The Primal Hunter

The Hall Master stood frozen as she slowly turned around. What she saw was a scaled man, looking more human than reptilian. He wore a simple looking black robe and had what she could only describe as a big goofy smile on his lips. His long black hair tied behind his head, revealing his green eyes.

He looked unimpressive, but the aura that he gave off was more powerful than anything she had ever come across. It felt like she stood before the incarnation of death and decay itself. Yet she felt not a shred of fear. The only feeling that inhabited her body was pure joy, combined with a massive dose of nervousness.

“M… master! You have returned! I… I…” the Lord Protector stammered as tears started streaming down his face. He had waited for so long, far longer than any other being in the Order of the Malefic Viper… and he was also the only living member that had ever met the Viper before in person. Well, except for the Viper’s disciple, but that guy was a bit looney.

With a step, the Malefic Viper appeared before the Lord Protector, and to the Hall Master’s surprise, gave him a big hug.

“I am sorry little one; it must have been hard for you. You’ve done well,” the Viper said as he rubbed the head of the Lord Protector, who was now fully bawling his eyes out.

The Hall Master could only stand there frozen as she observed. The high and mighty Lord Protector, crying his eyes out, and the Malefic Viper, a being she had only ever heard of in legends, consoling him like he was a small child. She had dreamed of the Malefic Vipers return for so long, but this scenario had never been one she had imagined.

“So, Snappy, who is this young lady?” The Viper finally asked as he stepped away from the Lord Protector, who quickly managed to calm himself down.

The Hall Master was now even more beside herself as both the gods turned their attention to her.

“Ah, this is the newest Hall Master of the Order; she is more or less the highest-ranking member of the order as we only have this one hall remaining. I believe she is the descendant of one of the Ladies of the Verdant Lagoon,” The Lord Protector said, as he had now managed to entirely compose himself, returning to his more stoic demeanor that he usually displayed.

“Oh, those girls. That brings back some memories. Good to see they left some nice descendants with the order. Wonder what they’re up to these days,” the Malefic Viper said, as he stepped closer to the frozen Hall Master. “So, what are you called?”

The Hall Master, now suddenly thrown out of her stupor, managed to get out: “My name? Viridia, my lord!” She said as she did everything she could to compose herself. “May I have the honor of welcoming the Malefic One back to the Order, and apologize for our inadequate performance in the Patron’s absence! I swear on my life that-“

“Woah! Stop, stop, stop! I just asked for your name, that is all. You have nothing to apologize for, geez. I am the one who should apologize to you if anyone was going to. But I already apologized to little Snappy earlier, and I don’t make two apologies in a day, so we can’t have that. Just relax, okay? Everything is fine. The fact that the order is still even around is more than impressive in its own right,” the Malefic Viper said as he raised his hand and gave her a pat on her head, pretty much just petting her.

With a smile, Snappy went over to them and asked: “May I know why Master chose this time to make his return?” but instantly realized that it might have come off wrong. “Not that there is anything wrong with making your return now! It is great, in fact! I am just thinking that with the new universe being integrated and everything. If there was some relation, that’s all!”

“Snappy. Relax.” The Viper shook his head as he turned and landed a gentle chop on the Lord Protectors' head. “And yes, it's entirely related to the new universe. Remember that dungeon I made back in preparation for the second era?”

“The one with the spikes?” the Lord Protector asked. If he recalled, that was the only dungeon yet uncleared. He hadn't lived when it was made, but the Viper had spoken of it in length.

“Yep, that one. Someone actually cleared it.”

“Oh! Did Master make a new worthy follower!? Perhaps a great reward was granted for your new followers’ performance in the tutorial?” Snappy said with glee but instantly frowned. “Wait, that can’t be. The tutorials have yet to conclude.”

“I didn’t make a follower, no,” he answered with a giant goofy smile. “Believe it or not, I think I made a friend!”

As Jake opened his notifications screen, he was instantly assaulted by a stream of messages.

18 / Apprentice Rogue - lvl 26 / Novice Leatherworker – lvl 10] – A

11] A small amount of bonus experience earned for killing an

Veteran Archer - lvl 28 / Novice Builder – lvl 12] – A small amount of bonus experience earned

Witch - lvl 30 / Novice Tailor lvl 11] – A small amount of

(F) - lvl 21/ Aspiring Blade of Nature - lvl 33 / Novice Smith – lvl 10] – A small amount of bonus experience earned for killing an enemy with a class

level 21 - Stat

has reached level 22

(E)] has reached level 33 - Stat points

reached level 23 - Stat points allocated, +1 free

class from the relatively short fight. It was almost

in on four hundred thousand points before the fight, but now he had over three million. They had increased more than 7-fold. From the rules, he knew that he had obtained half of the group's points; half of what they had struggled and put their lives on the line to get, robbed in one

at the classes on the notifications, he also learned quite a lot. The three first seemed to have rather basic upgrades. Two apprentices and one veteran. However, he wasn’t sure if the veteran was a low-level upgrade or a higher one. He assumed low as the man had been on the weaker

a Neophyte Ice Witch. Neophyte made one think it was low-level or that she was just beginning to step on that paths; perhaps Ice Witches were just a

the Malefic Viper. An unusual adjective before the class seemed to indicate that it was somehow a bit higher level, while the ‘rank’-based ones, such as apprentice

novice ranks. Though Jake did confirm the existence of four

bright spots of this shitty situation, after all. He couldn’t sit there and dwell on what the hell was happening or why they had targeted him. Information was necessary, so he just had to

with others despite his significantly higher race level. He knew that evolved classes would add far more stats than

the notification window, he got up and exited his meditation. He hadn’t been down for long, but he had managed to regenerate a bit of stamina and mana. He was honestly wondering if he even needed sleep anymore. He hadn’t felt the need since exiting the challenge dungeon. In there, he only slept for a few hours once in a while to relax

simple-looking but had a relatively nice-looking green gem embedded in the handle.

the energy of nature itself, giving it the ability to

Level 20 in any class or race. High

great. The enchantment was very interesting. This blade was likely the reason for the man’s class and mystical aura. It

decided to let

the fact that the man had dropped such a weapon made Jake think of something he had entirely disregarded. Looting. It wasn’t like beasts dropped loot like in games, but humans sure did. He could take

trying to stay alive. He thought to himself. Unless the said person had killed them, of course. So, these dead would kind of be pissed at me for

space in his spatial storage, and with the armor self-repairing, he saw no reason not to keep it. Luckily, he didn’t have to strip the dead man, as he could

robe was common-rarity like the warriors and his own. She also had a common-rarity wand that he honestly had no interest in. But she did have a

A ring with a gem crafted by a skilled jeweler. The mana in the gem grants the

in any humanoid

also threw in the robe of the caster without thinking, instantly regretting it as the woman was now half-naked with only ragged clothes beneath that looked like it had been haphazardly sewn together from pre-tutorial

dungeon and covered her body. It was as much for himself as for her. He had already decided to burn the corpses, partly as thanks

out the ring and started injecting mana into it until he felt a connection form and the warm flow of stats increasing. By that time, he had already arrived before the rather gory-looking archer. The robe was a totally lost cause, and his Identify turned up with nothing indicating it was broken as

the bow and dagger that the archer had used lying a bit off to the side. He had dropped his bow when Jake had first shot him, and while the

– A bow handed out for the Tutorial, now upgraded with

Tutorial Attendee and Archer Class