The Primal Hunter

Chapter 894: Years of Change

“Oh, hey there,” Jake said as he appeared at his residence and, less than a second later, saw Meira pop into existence. Seeing her, he couldn’t help but instinctively say hello as he got a good look at her.

For Jake, fifty years of Nevermore had passed, but for Meira, only three or so had gone by since their last meeting. Yet when he looked at Meira, he was certain that of the two of them, she was the one who had changed the most during their time apart.

Her entire aura had undergone a frankly shocking transformation. It was more qualitative than quantitative in nature, and when Jake used Identify, he quickly understood why.

[High Elf – lvl 206 – True Blessing of Duskleaf]

The first thing to note was definitely the fact that Duskleaf now had a Chosen. He also couldn’t help but stare a bit at the “Duskleaf” in the Identify message, as it seemed a bit… off? It was weird to explain, but probably not anything that mattered much. No, what mattered was that Meira had been given his True Blessing, and that wasn’t even the only big thing that had changed.

Somehow, she had also become a high elf. Jake wasn’t sure about the exact requirements for an elf evolving to a high elf – something the Altmar Empire did much to ensure – but he did know the most basic of things, such as the requirement for an elf to have had a Perfect Evolution in D-grade and in general have a powerful Path. While Meira did get a Perfect Evolution back then, she definitely didn't meet all the other criteria for becoming a high elf. Of course, he quickly understood how she had done it anyway. Or, more accurately, who had done it for her, as this was definitely the work of Duskleaf.

Outwardly, she didn’t look that much different than before, besides her eyes now having a deep golden color to them, and maybe her ears were a bit more pointy than before. Her blonde hair also looked a bit more golden blonde now maybe? It was hard to tell, honestly. People changing things like hair colors with evolutions was far from anything new. Shit, Carmen had changed hers from red to blonde at some point, Jake was pretty sure. Or maybe it was just covered in so much blood during their first meeting that it looked red?

Anyway, the thing about Meira that had changed the most was definitely the aura and overall demeanor she now excuded. And, of course, her power.

She was still far from being a peak genius who had a chance to compete on the Leaderboards. However, she would definitely be considered high-tier now, at least if one evaluated her purely based on her current aura. With time, Jake believed she could grow and become far more powerful.

While it was true that Meira had been subpar until she reached C-grade, that was far from the end of her Path or something that truly determined how powerful she could one day become. Jake’s own massive growth in stats during C-grade thus far was proof of just how fast she could potentially catch up to others who also had powerful Paths in prior grades.

She had even begun to improve her combat skills based on the state of her clothing and the blood and gore still on her, which was great to see. That was one of the areas Jake had been the most nervous for her, as he never got the feeling she was much of a fighter.

With Duskleaf teaching her, Jake didn’t doubt her skills – at least her crafting ones - would catch up with time, and he genuinely believed Meira had a bright future ahead of herself if she kept working as hard as she clearly had been during his time in Nevermore.

It was almost hard to imagine that it hadn’t even been more than a few years since she first appeared before him. Back then, she had barely dared speak, and was practically shaking at all times when in his presence. Meira had been utterly incapable of making her own decisions, and it wouldn’t be an understatement to say she didn’t have a Path at all. At least none she could call her own. All she cared about was surviving another day, never looking toward the future.

Now, she seemed to have a purpose. Jake felt an odd sense of pride and happiness seeing Meira having come this far from where she once was, and he hoped she would continue the Path she was on. Duskleaf was definitely to thank for a major part of her transformation, but Jake still felt glad he had been the impetus. Going from a slave to the Chosen of a god in around half a decade had to be some kind of record, right?

Jake just looked at her as he had all these thoughts while Meira took a moment to gather herself before moving almost in instinct as she bowed.

“Welcome back, Lord Thayne,” she said in a familiar tone that Jake chose to instantly take issue with.

“I don’t think it’s proper for my fellow Chosen to act this submissively,” Jake said in a semi-joking tone.

Meira seemed to realize he was probably right as she quickly straightened her back and stood properly upright as she got back her bearings and spoke again.

“It’s just… I did not expect you back this soon,” Meira said, still a bit nervous, though at least she didn’t stumble over her words as much as she used to. What’s more, she actually met his eyes and didn’t look down. “And congratulations on your performance on the Leaderboards.”

“Thank you… and I’m not even sure where to start when congratulating you,” Jake said. “High Elf, Chosen of Duskleaf, just reaching C-grade in general… lots of things to celebrate there.”

Meira smiled at Jake’s words as he looked as if she was about to do a small bow again, but stopped herself and only nodded. “I have done my best… but… Lord Thayne, would it be alright to speak in a bit? I want to return to my residence first to not dirty the main building with my current state.”

Jake wasn’t sure why that was necessary. It wasn’t like Jake ever bothered to clean up before entering the main building, and if she was afraid of spilling blood and gore inside, she should be able to quickly remove it all with some magic.

Alas, Jake wasn’t going to argue with her as he just nodded. “Alright, see you in a bit. I’m looking forward to hearing all you’ve been up to over the last few years.”

“And I to hear of your exploits,” Meira said, as she hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Perhaps you should also contact Irin? Reika, Scarlett, and Bastilla are all in Nevermore right now, and Izil has headed back to the Altmar Empire for a bit and shouldn’t return before in a few months. It’s just been me and Irin for a while now, and I’m sure she would also be elated upon learning of your return.”

“Yeah, good idea, I should also tell her,” Jake quickly agreed. This would also allow him to remember giving Irin that token thing he had received from the Demon Prince before he forgot he had it. Because he would totally forget he had it.

“I will see you in a bit,” Meira said, as she barely managed to stop herself from bowing yet again as she just nodded instead. She turned to leave, and Jake looked after her as he couldn’t help but speak up.

“Hey, Meira,” Jake said, the high elf stopping mid-walk as she turned and looked at him, making him smile. “You’re looking great. Keep up whatever you’re doing.”

Her eyes opened wide before she quickly whipped her head around and muttered in a small tone before hurrying back to her own residence. “Tha…. thank you…”

Jake saw her leave with quick steps as he kept smiling and shook his head. Meira still had a lot to learn even if she had come far, and the first lesson was to get some more self-confidence, even around Jake.

Going toward the main mansion, Jake felt nostalgic at the sight. Everything looked the same as when he left, and even faint remnants of the ritual that had hatched Vesperia could still be seen on one part of the large lawn.

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When he got inside, he made his way to the couch and plopped down before he took out the Order Token. The item had been inactive during his stay in Nevermore, but now that he was back in the Order, it had been reactivated. Also, while Jake took it out to contact Irin, he decided to do one other thing first.

Checking out the available lessons, he noticed quite an interesting trend. Lessons targeting early C-grades were nearly all gone, with nearly all those remaining catering toward one subject and one subject only: Nevermore. They were about how to make good parties, workshops to learn teamwork, meet-ups for those looking for party members, and general combat-related stuff that would prove useful within the World Wonder.

It wasn’t that surprising. With a new version of Nevermore having just opened up, there was a rush to go there. Some wanted to compete on the Leaderboards to see if they could get a decent placement – decent in their cases being something like top 10,000 or even top 100,000. Because, yes, the Leaderboards gave titles to anyone who placed in the top 1,000,000. Of course, the title would be shit compared to the one Jake and the others who placed in the top 100 or even top 250, but they were still something any member of the Order would be proud to receive.

Others just wanted the experience and if they had to visit Nevermore, no time was better than now. Even for those like Scarlett who couldn’t compete on the Leaderboards, this was an opportunity to get at least a few levels in an efficient manner.

For mid and high-tier C-grades, the lessons offered were more or less the same as usual, with a few added talking about post-Nevermore planning and whatnot. From what Jake gathered, a lot were unsure what to do right after leaving Nevermore and needed a kick in the ass to get going toward a new goal, with courses like this helping with just that.

Jake wasn’t interested in attending anything; he just wanted to see what was available. At least he wasn’t interested for now. Maybe in the near future, if he wanted to grind some alchemy before the Prima Guardian arrived, he would also attend a few lessons if they appealed to him.

Still sitting and fiddling with the Token, he finally decided to make contact with Irin. The Token had her contact information saved, and the second he dialed her, he got a response.

“Welcome back to the Order of the Malefic VIper, Lord Thayne, Conquerer of Nevermore,” she said in a tone Jake couldn’t quite decide if was irony or genuine praise. Probably a mix of both.

“Thank you, Mistress Irinixis, Demon Who I’m Not Sure Has Even Been To Nevermore,” Jake answered, choosing to take the joking approach.

“Mistress has a nice tone to it… but no, I have not been to Nevermore for a good while,” Irin responded quickly. “The place just doesn’t particularly appeal to what I do, and in all honesty, I would drag down any party I went with.”

“Fair enough,” Jake said. It made sense. Irin only had a profession and a race, having chosen to forego a class. Her race did offer some combat measures, but ultimately, she didn’t have a Path suited for combat. Or, as Irin put it…

“You know I’m a lover, not a fighter. Also, I must say I’m flattered you contacted me this quickly after returning. You missed me?”

Maybe it was just Jake, but Irin seemed a bit more… straightforward than before. Then again, maybe it was just Jake. She had always been pretty aggressive and bold, so it wasn’t like she was acting out of character. In either case, Jake was all fine with playing along a bit.

“I did contact you to invite you to visit, but now I’m doubting if I should. Here I was, wanting to give you a souvenir, and I feel like you’re just teasing me,” Jake said with a sad tone.

“Oh? Now, you got me curious, but please tell me it isn’t the skull of a beast or something like that,” she said, clearly interested, though she didn’t seem to take his words that seriously, likely thinking Jake was just continuing to joke around.

“Nothing that grand. Just this Crest thing I got from the Demon Prince of the Fourth Hell, who I recently helped absorb the Crystalized Devil Heart of some dead Cerulean Devil during a first-in-the-multiverse ritual, making him evolve into a Cerulean Demon Lord,” Jake casually said.

A brief pause followed before Irin spoke.

“… I’m coming over.”

“See you in a bit,” Jake grinned as the connection was cut, and he leaned back on the sofa as he waited for her and Meira to arrive to get him all caught up on recent happenings.

--

Dina relaxed back at her own small residence on the small planet she usually lived on within the domain of the Pantheon of Life. She had a lot to meditate on as she soaked in the sun while reflecting on the last few decades.

She hadn’t ever made many friends throughout her life, at least not before going to Nevermore. Part of the reason for this was just how busy she had always been, but another major reason was her lack of trust in others. Dina was the granddaughter of Nature’s Attendant and had inherited a version of his Bloodline. This gave her a status she had never quite felt comfortable with and put a barrier between herself and her peers. Dina did still have some acquaintances, but she never knew who was around her due to her status or because of who she was as a person.

When her grandfather had proposed the idea of entering Nevermore with the Chosen of the Malefic Viper, she had been less than keen on it. Especially because she heard what people were saying about the idea. While they tried to be sneaky, the area controlled by the Pantheon of Life was naturally filled with plants, and they gladly shared all the secrets and gossip people had been talking about, thinking she couldn’t hear.

It was almost an open conspiracy that making her enter Nevermore with the Chosen was an attempt to forge a stronger connection between herself and the Chosen. That was why Dina hadn’t been keen, as she wasn’t interested in that kind of thing. Yet she had allowed herself to be persuaded, as she truly couldn’t say no to her grandfather, who seemed so excited at the idea.

So, with reluctance, she had joined his party… and she didn’t regret that choice at all. While it took her a while to open up, she truly considered them all close friends by now. Sure, the Fallen King was arrogant and not the nicest, but he was always respectful when it mattered and kept an extra eye on her during combat. Sylphie was the sweetest, and she didn’t have a single negative thing to say about the bird and she quite honestly felt angry at the thought of anyone even thinking negative things about her.

The Sword Saint was probably the one she had gotten the closest to. Perhaps because he reminded her a bit of her grandfather. It was weird that despite being a C-grade, the swordsman truly felt like an ancient existence, but it likely had something to do with his Path and Transcendence. He had been the man who made sure Dina had initially managed to integrate with the group, and Dina would be very sad if they didn’t get the chance to meet again relatively soon.

Finally, there was, of course, the Chosen of the Malefic Viper, Jake. And Jake was… odd. But not in a bad way. He was just always doing his own thing, and he always seemed to be looking forward, never back. His Path also confused her a bit. The Pantheon of Life had many hunters in it, Artemis being a prime example of this. However, in the eyes of the Pantheon, being a hunter was to be the enlightened version of a predator who coexisted and regulated the ecosystem. To be one with nature. And yet, Jake didn’t at all fit this mold, exemplified by one thing more than any other:

His utter lack of any nature affinity. No, his almost antagonistic relationship with the affinity.

To have the nature affinity was something Dina had come to associate with hunters, so to see Jake without it had confused her more than anything else. However, with time, she came to understand and reached a conclusion she wasn’t quite sure if she should share with anyone.

Jake couldn’t be one with nature. He didn’t exist with it or even seemed like he wanted to. He wasn’t there to regulate some ecosystem or even care about its continued existence. Jake was to nature… no, perhaps the entire multiverse, what happened when people tried to interfere and assist an ecosystem by introducing some new creature that proved too strong for its environment.

He was like an invasive species. Too suitable for the ecosystem and nature to survive his presence, thus rejecting him. He was outside of nature, untethered by its natural laws. At least, this was Dina’s theory on the matter.

In all honesty, Dina respected Jake a lot. He was incredibly strong, and whenever she was with him, she never felt like they could lose a fight. He always found a way to win, even when Dina feared they didn’t stand a chance. As a person, she had also come to like him. Not in the way many members of the Pantheon of Life had hoped, but as a close friend, and she believed he felt the same way. At least, she hoped he did.

As Dina was absorbing the powerful life energy of the sun while reflecting, she suddenly felt two new presences appear. One of them was her grandfather, who had left only half a day before, while the other one was Artemis, whom Dina was a bit surprised to see there.

“Dina, how are you adjusting now that you’re back home again?” her grandfather asked, with a bit of concern in his voice.

“I’m fine,” Dina smiled, happy to see him again so soon. While she had enjoyed Nevermore, she had still missed spending time with her grandfather.

“Good, good,” he said with a sense of relief as he suddenly turned a bit more serious. “She wants to see you.”

“Huh?” Dina asked with confusion.

“The Mother Tree has requested your presence,” Artemis further clarified. “Requested all of us.”

Dina quickly dispelled all other thoughts as she hurridly stood up with a mix of confusion, anticipation, and a bit of fear. This would be her first time ever directly meeting her… meeting the Mother Tree.

“Please,” Dina said as her grandfather nodded with a proud smile before the three of them teleported away.