The Primal Hunter

A question Jake had asked himself many times since the tutorial was how powerful the King of the Forest truly was. A part of him feared that he had almost deified the being and made the King out to be stronger than he actually was.

Jake had only ever felt the aura of the King. He had never felt his full power. He had been played around with until he cursed the King with a black bead and then stabbed him with the Tusk to weaken him further. Jake had used so many items and done so much just to get a fighting chance.

Of course, the current Jake was incomparably stronger compared to back then. He had evolved, gained levels, skills, his arcane affinity… so many things. His power had grown more than tenfold. The current Jake could have killed himself from back then with a single arrow… but… the King back then could also have killed him with a single attack.

However, today, all of these questions would be answered. Had Jake overestimated the King? Had his constant comparisons of every other D-grade and his conclusions the King was stronger been wrong? The answer to that was simple…

It was a resounding no.

*BOOM!*

The fight began with an explosion as the entire area around them for over a hundred meters was leveled as Jake was forced to teleport back. He had barely landed as a wave of force made him teleport again, exploding the area he had just appeared at.

Jake snickered as he took another step and drew the string of his bow, feeling time slow down. He took aim as he fired the arrow as it split into five. The King held up his ivory claw as a wall of force appeared and was pushed forward, blocking all of the arrows and making them explode.

Refusing to be outdone, Jake drew again as arcane energy whirled around him. An Arcane Powershot was released as he took a step and circled the King, as he channeled another and fired.

The first was blocked by a blast of force, making both explode on impact, as the second one was dodged by the King moving to the side with unnatural movements. He manipulated his own body with telekinesis.

In that case, Jake would just kick it up a notch. Pride activated as mana began condensing all around him, dozens of arcane bolts appearing. He also continued his assault with his bow, not giving the King a chance to counter without exposing himself.

Or at least he thought he did.

The King pointed his ivory claw towards Jake and blasted a wave of force out as the arcane bolts landed upon him, only to encounter a small transparent shield. The same one that had stopped his other attacks during the tutorial and had been broken by the Tusk.

They were both far more evenly matched than Jake had believed, making holding back useless.

Jake’s body exploded with Arcane Awakening in the balanced mode, boosting all his stats by 30% in an instant. With it, he had believed he would be superior… only to see the King respond in kind as a golden mist surrounded him.

“Back then, I could not control my energy at all… this time is different.”

Another wave of force was released. Jake quickly teleported but saw where it had hit as the ground was cleaved up. The moment the blast hit anything, it was as if golden dust was mixed in, as a mist of gold appeared and disappeared in a moment.

“You have new tricks, too,” Jake commented.

“Even in sleep, when deep within my soul, I learned. I had never had a desire or seen a need to improve. Why bother when none could challenge me?”

“Always strive to improve!” Jake yelled as he fired back arrow after arrow, seeing them all blocked or dodged as he also avoided the blows of the King.

“A sentiment I have grown to embrace,” the King answered as the two of them slowly began closing in on one another.

Arcane energy and the golden energy of the King mixed as their attacks clashed and explosions sounded out on the otherwise peaceful area as they soon found themselves on the Insect Plains.

already had over a dozen previously summoned stable arcane arrows soaked in poison made before he even left Haven. With a mere

he failed. Not because his idea of summoning it within the quiver didn’t work,

didn’t comprehend. It was a mask but also the weird tree-looking creature before him. He wore a mask on his face, yet the body of the King was the same mask, meaning it now existed two places at once. The weird black flesh of the King was not any biology he had ever seen before, and the bark-like skin was of

comparison. Comprehending the King well enough was not something he could study in a book or understand within a short while. It was a Unique Lifeform. There was one Fallen

he would gladly strive to

out the poisoned arrows and trying to mix them

discovered another issue really fast. As he channeled and fired an Arcane Powershot from a good angle, he used Gaze of the Apex Hunter as he usually did to freeze the King. Yet the moment

block with the shield, but Jake had no desire to use Gaze again. Maybe it had been a bit optimistic using a soul attack on a Unique Lifeform whose most

he had way more methods to attempt. The King primarily used his telekinesis to fire waves of force and his passive shield, but Jake also knew he had more to show for himself. Both were feeling out the other party

once more as he appeared at the side of the King. The shield around the Unique Lifeform reminded him of the mana shield on the Altmar Census Golem,

hand began glowing with Touch of the Malefic Viper as he tried to make contact with the shield but found himself blasted back by an omnidirectional wave of force – one he had predicted. He had barely

bit more time. Something he wouldn’t get as his danger

warning remained even as he flew backward, and he landed on a hastily constructed platform teleporting him to the side just

each of them several kilometers long and dozens of meters deep. Jake had no doubt hundreds if not

been the attack that triggered his Moment of the Primal Hunter, and while he believed he would be able to take it without that happening again, he wouldn’t

he repeated his attack and stayed close to the King, his scimitar in one hand and the other with Touch constantly active as he whittled away

time passed, Jake’s dodges got narrower and narrower, as he

palm. The King blasted at him, but Jake managed to jump and avoid it, twisting his wrist and arm to stay in contact as finally, he got through. His hand landed on the bark-like

have been with you since you became a D-grade… I have been sleeping, but I

fell upon him as Jake felt himself be pressed down towards the ground. He struggled as he dodged the swipe

time I held back…

physical but something entirely else. His head began hurting as his vision began blurring. A constant headache grew as Jake began feeling like he was half-asleep or drunk. His body was heavy… slow… unresponsive. His health was dropping… his mana… his stamina… everything was

Soul attack.

back. He had only done it once as a blast of force hit him in the

the soul attack was gone as quickly as it came, and the remnant effects disappeared

cursed under his breath as he decided that melee wasn’t the way to go if that is what he had to deal with. Luckily for him, he

the Unique Lifeform’s body… but he had not come

in explosive arrows, poisoned arrows, stable arrows, and all sorts of magical arcane attacks. The King began giving chase as it tried to get

the blasts of force, but with the blasts of force, he couldn’t get a good chance to channel his Arcane Powershot for more than a brief period. Their bout ripped apart the Insect Plains

ready to go all out?” Jake asked as he prepared

“Come,” the King answered.

as the energy burned beneath, and a small barrier covered his skin as he fully entered Arcane Awakening, boosting all of his

and nocked an arrow as he took aim. At the same time, the golden energy revolving around

the Arcane Powershot. The King lifted a golden claw and pointed it

gained at level 140. I would be

smiled.

the King. It echoed with power as if filled with lightning within, crackling in an almost unstable manner. The King lifted it and

*BOOM!*

wave of energy was released in all directions, but more than ninety percent was sent in a