The Primal Hunter

Jake stood with his eyes open wide in shock as he was blinded for a moment. Not only were his eyes blind, but so was his sphere. He saw nothing but pure energy as it washed over him, but only for a moment before a figure appeared before him.

Long black hair flowed through the air from the power exhibited from the man’s body, a bare chest of muscles with not a single wrinkle or sign of weakness in sight. If not for the all-too-familiar wounds Jake knew he had caused himself, he wouldn’t recognize the person before him.

For who now stood there was a man no older than himself, a sword in hand as he pointed it skywards. He looked up towards the sky that was now filled with clouds that had occasional holes to let sunlight through.

The Sword Saint looked down, and what met Jake was not the same sunken eyes he had stared into so many times before, but two deep blue eyes that were in no way natural. Jake narrowed his gaze as he bent his knees, ready for what was to come.

“I have been blind for too long,” the Sword Saint said as he smiled at Jake. “Thank you. Now… this is presumptuous of me to ask… but-“

“Come.”

Jake didn’t need to say more as the swordsman grinned with a childlike smile that fit his younger appearance far more. Then, just as Jake thought it was kind of funny, his danger sense suddenly exploded as he raised his blade on instinct and blocked.

Just in time, too, as he felt an impact upon his blade stronger than even the blows from the Monarch of Blood. He purposefully lifted himself off the ground and allowed himself to be blasted back, giving him a chance to stabilize as he felt a faint pulse of mana behind him as the figure of the Saint appeared.

Teleportation?

Jake could see no other way to move that fast. He himself spun in the air and landed while facing the Sword Saint, instead teleporting himself backward the moment his feet touched the ground. The swordsman didn’t teleport again but merely stepped on the ground too as the soil was ripped up, and he flew towards Jake as his blade cut upwards.

Stronger. Faster. What did he do?

He naturally didn’t get an answer as he was forced to dodge the swing of the sword. Jake barely managed to slip by it, but it turned in the air at an impossible angle. Once more, he avoided it by a hair’s breadth only due to his near-precognitive intuition and danger sense.

How and why the man had transformed, Jake didn’t fully comprehend. Did he suddenly gain a skill upgrade that allowed him to change? He had already ruled out the Saint awakening a Bloodline as he didn’t feel anything… so what else was there?

Jake blocked with his scimitar as he was blasted back again. Without even being sure how it had happened, he got a slash on his arm, and he gritted his teeth as he landed, kicking up the soil.

It doesn’t matter now…

He wouldn’t figure it out just by asking himself. Instead, he would just have to ask the old man after their duel. The Sword Saint had changed, but the situation hadn’t… they were still just two humans fighting, one of them suddenly getting an unexpected powerup.

Mana condensed all around Jake as he stopped holding anything back. Pride of the Malefic Viper activated as he took dominion of the area around him, and his wings appeared and began pumping out poison mist. He also didn’t hesitate to begin using poison on his weapons.

his poison, patiently waiting for him to be done. They exchanged looks, and Jake saw the absolute confidence in the face of the man. Jake felt his own heart beat faster as

arcane bolts appeared, and the formerly old man reacted by disappearing. Jake felt the movement of mana on his right as he fired his bolts that way, and just in time

Apex Hunter to avoid getting hit as he teleported back, drawing his bow as he fired off a Splitting Arrow. Once more, the sword simply swept to the side, and

way discouraged as he teleported again just in time to avoid the Sword Saint appearing. Twisting in the air, he drew the bowstring and felt

and in a move that left Jake completely dumbstruck, met it directly with the tip of his blade. The Sword Saint barely made the two weapons touch, and with a slight movement of the wrist, redirected the arrow and made it whistle straight

that way wasn’t something he had seen coming at all, and it quite frankly looked cool as fuck. Of course, Jake would have to make sure the Saint couldn’t repeat the

Jake used Gaze without any hesitation or restraint as he didn’t break eye contact. The old man froze completely as the arrow approached. Yet at

The Sword Saint only partly blocked it as the arrow exploded upon impact

the ground, clear marks present on his arms and chest from the explosion – a bit of poison also

but not that much more durable, Jake

had yet to see many used so far besides the teleportation and a few tricks with

Shatter, and he was stronger than before for sure… about

he wasn’t superior in was durability and means of attack. Jake only had to repeatedly dodge the blade of his opponent

“Thousand Droplets.”

had already arrived. He barely managed to raise an arm to cover his face as he felt like hundreds of tiny stabs hit him and sent him flying back,

entire body hurt, but now was no time to wallow as he made a platform of mana below his feet to teleport

and he had gotten some distance as he condensed bolts of mana along with orbs that he sent flying all around him to make them explode. He didn’t expect to hit, just buy enough time to consume a health potion as he

a bit of health from Limit Shatter. It was subtle and not much, but it was there. Compared to the Sword Saint, his boosting skill was clearly far worse. The formerly old man hadn’t used any boosting skills as far as Jake could tell… or, well, he probably had; Jake just couldn’t

by trying to hit the teleporting Sword Saint, Jake began firing arrows again, alternating between explosive and stable ones, while also tossing in the occasional

of responsibility towards his family and how he was gambling a divine item on their duel in an attempt to get an opening. It was a trick that would likely have

in his mind as he felt backlash and was forced to stop right away, still feeling a slight headache. He was lucky that he didn’t dodge attacked based on conscious thought because if he did need to think, then his

pressured as he found fewer and fewer chances to counter. He tried different things, but the only real method he had to

he hadn’t felt since that first night. It spoke to a particular part of him to battle a human on his own ‘level’ in ways battling a beast or monster simply couldn’t. He reveled in that feeling, and he felt the heartbeat that only came when Jake –

as they exchanged blows, but no matter his excitement, one thing was clear – the Sword Saint was coming out on top.

the flow,” Jake suddenly heard the Sword Saint say as he made a casual swipe to send Jake away. “You still underutilize your abilities. You

didn’t

your limits, then this round

Lose?

he sped up his energy in tandem with it, and he

the other party only parrying. “You also need to work on your swordsmanship,” the Saint cheekily said as he purposefully deflected Jake’s blade and kicked him in the stomach to send him

revolving around him, making it momentarily looked like he was casting Arcane