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.”

got that statue made already? I guess I should go check it out. I haven’t heard many details of the temple. I just came by to check it

kept up with news, and I helped build the temple… I could be a guide or something?” he asked. No matter how dense Jake could be, it was apparent the young man desperately wanted Jake to agree.

Jake 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 bit to not

has taught

entered the

her stomach.

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

formation took the form of a pentagram made of staves with now-cracked orbs on their ends in all the corners. The magic circle on the ground in the clearing had also helped immensely,

killing the damn Oakwood tigers to make this a one on one fight, had led to this day. Miranda had never thought she could

have slain [Oakwood Tiger Alpha – lvl 103] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your

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

grudge. The Oakwood Tigers had scared her for a long time as she, Hank, and the kids had nearly died to one. It had taken her a long time to

to Haven had been made. Half a year ago, she

drive home that the circle was complete, she also reached the level threshold from the

Class: [Neophyte Verdant Witch] has reached level 99 - Stat

her head. She had only won because she planned everything. She had studied the beast and

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

while using skills if it hurt, and any wound practically paralyzed her for

city as a whole. Neil reaching D-grade had truly pushed her. He

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

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

been great. Likely one of the better ones on Earth as a whole. She had put a lot of thought into the placement of every single free point, and after the Ladies of the

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 just

stayed hidden and went straight for her home. 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

instead to take a shower. Did she need it? No, not really, but she really wanted one. It also allowed her to properly identify some

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

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

Everyone had small parts about themselves

had done so since the first time they met. A bit average, sure, that 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.

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