The Primal Hunter Chapter 1216 - The Bane of True Dragons

Jake found it impossible to determine which milestone would be reached first. On one side, his proficiency in poison crafting showed daily growth; on the other, he felt he was standing on the very edge of a breakthrough that would finally allow him to upgrade his Meditate skill.

While the former was a steady, incremental climb, the latter was a matter of sudden enlightenment, making the timing entirely unpredictable. There was no doubt that improving the Meditate skill would have a more significant impact, but Jake realized he couldn't force the issue. He knew that even if he dedicated all his time to chasing that upgrade, it wouldn't necessarily come any faster.

He decided his best course of action was to remain focused on his Dragonsbane Poison while keeping an eye out for the Meditate breakthrough in the margins of his work. Jake noticed that his attunement to the Meditate skill felt more potent when his energy was depleted, as the boost in regeneration became much more apparent.

As the weeks bled into months, he eventually passed the one-year mark of his semi-isolated training. During this time, he avoided all social contact and conversation, choosing instead to immerse himself completely in his craft. He allowed no interruptions, regardless of how much of a distant friend or partner that behavior made him.

He didn't suspect Artemis would take offense to his absence. The only news he had received regarding her was a brief note included in an ingredient shipment from Villy, mentioning her encouragement and nothing more. This was expected, as a couple of years were a mere blink of an eye to a god.

Isolation continued as one year stretched into two. His progress in creating bane poisons was swift, leading to the creation of several variations as he worked toward the final Dragonsbane Poison. After successfully concocting a Scalekinsbane Poison, Jake sought to create something more specialized. He briefly considered a Humansbane Poison using his own blood but dismissed the idea, choosing instead to target the creature he shared the most Records with besides himself:

Snakes.

The process proved remarkably simple. In just a few months, Jake transitioned from Scalekinsbane to his inaugural batch of Snakesbane. This brought him closer to his goal, as he focused more intensely on the Records with every batch, refining his search.

Jake toyed with the idea of making a Wyvernsbane Poison or perhaps a version for winged serpents, but he ultimately pivoted in a completely different direction.

His next creation was an Elementalsbane Poison. He realized that what truly separated True Dragons from common beasts and other scaled monsters was their immense magical capability.

Aside from a few unique anomalies, True Dragons stood as the premier race of monster casters in the multiverse. Every True Dragon functioned as a master mage with incredible mana control, possessing a natural talent for learning magic that was virtually unmatched.

Consequently, Jake wanted a bane poison that targeted Records associated with mana. He had already run into difficulties when trying to manipulate Record-heavy dragon components directly.

To be fair, Jake had seen this coming. Being aware of his own shortcomings, he had prepared several strategies before even attempting the Dragonsbane Poison.

Jake understood that if he struggled to focus the Records within the mixture, much of the potency would be lost. He had identified several ways to mitigate this, though each carried its own drawbacks.

The first option was simply to improve his skill naturally, though that was the slowest path. For a C-grade to manipulate the Records of B-grade True Dragons was nearly impossible; while he would improve over time, he didn't want to spend decades on a single poison when he was aiming for a few years.

A second strategy involved using a higher volume of ingredients. He could add dragon blood, pull out the Records, evaporate the waste, and repeat. This would make the process much longer and more taxing. While Jake didn't mind the effort, he couldn't sustain the resource cost. Once he started the concoction, he couldn't stop, and he lacked the mana and mental stamina to finish such a drawn-out method.

This led him to a third option, one he could only afford because of the Malefic Viper’s sponsorship. Typically, an alchemist would use cheaper monster parts for a bane poison since a high volume of Records wasn't usually necessary for grade-appropriate gear.

However, Jake required more Records—both in quality and quantity. To achieve this, he did something that would cause other alchemists to cough up blood in shock at the sheer waste:

He utilized the most expensive, Record-dense materials available. Dragon Hearts, the eyes of specific True Dragons, and infused bones from Wildflight dragons were tossed into the mix—items no sane person would waste on a single-use poison. It was the equivalent of making a doorknob out of solid gold simply because the metal was easier to shape.

The components Jake used for his tests were the kind usually reserved for crafting legendary or even mythical gear for B-grades. Jake didn't care about the cost, primarily because he wasn't the one paying for it.

Still, Jake possessed enough of a conscience to only use the truly priceless parts when he felt a success was actually possible, sticking to cheaper materials for his daily practice.

As he had noted, this was a slow climb of incremental gains. He began by using True Dragon parts to craft Scalesbane Poison—a slightly less concentrated version of Scalekinsbane—to familiarize himself with the materials.

Once he felt ready, he increased the focus of the Records daily. This painstaking process took several months. Before long, Jake had been in isolation for just over three years, during which time he had likely burned through a budget equivalent to Earth’s entire planetary wealth.

The majority of these funds were spent in the last two months as he began his serious attempts at the Dragonsbane Poison, utilizing the most elite ingredients.

Despite his growing confidence and daily improvements, the task took longer than anticipated. Nevertheless, he knew he was closing in on the goal.

On one specific day, Jake began his work at peak condition, fully rested and with a mana potion prepared for the moment his reserves dipped. He added the ingredients one by one, performing the steps he had practiced hundreds of times to create the perfect base for the True Dragon Records to latch onto.

Steeling his nerves, Jake introduced the shrunken Dragon’s Heart at the critical moment. As the heart dissolved into the mixture, Jake concentrated on pulling out the Records and anchoring them into the liquid.

His mana began to evaporate rapidly. He was forced to compensate for the lower quality of his C-grade energy by using a massive quantity of it, yet he remained composed throughout the extraction.

The efficiency was terrible; Jake was likely only capturing one-thousandth of the available Records, but he knew this was unavoidable and pushed forward.

Minutes ticked by as the heart dwindled in size. The mixture teetered on the brink of instability, and Jake struggled to maintain control. He utilized every tool at his disposal, including his Invocation of the Malefic Viper. Even after drinking his mana potion and seeing his reserves drop again, he feared it wouldn't be enough.

But just as his mana fell below the thousand-point mark, the foundation settled. By the system's grace, the poison reached full stability. A soft pulse of power radiated from the cauldron, and for a split second, Jake thought he heard a dragon's roar echoing from within.

He might have dismissed it as a hallucination brought on by fatigue if not for the aura emanating from the liquid in the pot. It was faint, yet the distinct presence of a dragon was undeniable. Jake smiled broadly as a notification confirmed his achievement.

Jake wasn't bothered by the "weak" label on the Dragonsbane Poison. At C-grade, he wouldn't even attempt a version that wasn't classified as weak. Villy had explained that poisons without that tag were usually of ancient rarity or higher—something Jake wouldn't be able to produce for at least a few centuries.

He carefully filled two bottles with the substance. While two wasn't many, having one success meant he had the confidence to produce more.

Using Identify on the Dragonsbane Poison, Jake nodded in approval as he reviewed the details.

Unlike his previous, more general bane poisons, this one was highly specialized for dragons, making it significantly more potent. This narrow focus allowed Jake to give the poison a specific effect designed to cripple a dragon.

In the world of alchemy, this effect was known as Mana Allergy. It would turn a dragon's own power against it. Jake knew that a dragon would have little choice in the matter, as they relied almost entirely on mana.

If the target decided to stop using mana altogether, the fight would be much easier than expected. More likely, the dragon would simply endure the damage while trying to purge the toxin or kill Jake before the poison took hold.

Jake stopped theorizing about the future battle, simply enjoying the feeling of success. He was one step closer to his hunt. This long period of alchemy had also granted him a significant amount of experience, even if his actual output had been low.

Gaining two levels in just over three years was a trade Jake was happy with, especially since a god was footing the bill for the resources. Furthermore, he still had some top-tier ingredients left and already had a plan for them.

Even with his success, Jake wanted to refine the formula further. He couldn't raise the rarity, but he could improve the quality and strength of the Weak Dragonsbane Poison. He wanted to ensure that when he finally faced a True Dragon, his arrows would be coated in the finest toxin he could possibly create.

After storing the bottles, Jake sat down to rest and enter a meditative state.

As he began his meditation, he was reminded of his goal. He still needed that single spark of inspiration, which now felt closer than ever before.

Once Meditate was upgraded and his Palate issues were resolved, it would be time to end his isolation. By then, Villy would surely have found a True Dragon worthy of being hunted—if he hadn't found one already.

“Yrel, you must-“

“Yrelstromoz,” the True Dragon spat, correcting the woman across from her with a sneer.

“Yrelstromoz, then,” the older woman replied, her voice heavy with fatigue. “Please, just come home. End this madness and listen to reason.”

“I’ve already told you to leave me be,” Yrelstromoz snapped, her aura beginning to flare.

The older woman released a fraction of her own power, instantly crushing Yrel’s aura. “You can't keep doing this. The Elders are already furious, but if you return now, your punishment might be light.”

“You're only giving me more reasons to stay away,” Yrelstromoz said, crossing her arms and pulling back her energy. She knew she couldn't win a physical confrontation. Despite her own power, the woman before her was a higher-level relative and clearly stronger.

“And punish me for what, exactly?”

“Do you realize how many lives you’ve taken over the last twenty years?” the other True Dragon asked, her eyes narrowing.

“No one?” Yrel asked, looking genuinely puzzled until the realization hit her. “At least, no one who matters.”

“That attitude is exactly why you need to come back.”

“You really think I should be punished because of... what? What is my actual crime? This is why I can't stand your kind, acting superior just because you feel sorry for lesser beings,” Yrelstromoz scoffed.

The older dragon looked pained and sighed. “This is your final opportunity. If the Elders hear of another incident, they won't show mercy. You'll be cast out of the Lumenflight. If that happens, I won't be able to protect you anymore, despite the promise I made to your parents.”

“Protect me?” Yrel recoiled, disgusted by the woman's perceived arrogance. “Do I look like I need protection? I'm not an idiot; I'll stay away from places I don't belong. Or are you suggesting I go back to be punished and end up like my parents?”

“What happened to them wasn't related to-“

“Keep your excuses and just leave me the hell alone,” Yrel shouted, slamming the table so hard it shattered, cracking the floor beneath it. “I'm finished with you, finished with the Lumenflight, and finished taking orders. I am a True Dragon, not a hatchling. If you can't respect that, I don't need the Sect.”

“If that is your final word... then I'm done,” the woman sighed, standing up and leaving a token hovering in the air. “But I have to try one last time. Please. If you have any trust left in me, use this token to reach out. You can still find a proper Path and a future. I hope you use it, but whatever you choose, it will be your burden. Good luck.”

“I don't need luck,” she muttered, dismissing the annoying dragon. The woman gave her one last look of disappointment, which only enraged Yrel further, particularly because she knew the woman wouldn't leave until she took the token.

Even after the other dragon departed, Yrel’s anger simmered. As she replayed the argument in her head, she cursed the woman she once called aunt and the Dragonflight that felt like a restrictive collar on her neck.

To say she was furious would be a massive understatement.