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.

help but just smile a bit. He had to admit that Sandy felt strong now, but Jake didn’t feel the slightest hint of danger. It wasn’t necessarily because the newly born

glad that Sandy 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

of this god? Sounds super nice,”

a while, and now 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 massive C-grade

noted that all Sand Worms were blind. Blind and deaf. But they had 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… sand, having been replaced with

of place but didn’t want to disturb

Worm

happened?” Jake

angrily said, clearly more

the same time, Jake felt a

what to make of it, Jake allowed himself to be dragged in, and he noticed that despite Sandy growing smaller, the inside hadn’t. It looked like a massive dark cave as Jake stared down the worm’s gullet, but the moment

of

also got a feeling that he could break these walls if he really wanted to by overloading

minute, he heard Sandy

the lot of them! Sand Worms suck!” Sandy said

tell me what

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

had grown beyond the desert. Rather

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

said. “You are a Cosmic Worm now, not a Sand Worm. The entire universe is your home, and while there are some areas you cannot go to

fault,” Sandy insisted. “Guess it all works out for you… now I have nowhere else to go and no other plans.

just adapted. “Before that, can you do it

yeah, you got those eye things; I remember someone mentioning that some creatures have those. Here, let me try

in began shifting colors and expanded and retracted a bit. Then, finally, parts of it began to turn transparent. It then spread and encompassed the entire cave, walls, floor, and everything. From Jake’s point of view, it was like

“That works?” Sandy asked.

wonder, why do you have

something change. He noticed that his mana, stamina, and health were all being

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.

you eat

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 again after making

he telepathically conveyed a direction. Sandy picked up on it and began worming through the air. It was like

used to the new evolution. Instead, he wanted to test something else out as he took out his cauldron and began crafting a batch of mana potions. The process was simple as usual, but his goal wasn’t really to

extra mana from me doing

something in the stomach. I have to absorb it manually as I don’t have that effect active right now,” Sandy said. Jake once more

on alert and tell me if anything bad happens,” Jake then

a large area, and in the Order and even his lab back in Haven, the entire place was designed to resist and contain his poison. This entire effect only