The Primal Hunter Chapter 1242 - Bee-Grade Preparations

Vesperia woke from her rest, rising within a pool of viscous fluid that clung to her skin. Although she could feel its potent energies still permeating her flesh, she had hit a point of saturation for the time being, gaining almost nothing more from the soak.

Stepping out of the liquid, she triggered a soft pulse of power to cleanse her body and tidy her appearance before departing the high-security vault. A quick glance at her status menu revealed that this session in the pool had granted her eleven levels. It was a solid gain, particularly since she had only been inside for a single month.

Her final drive toward B-grade was truly underway now, with only four levels remaining. Part of her had wished to hit the peak of C-grade just to glimpse her evolution quest, but she recognized that such an expectation was probably unrealistic. Furthermore, she had several tasks to complete before she could undergo her evolution.

“Your advancement never ceases to astonish me,” a familiar voice remarked from ahead. Her fellow True Royal had just teleported into the area. “I had my doubts about whether your journey to Nevermore was truly a bright idea, but looking at these results, I can only admit I was wrong.”

“You have my thanks. However, Odonestra, I must ask why you are the only one of my sisters who ever comes to visit?” Vesperia questioned the Grand Hive Queen of the Endless Empire.

“Are you unhappy that it is just me?” Odonestra replied with a playful smile. “Because if you were, I am certain they would all be thrilled to arrive shortly. Truly, I am frequently questioned about you; they are all quite curious regarding the pace of your improvement.”

“I was only making a joke,” Vesperia answered, shaking her head. While it was a fact that Odonestra was the only Grand Hive Queen who visited frequently, Vesperia still maintained plenty of contact with other Hive Queens, particularly those under her command within the Vespernat Lineage.

“Be cautious with your jests, or I might take them to heart one day,” Odonestra countered with her own smile. “But if there was any real worry in your heart, let me put it to rest. As gods, our sense of time is naturally distorted. We all hold the belief that you will one day ascend in power to stand among us. At that point, time will no longer be a concern for any of us.”

“That is quite the vote of confidence,” Vesperia remarked, though she did not disagree. To a commoner, talking about achieving godhood would sound like the delusions of a madman, but Vesperia didn't view it that way. To her, it was an inevitability. A duty. If she failed, she would simply have to leave behind True Royal descendants capable of becoming a god.

In such a scenario, her offspring would inherit many of Vesperia’s own memories, just as she had received the memories of the Vesperia who perished many ages ago. They were all linked through their Records and Lineage; even if this specific version of Vesperia fell short, the next iteration would succeed. Not that she had any intention of failing.

“We all have faith in you,” Odonestra stated. “However, that isn't the reason for my visit today. You requested that I monitor any news concerning the Chosen of the Malefic Viper. While this report is a bit old, I believe you will be very pleased to hear it. He has successfully taken down a True Dragon—a member of the Lumenflight who was recently cast out from the Dragonflight.”

Vesperia arched an eyebrow, though the news didn't truly shock her. “Sire continues to be impressive. It puts a lot of pressure on me if I wish to keep pace with him and remain a valuable presence in his life.”

She was well aware that Jake didn’t actually demand or necessarily want anything from his creations, but that didn’t stop Vesperia and the others from harboring their own internal drive to be useful. Vesperia also suspected that the Records they inherited from Jake played a role in why all his creations felt such an innate hunger for growth and power. Then again, most members of powerful races possessed an instinctive urge to improve, so it might just be natural.

“Speaking of being useful, we have finally started to get a clear picture of how many Administrator Candidates for the Seat of the Exalted Prima exist in this new universe. I would say the Endless Empire is exceptionally well-placed to be a serious contender in the coming conflict,” Odonestra said, earning a nod from Vesperia.

Numerous planets had been seized by the native ectognamorph populations that emerged after the system’s arrival. They were often the only monster groups with genuine cohesion, and the Endless Empire’s aggressive tactics in finding and blessing those of their Lineages had proven to be a highly effective strategy.

Furthermore, while the majority of Administrator Candidates were originally from the enlightened races, monsters were eligible as well. Many Hive Queens had secured these qualifications, and several galaxies were already essentially ruled by the Endless Empire following the Prima Guardian event.

“I assume from what you're saying that my proposal was approved?” Vesperia inquired.

“There was some resistance, yes, but ultimately it was decided to proceed with your strategy,” Odonestra confirmed with a nod. “The specifics still require negotiation, and we remain uncertain if the Order of the Malefic Viper will even agree.”

“Do not bother negotiating with the Order directly; speak only with the Malefic One himself. Or at least someone who truly speaks on his behalf,” Vesperia advised, shaking her head.

Odonestra frowned. “Avoid approaching the Order directly? What would that achieve? If the Chosen is successful—”

“He will be the one to claim it. In a personal capacity,” Vesperia stated with total conviction. “While he and the Order are connected, do not mistake them for being the same thing. The Malefic Viper and my sire are two distinct entities collaborating for mutual gain, but they act as equals. This means that if my sire claims the World Wonder, it belongs to him, not the Order. The Order will surely see massive benefits from the association, but the actual ownership should not be confused.”

“If you are certain, then so be it,” Odonestra agreed. “Though it does make things a bit more complicated.”

“I think keeping things simple is our best path, and nailing down every minor detail isn't critical yet. As long as we trust them to make us whole, there is no reason to worry… and I trust my sire completely,” Vesperia said.

“Very well,” the other True Royal sighed. “I will pass on your words, and if everything goes smoothly, it will be made official.”

“Good luck, and I realize I am asking a lot of you,” Vesperia said with an apologetic tone.

“And yet, everyone agrees this is likely the superior approach,” Odonestra replied, shaking her head. “While the Endless Empire could likely do well on its own, if we tried to compete for the power of the Exalted Prima, we would eventually have to face your sire. That is a battle that, even if we somehow won, would probably cause us more harm in the long run.”

Vesperia nodded. To the Endless Empire, preserving a positive relationship with her sire was far too vital, even if it meant yielding ground in the race for a World Wonder. That was the logic behind Vesperia’s proposal: instead of fighting for the World Wonder alone, they would ally with her sire and, by extension, the Order of the Malefic Viper.

It was a virtually unheard-of move for a faction that almost never formed open alliances, but in this unique case, it seemed like the most logical way to handle the looming battle for the power of the Exalted Prima.

Though the actual conflict had not yet begun and the B-grades of this generation were only just starting their evolutions, the planning and strategy for the World Wonder were already in full swing across the cosmos. No faction wanted to enter the fray unprepared.

The colossus of living armor slowly collapsed, its knees too eaten away by corrosion to hold its bulk. It made one last attempt to stand, venting a final surge of energy, but an arrow coated in destructive arcane mana pierced its chest. Another hole was blown through it, finally draining the creature of its energy and sealing its fate.

Jake touched down in front of the two-hundred-meter-tall monster and let out a heavy sigh. He had escaped with only minor injuries, but his resource pools were depleted due to the extreme length of the encounter.

This massive living suit of armor had only appeared after Jake had destroyed all the smaller armor sets, at which point they merged into this final B-grade protector. The concept was a bit uninspired, but at least the dungeon was short; Jake had cleared the entire place in just a week.

Reviewing his logs, Jake noted that this dungeon boss had only just managed to qualify as a B-grade, which wasn't shocking. Its only real strength was its incredible toughness.

Even so, for a B-grade, it hadn't been a bad fight, though it certainly wasn't a True Dragon. Dungeon bosses often possessed unique traits not found in the wild, the most common being their ridiculous durability. This made them more difficult for their level, which in turn meant a higher experience payout.

The subsequent notifications confirmed this, as he had leveled up again. This brought his total to six levels gained over the last eight dungeons.

It was a significant amount of growth, but considering Jake had been grinding through dungeons like a fanatic for eighteen months, it wasn't overly shocking. He also had to give Villy credit for doing a fantastic job picking out the locations.

None of the dungeons were overly gimmicky or short on action; most simply required Jake to kill everything he saw. This also meant they were somewhat repetitive, as they usually involved slaughtering weak C-grades for weeks before finally reaching the B-grade boss.

The highlight had been a dungeon featuring ten bosses, each accompanied by only two other peak C-grades. There wasn't even a final boss in that one; instead, killing one B-grade alerted the others, causing the nearest one to start hunting him. Naturally, Jake was always long gone before they arrived. That dungeon alone had given him nearly two full levels.

On the other hand, the worst experience was—to the surprise of no one—an underwater dungeon. Did Jake suspect the wicked snake god had picked an underwater map just to mess with him? No, he didn't suspect it.

He knew for a fact Villy had chosen it specifically to annoy him.

What made it truly irritating was that Jake couldn't even stay mad, because he honestly did need the practice fighting submerged or in hostile environments. He also discovered that his Unblemished Arrows skill was incredibly powerful underwater, allowing his projectiles to travel almost as effectively as they did through the air.

The battle against the massive B-grade octopus had been incredibly difficult, but fortunately, the creature had a low resistance to poison. Jake was able to saturate its system with toxins while sniping it from a distance.

Another perk of these dungeons was the variety of environments he had to navigate. In that regard, it felt a bit like Nevermore, likely because Nevermore’s floors were essentially just a series of themed, connected dungeons.

However, Nevermore floors were vastly larger and felt like actual worlds, whereas the eight dungeons Jake had just finished definitely felt like traditional dungeons.

Shaking off his thoughts, Jake stopped daydreaming and searched the armored guardian for loot. He found a core of ancient rarity, and upon the final completion of the dungeon, he received an epic rarity plate helmet along with some ore.

That was another pattern Jake had noticed: the loot in these dungeons was usually mediocre, at least regarding gear. From what Jake understood, finished weapons and armor were becoming rarer, replaced by materials for crafters. In some cases, only raw materials dropped at all. It was a depressing trend.

Finished with the area, Jake stepped through a massive metal portal. A moment later, he was standing outside an identical gate in the center of a desolate, ancient city. He was perched at a castle atop a mountain, looking down at a sprawling metropolis filled with D- and C-grade undead as far as he could see.

If Jake were a lower level, this would have been a fantastic hunting ground, but with the dungeon done, he had no reason to stay. He took a moment to confirm that his Pioneer title had leveled up before leaving.

[Dungeon Pioneer XIV]: Be the first to clear a dungeon suitable for your level. +168 all stats.

With a satisfied nod, Jake reached out to the snake god via their telepathic link.

"All done," Jake said, knowing the god was waiting for the update.

"And how was it?" the snake god asked.

"A bit dull, but the experience was good," Jake offered his honest assessment.

"I see," Villy replied. "Do you want to continue? I have more locations marked."

Jake shook his head. "No, I think I've had enough of these for a while."

"Understood," the Viper said, and Jake believed he was actually making a note of it. All the dungeons Jake had been clearing were located within the growing territory of the Order of the Malefic Viper. Since C-grade dungeons featuring B-grade bosses were rare, they were treated as vital strategic resources.

"So, what's next on the agenda?" Jake asked, stretching his neck.

"I think it's time for one final challenge before we head back," the Viper suggested.

Jake raised an eyebrow, catching the implication. "The last one?"

"Exactly. The big one," the Viper confirmed.

"Let's do it," Jake said with a nod. Shortly after, he was back at the Order of the Malefic Viper's headquarters. Within a minute, the snake god teleported to his private residence.

“Are you ready for your final dungeon?” Villy asked as he and Jake walked onto the lawn, where the god had already etched a magic circle.

“I’m telling you, if this is another underwater map, I’m going straight to Valdemar the moment I get out to see if he needs a Chosen,” Jake joked, though only half-seriously.

“It won’t be,” the Primordial laughed, though Jake sensed he took the threat at least a little seriously. “I should warn you that my intel on this one is a bit thin, but I’m confident you’ll figure it out once you’re inside.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jake waved him off. “Just send me in, Villy.”

“Very well,” the Primordial said, raising his hand as the magic circle began to glow with intense power. “I hope you find it entertaining... and I know I’m not the only one.”

Before Jake could ask for clarification, he was pulled through the void, returning to his own universe once more. He wasn't just back in his universe, however; he had arrived at a very familiar place, with a very familiar face already waiting for him...