The Primal Hunter Chapter 1224 - Distraction, Consolidation & Enlightenment

Jake required a brief moment to digest that information. The most dominant organization in the multiverse’s history was being represented by a species Jake didn’t even recognize. Adding to his confusion was the high probability that this individual was enlightened; Villy historically harbored a distaste for the enlightened, yet here he was, engaged in a partnership with one.

“Provided you honor your oaths and our collaboration remains mutually advantageous, there is no cause for its dissolution,” the peculiar mechanical man replied.

“See, that’s exactly why I enjoy your company. You’re easy to communicate with and remarkably blunt about your desires without getting bogged down in useless sentimentality,” the future Primordial remarked with a chuckle and a shake of his head.

“Now, it would probably be wise for us to depart from this location sooner rather than later.”

“Indubitably,” the mechanical man agreed with a nod. “The alliance has undoubtedly already sent a team to investigate, and the Golden Road Emporium is unlikely to tolerate this result; they will demand restitution if we are identified as the ones responsible.”

“Precisely,” the Viper agreed once more. “I trust you have one of those devices?”

The figure who supposedly belonged to the universe's most elite race showed his hand again as the liquid metal shifted into a nine-fingered hand clutching a strange apparatus. Without uttering a word, he tossed the object away, and a split second later, the fabric of space tore open, creating what appeared to be a rift in reality.

“After you,” the Viper suggested playfully.

“There is no profit to be gained from harming you,” the man remarked, casting a glance toward the dragon.

“Oh, I’m aware. Regardless, you first,” the Viper pushed.

Choosing not to argue, the mechanical man simply nodded and stepped into the spatial rift. The Viper grinned as he moved toward the opening, but just before crossing the threshold, he pulled an object from his spatial storage and dropped it toward the barren world below.

Wearing a mischievous smirk, he followed the mechanical man as both vanished to parts unknown. Jake wasn't entirely certain what the Viper had discarded at the very end, only that it resembled a strange metallic sheet. He attempted to peer further, but as soon as the Viper passed through the gateway, his link to his Patron’s younger self snapped, and the vision began to fade rapidly.

Jake started to prepare himself for the immediate aftermath. The Path of the Heretic-Chosen was concluding, meaning the system-provided mental shielding that had kept him focused would soon vanish. Though he had assimilated a significant portion of the concepts saturating his form, the process wasn't complete. He needed to fully stabilize his state before he could safely withdraw his consciousness and return to reality.

Only a single step remained for all his schemes to bear fruit, potentially yielding a result even greater than his initial expectations. Naturally, that final step was far from simple. With a focused mind, the vision dissolved, and his consciousness returned to his body.

--

“You told me to stay put, but where did he—” Artemis was speaking, her voice tinged with panic after Jake had vanished from the room through a method she, despite being a Godqueen, couldn't quite pinpoint.

Right then, Jake reappeared. Upon his return, a violent surge of the Malefic Viper’s aura saturated the chamber, mingling with the faint divine pressure radiating from Jake’s upgraded Meditate skill.

Artemis had a mountain of questions, but before she could voice them, she sensed something else.

“His soul...”

“Yeah, looks like it worked,” the Malefic Viper noted with a proud nod, seemingly deciding to explain the situation to Artemis. “A rather clever strategy, I must admit. He intentionally shattered my makeshift repairs to gain unrestricted access to the damaged skill. Combined with the massive influx of universal insights from absorbing those concepts, he utilized that unique skill of his while centering it on Palate. In the process, he restored the Records he lost when the skill first broke and even managed to acquire some new ones.”

“I’m still not entirely certain what Jake accomplished, but based on that short summary, it sounds incredibly reckless and could have failed in a dozen different ways,” Artemis remarked with a sigh of exasperation.

“Oh, absolutely. I’m honestly impressed it went so smoothly, but you have to give him credit. Besides, this is just how Jake operates. High stakes for high returns,” the Malefic Viper said, chuckling softly.

“True...” Artemis sighed, unable to dispute the claim. “Now we just have to hope he can synthesize everything and wake up.”

“Indeed,” the Viper agreed. “Man, wouldn’t it be hilarious if he somehow managed to screw up right at this—”

Artemis shot the Viper a glare so sharp it forced even the Primordial to stop mid-sentence, raising his hands in a defensive gesture. “As I was saying, I’m sure he’ll return any moment now.”

--

Jake’s consciousness settled back into the strange realm he had accessed using his Truesoul as a bridge. He had a faint awareness that his physical form had returned, but his priority remained maintaining his mental stability.

By instinct, his first move was to back away from the massive, fractured gate. As the distance grew, the overwhelming pressure of leaking concepts lessened, allowing him a moment to collect his thoughts.

Fortunately, the vision had served its purpose. Most of the concepts that had flooded his mind were either integrated during the experience or discarded into the void.

Stray thoughts still drifted through his mind, and for some inexplicable reason, he felt he possessed a much deeper comprehension of why water felt wet or fire felt hot, along with various other trivial and mostly useless insights.

Seating himself within the strange dimension linked to his meditation, Jake focused on calming his spirit to either absorb or reject the remaining concepts. After some time, however, he realized a total purge was impossible due to the constant flow from the gate.

For every thought he expelled, a new one would take its place just as quickly. To be clear, this wasn't an entirely negative outcome. This was precisely the result he had wanted from the skill evolution, though a part of him had hoped for a bit more control over the flow.

He could only fathom the horror of existing in this space without the gate's protection. His mind would have been drowned in a tide of high-level concepts, erasing his sense of self instantly. Even now, he could feel the lingering echoes of that danger.

To understand higher concepts, one had to merge with the world, but doing so carried the risk of losing the ability to distinguish oneself from nature. There was undoubtedly some profound philosophy involved, but in typical Jake fashion, he preferred not to overthink it. In fact, this brief encounter confirmed exactly how he wanted to approach the comprehension of concepts in the future.

Jake simply wasn't the type to spend centuries in contemplation searching for hidden meanings. He wasn't a monk from the Dao Sect, and while he would likely endure many lengthy meditation sessions ahead, he would trust his instincts over philosophy.

Gradually, Jake made headway, though he understood it would simply take time to fully process the concepts still lingering in his mind. Since he wasn't trying to deeply comprehend them all, he decided to occupy his mind with something else to pass the time:

Inspecting his newly evolved Palate of the Malefic Viper.

Opening the description, Jake studied it intently, comparing the text to the previous version of the skill.

[Palate of the Malefic Viper (Mythical)]: The Malefic Viper has eternally refined his Path by consuming countless toxins, treasures, and the very laws of nature found across the multiverse. Similarly, the Alchemist of the Malefic Viper can ingest toxins and most beneficial alchemical components to decipher their properties and effects, while gaining increased efficacy from all consumed potions. Natural treasures can be eaten and refined at a high speed through your current level of Touch of the Malefic Viper (Legendary). Non-toxic items will still be refined, albeit more slowly. This allows you to identify the traits of any treasure within your stomach as it undergoes refinement. The Alchemist may fully consume an ingested item, destroying it if possible. If an item is indestructible or its destruction is too volatile, the Alchemist will suffer a backlash and potential damage to the internal space. Furthermore, the alchemist can ingest energies and concepts from the environment to fill his internal stomach, allowing him to alter the internal conditions. Swallowed items will gradually absorb compatible Records and concepts within the internal space, further empowering them and facilitating their improvement or evolution. Ingested concepts and energies will slowly be assimilated or dissipate over time. Grants immunity or high resistance to most poisons. Passively grants 9 Endurance per level in Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper (C-grade variant). Through perpetual consumption, may your strength flourish; through gluttony, may your Records and wisdom expand as you consume the world.

The changes were extensive, which was expected given the leap in rarity. The flavor text had been polished, removing some old phrasing, but it remained perhaps the lengthiest description in Jake's collection. That didn't bother him; he didn't spend his days reading skill logs, and a longer description usually meant more utility. The only things that truly mattered to him were the functional changes to the skill's effects.

A major addition was the capacity to swallow energies and concepts, mirroring the Malefic Viper’s own abilities. While Jake likely couldn't drain a whole planet yet, he was now a significant threat in his own right.

He felt that if he truly applied himself, he could achieve something previously impossible: the creation of desolation. The prospect was slightly daunting, and Jake intended to test it in a controlled setting later.

As a side note, Jake realized he couldn't actually consume the concepts within this golden gate realm, as he wasn't technically physically present. He was there, yet he wasn't. It was complicated.

Regardless, Jake knew through his instinctive understanding that this evolution offered more than just filling his stomach with energy. It provided him with much greater control over the internal space as a secondary effect, allowing him to sort and purge any undesirable elements he took in.

In some respects, Jake might even surpass the Viper in this area due to his arcane affinity. His arcane affinity was the only one he knew of that could be made completely non-reactive. With stable arcane energy, he could isolate specific elements with extreme accuracy. Once isolated, he could introduce the destructive version of his arcane affinity—a variant that reacted violently with everything to annihilate it.

This capacity for isolation and control was more vital than ever because of another massive change: the restriction of consuming only one item at a time had vanished.

His internal stomach had expanded and strengthened significantly, allowing him to swallow not only more powerful treasures but more of them simultaneously... at least in theory. Instead of a hard count on items, it felt more like a limit on the total combined energy density of everything held within.

Essentially, Jake could gulp down an entire lake’s worth of common herbs if he wanted, but he still couldn't handle a single item that was too far beyond his current power level.

Speaking of powerful items... the reason Jake still felt "full" was due to his previous meal. As a reminder, Jake had partially broken his Palate of the Malefic Viper because he had tried to eat half of a desolation-tainted World Core.

Honestly, Jake had been concerned that even a fixed Palate wouldn't be enough to handle that core. However, he was relieved to find that was no longer an issue. He had been far too weak to digest it originally, but now? Now, Jake was fully capable of not just holding it, but refining it to extract its benefits.

It was probably a stroke of luck that he had pushed for the mythical rarity; otherwise, he might not have been able to stomach the core at all.

There were a few more details to the upgrade. The description now indicated that absorbed items could evolve, a possibility Jake hadn't even considered. This meant he could eat something of lower rarity and potentially guide its growth into something legendary.

With his ability to customize the internal environment, he could practically dictate the evolutionary path of his "food." Jake saw immense potential there. That was likely the most significant aspect of this evolution; it opened doors for the future, even if the immediate utility wasn't yet fully realized.

Naturally, all existing parts of the skill had been buffed. His ability to learn from poisons was sharper, and the bonuses from drinking potions were even better.

Comparing the old and new versions again, Jake spotted one more subtle but important change. Previously, the skill claimed that failing to instantly consume a treasure "would" cause a backlash and damage his internal space. Now, it said he "may" suffer damage. A single word change, yet it spoke volumes about the newfound durability of his internal stomach.

Jake was eager to explore the limits of what he could eat and expand his horizons... but that was a task for another time. Now, it was time to leave this strange void. As he refocused on his soul, he realized the lingering concepts had mostly been cleared.

Having used the time to distract himself, Jake found his mind perfectly clear. He took a deep breath. With eyes wide open, he gazed at the colossal gate one last time, consolidating his insights and training. Everything converged as his body radiated power; success was finally within reach.

As Jake was wrapped in this surge of energy and felt himself harmonize with the realm and the golden gate, something shifted. In his peripheral vision, he saw a few golden pages drifting through the void, fluttering as they emitted soft pulses of power. Jake let out a small smile and offered a silent word of gratitude before closing his eyes, determined to be fully awake when he next opened them.