Nobody liked being interrupted while having a good time, and Jake was no different. He had just been chilling with his Puzzle Box when he suddenly felt space shift around him, throwing him out of the space inside the box. For a brief moment, he saw his surroundings, and then the entire time chamber disappeared, and he found himself standing within an entirely white void reminiscent of those he had been tossed into after doing the Challenge Dungeons.Just as he appeared, a screen popped up in front of him.Nevermore Leaderboards Challenge successfully completed. Initiating final calculations.Jake read the message and nodded. Bloody finally.He waited for more text to appear for a few seconds, but nothing was happening, making him impatiently tap his fingers and cross his arms.“I swear, if this messes up any of our timing for finishing…”“It won’t,” a voice suddenly said as a figure appeared behind him. “While in this space, time is paused, courtesy of the system.”Turning his head, J

If Jake was being perfectly honest, he had hoped to quickly bail and get out of Nevermore City as soon as it was convenient. He would first want to visit the Order and ensure everything was good there before making his way back to Earth, where he was certain quite a few changes had also taken place. After his Chosen Ceremony and all that had happened surrounding that, this was pretty much a given, and he hoped Miranda hadn’t been too overwhelmed.However, it appeared that was not an option, and Jake ended up following Viridia and the Fallen King to a large conference hall of sorts. When Viridia had said this after-party was for the top performers on the Leaderboards, she hadn’t just meant those from the Era Leaderboard. In fact, those from the Universe one were far more interesting to have there due to their newness to the multiverse.As Viridia explained telepathically while they walked over there, “It has long been known the most effective way to forge an alliance and recruit new me

Jake took a second to process what the hell the elemental had just said, yet before he could even do that, he felt bloodlust radiate from behind him. This shook Jake back to reality as his own aura also unconsciously leaked, joining that of three others.Carmen had been the first to stare daggers at the elemental, seemingly ready to pounce, but, to Jake’s slight surprise, the Fallen King and Sword Saint also showed their clear displeasure, looking ready to assist Carmen should she attack.However, before any of them could do or say anything, Sylphie proved that she didn’t need anyone to stand up for her with a no-nonsense reply. “Ree.”The elemental was taken aback, partly by Sylphie’s screech and partly by the four C-grades seemingly ready to turn him into slushed ice. Still, he managed to keep his head cool as he focused on Sylphie.“Please do not take offense. It would be an honor for you to join hands with me. We are both holders of autho⁠—”“Ree.”“Such a reply is shortsighted an

"You’re a real smooth-talker, huh?” Jake heard from behind as Carmen walked up to stand beside him. “Sure trying to get that little dragon princess wrapped around your finger.”“Hm?” Jake said, not entirely sure what she was getting at. “No, I was trying to be polite. She just seemed a bit sheltered and nervous.”“Damn, you’re dense at times.” Carmen sighed. “Think about it. That little princess has definitely been praised and raised up her entire life, with every single male influence in her life being either a family member, someone trying to get in her pants, or people too fucking scared to try anything, as they know the kind of trouble they could get into for offending her. Then you come along, confident and unbothered by her status, treating her like an equal and being all nice, while she also knows her dad would probably be over the moon if she dragged you home with a ring on her finger.”Jake stared at Carmen for a while before shaking his head. “I think you’re reading way too

Jake had a few places he wanted to stop by before heading back to Earth. He first went to a few of the factions that had congratulated him on his Leaderboard placement. He did this primarily to be polite and stuff, but this entire tour had also been done for one other reason: politics. Well, and optics… but it all fell under the same umbrella of political bullshit.Before going to visit anyone else, he made his way back to the Order of the Malefic Viper and said hello to Viridia. He even met Draskil there, who seemed a bit annoyed at having failed to place in the top 250, but he was still nice enough to give Jake a congratulations for his achievement. The Malefic Dragonkin had done pretty okay in his own right, but he simply wasn’t a crafter at all, leaving him pretty darn screwed when it came to some of the Challenge Dungeons, and while his party was alright, they had only reached floor seventy-five and not even done the event boss there.Anyway, while meeting these two was nice, the