saw Jacob and turned to him for direction. And direction he would give them.

“Everyone, please calm down!” he yelled out, amplified by one of two remnant skills from his time as a warrior: Amplify Voice. A weak common-rarity skill, but it was more than enough to have the focus of the room switch to him. He even felt two powerful eyes from behind a mask pierce into him. He shuddered slightly inwardly but appeared unfazed outwardly.

“Jacob, is that you?” someone asked. Looking at him, Jacob saw it was Mike. Joanna’s husband.

“It is good to see you made it, Mike. I- “

“Were you in the tutorial with my wife? What about everyone else in the elevator with us back then?” Mike quickly interrupted frantically. The anxiousness clear on his face.

“I am sorry. Our tutorial was… a mess,” Jacob answered, loud enough for everyone around to hear. The focus now solely on him. “We had bad actors. They moved to conquer or simply kill everyone. In the end, they succeeded. Even I lost my life and only managed to save myself and Bertram with the help of a benevolent god. By the time I died, only two others remained.”

“Joanna… is…” Mike stammered out as tears began gathering in his eyes.

“I truly am sorry. It was a true nightmare,” Jacob tried to console him. “But I managed to help her in the end. She died with only the regret that she couldn’t rejoin you and her children here on Earth. Just know that she truly is in a better place now… not in a figurative way either. In the future, I swear you will be able to speak with her again.”

“Who or what killed her?” Mike asked, not caring much about the last part of what Jacob said.

“Her death was caused by a maniac called William. He sought to slaughter everyone for his own gains,” he answered, glancing at Jake. “An endeavor he failed. I reckon you ended him, Jake?”

Everyone turned their gazes to the masked figure; many only truly noticing him now. Even with everyone wearing widely differing outfits of questionable taste, Jake still stood out. His mask was making him more than a little conspicuous.

Jake looked up at Jacob. He tried to search his eyes for any emotions… but found that his gaze was the same as before the tutorial. If with a bit more wariness. He was relieved that he didn’t appear to blame him for what happened. “Yeah, but another god interfered and ended up saving him in the end.”

“So he still lives…” Jacob muttered. Turning his gaze away from Jake, he redirected his attention away from the archer as he spoke once more. “Everyone, please listen to me when I say we aren’t safe even here. Earth has changed and is, in many ways, even more dangerous than the tutorials. We must stick together if we wish to make it.”

“What the fuck are you on about?” someone yelled at the back. Someone who didn’t know Jacob before the tutorials.

Jacob wasn’t offended but answered honestly. “While we struggled in the tutorials, all that was not human struggled on Earth. To underestimate any being after the system is foolish. Additionally, the trials of the tutorials are not over. We will…”

Jacob went on to explain much of what Jake had been told about by the Viper earlier. A few details differed, but nothing of consequence. At the same time, the archer was still considering his own plans. He felt a few uncomfortable gazes on him, no doubt trying to feel him out. Mike being one of them.

Slowly Jacob began to win people over. His class and skills were surely not hurting his cause either. It affected everyone in the broken-down lobby except for Jake.

Their willingness to follow him was naturally only strengthened from the harsh circumstances. Many felt lost and without purpose. They were afraid of the future, not sure what to do. For someone to stand up and give them direction was exactly what many needed.

Winning over a few, the group-thinking quickly took over. In the end, everyone simply followed when Jacob began leading them out of the broken building and onto the street. Jake had decided to stick around a bit at the back alone, as he had gotten a prompt upon his return, making him aware he wasn’t that pressed for time. Soon, he was joined by Mike.

“Why are you wearing that stupid mask?” he asked first thing. He had wanted to ask about his wife. Wanted to learn more about her killer. But instead, he threw a quick jab at the young man’s appearance. He found it disrespectful and stupid for him to hide beneath a mask.

The question annoyed Jake more than it should have. That mask was the proof of his victory over the King of the Forest. Evidence of him beating the tutorial. Instead of giving a proper answer, he snapped back at him.

“Why are you so pathetically weak?”

Jake had done a quick round of Identify while half-listening to Jacob’s speech. Trying to get a feeling for the average levels. And it was… disappointing. Incredibly so.

While the levels varied, the average was only around 14 or 15. Everyone had reached level 10, but many had only just done so. Jake could barely comprehend how that was even possible. Jacob had naturally been the second-highest person except for himself. A fact that clearly gave him a lot of credibility for those able to Identify him.

“What the fuck did you just say to me?” Mike said, puffing up. He was a tall man, more than half a head taller than Jake. His muscles were far more prominent than Jake’s. But he was truly weak - only level 16. Jake wasn’t even sure if he had upgraded his class yet.

“I said you're weak. Your equipment is shit; your level is shit. What the fuck did you expect to accomplish after lazing about in the tutorial for two months?” Jake snapped back. He was annoyed. Not just at Mike but everyone.

What the fuck had they been doing? He understood that not everyone is fit for fighting, but what about professions? And even if they weren’t fighters, they should at least learn to protect themselves.

His comment had clearly gotten the attention of more than just Mike as many turned towards him. Their gazes were less than gentle as he felt several people try and Identify him. Useless attempts as there was no way a bunch of F and the rare E-grade humans could pierce through the Shroud of the Primordial.

“What the fuck do you know, you little whelp?” Mike yelled, his face red. “I went to hell and back, you cocksucker. Watch your goddamn mouth, or I’ll shut it for you.”

“You are free to try,” Jake said, staring into the eyes of the man.

Mike felt a shiver run down his spine as he saw those eyes. But instead of listening to his instincts, he exacerbated the situation. His own fear made him only angrier - his sorrow of his learning the death of his wife redirected into anger at Jake.

So he threw a punch.

It never landed.

Jake caught it easily. Its speed pathetic in his eyes. The strength behind it was negligible. He caught it and pressed down on the fist in his hand. He felt it squash like a rotten apple as Mike screamed out in pain.

If their conflict didn’t have everyone’s attention before, they sure had all eyes on them now. Jacob had been watching it from the beginning without interfering. A decision he now regretted as the situation had resulted in blood being spilled.

Several yells sounded out as people reacted. Some drew their weapons; others prepared themselves to cast magic. In a split-second, the situation had turned from just an interesting squabble to a possible fight.

“Please, everyone!” Jacob yelled out, all his skills on full display as he tried to calm the agitated crowd. It had some effect as everyone just seemed to have frozen. The only ones still moving being Mike, who held his bloody hand, and Jake, who stood indifferently staring down at the now kneeling man.

“This is a waste of time,” Jake said after a bit. Taking out a healing potion from his spatial storage, he put it down on the floor in front of Mike as he turned to leave. He just wanted to get out of the situation he had found himself in.

“Jake, can I have just two seconds of your time?” Jacob quickly asked as he read the archer’s intent to leave.

He really didn’t want to, but Jake nevertheless agreed. “Fine.”

Walking towards Jacob, people just moved out of the way. Jake could feel the looks of fear in the eyes of his former colleagues. The wariness and unwillingness to engage him. Many of the eyes belonging to people who had looked down on him or felt utterly indifferent towards him only a few months ago. In a way, it was oddly satisfying.

Jacob took Jake a bit away from the others to talk. It likely didn’t help as everyone had amplified hearing with increased stats, making it more of a gesture more than anything else. Nevertheless, Jake appreciated having more space around them.

“You have grown strong,” was the first thing he said, a slight smile on his lips. He didn’t appear to care much for the still crying man in the background who had yet to drink the potion.

In actuality, Jacob was just happy Jake hadn’t killed Mike. He had been afraid of that happening. His skills for reading people didn’t work on Jake, and the last time he saw him, he had led him into an ambush. Both men had feared the other blamed them for all the shit that had happened.

“Yeah,” Jake simply said.

“You are leaving, right?” Jacob asked.

“Yeah… I don’t really fit here,” Jake sighed. A statement Jacob couldn’t really dispute.

“Just… take care, man. That tutorial was a shithole and… I’m sorry about everything I did. I am happy to hear that you managed to beat it in the end. We all need to create our own place in this new world - our new homes. I don’t know what your plans are, but I hope you find what you are looking for,” Jacob said, smiling at his friend. “I fucked up in the tutorial big-time… I nearly got you killed because of how much of an idiot I was… I hope that you forgive me, but I understand if you won’t. Just know that I will always consider you a friend, even if you don’t consider me one.”

Jacob knew the Holy Mother and Grand Master had both made it pretty clear that he should be cautious and distance himself from Jake, but that didn’t mean Jacob was going to. Jake was his friend, and not even the mightiest god could change that. Their friendship was between him and Jake, and no one else.

“I…” Jake began but wasn’t sure what to say. Jacob really hadn’t changed much at all despite everything. He had always had a hard time with words, so instead, he decided just to act. “Here, take these. Healers are still a rarity, I assume, so these should come in handy.”

He took out nearly a hundred healing, stamina, and mana potions. Most of them being his older creations, but a few newer ones were also mixed in. Jake didn’t need them, and it felt good to offload them. His only regret was losing the bottles as those could be reused. But such a complaint was too petty even to consider.

While Jake felt it was just a nice gesture, it was something entirely else for Jacob and those with sharper eyes who observed them. They saw Jake hand him a huge satchel filled with potions. They all remembered those bottles and the miraculous benefits they carried. All remember how they had saved their lives.

And now Jake gifted them so many. Nobody knew where he got them from and frankly didn’t care. Jacob and Bertram were the only ones who knew that Jake had likely created them himself. Both of them had become privy to information not many others had, including knowledge of different professions. Alchemy naturally being one of them.

“I am sure these will come in handy,” Jacob replied as he took the satchel. He also couldn’t ignore the fact that Jake had summoned it all out of thin air, meaning he either had a pocket storage skill or perhaps even a spatial storage item. He is truly different from the rest of us, he thought.

“Here, take this in return,” Jacob said, as he handed Jake a small book. “I spent the last few weeks reading… I took down some notes that I hope may come in handy. It isn’t much, but I truly don’t have anything else of value to offer.”

“Thanks,” Jake said, depositing the small book in his spatial storage. “I’m off.”

Jake began walking towards the exit as a roar shook the building. Everyone looked around, terrified, until the source became apparent.

With a crash, one of the walls in the far back end was smashed through. Jake looked back and saw a huge lizard the size of a minivan. He didn’t feel any sense of danger from it, and a quick identification only confirmed its weakness.

[Rockeater Saurolisk – lvl 51]

Of course, the reactions from the others in the room were vastly different. The only other person who could Identify its level was Jacob, meaning all people saw was two question marks. The type of enemy that in tutorials always meant casualties. But none of them died this day.

The lizard looked the room over, ignoring all the weak humans completely until its eyes finally landed on the only one with a level high enough to make him worth hunting – Jacob. Before the beast even did anything, it froze in place. Its eyes widened with fear as it found itself unable to move. A gaze had locked unto it – that of an Apex Predator, or more accurately, an Apex Hunter.

Less than a second later, its head exploded as an arrow pierced through the room. The poor lizard was dead before it could even recognize how much it had fucked up by barging into that particular building and that the human it couldn’t even recognize the strength of was indeed far above its own.

“Stupid lizard,” Jake muttered as he walked out of the building. Everyone was just staring after him as he disappeared from sight.

Jacob, finding himself left to pick up the pieces of the situation that just happened, made the gawking populace focus on himself once more.

“We must leave this place. Find somewhere safe. Or at least safer. Find others to make a group big and strong enough to defend ourselves. Then- “

“Why did you let that guy go? Shouldn’t he just protect us?” someone yelled out.

Jacob looked at the person, trying to hide his genuine annoyance. “His path is not ours, and none of you have any right to judge him. He has his own challenges and issues to deal with. Rather than just expecting someone to, you should instead think about how you can make someone want to protect you. We have nothing to offer someone on his level. Not yet, at least.

“Now, let us set out. Set out and create our new haven in this new world.”

A bit away from the office building, a single man stood, having retreated the moment he appeared and before anyone had even noticed him. He stood on top of the building, as he looked down at them all exiting the old lobby, and he saw the lizard get killed instantly.

He smiled as he noticed the one who did it. Jake had been the first to teach him anything about combat in this new world and was a friend long before the tutorial.

Casper saw the masked figure that was walking off, turn his eyes towards him. They locked eyes, one with hollow black eyes and the other a piercing yellow gaze.

They didn’t need any words as the two men nodded at each other. Jake, smiling beneath his mask and Casper chuckling a bit to himself. Both hated social interactions, and everything that needed to be said was communicated through that nod.

Casper looked towards the horizon as he set off, the emblem he had been given already making him aware of the closest meeting spot.

Take care, mate, and let’s meet again.