The Primal Hunter

Jake spent the rest of the World Congress checking in with the Sword Saint to tell him that Reika was doing fine at the Order and just chatted with a few people. He had expected Arthur to talk to him at some point, but it never happened. Jacob’s dad had approached nearly every other faction but had stayed clear of Haven for some reason.

The last five minutes were spent chatting with Miranda as they set up a time for the next meeting. They had to plan it around Jake’s lessons and also Miranda’s meetings and work. Scheduling was hard work.

As Jake just waited to be transported out, he mentally went over his near-future plans. Participating in the Path of Myriad Choices event was going to happen, so he needed another fragment before that. He also had a current list of classes in the Order he wanted to finish before heading back to Earth.

On that subject, he had to figure out how easy it was to travel back and forth from Earth and the Order, so he would have to chat with Villy about that. As things were currently, he couldn’t leave far from Haven if he wanted to be able to return to the Order on short notice, and he naturally couldn’t attend classes if back on Earth or make use of other benefits by Order offered. Those teleportation gates in the Order were fancy but not that fancy to work cross-universe.

Hopefully, the Viper would have some convenient method to allow Jake easy travel. His ideal situation would be to be able to both attend lessons he wanted and go to Earth whenever while also being able to leave Haven to head out and hunt. He even had another plan.

Carmen had asked him to help her track down some family members, and while he did want to help, he had little confidence. So… wasn’t Prima hunting a good opportunity? He could use the hunting trip to improve his tracking skill and get another Prima under his belt to complete the key. Win-win right there.

With those thoughts, Jake said his temporary goodbyes to Miranda and Lillian. Neil had just been gone and holed up with other space mages with no one daring to interrupt their work.

Thus the World Congress ended, and Jake’s vision flashed for a moment as he found himself back on the couch in the living room of the mansion.

“Eik!” he heard a weird yelp as he saw Meira sitting right beside him, having jumped away the moment he teleported back in.

She looked at him in fright before she finally calmed a bit down and got off the couch. “Sir, I did not know you were returning so soon!”

“Pretty sure nobody knew how long it would be,” Jake shrugged. To be fair, he had told Meira he would probably be gone for around ten hours as that was how long the First World Congress had taken, so he was back four hours early.

As for why she was sitting on the couch? He wasn’t sure. She usually resided in her own residence when preparing for lessons or meditating, and it wasn’t like she had any work in the main mansions. Things like cleaning weren’t a thing in magical mansions.

“But it is good you are here. Things are ramping up a bit back on Earth, and I will need to return pretty soon, so I will be around less than before,” Jake said. “I still plan on attending some of the lessons, but it will be less. I just need to find a good way to travel back and forth first.”

Meira seemed a bit disappointed but didn’t voice her thoughts. “I shall make sure the mansion and the gardens remain in perfect condition so Sir can return at any time without discomfort.”

It was a nice roundabout way for her to say that he should keep coming to the mansion. She also seemed to have one more thought. “Shall I also end my currently planned lessons?”

“No, of course not,” Jake said, shaking his head. “Keep going as before; you have full access. Keep learning and improving as much as you can, okay? Don’t worry; I will be sure to check up on you once in a while, and you are also to select new lessons yourself if you run out.”

That is one thing Jake had learned... Meira borderline needed him to check up on her. It wasn’t that she wouldn’t do any work if he didn’t, but that she seemed to have some odd mindset where if Jake didn’t see and recognize her results, she didn’t make any progress.

Meira nodded enthusiastically at his words as Jake dismissed her with a look they both knew: he was about to talk to Villy, and she didn’t want to be anywhere near when that happened due to the god’s tendency to descend with mildly alcoholic beverages.

Once she was gone, Jake opened his mouth. “Hey Vil-“

“Sup,” a god popped into existence right in front of him, sitting on another couch - two glasses filled with some weird blue liquid already on the coffee table between them.

“Done the World Congress,” Jake said casually as he gave Villy a quick breakdown of what had happened. How the King had appeared, the vote for no World Leader, and then the second vote and the quest he received right after.

Villy silently listened and nodded along here and there. When Jake finished, the Viper made his thoughts known after getting a quick sip of the drink, Jake mimicking his actions. It tasted a bit of strawberry despite the blue color.

“That no World Leader was elected makes sense, as it would be hard for your planet to select a single uniting leader without a huge war first,” Villy said.

“Just to make sure, you aren’t advocating I should take up the position?” Jake asked.

“No, quite the opposite. Doing so would be a waste of time and likely set you down a path where nobility holds a great impact. You will be required to participate in certain things, and while that isn’t an issue currently, it would just be an annoyance down the line. You would waste a lot of time on things I know you have no interest in, and for what? To lead a small planet? Even if the influence expands and you take over the galaxy, so what? Become a god, and you can waltz into most empires, kill a god or two, and bam, you own a country larger than the budding kingdom on Earth instantly,” Villy shared his thoughts.

“Well, I still kind of care about the planet and have friends and family there,” Jake said. “Abandoning them outright is not an option.”

“So, just make that known and ensure whoever is in power knows you have that viewpoint and that all hell will break loose if they go after anyone close to you. If push comes to shove, evacuate those you care about. Bring them here or somewhere else of your choosing if the hotly contested territory of Earth isn’t worth the real estate. You could then even choose to make Earth an example of what happens when someone makes you an enemy. Quite a common tactic that one,” the god explained. “Or, you know, just put someone loyal or at least not antagonistic in charge.”

“Sounds like you are suggesting I put in Miranda or the Fallen King,” Jake said.

“Or most others, honestly,” Villy said. “Not many on Earth view you as an enemy, and the only problem is that many of your friends and family belong to factions that are not exactly on friendly terms. But it is up to you; I have no skin in the game.”

“Yeah. I guess I will figure it out,” Jake nodded. “So, the system event?”

Villy turned a bit more serious. “This is not a normal event; just know that. The ability to change one’s path is not at all simple, and especially the opportunity to experience a secondary one is once-in-a-lifetime. Needless to say, I would heavily advise you to do it; only a moron wouldn’t. However, I am also very interested in this Seat of the Exalted Prima.”

“How so?” Jake asked. He had just assumed it was some place on Earth that would appear as part of the system event. Maybe some kind of hidden world like Yalsten?

“The Primas existed on Earth from the start. A Watcher of Earth… this feels like part of something bigger. Moreover, I have heard some rumors that other factions have investigated it already and come up short. What little they have found points to this Exalted Prima not being something simple at all, and these Seats of the Exalted Prima are appearing on every planet with sufficient life across your entire universe,” Villy explained.

“Is that abnormal? I would reckon system events appear for everyone.”

“It is just the entire way it is designed,” the Viper shook his head. “A Seat of something is often only the first stage. An introduction of what is to come.”

“You sound like you have an idea what it may be all about?” Jake asked.

“I do, but I won’t share more than I already have. Just focus on the events as represented and participate in all those you can. All of these system events are golden opportunities to a new universe, and missing even a single one is a huge waste,” Villy said.

“I have been thinking,” Jake began, “how hard are titles to obtain? I got one from the Tutorial and one from the Treasure Hunt, all giving percentage stat-increases, so won’t someone who has done dozens of these events just be downright overpowered for their level?”

“They would be,” the Viper agreed as he grinned. “Such as the Chosen sitting right in front of me. You underestimate how hard titles are to obtain. Every single chance to get one is an unmissable event. This even ignores the massive amount of Records associated with every title gained from these events.”

“How rare are system events outside of system integrations?”

“Rare, but it, of course, varies. Some are small, some are large, some can be attended at all times, some are time-limited, but most are once-in-forever. Many titles do exist that just give minor benefits with no percentage increases, but perhaps a few stats or other small bonuses. Some titles are gained by everyone, such as the evolution titles and the dungeon-related ones,” the snake god said. “Not that it matters much. As you are right now, you are well ahead of the curve, and if you just keep doing as you are right now, you will stay ahead.”

“I do feel like my level has stagnated a little, though,” Jake admitted. “Many people at the World Congress were catching up.”

It was the truth. Especially someone like the King. Jake and the King had been at the same level only a few months ago, but now the Unique Lifeform had him beaten badly. Jake knew the reasons why, as he was shoring up weaknesses and “solidifying his fundamentals,” as people kept saying, but it still felt bad.

“You haven’t stagnated. Trust me, stagnation is when you stop gaining levels at all, or it becomes difficult and takes a long-ass time for every one of them. Level-up rates also vary. You will come to experience that as you shore up your weaknesses and shortcomings, the levels will come to you faster and easier, and you won’t hit a wall. Many of those who rush their levels will hit a wall or end up taking a worse evolution.”

“So, you are saying the Fallen King will be in trouble?” Jake asked a bit teasingly.

“Maybe,” Villy said, fully serious. “Even a Unique Lifeforms will reach walls and have to overcome challenges. Every evolution is difficult for them, and if they fail to live up to expectations, they will be stuck in their current grades forever. No one has an easy path to godhood; all need to struggle.”

Jake sighed. “Guess I do feel a bit better now.”

“Ah, but I would advise you to begin to get some levels under your belt. You are so far off stagnation as you are right now that it isn’t a worry. While it is true that rushing might bite you in the ass, that will only happen to you if you overdo it. So I think it is time for you to make a push in levels. Meanwhile, I will work on a better solution for when you go to Earth and back here,” the Viper said. Jake didn’t even have to ask. He had planned on asking for a better teleportation solution, but the Viper clearly inferred this from the talk before.

“One that can work outside of Haven?” Jake asked.

“Well, that is the plan. Your little friend I blessed will need to help, though. I still need that monument as a beacon, so I guess it is time to put him to work again,” Villy said with a smirk.

“Wait, what has Chris even been doing all this time?”

“Eh, a bit of maintenance work, I guess? I don’t really bother with him,” the Viper shrugged. “Jake, after my return, I gave out blessings in the millions. I don’t keep track of every minor insignificant character.”

“No, I am just saying, the guy was lost, and you put him on a Path. Only feels right to take some responsibility,” Jake argued.

“Then bring him to the Order once he is done with his tasks on Earth,” Villy just shrugged again. “Here, he can find plenty of things to do. He still needs to remain in your little city for now, but in the future, just bring him along.”

“Alright,” Jake agreed. Originally he didn’t want to bring Chris as he went to do alchemy, but by now, he realized it wouldn’t matter. Even as a Builder, Chris could easily find his place in the Order. “Now, with all of that settled, I guess it is time to get some alchemy done.”

Jake only had lessons for the next week. After that, he hadn’t booked more as he had predicted the World Congress would lead to some changes. Even the ones the rest of this week, he didn’t really need to attend. There were so many lessons that it really didn’t matter when Jake took them or even if he delayed. He also had infinite Academy Credits, so he didn’t care about missing stuff.

“Just one piece of advice,” Villy said. “Pay a visit to the Nalkar House.”

“The vampires?” Jake asked as he remembered. “The High-tier Token.”

He instantly took it out as the Viper nodded.

[High-tier Alchemy Token of the Malefic Order (Legendary)] – A token created by the Order of the Malefic Viper. This token represents a deal made with the Nalkar vampire line to grant a set number of the Nalkar Clan vampires membership to the Order and includes a set number of benefits. This token has never been turned in, and doing so may lead to certain rewards. Gives off an aura that encourages growth in toxic alchemical products.

“If you are going to do a leveling push, you need materials. You obtained that token yourself, so go use that to exchange it with the Nalkar House. Trust me, they will be more than happy to,” Villy explained as he made a slightly mischievous smile.

Jake suddenly remembered the original plan to use this token when he originally entered the academy as a cover of sorts. It turned out that was utterly unnecessary due to the plans the Viper made and how the Order worked. Jake had just been swept up by everything and completely forgotten it. Reika had obviously forgotten too, making him feel a bit better about it.

“Well, then I guess it is time to visit a vampire house.”