The Primal Hunter's
Unexpected Meeting 3

The Hall Master standing was frozen as he slowly turned around. What he saw was a scaly man, looking more human than a reptile. He was wearing a simple-looking black robe and had what he could only describe as a silly smile on his lips. His long black hair was tied behind his head, revealing his green eyes.

He looked unimpressive, but the aura he exuded was stronger than anything he had ever encountered. It felt like he was standing in front of the incarnation of death and decay itself. But he did not feel the slightest fear. The only feeling inhabiting his body was pure excitement, combined with overwhelming nervousness.

“M... sir! You have returned! i... I...” Lord Protector stuttered as tears began to flow down his face. He had waited for so long, far longer than any other creature in the Malefic Viper Order. Well, except for Viper's student, but that guy's kind of crazy.

With a single step, the Malefic Viper appeared before the Lord Protector, and to Hall Master's surprise, he hugged her tightly.

“I'm sorry little boy; it must have been hard for you. You have done well, ” said Viper while rubbing the head of Lord Protector, who was now fully in tears.

The Hall Master could only stand there frozen as he observed. The tall and mighty Lord Protector, wept, and the Malefic Viper, a creature he had only heard of in legends, comforted him like a child. He had long dreamed of the Malefic Viper returning, but this scenario he had never imagined.

"So, Snappy, who is this young lady?" Viper finally asked as he moved away from Lord Protector, who quickly managed to calm himself down.

The Hall Master was now even more beside himself as the two gods turned their attention to him.

“Ah, this is the latest Hall Master of the Order; he is more or less a member of the highest ranked order since we only have one hall left. I believe she is the descendant of one of the Women of the Greening Lagoon, ” said Lord Protector, as she has now managed to completely calm down, soothe herself, back to his more stoic demeanor that he usually showed.

“Oh, the girls. It brings back some memories. Glad to see they left some good descendants with orders. Curious what they did today,” said Malefic Viper, as he stepped closer to the frozen Hall Master. "So, what are you called?"

Hall Master, now suddenly thrown from his stupor, made it out: “My name? Viridia, Milord!” He said while doing all he could to calm down. “May I have the honor to welcome Malefic One back to the Order, and apologize for our inadequate appearance due to the Protector's absence! I swear on my life that-“

"Wow! Stop, stop, stop! I'm just asking your name, that's all. You don't have to apologize, my goodness. I'm the one who should apologize to you if anyone will. But I've apologized to little Snappy before, and I don't apologize twice in a day, so we can't apologize. Just relax, okay? Everything's fine. The fact that the order is still there is already more than impressive, ” said Malefic Viper as he raised his hand and patted his head, quite stroking it.

Smiling, Snappy approached them and asked: “May I know why Master chose this time to return?” but soon realize that it may be wrong. “Nothing is wrong with going back now! That's good, actually! I just think that with the new integrated universe and everything. If there is a relationship, that's it!”

"Sharp. Relax." Viper shook his head as he turned around and landed a gentle punch on the Lord Protectors head. “And yes, it is completely related to the new universe. Remember that dungeon I made back in preparation for the second era? ”

"What about nails?" ask Lord Protector. If he remembered, it was the only underground prison that was not yet clear. He wasn't alive when it was made, but Viper had talked about it at length.

“Yes, that one. Someone really cleaned it up.”

"Oh! Does Master make new followers worthy!? Maybe a big reward was given for the performance of your new followers in the tutorial? Snappy said happily but immediately frowned. “Wait, that's impossible. The tutorial is not finished.”

"I don't make followers, no" he replied with a giant silly smile. "Believe it or not, I think I made a friend!"

As Jake opens his notification screen, he is instantly attacked by a stream of messages.

*You have killed [Human (F) - lvl 18/Apprentice Rogue - lvl 26 / Novice Leatherworker - lvl 10] – A small amount of bonus experience is gained for killing enemies with classes above your class level. 425,241 TP obtained*

*You have killed [Human (F) - lvl 19/Apprentice Swordsman - lvl 27 / Novice Smith - lvl 11] A small amount of bonus experience is gained for killing enemies with classes above your class level. 467,111 TP obtained*

*You have killed [Human (F) - lvl 20/Veteran Archers - lvl 28 / Starter Builders – lvl 12] – Small amount of bonus experience gained for killing enemies with classes above your grade level. 489,965 TP obtained*

*You have killed [Human (F) - lvl 20/Neophyte Ice Witch - lvl 30 / Novice Tailor lvl 11] – Small amount of bonus experience gained for killing enemies with classes above your class level. 591,235 TP obtained*

*You have killed [Human (F) - lvl 21/Aspiring Blade of Nature - lvl 33 / Novice Smith - lvl 10] – Small amount of bonus experience gained for killing enemies with classes above your class level. 703,458 TP obtained*

*'DING!' Class: [Archer] has reached level 21 - Allotted stat points, +1 free points*

*'DING!' Class: [Archer] has reached level 22 - Allotted stat points, +1 free points*

*'DING!' Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 33 - Allotted stat points, +5 free points*

*'DING!' Class: [Archer] has reached level 23 - Allotted stat points, +1 free points*

Jake could honestly only sigh once again at the message. Three whole levels in his class from relatively short fights. It was almost criminally more effective than hunting wild beasts. Even worse is the number of tutorial points earned.

He was close to four hundred thousand points before the fight, but now he had over three million. They have increased more than 7-fold. From the rules, he knew that he had obtained half of the group points; half of what they had fought for and risked their lives, being robbed in one fell swoop.

Looking at the class in the notification, he also learned quite a lot. The first three seemed to have a rather basic improvement. Two interns and one veteran. However, he was unsure whether the veteran was a low-level upgrade or higher. He assumed low because the man was on the weaker side, to be honest.

The last two are interesting. That woman was the Ice Witch Neophyte. Neophyte made people think it was low-level or that he had just started stepping on that path; maybe the Ice Witch was just a very high-class? He was rather strong, but he was far compared to the metal casters. Too bad he failed to kill her to see what her class name was.

The latter, aka the warrior who wears the plate, has by far the most interesting class. The Natural Sword Candidate. It reminded Jake of his own Extraordinary Alchemist about the Malefic Viper. The unusual adjective in front of the class seems to indicate that it is somehow a bit higher level, whereas the 'ranked' based ones, such as interns or beginners, seem to be an easier path. 'Neophyte' is also likely a 'special' adjective'. Of course, he doubted it was that simple.

And speaking of professions, they are very unattractive. All just beginner ranks. Though Jake does justify the existence of four types of professions in addition to his own profession. Tailors, Smiths, Leatherworkers, and Builders.

After all, he had to see the bright spot of this bad situation. He could not sit there and think about what was going on or why they were targeting him. Information was needed, so he only needed to appreciate what he got.

For his free points, he divided it between strength and agility. He still felt that he was weaker or on par with others even though his race level was much higher. He knew that an evolved class would add more statistics than a basic starting class. The total of 6 stats of each level of the archer did seem quite pitiful compared to his 20 from the Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper.

Closing the notification window, he got up and exited his meditation. He had not been down for long, but he managed to recover a bit of stamina and mana. To be honest he wondered if he even needed to sleep again. He didn't feel the need since getting out of the dungeon challenge. There, he only slept a few hours occasionally to relax his head. Something not yet needed here in the woods.

Looking around, he saw the huge sword that the soldier had dropped. It looks quite simple but has a relatively nice looking green gem embedded in its handle. Using the Identification on it, he was slightly surprised.

Requirements: Level 20 in any class or race. High natural affinity.

That sword. The charm is very interesting. This sword was most likely the reason of the male class and the mystical aura. Somehow the inner energy, or stamina, was infused with 'natural energy' as the sword described.

The sword is good. Jake couldn't help but take it. It was a bit heavy, but there was nothing he could not handle. The energy from the warrior was still left inside the sword, so Jake decided to let it go for now. He could feel it slowly disappearing as he looked at it. In just a few minutes, he should be able to try and claim it as his own.

But the fact that the man had dropped such a weapon made Jake think of something he simply did not ignore. Looting. It was not like a beast dropping loot like in a game, but humans definitely did. He can take their equipment. It feels dirty and dishonorable, but Jake feels stupid not to do it.

He needed strength; everyone did. The dead will not blame the living for trying to stay alive . He thinks to himself. Unless that person had killed them, of course. So, these dead people are gonna be mad at me for taking their stuff.

Ignoring that entire thought, he went to the soldier and identified his armor. It was rare and enhanced like his robe, even with the same self-improvement charm. Since he had a lot of space in his spatial storage, and with his own repaired armor, he saw no reason not to keep it. Fortunately, he did not need to strip the dead man bare, as he could instantly store it once he sensed the remaining mana left from the man's armor.

Next, he went to the Ice Witch and identified her items as well. He tried quickly about it, because to be honest he still felt very uncomfortable looking at the corpse. The robe was as rare as a warrior and his. He also had a rare magic wand that he was honestly not interested in. But he had a ring on his finger that produced a pleasant surprise.

[Ring of Brilliance (Common)] – Rings with gems made by jewelers. Mana in gems gives users an increase in mental stats. Charm: +10 Intelligence, +10 Wisdom, +5 Willingness.

Requirements: Lvl 15+ in any humanoid race

Like warrior armor, his ring and staff were also stored in his necklace. He also threw the caster robe without thinking, instantly regretting it because the woman was now half-naked with only tattered clothes underneath that looked like it was sewn carelessly from a pre-tutorial outfit.

He quickly took out a piece of cloth that he had brought from the dungeon and covered his body. It was the same for himself as it was for him. He had already decided to burn the bodies, partly as a thank you for his equipment, and partly out of a strange respect and out of respect for those who put up a good fight. It feels like the right thing to do.

But for now, he moved to another corpse. As he walked towards the archer, he took out the ring and started injecting mana into it until he felt a warm form of connection and flow of stats rising. At that moment, he had already arrived in front of the archer who looked somewhat bloody. The robe was completely gone, and his Identity appeared without showing anything indicating that the robe was damaged as its poison engulfed the man.

But he found the bow and dagger the archer used lying slightly tilted to the side. He had dropped his bow when Jake first shot him, and while the blade was still a bit dirty, it must have fallen early in the process. Identifying the two, he was not surprised, but remained happy with the results.

[Archer's Bow (Common)] – Shared Bows for Tutorial, now upgraded with tokens. It has a strong wooden structure and rope. Charm: Self-Repair.

Requirements: Tutorial Participants and Archer Classes (current or previous).

[Archer's Dagger (Common)] – Daggers shared for Tutorial, now upgraded with tokens. It has sharp edges made of high quality steel and strong wooden handles. Charm: Self-Repair.

Requirements: Tutorial Participants and Archer Classes (current or previous).

His old bow and dagger were currently not upgraded, so two upgraded versions were more than welcome. However, the dagger needed a good cleaning before using it, something for later, as he stored both of them into his storage. He could tie them to himself with mana and just ask for self-improvement doing the cleaning as well.

Next, he inspected the bastard and the swordsman but found nothing interesting. They both had rare equipment, although the bastard did have boots that were also rare but offered little durability except for normal self-improvement spells. Of course, it was completely useless to Jake since he already had a much better Boots of the Wandering Alchemist.

After plundering what he wanted, he returned to the great sword that was still on the ground. He could not put it into his spatial storage as long as the warrior energy was still inside.

As expected, his energy dissipated completely after his pillaging tour. Unable to contain himself, he tried to tie the sword to himself. But the moment the mana entered, he felt a strong resistance, followed by a vengeance force that sent a burning sensation into his hands.

Cursing, he pulled back his hand. Somehow the sword told him that he could not tie it. Apparently, he was unfamiliar with nature or maybe he did not have the right affinity or anything like that, following the requirements. Perhaps it had something to do with nature that was usually thought to be related to life, and his current approach to almost everything was quite the opposite of his poison? Or something completely unrelated, like an innate talent?

After all, he kept the sword in his spatial necklace. Who knows, maybe he could find someone to use it later. No matter what, he saw no reason not to keep it even if he himself did not use that great sword.

With everything gathered together, he began to prepare for their delivery. The fight was most likely on a false premise and was only the result of a deadly big misunderstanding.

The least respect he could give his opponents was not to let their corpses lie around just like that. He recalls many civilizations used to burn fallen warriors, and even in modern countries, cremation has also become the norm in many places.

Gathering the corpses, he made sure to transport the half-rotting archers carefully. After which, he gathered some wood and put all the corpses on it. His Alchemy Fire quickly started burning the body along with the wood. A flame does almost nothing on a live target, but because the system is always there, it works very well in destroying objects or burning things.

As the pile of wood burns, Jake decides to continue what he did before the battle: Alchemy. His stamina was getting lower after the many Shadow Vaults, and it was more than time that he learned how to concoct stamina potions.

He sat down beside the pile of wood that was still burning, taking out a book on how to make it from his spatial storage. With his new movement skills, he had the confidence to escape from anyone, so he decided to let the pile of wood serve as a beacon to attract the other survivors to him. The only ones who would see the smoke of this pile of wood were the ones who were already out and about; therefore, it was impossible to attract anyone.

He clearly needs information. He was filled with questions while having no answers. The risks associated with searching for Richard or even the factions that opposed him also seemed too much. Again, due to lack of information.

A meeting with one of his colleagues would be the best. Although they were not close friends, at least they knew him a little. They should have known he wasn't the type to randomly attack people and try to spark a war.

Jacob especially should know this. That person had a good understanding of others, so even though he and Jake didn't know each other for long, he could still convince others that he wasn't a monster.

However, looking at the burning pile of wood, he knew he was not really helping his own case. He doubted the friends of the squad he killed would accept him away: “Hey, yes, sorry I killed your friend, but it was all a misunderstanding! No hard feelings, right?”

With a long sigh, he read the little book half distractedly. All this is fucked up. Why isn't it easy? Killing a savage beast to earn points and the humans attacking you only become psycho enemies.

Looking up from the book, he looked towards the sky. He really wished he could ask someone for advice on what to actually do. His instincts were not very helpful here, as he was sure it would only suggest killing anyone who dared to take up arms against him. It doesn't care about motives, thoughts, or morals. It's pure. Unostentatious. Maybe living just following your instincts will be a lot easier.

Shaking his head, he decided to cut off all the disturbing thoughts and focus on his alchemy. Worrying would be of no use to him. Herbs and stamina levels, however, will help her immensely.

Keep it simple, Jake thought to himself, and face the complications that come his way .