The Primal Hunter

Chapter 966: The Concept of Desolation Chapter 966: The Concept of Desolation

Desolation…

A concept Jake knew a lot about yet felt like he barely understood. Not because he was a moron – though that could be debated - or didn’t have the affinity for the concept, but because he was only a C-grade. The concept of desolation was simply not something Jake had ever expected to see in a context like this.

Not to say the concept couldn’t be used by those at C-grade or even at lower grades, but this was desolation in its purest form. It wasn’t just a part of some skill that had some aspects of desolation added to it. No, this was far scarier. One thing was certain… Jake was a lot more apprehensive about this ”I” character now than before. If it was a creature that could actually control the concept of desolation to this extent, this system event had just gotten a lot more dangerous than before.

One of the distinct aspects of the concept of desolation was its ability to cause ”permanent” damage. As was shown when Villy removed the arm of the one from the Azureflight back in the Order, the concept wouldn’t just erase the arm itself but the part of the Soulshape it usually inhabited. That meant there was no easy way to heal it, and no amount of potions or meditation would help.

Not to say it couldn’t be healed… but Jake had no idea how to, and he doubted anyone on Earth knew how either. The only surefire way of healing something like that was through evolution, where you were effectively reborn. Jake had no desire to lose any limbs or anything like that, though, but the mere fact such a risk existed for him and the others from Earth was unsettling. If someone did get injured, they would likely have to wait till the event was over and find someone worth healing them in one of the larger factions in another universe.

Standing up, Jake really took in the environment and its effects on him. His energy was slowly being drained, but what’s more, his resources weren’t regenerating at all. Jake even felt that should he sit down and meditate, he would only be draining himself further.

Turning to the Prima Vessel, he decided to inspect it more closely. He found that the damage caused to it was primarily surface-level, but the mere fact it had taken any damage at all was surprising. After inspecting the Vessel a bit further, he found its entrance that was unlocked after killing the Prima Guardian, which he honestly wasn’t sure if he could even enter.

However, when he got close, the barrier allowed him inside. Jake even noted how it didn’t seem to check his key at all but just let him enter, which definitely wasn’t how it worked on other planets. At least not those with living World Leaders.

The inside of the Prima Vessel was pristine for the most part, except for one thing. Down the hallway leading to the three different rooms, a set of footprints could clearly be seen. They had left imprints that gave off the same concept of desolation as the world outside. When Jake used his foot to wipe away one of the footprints, he saw they had all been made up of gray dust and that the Vessel itself hadn’t been affected.

Jake continued further into the Vessel and saw more traces of the creature that had entered it. From the form and size of its footprints and other minor clues, he estimated it was some kind of humanoid being. Oddly, it also seemed to have some kind of limp. He couldn’t gather much more from what was left behind, except for the fact he only felt the concept of desolation and nothing else from all its traces.

While desolation was an incredibly powerful concept, it was also very limiting. It tended to not work well together with other affinities or concepts due to its nature. In fact, its properties made it so very few creatures natively able to use the affinity existed. In many ways, something being alive or at least possessing a soul was counter-intuitive to the concept in the first place. Desolation was all about not only non-existence but the continued state of non-existence, and a creature existing while being all about non-existence was weird.

There were some creatures and people in the multiverse well-versed with the affinity, though… Jake’s very own Patron being one of its most well-known users.

To the Malefic Viper, the concept had been a part of his Path for a long time. Likely all the way back to when he was known as the Wyvern of the Desolates. At least Jake doubted it was a coincidence the snake god was known under that name back then while also being well-versed in the concept of desolation now.

to understand yet. He said that, despite his own constant usage of the

using Touch, though. He was

Vessel, Jake saw everything was still active and working, with the only traces of the creature a bit of gray dust here and there. After only a moment of hesitation, he began seeing if he could control the Vessel. This also didn’t prove any trouble, as Jake

without risk. The core room was bound to be far more dangerous than the surface of the planet, but Jake felt like he had to

the Prima Vessel, Jake began preparing himself. He started by summoning his Scales of the Malefic Viper, covering his entire body, followed by several powerful layers of stable arcane barriers. While doing this, Jake even used Arcane Awakening in its stable defensive form, increasing relevant stats by 50% while forming yet another layer of defense in the form of the small membrane of protective arcane energy right above

be when about to enter a very hazardous environment, Jake exited the Prima Vessel. Instantly, he felt a shiver run down his spine as a sense of wrongness overwhelmed him. Everything within the core

just drained everything and anything, allowing nothing to exist. Jake looked on with wide eyes as his barriers simply faded away one after another. He had to focus while he still could as he scanned

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wasn’t difficult. It was by far the greatest source of desolation, and Jake focused his eyes as he saw the cracked gray core that had once been the Planetary

where he corrupted a Quintessence to poison all the water in the lake of those big boars. The item had been

world. Now, it had been corrupted. Rather than do all those things, it had become the source of the planet’s total destruction. It permeated desolation into every single part of the planet until, one day, the constantly growing power of desolation inside the core would become too much, making it crumble alongside the

arcane barrier broke as the energy of desolation made contact with his scales of the Malefic Viper. Jake was ready to quickly charge back into the safety of the Prima Vessel as something unexpected happened. For the first

with a dark green color as the energy of desolation was stopped in its tracks entirely. That wasn’t all, as Jake felt

disbelief at what happened as he quickly recalled parts of the description of his Scales

that would have otherwise damaged you... this mana will be slowly refined and be

a bit at a time, but when he did get hit, it was by powerful attacks where the scales could only offer some extra resistance and nothing more. The mana he did absorb would simply be too powerful with too much quantity, resulting in

certain affinities, that is. Scales were incredibly potent at absorbing the light affinity, as one example, and for any poison-based

against,

scary environment Jake was incredibly apprehensive about even approaching had, in an instant, turned from a danger into an opportunity. With gusto, Jake tried opening

like it was made of ash. Never before had Jake shut up so fast,

still fucking dangerous even if he now had a method to exist there. In retrospect, it was a bit as if he was wearing a

absorbing the desolate energy. It was odd to imagine that the concept of nothingness could be turned into mana like that, and Jake seriously didn’t

energy into mana wasn’t only dependent on the scales but a skill specialized in