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.

his quiver. Inside, he already had over a dozen previously summoned stable arcane arrows soaked in poison made before he even left

of the Ambitious Hunter not on his palm but within the space of the quiver. Attempt… because he failed. Not because his idea of summoning it within the quiver didn’t work, but because he realized… he didn’t understand the King

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 a material he didn’t know. Same for the hands and feet… they were made of

could study in a

gladly strive to

trying to mix them in but quickly found an issue… getting a direct hit

As he channeled and fired an Arcane Powershot from a good angle, he used Gaze of the Apex Hunter as he usually did

but Jake had no desire to use Gaze again. Maybe it had been a bit optimistic using a soul attack on a Unique

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 as they finally got within less

the side of the King. The shield around the Unique Lifeform

an omnidirectional wave of force – one he had predicted. He had barely been blasted back as two strings of mana stabilized

and Jake knew he only needed a bit more time. Something he wouldn’t get as his danger sense exploded in warning, making Jake back away as the King turned as

as he flew backward, and he landed on a

scars now marked the surface, each of them several kilometers long and dozens of meters deep. Jake had no doubt hundreds if not thousands of E-grades insects had died from that one attack, and Jake was completely certain he had no desire to tank

tutorial… the Golden Claw had been the attack that triggered his Moment of the Primal Hunter, and while he believed he would be able to take it without

the King, his scimitar in one

teleport, again and again, finding his mobility higher than the Kings by a good bit. Yet as time passed, Jake’s dodges got narrower

and took it as he attacked with his 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 body

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

towards the ground. He struggled as he dodged the

held back…

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

Soul attack.

and teleported back. He had only done it once as a blast of force hit him in the chest, sending him flying through the

the King when he fully stabilized himself. The effect of the soul attack was gone as quickly as it came, and the remnant effects disappeared within moments the second he was out of it.

soul attacks, Jake 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 was fine

Jake felt that a bit of poison had entered the Unique Lifeform’s body… but he had not come out

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

chance

you ready to go all out?” Jake asked as

“Come,” the King answered.

off as the energy burned beneath, and a small barrier covered his skin as he fully

as he took aim. At the same time, the

for what was to come as he charged the Arcane Powershot. The King lifted a golden claw and pointed it towards Jake as it began burning with

new… gained at

simply smiled. Same to

Jake gained a golden hue that soon gathered as an orb appeared in the palm of the King. It echoed with power as if filled with lightning within, crackling in an almost unstable manner. The King

*BOOM!*

more