The Primal Hunter

Jake burned through the sides of the gate to get it free from the wall as he kept Eron trapped. However, it ended up taking him nearly ten minutes to get the door off as he had to split his focus, and he felt Eron attack his arcane barrier with more and more power.

Once Jake got the gate off, he grasped hold of it and pulled. The moment it stopped touching anything, he put it in his inventory and saw the barrier behind where the door had been. The people there, surprisingly enough, didn’t look alarmed but just kept channeling their mana.

Jake walked up to the magic barrier and placed his hand on it. Touch of the Malefic Viper pulsed out from his palm as the entire barrier began being corroded. It had only been there to make sure the gate stayed in place, making it far from durable.

With a final punch, the entire barrier shattered like glass, and Jake made it through. The moment he did so, all the casters and healers formerly channeling their power into the barrier just disappeared, leaving Hunter Insignias in their places.

They just fucking left like that?

He frowned as he quickly claimed all of them… and saw that every single Insignia was empty. The fuckers had handed off all their loot to someone else already, and this entire thing had been planned. Jake rushed forward as he had now wholly cut his connection to the arcane barrier behind him.

Passing through the halls, he soon looked down the hallway to the Count’s chamber. The gate was open, and in front of it, he saw only a single person he didn’t recognize sitting on the ground, waiting. Jake realized, there and then, that he hadn’t made it. Eron and the gate had together delayed him by over half an hour, which had proven to be enough time for the Church to kill the Count and leave with the key.

Jake walked slowly towards the chamber and the man sitting there. It was just a random level 101 human who didn’t look special in any way, shape, or form. It was just a D-grade from the Church who had barely qualified to enter the Hunt. Or, as the Church had clearly viewed it, a disposable messenger.

“Lord Thayne,” the man said as he stood up and bowed.

“Where is the Count and the key?” Jake asked, already knowing the answer.

“I apologize, the Count of Blood was slain a quarter of an hour ago, and the key claimed. The Augur expresses that he finds this entire situation unfortunate, but he made the choice he believed was the most advantageous for the Holy Church. Therefore, he hopes that these treasures can serve as an apology,” the man said as he summoned a number of items.

Jake narrowed his eyes as he saw the altar and coffin appear. The same ancient-rarity ones he had already claimed four of each of. This was all the loot the Count’s Chamber usually held. However, that wasn’t all.

There was also a black metal claw and a metal pike, as well two red gems. It was the hearts and weapons of two Counts of Blood.

“Due to other obligations, we cannot provide the keys, but the Augur and Church as a whole truly hope this can be viewed as recompense. The Noboru clan has already made prior claims on the keys, and how could we as a Church be trustworthy if we didn’t fulfill our obligations?” the man kept explaining.

Trying to play both sides… classic Jacob.

He really wasn’t sure how to feel about this entire thing. On the one hand, Jacob was an asshole for getting in his way, and on the other hand, Jake was an asshole for trying to kill the Count under the Holy Church’s nose. The fact that they now even gave him some kind of compensation for claiming a kill that most would rightfully point out was theirs to begin with, was a bit weird.

Jake swiped all the loot the guy had thrown on the ground, and the moment he did so, he saw the guy light up a rune on his hand as he spoke a final time. “The Holy Church hopes this does not create bad blood between Haven and the Holy Church or between the Progenitor and the Augur. Sometimes you lose, and this is simply the nature of the competition.”

“Oh, for sure,” Jake agreed.

It was also the nature of competition to openly rob people and kill them during this Treasure Hunt, so was that fine too? Jake had a strong suspicion that the last part wasn’t part of what Jacob had instructed the guy to say. Because Jacob wouldn’t have said something that dumb, that could be interpreted in so many ways.

of the gate, he found remnants of a magic circle. As he stood in the middle of it, he vividly felt the traces of space-affinity mana in the air, as it became apparent that those who had killed the Count of Blood had left

would have 100% gotten the key from them if they

handle this entire situation but just shook his head as he reminded himself. Keep things simple,

around as he headed back towards the Mistless Plains, unsure of how he would confront the Holy Church. He sent a mental message to Sylphie letting her know and got back a

the majority of the significant forces of the Treasure Hunt,

discuss the distribution of loot properly,” Sven tried

what? Oh, or are you

the small hawk over the faction one would expect she should. It made Miranda believe that perhaps the relationship between Carmen and the nominal leader of Valhal on their planet

sure if that was solely due to Carmen being more powerful. Miranda knew that Valhal placed much importance on

about the hawk. Something she had tried to explain several

you, I am not able to command Sylphie,” Miranda asserted once more. She wasn’t sure if she could divulge the actual relationship between Sylphie and Jake, but

of Valhal had beasts they had brought into the Treasure Hunt. Only two people, but it still set a precedent. They knew a human had to have some kind of bond with the beast to bring it into the Treasure Hunt… and who else but the Lord of Haven could bring in a small green bird that was one of the most powerful individuals

believe that the City Lord of Haven doesn’t even have

Carmen said at the same time, exchanging a smile. As for Sylphie? Sylphie was just silently floating through the air alongside them as

Sven corrected himself, as Miranda was sure he

had approached Carmen partly with purely political intentions, but from their first encounter, she had liked the woman, and Carmen was starting to become someone she would consider a friend. In some ways, she reminded Miranda of Jake. They were both highly individualistic powerful people who were more than a little

beginning to find those

but it was probably also fine for

they made their way back, ignoring Sven for the most part, with only Sylphie

She was having a good

of hundreds walked

everyone else who had dared venture into the mist was forced to wrestle with appeared calm and even gave away to the large group. Shades of Resentment and other creatures of magic born from the powers of the curse swirled and flew around

were three people. Two Risen and a wraith, with a man walking

leading the D-grades of the Risen in the Treasure Hunt. They were a group that had not hunted Viscounts or Counts, not solved puzzled or sought after loot, but had instead headed where no one else could. Beyond the wall of mist, away from any mountains. They had

into his body but did no harm. Instead, it encouraged him. Cheered him on as the curse wished for them to reach

fallen. It’s only a matter of time now before they activate the device,” Casper

have a head start,” Priscilla answered. “Once the Vaults unlock, we

with the most information. It was a pure stroke of luck, or perhaps what some would call fate. For when they entered, and Casper felt the curse on

topics of research. It was an example of a curse that hung over an entirely separate world in

attempt to help the vampiric race had not been thought up by the King as many believed. It was one he had

the world’s history had been altered and parts of the world changed, one fact still

about the next phase the Hunt would enter based on

of if, but when that phase would activate. But he had to admit… it had gone faster than

his arcane barriers were being corroded at an ever-increasing speed. Finally, after a few seconds, the

before Eron could claim them. His arcane barrier had made it so Eron couldn’t put them in