The Primal Hunter

This is bad, Jake thought as the school of fish around him grew. He quickly chugged down another healing potion as he considered his approach. However, one thing was certain, he couldn’t abandon his focus on how to better move.

The poisoned fish around him became his stepping stone to understanding this. He felt the toxins circulate through their bodies, slowly being battled against. It was a struggle between the vitality of the fish in question and the poisons Jake had infused, and he saw this battle clearly.

Yet, he also noticed something else. Not in the clash of vital energy and poison, but more what was around it. Everything just felt so odd inside the bodies of the fish. The toxins constantly moved about, and he detected large amounts of water-affinity mana inside them too at all times.

It was a constant stream… but the amount of mana they had to consume at all times to circulate that amount of energy was just utterly insane. Again, one could compare to Jake’s Limit Break, where he naturally expended more stamina by circulating more stamina. In the same way, these fish constantly circulated large amounts of water-affinity mana.

One would think this was tiring, but they all did it in the same way. If it was Jake doing the same thing, circulating mana inside or around him, he would be out of resources within an hour. Yet these damn fish didn’t give a fuck, but just pumped mana through themselves like it was nothing.

He felt like none of this helped him. On the contrary, it only made him more uncertain of exactly how they managed to cope.

Firstly, how did they even deal with the sheer load of mana running through them? Or was the water-affinity just suited for it? Water was naturally able to flow and seemed like a gentle force. From what Jake knew, then water-affinity mana liked to be together and condensed. It also liked to conform to whatever shape it was in, being a liquid and all.

Was this why the fish could handle it? The water allowed them to handle it? Was it perhaps because it was in constant motion? So many questions, so little time with the fish becoming bolder and bolder as they came closer with every swim-by.

He wasn’t sure what to do as he prepared himself. Right in front of him then passed a smidge of red that seemed completely out of place. The blood of the fish wasn’t red but transparent and water-like. Which meant it was human blood from his own wounds.

Jake watched his own blood effortlessly flow through the water. Unaffected by the pressure or the concepts Jake had observed before. It seemed to almost meld into and become one with the water. In fact, when he observed it with his sphere, he saw it appeared almost to be the same as the water around him. His Sense of the Malefic Viper also told him that the blood had simply integrated the water - allowed itself to be integrated. It was mixed with the water, yet it still remained separate, with the poison still within it. Integrated but not assimilated.

That is when Jake remembered a certain quote that honestly didn’t really fit that well in his current scenario:

Be like water.

Because that is exactly what the fish did… they became one with the water around them. They, like his blood, integrated themselves without being assimilated. With this realization, another one also came… he asked himself why he fought his environment so much.

The mana didn’t hold any intent. It simply was. The only reason it damaged Jake was due to the sheer density and that concept, and while he wasn’t sure that could be eliminated entirely, he should be able to alleviate it, right?

resisted. Instead, he also focused on absorbing as much mana from his environment as he could. His

wasn’t thinking very clearly. All he knew at that moment was that he had to not fight the water or find a way to cope with it; he had to allow himself to acclimate by taking it in. This was only possible because it was neutral mana and not something summoned by anyone.

Jake began seeing some results. His entire body began being affected by the water-affinity, and he actually felt his own weight increase. However, what

the woods yet, though. Because while he had found a way to adapt, this method wasn’t instant. He had to absorb the mana into his body and release it again to do this process, but if he did it too

before, taking his opponent by surprise. A long nasty cut was left across its side. The second one found itself suddenly confronted with the edge of a blade that skewered it through the mouth as Jake angled it to avoid being hit himself. The final fish was frozen just before it hit him and

him recognizing that it was insane not to use his arcane magic too, using the environment and not fighting it. Before, Jake tried to use his own

Jake had learned that water very much wanted to conform once directed. Did this mean he could turn this entire shithole of water

do was easily summon plenty of low mana-cost

was

mana to pierce

copious amounts of mana every single moment; they just didn’t give a shit because they regenerated even

faster and stronger. His magic sped up too, and soon

the enemies stopped coming, naturally continuing to absorb the water mana and adapting. He checked his notification which instantly put a

have slain [Deepgorge Terror –

...

[Deepgorge

a bit… sad. Yeah, sad had to be the right word. These fish were weak, as in, among the weakest any D-grade of their level could be. They had no skills or abilities. All they could

fucking fish. Barely magical

to admit that this had been the most danger he had been in since fighting the Altmar Census Golem, a level 150 foe created by an ancient faction to test talents. And he had gotten significantly stronger since

a fucking Joke, he told himself, shaking his

and getting used to the water for the time being. The entire acclimation thing was fast in the beginning, but he soon noticed it slow down significantly. Finally, after an hour or so, with him having also consumed another health

than before, he still felt like a pre-system human in water. But, then again, could he expect anything more? In the end, he wasn’t an aquatic animal

the pressure on him begin to accumulate, making him begin the

another three hours and two potions before he was back in top condition. He also

ripe time to actually begin exploring the shitty Vault he found himself in. He had moved little more than ten meters from where the teleportation had originally taken him, and he seriously doubted all there was

up more methods for fighting in water, but he had to remember he was already on a timer. He would hate to miss out on anything important happening outside just because of his

to keep it at thirty meters, as anything more and the headache from information overload would