Miyamoto had known from the very beginning he would be the primary target of anyone interested in joining Jake’s party. The reason for this was manifold. Firstly, he was the only other human in the group and an earthling like Jake, which immediately made him stand out. Miyamoto also had what most would perceive as the most replaceable role in the group, as he was simply a swordsman. The Fallen King was a Unique Lifeform, and the Sylphian Hawk was clearly closely tied to the Chosen and had unknown powers, while he himself was just a man.Seeing as no one would dare challenge a Unique Lifeform, and Sylphie wasn’t an appealing target either, they naturally scrutinized him. The only thing Miyamoto had was his status as a Transcendent, and while that perhaps spoke to his talents, it wasn’t necessarily tied to combat power. A Transcendent skill was not one that could simply be used repeatedly to settle any and all conflicts, either, so it didn’t make him that much more threatening due to it

Back in the main hall, the festivities that were actually just a glorified political event continued. A number of people still held hope that they could join the Chosen of the Malefic Viper and his party for Nevermore, as they all knew what that would mean.It wasn’t out of the question for weaker individuals to effectively get carried through the mega-dungeon, thus earning a better title, more levels, and more items than if they had gone with equally skilled people. That was why those with supportive roles hoped they would get selected—simply because there weren’t any better options. The scope of potential party members that met the stringent requirements was limited, as finding good support between levels 200 and 210 who weren’t already with powerful groups wasn’t easy.However, that hope was shattered when the Chosen returned. He did not come alone, but accompanied by a dryad who met the requirements—and what was more, she carried the Blessing of Nature’s Attendant. Anyone with a B

Jake instantly understood how the list was full when he laid his eyes on the first wall, which displayed the top ten individuals of the 93rd Universe.Nevermore Leaderboards (C-grade): 93rd Universe.Holy Templar – Low TierHoly Knight – Low TierHoly Priestess – Low TierHoly Ranger – Low TierHoly Knight – Low TierHoly Mage – Low TierHoly Duelist – Low TierHoly Mage – Low TierHoly Knight – Low TierHoly Templar – Low TierThey were all shit scores. For reference, there was no actual display of points; people were just placed into a "tier" based on their performance, with the lowest being the Low Tier. After that came Middle-Low Tier, High-Low Tier, and then Peak-Low Tier. Then, from there, one moved into the Low-Mid Tier, Mid Tier, High-Mid Tier, and so on and so forth.All of this is to say that Low Tier was the bottom rung. Jake was still a bit surprised, especially when he saw the list dominated by people who chose to remain anonymous and only post the archetype of their clas

"That must have been cathartic," the Sword Saint said after they had put some good distance between themselves and the northern arenas. "I take it no one is following us?""Nobody, as far as I can tell. And yes, it felt damn good to finally tell that fucker off.” But then Jake scratched his chin and, a bit embarrassed, asked, "But… eh… was that entire speech a bit overboard?""Hm, it was adequate and communicated what had to be said," the old man said, shaking his head."Good, good.” Jake nodded. He had pretty much made up the speech on the spot and let out a few pent-up feelings, so he wasn’t sure how it had come off."It was an interesting encounter, I must say," the Sword Saint commented. "More so than your speech, I believe your recent actions in relation to Vesperia are the real issue for this Yip and his Chosen. His attempt to try and find a solution that does not include killing you seemed genuine. I believe they fear the potential backlash of other factions if they kill you ou

Just after Jake was contacted and told his teammates were done, he just happened to find himself standing in front of a large gateway that he didn’t doubt led to the next floor. One thing did confuse him a bit, though. There was another smaller teleportation circle of some kind near the wall of the cavern, but it was slightly damaged.“Pretty sure I found it, but there is also this other teleportation circle. It looks like a short-range one, though.” Jake passed along a mental image to the party.“Peculiar,” the Sword Saint answered, sending back the mental image of an identical magic circle down at the south pole. This one wasn’t broken, though. “Is yours operational?”“Nope, is yours?”“Appears to be, but with yours broken… we shall begin making our way north now.”“Eh, gimme a minute,” Jake said, looking at the magic circle a bit. He tilted his head and went closer. Touching the circle, he closed his eyes and studied it for a minute or so while comparing it to the one at the southe