The Primal Hunter Chapter 1267 - Theories & Visitors

Jake's Race Evolution Quests remained a profound enigma, suggesting he wasn't completely human. Every being in the multiverse that came into existence through natural birth received an innate grade right from the start, shaped by the strength of its progenitors.

High elves, for instance, emerged at C-grade, and for offspring to achieve that naturally, their parents had to possess one grade above. Thus, a pair of C-grade high elves would produce a natural D-grade child, while two B-grades would yield a C-grade, and even A and S-grades topped out at creating C-grade descendants.

At the pinnacle of multiverse races stood beings like True Dragons, who entered the world as natural B-grades and demanded two A-grade parents. Humans, by contrast, ranked as a moderate-tier race in this system, with their maximum natural output limited to D-grade. Put simply, regardless of a human parent's might, their child could only naturally advance to D-grade post-birth.

One could identify if someone was destined to reach a grade set by their parents through passive experience accumulation simply from existing... alongside the absence of evolution quests.

This stood as an ironclad principle without deviations. Or so it seemed, until this very moment.

Jake was well-acquainted with his parents and knew they held no hidden higher grades. Furthermore, although he lacked evolution quests, he didn't fully match the profile of a naturally superior-grade individual.

No passive experience flowed to him merely from living, forcing him to level up like typical humans. This alone should dismantle any notion that Jake was innately superior from birth... yet the missing Race Evolution Quest served as solid evidence that he truly possessed a higher natural grade.

Undeniably, this presented a groundbreaking circumstance, and Jake eagerly awaited the Viper's insights, given how the Primordial outshone him in understanding the system's mechanics.

Villy inquired.

"Can't see it being anything else," Jake affirmed with a nod.

The Malefic Viper proceeded.

A grin spread across Jake's face as he and the Viper aligned perfectly in their reasoning while he replied. "Me."

Jake kept nodding, impressed by the Viper's spot-on deductions matching his own thoughts. He remembered that during his C-grade evolution, a unique system notification had appeared—one he suspected no other human had encountered, especially without altering their race label to something beyond 'human'.

"Congratulations! You have successfully managed to evolve into C-grade as a variant evolution.

All future potential variant evolutions will be blocked due to Origin."

In contrast to Jake's ambiguous Evolution Quests, this notification left no room for doubt, explicitly stating that Jake had undergone a variant human evolution and that no further variants awaited him.

Nevertheless, even with this explicit detail, Jake found numerous elements puzzling. He qualified as a variant human, certainly, but he remained fundamentally human too. His stat increases, leveling speed, and all other aspects screamed standard human. Other abilities still labeled him human, and true to his race, he'd selected a Path skill—Path of the Hunter—upon reaching C-grade.

Thus, though Jake deviated from what Villy called a "standard human," he stayed undeniably human. Maybe even the most human of them all.

Villy went on, voicing many of Jake's inner reflections.

The snake god pressed forward with his speculations as Jake listened intently to the Primordial's final verdict.

"Then, for the big question, why don’t I have any evolution quests?" Jake questioned, arching a brow.

Villy offered his hypothesis.

Jake paused briefly before breaking into a smile and a light laugh. "Great minds do indeed think alike."

"I do in broad strokes, yeah. As we also both agree, the causing factor of all this is clearly the Bloodline, which brings us back to one fascinating trait of my Bloodline that, despite studying Bloodlines a lot, I’ve not seen any mention of. Something that, when I casually mentioned it to you way back in the day, you told me to never speak out loud to anyone," Jake explained, but Villy interrupted before he finished.

The snake god warned, his voice carrying a grave edge.

Jake agreed with a nod, the Viper's reluctance to even hear it spoken aloud proving that Chosen and Patron dwelled on the identical revelation.

In their numerous discussions, the one topic where Villy had been most adamant about Jake's silence to outsiders involved his Bloodline's behavior during evolution.

As Jake ascended ranks, so did his Bloodline, manifesting through enhanced Perception. The sheer anomaly of a Bloodline providing a percentage-based stat boost already stunned the snake god, but its capacity to evolve itself struck Jake and Villy as deeply linked to Jake's peculiar variant race status.

Bloodlines typically scaled alongside their hosts through evolutions without transforming themselves. Jake's, however, could advance and refine as he gained power, the key insight that led Jake and Villy to their shared deduction:

His Bloodline—and thus Jake himself—existed in perpetual evolution. Each level nudged the Bloodline nearer to its next breakthrough. Upon hitting a grade's summit, it completed gathering the necessary Records to evolve once again with Jake. Hence, no Evolution Quests appeared for him... since by C-grade's peak, his Bloodline had elevated his race to a variant form naturally superior in grade.

That formed their tentative explanation. It would prove ironically amusing—and utterly disheartening—if disproven when Jake evolved sans Bloodline progression, though Jake doubted such a twist.

"I guess all there’s left to do is actually evolve," Jake declared, wrapping up his theory session with Villy.

The snake god remarked.

Jake felt a flash of bewilderment until realization dawned, drawing a smile. "I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that both of you are interested in seeing it."

Villy responded casually.

They referred to the latest alchemical marvel, one no dedicated alchemist could resist examining: Jake's fresh Supreme Arcane Soulflame. Soulflames spanned a vast domain of research, and given Duskleaf's extensive knowledge in the area, it made sense he'd crave a glimpse of Jake's new flame's potentials.

As an Arcane Soulflame, it promised unparalleled distinctiveness, and with Jake's arcane affinity already captivating to many elite figures, he understood why alchemists—particularly zealots like Duskleaf—might itch to scrutinize him closely.

"I’ll definitely not show off my goods for free," Jake quipped with a smirk. He hadn't pondered what to request from Duskleaf or offer in return, but that could wait. He planned no return to the Order until B-grade anyway.

The snake god issued a parting caution.

"I’m not sure if I hope to see that or not," Jake replied, shaking his head. He already sensed ample challenges ahead without Bloodline complications.

The snake god reminisced, his tone laced with fondness.

Jake had no opportunity to respond before Villy ended their mental link. He lingered in confusion for seconds, sending out a Pulse of Perception that detected no intruders. Still startled, an aura suddenly registered overhead, prompting Jake to step outside where a visitor indeed awaited.

High above his lodge, reality fractured and tore open, forming a rift from which a lengthy gray creature emerged leisurely, emphasizing the dramatic entrance. Starlight seemed to shimmer on its hide in spots, and a formidable aura descended upon the lodge, causing Jake to squint.

The arrival acknowledged Jake as a voice resounded in his mind.

The familiar voice declared with what struck Jake as peak smugness.

"I apologize, oh magnificent space worm," Jake teased, grinning while activating Identify on his trusty worm companion.

[Cosmic Genesis Worm: lvl ???]

Discovering Sandy's ascent to B-grade came as no shock. Actually, Jake suspected the worm had evolved earlier, a fact soon verified.

Sandy grumbled irritably.

"Hey, that’s not my fault," Jake protested, folding his arms. "I’m sure you could have done plenty of productive work in the meantime."

Sandy replied shamelessly. "Arnold and I have gotten really tight lately."

"Glad to hear that," Jake laughed, fully supportive of their budding bond. He wouldn't blink if Sandy's Patron, Snappy, had nudged the alliance with the eccentric inventor. As a devotee of Oras—if devotee fit—Arnold's neutrality posed no risks to fostering ties.

Sandy noted, and Jake instantly grasped the reference upon sensing a distant aura.

Nothing registered in Jake's Pulse of Perception range initially, but seconds later, a green speck hurtled closer, arriving swiftly. Before detecting the aura of his next guest, Jake recognized speeds beyond any C-grade he'd witnessed, confirming Sandy wasn't alone in evolving.

The recognizable green form halted mid-air, hovering while emanating a potent aura that twisted the surrounding winds chaotically. Instinctively, Jake sensed the bird commanded every wind mana nearby, asserting dominance over the element itself.

“Ree!” Sylphie cried out triumphantly, flapping her wings with vigor to proclaim her splendor.

Her appearance stayed mostly unchanged, perhaps slightly sleeker in form. Sandy showed minimal alterations too, but Sylphie's shift to full maturity as a Sylphian Hawk—verified by Identify—proved subtle.

[Sylphian Hawk: lvl ???]

"I really am falling behind you two," Jake admitted smilingly, gazing upward at Sylphie. She peered back before vanishing, reappearing perched on his head amid swirling wind mana.

Jake reached up to pet the young hawk, eliciting joyful wing flutters that nearly drew his laughter, while a wave of reassurance washed over him. He'd worried maturity might alter Sylphie drastically, but those fears appeared unfounded.

Much like Stormild, her elemental essence amplified a playful, whimsical demeanor over typical beast gravity. This didn't diminish her intelligence compared to peers; it simply de-emphasized rigid maturity as a growth focus.

"Ree!" Sylphie affirmed, wholeheartedly endorsing Jake's lag.

Sandy added supportively.

"Oh? Want me to test your defenses after I evolve?" Jake proposed, grinning.

Sandy hastened to explain.

"Ree?" Sylphie queried, cocking her head.

Sandy assured they required no such trial from Sylphie for their fresh B-grade protections either.

Jake merely smiled, though inwardly he acknowledged the oddity. He'd raised Sylphie from the start and always held the power edge, despite occasional level surges from her. Yet now, the aura of the Sylphian Hawk eroded any certainty of victory in combat. Truly, escape in one piece seemed the real gamble, not triumph.

She outclassed the True Dragon Jake had slain by leagues.

Jake closed his eyes and exhaled deeply before murmuring. "Seeing you two... yeah, it’s about high time I also evolved."

Just one more level stood between him and the evolution trigger.

And he felt confident Minaga would oblige a swift Labyrinth visit to hasten that milestone.