The Primal Hunter

Sylphie opened her eyes as she saw the human appear again back at the lodge. He had only been gone for a few minutes, but he looked like something big had happened as he instantly closed his eyes and entered meditation. She was a bit annoyed at not knowing what was going on, but she would be a good bird and not disturb him.

She was kind like that.

Jake replayed the feeling of being the Wyvern and tried replicating the same experiences in his body repeatedly. He ignored the notification for now as he just properly processed all he had gone through - not just the parts with Palate of the Malefic Viper, but also the fight with the Protector and when the Viper had used what would one day be called Touch of the Malefic Viper.

Several hours passed as he just sat there while everything was still fresh on his mind. The true gains had been related to Palate of the Malefic Viper, and it had clearly been the focus of the skill as it was only when Palate was about to be used that Jake was fully merged with the Viper, but everything else was still valuable.

No matter what, the Wyvern Jake had seen would one day become the Malefic Viper.

He didn’t really think much about anything unrelated to the fight and how to improve his skills. Everything that happened then was history and couldn’t be changed, even if the entire thing was a bit cruel. The Protector willingly abandoned the city, and the Viper did not even give a single thought to it as he fought.

Billions had died, sure, but they had just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. It was the unfortunate reality of the weak that didn’t live under the umbrella of the truly strong. The Protector had given some thought to the citizens by establishing the barrier, but he refused to risk his own life for the billions of lives living within his domain. The King had even abandoned the city the moment things went south.

Jake shook his head as he finally awoke from his meditation. He had gained some inspirations related to other aspects of the Legacy of the Malefic Viper, but the true gain was without a doubt with his Palate of the Malefic Viper.

Opening the notification, he saw what he expected, but he was still more than satisfied.

[Palate of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)] – The Malefic Viper has honed its venom by devouring myriad toxins found throughout the multiverse. In the same vein, the Alchemist of the Malefic Viper can consume toxins to learn their effects and properties. Further evolved, you can now also learn the properties of herbs while at the same time enjoying a greater benefit from all potions consumed. Grants immunity or resistance to most poisons. Passively provides 1 Endurance per level in Alchemist of the Malefic Viper. Through consumption, may your power grow; through gluttony, may your Records expand.

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[Palate of the Malefic Viper (Legendary)] – The Malefic Viper has honed its venom by devouring myriad toxins and treasures found throughout the multiverse. In the same vein, the Alchemist of the Malefic Viper can consume toxins to learn their effects and properties. Further evolved, you can now also learn the properties of herbs while at the same time enjoying a greater benefit from all potions consumed. Natural treasures can be swallowed and refined at an accelerated pace, using your current level of Cultivate Toxin (Uncommon). If the item is not a toxin, the item will still be refined but at a slower pace. Allows you to learn the properties of any treasure in your stomach as you slowly refine it. Grants immunity or resistance to most poisons. Passively provides 3 Endurance per level in Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper. Through endless consumption, may your power grow; through gluttony, may your Records expand as you devour the world.

Jake read the changes, and everything was as expected… he felt that every part of the skill had gotten slightly stronger, but the true gain was with the new “stomach” created by the skill. He could feel it within him right at that moment, even if he knew it didn’t actually physically exist.

It was like his soul in some ways, but in a way that was a bit more… tangible. Jake knew that whatever was within that stomach would appear out in the real world if he died, just like if one broke his spatial necklace after killing him. In fact, it was like that stomach was a part of him like equipment like rings or necklaces was.

Inspecting it more closely, he felt that the stomach was quite limited in many ways. Due to the way it constantly refined and absorbed Records from the item in an endless feedback loop, he couldn’t consume more than one thing at a time.

There was also the question of what counted as a natural treasure. Jake was confident that normal items such as equipment didn’t count, while he assumed herbs would. Either way, it was something he would have to look into in a bit; he first wanted to get done with his notifications.

The next few actually surprised him a bit as he hadn’t seen that happening…

*’DING!’ Profession: [Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 101 - Stat points allocated, +10 free points*

*’DING!’ Profession: [Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 102 - Stat points allocated, +10 free points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (D)] has reached level 101 - Stat points allocated, +15 free points*

gained two levels in his profession less than an hour after getting it. Gaining levels from upgrading the “of the Malefic Viper” skills wasn’t anything new to him, but he had assumed he

he thought, not at all complaining. Heck, it helped the alchemist profession, which was typically slow as heck to level, to progress

gained from the upgrade, though he kind of already knew the

per level in Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper. He still had the 99 stats from level 1-99, so it wasn’t like he had lost anything, and quite honestly, he

felt pretty damn good after it all. That Path of the Heretic-Chosen skill was great, and

all of his evolutions done, he finally opened up his

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

[Human (D) – lvl

Arcane Hunter –

Alchemist of the Malefic Viper –

Health Points (HP): 18430/18430

Mana Points (MP): 20578/22087

Stamina: 13512/13790

Stats

Strength: 1226

Agility: 1552

Endurance: 1379

Vitality: 1843

Toughness: 1266

Wisdom: 1767

Intelligence: 1295

Perception: 3140

Willpower: 1425

Free points: 70

a Primordial’s True Blessing], [Dungeoneer V], [Dungeon Pioneer V], [Legendary Prodigy],[Prodigious Slayer of the Mighty], [Kingslayer], [Nobility: Earl], [Progenitor of the 93rd Universe], [Prodigious Arcanist], [Perfect

Vault of Umbra (Uncommon)], [Splitting Arrow (Uncommon)], [Hunter’s Tracking (Uncommon)], [Mark of the Ambitious Hunter (Rare)], [Archery of Vast Horizons (Rare)], [Descending Dark Fang (Rare)], [Limit Break (Rare)], [Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter (Epic)], [Arcane Powershot (Epic)], [Big Game Arcane

(Ancient)], [Blood of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Sagacity of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Wings of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Pride of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Fangs of the Malefic Viper (Ancient)], [Sense of the

Blessing of the Malefic Viper (Blessing -

[Legacy of Man (Unique)],

Primal Hunter (Bloodline Ability

how damn long the thing was getting. He had gained new skills, upgrades to existing ones, and of course, a few more stats. It also felt good to

concept of space and time, and Jake had a feeling he wouldn’t have gained the upgrade without having experience with those two from One Step Mile and Moment

aware, however, that his version was not the same as the Malefic Viper's was back then. First of all, the Malefic Viper was a monster while Jake was a human. As a monster, the Wyvern could gain not just knowledge of the item but even experience and levels

of time. This new part of Palate of the Malefic Viper was to the Wyvern primarily a way of getting more gains

it as the Viper did. He had a feeling the Viper could also do as Jake’s version did,

was how insanely

biggest challenges one was faced with when using rare ingredients was exactly that – their rarity. When Jake wanted to craft a regular health potion or a poison, he had plenty