Nobody liked being interrupted while having a good time, and Jake was no different. He had just been chilling with his Puzzle Box when suddenly he felt the space around him shift, and he was thrown out of the space inside the box. For a brief moment, he saw his surroundings before the entire time chamber disappeared, and Jake 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, so did a screen pop 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 as he crossed 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, Jake saw a familiar figure as he smiled. “Didn’t expect the big boss herself to handle these evaluations too.”
“Usually, she doesn’t,” Nevermore answered. “But in some rare cases, I do. Primarily for those who performed well enough for it to be warranted.”
“I guess that’s a way of telling me I did well,” Jake smiled.
“You already know you did well,” Nevermore said. “Now you just need to find out exactly how well.”
The Bound God waved her hand as a screen appeared off to the side, making Jake look over.
“Are you nervous?” Nevermore asked, clearly already knowing the results of everything.
“I feel like I shouldn’t be, but a little bit of nervousness did manage to sneak in. Overall, I wouldn’t say I was, though,” Jake shrugged, pretty sure that was normal.
“Perhaps not for this… but I will give you a courtesy warning that once we are done here, you will be teleported into the Nevermore City square, surrounded by nearly every peak faction of the multiverse, with all eyes on you as Minaga is in charge of announcing the Leaderboards results, making me relatively certain he won’t just allow you to appear without at least a few comments,” she shared kindly.
“… okay, now I might be a little nervous…”
“Good. Now for the part you don’t need to be as nervous about,” the Bound God said as the screen began to be filled with lines of text.
Nevermore Points Leaderboard Calculation:
71 levels gained (204 --> 275). Calculating rewards.
You’ve earned 7100 (100 per level gained) Nevermore Points.
Jake had to jump in here, as 100 points per level just seemed way too low and almost insulting until he remembered how few points the lower floors gave, and with that in mind, maybe this wasn’t so bad. Yeah, he also had to consider he had probably gained way fewer levels than some others, so the extra points per level being shit was-
You will receive an additional 35.5% (0.5% per level gained) multiplier of all Nevermore Points.
Alright, never mind. Levels were still pretty damn fucking important, even for those with a lot of points. An extra multiplier per level gained had not been something Jake expected, that’s for sure. He knew levels would give something, but a percentage multiplier seemed like a bit much. Not that he was going to say no to it, as it would help make his final number even bigger.
And looking at the next three lines, his number did end up being pretty darn big… with even quite the impressive multiplier.
Current Nevermore Points: 2,128,050
Nevermore Points Multiplier: 185.5%
Total Nevermore Points Earned: 6,075,583
“Six million… that feels like a lot of points,” Jake commented as he looked at Nevermore. “Is it a lot of points? Relatively speaking, I mean. I was definitely more confident before I was aware of the multiplier from levels gained. Why is that even so large?”
“Let me start with your final question. The multiplier is as such to even the odds a bit for monsters who are less favored in several of the Challenge Dungeons. Since they tend to gain more levels than the enlightened, this stage benefits them the most, more often than not,” the Bound God answered.
“Makes sense, I guess. Say, since we are done… who got the most levels of everyone?” Jake asked curiously, not at all expecting to actually get an answer.
“The record is 149 levels gained by a monster doing the entirety of C-grade in one go,” she answered.
Jake’s eyes opened wide. “How in the hell…”
“Through means that also result in this very same creature not ever being able to evolve to B-grade. Gaining a lot of levels through ways that destroy one’s foundation is not particularly difficult. Or at least so I’ve been told,” the Bound God, who had been born with near omnipotent powers within the World Wonder, answered. “Also, no, this monster is not on any of the Leaderboards.”
“Alright, who was the one who gained the most levels while also being on the Leaderboards?” Jake changed his question, surprised Nevermore was even sharing this much, which made it even more surprising when she answered this question, too.
“Someone you at the very least heard of. Ghost King Azal managed to gain a total of 112 levels during Nevermore, with more than a third of that earned during the final month,” Nevermore said with a sigh. “Only slightly beating out someone from the Holy Church who earned 108 through a similar trick.”
“… that was an option?” Jake asked. “How the hell did they do it?”
“Treasures bound to them they brought in from the outside. A final resort to try and bring honor to their organizations by sacrificing much of their foundations,” Nevermore shook her head in disappointment.
“Damn,” Jake muttered. “I guess this brings me back to my first question… is six million Nevermore Points a lot?”
Nevermore smiled at him for a moment before a second screen appeared above the first. One with a number on it.
5,991,906
Jake took a second as he pointed. “That’s lower than mine.”
“Brilliant observational skills, truly putting all your Perception to use,” Nevermore shook her head. “This is the current record.”
Hearing this, Jake grinned. “Fuck yeah… totally knew I had him beat.”
No matter how much Jake had tried to distract himself, he had been afraid that somehow, Ell’Hakan still had a higher score. Especially after that whole thing with levels also awarding points and multipliers… though then again, you needed 10 race levels just to get 5% more, so maybe it wasn’t that extreme.
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Feeling happy, Jake looked at Nevermore as the Bound God shook her head and waved her hand again as a third screen appeared, with yet another number on it.
5,705,821
Jake looked at it for a bit before scratching the back of his head. “Not sure what you’re trying to tell me with that… is it the number 10 on the top ten Leaderboards or something?”
“That’s the score of Ell’Hakan, the one now holding the second place on the Leaderboards in this era.”
“… what?” Jake exclaimed, looking confused as he pointed to the first number that was more than a quarter of a million bigger. “Then that is…?”
“The score set by Yip of Yore last era… the man now holding the second place on the All-Time Leaderboard.”
Jake didn’t have time to say more as a giant slab dropped down from out of nowhere, smashing into the white floor, showing that Nevermore also had a flair for dramatics whenever she wanted. Words began to appear on the slab, as ten names were revealed from the bottom to the top. When Jake saw the full list, he did have to do a double-take, despite Nevermore having already confirmed what was going on.
Nevermore Leaderboards (C-Grade): All-Time
1. Jake Thayne
2. Yip of Yore
3. Monk
4. The Holy Son
5. Anonymous
6. Gwyndyr of the Crimson Flame
7. Anonymous
8. Aurustromoz, Dragon of Gold.
9. Ell’Hakan
10. Ninth Hell Devil
--
He kept staring at it for a few more seconds as he let it sink fully in. His goal had been to beat Ell’Hakan… and, well, he had definitely done that. An impressive feat in its own right, seeing as he had managed to snag the number 8 – now 9 – spot on the All-Time Leaderboard. One thing did strike him as weird, though, as he looked at the Leaderboard.
“I recognize Gwyndyr, the Holy Son, and I also read about Aurustromoz, the Patriarch of the Regalflight… is everyone on this Leaderboard still alive? Did every person with a top placement in prior eras really all become gods?” Jake asked with confusion.
“Yes,” Nevermore answered. “But you got things a bit mixed up. They are on this particular Leaderboard because they are still alive. You lose your spot if you die, and another may rise and take your place. It happens more than you think, and the two who have been on the list the longest are the Holy Son and the Monk.”
“Who is this Monk?”
“Someone that wished to be anonymous. You can choose your own name on the Leaderboards, not just this one, but also the two outside. Which is something we should address right away… what do you want to be shown as? Do know there are some limits, and the name has to be associated with your Path and Records to be accepted,” the Bound God explained. “Also, if you wish to change your name at any point, you can return to Nevermore and request it.”
Jake looked at the name currently displayed for a bit. He had gone by many things throughout the times… Chosen of the Malefic Viper is probably at the top of that list. Recently, he had been called the Harbinger of Primeval Origins quite a bit, and then there was, of course, the final option: the Primal Hunter. All of these were possible choices, and he kind of wanted to go with the final one… but not yet. For now, he would simply let it be.
“Jake Thayne is fine,” he said, shaking his head. Others also tended to use their names based on what he saw, and no need to break that pattern.
“As you will,” Nevermore agreed with a nod. “In that case, allow me to be the first to formally congratulate you for your performance within the World Wonder. It has been a pleasure to have you visit.”
Smiling, Jake nodded and acknowledgment. “It’s been a long but pleasant stay. For the most part, anyway… you could do away with the water levels.”
“I’ll be sure to pass on your feedback. But before you go, two more things. Let’s first get the easy one out of the way,” Nevermore said, and with a single wave of her hand, Jake felt as if power rushed through his body. Everything tingled for a moment, Jake nearly feeling like he was using his boosting skill. Except he didn’t, and quickly, everything returned to normal.
Jake raised a hand as he opened it and closed it into a fist a few times. He realized what had happened and quickly checked his system messages as he grinned.
Titled gained: Peerless Conqueror of Nevermore
Peerless Conqueror of Nevermore – Throughout the ages, few have stood at the true pinnacle of an Era. Even fewer have stood above even this at the true apex, dominating all eras prior. Attain first place on the All-Time Nevermore Leaderboards, proving yourself a Peerless Conqueror of Nevermore. Only one Nevermore Performance title can be held at a time. As a Peerless Conquerer of Nevermore, you are a master of dungeons, increasing stats gained from Dungeoneer and Dungeon Pioneer titles by 50%. +15% All Stats.
15% to all stats was… a lot. Coupled with the title he had gained from the Challenge Dungeons, he was up to a 20% bonus to all stats from Nevermore total. He also noted the part about only being able to have one Nevermore Performance title at a time, which was apparently different from the Nevermore Dungeon titles.
Then there was the other effect of getting more stats from his Dungeoneer and Dungeon Pioneer titles. This effect was, currently, honestly kind of shit. Jake only got 65 stats from his Dungeoneer XV title in the first place, and even with a 50% boost, that only became 97. However, it was the kind of title that would keep getting better the further Jake progressed. Maybe it sucked now, but if he managed to also max out his Dungeon Pioneer, it would give a respectable amount. In later grades, it would also keep adding more and more. Plus, with Jake’s quite frankly ridiculous percentage amplifiers to stats, any raw base stats held immense value.
“That’s a nice title right there,” Jake grinned and looked at Nevermore. “Thanks.”
“Do not thank me; you earned it through your own merit,” the Bound God answered, returning his smile. “Now, the final thing before we say our farewells… there are no item rewards, as everything was put into the title and the items rewarded from the Challenge Dungeons. Usually, those who perform really well do not really need any equipment either, just leading to lost work for crafters if we gave out such things. But there is still an extra exclusive reward I will offer you, granted by the system due to… unique circumstances.”
Without any pre-cursor, a small bottle appeared, floating just within reach of Jake. Confused, Jake used Identify on it.
[Bottle of Restoration (Unique)] – Restores Primal Origin Energy. Must be consumed before fully leaving Nevermore.
Jake took a bit to realize what this item was… and he felt almost disappointed. Had the system just decided to officially name his Jake Juice?
“To clarify something, the description you see may not reflect any true names,” Nevermore clarified.
“Oh, good,” Jake sighed with relief. “Then there is still hope for it to be called Jake Juice.”
“You know, that isn’t even impossible. If that is the name the energy gets known by, and it becomes cemented in its Records, that will be of the official name any who sees it will see.”
“:.. on second thought, maybe I shouldn’t call it Jake Juice, though that would be extremely hilarious,” Jake smiled as he took the bottle. He had to drink it now, so… “Bottom’s up.”
Drinking the liquid inside, Jake didn’t really feel anything. It also just tasted like plain water, having no real taste. However, when he sought deep within himself, he felt it. The hidden “pool” of energy had just gotten a huge infusion, and even if it had gotten pretty damn big already after he had gained so many levels over the last decade, he now had more than even before his fight with Valdemar. A lot more, in fact.
“With this, I believe your journey through Nevermore has fully come to an end… at least for now. Though I have the feeling your next visit will be a bit more relaxed with none of the time pressure of competition,” the Bound God said with a final smile.
“See you again,” Jake nodded.
“Perhaps.,” Nevermore said. “Now, prepare yourself as Minaga has prepared quite the stage for your arrival. Oh, and one more thing, would you be fine with your number one All-Time placement being shared?”
“Sure,” Jake shrugged, not seeing the harm. He was already the top of the era, no need to avoid sharing he was the top of every era.
“Very well, I’m sure that will create some wonderful political turmoil.”
Jake tried to say more, but before he could, the world warped around him as he was tossed out of Nevermore.
----------------------------------------
There was quite a lot to take in as Jake appeared in the central square. Instinctively, he quickly shot out a Pulse of Perception, only to get overwhelmed by how much information he had to sort through. There were so many goddamn people, many of which he knew. Then, there were well over a hundred gods hidden all around, mixed with the crowd.
Jake stood atop the building belonging to the Order of the Malefic Viper, with Viridia right in front and the Fallen King right beside him. Looking up, he saw Minaga dramatically float in the air, gazing down at Jake with a grin.
“Well, I guess we should redo a few things, seeing as things have… shuffled a bit,” Minaga smiled. Out of the corner of his eye, Jake spotted a fading beam of light that had been upon a building belonging to the Holy Church, and he saw the Saintess who had been in a party with Ell’Hakan glare daggers at him. It wasn’t hard to notice who he had bumped down from the top 10.
“Join me in welcoming my personal bane, the one who ruined much of my confidence in dungeon design, and our new top dog of Nevermore! Jake Thayne!” Minaga announced loudly as music began playing.
Jake just stood there and stared, happy as hell he was wearing his mask, as everyone began clapping while staring at the giant projection of his visage in the sky.
“Oh, wait, I nearly forgot!” Minaga suddenly cut the music. “I guess I failed to clarify what I meant by top dog… because I’m not just talking about this era. It’s with pleasure I can announce that for the second era in a row, the All-Time record has been broken!”
Viridia stared at Jake as the Fallen King looked unsurprised. Minaga started back up the music, louder than ever, as even more attention fell on Jake, now also from a shitload of gods…
Maybe I should also have just gone with Anonymous…
At least Jake thought so for a moment… until he saw him from across the square. A single orange humanoid stared at Jake with a look of genuine shock, at least for a second, before Ell’Hakan managed to hide it. So, yeah, maybe this level of flexing hadn’t been that bad of a call, as he could at least smack down the ego of that orange fuck with his own even larger, superior ego.