The Primal Hunter

Jake stood looking at the large temple, deep in his own thoughts. He stood over to the side, and no one particularly bothered him. He got a few glances, but that was only to do with him looking a bit suspicious. He was a bit more self-conscious about it now, but nothing that really irked him.

It had nothing to do with him hearing Olivia’s words before he left. If he took off his mask and cloak and just walked around like that, he would likely get far fewer stares… but if he was honest, then wearing the mask and cloak wasn’t about going unnoticed or being inconspicuous.

Instead, it was about separation. To put a mask between Jake and anyone he had to talk with. To make sure none could read his expression and for he himself to feel comfortable. It really had nothing to with anyone else but him. There was power in a persona, and Jake knew that. It was how he had learned to survive his entire life. Granted, him being away for weeks at a time in dungeons that were all about killing didn’t do him any good either.

To summarise… Jake just felt less exhausted when wearing a mask in public. He would keep his bare face only between him and friends. He just felt more comfortable that way.

It wasn’t like not being recognized was an option either. Jake had hoped not to be recognized as “Lord Thayne” but just as a mysterious masked guy. He would be recognized as “someone standing out” no matter what happened. He hadn’t learned to hide his D-grade aura after all, as everyone could feel it, so he would get the glances no matter what.

Well, he could have gone full-on stealth, but he still wanted to explore the city in a more “normal” way. Or at least as normal as he could be. At least people seemed to have some tact and just acted friendly.

Also… being masked and scary-looking made people only look and not actively seek him out. None of the shopkeepers had given a damn either. In fact, most seemed to be happy when he entered as they picked up on the D-rank aura. D-ranks were bound to have a lot of money.

He did attract a bit of unwanted attention in the form of a few rifle-bearing men who he saw check him out through binoculars from a distance. They never directly sought him out, though. That was nice. It would be awkward trying to explain that wearing all-black and a mask wasn’t against the rules of Haven. Jake should know. He had just made up that rule, after all.

This didn’t mean no one ever approached Jake, though it tended to be people who recognized him. Pretty much everyone from the Fort knew how he looked due to his presence back then, and a few had walked up to thank him for back then. It was a bit awkward, as Jake wasn’t used to it, but he accepted their gratitude nevertheless.

As he stood there, Jake felt another person’s eyes land on him, and this one lingered. He looked back at who it was and recognized his observer. It was a young man with short hair and a strong build. The young man walked over towards Jake, a big smile on his lips.

“Lord Thayne,” he said when he had walked over, practically bowing.

“Chris, right?” Jake asked.

It was one of the people from Abby’s group back then. The first one to speak up against Donald. That is what had put him on Jake’s radar and made him worth remembering. At that moment, he had chosen an opportunity to get revenge against Donald and Abby over his own safety. That was respectable.

“You remember me?” he said with a mix of surprise of happiness.

“Well, yeah. I asked your name, didn’t I? That would be silly to do if I wanted to forget it,” Jake said, shrugging. The young man looked healthy and more full of life than last time. Back then, he had been full of resentment and grief, while now he looked more put together. His level was also pretty good.

[Human – lvl 57]

“I guess,” Chris said, scratching his hair before asking: “How come you’re here at the temple? Are you here to visit? I heard the City Lord’s statue recently got made, and it has already been infused… it’s the only one in the grandest hall at the moment. Ah, I’m sure you already knew… sorry, I just got a bit excited when I saw you. I came to see the statue today myself.”

guess I should go check it out. I haven’t heard many details of the temple. I

could be a guide or something?” he asked. No matter how dense Jake could be, it was apparent the

smiling beneath his mask. While he didn't exactly crave social contact... he felt like having some outside people like Miranda would be good. After killing for so long, it would do him good to socialize a bit to not completely lose the ability to

has

them entered the temple. A young chatterbox and an

against the tree, breathing heavily. One of her arms was mangled, and she had a fist-sized hole in her stomach. She had to admit that she may have been in trouble without Jake’s health potion, even with all her

mana in the area was soaked in Verdant mana from the formation that had been active until not that long ago - a formation that

a pentagram made of staves with now-cracked orbs on their ends in all the corners. The magic circle on the

led to this day. Miranda had never thought she could do it, but with encouragement from her Patron gods, she had given it a shot and succeeded – succeeded in

– lvl 103] – Bonus experience earned for killing an

lined with glowing veins of Verdant Energy that had invaded its body. She had bombarded it with more regular spells

nearly died to one. It had taken her a long time to build up the courage to defeat one… and now she had nearly succeeded in wiping out all the Oakwood Tigers near Haven.

had been made. Half a year ago, she had found what would end up being named Haven while being chased, and now she was one chasing and killing

the circle was complete, she also

Witch] has reached level 99

Haven with difficulty as she went over the fight a few more times in her head. She had only won because she planned everything. She had studied the beast and how it hunted and learned

to do resulted in a mangled arm, vine-attacks penetrating her stomach, and she even had one also go through her chest. She used a health potion to make

at dealing with pain. However, when she began leveling her witch class, she couldn’t handle it at all. She failed to focus while using skills if it hurt, and any wound practically paralyzed her for half a second from the pain. It had taken her a long time to build

city as a whole.

back, she checked out her old profession. It had been the start of her journey to finding the place she belonged in the new world, and

the new world. A home to defend. City Lord is a profession focused on managing and guiding a city to glory. Grants skills related to management, economy,

She had put a lot of thought into the placement of every single free point, and after the Ladies of the Verdant Lagoon blessed her, she had begun

given her advice, and with that, she had what she hoped was a very optimal free point distribution. It was pretty standard to do this… and while she wanted to say that she was sure Jake put just as much thought into placing his points, she was pretty sure he didn’t. He probably

and went straight for her home. Well, it was also her workplace, but she did have privacy in some parts of the large building.

Did she need it? No, not really, but she really wanted one. It also allowed her to properly identify some of the

already a good-looking young man before becoming a D-grade but was at old-world actor standards now. He had joked about maybe finally being able to land a partner with his improved looks, but it had led to some questions. Why had Jake barely changed when he became

Lagoon. An absolutely gorgeous woman who had explained how evolution worked in more depth. How it brought your appearance and some other things

a lot better… but it wasn’t equal. You had to want it. Often it was just subconscious wants, out of one’s control. Everyone had small parts about themselves they wanted to improve if they could. Some more than others. She had learned

coupled with his entire presence was a charming mix. To be honest, Jake’s confidence made Miranda feel vain as she stood and stared at herself in the mirror. While she had always put effort into her appearance, it was nothing compared to the makeover an evolution could bring. She

her long orange hair. The evolution had even made her hair feel more comfortable to touch… why the hell had she