The Primal Hunter Chapter 1244 - Invasive Personal Questions

Jake remained bewildered by the Unique Lifeform’s intense fascination, particularly when he recalled one specific detail…

“Weren’t you already aware of this?” Jake questioned. Minaga had been present during his time at the Pantheon of Life, and Jake was fairly certain the entity knew exactly what was developing between him and the goddess.

“I don’t see how that matters,” Minaga shot back. “Furthermore, even if you claim I knew, this specific version of me doesn’t. Besides, can you really fault me for wanting to hear the juicy details straight from the source?”

Jake was prepared to argue that he could indeed fault him, but Casper interrupted. “Now I feel like the only person left in the dark… seriously, what happened? Who is she?”

“It’s—” Jake started to explain, but Minaga cut him off instantly.

“Don’t tell him!” the Unique Lifeform shouted, a mischievous grin appearing as he turned to Casper. “You should try to guess.”

Casper looked at Minaga and then shook his head in frustration. “How am I supposed to figure that out? I’m terrible at these games.”

“That’s exactly why it’s entertaining to watch you try,” Minaga insisted. By now, Jake’s own curiosity was piqued, and he joined the Unique Lifeform in staring down the Risen.

The poor man stood silently for a moment, eyes closed in concentration, before finally speaking.

“Alright, looking at the women in your immediate circle, let’s rule some out. It’s not Miranda; I would have heard about that, and I don’t think she’s interested anyway. You had something with Carmen once, but she’d sooner punch you than enter an official relationship. Then there’s that succubus Irin or the new Chosen of Duskleaf, but since they were your subordinates, I don’t see it happening. That leaves a few others, maybe Reika or Maria, but… no. I’m crossing off all your creations because… well, gross. Finally, there’s Dina from your Nevermore Party, but she seemed to have zero interest in you.”

Jake watched Casper, who was sounding remarkably like Jacob with his clinical analysis of Jake’s social life. He had been entirely accurate thus far, and as he continued, his deductions remained perfectly on target.

“Then there are the crowds wanting to get close to you for your Bloodline or your position as the Chosen of the Malefic Viper. I’m sure there are plenty, but I’m confident none of them would catch your eye. I doubt the Malefic One would even permit an official union with them. So… my conclusion is that it’s someone I don’t personally know. Based on your personality, she must be significantly stronger than you. Definitely above C-grade, maybe even higher. Since you mentioned Minaga knew and you two visited the Pantheon of Life together, I’d bet it happened there. Whoever she is, she has high status within the Pantheon of Life.”

Jake was absolutely stunned. His old coworker and friend had never displayed this level of relationship intuition before. Then again, should it really be a surprise that Casper had evolved during the long years since the system’s arrival and—

“Thank you for the analysis, Lyra, that was very helpful,” Minaga said with a nod toward Casper.

“She says it was no problem.”

Casper wore a wide grin as he faced Jake. “So, was she right?”

“Yeah,” Jake admitted with a nod. “But that brings up a question… how does she know so much about my personal life?”

“You can’t blame a girl for keeping up with the news,” Minaga said with a shrug. “You do realize people are constantly monitoring you, trying to dig up dirt on your private life? And that there are people who love to make that information public?”

“Who could possibly be that bored?” Jake sighed, though the answer was already forming in his mind.

“The Primordial Church, for a start,” Casper explained. “They track everything related to those with high-level blessings from Primordials. As a Chosen, you’re a natural target for their curiosity. The Court of Shadows also trades in information about you. From what I’ve heard, your relationship status is one of their most requested files.”

“Ah, the burden of being the multiverse's most eligible bachelor,” Minaga remarked wistfully. “It’s quite unfair… despite my many achievements, I’ve never been pursued by so many.”

“That’s because you’re a Unique Lifeform,” Casper noted flatly.

“I know, the multiverse is full of discrimination. I truly sympathize with the struggles of the Risen, having faced similar hardships,” Minaga said, attempting to place a comforting hand on Casper’s shoulder. His hand passed right through, as he was merely a sonic projection.

Casper went back to ignoring Minaga and looked at Jake. “So, who is this mystery woman who finally caught the Chosen of the Malefic Viper?”

Deciding there was no point in hiding it, Jake simply said, “Artemis.”

The Risen stared at Jake for a beat before raising an eyebrow. “You say that like I should know who she is. There must be a thousand people with that name. Wait, isn't there a goddess named that?”

Jake remained silent, watching as the realization slowly dawned on Casper’s face.

“A goddess… from the Pantheon of Life… and…” Casper finally connected the dots. “Are you serious?”

“It just sort of happened,” Jake said with a shrug.

Casper rubbed his chin, frowning in thought. “Hold on, wasn’t the Lord of the Hunt in Nevermore an avatar of Artemis? Is that where you met?”

“It was,” Jake confirmed. “Her projection contacted her true self, some things went down, and after I visited the Pantheon of Life, we talked and… well, here we are.”

“Lyra has a valid question. How are the Pantheon of Life and the Order of the Malefic Viper handling this? A Chosen of a Primordial dating a high-ranking, newly ascended Godqueen from a different Primordial faction… wouldn’t that have massive political consequences?” Casper asked for his ghostly partner, clearly curious himself.

“There are definitely consequences, but I’m not sharing the details,” Jake replied, wanting to keep the upcoming alliance between the two factions a secret.

“That’s alright, I’m already privy to those details,” Minaga chimed back in. “What I want are the personal bits. Will there be a massive wedding? Are there plans for children? Will they be homeschooled? What about all the rivals who want to break you up? Are you starting a harem? Or wait… is Artemis starting a harem?”

Casper burst out laughing, shaking his head as Jake tried to process the flood of intrusive questions. Turning to the Risen to avoid the Unique Lifeform’s interrogation, Jake frowned.

“What’s so funny?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Casper gasped, trying to stop laughing. “The image of you managing a harem… man, that’s just too hilarious to imagine.”

“I could definitely handle a harem,” Jake insisted, crossing his arms defensively.

“No, you couldn't,” Casper countered, laughing even harder. “You really couldn't.”

“Now, let’s be fair to Jake!” Minaga said, pretending to defend him. “He could certainly start a harem. Would he be miserable and fail to keep it together as it inevitably ends in catastrophe? Yes, obviously. But he could get one started.”

Jake felt targeted, but he couldn't find a way to argue. He knew any rebuttal would just lead to more teasing. He was still learning how to be a partner to a single person; according to the Sword Saint, balancing multiple relationships was a nightmare of complexity. And Jake despised unnecessary complexity.

“For the record, I never wanted one anyway,” Jake muttered, feeling a bit like a pouting child.

“Sure, because no guy has ever thought about it,” Casper joked. “But I agree, the reality of it sounds completely exhausting.”

“You still haven’t answered my other questions,” Minaga pressed.

“And I’m going to keep not answering them,” Jake replied.

“Fine… but at least tell me if there’s a wedding so I can prepare my role,” Minaga pleaded.

“You’ll find out if you get an invitation. Even then, how would you go? You’re a clone stuck in this dungeon on Earth,” Jake pointed out.

“Wow, and you called me rude? Now you’re attacking my disabilities? So what if I’m tethered to the dungeon? You could just hold the ceremony here!”

“Anyway, I’m not telling you anything else. It's called a private life for a reason,” Jake said, deciding to ignore Minaga again. “You wouldn’t appreciate me asking invasive questions about you and Lyra.”

“That’s a bold claim,” Casper said, smiling. “Have you considered I might be happy to share? Because let me tell you, even as a ghost, Lyra is—ouch! I was just kidding!”

Casper’s locket flashed with a spectral light, seemingly delivering a sharp shock to the Risen. Jake smiled at his friend’s antics before turning serious.

“You two are keeping this a secret, right?” Jake asked again. They had already agreed, but he wanted to be absolutely sure.

Minaga nodded, as did Casper, though the latter still looked thoughtful. “I just have to know… how does it work with her being an actual goddess and you being a mortal?”

“What do you mean?” Jake asked.

“You know… the logistics…” Casper said, scratching his head awkwardly.

Jake sighed, staring at the Risen. “I don’t even know what you’re implying. I think it’s weirder that you’re dating a ghost. You realize gods are just people who’ve lived a long time and gotten incredibly strong, right?”

“I guess… but still,” Casper said, clearly embarrassed by his own thoughts. “With that power gap, if she gets too… passionate, isn’t it dangerous?”

“Actually, that’s not really an issue,” Minaga said, surprisingly providing a helpful answer. “Just as you don’t accidentally crush an E-grade person when you bump into them, truly powerful beings have an instinctive control over their surroundings. That control remains even when they lose themselves. Besides, Artemis is a Godqueen of the Pantheon of Life; I’m certain she has a Golden Leaf of Yggdrasil on hand if an accident did happen.”

Jake wanted to thank Minaga for the explanation, but he quickly changed his mind after the next sentence.

“No, the real questions are moral ones. Artemis has lived for countless eras, while Jake hasn't even hit a thousand years. She is literally a million times older. With such a massive power and age gap, can we really call this relationship ethical?” Minaga posited.

“Sure, why not?” Casper said immediately. “Who cares? With time dilation, we’re all ancient by old-world standards. The age gap is so massive it’s just ridiculous to even worry about.”

Jake nodded in agreement with Casper’s logic—

“No, if there’s a problem, it’s the maturity gap. But if we used that as a standard, Jake would never find anyone, so I think we can let it slide,” Casper added.

Jake retracted his agreement as the two continued to mock him. He much preferred it when he and Casper were teaming up against Minaga.

“Fair enough. I’m mostly just trying to cause trouble for my own amusement anyway,” Minaga admitted without shame.

“Alright, that’s enough. Can we just get to the dungeon now?” Jake asked, exasperated.

“Fine,” Casper agreed. “One last thing. I finished the Colosseum of Mortals and saw the Lord of the Hunt. I remember her presence and how she looked. Let me just say…”

Casper placed a hand on Jake’s shoulder, giving him an approving grin. “Nice.”

That single word said everything. Jake smiled back. “Yeah. You’re definitely getting a wedding invite.”

“So there IS going to be a wedding!?” Minaga screamed, but both Jake and Casper ignored him as they approached the dungeon building.

Jake finally took a good look at it. The structure housing the entrance was a large, cubical building with ornate walls and a vast interior. The actual entrance was a single gate located at the far end of the massive internal chamber.

The interior wasn't just empty space; it reminded Jake of a shopping mall, with stairs leading to multiple levels of balconies where shops could eventually be established. Jake wasn't sure of Minaga’s full plans for the space, but that was for him and Miranda to settle.

He turned to Casper to confirm.

“The big gate inside is the way in?”

“Yep,” Casper confirmed. “It’s locked right now, and you need special permission. Minaga reprogrammed it to go straight to the fifth stage, so we’ll be facing B-grades as soon as we step through.”

Jake nodded, then paused. “Wait… 'we'?”

“Yes, we,” Casper said, smiling slightly.

“What? This is an early trial run. You can't go in without a supervisor, and who better than the lead consultant?” Minaga said brightly.

Jake looked at them both and eventually shrugged. “You know what? Fine. Sounds like fun.”