The Primal Hunter

Jake opened his eyes as the projection appeared a few hours later. He had fully regenerated himself once more and felt ready for whatever was to come.

The projection observed him as the explanation of the next test began.

“The seventh and final test related to alchemy is designed to evaluate your mentality and your ability to successfully perform certain kinds of tasks. You will be put under an array that will warp time, and three hours will appear as thirty days to you. During these thirty days, you will perform a constant ritual. But do not worry if you can actually do it. This ritual is based on skills you have already shown in prior tests and, in your case, will be to create an unspecified item using a cauldron. This test is not made to be a challenge to your skills or knowledge, but simply how you act during these thirty days. Questions?”

“Seems relatively simple,” Jake said. “So… I just have to sit and craft something for thirty days?”

“Without any interruptions or outside stimuli. Just you, the cauldron, and the ongoing ritual. Minor things will change throughout the craft to force you to stay actively engaged and constantly monitor and infuse small amounts of mana in at all times,” the scalekin explained.

“Alright,” Jake nodded again. “I am as ready as I can get.”

“Very well,” the projection said as the room shifted again, and a magic circle appeared to cover the entire dome-shaped chamber, as a large cauldron even taller than Jake himself appeared in the center. “Remember, thirty days. Ah, and don’t worry about the aftereffects of time-dilation. This dilation is directly system-made.”

Jake nodded again.

“Time starts when you infuse mana into the cauldron. Good luck and stay focused. Do not underestimate this test… out of all of the tests during the initial trial period of these dungeon tests, it had the lowest overall grade,” the scalekin said,

“I won’t,” Jake agreed. Of course, he wouldn’t. He had his ass handed to him more times than he wanted that day already. The concern and warnings from the scalekin were also genuine, so he was in for the hardest test yet.

With that mentality, he went over and placed his hand on the cauldron as time also warped around him. Jake sat himself down as he placed both hands on the cauldron, the scripts coming to life within it as the energy began moving.

It was like a magical puzzle that would continue for thirty entire days without pause as if Jake was crafting a mana potion that just took a month to complete. Jake closed his eyes as he entered Serene Soul Meditation as a mental projection of the cauldron appeared in the Soulrealm with him. Calm as could be, he began the simulated crafting session.

“Entering meditation is a highly risky strategy,” one projection said.

“Perhaps good for the first day to try and stay focussed, but not sure he will last much longer,” a second one chimed in.

“If that,” the scalekin projection agreed. The testee had shown himself to be highly volatile, and even for a test lasting little more than half an hour, he had grown impatient and lost his head. Imagining him doing thirty days of just constantly crafting something quite frankly boring?

There would be no true challenge to the craft. It was like a job where one had to constantly draw a line on a piece of paper following a pattern, with minor changes coming in here and there where you maybe had to switch the marker to another color or maybe even use two markers for a bit.

The only challenging thing was not losing focus and letting your mind wander - not getting mind-numbingly bored and deciding the test was a waste of time. Even if the testee messed up for a bit, they could just jump back in and continue.

Before the dungeon became a dungeon during the trial period, they even had D-grades fall asleep. Some, in fact, many, had tried to speed up the process, which would make the entire craft unstable and force them to calm it down. Even the most novice alchemist knew speeding it up was a bad thing, and all the judges were happy at least the human didn’t try that right away.

“A day does seem like a lot,” a female judge said. “Want to place bets?”

“We are projections. We have nothing to bet and will only exist as these incarnations for a few days more at most,” another one said.

“Pride is eternal,” the female said. “Or are you just scared?”

“Fine… I bet on him lasting three days,” the killjoy projection said.

“Two days.

“Twelve hours.”

and a

been mostly silent throughout the tests so far. He was there primarily to be a

began to make slight jeers, but the

a predator when he looked upon the cauldron. I feel a fellow hunter in him.

is an alchemist first and foremost, with his combat likely being magic-based just going from his arcane affinity and level of

smile. “I know a fellow hunter

Out of everyone there, the beastkin was the strongest by

ritual

even back then, huh,” Duskleaf

“Always had,” Vilastromoz agreed.

these days, by

up with Snappy after returning to the Order,”

I heard, he got in trouble for killing a Seventh Layer Highgod from the

“He did.”

“It’s good now?”

the Autarch hasn’t turned up yet, so maybe?” Vilastromoz shrugged. He did kinda want to see the

“Oh, okay.”

“Yep.”

two gods stayed to observe Jake a bit longer until Duskleaf left to do something more productive with his time than

as the cauldron wanted. He quickly picked up that trying to alter the process

upgrading Shroud, this was honestly easy. So when the projection appeared and the cauldron disappeared, Jake hadn’t even noticed thirty days had already passed, and honestly, he felt like he could have kept going a good while longer without

Jake a bit weirdly before talking. “Needless to say, you get full marks on

hidden secret or something… why

with not a single slip-up,” the projection said, frowning. “That is something we

hard? Sure this is the hardest one?” Jake asked again. The guy

me ask you, why

follow the scrips and the movement of the energy for thirty days? As

it also boring? Unstimulating? Why did you, or could you, stay focused on the test throughout without losing attention for a single moment?” the projection asked, and he looked genuinely

as confused as Jake

was… but that doesn’t mean you

I failed the test wouldn’t it?”

“Naturally.”

would mean failing, so I had to do it, right? So, sure, it was boring, but I had to beat the test, so what can

back for a few moments before just shaking his head. “Alright… good job either way. Now, are

all of his resources were topped up as he had just been meditating, and his natural regeneration vastly outstripped the expenditure.

Eternal Hunger had been way

portion of the D-grade entrance test is over, so

good to do anyway after sitting down for so long. Following the projection down the hall of the dungeon, he got a look into some of the other chambers. The scalekin clearly noticed him looking and

very odd special skills or hyper-focused specializations. Some are only able to craft deep underwater. Others require a large forge and flames of a certain degree, or some just craft

actually change the real

would return the body to. There were many ways to

Jake knew was Lillian. Her face was still scarred, and Jake was certain she could have it regenerated in a day if she so wished. That she hadn’t done so was none of Jake’s business, but it was proof of how people had minor control over their

answered. “But also powerful. Especially those who create their own abominations and chimeras by combining different living beings to form entirely new creatures. They are rare, though,

nodded along as he made one thing clear: “I know you said to expand my scope, but no fucking way I

as there are vast differences. Ah, but I would recommend picking up some aspects of ritual magic, primarily to learn about magic circles and runes, as the general knowledge required in the branch