The Primal Hunter

“Not quite as I had hoped,” the old swordsman smiled to himself as he shook his head. It had been difficult, but in the end, he had done it. The spirit of competitiveness had truly fueled him as he became aware that Jake had gained a mythical skill from his Patron, Aeon. It had pushed his old bones further than he thought they could handle, and his desire had intertwined with his competitiveness and Transcendent insights, giving him what he wanted.

[Mythical Prodigy] – A genius ahead of the curve, not even the mythical deluding him. It feels as if your Path has barely begun, yet you refuse to be confined to the expectations of your station. Creating a mythical skill while below C-grade is no easy feat and the feat of a true myth in the making. Be proud. +100 all stats +20% all stats.

Prodigy, as a word, still felt odd to Miyamoto. It felt like a title reserved for the young. He knew that in a multiversal context, he was actually considered young and that both the former Monarch of Blood, Iskar, and his Patron were far, far older than he was. Even so, it did not change how he felt in his heart.

As for what had not gone as he had hoped… Miyamoto had also now evolved to C-grade.

“You have reached the grade of the true elites. Congratulations, I, too, feel my powers return,” Iskar said, his aura now also that of a C-grade. “For it to remain mythical would be an outlier. However, with effort and your talent, it is only a matter of time before it reaches the rarity once more.”

“I am aware, and yet I can only lament at my own lack of skill,” Miyamoto sighed. While he had managed to create a mythical skill shortly before his evolution, he had only been able to experience it for less than a day before he evolved.

“Having more than a single legendary skill upon evolving to C-grade is already considered an incredible achievement, much less a skill already so close to edging over to mythical,” Iskar once more reiterated. “Besides… the power of that skill is not to be looked down on, no matter what rarity the system has assigned it.”

Miyamoto nodded, knowing that already. Yet his vanity was hurt, his pride slightly scuffed. Hence why, he chose to change the subject. “Speaking of progress, how goes it with the young ones?”

“Better than expected,” Iskar said with a nod. “The average talent within your clan surpasses many elite factions of the multiverse, but considering this is a newly integrated universe and the absolute number of outliers present on this planet already, perhaps that should not come as a surprise. Though I do have some minor concerns.”

“Oh?” Miyamoto exclaimed. The young ones they were talking about were those who had chosen to become vampires. There weren’t that many yet, and this first batch was still very much viewed as a trial of sorts. So far, the vampires surpassed the other humans when it came to pure progress, though it was hard to say if that was only because of their changed races or due to those choosing to embrace vampirism being more dedicated to progressing to begin with.

“Your culture seems to have an… odd relationship with those born from the blood of Sanguine. Back in Yalsten, recruiting those who were not vampires was borderline impossible due to our status in the multiverse as creatures needing the vital energy of other humanoids to keep ourselves alive. However, here on Earth, it is almost… opposite?” the Monarch said with genuine confusion.

Miyamoto was quite uncertain about what Iskar was getting at. He understood fearing vampires due to their inherent requirements and the innate danger they posed to humans, so what did he mean by them having an opposite view of vampires?

“I am not quite sure I understand what you mean. Is a lack of fear not only beneficial?” he asked.

“That… I would agree, but it is more than a lack of fear. Did you know that many of the young men who became vampires now find themselves hounded by human women, especially those in their teenage years, causing a significant portion of them discomfort? Many of these women even want to have their vital energies consumed and drone around the vampires. Additionally, and perhaps the most confusing part, they keep referencing the concept of twillight for some reason,” Iskar said, shaking his head.

“Oh,” Miyamoto muttered, unsure. It was odd. He had not heard of anyone practicing or using the magic of the eventide. “Hm, perhaps we should get one of these young ones to explain this odd development?”

“I have attempted to, but they keep saying I am not in the target demographic and wouldn’t understand… as if this knowledge is not something I am allowed to be blessed with.”

Miyamoto frowned deeply with concern. He would definitely have to try and get a grasp of this development before Nevermore. If Iskar was right, he feared another fringe faction could be forming among the young. Even if he did want to take a step back from the clan as a whole, he did still feel responsible for those who chose to become vampires.

*Crack*

The core in Jake’s hand cracked all over, more micro-fractures forming in seconds before the entire thing crumbled into a fine dust. Even this dust disappeared shortly after, the only remnants of the Queen’s Guard’s core remaining the faint sensation of Jake’s arcane energy lingering in the air.

did not need to wait as he took out another

strong core if he wanted it to

more on Guard cores, but these cores were also too weak for Jake to use if he wanted to create any kind of meaningful item for this final part of the ritual. The reason was that Jake didn’t only inject more Records into an object but he also transformed what was already there. So if

in them getting overpowered. This had not been an issue with prior items Jake had worked on, especially not something like the

even need to be those Unique special items Earth had gotten, but just high-level items spawning in areas with

been under the illusion that he could make all Records into something to help in evolution, but that had been wrong. He needed energy and Records that were already primed toward the Path of whatever monster he wanted to consume the item. This was not something other people needed to be a thing, as they could prime these

was not

not infuse his own will into the items the same way others did. At least he was not meant to. That was the conclusion he reached. His job was not to actually transform any energy or change any Records… he was to give

had read. These cores had no innate intent, so how would they know they had to change and evolve at all? Why would Jake’s energy make them change? For this, he had no answer, but he

Origins profession and what that had been about. The word harbinger was a very specific name in this case. The system rarely used words randomly, especially not in something as important as a profession

that let the Records know it was time to embrace their Primeval Origins. It could be argued he was the source of the change, as without him, they would

failed with yet another Guard’s core, swiftly taking out

I think I’m right.

He had so many far-fetched conclusions and postulations that directly contradicted what he had studied to be the truth. There were so many things he knew should not work but that he still believed possible. It was reckless,

think I am right… so let’s just do it

he meant that he would use all the momentum he had built up to just make a usable item for the ritual in one go. Fuse all materials he had into one core. He believed the details would come

the description did not say it, then every Isoptera Warrior and every Queen’s Guard core had some small remnants of Records from the Queen herself. It was natural, as she had spawned them. So the first step was to extract all of this and

was done by the books. He had already done this plenty with the cores he used for the ritual, so nothing was new or difficult here, and his Advanced Core Manipulation skill was already made

to the earth affinity and the magic the Queen and her Guards had used. Jake wanted to only have Records related to the base concept of ectognamorph Queens,

get to preserve and empower the core. He leaned into the skill heavily, and for a good reason too. Jake did not simply want to successfully create a core for the ritual… he

smoothly, but Jake still took far longer with this core than any prior. Three full days were spent merging every single Isoptera

core far more powerful than before. He did not doubt that he could use it as a damn good ingredient in an elixir or give

on, Jake stared at the core for nearly an hour, making sure everything was as it should be. He then meditated for quite a few hours to fully replenish his mental energy

true transformation

insight coalesced, and he attempted to make

that concept. It was the simplest form of energy and was through Jake expressed as stability

When all history, all Records related to an

the core with everything he had. His resources began slipping away, his mana, health, and stamina all draining at a rapid rate as he poured in all he

a system notification made him aware he was on the right track. He would have pushed on either

Jake, and some kind of… instinct awakened with it. He felt a connection to the core, but as he did, he felt rejection. Opposition. Defiance. This odd instinct-like reaction from

sounds, smells, concepts, and so much more… all flashed before his eyes, each passing

termite working in a

to the

Warriors fighting in wars.