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.

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

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

god? Sounds super nice,” Sandy said. “Oh!

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 Sand Worms,

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 this cosmic dust, which

sometimes made some slight movements but was 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

the former Sand Worm

happened?” Jake

just angrily said,

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

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 he fully entered the mouth, he felt himself

pocket of some kind, Jake

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

minute, he heard Sandy talk

would never! Jerks, the lot of them! Sand Worms suck!” Sandy said

what happened now?”

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 anymore. I just got disowned by my own family because I am a better worm! Humph!” Sandy

a bit but now understood the other C-grade worm. Sandy had grown beyond the desert. Rather than being confined to sand, their world was

is your fault? I could have become a Massive Veilsand Sand Worm, you know?” Sandy said, sounding sad. “Now, where am I supposed to go? Can I

far larger 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

“Guess it all works out for you… now I have

smile at the speed Sandy just adapted. “Before that, can you do it

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

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.

do wonder, why do you have a skill to transport people

not to transport people but to trap and super slowly eat them. Like, I can do this,” Sandy said as Jake began to feel something change. He noticed that his mana, stamina, and health were all being drained at an incredibly slow speed but drained nonetheless. It

energy and even some remnant Records, except 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

you eat at once?” Jake

rooms right now? Not sure; I am going by my guts. Heh,

and began worming through the air. It was like

decided to not rush Sandy as he could feel the worm was getting 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 brew it

mana from me doing alchemy?” Jake asked the worm as it wormed its way

stomach. I have to absorb it manually as I don’t have that effect active right now,” Sandy said. Jake once more felt the suction effect from the walls, and the mana that had spread in the room from Jake’s crafting was

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

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