The Primal Hunter Chapter 1262 - Hearty Plans

Whenever Jake made his way back to Earth, he invariably sensed an overwhelming pile of tasks demanding his attention. Was this sensation partly a result of his own habit of deliberately dodging these responsibilities on a day-to-day basis, stacking them up to tackle in one go? Absolutely, though he'd never bring himself to admit it.

Following the beta run through Minaga’s dungeon, Jake headed back to Haven for a brief catch-up session with Miranda, filling him in on the latest developments. Their routine updates had fallen by the wayside lately, largely because there simply weren't many critical events Jake had to hear about.

That didn't mean nothing was stirring. Earth's growth kept surging ahead, and the planet's inhabitants had long since surpassed the roughly eight billion from pre-system days. Despite tight controls on newcomers, arrivals poured in from various worlds across the galaxy and beyond universes, handing Miranda and her team a hefty workload.

Luckily, a solid team backed her up. The Council she'd assembled had ballooned in size, now drawing in skilled leaders from other worlds as its reach extended galaxy-wide, yet the original Earth-centric World Council members stayed put, zeroing in on home turf.

Arthur, father to Jacob and once the head of a coalition of minor groups, had truly risen to the occasion, seizing control of numerous Earth-specific duties. Multiversal diplomacy and the influx of alien races and alliances weren't his forte, but everyday administration? He excelled there without question.

This setup let Miranda zoom out to the grander scheme, skipping the nitty-gritty details. No more micromanaging urban layouts for her; she could sketch out regional boundaries and delegate the execution. Haven stayed her top priority, knowing full well it was the sole city Jake gave a damn about, given his residence there. Skyggen counted too, but the Court of Shadows oversaw that domain.

Jake caught wind of fascinating updates on Earth's booming metropolises during the chat. A twinge of fondness hit him as Miranda described Paradise's rise as a bustling commerce nexus, drawing merchant guilds to set up their main operations. In her view, it wouldn't shock her if the place soon claimed the title of planetary economic powerhouse. His last trip there had been alongside Carmen to sort her kin's issues, and Jake remained certain the casinos still barred him from entry.

Renato held the reins there still, with Sultan relocating and thriving in the scene. Jake rarely got news or sightings of either these days, but like countless others, they pursued their paths quietly offstage. None of it involved chasing mighty beasts or brewing elixirs, so Jake paid it scant mind.

Countless groups had dug in deep across the globe by now, essentially carving out their own territories in the process. Jake still pondered the long-term viability, but Miranda exuded assurance that this scattered setup was key to preserving Earth's autonomy, no matter the apparent paradoxes.

She put it this way:

“The more factions establish a foothold on Earth, the harder it becomes for any one to dominate. No big player wants to let a rival swell unchecked, so they end up policing each other. With just a handful of groups, one might grab power or a couple could conspire, but throw in the whole lot? Any lone faction aiming for total control would rile up the rest, and forging a coalition would be a nightmare. With so many involved, my intel folks should spot it coming. That's why most might figure the smartest play for staying relevant on Earth is backing a neutral overseer... us. Plenty will peg it as the Order of the Malefic Viper pulling strings, but hey, the Order's mostly hands-off to begin with.”

Evidently, Miranda had the whole strategy locked down. She'd play the shrewd overseer, keeping Jake on standby as the heavy hitter if fists needed flying. No calls for his aid right now, though—Earth's defenses outmatched every incoming wave of settlers and alliances put together.

Heavyweights like Scarlett and the Sky Whale could squash most threats solo, both at B-grade. Sure, factions might try importing B-grade natives from the ninety-third universe, but Miranda had shrewdly blocked that loophole.

All the same, if she ever tapped Jake for backup, he'd jump in without hesitation, though he suspected she'd see it as her own shortfall if direct intervention became necessary.

Once the thorough briefing with Miranda wrapped and Jake grasped the current landscape, he dropped by the cavern network under his home to see Rick the troll and his brood. He frolicked briefly in the garden, spotting how Rick had burrowed it deeper via the passages, forging a vast subterranean paradise for the family to tend. The young ones were maturing fast, to the point Jake hesitated to label them youngsters any longer.

He toyed with visiting Arnold, deep in his lunar outpost project, but opted against it since the guy appeared swamped. Gazing skyward and narrowing his eyes, Jake made out traces of the eccentric inventor's handiwork up there, eager for an invite before dropping by.

Other spots tempted him, but Jake favored retreating to his cabin—or rather, the alchemy workshop hidden below. Few levels separated him from B-grade, and he refused to drag his feet further. Especially with comrades teetering on evolution's edge, some possibly already transformed.

Settling into the alchemy chamber, Jake reviewed a few lingering loose ends. Top of the list: the Soulflame Cradle snagged from Nevermore after toppling Minaga. He peeked inside periodically to track developments, and this visit proved no exception.

Diving his mind into the Cradle's inner realm, Jake noted his arcane affinity advancing steadily within. Arcane Soulflames outnumbered all others by far, leaving just time's passage until the Supreme variant he craved materialized. Before B-grade? Perhaps, or not. For now, periodic energy infusions and vigilant checks were his course, awaiting that prized emergence.

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Then Jake pondered if any final objectives lingered before his evolution. At first glance, none stood out. He'd slain a True Dragon as planned. Sharpening class abilities more? Possible, but not essential, and he'd prioritize his crafting path instead.

There, he felt no voids either. Every Malefic Viper Legacy skill had leveled up in C-grade, with a handful hitting mythical status—pushing further seemed pointless, especially sans charges for Path of the Heretic-Chosen. Plus, he'd refined his Meditate skill and mended his Palate, checks marked off.

Upgrading Concoct Poison had happened too, tied to his True Dragon hunt. Reflecting, Jake realized he'd nailed every goal on his list, shifting gaze forward now. No stray endeavors tempted him to linger.

Another Primeval Origins rite? Feasible, but timing felt off, and no subjects waited. In Casper's dungeon, he'd mulled offering the Risen aid for Lyra's superior B-grade shift, but held back.

As a Blightwraith bearing the Blightfather's own Records, Lyra tied closely to the Primordial's designs, stirring Jake's caution. Unsure of preordained paths from the Blightfather, he dreaded his meddling could doom her outright.

She defied normalcy as a specter linked to Casper's amulet—seemingly autonomous, yet not truly. Jake shied from testing his Bloodline gift on her kind, loath to endanger his buddy's partner on a whim.

Beyond her, no clear prospects emerged. Jasper's ritual had been impulsive yet successful, but his bond with the Shimmerfur Warpsnatcher paled against ties to Sylphie, Sandy, or Vesperia. The Nevermore Demon Prince counted loosely as Jake's handiwork, but beyond a vague wedding invite, their connection stayed distant.

Dismissing the thought, Jake sifted through lately acquired reagents to brainstorm poison recipes. Launching a big venture like Bane Poison mastery held no appeal—the groundwork yielded slim experience gains, clashing with his rush to B-grade.

Ideas percolated regardless. Casper's stint sparked notions for curse-infused brews via his affinity, yet another realm beckoned for deeper mastery:

Desolation.

Desolation wove tightly into the Path of the Malefic Viper, demanding eventual study from Jake. Progress flowed already, thanks to the colossal blunder during his initial Palate of the Malefic Viper breakage.

Gains crept forward gradually, as Jake methodically purified and integrated Records from the devoured World Core shard. Nearing certainty of more than basics in his gut, B-grade loomed, stirring notions for consumables to bond with ahead of a fresh endeavor.

Leading that: a peculiar relic Jake viewed with unease, reluctant to deploy.

The bizarre, one-of-a-kind drop from Ell’Hakan lingered as a mystery to Jake. Its abnormality was clear—unique rarity items rarely fell from foes, Bloodlines or Transcendent Skills notwithstanding, yet this one had.

Jake's sole theory pinned it on Ell’Hakan's final frenzied state, lost to illusions and embodying the fabled Celestial Child. Death claimed him regardless, yielding this intriguing artifact Jake approached with grave caution.

Usage loomed in his plans, just not for himself—Ell’Hakan’s Bloodline screamed peril. Instead, he'd apply it elsewhere... and a prime fusion partner for the Starlight Heart awaited: yet another heart.

[Light-touched Luxellian Dragon Heart (Mythical)] – The heart of a Luxellian True Dragon, touched and empowered by her kin mere moments after death. Contains the focused Records of a Luxellian True Dragon, granting it incredibly potent energy of the light-affinity and even the true essence of a dragon. Has many alchemical uses, but be warned that manipulating the inherent power within will not prove easy.

Yrelstromoz’s heart fell short of the Starlight Heart's caliber, yet as a True Dragon's core from his inaugural slaying, it stirred deep sentiments in Jake. This went beyond feelings—Records linked it to him. Creations from his hunted spoils always outshone purchased equivalents.

Blending these hearts? Simple to deduce. Having felled a True Dragon, why not reverse course and foster one's birth?

It fit as a B-grade pursuit: merging True Dragon hearts with the Starlight Heart, amped by Primeval Origin Energy, to birth something novel.

Jake dismissed recreating Ell’Hakan’s Bloodline via the Starlight Heart's traces—beyond his skill. Even if it sparked, crafting a fresh entity beat evolving an existing one. Killing a hatchling dragon? Grim, but if it sealed Ell’Hakan’s lineage from existence, Jake would wield the Dragonslayer mantle anew.

One hitch nagged: birthing a dragon demanded an egg. A genuine True Dragon egg, tough to procure. Villy's aid seemed inevitable. Soliciting the Dragonflights directly tempted, but Jake balked, averse to thrusting the resultant oddity into their folds as a curiosity.

That hurdle could wait. Presently, he'd prioritize assimilating more desolation from the World Core for heart consumption, while diving into a crafting marathon meantime. Pure experience farming—tedious, yes, but essential drudgery en route to B-grade and grander exploits beyond.

Mind set, Jake hauled out his cauldron to kick off with standard potion batches. Experience aside, it'd yield practical goods for folks.

Undeniably, Jake embodied the generous, upstanding World Leader—utterly uninterested in exploiting those variant Lavender blooms from Rick that very day. Not in the slightest.