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.

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 couldn’t threaten him, but there was not a hint of animosity. All he felt was relief at Sandy not

for why Sandy asked… some-fucking-how, an option called “Malefic Transport Worm” had

are the Chosen best friend of this god?

larger than Sandy despite them both being C-grade worms. It was one of the massive C-grade

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 this cosmic dust,

waiting. Sandy 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

leaving!” the former Sand Worm said in a

happened?” Jake asked,

my mouth!” the worm just angrily said, clearly more than a

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.

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,

spatial pocket of some

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

minute, he heard Sandy

the lot of them! Sand Worms suck!”

tell me what

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

the other C-grade worm. Sandy had grown beyond the desert.

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

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

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

speed Sandy just adapted. “Before that, can you do it so I can see the outside

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

retracted a bit. Then, finally, parts of it began to turn transparent.

“That works?” Sandy asked.

you have a

feel something change. He noticed that his mana, stamina, and health were all being drained at an incredibly slow speed but drained nonetheless.

eaten and actually extract experience from that. From the sounds of it, Sandy still got little to

you eat at once?”

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 again after making

worming through the air. It was like Sandy could

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 but test the

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

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

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

effect of leaving the surrounding area a bit… contaminated. Back in his valley, he had his circle of death where 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 resist and contain his poison. This entire effect only got worse as time passed, and