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.”

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

something?” he asked. No matter how

agreed, 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

he’s great! He has taught me

two of them entered the temple. A young

back 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,

still floated in the air as remnants of the battle. The atmospheric mana in the area was soaked in Verdant mana from the formation that had been active until not that long ago - a formation that had covered an area nearly 500

The magic circle on the ground in the clearing had

and a half months of killing the damn Oakwood tigers to make this a one on one fight, had led to this day. Miranda had never

– Bonus experience earned

was lined with glowing veins of Verdant Energy that had invaded its body. She had bombarded it with more regular spells too, but in the end, she

her for a long time as she, Hank, and the kids had nearly died to one. It had taken her a long time to build

done it to face her fears, and it felt almost cathartic when she finally killed the Alpha. It was like a perfect circle of her journey to Haven had been made. Half a year ago, she had found what would

truly drive home that the circle was complete, she also reached

[Neophyte Verdant Witch] has reached level 99 - Stat points allocated, +3 free

meant it was D-grade evolution time. Miranda began making her way back to 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 about all its tricks. Countermeasures for every skill were made, so the entire fight was more

mangled arm, vine-attacks penetrating her stomach, and she even had one also

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 up her tolerance to an acceptable level. Without it,

keep up with Jake and the city as

journey to finding the place she belonged in the new world, and a part of her felt sad knowing it

of Earth – The City Lord employed by the first human to found a city on Earth. Now on a path to create a haven for the survivors in 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, leadership, and control, as well as paths to protect your new dominion. However, be

free point, and after the Ladies of the Verdant Lagoon blessed her, she had begun making use of

plenty of loyal subjects of the Godqueens that would gladly help her with anything she needed. Humans among those too. They had 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

Well, it was also her workplace, but she did have privacy in some parts of the large building. Once there, she evolved to D-grade without

did after evolving wasn’t to upgrade her profession but instead to take a shower. Did she need it? No, not really, but she really wanted one.

joked about maybe finally being able to land a partner with his improved looks, but it had led to some questions. Why had

had explained how evolution worked in more depth. How it brought your appearance and some other things about yourself closer to your own ideal version of perfect.

one’s control. Everyone had small parts about themselves

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

unrealistic beauty standards set by firms and the advent of photo-editing technology, she joked with herself as she dried her long orange hair. The evolution had even made her hair feel more comfortable to touch… why