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.

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

sighed. Seemed like he had missed a lot. “How long

weeks and three days,” the Fallen King

as me for

things work,” the Sword Saint

zoned out a bit too hard… so,

the area, including a mini-boss monster that guarded the

likely the Dark Witch herself. They had then 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 the way, so once the Fallen King and Sword Saint arrived, they should be able to follow

this floor will play out down at or around the core, I

”And based on our estimates, I shall arrive at the entrance to the

to himself. “Want me to join Sylphie and Dina as soon

asked. “Or do you need some more time to practice? Perhaps familiarize yourself with your new skill? I

am fine with testing it out properly in real combat, so I will make my way to

Sylphie asked, just

there are any big caverns or anything, it would be great. Not entirely sure

“Ree.”

he began to prepare himself, waiting

with leaving Jake

he could paint an area and “save” a moment in space that he could then travel to. This meant he was the fastest at returning somewhere he had been before as

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

naturally talking about the special ability of his Wings of the Malefic Viper. An often-ignored aspect of the skill but one incredibly useful. Usually, Jake wouldn’t use it as a means of travel, but the circumstances of floor forty-one made it seems like a good idea.

long distances, things like the Golden Mark or

the signal from Sylphie and a slightly worried comment from Dina if he was sure things would work out as

what’s the worst thing that can happen? That I get stuck in a wall or something?

energy as he

wings 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 concept of space was subverted

his wings, his two-hundred and thirty-thousand large mana pool rapidly depleting. Luckily, it took less than

turned dark as Jake felt a deep pressure all over his body the second he faded back into reality.

kilometer above him, and from a quick Pulse, he saw that there

Sylphie asked, having

just a little stuck. Gotta take

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

the earth like that?” Dina asked the moment she dragged him out of the ground. “It was like you

flew there, duh,” Jake smiled, having not really

before looking back at the vine 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

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 on the way

the center of Tri-World continued. Sylphie and Dina had already gotten pretty damn deep by the time Jake arrived, nearly thirty percent of the way already, but that still meant there was a lot to go. Luckily for them, Jake was a good guide

clear these ones had been dug. Magical reinforcements could be found here and there, and waymarkers were placed at certain intervals, with there even being

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,

part of the tunnel on them was a good idea. Even when mini-boss versions appeared,

even began encountering other things deeper down. Elementals of the earth and lava variety, some insectoid monsters, and even a few fucking mushroom bastards that Jake called dibs on as he utterly annihilated them. The only bad thing during all this was that using his new and improved

getting deeper and deeper,