Flexing status was always a great way to get a message across, but it only ever worked when the other party knew who you were. In all honesty, Jake had been surprised the wyvern didn’t recognize him even after being blessed. It wasn’t that he expected every single god to tell those they blessed about him… but wouldn’t it make sense to at least mention the Malefic Viper if you bless a wyvern living not even a day’s flight from the home base of his Chosen?

Well, it definitely would; there had just been one problem:

The wyvern was a hermit.

As in, it knew literally nobody. It didn’t know anything about the planet it was on or what was going on whatsoever, either. It had lived in its own little bubble, killing anything that dared try and approach it. It didn’t even know about Nevermore. As Jake listened, he also realized that the damn dragon god that blessed the wyvern was partly to blame.

That asshole dragon had told the wyvern to just dominate its own domain and keep absorbing energy there. They only ever had one meeting, where all the talks were about making optimal use of the unique mountaintop.

However, now the beast definitely seemed to realize who he was as Jake saw the wyvern get what he assumed was a less funny Villy-style round of exposition. The beast kept its head low throughout, seemingly wanting to bury it in the snowy floor of the cavern every time the wyvern spoke its apologies, trying to excuse its own ignorance while groveling to Jake with promises.

“I had a severe lapse of judgment and can only wish to beg for forgiveness and make up for my transgressions through any form of assistance I can possibly provide,” the wyvern said, definitely reading from a provided script.

Jake just stood back as he let the poor wyvern get a talking-to. When he thought about it more, Jake kind of understood why the wyvern had acted like it did. Earth was a pretty fucked up planet for it to be born on, and he was sure that in many other places, the wyvern would have been fine acting as it did. It would be the kind of creature the enlightened on the planet called a Beast King or something, and the mountain deemed a forbidden zone.

The problem for the wyvern was that Jake knew at least a dozen people who could kill the wyvern if they so desired, and when more people returned from Nevermore, it would be even more. Shit, based on the people he saw in Haven, he was confident a forty-man raid party could be gathered there capable of taking down the wyvern, not even to mention if Skyggen got involved and sent a group of high-level assassins recently returned from Nevermore. Jake’s brother alone could quickly kill the wyvern.

So… while the wyvern had indeed been a dick, it had acted pretty natural if this had been a normal planet, and as long as it was willing to correct its ways, Jake wasn’t going to unilaterally kill it. Besides, with its level, it wouldn’t even give him any experience.

Before the wyvern could begin to practically beg again, Jake decided to let it escape from limbo as he spoke.

“Stop. You now seem to realize where your little mountain is located and why your actions up till now have been rather unwise?”

“Yes, Lord Chosen,” the wyvern nodded enthusiastically. “My own foolishness and ignorance-“

“It’s fine, as long as you know and will change your ways,” Jake interrupted. “I can’t have a wyvern living here causing trouble for people wanting to just pass by.”

“I swear that I shall never attack another of the enlightened races again,” the wyvern readily agreed.

“No need to go that far,” Jake waved it off. “Just don’t kill people randomly. If they attack you, go for it, but if they are just passing by or want to speak, don’t automatically attack.”

Looking over at the frozen vampires and the burrowed dead vulture, he continued. “When it comes to feeding this mountain, I would advise you to stick with beasts, especially those around your own level of power. You will dilute the quality if you aim for quantity. Needless to say, those vampires also aren’t going to stay here.”

“Na- naturally,” the wyvern said as its eyes glowed for a moment. Instantly, the ice started to melt, releasing them from their icy imprisonment. As they quickly thawed, one thing also became pretty clear.

They heard everything… which means they were fully awake and aware despite being frozen. Pretty fucking scary way to die if I say so myself, Jake thought as he saw the clarity in all their eyes, with a few of them even looking with reverence and gratitude toward him.

Jake waited patiently as he even saw the wyvern remove some of the cold energy from around the vampires, allowing them to unfreeze faster while not letting the cold bother them as much. It didn’t take long before the first one was fully free, and he didn’t wait to bow, despite it looking pretty damn painful as his clothes and even skin cracked in places.

“We thank the Chosen of the Malefic One for his assistance,” the vampire said, with the others following suit once unfrozen.

“The old man would have been mad at me if I just left you all here. Now get out of here; I’ll handle the rest,” Jake smiled as he saw the look of confusion on their faces before they realized who the old man Jake was talking about was. At least they weren’t offended, as they just thanked him once more before they left, supporting each other on the way. They didn’t even address anything with the wyvern, seemingly trusting Jake to handle this issue without their input. He had kind of expected some calls for revenge, at the very least. Not that Jake would have helped them with that. If they wanted to kill the wyvern they could go home, heal, and then come back for a rematch once they were stronger.

With the vampires gone, Jake returned his attention to the wyvern that had kept its head lowered, not even daring to look up. Sighing, Jake really wasn’t sure what to do about the big lizard. He could literally see it shaking, and it definitely wasn’t from the cold. Alas, he had already decided he wasn’t going to give it more anxiety.

“I believe this concludes our business,” Jake said, seeing a look of surprise on the wyvern’s face, as, despite the entire conversation they just had, it definitely assumed he still wanted some kind of personal revenge. Which, to be fair, Jake originally had. The damn lizard had blasted him off a mountain, after all.

However, taking everything into account, he really wasn’t in the mood. He also had to admit to himself part of his reluctance was because he was dealing with a wyvern. No, not just a wyvern, the first wyvern he had seen in the wild. Killing it just for some slight born of ignorance would also make Jake feel like he was bullying a teenager or something.

“Truly?” the wyvern asked, though it was clear it was also this Everfrost Dragon God behind the words.

“Truly… though I do have one thing I will demand as compensation,” Jake said after thinking a bit.

“Anything,” the wyvern insisted.

“What did you evolve from? I do not believe you were simply born a wyvern, so what were you before?”

This was something Jake was genuinely curious about. Mainly knowing if this wyvern had also once been a snake, or if it had become a wyvern from something else.

“The Chosen wants to know what creature I was born as?” the wyvern asked with a hint of confusion.

“Precisely. Just take it as fulfilling my personal curiosity,” Jake said. “Tell me how you became what you are today. The story of your life, if you will.”

The wyvern was silent for a moment before it spoke. “I was born as a creature called an iguana. I had lived on this mountain all of my life, simply surviving in the harsh environment. Back then, this was no snow-covered peak, even if it was cold at times. Then, the initiation of the system arrived and everything changed. Day after day, the mountain grew taller as the world expanded beneath me. We all turned feral, killing each other and fighting for this odd energy far more sating than any food.”

Jake listened along as the wyvern told its story. It was interesting to hear the perspective of a beast and how they experienced the integration compared to humans. The entire thing was definitely a lot rougher than getting Tutorials. Unless you were thrown into a Tutorial like Jake’s, that is.

“I grew stronger and increased in size, fighting off all others at this peak. Some were also forced out when the temperature dropped too much, seeking further down the mountain. Yet I stayed until one day, we were all drawn to this cavern. We fought, and I killed all of my kin before I finally consumed that which had brought me here. It was an odd plant, and after consuming it, the cold began to be a source of nourishment, not something to overcome. I do not know specifically why, but when I evolved to C-grade, I became a wyvern, and it was only then that I truly received a true self and realization of what I am.”

The entire story wasn’t overly long, and it did feel like the wyvern was almost talking about someone else. Which it kind of did, considering the final sentence. The wyvern didn’t have any true sapience before it became a wyvern but had acted solely on instinct.

“And how did you obtain the budding dragon’s heart?” Jake followed up. “A skill offering at some point?”

“Yes,” the wyvern confirmed. “I selected it, and it warped my heart into what it is today. I am also fully aware that I need to upgrade it once more to have any chance of becoming a true dragon in B-grade.”

“I see, I see,” Jake nodded. Yeah, that tracked. Based on all he read, if the wyvern failed to get the heart upgraded, it could become a quasi-dragon only in B-grade. Having heard the story, Jake looked toward the cavern exit. “This has been enlightening. I shall not bother you anymore than this, and thank you for sharing your life story. I hope this experience has allowed you to wise up, and I look forward to seeing if Earth will one day birth a true dragon.”

“Once more, I thank the Chosen for his magnanimity,” the wyvern bowed its head. “I shall ensure to not cause you or anyone in your domain further trouble.”

Jake just waved the wyvern off as he walked out of the cavern before he felt a minor shift that made him glance back and use one final Identify, which put a wry smile on his face.

[Northpeak Wyvern – lvl 271 – Divine Blessing of the Everfrost Dragon God]

I came here to scold the lizard and ended up getting it a free Blessing upgrade instead, Jake admonished himself jokingly as he made his way out of the cavern. His little pit stop for the wyvern hadn’t turned out how he’d expected, but it had been rather eventful.

Turning to the horizon, he looked toward Skyggen as he decided to continue his journey back to his family.

Thunder echoed in the skies as blue bolts descended upon the land, giving birth to elementals or simply killing anything they hit. These bolts carried the power to slay even S-grades easily, resulting in all but the most foolish or powerful avoiding clouds like these.

Below, the bare ground was filled with scorch marks and corpses, yet in the midst of everything, two figures were fighting, as the rocky terrain that had been molded and empowered by the onslaught of lightning for millions of years was torn up with every clash.

One figure was a tall man, swinging a battleaxe as he attempted to catch his opponent, a winged woman with more muscles than the warrior. She fought using her bare fists, deflecting the weapon of her opponent as blue lightning enveloped both of them, sending out shockwaves with every clash.

Their fight continued for several minutes until the man suddenly appeared distracted. A fist struck him in the face, blowing off his entire head as he stumbled back before it rapidly regenerated.

“A cheap shot,” the man said with a scowl as he used his horns to crack his neck.

“Not my fault you got distracted,” the woman said with a smile as she looked toward the newcomer who had been the cause of the distraction. A suit-wearing devil had appeared, carrying a light smile on his face.

“Duchess, Duke, I apologize for interrupting your past time, but his majesty requires your presence at the castle,” the man said.

“We heading to war with the Fifth Hell again?” the duchess asked.

“No, you moron, it’s related to Nevermore, isn’t it?” the duke scoffed.

“Indeed it is so,” the suit-wearing devil confirmed to the two other devils.

“Has the princeling returned?” the duke asked with a frown.

“Oh, did the kid take the top spot?” the duchess asked. “If not, I don’t see why we should bother being there.”

“No, he got third, just behind the Chosen of Yip of Yore and the Chosen of the Malefic Viper, who took second and first, respectively,” the suited devil answered. “The Chosen of the Malefic Viper also took the top spot on the All-Time Leaderboards.”

“Impressive,” the duke commented. “But I still fail to realize why his majesty demands our return.”

“It’s related to the Chosen of the Malefic Viper. It would be easier to simply see it rather than me wasting my time explaining everything,” the suited devil said mysteriously as he raised an eyebrow. “Besides, does his majesty need a reason to recall you?”

The duke and duchess gave each other a look, both knowing that opposing the Devil King of the Fourth Hell wasn’t a wise choice. With that in mind, they followed the third devil back to the castle nestled in the middle of the realm known as the Fourth Hell.

There, a massive mountain stood. Thunderclouds encircled the mountain in several layers, and unless one was welcomed, even gods would find it difficult to make their way through unscathed. Atop this mountain was the castle of the Fourth Devil King and the leader of the Fourth Circle of Hell.

Arriving at the castle, the three devils made their way into a throne room that was already filled with other devils and high-ranking mortals who had been allowed there. All these mortals were kneeling under the pressure of the many divine beings, yet one remained standing in the center, speaking to the devil sitting on the throne.

The Devil King stopped speaking as he saw the duke, duchess, and suited devil arrive as he addressed them. “Good. All are here.”

“We greet his majesty,” the three of them bowed, yet the duke couldn’t help but throw glances at the mortal still standing. His aura felt familiar, yet foreign, and there was something odd mixed in there…

The Devil King simply nodded as he returned his attention to the mortal. “Now, continue.”

“Yes, father,” the mortal said, making the duke and the two other devils realize this was the Cerulean Demon – also known as the Prince of the Fourth Hell. “During the gathering of those who placed high on the Nevermore Leaderboards, I approached the Chosen of the Malefic One, and…”

The Demon Prince continued to explain everything that had happened. How he had approached the Chosen, gotten him to agree to help, and the entire ritual that followed, including everything that had gone wrong. Many devils or officials frowned or scoffed when the demon described the ritual. It was a foolish endeavor, no doubt about it, yet the results…

“And this Chosen entered your Soulspace?” the Devil King questioned.

“Yes, and suppressed the Records of the Cerulean Devil entirely,” the Demon Prince explained, not hiding anything. “His presence overwhelmed everything, and it was only due to his assistance I managed to become what I am now.”

Silence roamed the hall as they observed the newly born Cerulean Demon Lord. The duke was confused about how all this had happened, even if he heard the explanation. He hadn’t been particularly aware of this Chosen of the Malefic Viper before now, having only heard in passing that the Primordial had returned to the multiverse with a Chosen.

“Is that also why you remain standing now?” the Devil King followed up as his own aura spread through the room. The duke felt the pressure but remained standing, as did the grand duke, duchess, and a few other of the top devils… as well as the Cerulean Demon Lord.

“I believe that to be the case,” the Demon Prince answered truthfully.

“How amusing,” the Devil King smiled, the show of emotion shocking many. “I also heard you gave him your personal Crest that I bestowed upon you?”

“Yes, father. I seek forgiveness if that-“

“It was a wise decision,” the Devil King interrupted him.

“Thank you… though I fear the Chosen may not use it himself but send a representative or envoy. Perhaps even an ally of his,” the Demon Prince said a bit nervously.

“Even if it’s so, treat whoever he sends as if they were my personal guest,” the Devil King said after a brief pause. He then turned and looked at one of the devils in the crowd. “Begin preparations to send more of our young to the Order of the Malefic Viper. Additionally, contact the Second Hell and propose to them a joint venture to make use of their existing connections with the Order.”

“It shall be done, Your Majesty,” the devil bowed.

Turning back to his son, the Devil King observed him for a moment. “Let us also not waste time where unnecessary. A week from now, I shall appoint the Cerulean Demon Lord as my new Chosen and Crown Prince of the Fourth Hell.”

Surprised expressions flashed through the faces of most in the room as the Demon Prince merely bowed. “It would be an honor.”