Chapter 1226 – The Curiosity of a Primordial

Jake finally exited his Soulspace and opened his eyes to the two gods. Both of them were looking at him as if they were trying to evaluate his state of mind or to see if he’d taken any soul damage, making Jake smile slightly.

“What a welcome party for someone who didn’t even go anywhere,” Jake said jokingly.

As he spoke, he visibly saw the relief wash over Artemis’ face while Villy just flashed a grin of his own.

“I would argue you went on quite a spiritual journey,” the snake god said as he walked over. “Such trips can make one lose oneself and never fully return. However, looking at you, this entire journey clearly didn’t seem to have led to much personal development.”

“Hey, I would argue that the growth my stat page underwent gets as personal as growth can be,” Jake shot back jokingly as he decided to stand up, only to find his legs wobbly as the world started spinning for a moment.

Before he even had time to catch himself, Artemis was upon him, supporting his shoulder as she was back to looking worried. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I think so,” Jake said, also finding his state a little weird. Trying to get a proper grasp of what was going on, Jake noticed that when he tried to move energy through his body faster, it seemed to get obstructed, and he could barely mobilize any power. “Actually, scratch that. I’m definitely not in peak condition right now.”

“I’m not surprised; you just gave your own soul quite the beating there,” the Malefic Viper chuckled. “Sure, you may have stabilized your mind using that unique skill of yours, but your soul was still ravaged and damaged by the broken Records of Palate. Even if the skill is fixed now, that doesn’t mean your soul is fully recovered.”

“I kinda felt like it was, though,” Jake muttered as he managed to stand by himself. “At least it doesn’t feel damaged anymore.”

“Oh no, it’s not really damaged,” the Viper said with another big smile. “Say, Jake, you used to work out a little before the system arrived in your universe, right? Remember how your lower body felt after a good leg day? Yeah, it’s a bit like that. You’ve strained yourself too much, and your soul is just tired and needs some proper rest.”

“I don’t entirely get the reference, but that does seem the most likely explanation,” Artemis nodded. “Even gods can feel an odd sense of exhaustion if they spend too long trying to comprehend concepts.”

“Speaking of concepts, I just want to clarify something,” Villy added as he looked at Jake. “Did you see the Gate of Enlightenment?”

Jake looked confused at the Viper for a second before answering. “Yes? I thought that was pretty obvious…”

“That’s why I said I wanted to confirm,” the Viper shook his head with a low chuckle. “I’ve mentioned it before, after all.”

“No? You haven’t?” Jake questioned, now even more confused.

“Exactly,” the snake god nodded as if Jake had just fully confirmed his words.

“Wait, you mean that it was considered Forbidden Knowledge before?” Jake finally got it.

“See, even if he’s a bit slow on the uptake sometimes, he does tend to figure things out in the end,” Villy spoke to Artemis before turning back to Jake. “And you’re right on the money. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but most things like that are considered Forbidden Knowledge. A lot will become clearer the closer you get to godhood. Most don’t learn about the Gate of Enlightenment before S-grade.”

“Ignoring the underhanded compliment that I’m not even sure was a compliment at all, when you say that you can’t share any details in that vein, do you mean requirements for divine ascension?” Jake asked.

“Look at him go; sometimes he can even surprise us with how smart he is!” Villy spoke to Artemis once more before he answered Jake. “And yes, that’s more or less what I mean. I guess I can share that one of the requirements for godhood is indeed to open one’s Gate of Enlightenment; something you’ve already taken the first step towards. Of course, you still need to also…”

Jake felt as if he had zoned out for a moment as he frowned. “Also what? Wait, never mind…”

The Viper just grinned after having spoken what was clearly Forbidden Knowledge, making Artemis shake her head before she spoke. “I also have something I want to confirm. We’re right to assume that you gained a sacred rarity skill, correct?”

Jake was about to answer as the Viper cut in quickly. “The mere fact that he’s about to answer means he succeeded. Because yes, the mere existence of the sacred rarity is also considered Forbidden Knowledge. Not really sure why the system cares about hiding rarities, but oh well.”

Now it was Jake’s time to ignore what the Viper said as he also chose to answer Artemis. “Yes, I did get a sacred rarity skill.”

Artemis smiled and nodded. “With that, I assume a title also followed?”

“Title upgrade, and yes,” Jake said, feeling at least a little proud of himself. “Not a minor one either.”

“It would be disappointing if it were,” Artemis said before she asked the Viper a question. “I’m curious, how many C-grades are you aware of that managed to get a sacred rarity skill? I know I sure didn’t have one. I found it hard enough to upgrade a few skills to mythical already.”

“Off the top of my head? Not sure, actually. Most don’t publicly advertise when they get a skill like that, and I would also recommend that Jake restrain himself from bragging too much. I do know of a couple who had one, though. From what I remember, a few of the Daolords managed to, and I also wouldn’t be surprised if a few choice Chosen who later became extraordinary gods also had one, though again, hard to tell,” the Malefic Viper shrugged. “How about the Pantheon of Life? Do you know of any there, or perhaps some gods I wasn’t very up-to-date on?”

“I am aware of only one from the Pantheon of Life, and that upgrade came primarily as the result of her success in a massive system event and a lot of very fortuitous circumstances coming together,” Artemis said. “Besides that, the only recent and public one I’m aware of was the late Yip of Yore.”

“Oh yeah, not very surprising either,” the Viper nodded slowly. “That guy should really have learned some self-control and just allowed himself to fully grow into his potential and not try to bite off more than he could chew. A few more eras and he would have been a real handful.”

“While now, he’s just a mouthful,” Jake added, getting a small chuckle out of the Viper.

“A tasty one, I might add,” the snake god said before another thought seemed to strike him. “I take it that you managed to reach the Gate of Enlightenment through the assistance of the First Sage, right? Also, if you did, does that mean the Records and Legacy he left with you has been used up, or is there more you’ve yet to explore?”

“I did indeed manage with the help of the First Sage, and no, parts of his Legacy remain. I’m just not capable of accessing it quite yet, and likely won’t be able to before at least B-grade,” Jake answered.

“I see,” the Viper slowly nodded in understanding, though a flash of relief seemed to cross his face for a moment, likely just happy that some of the Legacy of his Master still remained somewhere.

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“You two… You just discussed Forbidden Knowledge, didn’t you?” Artemis cut in, which also reminded Jake that she wasn’t even able to take part in that conversation.

“Yeah, sorry,” Jake apologized.

“No need for an apology, I’m just surprised about the existence of such Forbidden Knowledge that the two of you seem aware of but that I don’t,” Artemis explained, indeed not seeming the least offended.

“Just a little secret between the two of us,” the snake god joked. “Now, with the confirmation that Jake’s mind still works – well, works as well as before, I guess – I believe it’s time for me to take my leave and allow my dear Chosen to recover. I could volunteer to play nurse, but I have a very strong feeling someone else here is willing to do the job instead.”

As usual, the Viper teleported away before anyone could say anything, always keen on getting in the last word. In fact, he managed to get in the last word twice, as he also made sure to leave Jake with a quick telepathic message.

“We can discuss the vision you had this time around when it’s more convenient and you’re fully recovered.”