The Primal Hunter

Jake’s attachment to archery didn’t exactly stem from anything logical. Sure, one could argue the fact that his Bloodline gave Perception made it an obvious choice, but Perception was a stat highly beneficial to nearly all classes and professions. Heck, Arnold had said himself that Perception was his highest stat, and he didn’t even use a gun… or any weapon for that matter.

Many types of magic were also based on Perception. Jake could become a melee fighter with a focus on the stat too, or do so many other things. Some would maybe even be more effective as there was a dissonance between his Sphere of Perception and the fact that he preferred to stay at long range to land arrows.

So, why did he focus on archery anyway? Well, because he liked it. It had been the first sport he had gotten into. It was linked with many positive memories of his life. Times he went to tournaments or the archery range with his father, memories of his brother cheering whenever he hit a bullseye. When he got introduced to the system, he had instantly known he wanted to do archery once more.

This didn’t mean he wouldn’t also do other things. He was fully aware he was a bit of a Jake of all trades, but archery was still a centerpiece of those trades. With all of that in mind, it only made sense to upgrade his archery skill, even if said archery skill also pointed out Jake’s vast toolbelt of fighting methods.

[Archery of Vast Horizons (Rare)] - An Archer’s best friends are the bow in his hand and the arrow in his foe’s heart. Unsatisfied with merely becoming an expert, you have sought beyond mastering common bowmanship, and do not shy away from using magic to enhance your technique. You seek to cross all horizons with your arrows, and your target shall be pierced, no matter the distance, no matter the means. Adds a small bonus to the effect of Agility and Strength when using a ranged weapon. Adds a small damage bonus to all arrows based on distance traveled and Perception.

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[Archery of Expanding Horizons (Epic)] - An Archer’s best friend is the bow in his hand and the arrow in his foe’s heart. As your horizons expand, you realize flaws and build upon a foundation to make that expansion everpresent. You do not shy away from mixing archery with magic and making your arrows arbiters of your will. Your arrows will cross all horizons and bend over any obstacle to pierce your target, with only your own will limiting the possibilities. Allows you to apply your will to control the trajectory of arrows before releasing them. Adds a small bonus to the effect of Agility and Strength when using a ranged weapon. Adds a small damage bonus to all arrows based on distance traveled and Perception. Arrow trajectory control based on Willpower.

Jake read over the improved skill a few times. Out of all the ones he had, this one had quite a bit of flavor text, which probably made sense considering its role as a general archery skill. When he had gained the skill, Jake had also surprisingly gained some instinctual knowledge, making him more aware of how it truly worked.

When he fired a bending arrow, Jake infused it with a small pack of Willpower along with the usual energies he threw in. This pack of Willpower would work on the arrow to effectively nudge and push it in a certain direction with a constant force, making it follow the trajectory Jake intended. This was also why something like Arcane Powershot didn’t work well with it because the pack of Willpower he would have to infuse into the arrow was above what Jake could do at his current level of power.

Due to the Willpower being a part of the arrow upon firing, this did also mean he could copy it with Splitting Arrow. The packet of Willpower would remain within the arrow even when it was split. Looking at the skill, he also became more and more certain… true arrow control was a possibility in the future. Guided arrows. Just thinking about it, countless ideas entered his head for future improvements, but all of those were for the future. For now, they had more targets to hunt.

Jake briefly explained to Sylphie and Carmen about his upgrade, got his congratulations, and then they took a quick break to chug down potions before moving on.

The map given by Arnold stopped giving any useful information about a third of the way into the mangrove, meaning the entire central part of the Grand Mangrove River was a complete mystery. The central part was also the most dangerous area.

According to the map, the entire river was about two hundred kilometers wide and didn’t have any significant places where it became more narrow – in fact, it was wider in most places. There were also safer places to pass than others, but the mangrove forest was everpresent, showing how utterly massive the ecosystem was.

This did perhaps seem overly huge, but one had to remember that the forest Haven was placed on the outskirts of extended for thousands upon thousands of kilometers into the distance. Arnold hadn’t even been able to map a small part of it yet, and it was likely the largest forest in the region of the planet humans currently occupied.

“Are there more Primas nearby?” Carmen asked Jake as their group took a small break up amongst the branches and leaves of the mangrove trees.

Jake had a fragment in his hand as he searched for similar energies but shook his head. “There was one, I think, but the energy is faint. It either moved or was killed. One thing is for sure, it is no longer in this area.”

“Ree?” Sylphie asked.

could be connected,” Jake

had noticed a general lack of beasts in the area, at least above the river. Down in the deep water below, an entirely different world still existed, separate from everything else. Some creatures did live on the edge, such as the frogs that did dive a bit below water or other beasts that used the river to ambush foes, but

a C-grade swept through?” Carmen

one. That doesn’t make it impossible, though, as it could just be one that is good at hiding

all we can do is move on,” Carmen sighed as they did

if there were no more Primas. It wasn’t really a good place

nature, water, and wood affinity also dominated the air, making them all a

was found within the tunnel with the Earth Elemental Prima. High mana density didn’t really mean much for humans besides affected mana regeneration and sometimes slightly stronger or weaker attacks

level faster merely by absorbing it, and it would also lead to beasts and other creatures naturally spawning at a higher level, including anything born from eggs or even living births – hence why rituals were often used to nurture eggs and pregnant animals. It also resulted

the “level” of the treasures and materials spawning. Two flowers could be uncommon rarity, but one would be far more suited for E-grades and the

amounts. In the same vein, then a C-grade would also not benefit much from treasures suitable for D-grades. What did this mean? That often, mana density in an area could be used to determine the level of creatures

the stronger beast got, the more this became almost required to

Jake could feel that there were C-grades ahead. He could not pinpoint them, but he

try to stay low profile. If we are going to

and Sylphie both agreed as Sylphie quickly asked Jake if he wanted her to make a

in the distance and felt the reverberations of energy as powerful entities clashed, but they tried to ignore it and moved slightly away from

be done half-arsed, and if Jake had to face one, he didn’t want it to be within this mangrove. Any C-grade able to make the Grand Mangrove River their home had to have adapted to the environment and be masters of

three… but Jake had made one miscalculation. They maybe didn’t bother with humans, but if there was one thing other beasts enjoyed, it was consuming Beastcores… especially from more powerful beasts. Killing a D-grade wouldn’t give a core worth much, but what if it was

Records contained in the core would lack quantity, but the quality would be supreme. Hunting these beasts was often seen, which was why dragon hatchlings were

Carmen weren’t currently traveling with a dragon hatchling but something that was perhaps even more

saw it. Almost a moment

wave of water passed. Jake’s eyes were open wide as behind and in front of them, thousands of roots had been severed in two by the water cutter, the mangrove trees now only held up by

this was only

the distance, most of them aimed at Sylphie. They all dodged back as several trees were shredded, and Jake didn’t hesitate for a moment as he went all out. Arcane Awakening fully activated as he had already spotted their attacker more than two kilometers away through the path it had created with its own rain of bullets. It was hidden

King

fully-fledged C-grade. Jake communicated this to Sylphie, and Carmen clearly already knew as she also activated several boosting

the river, but Jake had managed to use his Mark on it the moment he saw it. He felt its movements as it

spread out and sought up towards the branches of the mangrove trees for