The Primal Hunter

”This one too?” a large vampire asked as he lifted a coat hanger very carefully.

“Definitely that one,” Fairleigh said as he nodded.

“Where to stash the tablecloths?” another vampire inquired.

“Set the tables like they used to be on the seventeenth picture.”

“Understood,” the attendant said as she began carefully using telekinesis to move the tables and chairs into their exact positions, as shown in some old picture. A second vampire joined in only to double-check all the dimensions and distances were absolutely correct. A third came to put down the forks, knives, smaller forks, tiny spoons, large spoons, medium spoons, and all kinds of the different and utterly superfluous fancy-ass tableware.

Jake just stood back as he watched all of this happen. At first, he had just thought the vampires were eccentric collectors of old items, but by now, he realized… they were just straight-up hoarders. Organized hoarders with relatively fastidious taste, but hoarders nonetheless.

Fairleigh, the S-grade Patriarch, even personally chose to oversee as the many vampires worked to recreate a dining hall exactly as it was shown in one of the pictures Jake had found. It wasn’t even something from a painting, but a picture in a book on proper table manners.

Not that Jake chose to complain. In fact, currently, he was just waiting for the jeweler to arrive along with his agreed-upon goods being collected and prepared for him. The Alchemy Token had somehow ended up not even being that big of a deal. The paintings of old vampires from Yalsten, the books from the library telling their history, and the many random items Jake had swiped turned out to be far more valuable in the eyes of the vampires.

The reason for this was ultimately simple. The Alchemy Token was not truly an item of the Nalkar vampires but merely a gift they received from the Order. It was an item nearly identical to many tokens still created today and had little to do with the culture and history of the vampiric race.

Jake couldn’t help but consider what would have happened if he had shown up with the divine artifact the Sword Saint had gotten. In some ways, he was actually happy he hadn’t gotten that necklace as he feared the level of insanity these vampires would show upon seeing it.

The negotiation process had already been a lot as-is, and Jake had no idea if he got scammed. Though, to be fair, he felt like he was the scammer, selling off old furniture and mundane items he had no use for and would probably just have given away or used for a fun-time bonfire or something.

After looking on a bit longer, Fairleigh finally turned to him. “I just got word the crafter is ready to help with the necklace. Are you prepared to leave, or do you wish to stay and observe the recreation some more?”

“Upgrading the necklace takes priority,” Jake said, not having the heart to tell the ancient vampire that he really didn’t want to see a group of powerful vampires set a table as if their lives depended on it.

“Very well,” the Patriarch said, looking only slightly disappointed as he teleported the both of them.

They appeared in what looked like an area of the city Jake had first arrived in. Except this place was clearly part of the commercial district as Jake stood before a massive shop.

That C-grade vampire that initially brought him to the Patriarch was already there waiting. The Patriarch gave the young lad a nod before he teleported away, leaving Jake with the vampire called Alcor.

The vampire seemed a lot more respectful now than the last time they met as he motioned for Jake to follow. “Please follow me; the mistress has already prepared all the suitable materials for the crafting session.”

Jake nodded as he was led into the shop. He noticed how the street was devoid of people, and Alcor clearly noticed his confusion. The only people he saw were himself, Alcor, and a single other person currently within the shop.

“We cleared out the area in preparation for your visit to not have any of the livestock gawking during the crafting session and to avoid disturbances,” Alcor explained nonchalantly.

huh,” Jake

they can be annoying, but sadly, they are

know,” Jake said just as they entered the shop, “I once fought what happens when livestock reaches a breaking point and gets

different, and Jake would argue the vampires were running a far greater risk.

well,” he heard a female voice say as the woman within the shop regarded them. “I didn’t kill anyone when I received the gift. I did have

equally commonplace beauty he had come to expect from all vampires. In fact, all

more than just pretty to look at. While she didn’t feel that powerful, Jake still felt a strong aura, making him relatively certain right off the bat that she was a pure crafter. One at the cusp of

[Vampire – lvl 199]

the

it you were a

she said, clearly showing pride at that fact. It was probably for a good reason, too, if she had managed to get recognized and become able to become a vampire through her own efforts. Considering she was the jeweler Fairleigh had brought her to see, he didn’t doubt that she had been recognized and been given “the

is Mistress Rubylake, one of the most talented jewelers of this generation,” Alcor introduced her. “And yes, she was formerly a human but has

there. Instead,

necklace in question,” Jake said as her eyes

I look at it closer? I only got descriptions, so I will need to inspect it myself to see if

fade as it left contact with his body, making him unable to use the

she took out some weird box. She placed it inside as she began infusing blood energy into it. She looked almost in a trance as she sometimes nodded, other times frowned, and

extreme delight. Alcor, standing with Jake, also smiled

mistress,” the male

was good, but he was more wondering that she didn’t mean that she qualified, but that his necklace qualified

qualifies for my Evolutionary Quest, and I just failed to hold back my excitement. I have been looking for an opportunity for

have somehow entirely missed?” Jake quickly

basic knowledge, so basic that no one actually bothers writing about it, and the quests are individualized, so it isn’t like telling people about it matters. You will learn more about it later, so stop worrying your pretty little head about it and instead get that bling upgraded. Maybe she can

followed suit in congratulating her, not wanting to look like an ignorant idiot. Or a rude one. “Congratulations are

you. It is still a bit premature as I have yet to succeed, but I have a high level of confidence. Now, Do you have any questions?

item, Jake had to give consent before any modification could take

will it take?” Jake finally

maybe one and a half days. I have made too many preparations, and the magic circle is already fully charged… if I take any longer, it will likely result in failure,” she honestly

on doing, if I might ask? If you won’t

will gladly explain. My primary objective is to awaken the Space Heart – the name of this type of Spacegem used. Currently, only a small part of the full space is utilized, and its powers are generally sealed. Once I awaken it, I can pull on the Records and energy to forge and awaken latent energy in the rest of the necklace, and while there will probably be no cosmetic

“I assume you will want peace and quiet during

want to

There is a waiting room next door you can choose to stay in, but as long as you

to just go next door as he