The Primal Hunter Chapter 1252 - Questionable Dungeon Design

Jake had been bracing himself for some secret third stage or surprise like that, yet as time passed without incident, nothing stirred. Noticing Jake's continued vigilance and his active boosting skill, Casper called out from above while ascending.

“We’re finished!” the Risen announced, having already dropped his own enhancement ability, appearing somewhat drained from the effort. “I sense something has opened up on the ziggurat's peak. Probably a path ahead or a hint toward finishing the dungeon's goal.”

With that in mind, Jake gave a nod and shut off Arcane Awakening. He gestured for the Risen to come along, then soared to the top of the ziggurat and settled into a meditative position right away.

Casper arrived shortly, casting a few looks at the hunter. “Mind telling me what the hell that move was? Your freshly upgraded super-rare skill, right?”

“Nope, not my sacred rarity skill,” Jake replied. The Risen stayed calm, just lifting a brow in mild irritation, like Jake was dragging his feet on purpose.

“Actually, it’s the capstone skill from my class at level 320,” Jake clarified, speaking loud enough this time for the Risen to catch it. “Kinda obvious question too, since if it were that, you wouldn’t hear my response anyway.”

“Sure, sure,” Casper dismissed with a wave. “But seriously, what was that thing?”

“Tough to put into words,” Jake replied, shaking his head with a sigh. “Let’s just say it’s incredibly powerful and lets me zero in on a foe while boosting my strikes even further.”

“Sounds like there’s deeper layers to it,” Casper murmured. “Event Horizon, huh? From the title alone, does it tie into black holes? I wondered if it linked to light magic somehow, but that seems off.”

For a moment, Jake was caught off guard by Casper knowing his skill's name—or at least a chunk of it—until he recalled needing to utter Words of Power to trigger it, broadcasting it everywhere. Yeah, Jake was relieved he didn’t rely on many such abilities, as shouting attack names in battle still felt ridiculous to him.

“Can’t say it connects to those directly,” Jake responded, pondering briefly. “It revolves around the idea of the Event Horizon. What that boundary signifies, and how I fit into its framework.”

“Got it, so a skill packed with abstract concepts that defy any rational breakdown,” Casper agreed with a nod. “Still, one last thing... why did firing it up feel like more than just tagging an enemy? During activation, I got this strange vibe, super brief but deeply disturbing... trouble is, the sensation’s already fading from memory. Almost eldritch, that element, though I’ve dealt with real eldritch horrors, and this didn’t match.”

“I could attempt an explanation, but I’d rather not,” Jake said, flashing a light teasing grin. “Not to hoard secrets or anything, but I doubt I could make it satisfying.”

“Whatever, hold onto your mysteries,” Casper brushed it off. “Time to recover and see what Minaga’s got next for us.”

With those words, Casper pulled out a potion from his stash and gulped it down fast before slipping into meditation to speed his return to peak condition.

Jake agreed with a nod, thankful to dodge detailing Event Horizon as he shut his eyes and focused inward. He’d burned through some resources, sure, but potions weren’t necessary for him.

His meditation wrapped up in roughly an hour, leaving Jake refreshed and alert as he rose, stretched, and glanced at Casper. The Risen remained deep in trance. Recovery would drag for him due to heavier wounds from the battle, but mainly because his meditation skills lagged badly behind.

With some free moments, Jake handled a task they’d overlooked in favor of rest. Inspecting the enemy remains, he noted their partial decay after just an hour, probably Casper’s doing. No worthwhile loot turned up on the guards or Guard Captain, but the Formation Master yielded a surprise.

In her grasp lay a tiny crystal envelope, and as Jake lifted and examined it, he scowled. Some seal bound it, and closer inspection revealed it was designed for deliberate breaking. Shaped like an envelope, it screamed of holding crucial details.

Nothing else caught his eye in the chamber, so Jake headed back to the ziggurat and sat with the item. Still waiting on Casper, he figured he’d tackle the seal, betting Minaga wouldn’t craft it to block access to whatever gem waited inside. No chance Minaga would skip chances to share his ramblings, spoken or inscribed, in his dungeons.

Channeling a touch of mana into the enchanted envelope, Jake’s mind linked to it at once. Mentally, he viewed a mess of arcane threads and bizarre forms that felt disjointed. Initially baffling, but after a closer look, certain pieces seemed correctly placed while others screamed wrongness.

It evoked a puzzle from his Puzzle Box of the Seeker—an item he regretted not tinkering with more lately. The similarity to the Puzzle Box helped, spurring Jake into action swiftly.

The puzzle to release it turned out simpler than anticipated, though if it had stumped Jake, few top C-grades could crack it.

In the end, it consumed about an hour, and upon resurfacing, seal dissolved, Jake spotted Casper still lounging in meditation.

Muttering under his breath, Jake accepted the delay and fetched a cauldron to brew potions, turning wait time into skill gains and experience.

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Nearly forty minutes passed before Casper stirred and peered over. “Why does it seem like you’re brewing with some attitude right now?”

“Lyra warned you,” Jake noted, sensing the ghost’s watchful eye from mad Casper, indicating her quicker bounce-back.

“And we share emotional vibes,” Casper admitted without shame. “But no stress, I’ll hold off till you wrap up—patience is key, after all.”

Jake simply nodded, concentrating on completing the mana potion batch. Extra ones weren’t vital for him, but stocking up helped, and if needed, he could pass them to allies later.

Finished, Jake stowed his gear and bottles, then turned to the intrigued Risen eyeing the crystal envelope Jake had set nearby.

“Picked it off the Formation Master’s body,” Jake described. “Sealed tight, but I had spare time and broke it open while you took your sweet time recovering.”

“And whipped up some alchemy after?” Casper queried, brow arched. “Either you eased up before, or your Meditation outclasses mine... not that mine’s epic rarity and geared for fast healing anyway.”

“Mine’s superior,” Jake stated flatly. “Now, no more stalling. Up for checking the contents? Unless you sense a reason to hold back.”

Casper’s dungeon expertise might flag the envelope as risky, and though Jake would probably test it regardless, he valued the Risen’s input.

“I skimmed it before; it’s some recorded message,” Casper said with a shrug. “Looks harmless physically. Can’t vouch for the brain strain from Minaga’s words, though.”

“A chance we gotta roll with,” Jake laughed, grabbing the envelope and pouring in energy to activate. He tossed it down, and a figure materialized overhead.

The silhouette was blurred heavily, hiding the speaker’s features, but the following voice belonged to a male. And that quip about mental harm from Minaga’s talk hit dead center.

“My esteemed Formation Master and devoted follower, heed this assignment from me, your commander and architect of this Grand Labyrinth—it’s crucial! Should you and the other three Formation Masters fulfill your duties promptly, the Grand Labyrinth’s prime function will activate, ensuring no intruders reach the heart! Hurry now, for I dread intruders arriving, so speed is essential; if they fail to halt all four of you in time, their efforts prove futile! In a sense, they race against the clock! Yet I’m confident in your timely success, as yours is the swiftest and simplest, while I worry more for the others’ longer tasks. Upon completion, proceed via the concealed teleporter on the ziggurat to aid the next Formation Master with the second-easiest role. Oh, and don’t forget to erase this recording after viewing, lest an intruder obtains it and jeopardizes our plans.”

The overly drawn-out monologue ended, the image vanished, and the envelope sealed anew.

Jake and Casper sat quiet for moments before the Risen eyed Jake. “Want me to break the seal this round for a replay?”

“Only if you pierce my ears with stakes first,” Jake grumbled. “A firm one out of ten, yeah?”

“If zero’s off-limits, absolutely,” Casper concurred fully. “But... it did drop some handy info. The dungeon’s on a timer, there’s a secret device here to advance, and three more mini-bosses like this await before the core boss.”

“You buy the timer bit?” Jake questioned, brow lifted. “Her finishing right amid our battle feels too convenient. Like it was staged that way.”

“Wouldn’t shock me if it’s fake urgency,” Casper mused after a pause.

“Reminds me of game quests yelling ‘hurry up,’ then letting you wander for weeks on side stuff without penalty,” Jake remarked, shaking his head.

“Biggest clue is Minaga wouldn’t gate content behind optional failure,” Casper shrugged. “Doesn’t change much, though—we won’t dawdle to verify.”

“Not sure, given your marathon meditations...” Jake jabbed with a playful smirk.

“Ha ha, hilarious,” Casper rolled his eyes. “Now I’m wounded, so while I brood, mind hunting the hidden trigger to unlock the next Grand Labyrinth area?”

Jake nearly consented, but then it hit him: his Sphere and Pulse hadn’t detected anything concealed. The recording was his first hint. Catching Casper’s smug glance, Jake exhaled.

“My regrets, wise Dungeon Engineer—care to share your wisdom and aid this dungeon run?” Jake droned in his dullest tone.

“If you beg so nicely,” Casper grinned, gliding down the ziggurat’s face to a plain wall, Jake trailing. He pressed his palm there, channeling energy to summon a magic circle. A twist of his hand turned it like a dial, and suddenly, a standard teleportation circle glowed atop the structure.

Returning to the summit, Jake eyed the circle and groaned. “Minaga stashed all that just to mess with me, right?”

“Count on it,” Casper snickered. “And yeah, random groups need an easier hunt for these. Your detection’s sharp, Bloodline aside, yet you miss them up close. Solo, you’d be mana-poking walls blindly till luck struck.”

“Trash design, no doubt,” Jake griped, docking another point from the dungeon’s score. He figured it was underwater now.

“Let’s soften the critique,” Casper suggested with a smile. “Say the dungeon features some iffy choices. No need to bruise Minaga’s ego further.”

“Bet Minaga’d prefer straight ‘it sucks’ over polite jabs,” Jake countered with a shrug.

“Without question,” Casper flashed a sly grin, fully on board.

“Not helping the Risen look less villainous,” Jake chided, shaking his head.

“Says the Malefic Viper’s Chosen,” Casper fired back. “Enough chat—portal time! Three Formation Masters and a big boss left.”

Jake concurred, and fully restored, they triggered the circle without delay. Space twisted around them, depositing the pair on a elevated stone ledge smack in another vast corridor, floor dropping below and barrier-capped sky overhead kilometers high.

Their dungeon strategy stayed straightforward, per Casper. From now, it meant slaying remaining Formation Masters while navigating the Grand Labyrinth, facing tougher average foes as they progressed.

“Left or right?” Casper wondered, with paths branching both ways.

Jake had sent out a Perception Pulse, eyes widening at the instant read.

“Left... and sprint,” Jake urged.

“What’s the hur—”

At that instant, something rounded the right hall’s corner, its eerie glow lighting the dark metal as it barreled forward, devouring all in reach.

The enormous sphere clogged the passage, and as they fled desperately, a shadow pursued on the lower ground, thrown by five etched letters on its surface:

Jones