As he jumped up the cliff and began running the final stretch to the dungeon, he checked through his full status.StatusName: Jake ThayneRace: [Human (E) – lvl 58]Class: [Ambitious Hunter – lvl 65]Profession: [Prodigious Alchemist of the Malefic Viper – lvl 51]Health Points (HP): 5429/5460Mana Points (MP): 5111/5320Stamina: 3629/3820StatsStrength: 403Agility: 534Endurance: 382Vitality: 546Toughness: 390Wisdom: 532Intelligence: 260Perception: 1053Willpower: 326Free Points: 0Titles: [Forerunner of the New World], [Bloodline Patriarch], [Holder of a Primordial’s True Blessing], [Dungeoneer IV], [Dungeon Pioneer IV], [Legendary Prodigy]Class Skills: [Basic One-Handed Weapons (Inferior], [Advanced Stealth (Common)], [Advanced Archery (Common)], [Hunter’s Sight (Uncommon)], [Basic Twin-Fang Style (Uncommon)], [Basic Shadow Vault of Umbra (Uncommon)], [Splitting Arrow (Uncommon)] [Big Game Hunter (Rare)], [Infused Powershot (Rare)], [Mark of the Ambitious Hunter (Rare)],

The family sat gathered around the table, enjoying their breakfast. The rays of sunlight hit the table, highlighting the vast selection to choose from: scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, bread, whatever one wanted. Caleb had even convinced their dad to make pancakes that morning. Mom had objected, but Caleb had gotten his will. It was only his birthday once a year, after all.Jake was enjoying one of the aforementioned pancakes, which had perhaps a bit too much honey. Which, of course, resulted in an admonishing gaze from his mom across the table, one he tried to ignore as he sheepishly put the fork into his mouth, the honey dripping down on the plate.It was three weeks before the system arrived. Jake had gone back to visit his parents and brother to celebrate his brother’s twenty-seventh birthday.Also at the table were his parents as well as Maja, Caleb’s wife. They had gotten married at what many considered a young age, but Caleb had felt it was the right thing to do after she got p

Affinities and mana—magic as a whole, actually—were still new concepts to Jake and everyone else going through the tutorials. Books in the Challenge Dungeon had all been very unspecific about how mana and magic worked and only described possible methods of using it.Jake’s most significant source of information had been the Viper himself, and even that had been broad and nonspecific. Jake had no concept of what he could do with his mana, nor what he couldn’t do.Alchemy had given him a headstart, and his early practice with mana had only boosted him further. He had started making the strings of mana, and he had learned to transform his mana’s affinity quite quickly. The thought of him being unable to somehow use the dark-affinity elements in the mana in his Touch of the Malefic Viper didn’t even enter his mind.If there was one thing the system had proven so far, it was that nothing was as simple and as rigid as it seemed before. Jake would just have to find the trick. Whatever made i

Submerging his consciousness in meditation, he didn’t enter the heightened state of focus like he had done last time. There was virtually no change from any other time he had used the skill, despite the recent upgrade.This was honestly a relief to Jake. In the back of his mind, he did briefly have a fear that his usual relaxing meditation would now always result in him suddenly being incredibly focused. And while focusing is good, it doesn’t exactly help the mind relax. The whole “losing time” thing wasn’t very attractive either.Satisfied that his meditation hadn’t accidentally been made worse, he began going over the long list of notifications. The system was nice as always with them, organizing them into different batches the moment the thought even occurred to him.The first of which was of the many kills he had gotten. One hundred twenty-four in total, to be exact. Looking them over, it indeed was an impressive sight.*You have slain [Steeltusk Boar – lvl 77] – Bonus experience

Jake looked directly into the eyes of the Horde Leader. They both paused for a moment as they considered each other. On one side, a small human down on one knee with a bow in his hand, and on the other, a boar the size of a huge truck.Yet the boar was the one to avert its gaze first. Jake felt the weakness in its eyes. Exhaustion in its look. He quickly noticed that its wounds weren’t healing as he would have expected them to begin to. The poison in its body was also barely being suppressed. It was clearly far more injured than he’d first thought.The reason quickly struck him: the contaminated Soilwater. While the Horde Leader had purged it all from its system, it had clearly been done at a cost.Outwardly it didn’t appear to have any injuries, but its vital energies were severely diminished. It also explained why all the other boars had gone down so quickly and why it had tried to keep itself hidden in its dome. It had still been recuperating all its lost health points when Jake at