The Primal Hunter

Jake waited expectedly for Sandy to return. As he waited, he also considered an option he hadn’t even thought of before… what if Sandy turned hostile? There was a legitimate risk that the worm would return stronger than Jake was as the evolution could lead to intense power growth. No, it would definitely lead to immense power growth.

Moreover, Sandy didn’t need him anymore. He had helped the worm reach C-grade and even went and did something incredibly stupid like pour all his mana into the damn meteorite. Oh, and then there was the issue of C-grades apparently coming, and as he stood there, Jake could even feel a few approaching auras.

Did I fuck up badly? Jake asked himself.

He had originally only approached the worm to give him a lift. Their entire relationship had been transactional. Shit, Jake had even threatened Sandy. He knew that if someone else had threatened him to either help or die, Jake would have fought or at the very least looked for every opportunity possible to strike back.

Feeling genuinely nervous, Jake considered just taking off on his own. He was damn low on mana and didn’t wanna fight any C-grades showing up, so leaving would probably be safer. Logically, he should leave or at least hide.

Yet he stayed there, waiting. Because despite his worries, he had a good feeling about Sandy. Sandy seemed like a decent worm, and unless Ell’Hakan could somehow mess with Jake’s emotions across the planet, he felt confident in that assessment. Not that he would have time to get away as Sandy was back.

A figure appeared, slowly fading into existence. Instantly, Jake noticed the difference. First of all, Sandy’s body had actually grown a little smaller, now “only” about a hundred meters long. The body was also less bulky, with the entire form quite slender. Color-wise, Sandy had taken on an odd black-purple hue with the occasional small glimmering dot here and there, looking like small diamonds were embedded in the skin. The skin itself also looked far tougher than before, now more like rock than simply very rough skin.

But what struck Jake the most was the aura. He felt as if the area around Sandy was bending slightly and looked off, and he saw some of the sand slowly begin to float up towards the worm. Sandy noticed and stopped attracting it and began to twist and turn to check out its own body. Another difference was that all of this took place up in the air, Sandy moving as if somehow still “swimming.”

Jake used Identify on Sandy, trying to get a feeling for what he was dealing with.

[Juvenile Cosmic Genesis Worm – lvl ???]

Jake stared at the name, not at all sure what to make of it. First of all, it was long. Were long names good? Probably. But more than the number of words were the words used. Cosmic and Genesis were both words that certainly held a lot of “power,” and the juvenile part hinted that a fully grown Cosmic Genesis Worm had to be at least B-grade. Those trying to become dragons became true dragons at B-grade, indicating that a Cosmic Genesis Worm was likely at or around the level of a true dragon.

And true dragons were damn strong.

“Hey, Sandy. You well?”Jake asked as he saw Sandy keep twisting and turning.

“It looks funny when it moves,” Sandy answered in a very amused tone.

Jake looked confused around and saw nothing move besides the giant worm as he asked again.

“What does?”

“The air sand. Umm… just a bit, checking the skill… hmm, cosmic dust it calls it. And sand is pretty much dust, right? You can’t see it? It is everywhere, even all around you, right now. Look, like this,” Sandy said.

As Sandy said this, Jake faintly felt space around him faintly begin to harden as if it became denser. He wrapped his hand in destructive arcane mana and swept it sideways as he destroyed whatever Sandy was doing.

“You can see it! Or maybe feel it? Hm, weird. Anywho, what did you do with the meteorite before? The amount of earth affinity was near-eliminated, and some foreign concept I am not familiar with was just overflowing. Ah, don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining or anything. I am way better now. Oh, did you know I had five evolution options, and only two of them didn’t have sand in the name? Also! Who is the Malefic Viper?” Sandy asked with rapid-fire telepathy.

that Sandy felt strong now, but Jake didn’t feel the slightest hint of danger. It wasn’t necessarily because the newly born Cosmic Genesis Worm

knew what gods were as apparently a few worms had been blessed. As for why Sandy asked… some-fucking-how, an option called “Malefic Transport Worm” had appeared, and it was better than any of the three “expected” evolutions. The description had talked about turning Sandy

god? Sounds super nice,” Sandy

one was close enough. In the distance, a large form rose, far larger than Sandy despite them both being C-grade worms. It was one of the

some magical sense that gave them a huge sensory range anyway. For the Sand Worms, it was through the sand, and Jake guessed that Sandy had retained that same sense…

otherwise completely frozen. He felt a bit out of place but didn’t want to disturb their talk. Things seemed to get heated as both worms wriggled at each other before Sandy spoke to

former Sand Worm said in a huffy

happened?” Jake

worm just angrily said, clearly more

in as Jake felt himself be dragged. He could resist it but wanted to see what kind of new things the worm could now do. Yet, at the same time, Jake felt a faint telepathic connection be established with the massive C-grade in the distance. It was only one-way and just translated to a brief message: “Thank you and take care of them. Show them

in, and he noticed that despite Sandy growing smaller, the inside hadn’t. It looked like a massive dark cave as Jake stared down

pocket of some kind,

his new surroundings, Jake quickly realized there was no way out. No doors or openings in the dark-purplish rock anywhere. Yet he also got a feeling that he could break these walls if he really wanted to by overloading the walls with destructive mana - overloading the entire pocket with destructive

minute, he heard Sandy talk

of them!

you tell me what happened

I was so excited, right? Just evolved, everything seemed great, and then my old safe keeper appeared, and I am so excited to share my own awesome evolution, but do you know what the bastard said? That I am no longer a Sand Worm and have to leave! That the desert isn’t a place for me

worm. Sandy had grown beyond the desert. Rather than being confined to sand, their world was now

you know?” Sandy said, sounding sad. “Now, where am I supposed to go? Can I even go anywhere? My quest says I am

than you think,” Jake said. “You are a Cosmic Worm now, not a Sand Worm. The entire universe is your home, and while there are

it all works out for you… now I have nowhere else to go and no other plans. So,

adapted. “Before that, can you do it so I can see the

those eye things; I remember someone mentioning that some creatures have those.

retracted a bit. Then, finally, parts of it began to turn transparent. It then spread and encompassed

“That works?” Sandy asked.

have

change. He noticed that his mana,

Sandy would drink the energies of living beings eaten and actually extract experience from that. From the sounds of it, Sandy still got little to no experience from killing things outright but was more about finding and eating natural treasures. And eating living creatures to

eat

many rooms I make… but probably around a hundred rooms right now? Not sure; I am going by my guts. Heh, guts when I am talking about my stomach skill. Anyway! Where are we going?” Sandy asked

on it and began worming through the air. It was like

evolution. Instead, he wanted to test something else out as he took out his cauldron and began crafting a

can you absorb the extra mana from me doing alchemy?” Jake asked the worm as it wormed its

active right now,” Sandy said. Jake once more felt the suction effect from the walls, and the mana that had spread

something else. Do be on alert and tell me if anything bad happens,” Jake then said as he tried

all grass in a large area, and in the Order and even his lab back in Haven, the entire place was designed to resist and