The Primal Hunter Chapter 1239 - Dragonslayer

Jake entered a state of meditation, letting his awareness of the external world dissolve. This had the fortunate side effect of numbing his physical agony, allowing him to concentrate entirely on his recuperation while reviewing a backlog of system notifications.

He pondered his brief encounter with the aunt of Yrelstromoz, recalling how she had addressed him as a Dragonslayer toward the end of their talk. The title felt peculiar to him, particularly given her specific inflection.

It had carried the weight of both a tribute and a subtle caution. Jake found the interaction quite bizarre until he scanned his system alerts and noticed one perched at the very top. He hadn't realized it until now, but Dragonslayer was a formal title recognized by the system.

Title Gained: [Dragonslayer]

[Dragonslayer] – Slay a dragon. This title identifies you as a warrior who has successfully defeated a True Dragon in a duel. Carry it with honor, for your achievement shall be known to all, for better or worse. Dragons possess an inherent ability to sense that you have spilled the blood of their kind. Provides a negligible resistance to the Draconic Language skill.

Upon reading the details, Jake noted that the title didn't offer much in the way of tangible power. It reminded him of the Kingslayer title he earned after defeating the King of the Forest. The perks of Kingslayer were famously underwhelming, as skills based on nobility rarely affected truly powerful individuals. Such abilities usually influenced general populations; in fact, possessing resistance could sometimes be more of a hindrance than a help. Jake couldn't recall a single time he had actually benefited from it.

However, the Kingslayer title wasn't completely pointless—it just didn't provide much utility to the bearer. Instead, it acted as a signal that others could perceive, serving as a warning. A King recognized by the system would immediately know that Jake had ended the life of another monarch.

Similarly, this new skill would broadcast to other dragons that Jake was a dragon-killer. It felt like a permanent mark on his soul, painting him as a target for vengeance—not unlike being branded a heretic.

Jake wasn't particularly bothered by the idea of dragons being offended by his actions. He doubted many would be foolish enough to harass the Chosen of the Malefic Viper over such a matter, so he intended to wear the title proudly. Furthermore, it did offer a tiny bit of protection against Draconic Language, even if the effect was nearly invisible.

Ultimately, he found the title curious and decided to consult Villy about it later.

Moving forward, Jake had naturally accumulated experience points. Before checking those, however, he looked at the kill log to see exactly what level Yrelstromoz had reached. He suspected she had only just touched the B-grade threshold, and his intuition proved correct.

She had barely completed her evolution and hadn't gained a single level as a B-grade. Her Path was likely fractured beyond repair; she had probably only reached B-grade due to her bloodline, essentially ascending just by surviving long enough.

Regarding her race as a Luxellian Dragon, Jake assumed it was one of the more common lineages within the Lumenflight—as ordinary as a True Dragon could possibly be.

While Yrelstromoz was undoubtedly on the weaker end of the True Dragon spectrum, she had still been a genuine dragon. Even the dying curse she attempted to inflict on Jake carried significant power. Had it not been for Eternal Hunger granting him near-immunity to curses of that caliber, he would have been in serious trouble.

The system also acknowledged the kill as a significant achievement despite her relative weakness. Jake certainly wasn't going to complain about the experience payout.

Five class levels while nearing the end of C-grade was an incredible gain, especially since his target was only a fresh B-grade. Jake had slain numerous B-grades of much higher levels without seeing his experience bar move nearly as much.

Observing his level increases and seeing his race reach level 341, he wondered how Yrelstromoz would have felt knowing she was bested by a level 338. A C-grade human killing a True Dragon was a monumental feat, but doing so before even reaching the peak of C-grade was even more remarkable.

In all honesty, Jake felt that if he had already been at the peak of C-grade, the battle would have lacked any real challenge. While those extra levels wouldn't have provided a massive power jump, they would have definitely tipped the scales.

Not that he intended to test that theory. He had no immediate plans to hunt more True Dragons, though the future remained uncertain. Jake viewed True Dragons much like he viewed other sapient races; hunting them felt strange. He realized this was quite hypocritical, considering how difficult it was to find B-grades that weren't elementals or mindless monsters.

Regardless, Jake moved on to the most important item: the compensation he received for letting Yrelstromoz’s aunt claim the remains. He hadn't expected much, especially considering the mountain of rare dragon components he’d consumed to craft his Dragonsbane Poison. However, he was pleasantly shocked when he finally used Identify on the gift.

[Light-touched Luxellian Dragon Heart (Mythical)] – The heart of a Luxellian True Dragon, infused and bolstered by her kin moments after her passing. It holds the concentrated Records of a Luxellian True Dragon, possessing immense light-affinity energy and the genuine essence of dragonkind. It has numerous alchemical applications, though the user is cautioned that controlling its internal power will be extremely difficult.

Typically, the Dragon Hearts Jake utilized for alchemy were of Legendary rarity, and he often only used fragments. He had expected Yrelstromoz to drop a Legendary item at best, but he had clearly underestimated the power of the aunt’s intervention.

As for its use, Jake had no idea what to do with it. He thought about consuming it with Palate, but he still had half of a desolate-corrupted World Core to finish. While clearing out that core now would be the logical choice, Jake stubbornly wanted to keep it there. He hoped that by eventually breaking his Palate skill while consuming it, he could justify his questionable choices.

It also occurred to Jake that this was likely his first major battle that didn't result in any skill evolutions. Usually, such intense encounters yielded at least one or two upgrades, but this time, there was nothing.

This shouldn't have been a surprise, though. Upgrading a skill in the heat of battle was supposed to be a rare occurrence that many people never experienced. He remembered Dina mentioning in Nevermore that she didn't really function that way.

She would instead gather inspiration during the fight and then refine those insights into an upgrade afterward. As Jake understood it, this was a deliberate, taught approach to Cultivation.

It was similar to how Jake had intentionally delayed his Meditate upgrade to ensure he got the best possible result. Some took this to the extreme, refusing to upgrade any skill without meticulous planning. Occasionally, people even ignored available upgrades to avoid taking a skill down an undesirable path.

Logic supported this method. A "bad" upgrade could make future progress much harder, especially if it introduced conflicting elements. For instance, if Jake upgraded Arcane Powershot by adding a dark affinity that caused a smoke cloud, the skill would then be tied to those specific Records.

While it might provide a temporary power boost, it would clutter the skill’s future development, risking a mess of incompatible traits. In such a scenario, Arcane Powershot could actually become less effective at its primary purpose despite having a higher rarity.

However, logic had never stopped Jake from upgrading mid-fight before. He favored his instincts when it came to his combat skills. While he could be the type to plan every path, he simply wasn't that person. He trusted that even if he made mistakes, following his instincts would eventually lead him back to the right path.

Still, Jake would have welcomed an upgrade. Since it didn't happen, he moved on. He was generally pleased with the outcome, especially the performance of Event Horizon.

He had only used it briefly, but the memory of that single arrow remained vivid. The incredible velocity and impact the Mythical skill provided were beyond anything he had ever produced. Knowing he had only scratched the surface of the skill’s potential made him even more excited for the future.

The skill did have drawbacks, however. First, the resource consumption was massive; it had drained his stamina and mana far more than anticipated. Second, it was a single-target ability. Jake suspected it might even be a liability against multiple foes. Once a target was marked as his Event Horizon, all his ranged attacks were pulled toward it automatically. He couldn't seem to cancel the skill either, meaning he had to wait for it to end.

These issues would likely fade once Jake could do more than just catch a glimpse of the Event Horizon—a milestone he eagerly anticipated.

For the moment, he was content to sit in meditation and heal. His improved Meditate skill proved its worth once again. Although he was tempted to peer at the Gate of Enlightenment, he restrained himself, mindful that he was on a strange planet in an isolated part of space.

Hours slipped by as his body repaired itself with impressive speed. After four hours, Jake felt significantly better, though he wasn't yet at full strength. Opening his eyes, he stretched his neck and stood up. He hovered out of the massive crater Yrelstromoz had created upon impact, taking in the scale of the destruction.

The landscape was ravaged as far as he could see. The ground was peppered with holes and craters, and massive cracks split the earth. In the distance, several mountain peaks had been sliced off by Yrelstromoz’s energy beams. He was glad he had moved the fight to this side of the planet; if they had fought near the lake resorts, nothing would be left of them. The lake itself might have vanished.

“If you're curious, they’re currently evacuating due to 'unexplained seismic events' and massive energy ripples felt across the globe,” a voice remarked from behind him. “Also... there was one death. Not from the fight, though—just some elderly E-grade who drank himself into a fatal stupor.”

“Good to see you're keeping an eye on the locals,” Jake said, turning to find the familiar snake god floating nearby.

“I’m not, really. I just thought it was a funny way to break the ice,” the Primordial replied with a shrug.

“Fair enough,” Jake laughed before a thought struck him. “Wait, is it okay for you to be here? Won’t this cause trouble?”

Jake recalled the Viper mentioning he couldn't just appear anywhere outside the territory of the Order of the Malefic Viper. He couldn't simply pop into the Pantheon of Life’s domain, for instance, without causing a diplomatic crisis.

“This sector of space is unclaimed, and the only major power nearby is the Lumenflight,” Villy explained nonchalantly. “Did I scare the hell out of every god monitoring this area? Yes. Do I care? Absolutely not.”

“That also makes sense,” Jake chuckled, shaking his head. “Speaking of the Lumenflight, are you sure there won't be repercussions? I know what you said, but her aunt took the body. Even if she seemed fine, you never know about revenge.”

“I can't guarantee some individual won't hold a grudge, but the Lumenflight as an organization won't act,” the Viper said. “Didn't I mention she killed the offspring of a demigod from the United Tribes?”

“You did,” Jake confirmed.

“Then she was already a walking corpse,” Villy stated. “You think she would have survived that? She only lasted this long because I basically claimed her for your hunt. Honestly, instead of worrying about dragons, you should be wary of the Court of Shadows. I might have 'borrowed' one of their active contracts.”

“Oh,” Jake murmured. “Right, that makes sense. I did wonder if being exiled was her only punishment.”

“From the perspective of the Dragonflights, it was,” the snake god clarified. “But the moment she was cast out, she lost her protection and gained a massive target. Speaking of targets...”

Villy flicked his wrist and tossed a token toward Jake.

Jake caught it, looking puzzled. “What’s this for?”

“That’s the contact for the bounty,” the snake god replied, his tone suggesting the answer should have been obvious.

“So Yrelstromoz actually had a price on her head...” Jake mused.

“Of course,” the Viper shrugged. “Like I said, she was doomed the moment she crossed the United Tribes and lost her status. I believe her aunt was genuinely relieved you were the one to do it. If she had to die, dying at the hands of a Primordial’s Chosen is far more honorable than being hunted by common mercenaries or ending up as a discarded corpse in the Shadow Realm.”

“I suppose,” Jake said. “Anyway, what did you think of the fight?”

“It went mostly as I expected, though I have one question,” the Viper said casually, his expression suddenly becoming more intense. “Was that Event Horizon move actually a class skill?”