The Primal Hunter

Jake felt his vision practically turn red as he flew down. He was still accelerating as he pushed mana into his wings to fly even faster and at his top speed approaching what was once the sound barrier. Hundreds of meters passed every second.

The last time he felt this amount of anger was when he met William the second time in the tutorial when he had felt the same surging bloodlust beckoning Jake to kill him.

He didn’t think as he soared through the sky. It would only take him a few more minutes to get there. He was flying to be directly above the Pylon to make his landing more easily. To avoid the trees.

As he got directly above it, he stopped momentarily and stared down. The valley was a natural clearing with few trees covering it, ... so from several kilometers up, nothing was hidden from his gaze.

He saw a transparent barrier surrounding a house. More than a hundred people were attacking it. Miranda sat on the porch of the lodge that hadn’t been there before. A man and young woman standing right in front of said barrier.

Too many things were happening for him to wrap his head around it. His anger too high to even bother trying.

So he turned in the air as he began his descent once more. Not bothering to hide… no, willingly throwing out his bloodlust downward. His aura was nearly tangible as he let it wash into the valley below. He wanted them to know he was coming.

Everyone looked confused. Only a single person able to locate the source instantly. The woman was standing in front of the barrier with Miranda. The only one of any consequence from a cursory glance.

Seconds later, he reached the valley.

BOOOOOM!

Without stopping in the slightest, he smashed into the ground - soil, and dust thrown everywhere. His high toughness made the impact not harm him in the slightest despite the small crater where he landed.

“MIRANDA!” he yelled. “EXPLANATION. NOW!”

Even in his rage, he could recognize that the situation wasn’t simple. But he wasn’t relaxed enough to think straight either. He barely had enough control to not smash into the barrier separating them.

Miranda, on the other hand, felt the bloodlust wash over her as she shivered. She knew this was not the time to mince words.

“We came under attack, and I triggered the process as a last resort. I don’t want to claim it or challenge you!” she yelled back.

Jake just looked at her for a second, not getting the feeling that she was lying. His rage died down ever so slightly but was fast reignited when he saw several people walk out of the lodge - four of them newcomers with relatively high levels.

“And they are?” he asked coldly. Was this really just some elaborate trap? He felt the gazes of all the people around him upon him. It reminded him of the time Caroline betrayed him in his meeting with Jacob… which didn’t help his anger management situation.

It was the same… surrounded, lured in by people he naively thought he could trust. No… this was different. He was different. He wasn’t going to be naïve like then and nearly lose his life. Even if surrounded, he was confident in his ability to at least escape.

And not just escape… but make sure not a single fucking one of them was going to make it away.

as we did!” Miranda tried to explain. His level of anger far higher than she expected. “It is them who have come

with the bloody scimitar and the young woman in an obnoxious robe, who were standing there, likely also trying to grasp the situation. A masked human with wings had suddenly crashed down and started yelling at

eyes finally shifted to them - especially the woman who had the highest level besides him, sitting at 59. By far

for, but I am not particularly fond of that shtick,” the woman said, having gotten her bearings. She had to recognize that the man in front of

a surprise. With a step forward, Jake disappeared, only to appear right in front of her. While Jake wasn’t

“Explain.”

his dagger into her throat. The minor slight of not taking him seriously was enough for him to want to murder her. He barely managed to remain

too much to even hear his question, as she quickly blasted herself backward and

she appeared to begin to believe that perhaps antagonizing him further

and his companions. The moment we get him, we will

from his eyes, nose, and mouth - the results of a fight they had just before

also at this point that Jake truly realized that something was seriously wrong. Not with the situation, it actually seemed pretty damn straightforward, but

talking to them. His rational mind was starting to do some work to analyze the situation. Why had he been so mad, to the

should have led him to several possible reasons that didn’t include a grand betrayal of his trust. Thinking on it… this really

his body at all. In his mind, he had easily written it up as

could have done if a barrier didn’t separate him and Miranda… he may have even just killed her outright before getting any understanding of the situation. I will have to figure out what the fuck is wrong with

disappear like it was never there, to begin with, and his entire demeanor calmed down as he made a big

could. At the same time, he dismissed his two wings to appear more… human. Also, they were a bit distracting, and if a fight truly broke

Back then, he appeared relatively calm and collected, and now he had

she was actually quite interested in why Neil and his party had chosen to stay in the valley and not just keep running as they usually

nodded along and noted how she didn’t mention anything about a city or the Pylon at all. And from the looks of it, the Neil guy didn’t look like he thought anything was off

was a bit taken aback when Miranda mentioned her being after a legendary orb that Neil had and that it was the root of

orb, and now they marched into my place and made a mess of it?” he

Not entirely

got anything to add?” he asked Abby, who just stood there nonchalantly. Her father at her side, showing full confidence

orb to begin with. Nothing wrong with reclaiming what is rightfully

the circumstances of Neil, Jake understood what had gone down. And he…

from both Hank and Miranda and a surprised one from both Neil and Abby. “But I don’t really get why it was rightfully yours. You

that he gets lucky as fuck and gets a test practically tailor-made for him?” she

were too weak?” he asked. Not even trying to

and

answer quite at the ready. Her brief moment of embarrassment only serving to make her angry. “Who the fuck do you think you

“Just a guy who is annoyed that a bunch of idiots made a mess of his newly commissioned house while he was away. I have a lot of better things

me the