The Primal Hunter Chapter 1282 - Nevermore Time!? Or Maybe Just Alchemy...

Back at his base, Jake spent some time mapping out his next moves now that his evolution to B-grade was complete. It wasn’t long before he realized his top priority was to run some experiments to gauge his current strength, hoping to gain some fresh insights or perhaps trigger a few skill upgrades during the testing phase.

He also made an effort to visit a few people he knew within the Order, only to realize that everyone was living their own busy lives rather than just lingering around waiting for his return. Irin had departed for the Nine Hells on a diplomatic mission, Meira was unexpectedly at the Pantheon of Life, and Draskil was actively pursuing tasks for the Order of the Malefic Viper in the new universe. By leveraging his status as a powerful native, Draskil was easily spearheading efforts to expand the Order’s reach.

Naturally, that was not an option. Consequently, Jake decided to focus on his own research for the time being, though he still had to weigh whether to tackle his class objectives or focus on his profession first.

If Jake wanted to grind for class levels efficiently or refine some skills while getting a proper combat workout before the system events kicked off, one location immediately stood out:

Nevermore.

However, after doing a bit of digging, Jake understood exactly why he hadn’t heard of other newly ascended B-grades heading there. It wasn’t a lack of merit in terms of leveling; rather, the B-grade version of Nevermore functioned quite differently from the version he and the others had navigated during their C-grade days.

C-grade Nevermore was essentially designed around the Leaderboard competition. It was packed with Challenge Dungeons, numerous floors featuring unique lessons, point systems, and quests tailored for C-grade dungeoneers. In B-grade, however, those mechanics were deemed redundant. Instead, the area had been transformed purely into a grinding ground.

Primarily, this meant the floors were vast, dwarfing anything he had seen in C-grade. Rather than being confined to planet or solar-system scales, floors now rivaled entire galaxies, even if they often manifested as sprawling, massive continents hanging suspended in the void.

These expansive levels naturally offered much more activity. Travellers would encounter hidden bosses, endless waves of foes, rival factions to manipulate or conquer, and a huge variety of tasks to pursue.

According to what Jake had read, C-grade Nevermore felt like a narrative-driven game with slight open-world features. Conversely, B-grade Nevermore functioned like a pure sandbox, where one roamed without a defined path. The primary goal was locating the exit to the next floor—which was thankfully not difficult, as the locations were usually obvious. No, the real hurdle wasn’t finding the gate; it was gaining entry.

To progress to the next level, one had to satisfy specific requirements—hunting certain monsters, gathering rare artifacts, or fulfilling whatever arbitrary conditions the Wyrmgod, or heaven forbid, Minaga, had laid out.

Then again, there was also the option of a level threshold. Should one reach a specific level, they could simply dispatch the floor boss guarding the way and move on, bypassing every other objective. This, however, created a conflict.

Why, exactly? The short answer is the rules of time dilation.

Much like in C-grade, the time dilation within Nevermore scaled the deeper—or higher, as Jake wasn’t sure if it was a pit or a tower—one progressed. As a result, most people chose to hold off on entering Nevermore until the later stages of a grade. Once a cultivator hit level 425, effectively the midpoint of B-grade, they met the requirements to clear every floor, provided they could defeat the boss.

This was critical because the time dilation on the early floors was atrocious. It was hardly noticeable on the first floor and not even a two-to-one ratio, making it just as effective to train in the outside world, especially since there was a time limit on how long a B-grade could stay in Nevermore.

Combined, these factors explained why Jake hadn’t heard of anyone else entering yet. While some might have tried, the smarter play was to wait until the middle of the grade to maximize the World Wonder’s benefits. Jake certainly planned to return, as the place offered many secrets he hadn’t touched yet, but for now, it had to wait.

Because of this, Jake opted to focus on his alchemy first. Afterward, he could always visit a standard dungeon or open hunting zone to advance his class skills. Since he was already within the Order and knew Villy would be curious about how his evolution impacted his alchemy, he retrieved his cauldron.

Before doing anything else, Jake applied the formation on the Altmar Cauldron of Supreme Simplicity to fortify it, hoping to avoid any physical trauma. While he likely needed to upgrade the vessel eventually, he was content with it for now and saw no reason to rush.

With the cauldron prepped, Jake began with the basics. Utilizing his rank as the Chosen of the Malefic Viper, he scavenged a supply of B-grade ingredients before channeling his Soulflame.

Jake hoped these initial potions would help him adjust to his enhanced control and raw power. Every movement felt more forceful than before, and although his control was peerless, alchemy was a delicate craft that demanded a bit of recalibration.

As it turned out, he did something he hadn't experienced in an age: he failed to brew a potion.

Midway through, his energy balance faltered, annihilating the precious herbal essence and ruining the batch. Sighing, Jake disposed of the foul-smelling residue and had another go.

It took six attempts before he finally successfully brewed a potion. To be fair, Jake was intentionally pushing his limits during every attempt, testing his boundaries and fast-tracking his adaptation to his newfound power.

Likely because of this, he didn’t fail on his seventh try. And while he wasn't as precise as he had been before his evolution, his consistency quickly hit a standard that century-old B-grade alchemists couldn't touch.

The crafting process also allowed him to build a reserve for his coming trials. Even without his top-tier mixtures like Malefic Health Potions, his basic brews were already twice as potent as his previous works. Once he incorporated his refined formulas, the restorative output spiked even higher.

Jake would have cherished such quality during his C-grade days, but he wouldn't have been able to consume them even if they were available. Potions are peculiar; despite lacking explicit level labels, they possess an inherent restriction. Higher-grade potions end up being significantly inferior to those brewed by peers at one’s own level, essentially rendering them useless. This was partly why Jake’s flooding of the C-grade market was so effective; those desperate to push for a B-grade evolution gained massive advantages from his high-tier potions.

After dedicating a week to potions, Jake transitioned to poisons, again “borrowing” premium materials from the generous Order of the Malefic Viper. Unsurprisingly, poison crafting felt more intuitive, likely due to his prior practice with potions and the fact that he consistently devoted more effort to toxins.

Within five days, Jake had produced several dozen vials of venom exceeding anything he had crafted in C-grade. Although he failed to produce even a basic Bane Poison, he felt he was on the verge of success. Given that Bane Poisons are generally considered a B-grade endeavor and are notoriously difficult, the mere fact that he was close would have left other alchemists seething with jealousy.

At this point, Jake felt quite satisfied with his improved control. While it was difficult to quantify the full scope of his advancement, the improvement was massive. This was fortunate, as he was now ready to uncover the mysteries of what he and Villy truly cared about:

Lesser Primeval Energy.

Raising a hand, Jake concentrated on manifesting this subtle energy. Creating even a tiny amount required significant focus, far exceeding his usual efforts.

In truth, he didn’t really manipulate his high-grade Primeval Origin Energy. He acted only as a guide, providing a catalyst to insert it, but the actual infusion was left to the energy itself. He lacked control over what the energy did once introduced, but he could attempt to guide it—which was exactly his goal with the new Lesser Primeval Energy.

The challenge became apparent quickly. Unlike the energies he usually handled, Lesser Primeval Energy was raw and untamed, bordering on overwhelming. It seemed to possess a will of its own, constantly seeking to influence its surroundings.

If he unleashed it into the air, it would instantly merge with the atmosphere. Given his limited output, the environmental impact was negligible, but if he kept funneling energy out, a threshold would eventually be crossed where the energy would begin to warp its surroundings. This seemed consistent with how standard Primeval Origin Energy behaved.

The only things immune to this reaction were Jake himself and his stable arcane energy. His only effective method of summoning it was to create small spheres of stable arcane mana to house the Lesser Primeval Energy, which he could then attempt to infuse into other substances.

Fortunately, his arcane energy was inert and highly resistant to outside forces. This allowed him to drop these spheres into a brew without prematurely triggering a reaction, especially since he could use his Arcane Soulflame to dissolve any remaining stable arcane mana afterwards.

To test this, Jake conjured a few of these marbles. He observed that even with the Lesser Primeval Energy sealed tightly within, the energy leaked slowly. It was minor, yet they seemed to lose half their potency roughly within a week. Where the energy vanished to was a mystery for another time; for now, he wanted to observe the effects during the crafting process.

Using one of the marbles, Jake attempted a procedure similar to his usual infusion for Arcane Mana Potions. Dropping the marble in yielded nothing, but the moment he released the Lesser Primeval Energy...

Let’s just say he was relieved to be in the Order’s facility rather than his private lab, as Hank would not have been pleased to renovate his workspace again.

The second the brew touched the Lesser Primeval Energy, the concoction turned volatile and detonated before he could react. To make matters worse, his reinforced cauldron suffered minor cracks that would require repairs.

Sitting in the charred room, Jake let out a weary sigh. “Okay, that was definitely far too much Lesser Primeval Energy.”

Despite the failure, he understood his mistake. He had believed he was being careful, but even his smallest infusion was excessive. Pushing even a whisper of this energy into a common mixture overwhelmed the other components, causing a violent energy collapse.

To protect his primary cookware, Jake switched to using an Arcane Soulflame cauldron. This proved to be a smart move, as his laboratory spent the coming days experiencing explosions as frequent as a wild party.

Attempting to infuse the energy required intense focus; the slightest error ruined everything. If he added too much, it detonated; if he added too little, the energy dissipated before he could harness it. It was a delicate, frustrating dance.

Weeks dragged by as Jake tried to make the energy harmonize with his work. He tried potions, poisons, elixirs, and stable mixtures, yet the result remained the same. He failed repeatedly.

However, he kept pressing forward, sensing that he was making incremental progress. Occasionally, he felt the Lesser Primeval Energy begin to integrate with the mixture before the inevitable instability took hold. This gave him hope; his goals were not impossible, he just lacked the precision at this stage.

Instead of being deterred, Jake took heart in the small details uncovered by each failures. He took meticulous notes, tracking every pattern. With every attempt, he tweaked his methodology, searching for that elusive equilibrium.

Despite his efforts, he lacked a successful brew. He began to realize that the fundamental problem was that unleashing the energy into an existing mixture caused it to bond with the nearest element, creating an immediate imbalance.

The energy had no issue bonding with ingredients, provided it had the right medium. This gave Jake an idea.

He stopped and considered: why was he trying to infuse the mixture? Why not prime the ingredients individually beforehand?

What if he empowered the ingredients before they were even mixed? That way, he could maintain a consistent potency across the board. The challenge would be amplifying only the necessary parts... but to do that, Jake would have to address the one thing he had been ignoring for too long.

It was time to fix the biggest weakness on his stat sheet: that single inferior rarity skill he still possessed, Alchemist’s Purification.