THE PRIMAL HUNTER 3

©2022 ZOGARTH

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All rights reserved.

Also by Zogarth

Also in series:

The Primal Hunter 1

The Primal Hunter 2

The Primal Hunter 3

The Primal Hunter 4

Contents

Previously on the Primal Hunter…

1. Viewing Party

2. Going Up

3. A Cloudy Forecast

4. Mana Bolt

5. Look at Me; I’m the Mage Now!

6. City Lord

7. Not Again

8. Visitors

9. Familial Conflict

10. Unbalanced

11. Incoming

12. Anger

13. Barely a Fight

14. A Bit of Self-Reflection

15. Killing Monsters = Loot 4.0

16. An Agreement with the Incompetents (?)

17. Clouds & Brimstone

18. One-sided

19. Skills & Pylons

20. Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter

21. Why?

22. Under Pressure

23. Can I?

24. Toward the Horizon

25. Pecking Order

Intermission - Meira

26. Helping Friends

27. Rituals

28. Taking Charge

29. Jake & Mystie Airlines

30. One-Sided Negotiation

31. Phillip

32. The Fort

33. The Battle of Fort’s Deep

34. Perhaps Too Easy

35. A Monster To Hunt

36. Mental Magic

37. Minotaur Mindchief

38. A Journey of the Mind

39. From the Myst They Came

40. To Pursue Perfection

41. Names

42. Baby Hawk

43. Fists of Fury

44. Methods of Improvement

45. Just Getting a Few Samples

46. Important Jobs

47. Divine Influence

48. Progress For Everyone!

49. One Step Closer

50. Sylphian

51. A Plan Brought to Fruition

52. Press F for Fungus

53. Sensing the Arcane

54. Cloudy with A Chance of Powershots

55. Hierarchy & Doubt

56. A Cursed Touch

57. Grades & Impatience

58. D-grade

59. Expanding in Scope

60. Keep Things Simple

61. D-grade Class Selection

62. Avaricious Arcane Hunter

63. A Sculptor of Haven

64. A Brave New World

65. An Even More Professional Evolution

66. A Heretical Chosen

67. The Wyvern of the Desolates

68. An Improved Palate

Thank you for reading The Primal Hunter 3

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LitRPG

Previously on the Primal Hunter…

Wait, we were still in the Tutorial at the start of book 2? Damn.

Anyway, let’s get into where we last left off with Jake. After a disastrous meeting with his old work colleagues, Jake finds himself alone in the Tutorial’s inner area, where he was chosen to stay clear of everyone else and just do his own thing. His own thing, in this instance, was to kill four Beast Lords in dungeons before finally facing the final boss known as the King of the Forest.

Meanwhile, William (the most beloved character of the series) wakes up after having taken significant damage in the previous book. Now more delusional than ever, he seeks out Jacob only to discover that everyone besides Jacob himself and his bodyguard is already dead. He, of course, proceeds to kill Jacob and Bertram, but Jacob has one of those nice legendary skills (that is totally not named as a song reference) that allows him to survive and leave the Tutorial.

Jacob then goes on to stay in a special area prepared by the Holy Church – his chosen faction – as he trains together with his immortal bodyguard, Bertram. Oh, and he also remembers to send the souls of those who followed him in the Tutorial to a place called the Holyland, as per his agreement with the Holy Mother.

Back in the Tutorial, Jake and William are both doing dungeons, with Jake clearing three of them and gaining special items for the final boss battle, with William only doing the first one. In all his hubris, William chooses to confront Jake, and they have a long and epic battle that- wait, never mind, no, he just got unceremoniusly smashed into the ground as Jake was far stronger.

Villy, our resident snake god that may or may not be evil, then pops in just as William’s Patron, Eversmile, also does. Eversmile proceeds to resurrect William before dragging him away and out of the Tutorial, while the Malefic Viper stays and talks to Jake for a while, giving him some nice in-depth meta-knowledge about the Tutorial and whatnot. He told him a long story about how Jake was fated to die, got his Bloodline, so fate doesn’t matter, how William was the true main character, and most essentially about how gods can steal beer from other people’s fridges. Just the essentials.

After their nice talk, Jake moves on to hunt more stuff, clears another dungeon, and finally finds himself face to face with the King of the Forest, a creature far stronger than anything he has ever faced before. He proceeds to get his ass kicked for a while before using unique items gained from the dungeon bosses to weaken the King. The two fight for a while until the King decides not to kill Jake but knock him out, which turns out to be a very bad idea, as a knocked-out Jake means only instincts remain. Jake barely manages to squeeze out a victory as the Tutorial ends.

Proceed to loot fiesta, new skills, titles, and all the great stuff, before it is back to Earth… oh, Jake cleared the Tutorial before time, and Earth is still locked down. Not to worry, the Viper has a great idea and invites Jake to visit him for a few days before it is time to return.

During this visit, Jake does some good old time-chamber training by practicing some alchemy and getting tossed into a mixture known as the Trial of Myriad Poisons, which only kills a slight majority of those who do it, so totally safe. Seriously, of course, it is safe, Jake is the main character, and while It could be incredibly funny to kill him halfway through a book and then switch MC, I doubt it would go over well.

Oh, Book 2 also included some intermissions for characters that WILL be important in the future. No, they are not just filler. One of them is about Carmen, a woman who used to be a boxer and comes from a very fucked up family, one of which maliciously cripples her one hand, forcing her to quit her one passion: boxing. After punching her cousin – the one who injured her - a bit too many times in the face for being a bitch, she finds herself locked up in Jail as the Tutorial begins. Not to worry. Like Jake, she thrives as her hands are fixed by the system, and she proceeds to punch her way to power and gains a title only two stages below what Jake got for the Tutorial.

Then we have Miyamoto, an old man who entered the system while on his deathbed. Now revitalized, he picks up his sword and, leading his old and powerful clan, rises to power and lays the foundations for a powerful faction moving forward. He gets the second-best title from the Tutorial and is known as the Sword Saint.

Third, we have Eron. Like Jake, this man possesses a Bloodline, but unlike Jake, he always embraced it. He was a surgeon in life, and his Bloodline Ability is to see the sparks of life within people. Before the system, he used this ability in his job, and after the system, he uses it to become a healer of incredible strength. But his dedication to preserving and healing life is more than a passion: it is an obsession.

Finally, we have Matteo, a former assassin. This entire intermission was actually just to give insight into the Court of Shadows factions and some of the characters in it, with it all being a bait-and-switch and having Matteo, who everyone believes is the strongest, lose to a relatively unknown person known as Caleb. Caleb Thayne – Jake’s little brother.

Anyway, back to Jake. After his training arc, Jake returns to Earth and meets some of his old colleagues, including Jacob. He gives a nod of recognition to Casper – now undead friend – before they all take off in different directions. Jake’s target is something called a Pylon of Civilization, and it does not take him long to find it.

Claiming the Pylon is easy enough as Jake becomes the first person to own a “city” on Earth. His city being a valley with a nice pond and a waterfall, with the roof of his house being the hood of his cloak. Jake is all fine with this, and time passes as he does alchemy and relaxes, no longer feeling the Tutorial’s constant stress and time pressure.

That is until a group of humans stumble across his humble abode. Jake saves them without thinking much and gets the first citizens of his “city.” With this city also comes a nobility title, making Jake an Earl, though he has no idea what good that will do.

One of the people in this new city is known as Miranda, and Jake heroically offloads the title of City Lord to her and makes her a noble, too, after thoroughly evaluating her as a candidate (read: he had a gut feeling it would be fine).

Having successfully outsourced his responsibilities, Jake can finally continue doing what is most important: Alchemy, leveling, upgrading skills, getting into good fights, and exploring this new world. Customary actions taken by Jake include: Figuring out how to kill the huge mushroom monster right under his city. Finding out what kind of beasts reside in the forest his city is placed on the outskirts of. And, of course, literally growing wings and having a hawk teach him how to fly as they both take to the sky to explore.

Surely the world will leave Jake alone to just chill with his hawk and hunt down monsters on sky islands.

Yes, this book will contain sky islands. Yes, it is a spoiler. Sue me. (for legal reasons: please don’t sue me).

Anywho, I hope you enjoy book three as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Chapter 1

Viewing Party

Archery had, for many years, been a vital part of Jake’s life. It’d been his escape from work, stress, and intrusive thoughts before the system. After the system, it had been the tool that allowed him to fight and survive, especially in the beginning.

So not getting the skill upgraded to anything higher than common rarity after so long had been a real thorn in his side—an annoyance every time he opened his status menu. It was only made worse by his intuition telling him he was oh so close to the upgrade all the damn time. He just needed that one final push—a final round of truly contemplating his bowmanship.

The thing that pushed the skill further turned out to not be a life-and-death battle, but instead an awkward struggle in mid-air as he tried to figure out how the hell to hit the damn birds flying all around him.

[Advanced Archery (Common)] --> [Expert Archery (Uncommon)]

It came the moment he hit his first bird. He felt an odd sense of pride that he quite honestly shouldn’t have, considering he had fired over a dozen arrows already.

Meanwhile, his bird-buddy had ripped apart more than twenty of the attacking flock while still somehow finding time to send him condescending glances. Blades of wind revolved around the hawk at all times, cutting into anything that came even close.

On the other hand, Jake spent more time being badgered by the birds that kept pecking and slapping him with their wings in flybys. After the first few only managed to harm themselves as they chipped their beaks on his scales, they stopped attacking him in melee and instead fired blasts of mana at him.

Not that those blasts did any damage either. It only served to annoy Jake further as he fought to stabilize himself mid-air while at the same time trying to nock yet another arrow. He failed miserably, as he could barely stop himself from falling to the ground.

But the experience had still somehow pushed his archery skill to the next level. Perhaps it was the ridiculous level of focus he was forced to apply, as he had to not only focus on his archery and hitting a flying enemy, but also control his own wings.

He didn’t feel much difference from the upgrade, likely due to his lack of ability to focus on the simple act of drawing a string and firing an arrow in his current predicament. In the end, he had enough. He opened his eyes wide at the flock of birds.

Gaze of the Apex Hunter

His eyes shone an intense yellow sheen as the flock of birds all just… stopped. Stopped and fell to the ground one by one. Bloody tears ran down his cheeks as he was forced to shut them, but it had done the job.

*You have slain [Starling Flock Bird – lvl 14] – Experience earned.

*You have slain [Starling Flock Bird – lvl 18] – Experience earned.

…

*You have slain [Starling Flock Bird – lvl 34] – Experience earned.

Nearly all of them died instantly. Only a few survived due to their higher level but found themselves frozen and quickly cut apart by the hawk’s blades of wind.

The entire sky now basked in eerie silence as Jake said, “Villy, are you having a viewing party or what? I got used to your staring, but please don’t invite friends over, or I’ll have to charge you for it. It’s distracting as hell.”

Inside the Order of the Malefic Viper, in the most prestigious of chambers where only the Malefic Viper could enter—just a few moments before Jake began considering charging for a media license—a man lay with his arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling. Three women, barely covered by the thin sheets on the bed, lay around him, trying sheepishly to entice him into another round. Each of them had beautiful long green hair, emerald eyes, and bodies that anyone would call photoshopped if they saw a picture.

The man was not human either but covered in a thin layer of scales, with long black hair and dark green eyes that pierced the soul. The Malefic Viper hadn’t had a round of nightly activity for eras, and from the ladies’ reactions, he hadn’t lost his touch quite yet—his non-deadly kind of touch.

“You said that you met one of our descendants not long ago?” one of the women asked as she twirled her finger on his chest. The scales didn’t bother her in the slightest—quite the opposite, in fact.

“Yeah, Viridia,” he answered. “Current Hall Master of the only Hall left, so the leader of the mortal part of the Order.”

“So, whose is she?” one of the other women asked.

“She can’t be mine; I have never been with anyone but my lord,” the third one stated proudly.

“Oh, what about that gallant guy we met back in Elwood?” The first woman smiled. “You spent a few millennia in his little treehouse, if I recall?”

“That was so long ago! And the kids I had then weren’t any good, to begin with.”

“Ladies, please,” the Viper interrupted. “It doesn’t matter now, does it? Besides, she is quite the fine young lass, so there is nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“She could be mine, then,” the third one said, making a complete one-eighty. One that earned only a sigh from her two sisters.

The three women were known as the Ladies of the Verdant Lagoon. The Viper had first met them when they were only C-tier, and they had joined his Order. It had been another time, during the Third Era, back when his Order was known and feared throughout the multiverse.

As sisters, they all had immense talent and had soared through the ranks. Shortly before attaining B-tier, he’d taken all three of them as his women, and they’d had quite the passionate time together. Thinking about it... he hadn’t been with them since he met her during the Fourth Era.

Needless to say, all three of them had eventually attained godhood. It was quite rare for a family to all ascend like that, but the sisters had always shared a special bond. They’d fought together, had skills that were dependent on each other, and even possessed Records that were tied together. Even Eversmile had found their situation interesting enough to study at one point.

They had forsaken everything that was individuality. Even their names had been given up to bring them closer; the three of them were now simply known as the Sisters of the Verdant Lagoon—the first sister, second, and so on.

“Does this mean that you plan to call on all the Hidden Ones?” the first sister asked after a bit of silence.

“Most have walked their own paths by now,” the Viper answered with a sigh as he recalled the past. “I never bound them in any way, and they have no obligation to the Order any longer.”

“While I cannot speak for all others, my Lord, I can say that us sisters were more than elated when we heard of your return. Even more so when you reached out. You forbade us from coming to you, but I believe that most, if not all, would be more than happy to return to your side.”

“I know,” he said, sighing. “But it is not time yet anyway.”

“Just know that we are all eager to serve once more,” she reiterated, letting silence reclaim the room for a while.

The Viper was staring at the ceiling again, his gaze piercing the void into the planet known as Earth—his favorite pastime these days. However, he tried not to overdo it. Besides, there were many other characters in the multiverse he enjoyed observing.

As gods experienced with clairvoyance and farseeing, the sisters were aware of their lord’s actions. That he was peering at Earth. As to whom he was mainly observing, it was an easy guess. They found it peculiar and unusual for a god, much less a Primordial, to care so much about mortal affairs.

“What makes that mortal human so special?” the second sister asked, finally unable to hold herself back.

“His name is Jake,” the Viper answered. “He is a... friend.”

“A friend?” she asked before she began laughing. “What a novel concept. It sounds like an interesting game.”

Turning to her, the Viper stared into her eyes, not a hint of jest in them. “I am serious.”

“But… why?” the third sister asked, she, too, unable to hold her tongue. “To invest so much of your time and efforts into a mortal that could fall at any moment is just… wasteful.”

Sighing, the Viper turned to all the sisters. “Tell me, what am I to you?”

“My lord.” “A supreme existence.” “The one above all in my heart.”

The answers came simultaneously, only the last one standing out a bit. Yet they all had one thing in common.

“And there you have it. To you three, I stand above you. I am your superior.”

“Is that not only natural?” the first sister asked, a bit confused.

“It is,” the Viper agreed.

That was how the multiverse worked, after all. Power was what dictated everything. Respect was automatically earned simply by being powerful. It wasn’t just a norm born out of habits or a social structure that had been adopted. It was natural law.

A superior being suppressed those below them without even trying. One had to consciously hold back their aura to avoid making those of lower rank feel an innate compulsion to submit. Even if someone could resist the compulsion, they would still be instilled with a sense of inferiority.

As a Primordial, the Viper was positioned at the apex of the multiverse. The beings he didn’t naturally suppress in the multiverse were few and far between. For him to find someone he both didn’t suppress and got along with was even harder, considering his eccentric personality.

Yet a mortal had waltzed into his realm, not giving a shit about his aura or the natural suppression he should feel. Instead, the human had looked upon him like he was an absolute idiot when he, a mighty god, had tried to show off. It was a novel experience. He had even dared to give advice to a god. An F-grade was talking to a god as an equal… It was unheard of.

It wasn’t just a matter of pride or personality that allowed one to stand unfazed before a god as a mortal—much less F-grade before Primordial. The Viper knew it had to be the peculiar Bloodline Jake possessed that allowed him to do so.

Of course, the Viper wouldn’t have bothered as much if it was indeed just the Bloodline making him stand out. Jake wasn’t the first mortal he had met with the power to stand tall before gods. But he was the first to act like he was just meeting some random person on the subway.

That he also turned out to possess monstrous potential was what sealed the deal for him. While the disparity between the two was nearly as wide as it could feasibly be in the multiverse, it didn’t discourage the Viper at all.

“I still don’t get it,” the second sister said, bringing the Viper’s mind back to reality.

“And you don’t have to. Just know that Jake sees me as an equal, and I see him in turn as an equal.”

He knew it was useless to try and explain it. It was a concept that didn’t make any sense to natives of the multiverse, after all. Maybe something only those who had grown up in a world without levels and skills could understand.

Immortality was a long time, and to a god, the life of a mortal—even an S-grade mortal—seemed infinitely short. Perhaps it was a way to protect themselves... but barely any gods had any serious relationships with anyone that weren’t gods. Sometimes it was done with an S-grade near the peak if the god believed they would ascend... but even that was rare.

The sisters tried asking a bit more, but, in the end, gave up. Partly because they didn’t get it at all, and partly because they feared angering the Primordial by being too pesky. For him to share a bed with them was already a massive victory in their minds, and they didn’t want to spoil the mood.

But the third sister did give one last try after a while. “Can we see this mortal? I am very interested to know more.”

“Eh, sure,” the Malefic Viper said. He materialized a screen in the air showing what he’d looked at earlier.

A human with wings flew through the air with a bird that sometimes flew up and pecked him on his forehead. They appeared to be fighting some larger birds. None of the sisters cared much for the scuffle between E-grades but still watched intently to try and comprehend what made the mortal so extraordinary.

The fight ended rather quickly, the larger birds clearly being outmatched. The only interesting thing was the snickering of the Viper at the human’s quite frankly horrendous flying skills. He full-on laughed when even the bird accosted him.

To the three female gods, it was boring to watch until the fight was truly finished by taking down a flock of smaller birds with some soul-attack skill. And the human did something they didn’t expect. He looked straight up—straight into the void where the Viper and three of them peered through, staring directly into their eyes.

“Villy, are you having a viewing party or what?” the mortal said into thin air before rubbing off the blood that was coming out of his eyes. “I got used to your staring, but please don’t invite friends over, or I’ll have to charge you for it. It’s distracting as hell.”

The four gods lying on the bed were the only ones to hear him—except for the bird, which appeared to only lower its opinion of him due to his apparent insanity.

Jake’s casual rebuttal made the three sisters open their eyes wide. Now they were full of even more questions than before.

“How did he detect us?”

“How dare he speak the Malefic One’s name like that?”

“Those eyes…”

The Viper could only smile, feeling a weird sense of satisfaction at the three dumbstruck gods. Felt good not to be the only one surprised by Jake’s nonsensical abilities.

“Well, there you have it,” he said, dispersing the screen once more. “As to how he knows I am watching… heck if I know. He just does, and I find it only adds to the enjoyment.”

He chose to categorically ignore the comments on etiquette and whatnot. He didn’t care. He also knew that any punishment short of death would be meaningless, as she was a bit of a masochist, if he had to say so himself. Not that he found the trait detrimental in bed.

But he had one more thing to add. “Oh, by the way, don’t mention anything about him to anyone, alright?”

The words were formed as a request, but the sisters were fully aware it wasn’t.

Chapter 2

Going Up

Chugging a health potion, Jake opened his eyes once more and wiped the blood away. He was currently flapping his wings, trying to keep himself aloft as he saw the hawk gaze back at him like he was an idiot for talking to thin air. But its look was now not only of ridicule. It contained a hint of fear and respect, which gave him a silly sense of satisfaction for one-upping a freaking bird.

Villy being a peeping tom was something he honestly didn’t even notice anymore. Maybe the tutorial, where many gods had observed him all the time, had desensitized him, but he did notice when three new observers suddenly joined, seeing as nobody except Villy had looked at him since returning to Earth. How exactly he knew… Well, it was just his intuition.

He took a quick glance at his notifications and saw that he had killed six hundred and forty-one birds with his Gaze. This was the first time he’d used it with full power and the intent to kill and not immobilize. The effect was way above his expectations. Not a single bird below E-grade survived, and even the weaker ones in E-grade died instantly.

Jake had chosen the skill for its ability to immobilize his foes. To have a skill that made use of his high Perception. But today, his eyes were opened to exactly how potent the skill was. It wasn’t just its ability to kill, but how it did it.

Not a single one of the dead birds had any wounds. Their bodies were completely unharmed. Instead, their souls had been completely and utterly shattered by the Gaze. The attack had been instantaneous and unavoidable. As long as they were within his line of sight and he intended to hit them, they would be affected.

The backlash he suffered was more due to his own inexperience with the skill than the skill itself. He had pushed more power into it than he could handle, which caused his eyes to suffer damage. But it was nothing a healing potion couldn’t solve in seconds.

Flying down, he managed not to screw up the landing entirely, as he only took a few stumbling steps. The hawk followed him, perching itself on a tree nearby. Jake could feel how tired it was as it rested its eyes for a moment.

Jake also sat down on the ground and entered meditation. The first thing he did was check the notifications. The birds he had killed with his Gaze had all been between level 10 and 37. Sadly, the experience gained wasn’t really worth much due to the significant level disparity.

Next, he checked the upgraded skill.

[Advanced Archery (Common)] – An Archer’s best friend is the bow in his hand and the arrow in his foe’s heart. You have shown improved proficiency with a bow, making the weapon even more familiar to you. Adds a minor bonus to the effect of Agility and Strength when using a ranged weapon.

-->

[Expert Archery (Uncommon)] – An Archer’s best friend is the bow in his hand and the arrow in his foe’s heart. You have proven yourself an expert with your chosen weapon and are fast approaching the level of mastering your craft. Adds a small bonus to the effect of Agility and Strength when using a ranged weapon.

It wasn’t fascinating either, despite how much he had anticipated it. It was a simple and boring skill that just made his archery slightly better. It didn’t give him any knowledge of any kind. It was more just a confirmation that he had reached a level of proficiency—unlike his Basic Twin-Fang Style, which gave him limited knowledge and guidance for melee combat.

He did remember that Casper had told him how the Basic Archery skill gave him knowledge of using a bow upon first entering the tutorial. Knowledge Jake, of course, already had.

Closing down his menus once more, he instead focused on recovering his dwindling stamina pool. He and the hawk had been flying around for a few hours before the flock attacked them. It had already been more than half an hour into the fight before Jake decided to end it with Gaze of the Apex Hunter.

He and his new bird friend had truly bonded over this past day. And when he said bonded, he meant that his hatred had slowly been replaced by gratitude, while the bird was still condescendingly teaching him how to use his wings properly.

Yet he had a feeling the bird would be a bit nicer after today. Despite its level being higher than his, he believed that he had proven himself stronger. Because he was.

While the hawk was quite strong, even for its level, it didn’t make Jake feel threatened at all. It was focused on speed and wind magic. Its attacks were mainly composed of quick and powerful blows that aimed to take the opponent by surprise.

Meanwhile, Jake had his danger sense and, if necessary, Moment of the Primal Hunter, which would warn him of any sneak attack well ahead of time. At the same time, he could use Gaze to freeze it and land a blow. The hawk had been hit by a few blasts from the flock before, making him aware of how feeble the bird actually was.

To sum it up, the hawk was a glass cannon—incredible speed and damage, but low Toughness and Vitality. If he had to guess its stats, he would say nearly all of it was mainly in Intelligence and Agility, with a respectable amount in Wisdom and Strength.

Not that he had any intention of fighting the hawk. They were buddies. And from the bird’s actions, it clearly didn’t intend to fight him either.

After meditating for an hour, he opened his eyes once more. With the cooldown for potions over, he took two stamina potions out and downed one of them. The hawk saw him do this, as it gave him a knowing glance. With a slight chuckle, he tossed the stamina potion up in the air, only for it to be swept up in a gust of wind, landing in the talons of the hawk.

He spread his wings once more as they, in concert, took to the air.

They flew around for a few hours, bumping into several wayward birds that quickly met their end through the blades of wind. Soon the hawk began flying back toward wherever it had left to the day before, and like the day before, it stopped Jake’s attempt to follow.

So Jake did as last time and landed once more. He didn’t do any alchemy this time but instead began testing out his upgraded archery skill. There was not a lot to test, but he wanted a better idea of how effective the increase in attributes actually was.

It didn’t take him long to discover the faint improvements. The string was slightly more comfortable to pull; the arrow flew slightly faster and carried an almost negligible amount more power. It was small, nearly to the point of being unnoticeable, but any bonus was a welcome one.

After firing off a few more arrows to get a better feel for it, he thought about what to do next. It was either alchemy or a bit of solo flying practice. His decision, in the end, landed on flying practice. The kind he didn’t practice with the bird.

Flying up a little, he tried his best to hover, to flap his wings and have the rest of his body remain as stable as possible. He could already imagine how effective he would be if he became able to actively fight with his bow while flying at the same time.

But that was far off, as he couldn’t even correctly hover in the air yet. His flying practice was something that would simply take time and effort. It wasn’t something that should be rushed.

It was like a human child—in this case, an adult—learning to walk. Despite it being such a simple thing for any regular, non-disabled adult, that didn’t mean it was entirely instinctual. It wasn’t like breathing, making your heart pump. It took conscious effort and trained motor controls, and people who had to learn to walk later in life or go through retraining took time to do so.

The skill itself didn’t give him any hint or help with flying, so he was indeed a newborn bird in the sky. His only real help was his monstrous stats, which allowed for his suboptimal movements to let him fly. No matter how sillily or horribly he did so.

By the end of the day, when the hawk returned, he still hadn’t learned to hover, but it was getting better by the hour. The two took to the air, and this time, they flew straight up, higher than Jake had ever been before.

Previously, they had never gone higher than a few kilometers. Jake had quickly learned that the skies had their own separate ecosystem from the ground below. Different flying creatures dominated above. The higher one went, the stronger they were.

Below five kilometers, one barely encountered anything in E-grade. The flock they ran into earlier had been an incredible outlier. They were like locusts scouring the low skies, killing any other bird or flying creature on their way.

Above a couple more kilometers—which was the threshold the two of them had just passed—one began running into the occasional stronger monster. But the hawk didn’t show any intention of stopping or even slowing down.

They passed by a few low-hanging clouds, the hawk purposely avoiding them. Jake peered into one of them and understood why. Within were several unnatural movements. He couldn’t quite discern what they were—a natural phenomenon or perhaps a monster. Either way, he decided to rely on the hawk’s expertise and avoid the clouds for now.

Monsters of many kinds appeared in his vision as they continued. Many different types of birds, even ones he had never seen anything like before. One looked like a flamingo but had two sets of wings. Another was just a big, balloon-like bird that looked like it quite honestly didn’t belong up there.

None of them had a level above 50, making Jake and the hawk ignore them entirely, but as they kept flying further and further up, that started to change fast.

At eight and a half kilometers, they encountered a not-so-friendly giant wasp that tried to sting Jake. This resulted in Jake just catching the stinger and, with his hands on the thing, spreading death through it with Touch of the Malefic Viper. It had only been level 61, so Jake honestly didn’t know where it had gotten the guts to attack him from.

At ten kilometers, they had to avoid a brawl between two giant flocks of birds. Thousands of birds in each flock were ripping into each other. They were relatively weak individually, most still not in E-grade yet, but their sheer sizes made up for it.

Jake felt tempted just to use Gaze of the Apex Hunter but decided against it pretty quickly. It was pointless to do, and he wasn’t keen on the idea of committing bird genocide for no reason.

This kept up as they flew upwards. The hawk had clearly been up here many times before, as it swiftly dismembered any bird that attacked it while avoiding flocks and stronger-looking monsters. Jake felt more like a tagalong but had no complaints.

He was blown back by the sights he saw. It was indeed an entirely new world up there. But he did wonder why it was like this. The hawk had clearly shown a need to land once in a while. To rest. While he didn’t doubt that some monsters could rest while remaining in the air, he seriously doubted any of the more common-looking birds could.

At fifteen kilometers, they encountered their first challenge—the word “challenge” being used relatively lightly. It was a small group of three hulking birds. They looked like vultures that had gone to the gym six days a week, never forgetting wing or talon day—all of them level 87.

It was a bit novel to encounter such strength-focused birds. They attacked the pair, with one of them going for Jake and the two others the hawk. The hawk danced around them effortlessly as the wind cut into them, while Jake met the brute in melee.

Luckily for him, it didn’t even try to dodge but just smashed into him, trying to pierce him with its sharp talons. He summoned his sword and dagger, blocking the foot with the sword as he plunged the dagger into the leg of the vulture.

They kept tussling for a while before Jake managed to get in a few good blows to its stomach and lower body. The wounds didn’t look lethal, but they sure as heck were. The dagger was releasing its innate venom with every stab, only further amplified by Jake coating the blade with his blood.

The hawk had managed to finish off one of its vultures when Jake’s failed to keep itself airborne. It began falling to the ground as he flew over and helped the hawk finish off the last vulture. The one he had been fighting succumbed halfway through the brawl to his poison, dying before even hitting the ground.

It had been a relatively easy and fast fight, which was why he was surprised when the message popped up with the death of the last vulture.

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 84 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 77 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

It was his first level in his class since returning to Earth, and he had a feeling that the sky would be the source of a lot more levels and unique experiences.

“Of course, my Lord,” the first sister quickly said, agreeing to the Viper forbidding them from speaking of the mortal. Her two sisters were nodding along fervently.

“All is good, then. Now, on to official business.” The Malefic Viper got up off the bed while summoning a robe. The women followed his lead as they, too, conjured a dress each. “My Order has turned to shit in my absence. I don’t blame anyone but myself for this. I wallowed in self-pity for long enough.” He sighed and continued, “I plan on getting shit in order. With only a single hall right now, we are confined to only a small part of this universe. I fear that my name has begun to be forgotten. Time to change that.”

“What are you planning, my Lord?” the second sister asked, excitement in her voice.

“I don’t care for expansion much. Faith is not a big part of my path anyhow, and I couldn’t give less of shit about how many faithful believers I have. No, I want to consolidate our power in this part of the universe first. Make it like the good old days. Then we can expand from there.”

“You mean…?” the third sister said, stars in her eyes.

“Exactly. Send out warnings to every single faction and deity within this sector. Give them a week to either pack up and get the fuck out or to come here and swear allegiance. Make my word echo through the multiverse, so all know my message. Those that don’t listen… well”—the ancient Primordial flashed a big smile— “a show of force has never done any harm either.

“Additionally, I want you three to formally return to the Order once more. Having only Snappy and I as known gods is a bit too little. I want each of you to take a leadership position to help get this entire organization back on track.

“Once the Hall Master, as well as the branch leaders, return from Nevermore, I want one of you to take charge and guide her and lead the Order. She is your descendant, so that part should be easy enough. Another one of you takes charge of the academy, while the last takes care of managing the governed area of the Order and assisting me in taking any newly conquered land under our wing. You decide between yourselves who does what. Any objections?”

“We are more than willing to serve,” the first sister said, talking for all three of them.

“Good. I already informed Snappy to bring back the other leaders, so you may as well begin preparing now.” He nodded at the three women. Looking at the messy bed, however, he added, “Though I guess we do have a bit of time.”

A request none of them had to hear twice. A few hours and plenty of “exercise” later, the Viper walked out of the chamber, leaving the three women resting in the bed. He felt quite proud, if he had to say so himself. Tiring out gods to the point of exhaustion was no easy feat.

Teleporting, he stepped into a giant laboratory with only a single old man in it. He was currently tending to a giant tree that appeared to be wholly rotten yet gave out an overpowering amount of life-affinity mana.

“Duskleaf, my dear disciple,” the Viper said with a big smile, the old man not reacting at all. “Come on, old pal, don’t be mad.” The ignoring continued, so he tried something else. “My, quite the tree you have made here. Your own creation, I presume? Very impressive.”

This time, he got a reaction. “A tree someone, especially my so-called ‘master,’ would be fully aware of if he didn’t keep breaking his promises actually to do some—any—alchemy with me.”

“Look, I know I fucked up, but I just had too much to deal with.”

“Like sleeping with those witches?” Duskleaf sneered, cutting him off, clearly still mad. “Or staring at Jake creepily? Or have you found a new deplorable hobby?”

“Okay, okay. Jeez. I even came here with something I thought you would want to hear,” the Viper muttered.

“We are doing an experiment?” Duskleaf beamed, all his anger momentarily forgotten.

“No, not that,” the Viper said, instantly deflating Duskleaf. “But! It is still a good suggestion. I plan on doing a bit of restructuring and improvements around here, and I want you to come out of hiding and take up a more official position in the Order.”

“How can that in any way be construed as good for me?” Duskleaf sighed.

“Listen, I want you to take the position as principal of the academy. One of the witches will help you do all the boring stuff; I just want you to have the title. The only work I will ask of you to do is to be involved in the next enrollment of alchemy students in a few years.”

“I still don’t get it,” the old alchemist said, clearly not keen on the idea. “Why the heck would I want to be involved in enrollment of all things?”

“I think a certain student I plan on convincing to join will be of particular interest to you.” The Malefic Viper smiled deeply.

“… Let me guess, you haven’t even asked Jake yet?”

“I am sure he is one hundred percent on board! Who doesn’t like having an extra school arc in their lives!?”

Chapter 3

A Cloudy Forecast

Jake would never claim to have in-depth knowledge of the happenings in the sky. He would never claim to be a meteorologist or a weather forecaster. While he had managed to get decent grades in physics and chemistry, he for sure wasn’t an expert.

But, despite his lacking knowledge, he was pretty sure that clouds weren’t supposed to have trees growing on them. About as sure as that one shouldn’t be able to walk on said clouds. That was precisely why his current situation was a bit perplexing.

He was standing on a cloud, looking out into the vast sky. Behind him sat the hawk, perched on a branch from an ivory tree that grew on the cloud. Its leaves were a light blue, with dark blue veins running through every part of the trunk.

The cloud wasn’t even very big. It only had that single tree on it and wasn’t even five meters across. Jake knelt down and scooped up a part of the cloud into his palm.

It felt fluffy. Not quite like wool, but more like a soft water balloon. When he let go of the piece of the cloud, it just began drifting through the air, now its own separate mini-cloud. Which was likely the same as what had spawned the current cloud they were on.

The two of them had flown up for quite a bit until they reached around twenty-five kilometers high. If Earth were the same as before the system, they would have well and truly entered the stratosphere by now. Heck, commercial planes didn’t fly above twelve kilometers—less than half of where they were now.

And yet, the air didn’t even feel any thinner. The mana density was the same as closer to the ground too. The only difference was a shift in the affinities. Wind affinity was now far more prevalent, with earth affinity, on the other hand, severely lacking.

Looking further above, he only saw the endless sky expand even further. Exactly how far one could travel before reaching space, or at least just the outer parts of the atmosphere, was a mystery.

But back to the equally mysterious cloud. As Jake had noted earlier, he believed it to have once been a part of a much greater cloud. His belief in that theory stemmed from the absolutely massive cloud floating just a few hundred meters below them—one made of the same tangible type of cloud.

And when he said massive, he truly meant massive. It was too big for him to see where it began and where it ended. He reckoned it was the size of an entire country from pre-system Earth. Just hanging up there in the sky, far above where his so-called city was located. Well, not directly above. A hundred or so kilometers north and twenty-five up, but hey… relatively close.

Sadly, the area affected by the Pylon barely extended upwards even if it was directly above. Only a couple hundred meters at most, even now. This meant that even if the Pylon began extending upwards, it would be a very long time before he was able to claim a sky-city. If ever. Though he was pretty sure the cloud was moving slightly… so maybe it would just float away.

Speaking of the Pylon, he could still feel its location, which was honestly quite lucky, as without it, he was pretty lost. He had just followed the hawk as they flew. And with his sense of direction, getting back without a beacon such as the Pylon would prove more than a little difficult. As in, he would likely go in the direct opposite direction and never return.

He had only been gone for a few days, and that Hank guy had said it would take a week to make the house. So he didn’t plan on returning for that time at a minimum, which gave him plenty of time to explore the enormous cloud continent in front of him.

Something the hawk was clearly on board with. In fact, Jake was pretty sure it was the reason it had brought him here to begin with. Maybe because it wanted a companion for some added safety, or just because it wanted to continue leveling itself.

Either way, after a brief break and a potion each, they took to the sky once more. Flying down to the giant continent floating below, Jake felt an almost child-like excitement at the thought of exploring a freaking sky-island made of clouds.

It spoke to an adolescent part of him that wanted adventure. So far, the things he had encountered in this new world were rather… unimpressive from a spectacle standpoint. It was caves, giant forests, plains, and so on. But a giant cloud… now that was something.

The entire cloud was extremely thick too. The hawk and human had flown up parallel to a wall of cloud as they ascended. It had to be at least three or four hundred meters thick. But it was nothing compared to the sight that met him when he got above the edge of the cloud.

Before Jake was the sprawling world that lay upon the cloud. Countless ivory trees were scattered about, with a giant tree off far in the distance—a giant tree that he could only see because of the bright flashes it gave off every few seconds, as it was currently nighttime.

Like a lightning conductor, it was struck by bursts of electricity from all other trees on the island, acting as the epicenter of the entire continent. It made Jake believe that these trees were the whole reason the clouds were even able to be stepped on in the first place.

After the massive tree and lightning, the next thing that struck him was the many sources of movement he saw. Countless birds flew above the island, which wasn’t a surprise at all. What was surprising was the other type of creature.

On the cloud below walked several figures. Vaguely humanoid, but clearly not. They were entirely white and looked to be part of the cloud continent itself, but a quick Identify proved they weren’t.

[Cloud Elemental – lvl 56]

It was his first encounter with an elemental. He knew of their existence from books he had read on alchemy and from the description of his bow. Concerning alchemy, it had mainly discussed how elementals were great sources of ingredients for many kinds of alchemical creations.

Once slain, an elemental will always turn into a small orb of its element. A cloud elemental, as an example, would drop a Cloud Orb. The orb would contain a highly concentrated amount of cloud-affinity mana and was thus highly suitable as an ingredient.

Jake didn’t have any need for it, however. Mainly because he didn’t know any recipes that required orbs. Secondly, because his alchemy branch didn’t really use those sorts of items often, he doubted it would even be instrumental in the future.

Pure forms of a type of mana like that would most often be found in beneficial pills, flasks, or elixirs—not poisons. But of course, that wasn’t the only reason to hunt them. Experience was a universal gain for any being with levels, after all.

Something the birds were fully aware of. The cloud elemental Jake had just identified was ambushed by a group of five diving birds. In its semi-intangible form, it ignored the purely physical attacks but took damage from magic.

In less than a minute, it dispersed and turned into a small, fingernail-sized white orb. One of the birds, the largest one, ate it without any hesitation, then the five of them flew upwards once more.

As he was observing this, he saw several other similar occurrences all around the island. Most ended with dead cloud elementals, but sometimes they turned it around on the birds, enveloping them and killing them via consumption instead.

Despite the many deaths, it didn’t appear to affect the population of the elementals, however. As Jake saw them die, he saw just as many emerge from the island below, almost as though climbing out of the ground and into being. Born from the vast cloud that was the island itself.

He was thrown out of his thoughts by a blast of wind from the hawk behind him. It tired of his useless gawking. He understood what it wanted, and he couldn’t agree more. While observing the many birds hunt was entertaining in its own right, nothing was better than doing it yourself.

Sweeping down, the two of them split up slightly as they each went for a target. The hawk was going for another bird at level 93, while Jake aimed for an elemental larger than nearly all the others he saw. One that had just killed a group of birds overconfident in their ability to face it.

[Cloud Elemental – lvl 95]

Jake smiled to himself as he landed on the cloud in front of it. He wasn’t stupid enough to try and fight while flying. Jake knew his own limitations. On the ground, he was far more potent and far more comfortable.

The elemental towered over him, being nearly ten meters tall. It looked vaguely human but was way too bulky for it to be so. Its two arms were as thick as its torso, and it didn’t have any legs, only a swirling mass of clouds that floated slightly upon the island below.

Looking upon it, he habitually used Mark of the Ambitious Hunter, took out his bow, and channeled and fired off an Infused Powershot without any hesitation. The elemental that was just floating there didn’t even react before the arrow reached it—an arrow that pierced straight through it, leaving a big, gaping hole.

Wait… he thought as the elemental now shifted its focus to him. His Mark informed him that the attack had done barely any damage. Only a few remnants of mana had invaded the body of the elemental and actually harmed it.

It slowly extended its hand and fired a compressed beam of steam toward him without making any sound. Its movements were slow, but the beam was more powerful than he’d anticipated. It kicked up smoke as the cloud dispersed upon being hit, forcing Jake back.

It gradually hovered toward him and continued firing out a constant stream of steam. Jake used his One Step Mile to create some distance as he tried firing a Splitting Arrow toward the elemental. He hoped the extra arrows from the skill counted as magical or something like that.

Once more, they disappointingly passed through the cloud elemental. No damage at all.

He tried a few more times and even fired off an arrow coated in his blood in the hope of it having any effect. Unsurprisingly, poison didn’t work on a being made out of literal clouds, seeing as it had no blood. Or flesh. Or really a physical body to speak of.

By now, he was beginning to recognize that he might have a minor hole in his repertoire of skills. He was good at killing things mainly due to his incredibly useful Powershot and poisons, both of which proved useless against the elemental.

Then he thought he was brilliant as he used one of the functions of wings he hadn’t tried before. He burned the blood within the wings, allowing a poisonous mist to seep out. He smiled as he flapped his wings and sent the cloud of deadly mist toward the elemental. Eat this!

The cloud of mist floated toward the elemental… and then just swirled around it and slowly dispersed. Since a constant current of air seemed to flow around the elemental at all times, his mist didn’t even make contact. Well, shit.

He also seriously doubted that swinging at it with his sword and dagger would do much good. Maybe Descending Dark Fang would do damage, but how many would it take?

From what he’d seen of the birds, they mainly used blasts of wind and pure mana to disperse and kill the elementals. Wind magic appeared especially useful.

The problem was that Jake didn’t have a single magical attack. The closest thing he had was Touch of the Malefic Viper when it came to offensive magic. One could count his Gaze of the Apex Hunter as a magical attack, but its function was to immobilize against an opponent of his own level, not to deal damage.

On the other hand, the elemental didn’t have a good way to attack him either. Its steam didn’t hit, and its movements were way too slow to catch up to him. It was a stalemate where neither side could get any ground.

But Jake was reluctant just to give up. He knew mana-based attacks worked. So wouldn’t he just have to attack it with that?

Spreading out his hands, mana began accumulating in them, showing off his many hours of mana practice. This time, he didn’t bother to form strings, though. He simply gathered small orbs of pure mana.

Like back in the Forgotten Sewer, when he’d been exploring the dark affinity, the mana in his hands began changing from a transparent shimmer to two black orbs. The process took a few seconds, but it was far faster than it had been back then.

He threw the two bolts of mana at the elemental with hope in his eyes. While it wasn’t a skill, he had still packed a few hundred points of mana within each bolt.

The two bolts hit the cloud elemental straight on and sank into its body. Jake felt the mana instantly dissipate as it spread throughout the body of the elemental. And then it… disappeared. Or, more accurately, it was suppressed by the elemental.

Well, that was a bummer, he thought, disappointed. He could tell that it had done some damage, but he was pretty damn sure that he would run out of mana before it died. He needed something else.

The next few minutes were spent with Jake condensing balls of mana of different forms to attempt to kill it. He tried to condense the mana, shape it, and even test if he could somehow make it into another affinity, like earth. He failed in all these attempts, and even when he succeeded, the resulting attack did nothing to the elemental.

In the end, he tried to move in close and attempt Touch of the Malefic Viper. He wasn’t keen on it, as he had seen the fate of a bird being devoured by the cloud, but felt like he had no other choice. It was either that or retreating.

Carefully approaching the elemental, he dodged the blasts of steam as he neared its lower body. It floated about half a meter above the cloud island, meaning he could only touch its lower section without flying.

But just as he was about to reach it, it smashed both its massive arms down toward him. He managed to dodge, but the attack didn’t end there. An explosion of steam and mist pushed him back tens of meters while scalding his skin slightly.

With the giant elemental’s arms still lowered, he took a step forward and appeared right in front of it once more. His hand was glowing a dark green sheen as he plunged it into the cloud elemental’s arm. Instantly, he felt like he had just put his hand into boiling water, and he quickly covered his entire body in scales. It helped immensely, but it still hurt.

At the same time, the elemental churned as parts of its arm began turning greenish. Jake barely managed to smile triumphantly before the elemental countered him once more. Parts of its arm that had begun turning color exploded—right into him, as he stood with his hand inside the elemental.

Jake found himself blasted backward, his entire upper body and arms scalded from the hot steam. He flew back nearly five hundred meters before he hit the ground rolling. The scales had blocked most of the blow, but it had still managed to do immense damage to him.

The hand and lower arm that had been inside the elemental, especially, were a mess. Jake’s hand was entirely broken, with the skin and flesh melted. More bone than hand remained. The rest of his lower arm was not much better.

By now, he had to admit that he was countered. He didn’t know what to do.

Which was the moment a giant blade of wind cut into the cloud elemental. The hawk landed between Jake—who was still getting up—and the elemental slowly trudging toward him.

In the fight, he had nearly forgotten.

He wasn’t alone.

Chapter 4

Mana Bolt

Jake sat on a small cloud away from the large continent. The bird perched in a tree beside him. He was breathing heavily still from his nearly empty pool of mana and low stamina. Even his health was only at around half.

The cloud elemental was far harder to deal with than he had predicted. Luckily, the hawk had done wonders against it. Its blades of wind had cut off parts of the cloud elemental, with another blast of wind dispersing the cut-off part into nothing.

Even then, it had taken the two of them nearly half an hour before the elemental became unable to regenerate parts of its body and finally died. Or dispersed… or whatever elementals did.

Jake felt pretty damn fucking useless after the long fight. All he could really do was toss weak bolts of dark mana at the elemental to distract it while dodging its blows. If the elemental hadn’t been so stupid as to focus on him over the hawk, he wasn’t even sure they would have won.

He had thrown a mana potion to the hawk during the fight, so he had made some kind of contribution. The hawk didn’t even seem very condescending after the battle. Maybe surprised at Jake’s many means to stay alive.

It made him reflect on the massive skill disparity between beasts and humans once more. Even the dungeon bosses he’d fought never had more than a handful of skills he was aware of. Humans, on the other hand, had so many.

Granted, many skills of beasts were never discovered. So maybe beasts just had a lot more passive skills or skills that buffed other parts of them. Or perhaps they just had fewer skills and more stats. Maybe they were slightly inferior in the skill department by the system’s design. Who could say?

Probably Villy. Gotta ask him next time. Or maybe he could just ask out loud, and the scaly god would hear him. He had been spying on him at random times these days, after all. At least he had been nice enough not to have any more viewing parties.

“Hawkie, let’s just stick to hunting birds and leave those damn clouds alone for now, yeah?” he asked, looking up at the bird.

He was pretty sure it understood him, as it blinked its eyes a few times in a row in response. At least he believed it understood, as it was clearly brilliant. The only question was if it understood him due to its intelligence or because the translation skill he’d gotten worked with birds. Though he doubted it, as he had yet to hear anything speak that wasn’t humanoid.

As for why he called it Hawkie… well, he just got tired of thinking of it as “the hawk,” and when he occasionally talked to it, he wanted to give it some kind of name. Granted, Hawkie was a shitty name, but he had never claimed to be good at naming things.

Closing his eyes while sitting and resting on the cloud, he entered meditation. But this time, he didn’t focus on pure recovery or summoned his usual strings of mana. Instead, he cupped his hands in front of him.

Despite his plan to avoid the elementals, it didn’t mean that he was satisfied with the situation. He wanted to create a tool to fight them.

He had Sagacity of the Malefic Viper, which helped him. He had been practicing controlling and using mana continuously ever since he got the ability to sense it. Yet he found himself so disappointingly useless when he had to use it in combat.

Looking back, he was beginning to regret not just picking up the Dark Bolt skill at some point. Maybe instead of the still useless Hunter’s Tracking skill. Not because of the Dark Bolt itself, but because of what he could potentially learn from it.

Something was missing from his mana attacks. He knew that his spells had to be more powerful even without a skill being used. He saw the many birds fire off basic-looking bolts of mana to kill the elementals, and he, for the life of him, didn’t understand what separated his from theirs.

The amount of mana packed within the bolts wasn’t the issue. Even when Jake used more, it barely did anything. When he made the mana into dark affinity, it at least did something, if still incredibly ineffective.

Though he did have one way of attacking with pure mana. The enchantment on his gloves fired off a melee blast of mana. But even that was useless with his current predicament. What he did to use that was just to pour mana into the gloves, and it would fire out the mana in a blast of kinetic energy.

Touch of the Malefic Viper didn’t serve to help him either. He understood how that skill worked, and it was clearly fundamentally different. It didn’t use mana to attack, but to fuel the poison it released upon touch.

He did briefly consider if he could somehow pour the effects of Touch of the Malefic Viper into a ball of mana and throw it, which was when he learned how futile that thought was. Unless the skill changed entirely, that would never work.

The skill required touch, as the name suggested, for a connection to form between the two entities involved—him, the poisoner, and his target, the poisoned. Not that he knew how to in any way replicate the effects of the skill without actually using it. He was fully aware of how far above his understanding it was, being a part of the Malefic Viper’s legacy and all.

Had he gone wrong in his entire approach to manipulating mana? So far, he had focused on making those strings. Practiced lifting stones and other objects through mana and otherwise just using it to move things or attach himself to something.

He remembered how he had attached himself to a ceiling during the Forgotten Sewers dungeon. How he could cover his feet in mana to walk on water. He was proud of those achievements, but was his philosophy behind doing so flawed in some conceptual way?

Doubt only kept spreading in his mind as he sat in meditation. The effect of increased concentration from the skill upgrade was doing as much harm as good. If he was wrong in his approach to using mana, what about his way of using stamina? His alchemy?

Was there anything he could be genuinely sure of? He knew that even when the system gave a skill, it didn’t necessarily mean one was on the right track. When he’d failed and exploded his own arm by overloading it with stamina, he’d been rewarded with a skill choice—one that was just terrible.

He quickly tried to quench his doubt concerning alchemy first. Gods had observed him doing it, and he had gotten a strong profession upgrade. He could make powerful potions and had acquired so many powerful skills. Even if his path in that regard was suboptimal, it was still good enough.

Borrowing from the confidence in his alchemy, he thought about all the methods in which he used mana. Brewing potions and concocting poisons were reliant on the skills associated with those actions. He wasn’t even sure if it was possible to do either without the skills. If it was, that too was way beyond his paygrade.

Touch of the Malefic Viper he had already gone over.

Sagacity of the Malefic Viper helped him understand some things better, but it didn’t come with any knowledge or sudden enlightenment on how to use mana offensively. It would help him, but in the end, it was just a supplementary tool.

Blood of the Malefic Viper was out too. It transformed his blood to do harm, but everything that skill did was also just far too complicated. He knew it had weird interactions with the vital energy in his body, but that was just what his instincts told him.

The wings didn’t really provide any hints either. Even the ability to burn the blood in the wings was entirely based on Blood of the Malefic Viper and his Alchemical Flame.

Speaking of the Flame, that too didn’t really help anything. All it did was create a transparent flame of pure mana. Jake had tested its offensive might long ago, and it was pretty much nonexistent. The flame produced heat, which could be viewed as offensive, but it was a skill clearly made for crafting and not fighting.

Like the difference between heat in a furnace and an explosion, it was far too stable to be viewed as any kind of attack.

Then there was Palate of the Malefic Viper. It was a skill associated with knowledge of alchemical ingredients he consumed while also amplifying the effects of his creations on himself. He couldn’t see how that could… Wait.

His thoughts wandered to the Trial of Myriad Poisons. When he’d been within the vat of poisons, they’d invaded his body repeatedly—to the point that he struggled with the pain and staying conscious. But more importantly, he replayed his efforts to absorb the toxins.

Back then, he had sought to break down the ingredients. Rip them apart with his mana to absorb them easier. He had tapped into the natural effects of the skill and helped it make the process go faster. A process that was innately tied to that of destruction.

The mana he had used back then wasn’t the same gentle type as what he formed his bolts with. If his normal mana was like a serene lake normally, this mana had been a roaring maelstrom. Both were mana in its purest form, but one was peaceful while the other sought to destroy.

Opening his eyes, he exited meditation. He stood up, lifted his hand, and formed a ball of mana. He felt its serenity. He understood exactly how stupid he had been.

Mana was peaceful by nature, its default form one of balance. If it weren’t, the world would fall apart. It dominated the atmosphere and the air around him. The many affinities didn’t change that at all. To put it in other words… mana didn’t have any inherent intent. It simply was.

The same was true for the mana he formed. The only difference was that it carried his own signature. His own “Jake affinity,” so to speak. When he threw a bolt of mana on anyone, all it did was impact them with a bit of foreign mana temporarily. It wasn’t even a proper attack. It barely held any kinetic energy, which was only because of exactly how much condensed mana there was.

Only his dark mana had some real effect. It was not because that was a proper attack either, but because of the innate qualities of dark mana and its ability to consume other mana types.

His use had been crude and borderline useless.

In his hand, the ball of mana formed into a bolt once more. He remembered the first time he’d seen a mana bolt being used during the tutorial’s first day. He remembered how it had exploded upon impact and left a small burn mark.

The bolt in his hand began to slowly change into a blueish color. Had the other mana bolts ever been transparent? he asked himself. The answer, of course, was no.

Something in his mind had just clicked. Was it truly this simple? He wasn’t even sure exactly how he had made the mana in his hand change. He just tried to mimic the feeling he’d gotten when he sought to destroy and refine the poison in his body, then directed his mana into the structure it had been back then.

He began pouring more mana into the blue bolt in his hand. Its color remained unchanged, but he felt its power increase, and he knew it would explode upon impact with something. As a mana bolt was supposed to.

Jake had changed the construct and the purpose of the mana in his hand. No longer was it just a ball of mana thrown together, but a weapon created with intent.

The thought of trying to mix in the dark affinity was quickly dispelled. Jake was already reaching as he was. The bolt in his hand was turning unstable by the second as he held on to it. A constant drain on his mana to keep it from either exploding or dispersing.

Looking out into the vast cloud continent before him, he spotted another cloud elemental, this one only at level 47. Around half the level of the one he had fought with the hawk earlier.

Turning to it, he said to the hawk, “Hey, I am going to do this one solo. I need to test something.”

The hawk just looked at him like there was something wrong with his head. Hadn’t he said not long ago to leave those cloud elementals alone?

“No judging.” He chuckled as he saw its gaze, briefly reflecting on how funny it was that understanding the thoughts of Hawkie was easier than that of other humans.

Spreading his wings, he leaped off the cloud and glided down to the massive one below. Before even touching the ground, he threw the bolt he had been making in his hand—straight into the cloud elemental he had set his sights on earlier.

The bolt flew even faster than the ones he had thrown earlier. It hit the cloud elemental right in its chest, but this time, it wasn’t just harmlessly absorbed. Instead, it exploded in a blue burst, pushing the elemental back and leaving a large hole in its cloudy body.

It quickly healed itself, but Jake wasn’t discouraged. Quite the opposite. He felt a revitalized belief in his path. He had stumbled for a moment, sure, but it wasn’t something he hadn’t quickly fixed. It couldn’t even be said he had really gone wrong. He had just been missing a piece of the puzzle.

Channeling mana into his two hands, he quickly formed two more bolts of mana. The speed confirmed that his mana practice indeed hadn’t been wasted at all. Throwing them both, two more explosions battered the elemental, forcing it to reform its lost parts.

With a jolly smile, he kept bombarding the defenseless elemental a few more times before it became unable to heal. After the final bolt blew it up, the entire elemental dispersed, leaving only a small orb behind.

*You have slain [Cloud Elemental – lvl 47] – Experience earned*

From start to end, the elemental had been unable to even move toward him. Each bolt had been more potent than the one before it as he familiarized himself with forming them.

Mana practice on a lake with stones and forming strings had been useful, but nothing was better than exercise during live combat. His fighting instincts and innate desire to compete were on full display as he pushed himself to continually improve.

He didn’t even hesitate as he moved his gaze to get another elemental. This one was eleven levels higher than the one he had just slain.

Above, the hawk stared down at the crazed human as his hands crackled with mana, throwing bolt after bolt at the elemental. It nearly felt bad for the poor things as they became fuel for the human’s newfound power.

It recognized the bolts of mana. It knew how to use them too. A fundamental skill for any creature of the caster archetype—even those like itself that were only partially focused on the path of magic.

Yet his bolts were slightly different—not the first ones, mind you, but the ones he was beginning to throw now. They were changing from the basic construct to something more intricate and complicated. The rate of improvement made the hawk doubt if this was indeed the same human that still looked like a newborn chick whenever he stupidly flapped his wings.

Chapter 5

Look at Me; I’m the Mage Now!

Power crackled in the air as three blue bolts appeared, all of them looking like small crystals as they floated above his head. He fired them toward the cloud elemental with a thought as it struggled to reform the missing parts of its body.

But his bolts weren’t its only problem. Just as its arm reformed and tried to counterattack, a blade of wind cut it off, and a gust dispersed the cut-off arm. Right in time for another three bolts to hit it square in its chest, forcing it back even more.

Jake could only cackle at the ease of the fight. It had been going on for nearly ten minutes now, but it had been entirely one-sided. The hawk and he worked in concert to keep the elemental suppressed and in a constant state of recovery.

Less than two minutes later, it failed to heal itself, likely having run out of mana or whatever resource it used to keep itself alive.

*You have slain [Cloud Elemental – lvl 91] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level*

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 85 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

Jake smiled at the level, happy to feel the sense of progression not just in his skill level but stats too. He was looking forward to his next skill selection for his class very much, as his recent progress as a mage was sure to be reflected.

He wasn’t the only one that leveled up. Hawkie had also been blessed with a level at some point since their meeting a couple of days ago.

[Galesong Hawk – lvl 91]

“You good to keep hunting?” he asked, taking out a mana potion to chug down. The hawk glanced at him before motioning with its wing toward the now empty potion in his hand.

Not sure which one it wanted, he took out both a stamina and a mana potion. It selected the mana potion by blowing it out of his hand and into its talons like it did every time he fed it.

“I am beginning to suspect you just keep me around as a free potion dispenser.” He laughed as he put the two now empty bottles away in his spatial storage. Hawkie neither confirmed nor denied his heinous accusation.

The two of them quickly found their next target, this time not going for an elemental but a group of birds hunting one. While it wasn’t very honorable to interfere in a fight in progress, Jake had come to accept it as commonplace in a world like this.

He and Hawkie had been attacked plenty of times already in the middle of their fighting. And they were even considered pretty lucky with their high levels scaring off most potential attackers. Their ability to deter opportunistic beasts had grown with Jake’s proficiency in magic.

It hadn’t even been half a day since he killed his first elemental solo with his bolts. A few hours in, he’d questioned himself why he even formed them in his hands. With the help of his ever-present Sphere of Perception, he could easily see all around him and better observe the mana in the air.

This also meant that he could more easily form mana wherever he could “see.” So he began forming singular bolts of mana in the air while at the same time making them in his hands. Over the course of the day, it became him only making free-flying bolts that he kept suspended above his head.

It meant that he could keep his hands free. His initial genius plan was to fire off bolts of mana while also using his bow. A plan that looked fine on paper, but, in reality, proved more than a little challenging to pull off. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t focus on doing both things at once, so whenever he attempted to fire an arrow, the mana bolts would fizzle out.

He could still fire an arrow, summon and shoot bolts of mana, and then fire an arrow once more without any issue. The problem was that gathering a mana bolt still took a few seconds. While that didn’t sound like long, he could quickly fire off several arrows in the same period. It also wouldn’t exactly serve as any type of surprise attack when the enemy could clearly see the bolts form.

Which was why, for now, he stuck to going full mage. Besides, he hadn’t stopped working to improve his attack method even after summoning three bolts at once. He wanted to do more and do them faster—as well as gain a plethora of other improvements, all at the same time.

Mana bolt was a basic form based on a basic skill. An excellent starting point for sure, but it was just that: a starting point.

The only reason he stuck to the bolts, for now, was because of their simplicity. It allowed him to focus on substance over form. Focus on the nature of the mana within each bolt instead of the structure of the attack itself.

He carefully kept refining the offensive mana within to make it more effective. He wasn’t sure exactly how the bolt’s power was determined, but he was confident that the mana’s quality mattered. Other than that, the quantity of mana used clearly played a part too. The Intelligence stat also had to play a part somewhere if his guesses were correct— and he was pretty sure they were.

So far, he had felt his bolts continuously improve, even with the same amount of mana spent for each bolt. It was due to how well he used the skill, the methodology behind the bolt. Like how he improved his ability to craft potions to make one of better quality, he could make a mana bolt of a higher quality.

The improvements had been constant so far. Jake’s mind was entirely focused from start to end. The only breaks were his one-sided banter with Hawkie while consuming mana potions to keep him going.

Moving his attention back to the present, he summoned his bow for the first time since his failed attempt to use it in concert with mana bolts dozens of fights ago. Their target was the aforementioned group of birds.

Quickly, he smeared the arrows in his own blood to poison them. The birds were fighting an elemental at a level that even Hawkie and he hadn’t tried yet.

[Cloud Elemental – lvl 99]

The three birds were nearly identical, all of them only slightly larger than Hawkie. They looked like crows except for one minor detail: they were all on fire, and vortexes of flames spun around them as they whittled down the elemental. Their levels were not to be scoffed at either.

[Flare Crow – lvl 92]

[Flare Crow – lvl 95]

[Flare Crow – lvl 94]

Jake exchanged a glance with Hawkie before he began channeling his Infused Powershot. Mark of the Ambitious Hunter had already been applied to the target in his sights.

He focused on the skill and the buildup of stamina and mana. He tried to think of a way to improve it, but found that whatever the system helped the skill do was already better than his current comprehension of offensive mana.

Besides, the way it supported Infused Powershot was different than a mana bolt. It served more to “buff” the bow during the attack than the attack itself. The arrow would naturally be affected during the process, hence increasing its power even further.

How he had managed to upgrade the skill while in a pinch back in his fight against the first Alpha Badger was still a mystery to him. A confluence of enlightenment, luck, and talent had formed the skill that became the cornerstone of his victory in the tutorial.

A cornerstone the unlucky flare crow was about to become very familiar with, especially as it was now even further enhanced by another skill in his repertoire.

The level 95 crow—chosen for being the strongest—picked up on the incoming Galesong Hawk but didn’t appear very fazed by it. That was when it suddenly froze—the gaze of an Apex Hunter piercing its very soul.

In the middle of flight, it just began falling in the direction its momentum was already taking it. But it barely managed to be affected by gravity before an arrow soared through the land of clouds.

Jake stood surrounded by mist kicked up from when he released the arrow as it penetrated the crow. Its small size was only serving to worsen the damage. The arrow pierced straight through its body, leaving a hole the size of an arm. Nearly half of its body had just been obliterated.

It fell down as Jake was already charging his second shot. All of the other crows were now fully aware of the danger that had just set upon them. They had been aware of the hawk, but hadn’t realized the real threat was the lower-level human in the background.

They were ready for the second arrow to come. But their readiness was meaningless before Gaze of the Apex Hunter. The attempt to dodge by the weakest crow was thwarted as it too found an arrow embedded in its neck. The shot’s power was significantly weaker, as Jake hadn’t had time to charge it for as long. Weaker, but still lethal.

At least he thought it was lethal. What happened next forced him to reconsider that assessment, however. The first crow, which he had believed dead for sure, exploded in an inferno of golden flames, which scorched the area over a hundred meters around it.

The one hardest hit by this wasn’t Jake, who stood at a safe distance, nor the hawk that had yet to make it into its range, but instead, the cloud elemental. The other crows didn’t appear affected by the flames at all.

Less than a second later, the second crow he had shot also exploded in flames. He had thought it was some kind of suicide skill for a moment, but when he saw a figure rise out of the inferno, he understood it wasn’t.

The crow was no longer a small bird, as it had grown tenfold in size. Its wings were blazing like a phoenix reborn as it soared into the sky, swiftly followed by the second crow that had undergone the same rebirth of flames.

Both were now heading toward Jake, completely ignoring both the elemental and hawk. Hawkie tried to intercept them but was instead attacked by the third crow’s breath of flames, forcing it to erect a barrier of wind around itself.

He was on his own, with two giant, flaming behemoths flying toward him, leaving everything in their wake scorched. The clouds below were being burned by the golden flames as they lingered and spread. The fire was clearly not ordinary, as it could set even the clouds and cloud elemental on fire.

Jake wasn’t fearful as he covered his entire body in dark green scales. His sense of safety immediately increased as he raised his bow once more. No way he would make their attack easy on them.

He fired another Infused Powershot at the highest-leveled crow in the lead. Despite its body appearing to be made of pure flames, it was still flesh and blood below the inferno. The arrow penetrated its body and went out the other side, leaving a wound behind that closed itself as quickly as it had come. The damage caused by his initial Powershot was nowhere to be seen.

Whatever the skill that caused their transformation did, it included healing their body at an incredible pace. Their size and flames both buffed to a great degree.

One more arrow was all he managed before the first crow reached him. This arrow also penetrated through the beast and left a wound that healed as quickly as it had come. It was as he expected.

Dismissing his bow, he pulled out his dagger and sword. The air shimmered around him as Limit Break activated at 10%, all of his stats instantly experiencing the boost. He was ready.

He felt the heat before the impact. The golden flames licked his body moments before the massive beast smashed into him beak-first, trying to impale him as he burned up. But it didn’t go as the crow planned.

With a swift sidestep, he dodged the beak narrowly. Its flames seared his clothes but failed to burn them entirely. The scales beneath kept out the heat as his entire person caught on fire.

His shortsword cleaved a long wound along the crow’s side as it passed him, nearly dismembering one of its wings. This was also where he confirmed another of his suspicions.

The beast had grown in size and overall power, but its body was significantly weaker. Its Toughness was lowered, as his attacks all did far more damage. The crow may have felt like that didn’t matter due to its flames healing it frequently, but Jake knew it couldn’t be sustainable.

Its mana was constantly draining, every wound taking a considerable part of its limited pool to heal. The constant consumption of mana would have likely not been an issue against most foes, as its damage output was high, but fighting Jake was another story.

* * *

Barely ten seconds had passed since the odd creature’s initial attack. The crow had been too caught up in its counterattack to notice the issues its own body was currently experiencing. Its mana drained far quicker than the damage it took warranted, and a rotten smell began spreading in its nostrils.

Rot. It was rotting on the inside, forced continuously to expend mana to heal itself. A nefarious poison had taken hold of its body, and no matter how much it tried to burn it away, it failed over and over again. The first arrow introduced the poison into its entire body in moments, and by now, it was too late already.

With fright in its eyes, it struggled to quickly kill the winged monster. Its comrade had also arrived. The second crow had been inflicted with less poison than the first, but the effects would begin showing soon.

* * *

Jake closely monitored the state of his foes. Perhaps they held a hope that the poison would lose its effectiveness with the death of Jake—something he had no intention of allowing them to find out.

He, too, had noticed the poison spreading within them. Sense of the Malefic Viper informed him that while they were attempting to purge their bodies, it spread nearly as fast as they did so. Maybe they would make it if they disengaged now and focused on healing, but the thought didn’t even occur to them, based on their reckless attacks.

A third explosion of golden flames occurred when the third crow was forced into using it by the hawk in the background. Yet even with its transformation, it failed to land any attacks on the hawk. It tried to, but every time it even came close, the hawk flew away while continually bombarding it with blades of wind.

Both fights had turned into ones of endurance, and Jake and Hawkie were both winning. The only outlier was the cloud elemental, which was still waving its giant arms around from the golden flames consuming its body.

Jake too burned, the heat building up. He saw even the energy his body emanated due to his consuming stamina catching on fire. The golden flames were way different than simple flames.

An explosion forced him back once more as the first crow went into full desperation mode. It consumed mana like crazy to make the inferno surrounding it larger and hotter. Upon landing on the cloud, Jake took another step backward, teleporting tens of meters out of the fire.

He quickly took out his bow once more and fired another arrow, splitting into a dozen in mid-air. Being clumped up and massively grown in size, the two crows were both hit by a handful of arrows each. Only one of them carried even more poison, but all of them exacerbated their desperation.

The two beasts retaliated, one with a breath of fire and the other a colossal fireball. Jake stepped to the side. Tens of meters passed with a single footfall as he fired another Splitting Arrow. He had no intention of facing them in melee any longer, as he had enough issues dealing with the fire still lingering on his body.

This kept up for a few minutes as the two crows desperately tried to lock him down and burn him up. He was repeatably dodging and firing an arrow here and there.

In the end, the second crow turned out to be the first to succumb to the poison. After a final attack that forced Jake to sacrifice one of his wings to block its attack, the crow died, and the flames died out with it. Less than a minute later, the other crow joined it.

At the same time, Hawkie was beginning to struggle. Without any poison, the last crow appeared to be outlasting his hawk friend. Jake saw that a few of its feathers were now burned at their tips, and he had a feeling Hawkie wouldn’t like making too much contact with those flames. It also looked like both its mana and stamina were running low from the constant need to dodge and fire off attacks.

Jake came to the rescue with a fully charged Infused Powershot, freezing his target with Gaze of the Apex Hunter to make sure the blow landed where he wanted it to.

With the fight now a two versus one, the last crow died in less than half a minute. Hawkie used a skill to lock it down in a dome of wind as poisoned arrows pelted it to death.

The only remaining enemy was a cloud elemental at death’s door. The flames of all three crows had burned it during the fight, and it was already severely weakened due to the fighting before he and the hawk had interfered.

It still took them a few minutes to finish it off, with Jake doing most of the damage using his mana bolts. Hawkie was taking a breather, only occasionally firing a few blades of wind here and there to keep it down.

After it all, they both took to the air and returned to the same small cloud island they had come from. Exhausted, Jake entered meditation as the hawk also closed its eyes to rest.

Chapter 6

City Lord

Jake meditated on the small island of clouds with the hawk lying beside him, wings out to its side. It hadn’t even bothered to perch itself on the crystal tree behind them, too exhausted to care about its dignity.

Jake had used Identify on it on their way to their little island and seen that their struggles had paid off for the bird. It had gained yet another level in only one fight.

[Galesong Hawk – lvl 92]

He, too, had gotten plenty of gains. Not counting the sheer satisfaction he’d earned from the first excellent fight after exiting the tutorial, of course. Looking through the notifications, he realized he had also managed to land himself another level.

*You have slain [Flare Crow – lvl 92] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level*

*You have slain [Flare Crow – lvl 95] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level*

*You have slain [Flare Crow – lvl 94] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level*

*You have slain [Cloud Elemental – lvl 99] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level*

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 86 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 78 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

The level was unexpected, as he had just gotten one in the fight before it. Then again, he was still quite a few levels lower than the ones he fought, although his experience may have been lessened due to fighting with the hawk and the damage the crows had already done to the elemental before they interfered.

He also had to remember his Mark of the Ambitious Hunter, increasing his experience when fighting enemies above his own level. As always, he used the skill almost instinctually on any target he faced. He felt a bit bad to admit it, but upon meeting Hawkie for the first time, he had marked it.

Closing the menus, he chose to focus on recovery for now. The flames had been extinguished with the death of the crows, but his body was still a mess. He’d lost more health than he had thought, and his stamina and mana reserves were also severely drained.

After waiting a while longer, he opened his eyes and drank a healing potion. He also placed a healing, stamina, and mana potion by his side for Hawkie to take. He wasn’t afraid of it drinking all three at once, as even beasts innately knew not to.

Meditating once more, he felt the hawk open its eyes a few minutes in and take the healing potion, as it had also clearly lost quite a few health points during the fight.

The brief respite continued for a few hours as he downed a few more potions, and Hawkie finished off all three of its brews meanwhile. Both back in near top form, he turned to the hawk with a questioning gaze.

“Ready to go again?”

It looked at him for a moment before shaking its head. Jake was confused but saw its look turn toward the ground far below them. That was when he remembered the hawk’s tendency to leave every day for a few hours.

What it did, he could only speculate on. He wanted to follow, but every time, it had denied him. He wasn’t curious enough to ruin their partnership to discover its secret.

Today, too, it motioned for him not to follow. He just nodded in acknowledgment and said, “I will remain here, then. I assume you can find me again?”

That got a brief nod and an annoyed gust of wind, questioning how he dared question its sense of direction.

Jake just laughed it off as he saw the hawk jump off the cloud and soar downwards. As it disappeared from sight, he too got up and summoned his wings. Hunting with the hawk was safer and more manageable, but it wasn’t good to become reliant on others. Besides, he felt like experimenting with his newfound magical abilities some more.

And the innocent cloud elementals were perfect just for that. An adolescent part of him also immensely enjoyed the fact that each of them turned into a small orb of condensed cloud mana when they died. It felt like he was getting loot from his hunts. Loot that was useless to him currently, but which he was sure to find a use for at some point.

Even if he didn’t, it was fun to collect things. Hawkie seemed to like them too, so he could just give them to his feathered friend. He still had many random things in his spatial storage that he didn’t have any use for. Two different kinds of water with a magical affinity, just to mention some things he questioned himself for collecting more than a few times. So chances were the orbs would just be thrown in a corner and forgotten.

Touching down on the continent of clouds, he quickly located his target and began charging up three bolts. The poor cloud elemental didn’t even know what hit it as it suffered the assault of the three bolts. Followed by another three. And then three more.

Miranda sat staring into empty air, looking lost to any outsider. In reality, she was reading a system panel that was part of her profession as Principal City Lord. Before the profession, the system had been minimal with giving out any kind of information on anything, but it usually gave something.

Knowledge related to a skill would be given upon getting it. This profession, however, was different. The knowledge it came with directly was minimal, and instead, it opened up an entirely new part of the system to her.

A lot of information was viewable only by her as the City Lord, related to a city’s functions. Several panels featured elements that she had specific new skills related to. Other panels she felt were there but currently inaccessible for her, likely because she lacked the required skill.

Mark had joined her the day before to talk over the new city system, the young man showing much vigor at first. However, that vigor had quickly deteriorated when he came to understand precisely how limited her power as a City Lord was.

He had believed she could create things like she was in a real-time strategy game. The reality, however, was far more disappointing. While she could give specific properties to buildings and areas, she couldn’t create anything, per se.

A city required citizens. It needed others to create the city. If not, what would be the meaning of having builder professions?

There was a lot of hidden information in the many panels, however, allowing her to form conclusions from the pure conjecture of what was written.

First of all, merchant-type professions existed. Despite the many individuals she met during the tutorial, she had never heard of that before. Then again, trading and bartering wasn’t exactly a practice she saw anyone engage in. It was viewed as shameful to try and take advantage of others in their time of need.

She also came to understand more of another part of the system: Credits, or System Credits. A currency used by the system, given to everyone in the tutorial, with excess tutorial points remaining after buying rewards from the tutorial store.

And as she couldn’t see how anyone could buy something for their exact number of points, everyone had to have at least some credits. The thing was… the credits were indeed just a currency. They weren’t like tutorial points and couldn’t be used to buy stuff from the system. And if they could, she wasn’t aware of how to get access to such a store.

As an economics major, however, she understood the importance of a strong currency. Paper money had long moved away from being bound to the value of gold and had been, before the system, more digital than ever. As some economists had said, the faith in money was the most prominent religion on Earth. The dollar or euro only had value because people believed it did.

With the presumed collapse of every single country and government, so had that illusion of money collapsed. Paper money was now worth nothing more than the paper it was printed on. All the money people had in stocks or bank accounts was gone for good, with all electronics and nearly all objects related to technology removed by the system.

So for the system to provide a currency was a godsend for any kind of trading. It was a guarantor far more reliable than any entity before the system. An omnipotent system that she couldn’t see simply disappearing from this new world.

It should also simplify trading quite a lot. And with the money being a part of the system itself, it couldn’t as easily be stolen. There was no bank account to hack or financial system to exploit. However, she was sure that someone in the multiverse had still found ways to exploit it.

The masked man—whom she had still forgotten to ask the name of—had told her of how insignificant Earth was in the vast multiverse. How they were just fledglings before a world larger than they could possibly comprehend at their current level.

For someone or something to find a way to exploit the system’s currency was a given. But a part of her made her want not to try for fear of retaliation from the system itself. She still wasn’t quite sure if it held any kind of ego or not, especially after meeting the humanoid entity in the introduction and tutorial store.

Shaking her head, she returned her attention to the menu before her. It was describing the possibility of taxation in a city. Several types of taxation, none of which she had unlocked the ability to deploy yet. Not that she had any intention of doing so.

Though the thought was a bit funny. To tax a “city” consisting of one in-progress lodge, a bunch of trees, and two chairs. Oh, and a waterfall and pond that she naturally would have to charge a special tax to gain access to!

Honestly, there was just too much to take in. So far, Miranda felt like she’d barely scratched the surface and hadn’t really used any of her new skills quite yet. She’d only tried to better shape the area affected by the Pylon of Civilization and read information.

She had come to realize that these Pylons were the cornerstones of the new settlements on Earth, possibly their entire universe. They allowed access to so many systems, and there was even a whole “diplomacy” tab that was still grayed out in her menu.

She had already long ago gone through the current menus she could see, and most of them were barebones so far. The first was the City Overview:

City Overview

City name: N/A

Population: 4

City Owner: [?]

City Lord: Miranda Wells

City Tier: Earl

Not much to see now, is there? she thought. The city didn’t even have a name yet. The population only showed 4 as, for some reason, the system didn’t count the masked man. She knew he was the owner, but even the system didn’t display his name there.

It was rather useless so far, but she was sure it would expand. However, the part about City Tier was at least a bit informative. From the owner, she received the title of Nobility: Viscount. So her guess was that his current title had to be Nobility: Earl. Not that she had any idea if that was good or not, or what it even meant.

Next was a map of the city. It was rather bare too, just showing the area affected by the Pylon. It was a handful of kilometers in each direction from the Pylon, two hundred meters up and a hundred meters down. All of these were only rough estimates, though.

After that was a panel she was really looking forward to exploring in the future.

Quest Panel:

Current City Quests: N/A

Current Open Quests: N/A

Current Contracted Quests: N/A

Current Compulsory Quests: N/A

It was a system to design quests—one Miranda sadly didn’t have the required skill to interact with yet. The current menu only displayed current quests, and there were, of course, none, as she was the one meant to create them. There were still far more unknowns regarding the system than there was solid knowledge, but she was looking forward to the possibilities, nonetheless.

After that came several more panels, all of them useless currently. Some were about giving people official positions, assigning land, voting, military, creating districts, defensive measures, et cetera. It was just a colossal bundle thrown at her at once.

*’DING!’ Profession: [Principal City Lord of Earth] has reached level 46 - +18 Free Points*

The notification startled her out of her thoughts. It was already the fifth one gained since getting the profession only a few days ago, meaning she had obtained nearly two a day. She wasn’t sure why she got them, but she wasn’t one to argue with a good thing either.

She just wanted to reach 50 as soon as possible and gain a skill—hopefully, one to make quests. She had a feeling that could benefit both herself as well as the others. It would also help to legitimize her position to any new potential citizens.

Of course, for that, she would need citizens to begin with, which in itself was quite a struggle, considering their “city” was located far into a forest surrounded by beasts. Her and Hank’s family finding it was a miracle in itself, and more up to her intuition skill than anything else.

Taking out a small notebook that she’d gotten from the masked man, she looked over her written plans for what to do if other humans came. She was a meticulous person by nature and preferred having plans in place beforehand.

Several scenarios were described based on the size of the group of survivors as well as their strength. She was fully aware that if there were too many or if they were too strong, they would have to bluff or deceive them somehow. At least long enough for the City Owner to return.

Speaking of which… nobody knew where the hell he’d gone. Hank had asked him to give them space to work, and somehow he’d interpreted that as a request to disappear entirely. A complete failure in communication, to say the least. She just hoped he was here if other humans came. She had a feeling they would need him.

Hank said that it would take around a week to make the lodge, so she sincerely hoped he understood that as a request to return in a week. She had a lot of questions for him—one being his name.

As she scribbled away, her gaze wandered to another part of the system, one she could only see due to her proximity to the Pylon.

Initiate the process to claim ownership of Pylon of Civilization?

Requirements to claim ownership: Slay the current City Owner OR be uncontested in your claim for at least 30 days while maintaining the support of at least 51% of the total population.

Warning: City Owner will be warned upon initiation of the process.

She stared at it for a few seconds before dismissing it once more, trying to hide the menu away entirely. Her intuition skill was screaming at her that should she accept it, things wouldn’t go well. It was good that they were building the owner’s house on top of the Pylon if others could start the process too, though Hank and the others had yet to say anything.

Sighing, she returned to her notebook to continue scribbling down notes. She held a meeting with Louise later that day to help her draw up plans for at least the semblance of a city layout. Doing so was putting the cart before the horse for sure, but she had a feeling they wouldn’t be a five-man city for much longer.

Well, more a wish than a feeling. Miranda missed other people a lot and had always been the very social type, so she looked forward to anyone coming. She just hoped they were nice.

Chapter 7

Not Again

The life of a cloud elemental was truly sad. Their only comfort was low intelligence, making them unable to comprehend exactly how much it sucked. For them, living more than a dozen hours was an outstanding achievement. Managing to actually fight back and slay an attacker even more so.

Birds hunted them every hour of the day. All of them had long since grown familiar with the elementals’ attack methods and defensive measures. And now, even a winged human had joined the fray to hunt down the poor elementals.

Jake fired off the bolts of mana like never before. But not from floating orbs above him. Instead, he stood with his bow held high as he shot an arrow that exploded with the power of dozens of the old mana bolts.

Hawkie had been gone for nearly half a day. He wasn’t sure what his feathered friend was doing, but Jake hadn’t been idle during that time. With only himself and weak cloud elementals to fight, he’d had plenty of time to reflect on his method of attack.

He had come to realize that not using his archery was a real waste. So he came up with a new plan: to combine the two somehow. After only a few hours of testing, he had come up with the current attack.

Taking out an arrow, he formed the shape of the mana bolt around it. He poured mana into and around it, making it crackle with energy. To call it a normal mana bolt was no longer accurate. After he had formed the bolt entirely, he channeled Infused Powershot and fired it.

It all added up to a mighty explosion of mana as the arrow pierced the cloud elemental. Just in time too, as the arrow was just about to break apart from the excess mana. The elemental that had been the target nearly broke entirely apart as it struggled to reassemble itself again.

He didn’t wait as he nocked another arrow and began creating another mana bolt around the arrow. It took a few seconds to form it entirely, draw the string, and fire it off, resulting in another explosion.

In retrospect, it wasn’t actually that much more useful than just firing off pure mana bolts. Jake could make more and fire them faster without first forming them around an arrow and firing them. Overall damage per second would likely even be higher just firing pure mana bolts.

But for the first arrow, it was well worth it to form it and use Infused Powershot to improve it further. Only against elementals, though, due to one fatal flaw with the method.

It didn’t work with his poison. He had tried first to coat it in his blood and then form a bolt of mana around it, but found that the poison eroded the mana. He then tried just using a poison he had concocted, but this time, the mana interfered and made the poison less effective.

He’d then had the brilliant idea of using Touch of the Malefic Viper on an arrow to infuse it with poison. He’d even mentally slapped himself for not doing it earlier. That was, until he actually tried to do it. The arrow had barely made contact with his hand before it just broke apart and turned to ambient mana.

In essence, it didn’t work. Besides, when Jake turned an arrow into a mana bolt, it exploded on impact due to how unstable it was. This wasn’t exactly a good way to poison anyone and would instead just ruin the arrow’s poison even if it worked.

So he decided to use his mana bolt arrows against elementals and poisoned arrows on everything else. Of course, he hoped to one day combine the two, but it seemed far away and something the system didn’t particularly like. Maybe he could get a skill at 90.

He felt a bit in a hurry to level up, but on the other hand, he wanted to keep pushing the still-unexplored potential of his newfound proficiency in utilizing mana in combat. At least until his current rapid progression petered out.

Also, he kind of didn’t want to engage too-powerful cloud elementals without Hawkie. He needed the bird to ensure he could actually kill them, considering his still-lackluster damage output. He was an archer and not a mage, even with his mana bolts. It could get a bit dicey, and he had missed out on a few kills due to other birds swooping in and interfering.

Luckily, Hawkie had returned when he made his way back to the cloud island. It was perched on the tree, impatiently staring at Jake as he arrived.

With a slightly apologetic nod, he sat down and entered meditation to top himself off right away so they could return to their hunt. He didn’t need more than half an hour to get back in top form once more. Mainly because of the potion he drank, but excessive consumption of alchemical products was a hallmark of his recovery process by now.

The next days were relatively uneventful compared to what Jake was used to. They killed cloud elementals, fought off asshole groups of birds trying to take advantage of them, acted like assholes by taking advantage of other groups of birds, and so on—the usual stuff that happens on a cloud island the size of a country.

Every day, Hawkie would leave for anywhere between a few hours to half a day. Jake spent this time either experimenting with mana or solo hunting a bit. He was lucky that he had stocked up on so many potions that he didn’t have to brew any.

His bolts of mana had improved hour by hour, and by now were far more potent than the ones he’d started with. Their shape now resembled small lightning bolts as they crackled with energy floating above him.

Their killing did unavoidably result in a lot of experience earned. Jake ended up gaining another three levels, even if he didn’t find the fights that interesting.

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 87 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

…

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 89 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 79 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Just one more level, and he would unlock another skill. He was very expectant, of course. Two days ago, his progress in the mana bolts had significantly stagnated as he began to run out of ways to improve them. For now, it would just take hard work and time for further improvements.

Compared to the first mana bolt he’d thrown with his hand like a plebian, he now shot off crackling bolts of pure unadulterated pain like a true mage. The only minor issue with them was their innate instability.

He wasn’t sure why they were like that; they just were. Perhaps it was due to his desire to continually pack more power and destructibility in them, or maybe it was due to his starting point with forming the bolts.

It was the thought process of turning mana destructive, after all. Jake always had more focus on improving destructibility over stability. Not that he held any regrets toward that. That path felt more natural for him to begin with. The mana closer aligned to his so-called “Jake affinity.”

He hadn’t noticed the small, purple wisps of energy that had begun appearing in his bolts… the same kind that had emerged during the Trial of Myriad Poisons when he sought to destroy and break down the poison in his body. Each of them was far too minute for him or anyone but the strongest of gods to detect.

Hawkie had also progressed steadily, gaining only two levels, though. He didn’t see any notable improvements in his hawk’s fighting abilities, but it had gotten faster and a bit stronger. The underlying toolkit remained the same, consisting of wind attacks and swift movement.

Either way, he was satisfied with his progress, and the bird didn’t complain either. The only ones that really had a right to complain were the cloud elementals, whose sole existence was to die within hours of being born.

They had traveled quite far into the cloud island too. Surprisingly, that didn’t really result in the levels of the elementals or the birds increasing; there wasn’t even more of them. However, it allowed him to get a better look at the giant crystal tree that was the epicenter of the entire thing.

It was truly massive. Lightning crackled between its branches and the small trees below as it stood there menacingly. Using Identify on it didn’t yield any result, meaning it likely wasn’t a monster. It also felt far too big to be useful in alchemy.

The pressure it gave off was enough for the two of them to keep a safe distance, though. Neither of them was interested in getting hit by a wayward bolt of lightning.

He was a bit surprised to see that some birds didn’t have the same reservations. But upon further inspection, he came to understand why. They were monsters of the lightning affinity and thrived in an environment filled with volatile energy.

This didn’t mean that those birds were safe close to the tree, however. They faced powerful competition from other monsters trying to monopolize the powers found there. A few of these competitors made Jake and Hawkie retreat in a hurry—especially two that seemed exceptionally competitive.

One was a giant bird, a commercial airliner’s size, with a wingspan tens of meters wide. Its body was covered in feathers colored a deep black with small blue patterns here and there. Lightning crackled in its wake when it moved, and it kept away all other birds in the area by frying them completely. The pressure the giant bird gave off made it clear it was a step ahead of all the other beasts.

[Thunder Roc - ???]

The second competitor looked a lot like a cloud elemental, but instead of the fluffy white body, this one had a dark gray form with thunder crackling within. Its body flashed with electricity every few seconds as it sat on one of the tree’s larger branches—absorbing the lightning mana, as far as Jake could tell.

In size, it dwarfed even the gigantic Roc. A skyscraper of lightning and death. It too was D-tier.

[Storm Elemental - ???]

These two were what dominated the center of the sky island. Throughout the week, he had seen the two face off a few times, but they appeared unable to properly wound the other. Both were relying on lightning attacks while at the same time being mostly immune to it.

So they had reached a semblance of balance, each keeping to their own side of the tree. Other birds and elementals were competing below, sometimes trying in vain to reach for the crown where most of the lightning mana was condensed.

He couldn’t help but throw Hawkie a glance the first time they saw the two of them, hinting if they should give it a shot sometime soon. To which he’d gotten a bewildered look back, as if he was the biggest idiot the hawk had ever seen.

Not that he didn’t understand why. The two of them were clearly far above their level. They should still both be in the early D-tier, but of course, that didn’t mean they were something the two of them could handle.

As always, he couldn’t help but compare them to the King of the Forest. He imagined how the King would fare against these creatures. The version of the King before being stabbed by a tusk, weakened by the bead from the Nest Watcher, and blown up by the corrupted moonstone.

The conclusion he reached was the mental image of the Roc being torn apart by the golden claw, the elemental ripped into countless pieces by telepathy as a shockwave of mental energy crushed both of their souls to nothingness.

At least, that was what his intuition told him would have happened. He was perfectly aware that he had never truly seen the King in his prime; all the extraordinary items had weakened him to a ridiculous degree. What he did remember, however, was his fully powered Infused Powershot being blocked like it was nothing.

Returning to the real world, he was currently flying back toward their little cloud island once more for a round of meditation and drinking potions. Their daily routine became more and more habitual, as Hawkie didn’t even have to ask for a potion anymore.

Just as he entered meditation, he was thrown out of it by a system message.

Quest Received: Contested Pylon of Civilization

City Lord Miranda Wells has initiated the process to take control of the Pylon of Civilization. If left unchecked, you will lose ownership.

Time Remaining: 29 days, 23:59:59

Quest Reward: Retain control of Pylon of Civilization.

Penalty upon failure: Loss of ownership of the Pylon of Civilization. [Nobility: Earl] downgraded to [Nobility: Viscount].

He stared at it for a while, bewildered. What the hell? He was confused. But the confusion quickly turned to anger as he stood up abruptly, startling Hawkie. But what startled Hawkie more was the aura he currently gave off.

Bloodlust filled the air in an almost tangible aura. His eyes were blazing with the yellow sheen from Gaze of the Apex Hunter. To say that he was pissed was an understatement.

He had been told to stay away for a week. Nine days had passed. Nine fucking days, and they had tried to pull a fast one on him. Two days over their agreed upon time was all they had bothered to wait.

Only two scenarios were in his head. One, they believed he had died and had decided to claim the Pylon for themselves. Fine, he could accept that. He was still going to kill them, but he could buy it.

The second option was that they just didn’t give a shit anymore. That they didn’t care about Jake’s rightful ownership of the Pylon and had come to believe that he wasn’t powerful enough to defend it from them.

“I have some shit to deal with. Be back later,” he said as he leaped off the cloud island and began descending.

He could feel the Pylon and made a beeline for it. Hawkie just sat there frozen, unable to respond to the sudden wave of bloodlust he was giving off.

His anger only grew further as he flapped his wings faster than ever before. He had believed in Miranda and his intuition that told him that he could trust her. He was angry at himself but even angrier at her. Even if she thought he was dead, did she have that little respect for him? That little trust? Even if he was dead, couldn’t she be bothered to wait for a man a couple of days?

He had given her a powerful profession. A title. A future in this new world. She had seemed genuinely thankful… and this was his thanks?

He had saved all their damn lives not even two weeks ago. Not that he thought he owned them or anything, but he expected at least a modicum of respect—from all four of them.

It doesn’t matter now, he thought as he sped up even more. Limit Break was active at ten percent to go even faster.

He had shown trust, and they had thrown it right back in his face. He wasn’t some meek person who would just let that fly. They had chosen their own fates.

His only regret was his own naivety. Hadn’t he learned already? From Andrew and his first and only girlfriend. From Caroline and her betrayal in the tutorial. Every time he had chosen to trust someone, they had broken that trust.

Descending like a meteor, his bloodlust grew. Not a single beast dared get in his way.

Chapter 8

Visitors

It had all started four days prior.

The house’s construction was pretty much done, and Hank was considering making some simple pieces of furniture. They also had a sit-down to talk about plans to make a few more buildings elsewhere for themselves.

That was when Miranda got pinged by her skill that others had entered the Pylon of Civilization’s area of influence. Other humans. She was immediately filled with a paradoxical feeling of both concern and anticipation.

Concern about how many they were, their intentions, and their strength, and anticipation at the potential of having more citizens join the city. Maybe beginning to actually make it worthy of being called a city.

She notified Hank and the kids as they talked over what to do.

“Louise and Mark should go hide in the cellar of the house,” Hank started.

At Miranda’s request, the cellar was rather well-hidden, and one wouldn’t find its entrance without looking around for it. Which was to say they had put the pelt of an animal over the hatch.

“Not going to happen,” Louise said adamantly. “We both evolved too. If they want a fight, let’s give them one!”

“We should avoid fighting if we can,” Miranda said. “No matter how strong or how many there are.” She sighed as she tried to calm down the fired-up Louise. The system clearly hadn’t fixed the illogical mind of the young woman.

“I don’t want to hide either,” Mark said a bit meekly.

Hank chose to concede, as they quite frankly didn’t have time for the discussion right now. “Fine, but no fighting unless absolutely necessary. And keep quiet.”

They spoke a bit more, all gathered around the house still, as they waited for the arrival of whoever was to come. The skill Miranda had that made her aware they were here did nothing more than that. It just gave her a vague feeling that someone had entered.

Not how many, not how strong, nor where they were now. Miranda wasn’t even sure if she could feel it if they left the area again. So all they could do was to wait in trepidation.

Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, they didn’t have to wait long before someone arrived.

A hooded figure was hiding at the entrance to the valley and peeking out from behind a rock.

She saw the four people there, in front of a wooden lodge. The large bearded man with an axe over his shoulder, a woman, a young man, and a young woman, all wearing robes. Two casters and a healer, from what she could tell.

A quick Identify of all four showed that none of them were overly high-leveled, and all were E-grade. The woman and the man were the highest-leveled individuals at 33 and 34, respectively.

She quickly retreated to her group, which waited a few hundred meters away at a small clearing within the forest. As she walked out from behind a tree, exiting stealthily, the group turned toward her, a young man in the lead.

“That was fast. Did you find anything?” he asked with a slight smile.

His face was pale, and his eyes seemed a bit listless despite his smile. He was wearing a robe with golden runes and a small chain around his neck, with the necklace itself hidden beneath his robes. But even with his weak appearance, she knew that he was by far the strongest in their party.

They were a group of five that had met and survived the tutorial together—from level 0 to where they were today—without losing a single member.

The first of the party’s members was the woman herself, Eleanor, the archer of the group. Next was their defender, Christen, the only other woman on the team. She was currently sitting in a chainmail set, resting against a log with their healer Silas tending to a large wound on her stomach—a particularly nasty one that was resisting his healing quite effectively.

Then there was Levi, their weird magic swordsman who didn’t quite fit into a role. He’d initially been a medium warrior but began picking up more magic skills and eventually evolved into a hybrid class at 25.

Last but not least was their leader Neil, the sole caster of their party, and a weird one at that. He was specialized in kinetic magic, or, more accurately recently, space magic. Displacement, teleportation, whatever the hell struck his fancy, he somehow figured out how to do, which was also how they had arrived where they were in their current state.

“I saw four humans,” she answered after a brief pause. “I didn’t detect or see anyone else. They have constructed a lodge in the valley and, from the looks of it, know that we are here. At least, they are on guard.”

“Their levels, and were there any clues as to their classes or capabilities?” Neil asked further.

“Strongest two at 33 and 34, with the one at 34 wielding an axe, and the other wore the standard caster robe from the tutorial. The last two looked like teenagers, one of them a healer and the other a caster. Both also E-grade.”

Neil looked a bit troubled at the answer. “This doesn’t make any sense. Why would we be taken here if they are so weak?”

“Maybe it has something to do with the area?” Levi theorized. “Have you noticed how we haven’t encountered a single monster or beast since coming here? Perhaps we are within a protective barrier of some kind.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier just to ask those four? With their levels, they aren’t a threat,” the defender Christen asked, her wound beginning to close up nicely.

“At this point, I don’t think we have much choice,” Neil said, a bit resigned. “Even if there is truly nothing here, we should have created a lot of distance between them and us.”

They had teleported there with the help of Neil and a particular item in his possession. Teleported a vast distance, likely hundreds if not thousands of kilometers. This wasn’t the first teleport either, but one of many they had been forced to perform ever since returning from the tutorial.

“Let’s go, then; they didn’t look like bad people,” Eleanor said.

She had her bow draped over her shoulder and her quiver on her back. If Jake had been here, he would have recognized the quiver as identical to his own. Also upgraded to uncommon rarity from a token.

In fact, all five of them had gear at a level Jake hadn’t encountered on anyone except himself. Not a single one of them was wearing their starting gear, and those that were had upgraded versions. More surprising was perhaps their levels.

At the front was Neil at level 52, followed by Christen at 48, Silas and Levi both at 47, and Eleanor herself at only 45. She said “only,” but that was merely in comparison to the rest of her party.

“Yeah, get moving, guys and gals.” Christen smiled as she stood up.

Silas just shook his head, as he wasn’t entirely done healing the wound yet. Then again, perhaps it was best her natural regeneration did the rest of the work for now.

The five of them walked through the narrow passage leading into the valley. The first sight meeting them was the idyllic lodge positioned right next to the pond with a waterfall—and the four people standing in front of it, clearly on guard.

* * *

Hank was in the lead, and the moment he saw them, he felt a sense of dread. He had identified the woman in front and seen her level at 48—fourteen entire levels above his own. And a quick glance at the other members of the group of five made it very clear exactly how outmatched they were—especially the young man in the golden robe, whose level he couldn’t even see. He looked like a mage, though.

The two groups stared at each other for a while before the man in the lead from the second group stepped forth and broke the silence. “Ah, this is awkward,” he said with a light smile. “We come in peace. So no reason to be that tense. I would just like to ask a few questions, and then we will be on our way.”

“If we can help, we would be more than happy to,” Miranda answered.

“Thank you,” the man said courteously. “First of all, what is up with this place? The absence of monsters is quite something. And did you build that lodge behind you?”

“The lodge was indeed made by us. My comrade here is quite the builder.” Miranda nudged Hank. “As for the particularities of this place, while we have noticed them, I cannot tell you the reason why it is—”

“Lie,” another man in a robe interrupted.

“Not a good start, lying in the second sentence.” The front man chuckled. “For transparency, my friend here happens to have a skill that can discern lies.”

Hank already felt like the situation had just gone from bad to worse as their first tactic had just gone out the window.

* * *

Miranda felt a cold shiver run down her spine. If that was true, it threw off ninety percent of her plans for this interaction. That was already calculating in the fact that they were at a level of power far beyond them. Damage control, she thought.

“I am sorry,” she said. “I mean that I don’t know exactly why this area is as it is. Only that it is related to the owner of this land. The lodge behind me is also built for him, and this entire valley was already his home when we found it.” If lies didn’t work, she would have to use truths only. A bit creatively, perhaps.

“The owner, you say. Who might this owner be?” the man continued.

“I do not know. Not even his name is known to me,” she answered, praising the fact that she had forgotten to ask his name time and time again. “What I do know is that he is powerful and, from what I could tell, human.”

“From what you could tell? What makes you think this mysterious owner isn’t human?”

“I strongly suspect he is human, but since Identify does not work on him, I couldn’t confirm. His level of power also makes me doubtful of his humanity, to begin with.” It seemed prudent to let the mysteriousness of the masked man play to her advantage.

“Doesn’t work?” the other leader asked, a bit confused. “As in, not at all?”

“No, not at all. It just returned a single question mark,” Hank said, cutting in.

The mage frowned. “Where is this person now?”

“He left four days back or so,” Miranda said. “We don’t know to where. But I believe he will return within the next three to four days, due to it being the deadline set for finishing his new lodge.”

She very purposefully tried to make her answers fulfilling to avoid too many follow-up questions. She wanted to, at all costs, avoid any mention of the Pylon. Luckily, she was the only one aware of it.

“I see… Exactly how strong would you reckon this individual is?” he asked as he looked to be in deep thought.

“Strong enough to make me not tell you out of fear he will retaliate when he returns,” Hank cut in once more, giving an answer way better than Miranda had thought up.

Miranda quite honestly couldn’t tell how things were going, but she hoped they had least managed to avoid a fight. Luckily, she had a few more cards up her sleeves too, left by the owner.

* * *

“We understand,” Neil answered with a smile after throwing a glance at Silas. He got a nod in confirmation that neither the man or the woman had lied since the first part.

What ensued next was a few moments of staring at each other, only interrupted when Christen winced a bit and grabbed her stomach in pain. It was rather subtle, but the other party noticed it.

“Are you injured?” the woman acting as the spokesperson asked with a bit of genuine concern. She did still seem wary, though.

Neil looked at Christen for a bit, getting a small nod. “We ran into some trouble coming here. A particularly nasty curse happens to have afflicted her, and it takes some time to heal.”

The woman nodded in acknowledgment. It wasn’t like the Christen’s injury was any kind of chance for them. If a fight broke out, Neil and his party would win for sure. Just one or two of the five could very likely wipe them out. Though it was positive that Neil didn’t think it would come to that.

“Anything that will come to bite us in the ass later?” the axe-wielding man asked, not so courteously.

“Hopefully not,” Neil dismissively said before turning to the woman once more. “As this area is the safest we have come across so far in our journey, I would like to ask permission to stay here. As the owner isn’t around, would you be able to allow us to stay?”

“I…” she began, clearly quickly remembering the living lie detector. “The final decision is up to the owner, but I am unable to stop you from staying if you wish to.”

“Great.” Neil laughed after Silas said nothing. “Do not hesitate to ask us for anything. We truly do not come with any ill intent. I believe working together would be of interest to both parties.”

“I agree that working together is preferable to standing in opposition to one another,” the woman said, smiling in return.

She reached down and took a small satchel out from beneath her robes. One everyone recognized as the one that had contained potions at the beginning of the tutorials.

“Take this as a proof of goodwill,” she said, tossing the satchel to Neil.

Neil didn’t catch it, per se, but instead stopped it a meter or so from his body, making it float in mid-air. He was still cautious despite how friendly he had acted. With a thought, he opened the satchel and saw a handful of similarly familiar bottles within.

He chuckled a bit internally at the gesture. The potions had been excellent back then, but he wasn’t sure how much they would really do with everyone well into the E-grade. The only interesting thing was how the hell they had managed to save the potions throughout the tutorial.

That was, until he tried Identifying a few of them, almost on instinct, and noticed something was off. One of each type was of common rarity.

“I would feel bad accepting your reward from the tutorial like that,” Neil said.

He had concluded that the woman had used her tutorial points to buy these potions—a natural decision, and not the first instance of people he’d encountered doing so. But it did make the gesture appear far more genuine.

“Don’t misunderstand; those were made by the owner,” she quickly explained.

“Made?” he asked, a bit confused.

He believed the potions to be a product of the tutorial. A system-created item to assist them, not unlike the upgrade tokens. Was this not the case?

“He has many mysterious means—the creation of these potions is just one of them,” the woman answered, clearly doubling down on the mysteriousness of the City Owner once more. Silas was not protesting either, so this had to be the truth, at least according to what she knew.

“… I will keep that in mind,” Neil answered, this time a bit more tentatively. His four companions were also surprised at the thought that people could make those potions.

“Well, then, to a prosperous future,” the woman said with a small bow and a smile.

Chapter 9

Familial Conflict

“It’s hard to believe,” Levi said as he stared at the blue bottle in his hand. “How do you even make something like this?”

“How do you shoot magical blades at people, and how does Neil teleport us thousands of kilometers at a time?” Christen scoffed before continuing, “And how does Silas heal wounds in seconds, or Eleanor’s arrows appear from thin air or—”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. No need to be a bitch,” Levi said, handing the potion back to Silas, who was keeping them for now.

“Sorry I hurt your feelings—me being a bitch has totally nothing to do with my stomach being constantly on fire,” she said sarcastically.

“Sorry…” Silas apologized meekly. He was still trying to heal it, but all he could do was keep it in check as the power of the curse slowly ran itself out.

“It isn’t your fault,” Neil cut in. “We didn’t know they had made an alliance and got overconfident. Hopefully, this mysterious ‘owner’ can help us.”

“I still don’t like trusting some unknown person we don’t even know is human,” Christen sighed.

“We can’t keep running either,” Levi said. “And there is no way in hell we hand the orb to them. Not like they are going to let us live either way.”

“Won’t this ‘owner’ want the orb, though?” Eleanor asked. “I doubt we can keep it hidden if we actually need his assistance.”

“Let’s just hope he isn’t interested, then,” Neil said, smiling. “In the meantime, we shouldn’t idle. They are for sure on our trail, so not preparing would be foolish.”

“So we are staying here?” Silas asked as he channeled what little mana he had recovered into Christen’s wound.

Neil looked at the two and then the wound, which still appeared to have small embers burning in it. “Christen is not in any shape to travel like she is now, and I used the last remaining ingredients I had on the last teleportation circle. We may be able to outrun them still, but is that really a way to live? So, yes, we are staying. For better or worse.”

At the current time, they had created some distance from the lodge and the four other survivors. A discussion was in order on how to move forward. But in the end, decisions nearly always fell on Neil to make.

“Should we involve those four?” Eleanor inquired.

Neil nodded once more. “I think it would be wise. They must have some rapport with this ‘owner,’ so having a working relationship at the minimum would be preferable. They may also be able to provide further assistance and help with preparing for the inevitable arrival of my cousin’s group.”

“Speaking of assistance, why don’t you take a swig of one of these little wonder-bottles?” Levi asked Silas, who was clearly out of mana again.

They already used Identify on the potions, and it had returned the same message as back in the tutorial.

[Mana Potion (Inferior)] – Restores mana when consumed.

[Mana Potion (Common)] – Restores mana when consumed.

It didn’t show the values, and in their eyes looked identical to the ones they’d consumed back then. The only difference was the common tag on some of them, so these were likely of higher quality.

“They could be poisoned,” Silas said a bit hesitantly.

“That would be a shitty assassination attempt,” Levi said with a big laugh. “Even if it worked, we would just wipe them out. Don’t worry—if you die, I promise to take revenge for you!”

“Screw you,” Silas joked as he took out the potion. “Here goes nothing.”

Silas felt the liquid enter his body and a flood of mana spread throughout. Far more mana than those shitty mana potions had provided during the tutorial.

He sat staring into thin air for a while after drinking it as he checked his status.

“Holy shit.”

“What? Is anything wrong?” Levi asked, concerned about his earlier jokes becoming a reality.

“It gave me more than 2200 mana,” Silas said, still in disbelief.

“What!? That’s like my entire mana pool,” Levi exclaimed in shock.

Neil, Christen, and Eleanor also looked on with interest. Christen and Eleanor didn’t really use mana, but if the mana potions were that good, chances were the stamina potions were too. Neil, on the other hand, began to see possibilities he hadn’t considered before.

“And there are no side effects?” Neil asked.

“None,” Silas calmly explained as he collected his thoughts. “Works just like the tutorial ones. I can tell there is the same one-hour cooldown too. This is just crazy.”

“Well, I think making a partnership with those four is pretty much settled now,” Neil said, laughing. “Especially if they got more of these potions.” Perhaps they would be able to put up a defense by the time she arrived after all.

After that, they returned to the lodge, where Miranda and the others still sat. They agreed to work together as Neil also came clean about their reasons for coming there.

Their tutorial had been more like Jake’s than Miranda’s—a smaller number of people put in an archipelago of islands with bridges connecting each one. Each island had had a general level range of beasts and other types of monsters.

The five of them had known each other before the integration. Christen and Silas were childhood friends, while Neil and Levi had gone to the same class in university. Eleanor was a friend of Christen, as they’d lived in the same university dorm.

All of them were only in their early to mid-twenties, and Neil was the oldest of the bunch.

But there had also been others. Neil’s cousin, a woman named Abby, had also entered. She had joined with a group of her own friends and her father, Neil’s uncle.

In the beginning, they had teamed up with this group. Their teamwork turned out to be immaculate as Christen took the front and tanked, Eleanor scouted and made ranged attacks, and Neil and Levi provided most of the damage, with Neil also learning supporting skills later on. Silas was the group’s designated healer.

All had gone well until they encountered a particular island. This one had contained no monsters of any kind, but instead a large crypt, which they had entered with a large group of nearly two hundred people. There, they’d found a unique challenge dungeon. All casters below 25, which was all of them as it was still only the first week, got the chance to enter it. They pretty much all did in their unbridled naivety.

As was customary of a Challenge Dungeon, you either won or failed. It had been designed for one to win it, but something unexpected had happened. Two people had managed to, against all odds, beat the Challenge Dungeon. After a month, Abby and Neil had both walked out the door, the only two victors.

Both had gotten a new and powerful class. Both had upgraded it to an even more potent version at 25 too. From that point onward, they’d dominated the tutorial. Both were higher level and more powerful than anyone else. Their parties had benefitted from this too, as their levels soared in concert with their own.

After the Challenge Dungeon, Neil and his cousin had split up. Each went their own way to find and hunt more beasts. By some miracle, or perhaps by design, they’d reached the final island simultaneously, when only a single day of the tutorial remained.

There they had entered a new area together. Within, Abby and Neil, as well as their respective companions, had encountered the “final boss”—the disciple of the one who had given them the legacy in the Challenge Dungeon. The one who had given them their class was long dead, with only this one disciple remaining behind as an honor to his old master.

The disciple had been D-grade, more potent than they could possibly handle. Luckily, he hadn’t been there to fight them. He’d offered them yet another trial. One they could try with their parties of five.

Abby, at this time, had come with a group of several hundred people. An entire army at her command. Of course, she’d protested at the limitation of only five people, but the disciple insisted, and even the headstrong Abby didn’t dare cross the D-grade disciple.

Once more, Abby and Neil had competed, which was when the disparity between the two became apparent. Not in their personal skill, but the skill of their party.

Neil had only ever been with his party of five. Be it through luck or fate that they had decided to stick together from the start, it had resulted an immense advantage throughout the trial. Their party had even cleared two dungeons prior, and all managed to get good equipment.

On the other hand, Abby had put herself and her father before everyone else. In personal power, she’d been above Neil. Her father had also been slightly stronger than any of Neil’s party members. But that was it. The rest who’d followed her were far from powerful individuals.

This had resulted in Neil winning in the end. Abby walked out with only her and her father surviving. As a reward, Neil was granted the Orb of Kallox, named after the one they had inherited their class from. The item that would come to be the reason for their current predicament. And upon sharing its properties, Miranda and Hank understood why.

[Orb of Kallox (Legendary)] – An orb made by the space mage Kallox in his final days. Left to his disciple to grant to any worthy inheritor of his path. The orb was made by condensing a microcosm to physical form in the shape of an orb. It is nigh indestructible by any being below B-tier. Due to the very life of Kallox being consumed in its crafting process, it contains insights into his understanding of the concept of space. The orb contains a spatial storage that is able to house nonliving objects. Can store a large amount of space mana.

Requirements: Inheritance Class of Kallox obtained.

“I was foolish enough to show Abby too,” Neil said with regret. “I was naïve and excited at having gotten it, and believed she would share in my excitement as we moved forward into this new world together. Outwardly, she did appear to do so. Until we returned from the tutorial, and the Disciple of Kallox was no longer there to interfere. That was when we found ourselves surrounded by her army of followers, who demanded we hand over the orb and all our equipment.”

“I thought you were family…” Louise said, as she had also gotten invested in the story.

Neil smiled sadly. “So did I. I naturally refused and even offered that we could both study and use the orb together. This wasn’t good enough for her. So she, along with all her followers, tried to kill us.”

“How did you manage to escape when surrounded by hundreds of people?” Hank asked.

“By luck, mostly. We managed to take advantage of their bad formation and break out even without my space magic. After that, we ran for half a day, being pursued all the time. We managed to shake them off for the better part of a day—just enough time for me to set up a teleportation circle and take us hundreds of kilometers away.”

“Teleportation circle?” Miranda asked. She had a good idea what it was, but confirmation was always preferable.

“A type of formation to transport us a far distance. But each one consumes ingredients, and I have to use the stored-up mana in the orb to power it. And before you ask, I am all out of ingredients.”

“But if you teleported away, how did they find you again?” Hank pressed.

“The orb and my class. Abby can track me anywhere I go, and these four idiots refuse to leave me,” Neil said, referring to his friends, who all just smiled goofily. “We kept teleporting a few times, the last one taking us to this forest.”

“So, to sum it up, an army of people far stronger than you is chasing you down to kill you, and now you have led them here to kill us too?” Miranda asked rather directly.

“I guess?” Neil answered a bit sheepishly.

“And exactly how long do we have before our imminent demise?”

Neil felt a bit of sweat on his back from the woman’s intense glare as he answered, “Three days at minimum, a week at most…”

“Great…” Miranda said with a big sigh. “Brilliant plan. Why exactly did you choose to teleport here to begin with?”

“I… we encountered others on the way. One group we encountered was absolutely massive. Far stronger than us or even Abby’s by a mile. We are talking thousands. A priest or something led them.

“He did some weird shit, and suddenly, I had these coordinates in my head. He told us that we would find, and I quote, ‘salvation and our fated path.’ Yeah, I don’t get it either, but for some reason, I believed him. Silas’ skill also said that he didn’t lie.”

“Sounds a bit too convenient, don’t you think?” Hank asked, more than a little skeptical.

“I perfectly understand your doubts,” Neil said, “I was doubtful too, at first, but he was just so damn convincing. I can’t properly explain it.”

“Why didn’t you stay with them if they were such a big group?” Miranda asked, equally skeptical of the entire story.

“We tried, but he refused us. He said that joining them would not end well for either party. That our paths were not found within his fold.”

“Sounds like you met a lunatic or a conman,” Hank scoffed. “And if I am right, that lie-detector skill can probably only confirm what the one speaking thinks is true, and not some universal law. Am I right?”

Silas looked briefly at Neil, and when he got a nod of approval, he too nodded. That was indeed how the skill worked. In other words, if the speaker didn’t believe they’d lied, it wouldn’t register as a lie.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Neil continued, defending his action of believing a random guy. “But he was strong. Real strong. Not just in level, but in spirit. He was also surrounded by equally powerful people who all seemed keen on protecting and listening to him.”

“Doesn’t matter right now,” Miranda finally cut in. “What matters right now is what we plan on doing about the people coming here to kill us. We can’t just count on the ‘owner’ showing up.”

“I agree,” Neil said, more than happy to change the subject. He proceeded to explain a few of his plans, but it was clearly something that would take more time to plan properly. It also quickly became apparent that every single member of the five-man party had evolved professions.

“So, who was this guy?” Hank asked, bringing the topic back to the mysterious guide.

“I never got a name,” Neil confessed, “but everyone referred to him as the Augur.”

Chapter 10

Unbalanced

Miranda sat on the small stairs leading up to the lodge. She watched the intricate patterns drawn on the ground by Neil as he worked to improve the magic circle—a massive formation covering tens of meters all around the lodge.

Hank was working with Christen to make him a better axe. She was a blacksmith and was more than happy to help when he asked, though Miranda was pretty sure the young woman just felt terrible about the situation she had put him and his two kids in.

Silas meditated as he did most of the time. He had managed to finally get rid of Christen’s cursed wound the day before and was now able to rest for the first time since she’d gotten the injury. Mark had chosen to accompany him, as he had been following the man around to learn how to be a better healer.

Louise had spent most of her time making pits and overall warping the environment around them. She had a skill that allowed her to do some minor terraforming, but it was good enough to improve their natural defenses with enough time.

Eleanor hadn’t been seen for days. She was the de facto scout of their party and had left to keep track of when the incoming party would come. They knew the direction they were coming from, and she had a few skills to locate people while keeping herself hidden.

Levi was the most useless of the bunch, just swinging his sword in the air, trying to get in every second of training possible. Maybe hoping for some miraculous last-minute skill upgrade or perhaps just a level. Whatever the case, the sense of urgency and desperation was tangible.

It was the fourth day since they’d arrived. The enemies could come at any point now. The time had been fruitfully spent overall as they had more or less prepared as well as they could in this time. Especially Neil, who had put down the large formation to defend them, had made many preparations. The lodge was to be their final stand.

The building was constructed by Hank, and his skills enhanced it. It was far more durable than regular wood and could perhaps offer some form of protection from weaker attacks. They knew the other side had many people, so hopefully, it could block some of their ranged attacks at least.

Miranda hadn’t yet shared her role as a City Lord, nor even mentioned the existence of the Pylon. It wasn’t her place to do so. And she still didn’t entirely trust the party of five. Their cooperation was forced due to the circumstances.

But if their claims proved to be accurate, then maybe doubling the “city” population was possible. She had already gotten three more levels in the profession and reached 60. This had earned her a few glances, as they were surprised her race level had gone up by two so fast. They hadn’t asked her, though. They were likely too focused on trying not to die.

Upon leveling, she had also earned another skill. She had been offered the one related to creating quests but had decided to go with one that was a bit more immediate. Its functions were pretty simple. It was a purely defensive skill that allowed her to create a barrier in a small area.

She had chosen to share the functionality of this skill with Neil. Neil’s barrier was meant to do basically the same, but his used space magic, while hers used pure mana. But from what she had gathered… hers was borderline impenetrable on its own already. As long as it held, that was… and it could only be used around the Pylon.

So they had two defensive barriers and a lodge created by an evolved builder. Bunkering down did seem like a possible tactic if all they had to do was buy time. The problem was that they weren’t sure if buying time would lead to anything.

The City Owner hadn’t appeared for several days. In fact, it had now been nine whole days since any of them saw him. Miranda knew that he still lived, as he was listed as the City Owner… Well, with a question mark, but still.

All they could do was hope he returned in time.

Time slowly ticked by as they trucked on with their final preparations. Miranda had a weird feeling of both wanting them to come and get the torturous wait over with and for them to be as delayed as possible. Somewhere, deep in her heart, she still hoped that they could negotiate.

It didn’t sit right with her to hand over Neil and his party, but if that was what she had to do to protect Hank and his children, she was willing to do so. Reluctant, but willing. She had made a promise to help keep them safe to Hank’s wife, and she had never fancied herself a liar.

Her wish for the wait to be over came true not long after. Eleanor dashed into the camp, yelling, “They are coming!” All the tension that had built up came fully to the forefront.

Christen immediately stopped the hammer and threw it to the ground. She hadn’t taken off her armor once since the wound had healed and was already ready to fight. Neil stood up from his kneeling position, also mentally preparing himself for what was to come.

Silas exited the lodge with a worried expression, while Levi simply stopped swinging his sword and turned toward where Eleanor had come from. His gaze showed that he was ready.

Hank, Louise, and Mark all went to the house as they had planned beforehand. Louise had been given the task of pouring mana into some runes Neil had placed inside the house to strengthen it further, while Mark was their backup healer. Hank himself exited soon after with his axe over his shoulder, concern apparent on his face.

“They already have eyes on us,” Neil said as he stood beside Miranda in front of the lodge, all the others behind them.

“I can feel it,” she said.

And she could. She had felt that people had entered the area of the Pylon earlier. Soon more pings came from her skill, signifying several more people entering.

With Neil’s group, she hadn’t been able to distinguish how many they were. She still couldn’t, but the fact that several pings came at once must mean that several groups had entered—that, or one massive group too big for even her vague skill to recognize it as one.

They heard them before they saw them. Several voices emerged alongside the sound of marching, making it clear they didn’t even put up the façade of trying to hide. Their scouts, without a doubt, had already relayed that only nine people resided in the valley.

From one of the entrances, Miranda finally saw them. In front was a relatively small woman. Or teenager. She didn’t look any older than eighteen or nineteen, but the system had made telling age quite a bit harder. Beside her walked a man with a shaved head and black beard. His appearance was very similar to the girl at his side.

She, like Neil, wore an embroidered robe of excellent quality. She also wore several pieces of jewelry and appeared to float a few centimeters off the ground. Overall, she gave off an immense sense of danger, and it wasn’t hard for Miranda to recognize her as the infamous Abby.

“Nice place you found yourself, cuz,” she said with a big smile as she looked at Neil and the idyllic waterfall and pond behind the lodge.

“Would be a waste to ruin it, wouldn’t you agree?” Neil fired back with a similar smile. However, Miranda could feel his anxiousness.

“I don’t know about that,” Abby said, her smile instantly gone. “Where is the orb?”

“With me, as always,” he said, taking it out from beneath his robe. It was a small black marble that, at first glance, was utterly unimpressive. He had fixed it on a chain to wear it around his neck, though it wasn’t recognized as a necklace by the system.

As they spoke, Miranda couldn’t avoid noticing the other people also appearing all around them. She saw quite a few standing on the cliffs above looking down on them, while others jumped down to surround the lodge. She counted more than a hundred.

“So you aren’t going to run this time?” she asked, her gaze still cold. “My offer still stands. Give me the orb and all of your equipment. The same goes for your comrades too, of course.”

At this point, Miranda was tired of being ignored. “Excuse me, Miss. While I don’t mean to cut in to your family dispute, I would like to point out that you stand on another’s land.”

“Shut the fuck up, you fucking whore, before I rip your head off,” she roared at Miranda entirely out of nowhere before just as swiftly returning to having the smile she’d had before. “I am speaking to my dear cousin here and not you.”

Miranda was utterly taken aback, and so were Hank and the others observing from the house. Neil’s party, on the other hand, didn’t appear that fazed.

“She is speaking the truth, though. This land and lodge are owned by someone else,” Neil said calmly. They had already discussed earlier to try and drag out time as much as possible. Not that they knew it would help anything.

Miranda still had a slight hope that the City Owner would feel it when so many intruded upon the area.

“Oh, really? So where is this owner of yours?” Abby sneered, clearly not taking him seriously. “Just cut the bullshit. Orb and all your stuff in a pile on the ground within the next minute. The same goes for your new friends too.”

Neil hesitated at this sudden ultimatum. The plan of buying time was not working at all. Miranda was completely unable to string together any semblance of a plan. The other party was far too hostile and unstable to argue with.

“You just want all of us to strip, and then what?” Christen cut in, clearly annoyed. She was clearly still in pain, even after the wound looked healed on the surface.

“Got the curse fixed, it looks like. Dad can be a bit heavy-handed.” Abby laughed. “And, well, you strip naked, and then if I feel like it, I will let you live. I am sure that a couple of the guys would be inclined to let you keep your head.”

“Abby, don’t joke like that,” her father said in a playful tone.

“Oh, shut up, old man—you can have her.”

Miranda felt the gazes of several of the men land on her body, but she didn’t feel any lecherous intent or lust, just… pity. The worst offender was the damn father, who’d had his eyes on her from the very beginning. Hank’s face turned red in fury, and he barely managed to hold himself back from going on a futile rampage as the man even threw Louise in the lodge a quick look.

“What the hell happened to you…?” Neil sighed with genuine sadness in his eyes.

“A lot of things, cuz. None of which is any of your damn concern. And by the way”—Abby raised her hand—“the minute is up.”

An explosion sounded out as the very space in front of Neil and Miranda was torn apart. But just as quickly as it shattered, it was solidified again by Neil, who also raised his hand, a white glow emanating from it.

Both were still forced back. However, Miranda could see that Neil was outmatched. The attack also served as an opening shot for all hell to break loose.

Levi was the first to move. He was clearly already prepared to go.

“Acceleration,” he internally muttered as he sped forward. “Imbue Blade: Fire. Imbue Armor: Wind.” His blade was enveloped in an inferno of flames, and his body turned into a tornado as he soared forward.

A magic swordsman. One of his own design, with explosive strength unmatched by any other in their group.

Simultaneously, as he charged forward, a barrage of arrows was launched at Abby by Eleanor. She simply raised her hand and erected a barrier, but it was just a distraction. It gave Neil enough time to use another skill as Levi was teleported to the top of the cliff, amid a group of low-level archers and casters.

Christen also charged forward, her target being the man at Abby’s side, the one who had inflicted the cursed wound on her in their last clash. He happily met her once more as he drew a red scimitar from his scabbard. Glowing veins covered it soon after as he used a skill to make it into a cursed blade.

They smashed into each other. It looked like an equal battle at first sight, but it truly wasn’t. Christen was a Heavy Warrior focused on Strength and Toughness. A hybrid who used not only his physical stats.

Silas was forced to support her as the scimitar moved in unpredictable patterns, making her block with her shield repeatedly. Silas tried to assist in healing or redirecting blows whenever possible, but even then, it was barely even.

Neil and Abby also engaged in a duel that looked like they were just staring at each other. But the space in between them shimmered and cracked, and it was as if reality itself was slowly being shattered.

Eleanor had tried to keep assaulting Abby, but soon found herself the main target of the hundreds of people surrounding them. They all avoided the two other big battles as they headed for her, forcing her to run away.

Hank suffered the same fate as he tried to keep enemies off him. His level was at the high end for sure; some of the attackers weren’t even 25 yet. But the sheer number made him unable to fight back properly, and the wounds on his body kept becoming more numerous.

It took only a few minutes for the result of their skirmish to be made clear. Christen took a nasty cut to her cheek and screamed in pain. Silas tried to help but had also found himself the victim of the many attackers.

Neil bled from his orifices as he still struggled to keep Abby in check. In turn, she looked relatively relaxed, enjoying the carnage around her. In her eyes, the result of the battle had been clear from the beginning.

The only ones who had managed to damage her camp were Eleanor, Hank, and Levi. Hank and Eleanor were mainly in the process of defending themselves. Levi was the only one who had done any real damage, having killed nearly a dozen people before his many enhancements ran out of power, and he also found himself overwhelmed.

“Retreat into the lodge!” Miranda yelled as she dodged a fireball flying her way.

None of the fighters hesitated to do as she said. As planned, everyone besides Levi was right outside the protective formation.

Levi, hearing the call to retreat, activated Acceleration once more and sped up significantly, practically flying toward the lodge.

Abby saw this attempt to retreat and raised both hands toward the fleeing swordsman. “Oh no, you don’t!”

Neil did the same as he tried to help his comrade.

All Miranda saw next was everything looking… skewed. Space itself shifted as if two planes of existence tried to overlap with Levi right in the middle.

The next thing she felt was her face being covered in liquid as space returned to normal once more. The lower half of a human still remained where Levi had been just moments prior.

“Aaargh!”

Turning almost in slow motion, she saw Levi’s upper body on the steps of the lodge. His entrails dragged on the ground.

Chapter 11

Incoming

Everything was buzzing as she acted almost on instinct. A transparent barrier instantly covered the entire lodge, followed by another bubble overlapping with hers only moments later.

Silas charged forward with his healing already on full display to keep Levi alive. Hank quickly came over to the screaming man and forced a healing potion down his throat, flooding his body with vital energy.

“Well done, Neil,” Abby said as she walked up to the barrier separating them. “I wanted to rip him apart from mouth to asshole. Nice tilting of the axis there at the end.”

The calmness in her voice stood out, as she didn’t appear fazed at the barrier’s appearance at all. But as she examined it closer, she noticed something a bit off.

“One of space, and another of pure mana? Great, good job wasting my time more than necessary,” she said with a bit of annoyance. She used some skill to detect the two barriers blocking her from getting to her desired orb, and while the one of space mana was probably manageable, Miranda was sure the one of mana was quite a bit trickier.

On the inside of the barrier, the outlook for their situation was far from favorable. Abby had clearly hoped for a second that the magic swordsman would die, and was surprised to see his wounds close instantly.

It was a bit eerie to see the entrails on the steps slowly retract themselves as new skin covered the lower half of his body, making him look like a bilateral amputee. That was, until small bumps slowly began growing out beneath him, clearly indicating the regrowth of his entire lower body.

Abby just stared in fascination at the gore, completely unbothered if a bit interested in the healing process.

Miranda saw her frown, as Abby had also no doubt noticed the sound isolation from the mana barrier, as Levi’s screaming was not subtle. They could still hear everything outside, of course.

They dragged Levi into the lodge, and all quickly collapsed on the ground. Only Miranda was staying outside, keeping an eye on Abby and her army of invaders.

An army that was quickly reorganizing. After the failed attempt to kill Levi, they didn’t have any clear plan of action. Hundreds of people just stood looking questioningly at Abby and her father.

The bearded man began yelling out instructions, and it went more or less as they had anticipated. Everyone backed off, Abby included, as ranged attacks started winding up. Soon after, a barrage of spells, arrows, and other attacks hit the barrier.

This was where the two barriers’ power became apparent, as every single attack was repelled, not leaving a single sign of damage on either. The two barriers were complementing each other just as much as Miranda and Neil had anticipated.

The barrier of mana made by Miranda blocked the magical attacks flawlessly. It could even take in a portion of the atmospheric mana to keep itself healthy for longer. And as the attackers were all relatively unskilled, they released a lot of extra mana into the air for the barrier to absorb.

Then there was the space barrier, which similarly blocked all physical attacks without any issue. It was a nearly impenetrable defense. Based on the furious look on Abby’s face, it even quickly became apparent that she was unable to break the space barrier.

There was one problem, however… time. The many attackers outside didn’t damage the barriers, but they were slowly whittling them down. It would disappear on its own after some time, but it wouldn’t last more than a day or so based on the current rate of attacks.

Inside the cabin, the atmosphere was also more than a little bleak.

“I thought you said you could keep her busy for a while,” Hank said to Neil as he also drank a healing potion.

“I thought I could… but she has gotten even stronger since we last met. At the end of the tutorial, she was only a bit stronger than me… If she had been this strong back then, we would have never escaped in the first place… Damn it.” He cradled his head as blood dripped onto the floor from his eyes and nose.

Hank just sighed and sat down on the floor, thinking it a bit of a shame that they were spilling blood all over the newly constructed lodge. A whimsical thought, considering that more blood would likely soon flow within. The second those shields go down…

Everyone looked listlessly at the ground, only the two healers doing much of anything. Neil especially looked utterly lost.

“I… I’m sorry…” he cried. “I got you all into this mess… If only I hadn’t…”

“Oh, shut up,” Christen scoffed. “We chose to stick by you, so don’t go all pity party on us.”

“But you forced us into this,” Hank shot back. “We didn’t need this shit.”

Christen, despite her usually quippy mouth, didn’t have any response to that. They had dragged Miranda and the family of three into it against their will.

On the steps outside the lodge, Miranda sat and stared at the ground, deep in thought. All of them stared back at her too, as the others were hidden from sight within the lodge, making her the center of attention.

“May I ask your name?” she heard. She looked up to see the bearded man—Abby’s father.

Miranda just shook her head, as she didn’t care much for the man’s words.

Smiling lightly, he said, “I believe this entire thing can be rectified. My daughter is a bit wild, I confess, but she is not the monster you have in your mind. Neil is the reason she is like this. Once he is gone, things will get better.”

Miranda once more just shook her head, but couldn’t help but look back toward Neil.

“You see, Neil has always been the wonder boy of the family. Perfect in nearly everything. This took quite a toll on Abby. She finally came to believe she was his equal, only to lose in that final, unfair test. It broke a small part of her to lose once more like that. We are only seeking to set things right here.

“So please excuse her crude words. As I said, she usually isn’t like this. And I can promise you that if you choose to join us, you and your comrades will be safe. I am Donald, by the way. Widower even before the system.”

Miranda didn’t much care for his name but wondered why the hell he bothered to include being a widower. Seemed like absolutely useless information to her.

Seeing her remain silent, Donald kept talking. “Please don’t waste your life on protecting someone you have only known for a few days. I swear that you can find a place with me. Find safety. You have seen what my daughter can do. I doubt she can find any equal among humanity in this world.”

She was a bit taken aback at his words more than anything. The wording was just off, and she couldn’t help but look up at him with confusion.

His smile deepened as he looked down on her. She once more felt the disgusting sensation of his gaze going all over her body. “I believe that you would be pleasant company. That we could both find some happiness in this new world. Together.”

At this point, warning bells would’ve gone off for anyone, no matter how oblivious. To call the vibe the man was giving off creepy would be an understatement.

As she was still thinking about what to say, her facial expression had clearly revealed her thoughts. The look of absolute disdain and disgust showed only a moment, but it was enough for the man to notice.

“I am offering you a good thing here,” he said, a bit colder than before. “Don’t throw it away for silly reasons.”

Miranda made a faux look of apology, and that seemed to be enough for the man to do a complete one-eighty.

“No problem at all,” he said, practically beaming. “As long as you serve me well, all will work out. I am sure the heart shall follow.”

He isn’t even trying to hide it anymore… she thought, attempting to hide her disgust as much as she could. Where the hell did he get this confidence from? Oh... right. The threat of being able to have her killed at any point.

“Landed yourself another whore?” Abby asked, walking over. Her voice was around a tenth as disdainful as the thoughts Miranda held for her father.

“Language,” Donald said, with a tone so bogusly stern, it was insulting.

Miranda found it more noteworthy that he only saw the words themselves and not the insinuation of the words as the bad part. She stood up and went into the lodge as Abby yelled behind her to “take down the damn barrier,” but ignored it.

Once inside, she looked at the people there. Louise had poured all her mana into the mana barrier; Neil was just staring into the ground.

“Can we try to make a run for it?” Eleanor finally asked, breaking the silence.

“How far will we get?” Christen sneered. “And if you haven’t noticed, we aren’t exactly in a state to run. One of us even less than the others.” She appeared instantly remorseful for getting mad at her friend. “Sorry, I just…”

“I know…” Eleanor smiled sadly.

“Christen, Silas, and Eleanor,” Neil said, looking up, “try to escape. Take Miranda, Hank, Louise, and Mark with you. I will stay here and attempt to keep them occupied… I may be able to buy a few minutes if—”

“Ah, fuck it,” Miranda finally said, disrupting the sad atmosphere. “We all agree that getting killed by that bitch Abby and her creep of a father is the worst, right?”

“Well, yeah, but…” Christen said, confused.

“Great, all in agreement? Then I am going to do something idiotic.”

“What?” Hank asked, confused.

“I am taking a gamble. Chances are, even if it works, we will die anyway. I am going to do something that will very likely anger the ‘owner.’ Not sure what his response will be, but I doubt getting killed by him will be worse than what those animals out there want to do with us.”

“You had a chance to call him all along?” Christen asked, a bit of anger in her voice. “And will he even be able to do anything? If you haven’t noticed, there is an entire army out there, along with a pissed-off, overpowered space mage.”

“Hell if I know,” Miranda said, having already thrown caution to the wind. “So let’s give it a shot.”

She opened the menu with her mind and saw the prompt appear, the Pylon right beneath them.

Initiate the process to claim ownership of Pylon of Civilization?

Requirements to claim ownership: Slay the current City Owner OR be uncontested in your claim for at least 30 days while maintaining the support of at least 51% of the total population.

Warning: City Owner will be warned upon initiation of the process.

The last sentence was what she gambled on. Without hesitating any longer, she initiated the process, and a quest appeared as she expected.

Quest Received: Contested Pylon of Civilization

City Lord Miranda Wells has initiated the process to take control of the Pylon of Civilization. You must retain control of the Pylon for the remaining duration OR slay the current City Owner.

Time Remaining: 29 days, 23:59:59

Quest Reward: Become City Owner of [Unnamed]

Penalty upon failure: Unable to initiate a new process for control at least 10 years. The City Owner may determine additional punishments.

Smiling, she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She wasn’t sure if it was her intuition skill or perhaps just wishful thinking, but she was pretty sure the owner was on his way. The barrier protecting them would stay up for a while longer… hopefully, long enough.

She had been so stupid. Despite the owner’s words and the constant warnings from Neil and his party… she had still believed she could solve this situation diplomatically. That she could negotiate and reach a positive outcome for everyone involved.

Boy, had she been naive. There was just no negotiating with some people. In retrospect, she should have called the owner back days ago… I just hope it isn’t too late. If he takes more than a day…

Walking out of the lodge once more, she saw both Abby and Donald standing in pretty much the same place as before. Abby still appeared to study the barriers while Donald waited patiently—based on his look when she’d exited the lodge, for her.

Even before going to the edge of the barrier, she made it so they could hear her. Everyone inside the lodge had already quieted down, all waiting for whatever was to come.

* * *

“I am happy to see that you have come to your senses. You will not regret becoming mine,” Donald said when he saw the smile on Miranda’s lips. He had taken it as her surrendering herself. He could already feel the heat build-up in his stomach as his eyes went over her body.

A bit of a waste, he thought. He was going to enjoy her. Enjoy her, and once she was his, end her. Such was his path, after all.

Abby allowed him to act as he did because she was already used to it. She was the only one to know that he was not a widower by chance but by choice. No, she had helped him get rid of her. Half of the insurance money was hers, now, wasn’t it?

Now his determination had carried over to the new world. His path was recognized by the almighty system. His depravity turned to power. Through the death of others he had claimed as his own, he could empower himself further. Dozens of innocents had already fallen victim to his ways.

* * *

“I must apologize,” Miranda said with a mocking smile. “I already have an ‘owner.’ Wait, that came out wrong… A boss… Yeah, let’s go with that.”

Her somewhat delirious words made him frown, and even Abby glanced over with interest.

“I told you, right? This land has an owner. And I just tripped the homeowner’s alarm, metaphorically speaking.”

“What the hell are you on about?” Abby said, having already forgotten the whole “owner” talk. She’d taken it as hubris from the very beginning.

“Just ignore her and get the damn barrier down,” Donald said, frowning with disappointment and anger. He turned to Miranda. “I tried to be nice. But I guess you like it rough.”

Miranda just scowled at the creepy guy. His face was becoming uglier by the second. She would have to at least manage to land a punch on his ugly mug before she died. Just as she was considering if a kick would be better, she felt something. Everyone did.

A presence washed over the valley. Confusion overtook the invaders as their gazes flickered about, looking for the source. Only Abby looked straight up in the air.

“Something is coming,” she said to herself, a hint of worry in her voice for the first time.

Chapter 12

Anger

Jake felt his vision practically turn red as he flew down. He was still accelerating as he pushed mana into his wings to fly even faster. At his top speed, he approached what was once the sound barrier. Hundreds of meters passed every second.

The last time he’d felt this amount of anger was when he met William the second time in the tutorial, when he had felt the same surging bloodlust beckoning Jake to kill him.

He didn’t think as he soared through the sky. It would only take him a few more minutes to get there. He would fly directly above the Pylon to make his landing more easily. To avoid the trees.

Once over it, he stopped momentarily and stared down. The valley was a natural clearing with few trees covering it... so from several kilometers up, nothing was hidden from his gaze.

He saw a transparent barrier surrounding a house. More than a hundred people were attacking it. Miranda sat on the porch of the lodge that hadn’t been there before. A man and young woman stood right in front of said barrier.

Too many things were happening for him to wrap his head around it. His anger was too high to even bother trying.

So he turned in the air as he began his descent once more, not bothering to hide… no, willingly throwing out his bloodlust downward. His aura was nearly tangible as he let it wash into the valley below. He wanted them to know he was coming.

Everyone looked confused. Only a single person was able to locate the source instantly. The woman was standing in front of the barrier with Miranda. The only one of any consequence, from a cursory glance.

Seconds later, he reached the valley.

BOOM!

Without stopping in the slightest, he smashed into the ground. Soil and dust were thrown everywhere. His high Toughness made the impact not harm him in the slightest despite the small crater where he’d landed.

“Miranda!” he yelled. “Explanation. Now!”

Even in his rage, he could recognize that the situation wasn’t simple. But he wasn’t relaxed enough to think straight either. He barely had enough control to not smash into the barrier separating them.

Miranda, on the other hand, shivered as the bloodlust washed over her. “We came under attack, and I triggered the process as a last resort. I don’t want to claim it or challenge you!” she yelled back, clearly not wasting her words.

Jake just looked at her for a second, not getting the feeling that she was lying. His rage died down ever so slightly, but was fast reignited when he saw several people walk out of the lodge—four of them newcomers with relatively high levels.

“And they are?” he asked coldly.

Was this really just some elaborate trap? He felt the gazes of all the people around him upon him. It reminded him of the time Caroline had betrayed him in his meeting with Jacob… which didn’t help his anger-management situation.

It was the same… surrounded, lured in by people he naively thought he could trust. No… this was different. He was different. He wasn’t going to be naïve like then and nearly lose his life. Even if surrounded, he was confident in his ability to at least escape.

And not just escape… but make sure not a single fucking one of them was going to make it away.

“Don’t misunderstand; they are just hiding here as we did!” Miranda tried to explain. His level of anger was far higher than she’d expected. “It is them who have come to kill us!”

She didn’t hesitate to point out the man with the bloody scimitar and the young woman in an obnoxious robe standing there, likely also trying to grasp the situation. A masked human with wings had suddenly crashed down and started yelling at the woman, throwing them a bit of a curveball.

His yellow eyes finally shifted to them—especially the woman who had the highest level besides him, sitting at 59. By far the most potent human he had encountered so far. “Your turn. Explain.”

“Hey, I get the whole mysterious, masked-man persona you’re going for, but I am not particularly fond of that shtick,” the woman said, having gotten her bearings.

She still looked as confident as ever, surrounded by her army of goons. The woman probably did recognize Jake was strong and an unknown element, but she didn’t show any concern.

This was why what happened next probably came as a surprise to her. With a step forward, Jake disappeared, only to appear right in front of her. While Jake wasn’t overly tall, she was on the small side herself. Meaning she suddenly found herself staring up at a figure one and a half heads taller than herself.

“Explain.”

Jake had to hold himself back from just shoving his dagger into her throat. The minor slight of not taking him seriously was enough for him to want to murder her. He barely managed to remain rational. A small voice in the back of his head kept him from doing something he might come to regret.

However, his action of teleporting into her personal space had spooked her far too much to even hear his question. She quickly blasted herself backward, teleported in mid-air, and landed a good fifteen meters away, her eyes wide.

For the first time, she appeared to begin to believe that perhaps antagonizing him further wasn’t necessarily the best course of action.

“Look, we don’t care much for that woman Miranda or her friends; we just want that guy in the white-and-gold robe and his companions,” she said after calming herself down. “The moment we get him, we will be on our merry way, and hopefully, we will never meet again.”

Jake looked at her and back to the man standing with Miranda. Bloodstains clearly showed that he had recently bled from his eyes, nose, and mouth—the results of a fight they’d had just before he got here, by his estimate. Upon further inspection of his surroundings, he saw even more signs of a fight having taken place.

It was also at this point that Jake truly realized that something was seriously wrong. Not with the situation—it actually seemed pretty damn straightforward—but with his own head.

He had been forced to actually think when he began talking to them. His rational mind was starting to do some work to analyze the situation. Why had he been so mad, to the point of nearly going entirely out of control?

His initial anger and surprise had been justified when he saw the quest pop up. But a few seconds of thinking should have led him to several possible reasons that didn’t include a grand betrayal of his trust. Thinking on it… this really wasn’t the first time either.

It really was like with William. Back then, he had completely lost control of himself. He had felt like he wasn’t in control of his body at all. In his mind, he had easily written it up as just being a heat-of-the-moment-thing, a one-time occurrence. But now, it had nearly repeated itself.

He feared what he could have done if a barrier hadn’t separated him and Miranda… He may have even just killed her outright before getting any understanding of the situation. I will have to figure out what the fuck is wrong with me, he thought. But first, I need to figure out this mess…

The others around him also noticed his silence. The bloodlust in the air disappeared like it had never been there to begin with, and his entire demeanor calmed down as he made a big sigh and let out a big breath.

“Alright… from the beginning. Miranda, if you will,” he said, trying to sound as calm as he could.

At the same time, he dismissed his two wings to appear more… human. Also, they were a bit distracting, and if a fight truly broke out, he predicted they would create more problems than advantages.

He had decided to give talking a go.

* * *

Miranda was naturally surprised at everything that was happening, at his seemingly sudden shift in personality from when she’d last seen him. Back then, he’d appeared relatively calm and collected, and now he had barged in like a beast out for blood… and then back to his quiet self not long after.

After she also calmed herself, she began explaining about Abby and Donald. Abby didn’t bother to interrupt either, as she looked interested in why Neil and his party had chosen to stay in the valley and not just keep running.

The owner nodded along as Miranda made sure she didn’t mention anything about a city or the Pylon at all. That Neil guy didn’t look like he thought anything was off about her explanation either, making Miranda happy she hadn’t revealed anything to him. However, he did look confused and a bit listless. Though that may have just been the tears of blood.

Despite Abby’s silence, she looked a bit taken aback when Miranda mentioned the root of their conflict as being a legendary orb that Neil had.

“So, as I understand it, Neil and Abby are cousins and got into a fight over an orb, and now they marched into my place and made a mess of it?” the owner summarized rather coarsely.

“In essence… yes,” Miranda said, nodding, though not entirely agreeing with the overly simplified summary.

“You got anything to add?” he asked Abby, who just stood there nonchalantly. Her father remained at her side, showing full confidence in his daughter to handle the situation.

“Not really.” She shrugged. “It is bullshit Neil got the orb to begin with. Nothing wrong with reclaiming what is rightfully mine.”

* * *

Jake was beginning to understand what had gone down, especially after Neil also chimed in a bit. And he… didn’t really care much. But there was one part of the entire thing he didn’t really agree with.

“Nothing wrong with trying to snatch it,” he commented, earning an admonishing glance from both Hank and Miranda and a surprised one from both Neil and Abby. “But I don’t really get why it was rightfully yours. You lost; he won. End of story.”

She scoffed. “How the fuck is it not unfair that he gets lucky as fuck and gets a test practically tailor-made for him?”

“Didn’t you just lose because you were too weak?” he asked, not even trying to be condescending. These were his genuine thoughts. “Why didn’t you just beat the test alone?”

He would have. That, or he would have lost and had no one to blame but his own incompetence.

“I…” Abby began, not having a quippy answer quite at the ready. Her brief moment of embarrassment only served to make her angry. “Who the fuck do you think you are anyway?”

“Me? Just a guy who is annoyed that a bunch of idiots made a mess of his newly commissioned house while he was away. I have a lot of better things to do than deal with your stupidity.”

“Then just get me the damn orb already,” she hissed.

“Now why would I do that?”

“Because I fucking said so?” Abby practically roared. “Or do you honestly think I wouldn’t kill you with the rest of them? That I couldn’t? Or are you such an arrogant ass that you think you can beat everyone here alone?”

Jake briefly glanced around him and quickly assessed the situation before confidently turning back to her. “Yes.”

“Abby, my dear, let’s just get rid of this lunatic and finish up here once the barrier is down,” Donald said to his daughter. He, too, seemed rather tired of this whole charade.

“Before that,” Jake said before raising his voice, making sure everyone around the valley could hear him, “listen up! Attack me, and I will kill you. Stand down, and if Miranda over there agrees, I can offer you a safe place to stay.”

Abby yelled back, “If you fuckers don’t do your job, I will personally displace every single limb away from your body after this shit is over. Your head last.”

“Pretty sure the head can’t be considered a limb,” Jake very accurately interjected. A correction that she evidently didn’t find endearing or welcome in the slightest.

“Last chance… leave now,” Abby warned a final time.

She was clearly grandstanding and looked like she didn’t truly want a fight. Probably just buying time for the barrier to fade. Could Jake just give her the orb and make her leave? Sure… but he wasn’t going to.

“The next move is yours,” Jake said. “Attack, leave, or negotiate.”

“Fine, if you really wan—” she began, but her next action was not words spoken but a slightly raised hand that caused movement in the mana around Jake.

His danger sense warned him just before he felt it. She made her choice, he thought as he stepped forward, teleporting once more. The place where he’d stood moments earlier exploded behind him.

His step didn’t take him all the way to her, as she was already flying backward the same second she attacked, likely predicting that her sneak attack wouldn’t succeed in ending the fight. But she was surprised that the near-instantaneous attack failed to even touch him.

* * *

Behind the barrier, all of them were highly invested in the fight. Partly because they wanted to see what the mysterious masked owner was capable of, but primarily because him losing would mean them all dying.

Neil was shocked when he saw Jake move. He hadn’t adequately felt it the first time, but after seeing One Step Mile for the second time, he began to suspect that it was space magic. But at a level far higher than anything both he and Abby were capable of. It was far from as complicated as what they did… but the quality…

This owner wasn’t a space mage. In fact, Neil wasn’t sure what he was. All he knew was that he would never stand a chance against him… and neither would Abby and her father.

* * *

Jake thought for a moment as he saw the woman retreat. The bearded man called Donald was charging toward him with a glowing red scimitar. Emanating from it was a type of energy he didn’t immediately recognize.

Taking out his dagger and shortsword, he blocked the man quite easily. However, he didn’t have time to counterattack as space around him constricted once more—this time not to hurt, but suppress him.

With a scoff, he opened his eyes wide and released a ridiculous amount of mana that blew away all the space mana surrounding him, effectively canceling out her space magic. It was similar to when he’d been ambushed by Caroline and forced to release a large blast of mana to survive. The difference this time was that his skill in doing so was far higher, and his body far stronger, thus capable of handling the blast.

Able to move again, he didn’t hesitate as he swept his sword forwards. Donald managed to block it but stumbled back from the casual blow. Realizing how utterly outmatched he was in pure stats, he tried to retreat, but nearly just fell on his ass—leaving him utterly open as Jake plunged Venomfang into his stomach.

“No!” Abby yelled, releasing a massive wave of space magic that sent Jake flying backward.

Less than two seconds had passed since the battle began. None of the many people in Abby’s army had been able to do anything, yet one of their two leaders was already heavily injured.

Chapter 13

Barely a Fight

Abby yelled furiously when she saw her father take a dagger to the stomach.

Jake flew back and landed on the ground nearly a hundred meters away, a bit surprised at the speed at which the blast of space mana had reached him. He hadn’t really taken any damage from it, but he had to admit that it did hurt a little.

Standing up straight, he saw Donald also get to his feet again. His wound looked like it hurt a lot, but Jake knew it wasn’t fatal. He hadn’t coated his dagger in either poison or his blood before attacking, meaning it only infected him with the innate poison found within Venomfang. Not to speak ill of his favorite dagger, but honestly, the venom sucked compared to any of the toxins tied to his profession.

If Donald had known these thoughts, he would have chewed him out without a doubt, as he currently struggled with the venom coursing through his body. He could clearly feel his vital energy being consumed as he worked to eliminate all traces of toxicity in him.

“Be careful, his dagger is poisoned!” he warned his daughter.

“You okay?” she asked back, still keeping her gaze trained on Jake.

“I’ll manage. But don’t get hit,” Donald said back, also staring at the masked man in the distance.

Not feeling particularly in a rush to finish anything, Jake just looked back at them tentatively. In his sphere, he had already felt several presences behind him—some of Abby’s goons. Trying to launch an ambush without a doubt.

It very likely wouldn’t work on anyone at his level of power, but Jake was an especially lousy opponent to try and do that to. He counted three, which was very fitting. It just happened to be the limit of how many mana bolts he could summon at a time.

His three attackers saw three orbs shimmer into existence and transform into something resembling mana bolts. Except they practically crackled with power. That was all they had time to think before the three bolts flew out, one targeted at each of them.

None of them managed to even put up any semblance of defense before they got hit. Jake stood there, unfazed, as three explosions sounded out behind him. His eyes never left Donald and Abby.

For some reason, Jake hoped that killing those three off would warn the others. Evidently, that was very wrong of him. He soon found himself bombarded with arrows and spells from all directions as Abby’s followers attacked.

Their levels were low, the ones he had killed not even above 30. Many hadn’t even reached E-grade yet. But he had already made it clear what the consequences would be for attacking. So he retaliated.

He didn’t want to use any more destructive skills or spells than necessary. This was his valley, after all. Why destroy the scenery for no good reason when he had a skill capable of killing without any blood or destruction?

His eyes landed on the ones above firing spells at him. Both glowed a piercing yellow color as Gaze of the Apex Hunter activated.

On the cliff, seven people stood, two archers and five casters. They had just fired off an attack each, when suddenly, they felt his gaze, followed by a sudden spike of pain before eternal darkness claimed them. Like puppets with their strings cut, all seven fell to the ground dead.

Sadly for his opponents, only a few had seen what he had done. And those that did see didn’t release a second wave of attacks. Abby and Donald, on the other hand, had seen it as clear as day. They both looked apprehensive, as Jake had just shown them the literal definition of “if looks could kill.”

Their fear only got worse as he did it a second time. Then a third. And a fourth. Small groups of people fell to the ground one after another. They noticed that with some of them, there would be a survivor or two who were just standing there, shivering, absolutely terrified.

It “only” took thirty or so people to die before they stopped attacking. Many were either just standing there frozen or hiding. A few even turned their tails and ran the hell out of there.

“What the fuck are you?” Abby asked with her eyes wide open in shock.

“I believe we’ve had this conversation once already,” Jake said while rubbing some dust off his cloak. He had taken a few hits from the small fry, but nothing that could do anything against his armor and high Toughness.

“Okay, you fucking win, we’ll leave,” she finally said. Donald clearly agreed, still a bit pale from the venom he had eliminated.

Jake could only sigh. “A friend of mine gave me some good advice not long ago. That leaving alive one with whom you have sown bad karma is stupid.”

“I swear that we will never come and seek trouble with you and your people again,” Donald said in an almost pleading voice.

“Fine, let’s make it easy,” Jake said, turning toward the lodge. “Hey, Mark, you have seen everything. Are these two trouble or not?”

Mark was completely flabbergasted at being addressed so suddenly and wasn’t quite sure what to say. It didn’t help that this was the first time the masked man had talked to him. Even less so when he had literally stared people to death just a few minutes prior.

“I… I don’t know,” Mark hesitated, looking desperately at his father and Miranda for any kind of support.

Maybe not the best to put him on the spot like that, Jake thought before asking someone else. “Okay, a bit much to put it on you. Miranda, your take?”

“If you hadn’t come, they would have killed us without a doubt,” she said, then pointed directly to Donald. “And that bastard would have done even worse.”

Jake wasn’t quite sure what she meant for a second but saw the small shiver as she held her arms around her. While he wasn’t the most socially adept at reading people, he got that part at least.

Jake obviously wasn’t some moral beacon of any kind. Especially not after the system. He had developed a likely too-lighthearted relationship with the concept of murder, and he was most likely far too quick to adopt violence to solve a situation.

And while he didn’t know about the moral stances of the multiverse as a whole, his own moral compass made that shit sit right at the top of the list of things that still wasn’t fucking okay.

Stepping forward, he appeared right in front of a random group of goons. The guy at the front nearly pissed himself as Jake grabbed him by the neck and lifted him. “Is this true?”

“I—”

Before he could answer, one of the guys behind him yelled out loudly, “Yes!”

Jake saw a rather scrawny-looking young man staring back at him. He had deep green eyes that were far calmer than Jake expected. He had noted this guy partly due to his relatively higher level than the others, but even more so because he was one of the few people that hadn’t attacked him.

“Name?”

“Chris!” he yelled back with the same vigor as the “yes” before. And he didn’t even require Jake to enquire further. “He… he took my sister… used her… killed her.”

Through his mask, he saw the young man holding back tears, without a doubt drawing out some painful memories. Jake let the guy he was holding up go, making him fall on his ass.

“I guess that settles it,” he said, turning his attention back to Abby and Donald. “Death it is.”

“Fine! Fuck you and fuck this!” Abby screeched as the air shimmered around her.

Jake instantly felt her aura take a spike as she grew in power. If he had to guess, he would say she was using some kind of boosting skill akin to his own Limit Break.

Donald, too, no longer held back, fully realizing that this was not the time. Tears of dark blood came out of his eyes as his entire body bulged—one place disgustingly more so than any other. Him first.

For the first time, Jake took out his bow. Before, he hadn’t really been determined to necessarily kill them. Scaring them off was always an option. But now that he had made his decision, he was no longer going to restrain himself.

Jumping back, he avoided an attack as the space in front of him exploded. Donald made a swiping motion with his scimitar that sent out a red wave of energy, but this too was easily avoided as Jake nocked an arrow, making sure to cut his own hand with it first.

Pulling back the string of his bow, he felt space around him constrict once more. He knew it would collapse around him in mere moments, so he once more released a massive blast of mana. The space mana was once more dispersed, but it also served to hide his channeling of Infused Powershot.

It wasn’t a long channel, but it was enough. He released the arrow in an explosion of mana and inner energy, sending it straight for the head of Donald. The man tried to use a skill to avoid it but suddenly froze up as Gaze of an Apex Hunter pierced his soul.

Just before the arrow hit, a slate of some kind appeared before him—a slate with a disgusting mural depicting dozens of naked women suffering and a figure with a remarkable semblance to Donald standing above them. Luckily for everyone but the disgusting man, the arrow smashed into the mural, shattering it entirely. But somehow, it had been powerful enough to negate the attack altogether.

Donald stumbled back as he coughed up black blood. He raised his head, only to see another arrow already coming straight for him.

Abby stepped in and blocked it while simultaneously releasing another barrier of some kind, heading straight for Jake. It was like he got a pane of glass thrown at him. Like one does when confronted with a big piece of glass, he kicked it hard, shattering it.

Could he have dodged? Sure, but he didn’t feel like it. His focus currently was to kill the lunatic of a man in front of him. He once more released a barrage of arrows with Splitting Arrow, trying to make it harder for Abby to block it.

She blocked again, allowing Donald enough time to get back in the game. Gritting his teeth, he summoned a specter of a wailing girl, looking no older than sixteen. It tried to run, but he grabbed it with his hand and forced it down into the sword, amplifying its glow and the mana it emanated.

Time to end this, Jake thought as he lifted his bow again and channeled an Infused Powershot. Once more, a wave of crimson light was sent after him, along with another metaphorical pane of glass.

Instantly, he released the Infused Powershot, at the final moment shifting the target to Abby. It broke straight through the pane of glass and forced her on the backfoot as she summoned a defensive barrier to block it.

Before she even blocked it, he was already channeling another Powershot. The wave of crimson light was still heading for him, but this one he didn’t fear at all. Before it hit, he covered his entire body in dark green scales. The wave hit him, and he saw a few scales sizzle with energy as it passed through him, a very faint sliver of the power invading his body.

But it completely opened up the man who’d fired it, as he had expected Jake to evade or maybe block it. He hadn’t expected him to ignore it.

Donald tried to retreat, as he felt something was off, but froze up again. Which was the exact moment Jake released his arrow. In the back, Abby quickly tried to muster up some kind of defense for her father, but at the most critical time, she also froze up as two yellow eyes landed upon her.

The arrow flew true, this time not meeting any obstacle before it hit Donald’s head, which didn’t stop it either. It didn’t just pierce through, but shaved off his entire head and upper body, which were obliterated in the wave of power that was his Infused Powershot.

“Noo!” Abby yelled as she saw his headless body fly backward from the momentum of the arrow. Her feelings swiftly shifted from sorrow to absolute fury. “I will fucking kill you!”

Once more, she exploded in power. Jake felt a massive wave of space mana heading toward him, leveling the ground in between them. Several of her own men were also getting hit in the process, as they were standing too close.

The wave destroyed anything it hit, but upon hitting the barrier surrounding the lodge didn’t manage to do jack shit. The only other place where it failed to do anything was upon hitting Jake, who simply tanked it with his scales still active.

He felt a few of the scales chip and break, but nothing a bit of mana wouldn’t fix. However, what they couldn’t fix was the floating mass of space mana she was collecting above her.

“Fucking die!” she yelled as she threw it at him. Blood flowed from every one of her orifices, ears included, showing it was a skill she couldn’t use easily at all.

This one, Jake didn’t plan on blocking. But as he tried to dodge, he felt the space around him constrict more than ever before, like he found himself stuck in a moat—with a giant, unstable sphere headed straight for him.

But… luck was not on her side. Because while Jake could barely move, he could still manage to take a step forward. One Step Mile was utterly unaffected as he phased through space and appeared a few dozen meters away.

A pillar of shattered space exploded behind him, sending stone and gravel flying into the air. It was nearly ten meters in diameter and left behind a perfectly circular hole with no bottom in sight.

Abby once more found herself completely flabbergasted. Her ace had been nullified by the man simply taking a step forward. It was a complete joke that her strongest space magic skill was countered by a guy who had unlocked a skill utilizing the concept of space at a far higher level than anything she could do.

Yet she refused to give up, releasing yet another skill. Two bolts that looked a lot like Jake’s own bolts of mana appeared, and she fired them after him.

Space mana bolts? Space bolts? he asked himself as he easily dodged them.

She threw out a few more as Jake began walking toward her. He had already dismissed his bow; it was no longer necessary. Her attacks had waned in strength after the sphere, and she was now just throwing out things in desperation.

Finally, she stopped as Jake fired a single set of mana bolts at her. Her space mana was now so weak, it shattered and made her fall. She was apparently unable to even summon a new one.

Jake kept walking as she crawled backward, fear in her eyes, pleading, “Do… don’t! I… I’ll do anything! I can work for you! Please! I… I can be your whore, do whatever you want, just let me live!”

He heard the words, but cared more about what he felt. Very subtly, he felt a sensation around his neck as space mana gathered. Her attempt was just…

“Pathetic,” he said as he swung his head to the side. A small ring of space mana collapsed where his neck had been milliseconds earlier—a failed attempt at cutting off his head.

“Please, I didn’t mean it—you win! I will serve you, I wmgmh-”

Jake swept his hand down and held it over her mouth, muffling her. Tired of her shit. It was barely a fight... He didn’t even have to use Limit Break...

The last thing Abby saw was two apathetic yellow eyes staring down at her as Touch of the Malefic Viper delivered her death. She loosed muffled screams for a few seconds, then went silent.

Chapter 14

A Bit of Self-Reflection

Jake let go and looked at the corpse on the ground. Her bloodshot eyes were still wide open, staring back up at him, with black veins extending from her face and into her entire body.

Sighing, he turned his attention to the stunned observers around him. Many of them were still getting back up from the blast Abby had released not long ago. Some would never get up again.

In an oddly ironic series of events, Abby had ended up killing even more of her own men than Jake had. He had finished off thirty or so, while her blast had killed nearly fifty, which meant that around half of the people that had invaded the valley were now dead. Another third of the survivors had already run off once he started glaring people to death. He had only killed those who kept attacking, while he didn’t bother with those who ran.

Jake dismissed his scales as he deposited Abby’s corpse into his spatial storage. She was bound to have had a lot of useful items. Next, he went and did the same to Donald’s. He didn’t care about any of the others, as he frankly doubted they had much he needed.

With that taken care of, he turned his attention toward the big barrier still covering his lodge. It was undamaged and, in a fortunate turn of events, had also protected the pond and waterfall behind it. However, the rest of the valley was a bit of a mess, primarily caused by the blast of space mana earlier.

Behind said barrier were Neil and his group. Neil’s mouth was hanging wide open. On several occasions, he had expected Jake to die, but he had effortlessly thwarted the two’s efforts every single time. The two people he and his group had failed to even fight for more than a few minutes had been dominated and killed in less than a minute.

The most overwhelming part was the sheer number of attacks he’d used. At first, he’d thought the masked man some kind of melee fighter. An evolved Light Warrior variant or something. Then he’d launched powerful spells, both the disruptive mana blast and the mana bolts, impressive in their own right. Then, finally, he had taken out a bow and fired off arrows that each had enough power to shatter Abby’s space barriers. Is he really human?

All of that was discounting the scariest thing: the masked man’s ability to kill people out of nowhere. His ability to make people freeze up and become defenseless. He wasn’t even mentioning the fact that he could grow wings, summon scales, or how he had killed Abby in seconds with some kind of powerful melee skill that only required touch, from the looks of it.

He couldn’t help but shift his eyes to Miranda. She had mentioned this “owner” several times, but had also mentioned she had never truly seen him fight. Neil had doubted his capabilities, but he would be a fool to do so now. He also couldn’t help but question if coming here was indeed a good idea.

Speaking of Miranda, she too was very concerned inwardly. The creepy fuck and his devil spawn of a daughter were gone, but that still left the masked man’s potential anger toward her. She didn’t fear he would do anything like what Donald had planned, but that he would just kill her outright.

Jake, on the other hand, hadn’t even considered this. Instead, he stood solemnly, contemplating a lot of things… but first, he had to finish cleaning up.

“Everyone, gather over here in front of the barrier,” he yelled out to the still-stunned people all around him.

Only around fifty people remained in total. The rest were now either dead or had run off, likely to die from the many beasts within the forest, which was also the reason why so many had stayed. Without Abby and Donald, they weren’t sure they could even survive the way to any safe place. Not that there was truly any safe place in this new world anymore.

“Yes, boss!”

The first person answering turned out to be Chris, who he had talked to just before. He had survived the blast of space mana and was one of the first to get back up. And the very first to run over and stand in front of the barrier.

Though Jake wasn’t exactly fond of the whole “boss” business, that was something to fix later.

With Chris taking the initiative, everyone followed his lead and went in front of the barrier. Many were still very hesitant, but nobody dared to be too slow. They all were afraid, due to the leadership style deeply engraved in their bodies from following Abby. Chris was the only one Jake saw who was showing just a bit of defiance.

“So, how long will this thing last?” Jake asked the space mage.

“If no one attacks it, a few more days at least… but I can remove it at any time,” he answered truthfully. Like most kinds of space magic that he practiced, it was very stable.

“Alright, can you take it down?”

Neil threw a quick glance at his party members before landing on Silas, giving him an idea. “Can you swear you don’t intend to hurt us?” His goal was to use Silas’ lie-detector skill. Miranda had shared a lot of information about what happened, but it had been barebones. A detail such as the existence of that skill hadn’t been revealed.

“Right now, I don’t, but I can’t say that won’t change in the future.” Jake shrugged. “Nobody knows the future, after all… Well, maybe some people do, but I digress, and all that divination stuff is mainly bullshit in my opinion.”

An answer that didn’t exactly put Neil’s mind at ease. Subtly, he threw a glance back at Silas, and Neil was surprised to see his friend stand there with a confused look on his face. Upon noticing his gaze, Silas shrugged and shook his head, utterly bewildered. It doesn’t work? Neil asked himself, frowning internally.

That was… a first. It had proven effective with every person they had encountered so far except for the disciple during the tutorial trials. Did that mean he was too strong for it to work, or that he had some other skill to block it?

In the end, Neil would have to try and negotiate their survival and future wellbeing without magical assistance. “I hope that we can reach some kind of understanding where—”

“Take that up with Miranda,” Jake interrupted, waving his hand dismissively. The entire reason she had gotten the role of City Lord was so that he didn’t have to negotiate anything.

Both Miranda and Neil were a bit taken aback, but both interpreted it as a pardon of sorts. Miranda looked afraid of the consequences of her betrayal, and Neil worried if he would be judged for leading a group of hostiles into his domain.

“Alright, then…” the space mage tentatively said as he placed his hand on the ground and closed his eyes.

A few seconds later, the space barrier shimmered out of existence, leaving only Miranda’s behind. And Jake had already analyzed that long ago.

Without waiting, he stepped forward and walked straight into it. His foot was not blocked by it at all as he phased through it uneventfully, once more surprising everyone there.

“What?” Jake asked before explaining, “This barrier is made of pure mana from the environment. Activated by Miranda by channeling the core, and as the owner of the city, it naturally doesn’t affect me.”

It felt pretty good to stun the people within the lodge with his deep understanding of mana… and totally not the other weird words he threw out.

“City?”

“Core?”

Perhaps the whole city business hadn’t been mentioned to any of them yet.

“Miranda, you handle that too,” he quickly delegated. “And find out what to do with those followers of Abby’s that remained behind. Don’t bother hiding anything unimportant for now.”

“Yes!” Miranda nodded enthusiastically.

“Oh, and one last thing… I need a word with you in private. So could the rest of you leave this bubble?”

“Alright,” she agreed. “Hank, can you begin figuring out the situation outside? And, Neil, can you guys act as support in case it gets violent?”

The two answered affirmatively as they began gathering their things—one of those “things” being Levi, who had been unconscious on the ground the entire time. He looked a bit weird with growths coming out of his lower body, forming his preliminary legs.

Walking out, some of them threw a worried glance at Miranda, who gave them a reaffirming nod in return. She then proceeded to reactivate the effect of the barrier that isolated sound so they could talk peace.

After they were gone, Jake sat down on the ground and let out a big sigh. “Sorry about before.”

“Huh?” she blurted out, confused.

“My outburst earlier. I have some bad experiences with betrayal, and as much as I hate to admit it, I have shitty control over my own emotions at times. I thought the worst despite knowing nothing. So I apologize.”

“I… I was the one who broke your trust first. It is reasonable enough to think that I may have tried a coup d’état. Speaking of which… how do we get rid of the quest?”

“Oh, yeah. That.” Jake rechecked the quest. Thinking for a bit, he asked casually, “Do you surrender?”

“Eh… sure?” she answered, bewildered.

Quest: Contested Pylon of Civilization has been completed!

Quest Reward: Retain control of Pylon of Civilization.

City Lord cannot initiate an attempt to claim Pylon of Civilization for 10 years. Ability to further punish the City Lord granted. Would you like to add further punishment?

“I just completed my quest,” Jake said with a smile.

“And I failed mine,” she added.

“Did you receive any punishment besides being locked out of betraying me again?” he asked a bit jokingly.

“No, just that.”

Jake looked at the ability to add further punishment for a while, and while just looking at it, the system made him aware of what he could do and… What?

There was quite literally no limit. Jake intuitively knew that he could add anything, and she would be forced to do it or lose her profession and City Lord role.

The thought itself was disturbing. Jake could add a punishment that forced her to stepdance fourteen hours a day or only walk on her hands for eternity if he wanted. Even directly remove her as City Lord. If he was cruel, he could do far worse. The only things he couldn’t do were add to the ten-year ban on reclaiming the Pylon, or anything else that was “impossible,” like make her punishment instantly getting a level or something.

He couldn’t help but imagine what a man like Donald would have done with this sort of control over someone. Nothing good—that was for sure.

Dismissing the thought of using it for anything, he rejected to add any punishment, but to his surprise, it didn’t just go away. It was an open offer. He could add a penalty any time he felt like it within the next ten years, it seemed. But at least he could close the menu itself, so he just had to close off the option mentally.

“All right, with that handled, I think you should go out and figure stuff out with Hank and the others. This should be a good opportunity to finally get some damn citizens in this sorry excuse of a city.” He chuckled and smiled.

“Sure thing,” she said, nodding as she got up and went toward the exit before stopping in the doorway and turning around. “Thank you.”

He looked at her, confused but smiling below the mask, then said, “Part of the contract, isn’t it?”

“I still need to thank you,” she said as she bowed toward him. “Without you, we would have all either died or suffered fates worse than death today. So from all of us… thank you.”

With that, she left the lodge before he could respond—which was quite fortunate, as Jake wasn’t quite sure what to say. He had never experienced heartfelt gratitude like that before. Especially not from someone who was still, in many ways, a stranger. The feeling was odd but not unpleasant.

But her heartfelt thank you was why he had to close his eyes and enter meditation at that moment. Not to recover any resources, but to do what his Thoughtful Meditation upgrade was meant to help him with: think.

Not just once, but several times he had lost control of his emotions. It was clearly something more than just a sudden angry outburst. It was like a flood of emotion overtook him. When he killed William, he’d experienced it, and today, he had experienced it again.

It hampered his ability to think rationally and made killing the only thing on his mind. Thinking back, he could barely remember his thoughts after he’d gotten the prompt from the quest. He did remember considering that Miranda must have done it out of sheer disrespect or thinking he was dead.

Which in itself was nonsensical. The mere fact that the quest was even available to her had to mean that the owner still lived. He hadn’t considered that she had activated it due to some kind of emergency either, AKA exactly the reason why she had triggered it.

So now the question was, why? It wasn’t something he remembered experiencing before the system at all, and he’d had several moments where he encountered things that should’ve infuriated him. Heck, he’d found his then-girlfriend and best friend in bed together, and he had managed not to kill either of them.

He felt himself grow angry just at the thought of them but quickly took a deep breath to calm himself. This was officially bad. And he had to admit to himself that it wasn’t new either; he just hadn’t had the real need or desire to reflect on it earlier.

Had his emotions somehow been amplified? No, that wasn’t it. His other feelings were clearly still the same. In fact, on the scale of being a beacon of emotion and a wasteland of apathy, he would put himself far closer to indifference.

Today was a good example. Jake hadn’t really felt strongly about anything but Miranda’s betrayal. Killing Abby and her creep of a father didn’t exactly make him feel bad. So it wasn’t his emotions that had been amplified. At least not all of them.

So was it only anger that was amplified? No… because he had felt anger before without it being so all-consuming. He’d been mad at Hawkie for harassing him when they first met, pissed at the King of the Forest and his arrogance, and felt plenty of distaste for several of the foes he had fought.

Anger stemming from betrayal, then… still didn’t fit. William hadn’t really betrayed him. Back then, he hadn’t been angry at William at all, really. The one he was furious at was… oh.

It was a betrayal that triggered it, after all. Just not the treachery of others. It was himself all along. Jake had been angry at himself for trusting his girlfriend and best friend despite all the signs. With William, he had been angry at himself for ignoring the plight of his former colleagues. Today, angry at himself for trusting Miranda with something so important as the Pylon of Civilization without any kind of failsafe or at least an attempt to ensure she wouldn’t betray him.

It fits, he sighed internally. Now the question was only why… why he reacted as he did. But… even that he had an inkling of an answer to. The source was lying in the trump card that had allowed him to get this far.

[Bloodline of the Primal Hunter (Bloodline Ability - Unique)] – Dormant power lies in the very essence of your being. A unique, innate ability awakened in the Bloodline of Jake Thayne. Grants the Sphere of Perception. Grants an improved sense of danger. Enhances all instincts and intuition. +15% to Perception.

His Bloodline. His greatest Strength and ace. It wasn’t something he thought about actively during the day, as it was just a part of him now. Trusting his intuition over logic, trusting his sense of danger as if it was the epitome of objectivity. Relying on his sphere for everything, even that very moment as he sat in meditation.

But he knew the roots of his Bloodline were his instincts themselves. It didn’t necessarily grant him anything others didn’t have. It just cranked it to absolute eleven.

Everyday spatial awareness transformed into a literal Sphere of Perception. Intuition made nearly a prophetical power, any living being’s innate sense of danger made into something that could only be called precognition or just straight-up clairvoyance.

So didn’t it make sense that the feeling most enhanced of all was his survival instinct—his sense of self-preservation. So when he felt his sense of self was threatened, every single cell of his body would strive to make the optimal decision to eliminate that threat, thus invoking a strong emotion to act and find a solution as quickly as possible.

But as he couldn’t exactly kill himself… he would have to eliminate the doubt. And with the reptilian brain in charge during those moments of rage, it could do only the simplest of things. Kill whoever or destroy whatever was associated with the doubt to “fix” it.

Now, did it make sense to think that you could fix every problem by killing something? Absolutely not, if you thought about it for more than a few seconds. But instincts weren’t exactly known for being calculative.

He didn’t know if this guess was right, but in an odd sense of irony, his intuition told him he was at least very close. And he also had a feeling that parts of his Bloodline would lead to other… complications down the road. Intuition once more approved.

Chapter 15

Killing Monsters = Loot 4.0

Jake felt a bit better after getting a deeper understanding of his own emotional situation and even his Bloodline. Perhaps it was indeed just a faux feeling of enlightenment, but it lightened his heart nevertheless.

At least enough to move one point down on his list of things to do. One of which was to check his many status messages he had gotten during the fight with Abby and her scumbag dad. Speaking of which, he began with the kill message for him.

*You have slain [Human (E) - lvl 51 / Aspiring Blade of Debauchery - lvl 65 / Salacious Malefactor – lvl 38] Experience earned.

Right, that confirms it; he was a sick fuck through and through, Jake thought as he read the name of that guy Donald’s class and profession. Like, seriously. His class reminded him a lot of the Aspiring Blade of Nature he had fought during the tutorial, except instead of focusing on nature, this guy focused on being a goddamn degenerate.

Even the profession was fucked up. Did the dude seriously have a profession related to sexually assaulting people? Was that seriously a thing?

He hadn’t seen many examples of classes and professions, and it quite honestly shouldn’t have come as a surprise to him, but nevertheless, he found himself dumbstruck. He knew the system was boundless and that it allowed one to walk pretty much any path to power. The Viper had mentioned that time and time again. But in some hopeful and naïve corner of his mind, he had hoped that people like this guy wouldn’t—no, couldn’t—exist.

Seriously. Salacious Malefactor. It used colorfullanguage and fancy terms, but it basically could be read as “lustful rapist.” The guy had had to make a conscious choice to pick that profession during his profession evolution too. He had chosen to be that.

The only positive thing he could say about the guy was that he was now dead.

Moving on, he went to the sick fuck’s daughter, Abby.

*You have slain [Human (E) - lvl 59 / Disciple of Kallox - lvl 77 / Authoritarian Leader – lvl 41] Experience earned.

Her class and profession were both a lot more typical. The class was clearly related to that Kallox fellow mentioned. Jake did wonder exactly how strong he was, but the guy didn’t appear that impressive from what little he had heard.

Then again, Jake’s view was pretty skewed. He had already learned that most humans didn’t even know about the existence of literal gods, and even more believed them to be some mythical entities that didn’t really exist in any tangible sense.

Her profession was also relatively tame—a social-type profession that he hadn’t seen before and likely a big part of the reason why she’d kept her merry band of followers around. As to what it actually did, he, of course, had no way of knowing.

Next, he went on to something he would actually enjoy. Well, not the first part, but hopefully, the one after that.

He summoned Abby and Donald’s corpses and threw them on the ground in front of him. In retrospect, a pretty bad idea, as it ended up getting even more blood on the floorboards.

But what one doesn’t do for loot. The act of stripping down the two was a bit much, but Jake really felt like it was a waste not to. However, he did have the decency to leave Abby still in her robe. He could have the other people take that robe later if they wanted it. As for Donald? Yeah, fuck that guy.

Jake had already noticed that the rings usually merged with their bodies had reappeared on their fingers after their deaths. The same was true for the two necklaces.

Taking off everything of value took a while, and most of it was of no use to him—the ones from Abby especially. They were either for casters or had space mana requirements or were bound to someone with relation to the Kallox guy. The descriptions even said he was the creator.

I guess I can bribe that Neil guy with them. He did find some things of use, though: a ring from Abby and two items of interest on Donald.

[Ring of Brilliance (Rare)] - A ring with a rare gem crafted by a very skilled jeweler. The high quality of the mana in the gem grants the user increased mental stats.

Enchantments: +50 Intelligence, +50 Wisdom, +35 Willpower.

Requirements: Lvl 45+ in any humanoid race.

The ring had the same name as one he had found pretty early on in the tutorial. Or maybe “found” was the wrong term, as he had also looted that ring off the corpse of a female caster he had killed. Disregarding that, this one was two rarities higher and offered many more stats while also holding a higher level requirement.

Now he already had two rings, and more than that didn’t work. System rules and all that. The one he planned on replacing was the worst of them. Naturally.

[Ring of the Jade-eye Tiger (Uncommon)] – A ring created by embedding the crystalized eye of a Jade-eye Tiger into a band. The Records of the tiger powers the enchant, granting some of the beast’s might to its wearer.

Enchantments: +20 Perception, +15 Agility, +15 Strength.

Requirements: Lvl 30+ in any humanoid race.

His other ring had the exact same stats, though with a higher amount and different distribution.

[Ring of the Ruby-eye Tiger (Uncommon)] – A ring created by embedding the crystalized eye of a Ruby-eye Tiger into a band. The Records of the tiger powers the enchant, granting some of the beast’s might to its wearer.

Enchantments: +30 Strength, +20 Agility, +20 Perception.

Requirements: Lvl 40+ in any humanoid race.

Of course, deciding which one to replace wasn’t a contest. Jake’s only regret was that he would lose stats he actually used and needed. Well, used and needed more. Maybe the increased Intelligence would actually prove supremely useful with his newfound magical abilities.

Intelligence was still his lowest stat by quite a bit, and this ring alone would give him more than a 10% boost, nearly putting him at the cap of how many stat points he could gain in Intelligence from equipment, AKA a 20% boost maximum. With his gloves already providing 35, it would put him at a substantial 85 bonus out of an 89 maximum.

His equipment wasn’t something he really thought of often. But he had to admit that it was without a doubt one of his many advantages over other survivors too. His armor and gloves were both from the Nest Watcher and offered solid defenses and stats. His necklace offered the quite frankly overpowered and ridiculously convenient spatial storage, and his mask was increasing his maximum mana by a ridiculous 25%.

They were just passive bonuses that, by nature of being passive, didn’t really enter his thoughts on a daily basis. Heck, he forgot he had a mask on half the time.

Which wasn’t to say he didn’t appreciate getting better equipment. Taking off his old ring, he put on the new one, losing 20 Perception, 15 Agility, and 15 Strength, but gaining 50 Intelligence, 50 Wisdom, and 35 Willpower—trading 50 “good” stat points for 135 “okay” stat points in the process.

The sensation when swapping the stats was barely noticeable and actually made him feel slightly weaker. Which made sense, as he lost physical stat points but gained mental ones. Overall he was somewhat confident he had gotten stronger.

As for the old ring, he decided just to give it to Hank. The man looked like he needed equipment pretty bad, after all.

The rest of Abby’s loot was useless to him, as he’d already noted earlier, so he moved on to Donald’s two things he found noteworthy. The first of which was a pair of bracers.

[Leather Bracers of Peerless Deflection (Rare)] – Bracers made from tempered leather from a powerful E-grade beast. Produced by an even more powerful craftsman. Borrowing from the Records of the beast it is made from, these bracers have the ability to deflect ranged attacks when infused with mana.

Enchantments: Self-Repair. +25 Agility, + 15 Endurance.

Requirements: Lvl 40+ in any humanoid race.

These ones were actually pretty damn decent, with excellent stats and a magical ability attached to them. In fact, the man had decent stuff overall; it was too bad that Jake had better. Oh well, more stuff for Hank.

Looking at his old bracers, he got a strong sense of nostalgia. They were the first piece of equipment he had found in the tutorial and had been with him from before he even got his profession. They had, if his theory was right, led to him unlocking the Shadow Vault of Umbra skill. A skill that had gone on the backburner recently, but had been instrumental to his survival in the tutorial.

[Leather Bracers of the Novice Rogue (Uncommon)] – A pair of leather bracers made of fine leather, originally designed for new initiates in the Order of Umbra.

Enchantments: Self-Repair. +5 Agility, +3 Strength. Increases the effectiveness of all stealth skills, further amplified while remaining hidden in the shadows.

Requirements: Lvl 5+ in any class or humanoid race. Stealth-based skill.

These he didn’t plan on handing out but instead saving for himself. A piece of memorabilia, if you may. Taking them off, he deposited them into his spatial storage and put on the new bracers, once more feeling the small rush of stat points after binding them to him.

The deflection ability he would have to test later. For now, he moved on to the last thing the man had dropped, and without a doubt, the most… interesting.

[Scimitar of Debauchery (Epic)] – A cursed blade made by the wicked, for the wicked. Crafted from steel that has soaked in the blood of the innocent, leaving a powerful curse of resentment on the blade. A curse that can be further strengthened by adding more souls of innocents. Wield with caution, for the curse does not only affect those it strikes.

Enchantments: Curse of Debauchery.

Requirements: Humanoid race.

Once more, like the Blade of Nature, he had strong suspicions that this blade was the source of Donald’s class. A fucked-up class for a fucked-up man. Granted by—if the description was accurate—a fucked-up sword.

But despite its fucked-upedness, it was still impressive in its own right. First of all, the requirement to use it. It didn’t have a level required, and the only other items Jake had seen with that were Soulbound items, which this one evidently wasn’t.

It only had a single curse placed upon it. A curse powerful enough to bring it to epic rarity based solely on its merits. Or demerits.

He also had a sneaking suspicion that it hadn’t always been epic. It stated that one could add more souls to it, as ominous as that sounded, to strengthen it more—something Donald had done plenty of without a shadow of a doubt.

Now, was he going to use it? The answer was a resounding “fuck no.” Sure, it was likely better than his Shortsword of Icy Winds, but his shortsword had the advantage of not being literally cursed.

The only thing he couldn’t help but wonder was if Donald had been fucked up from the start or if the blade had made him that way. A mystery he quite frankly didn’t care about solving. So Jake just threw the blade in the corner of his spatial storage. Maybe he could still find a use for it later, or just forget about it entirely until the end of time.

Being done with all immediate tasks, he believed it was time to make his presence known once more. Walking outside the cabin, he saw Miranda skillfully conversing with the many survivors who’d followed Abby and Donald. Hank and Neil stood together with Neil’s party at her side.

The moment he was seen, the talking quickly died down as everyone turned to him. He felt the social pressure and asked a bit forcefully, “Miranda, what have you learned?”

“Well, according to them,” she began, signaling to all those around, “they were more or less all forced into following her, either by circumstance or directly. They tell me that…”

Jake listened as she explained a bit more of the history of how Abby had gathered a crowd to begin with. About how their tutorial had been rather dangerous initially, even more so than Jake’s own. At least if you only spoke of the outer area. They’d been forced into combat constantly from day one.

In fact, this was the primary reason why Abby had any followers at all. She’d been their leader due entirely to her power. Most of them had despised her, her father even more so. But she had been strong from the very start. She and Donald had hid their wickedness until they were powerful enough to stand unopposed.

To call her a good leader would be a straight-up lie. She had abused, killed, and forced them all into doing things they didn’t want to. Any they met were given the ultimatum of either joining her or dying. If someone showed too much talent, they had the “mysterious” tendency to disappear after either she or Donald asked for a private meeting.

This just reaffirmed Jake’s theory of why she’d kept them around. Perhaps in the beginning, it had been done to have safety in numbers, but later, it was clearly just to farm experience for her profession. As for Donald, his reason for keeping the group around was equally pragmatic but far worse.

Jake had already noticed it before, but their group only had three women remaining. In other words, of the more than one hundred that had been in Abby’s group, less than one-twentieth were female. Two of them were old, in their seventies or maybe even eighties. The last woman was young. But she was… scarred.

Something Jake learned she had done herself. She had taken a knife and cut off her hair, cut her own face and body all over. The scars were not healing, likely due to her own wish for them not to. She was also the sole survivor of the massacre that had taken place earlier, as the two elderly women had died from the space mana explosion.

As for the rest of the women in their group… he could only imagine their fates. Actually, scratch that; he wasn’t going to imagine it.

“So, are they staying?” he asked after hearing her long explanation and summary of what she had learned while Jake had an existential crisis in the lodge.

They had already learned of her profession as a City Lord and the fact that the area was free of beasts. She had credited that to him as the owner of the land without providing further specifics about why or how.

“Yes, all of them are,” Miranda said, nodding. She had already added them as official citizens and registered them in her interface.

“How about you guys?” Jake asked, turning to Neil and his folk. Contrary to everyone here, those five had the ability to leave this place relatively safely. After Levi was healed, of course.

“We have agreed to stay too,” Neil said, “to pay you back for what you and Miranda have done for us. Also… we have wandered enough. To have a place to call home is a valuable thing. It would be foolish for us to reject the offer.” After his party members nodded in agreement, he added, “As long as you allow us, of course.”

“As I said before, that is entirely up to Miranda. She is the City Lord here, not me. But I do have one task for all of you.” He smiled a bit deviously. “Go clean up my lodge.”

Chapter 16

An Agreement with the Incompetents (?)

The next few hours were relatively peaceful as everyone worked together to clean up the valley. Neil and his party were in the lodge scrubbing the floorboards like their lives depended on it, while all the others went around and gathered up the corpses of their former comrades.

Nobody judged others for looting them either. All the equipment was sacked and, to Jake’s surprise, offered in a big pile to him and Miranda without any prompt—showing once more why both Donald and Abby had pretty good gear for their level. They had hoarded everything.

Jake, of course, didn’t care for it and told Miranda to handle that too. Damn, it felt good just to delegate all his responsibilities away.

He also found time to drag Hank to the side and hand him the stuff from Donald—which Hank, much to Jake’s surprise, rejected adamantly. Not because of the former owner, but because he didn’t see any need for it.

During Jake’s absence, he and Miranda had had plenty of conversations about the future, and Hank had decided to focus nearly entirely on his profession moving forward. To lead the building initiative. With their number of citizens increasing nearly tenfold, there was naturally a need for new housing, which he would take charge of. In other words, he was now the de facto leader responsible for infrastructure in his city. Nice.

Which left Jake with a bunch of stuff he didn’t want but, on the other hand, didn’t want to throw away. After going over the loot situation, he entered his lodge once more and, for the first time, got a good look at it.

It was more spacious than he had first anticipated. However, that may have just been due to the lack of furniture. The cellar was well hidden as they had agreed, and there was even a lovely small door leading onto a porch overlooking the pond and waterfall. It was better in every way than he’d expected, and damn impressive they had managed to make it in less than a week.

His entrance caused quite the disturbance for the four people cleaning it. Jake looked at them and noticed how they were all cleaning it without using magical abilities at all. Between them, they had to have a skill that could somehow help, wouldn’t they? Then again, the best he would be able to do was to… Actually, he could probably use Alchemist’s Purification to get rid of it. Yeah, let’s try that.

He hadn’t really used the skill before besides purifying water. He extended a tendril of mana as he deployed the purification skill. At first, it didn’t quite work, likely because the floorboards weren’t considered an alchemical ingredient, but after a bit of a push, all the blood just suddenly evaporated.

Neil just stared dumbstruck at him. “Could you do that all along?”

“Seems so.” Jake just shrugged, ignoring the glances he got from Silas, Eleanor, and Christen. Especially Christen. “Now that you are free, I think we should talk.”

With those words, he sat down on the floor and crossed his legs, motioning for the four of them to do the same. Levi was unsurprisingly still out cold. But he should be back up within the day. He had chugged down one of Jake’s own health potions, after all.

After they were all sitting comfortably, or as comfortably as they could with a masked man who could kill them staring them down, Jake spoke. “Since you want to stay, I guess we should discuss what exactly that will mean.”

The reason behind it was straightforward. Except for himself, the party of five was the most powerful by a landslide. They could easily wipe out everyone else if they so desired.

“What do you mean?” Neil asked.

“I won’t be around all the time, which means someone will have to handle things when I am not here. Things that require strength, so we won’t have a repeat of what happened today. And as the most powerful people besides myself, that falls on you guys.”

“So we are to act as guards, or what?” Christen asked, clearly not approving.

“Nah, shouldn’t really be necessary. We got a good bunch of people now, and I doubt they would dare cause trouble any time soon. I just need you to back up Miranda’s decisions. To be the tough hand that forces things through if her soft approaches fail to work.”

“I think we can figure something out,” Neil said after thinking a bit. “But won’t we also need to keep improving our strength? I fear we will fall behind and be unable to perform that role if we just sit around.”

Jake had naturally already considered that. “Once again, you won’t be guards. And while there aren’t any beasts in the city area, there are plenty right outside. We are still in the outskirts of the forest, and from what I have seen flying over it, you should be able to encounter several beasts of significant power further in. I would even expect quite a few D-grades in the deepest parts.”

“D-grade…” Neil frowned. “Aren’t we in danger of one of them coming here?”

“I doubt it.” Jake shrugged. “They have very little reason to hunt us actively. We won’t give them worthwhile experience. It also isn’t a permanent problem, as I will hunt them down before long.”

Neil sat there a bit, like he was waiting for the punchline, but nothing came. He just looked at Jake weirdly.

“Have you ever met any D-grades before?” Neil asked. “Me and my party had… during the tutorial. It was the Disciple of Kallox that helped me get my Legacy, and even if it was only in the early stages, it felt like an incomprehensible being.”

“Of course I have. On that note, there are two caves only a few kilometers from here, both in opposite directions. I have only been to one of them, but I would advise you not to go too deep. There is a biodome of sorts deep within, and a real nasty D-grade mushroom monster resides there. I think I pissed it off last time I went, so it may still be irritable if you chose to check it out, so be careful.” It would suck to have them all sucked dry by the Indigo Mushroom right after joining his city.

“Pissed it off?”

“Yeah, I just fought it a bit until it got pissed, so I took off. The damn thing is the size of a dozen football fields, and I wasn’t entirely confident in outlasting it.” I guess I should go again soon, he thought. Though he still needed to make a better poison for it first. But he didn’t have time with his hunting sessions with Hawkie and all that fun stuff. Also, he had to get back to that damn bird soon.

“Anyway, we are getting sidetracked!” Jake continued. “So, do you agree to help out?”

“Alright, I promise,” Neil agreed without thinking much about it. The more he talked to the mysterious owner, the harder he found it to understand him.

“Great. So, what is up with that orb your cousin went crazy for?”

Neil froze up as he steeled himself. He looked worried as he answered:

“It is made only for Disciples of Kallox, so I don’t thi—” he tried, but…

“Yeah, yeah, just give it here, let me check it out,” Jake said, waving his hand expectantly.

Neil sighed in defeat as he lifted it up from beneath his robes and placed it together with its chain in the owner’s open palm.

From behind his mask, Jake could see the orb and first noted how small it was. Identify, however, confirmed that it indeed was an extraordinary item in many ways. The grade alone made it very desirable.

“Neat,” he said as he gave it back to Neil.

The young man just stared back at him in confusion and then down to the orb that was back in his own hands. “That’s it?”

“What? Oh, I don’t want it. I can’t use it anyway, and even if I could, I wouldn’t. It isn’t even that interesting. Its high rarity is clearly because of the comprehension of Kallox’s concept of space within. In every way, it is an item made for his disciple and quite honestly has little value for anyone else, much less someone who isn’t a space mage themselves.”

To sum it all up, the orb was useless to him. Not that he would have taken it even if it wasn’t. He wasn’t going to claim to be some saint who wouldn’t have taken it if it proved supremely useful, but he was, as a general rule of thumb, not going to rob people.

A sentiment that clearly took Neil by surprise. Especially Jake’s calm explanation of why he wouldn’t even want it. It probably hurt his pride a little to see the item he valued the most criticized, but Jake honestly didn’t want it.

There was still a bit of tension until Eleanor couldn’t hold it in anymore and exclaimed in laughter, “This is just too funny… seriously, way too funny.”

She commented on how she had spent the last weeks of her life running to protect that damn orb with her friends, and now it was just casually dismissed as “not even that interesting.” Jake could see how it could all feel like one big joke.

Her laughter, however, did a lot to lighten the mood in the lodge. The tenseness of it all slowly dissipated as Christen joined in on commenting how absurd their situation was, with Silas just snickering to himself.

“Hey, mystery man, what is your class anyway? Jack of all trades?” Christen finally asked, unable to hold back the question burning in her mind.

“Archer, upgraded to a type of hunter,” Jake answered. It wasn’t really something he saw any use in hiding.

“Hunter?” Eleanor asked, confused. “Some mage variant? Magic Hunter? Mage Hunter? Caster-Hunter?”

“First of all, those names suck, each one more than the one before,” he answered. “Second of all, it has nothing to do with magic. To be perfectly honest, I don’t even have any mana skill, really.”

“Pretty sure I saw you fire off some beefed-up mana bolts,” Christen butted in.

“Doesn’t require a skill to do that, just pure mana control and manipulation. A good piece of advice I would give you is to practice using mana. All of you.”

All of them looked at him, a bit bewildered, before one of them finally asked, “How?”

Which was around the time Jake came to realize that was actually an excellent question. Precisely how did he manipulate and control mana so easily? Well, not easily, but naturally.

“Hm… think about how you put mana into a skill when using it, and then try moving that mana, just without using any skill. Just a tiny sliver, enough to form a string or a ball in the palm of your hand.”

“Not sure I get it… How am I supposed to use the mana without a skill?” Neil asked.

“Just feel its movements in your body and control it. Even now, you should feel it in your body, like a current running on your skin. The exact same is true for stamina. Though I would be cautious with stamina, because if you control it in unforeseen ways, you may end up blowing off a limb or two.”

An explanation that once more was just met with utter confusion from all of them. Jake tried again to make them feel for the mana, or in Christen and Eleanor’s case, their inner energy.

The conversation had entirely devolved from what it had initially been about, and Jake slowly felt his frustrations grow.

“Seriously, can’t you feel the mana in the air, though?” he asked Neil.

“I am aware of it, and I can vaguely get a sense of it, but… I don’t think I ‘feel’ it as you describe,” Neil answered a bit sheepishly.

“You,” he said, pointing to Christen, “how does it feel when you use a skill?”

“Eh… well, I think of using the skill, and then I do it… You know, it just feels normal, I guess?” she said, equally sheepishly.

Jake felt his head was about to explode. Were these people absolute morons? Had they spent no time at all practicing anything? Didn’t they have the faintest curiosity toward all the new energy types and how to use them? No desire to understand what their new powers were capable of at all?

He was seriously beginning to doubt putting faith in them at all to defend his city. Or was there just something different about his approach to mana? He had to dig more.

“Neil, when you manipulate space, how do you do it?” he asked pointedly.

“I use one of my skills that do so,” he answered. Uselessly.

“Have all of you seriously never used mana outside of a skill?”

To which he got no answer, only four people looking down at the ground, embarrassed, as if they had just been scolded. Which, in essence, they had. Jake felt like pulling out a few hairs at how utterly incompetent they were.

“Alright, homework for all of you. Start to practice actually controlling your mana or inner energy outside of skills. You should be able to figure it out if you try hard enough. Also, take these things and split them among you. I don’t need them.”

He threw a bunch of things out of his spatial storage and onto the floor. Equipment dropped by Abby and Donald that he didn’t want or need. A few of them could only be used by Neil, as they required the Disciple of Kallox class.

The others were mainly scooped up by Eleanor and Christen, who split them among each other. Though Jake suspected they were saving some of the things for Levi whenever he woke up.

“With that taken care of, get the hell out of my house,” he said somewhat jokingly. “And ask Miranda to come in after you. I need to speak with her too.”

“Alright, I will tell her,” Neil said, nodding as Christen went and picked up Levi, who slept on the floor. Why they had carried him in there again was still a mystery.

Just as they left, Jake couldn’t help but add, “One last thing. Don’t betray the promises you made today. We clear?”

To which he received four grave nods. The faint wave of bloodlust he let loose with the words clearly didn’t harm his intimidation factor in the slightest.

Chapter 17

Clouds & Brimstone

Jake flew up into the air as he headed back toward the cloud island. His mood was pretty good for most of the flight, but he ran into one tiny little issue a few hours later: he couldn’t find it.

Now, how does one lose a giant cloud the size of countries with a tree on it the size of a mountain? Quite simple: you just need to have the same sense of direction as Jake. How it was possible for him to be that incompetent at finding things with his supernatural intuition was quite frankly a miracle.

During his descent, he had been in a slight hurry and hadn’t really bothered considering how to get back again. In fact, he had barely registered what direction he was supposed to go. He had a general idea and was pretty sure of himself to begin with, thinking that, heck, how could he miss it? Well, it turned out he could.

It was kind of impressive, in a way. Especially considering that Jake’s monstrous Perception allowed him to see hundreds of kilometers away. Sure, many things obstructed his vision, but he could still see quite far.

Up in the air, it was a bit harder, as countless clouds and a constant mist covered everything, making it hard to see more than a few tens of kilometers away, even with his Perception.

And while he found that fact plenty worth complaining about, his Perception did end up being what led him back once again.

A trip that should only have taken half an hour tops ended up being a half-day journey. But in the distance, Jake finally spotted it: a giant mass of clouds. Occasional purple flashes of lightning jumping between the trees was the first thing that caught his eye, and the rest of the journey was straightforward from there.

He had ended up being a bit higher than expected this time and was floating well above the island. But with it in sight, it wasn’t hard to make his way down there. Now his next objective was just to find his and Hawkie’s own private mini-cloud island. That was where they had parted, after all.

That part turned out to be super easy, barely an inconvenience. While many smaller islands were floating around the giant ones, the ones holding trees were very sparse. From the direction he had come upon the island, he also had an excellent general idea of where it was.

He still had the Pylon acting as a compass of sorts, after all, and he could remember that there weren’t any large-scale cloud islands between it and the massive cloud country, meaning it had to be on that side.

This was the point where he remembered one of his forgotten skills: Hunter’s Tracking. As luck would have it, he had become quite familiar with the mana signature and general aura of Hawkie over their many days spent together.

Activating the skill heightened his senses as he focused on finding Hawkie. The skill did its work better than expected, and nearly instantly, it felt like a particular island lit up in his eyes. In the air, it was like several small mist-like trails came into existence. He instinctively knew these were trails left by Hawkie.

Flying to the island, he found it deserted. It was kind of expected, but still a little disappointing. In retrospect, however, it was likely for the best. He needed to meditate and refill his dwindling mana and stamina reserve anyway.

Sitting down with his legs crossed, he entered meditation and thought back to his last talks with Miranda back at the city.

The plan moving forward was relatively simple. They now had more than fifty people and would begin construction of a place to actually live. The valley had been designated as a no-go zone, with the barrier around the lodge remaining indefinitely.

As long as it wasn’t attacked, it would sustain itself solely through atmospheric mana. Jake and Miranda were the only ones who could walk through it by default, so it would serve as a great way to ensure no one got close to the Pylon. To make things better, Miranda had figured out how to ping him with a bit of an exploit. She could offer another to take up the position of City Lord, but to do so would require an acceptance from Jake, meaning he would get a system prompt. In other words, she could offer it to Hank, Jake would get a prompt, and Hank could then just decline it with Jake notified. The only issue was that she couldn’t offer it to the same person within a set period, but that shouldn’t be an issue. She was also only to call him in case of emergencies.

With Neil and his party staying, a modicum of safety was also ensured anyway. Jake would guess that the five of them were pretty far up the earthling’s power ladder. They also had the advantage of working well together and being a somewhat balanced team. Their lack of understanding of basic energy manipulation was a big problem, but he hoped they could learn it quickly.

Before he left, he also gave Miranda a few things—some equipment he knew he would never get to use, some books with general knowledge, and the notebook Jacob had given him. Jake had skimmed through it already, and it mostly contained basic knowledge of the system as well as the man’s own thoughts. But he also discovered that it contained knowledge of how a Pylon of Civilization worked and the role of a City Lord. Needless to say, it was beneficial for her. As to how Jacob had known Jake would get a Pylon… well, it was pretty obvious, as the Viper had told Jake that him being a Progenitor wasn’t exactly a secret, and the only way to become a Progenitor would be to kill a D-grade boss and hence be able to claim a Pylon. It was a simple deduction, so no divination bullshit involved with that one.

He also gave her a bunch of potions, which meant it was also time for him to begin making some more. He had spent two entire weeks just making potion after potion upon first returning from the tutorial, and now, less than two weeks later, he already felt like he needed more.

It put his mind at ease, however, to have given them out. Many of them were for Neil and the others to use during their leveling sessions, with the rest being saved for emergencies. He had also more or less ordered Miranda actually to spend some time training and getting her class upgrade.

On that note, he had also remembered an old item he still had in his spatial storage.

[Akashic Tome of the Lucenti Mage (Unique)] – Allows the user to acquire the class Lucenti Mage if compatible.

Requirements: Lvl 24-99 in any class. Compatible user.

He had thought of offering it to her, but after a bit of questioning, he was pretty sure she wasn’t compatible. And even if she was, she didn’t have any light magic yet, making him suspect that even if she could technically use it, her affinity toward the Lucenti scroll of magic wasn’t very high.

He did consider giving it to her anyway and finding someone who could use it among the survivors. That thought he also threw away, more due to selfish reasons than anything else. He had a solid feeling the class would be powerful, much like Neil and Abby’s Disciple of Kallox. The Great White Stag had been strong, after all.

Time slowly ticked by as he meditated, and soon a few hours had gone by. His tracking skill told him Hawkie had been there only a few hours before he arrived, making him guess it was either hunting on its own or on a trip back to wherever it went once in a while.

As he didn’t really want to go hunt solo just yet, he took out his cauldron and began doing some good old alchemy. Stamina potions were the most pressing at the moment, so he started with them by taking out some common-rarity Green Lavender and Evergreen Grass. On another side note, he was finally below half of his storage of the three basic lavender types. And nearly entirely out of the inferior-rarity ones. He would have to find a new source of ingredients at some point or actually begin gathering alternatives himself.

Five batches of stamina potions later, he detected a presence coming his way. A presence he recognized as his feathery friend.

[Galesong Hawk – lvl 94]

The hawk detected him a few moments later and threw him a questioning glance.

“Yeah, I sorted things at home. It luckily wasn’t as bad as I feared,” he said, putting the bird at ease. Not that he was sure it was actually concerned or just annoyed and surprised at his sudden departure.

He leaned a bit more toward the latter, as the first thing the damn bird did was demand more potions—only reinforcing his theory that Hawkie thought of him as a potion dispensary first, comrade in arms second.

You’re lucky I am slightly apologetic I just bailed on you like that, he grumbled inwardly as he coughed up a potion.

After drinking it up and resting on its branch a while, Hawkie threw him the “let’s go kill things” look, which he could only agree to. The fight with Abby and Donald could barely be called a fight. They’d been far too weak to truly pose any threat toward him unless he literally just stood there and let them go at him.

Jumping off the cloud with Hawkie at his side, he felt far more in his element than in the city down far below.

The Viper’s plan had been set in motion. The warnings had gone out, and the surrounding factions had been made aware of his return. Now a week had passed, and the promised day arrived.

Most forces had presented themselves and sworn loyalty in the allotted time. Others, mainly those with roots elsewhere, chose to leave. A real storm had been going through an area containing the millions of planets surrounding the Malefic Order.

Among the factions that pledged loyalty or proposed to vassalize themselves were also many gods and the factions they either served or ruled.

The only remaining Hall of the Malefic Order was placed in the first universe in the area around where the Viper had been born and risen to power. The planet he had made a desolate wasteland on his path to power was seen as a holy land for pilgrims, members, and those who came just to pay respect.

But over the years, many factions had appeared in the area he once ruled with an iron fist, with the Order confined to only a few thousand life planets in total. The only remaining Hall found on the only Great Planet in the area.

Great Planets were without a doubt one of the most wondrous existences in the multiverse—a planet larger than thought possible, dwarfing any celestial object in any pre-system universe. It was of such unimaginable size that it could contain entire galaxies within. Great Planets were rare, even in the vastness of space itself. To make them even more impressive, the mana density in some areas was large enough for even monsters with the power of gods to spawn naturally.

This particular planet went by the name of Primordial-4. The name held no specific meaning, and had only been applied because it was the closest Great Planet to the rise of a Primordial. It was a planet the Viper had wandered during his ascension and fought many powerful foes on. In fact, some rumors even claimed it was where he’d become a deity.

It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary. All knew the Holy Mother had ascended on the planet now known as Primordial-1. A similar Great Planet, of course.

All the planets surrounding this Great Planet had surrendered or left, none of the factions large or powerful enough to dare stand against the Order and the Lord Protector that guarded it, much less the Primordial himself.

But one force refused to leave.

The Brimstone Conglomerate was a faction of the 11th Universe that had risen to be one of the premier forces of the multiverse. It was named after the Brimstone Hegemon, their headstrong and powerful leader—a man who had risen by leaving a mountain of corpses behind.

It was precisely the type of entity the Viper had hoped would reject him. He couldn’t help but chuckle as he heard the name.

Powerful. Influential. Just enough to believe the Malefic Order wouldn’t be stupid enough to actually attack them. It would mean war with an organization with roots in several universes. Too large to strike down for the Order that was confined to such a small area, many would think.

But as with all organizations, even the mighty Holy Church or Malefic Order, it had one fatal flaw: its namesake. The Brimstone Hegemon himself. If the Holy Mother or the Malefic Viper perished, so would their organizations. If the Brimstone Hegemon were to fall, so would his conglomerate.

This wasn’t a fear for them, however. For in the same vein, as long as the Hegemon lived, so would the organization persist.

And currently, the Brimstone Hegemon sat upon his throne within his divine realm. A throne made of the hearts of thousands of stars, in a land forever burning with the heat that would make even the center of the sun feel chilly in comparison.

Not a shred of fear was evident on his face. The threat from the Malefic Order was but a farce in his eyes. A power play to bring them to the negotiation table for better terms. Even if the Primordial decided to make good on his threats, it wouldn’t matter.

Within a divine realm, a god was far more powerful than anywhere else. It was their world, after all, created from their very essence. The mana within was theirs, every single speck of energy under their command. It was an insurmountable home-field advantage that made invading the divine realms of other gods either an act of futility or just straight-up suicide.

This was exactly why what happened next surprised the Hegemon so much. The god felt a presence forcefully enter his realm. One he didn’t have to look long for as a figure appeared floating before him.

“For a Primordial to come personally… should I be honored or offended?” The Brimstone Hegemon’s voice echoed across his entire realm as he stared at the scaled man before him. The Hegemon was the size of a mountain, with the Viper staying in his human-sized form.

“Honored, of course. Few have had the privilege,” the Malefic Viper answered casually.

“A privilege I most certainly could do without,” Brimstone answered in a joking manner. His mind was working on overtime to figure out the intentions of the Malefic One. The thought of him coming for a fight never crossed him.

For if there was one thing harder than fighting a god in their realm, it was killing them. As long as the realm held energy, the god would be able to siphon it off to sustain themselves. And the Viper wasn’t exactly what he’d once been…

“Now, is there anything I can offer such an esteemed guest?” he asked, continuing from earlier.

Maybe this could even be an opportunity to create closer ties with the Malefic Order, but more importantly, the Primordial himself? True, he had been in isolation for oh so long, but he still had contacts. He was still respected. While his personal power had without a doubt waned, the mere fact that he carried the title of Primordial would bring great benefits.

“I have actually come for two reasons,” the Viper said with a smile. “First of all, I would like to extend my thanks to you.”

“Oh? What have I done to warrant the gratitude of the Malefic One?” the Hegemon asked with genuine confusion.

“I have been gone for a long time,” the scaled god answered. “Many have either forgotten or become complacent toward me. Toward my Order. I have made it my personal quest to change that. To return my Order and my name to what it is meant to be. What I want to thank you and the Brimstone Conglomerate for is your help in accomplishing just that.”

“May I dare ask how we are meant to assist you in this endeavor?” Brimstone asked with furrowed brows. Was he truly looking for a partnership?

“Well, that is where my second reason for being here comes in,” the Viper answered, still smiling casually like before. “I have come to kill you.”

The Hegemon was taken aback and could only ask, confused, “Pardon?”

“I said I have come to kill you. So, yeah, I thank you for offering your life to help restore my Order to glory. Nothing has ever worked better than a big show of force, you know? And you fit the requirements to be the supporting character in this play.” The Viper laughed.

Brimstone scoffed. “Don’t jest. What do you truly want?”

“See, this is exactly what I am talking about!” the Viper said, this time with a trace of annoyance in his voice. “Had this been back in the day, you would have already started running.”

The Brimstone Hegemon had had enough of the foreign god by now. At first, he had indeed held respect due to the title of Primordial held by the Malefic Viper, but he had never respected the god himself. He was a washed-up god who hadn’t even shown himself in so long. By the time the 11th Universe was integrated, the Viper had already long gone into hiding.

“I think it is time for you to leave,” Brimstone said as his realm moved.

Lava and fire exploded from the ground as his throne began shining a deep red. The entire realm’s heat spiked as he mobilized all the power inside to expel the Viper. Either that, or burn him to death.

The inferno appeared to consume the entire world as everything turned red—red with heat that could melt space itself, seeking to eradicate the lone foreign element within the realm.

At first, the Brimstone Hegemon was confident, but he began frowning as his attack failed to find any purchase. A frown that only deepened the more time went on. It appears I will have to get serious, he sighed as he stood up from his throne.

The Viper stood untouched by the flames within the inferno with his eyes closed, a light smile on his lips. Truly… it had been too long. It felt good to finally be in the heat of things again. Pun fully intended.

Raising his arm, he looked through the flames as his gaze landed upon the Brimstone Hegemon, a green glow spreading from his hand.

Touch of the Malefic Viper

Chapter 18

One-sided

The Malefic Viper exited the shattering realm, appearing in the void. A giant sphere that looked to be made of glass with a perennial inferno within was crumbling behind him. Vilastromoz had a relaxed smile as he savored the sensation of letting out a bit of power for the first time in forever.

The Brimstone Hegemon was viewed as a powerful god from a multiversal point of view… but powerful wasn’t enough to face the Primordial. So while he did feel some enjoyment… it wasn’t enough. Luckily, it looked like it didn’t have to be.

Loud claps echoed out within a void that should’ve been soundless as the clapping god made a mockery of the laws of reality.

“Wonderful display!”

Sitting in the middle of nowhere was a humanoid figure that one could easily mistake for a human at first glance.

“Yip of Yore,” the Viper said as he looked toward the figure. The person looked vaguely human, but his limbs were slightly too long, and his features were a little… off.

“For a Primordial to know my name… I am honored,” the smiling god said without a trace of mockery. “You know, I came here to kill you to look cool in front of all the other gods as the first-ever Primordial Slayer…” He wore an honest expression as he laughed out loud. “But man, fuck that. I heard you didn’t do shit for like a hundred times longer than I have even existed, and that you were just some old has-been.”

“Oh, but I am,” Vilastromoz said with a toothy grin.

“Yeah, sure. Shit, I should have believed Valdemar…” Yip shook his head. “Anyway, wanna fight?”

The Malefic Viper’s smile turned to a large grin. “You know, I heard a lot about the madman known as Yip of Yore. But I don’t believe in madness without a method… Why come?”

“Honestly, I just wanted to see what the hype was all about. Lots of crazy shit from the old generation floating around about you.”

“Disappointed?”

“No, quite the opposite. You know, people compared me to you just because I did a bit of cleanup of this annoying Pantheon after becoming a god. Said we were both madmen, so I guess you know what you are talking about. Wait, are we the only reasonable ones?”

“No,” the Viper said, “we’re not.”

With those words, the void tore, but it wasn’t the Viper that made his move. Yip of Yore appeared before the Malefic Viper and threw a straight. A simple punch that even the most amateur boxer knew.

The Viper leaned slightly to the side, dodging the blow.

The void behind him parted in a crescent wave as the already-crumbling sphere behind him exploded into minuscule fragments.

It was a simple attack, but one powerful enough to make space itself tremble. To part the void was an ability only allowed by the most powerful of gods. For most, merely being able to exist within it was enough.

These two gods, however, weren’t most.

Another punch was thrown, the Viper once more dodging as he smiled casually. Then a third punch and a fourth, all easily dodged or deflected. For two gods to fight like that was quite frankly ridiculous.

Their movements were slow enough for even mortals to follow, their attacks unadorned and straightforward. Yet each hit brought with it destruction. The void around them was slowly torn apart before quickly regenerating itself.

After the fifth punch, Yip of Yore teleported away only a few meters, sitting down with his legs crossed once more. “Lost again…” he murmured.

“How… peculiar,” the Viper said as the void around him warped and bent. The realm of the Brimstone Hegemon, which Yip of Yore had annihilated, was now only a shattered sphere once more, and it looked like nothing had ever happened. “A concept of legends and wonder, time, fate and karma interlinking to create a scenario that carries no causality or shapes reality unless you wish for it to… making all your antics those of ‘Yore,’” the Malefic Viper said with a smile. “Fun tricks.”

“What is life but a great story?” Yip of Yore smiled in return. “I just seek to create the greatest story of all.”

“Ah, but does a great story not need to be grounded in reality?” The Primordial smiled. “So let’s add some truth.”

The smiling Yip suddenly stiffened as the entire right side of his body turned black and began rotting. It only continued for a few seconds before the god appeared to shimmer and returned to his undamaged form… but with what looked like a dark green scar of a handprint remaining on his shoulder.

“Anyway, it was a pleasure to meet you,” the Viper said.

“Pleasure’s all mine,” Yip answered back, still smiling despite the scar that was sizzling with power. “May our next battle be a bit more interesting... so how about we do it by proxy? Let them meet amongst the stars…”

Vilastromoz was about to leave but replied anyway. “If you think your Chosen can take down mine… you’re free to try. In fact, I am quite sure he would enjoy it very much.”

With those words, the Primordial disappeared from the void, with Yip leaving soon after.

The sphere that had once been the Brimstone Hegemon’s divine realm crumbled to nothingness alone in the endless void. A figure that had lived for more than eighty eras eradicated, and in but a few generations, his name forever forgotten, only remembered as yet another deity foolish enough to defy the Malefic Viper.

Jake took in a deep breath as he enjoyed the pleasant smell of a newly made batch of mana potions. It was a bit weird how the potions themselves didn’t taste of anything, and yet the vapor released from the cauldron could smell so damn good.

The entire thing only got better as his newest creation also earned him yet another level.

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 71 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 80 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Nine more for the big upgrade, he reminded himself. Nine more levels and he could pick a skill to either gain a buttload of Willpower or Strength, along with all the other powerful effects with the associated skill. Sadly, Hawkie was too impatient to allow him just to sit down and work.

The bird chirped at him to get moving already. It was only able to recover as quickly as it had because of his potions, but he didn’t blame the thing. They had only gotten in a single hunting session after returning, so he also felt a bit restless himself.

It had been a rather boring one that was just killing a few weaker flare crows and cloud elementals. Not enough to net either him or the hawk any levels, but he felt like he was close. Another quick hunt, and he should reach 90 and gain a new skill. One he was quite excited for, as he hoped it would reflect his recent progress in magic.

Spreading his wings, he leaped off their small cloud platform with Hawkie in tow. Lately the bird barely commented on his flying skills, making him feel quite good about himself… he thought as he got another gust of wind in his side, adjusting him a bit.

Nevertheless, he had become quite the proficient flyer. Far from as good as the birds, but pretty good for a human that didn’t have any wings less than two weeks ago. Not that he had anyone to compare himself to; he just had a feeling he wasn’t completely lost when it came to being a wannabe dragon.

Their first target was to be another cloud elemental already in the middle of a fight with a bird nearly the size of itself. Which is to say, a big-ass bird. It looked a lot like a smaller version of the D-grade Thunder Roc, and using Identify confirmed that they were likely associated somehow.

[Lightning Roc - lvl 98]

The Roc’s enemy was a single level lower. Cowardly bird.

[Cloud Elemental – lvl 97]

They had moved further inward than they usually did. Not by far, but over their days of hunting, they had begun moving further and further in, today just marking another new record. It was natural, as the levels and the density of prey got higher the further in they went. Not by much, but a bit.

It all had to do with the spawning of the cloud elementals. In the outer area, they could spawn as low as level 25, while here in the halfway point to the giant tree in the middle, it was hard to find any below 60. The frequency of those above 90, of course, was also far higher. You could still find ones above level 90 at the fringe; they were just rarer.

With more powerful cloud elementals came the equally powerful predators that preyed upon them. Despite the variety of birds not being the greatest, this was still the first Lightning Roc they had encountered.

If he had to guess, it was because they preferred being closer to the trees. The big tree in the middle specifically. Or maybe they were just incredibly scarce. He didn’t know, and quite frankly, the only thing he truly cared about was how good of a fight it could put up.

Its abilities didn’t seem particularly effective against the cloud elemental, as lightning did little to them. It was just a battle of attrition, with the Roc’s mana slowly breaking apart the cloud elemental little by little. But from the blasts of pure electricity it released, he would say it was pretty powerful for its level—he said at only level 80 himself, yet not at all worried about facing down two monsters nearly at 100.

“I take the bird; you handle the elemental,” he said to Hawkie, getting a blink of approval in response.

Drawing an arrow, he coated it in his blood infused with Blood of the Malefic Viper. With all his levels and the upgrade to ancient rarity, his blood was damn close to being—if not already—his most potent poison. He hadn’t progressed at all in his concocting skills since the tutorial ended, as he had only focused on getting his potion brewing up to par.

A weakness, yes, but one he could shore up once he got an opportune time. AKA later, when he was not preparing to shoot down the Lightning Roc before him.

He nocked the arrow and drew back the string as the stamina and mana moved according to Infused Powershot. His entire body and bow were filling with energy. Hawkie waited at his side patiently as it prepared to head in the second the arrow was fired.

Pushing both his body and his bow to the limit, he activated Limit Break to 10% straight away to get a bit of extra power. It gave him another second of channel time before he was forced to release it in a mighty explosion of energy and scattered clouds.

His attack had gone unnoticed by the Lightning Roc and elemental both up to this moment. Partly because of the distance between them and partly because they were engaged in combat. Well, the elemental was dumb as a rock, so it wouldn’t notice anything unless you were right below it.

The Roc—and the arrow’s target—noticed the approaching attack far too late to react. The arrow pierced its stomach and flew straight through. Feathers and blood were flying everywhere as it screeched out in pain.

But it didn’t have time to wallow, as it had to quickly try and adjust before the next arrow. One Jake was already channeling. Lightning crackled across its body as runes lit up on some of its feathers. Its speed immediately spiked when it disengaged from the cloud elemental and flew out into the open fields of clouds.

Jake didn’t wait any longer as he released his second arrow. Weaker than the first, but still channeled to a point where it was hard to dodge even in the Roc’s accelerated state. It tried to avoid the arrow, but was affected by Gaze of the Apex Hunter.

It had managed to barely move its wing in front of it, which resulted in it being pierced and more blood and feathers sent flying. Its only advantage was its massive size that made the damage appear to be far less. A barrel-sized hole looked like a normal arrow wound on a regular large bird.

Which was, of course, where the poison came in. Insidiously, it had already begun spreading through its veins, causing destruction. In its haste to avoid the second arrow, it hadn’t noticed and failed to counteract it right away. Not that Jake had any intention of letting it work on recuperating.

He attacked again with another arrow, once more making it freeze up right before it hit. The effect diminished significantly with consecutive uses, but it got the job done as its already-damaged wing was hit once more.

The Roc now had two choices: run and try and survive the poison or kill the one who had inflicted it. As a beast, it didn’t properly understand that ending Jake wouldn’t result in it being cured of the poison. Though in this case, it was actually right as without him, the blood would stop being poisonous. If he had used a concocted poison, though, his life or death wouldn’t have mattered.

But Jake didn’t intend to die. In fact, if he could keep up his current approach of just slowly ending the bird at several kilometers’ distance, he wouldn’t complain. Sure, it was a bit boring, but he had already reconciled that getting a good fight from anything below D-tier was hard.

Hawkie and the cloud elemental were also now deeply embroiled in their bout. The hawk used its tried-and-tested tactic of slowly whittling the big elemental away with powerful blades of wind and the occasional explosion of wind to tear out large segments of its body before scattering the clouds with a powerful gust.

It was a long fight, but it was somewhat safe for Hawkie with its insane speed—one even Jake couldn’t match even with his inflated stats. Its occasional speed-up from using wind magic to boost itself made it even faster in short bursts. In other words, Hawkie was a nightmare to fight against for the slow cloud elemental.

Back with the Roc, it had reached the conclusion that offense was the best defense. It supercharged itself once more as it made a beeline straight for Jake. Which was met with another arrow that it narrowly avoided getting through the eye as it instead tore up a good part of its neck.

He got off another shot before it reached him. The Roc crossed two kilometers in a respectable four seconds, pissing all over the sound barrier a few times over. It was fast, but Jake already knew it was fighting a losing battle. If it had truly wanted to live, it should have run.

Jake had an insane damage output from his arrows and poison, but his defenses were nothing to scoff at either. With scales covering his body, he leaped back. Lightning rolled over him as he dodged the charge of the Roc, and he felt his skin prickle beneath the scales. His cloak got flayed entirely, forcing him to quickly throw it into his spatial storage.

Back to having a cloak that gets destroyed first thing every fight, he internally complained as he drew the string and turned to shoot another arrow at the giant bird that had just passed him. It also failed to dodge as it took a Splitting Arrow to its rear side, resulting in a dozen small arrows sticking out of it.

It quickly turned and opened its beak, firing off a lightning bolt. Jake dodged the first one, but it soon released another two in short bursts. He knew they were coming from his danger sense, but he still failed to dodge the third. They were simply too fast.

In an explosion of electricity, he was shot back and his entire body smoked. Or more accurately, his clothes smoked, as the pristine black-and-dark green scales beneath managed to withstand the blow entirely, once more making Jake happy for the powerful magic resistance they provided.

But while the lightning bolt itself hadn’t done much damage, it had made him momentarily spasm and thus fail to release another arrow, buying the Roc a moment to breathe. Which it did, quite literally.

Parts of the cloud island itself got inhaled as the beast took in more and more. Jake momentarily failed to attack as he wondered what it was doing. Something he soon found out.

Opening its beak once more, it released a stream of dark clouds with thunder crackling within—a new attack, but not one that Jake found particularly impressive. That was his initial reaction, at least. Several seconds passed, and it kept releasing dark clouds.

By now, it was entirely surrounded by the thunderclouds. The area a hundred meters around it was covered in dark clouds obscuring the giant Roc’s figure. At first, Jake thought it was a new attack, but soon noticed it was quite the opposite.

Within the cloud, the lightning kept hitting its body, but instead of leaving wounds, the electricity nurtured it.

It likely believed him unable to see it as it stopped exhaling. The cloud was now nearly two hundred meters in diameter, completely covering it. The Lightning Roc also tried to reduce its size as much as possible as it landed on the cloud island.

Jake didn’t have any intention of letting it try and recuperate. He took out an arrow and began charging yet another Infused Powershot. It appeared that the beast had learned a little, though, as the thundercloud released lightning toward him in an attempt to interrupt his channeling.

Just before he was hit, he released a massive burst of mana, scattering the lightning completely. He had been forced to halt his charging but soon began once more. Another lightning strike was released toward him, but it was okay. He had channeled enough.

The arrow was released and flew straight for the stationary bird within the thundercloud. It was off to the side of it, smart enough to not linger in the obvious middle, but to Jake, it didn’t matter. He could see it clear as day with his insane Perception coupled with the extra bonus from his Gaze of the Apex Hunter. Not that it would matter anyway, as Mark of the Ambitious Hunter was also present. The bird had no escape.

Startled that the human was aware of where it was hiding, the Lightning Roc tried to dodge but failed as it froze up from the gaze of its soon-to-be killer looking upon it. This arrow struck it straight in its head, as it only managed to sway slightly right at the final moment.

It had managed to avoid getting an arrow through the eye, but it wasn’t that much luckier. Its lower beak was hit and completely shattered from the impact, sending blood and pieces of beak flying everywhere, followed by a distorted screech of pain from the Roc.

It tried to move once more, desperate to survive, but was hit by another arrow soon after. It barely managed to exit its thundercloud as it was hit in its already-damaged wing, sending it spiraling toward the cloud island below. The entire wing was severed by another Infused Powershot.

Crashing down, it struggled for a few more moments. The thundercloud had already dispersed the moment the Roc exited it, and it clearly had no gas left in its tank. A final arrow penetrated its skull and ended its life. Jake felt the notification of the kill followed by the warm glow of a level-up, which meant another skill. But that would have to wait until the fight was truly over.

Hawkie had made good progress with the cloud elemental, but there was a long way to go. Alone, it would take the hawk close to an hour to kill a cloud elemental a few levels above its own if it did so in a safe manner. With Jake joining in, however, it was over fast.

Bolts of mana hit the elemental over and over again as it struggled with having yet another opponent. Jake had plenty of mana to spare and didn’t hold back at all. Hawkie also found way more space to be offensive in its approach, making its own damage output increase. This all resulted in the elemental dispersing only a few minutes later.

Killing the Lightning Roc had taken Jake less than five minutes, so the entire battle in total had only been around fifteen minutes. While the two would typically go looking for their next prey, Jake motioned to return to the island. It was skill selection time.

Chapter 19

Skills & Pylons

Landing on the cloud island with Hawkie at his side, Jake sat down in meditation instantly. He felt like it had been far too long since he had gotten a skill in his class and hoped for something useful to add to his repertoire. He especially desired to see his magic progress reflected and maybe even get some sweet new skill related to it.

First on his notifications were the kill messages, and that, of course, was as expected.

*You have slain [Lightning Roc – lvl 98] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level*

*You have slain [Cloud Elemental – lvl 97] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level*

What he cared more about were the ones right below it.

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 90 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*Ambitious Hunter class skills available*

With great anticipation, he accepted the prompt. He nearly didn’t dare look, but of course, he had to. He still vividly remembered his disappointment at 80. His first reaction was a sigh of relief as he saw five new options available. The maximum. So far, so good.

Without further ado, he dove straight into it. Doing as one did, he started from the first option, only to get a bit miffed at the common rarity.

[Weak Telekinesis (Common)] – Move the world only with your mind. Grants the Hunter basic telekinetic powers, able to move objects within a certain range using only mana. The cost of the skill is dependent on the weight and resistance of the entity you attempt to move. The weight limit and power of Weak Telekinesis is based on Intelligence and Wisdom.

Okay, at least telekinesis is cool, he thought to himself. The common-rarity tag was a bit sore on his eyes. The name alone pretty much described the skill entirely. It was just telekinesis, and apparently, a weak version of it.

It was one of the many things he could already do without a skill. Not as elegantly as a skill would likely make it, sure, but he could do it nonetheless. Which was without a doubt the reason why he had unlocked it. No way it was a skill related to his class, after all. Telekinesis and a Hunter aiming for strong prey didn’t exactly go hand in hand.

So while it was a skill he liked and even wanted due to pure vanity, every reasonable part of him made him skip over it. Better to just train himself to be able to do telekinesis without a skill. If one day he was offered a legendary super-telekinesis skill, he might pick it, but weak telekinesis was just too… well, weak. Hence, he moved on.

[Superior Mana Bolt (Uncommon)] – Sometimes, the simplest applications of mana can be the most effective. A philosophy you have followed as you refined the most basic of spells. Allows the Hunter to summon bolts of mana to defeat your foes. Adds a small bonus to the effect of Intelligence when using Superior Mana Bolt.

The mana bolt. But far from as simple as the ones he had seen during his first days of the tutorial. The basic mana bolt skill was only inferior rarity, making it truly the lowest of offensive magic skills. And now he had upgraded it twice over at least, it appeared.

While he wouldn’t pick it, it did show that Jake’s mana practice hadn’t been a waste of time. If he had actually chosen to be a caster back during the tutorial, he would have likely improved it even further. It always felt good to get some positive affirmation that his work had gotten results.

The next skill was very much the same story.

[Infuse Arrow (Uncommon)] – Magic and archery combined to form a new way to damage your foes. Infuse a spell construct (of uncommon rarity and below) into an arrow. The spell will activate upon impact. Note that not all spells can be bound, and the effect varies based on the spell used and the arrow infused. Adds a minor bonus to the effect of the infused spell based on Intelligence.

It was the result of the magic practice where he’d attempted to create proper magic arrows. While it had turned out to be less effective than just throwing mana bolts repeatably, he had learned something from it.

Though, of course, the skill was, in good old English, absolutely worthless. That limit of only spell constructs of uncommon rarity and below sitting there ruined everything. But it also inadvertently explained a lot.

The system recognized the level of his mana bolts as being of uncommon rarity, which was why he would so easily infuse those into arrows, as it was his limit. Or maybe it was his limit because it was based on his practice of using the mana bolt as the base. When he tried it with Touch of the Malefic Viper, however, it failed every time. Touch was a skill of epic rarity, of course, so he hoped that with practice, he could make arrows infused with Touch… Damn, that would be good.

Death on the outside with coated poison and death on the inside from Touch. The double-whammy.

That was something for the future, though. Moving on, Jake went to the second-to-last skill. Yet another result of his application of mana, it seemed. One he hadn’t actually seen coming.

[Disruptive Mana Eruption (Uncommon)] – Dispel that which impedes you. Erupt in a torrent of destructive mana, dispelling any spell constructs in your immediate vicinity by overloading them with mana. Higher consumption of mana based on power and stability of the spell constructs. Adds a minor bonus to the effect of Wisdom and Intelligence when using Disruptive Mana Eruption.

Jake still vividly remembered the first time he’d exploded in an eruption of mana to dispel others’ magic. He’d been locked down by the lackeys of Hayden and Richard and looking death in the eye. At that moment, he had followed his instincts and flooded his entire body with mana and managed to dispel it somehow.

When he’d begun practicing mana, he thought back on that feeling and managed to replicate it. He did wonder why he hadn’t unlocked it earlier, but perhaps it had to do with him not actually understanding at all what he had done back then. Now he knew that it was a bit more than just a flood of pure mana.

It was “destructive” mana. The same type Jake used to make his mana bolts. He still wasn’t quite sure what the difference between the destructive mana and normal mana was, besides the moniker of destructive mana being able to destroy stuff.

Now he had finally been offered it as a skill. But it fell into the exact same category as many of the prior skills. He knew it was still a simple technique, and he knew it was something he could do even without a skill.

Before moving on to the last skill, he quite honestly wasn’t sure if he felt disappointed or happy with his skill choices. Clearly his efforts had been recognized, but on the other hand, he had seen nothing above uncommon rarity.

He had to remind himself that he had only been part of the multiverse for a few months in real time. Some of the time had been spent in a time-chamber with Villy and Duskleaf, and while that time had been productive, it was far worse than live combat. It had also been alchemy-focused, of course.

Dispelling quite a lot of his discouragement, he moved on to the final skill and immediately noticed the epic rarity, which made his lips curl up.

[Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter (Epic)] - The signature skill of the Ambitious Hunter. An arrow to strike down a fated foe in a single shot. Grants the skill to summon a powerful arrow designed to strike down a specific foe. The Hunter must envision his foe and, with great focus, channel all of his desire to slay it to summon the arrow. The arrow summoned deals significantly greater damage to the envisioned target while ineffective on anything else. Damage increased further based on level disparity. Adds a small bonus to the effects of Agility, Strength, and Perception when using Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter.

His class had offered quite a few skills during the last many levels, and while he couldn’t say he was disappointed in them, he wasn’t exactly over the moon either. Granted, his profession had skewed his view quite a lot, being offered ancient skills left and right.

Big Game Hunter and Mark of the Ambitious Hunter were the only ones really worth mentioning. Infused Powershot was from the Powershot he’d gotten as a regular Archer, and his other powerful skills weren’t really from the class itself either.

Moment of the Primal Hunter came from his Bloodline more than the class. It had been a rare skill that was likely quite okay, but it was his Bloodline that had made it the legendary trump card it was today.

One Step Mile and Gaze of the Apex Hunter were both classified as class skills but had both been gained as tutorial rewards, so he couldn’t really credit his class with those either. He felt like getting the Gaze had more to do with his Bloodline and high Perception than anything else.

It wasn’t like the stats from the Ambitious Hunter class had been incredible either. Rather low, actually. Jake knew that classes on average gave more stat points than professions, but his case was entirely lopsided. His profession gave him insane stat points while his class was rather lacking.

But perhaps this skill would prove a gamechanger. The description at least made it appear like it had the potential to. It was also something Jake felt like he needed right now. He saw no reason why he shouldn’t be able to shoot this arrow with his Infused Powershot, making it a genuinely deadly attack.

Of course, he picked it.

Feeling the knowledge enter his head, he became aware of how to use it intuitively. It didn’t come with any explicit understanding of how strong it was or potential limitations, but that was what testing was for—something he was sure the dear elementals and birds on the cloud island below would gladly volunteer for.

As Jake was making rapid progress on his own, so did the world around him move forward. Humanity had taken a hit for sure, but many heroes would rise in a time of crisis. In several places, the bubbles that were leftovers from the tutorials were surrounded and studied, and a few brave souls even entered to try and claim whatever rewards lay within.

Some made progress while others failed miserably. But it wasn’t an impossible challenge—far from it.

A being like the King of the Forest was indeed an outlier. While the final bosses of these tutorial zones were all D-grade, they were only just D-grade. The King had been level 136.

All grades were naturally split into several stages. Early, mid, late, and peak were the most often used terms. For an E-grade like Jake, being between level 25-50 was the early stage, 50-75 mid, 75-95 late, and 95-99 peak. In the same way, then, in D-grade, 100-130 was the early stage, 130-160 mid, 160-190 late, and 190-199 peak. Level 200 was C-grade.

The King was a mid-stage D-tier Unique Lifeform, already incredibly powerful for its level. For such a being to have even been in the tutorial, to begin with, was evidence of how abnormal Jake’s tutorial had been.

But even if the average final boss was only a level 100 average D-tier end boss, it didn’t mean that humans would stand a chance. The difference between tiers was simply too high. Even Jake, being a late-stage E-tier with all his bonuses, couldn’t necessarily face one head-on yet.

Yet humans did still have some advantages. First of all, their ability to rapidly progress. With the barriers trapping the tutorial zones, none of the ones within could exit and progress, but humans could level. Secondly, they had numbers and coordination.

This was why the Lord-tier bosses all around the world were falling. Many of them were comparable to the dungeon bosses Jake had faced, some even stronger than the strongest boar. No final bosses had fallen except the King before that day. Very few had even managed to kill any of the lords during the tutorials, so to defeat a D-grade was a tall order. Most didn’t even know these lords and final bosses existed.

But some factions were very special, some places the frontline of humanity’s progress.

In one such place—special even among the many factions battling the tutorial zones—stood an old man in a blue robe, surrounded by several other humans who all followed him without question. During the tutorial, he had killed the strongest lord in single combat. His name was Noboru Miyamoto, and today was the day.

Now, he had come for the General—the final boss. But surprisingly, this wasn’t even their first bout. Two days prior, he had been there to fight too. He and his fellow warriors had been forced to retreat, but today, he held no such intentions.

Behind him stood his family, all of them powerhouses in their own right. The most influential members of their large family. The weakest among them wielded power only slightly below that of Abby—someone who, in comparison to Jake, had been far weaker, but in the context of the entire planet was at the peak.

In front of them stood the Terracotta General upon his horse of stone. He was a bulky statue, far too nimble for solid rock. Around him, only a few Terracotta Footsoldiers remained, none of them a threat. All of the powerful members of the General’s army had been crushed during and after the tutorial.

The Noboru clan had made a focused assault on this tutorial zone from the very beginning. Sent soldiers into the zone to whittle away at the Terracotta army little by little. Miyamoto and the rest of the elites had entered to take care of any powerful enemy the normal clan members couldn’t handle.

All for this day. The day where they would claim the head of the enemy General.

Miyamoto stared at the General atop his horse. His sunken eyes were shining with a sharp light. Raising his hand, he gave the order to move, a dozen or so elites against the D-grade General.

The Terracotta General fought valiantly. His halberd cut down five fighters before his head fell to the blade of Miyamoto. A massive loss to their family, but the gains from claiming the Pylon would outweigh it.

He hoped they were still the first to claim a Pylon of Civilization and receive the associated rewards. There were bound to be some bonuses. His Patron god had urged him to quickly claim it despite the losses they would no doubt suffer.

Today, he had done it. But he wasn’t first. This was the second Pylon claimed on Earth. It didn’t tell him he was second, but the profession offered made it clear he was only among the first ten. But all he truly cared about was that he wasn’t first.

Closing his eyes in disappointment, he sighed at his own weakness. If only I could return to springtime.

Chapter 20

Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter

Jake was excited as he stood up once more. Hawkie was confused about why he had asked to fly to the platform, only to sit his ass down and make weird faces for half an hour. The hawk had already decided that the human was a bit loony. His sanity was nearly as questionable as his flying skills.

The bird couldn’t give up on its free source of potions that easily, though, so it had to put up with the hassle that was the human mind.

To experiment with skills was one of Jake’s favorite things in the post-system world. He still fondly looked back at smashing into trees while practicing Shadow Vault. Learning and improving a skill was a never-ending process too, making it an endless entertainment source—the best part of skill practice, of course, being right at the beginning when it was all new.

His first task was to find a suitable target to test it out on. While conjuring an arrow, he planned on doing at minimum two tests, to begin with—one against a real foe like a bird and one against the intangible elementals.

As the arrow would be entirely summoned and magical, he hoped it would have the ability to damage the elementals. It wasn’t a given, though. His regular arrows were technically summoned too, but they were made to be fully physical entities and didn’t really hold any inherent mana.

Looking about, he immediately saw a lone vulture. It was around ten kilometers away on the cloud island, but he could see it clear as day. He had a feeling it had a level worth making it a test subject, and Identify confirmed it.

[Bubalinae Vulture – lvl 96]

The names of the things were still weird, and he didn’t exactly know what it meant. Not that it mattered. The bodybuilder-bird had a big, chunky body that was just perfect for testing his new arrow.

Following the knowledge imparted to him on how to use the skill, he held out his hand, palm facing upwards. Closing his eyes, he focused on the aura he had felt from the vulture. He furrowed his brows as he tried for a few minutes, getting no results.

He tried opening his eyes once more and staring at the vulture as he focused on it. Just as he was wondering what he was doing wrong, he had a breakthrough. Instead of focusing on the act of summoning the arrow itself, he focused on his desire to slay the beast.

The skill answered him as an arrow began being summoned in his palm, growing upwards with the tip of the arrow coming out first. A barbed arrow-tip with several jagged etches and a slightly larger head than his regular arrows.

After that came the shaft, its shape longer and thicker than the arrows from the magic quiver, with the material looking to be some kind of metal. Yet it had a brown wooden color, making the body look rather average.

The final part of the arrow was the fletching at its rear. These weren’t made of feathers but instead looked to be made of cloth or even plastic. They were vanes, bringing back memories from before the system and his compound bow. It was a type of fletching Jake hadn’t seen after the system hit.

It made the arrow look almost modern, with a metal body that could even be aluminum for all he knew. But the moment the arrow was entirely out of his palm, it became clear it wasn’t some modern arrow.

Runes lit up all over the shaft and arrowhead, and there were even small, shining engravings visible on the fletching. They only lit up for a few seconds before the arrow returned to normal, but the markings left by the runes remained.

Jake stood there and stared at the arrow as it still floated over his palm, its length nearly an entire meter, a bit more than twice the size of his usual arrows. It was honestly… monstrous. The aura it gave off as he stared at it was one of bloodlust and pure power.

He knew that he could only conjure one arrow at a time, as the conjuration process of making this one arrow took the better part of a minute. In other words, it wasn’t a skill he could use during actual combat. It was one he had to prepare before the fight.

With the requirement of also having a target already in mind, it made the application of the skill relatively narrow. It was one that could only be used when hunting, when stalking prey and taking the initiative as the predator.

It had several limitations. Jake could only hope that the power would make up for it.

With a move of his hand, the arrow fell down and he caught it. He summoned his bow as he nocked the arrow—a bit awkward with its large size, but more than manageable.

At the side, Hawkie had been observing everything attentively. At first, it had only scoffed at the stupid human standing there with his palm held out, but it quickly shut itself up internally as the skill began working.

The arrow that was summoned was scary. Hawkie didn’t like it. It felt like it was made with the singular purpose of slaying prey. Prey not that much different from itself. Luckily, Hawkie’s instincts informed it that it wasn’t the target.

Back with Jake, he drew the string as Infused Powershot began channeling. The vulture off in the distance was still relaxing, utterly oblivious to what was to come.

Jake hadn’t coated the arrow in any poisons. It wasn’t time to test that yet. This attack was purposely made to test the power of the arrow itself. And as he would pretty much always use it with Infused Powershot, he saw no reason not to include that skill in the testing.

Seconds ticked by as the buildup of power increased. As Jake reached his limit, he activated Limit Break at 10% for just a bit more. A couple of seconds later and he couldn’t keep the charging up. It was time to release the arrow.

When he let go of the string, the arrow was released. The explosion from Infused Powershot forced Hawkie back a little, keeping itself still perched on its branch by opening its wings to buffer the impact. Parts of the cloud platform predictably dispersed from the energy released.

The arrow itself was flying through the air with unprecedented speed. The runes and engravings upon it lit up once more, the engravings on the fletching serving to speed up the arrow while the ones on the arrowhead subtly formed the image of a vulture.

On the cloud island, the vulture sat in relaxation as its instincts flared with warnings. It tried to react, but it already felt itself freeze up by the time it noticed anything was wrong, the subtle presence from the gaze of an Apex Hunter upon it.

Jake looked with great expectations from afar after having frozen the vulture with his gaze. He saw the arrow get closer and closer before finally hitting. And hit it sure did.

The arrowhead sank into the flesh of the vulture unimpeded. The natural defense of the feathers offered no resistance at all. Of course, it didn’t stop at the arrowhead. The rest of the arrow penetrated the vulture, leaving an elegant, perfectly round hole.

It exited out the other side, its speed barely lower than when it first hit. But it didn’t cause any impact, dispersing into nothing only a moment after exiting. The only signs of it having ever existed were the damage done to the bird, and Jake’s lost stamina and mana.

Jake, still observing, began feeling disappointment at the lackluster wound left behind. The attack had only carved out a fist-sized hole through its body and with the natural Toughness and Vitality of—

*You have slain [Bubalinae Vulture – lvl 96] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level*

It had died. From a wound that, in comparison, wasn’t any more extensive than a 9mm bullet hole on a human. Something Jake hadn’t predicted was for it to die in one shot, even if he had hit the brain. Which he hadn’t. It was a gut shot. Unless vultures had their brain and heart in a neat line in their stomach for the arrow to pierce through, he hadn’t hit anything vital.

Yet… it had died. The only feedback Jake had about how exactly it dealt enough damage to do that was the feeling he got from Mark of the Ambitious Hunter. It increased all damage done, and this damage was released as an invisible energy that directly damaged the vital energy of whatever he injured.

The wave that was released when the arrow hit was… massive. Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter had done far more damage than the arrow’s physical impact should ever cause. It wasn’t just a giant arrow that was ridiculously sharp.

Summoning the arrow had drained more than 2000 stamina and 1000 mana. Considering Jake only had a total of 8800 stamina, it was massive. Without all of his big stat bonuses from titles, it would have cost him half of his entire stamina pool, maybe even more.

The mana portion wasn’t as bad, as he had 13,000 mana with the 25% bonus from the Mask of the Fallen King along with all the other bonuses. But the fact that it had drained mana was in itself significant. It meant that it was indeed far more complicated than many of his other skills. Splitting Arrow, as an example, only required stamina, despite appearing magical.

At his side, Hawkie was staring wide-eyed at what had just happened. It had noticed that the arrow appeared powerful, but it had failed to recognize exactly how powerful it was.

Jake turned to his feathered friend with a massive grin on his face. “Ready for another?”

Jake wasn’t even close to done testing his new skill. With the vulture dead, he moved on to a different kind of target. His gaze fell upon a giant cloud elemental that was just minding its own business.

[Cloud Elemental – lvl 93]

Once more, he focused on the skill as he held out his hand. This time, his target was naturally the cloud elemental, and the manifested arrow reflected that. It looked the same for the most part, but the arrowhead was now bullet-shaped and looked like a crystal.

It appeared somewhat fragile, but Jake could feel powerful echoes of mana from it. He also saw that the resources he had expended for the arrow were vastly different from before. This one had cost him 2500 mana and only 500 stamina.

Nocking the giant arrow, he took aim at the massive cloud elemental. With a deep breath, he began charging another Powershot.

Once more, an arrow of unparalleled might was loosed. Like a giant spear of destruction, it flew toward the giant elemental that was just doing elemental things.

It reacted less than a millisecond before the arrow struck. Unsurprisingly, the arrow pierced into its incorporeal form, but what happened next did surprise Jake.

The arrow exploded with energy that seemed to somehow stay contained within the elemental’s body. Pure destructive power reminded Jake of the energy his Mark of the Ambitious Hunter released, ravaging the elemental from within.

Without any grand explosion or mighty blast of force, the elemental’s giant form simply turned to mist as it dispersed.

*You have slain [Cloud Elemental – lvl 93] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level*

I think I hit the jackpot, Jake thought, smiling viciously. The arrow did indeed customize itself based on his visualized opponent. He wasn’t sure if it would work on everything, but it sure as hell worked on these enemies.

“So, any comments, Hawkie?” he asked the hawk, which was still perched on the tree.

The hawk looked at him with mixed emotions. Jake couldn’t quite read its thoughts but saw a hint of fear and a bit of… expectation?

Jake did wonder why the hawk was still sticking around with him. While they certainly did make a strong hunting team, it was also risky for the hawk in many ways. Jake had proven several times that he was a credible threat to its life.

While it was far faster than him, he had ways to lock it down and possibly even kill it. Yet it chose to stick by him, something he found a bit questionable. Especially considering that it was a beast. A smart beast, but still a beast.

Jake was fully aware that he gave off a… presence of sorts. Even during the tutorial, the weaker beasts had fled when they saw or felt him, and even a mighty beast like the Horde Leader had appeared to feel a hint of hesitation when he met its gaze.

Now that presence had only gotten amplified. Jake didn’t know if it stemmed from his Bloodline or just from being strong, but it was clearly a part of him. It even affected the Pylon of Civilization area, making beasts who entered it aware that they had intruded upon his territory.

Yet the hawk had approached him willingly and stuck by him after that. He wasn’t stupid enough to believe that it was only due to his potions and help in combat. I wonder what you want from me, Hawkie…

Bertram watched with bated breath as the fight played out before him. He tried to block the giant beast’s attack but ended up just being knocked back nearly a hundred meters before smashing into an old office building.

Maria, the archer who was second only to him in level, stood with a giant bow of flames as she bombarded the gigantic monster. She appeared more like a mage, but her swift movements as she dodged the beast’s ranged attacks made it clear she wasn’t.

Her attacks tore into the beast little by little as its hide became black and burnt. It did noticeable damage, but far from enough to kill the powerful D-grade beast.

With the time she bought, Bertram had gotten up, and the healers had managed to get him back in top condition. With a slew of buffs and shields placed on him, he charged the beast again.

The light around him was refracted as he received a powerful buff from the high-level priests and an invisibility spell from a light mage.

He got in close and unleashed everything with a cleave. His blade extended nearly a hundred meters as he cut down into the shoulder of the beast. His sword managed to penetrate deeply before it was stopped, and he was once more smashed away.

But he had managed to buy enough time. With a concert of chants, the ritual was complete.

More than five hundred followers had donated their energy to unleash a powerful joint attack. Jacob could not contribute directly to the fight due to his class, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t design the fight from the beginning—and so far, fate had been realized.

A giant beam of light descended from the sky and burned into the beast, weakening it significantly. Simultaneously, Maria took out a special arrow she had crafted and released her strongest attack. When it was fired, the arrow itself turned into a flaming bird, crying out like a phoenix as it smashed into the beast and created a giant explosion.

The beast roared in pain and unleashed an attack, but a second ritual activated at that very moment. There were more than a thousand people behind this spell. A bubble of mana encapsulated the beast entirely, blocking out the destructive breath.

A third ritual came into effect as the ground below the beast erupted, and it fell into a kilometer-deep abyss.

A collection of explosives and countless magic circles were already present within the hole. They exploded as one, blowing up the entire area and shaking the earth.

Trapped, the beast could only struggle as countless attacks rained down upon it. Thousands of spells worked together to restrain and weaken it, and the few influential people in the group managed to damage and finally bring it down.

When the beast fell, they all cheered as Jacob went together with the other elites to claim their prize.

Laying his hand upon the Pylon, Jacob accepted the profession by claiming it. He was the third person on Earth to do so.

Chapter 21

Why?

Jake sat on the cloud in meditation as he regenerated his stamina and mana. Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter was as draining as it was powerful, and quite frankly, he wasn’t even sure it would speed up his hunting speed if he used it on more “regular” enemies. Though, of course, Jake’s definition of a regular enemy was one many levels above him.

It had been a few days since he’d gotten Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter. Since then, he had gained a single level in his Hunter class, but the largest gain was how familiar he now was with his new skill. He liked it a lot, but he felt like there was one more test needed…

[Thunder Roc - ???]

As always, the hawk sat with him. He knew it would leave soon, as it had been a while since it last did so. And that would be his time to strike.

“Hawkie, I am gonna take this one alone. This is my fight, alright?” He looked up at the hawk.

It gave him a glance with doubt, unsure if the human could really handle the giant Roc.

The sentiment that D-grades were far above E-grades was heavily ingrained for everyone, beasts and humans alike. No creature or elemental on the cloud continent, not even those at level 99, dared get close to the D-grades.

But Jake wasn’t just any random creature. He was someone who had stacked titles upon titles, gotten an excellent profession and above-average class designed to fight stronger foes. He had powerful skills beyond someone at his level and grade.

He had felt like he could maybe fight it even the first time he saw the Roc… but now he would try. He wouldn’t earn any more class skills before 100, which was the evolution, and while he could grind up his profession… he shouldn’t need it.

The level of the Thunder Roc had to be below 110, based on how it felt. Weaker than the Indigo Mushroom by a fair bit, but with far more effective attacking methods for sure. It also appeared to be Agility and Intelligence-focused, making it a good matchup for him.

His scales were good against magic, and with it being not as robust, he believed he could weaken it substantially before the battle even began, especially with a well-placed Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter.

A few minutes later, Jake was in top condition as he flew toward another small cloud island and began summoning the arrow. He had believed Hawkie would leave, but it appeared to want to stay and watch from their old island. That was fine too. Maybe Hawkie could help protect the platform, as Jake had moved away, hoping to leave it intact.

Focusing on his target, he held out his hand and the arrow began slowly emerging. It was his most expensive arrow so far, draining nearly 3000 stamina and around 2000 mana. More than a third of his stamina pool was instantly gone, but it was fine.

With conviction, he prepared the rest of his equipment for the hunt, poisoning all of his arrows and even taking out his best hemotoxin for the first initial arrow. The ones in the quiver would be Necrotic for maximum damage.

When he was ready, he threw Hawkie one last glance as he turned toward the giant Roc in the distance, a huge grin on his face. He bubbled with excitement when he felt Big Game Hunter come into effect, boosting him even further. He used everything, as they made up the elements that, in concert, made this hunt possible to even attempt.

Big Game Hunter

Limit Break

Mark of the Ambitious Hunter

Infused Powershot

Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter

Together, they synergized as he charged up the shot, his tough body allowing him to channel the Powershot for longer, his high magical stats making both the Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter and Infused Powershot stronger.

The distance between Jake and the Thunder Roc was around fourteen or fifteen kilometers, but Jake had a clear view of everything.

Breathing in, he felt his body tense up as he reached his limit. Without further ado, he released the giant arrow toward the airplane-sized D-grade beast.

It flew ahead, its speed surpassing the speed of sound more than ten times over. In three seconds it reached the Roc, which sensed it shortly before it arrived. It felt the threat the arrow posed and prepared a response—only to freeze.

The eyes of a supreme predator were upon it. It failed to respond as the arrow pierced its stomach and left a huge wound, dispersing shortly after impact. It didn’t manage to pierce through, but it had drilled more than five meters into the giant beast, doing incredible damage.

This also confirmed Jake’s theory that the beast was Agility and Intelligence-focused over being durable. Good.

The beast screeched in pain and released a shockwave of sound that hit Jake more than ten kilometers away, making his clothes flap. But he didn’t react, as he had already nocked the fourth arrow.

Two were already in mid-air, heading toward the giant Roc.

The first hit, but the second and third were swiftly dodged. Luckily, the fourth struck as well. Each arrow little more than a needle on its large body, but the damage from each was not to be discounted.

Poison seeped into its body as it prepared its counterattack—one that came quicker than Jake expected.

A bolt of lightning struck the cloud island where he had just stood, blowing it up entirely with a tremendous boom. Jake had already jumped to avoid it, but the blast still sent him tumbling. He quickly stabilized with his wings as he returned fire.

His arrows flew true and split into dozens mid-air. More small, needle-sized attacks hit the giant Roc, making it shriek out in even more anger.

It had begun flying toward him now, sending out torso-wide bolts of lightning aiming to roast him whole. Sadly, his near precognition from his instincts allowed him to dodge each one as he fired back arrow after arrow.

The poison had been poured into the bottom of his quiver, making each newly conjured arrow instantly coated with liquid death.

By now, the entire cloud continent appeared to be in an uproar. One of the two titans that dominated it was under attack and had even taken a heavy injury from the opening attack. Yet none of them dared to approach the fight. Even the stupid cloud elementals had something instinctive that made them back off.

Come on, this ain’t all you have to offer, he thought as he saw the massive wingbeats take the gigantic beast closer to him. It was injured… but far from enough to bring it down. Even now, he could feel the poison within its body being eliminated at a fast pace.

When it was only a few kilometers away, its entire body was enveloped by thunder as it sped up.

Here it comes…

The entire cloud continent appeared to darken for a moment as the Roc attacked. It sped up and appeared in front of Jake with speed surpassing his arrows by quite the margin. It stopped right before him as it, for the first time, laid its eyes upon its attacker.

It delivered the most predictable kind of attack, pecking down as electricity revolved around its beak, indicating that it clearly used some skill.

Jake flew back and dodged as the beam of lightning was released from the beak, blowing up a huge part of the cloud continent below them.

Feisty one, aren’t ya? With a chuckle, he avoided its follow-up attack, but instead of retreating, he closed in. A giant body isn’t always an advantage.

When he got close, lightning fired off its body into Jake, but it appeared to just cover the outside of the scales that now shielded his entire body. His dagger was already in his right hand and his sword in the left. He stabbed the sword into the bird while his Venomfang got coated by dark mana between thrusts.

He had poured far more mana into the Descending Dark Fang than usual, and it was showing. The stab exploded with dark mana directed straight out of the dagger’s tip, effectively extending it.

Instead of his dagger only sinking in the length of its blade, it left a two-meter-deep stab wound on the Roc, making it screech out nearly as loudly as it had from the first Infused Powershot. Did I hit something important?

Jake felt his danger sense spike. He quickly retreated from the Roc, which released even more lightning than before, trying to get him off. It was enough to make him disengage, but the attack failed to harm him.

Come on…

The beast was now thoroughly enraged as it screeched toward the sky. Thunder from a clear sky above descended, and the entire beast began humming with power. It looked toward him as it opened its beak. Jake was already fully aware of what was to come.

Moment? No… it isn’t necessary.

A thought he nearly came to regret, as the beast clearly wasn’t done. Several feathers had been dropped by the bird and were now floating gently through the air all around him. Each feather was as large as a two-handed sword. All of them suddenly quivered as electricity covered them, and they began flying toward Jake from all sides.

Simultaneously, the beast prepared to release its massive lightning breath. Jake looked up at the beast as he felt the pressure mounting.

Not enough.

He moved and gazed upon the giant Roc the moment it was about to release its attack. It froze for a moment, ruining the timing as Jake dodged and weaved away from every single giant feather coming for him. They had been aimed to keep him contained… but the follow-up attack being delayed had ruined it.

Jake flew up and activated a rarely used part of the Wings of the Malefic Viper skill. Green veins on both wings appeared and began glowing as a mist-like substance was emitted.

With a beat of his wings, he retreated from the blast while blowing a cloud of poison mist into the face of the bird.

Just as he did this, the Roc unfroze and released its attack. It had only been stopped for a few milliseconds, but in a fight like this, that was more than enough to change the momentum entirely.

Not that the Thunder Roc had ever truly held the momentum. Jake had been dominant from start to end.

Why?

He retreated a bit more as he released another Splitting Arrow, causing a few more minor wounds. It fired more blasts of thunder, but he avoided them one by one. The feathers kept flying around in the air, reminding him a bit of the flying daggers from that stupid metal mage back in the tutorial.

And like then, he easily dodged them as he showed off his prowess in air combat. Hawkie was still far faster and more agile than him, but the bird would already be long dead if they switched places. It didn’t have Jake’s danger sense, high Perception, or incredible defenses, which allowed him to take a stray hit once in a while.

Jake knew he had grown a lot stronger than his time in the tutorial—than his last time truly facing off against a D-grade. Yet…

Why is it so…

He dodged another attack as he channeled a large bolt of dark mana. He shot a quick Infused Powershot with it hanging overhead, making the Roc try to dodge. It failed due to its large body. When it did so, he also released his bolt of dark mana into the face of the Roc, obscuring its vision.

Why is it so weak?

The first time Jake had laid his eyes upon the Thunder Roc, he’d had a feeling he could take it… but at the same time, he hadn’t wanted to be too arrogant. He hadn’t wanted to get himself stupidly killed by facing a superior opponent. He knew he’d fucked up with the King of the Forest... and didn’t want to repeat that.

He repeatedly played the fight with the King in his head, comparing his current Strength to the King… and finding himself coming up short every time. He’d been too weak, too slow, his body too feeble, and his mind and soul too fragile. He saw his defeat every time.

Jake had thought of D-grades as nearly unapproachable enemies. The Indigo Mushroom didn’t quite count, as he hadn’t truly faced it… and it hadn’t truly fought him either. In fact, it had only strengthened his perception of exactly how powerful D-grades were.

A massive net of mushrooms where an entire biodome was its body… its whole being drilling who knew how far into the ground. It was just enormous, and what little attacks it had made had put him in quite the bind.

But…

It’s just a damn bird shooting lightning.

As he saw its movements become slower, he began to realize it truly didn’t have anything more to show him.

The first attack had done tremendous damage to it, weakened it before the fight even began. The poison had kept piling up, and by now, it was truly showing its worth, as its body was covered with black spots that had decayed.

Feathers fell out—not because the Roc used them to attack, but because the flesh keeping them in place rotted away. The control of its attacks lessened as Jake found it more comfortable and easier to counterattack.

Is… this it?

Would there be no mask dropping from its face to reveal an incomprehensible attack? No Golden Claw that appeared to rip the world in two, forcing his Moment of the Primal Hunter to activate, him wanting it to or not? Would there be no hidden card that would force him into a corner?

From a logical standpoint, Jake understood.

The Thunder Roc was far stronger than the flare crows and the cloud elementals. It was clearly a powerful beast that rightfully sat at the peak of this entire cloud continent. It didn’t need anything else but what it already had to be a true-blue D-grade.

Jake’s body was burnt, and he had many wounds covering his body… but he hadn’t felt that.

The feeling of walking the line between life and death—flirting with death and coming out superior. It was a superior foe… but not superior enough.

Jake shook his head internally as he dodged another giant feather by just swaying his body slightly. In many ways, dodging in the air was easier than the ground. Sure, attacks could come from all angles, but Jake could see attacks from any angle.

When the Thunder Roc began retreating, Jake understood it truly didn’t have anything more to offer. It was nearly dead, and even if it escaped, it was questionable if it had enough vital energy to purge the poison in its system.

Jake just sighed as he charged another Infused Powershot for nearly a full ten seconds. The Roc had managed to get a good five kilometers away, but it was far from enough distance to escape him.

Firing the arrow, he aimed for its left wing, which was already severely damaged. It tried to sway but found itself frozen by Gaze of the Apex Hunter once again, and the arrow hit it right in its joint.

The giant beast fell to the cloud continent below like a crashing airliner, sliding across the clouds for hundreds of meters before stopping.

Jake flew after it as he saw it try and get up.

The cloud elementals and other beasts in the area still just looked on, none daring to approach.

He landed on the massive beast and got shocked by its electricity, but his scales neutralized most of the damage.

With One Step Mile, he stepped on its torso and appeared right below its neck. With a Descending Dark Fang, he plunged his Venomfang into it. With the Dark Mana extending the blade as he had before, he swiped it to the side, cutting a meter-deep gash in its neck and sending down a waterfall of blood.

It was the final strike to end the D-grade beast’s suffering—a mighty lord of the massive cloud continent, slain by an E-grade human in a one-sided battle.

Chapter 22

Under Pressure

Jake stood on top of the massive corpse of the Thunder Roc. He felt the gazes of hundreds of beasts upon him. They had all observed the battle before and looked at the human with a mix of confusion and fear.

The innate suppression of rank was something they all knew. Of course, the power difference was genuine, but the deterrence was as much instinctual as it was based on pure power disparity. So to see an E-grade like them slay a D-grade juggernaut seemed impossible. Even more unbelievable was how quickly and easily the human had done so.

All of their fear was transferred to the man who just stood there.

Jake sighed as he dropped his Limit Break from 20% and let the weakness overtake him. He had learned long ago that while the weakness sucked, he could circumvent it by reactivating Limit Break at 20% again. It would make the next period more severe, but it was a way to avoid getting ganged up on when he dropped it.

But he had a strong feeling none of the beasts would dare approach him, even in his weakened state—all except one that came, albeit still far more cautiously than before.

Hawkie flew over and circled the corpse for a bit. Jake threw it a glance, indicating for it just to land on the corpse already. It seemed hesitant to do so, even with the beast dead.

Jake just sighed and instead looked at his notification.

*You have slain [Thunder Roc – lvl 102] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level*

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 92 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 93 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 82 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Two levels for that? he asked himself internally. It felt unearned. He rolled his shoulders a bit, feeling the stiffness that remained from the electricity.

He had lost more than a third of his health pool just from the constant bombardment of thunder that occasionally hit. The entire fight could have turned on a dime if he made the slightest mistake… but Jake didn’t make any mistakes. He tended not to make significant mistakes in combat, as if he did, he would have died a long time ago.

Hawkie had, at this point, stopped, just floating above, and had built up the courage to land on the giant Roc.

Jake looked at it and smiled, but that smile quickly turned to a frown when he saw what it did next. It gave him a quick look before it began channeling wind around its beak. It formed a drill of sorts as it began digging into the giant Roc’s body, much to the surprise of Jake.

He had never liked to desecrate the bodies of those he killed if he didn’t have a reason to. The Den Mother he had done so with because he felt the poison gland within, but others he had just left be. He didn’t know how to properly handle the ingredients left behind anyway.

Hawkie kept digging as the blood and guts flew up from the hole it made. The body had significantly weakened after its death; if not, Hawkie wouldn’t have been able to drill into it as it did now. It took the bird a few minutes before it came out of the bloody hole with a weird stone in its mouth.

Hawkie placed it in front of him.

[Thunder Roc Beastcore (D-grade)] – A Beastcore left behind by a D-grade Thunder Roc, containing remnants of its Records within. Can be used as an alchemical ingredient for many types of creations but is most often found in elixirs.

“Well, what’s this?” he asked both himself and Hawkie. The bird looked at him like he was an idiot for not already knowing, while Jake closed his eyes for a moment, looking inwards.

Knowledge appeared in his mind as he dove into what was provided by Sagacity of the Malefic Viper. A flood of information came forth when he opened his eyes once more.

“Neat.”

He put the core in his spatial storage as he considered what to do with it.

Beastcores were an item that any beast at D-grade or above had a chance to generate upon death. When beasts—or any creature, for that matter—died, a part of their Records would often remain in the body.

If Jake, for example, died, his eyes would be infused with the Records of Gaze of the Apex Hunter, turning them into high-rarity items. Maybe even ancient or legendary-rarity ones. This didn’t mean he could pluck out his eyes now and be left with valuable items.

He would have to die for his Records to transfer. The same was true for the Thunder Roc. Instead of entering a specific part of its body, its Records condensed into a Beastcore for Jake to use. Thinking back, this Records transfer was likely where most, if not all, drops from creatures he killed came from.

Records from the creature condensed an item, his Mask of the Fallen King being a prime example. Instead of the King forming a “core” upon death, it had instead created the mask from the Records. The fact that it made a legendary item upon death was proof of how strong the King had been.

Did I fuck up by not just taking all the corpses? Jake wondered, but on second thought, he likely hadn’t. Cloud elementals turned into those small bead things that Hawkie collected, the dungeon bosses had all turned into or created items he’d used to kill the King or other dungeon bosses, and none of the other things he’d killed were worth looting.

With Hawkie in tow, Jake flew up and returned to their usual cloud island. Not a single beast in their surroundings dared to get in their way.

BANG!

The bullet flew through the air before hitting the spider-like beast. One of its legs got hit, making it stumble slightly, but it was far from enough to make the D-grade beast fall.

It fired out a web from its backside that fell like a blanket over the entire area the bullet had come from. Upon making contact with the concrete building, it began being devoured by the acidic web.

Sadly for the spider, the sniper was long gone. Another stream of bullets hit it. It stumbled once more, and before it could get up, a figure emerged from one of the shadows nearby, zoomed past it, and cut its side with a sharp dagger.

It hissed in pain as the wound began burning with the power of a strong curse, the same proving true for the bullet in its leg. The fight had been going on for the better part of three hours, and the beast was getting tired.

It was only about the size of a car, but it was an unusually fast and powerful beast. Yet it had been whittled down by bullets and sneak attacks over the last few days, making it never able to rest and fully recover. All of the attacks that managed to pierce its natural defenses were imbued with curses.

The shadows it had called its home were now a danger it wanted to avoid. And the worst of its attackers appeared to its beady eyes once more.

A human wearing a robe, black streams of lightning crackling all around him. He held a metal staff that already had an attack charged up in the orbs floating around him.

It hissed again and charged the accursed human, but after only taking a few steps, the ground below it erupted into a dark explosion.

Blinded, it failed to avoid the lightning strike, sending it tumbling back nearly a hundred meters and into a wall. The attack itself had done little damage, but it was the sheer quantity of it all. It couldn’t even get up before another sniper-shot hit it.

This torture continued for another two hours before finally, with a flash of lightning from the sky, the beast fell dead.

Dozens of figures emerged from the surrounding buildings’ shadows and gathered around the corpse. The cloaked man with the metal staff was the first to arrive.

“Good job, everyone—it was a tough cookie, but we made it,” Caleb Thayne said as the other figures nodded.

“117, seems like we found a mid-tier Pylon defender,” Matteo said, looking annoyed at the corpse. “It would have been easier if we got one of the low-tier ones to beat.”

“Well, at least it wasn’t a high or peak-tier challenge, or it would have taken way longer,” Nadia said as she wiped her rifle with a cloth like it was her child. “If we could even do it. Good thing it couldn’t heal.”

“Either way, time to claim the Pylon,” Caleb said with a light smile as he went over to the Pylon that had spawned only a few meters from the corpse of the spider. “Go get the others while I figure this thing out.”

A few of the cloaked figures nodded and left to find the rest of their group. Only the elite had participated in this battle, yet they’d still lost tens of people to the spider. It was lucky that it had been out of mana and could only shoot its web toward the end. Its magic had taken far too many lives.

Caleb could drain its mana with his dark lightning, so once it was empty, he could keep it empty. As long as they never allowed it to rest, they could eventually whittle it down. Which they had. They had prepared the arena and kited it around into mines, ambushes, pitfalls, and so on.

In the beginning, it had had quite a few other spiders with it, but over the last week, they had hunted them down one by one.

Caleb pressed his hand on the Pylon. “Sixth, huh? Still in the top ten, so not that bad.”

He smiled a bit to himself as he claimed it and changed his profession. The new one gave 16 Free Points per level, still a rare variant of City Lord for being one of the first ten to claim one. Umbra should be okay with this.

As the de facto leader of the Court of Shadows on Earth, Caleb felt quite a lot of pressure on him. They were already closing in on six digits in their entire group, so it was high time that they claimed a Pylon and began establishing themselves.

Once the first hundred Pylons were claimed, things would start for real. Caleb had claimed the sixth one, meaning quite a few more needed to be claimed for the next stage to begin. But from now, it would likely get faster as humanity grew in power. And we’ll be ready.

As he was getting accustomed to his new profession, he was brought back to reality by the rest of the people coming. A massive wave of individuals all marched toward the broken-down city on the horizon. All of them had retreated to a safe distance while the Blades of the Court fought the D-grade.

In front of the group were four people he recognized as he smiled—a woman holding a newborn baby and a middle-aged couple that looked younger than they had before the tutorial. Everyone made way for them, showing respect to the family of the Judge.

Within the Court of Shadows, Judge was a role most often only held by S-grades, and they were the leaders of their Court. But Earth didn’t have any S-grades, so Caleb would have to make do. Yet even if he had been named Judge—or more accurately, Judge-elect—in another multiverse, it would not be contested.

Blessed by Umbra, Holder of the Legacy of Tenlucis and a supremely talented caster. All of that, completely ignoring his relations to another notorious figure of the 93rd Universe.

Caleb and his wife, Maja, were both perfectly aware of Jake. Caleb had been informed by Umbra, and he had told his wife, but for now, all they had told his parents was that Jake lived and was doing well. The implications of what Jake had done were just too complicated to properly communicate.

When Caleb had learned of Jake—that he was a Progenitor that had usurped fate, slain a powerful D-grade, and likely become the strongest human on Earth—his reaction had been… a shrug.

It was a bit weird to say, but Caleb wasn’t surprised. His brother had always been strange but also competent. If Caleb were asked who would do best surviving in the post-apocalypse, it would be Jake. A desolate island in the middle of the ocean? Jake. A pit of monsters? Jake.

He remembered that once, when he was a child, his family had gone to the zoo. Jake was only seven back then, and Caleb had been five. It had been the first time going for both of them, as there wasn’t a zoo close to their town, and they had always been fonder of things like amusement parks.

It had been a nice trip, but Caleb remembered one part of that day far more distinctly than anything else. They had gone to see the wolves for feeding time, an event the two boys had been looking forward to a lot.

Jake and he had stood at the small barrier, looking down at the pack of wolves that were awaiting their daily feeding. Yet when Jake appeared, they’d all turned toward him. All just… looking at him. Jake had just stared back, a young, excited child.

The speaker had come out and talked about the wolves, but the animals just kept staring up at Jake. Jake, at this point, had noticed them and stared back with puzzlement. The speaker finished up her small info dump on wolves, and with a device, the meat was deposited into the enclosure.

The wolves had noted the food but didn’t stop looking at Jake. One of them turned a bit to sniff it before it looked back up at Jake, almost expectantly.

Caleb clearly remembered Jake, almost as if on instinct, nodding to the wolves. With approval, they dove into their meal, the poor speaker finally talking again after the wolves stopped acting weird.

He doubted Jake even remembered it, but Caleb had never forgotten. That had been the day he finally understood a feeling he had experienced growing up himself. A weird feeling that had always been at the back of his mind, his instincts whispering to him that he was in the presence of something… dangerous. His parents had never noticed, but Caleb couldn’t help it. Through the years, Jake became more… muted, and his presence far more controlled.

Not that Caleb in any way blamed or ever even feared Jake. He knew being baptized by that feeling had helped shape him. When he felt the pressure from accepting the Legacy of Tenlucis, he had barely registered it.

The reason why the Legacy of Tenlucis was so dangerous was because of the concept it relied on. Tenlucis had been a god of darkness and lightning, living with the belief that the power of the dark heaven was above all, even himself. Through his own delusions, he had managed to create a path where he always moved under the pressure of the heavens, continually being mentally strained but also forcing him forward.

It had pushed him to the top, but it had also made him… unstable. Which was why he’d entered one of the places in the multiverse that even Primordials avoided. And there, he had died. But at least he’d had the decency to leave a few Legacies behind.

Caleb had now accepted that Legacy after Umbra directed him toward it when he got his profession upgrade. The reason was simple… because Caleb had stood tall before her. Before the overwhelming aura of a god standing at the pinnacle of power, he hadn’t felt even the slightest bit fearful or intimidated.

Because he had grown up in the presence of a far more dangerous monster.

Chapter 23

Can I?

Jake stood on the small island of clouds with Hawkie still at his side. The hawk had been giving him inquisitive looks for the last few hours while Jake just stood there, staring at the giant creature in the distance and recovering his resources.

[Storm Elemental – lvl ???]

Can I?

He honestly wasn’t sure. The Thunder Roc had been far easier to take down than expected, but he’d been well matched against it. His poisons had worked wonders since it was flesh and blood, its defenses were weak, and it had been barely D-grade.

The Storm Elemental gave him the feeling that it was slightly stronger… and that was ignoring how bad of a matchup it was for him. His poisons were borderline useless. Even the poison mist from his wings would be ineffective, as there was a constant current of air surrounding the elementals, blowing away the poison.

Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter was still useful, but it could only be used once, as it simply took too long to summon another arrow. He had thought of having Hawkie join him, but… without sounding rude, the bird would only get in the way.

He doubted the bird would do much harm to the Storm Elemental and instead just end up getting fried by the streaming bolts of lightning within its body. It would only distract Jake, making him worried about the bird throughout it all.

Jake’s mana bolts would do damage, but far from enough to bring down the massive elemental. Sure, if he could just bombard it constantly from far away without it fighting back, he could maybe… Wait a second.

Why couldn’t he just do that?

Cloud elementals were slow as hell, and he assumed the Storm Elemental to be no different. He saw it mulling about close to the massive tree at the center of the cloud continent, and its movements were slow. Sure, due to its enormous size, it still traveled tens of meters a second, but to Jake… that was actually pretty damn unimpressive.

Can I?

What if he just stayed… tens of kilometers… No… even further away, finally putting his massive Perception and range to good use by being a true sniper.

Hawkie kept looking at him, and as it saw determination begin to form in Jake’s eyes, it gave him an encouraging call.

Jake looked up at the hawk as he remembered something. “You collect those beads from the cloud elementals… Could it be you want the one from that one?”

It gave him another encouraging sound, pretty much confirming it to Jake.

“Why do you need them anyway?”

Hawkie looked a bit hesitant before finally motioning for him to follow. Jake was unsure why he should follow, but he was still low on resources from the Thunder Roc fight, so it wasn’t like he planned on fighting right away.

Spreading his wings, he glided down after the hawk and soon noticed the direction they were heading. Hawkie tended to leave nearly every day for a few to over a dozen hours. Jake had tried to follow on prior occasions, but every time, the bird had rebuffed him.

Yet this time, it wanted him to follow.

Without questioning it, he flew down toward the forest below together with Hawkie. They kept flying at their high speed as Jake noted exactly where they were going.

The forest was absolutely massive—larger than most major continents on the old planet, if he had to guess. He saw only trees from far up in the air, some even being at eye-level with him ten kilometers up. He knew that D-grade beasts roamed deeper within. And at the moment, they were going deeper.

He sensed that the Pylon was already hundreds of kilometers away, toward the outside of the forest, yet they kept flying. Deeper and deeper they went, and Jake began noticing the level of the beasts growing below.

He spotted a monkey-like beast at the top of one of the trees at level 73, higher than the Mole Lord that had dominated the area of the forest where his Pylon was.

Minutes passed as they kept going until, finally, Hawkie began flying downwards. They were not in the deeper parts quite yet, but the level of beasts around there was still, on average, in the eighties.

What do you have going on this far in? Jake wondered

He had already guessed that the reason he’d met Hawkie, to begin with, was that it had been heading toward the cloud continent when it saw him, but he hadn’t thought that it lived this deep in.

With his sharp senses, he could even feel D-grades deeper inside… No… one was close. Straight ahead of them, where Hawkie was heading. Is it leading me into a trap? Why would it?

Jake felt a bit of doubt, but he wasn’t that afraid. He felt confident in escaping from an early-stage D-grade, and on the way, he had chugged another stamina potion, meaning he was above 70% in all his resources.

Besides… his intuition told him that the hawk didn’t wish to cause him any harm.

He didn’t believe for a second that Hawkie didn’t feel the D-grade ahead either. It was practically projecting its aura in the surrounding area to scare off any other beasts.

The two of them entered what was clearly the territory of a D-grade beast as Jake felt the aura come down on him. He scoffed as he countered with his own, utterly rebuffing it. He didn’t fear the presence or aura of the Malefic Viper, and this D-rank beast wanted to suppress him?

Hawkie wasn’t affected by the aura at all, or maybe it was just used to it. At least that was what he assumed, as it didn’t react.

Jake felt the focus on him intensify, making him fully aware that the beast had some kind of Perception skill to zone in on him.

He just kept following Hawkie confidently as they reached a barrier of some kind. It blocked both vision and sound, only allowing the aura of the beast within to get through. And his Sphere of Perception, of course.

Not that he needed it, as what was within came out for them.

Jake felt it coming as he landed on the ground. Out of the barrier first came a flash of colors and light before a beast emerged. A small figure with blue mana flashing around it came toward them, stopping only a few meters before him and Hawkie. Hawkie had landed to his side and was already making bird sounds toward the newcomer.

With a quick Identify, he noted this was indeed the D-grade. Well, the aura also made it obvious.

[Mystsong Hawk – lvl ???]

The hawk was about the same size as Hawkie, AKA not that much larger than a regular hawk. But while Hawkie was brown, this bird was nearly entirely light blue with deep blue rune-like markings all over its body. It actually reminded him a bit of the Great White Stag with its demeanor. It was a mana-focused bird for sure, something the barrier—and without a doubt, what lay within—was only further proof of.

The two birds were now chirping back and forth, clearly not quite in agreement. Jake smiled a bit to himself as he got the situation. Damn, Hawkie scored a D-grade. Nice.

He couldn’t help but mentally give the bird a fist bump. He had to admit that he wasn’t even sure if Hawkie was a he or she, but it didn’t matter. A score is a score. Either way, it was impressive.

“Sorry to butt in to the family drama, but what’s the deal?” Jake finally asked after more than a minute of unintelligible bird-talk. Wasn’t he supposed to have some kind of overpowered translation skill?

Two pairs of eyes turned to him. The shiny bird screeched madly, trying to intimidate him.

“Yeah, no. Anyway, what’s inside that barrier you really don’t want me to enter?”

The D-grade bird looked a bit baffled at the human who just completely ignored it. A few quick sounds from Hawkie made it look over before looking back at Jake with skepticism.

“The barrier?” Jake asked again, seriously considering just trying to enter it.

Exchanging looks yet another time, Hawkie made a few more sounds before the Mystsong Hawk did what Jake could only interpret as a sigh before turning around and flying back into the barrier, conveniently leaving a hole more than large enough for Hawkie and Jake to enter.

Jake didn’t need a bird translator to get that one, as he and Hawkie went through it.

After they entered, the hole in the barrier closed right away. Jake noticed that he could still see out but not into it. It was a bit like the barrier around the Pylon, albeit far weaker, from what he gathered.

The inside of the barrier was certainly not as he had expected. A constant white mist covered the entire area, and Jake instantly felt his mana regeneration spike. The mana density within was practically tangible as Jake breathed in.

Which got him a mad screech from the Mystsong Hawk, clearly telling him to cut it out. Jake got the message and stopped breathing in the mana. His mana pool was already full anyway; he just wanted to test it a bit.

Hawkie made some more sounds toward its mate as Jake looked around. The spherical space within the barrier was only forty or so meters across, more than large enough to house the two hawks and the human, but also small enough that his sphere covered a large part of it.

He observed the inner zone with his sphere and saw that the ground was entirely bare of plants. It had all been replaced with intricate markings and runes, glowing with a faint sheen of mana. Specific gathering points with piles of small orbs were also found around the pattern, and Jake identified one of the orbs.

[Cloud Orb (E-grade)] – A Cloud Orb dropped by an E-grade cloud elemental. Contains highly concentrated cloud-affinity mana within.

So this is where Hawkie takes them, he thought. They were clearly powering or amplifying the formation and served as the source of the abundant mana in the air. It also explained why it was so misty, as it stemmed from the cloud mana.

Cloud mana was a mix between air and water, based on the knowledge his Sagacity of the Malefic Viper provided, but the white clouds leaned far more toward the air affinity. Why it worked like that, he didn’t know, but he reckoned the darker clouds leaned closer to water affinity. Or wasn’t it actually just straight-up lightning and air affinity at that point?

While the formation and the two birds still making sounds at each other were interesting, he saw one thing that gave him pause. The formation was clearly built with a center, and in that center was a small nest. And in that nest, a single egg.

“You two expecting a kid?” Jake asked, his voice actually a bit surprised.

He didn’t even think about how a D-grade and an E-grade had “gotten it on” but was genuinely happy for the two hawks. Sure, it was a bit of a fucked-up world, but he was happy that his buddy Hawkie had a family.

Both turned to him, Hawkie puffing up a bit with pride while the D-grade hawk looked at him suspiciously. This earned a few bird-words from Hawkie, as it appeared to want to convince its partner about something.

Wait, how do these birdbrains even understand me? Translation skill or just really smart birds? Well, they are smart birds… Jake thought as he stood there in contemplation about ultimately useless things.

Jake walked a bit closer to the egg to see it with his eyes, which got him a small blast of mana from the Mystsong Hawk, rebuffing him.

“Easy there—I am not going to eat my pal’s kid, geez,” Jake said as he shook his head.

He moved closer to the egg and, under the watchful gazes of the two hawks, squatted in front of the nest.

The egg was small, only a bit bigger than a chicken egg. It had a brown color and white markings running through it. Jake could feel the intense mana surrounding it and could even faintly feel the life within it. His Sense of the Malefic Viper feeling for the mana sensed strong undulations of wind-affinity mana and pure mana.

“You want the orb of the Storm Elemental, right?” Jake asked after standing up.

Hawkie didn’t hesitate to give an affirming screech.

“Why don’t you just hunt it down?”

He looked at the Mystsong Hawk, which averted its gaze to the formation around them.

“Ah, you need to be here for the formation… I guess other powerful beasts are also in the area… Got it. Damn, Hawkie, seems like you are the breadwinner, forced to take home the orbs. Wait, you stole my orbs too… does that mean I am a contractor…?” Jake said, going on a bit of a tangent.

The Mystsong Hawk looked confused at the Galesong Hawk, which looked away embarrassed, perhaps beginning to wonder if bringing the weird human to its nest and mate was a good idea or not.

“Well, what’s in it for me?” Jake finally asked, bringing both of the birds’ attention back on him.

It was a question that clearly neither of them had considered. While Jake couldn’t fault the Mystsong Hawk, as it had met him only minutes ago and hadn’t know he was coming, based on its reaction, Hawkie was something else.

“I may have given out potions and let you take those beads without asking anything in return, but that was to return the flight-training favor. This is different. You aren’t asking me for some useless baubles, but for me to face a D-grade elemental and then give you the loot afterward. Even as a favor for a friend, that doesn’t seem fair.”

His scolding made the Mystsong Hawk glare at Hawkie, while Hawkie looked both embarrassed and ashamed. Clearly, its partner disagreed with Hawkie’s selfish ways, and Jake was more than happy to make the hawk feel the scorn.

The hawk made some angry screeches like a mad wife finding out that its husband was being an asshole to others. Jake just laughed a bit internally, finding it a reward in itself to see one magical bird slapping another magical bird with its wing.

He let the two continue for a bit as he looked at the magical runes a bit closer. They appeared more powerful but less complicated than what the Great White Stag had created. The power, without a doubt, was due to the bird being D-grade.

Should I try and have it teach me? Nah, we can’t even speak, and I already have a buttload of alchemy to catch up on.

“You know what?” he said, interrupting the one-sided bickering. “I’m gonna go kill that elemental; meanwhile, you two can figure out payment.”

And with that, he flew upwards, passing through the barrier harmlessly as he soared toward the island.

Can I?

Well, I am sure as hell gonna try.

Chapter 24

Toward the Horizon

Jake awoke from meditation and stood up, stretching a bit. It didn’t really do anything, as the system had thoroughly changed his physique, and he wasn’t even sure how things like muscles mattered anymore, but he still felt better after doing it.

He looked toward his target in the distance and saw that the Storm Elemental had confidently moved closer to the giant tree to soak in its mana. Jake had clearly ruined the natural balance that the Thunder Roc and Storm Elemental had created by killing one of them…

So wouldn’t it only be fair to finish off both?

His tactic for the Storm Elemental would be far different, however. Instead of just fighting it straight up, he would challenge himself another way…

Jake had always been pretty decent at long-distance shooting, and he had to admit that he’d always admired the longbowmen. Jake remembered that the longest range ever achieved with a longbow was a bit less than three hundred and fifty meters, and that wasn’t even with any focus on accuracy.

He’d once read that using a longbow was more similar to golf than any actual archery. Jake wasn’t sure how accurate that was.

With what Jake planned, he knew that his usual attacking tactic wouldn’t work.

Even at around a dozen kilometers, there was practically no drop-off for his arrows due to the sheer power behind them—the Windsoar bow’s enchantment that helped with air resistance was also immensely helpful.

But Infused Powershot was what really made it possible. The problem was that the mana within the shot would run out before hitting. It would slowly fizzle out, making the arrow slow down and begin dropping far more than before.

Jake didn’t know the exact maximum range of Infused Powershot, but he didn’t believe he could keep his arrow flying in a straight line for more than twenty or twenty-five kilometers, if even that.

So to shoot a Storm Elemental from where he currently stood would be… difficult.

He focused his eyesight and could barely see the humongous figure of the Storm Elemental far, far off in the distance. When he focused, it was like he was looking through a telescope—well, except it didn’t limit his peripheral vision at all.

That 1978 Perception is about to be put to good use. Jake snickered inwardly as he began to make some quick calculations. So, based on my calculations, if I shoot up and the arrow goes whoosh and then it goes whee, hitting the elemental with a boom, it will do big damage. Jake nodded, approving of his own brilliance.

In all seriousness… this kind of attack was where he did a bit of calculation, but otherwise, he just did what felt right.

When it came to pure archery, this would, without a doubt, be his biggest challenge yet, which was why he was still excited for it. It wasn’t as much a life-and-death battle as it was Jake overcoming his own limits.

Gazing toward his target one more time, he saw that it indeed hadn’t moved for ten minutes or so, just standing right at the tree, one of its massive arms placed on the trunk. He estimated the distance between him and the Storm Elemental to be…

One hundred seventy-five to one hundred seventy-seven kilometers.

His last Infused Powershot, at full power, had passed around fifteen kilometers in three seconds. That meant even if he could shoot with that much speed, it would take the arrow thirty-five seconds or so from shooting it until it arrived.

But he wasn’t shooting in a straight line but a curve. It would also travel significantly slower for a lot of the journey… meaning he effectively looked at more than a minute of travel time.

It was about the same time it would take him to summon another Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter.

Did he need to be that far away? Probably not.

Was he confident in hitting from that range? Not really.

Would he do it anyway? Hell yeah.

Jake had already decided that he wanted to accomplish a few things before reaching D-grade. For his class, he had wanted to beat a D-grade in one-on-one combat without any gimmicks. But he also wanted to explore exactly how far his current skills in pure archery could take him. And what was more critical to archery than precision?

He began summoning his Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter as he focused on the Storm Elemental. What appeared was an arrow similar to the one he had used on the cloud elemental, and once more, it had also drained far more mana than stamina to make. He was fully aware that he could only shoot a few shots before running out of either stamina or mana… but he had a feeling it would be okay.

While he wasn’t sure exactly how the elemental’s resources worked, he had a strong feeling that it wouldn’t be able to regenerate itself faster than he could pump out arrows. Especially since he was more than liberal with consuming potions.

With his Venomfang, he made a deep cut on his own wrist and focused on Blood of the Malefic Viper. He soaked the entire arrow in the blood, as he knew it was his most effective toxin against the nonbiological elemental.

Nocking the giant arrow, he took a final look at the target so far off in the distance, it wouldn’t even register in a regular human’s eyes. Yet Jake could see his target quite clearly, the streams of thunder rumbling within releasing the occasional flash of light.

Almost like it was begging for an arrow from half a small country away.

Drawing the string, he felt the resistance. He still found it very magical how the bow could keep feeling taut despite his increasing stats. He knew it was due to its quality, as he was pretty sure a common-rarity bow from the tutorial would break in his hands.

He began charging all his boosting skills, and even Big Game Hunter awakened to his intent, boosting his Strength and Agility even further. Limit Break activated at 20%, as he knew he would handle the weakness while recovering his resources anyway.

Mark of the Ambitious Hunter also proved once more how little Jake understood it. He used the Mark on the Storm Elemental even though it was so far away, and to his amazement, he could even feel where the elemental was from it.

He thought it would be out of range… but then again, the skill’s range did scale with Perception.

With everything ready, he began charging Infused Powershot. Power whirled around him as he did the last-second calculations and got a feel for the perfect angle. He took a deep breath as he began reaching his limits.

Jake let go of the string, and the arrow exploded out as it flew in an arc out into the distance.

One would think it was a danger that it would encounter other flying creatures during its flight, but the risk was actually quite low. Most of the birds tended to stay lower as they hunted the cloud elementals on the continent below. A few did note the shadow of the arrow passing over them, but as it wasn’t an attack aimed for them, they ignored it.

Jake had already begun creating another Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter. With his eyes closed as he focused, he didn’t even look if the arrow would hit its target.

He would know if it did… and if it didn’t, he would just have to try again.

The seconds ticked by as he channeled summoning the arrow. It slowly began emerging from his palm, suspended above it by the skill.

Ten… eleven… thirteen…

Thirty-four… thirty-five…

Fifty-nine… a minute passed, and nothing yet.

Sixty-three… sixty-four…

He felt the arrow about to be fully summoned as he opened his eyes. The first thing he did was throw his gaze toward the Storm Elemental… and just in time.

From above, a giant arrow fell. It looked only like a small needle as it impacted the massive Storm Elemental that had just been minding its own business at the lightning tree.

Destructive energy invaded the elemental as Jake felt it through his Mark. Like a wave, it tore through the massive form, and Jake was certain that it was making loud booming noises based on the many small forms of panicking birds and elementals he saw.

But… Jake didn’t have time to look. He once more drenched the now finished arrow in his blood as he nocked it and charged Infused Powershot.

BOOM!

Once more, the cloud island he was on shook, and he felt a lot of it be blown apart… He would have to find another one soon, as this one would disperse entirely in only a few shots.

Another Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter flew in a great arc toward the horizon as he consumed a mana potion and began making yet another.

A bit more than a minute later, it landed, this one missing the massive elemental by nearly a hundred meters. It sounded like a lot, but with the gigantic shooting distance, it really wasn’t. The Storm Elemental had moved slightly in the direction he had shot from, but after finding nothing, it was already making its way back again to the tree.

So he shot again.

BOOM!

This one flew in another great arc, tearing through the sky. The wind gave way as the Windsoar enchantment that gave his bow its name truly proved its worth. With wind resistance nonexistent, his arrow didn’t lose much momentum as it flew; the only thing working to slow it down was the energy from the Infused Powershot running out.

Perhaps there was something poetically ironic about using a bow blessed by elementals to get revenge on someone slaying elementals… to slaughter even more elementals. Cloud and wind were even closely related…

The third arrow descended like a great artillery strike, hitting true as the massive Storm Elemental was once more invaded with destruction incarnate. It writhed in pain, trying to locate its attacker but failing.

Its intelligence was nonexistent, like the cloud elementals. It moved only on instinct and refused to leave the giant lightning tree… It was just a sitting duck, never going more than a few kilometers away from it. Well, Jake would call its instincts pathetic, but he wasn’t the best to ask.

BOOM!

A fourth arrow was released, and this one also flew true. The cloud island below him couldn’t take a single shot more before being completely dispersed… but he only had mana for a single arrow more, so that was fine.

10,000 mana, uplifted to nearly 15,000 with the potion, was consumed with five arrows. Jake’s stamina was also down to a third between the constant strain of Limit Break at 20% and, of course, the investment in the arrows. This meant that each summoning had drained nearly 3000 mana and more than 750 stamina.

A few remnants of the massive roars of the Storm Elemental even made their way toward him, barely audible in the distance. He couldn’t help but chuckle, thinking of the beasts below the island and the birds flying on it, all scared absolutely shitless.

BOOM!

The fifth and final arrow was released, the cloud island below him now wholly blown apart. He quickly made his way to another nearby small island as he settled down on it. He deactivated Limit Break and began breathing heavily from the exhaustion.

He had just entered meditation when he felt the fifth arrow hit.

Fifty-six minutes later, he opened his eyes and consumed a mana potion, then reentered meditation immediately.

An hour after that, he chugged down a stamina potion before continuing his meditation.

This continued for six hours total—three stamina and three mana potions – before he opened his eyes for another shooting session.

He gazed toward the distance and saw his target still at the lightning tree. It was less damaged than six hours ago… but far from healed. All signs of toxicity from his blood were long gone, but it didn’t have enough time to regenerate fully.

Its internal thunder was slightly muted… and as the saying goes, one must strike when the iron is hot.

Two minutes and forty-nine seconds later…

BOOM!

Another arrow rained down on the poor Storm Elemental. It wasn’t smart enough to understand how screwed it was, but even with its primitive instincts, it had been happy to be left alone for the last half a dozen hours.

BOOM!

Then a seventh came, tearing away at it even more. Its massive right arm seemed to lose its form for a moment before the elemental reformed it.

BOOM!

The eighth arrow hit it in its midsection, and a massive portion of its body was consumed for a moment, with the Storm Elemental once more expending considerable resources to heal itself.

BOOM!

Arrow number nine missed by less than five meters to the right of the massive stationary form. Can’t be perfect every time. Jake chuckled, already preparing the tenth arrow.

BOOM!

The tenth hit, meaning eight total hits by Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter. The elemental truly looked to be spent, so Jake did the only natural thing.

He went through another round of recuperation on yet another small cloud island.

A bit over twelve hours after the first arrow arrived, the barrage continued.

BOOM!

The eleventh arrow blew apart the right arm once more, but this time, it didn’t regenerate it right away.

BOOM!

The twelfth arrow blew apart the other massive arm, one it also failed to regenerate.

BOOM!

The thirteenth arrow hit it right in the chest area, blowing out a massive part of its body. The destructive wave tore through it, and the lightning that ran through it was practically nonexistent now. It tried to regenerate the destroyed part of its chest, but it appeared to have difficulty maintaining its form.

BOOM!

Fourteen. Twelve of which that hit. That was how many Arrows of the Ambitious Hunter were required to kill the D-grade elemental.

*You have slain [Storm Elemental – lvl 107] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level*

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 94 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 95 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 83 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Jake basked in the levels but noticed there was one notification he had missed. It had come the moment he killed the elemental and was honestly one he hadn’t expected.

*Skill Upgraded*: [Expert Archery (Uncommon)] --> [Archery of Vast Horizons (Rare)]

Chapter 25

Pecking Order

Jake looked at the upgraded skill with a bit of bewilderment.

[Expert Archery (Uncommon)] An Archer’s best friend is the bow in his hand and the arrow in his foe’s heart. You have proven yourself an expert with your chosen weapon and is fast approaching the level of mastering your craft. Adds a small bonus to the effect of Agility and Strength when using a ranged weapon.

-->

[Archery of Vast Horizons (Rare)] - An Archer’s best friend is the bow in his hand and the arrow in his foe’s heart. Unsatisfied with merely becoming an expert, you have sought beyond mastering common bowmanship, and do not shy away from using magic to enhance your technique. You seek to cross all horizons with your arrows, and your target shall be pierced, no matter the distance, no matter the means. Adds a small bonus to the effect of Agility and Strength when using a ranged weapon. Adds a small damage bonus to all arrows based on distance traveled and Perception.

He was bewildered… was all it took really just to shoot a long distance to get a skill with a weird name? It didn’t just upgrade from “expert” to “master” or something like that. Instead, it changed direction.

Not that he was complaining. The skill was objectively better in every way, as it added a damage bonus based on distance and Perception. It also said damage bonus and not that it increased the effectiveness of his stats, which meant it likely worked like his Mark of the Ambitious Hunter.

Was it because he had reached some level of understanding of how the Mark did its damage? Was it because he had killed a D-grade while only in E-grade himself with his long-range archery? Was it because he used a plethora of different skills besides usual archery?

It even mentioned using magic to enhance his archery… Did he really do that? Infused Powershot was technically magic… so was Blood of the Malefic Viper, if you thought a bit about it. The arrows generated from Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter to be used against the Storm Elemental also clearly carried elements of his mana control, and he doubted it would be as strong as it was if he hadn’t practiced mana manipulations and making those mana bolts as much as he had.

The usage of the word “vast” was also weird. Why not distant horizons? Sure, one could argue that vast included distance, but it also included breadth. Was it talking about how diverse his archery was?

He had to admit it wasn’t just regular archery anymore… even from a post-system perspective. He actively integrated Gaze of the Apex Hunter to strike harder, used arrows highly reliant on his abilities as a mana user, and employed everything from his profession.

Jake stood in thought as he considered the skill. Ultimately, it was just a straight-up upgrade, so it was good, and now his Perception would prove even more useful. Especially the first strike with Infused Powershot would be stronger… because he really needed it to be.

Closing his system menus in satisfaction, he felt like he was forgetting something. Turning his gaze toward the cloud continent, he saw that the birds were all gathering toward where he’d killed the Storm Elemental, almost as if they were searching for som—

“Shit! The orb!” Jake yelled as he took flight toward the island. Damn you, fortunate skill upgrade, for distracting me!

He flew desperately forward, trying to keep an eye on what was happening in the distance. He saw the birds chase a Lightning Roc that had stolen it, but soon a group of flare crows attacked it and managed to burn it before one of the large vultures dove in, smashing its talons into the Lightning Roc.

Jake just kept flapping his wings to get closer. He tried to use Gaze of the Apex Hunter once in a while to try and stop the bird that he assumed had the orb, approaching at a pace far slower than he would have liked.

Miranda sat in the newly constructed longhouse with Hank, Neil and his party, and a few of Abby’s former goons.

The last few days had been very fruitful for the city with the influx of fifty or so new citizens. Granted, it was a bit skewed on the gender ratio, with only five women in total: herself, Eleanor, Christen, Louise, and the scarred woman.

That woman was one of the people inside the house currently as they discussed future plans.

“Do you believe it’s safe to make contact?” Miranda asked.

“Abby and Donald didn’t want to… a few tried to run that night to try and enter the fort, but they were all killed,” the woman explained. “We quite frankly don’t know anything about them… but they were struggling a bit, from the looks of it.”

Miranda nodded as she took in the information.

Getting a group of survivors who had spent nearly a month wandering to chase Neil and his friends had proven quite valuable. They had seen many sights on their travels and had learned a lot.

The first of which was of a few larger human settlements. Around twenty kilometers outside the forest, a total of a hundred and thirty or so kilometers away, was a large settlement was called “the fort.” The reason for that was simple: it had been an old medieval fort before the system. The tourist trap was now being used with its original intent in mind, as many had taken refuge there.

But… for a lot of humans to group up in one place also presented challenges. Ignoring all the usual difficulties of running a functional settlement, they also had to deal with beasts’ constant assaults.

A large settlement was the best hunting ground and served as a beacon to attract experience-hungry beasts. It did raise the issue of why no beast ever dared enter the area of their Pylon, but Miranda just assumed it had something to do with the Pylon itself.

Or maybe it was the Pylon’s owner? Who knew…

Either way, they were currently trying to determine if they should contact the fort and possibly offer them to come to the forest with them. But there were many risks and unknown factors associated with that, and they quite frankly didn’t feel comfortable making the decision without the owner there.

First of all… the fort likely had thousands within it, while they weren’t even sixty people. And while Neil and his party were powerful, they didn’t believe that they could ensure any semblance of safety against that many.

Whether the owner could, they didn’t know either… but Miranda had a feeling it would be okay. Not because of any skills, though. Her Intuition skill had recently upgraded to rare rarity and become more specialized toward city management. Annoyingly so. It included better knowledge of the owner’s intent, yet it didn’t do jack shit even if it said it did. Can the system be bugged? Or is he too strong somehow?

Besides, they had plenty of things to do already. They were currently constructing wooden buildings from the abundance of wood in the forest, with Hank taking the lead in the project. The man was growing in levels quite fast and seemed to enjoy himself. Louise helped him and had even managed to evolve her profession to some kind of architect. Mark also enjoyed helping out and would soon evolve his profession too.

The family had practically taken over the small city’s budding construction industry, and Miranda was more than happy for them to do that. And the first thing they had made—after the owner’s lodge—was a sign to place at the valley entrance.

There was unanimous agreement that the valley with the lodge in it would be entirely off-limits for anyone but the owner himself and Miranda when she needed to contact him. Miranda still remembered that he disliked people staring at him while he worked, and she had a strong feeling that he would like his privacy. It was not because of some skill, but by reading one of the easiest people to read she had ever met in her life.

With that in mind, they began building outside the valley but still more than well within the Pylon of Civilization’s domain. They only built to the south side, away from the cliff with the waterfall, making the lodge effectively the city’s northernmost point.

Was this the most effective when the Pylon expanded in a circular area? No, not at all, but it wasn’t like they needed space. With less than sixty people total, they had only managed to create two wooden structures in the new “city” so far. One of them was the longhouse they were currently in, and the other was a storage building.

The third building was also under construction and would be a second longhouse. The longhouses were large enough to house dozens, and they wanted one for men and one for women. Again, the longhouse for women wasn’t really a pressing issue yet due to there only being a handful of them.

Miranda had to admit that she liked the vibe of the area they were building. They had purposely left most trees standing, making everything covered by the canopy of the trees and giving off a very relaxing mood.

It appeared to help a lot of those who had been forced into helping Abby. After her death, her leadership profession’s effect had faded, and a lot of the suppressed mental strain came forth. The psychotic little bitch’s profession clearly had a skill that allowed her followers to feel… muted about doing horrible things.

Now they would have to deal with that themselves.

Neil and his party had already gone through all of them with Silas’ truth-detection spell to ask some rudimentary questions. Mainly about things they had done and wrongs they had committed, as well as confirming that they didn’t have any thoughts of revenge toward Miranda or Neil and his friends.

They had also asked about their thoughts toward the owner… but the response there was just weird.

None of them even considered for a second to think badly of him. The reason was that he had killed Abby… but not exactly as one would think.

Nearly all these people had been forced under Abby’s umbrella early on in the system. They’d seen the indomitable power that allowed her to crush anything. Consciously or unconsciously, they had already put her on a pedestal in their minds that made her “more than human.”

Now, that impossibly strong person had been killed in a one-sided encounter with the owner. Crushed and made to look like a weak little girl. Instead of bringing her down from her pedestal to their level, in their minds, they had just seen an even larger pinnacle crushing her. All of their fear and—as much as they hated to admit it—respect of her power had been amplified and transferred to him.

It did mean that they worked with almost fanatical intent to help Hank build, and they seemed almost fearful in front of Miranda… The only different one was the scarred woman. Maybe because she had broken out of the spell long ago, she only felt grateful toward the owner, but that was it.

“So, we wait for the owner’s return, and then if we can convince him to help us, we make contact with the fort?” Miranda asked, summing up their circular discussion, always coming back to “well, if the owner was here…”

They all nodded and proceeded to discuss a few additional minor things before she dismissed them from their small meeting. Hank already knew what to do when it came to building things, and Neil and his comrades were also working hard on their respective professions these days. They all appeared to enjoy the downtime and not constantly being on the move.

But she had gotten the feeling that they would soon like to go out hunting—something they didn’t really feel comfortable doing before the owner’s return.

I do wonder what he’s doing right now…

“Get the fuck back here you, you little shit!” Jake yelled as he chased the damn falcon-like bird that was flapping its wings desperately with a small orb in its beak. It was damn fast and used wind magic like Hawkie.

He was forced to stop and fire a quick infused Powershot while freezing the bird with Gaze of the Apex Hunter before finally managing to catch up. He had clipped its wing and thought that finally, he could claim his damn loot.

He was already tens of kilometers away from the cloud continent, having chased down one bird after another. They had all swarmed the Cloud Orb, wanting to claim it for themselves.

With the Thunder Roc, Jake had been there. He had shown himself slaying the beast, intimidating all of them. Yet now, only a day later, they didn’t give a shit about him. Or maybe these were different birds? Some did avoid him, but honestly… he didn’t care.

It had been far too long since he killed the Storm Elemental, and he was only running on fumes now. He had used Limit Break on 20% while bombarding the elemental and couldn’t deactivate it again with a period of weakness.

The only lucky thing was that he still had more than half his stamina left, as he didn’t have to shoot all five arrows… but it was draining fast, the flight having already burned through half of his remaining resource pool.

His shot earlier had brought down another bird… but just as fast he did so, another one swept in and picked up the orb.

“Enough!” Jake yelled, his gaze freezing every single bird within his line of sight.

Blood began pouring from his eyes, but at this point, he was honestly just pissed.

“I killed that fucking elemental; that is my orb!” Jake yelled furiously, getting the attention of all the birds fighting for the orb. “Now give it the fuck here, or I swear I will make it my personal mission to hunt down every last fucking one of you.”

His outburst may have seemed weird… but he already knew a lot of the damn birds understood him, at least on some level. While they likely didn’t comprehend the words themselves, they understood the intent behind them.

But more than that… his aura intimidated them. A few recognized him as the killer of the Thunder Roc, too… It sure helped even more when he took out the Beastcore and held it up.

The bird with the orb currently in its mouth looked very flustered. It was a flare crow with three of its comrades, all of whom gave it a look. It flew toward the human with defeat in its eyes, the pressure from its comrades and all surrounding beasts bearing down on it.

It landed right in front of Jake and put down the orb. It looked up at him briefly before quickly scurrying away.

By now, they all appeared to have realized that the new apex predator of this region wasn’t the two D-grade titans, but this small human who had slain both of them.

Jake picked up the orb and put it in his spatial storage. He was tired and annoyed at having to waste his time chasing these shitty birds. He didn’t even bother to go anywhere as he sat down on the ground right then and there, deactivated Limit Break, and entered meditation.

Not a single beast came near.

Intermission - Meira

Meira wiped the sweat off her forehead as she sat down to take a rest. Her sweat was not only due to the strenuous task she was performing, but the heat it was done in. Drinking from the water bottle, she thanked her parents for emphasizing the importance of investing Free Points into physical stats despite being an elf.

Looking to her side, she saw her father and mother both still working to fill the cart and get the shipment ready for their supervisor. It was hard work, but her family knew that their small clan was lucky to have it. To even still exist.

A few thousand years ago, their clan had been rather prevalent, their matriarch even being a mighty B-grade powerhouse. While it wasn’t much on a Great Planet like Primordial-4 as a whole, it had been quite something for this fringe area.

That was, until the mine was discovered. One day, a party of explorers from their clan had found a hidden pocket dimension with a great mine. One where materials worth more than their clan’s collective wealth many times over could be found.

But instead of informing the clan, they sold it to an outside source—the Brimstone Conglomerate. A few days later, their enforcer had descended, slain their matriarch and half of the elders, and enslaved their entire clan to work for them. Those who opposed died, and those who obeyed lived.

Meira’s father had been the child of one of the elders who submitted. Today, he was a powerful pinnacle D-grade expert already, yet all he could do was slave away for his clan’s survival.

“Meira, we are leaving for the station now,” her father called.

With a sigh, she got up and went over to him as he deposited the last ores into his spatial storage and called for their mount.

A giant bird descended soon after with a small wooden structure on its back—housing for the long trip.

Getting on board, they soon took flight. She waved goodbye to her mother and her siblings, who were still working below. When they were far away from the camp, her father turned to her, a severe look on his face.

“Go rest, so you are ready for when we arrive,” he said somewhat dismissively.

She nodded and went to her room, where she collapsed on the padded floor. She was already near the peak of E-grade, yet she still felt exhausted enough to fall asleep.

Three weeks quickly passed as she prepared herself in her room. The dress that her parents had prepared was a beautiful white one-piece. She spent nearly an hour making sure she was entirely clean from all the grime and dirt before putting it on and arranging her hair.

She knew how important it was that the young master of the branch took a liking to her. She had no positive feeling toward the lascivious man, but his liking or disliking of her person could determine her entire family’s fate and impact the clan as a whole, maybe even lead them to a better future if all went well.

After landing at one of the transit platforms, the father-daughter pair was greeted by the handler and directed toward one of the meeting rooms, receiving a small comment about the young master already waiting for them.

Entering the room, the two found themselves face to face with a handsome young human and an older-looking gentleman behind him—one Meira instantly recognized as the branch leader and his son.

The room itself was meticulously designed with expensive-looking wood that she recognized as some of the spirit trees from their forest. Trees they used to honor as guardians of the forest, now reduced to mere furniture.

The centerpiece in the room was a grand statue of a humanoid sitting on a throne. The mighty Brimstone Hegemon. A true god. And an accompanying aura that made her aware they were in his divine dominion.

“Meira, my beautiful, it’s good to see you once again,” the young man greeted with a lustful smile on his lips. His gaze was licking her from top to toe, stopping on every curve to admire them a little longer.

Meira had to hold herself back from frowning in disgust as she bowed. “I am honored to meet Your Excellency once more,” she said, giving him a big faux smile.

He either didn’t care or didn’t notice her disgust, as he just laughed it off and turned to his father. “She is quite good, isn’t she?”

The older-looking gentleman opened his eyes for the first time and looked at Meira. She instantly froze up and had to stop herself from falling over from the sheer pressure… B-tier… and well into it. A powerful man from a powerful background. A background her parents and clan hoped to become part of through her.

“Weak, but young. With proper training, the girl should be able to do adequately,” he said with little interest in his voice before turning to her father, motioning for him to hand over the ores in his spatial satchel—the lowest kind of spatial storage one could own, and a necessity for these kinds of transports.

Meira just stood in her own thoughts from the man’s words. It didn’t feel good to be spoken of like she was cattle up for auction, but she probably was viewed like that in some sense. The leaders of prominent factions and clans often had many “partners” to ensure the continuance of the Bloodline. If one actually had a real Bloodline Ability, even more so.

She remembered that one of the female elders of their clan also had several dozen young men she kept around. Gender or sex didn’t matter; all that mattered was power. Granted, the sexes were treated differently, with women facing adversity due to being often viewed as tools simply to give birth. Meanwhile, a man was simply a soldier or worker to be exploited. Only through power could one truly become an individual. Long ago, she had dreamed of one day rising to power and becoming genuinely free, but that hope had fizzled out a long time ago.

Now all she hoped for was to survive and help her clan and family as much as she could, no matter how humiliating she found the entire situation. Part of her hated being born a humanoid race, embroiled in politics and factions instead of the free life of a beast that was one with nature.

I have to endure, was all she could tell herself. Her mother, brothers, sisters, and all the young ones from the clan relied on her. If she could sway the young master and help lift up her clan’s status… then maybe her life could hold some meaning.

A vain hope that would soon be extinguished.

After her father handed over the satchel, he got an approving nod as they all turned to pray to the statue in the middle of the room. One of the Brimstone Conglomerate tenets was to always make business deals in the presence of a statue and always credit the act of the deal to the Brimstone Hegemon. So was his creed and his faith. God-things Meira didn’t understand.

As they were all bowing, they all heard a sound—a crackling.

The master of the branch looked up, and his eyes went wide. A long crack had formed down the center of the statue. The divine aura emanated in turmoil as the cracks kept spreading. Finally, the entire statue crumbled to dust, the aura gone forever.

“Aargh!” the powerful B-grade yelled in pain as blood came out of his eyes and ears—the backlash of losing a big part of him. The blessing he had carried with him for tens of thousands of years disappeared from his status screen. “No… impossible…” he mumbled. Everyone in the room was confused as the powerful man kneeled with shock and horror on his face.

“Ma… Master… what happened?” her father asked carefully.

“The Hegemon—”

That was all he had time to say before a shocking aura washed over them—one even more powerful than the man in front of them.

Meira felt her entire body shake as she diverted her eyes to the window. In the distance, she saw reality break apart and space shatter. From the crack emerged two giant beings. One was a long, snake-like creature with scales covering its entire body and eight small legs growing along its body.

The second was one even the smallest of children would recognize: a powerful body, four legs, and two wings on its back. Black flames fumed at its mouth as it flew forward. A true dragon. Not any inferior version either… but a Black Dragon.

A-tier, she barely had time to think before it opened its mouth and released a mighty roar. The last thing she felt was the impact on her soul as she lost consciousness.

Meira came to at some point. The first thing she was hit by upon regaining consciousness was the smell and then the sounds: creaking from the building around her slowly falling apart, fires burning, and finally, the sound of footsteps nearby.

She slowly opened her eyes and saw another pair staring back at her. At first, she was startled, but soon she saw the emptiness in them. Dead. It was the young master… her partner-to-be. His head, at least.

Her entire body was hurting, but she managed to lift herself up to a sitting position. She saw the blood drip from her nose and onto the beautiful dress her mother had created for her. A dress that was nearly as ruined as the building around her. What happened?

But deep inside, she knew. This was just like the stories of how their own clan had fallen to ruins—an invasion from a foreign force far more potent than their own. And now the time had come for the Brimstone Conglomerate to face the same destiny.

After looking around for a bit, seeing only the ruined room and the head of the dead young master, she managed to get up on her two feet. Her vision was still lacking, her body weak. But she couldn’t just sit there and wait for the building to collapse… or for something to come and finish her off.

Which was about the time she recalled the footsteps, as they were now right behind her.

She heard an unintelligible voice behind her and quickly turned, only to stumble and fall down once more. Looking up, she found herself staring at two reptilian humanoids. At first, she thought it was maybe even the dragon from before, but the aura they gave off was much weaker… only D-tier or so.

Shaking her head, she motioned that she didn’t understand. The one to the left took out an orb of some sort, and after a brief flash, it disappeared.

Meira just sat there, confused, looking up at the two of them as they stared back. She had always found it hard to discern reptilians’ facial expressions, so she wasn’t sure if they were really as indifferent as they looked. For now, she still had only one goal in mind: survive.

Less than a minute later, another two people appeared. One of them was reptilian like the others, and the last one a human, from the looks of it. The original two reptilians bowed toward the human, making it clear she was above them.

Observing the woman as discreetly as she could, Meira saw her dark hair and red eyes. But more than that, she noticed her robe. It was black and green, with the motif of a snake with its mouth open, fangs ready to bite down. A mark she recognized clearly.

She couldn’t hold herself back from shivering slightly. It was even worse than she feared. Despite having lived less than six decades, she’d lived long enough to know the emblem of the most powerful faction on their entire Great Planet. The Order of the Malefic Viper.

If they were the ones that had come… she couldn’t even begin to imagine... They were renowned for their strength and alchemy. More accurately, poisons. And if there was one thing they always needed, it was ample targets to test and refine their toxins on. Several clans like her own had fallen over the years to a random traveling alchemist from the Order who had come in need of a few test subjects. And no other faction would ever dare help.

Feeling her left thigh, Meira knew that the dagger she had hidden away was still there. The thought of trying to fight them didn’t even cross her mind; instead, she considered using it on herself. The fate of being a subject of those… monsters was far worse than death.

Before her thoughts could be turned to action, the woman finished observing her and nodded in satisfaction. Waving her hand, a black piece of paper materialized in the air. She smiled at Meira, revealing two fangs growing where canines should be. Vampire… figures…

Turning her eyes to the contract before her, she knew what it was. Even if she couldn’t speak to these people, she could read it. It wasn’t written in any language, per se, but had been created by the system itself from a skill.

A slave contract.

Once signed, your life would be forfeit. Unless it included a way to annul it or the owner chose to do so, it would never disappear. With a single thought, the master would be able to kill the slave. If the slave hurt the master, they died. If they were even thinking about doing so, they would experience pain directly inflicted on their soul.

And the contract in front of her had no conditions to annul it. It was perpetual.

The only kindnesses in the entire business were two things. One, a slave contract always had to be signed willingly. One could not be fooled to sign it or do so while under the influence of any mind-affecting skill. Which wasn’t to say that they couldn’t do exactly as they were doing right now—giving a simple choice: sign or die.

Besides that, the second kindness was that one could always end themselves. Unless the master made a failsafe through other means, of course, but that was rarely worth it.

Meira hesitated. She hated herself for hesitating and not just ripping the paper apart and drawing her dagger. She hated herself for not even thinking about if her father had survived or of her clan at that very moment. She just… didn’t want to die.

Raising her hand, she placed it on the contract and signed it. A rune flashed from the paper and entered her body—her soul. Another went from the contract into a tome at the vampire’s side—the master rune.

After that, everything was just a blur. The only thing Meira remembered was seeing her father off in the distance. He saw her too. Their eyes met, and they both knew. They both signed. The trip to wherever her fate lay was relatively uneventful—as much as being stuck in a small subdimension with hundreds of other people could be. Everyone wore the same listless expressions.

Meira could only hope that she would live to one day see her family again… but as a slave on her way to the Order of the Malefic Viper, her prospects didn’t look good.

Chapter 26

Helping Friends

The two hawks sat within the protective sphere. The one Jake had named “Hawkie” helped its mate with the ritual. Its mate, the Mystsong Hawk, was still skeptical but had agreed to the modifications anyway.

Hawkie needed to stabilize the entire formation while the Mystsong Hawk redrew the markings on the ground carefully. It was intricate work that took a lot of concentration from both of them for something they weren’t even sure would have any point.

If the human failed to kill the elemental or didn’t want to give the orb, it would all amount to nothing.

Now, why would the hawks make this large formation and spend more than a month and a half feeding it energy as their egg slowly grew? The answer was simple: Records.

They wanted their chick to start out with as large an advantage as possible, hopefully even getting a powerful race. As a Galesong Hawk and a Mystsong Hawk, the race of their chick was already unpredictable to begin with, and while this entire ritual would make it even more so, it could only lead to positives.

As a D-grade, the Mystsong Hawk was already placed highly on the planet’s hierarchy, and they both also believed that the Galesong Hawk could reach D-grade… but to reach C-grade or above was a massive uncertainty.

As beasts, their natural instincts were, of course, for both themselves and their offspring to become as strong and healthy as possible. They had made this entire formation to make sure of that, collecting hundreds of the cloud elemental orbs… but they needed more.

That was when that weird human had suddenly appeared. At first, he’d just been a shitty flyer that the Galesong Hawk took pity on, and a few of its fatherly instincts had influenced it to give some pointers. It hadn’t been with any specific goal in mind; it just found the human amusing.

But then it had seen the human fight. It had seen the man annihilate the souls of an entire flock of birds with a look and improve at a ridiculous speed as he hunted down beasts many levels above himself. It had seen him kill beasts the Galesong Hawk wasn’t confident in facing with a single arrow…

It had seen him kill a D-grade that even its D-grade mate couldn’t beat.

That was when the Galesong Hawk realized that it had met a monster.

To see him stand atop the Thunder Roc with a disappointed look in his eyes was what made the Galesong Hawk resolve itself and convince its mate to ask his assistance. The Mystsong was still reluctant but agreed nevertheless. It had tried to pressure the human with its aura but instead found itself suppressed.

Twenty-two hours after the human left, the Mystsong Hawk detected him within its projected aura.

A small hole in the barrier opened and the human flew inside, landing on the ground with far more grace than the Galesong had expected the human capable of when it had met him only a few weeks ago.

“Well, that was fucking annoying,” the human said. “Seriously, I kill the stupid elemental, and then everything just goes to shit and...”

However, both hawks had already begun filtering out his rant on disrespectful thieving birds after hearing the first part. Besides, they didn’t fully understand his words, just the general sentiment behind them.

The Galesong Hawk made some noises toward him, and the human looked over. “Oh, yeah, the orb is right here.”

He took out the orb and displayed it to the two birds.

[Storm Elemental Orb (D-grade)] – Contains strong storm-affinity mana and the remnant Records of a Storm Elemental.

The flight back had been rather relaxing. After recuperating a bit, Jake went to inspect the center of the cloud continent, AKA the massive crystal tree. Upon further inspection… he was surprised to learn it wasn’t alive. Or at least it didn’t have a soul.

It was just a natural treasure, one that gathered and created lightning-affinity mana and likely also generated the clouds. Jake couldn’t do anything to it or move it, so he decided just to let it be… Perhaps he could find a use for it in the future, and if he couldn’t, he was fine with it just spawning more D-grades to hunt down later. Even if he didn’t hunt them himself, the cloud was pretty close, so perhaps some people from his city could go in the future.

Back in the present, Jake was still annoyed within the barrier but felt quite a bit better after ranting at the two birds. He had, of course, been attacked on the way back by a bunch of ignorant vultures that hadn’t seen him earlier. He was happy that his hawk-buddy wasn’t an asshole that just attacked him at first sight. These two hawks at least seemed somewhat polite. Then again, he did consider Hawkie a friend of sorts, and treating your pal’s girlfriend or wife decently was just common courtesy.

Yes, Jake was now one hundred percent sure that Hawkie was the guy and the Mystsong Hawk the girl. Speaking of Hawkie…

“So, what should I call you?” he thought, looking at the Mystsong Hawk and thinking deeply. The bird looked back at him with confusion. “Well… you are a Mystsong Hawk, so… how about Mystie? Yeah, let’s go with that. Hawkie and Mystie.”

Now, Jake wasn’t actually delusional enough to think that those names were in any way good, but quite frankly, he didn’t care. Even if other people heard them, who would disrespect a level 97 hawk and its D-grade partner? Well, besides himself.

The bird didn’t particularly mind either, perhaps finding the entire concept of naming things novel. Hawkie had already gotten used to the weird human long ago, so it just ignored the human’s antics as it looked intently at the Storm Elemental Orb in his hand.

“Anyway, here is the orb,” Jake said as he tossed the orb to Mystie, who easily caught it with some kind of levitation magic. Telekinesis? It looks pretty weak, so likely not used in combat.

Jake saw the two birds continue working after both giving a thankful screech. The human wondered what to do as he looked at the magic circle being redrawn in new patterns. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that it was to allow the use of the Storm Elemental Orb. But it did give him an idea…

“Can you also use the Beastcore?” he asked as he took out the core from the Thunder Roc.

The Mystsong looked at him and the orb for a bit before sadly shaking its small head.

“Is it because it isn’t just pure energy like the orbs?” he asked, pointing between the orbs and the core.

That one got him a nod.

“Say, what if I somehow mess with it a bit and make it more like an orb? Can it then be used?”

This time, he got a confused look from Mystie. Hawkie made some bird noises that caused the female hawk to look at him again with interest before screeching in response.

Yeah, I’m just going to take that as a solid “maybe.”

Now, what did Jake plan on doing? Something he had no idea if he could even do. A bit of a gamble, if you may.

Jake understood that in the eyes of many beasts and pretty much all humans on Earth, a D-grade Beastcore had to be a priceless treasure, but to Jake, it really wasn’t. He would kill countless D-grades in the future, so to mess a bit with one for a mad experiment wasn’t a waste at all in his eyes.

He wanted to see if he could somehow change the core into something useful. And what better way to do that than poison the hell out of it?

But… he wanted to do it in a bit of a unique way. So the cauldron he had taken out wasn’t his usual one, but one he had yet to use.

[Cauldron of Myriad Essences (Epic)] – A cauldron made by infusing a vast array of essences within it, granting it the ability to far more easily and efficiently transform mana affinities. Allows the user to change affinities to elemental affinities the user doesn’t possess himself. The cauldron has very high mana conductivity due to the material and the runes inscribed upon it, but it is somewhat fragile compared to many other types of cauldrons.

Enchantments: Mana conductivity (Very High). Mana Transparency (Medium). Durability (Low). Myriad Essences.

Requirements: Lvl 50+ in any alchemy-related profession.

He wasn’t quite ready yet, though. While this was a mad experiment, he still needed at least some kind of plan or approach. Closing his eyes, he entered meditation and dove into his inner self. More accurately, a small drop of blood within himself.

The drop contained Records of the Malefic Viper that Jake could dive into and explore with his Sagacity of the Malefic Viper. Naturally, it wasn’t all the mighty god’s Records but a mere fraction of a fragment, but that in itself was nearly boundless to an E-grade like him.

And while the knowledge was primarily related to alchemy… not all of it was. As he dove into it, he felt like he got some kind of response. He briefly felt the influence of Villy himself come down and give him a nudge in the direction he was going, his amusement apparent.

Jake found the knowledge wanted as he dove in. Knowledge about Records and, more importantly, the evolution of beasts and how to support them in their evolutions. He didn’t look for a recipe or anything like that, but just an idea.

And an idea he got… but surprisingly, it wasn’t from what was within the blood but the drop itself.

If the Viper can somehow implement Records in a drop of blood like this… can’t I do something similar? Not the same way, but something similar…

Thinking about it, his Thoughtful Meditation on full display as he was entirely in his own little world, didn’t every part of him already contain a part of his Records? Yeah, I’m giving it a go.

Still inspired by his thoughts, he opened the lid of the cauldron and, without any hesitation, poured in his own blood, infused with Blood of the Malefic Viper. Nonchalantly, he threw in the Beastcore and began focusing everything he had on the cauldron.

The blood instantly tried to dig in and corrode the core, but Jake didn’t allow it to. Instead, he began helping the core fight back. This was the reason he’d used this cauldron. The mana he infused into the Beastcore was made to mimic the current mana within it, amplifying it instead of weakening it.

His blood surrounding the core kept trying to dig in, it but instead found itself consumed by the lightning.

Lightning affinity had the inherent ability to break down mana. Getting hit by lightning magic would also destroy the mana of what was within what it hit. This meant that if you used lightning magic on a person, it would drain some of their mana along with their health if you managed to do damage.

What did this mean for his blood? It meant that the lightning from the Beastcore eliminated the mana in the blood around it, draining its toxicity at a rapid pace as Jake allowed it to win out. He wasn’t sure exactly how long it took, but soon the blood was entirely drained of all traces of toxicity and seemed almost inert.

But Jake knew it wasn’t… because it still contained some elements of Jake that the lightning couldn’t destroy. While the lightning could destroy all the mana-based poison, it failed to destroy the poison that was entirely based on vital energy.

This harkened all the way back to the time he’d consumed the amalgamation to pass the Challenge Dungeon with his first real Vitality-based poison. During the Trial of Myriad Toxins, he had been inflicted with even more types of Vitality-based toxins as well as countless other kinds. He had learned from it, and now parts of the poison within his blood were Vitality-based.

He took control of this energy as he began forcing it into the Beastcore, meeting much resistance. With most other kinds of poison eliminated in the blood, it was far easier to isolate what was Vitality-based and move it.

More time passed as Jake slowly infused this vital energy into the Beastcore, careful not to break it. After he was done, he quickly emptied the entire cauldron and once more poured in new blood. He continued the process once more, slowly affecting the Beastcore.

Hawkie and Mystie—these were apparently their official names now—had finished redrawing the circle a few days earlier. The human was still sitting there, doing his weird ritual of sorts. Hawkie had already expressed that this was the same method he’d used to make the small bottles that restored resources or concocted deadly poisons, so Mystie was somewhat interested.

They looked on as he kept working, and on the fourth day, they saw a small smile grow on his lips. The two hawks thought the human was about done, and just as they were trying to inspect closer… something happened. His hands began to glow a dark green color as he injected something into the entire concoction. A few seconds later… they felt a shift.

A presence appeared for but a fraction of a second, but it was enough to make them both completely freeze up and black out for a moment. Like the harbinger of death and destruction itself had appeared, a phantasmal, scaled hand emerged from the void and touched the cauldron before disappearing just as fast.

They both knew it hadn’t actually happened—it was just a representation of a concept or power far beyond their understanding—but what they did know was that a supreme existence was associated with the human. This only further affirmed their decision.

Jake opened his eyes as he was close to finishing the crafting process. He activated Touch of the Malefic Viper for the final push, injecting the most concentrated poison he could. He tried to imitate the Vitality-based poison he had made so long ago, and while it was only partially successful, it got the job done.

His inspiration faded as his smile grew.

The first thing that greeted him was a notification he hadn’t seen in a very long time.

*DING! *: [Malefic Viper’s Poison] has been activated! The transcendent power of the Malefic Viper has forcefully increased the rarity of your creation to Rare, increasing all effects substantially.

It was the kind of passive skill that you so easily forgot. Everything it did, it did behind the scenes. Especially the bonus effect that had just triggered. It was an effect that quite frankly seemed too strong for a mere rare skill… but then again, it barely ever triggered. But when it did, it led to something good.

*You have successfully crafted [Malefic Beastorb (Rare)] – A new kind of creation has been made. Bonus experience earned*

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 72 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 73 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 84 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Two levels may seem like a lot, but Jake had spent four entire days within his Thoughtful Meditation to make the item. It was still above his current average speed, but not by overly much. It wasn’t really him that had crafted a rare item, after all.

Jake knew that what he had created was a Beastorb, an item that beasts could consume much like how humans could consume elixirs. Instead, it often had a different kind of effect… Sometimes it would help them with an affinity, sometimes it would increase a stat, but it would usually do nothing. Well, nothing wasn’t entirely accurate, as it would marginally help the beast’s Records, allowing it to potentially reach higher levels or evolutions than it otherwise would.

When he looked at his specific creation, it didn’t really seem that impressive.

[Malefic Beastorb (Rare)] – A Beastcore of a Thunder Roc that has now been thoroughly infused with vital energy from an outside source and has been forcibly transformed into an orb. It contains the remnant Records of the Thunder Roc and fragmented Records of the alchemist that has crafted it. Unknown effects if consumed. Unknown uses in alchemy. Beneficial effects if consumed by a beast.

Jake took the Beastorb out of the cauldron and showed it to the two birds gawking at him.

“Will this be of any use?”

Chapter 27

Rituals

It took another day to once more reconfigure the magic circle for Jake’s new addition. Both hawks were more than happy with doing the extra work required to use the Beastorb.

Their egg had been slowly fed mana for the last one and a half months as it slowly grew, but here, toward the end, they had slowed it down to do a final push. A final infusion of energy and Records to kickstart the growth and boost their chick’s future potential.

Jake had inadvertently become a part of it all, as he spent most of his time observing the birds redraw the formation while trying to understand how it worked. Quite honestly, he wasn’t doing well, but he did get a few ideas.

He also helped speed the entire thing up a bit by liberally giving out mana potions, allowing Mystie to work even faster.

After the entire thing was done, they all went to their positions. Three focal points were created inside the formation, each corresponding to an item. Of course, Jake was aware of the Beastorb and the Storm Elemental Orb, but he hadn’t been aware of the final item before now.

[Mystbone (Unique)] – A Mystbone granted by the system to the newly integrated 93rd Universe. Contains a vast amount of energy and Records that will allow any beast that consumes it to grow far faster and gain magical skills and abilities related to the path of mysticism.

That… actually answers a lot.

Jake had wondered how there even were so many D-grade beasts on Earth, especially in an area like the cloud continent with only two of them. They clearly didn’t have anything to hunt, so they must have evolved by consuming special items like this or through some kind of natural talent.

He knew that beasts could grow in level without fighting in several ways: consuming special items, through time, or by being in select areas and absorbing the energy in their surroundings. But it appeared that the system—quite literally—also threw them a bone.

From the looks of it, the bone had clearly already been partly consumed. It was doubtlessly what had allowed the Mystsong Hawk to evolve, and now it wanted to use the remaining energy within for its chick.

In the magic circle, Jake was at the Beastorb, Hawkie was at the Storm Elemental Orb, and Mystie was at the bone. While the hawks couldn’t talk to him, he understood what he had to do. He just had to feed mana into the circle and help power it. Mystie would be in charge of everything else.

At this point, he was just taking this all as a learning experience. He got insights into the birth and evolution of beasts and into magic circles of a mystical nature, all while helping out a friend.

Slowly, the formation hummed to life as Mystie began the ritual. All of the Cloud Elemental Orbs began shining as the mana within them was drained. In moments, the interior was entirely covered with extremely dense wind-affinity mana.

Jake felt as if small blades were continually trying to cut his skin. It didn’t cause him any harm, but he could imagine an average human would be cut into little pieces in seconds. All of this incredibly dense energy was slowly being poured into the small egg in the center.

He saw it being filtered before entering the egg, allowing only the densest and most profound energy to affect it.

Around ten minutes later, the second part began. Hawkie lifted its wings as it began channeling mana into the circle, instantly awakening the Storm Elemental Orb.

It erupted with energy as the dense wind-affinity mana was soaked in the potent storm-affinity mana. Small bolts of lightning began jumping back and forth but were quickly eliminated by the formation. Hawkie fell to the ground, exhausted, after fifteen minutes or so as the last bit of lightning disappeared, and now only pure mana and wind-affinity mana remained.

Hawkie quickly downed a mana potion—naturally provided by their resident alchemist—while preparing to help support the circle.

Next up was the Mystsong Hawk, Mystie. It activated the formation with the Mystbone in it. This part was, without a doubt, the simplest for a variety of reasons.

First of all, Mystie was far more accustomed to manipulating the energy found within the bone than any other. The energy within it was also less than the Beastorb and Elemental Orb, as it was mostly drained already.

Clearly, the purpose of this formation had been to infuse the egg with the Mystbone and mana from as many cloud elementals as possible, meaning the formation was primarily designed to accommodate the use of those two. While it had been significantly altered to allow for Jake’s contributions, it wasn’t a complete overhaul.

Deep blue energy exited the bone as it flew through the air, lightly coloring all the wind-affinity mana a teal color. It slowly began filtering into the egg as Mystie also consumed its own mana potion. This part hadn’t taken as long, but the bird had still spent a significant amount of mana keeping the magic circle going from the start.

Finally, it was Jake’s turn. He placed both his hands on two small magic circles on the ground as he began channeling in mana. It didn’t feel that much different from doing alchemy; the main difference was that he didn’t have to actually control it much.

It was just like opening the faucet; the only thing he had to control was the output.

The small Beastorb in his part of the circle cracked and spread its energy just like the Storm Elemental had. Dense lightning ascended, looking very similar to what the Storm Elemental gave off too. It was pretty clear that their source of power was the same—likely the giant lightning tree on the cloud continent.

Slowly, these bolts of lightning were eliminated too, as the mana density only grew. But the mana from the Beastorb was not mainly that of wind or lightning, but pure mana. He had managed to transform all the vital energies within it to his own pure mana, allowing it to mix with the Thunder Roc mana.

Pure mana mixed extremely well into any environment and easily integrated itself with the dense wind-affinity mana. Pure mana was colorless, and the only thing that could make one notice it was the mana density increasing. Yet despite it all being pure mana... a small part of it had a distinct green sheen. It was incredibly faint, but they all noticed it nevertheless. The mana from that green energy felt… ancient.

After all the lightning mana was eliminated, and only wind-affinity and pure mana—albeit some of it with a green sheen—should remain… a third element persisted. Tiny purple sparks that refused to be culled. None of them noticed this—not even Jake, with his immense Perception, or Mystie controlling the formation. They were like pure mana, but… somehow rawer.

They continued to go unnoticed as they were slowly channeled into the egg together with the wind-affinity and pure mana. They were flawlessly integrated with the pure mana and only seemed to help strengthen it.

The ritual continued for hours as the three channeled mana into it and consumed a mana potion whenever possible. The small egg in the middle of it all seemed unchanged while being infused with extremely pure energy and Records.

Jake didn’t exactly know what he was doing but just followed along. He went with the flow as he fed his mana into it and mentally gave his well-wishes to the small chick.

May you grow big and strong and one day peck a dragon to death, Jake thought, going all in with the positive vibes. His version of positive vibes anyway.

The better part of a day later, the ritual completed and the barrier surrounding the magic circle dispersed, revealing Jake, two hawks, and a single egg.

Casper stood and channeled his skills into the steel-like surface as he slowly carved the intricate Magiscript. Each rune was smaller than a fingernail, but it went smoothly with the small pen in this hand. It was quiet work that he enjoyed a lot.

In the corner sat the ghost of a woman in meditation, focused on absorbing the nearby death-affinity mana. The entire area was already slowly getting soaked in it, as the first pillar had been erected not long ago. With the support of the Pylon of Civilization, the spread of death-affinity mana only went faster.

They had been the fourth to claim a Pylon, which, quite honestly, was a lot slower than anticipated. To slay a D-grade this shortly after the integration was nearly unheard of, especially for a relatively small planet like theirs. Sure, there were still billions of survivors, but the vast majority didn’t amount to much, to put it kindly.

A lot of discussions had been had around the camp. The general consensus was that the Holy Church had managed to claim the first and its associated rewards. They mainly reached that conclusion because Casper hadn’t bothered to speak up.

He knew it was Jake. It had to be.

Heck, anything else would be ridiculous. Jake was a Progenitor, and hence he had managed to slay the D-grade during the tutorial and receive first dibs on the associated Pylon. Unless Earth had a second Progenitor, he was bound to be first. Something Casper very much doubted.

One was already far too many for their measly planet. Heck, Casper even knew they weren’t the only humans in the 93rd Universe, and that their population of less than ten billion was considered low.

Yet planet Earth had turned into an epicenter of action, influenced by many outside sources with far more resources poured in than usual for a world their size. All of it had been started by the Primordial Eversmile and further amplified by the Progenitor, Jake. In other words, Casper’s tutorial had brought with it immense benefits and challenges to their entire planet.

He was one such perfect example himself—a human turned undead through a ritual and Challenge Dungeon. Lyra, his ghostly girlfriend, even more so.

Looking over, he Identified her and noticed she had once more grown in level.

[Blightwraith – lvl 73]

The level was high, but the main reason was that… a monster like her tended to level up quickly. In this case, the word “monster” was not used in any derogatory way but simply as a means of classification. Because Lyra truly wasn’t like the others anymore.

She had died during their tutorial. Casper had made a deal to preserve her soul, and that promise had been fulfilled. Her soul had been sealed in a necklace, and Casper would have to find a way to help her himself.

Yet one day, he had been whisked away from his training chamber with an S-rank Archlich. That he was training with such an entity was in itself weird and had made him respected by the other undead, but what happened next was even more surprising to him.

The Blightfather, creator of the enlightened undead race and one of the twelve Primordials, had offered him a blessing and even, with a casual gesture, created a legendary item for him in the form of the locket around his neck.

He’d later found out it was due to Jake being so outstanding that the Primordial even bothered with him. Casper was thankful for that, even if it had placed a lot of undue stress on him.

And if he’d been treated differently for having an S-class teacher before, it sure as hell got worse when the Blightfather blessed him and was amplified further when they saw the name of his ghostly girlfriend’s race: Blightwraith.

Called Noble Ghosts by many, these spirits were of the highest echelon. Blessed with human intelligence from their inception, they would often lead hordes of specters. They could also only be found within the Ghostlands, the homeland of the undead.

This was because they required the power of Blight. It was conceptual energy that only a select few could use, as it was a concept created by the Blightfather himself, hence his name. And as he had transformed Lyra’s soul directly… he had made a monster of the highest echelon.

One would think this would give Lyra respect… but it all went to him. Because she was bound to Casper through his locket, she was considered by most to be an extension of his powers. A… servant of sorts, as much as Casper hated that sentiment.

Speaking of the other humans—or well, Risen Humans… undead—they truly had quite a bunch gathered by now. Nearly ten thousand undead had already reached this settlement, which was quite a lot considering only around one hundred and thirty-five thousand Risen had exited the tutorial.

As undead naturally hadn’t existed before the integration, the system’s way of fixing this was to give everyone who’d died in the last twenty-four hours before integrating a second chance. That had meant around one hundred and fifty thousand undead in total. Some had died during the tutorial, though, so one hundred and thirty-five thousand exited.

But for ten thousand individuals to reach their base within a month would be impossible… if they were all undead. Which, in fact, the majority weren’t. They were just people seeking safety or with family there.

If they hadn’t been undead, they would surely have had way more, but ten thousand was still really good. Many people had worked on crafting small tokens to sense other undead while within the tutorial and handed them out to their fellow Risen.

That was how they’d managed to team up so fast. And the second function of the token was to locate the closest Pylon infused with death-affinity mana.

The purpose of the undead faction wasn’t some large world-scale domination; it was to carve out their own little corner of Earth and create a foothold.

“I am done,” Casper said as he finished up the small metal plate.

Lyra opened her eyes and looked at him. “Great, let’s get going, then! The diggers and earth casters should have the cave prepared by now.”

“Yep,” he said, getting up and stretching a bit.

Lyra didn’t hesitate to fly over to him, give him a small peck on the chin, and jump into the locket.

Walking out of the house, he saw the sun was out. He shielded his eyes, more out of habit than necessity. A few people instantly turned toward him, but he ignored them all as he walked through the bustling village that was quickly turning into a full-on city.

Large houses were under construction everywhere, and walls were being built to keep beasts and other attackers out while at the same time making a great medium to place protective enchants on later.

Casper avoided people as best he could while making his way to the epicenter of the city. There he saw Priscilla, who had clearly been waiting for him.

“Is everything prepared?” she asked, excited.

“Yep.”

“Great work as always, Casper!” she said with a big smile as she playfully went over to him and patted him on the shoulder. More just brushed her hand on him, really.

He felt his locket glow a bit with the ghost’s dissatisfaction. Priscilla noticed it too, but ignored it as she kept smiling.

“You should really focus more on controlling the Blightwraith,” she said nonchalantly. “It would be wrong to waste a gift from the Blightfather.”

Casper didn’t even bother arguing with her. “Her name is Lyra… and she will do fine. I reckon you guys are also done with your part, so let’s go.”

The two of them—three, counting Lyra—entered the central building constructed like a castle. They then headed downwards into deep tunnels beneath the castle until they reached a giant underground cavern.

In the middle was a large pillar with many steel plates on it, all of them made by Casper earlier. The wall around the cavern had also been reinforced with metal, and they were even covered in intricate scripts. The entire cavern was a giant ritual chamber. They had moved the pillar there earlier that day, and this cavern had been made with one purpose in mind.

Allowing the living to join the dead.

Chapter 28

Taking Charge

Jake had asked a straightforward question before leaving to fight the Storm Elemental. “What’s in it for me?”

Now, in all honesty, Jake had kind of forgotten this after fighting the Storm Elemental and getting emotionally invested in helping with the egg and all that stuff. He had even gained an upgrade to his archery skill and a few levels, so he’d already gained plenty.

Thus, he was surprised when the two hawks offered him their payment…

Jake was currently flying rather slowly back toward his small city, carefully holding the small egg with both hands close to his chest as if afraid of dropping it. He was pretty sure it was more durable than a rock, but he didn’t dare risk anything.

He had a hawk on each side, following him nonchalantly while keeping an eye on him.

It turned out his payment was twofold, though Jake was unsure if either of them even qualified as payment. The first thing was the egg itself. The mother and father bird had pushed for him to pick it up and carry it. They would clearly still follow, but he felt like they were trying to push a parental role on him.

The second reward was the birds themselves, according to what he could gather. They clearly weren’t that attached to their nest, as they both just motioned for Jake to lead the way once they were done with everything.

Jake wasn’t quite sure what to do with all of this. A peak E-grade bird and an early D-grade were both willingly following him back to his small base of humans. A base where the strongest was Neil… and in all honesty, Jake had a strong feeling that Hawkie could give him and his entire team a run for their money… with Mystie naturally able to beat the living shit out of them.

The entire egg situation was also a lot to handle. What did the two hawks expect of him? He couldn’t just carry around the egg like this forever, and he couldn’t put it in his spatial storage either, as it counted as a living thing.

It was very close to hatching after the ritual, so… maybe they just wanted to relocate their nest to his city? Yeah, that made sense. And as Jake was the only one of them with hands, he would surely be the best to carry the egg. Yeah, let’s go with that, Jake thought, trying to delude himself.

The journey back was very relaxed. The two birds and one human had already spent a few hours resting after the ritual to regenerate some resources before heading off, so it wasn’t that they were tired.

They all just enjoyed a relaxing flight, Hawkie still giving small pointers here and there but clearly not daring to peck Jake anymore. Not because it was afraid of his mighty power, mind you, but because he was carrying the egg.

Jake wondered how the small city had developed while he was gone. They’d had around sixty people when he left, and he doubted they had gained many more. It was located in a very remote location, and it wasn’t like they were actually recruiting. Well, he didn’t actually know if they were… He was a bit hands-off.

It had been more than two weeks since he left, leaving Miranda, Neil, and Hank to deal with everything. He wasn’t afraid of some disaster happening with Neil and his party around… besides, his gut told him things were fine.

The entire city thing was very paradoxical. On the one hand, he was aware that having a bustling city under his ownership could earn him countless rewards, but on the other hand… it did sound like a lot of “stuff” to deal with.

Well, a lot for Miranda to deal with… He chuckled, getting a glance from both hawks, who didn’t even bother questioning the human’s weirdness anymore.

He should probably be a bit less of a shitty boss and at least hear her concerns. Go the whole visionary/guru leadership style? Well, with less pretentiousness.

Jake already had his next plan made, and this one included staying put for a while, so he should have time to deal with some making-a-magical-city-in-the-middle-of-a-forest stuff.

Jake spotted the familiar trees and the small hole in the canopies that marked his valley in the distance. He felt them enter the Pylon range soon after, both birds clearly also noticing the peculiarity of the area.

“Relax, this is my area,” he explained.

While it wasn’t a very elaborate explanation, they both just accepted it without further questions as they followed him down to the valley below. Jake saw that the barrier around the lodge was still active, and from the looks of it, no one had come there since he left.

Well, maybe Miranda had, but that was fine. He didn’t know if some of her skills required proximity to the Pylon or something like that, but the fact that there weren’t many signs of activity meant they didn’t have to take refuge in the lodge.

Jake looked at the lodge as he walked through the barrier without any issues. The two birds outside tried to follow but were unable to get through. Yet, just as Jake thought about how to let them through, they could suddenly enter.

Both of them looked at him, confused, but he just shrugged. “System stuff.”

An explanation that even the birds bought wholesale.

Inside the lodge, Jake could see that he was mistaken about one thing… There had been people there. Several pieces of wooden furniture were placed around the lodge, such as a table and chairs. They had even moved the bookshelves he had placed inside to a better spot.

Jake saw that the chair close to the bookshelves had been used and reckoned it was Miranda that had come there to read and check out the books. She likely didn’t dare take the books out of the lodge, as it was his property… not that he would have minded.

The two birds jumped on the floorboards as they slowly made their way toward him. They looked around curiously, Mystie going over to one of the walls and leaning in real close. Jake was pretty sure the bird was looking at whatever magic Hank had used to reinforce the building, but he couldn’t be sure.

“Well, if you two are settling here, I think the valley would be the best place. It’s meant to be my private area, so there shouldn’t be others coming in here that often. Make a nest somewhere, and… please take back the egg?”

Jake still stood awkwardly, holding the egg cupped in both hands. He hated feeling like he was carrying precious porcelain, but he couldn’t just put it down somewhere…

The birds gave each other a playful look before they jumped out of the house, completely ignoring Jake. You better make a nest, or I will make an omelet… Oh, who am I kidding…

Jake went into the bedroom and sat down on the bed, carefully bundling up the blanket and making a nest-like shape to place it in. Does it need heat like a regular egg? It shouldn’t, right?

That and many other difficulties bothered Jake as he saw the two birds land on top of his lodge in his sphere. They appeared to look around while making bird sounds at each other, both flying off in different directions.

The poor human stayed in the lodge as the two hawks found a nice spot to place down their new nest. Jake patted the egg with his hand, feeling how warm it was and the dense energy within it. It had changed slightly after the ritual but still looked like a normal egg in most ways.

Time ticked by as Jake sank parts of his consciousness into the environment to inspect the area affected by the Pylon. He could only get a general feeling that the area affected had expanded and not much more. He reckoned Miranda had better skills to manage the city than him due to her profession.

And speaking of Miranda… the woman had just arrived at the entrance to the valley. He didn’t know if she knew he was there, so he did the polite thing and got up. He bundled up the blanket and the egg as he carried them out the door.

Miranda had been meeting with Hank about the newly finished longhouse and who to assign to it. They had gained a small group of fifteen or so survivors who had stumbled on their city by accident. Well, not entirely by accident, as they had a caster with a mana-sensing skill like her own, and he had noticed the peculiarity of the area.

That was when she sensed a presence enter the area affected by the Pylon. The massive presence made her shiver internally, and she tried to keep her calm. She already knew from experience that she couldn’t detect when the owner was there… so this was clearly something more.

She wasn’t sure if there were one or two… but she had to somehow not panic. The issue was... they were making their way straight toward the Pylon.

Are they trying to take it away?

Her first thoughts were logical. Whatever had entered was far stronger than anything before. Even compared to the combined aura of Abby and all her goons, this felt far more dangerous. Yet her intuition skill didn’t react at all. Of course, it was entirely possible that whatever had come was too strong for her skill to work on, but she had to do something.

Steeling her emotions, she excused herself from the meeting—earning a worried look from Hank, who had clearly noticed something was off.

She rushed out of the building as she made her way to the valley. She felt that the presences were already there… right at the Pylon.

Carefully, she snuck over, as it felt like the invaders were searching the area. At this point, she was sure there were more than one. All she wanted to do was confirm that the barrier was still there… Neil and his party were out currently, but they should return in only a few hours. If they stay occupied until then, maybe we can… can…

She froze when the lodge entered her line of sight and she saw the owner sitting on the steps leading up to the lodge’s small veranda. He was cuddling a blanket with a small egg in it, looking over at her.

Next, she saw two birds land on the roof of the lodge, their combined aura bearing down on her. She couldn’t help but use Identify them, getting a much-expected response for the first one…

[Galesong Hawk – lvl ??]

But she tensed up when she saw the second.

[Mystsong Hawk – lvl ???]

That… D-grade?

What the hell was happening?

“Oh, hey, Miranda,” Jake said as he waved to the woman who stood frozen, just staring at him and his feathered friends. “Come on over; these two aren’t going to do anything. Right?”

He asked the last part to the two birds, who looked curiously down at the female human. They did the bird version of shrugging before continuing to assemble a nest in one of the smaller trees close to the lodge.

Miranda slowly walked over and watched the not-D-grade-bird summon wind magic to cut the tree into their desired shape, gradually assembling a nest-like structure on top of it.

“What is going on here?” she asked, confusion clear on her face.

“Ah… well, the Galesong Hawk is my friend Hawkie, and the other one is Mystie, his mate. This is their egg.” He showed off the small egg in his bundle of blankets. “I helped them do some things, and now they decided to stay here.”

The woman stood still, trying to process all of it. She took a few moments before finally asking, “Is the Mystsong Hawk D-grade?”

“Yeah?” Jake answered, a bit confused. Wait, was the question rhetorical? It didn’t sound rhetorical.

“Are you certain about this? Isn’t it… dangerous?”

“Why would it be? Unless people are stupid and annoy her too much, I doubt she would bother with a bunch of E-grade humans. Besides, she understands that this is my territory, and we play by my rules.”

The hawk gladly affirmed this with a shriek. Without noticing, both Hawkie and Mystie had truly recognized Jake as the superior being among them. The fact that he was the strongest, or at least able to kill enemies they couldn’t, helped to cement that.

“I… how?” Miranda asked, still trying—and failing—to understand the entire situation. Had he tamed a goddamn D-grade beast or what?

“As I said, I helped them. More specifically, I killed a D-grade elemental for the two of them, and then I helped them with a ritual for this little guy.” Jake once more displayed the egg.

“Al… alright,” Miranda said, rubbing her brows. She could feel a headache coming on but decided to focus on the matter at hand instead. “If the situation is safe, can we talk? Quite a few things have happened during your absence.”

“Sure, let’s head inside,” he said as he got up and led Miranda into the lodge, where they both sat at the table.

Miranda began explaining what had been going on while he was gone and informed him about the newcomers, her steps to root out potential troublemakers, and their current construction projects.

He was happy to hear that they had marked his valley as off-limits, as he did like his privacy. He also didn’t doubt that a D-grade beast and its mate now living there would help keep people away.

Constructing longhouses was also a good idea for now, and he agreed wholeheartedly with leaving most trees standing to not ruin the foresty mood. It also helped the area in general by providing cover from above, and he was sure some classes or professions could use the trees for something beneficial.

Next, Miranda talked about their plans of expansion and their plans of contacting the nearby fort. Or, well, she was more asking Jake permission.

“We don’t know how many people are there or their levels, but it should be at least a few hundred… maybe even a few thousand. It could prove dangerous to have them integrate with us without our whole base just becoming assimilated. If they truly outnumber us by that many, it wouldn’t be weird if they demanded some kind of leadership position, maybe even the title of City Lord, and if—”

“Miranda,” Jake said, “I appointed you City Lord—end of story. If you want to give them positions with influence, it’s up to you, not me. Just don’t abdicate your position without at least asking me first if you don’t want it anymore.”

“It isn’t like that… I am just unsure how we are to deal with overwhelming numbers. We aren’t even a hundred people, and they will likely have tens of times our number. If they oppose us, they—”

“Then they can fuck off. Period. This is our city, my city. If they can’t accept that, they can just stay where they are. I am fine with allowing them to come… but it’s on our terms.”

“I think it will be hard for people to accept that…”

“Well, tough shit. The world has changed. And I have a pretty good idea how to convince them.” He smiled. “Tomorrow morning at dawn.”

“Huh?” she exclaimed, confused.

“We go and give them the offer tomorrow. Gather those you think should come.”

“Are you coming along?” Miranda asked, a bit expectant.

“Yeah, I am,” he answered with a slight chuckle as he looked out the window and saw the nest just about done. “And I think I’ll bring a friend.”

Chapter 29

Jake & Mystie Airlines

“We’ll be back later today, Hawkie, so just take care. If things get dangerous, just go into the lodge with the egg. I doubt anything can really destroy that thing in a short amount of time.” Jake gave the egg a final pat before parting.

Hawkie gave an affirming screech as Jake and Mystie prepared themselves to leave. Well, there weren’t really any preparations besides telling Hawkie to take care of the soon-to-be chick.

After Miranda left last night, Jake had gotten a good night’s sleep, and this morning, he went for a bath in the pond, cleaning himself properly. He felt great, even if he was a bit worried about what he was about to do.

Of course, he planned to have Miranda do most of the talking, but he still felt unsure about approaching strangers. Yet he knew he had to do it if he wanted to improve the small outpost that was their city. Miranda clearly wanted to make some kind of contact; she just needed that final push.

So Jake would support her by standing behind her as she went to negotiate. They’d make it absolutely clear that while they didn’t have to be allies, they sure as hell wouldn’t want to make Jake and his little city an enemy.

He knew that he would be a bit intimidating himself, but more due to mysteriousness. He was intimidating because he was an unknown threat. It was a lot easier to just bring a known threat along. Such as a D-grade beast.

Yeah, this is just work. Regular old office work where you have to visit a potential customer, so you bring your best people. Yep, totally normal. Also, using animals in marketing is also not out of the ordinary.

Jake did a lot of mental gymnastics to justify it in his head, but ultimately, they would without a doubt be seen as a threatening invading force. He just wanted to make sure that they were the kind of invading force that didn’t result in the other side thinking they could actually put up a fight. No, they would be the kind of invading force where you just gave up and let them in.

Mystie flew around above him as he walked out of the valley, finally getting a good look at the small settlement still under construction. They had already made three longhouses and were planning on another.

The fifteen newcomers had also begun making some smaller buildings for themselves, having quite the versatile caster with earth magic among them. Hank had apparently given them the approval to do this and told them where they could make it and how big it could be.

It appeared that Miranda and Hank had the whole construction thing well under control and had even done city planning. No doubt Miranda got experience from doing such things, and chances were Hank would get some too as a builder.

A few people noticed him and threw him a cautious gaze before scurrying away. Jake was wearing his mask and full getup, not comfortable walking about with his face out in the open. Miranda had also emphasized that keeping up his aura of mysteriousness was beneficial to her. It made it all a lot easier when he seemed like an unapproachable entity that only she could manage rather than if he was just another random person living there. Even if he was strong.

Today, he amplified that aura of mysteriousness and power even more as the Mystsong Hawk descended from above the trees and landed on his outstretched arm. As he was practically in the middle of the settlement with nearly a dozen people throwing glances his way, it sure made a bit of an uproar.

Miranda came out of the central building, a large two-story wooden building that served as the City Lord’s residence and office, and threw him a slightly admonishing smile for his theatrics but still greeted him with respect as she put on her professional persona.

“Sir, the expedition force is gathered inside, if you and your companion would follow me,” she said with a bow as she motioned toward the office building.

Jake followed her into the building, which was already covered with a barrier of sorts. Jake quickly recognized it as Neil’s work, and a quick inspection made him aware of its functions. It was quite simple, actually, just blocking out sound.

The office windows were also enchanted with something that allowed them to switch from see-through to one-way. It was quite nice and impressive that they have constructed it all in such a short time span. Skills and magic were sure a gamechanger for the construction industry.

Inside, he saw Neil and his party as well as a scarred woman he recognized as part of Abby’s entourage and a man he hadn’t seen before. He reckoned he was one of the newcomers.

“Most of you know him, but this is the owner of the city,” Miranda said, introducing Jake. Yet the people’s attention wasn’t on Jake but the hawk sitting on his arm.

Neil looked shocked, while Christen subtly moved Silas behind her and Eleanor took a step back to create a bit of distance between them. Levi was the only one that didn’t move much, but he did slightly move his hand toward his sword.

The scarred woman and the man Jake didn’t recognize both reacted wildly different. The scarred woman barely reacted, while the man took several steps back with a frightened expression and spoke up.

“Is the owner a beast!?” he said with disbelief as he looked at the hawk.

What? Jake thought. Wait, did he think he was the servant of the bird or something?

“Of course not; this Mystsong Hawk is the owner’s companion,” Miranda answered, clearly experiencing a sense of schadenfreude toward the man.

Jake got the impression that he was the annoying type.

“The Mystsong Hawk is D-grade, is it not?” Neil asked after collecting himself. His party also calmed down, as clearly nothing was going to happen. “Truly surprising… This is my first time seeing a D-grade beast up close. Quite the aura…”

Jake looked at Neil and used Identify, seeing that the space mage had also grown a bit over the last few weeks.

[Human – lvl 57]

He had been level 53 when Jake first met him two or so weeks ago, and while four levels didn’t seem like a lot, it was a decent pace. Everyone in his party had grown a few levels, though he guessed the majority were from profession levels.

They had insinuated that they wanted to take a break, and Miranda had said that they had spent nearly all their time within the small city. They had been on the run for a while, based on what Neil had explained, so it made sense that they wanted to relax. Not everyone was a junkie for improving themselves and finding new challenges like Jake.

Miranda, noticing that Jake didn’t plan on saying anything, continued the conversation. “Sir, these two are Lillian and Miquel. Lillian has taken the role of my assistant, and Miquel was the leader of our newest arrival of citizens. He led a small caravan of sixteen people to join.”

Jake just gave them both a nod before walking into the room and taking a seat on one of the chairs. All the furniture in the room looked new, which made sense… as it was.

He Identified the people around the room and got a feel for their levels.

[Human – lvl 49]

Miquel was level 49, which was quite respectable. He had likely been above 40 by the end of the tutorial, making him well ahead of the curve. Of course, he was still beaten by people like Neil and his party and monsters like Jake, but he was better than someone like Hank. Hank had been considered strong in his tutorial’s context by being barely level 30, so it did make sense that Miquel would be looked to as a leader.

[Human – lvl 34]

Next was Lillian at level 34. He didn’t remember what level she’d been before or if he had even Identified her, but he was pretty sure she was quite a bit lower than that. Is assistant to the City Lord a profession? he asked himself before noting the level of said City Lord.

[Human – lvl 41]

Despite the relatively low level, Jake found it very impressive. When he left last time, she’d been level 34, and now she had grown seven race levels in total. Her profession clearly grew at an impressive speed, but Jake had also heard from her that she had gained class levels too. She still hadn’t evolved her class before, so the levels came easy with the many bonus stats.

It was good that her level had improved. It would give her more credibility to be of a high level, and of course, the stats would make her stronger and make it easier for her to defend the city. While she wasn’t much of a fighter, Jake was sure that there existed ways for people to fight even without direct confrontations.

The lighting in the room was done by a small crystal-like stone hanging from the ceiling. Jake reckoned it was the work of some profession he didn’t yet know of, so he just ignored it as Miranda began laying out their plan. Everyone had calmed down and at least partly adapted to the presence of the D-grade bird.

“We will approach the fort with the people we have here and establish contact,” she said. “As I explained, we will offer them to come here for refuge and help build the city. But it will be on our terms and our terms only.”

“Some diplomatic concession should be made if we don’t want to create dissatisfaction, and if a large number of individuals come, it will be hard to not give some political power to them… It would be easier to just approach with a promise of partnership,” Miquel said, still throwing glances at Mystie.

“I discussed this with the owner… and there will be no concessions,” Miranda said firmly.

“But what if—”

“None,” Miranda reaffirmed. “If we—or more specifically, I—find it beneficial for the city to give them influential roles, I will do so. But it will be at our discretion, not a concession.”

“Are you sure about this?” Neil said, looking a bit worried. “This seems like a very heavy-handed approach…”

“We aren’t forcing any of them to come here; we are offering it. While we do need them, based on the reports that your own team brought back, they need us even more.”

“That is true…” Neil said as he sat silently in contemplation.

“Do we even have the capacity for them to come here if they all choose to?” Eleanor asked. “While I couldn’t get a good headcount, the fort is big, and I saw a lot of movement… I doubt they have anything less than two thousand people.”

“I am sure they will gladly help shape the city as founding citizens and contribute to the construction,” Miranda said. “We made it without houses for a while, and so can they. We already have a new longhouse prepared we can use if they have some people with special needs, and construction is fast.

“As for land to build on, there are no issues there either. We have plenty of space on the ground within the owner’s domain, and Hank and I have also considered building vertically. The trees are far more robust than anything before the system, and I am sure some profession or classes can make the idea of building on them feasible.”

While she spoke, Jake just sat there stoically, Mystie didn’t bother much with the conversation either, but rather inspected the peculiar enchants around the building. Jake was actually very invested in what she said, mainly because he had to admit that the thought of giant magical treehouses sounded awesome.

“If that many people come, we will have issues with security… They will just assimilate us, and it will be us joining them and not the other way around,” Miquel said. “What stops them from just claiming leadership?” He was clearly against the idea of even making contact with the fort.

“Why are you here?” Jake asked. It was the first time he spoke, and it got a small jump out of the man.

“I came here with my companions and—”

“I am talking about this room. Why are you here?” Jake clarified.

“As a representative of my comrades and me, I—”

“You are here because Miranda allowed you to be,” Jake finally said, answering the question for the man. “And so will you leave if she tells you to. They will be no different.”

The man looked like he wanted to say something more but didn’t dare to. Jake understood his perspective; he truly did. He just didn’t agree with it, not anymore. Miranda had also begun to come around, likely empowered by having him support her.

Jake could totally see the other side wanting to fight… and if they did, he would be sure to instantly crush their spirits. He and Mystie would release their auras, perhaps an attack or two—that should be enough to stop the opposition from daring to fight.

It was like showing up to a fistfight in a tank. Sure, the other side could have many times more people, but they sure as hell weren’t going to start punching the vehicle.

The rest of the discussion centered around their general method behind their approach before leaving the building and setting out. Miquel was coming along together with two other men from his entourage. Both were level 39, so they weren’t that bad, but not good either.

It would only take a few hours to cross the one hundred and thirty or so kilometers with their fast speed, though to Jake and Mystie, it was slow as hell.

Who even walks places these days? Jake jokingly thought as they set out.

Eleanor explained a bit on their way about the area’s layout and the harassment of beasts that the fort dealt with.

After having walked only for fifteen minutes, Jake could clearly feel Mystie growing restless. Jake made eye contact with the bird that was flying overhead and saw its annoyance and slight anxiety. It wasn’t hard for him to piece together that the mama-bird was worried for the egg back home and wanted to get this over with as fast as possible.

Jake looked up at the bird, and it looked at him questioningly. The human understood right away.

“This is too slow,” Jake said. “Let’s fly.”

They all turned to look at him, confused, as Jake summoned his two wings. Miquel and his two followers looked frightened, with the others only looked a bit surprised.

Jake began weaving two solid ropes of mana as he motioned for Miranda and Lillian to come over. At the same time, Mystie touched down on the ground.

The Mystsong Hawk shone in a magical light as mana extended out from her figure toward Neil and his party, along with Miquel and his two men.

“Don’t resist,” Jake said, not even considering that Miquel and his two followers didn’t have any idea how to properly resist foreign mana.

Jake wrapped his own two ropes around Miranda and Lillian as he lifted them off the ground. He had practiced lifting boulders for so damn long, and it was finally time to put that training to use.

Skillfully, Mystie took to the air with eight people in tow, some of them trying to suppress screams as they were forcefully lifted.

Jake, on the other hand, struggled quite a bit to keep the ropes stable. Not in the sense that they wouldn’t break, but in the sense that it would be very… uncomfortable for the two women to be lifted as if were they just tied to him, dangling beneath his flying figure.

It took him a bit longer, but soon they took to the air—a winged human and a magical blue hawk flying with ten people telekinetically lifted along.

Chapter 30

One-Sided Negotiation

Jake concentrated as he flew with Miranda and Lillian in tow. It took quite the toll to keep himself moving fluidly and make sure that the two women weren’t tossed around by any sudden pulling. He couldn’t do the tactic where he just touched them with mana since it wouldn’t work on living beings, so he had to use the mana ropes.

Mystie had just used her mana to directly affect the outer layer of the eight people’s bodies; it was an application of mana far above Jake’s own. He wasn’t even sure if it was a skill. But hey, the bird was D-grade; it only made sense.

He already knew that the Mystsong Hawk had a larger mana pool than himself by quite a margin from the ritual. Once more, not surprising, considering it was a D-grade beast focused solely on magic. He did take some inspiration and visibly improved while flying, making the ride for Miranda and Lillian a bit smoother.

Miranda looked like she was using every sliver of her willpower to remain calm, while Lillian looked relaxed, like being carried after a winged human wasn’t that far-fetched. Jake couldn’t help but think about what kind of shit Abby had dragged that entire group through…

Neil and his party also all looked relatively calm. They were more experienced and had spent plenty of time doing teleportation and whatnot. Of course, it also helped that Mystie was a pretty damn smooth flyer and mana controller.

As for Miquel and his goons… they looked like they were contemplating the life choices that had led to them being carried through the air by a bird that could kill them at any point if it got annoyed. At least they had the decency to remain still to not make it harder on Mystie.

The trip that should have taken hours was completed in thirty-five minutes—fifteen minutes of that spent walking when they first began, and the rest finished soaring through the air.

They landed a few kilometers from the forest but still a fair distance from the fort. The area included the same plains that Jake had traveled initially to reach the woods, but another section. This part had many more hills, and the grass was rather tall in most places.

It actually reminded him a bit of the Lucenti Plains… though no stags or deer anywhere. Well, he did spot a few from above when flying over the forest, but none of the Lucenti variant.

Touching down, Jake—pretty elegantly, if he had to say so himself—put down Lillian and Miranda. Mystie landed together with him, depositing all eight human packages on the ground too. A bit harder than Jake, as one of Miquel’s men fell on his butt.

“Alright, that was awesome,” Christen said, not minding her ruffled hair. “I want wings now.”

“I am sure there are ways to fly or at least levitate without wings,” Levi said. “Heck, I can nearly fly with my wind-armor.”

“Who cares,” Neil jokingly said while trying to get his hair under control. “Teleportation is way better.”

Eleanor and Silas both just shook their heads. Silas did go over and check if Miquel and his two followers needed any help, but they were clearly okay, just a bit shocked at the entire situation.

Why did we even bring them along? Jake wondered. Well, it was Miranda who had decided who would go, so it was on her.

Bringing Neil and his party, Jake understood. They were all useful to some degree and relatively strong. They worked well as a team, and there was something to say about power in numbers. Also, it would allow Jake to not bother with weaker things and just let them handle it.

Their band of eleven people and one bird walked the rest of the way at a more-than-steady pace. It didn’t make sense to just casually stroll when they all had rather high stats, so it didn’t take long for the fort to enter their view after passing over a small hilltop.

Jake observed it with his high Perception, allowing him to practically zoom in on it; he quickly got a grasp of the fort.

It was large and had clearly been some kind of medieval exhibit or maybe even an event spot before the world changed. It didn’t look damaged in the least, but looked like an old fort from the 1600s transported to the present day.

The fort was the kind of defensive structure built in the past, with functionality prioritized over aesthetics. The walls were thick, placed on the top of a hill with an open view of all sides. It looked very easily defensible.

A good spot. Jake nodded internally, approving of those who had taken refuge there. The old cities were dangerous, as they had many nooks and crannies for monsters to lurk in. Powerful beasts didn’t necessarily have to be large—Hawkie and Mystie, case in point.

But... the fort also had its issues. Not many beasts were in the surroundings, and it was the only structure for many kilometers. Jake guessed it had wells for water since the ground was well moisturized, and hunting beasts were, of course, an option when it came to nutrients.

After evolving, humans needed way less food or water. Jake practically didn’t need either at E-grade, and whatever he did need, he got through eating random herbs for his Palate of the Malefic Viper. Eating was instead done to gain potential benefits from the food or to regenerate resources faster.

Breathing was a bit of the same. Breathing increased both mana and stamina regeneration by a very minor amount by drawing in some of the atmospheric mana. Jake didn’t know if all living things had some kind of hidden ability to transform it into helpful mana and stamina, but clearly, it worked.

Water was, of course, in the same boat.

But that was for E-grade. F-grades still needed some food, and with so many people, there were bound to be many F-grades to feed. The environment, such as the wind and weather, wasn’t an issue for any humans, really, as the body’s natural resistance made regular sickness a thing of the past.

I guess that also confirms viruses and bacteria don’t get levels, Jake thought as he stood there, considering all these things. Oh, but fungi does… Oh, shit, I can already imagine someone getting a fungal infection from some high-level mushroom… like that D-grade Indigo-fucker… I really need to get rid of that damn thing.

“Sir?” Miranda asked as she watched Jake just stand there, staring into the distance. The fort was little more than a small blob in the distance, even with her relatively high stats.

“Let’s go,” Jake said, coming out of his stupor but not forgetting that the mushroom would soon meet its maker. But first, time to do some one-sided negotiations.

Jake gave Mystie a nod and the bird summoned several runes that swirled around her. First, he felt her aura disappear, and then she vanished from sight, turning invisible. Damn those magic birds and their many tricks.

Of course, Jake himself could still see Mystie. Not with his eyes, but in his sphere. He had long ago realized that all those magical techniques didn’t work against it. Like back in the sewer dungeon, where his sphere had just been too damn overpowered.

They had decided to have Mystie remain hidden, at least in the beginning. This was mainly due to the encounter with Miquel, who somehow got the idea that the bird was controlling them or that they were willingly serving it. Actually, considering the magic bird, that could totally be true.

Eleven people and one—now invisible—bird made quick progress toward the fort in the distance. As they passed the hill and came within line of sight from the fort, Jake felt it. A gaze had landed upon them from a distance, and he returned the look.

A human stood on the fort’s wall in the distance and looked through something that resembled binoculars. Jake made eye contact with the man through the device, and he saw the man quickly turn away in fright as he turned to yell something. Of course, Jake was too far away to tell what he said, and lip-reading wasn’t in his skillset. Does lip-reading even work correctly with the translation skill? It should… shouldn’t it?

“We have been spotted,” Eleanor said a few seconds later. Jake had already seen a few more people appear on the wall, and it was likely that movement she had caught.

An aura of nervousness spread in the group, and Jake purposely walked so that he was all the way in the back. Miranda and Lillian took the front with the party of five, and Miquel and his two goons followed at the sides.

Their speed was fast even though they didn’t rush, and soon they saw something coming their way.

A small drone was flying toward them with a net hanging beneath it. Jake saw that the small net held what looked like a walkie-talkie. Well, this is unexpected…

He hadn’t encountered much technology since his return to Earth… In fact, he had encountered none. Back when he made his way out of the city, he had spotted some people with tools that resembled more modern weaponry, but he hadn’t thought much of it.

None of those with Abby or Miquel had any modern weapons either. All were using the same medieval weapons as Jake and the others. Yet now he saw a drone flying toward him. The others were also surprised but quickly collected themselves as Miranda stepped forward.

The drone floated down, clearly remote-controlled. It was a quadcopter-type, but Jake did notice something when it got closer. He felt mana coming off it. A magic drone… nice.

Not seeing a camera on it, Jake wondered how the person controlling it knew where to go. Though he had to guess that the individual controlling it had a skill to make it all possible. It made him wonder if it was a profession or class or maybe someone with great synergy between the two. Robot builder or engineer coupled with a class for controlling them? These were just some of the distracting thoughts jumping around his head as Miranda got to the actual negotiation part.

Miranda threw a glance back at the masked man before the drone landed, hovering with the net and holding the walkie-talkie right in front of her. He gave her a small nod as she took it out of the net. Without any prompt, a voice came out of it.

“Please identify yourself,” the voice said in a rather authoritative tone.

The woman picked up the walkie-talkie and inspected it for a while. Her face was stoic as she said, “I must admit, I believed all technology to be gone, but then again, it was only a matter of time before human ingenuity allowed them to recreate things. Tell me, how does this device work?”

“… A craftsman made it. Now identify yourself and your intentions for coming here.” The speaker sounded a bit surprised at Miranda’s casual demeanor and question.

Miranda smiled, as she had already considered her approach before coming here. She had come to realize that they genuinely did hold all the cards. The question had never been if the forest was a better settlement than out here or if it was worth it for the fort’s humans to join them. It unquestionably was.

No, the issue had always been the disparity in numbers and the fear of diluting her own influence. But… the masked man had opened her eyes to how little that mattered now. No matter what happened, he would be in charge. No leader would be appointed without his say-so. She could be replaced if he so wished… and she wouldn’t be replaced if he opposed it.

She had utter faith in the owner’s capabilities too. She had spent plenty of time with Neil and his party ever since they joined their little city, and he had also spoken of D-grades and how they were all absolutely monstrous existences. They knew they wouldn’t stand a chance against one. He’d told her that the Disciple of Kallox in the tutorial he was in had also served as the final boss. That disciple was only a projection of what the disciple had been capable of just after entering D-grade… and that had been enough to dispel any thoughts both he and Abby ever had to challenge him, as well as cementing how powerful D-grades were.

Yet the masked owner had casually waltzed in with a D-grade bird companion that he called Mystie, and the D-grade beast clearly listened to him. She saw the relationship between them… and it was clear that it viewed the owner as superior in power.

So with that in mind, she realized that she indeed held all the cards in this negotiation. Would they like more people in the city? Sure. Did they need it? No. There was plenty of time for people to come naturally, like Miquel.

This entire thing was them offering something to the fort. Not the other way around. In fact, it couldn’t even be called a negotiation… It was just extending an invitation and proving how much the fort truly needed them.

With all that in mind, Miranda happily answered the man at the other end of the walkie-talkie with her preprepared sales speech.

“My name is Miranda Wells, City Lord of a nearby settlement. We have come to offer you and the other residents in the fort a place of refuge and a safe zone to build a home, away from the hordes of monsters. A place where no beasts dare enter.”

What followed was silence from the other end for five or so seconds before a voice came from the other end. One different from the first. “I find that sentiment hard to believe. Moreover, we have not noticed any settlements in our immediate surroundings.”

“That is understandable; there is a bit of a way there,” Miranda said with a light smile. “Of course, we would also assist with travel as much as we can. But who might I be speaking with now?”

“Phillip Morgan, the one currently in charge of this settlement.”

“Well, nice to meet you, Phillip,” Miranda said. “How about we stop playing telephone and have a sit-down to discuss things?”

Once more, there was hesitation on the other end. Miranda had thrown the ball in their court. They would have to admit weakness if they prevented a small group with less than a dozen from approaching, or they would get a face-to-face meeting.

“I am uncertain if that is wise,” the voice said from the other end. “I believe it is safer for all parties to negotiate at a distance, free from the interference of any skills that could affect the situation.”

Ah… a cautious one, Miranda thought. She hadn’t considered that one. It was actually quite wise to use a drone and communicate like this to avoid any auras or other mental skills. Heck, she had an aura herself that made her appear more trustworthy, as well as some other things she had gained with her Principal City Lord profession.

“While I do certainly respect and even applaud your caution… I can assure you, we did not come here with any intention of bringing harm to anyone,” Miranda said. “We only wish to extend this offer and talk it over. Fighting would be unproductive for both sides. So with that in mind… see you in a bit.”

She threw the walkie-talkie in the net of the drone, gave it a friendly wave, and turned to the others. “Let’s go.”

Miranda couldn’t help but throw a look toward the masked man, who stood with his eyes closed. Once she laid her eyes upon him, he opened them and looked straight back at her, making eye contact. He gave a small nod, seeming to approve of her way of doing things…

Feeling a lot more confident in her actions, Miranda turned toward the fort with a big smile.

Chapter 31

Phillip

If anyone had asked Jake how confident he was in their current strategy, he would give it a solid eight out of ten. Miranda had shown an adequate amount of courtesy without seeming weak or meek while also making their position clear.

She had emphasized that they were not coming as enemies but to negotiate. The strategy revolved around not needing to fight or even having to reveal Mystie. No, Mystie and Jake were the backup plans if things went south and the primary strategy failed.

But… Jake also knew one other little snippet of information: ninety percent of all strategies fail.

The primary cause of failure was outside sources, or emergent factors from within that didn’t conform with the organization’s existing culture. Individual actors taking on roles to operationalize undiscussed tactics.

Such as shooting a bullet straight toward them.

Now, individual actors making these decisions sometimes had severe negative impacts on the organization as a whole—a media manager making a lousy tweet or a salesman trying to go off-script and losing a big client. But sometimes, it ended up having close to no impact, as the actor simply didn’t have enough institutional influence or social capital to accomplish anything.

Translated to the current situation, this meant the bullet being harmlessly blocked by Neil, who had already put a dormant barrier around them long ago.

This did result in quite the uproar. Not from the party of eleven—except Miquel, who jumped with fright—but from the direction from the fort. Miranda couldn’t help but flash a small smile that Jake caught with his sphere. And he got it.

They had just significantly weakened their own position by being the first aggressors… effectively justifying any violent retaliation. Or, as Miranda planned to leverage it, making them appear benevolent for not counterattacking. It even had the added benefit of making absolutely clear how unthreatening they found the attack—and how big the power disparity truly was.

Neil and his party alone were enough to overpower most forces, Jake reckoned. They were all above level 50 in their races, and all of them appeared to focus mainly on their classes. His barriers were even stronger than Abby’s had been, which meant that he could easily block almost all physical attacks. Of course, a monster like Jake could still shatter it, but he doubted anyone at his own level could do it without using a powerful skill.

The fort was clearly restless as they approached, but no more bullets were fired. Instead, a few dozen people jumped down from the tall walls while a team of gunmen lined the wall itself. And while they didn’t point their guns at Jake and his companions, they looked ready to do so at a moment’s notice.

Jake observed the people that had jumped down and noted the man in front. A large man with a buzzcut, followed by a squad of people with similar hair and demeanor. Military. Annoyingly so. Their stances and aura reminded him a bit of Richard…

He used Identify on the frontman and got an unexpected response.

[Human – lvl ?]

Jake felt like something blocked him from seeing the level. The others around him were clearly also surprised at being unable to Identify him correctly. Jake himself was the only person he knew of where it was blocked, and that was due to a divine-rarity skill.

But… while the others were stumped, Jake instead sharpened his gaze. He refused to believe that it was impossible to see through. His yellow eyes lit up as small parts of Gaze of the Apex Hunter activated. He peered through whatever obscured the man’s level as his soul lay bare before him… and he used Identify.

[Human – lvl 59]

He saw the man on the other side shiver and throw a look toward Jake. Jake quickly averted his gaze to one of the other men, trying to act innocent. Likely not a good idea to spook them.

Inwardly, he was happy that he’d succeeded in circumventing the skill. It likely wasn’t a very high rarity, as it only blocked a basic Identify. He was a bit surprised he didn’t get any notification about his Identify upgrading or anything like that.

On the other hand… was it even an upgrade? Even Jake, with his transcendent instincts, couldn’t tell when someone used Identify on him—other than the apparent staring—so his current use of the skill that was far more invasive couldn’t be called strictly superior. He didn’t even really do anything different… it was more like stepping around a wall that obscured your vision to see something better.

“Well, that was a rather rude welcome,” Miranda said, breaking the silence with a light jab at the other side.

The man broke out of the stupor created by Jake as he steeled himself and answered, “I apologize; he got nervous because a group of strangers was threateningly approaching us.”

“I believe ‘threatening’ is a strong word. Besides, why would we threaten you?” Miranda was still smiling. Neil’s invisible barrier remained in front of her in case anything went bad, with Jake a single One Step Mile away.

“You never know with which intentions people approach in these trying times,” he answered. “We have had… issues before with new people.”

“Well, Phillip,” Miranda said with a bright smile, “we truly have no interest in the fort at all. To my knowledge, you have nothing of value besides potential citizens for the settlement—no, city—we are creating.”

Jake saw the man frown a bit, clearly not expecting things to go as they currently were. Jake got it… he doubted many people would come here, and the only reason to do so was to seek refuge.

“I find this entire matter highly questionable,” Phillip said sharply. “You claim to come from some enigmatic location safe from beasts and want us to follow you there? I don’t want to insult your intelligence, so please don’t insult mine by acting like that sounds reasonable.”

“It is an acceptable outcome for us just to leave now, but it would be a disservice to all the survivors within the fort,” Miranda said. “I haven’t lied; we truly have a safe-zone.”

“I came by here before joining them a few weeks ago,” Lillian added from the side. “I and the others who joined were under… unfortunate circumstances then, but they helped and allowed us to stay. It truly is a safe place.”

“I second this,” Miquel spoke up, finally making himself useful. “A small group of a bit over a dozen I was leading stumbled across their settlement a week ago, and I truly haven’t seen a single aggressive beast in the area.”

Phillip looked at the two people and considered them. “Even if what you say is true, the fort is already a safe have—”

“Lie,” someone said.

“Silas, please,” Miranda said with faux outrage. “I am sorry. Silas here has the skill to determine lies from truth. It is a bad habit of his to call out lies.”

The military man clearly looked uncomfortable, and a few of the men behind him also shuffled a bit on their feet. Not as much from the fact that he could apparently determine lies, but more so that their leader, with his silence, had admitted that the fort indeed wasn’t safe.

Jake was thoroughly enjoying all of them working together to “negotiate.” They seemed to have things under control, and he could just stand at the back and observe. Way more relaxing than being forced to negotiate himself, for sure. Delegating tasks for the win.

Mystie was sitting on the grass at his side, clearly bored. Jake could feel its impatience and longing to get home as soon as possible. If these matters took too long, he planned on letting her return early to lessen her anxiety. She’d spent a long time guarding and nurturing the egg… it was understandable that she would prefer to stay with it until it hatched.

“Fine,” Phillip said. “While we do face our difficulties, I find it very hard to believe that there is a place more defensible than this. We have a clear view in all directions, and tactically, it is impeccable. We have yet to have a single casualty to any beasts entering our premises.”

When it had become a discussion about whether the fort was safe, Jake didn’t know… but he still decided to inject himself into the conversation to speed it up.

“Are you the strongest one in the fort, Phillip?” he asked, drawing the attention of everyone.

The man looked over at Jake. A few people had their eyes on him from start to end, clearly already aware that they’d failed to Identify him.

“I am among the ones with the greatest fighting capabilities, yes,” he answered. He likely knew that the human lie-detector would call out a bluff, so he decided to remain honest while still hinting at others with around equal strength to himself.

“I sense no worthwhile enchantments on any of the walls, and while the shield generated by the magic circle is commendable, it won’t matter if a powerful beast comes,” Jake said with disappointment.

“What are you getting at?”

“This fort isn’t safe at all. You have no magic circle or formation able to ward off enemies and no individuals strong enough either. Unless you or others make massive progress within a short time, I can only see this place falling within a few months at most.”

“Then we would evacuate if that happens. We will see any beast coming from far away and can react adequately if that happens. They won’t even get close, and I doubt there are many beasts out there we can’t collectively hold off. Nothing is sneaking up on us.” Phillip obviously wanted to keep his valor in front of his men and not lose face. There was just one issue…

“I find that doubtful… considering a beast powerful enough to destroy the fort already did,” Jake said, shaking his head. “Mystie.”

The bird was more than happy to dispel its own invisibility and let its aura loose, finally getting things moving at a more bearable pace.

As for who wasn’t happy? Well, practically everyone else. Miranda, Neil and his party, and even Miquel handled it okay-ish, but the opposing faction sure didn’t.

Clearly not used to the aura of a D-grade beast, many of them whitened, and a few men even stumbled back. Phillip and the men around him all went into a defensive position, their eyes darting to the small hawk sitting lazily in the grass beside Jake.

Jake thought it was a bit funny that the bird didn’t even have to look intimidating at all. She just looked bored as she propped herself up a bit, trying to at least look a little majestic, which was quite easy for her with her vibrant blue feathers.

“Wha—!?” one of the men yelled as he raised what looked like a small handgun and aimed it at Mystie. Phillip was too slow to stop the second premature discharge of the day.

A bullet flew toward Mystie but was blocked by Neil’s barrier.

“Stand down!” Phillip yelled, red in the face. He seemed incredibly flustered, yet he never took his eyes off Mystie or the man standing beside it.

Miranda turned toward Jake and Mystie and gave them a nod. Jake reacted by poking Mystie with his foot, making the bird disperse its aura once more with a small huff. Jake just smiled beneath his mask, finding the entire situation oddly entertaining.

“If I didn’t know better, I would think you were looking for a fight…” Miranda said calmly to Phillip, who tried to remain as stoic as he could. But Jake could clearly see the drops of sweat running down the military man’s back, as he was a mess internally. “I told you before… we didn’t come here with any bad intentions. Because if we did… we wouldn’t be talking.”

Phillip managed to collect himself as he answered, “Is… that beast D-tier?”

“Yes,” Miranda answered, happy that at least the man knew about them. “The Mystsong Hawk is one of the owner’s companions. The owner is the one in possession of the land where we built the safe haven, and I am the one he appointed to manage it.”

“I assume you are this owner?” the man asked, turning to Jake.

Jake just stared back at his eyes, letting Gaze of the Apex Hunter go a little as he nodded. He felt like he had spoken enough and would let Miranda handle the rest. He had already discussed his role in all this with her beforehand, and that role had now been fulfilled. His only job left was to look scary and enigmatic.

He was taking this entire thing as just a work event. It somehow felt more relaxing to put it in a corporate context than to really think about the social situation.

Phillip shook once more from the Gaze, freezing him for a fraction of a second before he looked away.

“So, should we go inside and discuss things or stay out here under the sun?” Miranda asked, breaking the silence that Jake had created by tickling the opposing leader’s soul.

“… Will you force your way in if I say no?” Phillip asked with defeat in his voice. He had begun to realize that he was solidly out of his depth.

“No, of course not,” Miranda said, seeming genuinely offended. “How many times do I have to tell you we are here with good intentions? I’m just saying that it would be easier to discuss this somewhere that isn’t in the middle of the plains.”

“Alright,” he said, sighing, “let’s head inside. Please allow us to escort you… but… does the Mystsong Hawk need to come? Having such a powerful beast inside the fort will only lead to panic.”

Miranda threw a questioning gaze at Jake, who turned to the Mystsong Hawk. It tilted its head a bit as runes swirled around it, and then it disappeared.

“Is it…?” Phillip asked, unable to sense any trace of the hawk any longer.

“Does it matter?” Miranda said a bit helplessly. “Let’s just head in.”

The man looked hesitant but motioned for them to open the gate anyway. Jake followed along with the others and an invisible bird floating behind him, looking around at all the different kinds of enchantments made on the gates and walls.

All were of a low level, but as a magic bird, Mystie liked to study them nonetheless. It was magic of an entirely different philosophy, and Jake was sure that it would help her develop. As long as she doesn’t begin ripping the walls apart to test their durability, Jake thought, chuckling internally.

As he walked, he also looked around him and noticed that the fort, quite frankly… sucked. It was just too small for the number of people. He saw hundreds just inside the gate, all looking cautiously at the newcomers—some of them gasping at their high levels and at being unable to Identify Jake at all.

Phillip motioned with his hand to calm them down as they headed toward the fort’s central building. It was one of the few intact buildings, as most other structures were just tents placed around a big courtyard in the middle of the fort. Once more… it kind of sucked.

He also saw something he hadn’t yet since returning from the tutorial: children.

The Viper had told him children would find themselves in tutorials where they could safely reach level 10 in their race and evolve to F-grade no matter their age… but no such safety remained once back on Earth. It was up to the parents or the kindness of strangers to make up for it. They were mostly hidden away in the tents or hiding, all looking rather… lost.

Jake saw a small smile creep onto Miranda’s face as she noticed how bad the circumstances were… and he perfectly understood. With the fort in this state, even Jake believed he could convince a majority of the decrepit survivors to leave.

Chapter 32

The Fort

The inside of the keep was quite spacious, but what hit Jake first was how hot it was. The building was split into several sections, and he felt heat emanate from one of the side rooms he looked toward. The others also looked at it.

Phillip explained with a bit of pride, perhaps just happy to feel like he was not “losing” any conversation currently. “Inside there, we have our smithy. Lots of talented men and women who focus on their professions have managed to create old-world technology with new magical means.” Then he led them into the room, happy to show off the good parts of the fort after walking through the terrible situation outside.

Inside the smithy, Jake truly felt the heat. He saw several contraptions and worktables scattered around the room. It all looked somewhat chaotic, with the only real order being to split the furnaces and anvils away from the workbenches.

Nodding his head toward one of the men sitting in the corner, Phillip brought their attention to a small, thin man intensely working. The man hadn’t even noticed them, or maybe he didn’t care. He was sitting with what looked like tiny electronics, and Jake saw a drone on the table like the one they’d encountered earlier.

“That there is Arnold; he is the one who made the drone and nearly all our more advanced equipment,” Phillip explained proudly. “He made the walkie-talkie too—a real genius, that one. The rest mainly focus on weaponry and armor, and we produce a wide variety of both cold weapons and firearms.”

“Interesting. How do firearms work with the system?” Miranda asked.

“Calling them firearms is actually a bit silly now. They are more like magical weapons and generate their own bullets. Not that much different from wands in many ways. They also use mana, of course, so there honestly isn’t much difference between a mage and a gunman.

“Yet guns do retain one of their most useful features from before the system: they are easy to use. While each weapon has a level requirement, they aren’t that different to operate than a pre-system gun. As a ranged weapon, they are far easier to use and still vastly superior to something like a bow.”

Jake scoffed, getting the man’s attention, but he didn’t dare enquire further. While the hunter did see some usefulness in guns, he vastly preferred bows. The reason for that was relatively simple. A gun only used your magic stats, and it was far easier to, one could say, customize your attacks with a bow.

When using a bow, Jake used nearly his entire body. He even used his magic stats with Infused Powershot, and in cases where he didn’t use them for the shot itself, he used it with his Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter or his poisons. Oh, yeah, that was another major thing. It was far easier to poison arrows than bullets.

Sure, you could build a gun specifically to use premade bullets and then make poison bullets, but at that point, you should just get your shit together and use a damn bow. The only possible advantage Jake could see in bullets was range while using a sniper rifle. But even then, one just had to ask the Storm Elemental if Jake wasn’t also deadly at extremely long range.

“Anyway,” Phillip said, trying to act like he hadn’t noticed Jake’s protest, “we have managed to arm nearly every individual, and with our tall walls, we have managed to defend the fort from any beasts. As a large settlement, we appear to attract a lot of attention.”

“Not surprising,” Neil said, cutting in for the first time. “You are effectively a bag of experience waiting to be claimed by those strong enough. I reckon there are quite a few levels to be earned for any beasts managing to break through and enter the courtyard.”

“Yeah,” Eleanor added, “the only reason you haven’t been overrun is that you aren’t worth it for the stronger beasts. While you all level and get stronger, you will also begin attracting stronger and stronger enemies. It is just a matter of time before a D-grade comes.”

“What makes your settlement any different from ours?” Phillip asked. He appeared to understand their logic, and a part of him knew the fort couldn’t stand forever, but that didn’t mean some other place was safer.

“Because it’s my territory,” Jake answered without even thinking.

Everyone turned to him, as this part certainly wasn’t part of their practice. They instead had planned on Miranda explaining how the forest was safer, how they had a talented space mage, and then finishing by mentioning that the owner and D-grade beast would defend them. Mainly the D-rank, actually, as that was a kind of power more quantifiable than the enigmatic Jake.

“I don’t see how that matters. An army of beasts could still easily de—”

“Beasts aren’t as stupid as you think,” Jake said. “They know to stay away from where they don’t belong. It’s simply pure instinct. A beast does not willingly enter the domain of a hunter.”

When he said those words, Jake came to a realization he probably should have a long time ago. The area claimed by the Pylon was his, that was clear. His mana signature was in the atmospheric mana itself, making it clear it was his. And like a beast marking its territory, so had Jake marked what was under the influence of the Pylon.

It wasn’t the Pylon keeping beasts away. It was Jake’s Pylon. They all felt the faint aura of Jake, and their instincts made them aware that they should stay away.

Because it was the territory of the Primal Hunter.

As Jake stood there, he unknowingly let some of his aura spread out as he came to the realization. And while he wasn’t a D-grade, that didn’t mean his aura was any less powerful. But it was different because it didn’t stem from the natural suppression of grade, but from everyone’s instincts warning them.

Even Mystie looked uncomfortable, clearly affected too. It wasn’t the kind of suppression that had any physical effects. No, it was purely mental. The bird gave Jake a small nudge with its wing, and Jake noticed what he was doing and swiftly retracted his aura.

Shit… he thought, afraid that he’d just ruined Miranda’s strategy.

The owner had truly gone above and beyond! Miranda felt cold sweat run down her back as he proclaimed the city his territory. She felt his presence even more than when the Mystsong Hawk had released its aura. Every fiber of her being—especially the small lizard brain all humans had—was practically yelling at her that she should not mess with the man in front of her.

Phillip looked like he had just been splashed with a bucket of cold water, the sweat visible on his face. He looked genuinely scared, and it appeared he’d just realized that the Mystsong Hawk was not the strongest member of their group.

“Sir, please,” Miranda said, throwing the masked owner a look. She needed to communicate that even with his power, he was still human and at least listened to her advice. It would strengthen her position—not just in this negotiation, but even more so if they decided to join.

He looked back at her with those yellowed beastly eyes and almost seemed… apologetic? No, she must have read that wrong. Skills that could read others weren’t flawless, especially not with one so much more powerful than herself.

The aura had already dispersed as the room became calm once more.

“I apologize if I offended you in any way; I didn’t mean to question your words,” Phillip said, not daring to even look toward the owner.

“It’s alright… being skeptical is to be expected and even encouraged,” Miranda said. “Now, should we find a place and talk about what comes next? I would also be very interested in hearing some more about the fusion of magic and technology.”

Miranda skillfully led Phillip away as she sent a glance toward the owner, asking him to stay. Neil and his party followed while Lillian stayed with the owner. Miquel also followed her, likely just wanting to get away from the scary masked man. The setup was perfect. Miranda believed she would never have an easier time convincing the man than now. The owner had truly played his role well.

She is so mad at me, Jake thought as he stayed in the room while Miranda led Phillip and the others away, leaving him only with Lillian. She went over to his side and just stood there. Jake wasn’t entirely sure what to do now.

Miranda didn’t want him to follow; that was clear. He had made everyone uncomfortable by forgetting to restrain himself. He had known since childhood that one had to be controlled or risk scaring others. Before the system, Jake had just thought he had a scary face when he got mad or something, but after the system, things began to make a lot more sense.

Thinking about it… that was clearly the Bloodline, wasn’t it?

His parents had never had any reactions to him, but his brother had. He remembered that Caleb would be scared if he got too close while emotional, and it was only when Jake got older and more reserved and meeker in front of him that his brother stopped being afraid.

As brothers, they’d naturally developed a rivalry. Jake had unconsciously always competed with him, and now he assumed that must have been hard for him.

I really need to sit down and figure out what exactly this whole Bloodline business is about.

“Sir?” Lillian asked as Jake had now just been standing still for a good fifteen seconds, deep in thought.

Jake blushed slightly below the mask and praised the Malefic One for no one being able to see his face. “Yes, let us go check out his fort.”

The three of them—two humans and one invisible bird—exited the keep, and many eyes turned to them instantly. Jake just did his best to ignore their gazes, while Lillian seemed to genuinely not care. As the only woman who’d survived the hellspawn that was Abby and her sadistic fuck of a father, she, without a doubt, had a strong mental state.

Jake walked away from the keep as he looked around the fort. And man, did he mention that it sucked?

It looked like a sad campsite mushed together in the courtyard. The courtyard was large but far from large enough to accommodate this many people. He took the time to try and determine how many people lived there, and a conservative estimate would put it at around two thousand. Likely closer to two and a half thousand.

That was a lot of people, but his territory was also big and expanding by the day. He could already imagine the many levels Miranda would get from recruiting this entire base, and he reckoned Lillian would also get her fair share. On that note:

“Did Miranda allow you to get a profession related to the city?”

The woman looked at him a bit before she waved her hands. A barrier appeared around them. It was invisible to the eye and only had the simple function of blocking out sound. Neat skill... and handy for an assistant.

“Yes,” Lillian answered. “Principal City Lord’s Assistant is the name. She also granted me the title of Lord along with it. I believe there was discussion about making Neil a Lord, as she could appoint three Lords and one Baron, but nothing is settled. She gave me the title as, without it, I would be unable to access certain functionalities of the Pylon of Civilization.”

“I see. So she told you about the Pylon?” Jake asked, frowning. He was pretty sure that was meant to be a secret between them and not info just to spread willy-nilly.

Lillian seemed to get his meaning and quickly clarified. “Yes, but only after I signed a system-enforced contract that bans me from discussing anything related to the Pylon with anyone but Miranda and you, sir.”

“A contract, huh?” Jake asked. He had read about contracts in the books, but he’d always assumed they were just regular old contracts like the one he made with Miranda. Was it possible to make them system-enforced? It must take a particular skill.

“What is the punishment if you break it?”

“Death,” she answered calmly. “But I can only break it if I do so willfully. As an example, if I am under the influence of anything affecting my mind or if someone can listen in without my knowledge, it does not count as breaking it. If I purposely try to break it, I get warned by a massive headache, and if I break it anyway, I will cease to be.”

Jake looked her over as he nodded. He could hear in her voice that she had experimented with it. Without even caring for her life, apparently. But… Jake didn’t really have much to say about other near-suicidal people. He had done equally stupid stuff himself. And in the end, that stupidity had led to gains. Also, he would have totally done the same thing as her and pushed the contract to its limits.

“I see. Well, keep up the good work,” Jake said in acknowledgment. Wait, didn’t I just tell her to continue to do reckless shit?

“I will,” she said with a smile.

Well, who cares? Everyone likes positive reinforcement, he thought in response.

Jake walked with her through the fort as he looked the place over and, at the same time, considered if it was really wise of him to come along. Mystie alone could have done the same job of being intimidating, and at least no one expected a bird to make conversation.

But on the other hand, he didn’t want to be just a freeloader. While he was totally fine with having Miranda do ninety-nine percent of the work, he did feel like he should at least do something to contribute. He was technically her boss. Shit, that means I am Lillian’s boss’s boss…

Without really noticing it, they had made their way up to one of the walls. Lillian was just following along silently while everyone they came across got out of the way. It was somewhat unsurprising that people just tried to avoid the unidentifiable masked guy whom even their leader looked meek in front of.

Jake stood on the wall and looked out over the landscape. There were a few soldier-like people on the wall too, but they all kept a good ten to fifteen meters from the two of them. He honestly found it a bit annoying, as he wanted to borrow a gun from someone.

As he stood there, a somewhat unaware soldier was walking while reading something and passed by. Jake stepped in front of him to ask if he could see the rifle he had strapped over his shoulder.

Lillian instantly noticed that Jake was staring hard at the rifle and went up to the soldier. “Excuse me.”

“Hm?” the poor guy said as he looked up, seeing a scarred woman and a masked man with piercing yellow eyes both staring at him. He surely recognized them from when they’d entered, and had to remember seeing that monstrous bird too.

“Sorry, I didn’t notice that I—” he began, but Lillian interrupted him.

“The city owner would like to ask if he can have one of your firearms to inspect.”

“I—of course!” he said as he quickly ran off. He returned less than half a minute later with a rifle nearly identical to his own.

“Here you go, sir and madam!” he said as he handed the rifle to Lillian. “This one is unbound and even better than my own!”

She, in turn, gave it to Jake, who stoically accepted it. Couldn’t I have just asked for it myself? he wondered. I guess she knows what she is doing, so let’s just go along with it.

He held up the rifle and inspected it, and it was nearly as disappointing as the state of the fort.

[Bolt-action Imitation Rifle (Inferior)] – A rifle that can conjure and fire inferior-rarity bullets, made to mimic a bolt-action rifle of old. It was created by a newly integrated craftsman, and while there is much room for improvement, it is nevertheless solidly built and durable for its rarity.

Requirements: Lvl 20+ in any humanoid race.

Well, I guess if it works, it works…

Jake had to remember that these were mass-produced by crafters with only a few months’ worth of experience at most. That they could even make these rifles, to begin with, was impressive.

He spent the next period of time inspecting the rifle’s enchantments, and he even felt the subtle probing of Mystie. It indeed was relatively simple, but the magic circle scribbled on the inside of the rifle was still a bit impressive.

Jake bound the rifle to himself and tried injecting mana into it. Soon a bullet was conjured in the chamber. It appeared only to be able to create a single shot at a time, which was disappointing. As for how strong the bullet was... well, he had a feeling he would soon be able to test it.

The soldier that had given him the rifle had never left but kept a few meters away, almost as if waiting for orders. It had been nearly two hours since Jake got the gun and began tinkering with it, so the young man jumped a bit when Jake spoke.

“You got incoming.”

“Huh? Incoming what?” the soldier asked, confused.

Jake pointed out into the horizon. “Quite an army of beasts. Big, four legs. Looks like fat, hairy cows.”

The man looked out into the distance and saw absolutely nothing. He looked back at the masked man again, confused. He stood there for a minute or two before one of their snipers called out, “I think I see something approaching in the distance!”

The young man instantly went white as he yelled to those below, “Sound the alarms! Stampede incoming!”

Chapter 33

The Battle of Fort’s Deep

Jake had to admit that the fort was really well-positioned when it came to defending against enemies approaching on the ground. He had seen the beasts nearly ten minutes before they would get there, as they were approaching from a slightly downward angle.

With Jake’s insane Perception, it was effortless to spot anything getting close. From a small watchtower, the sniper that had yelled out earlier had also finally been able to spot the beasts, and now the entire fort was in full swing.

Jake just stood there with Lillian as people ran around him, looking out at the approaching beasts. The soldiers all narrowly avoided him, and he heard Phillip and Miranda in the courtyard below making their way toward him.

“Does this happen often?” he heard Miranda ask as they moved closer.

“At least once a day… it is exhausting, but it allows us to rake in levels and materials,” Phillip answered, walking up the small rampart to the wall together with the woman.

“Is it always a horde like this?”

“Yes… it’s always a stampede of weaker beasts, few reaching above level 30. Sometimes stronger ones up to level 60 are present, but the strongest so far was 71, so we have yet to encounter anything we couldn’t handle. But it is getting worse…” Phillip sounded somewhat resigned.

“Well, just a better reason to go with us,” Miranda said, smiling.

Phillip smiled back as he subconsciously made a small nod.

It looks like Miranda is doing pretty well, Jake thought, seeing the man borderline convinced already. Well, they had spent a few hours in the building, and it seemed like he’d just needed the final push to agree.

As they got onto the wall, Phillip and Miranda spotted Jake, and both went over. They seemed relatively relaxed despite the apparent panic of the soldiers earlier. Well, the man was a higher level, and from what he had seen, the charging beasts were pretty damn weak.

He Identified one of them for the heck of it, and it was a bit disappointing.

[Roughhide Bovine – lvl 33]

“Sir,” Miranda greeted, bowing slightly toward him.

We really need to find something else to call me, Jake thought. Wait, did she even know his name? Thinking back… he had never introduced himself, and when he signed the contract back then, he’d done it with a cursive abomination his dad taught him to make. Because apparently, the more illegible your signature, the more professional it is.

Phillip gave him a nod too, as he turned his gaze to the approaching horde.

“More Roughhides… most seem to only be standard bovines, with a few bulls mixed in,” he said as he scouted the group, speaking out loud to both Miranda and some of the other men that had followed him. “No Herd Leaders spotted, as far as I can tell.”

Turning to the young man they’d seen in the workshop with the machinery earlier, he ordered, “Get a drone in the air and try to get an estimate of how many there are.”

The man nodded as he brought out the same small drone he’d used earlier. It flew up quickly, and the man somehow projected a screen in front of him showing all the drone saw. Very neat, Jake thought.

Jake looked at the screen and saw the horde from above. Well, he could just summon his wings and go for an aerial look himself, but it was pretty entertaining to watch the screen instead.

There really were a lot of them. He also spotted quite a few larger versions of the normal bovines, and he assumed those were the bulls. Finally, toward the back, they saw one larger than any of the others.

“A Herd Leader…” Phillip said with a bit of resignation before explaining to Miranda, “The Herd Leaders are far tougher than the others, and higher level too. The strongest one so far was level 71, and it took quite a while and many injuries to bring it down. It was a miracle we didn’t lose anyone. Hopefully, this one is wea—”

“73.” Jake had already Identified it as he looked out over the wall long ago. Identify didn’t work through the screen.

[Roughhide Herd Leader – lvl 73]

Neil and his party had also made their way over together with the others, and Levi cockily said, “Heh, worst case we just handle them. We have taken down wo—”

“No,” Jake said, getting a few confused looks from everyone, Miranda included.

Needless to say, the fact that the fort would be attacked during their visit was not a part of their strategy and thus not discussed. So Jake was not going by practice to be seen as enigmatic or like a mysterious being… he was just saying his genuine thoughts.

“This is not our fight. It’s theirs. It would be rude of us to butt in and steal their experience points or challenge. Besides… what is there to gain from slaying a bunch of weak beasts? Have the ones who have something to gain do the fighting.”

Everyone was looking at him at his point, and Jake honestly felt a bit awkward. What was up with their looks? Did he say anything unreasonable? It wasn’t like he was telling anyone to go die or anything; he just said that people should do their own fighting.

How else would they gain any levels?

“Can we interfere if it gets dangerous?” Neil asked. Once more, Jake felt a bit awkward that he was asking permission, but then again, he had basically just given them an order.

“Fine,” Jake answered. He reckoned having guardians behind them would negatively affect the soldiers’ experience gain, but based on their sighs of relief, he got the feeling they didn’t mind.

“Ahem,” Phillip said, getting the attention back to him. “I believe we should get in formation. You are all free to stay and observe, but please do not get in the way unless you plan on assisting.”

Jake nodded, and so did the others. Miranda and Lillian stuck to him while Neil and his party stayed with Miquel and his goons.

Miranda, Jake, Lillian, and the invisible Mystie walked back into the courtyard as they tried to stay out of the way of the many people running about. The people just living there seemed to barely react, aside from the many that got up and grabbed a rifle and headed for the walls.

It indeed appeared like these attacks were a usual thing for the inhabitants of the fort. But if it could occur more than once a day, it made sense that they had begun being desensitized.

“Let us watch from above,” Jake said as he motioned to the invisible Mystie. She understood his intentions, and without any warning, Jake and the two women began floating upwards with the still-invisible bird.

“Woah!” Miranda exclaimed, surprised at suddenly being lifted. “Did you…?” She looked toward Jake as they slowly ascended.

“Mystie,” he answered, motioning with his head toward the invisible bird.

From Miranda’s point of view, it looked like he was just pointing toward the air, but she seemed to understand right away, as she just nodded slowly. Lillian didn’t have any significant reactions from all the happenings.

Quite a few glances were also thrown their way, but they soon turned back to the approaching horde. Apparently, the thought that the mysterious masked man had a D-grade beast following him around that made people float wasn’t that amazing.

“Are you certain we should not interfere?” Miranda asked, floating well out of range of any listeners.

“Yes,” Jake answered. “These beast hordes are a golden opportunity for these soldiers to earn experience. When else can you sit comfortably behind a wall and have the prey run headfirst into you?”

“I understand your point, but would it not also be worth it to display a show of force?” she asked, looking at the still-approaching herd of bovines. They would soon be within the range of the first shooters.

“Perhaps, and if it becomes necessary, we can still do that. But as it looks, we won’t need to. This will also allow us to get a feel for the fort’s overall power level and abilities. I am personally quite a bit interested in the fighting style they have developed with their modern weaponry.”

“Alright… I just hope we can avoid any unnecessary deaths,” Miranda answered with resignation. “We do hope to have these people be our new citizens, after all.”

Jake nodded, agreeing but still not intending to interfere. They could handle this, and he would just be the observer. He wanted everyone to at least hold some power. If he always had to be around to address minor issues, he wouldn’t have time to focus on his own challenges.

As he waited for the herd to make it, he couldn’t help but take notice of the magic that was currently affecting him.

Using pure mana for telekinesis was something Jake had practiced quite a lot, but he had only really done it with inanimate objects. For a stone, he could just inject mana into it through a tether and lift it like that, but that method didn’t work for living things.

What Mystie did was very similar, but instead of injecting mana into an individual, she erected a membrane of mana around the person. The mana was flexible and perfectly coated the body, making it so no movements could really affect the membrane.

Yet it was also fragile. Jake felt that he could dispel it with little to no effort. He wasn’t sure if Miranda or Lillian knew how to dispel it, but he reckoned most people at a high level did. All it required was to release some mana from your body and blow it away.

But… the membrane also reminded him of another technique he had developed: his water-walking. When he walked on water, he basically erected a membrane around his feet with a small constant upwards lift. It allowed him to more or less act like he weighed less.

And now… Jake was considering why he hadn’t taken that further.

He closed his eyes and focused on the mana around him. Mystie lifted herself with the same mana technique she was currently using on all of them. Jake concentrated, and invisible mana soon covered his feet, pushing away Mystie’s.

Mystie noticed what he was doing, and Jake opened his eyes briefly, throwing her a look. The bird understood and dispelled the mana that kept Jake floating… yet he didn’t fall.

Instead, he fell a few centimeters before he stopped, standing solidly in the air.

Air-walking successfully unlocked, he cheered internally, wondering why the hell he hadn’t thought of it earlier. Well, it took quite a bit of concentration, and he was unsure if he could use it in combat for anything, but it was neat.

It was handy for a situation like now, where he didn’t bob up and down from Mystie keeping him afloat.

Miranda and Lillian didn’t even notice that Jake was now standing in the air instead of floating, both being somewhat distracted…

Distracted by the loud war raging at the walls of the fort below.

Whoops, nearly forgot about that, Jake internally joked as he turned his gaze to the war below. And man, was it a war. It was right out of some fantasy movie, except the elves with bows were replaced with humans with guns, and the orcs and trolls were replaced by cows and even bigger cows.

The humans stood valiantly at the wall as they fired out over their defensive line, hitting the cows below. On the other hand, the cows were either smashing into the wall or trying to climb it by… well, smashing into it.

He saw an explosion go off from the ground below. Inspecting it further with his insane Perception, he saw fragments of what looked like a mine fly up. That one took out an entire cow while it injured two others, but the herd appeared almost endless.

Jake wondered… what was the goal of those bovines? They appeared to have no plan and seemed almost to be berserk as they just kept charging. The bulls had yet to make it to the wall, having all stopped a reasonable distance away, out of range of most attacks.

They stood with the Herd Leader that didn’t appear to have any interest in entering the fray quite yet.

The constant sounds of explosions from different weapons were deafening, as the humans didn’t hold anything back. The rifles themselves didn’t really make any noises, but the mines and mortar-like weapons they had sure as hell did.

He turned his gaze to Phillip and saw the man fully in his military mode. He was yelling out orders left and right, while also attacking plenty himself. His rifle looked like most of the other soldiers, but his bullets’ power was more potent than anyone else’s.

Moreover, he was clearly using several skills as he shot. Some of his bullets exploded upon impact, some penetrated through a target, and some appeared to stun the beast it hit temporarily.

His most impressive display was when he suddenly began firing his rifle like a machinegun. Every bullet exploded, generating ten giant booms every second from him alone. The bovines below were cattle marching to the slaughter.

Jake had to admit that while the soldiers with guns did work, they weren’t the only ones. Not every individual had chosen a firearm as their preferred weapon, but fought with styles closer to those he already knew.

He saw quite a few Powershots being fired from archers, bolts of all different kinds from casters, and some healers and other mage-like classes even buffing up the soldiers. One formed a cloud of poison gas that swept through the plains, while another made the earth tremble and spikes fly up to penetrate the cows from below.

Jake did notice that these people tended to be of higher level and were gathered together. If his guess was correct, these were individuals from other tutorials that had joined them later on. He would have to ask Miranda if Phillip had talked about that...

To be honest… the fighting was just dull to watch. Like shooting fish in a barrel, it couldn’t even be called a fight.

He saw snipers on the towers above strategically take out beasts to make some bovines stumble over others. The human side had yet to take a single injury, but Jake had already realized the Herd Leader’s plan long ago and hoped that could lead to something interesting.

By now, the many dead beasts were beginning to form a ramp up to the fort. Phillip had also clearly noticed and ordered some of the mages or those with explosives to get some of the corpses away. Sadly… it appeared to be too late for that.

The Herd Leader made a roar—Jake was pretty sure cows, or bulls for that matter, couldn’t usually do that—and the eyes of all the remaining cows turned red as their bodies began to swell. At the same time, the bulls all began charging straight for the ramp of their comrades.

Let’s see how you handle this one, Phillip.

Chapter 34

Perhaps Too Easy

Phillip frowned as he yelled to the snipers to take down one of the bulls leading the charge. He used a skill of his to mark it, making everyone under his leadership instinctually aware of which one he was talking about—an instrumental skill for this kind of fighting style.

Four loud bangs sounded out as the bull was hit. Two bullets struck its head, one its body, and one its leg. It immediately stumbled and fell, getting trampled by its comrades. Those that trampled it also ended up falling with the sudden obstacle in their way, creating a domino effect of cows tumbling over each other.

The one saving grace of this entire shitshow was that the beasts in the daily attacks were stupid and didn’t have any proper fighting tactics. They would just charge until they got killed, only the Herd Leaders showing even a modicum of tactical prowess.

Yet even their tactic didn’t go beyond having the weaker beasts make a ramp with their corpses. Phillip could already imagine tens of ways they could do it better, but he was just thankful for their stupidity.

When the Herd Leader enraged the bovines, he ordered their group’s mages to push back the beasts. The wall itself seemed to come alive as the outer layer got pushed out. A grating sound was heard as the massive pile of corpses was slowly pushed back, and Phillip saw earth mages all sweating buckets as they exhausted their entire mana pools to pull off that one trick.

But it worked, as they had now effectively created a second layer of walls. A practical method of constructing fortified cities or castles in medieval times revived to face huge, magic cows.

Of course… this plan didn’t come without cost. The fort’s wall had lost around a third of its thickness to create the second wall. This wasn’t the first time Phillip had done this, though, and they would get to reconstructing the wall as soon as the fighting was over.

He couldn’t help but look up back toward Miranda, only to find her missing. Just as he was about to question someone, he looked up and saw her floating a few hundred meters above the fort. She and her assistant appeared to be floating while the masked man stood in the air. He felt the man’s eyes momentarily meet his, and Phillip shuddered.

Is he truly human?

Miranda had assured him this city owner was human… but Phillip still felt some doubt deep in his mind. His eyes were that of a beast, his entire body and face covered, and his power far above anyone Phillip had ever seen. He even had a D-grade monster willingly following him around…

Phillip felt like he had done all he could to adapt to this new world. He had entered a tutorial with around five thousand others. It had been a survival type, and he had quickly taken charge and ensured as many people survived as possible.

He had entered with a few of his fellow veterans, who had helped assist him. He had recruited people, negotiated with other minor factions, and eventually managed to ensure that nine out of ten survived. He had gotten rewarded for this and even been recognized with the Lord title. Putting it all together… he had already guessed what this masked “owner” owned.

A Pylon of Civilization.

Phillip had planned on claiming one himself after he got the title, and had even used one of his five purchases to buy information on Pylons, as well as the location of the one closest to him. He had gained plenty of information, but the only thing he had gained concerning the location was a vague “go north.”

But… what he had learned did raise some questions. Many questions, in fact. The first was related to claiming a Pylon… as one had to slay the D-grade tied to it.

He hadn’t disclosed to Miranda that he knew these things, so when she told him that the owner had claimed the area weeks ago, he was shocked. Had he killed it shortly after exiting the tutorial? Or maybe… during the tutorial?

It seemed impossible… but if all her claims were correct, he had indeed done so.

Phillip did have the theory that the D-grade beast following him around was the actual owner of the Pylon… but that also didn’t really hold water. Why would it then leave its area and follow the human willingly?

Some details about the Pylon were off, though. Miranda said that no beast ever entered the area, but Pylons didn’t have that effect. It could be a lie, or maybe this mysterious owner had done something. It could also be due to the D-grade beast, if it were acting as some kind of deterrent.

Either way… he didn’t see many other options than to join her, and hopefully, he could get some influence that way. It was quite an issue that she apparently didn’t know much about the owner, leaving him indeed an enigma.

But seeing him standing on fucking air, glaring down at a horde of beasts with boredom… who was he to question his methods? Clearly, it was working for him.

“Firebombs, release!” he yelled as he returned his full attention to the battlefield.

Several giant fireballs were launched from catapults behind him. They wanted to make a more mortar-like version of those, but they hadn’t gotten it working with the casters quite yet.

The giant fireballs fell on the approaching bulls, injuring all of them but not killing any.

Phillip frowned as he noticed many of the men and women already wet with sweat, their hands slightly trembling as they kept shooting. Their mana was about to run out, and looking at his own tank, he was also beginning to run low.

Parts of him wanted to ask that man Neil for help, but his pride didn’t allow it. Not if it wasn’t strictly necessary. He felt like he had already suffered too many losses today… He refused to fail here. He saw that the Herd Leader had also begun moving.

So he pulled out the big guns—literally. He took out what looked like a missile launcher, then knelt and began channeling his strongest attack: the epic-rarity skill he had bought for nearly all his tutorial points.

Jake saw the man begin to channel some hefty magic, and what looked like a rocket appeared in his hands. It reminded him a lot of his own Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter but was instead a rocket. Rocket of the Ambitious Hunter… Yeah, it just doesn’t sound as good.

He had to admit that big magic rockets were cool. He just hoped that the power it packed was equally as cool. Phillip took nearly two minutes to create the missile while his second-in-command, a man that had always silently been by his side, took charge.

Once the missile was prepared, he placed it inside the launcher he had brought out. Jake was pretty sure it was actually just some kind of tube with magical propelling. Just a worse way of firing it than a bow, he thought, scoffing. The only advantage was that the entire process was purely magical, meaning you didn’t really need any physical stats worth mentioning.

Jake felt that you needed those stats anyway, though. Sure, as humans, they gained some to all stats at every level-up, meaning everyone had a bit of everything. The issue Jake saw with being too focused on mental stats was… what the hell was your plan when a person used One Step Mile right in front of you and attacked with a good old stab?

Mana barrier? That consumed mana, far more than Jake would spend in stamina by dodging. Teleporting away yourself? It could work, but once more, way more resource-heavy than just leaning to the side.

The only real mages Jake had fought of somewhat high power were Abby and the King of the Forest. Abby had been weak defensively, and that was even while using space magic, a type of magic offering excellent physical defenses.

As for the King of Forest… Jake was unsure if that monster could even be called a mage. His physical defenses and stats had been utterly insane, strong enough to survive a mini-nuke of dark and light mana blowing up within his damn body.

The point was… Jake felt like everyone needed a bit of everything to truly excel. His encounter with the cloud elemental had taught him that focusing purely on physical combat wasn’t the way either, as he’d felt utterly useless in front of the incorporeal elemental.

Well, if one went far enough on any path, those shortcomings would disappear. Jake’s current Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter was in the realm of physical combat, but one just had to ask the Storm Elemental if it wasn’t effective. He also reckoned that just progressing far enough in anything would make you eventually iron out most weaknesses.

Of course, it could be argued that all this only really mattered when fighting alone. When fighting in a large group or just a small party, you could make up for others’ weaknesses.

Neil and his party were an excellent example of this. Christen was tough and could handle most hits and intercept enemies, but she couldn’t protect herself against everything or heal herself, so Silas helped her in that department from behind.

Both Silas and Christen had bad to nonexistent damage, which was where Levi and, to some extent, Eleanor came in to provide the firepower while themselves being defended. Eleanor was also serving as the scout, and Levi served as the one to take down high-damage, low-defense attackers.

Neil served as the core, supporting every facet while not standing out in any particular area besides allowing the entire group’s movement. He could teleport others or himself and even had several offensive options. Neil was a bit harder to place, but it clearly worked for them. Jake could see them being hell for any dungeon boss to battle.

The fighting style of those in the fort also facilitated focusing more on one aspect of fighting at a time. Jake was pretty sure that nearly all the gunmen had invested all their Free Points into Intelligence and Wisdom to increase their damage output and how many shots they could fire.

Jake couldn’t precisely say their approach was wrong… he just felt like it wasn’t sustainable in the long run. At some point, the walls would no longer provide an effective defense. The soldiers would have to team up with an army of builders and trappers to hunt anywhere and set up fortified positions even before reaching that point.

The more he thought about it, the more he frowned. This entire scenario of the fort being attacked by progressively stronger beasts all the time just seemed… implausible. That it happened only about once a day, even more so. They hadn’t tried having two groups attack within a short while, always having time to refortify before the next wave.

It felt… designed.

Jake was momentarily distracted from his train of thoughts as Phillip finally released his attack. He hoisted up the launcher and fired his missile straight toward the Herd Leader. The beast reacted too slowly, commanding a few of the bulls running with it to block the attack.

The red-eyed beasts jumped in front of the rocket, but Jake saw the man who’d fired it wave his hands. The rocket suddenly flew upwards over the bulls before heading straight down for the Herd Leader.

Okay, I can’t do that with my Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter… yet.

A loud explosion sounded out when the Herd Leader was struck on its back. Blood and gore flew everywhere as a large part of the beast was blown off, and even some of the bulls around it were blasted away.

The explosion was… impressive. It appeared to be made out of pure mana mixed with a shitload of fire-affinity mana. Thinking about it, the man had also used explosive bullets earlier, so it made sense that he had some kind of fire affinity.

After the dust settled, the form of the gravely injured Herd Leader was revealed. A large part of its body was blown apart, and portions of its hide were still burning with crimson flames. Yet it didn’t appear to be down for the count at all. The flesh where it was injured wriggled, regenerating in real time.

Jake saw a few injured bulls around it fall to the ground, dead, as he understood what it was doing. What a vicious cow, consuming its herd to strengthen itself.

Phillip, at this point, was looking like a mess. He was sweating from the clear toll of the attack. He wasn’t like Jake, with a very robust body that could handle utilizing so much power. He didn’t make any more attacks himself but switched to exclusively yelling out orders.

The heavily injured Herd Leader slowly healed as it continued trotting forward. Phillip had already ordered the soldiers to attack it, and it was pelted by sniper bullets, grenades, and a plethora of spells. All kinds of attacks were slowly killing it and the many other beasts.

Roughhide was a good descriptor for them, as they were tough… but that was really all they had. Their rough hides appeared very resistant to many of the attacks, but the bullets looked to be nearly unblocked.

From start to end… this entire “battle” was just a one-sided slaughter. The human side’s only real issue was running low on resources and having things to repair, rebuild, and perform maintenance on after the battle.

Jake couldn’t help but frown as he got a closer look at the Herd Leader that was now already on its last legs. Its eyes looked… hollow. Like there weren’t any thoughts or even proper instincts behind them. Something is off.

No one else appeared to notice, but the Herd Leader was acting weird to Jake. It just didn’t move as he would expect a beast to, and everything that had happened so far… just didn’t make any sense.

Why would it direct its herd just to charge as it did and make a ramp?

Not because making a ramp was a bad idea… in fact, it appeared to be too good of an idea for the cow to come up with—especially when compared to its plan of just charging headfirst into the wall of the fort. Toward the end, it didn’t even look like it was trying to dodge… Actually… was it even trying to win?

But if his thoughts were correct… why do this? Why practically throw away your lives and sacrifice yourselves to level a group of humans holed up in a fort? What could the reason possibly be? It reminded Jake of people “feeding” in videogames… Wait.

Was someone… feeding the fort? Not food, but levels and crafting materials?

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Phillip had said that these attacks had been going on for weeks, progressively getting stronger, yet they hadn’t lost anyone. Instead, they’d just slowly grown in levels and power.

Of course, this led to another question. Why?

But perhaps even more importantly… who or what was behind this?

Chapter 35

A Monster To Hunt

Neil frowned as he listened to the cheers of the many soldiers. The fort’s inhabitants in the courtyard below didn’t join in but instead began getting to work like it was just an everyday occurrence. They gathered their tools and went to fix the walls, with Neil overhearing comments about how the fight was a bit shorter today than usual.

He and his comrades hadn’t had to interfere at all… in fact, the soldiers had won the fight just before their help was needed. The timing of the fight ending was so… perfect. What is going on here?

Jake stared into the horizon, toward where the herd had come from. He squinted, seeing nothing but more hills for hundreds of kilometers. It was sloping slightly downward, making him unable to see as far as he would like.

Something had designed this… he was sure of it. It was too perfect, too convenient.

He gave a signal to Mystie, who began bringing down Lillian and Miranda. Jake himself lowered the mana output on his feet and also started slowly falling toward the ground.

Jake saw Neil and his party walk over toward their landing position, already talking to a tired-looking Phillip.

“I just feel like this whole ordeal is off; beasts usually don’t act like this,” Neil said, his companions nodding along. They all felt like things seemed off.

“While I understand that you find the situation suspect, is the situation truly that off?” Phillip said. “Beasts and monsters all acted unnaturally during the tutorials, and it shouldn’t be that surprising that they act unnaturally out here in the real world too.”

“It was like that because the tutorials were designed to be that way,” Jake butted in, landing right in front of Neil and Phillip.

They both gave him a strange look, Phillip’s gaze more confused than Neil’s.

“What do you mean by that?” Neil asked, being the first to open his mouth.

“The system designed the tutorials with input from other powerful beings—some tutorials experiencing more input and customization from these entities than others,” Jake said. “But they were, in the end, tutorials. Everything was made easier for us in many ways by hampering the enemies we were to face… but this is the real world. If what we face still acts like there is some grand design behind their actions, chances are it is because there is a designer behind them.” He was dropping knowledge he had learned from Duskleaf and Villy. In retrospect, it was quite the bomb… but Jake hadn’t really considered if he should share it.

The two men just stood there staring at him, confused over Jake sharing something so massive like it was just common knowledge. They were both equally critical of his words, as they wondered how he knew such things—assuming they were true, that is.

Jake saw their gazes and honestly didn’t feel like explaining how he was actually good friends with a god, nor that he had heard this while drinking vodka with him. “Anyway, it means there is someone or something behind this. That is what’s important right now.”

“…Alright, let’s say your theory is correct; why would anyone or anything send these bovines here to be slaughtered?” Phillip asked, clearly really wanting to ask about the tutorial business but holding himself back.

“I don’t know… but I plan to find out if I’m right,” Jake said, turning to Neil. “Take care of the business here with Miranda. I’ll head out and search for what might be the cause of this.”

He didn’t bother to say anything more as he summoned his two phantasmal wings, much to the fright of Phillip and the other soldiers. A few of them even moved their hands toward their weapons, assuming another enemy had appeared.

Jake didn’t give them time to do anything or adequately process what happened before he, with a great flap, soared into the air. Mystie didn’t bother hiding any longer either, dispelling her invisibility and following Jake—once again, earning a scared yelp from a few terrified humans.

Miranda turned to Phillip and offered a faux apology. “I’m sorry, the owner is a bit… eccentric, but if he believes there is something off about this entire scenario, then it would only be wise to believe him.”

“Well, he already left to investigate, so I am not sure what to say.” Phillip sighed with defeat, then asked both Miranda and Neil, “What was that business about powerful beings and designed tutorials? The system made the tutorials, and they were managed by that humanoid being in the introduction area, weren’t they?”

“I thought it was designed by the system too… but in retrospect, it does make sense,” Neil began. “The tutorial we entered was managed by someone calling himself the Disciple of Kallox, with Kallox being a now dead space mage that had left his Legacy behind in the tutorial. The entire tutorial was essentially just a tool to find potential inheritors of this Legacy.”

“I thought it was just the setting… You know, the story spun up by the system.” Levi frowned. “Did this Kallox actually exist for real? Did you actually accept some inheritance from a dead geezer?”

“Levi, if we assume Kallox was a real person… show some respect,” Neil said, throwing him a look. This drew a slightly apologetic “sorry” from Levi, who backed off.

“Interesting…” Phillip said as he listened to them. “Our tutorial was just an overgrown, abandoned city, with the only objective being to survive. We didn’t meet any living beings that weren’t monsters trying to eat us at all.”

“Not us either,” Miranda said, “but there were huge message boards with writing on them informing us of different things at different times, so someone was clearly watching. I assumed it was just the system doing it… but it may as well have been creatures from other universes.”

“Most of the survivors here came from the same tutorial as me… but I think we should have done some more information gathering about exactly what type of tutorial everyone experienced,” Phillip said. “There could be a lot of valuable information to be found through that.”

“All the more reason why you should join the owner’s city—a place that will most certainly become a beacon of hope in this new world,” Miquel spoke up, making himself known once more.

He hadn’t been useless throughout the fighting, but had actually gone around and talked with the other camp survivors, trying to learn more about the fort. He’d found that there was borderline no resistance to leaving… in fact, most wanted out of there. They had been confined to this fort ever since leaving their tutorials and traveling here. But at the same time, they were afraid of leaving because of the potential danger of the surrounding area.

“Indeed it is,” Miranda said, smiling. “Now then, should we continue our discussion behind closed doors once more to find a way for all of you to leave this place?”

Phillip gave her a nod and a smile as they left for the keep, throwing out a few last-minute orders to get the wall repaired.

Miranda kept her smile as she looked at the many eyes on her, their gazes showing signs of hope due to what she’d just said. Everything was really going just as they had hoped, and in some ways, expected.

Nothing as of yet.

Jake flew with Mystie toward the origin point of the Herd Leader’s stampede. The path was straightforward to follow as, unsurprisingly, a horde of giant cows left quite the trail.

He also felt a part of him activate as he flew across the landscape. Some instinctual knowledge he hadn’t had any use for so far—namely Hunter’s Tracking. Granted, it didn’t really help much since the trail was obvious, but it still gave him some insights.

Some of the tracks were older than the herd of the day before. Most of them were, in fact. The further he ventured, the more trails he found, as clearly the bovines had been led down this specific path toward the fort.

Phillip had mentioned they came from the same general area every day… How the hell didn’t he question it as being weird as fuck? Does he really think that the system is still helping humanity out?

To Jake, that notion didn’t make much sense. But he did have more knowledge than others. He knew that, apparently, things like the Mystbone or the giant crystal tree on the cloud existed—natural treasures that allowed beasts to progress their levels far faster and reach D-grade before any human could.

In some ways, it could be said that the system favored the lucky beasts that encountered these treasures more than the humans who got their tutorials. Sure, the tutorials had helped humanity plenty… but it hadn’t allowed them to suddenly gain a hundred levels and grow to an airliner-sized Roc.

If Jake had to take a guess… the source of this entire scenario was one such beast. He knew that some beasts could show extraordinary intelligence, such as Hawkie or Mystie. It wasn’t a given that becoming D-grade would make a monster intelligent, though. The Roc had been pretty dumb, and the Storm Elemental was just… well, an overgrown cloud elemental.

He kept flying forward for many kilometers, Mystie easily keeping up. If Jake used One Step Mile, he could likely outpace the bird, but flying was better for this kind of scouting. With a trail so apparent, it made sense to track it from above, allowing him to see anything that stuck out.

Such as when he noticed that the trail was actually a collection of many different paths. He saw more minor signs of bovines slowly joining the herd as they made their way toward the fort, likely called there by the Herd Leader or whatever was behind this situation.

It would make sense if the Herd Leaders could collect the bovines, with their name heavily implying an ability to lead the herd.

About three hundred kilometers from the fort, the terrain finally began to change away from the never-ending plains and resemble… farmland.

Jake looked ahead and saw what looked like buildings off in the distance, then motioned for Mystie to follow him. He saw that the more extensive trail was leading on forward, but a small path was pointing toward the farm before him.

I guess this answers some questions about what happened to farm animals after the system came, he thought when he arrived, flying over the large estate and inspecting the state of things.

The barns and the countless pens for cattle were ripped apart, and it looked like a tornado had gone through. Magic had washed over the world, and the cattle had suddenly gained strength and levels beyond anything before. Maybe they had stayed put for a while, but when hunger and boredom set in, they must have broken loose and entered the wider world.

When he thought about it, the plains outside had been filled with bovines when he made his way toward the Pylon on the first day after returning to Earth. Maybe they’d been out feeding or had escaped from a farm like this…

Landing at one of the barns, he entered it and began looking around the area more closely. He didn’t see any bloodstains or signs of fighting, so it appeared the bovines remained nonaggressive toward each other even while breaking out.

But… there was clear aggression shown toward the facility itself. It was needlessly broken, as the escaped cattle appeared to have gone out of their way to break things. It was a miracle the building was even standing.

After he was done looking around, he went to the central house… and he didn’t even need to get close before a faint scent entered his nose. One he had experienced many times before. Blood, or more accurately, human blood.

It was at the estate’s main house and where the owner of the farm must have lived. Jake saw a few bloodstains on the door, which was hanging limply from its broken hinges. The upper part of the doorframe was shaved off, making the door entrance look more like a hole in the wall.

He saw what looked like hooves at the entrance, and he knelt down to inspect them further. Something felt… off about them. His tracking skill was active, but he didn’t need it to notice the huge, glaring issue.

Only two hoofprints.

Bipedal cow? A minotaur? he thought as he frowned and entered the house, telling Mystie to stay outside.

The inside was… even worse. Everything had been ripped by the beast, yet some signs of habitation remained. An old fireplace looked like it had been used within the last few weeks, and he even saw a few signs of cooking being done.

People had clearly been living here even after the tutorials ended. They’d likely been deposited back to their farm by the system and taken refuge in the house. Jake could see that with the system displacing everything, the farm was relatively secluded with no neighbor within sight, making the inhabitants believe it was the wisest move to stay.

And it likely had been dependent on their levels. The many bovines’ levels weren’t high, but he could see an unsuspecting family being trampled by a horde of the damn things easily. On the other hand, the bovines likely wouldn’t come to the house en masse, making it comparatively safer.

Not that the house had turned out to be safe in the end…

Jake saw the tracks of the bipedal bovine continue into the house, leaving dents in the floorboards. It had been too heavy for the structure, and if the atmospheric mana hadn’t made the wood more durable, it would have gone through the floor without a doubt.

He also saw a few more bloodstains leading into the living room, which gave off the most pungent scent of blood.

Jake carefully made his way into the living room, and even if his sphere had already made him aware of what he would find long ago, the sight was still less than pleasant.

Five people were in the room—a man, a woman, and three children. At least… that was what Jake estimated. It was… a bit hard to tell.

Only a single corpse was even halfway complete—that of the man.

He had been strung up by poles of metal clearly taken from the pens of the barn outside. His arms and legs were impaled, leaving him rooted to the floor. He looked like he had struggled before bleeding out… a struggle clearly caused not only by his own will to survive, but what had happened to the four others.

The corpse of a woman had been ripped apart into several pieces and strewn across the floor. Meat hooks hung from the ceiling, suspending limbs too small to be those of adults. Jake didn’t see any heads… but he estimated there must have been three children.

Jake felt… repulsed.

He understood hunting and killing. He had come to realize this as a normal part of life, and he didn’t view the act of killing other sapients the same as before. But this wasn’t just killing. It was cruelty. They hadn’t been killed with any other purpose than to bring them all more suffering in their final moments.

This had all happened at least a week ago, likely even longer. For that long, the family had hung there, disgraced and forgotten by all but the culprit behind it.

Closing his eyes, he even suppressed his sphere as he collected himself. He left the house and walked outside. He already had enough information… He had remembered the tracks, and in its slaughter, the creature had stayed there for a period… leaving plenty of traces of its presence for Jake and his Hunter’s Tracking to pick up. It had taken its time.

Jake turned to the house and held out his hand, conjuring a transparent flame. He willed it forward as it took hold of the house, and with his control, he set the entire building ablaze with an all-consuming flame. He stayed there to make sure it all burned down for the next half an hour as he reflected inwardly about his next steps.

Mystie sat at his side, glaring at the fire, confused about what he was doing. But after sensing his mood, it didn’t say or do anything. It just waited and let the silence only be broken by the crackling embers of the former house.

He gazed at the ashes, where not a single trace of the corpses remained. Jake let his sphere spread once more as he carefully observed everything… and turned toward the direction the hooves had left.

“Mystie… please head back. This may take longer than I first thought. I know you want to get home to Hawkie and the egg, but I can’t come back with you quite yet, and this may be a lot to ask, but please go and defend the fort in case something happens.” He smiled at the bird apologetically. “I have a monster to hunt.”

Chapter 36

Mental Magic

Jake walked slowly toward his chosen prey’s direction. Mystie looked to be in internal conflict, so he decided to make it a bit easier for the bird. “It’s D-grade... clearly intelligent. I have no way to determine its exact power without meeting it, so it will be dangerous. This isn’t your fight, so I won’t drag you into it. Just go back and take care of things.”

Mystie looked at him with a bit of concern, and he understood its doubts. To pursue an enemy of unknown strength wasn’t the safest or wisest course of action, and the two hawks had placed many expectations on him.

“Relax, I’ll be able to escape even if things go south. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’m faster by myself than with you or Hawkie.” He ended with a smile, assuring the bird.

Jake saw it fly off as he turned toward the trail with the hoofprints, his smile gone.

D-grade… he was sure of it. With the combination of his Sense of the Malefic Viper, Hunter’s Tracking, high Perception, and natural talents, he could sense the presence left behind by the monster that had stayed in the house to torture the family.

Not just sense it, but truly feel it. And Jake felt the aura of a D-grade monster, which only made him all the more determined to hunt it down.

Based on the family not leaving, he assumed they had all been on the weaker side, and yet a D-grade had gone out of its way to kill and torture them. With a power disparity like that… it was just pure cruelty. Clearly, the monster that did it hated them… but it had sown karma through its actions. And Jake was more than happy to be the reaper.

With One Step Mile on full display, he followed the tracks away from the farmhouse. He crossed the vast fields in only a few minutes, each step crossing nearly a hundred meters. It was far faster than his flying speed, and he quickly came to his next destination.

It was in the middle of a field, with countless tracks of bovines present. It looked like hundreds if not thousands of the bovines had been gathered for a period before they all headed off in another direction—directly toward the fort.

The D-grade had stopped there too but hadn’t followed the herd. He felt its presence soaked into the area, indicating it must have been there a while, likely using plenty of skills and mana. With its presence so obvious, it didn’t take him long to find the direction it had left in.

Jake followed the trails for the next few hours and traveled from destination to destination with great speed. He came to several more old farm estates, all of them looking a lot like the first. Many of them were utterly broken, and he found even more corpses of humans around or inside them.

His mood soured further with every new farmstead, but it also served to reaffirm his decision to track down the monster. He wanted to kill it… but also to know why. He knew some creatures were just assholes, liking to play with their victims. Humans were principal case studies of this. But even so… Jake still wanted to know why.

He felt the trail get more and more fresh as he moved forward. By now, he was hundreds of kilometers from the fort at least, showing exactly how much Earth had been expanded. He seriously doubted the farmers had lived a hundred kilometers from their neighbors before, after all.

Besides the farmhouses, he also saw the trails left by herds of bovines, but oddly enough, none of the beasts themselves. Have they all been gathered up by Herd Leaders?

The number of bovines there had to be in the tens of thousands, based on how many pens there were in the barns, yet no more than a single Herd Leader with a following of less than a thousand cows attacked the fort every time. If they all attacked at once... the fort would have been overrun long ago.

He frowned as he kept up the chase, soon finding a small farmhouse that looked like it couldn’t contain more than a few dozen cattle at most. The trail was still incredibly fresh, and he could smell the scent of human blood from far away.

But he also felt something else…

Jake quickly rushed into the small house and was immediately taken aback when he saw the interior.

Two corpses were lying on the ground, their bodies still emanating heat, proving they had died not long ago. Yet they weren’t the most noteworthy thing; it was the person still standing there. A young girl, looking no older than ten or eleven, stood there with a sword in her hand, just staring down at the two corpses.

Jake wanted to say something until he saw the eyes of the girl. They were entirely blank, and if he didn’t know better, he would guess she was sleepwalking. In fact… it reminded him a lot of the eyes of the Herd Leader he had seen before.

“Hey,” Jake said anyway, trying to get her attention. He got no response as she stood there, utterly unresponsive. She didn’t even react when Jake took the weapon or brought her out of the farmhouse.

He really didn’t know what to do. Mystie had already been sent back, and Jake couldn’t see himself just leaving the girl there alone. But at the same time, he didn’t want to give up on his hunt. I’ll have to return her to somewhere safe.

Jake stood there, thinking if he should just rush back to the fort with her and return here again… but was that really the best thing to do? She was under some serious mental manipulation right now, and who knew if they could dispel it… or what dispelling it could cause.

He didn’t know much about mental magic, so he could only guess. And even if he disregarded the mental magic… what if she remembered? The bloody sword and two corpses left little up to the imagination as to what had happened.

I can’t leave her here… Hopefully, someone back at the fort can help.

Jake picked up the bloody girl, who didn’t even react to the movement. He took her in a princess carry as he took his first step back toward the fort, nearly seventy meters crossed.

Less range than before, and increased resource consumption… but nothing I can’t handle, he thought as he evaluated the effects of carrying the girl on his One Step Mile.

He picked up his pace as he crossed the plains at an unprecedented speed. He didn’t have to watch for any tracks, and he used the Pylon as a compass of sorts to remember the direction of the fort. Even if it wasn’t one hundred percent accurate, the plains were flat and open enough that he couldn’t miss the giant, fortified settlement.

His pace was that of a light jog, but as every footfall took him further than should be possible, he didn’t take long to return. It took him less than eight minutes to go from the small farmhouse to within sight of the fort, and another minute before he appeared on the wall, scaring the living shit out of the soldier standing there.

They pointed their weapons toward him on instinct, but Jake froze them all with a quick glance.

“Do you have anyone with skills related to mental magic?” he asked the frozen soldier. “And maybe a psychiatrist or someone good with kids…”

The soldier just kept staring at him, but another one below who had heard him ran off toward the central keep. Jake didn’t bother to stay there either. Glancing up, he saw Mystie sit on top of the central keep, not even caring about staying invisible. It gave him a look, but he shook his head and motioned to the girl. The bird seemed to understand and closed its eyes again. Jake was just thankful Mystie had chosen to stay at the fort… it made him feel a bit better about leaving his “employees” there.

He met Phillip, Miranda, and Lillian outside of the keep as they rushed out to see what was happening. They saw Jake carrying what looked like an unconscious young girl and looked at him with perplexed expressions.

“I found her while on the trail of the instigator of the attacks. She is under a mental skill of some sort—got any healers who can help with that? A psychiatrist or someone with experience with regular mental issues may also be a good idea…”

Jake briefly explained what he had found as the two stood there listening to his explanation with shock. Phillip deeply frowned when he mentioned that the perpetrator was likely some kind of D-grade monster who enjoyed torturing humans, while Miranda looked with pity at the girl.

“Here, let me,” Lillian said as she walked out from behind Miranda to take the girl from Jake. He gladly obliged and handed the still-unresponsive girl to her.

With her handed off… Jake turned back around and said, “I’m off again.”

“Be careful,” Miranda said with a worried expression.

Jake smiled a bit below his mask as he took a step forward, appearing on the fort’s wall, then took another to appear on the plains below.

It’s whatever fucker did this that should be careful.

Silas sat with the girl inside the keep, using the room where they had just had a meeting. Everyone else was also there, including a man who used to work as a psychologist at a high school, which was the closest they could get to a mental health professional with experience working with children.

As a healer, Silas had many different kinds of skills, and some of them even dealt with dispelling foreign mana from others. He had gotten especially good at that, having to deal with Donald’s curses.

While mental magic was quite different from that, some of the same concepts applied.

He placed his hands on her head and closed his eyes as he focused on the skill. He felt his mana sink into the girl and begin searching for any foreign influences. It didn’t take long before he found the source.

Silas pushed toward it to try and dispel it, but the second he made contact with it, he felt a rush of mental energy strike back at him like a sledgehammer.

“Argh!” he yelled as he let the girl go and fell off the chair, blood flowing from his nose.

“What the hell happened?” Neil asked in fright, but Silas was more concerned about the girl. He didn’t hesitate to place his hands on her again and inspect the energy, fearing it would harm the girl more.

The energy within the girl had locked itself completely down as it seeped deep into her soul. He felt an almost taunting intent from the mana as he was forced to let go again.

“I… I can’t dispel it… and even if I could, I am unsure how to do it without harming or even killing her...” Silas said with regret as he shook his head and looked at the poor girl. Drool was coming out of her mouth as she stood there.

“Is there nothing we can do?” Lillian asked, her face still stoic but her voice concerned.

“I can’t… but I remember Donald’s curses all stopped working the moment he died… so if the caster dies…” Silas said hesitantly, quite a bit unsure.

“Let us have faith in the owner, then,” Miranda said.

Four minutes and forty-seven seconds.

That was how long it took him to return to the small farmstead where he had found the girl. It was quite a lot faster when he didn’t carry the small girl along. He had remembered the path back, as it was more or less in a straight line.

Drinking a stamina potion to replenish himself, he began sniffing out the trail of the monster.

Based on the girl… the monster was bound to have some mental skills. It was predictable, considering the Herd Leaders, but he was still a bit worried now.

A part of Jake had assumed the skill only worked on other bovines. Perhaps it was some kind of Herd Overlord that could control Herd Leaders to do its bidding… He hadn’t expected it just to have mental magic in general.

From the girl, it even appeared quite powerful. Jake knew that mental energy affected some of the soul’s outer layers, so he had considered if his Gaze of the Apex Hunter could have somehow dispelled it… but it was too much of a risk. Besides, even if it worked, all he would get out of it was a young girl confronted with what she had done—or if she didn’t remember it, questions about her parents.

He didn’t have any mental defense skills, and while he did have a decent amount in Willpower, it was still his second-lowest stat, only surpassing Intelligence. It should, in theory, be a bad matchup for him.

But even with his lingering worries, he didn’t even once reconsider chasing down the monster. In some ways, it just made him all the more excited. It was a different kind of opponent, one he was more than happy to kill.

Picking up on the monster’s trail once more, he began following it a bit slower this time. Based on the clues from his Hunter’s Tracking, the fact that the girl was still alive, and the warmth of the two corpses in the farmhouse, he assumed it was close.

Soon, he spotted another large farmstead in the distance, directly in the direction of the trail. It was larger than any of the other estates he had seen, and he could almost feel the presence of the many creatures there.

He even saw a few bovines in the plains around the large farm, slowly meandering about. Jake was well outside their detection radius, and he noted how they were all just normal bovines around level 25.

Summoning his wings, Jake took to the air to get an aerial view. He flew toward the farm as he scouted it out from above.

And what he saw was an army. Tens of thousands of bovines were gathered in the estate or around it, dozens of Herd Leaders and bulls. The strongest Herd Leaders were above level 90, with some of the bulls getting as high as 75.

If that wasn’t enough… he felt the presence he had been tracking inside the large barn. The barn was the largest he had seen so far and looked like it could house thousands of cattle at a time. Before the system, this had, without a doubt, been a massive operation, but now it had been taken over by the creatures it once kept as livestock.

Jake didn’t hesitate as he flew down toward the barn. He wasn’t interested in any of the beasts, except maybe a few of the Herd Leaders. No, he was heading straight for whatever monster had managed to subdue them.

Chapter 37

Minotaur Mindchief

Jake landed on top of the barn and looked through a broken rooftop window. He saw even more bovines inside, but they weren’t the first thing he noticed. It was the huge creature standing on top of an elevated platform, looking straight back at him.

“So, you are the one who’s been tracking me?” it asked in a rough voice.

Jake saw no reason to hide as he leaped through the window and landed just inside, standing in mid-air.

He saw a hulking Minotaur standing on what looked like a small stage, wearing simple garb and wielding a staff. It was a bit over three meters tall, with curling bronze horns extending from its head. It looked quite familiar to the creature he had imagined, and his Identify made him aware that this was very likely the creature he had been tracking.

[Minotaur Mindchief – lvl ???]

“That would be me,” Jake answered as he stared down at the monster. He could feel its presence and get an estimate of it as he considered if he could fight it… Stronger than the Thunder Roc and Storm Elemental… but differently.

His intuition and danger sense didn’t scream at him or warn him like when he faced truly powerful enemies… yet he still had some reservations.

“Did you enjoy my work? It was… liberating to do,” the Minotaur said as it smiled up at him. “I sincerely hope you can appreciate it. It is rare to find one who walks the same path.”

Jake looked down at the monster, confused, but decided to play along. He felt like there was some kind of misunderstanding, and if he could exploit that, he was more than willing to.

“It wasn’t exactly my style,” he answered.

“To crush the humans is something one should take pleasure in, is it not? Those accursed monkeys are now but prey to us.” The Minotaur chuckled as he motioned toward the back of the room.

Jake had already noticed them before, but looking at the cages at the back wall closer still made him frown.

There had to be at least a hundred people stashed in small cages, lined up neatly. All of them stood, sat, or were on the ground, their eyes totally blank as they just stared into empty space—all under the mental influence of the Mindchief.

“A bit crude and unnecessary,” Jake said, contempt leaking into his voice.

“Hah, one of efficiency, I see,” the Minotaur said with a laugh, not at all offended. “But what other reason but pleasure is there to slay these monkeys? They are inferior now, remnants of the past to be crushed and forgotten.”

Jake frowned a bit again as he finally put two and two together. It thinks I am a monster, one that kills weaker humans as it does.

It… honestly shouldn’t be that surprising. While Jake did look humanoid, the only actual body parts visible were two beastly eyes. The two wings on his back were surely not helping him look human either. He couldn’t even be Identified, making it even less obvious what race he was.

As to why it believed he hunted humans… well, because he had plenty of human blood on him. The girl he’d carried earlier hadn’t exactly been clean, and he had also come into contact with plenty of blood as he chased down the monster in front of him.

I can use this, but…

“Awfully talkative,” Jake said, wondering about that part. While it didn’t exactly fall into the trope of the evil villain explaining his plans, it was pretty damn close.

“Ah, I apologize,” the Minotaur said, shaking its head. “It is not often one encounters other sapients, much less ones able to speak. Even fewer again, those that do not attack at first sight. It can be isolating to be the only one of your kind smarter than a stupid animal.”

The Minotaur looked around at all the bulls inside the barn with pity. They were all just standing there, sometimes bumping into their neighbor or looking at the ground for signs of food. They didn’t act differently from normal bulls, and the normal cows outside conducted themselves rather cow-like too. Without a Herd Leader, Jake guessed these creatures would be mostly harmless.

As a very antisocial person, Jake couldn’t really relate to the constant need some people felt for companionship many had, but he could understand it. People were just built differently, and while he could do fine alone for a while, even he got sometimes wanted companionship.

Bovines were also social animals. So… had the poor genocidal Minotaur really just gotten lonely?

“Why are you keeping humans in cages?” he asked the Minotaur. If the overgrown cow wanted to kill them, he could kind of understand it, but why keep them alive?

“I am glad you asked,” the Minotaur said, and Jake was already regretting his question as the monster began monologuing. “This place was used for auctions before the initiation. Auctions of what, you may ask?” The Minotaur’s mood suddenly turned murderous as he roared, “My kind! Sold as items to the highest bidder! To be slaughtered or forced into perpetuating the purgatory that was our existence!”

He breathed in calmly and tried to relax. “After I awakened, I finally understood—and remembered—every second of every day. I was forced to breed; my life and the life of my kind treated as if we weren’t even alive. Born with our only fates being to bring more offspring and then be slaughtered and devoured.”

The Minotaur smiled as he motioned toward the cages. “So is this not fitting? The roles reversed, with the humans now the cattle and we the lords of their lives and deaths. The humans are weak now… while we are strong. Now is the time to strike fear into their hearts and claim our place at the top!”

Jake looked at the insane Minotaur for a while. Okay, yeah, he kinda got its need to kill a few humans and farmers based on how the farming industry tended to treat cattle, but on the other hand… Jake didn’t really care.

He had never been one to bear grudges, and even if he did, the worst he would do was kill. He didn’t need to humiliate or torture. This Minotaur was clearly different, as it seemingly wanted to crush the entire human race… an ambitious goal for sure, if shortsighted.

“What’s up with the human settlement in the plains, then? Plenty of them there to go kill, but instead, you have sent your kin there to die.” Jake was genuinely interested in the answer to that one.

“Well… did the monkeys not feed us and fatten us up before slaughter?” The monster smiled. “I need them to be big and strong before it is time to reap the benefits and put them down.”

“By killing your kin?”

“They are the failed ones. Those who reach their limits and can no longer progress… their fates are to wait for death anyway. Better for them to help the next generation. A herd too large can be detrimental, and it is only right to weed it out for the entire group to grow stronger.”

The Minotaur looked toward the many Herd Leaders outside as he continued with sadness, “For my kin to ascend as I have has proven… difficult. I am merely helping one of them do so. Let the human settlement become the feast that shall be the birth of another D-grade. The first of many to come.”

Now, it finally turned toward him.

“Now, tell me… why come here? I welcome you to join my herd, even if you are not of my kin.”

“And why would I do that?” Jake asked.

“I see that you have yet to cross the crevice… Is it not an honor to serve those more powerful? I sense your power, but that final step is not easy. I would be more than happy to have a sapient companion join me.”

Jake looked down at the monster. It was hard to compare the creature that had created the gruesome scenes in the farmhouses to the polite cowman that stood in front of him. He had yet to show even a single sign of aggression, and while he wasn’t sure how it would react if he rejected its offer, at least it seemed sincere. Heck, it hadn’t even tried any weird mind magic as far as he could tell, despite that being its specialty.

It could even recognize that Jake was still in E-grade, and all logic dictated that the Minotaur was stronger than him. Jake felt like at least giving the creature a proper answer… knowing what was to follow.

“I am a hunter; my path is too far removed from yours,” Jake said. “You find pleasure in taking revenge on those weaker than yourself… Without going into moral classics and arguing how you are becoming that which you hated, I am just going to make it easy for you. I am a human.”

Was it the smartest thing to do? No. Would it be way smarter to get in a good sneak attack? For sure. But Jake had decided to show the monster the basic fucking decency that it hadn’t shown anything else. Besides… he didn’t feel any fear.

“Huh?” the Minotaur Mindchief said, looking up at him with a confused expression. “Impossible… Humans are weak, feeble creatures. You carry the presence of a predator and a monster—not that of a hairless monkey.”

“See, that’s the thing about us humans… we are a race with quite a high level of variance. Some humans are weak; some are strong. Some are cruel; some are kind. To blame the entire human race is just stupid; quite a few humans in the old world were even fighting for your kind.” Jake gave a light smile and made his mask invisible. “Veganism was on the rise, ya know?”

The Minotaur just kept staring at him in confusion before its facial expression changed. Its kind-looking smile and welcoming demeanor contorted into one of rage, its eyes gaining a red sheen.

It didn’t even speak before Jake felt it: a stream of energy came toward him. Jake swiftly dispelled the mana on his feet and, with a flap of his wings, soared up through the window he had entered through.

You created a path revolving around hunting down weaker prey… pursuing revenge against them. A limited path with no future, far too confined. You don’t need more power to do what you wanted… satisfied to stay in this small area. It was a path with only one ending… stagnation and death.

Flying upwards, he stopped only a hundred meters in the air and began channeling Infused Powershot. He had marked the monster with Mark of the Ambitious Hunter before he flew up and knew exactly where it wa—

A figure suddenly appeared in his sphere from behind—the Minotaur. His Mark told him it still stood unmoving inside the building below… but he trusted his sphere more than any skill.

Jake dodged to the side as a staff swiped down, then turned and saw… nothing. With his eyes, that is. He dodged another swipe from the staff as he fired a blast of mana from his gloves toward the invisible monster.

It flew back a bit, and suddenly, it was revealed. At the same time, Jake’s Mark also snapshotted to the figure in front of him… making him aware it indeed was the same creature. Mental magic of some kind?

“Why struggle when the fight is already over?” a voice echoed in his mind.

Jake felt the pain moments after. His insides boiled and several holes opened up all over his body, spewing out blood-like geysers, and Jake remembered how the staff that penetrated his body several ti—

He ducked under the staff and grabbed hold of the monster’s arm, using Touch of the Malefic Viper. It quickly wrested his hand away, but Jake was already upon it with a dagger coated in dark mana. It managed to dodge and move back, but the blade extended at the end, leaving a gash on the Minotaur’s chest.

“How?” it spoke, this time not using any shitty mental shit. It stood in the air, not unlike how Jake air-walked, though it did seem quite a bit more skillful at it than him. He assumed it had a skill to do it, primarily to make himself feel better.

“Instincts.”

Jake flew forward to keep the creature within his sphere. It disappeared from sight again but soon appeared at his left side and swung its staff. Jake ignored it as it passed straight through him, and he instead ducked under a swipe from the right.

He closed his eyes and ignored what his other senses told him, relying only on his sphere. He suddenly felt like his leg cramped up, followed by intense pain, but he knew it wasn’t real. The pain was as real as it could get, but it didn’t come with any actual damage—it was all in his head.

The Minotaur was fast… but not compared to the other D-grades he had encountered. What made it dangerous was its insane mental magic, which even Jake couldn’t even correctly detect, and its ridiculous strength. Sadly for the Minotaur… it could fool his mind, but not his body.

His dagger stabbed into its leg, and this time, it was coated in his own blood too. The monster screamed in pain—his intuition told him it was not fake in the least. For a moment, he felt the creature slip up as its hold over him disappeared, and his phantom pains vanished.

But it was enough time for him to land his eyes on the creature. It froze up as Jake charged it, stabbing his dagger into its chest just as it became able to move again. His blade penetrated quite a bit before the Minotaur exploded with mana, sending Jake flying back hundreds of meters before he was able to stop himself.

He had blocked with his arms, and they were both now burned, his armor not doing that well either. It wasn’t an illusion, as his sphere and intuition confirmed the damage.

Not that it mattered. Jake just looked at the heaving beast in the distance with pity.

The Minotaur Mindchief was a lot stronger than himself, and the strength behind every swing was enough to crush him. But it was also slow, and its moves obvious, proving it clearly hadn’t fought many other powerful foes before.

When you could just make your opponent unaware he was even being hit, you didn’t need to be fast or even good at fighting; you just needed enough raw power to crush someone into a paste.

“Is this the power you hoped to challenge an entire race with?” Jake asked the monster, shaking his head.

“I don’t know how you avoid it… but your mind is utterly undefended… No, it does affect you; you just ignore it,” the Minotaur said, frowning. “Instincts, you say… but isn’t it instinct to not hurt your kin?”

Jake looked confused for a moment before his eyes opened wide. A massive wave of almost tangible energy washed over him as he felt the entire world around him shift. He felt his head hurt as he looked at the Minotaur.

“What were we doing?” he asked his old pal in confusion. He remembered that they’d been chilling just before this, talking about how to deal with a nearby hive of enemies, but now he suddenly found himself fighting. It didn’t make sense; it was… what?

“Having a duel,” his pal said. “I won, so—”

“No, you didn’t,” Jake said, shaking his head as things snapped into place and looked up at the damn monster with deadly intent. The energy within his head swiftly dispelled. “Alright, fuck you.”

“Worth a shot,” the Minotaur said, taunting him as it smiled, seemingly having gotten an idea.

Fuck this mental magic bullshit; what the fuck is this?

Jake began closing off his mind, trying to stop thinking about anything and just move.

He had just begun when the Minotaur turned to him and said, with a smile, “I believe it’s time for the auction to begin!”

Chapter 38

A Journey of the Mind

Jake saw the creature disappear, but instead of attacking, the monster appeared inside the barn below. He wondered what the hell the Minotaur was up to.

His Sense of the Malefic Viper made him aware that his poisons were being quickly eliminated, hinting at the creature having quite a lot of Vitality. Not so much Toughness, based on how easily his dagger had penetrated its skin.

He didn’t follow right away but stayed up there, inspecting the remnant energies still in his head. Mental magic was some real mind-fuckery, as it basically implanted fake ideas, concepts, or signals. It made him see things that weren’t real while masking what was.

But… it didn’t work on his sphere or instincts at all. He also could now feel how the energy implanted in his body was slowly being fought off passively, meaning whatever influence the Minotaur used on him was temporary no matter what. This also boded well for the girl he’d seen, as the energy affecting her should dissipate naturally with time.

The more complex or foreign the manipulation, the less effective. Jake felt pissed at the memory of briefly seeing the monster as an ally, even if he swiftly dispelled that idea. It was just too contradictory, and he’d quickly broken that spell… but he could imagine some fucked-up things a real mind mage could make people do if they were significantly stronger than their opponent.

How do I know someone hasn’t already infected me? I have met gods… could they have done something that I have no way of feeling?

The thought occurred… and was just as quickly dispelled. It may be hubris or absolute arrogance, but Jake believed that not even the Malefic Viper or any other god in existence could truly fool his instincts. They could fuck up his mind… but they couldn’t fuck up his Bloodline.

Hell, the only real mental interference I should be scared of in the long run is what is caused by my Bloodline… if that can even be called interference. Not that I can change anything about it, but try and be aware.

Jake shook his head and tried to expel all the distracting thoughts as he kept inspecting the foreign mental energy. It truly moved unobstructed through him, encountering only the natural resistance caused by what he assumed was his Willpower stat.

While he could deal with the mental interference pretty well… it was still annoying. The damn monster could make his archery borderline useless, and for some reason, as he needed it to remain in his sphere, he didn’t even detect the energy that had invaded him during the fight. Likely because it had also implanted the idea that the energy wasn’t something worth noting… So annoying.

He would get Pride of the Malefic Viper shortly, so that should help. It wasn’t going to help him today… but he didn’t see himself losing. Sure, the Minotaur was actually the strongest opponent besides the King he had ever met, and without his Bloodline, his head would have been smashed in before he even noticed the attack coming.

But he had his Bloodline, and the Minotaur’s power just sucked against him. It was like the opposite of a cloud elemental. Like the path of this stupid monster… His strengths are shortsighted too. Would the mental magic even work on an elemental, or a creature with great mental defenses? Or a human who fights using instincts? Well… lose, I guess.

He had to admit that the monster’s strength was… immense. He gazed about and saw a few craters below, with even a few bovines that had died from wayward attacks. It was just the remnant shockwave left by the staff’s wide swings, but it was enough to crush nearly anything.

If the Minotaur Mindchief had fought the Thunder Roc, he would have won easily. He was also pretty sure it could handle something like Mystie easily too. In fact, he was happy Mystie hadn’t come along but stayed at the fort. He was pretty sure the Mindchief could dominate the mind of the hawk for at least a period, making the battle into a two versus one. And even if he couldn’t, he sure as hell could make the bird disorientated enough for him to kill it, as Jake was relatively sure Mystie wasn’t the most resilient to physical attacks.

Without tarrying any longer, he summoned a bolt of mana and fired it down toward the barn. The roof blew up, leaving a gaping hole he was able to see through.

“Took you long enough,” the Minotaur said, its voice friendly but carrying an insidious undertone.

When the dust cleared, Jake saw the interior of the barn. The Minotaur was back on the stage, but he was no longer alone. He was now surrounded by humans who all stood blank-eyed, staring into thin air.

Jake flew down and landed in the middle of the barn, the Minotaur just within the range of his sphere. He also did it to confirm if the humans were actually real or just mental illusions. They were. The bovines in the barn had gone outside, leaving just Jake, the Minotaur, and the human captives behind.

“I must admit, I underestimated you,” the Minotaur said. “You are a champion sent by your race to end my ambitions, fighting for the survival of their species. You are without a doubt the pinnacle of their talents… trained to battle me, but in your arrogance, you forgot… I am a king, not a soldier.” The Minotaur laughed as all the humans suddenly drew their weapons.

“But I will give you a chance!” the monster said as he waved his hand and summoned a string of rune-like text in the air.

Jake saw it and noticed that he somehow understood what he said. It was a… contract.

“This is an auction, after all. So tell me… what would you give to free your fellow man?” The monster laughed. “Serve me, and I promise safety for these hairless monkeys and those you wish to keep alive. I am a generous king… I shall allow a sanctuary to keep your race alive and for you to lead them!”

Jake had to admit it sounded like a terrific deal. At least he thought so for a fraction of a second before he dispelled the mental energy in his head, at which point it sounded like hot garbage, spewed out by an arrogant asshole who couldn’t even keep his own beliefs consistent.

He looked up at the creature as he shook his head. “You are utterly pathetic… and certainly no king. You can only bully those weaker than yourself, taking pleasure in torturing them, while you run away like a scared child before anyone who can challenge you. You can’t even stick to your chosen path. Stop embarrassing yourself and at least die with a shred of honor and dignity.”

The Minotaur looked at the masked human, confused for a few moments before his face turned to one of rage. “I am the one in charge here!”

He opened his eyes wide and sent a command to his thralls. Ten of the around one hundred hairless monkeys turned and attacked the person next to them. With a single swipe of a sword, ten heads fell to the ground. He had even made sure to include a few of their young. It tended to irk the humans most when he did that.

A suffering—or preferably broken—mind was far easier to intrude and manipulate. Even if the Minotaur couldn’t make the human kneel willingly, he could shatter his psyche through killing his kin, whittling down his resolve until, finally, he relented. He had done it before… and it was pure ecstasy every time.

“See the result of your actions! Now kneel or—”

He was interrupted by a loud sigh as the human that claimed himself to be a hunter just shook his head again. “I told you… humans are all different.”

The Minotaur looked the human in the eye and saw only… indifference and a small spark of rage. Not a single trace of despair or regret. This human does not care for its kin? But it led me outside to avoid killing them?

He had skimmed that thought in their fight earlier. To understand the basic intent of an opponent or read surface thoughts was a fundamental aspect of mental magic. For some reason, he couldn’t quite read the human’s thoughts in combat, but he could most certainly read his intent. He had avoided fighting in the barn to avoid killing his fellow man… so why not bat an eye when they died now?

Very well. If this human does not break from this… I shall crush him with everything I have. He shall be my thrall… willingly or not.

Because while the Minotaur Mindchief was weak in many aspects, he stood at the pinnacle of mental magic for a monster on his level.

Jake looked with disappointment at the oversized cow. He saw the humans die with a single command, and he felt only his anger grow. It kept perpetuating the needless killing… it didn’t do so with a goal. It wasn’t even a hunt. He didn’t mourn those who died… he only pitied them. In some ways… they’d died the moment the Minotaur Mindchief claimed them.

He took a step forward and appeared right in front of the Minotaur. The monster blocked his blow as if he already knew Jake was attacking. Because it did. But he didn’t know where next he would strike… because Jake didn’t think about it; he just let his body move where it wanted.

The dagger flew forward, and the Minotaur was cut on his chest once more, the old wounds far from having healed. Jake felt the mental energy invade his mind, worming its way inside. It was looking for something… an opening?

I will have to kill it quickly.

He kept attacking, the creature slowly backing off. The humans around him also all charged at him, but none of them could get close as they all froze up. It was a bit tiring, but he would have to keep them frozen with Gaze of the Apex Hunter for at least a bit.

Jake pushed forward, ducking under another wild swing. He placed his hand on the stomach of the Minotaur, releasing a blast of mana that sent it flying through the back wall of the barn. Yet the stream of mental energy kept pouring into him. The Minotaur wasn’t doing anything other than reading his movements and whatever the fuck the monster was currently trying.

The wounds on the monster accumulated as the poison seeped deeper into the Minotaur’s body, but Jake felt a sense of crisis grow when he began to feel weird. Jake stepped back, teleporting with One Step Mile as he drew his bow and began charging an Infused Powershot.

Human and Minotaur stood just staring at each other, less than ten meters between them. Neither moved, as both seemed satisfied with channeling their skills.

After a dozen seconds, Jake released the arrow, and the Minotaur just raised his staff to try and block. He blocked the blow, but the arrow exploded, sending the Minotaur flying back. Jake pelted him with even more arrows, and soon a dozen were sticking out of his chest.

The wounds began festering as the Necrotic Poison did its damage, and the Minotaur had visibly weakened. Yet even as the Minotaur’s power waned, Jake felt his sense of crisis only grow. He tried to do the most damage possible to try and kill the Minotaur as his sense of danger practically exploded with warning.

The Minotaur looked up at him and smiled. “Behold, the true power of the Mindchief!”

Jake felt a stream of energy unlike anything before smash into his head as five words echoed in his mind.

“Wayward Journey of Echoing Reminiscence.”

Back at the fort, Silas was sitting in a side room with the psychologist. The girl was still unresponsive like before, but they didn’t want to risk anything. Silas wanted to stay close if he could help with anything, and the psychologist just seemed happy to finally feel useful since he apparently wasn’t the best at fighting.

The girl began screaming out of nowhere. Silas hurried to her with a startled expression and tried to calm her down. He placed his hands on her head and sensed that the mental energy that was there before was disappearing at a rapid rate.

It didn’t appear like it was dissipating… but returning. The one who had caused it clearly couldn’t keep all these effects active any longer. It had to go all out.

The owner… he worried, but he didn’t have time as the two men in the room tried to calm the child.

The Minotaur Mindchief felt the confluence of mental energy as the bridge was established, and their minds became one. Together, he and the human would walk a journey. In the realm of the mind—or more accurately, the soul—time meant nothing for the two figures that appeared. One of them was the human in a suppressed state, a silent observer, and the other the Minotaur Mindchief.

He walked forward and saw the memories one by one. The goal was simple. The Minotaur Mindchief believed that every sapient being had a weakness in their mind. A reversed scale that could be exploited to dominate them.

It was hard to hold back a smile as he imagined the human as his thrall. So powerful, and not even D-grade yet. The hunter was the champion put forth by his race, their hope of defeating him. He would turn their cultivated weapon against them and have him be the harbinger of their genocide.

The memories were unnoteworthy, to begin with. The Mindchief needed a trauma, something hidden deeper. He tried to go back, to see what had happened when the human was but a child. He had learned that that was where most traumas were found.

Yet he was stumped early. The early memories were… What?

Never before had he seen such a… fractured memory, the moments of reminiscence nothing but selected scenes. There were some things, such as the betrayal of a friend or minor scuffles, but nothing the Mindchief found worth exploiting. No memory worth flaring to life to crush the human.

Had another mind mage sealed memories? No, he saw no signs of tampering. Even if the memories were repressed, he should be able to find them, but they appeared just to be… gone. Gone, or sealed somewhere that even a Legendary skill of the highest order couldn’t help him find.

But as he went forward… suddenly, everything returned to normal. It was only the first years that were so fractured, but everything became usual after that. Did something happen during that time that had broken his mind to the level of memories disappearing? Or did someone or something truly seal them away?

He did notice that the human became more… muted. The fragments in the start displayed a human of action, a wild child with never-ending energy and the disposition of a creature standing at the apex of his species. For some reason, however, that seemed to just… disappear.

The next many years were more tedious, as the human was hard to recognize. It was hard to compare the muted human he saw with the hunter that had nearly ended his life.

The Minotaur was… confused. The memories began to feel faded. Not in that they were hard to see, but everything had a gray aura. The emotions tied to the memories had an underlying sense of apathy and boredom.

Ah… I found it.

The thing to exploit.

The human was far weaker then. From those early years to only a few months back—besides a few sparks here and there—there was not much. No, it would need to find the trigger that made the color return and the world seem attractive to the human again.

It didn’t take long. In fact, it was the very same day that marked his own ascension that the human had found his meaning once more.

But it wasn’t right away. The palette changed as the human called Jake entered the vast forest, the world brightening ever so slightly. No, the return came after the sun had set.

At a moment of life and death, the world was flooded with light. The Minotaur Mindchief felt the human experience what could only be called absolute euphoria. Truly, he had found his meaning once more… and the Minotaur smiled. For he had found the weakness.

If what had awakened inside him that day had brought him meaning… the Mindchief would just have to take that away.

So he dove deeper. He needed to know the exact cause. He tried to move ahead, but some dark spots appeared. The human had entered a dungeon, but that place was full of unnatural voids. Ones the Mindchief had seen before, as they were memories related to things above his station. It was likely the system’s way of protecting him.

No… I need to go back to that night.

He needed to truly discover what the human had experienced. It wasn’t as straightforward as just reading his mind; he had to truly find it. Dive deeper and discover the actual source. Discover it, and crush it into smithereens, using that opening to shatter his mind.

And as he dove deeper, he found that the source was… inside the human?

A sudden moment of enlightenment, an idea appearing or a concept understood… Finally.

It was typical.

Like a puzzle, it was all about finding that one piece to complete the entire picture. Without the piece, the human would feel incomplete. It could be so many things, depending on the person. Sometimes they found their soulmate or even a specific item that they placed all their raw emotions into.

That day, he had found his light, and today, the Mindchief would take that away again. Seal whatever enlightenment or concept deep inside the corners of his mind. Make his world gray again, and his mind open to dominance as he suffered from suddenly losing a large part of himself. It would take the Mindchief months, if not years to fully recover from the Wayward Journey of Echoing Reminiscence, and he would lose all other thralls… but it was worth it. Rather than a hundred pawns, he would have someone who could just flip the chessboard.

So he dove deeper into the furthest parts of the human. It was deeper than the Mindchief had ever gone before, and he felt his skill and own mind pushed to their limits. Yet whenever he found a wall, he overcame it as he dove deeper. When he overcame the first, he was proud, but at the tenth… he understood.

The human was inviting him inside. Whatever he was looking for wanted to be found, welcoming him to challenge it and attempt to seal it. Truly a foolish human, to dare meet him in a battle in the mental realm found within the soul.

A final mental step later, the Mindchief appeared at the memory.

With expectation, he gazed upon it and saw… a man. The human himself? The one he had sealed that floated behind him in an ethereal shape? No, it was slightly different; it was him and yet not him. A part of him that he had lost and now regained, or—

The human turned as the Minotaur Mindchief gazed into his eyes. The human behind him was now gone, merged with the figure before him.

He smiled as the Mindchief screamed.

The man moved—an impossible act. It was meant to be but a memory, a fragment of oneself, nothing but an echo. Yet it noticed the Mindchief, and he couldn’t stop screaming. A part of himself that he had suppressed after ascending was screaming at him from the bottom of his soul. It was the set of instincts inherent to every animal on the planet. That faint, primal feeling it would get when confronted with a predator, making the Minotaur Mindchief utterly aware…

He was prey.

Outside in the real world, Jake opened his eyes and gazed upon the Mindchief that slowly tipped over and fell to the ground, eyes wide with fright.

*You have slain [Minotaur Mindchief – lvl 114] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level.

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 96 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 97 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 85 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 98 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

Jake just shook his head as he went over and looked down on the corpse, contempt in his eyes.

“A fool and a coward to the end.”

Chapter 39

From the Myst They Came

Jake couldn’t help but be disappointed in the Minotaur. He had felt it invade his mind as he struggled to fight off the energy. He couldn’t move, and he’d just stood there, less than fifteen meters separating him and the monster.

His sphere had made him aware of the outside world, but nothing more. Yet inwardly, he’d also felt… something.

Half an hour had passed like that, the two having a battle of the mind. Well, it was more Jake in a bit of a haze, slowly fighting off the mental energy and the damn Minotaur trying to find a weakness to exploit.

It was all just a shame. Jake believed he could have actually had a good fight with the D-rank. He was faster, but it was stronger and had its mental magic to at least throw him off here and there. And while its body wasn’t that resilient, its Vitality was high for sure.

The wounds caused by him earlier were mostly healed on the dead body of the Mindchief, just through the passive consumption of health points to heal it. Jake was also pretty damn sure the monster wasn’t anywhere close to out of mana or other magic tricks. He doubted the fight would have ended within the next hour even if they just slugged it out… and Jake had been looking forward to it.

Yet it had died. Not because of running out of health… It had just given up. Jake had allowed it in, not bothering to resist its mental exploration of his memories. He hadn’t known where it was looking, at least not to begin with, but he’d soon gotten the feeling the Minotaur was seeking a deep part of his soul. One the Minotaur could usually never approach. But Jake had allowed him closer... and as soon as the Mindchief caught a glimpse of what it had been looking for, it chose to end itself.

A fucking coward.

It was just a bull that had gotten lucky and found some item that allowed it to evolve quickly. Jake didn’t think all beasts would gain memories from before they evolved, but clearly the Minotaur had. Perhaps due to its skills. Not that it mattered anymore.

Jake walked forward to check out the corpse of the monster, and the first thing he noticed was the staff.

[Pillar of Encumbrance (Rare)] – A metal rod made of a type of metal with the natural ability to change weight based on the intensity of the mana infused within. Incredibly durable.

Requirements: N/A

Jake looked at it and was honestly a bit surprised. It wasn’t even a weapon… It was just a rod of metal that could get heavier if infused with mana. It didn’t even have any requirements. The weapon did fit the Minotaur fantastically, though, and Jake also happily picked it up.

The monster hadn’t had any other equipment, leaving only its body behind.

That was also when Jake heard the yelling behind him, and he suddenly remembered that the large barn had been filled with mind-controlled humans.

Jake deposited the Minotaur’s corpse and the Pillar of Encumbrance before he quickly made his way into the barn to see what was going on.

He entered it and instantly felt dozens of eyes land on him. All the people held prisoners by the Mindchief were now clearheaded and out of whatever hypnosis had kept them passive. The appearance of a masked figure walking into the barn quickly got their attention, their wariness clear.

None of them spoke but just looked hesitantly at him. From the looks of it, they had broken out of mind control a short while ago and had time to try and get a basic understanding of their situation. And Jake was more than happy to clarify what had happened further.

“The Minotaur is dead,” Jake said, summoning its corpse. Now that got their attention.

“Did you kill it?” a person in the front asked—one wearing a familiar uniform.

“I did. Are you from that fort led by a guy named Phillip?” Jake asked, tossing the Minotaur back in his storage immediately.

“Yes! Do you also come from there? I didn’t see you before. Are you—”

“Where are all the bovines?” Jake asked, cutting the young guy off.

Maybe it was a bit late… but Jake clearly remembered the area outside the barn filled with bulls and quite a few Herd Leaders…

“I saw some run off toward there,” a voice cut in, pointing out the large gate and into the distance. Directly toward the fort. “The beasts left a good while ago, just as we all began waking up…”

Well, ain’t this just great? Jake thought, quickly having put together what had happened.

Perhaps it was a failsafe or an ingrained command, but it appeared like the Minotaur Mindchief had ordered every single bovine to charge toward the fort. A real asshole move, entirely in line with its personality. Even if it lost to Jake, it would still at least succeed in wiping out the settlement.

Jake shook his head and turned to the people still in the barn. He was pretty sure they were all there, likely too scared or confused to leave. “Wait here. I will have a group sent to escort you back toward the fort within the day… after I go fix things there.”

He didn’t bother explaining more as he left, using One Step Mile to quickly head back to the fort. By now, it had to have been forty-five minutes since the bovines left. Which meant that, by his estimate, they had likely already arrived there.

Not that Jake was anxious. Neil and his party were there, and they could surely buy some time even against the Herd Leaders that were closing in on the level-cap for E-grade.

Oh, yeah, and Mystie was also chilling there.

“Get ready! Mages, push the wall!” Phillip yelled as he looked out into the horizon, cold sweat running down his back. He turned to Miranda’s group. “We will need your help, or we will all die.”

Neil just nodded in agreement.

“How many?” the space mage asked.

After Phillip listened to one of the snipers on a walkie-talkie, he gravely answered, “More than fifty Herd Leaders counted, and based on their sizes, some of them appear to be above level 90. They are followed by an army of Roughhide Bovines and bulls. I… we should maybe evacuate.”

“In other words, way too fucking many?” Christen butted in, getting a nod from Phillip.

He turned to Miranda and sternly asked, “Is this the doing of this owner? Did he go and provoke them into attacking us?”

“First of all,” Miranda said, “why the hell would he do that? Secondly, if there was an army on standby not far away, ready to charge here within an hour of him leaving, don’t you think they planned on attacking all along? At worst, he just made them push up their attack plan slightly.”

Phillip just looked at her before shaking his head. “Doesn’t matter—we need to evacuate as soon as po—”

He was interrupted by an eruption of light, stemming not from the approaching herd but within the fort. More accurately, from the top of the central keep.

Spectral blue feathers began raining down from above as a giant blue hawk lifted itself slightly off the keep, floating in mid-air. It had a wingspan of nearly ten meters, and what looked like blue mist floated all around it, taking on different shapes.

It was the D-grade brought by the masked owner.

[Mystsong Hawk - ???]

Mana hummed to life as the mist began condensing and forming magic circles in the air. All the humans within the fort found themselves suppressed—even the powerful ones like Neil and his party felt the pressure. It was magic with power above anything they could handle…

The many circles of magic floating above began overlapping, and soon they formed a huge, perfect circle. Blue light began being emitted from the large circle, soon covering its entire center. A few more seconds passed, and the shining blue plane floating above began slowly pouring out even more mist.

It looked like a shining blue vertical lake had suddenly appeared in the air, one with a diameter of more than twenty meters, making it look more than a little intimidating.

Just as the ones below began wondering what the D-grade was up to, the surface of the metaphorical lake rippled as something came out of it. It looked like some kind of giant cat, but before anyone could get a good look at it, the second creature exited. And then a third, and a fourth. Soon dozens of animals were floating in the air above.

All of them were blue, with mist emanating from their bodies. They looked semi-transparent, and when Phillip identified one, he was shocked.

[Mystbeast - ??]

Phillip was level 59, so a beast below D-grade he couldn’t identify had to be at least level 89… and he couldn’t Identify a single one of the blue beasts. But that in itself wasn’t as shocking as the fact that they could even be Identified. Were they summons of some kind? Or had they been teleported there from elsewhere? He didn’t know, and he doubted the giant blue bird would share.

After the portal summoned more than thirty Mystbeasts, it stopped spitting out more. No two of the summoned beasts were identical, varying from cat-like beasts to birds and even one that looked like a mix between an elephant and a rhino.

With a simple wave of its wing, the Mystsong Hawk ordered the summons to move. The mist swirled around each beast as they ran on a trail of mist forming beneath their every footfall.

Phillip could only watch in astonishment as they stormed toward the approaching herd. The Mystsong Hawk was already churning up its next move.

“Looks like we can avoid an evacuation,” Eleanor said with a small smile.

“Did you know the D-grade stayed behind?” Phillip asked Miranda, who had been looking relatively relaxed even after the Mystsong Hawk unleashed its power.

* * *

Miranda looked at Phillip as she casually smiled, hiding her emotions expertly.

“Of course—did you think the owner would leave the fort defenseless in his absence?” she answered confidently while inwardly thinking the exact opposite. How the hell could I know? He didn’t say anything, and the damn bird was hiding in invisibility the whole time.

But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t take advantage of the situation nevertheless. Heck, while the owner had gone off-script more times than she liked… boy, had it worked out well. He’d managed to display his own power and the power of his companion, and at the same time create goodwill toward all the inhabitants of the fort. If he was to be seen as a protector of the city… proving exactly how capable he was at protecting them by wiping out an army of beasts was a good start to build a reputation.

So with anticipation, she watched the battle that was about to unfold.

* * *

Neil also looked out over the walls as he turned to his party. “Wanna join in? Quite a few of those Herd Leaders should be well worth hunting down.”

“Sure thing,” Christen said. “As long as those weird mist-creatures don’t attack us too.”

“Let’s hope they don’t,” Neil said. “Begin to prepare; we’ll go the second Silas gets here.” He began taking out some weird stones and crystals from the Orb of Kallox, placing them down as a magic circle on the ground. Once he was done, he gave each of his party members a small crystal. “Emergency teleports,” he explained to Miranda and Phillip.

Miranda just nodded with understanding, while Phillip looked very interested. He didn’t know exactly what the party of five was capable of, but teleportation certainly did sound impressive.

Ten or so seconds later, the first clash of Mystbeasts and the herd of bovines happened, and… it wasn’t a fight. The sharp claws of a cat-like Mystbeast ripped three Roughhide Bovines, all only around level 30, apart with a simple swipe.

The giant elephant-like beast trampled them easily and soon began wrestling with a Herd Leader around its own level, eventually coming out on top.

Neil and the others soon joined in, leaping over the wall only a few seconds after Silas arrived. They all landed on a floating disc as Neil brought them closer, Levi already beginning to buff himself up. Eleanor didn’t wait either but had already fired a Powershot before they landed. She stayed up on the floating platform, suspended ten meters above as her party leaped down.

Christen took the front as they headed straight for one of the largest Herd Leaders. They needed to challenge themselves to keep progressing, and a beast near the peak of E-tier was a fitting opponent.

Levi jumped in, cleaving long scars of fire on the ground with every swing and sending bovine parts flying. None of them hit Christen as she pushed forward, knocking away overgrown cows with her buckler or just straight-up killing them with her blade.

Neil summoned two discs of space mana that he controlled like two circular razor blades. It was basically just taking a space barrier and tilting it, turning it into a powerful weapon. Of course, they could be broken, such as how Jake had done it, but they were pretty helpful when unblocked.

Eleanor released a barrage of arrows, using a skill similar to Splitting Arrow, but instead of making one, it made hundreds. The difference was that most of her arrows weren’t actually real, but illusions, making only a few do actual damage. But it helped cause chaos and allowed Levi to close in.

They quickly got close enough to fight the Herd Leader and began their assault with the five of them. They worked together, covering each others’ weaknesses, and landed blow after blow on the beast. Neil fired space bolts that each hit like a sledgehammer with intense kinetic energy, with Silas healing or putting up the occasional barrier or buffing someone.

It took them a few minutes, but they soon had the Herd Leader on the backfoot. It was impressive that a group of humans nearly forty levels below the beast could make the fight so one-sided. Granted, the Herd Leader wasn’t the strongest of E-grades, as they were more suited to buffing up and leading their groups compared to solo combat, but it was impressive nevertheless.

Yet… in the same period it took them to nearly beat one, the group of Mystbeasts had already killed over a dozen Herd Leaders and slaughtered over a thousand normal bovines. All of this without the Mystsong Hawk directly getting involved besides its summons.

And when it got involved…

Jake made his way over the hill, and the fort finally came into sight. He saw the massive herd in the midst of being slaughtered by a group of blue beasts that gave off Mystie’s aura, making him instantly aware they were connected to the hawk.

He looked from afar and saw that Mystie had summoned some kind of phantasmal form around itself as it still floated above the fort. He saw the magic circles around it, which all came together to form a single small circle.

Mana exploded out of it as it fired off a single beam of energy that arced out and hit one of the many bovines. A second beam came out a moment later, and then it fired a third and a fourth building, until it fired over a dozen every second. Like a machinegun firing off homing lasers, it launched out attack after attack for the next ten seconds before the magic circle dispersed.

The entire battlefield was now filled with headless corpses of bovines. Only around fifty beasts were left standing, the majority of them Herd Leaders. The giant magic attack had slain thousands of bovines in a single move.

Jake chuckled to himself as he took out his bow and decided to join in on the fun… The Herd Leaders alive were all around or above his own level… so why not?

Though he would have to hurry, because the remaining ones were already set upon by the Mystbeasts.

Neil and his party were still working on taking down their one Herd Leader, with Mystie nice enough to not interfere in their fight.

Chapter 40

To Pursue Perfection

Phillip stood with his soldiers on the wall, all just staring out onto the absolute massacre unfolding before their eyes. The giant blue Mystbeasts were ripping apart the few surviving bovines, following up on the Mystsong Hawk’s insane magic spell.

At first, they had all been impressed by Neil and his party as they engaged the Herd Leader… but it was just hard to compare it to what the D-rank had done. It was an unfair comparison. To begin with… chances were that the party could only handle two or a maximum of three of the Mystbeasts if they all worked together. And it was very doubtful they could kill them. Meanwhile, the Mystsong Hawk could summon ten times that number while also still posing a threat itself.

Just as they were all thinking nothing more would happen, something tore through the battlefield, blowing a massive hole into one of the Herd Leaders. The wound left behind soon started rotting, and it didn’t even have time to move before its head also exploded.

More attacks came, and a few sharp-eyed observers noticed that they were arrows. Yet nobody could see where they came from—at least none who were on the wall.

“A single figure spotted approximately seven to seven and a half kilometers to the east,” Phillip heard through his walkie-talkie from one of the snipers on the tower. They, too, were also just watching… knowing they couldn’t really contribute much.

Phillip had a good idea who the shooter was, and he could only sigh in resignation. Yet he also felt a bit of confidence… At least we would be protected.

“Ms. Wells… when do you think we can begin the migration?” he asked. They weren’t totally done with their negotiations yet… but at this rate, everyone was going to follow them back anyway…

Jake entered the fort after he and all the Mystbeasts got done cleaning up the battlefield. Neil and his party also took down the big Herd Leader they had been battling with. Jake saw it was level 99, and while it wasn’t as strong as the Horde Leader had been—not by a long shot—it was still a decent opponent for the party. He also saw that three of them had gained a level, so that was nice.

When Mystie saw Jake enter, it dispelled that giant blue myst-form it had been using and flew down to float beside him. It had already dispelled the giant portal, which subsequently also made the Mystbeasts disappear.

With this battle—if you could even call it that—Jake had gotten a good understanding of Mystie’s power… and it indeed wasn’t that well suited for straight-up fights with an opponent of equal level. While she had diverse means, her primary power lay in the complexity and diversity of spells, not raw strength.

Against a horde of enemies, she was likely the best beast he had seen. Taking down an army of bovines wasn’t easily done, even by Jake. He would begin to get tired, and wounds would accumulate, as while the Herd Leaders weren’t that strong individually, there were still a lot of them.

Yet her powers made her quite ill-fitting against something like the Thunder Roc or even Jake himself. Sure, it would have some effective attack methods, but he doubted most would be that effective if he used his scales and bombarded the hawk from afar.

As for how Mystie would fare against the Minotaur Mindchief… honestly, it was hard to say. It depended on if Mystie could resist its mental magic and rely on ranged attacks. Another factor was also if the summons were immune. Even then… it likely would not win.

If the Minotaur got close and landed any blows, Mystie would be in for a bad time. Anyway, Mystie is kinda awesome in her own right; I should have her teach me some magic.

“Sir,” Miranda said, walking up to Jake and his hawk friend, “Phillip has agreed to migrate to the forest, but we won’t take everyone right away. As we slowly expand, we will bring them there while still maintaining a small outpost at this fort.”

She explained a bit more about their plans, Jake just listening and nodding along. It all sounded good, and he didn’t really have any objections or interjections. The first group that would go included Phillip himself, mainly to check out the forest. He would return again to the fort within the same day, so chances were the fort would be safe.

The only thing Jake had to say was about the people left back in the barn, and it was decided that Neil and his party would go with a few of Phillip’s men to escort them back.

With the Minotaur dead and the threat of the daily attacks gone, life in the fort should be a lot easier. It didn’t mean it was entirely safe, though. Beasts and monsters would still attack to claim the bountiful experience from the many humans residing within, but it likely wouldn’t be in large, coordinated attacks like before.

Jake could feel Mystie happy that they were finally going back. They hadn’t been gone for that long, but he understood the mother-bird’s anxiety. He was looking forward to seeing Hawkie and the egg too.

The first group left for the forest less than an hour later, Jake and Mystie at the lead, acting as escorts. Miquel had stayed back at the fort, as he had apparently become very interested in crafting more modern weaponry. It was fine, as Jake had kind of forgotten about the guy, so he only noticed the dude hadn’t come along halfway back.

Needless to say, getting back to the “city” took a lot longer than when they left. Mystie and Jake couldn’t fly everyone, and many of them wouldn’t like to be airlifted either. They also brought many things, and Jake didn’t have the faintest interest in putting it into his inventory to help them. That would require so much damn planning for him to remember what belonged to who and sorting stuff, and a lot of annoying details solved by people just carrying their own shit.

Jake only spoke a bit with Miranda on the way, and they agreed to a meeting once they were back and had gotten everyone settled. Well, an after-meeting, to be more accurate. Miranda would have a meeting with Hank, Phillip, Lillian, and many others to figure out how to get everyone housing, and to handle all the other administrative stuff that was her job. Afterward, she would give Jake a quick breakdown. Damn, it was nice being the boss.

When they had traveled a good while, Mystie couldn’t wait anymore and took off. Jake could only chuckle a bit to himself as he stayed with the group. While they had traveled damn fast for a caravan, it was still incredibly slow by Jake’s and the D-grade hawk’s standards.

Not long after, they made it back. Only a few hundred people had come along for the first trip, and it was mainly to try and help build stuff for the next batch. Not that Jake was that invested, as he left right after returning after a quick “see ya later” to Miranda.

He used One Step Mile to get to his house faster and walked past the “no entry” sign into the valley. With a deep breath, he took in the atmosphere as he saw the waterfall, pond, and small, idyllic lodge. The big nest with two hawks sitting in it was also a bit hard to miss.

“Hey, Hawkie, anything interesting happen while we were gone?” he asked as he casually strolled toward the nest. Jake got a small screech of annoyance. Likely because they’d taken so long to return. “Yeah, yeah, happy to see you too.”

He jumped up to the nest and squatted down, looking at the egg. It hadn’t changed much, but Jake could feel that the faint presence it gave off had increased. “It will hatch soon…” he said, both birds agreeing.

I guess that’s part of the reason why Mystie wanted to hurry back… She was afraid the egg would hatch without her being there, he thought, feeling a bit bad about making the bird leave with him. Luckily, it hadn’t happened, so no harm was done.

And there wasn’t any danger of Jake asking them to leave again anytime soon, mainly because of the notifications he had gone through on his way back.

He had unexpectantly gained yet another level from the cleanup of the Herd Leaders, making him reach level 99, the cap of E-grade.

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 99 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 86 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Jake had initially been considering pushing straight to 100 and getting his class evolution as he had done at E-grade. The class and profession evolution back then had just been a straightforward power boost, and it didn’t take much considering if he wanted to rush it or not.

But… it appeared that D-grade was a bit different, as the second he reached level 99 in his class, he got a quest.

Quest: The Perfect Evolution

As you approach the pinnacle of your grade, evolution is imminent. As you prepare to step out of the lower tiers, you must choose to pursue perfection or immediate power. A human may choose to evolve their class or profession immediately after fulfilling the basic requirements or wait to make a perfect evolution. Evolving a class or profession to level 100 before evolving to D-grade will result in a portion of the stat gains being deferred.

The choice is yours.

Objective: Reach level 99 in both your profession and class before evolving to D-grade.

Reward: [The Perfect Evolution (D)]

Upon failure, you will still obtain the [Evolution (D)] title.

Jake wondered if the quest was something everyone got or if it was something unique to new initiates. From the looks of it, the titles were something everyone would get, and the quest was just a PSA of sorts. But he did have some questions… and luckily, he had a one-way line to a walking encyclopedia.

After saying his goodbyes to Mystie and Hawkie, he walked through the barrier and into his lodge. He walked through the building and out the back door to the porch, where he placed a wooden chair. It was new, and not one he had stolen from any dungeons, but one of the many pieces of furniture from the fort that were now superfluous.

Sitting down and leaning back, he closed his eyes and said, “Oh, mighty Villy, big-boss snake, I have inquiries for thee. What’s up with the D-grade evolution, and will I be fucked if I don’t get the Perfect Evolution title? Also, how would I even level my race? Hope you are doing well. Love, best-buddy Jake.”

He could vaguely feel his message go out and be delivered to the Viper. He even saw a bit of his mana disappear, much to his surprise. Wait, had he just sent a legit prayer? Like, recognized by the system as a prayer?

Meh, who cares. All Jake knew was that the Viper heard him.

A few seconds later, he felt something touch his mind—a familiar presence. It felt just like during the tutorial-store-rewards thing, but even more substantial than then. With the presence came the amused voice of the Malefic Viper, echoing in his head.

“Alright, divine message coming through. That title honestly isn’t that big of a deal, and you won’t really lose anything worth mentioning by just evolving your class right away. Many people do it, even elites, but it would be foolish of you not to get it when you aren’t in a rush. You won’t lose much if you don’t, but ya know, everything counts. Any experience you gain that would get you class levels before now gets you race levels. Seriously, this is basic shit—why not just look it up in a book? Oh, and when you reach D-grade and evolve your professions, I have a surprise for you. Have fun grinding until then! Love, bestest-buddy Vilastromoz.”

Jake chuckled a bit as he felt the presence disappear. “Thanks, mate.”

Well, I guess that settles it. Next goal: max out Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper.

He would have done it even without the Viper telling him it was smart… He kind of liked completing quests.

The next hour or so was spent actually organizing his lodge. He took out all the bookshelves and placed them in the large central room, practically turning the living room into a library. He would need some more furniture soon, as what he had swiped from the dungeon wasn’t enough. The bed was also quite bad, and everything was what he would classify as “mundane.” AKA, it didn’t have any magical properties.

The same couldn’t be said about the lodge itself. It was only at a low level, but it did have some basic enchants that made it more robust and some basic, helpful things, such as regulating humidity and temperature inside.

After sorting stuff, he went outside to talk to the birds. Well, just him talking and them saying bird sounds, with Jake mostly just there to observe the magic circle laid down by Mystie and the egg in the nest. It wasn’t a circle to nurture the egg anymore, but just one to defend the nest.

Jake was pretty sure the egg didn’t need any more nurturing. Just protection and time to hatch.

He considered starting a crafting session but decided against it. Miranda would come by in not that long to go over what the other people of the city had agreed on and receive his input, so he wasn’t sure he would have time to really get in the zone. Every brew or concoction also took a bit, and it would be rude to make her wait. She was already working hard; no need for him to waste her time more than necessary.

Instead, he sat down on the steps of the lodge, a book in hand—one of the many books about fungi and, more accurately, how to kill the damn things. By now, Jake was plenty aware that the Indigo Fungus wasn’t an easy opponent, even for one in D-grade.

If he planned on grinding alchemy anyway… finding a way to kill that was an obvious goal. It would allow him to explore a new area of alchemy he hadn’t tried before, and at the same time, level up the profession so he could get that Perfect Evolution.

Making more potions was also an option, and he would still do so, but he would need more ingredients for that soon. He was beginning to run out, and at the moment, only felt comfortable crafting for himself. He could perhaps have some of his new citizens scavenge for him… but the issue was that he didn’t really want inferior-rarity ingredients anymore.

It would help the city if he supplied potions, but it would also make him stagnate. There was no challenge in making inferior-rarity potions anymore, and he wanted to avoid it as much as possible. Could I teach someone? he suddenly considered.

Possibly… but all of that would have to wait. That would be far too time-consuming currently. Besides, Jake had just felt a presence approaching.

Jake looked up from his book and saw Miranda enter the valley. She had a big smile on her lips and was carrying a large platter as well as a wine bottle and two glasses.

Chapter 41

Names

“I do feel a bit bad for the man, but you should have seen the expression of defeat on his face when the Mystsong Hawk made its move.” Miranda laughed as she swirled her wine.

“D-grades do tend to get a bit more flashy,” Jake agreed, chuckling along. “But I tend to find that scale and power don’t always correspond. The Thunder Roc could make giant lightning attacks, but they barely hurt. Well, hurt a little, but one would think a massive thundercloud did more damage.”

“Are all D-grades you’ve met birds? Oh, wait, you mentioned a mushroom.” She grabbed one of the small finger foods from the platter on the table.

Jake also took one of the small skewers with grilled meat, quite pleased with the food too. Food didn’t have any right to taste this good, but damn, was it heavenly. Or maybe his tastebuds were just starved from not eating properly for so long. Who knew, and who cared? The food was fantastic.

What’s more, he could even feel it help regenerate his stamina and health as he ate it. Miranda had mentioned it was made by someone with a cooking profession, so that did make sense. Jake even considered hunting some beasts to give to the cook... but apparently, they had plenty already. It did help that they had just murdered a few thousand giant cows.

“I also killed this huge Storm Elemental,” Jake answered. “Most recently was something called a Minotaur Mindchief, the source of all the bovines attacking the fort.”

Miranda looked surprised as she muttered, “You did say you dealt with the source… I should have guessed it was a D-grade…”

“You would have known by the time Phillip’s men got the survivors left in the barn,” Jake said. He had mentioned that a few people were stranded there before they left, and he had sent a few people there to check things out, with Neil and his party going with them for protection.

“I guess,” she said, sighing. “I hope that little girl will be okay…”

“Staying at the fort, for now, seems like it would be best… I don’t think it will help to make her run around all the time. After she has had time to get a bit of stability, she can come here. Hopefully, we can get someone with magic or skills to help her… if that’s even possible.” He ended with a sigh of his own.

It was hard being confronted with an issue you could do nothing about. The Minotaur Mindchief had scarred many people, and he was sure the majority of the survivors from the barn would also have issues. The Minotaur had been sapient but was also the most monstrous monster Jake had yet to encounter. Without a doubt… it too had been broken.

“Children, in general, have it hard… but their ability to adapt is also admirable,” Miranda said with a melancholic smile. “I am not even sure what we can do for them… What kind of schooling would they need? I heard that they tend to get their classes and professions around puberty, but does that mean children will have to be set in their future that young?”

“Yeah… I don’t think I even knew what I wanted to be before my third year of uni…” Jake said, shaking his head. “I don’t think the first class or professions matter that much, yet I do agree those who know what they want and stick with one path will likely have the advantage.”

“Well, I am sure we will figure it out,” Miranda said, trying to lighten the mood. “We are all learning still, and with time, I am sure we can make something great. It isn’t like you or I have to figure it out anyway; I am sure someone out there can come out with way better ideas than us.”

The two of them had been talking about things for the last hour or so. Miranda had brought a platter from the chef, who had also made food for the meeting between the city leaders, and a bottle of wine from before the system.

Initially, it had just been to quickly go over what they had discussed during the meeting, but it turned out to be just Jake and Miranda eating and drinking while talking about random things. Nothing of importance—at least not to Jake—had been discussed at the meeting, but he liked to be informed anyway.

Miranda had decided on a council-like leadership structure. She would be the head of the council and have the final decision, with Jake, of course, having the final-final decision. Actually, rather than a council, it was more accurate to say that she had some advisers or people she delegated work and responsibilities to. With the city expanding by a few thousand, they would need to have a more official structure.

With Jake not caring much about other things, there naturally wasn’t a reason to discuss it. Except it turned into Jake relaying a bit of what he had been up to and Miranda talking about how the systems she had gained access to as a City Lord worked.

Jake was especially interested in the questing system. It sounded cool. Miranda could create quests for the city’s citizens, including rewards and penalties and all of the things a quest usually had. She would have to provide the rewards and give out the penalties upon failure, but the quests served as contracts of sorts. Well, the contract could be nullified if both parties agreed not to deal out the punishment or give the reward, in which case it could be ignored—a bit like when Miranda had initiated the process to take over the Pylon.

This quest system would initially be used as a way of organizing labor more than anything else. Give out quests to help with building the city, gather materials, or whatever else. It was quite the versatile system, and Miranda even said they could construct items or buildings to help manage things so she wouldn’t have to give out quests and administer everything herself. People with administration or manager-like professions could use these items or buildings to then help level themselves.

It was pleasant just to sit down and talk to someone like a normal person. Sure, he spoke to the two hawks a bit here and there, but having someone who could answer was a big plus.

Thinking about it… Miranda and possibly Lillian were the only humans he felt like he could really talk to. Sure, there were some things to consider, like relative power dynamics with him being their boss and everything, coupled with him being far stronger, but that didn’t really bother Jake much. He was best buddies with a god with the power to make their planet go “poof,” and the god in question also happened to be the god that had blessed him. Now that was the mother of all skewed power dynamics.

If it bothered Miranda, she was good at hiding it. She seemed equally excited when talking about the city system and its many features as Jake did talking about the many hunts he’d been on.

He had talked about his adventures to the cloud continent, his friendship with Hawkie and Mystie, and besides a small comment on how the names sucked, she had just silently listened with a relaxed smile.

They also laughed a bit when she said she had just gained a level by drinking wine and eating tasty food.

“Well, doesn’t it make sense to be like a politician when you are literally a City Lord?” Jake joked. “Just relaxing and doing nothing with the power just rolling in.”

She just laughed along, adding, “You know, maybe lying and deceiving the public gives more experience than being good at my job. I can already see myself jumping a few levels from receiving a massive bribe.” She laughed again, then turned a bit more serious. “But one thing was brought up at the meeting.”

“What is it?” Jake asked, mirroring her shift in attitude.

“A name. It may seem minor, but just referring to it as ‘the city’ or ‘the forest’ is a bit tedious. The empty slot on my interface is also a sore sight. Which also brings me to another thing…” She steeled herself as she took a deep breath, her face slightly red, and said, “I… don’t believe I ever got your name… Of course, if you meant to keep it a secret, I understand and won’t ask aga—”

“Jake Thayne,” he answered, shaking his head. “We seriously never exchanged names? I thought we did…”

“Well, we did now,” Miranda said with a big smile on her face. “I mean no offense… but Jake is also a remarkably normal name for one so abnormal as you.”

“I guess—never really thought about it.” Jake shrugged.

“With that out of the way… we need a name for the city too. Your acceptance is required for the name to stick with the system, so I thought I should ask you for ideas first. But after hearing about Hawkie and Mystie, I am beginning to reconsider… We are not naming it Townie.” Miranda was barely able to hold back a laugh. Jake didn’t find it that funny, but he had to agree that Townie was terrible…

“The council did have a few suggestions,” she finally added on.

“A’ight, let’s hear it,” Jake said, leaning back with his glass of wine and a large skewer with grilled beef on it.

Miranda took out a few papers, each with a list that had way too many entries.

“Did you all just brainstorm and write down everything?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“Even better—we invited everyone to come with ideas. Let’s begin!” Miranda was way more excited than she should be. “Alright, I am just gonna spitball some, and you give me your thoughts.”

And thus began the agonizing session of names.

“Newland, propositioned from one of the newer citizens.”

“Pretty sure the forest isn’t new.”

“Newfoundland.”

“That is the same thing…”

“New Hope.”

“Alright, remove anything with the word ‘new’ in it; it’s just too corny and boring,” Jake finally said, after he saw she clearly had way more.

Which she indeed did, as she put away two entire pages of name ideas… all with an even worse naming sense than Jake. At least according to himself.

“Alright, then. Oh, this next one is from Mark. He propositioned naming it Sanctuary.”

“I think the kid has played too many action RPGs. Even if he hasn’t, the name makes us sound like some kind of religious hideaway.” He immediately shot it down.

“Mark actually had quite a few ideas,” Miranda said, turning the page so Jake could see it.

“Man, he played way too many games… and I am pretty sure those are all copyrighted,” Jake said after only briefly scanning the list. “Also, no to all of them.”

“Seeing as you don’t like the religious imagery, I take it Genesis, Miracle, and the Blessed Forest are out of the question?” Miranda asked a bit teasingly, knowing full well those all sucked.

“I am going to name it Jakeville if this keeps up…” he said, teasing her back.

“A part of me believes you would actually dare do that,” she said, chuckling, “and while it would be absolutely hilarious, I doubt it will be wise in the long run.”

After that, they just put the papers down on the table and began going over them, crossing out names they both didn’t like. A lot of them were just the same names as pre-system cities, which Jake didn’t care for. Miranda didn’t either.

They both felt like it would ground people too much in the world before the system. They had to realize things had changed and that they weren’t going to rebuild what was. They would create something entirely new—a place for everyone to strive and be safe in this new world.

They did their editing with a hard hand until they were left with only three.

“Greenwood sounds fine, but…” Miranda began before her voice slowly died off, with Jake just staring down at them. None of them felt right…

“The purpose of this place is to give people a place to live in safety, but also one to improve themselves…” Jake muttered before turning to Miranda. “How about we just call it Haven?”

“Haven…” she muttered. “It’s simple and easy to remember… The name carries meaning… I think it fits.” She nodded. “I also think it goes well with the environment… We are in a forest, after all. The name helps communicate that.”

“Well, I like it at least,” Jake said, shrugging.

“I like it too,” Miranda said, smiling. She did some good old system-magic, and a few seconds later, Jake got a notification.

Do you want to name your city: Haven?

Y/N

Jake instantly agreed and the prompt disappeared… and that was that. There was no great fanfare or anything like that, just Miranda confirming that her city management menu now said that the city was named Haven. Apparently, it had also been updated to display his name as the owner. But she said it had begun doing that just after she learned his name, so the two weren’t really related.

“Cheers, and may Haven have a bright future ahead of it,” she said, raising her wineglass.

“Cheers.”

The two kept talking for a bit, mainly joking about some of the sillier names before she headed off. She still had work to do, and so did Jake. On her way out, she gave a small bow toward the nest with two birds eyeing her menacingly until she was out of sight.

Jake stood outside, seeing her off too. When she was gone, he turned around and sat down at the table. There was still a bit of wine remaining, so he emptied it into his glass. Sitting there, he swirled the liquid as he opened his status menu for the first time in quite a while.

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

Race: [Human (E) – lvl 86]

Class: [Ambitious Hunter – lvl 99]

Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – lvl 73]

Health Points (HP): 11290/11290

Mana Points (MP): 13421/13450

Stamina: 9171/9400

Stats

Strength: 695

Agility: 1118

Endurance: 940

Vitality: 1129

Toughness: 731

Wisdom: 1076

Intelligence: 559

Perception: 2125

Willpower: 667

Free Points: 0

Titles: [Forerunner of the New World], [Bloodline Patriarch], [Holder of a Primordial’s True Blessing], [Dungeoneer V], [Dungeon Pioneer V], [Legendary Prodigy], [Prodigious Slayer of the Mighty], [Kingslayer], [Nobility: Earl], [Progenitor of the 93rd Universe]

Class Skills: [Basic One-Handed Weapons (Inferior)], [Advanced Stealth (Common)], [Basic Twin-Fang Style (Uncommon)], [Basic Shadow Vault of Umbra (Uncommon)], [Splitting Arrow (Uncommon)], [Hunter’s Tracking (Uncommon)], [Big Game Hunter (Rare)], [Infused Powershot (Rare)], [Mark of the Ambitious Hunter (Rare)], [Archery of Vast Horizons (Rare)] [Descending Dark Fang (Rare)], [Limit Break (Rare)], [Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter (Epic)], [One Step Mile (Ancient)], [Moment of the Primal Hunter (Legendary)], [Gaze of the Apex Hunter (Legendary)]

Profession Skills: [Herbology (Common)], [Brew Potion (Common)], [Concoct Poison (Common)], [Alchemist’s Purification (Common)], [Alchemical Flame (Common)], [Toxicology (Uncommon)], [Cultivate Toxin (Uncommon)], [Malefic Viper’s Poison (Rare)], [Sense of the Malefic Viper (Epic)], [Touch of the Malefic Viper (Epic)], [Scales of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Palate of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Blood of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Sagacity of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Wings of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)]

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

Race Skills: [Endless Tongues of the Myriad Races (Unique)], [Identify (Common)], [Thoughtful Meditation (Uncommon)], [Shroud of the Primordial (Divine)]

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

While it hadn’t gotten that much longer since last he checked, he had gained quite a few stat points. He had kept throwing all his Free Points into Perception, not really caring if it was the optimal thing or not to do at this point. It felt right to do it, so he did it.

Well, it did help that his regular archery now also benefitted from Perception. In fact, he was beginning to get quite a few skills using the stat. And in the coming days, there would be many more stat points coming.

After emptying the glass, he walked out into the veranda and sat with legs crossed in front of the pond. A cauldron appeared between his legs a few seconds after as he took a deep breath.

It was time to grind some alchemy.

Chapter 42

Baby Hawk

The wheel of time spun as the days passed one by one.

Beasts fought, while humans struggled to survive and expand their settlements. A good deal of them battled to claim the many Pylons still scattered across the planet. Every Pylon was far apart, often separated by thousands if not tens of thousands of kilometers.

Jacob had taken fourteen days to walk with his entourage to the second-closest Pylon to where he had arrived back on Earth. Granted, he hadn’t rushed, but it was still a vast distance.

On day nine of Jake’s alchemy frenzy, he was interrupted as he got a notification that wasn’t about a successful craft or a new level gained.

Announcement to all Nobles: 10 Pylons of Civilization have now been claimed. Once 100 Pylons are claimed, the World Congress will automatically form.

Jake stared at it for a few seconds before shrugging and turning back to his cauldron. Miranda unsurprisingly came in later that day. They talked a bit, but as it was more of a forewarning than anything else, they didn’t take any particular actions besides discussing it a bit.

Everyone with any nobility title had seen the message, Phillip and Miquel included, as well as one other person Jake didn’t know.

Phillip already knew about Pylons and apparently knew they had one, but to the other two, it was news. They knew nothing about Pylons beyond their Lord title allowing them to control one.

Miranda shared the fact that they had a Pylon with all of them, making it official, and with Jake’s approval, they also stopped being all secretive about it. Of course, no one knew where the actual Pylon was, though it wasn’t far-fetched that many suspected it was in Jake’s valley.

To everyone’s big surprise, no one wanted to try and scout out the valley even if they suspected he kept some good stuff there. Maybe it had something to do with the overly protective D-grade Mystsong Hawk sitting in a nest inside. It had already placed quite a few defensive and detection spells around the place.

The egg still looked like it could hatch any day, and he was looking forward to it.

Jake had just gotten done with a round of crafting some inferior-rarity poison that he was practicing with. Neither of them were very useful, but they were still new creations and a stepping stone on his path to slaying a certain giant mushroom.

[Weak Herbicide (inferior)] – A weak poison created to kill plant life and similar lifeforms. Breaks apart the physical body and membranes that hold the plant together, making it wither.

[Weak Fungicide (Inferior)] – A weak poison created to kill fungi and similar lifeforms. This type of poison is made to spread through any physical connection of the fungi, quickly infecting large parts of it. Deals low damage but is hard to cleanse.

Both of them kind of sucked compared to just splashing a shitload of blood on stuff, but they did help him learn quite a lot. He wanted to make a potent poison, or fungicide, to kill the damn mushroom lurking below, and for that, he needed to start from the bottom.

A poison that worked against plants and fungi was fundamentally different from regular human- or beast-killing poison. Plants and fungi were rarely ever Vitality-based lifeforms but instead lived off a type of life-affinity mana. So poison, such as Necrotic Poison and—in an even more extreme case—hemotoxin had barely any effect. They still did a bit of damage just because they were infused with harmful mana, but the result was absolutely minuscule.

The method behind crafting was a lot different from other types of poison he had made so far, and it was an exciting challenge to throw himself headfirst into.

It had been eighteen days since he began his grinding, and he was already working on making his first common-rarity mushroom-killing poison. His speed was without a doubt impressive, and he had also gained another level that day, bringing him to 78.

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 78 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

It wasn’t even a level every three days, and while that did seem slow compared to his prior speed, it was actually quite fast. At least Miranda said so after comparing him to many others. Well, Miranda leveled super fast, but her progress had also slowed down a lot, and she had begun focusing a bit on her class also.

On that eighteenth day, he felt a shift from the area outside his lodge. He barely had time to notice it before he heard the cries of Hawkie and Mystie. They both made half-panicked sounds, jumping around their nest.

Jake tossed the book he was reading to the side and rushed outside, already fully aware of what was happening. He faintly felt that another aura had begun appearing and was growing in presence by the second.

The egg was finally hatching.

Running up to the nest, he joined the birds, acting just as anxious and panicked as them. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was supposed to do anything as he saw a small crack appear on the egg. Mystie, the majestic D-grade hawk that seemed to always be in control, was a mess at that moment, jumping back and forth.

In an attempt to calm her down, he closely inspected what was happening within the egg using his sphere. He saw a small figure with fluffy down slowly poke itself out of the egg from the inside. It ate the shell as it hatched, consuming the many potent energies within it.

All three of them were anxious but still waited patiently for the little one. It struggled to break out and eat the shell from within, slowly pecking at it. Jake had to admit… it looked a bit creepy, but damn, was it a cute little bugger.

Soon, it made a mighty peck and finally got its head out of the shell.

It instantly began making what, in Jake’s eyes, were the cutest chirps as all three of them moved closer to watch the little thing. It looked back at them with its big, beady eyes and continued making its small chirping noises as it struggled to break free.

Jake nearly wanted to help it, but seeing as its parents didn’t, he wouldn’t interfere either. He did, however, use Identify on it to see what kind of bird it was. He had kind of expected it to be called Galemyst Hawk or maybe Mystgale Hawk, mainly because he lacked imagination. But its race was a bit different than he expected.

[Sylphian Eyas – lvl 0]

Jake remembered that eyas was the name for a baby hawk, so he reckoned it would evolve as it grew to become a Sylphian Hawk. As for Sylphian, he assumed it had something to do with Sylphs, which he recalled were spirits of wind or something. I’ll ask Villy at some point, Jake thought. No reason to bother the god with random questions all the time. He didn’t want to be that friend who pestered others with constant, inane questions when bored.

If it was a powerful variant, could it naturally grow to D-grade, and how long would that take? How wou—

Chirp!

Screw all that, Jake thought as he just extended his finger toward the bird.

It looked up at him for a brief moment before its small beak tried to close around it. It failed miserably and just began pecking at his hand harmlessly. He couldn’t help but chuckle as the small bird gave up and returned to eating its shell.

The human and parent birds just patiently watched the little thing eat the rest of its shell. When it was done, it finally got up on its two thin legs and took a few small steps forward, promptly falling on its butt.

It let out a burping sound as it tried to stand up again. The Mystsong Hawk walked a bit closer and helped it stand by gently nudging with its beak. The baby hawk managed to stand up proudly again, walking a single step more this time before falling down headfirst.

Hawkie caught it mid-fall with its talons, and the small bird tried to stabilize itself. This time, it didn’t walk around but just stood there, looking around at the three of them. It blinked with its big eyes as if it wanted to memorize all of them.

Ever since coming to the nest, Jake had been a bit worried. He feared that he was intruding on something. He wasn’t really related to the bird besides helping a bit with that magic ritual to strengthen it and being friends with Hawkie.

But Hawkie and Mystie had both looked happy, almost elated when Jake was showing so much interest. He felt them warmly look on when the small hawklet tried to bite his finger. So clearly, they approved. Which begged the question… was he the godfather or something to that extent?

Jake couldn’t help but remember Caleb and Maja when he thought about that… She had to have given birth by now… which made him an uncle. He knew his family lived, because Villy had told him, but he also felt like they still lived. It was just a faint intuition when he thought of them. He was looking forward to their eventual reunion.

While he could technically just up and leave now, using One Step Mile into the horizon… he knew that wouldn’t be a wise choice. For now, it was best to focus on his own strength and make it so that when he met his family again, he could actually help protect them.

Hawkie nudged him from the side, pulling Jake out of his thoughts. He saw that the bird looked at him, confused, and also saw Mystie staring with the same expression.

“Sorry, I just recalled some memories,” he said, smiling at the two as he extended his finger toward the small bird again. “It has nothing to do with you, mini-Hawkie.”

Mystie gave him an annoyed screech, practically punching Jake with its wing.

“Oh, a mini-Mystie?” he said, chuckling. “So you’re a little girl, eh…”

Mystie still looked at him disapprovingly—likely due to the bad nickname—but didn’t correct him.

Around fifteen minutes had passed since the little chick came all the way out its shell, and it was already waltzing around the nest rather comfortably. It was quite a contrast to pre-system newborn birds, which were borderline immobile for a long period after birth.

He couldn’t help but use Identify on it again, only to be surprised.

[Sylphian Eyas – lvl 1]

Jake knew beasts could grow in level with other ways than combat already, but it was the speed that surprised him. Hawkie had also gained a level while protecting the nest and doing nothing else, proving it even worked at higher levels, but clearly, it was far slower for him. Hawkie had gained levels way, way faster while hunting up in the sky with him before.

But this little birdie was super fast! Not just in levels—it was even jumping around in the nest now. It looked full of energy as it leaped nearly ten centimeters with every jump. It looked like it was becoming comfortable with not being in an egg quite fast. Even if it did fall flat on its face a few times, quickly getting back up with an angry squeak.

Jake got nothing productive done for the rest of that day. He had his first prolonged period of just pure relaxation. It wasn’t done to regenerate resources or to work on mana manipulation. He was just relaxing with the two newly baked parent birds and the little chick.

Only a few hours after hatching, it left its nest and began exploring the valley, Jake and its parents in tow. They went to the pond, where it angrily chirped at the water but ran away scared when one of the low-level eels within swam up toward the surface.

It fought a valiant battle with the stairs up to Jake’s lodge, trying to jump each step but failing with its tiny body. Jake couldn’t help but place his foot down and make an extra small step for the bird to use. It happily used that as it made its way into his lodge, where it ran around just looking at things, randomly pecking the wall or floor at times.

Hawkie took off and returned with some small pieces of meat that it chewed up and fed to the chick throughout the day. Jake found this very unsanitary and was already preparing to find an alchemy recipe to feed it instead. That, or just make some kind of soup in his very expensive cauldron.

The day ended with Jake sitting on his lodge’s steps, the two hawks at his side. The small chick had gotten tired and found a mobile nest: Jake’s hair. This was why he hadn’t moved at all for the last hour but just sat there completely still, trying not to wake up the chick.

Today had been… good. It was relaxing, and Jake felt like his head was clearer than usual.

Feeling the small bird on top of his head and the two happy parents to his side filled him with warmth. It was just nice. He was looking forward to the small bird growing up and becoming a big hawk, just like its parents. And he would do what he could to help it achieve that.

He very carefully got up, keeping his head as still as possible. He could easily control his body perfectly, and he was pretty sure he could walk with a mountain of books on his head if he needed to, making all those stereotypical British etiquette teachers proud. The same skill allowed any baby birds on his head to remain undisturbed.

Jake walked to the bookshelves and used mana to pull out book after book, looking for one to help with making some kind of nutrient for the bird. The way he did it, however, was quite a bit more advanced than usual.

With the practice of flying people around and air-walking, as well as reflecting further on Mystie’s mana control, Jake had improved even more. The strings he extended were entirely invisible, and he didn’t need them to do anything but touch an object for him to manipulate it in its entirety.

That meant he could stand perfectly still as books floated all around him, opening and flipping through pages, done purely with mana manipulation. If he gained another skill selection at this time, he was quite sure he could get a better version of telekinesis than what he’d seen before.

He couldn’t stop focusing on constantly improving his ability to manipulate mana, as he still had a few objectives to get done before reaching level 99 in his profession. He needed to make poison and kill the mushroom below, and hopefully, he could do it entirely by using his alchemy skills.

Jake also needed to improve his Touch of the Malefic Viper and Sense of the Malefic Viper to ancient rarity. He wanted all nine of the stat-giving skills before reaching D-grade to see if that would lead to anything. Even if it didn’t, the benefits of upgrading the skills would be worth it.

Pride of the Malefic Viper and Fangs of the Malefic Viper would be gained simply through leveling up, so he just needed those two upgraded… The issue was that he wasn’t sure how to.

Sense of the Malefic Viper would likely be the easiest, as he felt like it synergized so well with Sagacity and his extremely high Perception. The upgrade to epic rarity had been exceedingly easy, and while he doubted he could do it that easily again, he had a feeling it wouldn’t be that hard.

As for Touch of the Malefic Viper… Jake had no idea where even to start. The upgrade to epic rarity had come when he semi-fused the skill with affinities, allowing a poison’s effect to mimic an affinity’s… but that upgrade had been gained through an epiphany of sorts.

It was quite a few things to get done, and he was su—

His train of thought was interrupted as the little hawk on his head woke up and greeted the world with its small chirps.

Jake just smiled as he extended a finger up and rubbed the soft down of the little bugger. But before all that… let’s find a delicious recipe for Sylphie.

Chapter 43

Fists of Fury

Carmen dodged the attack as she vaulted backward, a few strands of her long hair still caught by the sharp claws of the beast. With her back bent like she was trying to win the world championship of limbo, her stance was a bit awkward as another claw descended toward her body.

In an impossible move, her entire body swayed to the side as if she didn’t have any bones. Simultaneously, she pushed off the ground with her hand and landed a solid kick on the three-meter-tall, bear-like beast in front of her.

The beast barely reacted to the attack, but it allowed her to create some distance between them. She was breathing heavily, with several wounds already covering her body. All of them were healing at a near-visible rate, but she was still far from in optimal condition.

Her opponent was a bear-like creature that, in retrospect, looked more like a werebear. In actuality, though, it was a sloth.

[Slothful Warden – lvl ???]

It was the final boss of her tutorial, a being she had failed to reach even back then… But now, more than two months later, she would face it and win.

This wasn’t the first time Carmen had fought the beast… but it would be the last.

She charged again, not giving the beast time to relax. She knew it would recover as fast as herself, so hit-and-run tactics wouldn’t work. The beast had two modes: slow and fast.

It moved incredibly slowly in slow-mode, but its defenses were ridiculous, and it healed its wounds incredibly fast. It was far more vulnerable in fast-mode and didn’t recover at all, but it made the beast super fast, as the name suggested. This knowledge had taken the loss of several limbs to learn.

The beast moved again, staying in fast-mode. She dodged back, not daring to try and fight it straight up but instead looking for an opening. She leaned and weaved away from the claws until she finally saw her chance. She landed a right hook on the beast’s face, making it stumble back.

While her hit was far weaker than the D-grade’s, she had managed to hit the chin and rattle the brain a little. With it disorientated, she moved in quickly and managed to land ten or so more blows before it used a skill to get her off.

Its long hair suddenly grew in length as the long strands, like tendrils, tried to catch her. She jumped back with all her strength, barely avoiding them. Her fists were both encompassed in an orange glow that was already spreading throughout her body, healing her wounds.

With every hit, she stole life-energy from the opponent, healing herself. At the same time, the lower her health, the stronger she got. She was a berserker, but without the berserking part. Her mind was calm as she swiftly moved forward again, seeing the Slothful Warden about to enter its slow-mode. Won’t help you this time.

She wouldn’t allow it to regenerate.

Her fists came down like hail, every one of them leaving a small imprint of energy behind. The beast tried to defend but was far slower than before. Carmen’s attacks didn’t do any noticeable damage, but they did send energy into the beast’s body with one purpose: stopping its healing.

Forced to move fast again, it exited its slow-mode and returned to fast-mode, and they returned to their slugfest. Carmen calculatingly dodged the beast’s every hit as it swung with increasing desperation.

After nearly half an hour, it was time to enter the second phase. Carmen had gotten here before and had almost lost her life… but now she would be ready.

The beast exploded with power as its hair grew and it began glowing red. It grew another meter in size, power overflowing from its body.

Carmen took this time to make her own preparations as she prepared for the battle’s final stage.

Pressing both her fists against the ground, she spoke, “Sacred Battleground.”

An aura spread throughout the area, and for a split second, an echo of battles prior swept across the land: animals fighting and hunting before the system, and even echoes of a war that had happened in bygone eras, perhaps all the way back in the Stone Age.

The visions disappeared as quickly as they came, but the ground remained hallowed. It was now a blessed battlefield where Carmen would bring down her foe.

She felt the power of the land flow into her as she activated her boosting skill.

“Ruination Drive.”

Carmen’s entire body felt like it was burning as orange energy swirled out from every pore on her skin. She didn’t hesitate as she moved, facing the D-grade in a final battle where only one of them would walk out alive.

Her fist landed on the beast, but at the same time, it also attacked. Her entire right arm was ripped off with a swipe, but the moment her fist connected, it pushed in a flood of the orange energy while at the same time dragging out the beast’s health points.

The severed arm regenerated in less than a second as she dodged a blow from the Slothful Warden and landed a kick. Spikes of hair flew out, and she blocked with her newly regenerated arm, barely avoiding getting her head impaled.

Gritting her teeth, she grabbed hold of the hair and dragged the beast in closer. Its arms were longer than hers, making the shorter gap an advantage. It did mean the hair would impale her now and then… but that was what her regeneration was for.

The giant sloth began using a few more skills here and there, but she had encountered them all before. The corrosive breath that leveled an area hundreds of meters in front of it was avoided, as the attack was rather telegraphed, and the crescent beams it released from its claws were easy to dodge when you sidestepped or deflected its swings anyway.

Her body was ripped apart repeatedly, but she inflicted a heavy blow on the sloth for every limb she lost. Her regeneration was pushed to eleven, her power only growing as her massive health pool slowly depleted. If she’d fought outside her Sacred Battlefield or without her boosting skill, she would be dead already.

Carmen knew this entire fight was very tight. It was walking on a tightrope from start to finish, with no guarantee of victory even if she didn’t fuck up. She could have fought with others or tried to level more… but she wanted to win alone and do so before capping her class.

When the beast looked to be on the verge of death, it made its final stand. Energy poured out of it like never before. Carmen had kind of expected this… so she was ready.

She summoned six items while in mid-air, retreating from the beast: a sword, a spear, a set of claws, two skulls of beasts, and finally, a mirror. Her aura spiked as she said,

“Echoes of War.”

Golden ghostly apparitions were conjured and condensed around each item. This was what she had prepared for the last two weeks by fighting powerful foes. Combining her class and profession with the Sacred Battlefield, she summoned echoes of those she had slain.

The Slothful Warden saw these figures and didn’t hesitate to attack. The spearman fell nearly instantly, while the one with the sword managed to at least block a single attack before also dispersing. The two wolves summoned from the skulls managed to sink their teeth into one of the sloth’s arms, while the panther summoned from the set of claws cut a nasty gash across its side.

Carmen also charged with no regard for her own safety. She held both hands behind her as she ran, building up all the momentum she could. The summoned apparitions were also beginning to disperse, as they couldn’t remain active for more than a few seconds. The items that summoned them were crumbling to dust along with the ghosts.

Her right fist was burning with all her energy as she swung a right hook straight for the head of the beast in a reckless attack. The Slothful Warden saw her attack and brought its claw forward, ready to rip off her head.

The claw came down as she swung her first forward. The claw hit first due to the sloth’s long arms, but the second it made contact with her hair, it didn’t hit the human but instead sank into a mirror that had suddenly appeared.

Instead of finishing the human, its blow was reflected back on itself. Blood flew everywhere from its own claw as it ripped its other arm off. The mirror also shattered to pieces, its power only enough to block a single blow. It was the regalia from slaying a peak E-grade boss monster, a ghost that was bound to the mirror itself.

With its attack reflected and the sloth heavily damaged, it couldn’t react properly when Carmen swung her fist forward. It impacted the sloth’s head with everything she could muster, shattering the facial bones and skull. An explosion of power sounded out in the area as everything in a ten-meter radius was leveled from the blast.

All that remained was Carmen standing alone in the crater, her Ruinous Drive deactivated, her right arm gone, and her entire body covered in blood. Before her lay the headless corpse of the Slothful Warden, the final boss of what had once been her tutorial.

*You have slain [Slothful Warden – lvl 108] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level*

*’DING!’ Class: [Savage Pugilist] has reached level 98 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 79 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Class: [Savage Pugilist] has reached level 99 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

She chuckled as she saw the messages, then began full-on laughing. “Fuck, I am awesome.” She kicked the Slothful Warden and gave it the finger. “Fuck you, and fuck everything you ever stood for!”

Carmen, for the first time in so long, felt truly free. It felt like she only now had truly broken free of the prison she’d been in before the system, as not a single remnant of it now remained. Her entire body was hurting, but she felt elation like never before.

She took out a recovery potion from her spatial storage, quickly chugging it down. It would help with the aftereffects of the boosting skill while also helping her recover her resources faster. It was only inferior rarity, but it was damn impressive anyway.

Being able to at least move a little, she got on with the next area of business. She went up to the corpse of the beast, then knelt down and placed her hand on it.

“I tribute this victory to Valhal.”

The corpse instantly began turning to golden dust, leaving only a single set of long claws behind. She instantly put them in her storage and noted she had gained another level.

*’DING!’ Profession: [Apprentice Valkyrie of Gudrun] has reached level 61 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 80 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Honestly, that profession was a scam. All Carmen had to do was tribute kills she made to Valhal, and she would gain levels in it. Okay, she also had to prepare the items dropped to summon echoes and do some other rituals and stuff, but it was way easier to level than those professions that felt more like full-time jobs of just creating shit.

No way she would have the patience for that.

This was also why she had already found someone else to deal with the damn Pylon she had just gotten a quest about. No way she was going to waste her time playing city-builder or whatever.

She had more stuff to punch and more levels to gain. She briefly looked at the other new quest she had gained about the Perfect Evolution title and shrugged. She could wait to evolve if it meant becoming more awesome.

It wasn’t like she was going to stop fighting… She needed more tributes anyway.

Miranda entered the valley to give her weekly report to Jake. It had become routine that she would come by with some good food, and they would talk over any new happenings of the city. Nothing seemed unusual at first, but she did notice one thing… the two hawks were not at the nest.

One of them being gone was pretty normal, but not both of them. While the birds hadn’t allowed Miranda to see it, Jake had mentioned they were caring for an egg. But no such egg was to be found.

She hesitated a bit as she went through the ever-active barrier and knocked on the door. It opened a second or so later, her mana sense skill telling her it was done with pure mana manipulation. He is getting a lot better every time I come by…

“I have brought this new dish; it reminds me a bit of kebab, bu—”

Miranda had barely entered and begun presenting today’s meal when she saw Jake sitting in a chair with a book, and she was instantly dumbfounded. Not by the man himself, as he looked the same as usual, a mask covering his face and everything.

No, what took her aback was the small, fluffy white ball of down sitting on his head. It looked to be sleeping, or at least half-asleep, and didn’t bother with her at all. She couldn’t help but Identify it out of pure curiosity.

[Sylphian Eyas – lvl 3]

“Kebab? That sounds great,” Jake said as he made his mask invisible and looked up with a smile.

“Is that…?”

“Yeah, this is Sylphie,” Jake answered nonchalantly. “Mystie and Hawkie’s kid. I am babysitting today as they both went out to hunt for a bit.”

“I… Well, at least that is a real name…” Miranda muttered as she walked over and placed the food on the dining table.

“Hatched a few days ago. She is usually an energetic little bugger, but I managed to tire her out.” Jake chuckled as he brought a finger up and tickled the bird a bit. The small hawk happily nuzzled up to the finger without even opening its eyes.

So damn cute, Miranda thought as she took out the plates and cutlery and placed them on the table.

Jake got up from his small reading corner and went over to the table to help her. He levitated the two plates and cutlery, placing them on each side of the table.

“We had the second restaurant open today; the food is from there. Well, it is more of a grill than anything,” Miranda said. “Two new caravans arrived this week, a few hundred people in each, so we are always behind in housing. Hank and Louise are raking in levels faster than ever with all the new construction projects.”

The two of them sat down at the table. Miranda continued explaining as they ate.

“The four with merchant professions from the fort have done well with trying to facilitate normalizing using Credits. A few people who recently got their profession upgrade have also become merchants or gained professions related to economics, helping with the cause.

“While most don’t care much about Credits or really have any to use, it is still the best we have. Producing our own currency would just be silly.”

“With the system as a guarantor of the Credits, it makes it a far superior currency,” Jake concurred. “The multiverse as a whole also uses Credits, so us doing anything else would indeed be moronic.”

“Exactly, so we have begun some initiatives to normalize using the Credits. The restaurants accept it, and most crafters do too, though it is hard to estimate how valuable something is or isn’t. We don’t really have any frames of reference besides what things cost in the Tutorial Store… and most of those things aren’t something we can make anyway.

“With that in mind, we began making some official quests to donate equipment and give wages to those working with the construction projects. It has helped a lot, but…”

“You lack funds,” Jake said as he ate the food, clearly enjoying it quite a lot.

“Yep, we are pretty much broke, but I talked with Phillip, and he had nearly 800,000 left over after the Tutorial Store. We can borrow that for now, and it should get us through at least the first month, and by then we should have some taxation system set up or some other income source.”

The thought of asking the owner for any money didn’t occur to her. While he was the official leader of Haven, his job was only protection, not funding. This was her hurdle to overcome.

“I could let you borrow so—” Jake began but was instantly cut off.

“Only if it becomes absolutely necessary,” she answered promptly. She had expected the offer, but she didn’t want it. “Instead… think about if there is anything the city may be able to do for you. Make a few requests and award Credits for that.”

“That… is actually a good idea. I will consider doing that,” Jake answered, looking like he was questioning why the heck he hadn’t thought of that before.

The rest of the night was spent just talking over a few other key points. She ended up staying a few hours longer than usual, mainly due to the baby hawk waking up. It was just too damn cute to leave alone, and they played with it throughout the night, making her leave only at dawn.

She exited the valley and cracked her neck a bit. She had a paper in hand with a request from Jake and a bright smile on her lips from interacting with the baby hawk. Despite having another full day of work ahead of her, she was content. Things were looking good for Haven.

Her mood was ruined a bit when she entered her office and saw a huge stack of papers with requests and inquiries… Oh, well, another seventy-two-hour shift ahead, it seems.

Chapter 44

Methods of Improvement

Jake saw Miranda leave and reentered the lodge to continue his work. It was a nice break to get once in a while when she came by, and he often got something quite valuable out of it too. Today, he had gotten the idea of actually using the city to his advantage.

The issues of upgrading his Touch of the Malefic Viper and Sense of the Malefic Viper had been bothering him more than before these last few days. Especially after he had reached level 80 in his profession only a few hours prior and gained the next incredibly powerful stat-granting skill.

It hadn’t taken him long to decide between Fang and Pride. His encounter with the Minotaur Mindchief had made him aware of how weak he was against any kind of mental attack, even if the fight had been on the easy side for him.

He feared he would encounter something stronger, as the memory of briefly considering the Mindchief a “friend” still haunted him. What if it had been permanent? Or lasted far longer? What if he had been with actual friends, and it fooled him long enough to kill one of them?

What if Mystie had come along and he had made Jake fight it…? All of those things had been bothering him, so he wanted to shore up the weakness at least a little bit. So yeah, he picked Pride of the Malefic Viper.

[Pride of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)] – The arrogance and strong will of the Malefic Viper is known throughout the multiverse. Now, you have learned to take after him, your own pride now a tangible weapon. Allows the alchemist to force their will upon the world far more easily. Significantly increases the effect of all Words of Power spoken. Your pride increases all resistance to any kind of mind-affecting effects, but be warned that it wanes in despair. Passively provides 1 Willpower per level in Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper. May your will be truth, your pride eternal.

Jake still had no idea what Words of Power were, but he figured he would find out eventually. He wanted it for the mental resistance thing anyway. To explore an entirely new “thing” when he already had two skills to upgrade and his profession to level up also seemed like a bit too much.

The skill hadn’t come with any instinctive knowledge or anything like that. Then again, it just made him do things better. Things he didn’t know how to do, but... he was better at them now, so yay?

He had experimented a bit with the whole “force your will upon the world” part, and… he had just made himself look silly. How the hell was he supposed to do that anyway? It wasn’t like it just made all his skills stronger because he wanted them to be, and it didn’t make mana manipulation any easier either. Jake was sure there was some trick to it, and he was looking forward to figuring it out.

But back on the topic of what he had made Miranda get… he had just asked for one thing. Equipment, but preferably weapons. Not anything for him to use but to experiment on. He had spent quite a lot of time thinking about improving the Touch skill and had come to some realizations.

Jake had to remember that at its core, Touch of the Malefic Viper was an alchemy skill, not a combat skill. The one time he had upgraded it prior was when he infused the Essence in the Valley of Tusks dungeon. Before that, he had also used his Touch on the massive concoction in the Lucenti Plains, and most recently, he used it on the Malefic Beastorb he created to help the little birdie sleeping on his head.

In every one of those cases, he had changed an item, or more accurately, corrupted an item. He hadn’t just poisoned them but made their properties different, even making them be seen as other objects entirely.

Jake had a theory that Touch of the Malefic Viper’s original purpose was to be used during concoction processes to fuse different poisons or add the property of another poison to the concoction. That… or just corrupt the shit out of it all and make something far deadlier than before.

He had injected Touch into the Beastcore through the cauldron, showing the runes on the cauldron recognized the Touch as an alchemy skill. He knew the base runes for alchemy were entirely system-created and actually weren’t that hard to make. Given a few weeks, Jake could likely learn to create a basic mixing bowl. They would be shit, but useable by anyone with any crafting skill related to potions or poisons or just knowledge of how to use the runes.

He had already done a few experiments using Touch during the crafting process, and quite honestly… it went swimmingly. No issues at all, and he even felt like it improved some of his concoctions a bit. He made his best Necrotic Poison yet by mixing in some of the effects from his blood toward the end, amplifying some aspect of the concoction instead of just using his blood purely as a catalyst.

It was still a Necrotic Poison, but it appeared like it could spread slightly faster than before. It wasn’t enough for it to change the name or description at all; it was just the feeling he got from his Sense of the Malefic Viper.

But the fact that it was so easy to do was the issue. Clearly, the skill was already meant to do that, and Jake was just a bit of a dummy for not having done it a lot earlier. Well, he hadn’t lost much as it didn’t necessarily make the concoctions stronger, often just slightly altering the effects. Sometimes making it weaker too, if the effects didn’t mix well.

No, he needed to go in another direction… He had already managed to alter the skill slightly by expanding its scope and allowing the effects of affinities to be mixed in, so now he wanted to increase its depth. He wanted to double down on the corruption effect and learn to use it on other things outside of just mimicking a poison.

He felt it was a bit like cheating… but he had asked the Viper and gained a semi-useful answer:

“The true Touch of the Malefic Viper—or any of my skills, really—are way outside the scope of your understanding. Your epic-rarity version may not be the same as another’s, and neither will your ancient-rarity one be. Mixing in affinities is just a mere fraction of what the real Touch of Me can do.”

Okay, it was actually quite useful and gave him some good insight into how all those Legacy skill-things worked. It was pretty much just saying, “Go right ahead and try to improve it in any way possible!”

So that was what he did. He wanted to see if he could further corrupt and change items, so he had Miranda put out a quest to deliver him some. He had some items in his inventory… but quite frankly, they were just too good to experiment on.

He still had the Staff of Lucenti Realms and the epic-rarity Scimitar of Debauchery, for example. Both of those were interesting due to how different they were. One held mana of moonlight, a very pure type of mana, while the other was only good because of some fucked-up curse.

While he wouldn’t feel bad about just breaking the scimitar, he would prefer to at least get something useful out of doing so. So he would start out by breaking a bunch of inferior-rarity items made by smiths training their craft. It also had the nice side-benefit of injecting some of his Credits into the economy.

However, for now, it was back to trying to make something tasty for Sylphie.

Days passed by as his commission was out. Miranda collected weapons for his creation to help Sylphie grow, but he quickly ran into some problems.

First of all, he had never made anything like it before, so it was an entirely new area. While that was a bit exciting, he found out it really was way outside his area of expertise. He found a book that described a few recipes, and it noted that creating any kind of nurturing product for a beast was far closer to the cooking profession than alchemy. There were also entire professions dedicated to raising beasts besides that, so maybe it would be better to find someone else to help?

He also found out that different beasts required different things. You needed to know the beast’s mana affinities, its general species, and, last but not least, the grade of its Origin. The Origin was related to the core of its Records and was something Jake had encountered in the description of his Bloodline as an example.

Using himself as an example once more, while he himself was the Origin of the Bloodline, the Malefic Viper was the Origin of all his skills carrying the name. Origins then had grades—the grade of the Malefic Viper, of course, being pretty damn high. This again tied back to upgrading the skill… If he managed to go beyond the Origin, he would be able to change the skill entirely, perhaps making it into Touch of Jake Thayne… Actually, let’s just stick with Malefic Viper for that one.

The Origin of his profession was naturally also the Malefic Viper.

For beasts, their Origin was often tied to the name of their race. Sylphian Eyas meant its species was that of a hawk—not hard, that one, but the name Sylphian was a bit more challenging to figure out. Jake assumed it was related to Sylphs. The issue was… what exactly was a Sylph?

In conclusion… Jake had no idea where the hell even to start. He would at most make some shitty inferior-rarity soup for the bird, and at that point, it would just be better to feed it meat from a high-level beast anyway.

So… Jake returned to his original goal, which was actually going quite well.

*You have successfully crafted [Fungicide (Common)] – A new kind of creation has been made. Bonus experience earned*

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 82 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Jake breathed in the fragrance of the liquid in the cauldron and nearly gagged. God, was it horrid. He also felt some of the poison enter his system before quickly being eliminated by Palate of the Malefic Viper.

As a responsible bird-babysitter, he had only been crafting today because the little one was with her parents. They were outside running around, as the small hawk was still too young to fly. She hadn’t even begun growing feathers yet.

Jake wasn’t the most knowledgeable about birds, but he was pretty sure most birds tended to grow quickly. Sylphie was definitely growing up slower than pre-system hawks—not that he minded. She had gotten slightly bigger and was a lot faster and stronger now, but just as cute.

Well… he was pretty sure the little eyas could kill an average pre-system adult with no problem, seeing as he had already seen the small bird peck holes into the incredibly resilient bark of some of the trees.

She was getting stronger every day, but he still didn’t want her in the house when concocting poisons. It didn’t matter when he worked on potions, but the fumes from poison alone would hurt the little one. With the common-rarity toxins, there was perhaps even a chance she could die. Either way, it was a risk he was absolutely unwilling to take.

The barrier around the house also served to keep any fumes inside, an unexpected but welcome benefit.

Taking a look at his new creation, he noted that the description was pretty much the exact same as before.

[Fungicide (Common)] – A poison created to kill fungi and similar lifeforms. This type of poison is made to spread through any physical connection of the fungi, quickly infecting large parts of it. Deals relatively low damage but is hard to cleanse.

It was like when he went from Weak Hemotoxin to just Hemotoxin… It added a word here or removed a word there, just indicating it was now slightly stronger—which made sense, as the concoction was pretty much the exact same as the weak version.

The primary ingredient of the fungicide was actually his own blood. He remembered how it utterly annihilated the needle-like tendrils of the Indigo Mushroom when it tried to suck out his blood and wanted an effect like that, but slower.

Besides that, he just used some moss and some of the mushrooms he hadn’t paid much attention to prior. Most of them were common rarity. He was beginning to run low on most ingredients, but he did have a plan to alleviate that a bit by once more using the city. He would take that up with Miranda the next time she came by.

Yet even with a common-rarity fungicide, he wasn’t satisfied. He knew it would deal damage to the mushroom, but he doubted it would be enough. So he was going to go beyond common rarity and make an even stronger poison.

And to do that… he already had some ingredients in mind. All of them were things he had gained during the tutorial and then just kept hidden away in his spatial storage. The first of which had been taken from the Forgotten Sewers dungeon.

[Lesser Ethwood Ashes (Uncommon)] – The ashes left behind by burnt Lesser Ethwood. Used in a myriad of recipes related to the soul and mind. Has no effect upon direct consumption.

With that item alone, it was clear that Jake was going for a poison that wouldn’t just infect the body but the mushroom’s soul. He didn’t need to actually damage the soul—that was something at a level far beyond what he could do—he just needed to muddle the mushroom a little. Make it more challenging for it to detect the poison.

He had been inspired quite a bit by the Minotaur Mindchief. While it had been a real asshole, it was competent in what it did. He still vividly remembered the phantom pains he’d endured and his inability to detect the Minotaur with anything besides his Bloodline-related abilities. He wanted something in that vein.

A second ingredient he would use for that came from a bush growing beside his porch.

[Soothing Bellberry Bush (Uncommon)] – A bush of Soothing Bellberries. The berries growing on this bush are known to have a soothing effect on the mind.

Jake had “borrowed” the bush from the tutorial a long time ago and had quite frankly forgotten about it until he began forming his plan to kill the mushroom. The bush grew berries quite quickly, and he’d already picked a few dozen of them.

[Soothing Bellberry (Uncommon)] – A berry that provides a soothing effect to whoever consumes it.

He wanted them to work in concert with the ash to help soothe the mushroom. He had found some recipes that he believed could help him do that, but all of them mentioned one final, crucial ingredient to make such a fungicide.

A part of the fungus itself.

Chapter 45

Just Getting a Few Samples

Jake walked through the cave again, the first time in quite a while. He was heading for the biodome with the Indigo Fungus, ignoring anything on the way. He was just there for a few samples… but he wanted to test a few things if he was there anyway.

He wanted to test how effective the poison mist from his Wings of the Malefic Viper was and to try and fight the mushroom a bit. He had already made a dozen bottles of common-rarity fungicide, and he wanted to test the effect of those too.

Heck… maybe he could even kill it without the need to create an uncommon-rarity poison. In that case, he could switch to making a better Necrotic Poison or something like that. He sure as hell wouldn’t complain about one less massive blue mushroom in the world.

When the entrance to the biodome was within sight, he already began scouting inside. He didn’t see any movement, so maybe he had come just after feeding time. Assuming the mushroom was still doing its lure-and-kill strategy.

He had felt the mana-lure for a while now, so he was pretty sure it was.

Jake walked into the biodome, and everything was as idyllic as last time he came here. Even more so, as there weren’t murder-mantises running around the place.

Moving in a bit further, he did spot some signs of life in the form of a giant centipede crawling on one of the larger mushrooms, munching on it. It was only level 40, so not really worth noting, but it did show that at least he hadn’t come just after the mushroom had eaten everything.

It only became more apparent as he got closer to the mana-lure. More centipedes appeared, fighting some beetle-like creatures. All of them were the size of horses, none of them below level 50. It was quite the brawl, but Jake didn’t have any intentions of getting involved.

He wasn’t there for them.

They didn’t get in his way either but kept just fighting each other.

Jake needed to wake up the monster lurking below to hopefully get a good sample. The needle-like tendrils had to be connected to the rest of the fungus to deliver nutrients, so he wanted a few of those.

He prepared himself by summoning his wings and jumping up, flying toward the ceiling.

There were only around one hundred and thirty meters from ceiling to floor, but it was enough to get a bit of a vantage point. Jake found small pockets in the wall, just slightly large enough for him to stand on. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on his foe while summoning his Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter.

…Wait, what even is that damn blue mushroom? It was called a Mycorrhiza, which, according to the books, is a type of fungus creating a symbiotic relationship between itself and plants… What kind of arrow can be used against that?

This was when Jake discovered a weakness of his Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter that he hadn’t even considered. He could only summon an arrow specially made to slay a particular enemy if he had a good enough idea of what was needed to kill the aforementioned enemy.

Sure, Jake could imagine an arrow that would impact the ground and spread deadly energy throughout the entire area… but he couldn’t focus on it and summon the arrow with confidence. He knew what kind of attack worked well against the cloud elementals and pretty much anything made of flesh and blood… but against this damn mushroom, he just held too many doubts—the most significant doubt being if arrows were even of any use.

In summary, he just didn’t know enough about the enemy to summon his Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter. So learning more about the damn mushroom was another item added to his to-do list.

Mushrooms are truly my bane… he thought disgruntledly, but soon picked himself up again when he imagined making an uncommon-rarity poison that would slowly make the entire fungi-nightmare wither.

His vain hope of maybe slaying the damn thing had waned by now, however. Let’s just get some samples and get a feel for the thing before getting the hell out of here.

So Jake took out a regular arrow, nocked it, and aimed down for the mana-lure. He was pretty sure breaking it would piss off the big bad boss, so naturally, he began charging a Powershot to ensure breaking it.

At the same time, he opened his wings as the blood within began boiling. A faint mist emanated as he channeled the Infused Powershot for a full ten seconds.

Wakey-wakey, little mushroom.

BOOM!

Stone and soil flew everywhere when he released the arrow. It flew straight down toward the crystal that functioned as a mana-lure, shattering it completely. To double-up on the pain, he flapped his wings to send a cloud of poison gas down into the biodome as he pushed even more mana into the wings to increase the output.

OoOOoOOOOooO…

Shattering the lure and blanketing the biodome in poison did wonders to wake up the sleeping mushroom, and Identify once more worked as he used it on one of the giant mushrooms.

[Indigo Fungus Mycorrhiza – lvl ???]

Jake also finally felt its aura and could tell that it was slightly stronger than the last time he came. It had likely grown a few levels since then from eating all the insects coming there. Or maybe it just grew naturally like beasts? Quite frankly, he didn’t know and didn’t care.

The many insects scattered around the biodome panicked but had little time to react as nature itself came alive to devour them. Like last time, the fungus didn’t respond by attacking him directly, but just by killing everything within its domain. Or maybe it hadn’t detected him yet… It actually wouldn’t be surprising if it lacked perception.

It allowed Jake to get an excellent aerial view as tendrils shot up all over the place, and some of the mushrooms released paralyzing gas. Hundreds of insects died in seconds, sucked dry of all nutrients. Ten or so seconds after awakening, the fungus finally found the one that was attacking it.

At least Jake assumed it had, as beams of mana headed toward him, forcing him to dodge. Tendrils also began worming their way up the dome from all sides, coming toward him. It was quite a lot easier to deal with than last time, his progress showing.

He saw the poison mist dig its way into the many plants on the dome below, but the effects were minimal. The plants had some inherent resistance to poison, while the mushrooms clearly didn’t care that much about the poison whatsoever. It did a bit of damage, but it wasn’t very reassuring.

That is, until something else was mixed in. A drop of liquid hit one of the mushrooms and sank into it unnoticed as Jake kept dodging the many attacks from the giant fungus-monster. However, he barely focused on it and instead zoned in on sensing the movement of his poison.

He did shoot off a few needle-tendrils with his bow, and, with a quick fly-by, threw them into his spatial storage. Jake felt like the mushroom was barely trying. A minute passed as the fungicide slowly made its way into the creature.

With dozens of samples already in his storage, he didn’t need anything more. Still, he began cutting off parts of the other plants and throwing them in his storage. Soon he would be the only living thing in the biodome besides the fungus, and he was considering spreading some more fungicide to see if he could maybe actually kill the damn thing before it dete—

Jake barely managed to react as a whip-like tendril came up from below, and without his danger sense, he would have now been one arm lighter. But he still had a several-centimeter-deep cut in his shoulder. What?

One thing was clear… It now knew about the fungicide… and it wasn’t happy.

The tendril that had attacked him was… different. It was teal and even thinner than any prior. Moreover… it was stronger.

A lot stronger.

Jake scrambled, able to focus on nothing but the two tendrils that now attacked him. Both of them were like whips as they cut through the entire biodome, carving deep gashes into the walls. Time to get the fuck out of here.

He activated Limit Break to 20% and flew toward the exit of the biodome, attempting to avoid the two tendr—

A third one flew out of one of the walls, and even if he tried to dodge, it was too late. His right wing was cut off, and one of the original two tendrils returned and severed the left one.

“Fuck,” Jake muttered under his breath as he air-stepped to avoid getting his legs cut off. With difficulty, he leaned to the side, allowing himself to fall once more as he accelerated downwards with two blasts of mana from his gloves.

He barely got a bit of leeway from that move, but soon two thin beams of mana flew toward him, fired from one of the teal tendrils. Jake quickly summoned his scales, dodging one of them, but the other scratched his side.

His entire body was consumed in a blue explosion, sending him flying. He had enough foresight to make sure he flew toward the exit of the cavern, but he had made a colossal miscalculation when it came to the power of the beam.

Scales and blood flew everywhere as his entire right side became a bloody mess. Without the scales, the strike would have done far worse, and Jake could barely make heads or tails of what the fuck was happening.

All he knew was that he had to get the fuck out of there now.

With every passing second, it mobilized more and more tendrils to kill him, and soon a fourth one joined the assault.

Luckily, Jake was finally on the ground, allowing him to move far more elusively. With a step forward, he teleported back fifty meters, and with another, he stood right in front of the exit of the cavern—leaving two tendrils behind him where he had just taken two steps.

The entrance was blocked off by a mass of tendrils, with even one of the blue ones reinforcing it. Jake ran straight for it and tried to use Shadow Vault to phase through, which resulted in it feeling like he had just run headfirst into a wall.

He smashed into the barrier of vines, which simply contained too much mana for him to phase through. They also counted as living things, which he wasn’t even sure he could phase through to begin with… He could sometimes barely get through a tree, but the vines were just too much. No, he would have to break it instead, but that was far from easy.

Jake couldn’t find any opportunity to use Infused Powershot, so he tried to cut a hole with Descending Dark Fang. He managed to cut through a part of it before a tendril came up from below him, forcing him to interrupt his attack.

He leaped back a bit, but his thigh was still pierced by a thin tendril, sending even more blood and scales flying. Stumbling, he couldn’t avoid in time as two thin needles came straight for his head. The wounded hunter tared directly at them, his eyes shining yellow as the tendrils stopped mid-air.

Gaze of the Apex Hunter

Jake made his way to the wall of tendrils again with a One Step Mile and threw a dozen bottles on it while also spraying some of his own poisoned blood over it. It wasn’t to break it but to just weaken it a little.

The tendrils had stopped longer than expected, proving his Gaze of the Apex Hunter was very effective. It had bought him quite a lot of time, even allowing him to summon three mana bolts that he fired toward a tendril charging up another magic attack. He would have used his bow, but he needed his hands to throw bottles and spray blood.

When he fired them, he observed something interesting. A tendril flew for each of them, making them explode, but the way they moved was as if they attacked him. Mana-based vision? Jake barely managed to think before the next tendrils came for him.

This was when he saw movement. Not from the tendrils, but below him. He saw a whole net of roots coming up toward him, far more than he could possibly handle. Jake turned to hack away at the barrier closing off the exit, cleaving off vine after vine.

But it was just too thick, and when he had to continually avoid getting impaled or having limbs sliced off, it went far too slow. The roots from below got closer and closer before they finally emerged.

A single, very small blue tendril came first, followed by a dozen more moments later. They weren’t whipping at Jake or trying to damage him directly—instead, they just grew. It was like hundreds of small, thin stalks of fungi grew around him.

They all swayed slightly toward him as the first one hit his arm. Jake wanted to move away but found it stuck to his arm, slowly wrapping itself around him. He ripped some of it off, but the damn things were even adhesive. More and more wrapped him up as he found it harder and harder to move.

With them touching him, he couldn’t use his One Step Mile. Shadow Vault didn’t help either, as he looked up and saw more than ten of the indigo tendrils forming a pattern together in mid-air with a huge ball of mana forming.

He could barely move at this point, so he used Touch of the Malefic Viper to try and grab some of the small tendrils to wither them. Jake looked toward the tendrils channeling the spell and used Gaze of the Apex Hunter on them, freezing them and the stalks growing on him.

But… the spell wasn’t interrupted. Just paused. As if the fungus knew Jake would do something like this.

Jake saw only one solution as he managed to stand right in front of the exit to the biodome. At the same time, he began condensing a giant mana bolt above himself.

After barely getting there, he released the blast and enveloped the entire biodome in intense blue light. His danger sense screamed at him to dodge, and Jake tried to, but couldn’t move… He desperately cut and ripped the small tendrils to get himself free, but it was too late.

The massive beam of mana was heading straight for him… and Jake knew it wasn’t something he could tank. His scales were already summoned, and he pushed mana all around him to form a barrier. The mass of mana was already forming above his head, looking vaguely like a mana bolt but far too big.

The beam tore through the air, but when it was just five or so meters from its target… it slowed.

Moment of the Primal Hunter

Every floating spore looked frozen in mid-air, the now thousands of ever-growing stalks motionless. The only thing that moved was the mass of mana floating above Jake and the hunter himself. Moment of the Primal Hunter was Jake’s final gambit as he sent the mass of mana above himself straight down.

It exploded and broke all the tiny tendrils, and Jake could finally move. He managed to sway to the side. His foot was in mid-air, preparing to use One Step Mile, when time resumed… and the beam arrived.

The barrier blocking off the entrance was sheared away as the massive beam continued into the tunnel he had entered from, killing any weak creature within and only stopping when it hit a wall. Jake’s foot landed a millisecond after the barrier was impacted, and he teleported.

Parts of him.

Jake noticed that his peripheral vision wasn’t what it should be and that his balance was absolutely off. But he couldn’t think straight and diagnose the problem. Yet although his mind couldn’t process what exactly had just happened, his body still moved.

A single wing sprang from his back as he flapped to get out through the hole formed by the massive beam. He flapped once more, allowing his foot to touch down and take him forty meters forward before another haphazard flap took him around a corner.

He fell to the ground, then took out a potion with his left hand and tried to drink it. Half the liquid didn’t enter his body but just fell to the ground below. The effect still worked, but he only now truly noticed what was wrong.

The entire right side of his body was gone; even large parts of his head were no longer there.

Jake couldn’t think straight. His body just lay there, flesh already wriggling as his massive Vitality, boosted further by the potion, got to work.

Back in the biodome, the hundreds of small indigo tendrils slowly receded back to the ground. New plants and mushrooms grew, and all traces of the massive fight were gone in less than half an hour.

A small crystal appeared in the middle of the biodome once more… and an hour later, a small group of unsuspecting beetles crawled into the biodome, lured by the mana to continue the feeding cycle of the Indigo Fungus Mycorrhiza.

Chapter 46

Important Jobs

Jake felt an itch on his right side that he just couldn’t scratch. The kind that felt like it was just below the skin. It woke him up as he tried to rub it anyway. But… his arm didn’t move. He finally opened his eyes but found the sight in his right one blurry.

Oh… yeah… Jake thought as he remembered what had happened. A quarter of a second. No, even less than that. That was the difference between Jake perfectly avoiding the attack and losing half his body. He moved his left hand and summoned a healing potion.

He rolled onto his back and drank the potion down, finally getting a good look at himself through his sphere.

The entire right side of his body was gone. In fact… if the human heart hadn’t been slightly to the left, his heart would have been sheared away. He hadn’t been as lucky when it came to his head, however. While his head had regenerated already, his hair hadn’t, making him aware of how extensive the damage was.

A large part of his head had been gone… a good part of his brain too. Needless to say, if it had happened before the system, Jake would have died instantly. He could perfectly remember what had happened after he was hit, even if he couldn’t recognize the thoughts he had at the time. He had just moved on instinct to run and had managed to tumble away.

The mask had helped a lot… resulting in only parts of his head being fried. The mana had still entered where his eyeholes were and had clearly exploded through that tiny hole in a cone, taking out a large part of his head. He had a completely bald spot at the back of his skull, several centimeters across… showing the energy had burned straight through his skull. The mask itself was undamaged, besides looking a bit burnt. Nothing a quick rinse couldn’t fix.

As he lay there, his arm and leg still hadn’t regenerated, as clearly his Vitality prioritized getting organs and other more vital things fixed first. The health potion he had just consumed helped speed up the process drastically, but it was still taking its time.

Jake knew that to heal an injury like this would require more than his full health pool. Without his potions or a healer, it would take weeks for him to return to his peak condition. But with potions, he should be up and about within a day…

“I fucked up,” he spoke out loud as he stared up at the ceiling of the cave.

It was the second time he found himself lying there, his body broken. The second time he had faced the damn mushroom and gotten his ass handed to him. Was the damn mushroom really his bane? Also, what the hell had happened back there?

The last time he came, he’d handled it pretty well, and he’d even had thoughts of just killing it… but it had been hiding so much power. Those blue vines were just so damn strong, it was insane. Was it perhaps the actual body of the fungus?

As a Mycorrhiza, it mainly lived inside other plants, using them to fuel itself. Did this mean it had an entire body hidden deep beneath, just like all those vines? And why hadn’t it used the vines to begin with? Did it perhaps take too much energy?

Next time… I will come prepared… and I’ll take it down, Jake thought as he closed his eyes, replaying the fight.

The fungicide had worked quite well, and he could feel it doing damage… but what had worked even better was his Gaze of the Apex Hunter. He had theorized that the mushroom should be pretty weak to it, and that had been confirmed today.

He could freeze it even longer than the Thunder Roc by quite a bit, and considering that Gaze also worked wonders the last time he fought the mushroom, it confirmed something he had long suspected: its soul wasn’t very resilient. Which boded well for the poison he was planning on concocting.

Looking at his resources, he found he was actually quite fine in that department. Well, besides health points. His stamina and mana were both looking healthy, so he didn’t really need to meditate. Instead, he summoned a book from his spatial storage and began reading.

An hour later, the human lying in the middle of a damp cavern with a book consumed another potion before he resumed reading. The more he read on fungi, the more confident he became in using a poison that partially attacked the soul. In fact, fungi or plant-based lifeforms tended to have relatively weaker souls, as theirs were awakened and typically not something they were born with.

The hours passed as Jake slowly felt his entire right side regenerate. The vision on his right eye was back to normal again too, and his hair was growing out at a near-visible pace.

With enough strength to get up, he managed to shakily stand on his feet. He once more gave himself a good look-over and even checked his status menu. Nothing had changed, but he had expected it to. He had assumed he would lose a few stat points because, during it all… he had lost one of his boots.

His Boots of the Wandering Alchemist was the only piece of equipment he had that didn’t either sink into his body—and thus avoided destruction—or feature the overpowered self-repair enchant. Yet… he hadn’t lost the stats provided by it even when one was gone.

Jake tried to feel a bit for his mana and noticed something in the direction of the biodome. He walked over there, and after going only a bit, he saw the carnage left by the mana blast.

The entire hallway from the biodome to the first bend had been utterly annihilated, with nothing living remaining. The walls were still faintly sizzling with energy even after such a long time, and the wall where the blast had impacted was now just a large hole, creating a small cave inside the cavern.

It was from within that newly created cave he felt the boot. Jake walked in there and saw nothing but sizzling dirt and two things lying on the ground.

One of them was a boot that didn’t look any different from the day he got it… except for the half-destroyed bloody foot still within it. Jake didn’t hesitate to pick it up and rip his own foot out before producing a barrel of water to quickly clean it. He even used Alchemist’s Purification a few times before he put it back on.

Is this old boot indestructible or what? Should I make a shield out of it? Jake thought. He couldn’t help but double-check its description to see if he had missed anything.

[Boots of the Wandering Alchemist (Rare)] – Boots once offered to an alchemist before setting out on a journey to experience the world outside. Despite being made of simple leather, the Records of the alchemist have left a deep mark on this item, allowing it to transcend many ranks.

Enchantments: +20 Endurance, +15 Agility. Reduces stamina expenditure from all movement-related skills by a small amount. Increases sensitivity toward earthbound plants.

Requirements: Lvl 25+ in any humanoid race.

He couldn’t spot anything he’d missed… so his only conclusion was that the alchemist that once owned these boots was awesome. He would need to see if he could find a way to improve them at some point…

Moving on, he went to the other thing lying on the ground… one he recognized instantly. It was the blue vine that had reinforced the exit barrier to the biodome. It had apparently been caught up in the blast. Maybe on purpose or because Jake had frozen the entire plant with Gaze shortly before firing… He didn’t know, and after using Identify on it, he was just happy he got it.

[Indigo Fungus Mycorrhiza Lifevine (Rare)] – The Lifevine of an Indigo Fungus Mycorrhiza. The Lifevine is a part of the main body of the fungus. Contains intense amounts of vital energy and is incredibly resilient. Can be used in a myriad of alchemical creations.

The blue vine was nearly four meters long and a few centimeters thick. Jake could feel the intense energy still contained within as he smiled, putting it in his inventory. A better sample than I could hope for.

He threw one last glance toward the biodome and gave the damn mushroom within the finger. He had promised not to badmouth mushrooms… but he could still hate them internally—and outwardly, just without saying anything.

Within ten minutes, he was back at the valley, not a single person noticing him on his way back. It would ruin his whole mysterious-owner look a bit if he walked through the settlement in tattered clothes.

When he entered the valley, he saw the family of hawks and smiled. The tiny bird also noticed him.

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

She ran toward him, taking small leaps along the way. Jake squatted down and allowed her to run onto his arm, then straight for the top of his head. He just chuckled as Sylphie sat down on top of him while he brought a finger up to rub the little girl.

The mother and father hawk just looked on happily as Jake waved at them in greeting. They threw him a glance, and he nodded as they took off. He knew their plan already, as he had seen Hawkie reach level 99 just the day before. They were trying to get him to D-grade like his wife, and Jake was more than supportive.

And so he entered the lodge, continuing his job as an alchemist, but more importantly, the vital role of baby-hawk-sitter.

“I can ask, but do not expect a meeting any time soon, if ever,” Miranda said with a steadfast voice to the man in front of her.

“We insist on setting up a formal meeting with this owner to discuss the future of this settlement. We have many points of improvement and offers that we belie—”

“I said I would ask. Now stop pestering me.” She shooed away the man.

He scoffed as he turned around and left the rather large building that was the mayoral office. Or the City Lord’s office. They hadn’t really settled on any official name, but most knew what people were talking about no matter the term used.

Miranda leaned back in her chair as the annoying man finally left.

He represented a group of newish settlers. They had come only a few days ago with a group of around four hundred, led to Haven by their leader, who was also a Lord. He had decided to find a Pylon after the notification about ten being claimed appeared and had found his way here.

When he learned that Miranda was just a mayor and not the actual owner, he had insisted on meeting Jake, but she had refused him every time. The man had then had the gall to try and go to the valley on his own, but she heard reports of him running away when he saw the D-grade hawk.

If he was just another opportunity seeker, she could handle it, but the man was more than that. He was a damn fanatic.

His name was Kenneth Copefield, and he fancied himself a preacher. His four hundred followers weren’t just travel companions, but truly did follow him as a spiritual leader. He had apparently been blessed by a god or something, and Miranda was more than a little skeptical.

Kenneth’s level was high, though. He was level 62 and followed a religion Miranda found a bit suspect. It didn’t sound like he was after ritual sacrifices or the like, but just looking for more people to pray to the god. The god was related to metal and stone, from what she could tell… At least, he was very adamant about constructing a temple made up entirely of expensive ores and stones.

And that was actually the root of their issues… she didn’t allow him to construct a giant temple to some god that was most likely imaginary. To use religion as a way of leading people wasn’t anything new, but the way he went about it was weird. He gave her bad vibes.

I will have to ask Jake tomorrow during the weekly visit; maybe he has some insight into this…

She didn’t like relying on him, but she honestly was unsure how to handle all of this. Phillip hadn’t been of any help with this particular case, as he was far too busy handling the integration of the fort’s new residents.

There were especially issues with those who’d been mind-controlled and taken hostage by the Minotaur Mindchief. All of them were scarred in different ways, and their views of Jake varied. Some saw him as a savior, while others blamed him for how he’d saved them.

From what she could tell, the Minotaur had tried to use them as hostages to make him surrender, and he hadn’t cared but just attacked, making some of them kill each other. While it wasn’t the best way to handle it… Miranda felt like she couldn’t blame him either. She hadn’t been there, and could they really ask him to risk his own hide to help strangers?

It sounded a bit callous… but she had learned to be less soft in recent times. People were shitty, and compared to old office politics, this new world was a lot rougher. Heck, she’d heard from Phillip that there had already been two assassination attempts on him during the fort’s early days. Luckily, no one had dared try and kill her… yet. It was likely because they feared the owner. Killing her would give them nothing if they couldn’t convince the owner to let them become the new leader.

I really need to get my damn class evolved, at least…she thought as she shook her head. Her profession was getting high, and while the next evolution was still a fair bit away, it was now within sight. To have a level 23 class with that was just sad.

She just couldn’t find the time these days. It was partially her own fault due to them sending out a few parties to scout the area for other settlements or travelers to recruit, filling up her plate with a constant influx of new issues.

But the recruitment effort had paid off.

City Overview

City name: Haven

Population: 4647

City Owner: Jake Thayne

City Lord: Miranda Wells

City Tier: Earl

The city had most certainly expanded a lot, and the City Overview was now far more filled out. After Jake had introduced himself, it filled out the City Owner spot, and of course, the city had now been named, so that left all areas filled.

Every so often, the population number increased, and she was pretty sure it didn’t actually just show every person in the area, but only those whom the system recognized as actually belonging to the city. That Kenneth guy and his group of fanatics weren’t counted as an example, and she reckoned they were close to fifty-five hundred people within the Pylon’s area.

Another menu that was no longer hollow was the quest panel… After she had gotten the skill to make quests and even the ability to allow others to create them, the panel had really taken off.

Quest Panel:

Current City Quests: 14

Current Open Quests: 34

Current Contracted Quests: N/A

Current Compulsory Quests: N/A

Granted, the two last ones were still empty, but it wasn’t like those actually did anything. As for the quests they had made, the City Quests were quite simple. When she chose to view it closer in her menu, it showed her all of them… and they were honestly quite dull.

[Construction Effort: Housing (East)], [Construction Effort: Housing (West)], [Construction Effort: Housing (South)], [Construction Project: Storage]…

Yeah, all just construction, she thought with a bit of a laugh. All of them were about building stuff or collecting materials to build stuff.

As for the Open Quests… those were quests created by citizens. They were quests anyone could take and were closer to commissions than anything else. The owner’s quest was within that batch too. Most of them revolved around getting things crafted or collecting crafting materials. She was honestly just happy it was used.

Right next to the building she worked and lived in was a quest office of sorts. It was a building she had directed Hank on how to build, and with her skills, she had “chosen” the building to serve the function. She’d then had Christen craft a metal slate that would open up a quest-creation window when you placed your hand on it and had that placed within.

The quests themselves could be found on message boards around the small city, all linked to the questing office. It worked a bit like the slate, where you could see the quest window by just looking at it. It was pretty functional and convenient, actually. Miranda still had many ideas and things to improve, and she looked forward to every new development. Though she could do without the religious fanatics and people constantly trying to one-up her in the political game during meetings with the city council…

Well, I can handle them, she thought confidently. There was just one final job she had to finish for today, an absolutely essential one—one that could impact her future as City Lord and, in concert, the fate of Haven in its entirety. A choice of utmost importance concerning the meeting she could have with the city owner the next day:

What to bring for dinner?

Chapter 47

Divine Influence

Jake had to admit that it was actually quite impressive to have so many talks with Miranda without ever bringing up the subject of gods. He had honestly just come to assume everyone knew about gods being a real, tangible thing. Maybe his view on the topic was a bit skewed, though. Just maybe.

So when Miranda came to his lodge for their weekly meetup, and she brought up the topic, Jake just listened as she ranted a bit about someone wanting a temple. Apparently, a follower of some god had come, and Jake’s first question was upon hearing this was:

“Oh, who?”

Which got a perplexed look from Miranda, who clearly hadn’t expected that to be his first question.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“The name of the god. Or title—a lot of them prefer to go by titles over their actual names, I heard…” Miranda just looked more and more confused. He didn’t help the situation by casually rubbing the belly of the bird on his head.

“I… didn’t get a name… Do you know something I don’t, about this so-called god?”

At this point, Jake realized there was quite a knowledge gap when it came to divine stuff. Thinking back, he’d never mentioned anything about gods to her before, and without meeting one herself, it was quite natural she didn’t know about it.

He reckoned many people had met factions or people associated with gods… but Haven only had citizens from limited areas. Abby had only recruited people from her own tutorial—Neil and friends included—and Miranda’s tutorial hadn’t had any divine involvement as far as he could tell. At least not on the surface.

The same was true for the fort. Jake had yet to hear anything about gods from them, and clearly Phillip wasn’t blessed by any. I guess it’s time to bring her up to speed.

Jake could see many issues arising in the future if Miranda remained ignorant about the fact that a bunch of bored gods likely fucked around behind the curtain and had many followers on Earth doing their bidding.

“So… here’s the deal…”

The entire night was spent with Jake giving her a bunch of exposition that would make everyone complain if written in a novel and dumped all at once. He didn’t really bother hiding anything, which got many confused looks and questions when he said that he was blessed by a god but wasn’t really a follower of a god. He didn’t give any too-personal details, just saying that he was on good terms with a few gods, which in itself was enough to screw over her understanding of divinity.

“Gods are just people who got extremely strong,” Jake said, shrugging. “Some are assholes, some are nice. Well, from what I gathered, most tend to be arrogant asshats toward mortals, but I guess they did kinda earn it. I got lucky with the ones I met, I guess.”

That was just his understanding of gods… and he had a feeling he wasn’t wrong, even if his interpretation was a bit simplified. Villy honestly was just a dude—an extremely strong and immortal dude, but still a dude. And as Villy had said: one doesn’t become a god without at least having a bit of arrogance. The audacity to believe that you of all people could achieve godhood was just inherent to divinity.

Miranda sat for a while in contemplation, taking it all in. “I… This changes a lot… The ideological differences between gods will trickle down to their followers and inadvertently lead to conflict… If we keep recruiting as we are now, there will without a doubt come parties with opposing religious views… Wait, what is the faith of the god you follow—eh, I mean, befriended?”

She looked at Jake with suspicion, as she no doubt questioned if he was some crazed fanatic or just straight-up delusional. Not that Jake cared much. He did recognize that his and the Viper’s relationship was a bit odd, but such was life. As for her question about the Viper’s faith…

“Eh… I’m not totally sure? He said faith isn’t really a big thing for him… but he does have an Order…” Had Villy told him what his whole Order was about? Jake didn’t remember…

Miranda, sensing Jake was unsure, swiftly moved on with the conversation. “Back to the whole temple-construction business. Should we allow it, then? What if others come and ask for the same?”

“Well, from what you said, the temple sounds more than a little… gaudy… and not really fitting in,” Jake said. She had described the monstrosity of ore and stone that the man wanted. Not really something going well with the whole forestry aesthetic they currently had.

“Hank doesn’t like the idea either and is adamant about not making it. Personally, I am also against it, but it could be dangerous if we offend some divine being with a slew of followers.” She spoke hesitantly, already imagining a crusade against their small city for blasphemy…

“Have someone bring him here,” Jake said after thinking a bit. “I’ll handle this one myself.”

Miranda made a big smile as she nodded. They talked for a few more minutes before she went to get that Kenneth fellow.

Jake just leaned back in his chair and said aloud, “Hey, Villy… any input? I know you said you aren’t much into faith, but since I have this whole city thing going anyway, I would be fine with making a church or something. Or at least a statue… Just don’t expect any sermons.”

He waited for a few moments, and just when he questioned if he’d caught the god at a bad time, he got a response.

“Up to you, mate. I told you, I didn’t give you the blessing expecting anything in return. A statue or a church or whatever on your tiny planet won’t help me much at all. Even if you conquered your entire planet, a few billion believers would just be a drop in the bucket. So unless you can see it benefitting yourself, don’t bother.

“But as for dealing with other gods wanting to encroach on your territory… just tell them to fuck off. If their believers get annoying, kill them. If they insist, wipe them out. Not like they can bring outside help to your universe, and when you leave your universe or yours is fully integrated, no one will give a flying fuck about you killing a few weaklings. And if the god they follow raises an issue, well, I’ll enjoy handling that one on my end.

“In conclusion… do what you want. You were asked about my faith or beliefs earlier… Those are my beliefs. Might makes right, and power gives freedom. I like people who try, and I despise those who don’t. I hate those who surrender to fate, and I give a big thumbs-up to those that tell fate to go fuck itself. Actually, you are quite a good Chosen, now that I think about it. Oh, and if you really want to do something religious for me, I am still open to mass ritual sacrifice. I could even provide you with the schematics for this formation to sacrifice an entire planet; it actually isn’t tha—”

“Anyway, thanks for the answer, Villy. Talk to ya later.” Jake snickered before turning a bit more serious. “But seriously… if you ever need anything, just ask. I feel like I owe you a lot already.”

“You owe me nothing; at least I am not keeping a score. But I’ll keep it in mind. Cya around, and good luck with that glorious Indigo Fungus!”

“See you around, mate. Good luck conquering the multiverse or whatever you’re up to.” He gave a sincere smile. Soon after, he felt the presence of the Malefic Viper fade, and everything returned to normal.

Jake did feel like their friendship was quite one-sided… Jake hadn’t done anything for the Viper, really. Besides talking to him a bit when they first met, it was just Villy doing him favors over and over again. It felt like having that one friend that always brought you out to do cool shit and gave you the best presents, but you could never figure out what to do for them.

Honestly, I am just too weak to be of any help, Jake admonished himself. He didn’t feel like he was slow. The gap was just absolutely enormous, to begin with. But it wasn’t like he could do anything but soldier on. Actually, the divine messages have gotten longer and way clearer. Probably something to do with the blessing upgrading or something like that.

He didn’t need to sit there in his own thoughts much longer before he felt Miranda and a man enter the valley. Jake took the little bird off his head and put her on a pillow on the table. She gave a small chirp to complain but otherwise stayed put.

Jake exited the lodge and saw the one who had entered with Miranda. The man looked to be in his late fifties to early sixties, with finely combed hair and a big, fake-looking smile on his lips. He instantly rubbed Jake the wrong way, but he didn’t let it show. Mainly because of the mask that now covered his face.

The first to speak wasn’t Miranda or Jake, but the newcomer, who loudly exclaimed, “Honored City Owner, I am delighted that we could finally meet. I shall not waste your precious time but come with an offer. I represent a congregation of more than four hundred people, and we would be more than happy to welcome the City Owner if he would—”

Jake just listened to the guy babbling for a dozen more seconds before he raised his hand, indicating for him to stop. Kenneth reminded Jake of a discount-Jacob without any of the charisma. He was closer to some traveling salesman than a priest or preacher… and he had the audacity to try and openly recruit Jake to join his faith too. It was honestly laughable.

Seeing Jake raise his hand, the man paused briefly before asking, “Pardon, did I do anything to offend?”

“Besides using an offensively pathetic mental skill to try and sway me while being insufferably annoying… no, not really,” Jake answered, instantly seeing the man pale a bit. “As for your whole preaching shtick… who is the one that blessed you?”

“It is no shtick. I hones—”

“Name. Of. God.”

“…. I am a follower of Terauasniom, the great shaper—he who forms the mountains and raises the—”

“So, Tera-something. Tell your god that he can take his shitty temple elsewhere. I don’t give a shit what you practice in your own time, but don’t go around preaching like a lunatic. You can find somewhere else to do that. This is my territory, not that Tera-something’s.”

“It is Terauasniom, and I don’t think you comprehend the situation. Terauasniom has tasked me with bringing this Pylon under his great name and—”

“Oh, I comprehend perfectly. I just don’t care. This is my city, not yours, and definitely not Tera-something’s. I don’t give a shit about your god, and I don’t give a shit about any task he has given you.” Jake was honestly getting annoyed.

Kenneth just stood open-mouthed for a bit, not saying anything as Jake let his aura press down on him.

“And if your god has any complaints, he should bring it up with me directly. And if you have any complaints, then you and your followers can just fuck right off. I don’t need you, and I most certainly don’t need some shitty god that isn’t even in-the-know about whose Pylon he wants to claim.”

The preacher only managed to stammer out a few more words; it sounded a lot like apologies—not to Jake, but to his god for Jake’s blasphemy. Honestly, he couldn’t help but consider giving the guy an arrow in the knee at that moment. He didn’t, mainly because it would make the man leave his valley slower and get blood all over the grass.

When he was gone, Miranda turned to him with a hint of worry. “This is going to be tough, dealing with…”

“No, it won’t,” Jake said, making his face visible again. “I gave the guy a simple choice. He can choose to leave now, get in line, or he can become an example of what happens to those that don’t listen to the soft approach.”

“I doubt he will just leave or give up…”

“Then throw him out. And if he refuses to leave, we can just remove him. One way or another.”

Jake didn’t hear anything else about Kenneth Copefield after that, besides Miranda coming by to tell Jake that the man had left with his followers. Jake couldn’t help but think he would likely become an issue in the future… but he just couldn’t bring himself to care. He didn’t fear the man, and he most certainly didn’t fear his god.

He just returned to his alchemy and bird-sitting. A day after the preacher left, the Malefic Viper contacted him unprompted with quite a peculiar question—not from the Viper himself, but some of his followers. Jake just agreed to it… He honestly found it a bit weird that they even asked for permission, but he was kind of their boss’s friend, so it made sense. Still a bit strange, mainly because of who was asking. They were gods, after all.

Meanwhile, Miranda was working hard on finally getting her class to 25 and evolving it…

Miranda fired off another mana bolt that easily tore into the beast, causing significant damage. She kept barraging it by throwing bolt after bolt until it finally died. It was honestly too easy… With her profession so high, killing these beasts only around level 35 was just simple. Simple, but rewarding when it came to class experience.

It was almost criminal that she hadn’t gotten it done before. It had taken less than two hours for her to gain the last three levels she needed, and she finally got the prompt with an evolution. She quickly began heading back to Haven before evolving, Neil and his party in tow. They had functioned as bodyguards to make sure nothing happened and hadn’t needed to do anything.

But just as she entered the office and was about to begin choosing her class… she got another message.

*The Ladies of the Verdant Lagoon have invited you to their realm. Accept?*

Miranda stared at it for a bit, unsure what it was about. She then remembered Jake talking about how gods had realms and how gods sometimes blessed mortals. He had also put a lot of emphasis on how accepting blessings was entirely optional.

She had to be honest… she was curious. Jake had told her so many things that she found unbelievable. She just couldn’t stop herself from accepting the prompt, and her vision shifted.

“See, I told you she would accept,” one of the women said confidently to the other.

“No, you guessed she would accept. And no one disagreed with you either,” the second woman said with a sigh.

“Hm, I think we should address the mortal soon?” the third interjected, finally turning their attention to Miranda, who had just appeared there.

Miranda suddenly found herself in what looked like a small island in the middle of a massive swamp. At the same time, she felt pressure bear down on her, unlike anything she had ever felt before. She thought the aura of a D-grade was bad… but this was on an entirely different level.

She failed to hold herself back from falling to her knees. The worst part was… the figures in front of her clearly weren’t trying to make her submit. Their mere existences alone were enough to make every fiber of her being want to submit.

But just as the feeling became overwhelming, the pressure suddenly amplified manifold as another presence appeared… before she felt something even worse. She felt her entire existence being thoroughly searched in both body and soul. As quickly as the presence had come, it disappeared again, leaving Miranda shaking.

“Relax, child,” one of the women said as she teleported over and placed a hand on Miranda’s shoulder.

She instantly felt the pressure on her lessen, and she felt like she could finally breathe again. “W… What is this? What was that?” Miranda managed to stammer out. Were these gods? What was that scary presence before? It made her feel like her mind was crumpling just by feeling its gaze upon her… What kind of monster could do that?

The first woman proudly said, “We are the Ladies of the Verdant Lagoon, and that presence before was our magnificent Lord, the Malefic Viper.”

The last part was said with stars in her eyes, as her cheeks even reddened a little. “As for what this is, well, we thought that if our Lord has selected your Lord as his Chosen, doesn’t it only make sense that we also bless you so you can be of better use to him?”

“What?” Miranda asked, still confused.

“Oh, but you won’t get a True Blessing,” the third sister butted in with a bright smile, making Miranda only more confused. “Can only have one of those, and if you died too soon, it would suck for us. You still get the second best, so it isn’t all bad… What do you say?”

What the hell kind of religion is this?

Chapter 48

Progress For Everyone!

Miranda returned to the office building as if nothing had happened. In reality, only a few moments had passed, but to her, it had been several hours while she had been whisked away into the realm of three gods.

She sat in her chair in a daze, trying to comprehend everything. A few days ago, she’d seen Kenneth as a fanatic for believing in some new god that she believed to be made up. Now, she had just come from a meeting with three freaking gods. From what she’d gathered from Jake, gods weren’t that special, but just people who’d reached a really high level… But those women didn’t feel like people anymore. Not at all.

They were utterly terrifying. Miranda had felt like she couldn’t do anything but agree to everything they said, no matter how nice they seemed. It had been like talking with a gun constantly pressed to her skull, and no matter how much the person holding the gun insisted it wasn’t loaded and they weren’t going to shoot… it still felt like she had a fucking gun pressed against her skull.

She now wholly understood why Kenneth had been so reverent toward that Tera-something god he had met and been blessed by. If those three women had told her to do something… she wasn’t sure she would dare say no.

Now, if that was just everything, she could deal with it. Fine, gods were now a thing, and they could bless people and have agents in the new world. That was manageable. But that wasn’t everything… because apparently her boss… Jake Thayne… was somehow also recognized as a superior by those absolutely terrifying gods. At least when it came to status.

Their Lord recognized Jake as an equal, which meant she had just endured hours of three gods trying to convince her to call them “senior sisters,” as apparently, they were now colleagues of sorts. Miranda honestly felt like her entire worldview had been turned upside down, and she seriously needed to go have a meeting with Jake… but for now…

Just… just roll with it, Miranda…

It wasn’t like she hadn’t gotten extreme gains from the madness she had just gone through. It was actually insane how much she had gained for doing practically nothing—another reason why following gods suddenly made a lot more sense in her head.

The first gain was a blessing she had pretty much been coerced into accepting… but then again, it wasn’t like she held any regrets, especially not when she saw the benefits.

[Divine Blessing of the Ladies of the Verdant Lagoon (Blessing – Divine)] – You have been recognized as one of the most valuable followers of the Ladies of the Verdant Lagoon. To become an essential follower of the trio of Godqueens is a true honor for any mortal. Through a strong karmic bond, you have tapped into their mysterious powers. +10% Willpower, +10% Wisdom. Grants access to many new paths. Only one blessing can be held at a time.

This was the first percentage stat gain Miranda had ever seen, and it was to some of her most valuable stats. As a caster, she naturally used a lot of mana, so more of it was always welcome. Willpower also made some of her existing mental skills stronger, which would help her do her job as a City Lord more efficiently.

But with the blessing also came a title.

[Holder of a Godqueen’s Divine Blessing] - Obtain the Divine Blessing of a Godqueen. Godqueens and Kings sit in the higher echelons of power in the multiverse and can find few equals. To have their Divine Blessing is a gift much sought after but rarely gained. Grants the skill: [Dreams of the Verdant Lagoon (Legendary)]. +5 all stats, +5% to all stats.

Miranda didn’t have any titles besides the Forerunner one that everyone got, so this one was also massive. It, too, gave stats, and even more than the blessing itself. There were many terminologies she didn’t understand, and she had no idea what a Godqueen was… but it was just one of a myriad of questions.

Something the new skill she had gained would likely help with. It was a bit silly how this was her first legendary skill, and she’d gotten it so easily and coincidentally.

[Dreams of the Verdant Lagoon (Legendary)] – Through your dreams, you enter the coven. When you close your eyes, your soul seeks the Verdant Lagoon, home of the Ladies that created it. Allows the caster to travel to the Verdant Lagoon while sleeping or meditating. Increased resistance to time-dilation effects while in the Verdant Lagoon. A part of your soul shall forever remain within the Lagoon, allowing you solace even if you are stripped of your mortal coil.

The skill was also just weird. Miranda had read it a few times already, and her conclusion of what it did was the same every time: a skill that allowed her to keep working even while asleep or meditating. As for that whole part about her soul… well, all that did was confirm that the soul was now a real thing. She had a lot of questions.

The last thing she gained was, of course, her evolution. The thing she’d been working on before this entire thing began. She had done it within the realm of those three gods and had been offered five options. The first three sucked, the fourth was okay and related to her profession… while the last one was entirely new.

Neophyte Verdant Witch – Magic is a tool you use to fulfill your wishes, and by treading the path of the Verdant Witch, you shall realize all your desires. Verdant magic is a school of magic deeply rooted in mysticism and borrows from the ancient powers found within the Verdant Lagoon. The Verdant Witch is a spellcaster focusing on magic rituals and intricate spells but is far from untalented in more conventional magic. This class is relatively fragile but with highly diverse magics and tools to come out on top, so preparation is the key to victory. Stat bonuses per level: +4 Wis, +4 Will, +3 Int, +2 Vit, +1 Per, +3 Free Points.

She picked it and instantly gained a few new skills. One of them was even rare rarity. She knew Hank had only gained an uncommon-rarity skill from his class evolution, so she personally thought it was quite good. She had also just gained a legendary skill through the title… but if she had to be honest, she wasn’t clear on how good that was. The skill was a bit weird, while the one she had just gained was a skill to create rituals.

All in all… Miranda had to admit that the last few hours had been very productive. She was also acutely aware that everything that had happened had nothing to do with herself. She wasn’t delusional… She knew everything was because of her relation to Jake. The gods seemed to only care about the fact that she was his City Lord.

She felt like the pressure on her to do well and make Jake happy had just increased manifold within a day… but she also felt oddly satisfied and was looking forward to the future. She had for the longest time thought their little city a confined corner of their planet… but today, she’d had that understanding upturned.

They weren’t some small fringe faction, but a genuinely influential force on Earth. Jake Thayne wasn’t just some above-average human, but likely the strongest human on their planet. And she was the City Lord he had entrusted to lead that faction formally.

With great gusto, she got back to work with even more energy than before—the extra stats also helping there.

The weeks passed by as Jake grinded alchemy, and the small hawk slowly grew. The little bugger was growing quite slowly and barely got a level every few days, making Jake a bit worried. She didn’t really eat much, but Jake did find that she enjoyed eating things with mana in it. Mainly meat. Luckily, Jake had quite a lot of it from some of the Herd Leaders he’d looted after the battle at the fort.

Hawkie and the Mystsong Hawk had been gone for nearly three weeks. Jake had gained only two more levels in his profession over these weeks, bringing him to 84. It was slower than usual, but that was kind of expected.

He was mainly experimenting and not crafting much. Jake was refining his technique and planning for the fungicide he would create to take down the Indigo Fungus Mycorrhiza. He had to adequately prepare, as he didn’t have enough ingredients just to play around.

Besides that, he had kept up with his usual mana-control training, and he especially had one place where he had made rapid progress.

“Move,” Jake spoke to the small marble on the table. He felt a bit of mana be consumed as he did so, and the tiny marble rolled forward and fell off the table. Sweat was pouring down his face after only making something so small happen… yet he smiled triumphantly.

What he had just used was technically recognized as a Word of Power. Words of Power were when you infused your voice with your Willpower and imposed your will upon the world through speech. Which is to say… he had ordered the inanimate marble to move, and it had followed his command.

Pride of the Malefic Viper made imposing his will upon the world easier and amplified Words of Power. This meant there was a double-up on the effect when using Words of Power. When he finally began to learn about Words of Power, he realized why they fit with Pride of the Malefic Viper…

What is more arrogant and prideful than believing your commands can shape the world itself? That your spoken word is a law of nature that must be followed by anything ordered? It was truly insane to think about the possibilities…

Jake had so far only managed to move the small marble a bit, but he was swiftly trying to make more discoveries. Using Words of Power used mana, but it also took a lot of concentration and mental strength. It also required one to have confidence in the words spoken and honestly believe it would work.

Words of Power weren’t really something done at his level, Jake had quickly learned. It was something most often seen by powerhouses, often only at C-grade or possibly late D-grade. For Jake to be able to do anything while at E-grade was a testament to the power of the Pride of the Malefic Viper skill.

Willpower was a stat Jake had indeed underestimated. It was so much more than just one that increased mana regeneration and helped with mental defenses and other things related to mental magic. Willpower was, as the name implied, power through will.

With enough Willpower, Jake would be able to do nearly everything simply by willing it to happen. It was to make your imagination into reality and shape the world as you intended for it to be. At the pinnacle… gods could order the universe itself.

While the use of Words of Power and his Willpower as a whole seemed to be so far away, it wasn’t like it wasn’t also used at low levels. Chanting, incantations, and speaking the name of a skill or spell were all parts of some of these skills and spells. Either it was a requirement, or it simply made them stronger.

The Minotaur Mindchief had spoken out the Echoing Dream skill… Even thinking back to the tutorial, that Hayden guy had spoken out “Trail of Embers” when he used his ultimate move. Jake didn’t have any such skills, but that was just because he wasn’t a caster, he reckoned.

Chanting and incantations were apparently pretty standard among mages. Especially in group spells or large rituals, chanting could help unify and shape the mana by everyone focusing on the same thing. It was a way of using Words of Power that the system helped very actively with. Jake’s use of making a marble move was a lot rougher than using it with a skill or spell.

For now… using his Willpower more actively in combat was a pipedream, and it was currently more for small, fun tricks. But in the future, he could see its usefulness. That was okay. Jake had never aimed for immediate gains and was fine with doing work that would only pay off down the line. He wanted to go all the way, after all.

He was a bit ambitious and prideful like that.

On the subject of improving his Touch of the Malefic Viper, not much had happened.

Miranda had brought by a few crafted weapons, but not many. They were all inferior rarity, but apparently, even those weapons were in demand for the citizens. There was also the issue of the crafters mainly making things for the construction effort, and Jake had explicitly said that he didn’t want to impact the city negatively with his request.

As for Miranda herself… she was a bit different. Jake thought they were getting along better, but she had turned more subservient than ever before. He knew she had gained a blessing from some weird group of triplet witches that worked for the Viper, but that was about it. She had gained a nice class and some titles too, so maybe she just felt thankful? He did miss her snappy comments when he said something weird, though.

At least she didn’t seem to have become fanatical like that Kenneth guy. She had also begun spending some time actually leveling, going out with Neil and his party once in a while. So that was good. He wasn’t sure about everything going on with her, and he didn’t need to be. What he did know, however, was that she kept doing her job as well as ever and kept bringing him food for their meeting once a week. Even if the meetings themselves were getting a bit boring and overly formal.

On the twenty-third day since Mystie and Hawkie had last returned, Jake found himself outside playing with the little birdie. It was still covered in soft down and had only grown a little bit. Actually, it just looked a lot fatter now…

Well, it had begun getting a bit of color. A few nascent feathers were starting to grow out, and they all had pretty, greenish-brown colors. Sylphie hadn’t changed how she acted much, still primarily spending her days sleeping on Jake’s head, eating, and running around, causing problems.

It sure didn’t help that the baby bird could now do some wind magic. She could make the wind blow a bit, and she found it especially fun to turn Jake’s pages when he was reading. To counteract this, Jake had learned to set up some simple mana barriers around himself and the book.

Currently, they were outside playing. Jake practiced mana control on a small feather while Sylphie tried to catch it, using all her newly discovered wind magic or just jumping after it. It was good practice for both of them.

Jake kept playing for a while, smiling at the small hawk as she finally caught the feather. Sylphie stood victoriously with it in her beak for a bit before running toward Jake and landing on his head with a mighty leap. She placed the feather down into his hair, making sure to tuck it in so it wouldn’t fall out.

He didn’t wonder why she didn’t want to play anymore, as he had already felt it. He noticed Sylphie was now looking up toward the sky as she flapped her small wings excitedly, having also felt the two approaching presences.

Jake looked up and, with his gaze, pierced high up to see two figures. One of them was a blue hawk that Jake, of course, recognized as Mystie right away.

The other one, Jake didn’t recognize by look but by the signature of its aura—an aura far more potent than before. The hawk was no longer brown and relatively normal-looking, but had gray streaks resembling lightning bolts running through him. All his feathers had turned slightly darker. Even from down on the ground, Jake could see the energy running within those patterns. Jake smiled as he made eye contact with Hawkie. You finally evolved, eh?

[Stormsong Hawk – lvl ???]

Chapter 49

One Step Closer

Jake raised his arms as the thunderbolt hit him, sending him tumbling back. His entire body was smoking, but his Scales of the Malefic Viper had nullified most of the attack. He took out his bow again as he sidestepped a massive blade of wind coming toward him.

The wind blade tore into the clouds below, cutting off a huge part of it and sending all the surrounding birds and elementals scurrying even further away. Jake smiled a bit as he fired a Splitting Arrow toward the small bird that was his opponent.

The hawk dodged all of them easily as it soared through the air, far faster than any opponent Jake had ever fought before. Simultaneously, a constant stream of attacks headed for him, but he was no slouch when it came to speed and avoiding blows either. Jake was enjoying the small bout quite a lot, and his opponent also seemed to enjoy being able to let loose its power and practice its newfound strength.

Hawkie had gotten a lot faster and stronger after his evolution.

And while the power dynamic had changed slightly, with Hawkie no longer utterly outmatched… it still wasn’t the superior predator.

Jake flapped his wings as he chased after the far-faster bird, shooting the occasional arrow. One would assume it could get away… but Jake had quite a few tricks up his sleeve. His Gaze landed on the hawk, making it freeze up momentarily. At the same time, he solidified the mana under his foot as he took a step.

He appeared right above the hawk, stepping on an arrow he had fired just beforehand. He was now right above Hawkie and within range of the bird. Jake reached down and pulled the bird toward him with a hastily constructed web of mana strings.

Hawkie had only been frozen for a moment, but it was enough for Jake to lay his hand on the hawk and grasp the wings that were already crackling with electricity to get him off.

“Won’t work.” Jake snickered as he dragged the hawk down and smashed it into the cloud.

Size had some strengths and some weaknesses. Being large made you immune to some physical attacks from smaller forms, such as pretty much making it impossible for them to tackle you, but it made you slower and a far easier target.

In the same vein, being small made you susceptible to being wrestled around by a larger opponent. This was especially true for the Stormsong Hawk that relied on speed and high damage output to fight. In summary… Hawkie was screwed if Jake got hold of him.

“I win again,” Jake said with a big grin as the hawk pecked his hand in annoyance.

“Don’t be a sore loser; it’s just sparring. Besides, I doubt I could catch you if you decided to just bail from the fight.” Jake shrugged.

Hawkie, of course, knew this but was still a bit sour. Today was far from the first time the two had fought, as it was just one of many bouts. It was great practice for both of them, and Jake had learned a lot about magic combat from it.

It was rare to find an opponent that could shoot lightning bolts at you to practice making a mana barrier.

“A’ight, let’s head back,” he said, motioning for the hawk to follow.

It happily did so as Jake threw one last glance toward the massive tree on the cloud continent. Jake could feel that this was where Hawkie and Mystie had gone when they left for over three weeks. They had done as the Thunder Roc and Storm Elemental had done before, claiming the massive tree for themselves. With Mystie putting down formations to increase the absorption rate and Hawkie already at 99 when they left, the hawk had achieved D-grade pretty quickly.

It did help that Jake had killed all other powerful contenders for the tree, making Mystie able to easily handle any other bird or elemental that decided to get in the way of Hawkie’s evolution. He did see that many other birds and elementals now swarmed the tree, and it was just a matter of time before a new D-grade would appear.

Arriving back at the lodge, Jake touched down on the ground. Instantly, a tiny goofball of a hawk jumped out of the lodge and ran up to him.

Chirp! Chirp!

Sylphie looked expectantly up at him until Jake picked her up and placed her on his shoulder. She had begun getting a bit big for his head, even if she did occasionally climb there anyway. He kept playing with her a bit as he made preparations for his next crafting session.

Nearly an entire month had passed since Hawkie returned in his evolved form, and Jake had made plenty of progress in that time on his newest crafting projects. He had already made plenty of common-rarity fungicides that were all far better than what he had used on the Indigo Fungus what felt like so long ago.

In this time, he had also gained another five levels in his profession, getting him to 89. Just one more level, and he would get the final skill in the stat-granting “of the Malefic Viper” skills. Hopefully, today would be that day, as Jake was preparing to make the final push.

Looking over the materials he would use, he did a bit of counting and concluded that he only had enough for a total of twenty attempts or so. It sounded like a lot… but this was also his first time truly trying to concoct an uncommon-rarity poison.

[Lesser Ethwood Ashes (Uncommon)] – The ashes left behind by burnt Lesser Ethwood. Used in a myriad of recipes related to the soul and mind. Has no effect upon direct consumption.

[Soothing Bellberry (Uncommon)] – A berry that provides a soothing effect to whoever consumes it.

Throughout this period, Jake had analyzed and done many experiments with the samples he took from the Indigo Fungus. He had already used a bit of the ash in prior concoctions, as he had enough of it to do that. He patted himself on the back for burning down all the traps within the Forgotten Sewers and looting all the ash he could get.

The ash contained a weird sort of energy that was a bit like mana, but not entirely. Jake was sure it still actually was mana; it just acted so differently. So ethereal. He had trouble controlling it within the concoction but found that his Pride of the Malefic Viper and the whole “imposing your will upon the world” thing also applied in alchemy. It was small, subtle things, like slightly nudging the mana here and there, but it helped immensely.

Now, he was a bit ashamed to admit it, but he had tried talking to the concoction using Words of Power. He had done so when no one else was around, but he still felt stupid for doing it. Naturally, it hadn’t done jack-shit, and the only real feedback he got was Villy sending a divine message that was just him laughing.

Well, the Viper did finish off by saying that he sure as hell had never seen anyone using Words of Power while doing alchemy. Still, Jake was totally welcome to develop his own new, innovative style of singing to his cauldron.

So, yeah, he never tried that again and returned to the methods he knew worked.

After offloading Sylphie to her parents—much to her displeasure—he finally went out onto his porch, where he sat down on a chair and summoned his Altmar Cauldron. The ingredients were already on the small table beside him as he began his concoction.

He wouldn’t use a lot of Purified Water for this concoction. No, nearly all the liquid would stem from his own blood and the juices inside the berries. He still needed a bit of Purified Water for when he mixed in the ash, as otherwise, the entire concoction would become way too solid to work with.

Next, he added some Aged Green Moss he had been preparing for more than a month. The moss was normally a common-rarity herb used in nearly all kinds of poisons, but this moss was a bit different. He had several batches he had taken out daily and used Cultivate Toxin on to prepare them for these concoctions. It was far from enough to bring them to uncommon rarity, but it did make the herbs far more potent.

He let it all swirl a while as he integrated the moss and his blood. He was meticulous throughout the entire process, not rushing anything. He wanted to make the most potent toxin possible, not create a lot of it. His only goal was to succeed.

When the entire concoction was stable, he added a bit of liquid from a pre-prepared common-rarity fungicide. It wasn’t more than a few droplets, but it was enough to throw the entire mix for a loop for a few moments, with Jake working to stabilize it. It was an easy task for him now, but a few months ago, he would have had all the contents of the cauldron blow up in his face.

The fungicide was quickly diluted into the mix, and Jake had a strong feeling that if he finished up now, he would have just made a large batch of inferior-rarity fungicide. With this method, he could easily turn one bottle of common-rarity fungicide into a dozen inferior-rarity ones… but of course, that wasn’t his goal.

Instead, he took out some of the Lesser Ethwood Ash and threw it into the cauldron before quickly placing the lid back on. The expert craftsmanship behind the cauldron completely sealed in all the energies, including the mysterious ethereal energy that the ash released when Jake directed his mana to break it down.

Jake carefully tried to control the energy, but it just refused to mix correctly with the rest of the concoction. He used all his Willpower and mana control to try and integrate it… and eventually, he did. It was incredibly inefficient, but he breathed out a sigh of relief anyway. He’d even trained for this part before, and yet it was so hard.

Moving on, he slowly began using Touch of the Malefic Viper to mimic the poison found in the fungicide, but at a very low intensity. He would slowly bring up the entire concoction’s toxicity without accidentally overwhelming the oh-so-feeble energy from the Ethwood Ash.

He had to walk a very narrow line between the poison not being toxic enough to reach the threshold of uncommon rarity and have enough potency while at the same time allowing the soul-affecting energy to assimilate the entire mixture.

It took careful control to—

And it’s gone.

He slipped up for only a moment, and instantly all the soul-affecting mana was gone. Consumed by the poison around it, turning it into nothing.

Jake just sighed as he cleaned up the cauldron, downed a mana potion, and started over again.

Two hours later, the entire concoction was ruined because he added too much common-rarity fungicide too quickly.

His third attempt failed when he used Touch of the Malefic Viper at too high a level of intensity and completely overwhelmed the other toxins in the mix.

The fourth time, he got further than ever before. He had managed to raise the toxicity level adequately. However, the ethereal energy from the ash still wasn’t “active.” It was more a catalyst than anything else, and the Soothing Bellberry would be the effect it amplified.

He added the berry and instantly felt it clash with everything else in the concoction. Jake already knew this would happen, as the berry wasn’t considered a toxin at all. Far from it. It had the gentlest energy one could imagine within it and held purely beneficial effects.

Except Jake wanted to turn those beneficial effects of soothing the mind into instead soothing the experienced effect of the fungicide for the Indigo Fungus. To that end, he also added one final, vital part:

[Indigo Fungus Mycorrhiza Lifevine (Rare)] – The Lifevine of an Indigo Fungus Mycorrhiza. The Lifevine is a part of the main body of the fungus. Contains intense amounts of vital energy and is incredibly resilient. Can be used in a myriad of alchemical creations.

Granted… it wasn’t the entire Lifevine, but a small part of it. This was another reason he had limited attempts… because he, of course, had pieces of Lifevine to make the concoction’s energy feel more familiar to the fungi. Make it feel like it was just its own energies.

He would make it so that the toxin would slowly and unnoticeably spread throughout the massive creature, into every little crevice of its body.

The fungicide would slowly erode it from the inside out, with the damn mushroom unable to feel it before it was too late. Jake wanted to make it so there would never be a fight… just a poisoning and then a slow death. It was very ambitious of him, but then again, he was an Ambitious Hunter.

Jake carefully tried to integrate the berry, but it felt like the toxic energies pounced with great vigor to devour it only a few moments later. He was a second too slow to react adequately, and yet another concoction failed.

Well, he said failed, but even these failed attempts still resulted in crafting either an inferior- or common-rarity fungicide every time after all the effects from the ash and/or berry were consumed. It did result in a worse toxin than if he didn’t use the ash at all, so it was a very suboptimal way of crafting fungicide.

His sixth attempt failed right away—Jake just wasn’t in the right mindset when he began, so he took a break and played with Sylphie, afterward taking a quick nap with the small hawk when she got tired.

The entire second day of attempting to create the fungicide was spent failing repeatedly but getting a bit better every time.

The third day went the same, but he got to the last part of the process pretty much at every attempt. He only had a dozen attempts left on the third day. He’d reserved his more limited ingredients for the last part… so he used more now than in the beginning.

During the fourth day, he got so close that he could practically feel the concoction just about to complete, but he got impatient and tried giving it a final push, ruining it all.

On the fifth day, he failed the first craft… but on the second concoction, everything finally went well.

The first steps had been easy for a while, and even when he infused it with Touch of the Malefic Viper, everything remained stable. He added the ash and controlled everything near perfectly. Finally, when he added the berry and part of the Lifevine, he took it slow and handled himself.

Sweat poured down his face as he kept his cool. He felt how close it was yet didn’t get impatient, but just kept slowly integrating grain of energy after grain of energy. Finally… everything seemed to just click. The energy from the Bellberry mixed perfectly with the concoction, and Jake felt the entire concoction faintly giving off an aura similar to the Indigo Fungus.

*You have successfully crafted [Ethoxic Fungicide (Uncommon)] – A new kind of creation has been made. Bonus experience earned*

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 90 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 91 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 95 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 92 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Jake basked in the feeling as he felt the level-ups, but was even more excited about the liquid he saw upon removing the cauldron’s lid.

[Ethoxic Fungicide (Uncommon)] - A poison created to kill fungi and similar lifeforms. This type of poison is made to spread through any physical connection of the fungus, quickly infecting large parts of it. Deals relatively low damage to the mushroom but is hard to cleanse. A distinct trace of ether mana makes the poison incredibly difficult to detect for the fungus that has provided life energy to the concoction.

One step closer, Jake thought. I’m coming for you, you fucking blue mushroom.

Chapter 50

Sylphian

Jake smiled as he took a deep breath of the toxic concoction. He felt the fumes enter his system, only to be quickly eliminated and turned to mana, but he also felt the potency of what he had just made. Even if the fungicide wasn’t made to kill humans, a person sure as hell shouldn’t risk getting it on them.

He quickly bottled up the super-fungicide. He didn’t get a lot of it, only enough for two of the small bottles, but the most important thing was that he had succeeded.

Leaning back in his chair, he quickly went through a few of his other notifications. The first of which was one he had expected, but seeing it still broadened his smile.

[Concoct Poison (Common)] – While most focus on the aspect of giving life through their craft, others prefer to take it away. Allows for the concoction of common-rarity poisons and below. Must have suitable materials and equipment in order to create poisons. Adds a minor increase to the effectiveness of created poisons based on Wisdom.

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[Concoct Poison (Uncommon)] – While most focus on the aspect of giving life through their craft, others prefer to take it away. Allows for the concoction of uncommon-rarity poisons and below. Must have suitable materials and equipment in order to create poisons. Adds a small increase to the effectiveness of created poisons based on Wisdom.

The changes in the description were absolutely minimal, but that didn’t matter. Jake knew the requirement for upgrading both Brew Potion and Concoct Poison was just to make a creation of that rarity with your own skills, AKA without effects such as those from Malefic Viper’s Poison. The upgrade did little to actually help him except making his Wisdom increase the effectiveness of his poisons a little more.

No, what mattered far more were the implications of him having upgraded it. At F-grade, he had learned to create common-rarity poisons, and now in E-grade, he had learned to make uncommon-rarity ones. He was a step ahead every time.

It would help him with his profession evolution for sure. Though Jake had to admit he wasn’t sure if he needed any help in that regard, as his Records had to be quite good. But a small part of him did fear his evolution options would have too much focus on his friendship with Villy and not as much on his abilities as an alchemist.

Jake would hate for that to happen. He refused to become some kind of priest or preacher for a friend. That was just too fucking weird. No, he wanted just to be a damn great alchemist. This was also why he had set the requirements of upgrading his skills before reaching D-grade.

Now he only needed to upgrade Touch of the Malefic Viper and Sense of the Malefic Viper. As for the last skill from level-ups, he had naturally picked that up.

[Fangs of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)] – When born, the Viper had limited weapons to fight with, yet it prevailed only with its fangs. Its bites the deliverer of death. As a human, you have taken inspiration and learned to apply the same concept. Allows the alchemist to coat his teeth in deadly venom, sharing all the same effects as Blood of the Malefic Viper in an empowered state. Additionally, all poisons you have crafted or created are significantly more effective when injected directly into the body of your foes. Passively provides 1 Strength per level in Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper. May you bring death in a single strike.

Jake had briefly skimmed the other options, and while they were fine, some of them even great, nothing could compare to the Fangs skill. There was also the fact that Jake predicted it to be part of a “set,” and he really wanted to complete that set.

With his skill chosen, he took a look at the Free Points he had built up. While it was suboptimal for sure, he hadn’t actually spent any for a long time. Not since he last picked a skill at level 80. For the longest time, he had just been putting every point into Perception, and honestly still felt like doing so.

He had 90 Free Points available to distribute. Of course, those points would be way more after the percentage bonuses from all his titles, so it was closer to 150 in any stat he wanted. He opened his status screen to see how it was beginning to look after many weeks of alchemy.

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

Race: [Human (E) – lvl 95]

Class: [Ambitious Hunter – lvl 99]

Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – lvl 92]

Health Points (HP): 13068/13150

Mana Points (MP): 3841/15637

Stamina: 7014/9930

Stats

Strength: 855

Agility: 1172

Endurance: 993

Vitality: 1315

Toughness: 840

Wisdom: 1251

Intelligence: 640

Perception: 2234

Willpower: 926

Free Points: 90

Titles: [Forerunner of the New World], [Bloodline Patriarch], [Holder of a Primordial’s True Blessing], [Dungeoneer V], [Dungeon Pioneer V], [Legendary Prodigy], [Prodigious Slayer of the Mighty], [Kingslayer], [Nobility: Earl], [Progenitor of the 93rd Universe]

Class Skills: [Basic One-Handed Weapons (Inferior)], [Advanced Stealth (Common)], [Basic Twin-Fang Style (Uncommon)], [Basic Shadow Vault of Umbra (Uncommon)], [Splitting Arrow (Uncommon)], [Hunter’s Tracking (Uncommon)], [Big Game Hunter (Rare)], [Infused Powershot (Rare)], [Mark of the Ambitious Hunter (Rare)], [Archery of Vast Horizons (Rare)], [Descending Dark Fang (Rare)], [Limit Break (Rare)], [Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter (Epic)], [One Step Mile (Ancient)], [Moment of the Primal Hunter (Legendary)], [Gaze of the Apex Hunter (Legendary)]

Profession Skills: [Herbology (Common)], [Brew Potion (Common)], [Alchemist’s Purification (Common)], [Alchemical Flame (Common)], [Toxicology (Uncommon)], [Cultivate Toxin (Uncommon)], [Concoct Poison (Uncommon)], [Malefic Viper’s Poison (Rare)], [Sense of the Malefic Viper (Epic)], [Touch of the Malefic Viper (Epic)], [Scales of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Palate of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Blood of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Sagacity of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Wings of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Pride of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Fangs of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)]

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

Race Skills: [Endless Tongues of the Myriad Races (Unique)], [Identify (Common)], [Thoughtful Meditation (Uncommon)], [Shroud of the Primordial (Divine)]

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

Jake looked over his ever-growing status menu and smiled. It wasn’t like at the beginning, where he’d felt it go through substantial changes every single day, but it was still developing at a noticeable pace. He was looking forward to D-grade more than ever too, and he could almost smell it. He had less than ten levels remaining… It was truly the final stretch.

The Malefic Viper sat in his realm as power swirled around him. He stared through the void, not looking at anything in particular but the vast nothingness that existed between the universes. He raised his hand and stared at it before sighing as yet another attempt failed.

“Still not quite there,” he said as he got up and shifted his gaze to raise his spirits a bit.

“Sylphian… heh.” He chuckled before shaking his head. “I wonder how that came to be…”

Sylphs were rare, old, and extremely powerful wind elementals. They were some of the most intelligent among all elementals and wielded powerful magic—wind-affinity spells, yes, but also a plethora of other means. They were hell to deal with and could often defeat enlightened races at equal levels. A top-grade race for sure.

But… the part about being old was important. They were almost archaic. A Sylph was not born but only evolved into by powerful elementals that had lived nearly to the end of their lifespans before evolving. Was that his own contribution to the creation? A touch of time and ancientness? No… that wouldn’t have been enough… far from it.

Was it Jake’s mana that had caused the change? It was incredibly pure and approaching a new threshold, one the Viper hoped he would overcome before reaching D-grade… even if it would be ridiculous for him to do so.

Jake’s path was one the Viper respected. It was honest and without any deceit. He truly just wanted to fight and become stronger. His desire for power was not born of greed for anything but power itself. A truly pure and straightforward path. So was his approach to everything, including mana. His way of doing it was… simple. His mana practice was almost insultingly effective, considering how inane and uncomplicated it was. He didn’t mix in other mana affinities and had even ignored his quite frankly top-level darkness affinity.

He had managed not to pollute or specialize any of his mana with any mana attunements because of that. One didn’t need to have an attunement to shape one’s magic, but simply using a type of magic too much was enough to… “color” your mana and shape your Records.

Jake hadn’t done that. His mana always remained pure. A purity he was only condensing and refining to an entirely new level, even if he did so unknowingly. It was a purity not just in mana, but in will and intent as well.

So… was that truly what gave birth to the Sylphian Eyas? Just… the purity of his mana? The Sylphs were as pure as any elemental could get. They were primeval and concepts incarnate.

The only explanation he saw for Jake having such a strong power of “purity” within his Records was… his Bloodline. If not, the Viper’s Records would have undoubtedly affected him on a more fundamental level. Yet they hadn’t.

But that answer confused the Viper quite a bit too. What did increased Perception and natural fighting instincts have to do with purity and rawness?

Honestly… it didn’t matter. The Viper had no desire to find out all the small, intricate details of his pal’s Bloodline outside of pure curiosity. The only real reason he truly wanted to know was to discover its effects on the small avian.

His friend clearly cared for the tiny thing…

Vilastromoz couldn’t help but look toward a particular area in his realm as his mood dampened significantly. He knew he couldn’t linger with his consciousness in the realm any longer.

The avatar closed its eyes as it became dormant and returned to slumber, the Viper’s real body still in the outside world.

The beast in question was currently on a mighty quest to find the big human. For too long, she had been denied her rightful resting place. Too long had her parents kept her away. The warnings of danger from being near the human’s smelly smoke didn’t faze her. She could handle the smelly smoke.

Stealthily, she crept across the floorboards, making sure to stay low. She swiftly made her way under one of the chairs, staying perfectly hidden throughout it all. Small amounts of wind even surrounded her to limit sound, a true stroke of genius she had come upon to mask her every movement.

Sylphie didn’t doubt her prowess for even a second as she took a long leap—assisted by the wind and a flap of her small wings—and made her way under the table.

Halfway there.

Her goal was the back end of the big treehouse and through the opening leading to the water with the scary-long-fish. She could have tried to go around the building, but she knew her parents watched from above and would detect her instantly. No, through the house was the best way to stay hidden.

Everything was as she had planned—each of her steps calculated to the smallest detail, her approach perfection itself.

After another sneaky walk, she was close to the door. She could already see the tall human, utterly unaware of the apex creature about to pounce! Indeed, she had gone above and beyond herself.

In one final leap, she jumped through the slightly open door with a mighty roar.

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

The human jumped with fright as Sylphie triumphantly jumped on top of his head, where she stood proudly. She was rewarded for her perfection as the tall human scratched her in that good spot below her neck.

Once more, she had proven how great she truly was! She rewarded the human by mercifully reciprocating his affection. Great and benevolent!

Jake scratched the proud bird as she nuzzled up to him happily. After a long day of crafting, he found nothing more relaxing than playing with the small hawk. To watch her “stealthily” sneak up on him through his lodge.

Of course, Sylphie’s version of stealth was to kick up a deafening whirlwind around herself, so instead of listening to footsteps, you could hear the sound of a small tornado walking through the house, making things fall off their shelves. Yet Jake couldn’t bring himself not to let her win every single time.

A Primordial couldn’t observe him unnoticed, and so far, he had yet to encounter any skill that could hide from his sphere, but Sylphie had found the one way to counter him: make him lose on purpose. Well, not like Jake needed any of his Perception-related abilities to notice the bird… He doubted she could sneak up on anything…

But damn, was she cute when she did it.

And luckily, for the work Jake was now doing, she wasn’t in any danger when spending time with him. It had been four days since he finished his first uncommon-rarity fungicide, and now he had already moved on to his next task: Touch of the Malefic Viper.

He hadn’t forgotten about the fungus... Oh, no, he was just waiting for a delivery. Besides, he couldn’t leave the tiny bird alone after he had kept her away for so long.

Over the last four days, he had gained another level in his profession, bringing it to 93 while also giving him another race level. That got him to a total of 100 Free Points at the ready to distribute whenever. He could throw it all into Wisdom now and make his poison a bit stronger, but he preferred to save them.

The day earlier, Miranda had come by with a delivery of weapons. They were weapons made by the craftsmen of the city, all created mainly to practice. Of course, they were still more than useable weapons in combat, but these were spares that no one needed… or at least, that was what Miranda had told him.

Most of them were just inferior-rarity ones and were relatively simple.

[Sharpened Steel Shortsword (Inferior)] – A blade made of steel that has been soaked in mana and crafted by a still-growing smith. The craftsmanship is lacking in some areas, but the blade is solidly built.

Enchantments: Sharpened Blade.

Requirements: Lvl 25+ in any humanoid race.

[Deflective Iron Buckler (Inferior)] – A buckler made of mana-infused iron and crafted by a still-growing smith. The craftsman has put his all into this item, making it a respectable buckler for a smith of the creator’s level, and it is especially potent at deflecting ranged attacks.

Enchantments: Deflection.

Requirements: Lvl 30+ in any humanoid race.

Jake looked them over and saw the inferior tags, instantly discounting them both. Yet from what Miranda had told him, they actually tended to hold up well against the common-rarity tutorial items. Likely those items back in the tutorial’s outer zone had been created for those around level 25, seeing as they were primarily found in areas with weaker beasts.

As those items didn’t have any level requirements, that did kind of make sense. The uncommon-rarity tutorial items were, of course, a grade better. Jake’s quiver was still doing okay, if beginning to feel a bit lacking, and as for the cloak… well, it existed and could change colors a bit and make his head not get wet when it rained.

Anyway, level requirements clearly mattered for items a lot, maybe even as much if not more than the rarity. One of the last weapons was a perfect example of this.

[Ferocious Machete (Common)] – A machete created from iron that has been soaked in the blood of a powerful beast. Due to the crafting process, faint remnant Records of the beast remain within the weapon. The craftsman behind this weapon has shown great promise. Any wound inflicted with this weapon will inflict amplified pain, increasing with each successive attack.

Enchantments: Ferocious Slashes.

Requirements: Lvl 10+ in any humanoid class.

Jake had tried the blade a bit and found it significantly worse than the steel sword. Apparently, it was an early creation from a smith that had only recently begun working hard on his profession, so Jake was looking forward to getting interesting things from that guy later.

Apparently, he had created many weapons by soaking metals in the blood of the dead Herd Leaders. Clearly, he had some skill to facilitate it, and Jake found it quite interesting.

He also noted how all the system’s descriptions of the items were relatively… friendly. None of them called the smiths bad or something like that but instead used very positive language. Maybe the system wasn’t that bad after all. Sure, it kind of allowed fucked-up, degenerate bastards to choose a path of absolute debauchery, but at least it was polite while doing so.

Jake chuckled a bit at his thoughts, earning an annoyed slap from the small wing of Sylphie, telling him to stop moving his head.

Shaking his head—making the bird slap him again—he happily scratched the small hawk and dove right in to absolutely destroying weapons that the many hopeful smiths of Haven had worked hard to make.

Chapter 51

A Plan Brought to Fruition

Jake sat in meditation with a sword placed on the palms of his hands. He slowly began using Touch of the Malefic Viper as he pushed the corrupting mana into the blade. He felt it resist at first, but Jake was too strong for the metal, and soon he forced his energy into it.

Like a trillion microscopic tendrils, the mana invaded every part of the blade, coloring it from its old, steely color to a dark, almost entirely black palette. The mana it gave off grew with every second as the blade went through a complete transformation.

Jake opened his eyes and quickly Identified the sword.

[Unstable Necrotic Steel Shortsword (Common)] – A blade made of steel that has been soaked in mana and crafted by a still-growing smith, infused with powerful necrotic mana. The necrotic mana has increased the blade’s rarity and power but made it incredibly unstable and fragile. Will break apart within 12 minutes and 13 seconds.

Enchantments: Necrotic Strike.

Requirements: Lvl 45+ in any humanoid race.

Still not good enough, he admonished himself as he shook his head. Sure, the blade looked better, but it was just a broken object already. He could see the minuscule cracks across its edge, and he was sure that it would break apart if he tried hitting anything with it.

Jake had come to another realization about the Touch of the Malefic Viper skill and its relation to more regular alchemy. The Viper clearly focused on poison above all other things, but his skills also helped with other parts of alchemy.

Palate could now also allow him to eat herbs to learn their effects, while the rare version only allowed him to learn from toxins. It also increased the effects of potions, making brewing those clearly a part of the Malefic Viper’s repertoire of skills.

Sagacity of the Malefic Viper was another piece of proof that the profession was about more than just making poison. It helped create a plethora of other alchemical creations, including flasks and elixirs, making Jake believe that the Legacy of the Malefic Viper encompassed pretty much anything that had to do with alchemy, even if it was highly specialized in making toxins.

And when Jake thought back to what an alchemist was supposed to do, he missed one very apparent ability: transmutation.

To alter an item, transforming it from one state to another. It could be argued that any alchemical creation had some aspects of transmutation. Still, nothing was more evident than the changes he had brought about in items through Touch of the Malefic Viper.

So… he reached the conclusion that a core part of the authentic Touch of the Malefic Viper revolved around transmutation through corruption. Even if the skill description didn’t currently say it, it very clearly had at least partly such a function already.

And now he was trying to improve that part of the skill. So far, there was the minor issue of his Touch of the Malefic Viper kinda breaking stuff. Jake was looking for a way to both infuse the mana and at the same time make it stable.

This had resulted in a pile of broken metal off to the side of the valley, lying on a large wooden platform. Before it was on the platform, all the metal had just been placed on the ground, but Jake had noticed that the grass surrounding it withered as the metal’s corrupt mana began soaking into the ground.

At that point, Jake had gotten the brilliant idea of maybe trying to do something with all the discarded metal. Sadly, that proved to be a worthless idea, as the metal had truly become too brittle and broken after his failed experiments.

He kept working for the rest of the day and into the morning, only taking breaks to play with Sylphie while regenerating mana or diving into his Thoughtful Meditation to mentally go through what he had just learned from his last practice session.

On that morning, it wasn’t Miranda but Lillian that came by.

She was dragging a small cart with metal tubes in it, and Jake quickly ran over and helped the moment he saw her. On his way over, he made his mask invisible, internally praising himself for remembering it.

“Thank you,” she said as Jake lifted up the cart with his mana control, allowing her to just walk to the lodge with him.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t move it herself—Jake was pretty sure any human at level 10 could do so easily—but it was still a bit awkward to move through the grass.

A few days before he finished his first fungicide, he had sent another commission to the city with more items he needed. Today, they had finally arrived, and Jake expectantly Identified the first of them.

[Simple Timed Injector (Inferior)] – A simple tool to inject a liquid from a bottle fitting the form after a set timer. The injection method is through a long metal barrel shaped like a large needle. Solidly, if hastily constructed from steel and simple Manascripts.

Requirements: Variable.

Just what I needed, Jake thought as he smiled.

Lillian noticed his smile and added, “Arnold worked quite fast in making them, and even if he wasn’t satisfied with their rarity, he was quite pleased with their functionality. The slot in the side is explicitly made to the poison bottle you provided, and on all his tests, they appeared to work as intended. Here, he made this manual for some reason.”

She handed him a small pamphlet with some easy-to-understand diagrams that explained how the very self-explanatory device worked. Jake couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at it.

It reminded him of before the system, and of the absolutely inane guides found on the intranet of the company he worked at. The simplest things were explained to the lowest denominator. Jake had heard it had something to do with regulations or avoiding lawsuits or something. Still, he was personally sure it was just because there were many people out there who were absolutely technologically illiterate.

Jake was pretty damn sure Arnold had worked with making inventions or something like that before the system, and he must have made the small guide by habit. Or maybe Phillip’s men also kind of sucked at using technology? Well, he had learned that a lot of people sucked at manipulating mana, so perhaps it made sense to give people guides.

After unloading all the Injectors, he held one up and inspected it deeper. They were nearly two meters tall and had a piston-like device installed to drive a needle-like barrel into the ground before injecting the payload.

It was solid workmanship, and Jake was more than happy with it after doing a few of his own tests. Mainly with how durable it was. Sadly, he didn’t have any spares for testing, so he chose to believe in them working.

Now, what would he need eleven large, timed Injectors for? Well, quite simple, actually: to kill a fucking mushroom.

Eleven doses of uncommon-rarity fungicide were all he had enough materials left over to craft. He didn’t know if it would be enough, but he hoped so. His plan was to place these all over the biodome and set the timer so they all went down and injected simultaneously.

With the powerful fungicide in the ground, the mushroom would naturally begin absorbing it little by little without noticing. Maybe it would even believe the energy to be beneficial due to the effects of the Soothing Bellberry.

But he had another trick up his sleeves to attract it.

Jake had studied fungi monsters a lot, and they tended to have a few things in common. They tended to require a lot of nutrients due to their large size and because their progression often relied on expanding their sizes.

To do this, they typically—or far more frequently—preyed on living things, absorbing powerful natural sources of mana. And of the many mana affinities, they were known to mainly prefer water- and earth-affinity mana. Well, besides pure mana, but pretty much everything wanted that.

For pure mana, he didn’t have any good bait, but for earth mana? He had barrels of it.

[Soilwater (Common)] – Water infused with strong earth-affinity mana, making it purer and hold certain magical properties. Can be used as an ingredient in many alchemical recipes or simply consumed in its raw form to restore mana for those possessing the earth affinity.

Jake would gladly dump half a barrel around each Injector to make the mushroom drink it all up along with the fungicide.

And then… then he would wait. Either the fungus would die without even discovering how or it would notice its poisoning and go berserk, at which point Jake would jump into action and begin bombarding it with arrows and magic.

It was simple, but if Jake wanted to take down the damn blue mushroom-fuck while still in E-grade, he didn’t think there would be a better time. Sure, he would get stronger if he upgraded his Touch or Sense first… but he had also been sitting still for too long.

While he had practiced a bit with Hawkie, it wasn’t enough.

Jake began his final preparations. Each of the Injectors had a small compartment for one of Jake’s poison bottles, and he found that they fit in perfectly. When the timer went off, the bottle would be crushed, and the liquid pushed down into the ground. A simple but nevertheless effective device.

When he was done preparing all eleven Injectors, he put them into his spatial storage before turning to Lillian. “I’m heading down. Say hi to Miranda for me, and see you next time.”

“Be careful,” Lillian said, clearly already aware that Jake was going to fight the creature that dwelled below. Jake hadn’t told her much about it, so she probably wasn’t sure how strong it was… just that he had returned battered and with tattered armor every time he went down there.

Jake just smiled as he raised his hand in a wave, making his mask visible again, and his eyes sharpened.

He had fought the mushroom twice and had to escape for his life both times. But as one says… third time’s the charm.

The caterpillar crawled across the large leaf, munching on the small pieces of moss growing on it. Its sharp teeth were ripping it out after loosening it with an acid that didn’t cause any damage to the leaf below. It just sat there, munching, when suddenly, the leaf ruffled and it was thrown off.

It landed on the ground unhurt and made a threatening sound toward the direction of the two larger insects fighting. But its instincts made it aware it wasn’t a fight it should get involved in, so it cowardly crawled in the other direction, looking for more mana-rich food.

Dragging itself away, it searched the ground until encountering the most peculiar plant. It was roughly one meter tall and looked very odd, as it was perfectly cylinder-shaped. A bit confused, the insect tried biting the plant but found the “bark” too tough.

Annoyed, it scurried away until the plant abruptly made a move itself. Without any warning, it suddenly slammed its upper portion into the ground before coming inert again. Even more confused than before, the caterpillar hurried away, as it got a feeling something terrible was about to happen.

Jake sneakily made his way out of the biodome, doing everything he could to not engage in any fights or scare any insects too much. He wanted to avoid waking up the mushroom as much as possible. While he had gotten a bit stronger since last time, it was far from enough to actually fight the monstrous fungus. He still got chills when he imagined the speed of those vines and the final blast of mana.

He carefully placed down each Injector and embedded them in the ground with a good push. At the same time, he made small holes at the bottom of a barrel he placed right beside each Injector. It wasn’t as fine-tuned as the Injectors, but Jake believed not enough energy would have time to seep into the ground and be detected before the fungicide injector also went off.

Was the plan perfect? Of course not. If it were, it would be too dull, wouldn’t it?

Jake’s sneaky adventure into the biodome only took a few minutes, with each Injector set to go off five minutes after being placed. Activating the five-minute timer took nothing more than injecting a bit of mana.

When the last Injector was placed and the final barrel dumped right next to it, he quickly ran out of the biodome while still trying to stay undetected. If the mushroom woke up, it sure as hell wouldn’t be happy, and being in the middle of it rampaging sounded like a horrible idea.

Once outside in safety, he knelt down to make himself appear smaller and made sure the cloak covered his entire body with its camouflage active. While he was outside, he knew it still had ranged attacks that could potentially reach him, so he wanted to be as invisible as he could.

Closing his eyes, he focused on the feedback from Sense of the Malefic Viper. He felt his concocted fungicide vividly in his mind.

Time ticked by. Around forty seconds later, the first Injector activated. Jake felt the poison be released from its bottle and forcefully pushed into the ground. Fifteen seconds later, the second triggered. Eighteen seconds later came the third, and so it continued until all eleven had delivered their payload. Not a single one of them failed to do their job.

Jake smiled and thanked Arnold internally, deciding to give the man a bonus after he returned.

Minutes passed with nothing happening. The Soilwater and fungicide were mixing, slowly seeping deeper and deeper into the ground. Perhaps it was due to the Soilwater, but it sank way faster than water normally could, and soon it hit something—a part of the fungus.

It didn’t make any large sounds or movements, but Jake subtly felt it absorb a bit of the nutritious mana, inadvertently ingesting the fungicide along with it.

Jake crossed his fingers that the fungus wouldn’t notice anything was amiss. A dozen or so seconds passed as he felt the fungicide go deeper through the roots of the fungus before it reached the actual body. It was swiftly absorbed along with the mana from the Soilwater, with the fungus not having any immediate adverse reactions.

Instead, it sent more roots to absorb the energy. Not long after, it noticed another potent source of energy and began drinking from there too.

Within half an hour, it had absorbed all the Soilwater and fungicide. Jake felt it slowly burn away at the fungus’ Vitality below the ground as it spread throughout the entire creature. He felt like he had poisoned the whole biodome.

With bated breath, he waited. Waited as the poison got more and more ingrained in the fungus. Not just in its body, but even in its soul.

After over two hours, Jake was beginning to believe that the fungus would never notice. He felt it weaken with the fungicide still as powerful as ever. But just when he thought he would be able to win without a fight, he saw one of the giant blue mushrooms above ground suddenly wilt...

And then…

OoOOoOOOOooO!

All hell broke loose.

Chapter 52

Press F for Fungus

Absolute mayhem. That was the only phrase Jake could use to accurately describe the chaos happening inside the biodome.

Vines flew everywhere, random bolts of mana fired at anything moving, and all the poor insects that were just crawling around the biodome, minding their own business, were ripped to pieces. The fungus didn’t even look like it tried to absorb them; it just killed them and evaporated their bodies.

Jake just sat there, patiently monitoring the poison.

[Indigo Fungus Mycorrhiza – lvl ???]

While he was there, he also tried to focus on improving his Sense of the Malefic Viper, to better sense how his poison interacted with the body of the fungi. He felt how it spread and invaded every part of it, how it polluted its resource pools and devoured its health points.

He felt like he was improving his ability to sense the energy, once more also finding parallels between it and his mana control. Learning how the fungicide worked to kill the fungus would help him out in the future when he needed to create better mana techniques, so he took it all in.

As long as he could, that is.

Finally, the mushroom noticed him.

It fired a few small blasts of mana his way in what Jake could barely even recognize as an attack. Clearly, it didn’t focus on him or even recognize him from their last encounter. Indeed, he’d been right when he surmised the fungus was stupid. Unsurprising, considering it was a goddamn overgrown blue mushroom.

Jake got up and went into action after dodging the mana blasts thrown his way. He knew he would now catch its attention, but he was prepared. He summoned orbs of mana above him that he charged up to hold quite a quantity.

He then sent them floating into the biodome, where he instantly saw a few vines fly over and try to destroy them. Jake smiled as his theory was once more confirmed—it indeed did rely on some kind of mana vision.

It went well with how it also sucked at detecting that it was infected by something. All in all, its perception just sucked outright. It didn’t need to see things when it could just kill them by way of its sheer size and overwhelming power. It was a monster designed to be the king within its own hunting grounds.

A king that Jake was about to dethrone by poisoning the land the king reigned over.

Two wings appeared behind him as they began pumping out a mist of poison. Jake didn’t blow it into the dome but kept it around himself in a cloud of thick smoke. He obscured the entrance to the biodome—far from enough for Jake not to be able to see through it, but enough for the fungus to only see a giant blob of mana in its vision.

At the same time, he summoned mana bolts—weak versions of his regular bolts that looked more like transparent floating crystals than anything meant to attack with. He waved his hand, and bottle after bottle appeared, each containing mushroom-killing juices.

It was all the common-rarity fungicide he had concocted over the last weeks. Far from as effective as the uncommon-rarity, soul-invading poison, but more than effective nevertheless.

He swayed a bit to avoid a blast of mana fired his way as strings of mana sprang out of his hands and began tying the bottles to his bolts. He fused the bottles inside each bolt and fired them into the dome, aiming for the larger mushrooms or plants within.

When the bolts hit, they burst in a rather unimpressive explosion. It didn’t even harm the plants, but it was more than enough to make the bottles shatter and send the fungicide flying everywhere.

This continued as Jake dodged all attacks coming his way, noticing that the fungus’ aim was totally off. It tried to make up for it with quantity, but the poison mist made the area it had to bombard too large, especially considering it had to shoot all its bolts through the relatively small entrance to the biodome.

He kept up his barrage of fungicide and weak bolts. The reason he used bolts to deliver his attacks was quite simple: the fungus reacted to them. Several of the bolts were intercepted by vines that either stabbed into the bolt or just slapped it, making the bolt explode and spraying the fungicide all over it.

Minutes passed with the damage building up. Finally, it was forced to show its actual body.

Blue vines flew up as the entire biodome shook. The moment Jake saw the first blue vine, he marked it and jumped back around the corner of the cave, away from the fungi. He had learned that he could only mark its true body… but that wasn’t the only thing.

His last fight with the fungus, coupled with his extensive research on how to slay it, had led him to have a sufficient understanding of the monster. Sufficient enough that when he held out his hand and focused on the monster in his mind, the skill responded.

Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter

With his eyes closed, he focused his mind. Every fiber of the creature was clear to him as his Sense of the Malefic Viper fed him constant information of the toxins in its body. And as the toxins had invaded every part of its body, Jake could feel its entire being.

He probed deeper, sinking his consciousness into understanding the fungus—not only its entire body, but its soul. Jake didn’t even notice that the fungus was ripping itself out of the ground as a massive figure rose within the biodome.

The massive monster that had made the biodome its home ever since the integration was now attempting to flee. Jake just kept his focus honed on making an arrow to finish off the fungus.

The arrow that emerged from his hand looked like nothing he had ever made prior. It seemed almost ethereal, flickering in and out of existence. It was in an odd state of both existing and being immaterial.

Jake opened his eyes and looked at it. Looks-wise, its shape was not much different from a normal arrow… but Jake felt a headache coming on by just looking at it. When he saw what resources it had consumed, he was also confused. It had drained equally from his health, mana, and stamina pools during its creation.

But the confusion lasted only for a moment as he understood. This arrow would not strike at the body of the fungus, but its soul.

He reached out to grab the arrow and was met with a peculiar reaction. His hand phased partway through the arrow, but he soon noticed it was just his gloves. It ignored anything that was not his physical body, caring not for his clothes at all.

Jake feared he wouldn’t be able to nock it, but was happy to see that wasn’t an issue. Likely because the bow was infused with ample amounts of his mana.

He took a single One Step Mile back to the biodome entrance and could once more see inside… and if the situation earlier was absolute mayhem, it was now a cataclysm.

What he saw shocked him for a moment because it looked absolutely surreal.

It looked like a giant indigo spiderweb of roots was slowly crawling across the ground, with a dozen or so thick, root-like tendrils doing most of the work. Jake instantly knew it was the creature’s actual body and that it was trying to relocate.

Jake had contaminated the shit out of its home. It had absorbed energy from the earth and been heavily poisoned by the fungicide. Afterward, fungicide had been spread all over its area, and Jake had even pushed in some poison mist to make the air toxic.

In summary… it was a really shitty place to live for any fungus. It was going to try and flee the biodome to escape the environment that would end up killing it, and even if it somehow survived, the biodome would no longer be a good hunting ground.

Sadly for the Indigo Fungus Mycorrhiza, it would never find a new home. An arrow that flickered in and out of existence flew through the air with unprecedented speed. It contained incredible amounts of mana, not just due to the arrow itself but because it was shot with a fully charged Infused Powershot.

Four of the robust vines began moving up to try and block, and Jake allowed it to because he knew that no physical movement could possibly stop an arrow heading directly for one’s soul.

The arrow hit the creature in its vine and simply sank into its body, disappearing from sight.

For a moment, nothing seemed to happen as the entire Indigo Fungus just froze up. Then, suddenly, it made a spasm-like movement as one of its vines flew out and slammed into one of the biodome walls, followed by another chaotic move.

It began thrashing as Jake kept his distance. He knew something had broken inside it. It was already weak to begin with, its soul eroded and tortured for so long by the uncommon-rarity poison. Jake didn’t let up, however, as he attacked.

Not with another Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter, but just normal ones. He fired Infused Powershot after Infused Powershot, ripping the true form of the Indigo Fungus apart little by little.

Two times prior, he had come down to this biodome. Two times, he had been forced to flee. The last time, it had even gotten dangerously close.

Yet at his third return… it was just a slaughter. In some ways, one could say that Jake had been fighting the fungus for over a month. The battle had been won not in a direct confrontation with his enemy, but through careful preparation and planning to take down his foe.

Had his plan been perfect? No, far from it. But it had been adequate.

*You have slain [Indigo Fungus Mycorrhiza – lvl 105] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level*

The humongous Indigo Fungus collapsed to the ground, looking like a giant pile of overcooked spaghetti—a fitting mental image of the accursed fungus.

“Fuck yeah!” Jake cheered goofily as he got the notification, only to frown as he looked at the aforementioned system message.

Wait, what? Jake asked himself, a bit confused as he double-checked the notification. How could it only be 105? What?

He was a bit stumped about how that was possible. It was barely D-grade, and it had grown even stronger between his visits… Did that mean it had just reached D-grade the day he went to the biodome the first time? If not… how damn slow did it level?

Also, holy shit, it was strong for its level. Jake had killed many creatures of higher level already, but none had proven to be big challenges. The Minotaur Mindchief had been quite a lot higher than anything else, and yet he couldn’t see the mushroom lo—

Actually, Jake was pretty damn sure the Minotaur Mindchief could have killed the Indigo Fungus with some mental magic bullshit—pun intended—as the overgrown mushroom had a weak soul.

Was it just the match-up? Or was it particularly strong for its level?

In pure stats alone, it had to trump anything Jake had ever faced before. Just the absolutely ridiculous amount of energy it had was more than all the other D-grades he had ever met put together. Well, besides the King of the Forest, but that freak didn’t count.

His next notifications weren’t unexpected, but still something relatively new.

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 97 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 98 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

He had gained two race levels because he was capped in his class. Quite frankly, it didn’t mean much, as all it meant was that his next few levels in his professions wouldn’t also net him race levels. Well, it would matter if he decided to level his race to 100 and evolve… but that wasn’t the plan.

No, right now, the plan was to get some of that sweet loot. Because if there was one thing mushrooms were suitable for, it was alchemy!

Jake walked up to the massive creature and took out his blade. He quickly began dissecting it, already knowing what he wanted.

He started with fourteen large Lifevines of the creature. While he was dissecting it, he discovered that the monster was supposed to have fifteen, as it hadn’t yet been able to regenerate the one it blew off itself last time Jake was there.

[Indigo Fungus Mycorrhiza Lifevine (Rare)] – The Lifevine of an Indigo Fungus Mycorrhiza. The Lifevine is a part of the main body of the fungus. Contains intense amounts of vital energy and is incredibly resilient. Can be used in a myriad of alchemical creations.

All of them went into his spatial storage to be used later. Next, he went deeper into the body of the creature, searching for something within that was giving off a strong response from his Sense of the Malefic Viper. It wasn’t a toxin but something that felt incredibly pure and powerful.

Cutting away the disgusting fungus parts, he carved a small cave into the massive, putrid corpse. The corpse was a nearly ten-meters-across mass of condensed fungus. It was all the small veins it had spread across the whole biodome balled up into one big… well, ball.

Luckily, the corpse was easily cut through after it had died, allowing him to quickly make it to his desired item. He could already see it within his sphere and used Identify on it before he even reached it.

[Indigo Fungus Mycorrhiza Lifecore (Epic)] – The Lifecore of an Indigo Fungus Mycorrhiza. Contains a massive amount of life-affinity mana and vital energy. Can be used in a myriad of alchemical creations. Will grant a permanent increase to the Vitality stat if consumed.

Damn, epic rarity, Jake thought. That was pretty damn good. When he read the item itself, it got even better. A permanent increase in Vitality? Nice.

He picked up his speed and cut his way to the Lifecore, where he visually inspected it. It looked like a small, rugged stone, or maybe a large seed? Either way, it wasn’t any larger than the palm of his hand, which was tiny compared to the massive monster it had been in. He would save the core for crafting after reaching D-grade to make full use of it. Just eating it would be a waste.

As Jake was preparing to make his way out of the disgusting corpse, he noticed something else. Despite the fungus leaving the biodome, it had still kept one connection established with its many roots. They wormed deep into the ground through a hole it had completely filled with parts of its main body.

Jake frowned as he wondered what down there was valuable enough for the fungus to resist abandoning despite its horrible situation. Was there something good down there? A natural treasure, perhaps?

He could inspect it… but first, he would have to get rid of the massive body blocking the hole.

Summoning his alchemical flame, he got to work. He had taken anything that gave off a response from his Sense of the Malefic Viper already, and the rest of the body was just a big, gooey pile at this point. One he gladly set on fire.

The entire creature was swiftly reduced to ashes and left behind far less than he would expect. The ashes themselves weren’t anything valuable, but he hoped that whatever was within the large hole now square in the middle of the biodome would be.

Actually, calling it a biodome was a bit fallacious… because Jake was now the only living thing within. As all the plants had been part of the Indigo Fungus’ body, they had all withered when it retracted itself from them to try and flee.

Jake walked up to the hole and looked down. Forty or so meters down, he saw a green glow. As he didn’t feel anything from his danger sense, he decided to slowly begin floating down after coating his feet in mana.

His confusion only amplified as he approached the bottom, as his sphere began picking up what was down there.

It was a room or cavern of sorts. The spot he was floating down toward was the exact center of the small cavern, from the looks of things. The center was occupied by what Jake could only describe as a large, completely blank, green glowing metal disc of sorts.

The disc emanated a constant flow of potent life-affinity mana, which was doubtlessly why the fungus wanted it… and possibly what had allowed it to evolve.

Jake wondered what the disc was as he landed on top of it. A system message instantly answered his question.

You have discovered the dungeon: Undergrowth of the Deepdwellers

Requirements to enter: D-grade

Requirements to enter not met

WARNING: Only 5 challengers are allowed per party attempting the dungeon.

Chapter 53

Sensing the Arcane

Jake sat back in his lodge, happy as a clam with how the last day had gone. He had killed the accursed D-grade mega-mushroom, gotten a bunch of valuable alchemy ingredients, and, to top it all off, even discovered a hidden dungeon!

Eliminating the fungus was not only a good idea for his own mental health, but based on a bit of surveying he did afterward, it was also a good thing for the city. The damn thing had kept growing by the day, and it had only been a matter of time before it made its way to the surface with some of its feelers.

At that point, it would’ve begun assimilating plants and trees aboveground and growing even faster, becoming a massive threat to the entire settlement. Jake could only imagine giant Lifevines one day bursting through the ground, tearing apart buildings and draining the citizens with its needle-like vines. That would be a very bad time.

But now that threat was dealt with, so that was nice.

The dungeon was just the cherry on top. Sure, he couldn’t enter it, but he already felt the butterflies in his stomach as he anticipated diving in there when he reached D-grade. This was why he dove into leveling his profession the rest of the way with great vigor.

During the fight with the fungus, he’d felt like he was close to passing some kind of threshold with Sense of the Malefic Viper.

Based on its description, the skill only allowed him to sense what his poison had infected and nothing more. He had been clever and used Mark of the Ambitious Hunter as a way of measuring how much damage he did, but his senses didn’t tell him anything on their own.

Against the fungus, that had changed. Jake had focused so deeply on sensing the effects of the toxin that he began also getting a grasp for its effects. Perhaps it was because it had touched the soul of his enemy, or maybe he had just gotten better at sensing things.

However, it wasn’t enough to get a skill upgrade. No, Jake needed to practice and experiment more. The issue was… he needed something to test on.

He had thought a long time about what to test his poisons on, as he didn’t have any giant funguses conveniently waiting around anymore. The first enemies he considered were the cloud elementals due to how unintelligent they were.

Jake felt bad about effectively torturing something to improve himself. But at the same time, he really wanted to upgrade his Sense of the Malefic Viper. Cloud elementals thus seemed like the most merciful foe he could try it on; there was just one minor issue with that.

He didn’t have any poisons that worked on the elementals. Well, his blood did work a tiny bit, but far from enough.

Something of flesh and blood would, without a doubt, be best. Jake wasn’t stupid and knew that many alchemists tested their toxins on live subjects, often dissecting the corpses afterward and/or using tools to measure how the poison was ravaging the test subject.

But… doing that just didn’t sit well with him. Could he go out and kidnap a few beasts to inflict with poison? Or even worse, have Miranda bring him a few citizens she didn’t like? From a practical standpoint, he could; it just wouldn’t feel right to him. He liked to fight enemies, not needlessly torture them. The more intelligent his prey, the more shitty he would feel.

So… he settled on the one flesh-and-blood lifeform he knew that would willingly consent to being put through torture to study the effects poison had on the body: himself.

His way of testing was pretty simple. He would take some of his own poison, coat an arrow, and stick it into his own stomach or chest. He would then focus on suppressing his Palate of the Malefic Viper and feel the effects of the poison as it moved uninhibited through his body.

Jake actually had to praise himself for the method. It allowed him to not only practice Sense of the Malefic Viper but also his Palate. Granted, it would likely be more effective to experiment on something that wasn’t himself—and the pain he could do without—but besides that, it worked well.

The next three days were spent exclusively in the cellar of the lodge without any disturbances. Jake did feel a bit bad about telling Sylphie that he couldn’t play with her for a while, and he would have to move a dinner session with Miranda. She seemed oddly okay with that, so that had gone over easy. Jake felt like he needed to hammer when the iron was hot, and his inspiration from the fungus fight was still fresh in his mind.

Over these days, Jake went through many bottles of Necrotic Poison and hemotoxin. While Jake had gone through the Trial of Myriad Poisons, he had never truly pondered the effects poison had on his body and how exactly it worked on a deeper level.

During those times, he had focused solely on fighting the poison, not actually understanding it. Breaking something apart was far more simple than learning how it worked, and that was exactly what Jake was currently doing.

After inflicting himself with the poison, he entered a deep state of meditation and just sat there observing its effects, almost like an out-of-body experience. He filtered out all feedback that was not from Sense of the Malefic Viper as he just looked on and learned.

He saw his own body rot and decay, his blood thin, and the wounds left by the arrows bleed like never before. But more than that, he saw the toxic energies mix with the energies in his body and how the poison slowly eroded that energy.

Jake couldn’t help but sometimes momentarily compare the information from Sense of the Malefic Viper to how he actually felt in his body. That was when he noticed something was off with how his own toxins worked on his body…

They did damage to his body—that much was clear. However, there was an invisible barrier that stopped the poison from going deeper and doing more damage. Like the two energies simply didn’t oppose each other, even if one was aligned to destroying Vitality and the other was pure vital energy.

Jake couldn’t understand why the poison didn’t work as it should. It didn’t work like it had when he used it on the fungus either, and he felt like he was missing something important.

He considered many options until a thought suddenly struck him: why could he even feel the effects of the poison to begin with?

He understood why he could feel something was poisoned—the skill did that—but not why he could better feel the poison he himself had inflicted. Why was it just what he inflicted and not any poison something suffered from?

What separated poison he was the source of from anything else?

With these thoughts, he focused on the barrier that seemed to be the cause of why his own poison didn’t hurt him as much as it should. To do this, he activated a part of his Palate to absorb some of the poison.

It went effortlessly, as a big part of the poison was, of course, his own mana, so—

Wait… am I really just a fucking idiot?

It was so goddamn simple. It was so obvious why Jake could better feel his own poison… It included his own mana. It included a part of him. Every single point of mana, health, or stamina Jake ever used contained a part of himself in the sense that it reflected his own Records. Even poison he didn’t concoct still held some of his Records just on account of him inflicting it…

Even if it didn’t contain any of his mana, it would still contain his will and intent. Pride of the Malefic Viper had made Jake aware that his own intentions held power and could affect the world, so it only made sense that any action he took infused a part of his intent into that action. It was absolutely minuscule… but it existed.

It was like something clicked in his mind as, suddenly, everything became clearer. He felt the poison within his own body more vividly than ever as he got a notification.

[Sense of the Malefic Viper (Epic)] – The Malefic Viper sought out many natural treasures on its path to power; it is only natural to learn to sense them. Having walked further on your path as an Alchemist of the Malefic Viper, your senses for poisons and herbs only sharpen. Gives a passive ability to detect herbs and poisons in different forms and a strong feeling of their properties and affinities. Allows you to far better sense the poison you have inflicted. Allows the alchemist to far more easily detect affinities in the environment and detect areas optimal for cultivating herbs. Adds an increase to the effectiveness of Sense of the Malefic Viper based on Perception.

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[Sense of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)] – The Malefic Viper’s greed for natural treasures is never-ending. You are following his path for your senses to see all that you desire. Your desire for knowing the suffering you bring upon your foes has brought you even further down this path. Gives a passive ability to detect herbs and poisons in different forms and a strong feeling of their properties and affinities. Allows the alchemist to far more easily detect affinities in the environment and detect areas optimal for cultivating herbs. Massively improves your ability to sense the poison you have inflicted and its effects on any afflicted entities. Adds an increase to the effectiveness of Sense of the Malefic Viper based on Perception. Passively provides 1 Perception per level in Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper. May your gaze scour the multiverse for all that is rightfully yours.

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 94 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 95 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Jake basked in the feeling of his senses expanding… but he felt it wasn’t enough. He felt like he had just touched upon something vital as he kept delving deeper into feeling the mana in his body and in the poison.

His Perception increased with the upgrade, but he felt like he needed more. He didn’t hesitate to instantly throw all his Free Points into the stat. His senses sharpened even more, and he could see the mana even better. He raised his hand as a mana bolt began condensing.

The mana bolt crackled with energy as always, but Jake kept pushing more into it. Not just mana, but his will, all the while observing it as closely as possible with not only Sense of the Malefic Viper but also his sphere and natural mana sense.

For the longest time, Jake had wondered what truly separated pure mana from what he had named “destructive” mana. He knew it had something to do with how you shaped it, how you packaged the bolt, and perhaps more importantly… what you intended for it to do.

And today, for the first time, he had passed a threshold that allowed him to sense them.

Small purple or pink wisps of energy existed within the bolt—but not just in the bolt, but all the mana he had. He felt it within his body as he focused on it. His Sphere of Perception homed in on a single of the tiny wisps that were still invisible to the eye.

Even with Jake’s high Perception, he couldn’t see them with his eyes. Without his sphere and Sense of the Malefic Viper allowing him to better detect mana affinities, he wouldn’t have seen it…

The bolt floating above his hand flickered as he amplified the energy of one of the wisps. He willed for it to grow in power, pumping in more and more mana. It kept growing in intensity as more of his mana was consumed, and Jake felt like he was slowly beginning to lose control.

His body moved while his mind remained focused on the bolt. He jumped out of the cellar of his lodge and flew out of the door toward the pond. Every shred of his mind focused on stopping it from exploding. He barely managed to get out of the lodge, and just as he was about to release the bolt that was being overcharged with energy and becoming volatile… it stabilized.

The discharge of mana resembling crackling lightning stopped. The bolt no longer pulsed with energy but was now just floating there, looking like a light pink crystal. Jake saw that he had lost more than 1000 mana to make this single bolt… nearly ten times more than the strongest he had ever made prior.

Jake moved his free hand and touched the stable, crystal-like bolt. His finger poked into it, and he felt the mana just flow around his skin. He waved his hand, and just like that, the bolt dispersed, turning into atmospheric mana.

“What was that?” he asked himself, confused.

The bolt felt so different than any he had ever made before. He felt like he understood it more than anything he had ever created and that he could control it far more than any spell or skill he had ever used.

“That is what your pure mana is supposed to look like,” a voice echoed out in his mind as he felt the full attention of the Malefic Viper on him. “I normally don’t like giving advice… but for once, I am going to be the wise old master. This one is actually quite important.

“Your mana is pure and unpolluted by any affinities or influences. Mana is by default uncolored and unaffected by anything. You can mix pure mana with any other mana affinity, and all it does is dilute the mana affinity. Like when you mix purified water into a concoction.

“But what happens when pure mana reaches a level of concentration where it can no longer be called pure? Where the intent within it makes it antithetical to its purity? When you force this mana that otherwise does not hold any predetermined function to make your will a reality, it stops being able to merge with pure mana like before.

“That is when pure mana ascends to become an affinity in itself. Affinities are partly defined by having inherent intent. As you know, dark mana inherently wants to consume other mana affinities, light-affinity mana wants to spread itself out as wide as possible, and earth-affinity mana wants to consolidate and condense itself.

“The affinity you just created is one where you define this inherent want. It wants to do what you want it to do. You can call it Jake affinity if you want to, but we decided to just give it a unified name in the multiverse, even if the effects of this affinity vary widely from person to person. Anyway, Jake, this is the amalgamation of all that silly and extremely suboptimal training with mana you have done. Congratulations, you just discovered your arcane affinity.”

And almost as if prompted, he got a notification.

Title earned: [Prodigious Arcanist]

Jake was a bit surprised, and he swiftly checked out the title, hoping it would make things more transparent. Jake was still a bit confused about what was happening, and the title should explain what this whole arcane-affinity thing was about.

[Prodigious Arcanist] – You have proven yourself a prodigy in the realm of energy manipulation and control. Create your own arcane affinity before reaching D-grade. Allows you to transform energy into your arcane affinity far more easily.

It didn’t.

Chapter 54

Cloudy with A Chance of Powershots

Jake felt like he had to make a confession after hearing the Viper explain all that stuff about arcane mana and arcane affinity.

He… didn’t get it. Not really. In particular, he didn’t really get how he had somehow created this arcane affinity. Was it just because he wanted his pure mana to be better without compromising on purity? That he kept condensing his mana bolts instead of mixing in other affinities?

Jake voiced his confusion, with the Viper trying to explain how it all worked a bit more in detail, but Jake just got more confused. He summoned some more of the pink-purple mana and played a bit with it, finding out that it was pretty much just like his pure mana, just more potent and more condensed.

The Viper said that was because Jake’s version of arcane mana was based on his intent of creating mana with “stable destruction,” or something like that. Jake got that part, as he had tried to make his pure mana better at destroying and breaking down things while at the same time making it less likely to blow up in his face, but he wasn’t sure how that constituted a mana affinity.

Jake kept talking with the Viper until he made it clear that he was running out of “divine message juice” and finished with a real nugget of Wisdom:

“Jake arcane mana better pure mana. Mana bolt go bigger boom boom, but not boom boom in Jake face.”

An absolutely condescending explanation that Jake could only nod at, as it finally made at least some sense to him. Sure, the entire concept appeared simple enough... but that was why it was so confusing. Why would the system recognize something so “simple” as so extraordinary?

Anyway, with that settled, Jake returned to the critical matter of calming down the sulking Sylphie that was sad he had locked himself away for three days. She kept angrily pecking his hand whenever he tried petting her but got equally angry when he stopped trying.

“Still a bit too young to go through your teenage phase, aren’t you?” he joked.

She had finally forgiven him and was nesting on his lap as he petted her. She was a real lap-bird. He couldn’t help but Identify her and see that she was actually just about to exit her teenage levels.

[Sylphian Eyas – lvl 19]

All jokes aside, he wasn’t actually sure how levels related to growth. Sylphie still couldn’t even fly yet, despite having a relatively high level. Her physical specs were up there, though, with her pecks able to easily break rock and her wind magic quite impressive.

The thought of her killing the big level 10 Irontusk Boar back in the tutorial with a few pecks and by blowing a bit of wind was both absolutely hilarious and plausible. The little bird looked harmless, but he could see her killing even a level 25 human if he or she wasn’t careful.

But at least she was aware of it. While Jake wasn’t sure she could break his skin with her pecks, she clearly didn’t try to either. It was all playful, like how a cat didn’t try to actually inflict any injury when it just nipped at someone.

“Ree!” the small bird yelled, making a noise that Jake wasn’t entirely sure fit with being a hawk. She was just annoyed that Jake didn’t give her as much attention as she thought she deserved. He was still too stuck in his head, as he couldn’t help but think of ways to possibly apply this whole new arcane-mana business to Touch of the Malefic Viper.

The Viper had called it “controlled destruction” or something like that, but Jake was focusing on the “controlled” part. His current issue with trying to transmute objects with Touch of the Malefic Viper wasn’t in the power department, but actually making his Touch not destroy the item.

Jake basically used mana in two ways: either as incredibly stable states—to strengthen items or create almost tangible objects such as his strings—or employing pure mana to cause pure destruction and damage. He didn’t really have anything in between that.

At least, that was what he used his pure mana control for. He hadn’t tried to make mental magic, summon things that mimicked the living, or attempt any of that advanced magic circle stuff. He either just threw his mana as condensed bolts of destruction or made things tougher.

Infused Powershot was a perfect example of this. Thinking back… wasn’t that the first skill he’d truly upgraded on his own? Not counting the basic weapon skill upgrade for knowing how to use a bow, that is. He had done so by combining power and stability… making the bow more stable and able to contain the power his body would impose upon it. He’d made the two energies work in concert after that, mixing and creating a powerful strike. Like most of his other skills, it was straightforward yet powerful.

“Sylphie, I am sorry, but you’ll have to spend the rest of the day with your parents; I am going to have to go practice a bit on my own,” he told the small hawk nestled up next to him, stroking the still-growing feathers that were slowly replacing all the down. He reckoned she would be able to fly soon.

After a few more protests, he brought her out and gave her to Mystie, who was just chilling outside with a small magic-circle-looking thing. Yeah, he had kinda given up on learning advanced magic like that. Why make mana complicated? Just make it go big boom or make yourself not be hurt by the big boom.

Summoning his wings, he took flight and headed up to the clouds above.

Passing the many small clouds on the way, he finally spotted the giant cloud island above. He even saw the small island where he and Hawkie used to relax after their battles. It still floated there untouched.

Jake shook his head before he found another island to land on. He was going to do a bit of practice… and the last time he practiced archery, he’d ended up destroying quite a few cloud islands along with his long-range takedown of the Storm Elemental.

He summoned his Windsoar Bow and looked down at it a bit. He felt the mana within, the majority of it inherent to the weapon, but a portion was his own. It was the connection that one created with any bound weapon.

This connection bound the weapon to the person using it, but it also helped strengthen the item. Much like how a living being’s body would weaken significantly after dying, so would a weapon be less durable when not bound. Not to the same degree, but to at least to some extent.

When he used Infused Powershot, he didn’t just push mana into the weapon but also flooded the bow’s surroundings and the arrow he was about to fire. Mana and stamina would swirl around his entire body as he channeled, making him fire his most powerful attack.

Jake hadn’t ever really tried to improve the skill besides just pushing more energy into it. He was afraid of breaking the equilibrium that the skill required. Now, he was actively looking to break that equilibrium and allow the skill to evolve.

He didn’t have any way of making his stamina more potent or suddenly making his body more durable, but he felt like he had a way to make the mana stronger through his newly discovered arcane affinity.

When he began making a few simple experiments, he quickly noticed that he was, in some ways, already halfway through this practice. His many days spent refining his mana and trying to create arrows infused with mana were very close to what he attempted right now.

Jake stood up on the cloud platform and took out an arrow. In a slow movement, he nocked it and focused on every action as he began using Infused Powershot. But he kept the energy output to a minimum, not caring about charging time or power—just the process.

He let go of the arrow a bit later before nocking another and starting over. Each arrow released was weak, but what was important was that he felt himself progress incredibly fast as something… clicked.

Slowly, his surroundings began to change. Faint wisps of pink-purple energy began mixing into the otherwise colorless mana, and he instantly felt like something shifted. It was like the axis determining the equilibrium moved. His stamina was immediately overwhelmed, and his body began taking the brunt force of the skill.

His skin sizzled as his own mana began destroying the stamina coming out of his pores and burning into his flesh. Jake instantly focused, pushing the energy away from his skin and toward the bow and arrow. A bit reminiscent of when he used mana to walk on air or water, he tried to create a thin layer of mana over the stamina-vapors coming out of his skin, making it flow toward his weapon and lessening the damage to his body.

The Windsoar Bow began being flooded with energy, and the arrow began to turn a purple color as it too experienced a faint influx of mana. It wasn’t even because the arrow was directly infused—it was only affected by the remnant energies, but even that was enough to nearly make it break.

As for the bow, it began to show strain but managed to contain the energy. It was practically glowing with mana by the time Jake was forced to let go of the string.

The usual explosion of mana and stamina from Infused Powershot sounded out but was far more powerful than ever before. It wasn’t colorless either but had a faint pink-purple hue as the poor small cloud island beneath him was utterly destroyed by the arcane mana in a single shot.

A notification appeared at the same time.

[Infused Powershot (Rare)] – Stamina as fuel, mana as a guide. Unlike a normal Powershot, the Infused Powershot does not require a long charging time but can be charged in a brief moment. The higher the magnitude of the charge, the greater the stamina and mana expenditure. Charging Infused Powershot may empower the skill further. Adds a small bonus to the effectiveness of Agility, Strength, and Intelligence when using Infused Powershot.

-->

[Arcane Powershot (Epic)] – Stamina the fuel, mana the guide, arcane the power. Evolved from Infused Powershot, it now uses a higher concept of mana to amplify itself. The higher the magnitude of the charge, the greater the stamina and mana expenditure. Arcane Powershot’s power is dependent on the charging duration, but due to your arcane mana’s inherent power, the base power without any charging is significantly higher than Infused Powershot. Adds a small bonus to the effectiveness of Agility and Strength as well as a medium bonus to the effectiveness of Intelligence when using Arcane Powershot.

Jake smiled for a moment as he skimmed the notification before the pain hit. He only now noticed that while he thought he had avoided most of the damage caused by the arcane mana… he hadn’t succeeded. Far from it.

His arms had purple veins running through them, looking like he had been struck by lightning. It was only now that he noticed several bleeding wounds on his chest, and his shoulders especially had been hit hard. There were places where the arcane mana had gathered for a fraction of a second too long before being led to the bow or at least away from his skin, causing these injuries that still sizzled with mana.

Yet through all that pain, he kept smiling because, goddamn, was the arrow he had just sent flying into the horizon powerful.

He took out a health potion and chugged it before finding a new small cloud island to sit on. He wanted to consider what he had just gone through a bit before heading back. Many ideas bounced around in his head as he considered how this new affinity could be used to make him stronger… and without really thinking much, he had already begun condensing an Arcane Bolt in the air.

“Block it!” the warrior yelled as the large beast was just about to cleave his friend’s head off. He swiftly came to the rescue and released the Powershot he had been charging into the side of the beast. It snarled in response, but the arrow barely managed to penetrate its thick hide.

The archer looked desperately around and saw that their healer was already struggling to keep their other warrior from bleeding out. The mage had managed to sear the long hairs of the overpowered beast in front of him, but nothing more.

Truly… they had fucked up by invading the small clearing this beast and its kin occupied. He Identified the absolute monster before them—one much more potent than its level would generally indicate.

[Alpha Venomfang Badger – lvl 67]

“Retreat!” he yelled as he fired another arrow, aiming for the eye of the badger. He just wanted it to leave the warrior alone and give him time to get back. The attack earlier had broken the warrior’s arm, as the skill he was using to block had stopped working. The man was likely out of stamina.

The archer got its attention as he threw a quick glance at their healer, his look clearly telling her to take the others and run… He would try to buy time. He was the leader of their group… Today was his fuck-up, and he would be the one taking responsibility.

She nodded with grave understanding and yelled for the mage to help her move the other warrior with the broken arm. They began running as the archer barely managed to dodge the swipe from the badger with his evasion skill. He knew it was only a matter of time… but that was fine; he just needed to buy a bit more.

The archer kept battling for the next half a minute until he made a minor slip-up and found himself taking a nasty wound from a flying log the badger threw after him. Another of his fuck-ups was that the beast was far more intelligent than it had first let on.

He smashed into a tree, coughing up blood as his vision turned black for a moment. When his vision fully returned, the beast was closing in, mischievously looking at him as though it had decided to stop playing with its prey. The archer just smirked as he closed his eyes, accepting the inevitable… They should have made it aw—

BOOM!

The entire forest shook as he promptly opened his eyes… and saw a large red crater where the Alpha Venomfang Badger had been moments earlier. A few pink-purple wisps of energy floated in the air, disappearing just seconds later. The archer sat there for a few seconds before asking a very valid question.

“What the fuck?”

*You have slain [Alpha Venomfang Badger – lvl 67] - Experience earned*

Oops? Jake saw the notification appear a few minutes after firing the shot… and reconsidered how smart it was to practice shooting very lethal attacks into who-knows-where.

In my defense, it isn’t like I have any proper archery ranges anywhere, he thought, fully justifying his actions.

He kept up his training for a bit as he summoned more and more Arcane Bolts through the night and long into the next day, meditating in between and only returning for the city when it was time for his weekly meeting with Miranda.

Chapter 55

Hierarchy & Doubt

Miranda was tapping her fingers on the table as she stared at the system menu in front of her. She soon noticed she hadn’t actually read a word, as her mind was far too distracted. She couldn’t help but regret the weekly ritual she had created where she would go meet the owner at his lodge and bring him up to speed over a bite of food.

At the time, it had seemed like a good idea, but now she couldn’t help but consider it incredibly silly, if not downright disrespectful and blasphemous. She had been ignorant and stupid to a level that she had only recently come to understand.

Her weeks after getting her class evolution—or, more accurately, getting her Divine Blessing—had gotten… longer. She would spend at least a few hours of real-world time every day deep in meditation, where she then reached out and entered the Verdant Lagoon.

The Verdant Lagoon was a mysterious and quite incomprehensible place. It looked like a giant swamp with countless islands in it, each unique. Some islands had entire cities on them, some had huts and tents that resembled something from the Stone Age, while some were even winter landscapes or deserts.

But where she found herself most days was on the central island, a place generally reserved for the three ladies that had created the Lagoon. They spoke of the Lagoon as their divine realm, something Miranda was more than willing to believe. They were gods, after all. What reason would gods have to lie to her?

It wasn’t like they were the only ones she had spoken to either. Many different individuals resided in the Lagoon with either their actual, physical bodies, avatars of some kind, or a projection-like skill, the same as her.

Her meditation sessions only lasted for a few hours, but within the Lagoon, that was more than a day. It was only in specific areas that time moved like this, and sadly—or luckily—her weird projected body was confined to these places.

Being in the Lagoon felt… odd. Miranda looked the same, wore the same clothes, and could even touch things, but she knew she wasn’t actually there. With a single thought, she could appear back at her real body at any time, and if her real body were disturbed, she would wake back up too.

The many individuals she interacted with—some of them humans, others less so—were all unified in one thing: their reverence of the Ladies that had created the land they now occupied. This reverence was then reflected onto her, as she was viewed with respect by entities far more powerful than herself.

All that she could handle. She could deal with it. She felt like she was halfway to shitting her pants whenever she interacted with some otherworldly creature that politely tipped its hat to her in passing, but it was somehow still manageable.

No, what wasn’t manageable was how the Ladies treated her. They acted far too friendly for her comfort. There was always a barrier that made it absolutely clear that they were superior beings, but they seemed to almost recognize her as being close to them in rank. Not in power rank, but in respect to hierarchal power.

This confused her until one of them said that the city owner... Jake… had apparently allowed them to bless her. That thought just seemed utterly preposterous. Who was he to tell them what they could and couldn’t do? Yet they seemed to accept it without question, and when she couldn’t hold in her curiosity any longer, she had asked… and the answer hadn’t exactly put her concerns to rest. She knew that he was friendly with a god they served, but the implications of that, she couldn’t comprehend… until she learned more of their master.

In the overall hierarchy of this entire multiverse—of limitless planets, worlds, dimensions, and factions—their master sat amongst the pinnacle of existences. Their master was one of the first twelve beings that had achieved godhood, a creature that entire pantheons of gods feared.

Miranda had felt the utter reverence, adoration, and slight fear the three Ladies held regarding their master. A Primordial called the Malefic Viper, an enigmatic god that could—in their own words—kill every single living being not just on their planet but their entire galaxy with nothing but a snap of his fingers. Putting in a bit more power, he could destroy the Verdant Lagoon and its three creators, and with his full power, the sisters were unsure if any but the most powerful of beings in existence could stand up to him. One thing they were absolutely sure of was that none could escape unscathed, at least. For their master was a god of poison, destruction, and corruption.

And that… that kind of being was what the owner had as a “friend.”

She… didn’t get it. The thought of being friends with the three sisters didn’t even cross her mind. She couldn’t quite form a good metaphor to describe the difference… there simply wasn’t one with the logic of the old world. The thought of beings living trillions of years and personally wielding power to reduce planets to dust with a casual glance wasn’t something she could wrap her head around. Much less being “friends” with such a being. It was like a poor farmer being friends with the largest nuclear power on the old Earth… and even that was an understatement.

Yet the owner was so casual about it. To make it worse, he was too easy to read, so she couldn’t even delude herself into believing he wasn’t serious. He truly did consider the Malefic Viper his friend. Even her next logical step of concluding that he was the delusional one was shut down by the gods confirming it.

Because they hadn’t asked Jake for permission to bless her. They had asked the Malefic Viper, who had then asked Jake on their behalf. They had given her a blessing only one step below that of a True Blessing—a blessing that still carried heavy implications for any god to give out, with the True one being infinitely more special. Naturally, the owner had gained the True Blessing from the Malefic Viper…

So she thought it was perfectly acceptable for her to find every single meeting with the owner gut-wrenchingly scary. Miranda had to watch every word and deliberate everything she did… because what if she somehow offended him? If he decided to “fire” her, what would happen? Even if that wasn’t a realistic threat, could she truly do him justice?

He was the Chosen of a Primordial. He was so many ranks above her in the hierarchy of the multiverse that she was like the poorest farmer meeting the emperor. She tried her best… but was it truly enough? She had progressed more than ever before over these last few weeks, gaining class levels at a fast speed, and her profession was nearly maxed out at 99.

Miranda felt like she needed to do everything to ensure her position. Not just for herself but also for Hank, his family, and every citizen of Haven, because she felt like they lived at his discretion and mercy. Which made all their meetings so much harder because…

“So anyway, I somehow ended up killing a badger more than five minutes after firing the arrow and getting a better handle on this new affinity thing,” Jake explained while eating his food. “It was actually a bit funny that my first encounter with a beast from the tutorial happened by accident… I did consider trying to travel to where it hit, but I honestly have no idea where it even landed. Sure, I could try and do some quick math to try and figure it out, but as my skill had just upgraded, I am not entirely sure exactly how long it kept flying.”

Miranda just sat opposite him, nodding and smiling… which was quite frankly starting to get a bit boring. Jake felt like she became more and more distant over the last few weeks, and he felt like everything he said was instantly accepted without challenge.

She didn’t even make any snippy comments when he began ranting…

They just sat there in silence for a bit. Miranda had already gone over the weekly updates—professionally, as always. She had barely eaten any of the quite frankly delicious food, and the atmosphere in the lodge was beginning to turn awkward.

It wasn’t the first time either. Jake felt like their relationship was walking backward, and just when he was beginning to feel more familiar with her, she began pulling back. He had never been the best at social interactions, but he rarely had issues around friends… and he did consider Miranda a friend. We are friends, aren’t we?

Jake put down cutlery and just looked at the woman across from him. She met his gaze for only a moment before looking away.

“Sir, is there anything you ne—”

“Why are you back to calling me ‘Sir’? It’s weird,” Jake said, cutting Miranda off.

“I apologize, I didn’t mean to—”

“Seriously, what happened?”

“I’m not sure I—”

“If you keep reminding me of the first time I went out for drinks with Jacob and his boss, then you should just begin sending over written reports. This is just too damn awkward. It may just be me, but I thought we had moved past this overly-professional phase.”

Miranda just stared back at him, looking almost… scared. What is she afraid of?

What had he done to make her like this? It had all changed after she had evolved her class and gained the blessing…. Was it something to do with that?

“I wouldn’t dare to presume such things…” Miranda said, Jake not interrupting her this time. “If you wish to receive written reports instead of these meetings, I would be more than happy to provide them.”

“I don’t want written reports. Geez.” Jake shook his head, then asked the question he had just wondered about. “Is this in any way related to that blessing and all the god-business?”

She looked at him like she had just been caught doing something wrong. It reminded him of the time he’d admonished her for staring at him for hours back during one of their first meetings. It made him feel like their relationship really had deteriorated to that level… one where he was just a powerful unknown element.

Jake just looked down, her body language more than enough to communicate that he was right. She usually could control every signal she gave off to perfection, making it impossible to distinguish her emotions outwardly.

Back during the negotiations with Phillip, she’d had a perfect poker face that he couldn’t see through even with his sphere and instincts. But now, she was apparently so nervous, she couldn’t even keep that up anymore, showing that she really felt out of her depth.

Jake sighed. “Gods are… different. They are old and powerful, and a fraction of one’s knowledge is more than any mortal could learn in a lifetime. To see them as creatures on an entirely different level than us isn’t wrong… but not wholly right either.

“All of them were once mortal, as far as I know. Some that are now gods were even weaker than us as humans when they began their journey to power. They aren’t that much different from you and me… at least I don’t think so. I told you this once before… a god is just a really old and powerful person. Nothing more, nothing less.”

This finally got a response out of Miranda. “I… I have met gods… The Ladies of the Verdant Lagoon… They aren’t like us. Saying they are is like believing a single ember is no different from the sun… No, even more than that. We live at the mercy of the gods; how could we not treat them with respect and—”

“Respect is one thing; submission is another. Every god is respectable in their own way. They did something hard, and that is damn respectable. But it doesn’t mean this relationship is static. If I had met Mystie right after returning from the tutorial, I would have lost to her in a fight. Now, I am stronger. The gods are no different. Sure, right now they are stronger, but when I become a god too, who says that won’t change?” He was still voicing his genuine thoughts on the matter. To him… godhood was truly just another challenge.

This seemed to get another proper reaction out of Miranda. “During these past weeks, I have spent a lot of time within the realm of the Ladies. I have met creatures far more powerful than anything I could even imagine… yet not a single one of them dared show any real confidence in achieving godhood. It isn’t something you just do. Those that can become gods are fundamentally different from you and me. How can you just act like becoming a god is a given? I thought you would know about how difficult it is.”

This made Jake a bit happy, as she finally stopped acting so weird and returned to her usual self.

“Well, what’s the alternative? Death? Nah, I’d rather just become a god. If I fail, I die anyway, and if I succeed, I don’t die. Pretty simple. Isn’t achieving godhood just the natural path of progression? I have my own goals, and to achieve those, I need to become a god.” He smiled confidently.

“What is your goal?” Miranda asked, for the first time showing genuine interest and not fear or exasperation.

“I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was,” Jake said in a singing tone as he smiled goofily. It wasn’t the first time he had made that reference, and he’d had to go into an hour-long rant about old theme songs when Miranda didn’t recognize it the first time.

Miranda failed at holding back a giggle as Jake completely broke the tense atmosphere with his silly reference. Her mask had fallen for a bit. She quickly tried to wipe away her smile and be serious again, but Jake butted in before she ruined the mood.

“I may be the City Owner and technically your boss, but I consider you a friend first and foremost. Stop caring about who-knows-what god and about what others think. I don’t care about it, so neither should you; you are just making this awkward.” He smiled and shook his head. “So stop calling me ‘Sir’ or whatever other weird title. Just call me Jake like before.”

Miranda looked a bit troubled, seemingly reconsidering if that was really okay. “I’ll try… Jake.”

“See, it isn’t that hard,” he joked back as he returned to a matter that had been a big clue-in to what she had been dealing with internally. “You can also make some kind of temple if you feel it would be a good idea. Just make it shared, if that makes sense. Make it so each god can have their own statue or pedestal or whatever, and then people can just make whatever they want if they have a god that has blessed them or something like that.”

“Would your Patron be okay with that?” Miranda asked with a bit of concern.

“I don’t have a Patron, but Villy shouldn’t care either way,” Jake dismissively said.

“Villy?” she asked, a bit confused. She didn’t know anyone with that name in the city or why they would have any say in godly matters.

“Yeah, the Malefic Viper, as he likes to call himself. A bit edgy, but it totally fits his style with his black scales and general tendency to cause death and destruction wherever he goes.” It was a joke that didn’t land very well, as Miranda looked very uncomfortable, apparently considering if her even thinking it was funny was allowed.

Okay, baby steps…

At least the night ended with Miranda going back and the atmosphere between them a lot better than it had been when she arrived. They also finished with her saying that his next delivery would come the next morning.

It was a delivery of new weapons created to be sacrificed to his Touch of the Malefic Viper training. Upgrading that skill was the final item on his bucket list before reaching D-grade… and once that was upgraded, and he got 99 in his profession, it was evolution time.

Chapter 56

A Cursed Touch

Four more levels in his profession remained until he would finally be capped in both that and his class. Those four levels could be relatively swiftly gained by just grinding out poisons, but he still needed to improve Touch of the Malefic Viper before that.

It was the thing that had filled his head before this entire arcane-affinity thing came out of nowhere. He had even sat days in meditation to delve into the Sagacity skill to study transmutation and how to do that properly.

This allowed him to realize that many parts of Touch of the Malefic Viper were comparable to traditional transmutation, and he became more and more confident in his theory of using Touch to transmute weapons.

He was determined that this time he wouldn’t get distracted.

After Jake had returned from the cloud island and had his meeting with Miranda, he had meditated and done a bit of mana practice before his weapons delivery arrived in the morning. He went straight into it with great gusto and began breaking the smiths’ hard work by infusing corruption into them.

The delivery was a cartful of more than a hundred inferior-rarity steel shortswords with a variety of enchantments on them—all of them the most straightforward kind, such as making the blade sharper or harder or able to conduct mana more easily. All in all, they were kind of bad, but that at least helped Jake not feel that terrible about breaking them all as he began experimenting.

Instantly, he felt how it had become easier than before. His discovery of—and subsequent practice with—arcane mana had helped him immensely in learning to better control his energy, especially in the stability department.

This didn’t mean that he instantly succeeded, however. All it meant was that the items could last slightly longer than before without breaking apart. They were also not so brittle that just swinging them through the air could make them shatter.

If before today he’d been taking baby steps, he was now taking above-average, adult-male steps. Jake looked over his newest creation, one quite a lot better than what he was used to creating.

[Unstable Fungicide Steel Shortsword (Common)] – A blade made of steel that has been soaked in mana and crafted by a still-growing smith, infused with a powerful fungicide. The fungicide has increased the blade’s rarity and power but made it unstable and fragile. Will break apart within 3 hours and 43 minutes.

Enchantments: Fungicide Strike.

Requirements: Lvl 55+ in any humanoid race.

Compared to before, it would now last quite a bit longer, and it was no longer incredibly fragile. It was still damn weak and not suited for combat, but it showed some promise. It was also about this time that Jake began genuinely taking notice of one of the significant issues he kept encountering: lack of quality.

While the smiths had surely done their best, their creations were lacking. The structural integrity of the weapons was fine; the issue lay in the enchantments. Pretty much all the weapons had either Hardening or Sharpened or something like that affixed to it.

At its core, Jake’s Touch of the Malefic Viper was about corrupting something, and what he corrupted was in large part this enchantment. It did so by Jake infusing a part of his own energy into the blade with the properties he wanted, and afterward, this energy consumed and took the place of the original enchantment.

If the original enchant sucked, there simply wasn’t enough to corrupt, so it would have to consume the blade’s other qualities instead—such as its durability. The enchant also needed to at least be partly compatible with the corrupting effect Jake infused into it. He found that the Hardening enchantment worked well with nearly every type of transmutation, but not as well as those truly compatible. An enchant making all cuts infused with hemotoxin bleed more was just a slam-dunk, and in the same vein, he had an enchant that made wounds harder to heal, and that worked damn well with his Necrotic Poison.

Not good enough for the weapons not to still break, but he saw the potential. However, at this point, Jake felt like he had gone as far as he could without making some drastic changes to his approach, so he began attempting something… more.

Before, he’d just infused the effects of a toxin, but his Touch of the Malefic Viper could do more than just mimic the effects of a toxin; it could mimic the effects of an affinity. And what affinity was more opportune to test out than his new arcane affinity? Heck, he even had a title that helped to manipulate it, so it seemed like the obvious choice.

Jake began his next phase of testing that afternoon.

It went as expected. The first blade blew up into countless fragments as he tried to infuse it with Necrotic Poison combined with his arcane affinity at the same time. He tried it again with a few different blades but ended up with the same result every time. He was glad that he did it outside, at least, or his house would look like Swiss cheese by now…

Anyway, he reached the conclusion that the toxin he was trying to infuse into it was simply too strong, so he tried lowering it by using the weakest poison he had, AKA his own blood. Well, it wasn’t really his weakest poison, but he could make it the weakest, as the toxicity was very much dependent on how much mana he used when making his blood toxic.

His blood was an amalgamation of all his own Records and had insane compatibility with all kinds of energies or affinities. This was also why it was such an excellent ingredient while concocting poisons, as it could fit into pretty much everything. It was what he always used when usually just going for maximum corruption or if unsure which poison was best to infuse.

It also had the benefit of his arcane affinity, easily integrating with it and absorbing it entirely. It only took him a few hours and a handful of swords before he had his first success. And not a “this blade will break apart in a few hours” success, but an actual creation. It even came with a new notification he had never seen before.

*You have successfully transmuted [Steel Shortsword of Minor Arcane Conductivity (Inferior)] – A new kind of creation has been made. Bonus experience earned*

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 96 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Jake was a bit surprised at the notification and couldn’t help but make a big smile. This was the first time the system recognized anything he had done as an actual transmutation. He felt damn proud of that. The level was also super nice to get, if a bit unexpected. Then again… he knew crafting something for the first time gave extra experience, so maybe it gave double-extra experience when he made something with an entirely new crafting method for the first time?

He checked his new “creation” and was quite pleased with the result, if a bit puzzled at a few things.

[Steel Shortsword of Minor Arcane Conductivity (Inferior)] – A blade made of steel that has been soaked in mana and crafted by a still-growing smith, infused with potent arcane mana. The mana has changed the blade’s basic properties, making it able to absorb and release its creator’s arcane mana far more easily.

Enchantments: Arcane Conductivity.

Requirements: Lvl 25+ in any humanoid race. Quasi-Soulbound.

There were a few things to go over. Before Jake’s transmutation, the sword had had an enchant that just enhanced mana conductivity, one of the simplest enchants Jake knew of. He had managed to change that enchant to better function with his arcane-affinity mana at the cost of it no longer working with regular mana.

This had led to some unexpected results, the first of which was the somewhat confusing requirement of now being Quasi-Soulbound. He wasn’t sure how it differed from the normal Soulbound, but he did kind of understand why it existed.

In the process of transmuting items, he found that it was way easier to do after binding them to him. Without doing that, he couldn’t get a proper feel for the movements of the energy he infused, and as his way of transmuting was pretty much just pumping mana into the item, it was hard for him not to bind it first.

So for his transmutation method to deepen the bond between him and the item made sense. He also wasn’t sure if the lack of rarity increase was to be expected or not. To him, it was now just a better weapon, but then again, to anyone else, it was unusable trash, as they didn’t have Jake’s arcane affinity. By nature of it being an arcane affinity, no one else could have it.

I guess it didn’t really increase in rarity or quality based on that… it just became more specialized, Jake thought as he admired the blade. Well, the base weapon was still so bad that he had no use of it. The lvl 25+ requirement suggested that it was indeed a low-level weapon. Besides, the only benefits of channeling arcane mana through the blade were to make it slightly more robust and maybe a bit sharper.

Shaking his head, Jake kept experimenting. He kept using the combination of mimicking his blood and using his arcane affinity to create sword after sword. Some of them could better conduct arcane-affinity mana, but he managed to change the enchant quite a lot for some weapons.

One example was a sword where he managed to change a sharpening enchant to allowing the blade to extend nearly half a meter outwards, forming an edge of arcane-affinity mana. Due to the weapon’s durability, it could only keep the edge active for a single strike, but it was progress nevertheless.

This kept on for days as Jake went through the entire stack of swords. His collection of arcane weapons became more and more impressive, and his skills increased by the hour. He didn’t get any more levels, but he didn’t expect to either. He was just building up his momentum and capabilities for the last big push.

The last push would come through a far more difficult transmutation than any before, on a weapon several grades above anything he had touched—a weapon that he also happened to not give a shit about breaking, so it was perfect for experimenting on.

[Scimitar of Debauchery (Epic)] – A cursed blade made by the wicked, for the wicked. Crafted from steel that has soaked in the blood of the innocent, leaving a powerful curse of resentment on the blade. A curse that can be further strengthened by adding more souls of innocents. Wield with caution, for the curse does not only affect those it strikes.

Enchantments: Curse of Debauchery.

Requirements: Humanoid race.

Jake was certain that the weapon was durable. Its former wielder had blocked Jake’s arrows with it along with his Venomfang, and the blade hadn’t taken any damage. He had even taken it out and tried to do some damage to it over the last few weeks and found himself unable to. And that was before he bound it to himself, which would strengthen the scimitar significantly.

He had a bit of worry about binding it to him due to the rather ominous warning and curse, but he believed he could handle it now that he had Pride of the Malefic Viper. Even then, he took extra precautions and had Mystie and Hawkie leave with Sylphie to do some early flight training and give Miranda a message on their way out about not visiting in the short term. This left the valley empty for him to experiment and be cursed as much as he wanted.

Jake placed his hand on it and slowly injected a bit of mana to bind it. At first, it felt just like binding any other weapon, but soon he felt something else. While he was pouring mana into the blade, the blade used that same connection to send some energy back.

Instantly, he felt something invade his mind. It felt like countless cries of anger cursing him at once, and he knew the highly condensed sense of resentment was trying to pull him in and join them in their wrath. But more than rage was another far more prominent emotion: lust.

Yet just as the emotions began trying to truly influence him, another deadly sin reared its head and crushed them both. His Pride didn’t allow the curse to affect him whatsoever, and without hesitation, he squashed all the voices from within the blade and dispelled all other untoward emotions.

The blade died down, but he still felt the power of the curse buried within. Even if it didn’t affect him, the blade still desired to be fed. It wanted the blood of those it deemed innocent—whatever that meant. It desired their suffering. It demanded their death to absorb their lives and make a fragment of their Records its own.

Jake studied the weapon for a bit as he considered his approach. It wasn’t the first time he had thought about what to do… but it was only now he had truly decided.

The scimitar had a relatively simple design. The blade was very thin for a scimitar, and it only curved a little. It was slightly thicker toward its end, and it looked perfect for slicing. It didn’t look like a cursed weapon at first glance whatsoever. It was only because of Donald’s skills that it appeared to be blood red.

Placing his hands on the blade, he closed his eyes and pushed his consciousness into it.

Once more, he experienced the curse, and he allowed it to influence him even more than before. He felt the raging emotions but found them… lacking. Compared to the rage he felt from his Bloodline when he believed Miranda had betrayed him, this was nothing. A large part of it was, without a doubt, due to that occasion being his own anger, while this was just a curse trying to drag him into it and influence him.

The lust part should have been a bit harder to deal with, but Jake found it even easier to handle. Sure, he did find quite a few women in his surroundings attractive—especially after the tutorial made pretty much everyone into models by standards of the old world. Miranda was nice, and—okay, fuck off, curse. He wasn’t some hormone-filled teenager that couldn’t control himself. In fact, he found the influence of the curse in that department utterly pathetic, even if he understood the underlying desire.

Heck, his own teenage years had been way worse, and he had managed to not act like an utter moron back then. Wait, did the Bloodline also influence me back then? he asked himself for a brief moment before dispelling the thought. Not because he didn’t believe it to be true; he just knew it wasn’t something he could easily answer, and right now, understanding the blade was more important than his own teenage years.

Delving into the blade, he came to understand what the curse truly desired, and he would corrupt that desire and understanding and bend it to his own interpretation. To an emotion he understood and indulged in far more than lust and wrath. At first, he had considered greed, but that just led him to consider what it was greedy for, so he decided to take the simplest thing one would want and go with that.

It was another of the deadly sins: gluttony. In the end, the curse came down to the blade wanting to feed. The souls wanted revenge on those that had slain it by consuming their souls as retaliation, and the curse on the blade itself made it want sacrifices to grow.

Jake began changing the energies in the blade as he infused it with Touch of the Malefic Viper. It was far more energy than ever before, and yet the sword just kept consuming it. He would allow the scimitar both to fulfill its lust and desire for revenge, but he would change it. Like with his arcane affinity, he would boil it down to its simplest element and amplify it. Make it pure and straightforward, removing all complications. He would corrupt its desire down to its most primal need. Because in the end… the blade just hungered.

*You have successfully transmuted [Scimitar of Cursed Hunger (Epic)] – A new kind of creation has been made. Bonus experience earned*

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 97 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

It had been far easier than Jake believed… but he also felt like he understood the weapon far more than he found comfortable. Ultimately, he had just imposed his own will upon the blade and made it what he wanted it to be, crushing any opposition in the way—including all the souls. He Identified the scimitar and couldn’t hold back a small smile.

[Scimitar of Cursed Hunger (Epic)] – A cursed blade made by the wicked, corrupted by the Viper’s Chosen. Crafted from steel that has soaked in the blood of the innocent, which left a powerful curse of resentment on the blade. The curse has been corrupted, and the souls destroyed, leaving only their hunger behind. The blade craves blood and will feed on any Vitality-based lifeform to nurture both itself and its wielder. The Scimitar of Cursed Hunger will wane in power if not fed regularly.

Enchantments: Cursed Hunger.

Requirements: Humanoid race. Quasi-Soulbound.

It was still quite ominous, but it was far more muted when he felt the curse within. For now, it was sated and didn’t need any feeding, and yet he felt like it always wanted more. Jake had essentially just created a sword that could drain the health of anyone he cut with it… and he was totally fine with that.

What made it even more pleasing was that besides getting a new weapon, he also got another few notifications.

[Touch of the Malefic Viper (Epic)] – With a single touch, the Malefic Viper has slain countless foes. Attempt to inject poison into a being through physical contact. The nature of the poison is determined by the user. The alchemist can only use toxic effects he has concocted or created prior. Can be used with all compatible types of mana affinities, further altering the effects. Some toxins cannot be used. Adds a small increase to the effectiveness of Touch of the Malefic Viper based on Intelligence and Wisdom.

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[Touch of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)] – With a single touch, the Malefic Viper has slain countless foes. Attempt to inject poison into a being through physical contact. The nature of the poison is determined by the user. The alchemist can only use toxic effects he has concocted or created prior. Can be used with all compatible types of mana affinities, further altering the effects. This effect is especially effective when using your arcane affinity. Vastly increases the potency of transmutations made using Touch of the Malefic Viper at the cost of partly binding them to your soul. Some effects cannot be replicated. Adds an increase to the effectiveness of Touch of the Malefic Viper based on Intelligence and Wisdom. Passively provides 1 Intelligence per level in Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper. May your touch be the catalyst of corruption as you bend the world to your will.

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 98 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Jake read it over, his smile only growing as he enjoyed both the feeling of the stats increasing and the fact that he was nearly done… All his preparations were over. Now there were only two things left to do… one more level in his profession and then…

…then he would get that D-grade.

Chapter 57

Grades & Impatience

Jake sat on his porch, staring out over the pond as he pondered—pond-pun intended.

It felt like forever ago when he’d theorized that the nine stat-giving skills with “of the Malefic Viper” in their names were actually part of a larger set, and so far, he felt like he had only been proven right time and time again. They just had way too much synergy not to be.

So when he got the ninth one to ancient rarity, he had expected something to happen. He knew skills could fuse from all the way back when Sense Herb and Sense Toxin merged into Sense of the Malefic Viper, so maybe the skills would finally merge upon them all upgrading?

Yet no such thing had happened. Jake almost couldn’t hold himself back from asking the Viper if his skills were bugged or if he was just a moron for assuming they would merge.

Well… it wasn’t like he lost anything by them not merging, and while he didn’t ask the Viper about the skills, he did ask one question anyway. One that had been bothering him for a while.

“Hey, Villy… should I evolve right when I can, or is there any reason to wait? Would it be better for me to work on upgrading some more skills first or maybe really diving into this whole arcane-affinity thing before doing so?”

All evolutions before this had been taken as soon as they were available. He had often wondered if doing so had ultimately led to him being worse off throughout the months, especially when it came to his class. He knew that while the class wasn’t “bad,” it wasn’t extraordinary either.

Jake had delved into the books to look for knowledge and hadn’t found much. That was when he remembered another piece of literature he had quite frankly completely forgotten about… the small notebook Jacob had given him on the first day of returning to Earth.

He had only skimmed the first few pages and seen they were related to Pylons and making a city and stuff, so he’d had Miranda read it over at one of their meetings. She had found it quite helpful but had also mentioned that the general info about classes and professions in it was enlightening. It was that little comment that made Jake flip through it… and he was pretty sure the Augur had given out some information he wasn’t really supposed to.

First of all, he had written about his own class without a care in the world. Well, it made a bit more sense when Jake read on, as he came to understand that knowledge about the Augur classes were pretty well known, as it was a famous “archetype.”

Jake’s eyes bulged quite a bit when he read the stats given by the class… 32 total was just insane. His own Ambitious Hunter only gave 18 per level in comparison. Well, he did have a cheat of a profession making up for it a bit… but still.

However, as he read on, Jake began to feel better about not being an Augur himself.

Professions and classes all came with tied-in ways of leveling them. Jake’s class was all about being a hunter that liked killing stuff above his own level, so the class was made for that. He also came to realize that there likely were some hidden experience bonuses besides his Mark of the Ambitious Hunter tied to killing stronger enemies due to the class, as well as a penalty if he killed weaker foes.

In the same vein, the Augur of Hope also had many rules tied into it. For Jacob to level, he had to realize fates, stay true to his own beliefs, guide others toward paths to power, and do religious stuff… AKA all things Jake would absolutely abhor doing.

And on the side of penalties, it was way fucking worse. Jacob couldn’t fight at all. Not because of his class not offering any means of combat—it was a rule tied to his class. He was unable to fight back even if attacked, and if he took the lives of sapient creatures, he would be penalized, possibly even losing his class outright.

That was the reason it gave so many stats. It was to make up for the massive downsides it had. To Jake’s knowledge, he didn’t have any downsides to his class besides maybe that experience penalty when killing lower-leveled foes, but that one didn’t matter to him anyway.

Jake came to learn that the maximum amount of stats a class could give at E-grade was 34, while the maximum for a profession was 27. But both of those were for the ones that came with severe restrictions in place.

The Hermit Alchemist profession that Jake had seen was an example of a restrictive profession. It gave more stats than usual, but with other massive downsides.

If one wanted one without severe downsides, the limit for E-grade classes was 28, while for professions, it was 22. So Jake had won out big time in the profession department, getting one that nearly couldn’t be better for one that isn’t restricted, while his class still had a bit to go.

Of course, if you factored in the “of the Malefic Viper” skills… Jake was more than good when it came to stats.

At D-grade, all of those numbers were pretty much tripled. Max for a class would be 100, and max for a profession would be 80. Of course, they were realistically slightly lower because the ones rewarding that much would be restricted. Jacob had even written that his Augur of Hope would give him 96 stats per level in D-grade. If Jake could get a class with more than 70 or maybe even 75 stats per level, he would be more than happy. He didn’t know if he could, because quite frankly, he had no idea how good he was for an E-grade. He figured he was decent… but he didn’t really have any proper comparisons.

As for the deferred stats, if one evolved a class or profession before reaching D-grade… well, you would just only get a third of the stats gained, with the rest coming in bulk after evolving. Pretty simple, actually.

Jake was thrown out of his thoughts when he felt the Malefic Viper’s presence touch upon his mind as a voice echoed out in his head, answering his question about if he should evolve right away or not.

“Waiting with undergoing an evolution is a hard decision for some, but in your case, I wouldn’t say it is. There is no reason to delay it even a day. While getting a lot of upgraded skills or improving yourself in other ways matters, so does momentum. Think about it like this: can you achieve as much overall growth in the next three months as you have in the last three? If not, go right ahead and evolve.

“Many spend decades, if not over a century in E-grade to try and get better evolutions or simply because they were slow. If it took you seventy years to level from 24 to 99, it doesn’t really hurt much to wait another thirty years to upgrade a handful of skills and further improve your craft. Possibly finishing off with creating your greatest creation yet before evolving. In your case, however, prolonging your evolution will only lead to you diluting your own achievements or losing momentum.”

Then, in a smug, faux-mocking voice, he added, “You have done adequately for a mere E-grade mortal—nothing compared to my magnificent achievements back then, but I guess it is acceptable for my Chosen. So get off your ass, make some poisons, and get that final level.”

Jake chuckled a bit as he answered, “Well, I would never dare to presume I could ever reach the levels of thee, oh, my revered Patron. Thanks as always, Villy. Take care and say hi to those three witches for me… and if you could tell them to go a bit easier on Miranda, it would be nice. She seems to have a hard time dealing with all this divinity stuff.”

“Jake, feeling at least a basic level of reverence toward gods is kind of the norm… Just because you are weird as fuck doesn’t mean everyone around you is too. But sure, I’ll tell them to be more chill, but don’t expect much to change, at least not in the short term. You can just hope that mortal girl learns to adapt a bit.”

“But I am super reverent; what are you talking about!?” Jake joked, shaking his head. “I guess dealing with gods can be hard for some. Anyway, what are you up to these days besides answering my inane questions?”

“Oh, you know, trying to conquer the world and all that fun stuff. Went and got back a few people I had sent off to training a few months ago, and more than half survived, so that was nice. Mortals and their fragility, ya know? Actually, I think you know one of them—remember that Viridia girl? Yeah, she was one of the survivors of the little training tour. Back on topic: I have been lazing about for far too long, so I am basically just reclaiming some stuff that used to belong to me and expanding the Order. You can come by and check stuff out once your universe begins opening up a bit, so look forward to it! But I can feel that my divine-message juice is running out, so cya around, and nice talking to ya.”

“Yeah, nice talking to you—have fun with your world domination,” Jake said with a smile as he felt the connection between him and the Malefic Viper fade away.

He was beginning to think that these divine-message sessions actually helped strengthen the connection slightly every time, making it easier for the Viper to send longer and more complicated messages. Jake didn’t know what the implications were if that was true… but did it really matter? He didn’t see the Viper having any untoward intentions toward him, because if he did, the Viper literally had all the power.

Jake shook his head as he dispelled all distracting thoughts. It wasn’t like knowing about stats and the rules of classes and such would actually help him; it was just nice to know. No, the only thing that truly mattered right now was doing some alchemy and getting that level!

So Jake sat down, took out his cauldron, and began producing some potions. He didn’t make poisons since he had a feeling he would need to craft again shortly after evolving anyway, as chances were he could make more potent poisons and potions then. Better to just make some potions now that he could either sell or give away for others to use.

His impatience made him make a few more mistakes than usual, resulting in it taking nearly three days before he finally got it.

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 99 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 99 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Jake did an internal mini-cheer as he got the two notifications. The feeling of happiness was only amplified further by the next message.

Quest: The Perfect Evolution completed

Reward given upon evolving to D-grade

He sat there waiting for the next system message for a few minutes before realizing it wasn’t coming. Some-fucking-how, Jake had forgotten that he would actually still need another level in his race even after reaching level 99 in both his class and profession.

Jake could do this by doing alchemy for a few more days… or he could do as he actually did, opening his wings and soaring upwards toward the cloud island. Mystie, Sylphie, and Hawkie all threw him a glance as he flew off, but only the baby-bird made a small screech, wondering where he was going, as she tried to fly up and follow him. It didn’t go that well, as she fell down, much to the amusement of her parents.

On the island, Jake went on a damn rampage, slaughtering cloud elementals and birds in droves. This was when he, to his delight, spotted a giant bird hanging around the massive lightning tree in the middle of the island.

[Thunder Roc – lvl ???]

The result of their epic fight was obvious from the beginning.

Jake summoned an Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter, focusing his mind on ending the battle as fast as possible. Once summoned, he soaked it in his poison before nocking it and charging his newly upgraded Arcane Powershot.

He looked at the poor Roc as he channeled his attack. Power swirled around him in a vortex of energy that began slowly tearing away at the small cloud island he stood on. Arcane Powershot was a lot more powerful than his old Infused Powershot and even had extra scaling with Intelligence—a stat he had just gotten a big bump in from upgrading Touch of the Malefic Viper.

The power built up both inside his body and the weapon, and his skin began sizzling a little as he took a bit of damage. Purple-pink veins appeared on both his arms and his shoulders as he poured more energy into the skill than ever before.

He planned on ending it in one shot… to see if that was even possible. It wasn’t something he had planned on doing, but what harm could there be in adding one-shotting a D-grade to his list of achievements?

Jake released the string and the arrow exploded out with power. The Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter flew straight for the unaware Thunder Roc, which only noticed the incoming attack when it was too late. It tried to avoid getting hit in a vital area at the final moment but found itself frozen as it felt the gaze of an Apex Hunter land upon it.

The arrow hit it right in its head, tearing into the Roc’s skull before exploding and leaving nothing above its neck. It kept struggling for a while as its natural Vitality kept it alive, but the poison on the arrow made healing its wound impossible.

A minute later, the Roc—now lying on the cloud island below—stopped struggling and expired.

*You have slain [Thunder Roc – lvl 101] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level*

Followed by the far more important message:

*Race Evolution Requirements Met*

With great ambition and drive, you have ventured through E-grade, never swaying on your path or questioning your own resolve. You have been diverse and delved into many different areas as your endless hunger to improve and explore led you both wide and deep, from embracing legacies to forging your own magics. An important decision lies before you.

Begin Evolution now?

Y/N

WARNING: Postponing evolution may have adverse effects, and no further race experience can be earned before the evolution is completed.

Fucking finally, he thought as he made a huge smile. He rushed over to get the Beastorb but couldn’t find it for some reason. He ended up getting impatient and rushing back to his lodge faster than he had ever flown before. Upon landing, he only threw a single glance at Mystie and Hawkie, who both gave him an approving and knowing glance. They understood he was about to evolve… even Sylphie seemed able to detect it.

Jake entered his lodge and sat down on the bed—the same one he had evolved to both F- and E-grade on before—and accepted the notification. His vision turned black.

Chapter 58

D-grade

Jake opened his eyes within a vast void of nothingness, the only thing visible being distant, star-like objects. It was his third time there, and it was as beautiful and wonderous as ever. He was entirely naked except for his mask, which was still on his face for some reason.

The first time he went there had been the most wonderous, as it had marked the day he became able to passively sense mana, while his E-grade evolution had been a bit less exciting.

Like all the other times, the intensity of the mana around him was extreme, but after progressing through E-grade, he could now feel it much better. He felt the affinities in the mana around him, and he was taken aback… because he felt so… so many.

He noticed the space affinity, which reminded him of the mana Neil used and even the concept of his own One Step Mile. Dark affinity, water affinity, earth affinity, and a slew of energies he didn’t understand at all… he felt all of them. But out of them all, the affinity he felt next was by far the most surprising.

The arcane affinity. Or, more accurately, Jake’s own arcane affinity. How is there arcane mana here? Does that mean…

Jake closed his eyes and focused on his sphere to take it all in. Even energy reminding me of what the Malefic Viper released is here… Jake thought as he awoke from his stupor.

Was this place… an amalgamation of all the energy he had ever used, absorbed, or encountered? Was he inside his soul, and were these all the concepts he had ever used and affinities he had explored?

As his head was filled with these thoughts… the system finally made its presence known. It was time for the evolution to begin… but instead of just being shown what he would evolve to like all the other times, this one was different.

Congratulations! You have unlocked the possibility to diverge your race and evolve into a different species. As a rarity among humans and monsters both, you must now make an important choice. Be warned not to lose yourself.

Jake was surprised for the umpteenth time today, as he quickly saw that two options were available for evolution. The first one was exactly what he had expected.

Human (D) – A human that has stepped into the mid-grades of the system. The human race is known as the most balanced and numerous race of the multiverse, being able to walk many different roads on their path to power. Stat bonuses per level: +6 to all stats, +15 Free Points per level.

He looked it over and nodded internally. It wasn’t like the human evolutions were a secret, and he knew the stat gain for every level would just triple when one evolved to D-grade, going from 23 stat points per level to 69. A very nice number.

But that wasn’t the option worth noting.

Malefic Dragonkin (D) – Once a human, you embraced the Malefic Viper’s Legacy to become a race closer to your Patron. Still maintaining a primarily human form, you have replaced your soft skin with scales and have gained several other draconic properties, including wings and claws. This race is incredibly rare and only earned by those who have truly begun walking the Path of the Malefic Viper. By maintaining many of your humanoid traits, you can retain either a class or a profession. Stat bonuses per level: +20 Wis, +20 Will, + 20 Vit, + 15 Tough, +15 Int, + 10 Agi, +10 Str, +10 Per, +10 End, +20 Free Points per level.

Warning: Some skills related to the lost profession or class may be removed or changed. Stat bonuses from classes will be reduced by 10% if chosen over a profession, while a profession will provide +10% more stats per level. All current race skills will be lost.

As the initial message said, evolving into a new species was incredibly rare and difficult. It was a fundamental, qualitative change that would severely alter your path in the future. And the Malefic Dragonkin evolution was sure as hell a drastic change.

Jake had to read it over a few times before something clicked in his mind… This has to be the result of maxing out the nine stat-giving skills. Many of them added physiological traits such as scales or wings or making his canines toxic.

But… he also knew it had a lot to do with the drop of blood he had seized from the Malefic Viper himself, because the description sure as hell reminded him of that bootleg half-dragon version of himself he had seen within that weird soul-realm during the Trial of Myriad Poisons.

While he already knew what “choice” he would make, he evaluated the options anyway. The Malefic Dragonkin race gave 150 stat points per level, with the human one giving 69—a difference of 81 per level. However… becoming a dragonkin would also mean giving up one of the significant advantages of being human: having both a class and profession.

If one just looked at stats, Jake would need to get a class providing 81 stat points per level after the penalty, which was… a lot. If he got a class within the same realm as his Ambitious Hunter, it would only give 54 stat points per level.

All of that is to say the Malefic Dragonkin was clearly a top-tier race. One Jake had absolutely no interest in ever picking.

He was human, and he saw no reason at all to throw that away. Jake also felt an almost palpable disgust from his Bloodline at the mere thought of becoming a dragonkin. No, to Jake, the human race was the optimal choice. His entire Bloodline and being was grounded in being a human, and changing his path by suddenly trying to become something entirely different wasn’t on his to-do list.

Also… he really didn’t want to pick between alchemy and archery. He liked both.

Jake didn’t need to think anymore as he began his evolution.

All around him, the countless energies began swirling as they poured into him. He felt his body fill with strength, but he also felt himself… change. His entire body was being broken down and rebuilt from the inside, yet he didn’t experience any pain or discomfort. The only annoyance was his inability to move during the process.

Instinctively, he knew that he was undergoing a qualitative change. He felt some of his organs begin to disappear, perhaps no longer deemed necessary by the system, but he also felt that those that remained mattered less than before.

Even in E-grade, losing a vital organ didn’t result in instant death; it just meant that you needed a shitload of Vitality to regenerate it. From now on, even these vital organs would take fewer health points to restore and be overall less critical.

Even while choosing to stay human, I feel like I move further and further away from being so… Jake thought as he felt both his liver and spleen vanish. He knew from an objective standpoint that all these changes would only lead to him becoming stronger and more capable at fighting, but it still rubbed a small part of him the wrong way.

Outwardly, his changes were minimal. He grew only a few centimeters while the features on his face were ironed out a bit, moving him from his E-grade evolution’s slightly-above-average-but-still-very-normal-looking to the deemed-handsome-by-most category.

Jake himself didn’t really desire any significant changes to his body. However, subconsciously, he still had an idea like every other human about how they could look slightly better. It was natural, non-magical evolution to desire to be viewed as more outwardly appealing, especially as a primarily social species, even if he was a rather antisocial member of that species.

He decided to take one final look at his status page as he waited for his body to stop changing.

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

Race: [Human (E) – lvl 99]

Class: [Ambitious Hunter – lvl 99]

Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – lvl 99]

Health Points (HP): 13860/13860

Mana Points (MP): 16475/16475

Stamina: 10150/10150

Stats

Strength: 876

Agility: 1194

Endurance: 1015

Vitality: 1386

Toughness: 882

Wisdom: 1318

Intelligence: 815

Perception: 2637

Willpower: 982

Free Points: 0

Titles: [Forerunner of the New World], [Bloodline Patriarch], [Holder of a Primordial’s True Blessing], [Dungeoneer V], [Dungeon Pioneer V], [Legendary Prodigy], [Prodigious Slayer of the Mighty], [Kingslayer], [Nobility: Earl], [Progenitor of the 93rd Universe], [Prodigious Arcanist]

Class Skills: [Basic One-Handed Weapons (Inferior)], [Advanced Stealth (Common)], [Basic Twin-Fang Style (Uncommon)], [Basic Shadow Vault of Umbra (Uncommon)], [Splitting Arrow (Uncommon)], [Hunter’s Tracking (Uncommon)], [Big Game Hunter (Rare)], [Mark of the Ambitious Hunter (Rare)], [Archery of Vast Horizons (Rare)] [Descending Dark Fang (Rare)], [Limit Break (Rare)], [Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter (Epic)], [Arcane Powershot (Epic)], [One Step Mile (Ancient)], [Moment of the Primal Hunter (Legendary)], [Gaze of the Apex Hunter (Legendary)]

Profession Skills: [Herbology (Common)], [Brew Potion (Common)], [Alchemist’s Purification (Common)], [Alchemical Flame (Common)], [Toxicology (Uncommon)], [Cultivate Toxin (Uncommon)], [Concoct Poison (Uncommon)], [Malefic Viper’s Poison (Rare)], [Scales of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Palate of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Blood of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Sagacity of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Wings of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Pride of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Fangs of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Sense of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Touch of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)]

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

Race Skills: [Endless Tongues of the Myriad Races (Unique)], [Identify (Common)], [Thoughtful Meditation (Uncommon)], [Shroud of the Primordial (Divine)]

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

Jake felt a weird sense of pride as he read it all over. Pride in the progress he had made since he last found himself inside this void all the way back in the Challenge Dungeon, shortly after meeting Villy for the first time. He had come a long way… and now his third evolution was approaching its completion, and he would step into D-grade, formally entering what was referred to as the “mid-tier” grades.

The infusion and changes to his body soon came to an end, and that was the exact moment a part of him stirred. He felt a heartbeat as the surrounding energy appeared to have a second wind, pouring into him again, right toward that weird, metaphysical area around his heart where he knew his Bloodline and the drop of blood from the Malefic Viper resided. To his surprise, a slight sliver of energy also entered his mask, but he didn’t really think further on it as he got a notification.

*Bloodline Ability Evolved*

The evolution has stirred your Bloodline, allowing it to evolve along with you.

*Bloodline Ability Upgraded*: [Bloodline of the Primal Hunter (Bloodline Ability - Unique)] – Dormant power lies in the very essence of your being. A unique, innate ability awakened in the Bloodline of Jake Thayne. Grants the Sphere of Perception. Grants an improved sense of danger. Enhances all instincts and intuition. +20% to Perception.

This was the third time it had upgraded, and like all the other times, he didn’t really take notice of any changes besides the increase to his Perception, which had gone from +15% to +20%. He did feel like his sphere expanded a bit, but he couldn’t really tell, floating in a mana-filled void and all. Space was a bit distorted, throwing him off.

With his Bloodline upgraded, he also saw the level-up had finally come.

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (D)] has reached level 100 - Stat points allocated, +15 Free Points*

Along with that came a title… one Jake felt before he read. He felt warmth overflow as he experienced what could only be described as a massive influx of power. What he had felt after killing the King of the Forest was nothing compared to this… and this was the moment it truly became clear to him how large the gap between E- and D-grade was. Because, unlike other evolutions, this one came with what he had theorized monsters and beasts had a long time ago—a large, one-time stat increase.

Title earned: [The Perfect Evolution (D)]

[The Perfect Evolution (D)] – You have undergone a perfect evolution to become a D-grade human. +220 all stats.

A title so simple yet so damn powerful, it was ridiculous. Jake felt—and was—stronger than ever before. He couldn’t help but re-check the quest to see what he would have ended up with if he hadn’t completed the Perfect Evolution quest.

[Evolution (D)] – You have undergone evolution to become a D-grade human. +200 all stats.

Jake read it and nodded internally. It wasn’t that big a loss if one didn’t get the extra 20 to all stats, but it wasn’t something he had wanted to miss out on either, especially when he saw that these stats were indeed affected by his percentage amplifiers.

He also couldn’t resist looking at his stats page, comparing it to his pre-evolution state.

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

Race: [Human (D) – lvl 100]

Class: [Ambitious Hunter – lvl 99]

Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – lvl 99]

Health Points (HP): 13860/17590

Mana Points (MP): 20850/20850

Stamina: 13430/13430

Stats

Strength: 1204

Agility: 1521

Endurance: 1343

Vitality: 1759

Toughness: 1210

Wisdom: 1668

Intelligence: 1143

Perception: 3092

Willpower: 1332

Free Points: 15

Needless to say, all the stats had experienced a massive increase. Significantly, Jake’s Perception and Vitality had grown a lot, as he had 65% amplification on those, followed by Willpower and Wisdom, which both had a 55% increase. The rest of his stats were still gaining 45% extra, meaning that he’d ultimately earned over 50% more total stats from the evolution than someone without any stat amplifiers. It felt unfair on many levels… but Jake knew other powerhouses also had many titles and stat amplifiers. They had to.

After Jake was done admiring his awesome stats, he went on to the last notification—a new skill. Humans really didn’t get many race skills, though the few they got tended to be very useful… but he was a bit unsure about this one.

*Race Skill gained*: [Legacy of Man (Unique)] – The human race has been around since the very first Era, and has stood on the pinnacle from the beginning. This is not simply due to extraordinary individuals in your midst, but your ability to stand on the shoulders of your ancestors and pass down Records. While each human’s lifespan may be short, your race’s collective knowledge is perennial, and through generations, humanity will prevail. Allows you to far more effectively pass down Records and makes anyone you teach far more likely to unlock new paths.

Jake didn’t have much interest in teaching others. Not at all. But from an objective standpoint, he could see how useful the skill was. It also made sense to only gain it at D-grade, as chances were the person wouldn’t have anything worth passing on before then.

He had considered maybe teaching someone a bit of alchemy to make potion production a thing, but also to have others know about herbs to help him gather materials. So perhaps the skill could be helpful for that. Besides that, the only exciting thing about it was the unique rarity. Well, it was a bit weird to call it unique when every single D-grade human had it, especially considering that humans were the most numerous race of the multiverse… but he guessed it was because the skill was unique to the human race.

The next few minutes were spent with Jake just considering things to do in the future and contemplating if he should level and evolve his class or profession first. He saw that with this evolution, he had lost the option to instantly begin evolving his class at any moment, meaning he most likely had to go kill a few things to get a bit more experience. Or maybe he would get the option back once he was out of this weird space? So many things to think about while impatiently floating in the void, waiting to be transported back to the real world.

Finally, he felt that he was about to return. His intuition made him aware of the subtle shift in the energy around him. His vision turned black for a fraction of a second before he found himself back in the lodge and—

“Argh!” Jake knelt down on the floor the moment he appeared, grasping his head as information flooded into him. Not from the system or any skill, but from the overwhelming stimuli from something he thought he had gotten used to—his Sphere of Perception.

Chapter 59

Expanding in Scope

Jake’s Bloodline had been with him from the very first day of the system; heck, it had since his birth. It had saved his life more times than he could remember and been the catalyst that made his rise to power possible. But one had to remember that while a Bloodline could most certainly be helpful, it wasn’t always.

It wasn’t a skill, and it wasn’t regulated and controlled by the omnipotent system to make sure it wouldn’t cause unnecessary harm to the user. Even the skills that could do so carried warnings, such as Jake’s own Limit Break.

So when Jake appeared back in his lodge, nothing was stopping his Sphere of Perception from feeding him everything within its influence—nothing but Jake and the other aspects of his Bloodline.

Its range had expanded manifold after his evolution. Before D-grade, it’d had a radius of around thirty meters, but it was now north of two hundred meters. He saw the entire valley and its surroundings; he saw beneath the earth to a small cave-system running approximately one hundred and forty meters below him. This, and so much more.

All of these stimuli drilled themselves into his mind, and he felt sick to his stomach from the sensory overload. It was far too much for him to handle, and his mind simply couldn’t filter through it all. In the void where he’d evolved, his sphere had already expanded, but as it didn’t really see anything, he hadn’t taken notice of it.

Jake grit his teeth as he tried to comprehend everything and control his sphere. Even when it had been only thirty meters, it had been a bit much for him at times, and he’d rarely taken notice of everything at once. But now, after it had evolved, he had lost control of it.

He knew this was a horrible development, and he was utterly paralyzed as he tried to get his head under control. The first thing he did was enter meditation to cut off all his non-Bloodline-related senses. He had long ago figured out how to make his sphere way more “passive” during meditation, and he tried to replicate that once more.

It helped a bit, but the influx of information was just too much. It was like a thousand pictures flashed before Jake’s eyes at every moment in a nauseating fashion. To make it worse, every small, swaying blade of grass or rustle of a leaf was picked up double, as he had trained himself and his sphere to take extra notice of movement before this evolution—a decision that had now come back to bite him in the ass.

Jake knew the pain he was experiencing wasn’t really in his head but in his soul. If it weren’t, he would have already plunged a dagger into his brain to make it stop and wait for his head to regenerate, but this wasn’t that kind of pain. He did everything he could to try and filter through everything, but it was slow.

There was one saving grace, however. Ever so slowly, he began adapting by subconsciously filtering out the useless information in his head, and he knew that his own instinct of self-preservation had kicked in—without a doubt the most prominent and influential part of his Bloodline.

Like when he was meditating, he stopped picking up everything in favor of the most important. Smaller movements were filtered out, and gradually, his headache lessened and he became able to get at least a semblance of bearings.

It still took him over an hour before he got up and stood wobbling on the floor. He… hadn’t expected the effects to be so extreme, even if a part of him had hoped for the Bloodline to improve. Jake stood within his lodge as he closed his eyes and tried to focus a bit on the sphere again, and he felt a lot better about it already.

Perception skills were standard for most combat classes, and even the ones that allowed some kind of spherical vision weren’t that rare. In fact, Jake was beginning to suspect that the system hadn’t offered him any from his class due to his Bloodline, but that was a theory of his because he would sure as hell take one just to see how his Bloodline would affect it.

Not that he needed a better sphere… because it was honestly just insane. When he closed his eyes, he could see everything in a two-hundred-meter radius around him. Perhaps a bit longer if he focused on perceiving something in a specific direction.

I guess I’ll be pretty hard to sneak up on… even more than before, he internally joked as he rubbed his temple, still feeling the remnants of a killer headache.

He took a seat in a chair as he relaxed his mind and got a good feel of his body for the first time. He was overflowing with strength, but he also felt different on a qualitative level. It was like every single stat point mattered slightly more after his body had been reforged. He would compare it to having a hidden bonus increasing the effectiveness of all his stats, but by how much, he didn’t know—all he knew was that after the evolution, he felt nearly twice as strong overall… maybe even more. If Jake had to hypothesize, then those 200 to 220 in all stats from the title were just to set some kind of baseline of stats, even for those with weak classes and professions.

Jake was confident the evolution’s effects would be more prominent in someone without his titles and high stats before evolving, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a humongous gain for him.

Shaking his head, he returned to inspecting his body a bit more in depth. His internals were still the same for the most part, with blood pumping through his veins and his heart beating in his chest… but he also got the feeling that a lot of it was for show. Many organs were gone and replaced with muscle or other fleshy things, but that didn’t mean everything that remained was vital.

The brain was still essential, he could feel, but the rest was just… there. He felt like he could punch just as hard even if every single muscle in his arm were gone, although it would expend a lot more stamina and likely even damage him to do so.

It wasn’t entirely new, as he had been able to bypass many common physical barriers before. He had moved with broken bones, and even with a large part of his brain missing, he had been able to escape from the Indigo Fungus. At least half of his spine had been missing back then, meaning he should have been paralyzed… he just wasn’t. It was a weakness of the human body already removed at E-grade. Now, more such physical imperfections had been removed.

Jake was beginning to suspect that by C-grade or maybe B-grade, the body would be entirely for show, and he would be able to regenerate as long as just the smallest part of his body remained—assuming he had the health points, of course. Maybe he could even stay alive without his body as long as his metaphysical soul existed.

Exiting the depths of his own thoughts, he got up and finally did a bit of stretching, making his increasingly useless muscles flex. He opened his hand and closed it a few times, feeling the power in it. If he had met himself a day ago… it would be a slaughter.

D-grade was truly a divide.

He exited his lodge and instantly saw only Sylphie sitting there and looking at him from on top of one of the trees. Sylphie flew down—yes, flew—and landed on his shoulder. Well, it was more gliding, but with a bit of wind magic, it was practically the same thing. He had been afraid the small hawk would be wary of him, but she just seemed happy that he had finally come out.

Jake rubbed the small bird, making her happy, then remembered something quite important. He remembered the strangeness of the mask during the evolution. How it had stayed on him in that weird realm, and how it had even absorbed some energy.

A part of him hoped it had evolved with him or something, but it didn’t give him any more stat points. It did keep giving 25% mana, which was great, as he knew some of these percentage amplifiers could get weaker after evolving.

After taking off the mask, he used Identify on it and didn’t immediately notice anything off… but there was something.

[Mask of the Fallen King (Legendary)] – A mask born from the Records of the one once known as the King of the Forest; a mighty Unique Lifeform that died just as its path began. The mask is made of a wood-like material unique to the lifeform it comes from. Does not obstruct vision when worn and regenerates itself from any damage taken. A Fallen King slumbers within.

Enchantments: Living Wood. Passively absorbs mana in the atmosphere, increasing mana recovery rate by a large amount. Increases maximum mana by 25%.

Requirements: Soulbound.

A Fallen King slumbers within… Jake thought, rechecking it a few times. Five words had been added that held a lot of meaning, and Jake’s intuition practically screamed at him that this wasn’t something he could just ignore.

Because what they implied wasn’t simple. Perhaps the King of the Forest wasn’t truly dead.

Jake smiled as he looked up into the sky, shaking his head. It was fine… Even if the King returned or the Unique Lifeform within the mask tried taking over his mind or something… he would be ready. It wasn’t like he was going to be idle as the little King awakened.

He had two other evolutions to get to, after all.

“There is no shame in reaching your limits; we will all encounter that insurmountable wall one day,” Jacob said as he placed his hand on the shoulder of the man who sat with tears in his eyes at a large forge.

The older-looking man turned red in the face. “I just don’t understand… I try my best every day, I use the best materials I can find, but I just get nowhere! What am I doing wrong!?”

Jacob looked at the smith and understood his reluctance. To come to terms with your own shortcomings was difficult. The man had appeared like a promising smith, having worked in the profession before the system, and had quickly leveled up in his tutorial and afterward.

But… after reaching level 60 in his profession, he had begun slowing down, and now he had been stuck at 68 for three weeks. Jacob knew the man had reached the end of his potential, and he needed to do something drastic to break through his barrier… but he hadn’t.

He said he had done his best, but the issue was that he needed to do better than his best. His forty years of experience before the system had brought him to his current level, but without developing further, he would be forever stuck where he was.

“Sometimes it isn’t a question of what one does right or wrong; things just are as they are. You talk as if your creations have gotten worse, as if you are no longer the smith you once were… but you are. Without you, how many people would still lack a roof over their heads? How many families would still feel unsafe without you helping build the wall? You have done so many things for us already. You don’t need to push yourself to be better all the time; you are fine just as you are.” Jacob said this comfortingly, his many skills on full display, affecting the man in ways both he and Jacob weren’t fully aware of.

“I… But why can’t I go further? What am I lacking?” the smith asked, still hoping to understand.

“You need a catalyst to bring about change, one you can only hope and strive for, but never expect. You will need to risk a part of yourself to achieve more. You will need sacrifice… but is that truly what you want? There are more ways to progress than simple levels, my friend.” The man motioned for him to elaborate, so he did.

“Instead of looking only at yourself, look toward the collective. You may be unable to gain a level yourself, but are you unable to make others gain strength? You have knowledge and expertise that would be priceless to countless aspiring smiths. This isn’t to say your own craftsmanship isn’t needed anymore. Weapons will always be in demand, the city will keep expanding for a long time to come, and it isn’t like your commissions have reduced over these last few weeks, have they?”

The smith looked at Jacob, still a bit unsure, before finally nodding. “Things have been as usual… and I guess I have been hammering away for a while… Maybe it’s fine to begin looking toward the next generation; those young ones could use someone more experienced to teach ‘em.” He spoke with a bit of defeat in his voice, but also with newfound confidence.

“And I am more than certain they would welcome you with open arms to do so,” Jacob said before bowing to the man and turning to the door. “If you ever feel troubled, just come by the church. I am sure either I or another will be able to help you, and once more, thank you for all you have done for Sanctdomo.”

“No, thanks to you, Augur,” the man said as he returned the bow, looking quite a bit more at peace than when Jacob had first come.

The Augur walked out and was greeted by a few guards who all bowed toward him. They used the word “guard,” but they were more of a police force than anything else. Then again, thinking about it, weren’t guards of old just simplified police?

As he walked through the cobblestone streets and observed the city, he took in the atmosphere and enjoyed the progress they had made over the last few months. After taking down the guarding D-grade, Jacob had claimed the Pylon and gained the Pioneering City Lord of Earth that awarded 16 Free Points a level. A reward for being one of the first ten to claim a Pylon on their planet.

That small Pylon had served as the fundament of the city they had ended up naming Sanctdomo—a fusion of the words “holy” and “home” in Latin. Jacob served as both the nominal and spiritual leader of the city, though he did have many assistants for both roles.

It wasn’t easy leading a city with nearly twenty million citizens, after all.

If Jacob had to take a guess, then Sanctdomo was the largest city currently on Earth, and it was still expanding by the day. All those who had been blessed by gods from the Holy Pantheon had led their followers toward this city and brought along any they could on the way. There were even cases of those blessed by other gods giving way or following along, swearing allegiance. It was truly a testament to the size and influence of the Holy Church in the multiverse as a whole.

The massive growth of the city had naturally also resulted in enormous growth for himself. His profession and class worked in tandem quite well, which had resulted in him leveling quite fast… and being the first D-grade human of the city, if not Earth as a whole.

Not that Jacob saw it as any massive accomplishment himself… It was just his fate to grow as he did. He had even gone for the Perfect Evolution when his class and profession reached 99 at nearly the same time, and now his class had already reached 105, just over a month after he’d evolved.

*’DING!’ Class: [Augur of Hope] has reached level 105 - Stat points allocated, +24 Free Points*

Jacob’s class wasn’t the type to evolve like others. Instead, it would stay the same in name and function until the day of his fated death. There was no Grand Augur of Hope or Saint Augur of Hope or anything like that. An Augur of Hope was simply an Augur of Hope. He wasn’t even able to choose another evolution. The day he became an Augur, he’d cut off all those paths to himself.

Not that he complained. While the class carried many limitations, none of them felt like such to him. Jacob did not want to fight, so his inability to do so was no handicap in his book. The stats were also as insane as before, providing him 24 in Vitality, Willpower, Wisdom, and Free Points—a total of 96, which was just 4 below the “absolute limit” he had read about.

As for his race, he had, of course, just become a D-grade human. An evolution to a different race for humans was notoriously tricky, and it wasn’t even like it was necessarily better. Just different. But there was one place he did have a choice: with his profession.

And there, he had been offered just another straight upgrade to his profession.

*’DING!’ Profession: [Pioneering City Lord of Earth] has reached level 103 - +50 Free Points*

Jacob did not feel demotivated, however. Due to the overlap of his Augur and City Lord roles, much of the experience he earned was split between them, and it also meant that the Records he relied on to evolve were shared. To gain both a supreme class and profession was difficult unless both paths were sufficiently different, such as a warrior with a smithing profession—or a hunter with an alchemy profession.

Of course, it would take far longer to level both, and the individual would have to be multitalented.

“Augur,” a woman said, bowing to him as he walked by. This finally threw him out of his stupor. It was one of the cathedral guards protecting the city’s central building: the Holy Cathedral. She looked at him with fervor in her eyes, but Jacob just nodded in recognition as he walked through the massive gates.

He soon found himself within a large hall. Inside was a circular table with over a dozen men and women already sitting. Jacob was the last to arrive, as the smith had delayed him, yet none dared to speak up. He was the leader, after all.

He walked in and quickly took his seat in the high chair, Bertram already standing beside it.

[Human – lvl 76]

Jacob drew their attention by stating, “Let the meeting begin.”

Chapter 60

Keep Things Simple

“The new housing complex in the western district is nearing completion, but we have run into a shortage of stone,” the manager of the western district said. “A few builders are attempting to reinforce regular stone to make it useable, while several alchemists are working on transmuting soil into solid rock.”

“Sadly, the southern district has run into the same issues, and we are working on similar solutions,” the manager of the southern district said with a bit of doubt. “If the expansion continues like this…”

“We cannot turn away those who come here seeking refuge, and we must keep expanding,” one of the three cardinals of the Holy Church said. “We must hammer while the iron is hot and make sure we have a solid foundation for the future, so we must endure!”

Jacob just sat back in his chair, taking it all in while drinking some tea. Sanctdomo was a holy city, but that didn’t mean it was entirely run by the Holy Church. They were very much highest on the hierarchy, but Jacob also believed that more mundane leadership was necessary to make a city work. This was why some of the district managers had turned out to be less religious than many from the Church would prefer, but Jacob didn’t care. They were dedicated on their paths to leading the city to greatness, and that was the most important.

He finally opened his mouth, all of them looking to him to solve their dispute. “Hidden away in between the two southmost mountains is a vast valley. Elementals and beasts dominate it, but a cavern shall be found, and a natural dungeon discovered once slain. It should only be braved by those above 50 in their race or 70 in class. Within this dungeon, we will find the solution to our struggle.”

All the people around the table looked at the Augur and nodded eagerly. “Truly?” the manager of the western district said. “In that case, we should send some of our parties there to secure the area… We should also make sure each dungeon group has at least one builder with a storage skill.”

“I believe you will all see to it…” Jacob said. “Now let us move on to the main topic at hand: the World Congress will soon commence. The Undeads are expanding far to the east of us, with the Court of Shadows even further in that direction. They should not be an issue for now, as long as we keep our guard up. Several other factions have also been building themselves up, and I believe we have made contact with a few of them already.”

“Indeed,” another of the cardinals said. “After securing the third Pylon, we have made contact with a collective of smaller factions who have banded together to claim one, and negotiations are going well there. But… toward the south…”

The cardinal hesitated to speak, so Jacob gladly put down his teacup and took over. “In all due time. When the World Congress arrives, all things will become far clearer. To all of us. For now, just try not to antagonize the Sword Saint more than necessary.” There was a clear warning in his voice.

The Sword Saint was no easy opponent, and his faction was powerful too. Jacob was unsure if they were related to a larger faction of the multiverse, but he had his doubts for some reason. The Holy Pantheon had not granted him any knowledge about them as they did with most other factions. It was mainly simple information they gave, as rules or perhaps just an agreement of sorts stopped them from sharing more… but he had expected to at least hear something based on the size of the faction.

They had claimed at least two, possibly three, Pylons already, and they were truly a force to be reckoned with. Especially their leader was dangerous… He was a man that could face down D-grades alone without evolving, and from the last report, he was close to that evolution.

To make it all the more perplexing… Jacob’s divinations failed when he tried to peer into the fate of the Sword Saint. That in itself wasn’t unnatural; he couldn’t peek into the river of the destiny of many powerhouses or faction leaders due to their legacies or blessings… but it was precisely due to these things he couldn’t.

The Sword Saint was impossible to divine by his own power. Something that made Jacob very wary of him.

“Any movement from that small settlement to the north?” the northern manager asked, making Jacob zone back into the conversation again. Because he knew what settlement they were speaking of. He decided just to drink some tea and listen in, as he quite honestly was interested in hearing what his old colleague was up to.

“A scouting party returned, and it seems to be expanding a bit these days, but in no way enough to be a threat… at least not by size,” a representative of the military said. “It’s called Haven and is led by a woman called Miranda Wells, who seems competent, but it is a bit early to tell. However, there are rumors of a city guardian or owner who actually runs it behind the scenes, one who even has several D-grade beasts under his command. There are rumors this Miranda Wells is the mistress of this city owner and is—”

“Pfft!” Jacob nearly spewed out his tea, getting the attention of everyone. “No, no, sorry, please continue, I am just getting used to the changes after D-grade, that’s all!” Flustered, he leaned back in his chair as much as he could, Bertram barely able to hold back a smile at his side.

Jake with a mistress? Would he? Well, it would be good for him, I guess. But… for some reason, I just can’t see it happening. Unless she is the aggressive type, that is. Yeah, Jake has no resistance to that at all, Jacob thought, completely ignoring half the report about Haven. What was said next did bring his head back to the talk, though.

“With their small size, shouldn’t we just bring them under our wing? It’s the closest Pylon to ours, and I doubt we would meet much resistance considering our more prominent size and relative pow—”

“No, leave them be, and do not antagonize Haven,” Jacob said, not leaving anything up to discussion.

They all just threw a look his way, nodded, and moved on to another topic. All of them had learned long ago that arguing with the Augur was a lost cause. It didn’t make much sense trying to use logic or reason against someone who could see the future and peer into fate, after all.

Jacob looked on as a large 3D map of the planet was opened up, though only one area was actually marked on it—the landmass they were currently on.

Not even the gods were fully aware of Earth’s post-system geography, but the city had begun getting a good idea over the last few months. It helped that new citizens came in from far and wide, having thousands with scouting skills and even a few hundred people working full-time with map-making skills on top of that.

What they had learned was that humanity was not spread out all over the planet, as many had believed, but was instead gathered in relatively close proximity. Sure, the distance had increased significantly, and they were spread out over an area larger than Earth was before… but with the planet now around the size of the Sun before the system, that was still only a tiny area.

There were still thousands upon thousands of kilometers separating each Pylon, but travel had also gotten significantly faster. While moving a large number of people was still hard, a single powerhouse or powerful party could travel far in just a single day. This meant that Sanctdomo had managed to make contact with many larger factions Jacob had become aware of through his divinations already. Some significant forces were still too far away, but he believed they would reach them one day.

The Sword Saint was still too far away to scout out directly. Hence, all their knowledge came from seers with the ability to look over vast distances, divinations, or other skills, allowing them to get a general idea of their movements.

But ultimately, all of this was just the preliminary stages and a way to make connections with other factions for the big events to come

Soon… Jacob thought. Soon the 100th shall be claimed, and the Congress will commence.

Heads.

He flipped the coin, and it landed on heads. He picked it up, and before he even flipped it, he knew. Heads again.

It landed on heads.

Tails.

Tails.

Jake was currently experiencing quite a major crisis. The method that had been used by countless people to flawlessly choose between two equally attractive options was now failing him. He looked down at the small coin with contempt as he picked it up again, but before he even flipped it, he knew… Heads…

And, of course, it was heads.

Thinking back… he hadn’t actually tried flipping a coin since the integration, and he was quite happy when he finally got one, as he used to love using them to make decisions. Takeout or cook himself? Flip a coin. Two movies running, and he wanted to see both equally? Flip a coin.

But now his accursed Bloodline made that unable to work… because he knew where it would land moments before he flipped it. It made the entire thing pointless, as it wasn’t random anymore…

As for the decision he was trying to make? Well, it wasn’t really anything important, just the question of evolving his class or profession first. Jake could imagine that was a very important decision to most denizens of the multiverse, but it honestly didn’t matter to him.

He would get both evolved anyway. Getting good or bad options wasn’t really in his control anymore either… Sure, he could choose not to evolve both until he was done spending years improving his skills, but who the hell had the patience for that?

He had only evolved a few hours ago and hadn’t left his valley during that time, only spending a bit of the time with the birds. He couldn’t help but use his sphere to Identify the small hawk sitting in one of the chairs, observing him as he kept flipping the coin.

[Sylphian Eyas – lvl 27]

She had finally broken into “E-grade,” even if it hadn’t really come with any changes. Jake had a feeling that Sylphie wasn’t actually E-grade and hadn’t been F-grade either… She’d been born at D-grade. She hadn’t undergone any evolutions at the usual times but had just kept growing naturally.

He was a bit sad about Hawkie and Mystie not being around, as he would’ve loved to finally be able to Identify them… but that could wait. For now, he had a decision to make, so he asked the only other… person… in the room.

“So, class or profession first?” he asked the hawk, which just looked up at him in confusion. Jake understood and changed the question. “Better fight or better drinks?”

“Ree!”

“Fight it is,” Jake agreed, not entirely sure what Sylphie actually wanted. He just knew that whenever he flipped the coin… he always hoped it would land on the side to upgrade his class. While he genuinely loved doing alchemy, nothing could ever truly compare to fighting a strong foe in a life-and-death battle.

The thing was… he didn’t even need to do anything. The option was already there, right in front of him. He had gained plenty of class experience to get the evolution options; he had just suppressed it to evolve his race first. If he wanted to evolve his profession, he would need to do some alchemy first. He couldn’t select to evolve it while in that weird evolution space, but the option was back once outside.

Jake was about to accept the prompt to evolve… yet in the final moment, he hesitated. Have I really done enough? he asked himself. Couldn’t he have upgraded more skills? Maybe he should try and use his arcane affinity to upgrade his Splitting Arrow and some of his other skills…

His hesitation and his stupid coin-flipping had just been him making excuses to himself.

He did know that the Viper said it would be a waste, but a small part of him was still filled with doubt. He had just rushed into evolution at E-grade and gained the Ambitious Hunter class. Sure, the class had been good enough, but after researching more on different classes and discovering how good they could actually get, he did feel a tinge of regret.

What if he had postponed his evolution back then, entered the inner zone of the tutorial, and hunted down a few beasts above level 50? While it would undoubtedly have been difficult, Jake did believe that he could have done it by dragging out the fight and relying on his poison.

Back then, he’d at least had the excuse of being under time pressure. He wasn’t as pressured now, not even close. So he asked himself again, Have I really done enough?

But… would he ever feel like it was enough? There was always more to be done, another skill to upgrade, another magic technique to learn, and a stronger beast to slay. With his logic, he would never get there, so he returned to the logic that had gotten him where he was now, even if it had brought trouble with it too.

“Make things simple… and take the complications as they come,” he said aloud as he stopped hesitating and was greeted by the prompt.

*Class Evolution Requirements Met*

Your journey continues, as your ambition has taken you far. You have hunted beasts far more powerful than could ever be expected, and you have proven yourself a true hunter. While you have chosen a bow as your weapon, you have also shown immense promise in the realm of magic, not shying away from experimenting and expanding your combat tactics. All of your powers are tied together by your instincts and your simple, primal path.

May you find worthy prey, Primal Hunter.

Begin Evolution now?

Y/N

WARNING: Postponing evolution for too long may have adverse effects, and no further class experience can be earned before evolution is completed.

He smiled as he read the small message and agreed, officially beginning his class evolution.

Chapter 61

D-grade Class Selection

As he accepted the evolution, he was instantly greeted by five options—the maximum. This was, of course, expected, as he had done plenty of things to warrant them. He had hunted down powerful foes and even slain the King of the Forest… even if his mask now carried an ominous message.

His confidence was growing, and he did the same as always by going through the options one by one, the first of which was a direct upgrade to his Ambitious Hunter class.

Avaricious Hunter – A direct upgrade to the Ambitious Hunter class. Your ambition to always face a stronger foe has turned to avarice as you seek stronger and stronger challenges, your desire for danger on your journey only growing. A class focused on ranged combat, mainly using bow and arrow, coupled with light options for melee such as shortswords and daggers. The class is fast and flexible, focusing on Agility over Strength. You persist on this precarious path, yet your resolve is strong, and your hunger for challenges persists. Just beware that your avarice does not consume you. Stat bonuses per level: +18 Per, +16 Agi, +12 End, +12 Str, +10 Free Points.

After Jake was done reading it—especially the stat gains—he was taken aback. As he had read, stats given for D-grade classes and professions would more or less tripled, so why did the direct upgrade to Ambitious Hunter give way more than triple stats? It gave him 18 total, while this one gave 68 total… If the math of tripling was true, shouldn’t it only give 54?

It wasn’t that he thought the class sounded bad; in fact, he thought it was awesome. Sure, the whole thing about being consumed by your own avarice and all that was a bit on the darker side, but it did kind of fit him. Deciding to fight the King had been nothing more than avarice, and his impatience to face bigger challenges was bordering on—if not already—pretty damn sinful.

This made him think… he knew classes that had drawbacks offered more stats due to their drawbacks, but didn’t this one also have flaws? He had theorized from reading Jacob’s booklet and a bit of independent research that his Ambitious Hunter had likely suffered from an innate experience penalty from fighting equal or lower-leveled foes. This seemed even more likely to have drawbacks like that.

Well, he called it drawbacks, but ultimately, it wasn’t anything that would affect him. Who would want to battle enemies weaker than yourself all the time? What was even the point of that? That just sounded boring as hell, even if it was a lot safer—which made sense, as being safe automatically made it boring in his mind.

In conclusion… great class, but only the first on the list of five, each option being higher “tiered” than the last. So with great expectations, Jake moved on to the second option—one directly rewarding his mana practice.

Prestigious Arcane Mage – A prodigy at magic, you have now begun forging your own path as you delve into the arcane. You are a prestigious figure in any circle of mages—a true caster worthy of respect. The Prestigious Arcane Mage is a class focused on magical combat—more accurately, your own arcane mana built around the concepts of power, purity, and raw simplicity. The class is powerful and highly focused on magical combat, offering no physical stats. Your one-sided focus on magic shall be as pure as your arcane mana. May your path stay pure, your foundation stable, and your enemies destroyed as the power of your arcane descends. Stat bonuses per level: +18 Int, +15 Per +14 Wis, 14+ Will, +12 Free Points. WARNING: Skills pertaining to the Ambitious Hunter class may be lost or changed upon becoming a Prestigious Arcane Mage

If Avaricious Hunter was purely a physical combat class, this would be a purely magical combat class. Extra emphasis on the pure, as that was what his arcane mana was all about. The stat points were great and truly emphasized that having an arcane affinity at E-grade was extraordinary, providing 73 per level total—5 more than the Avaricious Hunter one.

While Jake would normally spend a lot of time going over pros and cons… Jake knew he wasn’t a mage. Okay, maybe a part-time mage, but before a mage, he was a hunter. Heck, it was in his Bloodline. Did being an arcane-slinging badass sound cool, and did he enjoy his time summoning bolts and obliterating cloud elementals? Sure, but he still liked bows more.

It was also the only one that would result in lost or changed skills. Screw that; Jake liked those skills.

So he moved on to the next one… which was instantly quite a bump from the one below it.

Bestial Alpha Hunter – You stand before the beasts like their kin and show yourself the alpha. You do not need the finesse and techniques developed by the enlightened ones but are more than happy to rely on your instincts. A class focused primarily on melee combat, you prefers to use basic weaponry such as bows and the occasional dagger—if any weapon at all—relying on your high Perception and reaction times to dominate the battle. Yet your desire does not end at simple dominating your peers; you want to stand at the apex. Your power shall grow as you stand before those more powerful than yourself like a beast adapting to its environment. Be careful not to lose that which makes you human. Stat bonuses per level: +15 Per, +13 Str, +13 Agi, +10 End, +10 Vit, +10 Tough, +12 Free Points.

Jake had to admit… this one sounded very metal, and if his Bloodline had a dedicated class, this would be it without a doubt—short of having one just called the Primal Hunter, of course. The name was also fantastic and most certainly appealed to a more childish part of him. Who doesn’t like to be called an Alpha Hunter?

The stats provided were an entire tier ahead of the two prior offered classes, giving an insane 83 stat points total per level, putting it firmly in the absolute upper echelon of classes available. This was a top-tier class, no way around it, but it was also a bit—how can one say it? —special.

All of the stats were physical. This wasn’t surprising, as the classes kind of called Jake stupid in the nicest way possible. It more or less told him that he had thrown away being smart and using proper tactics and weapons, relying nearly solely on his instincts instead, and just because it was true didn’t mean it was right.

Upon reading it, the first thing that struck him was how much it would synergize with his Bloodline. The last time he picked a skill with “bestial” in it, it had upgraded straight from rare to legendary rarity. He had a feeling that feat could possibly repeat with quite a few skills offered by this class.

But the class also felt limited. It ignored Jake’s more magical talents and didn’t make use of his newly gained arcane affinity at all. Even worse, he was pretty damn sure it was a melee class, considering it mentioned how he didn’t even need to use a weapon. Jake really, really liked his bow, and while he could still use it, he didn’t want a class that wasn’t significantly linked to using one. It would feel… wrong.

All in all, awesome class, but Jake wanted something that would make more active use of his bowmanship and magic.

With all that in mind, he moved on to the second-to-last option.

Avaricious Arcane Hunter – Your path is pure, and your ambitions are ever-growing. You hunt for power through all the paths available to you, embracing any means that allow you to slay your foes, even embracing the arcane along your journey. Your perennial desire for progress has turned to avarice as you single-mindedly hunt down all those you wish to see dead. This class combines the pure path of the Hunter with the pure path of arcane magic, driven by the endless avarice inherent to your being. The bow is your chosen weapon, amplified with arcane magic, but you also retain your abilities to face enemies in close combat, making all foes despair at your powerful yet diverse methods of attack. You will find yourself more powerful than ever as you stand before those stronger than yourself, and by decree of your path, you shall come out victorious. Stay true to yourself, strive for the top, and you shall reach the apex or face death, consumed by your own avarice. Stat bonuses per level: +20 Per, +12 Agi, +12 Int, +10 Wis, +10 End, +6 Will, +6 Str, +10 Free Points.

See, now we’re cooking! Jake thought with a big smile as he read the class. While it sounded less extreme and fancy than the Alpha Bestial Hunter, it felt far stronger. It also provided 86 stat points per level in total. It was only 3 more, and they were far more spread out, but that was okay to him. His current stats were already very balanced—besides his ridiculously high Perception, that is—and this class provided the most Perception out of all of them, giving a massive 20 per level. Jake liked that a lot.

It was like a fusion between the first two classes, albeit heavily leaning toward the Hunter side, which he was totally fine with. It retained the whole theme about avarice; one could even argue it had been turned up a bit, but that also wasn’t an issue. In fact, he welcomed it. While he didn’t like the low stats from his E-grade class, he liked the skills it offered.

Big Game Hunter made him noticeably stronger when fighting foes at a higher level. Mark of the Ambitious Hunter increased his damage done, made him aware of where his foe was, and even gave extra experience. Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter was just straight-up awesome, and the survival instinct that turned into Moment of the Primal Hunter also came from the class, so it wasn’t like he couldn’t get those if he didn’t go with the Bestial Alpha Hunter class.

If Avaricious Hunter offered skills in the same vein as Ambitious Hunter, it would be great, so he was happy to retain that aspect of the class. The aspect of constantly wanting to fight stronger foes, even if it came with the possible penalty of receiving less or possibly no experience from equal or lower-leveled foes. Again, Jake didn’t really see that as a penalty.

To also have the class make use of his arcane affinity just made it all better. It would allow him to make better use of all his stats, especially the mental ones. Jake didn’t carry any delusions toward what kind of profession he would get, and as he wanted to remain an alchemist, it was certain he would receive plenty of magical stats from that.

Overall, the class was damn great, but there was one option left. It was a class Jake had kind of expected but was still a bit surprised to see at the bottom, indicating it was the one with the highest tier.

Hunter-Champion of the Malefic Viper – In the realm of mortals, you are the instrument to carry out the will of the Malefic One. As his champion, you use his Legacy as your base and wield poison and corruption as your weapons of choice. You do not care for your equipment as long as it allows you to deliver death upon your foes, and you find yourself adept in most combat styles, even if you prefer the bow to be the harbinger of the Malefic One’s foes. Your will and Wisdom shall become the cornerstone of your path as you slaughter all who dare stand before you or your desire to carry out the will of your Patron. His will is yours. For as his champion, your path is as much the Malefic One’s to define as it is yours to travel. May the will of the Malefic Viper be done. Stat bonuses per level: +18 Will, +18 Wis, +10 Vit, +10 End, +12 Free Points, +20 Contingent Points distributed through communion with your Patron.

There was a lot to unpack with this one, but before he even began his usual analysis, his answer to it was already clear: a resounding “fuck no.”

Jake knew the class was likely great, but it wasn’t what he was looking for. The stats offered weren’t what he wanted, and that part about Contingent Points just rubbed him the wrong way. He didn’t believe that Villy would actually make any decisions for Jake, but there was no fucking way he would ask every single time he had to distribute points.

Also, what if Villy didn’t agree to throw every single point into Perception? Jake didn’t want to have that discussion.

Compared to Avaricious Arcane Hunter, it only offered 2 more stat points per level, giving 88 total. This firmly placed the class in the absolute top tier, and Jake couldn’t help but wonder as he read it through… how much of it actually had to do with himself and not the Viper?

It barely mentioned Jake except for the Hunter-Champion part, but even that was still a bit generic. It was truly a class solely focused on being a mortal warrior for the Malefic Viper, and every single part of it emphasized that.

Jake wasn’t, and would never be, the Champion of the Malefic Viper. He would never be his warrior in the mortal realm, carrying out his bidding. Would he do a favor for Villy if he asked? Sure, that’s what friends do, but he didn’t want to be his employee—or worse, a mere tool. He was also certain Villy didn’t want that.

The fact that he would likely have been offered his class while barely doing anything emphasized that a True Blessing of a god, not to mention a Primordial, was kind of a big deal. It helped Jake sympathize with Miranda. From an outsider’s perspective, the whole thing about the blessing looked like a lot more than it actually was. Heck, based on what the Viper had said, it was more like an investment, and if Jake did enough great things, the Viper would get a return on his True Blessing and then some.

Jake shook his head as he turned his attention back to the class before this one: Avaricious Arcane Hunter.

While it gave marginally fewer stat points, it had nearly everything he wanted in a class. It also just vibed with him way more, and he liked it. Sure, it had a bit of negativity around it with the whole “don’t be consumed by avarice” thing, but hey, it could be worse, and dying in an epic battle with a superior foe didn’t sound like a bad way to go out.

Without hesitating anymore, he picked Avaricious Arcane Hunter.

*Congratulations, you have successfully evolved your Class*

*’DING!’ Class: [Avaricious Arcane Hunter] has reached level 100 - Stat points allocated, +10 Free Points*

Chapter 62

Avaricious Arcane Hunter

Jake momentarily basked in the feeling of his new class, even if it was only a few stat points gained. But as with the last class upgrade, it came with a bit more than a few stats and a fancy new notification for every new level.

It came with skills. Well, the first of which wasn’t really a skill but an upgrade to an existing one.

[Big Game Hunter (Rare)] – A true hunter seeks not the easy prey but a true challenge. Having hunted bigger and stronger prey than most, the Ambitious Hunter has become more accustomed to facing higher-level enemies. Increases the user’s resistance to auras and gives a small increase to Strength and Agility while facing enemies above your highest class or race level. The bonus is based on the disparity between the level of your prey and you. Limit of 1.25x your level or 50 levels, whichever is highest. May your hunt be fruitful, and your ambitions reached.

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[Big Game Arcane Hunter (Epic)] – A true hunter seeks not the easy prey but a true challenge. Your hunt has taken you further than ever before as your methods improve, and you have embraced the arcane. The Avaricious Arcane Hunter has, through his many hunts, become more accustomed to facing higher-level enemies. Increases the user’s resistance to auras and gives a small increase to Strength, Agility, Intelligence and Willpower while facing enemies above your class or race level. The bonus is based on the disparity between the level of your prey and you. Limit of 1.25x your level or 50 levels, whichever is highest. May your hunt be fruitful, and your Avarice sated.

Big Game Hunter was one of those oft-forgotten skills that just did awesome things behind the scenes. It was a noticeable buff that he experienced nearly constantly, making him faster and stronger when fighting enemies of a higher level, AKA always.

He hadn’t really ever noticed the resistance-to-auras part of the skill. Still, any increase in stats was always welcome, and now that increase had been extended to also include his Intelligence and Willpower. In summary, it was free stats. Free stats ruled.

With the gained skill first at epic rarity, he was already quite pleased with himself, and it only got better when he saw that the second skill was epic rarity too.

[Arcane Hunter’s Arrows (Epic)] - A mage and a hunter both, you combine your talents as you conjure your tools of destruction. Allows the Avaricious Arcane Hunter to conjure arrows made of highly condensed arcane mana, focusing on either destruction or stability. A stable arrow will be sharp and durable, while a destructive arrow will explode upon impact. Conjuring arrows consume mana, and the conjuration is instant. Adds a bonus to the effectiveness of Intelligence and Wisdom when using destructive Arcane Hunter’s Arrows. Adds a bonus to the effectiveness of Wisdom and Perception when using stable Arcane Hunter’s Arrows.

If Jake had to mention one big weakness he had currently, it would without a doubt be his shitty equipment. Sure, compared to the rest of humanity, he was doing quite well for himself, but as a D-grade powerhouse Progenitor, he was a poor sap.

His new scimitar did help a bit, but the rest of his equipment was still far behind. He was even afraid that his bow would soon become lackluster, and he would become unable to make full use of his Arcane Powershot.

Most of that gear was even rare rarity, but some were still uncommon rarity. The worst offender of them all was, of course, his shitty cloak—because it sucked—but a close second was his quiver. It had served him well for a long time, but all his arrows had broken on impact for a long-ass time, and he could already imagine how fragile they would feel in D-grade.

Arcane Hunter’s Arrows was pretty much just a new quiver boiled into a skill, except it now scaled with him way more. He was incredibly excited to see the ability to make two different kinds of arrows. Explosive ones would surely be great at handling crowds of enemies or larger foes, while the stable ones would just be great overall.

The stable arrows even scaled with his Perception, a stat he could never get enough of. His Intelligence for the destructive arrows was a bit low, but it wasn’t terrible, and with his new stat gains from the class, it would surely only improve.

Jake couldn’t help but hold out his hand. A pink-purple crystal-like arrow instantly appeared in it. There was barely any visual aspect at all to the skill; the arrow just appeared in his hand almost instantly, just like the description promised.

This arrow was of the stable variety, and it looked and felt entirely solid. It had simple fletching on it and a single-edged arrowhead, making it very suitable for cutting and penetrating. Perfect to deliver poisons with, just like Jake’s current arrows. The mana within was entirely sealed too, making it not affect any poison coated on the arrow at all. It was perfect.

Summoning it had consumed a bit of mana, but outside of doing alchemy, Jake had never ever been close to running out, so it wasn’t an issue. Well, there was that time he bombarded that Storm Elemental, but that was a bit of an outlier.

He did a few tests and tried to break the arrow but found it incredibly resilient. To prove his point further, he took out one of the arrows from his quiver and, with only a bit of pressure, easily snapped it in half.

Next, he summoned an arrow of the destructive variety, and instantly, he both felt and saw the difference. The arrow itself looked much the same, except for small, purple light-ning bolts crackling within the crystal. The mana it gave off was also stronger than the stable version. It had consumed more mana to summon, but it was only about fifty percent more.

He nearly wanted to go out and hunt something then and there, but he decided to be a bit patient. Mainly because he had just seen Mystie and Hawkie entering the valley from above—two hundred meters above—due to the insane increase in the range of his Sphere of Perception.

Jake dismissed the arrow and closed his system menus. The class had only given two new skills, which were the same as his Ambitious Hunter one, so it wasn’t exactly disappointing. Besides, he had many other skills to upgrade now that he had gained a new class and plenty of D-grade levels to get it done with.

Exiting the lodge with Sylphie, he saw the two parent-hawks landing in a tree beside his lodge and observe him closely. This was the first time they’d seen him after his evolution, after all, and both were very curious. Jake, in turn, observed them back and used Identify.

[Stormsong Hawk – lvl 102]

Hawkie was level 102, which made sense, as he had evolved not long ago. The fact that he had even gained two levels was respectable considering his lack of proper opponents in the area and how much he stayed back at the lodge to be with Sylphie.

Jake reckoned it had had something to do with his journeys to the big tree on the cloud continent above. The hawk liked spending time up there, absorbing the incredibly potent mana the tree gave off.

[Mystsong Hawk – lvl 111]

Mystie was quite a few levels higher, but she had also been D-grade for longer. She also clearly gained experience from just practicing her magic, and even when she was just back at the lodge, she kept making magical circles and improving.

Both of them also looked at him, and both seemed partly confused and partly relieved.

“What’s up?” he asked them. He got some wing-flapping, pointing and screeching, and even a few colored flashes of mana back in return, perfectly explaining what their concerns were. “Oh, yeah, we humans don’t change much in appearance when evolving. It’s what’s inside that matters, you know?” Jake said a bit jokingly. “But if you have any concerns about the effects… how about a quick test? I would love to stretch a bit and get a feel for my body after the evolution.”

Jake rolled his shoulders and felt the power in his every move. He really wanted to go practice a bit, and he had two true-blue D-grades right in front of him to have a quick bout with.

Hawkie and Mystie looked at each other for a minute before agreeing. They were also curious about Jake’s evolution.

“Ree!” Sylphie screeched out as she puffed herself up. The three D-grades looked at the level 27 bird and shook their heads, Jake deciding to be the one to break the unfortunate news.

“Sorry, Sylphie, adults only. When you grow up, I am sure you will be a force to be reckoned with, but it isn’t your time yet.” He watched the small hawk deflate with every word as she looked up at him with her big eyes.

He couldn’t help but pet her head, and even if that made her a bit happy, it clearly didn’t dispel her disappointment. The two hawks jumped over and also made some encouraging yet stern bird noises, making Sylphie both deflate but also look more determined than before.

She screeched at all three of them as she jumped back, summoned some wind magic around herself, and began practicing right there and then. While Jake appreciated the sentiment, he wasn’t so sure about seeing the ground and a few trees be cut up by green-tinged blades of wind.

The lodge is protected, so it should be fine, he thought as he shook his head. He threw a glance at the two D-grade hawks, both of whom took to the air with him to fly toward the cloud continent.

Jake’s evolution was immediately obvious as he flew faster than ever before. He was outpacing Mystie, who was even using magic to make herself fly faster. Hawkie was still a bit faster than Jake, but that was expected, considering speed was the male hawk’s greatest strength.

It didn’t take them long before they landed on the massive cloud continent. All the birds in the area scurried away when they saw them, not daring to get near. One D-grade was enough to scare them off, with three being enough to make them consider just leaving the island outright.

Jake stared at the two hawks that had landed opposite him as he dispelled his wings and smiled. “A’ight, ready when you are.”

The two hawks gave each other a quick look before they attacked with what was clearly a practiced move. Jake smiled at how the two hawks were clearly used to fighting together. Mystie being a grade ahead had hampered their ability to fight as a party, but now that they were both D-grade, they could do it again. It also answered some of his questions about what they had been doing when away.

Myst formed around Jake as he felt the energy press down on him to limit his movements. A giant blade of wind crackling with lightning headed straight toward his head. Jake smiled, happy to see the two birds not taking him lightly, but it was far from enough—he could have easily handled this in E-grade, let alone now.

Jake pushed away the myst-pressure with a bit of his own mana as he took a step forward, instantly teleporting back more than a hundred meters. While his Sphere of Perception had given him quite the headache—literally—now that he had adapted to it far more, he could in no way discount its value.

With Jake easily having dodged the attack, he took out his bow and fired an arrow. He was actually a bit taken aback as he did it, because he hadn’t really thought but just moved. As he reached for the string, an arrow had just appeared between his fingers and been nocked before being swiftly released.

The arrow flew through the air toward Mystie, but it encountered a barrier of magic. If it had been one of Jake’s old arrows, it would have broken on impact… but these weren’t his normal arrows. The crystalline arrow pierced the barrier and, after only a bit of resistance, shattered it.

Ultimately, it missed, as it had been redirected slightly from the small form of the hawk, but it was enough to make her open her eyes with fright as she became aware of their power. Jake had already nocked another arrow at this point. He fired it toward Mystie before moving to block another wind of blade from Hawkie.

A scimitar appeared in his hand as he cut apart the blade, parting the clouds below. Simultaneously, the second arrow arrived at Mystie, who swiftly dodged it, but the moment it was right beside her, Jake smirked and triggered it.

The arrow exploded, sending Mystie tumbling through the air before she quickly stabilized herself, her eyes even wider than before. Hawkie tried to come to her assistance as he summoned a tornado of wind and lightning, tearing up the entire cloud continent in a radius of over thirty meters around Jake.

He was out of it with a single step, but the tornado quickly followed after him, Hawkie attacking with wind blades and exploding thunderbolts all the while. Mystie had now managed to stabilize herself, and a giant magic circle was condensing above her as she charged up a magical attack.

Jake smiled as he turned his attention fully to Hawkie, allowing Mystie to do as she pleased. He was already looking forward to facing her attack. He charged toward Hawkie, his blade practically screaming at him to be fed. Sadly for it, today was not one where he planned to sate it.

He used One Step Mile to travel across the cloud, being even faster than Hawkie at his maximum speed, if far less maneuverable. Predicting where Hawkie would move, Jake appeared right below the hawk, quickly jumping into the air as he landed his eyes on his feathery friend.

Hawkie froze up from Gaze of the Apex Hunter and fell through the air, and just as he was about to be able to move, an all-too-familiar net of mana strings wrapped around him. The hawk was ready, however, and released a blast of storm mana to blow it apart, an—

The strings remained as Hawkie saw Jake throw him a cheeky smile. That was when Hawkie noticed that the strings binding him weren’t the normal, transparent ones but made up of the same mana as Jake’s arrows.

Jake flung Hawkie down into the cloud continent as he kicked upwards at a hastily constructed barrier of mana, sending him down toward the hawk. Hawkie tried to dodge but failed as a blade penetrated down the cloud continent right beside the hawk’s small head.

“My win,” Jake said as he turned his attention back to the giant magic circle coalescing in the air. He smiled as he took a step away from Hawkie, appearing nearly two hundred meters away as he took out his bow again.

Briefly, his gaze met with Mystie’s, but he chose not to freeze her. He wanted to face her attack, so he began charging his Arcane Powershot. Hawkie stayed put, even if he wasn’t really injured. While he wouldn’t have died even with a blade through his skull, it would have put him out of commission long enough for Jake to kill him easily, so he had already accepted his loss.

All the cloud island inhabitants watched on in fright from a safe distance as the two D-grades released insane amounts of energy. The entire scene seemed to pause for five or so seconds as both just charged their attacks.

Two giant explosions sounded out simultaneously as a massive beam of highly condensed myst mana was fired down toward the lone human standing on the cloud continent—a human that returned a single crystalline arrow in response. Arcane mana swirled around it, leaving pink-purple light in its wake.

A third explosion—even larger than the two prior—rang out as the two attacks met, scorching the air and blowing apart a huge chunk of the cloud island below. The beam managed to hold back the arrow for a bit, but was soon overpowered as the arrow continued toward Mystie. At the final moment, she managed to summon a shield of myst.

The arrow shattered the moment it hit the barrier, already weakened from the beam earlier.

Mystie was relieved until she saw Jake below, arcana mana already swirling around him from his second prepared Arcane Powershot.

“My win?” he asked cheekily. The Mystsong Hawk deflated, not unlike her daughter had done less than half an hour earlier.

The birds and elementals gathered around the area where the three D-grades had battled, a huge crater in the cloud continent just below where the two mighty attacks had clashed. A cloud elemental noticed a small pink-purple spark still floating in the air from where the human D-grade had attacked. Feeling the energy within, it moved to touch it.

“Ooo!”

It made a screaming noise as a large part of its arm was instantly annihilated from the faint wisp of arcane mana, which burned into its body before the remnant energy ran out of fuel.

Some attentive birds saw this and quickly designated the entire area off-limits for now, swiftly retreating to the cloud island’s outer edges. All of them thought the same thing:

Humans are scary.

Chapter 63

A Sculptor of Haven

Felix walked out of his small treehouse and took in a deep breath, enjoying the refreshing air of Haven. One would think that having a city inside a forest would get annoying, but Felix enjoyed it quite a lot. It did help a lot that no beasts were wandering about, and the number of insects was also far fewer than one would expect.

The builders even had an enchantment of sorts that made all those small lvl 0 insects avoid people’s homes, which did wonders for having the windows open even during the night. Anyone who had ever lived close to any kind of greenery knew the pain of having mosquitos and a whole slew of other tiny, annoying pests enter just because you felt warm during a hot summer day.

Felix was thrown out of his thoughts when he heard his neighbor already out on her porch in another tree nearby, working on her tailoring.

“Good morning, any good progress lately?” he asked with a smile.

“Not bad, but yarn and wool supply is getting scarce; I hope those merchants will soon return with a good batch,” the middle-aged woman answered in a stern tone, reminding Felix of that group that had come by earlier in the week.

They had come from some city down south. It was some religious city or something, but they hadn’t been overbearing, so that was fine. They had asked some questions about the city, but every new arrival did that, so nothing weird in that.

Felix himself had bought some special clay to practice his profession with along with some glass to shape, also for his profession.

Felix had entered the tutorial full of hope. A struggling artist before the system, he had been a failure both by his own metrics and the metrics of his parents and peers, so when the system arrived, he suddenly felt hopeful. He felt like it was his second chance. This time, he couldn’t fail.

He felt like he had done everything right in the old world. He had gone to university, gotten a degree, yet he’d failed to find any success. He’d tried to do some sculptures—his specialization—as a freelance artist, but all he got from that was being lowballed by people who thought you could make marble busts for five bucks or people who wanted things done for “exposure.” Fuck those people.

This had resulted in him falling into what he would describe as a deep depression, even if his parents kept telling him he was just lazy. Every day was spent lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling hopelessly. The only thing that managed to get him up every day was his computer and video games.

Felix immersed himself in the online world, made friends, and finally felt like he had a place where he belonged. He was great at games, and his creative mind allowed him to excel in most scenarios, earning the respect of his fellow players. Sadly, it wasn’t to the level of earning any money, so his peers in real life still saw him as an utter failure. This only brought him closer to his online friends, as that was the only place he could find comfort.

Back then, he had always played a mage, because can you ever go wrong with magic?

So, of course, when he was asked to pick a class, he’d gone with being a caster. The tutorial itself had been somewhat relaxing, at least to begin with, and the enemies they faced were these half-robot things. It was really like a video game, and Felix went with his preferred school of magic: fire. Again, how can you go wrong with burning your enemies?

Once more, he’d found himself excelling. He joined a group of the peers that used to shun him, who now looked at him with awe and respect as he weaved his fire magic. It felt damn great.

When he got his class to 25, he’d upgraded it to become a proper fire mage, and that was supposed to be when his true rise to power would begin… until that incident happened.

All Felix had ever fought at that point were those robots. Tin cans that moved like living things, but weren’t actually alive. It was a game to Felix, a game he was good at. He loved melting his foes and seeing the levels just roll in, but sadly, he’d faced an opponent unlike any before.

At that time, he and his party had been in a run-down city of sorts, and during one night, they had taken refuge in a ruined apartment building. His party had consisted of four people: a girl and two other guys. Honestly, he’d crushed on the girl in his party quite a bit. She was a supportive caster, and could also do a bit of healing magic, so she was great without a dedicated healer in the party. The two other guys had originally been a heavy and a medium warrior, respectively, and were the muscle of the group. It was a new party, and Felix hadn’t thought much about joining it.

During that fateful night, Felix had been trying to sleep when he heard some noise from another room—the one his crush was in. A bit groggily, he had gotten up and gone to investigate, and the moment he opened the door, his eyes went wide.

He saw his two male “teammates” press down on her with a dagger to her throat, their clothes already halfway off. She had been injured and nearly out of mana when they stopped to rest, and he saw the despair in her eyes as she couldn’t get free. Felix didn’t think as he yelled about what the fuck they were doing. The warrior who didn’t hold the dagger just told him to fuck off back to the other room…

Felix was never going to forget the man’s tone… like what Felix had just seen was no big deal. The other warrior spoke up and said that it wasn’t like Felix couldn’t stay and wait his turn. The fire mage had responded by attacking them.

A stream of flames blew the warrior with the dagger off the woman and through the wall of the building, sending him tumbling down. The second warrior cursed as he ran at Felix with his broadsword and swung. Felix didn’t know how to respond, and he took a deep cut on his arm before instinctively reacting by blowing the warrior away and through several walls.

Felix desperately yelled while he threw fireballs after the warrior he had blown away, and he didn’t stop until he got the notification of killing the man half a dozen levels lower than himself. Standing there heaving, he only had a brief moment free to throw the woman a glance before he felt pain in his back.

He turned around and saw that the warrior he had blown out of the building earlier had rushed up the stairs and stabbed him in the back. He was far from durable as a fire mage, but he still managed to stumble back and turn around as he was wrestled to the ground, the warrior trying to stab him through the eye with a dagger.

The warrior sat on top of him, pressing down with the dagger as Felix exploded with fire mana. A torrent of flames sprang from his body and burned the man sitting on top of him—while also burning an unforgettable memory into Felix’s mind.

To him, fire magic had always been cool. It was destructive and good against nearly all enemies… but that was precisely also why it was so gruesome when it consumed an enemy. It was one thing to melt metal, and another entirely to melt a human.

The warrior screamed in pain as his skin began to blister and bubble. His blood boiled inside his veins. His veins and flesh popped and poured out blood. The flayed skin melted and stuck together as the eyes looking down on Felix slowly liquified, and he saw the burning, empty holes staring down on him instead. Felix passed out upon seeing the man die a gruesome death on top of him, his entire mana pool spent.

He had awakened nearly twenty hours later, based on the tutorial timer. Alone in the apartment room. A small barrier to hide him had been set up, and he knew It had been done by the woman without a doubt, but she was nowhere to be found. Both corpses of the men were long gone too, and Felix even thought the entire thing had been a dream for a moment until the vivid images of the man burning to death invaded his mind.

Felix puked all over the floor as he sat there shaking and heaving for breath.

He didn’t use his fire magic at all for over a week, just hiding away in a camp made by other survivors, huddled up in one of the small apartment rooms. He didn’t see the woman again before returning to Earth, where they only exchanged a single glance before going in opposite directions, each going with their new respective groups. There were just too many bad memories between them.

Since that day, Felix hadn’t used his magic to fight but instead focused solely on his profession. The mere thought of using his fire magic on another living thing made him nauseous, as it brought memories to his mind he would prefer not to recall.

The reason why he was reminded of the tutorial again today was because of where those merchants had come from… Sanctdomo. A priest-like man had led the group she had left with that day when they returned from their tutorial. He was well known, as apparently he had been blessed by a god or something, and he promised people a safe place once they returned to Earth—a promise he had clearly fulfilled.

Well, not as good as here, Felix thought as he slid down the rope that led up to his treehouse, landing softly on the grass below. He lived in one of the many treehouses spread around Haven, all placed in the crowns of the tall trees permeating the forest city.

It truly was the kind of city that couldn’t exist before the system. The houses themselves were actually rather large, having several rooms and built around the trunks of the trees, often fifteen or so meters up into the air to leave plenty of space beneath.

Small hanging bridges connected pathways built around non-residential trees, making it possible to walk from house to house without ever touching the ground. The way to get up to the treehouses themselves was decided by the people who lived there, with Felix having just decided on a simple rope to hoist himself up. Many people could even just jump from the ground and up to their houses—another thing that would’ve been impossible before the system.

Felix quickly went to the closest noticeboard to check for new quests. He had worked on a glassware commission over the last two weeks, putting his sculpting skills and magic to use. He refused to use his fire magic to burn anyone, but he had found other uses for his talents with the school of magic through crafting.

Skimming over the many quests, one instantly caught his attention.

Open Quest: Sculptor Needed

The City Office is looking for a talented and ambitious sculptor to assist in creating statues for the under-construction temple. The sculptor must be at least level 60 in their profession and possess the ability to adequately shape both metals and stone. The Statues will be depictions of gods or their insignias. Discretion is required.

Reward: 240 Credits per hour, extra bonus upon completion.

Felix stared at it for a while before smiling. This one looks good.

He had only been in Haven for one and a half months, so he had met plenty of people before coming there, a few preachers and priests included. He knew that gods were now far more tangible entities and that some could even communicate directly with them. He felt like he was more than suited for the job, his profession at level 67. Also… that reward was way above the usual. The average for a job was around 100 Credits per hour if the job paid hourly, though most trading was done just by selling or bartering products without having anyone pay you directly. He’d heard that the smiths had a good time selling blades to the City Lord recently… Who knows what she was using them for?

Felix respected the City Lord a lot. She was working all the time, always made good changes to the city, and had managed to put competent people in charge. He didn’t believe those rumors about her only being in her position because she was sleeping with that enigmatic City Owner either. From what Felix had seen of her, she didn’t seem the type to do that, even if she had the appearance to entice any man. Yeah, he had to admit that he had a crush on her too, and he doubted he was the only one.

Accepting the quest, he got a new prompt saying there would be auditions in a bit over four hours, making him grumble a bit. Should have guessed it needs an audition with that kind of pay.

With a bit of time to spare, he went to check out a few of the small stores that had begun opening up. With so many crafters working day and night, there was bound to be an overflow of products, and someone needed to sell them, which was where the merchants came in.

Besides the overabundance of guns, because many citizens had come from a fort out in the plains that liked producing those, most products were more medieval. To be honest, it was a bit funny walking into a store and seeing guns, swords, and other small trinkets sold alongside one another.

“Morning,” Felix said as he entered one of the stores, the merchant in charge of it practicing by juggling with some throwing knives, a sight that would be weird before the system, but now most people did weird stuff to passively train their skills or get a bit of experience.

“Morning—looking for anything specific?” the store owner said, putting his knives away behind the counter.

“Got any mana potions?” Felix asked, already scouring the shelves behind the merchant for any signs of those small godly bottles.

“Got a few inferior-rarity ones, 400 or more mana per potions guaranteed. 100 Credits each, but you can get five for 450.”

Not the best, but it could be worse, Felix thought as he bought a small batch of five. A few people had been lucky to get common-rarity ones restoring thousands of mana points, but he had never used any himself. The sculptor had heard that those were really only used by elites, such as the space mage and his party.

He bought the potions for the audition to make sure he wouldn’t run out during their tests, as his way of sculpting was quite mana-intensive.

Next, he went to one of the small restaurants. Well, it was more like a stall. There, he got some soup that would help boost his mana regeneration for the next day or so. The fact that it was damn tasty did not at all play into why he wanted it.

Four hours later, he attended the audition and found it run by Lillian, the City Lord’s assistant. She looked a bit scary with her scarred face, and Felix didn’t know why she looked like that when evolving to E-grade should have fixed any pre-system issues, but he didn’t dare pry either.

The audition itself was easy, and only four others had turned up. One of them wasn’t even 60 in her profession but was allowed to try out anyway. She crashed and burned early on as she failed to keep up, and Felix easily pulled ahead.

After that, he had to go through some questionnaires and even sign a contract. He felt like it was a bit much for just crafting some sculptures for a temple, but he guessed it was an important task, so Felix just went ahead with things.

Because, heck, what was so special about making a few religious effigies for a few gods? He was just the sculptor, after all.

Chapter 64

A Brave New World

Jake landed back in his valley with the two slightly listless hawks. The fight had been entirely one-sided, and they knew it. Sure, the two of them hadn’t gone all out—far from it—but it was obvious… neither had Jake.

He had only used class skills from start to end, not even summoning his wings during the fight. He hadn’t used any poisons or anything alchemy-related at all, limiting himself significantly. Heck, he hadn’t even used Limit Break at the safe 10%. From start to end, their little bout had a foregone conclusion—it was a fight he could have won even at E-grade, albeit with much difficulty, and he would not have come out of it unscathed.

“Cheer up, you two—while I won today, haven’t you already laid the groundwork to beat me up in the future?” Jake said, nodding toward Sylphie as she was float-flying through the air, practicing her weird wind magic.

Jake saw her fly over a few trees, and the following gentle green wind passed through the tree crowns. A moment later, the entire crown was cut into thousands of pieces, making Sylphie cheerfully cry out. Jake just smiled at the small hawk, happy for her and her ability to unleash a wind attack that could kill most humans in the city.

He said his goodbyes to the two hawks as he entered his lodge, more than happy with his newfound strength. But he wasn’t done yet.

Yawning, he went back to the good old porch and took out his Altmar Cauldron of Supreme Simplicity. For some reason, Jake didn’t feel as much in a rush with his profession evolution as he had with his class and race. That is, until he remembered a certain dungeon hidden in a cave not far away.

Jake decided to craft mana potions mainly because he wanted to experiment a bit with his mana practice. He wanted to feel how much easier mana was to manipulate after he had evolved more in depth because, during the fight earlier, all his energy manipulation had felt easier than ever.

He theorized it had something to do with the qualitative improvements affecting his body and energy and thus, in tandem, affecting his ability to control the energy. It could also just be an effect of the stat increases and stats working better now, but who knows? All he knew was that he was better than ever at manipulating mana.

Going through the motions, he crafted the mana potion while focusing heavily on the process. He felt how much easier it was to nudge and move the energy as he wanted it to. When he added the ingredients, he instantly attacked them with his mana and once more felt the difference.

Without even noticing it, small traces of his arcane affinity had snuck in and torn apart the ingredients, releasing the mana far faster and more efficiently. Thinking on it further, Jake realized how this really shouldn’t come as a surprise to him.

He had discovered his arcane affinity through alchemy, and thinking back on when the change in his mana had first occurred, he realized it had to have been during the Trial of Myriad Poisons. The arcane mana had simply been born from Jake’s intent to tear apart and absorb the ingredients during the trial faster, though it had changed a bit by now, focusing a lot more on also being stable.

Not long after, Jake finished crafting a batch of mana potions, and he was honestly surprised at how fast it had gone. Even more impressive was the amount and the potency of the mixture.

[Mana Potion (Common)] – Restores 8547 mana when consumed.

Jake knew that the amount restored by mana potions wouldn’t grow as fast as one’s mana pool, so to make one restoring over half of his own pre-mask-boost mana was incredibly impressive. Needless to say, these were his best mana potions yet, and it was also the batch with the most he had ever made.

A single batch could vary widely. If it was a new creation, it was customary only to get one to three actual bottles’ worth, but Jake had just managed to pump out a massive eleven in a single craft. It was a testament to how efficient he had been and how little of the ingredients’ energy had been lost during the process.

Damn, I am good, he praised himself as he, with a big toothy smile, dove right into mass-producing mana potions. They weren’t even for himself; he just wanted to mass-produce because he could. At the same time, it allowed him to better experience his newfound ability to manipulate mana, and he was already looking for a way to improve it even further.

The day quickly went by, Jake a bit impatiently waiting for the level to finally come. Halfway through his second day of grinding, he finally got a notification, and just as he was getting excited, he saw it wasn’t the one he had hoped for… but maybe it was a bit important anyway?

Announcement to all Nobles: 100 Pylons of Civilization have now been claimed. In seven days, the World Congress will begin, and anyone in possession of or ruling over a Pylon of Civilization can attend, so make haste to claim one.

Quest received: A Brave New World

As the wheels of time turn and humanity has begun reclaiming civilization, clashes and disputes are unavoidable, but so are diplomacy and forming alliances. The World Congress will allow you to pursue both as the political arena of Earth forms, and together you shall forge the future and establish the foundation of the civilization you wish to form. As an Earl and the first claimant of a Pylon on your planet, you will undoubtedly have a substantial influence on this future. May you bear this responsibility and privilege with pride.

Objective: Be within close proximity to your Pylon of Civilization and accept to join the first World

Congress in: 6 days & 23:59:59. You can bring along 2 other representatives.

Reward: Participation and voting power in the World Congress.

Jake read the notification over, saw the quest being received, nodded to himself, and closed all those menus. Gonna talk to Miranda when she comes by; she should be here within the hour.

Which proved true, as Jake only managed to finish one more batch before she came. She wasn’t alone either, but had brought along Lillian and even Phillip. Jake saw them coming easily with his sphere long before they even laid eyes on the lodge.

Jake Identified them one by one as they walked in, starting with Lillian.

[Human - 53]

She had gained quite a few levels, and Jake assumed most were in her profession. Either way, good on her. She had only barely reached E-grade when they met, and he doubted she had done much combat at all either, so it was impressive.

[Human – lvl 64]

Next was Phillip. When Jake met him a few months ago, he had been 59, and now he had only grown to 64. Jake didn’t know why this was, but he assumed it had to do with him not really fighting in this period in favor of lying back and relaxing. He wasn’t even leading people that much anymore, turning into just another council member.

And last but not least was Miranda.

[Human - 81]

Of everyone in the city, Miranda was the one who had gained the most levels by far. Jake had heard that Neil was above 70 too, but he doubted anyone except Miranda and himself were above 80—not counting birds.

He knew her profession had already reached level 99, but she had chosen to postpone her evolution. On the advice of her Patron gods, she wanted to gain the perfect evolution title. Quick math showed that her class was still only in the sixties, so she still had quite a few levels to go.

Unlike Jake, the citizens of his city mainly leveled by using the forest. Like when Jake traveled inwards to see where Mystie originally lived, Jake had already encountered many high-level beasts, and he knew that deep within the forest, even a myriad of D-grades could be found.

Walking out of the lodge, Jake gave a quick nod to the two hawks chilling up in the nest, with Sylphie already comfortable sitting on his shoulder. Mystie and Hawkie acknowledged him and had also noticed the approaching humans. They didn’t appear to want to deal with it, as they both took flight and headed up toward the cloud continent above.

After getting their asses handed to them, they had spent quite a lot more time leveling and practicing their magic. It wasn’t going to help them with Jake only getting stronger too, but he totally understood their desire to grow anyway. Besides, it would be embarrassing if they were weaker than their own daughter within a year of her birth, and as things were looking right now, Sylphie would officially be approaching D-grade at that time.

With the two hawks gone, Jake turned his eyes toward the three approaching humans, who saw him the moment they also entered his line of sight. Contrary to expectations, they all abruptly stopped, Phillip’s eyes going wide, Miranda looking pleased, and Lillian taking on an unfazed expression, but he did see a tiny frown form on her brows.

Oh, yeah… Jake thought. I guess this is the first time meeting any of them since my evolution.

The three E-grade humans looked at him for a bit before Miranda finally spoke up.

“Congratulations on achieving D-grade.”

The difference in grades was something everyone could detect instinctively. You didn’t need to use Identify or Bloodline-level instincts; it was entirely natural and even worked cross-species. This is to say, they all felt that he was a grade above them and the innate suppression that came with that.

“Thanks,” Jake said, motioning for the three of them to follow him into the lodge.

Phillip seemed a bit nervous, it being his first time here, but he was an experienced man and quickly got himself under control to follow the scary masked D-grade inside.

Lillian didn’t hesitate to go to a small tea kitchen Jake never used and begin preparing something to drink. Miranda had insisted on putting it in months ago during one of their weekly meals to keep a few things stocked up within the lodge, so she didn’t have to bring everything every time.

When they were finally all sitting comfortably around the table, Jake was the first to speak. Miranda was clearly waiting for him to open the conversation.

“Thoughts on the World Congress?”

“I believe it will be a good chance to form relations with the other forces on Earth,” Miranda said, obviously prepared. She waved her hand and summoned a simple green map in the air with mana—Haven was marked on it alongside a few other points of interest, such as the Fort or a city called Sanctdomo. “The closest major city to us is Sanctdomo, ruled by the Holy Church and in concert with the Holy Pantheon. They already have a population in the seven digits and are growing at a startling speed. They are led much like a theocracy, with a council of sorts. The official City Lord and de facto leader is an enigmatic person known as the Augur of Hope.”

Damn, Jacob’s popping off, Jake thought, giving his old boss a mental thumbs-up. Thinking about it, I never told Miranda about him… I should do that when Phillip is not here.

“So far, they have been one of our primary trading partners, but even if they are the closest Pylon, the distance is still vast. It takes at least a few days of travel to get there, even for someone fast. Besides that, many smaller settlements are scattered around the area, with populations ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand.

“All of this is to say we have only actually made direct contact with a single Pylon-based city besides our own. This Congress will allow us to get a feel for other forces and get a better comprehension of where we stand in this new world. It will also open up many new trading partners. As for the issue of travel, I believe Phillip has some good news in that department.”

Through all of Miranda’s explanations, Jake just sat there, silently listening while drinking his tea. His mind was equally occupied with the conversation and how the teacup just phased through his mask when he drank. It was the same with potions, and he wondered how the hell he hadn’t questioned it earlier. System-fuckery for sure.

“I have been traveling back and forth to the Fort a lot these days, and the place has become quite the hub for many smiths,” Phillip said. “To avoid too much smoke and open fires in the forest, we decided that having the Fort be a large, dedicated smithing operation was wise. However, we ran into the issue of transporting goods between there and Haven. This is where Neil comes in.

“That young man is quite something and has been working on getting a functional teleportation circle up for the last month, and as of last night, he got it working. It can only teleport goods, but it is damn efficient and only requires mana to be maintained. With it, we can easily send materials from our mine to the Fort, and the finished products back here within the same day.” Phillip looked very pleased with how things were going.

Jake nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. Space mages were excellent for that kind of thing, and Jake was even beginning to suspect the system had kind of helped a bit in having more space mages around. There were other trials and such in other tutorials focusing on space magic, from what he had heard, and even that Kallox guy who had given his Legacy to Neil had only been B-grade. Based on what the Viper said, investing in a tutorial was expensive as hell, so how could a B-grade get his entirely own tutorial? Jake theorized that the system had given a discount, as it wanted more space mages in new universes.

As for the thing about the mine… well, that was what had been found in the big cave that didn’t contain a huge murder mushroom-turned-dungeon entrance. As to what kinds of metals it contained and such things? Jake didn’t know and didn’t care. There were no herbs there, and he wasn’t a smith, so he just left it up to people who knew more about stuff like that.

The rest of the meeting was just discussing a few basic city things, with the decision to have another meeting closer to the actual World Congress starting. Throughout it all, none dared comment on the bird that had eventually climbed from Jake’s shoulder to sit on his head, being slightly too large for it not to look incredibly silly—as if having a bird sleeping on your head could ever not be silly.

When they left, Jake handed Miranda over a hundred overpowered mana potions to sell in the city’s stores or just to use for herself to level faster. Once they were finally gone, Jake jumped right back into doing what was most important: getting that profession’s evolution.

Chapter 65

An Even More Professional Evolution

“Dum di dum di dum,” Jake sang in a humming tone as he swayed his head back and forth, both hands on the cauldron. He was naturally making even more mana potions but also doing something else equally important.

Sylphie sat opposite him, bopping her head to the tune, mimicking him. Jake couldn’t help but smile as she happily played along, even trying to make the same sounds as him. She wasn’t doing very well in that department, but damn, was it cute.

He barely had to focus when making the potions, and it was effortless for him to split his focus… It was actually a bit weird. He felt like he was focusing on both things simultaneously, no matter how contradictory that sounded. Maybe another gain of his race evolution? He already knew that he thought faster while under stress or fighting, so it kind of made sense… His math skills had also improved tremendously.

See, now I am focusing on three things at once, he thought, still humming the tune and finishing off the latest batch of mana potions.

Just as the mix was completed, Jake heard the sweet sound he had been waiting for as he gave Sylphie a big smile. “It’s evolution time!”

“Ree!” she cheered back in return, getting a few head pats as Jake opened up his notifications.

*Profession Evolution Requirements Met*

To call your journey so far as an Alchemist of the Malefic Viper abnormal would be an understatement and disservice to the unique path you are walking. On the one hand, you’re a supremely talented alchemist faithfully following the Legacy of the Malefic Viper, and the other, a blasphemous heretic that does not show any reverence to the Primordial that has given you this power. Your entire existence only grows more paradoxical, as your defiance and arrogance have only been rewarded by the Malefic One and not punished as his faithful followers believe it rightfully should have been. Where this unlikely friendship will take you is unknown to all, even the ones involved.

Either rebel, conform, or carve your own path that has never been seen before—the choice is yours.

Begin Evolution now?

Y/N

WARNING: Postponing evolution for too long may have adverse effects, and no further profession experience can be earned before the evolution is completed.

Jake read through it and was honestly a bit relieved. A small part of him had been afraid of it, not even mentioning alchemy but just focusing on his friendship with Villy. The Hunter-Champion class had been a bit of an eye-opener to the significance of their relationship in the eyes of the system, and he would honestly hate to get a good evolution solely because of that friendship.

So to see it calling him talented at alchemy was good and boded well for what evolutions he would have available. Without further ado, he jumped right into it.

*5 Possible Evolutions Available*

Five as expected, he thought, starting as always with the first and most boring option.

Renowned Expert Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – A direct upgrade to the Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper class. As a prodigy, you have already proven your talents during your early days, and coat-tailing on that talent, you are now recognized as a renowned expert, even if you no longer stand out like before. Allows one to combine the natural treasures of the world to make potions and pills, transmute one material to another, and employ a slew of other mystical means to be discovered. This rare type of alchemist specializes in the production of poisons, contrary to the craft of potions. Leveraging your prestige, you have also gained the ability to sway others more efficiently and make them respect you far more. Even if your talent may wane with time, that time has yet to come as, while perhaps no longer a prodigy, you are still an expert. May you continue to be the harbinger of death and pursue the footsteps of the Malefic One. Stat bonuses per level: +14 Wis, +10 Will, +9 Vit, +5 Tough +5 Int, +10 Free Points.

Yep, this one was just as boring as he had expected. Heck, it was even more boring than that… It wasn’t even a real “upgrade” over his Prodigious Alchemist, as it didn’t even give three times the stats. It gave only 53, which made it good but not great. Either way, Jake didn’t bother lingering on it anymore. The description of the profession said all there was to say—and Jake didn’t believe for a moment that his talents were waning.

Heretical Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – Most look upon a Primordial with awe, respect, and fear, but you choose to blaspheme his name and stand in opposition to his message. Allows one to combine the natural treasures of the world to make potions and pills, transmute one material to another, and employ a slew of other mystical means to be discovered. This rare type of alchemist specializes in the production of poisons, contrary to the craft of potions. As an alchemist following the Legacy of the Malefic Viper, you wield his strength and enjoy the benefits of his creed as much as any devout follower, showing a powerful mind and independent spirit. No longer willing to follow on in his steps, you only seek to reap benefits, hoping to escape the wrath of the Primordial or his followers unharmed. As a heretic, the Legacy of the Malefic Viper is no longer contingent on retaining any blessing from the Malefic Viper. May you succeed in your foolhardy ways or meet your end on your heretical path. Stat bonuses per level: +20 Will, +12 Wis, +12 Vit, +6 Tough +6 Int, +12 Free Points.

Oh, come on, it ain’t that bad, Jake thought, shaking his head as he went through it. Was he really a heretic? Jake didn’t see it that way, unless it was considered heretical to not really hold any faith toward a god you were technically supposed to fol… Yeah, okay, I think I get it.

Anyway, this one was quite a lot more interesting. First of all, it gave a buttload more stat points per level, making it quite clear this was a high-tier profession. The name was quite a bit simpler, though, even if it was so much better. It also carried some interesting complications.

From what Jake had gathered, a Legacy required one to have some kind of connection to the source, be it through an item or by gaining the class or profession through special means. There were some other rules and exceptions if you accepted the Legacy of someone dead, but Jake focused on the Legacies of the living. This also meant that the one behind the Legacy had at least a bit of power to influence the path of those that follow it—gods being the easiest example with the most straightforward way of affecting their followers: retracting their blessing.

This class would change that dynamic and make the Viper unable to retract his Legacy. He could likely still take back the blessing, but it wouldn’t affect his future evolutions or skill choices. It truly was a heretical path where Jake could use the skills of a god that didn’t even recognize him anymore.

The stat points were also interesting, as 68 was just around the absolute cap of professions at D-grade that didn’t carry significant penalties. Needless to say, the Heretic one did carry penalties—such as being a heretic—but even then, it was proof of how high-tiered the profession was. And to make it better… the last three options available to him gave even more stat points than this one.

Anyway, while the profession carried some interesting implications, it wasn’t something Jake wanted to go with. He felt like being a heretic wasn’t the right word for him, even if it did seem a bit accurate on paper. With all that in mind, he moved on to the next option—one that was the exact opposite of being a heretic.

True Confidant of the Malefic Viper – More than a mere servant of the Primordial, you are now his most trusted Confidant. Your word carries implications for the entire multiverse, as you possess the ability to influence the will of the Malefic One. With this power, it is only natural that all his followers shall bow to your every command. This profession focuses on leadership and persuasion by influencing the mind and will of those around you with every word or action, yet you also retain all your talents in alchemy to better relate to your Patron, even if it is a path you will no longer pursue actively. Being a Confidant will allow you to understand the Malefic One’s desires better and carry out his will and support his every command. As his trusted Confidant, you aim to one day stand beside him as his equal, even if you have a long way to go—but with his trust, the first and possibly hardest hurdle is already overcome. Stat bonuses per level: +15 Wis, +15 Will, +10 Vit, +8 Int, +7 Tough, +15 Free Points.

No.

Saint-Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – There are many paths one can walk to honor the Malefic Viper and spread his word. To properly honor your Patron, you have proven that you excel not just in spreading his name but in walking his path, as you have shown yourself an extraordinarily talented alchemist. As an alchemist, you combine the natural treasures of the world to make potions and pills, transmute one material to another, and employ a slew of other mystical means, but to honor the Malefic Viper, you will focus even further on toxins than ever before. As a saint, you can spread his word and recruit followers into following the Malefic Viper by granting baptisms or pray for the Malefic One to bestow his blessing on those deemed worthy. The profession will also allow you to better convince and influence others’ wills to accept the Malefic Viper’s path. May you walk both path of faith and the path of alchemy to the pinnacle, all while basking in the power of the Malefic Viper. Stat bonuses per level: +16 Will, +14 Wis +12 Vit, +8 Int, +6 Tough, +14 Free Points.

Alright, this one was a bit of a mix between the “super-Villy-fanboy-adviser” and “wow-he-is-actually-still-an-alchemist” professions. One Jake, of course, seriously didn’t want. For real, that “Confidant” one just rubbed him badly from head to toe. No fucking way he would pick a profession that was pretty much just saying, “Be Villy’s friend, I guess?”

This profession wasn’t even about that anymore, but instead about Jake actively becoming involved with spreading the Order of the Malefic Viper’s faith and doing religious stuff. Just because he had given Miranda the okay for making a temple of sorts didn’t mean he was suddenly into going full-on priest—or worse, about to act like some god-sent saint.

Also… once again, it tried to hammer home how important it was that he was blessed by the Malefic Viper. He really didn’t like it, and the only saving grace this one had was that at least it was still about being an alchemist. The stupid Confidant one even talked about giving up alchemy to focus more on being a friend to Villy. How the hell did that work?

Yes, Jake was fully aware that the Confidant one was not really about being a friend but more of an adviser of sorts, but there was no way Villy would ever even want that. He was pretty sure a Primordial like the Malefic Viper had smart people just standing by to give advice at any time. If Jake was perfectly honest, then he really wasn’t the person to ask about leading an Order with more members than people living on his planet.

As for stat points, both this and the Confidant before it gave 70 per level. The absolute cap for professions being 80 made them both damn good from a numbers standpoint, especially considering they didn’t have significantly restrictive or special requirements. They likely just required him to retain a blessing from the Viper and possibly some other stuff that didn’t matter, as he really didn’t want either.

One mediocre option, one massive dud, and two semi-duds… Please let the last one be good, he thought as he moved on to the last one on the list.

Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – You walk a paradoxical path, understood by none but you and your Patron. His Chosen, but not his believer; his ally, but not of his Order; and a bearer of his Legacy, yet a blasphemer in the eyes of most. You have the ears of a Primordial, yet you choose to remain dedicated to the alchemy that first made the Malefic One known to you. Allows one to combine the natural treasures of the world to make potions and pills, transmute one material to another, and employ a slew of other mystical means to be discovered. This rare type of alchemist specializes in the production of poisons, contrary to the craft of potions. As a heretic, the Legacy of the Malefic Viper is no longer contingent on retaining any blessing from the Malefic Viper, yet as his Chosen, you are closer to him than any other mortal. May you walk your own path—be it that of a Heretic or a Chosen, or one entirely unique to you and the Malefic One. Stat bonuses per level: +15 Will, +15 Wis +14 Vit, +10 Int, +10 Tough, +10 Free Points.

Ah, you silly system, you were just teasing me, I see! Jake thought after reading the last option. What a bamboozling the system had tried to pull on him, trying to convince him he would be stuck as either some shitty priest or meddle in mediocrity!

This one just had all checkmarks.

Alchemy-focused? Check.

Not religious? Kinda check, balanced out by being equally heretic and chosen. Those two added together had to equal “not religious.”

Great stat bonuses? 74 per level, so more than any prior.

Ultimately, it also just felt like it fit him better than any prior options. From an objective standpoint, it was a class sitting at the top. The absolute cap was 80, and this one gave 74. Those with 80 would even have some serious restrictions—even worse than Jacob’s Augur of Hope—yet Heretic-Chosen Alchemist gave 74 without any discernable issues, at least not on the surface.

He said on the surface… but the restriction was quite evident. It required him to remain not only a Chosen of the Malefic Viper but also remain a heretic. If he had picked the Malefic Dragonkin evolution and gone with having a profession, he was absolutely sure he would not have been offered this profession.

Anyway, all of that is to say Jake liked it, and without thinking about it more than necessary, he picked the evolution, giving birth to the first Heretic-Chosen of a Primordial in the history of the multiverse.

Vilastromoz felt the minor shift and tug on the connection formed by his True Blessing of the Malefic Viper. He couldn’t help but smile as he felt what Jake had picked, and the old Primordial experienced a bit of excitement and anticipation for the first time in a while. Who doesn’t like new things, especially when an entirely new path is formed?

Their connection was stronger than ever before, yet he also felt something else oddly contradictory to that sentiment… He was no longer the sole controller of his own blessing. He could no longer withdraw it. Usually, a god could always take back their blessings, and even if a True Blessing was harder to reclaim, it wasn’t something that couldn’t be done.

The Malefic Viper instantly knew that now the only way for the True Blessing ever to be dispelled was through three means: the death of the Malefic Viper, the death of Jake Thayne, or the ascension of the Heretic-Chosen to godhood.

Unless, of course, his pal managed to upset his predictions again.

Chapter 66

A Heretical Chosen

When Jake got his class upgrade, not much happened, honestly. He’d just gotten some cool-ass skills, and that was about it. Yet this time, he felt something else other than skills right away… something a lot like when he communicated with Villy.

A warm flow entered his body as he felt his Intelligence stat increase, and at the same moment, a system message appeared.

Your bond with the Malefic Viper is further strengthened as you reforge your karmic connection, claiming partial dominion over it. The Malefic Viper can no longer reclaim his blessing, and you have lost your ability to denounce it through all usual means.

Jake read it through and wasn’t sure if he should be worried or not. His theory of one of the limiting rules of the profession requiring him to maintain his blessing had been a bit off… It was the exact opposite. It meant he couldn’t give it up. Jake also instantly knew what this meant… The only way for the Viper to sever their connection when he wanted to was to kill Jake—an easy feat for a Primordial. And if Jake was honest, he felt that if the Viper wanted to, he could kill Jake solely through that karmic connection.

At the same time, he had to retain his defiant attitude toward the Malefic Viper. It truly was paradoxical… He had to both oppose and stay in the good graces of the vastly more powerful god at the same time.

A bit of a nasty restriction, eh? Jake thought, but he honestly wasn’t scared. He had a feeling Villy was the kind of snake that would kill Jake if he wanted to anyway, so it really wasn’t that bad. Also… not like he could do anything about it, so why worry? What should he do anyway, begin acting like an asslicker to try and not piss off Villy? Nah, fuck that.

Instead, Jake would stick to his motto: “Keep things simple, and take the complications as they come.”

Anyway, his blessing had once more been improved and was honestly starting to get damn good.

[True Blessing of the Malefic Viper (Blessing - True)] – An alchemist recognized by the Malefic Viper himself that has now seized parts of the blessing in an act of defiance. Few throughout the ages have found themselves blessed by the Primordial, despite their desire to be so. You are his Chosen. Now even the true blood of the Malefic Viper himself is found within your very being, only strengthening your bond further. Through your powerful direct karmic and bodily connection, the Wisdom, Willpower, Vitality, and Intelligence of the Malefic Viper empower you. +10% Willpower, +10% Wisdom, +10% Vitality, +10% Intelligence. Grants access to many new paths. Only one blessing can be held at a time. Cannot be denounced or retracted.

Jake was never going to say no to extra stats, and it even gave Intelligence, a stat that had just gained newfound value. With his class and profession together, he would also begin to get quite a lot of it, with 10 from every level as an alchemist and 12 from every level as a Hunter. Wisdom was even more crazy, giving a combined 25.

After looking over the whole blessing thing, he finally saw the class level gained and the accompanying skill gains and changes.

*’DING!’ Profession: [Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 100 - Stat points allocated, +10 Free Points*

*Gained skill*: [Craft Elixir (Common)] – Potions for emergencies, flasks in preparation for the toughest of foes, and elixirs to build the foundation of power. Allows the alchemist to craft elixirs of common rarity and below. Elixirs are able to grant those who consume it a permanent increase to stats. Must have suitable materials and equipment in order to create elixirs. Adds a minor increase to the effectiveness of created elixirs based on Wisdom.

Having gotten used to only seeing ancient-rarity skills from his profession, Jake was actually a bit taken aback when he saw the common-rarity tag, but on the other hand, wasn’t this skill just something most alchemists got upon reaching D-grade?

Jake happily accepted it, as it was the kind of skill he felt like he would want to pick up anyway down the line. Or maybe Sagacity of the Malefic Viper made it superfluous?

Well, not entirely…

Because when he thought about making elixirs, knowledge instantly appeared, just like with Brew Potion and Concoct Poison. The small stat bonus to his creations based on Wisdom should also still be useable.

Either way, the ability to make elixirs wasn’t exactly anything new to him, but a welcome addition to his repertoire of skills nevertheless.

Moving on down the list, he saw the next item was an upgrade to an existing skill, a bit like how his Big Game Hunter had been upgraded.

[Malefic Viper’s Poison (Rare)] – The Malefic Viper stalks its prey and needs only to strike once as venom devours its prey. Increases the potency of all crafted poisons. Grants the ability to craft a poison with a rarity above that of your Concoct Poison skill if certain conditions are met. The poison may at most be upgraded to the rarity of the Malefic Viper’s Poison skill (Uncommon --> Rare). Allows poison not to lose efficacy for a short amount of time after being applied to a weapon.

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[Malefic Viper’s Poison (Epic)] – The Malefic Viper stalks its prey and needs only to strike once as venom devours its prey. Increases the potency of all crafted poisons. Grants the ability to craft a poison with a rarity above that of your Concoct Poison skill if certain conditions are met. The poison may at most be upgraded to the rarity of the Malefic Viper’s Poison skill (Uncommon --> Epic). Allows poison not to lose efficacy for a prolonged period of time after being applied to a weapon.

If Jake had to rate a skill upgrade between one and ten in how boring it was, this would be a solid nine. This wasn’t to say the effects of the upgrade weren’t great. Once more, comparing it to Big Game Hunter, this was the kind of skill that just did things behind the hood. It made all his poisons better and even helped when he coated his weapons in it to make it last longer.

The only real noticeable part of it was the ability to sometimes “buff” an item. It had only triggered twice so far—once in the Challenge Dungeon and once when Jake made the Malefic Beastorb for Sylphie—but besides that, he didn’t really notice the skill much.

In summary, it was a great skill but a bit subtle. Either way, it was nice to have it upgraded.

He was already feeling pretty good about all his gains from the various evolutions, yet he moved on to the last skill with quite a few expectations anyway. The profession was clearly special, and a part of him had even hoped for a legendary skill or something like that… but what he got instead was just a bit confusing.

*Gained skill*: [Path of the Heretic-Chosen (Unique)] – A unique path between the Primordial known as the Malefic Viper and his Chosen, the Progenitor Jake Thayne. Allows you to experience the Legacy of the Malefic Viper on a far more direct level by relying on your direct connection as a Chosen and mentality of a heretic. Focusing on the Malefic Viper’s Legacy’s core skills, which you adequately comprehend, will allow you to peer into its true Records as you journey through time, space, reality, and experience history firsthand. Be warned that gains are not guaranteed, and while the journey cannot harm you directly, the journey may cause harm or have lasting effects—a risk you must take as a Heretic. May you walk with confidence as you tread a path never walked before. Gains 1 use every 10 levels in Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper. Any skill can only be chosen once.

Current uses remaining: 1.

Jake had a lot of questions about this one. The most obvious was the rarity. Unique-rarity skills were a bit weird in that their actual power couldn’t necessarily be determined. Heck, his Legacy of Man was unique rarity, and he wasn’t sure how good that one actually was.

This one at least gave him the impression it was impressive, if somewhat weird.

If Jake was reading it correctly, this skill would allow him to more easily upgrade his other skills related to the Malefic Viper—more accurately, the “of the Malefic Viper” ones. He had already checked the descriptions of all the skills and seen that they hadn’t changed. They still “only” gave 1 stat point per level in his profession. Jake assumed he would have to upgrade them to legendary rarity to gain more, and needless to say, that wasn’t an easy task.

Jake contemplated a while before doing something he probably should have done before choosing to pick a profession with the word heretic in it.

“So, Villy. Thoughts?”

A few seconds passed before Jake felt a presence descend on his soul. He felt its intent to utterly suppress him and bring him to his knees, but Jake barely reacted.

“You dare become a heretic and stand against the Malefic Viper himself!? A mere mortal has the audacity to display such arrogance!?” The Primordial’s voice echoed loudly in his mind.

“So you think it’s kinda funny?” Jake said, nodding in understanding.

“Oh, yeah, equally funny and interesting,” Villy answered back. He could easily picture the god snickering as he spoke. “But you are fully aware that if I find someone else I want to make my Chosen, I will have to kill you first, right?”

Jake just shrugged in response. “It is what it is. Any other way to get rid of that black mark on my status menu?”

“Wow, rude. Just because I can’t take it away anymore…” the Viper said with faux outrage. “As for getting rid of it… just become a god—pretty easy, actually. Trust me; I’ve done it at least once.”

“… Is that to say it’s possible to become a god more than once?”

“No, of course not. That would be silly.”

Jake shook his head, glad that nothing seemed to have changed despite the system clearly seeing it as a perilous and heretical path.

“But back to my original question… Any thoughts on the new skill?” Jake asked, still having the system menu open and staring at the Path of the Heretic-Chosen in front of him.

“You are aware I can’t actually see your skills, right?”

“… Gonna be honest, I kind of assumed you could. Sure, maybe you are unable to see the detailed description or something, but I had just guessed you had a feeling for the skills or something like that.” He scratched his chin, a bit embarrassed.

“I just know most skills in general and what kind of skill one is when you use it. I have no idea what skill you are even talking about right now, however. Being directly able to see someone else’s skill would be the same as peering into their Truesoul, and isn’t something people just do. I never met someone who can, anyway. There are ways to share descriptions, but it is honestly just easier to tell someone. They aren’t that long, after all.”

“Oh… well, it’s a skill that allows me to go on journeys and see your Legacy or something to upgrade skills. It honestly does sound a bit weird…” He once more scratched his chin. It wasn’t even itchy.

“Heard of similar skills like that, but you know there a few small, important details off,” the Malefic Viper said. “Normally, the individual you get the Legacy from is aware of it, or they are already dead… They also normally need to give permission, but I guess you aren’t good at asking for that, now, are you?”

“Why ask for permission when you can also just ignore asking for forgiveness, because honestly, who’s got time for that?” Jake joked back. “Oh, yeah, now that I have you on the divine phone, any input for that whole World Congress thing happening in a week?”

“Nope, no idea whatsoever,” the Viper answered back promptly.

“Wait, isn’t it related to why you said claiming one of those Pylons fast would be worth it?” Jake asked with a frown.

“Maybe?”

“A’ight, why did you emphasize claiming a Pylon that much, then?”

“Well, it isn’t like anything bad could happen by doing it, and the passive bonuses it gives when in the area are still good. As for that World Congress and pretty much all of those introductory things by the system, I am as clueless as you.”

“Really? That’s surprising. Is it because you weren’t around at the last few integrations, or are all of them just different?” Jake asked, already suspecting it was the second. Beforehand, he had been told that each new universe being integrated would bring change and new things to the entire multiverse, so it made sense that even all these post-tutorial things would be different. According to Villy, the tutorial hadn’t even been a thing back in his day but was a staple now. Maybe the World Congress was similar?

“All are different, and as the system does everything, no one can predict what will truly happen, especially not those outside your universe. All of those people divining shit in your universe will know is that it is important and maybe get a very general sense of what it is about, but nothing more.”

“Interesting,” Jake said, nodding, but he had a faint suspicion there was more to it. “So you told me to get a Pylon just on the assumption that things would turn out well? It has nothing to do with anything else, has it?”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that in all prior integrations, the performance of those blessed by the gods in these kinds of system-made events will also reward the god that has blessed them, and I am most certainly not saying that the reward for me is higher because you are my Chosen. Definitely not.” He spoke in the most faux-innocent tone Jake could imagine.

“Well then, as your totally-not-heretical Chosen, I’ll be sure to perform to my utmost level, oh, my honored Patron,” Jake said, smiling. “Though I have no idea what I am supposed to do.”

“Find out when the time comes; I’m sure it’ll be entertaining if nothing else.”

“I guess,” Jake said, shrugging. “Also, when are you going to stop doing that weird aura-thing?”

For the entire conversation, the Malefic Viper had let his full presence press down on Jake. It felt like he was actually sitting in front of the god himself without the Viper bothering to suppress his natural aura. Not that Jake particularly minded; he was just curious… It wasn’t like that whole presence thing had any real effect on Jake anyway.

“Yeah… you do know that you are a bit abnormal, right? Anyway, nice talking to you, you filthy, blasphemous heretic. Good luck with stuff, and remember to have fun!” The Viper’s aura slowly contracted and began fading away from Jake’s soul.

“Yeah, cya around,” Jake said as he mentally waved the Viper goodbye—a wave he apparently picked up somehow. Weird stuff, that whole karmic connection or whatever.

With Villy gone, Jake was back with just Sylphie, who hadn’t bothered with him talking to himself at all as she was just sleeping on a pillow.

Jake closed all his menus but one: Path of the Heretic-Chosen.

1 use remaining?

He kept staring at that part as he shrugged. He had seven days, and his intuition told him the journey-thing wouldn’t be that long. What exactly the whole journey was, he didn’t know, and it even had some warnings and stuff, so all logic dictated that he should try and research the skill a bit more or plan ahead before using his one charge, especially considering how he would only get another chance in ten levels.

But… to counter that… Jake was kinda curious.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Chapter 67

The Wyvern of the Desolates

Jake closed his eyes and focused on his Path of the Heretic-Chosen as he tried to get it to activate—just long enough to make him wonder if he hadn’t reached an adequate understanding of any of his skills. Which, to be fair, he could perfectly understand. Jake himself was full of doubt about what exactly he needed to understand.

Yet just as this thought appeared, the skill reacted:

Do you wish to experience the Legacy of the Malefic Viper? Uses remaining: 1.

Jake didn’t hesitate to accept.

Sylphie, who had been sleeping on the chair, woke up with a startle as she felt the mana in the air moving weirdly. She felt like the entire space shifted for a moment, and she barely managed to register the human disappearing into thin air.

She looked around a bit, confused, but soon after just laid her head back down to keep sleeping. Nothing to do about humans acting weird.

Jet-black wings blanketed the skies as a massive frame covered the land beneath it in an almost unnatural darkness. Humans, elves, demons, and many other kinds of species hid away within their houses in the city below as the beast headed toward the central tower.

It was a city of impossible proportions, based on the standards of old Earth. It spanned thousands of kilometers with buildings, housing billions of the myriad races. Their only solace was the trustworthy barrier protecting their home.

Yet the Wyvern of the Desolates had come anyway—a monstrous beast that had wiped out all life on one of the massive continents on their planet. In its wake always followed death and destruction, and many families of the city had already begun mourning those who’d failed to enter the safety of the barrier in time.

The entire city went into complete lockdown, and as the poison mist that swirled around the mighty wyrm encountered the barrier, it sizzled and burned but remained stable. It was put down by the city and country’s protector, a mighty warrior who sat at a higher position than even the king.

It was a being none could look down upon, with his level placing him firmly as a mid-tier C-grade.

“ROAR!”

The Wyvern opened its maw and spewed out a beam of green energy that impacted the barrier and made the entire city shake.

Yet the barrier held up.

But it wouldn’t be able to do so forever.

It had been made by an early C-grade companion of the Protector, and while it would hold up for a while, the Wyvern’s attack was especially effective at these kinds of prolonged standoffs. With no other choice, the Protector would have to move personally.

No matter what, it wouldn’t be an easy fight, for the Wyvern was mid-tier C-grade, just like him.

Far above the city and barrier appeared a single figure. It was a muscular, red-skinned demon wearing heavy armor and carrying a massive mallet and large tower shield. His entire body hummed with power as his glowing white eyes stared at the Wyvern that had come to attack his home.

“What do you hope to accomplish by coming here?” he asked in the common tongue of their planet.

He got nothing but a breath of toxic green energy in return as the Wyvern attacked.

As it flew, its form became smaller, shrinking from being a several-hundred-meters-long monstrosity to only about a dozen meters from head to tail. While the reduced size made the beast appear less threatening, the Protector knew it was just the opposite—because while it became smaller, its speed increased manifold.

The Wyvern soon reached the Protector, who blocked the blow easily with his shield. He felt a pulse of poison release as the claw hit, but he shrugged it off as his armor nullified most of it. What he wore today was a set of armor he had made specifically for this day—for he knew the gluttonous and greedy Wyvern would one day come to claim what was rightfully the Protector’s.

He countered as he swung his mallet, forcing the beast to retreat. The poison mist released from its wings had blanketed the entire area already, and the Protector knew the beast relied on it to win… but it would not go as the Wyvern hoped.

Pressing further, he kept attacking, and several of his blows struck true, shattering the scales of the beast. He knew it was relatively weaker to physical attacks than magic—a trait of most winged lizards—hence his simple yet effective approach.

The beast was, in the end, but a beast. It relied on its instincts and not intelligence, making it inherently inferior. Its decision to come to his city that day would mark its end.

Their battle continued as the entire area surrounding the city was transformed. A new valley was created when his kinetic blow missed and sent a shockwave down into the ground, and a poisoned swamp sprang up when the Wyvern failed to hit with its deadly breath.

The Protector had to admit that the beast was powerful beyond his expectations, but he knew he had the upper hand. It relied on its poison building up in his body, but he was prepared. Just a few months earlier, a renowned alchemist had visited his city. He was a mid-tier C-grade just like himself, and from him, he had procured a powerful antitoxin for today.

When the beast believed it had won, he would consume it and finish it off, not leaving the greedy Wyvern a chance to escape. He would be hailed as a hero, and his renown would grow even further.

A single exchange later, and the beast managed to barely scrape him with one of its long fangs, drawing blood. He felt the extra-potent toxin enter his body and knew it was time. He had managed to land a mighty hit in return for the attack and broken one of the Wyvern’s wings, making it far harder for it to escape.

Smiling, he took out the antitoxin and consumed the contents of the bottle. He felt the liquid enter his body and—

What?

Blood spurted out through his orifices as all the pent-up poison in his body suddenly got renewed life and exploded with power. The Protector felt his insides begin to rot as he stumbled back, nearly failing to stay airborne. Had the alchemist lied to him? He knew some could alter the descriptions, but all the potions, flasks, and elixirs he had also bought worked flawlessly… so why?

“Not a fan of my concoction?” the Protector heard a familiar voice say as he looked up at the Wyvern staring down at him with condescending eyes.

“What?” the Protector answered, but soon realized… the Wyvern before him was the renowned alchemist known as Vilastromoz. From the beginning, this fight had been a setup... the antitoxin a trap he had fallen into with both legs.

But how could he possibly have suspected a mindless beast like the Wyvern of the Desolates to be an alchemist? How was it even possible when it, as a beast, did not possess a profession? He knew it was possible to craft anyway, but he hadn’t heard of a beast doing so before…

He coughed, and more blood spurted out as he wavered in the air. He activated a skill to temporarily stabilize himself a bit, seeing that the Wyvern was not continuing its assault even in his moment of weakness.

“It’s here, right?” the Wyvern asked, its large eyes staring down at the man.

“I… the city… just take it,” the Protector said, coughing, before shaking his head and standing up straighter. “There is no reason for either of us to risk death. I do not care what happens to the city… Let us just leave it as it is and go our separate ways.”

“Fine,” the Wyvern said, its voice echoing out. “Remove the barrier and leave.”

The Protector didn’t hesitate to do so. He didn’t believe that the Wyvern genuinely wanted a fight to the death. In the battle, they had been somewhat evenly matched, and like most powerhouses, he had methods to make a last stand if things got too dangerous. The only reason he had any confidence in slaying the Wyvern was due to his many preparations.

Inside the city, the citizens despaired as the barrier that ensured their safety slowly began to disperse. The king of the land, a peak D-tier man, cursed at the Protector from within the grand palace for abandoning them as the poison released by the Wyvern descended upon the capital. The king didn’t hesitate to begin making his escape, not even bothering with his family or anyone else.

Up in the air, the Protector was about to take his leave when he saw a potion appear before the Wyvern. The beast swiftly chomped down on it. Seconds later, the broken wing had regenerated, and the beast looked to be in near-perfect condition once more.

Turning to quickly fly away, the Protector barely managed to dodge the claw that came for him.

“You! We had an agreement!” he yelled as the Wyvern attacked him again.

“Oh, that? I lied.”

Less than fifteen minutes later, the Protector succumbed to the ever-increasing poison in his body.

The city below quickly turned into pandemonium as everyone tried to flee, yet escape was impossible for most. The dark green cloud had well and truly descended on the city, and soon there were more rotting corpses than living citizens in the once grand capital of one of the largest countries on the planet.

The Wyvern turned its gaze to one side as it released a breath, a fleeing king and a few of his guards in its crosshairs. The king took out a protective item to try and save himself, but the shield generated by the marble barely held up for a second before shattering, and he was reduced to a rotting pile of goo.

Finally, with nothing else to distract it, the Wyvern dove down toward the central palace and the grand tower that adorned its middle—a mighty mage tower housing an artifact the Wyvern had come for.

With a swipe of its tail, the upper parts of the tower were ripped away, and the large blue gem within was revealed. The gem had been what powered the entire barrier and was a true natural treasure.

And as the Wyvern that would one day be known as the Malefic Viper laid its eyes upon the gemstone, so did another soul. It was a silent and unnoticed passenger that was simply along for the ride—one who was just there to observe and experience the annals of history and the Records of what had once happened during the First Era of the multiverse.

Throughout it all, Jake had been present. He had felt the thoughts of the Viper, the Protector, and even all the living souls in the city below. He had experienced every collision of power between the two fighters as if he was in the fight itself.

Yet it was only at this final moment that Jake felt truly immersed in the body of the Malefic Viper. He felt like he truly became the Viper and that the body of the Wyvern was his own. Every single small piece of energy moving within the large body was clear as day to him.

Instinctually—perhaps due to the skill or his Bloodline—he knew that this was when the important moment would come: his chance.

The Viper extended its claw and channeled a version of Touch of the Malefic Viper Jake very much recognized. The gemstone was slowly transmuted as it began turning dark green and giving off powerful toxic energy. None of this was very enlightening to Jake, but he did notice a few areas where he could improve his own ways of using Touch of the Malefic Viper. If Jake had to guess, then the skill was only at ancient rarity at this time for the Viper, or maybe the would-be god just focused on entirely different areas than Jake.

Opening his maw, Jake felt something inside the Wyvern’s body come to life that felt both familiar and foreign. Instantly, he knew it was what would one day be named Palate of the Malefic Viper. But it was different from Jake’s version in many ways. It was far more potent, for one thing, but it also felt… larger?

Jake felt the skill activate as something inside the Viper’s body began attracting the gemstone. The gemstone appeared to slightly shrink as it was drawn into the mouth of the Wyvern, and Jake noticed something that reminded him of his One Step Mile—the concept of space.

Once the gemstone entered the mouth, it just… disappeared. Yet moments later, Jake noticed where it had gone.

Like his spatial storage, a small dimension was found within the stomach of the Wyvern. Within that storage, Jake felt the gemstone and what was happening to it. He felt it being continually refined and cultivated, but it happened too fast somehow. Like time moved differently within that new space created by the skill.

A time-accelerated space? Stomach? Just as Jake was considering all these things…

Time rewound.

Jake felt the Wyvern open its mouth like it was his own, and the skill activated. The gem shrank and entered the maw before being thrown into the spatial storage inside its stomach and refined in an accelerated fashion.

Time rewound.

The gemstone was slowly made smaller as the concept of space worked to make it able to be deposited in the storage inside the Wyvern. The storage itself was not actually inside the stomach but more in another realm created by the skill.

Time rewound.

This time, Jake focused not on the swallowing but the storage itself. It was truly more metaphysical, likely part of the soul. This was also why the Viper could more easily accelerate its time in a passive sense as it happened inside its own body.

Time rewound.

Not only was the gemstone absorbed, the usual effect of Palate even kept working on it. However, it couldn’t help regenerate resource pools because all of the energy was passively consumed to keep the time acceleration and space alive. But something was absorbed: the knowledge of the item.

Time rewound.

While in the space, it was being refined by a skill reminding Jake a bit of his own Cultivate Toxin… Could he use that as a substitute? He should be able to.

Time rewound.

He felt that the journey created by Path of the Heretic-Chosen was about to end, but Jake didn’t lose focus. He studied every single movement of energy and everything the Viper did as it used its Palate of the Malefic Viper to absorb the gemstone. He borrowed from his own instinctive understanding of One Step Mile and Moment of the Primal Hunter to better understand how time was affected. Both only worked to influence his own body, while the Viper’s Palate only worked to affect his body too, except for the whole swallowing part. But Jake was quickly figuring that out…

Time rewound.

Everything was slowly coming together, and Jake felt that the next time would be the last. Mentally, he went over everything as he prepared himself and immersed his entire body and soul into the Viper.

Time rewound.

Jake opened his maw as the gemstone slowly shrank in size, the concept of space working to reduce its size and deposit it into the metaphysical spatial storage created with Palate of the Malefic Viper. Within, it was constantly refined by a skill very similar to his Cultivate Toxin—he would have to use that for his own version—while at the same time experiencing time acceleration through the concept of time. Throughout it all, the gemstone’s Records were also slowly being absorbed by the Viper through Palate as his understanding and familiarity grew to a highly intimate level.

He heard the notification sound just as his journey came to an end.

Chapter 68

An Improved Palate

Sylphie opened her eyes and saw the human appear again back at the lodge. He had only been gone for a few minutes, but he looked like something big had happened, as he instantly closed his eyes and entered meditation. She was a bit annoyed at not knowing what was going on, but she would be a good bird and not disturb him.

She was kind like that.

Jake replayed the feeling of being the Wyvern and tried replicating the same experiences in his body repeatedly. He ignored the notification for now to properly process all he had gone through—not just the parts with Palate of the Malefic Viper, but also the fight with the Protector and when the Viper had used what would one day be called Touch of the Malefic Viper.

Several hours passed as he just sat there while everything was still fresh on his mind. The true gains had been related to Palate of the Malefic Viper, and it had clearly been the focus of the skill, as it was only when Palate was about to be used that Jake was fully merged with the Viper, but everything else was still valuable.

No matter what, the Wyvern Jake had seen would one day become the Malefic Viper.

He didn’t really think much about anything unrelated to the fight and how to improve his skills. Everything that had happened then was history and couldn’t be changed, even if the entire thing was a bit cruel. The Protector had willingly abandoned the city, and the Viper did not even give a single thought to it as he fought.

Billions had died, sure, but they had just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. It was the unfortunate reality of the weak that didn’t live under the umbrella of the truly strong. The Protector had given some thought to the citizens by establishing the barrier, but he’d refused to risk his own life for the billions of lives living within his domain. The king had even abandoned the city the moment things went south.

Jake shook his head as he finally awoke from his meditation. He had gained some inspirations related to other aspects of the Legacy of the Malefic Viper, but the true gain was without a doubt with his Palate of the Malefic Viper.

Opening the notification, he saw what he expected, but he was still more than satisfied.

[Palate of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)] – The Malefic Viper has honed its venom by devouring myriad toxins found throughout the multiverse. In the same vein, the Alchemist of the Malefic Viper can consume toxins to learn their effects and properties. Further evolved, you can now also learn the properties of herbs while at the same time enjoying a greater benefit from all potions consumed. Grants immunity or resistance to most poisons. Passively provides 1 Endurance per level in Alchemist of the Malefic Viper. Through consumption, may your power grow; through gluttony, may your Records expand.

-->

[Palate of the Malefic Viper (Legendary)] – The Malefic Viper has honed its venom by devouring myriad toxins and treasures found throughout the multiverse. In the same vein, the Alchemist of the Malefic Viper can consume toxins to learn their effects and properties. Further evolved, you can now also learn the properties of herbs while at the same time enjoying a greater benefit from all potions consumed. Natural treasures can be swallowed and refined at an accelerated pace, using your current level of Cultivate Toxin (Uncommon). If the item is not a toxin, the item will still be refined but at a slower pace. Allows you to learn the properties of any treasure in your stomach as you slowly refine it. Grants immunity or resistance to most poisons. Passively provides 3 Endurance per level in Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper. Through endless consumption, may your power grow; through gluttony, may your Records expand as you devour the world.

Jake read the changes, and everything was as expected… He felt that every part of the skill had gotten slightly stronger, but the true gain was with the new “stomach” created by the skill. He could feel it within him right at that moment, even if he knew it didn’t actually physically exist.

It was like his soul in some ways, but in a way that was a bit more… tangible. Jake knew that whatever was within that stomach would appear out in the real world if he died, just like if one broke his spatial necklace after killing him. In fact, it was like that stomach was a part of him, just as equipment like rings or necklaces were.

Inspecting it more closely, he felt that the stomach was quite limited in many ways. Due to the way it constantly refined and absorbed Records from the item in an endless feedback loop, he couldn’t consume more than one thing at a time.

There was also the question of what counted as a natural treasure. Jake was confident that normal items such as equipment didn’t count, while he assumed herbs would. Either way, it was something he would have to look into in a bit; he first wanted to get done with his notifications.

The next few actually surprised him a bit, as he hadn’t seen that happening…

*’DING!’ Profession: [Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 101 - Stat points allocated, +10 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Profession: [Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 102 - Stat points allocated, +10 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (D)] has reached level 101 - Stat points allocated, +15 Free Points*

So, Jake had just gained two levels in his profession less than an hour after getting it. Gaining levels from upgrading the “of the Malefic Viper” skills wasn’t anything new to him, but he had assumed he wouldn’t get them when he used the Path of the Heretic-Chosen to do it.

Seems like a bit of a scam, he thought, not at all complaining. Heck, it helped the alchemist profession, which was typically slow as heck to level, with progressing far faster. Who would complain about that?

The final thing he had left was to see how much Endurance he had gained from the upgrade, though he kind of already knew the answer based on not feeling a massive rush of energy from suddenly gaining a lot of stats.

Checking his status screen, he saw that, sadly, the skill did not work retroactively to any levels below the triple digits but only gave him 3 Endurance per level in Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper. He still had the 99 stat points from level 1 to 99, so it wasn’t like he had lost anything, and quite honestly, he couldn’t really claim to be surprised. If it suddenly gave him almost 200 more Endurance before bonuses, it would just be insane.

All in all, Jake felt pretty damn good after it all. That Path of the Heretic-Chosen skill was great, and Jake was already looking forward to the next use.

With all of his evolutions done, he finally opened up his status menu in full to get a view of things.

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

Race: [Human (D) – lvl 101]

Class: [Avaricious Arcane Hunter – lvl 100]

Profession: [Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – lvl 102]

Health Points (HP): 18430/18430

Mana Points (MP): 20578/22087

Stamina: 13512/13790

Stats

Strength: 1226

Agility: 1552

Endurance: 1379

Vitality: 1843

Toughness: 1266

Wisdom: 1767

Intelligence: 1295

Perception: 3140

Willpower: 1425

Free Points: 70

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

Class Skills: [Basic One-Handed Weapons (Inferior)], [Advanced Stealth (Common)], [Basic Twin-Fang Style (Uncommon)], [Basic Shadow Vault of Umbra (Uncommon)], [Splitting Arrow (Uncommon)], [Hunter’s Tracking (Uncommon)], [Mark of the Ambitious Hunter (Rare)], [Archery of Vast Horizons (Rare)], [Descending Dark Fang (Rare)], [Limit Break (Rare)], [Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter (Epic)], [Arcane Powershot (Epic)], [Big Game Arcane Hunter (Epic)], [Arcane Hunter’s Arrows (Epic)], [One Step Mile (Ancient)], [Moment of the Primal Hunter (Legendary)], [Gaze of the Apex Hunter (Legendary)]

Profession Skills: [Path of the Heretic-Chosen (Unique)], [Herbology (Common)], [Brew Potion (Common)], [Alchemist’s Purification (Common)], [Alchemical Flame (Common)], [Craft Elixir (Common)] [Toxicology (Uncommon)], [Cultivate Toxin (Uncommon)], [Concoct Poison (Uncommon)], [Malefic Viper’s Poison (Epic)], [Scales of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Blood of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Sagacity of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Wings of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Pride of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Fangs of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Sense of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Touch of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Palate of the Malefic Viper (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)], [Thoughtful Meditation (Uncommon)], [Shroud of the Primordial (Divine)]

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

Once more, Jake took note of how damn long the thing was getting. He had gained new skills, upgrades to existing ones, and, of course, a few more stat points. It also felt good to finally have a legendary skill under his profession skills.

The upgraded Palate of the Malefic Viper hadn’t undergone a tremendous change, but it was still one Jake felt made it worthy of being legendary rarity. It used both the concept of space and time, and Jake had a feeling he wouldn’t have gained the upgrade without having experience with those two from One Step Mile and Moment of the Primal Hunter. Maybe he wouldn’t have been able to use Path of the Heretic-Chosen at all.

Jake was aware, however, that his version was not the same as the Malefic Viper’s was back then. First of all, the Malefic Viper was a monster while Jake was a human. As a monster, the Wyvern could gain not just knowledge of the item, but even experience and levels from consuming the gemstone, much like how Mystie had used the Mystbone to level and evolve to D-grade.

He had felt that the intent of the Viper back then was to just slowly nurture and absorb the gemstone over a longer period of time. This new part of Palate of the Malefic Viper was to the Wyvern primarily a way of getting more gains out of absorbing natural treasures. Jake’s was a bit different.

Jake’s was solely focused on learning about the item while also refining it and improving it. He wouldn’t absorb it as the Viper did. He had a feeling the Viper could also do as Jake’s version did, likely even back then. It just didn’t make sense for him to do so.

What truly made the skill worthy of the legendary rarity was the insanely valuable ability to learn about the natural treasure.

One of the biggest challenges one faced when using rare ingredients was exactly that—their rarity. When Jake wanted to craft a regular health potion or a poison, he had plenty of time to practice. He could fail a hundred brews or concoctions before finally succeeding, and it wouldn’t be a significant loss.

The same couldn’t be said when one used incredibly rare or expensive ingredients. An example recently was Jake trying to make his first uncommon-rarity poison using the rare Lifevine of the Indigo Fungus. He’d been limited in his attempts due to only having a single Lifevine, and he’d even had to cut it up so he could have more tries.

And that had only been a rare-rarity item. What if it was one even rarer?

Jake knew that often the creations wouldn’t result in a failure, just an inferior product. To completely fail was far harder than just creating a mediocre product that truly didn’t do the incredible ingredient justice.

With Palate of the Malefic Viper, that all changed.

Without even harming—no, actually improving—the natural treasure, he would be able to learn about it and make it feel far more intimate to him when he would finally use it in alchemy. One of the reasons Jake had learned to craft potions and poisons so quickly was his ability to learn about the ingredients by eating them. It was an ability that made the entire profession as an Alchemist of the Malefic Viper coveted across the multiverse.

Jake was certain there was some kind of threshold to how much you could learn about a natural treasure while having it consumed, but either way, it would be a huge advantage in the future. There were still some doubts in his mind, so he did what he always did when in doubt:

He just dove right in and tried using the skill a bit, and Jake happened to have just the item for it. Although it would feel a bit disgusting to swallow something that had once been a part of such an abhorrent creature… Sigh, what one doesn’t do for science.

He was naturally thinking about the rarest natural treasure he had: the Lifecore of the Indigo Fungus Mycorrhiza.

[Indigo Fungus Mycorrhiza Lifecore (Epic)] – The Lifecore of an Indigo Fungus Mycorrhiza. Contains a massive amount of life-affinity mana and vital energy. Can be used in a myriad of alchemical creations. Will grant a permanent increase to the Vitality stat if consumed.

Jake took it out of his spatial storage and looked at it a bit. He had no idea what to make with it currently, and while he could consume it directly and gain some stat points, he knew it would be a waste. Very rarely was it worth it to directly consume natural treasures, but it was far better to use them for crafting.

The Lifecore could be used for many things outside of alchemy. It would be great to socket on a staff or a wand to create a powerful life-affinity weapon, or maybe even as a catalyst in a piece of armor or jewelry to make it give Vitality.

It was a mystery what he would one day end up using it for… but it would be used to test his skill for now.

Jake looked at the Lifecore, which was about the size of his palm, and took note that it was far too large to just shove in his mouth. Luckily, swallowing with the skill didn’t actually require him to eat it.

He opened his mouth and activated the skill. A suction force took hold of the Lifecore as it shrank and flew into Jake’s mouth, disappearing from sight just as it entered. Jake instantly felt the Lifecore enter the stomach of the skill, and he felt all parts of his improved Palate of the Malefic Viper truly flare to life.

Energy began slowly refining the Lifecore, but it was slow, as it wasn’t a toxin and couldn’t use his Cultivate Toxin skill. Luckily, it was helped along by the time inside the stomach accelerating to over a dozen times normal speed, far faster than Jake had predicted.

It only took a few moments before Jake felt a faint wisp of knowledge enter his mind… It was incredibly minor, just a bit about how the shell of the Lifecore was formed, but it was something. In a day, a week, or a month, he would know far more. He did seriously doubt he could learn everything… but he could most certainly learn a lot.

He was also pleasantly surprised that it barely drained any mana. It was utterly negligible, and if he didn’t focus on the skill draining a bit, he wouldn’t know it happened. His natural regeneration—not even including his mask and the effects of the Pylon—far outpaced the drain.

Jake spent the next few hours just focusing on the feeling and familiarizing himself with the skill. He was only thrown out of his Thoughtful Meditation when Sylphie got too bored and began poking him with her talon to get his attention.

Awakening, he scratched her as he considered his next move. His quest panel made him aware that the World Congress would begin in around five and a half days.

A part of him wanted to go to the dungeon, but he knew it wouldn’t be wise. He tended to get too invested in a singular goal, and he would hate having to leave it halfway. He’d rather just wait until after that congress. Besides… it wasn’t like there were no other D-grades in the world.

Haven was located in the outskirts of a grand forest, one larger than all continents of the old planet. Jake had only gone a bit of the way in when he went to Mystie and Hawkie’s old nest, and even then, he had felt the presence of a few D-grades further in, and that area had still been considered the outskirts.

Having already decided, he got up and stretched, cracked his neck, and had Hawkie take responsibility for Sylphie as he prepared to go on a bit of an adventure.

He should have time for that before the World Congress, right?

Because what could possibly go wrong?

* * *

The story continues in Book 4!

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