The Primal Hunter

Jake opened his eyes within a vast void of nothingness, the only thing visible being distant star-like objects. It was his third time there, and it was as beautiful and wonderous as ever. He was entirely naked, except for his mask that was still on his face for some reason.

The first time he went there had been the most wonderous as it marked the day he became able to passively sense mana, while his E-grade evolution had been a bit less exciting.

Like all the other times, the intensity of the mana around him was extreme, but after progressing through E-grade, he could now feel it much better. He felt the affinities in the mana around him, and he was taken aback… because he felt so… so many.

He noticed the space-affinity that reminded him of the mana Neil used and even the concept of his own One Step Mile. Dark-affinity, water-affinity, earth-affinity, and a slew of energies he didn’t understand at all… he felt all of them. But out of them all, the affinity he felt next was by far the most surprising.

The arcane-affinity. Or more, accurately, Jake’s own arcane-affinity. How is there arcane-mana here? Does that mean…

Jake closed his eyes as he focused on his sphere to take it all in. Even energy reminding me of what the Malefic Viper released is here… Jake thought as he awoke from his stupor.

Was this place… an amalgamation of all the energy he had ever used, absorbed, or encountered? Was he inside his soul, and were these all the concepts he had ever used and affinities he had explored?

As his head was filled with these thoughts… the system finally made its presence known. It was time for the evolution to begin… but instead of just being shown what he would evolve to like all the other times, this one was different.

Congratulations! You have unlocked the possibility to diverge your race and evolve into a different species. As a rarity among humans and monsters both, you must now make an important choice. Be warned not to lose yourself.

Jake was surprised for the umpteenth time today, as he quickly saw that two options were available for evolution and the first one was exactly what he had expected.

Human (D) – A human that has stepped into the mid-grades of the system. The human race is known as the most balanced and numerous race of the multiverse, being able to walk many different roads on their path to power. Stat bonuses per level: +6 to all stats, +15 Free Points per level

He looked it over and nodded internally. It wasn’t like the human evolutions were a secret, and he knew the stat-gain for every level would just triple when one evolved to D-grade, going from 23 stats per level to 69. A very nice number.

But that wasn’t the option worth noting.

Malefic Dragonkin (D) – Once a human, you embraced the Malefic Viper’s Legacy to become a race closer to your Patron. Still maintaining a primarily human form, you have replaced your soft skin with scales and have gained several other draconic properties, including wings and claws. This race is incredibly rare and only earned by those who have truly begun walking the Path of the Malefic Viper. By maintaining many of your humanoid traits, you can retain either a class or a profession. Stat bonuses per level: +20 Wis, +20 Will, + 20 Vit, + 15 Tough, +15 Int, + 10 Agi, +10 Str, +10 Per, +10 End, +20 Free Points per level

Warning: Some skills related to the lost profession or class may be lost or changed. Stat-bonuses from classes will be reduced by 10% if chosen over a profession, while a profession will provide +10% more stats per level. All current race skills will be lost.

As the initial message said, evolving into a new species was incredibly rare and difficult. It was a fundamental, qualitative change that would severely alter your path in the future. And the Malefic Dragonkin evolution was sure as hell a drastic change.

Jake had to read it over a few times before something clicked in his mind… this has to be the result of maxing out the nine stat-giving skills. Many of them added physiological traits such as scales or wings or making his canines toxic.

But… he also knew it had a lot to do with the drop of blood he had seized from the Malefic Viper himself because the description sure as hell reminded him of that bootleg half-dragon version of himself he had seen within that weird soul-realm during the Trial of Myriad Poisons.

While he already knew what ‘choice’ he would make, he evaluated the options anyway. The Malefic Dragonkin race gave 150 stats per level, with the human one giving 69 – a difference of 81 stats per level. However… becoming a dragonkin would also mean giving up one of the significant advantages of being human: having both a class and profession.

If one just looked at stats, then Jake would need to get a class providing 81 stats per level after the penalty, which was… a lot. If he got a class within the same realm as his Ambititious Hunter, it would only give 54 stats per level.

All of that is to say the Malefic Dragonkin was clearly a top-tier race. One Jake had absolutely no interest in ever picking.

He was human, and he saw no reason at all to throw that away. Jake also felt an almost palpable disgust from his bloodline at the mere thought of becoming a dragonkin. No, to Jake, the human race was the optimal choice. His entire bloodline and being was grounded in being a human, and changing his path by suddenly trying to become something entirely different wasn’t on his to-do list.

Also… he really didn’t want to pick between alchemy and archery. He liked both.

Jake didn’t need to think anymore as he began his evolution.

All around him, the countless energies began swirling as they poured into him. He felt his body fill with strength, but he also felt himself… change. His entire body was being broken down and rebuilt from the inside, yet he didn’t experience any pain or discomfort. The only annoyance was his inability to move during the process.

undergoing a qualitative change. He felt some of his organs begin to disappear, perhaps no longer deemed

result in instant death; it just meant that you needed a shitload of vitality to regenerate it.

from being so… Jake thought as he felt both his liver and spleen were now gone. He knew

while the features on his face were ironed out a

didn’t really desire any significant changes to be made to his body. However, subconsciously he still had an idea like every other human about how they could look slightly better. It was natural non-magical evolution to desire to be viewed as more

his status page as he waited for his body

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

[Human (E) –

Hunter – lvl

of the Malefic Viper

Health Points (HP): 13860/13860

Mana Points (MP): 16475/16475

Stamina: 10150/10150

Stats

Strength: 876

Agility: 1194

Endurance: 1015

Vitality: 1386

Toughness: 882

Wisdom: 1318

Intelligence: 815

Perception: 2637

Willpower: 982

Free points: 0

True Blessing], [Dungeoneer V], [Dungeon Pioneer V], [Legendary Prodigy],[Prodigious Slayer of the Mighty],

Game Hunter (Rare)], [Mark of the Ambitious Hunter (Rare)], [Archery of Vast Horizons (Rare)]

Poison (Uncommon)], [Malefic Viper’s Poison (Rare)], [Scales of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Palate of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Blood of the

Blessing of the

(Unique)], [Identify (Common)], [Thoughtful Meditation

Primal Hunter (Bloodline Ability

..

felt a weird sense of pride as he read it all over. The progress he had made since he last found himself inside this void all the way back in the challenge dungeon, shortly after meeting Villy for the first time. He had come a long way… and now his third evolution was approaching its completion, and he would step into D-grade, formally entering what was

end, and that was the exact moment a part of him stirred. He felt a heartbeat as the surrounding energy appeared to have a second wind as it began pouring into him again, right towards that weird metaphysical area around his heart where he knew his bloodline and the drop of blood from the Malefic Viper resided. To his surprise, a slight sliver of

*Bloodline Ability Evolved*

stirred your bloodline, allowing

Upgraded*: [Bloodline of the Primal Hunter (Bloodline Ability - Unique)] – Dormant power lies in the very essence of your being. A unique, innate ability awakened in the bloodline of Jake Thayne. Grants the Sphere of Perception. Grants an improved sense

like all the other times, he didn’t really take notice of any changes besides the increase to his perception, going from +15% to +20%. He did feel like his sphere expanded a bit, but he couldn’t really tell, floating in

he also

Race: [Human (D)] has reached level 100 - Stat points

felt before he read. He felt warmth overflow as he experienced what could only be described as a massive influx of power. What he had felt after killing the King of the Forest was nothing compared to this… and this was the moment it truly became clear to him how large the gap between E and D-grade was. Because, unlike other evolutions, this one came with what he had theorized monsters and beasts had a

[The Perfect

(D)] – You have undergone a perfect evolution to become a

before. He couldn’t help re-check the quest to see what he would have ended

You have undergone evolution to become a D-grade human.

it wasn’t something he had wanted to miss out on either, especially when he saw that these stats