The Primal Hunter Chapter 1301 - Shamanistic Arts

Even though Jake had already recognized the immense size of this Minor World, he kept underestimating its truly colossal scale. Together with the Shaman, three Warriors, and the Virumancer, they pressed deeper into Arachnec territory, which stretched endlessly onward no matter how far they ventured.

The islands in this Minor World were absurdly vast. Jake was aware of massive floating landmasses existing in the multiverse, yet he struggled mentally to grasp their outrageous dimensions. Even soaring high into the sky, he couldn't glimpse the island's boundary. True, the pervasive toxic fog shrouded the world and somewhat hindered his sight, but his extraordinarily sharp Perception mostly cut through it.

Since the landmasses were completely flat, Jake figured that ascending high enough would reveal at least one edge. His failure to do so, combined with his exceptional vision, led him to estimate that this single island's surface area surpassed that of entire Earth.

This represented merely one island. The Shaman had no clue about the total number or comparative sizes, but he mentioned that most Venusians spent their whole lives on their birth island. They occasionally journeyed to others, though he remained vague on the method, prompting Jake to deduce a teleportation network among the Venusians.

This wasn't a strange conclusion, especially after witnessing the Oracle's space affinity skills. Jake would actually be shocked if no limited or emergency teleportation existed for aiding attacked villages.

Jake intended to explore those other islands eventually, but not on this trip. With just over a hundred days left before departing for the Seat of the Exalted Prima system event—which he believed accessible straight from this Minor World—he aimed to build rapport with the Shaman through slaughtering Arachnecs and likely meeting the Circle the Oracle had referenced.

As for forging that bond with the Shaman, it progressed splendidly. Though the Venusian avoided frontline combat as stated, he clearly relished exterminating Arachnecs, underscoring the profound enmity between their races. This became evident when they encountered three patrolling Deathstalkers, and the Shaman boldly advanced.

“Seeing your display of power and willingness to share your abilities, I find it only fair that I do the same,” the Shaman declared in his customary respectful manner. “I shall admit immediately that while I’ll certainly be inferior to you combat-wise, as a Shaman, I am considered in the higher echelon of Venusians.”

“I already figured,” Jake nodded, having sensed the Shaman radiating the mightiest aura among them. He had also demonstrated the widest array of magic, including the stealth bubble.

“As a Shaman, my primary job isn’t to be a combatant but to lead my fellow Venusians, making me quite inferior in solo combat, especially compared to the true elites of my race,” he went on, subtly revealing stronger variants Jake hadn't encountered.

“However, I am at least capable of defending myself and have some means of defeating foes on my own. I would gladly display those means if you would act as witness?” the Shaman inquired as their six-member group shadowed the three Deathstalkers wandering in erratic paths.

“I would love to,” Jake grinned, eager to witness a Shaman's prowess. Evidently a caster, but specifics eluded him.

“Then allow me,” the Shaman stated, separating from the group. Jake noted the other Venusians' hesitation but their silence.

“Relax, I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Jake reassured the four with a smile.

He half-expected a reply, having yet to hear from any of them, but they merely fixed their large frog-like eyes on him briefly, nodded, and refocused on the Shaman.

Shaking his head, Jake followed suit, observing the Shaman nearing the three Deathstalkers. All four B-grades hovered at similar levels, the Shaman slightly below the Arachnecs—though hardly a decisive gap.

Upon nearing them, the Shaman watched the Venusian utter words, his aura surging powerfully in that instant. The three Deathstalkers spotted the approaching threat right away, yet the Shaman closed in swiftly as Jake witnessed a massive robed frog projection emerge above the Shaman. Detecting this presence, Jake thought, yep, this confirmed it—a true shaman.

Jake understood shamans typically harnessed “external” forces like spirits, elementals, or other summoned powers. Quite a few operated akin to beastmasters by taming elementals, while others linked with far mightier intelligent entities, channeling their strength in a manner echoing warlocks and demons.

Those shamans aligned with spirits stood apart, chiefly because spirits lacked precise definition. Ghosts and elementals alike got dubbed spirits by some, and countless monsters carried ‘spirit’ in their names. The Holy Church even converted its dead into Holy Spirits post-mortem to reside in the Holyland. In essence, spirit was a profoundly ambiguous label embracing countless varieties.

The word's flexibility allowed complete self-interpretation. Frequently, shamans' invoked spirits weren't actual beings but abstract power embodiments conjured purely by the shaman's resolve—functioning as a faith energy variant. Such a shaman genuinely held faith in their spirits' reality, and indeed, they held some veracity.

Numbers of shamans bearing identical Legacies summoning matching spirits rendered those entities increasingly “real” across the group. Much like a False God's genesis, the spirit evolved into a concrete notion with fixed characteristics, empowering genuine access to superior might.

This dynamic unfolded spectacularly as the Venusian Shaman assailed the lead Deathstalker. His aura had swelled over twofold in potency, and one hand sweep made the earth beneath the trio of Arachnecs burst forth, surging to devour them.

The B-grades reacted with speed, morphing into semi-invisible states while rocketing skyward at the Shaman, who stood utterly ready. Whitish shields materialized to repel two lunging Arachnecs, as the Shaman thrust a webbed palm at the remaining one and squeezed shut.

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Jake sensed space collapsing inward around the Deathstalker, crushing it relentlessly, drawing a piercing screech from the undead as its limbs mashed together by force. Lifting his free hand, the Shaman balled it into a fist like suppressing an object, then slammed it downward; shortly after, a see-through spear materialized and drove into the trapped Arachnec.

No rotting flesh sprayed outward—instead, the spear merged into the B-grade, amplifying its agonized howl as Jake gave an approving nod.

This assault bypassed the fleshly form to invade the Arachnec Deathstalker's Soulshape, sidestepping every defense for considerable injury. Regarding tangibility, the frog gestured peculiarly with his immobilizing hand, directing space energy to blend into the spear during his forward shove.

Deep within the Arachnec's frame, the spear turned solid precisely as the B-grade plummeted earthward, transfixed and slammed into submission by the shaft.

At that moment, the pair of Deathstalkers stalled by the barriers shattered through, but prior to reaching the Venusian, he blinked higher aloft and pressed palms as one.

The Shaman drew in a massive breath, puffing his cheeks frog-like to enormous proportions before blasting out what Jake initially mistook for a water deluge. Closer scrutiny revealed not water, but bizarre spirit-liquid hurtling at the two Deathstalkers surging back toward the frog.

Struck squarely, they spun wildly downward, crashing into their grounded ally still spiked in place. Undeterred, the Shaman continued unleashing the peculiar fluid energy—which vanished upon ground contact—relentlessly shoving all three B-grades down while injuries mounted. Possessing corrosive traits, the liquid eroded the Arachnecs steadily until they regained control.

A collective screech erupted from the trio as potent death energy radiated from their forms, granting momentary relief and letting them scatter in diverging paths away from the corrosive cascade.

The Shaman kept expelling the liquid while his cheeks gradually deflated, extending his arms with open palms before drawing them slowly closer. The projection of the massive robed frog, faded almost to nothing, reappeared vividly as it copied the Shaman’s gestures, closing its own palms.

Below on the ground, every Deathstalker slammed into an unseen barrier that shoved them back toward the Shaman’s assault. Like a shrinking dome, it drove the Arachnecs into the corrosive geyser, which tightened and surged stronger as the three B-grades got crammed together.

Jake sensed the mighty space magic operating, and likely thanks to his sharpened awareness of the concept, he spotted faint tremors tracing the edges of the solid space barrier imploding gradually around the B-grades. The Arachnecs lashed at it with their scythes, but the strikes just glided through as if finding holes. In reality, they struck true and ripped the space wall, yet that highlighted the barrier’s brilliant construction.

The structure resembled a fine net overall, so when Deathstalkers sliced it, they only cut threads that regenerated swiftly, while the bulk kept compressing them. Heavier blows faced extra layers of mesh, but if Jake aimed to shatter it, he’d have unleashed massive attacks to drain the Shaman’s reserves. Or figured out a way to weave through.

Too bad for the Arachnecs, they lacked Jake’s smarts and power, leaving them to slash futilely until fully dunked in the corrosive fluid again. Its rising ferocity ramped up the destruction, flaying the rotting hides of the Arachnecs who finally grasped the space walls couldn’t yield.

With that realization, only one path remained. In unison, they erupted with power and sped toward the Shaman using their agility, bodies ravaged as they barreled upward through the spiritual liquid torrent. They showed zero hesitation in trading their lives for his, but the frog had no plans for close combat.

The Shaman halted closing his palms, dissolving the space walls, then shoved both forward while cutting off the corrosive spray. A thick spatial barrier rocketed down to stop the rushing Deathstalkers, though two had adapted to the Venusian’s moves and slipped past.

Protecting himself, the Shaman called up more space shields, but one Deathstalker broke through, emerging behind via semi-stealth. Its scythe arced down at the frog, and Jake nearly triggered Primal Gaze, yet with no alarm from the other Venusians, he stayed put.

Good thing he did, as a bizarre twist occurred on contact. The blow phased harmlessly through the Shaman, tearing instead at the robed frog projection’s garment on one side, which absorbed the damage.

Twisting around, the Shaman thrust a palm strike outward, firing an energy burst laced with the Arachnec’s own essence. As it launched, the projection’s robe mended instantly like new. The B-grade hurtled away, two scythe arms lopped off by the devastating hit, but the Shaman pressed on.

Raising the palm from his prior strike, the Shaman uttered one word, mirrored by the giant frog projection lifting its palm at the Deathstalker. Jake felt a strange chill as an invisible energy pulse shot toward the Arachnec.

The pulse nailed the B-grade... and killed it. One strike erased its soul, drawing a heavy scowl from Jake. He couldn’t pinpoint the shamanic magic at play, but it stirred deep unease.

The Deathstalkers ignored it, as the last two kept charging the Shaman through their graver wounds. Self-preservation meant nothing to them.

Spotting their advance, the Shaman moved to end them fast. He formed eerie hand signs, echoed by the robed projection. Energy nearby twisted and trembled just as the frog clapped its hands.

An unseen shockwave carrying mysterious concepts burst forth, slamming into both charging Arachnecs. Their charges slowed to a crawl, turning sluggish, while the shaman and projection extended their hands wide with palms aimed at the B-grades. The foes halted in mid-air and began writhing helplessly, trapped by an invisible force as Jake watched their souls tear apart.

That was when Jake beheld the most astonishing sight yet. The Shaman strained visibly, using both hands to bind the Arachnecs, as the projection shifted independently. It performed bizarre gestures while its robe billowed, creating multiple layers ahead of it, from which a fresh figure emerged.

A strikingly familiar one.

The figure stepped forward, a bow materializing in its grip. With a pull of the string, an arrow formed there, and the masked humanoid drew the bow, gathering power briefly before unleashing the shot.

A burst of energy exploded as the arrow plunged into one Arachnec, smashing it groundward with a gaping hole torn through its belly. Moments later, a second arrow pierced the other B-grade, driving it into the earth too.

The conjured figure—clearly a projection of Jake—dissolved into ghostly vapors as the heavily panting Shaman clenched his fists tight. Below, the two Deathstalkers' souls finally shattered under the onslaught, the damage far exceeding what they could endure.

With an exhausted sigh, the Shaman dropped his hands, the projection behind him fading away.

Jake stared down at the slain Arachnecs for several long seconds, observing the obvious traces of destructive energies seeping from their forms. Remnants from the arrows that closely mirrored Jake’s own arcane affinity. Not quite identical, but possessing virtually the same traits.

“I hope you do not take offense at my attempt at channeling your visage,” the Shaman said, snapping Jake from his thoughts.

“No... no, I’m just surprised,” Jake muttered. He had a lot of thoughts, but one thing was for sure... shamans were a fucking weird caster archetype.