The Primal Hunter Chapter 1267 - Theories & Visitors

Jake's Race Evolution Quests remained a profound enigma, hinting that he wasn't completely human. Every being that came into the multiverse through natural birth carried an innate grade from the moment of arrival, shaped by the strength of their parents.

For races such as high elves, that starting point was C-grade, and to produce a child at such a level naturally, the parents had to be one rank superior. Thus, a pair of C-grade high elves would bring forth a natural D-grade offspring, while two B-grades would yield a natural C-grade, and even A-grades or S-grades topped out at creating a C-grade child.

The pinnacle races across the multiverse, such as True Dragons, entered existence as natural B-grades and demanded two A-grade parents. Humans, by contrast, ranked as a solid mid-level race in this system, with their maximum natural limit at D-grade. Put simply, regardless of how mighty a human's parents became, their child could only naturally advance to D-grade after being born.

The sign that someone would naturally reach the grade set by their parents showed up through passive experience gains simply from existing... along with the absence of evolution quests.

This stood as an unbreakable law without any known exceptions. Or at least, that held true until this point.

Jake was familiar with both his parents, and he could vouch that they weren't hiding higher grades in secret. Furthermore, although Jake never received evolution quests, he didn't fully match the profile of someone innately born at a superior grade.

He gained no passive experience merely from living, but instead had to level up just like every other human. This alone ought to dismiss the idea that Jake was born naturally at a higher grade... yet the missing Race Evolution Quest served as solid evidence that he truly was innately superior.

Without question, this presented a situation never seen before, and Jake was eager to learn the Viper's perspective, given how the Primordial outshone him in knowledge of the system and its mechanics.

Villy inquired.

"Can't see it being anything else," Jake confirmed with a nod.

The Malefic Viper started explaining.

Jake smiled faintly, as he and the Viper had clearly followed the same line of reasoning, and he replied, "Me."

Jake kept nodding, impressed that the Viper nailed exactly what was on his mind. He remembered that during his evolution to C-grade, a system notification had appeared—one he suspected no other human had encountered, especially not while their race stayed labeled simply as 'human.'

"Congratulations! You have successfully managed to evolve into C-grade as a variant evolution."

All future potential variant evolutions will be blocked due to Origin."

Unlike Jake's Evolution Quests, this notification left no room for ambiguity, clearly stating that Jake had undergone a variant evolution as a human and that no further variants lay in store for him.

Even with this explanation, Jake still found much of it puzzling. He was a variant human, sure, but at the core, he remained purely human. His stat increases, leveling speed, and all other aspects screamed human. Other skills still identified him as human, and true to his race, he had chosen a Path skill—the Path of the Hunter—upon reaching C-grade.

So, while Jake wasn't what Villy called a "standard human," he stayed fundamentally human. Maybe even more so than anyone else.

Villy went on, voicing many of the thoughts swirling in Jake's head.

The snake god pressed further with his ideas, while Jake listened intently to the Primordial's final thoughts.

"Then, for the big question, why don't I have any evolution quests?" Jake questioned, arching an eyebrow.

Villy offered his insight.

Jake paused briefly before grinning and letting out a light laugh. "Great minds do indeed think alike."

"I do in broad strokes, yeah. As we both agree, the root cause of all this is obviously the Bloodline, which loops us back to one intriguing feature of my Bloodline that, even after delving deep into Bloodline studies, I've never come across mentioned anywhere. Something that, when I offhandedly brought it up to you long ago, you warned me to never utter aloud to another soul," Jake explained, but Villy interrupted before he finished.

The snake god warned, his voice carrying a grave edge.

Jake nodded, the Viper's reluctance to even hear it spoken confirming that the Chosen and his Patron were aligned on this point.

In all their discussions, the one topic where Villy had been most insistent that Jake never reveal to others was the behavior of his Bloodline during evolution.

As Jake evolved, so did his Bloodline, manifesting by boosting his Perception further. The very idea that Jake's Bloodline provided a percentage increase to a stat was already unheard of to the snake god, but its ability to evolve itself was what Jake and Villy both suspected linked directly to Jake's unusual variant race.

Bloodlines typically scaled with a person's growth through evolutions, but they didn't transform. They stayed static. Jake's Bloodline, however, could advance and enhance itself as Jake powered up, and that detail led Jake and Villy to their shared conclusion:

His Bloodline—and thus Jake himself—existed in perpetual evolution. With each level gained, the Bloodline edged a fraction closer to its next upgrade. Upon hitting the grade's peak, it completed gathering the necessary Records to evolve once more with Jake. That's why no Evolution Quests appeared for him... by the time he crested C-grade, his Bloodline had already elevated his race to a variant form naturally superior in grade.

At least, that was their hypothesis. It would be ironic—and utterly devastating—if this idea crumbled the instant Jake evolved without his Bloodline keeping pace, but Jake doubted that would occur.

"I guess all that's left is to actually evolve," Jake remarked, wrapping up his theory session with Villy.

The snake god commented.

Jake felt a flicker of confusion until realization dawned, bringing a smile to his face. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that both of you want to witness it."

Villy replied nonchalantly.

They meant the latest alchemical marvel, something no dedicated alchemist could resist examining: Jake's new Supreme Arcane Soulflame. Soulflames formed a vast area of research, and given Duskleaf's extensive knowledge in that domain, it made sense he'd crave a glimpse of Jake's unique flame and its abilities.

As an Arcane Soulflame, it stood apart as something special, and with Jake's arcane affinity already drawing curiosity from mighty beings, it was clear why alchemists—particularly zealots like Duskleaf—would itch to study him up close.

"I'll definitely not show off my goods for free," Jake quipped with a grin. He had no clue yet what to request from Duskleaf or what he'd offer in return, but that could wait. He wouldn't head back to the Order until reaching B-grade anyway.

The snake god issued a gentle caution.

"I'm not sure if I hope to see that or not," Jake shook his head. He already sensed plenty of challenges ahead without extra Bloodline twists.

The snake god reflected, a hint of fondness in his tone.

Jake barely had time to respond before Villy cut the mental link. He lingered in confusion for a few seconds, sending out a Pulse of Perception that detected no one nearby. Still caught off guard, he then sensed an aura hovering above his lodge, prompting him to step outside where a visitor indeed awaited.

High in the sky over his lodge, reality fractured and split open, forming a rift from which a lengthy gray creature emerged gradually, putting on quite the theatrical entrance. Spots on its hide shimmered like captured starlight, and a potent aura descended upon the lodge, causing Jake to squint.

The arrival also scanned Jake as a voice resounded in his mind.

The familiar voice boasted in the most arrogant tone Jake had ever detected from it.

"I apologize, oh magnificent space worm," Jake teased with a smile, activating Identify on his trusty worm companion.

[Cosmic Genesis Worm: lvl ???]

Discovering that Sandy had ascended to B-grade came as no shock. Actually, Jake figured the worm had evolved some time back, a fact soon verified.

Sandy grumbled irritably.

"Hey, that's not my fault," Jake protested, folding his arms. "I'm sure you could have found plenty of useful things to do in the meantime."

Sandy responded shamelessly. "Arnold and I have gotten really tight lately."

"Glad to hear that," Jake laughed, fully supportive of the pair bonding. He wouldn't be surprised if Sandy's Patron, Snappy, had nudged the worm toward the eccentric inventor either. As a devotee of Oras—if devotee fit the bill—Arnold stayed completely neutral, so building ties with him carried no risks.

Sandy mentioned, and Jake instantly knew who the space worm meant, sensing a distant aura.

Nothing registered in Jake's Pulse of Perception range at first, but seconds later, a green speck hurtled closer, arriving in a flash. Before even registering the aura of his next guest, Jake recognized this velocity surpassed any C-grade he'd witnessed, signaling Sandy wasn't the sole evolver.

The recognizable green form halted mid-air, hovering while radiating an intense aura that twisted the surrounding winds chaotically. Deep down, Jake understood the bird before him commanded every strand of wind mana nearby, asserting total rule over the element itself.

"Ree!" Sylphie cried out triumphantly, as if proclaiming her own glory while beating her wings with vigor.

She appeared much the same visually, perhaps a touch sleeker in spots. Sandy hadn't altered drastically either, but Sylphie's shift to full-grown Sylphian Hawk was subtle, as Identify revealed.

[Sylphian Hawk: lvl ???]

"I really am falling behind you two," Jake remarked smilingly, gazing up at Sylphie. She peered down at him before vanishing, only to materialize perched on his head amid swirling wind mana.

Jake reached up to pet the young hawk, eliciting joyful wing flaps from her, which he barely stifled a laugh at while feeling a wave of reassurance. He'd worried Sylphie might transform greatly upon maturing, but evidently, that fear was unfounded.

Much like Stormild, her elemental essence amplified her playful, whimsical side over typical beast maturity. This didn't make her less intelligent than other creatures; it just shifted her growth away from rigid adulthood.

"Ree!" Sylphie affirmed, fully endorsing that Jake lagged behind.

Sandy added encouragingly.

"Oh? Want me to test your defenses after I evolve?" Jake inquired with a grin.

Sandy hastened to explain.

"Ree?" Sylphie queried, cocking her head.

Sandy assured her that testing their fresh B-grade defenses wasn't necessary for Sylphie either.

Jake simply smiled, though he couldn't deny... this felt strange. He'd known Sylphie since her earliest days and always held the edge in power, even when she briefly outleveled him. Yet now, the aura from the Sylphian Hawk left Jake without faith in besting her in combat. Truth be told, survival—let alone victory—seemed doubtful.

She outclassed the True Dragon Jake had slain by leaps and bounds.

Jake closed his eyes and exhaled deeply before saying, "Seeing you two... yeah, it's definitely time for me to evolve too."

Just one more level would ignite the evolution process.

And he was certain Minaga would gladly permit a swift visit to his Labyrinth to wrap that up without delay.