The Primal Hunter Chapter 1260 - C-grade Class Evolution Quest

Evolution quests were infamous for ramping up in difficulty with each new grade. The level of challenge varied greatly based on the individual's class, profession, and race during the evolution attempt, and depending on their performance throughout the grade, the quest could turn out straightforward or prove utterly impossible to overcome.

This explained why selecting the absolute top class or profession at evolution time wasn't always recommended. A superior Path brought steeper demands for ongoing advancement, with evolution quests becoming increasingly demanding. For Jake, taking down prey stronger than his own grade felt routine, yet for most others, managing to eliminate even a single B-grade enemy while stuck in C-grade would mark the pinnacle of their achievements.

It happened not uncommonly for folks to gradually drift away from their original Path during the long haul of C-grade progression. Feelings shifted, personalities evolved, and occasionally, the chosen class no longer aligned well with the person they'd become, complicating further growth. By the close of C-grade, a person's Path began solidifying for real, and while some flexibility and broadening stayed useful, the fundamental elements of their strength and skills locked into place. Attempting a major overhaul of one's Path in C-grade was, to put it mildly, no easy feat.

Jake's Path stayed straightforward, one he'd never veered from. He drew on the identical foundations in D-grade as he did now. His skill with archery, affinity for the arcane, katars up close, and naturally, the unmatched edge of the Perception stat formed the heart of his class, with no reason in sight to alter that setup. Certainly, more intricate ideas might weave in, like curses, notions of time, and various more, but they'd forever serve as supplements to bolster his core Path.

This confidence meant Jake felt no anxiety when launching his Class Evolution Quest. He recognized his loyalty to the Path and the class selected upon reaching C-grade initially. He remained a hunter at heart, chasing the mightiest enemies possible, deriving thrill from it—nay, thriving especially when his survival hung in the balance. Such instants drove him to his utmost, and the pure rush of toppling a formidable rival remained unparalleled, a thrill that never faded.

A system interface materialized before Jake, and he recalled how it typically included some descriptive flair prior to unveiling the quest proper. He figured those bits often came off as the system lauding him, dubbing him an exemplary hunter, and this instance appeared no exception.

Class Evolution Quest

As a hunter you persist, and even while honing and advancing along your Path, your focus on the ultimate aim never wavered. By upholding your human Legacy, you wield every resource at hand, advancing elements you judge fitting for your Path, while honing specialties as needed. All in service of that one cohesive purpose—a purpose ever visible, yet eternally distant. Still, you press forward, gaining strength with each stride, striving for the unattainable and seeking to touch the farthest bounds of all realms. Should you endure, eventually your vision will span the entirety of reality, and your arrows shall strike any target within your gaze.

Jake halted his reading, a grin spreading across his face at the system's kind words. He truly was impressive, right? In truth, he appreciated these brief summaries that reassured him his Path remained on track. He guessed that's precisely what they aimed to do. Moreover, based on tales from others, these notes weren't always uplifting if someone had bungled their way through the grade, faltering badly.

Pressing on, Jake reached the quest's core requirements at last. This highlighted yet another key shift in Evolution Quests as grades climbed: they didn't just intensify in toughness, but grew more intricate, peculiar. Or maybe ambiguous fit better, since Jake sensed two of his goals came across as rather unclear.

Objectives: Slay at least 150 B-grades (150/150).

The initial goal? Straightforward. Crystal clear. He simply needed to dispatch a large number of B-grades. This told Jake that the system anticipated he'd earn his final C-grade levels by eliminating B-grades. Naturally, Jake figured he'd exceeded that, given it omitted any mention that one such B-grade had to be a True Dragon. He also eyed the 150 count suspiciously, matching precisely the levels in C-grade. Pure chance? Likely, though Jake filed it away mentally.

This particular quest goal was something Jake had anticipated fully.The next one, however? No question, it struck as odder and far more ambiguous.

Successfully glimpse and do not lose sight of the Event Horizon (1/1).

Did this imply that without choosing the Event Horizon, evolution would elude him? Would the quest have shifted otherwise? Did it tie directly to the skill, or merely share the term? Questions swirled, but Jake had fulfilled it regardless, even without grasping it completely.

His top guess framed this goal as a sort of Perception evaluation. It spoke of catching a glimpse and holding onto it, all echoing Perception themes. He might err entirely, but Jake kept things simple and saw little point in overthinking. He held a complete grasp of the Event Horizon anyway—that sufficed!

Moving to the third and closing objective, it managed to blend greater and lesser ambiguity somehow.

Slay a powerful foe that pushes you beyond your current horizon (1/1).

Defeating a mighty enemy sounded basic enough, but what constituted pushing past his present horizon? Once more, Jake could only speculate it meant exceeding his limits and evolving mid-battle to claim victory. Or perhaps it signified being driven to the brink and prevailing, with the triumph forging Records to propel him beyond his existing boundaries or horizons.

Tough to pinpoint, but once again, Jake had achieved it. Secretly, he'd have relished if it specified not just (1/1), but the total instances. As it stood, he couldn't even recall which battle qualified. Plenty vied for the spot, from non-B-grade powerhouses like Ell’Hakan he'd vanquished, to those under C-grade, supposing the Valdemar clash in the Colosseum of Mortals qualified.

Shaking off the thought, Jake acknowledged his completion... and thus, he'd aced his Class Evolution Quest prior to even triggering it. Undeniably tougher than the D-grade version, which demanded only 10 C-grades slain plus one at least 15 levels his senior in C-grade.

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Jake grappled with mixed feelings over the quest seeming so "simple" from his vantage, despite knowing it'd look absurd to outsiders. Merely offing 150 B-grades posed a massive hurdle, let alone the nebulous other aims.

On the flip side, if Jake couldn't breeze through his Class Evolution Quest, what hope held for those with lesser C-grade feats? Even against multiverse prodigies on elite Paths, Jake shone brightest, achieving the utmost. His Nevermore exploits and the Sacred Prodigy title alone elevated him far above the rest.

Furthermore, Jake understood surpassing Class Evolution Quests still counted, enhancing the resulting B-grade class, so the auto-completion changed nothing.

He pondered his profession's difficulty, yet some alchemy remained before unveiling that one. Maybe he'd finished it unwittingly—who could tell. Regarding his Race Evolution Quest, Jake still mulled if it'd appear this round. Villy's shock at its D-grade absence lingered, and with no prior human cases lacking one, only time would reveal.

Jake kept pondering his affairs and endgame strategies before B-grade ascension, until at last, escaping Minaga’s dungeon loomed. He blinked open his eyes, eyeing the timer to verify their imminent release.

Casper had stirred too, rising unsteadily to his feet, appearing somewhat unsteady.

“What were you up to just now? That didn't seem like regular meditation—more like you were overworking your mind a tad,” Casper inquired, eyebrow arched.

“I just received my Class Evolution Quest and was reviewing it,” Jake replied honestly, no reason to conceal such from his companion.

“Oh?” the Risen responded. “So, what's the verdict? Manageable, or a pain?”

“All objectives already met,” Jake said with a shrug. “A few felt vague, so I puzzled over when I'd fulfilled them.”

“Naturally, you're finished before kicking off,” Casper sighed, head shaking. “And yes, those goals turn cryptic, worsening toward B and A-grade's end, to say nothing of S-grade's summit.”

“I'll update you when I hit that point,” Jake grinned. “On that note, about time...”

Suddenly, the dungeon deactivated, offering zero rewards or extras, surely costing it a rating star. Jake and Casper's surroundings vanished, depositing them outside promptly.

“Congratulations!” Minaga's shout hit Jake right away, before he could send out a swift Perception pulse. “You pair pulled it off! Wow, honestly didn't think you'd manage, worried that last boss might've been overtuned a smidge.”

“It was,” Casper snapped curtly.

“But succeed you did!” the Unique Lifeform clung to his upbeat vibe. “Both of ya! Glad you survived, Casper.”

“Hey, I could've been the casualty too,” Jake objected, arms folded in his ally's defense.

Minaga and Casper merely glanced his way before resuming their chat.

“That final boss overdid it for sure. Early phases worked well, and the end golem concept was solid, but it hit too hard and fixated on one target. I get the intent behind its basic mindset, meant to simplify the fight in theory, but practically, it'll wipe out weaker teammates in any uneven group without solid mutual support,” Casper offered genuine critique.

“Yeah, I suspected as much,” the Minaga hologram dipped his head, exhaling. “I'll tweak it thoroughly, perhaps ditch the last phase outright. Or tie it to conditions. Say, if you down the boss swiftly, it triggers. Then, with dungeon intel out there, folks only activate it deliberately, and if they lose someone knowing the risks, that's on them.”

“Viable idea,” Casper agreed, weighing the Unique Lifeform's suggestion.

“Mind if we discuss the Jones orb?” Jake interjected.

“What's to say?” Minaga queried, arms crossed.

“Bet it'll obliterate almost every warrior, healer, mage—anyone lacking top-tier mobility skills,” Jake noted, recalling the orbs' blistering speed, particularly deeper in. Both he and Casper had burned acceleration skills to evade, and they ranked swift already.

“Too speedy?” Minaga feigned surprise, gaze drifting. “Oh... heavens, get a load of this? I goofed and doubled its pace by accident! Such a blunder, no way I'd do that deliberately. But if I had, I'd hope those hit by it ponder the reasons behind.”

“I found it acceptable,” Casper deadpanned.

“Upon reflection, yeah, perfectly acceptable,” Jake echoed flatly.

Minaga eyed them briefly before tsking. “You guys are harsh, aren't you?”

“Just wait for our full dungeon rundown,” Jake smirked wickedly.

“... play fair, alright? And factor in I normally invest thousandsfold more time crafting them than this rushed job, figuring you'd want it before S-grade. Actually, any flaws—aren't those partly your doing for pushing the timeline?”

“No dice on excuses,” Casper folded his arms. “Plenty to nitpick, and I'll send a detailed feedback doc later, listing all flaws spotted, but on balance, it was... acceptable.”

“Acceptable?” Minaga echoed. “Acceptable meaning decent, or just passable?”

“Acceptable, as in a notch above mediocre,” Jake clarified for the Risen.

“That's... oddly both disappointing and relieving,” Minaga grumbled.

“Like I mentioned, expect the full write-up,” Casper repeated. “But right now, rest calls.”

The Risen had mustered a show of vigor, but clearly teetered on collapse just from standing.

“Fair enough, you look wrecked,” Minaga agreed, then eyed Jake. “You, though, seem fresh as ever.”

“Easier sans a deranged, bolt-zapping golem on your tail,” Jake shrugged. “Quick query: that golem draw from Altmar Empire vibes?”

“A bit, yeah,” Minaga confirmed. “Drew from various golem types, Altmar included.”

Jake nodded thoughtfully, curious if Minaga knew of the Neurotar—Rigoria's creators—and if they'd influenced this dungeon too.

“Heading out,” Casper sighed, ambling away. “Catch you later.”

“Rest well,” Jake called, waving, unperturbed by the Risen's solo recovery bid. He'd more than earned the solitude.

“Later! Jot that report while it's vivid!” Minaga hollered, waving vigorously before facing Jake. “Y'know, I'd welcome a thorough account from you too, letting you detail-“

“Off to alchemy now,” Jake dismissed, turning to depart. “Keep refining the dungeon! Cool concepts in there—with tweaks, it could shine.”

Minaga beamed largely before vanishing. Jake smiled too, heading for the teleporter back to Haven. He aimed to touch base with folks, handle overlooked tasks, and then, as promised, dive into alchemy!

Indeed, Jake itched to view that Profession Evolution Quest, so near B-grade, gearing up for the last surge.