Chapter 1036 - A Warrior's Return

Jake was whisked through space as his teleportation ring finally activated. Below him, the planet was nearer to collapse than ever, but Jake didn’t stick around to see its final moments, even if it would have been interesting to do so.

While he wasn’t entirely certain what would happen with a planet that lost its core or had the core destroyed, he knew it, at the very least, meant it was no longer a planet but now just a big floating rock in space. The system’s laws no longer protected it, and its source of new energy was gone, making everything into pure chaos.

A part of Jake did want to know what would happen when a planet was destroyed like that, but he definitely wasn’t going to ask Villy as he felt pretty damn confident the god would respond by kidnapping Jake for a live demonstration.

Anyhow, appearing back in the Prima Vessel on Earth, Jake instantly had several gazes turn to him. One of them was the space mage Neil, who Jake hadn’t seen in a bit, with the other one being William.

Neil looked surprised a Jake’s sudden appearance and looked like he wanted to say something but stopped himself when he saw Jake’s current state, likely deciding now wasn’t a good time. William also just gave Jake a certain look. Jake nodded, and William breathed out a sigh of relief at the confirmation that it was over.

Walking out of the teleportation room, he headed to the teleportation hub to return home to Haven. Jake was utterly spent and just wanted to go and rest in his damn lodge. Just walking around and flying a bit between things was hard. Shit, it was so bad Jake didn’t even bother to activate stealth, as it was only really now that he was truly back in safety as the weakness began to hit him... and it hit him hard.

Still, he walked into the teleportation hub with steady steps. Jake reckoned he looked absolutely ridiculous, the current state of his body not exactly pleasant to look at – Neil’s reaction had all but confirmed that. His armor was mostly destroyed, his body filled with wounds and holes everywhere, and he could honestly easily have been mistaken for a zombie where the makeup artist had gone a bit over the top.

Sadly for everyone else, Jake was too tired to mind any of that as he just kept heading home. After another teleport, Jake was soon back in Haven, where he had to walk all the way from the teleportation hub to his lodge. Flying would have been faster, but by the time Jake got to the forest city, even something so simple as levitating himself felt like a struggle.

So, despite how it looked, Jake walked down the street as the people there parted and gave him plenty of space, probably to avoid getting blood or something else equally nasty on their clothes.

Jake could only begin to imagine their thoughts from them seeing him in such a state, but he really didn’t have the brain power to think about stuff like that. The weakness and weariness just kept increasing the more time passed, Jake barely observing his surroundings but just focused on making it home without taking a nap on the street. And luckily, he soon reached the lodge.

Entering the valley, he went straight into the lodge and didn’t even bother cleaning himself up as he stumbled over to the couch – having enough sense not to want his bed to get dirty – and just fell down onto it as he closed his eyes.

The plan had been to go over his skill upgrades, but that had been postponed till after his nap. As Jake slipped into sleep to recover, his final thought was a small apology to Miranda for making her find some excuse for why Jake walked through the city looking like a homeless zombie.

--

Miranda had spent a long time considering all the outcomes of Jake’s battle with Ell’Hakan and what would come after. Earth was extremely messy following everything with the Malefic Viper and Yip of Yore had gone down, but she’d managed to control the narrative somewhat by making everyone focus on a common objective: taking back what was lost when the Holy Church and Ell’Hakan attacked before. Plus a little bit extra for good measure, of course.

However, there was still one glaring issue to address: Ell’Hakan. He was the leader of the enemy forces and a one-man army in his own right. Many also still questioned if the Chosen of the Malefic Viper could truly defeat him. The nahoom had done well spreading rumors of his own near-godlike status, with many truly believing it, even on Earth.

Needless to say, a lot had hinged on the confrontation between Jake and Ell’Hakan. Miranda had thought about what would happen if Jake lost, and the result was quite obvious... they would all be completely and utterly fucked. The person they had gathered around would disappear, and their morale would hit rock bottom. Maybe she could still rely on others like the Sword Saint, but Miranda wouldn’t expect the old man to join her in a war without Jake around.

Jake winning, on the other hand, would be a massive boon. His victory would either mean that the Celestial Child was dead or had fled, both of which would result in Ell’Hakan’s faction naturally crumbling. There were still questions about how the Holy Church would react, but in the end, Miranda concluded that no matter what, it would be good for Ell’Hakan to die. Considering that, she also concluded it would be for the best if everyone knew that Jake had gone to fight Ell’Hakan. If he lost, they would be fucked anyway, while if he won, she wanted to advertise it immediately.

 And she trusted he would win... and based on what she had just been informed not long ago, he indeed had come out victorious. That left Miranda with her next task: advertising this victory. A way to let everyone know that the Chosen of the Malefic Viper had slain the former Chosen of Yip of Yore. She considered how she would put together the grand announcement instantly to communicate in the most efficient and morale-boosting way.

However... she didn’t even get that far before she was chimed down, and Lillian hurried in. She had with her several recordings and relayed several loud rumors about Lord Thayne. Miranda frowned as she opened the first recording before her eyes opened wide at the sight.

She saw Jake walking through the streets as everyone gave way. Every one of his steps looked heavy as if every footfall was a struggle, which it likely was, considering his state.

Wounds covered him from head to toe. He had dried blood everywhere, not to mention all the burns and cuts, some of them even still seemingly teeming with energy. His face remained hidden beneath the mask that had red streaks all over it, and it honestly seemed surprising he wasn’t already dead...

Yet, despite the aura not being recorded, Miranda could almost feel it just from what she saw. His head was held high as he walked, his bloodshot eyes hidden behind the mask tired but determined as his pace remained steady. He looked a step away from death... yet gave off the aura that should anyone try to finish the job, it would be the last thing they ever tried.

At that moment, Lord Thayne looked like a warrior walking straight out of the battlefield, the sole survivor. One Miranda had already advertised he’d gone to before. All the onlookers knew that he’d come from his battle with Ell’Hakan, and his stride was not that of a loser. The mere fact he returned was proof of that...  proof that he was a warrior who had returned a victor.

Miranda couldn’t help but smile as the recording finished, and she saw how no one dared follow him as he entered his private area around the lodge. Miranda had wracked her brain on what kind of theatrics she wanted to put on to announce that Jake had defeated Ell’Hakan, but it seemed as if she had wasted her time because she honestly couldn’t have thought of any better way to announce it than for Jake to confidently walk through the streets, covered in his own blood and the blood of the Celestial Child.

It was nothing less than an absolute declaration of his own victory and the sacrifices he had been willing to make in order to defeat the enemy leader. It showed just how far he had been willing to go for all of them to achieve victory. A display of why he was the World Leader of Earth in the first place and why he was worthy of the title of the strongest in the galaxy.

--

Jake had no idea how long he had slept when he finally woke up. The fact his entire body was sore didn’t help him figure it out either, as he had no idea how long he would feel like shit, but hopefully it wouldn’t be for too long.

Even after opening his eyes, Jake really didn’t want to get off his couch as he just kept lying there. A few more minutes passed before Jake mustered up the courage and used a bit of mana to float over the phone Arnold had installed in his lodge. As he put a hand on it, he instantly knew a message was waiting for him. One from Miranda, just as he had dreaded.

Deciding to just bite the bullet, Jake listened to the message, fearing the scolding he expected to come his way as he heard her voice.

“Good job, and recover well. I’ll make sure no one disturbs you until you reach out first.”

Jake had to do a double-take, not entirely sure he had heard her right. There were no scolding words, no anger, nothing. He was genuinely confused, but hey, why complain about a good thing? She was probably just being nice because she knew he wasn’t in a good condition.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Jake put the phone back where it belonged, and with newfound energy from not being in immediate trouble with the resident witch, Jake finally got to what he had originally wanted to do before he got too tired:

Looking at skill upgrades.

The first one he started with was naturally the first one that had upgraded during the fight and the one with the longest description by far as Jake opened up and saw the new Pride of the Malefic Viper.

[Pride of the Malefic Viper (Legendary)] – The arrogance and strong will of the Malefic Viper are known throughout the multiverse, and all of existence is made to quake in fear in his presence. Allows the Alchemist to far more easily force their will upon the world. Significantly increases the effect of all Words of Power spoken. By channeling mana, you can make your presence no longer simply a warning but a weapon to target the psyche of your foes directly, and during this time, forcing your will upon the world in any area affected by your presence becomes even easier than before. As your pride has only grown stronger, you have become able to not only bend mana to your will but deny the presence of any other forms of energy within your rightful domain, increasing resistance to all forms of energy-based attacks when you are infusing your presence with mana. The cost and effect of this is dependent on Willpower and the power of what you are weakening. Your pride increases all resistance to any kind of mind-affecting effects, but be warned that it wanes in despair. All effects of the mental attack increase based on the target’s vulnerability, the nature of your mental attack, and the disparity in Willpower between you and your foe. Passively provides 9 Intelligence per level in Heretic-Chosen Alchemist of the Malefic Viper (C-grade variant). May your will be truth, your pride eternal.

So, yeah, a lot longer, for sure. However, the only truly impactful change was one sentence being added:

“As your pride has only grown stronger, you have become able to not only bend mana to your will but deny the presence of any other forms of energy within your rightful domain, increasing resistance to all forms of energy-based attacks when you are infusing your presence with mana. The cost and effect of this is dependent on Willpower and the power of what you are weakening.”

This described the domain-denying effect of Pride Jake had used during the fight pretty accurately, and Jake even felt like there could be more to it. Anyway, besides this effect being added, the other aspects of the skill had also all been slightly improved by the upgrade, part of that due to the increased stats he always got when upgrading one of the Viper’s Legacy skills.

Moving on, as there really wasn’t much surprise with this upgrade, Jake turned his attention to a skill he was far less sure about. He went a bit out of order and looked at his new Timeless Focus of the Apex Hunter that had upgraded quite unexpectedly toward the end of the fight.

Jake only remembered his feelings when it happened and not much else. He just knew that at the time, he felt like he simply needed more time, and he entered a state of hyperfocus where he moved faster, his body allowing him to somewhat keep up with his Perception.

Looking at the old Steady Aim and the new upgrade, Jake was curious about what had changed and what the new skill description said.

[Steady Aim of the Apex Hunter (Ancient)] – When the string is taught and the arrow ready, the Hunter’s focus reaches new realms. To aim and place the perfect shot is what any hunter aims for, and as one who stands at the apex, you refuse for even time to hamper your accuracy. Allows the Hunter to significantly heighten his focus when the bowstring is fully pulled, tapping into the concept of time to slow down his perception of it while simultaneously boosting all effects of Perception significantly. All effects scale with Perception.

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[Timeless Focus of the Apex Hunter (Legendary)] – With bow in hand and the arrow ready, the Hunter’s focus reaches new realms. To continuously and rapidly land the perfect shot is what any hunter aims for, and as one who stands at the apex, you refuse for even time to hamper your accuracy or speed. Allows the Hunter to significantly heighten his focus when the bowstring is fully pulled, tapping into the concept of time to slow down his perception of it while simultaneously boosting all effects of Perception significantly. While wielding a bow and having shot at least two arrows in a row without moving, the Hunter can enter a state of Timeless Focus, accelerating the Hunter’s body to rapidly shoot arrows progressively faster. This effect is canceled if the Hunter is forced to move, the shooting pattern changes drastically, or is otherwise distracted, leading to a loss of focus. Cooldown and maximum duration are determined by Perception, and all effects of Timeless Focus of the Apex Hunter scale with Perception.

Steady Aim had been one of those skills Jake just had, used in every single fight, but never really actively thought about. It was just a nice-to-have and allowed him to charge Arcane Powershot faster, improved his aim, and gave him a bit more time to control the flight paths of his arrows as it slowed down his perception of time.

Now, it did more than just that.

Jake still wasn’t sure if he wanted to call this new part of the skill Rapid Fire or Timeless Focus as the skill itself called it, but the effect was effectively akin to using a Rapid Fire skill.

It allowed Jake to shoot regular arrows far faster, and while it definitely had a lot of restrictions, Jake had no complaints. Getting an active component to a passive skill just felt like a pure bonus, and Jake could see this have several uses, though perhaps not in most one-versus-one battles outside of toward the beginning of the fight where he could start with massive distance between himself and his opponent.

Once recovered, Jake definitely had to go testing a bit. Of course, for now, he still had one more skill to look at.

Moment of the Primal Hunter was Jake’s first legendary skill, gained through his Bloodline getting angry at a skill that directly overlapped with what the Bloodline already did. Jake knew some weird system stuff was going on with the creations of the skill, making it end at legendary rarity, but now it had been improved to mythical.

In truth, Jake kind of believed it had deserved to be mythical in the first place, if not even better. While the description said it “slowed down time,” that wasn’t entirely accurate. It was more like Jake separated himself from the concept of time, making himself experience the world as being slower while remaining unaffected. Actually, maybe saying it slowed down time was still accurate considering relativity... though that entire point was kind of moot due to the changed description of the skill now acknowledging Jake separating himself from the concept.

[Moment of the Primal Hunter (Mythical)] – Instincts ascended to directly touch upon the concept of time itself. Through your supernatural instinct for survival, you seize the moment of crisis and turn it into one of opportunity. If a blow would otherwise deal substantial damage to the Hunter, separate yourself from time as the world stills around you. As long as the Hunter doesn’t move, neither shall the world as you seize the moment for a limited duration. Once the Hunter makes any action, the world comes alive as the Hunter progressively allows time to affect him once again, the world remaining slowed down during this process. The Hunter is unaffected by the slowdown and can move uninhibited for the duration. Has an internal cooldown between each activation. Effect and internal cooldown of the skill are based on Perception.

It was definitely a pattern that descriptions of skills just got longer, but this one had quite a few changes throughout. The first of which came in the very first sentence:

“Instincts ascended to directly touch...”

The word “directly” had been added, which seemed like a small thing, but Jake felt like it wasn’t. Moreover, it now said he separated himself from time. Finally, it, of course, included what had happened during the fight with Ell’Hakan, where the fight had fully frozen as Jake stood still.

This effect pretty much allowed Jake time to plan out how he wanted to use the following slowed-down time after he took any actions. Also, it wasn’t like he ever needed to freeze the world entirely if he didn’t want to. He could just use Moment the same as before, and hopefully, its usual effects had also gotten a little better.

He had no real way to know, as Moment of the Primal Hunter came with absolutely no instinctual knowledge, likely due to its unusual origins. So, yeah, Jake would need to also do a few tests with this one once recovered.

He had a lot he needed to do, as he was certain the death of Ell’Hakan had created quite the chaos in the Milky Way Galaxy. Jake also had to address the Holy Church and their actions. He was bound to remain busy for a while. However, for now, he only had one essential task that took precedence over everything else:

Taking another nap.