The Primal Hunter

Jake sat down and relaxed while recuperating before moving on to the final optional boss. He felt pretty damn good about himself and, while he was sitting there, reflected on the progress he had made recently. Level-wise, he had gained one level in his profession during the period of nearly a month before they entered the dungeon, but after entering, Jake had now already gained four whole levels… which was actually an insane speed.

*’DING!’ Profession: [Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 171 - Stat points allocated, +10 Free Points*

…

*’DING!’ Profession: [Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper] has reached level 174 - Stat points allocated, +10 Free Points*

What made it all even more insane was that Jake had not only been doing alchemy but also fighting. Though, to be fair, the fighting hadn’t been difficult. Even so, it had netted him two levels.

*’DING!’ Class: [Avaricious Arcane Hunter] has reached level 170 - Stat points allocated, +10 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Class: [Avaricious Arcane Hunter] has reached level 171 - Stat points allocated, +10 Free Points*

The combination of easy fights and the monotonous type of enemies made every foe barely give any experience, but he had killed enough to still get some levels. It did help that usually Jake had to actually go looking and find enemies, while in the dungeon, there were ten mushroom men around every corner.

With these levels also came a few race levels.

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (D)] has reached level 170 - Stat points allocated, +15 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (D)] has reached level 171 - Stat points allocated, +15 Free Points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (D)] has reached level 172 - Stat points allocated, +15 Free Points*

Now… finally, with levels came Free Points. Jake wanted to just throw it all in Perception, he really did, but a voice at the back of his head that totally wasn’t sim-Jake screaming within his Soulspace made him reconsider.

With great reluctance, Jake did something that disgusted him as he invested 280 Free Points into Strength. Instantly he felt a hot glow go through his body as his muscles seemed to almost bulge for a moment before settling down. He had exited meditation at this point and sat here opening and closing his fist.

It was more than a 10% increase to his total Strength just by investing those points. It was an actual tangible difference, but Jake also knew that a 10% increase in Strength did not mean he now hit ten percent harder. The system and reality just didn’t work like that, and the only time where Strength was the only real factor was when in a tug of war or when trying to push someone.

Not that it wasn’t massively helpful to him, especially his melee skills. Sim-Jake had made it clear Jake needed more Strength, but also that Agility was still by far the most important stat. Something like a 60-40 split was best, according to him. Jake chose to trust his other self in that department.

Looking over his stats as a whole, they were relatively balanced, and he was beginning to get close to the optimal Strength-Agility split.

Stats

Strength: 4146

Agility: 6761

Endurance: 3626

Vitality: 4828

Toughness: 3521

Wisdom: 6207

Intelligence: 5067

Perception: 10720

Willpower: 5252

Free points: 0

and Endurance were both really falling behind, but Jake wasn’t that worried as both stats were still considered

from class, seventy from race, and eighty from profession. This was all, of course, only in the case of a human. In reality, it would always

level was the top, and then it was even lower at F-grade below that. All in all, if someone gained around 60 per level in

ten thousand total stats the day he evolved to

due to all the other factors like titles, equipment, and elixirs, especially not counting percentage bonuses which Jake had plenty of. The “of the Malefic Viper” skills also added on extra

the first 100 levels and 220 for the next 73, for a total of 22,000 stats. Dividing that out in nine parts, then around 2500 in a single stat would be considered average. With Jake having a thousand more than that in even his lowest stat, it honestly wasn’t bad, especially considering this example was of someone with a powerful Path. Again, oversimplified, but it was still clear Jake was far above the expected durability of the average D-tier at his level, despite never

was nice. To summarize, then Jake was just good in pretty much

to meditation. The dungeon group meditated and recuperated

bit faster than expected,” Irin said. “I expected us to take at least a little longer, and our speed is especially impressive considering the potentially needless over-complication of the ninth

it allowed us to bond over

affinity mushrooms into the concoction along with the life affinity energy and then just had it be stabilized and dormant using the Lifecore. Using a catalyst or just having the balance between the energies be very reactive, we could then do so it was activated upon entering another living foe, making the life and death affinity clash. It should have counted as a rather effective poison,” Reika added on. “But I guess there are some pitfalls I missed since Jake rejected the

it would have totally worked. I just really wanted to go with my idea,” Jake waved it off. “With

slight disbelief. “Honestly? I think I learned more from your method too, so screw

seem to have anything to add, even if Jake could see Draskil had enjoyed Jake’s method. After Jake’s

time to tackle the final floor. Now, let me warn you, this is a fully-fledged C-grade we are dealing with,” she said as she put a hand on the gate.

have successfully passed the ninth floor and gone

at the bottom of the dungeon, only available to those who have proven themselves exceptional. But be warned, for the final floor houses an entity far more

you wish to explore the

in the way, and from what you said earlier, the final floor is pretty much just a single fight.

of much use,” Reika shook her head. “I couldn’t do anything to the General

stay hidden if the foe is distracted, I must admit I also don’t see myself making any meaningful contributions. I am not

exchanged a look with Draskil before he smiled lightly. “Well… I wouldn’t mind either way. If you want to come along to watch and maybe get some better rewards, I am all for

had a feeling he could actually be a bit of a softie and genuinely had taken a liking to their

wanted to enter the final floor with them. Reika also clearly wanted to go, and Bastilla fell to the

of them forget we exist and accidentally blow

My Perception is too high to not notice,” Jake

not even going to argue that,” Bastilla signed again. “Let’s just go, alright? I already feel like I am some young mistress getting escorted through this dungeon, so I may as well stay

the dungeon and began going through the passageway. It was a bit longer than before, and while Bastilla did throw a second

but this one was also very different from any prior. A blue hue dominated the entire place, and while it was filled with mushrooms, they weren’t the usual diverse kind. There were only glowing blue mushrooms spread throughout, and in the middle of the floor was an absolutely massive mushroom towering more than a kilometer into

saw something that looked like a throne on top of it. A small throne that barely registered as a small bulge on the mushroom cap. It looked like a throne for a child, which

gotta be fucking

King – lvl

of the mushroom men: the Mushroom