The Primal Hunter

*’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 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 got to the uncommon skills, of which only two new ones had appeared.

The first of which 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, release 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 isn’t a walking war crime.

and flasks were one of the most

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

had time left over to get into crafting something entirely new

before the tutorial ended. Not even if he focused all his time on it. It would also get in the way of his

Malefic Viper and not an Alchemist of Tasty Flasks, after

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.

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

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

but he was pretty sure Ancient was above Epic, but below Divine. But by how much it was above or below those two,

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

did give stats during actual combat with high-level enemies, but it was only temporary. This one, however, would be a permanent addition.

made him think…

extra 10%. If the percentage bonus also worked,

He needed a defensive skill, and this

skill, he instantly felt a warm flow go through his body

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

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

new normal. Checking his stats, Jake saw that it had grown

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

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, like

himself. The blade managed to cut through the scales quite easily, leaving a small wound on his arm. Maybe

regenerate, which they, to his disappointment, didn’t. Instead, they disappeared after only a few

but then again, he hadn’t transformed a huge area. Which, of course, led Jake to a realization. He finally had a skill

to a real test. The description

storage, he made

a small group with 3 deer and a single stag. The deer were not that exciting, as they mainly engaged in

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,

its companions in vain, but they died too fast for it to do anything. Instead, it turned its attention to Jake as

the beam went through and hit his chest, causing burns, but the part of

attack. The stag was level 54, and yet it was utterly unable to cause him any real damage

as it started charging its beam. The stag would have no time to do this in normal conditions, but its

others, and Jake panicked slightly when his sense of danger warned him. Instinctively he

how little it had done. He felt a bit hot and a tingling