THE PRIMAL HUNTER 2

©2022 ZOGARTH

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Also by Zogarth

Also in series:

The Primal Hunter 1

The Primal Hunter 2

The Primal Hunter 3

Contents

PREVIOUSLY IN THE PRIMAL HUNTER

1. Practice & Ash

2. Scales of the Malefic Viper

3. Lucenti Plains

4. Pondering on Ponds

5. Introspection

6. Intermission 1 – Viridia (1/2)

7. Intermission 1 – The Malefic Viper (2/2)

8. Moment of Curiosity

9. Cleaning Up the Plains

10. The Great White Stag

11. No Rest for the Wicked

12. Loot & Healing

13. True Protagonist

14. Into the Dark

15. The Right Way

16. Dark Mana & Dark Tunnels

17. Many Rats! Handle it!

18. Dark Attunement

19. Nest Watcher

20. A Final Gift

21. Willful Ignorance

22. The Balance Broken

23. Beers & Exposition

24. Of Fate & Destiny

25. William & Jake

26. Spring Cleaning = Loot 3.0

27. Valley of Tusks

28. Going with the Flow

29. The Right Way Forward

30. Mana 101

31. A Thoughtful Touch

32. Pigs for Slaughter

33. Limit Break

34. Falling Rocks

35. Horde Leader

36. Next Target: King of the Forest

37. King

38. Eclipse

39. Fall

40. When the Curtains Fall

41. Tutorial Rewards: Titles & Math

42. Tutorial Rewards: Narrowing Down Options

43. Tutorial Rewards: Getting Stuff

44. Intermission 2 - Life after Death (Casper)

45. Records

46. A Godlike Getaway

47. Danger Bath

48. Second Part?

49. Embracing Power

50. Defiance & Gains

51. You know, I'm something of a sage myself

52. Homecoming

53. Intermission 3 - Carmen

54. Intermission 4 - Noboru Miyamoto

55. Intermission 5 - Eron

56. The Blue Marble

57. One Step Mile

58. Pylon of Civilization

59. Intermission 6 - Matteo (1/2)

60. Intermission 6 - Matteo (2/2)

61. The Times They Are A-Changin'

62. Monsters

63. Living with the Consequences

64. Points of View

65. Going Down

66. Two Kinds of People

67. Big Blue Mushroom

68. Delegating (avoiding) Responsibilities

69. Construction Plans

70. First World Problems

71. How to Train Your Dragon Wings

72. Freedom

Thank you for reading The Primal Hunter 2

Groups

LitRPG

PREVIOUSLY IN THE PRIMAL HUNTER

On a normal Monday morning, our main character Jake suddenly finds himself thrown into a new world in the form of a Tutorial with a system, stats, dungeons, and a forest filled with beasts wanting to eat him and his colleagues. Very standard LitRPG apocalypse stuff.

Jake quickly learns he is far more suited for this kind of world than the modern one he came from and, with a bow in hand, begins his quest for power. A quest that leads to conflict and disagreements as Jake eventually splits up with his colleagues and heads off on his own.

On his own, Jake explores and finds a special Challenge Dungeon filled with lethal traps, lore of an old organization worshipping some scaled snake god named the Malefic Viper, and a chance to inherit the legacy of this Viper in the form of alchemy. A chance Jake takes as he embarks on his journey to become an alchemist.

Meanwhile, Jake’s old colleagues find themselves part of a camp ruled by a power-hungry man named Richard and his loyal followers. Jacob (no, this is not Jake, just a similar name, and the author defends himself by claiming that he legitimately didn’t know Jake was a shortening of Jacob when he began writing the novel, and by the time he noticed it was too late), Jake’s former boss tries to do his best, but repeatedly finds himself used and led behind the light as he does what he truly thinks is for the best.

Another young man named William also enters the picture here, a stereotypical psycho that the author really overdid it with, and even if he hoped for the guy to be hateable, he maybe took it a bit too far. Anyway, William does psycho stuff at the behest of an unseen god that aims to control the Tutorial from behind the scenes and has some unknown goals you may or may not learn more about in this book.

In an attempt to fool their opponent, Richard tries to pin all the conflict of the Tutorial on Jake and ambush him. Assisted by William, who Jake gave a good smacking when they met, and Caroline, who fooled Jacob into helping them, they try to ambush Jake but fail, leaving Jake injured and forcing him into the inner part of the Tutorial filled with even stronger beasts.

Jake decides to just try and forget his own colleagues and old life as he goes on a hunt of his own, gaining all the levels he can before finally finding a regular dungeon in the Tutorial’s inner zone. Eager to find more powerful foes, Jake enters, and upon finally clearing the dungeon by killing the final boss – a Beast Lord – he gets a quest to kill three more Beast Lords before finally being able to face the big boss of the Tutorial: the King of the Forest.

Outside of the inner zone, things have turned to shit, and a final confrontation between the two factions takes place, resulting in everyone dead but William, who is left injured on the battlefield, and the non-combatants. They are led by Jacob, who has recently become an Augur of Hope and joined the Holy Church after refusing to kill William, who was the cause of so much grief. An incredibly non-controversial decision no one ever took issue with.

Besides that, we had Casper, Jake’s old co-worker, and friend, becoming undead and teleporting out of the Tutorial, lots of hunting and levels, overly long explanations, and drawn-out sections of picking a skill even though the answer was obvious from the start, and much, much more.

Will Jake be able to defeat the King of the Forest and return to Earth? Will he die, and the novel abruptly ends in an incredibly unsatisfying way, making you take to the internet and righteous rage?

Find out in this episo- book of The Primal Hunter!

Chapter 1

Practice & Ash

Jake was enjoying his trip towards the next mountain quite a bit, though he had a faint suspicion his current prey wasn’t.

The raptor struggled and writhed as it was held down by its throat. Its assailant's second hand didn't give it time to muster a response before it brought down a bone-like knife on its temple.

Even with the knife in its brain, it didn't die instantly. However, when the venom from the dagger was secreted into its brain, the beast’s vital energy quickly gave out, and it stopped moving.

Another raptor jumped Jake but didn't even get close before he whipped around and punched it hard on the side of its head. It stumbled a bit from the blow, giving Jake ample time to wrap his arm around its neck in a chokehold.

The highly distraught raptor panicked as it started trying to get him to let go. But Jake easily held onto it, using Touch of the Malefic Viper on the beast. It took a few seconds, but the creature soon stopped struggling as he got the sweet kill notification.

Letting go, it fell down to join its brethren. Jake looked at the five dead raptors on the ground around him as he briefly cleaned his dagger and put it into his storage.

It had been far too easy. The raptors Jake had been slightly struggling with only days ago now didn't even present a proper threat.

Then again, his stats had experienced explosive growth during the dungeon run. His status, of course, agreed with that notion.

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

Race: [Human (E) – lvl 47]

Class: [Ambitious Hunter – lvl 46]

Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – lvl 49]

Health Points (HP): 3715/3780

Mana Points (MP): 4007/4450

Stamina: 1858/2470

Stats

Strength: 257

Agility: 349

Endurance: 247

Vitality: 378

Toughness: 207

Wisdom: 445

Intelligence: 168

Perception: 613

Willpower: 246

Free Points: 0

It was mostly his Agility, Endurance, and Perception showing growth, which was quite natural considering his class mainly provided stat bonuses to those three stats. His new equipment only boosted him further, with his pants adding 25 to both Agility and Endurance.

His Perception had experienced the most significant growth by far. He had decided to stick with his tactic of just throwing all his points into the stat.

He feared that perhaps he was spreading himself too thin, and looking at it, nearly all his stats were at a pretty reasonable level. Maybe too reasonable a level.

Becoming a Jake of all trades, yet master of none, was a dangerous path. If you looked at his stats, a lot of them did little to nothing during an actual fight.

Having less Wisdom, Intelligence, Willpower, and even Toughness and Vitality in exchange for Strength and Agility would significantly impact his ability to actually kill stuff.

Then again, Jake wasn't merely a Hunter, but also an alchemist. Without the means provided by his profession, he would be a far cry from where he was today.

What this all came down to was Jake being slightly apprehensive about entering the next dungeon right away. He knew that he was on a timer, the Tutorial Panel ever the reminder.

Tutorial Panel

Duration: 18 days & 15:54:11

He had a bit over two and a half weeks left to clear three dungeons and then deal with whatever this King of the Forest was. The next dungeon, of course, being his immediate objective.

But before that, he wanted to accomplish a few things. One of them a must-have and the other a would-be-nice-to-have.

First of all, get his Alchemist of the Malefic Viper to level 50. Another skill from that was bound to help him. His Blood of the Malefic Viper had helped him tremendously, and he hoped to get an equally helpful skill.

Second of all, he wanted to try and improve his Advanced Archery skill. He had upgraded it to common rarity by only spending a few hours with Casper back during the beginning of the tutorial, and by now, he had improved by a lot.

He felt that he was close to upgrading it even before his class evolution, and now only a thin line separated him from finally getting it. What exactly he needed to cross that line he wasn't sure of, which was why he chose to wait a bit before entering the next dungeon.

What he needed wasn't to have the stressful situation of a life-and-death fight function as a catalyst. Instead, he needed to find that little thing he was missing, and the problem was that he didn't know what that was. The skill could get upgraded within the hour—or in years, for all he knew.

That was why he was currently taking his sweet time getting to the next volcano-like mountain. He had decided to clear one of the valleys and, at the same time, do some relaxing practicing.

The raptors had been an outlier. They had run at Jake from behind while he was just trying to read a damn book, and he had ended up just smashing them in melee. He had quite honestly seen no reason to bring out a bow and start kiting around.

He also saw quite a lot of value in familiarizing himself with his new Venomfang dagger and correctly practicing his Twin-Fang Style some more. Honestly, he barely focused on technique during close combat, instead moving according to his instinct most of the time.

The hours slowly ticked by as he started clearing out the valley closest to the next volcano-mountain-thing. This one was mainly inhabited by the Lucenti Deer and Stags, making Jake suspect that the dungeon would be the same. The valley closest to Badger's Den had been filled with badgers, after all.

As he practiced his archery, he focused on the entire process—the act of drawing an arrow from the quiver, nocking it, pulling back the string, taking aim, and finally releasing it.

He’d already been very intimate with archery before even entering the tutorial, which had netted him the upgrade of the archery skill. To get the upgrade, he’d simply had to confirm the knowledge he already held, and the system had recognized it.

Compared to back then, Jake had experienced remarkable growth in the art of archery, his most prominent development being in the field of speed.

His training before had been formal and competition-based. It had focused on the proper forms and techniques—to remain focused on aiming and landing that one shot on the target.

But combat was very different. In a tournament, Jake would have time to aim for sometimes dozens of seconds, focus on his breathing, and then finally release the arrow once he felt like it was the optimal time.

In combat, however, the enemy didn't give you time to relax and take your time. A charging Alpha would force anyone to fast-track the entire process and fire the arrow as fast as possible.

A second area where he had improved was shooting while moving, a field where he still had plenty of room to improve. Even now, he mostly Shadow Vaulted away, took a stance, fired an arrow, and then Shadow Vaulted away once more.

Instead, it would be far more effective to shoot while moving—especially while airborne, as Jake sometimes jumped out of the way of an attack. In other words, he needed to improve his multitasking.

He had great form and technique in general, but he had to change elements of his style away from some of the habits he had formed. The habits were useful in an archery competition, but only a hindrance during mortal combat.

He needed to hammer out his faults and focus on improving them. He showed skill above what he actually possessed, as his instincts were more than happy with helping him during combat.

But with a renewed focus on what he was doing, he started to notice and iron out the small faults he discovered. He often overcompensated with how far he drew back the string or how he sometimes overanalyzed an enemy's movements and ended up missing.

After half a day or so of practice, he finally decided to put down the bow. He hadn't used a single skill the entire time, and the only thing he ever did to spice up the fighting was sometimes fighting a deer or two whenever they got in melee.

The stags were his favorite practice partners. They seemed smarter than badgers and actively tried to dodge his attacks. On top of that, they preferred ranged combat, firing magic attacks from their antlers. It was mainly glowing bolts of light and the odd beam here and there, along with the occasional barrier of light that blocked an arrow.

To make the fights even more interesting, the beasts could even heal themselves and others. And not a slow-acting heal like the Den Mother, but nearly instantly. When there was only a single one of them, it wasn't that bad, but when he ended up against three of them and they repeatedly healed each other, it got a bit… complicated—for the poor stags, that is.

All it did was extend their suffering. The fight ended up being far longer than it should have been, as the three stags healed each other. Jake even gave them time to heal and practiced aiming at specific areas of the creatures.

His default approach was always to aim for one of the common weak points, such as the eyes, nose, mouth, ears… pretty much the face. But the face was also the place the beasts protected the most, especially the stags with their barriers.

Their spells were all cast from their antlers, and surprisingly the antlers were quite close to their faces.

All in all, he had learned a lot about the beasts—knowledge that would surely become useful whenever he entered the dungeon.

As for the spoils of his efforts, he had only found a single lockbox. In it was a common-rarity upgrade token, which he promptly put in his spatial storage. He still had a few swords and daggers that could be upgraded, but he decided to save it in case he ever needed it—the famous last words said before forgetting a consumable in your inventory forever.

Having found a lovely tree to sit under, he took out his alchemical supplies. He wanted to get that level 50 skill, so he decided to make the final push. Besides, he needed more Necrotic Poison. The hemotoxin had worked wonders on the badgers, but the stags could cure the poison before it managed to increase his damage much.

Necrotic Poison, on the other hand, was fast-working and did far more immediate damage. Jake did briefly consider trying to make another type of poison but decided against it. He had to recognize that he had limited time left in the tutorial, and he had set the goal for himself to at least see this so-called King of the Forest.

Sitting comfortably, he started concocting the poison. His body relaxed while his mind started working as he focused his mana. He had already taken out all the ingredients and placed them on a cloth beside the bowl. To better practice mana control, he even used his mana strings to pick up and add the ingredients, becoming more and more adept at using them.

He had considered if his application of mana was correct. He had ended up making strings and threads out of it initially, and had kind of stuck to that approach. He could still fire out pulses and use it with his skills, but besides that, he didn't really use it daily. Which kind of made sense, as his only combat skills that used mana were Infused Powershot and Touch of the Malefic Viper. Both of which were far too complex for him to analyze properly.

The hours continued to tick by until he finally heard the satisfying sound of a successful craft, followed by the even more satisfying sound indicating his level-up.

The silent clearing seemed ever so tranquil as the molerats feasted on the vast amounts of meat. Many of the corpses were easy enough to eat, but many of them were still wearing armor, clearly annoying the beasts.

One rat scratched out meat from within a chestplate, while another was eating out of a boot. The last one approached another of the many corpses. It didn't look or smell particularly appetizing, but food was food.

It was a burned body, charred all over. The only thing uncharred was a shiny breastplate.

Just when the hungry rat tried to take a bite, a sword lying nearby flew over and skewered it to the ground.

Instantly a flurry of movement was kicked up. The molerats panicked as all the metal scattered about in what had once been a battlefield started vibrating. The vibration soon increased as the metal all flew towards the corpse with the shiny armor.

But instead of crashing into the corpse, they were instead absorbed. Tens of swords, spears, axes, and arrowheads, everything metal, disappeared into the body, leaving all non-metal parts behind.

The two surviving rats tried running, but both were skewered by the same sword that had killed their kin just seconds earlier.

The noise died down as the battlefield returned to silence once more. Several minutes passed without anything happening until, suddenly, a small twitch was seen. A single finger on the corpse moved as the ashen shell cracked, revealing healthy skin beneath.

Chapter 2

Scales of the Malefic Viper

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 50 - Stat points allocated, +5 free points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 48 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Briefly basking in the ever-satisfying feeling of level-ups for a while, he decided to get into the meat of things without unnecessary delays.

*Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper profession skills available*

It had sure been a while since he last unlocked any skills for his profession. Which did make him a bit excited to see what would present itself.

Skimming the list, he noticed all the usual ones, but also quite a few new ones. Four, to be exact. The first of which was a quite interesting common-rarity skill.

[Spectral Hand (Common)] – Sometimes, all you need is an extra hand. Summon a hand of mana able to interact with and hold physical objects. The hand is weak and lacking in dexterity, making it unsuitable for strenuous activities. Adds a minor bonus to the effect of Wisdom when using Spectral Hand.

While he couldn’t be totally sure, he was ninety-nine percent sure he’d unlocked this one due to his practice with mana. He was already using his strings to add ingredients, effectively acting as hands, and Jake believed this was the system recognizing those efforts.

Not that he had any interest in picking it. He could already do what it did, albeit a lot worse. He was sure one of the other skills would prove far more valuable than a common-rarity third hand. Besides… he felt like he would eventually learn to conjure a hand of mana even without using a skill, but just through pure mana manipulation.

Moving on down the list, he found two new uncommon skills.

The first was a skill that he had seen mentioned in many of the alchemy books, so it wasn’t exactly a surprise.

[Distill Powder (Uncommon)] - Poison can come in many forms and is far from limited to a liquid. Allows the Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper to distill a concocted poison, making a powder that holds similar effects. If the powder is burned, it releases the poisonous product into the air. The effect and nature of the poison are dependent on the poison distilled. Adds a small bonus to the effect of Wisdom when using Distill Powder.

This one was a bit tempting, mainly due to giving him a far more solid area-of-effect attack. It would be a way to do continual damage to more enemies at once. If he had been able to release a cloud of poisonous gas into the dungeon, it would have, without a doubt, done untold damage.

On the other hand,… the thought of the skill just rubbed him the wrong way on so many levels. He had gotten over using poisons on beasts, but he feared what the road could lead to if he started using more and more extreme means. He was pretty sure chemical warfare was outlawed for a reason.

Yet, he couldn’t deny how effective poison was. It would make him stronger if he could burn Necrotic Poison and just release a cloud of death upon others.

Skipping over the skill for now, he moved on to the next one.

[Brew Flask (Uncommon)] – For when you need that little extra push to win the battle. Allows the Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper to craft flasks which provide temporary bonuses. The nature, magnitude, and duration of the flasks vary based on the material used. Adds a minor increase to the effectiveness of created flasks based on Wisdom.

This skill was far more fitting for an alchemist—the kind that wasn’t a walking war crime.

He had already read many different kinds of creations an alchemist could make, and flasks were one of the most common products along with potions. Potions carried short, temporary effects, and most of them only lasted for a few seconds.

Flasks, on the other hand, could last hours or even days. They could give a vast array of bonuses, such as bonus health and mana, increased stats, or other buffs. It could be compared to equipping a new item for the duration of the flask.

The skill was extremely tempting, but it came with one issue: time. Jake didn’t have that long left in the tutorial, and he quite frankly didn’t feel like he had time left over to get into crafting something entirely new that very likely had its own entire methodology behind it. He also doubted that his first creations would give any worthwhile effects compared to the effort required to craft them.

And even if they did, it wasn’t even a sure thing that he would manage to craft one before the tutorial ended. Not even if he focused all his time on it. It would also get in the way of his quest to kill the King of the Forest. It was also assuming he already had the required ingredients or could find them.

He was far better at making poisons anyway. He was an Alchemist of the Malefic Viper and not an Alchemist of Tasty Flasks, after all. Besides, his profession and all his skillset were just more suited for poisons.

It was still a skill he would pick up later if he ever got the chance. It had many pros, but the lack of time and immediate usefulness eliminated it for now. The final skill option only further cemented his decision.

[Scales of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)] – The Malefic Viper’s scales are the first, and often the only required, line of defense. Allows the Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper to turn parts of his skin into scales, vastly increasing the effect of Toughness and adding a certain damage threshold. All damage below the threshold is nullified. The scales are exceptionally resistant to magic, allowing the alchemist to handle toxic substances better. Passively provides 1 Toughness per level in any profession related to the Malefic Viper. May you continue down your path, o chosen of the Malefic One.

Reading the description, he had to double-check it to make sure he hadn’t read it wrong. Especially the rarity of the skill. Ancient. Discounting Shroud of the Primordial, this was the highest he had ever encountered.

Jake still wasn’t sure about the different rarities, but he was pretty sure Ancient was above Epic, but below Divine. But by how much it was above or below those two, he didn’t know.

The skill itself was more than he had hoped for from a defensive skill. He had hoped for something like a mana barrier, maybe even a parry or blocking move or something from his class, but this went way above his wildest wishes.

It even provided him more stat points, another first from a skill. Well, permanent stats. His Big Game Hunter did give stat bonuses during actual combat with high-level enemies, but it was only temporary. This one, however, would be a permanent addition. Almost as if his profession now provided more per level.

Which made him think… Does it work retroactively?

If it did, the skill would instantly provide him with 50 Toughness. 55, in fact, if you counted his title giving an extra 10%. If the percentage bonus also worked, of course. It worked with stats gained from titles, so shouldn’t it work with stats from skills?

Not that it ultimately mattered, as he would pick the skill anyway. He needed a defensive skill, and this one was just far too good to ever pass up.

Picking the skill, he instantly felt a warm flow go through his body—a quite intense warm flow.

*Gained Skill*: [Scales of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)] – The Malefic Viper’s scales are the first, and often the only required, line of defense. Allows the Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper to turn parts of his skin into scales, vastly increasing the effect of Toughness and adding a certain damage threshold. All damage below the threshold is nullified. The scales are exceptionally resistant to magic, allowing the alchemist to handle toxic substances better. Passively provides 1 Toughness per level in any profession related to the Malefic Viper. May you continue down your path, o chosen of the Malefic One.

The warm flow going through his body was more significant than any level-up he had experienced so far. His skin itched all over as it strengthened, and he had to hold himself back from scratching himself.

A few minutes later, the discomfort disappeared, and everything returned to normal. Well, a new normal. Checking his stats, Jake saw that it had grown by not just 50 points, but 55.

Without waiting, he lifted his arm and activated the skill. His skin’s texture was instantly replaced with dark green scales that seemed to reflect the false sun above. They were nearly identical to the ones he had seen growing all over the Malefic Viper while in his humanoid form.

He tried poking them with his fingers and felt the tough surface. Weirdly enough, it didn’t feel much different than when he touched his skin directly. It was an odd feeling, as though he just had a lot of calluses there or something.

Taking out his Venomfang, he tried cutting himself. The blade managed to cut through the scales quite easily, leaving a small wound on his arm. Maybe testing with his new rare dagger wasn’t the best… but he did feel some resistance.

After he removed the dagger, he waited a bit to see if the scales would regenerate, which they, to his disappointment, didn’t. Instead, they disappeared after only a few minutes, as his skin returned to… well, skin.

It hadn’t consumed much mana, but then again, he hadn’t transformed a huge area. Which, of course, led Jake to a realization. He finally had a skill that used mana that he could use actively in combat. Maybe his vast mana pool and high Wisdom would prove more useful now.

He spent the next few minutes doing various tests until he decided to put his new skill to a real test. The description said it was strong against magic, and he happened to have an army of angry stags with light beams nearby.

Gathering all his alchemist equipment into his storage, he made his way further into the valley.

It didn’t take him long to encounter a small group with three deer and a single stag. The deer were not that exciting, as they mainly engaged in melee and acted as guards for the stags.

Taking out his bow, he fired an Infused Powershot and instantly killed the first deer. The next two didn’t even make it to him before they were riddled through with Splitting Arrow. And a bit of Necrotic Poison, for good measure.

The stag had tried to heal its companions in vain, but they died too fast for it to do anything. Instead, it turned its attention to Jake as it fired off a beam of light.

Jake happily received it as he raised his now scaled arms in front of his body. A bit of the beam went through and hit his chest, causing burns, but the part of it that hit his scales did absolutely nothing. It was as if the beam just disappeared whenever it encountered the scales, and Jake only felt a bit of warmth there.

He let the beast fire a few more beams at him as he blocked attack after attack. The stag was level 54, and yet it was utterly unable to cause him any real damage with the beams whenever they hit his scales.

Finally, after seven beams, the stag decided to mix things up as it started charging its beam. The stag would have no time to do this in normal conditions, but its enemy was just standing there and receiving its blows, making it take the chance.

After a handful of seconds, the beam was released. The beam was far more intense than the others, and Jake panicked slightly when his sense of danger warned him. Instinctively he covered his entire upper body with scales, and was somewhat pushed backward.

As the beam dispersed, Jake was surprised. Surprised by how little it had done. He felt a bit hot and a tingling sensation, but otherwise, he was completely uninjured. He had only lost a few health points even after taking the attack.

By now, the stag was well and truly scared. The human had just taken everything it could muster and yet stood there completely fine. And to make it all worse, the man was now covered in scales.

The beast didn’t release any more beams but instead made a final gambit as it charged towards him.

Jake happily met its charge as an opportunity to test his new scales’ physical defense. With his entire upper body still covered, he decided to just let the beast hit him with all it had... which could have gone better.

The stag lowered its antlers, and with only a few meters between them, it suddenly sped up and took Jake by surprise, hitting him square in the chest.

The impact sent him backward like a rocket as he smashed into a tree. It may have seemed dramatic from an outside perspective, but the damage done wasn’t that bad. His danger sense had made him aware of that fact before he was even hit.

Getting up, Jake easily dodged the follow-up charge as the stag impaled the tree.

Not bothering to waste any more time, he took out his dagger and finished off the beast in only a few venom-doused strikes.

Looking himself over, he saw several scales on his chest with small indents and cracks. Clearly their ability to soak up magical attacks was far above their physical resistance. Which wasn’t to say that their physical defense was weak in any way.

One had to remember that Jake was currently going with the pants-only style, having a bare chest, meaning that the scales were the only obstruction between his bare skin and a row of pointy antlers.

He did still have his cloak too, but he was honestly getting tired of it being ripped and torn during every fight, ultimately just getting in the way. Obviously the item was meant for lower-leveled individuals.

And on the point of equipment, he decided to keep going further into the valley. His bare chest, common-rarity starter bow, and shitty cloak meant that he had plenty of upgrades still to find. Even his bracers were getting quite old, providing far fewer stat points than his newer loot with their measly 5 Agility and 3 Strength.

He did several more tests for his new scales in the following hours. In conclusion, they were brilliant—pretty much an overpowered defense against magic, and decent physical resistance.

On the con list, without a doubt, was the mana consumption. To cover his entire upper body had drained more than a thousand mana, and when the scales got damaged, he had to pour in even more mana. Less than to summon new ones, but it was still costly.

When the scales were summoned, he could maintain them relatively cheaply, but they still drained far too much to have them up for long periods. He doubted he could keep the scales active for more than a few hours on his entire body, even with his full mana pool.

Without mana to keep them up, the scales would last for around three minutes. After that, they would disappear as if having never been there. Jake did find that his skin was still pristine beneath, even if the scales had been damaged, which was nice.

His final test had been with poison, but he discovered that he didn’t have anything potent enough to do a proper test. Perhaps the gland from the Den Mother would be good enough, but he felt like it was a waste of an excellent future ingredient.

Half a day later, he was finally done scouring the valley. He looked at his bounty, disappointed—two more common-rarity tokens, as well as another pair of stupid uncommon steel boots that provided Strength and Toughness. They were worse than his current boots in every way.

Besides, they looked uncomfortable as hell.

He had gotten a level, though, reaching 47 in his Ambitious Hunter class, so the time wasn’t wasted entirely, but it was far less efficient than the dungeon. He had briefly considered grinding to level 50 in his class before entering the next dungeon but decided against it. It would take far too long, and besides, he felt like he could handle the next dungeon.

Feeling ready, he looked up towards the second-smallest volcano-like mountain. The location of the second dungeon and Beast Lord, if his assumptions were correct. And, hopefully, also the location of a damn shirt.

Chapter 3

Lucenti Plains

The path up to the mountain wasn’t as easily traversed as he had hoped. Unlike the badger valley, he didn’t find any easily accessible way forward.

Instead, he was met with a wall of stone—a steep cliffside. He tried climbing it a few times but quickly found that his climbing skills, coupled with the smooth stone surface, made it improbable that he could climb up there. He tried to use his weapons to climb, but it was more than a little unwieldy… Venomfang was too strong, and the cold from his sword made it break the stone as it cooled down.

After walking back and forth for a few minutes, trying to find a spot to climb, he got an idea. Could he use his mana strings?

He had made several strings over time and even used them to retrieve dropped weapons and such. In theory, he should be able to make a rope from his strings and climb up the cliffside.

Thinking it was quite a shot in the dark, he was surprised when he quickly strung together an invisible rope of mana. After practicing for a few minutes, he managed to make it longer and sturdier and even hoisted himself up in a tree using it.

Damn, I am good, Jake thought to himself as he marveled at the immense progress he had made in his mana control. He had slacked a bit recently, but with his stat growth and alchemy skills improving, he had gotten quite good without even noticing.

It still hadn’t materialized as a skill, discounting Spectral Hand. He remembered that his focus on the practice came from those few words given to him by the Malefic Viper during their first meeting. Those words had opened him up to the possibility that mana control was possible outside of using it for skills.

By now, he was sure that many others had also caught on, but he still felt like he had an early-starter advantage compared to many others.

With this new mana rope, Jake managed to attach it to small protrusions on the cliffside. Climbing to those protrusions, he made another rope attached further up and slowly made his way up the cliff.

Granted, it would have likely been faster just to go back the way he’d come and find a more direct path, but he believed that he hadn’t wasted his time in the grand scheme of things.

Finally, reaching the top, he smiled triumphantly. The ropes had dispersed already, as they turned to nothing whenever they lost contact with his body. He felt like controlling mana outside the body, without him touching it, should be entirely possible. He just wasn’t sure how to do it yet.

Having gotten out of the valley, he didn’t delay as he rushed to the dungeon entrance.

The layout was incredibly similar to the other mountain, and he quickly reached the long passageway leading into the hollow volcano. He had a sneaking suspicion that he was in for another mountain filled with long passages whenever he entered the dungeon itself.

Only a few raptors were in his way, but they were swiftly handled with a few barrages of Splitting Arrow.

Reaching the mountain’s inside, he quickly spotted the door to the dungeon. He wasted no time rushing to it and placing his hand on it.

Tutorial Dungeon Discovered!

Dungeons throughout the universe offer groups and individuals a chance to pursue strength and treasures through exploring the pocket dimensions known as dungeons. This variant is only found within the Tutorials provided by the system to newly integrated races.

Requirements to enter: N/A

Requirements to enter met.

WARNING: Only 5 challengers allowed per party attempting the dungeon. Only one party allowed at a time. Note that dungeons can be entered and exited at your own discretion.

Enter Dungeon?

Y/N

The message was exactly the same as when he’d entered the badger dungeon. He accepted the prompt and felt his vision and body shift.

Totally gonna be another shitty cave, Jake joked with himself.

His sphere was the first to register his new surroundings, and it made him aware he was in a rather large open space. The next thing he felt was… a breeze? In a cave? But as his vision returned, he found himself standing not in his anticipated cave, but instead on a small hill surrounded by a broad plain.

You have entered the dungeon: Lucenti Plains

Objective: Defeat the Great White Stag

He was quite honestly taken aback. The change of scenery was far more extreme than he had anticipated.

Every dungeon he had entered so far had been enclosed spaces, one an ancient temple and another a cave. But this… this was a goddamn open plain—the sky above, with a large open space before him.

On his small hill, he could see a large number of beasts running around. They were groups of deer with a stag or two generally leading each small group.

The plains themselves were a mix of tall grass and open ground. The grass was easily three meters tall, at its highest.

Looking behind him, he saw that perhaps this space wasn’t as large as he had first imagined. While it looked enormous, it soon became apparent that it was, in fact, quite limited. He saw that only a hundred meters or so behind him, the plains suddenly stopped, and it turned to stony ground.

Activating Hunter’s Sight, he peered into the distance and saw only nothingness. It was like he was in an oasis in the middle of a desolate world—an oasis consisting of a plain with herds of deer running around.

Turning his attention back towards the beasts, he used Identify on one of the groups.

[Lucenti Deer – lvl 61]

[Lucenti Deer – lvl 60]

[Lucenti Deer – lvl 62]

[Lucenti Stag – lvl 65]

Just like Badger’s Den, it was the same beasts but with higher levels. The levels themselves were only slightly higher than the badgers’, making Jake feel quite confident.

But he quickly identified a few problems; the biggest of them was entering his sight.

[Great White Stag – lvl ??]

The beast was… majestic. He honestly had no other way to describe it. It stood drinking from a pond in the middle of the plains. It had antlers that looked like they were made out of the most delicate ivory, the purest white color covering its entire body, making it appear albino.

A bit further away were tens of deer, all split into smaller groups. Each group had a few does and a stag or two in them. They all seemed to keep a reasonable distance from the Great White Stag.

But that didn’t mean it was alone. Around it were three nearly equally beautiful creatures.

Also pure white, but without the antlers. They seemed to almost give off an aura of gentleness as they stood by the stag.

Identifying them, it became clear that they were also far from ordinary beasts.

[White Doe – lvl ??]

[White Doe – lvl 72]

[White Doe – lvl ??]

Their levels were higher than those of any of the other beasts besides the stag itself.

On a side note, this identification did help confirm a theory he had about the Identify skill. He had wondered where the line between it showing question marks and the actual level appeared.

He noted that he could see the level 72, but not any of the others. This made him guess that this was likely the maximum. His current level in his race was 48, making those with quick math realize it quite easily. He had already kind of theorized it before, but now he felt pretty sure.

Jake believed that he could identify things up to 50% above his level, meaning 72 was his current limit. But he would have to test it further to fully confirm it. If he was lucky, then one of the other does would be level 73. Of course, he needed to level up for that to matter.

Which shouldn’t be a problem, considering the many meat-bags of experience populating the plains.

This abundance of prey, however, led him to a second problem. Well, the quantity itself was not the problem; the issue was what they were doing.

As he saw right away, these deer were not stationary like those in the Badger’s Den. Instead, they ran around, making it far too hard to pin down a group. To make matters worse, there was a good chance he would get engaged by a second group after attacking the first.

Each group of deer did not strike him as particularly powerful. They were the same deer and stags that he had hunted before, save for their higher level, and even without his new Scales of the Malefic Viper, he felt like he was more than capable of hunting them.

But that didn’t mean he was eager to engage an army of the beasts.

He decided to take his time to observe from where he stood. It didn’t take him long to notice that there seemed to be a pattern to their movements. The same routes were followed, as paths had been made in the tall grass.

From where he stood, he couldn’t see exactly where they were running to and from due to the damn grass.

He tried tagging one of them with Mark of the Ambitious Hunter as he followed it. He noticed it going into an area he couldn’t see due to the tall grass, where it stopped. It didn’t move for a good twenty minutes before Jake got impatient. He felt like he was wasting his time just sitting there.

Sneaking down from the hill, he decided to put his Basic Stealth to the test as he entered the tall grass.

He snuck towards the deer he had marked, making efforts to avoid the other groups as they ran around. However, this was a relatively short journey, as he noticed that these beasts had a far larger area of engagement than the badgers did. One had barely entered his sphere before it seemed to become alert and turn its attention his way.

The rest of its group also stopped and looked into the tall grass where he was hiding. Jake tried to make himself smaller as he stood utterly still. In his sphere, he could see the deer move its ears back and forth as its nose sniffed the air.

Jake controlled his breathing while the beasts stood there, still a good nineteen to twenty meters away from him. As the stag walked up to the edge of the tall grass, he closed his eyes, focused on calming down his beating heart, and held his breath while, at the same time, trying to suppress his own aura.

Slowly lowering himself to the ground on his stomach, he made sure not to rustle any of the stalks of grass. This turned out to be the right decision, as a beam of light cut through the air where his chest had been only seconds before.

Through pure willpower, he managed to not even twitch an eyelid as the unexpected attack swept across the grass above him, cutting off the upper half. The cut-off grass fell down, covering the completely unmoving Jake.

Having not hit anything seemed to satisfy the stag that had fired the beam, as it bellowed to its followers, making them move on.

Jake, now entirely covered in the fallen grass, did not budge, but a small smile could be seen on his face. Not just because he had avoided a potentially shitty situation, but because of the system message he just got.

*Skill Upgraded*: [Basic Stealth (Inferior)] --> [Advanced Stealth (Common)]

He honestly didn’t feel like he had done much to deserve the upgrade. Then again, his archery had gotten a similar upgrade just because he thought about how to do archery for a bit.

Looking at the new description, not much had changed.

[Advanced Stealth (Common)] – The deadliest blow is the one not seen coming. A proven artisan in the arts of stealth, you have learned to stay undetected far better than a mere novice. You now find it even easier to blend into the environment, waiting for just the right moment to strike. Adds a minor bonus to the effect of Agility and Perception while successfully remaining undetected.

It was clear to him that it was just a straight-up upgrade. Upgrading stealth had not been on his to-do list, but it was welcome for sure.

Thinking back, he had actually done a lot of sneaking around in the tutorial. He had crept around the dinosaur-filled mountains, and his time in the outer area had consisted of him trying not to be found by other humans.

He also had a theory that prior knowledge did factor in quite a bit. Just like with his archery, Jake did, inadvertently, have some experience on how to sneak. Something he suspected most people who liked to stay up too late in their parents’ house had.

However, Jake’s thoughts on the implications of the upgrade were interrupted as he was brought back to reality. The stag he had marked earlier had started moving once more.

Taking it as his cue to stop wasting time, he started sneaking towards the spot where it had been sitting still for a good half an hour.

Managing to stay undetected for the rest of the trip, he soon found himself overlooking a small downward slope into a mini-valley of sorts. The middle of the valley contained a spring and a pond not unlike the one the Great White Stag was at.

From where he was hiding, no deer was close enough to spot him. He, however, had a clear view of the pond and the animals around it. The stag that had nearly discovered him was currently drinking some of the water along with its compatriots.

Jake briefly considered attacking them but decided against it. It was too risky with the groups running around. Instead, he made a trip around the clearing, finding to his surprise that no deer was within a few hundred meters.

At the same time, he felt that his mark had stopped once more. It was a good kilometer to the north of the pond he was currently at, making Jake take a risk and rush towards it, still hidden in the tall grass.

It didn’t take him long to get there, discovering yet another, almost identical, valley and pond. His marked deer was happily drinking the water, just like the deer at the other pond.

Once more, he decided to wait a bit when an idea of what was going on occurred. Which proved to be the right idea, as the group stopped drinking and left again—this time towards the big pond in the center with the white stag.

Less than a minute later, a new group of deer appeared, this time from the north. Which meant it was not the same one that had nearly spotted him earlier.

Jake decided to make his way back to the pond he’d been at before, at which he discovered a new group of deer. A few minutes later, they too left, running back towards the center pond. And waiting five minutes or so, a new group appeared.

Yeah, I think I got it, Jake thought to himself.

It was pretty simple. At any point, only a single group would ever be at a pond, and every time they would stay there for a good twenty to thirty minutes. Afterward, they would either move on to the next pond or return to the middle, and then a new group would appear within a few minutes.

With each pond being isolated, this was without a doubt the intended design. The ponds were the killing area, and Jake was on a timer to take down every group before the next one came. At least, that was the theory that Jake was sticking to.

As the group left the pond, Jake waited patiently for the next one to arrive. It was time to put his theory to the test.

Chapter 4

Pondering on Ponds

It wasn’t long until he heard the sound of cloven hooves hitting the ground. Soon he saw a group of deer approach the pond, just like all the others had. But the fate of these beasts would not be just another peaceful drink.

He had already prepared his arrows with poison aplenty, and his resources were full, which meant it was killing time.

Jake saw no reason to delay his attack as he stood up from his hiding place and took out his bow. Nocking an arrow and drawing the string, he started charging an Infused Powershot, aiming for the stag in the middle.

The moment he started charging the mana, they all turned towards him in a startle to his slight surprise. He was a good sixty meters away, far further than he expected for them to notice him.

His reaction, however, was swift as he released the arrow. Despite them noticing him, it still hadn’t even been a second from them turning their heads to an arrow arriving, penetrating the skull of the stag before it had a chance to mount a defense.

Despite the damage, Jake had not actually managed to kill the beast. He had, however, managed to temporarily disable it, as it staggered and fell down on its hind legs.

With their leader out of commission, the four remaining deer briefly showed confusion before they charged towards him in unison. An expected response, as they were met with a barrage of Splitting Arrows.

Without their leader and designated healer, the deer had a hard time putting up a proper fight. Two fell before they even reached him, and a third one died as Venomfang stabbed it in the abdomen, releasing deadly toxins.

Before Jake got the opportunity to finish off the last beast, a light fell over it, making its wounds heal at a visible rate—the damn stag had gotten up once more, and from the looks of it, it was completely unharmed.

Bloody healers, Jake complained as he kept fighting the deer.

The fight quickly got prolonged, as he time and time again failed to land fatal blows due to the stag erecting barriers, and whatever damage he did inflict got healed right away. The damn stag didn’t even try to attack Jake a single time, seemingly satisfied with just healing the deer.

The standstill continued for a good five minutes before the stag started running low on mana. Jake had been okay with just slowly draining the beast, as the deer had yet to do any damage to him. He knew the Necrotic Poison and Venomfang’s toxin weren’t that easily healed.

He had been honed against far more challenging opponents. While the deer was stronger than most beasts, it was still weak compared to an Alpha Badger. And Jake had only grown stronger since he faced off against those.

When the final barrier shattered under his dagger and penetrated the neck of the deer, it collapsed with a yelp as the venom took hold. A swift stab with his sword finished it off before he turned his attention back towards the stag. He had expected it to already be charging his way, and was taken aback by what it did instead.

It ran. It bloody ran. Ran back towards the center pond, AKA back towards the location of the Great White Stag.

Shit. Jake pulled out his bow once more, simultaneously focusing his senses on the Mark of the Ambitious Hunter he had just placed on the stag. Nocking his arrow, he drew the string as the beast disappeared from his sight, hidden by the tall grass.

The paths created by the beasts were not straight lines, far from it. But luckily Jake knew precisely where the thing was even without a direct line of sight.

He took his time to line up the shot. When it felt just right, he released the arrow. It exploded forward, and the grass was parted like the Red Sea as it tore through everything in its path. The stag didn’t even register it coming before it was hit in its hind, penetrating through its midsection, out the neck.

With it out of mana and far from in optimal condition, this spelled instant death. Jake barely saw it all happen before the grass flowed back into its original place, obstructing his view once more. But the notification of the kill was all he needed to confirm his success.

*You have slain [Lucenti Stag – lvl 67] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level. 94,000 TP earned*

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 48 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 49 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Finally. Getting some levels again felt great. It was weird, considering he had leveled less than a day ago, but after his trip into the badger dungeon, he had gotten impatient with his leveling speed. He felt like he needed more, and he needed it faster.

Fighting prey far above his level, coupled with Mark of the Ambitious Hunter, undoubtedly helped him level far faster. He wasn’t sure of how big the bonus was, as it just said that it gave him bonus experience whenever he killed a marked target of a higher level than himself. It wasn’t like he got an exact number of experience earned per kill, to begin with. Could it even be quantified into a number?

But he did make it a habit to mark every beast before he killed it. It barely had any cost to use, and the effects were more than worth it just for the damage.

The duration seemed partly based on his enemy’s level, making it expire faster on stronger foes. He had tested it while doing alchemy by just marking the highest-leveled thing he could find and then just leaving it be. He had considered just marking the Great White Stag but decided against it, as he would likely have to swap it around a lot.

His intuition told him facing the Great White Stag with his current strength was a bad idea. But the deterrence was not absolute. It was like he had first felt as he stood before an Alpha Badger. It would be a bad idea, but it was not impossible. Still, banking on getting a skill upgrade just in time to win the fight like with his first Alpha wasn’t exactly a reliable tactic.

Not that it mattered currently. Jake had ample time to gain more levels from all the beasts running around before he would have to face the big boss.

There was one thing that intrigued him, though: the ponds that the deer seemed to patrol around. One still needed sustenance at E-grade, but it seemed like overkill to go about drinking it all the time. Jake himself barely needed to eat and drink anymore, making the fact that these deer drank all the time suspicious, to say the least.

It didn’t take him long to discover why, as he made his way to the pond. The water was as clear as it could get, but that wasn’t the important part. It gave off an aura and even a faint feeling from his Sense of the Malefic Viper. He decided to use Identify on it to confirm his suspicions.

[Lucenti Water (Common)] – Water infused with strong light-affinity mana, making it purer and able to 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 light affinity.

His Identify yielded quite the information, once more proving the worth of his knowledge-related alchemy skills.

What he couldn’t explain, however, was the feeling from his Sense of the Malefic Viper. It was only a faint sensation, but it was clearly there. It was telling him an herb was nearby. But the water was clear, with not a single living thing within it.

Several shining rocks were scattered on the bottom, but his Identify didn’t give him any proper response.

On a closer inspection, he found what might be the explanation for the trace energy of herbs in the water. On the pond’s side, submerged half a meter or so, several small holes were hidden. They were nearly impossible to see with one’s eyes, but his Sphere of Perception made them clear as day.

What was more important was where the holes were leading. They were clearly extending towards the center pond. Which would mean that whatever was infusing this water with mana would likely be found in there.

For now, however, he focused on this pond. He wanted the shiny rocks, and he wanted the water. While he couldn’t identify the stones, he could feel the mana in them. The water itself was at least a common-rarity alchemical reagent that he was sure to find a use for at some point. He still had a library’s worth of books, and there was sure to be something on light-affinity water.

Speaking of affinities, Jake did wonder what exactly was required for obtaining an affinity. Or if it was even something one obtained. More specifically, he wondered how one unlocked the skills. Currently, he had the nature affinity offered from his class, but that was still the only one.

I can figure that out later, Jake thought to himself as he started collecting the water and stones. However, it didn’t go as planned as when he touched the water; it felt like his hand got scalded.

Grimacing, he pulled back his hand and saw that it had turned red. He had even lost a few health points. Well, there goes my plan for trying to drink it.

His body clearly disagreed with the water, but he was still adamant about collecting it. The water would hurt his skin, but he would like to see it hurt his scales. The dark green scales soon covered his hands and arms as he took out one of the barrels he had “borrowed” from the challenge dungeon.

Luckily the water didn’t affect the wooden barrel, so it was easily stored. The water still clearly tried to burn Jake’s hand but was utterly unable to harm the scales. This meant that he safely collected two barrels of the water and the stones—which also tried to burn his hand.

Pretty sure having the light affinity is off the table, he thought, sighing as he put the collected items into his spatial storage.

As he prepared to head onward, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. A deer had come from the north path and was currently staring at him… and the four dead does around him. It was with a group of two other deer and a single stag.

He was, however, once more surprised at its action. Instead of attacking, it charged towards the path leading towards the center pond. Simultaneously, the two other does headed towards Jake, and the stag started charging up its antlers.

With no time to consider the situation further, he took out his bow and focused on the doe running towards the center. He didn’t need his intuition to tell him that letting it get away would result in a bad time—a very bad time.

He marked the beast as he fired a quickly charged Infused Powershot. The shot flew true and struck the doe in its hind leg, the impact cutting the limb off.

To his displeasure, this didn’t stop the beast, which managed to get up quickly and continue limping forward. He wanted to shoot another arrow but was interrupted by the two deer closing in on him.

Every second counted as the fleeing deer got further and further away. Jake decided not to risk anything as he tried to disengage from the beasts attacking him.

He used his rather unassuming skill Badger Jump to fire straight up into the air in a flash of inspiration. Followed by a Shadow Vault, he became ethereal as he made it even further up. Perhaps a bit further than he had planned.

The entire dungeon lay bare before him as he looked down. He had wanted to jump out of reach but had managed to get a good hundred meters up instead. It wasn’t the plan, but Jake didn’t have time to consider his horrid estimation of his own ability to travel vertically as he quickly locked onto the still-running doe below him.

With ample time as he fell, he fired an Infused Powershot down towards it. It soared through the air and hit the beast right on its back, utterly smashing it into the ground. He didn’t need the notification to know that it was dead.

Not that his problems were solved just like that. He still faced the minor issue called gravity as he accelerated downwards. He did take advantage of his falling, firing a strong Splitting Arrow that fractured into nine as it rained down on the enemies awaiting him below.

The stag managed to block two of them with barriers, but the rest cut into the two does. The moment before Jake hit the ground, he took out his Venomfang and Shortsword of Icy Winds.

He impacted not the ground, but the top of one of the beasts, managing to take advantage of their momentary confusion caused by the arrows. Two downward thrusts penetrated deep; the joint force of his fall and his high Strength tore into the beast.

His forearms smashed into the deer just before his legs hit the ground. The deer smashed into the soil from the impact, taking the main brunt of the damage as it softened Jake’s fall. Which wasn’t to say that Jake had gotten off completely unshattered.

The fall resulted in both of his legs hurting like hell, his forearms being bruised, and his wrists aching. The deer was, of course, completely and utterly dead. The other one… not so much.

Still not wholly prepared, Jake got kicked by the remaining deer, stumbling to the side. It hurt, but the damage was minimal since the beast didn’t have time to put proper force behind the blow.

Mildly annoyed, Jake swung his weapons in his Twin-Fang Style, slicing and stabbing the beast again and again. The stag was still healing it, but Jake had learned his lesson. The slow and steady approach would only lead to more reinforcements coming.

While circling the deer, Jake finally saw his chance. After a solid stab, Jake shifted the situation by kicking the deer, launching himself backward in the direction of the stag.

A Shadow Vault borrowing the momentum accelerated him towards his new target as he brought down his vicious attacks once more. The stag had a far harder time healing the wounds inflicted on itself when it had to, at the same time, focus on avoiding fatal blows. Jake wasn’t holding anything back either, as he stabbed Venomfang up through its jaw, penetrating all the way through to the brain.

The blow made the beast unable to cast its spells any longer, which in turn allowed him to finish it off swiftly. The assault had happened in only a few seconds, giving the deer no chance to come to help the stag. Not that it stopped the doe from still attacking, netting it a quick death after the loss of its designated healer.

With no remaining beasts alive, Jake retreated back into the tall grass. If his prediction were correct, then a new batch of deer would soon arrive. All he had to do was wait patiently and observe from a safe distance.

The wait took twenty-five minutes, but unlike the usual group appearing, he instead saw the enormous white form of a stag towering above all the other beasts.

It turned out the big boss had arrived to check out the crime scene.

Chapter 5

Introspection

The otherwise peaceful pond was now disturbed by blood and dead beasts—a situation that seemed to not sit well with the Great White Stag as it slowly walked in.

Jake was a bit more than a hundred meters away at this point, observing from a small hill. His head barely popped up to the top of the grass, leaving it still partly covered. He was unsure if this distance was safe, but he guessed it was. If it weren’t… Well, he would handle that problem if it presented itself.

The Great White Stag slowly walked around the clearing for a bit, sniffing the ground here and there and inspecting every single one of the corpses. The three does following it did so silently, though Jake could clearly feel that they were very alert and ready to spring into action at any moment.

He couldn’t help considering attacking now. The stag was alone with only its three usual followers with it. In the center, it was always surrounded by close to a hundred other beasts… but he didn’t attack.

His mind told him “yes,” but his instincts and intuition gave him a resounding “no.” Something felt off about the entire situation. Why would the big boss come here with only three followers? It seemed far too convenient.

So he waited.

The clearing’s perimeter was scoured carefully by both the Great White Stag and its followers, forcing Jake to duck down a little lower. At one point, he felt his danger sense vaguely warn him that they got close. Too close.

The white stag kept sniffing around the area for a few minutes before it suddenly seemed to get bored. It bellowed at the does around it, and they all sprang into action. Jake momentarily thought he was discovered, but quickly calmed down when he saw what they were doing.

They bit into the dead deer that he had killed and started dragging them across the soil. The stag merely watched them work as they gathered up the corpses and put them all in a big pile. When they were all gathered up, the stag finally made its intentions clear as its antlers started giving off light.

Jake instantly felt it in the air. The very atmosphere seemed to change as the fake sun above darkened. The sky turned black as a bright white orb appeared—a moon.

Or, more accurately, a representation of a moon. It wasn’t the moon from Earth, but an entirely unblemished marble. There were no craters on it, nothing at all. It looked like a perfectly round pearl floating above. What happened next, however, made him aware that this was not merely an illusion.

The antlers of the Great White Stag pulsed with mana and light as the moon above came alive. A beam descended on the pile of corpses less than a second later, enveloping it entirely. It had to have a radius of at least three or four meters, with a mana intensity far above anything Jake had ever seen before. Discounting whatever the Malefic Viper had done, of course.

A few seconds later, the light stopped just as abruptly as it had come. What was left was… nothing. Not a single piece of the beasts remained, not even a single drop of blood on the grass. Which lead to the second point… The grass was completely untouched. In fact, it seemed to have more vitality than before the light had descended.

With its work done, the stag’s antlers stopped glowing and the sky returned to normal. With its does in tow, it sauntered back towards the center pond once more.

Jake was left astonished by the display. The power behind it was above what he had imagined. But what was even more incredible was how the hell the beast had done it. He had a pretty good sense for mana by now, but whatever the hell it had done, it hadn’t been done entirely with its own power. It was like it had pulled pure, unadulterated power out of nothing.

That, or it had somehow amplified whatever mana it did use to create a bigger phenomenon. Like how a single spark could lead to a house burning down, it too had merely released a spark starting the entire process.

He knew that the power he released from his Infused Powershot was more than just the sum of its parts. The system amplified it, but whatever the Great White Stag had done was on an entirely different level. There was something more behind it, but he couldn’t figure it out no matter how much he thought about it.

But for some reason, despite his astonishment, he wasn’t deterred at all. Its display of power was noticeable, yes, but it wasn’t above and beyond what he could face. It was more the concept behind the attack that stunned him.

In fact, the display only made him more excited to face it eventually. To discover what more it would have in store for him. For him to overcome it. But first, he still had a lot of other deer to kill. He could likely wait at the pond for another group to appear but decided to head north instead.

He would move swiftly from pond to pond and eliminate the groups one by one. Then, finally, he would strike at the Great White Stag. Based on the number of enemies, he should easily reach level 50 in his class before the final battle, giving him yet another edge.

With a plan and tremendous motivation, he dove into the tall grass, already looking forward to the next battle.

* * *

William dreamt memory after memory. He saw the things he had done in the past and how he had dealt with it. Countless visions of his behavior and rationalization superimposed on each other, forcing him to reflect on his path, whether he liked it or not.

He remembered how he had killed his brother, the pain he had inflicted upon his parents, and all those he had hurt through his actions. The nurse who’d gotten fired and sued, the people he had manipulated to get what he wanted.

In some ways, emotions could be considered a weakness. In certain scenarios, they could lead you astray or cause you to make the wrong decision at the wrong time. Get emotional and do something you would come to regret.

William had only two memories where the emotions felt truly real. One was Herrmann’s death, and the other was related to the final battle, where he had, for the first time ever, felt hatred and killed someone not for pragmatic reasons, but because he truly wanted that person dead.

It was a memory of how he, in the final moments, had displayed strength above and beyond what he should be able to. But it was chaotic. Uncontrolled. Too close to the weakness that led to the escalated war. The suicidal actions of Hayden and even Herrmann himself.

No, William would transcend above that because the dreams made something absolutely clear to him. This tutorial was his to claim, his foundation to build his power upon. He felt the whispers in the back of his mind, guiding him. The specter of Herrmann proudly showing him his rightful path.

William understood. Through this, he could reach beyond perfection, because that was his destiny.

* * *

Jacob sat cross-legged in the square, surrounded by all the other survivors of their camp. He was speaking of hope and bringing up the spirits of the people.

Most of them had been noncombatants, to begin with. Most of the survivors were middle-aged office workers who’d never had any desire to fight. They were understandably distraught after the death of every single combatant except for Bertram. And it wasn’t like he had ever been a top fighter.

But with Jacob’s new class, all of that had changed. The hopeless had turned to an optimistic view of the future. Jacob spoke of the wonders of the system, the existence of gods, and how he had even met one. He spoke of a way out of this tutorial.

He had segued into the thought that perhaps death was not the final end. Everyone knew of religious messages, and with gods being a real thing, it led many to the natural conclusion of an afterlife existing. At first, he had met resistance, but as he got better, so did he get more convincing.

He had also disclosed his new class, not by name, but by function. He had called himself a guide of sorts. To prove his claims, he had enlisted Bertram’s help to teach him a bit about combat. Just the theoretical stuff.

With this knowledge, he had taught the warriors, and in only a few hours, one of them got a level—a class level. The survivor had only been at level 14 before he leveled, but it did prove the possibility of leveling a class without fighting. Which was, of course, another source of hope.

As for Jacob himself, well, his progress was on another level.

*’DING!’ Class: [Augur of Hope] has reached level 36 - Stat points allocated, +8 Free Points*

In only a few days, he had gained eleven levels—from merely talking and teaching. He was ecstatic at the new possibilities opened up before him, and his enthusiasm for the system and his new class only seemed to speed up his progress further.

As one knows, an engaged and interested teacher is far better than a bored one. And Jacob was at the peak of interest.

At level 30, he had also earned another skill that only helped him further.

[Enlightenment of the Holy Pantheon (Epic)] – Blessed by the Holy Mother herself, you have become her spokesperson among your race. To fulfill your role, you must know what to teach. Grants knowledge of the teachings of the Holy Church directly from the Holy Pantheon itself. Increases the effect of all light-affinity mana. Grants a karmic path connecting you with the Holy Pantheon.

When he gained the skill, he felt an influx of knowledge like never before. He suddenly knew of many gods, and of course also of the Holy Mother herself. It was only surface-level information about the specific members, but he did discover that the Pantheon consisted of many gods, with the Holy Mother being the supreme leader.

What he gained the most, however, was the knowledge of their teachings. Teachings of compassion and working together. Of the importance of cohesion and guiding others towards a greater path. Teachings against the chaos that so often ruled.

To embrace fate and move to realize one’s true destiny.

It was a path of order. To be civilized and taking care of one another. Compared to the tutorial nightmare, this path was far more aligned with the old rules of Earth. But it did have some rather significant differences.

First of all, the act of killing was viewed as a necessity. In the end, the system was supreme, and to advance, combat and killing had to be done.

But it also recognized that perhaps not all were fit for killing and fighting. Instead, these people could support the warriors. They could walk the path of professions and only pick up their weapons in the greatest of emergencies.

The teachings were not complicated at all. They were simple and easy to understand. Like a normal religious text, the skill also granted Jacob a plethora of stories to tell—stories that exemplified the teachings.

Most important of all of the teachings was the power of faith. The possibilities opened to mortals through aligning themselves with gods, the synergetic relationship between a god and his or her followers. The god and their followers acted as teachers and guides, leading the mortals towards a brighter future, while the god would be supplied with even more followers and the power of faith.

The knowledge given by the system was far from complete. It was like a study guide of information he could now access, giving him something to go through whenever he used his newly gained Meditation skill.

Jacob had also received something he hadn’t expected. After he’d become an Augur and determined himself to lead them, the system had responded by giving him a quest.

Tutorial Quest: A Leader is born

Objective: Become a respected leader of at least 95% of the other humans during the tutorial.

Current progress: 98%

Quest Completed!

Reward given upon the conclusion of the tutorial.

After he’d gotten the quest, it had only taken a day to complete it. He didn’t know if getting the quest was a good or bad thing, but he chose to believe it was good.

Looking out at the fervent believers in front of him, Jacob smiled, satisfied. All of them had come to follow him and, in turn, the Holy Church. It was incredible how easily people grabbed on to the slightest shred of hope in what they otherwise believed to be hopeless situations.

His only regret was the knowledge that this hope sadly wouldn’t last… The fate of every single one of them, himself included, had already been written.

Chapter 6

Intermission 1 – Viridia (1/2)

Around the same time Jake entered his second challenge dungeon, the Lucenti Plains, major things were happening in the Order of the Malefic Viper.

All the branch leaders had finally gathered. For the first time since the coronation of Viridia, the Order had gathered in one place.

Of course, what was happening this time was on an entirely different scale than merely appointing a new Hall Master.

Nineteen branch leaders had gathered in the hall, along with their entire entourages. In total, more than a million people had gathered, which was also a testament to the size of their Order. The main hall had been built during the Order’s pinnacle of power, and back then had been used to hold gatherings with billions in attendance.

The branch leaders themselves were each, as the name suggested, leaders of their individual branch. While they were at a lower rank than the Hall Master, Viridia had to admit that she held little to no authority over many of them.

One of the reasons for this was relatively simple: strength.

Back during her coronation, she’d had competition, but her master, the former Hall Master, had made sure she was chosen. It had been unfair, but the Order of the Malefic Viper wasn’t one based on righteousness and justice.

Which meant that while she held the highest position in the hierarchy, she wasn’t the strongest.

One of the requirements for becoming Hall Master was to be at the final stage of evolution before reaching godhood. S-tier, to be more exact.

Of course, this one final stage was the most prolonged and significant of them all. Someone newly evolved would be nothing compared to someone in just the middle part. A late-stage, or even peak, S-rank was far above what Viridia could handle. She was currently still only in the early stages, as each level took more and more effort.

The ones who had reached the absolute peak of S-rank, the ones who were but a single step from godhood, were referred to as demigods.

Of course, being a demigod didn’t mean that one would turn into a true god. That final step was an impassible gap to most, nearly no one succeeding to overcome it. The official records stated that the Order of the Malefic Viper hadn’t given rise to any new gods within their Order after their Patron disappeared. If this was not proof of how difficult this was, she didn’t know what would be. And it was not due to a lack of demigods either, seeing as her master had even been one before time claimed him.

Of the branch leaders, two were only A-rank, though both extremely close to their evolutions, and they both held strength where they could contend with weaker S-ranks, which explained why they had been chosen.

The rest were all S-rank, of course. And among those sixteen was a demigod: Tortaros.

Tortaros had been her main competitor for the position of Hall Master but had, in the end, lost due to the power of nepotism. A loss he had never quite gotten over, as he still remained the biggest obstacle to her leadership.

And that man was currently moving towards her as she made her rounds, greeting the individual leaders one more time.

He had, naturally, been the last to arrive. Only mere hours before the event began had he teleported over together with his followers.

While he did have an absolute right to be audacious due to his strength, Viridia still couldn’t condone his lack of respect. Disrespecting her was acceptable, but disrespecting their great Patron was out of the question.

Sadly, she could personally do nothing to admonish him… because he was by far the strongest outside of the Lord Protector and the Patron himself.

After her coronation, he had only grown stronger.

He controlled the power of space. Teleportation, pocket dimensions, and shattering reality itself were simple to him. Individuals with power over space were often feared and avoided by most, as they were incredibly hard to deal with. If they had the upper hand, escaping from them was borderline impossible, while if you had the upper hand, they could often run quite easily.

Not long after she had become Hall Master, he’d performed his most extraordinary feat of strength yet.

He had fought a god and survived. Not just that—from accounts, the god had even suffered injuries. Meaning Tortaros was not that far behind a true god.

Perhaps the god had been weak, maybe even injured beforehand. But it didn’t matter. For a mortal to fight a god was never simple. The fight had lasted for hours, with Tortaros finally escaping—with grave injuries, sure, but he had survived.

After that, he had only gotten cockier. He hadn’t dared to challenge Viridia’s position directly, but it was clear that he’d started looking down on her more.

Moving against her openly was out of the question. She resided in the main hall for most of her time, and even when she was out, no one dared to make a move. The reason for that was rather simple. They feared the backlash.

Eras ago, a Hall Master had been killed by a god without a reasonable explanation. The Lord Protector had investigated, and the result was the destruction of an entire faction, along with the death of the responsible god. No one truly knew the Lord Protector’s strength, but he had been a god since the second era, making him extremely ancient.

Of course, all of this was discounting the looming threat of the Viper himself. Despite his absence, there was always the lingering fear of his return. And based on his history… the results of any transgressor would be catastrophic.

Oh, and those absolute lunatics of the Primordial Church. If anyone ever went over the line in disrespecting a Primordial or their legacy, they would descend with untold wrath.

Tortaros knew this, so he stuck to political maneuvering and insubordination. A sentiment that Viridia noticed had started spreading to some of the other branch leaders. Her position was rocky, she knew that, but there was no way she would back down.

Which lead to the current situation, where the man approached her, ever as haughty.

“So, girl, is the Patron truly back?” Tortaros asked the young Hall Master.

“Hall Master, Tortaros,” she corrected, annoyed. “And yes, who would dare to lie about such a thing?”

“Who knows?” he chuckled. “Someone desperate, perhaps?”

“Oh, and why would one need to be desperate?”

“Destiny is unpredictable, girl,” he answered as he looked sharply at her. “The return of the Patron marks many changes. A return to power. Perhaps one would be desperate if they no longer held the strength required for these changes.”

“Such desperation would only be necessary if the supporting pillars fail to hold up their burden. Tell me, Tortaros, have the pillars of the hall started cracking?” Moving a bit closer, she got in his face. “Maybe we should do a renovation. Removing the old and broken pillars. They seem to be eroded and rotting, after all.”

“Are you sure you can find new pillars that are up for the task? Can they truly hold the hall, or will the careless decisions of their architect result in collapse?” He smiled. “If so, do not worry, child. I will make sure to rebuild. Even if the architect has to retire from her position.”

And with those words, he walked away, not giving her the chance to respond.

Gritting her teeth, she decided to act like nothing had happened as she returned to socializing. She had always hated these political messes. Tortaros had made many moves she quickly discovered.

While all the important figures were still very welcoming, she noticed they also seemed a bit reluctant. The only one who remained the same was the only other demigod in their Order: Elder Duskleaf.

To understand this elder’s position, one had to understand the makeup of the Order.

At the top sat the Malefic Viper himself, naturally. Below the Patron was the Lord Protector. These two, however, were not considered a formal part of the power structure. One could say that they resided above the structure itself, far out of reach compared to anything else.

Below that was the nominal leader of the Order, the Hall Master. Once upon a time, there were many Hall Masters, and a council led the organization, but now only one Hall remained.

Directly below that, one would find the branch leaders, but on equal standing with the branch leaders was the chief alchemist—Elder Duskleaf.

Outside of the gods, this Elder was by far the oldest. In fact, he had lived longer than anyone else in the entire Order, being an old man even during her master’s time.

Rumor was that the man had found a way to keep himself alive far longer than average. Something not out of the question, as he was undoubtedly the best alchemist in the Order by a considerable margin.

While officially not on her level of authority, Viridia knew that this man, in many ways, held more power than herself. He, however, seemed to have little care for it, only focusing on his alchemy.

But she also knew that if Tortaros got the favor of this elder, her days would be numbered. This was why she always tried to make a point of getting in his good graces whenever they met.

“Elder Duskleaf, it is a pleasure to see you again.”

“Ah, yes, you too, Hall Master,” the old man answered as he ran his fingers through his long beard. “Exciting, isn’t it? The master is finally returning.”

Smiling, she replied, “The height of excitement indeed. Too long have we waited.”

“Let us hope that this time it is for good,” the old man said as he kept his smile, showing no intention of elaborating on his thoughts.

After that, they continued to chat away, the old man talking about alchemy, barely mentioning the Malefic Viper, except to throw in a rather inappropriate comment about how he should teach Duskleaf. She could only laugh at this but was honestly unable to give a straight answer. She found her Patron far too unpredictable, perhaps even more so than those who had actually met him.

The minutes ticked by and the time drew nearer. Excusing herself from the conversation with Elder Duskleaf, she made her way to the podium to get the event started.

The leaders had all been on a slightly elevated platform already, with all the other members gathered below. The other leaders quickly also got in position as she made her way over. Even Tortaros didn’t dare to dally, as he knew the importance of the day’s event.

Looking out over the millions of people, she took in the atmosphere for a moment before she formally started. She clapped her hands; the sound reverberated through the hall and silenced the chatter.

She had spent the last few days preparing her speech. A speech to unite the entire Order to, in concert, celebrate the return of their great Patron.

“Welcome to this day of celebration. Welcome to the day that marks our Order’s return to glory. For too long has the Order of the Malefic Viper been constrained to th—“

Loud clapping suddenly began in the hall below. The sound echoed through the halls, clearly amplified by magic. At first, Viridia suspected it was Tortaros, but soon found the perpetrator in the middle of the millions of lower-ranked members.

An all-too-familiar scaled man stood clapping enthusiastically. All the other members had quickly backed away from him in fright, looking at him in astonishment. What insanity had come over him to interrupt the speech of the Hall Master?

Viridia, on the other hand, stood frozen as the scaled man made a thumbs-up at her.

“Great speech—real touching stuff, right there!” he yelled exaggeratedly, even bringing both his hands up to his mouth.

After his yell, the silence that followed was absolutely deafening. All the branch leaders and leaders were gobsmacked by the audacity of what they assumed to be a lower-ranking disciple or follower. Duskleaf appeared to be the only one standing unfazed.

They didn’t have time to get their bearings before the scaled man teleported up to the podium, shocking everyone. Not the least Tortaros, who seemed to vaguely feel the concept of space within the move—at a level far above his own.

Viridia, of course, recognized her Patron and quickly got down on her knees. “I greet the Malefic One.”

Another bombshell shocked the hall as they all looked at the otherwise unassuming man. He wore a black robe with simple, dark green engravings running across it. His entire body was covered in scales except for parts of his face. A face that looked more human than reptile, and with long black hair growing on his head.

The other branch leaders quickly also got down on their knees, as they too kneeled—all except one. Tortaros still stood.

Instead of kneeling, he instead made a deep bow as he spoke. “Divine Heretic Tortaros greets the Malefic One.”

Divine Heretic. A title granted to anyone who managed to fight a god before they attain godhood. A title most could only dream of. As with nearly all high-level titles, the details of what it provided were unknown, as none had been willing to share the details.

Viridia suddenly understood why Tortaros didn’t kneel. It was etiquette that gods didn’t kneel to each other. And a Divine Heretic was more often than not provided the same privileges as a god in many social contexts.

However… this was the Malefic Viper.

“Good for you?” he said as he turned to the man. “And why exactly should I give a fuck about who you are?”

A bit stumped, the demigod tried to compose himself as he continued. “Of course, the Patron doesn’t need to do so. I merely wished to show that even with the Malefic One’s absence, a new powerful and promising member has arisen.”

“Oh?” the Malefic one said as he raised an eyebrow. “And where may I find this so-called powerful and promising member?”

Viridia had to struggle to hold her laughter back. Her schadenfreude was almost euphoric. The arrogant Tortaros was sure to be taught a lesson on this day.

Of course, Tortaros didn’t feel very good at the moment. Viridia was certain had believed for the Malefic Viper to be at least slightly impressed. He had many factions visit him in his branch. Even gods had come. Several offers to join other organizations had been presented, but he had rejected them all. In his own mind, he was no doubt an extraordinary person.

So when the announcement was made that the Malefic Viper had returned, he was perhaps a bit worried, but quickly began to see it as a great opportunity.

The Viper was known to care for strength over all else, and Tortaros was powerful. At least… he believed himself to be.

“My Patron, you must jest. I have reached my current level faster than any other Hall Master or branch leader for eras, fought through countless trials, and even battled a god. Through my path I—“

“I didn’t ask for your life story, pal,” the Viper said, waving his hand. “What I care more about is why you believe that I would care for all of this drivel?”

“My Lord, I simply mean to say that with my power I would—”

“What power?” the Malefic Viper interrupted as he glared at the man. “You believe that wrestling a bit with some fledgling god makes you unique? I would be disappointed if you hadn’t. If you had killed a god, I could maybe have given you a little pat on the head and a participation trophy, but—“

“My Lord, I just meant—” Tortaros interrupted as his temper flared. Viridia had been surprised, even if she shouldn’t have, when he had humbled himself and shown respect. Yet she could only rejoice when all he was met with was disdain. He had probably believed that today was supposed to be his day to rise to power. To claim his position as Hall Master! But he had failed to keep himself constrained. “I just meant that I believe that your return warrants changes! Changes fo—“

“Changes?” the Malefic Viper asked as he smiled. His aura washed out over the room, bringing Tortaros to the ground, heaving in pain. The mere presence of the Viper was enough to end his life. Fear was in his eyes; he didn’t even dare to look up. “I agree. So let the first change be for you to be undone.”

And with those words, the one known as Divine Heretic Tortaros turned to dust.

Chapter 7

Intermission 1 – The Malefic Viper (2/2)

The entire hall was tense as they all watched the ever-so-proud Tortaros turn to nothing. The man died without even knowing what had happened, a sentiment that made a shiver go down the spine of every single branch leader as they knelt a bit lower than before.

“Well, that guy was annoying,” the Malefic Viper sighed as he turned back to address the crowd below, ignoring the branch leaders.

The only one who managed to remain relatively calm was Viridia. The happiness of seeing Tortaros die seemed to cancel out the terror slightly, her disdain for the man in no way subtle. It was almost cute.

“Everyone, relax,” the Malefic One addressed the crowd. He spoke in a casual tone, and yet every single person in the hall could hear him as if he stood right next to them. “With that annoyance gone, let’s get on with the program. First of all, nice to be back. Lots of pretty faces out there.” The crowd listened with undivided attention. “Been gone for a long time. But hey, better late than never, right? Anyway, let’s start with a little something to motivate you all to stop slacking.”

With those words, he opened his eyes and a green glow illuminated the entire hall. A few people were initially frightened, but their fright soon turned to joy as they saw the status messages.

*Blessing received*: [Lesser Blessing of the Malefic Viper (Blessing - Lesser)] – Be recognized by the Malefic Viper himself. Few throughout the ages have found themselves blessed by a Primordial, despite the desire for so many to be. +5% Wisdom. Grants access to many new paths. Only one blessing can be held at a time.

Every single individual in attendance was blessed. One had to know that the blessings of gods were still considered relatively rare. Much more so for the blessing of one of the Primordials. None in attendance had expected this, but it was more than welcome.

To make it better, it wasn’t even the lowest-ranked blessing. Blessings went from: Minor to Lesser to Intermediate to Major to Greater to Divine to True. But often, getting the minor blessing was as far as anyone ever got. It was a requirement for many classes or professions, making them essential.

This was also one of the major reasons why the Order of the Malefic Viper had deteriorated so much. Without the blessings, a lot of opportunities had been cut off, the paths closed. Entire subsections of priests and other religion-related classes and professions had been unavailable.

The Lord Protector still gave out a few blessings, some of them even allowing evolutions in the Malefic Viper line, but it just wasn’t the same.

Everyone could also still get classes and professions related to the Malefic Viper. Just not the religion-based ones. Being taught by a higher-ranked Alchemist of the Malefic Viper would also unlock it. The same for classes, though often it was done through teachings.

The simplest way, however, was through legacies. Items created which held the power to unlock a particular class or profession were rare, as creating a legacy-item was far from easy. Of course, these items also still had the requirement that the system imposed.

A blessing would open up many of these paths and make advancing easier, since blessings were one of the only ways to directly have your Records affected by an outside source.

Thousands in the hall had been at bottlenecks for many years. Evolution didn’t merely require reaching the level limit, after all. One had to have sufficient Records too—Records gathered through countless means as you leveled and lived your life.

And now these people got a direct infusion to their Records. And not a simple one of quantity, but one of quality. Which was why many were met by a system notification they had struggled to achieve for oh so long:

*Evolution Requirements Met*

The mood in the hall was ecstatic. The cheers turned into a concert of noises as a sentiment of fervent reverence spread throughout. The cheers got louder until a voice deafened all else.

“Silence.”

With that word, it became eerily silent. All sound was gone, as if the very concept of sound disappeared—all sounds, but the voice of the Malefic Viper.

“This blessing does not come for free. I am not returning just to be satisfied with the shambles that stand before me. I have given you a chance, opened a path forward for many of you. Strive for power, reach for the peak, and this blessing will only be the beginning.”

The crowd was still ecstatic, but no matter how much they tried, not a single sound came out. His last words, however, dampened the mood a bit.

“I sincerely hope that none of you will disappoint me,” he said. “I doubt any of you even know who I am. In your minds, I am but a specter of the past, a being of legends and myths. You may have heard exaggerations of who I am or what I stand for. So let me set the record straight: I am so much more than any rumor can faithfully encapsulate, and I don’t give a fuck about any of you unless you make me.”

Standing on the podium, the Malefic Viper was more severe than usual. Mortals were relatively simple like this. A small favor granted after one has done nothing for so long, and all is forgiven so suddenly. But he wasn’t satisfied. They still needed to get stronger.

His Order had fallen into disarray, which was to be expected. He had been gone for far too long. It was a miracle that the Order even still remained. He was lucky that he had subordinates that had stayed behind to keep it alive.

But the strength had fallen. Not a single new god had arisen, which was honestly pathetic from his point of view. Only a measly fifteen branch leaders remained in the entire Order. Well, it was sixteen, but that one guy had honestly been way too annoying.

A loss to many, but the Viper didn’t care. The man had been arrogant and self-satisfied with his measly achievements. The man himself had known that he would never step into godhood. He had stagnated, and he had accepted this stagnation—a crime that was worthy of death. A crime he was not going to let any of the other leaders follow.

“The Order has turned to shit. With my return, there will be changes. No longer shall we find ourselves confined to this single hall or even Universe. Instead, we shall expand, and we shall conquer. Have every single living being quake at the mention of the Order of the Malefic Viper.

“With those words, get the fuck out there and get those levels and evolutions. Grow, prosper, and dominate. My decree shall soon come, and then you will move to impose my will upon the world. Our destinies are our own to make; fate is but a feeble excuse for the weak.”

Turning to the branch leaders and Viridia, he gave them all a command.

“Get your deputies, or second-in-commands, or whatever you call them over here,” he said, allowing sound to exist once more.

None of them dared to dally, as they all called for them. They were in the middle section of the hall, above the masses, but below the true leaders.

They quickly made their way up, and they too kneeled. All of them were A-rank, some of them close to S-rank, but they were still weak mortals in the end. But their martial power was not what they needed for what the Malefic Viper planned.

“From today on, all of you will step in as active branch leaders,” the Malefic Viper said, feeling the distress of the actual branch leaders behind him. Turning to them, he continued. “As for all of you… Well, let’s see if we can’t get you whipped into shape.”

Out of a crack in space, the Lord Protector emerged. He, too, bowed to the Malefic Viper.

“Snappy here is gonna take you all out on a nice expedition,” the god said, patting his oldest subordinate on the shoulder.

“Where to, Lord Patron?” one of the branch leaders asked. A young-looking man, who was only at A-rank, yet gave off a significant presence for his rank, easily rivaling some of the S-ranks at his side.

“Nevermore.”

A word that got quite the response. Pretty much all of the branch leaders paled.

“You’re also going, little Hall Master.”

She looked like she had hoped to avoid going, but that hope quickly died as she just nodded. Then again, she suspected this could be a good chance to reach for more strength. If any place existed filled with opportunities, it would be Nevermore.

A few words later, a portal was opened by the Lord Protector, leading them closer to their destination. They didn’t even get any time to prepare, to the distress of many of them.

Which could only be described as good riddance by the Viper. Being prepared for combat at all times was one of the most basic tenets of the strong, and not being alert at all times was a great way to get yourself killed.

Dismissing the followers, the Viper watched on as they were led out of the hall by the deputy branch leaders. No one knew how long they would be acting leaders, so many of the lesser officials had already started groveling up to them, much to the Viper’s dissatisfaction.

Too many politics, the Viper thought as he turned around to the one individual still in the hall.

“It’s been a while.”

“Disciple greets master,” the old man, Elder Duskleaf, said with a nod.

“No need to be cordial after so long,” the Malefic Viper said as he smiled. “Besides, I have well and truly been a shitty master, haven’t I?”

“Yes, you have,” Duskleaf agreed without any hesitation.

“But seriously, after so many eras and you have barely made any progress. What the hell have you been doing all this time?” the Viper asked, genuinely confused.

“Alchemy,” the old man said with a beaming smile.

The Viper could only sigh at the man, whom he had accepted as a disciple all those eras ago. The snot-nosed kid that had cared for nothing but alchemy and had to be forced to do anything else.

“Well, you better show me your progress, then!” he said, slightly defeated.

“Of course!” Duskleaf said, smiling happily.

If anyone had been there to see this interaction, they would have been more than a little confused. The Malefic Viper had not appeared for eras, far longer than any mortal could possibly survive.

The explanation was simple: Duskleaf wasn’t mortal.

“Oh, and why the hell are you still keeping up the whole ‘old wise alchemist’ charade?” the Viper asked as they walked towards the alchemy lab.

“Because it makes people leave me alone,” his disciple answered. “They wouldn’t stop bothering Snappy all the time in the period after you left. They pestered me too. It was honestly so distracting, I couldn’t even spend a millennium or two experimenting without someone coming knocking. So I decided to just act like an Elder, and suddenly they left me alone.”

Laughing, the Malefic Viper patted his old disciple on the shoulder.

It was nice to be back.

Chapter 8

Moment of Curiosity

Jake dismissed his bow as the stag fell to the ground, never to move again. The fights with the beasts had only gotten more comfortable as he grew accustomed to all their tactics and fighting styles. In the end, they were just beasts, making their strategies repetitive and straightforward. It had started getting a bit boring as they stopped being real challenges.

But at least the experience was good. Only four ponds cleared out, and Jake had reached his first goal.

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 50 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 50 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

He waited for a few moments after the notifications. After a few seconds, it became disappointingly clear that he wouldn’t get anything for getting his race to level 50. He had kind of hoped to get some amazing bonus. At least a skill or something. His only consolation was that his class, of course, didn’t disappoint.

*Ambitious Hunter class skills available*

Yet again, he decided to take the slow approach and go through the skills one by one. He quickly dove into the tall grass once more, hiding far away from any potential enemies. The pattern of other deer coming to investigate the pond he had just cleared was sure to repeat itself.

When he found a safe spot, he sat down and entered meditation as he went through the skills. He was low on both stamina and mana anyway.

He had a total of five new skills to pick from. The maximum he could be offered. The first one was not overly exciting, though.

[Stealth Attack (Common)] – The most decisive blow is the one not seen coming before it is too late. Increase the power of the first attack made to an otherwise unaware foe. Works with both ranged and melee attacks. Adds a minor bonus to the effectiveness of Agility and Strength when using Stealth Attack.

He was ninety-nine percent sure this one came from him advancing his stealth. He could see the usefulness of the skill, but the common-rarity tag just put him off. He was sure that he could get better at some point. If he advanced stealth more, chances were new skills would follow suit.

So he skipped it as he swiftly moved on to yet another common-rarity skill.

[Grappling Shot (Common)] – Getting to the right vantage point or merely climbing whatever impedes you is invaluable to any Hunter when hunting his prey. Shoot an arrow with a string of mana attached. The arrow will easily stick to any surface it encounters without doing any notable damage to said surface. Adds a minor bonus to the effectiveness of Agility and Wisdom when using Grappling Shot.

This one was at least a bit more interesting. Jake assumed he’d unlocked it through his small rock-climbing session and by his constant use of mana strings. But while the way he had unlocked it was interesting, the skill itself was not.

Discounting any fantasies of cosplaying as a vigilante in a bat costume, he didn’t see many practical uses. If he really needed to climb something badly, he could just use the same tactic he’d used before.

The only other exciting thing he could find about the skill was that it scaled with Wisdom and Agility like his Shadow Vault of Umbra. Not that it had any effect on his decision to skip it over. His next option at least looked quite a bit better.

[Descending Fang (Uncommon)] – A fang descending like the clamping mouth of a snake. Do a downward strike with a melee weapon, significantly increasing penetrative power and damage inflicted. Damage improved further if the weapon is benefitting from Twin-Fang Style. Adds a small bonus to the effectiveness of Agility and Strength when using Descending Fang.

This was the first true melee skill he had been offered that he would have to use actively. The skill was also clearly linked to Twin-Fang Style and was likely also influenced by his liberal use of Venomfang.

The skill itself was, without a doubt, useful. Jake’s favorite move was to stab, to begin with, and it also made applying the venom far more effective. Besides, it was far more suitable for stabbing than cutting with the dagger formed like a sharpened fang. Hence the name Venomfang.

To say the skill didn’t tempt him would be a lie. It fit right into his style, and it would prove incredibly useful. He decided to reserve judgment, though, until he had also checked out the last two skills. The first of which was also incredibly interesting.

[Conjure Spectral Weaponry (Uncommon)] – One does not need to carry a weapon if they can manifest one at any time. Summon a replica of any weapon used prior composed solely of mana. Only the form of the weapon is replicated, and it does not retain any enchants or material integrity. The summoned arms’ power and durability are based on Wisdom and the mana expended during their creation.

This one likely had similar roots to the Grappling Shot skill. Jake’s mana practice, to be more exact. He also had the option to learn Spectral Hand in his profession, so it was pretty clear that his improvements were recognized.

As for the skill itself? It was useful for sure, but Jake nevertheless felt unsure. There were many unanswered questions, such as how well the conjured weapons would hold up to his current gear, and other details, such as how long it took to summon things.

His quiver took a few seconds per arrow, and if the speed of conjuration from the skill was anything close to that, it would prove pretty useless in combat. It took him practically no time to dismiss and summon things from his spatial storage, making that far more effective.

And, of course, there was the last point. Jake felt like he could do what the skill did without it. He could learn how to make a bow or a dagger from mana. Not that he felt anywhere close to able to do that, but his mana strings’ tangibility and strength got more robust by the day.

Which left the last skill—one that felt very familiar.

[Bestial Survival Instincts (Rare)] – The Ambitious Hunter has learned from the beasts he hunts and can now imitate their superhuman senses. Has a small chance to feel a distinct sense of danger from any attack, and improved reaction time for a brief duration after triggering the effect. Adds a small bonus to the chance and the accuracy of the extra sense based on Perception.

The skill seemed to just explain what his Bloodline ability already did, though in more detail and from the description, just straight-up worse. It only had a chance to activate, and it improved his reaction time? His Bloodline already did both of those things far better.

But if he took the skill in isolation, ignoring his Bloodline, it would surely be useful for someone that wasn’t him. His danger sense helped him immensely in combat and helped him gauge how strong a blow would be before it hit him, as well as warn him of any attacks he hadn’t seen coming.

Thinking back, he remembered many of the beasts he was hunting to have some kind of danger sense. But none of the humans he had fought had it. Perhaps it was just something many creatures got, but humans had to pick special skills for. Or maybe it came with levels as one’s combat instincts were honed.

The best example of a beast with the skill had to be the Alpha Badgers and the Den Mother. Both of those had shown near precognition-level power to react, though he would still call it far less reliable than his own. It seemed to not really differentiate between harmless attacks and lethal ones, like how the Alpha had dodged a random glass bottle tossed at it.

Yet despite all these cons, Jake got curious. How exactly would the skill work for him? Would it improve his already-existing abilities? Double-down on the same, and just give him massive headaches from two danger senses activating at the same time? Maybe just do nothing?

Jake couldn’t help but be attracted to the skill, like it resonated with him somehow. His intuition didn’t really give him any details as to what would happen either. He did, however, get the feeling that it wouldn’t bring him any harm to get it.

He went through the list once more and hovered a bit on one of the skills he had passed over at level 40. There was still the one rare skill that offered him better mental defenses. It was attractive for sure… but it just didn’t excite him that much.

There was also the active camouflage… but at the point he began thinking about taking that, the thought of what would happen from picking Bestial Survival Instincts had already overwhelmed him.

In the end, curiosity got the better of him. Well, here goes nothing.

*Gained Skill*: [Bestial Survival Instincts (Rare)] – The Ambitious Hunter has learned from the beasts he hunts and can now imitate their superhuman senses. Has a small chance to feel a distinct sense of danger from any attack, and improved reaction time for a brief duration after triggering the effect. Adds a small bonus to the chance and the accuracy of the extra sense based on Perception.

The second he gained the skill, he didn’t feel much except for the cold sensation of instinctual knowledge of how the skill worked entering him—just like with every other skill. The feeling, however, quickly changed as a warmth sprang up. He began to have a vague sense of annoyance at the new skill, an annoyance that soon turned to disdain.

Distinctly he heard the sound of his heartbeat.

THUMP!

The sound felt all-encompassing. The sound didn’t come from his physical heart, but something deeper within.

THUMP!

The warmth got more intense. He felt like his blood was heating up, but it didn’t feel uncomfortable in the least—more like something within him had stirred. Like the intrusion of this new skill upon the domain of his Bloodline had awoken it. Angered it and him. He felt angry, as if he wanted to just rip the skill right out of his status menu.

THUMP!

The feeling kept increasing as the heartbeat continued. Time itself seemed to stand still as the system message appeared.

*Synergy Detected*

Due to your Bloodline, the skill [Bestial Survival Instincts (Rare)] is evolving.

*Skill Upgraded*: [Bestial Survival Instincts (Rare)] --> [Extreme Bestial Survival Instincts (Epic)]

He read the message as the warm flow increased, but he didn’t feel any better at all as even more instinctual knowledge began to enter his brain. His heartbeat showed no intentions of stopping either.

Due to your Bloodline, the skill [Extreme Bestial Survival Instincts (Epic)] is evolving.

*Skill Upgraded*: [Extreme Bestial Survival Instincts (Epic)] --> [Supreme Bestial Survival Instincts (Ancient)]

Once more knowledge came, and once more, he found it wanting. It was weak, a downgrade. Not good enough.

Due to your Bloodline, the skill [Supreme Bestial Survival Instincts (Ancient)] is evolving. Maximum rarity reached. Evolution unsuccessful.

Jake finally felt the warmth slow down as the skill seemed to cap out. The knowledge entered his head throughout the entire process as he got a far better understanding of the skill and its full evolutionary path.

A logical part of him knew that it was a great skill, but that part of him wasn’t what was in the forefront. No, that part of him that was more impulsive and instinctual wasn’t satisfied. It was still so weak. Inferior to what he already had, what he already was. A lesser part of himself that he had no need for, that was better off culled.

THUMP!

A heartbeat that reverberated through his entire soul, sending out a pulse of energy. The warmth returned with a fury, unwilling to give any room for the new skill. His Bloodline had been challenged, its territory entered without permission. And like a primal beast, it refused to give any leeway—a fact the system quickly recognized.

*Synergy detected*

Congratulation! Your [Supreme Bestial Survival Instincts (Ancient)] has successfully transformed.

*Skill transformed*: [Supreme Bestial Survival Instincts (Ancient)] --> [Moment of the Primal Hunter (Legendary)]

Congratulation! You have successfully created a new Legendary skill. A great accomplishment for any being, but even more so for one still so early on their path.

Title: [Legendary Prodigy] earned.

Jake instantly knew that now it was truly over; his Bloodline had won.

No, that wasn’t right. He had won. Jake’s face was grimacing with a toothy smile as blood trickled down his neck from biting himself in a fury before. He wore a brilliant smile of victory, his fists closed, blood hitting the ground from him clenching his fists so hard.

He felt like he had just wrestled a mighty beast to the ground. Like he had continuously dominated it despite all its struggle.

The windfall from his moment of curiosity was immense. The warm flow disappeared a few moments later. He felt more powerful than ever before, and it didn’t take him long to locate the source as his new title.

[Legendary Prodigy] – A true talent standing at the pinnacle of his generation. Young, yet showing promise above even the elders of yore. Due to your immense accomplishment of creating a Legendary skill while still below D-grade, you have proven yourself a true Legendary Prodigy. +10 all stats, +10% all stats.

The title was as good as his Holder of a Primordial’s True Blessing, a title he had gotten from being blessed by a literal god.

An extra +10 in all stats was… immense, granting him a total of 90 stat points right off the bat. This was, of course, ignoring the 10% to all stats. As with the other titles, it worked additively, putting the percentage increase on top of the bonuses he already had. Not that it made the bonus any less massive. That 10% represented an increase of a few hundred total stat points—a bonus that would only grow as he did.

Jake couldn’t help but briefly feel like the title wasn’t earned. It had been luck and pure coincidence.

But then again, could he genuinely claim that? It was due to himself that he’d gotten the bonus. It was what he was that made it possible. His Bloodline was a part of him; it would be like blaming himself for being good at archery because he had functional arms. Besides... it wasn't the first time he had been called a prodigy.

As for the skill itself… Jake wouldn’t dare to complain.

[Moment of the Primal Hunter (Legendary)] – Instincts ascended to touch upon the concept of time itself. Through your supernatural instinct for survival, you seize the moment of crisis and turn it into one of opportunity. Momentarily slows down time if a blow would otherwise deal substantial damage to the Hunter. The Hunter is unaffected by the slowdown and can move uninhibited for the duration. Has an internal cooldown between each activation. Effect and internal cooldown of the skill are based on Perception.

He honestly had no idea what to think about it. From the description, he couldn’t imagine it being weak, but at the same time, he had no idea exactly how powerful it would be. He knew that the rarity of the skill alone wouldn’t instantly make it the best, but often also had a lot to do with the skill’s complexity… and from the looks of it, this one was pretty complex, right?

The skill said that it "touched upon the concept of time itself" … Did that mean it literally controlled time? That it wasn’t just his instincts going into overdrive or something like that?

He had felt the momentary slowdown when a blow approached. It was something familiar; the brain goes into overdrive when one is in danger. A usual concept, even before the system. An idea that he had apparently brought to an entirely new level.

Separated by the endless void, two gods both looked on at this, one chuckling and the other sighing, a smile still on his lips despite his despondent mood. The first cheered as the strings of fate got jumbled up once more; the second shook his head as yet another complication appeared.

Chapter 9

Cleaning Up the Plains

Jake clenched his fists together, feeling the strength in his grasp. He felt invigorated. Without a doubt, it stemmed from the massive influx of stat points and the new skill.

Funnily enough, this was the first skill he had ever unlocked that didn’t come with a single iota of knowledge. Usually, he would know at least some basic things about it. Like how to activate it, how many resources it generally consumed, potential cooldowns of the skill, and so on and so forth.

But with his Moment of the Primal Hunter, he only got what the description gave him. He understood why, though. It was a skill he had created, named after his Bloodline itself. Perhaps the system didn’t have the info, or it was just the normal thing to happen when one made their own skill.

Or maybe, it kind of assumed he already knew since… well, he was the creator.

He opened his status menu for the first time in quite a while, and it was starting to get quite impressive, if he had to say so himself.

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

Race: [Human (E) – lvl 50]

Class: [Ambitious Hunter – lvl 50]

Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – lvl 50]

Health Points (HP): 4124/4350

Mana Points (MP): 3254/5050

Stamina: 1205/2990

Stats

Strength: 308

Agility: 414

Endurance: 299

Vitality: 435

Toughness: 308

Wisdom: 505

Intelligence: 204

Perception: 758

Willpower: 291

Free Points: 0

Titles: [Forerunner of the New World], [Bloodline Patriarch], [Holder of a Primordial’s True Blessing], [Dungeoneer II], [Dungeon Pioneer II], [Legendary Prodigy]

Class Skills: [Basic One-Handed Weapons (Inferior], [Advanced Stealth (Common)], [Advanced Archery (Common)], [Hunter’s Sight (Uncommon)], [Basic Twin-Fang Style (Uncommon)], [Basic Shadow Vault of Umbra (Uncommon)], [Splitting Arrow (Uncommon)] [Big Game Hunter (Rare)], [Infused Powershot (Rare)], [Mark of the Ambitious Hunter (Rare)], [Moment of the Primal 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)], [Palate of the Malefic Viper (Rare)], [Touch of the Malefic Viper (Rare)], [Sense of the Malefic Viper (Rare)], [Blood of the Malefic Viper (Epic)], [Scales 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)], [Meditate (Common)], [Shroud of the Primordial (Divine)]

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

He had experienced tremendous growth across the line, the massive title being the main culprit behind it. Jake’s still-massively growing Perception was even more insane.

Every single Free Point had been dumped into Perception. Everything added together meant he got 9 for every level in his class and 7 for every level in his race, a truly massive amount amplified further by a huge percentage increase, which ultimately meant Jake’s Perception was more than 250 points above his second-highest stat.

And so far, he hadn’t regretted it. With every point in the stat, his Bloodline ability grew stronger. The two last skills he had gotten in his class scaled with Perception, and he felt like he could only get more skills scaling with it.

A split of his Free Points between Strength and Agility would likely have made him stronger here and now. But Jake wasn’t satisfied with just being strong here and now. He knew there was an entire world out there to explore and that this tutorial would only be a minor point in his life. If he survived, of course. And if he didn’t… well, who cares? If he died, he wouldn’t be able to feel regretful anyway.

The fact that his new legendary skill scaled with Perception did make it all a little bit better too. He would still have to test it in actual combat, but since it required him to be in potentially deadly danger, it wasn’t something he could just practice.

This dungeon wasn’t ideal for it either. The deer constantly moved around, and the ever-looming danger of the Great White Stag appearing in the middle of a practice session quite frankly made it a terrible training ground.

Not that the prospect was as scary as it had been only a few minutes ago. Even before this power-up, Jake had felt confident in facing the beast in one-on-one combat. Now even more so.

But first, he had to finish his meditation. Running out of stamina in the middle of a fight would make any power-ups irrelevant, after all. Before he entered meditation, he chugged a stamina potion, restoring a good portion.

Cutting off the outside world, he started meditating. He felt his regeneration speed up as more energy started condensing within. Where exactly all the energy was stored, he still didn’t know. But if he had to guess, it had to be in some metaphysical way, just like how his Bloodline didn’t actually seem to have anything to do with actual blood.

Taking advantage of the fact his sphere continued to function during meditation, Jake wasn’t wholly paralyzed from doing anything productive as he practiced mana manipulation.

Speaking of the sphere, he still had no idea exactly how fast it grew in area. It had stopped at a bit less than thirty meters in all directions, and been like that even before the massive stat gain he had just gotten. What did improve, however, was the detail of what he saw.

Color was still out of the question, but mana had started getting more visible to his inner eye. It was still faint, but at least he now knew it was there and could even “see” it. His string of mana that was invisible to the eye was visible to his sphere, at least, likely due to how condensed it was, which made it far easier to practice.

Like he had done so many times before, he started making strings. The fact that mana constructs were possible was only made more evident by the Spectral Hand and Spectral Weaponry skills. And if a skill could weave it together, so could he.

Even before today, he had tried to make more complicated things. Ropes were just strings woven together, but if he wove enough together and focused on keeping them straight, he suddenly made a staff. Making the strings weave together in a sharp point, he would have a spear.

It was simple for him to do. To create the form itself took little effort, but the problem was maintaining it. No matter how much he focused, he couldn’t make the things he made more robust. They always felt fleeting, like a strong wind could blow his constructs apart.

Of course, that was ignoring the colossal problem of them instantly dissolving the moment he stopped being in physical contact with the mana. So far, he didn’t see any solution to the problem, so he kept focusing on merely making his strings stronger.

His approach was simple: push in more mana and try to condense it. If he just pushed in more mana, all he would get was making it longer. Instead, he needed to put more mana into every individual string, squeezing it together.

The progress for that was slow but steady. To use a rope of mana as climbing gear just a few weeks ago would be a pipedream. Even lifting a dagger off the floor or using it to retrieve his bow from the ground in the Badger’s Den was slightly challenging.

Waking up, he drank yet another stamina potion, nearly filling the resource pool entirely. His mana consumption was far lower during his practice than what he regenerated during meditation, allowing that pool to stay full too, which meant that he was currently in top condition.

He still had groups of deer left to slay before it was time to take on the white stag. He felt more confident now, but it was still unnecessary to engage the boss without proper preparation. Besides, who knew what tricks the beast would have up its hooves?

So he continued his hunt, a process that was only easier than before as he took down stag after stag. They hadn’t even been a real challenge before today, now even less so.

It took him only half an hour or so in between every pond, where he quickly brought down any beast he encountered before he rushed on to the next. The Great White Stag had no way to keep up or pin him down. Every time the White Stag came upon his kills, it called down the moonbeam, which in turn told Jake exactly where the big boss currently was, making it far too easy to avoid.

Nearly an entire day later, he couldn’t find any more enemies. There were seven ponds in total spread around the plains, with an eighth in the middle—the largest one. After going to all seven of them, even being slightly reckless in staying close to the natural paths between them, he still didn’t find any deer.

So he went towards the middle pond. There he found what he had hoped for: a single white stag and three white does standing around—and not a single other beast anywhere.

Still being a bit cautious, he decided to wait a bit to see if any more would come. He drank one final stamina potion, committing himself to wait an hour before he would engage the boss. While waiting, he entered meditation as he checked his notifications.

Quite a few levels had been gained after he killed close to a hundred enemies in less than a day, which was clearly reflected on his notification window.

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 54 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 52 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

He had gotten a bit less than he had expected. Though, with how easy it had been, he nearly felt like he had gotten more than he should have. Jake didn’t know how he measured up to equally leveled people, but he sure did well even against higher-level beasts.

Then again, he did have a class suited for it. His Big Game Hunter skill gave a constant bonus to his Agility and Strength since he always fought higher-leveled enemies, helping him close some of the stat disparity. Besides that, he was clearly just stronger than whatever he met.

It was pretty clear to Jake that beasts grew far less in Strength per level than humans like him. Or maybe it was just a result of him having a variant class and profession, while the beasts he fought were generally just more ordinary types.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to compare a human with something like the Veteran Archer class and an equivalent more common profession upgrade.

In that same vein, it would be fairer to compare Jake to beasts like the Alpha Badgers or even the Great White Stag and the Den Mother. If he went by game logic, then dungeon bosses should have hidden amplifiers or something to make them stronger beyond their level.

But Jake was quite sure they were just powerful variants. Jake wasn’t delusional enough to believe that he had the best available class and profession imaginable. Far from it, in fact, as he thought that his class was just “good” but not great.

However, he did have his Bloodline—a power outside of classes, professions, and his race. It granted him advantages, tangible as well as intangible. His high proficiency in combat, for one thing, was made possible due to it. It likely even provided him a bunch of other benefits he hadn’t even noticed yet, the recent skill upgrade and transformation just being one such example.

The next time he met the Malefic Viper, he would have to ask about Bloodlines more in depth.

Opening his eyes, he noted that it had been an hour since he had entered meditation. Not due to some magical internal clock, but because he became aware that the cooldown for drinking another potion was over.

Both his mana and stamina were above 90%, with his health being full. Jake wasn’t sure what poison would work best for the Great White Stag, so he decided on his most potent kind, AKA Necrotic Poison. It was the kind he had created the most of, and the type he was most confident in concocting by far.

He was, however, not quite ready to go yet. He quickly created a few more potions and poisons before initiating his final hunt to finish the dungeon. He needed to make another batch of stamina potions as well as another batch of Necrotic Poison.

Only the best was good enough for the final boss, after all.

So far, he had just used his blood infused with Blood of the Malefic Viper to coat his arrows. It was quite a bit weaker than the actual poisons, but it only consumed a bit of mana and health to use.

The concocting and brewing both went well, and the created poison and potions were his best yet. They had also been his fastest creations so far, proving that his stats were not just for show when it came to his profession either.

He coated all sixty arrows in his quiver, after which he flung the quiver with now poison-soaked arrows over his shoulder. The poison would last for a while due to the often forgotten effect of Malefic Viper’s Poison.

As he had gained ample levels, he attempted to Identify the beasts one last time before engaging.

[White Doe – lvl 75]

[White Doe – lvl 74]

[White Doe – lvl 72]

[Great White Stag – lvl ??]

This time it yielded results. The White Does were all at a higher level than any of the Alpha Badgers by quite a bit, but still below the Den Mother. With his current level, his maximum Identify went up to 78, meaning the Great White Stag was above that. Not surprising, as the Den Mother had been 81.

Before he started meditating, he had already picked out the spot he was currently at as the ideal vantage point to attack from. It was a small hill with tall grass growing on it, with clear sight to the middle pond. Nearly one hundred and fifty meters separated him from the Great White Stag, giving him ample time to land decisive blows before they could make it to him.

The Great White Stag would surely have ranged methods of attack, but Jake was confident in battling at range. The issue was the three does that—if the other does were any indication—would charge him in an attempt to engage him in melee.

Contrary to what he perhaps should, he didn’t feel any fear, but only excitement. Show me what you got.

He summoned his bow and nocked an arrow. He felt his mana and stamina churn as he pulled back the string and activated Infused Powershot. He let the power build up as the intensity increased by the moment. The veins on his arms bulged, and a visible shimmer of energy emitted from his entire body.

Now!

The arrow was released in an explosion of might, pushing down all the human-sized grass surrounding him, with the closest strands being utterly annihilated. It was without a doubt his most powerful Infused Powershot to date—one that the doe in its trajectory didn’t notice before it was too late.

Chapter 10

The Great White Stag

The arrow met the doe’s turning forehead. It didn’t stop in the least upon encountering the hard skull, but instead cut through like it was made of butter. It went through the brain and, because of the upwards angle it was shot from, into the beast’s neck. There, it went through its throat and out beneath its right-hind leg. However, what came out at the end was not an arrow but merely a few remnants of energy.

In its wake, it left everything destroyed. The entire head blew up, and the internal organs were shredded into a paste. No amount of healing could save the doe. It was dead before any of its companions could even react.

Even if they had tried to react, they now had their own issues to deal with. Another, albeit far weaker, Infused Powershot pierced through the air right towards the Great White Stag. It managed to block it with a barrier, but the arrow still shattered it and managed to penetrate a few inches into the stag’s side.

Less than a second later, a third shot arrived aimed at one of the two remaining does. Even with its reduced power, it was not to be trifled with as it hit the beast in its left-front leg. The arrow pierced right through, resulting in the doe stumbling to the side.

However, the fourth arrow found no purchase; the last White Doe dodged the blow with elegance.

Jake’s initial assault had held nothing back. With no regard to his stamina and mana consumption, he had managed to kill one and injure two. Despite the two damaged ones only being minorly wounded, it was enough to deliver the arrowheads’ liquid death. He could already see the necrosis setting in at a visible rate.

Not that he was about to let up just yet. The arrows continued raining down, this time with Splitting Arrows. His aim was on the already-injured doe, hoping to capitalize further on its limited mobility. He delayed the splitting of the arrow as long as possible to increase accuracy, forcing it to only clone itself when it got closer—another perk of his increased ability to control energy. Finally, when it was only thirty meters from the doe, it split since Jake could no longer hold back the split’s activation. But he had achieved his goal.

The first barrage managed to hit with five of the nine arrows from the split. The Great White Stag had managed to help its companion in the last moment, but only blocked one of the arrows that would have hit. Sadly, the one stopped arrow was the poisoned one—a deliberate move by the stag, no doubt.

With the initial element of surprise over, the beasts started to organize themselves. The wound on the stag was already gone, its hide back to pristine condition once more. The wounded doe was also healing fast as light descended upon it, but it was not in fighting condition yet. The last White Doe had already begun its charge towards Jake.

Something that proved to be a mistake. With the distance between them and the stag still busily focused on healing, the doe was isolated with no support.

Individually, the does had never been a big issue; they only got annoying to deal with with a healer behind them. Jake felt no pressure from a single isolated beast.

He kept bombarding it with arrows while it ran towards him. Every shot was a Splitting Arrow and, coupled with its momentum, the doe was unable to avoid all of them. It did, annoyingly so, avoid every single poisoned one.

It only suffered minor injuries here and there before it was only a few dozen meters away. Jake believed he still had time to fire a few more arrows but was interrupted as the doe subverted his expectations.

In a flash of light, the doe did what Jake could only describe as teleportation. Like a beam of light, it appeared right before him—but what surprised him even more was its method of attack.

A bright blade of light was now protruding from its forehead—not an antler-shaped one, but an edge of pure energy. Its head was pointed downwards as the blade was clearly aimed towards his midsection, and with a swipe of its head, it attempted to cleave him in half.

But Jake was fast enough to react in time. He awkwardly jumped backward, resulting in the blade still cutting into his chest with its very tip. Instead of soft skin, it instead encountered dark green scales. The edge was stuck dead in its tracks, its swiping motion interrupted.

The tip of the blade chipped as the blow did nothing, clearly leaving the White Doe distraught. Capitalizing on the momentary display of weakness, his bow disappeared, and a weapon appeared in each of his hands. A sword and a fang-shaped dagger approached the beast from both sides as it still had its head lowered at an awkward angle.

In a moment of panic, the beast hesitated, which allowed him to land a solid blow. His Venomfang penetrated its neck, while his sword went for its head. It never arrived, however, as the doe was awoken by the dagger.

With a loud bellow, its entire body exploded in a flash of light. Jake felt a searing sensation on his whole body, but the blow was more physical than energy. Like a bubble expanding around the beast, he was pushed back slightly.

The flash had blinded him, but he ignored it as he relied on his sphere anyway. At first, he had believed that it had tried to blow itself up, but it seemed only to try and create some distance. The blade of light reformed as it attempted to ram him, clearly trying to take advantage of his temporary blindness.

An incorrect assumption he gladly took advantage of. Acting as if blind, Jake let it nearly hit him before he moved slightly to the side, simultaneously summoning another set of scales to protect his flank. The blade scraped under his raised right arm as its head followed suit.

He quickly brought down his arm and put the beast in a chokehold. A Touch of Malefic Viper quickly invaded the beast’s body, making it bellow once more, this time in pain.

It exploded once more in the same bubble of light, but his hold was too strong. He kept channeling the Touch as the health of the doe slowly drained.

With his other hand, he started stabbing the beast in its abdomen with his Venomfang, doing even more damage.

The doe struggled for only a few seconds, releasing light constantly as it seared Jake’s unscaled skin. However, in the end, it succumbed to the constant influx of poison, wrecking it from within.

He let the beast go, and it dropped lifelessly to the ground.

Not ten seconds had passed from the moment the beast teleported before him till it died, preventing any of the other beasts from engaging him. It had been an uneven fight from the beginning.

His eyes were still scorched, and his sphere didn’t detect any enemies within it. He refocused his vital energy, healing one of his eyes as fast as he could. Opening it, everything was blurry, but it was enough to land his Mark. He landed it on the doe, which was fine since that was his next target anyway.

Summoning his bow once more, he resumed his attack. Without his eyesight, one would imagine that his accuracy would suffer immensely, but it didn’t matter with his tactic. He could feel where his enemy was, and that was enough for now.

Pulling an arrow out of his quiver, he nocked it and starting shooting once more. He could feel the beast’s reaction instantly, meaning their attention had undoubtedly been on him. But from how slowly the doe avoided the blow, it had to still be wounded. Jake was a bit surprised the Great White Stag hadn’t managed to heal it, but didn’t have time to question it.

Pressing his advantage, he continued firing. His ammunition was limited, but he had to make do. Rushing into melee was an option, but he preferred to buy time for now while hopefully still do some damage. He could already feel his eyes healing.

As he fired, he focused on the movements of the doe. Jake, as an archer in the secular world before the integration, had concentrated on shooting stationary targets. He had improved immensely in technique over the last month or so in the tutorial and learned to hit moving targets far better.

Now, without his eyesight, he was forced to push this notion to the extreme. With one hundred and fifty meters between himself and his target, he was sure to miss if he simply shot directly for his foe. Splitting Arrow helped, but it didn’t make his aim foolproof.

Focusing on the doe’s movements, he released an arrow aimed slightly to the right of the beast, followed swiftly by an extremely fast Infused Powershot to the left of it. His hope was to feint it into dodging the first arrow—a feint that worked.

As it moved slightly away from the first arrow, the second and far faster Infused Powershot hit it straight in its chest, penetrating all the way through and out the other side. Far less damaging than his initial Infused Powershot, but the damage was done.

With it lethally damaged, the next two arrows quickly finished it off. Jake, of course, couldn’t directly see his Infused Powershot hitting, but the beast’s reaction to the shot was enough for him. The notification of the kill two arrows later sealed the deal.

Now all that remained was the Great White Stag. It hadn’t moved at all for quite a while, and he was slightly confused at its actions.

It hadn’t put up a single shield to protect the White Doe he just took down. Judging by how fast other stags healed, it should have had ample time to heal it too. But it had only done some quick healing. His vision still blurry, he barely managed to see it and land his Mark. The system was, without a doubt, helping him.

He fired an arrow at the stag but got no feedback from the shot. If he had to guess, the stag must have blocked it.

Jake pushed his vital energy to heal his eyes faster as the seconds ticked by. The stag did nothing, and he felt that shooting any arrows towards it would be a waste of time.

With him actively focusing on healing his eyes, it only took ten or so seconds for him. Opening his eyes once more, the first thing that struck him was how dark it was.

The sun was gone, and the sky was filled with stars. The stars and a single moon were floating far above. Jake’s eyes widened as he quickly looked around. Seven pillars of light sprang up from around the dungeon, all shooting towards the moon above. Looking at them, he could almost feel the immense mana within.

Each source of light originated from one of the pools around the dungeon. But that wasn’t all of it.

The paths between the pools also started to give off a faint glow. Like a spark had been ignited, a pattern of light was drawn on the plains. Each pond connected, each path a line upon a more extraordinary work of art.

And in the middle of it all was the middle pond.

The stag stood inside it, the water nearly reaching its belly. Its entire body gave off an ethereal glow as it seemed to be the one directing it all.

Whatever the hell was happening, Jake seriously doubted it was anything good for him. He would have to stop it, one way or another.

His first attempt was to take down the stag. He charged his Infused Powershot, imitating the first one he had shot. It was his full power, as it carried everything he had.

He released the arrow towards the stag. But the second it reached the edge of the pond, it encountered an impassible barrier of light. The barrier shimmered and was revealed to be a near-transparent pillar of light descending from the moon.

Around the pillar appeared more than a hundred ghostly apparitions of does and stags. All were running in concert as they defended the Great Stag, who powered the shield protecting the middle pond. He even saw three particularly powerful figures, identical to the three White Does.

The Great White Stag didn’t even seem to register his attack. In fact, it seemed only to continue shining brighter and brighter. He could clearly feel the amount of mana condensing, meaning the stag only got more and more powerful the longer it stood there.

With his most potent attack utterly ineffective, he quickly tried to find a new plan. Would the barrier block him if he approached it in melee? Could he break it with a continued assault? Should he just let it run its course?

All the ghostly beasts protected the central area… and Jake quite honestly didn’t feel like approaching would be wise.

As he considered his options, his gaze darted around until it landed on one of the closest ponds. An idea sprang to mind. He would have to somehow stop the transfer of power from the ponds.

Rushing down from his vantage point, he ran at full speed towards the pond. Should he maybe collect all the water? Or could he somehow drain it all off somewhere, or perhaps somehow cover the hole?

All of his solutions seemed either stupid, ineffective, or extremely slow to pull off. He would have to do something sooner rather than later.

He made it to the pond only a few seconds later. It was indeed the pond giving off light towards the moon. The water was glowing with power, the mana intense.

Jake understood. The dungeon was a giant formation. A pattern, a circle of magic, or whatever term one wished to use. It was the reason why the deer ran between the ponds. They created the lines between the focal points—the ponds.

And now that formation was active. Active and, from the looks of it, empowering the lord of the dungeon, the Great White Stag. Perhaps the deaths of all other living beings in the dungeon had all been a part of this grand ritual. A grand scheme he had walked headfirst into.

Now he understood why he’d never felt any particular fear from facing the stag in open combat. Because it had never planned on fighting him openly, to begin with.

The mana in the air was almost visible by now as Jake was forced to make a decision. The exit of the dungeon was long gone, meaning the fight was unavoidable. Not that he would have ever run.

As he looked at the small pond before him and the massive amount of mana within, he couldn’t help but think of alchemy for some reason—particularly his concoctions and how much the pond reminded him of a mixing bowl.

That stray thought led to an idea. Why couldn’t he make it into a concoction?

The idea was insane, but Jake didn’t need to create anything worthwhile. He just needed to fuck up the mix.

He needed to make the most unstable shitshow of a concoction he could manage.

And feed that clusterfuck of toxins straight into that damn moon.

Chapter 11

No Rest for the Wicked

As with any concoction, one first needed ingredients, but of course, Jake had no ingredient list to go by with this one. So he decided to just go for whatever he felt would do the most damage. The first of which was a little gift from the Den Mother herself.

[Den Mother’s Poison Gland (Rare)] – A gland containing a highly concentrated toxic liquid, condensed by the Den Mother over a long period.

The gland was a big sack of liquid venom. While it most certainly would be considered an atrocity by many well-renowned alchemists to use such a precious ingredient so wastefully, Jake quite frankly didn’t give a damn.

As for other ingredients, what could be better than a lot of blood infused with Blood of the Malefic Viper? If there was something he still had plenty of left, it was health, after all. His entire body was a highly toxic ingredient in itself.

Jake took out a mana potion and quickly drank it, feeling his pool fill quite a bit. The last part of this brilliant creation would require a fair amount of mana.

Standing in front of the pond, he couldn’t delay any longer. He summoned the Gland from his spatial storage, tossing the thing right into the pond. As it entered the pillar of light, it started getting burned up, but it was too late. The Gland’s contents entered the water.

Without waiting, Jake took out his dagger as he cut both of his wrists while at the same time suppressing his natural healing. Finally, he covered both of his arms in Scales of the Malefic Viper as he plunged them into the pillar and the water.

Instantly he heard the sizzling sound of the water burning into his scales. The water was already starting to turn darker from the Gland’s contents, and the addition of his blood only made the situation all the more volatile. His last move proved to be the nail in the coffin.

Touch of the Malefic Viper

Not a single thing was held back as he poured his mana into the skill. Both his hands took on a dark green glow as all the water around them began changing color.

At the same time, Jake started manipulating the water with Concoct Poison. His influence was minor, as it was clearly not a controlled concoction and without help from the enchanted mixing bowl. But it was enough. Jake didn’t need to make a controlled creation; he just needed to infuse his will into the pond.

It took only a few seconds for the pond to go through drastic changes. The water started bubbling as if it was boiling. At the same time, the otherwise bright white beam also started changing. At first, a faint green gleam could be seen within the light. A gleam that soon darkened into a dominating dark green color.

Jake felt himself connect to the concoction. He felt his connection to the moon above and to the entire formation that controlled it all. He felt the mind of another being wrestling him for control of it—the Great White Stag.

But Jake wasn’t fighting for control. It was a losing battle from the beginning, as his connection was far too weak. Besides, he didn’t need it. He just needed to break it from within. Corrupt it. Something he was more than capable of.

The dark beam continued to feed energy into the moon as it started darkening. Festering. Cracks formed on the moon above as it got more and more unstable. He felt the madness and anger from the Great White Stag. He felt its struggle.

From the other six ponds, the light grew more assertive, the power increasing. Simultaneously, the moon started to repair itself, with only the small area where Jake’s beam hit it still remaining corrupted.

He felt himself lose the battle, as his mana kept draining while the Great White Stag seemed to have an endless supply of energy. He needed more.

Jake leaned forward, allowing himself to tumble into the water. The burning sensation wasn’t gone, but different. It was no longer the power of light but the overpowering toxicity of the pond that now burned into him. But Jake could use that.

He opened his mouth and started drinking the poison. He hadn’t used that part of the skill for a long time to avoid burning through his supply of ingredients, but Jake had never forgotten the usefulness of Palate of the Malefic Viper when it came to regenerating mana from consuming toxic materials. And now he needed mana, and he had plenty of toxicity.

He felt his mana instantly surge as he drank the concoction, but at the same time, his health dropped. His skill could only negate a part of the poison and use it to regenerate mana, while a big part of it did what any poison does: drain his vital energies.

With the increased mana, he raised his output. Touch of the Malefic Viper allowed him to inject poison into anything he was in physical contact with. And currently, his entire body was in physical contact with the water.

In a burst of poison from the skill, his mana pool drained faster than ever before. But at the same time, the toxicity around him helped regenerate it. He reached a slight equilibrium. However, his problem was the third part of the equation.

His health points were draining rapidly. He had taken little actual damage from any of the does, but he still couldn’t keep up the current status quo for too long. Yet he pushed it further, releasing a whole batch of toxic ingredients from his storage as well as nearly a hundred bottles of his weaker poisons—the ones he didn’t need to begin with.

The toxicity of the pond exploded upwards, becoming more and more deadly by the second. The beam of light had lost all semblance of white at this point, eating into the moon above.

Corruption spread through the moon faster than before. The ground gained by the other ponds was quickly retaken as the celestial object cracked and turned darker. Like veins of black blood, the cracks expanded and pulsed with power.

The Great White Stag tried to fight back, but the corruption was too strong. It wasn’t because it was weaker or because it had fewer resources available. It was just a simple fact that corrupting something was far easier than purifying it.

For but a moment, Jake felt the control of the stag slip. He capitalized as he made a final push, his mana control on full display. A pulse of power hit the moon as a crack spread from top to bottom. The crack seemed to mark the end of the conflict, and the entire moon shattered like a broken mirror.

All the power that had built up slammed downwards towards each of the ponds. Jake felt it coming but was unable to do anything as it hit.

The water flew everywhere. Jake was tossed out of the pond, flying nearly fifteen meters through the air and landing in the grass.

He heaved for breath as he finally became aware of the state of his body. He looked like he had been submerged in acid, a sentiment that wasn’t entirely inaccurate.

Without his high stats, he would have been dead a long time ago. All the scales on his body had disappeared already, as he had stopped supplying them with mana. But they had lasted long enough for his arms to be in a less horrible state than most of him.

His entire body was bloody, as he had infused every ounce of blood that left his body with Blood of the Malefic Viper—which had been quite a few liters, considering how he currently looked. He had also taken a lot of damage internally from consuming parts of the concoction, eroding him from within.

A human before the initiation would have been dead ten times over—but Jake was more than alive as he started scrambling to his feet.

The fight wasn’t over yet.

As the pulse hit his pond, so had it hit all the others. The moon was shattered, and now only dim stars remained above. It was black as night as he saw the creature stumble through the tall grass in the distance.

The majestic demeanor was gone, the fur no longer a beautiful white color. It had dimmed and grayed, its crown of antlers now broken on one side. It only seemed to have a single functional eye, and it walked with a slight limp as it made its way towards him.

Its one eye, however, did clearly convey all it had to say: burning hatred directed towards the accursed human that had broken the ritual.

Two broken bodies stood, staring at each other for a while. Jake swayed slightly from side to side as he stood, his legs not quite as stable as he would have liked. But his eyes didn’t show the slightest hint of weakness as he stared into the bloodshot eye of the stag, unable to suppress a smile from how much he was enjoying himself.

Both their mana pools were utterly dried up. Everything had been expended. The stag had the slight advantage of being in a better state physically. In contrast, Jake had the remnant of poison still in his body, slowly being consumed by Palate of the Malefic Viper and regenerating mana.

The stag made the first move as it charged, likely provoked into action by the human’s smile. A dim flash of light enveloped its broken antlers when it tried to impale him. It was a sloppy attack, but so was his dodge.

He jumped to the side, rolling on the ground as the stag struggled to stop its charge. It staggered as Jake wobbled to his feet, at the same time pulling out his Venomfang to meet the next attack.

It was yet another sloppy charge, but this one managed to scratch him on his left shoulder. At the same time, he managed to land a cut with his dagger, evening out the trade. This continued for a while, as they slowly made minor injuries to each other.

While Jake managed to recover mana faster than the stag, he also had to use more. Several Shadow Vaults had to be used to avoid getting impaled. Simultaneously, the stag was relying solely on physical strength, slowly regenerating a bit of mana naturally.

No winner was clear after the first few minutes of struggle. Wounds accumulated on both of them, the poison seeping into the stag, making it weaker, while Jake’s blood loss and still-falling health made him slower too.

Jake finally managed to land a solid blow as he pulled out a bottle of Necrotic Poison, catching the stag by surprise when he tossed it in its face. He managed to use the opening to cut into its remaining eye, blinding it entirely.

He believed he had finally gotten his victory, the beast blinded and weakened.

That belief was quickly snuffed out. With a bellow, the stag raised its head towards the sky. Mana, more than he believed it could possibly have left, shimmered over it as its fur returned to the brilliant white it had originally been.

Whiter, in fact, when it began shining. The moonlight returned as Jake looked up and saw the moon he had destroyed earlier. It was far smaller, but its power was still unlike anything either of them should be able to muster at this moment.

He quickly saw the reason. All of the Great White Stag’s herd had created the new moon with their ghostly apparitions. Giving their last vestige of energy for their leader.

The light from the makeshift moon descended on the stag as its antlers shattered completely. However, they didn’t fall to the ground but instead turned to mist, rearranging themselves in a pattern in front of the stag—a pattern nearly identical to the one Jake had ruined.

Power surged as the pattern exploded with mana. A beam of pure light energy flew towards Jake’s battered body. His sense of danger warned him of the lethal attack.

He could try to dodge, but he didn’t. Instead, he began running towards the attack that would, without a doubt, end his life.

And then… it slowed.

For but a moment, everything seemed to come to a crawl. The beam of light continued onwards, no faster than walking speed. The swaying grass around them now stood almost entirely still. Everything was moving in slow motion.

Except for Jake.

Moment of the Primal Hunter

He didn’t think; he simply moved. He ran forward, right towards the stag. He sidestepped the beam of light heading his way, and the millisecond he was out of its path and right in front of the stag, time returned to normal.

In real time, not even half a second had passed. But to Jake, it had easily been five full seconds. More than enough to close the distance.

The Great White Stag didn’t even understand what had happened. One moment the human was about to get obliterated by the beam, and the next, he was nearly in front of it. It couldn’t see, but could surely still feel that it had missed. To make things worse, the beam was still firing, the stag unable to stop it.

Jake got closer as the circle of magic started fizzling out and the beam disappeared. The moon was gone once more, the stag returning to its dull gray color. It was exhausted. Exhausted and not ready for his attack at all.

He didn’t stab it. Instead, he grabbed its front leg and lifted the stag off the ground with a spinning motion. He spun around as he tossed it through the air, right towards the still half-full pond that now resembled a toxic swamp.

It couldn’t do anything as it fell right in the middle of the concoction of death. It could only bellow towards the silent, dimming stars above as it tried to get out of the pond. But it was already too late.

The once great stag was too injured to muster enough strength to fight off the toxins. It tried, but when it finally thought it could get out, an arrow hit it right in its midsection, sending it tumbling back into the pond. It kept struggling, yet soon its legs gave out and it stopped moving.

Soon after, Jake got his notification.

*You have slain [Great White Stag – lvl 93] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level. 146,000 TP earned*

Having seen the notification and seeing that he had completed the dungeon, Jake, tired and spent, fell backward onto the grass.

He couldn’t truly rest quite yet, though.

Objective: Defeat the Great White Stag (Completed)

Bonus reward for clearing the dungeon solo.

Dungeon shutting down in: 00:59:51

Scoffing at the message, he closed his eyes and entered meditation, hoping to restore enough to be able to move about just a bit. No rest for the wicked, I guess, he thought, kind of hating the system for only giving him an hour this time. At least it was fun.

"Power comes in many forms,” Jacob said. “A single individual may be able to strike fear into countless others. They may be able to annihilate civilizations. But can they bring life to a new generation? Educate them? Grow in the soil what we need to grow as people? No, they cannot.

"A lone wolf is just that: alone. We all have our own limits, our own destinies. We cannot all be the protagonists of fate. But we can nurture those who are. None of us here are fighters or those who shall stand against our enemies. We are instead the ones who forge and sharpen their blades, who take care of their children when they fight—the ones who build their homes, their abode to rest.

"There is no shame in this. We are all a part of the greater whole, servants of destiny. A wolf with a pack to support his every move will go further than one who stumbles through the darkness alone. And even if the pack leader of this generation fails, who is to say the next will?

"It saddens me, but we are that lost generation. The ones to pave the way for the heroes of tomorrow. The ones to illuminate the path ahead for our children. We will build the foundation for a better future. We will sacrifice ourselves. But we can do so with pride and with the smile of the Holy Mother upon us.

"We will be a part of a greater destiny. A greater whole. The unsung heroes of fate. And in turn, we will find deliverance and new life within her halls.

"Many of us have already fallen—we are but a scattered pack. Our warriors have fallen, but we still have hope. So hold no fear, for with hope, we shall fear nothing."

Jacob finished by looking out at the fervent flock in front of him. They were the scared and traumatized ones who couldn’t or wouldn’t fight.

His sermons happened several times every day. He would talk about different topics each day, but they all held the same message. The message that they were stronger together than apart and that there was no shame in serving a greater purpose.

After shaking hands and reassuring them once more, he excused himself to his cabin, followed only by Bertram and Joanna—the one man and woman who didn’t hold a fervent gaze.

"Do you honestly believe all that stuff?" Bertram asked when they were finally alone.

"What matters most is that they do," Jacob answered with a relaxed smile. "Hope is good. Even in a hopeless situation."

"False hope is not," Bertram answered. "Are you still sure that skill is actually accurate?"

"The divination was quite clear. Far more so than I expected it to be." Jacob sighed. Something he didn’t disclose was just how weird it was for it to be so precise. Fate was not so easily peered into, yet his very first vision had been so clear… because it truly was already written.

Only hours after getting his new class, he had used the skill Divination of the Augur. He had expected vague imagery, but what he had seen was indisputable. A tornado of metal would enter the base to shred everything and everyone in its way. Those that ran would surely still be struck down.

It wasn’t hard to interpret. But the next part was more challenging to interpret fully.

It showed the people in prayer, each holding a candle. One by one, their lights would die, and they too would fall to the ground, their lights joining together. In the end, only two would stand. They would meet the tornado outside, and they would greet it.

One a winged man, the other a golden warrior.

The winged man would soar towards the sky, surrounded by the motes of light from the candles. The golden warrior would fall to the tornado yet join the man in his ascension. The tornado would find no lives to take, but meet only an empty camp.

That was where the vision ended. Jacob had been confused for a long time, but he had begun to understand. They would not survive the tutorial. At least, they would not exit the same as they were. He had tried to divine different paths, but he soon understood… he wasn’t meant to fight fate.

He was meant to realize it—a realization that alone netted him five levels instantly.

Jacob had grown over these last few days. Grown far more than he believed possible. As the survivors’ belief grew in him, so did their speed of levels and Jacob’s own. Most of them had only gotten two or three levels in their classes, but he had gotten far more.

This speech today had pushed him all the way to level 50. It was a truly meteoric rise, and he believed that he was faster than even the most talented of hunters had been.

As for skills, he had gotten two. The first one was yet another support skill. One he had chosen based on the vision he had seen. He knew it was the one to pick the moment he saw it.

[Lantern of the Augur (Ancient)] – The fallen souls are never truly lost to the Augur. Summon a lantern that can store the souls of the fallen. While in the lantern, the souls do not experience any decay but are instead nurtured. The souls must enter of their own free will. Capacity and power of the souls stored are based on Willpower and Wisdom.

The lantern was a magical object. It was tangible to no one but Jacob himself. Jacob, and one other person. The one he suspected to be the golden warrior seen in his vision.

When he reached level 50, he only had this belief strengthened. The skill he had unlocked being the reason, of course.

[Appoint Guardian (Unique)] – The Augur of Hope is not a warrior, but his loyal guardian is. Appoint a guardian, intrinsically linking your karma and destiny to theirs. The guardian will receive a new class, as well as an entirely new path. But be warned, for that path will not, and cannot, diverge from your own. As long as you live, so will your guardian, and should you fall, so will your guardian. Can only be used on a willing participant. Skill can only ever be used once, so choose wisely.

He’d had many exciting choices, but he’d instantly known this was the one. But he didn’t pick it right away. While Jacob already knew who he wanted to be his guardian, he was not arrogant enough to just assume his chosen person wanted to as well.

Luckily, Bertram had agreed without a second thought. The middle-aged man didn’t show much emotion, but Jacob still picked up through his skills that the man was happy. Happy at being asked and happy that he would not have to leave Jacob’s side.

Bertram had been with Jacob his entire life. The one part of his life his father had forced upon him. When young, he’d been a babysitter, a butler, and most importantly, a friend. He had driven him to school every morning, picked him up, and helped take care of him.

He had always been the stoic sort. He didn’t talk much, and he never had. At the company, he had been Jacob’s personal assistant, more or less continuing on the legacy he had already built.

In the tutorial, he hadn’t shied away from his role either. Jacob had initially feared that he would be left behind, but Bertram had remained by his side, a sentiment that touched Jacob deeply since he knew how much the man sacrificed. Out of everyone in their group of colleagues, Bertram would be the one Jacob assumed to have the highest chances of excelling in this new environment.

Of course, he no longer thought that, with both Jake and Caroline going above and beyond all expectations. But now one of those was dead, and the other unknown. Though based on his conversation with the Holy Mother, Jake still lived.

But through all of the hardships and fights, Bertram had remained by his side. He had stayed behind when all other fighters went to war. No matter how much others had tried to push him to join them to hunt beasts, Bertram had stayed. He had still managed to evolve his class, but only through the hunts that Jacob had compelled him to participate in.

And now, at the end of this tutorial, Jacob could offer the opportunity to appoint him as his guardian formally. To make their fates truly intertwined.

"And you are sure you wish to do this?” Jacob asked as he looked at his oldest friend. There will be no way of going back. If I die, you die. We will be together if we want to or not."

"No different from normal, then," Bertram answered with a slight chuckle.

"I guess so," Jacob said with a relaxed smile. "So, shall we just get it out of the way?"

"Hit me with your best shot, kid."

Jacob gladly did so as he pointed at Bertram and used the skill on him.

Bertram froze for a moment as he said he got a notification. It was not something that could be forced upon him, after all. Without any hesitation, he accepted it as if it was an easy choice.

Jacob and Bertram had both expected… something to happen. But it was over just as it had begun. A faint light shimmered over Bertram as he stared into the air, no doubt bombarded by a list of notifications like Jacob himself had been when he became an Augur. Skills lost; others gained. But more important was what they both felt.

A connection like no other. A golden thread of karma thicker than any other, one forged by the system itself.

"Wait a second!" Jacob said with a faux horror. "We totally forgot to discuss the salary!"

Chapter 12

Loot & Healing

Jake opened his eyes when he saw the countdown for the dungeon shutdown reach thirteen minutes. He had initially decided to get up at fifteen, but two more minutes shouldn’t hurt, right?

During his meditation, he did have time to go over his notifications.

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 55 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 51 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 53 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 56 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 57 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 54 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

He had gotten a grand total of four levels between his profession and class. After killing the second White Doe, he’d gotten a level in his class, and after finishing off the last doe and the Great White Stag, he had gotten two entire levels more—it hadn’t been level 93 for nothing.

The level in his profession was also an unexpected gain. It reinforced the notion that one didn’t necessarily need to create potions to level, but doing difficult practice could also lead to levels. He reckoned the same would be right for classes, actually. Would he be able to level by just practicing with his bow?

A fascinating but utterly useless thought that Jake quickly suppressed, as he only had a dozen minutes left before the dungeon would shut down.

It took quite a bit of effort, but he managed to get himself on his feet. He also took out a health potion since the cooldown was over by now. Like a desert meeting rain, his body greedily absorbed the potion’s vital energy, instantly making him feel a lot better than before.

Thank the Malefic Viper I am an alchemist, he thought with a slight chuckle, already walking towards the pond where he had thrown the Great White Stag.

To his surprise, the concoction that had once filled half the pond was gone. When the formation overloaded, it had sent half of the water flying; it was now splashed around the area. It was quite easy to see where it had landed, as it was where all the grass had died. But there was still a lot left, enough to nearly submerge the entire stag.

But the pond itself was completely empty of any liquid now. Even the corpse of the Great White Stag was gone. However, where the stag had died, there now was a single out-of-place item—a small pebble-sized object, no larger than a fingernail. He could easily feel the mana pulse out of it, his Identify making it clear it wasn’t a simple item.

[Corrupted Mooncore Shard (Epic)] – The shard of a Mooncore, corrupted by an immense amount of toxicity. It is unstable by nature and will not last more than a few months in its current state. Contains highly concentrated volatile energy as the energies clash within. The mana of the moon and the foreign mana exist in a constant cycle of mutual destruction.

Requirements: Cannot leave the tutorial area.

Jake, like the description, had no idea what to use it for. It seemed like a ticking time bomb that he couldn’t take out of the tutorial. Very intriguing, if he had to say so himself.

He had clearly been the source of the corruption, but that also meant it had been uncorrupted before his interference. Had this been the item that the stag poured all the mana from the moon above into? Was he meant to get this item in its uncorrupted form?

He didn’t know, and as the countdown to the dungeon shutting down hit eight minutes, he didn’t have time to find out either. What he did know, however, was that he shouldn't try to inject mana into it, or he was pretty damn sure it would go boom. Not that he planned on leaving it behind, as he threw it into his storage before moving on.

First, he rushed towards the middle pond. If the last two dungeons were any indication, then he would gain a lockbox or two. Maybe he would even finally get a jacket or something, as he was getting a bit tired of running around bare-chested. Even just a cloak would be fine. Just not the shitty archer cloak.

Less than a minute later, he reached the center pond and inspected it. The water had lost all luster, and a quick identification yielded no result. Which meant it was indeed just normal water now, holding not a single magical property of note.

What was of note, however, was what was in the water. Carved into the bottom of the center was a magical circle, exactly where the Great White Stag had been standing to control the formation. It didn’t take a genius to conclude that this was the controlling circle or something. Not that it mattered anymore, as it was clearly broken, based on the cracks all over it.

There was still one fascinating thing about it, though. In the middle of the circle was a book. A book that brought back a sense of déjà vu. It reminded Jake of the giant tome that had granted him his profession back in the day.

Though this tome was gray with the depiction of a moon on the cover. It was beautifully designed, to say the least, and of course, he used Identify on it.

[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.

Jake picked up the tome and noticed that it wasn’t wet in the slightest despite being underwater. It was like the liquid didn’t even make contact with its surface.

When he picked it up, it instantly made him aware he couldn’t use it. Clearly, he wasn’t what was deemed a compatible user. Though, to be fair, he wouldn’t have wanted it anyway. He had chosen to be an archer and not a caster, and he was more than happy with that choice.

Throwing the tome in his spatial storage, he looked around the area a bit more as he scanned it with his sphere. He didn’t spot anything worth noting, at least nothing containing mana or able to be identified. He did note what looked like the remnants of a few withered plants, but nothing useful.

With nothing else of note at the center pond, he rushed back towards the entrance. It didn’t seem like there was a dedicated exit, which didn’t really surprise him considering the dungeon’s open design.

Making his way to the exit, he finally spotted something. A single lockbox sat at the entrance, and Identify told him it was rare. Based on the size and the shape of the box, it appeared to be a long, long weapon of some kind. Jake couldn’t help but hope for it to maybe be a bow. It was a bit long for it, but it was still possible.

Opening it, he instead found a staff.

[Staff of Lucent Realms (Rare)] – A staff made from the Great White Stag’s antlers and ordained with a moonstone. The concentrated power of moonlight within makes it suitable for most light-affinity casters. Allows the user to borrow the power within the moonstone once a day, reducing the cost, and significantly increasing the power, of any skills related to the concept of moonlight.

Requirement: Lvl 50+ in any humanoid race.

Jake read the description and had to admit that the staff did seem strong, if utterly useless to him. Touching it, he also felt that he clearly had a Greatsword of Nature situation all over again, AKA incompatible with him.

Tossing the staff into his storage together with the tome, he placed his hand on the door and exited the dungeon.

As he exited, he also checked out his last two notifications.

Tutorial Quest: The Beast Lords

The forest murmurs with rumors of a King ruling from the shadows. The four Beast Lords each guard their dungeon as their King commanded, waiting for a suitable challenger to appear. With the death of his lords, the King is sure to be forced into the light. But be warned, the Lords will not meet their end that easily.

Two lords have fallen. The King has taken notice but has yet to make a move. Continue with the quest, and you shall inevitably meet.

Objective: Defeat the Beast Lords.

Current progress: 2/4

It had gotten a bit foreboding. Jake wondered who or what this so-called King was, but he would eventually find out if the system was to be believed. Of course, he had a few more dungeons to clear out first.

The second notification he got was about his titles upgrading, now providing 1 and 3 more overall stat points, respectively.

[Dungeoneer III] – Successfully clear a dungeon suitable for your level. +3 all stats.

[Dungeon Pioneer III] – Be the first to clear a dungeon suitable for your level. +9 all stats.

Overall, his gains from the dungeon had been significant. While he hadn’t gotten any new gear, he had gained 10 levels in his class and one in his profession, and it had only taken him a bit more than two days.

Checking his tutorial panel, he found that he had ample time left to clear out the two next dungeons at his current pace.

Tutorial Panel

Duration: 13 days & 22:45:10

With nearly two weeks, he didn’t see what could stop him. But first things first—he needed to get back in peak condition. His current resources were still dangerously low, and he had no intentions of getting into a fight at the present time.

Status

HP: 825/4560

MP: 914/5260

Stamina: 712/2390

While he could move naturally, he still felt weak all over. So he began meditating inside the mountain-like volcano. After a bit less than an hour, he exited meditation, chugged a healing potion, and closed his eyes once more.

This repeated for nearly an entire day as he alternated between potions until he returned to peak condition. He had honestly underestimated how much damage he had taken. To fully heal, his body had taken far more vital energy than he had first believed. Healing corroded and heavily poisoned internal organs wasn’t that easy. The poison itself wasn’t the issue; it was the damage left by the light-affinity mana.

After the first half a day, his mana was up to a healthy level, allowing him to resume a bit of mana practice while he was just sitting there anyway. It was unsurprisingly boring to meditate, and trying to weave constructs of mana was a pleasant pastime. He honestly felt a bit bad for those without a Sphere of Perception who could only sit there and do nothing.

Walking out of the tunnel leading into the volcano, he again found himself overlooking the inner area. Nothing had really changed since he entered, and he was more than happy to just move on to the next dungeon.

Dungeons were clearly far more efficient than the beasts outside at this point. Besides, enemies outside of the dungeons were only in their low sixties at the highest, and those were often solitary beasts like the buffalos.

Scanning the geography, he quickly found an easy way towards the next volcano-like mountain. It was naturally the third smallest, which should be the third dungeon to do. He briefly considered maybe clearing a valley or two in the hope of finding some more equipment, but ultimately decided against it.

The loot in the dungeons was far better anyway… if Jake could use it, that is. And even if it weren’t, the levels would make up for it either way. Getting good gear was all well and good, but he would eventually outgrow it. As an example, his bracers only provided 5 Agility and 3 Strength, along with their minor bonus to Stealth while hidden in shadows.

His cloak had become useless, to the point where he didn’t even wear it. Even the smallest scratch or attack ripped it up, forcing him to spend time mending it. Even then, it didn’t provide any meaningful defense against anything but projectile attacks. And it wasn’t like there was anyone else around to see him run around in only his pants, boots, and a pair of bracers.

As he ran towards the dungeon, he came across a single pack of raptors in their early fifties. Surprisingly, the beasts didn’t attack him, but ran away the second they noticed him. There was no good reason to waste time chasing them down, so he decided just to let it go.

All other beasts on the way reacted the same. The moment they spotted him, they tucked their tails and advanced in the opposite direction. Jake couldn’t help but wonder if he really looked that scary…

It did, however, result in him quickly making his way to the mountain with the dungeon. Yet another tunnel that he found himself within.

While the first two had lush greenery within, this one was just soil all over. There was only one change in the ground: a vertical hole right in the middle.

Jake jumped down from the entrance into the volcano and landed on the soil. It was relatively soft and reminded him of the earth that had been in the challenge dungeon. Jake held himself back from collecting some of it. If he really wanted it, he could get it after the dungeon.

He walked up to the hole and looked down. It was around ten to eleven meters deep. He only knew that due to his Sphere of Perception, though. His eyes didn’t allow him to see a single thing, no matter how hard he tried. Even Hunter’s Sight didn’t give any result. It was like a strange kind of mana was within the hole. One that made it pitch black. And while he could see inside with his sphere, everything appeared a bit obscured and blurry.

It didn’t feel dangerous, though, so Jake decided just to take a plunge and jump into the hole. A few meters down, everything went black as the darkness enveloped him.

Landing, he found stone beneath his feet. And not just ordinary stones. Bricks. The walls, too, were made of bricks, making it clearly manmade. Or alienmade. The point is that some kind of intelligent race had constructed it.

In front of Jake was the usual door that marked the entrance. Placing his hand on it, he received the standard message and didn’t hesitate to accept it.

Time for the third dungeon.

Chapter 13

True Protagonist

William’s entire body ached with pain. Pain unlike any he had ever felt before.

But he could only smile at the sensation, because pain meant that he was still alive.

When he had regained consciousness, he didn’t know. But he did know that it had been several days since he had nearly fallen. His entire body cooked inside his armor, his skin cauterized, the blood in his veins boiling, and his eyes popping out from the heat.

But despite all that, he had lived. Held on to his last sliver of health. He should have died; he knew that. But he hadn’t, because death was not his destiny. He’d been chosen, so his body refused to die, and slowly, he’d started to heal.

His entire body had healed at once, meaning that all parts healed at a nearly equal pace. It had only taken a few days before his limbs started returning to peak condition, but his internal organs had still taken a long time to return to a functional state.

And today, for the first time, his sight returned. He could always see through the breastplate still on him, but now he could finally observe the world through his own eyes. Today, he was finally ready to make himself known once more.

The ash on him scattered as he moved his body. His skin was revealed below, healthier than ever. His mind, sharper than before. William felt reborn, like a phoenix experiencing nirvana. Reforged in both body and mind.

Looking around, he saw the half-eaten corpses of the ones he had slaughtered. He saw the dead rodents that had dared to think him just another cadaver to consume.

He had absorbed the armor and weapons of the fallen. He had regained his mana and was now far more potent than before. His skill to absorb metals had even upgraded in rarity, now allowing him to absorb even enchanted metals.

With his mind, he extended his armor to cover his entire body once more, only leaving his face visible. As he looked around for useful items, he was disappointed to find not a single enchanted item anywhere.

It didn’t take him long to put and two and two together. The other survivors must have come to gather the loot. In the end, no matter an herbivore or a predator, humans would be forever greedy. William saw no scenario in which they left good stuff lying around.

He was lucky they hadn’t found him. He had been entirely burned, likely being why no one had recognized him as being alive. But luck was to be expected. For a protagonist to experience supernatural luck wasn’t out of the ordinary. At least, that is what William believed.

His domination of the tutorial was, however, not over. As his tutorial panel clearly showed, he had more to kill.

Tutorial Panel

Total Survivors Remaining: 49/1200

Duration: 14 days & 00:40:44

As he looked through his logs, he found an entry he had expected.

Tutorial Quest: A Leader is born

Objective: Become the sole leader of at least 90% of the other humans during the tutorial.

Current progress: 2%

Eliminate other leaders: 0/1

He had gotten it the moment he also got the notification for killing Richard—a sweet notification indeed.

*You have slain [Human (E) - lvl 34 / Stalwart Bulwark - lvl 41 / Tyrannical Conniver– lvl 28] – Experience earned. 27,254,214 TP earned*

Despite the level difference, William had gained several levels from that one fight. But then again, he had killed a lot of people.

He had gotten revenge. He had fulfilled the final wish of his first friend, Hermann Schmidt, and now he could return to his own agenda.

Over these last few days, William had had a lot of time to think and dream as he slipped in and out of consciousness. With his body idle, he’d had only his own mind to keep him company. William had, for the first time, felt anger and had become illogical because of his emotions. And the feeling was oddly… liberating.

Before, he’d never felt anything when he killed, just a mild satisfaction from the levels and whatever else he got. He enjoyed the benefits from the kills, but not the act of killing itself. He did make a game out of it, but that was just to spice up the monotony.

The concept of emotions had been opened to him. He was acutely aware of it. But unlike an average person, William viewed it as only another tool. He had seen that emotions could allow one to perform feats above what they should otherwise. But he had also seen it corrupt them.

Herrmann had been corrupted, as had the trapper Casper. So many people in this tutorial had been infected with the curse that was chaotic emotions. By guilt, loss, depression, bloodlust, and uncontrollable urges for revenge.

He would not fall to the same fate. Yet, he could not simply write them off. Herrmann had made armor far stronger than he should have been able to produce, and Casper had displayed power that even the current William couldn’t comprehend.

It had been close during his fight with Richard. He had lost himself towards the end, felt the inklings of corruption enter his mind. His thoughts had turned cloudy, his desires illogical. His actions… emotional.

But with a long time spent lying there, he’d managed to find his footing once more. He’d healed himself of much of the affliction that had come over him. He now felt close to what he had before entering the tutorial. Through the many dreams that had come to him, he became enlightened with a new understanding.

He was now beyond his prior definition of perfection. His potential had increased.

He had already reaped the benefits once. He would have never upgraded a skill like that without the massive stimuli from the near-death experience coupled with his raging emotions. It was a cocktail that had forced him to overcome what he currently was, drag everything out from within to realize his desire.

And William was acutely aware of his desires. He wanted power. At first, he’d only done so as an instinctual craving, but now he truly desired it. He desired to reach perfection, to become an insurmountable existence, and he would stop at nothing to realize that craving.

Richard had held power, but it was the fragile sort. Power reliant on others. He had been betrayed by those he believed to be his allies, which had ultimately contributed to his death. A fate William had no intentions to repeat.

Which was why he didn’t care much for the quest. William did not see himself as a leader. Not because he believed himself incapable of leading, but because it wasn’t necessary. Yet his dreams made him aware that he was to complete it.

Right now, he had earned the loyalty of 2% of the tutorial. A rounded up number, he was sure. He was the leader of only one survivor, and that was himself—a fact he had no desire to change. Even in all his arrogance, William didn’t believe it possible to make them all loyal to him, so he would have to do it the hard way…

There was also the other leader, whom William already knew was Jacob. It had to be. Weirdly enough, he didn’t really feel any desire to kill the man, but he knew he would have to. It was possible to force him into leading the camp into being loyal to him, but William had kind of killed his girlfriend…

So he started walking back towards the base. He hoped they had not scattered to the winds at the loss of Richard, but had instead stayed. It would be easier that way, and he would be able to get the unpleasant business out of the way faster.

It did not take him long to return. He didn’t even bother to attempt a covert approach as he simply strolled through the open gate. He feared for a moment that the survivors had left, but as he entered, he spotted two people sitting just inside: Jacob and that warrior guy who was always around him.

"Hello, William," Jacob said, being the first to open his mouth. The warrior at his side silently observed.

"Well, hello there, Jacob," William answered, returning the man’s smile. "Been a while, eh?"

"It has. I see that you have healed up alright. You looked terrible the last time I saw you."

At that, Williams’s eyes sharpened. Had Jacob found him on the battlefield? William didn’t remember seeing him… which meant it had been during the first days when he was still blacked out. But if that was true… why hadn’t he killed him? The man in front of him was also clearly not on guard at all. He was too damn relaxed. He couldn’t help but use Identify on him, and was instantly taken aback.

[Human – lvl 37]

What the fuck? William thought to himself as he lifted his guard instantly. He also identified the warrior, finding a level that at least wasn't much of a surprise.

[Human – lvl 26]

He had no idea what the hell had happened this last week. What had the otherwise utterly useless “manager” done to become so strong? And his previous comment also vexed him.

"So you went to the battlefield?" William asked, the mana in his body churning, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

"I did. But I am not talking about your injuries. You looked confused, last I saw you. Distracted. Like you had lost something, and that you had a wrong you had to make right. And from the looks of it, you have succeeded in doing so." Jacob was still smiling at the young man in front of him. "I am happy that you have found yourself again."

What the actual fuck is wrong with this guy? William questioned. He knew Jacob was many things, but stupid was not at the top of that list. Naïve, idealistic, passive, a pushover—all of those were on the list. But not stupid. He must know that William was the instigator of the slaughter that had happened. That he had been the one to kill Richard, and yet he just seemed not to care.

William had thought a lot about desires for the last week, which made it natural for him to ask.

"What the hell do you want?"

"Does it matter? You have clearly chosen your path already, and my wants won’t change your actions. You have come here with a goal to accomplish, and my words will not dissuade you.”

"So you are just going to sit there and die, or what? While I kill you and everyone else here?" William asked, clearly annoyed. An annoyance that only got worse, as the warrior didn’t even react at the apparent threat and Jacob just kept smiling.

"The others have already found their peace. I have no desire to die, but once again, my desires will not change the outcome. This is how it is meant to be. We can only hope to struggle against fate, and that hope is enough for me. I have altered the course slightly, made the transition ideal."

"Oh, really?" William asked as his mana churned. Without warning, a colossal sawblade was fired out from his hand, hitting the warrior.

The warrior just tilted his neck upwards, displaying only a faint smile as the sawblade cut his head off. But before the severed head even hit the ground, his entire body turned to light that entered Jacob. William didn’t get a kill notification…

"Sorry, William, he does not die so easily—as long as I live, he will return to my side once more after a while," Jacob said, answering the question the teenager had yet to ask. He didn’t even try to hide the sadness at seeing his bodyguard die, even if he claimed it was not permanent.

William had a strong feeling the guy was just bullshitting, as he knew this was not a fight they could ever win. Even with all the survivors in the camp, it would only be a one-sided slaughter. They should all know that, yet William just felt weird about the entire situation.

"Oh yeah, and what about the others?" William asked, trying to wrest back some semblance of control of the odd encounter. He felt like he was just doing precisely what the fucker in front of him expected from beginning to end. A feeling he definitely did not desire.

"As I said, they joined me earlier," Jacob said as he summoned a lantern. Around it, many motes of light flew. Forty-five motes, to be exact.

William instantly opened the tutorial panel with his mind and widened his eye at the number.

Total Survivors Remaining: 3/1200

"Wow, and people call me a psycho. You already killed them all." William whistled. He honestly hadn’t looked forward to killing them. The thought of it alone made his still-slightly rampant emotions protest annoyingly. So it was a welcome surprise that Jacob was just another hypocrite that—

"No, that wasn’t necessary. They simply accepted the inevitable and agreed to join me in reaching for a fate above their station. They put their hopes in me, a burden I agreed to carry happily, with a promise of deliverance to the Holyland.” Jacob got up.

William considered attacking at the sudden movement, but felt not an ounce of threat from the man in front of him.

"Come with me," Jacob said as he motioned for William to follow, which he did, partly out of curiosity and partly out of some weird power compelling him to trust the man in front of him. A power which he was very aware of, but only piqued his interest more.

They walked to the middle of the base, where he saw a sight he hadn’t expected. Forty-five people sat with their legs crossed in the square, all of them pale with a smile on their lips. Not an ounce of life remained in any of them, yet not a single wound could be seen anywhere. In front was a woman William clearly remembered to be a colleague of Jacob’s… but she too sat lifelessly.

"I spared everyone from the unnecessary pain this act would bring," Jacob said. "I apologize for making the decision without you, and I hope my death can help alleviate any frustrations. My only request is that you make it quick. I know my own fate, but I have never been a big fan of pain."

William only got more and more confused. Had he walked into some freaking Kool-Aid drinking cult? The people were clearly deader than dead, and not a single one of them seemed to give a hoot based on their facial expressions.

"So that is it—you are just offering up your neck?" William asked, standing a few steps behind Jacob.

"William, you have already found a path. Your path. I cannot say if it is one towards oblivion or greatness, but it is yours. I have nowhere to guide you, and I doubt I would be able to even if I tried. You already have a teacher who can offer you far more than I ever can." Jacob turned to look at the teenager. "Besides, would you spare me if I struggled? That quest won’t be completed on its own."

"You are fucking weird, Jacob. You know that, right? Just so you know, this isn’t personal."

A spear appeared in William’s hand, and he stabbed through the head of the man in front of him. It pierced right through and out the other side as the curse within started turning Jacob to metal. A process far harder than William expected, since the curse struggled against the Augur’s high Vitality and Willpower. But with Jacob not struggling in the least, the curse quickly found purchase and transformed the still-smiling man into a statue.

*You have slain [Human (E) - lvl 37 / Augur of Hope - lvl 50 / Novice Tailor – lvl 24] – 94,541 TP earned*

William didn’t feel an ounce of satisfaction from the kill. He did, however, take notice of the notification. First was the class, Augur. He couldn’t quite remember exactly what that word meant, but he was pretty sure it was religious or something. At least the guy had been preachy as fuck.

The second part was the lack of experience gained. Why hadn’t he gained any fro—

Just as he thought this, the statue before him lit up with light. Its surface cracked and exploded as light consumed the entire camp. A beam descended as William was knocked back—knocked back, but unharmed. The final thing he saw before all light disappeared was a figure floating up, and for a brief moment, the entire outer area of the tutorial was covered in darkness.

Once light returned, he saw that the metalized statue of Jacob was gone. All of the corpses of the crafters had also turned to dust.

William stood confused, wondering what the fuck was going on. What a peculiar fellow, he thought, actually finding the developments welcome. At least it was interesting, and he had a feeling he would meet the Augur again sometime in the future.

Checking the number of survivors, he saw what he expected—no surprises there, at least.

Total Survivors Remaining: 2/1200

This tutorial’s final curtains were drawing closer, and with that the true protagonist of this trial was soon to be found. And William was more than confident that he would be the one standing in the end. Only a single afterthought remained—a single challenger.

A lone archer William didn’t even see as a threat, just another bullet point to get checked off.

Tutorial Panel

Duration: 13 days & 23:51:10

He had plenty of time to accomplish his task. Because if William's dreams had made one thing clear, it was that this tutorial was his stage.

Chapter 14

Into the Dark

The first thing that struck him was the smell—an all-encompassing stench that seemed to mask any other scent. Jake was happy that Perception didn’t just straight up make his sense of smell more potent, or he may have just fallen over and died there and then. At least he would have wished that he was dead.

The second thing he noticed was that the unnatural darkness persisted even within the dungeon. Jake couldn’t see a single thing, no matter what he tried or did. It was clearly magical, though he couldn’t find any immediate explanation.

The notification upon entering did help inform him why the smell was there, at least.

You have entered the dungeon: The Forgotten Sewers

Objective: Defeat the Nest Watcher

He didn’t even bother questioning how he had gone from a mountain to a sewer. Dungeons obviously didn’t exist physically in the world outside but were some kind of alternate space. A bit like his spatial storage, just on a far grander scale.

He had already gone to an old temple during the challenge dungeon, so a sewer wasn’t that far off. What did surprise him, however, was how modern the notion of a sewer like this was. It also didn’t seem to have much to do with beasts at all.

There wasn’t any noticeable movement in his sphere either. The only thing of note was the dripping water from the ceiling and small water streams running across the floor in places.

While Jake couldn’t see anything with his eyes, he could still see plenty through his Sphere of Perception. It was, however, affected. When it was at its max range at nearly thirty meters, everything felt murky. The air itself looked almost liquid, obscuring everything.

It was mana—extremely dense mana. And the mana wasn’t the pure kind Jake was used to, but altered in some way. If he had to make an educated guess, he would say that it was dark-affinity mana, or maybe shadow-affinity mana or something like that.

What mattered was the effect of it. It obscured sight completely, making anyone in it blind.

Jake decided to try creating some light as he took out some wood from his spatial storage. His Alchemical Flame didn’t produce much light, but heat it made plenty of, allowing him to set fire to the wooden stick quickly.

The wood caught fire and a flame sprang forth. But that was where the expected stopped.

It clearly burned, and he could see the flame. The light, however, was seemingly contained within the flame itself, like a dark barrier blocked any light from reaching beyond the flickering fire.

He tried putting his hand into the fire, and it only got eerier. It was like a vacuum of light appeared wherever his hand was. He didn’t see his hand, but merely a black hand-shaped object enter. It was as if the concept of light itself wasn’t allowed to exist.

Was that the gimmick of this dungeon? That one had to do it in absolute blindness?

While it wasn’t optimal, Jake would be able to manage with his sphere. But he had to do something about the murkiness. He closed his eyes, more out of habit than function, focusing on the sphere. He had done so many times before, either extending the range slightly or, as he did currently, limiting the range.

Thirty meters quickly became twenty-five…twenty-one…eighteen…sixteen…thirteen….eleven…ten. When it reached around ten meters, Jake stopped as everything was now far clearer. Like putting on prescription glasses, everything had turned from a blurry outline to nearly perfect once more.

He could now finally begin to inspect the details around him. While he couldn’t see them, he could easily guess from their shapes what everything was. He also became aware that it wasn’t because his sphere couldn’t see through the darkness, but because it could see too much of it. The mana was so dense it started flowing together, but with his sphere reduced in size, he could far more easily distinguish the physical objects from the dense mana.

The walls were made of bricks, the floor beneath him made up of cracked and dirty tiles, while the ceiling above was arched. Overall, he would call it a very stereotypical sewer.

He started walking forward as he got more used to the new environment. Weirdly enough, he actually liked the darkness. It felt comfortable, like a warm summer breeze. He didn’t like the whole not-seeing part and the horrible stench, but otherwise, it could be worse.

After walking less than ten meters, his sphere picked up something ahead—a crossroad. There was a hallway leading to both the right and the left. He could also just continue onward, but this did make him stop and think.

Oh god, is this a damn maze? Jake cursed internally as he stood in the middle of the crossroad. Why the hell did it have to be a maze?

All the damn hallways were identical, with not a single sign of enemies or any markings anywhere. So, Jake did what any reasonable person would do when in a maze and went left. Not because of anything particular; he just kind of had to pick left.

He had decided to go with the age-old method of just always turning left and following the left wall until he found the exit. If the dungeon had an exit. While it wasn’t the fastest method, it was far safer than just walking around randomly.

Besides, it wasn’t like he had to slowly walk all the time. Picking up the pace, he started running through the sewer as he stuck to the left wall. It didn’t even take him a minute and a few hundred meters before he encountered a change.

On the wall was a pipe of some sort. It was rather large, easily big enough for Jake to walk through if he lowered his head a bit. The thing about it that made him stop, however, was what lay within it.

A four-legged figure was within the pipe, less than a meter from the entrance. It was unfurred, with two big front teeth sticking out of its mouth. The rest of its face was just two big holes for its nose. It didn’t have eyes or ears from what Jake could observe.

As he inspected the unmoving beast in his sphere, he got the thought to try and Identify it. The skill didn’t specify that one needed to use one’s eyes to Identify something. It was just the most natural thing, and he had never needed to not just look at whatever he identified.

He focused on the beast as he mentally tried using the skill. It didn’t work at first, but it was like a switch flipped, and suddenly the skill reacted.

[Molerat Creeper – lvl 76]

The first thing he was a bit taken aback by was the level. It was as high as the White Does and nearly as high as the Den Mother had been.

Of course, he had also to consider other factors. The molerat was alone, and the level wasn’t everything to consider when determining how strong a beast was. It was still pretty high, though.

More annoying, though, was the layout of the maze. Jake had no conceivable way to attack the beast from range—in front of the pipe was a wall only a few meters away, and there was only one way forward or going back from where he came.

It was pretty clear from the molerat’s posture that it was sitting in ambush as the nose rose up and down slightly. It had likely already detected Jake long before he noticed it and was now just waiting for him to get closer.

Jake thought for a bit before he pulled out his bow. The beast didn’t have any ears from what he could see, but maybe it could still hear somehow. He raised his bow and, as silently as possible, nocked an arrow. He carefully pulled back the string and fired a weak arrow, aiming for the wall in front of the pipe.

The arrow flew out and hit the stone, making a very audible clink echo through the entire tunnel. Jake gritted his teeth at the noise, while the molerat only seemed to slightly raise its nose a bit more.

Both blind and deaf… Jake noted mentally. Likely their only way of perceiving anything was through smell. Of course, it was also entirely possible that they had some kind of extrasensory ability.

Jake decided to take the risk and started walking forward as if he hadn’t noticed the rat. He walked at the wall opposite of the pipe as he got right in front of it, his already-poisoned dagger and sword ready.

The instant he did, the beast lunged forward. Of course, Jake was ready. He instantly stepped backward, making it smash into the wall. It clearly hadn’t expected him to do that, as it seemed to hurt itself quite a bit.

His next action didn’t leave it much room to maneuver. He attacked it with his dagger and sword. It didn’t even manage to collect itself before it got several deep cuts. It jumped backward, losing half of its snout in the process.

However, it was Jake’s time to be surprised when the beast attacked him again. What surprised him was the precision of its attack and how it aimed straight for his neck. It clearly couldn’t see anything, and yet it managed to go for his jugular somehow.

With its snout cut off, he also doubted it could smell anything. So how the hell did it see him? Was it magic? It hadn’t used any magical skills yet, making Jake doubt it.

He wrestled a bit with the beast, kicking it back once more. He didn’t finish it off as he was more interested in learning how it located him. He tried jumping back and to the side, but it followed him quickly.

Jake tried a few different things. His first thought was that it somehow detected mana. He tried to summon a ball of strings in his hand but found it quite challenging to do for some reason. He eventually managed to do it anyway, but the mana consumption was way above average. Something for later, he noted mentally.

What was most important was that it didn’t seem to react to his mana at all; it just continued its frenzied assault. He tried a few other things before summoning his Alchemical Flame. He instantly felt the beast focus on his hand as it attempted to bite it off.

Smiling in self-satisfaction, Jake rushed forward, no longer wasting his time with the wounded beast. A solid stab to the heart later, the rat stopped moving, followed by a kill notification.

It was the heat—the beast could see his body heat despite the dark-affinity mana. It was an evident strength, but also a massive weakness if exploited. Something he was happy to do.

He continued onwards for a while until he came across yet another pipe. This one had two creepers within it, though. It didn’t matter much to him, as the things weren’t all that strong. Weaker than the White Does by far, despite the similar levels.

Standing ten meters away, he took out his bow and got an arrow from the quiver. The conjured arrows imitated reality very well, even to the point of the wood being flammable. His Flame sprang forth on his hand as he ignited the arrow. He could clearly see the rats react within the hole, as they seemed very interested in what he was doing.

Firing the arrow at the wall as he had tried with the last rat, this time he got the response he wanted. Both beasts jumped out towards the arrow without hesitation, and Jake followed up with a Splitting Arrow. The creatures discovered nearly instantly that they had been bamboozled, but his feint had bought enough time for them to be peppered with arrows.

Ten meters didn’t seem like a lot, but in a relatively narrow tunnel, it sure as hell wasn’t when a dozen or so arrows were flying at you at once. Both beasts were hit with arrow after arrow as they attempted to rush towards him. One died before it even reached him, while the second one fell shortly after. Of course, he had remembered to poison the arrows beforehand—only the best for his new creepy rat friends.

Moving on, he thought about how one was meant to do this normally. Without his sphere, that is. Unless one had some powerful light-affinity item or—

Oh… oh.

Jake smacked himself mentally as he looked into this storage and fished out an item he had collected plenty of: a small stone he had found within one of the many ponds in the Lucenti Plains.

The moment it appeared, the darkness was pushed back for nearly two meters around him as light and color returned.

There was only one minor problem… The stone hurt to hold, and it only took a few seconds before it ran out of energy and became inert. Jake assumed you could channel more mana into it to make more light, but sadly he couldn’t do that, as the light affinity and he clearly didn’t get along. Besides… he actually preferred the total darkness. It felt more comfortable than the light-affinity mana given off by the stones.

Throwing the broken rock on the ground, he moved on, focusing on his sphere and the dense mana all around him.

Well, maybe this isn’t going to be that bad after all, Jake thought to himself as he continued onward. Following the left wall, of course.

The archer had been there—corpses on the ground all around, badgers dead in droves. An entire valley cleared out, in fact.

William had entered the inner area right after getting rid of Jacob.

He couldn’t help but frown when he entered. He found many corpses after searching around for a bit, many of them killed days, maybe even more than a week ago. The tutorial panel still showed two people alive, and William refused to believe it not to be that bastard, Jake.

But after searching for a long time, he didn’t find anyone. Not wanting to waste much time, he, of course, began grinding some levels. Being level 54 in his class, William didn’t gain that much experience from the lesser beasts he encountered, but he managed to make do with sheer numbers.

He started clearing the valleys and mountains one by one. Like a meat grinder, he slaughtered everything living he saw. Eventually, he found himself before a hole in one of the five weird mountains. A tunnel of some kind, clearly.

This was the smallest mountain with all the badgers around it, and William couldn’t help but inspect what might be found inside.

Within, he noticed a door sitting in the middle of it all—a totally out-of-place wooden door.

Floating down by manipulating his armor, he landed in front of it and inspected it for a while. Summoning a sword from the armory in his armor, he tried pushing the door open. It didn’t work as the sword couldn’t even touch the door, as if a forcefield surrounded it, less than an inch from its surface.

William tried a few other things before poking it with his finger. When he did so and saw the system message, he couldn’t help but make a giant grin, and with a thought, he disappeared into the Badger’s Den.

Chapter 15

The Right Way

Jake walked through the shithole that dared call itself a dungeon with sloppy steps. Once in a while, a damn rat jumped out at him before swiftly being executed. He had stopped caring about elaborate tactics many hours ago.

The first few hours went fine and all. Shoot a burning arrow, kill rats, repeat. It got a bit tedious after the tenth time, sure, but Jake kept it up. The experience was frankly shit compared to what he had gotten in both of the other two dungeons.

He had kept up his tactic of following the left wall all along, but he felt like he was getting nowhere. That was, until he saw the corpse of a rat he had slain earlier, meaning he had started circling back again. Jake kept going, however, thinking at worst he was just going to end up at the crossroad around the beginning of the dungeon.

It was as expected when he came across a bunch more corpses, but it started getting weird after that. Taking a few turns, he found living rats, which he quickly got rid of. A few minutes later, he once more found himself in front of the same dead rats from earlier.

Jake began marking the walls here and there, something he should have likely done far earlier. It took him hours of walking, seeing his signs left behind at times, but when he came across his first sign for the second time in an hour, he started to realize that something was well and truly off.

After several more fruitless hours, he finally found the problem; the damn walls were moving. Or at least something made the layout change all the time. In other words, following the left wall had proven not to be a foolproof strategy.

He had to find some other way out… and sooner rather than later. He was still on a timer if he had any hope of facing the King of the Forest. Two days had already passed since he entered.

It wasn’t all bad, though. Jake had managed to gain two levels during those two days. It was far less than the other dungeons, sure, but it was something. Still faster than the outside, too, probably…. The darkness was a bit tiring, though.

This had put him at level 59, only a single level away from his next class-skill gain. He couldn’t help but be hopeful of unlocking something akin to his Moment of the Primal Hunter once more. His speed had been fast, if he said so himself, even considering the bullshit that was this dungeon. But he had a strong feeling he shouldn’t bank on getting random legendary skill upgrades.

The rest of his time, he had just spent trying to practice with his mana threads. They were far harder to summon in here, as the mana in the air seemed to suppress it. It made him consume far more mana than usual and make the threads disappear the instant he stopped focusing on them.

Weirdly enough, he hadn’t needed to drink a single mana potion, though. For some reason, his mana regenerated far faster within the dungeon than outside. Likely because of the high mana density, he theorized.

He also began to be able to make his threads of mana last longer and longer. He wanted to find a way to let his threads remain in the air without him having to provide them with massive amounts of mana continually.

The method he was trying was to make use of the mana in the atmosphere. He would do this by mimicking the mana, allowing his own to “survive” within it. Maybe even tap into the mana around him to be self-sustainable if he really outdid himself.

So far, it was actually looking promising. Jake seemed to slowly adapt to the environment as the dark-affinity mana became more familiar to him.

Another thing he practiced was his senses. He had relied overly much on his sphere and sight for the entire tutorial, he had begun realizing. If he was in an environment where the sphere got completely suppressed along with his sight, he would have no recourse at all.

Which was why he also tried using his hearing and, with much suffering, his sense of smell. The molerats could somehow smell him despite the all-encompassing stench permeating the sewers. He wanted to see if he could replicate some of that.

It had been… less than successful, especially on the smelling side. Jake had started getting used to the stench, but whenever he tried to focus on his sense of smell, he felt like someone threw a stink-bomb in his face.

In the hearing department, he had some more progress, though. He had gotten better at zoning out unnecessary noise, but it was far from having any practical applications yet. But as he had fuck-all else to do while walking through the shitty maze, he decided to at least be constructive. The one thing he wanted to avoid was not doing anything.

Not doing anything meant that he had time to think about things he didn’t want to think about—distracting thoughts unrelated to his current goal of defeating the four Beast Lords and finally the King of the Forest. And that was something he wanted to avoid at all cost.

He continued his multitasking practice as he kept himself entirely occupied both mentally and physically while walking. He decided to ignore his stay-on-the-left-strategy and switched to a just-go-wherever strategy.

Which turned out to actually help, as in only a few hours he found himself back at the crossroad he had first chosen to go left at. He decided to check the dungeon’s entrance and found it exactly where it had been before. However, he didn’t even consider exiting. He had come here to defeat the dungeon boss, cost what it may.

So he turned back and delved into the dungeon once more. He didn’t turn left this time but decided just to sit down and meditate at the crossroad. He wanted to learn how to properly control his strings before he continued. So with his full focus on the dark mana around him, he entered meditation. Countless strings of mana sprang out from his entire body, and he began formulating a plan.

* * *

He walked through the grand hall with a relaxed smile on his face, a silent guardian walking by his side, marveling at his surroundings.

As fate would have it, Jacob had not perished, but he still instantly knew that he was no longer in the tutorial. He had “failed it,” if one could say that.

His tutorial panel was still there, but was inactive. He had lost half of his tutorial points—not that there were many of them to begin with—and he could no longer see the number of survivors. The only thing he could see was his amount of points and the countdown for it to end.

Not that he ultimately cared much for the entire tutorial. In fact, he was happy to no longer be there. He was unsure what his future would be like, but he was looking forward to whatever was ahead. After leaving, he had tried to divine the future, but it had been far too vague for him to see anything, confirming to him that the tutorial had been… abnormal.

As to how he had survived? His legendary skill One More Light.

He was still unsure exactly how it had worked, but hadn’t felt everything suddenly becoming black after he died—he’d instead been surrounded by light.

After what could have been hours or days, he found himself standing on a magic circle. His spirit form was enveloped by light as he once more returned to life. Shortly after reviving, a slight tug was felt in the back of his mind. He responded to it since he knew exactly what, or more precisely who, it was.

His mana, health, and stamina all drained down to less than half as it poured into an outline of a tall man beside him. It didn’t take long for the process to complete and Bertram to appear.

They had one minor problem, though. Both men stood naked, clothes apparently not being transferable across realms in the form of a spirit.

A problem that was quickly resolved as they looked around the room they had appeared in. Everything was made of what appeared to be pure white marble, with only golden motifs and patterns as decorations. There was nothing really in the room, except for two white robes lying on a small table right in front of the circle.

Jacob and Bertram took the hint by getting dressed and walking out of the room, then walking through the hall. Bertram looked all around him, while Jacob simply felt genuinely relaxed and serene for the first time in a while.

"Does this whole resurrection thing mean you are immortal?" asked Bertram after a while.

"Pretty sure being immortal means not dying of old age, something I am pretty sure I still will," Jacob answered jokingly.

"Very funny. You know what I mean.” Bertram didn’t seem as amused by the joke as his young master.

"No, I won’t simply be able to cheat death once more. The skill was called One More Light for a reason. It only works once. I still have the skill, but I can feel that I would truly die if I were to die once more. Maybe things will change later, but for now, I am as mortal as anyone else.”

"Disappointing," Bertram grunted as they continued walking in silence.

The hall was long, far too long for what could be considered reasonable. Then again, it was likely not made with weak mortals like Jacob and Bertram in mind. Countless rooms were on either side of the hall, all closed off by shut doors.

They didn’t try to enter any of them. It was faint, but they both felt the call from the end of the hall. Something, or someone, was making it very clear that they were supposed to go there. So they did.

Half an hour later, they found themselves exiting the hallway as they entered yet another, somehow far grander, room.

Golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling. There was a tiled white floor, and furniture that looked to be made of silk. The most interesting thing, however, was the walls. All of the walls were either covered by indentures of bookcases or beautiful floor-to-ceiling paintings, all depicting female figures in an abstract style.

The paintings gave off a strong feeling as they stared at it, and he felt himself be drawn in by the absolute beauty of the artistry. In particular, they both stared at one showing a woman in a yellow robe, surrounded by children. However, even more powerful than the artistry of the piece was the strong mana and aura given off by the painting, giving him a feeling of relaxation and inspiration.

"A fine piece, is it not?" a voice spoke out behind them. Turning, Jacob and Bertram saw a woman in a white robe, not much unlike their own. Her appearance could only be compared to the beautiful paintings around them, with her perfect unblemished face and long blonde hair.

"Indeed it is," Jacob said, quickly collecting himself. Not because of her beauty, but because of how much she resembled Caroline… almost eerily so.

"A gift by my sister; I will be sure to share your admiration with her next we meet.” She smiled. "Perhaps she will even gift you one in appreciation."

"I am unworthy of such a kindness, miss…?"

"Priestess Inera," she answered as she bowed slightly. "It has been a while since anyone arrived here, everyone being busy with the initiation and all."

Jacob raised his eyebrows but kept his composure as he joked, "Apologies, I still had a bit of dying to do."

"What?" she said, clearly quite confused by the guest. "What happened?"

"Complications, no biggie," he answered as he touched his forehead where the spear had gone through. "Not a pleasant experience, I must say. But enough about me—could you tell me what we are here for?"

"Oh, yes! Sorry, I was just distracted a bit!" She scrambled over to one of the desks to pick up a weird-looking gem. "Where did you say you come from? It is unusual for new members to come here directly. I haven’t seen you before, so I assume you are new, right? Ah, but I also just started, so if you have been here before, I am so sorry!"

Jacob was amused by her panicking. He had spent far too many years around people faking everything about themselves, and he could tell that the girl in front of him was genuine.

Of course, it only got more comical considering her aura. Jacob couldn’t feel it clearly, but she was stronger than him. And not just by a bit. He felt a bit of suppression from her but managed to keep his calm. A lot better than the sweating Bertram, at least.

"I came from the tutorial," Jacob answered, not thinking much of it.

"Huh?" She turned her head with a look of shock.

"What?"

"What tutorial?"

"The one run by the system, dear," a man’s voice interrupted as yet another figure entered the room.

It was a tall man, nearly two and a half meters tall, who made even the tall Bertram appear tiny. He looked not a day older than Jacob himself and was solidly built, muscles practically brimming beneath his simple clothes. What was more noticeable was his aura. Far beyond anything Jacob had ever felt before.

"Da…Grand Master!" Inera spurted out, bowing deeply. Jacob was about to repeat her action when the man stopped him.

"There is no need for that, Augur," the man said as he stopped Jacob from bowing. "By the will of The Pantheon, I am to be of assistance until it is time for you to return to your own universe once more.” He motioned to the still-bowing priestess. "I believe you have already met my daughter."

With a nod, Jacob confirmed as the man continued. "Our time is short, so let us not delay. Over the next few days, we shall prepare you for your return and study. Let us together bring the glory of the Holy Church to the 93rd Universe and spread the word of our Holy Mother."

Jacob felt an almost magical pull from the words but resisted it. "No, not yet."

The Grand Master looked at the Augur, confused for a moment, before Jacob summoned a lantern with forty-five motes of light floating around it. "I have done as I was meant to, and now it is time for you to do what you have promised.”

The Grand Master seemed confused as to whom the Augur spoke. "We can handle this at an opportune time, but for now, it's more important t—"

"No," Jacob answered.

*’DING!’ Class: [Augur of Hope] has reached level 51 - Stat points allocated, +8 Free Points*

"We made a deal."

*’DING!’ Class: [Augur of Hope] has reached level 52 - Stat points allocated, +8 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 38 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

His aura soared as the Grand Master finally became aware of who the Augur spoke to. His face went white and then red as his eyes were wide at the audacity. "I am aware of the pact, but as unblessed mortals, they will first need to be—"

"I didn’t make any deal with you," Jacob said, dismissing him as he looked towards one of the paintings on the wall. "I made it with you."

*’DING!’ Class: [Augur of Hope] has reached level 53 - Stat points allocated, +8 Free Points*

A divine aura spread in the room as the Grand Master, Inera, and Bertram were all brought to their knees, only the latter against his will. The motes of lights stirred as they entered the largest painting, the one depicting the Holy Mother herself. Not long after, each of the motes disappeared.

*’DING!’ Class: [Augur of Hope] has reached level 54 - Stat points allocated, +8 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 39 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Jacob smiled as he saw the final wisp disappear, and he knew he had done his part. While he could not save their bodies, he had at least saved their souls. Fate had been realized, even if it was an unpleasant one.

*’DING!’ Class: [Augur of Hope] has reached level 55 - Stat points allocated, +8 Free Points*

"Pleasure doing business with you," he said towards the painting, smiling as the divine aura faded, leaving him the only one able to remain standing. "Now, let us prepare for what's to come."

Chapter 16

Dark Mana & Dark Tunnels

The darkness permeated his entire being as he sat in meditation. His regeneration was far higher than it had ever been before as the mana poured into him. Meanwhile, tendrils of dark mana spread throughout the hallway, making him look like some eldritch octopus with tiny arms.

Occasionally his entire body would turn into a shadowy ethereal figure for a few moments until it returned to being flesh and blood once more.

Three whole days had passed without Jake moving a single finger. The tendrils of dark mana were, however, more active than ever before. They wrapped themselves into different shapes and sizes as they reached further and further away from him.

Jake opened his eyes once more as he looked forward. Yes, he looked. The darkness that had blinded him now only seemed like a mist, slightly obscuring everything. At the same time, his sphere expanded back to its usual thirty meters, functioning nearly the same as outside the dungeon.

Everything had finally clicked as he began to comprehend the mana around him better. Unlike the mana he was used to, this mana was oppressive and consuming, far less accommodating to whoever or whatever resided within it.

Raising his hand, he tried gathering the mana into the shape of a ball. Strings of mana sprang up in his palm as they wrung around each other, forming his desired shape a few moments later. Throwing it at the wall, he smiled as the ball persisted even after losing contact with him. It did start fading, but it existed long enough to strike the wall and dissolve into a puff of smoke. Inspecting it further, he felt it had left a small mark, meaning it hadn’t been entirely harmless.

While it was useless in combat, it did mark him passing a huge milestone. He had tried to imitate the Mana Bolt he remembered the casters making and had succeeded somewhat. Which had, in turn, helped prove his theory he could make things from mana even without a skill.

The fact that he could make dark mana wasn’t to say that he couldn’t make normal mana anymore. His mana was still innately the same pure mana; he had just found a way to change its affinity. And it wasn’t like the transformation was seamless.

He had the tendrils of darkness active all the time because of the time-consuming process involved in changing the affinity of his mana. It wasn’t as quickly done as just thinking about it. It was more akin to doing alchemy, where he had to change the energy’s nature to either restore health or stamina.

Of course, there were differences, but his starting point had been that thought. And it appeared that by understanding the mana, he could better adapt his body and senses to it. Naturally, it also helped that the mana was passive, merely existing in the atmosphere.

It didn’t have any intent baked into it, unlike what would happen if someone used a skill with dark mana. If, for example, someone made an area filled with dark mana like the dungeon Jake was in, it would still blind and affect him. It would be less than a few days ago, but it would still work.

As the mana was passive, it also meant that it didn’t fight back when Jake tried to consume it to regenerate his mana pool faster. In fact, the dark mana was even more comfortable to absorb than the mana outside. His fastest regeneration had still been while he was in the Challenge Dungeon, though, and he was starting to suspect that it had something to do with the affinity of the atmospheric mana.

The mana in the sewers was made up nearly entirely of the dark affinity, and whatever wasn’t would quickly be consumed by it. Jake had observed the mana in his Alchemical Flame being consumed, as well as the light stones he’d tested out a few days prior.

It reminded him of what he had read and encountered during all his practice for alchemy. The reason why one had to use Purified Water while making potions was twofold. First of all, one purified it to eliminate any impurities, and second of all to remove whatever affinity the mana in the water held. Which pretty much always meant removing any water mana within.

Water inherently held water mana, and a fire had fire mana, and so on and so forth. This didn’t mean all the mana in those objects was of that affinity, but some of it would often be. Most mana everywhere was still pure mana, and the mana in the air was ordinarily just pure affinity-less mana.

That the forest outside would hold mana other than just pure mana was just a logical conclusion. But it likely wasn’t as pervasive as the dark mana and didn’t have the nature of consuming light and other kinds of mana. But it did mean that if the mana weren’t compatible with him, he wouldn’t be able to absorb it, hence regenerating mana slower.

The mana outside was clearly less compatible with him than the mana in here. Luckily the vast majority was still pure, making it only a slight annoyance in retrospect. If he had to guess, then he would say a lot of the mana outside was nature affinity. It would make sense with him not able to use the Greatsword of Nature and the description he had gotten from the Nature Affinity skill.

Ultimately, this resulted in Jake concluding that he had the darkness affinity. At least manipulating dark mana was something he could do.

Jake shook his head as he returned to the matter at hand and attached several strings of mana to the walls around him. By now, hundreds of strands of mana were flowing through the air, waving as if weightless.

He began walking down the central path as the strings stretched behind him. Every now and then, he placed one of his strings on the wall or floor. He didn’t run, since he still focused on maintaining his connection with the lines and feel for any changes.

After fifteen minutes, such a change occurred as one of his strings moved unexpectedly. He kept track of it as he felt it move around, suddenly appearing somewhere entirely else.

It had to be noted that the walls were solid. And when Jake said solid, he meant solid. Their thickness was more than his sphere, meaning they were at least thirty meters of solid material. In other words, dungeon-fuckery was going on—a subcategory of the almighty system-fuckery.

As he walked, he felt more and more strings move. They were the earliest ones he had placed, and it was almost like they were following him. Like the dungeon moved together with him as he moved. A suspicion that turned to all but confirmed as he continued moving forward.

When he briefly tried backtracking, the strings’ mana didn’t move but stayed where they were. But this didn’t mean he could just start walking back the way he came and end up at the entrance. He felt his strings’ mana not just move straight towards him but also shift slightly in height and verticality, which meant that the layout was shuffling behind him.

Did this mean that he could potentially randomly reach the exit by just wandering around? He doubted it, but he couldn’t rule it out.

Along the way, he encountered several rats sitting about in the tunnel. They all fell quickly, as Jake didn’t pay them much attention. He had no interest in prolonged fights; they would only make it harder to maintain control of the mana.

He did, however, take note of one thing—the only thing that marked any real difference in the layout: the pipes. Jake peered into one with his sphere and found it continuing into the wall more than he could see. Jake stood in front of one for a while but decided to not climb in one just yet. Instead, he placed a string of mana on it as he continued onward.

Nothing more of interest happened until he finally felt a reaction from the string on the pipe. It suddenly started vibrating, then his connection to it snapped.

It was as if the pipe had simply disappeared. It hadn’t moved like the rest of the dungeon but simply ceased to be. Jake had an idea but decided to continue forward, and to no surprise, he found yet another pipe shortly after. This one didn’t have any rats in it, a regular occurrence, but he felt something familiar.

A small vestige of his own mana was still on the pipe and had nearly been consumed by the all-encompassing dark mana around it. If he hadn’t spent three days focusing solely on feeling his own mana, he would have missed it.

The pipe hadn’t disappeared. It had moved instantly. Does this mean there’s only a single pipe? he asked himself as he stood before it.

He decided to finally just climb into the dumb pipe. It was small and dirty, and he quite frankly didn’t want to, but it was the only thing that seemed to act differently than everything else. It had to be the key to continuing onwards.

Climbing into it, the first thing he noticed was the stench that seemed to be even worse within the pipe. The bottom of it was covered in a steady stream of water, with the entire thing being perfectly circular. It was difficult to move through as getting a grip on the sides was hard, and he could barely crawl on his hands and knees while within it.

But he soldiered on as he kept focus on his strings behind him. Ten meters in, and none of them had reacted, the same with twenty and thirty meters. When he was forty meters in or so, something did happen, but not with the strings. In front of him, his sphere picked up a figure moving at him… fast.

Jake barely had time to summon his dagger before the rat reached him, mouth open and teeth aiming straight for his head.

He somehow managed to avoid it in the small enclosed space by lowering his head, smashing it into the water stream below. At the same time, he stabbed forward with his dagger at an awkward angle, hitting the rat in its shoulder and making it squeal in anger.

The blow seemed to do little more than making it angry. It snapped forward once more. However, it didn’t miss as Jake felt its jaws close around his shoulder, and the teeth sink in deeper.

Relying on his instinct, he pushed a leg forward as he pushed himself upwards, pressing the beast into the top of the pipe, pinning it. Its mouth was still open and its teeth deep in his shoulder, resulting in the bite doing far more damage. But it did also mean that the beast was stuck.

Jake started stabbing the rat with the hand that wasn’t hanging limp from the bite. It tried to retaliate with its claws, but they were too short and weak to land anything more than a few scratches.

He kept stabbing again and again until the notification appeared. He released the pressure on his leg as he collapsed to the side. The damn rat was still stuck in his shoulder, so he lifted it out, seeing the teeth slowly exit his deep wound.

Throwing the dead beast to the side, he winced in pain. Drinking a healing potion, he felt the calm energy enter his body as his wound started healing.

He wanted to take a break badly, but he also knew it wouldn’t be a good idea. If one rat could come through the pipe, who was to say there couldn’t come more? In the enclosed space, he didn’t even feel confident in escaping if he somehow got swarmed.

To make the situation even worse… his bow was longer than the pipe was broad. Meaning he couldn’t use it in there even if he wanted to.

Climbing further, he kept notice of his strings as he moved forward as fast as he could. It was a bit hard with one of his arms still weak and healing, but he managed to suppress the pain. The damn rats also had some kind of magic imbued in their bites. It wasn’t poison, but something else—possibly a curse or some kind of dark mana spell. Either way, it was annoying but manageable.

Luckily, he wasn’t attacked again before he saw the end of the pipe. He quickly exited it and scanned the area he now found himself in.

It was identical to the sewer he had come from, but he knew there was a difference. His strings of mana were still attached on the other side of the pipe, which meant this new area wasn’t merely a reshuffling of the old. It was somewhere new, which meant he had progressed.

I hate this fucking dungeon, Jake cursed as he began attaching even more strings of mana to the area around him.

Oh, how he wished this area wasn’t just a damn repeat of the other one. Luckily, the wish came true after walking for a while. On the ceiling ahead of him hung something: a beast with its claws imbedded deep into the stone.

Jake kept walking as if he hadn’t noticed while he Identified it.

[Molerat Snatcher – lvl 71]

The level wasn’t anything notable, and the aura it gave off wasn’t any more substantial than any of the other rats. His shoulder still hurt, but against a single rat, he should be able to manage either way. He didn’t feel like using his bow either, so he just went forward with his dagger.

As he got below the rat, it dropped down silently and tried to bite his head off. Jake quickly reacted by raising his Venomfang, skewering the beast through its mouth.

It tried to bite down on him anyway, but he quickly stepped to the side and kicked it into the wall. A follow-up stab and repeated kicks kept the thing down until he managed to finish it off.

The rats were honestly just too weak. Jake would have to compare them to level 50 deer when it came to open combat. Of course, he had to commend their stealth skills, as he honestly would have never noticed them without his sphere.

Even with his sight partially restored, he still didn’t see the rat. It was as if his mind didn’t register it before his sphere picked it up. After he was aware of its presence, he could suddenly see it if as if it been there all along. It likely possessed a powerful stealth skill.

And if its ambush failed, it was weak and quickly finished off.

Continuing onwards, he did find a few more snatchers, but he didn’t even bother using his melee weapons. With thirty meters between them, he could easily pick it off with his bow before it had any chance to do anything. It was easy, and it was boring.

At least another kind of beast spiced up the monotony a bit. He didn’t see any new pipes even after nearly half an hour of walking. None of his strings had been moved either, which meant this part of the dungeon wasn’t shuffling.

His strings still did help a lot, though, as they helped him understand the layout better. He felt like he walked straight, but he was slightly curving to the left as he walked through the long tunnel. Jake felt that he would end up curving back to where he started if he continued straight ahead, so he began correcting it by taking turns whenever possible, and he felt like it made sense.

This did mean that he at least covered new ground. He did feel his first strings from beyond the pipe start snapping after a while, but it wasn’t because anything had happened to him or them; he just wasn’t able to maintain them due to the distance.

It wasn’t a big deal, as it only helped confirm to him that he was progressing. A confirmation that only got stronger as he spotted something else new ahead. A room. Yes, not just another damn tunnel. Instead, the tunnel opened up to reveal a new area.

Standing at the new area entrance, he had to revise his assessment of it being a room. It was more akin to what had once been a water reservoir. Only a few centimeters of water remained at the bottom now, but it looked like it had once been a big basin.

At the moment, he stood at an overlooking platform with stone steps leading down into it and a path all along the wall to either side. He couldn’t see the end of the room with both his eyes and sphere, which meant it was a relatively huge place.

As he moved another step forward, the tunnel behind him was cut off by a barrier of dark mana. Jake turned back abruptly as he touched it. However, he was quickly interrupted as he started hearing sounds of loud clattering from the empty basin below.

Since entering the dungeon, his intuition had been annoyingly silent. He never got a feel which way was better or not, at least nothing he noticed. Yet now, it made itself known to tell him the most obvious thing:

This isn’t good.

Chapter 17

Many Rats! Handle it!

The clattering got louder as Jake felt tensions rise. He summoned his bow and nocked an arrow, prepared for whatever may appear. He could hear the sound coming from the far end of the basin below. Whatever it was, it was coming from there.

The barrier of mana felt completely impassable when he touched it, and it had also cut off his strings of mana. With even those strings cut off, he seriously doubted he had any way of getting through it even with Shadow Vault, which meant he was stuck with whatever was coming towards him.

As the sound echoed, he saw the first sign of movement in his sphere. Dozens of small rats entered his sphere at once, heading towards the stairs leading up to him.

Jake didn’t even hesitate as he released a Splitting Arrow. He multitasked and identified one as he nocked another arrow.

[Molerat Swarmer – lvl 46]

His first arrow gave him several kills, but it barely made a difference. Hundreds of the things inhabited the basin below and were all now swarming towards him.

Jake managed to shoot four more Splitting Arrows, killing more than twenty rats before the first one reached him. He cursed his injured shoulder that had slowed down his speed as he summoned his sword and dagger.

The first rat was cut cleanly in two as it jumped towards him, with the second one suffering a similar fate. They were all the size of common housecats, which made them huge for rats but relatively small compared to anything else he had encountered so far.

Five more rats died before one managed to slip through and tried to bite him on the leg. Its teeth didn’t sink into flesh as expected but were stopped by the fur pants he wore. It still did some damage, but it failed to draw blood.

This made Jake jump back from the pain as he attempted to keep the beasts at bay. Individually they didn’t pose a threat; heck, a dozen didn’t even matter to him.

The issue was that he wasn’t dealing with just a few dozen rats. In his sphere, he only saw more and more rats entering. It was as if an endless wave of rodents had been unleashed upon him, and if he didn’t do anything, he would soon drown in it.

The only thing giving him any respite currently was the limited space on the stairs leading up to him. But even that advantage was slowly being removed as the endless stream of rats started piling up below, all trying to climb towards him.

Rats also began ascending the walls of the basin below, slowly closing in from his flanks. He was well and truly surrounded. The only place with no attackers was behind him, where the barrier blocked him off.

He cut them down one after another until he could no longer keep them all at bay.

A rat slipped through and was about to land a bite on his stomach when a set of black scales appeared and blocked it. Instead, its teeth chipped as if it had tried to bite steel.

Jake no longer held anything back as he covered his upper body in scales. His pants and boots protected his legs and feet, but his exposed upper body needed protection badly.

His blade and dagger danced through the air in a reckless assault to anything around him. He no longer focused on defense but only on killing anything in his vicinity.

He instantly started to feel the mana drain. While the rats couldn’t bite through his scales, they still wore them down and forced him to spend mana repairing and maintaining them. It was unsustainable in the long run, but for now, it was still manageable.

Minutes passed, but it felt like hours to Jake as he was in a constant state of focus. His instincts and sphere worked in tandem as he fought less like a human and more like an efficient, almost bestial killing machine.

It quickly became clear to him, however, that this wasn’t going to end well. Despite the hundreds of dead enemies, he didn’t feel like he had even put a dent in their numbers.

He had reached level 60 already, but he didn’t have the option to choose a skill despite that. The system wouldn’t allow him to do so while still fighting, closing off the possibility of getting a skill to get him out of the situation.

No, he had to try something else. Instead of staying where he was, he charged forward, slicing and dicing anything in front of him as he advanced. He had to find the source of the rats.

Fighting through the basin was slow and tiring. Jake’s progress was impeded by waves of rats trying to climb over each other to bite him. He stepped on several, nearly falling, and was repeatedly forced to expend more and more mana to maintain Scales of the Malefic Viper.

He had somehow managed to carve a path through the beasts for over sixty meters when his sphere finally picked up something—a figure unlike the army of rats attacking him.

A tall figure stood at the opposite end of the basin in front of yet another dark barrier blocking off what he assumed to be the path forward.

At first, he believed it to be a human, but soon it became clear it was barely humanoid. It stood on two legs but had a chubby body covered in fur and a staff in one of its claws. Claws that even had an extra growth resembling a thumb.

Its face looked a lot like an average rat, but it wore a ragged robe covering its fur. He focused on it through his sphere while he fought and managed to Identify it.

[Ratman Swarm Controller – lvl 81]

Its level was far higher than any of the rats, and the name made its role pretty damn obvious.

With a target in sight, he continued with renewed vigor. The problem of the constant swarm of rats didn’t diminish in the least, however, as they kept coming.

There was a finite amount, but their total number was in the thousands. They’d been spread throughout the basin initially, and many were still just gathering, likely at the Controller’s behest.

Jake had to finish it off, and finish it fast. Taking a risk, he started building up mana within himself as he continued getting closer to the Controller step by step. After a few seconds, he felt that he had built up sufficient energy as he released it.

An explosion of pure mana appeared around him, briefly pushing back everything. The rats, air, even the dark mana was pushed back. It hadn’t done any real damage to the rats, but it had created the opening he needed.

With a Badger’s Jump, he shot up to the ceiling, nearly smashing into it. At the same time, threads of dark mana shot out of him as they attached themselves to the stones above.

Instead of falling back down, he hung by thin threads of dark mana. It wouldn’t last for long, but all he needed was a single shot. Taking out his bow, he began channeling an Infused Powershot. His stance was shoddy, and it wouldn’t be the best he could fire… but it would have to make do.

The rats didn’t idle. They climbed on the walls and even managed to dig their claws into the ceiling as they tried crawling towards him. At the same time, the rats around the Controller started building a barrier with their own bodies.

The Controller was just barely inside his sphere, and even without it, he had used Mark of the Ambitious Hunter on it before he jumped. His energy continued building up in his arms and bow as the rats got closer and closer.

Right before the rats reached him and his threads broke, he released the stored energy by firing. The explosion of mana broke his mana strings and sent him falling towards the ground, but he kept his focus on the Controller.

It summoned a wall of dark mana in front of it in a last-ditch effort, but to no avail. The arrow shot right through the wall of rats and pierced the dark mana like it hadn’t even been there. It continued right into the Controller’s chest, blowing a hole the size of a fist through the ratman.

The moment the arrow hit, all the rats seemed to freeze up briefly. Those on the ceiling and walls lost grip and fell down, and the rats fell over each other in their moment of confusion.

Jake didn’t receive a notification, meaning the Controller still lived, but he had a golden opportunity. While falling, he quickly soaked his dagger and sword in Blood of the Malefic Viper, ready to continue his assault.

He sprang forth upon hitting the ground and used Shadow Vault in one fluid motion as he launched towards the still-reeling ratman.

It held one claw to its chest and raised its staff with its other, smashing it into the ground. When it hit, it echoed throughout the basin, and all the rats around Jake started moving to attack him once more. But it was already too late.

Jake reached the Controller and tried to stab it. The ratman managed to block with its staff at the very last moment, but it failed to stop the follow-up kick to its gaping wound, making it tumble backward. It didn’t manage to collect itself before a blade swept in from the side, decapitating it.

With the Controller dead, the rats around him once more lost their cohesion. Jake reached out and grabbed the staff dropped by the ratman, then quickly checked the description.

[Swarm Control Rod (Unique)] – A rod used to control the Molerat Swarmers. Lost upon exiting the Forgotten Sewers. It can only be used with compatible skills. Upon the destruction of the staff, kill any bound by it.

That description said all he needed to know. Jake tried smashing the staff into the ground as hard as he could. Sadly, all it did was hurt his already-aching arm, as he didn’t even scratch it. Even his Venomfang didn’t do anything.

The rats were still confused, but soon they started collecting themselves a bit. They were no longer acting with cohesion, but instead individually. And individually, they still wanted to take a bite out of the tasty human in the basin.

Jake desperately tried breaking the staff to no avail as the rats closed in on him once more. He tried injecting mana into it, using Touch of the Malefic Viper, and even putting it into his spatial storage. Nothing worked, and he couldn’t put it in his storage at all.

As he was about to just throw it aside and try and fight the damn things, he thought of his Alchemical Flame. The flames were the hallmark of many alchemists, allowing one to break down materials and ingredients while also acting as a heat source.

He summoned the flame around the staff, and momentarily thought it another failure until a small crack appeared on the staff’s body. Pushing even more mana into the skill, the flames erupted in power as the staff slowly started getting broken down.

As it did so, he swung the burning staff at nearby rats to keep them at bay until, finally, it broke in two mid-swing. The rat he had tried to hit dropped lifelessly to the floor along with all the others. Instantly the basin went from a flurry of activity to complete stillness.

Jake was flooded with many notifications for the kills, but only got a single level despite the thousands of rats that just died.

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 62 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

During the course of the battle, he had earned three levels in total, counting the final one. It was pretty apparent that he got less experience from them due to how he’d killed thousands of rats by breaking the staff. If he hadn’t, he would have likely gained three or maybe even four levels just from smashing a rod.

And speaking of the staff, he noticed ashes left behind by burning it. The wood had a strange purple color, almost as if it was ground-up crystals. Using Identify confirmed it wasn’t anything ordinary.

[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.

Using his necklace, he didn’t have to scoop up the ashes. He simply deposited them directly into the spatial storage. There wasn’t that much left after burning the staff, and he had no idea what to use it for, but with so much space left remaining in his storage, he saw no reason not to hoard.

Jake sat down on the floor amidst the corpses of rats as he breathed heavily. He was pretty damn drained of both stamina and mana, as he had freely been using skills during the entire fight, not holding anything back.

His pants had small holes in places, but by supplying mana, the self-repair enchant got to work and started mending. The fight had gone as well as one could expect, though. He must have multiplied his total kill count by many times during this one dungeon dive. One point that especially experienced a lot of growth was his tutorial points.

He had earned full points from all the rats he had killed. Even those that died after smashing the staff, making his total amount multiply instantly. He still had no use for the points currently, and his guess was that they only showed their worth after completing the tutorial, which meant that they were of no importance or consequence for now. If he failed to defeat the King of the Forest, it wouldn’t matter anyway.

Jake couldn’t help but find it kind of funny, though, that the shitty sewer dungeon had gone from being the least effective source of experience and tutorial points to the most rewarding in such a short period. Then again, it came with associated risks.

Without his scales, he would have been eaten up whole, and without his Bloodline allowing him to be aware of his surroundings, he would have likely died before even reaching here. He could only imagine how horrible the dungeon would be for a regular party entering. Though, of course, they would have their own methods to survive and progress.

After examining his body and waiting a bit to be entirely sure no more enemies came, he entered meditation. Finally, he had the time and opportunity to pick a new class skill.

Chapter 18

Dark Attunement

Jake was two levels above the required one for choosing a new skill, but luckily, it didn’t seem to have any adverse effect. He had feared that delaying it for too long would lead to complications, but then again, the restrictions about skill gains in combat were system-imposed, so it would be kind of bullshit if it punished him.

Before checking the skills available, he quickly made a small prayer to finally get some kind of area-of-effect skill. If he could shoot exploding arrows or maybe emit poisonous mist or something like the Den Mother, he could have easily dominated the Controller and the army of rats.

If he couldn't get that, he could maybe settle for another time-manipulating legendary skill. That wouldn’t be too much to ask, right?

*Ambitious Hunter class skills available*

Opening his system menu, he began going through the skills. Five new entries had appeared, AKA the maximum.

The first skill he started with was, weirdly enough, both exciting and boring at the same time.

[Dark Bolt (Common)] – The starting point for many aspiring dark casters. Allows the Hunter to summon bolts of dark mana to defeat his foes. Those hit suffer a penalty to Perception and suffer damage over time as the dark mana ravages their very being. Adds a minor bonus to the effect of Intelligence when using Dark Bolt.

Reading the skill, he found it interesting he even had it. It seemed like a caster spell and not a Hunter one at all. But then again, he had learned how to condense bolts of dark mana and could do so without a skill, so maybe the system was just offering up a skill to do the same.

If it became an official skill, he could likely use it without any long wind-up. It would also undoubtedly be stronger, if not just for the effectiveness bonus from his Intelligence the skill provided.

That was the exciting part, with the massive drawback of the skill itself being how little it appealed to him. Jake was an Archer, a Hunter, above anything else. He wasn’t going to start becoming a mage any time soon. If it was a skill that complemented his Hunter skills like Shadow Vault, he could roll—or vault—with it, but this skill was clearly aiming towards an entirely different path than his own.

In other words, he would prefer to choose some other random skill he had unlocked prior. While throwing magic around seemed like a fun thing to do, it wasn’t really him. Maybe in the future, he would pick up some more mage-like skills.

Moving on, he read the next skill.

[Tendrils of Darkness (Uncommon)] – Of all the senses, perhaps the one of touch is the most universal. Summon invisible tendrils of darkness that allow you to feel the area around you. The tendrils are weak to energy attacks, but their ethereal nature makes them immune to physical ones. Range of the tendrils scale with Perception. Adds a small bonus to the effect of Intelligence and Perception when using Tendrils of Darkness.

This one was very similar to the Dark Bolt one. It was just a skill apparently mimicking what he had already done, albeit likely in a far more efficient and effective way. This was likely a skill stemming from his exploration method of placing strings everywhere.

But to Jake, this skill made even less sense than the Dark Bolt. The only reason he had used it was due to the unique circumstances he had found himself in.

He could easily see it being useful for someone without his Sphere of Perception. If one spread the tendrils out around oneself, it would be tough for anyone to sneak up on them. Of course, his sphere already had that part covered, and quite honestly, he believed his sphere was leagues ahead. Yet the skill was different enough that he doubted it would be a repeat of Moment of the Primal Hunter.

It also kind of carried the same caster-like sentiments of the Dark Bolt, though a bit less. While it did hold some uses for him, he believed that he could teach himself to do those things without a skill. With that in mind, he moved on to the next option.

[Distracting Shot (Uncommon)] – Every arrow is not necessarily meant to strike your foes, but simply to create an opportunity to do so. Shoot an arrow copying your mana signature and aura, distracting those of lower Intelligence or those unaware of your current position. Adds a small bonus to the effect of Agility and Perception when using Distracting Shot.

This skill was at least quite a bit different—nothing about dark mana with this one. Jake didn’t know if this was related to him distracting rats earlier in the dungeon, though. Back then, he had just shot some burning arrows, after all. And while it had worked out rather well then… the skill didn’t really excite him.

It was just dull. If Jake wanted to distract something, he could do it by just firing a regular arrow, and if the enemy were smart enough to know that was a diversion, it would likely not fall for this skill either.

Heck, it directly said that it only worked on stupid things. Sure, it was way better than a burning arrow, and while it likely could be useful, it didn’t really mesh with Jake’s current style of combat. He could incorporate it, but it didn’t really appeal to him.

So with that in mind, he continued down the list of skills.

[Descending Dark Fang (Rare)] – A fang coated in dark mana descending like the clamping mouth of a snake. Do a downward strike with a melee weapon, significantly increasing penetrative power and damage inflicted. Dark mana makes the wound harder to heal and drains energy until dispelled. Damage improved further if the weapon is benefitting from Twin-Fang Style. Adds a small bonus to the effect of Agility, Strength, and Intelligence when using Descending Dark Fang.

The first rare skill finally appeared. It was pretty clear from the name and description that this skill was an upgraded version of the Descending Fang skill he had skipped when he reached level 50. Interestingly enough, he could also still pick the normal Descending Fang along with this one.

Jake had wanted a good melee skill for quite a while. He had to admit that the Descending Fang skill had appealed to him quite a lot, and this upgraded skill even more so. All the benefits added by dark mana appeared to synergize well with the damage-over-time effects from his poisons and the venom from Venomfang too.

Increasing penetrative power would also make it easier to apply his affliction to ones with strong resilience. If he had met someone or something with a skill like Scales of the Malefic Viper, he would have had difficulty dealing proper damage without using Infused Powershot.

Overall the skill seemed like a great addition to his arsenal, finally giving him an excellent melee combat option. He was already pretty competent in that department due to the massive benefits from his Bloodline. His high stats were also helping quite a lot.

The fact that his Venomfang, the most potent weapon he had by far, benefitted from the skill even more due to being made of bone only made it all the better. Besides, using Descending Dark Fang with Venomfang just seemed fitting.

Unless the last skill was a significant surprise, he had pretty much decided on this one already as he checked the final skill… which was a surprise.

[Dark Attunement (Unique)] – You have shown yourself to have exceptional dark affinity, allowing you to create and manipulate dark mana more easily. Permanently transform a part of your mana pool to Dark Mana, empowering and reducing the cost of all dark-affinity skills. This mana innately limits the Perception of those affected and consumes other types of mana affinities. Also allows the user to absorb mana of the dark affinity more easily. Beware that while Attunement opens many paths, just as many are severed.

Jake had to read the skill over a couple of times. In fact, he wasn’t sure that calling it a skill was correct. It was something far more than that. It was to choose a path—a decision that would matter far more than anything outside of class or profession selections.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that turning his mana into that of the dark affinity would have lasting consequences as well as perks. He would become a Hunter using dark magic. A powerful path for sure, he surmised.

But… he didn’t like it. It didn’t feel right. He wasn’t even sure if it would work properly with all of his skills. Or would it just upgrade things like his Infused Powershot? Would Touch of the Malefic Viper work the same as before?

Perhaps it would immediately make him more powerful, but he feared the sense of permanence in the skill. The commitment to a path, one he could likely never reverse—and even if he could, it would come at a high cost.

The fantasy did have great appeal to a more juvenile part of him—the thought of being a hunter hidden in the dark, killing all before they even knew of his presence. It was a great fantasy, but fantasy is all it would ever be.

This didn’t mean he would cut himself off from the use of dark mana. The skill had confirmed that he held a great affinity for it, which had a lot of value in itself.

So, in the end, he skipped it. Perhaps he would embrace an affinity at another time, but for now, he wanted to keep his paths open and his future an open book. Thus he picked the Descending Dark Fang skill.

*Skill Gained*: [Descending Dark Fang (Rare)]

He felt the influx of instinctive knowledge on how to use the skill as he continued his meditation. He hadn’t gotten the area-of-effect skill he had hoped for, but instead a strong single-target one. On the other hand, the gains from just the skill choices’ information carried a lot of value. Overall it had been a fruitful session of meditation and skill selection.

Jake continued his meditation for half an hour more or so before opening his eyes, drinking a potion, and reentering meditation once more. As yet another hour passed, he awoke again, drank a potion, and meditated a bit more. Another hour passed as he drank another potion, but this time he didn’t reenter meditation.

Getting up on his feet, he felt rather good. His health and stamina were still not full, but his mana pool had been topped up due to the high-mana-density environment coupled with his own affinity to said mana. He still had some questions about affinities, such as why the dark mana helped regenerate his regular affinity-less mana, but those were questions for another time.

Stretching a bit, he decided to move on further into the dungeon. He did so at a relatively relaxed pace. He still needed time for the potion cooldowns and, in concert, his body to heal.

The exit to the reservoir was indeed the barrier the Controller had been standing in front of. After the Controller died, the barrier had disappeared, opening the path forward. If he had to guess, then he would say the ratman was a mini-boss of sorts.

The Ratman Swarm Controller had been weak on his own, with his magic somewhat subpar and his physical strength only a tiny bit better. It was clear that the role of the Controller was to, well, control the rats.

Walking through the basin’s exit, he found himself in yet another sewer tunnel, but at least this one was a bit more spacious than the others. Any change was a good change in this damn dungeon, according to Jake.

As he walked for a few minutes, he still hadn’t encountered anything until something new appeared in his sphere. Contrary to what he had expected, it wasn’t another rat or even anything living for that matter—instead, strings of mana extended from one end of the wall to the other.

Jake briefly felt like someone had stolen his shtick, but soon noticed that the strings served an entirely different purpose. The stones on the floor that were covered by a steady stream of water concealed long spear-shaped objects right below where the strings were.

It was a goddamn trap, the first proper one Jake had encountered in a dungeon since maybe the Challenge Dungeon. And it was a quite vicious one at that. Those spears were clearly covered in a dense layer of dark mana, meaning getting skewered by them would do far more damage than just a flesh wound.

Quite extreme for what to many will be their first encounter with a trap, Jake thought to himself as he observed it in his sphere. As this was a tutorial, this would indeed likely be the first trap for many, and for most, that first encounter would be lethal.

Of course, Jake also had to consider that the dungeons were made for parties to enter together. If a dedicated healer stood behind with an armored warrior in front, he would have a good chance of surviving. But Jake, in his solitude, didn’t even consider that. To him, these dungeons had been solo adventures, after all.

Jake didn’t even take out his bow but instead condensed a bolt of dark mana in his hand and threw it into the strings. The moment it hit them, the entire floor exploded upwards in a cloud of smoke as the stones broke and the spears extended.

The power behind them was quite honestly insane. Even with Jake’s high stats, he would have been skewered before even having time to react appropriately. While he didn’t think it would kill him outright, he sure as hell didn’t want to test it.

Jake waited a few moments but noticed that the spears didn’t reenter the ground as he had expected. Cautiously walking up to them, he noticed that the spears were made of a similar material to the staff he had taken from the ratman.

While he could get past the spears around the sides, he instead summoned his Alchemical Flame and got to work. He had time to spare while he regenerated, and while he didn’t know what the weird ash he had gained from the staff could be used for, he didn’t believe that one could have too many materials of uncommon rarity.

The process was slow, but he managed to burn down all the spears in less than fifteen minutes before continuing onwards. Collecting the ashes, he was starting to get a worthwhile pile in his storage.

Soon, he encountered a few more traps and a few hidden rats sitting and waiting to ambush him. Wow, this dungeon has it all—an encounter with traps and rats, he scoffed internally.

All of it was passed relatively quickly as he killed the rats and ignored the traps.

Sadly he only encountered two more spear traps, meaning he didn’t gain that much ash. The other traps were just other boring things like the walls smashing together, pitfalls, and even a trap that caused the floor to erupt into black flames.

As it was starting to get a bit too annoying, he finally saw the end of the tunnel—and, if he was lucky, the end of the damn dungeon.

Chapter 19

Nest Watcher

The tunnel opened up once more as Jake found himself in a small circular cistern. Water was stored below and a cross-shaped bridge allowed one to get across without getting wet. The road straight ahead led to another hallway while the path to either side led into pipes.

Jake had just entered the area when a rat appeared directly opposite him. He was prepared to take it down when it took the path to the left and entered the pipe. And that was when something truly interesting happened.

The pipe disappeared for just a few seconds before a new, perfectly identical one appeared. Jake couldn’t be sure if it was the same pipe; all he knew was that some dungeon-fuckery was going on. Was this perhaps where all the rats in the dungeon came from?

He knew that he was looking for a nest of some sort. His objective was to kill the Nest Watcher, after all, and to watch a nest, there needed to be one. And for the nest to be where the rats came from also seemed rather logical. I’m a genius, he joked to himself.

Checking his stamina and health one final time, he proceeded forward. The trap-filled tunnel had given him time to down a few more potions, topping him up entirely.

Walking at a brisk pace, he crossed the bridge and entered the tunnel, headed towards what he presumed to be the nest. A prediction that proved correct as he soon found himself on yet another platform overlooking a reservoir. But unlike the last, this one didn’t appear to be filled with thousands of weak rats.

The darkness still obstructed his vision, making him unable to get a good look, but he could feel something down there. Four strong presences, none of the auras weaker than the Den Mother’s. Unless the dungeon had decided to up the bullshit even further, this had to be the end.

He prepared his arrows and sword and dagger with poison as he waited the last twenty minutes for his potion cooldown to be over. Good to go, he began his assault.

Jake jumped down into the basin, his bow already out and an arrow nocked, ready to be drawn.

Advanced Stealth on full display, he moved along as sneakily as he could. He could feel the auras of the four powerful beasts, but none others. Perhaps they were hidden by a stealth skill like most rats possessed in the dungeon, or there were indeed only four of them.

Soon the situation became clear to him, and it wasn’t what he had expected. Four giant rats were lying on the ground together, surrounded by a massive number of smaller rats. The big rats were quite frankly far too big for it to make any sense. They looked like they couldn’t even move…

They were hairless like most of the other rats in the sewer, but their proportions were just all off. Their bellies were inflated to ridiculous sizes, and their external limbs looked like they could barely carry the beast. It didn’t even have any claws.

He identified one of the enormous rats and got at least a partial answer through it as to what the hell these things were.

[Molerat Incubator – lvl ??]

The name made it quite clear what the function of these rats was, and it also explained the many tiny rats around them, one of which he also identified.

[Molerat – lvl 10]

They were indeed just pups. Far too small to pose any threat, yet Jake knew that leaving them alone would be unwise.

This was a dungeon and not the actual world. The death of these pups would mean nothing. They were never going to mature; they were just background noise added to the real challenge.

Jake looked around a bit further but didn’t spot the so-called Nest Watcher.

If it doesn’t want to show itself, then I will make it, Jake thought as he covertly marked the first incubator with Mark of the Ambitious Hunter while he made tendrils of shadows attach to the three others. None of them even reacted to his actions.

After that, he retreated to the entrance of the reservoir once more. There were no obstacles between him and the incubators, meaning he had a free line of sight. Well, he couldn’t actually see them, but his arrows would move unobstructed.

With the mark as a guide, he started channeling an Infused Powershot. There were roughly ninety meters between him and his target, giving him ample time to bombard them before giving them the chance to retaliate. He was unsure of the incubators’ combat capabilities, so he decided that it was better to be safe than sorry. Maybe they would awaken and be true monsters after he attacked it?

When he reached the limit of energy he could charge, he released the arrow. The explosion of mana pushed back the dark mana around him for a brief moment and shattered the stones directly below him as a testament to the power behind the shot.

A power that soon tore into the first incubator’s head, obliterating it entirely.

*You have slain [Molerat Incubator– lvl 86] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level. 132,000 TP earned*

Focusing on his tether attached to the second Incubator, he managed to place a new Mark.

Nocking another arrow, he prepared another shot right away and released the string once more towards the next target.

*You have slain [Molerat Incubator– lvl 85] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level. 130,000 TP earned*

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 63 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 57 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Surprisingly it also died in a single shot. The second attack hadn’t even been close to as powerful as the first, yet it had proved lethal. But the momentary surprise didn’t slow down his movements at all as he marked his next target, charged, and released yet another attack. This one didn’t manage to kill it directly, but he felt it hitting through the mark.

He instantly fired another, but this arrow didn’t hit at all. The Incubator still lay unmoving where it had always been, so something had blocked his attack.

He quickly tried switching the mark to the next incubator. Firing another arrow, it too got blocked. Jake decided to just charge a powerful Infused Powershot once more before shooting. He guessed that the last two had erected a barrier or something, and the best way to break that would be through sheer force.

Charging it up, he felt his danger sense explode, followed by something entering his sphere—something fast.

Jake fired the arrow prematurely at one of the incubators as he ducked. Where his chest had been only milliseconds prior, a crescent wave of dark mana passed. The wave continued as it cut deep into the stones behind him, making the entire wall explode and crumble.

To his surprise, he heard the sound of a kill notification on yet another incubator as he was forced to once more jump to safety from another dark wave of destructive mana. And just as he was starting to get his bearings, he saw it enter his sphere.

It was tall and standing on two legs, easily towering over two Jakes put together. It had hair all over its body and looked almost human except for its head. It was another ratman—a ratman wearing a helmet.

It was a lot like the Swarm Controller, but this one was far bigger in every aspect. It wore heavy armor that looked to be made of some kind of black exoskeleton, and over its shoulder, it carried a huge, crude, black sword that looked to be made of stone. He could see the muscles hidden beneath the fur, making it crystal clear it was the warrior type.

But as Jake observed it, it observed him back and, to his surprise, opened its mouth in a roar.

"Human! Why kill!?"

Jake was taken aback by the words. No, by the fact that it could even speak. He had assumed all the enemies he met in dungeons just common beasts. While some, like the White Stag, had shown signs of intelligence, it was nothing close to speaking.

This ratman, however, overturned his expectations…

As he took too long to answer, the ratman roared once more.

"King send? Why come?"

Jake finally collected himself as he answered honestly, seeing no reason to hide anything. "I have come to defeat the Beast Lords on my way to kill the King of the Forest."

Now it was the ratman’s time to be taken aback for a moment before it started laughing with a bizarre, rat-like laugh.

"Hah! You pup! King's strong! Human weak!"

"Must be embarrassing to die to a pup," Jake answered as he once more lifted his bow. He didn’t bother chatting with the ratman any more than this. They would have to fight no matter, as he had already Identified his opponent.

[Nest Watcher – lvl ??]

If the fight was inevitable, why delay it? It was doubtful that he could learn anything useful from the ratman. On the other hand, it would give the Nest Watcher time to maybe call for reinforcements or have the one remaining incubator do something. He also wasn’t sure if there was only one Nest Watcher…

The ratman reacted as Jake fired a Splitting Arrow towards it by swinging his oversized blade, releasing a crescent wave of black mana. The arrows still in mid-flight were annihilated by the wave as it continued onwards straight in the direction of their shooter.

Dodging, Jake fired another barrage of arrows but was met by another wave of mana released by the now charging ratman. The ratman didn’t look like it had any intention to chat anymore either.

Jake decided to switch it up, using Badger Jump to create some distance as he charged an Infused Powershot. This time, the Nest Watcher didn’t attack but blocked the arrow with the blade’s flat part.

It was pushed back a few steps but didn’t seem otherwise affected as it continued its charge. Jake continued firing a few more arrows, but they were either blocked or pushed away with a wave of the giant blade.

Soon he could no longer keep the distance as he came face to face with the giant figure. He barely reached its waist, and he felt the overpowering aura as it brought down its sword upon him. He dodged to the side as the ground where he had once stood exploded in a flurry of dust and dark mana.

Jake managed to make use of the opening as he landed an arrow in the leg of the ratman. Physically it didn’t do much damage, but it had managed to penetrate the skin. Soon the area around the wound was black from the Necrotic Poison, clearly doing worthwhile damage.

Not that it could be seen on the bipedal rat, as the assault continued with the same vigor and power as before. Jake kept dodging its blows as he managed to land potshots once in a while. The damage slowly accumulated as the poison ravaged the system of the ratman from within.

After a solid shot to the knee with an Infused Powershot, Jake finally managed to stumble the Nest Watcher and making it fall on its knee. This allowed Jake to open up a worthwhile distance between them. A quick Badger Jump coupled with a Shadow Vault put a good fifty meters between them almost instantly as he began charging yet another Infused Powershot.

The entire reservoir was a mess at this point, with broken stone everywhere and considerable gashes in the walls and ceilings.

He felt the power build up as the ratman got up once more. But contrary to belief, it didn’t charge again but instead pointed its blade towards him. Black mana condensed around the blade as it started being charged with energy too. To Jake, it only looked like a black hole condensed somewhere in front of him, his sight still impeded by the dark mana. An affliction the rat clearly didn’t suffer from.

Jake welcomed the challenge with a smile, however. The battle seemed to come to a standstill as both charged their attacks for nearly ten seconds. Jake was the first to release his string. The attack was the most powerful one he could muster with his current stats and skills.

Right after, the ratman also released the energy he had built up. A torrent of dark mana poured forth and condensed into a blade-shaped beam headed straight for the incoming arrow and, of course, the one who had shot it.

The attacks crashed together in an explosion that seemed to shake the entire dungeon. However, it was clear that the dark mana won out as it continued onwards, weakened but far from weak.

Not that Jake had any intention of being in its way. He had already used a Shadow Vault to the side even before the attacks hit each other, as he had no confidence in winning a direct confrontation of power.

He was faster than the Nest Watcher, but he was far behind in the strength department. His most considerable advantage, as always, was in his instincts and high Perception, allowing him to read the situation better and make the best split-second decisions in the spur of the moment. And now was one such moment.

Quickly he fired yet another, far weaker, Infused Powershot at the ratman. It was something he had clearly not expected as the arrow hit him in the chest, blasting him backward and shattering a part of his armor. Jake followed up with a Splitting Arrow towards the still-shaken giant, managing to land additional wounds. They were minor, but everything was starting to add up.

The ratman roared as he released a barrage of black mana waves, forcing Jake to retreat once more. He could feel that draining the Nest Watcher of mana likely wasn’t going to happen due to the atmospheric mana, but its health and stamina had to be lacking at this point.

This was the first dungeon boss that Jake had faced in what he would call a genuinely straight-on fight. The Den Mother had been poorly matched against him, and he had partly cheesed the battle, while the fight with the Great White Stag had been more about the moon and ponds than any direct confrontation.

It felt good just to have a fight like this. The Nest Watcher was powerful but not above what he could manage at his current level of power. Overall, it was quite a lot stronger than him, but he was now about to bring it down with his instincts and effective kiting tactics. Of course, he knew that ninety percent of the damage he had done was due to his poisons, but all of it was part of his Strength.

Jake continued his assault as he continued dodging wave after wave, kiting around the hall, never allowing the ratman to get in melee range and land a blow.

As victory was in his grasp, something suddenly changed. The ratman stopped attacking as he stood up straight and regarded Jake, who had also stopped attacking.

"You strong…. but King stronger, “the ratman said as it heaved for breath.

"Right now… maybe this King is,” Jake answered, as he already expected the fight to be over. The ratman was a dead rat walking with all the poison in its system. It was a foregone conclusion already, and he had nothing against waiting for the last of its life to drain away. “But I only grow stronger. Perhaps I can’t win today, but I still have time.”

"No, you not," it answered. "King… too strong. He… apex… You do lose… Not that matter—"

With those words, the Nest Watcher exploded in a torrent of darkness that consumed all light, and Jake's sight disappeared completely once more. Energy pressed down on him as he felt like a tsunami of dark mana suddenly washed over him.

"—‘cause you die now."

Chapter 20

A Final Gift

Jake felt like he was submerged in oil. Everything went completely black, and his entire body felt like he was deep underwater. Even sound seemed to disappear, and he was left with nearly no external stimulus. Nearly, since two things still worked—his sphere and his roaring sense of danger at what was heading towards him.

He tried jumping back fast enough, but took a deep cut across his chest as he jumped backward. It was followed up by another strike that sought to impale him through his heart. He managed to barely weave to the side of the blade as he felt it brush past him, the dense mana surrounding the huge sword burning his side.

It wasn’t just that Jake had gotten slower. The ratman had gotten stronger and faster. It moved as if it hadn’t taken a single injury during their entire fight. But in his sphere, he clearly saw what was truly going on.

The ratman was burning up with mana. It came out of every orifice, and even the puncture wounds Jake’s arrows had caused earlier. Every vestige of energy was being burned, and it was only a matter of time before it would collapse.

But Jake didn’t have that much time, as he barely managed to avoid a swipe of its sword but was still caught in the wave of dark mana, blowing him back. He felt the dark mana dig into his body and the energy within him being drained. Health, stamina, and mana all took a hit as the mana ravaged through him.

He used his Shadow Vault to dodge an overhead blow and instantly regretted it. The moment he turned into the ethereal shadow, the dark mana dug into him, draining him at an alarming rate until he quickly disabled the skill. To make it even worse, this resulted in him failing to dodge away as far as he wanted and being blown away by the blade smashing into the ground.

He knew he couldn’t keep it up. He needed to change the status quo. Dodging was not an option, and he was slowed down far too much by the domain of darkness to flee. His evasion skill was more than useless. So, instead of trying to avoid the enemy, he charged.

The ratman was faster and stronger than him, but it did have two major disadvantages: its weapon and fighting style. The heavy sword was great at medium range, and its waves of dark mana allowed it to even fight well at long range.

At short range, it had issues. The blade was too long to properly land hits, and coupled with the Nest Watcher’s giant size, the small human was a difficult target to pin down. However, Jake needed an opportunity to get in close, and the ratman seemed more than content to keep him away. So he played one of his final cards.

He ran straight towards the rat without any intention to dodge, his Venomfang in one hand and his shortsword in the other. The Nest Watcher responded with an overhead smash. The raised blade descended like a meteor as his danger sense exploded out with warnings of him being obliterated.

But just before the blade hit him, it seemed to stop mid-swing. The roaring waves of mana slowed down, the smoke-like mana pouring out from the ratman moving in slow motion.

Moment of the Primal Hunter

Jake, the only one unaffected by the warped time, dodged the blade easily, and time returned to normal once more. The ratman was still confused as the dagger cut into its right knee. Jake had held nothing back; the Descending Dark Fang penetrated the wound left by an arrow earlier and utterly shattered the kneecap.

Despite the dark mana’s effects buffing it up, the Nest Watcher still could no longer use the leg. He knelt down on the other one. The ratman would likely be able to do a quick repair and resume motion in a short time—if Jake let him.

A sword and dagger cut into it once more from behind, stabbing into its back and shoulder. It tried to swing its sword behind it but failed to hit anything, as the two weapons dug into its flesh again.

Jake avoided the armor covering the Nest Watcher with his blades. It only covered parts of the body, and a lot of it had broken off by now anyway.

After landing two more blows, he decided that enough was enough and retreated backward once more. He had injected far more poison into the ratman, and even if the dark mana was keeping it at bay currently, it would still spell the doom of the Nest Watcher.

The ratman kept kneeling; he tried standing a few times but failed. Soon the domain darkness was dispelled as everything returned to normal once more. As normal as a sewer dungeon filled with constant darkness could be.

By now, the ratman was well and truly spent, down on both knees with the blade dropped to the side. Cracks covered the ratman’s entire body. The dark mana had clearly taken its toll.

The ratman looked up at Jake, who stood only a few meters away now, its eyes fixed on his.

"You kill King truth?" it asked, the words barely coming out.

"That or I die trying," Jake answered truthfully.

"King strong. Very strong. Trapped nest.” The Nest Watcher picked up the fallen blade slowly. Jake didn’t react, as he could see that it genuinely could barely lift it. "I hate. If you truly kill… I help. Nest died long ago. You do… revenge."

"Help me? How?" he asked, a bit confused. He doubted the ratman could exit the dungeon even if it wanted.

"I make plan… but I weak. Trapped. Never leave. But you leave. I give curse, you kill King.” It lifted the blade and held it in both hands. "You accept?"

"Sure."

At his confirmation, dark mana started leaving the body of the ratman and entering the blade. At the same time, the blade started shrinking down into a small marble. As the mana was channeled, he clearly felt the ratman grow weaker and weaker.

"I done. Take gift. Kill King. Revenge Nest.” The Nest Watcher barely managed to say this before the last remnants of life left its body. Its eyes closed, and Jake saw a final wisp of energy enter the bead in its hand.

*You have slain [Nest Watcher – lvl 96] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level. 152,000 TP earned*

*’ DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 64 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

It was a solemn end, but it had been a good fight.

It… no, he, fought well, Jake thought as he walked up to the dead Nest Watcher. He nodded at the corpse and accepted the gift it had used its last remaining life to hand him.

[Dark Bead of the Nest Watcher (Epic)] – A bead made of condensed dark mana. The last hope of the Nest Watcher to get revenge on the King of the Forest. Can be thrown at foes to inflict them with a powerful Curse of Darkness upon shattering. The curse will severely limit Perception and drain energy until dispelled. All of the resentment of the nest will be unleashed if used on the King of the Forest.

The bead was clearly a powerful weapon. It was a one-time-use attack. One clearly made for the King of the Forest, and Jake would happily reserve it for just that. It would maybe give him the edge he needed.

Jake put the bead in his storage. While he’d planned to face the King all along, he now had just a little more motivation.

He started limping towards the dungeon’s exit, when he was reminded of the one remaining incubator. It was still just lying there on the stones, seemingly unaware of everything that had happened. The small molerats surrounded the three other incubators’ corpses and appeared to be nipping at them.

With disgust, Jake downed a healing potion and took out his dagger and sword. No matter how much respect he held for the Nest Watcher, its nest was now dead. There was nothing left to salvage, and he may as well finish the job.

Ten minutes later, he walked out of the reservoir with two bloody blades in his hands. The job was done, and the final incubator, as well as all the rats, were now dead for good.

*You have slain [Molerat Incubator– lvl 85] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level. 130,000 TP earned*

*’ DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 65 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’ DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 58 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

He read the notifications and continued onwards. As expected, this was indeed the end of the dungeon. He entered a new small room with a wooden door leading into it. The room held two lockboxes summoned by the system, but also many other things.

In one corner were stacked hides from what appeared to be dead deer. The hides were faded, gray, and dirty, obviously having been there for a long time. It wasn’t hard to conclude that this was where the Nest Watcher had lived.

The rest of the room was simple. There were no books or any type of entertainment, just a bunch of old hides and some rudimentary furniture, such as a single chair and tables all made of the same bricks as the walls and floor.

For the powerful Nest Watcher to live in such terrible conditions… Jake could understand why he hated his existence. It also explained why he had been so slow to react to the Hunter’s initial assault, which allowed him to kill two incubators before he even appeared.

Jake felt a tinge of sadness. It reminded him of his own experience in the challenge dungeon. Except the Nest Watcher didn’t have any endgame. He was stuck in the hellhole that was this sewer with no way out. And with the door to exit the dungeon in his very room…

Jake shook his head to dispel the thoughts as he turned his attention to the lockboxes. He could do nothing for the Nest Watcher now but get stronger and kill the King of the Forest. Perhaps this had been the ratman’s intention all along. Find someone powerful enough to possibly stand up to the King and then give them the bead that he had clearly been preparing for a long time.

One of the two lockboxes was large and rectangular, with the other one small and square. Jake decided to open the small box first.

Within, he found a rather nice-looking pair of black gloves. Picking them up, they felt leathery, and not the cheap imitation leather-leathery. The gloves only covered the hand and extended a few centimeters up the arm, meaning they didn’t get in the way of his bracers at all.

[Gloves of the Nest Watcher (Rare)] – Gloves made from the cured leather of an unknown creature. Provides strong protection against both physical and energy attacks. User can channel mana through the gloves that can then be released as a blast of mana. The blast’s power is based on the user’s Wisdom and Intelligence, along with the mana consumed on use. Enchantments: Self-Repair. +35 Intelligence.

Requirements: Lvl 55+ in any humanoid race.

Reading the description, he was rather pleased just by the simple fact that he could use them. Interestingly enough, they didn’t appear to be of the dark affinity at all. It wouldn’t have stopped him from using them, as he wouldn’t encounter compatibility problems like with nature and light mana, but he still preferred affinity-less equipment. He felt like it fit him more.

The effect was also exciting but had to be tested before he could draw any worthwhile conclusion. It appeared to be strong, and he was always looking for ways to better use his mental stats during combat.

Enchantment-wise, it was relatively simple. Self-Repair appeared to be a staple of system-made equipment, and while the stats on the gloves didn’t benefit Jake much, they were nevertheless welcome. Intelligence, if nothing else, did make his Infused Powershot marginally more powerful.

Turning his attention to the other box, he opened that one too.

What was revealed was leather armor for the upper part of the body. It appeared to be made of the same material as the gloves and even sported the same colors. It had long sleeves and covered everything from the bottom of the neck to the edge of the pants.

Jake couldn’t help but be ecstatic.

Finally, a goddamn shirt! For far too long had he gone with a bare chest. Far too long spent getting scratches all over his upper body and having to feel half-naked. Some decency had finally returned to his life. His happiness only increased as he identified the armor.

[Armor of the Nest Watcher (Rare)] – A chestpiece made from the cured leather of an unknown creature. Provides strong protection against both physical and energy attacks. The Nest Watcher’s lifeforce runs through this armor, blessing the wielder with great Vitality and Toughness. Enchantments: Self-Repair. +75 Vitality, +50 Toughness.

Requirements: Lvl 55+ in any humanoid race.

The armor didn’t have any ability or extra effect. Instead, it just provided a buttload of stats and solid defenses, which quite honestly suited Jake just fine. Though, he would have worn it even if its only ability was not to be torn whenever something even remotely touched him. Yes, he still hated that damn cloak.

He put on the armor first, and he felt the warm flow of stats after he injected mana into it, binding it to him. He felt like it would take a few minutes before his body adapted to the increased stats. But more than anything, it just felt great to finally have some measure of defense between his bare skin and the claws and teeth of the beasts.

Next, he picked up the gloves. Placing them on, he once more felt the increase in stats after yet another binding injection of mana.

They fit like a glove, Jake thought to himself, the horrible joke fully intended. Perhaps the solitude did have some adverse effects.

He did a few stretches in the new armor, feeling out the flexibility of it. It almost didn’t impede him at all, and he felt great wearing it. He had nearly forgotten the feeling of being fully clothed after going the better part of a month not being so.

Heck, he even looked quite good, if he had to be honest, though a bit edgy with the whole all-black theme going on. Well, all black except for his old brown boots that still looked like they were about to tear and break at any point, an appearance they had had since the moment he got them.

Feeling comfortable in his new armor, he flopped down to the ground to meditate. He considered doing it outside but decided to use as much meditation time as possible before the dungeon would kick him out, making full use of the faster regeneration from the dark mana.

One dungeon left, Jake reminded himself as he entered meditation.

Chapter 21

Willful Ignorance

"Fucking die already!" William yelled as the huge beast in front of him refused to submit. It was far from the first time he had fought the damn thing, and this had to be the time he would win.

The Den Mother was already covered in wounds when the huge sawblade cut into its side, managing to cut into its guts until its dense muscles stopped it. The damage from the blow was far from lethal, but it was starting to build up.

William heaved for breath; his mana pool was far closer to empty than he felt comfortable with. It was barely enough for one more spear. It had to be enough.

Spear of Ferroras

He summoned the ornate spear and pushed himself forward with Metal Manipulation. The beast was one step too late, exhaustion making it slow and sloppy, as the spear penetrated it through one of its eyes.

With every last point of mana, he pushed himself and the spear forward, forcing it into the brain of the damn dungeon boss.

*You have slain [Den Mother – lvl 82] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level. 124,000 TP earned*

*’DING!’ Class: [Metal Savant] has reached level 59 - Stat points allocated, +6 Free Points*

Seeing the notification, he let himself fall backward as he laughed out loud.

"Fuckin’ finally."

He had spent more than a week in the shitty den, but it had all paid off in the end. He had finally defeated the last boss and cleared the dungeon.

It had been quite the journey. It had taken William only two days to get through the first Alpha, but then another five for the next room with the Alphas and the Den Mother. He'd had to leave the dungeon a few times between to exit and grind out a level here or there to get an extra edge.

He’d even gone outside at one point after he saw something interesting. After only a week remained of the tutorial timer, the dinosaurs were no longer confined to the inner zone. He had gone out and found tens of them rummaging through where Richard’s base had once been. It was quite comical that he had even considered not killing them when they would all have been ripped apart by beasts anyway. No way they could have resisted dozens of level 40+ raptors storming the camp. The dinos gathering in the camp had allowed him to kill a good deal, though.

It had been a long grind, and now it all felt worth it with the damn Den Mother lying dead. It was his eighth attempt. Luckily the design of the dungeon made it easy as pie to retreat if shit got bad. The tunnel between the rooms was too small for both the Alphas and Den Mother to fit through, allowing him to leave whenever.

Which was especially good after he’d come very close to dying in his first fight with the Den Mother. When three freaking Alphas had appeared in the middle of it all and started chewing him out, he barely managed to retreat to the tunnel where he hid and meditated.

Afterward, he’d gone in and out of the tunnel, killing the Alphas around the Den Mother one after another, retreating and regenerating between kills. Finally, he had only the final boss alone, allowing him to focus solely on the oversized rodent.

He didn’t know if he would call it lucky or unlucky that the dungeon didn’t reset upon leaving and entering again. On the one hand, it was nice that his progress stayed, but on the other, a resetting dungeon would be a godlike grinding spot.

The grinding with the current setup had been rather mediocre, averaging just a bit over a level a day. It did get harder to level the further he went, so it really wasn’t that bad. His main limiter was the long time it took for him to regenerate. His ability to absorb metal did help a bit, but it was far from enough.

Getting up from the ground, he looked at the corpse of the large Den Mother. He didn’t bother dissecting it, but couldn’t help himself with kicking the corpse a few times and spitting on it before he moved through the last chamber.

A single lockbox with the loot was there, making him smile. He doubted he could get anything close to the armor Herrmann had made him, but he wasn’t going to complain about getting free stuff.

He opened the box, grabbed the loot, and exited the dungeon. He did get a title giving him +1 in each stat, which he honestly didn’t care for. There was less than a week left of the tutorial, and he still had that one last survivor to get rid of.

He didn’t know how strong the Archer had grown, but William doubted Jake would be worth much. From what he’d heard, he’d nearly died to Richard and Hayden, even taking severe injuries. Besides, he had spent a week exiting and reentering the dungeon without catching sight of the guy or any kills left by him.

If William didn’t know better, he would guess that Jake was just hiding in some hole somewhere, hoping for the tutorial to end. A lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

But before finding him, William decided to grind out one more level, reaching 60 and getting yet another skill. No reason to take any chances, after all.

He could almost hear the begging and pleading from the Archer that had once nearly ended him. It was going to be so sweet to cut him up, one little piece at a time.

Checking the time, he began grinding once more, still daydreaming of ripping Jake apart.

Tutorial Panel

Duration: 6 days & 23:01:45

After finally getting the level, he checked it one last time and saw sixteen hours had passed. Being drained from the dungeon and farming, he decided to take a quick nap before continuing his grind while looking for the Archer.

One where he dreamed once more—in it, a figure with green eyes came to him and whispered what he wanted to hear: his prey’s location.

Jake didn’t even exit the dungeon, but was just thrown out the moment the countdown finished. Well, teleported out was perhaps more accurate, as he found himself, still in meditation, suddenly in the dark hole outside the door where he had entered.

He continued his meditation for a bit and soon noticed an odd phenomenon. The dark mana in the hole started disappearing as he meditated. Only half an hour later, one could see through the once perfect darkness with the naked eye, and a full hour later, there was no trace the mana had ever been there at all.

Jake opened his eyes and saw that the door still appeared to leak small shrivels of dark mana, and in a day or so, the hole would likely return to the same darkness as before. Not that it was any of his business.

A quick Badger Jump later, he found himself atop the hole once more within the hollow mountain. Finally, he bothered to check his notifications, seeing that his titles had indeed upgraded once again.

[Dungeoneer IV] – Successfully clear a dungeon suitable for your level. +4 all stats.

[Dungeon Pioneer IV] – Be the first to clear a dungeon suitable for your level. +12 all stats.

He was beginning to wonder if those two would ever cap out or something. It seemed ridiculous if he could continuously clear dungeons and upgrade the title infinitely. He could only imagine someone with Dungeon Pioneer M increasing all stats by 3000…. Actually, that didn’t sound that bad, considering one would have to be the first to clear dungeons a thousand times, and the levels alone from that would likely make those stats insignificant in comparison.

He still suspected there was a cap, though. He wasn’t sure; he just had a feeling.

The next part that had been updated was his one quest.

Tutorial Quest: The Beast Lords

The forest murmurs with rumors of a King ruling the forest from the shadows. The four Beast Lords each guard their dungeon as their King commanded, waiting for a suitable challenger to appear. With the death of his lords, the King is sure to be forced into the light. But be warned, the Lords will not meet their end that easily.

Two lords have now fallen. The King has taken notice but has yet to make a move. Continue with the quest, and you shall inevitably meet.

With the Nest Watcher’s death, your presence is now beginning to become truly worthy of notice. The King of the Forest will not sit idle as you attempt to dismantle the careful balance his domain has attained. With only a single Beast Lord left standing, your quest will soon be complete, and the King shall come.

Objective: Defeat the Beast Lords.

Current progress: 3/4

Reading it, he got a bit giddy about finally facing the big bad King of the Forest. But before that, he still had a dungeon left to clear out. Checking the time remaining, he noted that he indeed was a little pressed on time.

Tutorial Panel

Duration: 6 days & 4:49:32

The sewer had been far longer than he expected. If the next one was the same, he wasn’t confident in doing it and still having time to prepare and face the King. But he would have to make do with the time he had and hope that the final dungeon turned out faster.

Chugging one last healing potion, he began moving forward, his health, mana, and stamina all at a healthy level. He didn’t have the luxury of delaying any more as he made a beeline for the next dungeon.

It was a bit lucky that he hadn’t suffered as terrible of wounds in the sewers as he had against the Great White Stag. Perhaps it was because the type of damage he’d received against the stag was of the light affinity while the Nest Watcher’s damage was dark affinity. He had been a lot more injured overall back then, though.

It was evident that he had great dark affinity and horrible light affinity. It did make sense that the two were opposing forces, and it was likely the same with fire and water affinities. He would have to ask the Malefic Viper or someone else with a bit more experience dealing with the system.

Running at a brisk pace, he headed towards the next dungeon. He did meet a group of raptors who decided to leg it when they noticed him, clearly not interested in a fight. It was a bit disappointing, as he would have loved to try out the new Mana Blast from his gloves, as he had decided to call it.

Not that it stopped him, as he practiced a few times while running. It reminded him a lot of the Explosive Punch he had unlocked quite a while ago. This attack didn’t require blowing up his own arm, though, so it was a huge step up.

The other difference was, of course, that this one used mana. And while Jake didn’t know how powerful the blow was, it sure did wonders on the boulder he tried it on, blowing it to pieces. It was like walking with a hand grenade, ready to explode whenever he willed it. In other words, it was awesome.

Continuing, he soon saw something he hadn’t expected - a corpse. And it wasn’t one he had killed himself, as he had never been there before. The wounds also appeared to have been made with blades or maybe daggers. Humans, not beasts, had killed it.

He stopped to look at them for a bit. Had some of the other survivors made it to the inner area?

It doesn’t matter; it has nothing to do with me, Jake thought to himself as he prepared to keep going. Barely managing to turn around, he spotted something standing there on the hill leading up the mountain.

A humanoid figure completely covered in what appeared to be silver. It looked like a mannequin, but it was clear that it wasn’t as it started walking towards him. As they walked, metal peeled away from the face, revealing a smirking face that Jake recognized.

"Missed me?" William said as he looked down on Jake—both figuratively and literally.

"… What was your name again?" Jake asked, genuinely unsure. It was something with “W,” right…? William, I think?

William, however, froze briefly, looking at Jake as if he were a complete idiot.

"Are you fucking daft or what?" he asked with evident annoyance.

"Sorry, you haven’t exactly been on my mind. I just remember you as this metal-casting backstabber… I don’t know… Can you just go? I am kind of busy."

"Come on, stop playing around; you have to know what this is?" William declared in a mocking tone. "Two people remaining. The final confrontation between the last survivors! The decider! An epic battle of destiny where the true champion is found!"

"What the hell are you on about?" Jake asked with real confusion. Last survivors? What did he—

Total Survivors Remaining: 2/1200

How hadn’t he seen it? He had checked the timer so many times. The number was always there, right below. Had he somehow overlooked it? Maybe it had, for some reason, not appeared?

However, William apparently understood what was happening far faster than Jake.

"Holy shit," William said as he started laughing. "And people call me a fucking lunatic… Holy shit, you’re for real! You cold bastard. I killed the last one like a fucking week ago. Jacob, that guy, had apparently become a lunatic and made them all go full-on Kool-Aid. Ah, but no worries. I killed him quickly, and I actually felt a bit bad about it, so we’re all good, right?"

Jake just stood there as the guy kept talking, mocking him as his brain was trying to catch up.

"And you managed just to ignore it? I am honestly impressed; not even I could do that. And I even had a doctor tell me that I am indeed a fucking psycho, but you are just winging it!"

William walked closer to Jake, now only a few meters between them as he continued.

"Or are you just a coward? Too scared to check. Ah, that’s it! You are just a damn coward hiding away in your own little world! So afraid of being a disappointment to everyone that you'd rather never see them again? So afraid of rejection that you would rather let them die while you do nothing? Hehehehe, this is a fucking comedy, man… and you’re the butt of the joke."

"Just—"

"Oh, the coward spea—"

"—die."

The distance was closed on an instant, the move far faster than the teenager had ever predicted. He covered his face with the armor in panic, but it didn’t matter.

A dagger coated in dark mana exploded down onto his chest, smashing into his prized armor and into his chest with a loud crunching sound. He was pressed into the ground, creating a small crater.

Jake didn’t let up and give him a chance to, either, as he punched down, releasing a blast from his new gloves. The crater only grew as Jake released another and another. He continued hitting, soon without any bursts of mana being released when he ran out of mana. But he kept slamming his bloody fists into the distorted armor below him.

He didn’t stop even when he got the notification. He just kept rampaging until, suddenly, he stopped halfway through yet another punch.

"What the fuck am I doing…?" he muttered to himself as he fell backward on his ass. He was sitting in a crater that had grown to several meters wide and nearly a meter deep, the distorted armor encompassing the metal caster’s body at the center, blood leaking out of every small crevice or tear in the armor.

Tears started to gather in his eyes as he punched his broken fist into the ground.

"WHAT THE FUCK AM I DOING!?"

Chapter 22

The Balance Broken

Jake didn’t have a lot of close friends growing up, but he did have some. One of them was Patrick or Pat for short. Pat and Jake went to daycare together and even entered the same school. They were in different classes, but they still met up during recess and went to each other’s places after school nearly every day.

They had the same hobbies. If one got a new cool comic book or movie, they just had to watch or read it together. Everything was idyllic and pleasant until one small thing came between them.

Jake had lent Patrick one of his new video games for the weekend, but when Patrick came Monday, he didn’t have it. Jake didn’t chew him out or anything, but believed it to be a genuine mistake and asked him just to bring it Tuesday.

Tuesday came around, and still no game. Jake asked again and again. Finally, Patrick broke down and claimed that he had accidentally broken the disc and lied about it. Jake was furious and told him their friendship was over if he didn’t get him a new copy of the game.

Patrick cried, but Jake was steadfast and ignored it. Until he got home, where he too cried. His parents told him to forgive and forget, but Jake was too damn stubborn, even back then.

A week passed, and the two of them hadn’t spoken a single word. Well, Patrick had spoken, but Jake had ignored him.

Two weeks passed, and Jake kept ignoring his oldest friend despite the pleas and apologies. At that point, Jake had already begun to forget about the game as he had moved on to newer and better things, but nevertheless, he refused to forgive.

On the third week, Patrick came up to him and said that he had something for him during recess. But when the break came around, he couldn’t find Patrick anywhere and found out that he had left school early that day.

From then on, Jake completely ignored him. No matter how his former friend tried to explain, Jake didn’t listen for even a second.

Two months later, Patrick changed schools. Jake didn’t care; he had moved on then and had just started getting into archery.

He learned a few months later that the reason Patrick changed schools was bullying. And not the “tough-it-up-kid” kind, but the “trauma-for-life” kind. He’d been beaten, isolated, belittled, and, as Jake learned later, stolen from.

Patrick never lost the game. One of the bullies had stolen it the day he came to return it. Patrick, being nonconfrontational, didn’t want to get Jake involved and just lied. Instead, he’d tried to fix it himself.

He’d managed to pool together all of his allowance and money from some odd jobs to buy a new game three weeks after he lost it. He had brought it to school and wanted to give it to Jake that very day. Instead, his bullies had emptied his bag, found the game, and decided to play frisbee with the disc. When Patrick stood up to them, he was beaten, and his parents were called and took him home.

And what did Jake do the moment he learned all this? Absolutely nothing. His old friend lived less than a kilometer away from his house, but he didn’t go over. A simple apology, a single "I am sorry," and perhaps he would have had his friend back. But Jake just continued ignoring him.

Jake never heard from or spoke to Patrick again. He moved away a few years later.

And the most pathetic part?

More than a decade later, Jake received a friend request on social media. It was from Patrick. The message attached was just a simple "hey, remember me" kind of message at first, but in the end, it finished with an apology for never returning the game as promised. It was phrased as a joke… but Jake couldn’t move past it.

It was an olive branch, an opportunity to make things right once more. And what did Jake do? He pressed the red cross on the window’s border, leaving the request pending even when he entered the tutorial.

Jake didn’t know why he remembered Patrick specifically at that very moment as he sat on the ground, hands bloody and heaving for breath.

Maybe it was because the entire situation with his former friend exemplified exactly how pathetic Jake felt. He was a goddamn coward, and he had always been.

Jake was a loner. It was hard for him to let people in. People represented a nearly inarticulable way for him to fuck something up.

If he did let someone in, he started to care, and he feared letting them go once more. He would ignore anything that could break the careful balance established—to the level of ignoring his girlfriend’s blatant cheating, to ignoring the obvious fact that she’d done it with his best friend.

But perhaps the only thing he feared more than letting those close go… was letting them back in once more. It was confronting the broken balance and trying to restore it once again. He’d feared the conversation he would have with Patrick if he let him in once more… so he just avoided that conversation.

It’d been the same in the tutorial from the very beginning. When Joanna lost her leg due to something Jake did, be it his fault or not, it broke the balance. Every second he was with her was one where he had to address that fact.

Being presented with an opportunity to get away and be alone when Richard appeared… he’d pounced on it right away. It’d been a way for him to escape the consequences—a way for him never to confront her and have a difficult conversation.

Jake, however, still had to admit that no matter how much he enjoyed solitude, he still craved companionship. He didn’t fear being lonely; he feared being truly alone. Jake had wanted to reunite with his friends once more. To see the always handsome and coolheaded Jacob and his butler-guy Bertram, the passionate Casper, the two energetic cousins Dennis and Lina… even Caroline after the betrayal; he wanted to know why she’d done what she did.

He had truly missed them, so he’d tried establishing contact. Instead, he’d been met with his biggest fear… an ambush that broke the balance completely. The one he’d had a crush on wanted to kill him for reasons he didn’t grasp, his former friend Jacob appearing not to understand the situation at all.

It was a mess—chaos. It was a situation that Jake didn’t want to confront… so he’d run. Once more, he’d ignored the problem. But he’d still held on a small sliver of hope. And then the day came where the number of survivors fell from hundreds to only around 50…. and that was the last day he remembered ever seeing the number of survivors.

That was the day the balance was broken beyond repair. He had worked with statistics long enough to know that many of the dead were bound to be his former colleagues and friends. He had even reached the conclusion that among the dead, Jacob had to be one of them. He hadn’t proven himself capable of proper self-defense, after all.

So Jake had continued his quest to conquer the tutorial. He had replaced everything with the single goal of killing the King of the Forest and ignored everything else. The same as he had always done.

What had triggered him in William’s words was that it was all true. That a psycho teenager mass-murderer understood him better than he possibly even understood himself in that very moment. That the fucking psycho could relate.

However, the final straw had been a faint feeling in the back of his mind when he saw that number of only two survivors: relief. He hated himself for it. He hated that he felt like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He hated that he liked never having to confront any of his colleagues for the choices he had made—for the choices that could have possibly saved their lives.

Jake hadn’t known that Patrick was bullied. He’d never seen it, and he’d only been a kid. But after their friendship was over, he had noticed it. Yet he’d done nothing.

Back then, Jake had never been bullied. He was always tall for his age growing up, and he had never been the type to back down from a fight. He would often win a fight, as he seemed to have a natural talent for beating up others while not getting himself beaten—which, back then, was enough for all the school bullies to mark him as off-limits.

When Patrick stopped hanging around with Jake, he’d become an easier target. With Jake, he had been safe from the bullying, at least when they were physically together. He had acted as a shield, but when Patrick lost that shield, the bullying escalated.

Yet despite knowing, Jake had done nothing to help his former friend. He’d been willfully ignorant, and even then, felt a sense of relief when he moved away. Because Jake knew he could have helped his friend. But he had failed him.

Just like how he knew he had failed Jacob and all the others after he saw the number of survivors drop drastically… He could have gone there. He could have gone and checked on them, and he would likely have been able to help them.

But doing so would’ve required him to confront the broken balance. To face the fact that Caroline betrayed him, the fact that many of them were dead, the fact that their relationship was not the same as it had been before.

As Jake sat there submerged in his own deep thoughts, something changed in the atmosphere. The trees’ rustling leaves stopped, the wind ceased, and Jake sat completely still as if frozen. In fact, the entire tutorial seemed to freeze like a still picture at that very moment.

A man appeared out of nothing as if he had simply walked into a picture. He had long, white, rustled hair and an even longer beard. But most weird was his smile, a smile that didn’t appear to hold any meaning but simply was.

The man walked towards the crater, heading for the broken armor and the one within it.

"Such a mess," he mused to himself as he waved his hand. William and the armor both disappeared as the man turned his attention towards Jake. Or, more accurately, the one standing behind Jake.

"Not very nice of you to steal someone else’s kill like that," the scaled man who stood beside Jake said as he regarded the white-haired one.

"It is of no consequence," the old man said as he ran his finger through his beard, a trace of annoyance in his eyes. "Besides, were you not the cause of this? You told me to leave your Chosen alone, and yet you go and mess with mine."

"Oh, that? Yeah, that is of no consequence," the Malefic Viper said mockingly. "But the body of the mortal you just stole is of consequence."

The old man raised an eyebrow but kept on smiling. "Oh? I cannot possibly see what you would want the dead body of a mortal. Why is that, if I may ask?"

"You may not," the Viper answered. "All that matters is that the kill belongs to my Chosen. I have more claim on it than you do. Are you truly going to steal what is rightfully mine?"

The man looked back at the Viper as his eyes sharpened. His smile still there, yet his tone didn’t reflect any jovial mood. "… What do you want?"

"If you want the body, you owe me one—simple as that," the Malefic Viper said, returning the smile.

"We both know that is no simple matter. How about I compensate our young friend over there?" he said, motioning towards Jake.

"Yeah, as if I am ever letting you do that. Either you leave the body here, or you owe me."

"Have you not done enough damage already? Has the interference of you and your Chosen not created enough chaos? Why do you needlessly attempt to ruin this tutorial?"

"I don’t know… Why don’t you ask fate? Oh, but before that, leave the body and let your little experiment end here. Or. You. Owe. Me.”

"… Fine." And with those words, the white-haired man disappeared. As if the illusion had been broken, everything started moving once more. The change was that the body was now gone and the Viper still standing at the crater’s edge.

"Who was that?" Jake asked, his head still lowered.

"Oh? You saw?" the Viper said as he walked over to him. "That is actually quite interesting. Time was kinda stopped, you know."

"Yeah, I get it. So who was it, and why take that damn body?"

"He is an old soul like me. Goes by Eversmile—though, of course, that isn’t his actual name. Guy hasn’t stopped smiling for eras; it is actually quite creepy. As for why he wants the body? Because he is a maniac. What is important is that he now owes me one."

"Right…" Jake answered as he looked up at the sky. The appearance of what he presumed was a god, and the stopped time, had at least served as a nice distraction. For a few moments, that is.

Sitting down beside him, the Viper joined him in looking towards the sky. "Out of all the character flaws to have, it’s not the worst, you know."

"Right…"

"I would say that William guy had way more severe issues."

"Right…"

"Alright, deflection's not working, got it," the Malefic Viper said as he turned his head towards Jake. "But seriously, is it really that bad? Have you really done something so inexcusable? Is being selfish really that big a sin? Heck, this is isn’t even being selfish; it’s not wanting to deal with someone else’s unrelated problem."

"How the hell is it not my problem when I ignore my friends and leave them to die to some psycho!?" Jake yelled at the god.

"How is it?” the Viper asked with a laidback tone. “Is their weakness your responsibility? Why is it not their fault for not getting their shit together?"

"So I should just go full-on selfish psycho and ignore everyone around me?" Jake kept yelling.

"You could, and it would be perfectly reasonable," the Viper answered. "No one else is your responsibility unless you make it so. No one ever deserves your forgiveness or compassion. No one is ever entitled to your goodwill."

"So the best way is just to end up alone and sad until the end of time?" Jake said, instantly realizing what he’d implied. "Sorry, I didn’t mean…"

"No, you are right, that way also sucks," the god said with a melancholic smile. "Letting others in sucks too. It creates a weakness, an opportunity to be hurt. But being alone also sucks. It is quite a conundrum. I guess all I am saying is to pick those you let in carefully. Avoid those who will eventually end up hurting you. Living alone isn’t the solution, but neither is bearing the burden for everyone around you."

"And how exactly do I know who to trust and who not to?" Jake asked.

"You don’t; that's why it’s hard. But if it helps with anything, then your pal Jacob is still alive together with that Bertram guy. Casper too. You picked good friends there, at least.” The Viper smiled teasingly.

"Wait. How? I thought William killed them?" Jake felt a mix of surprise, happiness, and skepticism.

"Oh, he did. But Jacob, for example, is now the kind of guy that is annoyingly hard to kill. Heck, when it comes to getting a powerful variant class, he has both you and that William guy beat ten times over."

"Is he still in the tutorial?" Jake asked a bit expectantly.

"Nah, he is out and done, officially failed it. Left prematurely. To the system, he is counted as just another dead survivor," the Malefic Viper said dismissively. "Oh, but Casper did kinda die… Anyway, you will see them after the tutorial; it will make more sense then."

"Oh…" Jake said as he fell into thought.

"Just coming out and saying it right now, you will be a goddamn coward if you don’t at least speak with them when you get back on your planet," the Viper said, this time only half-teasingly.

"Right," Jake answered, feeling a bit better. "So, what to do now?"

"Two things. First of all, I may or may not have been the one who sicced William on you today. Partially to get revenge on Eversmile—who was also the bastard in your dream, by the way—and partially because I wanted to be a good friend and let you punt that psycho for killing so many of your friends. Also… it will do you good in the long run."

"Not sure how to respond to that one… Thanks, I guess? What will happen to him now?"

"Oh, he will probably be revived or something—oh, and good riddance for smashing that little shit the first time around. He gets a full ten out of ten for being annoying. Either way, just kill him again next time, and that will be that. Though I doubt Eversmile will allow him anywhere near you moving forward. Now, on to more important things…" the Viper said as he pulled out two bottles from the empty air. "Drinking!"

"Where the hell did you get beer from?" Jake asked, clearly confused as he looked down at the familiar bottle.

"Your fridge," the Viper said as he popped it open.

"How the—?"

"God things."

"Oh… right."

Chapter 23

Beers & Exposition

At the edge of a crater in the middle of the forest, they sat drinking. The crater’s epicenter still carried the outline of what had once been a person with small smidgens of blood here and there.

Around them were several empty bottles. They chatted as they drank down the familiar liquid that Jake hadn’t tasted for over two months. It was oddly nostalgic despite it not even being that long. It took him back to simpler days with way less fighting and death.

Of course, he was still thoroughly grounded in his new reality by the scaled man he was drinking with.

They had chatted about useless stuff for the most part. Jake had asked a few questions about the system, though, and gotten some useful pieces of information.

Halfway through the conversation, Jake took out a small notebook he had kept with many questions he had built up surrounding the system. It took a bit of convincing, but he managed to get the Viper to spill the beans on some details. They both knew that it was just Jake’s attempt to keep his mind occupied, but the god relented.

One of the questions was related to the dungeon titles.

"Nah, the dungeon titles are as normal as they come—five levels to the title at E-rank, increasing with every race evolution. Don’t worry too much about it; you will get those done quite naturally more often than not. The stat bonuses increase as well. It is pretty normal for most everyone at the higher ranks to cap out at least the Dungeoneer title before every evolution."

Jake did try to get some info on actual dungeons but got shut down on that one. The Viper seemed quite adamant that for Jake to find out himself would be way more fun. The only thing he said was that dungeons came in many different forms, some of them not even recognized as real dungeons. They were also apparently temporal abnormalities that could "remember" who entered it and generate a new subspace for every new party or individual.

He also managed to get some precious info on the loot he had received.

"Gear? Eh, it has pretty set rules, actually. One can only get so much in a specific stat before equipment no longer gives anything—20% per individual stat. But you can only get a maximum increase of 15% to your total stats, so you can’t get the full 20% in all of them. And yes, that’s after all other bonuses such as titles, skills, consumables, and so on, making the number of stats you can get from gear increase even further. Strong gets stronger and all that. Though the stats from gear, as you have no doubt noticed, don’t receive any percentage bonuses."

He even managed to get some excellent info on affinities.

"Affinities are just what kind of mana your body is naturally aligned with. Most of it is innate and cannot be changed unless you do some really wacky shit. Classes can also offer a skill that grants you affinity towards a type of mana—even one you usually would never be able to achieve.

"That isn’t to say that affinities are set. They get more locked in the stronger you get, but it is possible to influence them somewhat at a low level. Environmental factors often do play a role. In other words, if you are born on a planet filled with water, chances are you are going to have water affinity.

"And if you wanted to, for example, get the water affinity, it may be possible if you decided to reside within a space with only mana of that affinity for a long enough period. But your level of affinity likely won’t ever reach a high level, so most just stick with whatever they have.

"As for how many different affinities there are? Not telling!"

Jake had to be honest that he felt a lot better after only a few hours of chatting. He still felt like a piece of shit, but it was better. But the Viper did have one question.

"How did you know about Eversmile? Pretty sure time was stopped, and you looked like you were very much affected.”

"I don’t really know. At one moment, I am just sitting there, and the next, I feel an influx of information in my mind, just a bunch of impressions bundled together. It showed the guy appear, make the corpse disappear, you coming, some talking or something, and then he was gone again."

The weird perceptions had clearly come from his sphere. It was as if his sphere had kept observing even after his mind was stopped, and upon resuming, it threw everything that had happened at him. It wasn’t painful or anything, and the knowledge was way more comfortably digested and understood than even what he got through a skill by the system.

"Interesting. Not to snoop, but it is related to your Bloodline, right?" the Malefic Viper asked.

"Yeah," Jake answered, not wanting to hide anything. He knew that if the Viper wished to do him harm, he would already be a goner either way. And his intuition told him that the god in front of him genuinely didn’t have any malicious intent… despite his name.

"I figured as much. But the next time anyone asks you that, act stupid or something. Bloodlines aren’t to be spoken of liberally.”

"Yeah, I guess you shouldn’t share the details of your skills," Jake said, seeing the logic in the words.

"Skills are one thing; Bloodlines are another," the Viper said, shaking his head. "The details of your Bloodline should be your closest guarded secret. The fact that you have one cannot be hidden, but what it does most certainly can. And while even the general power of it can be sensed by certain means, the specific details are only ever known to you and those you have shared it with."

"Why Bloodlines specifically?" Jake asked, a bit confused. Yes, his was most certainly extremely powerful… but why did he need to keep it under wraps?

"Because Bloodlines have a few distinctions that set them apart from everything else, one of them being…" The Viper turned a bit grave. "…they are hereditary."

"I remember reading it somewhere..." Jake said before asking, "How the hell does that even work?"

"Jake, do you know what Bloodlines even are?" the Viper asked, still sober.

"From what I gathered, innate abilities of some kind?"

"They are so much more than that… and yet so much less. Bloodlines are innate, as you say, but to call them abilities would be wrong. Bloodlines simply are. The system has granted all the skills you possess; they are given. Controlled by a particular set of rules. Bloodlines aren’t.

"A Bloodline exists outside the system. They aren’t controlled by it, simply interpreted. One could say that a Bloodline is the one thing that truly belongs to you. That has always belonged to you, always been a part of you. Which isn’t to say Bloodlines and the system don’t affect each other. They most certainly do. Just as much as any other part of what makes you, you. If not more.

"So I hope you can understand why many covet a beneficial Bloodline. Why many factions, clans, and powers want to have a Bloodline enter their fold. It represents a vast advantage above others. A Bloodline doesn’t take up a skill slot; it isn’t capped or controlled. If it gives anything positive, it is pure gain with no drawback.

"I cannot even begin to tell you the advantage a good Bloodline can give you. But remember that while a Bloodline can be a blessing, it can also be a curse. Not just because others want it, but because the Bloodline itself can be more a burden than a gift. From what I have gathered, you have one of the good ones. Treasure it, explore it, but keep that treasure buried deep and only share it with those you truly trust.

"I am not saying that you shouldn’t enter a faction or create connections with your Bloodline as a bargaining chip. All I am saying is to do it with caution. And if anyone ever tries to force you… Well, throw me a thought. I haven’t done a nice massacre for a while."

The long speech contained a lot…

None of the books he had ever read contained even close to that much on Bloodlines. Everything he knew about them was from the system or some vague mentions during the challenge dungeon. He had asked Casper after he unlocked it back then, and he didn’t know a thing. He had a lot of questions, but one especially burned in the back of his mind.

"How did I get a Bloodline? And what determines what it does?"

"You didn’t get a Bloodline; you have a Bloodline. And nothing determines what it does. You are your Bloodline; to talk about the two of them as if separate is nonsensical. You have always had your Bloodline, even before the system. Albeit far weaker and inactive, for the most part."

"I think I would remember having supernatural powers before the initiation," Jake answered, a bit skeptical.

"It may have been inactive, but based on the feeling it gives me, I doubt it. Think about what it does very carefully. Can you truly say that you haven’t felt even a tinge of its effects in your life? It wouldn’t be much, just small occurrences or areas where you did almost impossible things."

Jake fell into thought at the question. Maybe he had? Thinking about it, his Bloodline just made him better at ordinary things. It gave him great intuition, enhanced instincts, and great awareness of his surroundings, if he had to boil it down.

He had always had a pretty good gut feeling about things, which is also why he did so well at his job. Of course, his personal fault of often ignoring his gut feelings to avoid problems hindered that effect a bit.

As for better instincts, who could say? He had great reflexes and the ability to control his body—one of the reasons why he had been good at archery. His Bloodline also increased the Perception stat, and the only stat he had entered the tutorial with at 10 was Perception. Which meant it was already as good as it could be.

"Yeah… maybe I did," he said after a bit of thinking. It was honestly hard to say. It was as the Viper said. His Bloodline just made him more… him. It increased innate things that all humans had. Everyone had gut feelings; everyone had instincts and that weird “eyes on the back of their head” feeling if someone stared at them. Jake had just taken it all to the next extreme level.

"Just keep it to yourself is all I am saying. It is quite possibly your greatest advantage over others.” The Viper emptied the bottle in his hand.

"How common is it to have a Bloodline?" Jake asked.

"Quite rare, though more common the higher rank you get. They are a lot more common for new initiates like you, but new Bloodlines appearing in older universes are quite rare. Especially the useful ones.” The god fished out yet another bottle from empty air.

"Why is it more common at higher ranks? Didn’t you say that it is something you are born with?"

"Yeah, that is how Bloodlines appear. But it isn’t always how they are attained. Some Bloodlines are also just awakened at a higher rank."

"How could you then attain a Bloodline at a higher rank? Is it possible to steal a Bloodline?" Jake began to consider the horrible implications of that.

"Hah, no. I told you already, you are the Bloodline, and the Bloodline is you. Absolutely inseparable.” The Viper gave a small laugh. "I guess I have to explain a bit about souls. The Bloodline doesn’t really exist in your body but within your soul—the deepest part of your soul. A soul is made up of many layers, each serving a function.

"The outermost layer is what you use to interact with the world. It holds your senses, your thoughts. If it is broken, you lose consciousness. That layer will just regenerate with time. Heck, yours has already been broken a time or two. A lot of skills and magics interact with this layer.

"The second layer holds memories and experiences. This layer is far harder to get to, but it is possible through magic. This is the layer that many schools of magic, such as mind magic, hypnosis, and illusions, touch upon.

"The third layer is the subconscious layer. This is quite similar to the second layer in that it pretty much still holds everything the second layer does, just in a weird condensed form. This is where your personality and your motor skills and such reside. Touching this layer with magic is only done by the most powerful, and even then, it is often only to affect it slightly.

"The fourth layer holds your energies—your mana, your stamina, and your health. Affecting this layer is far easier than any of the others, funnily enough. But to permanently effect it is borderline impossible.

"Finally, there is the core. This is often referred to as the Truesoul. This part does only one thing, and yet it does everything. It holds your Records. Everything you are, everything you have ever done, all your stats, your skills. No skill can touch upon the Truesoul. It is only the system that can ever touch this layer.

"It is deep within this Truesoul that your Bloodline dwells. It has come to be without the system, and it is intricately interconnected with your Records. In fact, some say that the Status Menu is just an overview of your Truesoul given by the system."

Jake sat quietly listening to the useful exposition. Without a doubt, this conversation had been the most informative he had had since the initiation by the system. But one thing did bug him.

"You said that one could attain a Bloodline, though, and if it is in this Truesoul, then how can anyone get it? Didn’t you say that Bloodlines were outside the system?"

"The system cannot create Bloodlines, but it can recycle them. When you genuinely die, your Truesoul returns to… somewhere. It returns to the system. From there, it can be recycled. While the system cannot, or perhaps will not, touch the Bloodline, it can extract it.

"This Bloodline can then be granted to someone else. This isn’t to say that it is easy to get one. It is among the highest tier of rewards the system ever gives out. It can only be earned through extraordinary means and/or incredibly difficult trials or tests. From this, it's quite clear how much the system values Bloodlines.” The Viper finished by handing Jake yet another bottle of beer.

"Kind of curious, do you have a Bloodline?" Jake asked, knowing full well that he had just been told that sharing it was not advised.

"Well yeah, but I wasn’t a lucky bastard like you. Mine is the attained kind," the Viper said in a mocking tone.

"Sorry for being born, oh mister ‘I am a literal god,’" Jake joked back. "So, what rank were you when you got your Bloodline?"

"Getting an inch and asking for a mile." the poor god shook his head in faux disappointment. "I was already a god when I got mine. So yeah, I had to get all the way to godhood without being a cheat."

"Once again, I humbly apologize, oh supreme one," Jake snickered. "Does your Bloodline also give a stat increase?"

Raising an eyebrow, the Malefic Viper asked: "Does yours? Percentage or flat value? What stats?"

"It increases Perception by a percentage. Was 5% at that weird G-rank, 10% at F-rank, and now 15% at E-rank," Jake answered as he took another chug of his beer, savoring the taste.

"And I assume this is far from the only thing the Bloodline does?"

"Nah, it does a bunch of other things. Even upgraded a rare skill straight to ancient rarity before just transforming it entirely and allowing me to make a legendary skill. Oh yeah, that netted me another title," Jake said nonchalantly. It shouldn’t be that fantastic in his own mind with how powerful Bloodlines sounded, but still somewhat useful.

"Jake," the Viper said, "from this day on, never talk about the details of your Bloodline again. Especially not the stat part and the skill."

"Wait, why? Is there something wrong with that?" Jake asked, taken aback. "Doesn’t your Bloodline do something similar?"

"No, it doesn’t," the Malefic Viper said with a severe look. "Not even close."

Chapter 24

Of Fate & Destiny

"Okay… no talking about Bloodlines…" Jake said, a bit hesitant but not arguing back.

They both sat in silence for a while before the Viper spoke again. "But… it does explain quite a few things…"

"What do you mean?"

"About this entire tutorial of yours. This tutorial was more than a little… unique. Eversmile said that it was ‘ruined,’ but I think ‘changed’ would be a better word."

"… Again, what do you mean?"

The Malefic smiled at him as he leaned back. "I guess we should talk about it… so let me tell you a story, Jake… about a particular tutorial during the integration of the 93rd Universe.

"In this story, we have two main characters—one who enters with his nine colleagues, and one who enters on his lonesome. The lonesome one quickly finds his stride as he discovers a wand and kills the ones he entered with. This shall be the impetus for him to realize his destiny.

"As for the other, he struggles a bit more. But he has some competent people around him who help him in the start. But already on the first day, it goes wrong when a large beast attacks them, and they lose two."

Jake looked confused as he interrupted. "That isn’t what happened; we—"

"This isn’t your story, Jake, so stop interrupting," the Viper said with a playful smile. "This is the story of what was to happen. A story of fate and destiny.

"Now, where was I? Oh, yeah, two dead colleagues. Anyway, they struggle to survive and end up making camp to rest for the night. One of our protagonist’s colleagues sits watch alone for a while as they try to get sleep. But the night would not turn out to be a restful one.

"Three attackers appear in the night, and despite his efforts, the one on watch dies. Jacob mourns as he has lost three friends that day: Dennis, Lina, and Jake."

Now even more confused, Jake did all he could not to interrupt, as he had even forgotten the bottle of beer in his hand.

"They fight off the ambushers but take injuries. They are soon found by a man named Richard and his lieutenant Nicholas. Half-coerced, they join him."

After that, the Viper pretty much summarized what had happened to his colleagues while he was in the dungeon. How they had struggled and how many had died as they were split up. But there were some differences that Jake quickly noticed…

"I killed Nicholas," he said, instantly giving an apologetic look as he had interrupted.

"That you did, Jake. You not being dead at this point sure screws up the story, right? Anyway, let me continue.

"Now, our second protagonist is our old friend William. The chosen one. Born with an incredible innate talent for mana manipulation and a mentality very suited for one striving for the top. Ruthless and determined.

"But he is also broken in many ways. He is arrogant, delusional, and, most importantly, he is limited in comprehending the world. He does not understand emotions, which will come back to bite him in the ass down the line but is very beneficial in the early days.

"Ah, but I wouldn’t worry, because the screenwriter will fix this through some character development. The screenwriter, Eversmile, will pay off other divine actors, and they will outsource to their mortal counterparts in the tutorial. Make sure he develops in the intended direction. Gets the things he needs when he needs them.

"He teams up with a few essential side characters. While Richard manipulates William, Richard himself is slowly being manipulated by his former right-hand-man, Nicholas."

The Viper then once more summarized what had happened after he left the dungeon. Again, with slight changes that the god made sure to point out. When he came to the final fight, he summarized it but added,

"Without Nicholas’ betrayal at the final moment, William got put out of commission for far too long. In this version, William is also betrayed because Nicholas fears his power, and he ends up fleeing the battlefield, wounded but still alive and able to keep up his leveling speed.

"Hayden is also still alive in this play, which is why the fight is so equal, to begin with.

"Nicholas returns to camp, where things go downwards. He is even crueler than Richard and forces the second protagonist, Jacob, to still work for him and keep everyone in line. Those who step out of line are openly killed… or worse.

"Yet Jacob holds on to hope and gives them hope too… finally realizing his own destiny as he becomes an Augur. He begins to truly lead the camp as he grows in levels, with even Nicholas coming to respect him as a spiritual guide, with Jacob happy to remain a supporting character.

"Until one day, William returns. Far more powerful than before, he slaughters every single fighter in the camp, Nicholas included. He did not come for the crafters, but he changes his mind when he gets the quest to be a leader. He is a perfectionist, after all.

"Jacob pleads and, in the end, is allowed to save the souls of the crafters. After that, he is ‘killed’ and ascends like in your version.

"After that, William goes and does his own thing, the sole survivor of the tutorial. With the quest in the bag, he travels and kills until the end.

"And as such ends perhaps the most interfered-with tutorial of the 93rd Universe, if it isn't the most messed-with ever, with Eversmile having spent far more resources than reasonable but getting a disciple out of it, the Holy Mother an Augur, and your pal Casper still an undead. Counting the bodyguard of the Augur, Bertram, only four survivors out of twelve hundred remained. Me, still within my own realm, doing nothing."

"But that isn’t how it went," Jake concluded.

"No, that is what was meant to happen—what fate had in store, and what had been divined by the most powerful of gods. Yet introduce one new element, one single actor not following the script, and destiny goes down the shitter.

"A single Hunter that didn’t die the night he was supposed to, holding a Bloodline that was not part of what was divined, and the will and determination to shatter the chains of fate over and over again."

"So… to summarize, a bunch of dickwad gods played… well, gods, and manipulated everything in this tutorial to get what they wanted? Or at least tried to?" Jake asked, more than a little annoyed at the notion.

"Pretty much.” The Viper smiled.

"I am still not sure I get that whole destiny or fate crap," Jake said, wondering out loud. "If a single variable, a single moment of chance, can alter the course so significantly, can you even call it fate?"

"Normally, yes. Fate, in my view, is just a glorified analysis of probabilities. With the support of skills, stats, and the system, they tend to often be correct. Especially when some are satisfied surrendering themselves to their fates once they know it. Or go one step further, and try to realize an intended destiny, even if it is a bad one: your friend Jacob, case in point.

"Eversmile, the Holy Mother, and those gods that Eversmile paid off did much to direct fate in the direction they wanted. They divined what would happen and made slight changes to get what they wanted. Sacrificed pawns and played their game—Jacob being a willing pawn. This is likely why he could become an Augur, to begin with.

"Augurs don’t challenge fate; they work to realize it. And when fate is written by the gods…"

"Yeah, I get it… I still don’t like it, though,” Jake muttered, clearly frustrated. “When am I to know if I am doing things because some god wants me to or if I make my own decision? How do I know I am not just following some fate or destiny that you created for me, and that this entire conversation is just an attempt to make me do something?"

"You don’t. But I can promise you that I won’t try to guide you down some preset path I want you to walk. That isn’t how friendship works. I can give you tips and advice, but I will never tell you what to do. The reason why I gave you Shroud of the Primordial is because I abhor those who try to manipulate destiny and fate.

"With it, only the most powerful of gods can possibly influence it. You will be a constant spanner in their carefully constructed machine of fate. Every single one of your actions will fuck it up to the level of them not even bothering.” He finished with a toothy smile.

"So… I will piss off a bunch of gods just by existing?"

"Nah, don’t take it that bad. Most gods don’t try to mess with fate. Even the powerful ones, such as the Holy Mother, only tend to follow fate and use it as a tool to judge who is worthy of uplifting and who is not. Only maniacs like Eversmile fuck with it on a large scale like this tutorial."

"Wait, won’t William return to Earth too? Won’t that mean that Eversmile fellow will keep fucking with things there to try and… Wait, what does he even want?" It was a question he should likely have asked a long time ago.

"I don’t know, but if I am candid, I don’t even think he is that annoyed at what happened here today. In his mind, it will just spice up whatever insane experiment he has ongoing," the Viper said with a shrug. "Though I am positive he is a least a little annoyed."

"This is all a lot of information I don’t have any idea what to do with…" Jake sighed as he looked up towards the artificial sun. "It all feels needlessly complicated…"

The Malefic Viper couldn’t help but hold back a laugh as he spoke in a cheerful voice. "And that, Jake, is why I have never cared much for the concepts of fate and destiny. Because the actors that truly matter are unconfined by it; they are the ones who go above and beyond what their destiny has in store. Not a single god has ever been divined to godhood, not one genuinely remarkable being destined to reach their station.

"I was once divined to die at only D-grade. Tens of times at C-grade. Hundreds after that by seers, soothsayers, augurs. One after another, I shattered their feeble divinations.

"So all I ask of you, Jake, is to keep doing exactly what you already are. Keep telling destiny how much of a little bitch it is, and reach for power that was never fated to be yours. Because fuck fate, fuck destiny. The path you forge is your own, and don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

"You call it complicated? Well, it fucking is, so stop giving a shit about it. You do you, and I think you’ll be just fine. Learn from your mistakes, improve yourself, never be satisfied with where you are or what you have.

"Anyway. Today you shattered fate and fucked up Eversmile’s plans with a slight assist from me. Just put William out of your mind and focus on what you need to do. If I recall correctly, you have another dungeon to clear."

"All in a good day’s work," Jake said, smiling. "Thanks, man… I needed to get my head straight."

"No problem. That’s what your best-bud-god is for," the Viper said, returning the smile.

"But there is one thing that has been bothering me for a very long time," Jake said, as he suddenly turned severe. "Don’t you have a name?"

The Viper looked at Jake for a few moments before he burst out laughing. "I totally forgot! Man, this is just fucking awkward…"

Extending his hand forward, he made a big goofy smile. "Name’s Vilastromoz, better known as the Malefic Viper."

Taking the hand, Jake shook it and smiled. "Jake Thayne, better known as just Jake. Nice to meet you… Villy."

Grimacing a bit, the Viper chuckled. "While I have been called Vilas before… that one is a first. I am pretty sure I know of at least a handful of religious organizations who would have you lynched for such blasphemy."

"Oh, come on, Villy… What if I promise never to badmouth blue mushrooms again?" Jake laughed at the threat of being hunted down by several multiversal forces.

"Deal!" Vilastromoz, or Villy, said with a victorious grin. "You escaped righteous retribution this time!"

"Lucky me," Jake said before he actually turned a bit serious. "You told me he would bring William back to life, right?"

"Yeah, but it is a one-time thing through the method I am suspecting. The psycho kid won’t be able to be revived again, so his next death will very likely be his last.”

"About that… could you promise me something?"

"Depends?"

"If I ever die," Jake said without hesitation, "promise not to revive me."

"Wait, why?" the Viper asked, genuinely confused.

"Because it would feel… hollow. I don’t want to have some divine measure up my sleeve that can save me or some literal deus ex machina descend to fix me if I fuck up… I want my battles to be of life and death. If my opponent is risking their lives, it would feel unfair not to do the same. It would take the excitement out of it… lessen the value of the challenge… It… wouldn’t feel right. To know that ‘I won’t really die’ would be… boring."

The Viper looked at him with hesitation before he answered, "Alright, as long as it’s your challenges and your fights. I don’t want you killed because of some rogue element who wants revenge on me through you. Deal?"

"Deal," Jake said as they shook hands for the second time that day. "Anyway, time for me to head off… I got stuff to do, and I am kind of on a timer. We aren’t all bored immortal gods, after all."

"Yep, ya better get going. See ya ‘round, and don’t get in over your head." Vilastromoz swept up all the beer bottles, making the area look like he had never been there.

* * *

The moment Jake was out of sight, the Viper frowned a bit.

He had spoken a lot about fate… and how he had masked Jake through the Shroud of the Primordial. It was enough to hide him from any but the strongest of gods who specialized in divination and karma… even enough for it to obscure Eversmile’s sight slightly.

But… there still was one person who could predict it. Himself.

When he’d made his prediction to see what would happen if he made William go to Jake, Vilastromoz had clearly seen the result. But he’d also seen a bit beyond that.

It wasn’t perfect, as even his own skill obscured his prediction slightly… but he saw enough… and no matter how he looked at it, the result was clear.

Jake wasn’t fated to win against the King of the Forest.

Chapter 25

William & Jake

The smiling white-haired man stepped through the void, into what appeared to be an ordinary western suburban house. But outside the windows were not the streets of the suburb, but a vast void of nothingness.

He waved his hand and summoned a broken, nearly body-shaped mess of metal, blood, and gore. With another wave, time itself reversed, and the armor returned to pristine condition once more. Everything returned to normal, except for the life of the person inside the armor.

Death, even with the system, was not that easily circumvented. To restore a broken body was simple. But to truly revive someone who has died… difficult. Difficult and costly. Even to the gods of the highest order.

Even if one managed to revive the dead, it often came with several drawbacks—mental issues, inability to utilize their stats, missing skills, et cetera. But perhaps most crippling was the loss of a future. The inability for the revived to progress properly further on their own path.

There were ways to truly revive the dead. Ways for it to have not a single drawback… but that required several conditions to be met, and often special items or skills with a considerable cost. Luckily, Eversmile had all of those.

Flicking his wrist, he took out a small golden leaf. [Golden Leaf of Yggdrasil]. An item far from easily obtained, and one that couldn’t be bought no matter how much money one spent. For Eversmile, it had cost him a favor to the old tree herself. A hefty price, but he had believed it to be worth it.

Yet it had cost him another favor for something as simple as retrieving the body of an E-grade mortal. A cost he had not expected. Eversmile did feel an ounce of annoyance towards his fellow Primordial for exploiting his desires, but it was par for the course for the Malefic One.

Eversmile moved the body of William to a bed in the room and lay the leaf on the young teenager’s forehead. Moments later, it started shining and sunk into his brain, disappearing.

* * *

Moments later, the teenager’s eyes opened wide, and he screamed towards the ceiling.

William’s last memories flickered in his mind. The sudden pain, the shaking, the disorientation, and the feeling of powerlessness. And then… nothing.

He had died. William felt it. He remembered dying; he remembered how it had all turned to nothing. Everything he had been, everything he could be, snuffed out in mere moments.

"Good, you seem awake and aware," William heard a voice say as he sat up with shock. He saw a weird-looking man with a creepy smile on his face.

"What the fuck happened, and why am I here?" the teenager asked as he jumped up from the bed.

"You died, of course," the old man said, "and I revived you."

William looked with wide eyes at the creepy old man as he kept smiling. He had really died…

"Why would you do that?"

"Because, little one," he said as he ran his hand through his beard, "I find you worth studying."

"So, what, you revived me to be some fucking guinea pig or something?"

"No, no, not at all. I revived you for you to continue being you. Of course, your death changed things a little, but perhaps I can turn this to my advantage. What would you say to becoming my disciple, little one? To become my student, and on your path to power, so shall I learn from you. I believe this would be very mutually beneficial."

"Disciple?” William asked, distraught at the situation. “What are you on about? Where the hell am I, and what happened to the damn tutorial? What the fuck is going on!?"

In a few minutes, he had gone through dying, being revived, finding himself transported to who-knows-where, and now asked by a weird, smiling old man to become his disciple. What the hell was this?

"The tutorial is over for you,” the man said patiently. “You failed it the moment you died. But don’t worry, you will still get a reward of some sort. But you have lost half of your points and the qualifications to receive any extra bonus awards based on what happens in the tutorial moving forward.

"I took your body from the tutorial to where we are now. Just a small spot I picked, and I hope you like the surroundings. I hope they are comforting."

William looked around him for the first time and noticed… this was his damn house. His parent’s house. He saw the familiar globe on his desk, his bookcase, dresser. He had been lying on his own bed.

"Are we on Earth?" he asked, his eyes darting around the room.

"No, it is still transforming. I just assumed that familiar surroundings would prove helpful."

"Where the fuck are we, then? And how did you get my house to wherever here is?" William yelled as he tried looking out a window. A window that only showed pure darkness.

"This isn’t truly your house; I just remade it to look like it. Copied it, if you will. Why, do you not find it suitable?" The old man raised an eyebrow.

"No, I fucking don’t! This is creepy as fuck, you are weird as fuck, and this entire fucking thing is fucked!"

"Now, now, calm down, little one," the man said, still smiling amicably. "I do not wish you any harm at all. I understand your frustration, but please, ask of me anything, and I shall try to accommodate or explain."

"First of all, get me out of this creepy-ass house and tell me who the fuck you are already!" William yelled, veins showing on his neck.

"The first one is easy," the old man said as he waved his hand.

The entire house turned to small wisps of lights little by little as William lost his footing but kept floating where he had been. The whole house disintegrated in a matter of moments, leaving the two floating in the vastness of nothing, the only source of light left a single lamp from the building still suspended between them.

"As for who I am?" he said, his smile growing a bit larger. "I am known as Eversmile of the Twelve Primordials. I am a god, but more than that, I am a scholar. I hold many other titles, little that hold any meaning to you. Just know that I wish to learn about you—from you."

Having once more lost his bearings, and looking around at the void surrounding him, William felt genuine fear. He felt that with a single thought the being in front of him could make him cease to exist or condemn him to live out the rest of his days in this… nothingness.

"Wha… what do you want?" William stammered out.

"I want you as my disciple. My follower. I wish to teach you and see you prosper from that knowledge." Eversmile seemed unconcerned with the mortal’s apparent fear. His aura was bearing down on William, indifferent with the distraught it brought him.

"Why… What do you want me to learn?" the teenager got out after a bit.

"Karma, little one," the old man said. "The bonds that bind us all together; the connections we form willingly or unwillingly. The feeble strings of fate that bind us together, the unbreakable chains that make two lovers inseparable.

"The power that binds our words and actions together, the power that judges the truth from the lies. A concept none can escape from, that affects us all. The favors owed, the promises made, and—perhaps the one most interesting of all for you—the blood debts owed."

William just looked at him, unable to comprehend what was going on, but a single figure appeared in his mind when he heard the last part.

He shook unwillingly as the memories from just before he’d felt his mind rattled came forth like a tidal wave. The final word he heard a cold "die," and the last thing he saw was those two eyes staring at him… William was afraid… He didn’t want to meet those eyes again… ever… They regarded him like he was some pathetic bug…

"I…I don’t—" he muttered.

* * *

Eversmile just kept smiling as he watched the young man before him slowly deteriorate mentally.

While Vilastromoz and his Chosen had sidetracked his experiment, it didn’t mean it was ruined. Oh, no, far from it. This was good too. But he did plan on making sure that the subject didn’t encounter the Viper’s Chosen any time soon. He had a feeling the results of that would be… unfortunate.

And not for the Chosen.

* * *

Jake walked through the forest once more, still savoring the taste of beer in his mouth. It was amazing how something so normal for him less than two months ago felt so damn good now.

He had learned a lot from the conversation… and it had helped him get his head straight.

It felt nice to know that, apparently, his Bloodline was pretty damn good. The things about fate and destiny and all that crap were really far above his paygrade. Jake just wanted to hunt and challenge himself right now… He didn’t want to or feel like he had the time or desire to think about such needlessly complicated subjects.

Also, it made him think back on something he had asked just after the Viper had summoned the beers.

"Won’t it mess up the tutorial that you have come here?"

"Nah, I didn’t do anything, did I?” the Viper had answered, shrugging. “The system can be pretty lax when the interference is nonexistent like this. But if I went and actually did something to help you… well, I don’t even think I could."

Jake wasn't sure exactly how much or how little the gods could actually do in the tutorial. He assumed there were some limitations. Why wouldn’t Eversmile have just saved William before Jake killed him if there wasn’t?

Walking through the forest, Jake was finally able to think a bit more clearly about what had happened. The entire fight, if you could even call it that, had been over in an instant.

William had clearly not been prepared and had underestimated Jake to the extreme. He hadn’t been even five meters away at the end, hadn’t been on guard at all.

If he had been ready, perhaps it would have been a fight. But instead, he’d been smashed into the ground before he could react, the dark mana, as well as the impact, disorientating him. He hadn’t managed to muster any retaliation as Jake bombarded him with blasts of mana right after.

The caster had low Vitality and Toughness, something entirely normal for a caster. Jake had far higher Agility, as one would expect from an Archer. Coupled with a powerful weapon, a rare quality skill, and the element of surprise, it wasn’t that surprising of a result.

Opening his notification, he finally saw the messages he had received—the first one of the kill itself.

*You have slain [Human (E) - lvl 42 / Metal Savant - lvl 60 / Novice Smith – lvl 24] Experience earned. 72,654,214 TP earned*

He was a bit shocked that he had reached level 60 in his class, especially considering how easily he had died. Also… what was better, prodigy or savant? Maybe similar? Damn, he should have checked the notifications before the Viper left so that he could have asked him.

The other part that surprised him was the number of tutorial points. That was actually a lot. Jake had more than William, even before he had just gotten half of his, but that still meant William had gathered nearly one hundred fifty million tutorial points.

That was the same as around four thousand level 40 mobs, which quite honestly was just far more than Jake had imagined. But if he thought about it… how many beasts did the parties kill to clear the entire outer area? And William had apparently killed close to every other survivor. The number of creatures they must have killed together had to be… immense. And William had gotten half of that.

Now Jake had gotten half of his. He opened the tutorial panel, the full one, for the first time in a while.

[Tutorial Panel]

Duration: 5 days & 23:16:41

Total Survivors Remaining: 1/1200

TP Collected: 257,547,125

His tutorial points were honestly quite insane. Two hundred fifty-seven million, with more than one hundred million of those from the sewer dungeon alone. He had killed a lot of rats. A lot.

He had spent around five hours talking with the Viper. Considering how little time he had left to clear an entire dungeon and then face the King of the Forest, it did seem like a waste of time on the surface. But Jake didn’t regret it at all.

Mentally he had been a goddamn mess, and he honestly still was. At least it wasn’t repressed anymore, and he could face it openly and work to better himself.

He already had very few people in his life he considered close. It was just a few of his close colleagues, most now dead, and his immediate family. His parents and brother, to be more exact. He had steeled himself to seek out his family first thing after the tutorial.

He did miss them. He hoped that they’d survived, and now actually had started thinking about it. Before, it had been just another thought he had ignored. But now he had faced it, and perhaps even begun preparing himself a bit mentally. Their death was probable, especially if you took this tutorial as a reference.

The fact that he was the only human left in the tutorial did weigh on his mind quite a bit, but it was manageable. If he had to look on the positive side… it did mean that there would be no more disturbances. That he had absolutely no excuses anymore to not succeed in his quest to slay the King. His only source of failure would be his own incompetence. He preferred it that way.

Jake had to admit that no matter how many soul-searching conversations and meaningful reflection periods, he was still, in the end, very much a one-track-mind type of guy. He excelled when he had a goal to work towards, and he was good at doing just that. Now he just had to try and not let it destroy everything else around him.

Returning his attention to his system messages, he went to the last thing on the list, which he had neither expected nor ever thought of. Upon killing William, he had received and apparently completed a tutorial quest.

Tutorial Quest: A Leader is born

Objective: Become the sole leader of at least 90% of the other humans during the tutorial.

Current progress: 100%

Eliminate other leaders: 0/0

Quest Completed!

Reward given upon the conclusion of the tutorial.

He had never asked for nor wanted this quest, and yet he had completed it. He didn’t know why he’d gotten it, and he honestly didn’t care. If Jake was sure of one thing about himself, it was that he wasn’t suited to be a leader. He was already terrible around people; he could only imagine how awful he would be at leading them.

Who knows, maybe the reward will be okay? Jake thought as he tried to cheer himself up a little.

Closing the notification menu, he moved on to the next course of business, which was the second-largest mountain-like volcano in the tutorial area—the location of the final dungeon and the final Beast Lord.

But before that… it was time for some spring cleaning.

Chapter 26

Spring Cleaning = Loot 3.0

Jake practically flew through the terrain as he ran across the valley, scanning it with his sphere wherever he went. He didn’t really encounter any enemies on the way, something he very much appreciated.

William had done an outstanding job of clearing out a lot of beasts in the inner area. Not that it particularly mattered, as all the beasts he came across avoided him like the plague—all except for a single buffalo that had chosen to stand up to him, which netted it a quick Infused Powershot to the face.

He was currently scanning the valleys for those sweet lockboxes. It was clean-up time.

His rationale was that he still required a few critical pieces of loot, and if he were stronger, he would be able to clear the final dungeon more easily. Likely even take some more risks to do it faster, or compromise on how he liked to fight.

The Malefic Viper had told him about equipment, and he had done the math on how much more he could get. As he could have a maximum of 20% in any given stat, but only 15% of his total stats could be from gear, he saw that he had ample space to grow.

Currently, he had a total of 353 stat points from equipment. It felt like a lot, but the total amount he could get was 603, meaning he was only a little over half of what he could have at maximum. A quick calculation of his stats showed how much he could get in each:

Strength: 18/71

Agility: 60/90

Endurance: 45/67

Vitality: 75/94

Toughness: 50/68

Wisdom: 35/101

Intelligence: 45/45

Perception: 20/202

Willpower: 5/64

Total: 353/603

The only stat he had maxed out on was Intelligence, and it appeared that it had been maxed out the moment he got his gloves. The ring he had taken off the Ice Witch what felt like ages ago, together with the gloves, did indeed provide precisely 45.

None of the other stats were capped at all. Where Jake really wanted to find some equipment was to get some more Strength and Agility. He felt like those two would have the most immediate value. Not that he would complain about getting some more Perception either…

His Perception was already at a ridiculous level, having reached over 1000 with all his titles and his Bloodline. 1033 to be exact. Yet he had kept investing all his Free Points into it as it just seemed efficient. He had to admit that he was starting to feel the lack of value in it, besides the raw number just going up.

While it did increase his reaction speed and his senses, his body could no longer keep up. For a while, it had been like that, actually. His Agility and Strength were simply not able to follow the commands he issued it.

Having gotten the Mark of the Ambitious Hunter was quite fortunate. The damage increase it was meant to provide was likely meant to be far less than what his version of the Mark provided. But as it scaled with Perception, Jake had increased the damage done by quite a bit, especially coupled with his primary damage source being through poisons.

Still, he likely should have considered investing some more points in the two physical stats, but it wasn’t like they were at a terrible level. And he often made up for his lack of raw power in stats through his Infused Powershot and newly gained Dark Descending Fang.

Of course, he also got the bonus from Big Game Hunter, an often forgotten skill that raised his Strength and Agility against higher-leveled foes, meaning it was pretty much always active during fights. The bonus wasn’t that big, but it did help him to close the gap somewhat.

So, if he had so much available space to improve just by being a bit lucky and finding some lovely baubles, he wasn’t going to ignore it. Getting only 100 stat points more would be the same as several levels. If he got lucky, he could even find some more unique items and, if he got really lucky, a bow.

Besides, it was calming to run through the valleys with his speed as he scanned it—the wind blowing through his hair, the feeling of freedom and ease of movement as he jumped forward, sometimes tens of meters in a single long leap.

He spent nearly three hours doing this, going through most of the valleys in the inner area that he hadn’t been to earlier. He had pushed himself both physically and mentally with his sphere, and it felt great when he looked at the pile of loot he had gathered.

First, he sorted all the useless stuff. He had a bunch of gear clearly suitable for heavier classes, such as breastplates, greaves, steel gauntlets, two-handed axes and swords, a shield, and so on and so forth.

He had collected more than fifty things in total, of which only five held any value or were interesting enough to note. The first of which was an upgrade token.

[Tutorial equipment upgrade token (Uncommon)] – Upgrade any common-rarity starting item from the tutorial to uncommon rarity.

This one was pretty self-evident, and he had been very tempted to use it on his bow right away the moment he found it, but had held off in case he actually found a better bow.

The second item was something he found interesting but had no intention of ever using.

[Hatchet of Halfdan the Brave (Rare)] – A hatchet infused with Records of a fallen warrior, Halfdan. With his axe in hand, he fought for his family and fell for his home. The axe is made of simple wood with an iron head. Grants the wielder a small part of the once great man’s bravery. Enchantments: Grants the skill: [Halfdan’s Bravery (Rare)]

Requirements: Lvl 50+ in any humanoid race.

This one was interesting because it came with actual history and, of course, because of its rarity. Jake had wanted to try to use it to see what the skill was but found himself unable to bind it. It was weird, because he didn’t feel like it was related to mana affinities. It was just like the weapon… didn’t like him or something. Quite rude, actually.

The third piece of loot was one he would actually use, an upgrade to an item he already had.

[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 user. Enchantments: +30 Strength, +20 Agility, +20 Perception.

Requirements: Lvl 40+ in any humanoid race.

This ring would replace his Ring of Brilliance, which would deprive Jake of 10 Intelligence, 10 Wisdom, and 5 Willpower, but it would be more than a worthy trade-off. He also found it interesting to compare it to the other ring he already had.

[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 user. Enchantments: +20 Perception, +15 Agility, +15 Strength.

Requirements: Lvl 30+ in any humanoid race.

Apparently, tigers with special eyes were popular to make rings from. Or maybe the system had just selected that archetype for some reason. Nevertheless, it was just the kind of ring he had wanted. He did get two other rings too, but neither of those were of any interest to him.

Jake had also discovered through this that he could only have two rings on for some reason. Well, he could technically have as many on as he could fit on his fingers, but he would only get the benefits of two of them. Whenever he tried to bind the third ring, it wouldn’t work before he “let go” of one of the two he already had.

The weird ability that all rings carried—keeping them out of the way by making them effectively intangible—also only worked on two rings at once. It was weird that he had to put his rings on before the gloves, but he could neither feel nor see he had a ring on upon wearing the gloves. System-fuckery to the rescue, Jake laughed a bit internally.

The fourth item of interest he had found was one of those special items he had hoped to find, one that could hopefully prove useful against the King or perhaps the final Beast Lord.

[Seed of Entangling Roots (Uncommon)] – A seed filled with the dense power of life and nature. Infuse with mana and throw it to the ground for roots to sprout and entangle your chosen foe. Seed is consumed upon use.

It could temporarily incapacitate, something he could see a myriad of advantages with. At first, he had feared he would be unable to use it due to lack of affinity, but luckily it had responded positively to his mana. He also had one more idea to maybe make it a bit… interesting.

If he used his alchemy skills to infuse some poison into it through Touch of the Malefic Viper and then used Cultivate Poison to make it fester and work its way through the item, he could perhaps make it do a bit more than just entangle foes. But he wasn’t sure if he would ever find time to try that out.

As for the final item of value he found... it was a weapon rumored and foretold of for ages, one he had only dreamed of yet never truly imagined he would get—a new bow.

[Windsoar Bow (Rare)] – A bow made from a tree inhabited by wind elementals. The string made from the sinew of the beast that dared destroy their home. Now restored to a form made for hunting down the beasts hated by the young elementals. The elementals’ spirit and mana have left their mark upon the wood, making it light and flexible. The remnant will of the spirits within blesses any arrow fired. Enchantments: Windsoar.

Requirements: Lvl 50+ in any humanoid race.

He was very, very pleased when he found the bow, but he did have one sneaking fear in the back of his mind. Could he use it? He still remembered the nature-affinity blade and the light-affinity staff that had both been unusable. Heck, even the axe he had just found didn’t like him.

This bow was clearly of the wind affinity or something like that. Heck, it clearly had both a mana affinity and a history attached to it. Jake knew he had dark affinity, but did he also have wind?

With more than a little internal fear, he had grabbed the bow in his hand and injected mana into it after sending a little prayer the way of his friendly neighborhood god.

And praise the Viper, for he felt the mana slip into the bow with no resistance and instantly felt the connection with it—a major success, to say the least. It had also inadvertently confirmed that he had the wind affinity as well as dark affinity.

Feeling the bow out in his hand, he got used to the weight as he noted how light it was. Unnaturally so, as it felt practically weightless. Luckily it didn’t affect the bow itself as he nocked an arrow and pulled the string.

As with his old bow, the pull Strength was magically altered somehow, making him struggle to pull the string, but not overly much.

Firing an arrow, he instantly felt one big difference from his old bow, however. While the arrow’s power had only increased by a little, he could feel the changes around said arrow.

As it flew through the air, it was as if the wind gave way to it. Like it gently moved out of the way and pushed it forward towards its target.

Upon striking the tree he had aimed at, the arrow went straight through and out the other side. If he had to estimate, then he would say his standard shot was around ten to fifteen percent stronger with the new bow. It wasn’t as much as a melee weapon provided, but it did have one more significant advantage.

Currently, his largest limiter on Infused Powershot had been his bow. He knew that if he pushed more mana into it than he currently did at his maximum power, it would explode just like his first bow had done during his fight with the Alpha Badger.

But with this new bow, he could push it further. His own body still limited him, but the bow wouldn’t be the bottleneck for now.

Infused Powershot had been his bread and butter for quite a while. He had nothing that could come even close to a fully charged Infused Powershot. The power behind it was quite honestly ridiculous. Powershot before he had upgraded it was already great, and Infused Powershot simply made it better in every single way. He truly felt like he had lucked out in getting the upgrade. It had been what catapulted him to his current strength, without a doubt. Of course, he knew it was only possible because of his adamant body.

Jake smiled to himself as he put all of the loot into his spatial storage. Most of the items he couldn’t use were thrown in one of the corners, while another corner held leather gear and even another common-rarity bow he had found.

The pile in that corner had the name of “backup” stuff. It was for if any of his current equipment broke or was lost. Better safe than sorry, after all.

His last piece of business before heading off to the dungeon was to spend his uncommon upgrade token. As he had found a bow, he no longer needed to upgrade the old one. His only other two pieces to upgrade were a dagger or his cloak.

Even if he upgraded the dagger, he wouldn’t use it. Upgraded, it would still not come close to Venomfang in power, and his Shortsword of Icy Winds would very likely also still be better. Besides, he had kind of begun getting used to fighting with a dagger and a shortsword.

Daggers sucked at blocking while a shortsword was quite a bit better. It also gave some more much-needed reach to his blows. It was still a shortsword, but it was far longer than a dagger.

So, he was left with only one thing to upgrade—his cloak. The cloak he had hated for a long time due to its uselessness and frailty. Now, however, it would finally be able to become useful again. He took out his old cloak and identified it, noting the absolute lie that said it was strong against slashing attacks.

[Archer’s Cloak (Common)] – A cloak handed out for the tutorial, now upgraded with a token. Made of resilient cloth that is resistant to slashing attacks. Enchantments: Self-Repair.

Requirements: Tutorial Attendee. Archer Class.

Use Upgrade token on [Archer’s Cloak (Common)] Y/N?

He used the token on the cloak and saw it get enveloped by light, just like it had been when it went from unranked to common rarity.

Soon the new cloak appeared, looking just the same as before—brown and rather unassuming. But when he Identified it, it became clear it wasn’t as simple anymore.

[Archer’s Cloak (Uncommon)] – A cloak handed out for the tutorial, now upgraded with a token. Made of resilient cloth that is resistant to slashing attacks. The cloth automatically helps the wearer meld into his surroundings when supplied with mana. Enchantments: Self-Repair.

Requirements: Tutorial Attendee. Archer Class.

An extra effect had been added. Jake didn’t waste any time picking it up and injecting mana into it. After binding it to him, he put it on and tried supplying it with some mana. The entire cloak soon turned different colors, looking like camouflage. He even vaguely felt that other signs of his presence were suppressed, such as his mana signature, aura, and likely even emitted heat.

But more importantly, upon bringing a common-rarity dagger down on it, he felt the resistance on his blade, making him unable to tear it in a single slash.

Finally, the cloak had graduated from uselessness.

With the cloak on, he felt all geared out and well covered from head to toe.

He had spent a bit over three hours collecting items, and it had given him an increase of 50 stat points, a new cloak, and a new bow, along with some other exciting collectibles.

All in all, time well spent—time he should easily make up for in the dungeon with the final Beast Lord. Checking the time, he started sprinting onward.

[Tutorial Panel]

Duration: 5 days & 20:04:32

Chapter 27

Valley of Tusks

As he jumped up the cliff and began running the final stretch to the dungeon, he checked through his full status.

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

Race: [Human (E) – lvl 58]

Class: [Ambitious Hunter – lvl 65]

Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – lvl 51]

Health Points (HP): 5429/5460

Mana Points (MP): 5111/5320

Stamina: 3629/3820

Stats

Strength: 403

Agility: 534

Endurance: 382

Vitality: 546

Toughness: 390

Wisdom: 532

Intelligence: 260

Perception: 1053

Willpower: 326

Free Points: 0

Titles: [Forerunner of the New World], [Bloodline Patriarch], [Holder of a Primordial’s True Blessing], [Dungeoneer IV], [Dungeon Pioneer IV], [Legendary Prodigy]

Class Skills: [Basic One-Handed Weapons (Inferior], [Advanced Stealth (Common)], [Advanced Archery (Common)], [Hunter’s Sight (Uncommon)], [Basic Twin-Fang Style (Uncommon)], [Basic Shadow Vault of Umbra (Uncommon)], [Splitting Arrow (Uncommon)] [Big Game Hunter (Rare)], [Infused Powershot (Rare)], [Mark of the Ambitious Hunter (Rare)], [Descending Dark Fang (Rare)], [Moment of the Primal 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)], [Palate of the Malefic Viper (Rare)], [Touch of the Malefic Viper (Rare)], [Sense of the Malefic Viper (Rare)], [Blood of the Malefic Viper (Epic)], [Scales 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)], [Meditate (Common)], [Shroud of the Primordial (Divine)]

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

His status was starting to get rather large. He could still remember when it had barely contained anything and even had a few N/As in there. His stats had all grown a lot, especially his Perception, which was truly at a ridiculous level by now.

He really hoped to get a skill to make better use of the high Perception at level 70. His Mark already did so as well as his Moment of the Primal Hunter, but that was about it. Of course, the stat did still help passively, but most of his skills did scale with Agility first and Strength second.

But that was for when he reached level 70.

Rushing up the mountainous path, he soon found himself at another tunnel leading into the volcano-like mountain. He ran through it quickly and found himself within.

The layout of this one was relatively simple. It was all made of stone with pillars of rock everywhere. Overall he saw nothing of note but the entrance to the dungeon.

On the far side of the area was the dungeon door, and he didn’t waste any time as he rushed to it, touched it with his hand, and accepted the prompt. His vision went black for a few seconds before he regained sight.

You have entered the dungeon: Valley of Tusks

Objective: Defeat the Horde Leader

He found himself in a deep valley made of only rock and soil. Curved jagged spikes poked out from all sides of the cliffside around him, making it all seem somewhat intimidating.

It was perhaps more accurate to call where he currently was a gorge rather than a valley. It was only twenty or so meters across, after all, with vertical cliffs to each side. They extended upwards farther than his eyes could see, with the spikes only multiplying the further one got up.

However, the first thing he noticed when he entered the dungeon was not how it looked, but how it felt. After the sewer dungeon, he had begun to focus on the mana in the air far more, and the mana in this dungeon also felt… different.

It somehow felt more solid. Not dense, just solid, like it had weight to it. If Jake had to take a guess, he would say it had to be that a lot of mana in the area carried an affinity. Perhaps earth, rock, soil, or something like that.

Interestingly enough, it didn’t seem to have any adverse effect on his mana regenerations; it had increased ever so slightly if nothing else. He couldn’t tell if it was due to his incompatibility with the mana outside or his compatibility with the mana inside, though. And with the timer ticking down, he didn’t have time to sit down and meditate on his environment.

He had yet to spot any enemies, but he saw the path curved slightly ahead, obstructing his vision. The left side was blocked off, leaving only the right direction open. The dungeon appeared relatively linear, which was totally fine with Jake. Most certainly better than another damn maze, especially with his limited time.

Jumping down from the small cave on the side of the gorge he had entered from, his sphere instantly picked up a barrier of mana forming behind him, blocking off the entrance.

He looked up and saw a shimmering wall of mana with yellow and brown colors. This was the first time he had experienced the entrance being blocked off right after ent—

Jake whipped his head around as his line of thought was interrupted as an explosion of stone and rubble erupted from the left side of the gorge as Jake whipped his head around to see what was happening.

Through the dust at the path he thought blocked off emerged tens of huge, hulking figures—thick skin and two huge tusks, with far too much muscle, running on all fours. Jake didn’t need to use his skill to identify them at all. Boars.

But that wasn’t the issue. The issue was the fact that they were all charging straight at him in a small narrow gorge.

Well, fuck, he thought as he turned tail and ran as fast as he could. Fighting dozens of the hulking monstrosities at once didn’t seem like the wisest course of action.

Luckily for him, he outpaced the beasts. Unluckily they had other means of attack than trampling. The gorge’s rocky walls seemed to come alive as spikes of rock erupted from them, firing straight towards the lone running human.

Jake managed to barely dodge as he felt more and more head towards him. Soon it wasn’t just massive pillars, but small shards of rock, pebbles, and even a freaking boulder tossed at him.

While he managed to avoid most of it, he did get hit by many smaller attacks. To his pleasant surprise, none of the shards managed to draw blood as the combined defense of his cloak and armor blocked most of the damage. It still hurt like hell, though.

The damn gorge seemed to continue endlessly as he kept running and dodging for several minutes. It did curve slightly, but all that did was make any end always out of sight.

He was starting to get impatient as he took out his bow and attempted to retaliate. He didn’t even manage to nock an arrow before he was forced to jump out of the way, making him quickly shelve that idea again.

Hundreds if not thousands of attacks battered him from behind as he kept running. It improved as he got further and further away, and the larger attacks no longer reached him. While pebbles and shards of rock still annoyed him, they were bearable.

Finally, having a bit of leeway, he got the chance to assess the horde of boars following him properly. And a horde it was. He estimated at least sixty boars in the stampede, all large and bulky, each and every one of them easily the size of a van.

Steeltusk Boars. Jake had encountered them before, but never in this number and never at this level. His Identify only confirmed what he already knew.

[Steeltusk Boar – lvl 79]

The level was higher than he had expected. They were nearly at the Ratman Swarm Controller’s level, and if he had to estimate their strength, he believed them all to be roughly equal to the Alpha Badgers, which is to say that a direct fight against a damn army wouldn’t end that well for him.

This wasn’t to say he couldn’t take potshots with the increased distance. With a leap forward, he used Shadow Vault and increased the distance between himself and the horde further, as well as outrunning any projectiles currently aimed at him.

With a bit of room, he took out his bow once more and, in a spinning motion, fired a Splitting Arrow behind him. He wanted to use Infused Powershot but using it while moving was inadvisable. His goal was to sow chaos among the beasts rather than actually cause them worthwhile damage, so Splitting Arrow was better at that anyway.

The arrow split into ten as it traveled, hitting the beasts in the front. The arrows’ speed, coupled with the boars’ own charge, resulted in them not mounting any defense. Four of the porky-boys in front were hit and squealed in pain and anger.

One of them tripped due to the arrow hitting its leg, making it stumble slightly. While it would hardly matter usually, the charging boars behind made it a massive problem for the beast. The slight slowdown made the one behind it bump into it, and soon a boar traffic jam resulted in several of the beasts smashing into and tumbling over each other.

Jake took the opportunity to once more Shadow Vault and shoot yet another Splitting Arrow behind him. He had also poisoned the arrows with a bit of his blood, but he honestly didn’t expect it to do much damage. However, it slowed down the entire horde enough for Jake to get all the way out of their attack range.

Being free of attacks, he kept running and firing arrows until he could only hear and not see the stampede behind him. He had hoped that they would trample each other to death, but it appeared they were simply too bulky to do so effectively. After the first few shots, they had also started to defend themselves a bit, making his attacks even less effective.

A few minutes later, he finally saw an end to the ridiculously long gorge. Keeping up his sprint, he made it out and saw the entire area opening up before him. A vast valley appeared before him, nearly utterly flat with nothing of interest in sight. The only thing was huge pillars of stone littering the entire area.

With his Hunter’s Sight, he could easily see all the way to the other side of the valley. The entire thing was circular and was formed like a massive hole in the ground. The walls were practically vertical, just like the gorge had been. He couldn’t even see how far up they extended.

Not a single living thing could be seen in the entire valley—something that would very soon change as the stampede of boars got louder and louder.

Rushing into the valley, he quickly started considering his options and looking around; there was only one way in and out… It was like a damn arena. The only geographical features he could make use of were the pillars of stone littering the area.

They almost served as trees in a forest. And a forest was great for ambushing. Jake didn’t hesitate as he made his way to one of the closest pillars to the gorge and quickly rushed behind it. Up close, they appeared even bigger, towering upwards and being easily ten meters in diameter and several hundred meters in height.

They were made up of stones stacked on top of each other, tightly balanced stone formations that represented both opportunities as well as danger.

He started climbing one of them, but stopped after getting only fifteen meters up when the first boar came into sight in the valley. Pushing mana into his cloak, he made sure it covered his entire body. The cloak started turning into the same color as the stones on the pillar.

Completely unmoving, he simply observed as the beasts exited the gorge. With his newfound height advantage, he could see the entire horde. He had estimated there to be around sixty, but now he could clearly see how wrong he had been. There had to be closer to a hundred of the damn things… if not more than a hundred.

However, what caught his eye more than the numbers was the hulking monstrosity that led the rear of the horde.

It was several times larger than any of the other beasts, towering over them. If the other boars were compared to vans, then this would be a huge truck. Massive muscles covered its entire body, and a single golden tusk exited one side of its mouth, giving off strong mana.

Jake already knew it before identifying the beast, but it was indeed what he believed it to be.

[Horde Leader - ??]

From where he was hiding, he could feel its aura. It was strong. Strong, but not unmanageable. He had feared that the Horde Leader would be D-grade, but he was now sure that it wasn’t. It was close, very close, but not quite there yet.

Before he could face the leader, he would have to get rid of the horde. Fortune smiled upon him as he saw what the boars did the moment they entered the valley.

They all spread out as some kept rampaging onwards, while others slowed down right away. Almost as if in agreement, they all seemed to forget the Hunter they were chasing only a minute or so earlier. Even the one with an arrow still sticking out of its snout apparently didn’t mind.

Jake soon found out where they were going. They all headed towards different pillars and… started eating them. The boars munched on the stones as if they were the tastiest stuff around, while the Hunter hanging up on one of them was momentarily dumbstruck.

What made him even more flummoxed was the boar eating… ten meters right below him. He was currently standing on top of one of the rocks protruding from the pillar, camouflaged, looking down at the damn thing munching away.

He had already surmised that these boars had earth or stone manipulation or something like that. The one he had faced outside in the forest also had those capabilities. He was a bit surprised at not coming across a single boar in the inner area, but he hadn’t thought much of it, honestly.

They quite obviously didn’t have a vision that allowed them to look upwards or any kind of ability to properly sense enemies. Jake wasn’t even adequately hidden where he stood. Not a single one of the dumb pigs noticed him, though.

Looking around, he saw that there weren’t any other boars within thirty or so meters of the pillar he was currently on. The Horde Leader was already far off in the distance, devouring one of the more gigantic pillars.

Jake decided to take a bit of a risk as he took out his bow. He kept close watch of the still-eating beast below him as he began preparing his poisoned arrows. He still had a few bottles of his best Necrotic Poison left, but he was starting to run out. It should be enough for the rest of the tutorial, though.

Soaking all the arrows, he redeposited the now empty bottle as he nocked one of the arrows. He had feared that the boar would feel it when he began channeling Infused Powershot as the Lucenti Stags had, but it didn’t appear to notice a thing as he felt the mana build up in the bow and the stamina in his upper body.

Once more, having reached a new pinnacle of attacking power with the new bow, he released the fully charged shot straight down the less than fifteen meters separating him and the Steeltusk Boar.

An explosion of energy rocking the entire pillar made the boar twitch slightly just before the arrow hit it. It penetrated straight through its spine and bore a barrel-sized hole through the large beast, its heart in the path of the attack. The damage from the blow coupled with the poison was more than enough to ensure the beast would soon be dead.

As the arrow hit the ground below the boar, it exploded, sending rocks everywhere and shaking the pillar and the earth.

And then… all hell broke loose.

Chapter 28

Going with the Flow

Jake tended to be rather good at predicting what the response to his attacks would be. He had expected the closest boars to rush towards their now dead comrade, or perhaps to all start searching frantically for the killer.

It turned out that this time, Jake had predicted a bit wrong. Just a tiny bit. While the big piggies didn’t react much to him channeling mana, they apparently really didn’t like it when someone made the ground explode and killed one of their pals.

In fact, they liked it so little they all appeared to have gone berserk. More than ten Steeltusk Boars were currently rushing red-eyed towards the pillar Jake was hiding on, the ground shaking beneath their every step. It wasn’t just their footfalls causing the shaking either. Mana swirled in the air as rocks of all sizes rose around them.

The enraged beasts, however, had one major issue. They had nothing to attack. They reached the corpse of their comrade full of fire and fury, with no outlet in sight.

Jake had smartly focused every fiber of his being on standing absolutely still while covered by his camouflage cloak, channeling everything he had into utilizing Advanced Stealth.

Without any immediate target, the boars did as any reasonably enraged beast would do. They began destroying everything around where their comrade had died—including the pillar he was hiding on.

Huge boulders started flying about, and the pillar itself began being ripped apart. One of the beasts even rammed the thing, causing it to shake.

Jake, getting the hint, jumped off the pillar, hoping to land behind the boars surrounding it. He fell through the air, boars still in his sphere as he observed them. He watched them all through his fall, and not a single one of them noticed him.

That is, until his feet hit the ground. As if he had set off an alarm, all of the beasts turned towards him in an instant, eyes red, gleaming with a thirst for revenge.

Well, fuck, Jake thought as he legged it.

He sprinted straight back towards the gorge, the enraged beasts following him with more vigor than ever before. Scratch that; it wasn’t just vigor. They were actually significantly faster than they had been before, catching up to him at a pace far faster than he found comfortable.

Forced to use Shadow Vault more than three times in less than ten seconds, he knew the situation wasn’t sustainable. He did manage to reach the gorge once more, but all that did was make his path of retreat more linear.

The gorge was the only place he could flee to, though. The rest of the valley was full of more boars and, of course, the Horde Leader itself. Running through that would only serve to increase the number of crazed beasts chasing him.

So Jake ran through the gorge, the stampede close behind him. The boars didn’t even bother flinging spells at him, but the shaking caused by their running did slow him down slightly. He had to Shadow Vault repeatedly to get just a small semblance of distance, but in mere seconds they would catch up once more.

Jake’s mind worked at high speed, trying to find a solution. Stop and fight? No way he could kill them all; he counted fourteen of the damn things, all around or above level 80. It wouldn’t be impossible to win, but he would likely have to use his Moment of the Primal Hunter as well as everything else he had. The end result would still be him out of commission for quite a while. Fighting was swiftly designated to last resort.

Keep fleeing? He could lose focus for a mere moment and get impaled or run out of stamina far faster than them. They didn’t appear to slow down either. Based on what he knew about the boars, endurance wasn’t an area they lacked in.

Potshots were also out of the question. No way he could manage to shoot a single arrow as things were. Even if he did manage to shoot an arrow, the damage would be negligible.

As his head churned for ideas, he also observed the boars close enough to be within his sphere. He noticed that the air around them seemed to give off a faint sheen. It reminded him a lot of the Blade of Nature guy he had fought so long ago.

Were the pigs doing something similar? They were clearly boosted by something. Jake kept observing them as he dodged, and he felt the energy slowly seeping out. It wasn’t mana; no, it was stamina. Somehow the beasts were burning through stamina to strengthen themselves.

Jake had tried something like that a fair bit of time ago. It had ended in exploding limbs as he went too far with the energy. But while he’d overloaded it, he had felt the increase in power. It had been to a crazy level, but had also come with crazy drawbacks.

What the boars did appeared to be similar in nature. Back then, Jake’s problem had been the lack of an outlet for the energy, making it repeatedly build up in his arms in a constant cycle. His final act of desperation had been to release all the energy at once, hence the exploding arms.

Their outlet wasn’t exploding their limbs; no, it was their entire bodies. As the energy was burned through, they released it through their pores, a concept Jake had theorized long ago but hadn’t dared to try.

Now, however, the circumstances pushed him to it. He decided to try something he had feared to try before. His control of energy had only increased since then, and he thoroughly believed that if these damn pigs could do it, so could he—skill or not be damned.

As he ran, he began to look inwards. He felt the inner energy that flowed through his body—stamina. It was in a constant cycle as it circulated through the metaphysical veins he had come to call meridians. He could feel the energy moving faster now that he was running than it usually did while idle.

Stamina, as he had already explored, was like the fuel of the body. It constantly circulated to keep him moving and fighting. A more powerful body naturally required more fuel, explaining why stamina expenditure increased with his physical stats.

When he had been level 1, a measly 80 stamina could keep him up and awake for an entire day. Now he would be lucky if it could keep him fighting for half an hour, even without using skills.

As his power increased, so did the power of the stamina flowing through his system. As he expended more stamina and performed more requiring tasks, the speed of the flow increased. If that was true… perhaps the opposite was too. If he increased the speed and/or power of the flow, his own power and ability to do more difficult tasks increased.

And now… he would finally put it to the test.

He focused on the flow within. He felt the energy into every crevice of his body, the constant idyllic flow. And then he pushed it. He pushed the flow ever so slightly to move faster. For the cycle to rotate more quickly. And the energy listened.

The cycle's speed increased only a little while Jake focused every bit of Willpower he had to control it. At the same time, he felt the changes outside his physical body.

His running speed increased. Every footfall was faster than the one before. The boars only a few meters from him were now being slowly left behind.

Jake felt the power in his body swell. He felt stronger and faster than before. It felt like when he had gotten one of the titles that increased his stats by a percentage. But this wasn’t something as fantastic as that. Certainly not as sustainable.

The quiet river that was his meridians was now a brewing storm. The wind pushed the energy to flow faster and faster, while Jake focused all of his Willpower to stem the tide. It was challenging to do while at the same time running and not falling over from the shaking ground. His instincts once again came to the rescue.

With his body being on autopilot running, his focus could be entirely on his internal struggle. The experiment had worked. The flow of the stamina had increased, and so had his power. Now the issue was to let the rampant energy not rampage through and blow up his entire body in a—although it would be glorious—shower of blood.

He began to control the energy more, willing it to slow down as much as he could. He knew he needed an outlet, but with the external pressures on his body, it was hard.

Soon his eyes picked up a glimmer of hope. He had managed to make it all the way to the entrance of the dungeon once more. More importantly, the barrier that was blocking it was gone.

Without hesitation, he leaped up to the small cave, the boars hot on his tail. They couldn’t fit in the cave from what he had seen, but it wasn’t a bet he was willing to take. He placed his hand on the portal-door and instantly was transported outside.

The second he was out, he sat himself down in meditation. The slight slip of focus from exiting the dungeon had thrown the energy ravaging his meridians into disarray. With renewed will and his undivided attention, he grabbed hold of the energy to control it.

With every ounce of will, he managed to control the flow somewhat. But he still needed to find an outlet for the energy. It was still ever so slowly building up, and even if he felt himself get stronger by the moment, he also felt himself get more unstable.

His body began to make small jerks here and there—a twitching muscle or a tapping finger outside of his control. Like mini seizures, symptoms increased in frequency as he felt out the energy flow, looking for any way to release it.

He was sitting still, but his body desired to move; it demanded to move. But he knew indulging it would only worsen his condition. He needed it to calm down and not stress it further.

Seconds that felt like hours ticked by as he sat there, twitching uncontrollably outwardly while being full of serenity inwardly.

Until finally… he found something. As if a small valve had opened, energy started slowly fizzling out of his nose and mouth. Soon it also came out of his ears and even from his eyes.

More and more outlets appeared now on his skin. Across his arms, chest, and legs, every single pore on his body began letting out the pent-up energy.

He kept a steeled resolve and control as he meticulously let out the energy a little at a time, avoiding injuring himself more than necessary. However, he felt immense fatigue overtake his body as more and more energy was let out.

Not that his mind experienced that at all. It made sure that the flow of energy slowly decreased as the excess energy left his body.

It took nearly an hour before the stamina stopped leaving his body and his internal flow returned to its normal idle state. The balance was restored, and his body finally felt at ease as the twitching and spasms stopped.

His entire body was covered in sweat. The stamina was intangible, so it just passed straight through his clothes, but that didn’t mean the physical stress didn’t still exhaust him.

With his mind, he summoned a barrel of water from his spatial storage and climbed into it. Or at least, he tried to climb into it, but was unable to even lift his own body weight.

Giving up, he just lay back on the hard ground. His entire body was aching. It felt like he had just done the most insane exercise imaginable, and everything hurt. Looking at his stamina, he also saw that it was down to only a bit over 300, which is to say less than 10%.

In a bit over an hour, he had expended around 3000 stamina just from speeding up the circulation. He could use more if he kept using his skills in quick succession, but the drainage was still intense, to say the least. Heck, he was even meditating during it all, making the actual amount consumed even more than 3000.

All of that was even ignoring the fact that his health had also dropped to less than half. The internal damage and overexertion had resulted in him repeatedly pulling his muscles and overloading his organs, forcing his body to keep healing itself.

Weakness was something Jake hadn’t experienced in a long time. It wasn’t as if he was utterly helpless, though.

Strings of mana were extended from all over his skin, pushing the ground beneath him and lifting him up. Without moving a single muscle, he managed to get his body into the barrel purely with mana usage.

Feeling the cool water washing over him was relaxing, and he felt his tense muscles relax a bit more. It did little to alleviate his actual exhaustion, but it helped treat the symptoms. It also helped wash off all the sweat and dirt.

He was still fully clothed but frankly didn’t care much. The only thing he had thrown off was the cloak as he soaked in the barrel for a while. As he sat there, he felt the mental exhaustion also strike. He was tired, and he needed a rest. Meditation wouldn’t help against that; he needed to sleep.

Thinking back, the last time he’d truly slept was just before fighting the Den Mother. The constant fighting, meditation, and levels had somehow managed to keep him going, but it could only do so much. He was getting closer to not needing sleep at all, but not quite there yet.

What he also hadn’t forgotten was the nightmare that followed his last sleep—without a doubt, something that had helped him to avoid the desire to sleep, both consciously and unconsciously. He remembered the influence of a “fake Andy” that had tried to push him to do things he didn’t want to.

Lifting himself out of the makeshift bath, he didn’t even bother to summon the bed as he lay there on the ground. His clothes would have to make do as bedding. He dreaded what images his mind would conjure up upon sleeping, but he couldn’t delay it any longer.

His only hope was that his body would be back to normal by the time he awoke and that he wouldn’t sleep for too long.

Closing his eyes and relaxing his body, he fell asleep instantly.

Chapter 29

The Right Way Forward

The family sat gathered around the table, enjoying their breakfast. The rays of sunlight hit the table, highlighting the vast selection to choose from: scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, bread, whatever one wanted. Caleb had even convinced their dad to make pancakes that morning. Mom had objected, but Caleb had gotten his will. It was only his birthday once a year, after all.

Jake was enjoying one of the aforementioned pancakes, which had perhaps a bit too much honey. Which, of course, resulted in an admonishing gaze from his mom across the table, one he tried to ignore as he sheepishly put the fork into his mouth, the honey dripping down on the plate.

It was three weeks before the system arrived. Jake had gone back to visit his parents and brother to celebrate his brother’s twenty-seventh birthday.

Also at the table were his parents as well as Maja, Caleb’s wife. They had gotten married at what many considered a young age, but Caleb had felt it was the right thing to do after she got pregnant. A pregnancy she was currently seven months into. Also... it made the loan on their new house a lot cheaper.

Maja sat at the table, her stomach clearly showing, as she spoke to his mother, Debra. Debra gave all the tips about having a first child, along with embarrassing anecdotes about Jake and Caleb.

"Jake used to be very quiet, while Caleb kept us up all night every night," she said before jokingly adding, "Caleb was quite lucky we had Jake first, or we wouldn’t have mustered up the courage to have another."

"Mom, come on, I can’t have been that bad," Caleb protested, getting only a giggle from Maja.

"He still keeps me up all night, even now," Maja said without thinking.

The rest of the family all looked at her awkwardly for a moment while Jake’s dad, Robert, nearly choked on his coffee.

Maja seemed to realize the meaning of what she’d said as she turned red, and frantically tried to explain. "Snoring! He snores!" she protested loudly, earning only a chuckle.

In an attempt to help his wife, Caleb swiftly changed the subject by turning to Jake. "So, how is work these days? Heard your company is quite busy after going public last month."

Jake, getting the hint, helped dispel the awkward atmosphere and gladly answered, "Yeah, management is all up in our asses about putting out the, and I quote, ‘biggest numbers to date.’ I am not even sure management knows what half of those numbers mean."

"Can’t be all bad; don’t you get along with that Jacob fellow?" Deborah asked.

"He can only lift up the average intelligence of the management that much," Jake joked.

"I agree; they can’t be all that bright," Caleb said, nodding. "They were dumb enough to hire you, after all."

"Cal, be nice!" Maja said as she poked him in the arm with her elbow.

"Birthday boy using up his leeway fast," Jake said, pointing his honey-covered fork at his brother. "Going to have to take back presents if you don’t behave soon, young man."

"I apologize, oh bringer of the big numbers," he answered, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

It was the last time Jake had met his family. After that, he had been busy, and the trip back to his hometown was pretty long.

Caleb and Maja lived in the same town as his parents. It wasn’t big, but it was decently sized, having around forty thousand inhabitants. Caleb worked as a teacher at an elementary school, while Maja studied at the university half an hour away in a larger city.

Maja had practically been a part of the family forever. She’d grown up next door and was over almost every day. Jake had been the older brother, with Caleb and Maja being the two younger siblings due to their closer ages.

When Jake moved away for university, the two of them had started hanging out alone. Things developed as they do, and the two had ended up going out and getting married, and were now looking to starting their own family.

Jake didn’t see his closest family as much as he should. He was always in the weird paradox that going to see them seemed like such a hassle, and he always looked forward to just relaxing alone after a long week of work.

On the other hand, he enjoyed being around them. They were the only people in his life he was truly close to. The only ones he could openly joke with and have fun around. He didn’t feel like he had to put up any walls or filter himself. He could just be him.

His parents were just average folk—the supporting and loving kind, who had never put him down for any decisions he had made but helped push him forward towards making the best ones.

His mother had worked as a bookkeeper and his dad as an engineer. They had been neither rich nor poor, growing up solidly in the upper-middle class. The classic family unit, if you will.

To Jake, these four people were the most important in his life.

"When does your plane take off again?" Caleb asked as they were cleaning up the table.

"Need to be at the airport before five," Jake answered as he put the plates in the dishwasher.

"So, any plans for the day?"

"I have already prepared everything for that stupid conference, so not really."

"Well, now you have some," Caleb said as he put on a sinister smile.

The rest of his day was spent walking around carrying heavy furniture. The two newlyweds had gotten a bigger house a month or so earlier, and they had waited for Jake to get home to provide his free moving service. At least he’d paid him back by making his brother offer a free taxi ride later that day.

Taking off to the airport, he gave his mom a hug and his dad a slap on the shoulder, followed by another hug. With that came a promise to return home for his mother’s birthday the next month.

Caleb and Maja drove him to the airport as promised. With only his carry-on bag, he didn’t need to be there much in advance, but he was still kind of in a hurry. Not too much in a hurry for a proper farewell, though.

"Take care of Maja, Cal," Jake said as he gave his brother a hug. The manly kind. Turning to Maja, he also gave her a light hug.

"On a side note, Jake," his brother said, "any progress on the Caroline front?"

"None at all."

"Gotta get your shit together."

"I am pretty sure it never will turn to anything," Jake answered quite assuredly. "Take care, you two. I hope we meet again."

"Of course we will. I am not one to croak that easily," Caleb answered, as assuredly as Jake.

Jake smiled as he waved the two of them off. He started walking onwards, but instead of a gate, he saw a portal leading into a forest.

"I hope you are right, Cal," he said to himself as he walked through the portal, the dream dissolving around him. "I really do."

* * *

Jacob sat quietly as he read the oversized tome in front of him. The faint frown and the serious look in his eyes, coupled with his handsome features, made it look rather picturesque. At least Inera thought so as she kept throwing glances his way.

It hadn’t been long since she had come here. Inera’s father had, at the behest of the higher-ups, arranged for several ancient and expensive tomes to be transported here, and she would personally act as a teacher for the young man.

His presence was… different. Almost ethereal. He was weak, yet he gave off an aura and feeling that made one unable to ignore him. Inera had been with the church since birth, yet she had never felt a man as holy and at the same time weak as Jacob.

The Holy Mother herself recognized him. An Augur, a class she had only ever read of in old scriptures but never actually encountered. A rare variant class with requirements still unknown, possessing skills and powers eluding the scholars even today.

Always beside the young Augur was another interesting one—the one called Bertram. Another mystery to her, as he too was a type of entity she had never encountered before.

A guardian bound to the Augur through karma, conviction, and personal belief, his class had been reforged upon becoming a guardian, now possessing one just as mysterious as the Augur himself. And while the Augur himself could not fight, his guardian was another thing altogether.

Bertram had shown tremendous growth from the teachings her father had given him. He was even praised by the Grand Master, acknowledged for his foundation and ability to grow. His semi-immortality from his connection to the Augur was only making him all the more peculiar.

Rather than man, perhaps he would more easily be compared to a summoned familiar. But even that was wrong, as such entities very rarely reached the level of sapience, and they all were more comparable to monsters rather than the enlightened races.

All in all, Inera found it equally puzzling and enjoyable to interact with the two of them. They were very different from anyone she had ever met before, and not just due to their classes.

Their common knowledge of the system was close to nonexistent. They asked questions even small children knew, and her father gladly explained everything to them. She had a hard time wrapping her head around anyone living in a world without the system, which the two of them apparently had.

But what surprised her the most was the blatant blasphemy the two uttered without a care in the world. They questioned the pantheon’s goals openly, questioned their methods, and even questioned the very root of their belief.

Yet the Grand Master didn’t react to it once, almost as if he expected it. Inera also knew that her station was not one to question the Augur either. His level of recognition from the gods was far above her own, maybe even her dad’s.

Her father held the title of Grand Master of the Templars of Morning Bright, one of the many orders of templars under the church. As a man solidly in the B-rank, he had great renown and recognition within the church.

Even with his great title and honor, he hadn’t met any of the higher-rank gods. He held the blessing of one of the subordinate gods in charge of their part of the church, a blessing far less honorable and impactful than the one by the Primordial herself.

Inera herself had yet to receive a blessing but hoped to one day get one. She instead had something called a Baptism on her status screen in place of the blessing, and it had done nothing more than open up new paths. She was a priestess in the Order and had recently been transferred to this area to help train new acolytes. What she hadn’t known was that the only ones she was meant to help train would be Jacob and Bertram—and that her father would do most of the vital teaching himself.

And speaking of teaching, she did learn quite a lot. One of their earlier conversations had especially interested her.

"Augur, the church has many hopes for you—not just for your own planet, but even beyond it," the Grand Master said as he sat across the table from Jacob.

Jacob answered with a bunch of questions. "Oh? Would it be wise for me to divide my attention away from my homeworld? Does the church not have more suitable individuals for such a task? As a human, should my focus not be on my fellow humans?"

Inera had to agree on that. Preachers, diplomats, pilgrims, and missionaries were not a thing the church lacked. They could always use more, but out of all, only the Augur could spread the holy word in his own universe.

He was essential to get a foothold before the universe truly opened up to the rest of the multiverse. Getting a solid foothold on one civilized planet would carry far more weight than merely spreading the world sparsely to many different places.

"While that is true, you forget one of your greatest advantages," the Grand Master said. "Upon being initiated into the system, you received three gifts. One was the tutorial, and all the benefits found therein. The next was a title to give you a small bonus and forever enhance your Records, allowing you to more easily unlock variants at lower grades. The final one is a skill."

"Endless Tongues of the Myriad Races."

"Exactly. This skill is perhaps your most significant advantage over all other holy men. It allows you to communicate with and understand all beings in the multiverse capable of advanced communication. No matter what means of communication, even those with methods you cannot even begin to comprehend. Even new languages will automatically become a part of you. It is the type of skill one can only ever hope for.

"The only time it will not work is if the words are purposefully made to speak in code. It even applies to the written, hence why you can read all the tomes here without any struggle. Of all the gifts the system has given you, this one is by far the most valuable to an Augur."

"I see; that is certainly food for thought," Jacob answered, nodding. "I will still, however, argue that Earth shall be my primary objective. To guide my fellow earthlings towards a better future is what I truly wish for."

"While certainly, Earth is important, so is the rest of your universe. Earth will have many contending voices, and it is limited how much support we can provide with the restrictions of the system in place."

"Which is exactly why it is so important I focus on it," Jacob argued. “The voice of the Holy Mother must not be drowned out.”

The Grand Master didn’t seem to agree, however. "A voice is only as powerful as the one making it. Without the necessary strength, none will listen. It is risky for you to make yourself a target. Oftentimes, natives are not as susceptible to our beliefs as they should be."

Inera had simply observed the two men speak, acting like she was still reading a book. After their discussion, which had ended inconclusively, Jacob had taken the tome he was currently reading, while the Grand Master and Bertram had entered one of the training rooms.

She couldn’t help thinking about why her father had made sure she transferred here. He had clearly pushed for it hard with the higher-ups and managed to get her here. She honestly couldn’t see the reason…

* * *

On the other end of her stare, Jacob sat reading. He had, of course, noticed the young woman throwing glances at him. Despite her clearly being far above him in levels, her ability to be subtle was about as good as a kid’s.

Unlike her, Jacob was far from new to politics and had already begun to put things together. But he did wonder why she had been the one chosen. He assumed it was due to the Grand Master’s personal meddling and desires. Despite the appearance of purity in the Holy Church, it was clearly not empty of politics.

For now, however, he would keep focusing on his preparations for the return to Earth. He was genuine in his desire to spread the word of the Holy Mother. He believed it could help his fellow earthlings unite around something greater than themselves.

But even more so… he was looking forward to meeting old friends. Through the Pantheon’s knowledge, he learned about Jake and his role in the tutorial. Or, more accurately, his lack of a role.

Jacob couldn’t help but wonder how different it could have gone if Jake had been with them. If they hadn't betrayed him. And after that, he had overly relied on his abilities as an Augur and not even considered asking his friend to help them. If they had just killed William and Jake had stayed there with them...

He had made many mistakes, and his decisions had been flawed, no doubt due to Jake muddling fate so much. Not that it was Jake's fault; Jacob just regretted how everything had gone down.

Yet Jacob was happy for his friend. He had found a path that was his own. The former manager had known Jake for many years, and he had always seemed… lost. Like he didn’t have any long-term goal. He never cared for promotions or raises; he didn’t personally invest himself in the company’s growth. He just did his thing and went home.

But now, he had a purpose. One Jacob couldn’t see or begin to augur, but perhaps that was for the best. As an Augur, his role was to make people realize their ideal destinies and the whole’s ideal destiny. Yet, he still had certain qualms.

Returning to Earth after the time of the tutorial ended would be a tumultuous time. Jacob had also resigned himself to having enemies then, but one thing he was sure of was that Jake was not his enemy. Not because of some divine ability or grand interpretation of fate, but because of one simple fact: Jake was his friend.

Chapter 30

Mana 101

Jake awoke and felt well-rested and relieved. He had feared a nightmare when he closed his eyes, but instead, he’d gotten a pleasant dream. Like the last one, this one had also been weirdly lucid throughout. Of course, this one didn’t have some bastard god but was of his own making.

From the very beginning, some part of him knew it was a dream. Yet, he’d gone through the motions as if he wasn’t even in charge of his own body. He was just a ride-along, experiencing the memory as it had been. Everything up to the final conversation with his brother had been precisely the same.

The dream only served to cement his conviction to seek out his family after the tutorial. But to do so, he needed power. Or maybe that was just yet another excuse he made to himself to justify his obsession with slaying the King of the Forest.

Feeling out his body, he noticed that the soreness was mostly gone. He still felt a bit stiff. His stamina had regenerated to about 75%, with his health having regenerated a few hundred points too. Health didn’t regenerate very fast by default, which is why he took out a healing potion and chugged it down.

It was good that he spent such a long time just hoarding all the potions he made while grinding levels. He was starting to get low, but so was the time remaining.

[Tutorial Panel]

Duration: 5 days & 7:31:01

He had slept for longer than he hoped. Exactly how long he wasn’t sure, but it appeared to be on the other side of ten hours. It was time he honestly didn’t feel like he could afford to waste currently. Though, of course, it was arguable if he had truly wasted his time.

The experiment he had made was partly successful. He had managed to temporarily boost himself with stamina without blowing himself up like a popped balloon of blood.

However, it was only partly. The weakness after the incredibly long winddown time made it useless in combat outside of the most desperate of situations. It had gotten Jake out of a bind once, but it wasn’t a stunt he had any intention of repeating any time soon.

Getting up from the hard ground, he stretched a bit to get some flexibility back. He felt his body crack here and there, and he instantly felt refreshed. The healing potion was surely also doing its work.

He didn’t delay any longer as he walked up to the wooden door and entered the dungeon once more. He was ready to repeat it from the beginning, but found that the wall that had been broken down was still broken, confirming to Jake that the dungeon didn’t reset.

Clear signs of the chase from the many beasts were also present. Jake decided to walk towards where the boars had come from, to see what the hell they were doing back there.

What he found was a large lake of murky water. It exuded clear indications of strong mana within it, and walking up to it and using Identify only confirmed that it did.

[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.

This water was a lot like the Lucenti Water he had found in the Lucenti Plains dungeon. The description was pretty much the same, except this one mentioned earth-affinity mana instead.

The last time he had come into contact with this type of water, it burned him like acid. But he still cautiously placed his hand into this Soilwater, mentally preparing himself for the stinging sensation. However, to his surprise, it didn’t even sting. It felt somewhat normal, actually, aside from the unmistakable feeling of mana within it.

I guess I do have some kind of earth affinity? he thought to himself as he took out an empty barrel from his storage. It would be stupid not to collect some of the wonderful water while he was here. He was in a rush, sure, but who knew when he would stumble across earth-affinity water again.

As he collected it, he got an idea. He assumed that the boars drank this water and ran to eat the rocks afterward. That it was their "pattern," so to speak. But he would have to confirm it before he could turn his idea into action.

He finished up collecting water, and afterward, he jumped straight into the water. The lake wasn’t very wide, perhaps only 50 meters in diameter, but it was quite deep. His Sphere of Perception extended effortlessly through the water as he dove downwards.

He felt something below. A feeling that only got stronger the further down he dove. The intensity of the earth-affinity mana increased with every meter down. Fifty meters down, he began to feel a bit of pressure, but he kept diving further and further.

A hundred meters down, the pressure was starting to get to him, but he kept going. His constitution meant he did not need to really breathe, and his Toughness made both the physical and energetic pressure manageable.

One hundred twenty meters…

One hundred forty meters…

One hundred sixty meters.

Finally, his sphere picked up the bottom of the lake. His eyesight was nonexistent at this depth, with everything merely being colored brown.

His sphere did, however, pick up that the lake was deeper towards the center. Like a small crater formed the bottom.

Swimming towards the center, he soon found the epicenter of it all. And his sphere also picked up the source of the mana. No larger than a finger, a small shard was embedded in the soil, giving off incredibly strong fluctuations of earth mana. Focusing on it, he used Identify.

[Crystalized Essence of Earth (Rare)] – A crystallized essence of earth. Can be used in a variety of rare earth-affinity alchemical creations. Passively transforms atmospheric mana into the earth affinity. Has become intrinsically linked to the mana of the lake through time.

Yep, that ought to do it, he thought as he dove closer. At this point, he was around two hundred meters underwater, with the earth mana coupled with the natural pressure from being down there pressing into him. He could still manage due to his physical stats, though, so he inspected the crystalized essence.

It truly did appear just like a small crystal. Rather unassuming, if he didn’t know any better. He didn’t put it into his spatial storage as he began to think.

The idea he had was to poison the lake, making it toxic and weakening the boars. He didn’t like the thought of doing it, as he felt it was a cheap way to fight, but he was in a rush. In fact, the thought hadn’t even occurred to him during the Lucenti Plains dungeon. Not that he thought it would have actually worked with the Lucenti Water. Chances were, the deer would have also been able to sense it with their keen senses and high intellect. The boars… now they were another story.

The idea to poison it slowly died, however, as he dove further and further down. There was simply too much water.

He wasn’t even sure he could get it up to a level where it was lethal or able to deal meaningful damage before the tutorial ended. But perhaps this essence presented an opportunity.

While he himself couldn’t poison the water, that wasn’t to say this essence couldn’t. He could feel its connection to the rest of the lake and how every single strand of mana felt like it originated from it. Likely because it did. It also said that the mana in the lake was linked closely to it.

If he could corrupt the water source and not the water itself… perhaps that would make it possible to transform this entire lake into one big concoction of death. He wasn’t sure if he could, but he wanted to try.

And his method of doing it would be through Touch of the Malefic Viper. The skill description also specified "being," making him unsure if objects also fit that description. He didn’t know if water counted as partly living for some reason, or it was just because water appeared to be susceptible to absorb all kinds of mana by default.

He checked the skill to see if anything was stopping him.

[Touch of the Malefic Viper (Rare)] – 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. Some toxins cannot be used. Adds a minor increase to the effectiveness of Touch of the Malefic Viper based on Intelligence and Wisdom.

It mentioned him only being able to inject poison he had prior concocted, but that wasn’t entirely accurate. Besides the limitations—such as being unable to inject the Amalgamation he’d made to clear the Challenge Dungeon and whatever he made in the pond in the Lucenti Plains—he could create Necrotic Poison and hemotoxic poison with his Touch. But he could do one more type.

His Blood of the Malefic Viper created a poison that Jake honestly couldn’t quite identify. It clearly held signs of Necrotic Poison, but it also just straight up corroded and corrupted everything else. The description of that skill said it based the toxin’s nature on his Records… so a mix of all poisons he had ever made or ingested?

What mattered was that the toxin from Blood of the Malefic Viper counted for his Touch of the Malefic Viper. It was the type he pretty much always used with Touch of the Malefic Viper because it was the strongest type he had. At least it appeared to be effective against anything and everything.

So Jake wanted to try and corrupt the crystal essence with Touch. Perhaps trying to soak it in his blood would work too, but he doubted it could penetrate into it and corrupt it. Better to use the Touch.

But first, he would confirm that the beasts did indeed drink from this lake.

Swimming upwards, he went faster than when he went down. When he got close to the surface, his sphere picked up something at the edge of the lake, but he had too much momentum and ended up emerging. What he saw quickly made him rethink his decision. The entire lake was surrounded by boars on all sides, including the big boss.

Jake was smack in the middle of it and froze the instant his head popped up. He could see the beasts drink the water, with not a single one of them even throwing a glance his way.

Thank god for their shitty perception, he thought as he slowly ducked his head under again—no reason to tempt fate more than necessary.

He had noticed before that the boars had sucky eyesight. They didn’t appear to feel mana either—plus, they also sucked in the hearing department. What they did have was some weird sense related to the ground. If he had to guess, then he would say they could feel vibrations—a tremor sense.

As the water wasn't ground last time he checked, he assumed it would help hide him, so he was pretty safe in the water.

Diving down once more, he headed straight for the crystal. Being so deep in the dense mana, he didn’t fear the boars detecting anything he did as he placed his hands on the crystal.

He tried moving it but found that it was stuck to the ground. He could likely cut it out along with the surrounding stone if he wanted to, but that wasn’t necessary.

Activating Touch of the Malefic Viper, he instantly felt the resistance from the essence, like a barrier blocking the toxic mana from entering. However, he quickly found that the barrier was weak, as a small extra push broke it down.

His mana entered the gem and… nothing. Well, not nothing. It was just that what he did barely had any effect. It was like trying to make an entire bathtub acidic by pouring in a few drops of acid. It was diluted and barely did anything.

He kept up the injection for a minute or so longer but felt like he didn’t even make a dent. However, what did take a hit was his mana pool, which was rapidly drained from the continuous use of the skill.

Stopping what he was doing, he started rethinking his approach. He could feel the toxins within the essence, but he would need more… a lot more.

What did bode well was the mana in his immediate area. All of it now carried a faint tinge of poison. His theory that the essence was inherently linked to the Soilwater had proven right. This meant that if he managed to corrupt the essence, he could poison the entire lake.

It did also mean that if he could not corrupt the essence, then poisoning the water itself likely wouldn’t do much.

It appears like the water is filtered through the essence somehow… he thought. It does help that the earth mana doesn’t consume the mana, unlike the dark ma—wait.

Jake froze as he followed that thought. Dark mana could consume other kinds of mana. But dark mana alone wouldn’t help corrupt the essence; it would just be making it into a "Dark Crystalized Essence," or maybe a weird mix of earth and dark.

No, he needed the properties of the dark-affinity mana in his toxins instead. Make it take over and spread. His poison already did this to biological beings. Necrotic Poison invaded and consumed the flesh of whatever it infected, while his hemotoxin made itself part of the bloodstream, thinning it and making his foe bleed more.

What he needed was a magical version of that, and the dark mana was just what he needed. The poison from Touch of the Malefic Viper being purely energy-based made it all a bit complicated. This isn’t to say the regular poisons were nonmagical, just more belonging to the physical realm.

His poisons didn’t appear to belong to any specific affinity either.

But that didn’t mean every type wasn’t aligned to one. If Jake had to guess, then Necrotic Poison appeared to belong to the death affinity, with hemotoxin poison maybe being blood affinity… if that was a thing. Maybe it was just water affinity?

The point was, he wasn’t sure if the two would just go together. Wouldn’t merging dark mana into the toxic mana from his Touch only consume whatever toxins there were?

Yet despite all his doubts, he couldn’t dismiss the idea, and the one thing that kept his belief going was a particular vision he’d seen what felt like ages ago.

Within the challenge dungeon, he had seen a vision of the Malefic Viper and his growth to power. He remembered one of the visions where the winged serpent flew over the populace, spewing out some dark green poison.

All who were hit started decaying and dying. But that wasn’t all. Every single entity hit by the poison was consumed and died, but their bodies continued to release even more poison into the air even after death. What’s more, the area where the poison was spread became covered in a blanket of darkness and death. It was a memory he would never forget seeing, and the cornerstone of his theory now.

Whether the Viper had used dark mana or not, he didn’t know. But he had a feeling dark mana was one of the affinities the Viper himself leaned most towards.

Perhaps it was just a pipedream, but he chose to believe it was possible as he once more placed his hands on the crystalized essence. He didn’t use the skill immediately but began changing some of his mana into the dark affinity.

He instantly felt that the mana wouldn’t work with the skill. Touch of the Malefic Viper consumed normal, affinity-less mana, the mana he had by default. He already knew this, but he continued to make the dark mana, nevertheless.

It had to be compatible somehow—his Descending Fang had transformed into Descending Dark Fang, the same skill but now with dark mana. Perhaps it was just that one skill that carried high compatibility, but he also fervently believed that Touch of the Malefic Viper did.

It was one of the skills he’d gotten upon obtaining his profession. The skill he’d gotten after receiving a blessing from the god himself. Everything within him told him it would work.

He began using the skill as usual but tried pushing a bit of dark mana in too. Failure.

He tried forcing it to work with purely dark mana. Failure.

He used it normally, to begin with, and then tried to inject in dark mana during the process. Failure.

He tried first injecting some dark mana without using Touch but found himself unable to. Failure.

He continued testing for what felt like hours, experiencing failure after failure.

Jake was many things, and being stubborn was definitely one of them.

Chapter 31

A Thoughtful Touch

Affinities and mana—magic as a whole, actually—were still new concepts to Jake and everyone else going through the tutorials. Books in the Challenge Dungeon had all been very unspecific about how mana and magic worked and only described possible methods of using it.

Jake’s most significant source of information had been the Viper himself, and even that had been broad and nonspecific. Jake had no concept of what he could do with his mana, nor what he couldn’t do.

Alchemy had given him a headstart, and his early practice with mana had only boosted him further. He had started making the strings of mana, and he had learned to transform his mana’s affinity quite quickly. The thought of him being unable to somehow use the dark-affinity elements in the mana in his Touch of the Malefic Viper didn’t even enter his mind.

If there was one thing the system had proven so far, it was that nothing was as simple and as rigid as it seemed before. Jake would just have to find the trick. Whatever made it all click into place.

Currently, that epiphany still eluded him. But the thought of quitting didn’t occur to him for a single moment. He just kept going and cut out all else, immersed in the skill. In his world, there only existed the flow of mana and the Crystalized Essence.

In the weird state of meditation, he focused more than he had perhaps ever done before. He felt his control of energy improve and his focus only increasing. He didn’t even take notice of the system notification.

But he did quickly begin to notice an issue. It was indeed with the skill Touch of the Malefic Viper; it allowed him to inject a poison he had made prior, and in his repertoire… not a single poison compatible with dark mana existed—not even the toxin from his Blood of the Malefic Viper.

Him trying to inject it together with dark mana was like mixing in dark mana in the middle of concocting. In other words, he was trying to introduce an incompatible ingredient, thus ruining the entire concoction every time he tried.

He instead needed a type of poison that was compatible, hopefully even based on dark mana. The descriptions of some of the items mentioned alchemical creations built around mana affinities, making it a logical conclusion that poisons based on the dark affinity also existed.

Without any prior concoctions of it, his Touch couldn’t manifest it… so he had to find a way to make it do it anyway.

What would a poison that was based on dark mana look like? It would be something that spread by itself, something aiming to consume every other source of energy it came into contact with. Hopefully, something akin to a virus that could infect different types of mana.

But that idea was nearly instantly dispelled. For such a poison to exist, it would be impossible to stop. It would be a poison of the highest order. One that, if applied correctly, could wipe out worlds.

No, he needed something similar. Something that could infect, but it didn’t need to do so very well. It only needed to be able to spread to other types of mana, and it didn’t need to be automatic either. It needing constant input and guidance to continue spreading would be fine too.

He needed it to be a poison… that simply was dark mana. Dark mana consumed other kinds of mana, but it couldn’t consume "active" mana in any way. Passive dark mana would only deplete different passive types of mana and only do so to a certain extent. If not, the entire world would be covered by only dark mana, after all.

Of course, merely pumping dark mana into the essence was an option. If Jake did it enough, then the essence would likely either break or turn into a dark essence of some kind. But that wouldn’t help him with anything. Besides, he seriously doubted he had the mana pool to do it.

In conclusion, he needed toxic mana that spread like dark mana but wasn’t dark mana. Toxic mana he could do, as that was kind of what Touch of the Malefic Viper was. Dark mana he also had. The combination was the issue.

In his mind, he began a concoction. He thought back to his experience with corrupting the moon in the Lucenti Plains, including the many types of toxins he had concocted. He thought of the feeling of the poison from the end of the Challenge Dungeon ravaging through his system.

Every bit of poison he had experienced was still within him—in his Records. Palate of the Malefic Viper had at least partially absorbed it. And anything in his Records would be manifested through Blood of the Malefic Viper. And anything from Blood of the Malefic Viper could be injected with Touch of the Malefic Viper.

It was a constant cycle of skills working in synergy. Unsurprising, considering they all came from the same source—the Malefic Viper himself.

Jake’s hands were still glowing a black color from channeling dark mana into them long ago. The glow lingered as Jake was submerged in his meditation. Hours passed, and the mana within him moved in erratic patterns, the dark mana sometimes disappearing from his hands, only to reappear moments later.

Time passed, and suddenly the mana on his two hands started changing color. At first, it was subtle, but soon a small speck of green became two, and then four. The color changed as his hands turned from the pure darkness of dark mana to the dark green of Touch of the Malefic Viper.

Jake opened his eyes, his mind clearer than ever as he put his hands upon the Crystalized Essence once more. He activated his Touch of the Malefic Viper, and what was injected was not the same poison as before.

The moment it entered the essence, it reacted. It started eating into it, consuming it. The consumed mana became the same toxic mana that Jake infected, constantly spreading.

Within only minutes, the small infection had turned into a full-on pandemic for the earth mana. But Jake didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop, in fact.

If he stopped, so would the infection. It was only with his constant injection with Touch of the Malefic Viper that the poison kept spreading.

But that wasn’t an issue—because the surrounding Soilwater was changing just as fast as the essence itself.

Jake could feel the toxicity all around him with his Sense of the Malefic Viper. He could feel it intensify every single second, and it was only speeding up.

Another ten minutes later, the entire essence had changed color from yellowish-brown to a yellowish-black. Still of the earth affinity, but clearly now something more. It was corrupted. Or, according to Identification, contaminated.

[Contaminated Soilwater (Common)] - Water infused with strong earth-affinity mana, now contaminated with potent toxins. Limited use as an ingredient in alchemical recipes. Will restore a minor amount of mana if ingested by those with the earth affinity but will also poison the consumer.

It was still Soilwater, and it didn’t really appear to look any different. Without an ability to sense poison as he had, or identifying the water itself, he doubted anyone could tell the difference. It was perfect. Exactly how he had hoped for it to go.

Without the new method he had used, it would have been impossible. Every point of mana he had spent had led to thousands if not tens of thousands of mana worth of contamination.

He could feel it still slowly spreading throughout the rest of the pool. The essence was as corrupted as he could make it, and it would now do the rest of the work.

Jake was unaware of how much time had passed when he was in this state of meditation. He had been more focused than ever before during it. When he looked through his notifications, he quickly discovered why.

*Skill Upgraded*: [Meditate (Common)] --> [Thoughtful Meditation (Uncommon)]

[Thoughtful Meditation (Uncommon)] – Enter a state of meditation, cutting off the outside world. While in meditation, regenerate stamina and mana significantly faster. While in meditation, perception is reduced immensely. Increases concentration and control of energies while in meditation at the cost of further limiting perception.

He had received the upgrade when he immersed himself deeper in his meditation than he had done before. He had at other times meditated deeply, like when he was practicing dark mana in the sewers, but even then, he’d always kept connected to the outside world.

However, this time he had even cut off the information from the Sphere of Perception. And his random burst of concentration and focus had clearly been rewarded. Of course, this wasn’t the only thing he had gotten.

His Touch of the Malefic Viper had also reacted to his improvements. He knew that he had evolved the skill when his mana started entering the crystal as he intended, and the notification only confirmed it.

*Skill Upgraded*: [Touch of the Malefic Viper (Rare --> 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.

The name of the skill hadn’t changed. That was a first for any skill he had ever upgraded. Then again, it was also the first skill directly related to the Malefic Viper, so maybe whatever he did hadn’t warranted a name change.

Or maybe he had just unlocked something the skill was meant to do all along. He didn’t know, but he did feel like the ease of the upgrade had been, well… too easy. It was like the skill would gladly do what he wanted; he just needed to give it that one extra little push to get it there.

Not that he wasn’t going to take anything away from himself and his accomplishments. He had managed to upgrade the skill and synthesize a poison through the synergy of skills, his efforts, and ingenuity. Sure, likely many other factors also played a part, but he had to give himself credit where credit was due.

It did help quite a lot that the system appeared to agree that he had done something noteworthy. At least, if the levels gained were to be believed.

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 52 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

…

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 55 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 59 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 60 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

It was quite insane. Four levels in his profession awarded for only a bit of work, a measly… nineteen hours?

What the fuck? Jake thought fittingly as he rechecked the tutorial panel. Maybe the new Thoughtful Meditation was a bit too good at making him focus on things…

The entire thing was still clearly a huge gain for him; he just felt a bit salty over not even noticing the time ticking by.

Maybe this is what people call an epiphany? Jake wondered as he began swimming upwards. He didn’t quite close his status menu, however. He had gotten a total of 30 Free Points from the combined six levels in his profession and race.

So far, he had just thrown most of it into Perception and quite a bit into Wisdom during his days in the challenge dungeon. He focused on the Free Points and willed up a chart showing the distribution.

Status

Free Point Distribution:

Strength: 57

Agility: 57

Endurance: 1

Vitality: 26

Toughness: 22

Wisdom: 100

Intelligence: 0

Perception: 362

Willpower: 0

Total Distributed: 625

Looking over the distribution, he actually thought it was an interesting telling of his journey. The one point in Endurance in his early days to figure out how stats worked, his seemingly random points in Vitality and Toughness as he’d prepared to drink his “cure” in the Challenge Dungeon.

The points in Wisdom while he did alchemy, and the points in Strength and Agility just after he exited the dungeon, as he’d severely lacked in those compared to his defensive stats back then.

Of course, his Perception was the most significant outlier with an immense 362 points invested. It was perhaps a bit overdone, considering how little it helped him during normal combat. His sphere didn’t really get much affected by it anymore, and his other Bloodline-related abilities didn’t improve as far as he could tell. But maybe that was where his thinking was off—as far as he could tell.

Perception likely helped in areas he didn’t think about. Passive small things here and there. He didn’t notice them, the same way he didn’t usually see how stuff like his memory and ability to do calculations improved with his mental stats.

It just did, and he’d adapted to it nearly instantly, letting his altered state become his new normal. It was likely something natural for everyone with the system. Mulling over how one magically became stronger with every level was becoming quite commonplace, after all.

That wasn’t to say he didn’t notice many of the benefits of Perception. One of those was, of course, his reaction time. It had always been strong and had only improved. His ability to predict and read his opponent had improved too.

What was starting to become an issue was his body’s ability to react fast enough to what he wanted it to do. He didn’t feel fast enough; he needed more speed. Agility would help every aspect of his fighting, both melee and ranged.

So he had decided to invest his Free Points into Agility to increase his combat abilities. It was 30 points, and while he already had 539 Agility, it would clearly be more beneficial to add 30 to that compared to his 1059 Perception.

The fact that I got trampled by an army of angry pigs because I wasn’t fast enough didn’t play any role in my decision whatsoever. Not at all, he rightfully denied.

Putting in the points, he felt the warm flow of stats increasing as he began swimming just a little bit faster. He knew it took a bit for his body to adapt and make full use of the stats, but he still noticed it.

As he got further and further up, he noticed the amount of poison decrease. Not that it was an issue, as he could still feel it rising up from below. It would take a bit for all the Soilwater to be thoroughly contaminated.

Seeing the surface of the lake, he considered if it was safe to pop his head up—a thought swiftly followed by another.

… Do I need to breathe?

Chapter 32

Pigs for Slaughter

Jake had long gotten used to not really having to eat or drink anything. Whatever he chugged down here and there appeared to be enough to keep him going. He could barely remember the feeling of hunger or thirst anymore.

However, what he had kept doing was breathing. It just felt far too natural to do. All living beings he had seen did it. Yet, he had now been submerged underwater for nearly an entire day, and he hadn’t even thought about having to breathe before mere moments ago.

Breathing still had to have some kind of benefit. Why else would anyone and everything do it? He doubted all the beasts had the same lingering instinct as he and other humans from before the system did.

Well… not having to breathe is nice, I guess, he thought as he decided to pop his head up above the surface of the lake.

As his head got above the water, he saw the sunlight hit the shimmering water of the lake. He peeked towards the shores and saw nothing.

It appeared the boars weren’t having a drinking session right now. Jake had kind of hoped for them to be there as the poison made its way to the upper echelons of the lake so he could observe its effect. He would have to wait a bit for that, though.

Jake decided to spend the time productively as he kept an eye on the entrance to the gorge. He had gotten many still-lingering inspirations concerning the use of mana, and he decided to test out a few of them now.

Earth mana had a weirdly solid feel to it, and it had inspired him to try if he could use it to enhance his own use of mana.

His first test was to place both his palms on the water’s surface as he began channeling mana to them and trying to push them downwards. He felt himself getting lifted a little as his hands sank into the water.

Despite the failure, he was elated that his theory had been proven immediately right. Placing his palms on the water once more, he continued by trying to lift himself out of the water once more, using the water as support.

With zeal, he continued his practice for half an hour until he finally managed to stretch out his arms, lifting his entire upper body out of the water, with the only support being his hands on the surface.

The next step was to extend the same concept to other parts of his body. It took him only another hour or so until he stood triumphant on top of the water. Finally, he had realized a long-held dream since childhood. Following in the footsteps of a certain orange-dressed ninja, he could now channel his energy to stand on water.

He tried taking a few steps back and forth and found great success. Even going into a light jog, he managed to keep himself from falling through. His next test was to take out his bow as he tried firing an arrow—pulling back the string was another great success.

Next, he tried the ultimate test. Taking an arrow this time, he began channeling Infused Powershot, and… he plopped straight down into the lake. He would have to work a bit more on that one.

An opportunity he didn’t get quite yet as he heard the sound of trotters hitting the ground in the distance.

Stopping his antics, he pulled up his hood and activated the camouflage feature. He kept himself submerged with only the top of his head sticking out.

He had already established that the eyesight of the boars sucked. By blending in with the colors of the lake, he had a feeling that he could remain undetected, especially with the mana-rich water around him shrouding him further.

Being down in the water once more, he could also vividly feel the poison all around him. The entire lake had been well and truly contaminated as all the toxins had had time to rise to the surface. Now for the most crucial part. Would the big piggies notice?

Watching them get closer, he remained unmoving and crossed his fingers. Like the last time he’d seen them, they all spread out in a huge semicircle as they surrounded the lake—something they had clearly done many times before.

Jake saw the first boar approach the water: the big boss Horde Leader. His heart pumped with a mix of anxiety and anticipation as he saw it lower its snout. It briefly froze before it began drinking, the snout moving up and down to sniff the water.

Don’t you fucking dare… he thought as the damn thing hesitated. However, its neighbor boar didn’t have the same caution. It just slumped its head into the water and began drinking.

The big boss looked over at its comrade and seemed to do what Jake interpreted as a shrug before it, too, began drinking.

None of the others hesitated either; they all began draining the lake. Jake reveled as he started feeling the poison enter them through his Sense of the Malefic Viper.

The beasts hadn’t shown the slightest ability to sense mana so far, aside from earth mana. And even then, he wasn’t sure if they could really “feel” it or how exactly they manipulated it. All he knew was that the poison was currently entering their bodies, and they all seemed none the wiser.

Minutes passed as they all kept gulping down the Contaminated Soilwater. The Horde Leader appeared to be the sharpest of the bunch, but even it hadn’t noticed anything yet, perhaps because it would take quite a bit more poison to affect it compared to the others.

Each of the boars had to have consumed tens if not hundreds of liters. It was honestly amazing how the lake didn’t appear to shrink at all. Jake hadn’t seen any signs of new water, so he wrote it off as dungeon-fuckery.

His stray thought was interrupted by one of the boars that had now stopped drinking. It backed away from the pool, then… stumbled over and bumped into the boar beside it.

The one that got knocked only swayed a little, but it did raise its head and make an angry squeal at its companion. It, however, seemed to notice something was off as it had now stopped drinking too. It shook its head and took a few steps forward, falling into the lake.

This entire interaction caught the attention of all the other beasts. They all abruptly stopped drinking, then raised their heads and simultaneously noticed something was off.

They started all stumbling about as if drunk, hitting each other, with some of them falling into the lake.

Jake was a bit dumbfounded as he observed all this. The effects of the poison hadn’t been what he expected… He had hoped for it to deal significant damage, maybe even slowly kill them. From what he could feel, they didn’t appear to take any noticeable damage, however.

Instead, they were… blind?

A function of dark mana was to limit perception, and now it appeared these boars were infected by just that. Their already absolutely terrible perception had been hampered even more, to the point of total blindness.

Jake began swimming to the shore on the opposite side of where the boars had entered. There was a bit of an area now clear of beasts, one he quickly reached as he climbed up on shore. He did so carefully, keeping watch of the pigs to see if they noticed him—which they clearly didn’t.

Looking around, he saw the chaos he had caused. Several pigs were squealing and splashing around in the water, the others running around hitting each other in confusion, with the Horde Leader being unmoving, eyes closed.

He took out his bow and his quiver. He mentally smacked himself for not applying poison to his arrows, but then again, it would likely have been washed off down in the water.

Instead, he put a bit of his poisoned blood into the bottom of the quiver, making do with what he had and what he could apply most quickly. As he did so, he used Mark of the Ambitious Hunter on his first target.

Nocking the first arrow, he aimed at one of the boars smack in the middle of the mayhem. He channeled his Infused Powershot as he waited till he had a clear line of sight.

He released the arrow to the usual explosion of might. It didn’t even take the arrow a few milliseconds to reach its target more than one hundred fifty meters away, easily breaking the sound barrier. Not that the expected sonic boom was heard—another part of physics that was likely altered or broken by the system.

When the arrow met its target, it did exactly as Jake expected. It blew a substantial barrel-sized hole in the side of the boar, blasting it away. It smashed into several others, mainly on account of the different pieces of the beast flying all over the place.

Jake was prepared to dive into the lake after his shot, but the boars’ response was… more chaos. Not a single one of them seemed to notice him at all, but instead started panicking in a far more frenzied manner.

He could vaguely feel the amount of poison within each beast reducing by the second from where he stood. The problem for the creatures was that they had consumed too damn much of the water. Even if their body slowly cleansed it, Jake reckoned he would have hours before they were all back to normal.

All except for one boar that was currently curing itself far faster than the others: the Horde Leader. But even so, it had also chucked down way more than any of the others. He had time.

Another arrow nocked, another Infused Powershot channeled, resulted in another dead boar. This repeated four more times before the boars finally seemed to catch on. Even with their reduced senses, the smell of blood had begun entering their snouts, making it clear that things were off.

Not that it helped them. In fact, it helped Jake more.

The earth rumbled as shards of stone began flying all around. Spikes of earth shot up, one of them even hitting the side of the Horde Leader, bringing it out of its state of concentration. It appeared to think it was under attack, as it erected a dome of stone around itself.

None of the other boars were smart enough to do that, though. They just attacked everything around them. And the only thing around them was their own allies.

Jake, at the same time, continued shooting. He had to make use of the time as efficiently as he could. Most boars died in a single shot through the heart or head, but some he had to shoot a few more times.

While the boars were durable, they were all currently in a weakened state. Their vital energies were entangled in a struggle against the poison in their bodies, weakening them all significantly. An unexpected blow from Jake’s most powerful Infused Powershot proved fatal for them in that state.

The only boars he didn’t bother with yet were the ones that had fallen into the lake. He counted fourteen in there right now, all struggling to get their bearings, some even being submerged. It didn’t look like they knew how to swim very well. Jake was pretty sure normal, non-earth-bending boars knew how to swim.

If they had their bearings, they could likely just manipulate the earth to get them out. But delirious as they were, they could only act like a bunch of normal, non-swimmer boars tossed in a lake.

His quiver wasn’t decreasing either despite the many arrows fired. He had learned long ago to conjure arrows while shooting through a small tether of mana attached to said quiver. It did drain mana, but his current limiter in combat endurance was, well… Endurance, AKA his stamina.

Luckily for him, his resources had been pretty much topped off when he engaged in the fight. To be safe, he did consume a stamina potion the moment his stamina dipped a bit.

After firing his hundredth arrow, he had already killed more than fifty boars. He had felt the warm glow of levels more than a few times already. He didn’t have time to distract himself, though, as he kept up his constant assault.

His arms and entire upper body were aching from the constant Infused Powershots, but at least his Windsoar Bow had yet to show any indications of being overloaded. If he had used his old bow, it likely would’ve already broken due to the massive amounts of mana injected into it.

Soldiering through the pain, he managed to keep killing even if his speed dropped.

As he lifted his bow to fire the two hundred and fifth Infused Powershot, his upper arm started shaking and the skill fizzled out. His entire arm was in a state of both numbness and pain at the same time. He tried to lift it, but while the mind was willing, the body found itself unable.

Looking out on the field, he saw only nine boars continuing to run around. Even now, they kept hitting the corpses of their fallen comrades, and had all entered their enraged state—something that actually appeared to help dispel the poison faster.

The dome hiding the Horde Leader still stood firm, and Jake could feel only remnants of the poison left in the big boss.

Any thoughts of somehow continuing his assault were stopped as he saw the dome begin cracking. Without hesitation, he jumped back into the churning lake.

The pigs that had fallen in earlier were still splashing about, though most of them had made it back to shore once more. Jake did all he could to avoid them as he dove downwards, using only his feet to propel himself as his arms rested.

He had glanced at his arm before he dove into the lake, and it didn’t look good. It was covered in blood and was a mix of blue and red. To call what he had done overexertion would be the understatement of the century.

He had overexerted it and then kept going for another hundred shots. Even if only the first few were full-power shots, he had still used Infused Powershot.

Reaching the bottom of the lake once more, he made his way to the Crystalized Essence at the deepest point. The mana density around it was the strongest, making it the ideal place to recover.

He was betting on the Horde Leader not deciding to dive into the lake to investigate. More hoping, actually. If it did come, he was in for a tough and likely very awkward fight—a Hunter with only his left hand versus a huge boar that couldn't swim.

Luckily it didn’t come to that. Jake’s Mark made him aware that the targeted boar above had stopped moving. He felt movements in the water above, his intuition telling him that the boars were getting out of the water—likely with the help of the Horde Leader.

Finally, he felt it leave and go into the gorge once more.

With a sigh of relief, Jake closed his eyes and entered meditation. With the fighting done, he could finally take a look at the many notifications he had received due to the absolute slaughter that had happened above.

Chapter 33

Limit Break

Submerging his consciousness in meditation, he didn’t enter the heightened state of focus like he had done last time. There was virtually no change from any other time he had used the skill, despite the recent upgrade.

This was honestly a relief to Jake. In the back of his mind, he did briefly have a fear that his usual relaxing meditation would now always result in him suddenly being incredibly focused. And while focusing is good, it doesn’t exactly help the mind relax. The whole “losing time” thing wasn’t very attractive either.

Satisfied that his meditation hadn’t accidentally been made worse, he began going over the long list of notifications. The system was nice as always with them, organizing them into different batches the moment the thought even occurred to him.

The first of which was of the many kills he had gotten. One hundred twenty-four in total, to be exact. Looking them over, it indeed was an impressive sight.

*You have slain [Steeltusk Boar – lvl 77] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level. 114,000 TP earned*

…

*You have slain [Steeltusk Boar – lvl 88] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level. 136,000 TP earned*

The gap between the most powerful and the weakest was eleven levels, a higher level difference between beasts than any of the other enemies he had encountered in dungeons. One had to consider that this one only had two types, though, one of them being the boss.

It also explained why some had been harder to kill than others. Eleven levels were nothing to be scoffed at.

Overall their levels were high. He found it quite insane to think that most of these Steeltusk Boars were higher than the Den Mother. Going by strength, the Badger Den’s boss was still stronger by a lot compared to all of them, but the feeling of amazement remained.

Of course, the high levels of the enemies had also corresponded to earning a nice batch of levels, boosted further by Mark of the Ambitious Hunter.

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 66 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

…

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 71 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 61 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

…

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 63 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Feels like I am getting these windfalls more and more these days, he thought, thinking about how he, only hours ago, had also gotten a batch of levels in his profession.

Six levels in his class just like that. Three in his race too, which meant a total of 39 Free Points. He was about to place them all into Agility but decided against it at the very last moment.

He still had new class skills to consider, after all.

*Ambitious Hunter class skills available*

Jake could feel his excitement as he opened the list of available skills. He was hoping for some really nice new things but was fast disappointed, as he saw only two new entries—one of which was a common-rarity skill.

[Waterwalking (Common)] – A much-coveted technique for all those who are less than stellar in the art of swimming. Cover your feet in a layer of mana, allowing you to walk and run on water. Mana usage is negligible.

He didn’t exactly know what he’d expected. Yeah, it was the ability to walk on water, something he himself had just discovered how to do.

Sure, the skill would likely allow him to far more easily maintain it, probably even making him able to fight with it actively and use other skills. But he still felt like he could learn how to do all that without too much hassle. Heck, it had been hard to learn how to channel mana to conjure arrows while fighting, but he had figured that out.

Needless to say, he skipped the skill. He would rather pick something else he had been offered at an earlier level than that garbage.

As for the next skill… it was most certainly a lot more interesting.

[Limit Break (Rare)] – Sometimes, one needs to go above and beyond. Break your limits, temporarily increasing the effect of all stats at the cost of increased stamina consumption. Increase by up to 10% for double stamina consumption. Increase by up to 20% for quadruple stamina consumption, with the Hunter afterward entering a state of weakness based on Limit Break duration and magnitude. Increasing by more than 20% will lead to severe consequences.

He had to read it over a few times, his smile only growing with every reread. It wasn’t hard to determine that he had gotten this from experimenting with increasing his stamina’s internal flow—a method that had proven effective but highly flawed in nearly every aspect.

With a skill, however, it was different. It was controlled. Limit Break would allow him to do it “right” and be boosted and corrected by the system itself. Were the effects of Limit Break something he could theoretically achieve himself? Possibly. But for once, he was more than happy to take the easy route.

It was just too good. 10% increase to the effect of all stats for only double stamina consumption was more than worth it. Jake could even go to 20% if he needed the extra boost. He believed that the feeling of weakness he’d had after his escape from the dungeon was the kind of weakness the skill talked about, though hopefully to a far lesser degree if he didn’t use the skill for long.

Another point of interest was the fact that it straight up used percentages. It was extremely uncharacteristic of the system to throw out all the vagueness and just give Jake the numbers like that. The only other skill that used a number like that was Big Game Hunter, and even that was just to limit how far above his level the scaling would work.

It was a nice change of pace, and he hoped that more skills would do that in the future. A sentiment he very much doubted.

Doing a mental shrug, he reckoned not much more thought was required before he swiftly selected the skill.

He felt the knowledge enter his head, and he instantly knew how to use it. And use it he did. Activating the skill, he felt his internal energy speed up and his body become more powerful. He had only increased it by 10%, but it was truly noticeable.

It was like he had instantly gained a total of more than 450 stat points, and the only cost was his stamina decreasing at a faster rate. He deactivated the skill and felt the energy cycle slow and return to normal as if nothing had ever happened.

There was no long time letting out excessive energy, no long windup or winddown for the skill. Both happened in moments, and it didn’t leave Jake with a single ounce of weakness afterward. It honestly felt like a cheat of a skill.

Sadly, he had to suspend his practice as his stamina was still far too low from the battle before. His arm and upper body were both starting to heal up, but he still couldn’t really move around, so he reentered meditation.

Opening his eyes once more, he checked the time and noted that quite a few hours had passed. Checking the tutorial panel, he noted the time.

[Tutorial Panel]

Duration: 4 days & 5:21:52

Only four days and a bit of change left… I hope I make it, Jake thought as he closed down the panel and instead opened his status page. At the same time, he also dumped all of his excess Free Points into Endurance. Stamina had just gotten a whole lot more value.

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

Race: [Human (E) – lvl 63]

Class: [Ambitious Hunter – lvl 71]

Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – lvl 55]

Health Points (HP): 5258/5800

Mana Points (MP): 5617/5650

Stamina: 4024/4620

Stats

Strength: 429

Agility: 611

Endurance: 462

Vitality: 580

Toughness: 417

Wisdom: 565

Intelligence: 282

Perception: 1107

Willpower: 354

Free Points: 0

Titles: [Forerunner of the New World], [Bloodline Patriarch], [Holder of a Primordial’s True Blessing], [Dungeoneer IV], [Dungeon Pioneer IV], [Legendary Prodigy]

Class Skills: [Basic One-Handed Weapons (Inferior], [Advanced Stealth (Common)], [Advanced Archery (Common)], [Hunter’s Sight (Uncommon)], [Basic Twin-Fang Style (Uncommon)], [Basic Shadow Vault of Umbra (Uncommon)], [Splitting Arrow (Uncommon)] [Big Game Hunter (Rare)], [Infused Powershot (Rare)], [Mark of the Ambitious Hunter (Rare)], [Descending Dark Fang (Rare)], [Limit Break (Rare)], [Moment of the Primal 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)], [Palate of the Malefic Viper (Rare)], [Sense of the Malefic Viper (Rare)], [Blood of the Malefic Viper (Epic)], [Touch of the Malefic Viper (Epic)], [Scales 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)]

Looking it over, he thought of all the unexpected gains he had gotten during this dungeon dive: levels in his profession and two skill upgrades, as well as a big load of levels in his class.

His stats hadn’t grown that much since last he checked, but with a few Free Points invested, his Agility had gotten above 600. As an Archer, he found it fitting for it to be his second-highest stat. Vitality and Wisdom were both very closely behind, though.

Closing his status, he checked himself over and moved his right arm. It was still a bit numb, but it appeared to function quite well. A health potion should be enough to fix it right up. Feeling done going over things, he swam upwards once more.

His last Mark of the Ambitious Hunter had run out less than an hour ago, and the boar afflicted by it had still been in the other area.

Jake had thought about the precise range limit and the maximum duration, and how both of them were far higher than he had anticipated. The Mark did run out faster on stronger foes, but even on the powerful boar, it had lasted more than six hours.

Considering that it was so far above his level, he found that quite respectable.

Reaching the surface once more, he now, for the first time, truly saw the carnage he had caused. Corpses strewn all over, blood pooling in every little rock crevice, and even tinges of red in the water around the shore of the lake.

The palette of the valley had changed to a far more colorful one, for sure. Their comrades had left more than a hundred corpses behind, and it was a gruesome sight.

Many of the corpses were mutilated beyond recognition. Much of the mutilation hadn’t been done by Jake, but by the rampaging boars flinging earth spells all over the place. Which wasn’t to say that the Hunter wasn’t responsible for a lot of the damage. The missing heads were nearly all him.

Jake had learned long ago that a corpse wasn’t as resilient as the living thing. If he had to guess, he would say it was because it lost the effect of the inner energy running through its body and any passive skills, making it stronger.

Whatever the case, it meant that the damage done by the other boars to their now dead comrades was far more severe.

A weird thought entered his head as he glanced over the scene. Why didn’t he care? Why didn’t the sight result in even the slightest feeling of disgust or apprehension?

Only two months ago, he had been an office worker, and the most blood he had ever seen outside of television and the internet was when his brother got a really bad nosebleed that one time. However, now he could stare out into a valley filled with mutilated corpses and not bat an eye.

The thing is, though, the sight had never bothered him. Even from his first kill, he hadn’t thought much of it.

Jake shook the thought out of his head. It was good that he was desensitized to such things, as it would only be a hindrance. He had better things to do and was on a timer. He just knew it was important to be aware of it. Being desensitized to killing mindless beasts was good, but he didn’t want to be someone who could kill humans thoughtlessly.

After a brief glance at the countdown till the end of the tutorial to remind himself of his limited time, he decided that he had time for one last round of alchemy. His stamina was still a bit low anyway, and he did need to do a bit of alchemy anyway.

One reason was that for every stat increase, his potions got better. Every time his skills used in the crafting process improved, his potions got better. And it had been far too long since he last made a batch.

His other issue was that he had already consumed all the good stamina and health potions he had left. The ones remaining were some he had crafted a long time ago, and the best of them only restored around 500 health or stamina. The stamina ones were the worst, as he was far better at making health potions.

On the mana potions front, he was still good. Mainly because he hadn’t used as many of them, Mana had never really been what limited him while fighting, and with his new Limit Break, he doubted it would become an issue compared to stamina.

And as he was only able to drink one potion an hour, be it stamina, health, or mana, he would have to drink whatever was most needed, which tended to be health potions during fights and stamina to quickly get back in shape after finishing one.

Sitting down, he took out his mixing bowl as well as the ingredients. He was happy that his necklace allowed the ingredients to remain fresh, as he hadn’t exactly been as industrious as he should when collecting the herbs he came across.

He began with a batch of health potions by adding the water and starting the brewing. It had been a while since he last crafted, and it didn’t take more than a few moments for him to notice how much easier it was than usual.

The flow of mana was as smooth as it could be, and he felt his control reach a new apex. He transformed the mana into vital energy according to the formula and felt the benefits of making dark-affinity mana show themselves in that process, much like how it had helped him the other way around in the sewer dungeon.

It was a welcome reprieve to return to doing some alchemy. However, from an observer’s viewpoint, the sight of a single individual sitting serenely in a valley of corpses would come off as less than idyllic.

Forty minutes later, he finished his first batch of health potions. Filling eight bottles, he began cleaning his bowl to prepare his stamina potions.

This would be his last round of crafting before facing down the rest of the tutorial. Needless to say, only the best would be good enough.

He had a vague feeling that he would need it.

Chapter 34

Falling Rocks

Packing up, Jake looked over his potions one last time. A few dozen health potions, twenty-two stamina potions, and a good nine bottles of Necrotic Poison. The poison and potions were the most potent iterations he had ever made.

If he had more time, he would have attempted common-rarity health potions, but that was a big if. He didn’t have time. He had four days left to clear the rest of this dungeon, and very likely one more dungeon, the one with the King of the Forest in it. In other words, he was really in a rush.

He had likely actually saved time by his little trick with the Crystalized Essence. A welcome surprise for sure, but he would take anything he could get. With his new Limit Break, he had confidence in being able to do it in time. But not if he dallied around.

His arm and supply of stamina potions were also both in peak condition. It had taken him a few hours to do this alchemy, and he had drunk some potions in between to get back in top shape. In other words, he was back in business.

At first, he had thought himself smart and tried using Limit Break while doing alchemy to get that sweet 10% boost to all stats. But... after only a minute, he’d begun to feel restless, like his body was begging for him to move.

After only a few more minutes, he’d begun to feel spasms coming on, and he’d had to get up and actually move about. In the end, Limit Break was based on speeding up the flow of stamina... and when he did that, he needed some kind of outlet. Sure, he could maybe just pour a shitload more mana into the concoction or brew, but that would be kind of pointless, as it would ruin the crafting process.

In conclusion... Limit Break didn't do anything for him when it came to alchemy.

Rushing forward, he started sprinting towards the gorge. He didn’t fear the beasts charging the other way, as he was pretty sure he could now outrun them.

It didn’t take him that long to run through it, and he found himself in the pillar-filled valley once more. Neither did it take him long to see his first prey.

The boars had once again proven their utter stupidity. Instead of staying together, they were all spread out in the valley. As if they had already forgotten the slaughter that had happened only a few hours ago, they were just happily munching away at stone or even lying on the side relaxing.

Only the Horde Leader appeared a bit more aware, as it had erected walls of earth around itself. Jake called it more aware, but in reality, all it really did was block off its own sight of any of its mates while selfishly protecting itself.

Counting his targets, he saw only a total of fourteen boars and the Horde Leader. His plan was pretty simple: pick off the spread-out boars one by one, and then finally take down the boss. Easy and simple.

In fact, it actually was simple. The scattered boars made it easy for Jake to take them out without attracting the others. At most, he would have to fight two at a time, which realistically would only be one, considering the first would die or be incapacitated by his opening Infused Powershot.

The first boar went down unceremoniously as Jake attacked, and he even used his newly acquired skill.

Limit Breaking to 10%, he felt his stats and internal energy speed increase. Not that it ultimately would have mattered, as the oblivious boar had its head obliterated by an arrow.

The resulting explosion did grab the attention of three other beasts, all of whom ran towards their dead friend. Little did it matter, as Jake had already taken off away from them, making his way towards another boar far away from the first.

Being far enough away, they didn’t detect his light footsteps on the ground. To be extra safe, he had even coated his feet in a layer of mana like when he was walking on water. He didn’t know if it helped or not, but he didn’t see any loss in doing so.

Activating and deactivating his Limit Break was unbelievably easy. It took only a moment, and like a light switch, he could turn it on and off. It did take a bit of time to fully activate as the flow increased, but it was in the milliseconds.

He reckoned it was only for the 10% increase, but that in itself would be more than enough.

This continued as he dashed back and forth, picking off the beasts spread out as they were. He got to a boar, killed it swiftly, and then rushed to the other end of the valley where a new unsuspecting victim awaited.

The three gathered around the first boar he’d killed had even spread out once more after only a few minutes. Jake couldn’t help but find their intelligence, or lack thereof, laughable.

Other beasts he had encountered in the dungeons tended to be smarter. Well, maybe the badgers were still pretty damn stupid in general, but the Alphas and the Den Mother had at least a semblance of intelligence and logic.

The smartest enemies he had encountered had to be the stags. While the two ratmen he had met had been rather smart, the Nest Watcher even capable of speech and using a weapon like a human, he still would place the Great White Stag above them.

It had deployed far more meticulously thought-out methods in its dungeon. It had baited Jake in with its attacks, used complicated magic, and made the entire damn dungeon into a huge ritualistic circle. And while Jake had broken the ritual, he didn’t believe for a second it had been because he had outsmarted the stag.

Even the normal stags had been clever. They’d used tactics with the deer surrounding them, healing them from behind as they engaged in melee. It had made them by far the most annoying type of enemy to deal with.

These boars were at the entire other end of the spectrum. They were just straight-up dumb. Jake could attack them, and only a few minutes later, they would just go back to their daily business, having totally not made the connection between their headless friend and possible danger.

It was such an easily exploitable weakness; one Jake gladly took advantage of.

After only an hour, the final boar outside of the boss lay dead on the ground. Jake had gotten another level after the sixth beast, putting him at level 72. The four Free Points straight into Endurance.

Sitting down, he entered meditation to get up to tip-top shape once more. Before doing so, he consumed a stamina potion to save time. He hadn’t lost a single point of health during any of the “fights.”

Three hours later, his eyes opened once more.

With all three resources full, his bow ready, and his anticipation high, he felt the Horde Leader still hiding within its shell of stone. Jake didn’t know how long it planned on staying within, and he had no intention of waiting to find out.

He looked around for a bit until he got an excellent idea. Running towards one of the pillars of stacked stones relatively close to the dome, he climbed it in a fluid motion. At the top, he began weaving his threads of mana.

Making a web, he began spinning it around the topmost stones. Several times he made sure he wove the strings into a solid rope. Hundreds of rows later, and he was holding onto quite a solid one.

Jumping down from the pillar once more, he found himself standing at the bottom of it. He reached into his spatial storage and pulled out an item he hadn’t looked at for a long time: the Greatsword of Nature that he had taken from the Aspiring Blade of Nature he had killed.

He knew he couldn’t bind the blade to him due to incompatibility, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t make use of it. It was the closest thing he had to a pickaxe.

In an act that would undoubtedly have made the blade’s former owner curse him, Jake began hacking away at the pillar. The stones were tough, far tougher than regular stone, but he could still get through it.

It was terrific, in a kind of sad way, how the boar still hadn’t reacted to anything he was doing. The dome it was hiding within was only a mere seventy meters or so away from him, and it had to feel what he was doing. Yet it remained idle, allowing him to do as he pleased.

A good chopping later, and a lot of the bottom of the pillar was cleaved away. He had made quite a lovely alcove in the huge pillar, if he said so himself. Moreover, he could feel the entire pillar being a bit… wobbly.

Smiling, he ran to the other side of the dome, directly away from the pillar, rope in tow. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what he was planning on doing.

The pillar’s top was still bound up tightly by his rope of mana, and the foundation of the pillar weakened. The entire pillar looked just about ready to fall over.

It would indeed be a shame if someone were to say, I don’t know, “accidentally” collapse it on top of the big piggie, he thought, his smile as big as the piggie he was about to turn into pork.

The plan was ready, and so was he. Nearly. He climbed up another pillar directly opposite of the one he had bound up and primed for collapse. It was never bad to have the high ground.

With the rope in hand, he looked down at the dome. Pulling on his rope of mana, the wobbly pillar started ever so slowly tipping over.

Throwing the rope to the side, he took out his bow as he began channeling his Infused Powershot. Limit Breaking to 20% instantly, he felt his entire body filling up with energy as the air around him reverberated with power, and the stone beneath his feet cracking. His sight and arrow were directly aimed at the dome below.

In what could only be described as catastrophic, the more-than-a-hundred-meter-tall pillar fell over. Thousands of tons fell upon the dome of stone that protected the Horde Leader—a dome that cracked like an eggshell when the pillar crashed into it.

Jake heard a squeal from the beast, and at the same time, with Hunter’s Sight activated, he found his opening. An opening between the cracked stone, allowing his arrow to pierce through unobstructed.

Letting go of the bowstring, the topmost stone of the pillar he stood on exploded into dust as the explosion of might was directed down into it. As for the arrow, it flew straight through that tiny opening just as he intended.

A second explosion sounded out below as the arrow hit the Horde Leader. Not even a second had passed since the pillar collapsed upon it. The damage was disastrous for the boar.

But a boss does not fall so easily. Jake felt it through the stones below him before he saw it—the shaking.

The entire valley quaked as the Horde Leader made its move. The pillar he was standing on began toppling over, and it was far from the only one. The earthquake extended through the entire valley as nearly every single pillar began cracking and falling over.

Yet the Horde Leader was far from done.

All the rocks that covered its body were pushed away as it turned to dust. And finally, Jake could see the boss itself clearly.

Its entire back was covered in wounds, and judging by how it didn’t put any weight on one of its legs, he guessed it was broken. The impact from the pillar had clearly not been kind to it.

More damaging was the massive hole in its stomach. It looked like a cannonball had smashed into it, forming a crater upon its body from the impact. Jake recognized a wound like that easily. Even though his arrows were more durable due to their uncommon-rarity upgrade, it was clear that they were still far from infallible.

The arrow had disintegrated upon impact on its robust hide, just like Jake’s common-rarity arrows had—a testament to how powerful the boar’s innate defense was and how powerful the arrow from his fully charged, full-power Infused Powershot was.

Despite the lethal-looking wound, the beast looked far from downed. Its eyes were red, and the single tusk that extended from its mouth was now glowing with energy.

Jake had to jump off the falling pillar, letting gravity do its work as it brought him to the ground. He scrambled to jump to somewhere without collapsing pillars.

He wasn’t particularly confident about coming out unscathed if he were to be squashed beneath a hundred-ton boulder, even with enhanced stats.

Yet even while falling, he had time to release another two arrows. The boar’s limited perception once again hurt it, as both arrows penetrated straight into the wound left by the Infused Powershot. The damage from the arrows alone was pretty low, but the same could not be said for what they were coated in.

The most potent Necrotic Poison that he had crafted that very day burned into its flesh, corroding it. The first arrow hadn’t had time to properly inflict the poison as it broke apart, but these two arrows embedded themselves in its flesh, spreading it quickly.

Landing on the ground, Jake felt it instantly—two red eyes were turning his way, locking onto him and burning with rage.

Mana swirled around the beast as Jake felt it make its move. Falling rocks all around the boar stopped in mid-air. Tens of boulders were suspended for a few moments before they once again began descending, this time directly towards Jake.

Like a meteor shower, they barreled towards him. Cursing, Jake was forced to leap backward as he tried to avoid the attack. Stone after stone impacted the ground where he had been only moments ago, creating craters and sending even more rocks flying through the air.

Taking shelter behind a huge boulder, he thought himself safe. The earth beneath him churned, while his danger sense warned him of the impending attack.

Shadow Vaulting to the side instantly, countless spikes of earth shot up where he had just stood. Landing on the ground after his vault, he was forced to repeat the same action as more spikes emerged.

Knowing that the boar used vibrating to locate him, he decided to go for a bit of distraction. Strands of mana flew out of him, picking up rocks within his sphere. He could easily lift his own bodyweight with mana alone, something he was putting to full use.

Lifting the rocks off the ground with his mana, he simply tossed them upwards. Not by much, but it was enough.

When the first rock hit the ground, it was swiftly impaled by spears of earth. The same for the second one and the third. The fourth was, however, spared as the boar seemed to pick up on the trickery. Or maybe it just couldn’t keep up.

Jake kept using that tactic as he got into a position that would allow him to counterattack. He couldn’t see the boar due to the endless amounts of dust being kicked up, but his Mark made him fully aware of the still-unmoving beast.

Throwing a few more rocks, he landed and stood unmoving as he began channeling another Infused Powershot. As the mana built up, the ground beneath him quaked from the power he was building up—a miscalculation on Jake’s part.

He felt his danger sense warn him and was forced to release the arrow. However, it was too late—several earth spears struck him on his lower body.

Blood was drawn as they managed to penetrate his pants. The ones that hit his feet didn’t manage to even leave a mark on the boots, but that didn’t mean they failed to do damage. The impact alone hurt like hell.

The arrow he had fired flew true, striking the boar and creating yet another, significantly smaller wound. His aim had been slightly altered, landing just above one of its legs, making it buckle down from the arrow now sticking out of it.

Jake was also down on one knee as he lifted his gaze up from his injured legs. With a snort from the boar’s snout, the air separating them was cleared by a gust of wind.

For the first time, the two made eye contact, neither showing the slightest inclination of surrender.

Chapter 35

Horde Leader

Jake looked directly into the eyes of the Horde Leader. They both paused for a moment as they considered each other. On one side, a small human down on one knee with a bow in his hand, and on the other, a boar the size of a huge truck.

Yet the boar was the one to avert its gaze first. Jake felt the weakness in its eyes. Exhaustion in its look. He quickly noticed that its wounds weren’t healing as he would have expected them to begin to. The poison in its body was also barely being suppressed. It was clearly far more injured than he’d first thought.

The reason quickly struck him: the contaminated Soilwater. While the Horde Leader had purged it all from its system, it had clearly been done at a cost.

Outwardly it didn’t appear to have any injuries, but its vital energies were severely diminished. It also explained why all the other boars had gone down so quickly and why it had tried to keep itself hidden in its dome. It had still been recuperating all its lost health points when Jake attacked, a process Jake knew to be slow without the use of potions or other means to speed it up.

But the boar didn’t have any potions. It could only rely on its own body to heal. And now, in the middle of its recovery, it had a damn pillar of rocks collapse on it, and several arrows were delivering devastating blows and even more powerful poison.

Despite it all, however, it didn’t want to back down. It had adverted its gaze, recognizing its inferior position. But down for the count? Far from it.

Mana churned once more as a vortex of stone and soil surrounded the beast.

Jake knew it was preparing for something, but he was more than happy to take the slight reprieve offered and down a health potion. The second the liquid entered him, he felt the warm energy spread throughout his body, and his injured lower body swiftly healing.

While the amount of health restored by the potion wasn’t much, he had to drink it. His movement would be hindered with his legs and feet injured, and standing still didn’t strike him as the smartest of tactics, especially when he saw what the boar was doing.

The vortex it had conjured was to gather one giant boulder above it. As if a black hole had appeared, more and more stones were sucked into it, adding to the massive mass. The earth compressed to a ridiculous degree.

What the sphere of highly condensed rock was to be used for Jake didn’t know, and he had no interest in finding out.

He once more resumed his assault of arrows as he fired upon the boss. For the first time in the fight, he used Splitting Arrow. He didn’t need accuracy, just pure damage.

And damage it did. The boar seemed completely unfazed as it only lowered its head and let the arrows hit it. Those hitting its skull simply left a small red mark as they fell to the side, while those hitting softer areas managed to penetrate a few centimeters only.

But a few centimeters was all he needed for the poison to be administered.

After firing his sixth shot, the vortex’s sphere stopped since the boar’s preparation appeared to be complete. A huge, completely round orb hung above them. The ball of highly condensed earth, nearly thirty meters in diameter, hung there like a small meteor waiting to descend.

Jake peeked at it as he fired another arrow. What was the damn thing planning? To throw a super-boulder at him or what? Its action appeared utterly nonsensical. The boars were stupid for sure, but the Horde Leader had shown at least a modicum of intelligence. There had to be more to it. Even with the sphere’s huge size, he could easily evade it with a good Shadow Vault.

Another arrow later, he got his answer. The entire sphere seemed to crunch together with little warning, shrinking to a mere five meters across. The whole ball turned crystalline, and then the attack came. A small shard fired out from the sphere, heading straight for Jake, its speed faster than any attack he had ever faced before.

He barely managed to lean to the side as he saw the shard penetrate the earth in his Sphere of Perception. And penetrate it did. It went nearly eight meters down into the earth before it was stopped, meaning that if the shard hit him, it would pierce straight through his flesh and bones.

That one shard was only the beginning. Soon it fired another, and then another. Each one was no larger than a finger. Each one was avoidable as long as Jake was careful. That was, in the beginning.

He dodged to the side as the fifth shard came, then tried to take out his bow, but was interrupted as the next came faster than the last—a pattern that only got more intense.

The sphere hanging above was not a meteor. It was a goddamn machinegun. And not the slower, perhaps manageable ones. It was a freaking minigun.

Sprinting, he was fired upon by the barrage of shards from a sphere that didn’t appear to shrink in the least from the constant attacks. He dodged and weaved and tried to hide behind the terrain, but everything was just riddled apart in moments.

This can’t continue, he thought as he barely managed to avoid getting his head blown off, leaving a long gash on his chin. Without his Sphere of Perception and danger sense, he would’ve already been dead.

If it all went to hell, he still had his Moment of the Primal Hunter to rely on. But he wanted to avoid using it if at all possible. It was his emergency skill, his last resort.

Limit Break had been active at a 20% boost for the entire fight—a fight that had, in actuality, only lasted less than two minutes from his first attack to now. He wasn’t feeling any of the strain yet, but that didn’t mean he wanted to make the fight longer than necessary.

He brainstormed internally as he failed to dodge a single shard that hit him in the arm. It pierced straight through his forearm, cutting through the bone like it was nothing. The pain was immense, but all it did was to make him focus more.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Horde Leader with the sphere floating above it. An idea appeared. He needed to take cover behind something. Or maybe… beneath something.

Swiftly changing direction, he charged towards the huge boar. He was in the direct line of fire from the shards, but he had expected it.

Using Shadow Vault, he phased straight through the barrage, his health, mana, and stamina all draining for every shard that pierced through his shadowy form. But it was well worth it.

He became tangible right on the side of the boar. He didn’t hesitate as he took out Venomfang and plunged it into the side of the beast—more accurately, into the already-existing wound he had made with his second Infused Powershot earlier.

With him so close to the boar, it could not continue its attack without accidentally hitting itself. A fact that clearly enraged the beast.

Two of its legs were severely damaged, making it hard for the Horde Leader to move appropriately. That didn’t mean it was incapable of moving, however.

Twisting around, Jake saw the single shining tusk heading towards him. His danger sense screamed at him as he ducked down just as it swiped above him, a decision that proved to be very wise.

Out of the tusk came a wave of yellowish energy that cut through the air and impacted the valley’s side off in the distance, creating a vast scar on the mountainside. It was a strike that would have, without a doubt, bisected the small human.

The considerable motion of the boar didn’t bode well for its already-weakened legs, however. It tripped as it tried to support itself, falling down onto its stomach.

With the opening, Jake stabbed the boar in the side several times, every hit delivering the natural toxins from his Venomfang and further damaging the boss’s already-weak vital energy. He hadn’t hesitated to pour some of his own blood from his damaged forearm on the beast either.

It tried to struggle once more and even managed to shoot out a few shards from the sphere above, but all of them missed. It was clearly on its last legs, trying time and time again to land a blow. It manipulated the earth to try and pin him down, a futile effort he easily avoided.

The sphere above still hung like a dark omen preparing to riddle his frail human body if he ever moved out of melee range.

And that sphere would be the death of at least one of them.

By now, the boar had realized that it had lost. Even if it miraculously managed to kill Jake, it would still succumb to its wounds and poison. It was dead either way. And in a last act of defiance, it decided that if it had to die, it wouldn’t die alone.

With a final sad squeal, the sphere above started shining with energy before it exploded.

Jake felt it happen before it did. And he was prepared. Instead of running, he used Badger Jump to jump to the side as the explosion came, hoping to be hit by as few shards as possible.

Once more, he used Shadow Vault as he was hit, and he felt his resources all being drained at a dangerous rate. But luckily, the attack came all at once, as the explosion was far from targeted towards anything. It expunged the shards in all directions, even straight up into the air.

And, of course, straight down. The shards pierced the body of their own caster. In the end, the Horde Leader fell to its own attack.

*You have slain [Horde Leader – lvl 99] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level. 158,000 TP earned*

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 73 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 64 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 74 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

Jake barely noticed the notifications as he became tangible and collapsed on the ground. That final attack had been scary as hell. He had lost nearly 2000 health and as much mana and stamina just from the drain associated with phasing through the shards.

Not that it mattered much anymore. The now hole-riddled terrain around Jake and the enormous bloody corpse in front was all that mattered. He had won.

Looking at the next dungeon panel, however, he was first a bit surprised.

Objective: Defeat the Horde Leader (Completed)

Bonus reward for clearing the dungeon solo.

Dungeon shutting down in: 07:59:41

Eight entire hours were given before the shutdown. Jake was used to one hour in these dungeons, but now it had suddenly given him eight. Why it was so… he had no idea.

What he did know was that he needed to get his damn loot.

Winding down from his Limit Break, a strong sense of weakness overtook his body in only a few moments.

It was far from as bad as it had been outside the dungeon when he manually expelled the excess stamina. Back then, he couldn’t even move. Now, however, he just felt like his stats had been reduced instead. If he had to make an estimation, he would say he was down to about 60% of his usual strength.

Walking towards the dead Horde Leader was his first course of action, as he observed its battered corpse.

The first thing he had taken notice of was the tusk of the boar. It was still shining with energy even now. Approaching the corpse, he tried identifying it but came up with nothing. However, when he touched it, it rapidly shrank into a small tusk that fit in his hands, no longer than a meter. And this one he could identify.

[Tusk of the Horde Leader (Epic)] – The one remaining tusk of the once-mighty Horde Leader. Having lost one of its tusks against the King of the Forest, it was banished to the dungeon with its horde. It poured all of its might and potential into its remaining tusk, leaving powerful magic upon it. With the power and pure hatred of the Horde Leader infused within, it has been crafted with one purpose: to strike down the King of the Forest.

Like with the Bead of the Nest Watcher, this Horde Leader had also prepared a tool to strike back at the King of the Forest.

It was quite apparent that the King wasn’t the most popular character. Jake also highly suspected that whatever fuckery the Great White Stag had been up to, it likely had something to do with counterattacking against the oppressor that had put it there.

Of course, Jake had ruined that and even ruined the item it was making, he was pretty sure. Not that he couldn’t still use the now corrupted Mooncore Shard if necessary. It was quite the volatile item, and he could only imagine the destruction it could deploy if he messed up the thing’s internal balance.

Putting the tusk into his inventory, he looked at the corpse of the beast a bit more to see if it had any other items of note. Finding nothing with both his sphere and eyes, he decided to just head towards the exit where he expected the rest of the rewards to be.

But before doing so, he needed to get back in top condition, which meant a quick round of meditation while popping potions every hour.

It took him only a bit over three hours to have his health, stamina, and mana all filled up. The sense of weakness from Limit Break had also gone away only half an hour or so into meditation, showing that the backlash of the 20% wasn’t actually that bad. Going above the 20%, though… yeah, that would likely not go over as smoothly.

Being back in business, he began his sprint towards the exit of the dungeon. He still had more than four hours to go but saw no reason to waste more time than necessary. He had potions, his gear was fully repaired from the nearly universal Self-Repair enchant, and his body was ready.

Soon he found himself at the entrance to the dungeon. And on the small platform were two, very, very welcome things: two lockboxes, one small and one big. Giddy as always, he made his way towards the sweet loot.

He hoped for something good, as this would likely be his last upgrade to his equipment before the final battle. Also, he just kind of liked nice new things.

Chapter 36

Next Target: King of the Forest

Everyone likes loot. It is the reason why people bother to defeat the same bosses and maps over and over again in videogames, just for the slight chance of getting an item with insignificantly bigger numbers on it to flex on your friends.

Jake, of course, was no different. With the items now no longer merely being pixels on a screen but tangible tools allowing him to become stronger, it turned that entire sentiment up to eleven.

But it also made the disappointment worse when he got something he didn’t want. And the first item, a shield, was one such disappointment.

[Bulwark of the Horde Leader (Rare)] – A shield made from the rock infused with the Records of the Horde Leader. The Horde Leader’s Bulwark is highly resistant to all physical attacks while only offering medium resistance to magical ones. Allows the user to channel mana into the shield, increasing its size and resistance accordingly. Enchantments: Self-Repair.

Requirements: Lvl 60+ in any humanoid race.

Yeah, sure, he didn’t have a decent shield, but he didn’t plan on using a shield either. Any attack he would be forced to block would likely be better blocked by his Scales of the Malefic Viper anyway. Not that he planned on tanking many hits. He preferred not to get hit at all.

Trying it out, he injected mana into it and felt it bind to him. He already kind of knew he had some kind of earth affinity since the Soilwater didn’t hurt him, but it was good to have it reaffirmed. After trying out the shield’s ability by making it grow in size and shrink back down, he got a bit bored.

He put the shield in his inventory as he turned to the second, smaller lockbox. The small box was no larger than his hand, making Jake predict jewelry of some kind. What he found instead, however, was a small bottle with red liquid within.

It looked a bit like a health potion, actually, but his Sense of the Malefic Viper informed him that it was so much more. His Identify further confirmed it.

[Stonescale Heart Elixir (Epic)] – An elixir created from the heart of a Stonescale Quillbeast, along with a myriad of other rare ingredients. Allows any who drink this elixir to receive some of the innate power of the Stonescale Quillbeast. Consuming this elixir will permanently strengthen the Hunter’s Toughness and Vitality: +25 Toughness, +20 Vitality upon consumption.

Requirements: E-rank or higher.

He had to do a double-take as he read it over once more. Jackpot, he thought as he picked up the small bottle to get a closer look. He had only ever come across one other item that permanently granted stats, and that had been the Argentum Vitae Mushrooms in the Challenge Dungeon, the main ingredient he had used to pass said dungeon.

And now he had found another such item. But this time, it was not ingredients but a completed elixir.

Jake had read up on elixirs already. Elixirs were consumables that alchemists could make, that permanently increased the stats of the drinker. It was noted as very difficult to make, often requiring rare, expensive, and hard-to-find ingredients.

On top of that, one had to be a minimum of D-rank to make them, something he could learn to make after his next evolution if he met all requirements to do so. But all of that was for later. For now, it was drinking time!

Opening the bottle, he got a quick whiff of it before he downed it. The taste was quite interesting. Weirdly sweet for something made from the heart of a beast.

A few seconds after he drank it, he felt the warm flow exit his stomach and enter the rest of his body.

You have assimilated intense energy of Toughness and Vitality.

+25 Toughness

+20 Vitality

The feeling slowly subsided as the system message appeared. He didn’t feel much different from before, but his stats had indeed increased upon checking the status menu. Vitality and Toughness were two stats that were hard to really “feel,” compared to Perception or Strength.

Evaluating the dungeon he had just cleared, he found it might be the best one so far. While he had only gotten the tusk and the elixir as useful loot, the elixir was terrific. An elixir was even better than gear since it even worked with his percentage amplifiers on stats. Gotta ask Villy about the cap for increasing stats from elixirs. There has to be one.

The largest gain from the dungeon was the many levels, of course, gaining four in his profession and nine in his class. Quite a bit for how fast he had managed to get through it. He wasn’t going to complain about his Touch of the Malefic Viper and Meditation skill upgrading either.

He had nothing more to do now than hunt down the final boss, a task he had around three and a half days to do.

[Tutorial Panel]

Duration: 3 days & 14:51:02

Checking his other system messages, he saw his two dungeon titles had upgraded once more, granting him the expected increase of +4 all stats combined. Both were at rank five now, giving him a nice +15 and +5 all stats, respectively.

The last one was an update to the tutorial quest.

Tutorial Quest: The Beast Lords

The forest murmurs with rumors of a King ruling the forest from the shadows. The four Beast Lords each guard their dungeon as their King commanded, waiting for a suitable challenger to appear. With the death of his lords, the King is sure to be forced into the light. But be warned, the Lords will not meet their end that easily.

Two lords have now fallen. The King has taken notice but has yet to make a move. Continue with the quest, and you shall inevitably meet.

With the Nest Watcher’s death, your presence is now beginning to become truly worthy of notice. The King of the Forest will not sit idle as you attempt to dismantle the careful balance his domain has attained. With only a single Beast Lord left standing, your quest will soon be complete, and the King shall come.

The Horde Leader has fallen, and his horde disposed of. All the Beast Lords now lay slain before you, with only one last challenge remaining. The King awaits.

Objective: Defeat the Beast Lords.

Current progress: 4/4

Quest Completed!

Reading the final entry, he smiled, satisfied with his accomplishments. He had managed to singlehandedly clear the four dungeons containing all the Beast Lords and defeated all of them. A thought of how he didn’t get any rewards did cross his mind, but then again, he had obtained plenty of things from the dungeons themselves. He felt ready to face down the final challenge.

Walking to the dungeon exit, he placed his hand on it and exited. His vision temporarily turned black. And then he felt it. Before his vision even returned and his body was entirely transported, he felt it. An aura more potent than any he had ever felt before.

His vision returned, and he saw the source of the aura. On the barren ground inside the hollow mountain stood a figure unlike any he had seen before.

Standing nearly three meters tall, the creature resembled more a tree than a person, with two thin arms that looked like branches and legs that ended in ivory claws. The hands, too, were more beastly, as they were made of the same ivory material as well. Bone.

The chest was as graceful as the rest of the creature, with a thick cover of bark-like material covering it. Its face was… nothing. Like a wooden mask with only eyes showing, it had no expression of any kind, merely a flat surface of wood with two holes in it.

On top of the head was no hair but a web of entangled thorns, in a shape that very much resembled a crown. He didn’t need his Identify to know what it was.

[King of the Forest – lvl ???]

Jake looked at the King, unsure of what to do until a voice broke the silence.

"As such, the Hunter comes before me. His hunt complete, his valor earned."

The voice echoed in his mind and not his ears, sounding like it came from everywhere and yet nowhere.

"I commend you. You have gone beyond anything I expected. But alas, the journey ends here. I do not seek your death, but simply your surrender. Let this farce end, and may we meet once more in the true world beyond this place."

Just as the words sounded out, the system reacted.

You have been granted the Tutorial Quest: To Choose One’s End.

Before you stands the King of the Forest, the undisputed lord of these woods. The tutorial’s end is nigh, and it is now up to you to choose its end.

Option 1: Choose to leave the tutorial now and retain all current Tutorial Points as well as any other rewards earned. Gain a one-time bonus of 50,000,000 Tutorial Points, as well as any other rewards associated with the conclusion of the tutorial.

Option 2: Fight to the end. Kill the King of the Forest or risk dying in the process. Gain a one-time bonus of 300,000,000 Tutorial Points as well as any other rewards associated with the completion of the tutorial if you succeed in your hunt.

Note that the tutorial ends at the conclusion of either chosen option.

The choice offered in the quest was simple: take the victory Jake had already earned and end the tutorial there and then, or fight to the death.

A choice that should be easy for the Ambitious Hunter, and yet he hesitated for a moment. His heart and will told him to fight, but his mind told him to run. His intuition very clearly stated that the King of the Forest was a being above him.

D-rank, if the three question marks in the Identify message were not enough.

He knew that the gap between ranks was high. The power a beast would gain ascending from 24 to 25 was immense. The next gap was an entirely different level.

Yet he didn’t want to give up. His fire within was burning for the challenge that the creature represented, his Bloodline humming with fervor. He wanted to fight—a stupid decision for sure, from any logical standpoint. But even in stupidity, he could be a bit smart about it.

"Before I make my decision, would you honor me by receiving one of my blows?" he asked, playing courteous. "It would be a waste not at least to be made aware of the massive gulf that separates us."

"Oh? Thou wishes to observe the majesty of this King?" it answered, echoing in his head. "An honor for thee. By my magnanimousness, it shall be granted. Bring forth your strongest attempt."

Jake smiled at the damn monster that stood before him while still acting like he was in awe. Internally, however, he sneered at the arrogance of the self-proclaimed King. Sure, he was powerful, but he was also confident to the level of ridiculousness.

If Jake was confident in one thing, it was his striking power. Infused Powershot had proven nearly unstoppable against all his foes and could end the lives of beasts tens of levels above him in a single shot. He had every reason to believe that the King, in all his recklessness, would also be in for quite the surprise.

There was a good forty meters between them. The dark, shining lights that marked the King’s eyes stared at him as he took out his bow. It showed no reaction as he took out an arrow from his quiver, poisoned it, nocked it, and began channeling his attack.

Jake focused his entire body as he activated all he had. Limit Breaking to 20%, his power surged as the mana around him intensified. The air itself shook as his feet sank into the ground, the hard stones around him quaking and cracking.

Power built up for more than ten seconds as Jake poured in every single vestige of force. His arms and shoulders strained, his veins nearly popping and his body screaming in protest.

A new crescendo had been reached once more. All the levels and fights Jake had gone through, all his experience with the skill, led to this moment—his most powerful attack yet.

Letting go of the arrow, the explosion of mana was unlike any other. The jagged spikes of rock in his vicinity broke off the ground as the pressure shot them away, the stone beneath him now little more than a crater of gravel.

The arrow itself flew true as it headed straight for the King of the Forest. Power shimmered around it as it parted the air, helped by the power inherent in his Windsoar Bow. Everything distorted in its path as it created a vacuum. The very ground beneath it cracked in its wake, making a gorge in the environment between him and the King.

It passed the forty meters in less than the blink of an eye, carrying the power to mortally wound or even outright kill a dungeon boss far above his own level.

The King of the Forest raised one of the hands of bone just as the arrow was released. A feeble-looking attempt to block the far mightier-looking arrow that tore up everything in its path.

It hit the small barrier as an explosion sounded out, releasing all the energy pent up in the attack. It kicked up dust around the King, sending stone and soil flying everywhere. Jake knew the attack hadn’t killed the King as he didn’t get any notification, but it should at least have—

"Admirably futile attempt."

The dust parted with the words, and the King was revealed once more. Like a bubble had spread out from the creature, the dust simply evaporated, clearing the air.

Not a single sign of damage visible… No, there was something. A small scratch on the previously entirely white ivory claw that was its hand.

Jake felt dumbstruck. He had put everything into that attack. Every ounce of power, everything he had. A half-assed attempt had blocked his most potent attack. He had known there was a gap, but… this was just too fucking much.

The King of the Forest once more sounded out in his mind. The tone was different, the formal speech gone. The disdain was dripping from every word.

"Is this how you managed to win against all those stupid beasts that dared call themselves lords? I truly do admire for one so weak as you to manage to actually touch my body. One chance was what I gave you. Sadly… you wasted it."

As it took a step forward, the Hunter backed off a step. A very bad feeling brewed in his stomach, his intuition and danger sense telling him to get the fuck out of there. The King continued to speak as he casually strolled forward.

"Did you believe me to be a fool like them? To be ignorant? To sit in my little home, humbly awaiting the valiant archer to come and attack me? It appears you are not that much smarter than those mongrels. I was to give you a chance to surrender. I have done so. And now, dear little Hunter…

Jake backed into a corner, knowing he had fucked up.

"Now, you suffer."

Chapter 37

King

The King of the Forest lifted its ivory hand and pointed one of its sharp, claw-like fingers at him. Jake’s sense of danger exploded as he dodged to the side. Where he had stood only a moment earlier exploded as if a colossal hammer had just struck. The blast didn’t hit him directly but was still enough to blast him away as he was pelted with rock and dust.

He barely managed to stabilize himself, as the King suddenly was within his sphere—right in front of him. He tried dodging backward, but it was too late. In a movement faster than he could in any way dodge, the creature lifted its finger once more and simply poked his shoulder, embedding its claw to its root.

Jake felt the pain as it entered him and then exited out his back. He tumbled backward. The King simply looked down at him, blood pouring out of the hole in the human’s shoulder.

"Where did all the fight go?"

The creature appeared to slide forward as it lifted its foot, kicking the Hunter while he was already lying down. Jake flew tens of meters away, hitting the volcano’s inner wall more than sixty meters away.

"Show me. Show me the power of the one who has dared to come before me."

Jake didn’t respond, as he was still reeling from the kick. His ribs hurt like hell after only one half-arsed attack, and his health had dropped by far more than he found reasonable. But he didn’t give up; he refused to.

He quickly jumped up and activated Badger Jump to get some height. He took out his bow and an arrow as he fired a Splitting Arrow towards the figure below in an attempt t—

"Weak."

The arrows were blasted away mid-air, and Jake too was hit by a wave of force that sent him into the wall once more, this time far harder than before. Coughing out a mouthful of blood, he tried to put the bow back in his inventory but failed as it flew away from him, straight into the claws of the King.

Lifting the bow and observing it for a bit with the emotionless, glowing eyes, the King tossed the bow up into the air.

"An archer without his bow."

The creature then lifted its palm and fired a wave of force at the weapon. It was blasted out of the hole at the top of the volcano-like mountain, to who-knows-where.

"How shameful."

The Hunter had, at this point, just fallen down onto the hard stone once more. He tried to stand up, but his entire body was aching from the blast, and he felt like he had just been hit by a truck.

It was looking bad. Really bad.

The King of the Forest lifted its hand once more in Jake’s direction and seized him. Unable to resist, he was pulled towards the creature—right into its open claw that closed around his neck.

Jake had both his eyes open wide as his danger sense kept telling him to just fucking run, something it had done from the very first attack.

Claws closed around his neck, and he felt them slightly penetrate his skin. He stared directly into the two wisps of lights that served as the King’s eyes. Even without a face, Jake could easily feel the disdain, arrogance, and… playfulness in its eyes.

"I could kill you here and now. But the ‘fight’ is not over yet, now is it? But you appear to have lost your weapon, little archer… "

It lifted its palm and pointed it towards the side of the volcano. Power gathered for but a moment before a blast was released, shearing off the entire side of the mountain. A blast that would have ripped Jake apart if it had ever hit him… making it clear exactly how unserious the King was.

"...Here, let me help you go find it."

With that, it tossed Jake into the air just like it had done with the bow. And just like his weapon, it blasted him with a wave of force, sending him flying.

This time, he managed to use the Scales of the Malefic Viper just before the blast hit him, lessening the damage significantly as he also crossed his arms to block. He was still sent flying, though, and found himself hundreds of meters up in the air above the tutorial zone’s inner area.

However, he didn’t have time to enjoy the view. Gravity swiftly took charge, forcing him downwards once more. He fell towards one of the valleys as he braced himself for impact. Luckily, terminal velocity was still in effect, and his highly enhanced body made the fall damage only hurt like hell.

Hitting the ground, he created a small crater. The scales still covering parts of his body helped reduce the pain and damage to almost nothing. It was nothing to feel happy about, however. His health was down to less than half, and to make it even worse, when he’d tried to block the blow earlier, he’d felt the bones in both his arms crack.

He quickly took out a health potion and drank it to restore quite a lot of the lost HP. His wounds also visibly healed, and he felt his full range of movement return. Now the question was what to do.

Relying on Advanced Stealth, he tried to hide as he fled from where he had landed. A direct confrontation with that monster was out of the question. He needed a plan if he wanted even a sliver of a chance. But it was really, really looking bad.

His bow was gone, and even if he had it, he was unsure of how much damage his Infused Powershot could do even if he managed to land one undetected. Maybe he could make something with his alchemy…

He needed to find somewhere and hide. If worse came to worst, then the tutorial panel still showed the countdown for the end of the tutorial. He only needed to survive for a few days, and he would get out. The timer was still there, so if he could only make it till then…

As he was running, his thoughts were suddenly interrupted. He got a powerful premonition of danger. He quickly hid behind a tree as he tried to make himself as small as possible. Advanced Stealth was working overtime to keep him hidden.

He saw the creature descend from above, its bony feet digging into the soft soil in his sphere. It was still twenty meters away from him, so Jake did all he could not to be found.

It started walking forward, its voice sounding out in his mind once more.

"I know you are here. Why hide from the inevitable? Have you finally given up all hope? Seen the futility in your actions?" Jake heard its voice echo out with childish playfulness and contempt. "Or are you just yet another beast fearing the predator that hunts it? A defenseless prey waiting to be devoured by the strong?"

Jake closed his eyes as he heard the voice. The King was able to speak in his mind despite being unaware of where he was. At least he believed it to be like that.

Jake was pissed at the King’s words but wasn’t stupid enough to let himself be provoked like that… Still, it did give him an idea. Suppressing his nervousness and fear, he opened his eyes once more as he stepped out from behind the tree. It was time for him to make a move... to grasp some kind of momentum.

"Oh, the little one appears."

Jake didn’t answer but simply charged. He thought he saw what he could only interpret as a smirk in the eyes of the creature, but he didn’t mind. In fact, he welcomed it. If it wanted him dead, he would die… The fact that his Moment of the Primal Hunter hadn’t triggered yet was proof of that.

He drew a regular dagger—one he swung down towards the King of the Forest.

He was met with a barrier that stopped the dagger less than a centimeter from the creature’s chest.

"What are you hoping to accomplish with this?" it taunted, but Jake once more ignored it.

He let go of the dagger that was stuck in the barrier, and the King simply flicked it to the side. However, Jake wasn’t done. He took out yet another weapon and attacked, this time using a random axe he’d found while sweeping for items in the valleys.

It crashed down and met the invisible barrier again, this time just sending Jake tumbling back with a shockwave. In the process, he lost the axe’s grip. The King caught it out of the air with his telekinesis and flicked it away into the shrubbery.

Jake once more got up and summoned yet another weapon to attack—a random sword this time. The same thing repeated, with Jake being tossed away and the weapon disposed of. He could feel the enjoyment in the eyes of his foe, as he clearly had a lot of fun playing around with Jake.

Yet he kept attacking. Greatsword, axe, dagger—Jake used every single weapon except for his Venomfang and the rare items he had. All of them were now thrown all over the tutorial like discarded garbage. Yet he continued.

He threw a bottle of poison at the King, his face full of fear. He heard the creature’s chuckle in his mind as it merely allowed it to hit its barrier, the bottle shattering, the liquid harmlessly sliding down said barrier.

He threw a few more bottles, his look of fear and despair increasing with every bottle. Finally, he took out one of the more notable items he had gotten during his sweep.

[Seed of Entangling Roots (Uncommon)] – A seed filled with the dense power of life and nature. Infuse mana and throw it to the ground for roots to sprout and entangle your chosen foe. The seed is consumed upon use.

This one, too, was thrown and once more met with disdain. It hit the ground just in front of the King of the Forest as tens of roots swiftly sprouted forth. They entangled the creature entirely, hiding its willow form.

"What a fun toy."

A circular sphere of distorted air flew out from the King’s body, shredding all the roots in the process. Yet it had confirmed something to the Hunter.

Jake’s look of despair deepened further as he started shaking. He took out several more items and threw them at the King. Chairs, books, bottles, pieces of armor, just random things from his spatial storage. As he did, the King started laughing loudly.

"How pathetic."

Jake’s only response was to throw another bottle, followed by a piece of wood, a metal gauntlet, and then finally a particular small item mixed in between the junk.

The King of the Forest was enjoying himself immensely as he kept laughing. The items hit his barrier, and he swatted away the larger ones. He didn’t notice, or perhaps didn’t care, about the small black marble that shattered when it hit the barrier, and then…

…darkness descended.

A twister of pure dark mana sprang forth from the marble, all of it drilling its way into the body of the King. Jake could feel the resentment and bloodlust in the air, and for the first time, he heard something not pompous out of the creature.

"What is this!?"

Jake had completely dispelled his faux look of despair and fear as he chuckled internally. Hope you enjoy the final gift of the Nest Watcher. Of course, the small bead had been the item the third Beast Lord had handed him.

[Dark Bead of the Nest Watcher (Epic)] – A bead made of condensed dark mana. The last hope of the Nest Watcher to get revenge on the King of the Forest. Can be thrown at foes to inflict them with a powerful Curse of Darkness upon shattering. The curse will severely limit Perception and drain energy until dispelled. All of the resentment of the nest will be unleashed if used on the King of the Forest.

The otherwise impenetrable barrier that defended the King was now being corroded by dark mana, as more and more of it made its way into his body. Despite Jake being so close, all of it completely ignored him, focusing solely on the King.

But Jake was far from done. Summoning yet another item from his spatial storage, he charged towards the creature that was flailing around, screaming. Without a doubt, the King would have recognized the item as the tusk of the Horde Leader.

While the King couldn’t react appropriately, he could still respond. His arm raised as he aimed a palm towards the hunter charging at him, releasing a blast of energy.

The attack was heavily telegraphed, allowing Jake to dodge to the side before it even came. A sagacious decision, as this blast wasn’t one of the casual ones the King had fired earlier.

Soil and rocks were torn up from the ground as the wave was fired out. It flew for around twenty meters before encountering its first tree, which resulted in an explosion of splinters. The wave continued unabated, creating a long path of destruction across the tutorial zone’s entire inner area.

The King didn’t have time to fire another attack before Jake reached it. He tried to dodge but failed as Jake pushed the tusk forward. It met a hastily erected barrier, one it pierced straight through, the feeble means of defense cracking like a broken mirror.

Jake had aimed for where he hoped the heart would be, but instead, hit what he assumed was its stomach. The bark covering the creature’s body offered little resistance as the tusk penetrated straight through and out the King’s back. He wanted to quickly pull it out and attack again, but the King was done playing.

"Enough!"

Jake opened his eyes wide as his danger sense exploded with warnings. He hastily covered the entire front of his body in scales as a shockwave hit him.

As if a bomb had exploded, he was launched back hundreds of meters, all the way to the other end of the valley, where he was only stopped by being embedded in a wall of rock—again.

The destruction wrought by the wrath of the King was readily apparent. A vast crater had appeared; hundreds of trees now lay prone all over the valley, snapped in two by the blast.

He looked around for the King and soon saw him once more, floating in the middle of the crater a few meters off the ground. The King didn’t look very happy.

The eyes that only moments earlier had been shining with bright light were now far dimmer. The curses of the Nest Watcher and Horde Leader were burning and chewing at him from within. The aura the King gave off was weaker for sure.

Its body was clearly damaged. Black spots covered the bark-like skin, but the most significant wound was, of course, the one left by the tusk. A huge hole that Jake could look straight through marked the middle of his body, and from it dripped… blood.

So the damn thing can bleed, he thought as he sneered, oddly proud of himself for doing any damage to the damn monster. Of course, he would do far more than just make it bleed.

The King levitated a bloody tusk up beside himself. The dark wisps of light that were its eyes appeared to regard it for a moment before it lifted it up further and, with yet another blast of force, fired it far off in the distance. The tusk had lost its golden luster, and now golden veins instead extended from the wound inflicted upon the King. They pulsed with power as they appeared to work together with the dark mana to weaken the mighty creature.

The voice of the King, now clearly far angrier, echoed in his mind once more.

"Detestable whelp. You and every one of those pathetic beasts. Even now, they dare strike at me. I tire of this game. I planned for you to live a bit longer, to learn what it truly means to stand before a king. No longer. This farce is done. And now…"

Several fallen trees were lifted up in the air, trunks sheared off into giant, tens-of-meters-long spears.

"…now you die."

Chapter 38

Eclipse

Yeah… this could go better, Jake thought, barely managing to roll out of the way as a giant tree-spear was shot towards him.

He managed to dodge it with Shadow Vault, but more were coming. And not just trees. Several large boulders were also thrown after him, along with pretty much anything within hundreds of meters of the King.

Dodging and weaving in between the attacks, he managed not to get hit by a single one. A slight positive, but ultimately, he was only buying time—time that wasn’t to his advantage.

The King of the Forest was clearly multitasking, as he worked on clearing away the curse from the Nest Watcher and the energy from the Horde Leader while he attacked. Jake, on the other hand, was slowly running out of his resources. He had gotten back quite a bit of health from the potion, but both his stamina and mana were draining.

Limit Break had been active at 20% from the very first Infused Powershot. In reality, it had only been minutes, but he was already starting to feel it taking its toll. Deactivating the boost wasn’t an option, as he would enter a state of weakness—a shortcut to a quick death for sure.

His remaining tools were limited. He only had two weapons left: an old common-rarity bow and his Venomfang dagger. The bow could handle at most one Infused Powershot before breaking, with the blade obviously his most reliable weapon.

His last tool was the Corrupted Mooncore Shard. A plan for that was beginning to form in his mind as he observed the floating King.

Despite everything looking so bleak, Jake wasn’t distraught in the least. He was shaking—not with fear, but excitement. At any moment, with the slightest mistake, he could die. Yet he didn’t feel it was impossible. He felt like it was a long shot. A very long shot, one he would gladly take.

He was quite confident in his aim, after all. This was what he lived and would gladly die for. Not that he planned on seeing his path end quite yet.

Jake knew he couldn’t give the King too much time to heal the wounds caused by the tusk and marble. He was currently circling as he dodged, slowly getting closer to the King floating above the crater he had created earlier.

He did also notice one other thing: the aim of the King was outright terrible. The only reason he had to focus so much on dodging was the type of projectile used. The huge trees and boulders were just that: huge.

If it had been smaller spears and not freaking trees, he wouldn’t even have to dodge. The aim of the King was obviously compromised by the curse that afflicted him. This was likely also the reason why he didn’t shoot those ridiculously overpowered blasts of force.

Jake made use of that by running in more unpredictable patterns. Huge clouds of dust were kicked up with every attack, and Jake was more than happy to hide within them and use them as cover as he got closer.

At the same time, he took one of the arrows out of his quiver and held it in his hand. As he was avoiding being squashed, he began channeling dark mana into it.

By the time he was halfway there, the King was out of things to throw at him. So he began throwing words instead.

"What do you hope to accomplish? Do you believe you can win? Truly just an unwise beast."

Jake ignored it as he snickered. Keep talking, you childish, arrogant fuck.

The King didn’t do anything as Jake got closer, allowing the Hunter to get out his one remaining bow as he nocked the arrow infused with dark mana. He fired the rapidly charged Infused Powershot upwards at the floating creature. The bow broke and turned into splinters in the process.

The King of the Forest managed to raise his hand and block the arrow with his ivory claws. The arrow harmlessly hit his body but then exploded in a cloud of dark mana. Dark mana that didn’t hurt the King at all. What it did do was to obscure his already severely weakened senses.

The moment the arrow exploded, Jake jumped upwards using Badger Jump. However, he wasn’t done yet, as he also used Shadow Vault to get even higher.

He put both hands behind him and released two blasts of mana from his gloves, propelling him downwards once more towards the King.

Simultaneously, the King flew upwards to escape the cloud of dark mana that Jake had made. Still unaware, he flew straight up into the rapidly descending Jake, who had already taken out his Venomfang.

With both hands on the handle, he smashed the knife down, using Descending Dark Fang with its full power on display.

He failed to penetrate the King’s hard skull—the crown of thorns blocked some of the blow—but he did succeed in bringing the creature down with him. Like two meteors, they smashed into the crater below, creating two smaller holes within.

Jake quickly got up once more, his scales absorbing much of the damage from the accelerated fall. Flipping his dagger to a backhanded grip, he charged the King and swung for the side of the creature’s head.

The King had been brought down by the blast but hadn’t fallen. The pressure from the impact had, however, forced him down on one knee. The illustrious King of the Forest made to kneel before a human far weaker than himself.

Still shaken, the King didn’t react as a dagger smashed into his face. It hit the mask and didn’t even leave a mark, making Jake swiftly switch target. He delivered one stab into the King’s chest, and then a second and a third—directly into the wound left by the tusk earlier.

None of them managed to do much, but they did worsen the wound. Besides, all Jake needed to do was inflict his poison. At the same time, he was holding a small, fingernail-sized object in his other hand, Touch of the Malefic Viper infusing it with toxic energy.

The King finally managed to get his bearings. And he was furious. His entire body started burning with intense energy. His hand shot up far faster than Jake could in any way react to, the ivory claw glowing with golden light. The claws were aimed directly at the Hunter right in front of him.

Jake saw the blurred movement as his sense of danger exploded. He barely managed to register the claw flying towards his chest, as if it aimed to rip his body into several pieces. Just as it was about to touch his chest, it slowed down. Everything slowed down.

Moment of the Primal Hunter

The Hunter quickly ducked under the hand that was suspended in the air as it slowly moved upwards, the golden light it gave off amplified by the slowdown. Even more ridiculous was that the claw was still visibly moving, albeit very slowly.

Jake barely registered this as he made his move. He opened his hand and pushed forth the small shard in his hand, the one he had been infusing—the Corrupted Mooncore Shard.

[Corrupted Mooncore Shard (Epic)] – The shard of a Mooncore, corrupted by an immense amount of toxicity. It is unstable by nature and will not last more than a few months in its current state. Contains highly concentrated volatile energy as the energies clash within. The mana of the moon and the foreign mana exist in a constant cycle of mutual destruction.

The description he remembered from before had led him to this gamble. Within it, the energies were in equilibrium. But no more. Touch of the Malefic Viper had broken the balance, and now it was but a ticking time bomb.

As he pushed it towards the King, he gave it a final injection with Touch of the Malefic Viper on full display. He felt it crack as it lost contact with the hand pushing it forward. It made its way into the hole left by the Tusk of the Horde Leader.

Many more small cracks slowly spread across the shard as it very slowly floated forward.

At the same time, Jake summoned the Bulwark of the Horde Leader and began channeling mana into it—something he barely managed as time resumed.

An explosion sounded out, but not from the shard. A golden, cone-shaped blast was released from the claw. Five deep scars cut across the tutorial’s entire inner zone, leveling the mountain where the Lucenti Plains had once been as well as everything in the way.

* * *

From the King’s perspective, all he saw was his golden claw about to reap the life of the human in front of him. Then the figure disappeared in a movement faster than the King could ever have imagined possible for the weak human being. He reappeared slightly to the right of the claw, now holding a shield in front of him.

The King of the Forest was about to attack again when he felt it: a familiar kind of mana that he’d hoped to never encounter again. A weird sort of mystical light element that the hateful Great White Stag had used.

As a D-rank entity, he had cared little for the Beast Lords. They were all weak and beneath him—all except for the stag. It was the kind of being that dealt in the realm of mysticism, in types of magic far more complicated than any the King ever dabbled in himself.

Able to perform feats far above his own. Able to use the power of concepts he couldn’t comprehend. Of all the Beast Lords, the Great White Stag was the only one he had ever felt a tinge of fear towards. And now he felt that mana again. But it was different. Corrupted.

These were the only thoughts he had time to form before a second explosion sounded out, even as the first continued echoing out. Yet it wasn’t a big bang or a great fireball. It was… subtle.

For but a moment, light died. The world turned monochrome, and the artificial sun above was covered by a fractured moon as the sky darkened. Like night had descended, the eclipsed sun was utterly suppressed.

Countless stars all floated around the rotting black moon. A moon that was shattered and broken, leaking out copious amounts of dark green energy. It had lost all its splendor and now carried only the feeling of corruption and decay—an omen of death incarnate.

And then the explosion came, a storm of light and darkness consuming each other as well as the world around it. Like the moon itself had burst on the ground, a spherical explosion was released. The sphere expanded tens of meters each second and grew in concert with the massive shockwave it released.

The two living beings were in the midst of it all, taking the brunt of it.

The first, a Hunter, was pushed back by the wave of force. Covered behind a shield of rock, every single part of his body was coated in dark green scales. He flew back nearly a kilometer until he found himself embedded in a wall for the umpteenth time that day. More bones were broken than not, more organs ruptured than whole.

The second, a creature crowned King of the Forest, was caught in the epicenter, as the source of the explosion originated from the hole within his very own body.

Like a chemical reaction, the fallout from the two energies mixing was more than just the sum of their parts. It was the meeting of two opposing concepts, two fundamental laws of the universe seeking to destroy one another. And the moment that cycle of destruction broke down, and all that energy was what hit the King of the Forest.

* * *

Jake was observing it all. The energy didn’t subside for several seconds, even after he was knocked away. His entire body was broken and bloody, and he could only see the happenings with his one remaining eye. The other one had been scorched out of his skull from the explosion as a wayward ray of light hit him.

The shield he had used to protect himself was utterly broken and had already crumbled to dust after being infected with the chaotic mana. A rare shield from the final dungeon boss, broken. Without it, Jake didn’t doubt for a moment that he would be dead. Despite his dissatisfaction with getting it... it had saved his life.

He also knew that the Scales of the Malefic Viper appeared to be the bane of both types of energy released. The dark toxic mana was fundamentally aligned to himself as he was its source, while the light mana was particularly weak against his scales. It had allowed him to survive, even if the explosion itself had left him utterly broken.

Looking inward, he could feel his bones being cracked. Yet he still stood as he didn’t dare to deactivate his Limit Break quite yet. His stamina was at a healthier level than he actually anticipated, and he soon found the source. The very environment he now found himself in nurtured him through Palate of the Malefic Viper. The explosion had left something akin to radioactive fallout.

On the other hand, both his mana and health were critically low, though mana was regenerating fast. He had poured all his mana into the shard and then the shield. He had been trying to both do as much damage as possible and then survive it afterward. His health was low due to him, of course, taking a lot of damage.

When Jake finished checking his own condition, the darkness dispersed as the artificial sun’s light was allowed to shine down once more, albeit far more muted than before.

The valley that had already turned into a crater was now even worse off. Long marks of the golden claw were still visible, though vastly overshadowed by the massive hole left by the Mooncore Shard.

Everything was colored in dark green veins that appeared to pulse with toxic energy. It wasn’t only in the valley; this could be seen everywhere. Even the mountains off in the distance were now even more broken and covered in dark energy.

Jake, with unsteady steps, walked towards the epicenter of the explosion. He couldn’t relax yet. Despite the huge explosion with the King of the Forest in the center, he had yet to receive any notifications. But he refused to believe that the creature had come out of it unscathed.

Getting closer, he finally saw the King. Lying face-up on the black ground. Unmoving. The bark covering his body was as black and rotten as the ground around him, with blood leaking through the cracked natural armor. The left arm was nowhere to be found, leaving a stump at the shoulder.

The dark mana from the curse, now mixed with the toxic dark mana of the Mooncore, still lingered on the body. Dark smoke came out of every crack in the armor along with the blood. The golden veins left by the power from the tusk now pulsed with dark green energy.

Jake was amazed the body was even that whole. An explosion he had only been hit by slightly had quite literally exploded within the body of the one lying in front of him. The blast from the Mooncore had been more potent than anything he could have ever imagined.

Taking out his dagger, he kept walking towards the fallen King, his body slowly being nurtured by the contaminated environment around him. The mask-like face of the King was now the only thing completely undamaged by the explosion, the two holes that marked the eyes empty. Jake didn’t hesitate as he brought down the dagger towards the heart of the creature.

Just as the dagger was about to hit, a faint light flickered forth in the holes of the mask, and an ivory claw, now covered in dark veins, flew up and blocked. His danger sense warned him as he blocked a blast of force, sending Jake flying back.

Landing on his feet, Jake slid back a bit and tried to stabilize himself as he looked at the now rising figure that was the King of the Forest. Black smoke emanated from the broken body.

The fight wasn’t over yet.

Chapter 39

Fall

Pain.

That was the first feeling that the King thought of as he awoke. He had temporarily lost consciousness from the accursed shard explosion that was the Great White Stag’s final gift. His entire body was hurting. The Nest Watcher’s curse and the detestable energy of the Horde Leader were still present even now… No, even more potent now, as they had mixed with the dark powers in the explosion. They had somehow been corrupted by whatever had corrupted the Mooncore to begin with.

The first thing he saw upon regaining vision was the human attempting to land a blow. Preposterous. He raised his hand and planned on blowing the arm of the human off, but what came out was only a slight wave of force that forced his attacker back.

Why? Why was he so weak? Was he truly that damaged? He attempted to stand up but found himself stumbling. Struggling. He was hurt. Truly hurt. The blow to his stomach had only been a mild annoyance. It would take time to heal, but it didn’t impede him much.

This, however, was different. The King tried supporting himself with his left arm but found nothing. It was gone. He then remembered that he had tried to rip the shard out before it exploded… losing the arm in the process.

It was unacceptable for a human, a weak human, to do this much damage.

Finally managing to get up, he lay his hazy gaze upon the human who was still standing. The King’s vision was lowered significantly, and everything appeared to be covered in a layer of fog. No doubt a demerit caused by the dark mana.

The King didn’t have time to stabilize himself before the man charged. Slower than before for sure, but the King was also far slower. The creature felt like his limbs were several times heavier, and every movement required excessive exertion.

The human brought down his dagger as he tried to stab the King, but the King managed to block it with his ivory claw. He struggled to counterattack, having only one arm as he attempted a kick, one the human easily avoided. Using his other hand, the Hunter landed a punch on the King’s chest, surely hurting his own fist as much as the King.

At least it appeared so, until the King felt the intrusion of harmful foreign energy from where the blow had landed. Poison. The damned human had inflicted even more toxins upon contact, injecting only a sliver of poison, but even that was enough to be an issue for the already-struggling creature. To make it even worse, the energy agitated what was already ailing him.

However, the Hunter wasn’t the only one who managed to land attacks. Right after he punched, he was forced to back away a bit as the King released yet another blast of force. It hit him in the shoulder, blasting him backward. The human’s shoulder was dislocated from the blow, but he swiftly popped it back in place—the pain seemingly barely registered.

The King observed the human and felt disbelief. The Hunter in front of him was not despairing. He was not even showing any signs of exhaustion or exasperation. Instead, he grinned through the pain as his broken limb was restored. He smiled, despite his imminent demise.

Before this day, the King could count the number of times he had experienced actual pain on one hand. He had been born in a small world and had increased in power from the environment alone. Born at D-grade, he’d been superior to all other beings and swiftly suppressed them all.

His was an existence that believed this forest to be beneath him. He had lived in this forest for less than a decade when the quest from the system came: to battle with the other Beast Lords of the forest to claim the title of king, and ultimately have the opportunity to escape the world he found himself in.

An opportunity he happily accepted as he subdued the other Lords. With the help of the system he’d imprisoned them in dungeons and taken his rightful place as King of the Forest. He’d killed all the other enlightened ones in the world, none of them even close to E-grade beforehand. The stage was prepared, and this entire tutorial was just a farce he had to be done with.

Never had he taken the entire tutorial scenario very seriously. After becoming king, he’d also gotten a follow-up quest that made it clear that he didn’t have to. After the tutorial’s conclusion, the entire area he was in would cease to exist, and he would be able to leave. Leave to the new universe that had just been integrated into the system.

He hadn’t known exactly what that meant; all he knew was that it was an opportunity to leave. A chance to explore an entirely new world and grow. The ability to conquer new land and not just be the king of this small forest.

In his eyes, and based on the system’s quests, the survivors were never meant to encounter the King. He had sat on his throne and known that he just had to wait. But it had all changed when the first Beast Lord fell. The stupid badger that he had never cared for, but was nevertheless worthy of note. For it was already unexpected for them to manage to kill a single lord. Unexpected, but not impossible.

It had been slain by a single human and not a group. The King could not observe the fight and only knew the results, but it was enough to pique his interest. Only slightly, though, as he’d quickly turned away once more.

Then, not long after, something he’d never expected happened. The hateful Great White Stag had died. The King had known little of the dungeon’s interior, but he’d always had the feeling that the stag was scheming against him.

He knew they had the option to challenge his rule, to reach D-grade and dethrone him. A threat he hadn’t taken seriously from any of the Beast Lords besides the Great White Stag. So when he saw that it had died, he saw it more as a blessing than anything else. In all honesty, his impression of the human had improved greatly from just that. He would have had to kill the stag in the new universe if not.

Then the Nest Watcher had died, which was relatively inconsequential. A dirty being from a dirty race. Though it appeared he had managed to show a bit of his worth through the small marble of dark cursed mana he had been struck with—a miscalculation.

Then, finally, the Horde Leader had died. A giant boar too dumb for its own good. Nevertheless, it was strong. It had even managed to give the King a wound, one it had paid with its tusk to inflict. After the pig died, it had been time to meet the human. His quest had updated, and he’d found himself forced to allow the human the chance of surrender. To leave for the world beyond. Even now, he had the option to allow for the human’s survival for greater rewards.

The King had chosen to act as majestic as he knew how to during this brief period. He had learned that these humans, especially this one, had a great talent for growth, so he didn’t want to make an unnecessary enemy. Maybe the human could even become a worthwhile servant?

Luckily the human was arrogant. He believed himself able to fight, A belief the King would crush with everything he had. He would make the human despair before he died, or at least crush his spirit so that he would never dare stand before the King again—for no other reason than his own vanity.

Yet it had all gone awry. The weak human had indeed been weak. Defenseless. His most potent attack was blocked easily, all his effort thwarted as he was beaten down again and again. Until he’d counterattacked, and the King, for the first time, felt a feeling he’d never had before: fear.

For the first time, he was experiencing real pain, genuine fear of death. His first time learning that death in the tutorial was even an option for him. That it wasn’t just a pipedream, an illusion dangled in front of the survivors to give them hope. It was a possible reality. A reality that was becoming closer and closer to being truly real.

The King clashed with the human again, but he once more lost out in the exchange. His arm was heavy, his movements slow, and his natural armor already shattered and broken. Rotten. Even his magic, the thing he had always relied on to win, failed him.

With his telekinetic powers, he had ripped the tusk from the mouth of the Horde Leader, squashed every other being. But now, it was only a whisper of its usual might. With the curse, his wounds, the energies, and everything else weakening him, the King could barely display a mere tenth of his actual power.

Raising his claw, it had a faint glow of gold as he attempted to strike the human once more—a strike that was faster and stronger than the ones before. But the human still managed to barely dodge it, getting only a few scratches on his arms from the remnant energies.

At the same time, the King took more and more damage—a scratch from a dagger here, a punch or kick there, and a bit of poison from Touch of the Malefic Viper invading him at times. It was a desperate struggle from both parties as they both slugged it out.

Jake only took a single attack for every ten or twenty he landed. The disparity was apparent to any, even the fighters. The King, even in his extremely weakened state, was still faster and stronger than Jake. He should win out, but he didn’t. The difference was in skill and experience.

The King had been born with a golden spoon. Superior from birth, he had never been pushed. Learning to fight had never been required of him, as a wave of his hand could kill most foes. Even the Horde Leader had been struck unconscious by a single full-power blast, using a golden claw more than enough to slay ten of it with a single swipe. His innate skills, talents, and powerful body had been enough… till now.

He could lose. And losing would mean death. Impossible, the King thought. Who was he? He was the King of the Forest, the mightiest being in this world. He had never lost, he had never feared, and now was certainly not the time to begin doing so. Determination the creature had never felt before built up inside him.

For the first time, he reflected upon his own existence. He realized how much he was actually still lacking. Despite being so much weaker, how the human in front of him had shown him his own limitations. The King was not stupid. Far from it. He had simply grown ignorant and childish, full of hubris from too many years of never being challenged. He had never had to grow up.

He respected the human in front of him. A weird feeling he had only perhaps ever felt for the stag. He respected yet hated the human for all the damage and harm he had caused him. But now it was time to end it.

A blast of force slightly more substantial than the ones before pushed Jake backward, creating space between them once more. When the Hunter lowered his arms, which he had used to block, he saw the King’s glowing eyes looking back at him as his voice sounded out.

"You have reduced me to this state… shown me that I have grown complacent. I thank you, human. I did not wish to do this… but you forced me to. That in itself is an achievement you should be proud of. Now fall."

A cracking sound was heard as the mask covering the King’s face, which had otherwise been unblemished, now fractured. Jake hesitated for a moment to see what was happening and decided to wait cautiously at a distance. His intuition and sense of danger both warned him that the development was dangerous.

More cracks covered the mask, and the King stood up straight once more, his dignity restored. His crown of thorns started giving off a strong sense of power and majesty, aiming to suppress Jake. And then the mask fell.

Jake didn’t know what he expected to see beneath. But what he saw would undoubtedly never be that. For he saw nothing. It wasn’t darkness; it was just…nothingness—something his mind couldn’t comprehend.

Then the headache struck. Like a sledgehammer hitting Jake’s skull, he felt vertigo as everything became blurry and his head hurt like never before. Even his ever-reliant Sphere of Perception was disturbed as the information he got became warped and twisted.

He felt puke enter his mouth as black spots began obstructing his vision. He closed his eyes, but it didn’t help. He had already been hit by whatever was released upon the mask shattering—a type of magic he had never encountered before: soul magic.

Jake tried to stabilize himself, and he felt himself slowly improve. His willpower and determination were slowly shrugging off the feeling, as he instinctually had already backed off several meters. He could beat it, he told himself as he grit his teeth hard enough for blood to flow out.

* * *

The King of the Forest simply observed the struggling human. For him to reveal his true face was something he had never hoped to do. It took a heavy toll on his own soul and was something he would not recover from without a long period of recovery. But it was necessary.

If he could win without it, he didn’t know, and that uncertainty was too big of a risk. But with it, he was supreme.

As the Malefic Viper had explained, the soul had many layers. Most of them were untouched by magic usually, but some types could directly affect it. Of course, Soul magic was one of those, with its ability to affect the outermost layer directly.

Senses could be disturbed and filled with illusions, and much short-term mental damage was inflicted. The layer would regenerate naturally, but to influence it made one hold much sway over another. And if the layer were broken entirely… so was the connection to the outside world, as consciousness would be lost.

This was exactly what the King of the Forest was currently doing, as the constant aura of his true visage burned into Jake’s soul. He had already decided to leave the human alive. To simply rob him of consciousness till the tutorial ended—a final recognition of his efforts. He could push his magic further and slay the human for good… but he wouldn’t.

He felt the human's attempt to stabilize himself. An attempt he swiftly crushed as he released a wave of mental energy far more powerful than the passive exertion that he gave off without the mask. Before, it had simply been a passive aura, but now he actually used the skill.

"Shatter."

The invisible wave didn’t do anything to the terrain as it passed through. Like a sphere, it released outwards, covering hundreds of meters a second. Shortly, the wave covered the tutorial zone’s entire inner area, and every living creature that had survived the fallout of their fight now fell dead.

Yet it didn’t stop there.

When it encountered the barrier warding off the inner zone, it passed straight through and out into the outer area. It washed through the entire tutorial, everything dying in its path, falling to the ground with their souls shattered. Their souls were just too weak to take the assault that was only meant to immobilize the human.

And that human, who stood before the King, was hit the hardest. The moment it hit Jake, it hit him hard. Like a broken mirror, his already-drained mind gave out as his soul’s outer layer shattered to nothingness. He didn’t even have time to register as everything turned black, and he fell backward, unconscious.

With only two beings alive in the entire tutorial, the Malefic Viper’s divination had been realized.

Chapter 40

When the Curtains Fall

The Malefic Viper stood in his Order as his gaze pierced through the void, the fight between the King and Jake reflected in his eyes.

A fight between a human that had only been part of the system for a mere two months and a being that had lived for a century or more. A unique lifeform that had been born at D-grade. A being that the human should have no right even to approach, much less fight. And yet he fought—not just fought, but brought the creature to a state of desperation.

But life was often cruel. Unique lifeforms came with abilities that many considered unfair, often born with magic or skills that would take an enormous investment of time and effort to learn for any other.

They started ahead of the curve and often ended up becoming powerhouses. Possessed inherent Records to become pinnacle creatures of the universe. Stat growth per level surpassing even those with special classes that came with severe limitations. Like Jake’s pal, the Augur.

The Viper observed as the mask fell, and the true visage of the King was revealed. He sighed as he saw the wave of mental force fly out—an ability that the Viper had to admit that even he would have fallen to if he was still only an early—or maybe even middle D-grade—snake. It was an attack that directly drained the soul of the being. It would take years for the King to recover after using it.

You did well, Jake. More than anyone could ever have expected.

His mortal friend had, indeed, done well. He had already felt that the King didn’t intend to kill Jake, so he would get another chance. In a few days, he would exit the tutorial, still receiving great rewards. That was what his prophecy had shown him… Jake lying there till the end with the King recovering, eliminating all the energies ailing him.

The Viper was about to turn his gaze away as he stopped, his eyes opening wide in genuine astonishment.

* * *

The human before the King fell backward from the wave of mental energy. The King had felt parts of the soul shatter, his consciousness dispersing. The fight was over, and once more, the King reigned supreme. He admonished himself for allowing himself to get to this state, bu—

The human stopped.

His fall paused, his back bent at an impossible angle. Like a whip, the human flew forward towards the King. Fast.

Surprised, the creature didn’t manage to react before he was struck hard in the chest by a fist. His rotten armor fractured more than before as he was shot backward, reeling from the force. Blood poured out of the new, deep imprint of a fist on his chest. Confused, disorientated, and in a state of utter disbelief, he gazed at the human before him, now with a broken hand from the attack he had just made.

The King couldn’t understand. The mind had been shattered. How did he move? A thought that was interrupted as the human kept attacking.

This time he managed to repel the Hunter with a blast of force, allowing him to float backward and create some distance. He didn’t even consider attacking the human. He couldn’t comprehend what was happening, and his only thought at that time was to get his bearings and understand the situation.

* * *

Jake had struggled for only a few moments, but it felt like ages. It was as if his head was on fire. When he was finally starting to get a semblance of control back, he was hit by it. A wave that hit him like nothing else before.

He felt everything being shredded as it turned dark. He felt his mind break, and he was no longer able to think or act. He felt himself lose consciousness. And then… he did… THUMP!

And as his mind faded, that which lay beneath came forth.

THUMP!

A cold, unfeeling thing that held no thoughts, no considerations. Only instincts.

THUMP!

When thoughts disappeared, there was no hesitation. No tactics, no strategy, no considerations—only action.

THUMP!

Jake was unconscious; this could not be disputed. But his body was very much awake. A part of that which was “Jake” dwelled deep within. And that part had now taken over as he stopped his fall and attacked the King of the Forest. He didn’t need to think about it; he just knew that the King was an enemy.

And enemies had to be killed.

He was faster than before, stronger than before. His fist impacted the King as every bone in his hand shattered. The veins burst, and blood came out of countless small holes and ruined veins.

Limit Break had a pretty clear warning: go above 20%, and there would be unforeseen consequences. Consequences Jake would logically aim to avoid. But in the state he was in now, he didn’t consider those consequences.

He needed to be stronger, so he became stronger, his energy within flowing faster and faster as his energy rose. Before he even attacked, it had already gone far beyond anything reasonable.

25%.

30%.

35%.

40%.

50%.

60%.

…

His entire body began breaking down from within as the far-too-powerful energy ravaged it, but it gave him power far above anything he’d ever had before. His skin flaked and began breaking off, fissures opening in his flesh as his entire body echoed with power.

Charging again, he was shot back by a wave of force. An inconsequential action from his enemy, as he charged again, this time even faster than before. Too fast for the King to react.

Another punch from the already-broken hand impacted the same place as before. Blood burst out and his fist was embedded deeply into the creature. The King fell to the ground, hurt more than ever before. But Jake didn’t let up.

A blast of mental energy hit the human once more, but it did nothing. There was no mind to attack, only a body moving on pure instinct.

The broken fist descended on the King’s exposed face as he tried to push the human away with a blast of force. The creature saw the human be lifted off the ground as he tried to shoot him kilometers away, but he failed.

Thousands of strings of mana came out of the human, binding them both. Tethering them together while at the same time stopping the human’s body from breaking apart. Trying to contain the energy.

The King tried time and time again to push the human away as the fists descended. Veins burst all over Jake’s body, his already-broken body breaking even further, the energy within him rotating faster and faster, showing no signs of stopping as his condition worsened by the second.

If Jake had been lucid, he would’ve understood exactly how dire his situation was. The internal energy was now fully rampant, and even if he tried, he would be unable to stop it. In other words, he would die no matter what.

Like an injured, cornered beast that ripped open its wounds to kill the predator that came aiming for its life, he attacked with reckless abandon. Paradoxically, he’d exerted himself so much to survive but ended up dooming himself instead. A fight that wouldn’t even result in his death would now be lethal.

Or maybe his instincts knew that the death of the King would mean his survival.

* * *

Blood was flying everywhere, and the fists that descended could no longer be called fists. The King struggled still, but even his most potent attacks were useless. He couldn’t do anything. The face was his weakness, hence the mask that covered it at all times.

Ah… I see, the King thought as he slowly became unable to struggle. He saw the sharp yet hollow eye that looked down on him.

Soon, the fists were little more than bloody pulps as the consciousness of the King wavered. His struggle gradually ended as the attacks only got more and more vicious. When the hunter’s hands could no longer move, he began biting.

I was mistaken…

When the human’s teeth fell out, he began smashing his head down. All that was in the man's world was to kill the enemy. Beating it down several times, he soon could no longer lift it up. The energies within him were spent, his stamina and health both depleted.

I could… lose… I... could…

Everything started fading; the only thing that remained was an innate will to live within both the hunter and the King. The deepest parts of their souls were struggling to stay alive. But willpower could only last so long as both their sparks of life began to fade. True death was imminent as the system message came.

…die.

* * *

In the Order of the Malefic Viper, a hysterical laugh echoed throughout the halls. All heard it and knew the source—the Patron himself. What could possibly have happened to cause the mood of the Primordial to rise like so?

The Viper himself stood as the final scenes were etched into his mind, a giant grin on his face. "Freaking monster."

* * *

The Holy Mother’s eyes narrowed as she felt the change. The Hunter chosen by the Viper had succeeded in doing the impossible. The outcome was different; the fate changed. Was this omen good or bad for the future? How would it affect the Augur she had taken under her wings?

The Holy Mother didn’t know. She couldn’t predict it. Something that rarely happened. Subverting destiny could never be seen as a simple matter, after all.

* * *

Feeling the change in karma, the old man gazed through the void. A tutorial had been cleared, and by one he had a karmic connection to. Naturally, he knew who.

Looking at his new disciple, he chuckled to himself. It would indeed be unwise to allow their paths to intersect. It would be a shame to lose his disciple that fast… wouldn’t it?

* * *

The old undead sat on his throne and smiled lightly. "I guess I didn't waste my time with that mortal friend of his..."

Jake opened his eyes once more and became aware. His mind was a jumble as he tried to collect his memories. The last thing he remembered was getting hit by a wave of energy as his memory turned black. But he felt there was more.

Putting his hands to his head, he noted that there was no pain. His body was fine… more than fine. He felt great physically. The last thing he’d done was… oh.

He remembered. He remembered losing himself for but the fraction of a second, and then it all just turned so… simple. Easy. All complications, all considerations of anything but killing his foe, had been gone as he fought. It was like recalling a perfect dream… it felt almost euphoric.

He’d fought the King until he could no longer move—until his last shred of will was slowly eroded—and then he’d heard a notification.

And now… he was here, fully healed and in a better condition than before.

Trying to dispel the feeling, he focused on other things, such as his environment.

A quick assessment of the room instantly let him know what had happened. He had won the fight and, in turn, won the tutorial. The quest did say the tutorial would end at the conclusion of either chosen option… I guess this was a conclusion. When brought here, he had been healed by the system, just like when he had first entered the tutorial or passed a trial in the Challenge Dungeon.

As for the room… it brought back a mix of memories. Completely white with only two chairs and a small table in between. The same room as, or perhaps a copy of, the one Jake had first entered when the initiation came. It felt like a lifetime ago, but it had only been a bit over two months.

He shook his head as he looked back on what had happened towards the end of the tutorial. It was something he wanted never to repeat… If he hadn’t been transported here, he would be dead without a doubt. The loss of control was scary on so many levels… yet also liberating.

He was alone in the room, with no other being here. What he did find, however, was a stack of items on the table—very familiar items.

On it was his Windsoar Bow and Shortsword of Icy Winds, as well as a bunch of other items he had thrown away or lost in the tutorial. It was far from all of them, however. It was only the ones he had actually used. Which meant he had lost the rare heavy sword that he couldn’t put mana into. RIP, giant sword that doubled as a pickaxe.

Putting the items back in his spatial storage, he stopped as one more was revealed at the bottom. A mask. A very familiar mask. It was identical to the one the King of the Forest had worn. Completely blank, with only a bit of wooden texture on it, as well as two eye-shaped holes for the, well, eyes.

Picking it up, he noticed that it felt oddly warm. Using Identify, it also became pretty clear that this was no simple item.

[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. Enchantments: Living Wood. Passively absorbs mana in the atmosphere, increasing mana recovery rate by a large amount. Increases maximum mana by 25%.

Requirements: Soulbound.

Needless to say, it was quite good. All of the properties of the item were ones Jake hadn’t seen before on anything else, and all of them useful. Having more mana regeneration was, of course, a huge boon and one that would help him at all times.

An increase in maximum mana was also a quite self-explanatory benefit. An insane 25% too. It made him wonder if it even worked, considering the Malefic Viper’s words that said individual stats could only be increased by a maximum of 20%. Then again, mana wasn’t a stat…

The part about the Living Wood enchant was also impressive. Focusing on it, he felt that it was in many ways similar to Self-Repair. As the description said, it allowed the mask to regenerate while broken, but that wasn’t the only thing. It also made the wood naturally adaptive, making it more easily able to grow with its user.

The last point of interest was that it was Soulbound—his second time encountering it after his necklace. He still wasn’t entirely clear on what it meant, but he was by now ninety-nine percent sure it meant exactly what it said. That the item was bound to his soul.

First of all, he noticed that he didn’t even have to channel mana into the mask. It already belonged to him the moment he touched it. A connection was already there, and one deeper than the one between him and his bow, for example.

Lifting the mask up to his face, he wondered how to put it on. It didn’t have any straps or anything, so he just tried to place it over his face. The moment he did so, it seemed to snap into place as it covered his face entirely, leaving only his two brown eyes visible.

From his point of view, however, he didn’t even notice the mask. He couldn’t feel it on his face, and he couldn’t see it. It was incredibly odd, though equally beneficial. Wearing a mask or helmet would typically adversely affect one’s field of view, and while he had his sphere, he also liked being able to see.

He knew he had the mask on, and if he tried to feel for it, he could. Taking it off, he also noticed how it wasn’t in any way attached to him. Yet, no matter how he shook his head, it didn’t move an inch. Odd, to say the least.

Of course, with the mask on, he also felt its effects. He felt like his mana swelled, and he felt the pool within him absorb mana from the environment faster than before.

With the items gathered and him focusing on his inner self, he felt it. He was more powerful than when he used Limit Break, and not by a small amount either. What the hell?

Chapter 41

Tutorial Rewards: Titles & Math

In a flurry, he opened his notifications window to a long list, not one of them insignificant. The first of which was the kill notification that had marked the end of the tutorial.

*You have slain [King of the Forest – lvl 136] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level. 300,000,000 TP earned*

Jake was nearly floored at just the first notification. He had assumed that the beast was just above level 100, but it appeared he had been dearly wrong. Level 136 wasn’t a small difference; it was more than twice his own level. And yet, he had won.

Of course, he was fully aware it hadn’t been entirely due to his own efforts. All of the dungeon bosses had helped him immensely during the fight. The Great White Stag, Nest Watcher, and Horde Leader had all significantly contributed with the epic-rarity special items they had given him upon defeating them, with the Den Mother providing moral support and a bit of poison.

It was a fight he was fully aware he had no right to win. By every metric, he should have lost. But the many factors had played together and ultimately led to his victory. If the King had been a more experienced fighter, less arrogant, less playful, his Bloodline not coming to the rescue at the end, or one of many other things, Jake would now be a corpse, dead on the cold ground.

It was a victory that was, of course, richly rewarded by the system. One part was the 300,000,000 tutorial points, his reward for clearing the quest he had been given. And then there was a massive amount of experience… and oh, boy.

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 75 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

…

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 83 - Stat points allocated, +4 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 65 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

…

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 69 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Nine fucking levels, he inwardly cursed happily. It was completely and utterly insane and once more displayed the massive disparity between him and the King of the Forest. He couldn’t help but imagine how much experience he would have gained if he had somehow won without using any special items… though it would likely just have been impossible.

Experience wasn’t the only thing he had earned from the kill, though.

He had gotten not just one but two titles from his efforts and luck. The first one was a bit weird.

[Kingslayer] – A crown does not make one immune to death. Slay a system-recognized King. Increases resistance to all nobility-based abilities used by those of the King rank and below.

It was yet another example of something he didn’t know what to do with. But resistance to pretty much anything seemed like a good thing, so he wasn’t going to complain. Besides, the second title removed all his rights to complain.

[Prodigious Slayer of the Mighty] – A prodigious slayer who stands at the pinnacle of skill in his generation, possessing both the might and talent to slay those far superior. Due to your immense accomplishment of defeating the King of the Forest, a Unique Lifeform twice your level, you have proven yourself a Prodigious Slayer of the Mighty, even if you got assistance from auxiliary items. +10 all stats, +10% all stats.

The title’s rewards were identical to his Legendary Prodigy title, and even the word “prodigy” appeared once more. Jake felt like he was being conditioned to see himself as a prodigy. But on the other hand, he didn’t want to fall into the same trap as the King and become complacent and careless.

Remind yourself: overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer, he thought. Words to live by, if a little hypocritical coming from someone who’d just barely survived fighting something he really shouldn't have.

Moving down the list, the first one was about a quest he had quite honestly forgotten he had.

Tutorial Quest: A Leader is born

Objective: Become the sole leader of at least 90% of the other humans during the tutorial.

Current progress: 100%

Eliminate other leaders: 0/0

Quest Complete!

Reward: [Nobility: Lord] title

It was a reward he hadn’t thought of, and reading the title description, he was unsure if it was even a reward, to begin with.

[Nobility: Lord] – The first step upon your path to dominance has begun. You have usurped the path of leadership from another who qualified, and now you hold the privilege and bear the burden of lordship. You have unlocked the nobility system and become a Lord. Allows the Hunter to control up to one city-level Pylon of Civilization.

The title description did answer some questions he had. Apparently, the system had some kind of nobility system that wasn’t just someone proclaiming themselves to be king. The Kingslayer title did mention “system-recognized” kings, after all.

As to what a “city-level Pylon of Civilization” was, he naturally had no idea. Whatever it was, it gave him a bad omen. Jake had no intention of being some kind of lord that ruled over some land, much less a city. Heck, he had chosen to live in an apartment because he didn’t want a garden as he knew he would suck at managing it and keeping it. He didn’t even want to imagine what he’d have to do to take care of a city.

I guess I could hire a gardener?

The final item on the list was something that happened every 10th level.

*Ambitious Hunter class skills available*

He didn’t know what to expect when he opened the menu, as he wondered if that final battle would net him a lot of new skills. And yet, he was still disappointed. The only thing he hadn’t expected was to find… pretty much nothing. There was just one new uncommon skill, called Superior Explosive Punch, which appeared just to be another type of suicide attack…

Well… it isn’t all bad, I guess. Jake had skipped a lot of useful skills during all his prior level-ups. The first skill that instantly popped into his mind was one he had cut for Mark of the Ambitious Hunter back at level 40. He didn’t regret that choice at all, but he couldn’t help but consider how useful it would have been in the final battle against the King.

[Determination of the Ambitious Hunter (Rare)] – The Ambitious Hunter is not one to back down even in front of the most frightening foe. The mind a fortress, the Hunter determined. Increases resistance to all mental- and illusion-based attacks. Increases resistance to suppressive effects. Adds a small bonus to the effect of Determination of the Ambitious Hunter based on Willpower.

With that skill, he would maybe have avoided being knocked out by the King’s final attack. It was a resistance skill that would help him against certain opponents while being useless in many other scenarios.

It was a skill he had skipped over because he couldn’t see the value in it, but now his mind was beginning to change. Mental attacks aren’t a joke. To have your mind hammered directly was more than just a little uncomfortable.

But… he had a definite feeling the skill wouldn’t have done jack shit for him versus that last attack.

The second skill he had considered getting was Hunter's Tracking.

[Hunter’s Tracking (Uncommon)] – The Hunter does not sit silently in his lodge but actively hunts for his prey. Unlocks proficiency in tracking down prey based on limited clues left behind. Also allows the Hunter to more easily identify characteristics of the game, including mana signatures and aura. Adds a small bonus to the effect of Perception while tracking.

He hadn’t needed the skill back when it was offered, but now he was about to enter the larger world once more. In the small tutorial, he didn’t need to track down anything, but on a large planet, tracking things would be far more useful.

Additionally… maybe it could help him track down his family. His general sense of direction had always been a significant shortcoming, something which the system could, without a doubt, help him with by giving him a skill. He had believed himself to be able to learn how to track on his own. He still thought that, but he also realized that it would take him far too long, and he would rather spend his time hunting or doing alchemy.

In the end, he chose to get Hunter's Tracking. Losing his colleagues had been a wake-up call for him. If he planned to struggle so much to get all the strength he could, he might as well use it to protect those he cared about. He had failed to do that once, and he wasn’t going to do so again.

Closing the menu, he felt the knowledge being imprinted on his mind. Old memories of when he’d spent a few months in the scouts as a kid surfaced, as he now knew a lot more about identifying tracks and even felt his understanding of auras and mana increase. The feeling of getting knowledge imprinted on your mind would always be weird, but Jake was beginning to at least get a bit used to it.

After the feeling subsided, just as he was thinking about what he was supposed to do, something—or rather someone—just popped into reality in the chair across the table.

"Oh… hello again," Jake said with a nod as he looked at the creature in front of him. If it could even be called that. It was the same oddly human entity that had appeared before him for the introduction. Seems like even the system doesn’t shy away from reusing assets.

"Congratulations for completing the tutorial," it said, still being just as creepy as last time. "Your performance has been deemed exemplary during the tutorial. You have managed to complete the tutorial and slay the King of the Forest and the four Beast Lords alone. For completing the tutorial in a solo capacity, you have earned the title of Progenitor and bonus points during the final calculation."

Jake just nodded along at the brief summary of his time in the tutorial as he got a notification.

You have gained the title: [Progenitor of the 93rd Universe]

He instantly felt the warm glow of his stats rising and his body improving. And not just by a little bit. He quickly checked the new title, one that indeed didn’t disappoint whatsoever.

[Progenitor of the 93rd Universe] – As the curtains fall, the standouts are clear. You have shown yourself to be among the most promising new initiates of your universe. But beware, for the road is long, and even the most talented can fall due to a single misstep. +25 all stats, +15% all stats.

Despite the slight downer that was the last sentence, Jake was more than elated. Truly a worthwhile reward for beating the tutorial. He had just gained a combined +25% in all stats and +35 all stats from the two titles. He was so much stronger than before.

This wasn’t to say he now would have the slightest confidence against the King of the Forest if he had to fight again. The gap between E and D-tier was not that easily overcome.

Turning to the system-creature-thing, he wondered what the plan was. "So… what now? Back to Earth?"

"Negative. Earth is still undergoing metamorphosis. Till the allotted time of the tutorial’s original ending in three days, twelve hours, forty-four minutes, and fifty-one seconds, travel to Earth is not permitted. You must go elsewhere or wait here until then."

"Where else can I go?"

"Anywhere you have the ability to."

Thanks for nothing… So now I am just supposed to sit here and wait? he thought.

"If you do not manage to leave here, then yes, you will have to stay," the system-thing answered, answering Jake’s goddamn internal thoughts.

"What exactly are you?" Jake asked. A question he believed he had also asked the last time he was here.

"The entity in charge of your final tutorial rewards," it said, answering much like last time.

"You said rewards; is there more than the title?" he asked a bit doubtfully. The title was already a great reward, but who would say no to more stuff?

"All who pass the tutorial have the opportunity to use the Tutorial Store by using their accumulated tutorial points."

…Right. Tutorial Points are a thing. Honestly, the points had just been flavoring so far. As useless padding on the kill notifications, they were just mostly ignored. Even if Jake had just received a few hundred million from killing the King, he had already shoved the existence of points to the back of his mind once more.

Not that he had high thoughts for the use of the points. "What can I buy in this store?"

"First, we calculate your final score."

With those words, a new panel appeared before him.

Tutorial Rewards Panel

The tutorial has come to an end, and the King has fallen to a single survivor.

Finding success even in failure, the tutorial’s purpose was unfulfilled as only a single survivor walks out alive.

Tutorial Points earned: 698,312,987

The first part of the message was as expected, but the second was a bit off. Success in failure… They were all so dumb.

Jake didn’t know why or when the thought that the tutorial’s purpose was to have the least number of survivors possible had appeared, but he felt it sadly ironic how they had all been so wrong. Jake hadn’t exactly helped either…

He had managed to collect quite the number of points, though—a number that got amplified a lot by the next messages.

Achievements earned:

Level bonus: 690%

Challenge Dungeon bonus: 150%

Dungeon bonuses: 400% (4x dungeon solo clear)

Title (Legendary Prodigy) bonus: 400%

Title (Prodigious Slayer of the Mighty) bonus: 350%

Title (Holder of a True Primordial Blessing) bonus: 500%

Title (Nobility: Lord) bonus: 100%

Tutorial solo clear bonus: 500%

Survivor count bonus: 0.1%

Time Bonus: 44.9%

Total Amplifier: 3135%

Total Tutorial Points Earned: 21,892,112,142

…Okay. That was a lot of points and many amplifiers to points for a store with uncertain uses. Still, big numbers tended to be good, and if he had to guess, then nearly twenty-two billion had to be a big number.

And once more, he could only find the point-one percent from the survivor count sad…

"Gotta ask, is my score low or high?" Jake asked.

"Your performance in the tutorial has earned you the Progenitor title, the highest possible reward for the tutorial."

Positive affirmation, yay, he joked internally. Jake wasn’t stupid. He had done what he doubted many others could do, and he had risked his life, time and time again, to pull out a narrow victory. While he would never rule out that someone else could have done what he did, he didn’t want to take away from his own sense of accomplishment.

"So, what can I use these points for?" he asked.

"The Tutorial Store is the final reward of the tutorial. Therein the initiate will find items and skills and a myriad of other rewards to choose from. However, do note that only five items can be bought, and all remaining points will be given in the form of Credits."

Before Jake had time to ask anything more, a menu popped up in front of him.

Chapter 42

Tutorial Rewards: Narrowing Down Options

What appeared before Jake was less of a list and more comparable to an online shop with pictures of items and everything. What amazed him, however, was the sheer quality and quantity of goods available. He had expected for a few epic or maybe ancient-level items to be there at most. It turned out he had been sorely mistaken.

[Spirehawk Longbow of Endless Embers (Legendary)]

[Blade of Material Rending (Legendary)]

[Spear of Illea (Legendary)]

… And the items continued like that. He was amazed and awed but soon found an issue. All of them were marked with a small red cross. Upon further inspection, he found what it meant.

You do not meet the requirements to use this item

To make it all the more aggravating, it didn’t tell him what the requirements were for any of them. Like it was all just a big tease to annoy him. He could buy them, just not use them. However, his annoyance got better when he scrolled downwards to find some he could use—even legendary ones.

[Consuming Light (Legendary)]

[Boneblade of Umbra (Legendary)]

[Bow of Woe (Legendary)]

Of course, most of them had ominous names or were related to shadows, it appeared. He spent quite a while looking at the items but soon stopped as he noticed something else. In his excitement, he had missed a menu at the top. Putting his attention on it, a drop-down menu opened. He had apparently picked the first option without even noticing.

Equipment: Weapons

Equipment: Armor

Equipment: Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous Items

Consumables

Skills: Profession

Skills: Race

Skills: Class

Custom (consult Guide for further help)

Jake got a bit giddy when he saw that he could get more than just a new dagger or bow. He had so many options he was frankly overwhelmed. He started slowly looking at some of the things under armor, considering what to do.

He must have spent nearly half an hour before he shook his head and took his attention away from the menu, trying to clear his head. He was so overwhelmed with options that he found it paralyzing. He had so many points, and looking at some of the prices, he could get several legendary items if he wished… It was too much.

Instead, he tried to look a bit at the last option: custom.

"Am I right to assume that you are the Guide?" he asked the human-like creature still sitting eerily in the chair.

"Correct," the creature that would henceforth be known as Guide answered.

"What can the custom options give me?"

"Anything as long as you have sufficient points."

Anything? Jake thought, a bit skeptical. Could he really ask for literally anything? He asked the first thing that came to mind.

"Can I resurrect someone who died during the tutorial?"

"Yes."

"How many points would it require to do so?"

"If you wish for a true resurrection, you do not have enough to resurrect any."

Jake decided to stop at that. He remembered his chat with the Malefic Viper on some aspects of life and death in the multiverse. Anything less than a true resurrection was something he didn’t want to even think about.

While he could maybe raise them as undead or spirits of some kind, he believed it would lead him down a path he wasn’t comfortable with. Instead, he chose to pursue the second thing on his mind.

"Could you also just… I dunno, make me a god or something? Theoretically," Jake asked curiously.

"You currently have enough points for eleven race levels, sixteen class levels, or nine profession levels. Note that any levels gained through this method may have adverse effects later on."

Yeah, fuck that, he thought before asking for something he actually did want, if it was possible.

"Can you enhance my Bloodline?"

If he was sure about one thing, it was the value of his Bloodline. It had been the thing that had propelled him to where he was today and one that would surely continue to do so in the future. It had gained him a legendary skill out of nothing, and without it, he would, without a doubt, have died already.

As he thought this, he looked at the Guide. With every other question he had asked, the thing had provided an immediate answer, but with this one, it had just… stopped. While it didn’t move much to begin with, this was the first time he had seen the Guide frozen like this.

"Hello?" he asked a bit tentatively. Had he broken it? A few more seconds ticked by before the Guide answered in a voice more mechanical than ever before.

"Insufficient data to provide a meaningful answer."

That a negative? he thought, but nevertheless tried again.

"How many points would it require to enhance my Bloodline?"

This time the answer came instantly.

"Insufficient data to provide a meaningful answer."

"I take that as a no?"

That question that got no answer.

Getting the hint, he moved on. With resurrections and Bloodline improvements eliminated as options, he went for the next most important thing: knowledge.

"Can I buy information?"

"Yes. Note that the price of said information is dependent on the value of it. Certain things are also off-limits. Any piece of information will also count as a purchase."

"Then—"

"Don’t waste points on what you can get for free."

The voice sounded out in his head as he was about to ask about his family’s circumstances—a very familiar voice.

"Villy?" Jake asked out loud after hearing the voice. He felt a weird connection between him and the god as the voice continued.

"Yeah, giving out a divine message here, oh prophet of mine. But cutting the bullshit, you should focus on improving your base power for now. Things that will help you going forward. Skills or items that can be useful for a long time. Skip weapons and armor, or any item with inherently limited power. You are good in that department, and too-strong equipment may only end up being a crutch. Skills are a good start… a…. cauldron… wa…. shi…"

Towards the end, the voice turned harder to understand until it fizzled out completely. The first divine message Jake had ever received directly from a god turned out to be a rather casual one offering advice. Advice Jake decided to follow, especially the last part about getting a cauldron. It sounded interesting.

He was currently using the unranked mixing bowl from the Challenge Dungeon for his alchemy. It had done its job so far, but that was about it. Like with nearly all other trade tools, there were many items he could use to improve the effectiveness of his creations.

One such item was a cauldron. Like a mixing bowl, it had a mana pattern and runes inscribed upon it that facilitated alchemy. Those patterns appeared to be basic system-provided ones that all such tools carried. Of course, that wasn’t to say those couldn’t be improved upon.

Jake had learned to transform mana into vital energy in the form of health potions and inner energy in the form of stamina potions, but that was about it when it came to what the basic mixing bowl could do. The bowl was also only suitable for liquids.

While he hadn’t learned to make pills yet, a cauldron would be absolutely necessary for that. A cauldron also came with a lid, making it easier to control things such as heat and keep out external factors. Overall, they were just better than simple bowls in nearly every way. Except, of course, being more expensive.

So, the first thing he decided to do was look into the Miscellaneous Items tab, where he quickly located the window containing alchemy tools. Once more, he was taken aback by the sheer quantity of items on offer. Not just cauldrons, but mixing bowls, catalysts, crystals, herbs, alembics, and just a whole lot of things he had no idea what the hell were even for.

Focusing his attention on the cauldrons, he removed all other options and started going through only those. To his pleasant surprise, he could actually use his Identify on the cauldrons, but only the ones at ancient rating or below. The best ones carried a legendary rating, and all but one had a big red X covering them. Looking at the one he could use, he quickly discarded that one too. Firstly due to the massive cost of around ninety billion TP, and secondly because it was far too specialized for what he wanted. It was one that was very explicitly made for pills, which he couldn’t even make yet.

Looking over the ancient and epic-rarity ones, he couldn’t help but marvel at how many different alchemy specialties were available. Heck, some were even made for attacking enemies, allowing the Alchemical Flame that all alchemists had to become a weapon. The most disturbing one was a cauldron made for living beings, allowing the alchemist to turn their bodies into mush to be used in pills or potions.

In the end, he was split between two cauldrons, both having different pros and cons.

[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.

Requirement: lvl 50+ in any alchemy-related profession.

Price: 108,560,000 TP

[Altmar Cauldron of Supreme Simplicity (Ancient)] – Sometimes less is more. Made by the Altmar Empire’s expert crafters, this cauldron was created with the express purpose of efficient alchemy. Given to the royal alchemists in training, it often becomes a cauldron for life for even the most talented. The runes inscribed are easy to use and greatly enhance mana efficiency and conductivity while also making the entire working process far more transparent for the user. Enchantments: Mana conductivity (Supreme). Mana Transparency (Supreme). Durability (Extremely High).

Requirements: Soulbound.

Price: 990,000,000 Tutorial Points

The two he was looking at were indeed very different from one another. The first one was far more complex and made for more intricate works but didn’t have the sheer dominance in efficiency and usefulness that the second had.

The Cauldron of Myriad Essences, however, allowed him to do things he couldn’t otherwise. He knew he lacked some mana affinities, of course—ones that would, without a doubt, lock him out of making certain things. This cauldron would allow him to work around that.

The Altmar Cauldron of Supreme Simplicity, on the other hand, was just pure usefulness in a cauldron. It was good in every way and even had the extraordinary benefit of being Soulbound. The transparency was mostly something he liked, making it easier for him to learn as he worked. One of the benefits of a mixing bowl like the one he had was the incredible transparency in everything he made, something a cauldron would obscure in favor of improving the mixing process. This cauldron would allow him to limit that obscuration. Also… poisons tended to quickly whittle down the durability of a cauldron or mixing bowl. He wasn’t even sure how long his current bowl would hold on.

If he had to pick one, he would go with the Altmar one. However… Do I need to pick only one?

He could choose a total of five things from the shop, so maybe he would still want both. Of course, it all depended on what else he decided to buy. The combined price for both of them was not even a twentieth of his total points, so he had plenty more things to go for.

Next up, he moved over to the Skills: Profession window. To his disappointment, he didn’t see a single skill related to the Malefic Viper within. It didn’t even show the usual skills he could pick. There were only twenty skills or so in total, the best of which was epic rating. A skill that didn’t interest him in the least.

What was there were instead things that appeared utterly unrelated to his profession. Two were even related to landscaping, something that would be kind of useful if he wanted to make a garden or something… but it wasn’t really him.

The only fascinating thing was a type of magic circle or formation that could change natural mana’s affinity into the nature affinity. It was only a rare skill, and Jake was a bit surprised he could even learn it considering he hadn’t picked the nature-affinity skill.

The purpose of the formation was to create an area to better grow herbs, of course. But Jake wasn’t planning on settling down and making a lovely garden any time soon. He would rather just have another cauldron or two that would allow him to better use whatever herbs he found in the world.

A bit disappointed, he moved on and tried the Skills: Race window, where he found absolutely nothing. Apparently, humans didn’t have shit when it came to race skills. Somehow it didn’t really disappoint him, though, as he just moved on.

Next, he checked the Consumables part of the store. There he found an utter shitload of items, including potions of all sorts. Luckily for whoever decided to buy them, you could get them in bundles of a dozen, so you wouldn’t waste your limited five options by just getting a few health potions.

In there, he also saw elixirs but was a bit disappointed by how weak they were. Each only provided +10 to a given stat. However, the price was low, costing only around a million for each one, but you could only buy them individually. Needless to say, Jake didn’t have any interest in those. It would feel like a waste.

Next, he moved to the big one: Skills: Class. He feared running into a situation similar to the one he’d had with professions but found himself pleasantly surprised. He had quite a few more options here, and the quality was far better, too, with no lack of both epic and ancient skills. There were even two legendary ones.

The epic skills did have a few interesting ones, but Jake wasn’t sure about any of them. He felt like his basic toolkit for fighting was adequate in many ways already, his main weaknesses being his resistance to mental and soul attacks. Of course, he knew that he likely had many other huge glaring flaws, ones he would surely be in for a lot of hurt learning. Such as some good area-of-effect attacks…

This wasn’t to say he couldn’t get better at fighting, but he did feel like he needed a better movement skill. Shadow Vault of Umbra was, undoubtedly, strong in many ways, but it also did have a lot of glaring flaws.

Its consumption of energy was rather large, and he couldn’t use it properly in many instances. It didn’t really speed him up that much, and more often than not, he found himself using its phasing functionality more than the movement part of it. He would also like a movement skill that could allow him to travel more comfortably. If his plan of locating his family were to come to fruition, he would likely need to go on quite the hike.

His second wish for a new skill was one to make use of his high Perception stat. He was at a whopping 1483 Perception with his recent powerups, his second-highest stat being Agility at 865. He also had 61 Free Points to boost it further if he found the need, making it possible for his Perception to go to nearly 1600 after the percentage bonuses from his titles and Bloodline.

After looking over all the skills, he settled on three to move forward with. The first of which was a movement skill.

[One Step Mile (Ancient)]

And finally, two possible Perception skills. Two that also happened to be legendary ones.

[All-Seeing Eye of Oras (Legendary)]

[Gaze of the Apex Predator (Legendary)]

Chapter 43

Tutorial Rewards: Getting Stuff

Jake began with the movement skill One Step Mile. He liked everything about it, and the description sounded just straight-up cool.

[One Step Mile (Ancient)] – A single step is sometimes enough to cross vast distances. It is said that the very space between the user and their foes shrinks with every footfall. By drawing on the concept of space, this skill allows the user to cross far longer distances with every step. Note that there must be a clear path between you and your target. Grants a noticeable bonus to the effectiveness of Endurance and Agility when using One Step Mile.

Price: 2,200,000,000

The skill was straightforward in principle. It would allow Jake to move further with every step and be able to travel far more effortlessly. In combat, it would, undoubtedly, also prove valuable for dodging and creating distance between him and his opponent.

The thing about drawing on the concept of space only made it even more interesting. It would literally allow Jake to warp space, or maybe warp himself through space. Either way, anything dealing with manipulating space itself couldn’t be bad in his eyes.

He was fully aware that despite the name saying One Step Mile, he wouldn’t be able to cross an entire mile with every step. At least he seriously doubted he could, and if he could somehow manage to do it, it had to cost an obscene amount of stamina to do so. Or mana. He wasn’t sure exactly what resource the skill would require.

The last part of the skill was the price. While steep, it was still only ten percent of his total, showing once more how obscenely many points he had managed to acquire. It was even one of the more expensive ones.

He’d pretty much settled on picking the skill when he moved on to the next two. Both Perception-based skills and both legendary, he expected a lot from both of them. And the first one didn’t disappoint.

[All-Seeing Eye of Oras (Legendary)] – Eyes that pierce the veil of obscuration. Allows the Hunter to see through most illusions and other effects that obscure the senses. Allows the Hunter to project his vision in all directions around himself. Allows the Hunter to project his vision to any place within his line of sight, acting like another visual organ. With practice, may your eyes observe all of existence with a single glance. All effects of the skill are based on Perception.

Price: 16,145,000,000

The All-Seeing Eye of Oras was just straight-up nutty in his opinion. It appeared to not only give what his Sphere of Perception already had, but also a whole lot of other things attached. Projected vision, ignoring illusions, et cetera. If he’d had this skill during the sewer dungeon, he doubted the dark mana would have had any effect on him at all.

Without a doubt, the skill had many moving parts and several aspects to it. It felt more like three or four skills than one cohesive skill. While that wasn’t a bad thing, it did seem to have many uses Jake doubted he would make much use of. It was also a utility skill for the most part.

The most obviously useful part of it in combat was the spherical vision. But quite honestly… Jake had a feeling that he was better than whatever the skill offered. He knew that he hadn’t practiced anywhere close to as much as he should with his Bloodline abilities, and he would prefer to do that over picking a potentially worse skill.

Projecting his vision had to be the most exciting part of it. It would allow him to scout way further ahead and see things he otherwise couldn’t. It, coupled with the ability to see through obscuration effects, had to make the skill extremely overpowered when scouting.

Thing is… Jake didn’t feel like he needed to get that much better at scouting. He felt like his extreme intuition, and his already-high Perception would be able to spot most enemies far ahead of time. And those he couldn’t detect would likely be able to whip his ass anyway.

Overall evaluation of the skill was strong; he just didn’t feel like it suited him. The price tag of sixteen billion was also an excellent deterrent. He would instead pick a more suitable ancient skill if it came down to it.

There was a chance that his Bloodline would create shenanigans, but he didn’t want to risk it with a legendary skill…

Based on the final skill… risking it didn’t seem necessary either.

[Gaze of the Apex Predator (Legendary)] – A single glance, a fallen prey. The Apex Predator has grown to where their foes cower in fear as it lays its eyes upon them. A glance that penetrates into the very soul of its prey, the Gaze of the Apex Predator can immobilize or even kill any it sees. Gives the Hunter the ability to paralyze, knock out, and even kill his prey through visual contact. This skill directly targets the soul of the target, ignoring distance, physical defense, and most magical defenses. All effects of Gaze of the Apex Predator are determined by Perception.

Cost: 18,457,000,000

Reading the skill, he couldn’t help but remember the attack from the King of the Forest that had knocked him out and nearly spelled his doom. It had been an attack that had directly hit him just by the creature looking at him, though there were some differences.

The King had released pulses of energy that had hit him like a sledgehammer directly to his brain. This skill was likely different, but the effects very much the same. He would be able to potentially knock out and even kill just by looking at people. He had to admit that some juvenile part of him couldn’t help grinning at the thought of Killing Eyes.

Taking a more realistic view of things, he could see so much potential. The part about ignoring distance was exciting. He could already imagine standing far away from his enemy as he channeled Infused Powershot to then freeze the target with Gaze of the Apex Predator just before the arrow was about to hit.

Comparing it to the All-Seeing Eye of Oras, it was also clear that this skill was far more cohesive. It did one thing and one thing only. It was a skill that appealed to him in every way. If he could mimic just a bit of whatever the King had done, it would instantly become an invaluable skill.

As he thought of the skill, another thought struck him.

"By using the Custom option, is it possible to merge skills?" he asked the Guide.

"Yes, provided the skills hold any compatibility to begin with, and that you meet the minimum base requirements to do so."

"Can you merge the Gaze of the Apex Predator and my Hunter’s Sight?"

"Negative. You do not possess the Gaze of the Apex Predator skill."

…. Fuck you.

Annoyed, he did some quick math to see if he could afford all the skills he wanted. It was a bit tight. Honestly… the Gaze would cost him nearly all his points alone, showing exactly how costly it was.

If he bought the two cauldrons, Gaze, and One Step Mile, he would be left with around one hundred and fifty million points—a substantial amount, for sure, and hopefully enough to merge his two skills. If not… well, there were other skills available.

Having decided, he started out by buying the Gaze of the Apex Predator.

If the price for merging is too high, I can skip one of the cauldrons, I guess…

Confirming his purchase, he felt the knowledge enter his brain… followed by a burning sensation in his eyes. It wasn’t the warm, comfortable feeling he usually got upon getting a skill, but more like someone had put hot iron directly onto his pupils.

Letting out a surprised yelp, he put both his hands to his eyes as he fell backward. The pain was comparable to the time he’d nearly gotten eroded from his legs up during the Challenge Dungeon. Perhaps because what was currently happening to his eyes was very reminiscent of that.

In his pain, he picked up how his eyes underwent a cycle of destruction and regeneration as they were fundamentally rebuilt. His eyes would no longer be like those of a human but closer to those of a beast. If one day he died, his eyes would be considered great material for many crafters.

It felt like hours but only took a few minutes. Now lying on the floor, Jake slowly opened his eyes. The white color that covered the room looked no different than before, and upon sitting up and gazing about, he noticed nothing different. His eyesight remained unchanged.

What had changed, however, was what he felt like his eyes could now do. He didn’t have any target, but he instinctually knew that his gaze now held power.

Getting an idea, he tried to activate Hunter’s Sight. His sight sharpened initially, but soon everything turned blurry as his eyes started burning again.

Oh, for fu…

*Congratulations, Gaze of the Apex Predator and Hunter’s Sight have merged into Gaze of the Apex Hunter*

… ck… fuck yeah.

As his sentiment underwent a sudden drastic change, he couldn’t help smiling. It turned out that having two skills, both directly affecting the eyes, were easily mergeable if one tried….

The new description had just straight up merged the skills, with only minimal changes to both.

[Gaze of the Apex Hunter (Legendary)] – A Hunter who has seen his gaze reflected in the eyes of the Apex Predator and now stares back with equal zeal. A glance that penetrates into the very soul of its prey, the gaze of the Apex Hunter can immobilize or even kill any it sees. Gives the Hunter the ability to paralyze, knock out, and even kill his prey through visual contact. This skill directly targets the soul of the target, ignoring distance, physical defense, and most magical defenses. Passively enhances the Hunter’s eyes, increasing the effect of Perception while also making weak points easier to spot. All effects of Gaze of the Apex Hunter are determined by Perception.

As the description reflected, the changes were minor. But the one that was there mattered a lot… Hunter’s Sight was now just a passive. Opening his eyes, he, of course, instantly noticed how everything appeared sharper.

Even before, he often had the skill active for long durations of the fight, but he had started neglecting it towards the end. He didn’t really need to be able to see the big boar he was already stabbing better, and highlighting weak points didn’t do much either. It just instinctually made him aware of where his target was weaker, which so far had been rather apparent places. Big surprise that eyes, hearts, and brains were weak points.

Feeling very happy, he quickly picked up the two cauldrons he wanted. They appeared on the table before him, one of them incredibly beautiful and ornate, and the other one just looking like a big ball of metal with a lid.

The pretty one was the Cauldron of Myriad Essences. It was marked with figures of flames burning and a wave pattern running all along with it. All the flames were carried and pushed by the wind as they struck the carvings of earth. It was quite honestly a work of art. Its size was only around thirty centimeters across, and it was nearly perfectly round except for four stumpy legs.

The other cauldron, the Altmar Cauldron of Supreme Simplicity, was, despite being superior, rather cheap-looking and unimpressive. It also had four stumpy legs, and its size was also roughly the same. And while he didn’t notice anything else surprising about it, he did feel the differences upon laying his hand on it.

It felt like he was a part of the cauldron, like it was an extension of his body. He nearly wanted to stop and do alchemy right there and then. Shaking his head, the Altmar Cauldron was put in his storage. It was already bound to him since it was Soulbound. After that, he bound the other cauldron and put that in his storage.

Next, he went into the Skills: Class menu and picked up the One Step Mile skill. Surprisingly, nothing impressive happened upon him doing so, as he just felt the knowledge of how to use it enter his head. He had expected a bit more after the whole incident with Gaze and didn’t know if he should be disappointed or happy.

He didn’t have space in the room to practice the skill and instead decided to look for something else. He had 136,552,142 points remaining—a significant number for sure, but it felt like so little compared to the nearly twenty-two billion he’d started with.

Going through the lists, he ended up settling on something relatively simple in the end.

[Omnitool (Rare)] – A favorite for nearly all professions. This tool is made of a liquid metal that can take on any preprogrammed shape that the user desires. While unsuitable for combat, it has incredible application when it comes to performing nearly any recreational task. Enchantments: Self-Repair.

Cost: 1,900,000

If it did what was on the tin, it would be a useful tool in the future. Jake had to remember that he was returning to Earth once more, and having access to tools would likely be limited. He didn’t even have any idea how the planet he returned to would look, so having the overpowered equivalent of a Swiss Army knife available wouldn’t hurt.

The other thing he took notice of was the low cost of it. It was roughly the same price as other rare weapons and smaller armor pieces, and compared to all the other things he had gotten, it was peanuts. Then again, he had to consider that others would have access to a similar store, and far from everyone would have accumulated billions, or, heck, even millions of points.

He remembered the Aspiring Blade of Nature he had fought what felt like ages ago. He had gotten a bit less than 800,000 tutorial points from that guy, and he had been nearly E-grade and relatively competent. As he had gained half the points off him, it meant he only had around one and a half million, which wasn’t even enough for the Omnitool. With that logic, was the store actually rather stingy?

Jake spent a bit more time going through all the menus but couldn’t find anything more interesting. None of the skills or special items he could find spoke to him, and he was too lacking in imagination to come up with some custom stuff. He did consider if he could get an item to find his family or something, but he felt like he would instead just ask the Viper about it.

Finally buying the damn tool, he saw a small orb appear on the table in front of him. He was at first taken aback, afraid he had purchased a tool for a gnome or midget. Upon picking it up and injecting mana into it, however, he discovered that it was just highly condensed metal, and could, at his command, expand to a size several times bigger.

He couldn’t hold himself back from testing a bit, transforming it into a shovel, a hammer, and even an umbrella just for the hell of it.

This thing may just be my favorite, he thought as he continued transforming it into different shapes. Sadly he couldn’t make it into any weapons except a knife, and even then, he could feel that it wasn’t made for fighting but cooking or maybe sharpening sticks or something.

Quickly growing bored of playing around, he put it away. A few seconds passed as he just stood there, staring into space. The store window was gone, the Guide silent, and the room still as empty as always.

So… what now?

Chapter 44

Intermission 2 - Life after Death (Casper)

Casper stood silently as he looked at himself in the mirror before him. He still found it hard to recognize that this was truly him, even after so many days has passed. His ashen skin, gray eyes with black pupils, and black hair that looked to be graying were all so unfamiliar.

But what was eerier was that he now couldn’t feel himself. He didn’t feel the faint response from his muscles when he moved his arms, he didn’t hear or feel his own heartbeat, and his senses, in general, felt dulled… or perhaps replaced was more correct.

Instead, he could smell the mana in the air; he could sense the warmth of things even if it wasn’t through the feeling of touch. A feeling of warmth that his own body did not give off, as it idled at the same temperature as whatever environment he was in. Any normal human would be dead if their body reached such a low degree… but perhaps that was normal.

Because Casper had to accept that he wasn’t alive anymore. The only warmth he felt was from the necklace he wore…

He had made a pact with forces he didn’t truly understand in a moment of desperation and despair. Listened to sweet promises of a happy ending in exchange for doing as he was asked. He had been forbidden from slaying William no matter how much he wished, banned from sharing any of the knowledge he had been given with his colleagues or friends.

Forced to live and die with the knowledge that they wouldn’t exit the tutorial.

That is all in the past, he reminded himself. He would return to his own universe when the tutorial’s duration was over, and then he would have work to do.

Walking out of a small door leading onto a balcony, he stared up into the four black spheres hanging above. Despite all appearing pitch black, they still exhibited a white light that covered the entire planet at all hours of the day. Currently, he only saw four, but knew nine existed in total.

While sunlight did not hurt undead, the effect it had on the mana was less than ideal. Instead, these orbs gave off a type of mana far more aligned with the death-affinity mana that permeated the entirety of the undead empire.

He was currently in a giant complex of thousands of buildings serving the same purpose: Preparing for the 93rd Universe’s integration. Teachers, soldiers, and scholars were all there to make sure the undead empire was ready.

Casper was far from the only one in the 93rd Universe there. In fact, he had come to learn that within the inner area… a tutorial was going on. He felt like that raised far too many questions than he could ever hope to find the answers to in the short time he had.

Yet… Casper had come to discover that he was viewed in a special light. He also wasn’t the only one that had come here from other tutorials—far from it—but he was the only one that had been brought there the way he was.

Others had come through Challenge Dungeons or their tutorials being linked to the undead empire. The most surprising thing was that several people who were brought into the tutorial… were already dead.

Every single individual who had died in the last twenty-four hours before the integration had been giving a second chance. This meant nearly one hundred fifty thousand humans had been brought into the tutorials already as undead. This had naturally resulted in quite a lot of confusion, from what Casper had heard.

Not that he had met or observed any of those tutorials. He was in the second batch of those who had chosen to become undead willingly during his tutorial.

Looking away from the dark sun above, he grabbed a bag and began walking down to the meeting room. There, he would meet those in a similar situation to his own as they prepared. There was less than a week before their return to Earth, and there was much to prepare.

Entering the room, he saw that quite a few others were already there. Five people were sitting around a table already discussing, but they all quieted the moment he entered—all waiting for the leader of their little group to speak.

“I did not expect you today,” she said as she got up and smiled towards him, brushing her hair back. She had long black hair that extended down past her shoulders and the same gray eyes as himself except for a faint white light in the middle of the pupil. Despite being undead, she hadn’t lost any of her voluptuosity but was still as well-endowed as she had been before death. Not that Casper cared.

“You should have, Priscilla,” Casper answered with slight annoyance at the woman’s intimate approach.

This earned him some venomous stares from the four young men that had been sitting with her, but none of them dared speak up. They had the last time they met, and that had been met with more pain than any of them ever wished to experience again.

Curses did not care if one was undead or living.

But he did see that the woman had gained another level since last, still staying ahead of him, which wasn’t that surprising as she had been higher ever since their first meeting.

[Risen Human – lvl 44]

“Ah, sorry, Casper, there is just so much to keep track of,” she said, not at all discouraged by his dismissive attitude. “We need to do a good job when we return, don’t we?”

“Sure,” he answered as he took a seat at the far end of the table. He didn’t hesitate to take out a large book and begin reading, completely ignoring the others in the room.

Slowly the room filled as more people arrived. Some had come back from hunting while others had been studying. The final one to arrive was the one who had called the meeting—a skeleton wearing a white robe, floating a few feet above the ground.

[Lich – lvl ???]

“Good, you have all arrived,” it said in a female voice. “With less than a week remaining, the final preparations are being made. Your planet is not especially suited for undead inhabitation, but that does not mean it isn’t worth considering. However, what is most important is not making more enemies than we can handle during the early phases.

“The living tend to have an inborn aversion towards us undead that you will have to overcome. Especially in a world such as yours, where the culture has painted us in a rather negative light. Therefore today’s lesson will revolve around creating diplomatic relations with others, be they living or dead.”

As the lich spoke, one of the men in the room raised his hand. “Is the plan not to completely transform the planet? Wouldn’t it make more sense to—“

“No, it is not. Complete terraformation seldom leads to positive results, especially not in new universes like this. Word will spread, and our relations with others will weaken even more. We already have enough issues with the Holy Church currently; there is no need to provide them more arguments against us.

“Not like we could anyway,” Casper muttered to himself, loud enough for them all to hear. The lich included.

“Casper is right in that it would be a very arduous path. We simply do not have the numbers or power to do something like that on your planet, and I doubt the other forces seeking to influence your world would allow it. So stay diplomatic and seek out peaceful solutions.”

The meeting continued for the better part of an hour, with Casper returning to his book halfway through. This talk was never for him but those meatheads that thought they were aiming for world domination or something silly like that.

After the meeting, Casper left without speaking to any of them further, despite Priscilla’s attempt to invite him to hunt together. She wouldn’t stop pestering him, and it was getting annoying. He didn’t know why she was so obsessed with him, but he did have some theories.

One of which was that it was because of the teacher he was on his way to meet.

Walking into the teleportation circle, he raised the badge he had been given and felt the mana around him come alive. His vision shifted for a few moments before he found himself somewhere new—within the central spire of the entire complex.

It was a huge tower of bone and steel, filled with magic scribbles and runes that no one but his teacher understood. Walking up the spiral staircase, he knocked on the door before opening it. Within, he saw another skeletal figure lazing back on a chair with runic scriptures floating before the two ghostly flames that were his eyes.

“Teacher,” he said with a nod, knowing the lich was already aware of him.

[Archlich– lvl ?]

Dispelling the runes, the archlich said in an amused voice, “Why even attend those meetings? They are a waste of time.”

“It would be weird if I never showed up, and it helps me to get a better grasp of how strong others are,” Casper answered truthfully.

“Levels aren’t everything when it comes to power. You will all hit a wall eventually anyway, so why does it matter if they are a few dozen levels higher now if you are a hundred ahead in a century?” his teacher asked, half-rhetorically.

Casper answered nevertheless. “The first few years after we return will be tumultuous. We will need power not to be wiped out right away.”

“True, but that is not your creed. I am not training you to be a warrior tomorrow but an asset in a millennium. You taking a small piece of land in a virgin universe is just a small bonus. But I do understand it can be hard to think centuries ahead when you worry about tomorrow. So let us get started immediately.”

With those words, the mighty mage before him waved his hands and the room changed. The walls expanded outwards as a huge central arena appeared with the two of them within. At the same time, the mana density spiked immensely. The air shimmered with power. It wasn’t death-affinity mana either, but pure mana.

Casper didn’t need any prompt before he got started. Activating his skill Magiscript, he began drawing the runes and shapes in the air. His teacher observed him and spoke as he made errors or praised when he correctly picked up the right thing to do.

Occasionally, the lich changed the mana’s flow, forcing Casper to adapt or see his budding magic circle fall to pieces.

“Remember, we are architects of magic, but as mortal architects, we are forced to work with the building materials we have. Working with only our own mana, we have to use our environment to the full effect. Shape your circle as nature has shaped the world.”

Casper kept practicing for hours, his own mana pool barely being dented due to the high mana density and his own low expenditure.

“Your power lies not only in knowledge but your emotions. Manifest them. Through your will, impose them upon the magic, make your intent clear. With time, it shall become an instinct to do this with everything. That is the key to true magic.”

After a few more hours, Casper felt his mental energy reach its limits as the next shift in mana washed away all the scripts of mana he had written in the air, and the constructs of mana all fell apart one by one. The shapes and programmed spells turned to nothing.

Casper collapsed exhausted to the ground. If he were still able to sweat, his entire body would have been soaked through. But as an undead, the only sign was that his eyes appeared slightly dimmer than before due to low spirit points.

His teacher looked at him with an expressionless skeletal face as he gave some more feedback.

“Better than last, but you still have a long way to go. You need to rely far more on your experience with curses and emotional energy. From a technical standpoint, you can’t be considered talented, but your innate ability to harness emotions is very promising. So focus on that.”

The room returned to normal after he spoke, forming the same circular study it had been when Casper first entered. “Now, see you tomorrow for our next session. Get some rest and try to practice some in your own time. Tomorrow we are working on physical manifestations and using Magiscripts to alter the physical world.”

With those words from his teacher, Casper did a tired bow before he turned and left. He nearly fell down the staircase and did stumble a bit after taking the teleportation circle back, but he didn’t complain. He knew exactly how valuable those lessons with the archlich were.

While Casper was still new to the multiverse like everyone else, he had fast come to learn what a Demigod was… because his teacher was one. A being that had reached the limits of mortality, only a single step from godhood, was now teaching him.

He had looked for an explanation ever since his first lesson… but he couldn’t find the reason. He wasn’t that extraordinary, his talents only mediocre in most places. Priscilla was far more talented than him, and even with such a powerful teacher, he couldn’t catch up in levels.

When he got back to his room, he lay down on his bed and fished out the necklace from beneath his clothes. It was a small locket, and he quickly opened it and saw the ghostly image of a woman within. It was slightly moving, but her eyes were closed as if she was sleeping.

“Lyra…” he muttered as he felt pain in his chest. She was why he had made the pact and come here… yet he could only wait. Her soul had been saved, but it was still far too weak to awaken. He had complained when he first got here… but even his teacher said there was nothing he could do. Her Truesoul had weakened, and only time or a god specializing in soul magic could ever have a chance to remedy that.

Closing the locket again, he sat up, resolved, and entered meditation. Seeing his progress in levels, he still felt unsatisfied.

Status

Name: Casper Morseca

Race: [Risen Human (E) – lvl 39]

Class: [Cursed Trapper – lvl 34]

Profession: [Promising Dungeon Engineer – lvl 45]

After becoming undead, his class and profession had both remained the same. His profession had, of course, evolved since then.

To go from human into a Risen Human brought far fewer changes than one would expect. But it did bring some, as was evident from his slightly changed race description.

Risen Human (E) – A human that has become undead. Arisen from one of the most numerous races of the multiverse, the Risen Human is known as one of the most balanced races of the multiverse, able to walk many different roads on their path to power. Stat bonuses: +2 to all stats, +7 Free Points per level.

It was very much the same, but one big difference was that it gave +7 Free Points and not the same +5 as before. This was not due to Risen Human being a better race, but due to what had happened to his stats.

Most had remained the same. Strength, Agility, Toughness, Wisdom, Intelligence, Perception, and Willpower were all the same and unchanged from before. But two stats were gone. Endurance and Vitality had disappeared from his status screen along with their associated resource pools, health points and stamina.

Instead, he had gained a new stat called spirit. It served the same function and had generated a single resource called spirit points. This meant that he now only had two resources to work with: mana and spirit.

It was a bit weird, with spirit points serving as a resource for physical attacks and healing the body when damaged. This was alleviated quite a bit by the resource typically being way higher than both health and stamina. In fact, when he had evolved, all of his Vitality and Endurance had merged into spirit, making it his highest stat by a large margin back then.

His class also provided quite a bit of spirit. Before, it had given two Endurance and one Vitality, but now just gave three spirit.

Cursed Trapper – A trapper not satisfied with merely inflicting death on their foes, but utterly destroying them before allowing them to perish. A class focused primarily on trapping and curses, the Cursed Trapper prefers indirect combat with few options if confronted directly, primarily stemming from his origin as an Archer. May you unleash your curse upon the world and afflict them with the pain that is your existence. Stat bonuses per level: +3 Will, +3 Spi, +2 Int, +2 Wis, +2 Per, +2 Agi, +1 Str, +2 Free Points.

Casper had gained this class during the tumultuous experience that was the tutorial. When his emotions had been at their highest, and he’d cursed the world, the system had answered. It had allowed him to turn his feelings into power, channeled through his will.

It was a class that was far more magic than the traps of an Archer, relying on cursed scripts upon his traps, his emotions given form as he created traps. The curses were seeking to kill, torment, or trap those it hit. Now, he had shifted it even more, so he was closer to just being a full-on caster.

Back in the tutorial, he had chosen to become a builder to make traps better. The two had great synergy, and one could believe that synergy would be lost upon shifting to more magical traps. But that assumption would be wrong.

Promising Dungeon Engineer – A builder now seeking to create his own little world. This profession focuses on the creation, development, and maintenance of dungeons. While you are still early on your path, and it is far too early to make a dungeon of your own, you have already shown great promise. While the Dungeon Engineer is primarily focused on dungeons, it does not mean that he has lost all his skills in shaping the world outside. May your ingenious creations shape the world to your liking. Stat bonuses per level: +4 Wis, +3 Will, +2 Int, +2 Spirit, +3 Free Points.

The profession carried many implications. First of all, the fact that mortals and gods alike could create dungeons. Of course, there was a vast difference between real and false dungeons. A real dungeon required a Dungeon Core that could only be gained through the system, and they were the only dungeons that awarded titles upon completion.

False dungeons were, in essence, just subspaces created by a powerful individual. Some scholars would compare it to the gods’ divine realms, and while the comparison was not exactly accurate, it did get the point across: it was a world created by people.

Currently, Casper was far from creating anything close to even a false dungeon, much less a real one. But he could help maintain and develop existing ones. More importantly, he could learn the complicated Magiscripts behind the creation of these dungeons—a language of the system, not that different from the programming languages of old. If you ignored how it was infinitely more complicated and magical, that is.

With it, you could execute commands to bend reality itself if you were powerful enough and had the energy required with that language. A finished Magiscript would often come out in the form of a magic circle—a completed executable package of Magiscripts, if he used the technical terms.

Having worked in Research and Development before the system as a software engineer, Casper was naturally inclined towards this profession. It was certainly very different from what he’d done before. However, many of the core tenets still applied, such as the required attention to detail and the ability to focus on what many would consider “boring” for extended periods.

He was still learning, but he felt like he was progressing. His teacher was, without a doubt, paramount in making that a reality.

In combat, Casper wouldn’t call himself that powerful for his level… unless you allowed him to set up.

After resting for a while, he got up, grabbed his prepared bag, and set out to another teleportation circle that swiftly whisked him away to another location.

When his vision stabilized after teleporting, he saw a vast jungle before him. He was in a camp surrounded by tall walls, with guards and young hopefuls milling about, trying to assemble parties to go hunt or acquire resources. Smiths, alchemists, leatherworkers, and many more professions tried to trade their creations for materials to keep leveling.

Casper didn’t need anything as he exited the gates and into the jungle. One of the guards tried to stop him, but didn’t when he saw the insignia on his chest—the one on the badge given by his teacher.

After he found a good spot, he set up his traps. Runic circles appeared on the ground as he waved his hands. Black spikes with intricate carvings all over them were embedded into the ground or nearby trees. He had prepared for this hunt for the last three days and needed it to be fruitful.

After setting up, he took out a foldable bow from the bag he had been carrying with all the other materials. It wasn’t to be used for actual damage, but to attract prey.

He had set up in a relatively isolated valley with only a single entrance and exit. From the bag, he took out a lockbox that he opened to reveal a small fruit. He could smell the attractive mana from it and knew that the many undead beasts roaming this jungle could too.

Five minutes later, a large ape-like creature emerged at the entrance to the valley.

[Undead Petram Ape – lvl ??]

Casper frowned a bit, as he couldn’t Identify it, but swiftly activated one of the scripts he had made at the valley entrance.

[Undead Petram Ape – lvl 68]

He sighed when it revealed the level not to be too high. It was a simple Identification script that any sapient creature would innately resist, but wouldn’t even be registered by a dumb undead ape. Perfect for this kind of situation.

And while the ape was dumb, it wasn’t dumb enough to just wander all the way into the valley. It stood at the entrance, looking suspiciously around. Casper stood hidden behind some rocks but felt like it was time to reveal himself.

Stepping out, he got its attention as he started charging a Powershot—the only offensive Archer skill he still had. The beast just stared back at him as he slowly built up the spirit in his body. Seven seconds later, his maximum charge time, he released the shot and hit the ape in the chest.

It did little more than anger the beast, but it was enough. What he had fired wasn’t an arrow, however, but a small black spike. It dealt negligible damage after it entered. More importantly, it released an intense wave of pain directly into the beast’s soul.

It roared in pain, a roar that soon turned to one of fury. With reckless abandon, it charged into the valley, and just as it got to the middle… the valley came alive.

Two minutes later, Casper walked out, his clothes torn and his body slightly damaged, and two class levels wealthier. He only had materials for one more trap of that level, so he swiftly got to work.

The next trap only earned him a single class level, but it was fine for the nine or so hours he had been out.

Returning to the complex, he went to bed and slept till the next day, when he had another lesson.

That was how his days continued as the end of the tutorial came closer and closer. Training by himself, sessions with his teacher, occasional useless meetings, and solo hunts where he could put all he had learned to the test against powerful undead beasts.

However, one day something changed.

A few days remained until the tutorial concluded, and Casper had a lesson with his teacher as always. He was practicing mana stabilization, one of the things he struggled most with.

“Your power to impose emotions into your Magiscript makes it potent but impulsive and unstable. You need to use your heart for power and your mind for stability. Only through reaching a proper equilibrium can you achieve your full potential.

“Yes, like that. Use parts of your focus to freeze in place the framework an—“

Yet suddenly, his teacher stopped. The mana in the room stopped flowing, and Casper at first thought it was another test… until he looked up and saw his teacher completely frozen in place.

Before Casper could open his mouth, everything shifted. He felt like he was ripped through space and time as he felt his body unravel. He wanted to scream, but just when he thought he would cease to exist, he suddenly had solid ground beneath his feet.

He barely managed to raise his eyes before he felt his knees buckle, and he fell to his knees involuntarily. His eyes trained on the ground as he failed to raise his head…

An aura unlike anything he could even imagine pressed down on him… A sense of reverence and inferiority dominated his entire being.

“This sure has become a mess,” he heard someone say… their voice soothing yet domineering. “A simple request to assist in an experiment turned to all this… Truly peculiar, that friend of yours. Vilastromoz brought back, prophecies broken and fate tangled. A web of karma spun, where you shall be my connection. Tell me, mortal, will you serve?”

Casper didn’t understand what was going on, yet he couldn’t… wouldn’t… refuse. “Yes.”

“Good. You may raise your gaze.”

The newly Risen Human raised his eyes and saw the figure that sat on the throne before him—an elven-looking man with long, white, almost ethereal hair and purple eyes that pulsed with unfathomable power.

He wore a simple robe, and on each of his fingers was a shining ring, all at a grade above anything Casper could even imagine.

But what happened next made the otherwise taciturn Casper speak up. He felt the locket around his neck disappear.

“Wait! That’s—”

“I know,” the elven man said, not allowing Casper to utter any sounds. “The source of the pact you made. A foolish wish by a mortal to overturn the absolutism of death. Yet you accepted only to see it paused, a broken soul all you were given—one that may never awaken. Tell me, do you wish to see her again?”

Casper tried to answer but found that he couldn’t speak. So he did all he could as he nodded enthusiastically. He didn’t know who the figure before him was… but he felt that it had to be a god. His teacher had said that only a god who specialized in soul magic would ever have a chance to heal her soul… Could this be one such god?

“Very well,” he said, holding the locket in his hand for a brief moment before he waved his hand, returning it to Casper’s neck once more. “Now go. Return to your world with my blessing. Be my messenger and my connection. I believe your planet will become a very… interesting place.”

With that, Casper found him back in the spire of his teacher like nothing had ever happened.

“—d follow the flow of the atmospheric mana to… to…” His teacher paused and stood dumbfounded, staring at Casper. No, not at his student, but the locket around his neck.

[Lyra’s Locket (Legendary)] – A locket created to house the soul of a single mortal. Touched by the Blightfather, the soul has gained Strength, and the locket has become a phylactery for her soul. Yet the locket is also bound to you for eternity; your life and death are now forever intertwined. Through the will of the Blightfather, the locket has also gained the ability to store additional souls and serve as spatial storage.

Requirements: Soulbound.

The young undead didn’t even look at his teacher but instead rushed to open the locket. Within, he saw the sleeping face of his beloved… who opened her eyes.

“Casper?”

Chapter 45

Records

"Hey Guide, what now? Is there really no way to leave here?" Jake asked the vaguely human-like creature that the system had conjured.

"You have been offered four invitations from gods who are willing to receive you. If you accept, you will be able to go to them for the remaining time."

"That was an option? And what gods?" He knew one of them, but was interested in the three others.

"First, the main contributor to the tutorial you have just finished, Karroch. He has offered you an invitation to his realm and the potential to receive his blessing and guidance.

"Secondly, the god Umbra. She has offered you the opportunity to join her court and receive training to better use your high affinity for dark mana, and the guarantee of a blessing and high position in the court if you perform well and wish for them.

"Third is the god Gwyndyr. He has offered his blessing and the possibility to acquire his legacy, which revolves around archery and the concept of fire. He has also guaranteed his blessing as well as training and guidance.

"Fourth is the one known as the Malefic Viper. He has offered you a ‘cool-ass, time-warped training session in alchemy’ as well as a bottle of vodka. Do note that all offers are binding for the gods."

"Well, can’t say no to that last one." Jake smiled. He was still quite interested in the other three gods, as he had only heard the name Umbra before from his bracers and, of course, his Shadow Vault of Umbra skill.

Sure, they would offer stuff, but he could only have one blessing, so he wasn’t really interested. He also didn’t feel like meeting a bunch of people he didn’t know… Jake remembered going to parties where he didn’t know anyone but one or two, and that seriously sucked… Yeah, fuck that.

"I accept the invitation from the Malefic Viper. How do I go there?"

A few seconds passed, then a doorway suddenly appeared, leading into a room Jake had seen that time he accidentally sent a part of his soul to the Viper. Well, that was easy enough.

Looking at the Guide, he still wondered what the hell it actually was. A personification of the system, or perhaps something else? Maybe he would never really know.

"Been a trip. See ya around."

"If your path takes you."

The Guide's voice, appearance, and demeanor were all the same as the first time Jake had appeared in this realm more than two months ago. It hadn’t changed. Jake was the one who had changed.

No longer was he in formal wear, with his shined black shoes and hair combed back. Now his hair had grown out to cover his ears and was unkept. His shiny shoes had been changed out for old worn boots, and the rest of his outfit was a collection of fur and leather, all covered by a cloak, and even a mask. The only thing similar was the color scheme, as he’d also worn quite a lot of black before.

But his looks weren’t the only thing that had changed. Jake had experienced a lot over the brief period, and he had learned a lot about himself. He had, of course, gotten significantly stronger and developed his skills in combat.

He had often been close to death, his encounter with the King of the Forest likely being the most immediate. It had been his biggest crisis, but at the same time his most significant achievement. The day he killed the Den Mother, he’d set the goal of killing the King of the Forest for himself.

A goal he had now met. When he heard the “congratulation” for passing the tutorial, it had truly seeped in. He had succeeded. He’d won. It was a lofty goal, to begin with, and yet he had managed to sneak out a narrow victory at the end.

Most other humans who had experienced the tutorial likely saw it as the worst thing they had ever experienced. For Jake, it also hadn’t been a cakewalk. He had lost nearly all his colleagues, suffered emotionally and physically, and was in a constant rush to fight and grow stronger. And yet…

It was fun.

Jake had genuinely enjoyed his time in the tutorial. The constant tension and danger, the always looming knowledge that there was more to see and more to experience. And naturally, there was the challenge… Jake loved a good challenge. No challenge was more exciting than one with your life on the line.

Now it was time to move forward. Jake stepped through the door with a satisfied smile hanging on his lips, already looking forward to whatever came next.

"Your senses are adequate, but your movements too stiff. Don’t think. React," the Grand Master said as he admonished the black-and-blue Bertram sitting on the floor. He had just finished getting another beating.

How long had it been so far? Two weeks maybe? Bertram wasn’t sure. He still had a hard time comprehending how time could somehow move slower in this chamber than just outside the door.

The Grand Master had explained that it was through a formation put down by an A-rank High Inquisitor, but that was about it. The rest of the time had been spent training. Learning how to fight with his sword and shield properly.

Bertram had already learned to fight and thought himself competent with both a knife as well as a gun. But he had to admit that he hadn’t rigorously ever practiced swords, much less shields, before the tutorial.

On top of that, the man in front of him was just on an entirely different level. Every one of his movements was exquisite, every step calculated to the smallest detail. Despite him lowering his stats to the same level as Bertram himself, the bodyguard hadn’t managed to touch his clothes, much less land a blow.

He was still unsure how powerful the man was, but he couldn’t be some lowly soldier having achieved the title of Grand Master. He was the leader of an order of templars directly below one of the subordinate gods in the Holy Pantheon.

Bertram had asked if the man couldn’t simply follow them back to Earth, something he had gotten a solid negative answer to. The system didn’t allow other universes to interfere in newly initiated universes. When Bertram asked to enquire further, he was told to pick up his sword and stop thinking about things above his station.

He was a bodyguard, after all. Or perhaps guardian would be more accurate now. That responsibility was the only constant in his life. A constant he would hold onto no matter what happened. He would follow the young master no matter what he decided to do. Be he a devil or a saint; it was not for him to judge. He was just his silent guardian. Well, mostly silent guardian.

* * *

Just outside the chamber and down the hall was his young master studying a large tome. Jacob had spent the majority of his time waiting for his return to Earth reading. His class had many benefits, one of them being his requirements to level.

Unlike nearly all others, he would get nothing from killing. Instead, the mere act of acquiring information on his faith, as well as just expanding his knowledge, helped. He had already read that other classes could level without fighting, but most still revolved around it.

To him, it was very different… for him to be involved in taking lives would be penalized. It would hurt his future potential as an Augur, and if he went astray, it could end badly. Jacob was also strictly aware of exactly how heavy these penalties would be. If he ever killed a single enlightened being, he would lose his class and many of his skills.

A warrior could level not just by slaying enemies but also by practicing with his sword and improving his skills. Needless to say, however, it was much slower. Slower, but infinitely safer. However, it wasn’t a sustainable way of improving your strength with a combat-focused skill.

At some point, you would stagnate. You would be unable to level up further. Even going out slaying beasts at that point wouldn’t necessarily grant a level. Jacob had come to learn that despite his and most likely most others' assumptions, the system wasn’t as much like a videogame as he sometimes assumed.

The largest difference was, without a doubt, the entire concept of Records. Jacob knew it was his translation of it, and it held many names, but all boiled down to the same thing in the end. Like the Akashic Records that the translation was based on, it was a collection of everything. Of all that had ever happened, and in some ways also all that would happen.

A warrior going out fighting would write upon these Records. Every single thing in the system carried within them a collection of their own Records—their own accomplishments, failures, and successes. Each person had their own story, and the Records described their path.

That was where the impact on leveling came in. One needed to have sufficient Records to be able to level up. One could liken one’s Records to being a pond, with experience points being the water filling it up. Records would expand the pond, but not just any Records. They had to be noticeable.

Fighting beasts weaker than yourself, training to level, or being taught by others would grant experience to fill the pond but wouldn’t help expand the pond at all. One would fill it out at some point, and something drastic would be required to develop it.

Simultaneously, if one repeatedly risked their own life and fought beasts at the same level or stronger, one would expand their pond at the same pace or faster as the experience was earned. One would be able to keep leveling like that, but of course, it also came with a constant risk to their life.

In the same vein, crafters had to push themselves too. The non-combat professions and classes had to go beyond their comfort zones and strive to improve themselves. Craft items of higher rarity or greater difficulty, maybe even craft different things. Use more expensive materials and never stagnate.

Yet this method wasn’t foolproof. One other major obstacle for leveling was one all faced—rank upgrades, or evolutions, as they were also called.

Ranking up from E to D-tier or D to C-tier wasn’t simply expanding the pond. It was a renovation—one that required far more Records than just the ones needed to be able to keep leveling normally. Rank upgrades would more often than not mean a bottleneck. One most would never overcome. Moreover, sometimes even sufficient Records weren’t the only requirement for ranking up.

But how did one earn enough Records, then? Jacob found several surefire methods recorded, the largest of them being titles. As a newly initiated human, Jacob had assumed the most substantial reward from titles was the actual title and their associated bonuses. But many, especially those of higher rank, would disagree. The most considerable reward from a title was the associated Records.

A title was clear proof of achievement. This wasn’t to say that all titles were hard to earn, but all of them indisputably added Records of quality. The easy titles that could be achieved even with little effort were often gained through standard leveling, making them just another part of normal progression.

Records didn’t only limit when you could level and rank up, but also what you could gain from it—the skills, classes, professions, races, et cetera, available. All of it came together to give you options.

Despite the system seemingly being limited through Records, it still emphasized options. And the more powerful one became, the more Records of quality one had, the more options. Better options. Often there was a snowball effect to having strong Records early and getting a great class and/or profession at E-rank or even race for monsters.

That wasn’t to say that getting a worse class or profession would be the end, though. The stronger your base, the more was required of you to move forward. Complacency would still mean the end of your path, while one who started out weak could become strong through perseverance. Sometimes slow and steady wins the race.

The book did, however, say that the destiny of everyone wasn’t to fight. Sometimes one had to accept one’s situation and instead of pushing themselves to improve, trying to help those around them. That sometimes one reached the end of their path, and had to realize that and effectively give up.

There was also the entire thing called concepts. Concepts, nomological laws, dao, laws of nature, the essence of the world. It all had many names, but ultimately it boiled down to comprehending the incomprehensible. To understand that which cannot be truly understood.

Many powerful skills found themselves rooted in concepts. Jacob knew that his own skills did so too. His divination was firmly rooted in the concept of divination itself. And if he managed to understand that concept better, so would his skill improve. Like a swordsman enhancing his skills with a sword, albeit countless times more complicated.

It quickly became clear through reading, however, that concepts were something that often would come naturally. Something more easily accessed and understood as stats and ranks increased. Concepts could easily be explained with them being the "why" something is.

Some focused on learning these concepts and gaining power that way, but it wasn’t strictly necessary. It was just one path of many.

They also were closely tied to affinities and mana as a whole. But to understand that tie-in and relationship was a concept in itself. Honestly, it all felt more complicated than Jacob had the brainpower to really get into.

To sum it all up, Records were the collection of who you are and the potential you possess—an impossible thing to truly quantify, affected by countless factors. Titles, achievements, concepts, affinities, Bloodlines, innate talent, destiny, karma, personality, actions, thoughts, history, desires, emotions, comprehension, and countless other things constituted the sum of your Records. And those Records would be what determined your path of progression going forward.

Jacob himself was a great example of how weird Records were to understand. He had gotten the class Augur of Hope, a special class that was both rare and powerful in so many ways. Yet Jacob had no idea how he had gotten it. He just had. Maybe he had just been lucky, or perhaps the system knew things Jacob himself didn’t yet—another concept that often occurred.

Just based on that class, he could go far. The Grand Master had said that he shouldn’t experience any bottlenecks for quite a while as long as he kept true to himself and his own path. Whatever that meant.

He knew that the new initiates were in a bit of a different situation than most. The “history” upon their Records was short. There was barely anything to them, which meant that everything written upon the Records after formation would matter far more in the early days.

This was why so many could more easily get rare classes and professions. The requirements were lower since you didn’t have as much baggage to drag along. It would smooth out relatively soon, but it did mean that the new initiates had some inherent advantages if they pushed themselves here, to begin with. For now, at least.

Through his research, he had also learned a lot about the nature of gods. More accurately, why they seemed to be so involved in the tutorial and why they gave out blessings and such. Unsurprisingly, it all had to do with Records.

To improve one’s Records was something every single entity in the multiverse wanted, from the lowest of F-grades to the most powerful of gods. But for a god to do so was problematic. Often, they had to do so by either achieving something new or through their believers. Or through the last big way to get Records: events.

And no event was more significant than the initiation of a new universe. Through that, gods could gain new believers, of course, but they could also help shape the new universe and the new people in it. Doing so would help their Records immensely. There were even some more tangible rewards set by the system, such as titles or opportunities. Rewards were all based on how well individuals perform in so-called “sponsored” tutorials.

Jacob had been unable to read further into it from there, likely due to the gods censoring the knowledge, or perhaps just distorting it. However, what he did learn was the importance of blessings for both the god and the ones receiving them.

A blessed individual would contribute Records to the god that had blessed them based on everything they did. Simultaneously, the blessed one was granted quality Records through the blessing, effectively making them stronger and raising their potential. It was a win-win in many ways. However, Jacob had suspicions that it wasn’t all as flowery as the books made it out to be.

He knew that what he read was all written by the Holy Church. A lot of it was likely easily provable and obvious to those that lived in the system, but many details weren’t. It was the knowledge he guessed was only privy to the gods or those of higher ranks. Or perhaps for one to discover oneself.

Of course, it was also possible that even the mightiest of gods didn’t truly understand the system either.

Chapter 46

A Godlike Getaway

Jake stepped through the door into the bedroom that he remembered belonged to the Viper. He had barely entered the room before a loud popping noise was heard along with a… party horn?

"Congratulations!"

In front of him stood the legendary god known as the Malefic Viper, who wore a small party hat and had a horn in his mouth. Beside him was an old-looking man with a big white beard, messy clothes, and overall unkempt appearance. Except for his headwear. He, too, wore a party hat, though he seemed less than amused at the entire ordeal, and Jake would bet his entire potion stash on the Viper having forced him to wear it.

"Thanks, I guess?" Jake managed to answer, still bewildered by the beaming Viper and the bored old man.

The old man was plump, if not outright obese, and looked like he hadn’t taken a shower for months. Yet the most noticeable things about him were his sharp eyes and the faint aroma of soil around him. Looking at him, Jake also instantly knew that this man was a god. He didn’t know how he knew; he just did. Perhaps it was the aura…

"Man, that finale in the tutorial was great,” the Viper said. “Straight up burned your entire damn soul to punch him harder. If not for how absolutely suicidal that was, I would want to see it again.” He slapped the back of the old man. "This right here is Duskleaf, my true-to-me disciple. Taught the kid alchemy from when he was a wee lad. When it comes to alchemy, he isn’t bad at all, I tell ya."

"Still new to this, but anyone who can become a god can’t suck, I guess?" Jake answered. "Nice to meet you. Name's Jake."

"Hmph." That was all the answer he got from the old man, who still looked like he really didn’t want to be there. Which he likely didn’t, but Jake had the faint feeling that the Malefic Viper could be quite persuasive.

"Oh, come on, why so gloomy? Isn’t this great, just three buddies chilling?" the Viper said, still slapping the bored old man on the back. A bit harder this time.

With a grunt, the old man said in a weirdly meek voice that didn’t suit him at all, "You said you would actually teach me something…"

"I did, and I will!" the scaled god answered. "We are still gonna do alchemy, no worries—we just have another participant! The more the merrier and all that."

"I feel like I am intruding in the middle of something here,” Jake said.

"You aren’t—"

"Yes, you are,” Duskleaf cut in.

Jake could only inwardly chuckle at the two. Without a doubt, they had developed their own little dynamic over the eternity they had known each other.

"If it’s any consolation, I am pretty sure I am only allowed to stay a couple of days before I am whizzed off back to Earth,” Jake said. “Or whatever the planet has become."

"I know, that is why we are in a hurry! Come on now, to the lab!" the Viper yelled as he began marching out of the room.

Duskleaf, knowing arguing would be useless, simply followed, with Jake also trailing along. They walked at a brisk yet relaxed pace.

Jake failed to hold back his curiosity. "You said that you could provide information on the circumstances of my family during the tutorial rewards-thingie?"

"Yeah, but not now. We’re going to go over all that stuff shortly before you return. Trust me; we got more time than you think."

"Alright, I guess. By the way, did you know three other gods had also given out invitations for me to come and meet them?"

"Nah. Who were they? I guess one was the tutorial’s main sponsor, whoever that is, but who are the other two? The Shroud should make it impossible for most even to know you exist.” The Viper had a hint of surprise in his voice. Something that also got a raised eyebrow out of Duskleaf.

"The main contributor, or sponsor, I guess, was a guy named Karroch. The other two were Umbra and Gwyndyr."

"I see. Umbra is a bit alarming though unsurprising. Gwyndyr isn't that unexpected either, but I must say I am not really that familiar with Karroch."

"To answer, master, Karroch is a god from the 89th Era,” Duskleaf interjected, answering both Jake and the Viper. “As a mortal, he was a beast tamer and commanded an army of beasts. He is just a rogue god, and all in all, he isn’t very impressive."

Jake knew from prior conversations with the Viper that an era was when a universe was the newest one integrated. In other words, if one was born during the 89th Era, it means that the 89th Universe was the most recent universe within the multiverse. Currently, the multiverse had just entered the 93rd Era, with Jake’s own universe's integration.

"What about Gwyndyr and Umbra?" Jake asked, addressing both Duskleaf and the Viper.

"Gwyndyr is a god from the 7th Era,” Duskleaf said. “Leader of the Crimson Flame, a collection of powerful gods who have assembled, all focused on the concept of fire. As a mortal, he was an archer, most notable for having killed a god before achieving godhood himself. In other words, he isn’t a god to be belittled. He is old and powerful.”

"Umbra is an old acquaintance of mine,” the Viper said. “She came to be during the 2nd Era. She is strong and, in the concept of shadows and dark mana in general, has skills that are second to none. On top of that, she has an organization known as the Court of Shadows. Assassins for the most part, and feared by mortals and gods alike. If you want someone dead, are filthy rich, and got enough leeway, they are the ones you go to, whether the target is god or mortal."

"Yeah, alright—sounds impressive, I guess," Jake answered, not knowing even half of what the fuck they were talking about. He did find one thing very interesting, however. "You call some of the gods strong and weak? How exactly does godhood work?"

"Honestly, just like mortals in most ways,” the Viper answered. “Some are strong, while some are weak. It’s just more… complicated than mortals. Just know that the main divide lies exactly in that word: mortal. To become a god is to become immortal.”

"So, who is stronger, you, Gwyndyr, or Umbra?" Jake asked, a bit teasingly.

"Hah, good question. Hard to know without fighting it out. Though if I had to answer… while Gwyndyr would be annoying, I can’t see myself losing. A bit of the same with Umbra, but I would put her a level higher than Gwyndyr. The thing with gods is that a lot of our strengths are conditional. To fight any god within their own realm is pretty stupid unless you are far more powerful than them. And even if you fight on neutral ground, there is a lot of difference between beating someone and killing them. Gods are notoriously hard to put down.”

Considering the answer a bit, Jake inquired further. "Is Umbra a Primordial too? Actually, what even is a Primordial? A rank of god or something?"

"Nah, she isn’t. Primordial is not a rank but a title. It doesn’t really have anything to do with strength. The title is for becoming a god during the First Era, before the integration of the Second Universe. In other words, to be among the first gods."

"Going out on a limb here assuming that any god who is among the first are considered strong… How many of you are there?"

"First of all, a good assumption. There are twelve of us in total, not a single one of us weak. Not to brag—actually, fuck that, to full-on brag—becoming a god during the first era was fucking brutal. There weren’t any gods to guide you; no one knew what the fuck was going on. The system was still new and very different from today, far simpler. No tutorials, no stores, just killing and getting stronger. For even twelve of us to emerge was a goddamn—pun intended—miracle. And anyone who can bring about such a miracle is strong."

"Damn. So you twelve are the strongest around? It sounds like I hit the jackpot with my profession," Jake half-jokingly said. He was still processing what he had just heard, trying to relate to how it was back then.

"That wouldn’t be very accurate. While we were the first, that doesn’t mean we are the strongest by default. A long-ass time has passed since the First Era, and there are now more gods than ever—many extremely strong ones among them. Umbra and Gwyndyr in that batch.” The Malefic Viper explained all of this patiently. Duskleaf was just silently wandering by their side, not showing any intentions of adding anything.

"Exactly how many gods are there?" Jake asked.

"Hell if I know. There were twelve during the First Era, as I said, and that was, of course, the era with the least amount. After that, it has only escalated exponentially. Think about it—just because the Second Era begins doesn’t mean that the first multiverse stops producing gods. By the end of the Second Era, there were around three hundred gods, while we were into the thousands by the end of the third one.

"That isn’t to say that it just kept growing. Let me be clear that even with it being easier to become a god, it sure as hell is never easy; any god, no matter who, is an extreme talent. This was also about the time we began really seeing gods even die. With the guidance of the prior generations, becoming a god became more manageable, but it also meant that the quality fell. That is pretty much how it still is today, with each era having more and more gods, with the overall quality falling.

"Which isn’t to say we don’t have standouts still. The 92nd Era, the one just before your universe, had Yip of Yore, a fucking lunatic of major proportions who killed half a pantheon the second he became a god himself—and from what I’ve heard, he hasn’t stopped being batshit crazy since."

"That is a lot to take in," Jake said after listening to the Viper’s lengthy exposition.

He felt more than a little lucky that he had his own source of direct information on the world of gods. From how the tutorial apparently had “sponsors” and how blessings and all that worked, he had a solid feeling that gods were an essential part of the multiverse. And as a former financial analyst, Jake was sure that the more data, the better.

"Wait, didn’t you say that Eversmile guy is also a Primordial?"

"Yep. But enough of that, we are here!"

They stood before a big door that appeared to be made of some kind of dark metal. On it were countless glowing runes, and Jake felt himself getting a headache just looking at it.

"What is here?" he asked, averting his gaze from the door.

The Viper didn’t answer but instead opened the door and led him and Duskleaf into the chamber. Entering, Jake found himself in a big room with a big table and chairs, with not much else around, except for dozens of doorways leading into other rooms.

He could see into those rooms with his sphere and noted that most of them just had a pillow placed on the floor. However, two of them were full-on alchemy labs, with more tools and equipment than Jake had ever seen. Before he could ask about it, the Viper spoke once more.

"As you know, we are pressed for time, so I thought, why not just get some more time? This is a time chamber. Think of it like in that movie Interstellar. Time spent within this room is slower than the time out here."

"Seriously? Pretty sure this isn’t Dragonball?"

"Actually, that would be a more accurate reference. Good catch. Anyway, we can slow time, but the magnitude is dependent on you."

"How so? How high can it go?" Jake’s imagination was already beginning to run wild. Could he spend years here, maybe even reach D-grade before returning to Earth?

"Higher than you can handle. Time distortion isn’t all happy times and sunshine. It negatively affects a lot of things, including experience gain. Learning concepts—well, except for the concept of time—is also way harder, if not outright impossible. You also can’t do it too much, or it negatively affects your Records. Finally, the degree to which you can bend time is dependent on the ones affected."

"In other words, I am too weak to handle it," Jake stated, which just earned him a nod from both the Viper and Duskleaf.

"Well, let’s stop wasting time,” the Malefic Viper said. “I am gonna activate the formation, and time will begin to slow down within the chamber. Be warned that it will feel weird as fuck, and speak up if you start getting too disorientated. The first time can be tough.” Without any further delay, he picked up a weird crystal from the table and channeled mana into it.

Instantly Jake felt a… shift. Like everything turned murky yet didn’t. It was an oddly disconnecting feeling, as though it wasn’t really happening to him, but someone else. Yet the feeling disappeared just as fast as it came while he tried to make himself used to it.

Just as he became grounded once more, the time distortion got worse. Jake had closed his eyes at this point, just taking it all in. It felt very similar to when his Moment of the Primal Hunter activated, actually. However, those times were often too brief and too intense to really reflect on.

Jake had some understandings of time and relativity theory from his schooldays, but experiencing it like this likely wasn’t what his teacher had imagined. The notion that time moved at an entirely different pace, just ten steps away outside the door, was unsettling and incredibly interesting at the same time.

As the seconds ticked by, the feeling changed from weird to pressuring. Jake felt like a huge weight was pushing down on him. At the first sign of pain, he opened his eyes and asked, a bit worried, "Is it supposed to hurt? My body feels like small needles are pricking everywhere."

He had expected a fast answer, but instead, he saw the Viper and Duskleaf just stare at him for a while.

After the two exchanged a quick glance, the Viper answered, "It means that your body, or more accurately your soul, has reached its limit.” He scratched the back of his head. "Did you pick up a skill related to chronomancy or something like that as a reward for the tutorial?"

"No?" Jake said, a bit confused. "I only picked two skills, and none of them had anything to do with time magic as far as I can tell."

"I see. This may sound weird, but have you somehow ever experienced time distortion before?"

"Not like this, but I have a skill. One related to ‘that.’” He remembered not to mention his Bloodline outright. While he didn’t distrust Duskleaf, he didn’t exactly know him either.

"I see… moving on!"

Before Duskleaf, who clearly had questions, could open his mouth, the Viper turned the time distortion down just enough for the prickling feeling to disappear.

"Now, follow me!" the Malefic Viper said, as Jake heard a sound he hadn’t expected.

Music with a title related to the visual organ of a large felid began blaring from nowhere.

Jake just looked at the Viper with a resigned expression. "Really?"

"What? It’s training montage time!"

Chapter 47

Danger Bath

The days passed by quickly as the two gods and one mortal immersed themselves in the laboratory. At first, Duskleaf had been less than excited, to say the least. Jake had already guessed that the Viper had forced him into it, and he was entirely correct. What he didn't know was that Duskleaf didn't like Jake himself either.

Why do I have to waste my time on this? was what the god thought in the beginning.

Duskleaf was an alchemist. Period. He had always been an alchemist and never cared much for anything else. He had mostly ignored his class, only leveling it sparingly whenever necessary. It was due to his extreme talent and dedication that he’d managed to ascend to godhood—a commitment he had believed Jake to lack.

The old alchemist had believed Jake to be yet another of the young, talented fighters that had picked up alchemy as a side profession—a sentiment he well and truly hated. The Alchemist of the Malefic Viper profession and its related evolution were among the most combat-focused of all alchemy professions. This had led many to simply pick it up for those reasons, even if they didn't care for alchemy itself.

After the first day, however, he began to change his mind. He had seen Jake fight the King together with the Viper, and from that had indeed formed the image of a talented fighter who was far more brawn than brain.

Yet the young mortal dove into alchemy with the same zeal as he did a fight with a formidable opponent. His eyes burned with passion whenever he met a challenge, and his happiness was genuine whenever he overcame his own limitations. It was as if every brewing or concoction was a fight to the death. And that… that Duskleaf liked.

Of course, all of it would be for naught if the kid was untalented. Another doubt that quickly got dispelled. While Duskleaf found it hard to evaluate him properly, he did see endless potential. The issue was just how raw it all was. Despite his passion, it was clear that Jake had never had proper training in alchemy or mana control in general. But at the same time, his skills made it hard for Duskleaf to believe that he had only been in the system for a couple of months.

When he learned that Jake had spent two of his five chances in the tutorial store to buy cauldrons, he truly got his seal of approval.

* * *

Jake himself didn't have the faintest clue about the old man's thoughts; he had only noticed that he now appeared at least marginally less bored. The Malefic Viper was full of energy as always, and he had to say… he was having a damn good time. It was hard but fun.

The only downside was how little experience he got. After a week, he had only gained a single level in his profession, taking him to level 56. The leveling was incredibly slow, without a doubt, due to the time distortion going on. He had been warned about it, but it still stung.

This isn't to say he didn't improve. Because oh, boy, did he improve. It turned out that having two gods giving pointers helped a lot. Their advice was minimal, as they mostly just told Jake to try something and then observed, only giving general advice here and there.

From what he had gathered, the Viper didn't want to limit him in any way by giving him too clear of directions. He was very much a hands-off teacher. However, he did have many fun tests and challenges, his favorite by far being a particular cauldron.

[Practice Cauldron of the Malefic Viper (?)] – A cauldron with imprinted challenges and trials.

His Identify didn't give much, but he didn't really care either. The thing was awesome. It was like he was doing actual alchemy when using it, except it didn't use any ingredients but focused solely on the crafting process itself. It was like simulating a brewing or concoction, and he loved it with all of his heart.

Sadly, he learned that he couldn't bring it with him due to restrictions on new multiverses. A sad day indeed, but that only motivated him more to spend his time efficiently with it.

Restrictions on him were actually quite far and wide. He couldn't get any items, and he couldn't use any consumable items that weren't his either. Which meant he couldn't just get handed a bunch of elixirs and free stats. He had, however, learned that the Viper was onto something in one of the side rooms. What looked like a jacuzzi was being filled with all types of herbs and poisons, with the god himself carrying a quite malicious smile.

Eight days after he entered the chamber, Jake collapsed. Initially, he startled those outside until they found him merely asleep. Even with all his stats, Jake was, in the end, still only E-grade. What was surprising, however, was Jake being so immersed in his practice that he simply collapsed. Second seal of approval earned from Duskleaf, as the old alchemist would later tell Jake about how he had once burnt off half his hair and melted off the right side of his face because he fell asleep during a concoction. Good times.

Fifteen days in the chamber, and Jake earned his second level, taking him to 57. He had also learned that apparently, 4-D chess was a thing. Or maybe they were just fucking with him. Most likely the latter.

Eighteen days in and Jake collapsed for the second time while grinding out the trials in the cauldron. This time the old alchemist didn't even react aside from nodding proudly at the young man bent face-first over the cauldron.

On the twentieth day, the Viper came out of his secret room with a larger-than-usual malefic smile.

"It is done! The Trial of Myriad Poisons has been prepared!"

"Master…" the old alchemist said with a sigh. "We are teaching him, not killing him. Even then, with the restriction in place, you know it won't work…"

"Ah, but I am only giving out an already promised reward. Remember what I offered you, Jake?" the Malefic Viper asked, still grinning.

"Alchemy training and alcohol," he answered.

"Exactly. So follow me."

Neither of them bothered to question the god as they followed him into the room. Within there was a massive barrel of sorts—more than big enough to hold a human within. It was filled with a liquid that set his Sense of the Malefic Viper off like never before. He could sense so many herbs and toxins it felt overwhelming.

Thousands… no, more. Millions? What the hell is this? Jake thought.

"Now, what I offered was a bottle of vodka, to be more precise," the creator of the barrel said as he pulled a bottle out of thin air. Not a bad brand, Jake barely managed to think before the Viper opened it and began pouring it into the barrel.

"Oh, no, I accidentally dropped it into this suspicious barrel. Well, it appears you will have to consume the entire thing to get your vodka!" The Viper’s grin couldn’t get any larger.

"… While I am into experimental cocktails, I do have my limits," Jake managed to answer after looking dumbstruck at the silly actions of the scaled god.

"Ah, but it will be good for you, I promise!" The Viper laughed for a bit before turning serious. "Cutting the bullshit, this thing is called a Trial of Myriad Poisons. It is something that is sometimes offered to talented alchemists of the Malefic Order. Jake, do you know why my class is considered one of the best for alchemists?"

"Membership discounts? Dude, this is the first and only profession I have ever really seen."

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, the reason is of course because of the skills—the most sought-after being my Palate skill. A skill that is extremely strong even when first gotten and only gets better. However, the main issue is how difficult it is to upgrade and evolve due to its nature. One needs to consume and become familiar with a lot of toxins. Which is where the Trial comes in.” He slapped the big barrel with his scaled hand.

"This bad boy can fit so many fucking toxins in it. The alchemist can, through this, enhance the skill, even possibly its rarity. While also vastly increasing their innate knowledge of many different toxins and herbs, naturally, which is undoubtedly a huge help on their path. Of course, actually absorbing all of that isn't easy. Hence why it is considered a Trial."

Jake looked between the barrel and the Viper for a bit as he considered his words. It all seemed too good to be true. "Isn't this just a straight-up cheat? Also, Palate only works with toxins last time I checked, and this thing has plenty of herbs within."

"Due to how the concoction is made, the herbs have become mixed with toxins and will be recognized as such by the system, so in that regard, it is a bit of a cheat," Duskleaf muttered, clearly not a massive fan of the entire ordeal. “For the first part, even by ignoring how ridiculously expensive and hard it is to make the Trial, most alchemists fail to get anything worthwhile out of it. Most just die, actually. Also, it is often done with far more experienced alchemists. You have to actively absorb and digest the poison during the Trial while also managing to stay clear-headed.”

"Meh, stop worrying, it'll be fine!" the Viper said dismissively while gazing towards Jake. "Besides, it's up to Jake. So, you up for it?"

Jake looked at the barrel a bit as he considered what both of the gods had said. Apparently, this Trial was both a great opportunity as well as risk. High risk, high reward, if you may. Just the way he liked it. "Fuck it, let's go."

"Knew it! Take off ya garbs and get ready. A fair warning, it will hurt like hell, and you will feel like your entire body is burning from the inside out the entire time while simultaneously being eaten by maggots and on a pain-amplifying stimulant. But just focus on absorbing the toxins. The more you absorb, the larger your gains."

"How long will it take?" Jake asked. He had no idea how long he had left within here. After entering, he had lost the timer and had no real concept of how much time had passed out in the real world.

"Once more, that depends on how long you can hold out for and how much you can absorb. But if you can't even hold out for a few hours, you suck," the Viper half-jokingly said while Jake disrobed. Disrobing, here, meant just putting all of his clothes into his spatial storage. The only things he kept on were his rings and necklace as well as the mask. The rings and necklace because they were embedded in his body anyway, and the mask because he had completely forgotten he was even wearing it.

"I just jump in?" he asked out loud to the room, earning an answer from Duskleaf.

"I would suggest steeling yourself first. It will take every shred of willpower you have to succeed."

"Got some Free Points. Would it help to increase the stat?" Jake asked.

Shaking his head, the Viper answered, "I think I already told you this once. Willpower doesn't work that way. What my disciple means is to stay headstrong and determined. No number of stats can truly affect your mental state. Willpower helps defend against outside influences that can shatter or weaken that mental state, but it can never form it, to begin with. No skills or stats would help a thing against a Trial like this."

"Alright, then, let's just jump right into it," Jake said as he leaped up to stand at the edge of the barrel. He stared down at the black sludge below him. Didn't look particularly appetizing or healthy, but he had already decided to do it, and he wasn't a quitter. "Here we go."

Taking a step forward, he sank into the sludge, slowly getting immersed into it. The first thing he felt was his feet, feeling like they were on fire. Then next was his legs, and then his entire body as his head slowly sank beneath the surface. It honestly wasn't that bad—a thought he quickly came to regret.

It took only a few moments before he saw the Viper do something outside, making faint runes glow on the barrel. Around him, he felt the toxins and herbs become active. Like they had all been sleeping before, they now awakened. The Trial had begun.

Jake felt the toxins around him slowly seek out his pores and every other opening in his body. Resistance was futile as they slowly entered him. As if he had been hit with thousands of needles at once, they entered his body. Then the real pain came.

His teeth clenched shut to suppress a scream. Blood began flowing from his mouth as his teeth pressed down. A few teeth even ended up being cracked, but he couldn't feel it. The pain from that was trivial compared to what he experienced from the poison.

Now that he wanted to scream, he failed as his entire body was paralyzed from the poison. He couldn't move and felt like he was locked within his own body. Like a worse kind of sleep paralysis, he couldn't do anything at all.

Mentally gritting his teeth, he began focusing on his body and felt the many different poisons and herbs. He needed to not focus on the pain, no matter how hard it was. He needed to focus on all the energies in him. Feel them and absorb them.

His senses slowly faded away until there was only his internal realm. The pain was a constant buzzing, knocking to try and shatter his feeble focus. He tried to concentrate on only his mana and internal energy. He distinctly felt a part of him grab onto the poison and absorb it—that part being the skill Palate of the Malefic Viper. It did so at a disappointingly slow pace, however.

For every unit absorbed, ten entered his body. He could feel his health dropping as his body began breaking down, yet he didn't feel any fear, only more focus. He slowly observed the process in which his skill made the toxins a part of him. Observed and emulated. He focused on how it felt over some advanced analysis of the skill.

It didn't take long for the process to get faster when he actively focused on it. Using his internal energy as a guide, he gathered the poison up to more easily absorb it. With every bit absorbed, he felt his understanding of what he consumed increase second by second.

One would think that his use of mana and inner energy would decrease those resources, but it was quite the opposite. He felt oversaturated. With every consumed bit of energy, he was replenished. Some of the poison would restore his mana, some his stamina, and some his health. He had reached equilibrium as he focused on the process, trying to push the pain to the back of his mind.

All went well for a while, until it didn't. Jake had a huge misunderstanding of the Trial. Before, when the toxins were activated, it had only been a tiny part of it—a mere fraction of a fraction. With a glow of the barrel's runes, the second wave came, harder than the first.

Nearly falling into delirium, he felt his mind waver for but a second until he steeled himself once more. It was a race, with the ever-increasing influx of energy competing against his capability to absorb it. It was a challenge that Jake didn't have the faintest intention of losing.

Time passed, and outside the barrel, the two gods stood observing the entire process. The Viper had a stoic, neutral look on his face, and his glowing green eyes seemed to peer directly into the young mortal's body. The old alchemist wore a slightly worried look. Both could only choose to believe in the young man.

Without Jake noticing, the first day of the Trial quickly passed.

Chapter 48

Second Part?

Many different organizations existed in the multiverse. Even if one took only the ones spanning across multiple universes, there were many. These organizations’ structures and goals all varied widely—their ideology and vision were all their own.

Those with gods at the helm often had the beliefs of their god placed front and center. Some were more akin to churches and religions, while others were closer to companies. Yet even in those, the members held a deep respect and even faith for their godly leader. It all came down to respecting the powerful, and none were more powerful than the gods.

For anyone to join these organizations, they had to offer something—the most basic, of course, being a place to belong, comrades to rely on, and protection from the myriad dangers of the multiverse. On top of that, they also provided status and social standing, making the high-ranking members respected, even if it wasn’t for their own personal power. In other words, it allowed the weak to become strong through association.

Other than that, it gave those less suited to combat a place to pursue their passions and talents. It gave those who fought a backdrop of support for all their needs, allowing them to focus on fighting and improving their own personal strength—a purely symbiotic relationship, allowing strong synergy between the two.

One such organization that mainly had craftsmen was the Order of the Malefic Viper. Primarily an organization composed of alchemists, one would generally believe it to be weaker on the combat side of things. But to the contrary, it was quite the opposite.

Despite its derelict condition upon initiation of the 93rd Universe, none would dare look down on it. Even ignoring the possibility of the Viper himself appearing to defend it, it had a lot of power in itself. Even to the day before the Primordial's reappearance, it still easily recruited powerful experts.

Because what the order offered was one of the other significant benefits of an organization: classes and, especially with the Order, professions. Alchemist of the Malefic Viper was, without a doubt, one of the most sought-after professions in the entirety of the multiverse due to the potent and influential skills it possessed, as well as its endless potential.

Of course, being a member of an order with some of the most talented alchemists to help you also didn’t hurt. The association with a Primordial even less so.

Of the desired skills, Palate of the Malefic Viper was front and center, a skill that was rare by default and only grew from there. Its growth path was also well documented and, once gained, presented a clear way to progress.

Some skills came with clear paths of progression. Most didn’t, but a minority did. For those with a clear path, it was often enough just to reach some kind of threshold of improvement or to familiarize yourself enough with the skill for its rarity to improve.

Those without a clear path required some kind of qualitative change. Needless to say, this was far harder. This wasn’t to say you couldn’t change a skill with a clear path, making it diverge, but it was far rarer due to the difficulty.

The skills with a clear path also naturally had an end to that clear path. A point that, when reached, would require a fundamental, qualitative change to upgrade it further. This was where the exact endpoint of the skills’ natural progression came into play.

Gods powerful enough to have skills named after them were precisely that: powerful. In turn, so were their skills, making them carry strong potential inherently. But even then, it varied a lot. So, few weren’t tempted when presented with a vast array of skills associated with the Malefic Viper.

Jake, in his well-justified ignorance, of course, didn’t know any of this. He didn’t understand many things, and in some ways, that lack of understanding had strength in itself. He wasn’t aware of what he could do. Nor what he couldn’t or shouldn’t be able to.

This leads back to the current Trial of Myriad Poisons.

The first hour was deemed the most crucial for all those who attempted the trial. Except for a few hiccups right at the beginning, Jake passed that stage with flying colors.

At the same time, however, Duskleaf noticed something that shouldn’t be.

"Master… what did you do to the concoction?"

"Oh, I just added a little something extra," the Viper answered, a deep smile on his lips. His eyes were fixated on the internal movements of the energies within Jake, and with every passing moment, his smile only got deeper.

Duskleaf looked between the Viper and the barrel for a bit before he realized. "You didn’t…"

"I sure did."

While creating the concoction, he had only made one minor change. A single small ingredient was added on top of everything else—a single drop of blood. His own.

"Master, we have to stop this,” Duskleaf said with an anxious look on his face. He had no idea what the hell his master was thinking. “There is no way he can handle it. I am well aware he is a Progenitor, but the Soulstrain alone will kill him. Even in the best-case scenario, it will do irreparable damage to his soul."

"Normally, I would agree with you. But I have a feeling it won’t be so. Jake’s soul is more powerful than you believe. He can handle it."

"If even the tiniest mistake is made…"

"It will be fine. I haven’t known Jake for that long, but if there is one thing I have come to learn, it’s that he isn’t one to back down from a challenge."

"I hope you are right," Duskleaf sighed as he returned to being a silent observer. Either way, it wouldn’t matter yet. It was far too early for him to reach the stage of the trial where the blood would be activated. He could only hope that the young human would fail before it reached that stage.

The system was fair yet tough. Like with earning experience and levels, one couldn’t simply get a free ride. If one tried to go above their means and forcefully increase their strength, one would more often than not suffer from Soulstrain.

Soulstrain was when one’s soul wasn’t large enough to hold power put into it. If one used the metaphor Jacob had read, it was like pouring in insane amounts of contaminated water into the pond, hoping for it not to completely ruin the existing water but be absorbed by the pond itself, making it into one’s own. In other words, the Records had to be strong enough.

The most normal consequence of this going wrong was death. It was to have one’s soul shatter, leaving only the indestructible Truesoul behind for the system to reclaim.

Another consequence was for the soul to simply crack, resulting in lost stats, resources, skills, or even levels. Repairing a damaged soul was insanely demanding and often resulted in irreparable damage anyway.

Duskleaf had thought that the plan was to increase the rarity of Jake’s skill all the way to epic rarity, or maybe even ancient rarity if all went well. To pour in a decent amount of water, but not too much. This wouldn’t be a problem at all. It would barely matter compared to the titles the human possessed. But what the Viper attempted meant way more. He was forcefully injecting Records into his soul through his own blood. Records of a Primordial into a weak E-grade mortal.

Which meant he wasn’t just pouring a lot of water into the pond but also tossing in a dirty bomb. If his pond weren’t currently large and stable enough to absorb the impact, he would be… changed, the structure of his soul altered.

Even if he somehow managed to absorb it into his body, Duskleaf couldn’t see it ending well. Yet his master didn’t appear to have the faintest doubt in his mind that the mortal could handle it. What had he missed?

He knew that the mortal carried some secret. The mere fact that his master had blessed him with a Divine skill to obscure him was enough to prove that. But could that secret really be enough for him to survive? What secret could a mortal that was newly initiated even hold?

Duskleaf had his theories, but it was a fruitless endeavor with the multiverse and endless possibilities. Bloodlines, variant race, special class, or profession, just to mention the more common ones. The fact that the human already had a skill related to time made the old man believe it was maybe related to that concept. Had he somehow managed to attain a deep comprehension of the concept of time already? No, even that didn’t make sense, considering his ignorance of the time dilation.

* * *

As the old alchemist thought, time marched onward. Soon, an entire day had ticked by. Jake, within the barrel, hadn’t noticed any of this as he simply focused internally. Every shred of focus was on consuming the energy, to the point where he didn’t even register anything from his passive sphere.

A day quickly became two, and then three. Every few hours, the runes on the barrel would shine, and more of the poison in the concoction would become active. Every time it did so, Jake would temporarily be attacked from all sides until he managed to stabilize once more. At the same time, he felt both his knowledge and general resistance to all the toxicity grow. He was slowly adapting.

After three and a half days, he heard a small notification but didn’t have time to check it. Yet he instantly felt that his Palate of the Malefic Viper had undergone an evolution, becoming epic rarity. With it also came a big leap in the skill’s capabilities, and he felt many of the poisons in the barrel now no longer able to hurt but only nourish him.

It was a slight reprieve that was quickly outdone by a wave of assault stronger than any before. Jake’s growth didn’t mean it would get easier, just that the trial’s speed increased to match it. It was a nearly unwinnable trial by design—a fact Jake didn’t know, as he only saw it as a difficulty spike for him to yet again overcome.

* * *

Four days soon passed. Then five. Six. Soon an entire week had gone by with Jake still immersed. Duskleaf was astonished by the young man’s fast adaptability and nodded in approval every time he quickly managed to overcome a new wave. His speed was impressive, to say the least, and his ability to remain focused even more so. The ability to hold such singular focus was rare…

On the eighth day, something happened that surprised both the Viper and Duskleaf. The unmoving mortal appeared to smirk slightly as his closed lips parted somewhat, inhaling some of the concoction.

Duskleaf opened his eyes in fright while the Viper just began laughing hysterically. It appeared that Jake found the speed of the trial too slow. Something he indeed did.

* * *

After the sixth day, he was already assimilating the toxins faster than the difficulty increased. It was starting to get boring. Less challenging. He was a maestro in his internal realm, guiding the energies effortlessly. Every toxic shred of energy that entered him was surrounded and consumed from all sides before it even had time to begin attacking his vital energy.

Which is when he began eliminating what had paralyzed him. Enough to open his mouth slightly, at least. He wanted more. Even if he had to take it by force.

After he directly inhaled the concoction, he felt like his entire stomach was invaded by millions of small worms, all trying to eat him from the inside out. Through it all, the pain had never stopped. It wasn’t the kind of pain one could simply zone out, but the type of pain that was all-consuming and impossible to ignore.

Yet Jake handled it. Despite his brief grimace when the poison entered his stomach, he didn’t lose focus as he began consuming that too. His mana moved in on it, carrying with it a powerful intent to break down and destroy the poison.

What he hadn’t noticed yet at this point were minuscule purple sparks appearing on his otherwise colorless mana. It was so unnoticeable that perhaps only the Malefic Viper noticed it. Yet the intent embedded in these sparks was evident, as his mana broke down the poison faster and faster.

His first mouthful was consumed within two hours. The second mouthful an hour and fifty-five minutes. The third an hour and forty-seven minutes. The fourth an hour and thirty-six minutes. He was exhausted from not sleeping, but he kept going, the energy nurturing him constantly and the pain enough to always keep him fully awake.

Nine days passed, then ten, eleven, twelve. Barely an hour after the two-week mark, Jake heard the second notification. The growth was instantly apparent, and he felt himself fill with inner energy. Most of the poisons in his body now no longer appeared to affect him, and he even felt much of his mobility return as the paralysis was mostly gone.

He directed a sliver of his attention to the sphere and observed the smiling Viper and the, for some reason, worried Duskleaf. Not long after, Jake heard a voice in his head as the Viper spoke to him telepathically.

"Congratulations for passing the first part of the Trial of Myriad Poisons. Ready for part two?"

Jake opened both his eyes, ignoring the burning sensation in them as he did so. He only managed to see the two for a few moments before his vision turned blurry due to the still-potent toxins digging into his eyes. Yet he clearly saw the shining green eyes of the Viper looking straight at him. The look in his eyes was clear: it was a challenge.

He nodded his head as he prepared himself for whatever was to come. His intuition told him this part wouldn’t be as easy. Because he frankly did think the first part was easy. He’d managed to familiarize himself with the process within the first hour.

At his approval, the Viper’s smile faded slightly as he turned a bit more serious. Just before he did whatever he was planning to do, Jake heard Duskleaf faintly mutter,

“There is no second phase?”

Before Jake could process the words, the Malefic Viper raised his hand and pointed towards the barrel. From his finger came a green light that, upon hitting the runes, made them all turn green. At the same time, they twisted and turned, creating new scripts. Scripts of a far higher level than what was there before.

Right after the runes changed, the liquid in the bowl changed from pure black to a dark green color. Mana in the entire chamber surged as an aura was released from the barrel. The aura of the Malefic Viper.

Within the concoction was a small drop of dark green blood. It hadn’t dispersed as a liquid normally would but was still whole. No other toxic substance even dared come near it, as if a divine law kept them away.

The drop stirred with the runes. Activated, it began releasing its aura, affecting the poison around it. Simultaneously, Jake was hit with another assault of toxins, one more powerful than ever before. One he managed to somehow withstand through sheer willpower and by channeling everything he had learned throughout the last two weeks.

It didn’t even take an hour before the assault ended. Jake felt a few seconds of solace as he consumed every last bit of poison, his Sense of the Malefic Viper informing him that there were no more toxic substances in the entire concoction around him. He had won. Or so he thought.

While his Sense of the Malefic Viper didn’t pick it up, his danger sense sure did. A single drop of blood was still in the mixture. Before he could react, it flew like a bullet straight towards his chest and, without any resistance, penetrated his skin, sinking deep into his very soul.

That was when the actual second part of the Trial began.

Chapter 49

Embracing Power

Jake couldn't quite comprehend what had just happened to him. His consciousness shifted, and he suddenly felt himself being transported somewhere else. What made it hard to understand was that he could clearly still feel his physical body—the sensation of the now toxic-free liquid on his skin, and the feedback from his Sphere of Perception, which had somehow… doubled. He could feel both the outside and the inside of where he was now.

He found himself standing on a vast, dark field, with only black stone everywhere in sight—a place he would likely never forget. It was the Malefic Viper's realm, where he had first encountered the god that would turn out to be his new buddy.

Trying to focus, he felt his senses of the outside world diminish. Intuitively he also managed to move his sphere entirely into this new realm, making him now feel as if he was indeed there, and the disconnected feeling lessened. And just in time.

On the horizon, he saw a figure rise, one also familiar to him. He had seen it only for a brief moment, but one didn't simply forget the sight of the dark green dragon that was coming towards him. Its wings spread wide; they had to be several miles across as the dragon took flight.

Smaller than the Malefic Viper, he thought as it flew towards him. With his sight, he also noticed more differences. The color was slightly off, the spikes on its back not present. Taking a second look, outside of the dark color and overall dragon shape, there were actually quite a few differences. He didn't have time to feel shame for his inability to distinguish dragons before it was just in front of him.

Landing on the ground, it caused a small earthquake. Jake just stayed there unmoving, weirdly enough, not feeling any sense of alarm or danger despite the massive, powerful form before him.

"At least I didn't lack confidence back then either," the dragon spoke, with a voice Jake always cringed at in recordings. Simultaneously it was enveloped by dark smoke that dispersed just as quickly, leaving a humanoid form behind.

Jake used humanoid rather broadly. The figure was covered in the all-too-familiar dark green scales, and on his back were two jet-black wings. His feet and hands were a weird mixture between human and dragon, making them appear suitable for melee combat and using tools alike.

What was most noticeable of all, however, was his face and eyes. Two green reptilian eyes stared back at him, with a face identical to his own. It even had the same smirk he himself made all the time.

"So, what do you think?" the scaled version of Jake said, spreading out his wings and showing off his body. "Quite the upgrade, eh?"

More than a little confused about the entire scene playing out in front of him, he answered with the first thought that came to mind. "Isn't it hard to hold a bow with those claws?"

In retrospect, perhaps not the most relevant thing to know at the current time. Nevertheless, the clone entertained the question with full seriousness.

"Quite the opposite, actually," scale-Jake answered, pulling out a black bow from some kind of spatial storage. "You see, unlike hands, these can be modified slightly. On top of that, the scales and resilience of the claws actually make them more suitable for archery."

He demonstrated this by taking an arrow out of thin air and nocking it. His claws appeared to slightly warp as he did so, making them better fit around the string and arrowhead. After a brief channel of dark green energy, he fired the arrow into the horizon.

"Not bad, eh?" he said as he turned to the real Jake.

Less than a second later, the realm shook once more. In the distance was a large green explosion. Power akin to thousands of nuclear explosions went off at once.

Jake could only stand there, staring in awe at the might on display. Exactly what rank was the scaled Jake in front of him? That casual arrow held enough power to blow up a damn planet…. It made the King of the Forest appear like a weakling. And yet…

"Why am I here?" he asked himself.

"Always wanting everything explained. Well, I guess that part of me is still the same.” Scale-Jake laughed. "You are here to catch a glimpse of what we can become. A mere fragment of the power we can obtain through fully embracing the legacy of the Malefic One."

Jake quickly caught something off. He had never referred to the Viper as the Malefic One before. On top of that, the way he said it made his stomach churn, like watching yourself do something cringeworthy in an old school play.

"Coming off a bit fanatical there, mate. Me. Whatever.” Jake shook his head.

"Nothing wrong with that, man," his other version answered. "This a Primordial we are talking about. A top-of-the-line badass. Not embracing that kind of power just seems stupid."

"Yeah, but nothing comes for free and all that. So, what's the cost?"

"Define cost. We know enough of the system to know that picking one path cuts others off. I just made a choice. Realized that some existences are above us and that sometimes accepting defeat can be a victory in itself. Besides, you see the results before you.” Scale-Jake spread his long wings as the air hummed with power around him. His mana was carrying a vivid dark green tinge.

"Class, profession, and even race far more powerful than that of a simple human. Skills more powerful than anything I could have ever imagined. To be honest, I don't see myself not becoming a god with this path. To cut off a few other paths is not a high price to pay for that at all."

"Making it sound like I can't become strong without relying on him," Jake answered, sighing at the version of himself.

"Powerful? From a mortal's standpoint, sure. But a god? Doubtful. We are talented, yes, but we shouldn't waste that talent by scrambling in the dark trying to reinvent the wheel. The path of the Malefic One is tried and tested. It works. With it, perhaps we can even one day be able to stand beside him, having enough strength not to be a worthless bug anymore. Maybe… even his equal."

Jake looked at his dragon version a bit, thinking. He saw the logic; heck, it was his own logic. It made sense. It would be like learning programming and design to create a new complicated accountant system when you could just learn Excel to get the job done. Yet…

"Yeah, no thanks."

"Seriously? Are you going to give up on this kind of pow—"

"Yep."

"What the hell is wrong with you? When did I get that stupid?" his scaled version said, a genuinely confused look on his face.

"Oh, we have always been this stupid. We just never had the balls to pursue it before the system. Balls you clearly lack, as you pussied out." Jake smirked.

"Do you honestly believe that you can make it on your own? That you can even come close to godhood on your lonesome?"

"Who knows? But I will sure as hell try. Besides, I am still not alone. I recognize that I am already well on Malefic Viper's path, and I am not giving that up. But it won't become all I am."

"Seems there is no arguing with you… Oh, well, if soft methods don't work”—dragon-Jake pulled out his bow—"we can try it the hard way."

Jake stared at himself as his other version, with a flap of his wings, took to the air. Jake, still standing there, looked up at him.

His scaled version drew his bow and nocked an arrow. The air cracked as reality itself seemed to shatter and reform around the channeling half-dragon. The mana was on another level. Yet Jake recognized the skill clearly: Infused Powershot. Or, well, a vastly upgraded version of it.

"Final chance. An obvious choice. Choose to walk this path, or be consumed unwillingly."

The voice echoed throughout the realm, yet Jake didn't move or respond. He just looked up at the other version of himself with… pity.

Seeing the look, the other Jake had enough. He released the pent up energy, and an arrow filled with unbridled power was fired straight for the weak-looking human below. Its speed was too fast to even register, its inherent power enough to destroy everything.

A moment before impact, just before the measly human was annihilated, Jake raised his hand. Faster than scale-Jake could see, the real Jake… caught the arrow. The pent-up energy exploded out in the area around him, leveling an area the size of a smaller country. Yet Jake was unscathed.

"You know… I thought something was off from the beginning," Jake said as he snapped the arrow between his fingers. "We may have the same roots, but we have diverged already. Do you remember the thought we had when we first saw the Malefic Viper on the mural in the Challenge Dungeon?"

He didn't get an answer from his clone, who just looked gobsmacked. But he could see that he didn't know. Or perhaps had forgotten.

"Only a single thought permeated my mind at that moment. I wanted to one day be able to fight that dragon. To have the power to. That goal hasn't changed. How do you expect me to in any way surpass that dragon if all I do is follow in its footsteps? Chasing its shadow like some fanatical sheep?

"Nah, man, that ain't me. Besides, I can see on you that you don't feel it. You are, in the end, just a cheap imitation."

With that, he took a step forward, appearing mid-air right behind his dragon version. He didn't hesitate as he lightly smacked him on the back of the head, making his other version turn around in fright as he flew backward at supersonic speed.

"I would have seen that one coming."

Stepping forward once more, he instantly appeared before the still-retreating other-Jake. Raising his fist, he smashed into his back and sent him tumbling towards the ground, where he left a vast crater. "That one too."

Jake had enjoyed the philosophical discussion with himself. It was an interesting and valuable learning experience for him—an excellent chance to reaffirm his own goals and convictions. The other version had good arguments, but his mind was already set.

The nail in the coffin, however, was what he felt standing before his clone. He didn't feel a shred of fear or weakness. In front of the Malefic Viper and Duskleaf, he always had a small voice in the back of his head telling him that fighting them would mean certain death. That voice had been silent in front of his other version.

In the end, this entire world wasn't real. It was inside Jake's mind or soul or whatever. Within such a mindscape, the normal rules didn't apply. Jake had felt that too. He didn't use any of his skills, and yet his body was full of energy. He felt like he was in control of everything.

Another step later, and he was in front of his scaled version, who was trying to get up.

"You don't have it," he said, staring down at his struggling clone. "You are just a shell of one possible path—one that is pretty damn incomplete. You didn't even replicate our Bloodline."

"… Did I choose wrong?" His other version looked up at him with a hollow look in his eyes.

"I wouldn't say that. You just didn't choose what I would. If you had to choose a higher power to swear yourself to, the Malefic Viper does seem like a good choice. Just not my choice. I want to see how long I can go on my own path." Jake ended with a comforting smile.

"Are you going to just give up the path of the Malefic Viper just like that? Be content in your gains so far?"

"What? Of course not. I am gonna double-dip. Take everything and run with it. As you know, we have always been a bit of a greedy sort. Why should I accept something when I can take everything?"

"You are insane."

"Yep, but my insanity is my own," Jake said with a small laugh. "Now it's goodbye."

He didn't even have to do anything but will it. The body of the scaled version of Jake dispersed into dust, yet not everything disappeared.

Left behind, floating in mid-air, was a single droplet of dark green blood. It didn't take long for Jake to recognize its aura. The Malefic Viper. A droplet containing a fragment of his Records, of what he is. It held power beyond anything Jake currently was.

But not what he could be.

The blood simply floated there in the air, radiating power. Jake bathed in its power… and he wanted it. Reaching out his hand, he tried to touch it but found himself unable to. It was like a forcefield surrounded the blood, denying him access.

He wasn't having that. It was just a damn drop of blood. No way he was going to let it get away.

Strings of mana sprang up around his hand. All of them reached for the blood, only to be eroded when they got close. Jake didn't let up, however, but kept up his assault. Ten strings became a hundred, surrounding the blood from all sides. Finally, a single string of mana managed to creep close enough to nearly touch it.

At the same time as this happened, the world around him began to shake. The cold, desolate stone began to crack. The sky was slowly swirling into itself as if space itself began to collapse above. The world was breaking down.

He felt that it wasn't actually the blood itself resisting him. Its passive aura kept him away. If it actively had tried to fight him off, he doubted he would be able to do anything. But as it was, he was winning.

The aura around the blood finally gave in as Jake managed to grasp it in his hands. The moment his hand closed, so did the world collapse, and the final thing he saw was a notification.

[True Blood of the Malefic Viper (?)] has been successfully absorbed, strengthening your [True Blessing of the Malefic Viper (Blessing - True)]

[True Blessing of the Malefic Viper (Blessing - True)] – An alchemist recognized by the Malefic Viper himself. 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 direct karmic and bodily connection, the Wisdom, Willpower, and Vitality of the Malefic Viper empower you. +10% Willpower, +10% Wisdom, +10% Vitality. Grants access to many new paths. Only one blessing can be held at a time.

Chapter 50

Defiance & Gains

Duskleaf nervously observed the young human as he appeared to sleep within the barrel. He knew that he was not in slumber, however. He was deep within his own soul. His Truesoul, even. A domain where no outside force could interfere or peer in.

"Relax. Jake is stronger than you know," the Malefic Viper said to comfort his worried disciple. However, he had to admit that even he had some small doubts. The god believed that he had a good understanding of Jake, but one could never be entirely sure. The fact that he couldn’t provide any guidance or help was also infuriating. He couldn’t even see what was happening in detail.

What Jake was currently experiencing, only he and the system would ever know. But whatever it was, it was something that would inevitably lead to change—a choice. What would emerge when he awakened would still be Jake, but the Viper could only hope it was his friend that returned—if he even woke up.

Records carried power. They carried history. To reach above your station and try to grasp power beyond yourself would always lead to issues. It would become a fight between your own Records and the Records of whatever you tried to absorb. It could change your soul, affecting all layers.

After Jake had been immersed for nearly an hour, the Viper felt a slight change. One through his karmic connection with Jake through his blessing. Jake had made a choice, it appeared. However, what the Viper wasn’t aware of was that it wasn’t quite as he had imagined. Something he soon became aware of.

What the Viper had hoped for was for Jake to take inspiration and possibly even absorb a fraction of the Records in the drop of blood, for him to make the choice that would lead him the furthest. He didn’t want Jake to be his follower, but to be his equal. Yet he didn’t know that Jake’s intent was different.

Defiance would be the only word to describe it, honestly. Jake’s intention had never been to stand beside him. It was to surpass him. To stand at the pinnacle of wherever the system could take you. Stand at that pinnacle, and then go beyond even that. The Viper could only feel a faint sense of that dream through his karmic connection. It was audacious, arrogant, naïve, and completely nonsensical.

I like it.

He saw that Jake had once more managed to go above and beyond his expectations. He hadn’t just absorbed the Records in the drop of blood. He had claimed it. All along, it had been the plan to reabsorb the blood back into himself after the trial, but Jake had now managed to “steal it.” Partly.

It was within him now. Dormant. In the end, Jake was still only E-grade. For him to absorb the power within the blood was impossible with his current strength. Yet it was still suppressed, and it would only strengthen their bond for the future.

* * *

Two hours after Jake had entered his Truesoul, his eyes opened again. There were no brilliant colors or fanfare; he simply opened his eyes to see the two gods stand before him—one relieved and one grinning.

All mobility had returned to his body after his little adventure of literal soul-searching. Raising his hands, he lifted himself out of the barrel and onto the floor. Without even thinking, he used mana to dry his body in only a few seconds. His mana control had truly undergone a noticeable change.

"That was quite something," he said jokingly to the two.

"Sure was. So, all good? You don't suddenly feel compelled to fall to your knees and swear yourself to be my eternal servant?" The Malefic Viper was only half-joking. He felt the power of the blessing had increased. The bond had undergone qualitative growth. He was afraid of what kind of consequences that would have on his mortal friend’s frame of mind.

"Good question. Depends on if I can get an actual bottle of vodka any time soon. Mixing it in with the bathwater kind of ruined the taste," Jake answered with an admonishing tone.

"I guess I do owe ya one," the Viper said with a laugh, going forward and giving Jake a slap on his shoulder. "Now get on some damn clothes."

Jake noticed only now that he was still in his birthday suit. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he quickly summoned his armor and put it on. It didn’t take long before he was back in his nearly all-black leather armor. He didn’t bother to put on the cloak, as it was overdoing it a bit. He also noticed at that moment that he had completely forgotten about the mask. Not that it appeared to matter, as it was utterly unblemished.

"So, what’s the plan now?" Jake asked the two of them.

"First of all, check your system messages," the Viper said, Duskleaf nodding along. “If all went well, your Palate skill should have reached ancient rarity.”

Having already wanted to do so, he opened the menu. He had already seen his blessing being improved as the newest message, but that didn’t mean it was the only one—far from it. First of all, on the list were several levels—more than he had expected.

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 58 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

…

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 63 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 71 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

…

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 73 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Six levels in his profession had been gained throughout the trial. He had been told that time dilation had effects on experience, so he quickly asked if perhaps it wasn’t a waste to do it here.

"Nah, it doesn’t really matter. Time and experience are weird like that. You do time dilation mainly to train skills or meditate on concepts. Experience is never the main goal, to begin with. Also, even if you lose out on a few levels now, it shouldn’t matter. You are E-grade, man; you got a long way to go."

Accepting the answer—not like he had much cause not to—he moved on down the list. The next few ones were Palate-skill upgrading. A few times, actually, not all of them increasing the rarity. The final skill, however, did reach the desired ancient rarity.

[Palate of the Malefic Viper (Rare --> 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 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.

The description had gotten longer, and the effects had increased by quite a bit. Immunity and resistance from weak poisons had the “weak” part removed. Potions were apparently better for Jake now, and he could now also learn about herbs by eating—all-around good stuff.

But the last part was by far the best when it came to immediate gains—bonus stats. Like Scales of the Malefic Viper, this one also provided stat points for every level he had in his profession, effectively just making every level even more valuable. He was a bit surprised it gave Endurance, but thinking about it, it was strongly related to internal energy. Or perhaps Endurance helped with resistance to poisons in ways Toughness didn’t?

"Does Endurance help with resistance to poison?" He couldn’t help himself from asking.

"Yes, Endurance helps a bit with internal resistance, and internal energy automatically helps fight off harmful energies, though not as well as vital energy,” Duskleaf said. “It mainly serves to suppress the effects of the poison.”

Nodding, he returned his attention to the notifications. Palate had been upgraded as predicted, and it was better than he expected. But it didn’t end there. After his little journey in his mindscape, he had unexpectedly gotten another skill upgraded.

[Blood of the Malefic Viper (Epic --> Ancient)] – The blood of the Malefic Viper is a toxin more deadly than most poisons. Allows the Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper to turn their blood poisonous, imitating their Patron. It has been further improved, even carrying traces of the True Blood of the Malefic One within. The blood can be used as an ingredient in alchemy and as a deadly weapon against your foes. The nature of the poison is determined based on the Records of the Alchemist. The blood’s toxicity level is based primarily on Vitality and Wisdom but receives an increase from all physical stats. Passively provides 1 Vitality per level in Alchemist of the Malefic Viper. May your blood be forever the bane of all that wishes you harm.

Man, those descriptions are just getting longer was his first thought. His second thought was how the skill hadn’t really changed, except for providing even more stats. He was beginning to see a trend with these Malefic Viper skills providing stats upon reaching ancient rarity. By design, no doubt. If he didn’t have his One Step Mile, he would maybe even suspect that providing stats was a hallmark of all ancient skills.

The extra Vitality was, of course, more than welcome. With Jake’s upgraded blessing now granting him an additional 10% Vitality, the value was just even better. He was now getting a +65% bonus on Vitality, even higher than his 60% in Perception. The first title he’d obtained himself, Bloodline Patriarch, giving 10% added with all his others, was now making a difference.

He had actually surpassed 1000 Vitality, making it the second stat to do that after Perception. Which also meant 10,000 health. It didn’t appear to do anything special, but it still felt like he had passed some kind of threshold. Either way, more health couldn’t be bad.

It was also interesting how the description recognized the drop of blood he had absorbed. He could still feel that drop. It was inside of him somewhere, not quite physically, but more in a metaphysical way. Maybe a part of his soul? He wasn’t sure. But it appeared to grant quite the benefits. He felt it, and he also felt how it was suppressed.

All in all, the trial had been a significant success in every way. Two skills upgraded, several levels, and all only in a few days, counting the whole time-warp-thing.

"So, did you get it upgraded?" the Viper asked, interrupting Jake before he could go further down the list.

"Yeah, got it to ancient rarity. Also managed to upgrade the Blood skill from epic to ancient," Jake answered, closing the menu to focus on the conversation. "That blessing you gave me also upgraded. Gives Vitality also now."

"Nice—you got more than I expected. I can feel the blessing has strengthened too." The Viper made a faux lecherous smile. "So, how does it feel to have a part of me inside you? Very intimate, eh?"

"… Moving on, I have been meaning to ask, why even do the blessings? I get what I benefit from it, but what’s in it for you?"

"Well, we gods can progress in other ways than just earning experience. Faith is one of those paths. A blessing is more or less an investment in someone to act as a conduit of your faith. Follow your doctrines and such. At least normally. I blessed you just for the heck of it, and honestly, it has worked out way better than I expected."

"Does that mean I have been hoodwinked into being your preacher when I return to Earth?" Jake asked, fully aware there was no fucking way he was doing that.

"If you want to? I don’t really care. I am benefitting enough just from you getting stronger and not dying. But if you want to establish an official order on Earth and begin recruiting, it wou—"

"Not gonna happen," Jake interrupted. Again, fuck that.

"Master, I think you have chosen a poor prophet," Duskleaf interjected. His deadpan manner made it incredibly hard for both the Viper and Jake to discern if he was serious or joking.

Choosing to take it as a joke, the Viper agreed. "I must confess I could have done better. Hasn’t even done a single mass sacrifice or committed his firstborn yet."

"I am a bit scared to ask, but are you actually interested in both of those?"

"The firstborn? Nah, I would suck as a babysitter, and kids taste funny. As for the sacrifice? Sure, why not?"

"This may be a bit late to ask, but what exactly is the doctrine of your church or order or whatever?" Jake asked. A question he should likely have asked way earlier.

Smiling, the Viper answered concretely, "Greed, power, and freedom. You know, all the good stuff. A god’s creed is more often than not just a symbol of their personality and personal path to power. My path is one littered with corpses and killing anything in my way; my doctrine is a lot like that. In other words, do whatever the fuck you want, and it is likely according to my doctrine."

"Seems easy enough. What about you, Duskleaf?" Jake asked, turning to the other god.

"Alchemy."

"And?"

"Just alchemy. No reason to place importance on unimportant things. Anything that can further my progress towards the pinnacle in alchemy is good. I don’t have any followers, though, so it doesn’t matter.”

"A god without faith?” Jake asked with genuine concern. “Is that fine? No danger of you suddenly disappearing by being forgotten or something like that?"

"What? No, why would I? Where have you gotten such a silly idea from?"

"Eh, I just remember some fiction where gods were a bit like that…" Jake answered, a bit embarrassed. Damn you, inaccurate fictional portrayals of gods.

"Faith isn’t actually that big a part of many gods,” the Viper said, “I am not particularly into that path either. It isn’t even rare that gods exist without any followers or believers at all. A lot of gods don’t do anything and prefer to be holed up in a secluded alchemy lab or something like that for unspeakable amounts of time." His answers were clearly throwing shade at Duskleaf.

"I don’t see what having a bunch of nosy followers does to help me get better at alchemy."

The two of them continued bickering for a bit back and forth. It was clear that despite them being master and disciple, they were also old friends. The type of friendship forged over… how long, actually?

"Hey, been thinking, how old are you two?"

"Well, that came out of nowhere," the Viper said after being interrupted. "I have been around since before the first era, so ninety-two full eras and change. Duskleaf is from the 4th Era."

"And how many years is that?"

"Well, each era varies. The 92nd Era was around fifteen billion years. In other words, the amount of time it took for your universe to go from a seed to what it was just before the initiation. Each era varies in length, the longest being two hundred twenty-eight billion years and the shortest being only seven billion. Do the math."

Computing for a few moments, and making full use of his high Intelligence stat, Jake quickly concluded, "Both a bunch of old farts. Coercing a young man no older than twenty-eight into some weird religion."

"More like, two old studs, disrobing and putting their liquids inside young man."

"Two old men, bathing with young stud."

"Or—"

One of these old studs/men stood with a hand on his face in the background, looking in exasperation at his master and the young mortal, cursing himself for having gotten himself involved in this entire debacle.

Chapter 51

You know, I'm something of a sage myself

After a long and very fruitful conversation, Jake was finally reminded by the old alchemist that he still had notifications pending. One notification, to be more accurate. This one due to unlocking another available skill upon reaching level 60 in his profession.

*Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper profession skills available*

Jake was honestly quite excited. The last few skills gained from his profession had all been excellent, the most recent being Scales of the Malefic Viper. It was surprisingly long ago that he’d gotten it, all the way back before he even fought the Great White Stag.

Now he had finally managed to unlock another. With great vigor, he jumped in and, with fervor, saw the first skill.

[Offering (Common)] – Offer an item to your chosen god, allowing them to better hear your pleas for a short period.

And it was shit. Seriously? For all his trials and tribulation, he got a shitty prayer skill? He was pretty sure the Viper could already hear whenever he did something akin to a prayer, so why the hell would he need a skill for it? The rarity alone was enough to put him off—the description was the bare minimum, telling nothing of value.

He knew that only five new skills were added at a maximum every time he unlocked the possibility of getting a new skill. Perhaps he had spent a bit too much time around gods recently. He could only imagine that it had pushed out better and more useable skills.

Moving on with great speed, he got to the next one, which was at least a rare skill.

[Ritualism of the Malefic Viper (Rare)] – To do a ritual is to pay tribute. To give your life for the Malefic One, an honor. Grants the alchemist knowledge of different rituals pertaining to the Malefic Viper. The ritual’s effect is based on the nature of the ritual performed and the materials used during the ritual. Stat bonuses are applied according to the nature of the ritual performed.

… Had the system finally gotten a sense of humor and begun joking with him? The talk of ritual sacrifices was a joke. A joke. Yet Jake was a bit suspicious at the mere existence of the skill. Maybe it was just something all gods had?

Yeah, he assumed all gods would have fanatical followers that went overboard. It was the damn Viper's fault for speaking about sacrifices and such to begin with. A horrible joke had turned into a horrible skill that Jake, of course, had no intention of taking at all.

Everything about it was just ominous. No way he was actually going to return to Earth and begin some insane cult with human sacrifices to a god named Villy, with whom he drinks beers on weekends. As he’d said during the talk of sacrificial rituals earlier: fuck that.

Moving on down the list, the next one was epic rarity, and… well, this one was good. Real good.

[Methodology of Duskleaf (Epic)] – Taught by a god who stands at the pinnacle of alchemy, you have begun to understand his methodology. Grants the alchemist a fragment of the knowledge of the god, Duskleaf, and increases your understanding of alchemy and mana as well as overall control techniques during all concoctions or brewings. Allows the alchemist to make creations he does not have the associated crafting skill for. (Does not receive stat effectiveness bonuses without associated skill).

"Hey, Duskleaf, guess what?" he said to the god who looked to be daydreaming. Probably about alchemy.

"Hm?"

"I got a skill from you. Methodology of Duskleaf. It’s even epic and has quite the descri—"

"I forbid you from taking it!" Duskleaf exclaimed loudly, the air slightly trembling at his voice. "No way! Choose something else! Anything but that!"

"I don’t know; it looks pretty good…" Jake teased. However, there was quite a bit of truth in what he said. The skill was good. Really good. It seemed like a skill that would just improve nearly everything during a concoction and brewing, and it would even allow him to make things he didn’t have the crafting skill for, such as flasks.

He had been told that he could anyway; it was just harder. In fact, anyone could still do anything. Jake, if he so wished, could pick up a hammer and make a sword. Of course, the sword would suck, but the system would recognize his creation if it met the bare minimum requirements. He would also not receive any of the bonuses associated with having a profession linked to crafting swords, nor any experience of any kind.

This skill would allow him to make flasks far easier without the associated crafting skill, since it would allow him to get the system assistance and instinctive knowledge. He would very likely still want the actual crafting skill at some point, but it was a good temporary solution. Besides, Jake knew he wouldn’t have enough skill and time soon to get all the crafting skills.

Transmutations, pills, flasks, powder, elixirs, and so on were just a few of the things he could learn to craft as an alchemist. And those were just the ones he already knew about. He knew there was far more out there. He wasn’t sure when he would ever get the skill selections for the skills at the current pace.

Currently, he only got a skill every ten levels. It was every five levels before the first class evolution, so he had a strong suspicion it would be even less than every ten levels after his next evolution. And on top of that, his biggest issue was that he often just had better skills—this very skill-picking session being one such situation.

"… Therefore, you should refrain from picking it, as it would have implications that—"

"Fine, I won’t. Sheesh," Jake said as he exited his inner thoughts, noticing that Duskleaf had kept talking throughout his entire inner monologue.

"Too bad, you just missed the perfect chance to get your first faithful," the Malefic Viper laughed in the background.

Jake just shook his head as he moved on to the fourth skill available. Another one of epic rarity, and this one also related to the Malefic Viper. Though perhaps not precisely what he was looking for.

[Dark Beacon of the Malefic Viper (Epic)] – As the holder of a True Blessing of the Malefic Viper, you’re his champion among the mortals. Allows the alchemist to channel the aura of the Malefic Viper to more easily subdue others. Allows the alchemist to guide others towards the path of the Malefic Viper, forcefully or otherwise. Skill effect is based on Wisdom and Willpower. The larger disparity between your power and your targets, the larger the effect.

Is the system set on my becoming a cult leader or what? Jake thought to himself after reading the description. Also, what the hell did the skill even have to do with alchemy, to begin with? Maybe related to teaching others alchemy? It would take some serious mental gymnastics for it to make sense. Then again, it wasn’t like the prior skills were necessarily alchemy-related.

The only slightly positive thing that he could see was its possible combat applications, like an AOE aura to suppress weaker enemies or crowds. But thinking on it further, didn’t his new Gaze of the Apex Hunter do something similar to that, just by sight instead of a constant aura?

Also, the wording on it was just too creepy. Talking about subduing others, forcing them into following the Malefic Viper and such. It was giving off clear “nope” vibes all around. Jake did not, in any way, shape, or form, have the desire to become any kind of leader, despite him having a “Lord” title now.

He considered asking the Viper about the skill but ultimately decided not to. He hadn’t asked or shown any interest in the skills Jake had been offered. It was Jake’s choice to make, be they suboptimal or not. Though in many cases, the outright best skill was just clear from the beginning. It turned out this time was no different, with the final skill being a clear standout.

[Sagacity of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)] – To hold just a fragment of the wisdom of a Primordial is more than most ever achieve. Much rarer is being personally taught that knowledge directly by the god himself. Allows the alchemist to peek into a fragment of the Malefic Viper’s Records to seek his knowledge. Grants the Alchemist of the Malefic Viper far better understanding of mana and of most affinities. Allows the alchemist to make creations he does not have the associated crafting skill for. (Does not receive stat effectiveness bonuses without associated skill). Passively provides 1 Wisdom per level in Alchemist of the Malefic Viper. May your search for knowledge be as inexhaustible as the Malefic One.

Once again, a long-ass description—a tendency Jake was beginning to see with the ancient-rarity skills granted by the Malefic Viper. Like with the Scales, Palate, and Blood, this one provided Wisdom. The pattern was clear, and Jake was also beginning to suspect that some of his other skills would be similar when upgraded to ancient.

But to focus on the actual skill in question… there was a lot to say, and yet not that much. It was awesome. Wisdom was an excellent stat when it came to alchemy, and the skill overall appeared in many ways to just be a better version of the Methodology of Duskleaf skill. There were some minor differences, but the crafting-without-associated-skills part was there. It actually made him feel a bit sad for Duskleaf, but on the other hand, he had been forbidden from taking his skill.

Duskleaf’s skill provided a bonus while doing alchemy to mana control, while this one just granted a better understanding of mana and affinities without directly having to do with the alchemy. He was also interested in the “peer into a fragment to see Records of the Malefic Viper” part. If he had to guess, then that fragment would be the drop of blood he now carried within him.

In the end, there was no contest as to which skill he would choose. The 63 bonus Wisdom alone made the Sagacity of the Malefic Viper just too tempting to pass up. He found it interesting that he would now effectively get 4 more stat points per level in his profession than otherwise stated with the skill. He had quite honestly lucked out hardcore when it came to stumbling across that Challenge Dungeon.

Or maybe it was the subtle guiding hand of the system, fate, destiny, or whatever mumbo-jumbo people believed in post-system. He didn’t care about things he couldn’t influence or control, so he just decided to be grateful for what he had gotten.

He didn’t even consult the two gods before he picked the skill—something he should maybe have done, as they were both surprised when he knelt down to the floor holding his head. He had gotten many skills over the brief period he had been in the system, but this one was by far the worst when it came to knowledge imprinted in his mind.

It felt like hours as he was assaulted by a constant stream of information downloaded directly into him. There was so much he quite frankly couldn’t contain it all. The entire process took nearly an hour before the influx and pain subsided.

My fucking head, he cursed, trying to go through whatever knowledge was just forced upon him. To his absolute bewilderment, he found barely anything. It was just a few wisps of knowledge about mana control and the nature of different affinities, most of which he already knew through prior testing or educated guesses.

Instead, it appeared that the knowledge was somehow locked away. Locked away within him. More accurately, inside that drop of blood he had absorbed. It seems that absorbing that drop of blood is the only reason I could get that overpowered skill to begin with.

It also made the description make more sense—the thing about peeking into a fragment of his knowledge, that is. Just picking it up didn’t give him the full view but was more akin to downloading Wikipedia. Just because it was downloaded didn’t mean he wouldn’t actually have to study and understand it.

"That was a doozy," Jake muttered, inadvisably opening up himself to question from the two gods.

"Got a nice skill, I reckon?" the Viper asked.

"Sagacity of the Malefic Viper. I would explain what it does, but I guess you already know.”

"Well, as the skill says, I am something of a sage myself. Surprised you unlocked that skill so early, though. The first one to get it for many eras, and I think the first one ever to get it at E-grade. I think you’ll come to learn it is quite the skill."

"Glad to see that I can even surprise a sage with my humble actions," he said before turning to Duskleaf, a faux look of grief on his face. "I am so sorry I didn’t pick your skill. I promise to get one with your name in it next time if possible."

"Just… don’t," Duskleaf said, heaving a sigh of relief when he realized it was just a joke.

After talking a bit with the two, Jake decided to finally look at his status menu. However, before doing so, he dumped all his points into Perception to truly see how far he had come.

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

Race: [Human (E) – lvl 73]

Class: [Ambitious Hunter – lvl 83]

Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – lvl 63]

Health Points (HP): 10030/10030

Mana Points (MP): 11350/11350

Stamina: 8024/8030

Stats

Strength: 629

Agility: 877

Endurance: 803

Vitality: 1003

Toughness: 650

Wisdom: 908

Intelligence: 442

Perception: 1689

Willpower: 550

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: Lord], [Progenitor of the 93rd Universe]

Class Skills:[Basic One-Handed Weapons (Inferior)], [Advanced Stealth (Common)], [Advanced Archery (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)], [Descending Dark Fang (Rare)], [Limit Break (Rare)], [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 (Rare)], [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)]

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)]

Looking over his entire status menu, his progress was impressive. He had gotten so many titles and levels since he last checked. Thinking back, he hadn’t actually gone through his status since back before he fought the Horde Leader. After that, he had killed that boss, killed the King of the Forest, and now even gotten way stronger from his, to quote, “cool-ass time-warped training session in alchemy.”

He was stronger than ever before by quite a lot. He hadn’t had the chance to fight anything and test himself, but perhaps he could win against the King if it was the current him.

"Hey, if I fought the King of the Forest now, do you think I cou—"

"Fuck no."

"Absolutely not."

The two gods answered simultaneously.

"Are yo—"

"Yeah, you would get your head ripped off in a moment,” the Viper said. “Seriously Jake, I still don’t think you understand the disparity. That was a true-blue, D-grade unique lifeform. If he hadn’t been so far up his own ass, he would have killed you instantly. Perhaps if you had your current strength, all it would change is that he wouldn’t have bothered to play around but just killed you outright."

"In other words, I just got extremely lucky?" Jake asked, a bit disappointed.

"Partly. You were offered a situation to exploit and the tools to possibly exploit it. If you had been any weaker, you would have failed; if you had been less deceitful and smart about it, you would have died. Don’t take anything away from your own victory. Besides, the King wasn’t a normal D-grade being. Far from it. So don’t belittle yourself.

"The tutorials are made to be theoretically beatable. They are balanced based on who attends them. The system naturally knew how much divine interference there would be, so it upped the overall difficulty. In fact, I reckon your tutorial was among the hardest of your universe and certainly the hardest for Earth. You beating it is fucking monstrous, so keep it up, you goddamn freak."

"Thanks, I guess. Anyway, what’s the plan now? More alchemy?" He was ready to try and practice his new skills.

"We got only a few hours before it is time for you to get whisked back to Earth, and that is counting the time-warping," the Viper said. "I think it’s time we sit down and have a talk about what’s to come."

Chapter 52

Homecoming

Sitting down around the table, the Viper finally brought out the owed bottle of booze. Duskleaf didn’t appear particularly interested but nevertheless joined them with a glass.

"I promised to answer a few questions, so here we are," the Viper said, opening the conversation. “Just know that there are things I cannot or will not tell you. Some because the system isn’t a fan, and some because the knowledge will do you more harm than good.”

"I guess first of all… how the hell do you even know things?” Jake asked. “Things about Earth and such. At first I thought it was just a god thing, but Duskleaf looks like a big question mark whenever you make a reference or a joke?" It wasn’t really valuable information, just something that had been irking him.

"Didn’t see that question being the first. See, I don’t know everything! There are a lot of skills out there. As you no doubt know, the system can give you access to knowledge and Records, and I happen to have a skill that allows me to know things. Think of it as me having access to a limited form of Google or Wikipedia that provides me with widely known information."

"That sounds overpowered as fuck. How do I get it?" Jake asked, gaping slightly. Holy shit, he wanted that skill.

"Yeah, good luck getting it before being well into godhood. And it isn’t actually as good as it sounds and has many limits. But yeah, it is called Partial Omniscience. Quite a few other gods have similar skills, but I doubt anyone has one better than mine. I got it a couple of eras ago, so it is a bit of a new addition. The amount of useless info it provides is staggeringly stupid.”

"Doesn’t it take its toll to have that much crammed into your head?" Jake asked with genuine concern. A mere fragment of knowledge had brought him to his knees; he could only imagine the weight from all of it.

"Jake, I have more in Wisdom than your entire planet collectively. I am good," the Malefic Viper answered dismissively. "But we both know that my awesomeness isn’t what matters right now."

"True," Jake said before leaning back in the chair a bit. "What can I expect when I return to Earth?"

"When the system comes, it changes a lot of things. Life planets, such as your Earth, are one such thing. As you can likely already guess, your planet was actually quite small and fragile before the system compared to what its inhabitants can and will be able to do in the future. It has thus been terraformed to be more fitting for the new world.”

"What exactly does that mean?"

"First of all, size. It is a lot bigger than before. A lot of it will still feel familiar, but a lot will be different. The general layout of the planet remains; it is all just… bigger. Oceans are deeper, landmasses expand further, mountains now extend toward the sky, taller than ever, forests become endless metropolises of trees that extend into the horizon.

"Secondly, the creatures that lived there will have changed. While the enlightened races—AKA humans—spent their time in a tutorial, the animals that remained lived through this baptism. Now joined by others made by the system, they have changed. Don’t underestimate them."

"D-grades?" Jake asked, concerned.

"From the original inhabitants? Yes. Many. The energy to terraform the planet has also gone into these animals, allowing them to grow far more than usual. But I doubt you will be able to find any, and they will be few and far between, grouped around natural treasures or special areas. I would be more concerned about the third thing. Tell me, what do you think would have happened to the King of the Forest if you hadn’t killed him?"

"Don’t tell me…"

"Yeah, he would have joined you back on Earth. And he is far from the only one. Many creatures have been placed in tutorials, and now they will come to Earth. The same would have been true for the four Beast Lords you killed. Of course, now they are dead, which will leave a gap. One for you to exploit.” The Viper smiled mischievously.

"Hold your horses; what do you mean, they would have come to Earth? Doesn’t that mean a bunch of extremely powerful, possibly sapient beings with their own agendas will come to Earth? What the hell?" Jake was slightly panicking.

"It isn’t that bad. These D-grades won’t be able to walk about as they please but instead be placed in certain areas. Remember the bubble from the tutorial with the inner area? That bubble would have been what moved. Only the original inhabitants can enter, while someone like the King of the Forest can’t leave. Of course, after a while, the bubble will disperse, and they will be free to roam about."

The clarification dispelled much of Jake’s concern. He went back to the last part of what the god said before with a sigh of relief. "So, what am I meant to exploit?"

Smiling, the god explained, "A gap has been made with the death of the King of the Forest. More accurately, his forest has been left behind. It will, without a doubt, be close to where you will be upon returning to Earth. Find it and establish yourself there. Locate the Pylon of Civilization. Ought to give you quite the head start and a nice base of operations. Trust me on this… it will prove very fruitful down the line."

"Not sure I am interested in settling down and getting a base. My current plan is to search for my parents along with my brother and his wife.”

"I got the feeling that you were like me when it comes to leadership, so just find someone to dump it on while reaping all the rewards from being in charge on paper. As for the family situation…" The Viper sighed. "I have some bad news on that front."

Jake felt a creeping sensation as he hesitated to ask. "What?"

With a look more serious than before, not carrying a hint of joking around, the Viper said, "Don’t even think about it."

Everything in his head stopped turning for a moment as he just sat there in silence, letting the words ring out in the room. It took him a while for the words to sink in. Why? was the only thing he could ask himself.

Didn’t they make it? His father, Robert, had always been a resourceful man, his mother kind yet strong-willed. Caleb and Maja too… Why?

"Is… is there a way to bring them back?" Jake asked, trying to grasp onto hope.

"I am sorry. I have tried, more than anyone else, to try and bring someone back to life… If it is possible, I still don’t know how. If there were a body and certain items and skills, it had been done only for those who died just moments earlier. If the Truesoul is gone, however… it isn’t possible. Not like it matters currently… They still live."

"What the hell!?" Jake said, a bit angry. "Then why the hell should I not go look for them?"

He was the kind of person who planned and followed that plan as far as he could go. One who set himself a goal to accomplish. He would do everything to succeed and would struggle until he won. He had done so when he set his goal of killing the King.

"Because it’s a waste of time. Do you know where your family is? How far away they are? Are you even certain you are strong enough to help them? And have you considered the consequences of focusing on finding them over your own progress?"

"I had kind of hoped for you to give me a clue as to a general direction…" Jake said.

"I won’t do that. The system wouldn’t have given that information either. It is naïve to think that you can find a handful of people in a short time on a planet that has changed so significantly with your limited power. It’s far more important for you to get stronger. Also… for once, believe a bit in them. Maybe they can take care of themselves, and your babying will only do more harm than good?"

Jake thought a bit, and as much as he hated it, he didn’t really feel like he could dispute any of the points. But at the same time… he felt a bit regretful. He had chosen Hunter’s Tracking to find them better. One Step Mile to hopefully travel faster to them. Was that all for naught?

"Then what the hell am I supposed to do?" he asked as he stared at the ceiling.

"Grow stronger. Make it fuel to move forward faster because you want to find and protect them. The path ahead of you is long; you will meet other people you want to protect too, no doubt," the Viper said consolingly. "Besides… no matter what, at least you have two buddies here who will more than likely stick around through it all." He gave a light smile while motioning to himself and the silent Duskleaf.

Jake looked at the two of them while contemplating his future. He had not come to terms with it, but… he had to recognize that he was going to Earth alone. It was just that he still felt a bit… lonely.

His colleagues and friends were now either dead or had a relationship with him that he was far from comfortable with. Jacob had somehow survived, but he was incredibly unsure precisely what their meeting would be like. Casper was apparently an undead, so that was a whole thing he wasn’t sure how to handle. Jake himself felt regret towards not helping either of them, while Jacob likely also harbored resentment towards Jake.

He’d never really had any friends outside of work and his family. They had all been pushed away through time, or he had distanced himself after his less-than-positive experience during university. The only other ones he had were online… and those relationships were even more ambiguous.

Perhaps he should just follow the advice of Villy. Find a base, plop himself down there, and do alchemy or something. Get his head straight. But what then?

Would he become a leader of humanity and lead them in the new world? Yeah, fat chance of that happening. Would he become a hermit living alone in the woods? That didn’t appear tempting either. For the first time in a long time, Jake was unsure of what to do.

He didn’t have a plan. Not a long-term one, anyway.

"I guess whatever comes, comes," he muttered to himself. "How long till I leave?"

"Around an hour in here. Minutes outside where time moves normally.”

"Let’s head out, then," Jake said, getting up.

Without arguing, the Viper complied by opening the door. Jake felt time slowly return to normal as the world reverted to what it had been before he entered. Except he now felt a bit more hollow inside. Hollow, but still determined.

They kept talking outside for a bit about other things he could expect back on Earth until he was reminded it would very soon be time.

"I guess we will see each other later," he said, addressing the two gods. "And thanks for everything."

"No problem—that’s what friends are for, right?” the Viper said, smiling. “It would get monotonous if you thanked me every time I helped you. Just take care of yourself. Don’t die on me quite yet.”

"Stay safe," Duskleaf added, opening his mouth for the first time in quite a while. "And remember not to slack off on your alchemy practice."

"I don’t plan on dying any time soon. If ever. And don’t worry, I won’t slack. Gonna blow you away the next time we meet."

With those words, they just stood there a while, taking in the atmosphere. It was likely the last time the three would meet in quite a while.

Jake had grown stronger once more. Titles, skills, and levels. After his last battle with the King, he had grown to entirely new levels. He was ready to unleash himself on the unsuspecting planet that is Earth.

Jacob stood beside his old friend and bodyguard as they prepared to return. The brief time spent in the temple had felt like far longer than it actually was. Well, for Bertram, it had been far longer. He had spent most of his time in a time chamber with the Grand Master, after all.

While neither of them had grown overly much in levels, both had grown in their own way. Bertram had skill upgrades, his swordsmanship now a rare skill in itself. When he entered the chamber, he’d been a competent fighter by Earth’s standards. Now he was capable even by the standards of the multiverse—for an E-grade, at least. He felt confident.

Jacob had instead spent his time learning. Due to his class, even this minor act had gained him two levels. Neither had done anything for their professions. Bertram because he didn’t have the time, and Jacob because he already knew which profession to get in the future… and it wasn’t quite time yet to get it.

A lot had been explained to them about what they would come to meet upon their return. And now the Grand Master, with his daughter by his side, gave them a final speech.

"Remember that safety is your number one concern. Avoid the danger zones to begin with while you build up your conclave of followers. Follow the Holy One’s word, and you are sure to succeed in your path to enlighten your planet, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have to be vigilant.

"You need to be especially wary of followers of other gods. Enemy gods of the Holy Church may have blessed individuals who will target you due to your position and purpose. We cannot offer you any material assistance for the foreseeable future, so you will sadly be on your own.

"But even more so than those who wish to kill you, you must be wary of deceivers,” the bearded man said in his usual serious tone, “Those who wish to use you or mislead you. Liars and the ones you thought of as friends. Do not trust easily those your skills cannot read properly.” He turned to the guardian besides Jacob. "Bertram, your job is to protect the Augur. Your life and his are one and the same. Do not disappoint us."

Bertram only nodded, returning the seriousness of his temporary teacher. Jacob was deep in thought at the man’s words as he was also still fine-tuning his plan upon returning to Earth. There were many things to address, and he needed to make sure he did things right the first time.

His resolve to spread the word of the Holy Church was genuine, his conviction true. He just needed to convince others. Religion had always been a tricky subject, one where more often than not, you were simply born into one.

With the system, it was very different. Gods were no longer intangible things, no longer only representations of an ideology. They were now that and so much more. They were actual beings with the true power to influence the world.

"Has there been word on my inquiry related to the result of the tutorial I was part of?"

"Yes."

The voice echoed out in the hall, startling everyone. The voice was overpowering yet gentle. A figure of light manifested before them, and upon seeing the visage of who had come, they all kneeled. The Grand Master had a mixed look of shock and pure reverence. The Mother…

Kneeling, none of them dared look up as the figure spoke. Even Jacob kneeled out of respect. "Your friend won. Defeated the destined King and became a Progenitor. Do not fight him, my son, but do not ally with him either. Avoid your friend for now. May you forever bask in the holy light, my children."

With those words, the figure dispersed as fast as it had come. Inera, Jacob, and Bertram all looked confused at words like “destined king” and “progenitor.” Perhaps only the Grand Master understood those terms. But he was too beside himself to explain as he was still awestruck by what had just happened.

He barely managed to break out of the spell and throw out a brief half-coherent explanation before the two young humans were gone, taken by the system back to whence they came.

Casper stood surrounded by floating runes as he finished up his final preparations. His skin was white as ash, and his body didn’t give off the faintest hint of life-energy, yet he appeared more lively than he had ever been since the tutorial went to shit.

All the runes around him spun as they slowly came together and formed a single magic circle. Taking out a stake from his spatial storage, he moved the circle towards it, and the runes embedded themselves in the weapon. Another trap prepared.

Exiting the tower, he gave a final nod towards the mighty Archlich that had served as his teacher for the last few weeks. He had progressed more than he thought possible, and he felt genuinely grateful.

The Archlich bowed back in recognition—not of Casper, but of the one who had granted him a blessing. That blessing was more than enough for Casper to be named the leader of the undead forces that would return to Earth, but he had refused adamantly. Still, that didn’t mean he wasn’t respected or feared by the others.

The meeting in the courtyard below was also just about concluded when Casper made his entrance. They all stopped and stared at him for a while before turning back to their leader—a woman named Priscilla, who had once been human like himself.

[Risen Human – lvl 58]

She gave him a sweet smile before returning her attention to the crowd.

Casper just sneered a bit, and it wasn’t helped by the locket around his neck heating up slightly due to the annoyance of the ghost within. I told you, Lyra, I don’t care about her…

With a sigh, he closed his eyes and just waited for the end of the tutorial.

Sixty-three days and a bit over twenty-two hours ago, all humans had disappeared from Earth. Now it was time for those who remained to come home.

Chapter 53

Intermission 3 - Carmen

For her, it had just been another typical and tiring day. She had to get up early, clean her room, and make it all nice and tidy before heading off for breakfast. After that, she would have to do a bit of studying before a nice workout in the yard. Then it was work time, a bit of recreational time in the evening before her early bedtime.

It was a constant routine that she had done now for nearly two years. It wasn't that bad, and she got used to it. Of course, it was a bit of a downer that it was involuntary. Prison as a violent offender wasn't exactly the beacon of freedom, after all.

Now, what exactly had the little harmless her done to land herself here on a five-year sentence? In a word, revenge; two words, justified revenge. Arguing the second point hadn't helped her much, however, as apparently that just meant the act had been premeditated.

Oh, well—do the crime, do time. She had accepted it, and to be fair, the prison wasn't that bad, actually. She was lucky she lived in a country with a somewhat lax prison system focused on reformation over punishment. Which isn't to say she altogether avoided violence in there. But fucking someone up to the point where even the prison guards didn't recognize them apparently had done enough for others just to leave her alone. Though it didn't look perfect on her record.

Her story had started twenty-five years ago when she was born. A bit cliché, but what can you do? After that, she grew up in what could only be described as a high-class family. One she sadly didn't fit in with. Despite being a girl, she didn't precisely follow the expected customs of looking pretty and becoming a good wife, but instead had interests that her aunt described as "unrefined and unsightly." Stuck up bitch.

Luckily her parents were the right sort. Her mother had married into the family, and her dad had always been a bit of an outcast himself—one that didn't get better when he allowed his wife to give her a Spanish name over a more Italian one. Carmen.

Carmen had grown up with that horrible extended family, which would chastise her at every turn. "Why don't you wear a nice dress?" "Oh goodness, boxing? Wouldn't ballet be more fitting for you?" And the worst one of them all: "Why can't you be more like Beatrice?"

She hadn't ever been the smartest or the prettiest girl. She wasn't delusional and knew this. In fact, she had that fact hammered into her skull constantly growing up because of her aunt's beautiful, smart, and just all-around perfect daughter. In other words, her cousin.

Her dad had never liked his own sister, and Carmen could see why. She was indeed the stereotypical entitled parent who believed their little angel to be perfect in everything. And annoyingly enough, Beatrice was just too damn close to perfect.

Her cousin had the highest grades, worked as a child model, and had even gotten an acting gig when she was eight. She only grew up to be smarter and more beautiful than any of them imagined and finally managed to get into one of the best universities overseas.

Though Carmen did have to admit that it may just have been her own bias. When you are told something constantly, you begin to believe it. And she honestly did believe her cousin to be better than her, ending up in her suffering from a severe lack of self-esteem growing up. Every single family gathering was comparing her to her cousin, always with her losing out.

Despite it all, Carmen had tried to be her cousin's friend. Who wouldn't want to be the friend of Miss Perfect? And for the most part, her cousin appeared to accept her as her little follower. That was how her childhood went. Carmen was always the second fiddle. That was, until she turned eighteen and was introduced to an entirely new world: boxing.

It turned out that while Carmen was a dunce with a book, she was really good at hitting people. Impressively so. She began to build up her own self-confidence and finally find herself. She got new friends and a boyfriend, and finally she was her own person—something she came to learn her cousin didn't like.

Carmen began not to give a shit about how her cousin got into the best university, or that she had gotten that new job as a model, or how many goddamn Facebook friends or Instagram followers she had.

But stupidly enough, she hadn't completely cut off that part of her family. To her parents, the family still mattered a lot, and she cared about her parents. So she stayed cordial and took the battering from all their relatives who disapproved of her life choices.

Honestly, her entire family was toxic as fuck. She even found out her grandmother had paid off her first boyfriend to leave her because he didn't "fit." Fuck her and fuck that guy.

Through those years, Carmen got better and better at boxing. Her coach was even confident that she could go pro if she kept up her practice. In the ring, Carmen was happy. Until her cousin took that from her.

It was a simple favor. "Come help clean my car." Thinking back, it was actually more an order than a request. But stupidly, she had gone to help her hopeless cousin. She had helped clean it with her cousin standing to the side on her phone. This day, however, Carmen had decided to stand up for herself.

She called out the bullshit and told her lazy cousin to get off her ass and help clean her own damn car. After a bit of bickering, her cousin agreed, and for the first time, Carmen believed she had gotten one over her “perfect” cousin.

That is just until she was in the car cleaning, with one of her hands in the gap of the open door. Without any warning, the door slammed, her hand caught in it. The sound of bone being crushed was loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear. The blood made all the cleaning a waste of time.

Her dear cousin had slammed the door on her hand with full force. It was a memory Carmen would never forget. Not because of the pain and distress but because of what she saw. Looking up as she was screaming in pain, she vividly saw her cousin looking back at her, smiling, her hand holding the door closed on her hand.

After that, Carmen didn't remember much, just that she was taken to the hospital and told that her hand had suffered irreparable damage. Nerves were crushed, bone splintered. She would never be able to make a damn fist again in her life without significant pain, and she would likely be on pain medication for the rest of her life.

This would then be the part where charges were pressed for assault against her cousin, who so clearly maliciously attacked her and did grievous damage. The part where the police arrested her, and she got justice. The part that, of course, never fucking happened.

She cried crocodile tears, and it was all deemed a sad accident. So the situation was left with her poor cousin seen as the victim because she had such a hard time with the guilt. The police had asked Carmen if she wanted to press charges, and she sure as hell did.

All this had resulted in was her entire extended family shunning her and her parents for trying to “ruin her cousin's life over a small accident.” How could the perfect cousin have even the slightest blemish on her records? Her aunt and uncle some-fucking-how ended up getting the charges just thrown out, and everyone moved on. Everyone except Carmen. She tried; she really did. Yet that fucking smile just stayed on her mind.

For more than a year, she didn't see her cousin. In this period, Carmen's life had just gone down the shitter. She was told she would never box again, to no one's surprise. Even a year later, she couldn't even properly type on a keyboard without constant pain. Her life was fucked permanently because of her petty cousin.

She had tried getting a job waitressing but couldn't hold plates with one of her hands. It turns out that when you are semi-disabled, everything is just harder. The government was a hard-ass with actually giving out disability, and employers prefer employees with two fully functional hands.

All of it came to a crash fourteen months after the “accident.” Carmen was unemployed, drinking a bit too much, and back living with her parents. That day they got an invitation to a wedding—her cousin's.

Carmen didn't want to go—of course she didn't—but she was made to go anyway. The wedding was to be perfect, the entire family of both the bride and groom there. As her father had recently gotten promoted to a high position, she knew the only reason they were invited was to brag about how great their family was.

As the wedding had to be perfect, they had to do rehearsals—all of which they wanted Carmen to attend. They had to be sure she looked “representable” for the big day, after all. She went, got forced into a dress for the first time in years, and overall just wanted to get it all over with.

The first rehearsal she had gone to went smoothly as far as she knew. Yet afterward, she was dragged aside by her aunt, the perfect cousin’s mother. It turned out her mangled hand wasn't pretty enough, and she would have to wear gloves. She also had to stop looking so down and smile more, because that is easy when you’ve spent most of your time contemplating suicide or murder.

Carmen could only grit her teeth and hold her emotions in. This continued as she was pulled aside and admonished over and over again. Told what to say if asked, told what to wear if seen, what to do if prompted, and finally to be nice and leave early.

It all was just building up inside her. She wanted it over with until the final straw broke the camel's back.

Her cousin pulled her into an adjacent room, just the two of them. She said words Carmen would never forget.

"It is your own fault you had to be a bitch and get punished. Ladies shouldn't need to use their hands anyway, so stop being depressed or whatever."

These were the first words her cousin had spoken to her in fourteen months. No asking for forgiveness, not even a damn apology. She just made that same fucking smile.

So Carmen showed her that she could still make a fist—even if it hurt.

She showed her that she could still punch someone—with as much strength as before.

She showed her that she could still beat the living shit out of someone—that she was still not to be fucked with.

She showed her that she hadn't forgiven her—and that she would eventually always get her revenge.

It didn’t continue for long before the screams caught the attention of the others. They rushed into the room, dragged Carmen off her cousin, and held her down when the soon-to-be-wed girl was taken to the hospital.

Carmen would never forget how her cousin looked when she saw her in the courtroom. Her face was unrecognizable. Carmen hadn't gone easy on her but let out all her frustrations.

In the end, her perfect cousin had been made not-so-perfect, her beauty ruined forever. During the… “altercation,” Beatrice had several bones broken that ended up requiring reconstructive surgery. She lost an eye, most of her teeth, and, from what Carmen had heard, still suffered from problems with her memory even half a year later.

During the trial, Carmen hadn't even tried to defend herself. She was, without a doubt, a nightmare to her attorney. But unlike her cousin, she didn't lie. She said exactly why she did what she did and exited the courtroom after getting her sentence by giving her entire extended family a fat finger.

Her next two years were, of course, spent in prison. Until one evening, it happened. The system arrived and changed her fate.

Now, two months later, the tutorial was about to come to an end. It had been quite a journey.

On that day, they were all whisked away, granted powers, and then put back in the exact same prison again. Except it wasn't. It was larger, the layout different, and now filled with zombie-like creatures. The prison guards had been transported to one end, with the prisoners in the other. It was set up as a war between the two with zombies in between.

It turned out that violent prisoners welcomed a chance to get back at the guards—especially the creepier guards who, as men, had chosen to work at a women's prison for their own perverted tastes. It was a chance for revenge that they were more than happy to receive.

On the side of the prisoners, a being appeared. A woman in a haggard dress who didn't fit in, but was powerful. She was there to lead them in the revolt, and her goal was to kill a similar figure on the guards' side. Simultaneously, the zombies were innumerable and had tens of variants—even a few leader types.

Carmen didn't give a flying fuck about the whole revolt scenario. On the very first day, she dove into some of the narrow hallways and began picking off zombies one by one. She had chosen Heavy Warrior but quickly found that she didn't like swinging around a weapon. Her fists were back, after all, so she threw the stupid axe she had picked to the side.

She began killing the zombies day in and day out. She got further and further in, killed stronger and stronger enemies, and just had a swell time. She entered something called a dungeon with zombie-beasts of some kind and a big wolf at the end. She killed all of those, too, although it had been pretty hard, and she did get half her body bitten off at one point. Thank fuck for self-healing.

In the end, she cleared three of those dungeons total. Met some weird woman who called herself a god, who she bluntly told to fuck right off, as her arrogant demeanor reminded her way too much of her stuck-up aunt. Then she met a second one, a bloke who was actually quite lovely and ended up giving her a blessing or something. Good shit, as it increased her Strength even further.

Now, on the final day, in the final hour, she stood in the hall where it all began. The prison guards versus prisoners scenario had ended in slaughter to the surprise of absolutely no one. The two powerful characters who had wanted to kill each other both died in the battle, taking each other out and leaving only a few human survivors.

She herself knew that those two entities weren’t the real final bosses—it was some other monster her quest had hinted at after she killed the wolf in the dungeon.

The prison guards won the scenario. The only remaining survivors on the guard side were the warden and a dozen or so of his crew of creepy fuckers. Of the prisoners, she saw nine of them—some of the prettier ones lay naked on the ground, defiled and dead, all of them clearly evolved at level 25 in their race.

The warden had taunted her about how he had won. How he was going to become a lord in the new world.

"Oh, Carmen, you were always a tough one to deal with. But I promise you that if you are obedient and become my woman, I won—"

That day she found out that her fists crushed skulls far more efficiently now.

She then found herself in a white room once more with the little dude who told her stuff. She was praised, which was nice, and given access to a store. She had earned quite a few points—gotten just over six hundred million after all the math, netting her a title and quite a lot of points to spend. She even got points from some Lord title she hadn’t noticed before? But the juicy one was what she got from her performance.

[Rising Star of the 93rd Universe] - As the curtains fall, some stand ahead of others. You have shown yourself to be a promising new initiate of your universe. But beware, for the road is long, and even the talented can fall due to a single misstep. +10 all stats, +5% all stats.

That one felt good. She quickly bought some skills, as she didn’t really need equipment, and prepared to return to Earth.

She had a… reunion with her dear family to attend.

Chapter 54

Intermission 4 - Noboru Miyamoto

Laying on his bed, the old man opened his eyes ever so slightly—an action that clearly required a lot of energy from him, as he closed them once more soon after. He was still alive, but he knew that he would soon join his wife.

The passage of time had no mercy as it continued its march. His wrinkles were only getting deeper, and his old bones weaker by the day. It had been months since he had left his bed, and any action was hard now. But such is death.

Throughout his life, he had never believed that he would one day die in a bed. He had lived an exciting life and had few regrets, if any at all.

Opening his eyes once more, he stared at the flowers at his bedside. A slight smile crept to his lips as he remembered his wonderful great-grandchild that had brought them earlier that day… or was it yesterday? He didn’t remember. His memory wasn’t what it used to be.

One hundred and seven years. That was how long the man had lived. Two world wars, one where he fought for his country until the two bombs fell. A war where they had been on the wrong side of history. Yet he didn’t regret fighting, for he had done so for honor back then. It was what his family had expected, even if he had been an already-aging man back then.

Afterward, he rose to be the head of the family, sired five great children, and grew the company several times. He had built upon a legacy of centuries, and standing on the shoulders of giants, he had earned his place. The next generation was ready, and his name would be remembered.

He was Noboru Miyamoto, head of the Noboru family, chairman of the Noboru Group, as well as holder of so many other titles he had been given throughout the years. He had done as his ancestors hoped, and he had excelled. He had done all for his family and had very few vanities for himself. He did have one, however.

On the wall hung an old Japanese sword, one inherited in the family all the way back to when shoguns still ruled the land. Their family had once been known as honorable warriors, and while his family had now mostly shied away from the arts of combat, he had chosen to honor that tradition.

He had reached the highest honors in kendo, won national championships, and had, in his youth, been hailed as one of the greatest geniuses ever. His father hadn’t approved for a long time, as he preferred for his son to learn valuable business skills instead, but due to his excellent results, he still brought honor to his family, so it was allowed.

Now it was only his vanity. Not that he had been able to pick up a sword for more than a year. But before that, he’d practiced every chance he got. He hadn’t been in the professional sphere for more than half a century, but before a few years ago, he hadn’t missed a single day of training. It was his own personal way of meditating.

Miyamoto was a proud man. He was proud of all he had done, all he had accomplished. He blinked, or believed he did so, but he must have fallen asleep for a moment. Before him, he saw his family. All of them.

Tens of people had gathered in the room, and the doctor stood at his side. Most of the women had tears in their eyes, while the men stoically held back their grief. Tears would flow only when alone. Miyamoto heard the doctor say some things, and despite him not quite hearing what he said, he knew what it was. His time had come.

Smiling, he tried to lift his feeble hand, but failed as he had no strength left. But it was okay. He looked them in the eyes—especially his grandson, a middle-aged man of strong stature. His successor. They all understood his sentiment.

I leave it all to you.

Closing his eyes for what should have been the last time, he heard a loud “ding.” A sound that appeared not to be a sound, but instead rang out within his very mind. And then it all turned white.

The old man found himself standing in a completely white room. Standing. On his two legs that hadn’t been able to carry his weight for nearly a year, and not without a cane for a decade. Yet now he stood steadily. His body was no longer numb from medicine. He was alive.

Is this the realm of reincarnation? he asked himself—a question that was soon answered as he saw a weird humanoid creature that began explaining his circumstances. Explaining the multiverse, levels, and all kinds of concepts Miyamoto could most easily compare to those concepts in the phone-games he saw his great-grandchildren play around with.

And that was how Noboru Miyamoto entered the system on the day he should have died. That day had been more than two months ago, as the tutorial was now very soon over.

In the pouring rain stood a single man wearing a dark blue robe and swinging his sword, clashing with another before him—a man not of flesh and bone, but stone and soil. Yet he moved like a man and swung his halberd with agility and great finesse.

But the warrior in blue moved with even more grace as he dodged, his footwork impeccable, every swing of his sword carrying deadly intent. The rain appeared to move as he did, dancing with his steps, marveling at his skill and demeanor.

The warrior of stone was stronger, faster, but the one in blue was more skilled. It was an even fight, with skills being exchanged left and right.

Around them stood many other fighters, now only staring at the duel. On one side, men of stone; on the other, humans. A commander of the Terracotta Army was facing off against a new initiate to the system.

The fight had been going on for only a few minutes, and they both knew there were only mere minutes left of the tutorial as a whole. Yet neither showed any impatience as they fought, both knowing that a single misstep would mean defeat and death.

On the humans’ side stood a gathering of people in similar robes to the warrior in blue. They all had nervous looks on their faces yet didn’t dare to step forward. Their patriarch had chosen this duel, and they would respect it.

Clashing with their weapons, both warriors fell back as the timer now reached only a minute. Both looked at each other, the eyes of stone meeting the eyes of the human across from it. Their next clash would be the last, and the one to determine the victor. Neither were willing to let the battle end as a tie.

The Terracotta commander got down in a stance as energy swirled around him, and the air crackled. As if a tempest kicked up around him, power swirled chaotically. On the other side, the warrior in blue bent his knees as he prepared his blade, his face serene.

Miyamoto, the warrior in blue, smiled slightly to himself as he prepared his attack. The rain upon his skin soothed his soul as he watched his opponent grow stronger with every passing moment. A direct clash would be unwise, but his honor didn’t allow him to dodge.

His face was still wrinkled and old, his limbs thin and his hair white. He looked like a man with one foot in the grave, but his demeanor and straight back told otherwise. He was filled with life and power, more than ever before despite his decrepit appearance.

Looking at the rain, he felt inspired once more—far from the first time during these last few months. He had always believed the world to be more than what was, for things to exist that man was never meant to touch upon. But after the system, he was no longer a man, and those laws were now his to reach towards.

Pouring his enlightenment into his blade and his actions, he sprang forth, his opponent doing the same. He didn’t move according to a plan but simply followed the way of the rain.

They clashed, but no explosion or shockwave was felt as the observers expected. Instead, it all just silently ended as the blade slid through the air, calm as the light drizzle around them. It didn’t stop when it hit the halberd but kept cutting, passing through the Commander like he too was only made of water.

The Commander fell now in two, the warrior in blue smiling and sheathing his sword as he looked towards the sky. His last sight was the rain as he heard the kill’s notifications.

*You have slain [Terracotta Army Commander – lvl 99] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level. 1,000,000 TP earned*

As the fourth and strongest Army Commander fell, only the General remained. He stood on the other side and nodded in recognition towards the warrior in blue. As a D-grade, he would be able to end the warrior instantly if he stepped in. But it was not time. He would prefer to face the warrior back on the planet known as Earth.

The tutorial ended, and Miyamoto found himself in the white room once more.

After all the calculations, he had ended up with barely one billion points, a big contributor to that being his Legendary Prodigy title. A title the old man found a bit… unfitting with his age. But perhaps due to his many titles or his solo-killing of the strongest Commander, he was awarded a title.

[True Standout of the 93rd Universe] - As the curtains fall, some prove themselves True Standouts. You have shown yourself to be a very promising new initiate of your universe. But beware, for the road is long, and even the talented can fall due to a single misstep. +15 all stats, +10% all stats.

With that, the tutorial ended, and he and his family would return to Earth. Reunite with the clan, and work to reunite their country. Establish themselves as the most powerful faction of the new world.

With their patriarch—the Sword Saint—at the helm, they would prove themselves supreme.

Chapter 55

Intermission 5 - Eron

Life is beautiful.

To see the life of others flourish, perhaps even more so. To see the hope and happiness that new life brings into the world, and how that spark of life would only grow with the years.

At the same time, the deterioration of life is perhaps the most tragic thing. To see age slowly neuter that spark, or to see sickness or injury slowly sap away at its splendor.

Eron had always loved life. Not as a broad thing, but just the mere existence of it. From an early age, it had intrigued him. He remembered rushing home from school every single day, not to play or be with friends, but to sit and stare at a bird’s nest he could see from his second-floor window.

Eggs had been laid in it—five of them. The child loved seeing them grow day after day, and he loved seeing their parents’ attentiveness as they took care of them, making sure that the small sparks of life wouldn’t be extinguished.

When they were born, their spark only grew. Eron observed the birds every single day, until one day when they were no longer there. He went crying to his parents and was told by his father that someday the bird has to leave its nest, and that it was now its own bird. Its own independent spark of life traveling around. That it was time for it to form its own family soon and spread the wonderful gift of life.

He had even seen his own spark. It was beautiful, like all the others. He remembered staring at it in the mirror for hours before his mother came to get him.

Through growing up, he continued being fascinated with life. He would help animals he found to reignite their fading sparks, or he would look sadly on as the neighbor’s dog began to have its spark fade. Even as a child, he began to understand that some sparks could never reignite. They had simply burnt out, and it was their time. The dog died shortly after of old age.

In his teenage years, he was always a bit of an isolated child. He was perhaps always a bit of an oddball, as he just liked to watch more than participate. But that all began to change one day when he went to the bookstore with his father and found a book on physiology and medicine.

He was fascinated, to say the least. The prospects of being someone whose sole existence was to preserve life and keep the spark healthy… it became his dream. A dream he would pursue to great success.

After that, he began studying to reach his goal. With the singlemindedness he had used to observe the birds, he dove into the books. He managed to get to the top of his class and enter a prestigious university. There he once more managed to prove excellent.

It was joked about that Eron could see if a person was sick just by looking at them, which Eron never found particularly funny. Because he could. A fact he had learned very early on in his life, and he knew only he could see those small sparks—a secret he had come to hide. It was his gift, one he would not waste.

Graduating, he became a fully-fledged doctor—a title he swiftly advanced to as he was named head surgeon. With his talent and persistence, he could, without a doubt, have advanced further, but he chose not to. His creed was to save and preserve life, and further advancements would mean having to waste time in meetings and administration—something he adamantly refused to do.

He had become addicted to the feeling of nurturing those sparks. To have a patient enter with only a small flicker remaining, only for him to make it flare to life once more. He never needed the advanced instruments of others to see the patients’ conditions. The spark was enough.

Losing a patient, on the other hand, was the worst feeling. To desperately try and nurture the spark, only for it to lose its glow anyway. He knew once the spark completely disappeared, there was no way back—no resuscitation possible, no hope for life to return. This was the saddest feeling he could imagine, and the first few deaths took their toll.

He also purposefully avoided some places. The ward with the terminal patients, he took a long road to avoid. The same was true for care centers and homes for the elderly. He hated seeing their sparks.

They were weak. A type of weakness Eron knew he couldn’t fix. It was the type that meant death was imminent, that caused the spark to die slowly.

Perhaps even worse was knowing when it would die. Eron’s experiences had taught him that. Like with the dog, he could tell. And who wants to know that they’re going to die within the week?

Why was he cursed with the knowledge that the older woman he saw in the grocery store had only a few weeks left? Or that his very own father’s cancer wasn’t as benign as they all hoped? He knew he couldn’t share any of it. Who would believe him? And if they did, would they blame him for the deaths?

Eron thought of this “gift” of his many times. What it was, or why he had it. When he was younger, he wondered if he was the protagonist of some hero’s tale? Did perhaps everyone have powers they chose to hide? Or was there something wrong with him?

He finally got his answer when the system came.

A Bloodline. A word Eron would not have used to describe it, but a concept he quickly comprehended. He indeed was special. He had a blessing few had, one now officially recognized by the system in this new world.

The Bloodline ability was simple: it allowed Eron to “see” vital energy. To understand it. And soon, as he came to learn, to far more easily control it. When the choice of class was presented, he didn’t hesitate a second before picking healer.

A chance to help nurture more sparks was too good to pass up. And the thought of instead extinguishing those sparks disgusted him on a fundamental level.

After that, he found himself thrown into a new world. A city of some kind, but the architecture was not like anything he had seen before. It was vaguely human, but everything was just… bigger. Doors were all roughly twice as big, and the same went for windows and houses in general. The streets were broader than most two-lane highways.

There was a distinct lack of any auxiliary items, though. No furniture was found, just huge, hollow houses and empty streets.

With him was a vast array of other humans. Many he recognized from the hospital, patients and employees both. Most surprising, however, was the man he found himself right next to. The man he was just about to operate on—a man a single step away from death moments before, now fully healed.

It was done through means above his wildest imaginations. What’s more, everyone’s sparks were shining brighter than ever before. It was wonderful.

They all knew this area was meant to be a tutorial. But what it was supposed to test, nobody knew. First, they all grouped up, a crowd of around forty people, and went to one of the nearby houses to gather their thoughts. The tutorial called it “survival” but provided little more information than that.

After exchanging greetings and introductions, they began to think of basic necessities. None of them had anything but the clothes on their backs, a satchel of potions, and their starting equipment.

All was well… until nightfall.

Creatures came. Out of the dark corners of every street, of every abandoned building. Small things with sharp claws and maws full of teeth.

The people responded as one would expect: panic, confusion, and finally cohesion born of a will to survive. They fought and, in the end, won against the monsters. But they lost eight people…. eight lights snuffed out forever. A heart-wrenching moment for all of them, perhaps, but Eron felt it even more so.

Eron hated himself for that first night. He had been weak. He had been cowardly. He could have healed more, done more… he could have saved them. But he’d frozen as he saw the creatures, because they also carried sparks of life within them. Some which burned more brightly, and some less so. Who was he to be the arbiter of their death?

It was a wake-up call for all of them. Eron began immersing himself in his new powers of healing as he healed the injured after the fight. Despite what one may believe of a hospital, few had chosen to be a healer. Most had gone with one of the warrior options, a few with archer, and a lot with the caster. Of their group of forty, they only had two healers—one of which died in the attack, leaving him as the only one. But he did notice that they lacked a lot of hospital employees too… Had they been brought to another tutorial? Were the number of healers low on purpose?

When he practiced the healing spells, he found that they were… inefficient. They didn’t nurture the spark as well as they should. Whenever he healed someone, he could see the energy that was called mana transform as it got channeled through his skill, converted into the vital energy that made up the sparks.

Practicing with the skill, he quickly improved drastically. He learned to subtly control the vital energy as he healed people. It was wonderful for him to see his touch directly restoring the sparks.

That day he got quite a few levels, and his skill even upgraded two times, becoming a rare skill. He also got a new rare skill upon reaching level 5. It was all fascinating.

The days ticked by, and a routine was formed. The days were quiet for the most part, with only other humans really offering issues. They discovered that food did exist, but it was a bit hard to come by. Water was even worse, as only a single pond was found, and it was often guarded by strong lizards covered in spikes.

At night the dark creatures would appear and attack them. And every night, they got stronger. Luckily, or perhaps by design, so did the survivors. They fought them off time and time again, and soon it was barely an issue for their group to defeat them.

That is, until the tenth day. This time was different, as a larger, bulky version of the creatures appeared. It was larger and stronger than all those prior. That night they lost four more before the creature fell. It was also the day Eron began to form a new idea.

Something… happened whenever someone’s spark was snuffed out. For a few moments after their death, it was still there, like the smoke remaining after a matchstick is extinguished. And like that smoke, perhaps a new flame could reignite the spark.

A few days later, another person died. Their group had expanded at this point, as the danger posed by the larger creatures had made the humans realize they had to band together. This naturally also meant that the amount of attacking creatures increased. The one who died this time was a young woman who had yet to even reach level 10.

Eron had already discovered at this point that he could heal people without them being alive. He could still heal their physical body. It was actually quite simple, as all he had to do was guide the vital energies through their bodies while also applying his extensive medical knowledge and knowledge of human anatomy.

To do this had become a common practice after he had first done it. On the one hand, it offered those who cared about the victim a complete corpse and the chance for a proper burial. From a more pragmatic standpoint, it allowed Eron to level more, making further healing more effective.

This also, in turn, offered him a chance to experiment with his newfound idea. An idea that failed again and again. No matter what he did, he couldn’t quite reignite the spark. A final step eluded him time and time again. It was frustrating, but the constant pressure from the nightly attacks and other human conflicts didn’t offer him much peace to ponder on it.

Days went by quickly with this, until the twentieth day. This time the difficulty spiked once more. The creatures were more numerous, and yet again, a new type emerged—this one a dark, spiked creature that could even use magic. Its level also marked a new threshold: 25.

That day more than twenty people died. Eron had reached level 24 during the battle and was on the verge of advancing himself. He hadn’t bothered much with his profession, which he had unlocked during the slight downtime he had, so his race level was still low.

With the many new corpses, Eron began their restoration and his secret experiment. One that failed time after time, until finally he discovered the issue on the seventeenth corpse. What his healing lacked wasn’t the power of Vitality. It was a direction—intent.

He needed not just to revive the “life” of someone, but their spirit too. He tried this on the seventeenth, and for but a brief moment, he managed to bring him back, but soon after, the spark just snuffed out again. Whatever was meant to keep the spark lit was gone.

New intent was needed. A new “guide,” if you may. Eron saw no other alternative than his own vital energy to do this. For the first time, he didn’t only pour mana into the healing spell, but his very own life force as well. This time the spark was reignited without burning out. At the very same moment, he reached level 25 and got a class evolution.

On the twentieth day, he was reborn. He met a god and successfully resurrected a person.

On the final day of the tutorial, he stood in the middle of the large road, not far from where he had first appeared. A white robe covered his body as he gazed at the many people following him. Men and women who all stood by him, eyes glazed over.

His resurrection was a success... for the body. It turned out the soul was a bit harder to return than that. In the end, only the body lived, its stats intact, sometimes perhaps even a single skill still functioning. But all intelligence and personality were gone—they were but living corpses, their souls lost.

But to Eron, that was okay. Because their sparks now burned more brightly than ever before. All in the same beautiful color as the one he’d seen in the mirror all those years ago.

Chapter 56

The Blue Marble

The sun hung above as it shone upon the serene lake. The sky was blue, inviting everyone to bask in the warmth outside and enjoy the weather. Everything appeared utterly ordinary at first glance. Until it wasn’t.

The surface of the lake erupted as a giant maw emerged. In the mouth of the enormous fish was a several-meters-long insect that had been invisibly surfing along the surface of the water only moments earlier.

The fish looked like a giant bass. Its teeth were far more prolonged and sharper than expected, and the sheen from their sharpness only amplified by the glittering droplets of water. Despite its size and jaw-strength, it failed to shut its maw tight.

Four powerful legs of what had been a small water strider before the system held it open. At the same time it opened its tiny mouth and let out a blast of water straight down into the mouth of the beast that had tried to eat it. In a turn of events where the hunter became the hunted, the fish was bisected into two pieces by a water cutter.

Blood flew everywhere as the beast died from the powerful attack, unable even to comprehend its demise. The victory of the strider was short-lived, however.

From above dove the figure of a giant bird, and before the strider could reconnect with the water and make its escape, it was caught in two powerful talons that crushed its feeble head.

The giant hawk beat its wings as it flew off with its dead prey still clutched below it. The serene lake that was now filled with blood reflected in its eyes, the sun above uncaring.

Earth had become a battlefield. A battlefield the humans would now rejoin. Once more, they would strive to be at the top of the food chain.

What had once been a great city was now but a shell of its former self. The massive monoliths of glass that had marked the prowess of human engineering now lay shattered on the ground, the structures toppled to the ground or ripped apart from the inside out.

Nature had not been kind to human civilization. It had reclaimed most of what had formerly been taken from it by urban development. Grass now grew in the streets, moss covered the buildings that still stood, and one could even see trees that had grown to full size in mere weeks.

This day there was a significant change. Scattered around the city, humans appeared. All at once, the city that had been populated by nearly a million people was now inhabited once more.

Of the million people, around eight or nine hundred thousand had returned—a phenomenon that was not just in this city, but the entire world. The tutorials’ survival rate of eighty-six percent would surprise most, some for how low it was and some for how high.

Inside what had once been the lobby of a big office building, a cluster of humans appeared. The many-storied juggernaut was now reduced to only its ground floor. Among those who appeared stood a man with long blonde hair in a white robe, together with a stoic armored man by his side.

Jacob looked around to get a feeling for his surroundings. He instantly noticed many familiar faces in the crowd. Familiar, yet foreign. Only a bit over two months had passed, but he could see the changes on everyone’s faces.

His Lighthouse of the Holy Mother allowed him to soak in the emotions of all those around him. He felt mainly trepidation mixed in with a bit of relief. It was no surprise that many were happy that the nightmare of the tutorial was over.

The emotions were many and varied. But one stood out more than any of the others. Stood out in that Jacob couldn’t feel anything at all.

A solitary figure stood covered in the brown cloak given to archers. Beneath it, one could see the black leather armor, and beneath him two shoddy-looking boots. Jacob couldn’t even look at his face, as a mask now covered it. Yet he didn’t fail to recognize his old employee. Jake.

Soon the silence was broken as people began talking. Some were simply looking for comfort, others asking about their loved ones. Not everyone had entered the tutorial with those closest to them—far from it. A few even saw Jacob and turned to him for direction. And direction he would give them.

"Everyone, please calm down!" he yelled out, amplified by one of two remnant skills from his time as a warrior: Amplify Voice. A weak common-rarity skill, but it was more than enough to have the focus of the room switch to him. He even felt two powerful eyes from behind a mask pierce into him. He shuddered slightly inwardly but appeared unfazed outwardly.

"Jacob, is that you?" someone asked. Looking at him, Jacob saw it was Mike. Joanna’s husband.

"It is good to see you made it, Mike. I—"

"Were you in the tutorial with my wife? What about everyone else in the elevator with us back then?" Mike interrupted frantically. The anxiousness was clear on his face.

"I am sorry. Our tutorial was… a mess," Jacob answered, loud enough for everyone around to hear. The focus was now solely on him. "We had bad actors. They moved to conquer or simply kill everyone. In the end, they succeeded. Even I lost my life and only managed to save myself and Bertram with the help of a benevolent god. By the time I died, only two others remained."

"Joanna… is…" Mike stammered out as tears began gathering in his eyes.

"I truly am sorry. It was a true nightmare," Jacob tried to console him. "But I managed to help her in the end. She died with only the regret that she couldn’t rejoin you and her children here on Earth. Just know that she truly is in a better place now… not in a figurative way either. In the future, I swear you will be able to speak with her again."

"Who or what killed her?" Mike asked, not caring much about the last part of what Jacob said.

"Her death was caused by a maniac called William. He sought to slaughter everyone for his own gains.” He glanced at Jake. "An endeavor he failed in. I reckon you ended him, Jake?"

Everyone turned their gazes to the masked figure, many only truly noticing him now. Even with everyone wearing widely differing outfits of questionable taste, Jake still stood out. His mask was making him more than a little conspicuous.

Jake looked up at Jacob, promptly answering him. "Yeah, but another god interfered and ended up saving him in the end."

"So he still lives…" Jacob muttered. Turning his gaze away from Jake, he said, "Everyone, please listen to me when I say we aren’t safe even here. Earth has changed and is, in many ways, even more dangerous than the tutorials. We must stick together if we wish to make it."

"What the fuck are you on about?" someone yelled at the back. Someone who hadn’t known Jacob before the tutorials.

Jacob wasn’t offended but answered honestly. "While we struggled in the tutorials, all that was not human struggled on Earth. To underestimate any being after the system is foolish. Additionally, the trials of the tutorials are not over. We will…"

Jacob went on to explain details of the system and what he had learned while with the Holy Church.

Slowly Jacob began to win people over. His class and skills were surely not hurting his cause either. It affected everyone in the broken-down lobby except for Jake.

Their willingness to follow him had naturally only been strengthened by the harsh circumstances. Many felt lost and without purpose. They were afraid of the future, not sure what to do. For someone to stand up and give them direction was exactly what many needed.

Winning over a few, the group-thinking quickly took over. In the end, everyone simply followed when Jacob began leading them out of the broken building and onto the street.

* * *

Jake had decided to stick around a bit at the back alone, as he had gotten a prompt upon his return, making him aware he wasn’t that pressed for time. The information Jacob gave out was the same Jake had been told about by the Viper earlier. A few details differed, but nothing of consequence.

Another reason he had chosen to not leave right away was due to that quick exchange of looks with Jacob. He tried to search Jacob’s eyes for any emotions… but found that his gaze was the same as before the tutorial, if a bit warier. He was relieved that he didn’t appear to blame him for what had happened.

However, it appeared it wasn’t like that for everyone, as soon, he was joined by Mike.

"Why are you wearing that stupid mask?" he asked. It seemed that he found it disrespectful for Jake to hide beneath a mask.

The question annoyed Jake more than it should have. That mask was the proof of his victory over the King of the Forest. Evidence of him beating the tutorial. Instead of giving a proper answer, he snapped back at him, "Why are you so pathetically weak?"

Jake had done a quick round of Identify while half-listening to Jacob’s speech, trying to get a feeling for the average levels. And it was… disappointing. Incredibly so.

While the levels varied, the average was only around 14 or 15. Everyone had reached level 10, but many had only just done so. Jake could barely comprehend how that was even possible. Jacob had naturally been the second-highest person except for himself, a fact that clearly gave him a lot of credibility for those able to Identify him.

"What the fuck did you just say to me?" Mike said, puffing up. He was a tall man, more than half a head taller than Jake. His muscles were far more prominent than Jake’s. But he was truly weak—only level 16. Jake wasn’t even sure if he had upgraded his class yet.

"I said you're weak,” Jake snapped back. He was annoyed. Not just at Mike, but everyone. “Your equipment is shit; your level is shit. What the fuck did you expect to accomplish after lazing about in the tutorial for two months?"

What the fuck had they been doing? He understood that not everyone was fit for fighting, but what about professions? And even if they weren’t fighters, they should at least learn to protect themselves.

His comment had clearly gotten the attention of more than just Mike, as many turned towards him. Their gazes were less than gentle as he felt several people try and Identify him. Useless attempts, as there was no way a bunch of F and the rare E-grade humans could pierce through the Shroud of the Primordial.

"What the fuck do you know, you little whelp?" Mike yelled, his face red. "I went to hell and back, you cocksucker. Watch your goddamn mouth, or I’ll shut it for you."

"You are free to try," Jake said, staring into the eyes of the man.

Mike turned pale as no doubt a shiver ran down his spine. But instead of listening to his instincts, he exacerbated the situation. Perhaps his own fear only made him angrier; his sorrow from learning about the death of his wife redirected straight at Jake.

So he threw a punch.

It never landed.

Jake caught it easily. Its speed was pathetic, in his eyes. The strength behind it was negligible. He caught it and pressed down on the fist in his hand. He felt it squash like a rotten apple as Mike screamed out in pain.

If their conflict didn’t have everyone’s attention before, they sure had all eyes on them now. Jacob had been watching it from the beginning without interfering—a decision he now regretted, as the situation had resulted in blood being spilled.

Several yells sounded out as people reacted. Some drew their weapons; others prepared themselves to cast magic. In a split second, the situation had turned from just an interesting squabble to a possible fight.

"Please, everyone!" Jacob yelled out, all his skills on full display as he tried to calm the agitated crowd. It had some effect, as everyone just seemed to have frozen. The only ones still moving were Mike, who held his bloody hand, and Jake, who stood indifferently staring down at the now kneeling man.

"This is a waste of time," Jake said after a bit. Taking out a healing potion from his spatial storage, he put it down on the floor in front of Mike and turned to leave. He just wanted to get out of the situation he had found himself in.

"Jake, can I have just two seconds of your time?" Jacob quickly asked as he read the archer’s intent to leave.

He really didn’t want to, but Jake nevertheless agreed. "Fine."

Walking towards Jacob, people just moved out of the way. Jake could feel the looks of fear in the eyes of his former colleagues. The wariness and unwillingness to engage him. Many of the eyes belonged to people who had looked down on him or felt utterly indifferent towards him only a few months ago. In a way, it was oddly satisfying.

Jacob took Jake a bit away from the others to talk. It likely didn’t help, as everyone had amplified hearing with increased stats, making it more of a gesture more than anything else. Nevertheless, Jake appreciated having more space around them.

"You have grown strong," was the first thing he said, a slight smile on his lips. He didn’t appear to care much for the still-crying man in the background who had yet to drink the potion.

* * *

In actuality, Jacob was just happy Jake hadn’t killed Mike. He had been afraid of that happening. His skills for reading people didn’t work on Jake, and the last time he saw him, he had led him into an ambush. Both men had feared the other blamed them for all the shit that had happened.

"Yeah," Jake simply said.

"You are leaving, right?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah… I don’t really fit here," Jake said, sighing—a statement Jacob couldn’t really dispute.

"Just… take care, man. That tutorial was a shithole and… I’m sorry about everything I did. I am happy to hear that you managed to beat it in the end. We all need to create our own place in this new world—our new homes. I don’t know what your plans are, but I hope you find what you are looking for." Jacob smiled. "I fucked up in the tutorial, big time… I nearly got you killed because of how much of an idiot I was… I hope that you forgive me, but I understand if you won’t. Just know that I will always consider you a friend, even if you don’t consider me one."

Jacob knew the Holy Mother and Grand Master had both made it pretty clear that he should be cautious and distance himself from Jake, but that didn’t mean Jacob was going to. Jake was his friend, and not even the mightiest god could change that. Their friendship was between him and Jake, and no one else.

"I…" Jake began, but wasn’t sure what to say. Jake really hadn’t changed much at all despite everything. He had always had a hard time with words, so instead, he decided just to act. "Here, take these. Healers are still a rarity, I assume, so these should come in handy."

Nearly a hundred healing, stamina, and mana potions appeared as he took them out of his spatial storage. Jacob stared at them, unsure what to do for a moment.

While Jake probably felt it was just a nice gesture, it was something entirely else for Jacob and those with sharper eyes who observed them. They saw Jake hand him a huge satchel filled with potions. They all remembered those bottles and the miraculous benefits they carried. All remembered how they had saved their lives.

And now Jake had gifted them so many. Nobody knew where he’d gotten them from and frankly didn’t care. Jacob and Bertram were the only ones who knew that Jake had likely created them himself. Both of them had become privy to information not many others had, including knowledge of different professions. Alchemy was naturally one of them.

"I am sure these will come in handy," Jacob replied as he took the satchel. He also couldn’t ignore the fact that Jake had summoned it all out of thin air, meaning he either had a pocket storage skill or perhaps even a spatial storage item. He is truly different from the rest of us, he thought.

"Here, take this in return," Jacob said as he handed Jake a small book. "I spent the last few weeks reading… I took down some notes that I hope may come in handy. It isn’t much, but I truly don’t have anything else of value to offer."

"Thanks," Jake said, depositing the small book in his spatial storage. "I’m off."

* * *

Jake felt a bit better after offloading some potions. Most of them were his older creations, but a few newer ones were also mixed in. Jake didn’t need them, and it felt good to offload them. His only regret was losing the bottles, as those could be reused. But such a complaint was too petty even to consider

He began walking towards the exit as a roar shook the building. Everyone looked around, terrified, until the source became apparent.

With a crash, one of the walls in the far back end was smashed through. Jake looked back and saw a huge lizard the size of a minivan. He didn’t feel any sense of danger from it, and a quick identification only confirmed its weakness.

[Rockeater Saurolisk – lvl 51]

Of course, the reactions from the others in the room were vastly different. The only other person who could Identify its level was Jacob, meaning all people saw were two question marks—the type of enemy that, in tutorials, always meant casualties.

The lizard looked the room over, ignoring all the weak humans completely until its eyes finally landed on the only one with a level high enough to make him worth hunting—Jacob. Before the beast even did anything, it froze in place. Its eyes widened with fear as it found itself unable to move. A gaze had locked onto it—that of an Apex Predator, or, more accurately, an Apex Hunter.

Less than a second later, its head exploded as an arrow pierced through the room. The poor lizard was dead before it could even recognize how much it had fucked up by barging into that particular building, or that the human it couldn’t even recognize the strength of was indeed far above its own.

"Stupid lizard," Jake muttered as he walked out of the building. Everyone was just staring after him as he disappeared from sight.

* * *

Jacob, finding himself left to pick up the pieces of the situation that had just happened, made the gawking populace focus on himself once more.

"We must leave this place. Find somewhere safe. Or at least safer. Find others to make a group big and strong enough to defend ourselves. Then—"

"Why did you let that guy go? Shouldn’t he just protect us?" someone yelled out.

Jacob looked at the person, trying to hide his genuine annoyance. "His path is not ours, and none of you have any right to judge him. He has his own challenges and issues to deal with. Rather than just expecting someone to, you should instead think about how you can make someone want to protect you. We have nothing to offer someone on his level. Not yet, at least.

"Now, let us set out. Set out and create our new haven in this new world."

A bit away from the office building, a single man stood, having retreated the moment he appeared and before anyone had even noticed him. He stood on top of the building, looking down at them all exiting the old lobby. He saw the lizard get killed instantly.

He smiled as he noticed the one who’d done it. Jake had been the first to teach him anything about combat in this new world, and had been a friend long before the tutorial.

Casper saw the masked figure that was walking off turn his head towards him. They locked eyes, one with hollow black eyes and the other a piercing yellow gaze.

They didn’t need any words as they nodded at each other. Jake smiled beneath his mask and Casper chuckled a bit to himself. Both hated social interactions, and everything that needed to be said was communicated through that nod.

Casper looked towards the horizon as he set off, the emblem he had been given already making him aware of the closest meeting spot.

Take care, mate, and let’s meet again.

Chapter 57

One Step Mile

The once great city that Jake had called home for the last few years was nearly unrecognizable. The grand buildings were broken and in tatters, the streets dominated by the reclamation of mother nature.

Jake simply walked down the street at an average pace. Grass and weeds, not asphalt, were beneath his feet. On the way, he saw several other groups of humans. Some tried to approach him, some observed him warily, and some hid and believed their gazes undetected.

For those who tried to talk, a quick glance was usually enough for them to leave him be. Their inability to Identify him, without a doubt, also played a role in their decision to avoid him, which was exactly what Jake wanted right now. To be alone.

He was actually quite overwhelmed by the number of people he saw. One often forgets precisely how many people live in big cities. In the end, it got so bad that Jake had to get off the streets. A quick leap using Badger Jump took him up to the roof of a still-standing four-story apartment building. That also earned him quite a few glances.

Jake needed time to think. His mind was a mess, only exacerbated by getting into a conflict first thing upon returning to Earth. He couldn’t even blame Mike. He, too, hurt just as much as Jake, and lashing out was to be expected. They were both assholes—Jake appropriately more so, as he had hurt the man for no good reason.

Looking towards the pretty blue sky, he thought of his next steps. What he usually did whenever he felt overwhelmed by something was drown himself in work or studying, an approach he decided to replicate once again.

He wanted to find somewhere to settle down for a while. To do alchemy and practice and familiarize himself with all his upgraded and new skills. Without any clear direction, he, in the end, settled on just following the advice of the Malefic Viper: to find the territory that the King of the Forest was supposed to occupy.

Glancing about, he located the tallest building still standing. It even still had the radio tower on top.

A quick climb later, mainly consisting of him just penetrating stone with his fingers while climbing, he found himself on top of the tower. From there, he had quite the vantage point and could see the city in all of its decrepit glory.

But more importantly, he could see beyond it. And what he saw wasn’t what he expected. The city itself was as he remembered it, save for the destruction, but what lay beyond certainly wasn’t.

On one side, he saw a giant lake. Or maybe even an entire ocean. It had to be noted that there hadn’t even been a beach within a hundred miles before. Besides the lake, on all other sides, there were now only vast plains. Looking about, he could actually see where the roads just suddenly cut off. It was like someone had just plopped down landmasses all around.

Only one side looked somewhat normal. Jake could see the highway still continue outwards, and he could see it all looking relatively normal. There were quite a few things that stumped him, though.

He didn’t see a single car anywhere. The radio tower he was on didn’t have any of the electronic components either. He still saw plenty of bicycles scattered about, but no cars, scooters, busses, or anything like that.

Another thing he noticed was the vast distance he could see—his insanely high Perception, coupled with the lack of air pollution, gave him quite the view. However, there was one more thing contributing… the curvature of the Earth. Or more accurately, the lack thereof.

Oh, it was still there. Somewhere. But from where Jake was, it was barely noticeable, if at all. He had to guess that he was a bit more than a hundred meters up currently. And he could easily see hundreds up to perhaps a thousand kilometers away.

In the distance, he even saw a huge mountain range. One that certainly hadn’t been there before. It all did begin to get a bit blurry at that distance, but the fact that he could see them was crazy enough.

Of course, he was looking for something rather specific…

Quest: Claim the Pylon of Civilization

As the rightful owner, you may be the first to claim your Pylon of Civilization. As long as this quest is active, no one else can claim it.

Objective: Claim Pylon of Civilization

Duration: 71:02:21

Remembering his original objective, he kept scouting around until he saw it—a huge forest. Naturally, due to the trees, he couldn’t grasp its size, but it appeared huge at first glance. It was around fifty kilometers outside of the city or so, across a vast, flat plain. His quest also gave him the vague feeling that the Pylon was that way.

Having a target, he jumped down from the building once more. He didn’t bother with the frightened glances as he landed on the ground and began sprinting forward. Right now, he just wanted out of the city and away from civilization.

If the Viper was right, then that Pylon should be worth claiming. The Viper had said that the Nobility: Lord title allowed him to take control of it. Jake didn’t have the faintest interest in creating a city, but chances were there would be some kind of reward associated with taking control of it anyway.

It didn’t take him more than ten minutes to reach the outskirts of the city. On the journey, he was only attacked once. By humans, even. A stupid accident where a bunch of arguing idiots got scared and threw a couple of spells at him.

He just ignored them as they missed, but his sheer speed was clearly enough to deter them and make them run away. The conflict he saw also wasn’t just a one-off.

Many different groups found themselves in conflict, none of which Jake gave a shit about as he ran by. It wasn’t his job to be a mediator. Life would no longer be safe, and laws didn’t really matter anymore. No way he was going to begin playing judge, jury, and executioner towards random people. Oh, but there were three men ganging up on a woman and two kids, so he “accidentally” loosed a Splitting Arrow, blowing off a few legs.

Getting to the plains, he finally felt free. Enemies had been scarce within the city. If you ignored all the humans, that is. Only a few roamed about, most of them weak. On these plains, however, he saw far more action. The first thing he encountered was a group of… cows. Yep, cows.

Identifying some, he discovered that they were all only F-grade.

[Bovine Stomper – lvl 19]

Jake smiled a bit. He didn’t even notice it himself as he realized the silliness of cows being the first true challengers he would meet upon his return to Earth. He didn’t count the stupid lizard.

Not that he had any intention of fighting the things. It would be pointless. None of them would give him any experience worth noting, and from his kill on the lizard, he also saw no replacement for tutorial points. Kills just gave experience, and that was it.

Evading the beasts, he finally came to the open ground: a vast, flat area in front of him with the rare creature here and there. It was the perfect opportunity to try something he had wanted to do ever since getting his tutorial rewards.

Focusing on the skill, he took a step forward. It was like his vision zoomed in, the ground between where he wanted his foot to land and where he was shrunken. The moment his foot landed, he moved the distance.

In a single step, he had traveled more than fifty meters. Not quite the distance promised by the name One Step Mile, but to Jake, it was more than enough for now. It was just straight-up teleportation. In an instant, he had just warped space itself to travel forward.

It was the kind of thing that he found inconceivable despite just doing it himself. He didn’t understand how the skill worked at all behind the scenes. He could feel mana and stamina’s flow for most of his other skills to at least get some grasp on what they did.

It felt like he just took a standard step with One Step Mile, and space itself warped for him. He knew this had to be him somehow manipulating or perhaps being assisted by the concept of space. A type of force or phenomenon he was far from understanding.

It was like how he could bend time with Moment of the Primal Hunter or directly attack the soul with Gaze of the Apex Hunter. He knew how to do it, but not how he did it. In other words, system-stuff. Despite him not currently getting shit, he was nevertheless confident. He had time—time to understand it all.

Looking at his consumption of resources, he was even more pleasantly surprised. It had only taken a trivial amount of stamina to use. Not a single point of mana either. Of course, he needed more tests and experiments, something the fifty or so kilometers to the forest were perfect for.

His travel went rather uneventfully except for the events he caused himself. He had engaged a few beasts to try the skill out in combat. Which was an excellent thing, as it was hard as hell to use. Currently, he had to really focus to use it, which was fine and all when just traveling, but not so much when fighting.

The important part, however, was that it did work in combat, though it was a bit iffy to use.

One thing was that he actually had to take steps in order for it to activate. Raise his leg, focus on where to go, and then put said foot down again. Which, again, was totally not an issue when running or walking, but a bit problematic when fighting.

The first problem with that was having to actually be on the ground, as Jake often jumped and dodged a lot, resulting in him being airborne much of the time. The second problem was that he had to make the stepping motion, which he couldn’t do while crouching. The third being the fact that the step had to be forward and not backward. In other words, he couldn’t backpedal with it.

The last problem he solved rather quickly, though. The skill required him to “see” where he was going. And since he could “see” three hundred sixty degrees around himself with his sphere, he could use that as a guide. Admittedly, it did look quite funny when he effectively moonwalked through space.

To sum it up, the skill was fantastic but hard to use at maximum efficiency. It would take a long time to practice to use it well in combat, but once more, Jake had time. It would be a good distraction while not doing alchemy, at least.

In the end, it only took him a few hours to travel through the plains. Far slower than if he just ran normally, but the practice was worthwhile. It also helped him get a better understanding of the power of enemies on Earth currently.

To his surprise, the stupid lizard was actually quite strong compared to everything else he saw. Most weren’t even level 25 yet, and those that were often led their flock of fellow beasts. He had kind of expected them all to be a lot stronger. It was like he had returned to the outer zone of the tutorial once more.

But thinking on it a bit more, it did make sense in some ways. The other humans he’d met were all pathetically weak. Only Jacob and Bertram were worth mentioning. He’d seen only a handful of other people in the city that had reached level 25 in their race.

It was just him being an outlier. Perhaps it was a good idea to lay low for a while. Besides, he still had one comfort. A bit weird to think of it as a comfort, he confessed internally. He had feared for a second that he couldn’t get any proper challenges. But then he remembered.

The other inner zones, or danger zones—areas led by D-grades and which had many late-stage E-grades within—were just ripe for the taking. Fish in a barrel waiting for him to grow in power and strike. Of course, he didn’t have infinite time… but unless the system planned for all humans on Earth to be wiped out, he should have some time.

And according to the Viper, other places would exist, too, with many D-grades. Jake couldn’t help but imagine what could be found in the deepest oceans, the darkest forests, or the highest mountains.

Shaking his head, he looked into the forest he stood in front of. The trees were tall, and many of them even the same type as had been in the tutorial. Stepping into the forest, he felt like he had returned to the tutorial once more. He even instinctually kept an eye out for hidden lockboxes.

It was nice. Jake heard the chirping of birds and saw them soon after. They were low level, only in the single digits. They looked normal, just like before the system. Which made sense, as they hadn’t had any evolutions yet.

Of course, he recognized they could still likely kill an average pre-system human. The size wasn’t the determining factor for how powerful something is, after all. Just take himself compared to the stupid lizard. It was bigger and stronger-looking, and yet it had died to a single normal arrow in the head.

The birds ignored him as he walked beneath them, perhaps sensing his power or maybe just not interested in fighting. It would explain their low levels. Either way, he was able to walk without any interruptions.

Most beasts got out of his way, seemingly afraid of him as the raptors had been during the tutorial. There were some stupid animals that attacked him anyway, such as a small swarm of wasps that were barely level 10 and some overly ambitious fire-spewing squirrel-thing called a Maki. The wasps died by just looking at them hard with Gaze of the Apex Hunter, while the level 10 squirrel died to a solid kick.

After walking for an hour, he had to say that the forest was indeed huge, far more extensive than the plains he’d been on before. Yet he wasn’t afraid of being unable to locate his target. He could already feel it.

The mana in the air got denser the further he went. But not just denser; it started to become less passive, as if something was influencing it. Every once in a while, he felt the mana change again—not a change of affinity, but more like it became another person’s or beast’s mana for a few moments. But only a very minor, almost unnoticeable part of it. Without the Sagacity of the Malefic Viper skill, he doubted he would even be able to feel it.

Another hour later, and he was close. The level of beasts he encountered was also growing. Before, there were barely any above level 25. Now he was lucky, or perhaps unlucky, to see one below 30. Whatever drew him there clearly also attracted the beasts.

Finally, his sphere picked up an open area ahead. A few seconds later, his vision caught up as he saw what was going on.

Floating in the middle of the small clearing was a transparent crystal. It was about the size of a human being and emanated a powerful aura of mana. Around it lay hundreds of dead beasts, all of varying species. Only one remained alive.

[Savage Mole Lord – lvl 61]

Thought it was a bear. It was huge and bulky, with long, sharp claws. More noticeable, it had Lord in its name. Feeling its aura, Jake also recognized this was the thing that kept influencing the crystal that he assumed was a Pylon of Civilization. It tried to control it but kept failing, likely because the system had “reserved” it for Jake already.

At the same time as Jake saw it, it too saw him. But to his surprise, it didn’t attack him. It just stared at him with its tiny eyes. The moment they made eye contact, it even stumbled back slightly. It was afraid.

But Jake didn’t have any intention of letting it go. It was another Lord that had tried to claim what he felt was rightfully his. He didn’t know if what it did to the Pylon would negatively affect him either, so he moved.

Using One Step Mile, he appeared right before it. Now it no longer hesitated as it attacked him. It was the strongest being he had seen on Earth so far, by quite a margin. It was both fast and strong for its level. Sadly it had met a being that had thrived even more than itself in this new world.

Its claws were stopped dead by a small sword. At the same time, a dagger plunged into its chest, releasing deadly toxins. It tried to fight back, but quickly it was stabbed again until it was smashed to the ground by a blast of pure mana. A final dagger strike dug its way through its skull, ending its life.

Jake dismissed his weapons as he let the mole’s corpse join all the others already lying there. He ignored them all for now as he went to the crystal. He felt its mana as it appeared to beckon him.

Placing his hand on it, he was met with a message.

Congratulations on discovering a Pylon of Civilization! Lord title requirements met. Do you wish to claim this Pylon?

Without thinking about it further, he accepted—a decision he would both rejoice and curse at in the future.

Chapter 58

Pylon of Civilization

You have claimed a Pylon of Civilization.

By controlling the Pylon, you have claimed ownership over the surrounding area. Your aura seeps into the area itself, marking it as your own.

While within your own domain, all mana regeneration is significantly increased. Protect it, expand it, and reclaim the planet that was once yours. May you lead your domain and your world through the new age it has entered.

Bonuses for all citizens within your domain:

Increases all experience earned while within the domain by a minor amount for all non-combat-related activities.

Congratulations! For being the first human to claim a Pylon of Civilization, your nobility title has been upgraded to: [Nobility: Earl]. May you lead your world to glory.

Jake read the messages and very quickly understood why the Viper had wanted him to claim it. He felt his mana drain into the crystal as if it was a piece of equipment. He instantly felt a connection with it. At the same time, the Pylon began giving out a slightly different aura.

It was like when the mole tried to claim it, only it hadn’t been allowed to do it properly. It was rightfully Jake’s, and he was happy he had gotten here rather quickly, as it would suck to lose out on rewards because of his own tardiness. While he’d still had seventy-two hours to claim it before other creatures could, there was a chance someone else could claim a Pylon elsewhere before him.

Looking at the rewards he gained for being first, he nodded in satisfaction. While he couldn’t exactly feel the increased mana regeneration as his mana pool was pretty much full, it would, without a doubt, be nice while grinding alchemy.

The experience gain was even better. As with most other system-related things, it didn’t give Jake an indicator for how much it increased it. Only the word “minor.” For all he knew, it could be 10% or 0.00001%. Though either way, it was a welcome bonus. That it only worked on non-combat-related activities didn’t bother him either. Unless it counted alchemy as combat-related. It shouldn’t, right?

One part he didn’t like was the whole “ruler of your domain” vibe. All he wanted was a nice place to settle down for a while. He still had no intentions whatsoever to found some great city. Also… this was a goddamn forest.

Looking on further, he saw that his Nobility title had indeed been updated.

Titled earned: [Nobility: Earl].

[Nobility: Earl] – A Lord that was the first to claim a Pylon of Civilization on Earth, becoming an Earl. Allows you to control a Pylon of Civilization. Grants access to certain events and opportunities exclusive to nobles. Opens many new paths to power.

It was another thing he didn’t really care that much for currently. Though, in some ways, it was pretty cool to call himself an Earl. It was also an interesting observation that it adopted the British nobility system. Or maybe it was just the translation.

However, he was relatively sure that he had skipped a few nobility ranks by being the first to make a city, something that would hopefully prove an advantage in due time. The part about granting access to certain events and opportunities was also noteworthy. But once more, time would prove if these things were beneficial or not.

The last part about new paths was something he had seen many other times already. Never had he seen it be so immediate, however, as he looked at his next message.

*Profession Change Available*

Principal City Lord of Earth – The very first human to found a city on Earth. Now on a path to create a haven for the survivors in the new world. A home to defend. City Lord is a profession focused on managing and guiding a city to glory. Grants skills related to management, economics, leadership, and control, as well as paths to protect your new dominion. However, be warned that should the city fall, you will not escape unscathed. Stat bonuses per level: +18 Free Points.

WARNING: Skills pertaining to the Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper profession may be lost or changed upon becoming a Principal City Lord of Earth.

How about no, Jake thought. Everything about it just made him nope right the fuck out. Sometimes the system really misfired, offering stuff he would never for the life of him even consider.

He was also pretty damn sure this wasn’t something the Malefic Viper had advertised.

Chances were that if he somehow suffered a mental episode and changed profession, he would lose all skills with “of the Malefic Viper” in them, as well as generally everything to do with alchemy. Which is to say, every goddamn skill he had gained so far.

Four ancient skills, one epic, and many rare skills and below would be lost. So unless this new profession threw Jake a stack of legendary or whatever was above legendary skills, it would be a massive downgrade.

Even the stats were lower, if actually pretty good. It was a bit interesting that it just gave Free Points. And it even gave quite a lot of them. He could totally see why someone focused on combat would take this profession to keep increasing their more combat-related stats.

Currently, Jake was spread a bit wide with his stats. He was surprisingly durable for being an Archer, and his high Wisdom was also out of the ordinary. Nevertheless, he always found uses for the stats. Perception had been a bit of a downer for a long time, but his new Gaze of the Apex Hunter had changed that drastically.

So, yeah. Jake gave a polite “no thanks” to the system for the wonderful opportunity to change profession and closed down all his system menus.

And then he just stood there for a while.

…

This was as far as he had planned for now. He had gained control of the area and could feel the mana slowly spread out from the Pylon. Looking around, he didn’t see much of interest or a nice place to settle down. Besides, the stench of blood and the many corpses made the entire clearing quite unsanitary.

Looking at the crystal that was even larger than himself, he thought for a bit before he wrapped his arms around it. It resisted at first, completely immovable, but with a bit of mana injected, it was just deactivated.

The mana in the area stopped spreading as the Pylon stopped working. He could feel through his connection with it that he had turned it off. With it no longer spreading his mana, he also felt the atmospheric mana return to normal.

As for the crystal itself, it was actually relatively light. Scratch that; it just straight up didn’t weigh anything. It was like lifting a balloon. It wasn’t just his stats either; the thing just didn’t actually have any weight at all.

Yet he knew that only he could move it. And that, when activated, it was borderline immoveable.

His next goal was to find a nice place to settle down and chill with his new cauldrons. Despite the Pylon not weighing anything, it was still quite unhandy, but with it not weighing anything, he could just wrap a few strings of mana around it and move it around with that. He did try and fail to put it into his spatial storage.

Walking through the forest, the several-meters-tall Pylon floated leisurely behind him. Not a single beast got in his way but instead scurried off whenever they saw him. It was quite nice, actually, as he didn’t feel like fighting with a crystal Pylon in tow and all.

He didn’t know exactly what he was looking for. It was like when he was out shopping for an apartment. He always had that kind of “I’ll know it when I see it” mentality, despite him being fully aware that he still did have quite a few base requirements.

For the apartment, he wanted thick walls and good noise insulation. He liked bright rooms and good natural lighting, and of course, having good internet available was also a must.

Now, however, his requirements were a bit different. First of all, he wanted a source of water. Not because he really needed to drink much anymore, but because of alchemy. He could purify water and use it to craft things, so of course, he wanted to do that.

A cave within a short distance would also be preferable. Of the ingredients Jake used, mushrooms and moss were at the top of the list. He didn’t know if some had already appeared on Earth, but if not, he would have to grow them. Space for a small garden would also be nice.

If he had to be honest, he didn’t feel like he was that picky—water, cave, and open space. It shouldn’t be that hard.

Yet he ended up wandering around for quite a few hours, with his version of “wandering” being slightly faster than a car on a country road. But in the end, he found it.

It was in a valley. Very noticeable from a long distance, but the geography was nearly perfect. Within the valley was a vast pond, tens of meters across, caused by a waterfall cascading down from the cliffs above. The valley had only a single real entrance, which was really lovely too. Of course, you could just enter it from the cliffs above, but it still felt like it provided some cover.

The best part of it all, however, was the caves. Yes, caves, plural. Two of them, with their entrances less than a kilometer apart. Jake hadn’t explored either much, but they both went downwards, and he couldn’t see any end in sight. Maybe they even connected.

It also got even better when he entered one, his Sense of the Malefic Viper on full display. He got several responses from within, which meant that there had to be useful alchemical ingredients within.

He couldn’t be happier as he found a place to plop the crystal down. He did think of placing it in one of the caves, or maybe even living in a cave, but decided against it. He wanted to keep the crystal close, and he would prefer to live under the sun than in a cave. Besides, the valley was still filled with trees, offering some cover.

Ultimately, he didn’t want to leave the Pylon out in the open. He didn’t know if others could steal it or mess with it somehow. He wasn’t afraid of the thing breaking, as it appeared damn near unbreakable, but he was worried that someone could wrest control of it away.

Taking out his Omnitool, the fifth item he’d bought as a tutorial reward, he used it for the first time. In its basic form, it was just a small ball of liquid… something, but when he injected mana and willed a shovel, it transformed into one. A big one. The head of the thing was larger than a snowplow.

With it in hand, he began digging a large hole, his powerful stats on full display as he performed feats that would put large excavators to shame. It didn’t take him long to make a five-meter-deep hole, just wide enough for the crystal to enter.

Lowering it down, he saw that there was still a bit over two meters up to ground level, which should be good enough.

Through his string of mana, he willed the Pylon to activate once more. It hummed to life and began hovering slightly off the ground inside the hole. Far from enough to lift it out, however. Perfect.

He tried once more to move the Pylon, pulling on and pushing it, but he couldn’t even move it an inch. Once more, perfect. He had been afraid that maybe water would corrode the ground and make it flow away or something, but that didn’t appear to be a danger at all.

Filling up the hole once more, he nodded in satisfaction. While it wasn’t the best attempt at hiding it, it sure as hell was better than just leaving it out in the open. He also planned on generally settling down where it was buried, making it even easier to protect it.

Of course, now he had another problem… What to do?

He could build shelter… but it felt like a waste of time. Under the canopy of the trees, he found enough cover. Not like the cold or warmth bothered him either.

First things first, though, he thought as he quickly took off his now filthy clothes. Putting them in his spatial storage, he walked to the shore of the pond, stark naked. With a deep breath, he took a step forward and dropped straight down into the water.

The pond was four or five meters deep in most places. For the first time in a long time, Jake enjoyed just drifting about in the water without any time pressure on him. There was no tutorial timer, no limited time within a time-dilated chamber. No immediate goal he had to chase as fast as possible.

A few hours passed like that. Jake was just floating there and enjoying the sensation. He saw a few small eels in his sphere but didn’t bother them, and they didn’t bother him either.

Jake knew he needed direction. A new goal. If not, he would just drift into the abyss that was his own mind or laze about indefinitely. His overall goal was still to grow stronger. To see exactly how far he could go in this new system. See all that it had to offer him. To one day even leave Earth and explore the rest of the multiverse.

To one day stand at the pinnacle. To see sights unimaginable, experience different cultures, and meet countless new foes and friends. To fight a goddamn dragon.

So he began to formulate a plan. His first goal was complete now that he had a base of operations. It was an optimal place to practice his alchemy—more experience, higher mana regeneration, and many possible sources of ingredients nearby.

His Alchemist of the Malefic Viper was currently at level 63, and his Ambitious Hunter at 83. His first goal would be to at least narrow that gap considerably. At least get the level 70 skill in alchemy.

He knew that he would have to go out and forage for ingredients and other things of value, so a few class levels were inevitable. From what the Viper had said, Jake also knew that simply practicing skills in a class would grant small amounts of experience, which he also planned to do, as his Advanced Archery was more than due for an upgrade. He had felt he was close even before fighting the Great White Stag, and it was high time to get it done.

He got out of the pond with a somewhat vague plan and began putting on some clothes after giving them a good wash. Once more, he had forgotten to take off the mask, finding it a bit eerie how he didn’t even notice that he had it on normally. Almost as weird as how the hell it stuck to his head without anything visibly fastening it.

After getting fully dressed, he sat down, legs crossed, and took out his Altmar Cauldron of Supreme Simplicity. He still had a lot of ingredients left from the challenge dungeon. They wouldn’t last that long if he went hard grinding, but they would last a while.

Placing his hands on the cauldron, he activated his Alchemical Flame as he filled the cauldron with water. He immersed himself in the complicated methodologies, runes, and patterns required for making just a few simple common-rarity mana potions with a slight smile.

He would never forget the Trial of Myriad Poisons. More accurately, the barrel he’d been in during it—the intricacy of those runes, the overwhelming complexity behind making such a concoction. He didn’t understand jack shit. It was proof of how much he had yet to learn.

And learn he would.

With those thoughts, he began his first brewing in quite a while.

Chapter 59

Intermission 6 - Matteo (1/2)

Three years before the Initiation began

Matteo got out of the shower after his workout and got something quick to eat. It was just another Sunday night like any other where he had to get up early and get ready for work. But today was a special day, as today was the day he would claim his big promotion.

He looked out at the penthouse that he had lived in for the last two months, feeling it was all a bit hollow. His only real possession in the entire apartment was a piano, which he had inherited from his grandfather.

After he put on his suit, he packed his briefcase with all the necessities he would need for the day’s work and rode the elevator down to the ground floor. His employer had insisted many times for him to get a driver, but Matteo had refused time and time again. He preferred to do things himself.

Riding in the car that was worth more than the average yearly income of several households, he soon found himself in the industrial zone where the boss had set up their current base of operations: a furniture manufacturer that was more than suitable.

"M," the doorman said with a small greeting. "Boss is inside."

Matteo just nodded and entered the building, crossing the floor and the running machinery, and headed into the back room. There, he found his boss and a few other members sitting around a table while watching tennis on the television.

"Why do they moan when they hit the ball?"

"It is all about controlling your breathing, and if it happens to annoy your opponent, it’s just a bonus," Matteo answered upon entering.

"Ah, my boy, just in time!" said one of the older members. “I heard the last job was finished ahead of schedule. Great work as always.”

"You didn’t disappoint," said a rough voice as a figure entered from a side room.

The others instantly turned off the tv and bowed towards the boss.

"Yeah," Matteo confirmed, nodding to the boss.

"Let’s move," the boss said as he motioned for the others to follow. Matteo followed along without question. It wasn’t time yet, and everything was planned. "Matteo, you drive."

As expected.

They got into the armored car and set course for the docks. They had to meet their client there for the handover. Matteo was a natural inclusion in such… volatile situations. Usually, nothing went wrong, but the boss had caught on that something was up and wanted him present.

He had been a part of the business and family since he was a kid, and the boss trusted him unconditionally.

In an old warehouse at the docks, dozens of men were already present. They opened up unmarked containers and took out the boxes, stacking them in the corner. A few of the containers were left closed, as they didn’t want issues with the merchandise before the buyers arrived. They had just checked that it was in good condition.

The armored car rode in through the opened gates, which closed behind them. Five men got out, with Matteo being the first to do so and the boss next.

"Bronco! Good to see you, old friend!" yelled the seller at the five arriving men.

"Dakila," the boss replied with a nod. “No issues with this shipment?"

"A few rowdy ones, but they just need to be trained a bit better, and I am sure they will turn into big earners. As for the other goods? No issues there."

The business had recently expanded quite a bit into the entertainment industry and needed some “employees” for that, so they came to this man. He was already their supplier for many other tools of their trade and offered to provide.

Sadly, the last time a container of merchandise had been damaged during transport, they’d had to dump the entire cargo container into the ocean, inventory included.

Forty-eight young women and girls, thrown overboard and drowned due to one person in the container having tuberculosis.

Matteo wasn’t the most morally upstanding person, but that had left a sour taste in his mouth. Even more so when his boss accepted Dakila’s reimbursement and went ahead with another delivery.

So, today would be the day where he took over. Guns and drugs were enough anyway; there was no reason to expand into human trafficking aside from the boss’s greed.

The negotiations continued as expected as they stood there. Matteo had already given the signal during the ride, and soon he felt his smartwatch buzz with the return signal. Thirty seconds.

Walking up to the boss, he asked to inspect the guns. He naturally got the go-ahead as none of them were loaded by default, but that wasn’t why he needed to go over there. He leaned over the table as if looking at the guns as he got the second buzz.

"Boss?"

"Yeah, wha—"

Before he could speak, he had a round hole in his forehead. Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere.

The other side reacted as expected, and Matteo vaulted over the table just in time as several gunshots went past him. The flashbang he had dropped at his feet blew up, blinding all of them who had turned towards him, and at that moment, two cars smashed the gate in.

A dozen men got out, guns blazing, as they began lighting up the entire warehouse. Dakila’s men managed to return fire, but Matteo’s initial move had left many of them blinded and confused.

Matteo himself stayed behind the table as he prepared himself for the next stage.

The gunfire soon died down after he heard his “partner” call him out.

Their main competitor. A man Matteo had made a deal with, to further his own means.

Smiling slightly at what would come next, he looked at his handgun and counted his bullets. It should be enough.

He yelled out as he stood up, seeing five guns already trained at him. His smile only broadened. Perhaps he had bitten off a bit more than he could chew.

Yet he moved. The first gunshot took a life before his enemies reacted properly, the second shot took another as they pulled their triggers, and a third shot killed yet another man before their return fire came.

Matteo had already ducked once more as he remembered their positions. He threw another grenade over the table as he felt it be riddled with bullets, glad that Dakila had always insisted on having these large steel tables.

And then he heard it—screams from within the containers.

The men brought by the competitor, on edge, weren’t as clearheaded or experienced as Matteo himself, so they didn’t notice. They didn’t think. They just fired. It took a full second before their leader yelled for them to stop, but it was too late.

Matteo saw red as he got up again.

He fired his gun, taking down four more before he was out of bullets. He drew his knife and stabbed the first one in the throat, and the second went down with a quick stab to the chest. Matteo felt a few bullets hit him from behind; most were blocked by his vest, but one took him in the leg.

Taking a gurgling soldier as a hostage, he used him as a shield and even used his own gun to return fire.

* * *

The police arrived ten minutes later, finding dozens of corpses within the warehouse and two containers with a few more corpses and several women who were crying and screaming for help.

* * *

The day of the Integration of the 93rd Universe

A man in black walked through the foyer and took the elevator up. Weirdly enough, he walked in the blind angles of all the cameras and kept his head low.

Four minutes later, he exited the building, one briefcase lighter.

Fifteen minutes after that, the building’s top floor went up in flames, a supposedly famous mafia boss still inside.

It was just another killing in a long string of organized crime, all committed by an assailant identified simply as M.

Matteo sat in another penthouse that he didn’t feel was his own, his only possession still the old piano. He mentally checked off another mark as he began his preparations for the next target. That was when the Initiation came.

He found himself in the room. He had asked for a gun but found that he could, at most, get a profession that could lead him to make guns himself later on. Useless. So Matteo picked light warrior, as it suited him somewhat. He was more than confident in his knifework.

After that, he went to a grand hall of sorts, surrounded by thousands of other humans.

He had to specify humans, as he soon realized there were beings in this tutorial that weren't humans. They called themselves servants to the Mistress of Shadows, the sponsor who ran the tutorial—a god known as Umbra.

Most of the servants looked elven, but some were creatures of pure shadows. Dark elementals that were there to guide the new initiates.

In the grand hall at the beginning, they were met with an explanation from the Organizer.

"Welcome, Forerunners of the 93rd Universe.

"Welcome to the tutorial where you will be given the opportunity to rise to power and discover your own path. The first of your choices will come right after this. There are two other halls like this, each with its own purpose.

"The hall we are in currently is called the Hall of Blades, and is for those who wish to walk the path of combat. The hall to the right is the Hall of Creation, and to the left is the Hall of Guides. Creation is for those who wish to craft and focus on their professions, and the last is for those who wish to guide others.

"I would advise you all not to solely focus on one path. If you already possess a profession, get a class, and get a profession within a reasonable time if you have a class. Do not fret if you feel like you have chosen wrong; just be aware of the path you wish to walk when you reach the first evolution at 25.

"This tutorial is sponsored and organized by the Dark Mistress, and if you perform well, you may even qualify to receive her favor."

After that, the Organizer began explaining more general info before sending them all on their way to different halls and such. There was plenty of panic and people doubting the entire situation, but the appearance of dark elementals and elves was enough to convince most this wasn’t some trick.

Besides, it soon appeared that many of the types who had been brought there were not simple. Most of them were hardened criminals, killers, soldiers, or assassins like Matteo. There were also more regular folk that Matteo assumed were there to make up for numbers. In total, he saw there were nine thousand initiates in the tutorial.

Of them, he surprisingly enough counted more than a hundred children who were all taken aside to be given some special elixir of some kind. Many of the ones who went to the Hall of Guides were those intending to help care for them.

Some others didn’t look very fit for combat either—old people, people who were clearly civilians, pregnant women, the ones who appeared more mentally unstable. These people tended to go towards the Hall of Creation or the Hall of Guides.

Matteo looked up at the high ceiling in contemplation. This wasn’t the first time he had been tossed into an entirely different world. When he was nine, he’d seen a rival gang member kill his brother. That had also happened to be the first time he took a life himself.

With resolve, he began his journey to power.

The days quickly began passing as everyone fell into a groove. Matteo practiced a bit but spent most of his first week within the Shadow Trials. The Shadow Trials were where combat took place, a type of dimension that they were told was a dungeon.

In there, there were floors with progressively more formidable enemies. Every tenth level had a “boss,” and if they managed to beat all fifty floors, they could fight the final boss. But it was made pretty clear from the beginning that this final boss was more or less impossible to reach, much less beat.

Matteo entered the Trial for the first time less than an hour after the whole introduction sequence. He alone entered the Trials and exited hours later with more than ten levels. This continued as he hunted down creatures one after another, honing his craft.

He also discovered why they had all been taken here, what they all had in common. Every individual in the tutorial had an affinity for dark mana, and most of the training and material provided played into this fact. An assassin like Matteo had already gained several skills related to dark mana.

When Matteo evolved his class, he was still relatively low on the level ladder. The reason for this was simple: he had yet to pick a profession. He had earned a private chamber due to his high performance, and that was where the servant came to discuss his lack of profession with him.

"A profession is highly advised, due to the levels in race an—"

"Piano."

So, he got a piano and a profession that very day—a simple profession called “Novice Musician” that offered only 4 stat points total and didn’t appear extraordinary in any way. But it gave race levels, and Matteo enjoyed it. It was his type of meditation before actually gaining the Meditation skill.

His leveling speed kept being insane, only increasing further as he also got levels in his profession. A month in, they had their first evaluations—the leaderboard for the top 10, with Matteo solidly winning.

Leaderboard: Shadow Trials

1st: M – 19th floor

2nd: NBS – 17th floor

3rd: HJ – 17th floor

4th: GAS - 16th floor

5th: KIL - 16th floor

6th: PJH - 16th floor

7th: V - 16th floor

8th: YH - 16th floor

9th: CT – 15th floor

10th: KL – 15th floor

The first boss on floor 10 was only level 25, but it progressed fast after that, with the average enemy on the 19th floor around level 50. Every person in the top 10 did the trials solo, as they only got harder if you entered with more people. You also had to share points from the kills, making it even less attractive.

After the evaluation, Matteo was offered even more power: a blessing from a subordinate god of Umbra, increasing his Agility by 5% and giving him access to even better skills. He also officially joined the Court of Shadows and became a follower, though that wasn’t the term they used. They called them members instead of followers, as the entire structure of the Court was more akin to a business than a religion.

Matteo didn’t know if others had also been offered a blessing, and frankly, he didn’t care. He just kept pushing forward.

Chapter 60

Intermission 6 - Matteo (2/2)

Around the one-month mark, Matteo got a weapon he had been waiting for.

"It’s ready?" he asked as he went up to KL, one of the other rankers.

"Of course; the materials you provided were more than enough,” KL said. “I should have a second one ready by the end of tomorrow. Remember, you owe me one.” He handed him the handgun.

[Dark Handgun of Umbra (Uncommon)] – A gun made by a talented gunsmith from the 93rd Universe during the tutorial. Can fire [Dark Bullet (Uncommon)] when infused with dark mana. Does more damage when striking from the shadows.

Requirements: Lvl 25+ in any humanoid race.

KL was the best gunsmith in the tutorial and had even gained a lesser blessing from one of Umbra’s subordinate gods, granting him a skill to infuse his creations with the god’s Records. The gun was frankly better than he had expected and was exactly what he needed.

The next day he indeed got his second gun.

After that, he only sped up his progress. His killing speed got faster as he picked up skills related to his new weapons. The god that had blessed him even had skills related to guns, making it all the better.

He kept climbing the floors, fighting day after day. His only reprieve was when he meditated or practiced the piano. Through his profession, he had gained a few skills that helped him in combat too. Through sound, he could warp the perception of his foes and manipulate sound to muffle himself or even create supersonic attacks to throw his enemy off.

Never once did he drop below first place in the rankings. He knew there were other training grounds too, but this one was the most important. He even knew there were optional dungeons to do, and while Matteo had done one of them, he didn’t believe it was worth the +1 in all stats title to do it. While the dungeons did have combat, they were more focused on traps or different kinds of trials.

As the days progressed and they approached the tutorial’s end, the Organizer and servants recruited the most influential tutorial attendees.

It was apparent to him that this tutorial was partly to prepare them for the new world and partly for the Court of Shadows to recruit members. Many of the Hall of Guides’ members had gained priest-like classes and prepared to recruit even more members upon their return to Earth.

The Hall of Creation was skilled in crafting tools of the trade for the fighters. Nearly everything revolved around dark mana, which was fine, as everyone possessed it. It also explained why many of them carried classes revolving around assassination with great damage, stealth, and mobility over durability.

They were an army that would return to Earth and begin to establish their dominance. Without a doubt, one of many groups nurtured by a religious faction. The Court of Shadows made no secret of this, but made them very aware of who they would contend with.

Matteo planned on standing at the helm of that group and proving his worth.

He had failed to become the “boss” in the old world, but he could do it now. Sure, he wouldn’t be the highest-ranking member of the Court, but he found it more acceptable to have unparalleled power be the dividing line.

That was why he showed up to the final ranking battles with assurance and conviction to win and claim the leader’s title. All who had any interest in becoming the leader got a quest, and deciding who was to be the leader would be done through a tournament. It was the final day of the tutorial, and nearly every single attendee was there.

Looking at the top 10, he noted down those who were participating.

Leaderboard: Shadow Trials

1st: M – 39th floor

2nd: NBS – 37th floor

3rd: HJ – 36th floor

4th: CT – 35th floor

6th: UA – 32nd floor

9th: KM – 32nd floor

KL, the gunsmith that had now claimed the 7th spot, didn’t participate, while the 5th-place person didn’t either. Matteo only saw the tournament as having one other real contender: the woman known as NBS.

Nadia was her name—a ruthless woman that Matteo had known of even before the system. A corporate spy and sometimes assassin who specialized in social hacking and information gathering. She was also a mean lass with a rifle, with more than her share of kills.

Which was precisely the kind of magic she had now. A large, black rifle infused with shadow energy. She had gained the rifle itself as a reward for passing one of the many Challenge Dungeons, and had acquired the legacy of a dead veteran of the Court of Shadows. Rumors had it the rifle was ancient rarity, if not legendary.

Matteo had wanted it, but as with everything bound to a Legacy, it was Soulbound. A shame. His own equipment was also decent, with mainly uncommon and rare gear, but a powerful rifle would be welcome. Well, it wasn’t all bad, as they were essentially teammates, and it wasn’t like she was squandering it.

The battle took place in an arena that looked like an old, worn-down city in some post-apocalypse Earth. It was the semifinal, but was viewed by many as the actual final. The arena itself didn’t particularly favor any of the fighters, and even if it did, who were they to complain? The truly strong could come out on top, even in an unfavorable situation.

They dropped into the arena, and the thirty-minute timer began. Both Matteo and Nadia immediately faded into the shadows as they began hunting each other.

Weaving through the ruined cityscape, Matteo blended in with the environment. Within the shade, he became practically invisible. His movements gave off only the faintest of sounds, and even his mana, heat, and other detectable signature were hidden.

* * *

At the same time, Nadia had found a position on the thirty-fourth floor of a decrepit building. The rooftop was suicide, as she would be too easily detected, and there wasn’t enough shade to keep her hidden. The battle took place at dusk, with only sparse rays of sunlight lighting up the city.

Nadia activated a skill called Eyes of the Specter, an upgraded version of her Archer’s Eye that she’d gotten upon her class evolution. Walls and other physical obstacles quickly faded away in her sight as the city lay bare before her.

Her left eye, the only one she had used the skill with, began bleeding a few seconds after using it. Her Toughness simply wasn’t high enough to sustain the skill for an extended period, but it had been enough.

* * *

Like a silent wind, a beam of dark mana tore across the battlefield. Matteo felt it coming with his danger sense skill and barely managed to avoid having his head blown off and losing the match. He still got a nasty wound on his shoulder, but it was nothing he couldn’t deal with.

More importantly, he now had her position. His bait had worked.

Sprinting faster than before, dark mana swirled around him as he sped up. Getting to the building, he didn’t stop, but began running up the side of it. He dodged another four shots on the way up. Just as he thought he had her, the entire side of the building suddenly imploded into something akin to a black hole.

Grenades. Shit.

He was forced off the building by the unexpected attack, but instead of dropping to the ground, he shot out a tether and swung around the building, rolling into one of the lower floors. Pointed his guns upwards, he released a blast of dark mana up towards Nadia's position.

She returned fire, but it quickly became apparent that she was outgunned. Matteo slowly made his way up to her as she tried to retreat slowly. She threw grenades and used different skills, but it was all in vain.

With a final Shadow Vault, Matteo crossed the distance and landed a cut on her chest with his knife. Her body dissolved into shadows as four copies ran away in different directions. Sadly for her, he had a Perception skill of his own to counter these kinds of techniques.

He quickly chased down the real version, where they were thrown into a melee. Well, he wanted to be in melee, while Nadia wanted to create some distance.

She released a blast of mana and threw some knives, but Matteo deflected them as he went in for the kill. A few moments later, she fell dead to the floor. The world around them dissolved.

"M moves on to the final, where he will face CT. The match will begin in five minutes."

The Organizer nodded at him with approval as Matteo looked over at a frowning Nadia.

[Human – lvl 51]

"Good fight, you’re strong—it will be a pleasure working with you in the future," Matteo said to the woman.

"… Just be sure to win the final," Nadia said with disappointment in her voice.

The matches in the tournament were done through some kind of magical simulation. They technically were fighting themselves, but it was some kind of projection of their souls and not their actual physical bodies. It still tired you out mentally, but it didn’t drain any resources or cause any bodily harm.

While the Court of Shadows was considered a rather ruthless organization, it would just be utter stupidity to kill off most of their new talents. Death was a very real thing in the tutorial, as he saw that fourteen hundred people had died in their tutorial so far, the vast majority of them within the Trial of Shadows.

Matteo nodded at Nadia with a reaffirming smile. He understood that she wasn’t content with losing and that she at least wanted to have lost to the champion. They were all prideful people. Or at least, he assumed them to be. Because the person he would face in the final was a bit… uncharacteristic compared to the other top rankers.

CT was a relatively mild-mannered young man. He looked to be in his mid-twenties and didn’t have any significantly distinguishable features. However, what made him stand out was how he fought and behaved during the tutorial.

Firstly, he had chosen the Hall of Guides and not the Hall of Blades like every other ranker participating in the tournament. The other rankers in the top 10 who had chosen not to participate mainly focused on things other than combat.

CT appeared to have an affinity for children, as he had taken responsibility for them as he helped both them and their parents. In fact, Matteo saw him as a very valuable and caring person. He believed he would be a great help in the new world.

Secondly, his fighting method was not like the others. Most rankers used magical versions of pre-system weapons: guns, rifles, knives, things they were familiar with, to begin with. They’d all been fighters before the system, after all. CT wasn’t, it appeared. He was a caster who used some kind of lightning magic—mixed with dark mana, of course.

Third, the man had spent a lot of time on the dungeons Matteo himself avoided. He still climbed the floors in the Trial of Shadows, but he did so far less than the other rankers.

Looking over at the man, he saw him surrounded by children who cheered for him as they prepared to watch the match.

[Human – lvl 49]

He was a few levels below Nadia and quite a few levels below himself. Matteo had reached level 55, out-leveling everyone else by quite a margin. In fact, many had believed this entire tournament to be unnecessary with Matteo so far ahead.

The seeding of the tournament had also been off. Matteo had defeated the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th place on the rankings on his way to the final, with CT only beating the 9th place. The match had been rather one-sided, which was expected with the level difference and noticeable power difference based on how many floors they could each do. CT had just shot a few lightning bolts, and the other side had surrendered.

But Matteo would not underestimate him. He was an outsider who had risen to power with conviction, surrounded by murderers, assassins, and hardened warriors. He had managed to help and be a gathering point for the less combat-orientated survivors—the children and women who needed someone to lean on. He had never seen the man flustered.

Their arena would be a lot more straightforward. It would be a giant colosseum with pillars placed around the battlefield. Matteo wasn’t very familiar with the other’s fighting style, but he had been a ranged fighter so far. His spells were fast and deadly, but his attack speed was low, and he hadn’t shown any potent mobility skills yet.

The finals began with the Organizer’s proclamation:

"This battle will determine the nominal leader of the Court of Shadows on Earth; in other words, the Judge. Of course, there will be support, but it will be limited due to the restrictions in place. Let the fight begin, and may you forever walk in the shadows."

They both touched their respective orbs as their projections appeared in the arena, a hundred or so meters between them. The two men stared at each other for a bit before Matteo spoke.

"Give up."

His words were straightforward. Matteo didn’t see the other man winning in any way. CT was out-leveled and frankly outclassed, and there was nothing he had shown that cou—

"I was about to say the same," CT answered in a calm voice, keeping his hands in his pockets before adding, "We each have our reasons for this fight. What is yours?"

Matteo stared at the man for a bit. What did he want? Well, of course, that answer was simple.

"I want power, same as everyone else. Only strength can bring influence in this world, and I will lead the Court to that. I will lead us to be a true standout force on Earth, to make our members respected, and to make even a whisper of our name be met with shivers."

"Maybe you are more fit to be the leader," the other man said with a sigh. "I just want to protect those I care about."

"Do you need to be the leader to do that? Protection of significant others will, of course, be prioritized whenever possible." Matteo would have just fought usually, but he knew that CT held a lot of influence with the less combat-oriented members of the Court. It was best to stay on the best of terms with him.

"I guess I don’t really need to be the leader…" CT said as he looked up with a smirk. "But at the same time, I would prefer to be in a situation where I can guarantee it. Besides, it’s only fitting for the strongest to be in charge—isn’t that one of the creeds of Umbra?"

"I see," Matteo said, understanding as he smiled back. "Then may the best man win."

He didn’t hesitate as he attacked, planning to end it quickly.

CT kept smiling as he made his move too. Four orbs of black lightning condensed in mid-air as they began floating around him, crackling with energy. At the same time, he looked towards Matteo, his orb releasing a bolt.

Matteo easily sidestepped the attack and scoffed a bit internally. The attack held power, but the opponent was inexperienced in fighting other humans. The lightning caster kept throwing bolts from the orbs, making Matteo slow down, but he ultimately failed to land a single one.

Predictable.

Matteo Shadow Vaulted closer as the four orbs circled CT, protecting him. When he got within fifty meters, he pulled out his two guns and returned fire. Dark bullets flew through the air and encountered a dark barrier of mana protecting the caster. It appeared to slightly crack with every shot, but it was quickly repaired again.

Fine, Matteo thought as he pointed his gun towards the caster and used one of his skills designed for this exact scenario.

Disruptive Bullet (Uncommon)

The bullet flew forth and tore straight through the barrier of mana, but CT still managed to lean to the side and avoid it. He appeared to have quite the reaction time for a caster.

Another barrage of bullets put the caster on the defensive, protected by the orbs and the barrier. Sometimes two orbs moved together to create a whip of lightning, while at other times, all four came together to create magical circles in the air that released different kinds of lightning magic.

Matteo was fine with just learning what the man was capable of… but he was disappointed. The power behind the magic was indeed great, but alas… it wasn’t enough.

Dark Infusion (Rare)

He activated his boosting skill, which increased his Agility, Strength, and Intelligence by 20%, then charged. Dark mana swirled around him, partly obscuring his figure.

Basic Shadow Vault of Umbra (Uncommon)

With another vault, he came within ten meters. A single bolt of lightning hit Matteo, but he was more than capable of taking the blow as long as it allowed him to close in. His two daggers had now replaced the guns as he dove in.

The first slash tore the barrier apart. The next approached the man’s neck, stopping just before he slit it.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Matteo asked with a bit of anger in his voice.

He wasn’t blind and had obviously noticed… from start to end, CT hadn’t moved a single step. He hadn’t even taken his damn hands out of his pocket. He had just summoned those four orbs and stood there. That had been enough to win against the 9th-place ranker, but Matteo just found it insulting.

"I should ask you the same," CT answered with a chuckle.

"Get serious," Matteo insisted.

"M… I am serious," he said as he leaned forward into the dagger… electrocuting Matteo. The crackling dark lightning around the dagger simply phased into the caster.

What?

He quickly pulled back as he saw CT finally take a hand out of his pocket. He raised it towards the air and opened his palm.

The sky above the arena darkened as dark clouds appeared out of nowhere. What appeared to be a thousand bolts of lightning struck down onto the lifted hand just as the caster summoned a black metal staff out of thin air.

Matteo stood wide-eyed at the display of power, but soon noticed the clouds above had already calmed down after shooting lightning into his staff and now only hung there threateningly.

"I sought power to protect my family,” CT said. “My wife, my unborn child… my brother, and my parents. I will find them after this, and I want the Court to help me protect them. Besides, I found out… I am quite good at this." He pointed the staff towards M.

Dark Lightning Bolt (Uncommon)

Matteo barely managed to dodge as the side of the colosseum wall behind him exploded. He knew he had to get serious as he closed in once more, hoping to finish off the man.

Based on how the dagger had faded into him and how he had avoided the disruptive bullet, he reckoned mana-based attacks would work. He coated his weapon in dark mana.

Shadow Vaulting forward, he slashed down with the dagger, but CT blocked it, much to the surprise of Matteo.

It felt like his dagger was drawn to the metal staff as electricity wormed its way up the veins in his arm. He felt superior in both skills and strength, yet he kept encountering the staff every time he swung. It was a frustrating experience.

CT kept his casual smile, but his eyes were clearly focused as he fought the tutorial’s top ranker. But…

He had yet to take a single step. One hand was still in his pocket.

Matteo’s eyes sharpened as he pushed in further, his attacks getting more aggressive. The dark lightning coursing through his body from the staff was annoying but manageable. Still, he knew he couldn’t keep up the status quo.

With one hand, he stabbed down with the blade while he twirled the other around to a backhanded grasp. Dark mana began swirling around both weapons as his entire body sped up.

Dark Tempest Strike (Rare)

A small tornado made up of black daggers appeared around him and tore into CT’s mana barrier. It quickly began cracking.

But Matteo wasn’t done yet.

Domain of Shadows (Epic)

A suppressive field appeared around him that bathed the entire area in shadows. The mana barrier was whittled down in seconds, and for the first time, CT’s eyes shot open as he took the other hand out of his pocket to grab the staff with both.

He blocked most of the blows but ended up getting kicked by Matteo. He flew back and smashed into the wall, coughing up a mouthful of blood. He was, without a doubt, far less durable than Matteo himself or any other melee fighter.

Matteo was already charging towards the man, who got up quickly and swung his staff, releasing a storm of lightning that forced the charging assassin to leap back.

"Damn, you’re good," CT said with a chuckle as he spat out a mouthful of blood, then looked up with the same smirk as before.

"Finally going to get serious?" Matteo asked, the domain of shadows dominating the surroundings.

CT laughed a bit as he breathed in. "My turn."

The four orbs revolving around him all this time turned far darker than before and began crackling with ever-increasing dark lightning. Without any warning, three of the orbs entered his body while the last one entered his staff.

An aura spread throughout the arena and Matteo felt his domain be suppressed as CT spoke three simple words.

"Ascension of Tenlucis."

Above, the dark clouds churned with life once more. CT’s body burned with dark lightning as the entire projection seemed to shake, and the onlookers outside observed with terror.

* * *

Even the Organizer was shocked beyond anything an S-grade entity like her should ever be.

Tenlucis, a powerful god that had died during the Third Era… said to have only left very scarce legacies that he gave to select powerful friends. He was an arrogant god who had slain hundreds of gods with his dark lightning and had been one of the Court of Shadows’ leaders.

The god's powers were domineering and powerful towards both the opponent and the user. It was said that the Legacy would drive the user insane unless they had the mental resilience to suppress it... but to cultivate that innate resistance was borderline impossible unless done since birth. Even then, it wasn't something you could just do. Yet this E-grade mortal appeared unaffected by it...

They had already confirmed that he didn't possess a Bloodline upon first entering the tutorial... so how?

Why would the Dark Mistress make such a decision? To give such power...

* * *

Inside the arena, CT began his counterattack. His entire body was filled with untold power as he released massive blasts of lightning, one after another. Charging towards Matteo, the former top assassin could barely defend as he got smashed in the side with the staff.

Matteo tried to close some distance, as it was obvious the power-up skill CT had used was temporary. It indeed was… but CT still had enough time to finish the fight. Matteo didn’t even have time to raise his daggers to form a proper defense before the next strike arrived.

Thundershadow Vault of Tenlucis (Ancient)

CT turned into dark lightning as he soared through the body of Matteo, frying him from the inside. He appeared behind him as he swung his staff, smashing it into Matteo’s head. The blow cracked his skull, and with a follow-up blow coming milliseconds later, shattered it completely, ending the battle.

Before he even fell to the ground, completely dead, CT’s power-up skill ended. He also fell to his knees, utterly spent.

"The winner of the battle is CT!" the Organizer said, still a bit confused about the entire situation… but she still had a job to do. "As the winner, he has received the Lord title and will be named Judge of the first Court in the 93rd Universe, and together you shall claim a Pylon of Civilization to establish our foothold upon your return to Earth."

All the other fighters looked at CT with awe as he let go of the orb that had projected his soul into the arena. The man just smiled and let out a tired sigh, walking over to the man he had just fought.

"Thanks for the match, mate, it makes me feel a lot better to know there are great people like you around me when we return. Because damn, you’re good.” He raised his hand to shake Matteo’s.

Matteo looked at the man that had beaten him and just smiled. It had been a long time since he lost to someone… and it wasn’t all bad. "It will be my pleasure; you won because you were stronger today. Just don’t start slacking now, or I will depose you.” He took CT’s hand.

"Of course, but for now, you will take the second-in-command spot," CT said with a laugh. Everyone around them, including the Organizer, looked on with approval. It didn’t appear like internal strife would be an issue… at least not immediately.

"For now," the second-in-command said. "Name’s Matteo, by the way. No last name; I never had one."

"Pleasure to meet you, Matteo," CT said. "I’m Caleb Thayne."

Chapter 61

The Times They Are A-Changin'

Time marched onward unforgivingly. Soon two weeks had passed since the conclusion of the tutorial.

Earth was in chaos as the newly returned humans scrambled to find a foothold. Factions quickly formed, though they were more just collections of people who happened to be in the same area when they returned.

Many had thought the nightmare over upon exiting the tutorial, naively believing that humanity could return to some semblance of normalcy. Sadly for them, reality proved the exact opposite. Earth was far more dangerous than nearly all the tutorials.

In Jake’s tutorial, the beasts hadn’t ever really attacked people in the outer zone. They’d been incredibly passive and easily avoided most of the time. It was only in the beginning that people really died to the environment and not their fellow humans.

Upon their return, they found Earth to be far less friendly. Beasts and monsters roamed about without any restrictions. An area filled with weak, single-digit monsters could easily be invaded by one several times everything else’s level.

The only solace was that higher-leveled beasts and monsters tended to not bother with lower-leveled things. Like the lizard that had attacked Jake and his coworkers, it had only cared about the ones with a level at least a bit close to its own.

It wasn’t as if the human threat was gone either. With the collapse of social order nearly everywhere, some unsavory individuals chose to take advantage. The powerful became tyrants and were as monstrous as the actual monsters stalking about.

Yet one place was tranquil. Not a single beast was nearby, not a single drop of blood anywhere. There was only a beautiful waterfall landing in a serene pond. On the shore sat a young man with a cauldron, a transparent fire beneath it and a strong smell in the air.

For the vast majority of humanity, the last two weeks had, without a doubt, been a constant stream of hectic moments of people trying to survive. For Jake, however, it had been the most relaxing time since before the tutorial.

Without any real external pressure, he had managed to achieve a lot. Many of the things he had put off during the tutorial due to time constraints he now had time to do—the first of which was to practice potion-making.

He had only been able to make inferior-rarity potions of all three types for a long time now, but had held off on improving and making common-rarity ones.

Now, however, he had time. In only two weeks, he had broken through and made common-rarity potions of the health and mana type while getting very close with the stamina ones. Looking at the two new brews he had made, they indeed were a lot more potent than before.

[Mana Potion (Common)] – Restores 4347 mana when consumed.

[Health Potion (Common)] – Restores 2824 health when consumed.

First of all, the amount of resources they restored was, of course, higher. In fact, the separator between inferior and common rarity was twofold. First of all, there was a qualitative improvement in the crafting process.

Common rarity was harder and required far more skill to make. Of course, better ingredients were also required, something Jake had more than plenty of. He had never used the common versions of the Lavender Flowers that were used in his recipes. AKA, he had a lot of them still sitting around in his spatial storage.

Besides the change in the crafting process, the second requirement was the required amount of resources restored. Common-rarity potions restored a minimum of 2500 in either health, stamina, or mana. Even if Jake made a potion with the improved crafting method that restored less, it would just turn out to be inferior.

Interestingly enough, this didn’t mean that inferior potions couldn’t restore more than 2500 resources. In fact, Jake’s best inferior-rarity mana potion to date had restored 2600 mana. Of course, it remained inferior due to the “lesser” crafting method, and he was beginning to feel the cap approaching with that one.

As for the requirement for potions to be uncommon rarity, he didn’t even know yet. He remembered that inferior potions needed to restore a minimum of 25 resources. From 25 to 2500 was a hundredfold increase, so if that pattern continued, uncommon rarity would have to restore 250,000 points. Yeah, he wasn’t sure about that one.

What mattered was that he was improving. His very first common-rarity mana potion had been made on the first day and restored 2600 mana. The health potion came on the sixth day, restoring 2541 for the first craft. Both of those numbers had now clearly increased even more, especially for the mana potions.

Not that he actually needed it. He had plenty of potions to spare, as he didn’t even have to use one that often.

His Mask of the Fallen King carried the insane properties of giving him 25% more maximum mana and, at the same time, increasing his mana regeneration. The Pylon of Civilization only increased that regeneration even more within his own domain.

Lastly, his Palate of the Malefic Viper now made all potions restore even more resources after it had been upgraded to ancient rarity. The increase was only around 10-20%, but everything added up in the long run.

Of course, he also meditated once in a while to ponder on different things, which only helped him keep his mana usage at an easily manageable level. All in all, everything was going swimmingly.

Now, on the day that marked two weeks since humanity’s return, he was working on making his first common-rarity stamina potion—the hardest type for him to make by quite a bit.

But it did go a lot easier than he had first feared. His experience with internal energy through his Limit Break ability as well as just general practice did wonders.

Finally, he also couldn’t discredit the massive benefits from his cauldron. It just made everything far, far easier than with the mixing bowl he’d used before. Overall, he used less mana as there wasn’t much resistance, and he could better “feel” the mana during the crafting process.

Coupled with his increased mana control from Sagacity of the Malefic Viper helping further, it ultimately resulted in his success that day.

*You have successfully crafted [Stamina Potion (Common)] – A new kind of creation has been made. Bonus experience earned*

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 69 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 76 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

Seeing his profession level up, he only had one response to the level he had reached. Nice.

The stamina potions looked just like their inferior version. But Identify made the difference between the two very clear.

[Stamina Potion (Common)] – Restores 2511 stamina when consumed.

With all his stats from his many titles and levels, he still only had 8200 stamina. That meant that with Palate of the Malefic Viper’s bonus counted in, a single stamina potion could restore a bit more than a third of his total stamina pool.

Smiling to himself, he bottled the potions, packed everything up, and threw it in his spatial storage. It was time for the next item on his agenda.

Walking to the edge of the pond, he didn’t stop when his foot touched the water. An invisible shimmer of mana covered his feet as he walked on water. Walking to the middle of the pond, he sat down in meditation, still on the surface of the water.

Next, he conjured tens of tendrils of mana. Each of them reached six or so meters to the bottom of the lake, where many large stones lay. Ones he had either found or placed there previously.

His improvements showed once more, as he didn’t even need to wrap the tendrils around the rocks. Merely touching them was enough for his mana to exert its influence. It even drained less mana than forcefully lifting it by wrapping his strings of mana around the stone.

Out of the water rose four stones, each one easily weighing more than his own body. Small beads of sweat appeared on his face after a few minutes as he shuffled the stones around. After nearly ten minutes, he dropped one of the stones and, in the chaos, lost control of his mana.

All of the stones fell into the pond once more, scaring the small eels that observed the weird human above. Simultaneously, he failed to control the mana keeping him on top of the water, resulting in him following the rocks.

It wasn’t the first time that had happened. Jake’s routine was pretty much set every single day. Speaking of days, they were still a thing.

One would think that with Earth growing to a substantially larger size, the day-night cycle would be affected. Those who thought that would be wrong, as the system clearly didn’t care about making sense in that department.

There was also still only one sun and one moon. Neither appeared larger or smaller, which probably meant that both had actually gotten bigger. Not that he could confirm it, as he wasn’t actually sure exactly how big either had been before the system.

He had found a lot of enjoyment in the new sky, though. Without light pollution and with his incredibly high Perception, his eyes may as well have been telescopes. He could see way further and even spot details on the moon… though he was pretty sure he saw movements one time. That had to be nothing… right?

Anyway, the cosmos was truly a beautiful thing. Jake did kind of expect to see some wondrous supernatural sights. A space octopus, maybe. So far, he had only found disappointment. Space octopuses had to be a thing. Maybe there was one on the moon?

This was how Jake had spent his days since the tutorial ended. Alchemy, mana practice, and stargazing. So far, he had only slept a single time. A dreamless night, thankfully.

He had successfully managed to distract himself with work. He got a level in alchemy nearly every second day, which was pretty good according to his own standards. His class hadn’t experienced any progress, though, as he hadn’t even taken out his bow since leaving the city.

He did find time to walk around with One Step Mile and practice that a bit. His current dream was to somehow manage to use it while on the water. Currently, he hadn’t been able to—his feet couldn’t quite find purchase on the surface—but he firmly believed it possible.

It was surprising that not a single beast had stumbled upon him yet. He hadn’t even seen any check him out. The birds were still around, and he saw a few other animals, such as the eels. But none of them were above level 10, most of them still being level 0. He had no clue how that was even possible.

Two weeks may feel like a long time without any human contact, but one had to remember that Jake was pretty skilled at being antisocial. He was a bit lonely, and he knew that his solitude couldn’t continue in perpetuity.

One day humans would stumble upon his little valley. A day that came sooner than he expected.

Jacob walked on the pavement that had once been a highway, Bertram on his right and a tall woman, carrying a bow, on his left.

The past two weeks had been far more eventful for him than Jake. This first period was his greatest opportunity to establish himself in this new world, one he happily jumped at.

Behind him was not just his former colleagues but thousands of people. Jacob had gone from building to building to recruit, and in the end, rounded up a massive following.

At first, he was met with skepticism. But his skills that bordered on mental manipulation, as well as his high level, allowed things to proceed way more smoothly than he had first feared. As his group of followers grew, it only became easier to convince others.

Bertram was also a huge asset in recruiting people. While Jacob wasn’t a fighter, the same couldn’t be said about his old bodyguard. He’d become E-grade in the tutorial, and his class and levels had only grown further since then.

His skills were awe-inspiring. Training from the Grand Master, his powerful special class, and his own talent all came together. This meant that when the group was attacked by a large, rodent-like creature at level 54, he had managed to slay it quite easily alone.

When he fought, his blade and entire body were enveloped in light. He moved swiftly, every swing of his sword shearing his foe with beams of light. His defensive abilities were even more impressive, as the rodent had failed to pierce the shining armor that enveloped his body. Its claws even broke upon hitting his shield.

A powerful man was enough to inspire many in this turbulent age.

Of the groups they encountered, the strongest was led by the woman now walking on Jacob’s left. Standing at a height only slightly lower than Bertram with bursting muscles on her forearms, she looked more than a little intimidating.

The bow she carried was, without a doubt, not just for show. They had seen her use it several times, firing off powerful arrows that exploded in flames whenever they hit a foe. Between her and Bertram, Jacob didn’t know who would win, and ultimately it didn’t matter, for she was one of his people.

Maria was her name. With a class at level 61 and profession at 24, she was the second-highest overall level in the group, just behind Jacob. Jacob, who himself had already gained several levels. His class had reached level 66, having grown nearly a whole level a day. With the levels from training with the Holy Church, he had gained sixteen levels since he “died.”

Once more, he had, of course, gained a powerful skill. One at ancient rarity, even.

[Augur’s Wings of Liberation (Ancient)] – Blessed be those touched by the feathers of the Augur. Allows the Augur of Hope to summon wings of light that periodically drop feathers. Anyone who absorbs a feather restores a small amount of mana and stamina and receives a temporary increase to the maximum value of both. May your wings bring liberation to all. Adds a medium bonus to the Augur’s Wings of Liberation’s effect based on Wisdom and Willpower.

From the description, it didn’t appear overly powerful, and one might even doubt its rating. But when put on display, it all became much clearer.

Giant wings of light would spread out behind him, each of them more than ten meters long as they extended. Tens of feathers fell every second. After a few minutes, the feathers would dissolve, but it was more than enough for people to pick them up and absorb them.

This skill did wonders in keeping the group healthy and moving. On top of that, there was also one other aspect to the skill, one not mentioned in the description.

The sheer intimidation factor of them. Seeing a human sprout giant radiant wings was enough for many to fall in line or look at him with reverence. Maria wasn’t one of those people, as she had chosen to follow him just because she didn’t have any interest in leadership herself. Jacob was pretty sure that she had her own agenda by staying with him... likely related to the god that had blessed her.

With her choice to follow him, the ones who’d followed her prior did the same. With so many in tow, their next objective was to find somewhere and establish themselves.

But not before recruiting more. As Jacob saw the city in the distance, they didn’t feel happiness or anticipation as they had expected, but instead, a terrible feeling. For what they saw was only mere outskirts—the rest of the city was covered by a giant barrier that a select few recognized as the same ones marking the inner zones in their tutorials.

Jacob gazed at it but knew it wasn’t time yet. They would train, and they would wait… because others were also coming.

The Augur wasn't the only follower the Holy Church had recruited during the tutorials… far from it.

Chapter 62

Monsters

As he ran through the forest, telling the others to try and keep up, Hank truly regretted convincing them all to go camping that week. But how could he possibly have known that something as world-shattering as the initiation to some goddamn multiverse could happen?

The only lucky thing was that at least they had all entered the same tutorial. They had entered the tutorial with nine people: Hank, his wife, his two kids, his sister, and her husband and kids, and a long-time mutual friend of theirs.

Out of the tutorial walked only four: Hank, the family friend Miranda, and his two kids. Not that they liked being called kids anymore; his boy, Mark, was nineteen and his daughter, Louise, was twenty-two.

In the tutorial, they had stuck together initially but had ended up splitting due to circumstances out of their own control. They’d been forced into these trials in groups of five. Due to their class choices, Hank and his wife had chosen to split up, his wife joining his sister and her family.

None of them had returned from the first trial.

Now it was just those four, thrown back to Earth into the middle of a forest that had clearly been altered significantly from before. They had been only a few hundred meters from the road upon the initiation, but now no such road was to be found anywhere. Instead, they found themselves walking through a seemingly endless forest for a bit over two weeks.

They managed to fight off the beasts, most of them not being above level 24. Hank, with his trusty axe in hand, was easily able to handle them. His son, Mark, was a healer who was able to fix any immediate issues. It had gone well at first, with the four of them surviving without losing anyone—until today.

A beast had appeared. One that Hank, even with his race at level 31, couldn’t Identify.

[Oakwood Tiger – lvl ??]

He became unequivocally sure that any beast he couldn’t identify was far above his ability to handle from the tutorial. He was powerless against the tiger, which was a weird mix of wood and flesh. Yet it hadn’t simply killed them.

They’d met the tiger nearly three hours ago. They’d tried to run at first, hoping it would ignore them like most other high-level beasts, but this one was out for blood. It had cut them off with incredible speed and attacked them, showing that it clearly was also strong. Hank felt like his arms were about to be torn off from every casual swipe of its barbed wooden claws.

Yet whenever Hank thought he would die, the beast simply switched target and attacked someone else. It only did small wounds, clearly enjoying itself… it was just playing with them.

Hank was furious, but no matter what he did, it proved useless. In the end, their only course of action had just been to run.

Louise was also an evolved caster, but her spells had done even less to the beast than his own axe. Miranda wasn’t a fighter at all, having focused on her profession instead of class during the tutorial.

He wasn’t entirely clear on her profession, but it was some kind of social type. It did, however, give her some insight into mana and an intuition skill. A skill that had guided their direction of fleeing for the past few hours. Needless to say, Hank was beginning to doubt it.

They ran desperately, encountering several weaker beasts on the way, resulting in even more injuries. Mark was already dangerously low on mana, and Hank could barely keep his legs moving with his nearly depleted stamina.

But suddenly, something changed. The tiger appeared to be unsettled by something. Unsettled enough that it decided to stop playing around and finish off its prey.

The wooden bark covering its body spit out sharp vines as it went to finish off Hank. Somehow the man managed to avoid having his throat ripped out as he ducked and blocked with his axe. Despite his efforts, he was still sent to the ground, a large gash on the side of his face where it had nicked him.

Far from done, the beast jumped at him once more. He scrambled and once more narrowly blocked, but this time he wasn’t lucky enough to only receive a gash. His entire right arm was torn to shreds as his axe and the claw both smashed into it, sending him flying through the air into a nearby tree.

Hank heard his son yell out and his daughter firing spells at the beast. His vision was waning but still clear enough to see a bolt of electricity hit the creature from the side. It did little more than inflict a small burn mark, yet it was enough to piss off the beast and make it switch target.

Miranda also tried to help, but her attacks didn’t even register for the beast. His son was standing beside his sister, right in the crosshair of the charging tiger. Hank’s eyes turned red as he saw his only remaining family members about to be torn apart.

His wife had died without him even having a body to bury. His friends in the tutorial had suffered the same fate. The final promise he’d made to his wife before parting for the last time was to protect their children, and he would be damned if he didn’t do everything he could.

He had learned a bit about controlling stamina through his skills. Enough to slightly increase his striking power. Today he went further as he channeled all he could into his one good arm. Instantly he felt it fill with power unlike ever before. Everything poured into a throwing skill that was also his only rare skill.

Throwing the axe, the pent-up stamina in his arm was too much. His entire arm erupted into a cloud of bloody mist. The pain was unimaginable, but he remained clearheaded enough to see the axe fly true and strike the tiger mid-charge.

The axe hit the beast straight in its midsection, embedding itself deeply. The impact also made the tiger stumble, missing its charge as it tumbled to the ground and slid into a tree.

Hank had at first felt relief, but it quickly turned to despair as the tiger turned its eyes to him. Two vines sprang from its back, pulled out the axe, and threw it on the ground. A small trickle of blood dripped from the wound.

Halfway between Hank and his children, the tiger began a new charge, this time to finish off the man who had wounded it. Hank knew it would barely matter either way. His eyes were heavy, and his entire body numb and cold. Blood pooled beneath him from the shoulder, where an arm had once been attached.

His only hope was that his sacrifice was enough to buy the others a bit of time to escape. He could see the tiger was anxious for some reason, in a rush. He hoped it would leave after finishing him. A naïve hope, perhaps, but it was all he had to grasp onto.

Two vines sharpened at their ends flew towards him from the tiger—one for his head, the other his heart. Unable to move, he closed his eyes.

Yet the blow never came.

Opening his eyes once more, he saw the vine less than a meter from his face—frozen in mid-air, slightly shaking. He saw the tiger trembling for some reason as its eyes focused on something off to the side. Hank followed its gaze and saw a figure slowly walking towards them.

With each step, it was as if the figure traveled several meters. A mask covered the face of the new arrival, but the build made him identifiably male. He didn’t appear to carry any weapons… It was clear he didn’t need one.

Two glowing eyes pierced through the mask, focusing on the tiger. Hank felt a cold shiver run down his spine when he saw them. It reminded him of the same eyes the tiger had turned on him just as it was about to kill him—only much more intense.

Just as the person was only a few meters away, whatever froze the tiger stopped. The vines nearly at Hank's eye retracted, but instead of switching target to the new arrival, they merged back into the tiger. And with that, the beast that had chased them for hours turned tail and ran.

It didn’t get far, however. With a movement that defied the laws of physics, the person cut off the tiger. It stopped abruptly and tried to get around him but was instead met with a bone-white dagger that looked like a fang. Hank was a bit surprised, as he hadn’t seen where the weapon came from, but the beast was even more so as the dagger swung down, aiming for its skull.

The vines sprang up once more, trying to block, but like when Hank had tried to block in vain earlier, the beast’s struggles were also in vain. The vines were simply pushed down, unable to pierce the armor of its soon-to-be killer.

Seconds later, the tiger that the group of four had believed to be their death instead met its own demise, completely dominated by whomever or whatever the masked individual was.

Hank wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or afraid. The tiger may be dead, but what about this new arrival? Was he human? Some kind of creature brought by the system? Whatever the case, he was far more powerful than the tiger, making all thoughts of escape disperse…

As he was in thought, the person disappeared once more, only to appear right in front of Hank. The middle-aged man tried to shy back in fright, but he could not move with his injuries. Had he come to finish him off, or?

Thinking the worst, he was instead presented with a bottle containing a very familiar red liquid—a healing potion.

"Drink," the figure said in a distinctly male voice. One that sounded significantly younger than Hank would have suspected.

Sadly for Hank, he was unable even to lift his remaining arm. It had been badly mangled by the tiger earlier, while his second arm was entirely missing. He looked up at the piercing yellow eyes. They resembled a beast more than a human, making Hank believe even more that whatever he was dealing with wasn’t a fellow man.

A few seconds of awkwardness followed as the bottle was presented to the man who couldn’t move to accept it. The masked man just stood there with an extended arm. Luckily the situation was saved as Miranda rushed over.

"Let me," she said as she swiped the potion from the young man’s hand. Hank could still barely open his mouth, allowing the woman to pour the liquid down his throat. Instantly he felt a rush of vital energy enter his body. It was like when his son had healed him but far, far more intense.

He felt the stump where his arm had once been starting to itch and wriggle as a new arm slowly began growing out. His mangled arm started healing nearly instantly, and even the gash on his face disappeared. He had consumed a healing potion before, but never one this powerful.

In only seconds, he went from on the brink of death to relatively healthy. The only problem remaining was the arm that would take a while to regenerate, but even that shouldn’t even take an hour from the still-overflowing vital energy in his body. He checked his status and, to his surprise, saw that his health pool of around 1800 was entirely full. He even felt some of the remnant energy slowly fizzle out within his body, dispersing as it could not restore any more health.

"Thank you," he mumbled, his mouth now able to move correctly. His stamina was still dangerously low, and he was exhausted, but he couldn’t quite relax yet. He had to figure out the situation he and his family now found themselves in.

By now, Hank’s kids had made their way over and hid behind their father, who had managed to stand up. Mark seemed especially interested, as his skills allowed him insight into the potion’s power.

"Yes, thanks for the help, mister…?" Miranda asked their masked savior, injecting herself into the conversation.

"… Not sure that matters," the masked man said after looking like he was stuck in thought for a bit. "What matters is who you all are and why you are here."

Miranda, who had by now taken the lead for their group, answered, "I apologize, my name is Miranda. This is Hank and his two children, Mark and Louise. We were chased by that beast and made it here on accident while trying to survive. I am sorry if we intruded where we weren’t allowed."

Hank could see the sweat drip down her neck as she tried to defend them. Even in the tutorial, she’d been the one who handled discussions and negotiations with other survivors. He was more than happy to let her do that again.

"Oh… okay," the masked man answered, not looking like he intended to say anything more.

"If I may… how powerful was that monster?" Miranda asked. A question the entire family was interested in.

"Just 59, but it had quite high Toughness for one of its level," he said, his voice indicating that he liked that kind of conversation way more.

Miranda, Hank, and the two others were taken aback by the high level of the beast. But even more so at it being described as “just” 59. All of them had tried to Identify the masked man, and they had all failed, getting just a single question mark in return.

All of it only added to their already-existing assumption that the one in front of them wasn’t human. And if the masked man was, they couldn’t explain how that was possible. They had seen strong individuals before—they’d even known a woman in their tutorial who was incredibly strong—but not to the level of being able to disregard a beast at level 59. Not even close.

Yet he appeared human apart from the eyes. His entire body was covered in armor, but everything was humanoid. Miranda tried to probe to figure out if he was indeed human.

"I see… We must again thank you for saving our lives. That was the most powerful beast any of us have ever seen, even counting the tutorial. I am sure you must have encountered stronger ones during yours."

"Yeah, but not out in the open at least," their masked savior answered, willing to say quite a few more words than before. “Ones around that level and above tended to be holed up in dungeons.”

"Did you encounter many like it in your tutorial?" she kept probing, wanting to make sure if he had experienced a tutorial.

"When I went looking for them, yeah."

"Must have been tough to reach their level. As humans, we weren’t exactly positioned at the top of the food chain," Miranda continued, this time looking for confirmation of the man’s humanity.

"Doesn’t mean we couldn’t claim the top anyway," he said, clearly affirming that he was human like the rest of them.

Silence hung in the air for a while before Miranda finally asked, "Would it be possible for us to stay here for a while? At least to get back in fighting condition?"

All of them tensed up as they awaited the answer from the man in front of them.

"…Fine, just don’t disturb me when I work or practice."

And that was how Jake's “city” got its first four citizens.

Chapter 63

Living with the Consequences

That day had been like any other to Jake. Alchemy, meditation, skill testing, and mana practice. Everything had been tranquil until he suddenly got a weird feeling, one he quickly identified as coming from the mana in the air itself.

Something had entered the area permeated with traces of his mana by the Pylon of Civilization. In the back of his mind, he had a vague feeling of the direction of the intruder. Or intruders. He felt several responses, but he was unsure of how many or how powerful they were.

He hesitated a few moments before he stopped his mana practice and decided to go towards the disturbance. Whatever it was, he would have to deal with it eventually. Besides, his danger sense and intuition didn’t ring out in warning even as he used One Step Mile towards the intruders.

There he found four humans under attack. One middle-aged man, two teenagers or people in their early twenties, and a woman around thirty. Their attacker was a tiger that actually reminded him of the King of the Forest. The bark-like skin was very similar, at least.

Of course… it was no King.

He didn’t really think much as he just went and killed the tiger to save the humans. It was like one would naturally call out if they saw someone start attacking another person on the street. While many would perhaps just stand by, Jake was the type who would interfere and then deal with the consequences afterward.

In this case, the consequence was that the group survived, forcing him into an unwanted social encounter. It wasn’t that bad, though, if a little awkward. He did learn that they were a family of three together with a family friend.

Jake hadn’t been able to say no when they asked if they could stay. All of them were relatively weak, the man only a level 31 human. He didn’t appear to have a powerful class or profession, judging from how he’d nearly died to a level 59 beast.

He had been level 43 when he killed the Alpha Venomfang Badger, a mini-boss-type beast at level 71. The tiger did have some impressive abilities, but in the end, it was nothing compared to that badger. It would have been ripped apart with a single swipe.

Jake was pretty sure that he could have killed the Oakwood Tiger at level 31, though it would have been a tough fight. However, he did know that sending the four of them back into the forest in their current states would be no different from killing them.

None of the family appeared very interesting initially, besides maybe the boy since he was a healer. But he found out that the woman, Miranda, did have something interesting. He didn’t know exactly what she did, but she clearly had some kind of negotiation or communication skill. He couldn’t pinpoint what it did, but he was very sure that her words were infused with a skill.

Jake didn’t wait for them as he made his way back to his makeshift camp. It was little more than a blanket on the ground beside the pond.

He wasn’t afraid of them being attacked on the way. First of all, he could vaguely feel their positions when he focused on it, and secondly, no beasts appeared to want to enter the area.

Sitting down once more, he was lost in thought for a while. His daily routine had been completely interrupted, and he wasn’t quite sure what to do now. It felt weird just to start doing alchemy with the four of them also there.

On the other hand, he couldn’t just stop progressing due to social anxiety. He was only a single level away from getting his next Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper skill. On top of that, after reaching level 70, he could look for something new to do. Oh, it would be cool to go explore around the area a bit… Those caves looked cool, and he wanted to go look for some herbs or something.

As he sat there thinking, the group of four arrived in the valley. They saw the beautiful waterfall and pond, with Jake sitting at the shore staring into the water. He looked like he was deep in thought, and the group thought that he was perhaps meditating on the wonders of the universe.

Miranda and Hank found a tree where they could settle down. All of them were still on guard but had slowly begun relaxing now. To their surprise, they hadn’t encountered a single beast on the way here—not even a weak one lurking in one of the trees or the underbrush.

The whole place just seemed so idyllic. Peaceful. There were no sounds of beasts fighting in the distance, only the chirping of birds and the churnings of the waterfall.

Miranda looked on as she saw the masked man summon something out of thin air. At first, she thought it was an old metal pot, but she soon recognized it as a cauldron of some sort. Like the sort a witch would use in old movies, just a lot smaller and with a lid.

She saw him summon a barrel, which he then used to add water to the cauldron. The barrel disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and the one behind it all placed both hands on the cauldron. The air shimmered as if an invisible flame was lit beneath it. Soon after, plants and flowers appeared only to be added to the mixture. Finally, he placed the lid on it and seemed to sit there for a while.

Minutes passed as he sat entirely unmoving. Miranda had a skill that allowed her to sense mana easier, and with it she could see that something was happening within the cauldron. Something far too complex for her to have any chance to understand.

Then, finally, the lid came off and she saw him bottle up a green liquid from within the cauldron. It took her a while, but she soon recognized them as stamina potions. Can he make them? she asked herself.

It would explain how he had gotten such a powerful healing potion to give Hank. It was surprising, as she had never seen someone make potions before. She even had suspicions they were special items only for the tutorial.

Was it a profession or class? Judging by the man’s strength, he had to be a very high level in his class, she reckoned. But the creation of potions appeared more to be profession-related. Was he perhaps skilled in both?

She didn’t know, and at this point, she was quite frankly too afraid to ask—they were already intruding as it was, and she feared that asking him could lead to him forcing them out. Or worse, just getting rid of them permanently.

They had seen their share of human-on-human conflict, and people were far faster jumping straight to violence than before the system. The strong often acted like tyrants or superiors towards everyone around them. Forced them to do their bidding. So far, she found the disinterest of their masked savior to be far more preferable.

Hank was sitting with his eyes closed, leaning up against a tree. His arm was slowly growing out, looking quite grotesque, if she had to say so herself. As he had reached level 25 in his race, he had gained the Meditation skill, which he naturally used to speed up his recovery.

Louise and Mark hadn’t evolved like her and Hank yet, meaning neither of them had the skill. A shame, as the low mana recovery without it was one of the big reasons why their progress had been so slow in the forest. More often than not, Mark had found himself without mana.

Miranda herself wasn’t handy in a fight at all, so she wasn’t sure she could say she hadn’t been the most significant burden of the group. Her class was only at a measly level 18, though her profession was at a respectable level 41. Sadly, though, her profession didn’t have many uses in combat.

It was a weird profession, if she had to say so herself. Before the system, she had worked as a manager and had gotten a profession very closely related to that. It gave her skills related to communication and planning, and even some that gave her the ability to more effortlessly sense atmospheric mana.

In their tutorial, they had called her profession a “social type.” One that didn’t include any tangible crafting skill like builders, smiths, tailors, et cetera. But her profession did help those other ones. She got experience simply by guiding people and making sure what was needed during the tutorial was produced.

She could delegate work and get experience just from that. It even helped the ones doing the actual work, as her skills passively helped them if they worked following her instructions. It was a win-win situation.

It was far from the only social profession. The tutorial had been relatively peaceful most of the time, only forcing people into these insane “trials” once every week, each trial taking a day. Trials they’d entered in teams of five.

These trials had included some kind of combat and many opportunities for those less suited for combat. Miranda distinctly remembered one filled with wooden puppets that she could guide to fortify their position, lay down traps, and put up barriers. Granted, Louise and Hank had done most of the killing, but she felt like she had helped quite a lot.

Ultimately this meant that professions had been a big focus in their tutorial, and as they were, many support-type social professions had also emerged. Miranda herself was perhaps the most prominent of all in her local group in her faction. Though there were quite a lot of different factions and groups, so she couldn’t exactly call herself spectacular.

Their faction alone had around a hundred thousand people assigned by the system. Seven more factions were also around, each of them with about the same number. She called them factions because they were clearly set up to oppose each other.

Each team got shared rewards, but every trial would have a team from each faction. This naturally led to many conflicts, as some teams came in to slaughter every other team. The cursed system even rewarded them extra tutorial points for it by giving them half the points of those they killed.

This meant that often entire teams were wiped out at a time. And those that weren’t wiped out had it even harder, as they were forced to either find a new team or continue on their lonesome. Skipping the trial was never an option.

After leaving the tutorial, she had found little use for her profession, however. It relied on others to level, and with only four of them, it was far from enough. The only useful skills she had were her ability to sense mana and her intuition skill. It was what she had used to find this place.

This area was… different. Like a massive beacon on the horizon, it lit up, making everyone aware that this place was unique. However, only Miranda could feel it, so it appeared that having a skill to sense mana or an intuition skill was required to truly feel it. Moreover, she felt like this place was calling to her. Enticing her to come.

The intuition skill, she didn’t quite comprehend yet. It did as advertised and sometimes allowed her to get a “feel” for something—a notion that a particular course of action would be correct, or maybe an aching feeling in the back of her mind when something was off.

On that note, the skill had done fuck all in front of the masked man. It was not a surprise, as it hadn’t done much during fights either, but usually, it at least did something… But towards him, it was utterly silent. It could sometimes help her prepare for fights by giving her an idea of what to do, but it didn’t do much of anything when it came to actual combat.

She knew that her profession was influential, though. It also fit her very well and played to her already-existing non-system-related skills. Like nearly every other human, she was trying to find her place in this changing world.

Sitting for a while, she just kept observing the masked individual as he worked. Sometimes he would craft potions that she recognized as health, mana, or stamina variants. Other times he made liquids she had never seen before.

Occasionally the flames fizzled out beneath the cauldron, and she heard him curse beneath his breath as he dumped the liquid in a barrel he had placed on the side. Then he began again.

She had observed many craftsmen and women during the tutorial. Led many of them. Guided them to improve their methods. But what she saw right now was truly above her paygrade. She knew it was incredibly complicated and that it required concentration at a high level.

Small aspects were also highly optimized. The masked man deposited all the pot’s ingredients through some kind of telekinesis, all in a seamless motion. Items required simply appeared out of thin air. His methods were efficient, but there was one aspect she respected more than any other.

He didn’t take a single break. Miranda sat there staring at him intensely for hours, nearly in a trance as he just kept working. Most workers would take a slight breather after concentrating intensely after every craft. It was human nature to never give one hundred percent while working—at least, not in her experience.

But he truly gave one hundred percent at every moment. Even when he complained to himself, his hands and telekinetic ability didn’t stop. He just kept going like some kind of machine. It was admirable, to say the least, in Miranda’s eyes. He must have been a good employee before the system.

Hank and his children had all managed to settle down for now. His arms were now regrown and as good as new. It was almost surreal how effective the potion had been. Louise and Mark had both found a spot where they now both leaned against a tree, fast asleep. The last two weeks had taken their toll on the two. Hank was also resting his eyes, despite trying to keep himself awake.

They had found a spot hidden behind some trees, out of sight from the masked man. Only Miranda remained, enraptured by what she was seeing. The crafting itself didn’t interest her that much, but the skill and perseverance involved sure did.

After another hour, he stopped after a successful craft. After bottling the potions, he got up and stood staring at the pond for a while. Miranda was slightly disappointed that he was done working, but soon her disappointment turned to astonishment.

He walked out onto the water. Walked on it. Then he sat down in the middle of the pond and sat in a meditative pose. Seconds later, several big stones floated up from beneath the surface.

Her eyes twinkled as she saw this. She couldn’t help but move a bit closer to see better. Her mana sense was clearly identifying that the masked man was somehow manipulating those stones with mana. But just as she had gotten slighter closer, the rocks suddenly fell, and the man dropped into the water alongside them.

She didn’t even have time to register what had happened before a figure loomed over her, dripping with water and staring down at her with two yellowish eyes. She felt a shiver run down her spine as she quickly tried to come up with an explanation for her peeking.

"Could you stop staring…?" Miranda heard a weirdly meek voice say, her mind completely blank.

Chapter 64

Points of View

For hours he had tried to ignore her while working, enduring that piercing stare. It was far more unsettling than some dungeon boss staring him down. Jake felt like his every action was judged and evaluated. He had endured it… but it was just too much.

He hated whenever people did that. It was why open-concept offices were the spawn of the devil himself. Who the hell could concentrate with someone staring at them covertly, or worse, sitting in plain fucking view, staring...

What the hell, woman? was all he could think. He had managed to do alchemy, as most of it was routine by now, but even then, he had failed far more than before. His mana practice was just damn impossible; it even took him a few seconds to coat his feet in mana to walk on water.

So he prepared himself to confront the woman. To make her quit whatever she was doing. To give her a piece of his mind about how the hell she had been raised not to know staring at people was rude. So with full gusto, he appeared before her, ready to lay into her.

"Could you stop staring?"

Mission successfully failed. Jake felt that he had just made the situation one hundred times worse. Worse yet, the woman just kept staring up at him, like a deer caught in the headlights—like a child caught doing something wrong.

"I… I didn’t mean to…" Miranda stammered, trying to explain herself.

Jake, at this point, was too embarrassed to think clearly either. The entire thing was just too damn awkward. But who the hell had told her to stare at him for literal hours?

Miranda was the first to collect herself and manage to string together a sentence: "I just wanted to see your crafting… It was very inspiring."

Having a point of conversation to jump into, Jake also calmed himself. Be professional, he told himself as he answered.

"If you have any questions, just ask instead of silently staring. It is counterproductive for both of us."

What Jake didn’t know at this moment was the floodgate he had just opened. Miranda’s eyes brightened as she began her barrage of questions.

"Can you tell me the profession used to make potions? It’s a profession, right? And what is that telekinetic skill? Is that part of your class or profession? Water walking? Also, the pot-like thing, is that specific to making potions? What does it do? And where did you get the ingredients? Oh, and…"

Jake took a deep breath as he motioned for her just to follow him. Might as well just sate her curiosity. Going to the edge of the pond, she nervously yet enthusiastically followed. Taking out two chairs from his spatial storage, he couldn’t help but think about how this was the first time he had needed to summon two pieces of furniture. How he had never had anyone to sit with outside of gods. Maybe it would be nice to have a conversation with someone that wasn’t himself...

Of course, him not just summoning ingredients but freaking chairs only made Miranda all the more interested. Sitting down in the chair, and she couldn’t help herself feeling it out, just to make sure it was actually a real, physical object. Jake had to admit he found that a bit funny.

Looking out over the pond, Jake felt himself relax a bit. It was weird how nerve-wracking he found it to engage with another human compared to fighting monsters.

"One question at a time," he said, still staring out on the water.

"How do you make potions?" Miranda asked, just rehashing the questions she’d rapid-fired earlier.

"Alchemist profession. Allows me to make potions along with a bunch of other things."

"How did you get such a profession?" she asked, frowning.

"Do you know what Challenge Dungeons are? Or just dungeons in general?"

"No to both. What are they?"

"Separate spaces that you enter through portals. In my tutorial, most of the powerful enemies were found within those. Also, while I can’t speak for every type of dungeon, you receive rewards upon completing the dungeon.”

The thought of not sharing information didn’t occur to him. While there were many things he wouldn’t share, this kind of knowledge would only help others strive. Besides, everyone would learn it in time, as it was considered common knowledge that even young children knew in the rest of the multiverse.

"Fascinating… I take it you have completed some of these dungeons?"

"Yeah, a few. To answer your earlier question, my profession was gained through a Challenge Dungeon, with it being both a requirement and a part of the reward for doing it."

"If it was given through such unique circumstances, I can understand why I haven’t encountered one before.” She nodded. "But how did you come across these dungeons? Were they part of the trials or in the city zone?"

"Huh?" Jake exclaimed, confused as he turned to her. "What do you mean?"

"The weekly trials… Wait, were there different kinds of tutorials?"

After that, they compared notes a bit. Jake had heard from his colleagues earlier about the different tutorials and even recognized a few things she said. It appeared that Mike had been in the same tutorial as these four. Granted, it was only guesswork based on his eavesdropping while he’d spoken to Jacob.

Miranda heard for the first time that different types of tutorials existed. When she heard Jake talk about how his own had been a forest filled with beasts, she was more than a little surprised. Hers had been known as a “creation”-type tutorial, while Jake’s had been a survival type.

She also voiced her surprise that she, out of a crowd of thousands, hadn’t seen a single profession that could create potions before him. She also shared that while she’d known what an alchemist was before the system, it was only surface-level—something about pursuing immortality and turning lead to gold.

Of course, Jake couldn’t do that. He hadn’t picked the Transmute skill, after all.

Anyway, both of them discovered a lot of exciting things. Jake learned a lot about different classes and professions, and he hadn’t even heard of the so-called “social” professions before. There were, of course, also many more creation types.

He learned that Hank was an evolved builder profession. Mark was a builder, and Louise had some kind of artist profession. Out of everyone, she was clearly the one least focused on hers, and she had apparently gotten it through drawing a lot.

Miranda learned a lot of common knowledge. She learned about standard terms such as the different grades and, of course, about dungeons and skills. He didn’t share anything to do with gods or Bloodlines, however.

"The world has really changed. I can’t believe I worked in a manufacturing plant just a few months ago. Now I am sitting in the middle of a forest with a masked stranger.” She laughed.

Jake nodded along until the last part. The damn mask. Once more, he had forgotten that he even had it on. It was just too damn sneaky. Who the hell designed a mask you couldn’t see or even feel wearing? He hadn’t taken it off for two weeks, not even when in the water.

"Ah, sorry, I totally forgot about the mask," he said as he made it invisible. Oh, it was still there, just unable to be seen by anyone. Even the Viper had confirmed that while he knew it was still there, he couldn’t actually “see” it. System-stuff right there.

Miranda had been looking at him all this time and was startled when the mask suddenly vanished.

Jake, seeing her weird look, couldn’t help but ask a bit self-consciously, "…What is it?"

"You just look … normal—more normal than I expected, at least. The eyes made me expect something quite a bit different." Miranda chuckled. Jake probably did look far too normal for a masked savior that could teleport and summon things from thin air?

"Oh… I see." Of course, Jake had noticed that his eyes had changed quite a bit after he got Gaze of the Apex Hunter. Not that he had anything against it. Even if it looked a bit weird at first sight, the power of the skill was more than worth it. Even a level 59 tiger had been entirely frozen for a few seconds just from a glance.

"Is it a skill?" she asked.

"Yep, and quite a good one. How about that mind-affecting aura of yours? A profession-related one?"

Taken aback, she quickly apologized. "I’m sorry, I don’t even notice when I’m using it! It says that it only makes me appear more trustworthy, and I am so sorry if—"

"It’s fine, doesn’t work anyway," he interrupted, laughing it off. "Takes a lot more than that to affect me. It’s actually good practice when it comes to sensing and adapting to it. By all means, keep it active."

Relieved, Miranda let out a breath. Probably afraid that all the goodwill she had built up had disappeared. But, for some reason, she seemed also relieved to hear that her skills didn’t work.

"By the way, I don’t have any subtle mind-affecting skills, if you wondered," Jake clarified. He couldn’t help but wonder if people would have to explain stuff like that in the future… or how such skills would affect human interactions.

"Good to know; I was afraid I was unable to detect it if there was," Miranda explained, slightly relieved once more. “I bought a skill to defend myself against mental attacks for my tutorial points. Did your tutorial have those points too?"

"It did. That appears to be one shared commonality. Besides the high death rates."

"Yes… I am unsure of the six other factions, but out of a hundred thousand on our side, I think we lost nearly ten thousand. You mentioned that your tutorial had twelve hundred; how many people made it out?"

"Only one," Jake said.

Miranda instantly exclaimed, "What? Only a hundred? How can tha—"

"No. One. As in me." Miranda sat there staring at him for a few seconds, while Jake tried to save the situation by further clarifying: "Ah, but four others also made it in the end. They did all die, though…"

"What the heck happened? How is that even possible? Were those beasts that powerful?"

"No… While the beasts did kill quite a few in the first days, humans killed humans. I am not entirely sure about everything that happened. However, some psychopath ended up killing everyone but himself and me towards the end." Jake sighed, still remembering the terrible—yet slightly satisfying—memory of pummeling William into a paste.

"Who would do that…? What happened to that person?"

"I killed him," Jake explained casually.

"I… I am sorry. That must have been terrible. Having to kill another person…" Miranda looked horrified and sorrowful at the same time.

Jake, trying to ease her feelings, explained, "It was fine; it’s not like he was the first."

An attempt that sure as hell didn’t work. Jake had forgotten that it had still only been three months since the system arrived. While humans adapted quickly, it wasn’t that quick. The act of killing other humans was still a concept many found hard to grasp.

On the other hand, Jake had begun to accept it as just another reality of the multiverse. While he wouldn’t go out of his way to kill humans, he, surprisingly even to himself, wasn't very averse to it. An enemy was an enemy, after all. He knew he had been affected a bit by talking with the Viper, whose main advice to solving problems tended to be: "Just kill everyone?"

Seeing Jake practically admit to multiple murders like it was no big deal made Miranda shirk back a little—something he naturally noticed.

"What’s wrong?" he asked with genuine confusion.

"I… I am sorry if…"

"I don’t get it," he said, scratching his head.

"Why would you…?" she muttered under her breath until she collected herself and raised her head to look Jake in the eyes. "What are you planning on doing with us?" She seemed to have reached a conclusion wildly different from reality.

* * *

Miranda had deduced that the only reason why Jake would just confess to it was that he wasn’t planning on letting them go. She couldn’t comprehend any other reason why someone would admit to such an incriminating act. Something that, in her eyes, was absolutely immoral.

If he had responded with deep emotions from taking another human life, she would have reacted differently. But he talked of it like it was just a minor matter. She even had suspicions that he was the psycho that he’d claimed murdered his entire tutorial.

What she didn’t understand was why he would lure her in like that, to have such a long, pleasant conversation just to show his fangs. Was it some kind of demented entertainment for him?

"Okay, what’s happening here? I don’t plan on doing anything with you? What?" he exclaimed, sounding wholly dumbfounded.

She looked at him searchingly, as parts of her had prepared to die.

Miranda found this response different from what she’d expected. He seemed genuinely confused. Either he was the most talented actor she had ever seen, or he was honest…

Either way, she steeled herself and just asked, "Why did you kill others?"

"What?” Jake said with exasperation. “Because they were enemies and attacked me. Is that what you were so caught up in? Seriously?"

"So it was all in self-defense?" Miranda asked, with a bit of hope that the man in front of her wasn’t a mass-murdering monster. Though the casualness still bothered her.

"Well, yeah, though I guess the last one was more out of rage. But really, what’s up with you?"

"Can’t you see what is wrong with killing others?" Miranda practically yelled, her fear slowly being replaced with anger.

"If they are my enemies, no. It’s not like I get any kicks out of it. I merely realize that this new world isn’t one where killing can be as black and white as before. Things have changed. Doesn’t mean I like it, just that I acknowledge it.”

* * *

Jake felt a sense of deja vu, as he’d had this conversation with the Viper during one of their very first meetings. He recognized where Miranda was coming from. But he now also realized that it was too naïve.

"So you’re just going to kill anyone you deem an enemy?" she asked, getting more than a little upset at the notion.

"If I deem it necessary, then yeah, I will," Jake answered calmly.

"And when is it necessary?"

"When I decide it is."

Jake felt like he was sitting on the other side of the discussion he’d had not even that long ago. He knew the next arguments. He’d had the same debate, after all. In the end, it all boiled down to a differing fundamental view on the value of life.

He had realized that putting life on a pedestal and walking the path he was currently on was both impossible and hypocritical. He was a hunter. A hunter’s purpose is to hunt down and kill their prey. He had already killed thousands of creatures during the tutorial.

Some of them were approaching, if not already at, the intelligence level of humans. Some were likely even above, such as the Great White Stag.

"Will yo—"

"I will do what I think is best,” Jake interrupted. “The world is different now. Tell me, how many enemies did you kill during the tutorial?"

"That is different. They attacked us, and we had to defend ourselves. Besides, while it doesn’t make it okay, they weren’t intelligent beings who—"

Jake interrupted her again with an argument he shamelessly stole from the Viper himself. "So it is okay to kill children as they aren’t as smart as adults?" He, of course, knew full well how preposterous the statement was.

"Of course not; it isn’t—"

"Oh, but it is the same. The system has changed every living being on a base level. A simple animal can evolve to a level of intelligence above that of a human. They can even learn to take humanoid forms, speak, love, and live a life no different from you and me. To kill any living being is to take away that potential.

"A young child is no more intelligent than an animal, but we know they will grow up to become like you and me. What we kill is their potential… and now killing any living being in the world is taking away that potential. Heck, we can even expand it to plants, as even they can evolve.” He knew there were flaws in the arguments, but it got the point across. "Tell me, do you find it justified that I killed that tiger chasing you?"

"If you hadn’t, we would be dead," she answered, still taking in what he’d said before his question.

"What if it had been a human? Would you still find it acceptable that I killed them?"

"I don’t know…" she said, thinking.

"To me, that question is easy. It was someone I decided to kill when I saw the situation and made a split-second decision. That decision saved you and the three others. I would have done the same if it was a human. I have my own thoughts, but more importantly, I have my own guts and intuition. And I trust those more than any law or interpretation of morality.” He stood up. Miranda watched him until he turned and said, "I am going out for a bit. This place is safe, so just rest up. Take care. I’ll be back."

With those words, he walked off with each step crossing tens of meters. Miranda just stared after him, still lost in thought.

Chapter 65

Going Down

That was pretty cool, if I say so myself, Jake thought while walking away from the valley, trying to look as cool as he possibly could. It had nothing to do with how he’d had no idea where the hell to take the conversation after his whole “murder is fine” speech.

Besides, maybe it was time to go for a bit of a walk. Jake hadn’t left that small valley for the better part of two weeks before today. While some immortal god might scoff at him for thinking of that as a long time, he did feel like it was.

He just needed a bit of a push to get him out of there.

Talking with Miranda had been very enlightening in many different ways. He had learned a lot about other people’s thoughts on the system and even learned about other classes, professions, and other tidbits. He was also coming to understand that his tutorial was very much an outlier.

The Viper had told him that, but it helped to have a human reiterate and put it into perspective. Just the sheer amount of god-fuckery and interference that had been going on. Grand designs of fate and all that bullshit.

While in Miranda’s case, she hadn’t spoken of gods a single time, and Jake hadn’t felt like bringing it up either. Perhaps she didn’t even know they existed. It was a very teaching moment. He had heard that other tutorials were very closely related to a god… but clearly, hers wasn’t.

Having a tutorial like Jake’s hadn’t exactly turned out well from an outside perspective. Only having one real survivor, with four others only living due to weird items or skills bringing them back from the dead… or making them able to “live” on as undead. Again, this was a testament to how different his tutorial had been, as people were actually revived during it.

It did allow those who made it out to be well ahead of the curve.

Miranda had been in a far more normal tutorial. None of the thousands of people she’d interacted with had a level close to him, Jacob, Casper, or even Bertram from what she said. Anyone that reached level 25 in their race level before the tutorial ended was seen as a pinnacle elite.

Even just having a class or profession at level 25 put you into the “elite” tier. Hank had been one of the stronger ones in her tutorial. Not the strongest, but strong enough that no one messed with them. Likewise, Miranda had been one of the most recognized “professionals,” as they called those who focused on professions.

Those who’d focused on classes were talked of as fighters, and those with professions as professionals. Why they hadn’t settled on “classers,” he didn’t know, but the word “fighters” was pretty descriptive of their focus and purpose, so it was fine… though he did like classers more.

If you focused on both, there didn’t really appear to be a name. Besides, nearly everyone ended up being more in one lane than the other. Even someone like Hank, who had both an evolved class and profession, was considered a fighter with both being very close in level.

It was all fascinating. It was a part of the tutorial Jake had never gotten to experience. Granted, others hadn’t experienced dungeons and fighting D-grade unique lifeforms, so maybe he wasn’t the one who’d missed out on the action.

While thinking, he soon found himself in front of one of the two cave entrances in the valley. It was his target, after all.

Last time he’d only briefly gone in and looked around, finding nothing of particular interest in the first part of it. The only thing interesting was that he had no idea exactly how far it went. Or how deep it was.

Walking in, he could tell that it was indeed leading slightly downward. He also detected the small differences in the atmospheric mana. Sagacity of the Malefic Viper allowed him to tell the difference far easier than before.

Countless concepts were always in the mana around him. Except for unique places like the Forgotten Sewers dungeon, it was like this everywhere. The forest outside was also like this, mainly possessing what he assumed to be nature-affinity mana.

In here, however, he quickly began to feel a difference. The humidity in the air increased, and with it, water-affinity mana. The intensity of earth mana increased too, with even tiny fragments of the dark affinity, though nowhere near enough to begin devouring the other affinities.

Of course, many more were present that he couldn’t detect. One of them reminded him a lot of vital energy, making him guess it was some kind of life affinity, which was also abundant outside.

Continuing onwards, he focused on his Sense of the Malefic Viper. Closing his eyes, relying solely on the sphere to guide him, he took in all the information.

He felt the mana in the air, the moss, the mushrooms. It had been a nearly forgotten skill for the longest time, where he only relied on the passive sense. Now, however, he was actively focusing on it.

His Perception had grown to monstrous levels since the last time he really focused on the skill. His knowledge of mana had grown even more than that—which resulted in a system message barely a few seconds into using the skill.

*Skill Upgraded*: [Sense of the Malefic Viper (Rare --> 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.

The message was in many ways unsurprising. Jake had expected it, but not this soon. Comparing mental notes of the version before it, he noticed that the main difference was that it now also included sensing mana and mana affinities more easily.

He couldn’t help but compare it to Sagacity of the Malefic Viper and even Palate of the Malefic Viper. The overlap was truly beginning to show in his mind. Palate gave him instinctive knowledge of herbs and toxins, with Sagacity giving him knowledge of mana affinities and ingredients, and Sense to detecting them.

Progress in any one of the skills would affect the others. And as Jake grew, so did the power of other skills. Blood of the Malefic Viper and Touch of the Malefic Viper were affected by all the poisons he had consumed. Even Scales, which was a bit of an outlier, did allow him to obtain and handle the poisonous substances more easily.

A theory had already formed in his head a long time ago. All of his skills with “of the Malefic Viper” were part of a set. It had once been a complete whole. Either by design or through natural means, it was now split up into many different skills, all giving a part of that whole.

And if he was right, then it meant that getting Sense of the Malefic Viper to ancient rating would net him another stat bonus per level in his profession. Perception, most likely. Something he very much desired.

At the same time, he guessed that Touch of the Malefic Viper would end up giving Intelligence. It was the only directly offensive skill the profession had granted him thus far, making it seem very likely. Which meant he still had three other skills to discover. If he was correct, that is.

One that gave Willpower, he could easily see. His blessing already awarded that along with his profession itself, clearly marking it as a stat significantly associated with the Alchemist of the Malefic Viper profession. As for Strength and Agility, however… he wasn’t sure if those even existed.

Either way, it was useless to ponder on. He firmly believed himself to be correct, which was one of the main reasons he was rushing to 70. Only one more level to go.

As Jake focused on the skill and basked in its upgraded glory, he sensed far more things and even noticed minuscule, almost ethereal, fragments floating in the air all around him, too small and insignificant for even his sphere to have detected them before. But with the skill, he became aware of them.

He wondered what they were. He even tried using Identify on them but failed, so instead, he just followed one of the small things. Very slowly, it floated through the air and landed on the moist ground, only to sink into it. It went down a few centimeters before becoming dormant.

Frowning, he tried to find another fragment to focus on. This time he instead tried to trace its source. It didn’t take him long to find out what exactly was the cause. Small mushrooms on the ground occasionally released one of the small fragments, and it was only due to the ground being littered with them that so many small things were in the air.

They were spores. Microscopic spores were how these mushrooms propagated and spread. Walking up to some of them, Jake saw two different kinds, neither larger than half of his pinky finger. They were genuinely tiny.

Both mushrooms were pure white, with different-colored spots on them. One had yellow spots and other blue. Identifying them, their names were as they looked.

[Yellow-spotted Mushroom (Inferior)] – A poisonous mushroom of the earth affinity. Causes stiffness and mild paralysis. Not fully grown yet and will have a weak effect if used as an alchemical ingredient.

[Blue-spotted Mushroom (Inferior)] - A mushroom of the water affinity. Safe to consume, but its liquids can be highly poisonous and cause blood thinning. Not fully grown yet and will have a weak effect if used as an alchemical ingredient.

Baby mushrooms, he thought with a slight smirk. He considered picking some of them to eat for his Palate skill but decided against it. Instead, he would give them time to grow big and strong. Then he would come back and eat them. How kind he was.

Getting up, he moved further into the cave. By now, he was around sixty or so meters in. Looking back, he could still see the entrance, but it was slightly obscured by the ground of the cave, as well as a part of the wall, meaning the cave was indeed leading down but also curving slightly.

So far, he hadn’t encountered any living things besides small bugs that were all identified as lvl 0. In other words, they weren’t able to level or hadn’t done what was required for them to do so. In nearly every way, they were just ordinary animals, if slightly stronger from the mana.

Which made sense, as he was still within the area of his Pylon of Civilization. The pond it was buried next to was only a few kilometers away, making the area the Pylon covered pretty big. Exactly how big, he didn’t know, but the group of four he’d saved were all nearly five kilometers away from the Pylon itself, making him guess that was around the maximum range.

Yet he was actually beginning to feel its effects wane after walking only for a few more minutes. Now around three hundred meters into the cave, the entrance was entirely gone from sight, and darkness dominated. Not that it bothered him, as his vision was clear as day. The only difference was the slightly increased dark-affinity mana in the air, but he had adapted to that long ago.

This was also when he spotted the first actual monster, though not a very impressive one.

[Flyeater – lvl 8]

It was some kind of plant. And while it was large for a plant, it was relatively small compared to beasts Jake had seen, perhaps no bigger than one of his arms. It was entirely green and looked like a regular flytrap, just larger.

Pretty sure flytraps don’t grow in caverns, though, he thought. It did remind him of another kind of herb he had. Mentally checking out his spatial storage, he found the pile of mushrooms he was thinking about and took one out.

[Flytrap Mushroom (Inferior)] – A carnivorous poisonous mushroom eating insects in order to accelerate its growth. Possesses a strong life affinity and has strong acidic qualities.

The name was even slightly similar. But why was this just a normal herb, and the Flyeater instead a monster with levels?

He knew plants could somehow evolve into sapient creatures, but it was another thing to see it right in front of him. The Flyeater was squirming forward, with small vines dragging it around. It looked unbelievably slow and clumsy.

Entering sneak mode, he got closer to observe it better. As he did so, his sphere picked up something he hadn’t expected. More Flyeaters. Not on the surface, however. Tens of them had dug only a few centimeters under the ground and now lay in wait.

Their posture made them look like buried bear traps, ready to clamp. Jake doubted they could do him any harm even if they bit him, but decided to avoid them anyway. None of them were above level 10, making them actually seem kind of cute.

Not wanting to disturb them, he snuck by and made his way further into the depths. He hadn’t exactly planned on how far he wanted to go, but at least to where he couldn’t feel the Pylon at all. Currently, it was so faint that it was barely noticeable, but it was still there.

The only monsters that dared enter the domain were those Flyeaters, it appeared, as he didn’t encounter anything new for the next few hundred meters, except for more Flyeaters. No flies, though, making him wonder if their name truly represented their dietary preferences.

He had to be at least eight hundred meters in and likely fifty or sixty meters down by now. Maybe even further. He had found quite the assortment of interesting herbs on his way, but pretty much all of them were not fully grown yet. They hadn’t had more than a bit over two months to grow, after all.

At one kilometer or so, the influence of the Pylon was totally gone. At least, Jake couldn’t sense it at all. The cave was just long and narrow, no more than four or five meters across the entire way, with no other opening anywhere.

From the mark where the Pylon’s influence disappeared, he began seeing creatures here or there, but none that had even reached level 25. He would consider this entire trip a waste of time except for the herbs. Yet he kept going, and after reaching around the two-kilometer mark, his disappointment was only growing.

That was why the next sight was so pleasantly surprising. The entire cavern opened up before him after he moved through a small entrance.

He hadn’t entered any portal or anything, yet it felt like entering another world entirely. The entire cavern had to be more than a hundred meters tall, meaning that he genuinely had gone far deeper underground than he first anticipated.

The other end of the cavern wasn’t even visible. Instead, Jake saw hundreds of different wild and alien plants everywhere. Some were more recognizable, like giant mushrooms the size of trees, all the way to these weird, bark-covered, almost metallic tubes. It indeed was like entering another world.

And then he saw movement. An insectoid monster crawled on top of one of the mushrooms nearly right in front of him. Long blades in the place of forearms gleamed from the light of the glowing moss above. It was a giant, human-sized mantis.

[Mantis Scyther – lvl 42]

Jake chuckled to himself as he saw its level, and even more so when it charged towards him. Maybe this trip will be fun after all.

Chapter 66

Two Kinds of People

Jake stood on top of a large purple mushroom as he inhaled deeply, taking in the atmosphere. This cavern, which he had decided to now call a biodome, was truly interesting.

On the ground beneath him lay tens of dead insectoids. None had been a threat, but had nevertheless been insanely aggressive. The beasts above had either scurried off upon seeing him or at least been hesitant. These insects didn’t give a damn.

Which naturally resulted in their untimely demise. One charging mantis had quickly attracted others to come out of the woodwork—or shroomwork, in this case—and joined the charge. One charging mantis had quickly resulted in many dead mantises.

The strongest had been level 48, with the weakest at 26—quite the disparity. Far more so than a dungeon would have, but then again, this area wasn’t as “designed” as those were. Besides, Jake could feel that he hadn’t met the big boss of this biodome yet.

For the first time, he felt a bit of excitement. Maybe he could even find something worth fighting down here.

With those thoughts, he moved onwards, slaughtering everything in his path as he went towards the center of the biodome.

On the way, he didn’t care for herbs as before. He only focused on the aura he felt. It was faint… but it was there.

A sword in one hand, a dagger in the other, he cleaved down mantis after mantis. Occasionally a centipede-like monster would appear, but they didn’t seem to be on friendly terms with the mantises either. Most of them were either injured or in the middle of being devoured.

The same was true for every other species than the mantises. This was clearly their territory. Their domain. A domain that had now been invaded by an enemy predator in the form of a human.

Soon he couldn’t strike the mantises down in a single blow anymore. Their levels were growing, starting in the early 50s and now at the early 60s, with even the occasional one in the early 70s. Any of these mantises would be the apex predator only a few hundred meters above them.

But down here, they could only play second fiddle to the true lord of the biodome.

Jake jumped to one of the tallest mushrooms and stared down at the huge insect beneath him.

Its body was bright green, its eyes even shining slightly. Its two blades were more than three meters long. It had strong mandibles that looked like they could easily crush steel, and a level that made it worthy of being the ruler here.

[Alpha Mantis Scyther – lvl 89]

Smiling, Jake looked down at it, making eye contact. He had hoped to see a trace of intelligence as he had seen in all of the dungeon bosses, yet he found only disappointment. Not a single spark of intelligence was present; it was clearly nothing more than a giant, stupid insect.

A shame, he thought. Hopefully, it can make up for it in power.

Taking out his bow, a quiver appeared on his back simultaneously. At the same time, the mantis had now clearly noticed him. And like all the others, it merely attacked.

Jake didn’t use Infused Powershot but instead opened with a Splitting Arrow.

In flight, one arrow split into two dozen, the most considerable amount Jake had created so far with a single shot. Jake could see the arrows about to hit the mantis when he got his first pleasant surprise. Its back opened up, and out came two transparent sets of wings.

With a swift motion, it dodged all of the arrows and continued its attack, even faster than Jake had anticipated. Less than a second after he had fired the arrow, the Alpha Mantis was before him, its scythe cleaving down.

Jake took a step forward as he saw the mushroom be split in two behind him through his sphere. His step had naturally been the skill One Step Mile and had taken him down to the ground, close to where the mantis had been initially.

Turning around quickly, he managed to fire off another arrow before the clearly confused insect managed to locate him. He hit it right in its midsection and saw the arrow sink in deeply as it shrieked in pain. He’d been pretty sure mantises couldn’t shriek before.

His attack had done little more than alert it to his position. With its more than six-meter-tall body, it flew towards him once more, its speed still very impressive.

Firing off yet another arrow, he hit it another time before it reached him. And once more, he dodged it, this time without even using a skill.

Its attacks were predictable and straightforward. Its only advantage was in speed. Clearly, its Agility and maybe even Strength were far above his own. He didn’t doubt that if he got hit by its blades, he would lose an arm or a leg. He just didn’t feel like it would ever hit him.

Their dance kept going for a few minutes, with Jake dodging and the mantis frantically trying to cut him to pieces. Eventually, Jake began to get bored, as the insect hadn’t done jack shit to adapt. The only change was its accumulating wounds.

He hoped for it to have more. Maybe some kind of new skill or hidden ability. But… nothing. It was just slowly fighting a battle it clearly couldn’t win, with no thought of any kind. It was just… disappointing.

With a sigh, Jake decided to end it.

One Step Mile

He appeared tens of meters behind the mantis as he turned around, an arrow already nocked. The mantis was once more confused, having clearly learned nothing from earlier.

Gaze of the Apex Hunter

Then its body froze. And finally…

Infused Powershot

It lost its head to an arrow that soared through the biodome with unstoppable power.

Miranda sat in the chair, staring out at the serene pond. She saw the small eels swimming without a care in the world as the thoughts jumped around in her head.

She felt like there was a vast difference between her and the young, formerly masked man. Not just in power, but mentality and understanding.

He had known so much of the system. Like he had lived in it far longer than Miranda or the others—or actually been able to learn from someone who had.

His experiences of the tutorial were so much more than hers. The most significant difference, however, was the disparity in mindset between the two.

In her work before the system, she’d interacted and worked with many different types of employees. Over time she had begun to classify them mentally, put them into boxes—one for those you need to watch out for and those you don’t.

The first group was also split into many different types. Troublemakers, the lazy, the incompetent—yet she found the most volatile of them all in another category: the truly driven.

Many workers just went to work for their monthly paycheck. They worked to live. To get the job done and go home. But the driven wanted more than that. They wanted to advance. They wanted to improve. They became restless if their ambitions weren’t realized.

In her retrospection, she had come to see that she and even Hank and his kids were the first types of people. Not in her job before the tutorial, but in the tutorial itself. Like a worker merely working to live, she had done the tutorial simply to survive. Nearly everyone had.

Of course, she had worked hard in her own mind. She’d gone above and beyond to organize and try and lead some of the other survivors. But… she couldn’t honestly say that she hadn’t done it for the sake of survival, making herself useful and gaining levels to not die in the next trial.

The trials themselves had also been harrowing, a real struggle. And the moment they’d ended, Miranda had returned to the rest area as quickly as possible. Yet… what if she had remained within the trial area? No one forced them to leave. What if she’d gone beyond where they simply guarded themselves during the trial?

That was the first type of person. The type that was just walking forward to survive one day at a time. The other type was different.

You needed to look out for them, focusing on both the good and the bad. They would be the employee that could take the company to the next level, have a new innovative idea or strategic insight that could lead to practical change. They could be the best type of employee imaginable.

At the same time, they could be the worst type. The one who would advance by any means necessary, willing to stomp on anyone in their way on their path of advancement. Every other person was merely a tool to help them.

Without a doubt, the masked man was the ambitious and driven type. If he had been in their tutorial, he wouldn’t have stayed in the trial area. He would have gone beyond it. She heard how he spoke. As if it was natural to hunt down whatever monsters lurked in the most dangerous corners of his tutorial.

He had gone above and beyond and come out of the tutorial more powerful than she thought possible. And what did he do then? He kept working; he kept grinding. Somehow, he had managed to find the time and do his alchemy also.

She respected him. But at the same time, she was terrified of how foreign he felt.

As she concluded, he was the second type of person, ambitious and driven. But was he the archetype that would bring himself up, and by doing so, uplift everyone around him? Or the one who left others in his wake, squashed beneath him?

She worried because this wasn’t just a corporate job they were talking about. It wasn’t just a lost bonus or a missed promotion. It wasn’t a bastard taking credit for work he didn’t do or cheating on an evaluation.

It was the difference between letting others live and outright killing them. The difference between the ones killing the people they entered the trials with and those who worked together.

Miranda had been incredibly sure that the masked man was the good kind for the majority of their conversation. She had been so sure… until the end. Now she wasn’t so confident. Was he a monster or a savior? Perhaps neither...

She looked down at the pond, her face easily reflected by the calm water. Her slightly haggard look was making her a bit embarrassed. Her long orange hair had all curled up from not having a proper wash since leaving the tutorial.

If she had to say so herself, she looked quite good usually, but now she could easily be confused for being homeless. At least her skin was still as healthy as before. She found it weird how the system affected appearance through the evolutions.

The consensus had been that the change was according to the one evolving and their own desires. If you had flaws or blemishes you considered faults, the system would better them. It couldn’t do significant changes, at least not at E-grade, but it could do smaller things, according to what she’d encountered.

The makeup industry would have gone under without a doubt, she thought as she sat down at the edge of the pond and began clearing her face and hair. The water was cold and pleasant, and it was refreshing to finally start feeling cleaner.

"Miranda?" She recognized the voice, turning around to see Hank standing a few meters away. Not staring at her, but the two chairs right behind her. "Where did the masked man go?" he continued, appearing slightly worried. "And where did these chairs come from?"

"Oh, hey Hank," she said as she continued washing her hair. "I’m not sure where he went; he just said he was heading out for a bit. Oh, and the chairs are his."

"He had these chairs just lying around?" Hank asked, still kind of hung up on where the hell they came from. They were in the middle of a forest, hundreds of kilometers from anything, as far as he could tell. And the chairs were clearly old and made of strange wood.

"No, he summoned them out of thin air. Waved his hands, and then a chair appeared in each of them."

"Are they real?" he asked, studying them more in depth. They both knew that some classes and professions had learned to summon things with skills, so she understood the confusion. But they always consisted of mana and would disappear after a short while.

"They are," she answered.

"Hm," Hank said, finally deciding to move on from the subject. "What happened after I fell asleep?"

The man walked over, sat a few meters from her, and began also cleaning himself. Perhaps seeing her do it made him realize how long it had been.

He had a full beard that was full of leaves and small pieces of sticks. Not to mention the blackened blood that had made it all stiff. His arm was back to normal, but the blood that had splattered all over his face as it exploded hadn’t disappeared.

"I sat watch as we agreed and kept an eye on him. After a while, he called me out on it, and we ended up sitting here and had a pleasant chat. It was very enlightening." Miranda didn’t want to disclose the embarrassing circumstances in which it had happened.

"Any useful information?" Hank asked, seemingly bewildered that they had ended up having what she described as a “pleasant chat.”

"Oh, so much. First of all…" Miranda began recounting all the useful information she had learned. The things the masked man had known of the system, of skills and whatnot. About dungeons and about what he mentioned his tutorial was like.

"It is indeed unbelievable… Different universes, these magical spaces you call dungeons, different tutorials, alchemy…" Hank said as he leaned back, having now had time to clean his face properly. "A shame you told me alone. Now I will have to explain it to the kids later."

"Hmph, like you aren’t going to enjoy looking all knowledgeable and cool," she chuckled as the man smiled slightly—something he hadn’t done often after his wife, her best friend, had died.

"How powerful do you think he is?" Hank finally asked. A question she had expected and considered.

"I truly don’t know. His profession is at a very high level, of that I am sure. And from his retellings, assuming they are true, he has also done plenty of fighting. I think… I think his race level may be over level 60."

"What? is that even possible?" Hank said with wide eyes. "Clearly, he is strong, but to such an extent… Are you sure he told the truth? Did you use that mental skill of yours?"

"I did… and he didn’t just notice it; he found it enjoyable as he said it helped him to understand how such a skill works or something. With the comment that it was far too weak to have any effect." Miranda sighed.

"Is it safe to even stay here? He is gone now… but what if he decides just to get rid of us upon returning? From what you said, the talk didn’t end on a positive note." Hank seemed somewhat worried as he looked back towards his still-sleeping children.

"I am not sure… but is anywhere really safe these days? The forest was hell. And Hank… we are weak. All of us. Can we truly make it on our own? Or just long enough to find help? With just us four… I think it’s safer to stay here. Besides, he didn’t look like a bad guy.”

"You saw his face?" Hank asked. "Forget it… Let’s just stay here for now, at least till he returns. By the way, what did he say his name was?"

Miranda froze for a bit as she began fiddling with her hands. "I, eh…"

"Yes?"

"I… forgot to ask?"

Chapter 67

Big Blue Mushroom

Truly disappointing, Jake thought as he looked at the now dead Alpha Mantis Scyther. A level 89 beast that was the lord of this biodome, reduced to a headless corpse in what couldn’t even be called a real fight.

If he had to compare it to something, it would be the Den Mother. And not in a favorable way for the mantis. Despite it being seven levels higher, the Den Mother had been stronger. More importantly, it’d had a much higher level of intelligence and many more skills in its toolbox.

Focusing on physical stats, the mantis likely had the Den Mother beaten. Without a doubt, himself too. It was also surprising that there even was such a high-level creature down in these caverns. This biodome in itself was a pleasant surprise.

With their leader dead, the mantises were no longer a threat either. Not that they ever had been. Jake made his way towards the center of this biodome, his Sense of the Malefic Viper telling him that something containing a lot of mana was there.

Little was in his way as he ran there, encountering only a few mantises that he quickly cut apart. Soon he found himself before the source of it all—a glowing blue crystal embedded in the ground, surrounded by wild plant life.

Using Identify on it, he got… nothing. No response at all—a phenomenon he had run into many times before. If he wanted to Identify a piece of metal, wood, or crystal, it usually didn’t work. He didn’t have the required skill to do so, from what he’d gathered.

Similarly, others couldn’t use Identify on plants and toxic things. It was why Jake had the skills Herbology and Toxicology from his profession that allowed him such knowledge; the only outliers he had encountered so far were things in dungeons and special items during the tutorial. Those he had been able to Identify without a problem.

Now the question was… should—and could—he take the big, shiny crystal with him? He could clearly feel it pumping out vast amounts of pure mana to the surrounding area, and it was likely the source of life in this entire biodome. Taking it would possibly result in the whole cavern no longer being the sprawling place of life it was now.

Of course, all of this was dependent on his ability to even move the crystal, to begin with. It was rather large, sticking out of the ground around three meters up, with another three meters under the ground. It reminded him a bit of the Pylon at first, but there were also clear differences.

The Pylon was clearly a creation of the system, while this in front of him was just a somewhat standard giant mana crystal. Also… he was pretty damn sure he had run into this kind of crystal before. He just couldn’t quite remember where.

Raising his hand, he placed it upon the crystal. It felt just like a big piece of glass. Or a regular crystal. There was nothing incredible about it except for the mana it so clearly emanated into the biodome.

Activating his necklace, he tried to store the crystal, but he felt like there was some kind of resistance. He kept trying for a while but ended up admitting to himself that moving it wasn’t possible. At least not in his storage. His Sphere of Perception revealed the reason.

Beneath the ground, hundreds of small vines and roots extended into the crystal. Following them, he could see that they belonged to all the plants around him. Most surprising, however, was the fungi. Or perhaps fungus would be more accurate.

Every single one of the giant blue mushrooms was a part of this one plant—one entity that spread beneath the ground. From a mycology standpoint, this was very interesting; sadly, Jake didn’t care that much for mushrooms to begin with. In fact, he had quite the distaste for the damn things.

And for these to even dare to be blue… It was an offense he couldn’t let slide lightly. And he really wanted to bring the big shining mana crystal with him, if only to figure out exactly what it was and test things with it.

So he took out his Omnitool and once more turned it into a shovel. Plunging it into the ground, he hit the roots of the mushrooms, and—

OoOOoOOOOooO

A loud booming sound echoed through the entire biodome. The ground shook, and Jake was momentarily dumbstruck by what the hell was happening. All he had done was sever a few roots of the damn fungus.

It had awakened something. An aura spread throughout the entire biodome, suppressing every living mantis still scouring about, making them freeze up in fear. It was the type of aura Jake had only felt once before—the one that came from the suppression of a higher grade.

The ground in front of him exploded. He was pushed away from the crystal, stabilizing himself quickly. The crystal itself rose into the air as countless vines spun around it, shielding it from sight. But it was not only the mushrooms acting up. Everything was. Now every single living plant in the entire dome was giving off the exact same aura.

He felt his skill Big Game Hunter hum to life, his Strength and Agility both being empowered. Meaning whatever he now faced was a higher level than him, and not to a negligible degree.

Eyes wide open, he used Identify on a random tree-like plant and got a result.

[Indigo Fungus Mycorrhiza – lvl ???]

He had made quite an error. The mantis had never been the lord of this area; the true ruler had been the area itself. And now, finally, he saw it.

The mushrooms had invaded every single plant here. Made them a part of it. It was all one giant living creature, connected through a network of fungi.

Now, with it awake, it jumped into action. Hundreds of tendrils flew out of the ground, and the plants moved in concert. But not only towards Jake. He saw the metal-like tubes he had found interesting earlier penetrate the corpse of a dead mantis he had left nearby. Like a needle, it pierced into it, and in mere moments the corpse turned into an empty husk, drained of all nutrients.

For a brief moment on his way here, he had wondered why he saw no corpses. Now he understood.

Tendrils flew towards him as the entire area shook. The ground right beneath him exploded once more, but he had seen it coming in his sphere long ago. He considered his options as he jumped away from the four spike-like roots that exploded from where he stood only moments ago.

What he stood before was an actual D-grade being. Above level 100, with unknown abilities. It wasn’t like the mantis from before. Logically the best plan would be to retreat, as he doubted the entire monstrosity could actually follow him. But…

He couldn’t stop smiling. Finally. He had found something worth fighting.

This creature was very different from the King of the Forest. The King had been absolutely dominating at every step. The King had possessed intelligence rivaling that of a human. Stats far above one. His only weakness had been the tools given by the tutorial and his own arrogance.

The Indigo Fungus, however… He just didn’t feel the same pressure. He had gotten stronger, and this… thing was weaker than the King. But at the same time… he couldn’t underestimate it and end up being fucked like he’d been against the King.

Jake kept dodging as the vines came for him from all sides. Often, he was forced to avoid being enclosed by vines with Shadow Vault or One Step Mile. His Sense of the Malefic Viper also yelled at him at the back of his head.

Of course, he thought as he felt the poison seep into his body. Many of the mushrooms and other plants were poisonous and now released all their fumes into the air. He heard the shrieks of all the still-living mantises from all around the biodome. Dying slowly.

To Jake, on the other hand, it was almost pleasant. And it did give him an idea.

When fighting a creature roughly the size of ten football fields, the first problem: where the hell do you begin your attack? What do you even attack?

The second problem: how do you get to whatever weak point it might have?

The third problem: how do you outlast such a creature, with its likely enormous resources?

All of these questions had a single answer: poison. Because the fungus had one fatal flaw—it was all connected.

His grin only growing, Jake cleaved through a few vines with his sword and dagger. The attacks were endless. A spear-like root was attacking him to try and pierce him, but this one he didn’t dodge. Instead, he caught it beneath his arm, holding it in a good old nelson.

At the same time, he knelt to avoid a blow as he began channeling Touch of the Malefic Viper. He saw his hands radiate a dark green color, and dark green veins began spreading down the root and into the ground.

For the first time, he got a real reaction.

OoOOoOOOOooOoOOOooOO!

He smiled to himself at first, but soon it turned to a frown. He felt his poison quickly being purified by the overwhelming vitality of the fungus. Another sharp tendril also emerged and cut off the root he was currently grasping, effectively halting his attack.

In the end, his attack had done little more than anger the fungus. Anger which materialized in the shape of more than a hundred roots shooting out of the ground all around him.

Before, it clearly hadn’t focused on him at all, its attention split between himself and all the other living creatures still roaming about the biodome. Now, however, he had its sole, undivided attention.

He was forced to activate Limit Break straight up to 20% right away. The attacks were both stronger and more numerous than before. Even while boosted, he failed to dodge all the attacks. Several cuts appeared on his arms and legs.

Finding time to counterattack was impossible, and he was forced to admit that he had been too arrogant in his approach. While his analysis of the monster’s weakness was entirely accurate, he had forgotten one of the most important things: his own relative strength.

Yet, for the next few minutes, he kept trying. And while he did clearly cause some damage here and there, the only thing he achieved was making the fungus more determined in killing the beast that had invaded it. He chucked poison bottles out and hit several mushrooms or plants, making them wither quickly—but it was only a drop in the bucket.

Finally, it’d had enough. Jake felt a massive amount of mana in the air as it used a skill. He saw hundreds of giant mushrooms wither as light exited them only to gather mid-air, floating above the biodome like a new sun.

Before he could grasp its intention, he felt his danger sense explode. His near-precognizant senses activated as he quickly covered his entire body in scales. And just in time, as a blue beam hit him right in his midsection.

The entire ball of mana had been transformed into a special attack that blew him back hundreds of meters. The beam seared into his body and quickly burned through his armor, leaving only his scales to take the brunt of the attack.

Luckily for him, the scales specialized in defending against magical attacks. But that did not mean it could in any way negate it. The scales all chipped and cracked on his chest, while the ones on his back practically shattered the moment he smashed into the cave wall.

Coughing up blood, he tried but failed to dislodge himself from the wall before the follow-up attack arrived. Nine needle-like thorns pierced his stomach and chest and began sucking.

Fuck, he thought, enraged as he activated Blood of the Malefic Viper. If you want my blood, you better enjoy it.

Something the fungus clearly did not.

The thorns began withering right away as the toxic blood entered them. With a swipe of his arm, Jake broke them all off like rotten wood. Free at last, he dislodged himself from the wall and charged towards where he had entered the biodome.

His health and stamina were both draining fast, as he didn’t hold back on using Shadow Vault and One Step Mile. At this point, he had truly realized that this wasn’t a fight he could win, but one he could survive.

Running, he soon spotted the exit—only to see roots emerge and cut it off. Simultaneously, a figure rose from the earth just in front of thorns’ newly erected wall. A giant creature, made up of roots and mushrooms, clearly strung together from tens or perhaps hundreds of different plants.

It didn’t look remotely humanoid; the only features that did were its two arms. It didn’t have a head, and it was like only the construct’s upper body emerged. Yet it towered over ten meters into the air as he formed yet another barrier between him and his escape.

Jake didn’t hesitate as he took out his bow and an arrow. For the first time since returning to Earth, he had to use his signature skill on full power—the one that had carried him through the tutorial time and time again.

Nocking the arrow, he felt the mana and stamina build up as he pulled back the string. The air hummed, and the earth cracked in his wake from the pent-up mana. After only a few seconds, he let it go, yet it was the strongest arrow he had ever released.

Infused Powershot

The arrow flew out at supersonic speed and pierced straight through the giant construct. But it didn’t stop there, as it also went through the wall of thorns, blasting a hole more than large enough for a human to get through.

Before the fungus had a chance to close the hole, he stared down the construct with Gaze of the Primal Hunter, freezing it in place for only a moment. He felt a slight headache from doing so, but it was enough. As the construct was a part of the larger monster, it froze the entire biodome. Just long enough for him to take a step forward.

A step that took him through the hole and out of the biodome. He didn’t stop there, and instead sprinted further away from the cursed place. Roots were extending through the tunnel, trying to chase him down.

Luckily the fungus didn’t have any intention, or perhaps ability, to follow him for long. After not even a hundred meters, the roots stopped and retracted back to the biodome once more. Jake let himself fall back to the ground as he breathed out in relief.

"Well, that went well," he joked to himself as he took out a health potion to chug down. At the same time, he deactivated Limit Break and felt a sense of weakness wash over him.

Once more, he had been shown that D-grades most certainly weren’t to be underestimated. But despite losing, he wasn’t discouraged at all. Instead, he felt a sense of relief. He had feared that powerful enemies would only be found in the different danger zones. That he wouldn’t be able to encounter any real challenges.

Yet, in only a few hours, he had encountered two enemies above his level, one of them even D-grade. It gave him a target to instantly begin working towards, and different plans and hypotheses to take down the giant fungus already began forming in his mind.

For now, however, he would have to recuperate. Recuperate and return to his little camp to continue his practice in alchemy. And this time, he had something to work directly towards.

If fighting the fungus with his current means wasn’t enough… if his current poisons weren’t toxic enough… he would just have to make something better. A special cocktail for the dear fungus, if you will.

He was already smiling to himself as he entered meditation, envisioning his next encounter with the thing.

Chapter 68

Delegating (avoiding) Responsibilities

Jake was more injured than he had first thought. Then again, he’d had quite a few giant needles pierce into his chest and attempt to suck him dry of any and all vitality. Nevertheless, it wasn’t something a healing potion or two couldn’t fix. He quite honestly felt bad for all those out there without the ability to get themselves healed.

If he’d had to rely on his natural regeneration, it would’ve taken days to heal the last bout’s damage. To restore his entire 10,000+ health pool would require more than a week. Maybe more, as health regeneration slowed when health was lower.

His armor was also pretty damn broken. His chest was exposed entirely, as the mana beam had burned his chestpiece to tatters. Luckily the Self-Repair enchant made the armor virtually unbreakable unless utterly obliterated, and even then, it might not even disappear if it was completely destroyed, as it was "bound" to him.

The problem was that it would take some time for it to repair itself, so he would have to go shirtless once more for a while. Oddly nostalgic in a sense, as he remembered his many shirtless days.

Getting up, he began making his way out of the cave and back to his small basecamp once more. He had only been gone for several hours, but it had been more than worthwhile. He’d discovered a D-grade entity, gotten some experience, and picked up many different mushrooms and mosses to play with.

Miranda and those three others should also have left by now, he thought. Their parting had been less than ideal, but sometimes that is how life is. She was a good conversation partner, but they clearly had different goals when it came to this new reality of theirs.

He had also determined to not just aim to survive but strive for greater power. He wouldn’t fault others for merely wanting to survive, as he genuinely understood where they were coming from. Before the system, he hadn’t had any real ambitions but had just been happy with what he had.

His only real motivation to improve had been external. To make his parents proud, gain social status, and earn enough money for a comfortable life. Now that had changed. His motivation was entirely internal. He wanted to grow stronger, not for anyone else but himself. It was without a doubt selfish, but he honestly didn’t care. One of the perks of power was that other's opinions stopped holding power over you.

Only through power could he attain total freedom. But he knew he had a very long way to go. Even an overgrown mushroom had beaten the crap out of him. But as long as he stayed true to his path, he firmly believed that he would one day reach the pinnacle. Or at least die doing something he loved, no matter how cliché that sounded.

As he thought, the exit of the cave finally came into sight. The bright light was now replaced with the orange glow of the evening sun. He wasn’t in a hurry as he walked back, still a bit sore. Likely due to the aftereffects of Limit Break.

The trek was short, but as he got closer, he was surprised to hear voices. Going low, he used Advanced Stealth and snuck closer to his camp. Peeking out from behind a tree, he saw Miranda and Hank together with the two teenagers—all sitting at the pond.

He had thought they would leave. Miranda had been quite distraught when he left… but that wasn’t the real issue.

Jake had walked off with the thought that their parting would be final. Now… he wasn’t quite sure what exactly to do. Would it be awkward to just stroll back to the pond, intruding on the four of them?

Fuck, this is my pond, and the Pylon is buried right there. Stop being a wuss and get in there. He was trying to hype himself up. Yeah, he was a goddamn Progenitor of this universe, a Kingslayer, a Prodigy, and all that shizzle. There was no way he would let social anxiety beat him like this!

So he only waited around passively for ten more minutes before realizing they clearly weren’t going to leave the pond any time soon. That was when he remembered his ultimate weapon: the mask that hid his face. Steeling his will, he entered the fray, trying to look as confident as ever.

Walking out from behind the tree, he moved casually towards the pond, not trying to hide whatsoever. He instantly drew the attention of all four of them. Their reactions differed wildly.

The young man, Mark, looked slightly frightened, while Miranda was a bit concerned. Hank frowned, and Louise’s face turned bright red.

The first to speak was Miranda. "What happened?"

Jake, a bit taken by surprise by the question, asked, "What do you mean?"

"Your condition… What attacked you?"

That was when Jake remembered how he currently looked. Tattered armor, dried blood covering his bare upper body, and several still-healing scars where the needle-like thorns had pierced his chest and stomach. In other words, he looked like he had just walked out of a life-and-death battle. Quite accurate, actually.

"Oh… that. Nothing of importance, and don’t worry—what I fought cannot come here." Jake mentally added, At least I don’t think it can.

"I meant, are you fine? Is that your blood?" Her concerned look was not directed at the potential danger, but his own wounds—something he hadn’t expected.

"No worries—nothing a healing potion or two couldn’t fix," he answered with a smile. Not that they could see it through the mask, though.

"That is good to hear…" she said, relieved.

Jake, at the same time, kept an eye on the three others. While none of them was a threat, he didn’t exactly know them at all. He hadn’t even spoken a word to them before, with Miranda taking charge of their group.

"I didn’t think you would stay," he said, breaking the silence.

"I… can’t we?" she asked, clearly a bit afraid. Jake also saw Hank and the young man tense up. The young teenage girl was still staring at him weirdly for some reason.

"Nothing’s stopping you. But my requirements from before still stand. I want peace and quiet for my alchemy." While the forest technically belonged to him due to the Pylon, it wasn’t like he planned on forcing anyone who entered out of it.

"Thank goodness.” She smiled, relieved. "We honestly wouldn’t know where to go. And for some reason, no beasts want to enter this area, so it is the safest area we have seen so far."

"Yeah… about that," Jake said, getting an idea. "Can I speak with you privately?"

Miranda looked a bit surprised at the request but accepted it. Hank also appeared totally okay with leading his two children away. Mark happily followed, while Louise still kept staring at him with a red face and weird expression.

Hank eventually just yanked her by her collar as the three left, leaving Jake alone with Miranda.

"Chairs are still here," he noted, indicating for them to sit, which they did.

This time Jake took the initiative, making his mask invisible to reveal his face. He felt a bit proud of himself for remembering that one—a sense of pride that was crushed by Miranda’s next words.

"How come you are half-naked, by the way? Did that armor break completely?"

"Fuck me," he said accidentally out loud, quickly trying to explain himself while admonishing himself for forgetting his current state again within five minutes. "Eh… well, it’s in my spatial storage while it’s repairing itself."

As he said that, he took out one of the many shirts he had swiped from the Challenge Dungeon. They were shitty quality and far less comfortable than his armor, but at least they covered him up a bit.

"Spatial storage?" she questioned, hiding a smile as he put on the shirt.

"It’s something an item of mine can do. I can store items within it. Mine even has the function of keeping all kinds of alchemical ingredients frozen in time to keep them fresh.” He didn’t see any point in hiding its functions with the plan he had formed.

"Interesting…" she said. "But can you tell me what exactly you fought that caused your armor to require such repair?"

"There is a cave nearby that leads deep underground, wherein I discovered a huge biodome of sorts," he calmly explained. “Therein I encountered a D-grade entity and was forced to retreat.”

"D-grade… aren’t those above level 100?" she asked, shocked.

"Yeah, at least. Each grade is quite a qualitative upgrade, too, meaning the difference between level 99 and 100 is huge. I am sure you remember the difference between 24 and 25, so think of it like that but much more extreme."

"That is… quite something. To face such a thing… I can’t even imagine fighting something like that tiger." Miranda sighed powerlessly.

"Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. What is your goal in this new world?"

"My goal?" she asked, a bit confused at first, but soon she began thinking. "To survive, I guess?"

"How do you plan on surviving?" he pressured her.

"I know what you are getting at… but I am not a fighter. I can’t face down beasts and monsters every day like you and Hank.” She seemed a bit ashamed at her own perceived weakness.

"It isn’t like fighting is the only way to survive," he said. "But in either case, you do need power. So I ask again, how do you plan on surviving?"

She sat silently for a while until she resolutely looked him in the eye. "By making someone powerful like you protect me."

"For that to happen, you have to offer something that makes it worth the hassle. And even then, it’s a fragile thing if you don’t even have a modicum of strength yourself." Jake was pleasantly surprised by her honesty. It made this entire conversation easier. "You asked me earlier why no monsters enter this area. It is because of what lies buried in the earth right below our feet. A thing called a Pylon of Civilization. As the name suggests, it is an item made for founding a civilization—or in this case, a city.”

Miranda just sat there, listening, while peeking down at the ground.

"I have no desire at all to make a city, much less rule one. But at the same time, it would be a waste not to use the Pylon properly. So my proposition is this: become the City Lord of this Pylon and found a city here. I will stay as the on-paper ruler while you pretty much do everything."

"What would I—" she began saying before she got interrupted by something Jake couldn’t see. He smirked to himself as his prediction proved true.

"Principal City Lord?" she asked him questionably.

"Had my suspicions that the system wanted someone to take it. So, do you want the job?" Jake smiled. He could vaguely feel the system offering it and his own ability to stop it from doing so.

"It says I need to have at least the title of Lord to get the profession…" She sighed.

Jake barely managed to frown before he got interrupted by a new message.

Do you wish to grant Miranda Wells a nobility title? Note that as an Earl, you can only appoint 5 Lords (0/5 used), 3 Barons (0/3 used), and 1 Viscount (0/1 used).

He was a bit surprised at the message but not overly much. The only truly surprising thing was the number of titles he could grant—not that he was complaining.

"I can give you a title. But before I do that, we need to come to an agreement." Jake summoned a pen and paper from his spatial storage.

"A contract?" she asked, smiling as she looked at the paper. “Also, how oddly normal of a thing to do, signing a contract.”

"Easier to remember if we write it down and agree on the terms. Besides, I have a feeling this method is more comfortable for the both of us.” While Jake hadn’t written any legal contracts before, he had signed and read plenty.

Not that this was a legal contract. No laws really bound them but their own words. But then again… perhaps words and promises themselves held power beyond human understanding in this new reality of theirs.

"I agree,” she said. “I can see the profession’s description, but as always, it is comprehensive… but the stat points per level alone are shocking. It’s more than pretty much all other classes or professions I have encountered so far.” She was clearly probing at Jake as to why he was willing just to give it away. "Also, what exactly do you expect of me?"

After that, the two of them spent the better half of an hour discussing the contract. To sum it all up, Jake wanted not to be burdened by the responsibilities and downsides of being a City Lord, but at the same time still wanted the benefits of a high-level noble who was technically in charge of a city.

Miranda wanted safety and a promise to have his backing if she was supposed to run a city. She would also get a powerful profession and a lot of organizational power, as she would effectively be in charge of everything. Jake did stipulate a veto, though, and that he was at the top.

While it all might seem a bit overboard for a city that currently only had five people in total, both of them knew it wouldn’t stay like that. Billions had survived the tutorials, and it was only a matter of time before more found their way here. The fact that this place was a safe haven due to the Pylon would undoubtedly make it a beacon of sorts. Not many would come due to its isolated location, but some would.

* * *

Miranda had to confess that the prospect of running an entire city did appeal to her. While she didn’t have much confidence in fighting monsters, she did have faith in her ability to handle politics and management.

So, in the end, they agreed on a four-page contract, which they both signed to no great fanfare. Both knew it was a contract based only on trust, but then again, in many ways, so were pre-system contracts.

With that, she was granted the title of Viscount. Jake explained that while she only needed to be a Lord, he had already decided to make her his partner in this endeavor. He also added that he didn’t really have anyone else to give it to anyway, and would probably just make things easier down the line. If that was just said to make her feel better or show his sincerity, she didn’t know.

Accepting the profession, Miranda was momentarily overwhelmed as the knowledge entered her mind. Knowledge she would take a while to truly comprehend. At the same time, Jake felt the shift in the mana in the air. Not only could he find wisps of his own mana within it now, but hers too.

They said their farewells as Jake stayed to do his alchemy, and Miranda returned to Hank and the others. On the way, she couldn’t help but smile as she got a bit giddy. Maybe—just maybe—she could carve out her own little space in this world.

Chapter 69

Construction Plans

Jake felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders as he saw Miranda leave. Keeping up his professional persona did take some effort, but he was happy that it wasn’t that bad to interact with Miranda.

For the last two weeks, the lost potential of the Pylon had been bothering him more than it probably should. Jake knew the offered profession was powerful, and he was curious to see what it could give. But as he didn’t have any desire to pick it up himself, it was just lying there.

Which is when he got the idea to offer the job to Miranda. As he talked, he had stretched a small strand of mana down to touch the Pylon, allowing him to offer the profession. When he asked if she wanted it, the system read his intentions. It was a bit of a gamble, but his guts told him it would work.

He was a bit afraid of the prospects of a city where he was essentially the highest authority. Heck, just a small settlement was scary. On that subject, Miranda had offered that he could just keep up his mysterious masked-protector persona. She seemed more than happy enough to just do everything while he would be the enigmatic figure standing behind her.

She was clearly reaching for a type of power far more structural than Jake. To make herself indispensable to the city and tie her own fate with the success of this settlement. It wasn’t the same as he would do, but he could acknowledge her path having some potential. Besides, if she did things well, she would likely get many levels and thus stats, making her powerful even in direct combat.

He also predicted that the profession would include several ways for the City Lord to protect him or herself. At least the description hinted heavily at that. But all that was for another time. They had agreed on a meeting at next sundown, where they would go over the profession and some more plans for what to do if or when more people arrived.

For now, his focus would return to alchemy. He had encountered an enemy below that he had to admit his bow could do little to nothing against.

Its entire body covered a few square kilometers, and while it certainly had weak points, he doubted it would die without at least the majority of its body being destroyed. He was even beginning to suspect that the mana crystal he’d found at the start was its way of luring its prey.

The Indigo Mushroom was clearly an immobile monster, bound to the area where it was born. But if the crystal could attract powerful beasts or even humans like himself, it would surely get plenty of prey to feast upon.

Its attack pattern had been relatively simple for the majority of the fight, but at the end it had shown a modicum of tactical prowess when it distracted and limited his movements with roots, only to blast him with the beam of mana. The quick follow-up with the needles was also clearly a part of the three-step attack.

He did discover the effectiveness of his toxins too. Both his blood and Touch of the Malefic Viper killed the roots and plants nearly instantly. They decayed in seconds, and while that was good for getting the needles off him at the last moment, it wasn’t handy if he aimed to kill the damn thing.

If it rotted too quickly, the poison wouldn’t have as much time to spread. It also made it far more comfortable for the thing to cut off any infected part of it.

In the last few weeks, he had been mainly focused on making potions—more accurately, on brewing common-rarity versions of all three resource potions. Now it was time to shift his focus back to what his profession was really about: poisons.

He wanted to design a poison directly aimed at the damn mushroom. He needed it to be powerful but slow. No matter what, the fight would be a marathon and not a sprint.

Necrotic Poisons were out instantly. That type worked best against flesh and blood targets, and the same was true for any kind of hemotoxin, as mushrooms tended not to have blood. AKA, his two most-used types of poison were ineffective.

With that being the case, he would need something new—something designed for killing plants. A super-weed killer, if you may. Unluckily for him, he had never been much into gardening, so he didn’t really know what kind of toxin was good against mushrooms.

On the other hand, did it even matter? This thing was clearly not an ordinary mushroom. So he did what he always did when in doubt. He pushed his mind into his spatial necklace and summoned the bookshelves he had hidden within.

A small library appeared around him as he began going through them one by one. While he had read a bit about plant-focused toxins in the more general books on poison, he hadn’t ever really delved into it. He had mainly been fighting beasts, after all.

It didn’t take him long to discover a few books that might be interesting. Gardening for Novices: Weeds & How to Kill Them, followed by Basic Mycology I, II, III, IV, V, and so on and so forth. It was an entire series. While none of them were directly related to concocting a poison, they would make him better understand what he was facing. Of course, these were far from the only ones he had picked to go through, but these were the ones that appeared most obviously helpful.

From the conversation with the Viper, he learned that none of them were considered high level despite the plethora of books available. But they did cover a lot of useful knowledge from F-D grade and would help push him further for an additional hundred levels easily.

He summoned the bed that he hadn’t used in quite a while, then sat on it with his legs crossed. It reminded him of being back in the Challenge Dungeon once more, only this time he didn’t aim to cure himself of deadly poison. This time he would be the one making it.

Reading the books should’ve gone fast with his increased stats, but the books’ writing was clearly designed for those with stats. He didn’t know if it was because of his utterly overpowered translation skill, but the text didn’t really fit on the pages.

It was likely written in a script that took up far less space than English or any other human language. Which, in essence, meant that each page held several times more content than the last. The paper itself was also so impossibly thin that each book had far more pages than reasonable for one its size. By human standards, that is.

Before he knew it, he was interrupted as a person entered his Sphere of Perception. She didn’t approach any closer as he finished up the page he was currently on and closed the book.

"Time sure flies by," he said with a smile as he looked up at her. It was amazing how he wasn’t tired despite immersing himself in books for nearly twenty-four hours. Was this the dividends from investing so much in his Perception?

"You look like you’ve been busy. And these books… Exactly how big is this spatial storage of yours?" Miranda stared at the dozens of large bookcases standing on the ground.

It honestly looked quite silly—two chairs, a bed, and a bunch of bookcases standing out in the wild like that. It was the saddest library for homeless people ever seen.

"Big enough," he answered, fully recognizing how silly it looked. "So, how is it to be the new Principal City Lord?"

"There is quite a lot to go over, actually. I have gotten a few skills that grant me access to certain systems. For example, I can see how many people are within the domain of the Pylon. This is actually one of the things I wanted to ask about… I can’t see you with the skill.”

"I have a good guess why you can’t. It is likely the same thing that also makes using Identify on me harder," he explained, eyeing his Shroud of the Primordial skill. With its rating being Divine, he didn’t doubt its effectiveness at hiding him.

"Alright, then,” she said. “The rest of the skills are mainly ones helping me to plan out the construction of a city, and even one that increases the amount of experience earned for citizens when they do things that aren’t related to combat.”

Jake nodded along. "Oh, I know about that last one; it was actually already there. Interesting to see it is now a skill. Which is quite good, as it means it can now be upgraded."

"I also talked with Hank about beginning to actually make things. The three of them naturally decided to stay, and as this looks to be our long-term home, we discussed constructing some houses. Hank got an upgraded builder profession and actually worked in construction before the system, so I think he would do well in that department."

"Sounds good to me," he agreed.

"So the first thing is… we want to defend the Pylon, correct? Not just from potential enemies, but we need to keep its existence, or at least location, hidden for as long as possible—correct?"

He nodded once more, as they’d already agreed on this yesterday.

"Where it is currently is fine, and you clearly like this place—for a good reason," she added, looking out at the pond and the waterfall. "I thought that maybe we could build a house right here on top of where you hid it?"

"Wouldn’t that be obvious? And is finding it not quite easy, considering the aura it gives off and the fact that it is so clearly located at the center of the city?" He was a bit skeptical. He had considered maybe building some kind of vault or something to hide the thing in.

"Well, as I will be the official leader to the public eye, I think most would expect me to be in charge of the Pylon. On top of that, who would dare to snoop around the strongest person’s personal abode in the city on a mere suspicion that a Pylon may be here? Of course, this is dependent on you remaining the strongest, but for some reason, I don’t think that will prove an issue for you.” She gave a cheeky wink.

"Still doesn’t solve the issue of it being pretty damn clear where it is if you have a skill or any practice sensing mana," he replied, still skeptical.

"About that… One of my skills allows me to influence the zone the Pylon affects. In other words, it doesn’t have to be a perfect circle, and I can even restrict it to be smaller. Simply by getting the profession, the area affected has already grown quite a bit compared to just a few days ago, and I think it will keep growing based on my level in the profession.

"Additionally, you don’t have to be afraid of anyone sensing the Pylon. I have a mana-sensing skill, and I couldn’t sense its location before becoming the City Lord. And the knowledge I got when I became City Lord also made it clear that it is impossible to detect with any ordinary means."

"Hm, that is good to know.” He nodded, one fear expelled from his mind. "What are your thoughts on expanding the area? And if a city or just small town is to be built, where will it be?"

"I talked over this with Hank, and I think we will keep the valley clear of any buildings. Make it a restricted area. That way, you can get your desired peace, and we can protect the Pylon more easily. Your role, as we talked about earlier, is to be the mysterious protector living here. If luck has it, many will likely even think you are the source of beasts staying away, and not the Pylon.”

"Painting me out to be some kind of monster, aren’t you?" he joked.

"A little," she chuckled, returning the smile. "But isn’t that good? Who wants to mess with a monster?"

"I guess that is fine. So, what is your first plan of action?" Jake asked, changing the subject away from his own supposed monstrosity.

"To build you a house," she answered promptly.

"Huh?"

"Look around you, for god’s sake. You just have furniture standing on the bare ground right next to a pond. If anyone needs a house, it’s you. Of course, that will also have the practical implication of hiding the Pylon as discussed.”

Jake tried to argue back a few times but was shot down promptly at every turn. Miranda had come determined to make the first structure his house, whether he liked it or not. And Jake had to admit that maybe it was a bit too silly having even bookcases standing out in the open like this.

In the end, they agreed, and with a huge smile, Miranda went to fetch Hank. It wouldn’t be built in a day, but they still needed to plan out what exactly to make. And as Hank would be the one actually making it, he kind of needed to be present for that stage.

Who came back wasn’t only Hank, however, but the two kids also following behind him. Jake had at least covered himself with a simple shirt at this time, and the instant he sensed them coming, he also hid his face once more by making the mask reappear.

They had decided that he would keep up his mysterious persona even towards Hank and the two kids. Because while Miranda trusted Hank, she didn’t trust Hank not to tell his kids, and from what he heard, Louise was a real tattler. While they had seen his face once… it shouldn’t lead to any issues in the future. Heck, Miranda could likely convince them that it was just an illusion or something if it came down to it.

Sadly, he only had two chairs, so they ended up all just standing as they met in front of the pond in solidarity. Hank was the first to speak.

"This is where we want to build?" he asked, looking at the bookcases, chairs, and bed. "It is a bit close to the water, but it is more than doable."

A man of action. Jake liked that, as he didn’t even have to say anything, with Hank already surveying the area.

"Any preferred material?" Hank asked, quickly adding, "I would advise wood as I have a profession specialized in making wooden structures. And wood is abundant being in a forest and all. But if you want, we can dig up some clay and make bricks, but it will take far longer."

"Wood is fine, as long as it can stand high heat," he answered, thinking of his alchemy. It would suck to burn down his new home first thing.

"Shouldn’t be a problem; I got an enchantment to help with that.” He nodded. "I plan on doing a simple one-plane wooden lodge. Two entrances, one at the front, one at the back leading directly out to the pond, while adding a small terrace of sorts. Louise?"

The girl, who Jake had noticed still staring at him weirdly, quickly took out a stack of papers from who-knows-where and summoned a small pen, both likely conjured through some skill.

"Louise got an artist profession, one related to drawing and painting," Miranda explained as the young girl began drawing something on the paper. Hank was standing behind her, gesturing and giving pointers here and there.

The young man, Mark, just stood awkwardly at the back. Having clearly followed along, he didn’t want to be left alone when everyone else went to the valley.

After ten minutes or so, the father-and-daughter pair had a sketch ready; one Jake just approved without looking at it much. He had never really been picky about where he lived, and his current stance was that anything was better than nothing.

"Putting on a second floor if needed in the future is also possible. How about a cellar?" Hank asked.

"No need," Jake quickly said, dismissing it. That would just reveal the damn Pylon right away. Though, on second thought… "Actually, yeah, make a cellar. Could be useful:"

Hank was a bit confused by the quick one-eighty but just shrugged.

After a bit longer, Hank and his kids left to collect some wood and further refine the plan. Jake and Miranda were the only ones left in the valley.

"A cellar?" she asked, confused.

"Yeah. But not directly below the house. I got a plan."

He couldn’t help smiling as he explained his genius plan.

Chapter 70

First World Problems

Jake sat cursing to himself near the cave entrance he had exited just a bit over a day ago. He wasn’t here for a rematch with the Indigo Mushroom, but instead just to do his alchemy. The reason for his sour mood was because he, in his stupidity, had forgotten the book he was right in the middle of reading back at the pond.

Could he go back and get it? In theory, yes. Would he? Hell no. They had already begun constructing his new house, and Miranda, together with Louise, seemed very adamant about him staying away until it was done—something that should take less than a week.

While they hadn’t explicitly stated he couldn’t go there, he very much got that feeling from them. He had helped a bit by leaving behind a few dozen potions of all three kinds. They were some of the mid-tier iterations he’d made in his two weeks of mass production, but they were still peak inferior or common.

He had explained to Miranda about his plan of making the cellar. They had decided to simply build around the pillar while making the cellar. This made the basement a square with a hole in the middle holding the Pylon, which merely looked like a supporting beam for the entire house.

It wasn’t strictly necessary due to the builder profession’s skills and the far improved raw materials compared to pre-system construction, but aesthetically it would look relatively normal.

The reason why he wanted to do it like that was relatively simple. He wanted to make that cellar into his secret alchemy lab to truly keep anyone out, which meant that he would make it a place where no one could easily enter.

He had learned from both Duskleaf and the Viper that alchemists of the Malefic Viper often designed their labs with affinities in mind. They often flooded a room with a certain kind of poison gas, creating a field of deadly miasma where anyone without strong poison resistance would quickly find themselves poisoned and dying.

If he could do that in the cellar, it would function as an improved lab and, at the same time, keep anyone too nosy out. Quite a win-win, if he said so himself. And from how Hank had spoken during their final stages of planning, the man seemed like he knew how to do his job. The fact that he had been working in construction before the system was showing.

Though it was a bit surprising that the quiet kid Mark had followed in his father’s footsteps and chosen the builder profession. In retrospect, this was quite a nice thing, as it would speed up the construction by quite a bit.

Louise served as the architect, and Miranda was apparently still messing around with her new skills. She had been above level 40 before her profession change, but surprisingly hadn’t lost a single skill. She had only gained new ones. A part of Jake couldn’t help but wonder if this could somehow be meta-gamed by switching between professions, but then again, it more likely just had something to do with the City Lord profession being unique.

He was sure that he would have lost any skills related to the Malefic Viper if he changed. And speaking of skills associated with the Malefic Viper… he felt level 70 creep closer than ever before. So with nothing else to do, he began making the final push.

As his book was left behind, he just began experimenting instead. He already had gotten a few ideas, so he started by testing those. He still had many ingredients from the Challenge Dungeon left, and he reckoned some of those had to be useful.

Only a few hours later, he got his level.

*’DING!’ Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 70 - Stat points allocated, +5 Free Points*

And with it, the expected message.

*Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper profession skills available*

The last time he got a skill at level 60, he’d gotten offered quite a few useful skills, with Sagacity of the Malefic Viper being the clear standout. It was a no-brainer.

But when he opened it this time… he saw five options as always. He ignored two of them right away, both of them being rare skills related to being some fanatical prophet for the Viper or whatever. No, the issue was the next three.

[Wings of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)] – Refusing to remain earthbound, the Malefic Viper sprang wings to devour the skies. You too refuse to be earthbound. Allows the alchemist to summon two phantasmal wings and take flight. While active, you can burn the blood within the wings and release potent toxic fumes. The toxicity and effect of the poison are based on Blood of the Malefic Viper. Toughness and maneuverability of the wings and speed are based primarily on Agility but receive a bonus from all physical stats. The wings count as part of your body for all relevant skills. Passively provides 1 Agility per level in Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper. May the sight of your wings be the harbinger of death.

[Fang of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)] – When born, the Viper had little weapons to fight with, yet it prevailed only with its fangs. Its bites are 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.

[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-altering 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.

Reading through all of them was quite something. Each one was powerful, ominous in its own way. He wanted all of them, but he could only pick one. This was by far the most challenging skill choice he had ever had. Truly the definition of a first-world problem.

So he returned to his true and tested method of going through them one by one, starting from the top as always.

First off: Wings of the Malefic Viper. The biggest pro of this skill was in the name alone. Wings. Flight. What human didn’t desire to sprout wings and take to the air like a bird? It was enough for him to nearly make the impulsive decision of just picking the skill up right away.

He had to calm himself down and analyze it more objectively. Of course, the ability to fly was a huge plus and would very likely serve him incredibly well in combat. One of his most significant weaknesses currently was his inability to move properly when airborne. He had to fire off blasts of mana to push him in different directions, and that was both ineffective and wasted a lot of mana.

The part about burning the blood within the wings was also impressive. It even burned the blood from Jake’s Blood of the Malefic Viper, once more proving the synergy between all the skills.

Burning this blood would give him an area-of-effect ability. It could even be effective against the Indigo Mushroom that he was having trouble dealing with. If he could release toxic gas into the chamber, he could potentially kill it—though he seriously doubted it for several reasons. Likely it could just retreat underground or something.

The final good part was the stats given. Outside of Perception, Agility was the stat Jake desired the most, and, if he had to be honest with himself, needed most for direct combat. Perception was a weird stat—while it helped his damage quite a lot, it didn’t have much effect outside of boosting his skills and Bloodline. At least not as far as he could directly tell.

Agility, on the other hand, helped tremendously. It allowed Jake to move faster, improved his reaction speed, and, of course, also helped boost pretty much all of his class-related abilities. It was a stat he very much wanted, and picking the skill would instantly get him 70 in it. Factoring in his title bonuses, it would be closer to 120.

But… all of the skills gave stats. Another stat Jake felt like he could never have enough of was Strength.

Fang of the Malefic Viper was a skill that was clearly just directly combat-related. It didn’t even appear to have a single application while doing alchemy. Then again, neither did the wings.

The application for combat it gave was quite massive for his current fighting style. He chose to completely ignore the part about coating his teeth in poison, as there was no way he would go around biting people. He wasn’t some kind of vampire. Wait, do vampires exist now? Do they sparkle or not? Moving on.

It also again borrowed from Blood of the Malefic Viper. He was happy that he had managed to upgrade it to ancient rarity, as it would hamper many other skills if he hadn’t. Then again… maybe he wouldn’t have even gotten these options without it.

Thinking back, he didn’t have any of them when he hit 60 despite the skill being upgraded then. Sagacity might have also been a prerequisite.

Focusing back on Fang, however, there wasn’t honestly much to say about it. It was relatively simple but would very likely provide him the most significant boost in overall fighting power here and now. Making all toxins he injected directly into his enemies stronger was just massive.

He knew it worked with his arrows. Why he knew, he didn’t know. He just did. If he had to guess, it was likely related to Sagacity giving him knowledge of things. But the knowledge still felt locked away for the most part.

So, if he purely wanted to be stronger in combat, he would go for Fang.

Wing and Fang had both been relatively straightforward, but the last one was a bit of a curveball.

Pride of the Malefic Viper was the kind of skill that had more things in the description he didn’t get than he actually understood. Sagacity was not helping at all here for some reason. Honestly, what the hell?

Force his will upon the world? Words of Power? He didn’t get any of those. Like, could he just think stuff, and then it happened? Was that what it meant by forcing his will upon the world?

Maybe it instead was some kind of mind-affecting skill? One part of the skill he did get was the fact that it improved his mental defenses. That part he very much desired. However, he did find the whole “wanes in despair” part a bit ominous.

Getting more stats in Willpower was also easily understood. However, Jake had to say that the stat was his most useless by far. Aside from the passive effects of improving mental defenses and increasing mana regeneration, he didn’t notice it at all.

Even the mana regeneration part barely mattered, as he chugged down mana potions like a teenager consumed energy drinks during a twenty-four-hour gaming session. The mental defenses were passive, making it also unnoticeable.

It had already been explained to him that Willpower didn’t help with mental things that weren’t affected by skills, so it wasn’t like he could overcome his social anxiety by dumping more stats into it. If that worked, he wouldn’t find talking to anyone besides Miranda as complicated as he did.

It was pretty safe to say that he wouldn’t go with Pride. He knew that he would pick up all three skills, the next one at 80 and the final at 90. If he also managed to get his Sense and Touch of the Malefic Viper to ancient rarity, and his theory proved true, he would have completed the “set.”

For now, however, he needed to make a choice. He liked pretty much all of them—the last one the least, of course. Now he just needed to decide.

After sitting for a while, unable to decide on anything, he took out a piece of paper and wrote down each skill’s pros and cons.

[Wings of the Malefic Viper]:

Pros: Freaking wings. Gives Agility (best). Good in combat. Area-of-effect attack.

Cons: Lots of unknowns as to the strength of the wings. Not as useful/impossible to use in small spaces.

[Fang of the Malefic Viper]:

Pros: Best in combat. Can technically make an improved version of Blood of the Malefic Viper. Can technically bite people better? Gives Strength (second best).

Cons: Does not give flight. I don’t wanna bite people. A relatively simple skill.

[Pride of the Malefic Viper]:

Pros: Increases mental defense. Probably other good things?

Cons: Not understanding half of what it does. Needs to avoid despair (obvious). Gives Willpower (worst stat). Limited to no use in combat when fighting enemies not using mind-affecting skills. Also, no flight.

Alright, he thought, Pride is out. I just don’t know enough about it.

So the decision was between Fang and Wings. His intuition was annoyingly silent. He nearly wanted to just sit down, grind another 10 levels in alchemy, and pick both of them at once, but knew that wasn’t possible.

He even considered just flipping a coin for a moment. It was stupid, but he just couldn’t decide. He had always sucked at making important decisions like this. He remembered how he’d spent over an hour unable to decide between getting a black or a silver car. It wasn’t until his dad hit him over the head and told him just to pick one… that he got the blue car.

If he really had to put on his full-analysis glasses, he would have to rate Fang of the Malefic Viper highest. The Wings mainly provided flight and poison in an area. He didn’t really need an area skill as he was now, and the wings also had limited use.

For pure travel, he was nearly one hundred percent sure One-Step Mile was still superior. It was an ancient skill designed for efficient travel, while the wings had many other things packed into the skill.

And while Agility would be better than Strength, both stats were tremendously powerful. One could even argue that Strength could be best in some cases, as it would have a higher impact on Jake’s Infused Powershot than Agility.

So when he added all of the factors up, he would have to go with Fang of the Malefic Viper being superior. Improved effectiveness to all his poisons was just too good. It was still his main source of damage against powerful foes.

His analysis complete, he naturally picked Wings of the Malefic Viper.

Because flight.

Chapter 71

How to Train Your Dragon Wings

He flew through the air like an elegant bird. He soared as no human had ever done before—by which he meant failing miserably and falling a hundred meters, all while flailing his wings uselessly before smashing headfirst into the ground.

Only a quarter of an hour earlier, he’d experienced the wonders of having wings for the first time. Unfortunately, unlike most other skills, this one didn’t come with as much innate knowledge as one would hope—which is to say, nothing on how the heck to fly at all.

When he got the skill, he’d instantly felt the effect of his increased Agility. Every movement became a bit faster, his reactions a bit sharper. Summoning the wings came just after, another easy process. That part of the skill, it did tell him how to do.

The wings were entirely black, with small, almost invisible, dark green veins running along the fleshy part of them. They were a bit like those of a bat, or, well, a dragon. He had seen those wings before on the weird copy of himself that he’d faced during the Trial of Myriad Poisons.

It did raise a few questions about whether he was walking the same path as that lunatic version of himself, but he didn’t feel like he was. The mere fact that he could think of that version as a lunatic was perhaps proof enough he wasn’t.

Feeling the wings was easy. It felt like growing two extra limbs, which in itself was quite challenging. Jake felt like he could make motions no other limb could, and it took him a few minutes to learn how to at least try and flap them a bit.

Which was the moment he decided, in his incredible moment of arrogance, to use a full-powered Badger Jump and take to the skies, believing the ability of flight would come to him like a bird pushed out of the nest by its mother—completely forgetting that those birds often just fell to the ground the first many times.

So with that, he now found himself lying on the ground, his two wings out to his sides, undamaged by the fall. He honestly wasn’t sure what the hell it meant for them to be phantasmal, though. They appeared very much physical to his eyes.

The only difference was that they didn’t break his clothes. They sprang out of his back, completely ignoring the fact that his armor was in the way. Quite handy and convenient, actually. On that note, his armor had been repaired after his encounter with the Indigo Mushroom by now.

Getting up once more, he wasn’t at all deterred by his initial failure. As a certain man once said, it isn’t about how hard you fall when you fail at flying, but how fast you get up to repeat that failure. Something like that, anyway.

Another jump later, and he fell to the ground slightly slower this time, even gliding a bit towards the end. Progress.

By now, he had learned that his wings didn’t actually consume as much stamina as he expected. Far from it, in fact. Summoning them in the first place did consume a lot of mana, but once summoned, keeping them up was practically free.

It was a bit like his scales, actually, but far less draining.

And speaking of scales, the wings were naturally covered in them. Jake was sure that it borrowed directly from the skill itself and that the scales had the exact same properties. This made sense and made him suspect that Scales was another prerequisite for getting the wings to begin with.

The next few hours were spent jumping up and trying not to fall too fast. After an hour, Jake managed to even get in a few solid flaps for a bit of uplift before falling down once more. This only fueled his enthusiasm to keep practicing.

In less than a day, he went from being a chick right out of the nest to what he would describe as “adequate.” Which is to say he could kind of fly at that time.

Standing on the ground, he didn’t jump this time but instead flapped his wings. With a single movement, he shot into the air, dust kicking up all around him. He reached a few hundred meters into the air with a few more moves of his wings before he began flying horizontally.

It was a bit wobbly at first, but he managed to get in a good groove soon after. He quickly learned that flapping his wings repeatedly only made it harder for himself. It was instead about finding the balance between gliding and flapping.

The speed was quite fast when he tried. Faster than sprinting on the ground, at least. If compared to One Step Mile, however, there was no comparison. Maybe only in extremely harsh terrain would it be faster flying over it, but in the end, being able to literally step through space itself was just too fast.

Flying towards the ground, he gracefully folded his wings while still a few meters above ground and fell the rest of the way. Yeah, he hadn’t quite figured out the landing part yet.

His stamina was also getting relatively low at this point. It hadn’t been topped up when he began, and he had been flying around constantly since the day before. This was even while drinking a potion here and there during his practice session.

Sitting down in meditation, he focused on the feelings of the wings on his back. He was glad that they didn’t disappear even while meditating. He couldn’t move them, but he could still feel them. Feel the energy within them.

It didn’t come as a surprise that his inner energy ran through the wings. Like they were true limbs, he could also feel that he would lose health and not mana should he be hit on the wings. However, it was a weird phenomenon that he could summon wings with mana, which could directly hurt his health.

He still had a ways to go before he would be able to soar through the sky like a human-shaped eagle, but he had hope. It was a childish dream for most humans to fly like birds in the sky, and Jake was no different.

Even with his limited ability to fly, he still felt a unique sense of freedom. Like an entirely new dimension of possibilities was opened up to him. He was now no longer bound by the ground.

Taking his attention off the wings, he decided to check his status to see the growth it had gone through.

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

Race: [Human (E) – lvl 76]

Class: [Ambitious Hunter – lvl 83]

Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – lvl 70]

Health Points (HP): 10541/10710

Mana Points (MP): 8245/12150

Stamina: 2135/8220

Stats

Strength: 638

Agility: 987

Endurance: 822

Vitality: 1071

Toughness: 689

Wisdom: 972

Intelligence: 471

Perception: 1779

Willpower: 592

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)], [Advanced Archery (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)], [Descending Dark Fang (Rare)], [Limit Break (Rare)], [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)]

It was indeed starting to get a bit long. Jake also couldn’t help but find the disparity between his class and profession skills a bit comical. He was a Hunter, even had a Bloodline to confirm it, and yet his profession was clearly miles upon miles ahead.

Without his Bloodline and the tutorial rewards, the best class skill he had would still only be rare. He also thought that his archery, still being only Advanced Archery, stuck out like a sore thumb. He had felt it being close to an upgrade even before fighting the Great White Stag, and yet he had failed to get it upgraded even now.

Perhaps it was time for him to focus a bit on his class once more. But… he knew he had at least two potent ancient-rarity skills waiting for him at both 80 and 90 in his profession, while his class skills so far, while useful, had often been rather hit or miss.

He was still a bit sour about how he hadn’t gotten anything good at 80. Even after he had miraculously just killed the monster that was the King of the Forest, he hadn’t been rewarded with a great skill. Instead, he had to take one offered prior and settled on Hunter’s Tracking—a skill he hadn’t even used a single time yet.

I had a reason to pick it, though, he thought as he once more considered if he really shouldn't be out looking for his family. The Viper had said they were fine and that trying to track them down was a fool’s errand. One of the downsides of meditation was that he had nothing but his own mind to occupy himself while using it…

Luckily, he had his sphere, which allowed him not to be entirely confined within himself. He spread out his mana and began just practicing manipulating that to take his mind off things. He needed to keep working. Keep moving forward.

* * *

"Another one coming!" Hank yelled as he finally managed to chop the tree down. Mark stood below, ready to carry it back. Not that Hank couldn’t do it alone with his high Strength; a tree was just far too unwieldy.

They had only been working for a few days now, and they were far ahead of schedule.

It did help quite a lot that the masked guy had dug out the basement before they even began. Its shape was a bit weird, though, but based on the look Miranda gave him, he shouldn’t question it. Besides, having an extra pillar of support to lean the wood against while building made his job easier.

During the tutorial, he had managed to evolve his profession to Woodland Builder. It allowed him to craft things out of wood far more easily. While one may question why he didn’t aim for one related to metal or even just stone or clay, the reason was simple: he believed wood had the most potential.

Strong wood was far easier to find than strong rock or clay. As living things, they naturally absorbed mana, making them far more durable than pre-system trees. This made them naturally inclined to be infused with additional mana, thus easing the process of shaping and enchanting the materials.

Even the wood he was chopping down for the lodge was hard for him to cut into. This was even with a skill that made logging easier from his profession, and a skill related to his class, making his axe attacks stronger.

He had to admit that the manual labor he was doing now was far more fulfilling than running for his life from beasts. It gave him a sliver of normalcy, despite how absurd it still was to hoist an entire tree over his shoulder.

He also had his reservations about the whole “city” thing. That was, until he actually got a system prompt asking him if he wanted to become a citizen of [unnamed]-city. Yes, it just called it unnamed because apparently the masked guy and Miranda hadn’t talked about a name yet.

The whole concept of this being a city was just silly to him. There was not a single building, and it was clearly still just a wild forest. The only difference was the lack of monsters in the area.

Miranda had told him of her profession change, something granted to her by the masked man. Once more, he had his reservations, but it didn’t appear like it had any adverse effects on her. It was quite suspect why he would grant something like that for free, however.

Overall, there were just so many absurd things he decided just to roll with it. If building a lodge could somehow placate the masked man and allow them to live in this protected land, he was all for it. If it included Miranda somehow leading whatever they were building, he was even more for it.

His number one priority was the safety of his children, after all. Both of them had also agreed to stay here. Louise even appeared quite pushy in making them stay. Perhaps she was just happy to have finally found some peace in this chaotic new world. She was clearly enjoying being able to sit down and draw, already working on additional building plans if they ever planned on expanding.

Mark was the same as before. He was good at just going with the flow and had instantly volunteered to help build the lodge. With Louise functioning as an architect of sorts with her drawing skill, it all went even better.

After carrying the tree back, he began chopping it up into more useful pieces. Mark helped him shape them with a builder skill to be placed as flooring for the ground floor. The basement was already more or less done and now just needed the lodge itself on top.

They went with a relatively simple style of just stacking some of the thinner wooden logs on top of each other to form the walls. Very much in the style of a log cabin, but Hank wasn’t quite sure if you could really call the finished product that.

It would actually be rather big, around a hundred square meters just for the flat ground floor, with a basement around two-thirds of that. They planned on making only two rooms, a bedroom, and a big common area. The cellar, they had been told just to stay away from.

Windows were the most challenging part of the construction. Louise and Mark had agreed to try and work together on that. With Louise having fire spells and Mark a builder class, perhaps they could shape a proper window. If not, they would just have to come up with some other solution.

As he worked, he suddenly spotted something out of the corner of his eye. He looked up and saw what looked like a human with wings flying after a smaller bird. They were quickly hidden by the canopy of the trees, making Hank question himself.

Must have been seeing things, he thought, shaking his head.

Chapter 72

Freedom

By far, the King of the Forest was the strongest enemy Jake had ever faced, yet he had won in the end. It’d been a hard fight, sure, but he always kept his head cool to look for a way to victory. A mindset he had kept from then to now.

He’d thought the King would be his most significant challenge for a good while… until he met it.

It was more insidious than any enemy he could ever imagine. Its cruelty and evil instincts were overflowing with every one of its actions.

Jake had been practicing his flying once more after his round of meditation. Practicing gliding around and not falling down. Until suddenly, he sensed it in his sphere. A figure had invaded it and was fast making its way towards him.

Faster than anything he had encountered since the King. Even quicker than the mantis. He was prepared for an attack, but it never came. Instead, the figure appeared right beside him, where he saw its form clearly.

It looked like an ordinary hawk, but Identify made it clear it wasn’t.

[Galesong Hawk – lvl 90]

It was the smallest beast he had ever seen at such a high level. It didn’t appear to have grown a single centimeter from when it was just an average, everyday hawk. But what it lacked in size, it clearly made up for in speed.

As he observed it, so did it observe him back. Perhaps he had entered its area, with him now being well and truly outside of the boundary of the “city.” It looked at him… and scoffed. How he knew it scoffed, he didn’t know. He just did.

It sped up as it passed him, only to make a large circle and fly right up to him again on his other side, repeating the same damn scoff as it began circling above and beneath him. Jake just silently glided along in a straight line.

Clearly, it didn’t get the reaction it wanted, as Jake just tried to ignore it. He wasn’t in any shape to fight it in the air, and so far, he hadn’t actually felt any aggression. It also wasn’t the first bird or flying creature he came across, so it wasn’t that interesting.

And then it did it. It flew up once more, flying right above Jake. He ignored it. But then, suddenly, it sped up and headed straight for the top of his head. His danger sense didn’t even give him a small warning before he felt it.

It fucking pecked him. Right on his noggin. An absolutely unprovoked attack.

It didn’t do any damage, but it still hurt like hell. Not physically. Mentally.

"What the fuck?" he cursed out loud as he began wobbling back and forth in the air. He had to use all his focus on stabilizing himself once more—a challenging endeavor with the damn bird still flying in circles around him.

After he barely managed to avoid spiraling out of control and falling to the ground, the next “attack” came. This time, it just flew up in front of him and flapped one of its wings into his face. He tried to grab it with his hands, but the bird was far faster than him.

What the… he thought, as he was forced to flap his wings uncontrollably, trying to remain in the air.

The bird kept looking at him as he flapped desperately. It attacked once more by firing a blast of wind in his direction, hitting one of the wings.

Surprisingly, this blow didn’t destabilize him at all but did the exact opposite. He was wholly balanced for a brief moment before he flapped the wing on the other side, putting him off balance once again.

The hawk gave him a glance that he could only interpret as a mix between annoyance and disappointment, then released another gust of wind. Jake, this time, didn’t try to avoid it but simply let it hit. For a second, he felt like his flying went far smoother than before.

What is up with this bird? he questioned. It clearly wasn’t actually attacking him, but rather it felt like it was reprimanding him for something. Did it not like his way of flying, or what?

For a while, this went on. The hawk was flying around Jake, occasionally striking with blasts of wind, as he just tried to adapt to the situation.

His resentment slowly began to turn to gratefulness as the bird took hours out of its day to teach him. However, the entirely needless pecks and slaps with its wings weren’t very welcome or productive.

While attempting to land, he spectacularly failed once more and crashed into a tree. He got up just in time to see the bird sitting on a branch, looking down on him judgingly.

"Give me a break; I have had wings for less than two days," he complained out loud.

The bird just kept looking at him with the same admonishing gaze.

He took a stamina potion to replenish his fast-emptying pool of internal energy while sitting on a fallen log. This action got a hint of interest from the bird as it looked inquisitively at the bottle in his hand.

Jake noticed this as he took out another. "Want one?"

Even if it didn’t understand his words, it clearly got the gist of his meaning. Moving one of its wings, a gust of wind picked up the bottle. Jake allowed it to be blown out of his hand.

The hawk caught it with one of its talons without even moving from the tree, surprising Jake with its high skill in manipulating wind. It was pure manipulation, not unlike his own manipulation of pure mana or what the metal caster had done with metals.

It looked at the bottle for a few seconds before it ripped the small cork out with its beak. After smelling the liquid for a second and throwing Jake yet another glance, seeing him also drinking one, it lifted up the bottle and emptied its contents down its throat.

Jake considered for a moment if potions even worked for birds, but its next action confirmed that it indeed did. It flapped its wings in a happy motion and threw the now empty bottle towards him.

"Potions are awesome, right?" he laughed as the bird screeched in approval.

He sat for a while just looking at the bird, thinking of what exactly it wanted. Its actions today just seemed so random. By now, he was used to beasts either running away or attacking him. One just deciding to chill with him was a new experience for sure.

While thinking, he tried flapping his wings a bit behind him to familiarize himself with the feeling. Unbeknownst to him, this insulted the bird once more.

It flew down and gave him a nice peck on top of his head. "Ow, what the hell?"

This only got him an angry chirp in response as it landed on another branch.

Jake just looked at it, considering how novel the experience of chilling with this sadistic bird truly was. Did it just like pecking him or what?

Trying to ignore it, he began practicing with his wings once more. A few seconds later, he got hit by a gust of wind, making him fall backward off the log he was resting on.

"Okay, what?" He looked up at it questioningly. Was him flapping his damn wings so insulting?

This time it answered by flapping its wings in a silly way, making it look like a newborn chick. Jake thought it was funny until it fired a blast of wind at him. That was when he got it. Is it calling me a stupid chick?

"Am I doing it wrong?" he questioned. Hey, if the bird was willing to teach, he was ready to learn.

It answered by slowly lifting its wings and making a few flapping movements in slow motion. Jake got the hint as he began imitating its movements. Only for a few seconds, though, before his left wing was hit by yet another blast of wind.

This time he didn’t get angry, as he noted that he had indeed messed up. He nodded as he began adjusting his motions according to the directions of the hawk.

From an outsider’s perspective, the entire situation was bizarre, to say the least—a human with wings, sitting on a log and imitating a screeching hawk. Apologizing every time he was hit with a blast of wind without any complaint.

Jake felt happy with the arrangement, but sadly all things had to end. Only a few hours of practice in, the bird suddenly stopped giving directions and looked up to the sky. Jake followed its gaze and saw nothing, but soon noticed that it was preparing to take flight.

Without thinking, he did the same. The two of them took off at the same time. Once more imitating the bird, Jake made a mighty flap, shooting him up in the air.

Instantly he felt the difference in his movements. He felt in control of his wings and, in conjunction, also how he moved through the air. It wasn’t even close to the hawk’s level, but far, far better than before.

He followed the hawk through the air as it threw a few glances his way. On the other hand, Jake’s eyes were focused on the wings of the hawk as it flew elegantly through the air.

Of course, there was a big difference between a human’s physique with wings and a hawk’s, but many concepts were nevertheless the same.

One of the first things he had noticed upon taking flight the first time was the internal energy movements in the wings. It allowed him to fly despite the questionable aerodynamics and other inconsequential things, such as fundamental physics.

Then again, he did remember reading how dragons wouldn’t actually be able to fly at all. They were simply too heavy and their wings too small, which didn’t appear to faze any of the dragons he had seen in visions so far, meaning that, naturally, magic was involved.

Jake also noticed that the hawk was using its wind manipulation actively while flying. It was small, subtle things, such as giving itself a slight updraft or blowing a small gust of wind into itself to turn faster.

He had also seen, and felt, it using wind to speed itself up to ludicrous levels. But right now, it was being rather nice and allowed him to keep up. He said “allowed,” as it could clearly outpace him if it so wished, despite his speed increasing after their training session.

They ended up flying together for twenty or so minutes, with Jake learning a lot once more on the brief journey. But suddenly the hawk fired a gust of wind at him, forcing him to slow down.

Momentarily confused, he looked at it but was just met with another blast of wind. Its intentions were now clear: it was telling him not to follow it any further than this.

"Don’t want me to follow?" he asked, not exactly expecting an answer.

And, of course, he didn’t get an answer. Instead, he just hovered in the air, the hawk hovering ahead of him too. It looked behind it a few times, making Jake suspect it didn’t want him to see something in that direction. A wish he decided to respect.

"Alright, I am taking a break down here," he said, pointing down to the forest below. "See ya later."

With that, he began flying downward and saw the hawk also turn around to fly in the direction it was flying before. He sincerely hoped it would come back to him later. Despite his initial hatred, he had actually come to like his feathered teacher over the last few hours.

Landing on the ground once more, he didn’t waste any time taking out his cauldron. He wanted to concoct some more stamina potions, as his consumption of those had increased tremendously with his flying practice. And if the hawk wanted a potion too here and there, his expenditure would only increase further.

Then again, getting a grade-A flying teacher like the hawk for only a few stamina potions was more than worth it. He still wasn’t sure why it decided to help him in the first place, and at this point, he didn’t care to question it anymore—he just chalked it up to curiosity or pure goodwill.

He still had the poison for the Indigo Mushroom on his mind, but for now, it would have to be pushed back. Learning to use his wings and flying, in general, took precedence for now. He hadn’t even explored the poison fumes aspect of the wings yet.

That would have to wait for him not being in the middle of a forest. He had a solid feeling poison gas wouldn’t do anything good to his immediate surroundings, and as a regular rule, he preferred living plants over dead ones. Except for mushrooms. Fuck mushrooms. Mushrooms weren’t even plants to begin with.

Taking out his ingredients, he began crafting the potions and humming to himself. Despite the terrible start with the hawk pecking his head over and over, the day had turned out quite well anyway. He was having fun.

Cauldron after cauldron of stamina potions was made, giving him a good forty potions in total throughout his crafting session. By now, the sun had set, and it was night once more. Not that it had any particular effect on his vision, as the little light the moon and stars provided made everything clear as day to him.

Just as he wasn’t expecting the hawk to turn up again, he felt a presence approach him. Moments later, the familiar figure entered his sphere once more. He didn’t hesitate to pack away his cauldron as he got up and summoned his wings once more.

Landing on a branch, the hawk looked down at him for but a moment before it took flight once more. He understood instantly. It was practice time again. Jake followed along with a big flap of his own wings.

Soaring into the night sky, he followed the hawk as they flew higher and higher. Small clouds hung far above, and from their direction, that was their target.

Jake couldn’t help but smile as he felt the rush of wind on his face and the complete sense of freedom, the forest below and stars above. A human and a hawk, soaring through the air, unlikely companions as they were.

He had been hidden away in his small valley for too long, and now it was time to finally see some of the wonders and challenges the planet had to offer.

* * *

The Primal Hunter continues in Book 3.

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