The Primal Hunter

Jake closed his eyes and focused on his Path of the Heretic-Chosen as he tried to get it to activate – just long enough to make him wonder if he hadn’t reached an adequate understanding of any of his skills. Which, to be fair, he could perfectly understand. Jake himself was full of doubt about what exactly he needed to understand.

Yet just as this thought appeared, the skill reacted:

Do you wish to experience the Legacy of the Malefic Viper? Uses remaining: 1

Jake didn’t hesitate but instantly accepted.

Sylphie, who had been sleeping on the chair, woke up with a startle as she felt the mana in the air moving weirdly. She felt like the entire space shifted for a moment, and she barely managed to register the human disappearing into thin air.

She looked around a bit confused but soon after just lay her head back down to keep sleeping. Nothing to do about humans acting weird.

Jet-black wings blanketed the skies as a massive frame covered the land beneath it in an almost unnatural darkness. Humans, elves, demons, and many other kinds of species hid away within their houses in the city below as the beast headed towards the central tower.

It was a city of impossible proportions based on the standards of old Earth. It spanned thousands of kilometers with buildings, housing billions of the myriad races – their only solace being the trustworthy barrier protecting their home.

Yet the Wyvern of the Desolates had come anyway - a monstrous beast that had wiped out all life on one of the massive continents on their planet. In its wake always followed death and destruction, and many families of the city already began mourning those who failed to enter the safety of the barrier in time.

The entire city went into complete lockdown, and as the poison mist that swirled around the mighty wyrm encountered the barrier, it sizzled and burned but remained stable. It was put down by the city’s and country’s protector, a mighty warrior who sat at a higher position than even the King.

It was a being none could look down upon with his level placing him firmly as a mid-tier C-grade.

”ROAR!”

The Wyvern opened its maw as it spewed out a beam of green energy that impacted the barrier and made the entire city shake.

Yet the barrier held up.

But it wouldn’t be able to do so forever.

It was made by an early C-grade companion of the Protector, and while it would hold up for a while, the Wyvern’s attack was especially effective at these kinds of prolonged standoffs. With no other choice, the Protector would have to move personally.

No matter what, it wouldn’t be an easy fight, for the Wyvern was mid-tier C-grade just like him.

Far above the city and barrier appeared a single figure. It was a muscular red-skinned demon wearing heavy armor and carrying a massive mallet and large tower shield. His entire body hummed with power as his glowing white eyes stared at the Wyvern that had come to attack his home.

”What do you hope to accomplish by coming here?” he asked in the common tongue of their planet.

Getting nothing but a breath of toxic green energy in return as the wyvern attacked.

only about a dozen meters from head to tail. While the reduced size made the beast appear less threatening, the Protector knew it was just the opposite –

of poison release as the claw hit, but he shrugged it off as his armor nullified most of it. What he wore today was a set of armor he had personally made specifically for this day – for he knew the gluttonous and greedy Wyvern would one day come to claim

beast to retreat. The poison mist released from its wings blanketed the entire area already, and the Protector knew the beast relied on it to

his blows struck true, shattering the scales of the beast. He knew it was relatively weaker to physical attacks than magic – a trait of most winged lizards – hence his

in the end, but a beast. It relied on its instincts and not intelligence, making it inherently inferior. Its decision to come to his city that

surrounding the city was transformed. A new valley was created when his kinetic blow missed and sent a shockwave

up in his body, but he was prepared. Just a few months earlier, a renowned alchemist had visited his city. He was a mid-tier C-grade just like

he would consume it and finish it off, not leaving the greedy Wyvern a chance to escape.

toxin enter his body and knew it was time. He had managed to land a

took out the antitoxin and consumed the contents of the bottle. He felt the liquid enter his body as

What?

out his orifices as all the pent-up poison in his body suddenly got renewed life and exploded with power. The Protector felt his insides begin to rot as he stumbled back, nearly failing to stay airborne. Had the alchemist lied to him? He knew some could alter the descriptions, but all the potions, flasks, and elixirs he

concoction?” the Protector heard a familiar voice say as he looked up

alchemist known as Vilastromoz. From the beginning, this fight had been a setup... the

was it even possible when it as a beast did not possess a profession? He knew it was possible to craft anyway, but

as he wavered in the air, but he activated a skill to temporarily at least stabilize himself a

the Wyvern asked, its large eyes

and standing up a bit more straight. ”There is no reason for either of us to risk death. I do not care what happens to the city… let us just leave it as

echoed

Wyvern genuinely wanted a fight to the death. In the battle they had been somewhat evenly matched, and like most powerhouses, he had methods to make a

to disperse as they despaired. The King of the land inside the grand palace, a peak D-tier man, cursed at the Protector

he saw a potion appear before the Wyvern as the beast swiftly chomped down on

away, he barely managed to dodge as the

had an agreement!” he yelled as

”Oh, that? I lied.”

minutes later, the Protector fell as he succumbed to the ever-increasing poison in

cloud had well and truly descended on the city, and soon there were more rotting corpses than living citizens in the once grand capital of one of

his guards in its crosshairs. The King took out a protective

and the grand tower that adorned its middle – a mighty mage tower housing an artifact the Wyvern

the tower were ripped away as the large blue gem within was revealed. The gem

laid its eyes upon the gemstone, so did another soul. It was a silent and unnoticed passenger that was simply on for the ride - one who was just there to observe and experience

had felt the thoughts of the Viper, the Protector, and even all the living souls in the city below. He had experienced every collision of power between the two fighters as if he was in

He felt like he truly became the Viper and that the body of the Wyvern

– perhaps due to the skill or his bloodline – he knew that this was

a version of Touch of the Malefic Viper Jake very much recognized. The gemstone was slowly transmuted as it began turning dark green and giving off powerful toxic energy. None of this was very enlightening to Jake, but he did notice a few areas where he could improve his own ways of using Touch of the Malefic Viper. If Jake had to guess, then the skill was only still at ancient-rarity at

and foreign. Instantly, he knew it was what would one day be named Palate of the Malefic Viper. But it was different from Jake’s version in many ways.