The Primal Hunter 9 (The Primal Hunter #9)

by Zogarth

Not to misunderstand, they were still talents. These people would catch up, becoming stronger than the old expert in a fraction of the time, but they rarely did. They got frustrated. They saw magic a mage had spent ten thousand years making and couldn’t comprehend how they hadn’t perfected it themselves in a decade. In a way, their talents became their downfall, as they had never learned the act of patience. Never learned to struggle. Never learned to truly focus. Never stood before what seemed like an insurmountable barrier and, rather than giving up or trying to find a way around, slowly and methodologically figured out a way to climb it, a single inch at a time.

"It won’t work with a crafted poison,” Duskleaf commented. “That would delve into the concept of creation, as it isn’t tied to his soul. If it does somehow apply, the effect would simply stop working the moment the second version disperses, resulting in⁠—" "I told you already, didn’t I?” the Viper said, grinning. “Just enjoy the damn show.”

Shaking his head, Jake finally checked the skill. Its name alone told him what sim-Jake had become. The moment he saw the rarity, he looked at the shadowy figure. "We bloody did it, mate." [Eternal Shadow of the Primal Hunter (Mythical)] – Two choices, two realities, a single soul. A cursed shadow born and sustained by sin. Allows the Primal Hunter to use his instincts to respond to an enemy. Allows the Eternal Shadow to use his instincts to respond to an enemy. Both reactions will manifest at once as two realities are created. Both realities are real, but the Primal Hunter can choose his own soul’s reality and manifest it as such. The Eternal Shadow will experience the consequences of any reality not chosen. Upon activation of Eternal Shadow of the Primal Hunter, this skill allows both the Eternal Shadow and the Primal Hunter to embrace the shadows momentarily, vaulting in any chosen direction. Adds a large bonus to all stats dependent on the nature of the reaction while using Eternal Shadow of the Primal Hunter. Walk forth, Primal Hunter, your shadow forever eternal, waiting to strike.

"No, not at all. What could possibly go wrong with eternally linking your soul with a cursed weapon? Totally safe and even recommended by nine out of ten dentists.”

Jake shrugged. "I never even knew he ‘betrayed’ me. Not even sure it was a betrayal? We just agreed that he could trade out of Haven, not that he would swear loyalty to me. So, yeah, I don’t care, either." Miranda nodded. "He will probably be relieved to hear that. Ah, but don’t actually tell him; I like it when he squirms." "I am beginning to worry about the influence of those witches," Jake muttered.

Jake shook his head as he looked. It would be a shame for a third party to decide to mess up this beautiful balance of power, wouldn’t it? Then again, who doesn’t love a good three-way?

Jake knew at that moment that an alliance was more than possible, as any tree with a high Perception stat had to be a good tree. It was just science.

Vilastromoz shook his head and looked at his young Chosen, who was currently running through a forest, stalking some rodent, seemingly unbothered by what he had just revealed to the Primordial. Jake did not know what all this meant… and neither did the Viper. They were in unexplored territory. The result could mean nothing—just that Jake would get a race with a slightly different name and ultimately be unable to reproduce other variants like himself—or it could be a multiverse-changing discovery that would affect every major force in existence and send waves throughout existence. The Viper didn’t know, and if he had to be honest, that was kind of exciting.

"Hey, Arnold, did your mythical skill downgrade to legendary after you evolved!?" Jake quickly asked the mad scientist as he stormed into the workshop. "Yes, but I should be able to⁠—" "Get fucked; mine didn’t!" Jake said in return before swiftly making his exit, leaving a very confused Arnold behind. Having completed this imperative objective and gotten a good ego boost, Jake flew back to Haven to continue his evolution with glee. Now the question was… profession or class evolution first?

Meira looked at him for a bit with teary eyes before wiping them. She seemed deep in thought as she clenched her hands and stared at the floor, seemingly unable to meet Jake’s gaze. "Can… Could I maybe…" She turned beet-red as she stared intently at the floor, trying to gather her courage. "Would Lord Thayne also consider taking me as a…" Jake got a bad feeling. "A… what?" "If possible… when I am C-grade… would Lord Thayne also make me his mistress like the others?" she said with much determination, looking up at him with hopeful eyes. That was when Jake realized he had perhaps allowed her to speak a bit too freely.

Draskil. He had not seen the Malefic Dragonkin for a while but hoped he was doing well. Jake also wanted to check in to see if he was a potential candidate for the Nevermore party he was assembling, though he felt Draskil already had other plans. Making a magical phone call, Jake soon got a response. "Why does the Chosen contact me?" Draskil responded in an odd mix of annoyance, respectfulness, and snark. "I was wondering if you remember that Helenstromoz woman," Jake answered. "The hot dragonkin with the large tits and sexy tail? Yeah, I remember her.”

Jake and Draskil hadn’t moved an inch. Draskil because he was with Jake, and Jake out of pure fucking embarrassment. What the actual fuck? Jake thought. The others in the queue who had given way stared at him and Draskil as they stood before the open path to the teleporter. Jake just mentally yelled at Helen and praised the fact he was wearing a mask before collecting himself and looking at Helen. "We aren’t in a rush, so get back here and respect the queue." Jake hadn’t been raised to skip queues just because he was impatient. Only true assholes didn’t respect the culture of queuing. If Jake hadn’t liked Helen before, he sure as hell didn’t now after learning she didn’t respect one of the most important social norms in the civilized world. What would society be if people couldn’t even stand in a line properly? Helen looked back at Jake, perplexed, but he saw a flash of anger and shame in her eyes soon after as she gritted her teeth and slowly walked back towards them. "Dude, you are so much better at this politics stuff than me; that was such a powerplay,” Draskil sent to him telepathically as he flashed him an approving smile. “Have you also been taking classes?"

"Then go, my Chosen… Carry out justice in the name of the Malefic One and make my will a reality!" Villy said, holding back a laugh.

"A shame. This could have been a pleasant encounter, but now you must either break or die.” The Queen shook her head in disappointment. Behind him, the Queen’s Guards cut off the entrance to the cavern, and a barrier blocked off the only other exit, sealing them all in. "Lady, I think you are severely misunderstanding something here," Jake said as he looked at Hive Queen. "I am not trapped in here with you; you are trapped in he⁠—" Jake suddenly had to teleport as a Queen’s Guard attacked him from behind, making him curse internally. What fucker interrupts a good one-liner movie reference!?

A shockwave was released from the ritual’s center, destroying the rest of the circle as the bee container blew up from the energy overload. A bright light and thousands of stone shards flew past Jake, and dense energy washed over him. The energy was followed by the presence of a C-grade as a faint scent of flowers filled the air. Jake was elated, smiling as he felt the powerful presence released by the Bee Queen, but his facial expression froze when the bright light faded and he saw her form in its full glory. Before him stood what he could only describe as a tall, mature humanoid woman. She was several heads taller than Jake, standing at nearly two meters thirty, resulting in him staring straight into the two massive mounds on her chest—both of which were wholly uncovered. In fact, she was entirely naked, displaying yellowish skin all over her mostly lithe body. Jake averted his gaze from the two objects that usually only mammals had and finally saw some non-humanoid and ectognamorph-like traits. Four transparent wings sprouted from her back, and two antennas from her forehead. Finally, he met her black eyes with yellow irises, finding them staring straight back at him as she, in turn, inspected him. Jake felt unsure of what to say, but she took the lead by speaking, "I greet thee…" She suddenly bowed deeply, making Jake even more uncomfortable at the movement of certain objects… and the next part did not help. "My honored Sire."

"Ah, but do not take offense that I don’t consider you a potential partner. As my sire, it simply wouldn’t be proper, and the result would likely be less than ideal, as I have already inherited many of your Records, and our offspring could display negative traits akin to the children of incestuous relationships between humans.” Her voice was calm, as though she was talking about a totally normal subject. However, her words were honestly a huge relief, as Jake just feared he had made a potentially literal honeytrap in the form of the Wasp Queen. She also seemed like she would’ve been a scary-as-hell opponent, had she decided he would be an ideal partner. He could only shudder at the thought.

"Then how? How did you avoid all my blows as if you knew they were coming?" Vesperia asked, her frustration bubbling up a bit again. Jake just grinned. "Pure fucking instinct." "That’s ridic⁠—" "Don’t mess with her too much," a voice suddenly echoed from the stairs leading up to the mansion’s main building below. "Finally letting yourself be known, huh?" Jake turned to look at the Primordial snake god below.

"Yeah," Jake muttered and sighed. "Maybe we should just go with a fourth option?" "What option?" the Viper asked with a raised eyebrow. "A slightly modified truth," Jake said, trying to voice his thoughts. "That I do have an item allowing me to create new unique items, but that the cost is high for me, and that this cost includes Records. That the only way for me to repeat the ritual is to progress in my Path, gain levels, and evolve." He saw Villy begin to smile as he leaned forward. "And how will you address those offering you a better environment for progress in return for leaving the Order and joining their factions?" He had known this day would come for a long time, and honestly, maybe it was about time. The thought still made him uncomfortable, and he could see many issues popping up, but in the end, he would find himself covered in bullshit either way. Might as well do it on his own terms. Jake looked at the Viper and gave him a small smirk. "Tell them to fuck off, because I am already the Chosen of a Primordial."

"Our stupid bet is meaningless before what Jake managed to accomplish today anyway. I assisted him in the ritual, and based on the Sylphian and that cosmic worm, I had begun to hope he could perhaps even hatch a Quasi-Royal, but to see a True Royal be born… One of a fallen Lineage, too… This truly is unprecedented, and I feel fortunate to have been involved in her creation. Rewarded too." "Wait, you don’t mean…?" the Viper asked, surprised. "I did not expect to gain levels from a C-grade succeeding in a ritual I assisted with, either." Duskleaf shrugged and smiled. Vilastromoz nodded and smirked to himself. So I wasn’t the only one.

"You don’t mean… Is he perhaps called Draskil, the Malefic Dragonkin?" Irin said as she came in with the assist, her eyes wide and her mouth gaping. Ten out of ten acting from her. The Azure Dragonkin grinned. "So even someone as lowly as you is aware of him." "That can’t be…" Jake said with faux horror before he aggressively turned his head to look at the server currently placing a glass in front of Irin. In an offended tone, he asked, "When the hell did you make Draskil your Chosen?" The server stopped and turned to Jake as he put up his hands defensively. "Hey, don’t look at me; I didn’t know I had gotten a new one either!"

Irin noticed his interest and explained, "This is quite a famous building within the Order and has been standing for nearly a full era. It is a hotel operated by the largest merchant faction of the multiverse, the Golden Road Emporium, and is considered a landmark. Most often, it is used by individuals of high status and whenever any high-ranking visitors come by the Order and like this particular kind of environment. I am sure that with the upcoming ceremony, it will be full within the week. Ah, but of course, besides business meetings, quite a few people also book rooms for the more intimate kinds of meetings." Irin smiled, enjoying her teasing. "Why so interested? Wanna take a look inside and book a room? Maybe this could be my reward for helping you with all this shopping…" Jake looked at Irin standing there, smiling at him flirtatiously with the large building behind her… and just shrugged. "Sure." Irin looked taken aback for a moment before laughing and shaking her head. "You know, a poor girl like me could get the wrong impression when you are so ambiguous with your answers." "No, I know what I said," Jake confirmed. She was stumped for several seconds as she just stared at him. Jake stared back. "You’re serious?" she asked with wide eyes. "If you are." Irin slowly nodded, so Jake went over and walked past her through the gate leading into the hotel. Irin took a few seconds before she rushed after him. Look, when continuously confronted with an aggressively flirtati...

She almost felt guilty. Irin had always thought herself a very headstrong woman. She’d had to be to survive the demonic corporate world, but even so… She truly felt like she had taken advantage of the Chosen, even if he seemed to think it was the opposite for some inexplicable reason. It somehow just felt wrong. It had been one night—a long night, granted—but still just one night. The Velvet Mistress, who had long figured out who Jake truly was, had already hinted at this being a thing if she succeeded, but still. She couldn’t shake the thought that it was too much. Irin had expected levels. It was her Path, after all. But… really? Wasn’t it a bit too much to get nineteen fucking race levels from one round of fucking?

"You know what? I just think I might," Jake spoke to himself after she was gone. Then he turned around and began heading towards the bowyer. As he walked towards the gateway he needed to take, he felt a certain someone poke at his consciousness. "What’s up, Villy?" Jake answered. "I am experiencing some highly complicated emotions right now," the Viper answered. "On the one hand, it was about bloody time you bedded the succubus, and I can only commend the act, but on the other hand, I lost a bet with Duskleaf, as I seriously thought you would get with the elf before the demon." "How many fucking bets do you guys have going on?" Jake asked with exasperation. "To clarify, when you say fucking bets, do you mean how many bets in total we have, or how many bets we have related to literal fucking?" "I… actually don’t want to know,” Jake muttered telepathically. “So, did you want anything else?" "No, not really. I just wanted to praise your decision-making skills today, even if it was a far-too-long-delayed choice. You humans and your odd ingrained values. Oh, well, congratulations once more. See ya around!" With those words, the Viper’s presence was gone. Jake shook his head at the snake god, wondering how everyone else could treat such a goofball with such reverence. Oh well, time to get my bow, Jake thought, shaking off the thought. Today had been a good day so far, and he hoped it would continue to be a good day through getting his upgraded bow, as well as new or improved glo...

He was sure it hadn’t been there before but had appeared after his latest boot upgrade. Jake had been a bit disappointed no new lore or hints had been revealed about the owner in the item description, so he got excited something new had happened after all as he read the text. I look forward to meeting you once more, our meeting brief yet impactful. Hopefully, sooner rather than later. Your Path truly intrigues me. - A curious admirer. "That’s… odd," Jake said, confused. He frowned a little as he checked the description of the boots once more, seeing it was the same. He just thought it was a bit of a weird message to leave when the boots said: Boots once offered to an alchemist before setting out on a journey to experience the world outside at the behest of his master. Why would a master write something like this on the inside of the boots? Or was it the alchemist who’d written it at some point? Maybe he’d given the boots to someone else… but… Actually, why did Villy even have these boots?

Irin got a bad feeling. The Velvet Mistress nodded to herself, seemingly in thought for a moment. Then she smiled even more than before and spoke words that made a chill run down Irin’s spine. "Maybe I should go visit and have a taste myself…" Irin’s eyes opened wide. "Or… you could invite him here for a private lesson. One you can both attend."

Mushrooms were evil existences created only to bring suffering to everything and everyone. No one liked them, and they only created misery and sadness for anyone unfortunate enough to interact with them too much. This innate evil gave them only two valid functions: being destroyed or used to destroy others. Jake refused to see them having any other purposes. Hence why he had decided their purpose would be the latter. He would extract their vital essence and use it to bring down others in the form of poisons. He would allow the mushrooms only this one honor in their entire miserable existence, at least allowing them to display a smidgen of goodness by killing Jake’s foes and⁠— "Lord Thayne?” Meira suddenly called from outside his lab, throwing him out of his incredibly productive thoughts.

"Great! Can you call me shortly before she is here so I can finish up and get ready?" Jake yelled back as he kept working on his current concoction, still not wanting to give the mushrooms any reprieve from their righteous suffering.

"Just think about it," Duskleaf said before looking at Jake, giving him a nod of approval. "I did also owe you thanks for winning me a bet. Good job with the succubus." Jake then saw the alchemist briefly glance at Meira. "Sleeping with her while out a couple of weeks ago was earlier than either of us had expected." You bloody bastard… Jake knew Duskleaf had done it on purpose, as he watched Meira freeze up and stare at both him and Duskleaf. Her mouth opened for a brief moment before she closed it again, and she adopted a steely look. Izil seemed to notice Meira’s reaction, moving a bit closer to her in support as the two seemed to briefly talk telepathically. Jake threw Duskleaf a look, and the god also spoke to him telepathically. "Don’t look at me like that; you started this,” Duskleaf said. “Besides, the girl needs the motivation to keep progressing even after she joins the Order and regains her freedom. Planting the seed of expectation that she needs to attain a status making her able to approach you is a good way to make that happen. That it will create some drama for you is just a bonus." "Pretty sure we already gave her enough motivation before this," Jake countered, not buying it. "One can always have more."

Meira was about to ask more when she heard something outside the mansion. She looked out one of the large windows and saw an entire group had appeared on the lawn outside, and from the looks of it, they were all yelling about something. Several had blood coming out of their eyes, and a weird, tree-like creature lay prone on the ground, seemingly unconscious.

Because what was better than one eldritch Void God? Two eldritch Void Gods. "Chosen by the Keeper of Forbidden Knowledge, I congratulate you, and I offer a rightful gift as forepromised," Jake heard what he believed to be Oras speak. "Human of Origins Lost. Beings of Paths Once Untraveled… seek thy meaning, realize and ascend," a second and even more distorted voice spoke into all of their heads. Then the cubes just disappeared as if they had never been there, leaving only the flood of eyes. A small orb then appeared before Jake’s eyes, and he instinctively reached out and grabbed it before they were once more thrown through the void and appeared back on his lawn within the Order of the Malefic Viper. "What the actual fuck was that!?" Maria yelled as blood dripped from her eyes. "I… I don’t…" Miranda muttered, looking completely out of it. "Void tastes bad," Sandy said in a tone that could be perfectly communicated with a sad smiley. "That felt so wrong," Caleb said, shaking his head as his body gave off crackles of black lightning. "So, so wrong." The Sword Saint was silent, his eyes still red with tears of blood coming out. He seemed calm, but inwardly, Jake didn’t doubt he was affected.

[Vision of Oras (?)] – A small bead containing Records and energy created through unknown means by the Void God, Oras. This item has been bound to the Chosen of the Malefic Viper, Jake Thayne, and cannot be used by anyone else. Consuming this bead grants +59,783 Perception. Directly consuming this item may cause adverse effects. Beware, staring into the small bead may grant you visions of the void. Jake just stared at the ludicrous description for several seconds, especially fixating on the part about consuming it for Perception. Nearly sixty fucking thousand Perception for eating it? That was nearly three times as much Perception as he had. Not that Jake could even consider eating it for a second. The level of danger he felt from it was intense, making him fully aware it would be a death sentence. Also, with the stat cap from consumables, it wouldn’t even help him much. Then there was the part about staring at it, and⁠— "Lick it…" the voice of a snake god whispered in Jake’s ear. He thought he had heard wrong until it came again. "Come on… just lick it. You know you want to." "Villy, what the fuck is this thing?" Jake asked the snake god. "Shh… Just lick it." Jake was seventy-nine percent sure the Viper was trolling him, but he still complied when his curiosity won out. With much hesitation, he lifted the small bead and gave it a lick. It felt like licking a ball of glass covered in some kind of honey-like liquid and was honestly a bit gross. It was definitely not somethi...

"And you made her?" Maria asked with a raised eyebrow. "I played a part for sure, yes.” Caleb then put on a big smile and went forward. "Nice to meet you, Vesperia. My name is Caleb, but you can call me Uncle."

Caleb walked by Jake and muttered to him, "And here I thought I could set up fun play dates between our two kids." "Calling her my kid is kinda weird, man," Jake said. "Look at her." "Yeah, they grow up so fast, don’t they?" Caleb teased. "Just so we are clear, I will tell Mom and Dad about the large amazoness-looking Hive Queen woman who calls you her sire." "I would expect nothing less of you."

Yep, still there. Jake immediately nullified the contract, ignoring everything else, thus officially freeing Meira for good. It was surprisingly easy, and he didn’t even feel anything change. Meira did briefly shiver, but otherwise, nothing happened. "Fixed!" Jake said, but he was already getting several judgmental stares. "I’m gonna tell Mom you had an elf slave," Caleb said. "Please don’t," Jake pleaded.

"Why… Why would you not want to eternally serve the Chosen of the Malefic Viper?" the damn sculptor asked Meira, his face filled with genuine confusion. "To forsake such an honor, I⁠—" "It was my decision," Jake said, cutting him off. "I see. Alright, then." Felix nodded, but he then seemed to have a thought. "Can I be your slave, the⁠—" "No." "Oh…" Felix said, looking like a kicked puppy as he stared at the ground.

After she was gone, Maria gave him an inquisitive look. "Did you… you know?" Jake wondered what she meant, and upon realizing it, he frowned and looked at her sternly. "No." Caleb also shook his head and threw Maria a glare. "You can say a lot of things about my older brother, but yeah, not that." "I meant no offense; I was just curious, you know…" Maria said, knowing she had fucked up.

Sandy also eventually came to and made Jake rush outside, as the huge space worm began eating his fucking lawn while complaining about feeling empty from trying to eat literal void. He was forced to feed the glutton with other valuable items to tide them over, lest Sandy decide to try and eat one of the buildings.

Energy crackled as the gateway spun to life once more. Soon, a figure began emerging, and Helen was practically at the edge of her seat to see who the Chosen was. The first thing they saw were two glowing eyes in the swirling darkness of the gateway. Helen concluded it had to be some kind of monster, perhaps a dragonkin, but then a leg exited. Boots on humanoid feet. As the form was slowly revealed, Helenstromoz thought this humanoid looked familiar. "It can’t be," the A-grade beside her said, shaking. "It’s him?" Wait… Impossible! How? She also realized who the Chosen was as he stepped towards the magic circle. "Behold, the Chosen of the Malefic Viper! Jake Thayne!" Silence reigned, and frowns formed after many correctly saw he was a human. None had expected this… Perhaps a snake, likely a dragonkin, or, in rare cases, some other beast… but not a human. Doubt had begun to sprout, questions were forming, and disbelief was rampant. And then he stepped on the circle. A wave of his presence blasted through the halls, instantly washing away all doubt and shaking Helen to her very core as she and everyone else realized what stood before them. An apex predator. No… The monster who hunts them.

The Emberflight had been disrespectful on several occasions. If they went with the assumption of Lord Thayne having the backing of an S-grade, their conduct had been acceptable, but towards a Chosen? The only good thing was that they had done nothing overly public toward the Chosen. They had not made declarations or tried to put pressure on his backer, sticking to subtle research into who it could be. This research had not led to anything of value, which, in retrospect, made a lot of sense, considering who exactly it was they’d been trying to uncover the identity of. I will have to inform the higher-ups… if they don’t already know, the dragon thought with resignation. What exactly the consequences would be, he couldn’t tell, but he hoped to somehow still leverage the fact that he and Helen had some level of rapport with the Chosen of the Malefic Viper. Plus, the Malefic Dragonkin had been meeting with Helen a few times since his visit, and if the friendship between Draskil and the Chosen was genuine, perhaps they could exploit something there. As he was deep in thought, only using part of his focus to prevent Helen from being too shaken by the aura of the Chosen, the Hall Master spoke. Albaromoz listened to her words, and his eyes opened wide as she reached the end. Then the pressure hit. "I shall do so myself." Albaromoz was on his knees before he even comprehended the appearance of the Primordial. Before a god, he felt like an insignificant insect. He could do nothing bu...

"We thank the Malefic One for allowing us to," Odonestra said while nodding at him. She then looked at Vesperia again. Jake still stood next to Vesperia, who seemed hesitant to join her fellow True Royals. She turned and looked at Jake, making him smile. "Oh, come here," he said as Vesperia, unprompted, lowered herself so Jake could hug her. The far larger woman returned the hug and lowered herself even further. Jake failed to hide a grin when he patted her head, making Vesperia close her eyes as her antennas seemed to vibrate. "You take care, okay?" "Okay," Vesperia said. They stayed like that a bit longer until it got too awkward, and then he slowly let her go. After they exchanged a glance, Vesperia walked over to her fellow True Royals, who looked at her and Jake a bit oddly.

Villy, still sitting in his chair, let out a deep sigh. "They fly from the nest so young, don’t they?" "She teleported," Jake said with a deadpan expression. The Viper sighed even deeper. "They teleport from the nest so young, don’t they?"

As for Nature’s Attendant, he did indeed look like an older man, but one in peak physical condition with dense muscles on display. He reminded Jake a bit of an old farmer, and he had a soft smile on his lips as he opened his arms wide, allowing the staff to just float beside him. "Vilas, it has been too long," he said in a soft tone. "It has indeed," Villy answered, returning the smile as he walked over and went for a hug, which surprised Jake. But not as much as the words he said next. "I am glad you could come, father-in-law."

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Jake," the nature god said, smiling at Jake. Jake nodded. "The pleasure is all mine.” "Ah, and Jake?" Nature’s Attendant reached out telepathically. "Yes, Nature’s Attendant?" Jake asked, remembering to be respectful, though wondering why he didn’t just talk. The reason became obvious in the next sentence. "Please, just call me Tonken. I just wanted to tell you to be nice to little Dina, okay? And if anything happens between you two, then while I am not against it, just be aware that should you break her heart, I will break you, alright?" The old man spoke to him in what sounded like an amicable tone, but Jake felt a shiver run down his spine nevertheless. "Yes, sir," Jake simply agreed.

Back in the living room, with Jake and Dina gone, Vilastromoz looked at Nature’s Attendant. "You want to go see them, right?" The other god put on a sad smile. "Of course I do." Vilastromoz nodded and sighed. "I am glad you came." Nature’s Attendant walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "It wasn’t your fault, and you know that." "No.” The Viper shook his head and stared at the ground. "No, I don’t. Let’s just go, alright?" His father-in-law nodded and squeezed his shoulder. "Let us."

"He is dangerous, okay?” Jake said. “He makes people think things that aren’t true. Like, what if he made you think that I was actually a bad person?" "Ree!" Sylphie retorted. "No, I am not saying you would for sure fall for something like that, but… what if he made you feel something really bad that made you do something you didn’t want to? Something really bad?" Jake realized he was pretty much saying the first thing. He wasn’t really sure how to phrase it… "Consider this, hawk of wind,” the King said. “What if this enemy Chosen made you believe the rumored Smelly Pot, as you have aptly named it, is, in fact, the perfect nest?" What the fuck kind of argument is tha⁠— "Ree, ree!" Sylphie’s eyes glowed with realization. She flew over and landed on the King’s head before promptly telling Jake to never allow the monster known as Ell’Hakan anywhere near her.

"Are these your party members?" Jake asked as he opened his mouth for the first time, purposefully masking his voice with mana. Ell’Hakan turned and looked at Jake, and the eyes of all the onlookers gathered on him. A lot of eyes at this point, with many also observing from far away. Jake felt the Chosen’s annoyance at being addressed by a mere follower of the Sword Saint, but Ell’Hakan didn’t show it. Who did show it were all the supporters around him, who sneered at Jake daring to ask. "They are indeed. Why do you ask?" Ell’Hakan’s tone was neutral despite how annoyed he felt. "Curiosity that has now been sated," Jake said in a curt tone. Ell’Hakan frowned deeply now. Jake didn’t need his intuition to tell him the Chosen was thoroughly using his Bloodline to try and understand why Jake suddenly had a change in demeanor. Sadly for him… it was too late. "I am starting to believe there is more to you than meets the eye, masked friend of the Sword Saint," Ell’Hakan said, clearly trying to reclaim control of the conversation and have the last word. "However, as I said, I cannot delay here much longer, and I will⁠—" "The answer is no." Jake released the grip upon his heart and allowed it to thump to life once more. Jake’s aura flared out as he let it all go, including his presence. The robe covering his body was shredded, revealing his true form. His yellow eyes drilled into the genuinely surprised Ell’Hakan, who stared at Jake with wide-open eyes. “How dare you stand there an...

Glancing at the old man, Jake saw the cheeky smile, making him know the bastard was joking around. "You make it sound like I plan on building a harem." The Sword Saint glanced back at Jake. "If you planned on having one, I would advise against it. It is exhausting and leads to needless drama if you want to keep everyone happy, and once children become involved, it is a nightmare. Better to settle for either one life partner or not truly commit to anyone." "Wow, you almost make it sound like you’re talking from personal experience," Jake teased back. The old man just smiled. "Wait, seriously? You had a fucking harem?" "Life is a journey,” the old man said in a fake sage tone. “Looking back and focusing too much on the past will never lead to happiness. Instead, we should focus on present issues and the recent past. Such as you owing me a new robe.”

As they stood before the pit, the voice of Villy descended. "Good luck in there, mate. Nevermore will be the first true challenge where you compete with not only your own universe, but the multiverse as a whole. Every faction, every individual talent. Prove to them that you are worthy of sitting atop the food chain and exist firmly at the peak of your weight class. Prove to them you are the monster I believe you to be. Ah, but more than anything… have fun and enjoy yourself!" Jake smiled to himself and sent a mental affirmation to Villy. "Thanks, mate. Just focus on your own matters, alright? I got the mortal stuff handled."