The Primal Hunter

Jake wanted to punch someone in the throat as he was still internally raging. More than anything, his lack of understanding frustrated him the most. He hadn’t felt anything was off until the very last moment when Ell’Hakan perhaps went a bit too far with his questioning.

He had been complacent… Jake knew others had to constantly watch out when it came to social skills and keep their minds steeled. Jake never did that, as he always felt when someone tried any mind magic shenanigans. Things would feel “off,” and his Bloodline would warn him, allowing him to easily ignore or snap out of it. The Minotaur Mindchief was a prime example of this early on his journey and had set a precedent.

However… against another Bloodline, Jake had no defense, at least not his usual one. Whatever the Bloodline of Ell’Hakan did, it could affect his emotions and make him trust someone for no god damn reason. Actually, thinking more about it, the man had asked Jake several questions first that he would have asked without anything shady going on, such as sharing he was indeed a human and had done the same event and whatnot. Even asking about his planet seemed pretty damn normal. Why wouldn’t you be curious about what other worlds were out there?

He had slowly eased into more personal questions and asked about subjects Jake would usually keep a secret, yet Jake had at the time felt like he was just answering mundane things to a trusted friend. No, perhaps more than a trusted friend as he would never share details of his Bloodline with anyone, even with Villy.

Wait… maybe that is why it crossed a line.

Bloodlines would never be all-powerful. There was no way the guy could just make Jake trust him fully, and even if Jake did trust him fully, he would never share details about his Bloodline. That was the one thing that no level of trust would make him share. So maybe that was it… he could make people slowly trust him somehow?

It felt too simple, but it was all Jake truly had for now. Either way, if that was truly what it did, Jake would make sure that Ell’Hakan could trust that Jake would turn him into a pin-cushion with arrows the next time they met.

Jake was thrown out of his thoughts as the Sword Saint walked over. Everyone had seen Jake punching the ground, and a few had backed away, afraid, but the old man clearly wasn’t the frightful type. “It appears you have made a new enemy?”

Sighing, Jake turned to look at the old man. “If you ever see him, watch out. He has a Bloodline with some kind of emotional control, or at the very least one that makes him somehow feel trustworthy. Also, he appears to be the Chosen of some god.”

The Sword Saint frowned. “Disturbing to have an enemy with unknown powers. However, the most important thing is to prepare for what may happen. Do you believe he may target Earth?”

Jake shook his head. “No idea, but it seems improbable. He would need some way to get to our planet, and even if we are in the same galaxy, that seems challenging. It is more likely he personally views me as an enemy for some god damn reason. Probably related to the Viper.”

The old man nodded. “I see. Now do tell, I heard you returned to Earth recently, leaving the Order, which makes me wonder. How is my great-granddaughter doing there?”

Contrary to what many would expect, Jake actually knew as he answered. “I checked with the Viper a week ago while hunting and was told she is making slow and steady progress. She isn’t in any danger if that is what you are afraid of. The Order is rather stringent with its rule of not killing other members. As long as she doesn’t accept tea from anyone, she should be good.”

“As expected then,” the Sword Saint smiled before turning more serious. “Do not baby or even attempt to help her unless absolutely necessary. Reika has always been good at everything, to the detriment of her own development. She always had the best of everything, and I believe she needs to face others who are superior to truly progress.”

Jake raised an eyebrow. “A bit harsh. I already think she got a wake-up call as she didn’t do that well in the entrance test, and it seemed to motivate her more than anything.”

“Motivation can be a fleeting emotion after what one believes to be only a minor momentary setback. Reika needs to see others outdo her and for her to chase behind them, feeling like she will never be able to catch up no matter what she does,” the old man explained in a stern tone.

“Again, sounds harsh. Isn’t that more likely to just make her hopeless?” Jake asked.

“If such a situation is enough for her to despair and surrender, then so be it. With a lacking mindset dependent on comparing yourself to others for validation, she would never reach the top. Reika is one of the smartest people I know, but that does not instantly make her the fastest learner or the best at everything. I firmly believe she can reach far… but she will be slow. Her caution and perfectionism will lead to greatness only if she has the patience and will to realize her potential without believing she also has to beat others in the process,” the Sword Saint answered.

love then,” Jake reckoned. He didn’t disagree necessarily, and even if he did, it wasn’t his place to argue or decide what the old man wanted for his

to other topics, are you satisfied with your gains from this event?” the old man

a bit. Sim-Jake was still being a sleepy Jake and would be for a bit, but Jake was really looking forward to him and his

negative encounter but look towards the future. Remember, you are the one who decides how a potential next meeting plays out. If you are stronger, that

nodded and smiled. “How about you, good

single scenario, we ended up fighting? The outcome did change some of the times. The time and place also changed, but we always ended up in a duel,” the Sword Saint chuckled. “I am not a believer in fate, but perhaps

likely, we are just two humans pushed together by system events and relatively close to each other geographically, while both being overly competitive

future based on who we are? I would think the Augur would argue that is exactly how fate works. Never a guarantee but

that orange fucker from

come to Earth, you are not the only one able to defend

leave the Terrace after also noticing Arnold had already left, clearly not interested in exploring some

were pretty darn easy to track down as all that death affinity made them stand out. It did not take him long to get

strong, and a bit of scanning picked up hundreds of similar

others kept their distance. Even in the Seat of the Exalted Prima, the Risen clearly weren’t popular. He didn’t particularly care

look, and one of them raised his hand. “Please do not go any further and create problems. We are merely having a

stopped and Identified

–

friend before he leaves this event,”

guards looked at each other with suspicion as Jake elaborated. “It is

relented. “But please allow one of us to escort

people just walk in anyway? Jake sure could have. He was just being polite to not

Jake into a room filled with Risen. Priscilla and Casper were both there, along with who Jake guessed were other leaders. Jake’s presence instantly drew attention as they all turned to him. Now, they had taken precautions and were within an isolation barrier, but Jake had his

and excused himself as he went outside the barrier. “Jake, I did

how to take over the universe and turn it into a

did not land, as instantly, he felt everyone within the barrier be on guard. He saw Priscilla nervously begin to explain and calm the others, but Casper just laughed and went along with it.

would only be playing into your plans!” Jake smirked. “Good to see you again. I don’t want to disturb

time and learned nearly everything he could. With the curse energy also absorbed, Jake had little use for it, even if it was a great treasure. He also knew

a bit before

“Yeah.”

saw him scan it magically as he looked at Jake. “You madman, you actually used all of it!? I expected you to use a

head. “Well, yeah? It was good stuff, and everything worked out well,

about that little incident, right? Anyway… can

The man moved forward and touched the blade as his eyes widened. “This is just insanity and very