The Primal Hunter Chapter 1278 - A Way (B)etter Jake

Jake delighted in the blissful rush from his sudden surge of strength, and the breeze against his face as he soared upward only widened his grin even more.

In the far-off distance, the moon came into view, and effortlessly, its surface details became clear to him. Concentrating further, he even noticed separate stones and traces of dust scattering occasionally from Arnold's activities within the heavenly body. Evidence of habitation was evident now, including the protective barrier enveloping the moon.

Based on Jake's knowledge, it wasn't an advanced barrier, merely one designed to block stray meteors while providing Arnold – or more precisely, his surveillance mechanism – awareness of all events inside.

Once Jake breached the atmosphere and entered the void of space, he fully unleashed his abilities and conducted minor experiments. He extended his senses completely and slightly enlarged his Sphere of Perception, discovering it somewhat less intense than on the planet's surface due to fewer interferences, though space wasn't much calmer in reality.

Though space seemed vacant, it was anything but empty. Indeed, no solid matter existed, yet Jake's Sphere detected energies, and space brimmed with them. Furthermore, as he attuned to his environment, that familiar pull resurfaced, the one associated with One Step.

Employing One Step intensified this feeling, and Jake instantly recognized its nature.

Jake struggled to articulate it, but he sensed an omnipresent essence he could faintly perceive yet not directly engage. He had sensed affinities previously, and with abundant mana surrounding him, detecting space-affinity mana was straightforward, but concepts had eluded such direct detection before. He understood their existence intellectually, but true sensation differed vastly, particularly for Jake.

He wasn't certain if this enhanced concept detection stemmed solely from his B-grade evolution or from the enormous boost to his Perception, but he leaned toward the former. It mirrored his early detection of mana during the Tutorial and subsequent affinity discernment. This represented merely another tier of intricacy, and it seemed plausible that B-grade marked the point where concept detection became innate for all.

In S-grade, teleportation was standard, and basic time manipulation came naturally to everyone. Jake believed this tied not just to raw power gains but also to heightened natural capacity for perceiving and grasping concepts.

Topics to discuss with Villy later. Currently, one skill demanded his utmost testing.

Halting his ascent briefly, Jake hovered and gazed at the moon. Inhaling deeply, he invoked his new class skill. Instantly, his vision sharpened, and his Perception surged dramatically. Lunar stones revealed fine cracks, but Sight of the Boundless Horizon offered far beyond enhanced vision.

His awareness of nearby concepts exploded, even influencing Sense of the Malefic Viper as a strong reaction emanated from... Venus, the planet nearest Earth toward the sun, correct? Jake often confused Mercury and Venus, yet he believed Venus was the closer one to Earth.

Regardless, a powerful, poisonous natural resource awaited there, demanding future exploration.

Examining impacts on other senses, Jake recognized improvements in hearing, smell, and similar faculties, though verification proved challenging in the vacuum. The most evident enhancements appeared in eyesight and esoteric senses.

As time passed, Jake carefully observed the skill's physical toll. As noted in its description, Sight severely diminished his defensive capabilities, and this proved no exaggeration. Post-evolution, he anticipated greater resilience, but under Sight of the Boundless Horizon, he embodied a true glass cannon. The defense reduction exceeded fifty percent, though exact figures remained unclear.

Given this, most would deem Sight unsuitable for close combat due to the dangers... yet Jake viewed it otherwise. Despite lowered defenses, his overall physical abilities persisted unchanged, and mobility even slightly enhanced during activation.

Would a strike prove catastrophic? Absolutely, but avoidance was straightforward. Jake's dodging prowess filled him with confidence, allowing potential melee usage.

Not indefinitely, however, as soul strain soon emerged. For a concluding trial, Jake refocused on the moon, attempting an experiment. Squinting intently, he scrutinized the rugged terrain briefly until detecting motion. Tracking these shifts, he discerned shadowy forms shifting below the surface.

Identification came swiftly. Drones operated dozens of meters underground, excavating passages for cabling, it seemed. Details were limited, but their activity was clear, eliciting Jake's smile.

Jake pondered if this derived from the skill's transcendence of normal bounds or simply exceptional Perception.

With tests complete for the moment, Jake deactivated Sight of the Boundless Horizon, anticipating possible debuffs. Upon cessation, Perception normalized instantly, and within about five seconds, his body and soul regained fortitude, restoring full normalcy.

No lingering fatigue appeared, and no soul weakness registered. Combining Sight with Arcane Awakening might differ, but solo use suggested minimal downsides provided moderation, despite the durability penalty.

Further trials awaited, including synergies with Primal Gaze and particularly Event Horizon, but combat was required, and no opponents presented themselves.

Satisfied thus far, Jake resumed moonward travel, soon shifting to One Step while seeking conceptual insights from space.

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Simultaneously, Jake swiftly assessed his post-evolution stat progression.

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

Race: [Human (B) – 349 --> 354]

Class: [Arcane Hunter of the Boundless Horizon – 349 --> 350]

Profession: [Primeval Alchemist of Malefic Origins – 349 --> 359]

Health Points (HP): 414,087/414,087 --> 591,900/591,900

Mana Points (MP): 687,111/699,718 --> 954,359/954,359

Stamina: 302,099/387,675 --> 534,337/534,337

Stats

Strength: 45477 --> 57736

Agility: 56146 --> 69709

Endurance: 31014 --> 42747

Vitality: 33127 --> 47352

Toughness: 26510 --> 39037

Wisdom: 44782 --> 61079

Intelligence: 36288 --> 48302

Perception: 80740 --> 100,779

Willpower: 40790 --> 56012

Free points: 0 --> 2050

--

Jake saw little need to review skills anew, having just examined updates, and ample analysis lay in these stats. Every attribute had ballooned by over ten thousand points. The broad enhancements, stemming from universal bonuses and Primal Spirit of Man's percentage uplift, revitalized lagging stats significantly. Toughness and Vitality advanced notably, bolstering Jake's survivability further. He wouldn't frontline as a tank, but squishiness had waned... barring Sight activation.

Perception surged most dramatically, attributable to Bloodline evolution's added five percent bonus, pushing it past 100,000. This milestone thrilled Jake and revealed comma usage for six-digit figures. Likely, the system mirrored Jake's expectations for readability rather than arbitrary formatting.

Proceeding, substantial Free Points awaited allocation, alongside a void lollipop for additional gains. Jake opted to postpone distribution, avoiding immediate combat or crafting, preferring to gauge stat needs post-testing.

He eyed Intelligence skeptically, questioning potential issues. His new class offered scant Intelligence, his profession none, exchanging it for Perception, so Free Points might supplement it. Uncertainty lingered, as Jake increasingly questioned the stat's value beyond freeform magic, with offensive skills scaling robustly via Perception.

Much deliberation required.

Additionally, Jake observed several stats seemed absent. Verifying Primal Spirit of Man confirmed suspicions, deepening his puzzlement.

Unclear why, Jake anticipated Primal Spirit of Man appearing on his status. Sensing its influence, he confirmed functionality, revealing true physical stats exceeded displayed values. Strength and Agility, for instance, gained roughly 7000 from compensating for absent gear. Overall, Primal Spirit of Man provided over 50,000 stats, equating to about ten percent total uplift. Jake observed Strength, Agility, Endurance, Toughness, and Vitality as priorities, each maxing the twenty percent equipment cap.

As described, physical stats took precedence, so full maximization was anticipated. Regrettably, mental stats received equal distribution among Willpower, Wisdom, Intelligence, and Perception via percentages, still yielding over 10,000 Perception.

The more Jake pondered Primal Spirit of Man, the more overpowered it appeared. Gaining 50,000 stats via minor passive stamina drain was absurdly potent. Feasible only with accessible equipment slots, yet liberating – Jake no longer fretted over stat-heavy gear.

Admittedly, for archery specialization, optimizing Perception to twenty percent would outshine Toughness and Vitality caps, but given his acceptance of incomplete capping, this surpassed nil. Who imagined partial gains beat none?

Dismissing his status, Jake concentrated on transit, hurtling toward the moon. Space travel outpaced planetary movement sans friction, enabling sustained acceleration via One Step sprints and flight.

En route, he pursued minor trials, estimating post-evolution strength at double to two-and-a-half times prior levels. Evolutions delivered not just stat windfalls but qualitative enhancements to existing attributes.

Upon moon arrival, Jake penetrated Arnold's formation seamlessly, unhindered as it barred none. At least presently.

Crossing the threshold, dozens of presences registered and targeted him, but identity verification dispersed most, retaining two.

Touching down, Jake's expanded sphere revealed a tunnel into extensive caverns. Interior access points featured solid barriers, yet as he neared a grand shutter, it parted, permitting entry.

”At the core,” Arnold's voice resounded from all directions and none simultaneously.

Jake nodded, surveying the stark chamber empty save for the entry shutter and trailing wires delving deeper. After brief inspection, he pressed onward.

Deeper in, Arnold's influence grew apparent with roaming drones, and nearing the core, his sphere unveiled a colossal factory in a metallically fortified rectangular cavern.

Such sights proliferated, underscoring Arnold's formidable nature. Mere weeks into lunar residency, vast progress unfolded. Completion might yield a fully metallic moon brimming with internal factories, core-powered.

Approaching the core chamber, Jake noted terraformed tunnels. Formerly multiple paths existed, now a single fortified hallway with gates and defenses led there. These alone confirmed Arnold's B-grade evolution, as C-grade traversal would falter against the inventor's safeguards.

A temptation to challenge the setup arose, but courtesy prevailed as Jake glided through, doors agape and traps dormant.

Arnold had transformed the vast core room into his central lab, and Jake's sphere revealed an elaborate array. The core encased in a metallic sphere with myriad wires, the space crammed with electronics and disconcerting experiments, veiled in thick metal cubes for containment – visible only esoterically.

A dense energy wave struck within the lab. Core mana density rivaled lethality for D-grades. Curiously scanning, Jake advanced to Arnold, seated and fiddling with an odd pyramid.

Rounding the corner to behold the scientist, Jake's eyes widened in astonishment at his appearance.