The Primal Hunter's
Friendship

Shadows danced on the cave walls as flames flickered back and forth heating the bowl with a green liquid inside, taking on a stable form. Smiling, Jake inhaled his scent deeply as the notification appeared.

*You have successfully created [Stamina Banquet (Inferior)] – A new type of creation has been created. Bonus experience gained*

*'DING!' Profession: [Excellent Alchemist of Malefic Viper] has reached level 45 - Allotted stat points, +5 free points*

*'DING!' Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 34 - Allotted stat points, +5 free points*

Jake finally manages to make a potion of stamina. It was a bit strange that he felt so much happiness from making something of lesser rarity considering he was pumping out such ordinary scarcity poison as it was nothing. But still very satisfying.

Looking at his creation, he was quite happy.

[Stamina Potion (Inferior)] – Restores 485 stamina when consumed.

He could not help but rethink the first mana potion he made. It will only recover 87 mana, which is very bad. He still kept the potion inside his spatial storage, as a memento. He somehow managed not to consume it during his initial grinding, and for sentimental reasons, he kept it. It reminded him of how far he had come.

Putting the potion into his storage, he took the bed instead. It is somewhat paradoxical how physical activity does not seem to affect Jake's fatigue level, but reading about alchemy and doing alchemy seems to make him tired quickly.

He felt like he wanted to get a decent rest and recover his resources and mental energy in the meantime.

Sitting on a deserted bed in the middle of a small cave, he distributed his free points. He had decided to start investing in perception once again as he began to feel comfortable with his level of strength and agility. Moreover, he was approaching the evolution of his class, which would definitely be of great help to his battle-related stats.

Opening his status screen, he nodded to himself on the progress. It wasn't too much, but he was slowly and surely improving. The main goal, of course, is to develop the class as quickly as possible.

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

Race: [Human (E) – lvl 34]

Grade: [Harmer – lvl 23]

Profession: [Excellent Alchemist of Malefic Viper – lvl 45]

Health Points (HP): 3182/3220

Which Points (MP): 2587/3900

Stamina: 516/1150

Statisticians

Strength: 124

Agility: 145

Durability: 115

Vitality: 322

Toughness: 166

Wisdom: 390

Intelligence: 126

Perception: 277

Willingness: 195

Free points: 0

Title: [Bloodline Patriarch], [New World Predecessor], [Primordial True Blessing Holder], [Dungeoner I], [Dungeon Pioneer I]

Skills Class: [Basic One-handed Weapon Basic (Inferior], [Basic Stealth (Inferior)], [Advanced Land (General)], [Eye Archer (General)], [Powershot (Rarely)], [Powershot (Rare)], [Basic Twins Base Taring Style (Rare)], [Basic Shadow Vault of Umbra (Rare)]

Professional Skills: [Herbology (General)], [Brew Potion (General)], [Toxic Poison (General)], [Alchemist Purification (General)], [Achemical Flame (General)], [Toxicology (Rare)], [Rare)], [Achemical Flame, [Plant Poison (Rare)], [Malefic (Rare) Poison], [Palate of the Malefic Viper (Rare)], [Frequent Malefic Viper (Rare) Touch], [Malefic Viper (Frame)], [Feature)], [Malefic Viper Blood (Epic)]

Blessings: [True Blessing of the Malefic Viper (Gift - True)]

Race Skills: [Undless Tongue of the Myriad Race (Unique)], [Identification (General)], [Meditation (General)], [Primordial Shroud Cloth (Divine)]

Bloodline: [Primal Hunter Bloodline (Blood Line Capability - Unique)]

It was good to see that his physical stats were no longer horrendous.

Many of its improvements also did not appear on the status screen at all. His control over mana has seen a huge improvement over the past few days, and he believes that he will soon be able to use it more actively.

Now he only inserted his weapon so as not to break during use, and occasionally did levitation. Of course, this was beyond alchemy. But he knows how he can do more.

Warriors with green auras are a good example of this. The aura Jake feels from the man reminds him more of stamina than mana. But the effect he achieved was roughly the same as what Jake expected the mana-based skill would do.

Of course, Jake knows that skill must be the driving force behind it. But if it was like the Alchemy Flame or just a general mixing skill of his alchemy profession, a well-trained mana control would be of great help.

The aura around the man did not appear to be in control at all. It was active at all times and based on how short the man could fight in top condition, Jake guessed it consumed a lot of energy. If it wasn't Jake, he would have been able to control it more, likely making his skills better in every way.

It was hard not to feel dizzy at the thought of getting something like that soldier used to. Especially if he could obtain one using mana, it ended up giving him the ability to use a large collection of mana during battle.

But all that for later. For now, Jake is too tired to even train.

Closing the status menu once again, he lay in bed as he rested - his first real sleep since getting out of the challenge dungeon. While meditation does wonders, perhaps even letting someone never need sleep at all, Jake still likes to sleep. In addition, he trusted his instinct and sense of danger to warn him about a would-be assassin or a savage beast.

As he slept, he also dreamed for the first time in a while. He dreamed of his old life before the system. His job and his family, which is pretty much all he has, really. Surprisingly, the dream felt very clear and only made Jake sad. Inevitably he felt how futile it was, how he had just made a move, day after day without any purpose.

But in this new world, he had meaning. Every level is a new goal, every skill or evolution is a great achievement. He had never really experienced an existential crisis before the system; he just worked and spent his free time doing whatever he found entertaining.

Plus, he felt something strangely interesting about the prospect of endless travel. Before the system, everyone had a rough idea of how their life would go. Born, educated, worked, retired, died. It's simple, and the focus is on how you make the best use of your time.

The system, however, eliminates it completely. Take the limited concept of life and throw it straight into the trash. Jake can feel it even now, and the existence of the Malefic Viper has proven that immortality is a possibility. One could imagine the probability of it happening was low, but the potential was there.

Without certainty, it gives new meaning to everything. Each level up is not just a temporary gain like an extra amount of money in your bank account, but a permanent increase to who you really are. The potential benefits of staying with you forever. Even if the realm of immortality was never reached, one's lifespan would still increase significantly.

This brings us back to Jake's dream. Since he does have something he wants in addition to looking for more challenges and more levels, he wants to find his family and help certain people in tutorials.

Jake feels overwhelmed by the sudden feeling of loss. He has been alone for most of the tutorials and has little time to think in general. Always focus on something. But now, in a lucid dream, he had nothing but his own thoughts.

He naturally planned to try to find his family members once he got out of here. But he also realized that unnecessary worry would not help him much during his own tutorials. Instead, he should focus on what he can do now. Become stronger and try to help his comrades. Help your only friends .. especially Jacob. He's done so much for Jake, the least he can do is not let him die. Jake also fears what he blames for all the murders will mean something to his colleagues. He has to do something.

Slowly his consciousness began to fade away as he came out of his clear state and only became an audience of his own mind's imagination. He dreams of the events he has been to, the bonds he has made but is also reminded of the bonds he has lost or broken with his own hands.

Slowly even the dream faded, or perhaps he did not notice it.

The Hall Master had never panicked like this moment. Wandering back and forth in his room, losing what he had to do next.

His encounter with his Great Protector was not what he expected. Despite his endless imagination about their meeting, the true manner of meeting never happened even in his wildest dreams. The great Malefic Viper was not as he believed, but instead seemed too relaxed. If not for his aura, at the risk of sounding blasphemous, he would not have expected him to even become a god. Especially the Malefic Viper.

And now he had to prepare for that big meeting. All the different branches of the hall will send their important members to the headquarters, and a large meeting will be held. It was a meeting and celebration of the return of their Protector.

But instead of being in a celebratory mood, the Hall Master was instead overwhelmed with worry. Ignoring his fear of disappointing the Malefic Viper and Lord Protector, now he was also deeply afraid of the branch leaders' reaction when the Malefic Viper would appear.

However, at the same time, he felt an overwhelming excitement. The return of the Viper would definitely mark the start of a massive change. Return to glory, if you can. The Order was once in its history to be one of the noblest organizations of the entire multiverse, and he dreamed that one day they would return to be one. Something that is now possible.

However, with all those incredible prospects, he still had one incredible headache. That pertaining to a certain human that the Viper spoke of just a few days ago…

"A friend?" Lord Protector asked, with a puzzled expression on his face.

“Yeah, yes, you know .. a friend – friend. You must love it, Snappy, ” Malefic Viper said with a smile as he patted the Lord Protector's back.

The Hall Master had been astonished. What does a Protector mean by a friend? Friendship indicates a certain degree of equality between two parties. Implications of that…

“Master, please, you have to explain further. Who is this mortal man who is considered worthy of you to call him a friend? ” Lord Protector asked, clearly skeptical of that ludicrous sentiment. The Hall Master could only agree that the prospect of a human referring to a god as a friend did indeed seem unreasonable. The only human who could actually do it was the strongest demigod.

Malefic Viper was silent for a moment before she turned to the Hall Master. "Tell me, son, are you afraid of me?"

Without hesitation, he answered. "Of course, my Lord, anything less would be absurd!"

"And you, Snapy?"

“Not fearing the powerful is an act of foolishness,” he replied calmly.

“Well, Jake doesn't. By the way, his name is Jake! Anyhow! He did not have the slightest bit of fear, just a lot of confusion and curiosity, ” The Viper said, still smiling.

“She knows I won't hurt her. Heck, I even tried to scare him a little by attacking, but he didn't even flinch!”

"How is that possible?" The Protector asked.

"What do you think of a human being, who hasn't even been initiated into the system for a month, right?" Viper asked, clearly directing the question to himself and the Lord Protector.

"Blood line" he answered immediately.

"Bingo!" Malefic Viper said while clapping. “and while I don't understand the specifics, it really gives me a strong feeling. Sending vibrations to my spine, I say yes! ”

“So, recognizing the human lineage makes it worthy of your friendship?” asked the Lord Protector, still somewhat confused. For humans to appear with such a powerful bloodline was nothing new. Viper and Lord Protector had both met many like that before. Even members of their Order had been born with such a bloodline.

“First of all, Snappy, while I am far from expert, I don't think that's how friendship works,” said Viper. “Second, no, he's my friend because he's a great guy. Either way, he made me think about some important things, and finally decided to leave my world and stop wallowing again. So don't complain.”

With that, Viper no longer talks about her new .. 'friend. Instead, the talks turned to a grand ceremony they were about to hold to announce the return of the Malefic Viper. Announce not just the Order but the entire multiverse.

Several more bombs were dropped, like how Viper casually mentioned giving humans a True Blessing, but the Hall Master honestly stopped trying to understand the logic behind his Great Protector at that moment. In the end, who was he to question the mind of a Primordial?

That's what led him back, walking back and forth in his room, pondering.

Jake this poses a lot of challenges. But at the same time, there are many opportunities. While he, as Hall Master, had unrequited loyalty towards his Protectors, he was not blind to politics and hierarchy. There was a reason why he had managed to rise to the top and had the highest title among mortals in the entire Order. At least he was once the highest…

Now, he had been dropped to second place. No amount of politics can beat the one chosen from Malefic One itself.

Therefore, a good relationship with this mortal man was a must. However, any relationship that becomes relevant depends on it to survive the tutorial. After that, they also needed to contact him, but with the True Blessing connecting him and the Protector, it shouldn't be a problem.

All of this has to wait now. The other leaders began to arrive, and he could no longer let the elders handle all the hassle.

Out of the room, he went to the banquet hall that had been used continuously for the past few days, welcoming all the newcomers. Food from across the multiverse is collected, prepared, and cooked by a high-level cook. It was not like anyone of their level needed it; instead, they ate it for the strong temporary buff it provided. Also, of course, because it tastes good.

This meeting is not for young talents, but old leaders. Excitement was seen as he crossed the hall, greeting one after another.

However, suddenly, he heard a voice that he would never forget.

“You should have seen that thing, the color is indescribable, and it feels euphoric!” said the man, laughing with the others, making a big gesture with his hands while standing in the middle of the crowd of three reptile servants.

The Hall Master did not share in an excited atmosphere as he stood frozen, staring at the man. Scaled men. Their protector, the Malefic Viper.

None of the people around him knew of his identity, and his ability to conceal his true aura was naturally at an above-impeccable level.

Sighing, he walked towards them. It really didn't go as he expected.