The Primal Hunter

Jake breathed heavily as he stared out at the vast landscape before him. An area the size of a semi-large city was scorched and burned as the remnants of the battle remained. In the middle of it all lay a giant beast, its very blood only adding to this environmental destruction. Even in death, its blood retained the same destructive properties as it burned the ground.

The final attack of the bear had been quite something. It exploded and released an attack reminding him a bit of the Scorched Plains attack from the bow he lost when the Sword Saint cut it in two at the finale of their duel.

Seeing this destruction made him reflect a bit. During the vision with Palate Jake had seen, Villy and the C-grade fighter had ended up destroying a massive city and the surrounding environment, and Jake did have to confess he had wondered why he felt so far from being able to do that despite approaching C-grade himself.

This fight gave a bit of insight into how close he was actually getting. If he truly wanted, he could cause absolutely massive destruction with his arcane energies. The thing is, he didn’t, as that was a waste of energy.

Villy had mentioned this before and said that massive, flashy attacks that caused widespread destructions were not proofs of strength but proof of horrible control. Now, some attacks did get big due to their naturally chaotic nature, and a part of the attack’s power lay in pushing yourself beyond your limits of control, but this was only the case for rare attacks that often couldn’t be used more than once a fight.

No, rather than make a large explosion that covers a large area, make a far more intense explosion in a small area. That way, as long as you hit, the attack would deal way more damage. Someone should really have taught the bear that, as it was certainly a victim of making huge flashy attacks… then again, what if it was used to only fighting massive foes like itself? In that case, large attacks were probably more effective.

Anyway. The fight had taken nearly an entire hour, and Jake was all the happier for it. Because, oh boy, did he have some data on Relentless Hunt.

Firstly, on the accumulation of Hunting Momentum. While Jake was fighting or just even observing his enemy preparing to fight it, the momentum would build. While in the tracking and observation phase, it was incredibly slow, dozens of times slower than when he was actually fighting. During the fight itself, the Hunting Momentum would accumulate passively, but the speed at which this happened varied.

If Jake landed blows and did the damage, it would speed up, while it would slow down or even halt entirely if Jake was hit, with the slow-down based on the severity of his injuries. If it halted or slowed down, it would slowly pick itself up again as time passed, and he kept avoiding blows, while it would speed up very quickly if he began to land attacks.

That was how the accumulation worked. Now for the actual effects of the Hunting Momentum.

The first thing here was the maximum amount he could have at any time. It was natural there was a cap because if not, couldn’t Jake just silently observe a peak C-grade for a year or two, build up an utterly insane amount of Hunting Momentum, and then proceed to launch an arrow that could break the moon in half.

Yeah, so it made sense there was one. However, this is not to say the cap was low because one had to remember one detail: the maximum was determined by his Perception. All parts of the skill were determined by his Perception. And if there was one thing Jake had a lot of, it was Perception.

Now, Jake did not know what the expected cap of Hunting Momentum was, but he felt like his was quite a bit higher than that. A lot higher. He had managed to cap it out during the fight because he tried to not use it and had released one single attack expending all of it. This brings us to the actual effects of the skill.

The effect was varied based on the attack it was applied to. It wasn’t just a percentage amplifier, but in some ways, it still kind of was. Jake could not turn a normal stable arrow into an arrow of certain doom, but the benefits of Hunting Momentum it received percentage-wise were more than Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter. Overall, though, Jake would say Hunting Momentum was best used with his already powerful attacks because, holy hell, had that Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter been powerful.

When Jake had used the Hunting Momentum, he had felt the oversized wood-like arrow almost thrum with the concept. Like an invisible wind embracing it, he had felt the power within. Further using Arcane Powershot had only made it stronger, and when he let go of the string, it flew forward faster than anything Jake had ever shot before. It seemed unimpeded by anything, and even the remnant destructive arcane energy left by Arcane Powershot was empowered, allowing it to pass unbothered through the combusting mist.

It had hit the bear before it could even react, and the giant beast had been blasted back, lifting it off its feet and launching it several hundred meters backward. It had survived, but it was heavily injured, and Jake had finished it off shortly after that. As for how much it made the attack stronger percentage-wise, Jake couldn’t tell for sure… but it was significant. It wasn’t just the increased damage that mattered but the increased speed, the increased energy around the attack, and the momentum making it more penetrative and more resilient to getting whittled down by barriers or domains.

He had also discovered one other major thing. The momentum worked on an “attack,” which came with both some good and some bad traits. Good traits? A melee strike counted as an attack. This did not just mean the attack did more damage but once more also that it was faster. His punching motion simply sped up, allowing him to truly take his opponent by surprise. It meshed very well with his counter-style.

Bad traits from it working only with attacks? Touch of the Malefic Viper did not work with it at all as it was not classified as an attack. Activating his Arcane Charge from Mark did not count because, again, not an attack. Activating or amplifying a poison using Touch also didn’t work. Moving to block, even if it is with the intent to counter, did not work, even if the counterattack follow-up was affected.

Anyway, there were more things to the skill, but Jake believed he would have ample time to use it moving forward. He and Sandy had made plans, and those plans included a lot of killing during their travel. But to fully carry out their plan, Jake would need to talk to Miranda first.

Speaking of Sandy, the worm had decided that eating all the lava in the volcano was also a necessity, so he was stuck waiting even more for the hungry worm to get done. Waiting anyway, Jake chose to take a look at his full status for the first time in a while.

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

Race: [Human (D) – lvl 183]

Class: [Avaricious Arcane Hunter – lvl 181]

Profession: [Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – lvl 185]

Health Points (HP): 30251/55140

Mana Points (MP): 30279/104437

Stamina: 10938/50240

Stats

Strength: 4689

Agility: 7656

Endurance: 5024

Vitality: 5514

Toughness: 4129

Wisdom: 6684

Intelligence: 5814

Perception: 11867

Willpower: 5709

Free points: 0

Titles: [Forerunner of the New World], [Bloodline Patriarch], [Holder of a Primordial’s True Blessing], [Dungeoneer VIII], [Dungeon Pioneer VI], [Legendary Prodigy], [Prodigious Slayer of the Mighty], [Kingslayer], [Nobility: Earl], [Progenitor of the 93rd Universe], [Prodigious Arcanist], [Perfect Evolution (D-grade)], [Premier Treasure Hunter], [Myth Originator], [Progenitor of Myriad Paths]

Class Skills: [Basic Shadow Vault of Umbra (Uncommon)], [Traditional Hunter’s Tracking (Rare)], [Arcane Stealth (Rare)], [Superior Stealth Attack (Rare)], [Enhanced Splitting Arrow (Rare)], [Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter (Epic)], [Arcane Powershot (Epic)], [Big Game Arcane Hunter (Epic)], [Arcane Hunter’s Arrows (Epic)], [Archery of Expanding Horizons (Epic)], [Descending Dark Arcane Fang (Epic)], [Fangs of Man (Ancient)], [Mark of the Avaricious Arcane Hunter (Ancient)], [Moment of the Primal Hunter (Legendary)], [Gaze of the Apex Hunter (Legendary)], [Steady Focus of the Apex Hunter (Legendary)], [Arcane Awakening (Legendary)], [One Step, Thousand Miles (Legendary)], [Relentless Hunt of the Avaricious Arcane Hunter (Legendary)]

Profession Skills: [Path of the Heretic-Chosen (Unique)], [Herbology (Common)], [Brew Potion (Common)], [Alchemist’s Purification (Common)], [Alchemical Flame (Uncommon)], [Craft Elixir (Uncommon)], [Toxicology (Uncommon)], [Cultivate Toxin (Uncommon)], [Concoct Poison (Rare)], [Malefic Viper’s Poison (Epic)], [Soul Ritualism of the Heretic-Chosen Alchemist (Ancient)], [Advanced Core Manipulation (Ancient)], [Blood of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Sagacity of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Sense of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Wings of the Malefic Viper (Legendary)], [Touch of the Malefic Viper (Legendary)], [Legacy Teachings of the Heretic-Chosen Alchemist (Legendary)], [Palate of the Malefic Viper (Legendary)], [Pride of the Malefic Viper (Legendary)], [Scales of the Malefic Viper (Legendary)], [Fangs of the Malefic Viper (Legendary)], [Anomalous Soul of the Heretic-Chosen (Legendary)]

Blessing: [True Blessing of the Malefic Viper (Blessing - True)]

Race Skills: [Endless Tongues of the Myriad Races (Unique)], [Legacy of Man (Unique)], [Identify (Common)], [Serene Soul Meditation (Epic)], [Shroud of the Primordial (Divine)]

Bloodline: [Bloodline of the Primal Hunter (Bloodline Ability - Unique)]

--

Looking through it, Jake mostly took notice of the ever-expanding length, but another thing was that many rarities stood out, especially in his class. While for many, an epic skill would be considered excellent, to Jake, it felt lackluster by now. The rare and below skills were even worse. Enhanced Splitting Arrow was one he often used yet had not upgraded since shortly after reaching D-grade, and despite it being a common attack in his arsenal, it was still only rare. Arcane Powershot was his go-to archery skill, and that was also only epic rarity. He could excuse himself for not upgrading Shadow Vault as he had sim-Jake on that, and his tracking skill was also one he felt like he would upgrade when the time was right, but many of the others he felt like he really needed to work on before evolving. At least his core skills needed to be refined and upgraded.

All more tasks he would take this coming hunting period to address. He had a feeling that many of the skills wouldn’t even necessarily be that difficult to upgrade as long as he consciously tried to do so. He had already refined many of the skills significantly just by how much he used them, so a bit more effort and some experimentation and it should be possible to at least get a few good upgrades in.

As Jake was considering all these things, he suddenly felt a small nudge. He instantly smiled and responded.

“Miranda? Good to finally hear from you. Did you arrive at the Grand Mangrove River safely?” Jake asked first thing.

“Don’t worry, we got here safely,” Miranda answered promptly. “We were saved by a certain snake that you seem to know. One with a humanoid form resembling a young girl or woman. Is that something you might know about?”

Jake thought for a moment before frowning. “Does not ring a bell… wait, is the race of the snake Alabaster Crimsoneye Snake?”

“Yes.”

“Oh damn, and she already got a human form? That is actually impressive,” Jake said in admiration. “I knew she was talented just due to her high level, but it seems like I underestimated her. Maybe the Blessing also helped, but I reckon it is mostly her effort.”

It was the truth too. One thing Jake had learned about monsters while he researched the Pollendust Bee Queen was that their abilities to make use of natural treasures varied widely and were highly dependent on the talent and ability of the monster to actually refine and make use of these treasures. A bit like how one craftsman could turn a pile of ingots into a legendary sword, while a far less skilled smith would only be able to make it epic.

Other factors like compatibility with the treasure also factored in, but talent and skill were also considerable elements. The most important skill was naturally energy control to properly absorb a treasure, and as with many things, good energy control carried over and also mattered when it came to using the universal Polymorph skill all monsters got at C-grade. Villy had told him that it often took years for a beast to properly design and refine its humanoid forms to be useable. So for the Crimsoneye Snake to do it in only a few months? Very impressive.

Oh, on a side note, Jake had no idea how good Sandy was at energy control or absorbing treasures. Not that it seemed to mattered as the glutton would just make up for it with quantity.

“I should mention the snake is currently listening in and very pleased by your assessment,” Miranda answered. “I was told to relay that she very much appreciates your praise and would gladly welcome you to visit if you ever get the time. Not those exact words, but that is the sentiment, at least. She very much wants you to visit.”

“Alright. Keep up the good work, both of you. I will definitely visit when I come to get you and the others after all this is over. Now, can you tell me a bit of what happened after I was thrown away? Give me the down-low.”

Miranda proceeded to give Jake a description of all that had happened recently. How the snake had killed the pursuers from the United Cities Alliance, how Ell’Hakan had not wanted to kill her but even warned her, and he even learned that Arnold had contacted Miranda using one of his communication devices to say that Ell’Hakan was still staking it out near Haven, likely waiting for Jake to return.

Jake considered all this and began asking some things of his own. He knew Miranda had ways to contact the Sword Saint and many others around the world. She had said that the old man was missing in action after presumably getting ambushed in his residence, but Jake didn’t put much stock in it. There was no scenario where he saw that old monster die to a bunch of goons, even if they were the top elites of Ell’Hakan.

Which begged the question, why attack him without using their full force? The answer was simple: they didn’t know how strong he actually was. One has to remember that the only time the Sword Saint had revealed his full power was during the duel at the end of the Treasure Hunt, and only a handful of people had been present then, none of which would share it publicly.

Miranda agreed with Jake’s assessment and even added to it. People did know a duel had taken place, but only the “result.”

The result being that the Sword Saint was apparently crippled for a long time afterward. In reality, he had simply been recovering from using his Transcendence, but in the eyes of the world, he had lost and taken grievous injuries. That is at least what Miranda believed the public interpretation was, and Ell’Hakan was right about one thing. If enough people believed something, it became accepted as the truth.

Jake knew that he himself was not some grand strategist, and neither was Miranda, but they didn’t need some perfect plan either. They just needed a plan that was good enough and relied on things they knew Ell’Hakan could not predict. Relied on gaps in his knowledge.

“Say, the Fallen King and that other Unique Lifeform are still engaged in some kind of battle, right?” Jake asked Miranda.

“Yes, according to what I was able to gather, they were still locked in a standstill,” Miranda answered.

Jake nodded and considered for a bit. “I have an idea.”

If there was one thing Jake was certain of, it was that Ell’Hakan expected a rematch with Jake. The man likely believed Jake was the only human on Earth that stood a chance against him, with all C-grades locked away. The only other entity who could threaten him would then be the Fallen King or maybe Sylphie, but Sylphie was far removed from Haven.

So Jake’s plan relied on one simple concept.

Just don’t fight him.

He shared his idea, and Miranda seemed somewhat receptive, even if there were things to refine. They talked for a while longer until Miranda made him aware the Alabaster Crimsoneye Snake had left, finally prompting her to ask:

“Jake, just to make sure, you have not named this snake yet? Not even in your own head?” Miranda asked.

“No?” Jake asked with confusion. But he soon got it and smiled. “If you want me to think of a name, just ask, and I wi-“

“Definitely not. Actually, wait… no, do think of a name, but I have sole discretion when it comes to accepting it or not, alright? And promise me not to share your name ideas with anyone else but me until the choice is final, alright?” Miranda said.

“I guess?” Jake answered, thinking she was overdoing it. He had gotten better at naming things; one just had to look at Sandy. Sandy was a real name! That was definitely an improvement, right?

Unluckily, Jake did not have more time to talk as his ride arrived to eat him up once more. Jake said his temporary goodbyes to Miranda, forgetting to mention his “faster way back than expected” was within the stomach of a massive C-grade worm and going on his merry way.

For his plan to succeed – or for any plan to get more probable – he needed one thing. Levels and power.

It was power-hunting time.