The Primal Hunter

If simply taken as an archer, Jake wasn’t anything overly impressive. He was relatively strong and fast through his many levels in his race, but he was still a bit behind those with evolved classes. He still got an edge during combat due to his lack of hesitation and powerful bloodline, though. But overall, fighting an entire team with class-levels higher than his own wouldn’t end well. If one disregarded his other primary source of power, that is.

However, If one added his profession, the equation changed. The pure stat amount of toughness and vitality it had provided made him far more robust than nearly everyone else, especially in prolonged fights. But without a doubt, his greatest strength currently was his potent toxins. A single arrow or a single cut transformed from a minor wound to almost certain death.

And now he had applied his poison. He hadn’t done it from the beginning of the fight for many reasons. First of all, he wasn’t sure it would turn into a battle. Secondly, he wanted information more than anything, and if it didn’t end in a fight, he would just waste a bottle of poison. Now, however, the time for talking was over.

From behind the tree, he saw his enemies get ready to flank him once more. A tactic he would gladly exploit. Taking a normal non-poisoned arrow, he nocked it and started charging a Powershot. The skill was weak in open combat, usually, but it had its time to shine. Now was one such time.

With the timing just right, as the medium warrior entered his line of fire, he released the arrow. The man didn’t even have time to react before he was hit, the arrow exploding from the impact as it hit his chest. The man wasn’t left in a much better state than the arrow as a huge gaping hole had blown open in his upper chest, taking with it his heart and lungs. Needless to say, the man was well and truly dead.

Having two down, he switched to poison arrows as he Shadow Vaulted away from the tree once more, seeking refuge behind another. Them being unable to pin him down was a significant advantage that he didn’t want to lose. Besides, while the plate-wearing warrior was undoubtedly strong and had formidable defenses, he had gotten that by having far worse mobility. Hence, he would be saved for last.

Two Shadow Vault later, and he discovered that the enemy archer had entered his sphere. And from how he moved, he was not yet aware of Jake’s location. Seeing him split up from the ice caster, he made his move.

He stalked the archer with his sphere as a guide while staying out of sight from all three enemies. The other archer moved slowly, only at walking speed, with his bow fully drawn, ready to shoot at any sudden movement. His caution was natural but misplaced. Jake never planned to enter his line of sight after all.

As the archer entered a small clearing, Jake saw his chance and shot an arrow from directly behind the man. He managed to react only at the very last moment but still ended up with an arrow hitting him on his upper backside - an annoying but otherwise very easily manageable wound. If the necrotic poison was disregarded, that is.

The archer only had time to roll out the way and rip the arrow out before he felt that something was wrong. At first, he felt a weird numbness, followed by intense pain that seemed to spread through his very being. Next, he was hit by the smell - the smell of rotting flesh. With horror, the archer yelled, attracting his comrades who rushed over to him.

Jake had taken refuge behind a tree once more but kept close enough for the dying archer to still be within his sphere. The warrior and caster made it to their dying comrade and were both stopped dead as they saw the archer rolling on the ground shrieking in an inhuman voice.

As he rolled around, pieces of rotten black flesh fell off. The grisly sight ended before long as the screaming also died down. It had taken less than half a minute from the arrow hitting to his death. Yet this half a minute was enough to bring endless nightmares to those seeing it.

Before the two, the archer barely resembled a human anymore. The entire back area and most of the upper body had completely rotted away. An entire arm was lying off to the side, having become detached as the archer rolled around.

Even Jake from behind the tree had to take deep breaths to calm himself. This was the first time he saw the actual result of his poison taking effect. The only other time he had done anything like this was when used Touch of the Malefic Viper on a beast. But this had been a human.

He still vividly remembered the water from the second challenge room that nearly killed him. The feeling of your limbs slowly rotting away, the indescribable pain. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like it one bit. But poisons were his best weapon.

he could calm himself down with was that he hadn’t been the aggressor. They had attacked first. He was just defending himself. They were allies of Richard and William, two people who both had attempted to have him killed before. They were his

a conversation he had with the Malefic Viper during

from when he was younger before he became a god. He spoke of how he had just gotten the ability to assume a humanoid form and how he had tried to enter the world of civilization and become,

not like the beasts he was used to, but would have values above simply striving for more strength. He had gotten close to people, and he had believed them as if he was

happened. For wealth, the Malefic Viper was betrayed and his betrayers attempted to kill him. Of course, even then, his strength was above most of his peers, and he was not so easily thwarted. But yet again,

friends he had made slaughtered. The man had hired a far more powerful force to take down the Malefic

by massacring the man, his forces and turned his head to the country of the foolish king. Personally. In retrospect, the Viper confessed it to perhaps be an overreaction to let the entire kingdom

resulting in the

inhuman massacre, the Malefic Viper was not shunned or hunted. Even if he had killed innocents, women, children, elderly, he was never admonished for any of it. Instead, he was revered for his power. Praised for his boldness. But more importantly, no one dared to assist anyone

first was not to trust blindly and to not show mercy to one’s enemies. The second point was that power ruled supreme. Might makes right, as one says. Additionally, if one shows the cruelty and the ability to cross certain lines, your enemies will hesitate and falter the next time

didn’t fully agree with this interpretation, as cruelty can also lead to a far stronger response than one predicted. That the

ice

calling him far more insulting things. Not that Jake necessarily disagreed with some of the things they called him. He just honestly didn’t care. Allies of William and Richard didn’t have any right to teach him anything about

the delirious woman. As he had

of course, gave away Jake’s position, as both turned towards him, rage in their eyes. Spikes of ice started coalescing in the air as the caster stepped out from behind

green aura, so instead, he threw the bottle he had prepared earlier. While the bottle’s speed was slower

sound was heard as the aura began being eroded, and the man retreated as he seemingly focused on protecting himself. Jake was aware that the necrotic poison was far weaker thrown like that compared to getting applied to

his way towards the ice caster. After only a few steps, the ice spikes she began conjuring earlier made their way towards him, prompting him to make a full power Shadow Vault straight through the spikes. He felt a considerable drain on his mana as he

of pure anger to one

vaulted, a wall of ice started getting summoned, but it was too late. Before the wall could fully form, Jake appeared behind the caster and went for an overhead

gambit, the caster seemed to release all her mana, sending a wave of frost exploding out of her, hitting Jake and freezing the ground all around her.

blade, but he knew this blow was lethal either way. The notification hitting him less than

and green aura, the wall made by the caster prior was smashed apart as the warrior charged through it. His armor and body had clear signs of the poisons still lingering, but he had managed to cleanse most of it. This slightly surprised Jake, as

the warrior saw the dead caster with Jake standing over her, his anger reached entirely

massive blade back and forth with far more power and speed than before. In the end, this did little for him, as at the same time,

the boar, though the boar had been both weaker and slower. Though at least the beast had magic to pin Jake down, something the warrior sorely

a few more minutes as Jake felt the green aura around the man get dimmer and dimmer. His speed and