The Primal Hunter

When Jake said he was good at zoning everything out when he focused on something, he meant he was really good at zoning everything out. Even the notifications he had gained during this time had gone unregistered. Luckily he hadn’t pissed off this party by missing some crucial messages, as the Fallen King had honored his wish of not contacting him outside of emergencies. Something that the Unique Lifeform hadn’t found necessary to do a single time.

Still… Jake could see why the Unique Lifeform was a bit unsatisfied when he finally checked his notifications.

Opening them up, the first thing he saw was that they had apparently gotten another bonus objective without him even noticing.

Bonus Objective Gained: Find a way to unlock the seal obscuring your path into the Dark Descent created by the Dark Witch leading toward the core of the planet.

Current Progress: Dark Descent unlocked (0/1)

So this one confirmed the theory that the Dark Witch had indeed gone toward the core and even created a way to get down there. Of course, they likely had to also get rid of all three Living Seals before-

Bonus Objective Completed: Destroy all three Living Seals. 1000 Nevermore Points earned.

Right, they had also gotten that done, but hopefully, Jake could at least help with that seal on the-

Bonus Objective Completed: Dark Descent unlocked. 500 Nevermore Points earned.

Okay, Jake was beginning to realize he had indeed taken a bit longer than he probably should have, but it seemed like things were going well!

Though there was still much to be done if one looked at the remaining bonus objectives they had gained during Jake’s minor mental absence.

Bonus Objective Gained: Discover the fate of the Dark Witch.

Current Progress: Dark Witch’s fate discovered (0/1)

Along with:

Bonus Objective Gained: Assist the New Beast Alliance in taking over the faction formerly known as the Beastfolk Alliance by helping to eliminate all enlightened beings remaining in their territory.

Current Progress: Enlightened Beings Remaining (2.093.778/9.421.400)

His party had clearly been up to quite a lot, with the Fallen King seemingly mid-genocide in the area formerly controlled by the Beastfolk Alliance.

“So… I apologize? Anyway, where are we? What is the status of things?” Jake questioned. “I am especially interested in what is up with this New Beast Alliance.”

“The two other factions are entirely destroyed. Well, mostly destroyed. We found out that beasts are actually entirely unaffected by the Karmic Plague. It only works on those considered enlightened, so the Fallen King formed an alliance with the beasts there to wipe out all the enlightened, especially the Otherworlders,”Dina explained.

“Are you sure they are unaffected? The Fallen King and Sylphie were both affected when we first got here, as far as I could feel,” Jake asked, a bit confused.

“Only in its inactive form. The Karmic Plague cannot properly affect anyone not considered enlightened, so once it exits hibernation, it will just fizzle out. The Fallen King already confirmed the beasts that were part of the Beast Alliance were not affected,” Dina continued explaining as the Fallen King jumped into the conversation.

“Beasts that were all suppressed by the beastkin otherworlders summoned here. They did manage to reach some level of balance with the otherworlders but never liked them. My arrival became their impetus to claim power and wipe out the enlightened. To reject such a purely beneficial objective seemed foolish, so we naturally accepted it. Should we fail, it is doubtful the Wyrmgod would penalize us, and should we succeed, it is merely bonus points,” the Fallen King explained.

“And the Risen Kingdom?”Jake questioned.

effectively mind control every enlightened being into desiring to be Risen did not survive such unfortunate weather,” the Sword Saint answered. “As for a status on current events, the Fallen King and I are both on our way to Dina and Sylphie right

like he had missed

weeks and three days,” the

from my point of view, this is as much on you as me for flying

things work,” the Sword Saint

out a bit too hard… so, Sylphie, how

explained, making Jake nod. Seems like they had done quite well too. Found the old faction the Dark Witch had created and killed a bunch of beasts that had taken over the area, including a mini-boss monster that guarded the former capital. From there, they gathered a bunch of intel, discovering a bit about the Dark Witch’s plan, including the location of the dig site she had created to reach

spent some time finding a way to unseal the barrier by researching what the Dark Witch had left behind and were now making their way down the long winding tunnels leading into the core of Tri-World. A task made quite a bit harder by the hordes of monsters in the way they had to fight through, but Dina had at least left clues along

can see the finale of this floor will play out down at or around the core, I guess you

shall arrive at the entrance to the caverns in roughly a week, while the Sword Saint will

“Want me to join Sylphie and Dina as soon

“Or do you need some more time to practice? Perhaps familiarize yourself with your new skill? I wouldn’t

fine with testing it out properly in real combat, so I will make my way to Sylphie,” Jake answered, not responding to the slight tone of sass in the old

Sylphie asked, just wanting to make

are any big caverns or anything, it

“Ree.”

himself, waiting

with leaving Jake behind was because of what he

moment in space that he could then travel to. This meant he was the fastest at returning somewhere he had been before as long as you

restricted as the Sword Saint’s, though his means also came with downsides. Accuracy was one of those downsides, especially considering Jake didn’t have a lot of practice with this method of travel, and the method wasn’t really designed as a long-distance travel skill anyway. Instead, it focused on distance, speed, and ability to just get the hell away from where he

Jake wouldn’t use it as a means of travel, but the circumstances of floor forty-one made it seems like a good idea. Plus, he could reduce many of

had a powerful connection through their Union Oath, allowing Jake to easily zone in on her. Over long distances, things like the Golden Mark or even his Hunter’s Mark sometimes got a bit fuzzy, but the Oath had

slightly worried comment from Dina if he was sure things would work out

happen? That I get stuck in a wall or something? I’ll be fine,” Jake said,

over his body. Taking a deep breath, he began to charge them with energy as he activated the escape method of Wings of the Malefic Viper. Mist poured

once. Everything warped as Jake allowed his instinct to guide him. Sylphie’s location felt so close, yet so far away, as Jake flapped his wings several more times as he went through a distorted world where even the

and thirty-thousand large mana pool rapidly depleting. Luckily, it took less than ten seconds before Jake stopped the skill at the behest of

second too long to disengage the skill. The entire world turned dark as Jake felt a deep pressure all over his body the second he faded back into reality. Jake kept his cool,

relief. Sylphie was only about a kilometer above him, and from a quick Pulse, he

Sylphie asked, having

stuck.

talking, he felt a thick vine wrap around his body as he was dragged upward through the path it had created. He did still have to

asked the moment she dragged him out of the ground. “It was like you

Jake smiled, having not really gone into detail about

she had dragged him up with and the signs of it rotting from the remnant poison left after the use of Wings. “Fine, a Legacy skill from the Malefic One. Are you ready to go, or did the

bit above a quarter, but after popping a potion, he was all good to go. He wouldn’t be able to summon his Wings of the Malefic Viper for a few days, but that should be fine, considering he was underground. The slight feeling of weakness after using such an escape skill also wasn’t that big of a deal either, as Jake had joined them more as a guide than a fighter, Sylphie and Dina more than capable of defeating all the beasts

way already, but that still meant there was a lot to go. Luckily for them, Jake was a good guide when leading them through the

had been dug. Magical reinforcements could be found here and there, and waymarkers were

Guard Captain they met upon first arriving on Tri-World had warned them about. These Tunnelers came in many variants and sizes, and they could be threats if one was taken by surprise or got swarmed, especially in an

down their descent, especially when they decided that trying to collapse a part of the tunnel on them was a good idea. Even when mini-boss versions appeared, the three of them easily handled it. It was kind of monotonous, but at least

few fucking mushroom bastards that Jake called dibs on as he utterly annihilated them. The

deeper, and Jake hoped that they would soon face