The Primal Hunter Chapter 1275 - A Sudden Windfall & New Options

Jake simply gazed for a few moments longer, well after the dings faded away. He required some time to gather his thoughts while eyeing the notifications that looked both familiar and a touch strange. They felt strange because he still wasn't accustomed to that particular name appearing in them, yet familiar since he certainly recognized the sound of leveling up.

For whatever reason, Jake had suddenly received a bunch of level-ups.

He returned to his staring, with none of it making the slightest bit of sense to him. Briefly, he even questioned if the levels were genuine, but the influx of power and added stats was undeniably real.

Clearly, something had granted him a massive chunk of experience all at once, so Jake scrolled through his notifications to uncover what it might be. He bypassed a few items he'd handle later, but even after reaching his Spirit of Man alert... zilch.

Jake stayed puzzled, yet luckily, he'd already begun contacting a specific individual who might explain it. That person held off until Jake steadied himself before connecting to the telepathic link Jake had started, as the snake god finally spoke.

"What the hell was that?" Villy remarked in his usual teasing tone, although Jake picked up on a subtle hint beneath it.

"You know what I'm talking about," Jake replied straightforwardly, skipping any preliminaries, and using telepathy to ensure privacy from any eavesdroppers.

"Do I?" the Primordial inquired, tossing the matter back to Jake.

Jake didn't deliberate much. The sole event from his evolution that could have impacted even Villy amid the process.

"Your new toy did something, didn't it?" the god probed doubtfully.

The freshly advanced B-grade rusher felt tempted to boast about his newly acquired overpowering skill that surely exceeded all of Villy’s anticipations, but he held back for the moment and merely nodded.

Jake had to deliberately keep his jaw from dropping as the Malefic Viper pressed on.

Before Jake could even bid farewell, the Viper severed the link. Jake brimmed with queries, but evidently, the Viper had no intention of addressing them right then. All those answers would need to hold off. He also figured Villy preferred him to mull things over independently; the snake god always favored Jake discovering solutions on his own instead of being handed everything.

As for the Viper's statements, Jake conceded they rang true in many ways. It was merely that one part of him had doubted his Primal Spirit of Man effect would truly achieve that, regardless of the description.

"Provides a permanent experience gain bonus to all members of the Order of the Malefic Viper."

The phrasing came across as direct and clear, omitting any precise boundaries, leaving only the question of the bonus's magnitude. Affiliates of the Order of the Malefic Viper undoubtedly satisfied at least one criterion. Nevertheless, Jake had presumed that as a B-grade, he couldn't sway the trillions of members spanning universes and grades. He had been mistaken. His Spirit of Man proved even more dominant than he'd imagined.

Based on Villy's words, the real experience boost was so minimal it likely wasn't tracked in full percentages. Maybe a 0.00001% uptick... yet when factoring in its reach to every member, including deities, it ceased to be trivial organizationally. It probably influenced the weaker ones more substantially, while gods might not notice it at all. If so, it sparked wonders about whether Jake’s advancement would likewise aid the rest... he almost dreaded discovering.

Shaking off the notion, Jake opted to rejoice in being an overwhelmingly powerful hunter boasting the multiverse's top Bloodline. Griping about a boon would be foolish, even if it felt a bit eerie.

Moreover, this served as immediate reward for selecting this profession over Harbinger of Primeval Origins. Had he chosen the latter, his role would tie less to Villy and his Chosen status, yielding him scant or no experience from this, beyond the starting level for Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper.

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And no, Jake had no desire to contemplate how many levels he'd have snagged with Heretic-Chosen Prophet of the Malefic Viper. Undoubtedly more than now, though likely below expectations. The system enforced safeguards and equilibria, even for such occurrences, with returns tapering sharply. Absent those limits, Jake would've amassed vastly more experience already.

Alright, securing 9 levels remained utterly wild, but he'd have claimed far more. Similar to how slaying identical foes repeatedly yielded dwindling experience, Jake enhancing every Order member also delivered progressively less for each, until gains vanished completely.

In truth, pondering his acquired levels sparked an idea in Jake... could he have even evolved his profession initially? Didn't he typically require some experience to progress from 349 to 350? Jake hadn't dwelled on it amid the Primal Spirit of Man chaos and such. If true, this clarified reaching that threshold, and perhaps he ought to have foreseen this turn.

Drawing a deep breath, Jake resolved to proceed, content with the abrupt level surge. He anticipated teasing others for lagging, unsure if Sandy and Sylphie had even hit one B-grade level, let alone four race levels.

Stepping back mentally, Jake shifted focus to his profession evolution, and though derailed by the surprise levels, several matters still demanded attention.

Like his enhanced profession skills. In C-grade, Jake had improved Malefic Viper’s Poison, his Path of the Heretic-Chosen, and acquired the Grimoire skill. Now in B-grade, Jake swiftly noted the similarities at first glance.

[Malefic Viper’s Poison (Ancient)] – The Malefic Viper stalks its prey and needs only to strike once as venom devours its prey. Increases the potency of all crafted poisons. Grants the ability to craft a poison with a rarity above that of your Concoct Poison skill if certain conditions are met. The poison may at most be upgraded to the rarity of the Malefic Viper’s Poison skill (Epic --> Ancient). Allows poison not to lose efficiency for a long period of time after being applied to a weapon.

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[Malefic Viper’s Poison (Legendary)] – The Malefic Viper stalks its prey and needs only to strike once as venom devours its prey. Increases the potency of all crafted poisons. Grants the ability to craft a poison with a rarity above that of your Concoct Poison skill if certain conditions are met. The poison may at most be upgraded to the rarity of the Malefic Viper’s Poison skill (Epic --> Legendary). Allows poison not to lose efficiency for a long period of time after being applied to a weapon.

Jake had noted it earlier, but Malefic Viper’s Poison ranked among his top skills thanks to its passive boosts. The capacity to activate and instantly elevate a poison multiple tiers was a key perk, albeit one that fired infrequently. He could provoke it more steadily by obtaining liquid from the Malefic Viper’s Vision statue crafted by Felix, that eccentric Primordial Church artisan, but that meant confronting that awful creation. Besides, Jake preferred avoiding forced activations, as they infused excessive Malefic Viper’s Records, often eclipsing his own. Unless employing Primeval Origin Energy, naturally.

Little else needed saying about this upgrade. It excelled, Jake appreciated it, and he wouldn't revisit Malefic Viper’s Poison until triggering it or advancing to A-grade.

Next, Jake observed Path of the Heretic-Chosen upgrading once again, though this time the shift proved more substantial.

[Path of the Heretic-Chosen (Unique)] – A unique path between the Primordial known as the Malefic Viper and his Chosen, Jake Thayne. Allows you to experience the Legacy of the Malefic Viper on a far more direct level by relying on your direct connection as a Chosen and the mentality of a heretic. Focusing on any core skill, event, or individual related to the Malefic Viper’s Legacy will allow you to peer into the True Records of the past as you journey through time, space, and reality to experience history firsthand. Limitations on Record Fragment selection may apply. Be warned that gains are not guaranteed, and while the journey cannot harm you directly, the journey may cause harm or have lasting effects – a risk you must take as a Heretic. May you walk with confidence as you continue to tread a Path never walked before. Gains 1 use every 20 levels. Any skill can be chosen only once. Current uses remaining: 0

[Primeval Path of Malefic Origins (Unique)] – A unique path between the Primordial known as the Malefic Viper and his Chosen, Jake Thayne. Allows you to experience Records related to the Path of the Malefic Viper, relying on your current insights and direct connection as a Chosen of the Malefic Viper. Focusing on any Malefic Viper Legacy skill, event, or people related to the Malefic Viper’s Origin will allow you to peer into the True Records of the past as you journey through time, space, and reality to experience history firsthand. Limitations on Record Fragment selection may apply. Be warned that gains are not guaranteed, and while the journey cannot harm you directly, the journey may cause harm or have lasting effects – a risk you willingly take as you seek to uncover mysteries of the past. May you walk with confidence as you unwind the threads of the unknown, seeking power through discovery and enlightenment. Gains 1 use every 20 levels. Any skill, event, or person can be chosen only once. Current uses remaining: 0

The contrast here between old and new stood out markedly. The descriptive text had transformed considerably, dropping heretic mentions in favor of Origin-focused elements. Jake paid little heed to that, prioritizing the functional changes.

Previously, it permitted delving into Records tied to the Malefic Viper’s Legacy, whereas now it targeted the Path of the Malefic Viper. The distinction appeared minor, but Jake sensed its importance would reveal itself later.

Additionally, his fresh Primeval Path of Malefic Origins broadened selectable topics, and he spotted the switch from “an individual” to “people,” prompting thoughts on selecting multiple at once—maybe an interaction between two.

The scope of visions seemed wider too, linked to the Malefic Viper’s Origin, which struck Jake as more expansive.

All in all, Primeval Path—what he'd dub it henceforth—mirrored its prior self but enhanced. Jake eagerly awaited testing its upgraded potential. Regrettably, with zero charges, he'd bide his time, though less than anticipated thanks to those bonus levels. Hooray for unforeseen gains.

Having addressed those two skills, Jake turned to the fresh one accompanying his Primeval Alchemist of Malefic Origins. He held no preconceptions, particularly upon learning it was another unique rarity.

[Lesser Primeval Energy Manipulation (Unique)] – The Path of a Primeval Alchemist is one never walked before, not because no one has ever wanted to, but because no one ever had the qualifications. You uniquely do, having access to Primeval Origin Energy. Allows the Primeval Alchemist to create and control an inferior version of Primeval Origin Energy known as Lesser Primeval Energy. This energy is far less potent than Primeval Origin Energy, but also significantly easier to control and manipulate, at a fraction of the cost. Using this energy in alchemical creations has unknown effects, allowing you to explore and uncover aspects of your innate abilities. Creating items using Lesser Primeval Energy has an extremely high chance of making them Soulbound. Adds a noticeable increase to the potency of Lesser Primeval Energy based on all stats. Adds a noticeable increase to the effectiveness of Willpower, Perception, and Wisdom when using Leser Primeval Energy Manipulation.

Thus, interpreting it plainly, the system offered Jake a more secure, cost-effective means to handle his Primeval Origin Energy via this diluted form. Wielding Primeval Origin Energy carried huge risks, as evidenced by his mishap with Palate, plus the steep recovery time for expended amounts. Testing it outright seemed foolhardy and perilous, but now the system provided ample avenues for trial with this buffered energy, like training wheels.

Instead of a bazooka, he wielded a handgun for marksmanship practice. Undoubtedly still hazardous, demanding caution, yet it opened doors to experiments he'd previously dismissed.

He'd long wondered about blending Primeval Origin Energy into poisons, and now Lesser Primeval Energy offered the opportunity to explore. Jake brimmed with ideas.