Chapter 841: Nevermore: On the Grindset

Chapter 841: Nevermore: On the Grindset

You two had a lot of fun with this one, huh? the Viper commented as he watched Jake perform Courier Job after Courier Job. Despite it not being outright confirmed yet, he had the strong impression that both Minaga and the Wyrmgod had been heavily involved with this particular Challenge Dungeon.

Fun? Do you have any idea how much work it was? Minaga said with a sigh. Out of every Challenge Dungeon, this one took by far the longest. Well, besides the Test of Character, but I wasnt much involved with that, so it doesnt count.

I take it Nevermore itself also got quite involved with the balancing? Vilastromoz further inquired.Follow the latest novels on no/velbin(.)com

The sheer complexity of having so many starting points, all the quest paths, and keeping it all dynamic and adapting to the Nevermore Attendee required far more work than initially estimated. The original plan was to have this Challenge Dungeon ready last era, but we had to delay it primarily due to Nevermore and the system not accepting the balancing, the Wyrmgod explained; many gods who were capable of listening in very interested in getting some insights into the World Wonder.

Not certain I would call this balanced, the Blightfather decided to chime in. Seeing Azal also doing the Challenge Dungeon pretty much confirmed the lack of critical thinking from many of the characters. They are too trusting and, in certain cases, either too easily fooled, while in other instances, getting any kind of advantage is borderline impossible.

We are well aware, the Wyrmgod sighed. However, it was necessary to do it like this. If we tried to adhere to realism too much, the time required to unlock any high-level quest path would simply take far too long, so we had to tweak the logic of the world quite a lot. With the aim of the Challenge Dungeon taking around two years on average for the high-performers, this is the solution we settled on.

Also, you cannot argue that some individuals arent simply this trusting, even among the higher grades. People can get blinded by their goals and consider what they do so important and justified that they automatically assume everyone else will share their opinion, thus seeing no need to be critical. Having the ability to identify these people and distinguish them from the less fanatical is most definitely a skill worth learning,

Even so, it teaches many unrealistic lessons along with the healthy ones, the Blightfather insisted. Additionally, it makes little sense to remove all status from everyone. As a variant Risen of the highest echelon, Azal should have been recognized, yet the denizens of the Challenge Dungeon seem incapable of doing so, even daring to treat him like a lesser. It goes against their very Records to act like that.

Race isnt something that should give an advantage in this dungeon, same as Blessings, and even the status as a Bloodline Patriarch or Transcendant also wont offer any notable advantages, the Wyrmgod argued back.

Such a fundamental change to social dynamics for certain races shouldnt be taken that lightly. How would you view it if

Vilastromoz remained quiet, not really having much to add as the two Primordials discussed openly for all to hear. It was rare for such a lively discussion to appear, and while both of them went at each other, the Viper also knew both enjoyed it. As sad as it sounds, it was rare to find people even willing to argue back who wouldnt just take anything you said as gospel, so to get pushback was almost novel.

The Viper considered getting involved just for the fun of it but decided against it as the topic didnt overly interest him. The only thing he really cared about was the information that the Challenge Dungeon was new, and it being new meant one thing:

It was exploitable.

All the Challenge Dungeons had obvious exploits that got fixed with every new iteration. Minagas Labyrinth and how he improved his special mist was a prime example of this, with every one of the Challenge Dungeons having similar improvements and nerfs to certain Paths every new era. Seeing as this was the first, it meant many things had yet to be fully ironed out, as it was simply impossible to account for every Path without some live testing. The only reason the system accepted it despite the flaws that would be revealed was that every attendant who competed had the same circumstances and the same opportunities to take advantage.

As for what specific exploits were to be found well, Vilastromoz already had one minor oversight in mind. One he was certain Jake would be able to take full advantage of, even if he did so unknowingly. In fact, he had already been exploiting it despite not realizing it yet.

No one else seemed to have really noticed either, making the Viper smile to himself. This should be a good one

--

Time quickly passed as Jake was back on the job, on that grindset. The Courier Jobs were similar to the ones he had done before, but there was a slight twist. After Jake had done exactly twenty, he was contacted by the Infernal Baron, who informed him that an important job was upcoming and that Jake would need to upgrade his Medallion within three months to be able to accept it. So, he had some more pressure on him to get promoted in time alright, not really. Jake had plenty of time.

He completed the jobs incredibly quickly and efficiently, and he never once really ran into any problems. It was to the level where Jake questioned what was actually being tested, as the scams he was exposed to all seemed way too obvious to Jake.

After about two months in this mid-sized city, Jake had done about one hundred jobs there, and with it came yet another promotion.

[Courier Medallion (Epic)] A Courier Medallion belonging to a highly experienced Courier with a strong reputation. This Medallion will hold information related to jobs and can give general directions to your destination if those are provided (may not be entirely reliable). Will automatically upgrade as Courier Jobs are completed and your reputation grows.

Requirements: Soulbound

Jake had now worked for several months, and even if he was rapidly getting promoted, he had yet to see a single payslip. He was definitely being exploited, even if things were a bit weird. PETE kept talking about rewarding Jake handsomely for his help, and the Duke of Flames said the same thing, but nothing ever came of it. This was despite even the Guild attendants sometimes noting how some jobs gave quite a lot! but when Jake turned in a completed job nothing.

So, yeah, Dungeon-fuckery galore. He sure as hell hoped the final reward would set things right, or he would have to sue for unpaid wages.

When Jake was done in the mid-sized city, he got a Special Courier Job to go to a large-sized one in yet another country. This job wasnt directly linked with the Duke of Flames or even PETE, but when he got to this new city, Jake discovered both had a presence there, primarily because PETE just followed the dukedom wherever they had any people.

More Courier Jobs followed as Jake worked his ass off, not even taking lunch breaks or accounting for unpaid overtime. He was definitely also breaking a lot of work safety rules with the way he did the Courier Jobs, but so far, he had luckily avoided a fine.

A few more Special Courier Jobs came in while Jake had an epic rarity Medallion, each Courier promotion taking longer than the last. Jake also kept learning more about his two biggest clients until he finally discovered a very juicy piece of information that also kind of answered something he had been wondering about.

The Sealed Elemental Jake was meant to deliver had an elemental inside that PETE already knew about, despite Jake thinking they shouldnt be able to. This elemental was meant to be delivered to the Infernal Baron who would then send it back to his little sister to assist her in her Path. What Jake didnt know was that the one who had requested this specific elemental was the daughter of the Duke and that she had made the request at the behest of PETE.

In this large-sized city, Jake even came to meet with the girl, where she spilled her heart out about how she hated her familys Legacy and didnt want to consume elementals to progress, which was also why she was still only in early C-grade despite not even being that much younger than the Infernal Baron. Quite the plot twist that she was working with PETE, and definitely not something her family knew about.

Except, it turned out she wasnt really working with them but was just being taken advantage of. Despite her assisting them, PETE still hated her guts just because of her family and wanted her dead alongside everyone else in the dukedom. So she was pretty much just an idiot being fooled.

But wait! That wasnt actually true either! She had figured out they were trying to take advantage of her a long time ago and was now working with a third party, which was where Jake came into play as she also began to offer him jobs to destroy both the dukedom and PETE.

In another huge plot twist, the daughter of the Duke was the one who had gotten another dukedom of the Human Kingdom involved to take down the Dukedom of Flames as they called it. In the process, they also wanted to eliminate PETE using the Duke of Flames to do so, weakening the Duke of Flames in the process.

The mess had turned even messier, and Jake was smack in the middle, now effectively working for three factions at once. Was he still an infinite loop agent? Jake wasnt sure at this point in fact, he even considered if perhaps a fourth party should get involved.

Nevertheless, Jake kept chugging along, and soon, over nine months had passed since Jake entered the Challenge Dungeon. Hundreds of regular Courier Jobs had been completed, along with eleven total Special Courier Jobs, and who even knows how many Side Jobs and Special Side Jobs. The plot was also thicker than ever, with even more intrigue, Jake finally beginning to get a clear picture of everything. With all these jobs done, the Guild naturally also recognized his efforts.

[Courier Medallion (Ancient)] A Courier Medallion belonging to an extremely experienced Courier with an excellent reputation. This Medallion will hold information related to jobs and can give general directions to your destination if those are provided (may not be entirely reliable). Will automatically upgrade as Courier Jobs are completed and your reputation grows.

Requirements: Soulbound

With another upgrade under his belt, Jake got a Special Courier Mission to return to the capital of the Human Kingdom. He knew the leader of PETE an early A-grade would also be there, along with every other dukedom in the country along with the royal family. Powerful people from other factions had also snuck in, and Jake felt a final showdown would soon occur.

As for Jakes role in this final showdown well, that was yet to be decided, but considering he hated every faction he had met so far, he reckoned things were about to get even messier, and Jake would gladly be there to take advantage.