Zogarth
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Chapter 940 - Level 290 Hunter Skill Selection
🕑 Added 2024-06-20 11:13:21 +0000 UTCMost of the time, Jake felt like skill selections only really had one, maybe two, valid options. Other times, none of the skills were any good, such as Jake’s last skill selection for his class where he had gone back to pick Penetrating Arrow. Sure, the skill he had gained was great, but he had only chosen it because nothing better had been offered.
However… this time around, Jake didn’t find himself with a list like usual. He didn’t instantly see three options he wanted to write off. Instead, he saw a list of five pretty fucking awesome skills, all of high rarity and all with their own great aspects.
To set the stage, the very first skill offered was ancient rarity and looked incredibly useful.
[Disruptive Arrow of Arcane Shadows (Ancient)] – With a single arrow, cover the skies in arcane shadows as you fade into nothingness. Allows the hunter to shoot an arrow infused with arcane shadow energy, creating a large cloud of arcane shadows upon destruction. This arcane shadow cloud will obscure all senses, allowing none inside to look out or those outside to look in. Due to the disruptive nature of the arrow, many forms of magic are weakened or entirely nullified within. This effect is primarily focused on disrupting detection skills. The level of obscuration created by the shadow cloud is based on the disparity between your Perception and the targets. For a short period after shooting the arrow, the hunter can more easily activate any stealth skill as long as the target fully loses sight of him. Adds a bonus to the effects of Perception, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Agility when using Disruptive Arrow of Arcane Shadows.
So, to summarize… it was an arrow that messed with magic, messed with people’s Perception, and allowed Jake to more easily enter stealth, all while scaling incredibly well with Perception. The only downside was that the Cloud of Arcane Shadows, as the skill called it, couldn’t be looked inside easily… which was entirely counteracted by Jake’s insane Perception.
Even if it wasn’t, Hunter’s Mark would still allow him to locate people. Oh yeah, and if that also failed, he had his damn Sphere of Perception. Hell, he could even see the skill being used to enhance his melee fighting style. Imagine it, a cloud of shadows with Jake stalking around within, striking from out of nowhere repeatedly. It sure gave Umbra vibes from the duel in the Colosseum of Mortals.
Then there was the awesome effect of allowing him to more easily enter stealth after using it. This skill was effectively what Jake had done against the Prima Guardian, except far more effectively. If he had this skill, then chances are he could have charged his Arcane Powershot for longer and killed the Guardian with his final Protean Arrow alone.
The benefits if he used this skill alongside Eternal Shadow were also easy to imagine… he could maybe enter his Unseen Hunter state several times throughout a fight. Sure, it would have the highest chance of working the first time around, but compared to now, he could see a world where it could work multiple times.
No matter what, he would have to take inspiration from this skill for some free-form magic. Maybe he could even design a Protean Arrow with these effects? Honestly, if this was the skill Jake had to pick, he would have been all fine and dandy. It was great… but the next skill looked at least as good. If for nothing else but its rarity, better.
Because, already at his second choice, he was offered a legendary skill, which truly boded well for the three final ones. Not to say this wouldn’t be the one, as he really liked what he saw.
[Stealth Attack of the Unseen Arcane Hunter (Legendary)] - The strongest blow is one unseen before it’s too late. Massively increase the power of the first attack made on an otherwise unaware foe, and any damage bonuses from Perception-scaling skills are significantly increased for a short duration after landing a successful Stealth Attack. If this attack is used in conjunction with Unseen Arcane Hunter, the attack will benefit from the effects of your stealth skill and be hidden from your foe’s spectrum of Perception. Even if your Stealth attack is noticed before it lands, it retains all effects as long as it was made while unseen. Adds a stat bonus to the effects of Stealth Attack of the Unseen Arcane Hunter dependent on the nature of the attack. This effect is further improved by the level of Unseen Arcane Hunter.
WARNING: This skill is unlocked by and will serve as an upgrade to your existing Superior Stealth Attack, resulting in the loss of the skill.
Stealth Attack was one of those skills Jake constantly reminded himself he had to remember to upgrade, but kept forgetting about actually upgrading. Much of the groundwork was definitely already laid, and this skill was built partly on top of that.
Jake’s goal had always been to integrate it with Unseen Arcane Hunter somehow… and this was pretty much it. Exactly what he had been imagining and wanted. It would make his opening attack when he struck from stealth far more powerful than before and even allow him to deal bonus damage with all his bow-related skills – seeing as they all scaled with Perception – for a short time after hitting an arrow.
Oh yeah… and it would turn his attack invisible. Or, at the very least, it would make it so his target wouldn’t be able to notice his arrow before it was too late. Trying to hide a massive Arcane Powershot barreling toward someone was pretty difficult, but from the looks of it, this skill could make it happen.
As with the skill prior, Jake would definitely need to take heavy inspiration from this one if he didn’t end up picking it. It was a bit different from the one prior in one huge way, though: it was a skill upgrade. A skill upgrade meant he would lose a skill slot… but this was one of those situations where the upgrade was so massive it was worth considering. He would go from a rare to a legendary skill in one go.
Jake could only imagine getting both this skill and the Arrow of Arcane Shadows… the combination would be insane. Alas, he would have to pick only one – assuming he even picked any of them. Because the next option was also incredibly spicy.
Or, maybe he should call it cursed.
[Gluttunous Fangs of Eternal Hunger (Legendary)] – Your hunger remains eternal as you seek to consume any who dare enter the striking distance of your fangs. Allows the hunter to passively channel cursed energy from the mythical artifact Eternal Hunger into every strike made with melee weapons, allowing you to benefit from all its on-hit effects. Every strike made using this effect will help feed the artifact, growing the power of the Sin Curse. Significantly increases the offensive effects of the Sin Curse of Hunger. Increases restorative powers of the Sin Curse of Hunger. Every strike made with Eternal Hunger or any weapon benefitting from this skill will leave lingering curse energy for far longer, dealing continuous damage. All effects of this skill are dependent on the power of Eternal Hunger. As the Sin Curse grows, so does the requirement of your ability to keep it at bay.
WARNING: Should Eternal Hunger be lost, this skill will mutate or disappear entirely.
It really shouldn’t come as a surprise Jake would get more skills related to the mythical weapon he had created. Especially seeing as how it had been tied even more deeply to him with the integration of Sim-Jake. The Sin Curse was now totally a part of him and his Path, and he recognized that.
He also recognized he had been shit at actually utilizing the curse energy he housed within his Soulspace. Eternal Hunger could definitely do a lot more than just be a durable and sharp weapon he liked to stab people with – something he had been exploring with his alchemy a bit. He had just never really explored any of the things he could make it do when it came to combat. Part of it was because Jake didn’t want to force himself too far down a Path where he focused on curses over stuff like his arcane affinity, and part of it was that Jake had a hard time imagining exactly what to do.
Now, this skill wasn’t really doing anything “new” per-se. It was effectively just a damage and energy-steal effect getting added to Jake’s melee fighting style while allowing Eternal Hunger to absorb more energy and thus also upgrade itself faster. He did like that he could make his Voidblade – or any other melee weapon - essentially into another Eternal Hunger. Seeing as it used the word Fangs, there was perhaps even some synergy going on with Fangs of Man and Fangs of the Malefic Viper. It did suck that the skill didn’t work with ranged attacks, but it would also be kind of weird if it had.
Jake didn’t really put much stock in the warnings on the skill, either. He knew that dealing with cursed stuff was dangerous, and he didn’t have any plans of losing Eternal Hunger. If he did, his Eternal Shadow skill would also be fucked.
To conclude, this skill was great and would instantly make Jake quite a bit stronger. There wasn’t much to learn from it he didn’t already know, but it was probably still worth keeping what it did in mind when exploring opportunities to use Eternal Hunger in the future. As with the two prior skills, if Jake was forced to pick this, he would have been a-okay.
Who would ever be unhappy about getting a legendary skill that just made something you already did strictly better? Well… maybe you would if it meant passing up another legendary skill that made other things you already did strictly better.
[Lone Hunter of Horizon’s Edge (Legendary)] – Hunting is a lonely endeavor, yet one best enjoyed alone, as there is only the hunter and his prey. As a Lone Hunter, you prefer the solitude found in a good hunt, and you specialize in facing your prey alone. Allows the hunter to gain certain benefits when hunting alone, but will have no effect if you work alongside others. Significantly increases all bonuses granted by your Big Game Hunter skill when hunting alone. When Lone Hunter of Horizon’s Edge is active, all stealth-related skills are more effective. When hunting alone, Hunting Momentum is accumulated from Relentless Hunt of the Avaricious Arcane Hunter far faster, and less is lost when the hunter takes damage. As you walk down the Path of a Lone Hunter, more benefits may follow. Increases all experience gained from successful lone hunts. May you strike fear into the hearts of all who find themselves marked as the prey of the Lone Hunter of Horizon’s Edge.
WARNING: This skill is exclusive and cannot be taken alongside Huntmaster of Horizon’s Edge.
This was the second legendary skill directly related to his class Jake had been offered.
Lone Hunter of Horizon’s Edge was clearly one well-suited to who he was. Reading it carefully, it did become clear pretty quickly that, on its own, the skill didn’t really do anything. The only real benefit it gave on its lonesome was the increased experience gained when hunting alone.
The rest of it was all about making his other skills better. Relentless Hunt, all stealth skills, and from the looks of it, especially Big Game Hunter, would be strictly improved if he had this skill. Of course, it would only work if he was hunting alone.
Jake had very much expected the skill to then also come with a massive downside if he was fighting with others, but from the looks of it, the only downside was that the skill wouldn’t do anything. That was… massive. While it was true Jake did hunt solo a lot, he also teamed up with others here and there. This Prima Guardian fight and much of Nevermore was proof of that. So to have a skill that would make him weaker when fighting with others would have sucked and been one he had to avoid.
Before Jake continued considering this skill more in-depth, he decided that doing it in conjunction with the last one was probably better. Because the warning of the skill also served as the prelude to the final skill offered… the counterpart to Lone Hunter and one mutually exclusive with it.
[Huntmaster of Horizon’s Edge (Legendary)] – To hunt is a task for the many, as you successfully lead your hunting party to slay any prey you mark for death. As a Huntmaster, you are a hunter specialized in hunting with a team of peers, allowing them to benefit from your expertise and skills as a hunter as long as they join your Hunting Party. Allows allies part of your Hunting Party to benefit from all effects of your Mark of the Horizon-Chasing Arcane Hunter. Any damage your Hunting Party does helps build your Hunting Momentum from Relentless Hunt of the Avaricious Arcane Hunter. When facing higher-level foes, all members of your Hunting Party benefit from a lesser version of your Big Game Hunter skill. As you walk down the Path of a Huntmaster, more benefits may follow. You can have a total of 9 members in your Hunting Party (not including yourself). May your Hunting Party strike fear in the hearts of all who find themselves marked as prey by the Huntmaster of Horizon’s Edge.
WARNING: This skill is exclusive and cannot be taken alongside Lone Hunter of Horizon’s Edge.
If Lone Hunter made Jake the king of soloing, this skill made him everyone’s favorite party member. Reading through the skill, the benefits were pretty damn good. Giving everyone a lesser version of Big Game Hunter meant they would just be straight-up stronger when facing opponents above their level while also providing them the passive presence resistance.
Then there was the fact it would help Jake build Hunting Momentum by just having his party members land hits. That in itself was pretty damn great. The biggest risk with Relentless Hunt had always been that he wouldn’t be able to accumulate as much Hunting Momentum when he had to take hits during fights. However, with this skill, he could just outsource building his momentum to his party members. Especially seeing as it didn’t mention him losing anything if they got hit.
Finally, the greatest part of this skill was allowing others to benefit from Hunter’s Mark. Not just because of all the extra damage it would add to everyone’s damage but because of an aspect of the skill he was certain would make him a top-rated party member: Increased experience gained.
This part of the skill wasn’t one Jake really thought about much, as he always just marked targets, but he was certain others would be more than happy to get some extra experience. While Jake wasn’t sure how much of an increase Hunter’s Mark even gave, this was the kind of concept that could only be found in system-granted skills and considered pretty rare.
Considering the skill more deeply, it wasn’t difficult to imagine the fighting style this skill catered to. It was one where Jake stood back and attacked without ever getting hit, thus never losing any Hunting Momentum. He would be the director of the battle, firing the occasional powerful blow with all the Hunting Momentum he constantly built up until, finally, the prey was dead. At which point, everyone would get more experience because the target had a Hunter’s Mark and come pat their awesome Huntmaster on the back for another successful hunt.
Like the Lone Hunter skill, this one didn’t have any downsides either, and it wasn’t like it would make him incapable of solo hunting. Just better when doing it with a group. The only real negative to picking it was that he couldn’t also pick Lone Hunter. Well, Lone Hunter or any of the other solid options he had been offered, but Lone Hunter would be permanently unavailable.
Having gone over both Lone Hunter and Huntmaster, he had to admit that on the surface, from a more objective perspective, Huntmaster was probably the better skill. At least, if he was asked which one of them was closest to being a mythical rarity skill, he would say Huntmaster. Both of them were awesome, though, and almost seemed like mini-classes or something.
Perhaps this assessment wasn’t entirely incorrect either… because Jake had a feeling this decision would prove quite important for his Path. Their mutual exclusivity outlined this as a choice about what kind of hunter Jake wanted to be. It even pretty much said so with:
“As you walk down the Path of a Huntmaster/Lone Hunter, more benefits may follow.”
Jake couldn’t help but wonder… perhaps this choice had even been triggered by Jake kind of sending mixed messages about his own Path.
After the system arrived, Jake had primarily been a solo hunter. He was alone during the Tutorial, quickly abandoning his former colleagues. After returning to Earth, he kept hunting alone, only briefly teaming up with Hawkie for some flight lessons and elemental hunting. Outside of that, he was pretty much on his own all throughout E-grade.
D-grade wasn’t that much different. Sure, Jake did a dungeon with Draskil and the others from the Order, but that was, again, only a brief interlude. All his greatest achievements in combat had been him fighting alone.
However, here in C-grade, things had been very different. He had done Nevermore with a party of five, and now this Prima Guardian event with a large group. He hadn’t faced any strong opponents alone for a long time outside of a bit within some Challenge Dungeons. Nearly all his big fights in C-grade had been with a group: Minaga, the Twinhead Emperor, and the Prima Guardian. For solo fights, the only big one was Valdemar in the Colosseum, and that one had been under very odd circumstances, and he didn’t even have his class during the fight.
Really thinking about everything, it wouldn’t be wrong to say Jake was acting more like a Huntmaster rather than a Lone Hunter recently, and if he recalled the last few decades of his life, Huntmaster would definitely have been the most useful of the two. This wasn’t a skill about the past, though.
It was about the kind of hunter Jake wanted to be in the future… and could Jake really know what the future would bring? Because while he could definitely see himself embracing the life of a Lone Hunter, he could also see himself adventuring plenty with Sylphie, Carmen, the Sword Saint, and all the others.
Of course, there was also another option: to not pick either of these two but just go with one of the two other legendary skills Jake had been offered. To simply not lock him into any kind of Path in the future and perhaps get offered a version of the skill that was a mix between Huntmaster and Lone Hunter, though he had a feeling that wasn’t gonna happen, as the trade-off with these skills seemed to be that he had to pick one or the other.
Honestly, out of every class skill selection, this was perhaps the hardest. But Jake had to make a choice, and the question now was… what skill should he pick? Because he low-key wanted all of them… well, alright, he could be reasonable and not too greedy. Just getting four of them was also an acceptable outcome, as two were mutually exclusive.
Alas, he was forced to choose, and he could only be happy that he had plenty of time to decide, with Sandy still nowhere to be seen.
Comments
TheSDH90 .
I personally like it. It's part of the story of one's path. The path is extremely important, and this novel seems to emphasize that the journey is more important than the ending. The means justify the ends.
Trevor Mergen
Thanks!
Unb Ekannt
what is the point of listing all these skills when only one can be chosen ? Feels like one big information dump- I don´t even bother reading it and just skip to the chosen skill...
Phallusar
I think the Huntmaster conceptually vibes with the Primal Hunter and his achievements echoing throughout the multiverse as a higher grade human.
Titaniumtac
Huntin Party----> Hunting unless you want to sound like a southern like me...
Dream
I don't think huntmaster would fit with his character at all though... I get what you're saying but Jake is a guy who's essentially suicidal as long as there's a chance of actually killing a higher lvl creature without it being impossible. It's been shown multiple times, he doesn't care if he himself dies because it was his decision to fight strong creatures but he doesn't want to drag other people down with him. He doesn't want to have teammates he has to keep alive, he wants to go in there and focus only on the enemy to the death. Look at the end of the recent fight, he was essentially relieved he was fighting by himself without distractions and having to keep people alive. Jake is also someone who doesn't want to be a leader to begin with... I might be wrong but I don't think he would pick huntmaster, he might not pick the lone hunter skill either though.
Dream
I agree that picking huntmaster would be interesting, but I see Jake being more of a lone hunter. I mean this is supposedly to decide his path and from what we've seen he likes to hunt alone without caring about the consequences even if he dies. This latest fight itself even kind of showed it, at the end he was relieved to be fighting by himself because he didn't want to keep track of his allies and not let them get killed.
Tragic Hysteria
We gotta see Jake solo a prima so I vote lone hunter
Tragic Hysteria
Tease...
KenTX325
So the hunter theme is not going to require Jake choose lone hunter. The human types Jake chose from were clearly based on early humans. Prehistoric big game hunters hunted in packs. If Jake is going to hunt extreme game in B grade he needs to use all resources.
Jeff McCulley
“It was one where Jake stood back and attacked without ever getting hit, thus never losing any Hunting Momentum.” Now, I could see where this is something he could find boring—but there’s nothing that says he HAS to do it that way. And it seems to me like this would be the best way to plow through all the Prima Guardians as fast as possible. But what do I know?
Conner Wright
Damn! That's cool...
Kyler
Ahh mate think you may have replied to the wrong comment
Jeff McCulley
I believe Zogarth has said he has enough material to work with for the rest of his life—though I may have gotten my authors mixed up. Considering he’s just turning 30, I think maybe you have a glimmer of your answer.
Jeff McCulley
“… and could Jake really know what the future would bring?” Well, um, Jake (cough)…there’s that little matter of hundreds of Prima Guardians to clear? Then the remaining Primas afterwards? So…the question is, do ya wanna do all that solo, or with your friends?
donvitogonzalle
@Mat: Primal Hunter is at its Peak when Jake is with others and they have some fun banter, not when he is on his lonesome hunting mindless beasts for dozens of chapters. A mixed bag you have listed, here are my thoughts: Tutorial Dungeons were a hard skip on re-read, but King fight is still fun due to the Banter and how the King got the shit punched out of him. The fight was also short and sweet. The Bovine Arc was also great, but Jake was mostly with others during this time, only alone for a few chapters. Treasury Hunt he was also not really alone most of the time, maybe for singular fights, and that is totally okay. Fight against the Hive King and Queen were cool, but the journey to them was soso. The rest I have mostly skipped depending on how I felt.
Mat
??? 1. Tutorial Dungeons/ King fight 2. Monkey Genocide 3. Treasury hunt-Viscount fights 4. Dark Shadow Panther 5. Forest C-grades hunt e.g. Tree fight 6. Terminate Hive dive x2 7. Bovine fight
Mat
Agree on Lone hunter and remember it is not making him a hermit. Jake goal is to one reach the apex and go beyond also “he” will one day fight that dragon not the “they” will fight that dragon. Also Jake is a selfish guy not happy sharing that bounty from killing stuff i.e. his internal dialogue when the Prima guardian was announced. Jake values freedom hunter master might tie some to him and most of his companions are doing their own thing outside of system events. I also believe the same reasons he did not choose mythical shroud skill and the Valdemar’s skill also apply here. Only valid reasons for the master is 1. if Jake focuses on potential immediate gains for the event which might not materialize as I doubt those opting for the alliance will have a difficult prima. 2. Those who think the story needs more regular team ups forgetting that the 1st 3 books were mostly Jake just doing his own stuff. I think this is one of those moments that show how Jake as much as he is similar to some one like Valdemar, he is also different
Inv7ctus
I actually really like the idea of huntmaster. Lone hunter is cool and all, but i feel the direction of teamwork has the story trend in a better direction that leads to more character interaction, complexity and more interesting conflict. Also, it leans in to his harbinger aspect as he raises an pantheon of monstrous friends. That being said, i think we are undervaluing the shadow arrow. what tf is arcane shadows? that is an entirely new concept that jake could learn from. combining his arcane affinity with other affinities is HUGE, and probably very difficult, while he can probably figure out the stealth attack and the cures energy utilization on his own.
Jeff McCulley
He doesn’t “need” either. It’s more a matter of whether he shares with his companions or not.
Junon
Hmm maybe the bits inside the ship were locked off. If all of earth was locked off I think it'd have been mentioned
Kyler
I don’t believe either are going to do it for him, I don’t see him pigeon-holing himself to a set standard, I believe he may chose from the other three disregarding lone hunter and hunt master entirely
Conner Wright
Happy birthday! Quick question but realistically how many chapters do you see the entirety of the series to be? At the moment it's looking like a few thousand but I'm also curious about your take.
Jeff McCulley
Happy Birthday, Zogarth. Enjoy that party!
Cole Boyer
Thanks for all the great content, happy birthday!
愚行
Brother, he is saying that at a minimum his max party size could be in the thousands range. Not that there's a minimum requirement.
Anthony Smith
Jake has close ties to all his creations. There may be no traditional karmic link but there's obviously something. And it's soul deep. It just hasn't been defined yet or known because this is all a new path and never been seen before.
Dan
Skills evolve, I'm saying once he's close to godhood, the max will probably be well into the thousands at least
donvitogonzalle
Thats not a response, where does the description say anything about minimum party sizes? It only states the opposite of 9 people max.
James mMcClellan
He doesn't actually ave close ties with his creation as stated by vesperia since she has slight fear of being abandoned by jake , mentioned when she was first leaving for heartland ( I think that's the ectomorph home) .
Naotsugu97
Oldness. Ancientness. Decrepitude. Congrats and enjoy the journey into old age! 😉🤣
Ryan Ulrich
Huntmaster Skill for sure. Buffs allies, but the real plus is thatcher doesn’t get buffs from hunting alone, which makes his hunts harder, which is exactly what he wants.
Ammar Atia
happy birthday
Micah Conklin
Happy Birthday Zogarth! Thank you for the story and we hope you have a great weekend!
Despair
Happy birthday Zog
jordan plus
it’s not like he loses strength, and jake has always been plenty strong. Also, it was just said he’s the strongest in 1v1 fights. He might as well keep it at that.
jordan plus
jake’s a hunter at heart though, and it was mentioned a little prior that he’s the strongest in a head on 1v1 fight. He should just strengthen and hone this aspect himself like most people of strength in this book do. Also, it’s not he loses any strength in groups, meaning that he can easily be very strong in those type of settings as well.
Olof Karlsson
Thanks for the chapter!
Sam
This is a system event. Usually those are cut off from the gods so Villy probably doesn't even know what's happening.
Peter Smith
Yes but the problem has always been because the groups want him to dance to their tune, lets also be honest when he starts getting his eventual harem at least two of them will want to walk their paths alongside him, the adorable elf will want to be his healer and assisstant in all things, and Arty would want... well... To leave their marks on every tree they walk past... All kinds of marks... Claw marks, tooth marks, directions, and definitely hunter's marks...
De Pisce Episcopi
I mean sure, but he’s also much stronger than any of them, literally at the top of his generation and not by a small margin. Not to mention he HAS to fight (much)higher level enemies in order to gain experience. And also his personality is all about hunting alone and not in a team. I wouldn’t say this is the groundwork of someone made to be a team leader, at least not for the majority of his time. As to your actual arguments: - Sylphie and Jake are not bonded permanently, and even if they were it was clearly shown they like to do stuff on their own. - Sandy is exactly that: his uber, they can’t even properly fight. The alchemy lab is for long travels. - Vesperia, while here for now, will have to get back to being one of the leaders of one of the biggest multiversal factions at some point, probably sooner than later.
Dan
Reread please 🙏
donvitogonzalle
The skill description literally says 9 party member max and nothing about min.
Aldrin
Those are poor reasons to change his path and go party buff bitch now. Jake has even mentioned throughout the story he prefers to be alone. Hell man half the reason he wears his mask is because he's socially awkward. Jake even mentioned he went out of his way to avoid people because it made him uncomfortable and believed it was related to his bloodline. I'm not saying he won't enjoy another person's company for an adventure. But the core of who Jake has been so far is a solo hunter.
Lynderyn
Either both fit or neither fit. He needs the group for the chaff and crowd control, but when it comes down to the final boss he needs to be the lone hunter. Prima fight was a great example of this. He needed the help to get to the final phase, but when boss was most powerful he solos it. I think he needs a hybrid version
Lynderyn
He needs a hybrid version of the skills. He works well in a group, but as seen in the prima hunt, goes it alone to end the bosses. He also loves oneshotting enemies above his level and has mentioned in the past how he dislikes grouping up. He is “the primal hunter” not a primal hunter.
Jeff McCulley
Besides Sylphie, Sandy and Vesperia? And his nascent crew back at the Order?
KenTX325
Lone hunter would be a bad choice. The story will be about hunting Primas and conquering planets for a while. Jake needs to learn to lead to do this. Also, it is better for the story. It is hard to do dialog with one person. Also, he has great support characters who need to be present more not less.
Jeff McCulley
He just bonded permanently with Sylphie. Sandy is his ride, and had even made an alchemy lab for him. Vespy just wants to chill with her dad. None of that is “solo”.
Jeff McCulley
I’m gonna go with the exact polar opposite take. He just bonded with Sylphie. Sandy is his constant taxi—and is about to have his own deployable army. Vesperia is here to hang with her sire. Leaving aside the issue of ALL of his others friends and companions, taking Solo Hunter would be a straight up “eff you” to all three of them. And besides. How can anyone say no to including such an absolutely adorable ball of feathers?
Jay Doubleyou Kay
Happy birthday! Had no idea you were so young. Congratulations on your success! Keep it up, bud
Booz Dowg
Happy birthday Zog. Jake probably doesn't take his birthdays off ...just sayin
Michael Kawesa
Happy Birthday
John Grizzly
Happy origin day!
Kaneja Amani
Happy birthday Zog!
Neneera
Happy Birthday Zog!
KodamaZelk
Happy Birthday Zog!
Bmanzoo
Happy birthday Zog
Precursor
I think Lone hunter fits Jake far more than hunt master does. While it is true recently he has been in several teams those are all for system events he rarely ever teamed up with anyone outside of system events, only occasionally with silfy or Hawky. For the most part he is alone even when he went to the moon with Sandy they split up immediately and he was alone again. Not to mention that likely Lone hunter and hunt master will definitely have their own branching skills that further boost Jake and I don't want Jake to ever be forced to rely on others since it just doesn't suit him. Finally Lone hunter has the potential to fix Jake's greatest weakness, Jake's path is all about hunting things stronger than himself meaning above his level but when it comes to fighting people on the same level as him he loses most of his best abilities I think Lone Hunter could lead to a way to mitigate this weakness.
Zarkara Smith
Happy birthday Zogarth! Thanks for the chapter :)
santiago villa reverte
Happy bday
BumAssBumAss
Also I'm getting a bit heated here because I love this novel, but I want to make sure there are not hard feelings. This discussion is great and you made me consider things I hadn't thought of initially. In the end I am still team lone hunter. Get it? 'team' lone hunter? Because we were discussing hunter master versus.... Alright I'll see myself out.
Ansordia
Happy B Day tommorow let the god of chaos rest untill tommorow night 😜
BumAssBumAss
True, everyone has the choice to join the huntmaster party. But ultimately this isn't about other people, this is about Jake. The reason I mention Jake navigating a permanent party is because the point of the skills, hunter master versus lone hunter. In the end, both skills are for Jake to hunt enemies at a far higher caliber than he does currently, but only under certain conditions. If Jake wants to truly utilize hunt master beyond c-grade, he'll need to coordinate with others who may be dead weights. As the Chosen of the Maleific Viper, I'm sure Jake will get a lot of volunteers, but how many of them does Jake trust? Remember, Jake has issues with betrayal. Rather than randoms, he'd hunt with Sylphie or sword saint, but obviously they won't always be available. Getting people together to do things is a huge annoying task, just gaming every weekend can be hard sometimes. So that means Jake needs to wait to fight certain enemies, for example, he'd need a team with hunt master to fight b-grades currently. And to do that, he'll need pinnacle geniuses, not just randoms. With lone hunter, this is not the case. Jake doesn't need to navigate his social circle or halt his path for others to find time. Jake can challenge a B-grades if he wishes and just run away alone of it is too much. With hunt master, this is not possible. Both hunt master and lone hunter do not restrict Jake from teaming up with others or being alone. He simply does not receive the extra stat buffs if the condition isn't met. Even with lone hunter, Jake can still hunt with other people. With the added benefit that he is not reliant on them if Jake wants to do even more. Hunt master will likely allow Jake to hunt even stronger enemies than lone hunter simply due to the fact that there are more people on Jake's side during the fight. But this is also true in any team situation normally. Additionally, because Jake is receiving help, he isn't getting the extra exp or records from challenging tasks alone because a task done as a team is easier even if it is made up with a higher level enemy than he would lone hunter. If Jake wants to continue using hunt master, he needs a good team or he is wasting the skill. The opposite with lone hunter. There is also the demerit that if he picks hunt master, the system will give more team based skills to Jake. Keep in mind that Jake already rejected Brave Presence of the Emerging War God(Mythical) at level 260 because he didn't want such a team based leadership skill. In other words, if Jake considers Hunt Master, he'll also need to consider Brave Presence of the Emerging War God which he already dismissed before. Jake is ultimately a solo hunter that will occasionally team up. Regarding the event, it's only a theory of mine that elites from earth will split up. Carmen, Sylphie, Jake, sword saint, etc are all geniuses in their own right and can handle enemies above their level to various degrees. Jake and friends are already behind ell'hakan regarding the number of planets on their side. With Earth's space mages, even without sandy for some people, they should still cover a reasonable about of planets. Ultimately it is a theory though and it is a viable tactic to have sandy taxi the entire elite team everywhere.
dat guy
Happy Birthday Z
Historia Jinn
😂 So I wasn't the only one who forgot. happy birthday Zogarth!!
Junon
Oh right no chapter today he said. Welp see you all on Monday! Happy birthday again zogarth!
DasGoat622
And this is just the first of many skills related to the Huntmaster. He will get more skills in the future that could and should increase the potency of the buff and add more buffs.
DasGoat622
This skill is about relying on other people because there is no penalty when hunting in a group. As an example his class has a penalty in that he gets zero experience from hunting things at or below his level because his path is all about fighting the hardest opponent he can. No where in there does it say he has to do it alone. If it did Nevermore and the system events would have been detrimental to his path in the way they were completed. This selection his about how he wants to operate going forward. Jake himself recognizes that he would have struggled with Prima Guardian solo or the Twin Head Ogre. I don’t think the lone hunter skill gets him closer to beating the super high level opponents. But Huntmaster does. Lone hunter is a 1x boost as it only amplifies Jake. Huntmaster is up to 10x multiplier because it can boost a whole party of 10. And considering the group of people he has to call on for teammates that’s a really big boost. And it will scale with his level as the other will.
Aidan
I feel like his path isn't about hunting solo but it certainly is about being above everyone else even gods and to rely on other people to get there feels a bit like it dilutes that part of his path
donvitogonzalle
Story wise, I think it would be good giving Jake an incentive to team up with others, as I always thought the parts when Jake hunts completely (!) alone were the weakest. The Arcs with him and Hawkie training and hunting together, or the Mushroom Dungeon at the Order, thats the good stuff and I would love to see more of it.
donvitogonzalle
While Lone Hunter seems like an obvious choice at first, it would be the worst. Jake already cannot team up all that much, because he is just so much stronger than anybody else, his limited pool of potential party members would be even smaller. The strength of his party members would always have to make up for the lose of the Lone Hunter Bonus. There is also the problem with his fragile emotions, what if e.g. Sylphie, Carmen or Vesperia dies fighting alongside him? Can he deal with that, knowing that the Huntmaster Bonus could have led to a different outcome? On the other side, the Huntmaster bonus would be just awesome. It would open up the potential to team up more, even with more normal elites he left behind, e.g. Reika, Neil, Hawkie or whomever. Also, wouldnt it be fun for Jake to go hunting with Artemis, once he is a god, boosting the Lord of the Hunt with the Huntmaster Bonus? As the comment above from "Anthony Smith" pointed out, Huntmaster would also have a great Synergie with his primeval creations.
JJB4345_80_815
@BumAssBumAss - okay, you make some good points. I might have gone a bit too far in my "pulling" phrase, BUT I still contend that it's okay to get a little help. Heck, that's what god's already do when they give out blessings. That's what Villy did for Jake and the other Primordials did for the Sword Saint, Carmen and Sylphie. All of those and more can CHOOSE whether they want to be in the Huntmaster party or not AND surely a C-grade skill won't have as much of an impact on Records as a Primordials' blessing (or any god's, really). Anybody that joins the Huntmaster party would still have to put in the work. It wouldn't be Jake pulling his friends up to godhood, but friends DO watch each other's backs and having friends able to keep up with Jake would be an incredible boon for him. Ya got me dead to rights on the Sword Saint already rejecting one of Jake's offers, but maybe this offer is different enough and doesn't require the commitment that the previous one did require? Did the Huntmaster skill say anything about permanent party members? I believe that the skill can allow for the party members to switch from time to time. I could be wrong. As for the people from Earth splitting up to cover more ground, that all depends on whether they will need to rely on Sandy for transportation or if the system will be supplying transport via portals or some such. If just Sandy, then it's best for a larger group. If they have free access to go anywhere via portals, then splitting up does make a lot of sense.
Anthony Smith
Jake as the harbinger of primeval origins and mutating all these strong origins as well as having close ties to what he touches makes the huntmaster make sense. He will raise a pantheon of God's along side himself. Friends and primeval origin creations alike.
DasGoat622
While lone hunter seems like the obvious choice for his path, I think Huntmaster still fits his path and his Bloodline. A factor of both skills is they don’t rule out the other approach. They just specialize in one area. Jake is already the Pinnacle Solo Hunter in his era and at his grade. Making him better at that feels like it will have diminished returns as so much of what he has already is focused on solo hunting. But being able to share out those bonus with a party would add another aspect to his development. The skill already lays it out that he is the leader of the group which he has been for any group that he is in so it shouldn’t clash with his blood line. And it also solidifies him as the closer because he’s accruing not just his own momentum but that of his entire party making his finishing shot that much more powerful. His path has never (to my knowledge) been about solo hunting it has just been about hunting the biggest baddest thing he could find. He has been solo at times because the people around him couldn’t really fight the things that he was hunting. This skill helps bridge that gap. Think of how differently the Prima Guardian fight would have been if he had this skill prior. This is the system recognizing that.
Aldrin
Jake strikes me as a lone hunter for sure. Solo hunting makes for a much better challenge for sure and I think that's part of Jakes path. Something about proving he's the strongest and standing at the apex. Jakes has gone down the solo road long enough that the POWER OF FRIENDSHIP option just feels... awkward.
Walter Kimberly
Can’t wait for Monday. Have a good birthday Zogarth.
Anthony Smith
I would think the Lone Hunter was the obvious choice but Jake's only ever been alone for a few chapters. Between his co workers, Villy, beast friends, Fallen King(who exists in Jake's soul), his Order/Haven, family, comrades friends, he's never alone. Even if he they all die and he becomes the sole God, which I find unlikely. He will always have Villy and others he befriends.
Steven Miller
When you think about it, how many of Jake's friends will want to be in a normal party on the regular? Outside of events?
kingofshibainu
I'm thinking he'll go with Lone Hunter unless he decides to not make a choice right now (so he can define his own path if the hunter which transcend both skills or something). Otherwise, I see him going for the Gluttonous fang option now, upgrading his stealth stack himself, and doing the disruptive shadow arrow with protean arrow or free magic to maybe be integrated into a skill later. I don't see Jake as a huntmaster though. Overall he's getting more stealthy and adding that into his fighting style which I like and hope all the elements of these skills get Incorporated one way or another.
Thomas Laptain
I'd say it's more similar to picking askill that makes him better at one over the other, not quite picking between them without any chance for the other. He'll still be very good if he doesn't pick the skill related to it, just not as good as someone who specialises in it.
Tucker Longstroth
He’s gotta go lone hunter. The stealth attack and obscuration skills will make for good options if he gets more shitty options in the future, but they won’t have as much impact across the board as the hunter/huntmaster or the cursed melee. If Jake got his shit together, talked to Casper, and actually learned how to control more curse energy, he could learn to replicate most of the skill by himself. Lone Huntsman however is not something Jake will be able to replicate for a long time. As useful as huntmaster would be, Jake doesn’t give a fuck about his teammates giving him head pats for a couple extra experience points. He cares about the hunt like nobody else, so he’s gotta take the solo hunter skill to affirm that.
Kyle Hunt
I'm failing to understand why this is even a thing. Isn't this the same as if the system told him he had to choose between melee and archery.
Kyle Hunt
Also, the example that Villy used was a system recognized item carrying records that would all on their own take a beast to S grade. Jake's skill wouldn't do anything without the person benefiting being required to actively seek progression.
Kyle Hunt
I was thinking the same, for two reasons. One, hasn't it been stated previously that the system doesn't define or limit paths, just accepts them if they are suitable? Anything Jake chose would become suitable because of his dedication and stuborness. And second, why would Jake let the system tell him what he can and can't do?
JJB4345_80_815
Yeah, after more thought I believe that I was worrying needlessly. I just replied to a comment made by Ghost-Crow in more detail, but basically if gods can bless mortals than surely a SKILL of a C-grade will have less of an impact on Records than such blessings. Plus, Big Game Hunter only bumps the experience gain. I'm betting that if Jake's friends don't contribute anything to the hunt then they won't earn any experience. It's still based on the merits and accomplishments of the individuals working as a cohesive group, I think.
JJB4345_80_815
So, I could be wrong, and in another comment I do actually question how taking Huntmaster would change his friends Records, BUT after reading the Huntmaster skill again I disagree. Even if Huntmaster helps their experience gain, his friends would still have to CONTRIBUTE to the hunt. They don't benefit if they don't help. I also disagree with your conclusion that "They're the best of the best, even the weakest god was a powerhouse early on." Duskleaf wasn't a powerhouse, he was stubborn and tenacious and through sheer grit and determination achieved what most of the powerhouses of his generation refused to do. This was mentioned two separate times, maybe thrice, after Jake killed the King of the Forest (Fallen King) and first visited the order, when Jake devoted himself to perfect the Shroud of the Primordial skill, and when Jake integrated Sim-Jake into Eternal Hunger. All 3 times Jake earned Duskleaf's respect for the tenacity required to become a god. Also, at the end of Nevermore I believe that it was the Chosen of the Wyrmgod but it could have been Minaga that mentioned how it's not always the top finishers of Nevermore that end up becoming gods. Just because one doesn't start out a powerhouse doesn't mean that they have no chance of becoming a god. I also disagree with your take on "godhead should be earned" and how you equate that with being "given" godhood by Jake if he takes Huntmaster. Gods in this story ALREADY show favoritism by BLESSING mortals! Those blessings bestow a fraction of a god's Records in order to help a mortal progress. Surely a SKILL given to a C-grade mortal will have less of an impact than a blessing given to a mortal from a god!? In short, I utterly disagree with everything you just said in the above post. I could be wrong but I at least mentioned specifics in previous chapters to back up my beliefs.
Undead PettinZoo
Happy birthday zog be good or be good at it. :)
NeverNight
Happy early birthday love the suspense!
Endern
I'm seeing it like this: Jake wants challenges and overcome them himself. These system events are for whole planets to solve, so teaming up was kind of necessary. But I think after they see how weaker other Prima Guardians will be, Jake will go alone hunting them down so they can clear more of them faster, while the others form smaller teams or go alone to other planets too.
Endern
The only negative Huntmaster would have is people reaching their level cap faster thus having less time to create quality records. Which is the more important part, not XP gain, which can be done with enough time. Gods have all the time to get more XP, but still cannot level because they need to get more records before they can do so.
Chase Burton
Happy birthday and thanks for the chapter! Very interesting choice ahead. I’m excited to see what’s picked.
Chris
Yall are tripping if you think his Bloodline will accept anything less than Lone-Huntmaster of Horizon's Edge.
Noah
Lone hunter is definitely the better skill for jake with how he approaches thing or interact with whatever is in front of him. But I do see him taking huntmaster is as overall pick due to how the story has been progressing so far but i do think that if he picks huntmaster that is bloodline needs to effect via skill upgrade/mutation
Sushi
I think Jake fits the lone hunter more. Sure, he can and has fought with others for a while, but even during that period, the times he enjoyed the most were when his teammates let him go on his own to take down targets. Current system events are kind of forcing him to team up, but once the events end will he try and gather everyone to stay with him as his pack or will he go on his own to explore the multiverse? I think he would go on his own. But who knows, maybe he won’t choose, and get a muted all inclusive skill later. Seems like a copout though as what skill that says ‘you can work alone or as a team’ would have any meaning.
Hunter Thornton
As someone who preferred his own company for a long time I can say that its does tend to get lonely but you can always find new things to throw yourself into to keep yourself occupied, but in recent years I’ve also made some hella good friends that I don’t mind hanging out with and doing things together. Also feelin kinda torn about which I think Jake should go wit. Personally I’d lean more towards the huntmaster just for the extra hunters momentum.
BumAssBumAss
It is not in Jake's path to bring others to godhood. They need to achieve it themselves. Sword saint got a skill choice to relating to heretic blessed, but rejected it because it was not his path and he didn't want to rely on Jake to become strong. Jake rejected the beast master class choice because while Jake can befriend a bunch of beasts, he is a hunter. Everyone becoming a god is good, but Jake's choices up until now never revolved around helping others along their path. That is Jacob's class. Again, hunt master doesn't suit Jake at all along due to the reasons of my previous comment. It doesn't matter what we want for Jake and friends, its what Jake wants. Many of his friends are multiverse geniuses. Godhood is unlikely, but not impossible for them. I don't want to read a story about Jake babying a bunch of parasites. Jake doesn't care if his friends doesn't join the maleific viper, Jake isn't their dad. He respects freedom and let vesperia go to the endless empire. If they are capable, they will reach godhood on their own. If they are not, they are wasting Jake's time and potential.
Dan
He's asked for advice before, but Villy just tells him some logic about skills and then tells him "your path your choice" and dips
Dan
Jake has too much to explore to worry about a party. Huntmaster doesn't sound like it'll mesh well with Jake, with I assume a party size of thousands minimum once he's closer to Godhood; he'd be putting his hunts on easy mode, and that's not one bit Jake's style.
Arkenian
I think its significant that the other skills are good. The system is giving Jake a choice between 3 options. Although I think option 3 is a cop out, sometimes the right answer might be "I don't know yet." Or "I refuse" or "neither". But this is the biggest choice Jake has been offered since his arcane affinity dedication. Honestly I feel like the system is asking Jake, for the first time, "what type of god do you want to be" I honestly can't guess what he will pick. Though I am attracted to the idea that maybe if he refuses now, later he gets offered a skill that embraces both. I do feel like lone hunter doesn't really represent Jake's character development arc. Like the big difference between Jake and Sim Jake is that Jake has friends. And as he has grown those friendships have become much less superficial than the Jake we met at the beginning.
Codewrds
Dang zog, I was not expecting another chapter today. Due to birthday things. Thanks!
JJB4345_80_815
Okay, I am Team Huntmaster all the way, BUT a disturbing thought has entered my thought process. I want Jake to take Huntmaster to increase experience gain for his friends, making it easier to level and (theoretically) keep up with Jake's momentum into godhood. What good is becoming a god when you watch all of your friends die from old age? BUT now I'm wondering how that would affect his friends Records! Does anyone remember the conversation Jake had with Villy about this, where Villy talked about creating something that could give a beast a jump to the next grade but would make it impossible for them to advance any further due to Villy's records overshadowing the beast's own records? I THINK that was right before the "100 eggs" chapter when Jake was making Vesperia? Also, Jake talked about Records with the bound god Nevermore in the House of the Architect. So, if Jake takes Huntmaster would that have a counterintuitive negative affect/effect on his friends ability to advance in grade while helping them advance in level? Or is Jake's bloodline and Harbinger of Primeval Origins so OP that it's not worth worrying about?
Zizawah
Exactly my thoughts! It’s immediately helpful for prima hunt in the galaxy now and in the future for his wild hunt
Azayrian105
Hmm I almost think that Lone Hunter and Huntmaster could just be combined. Why would he be stuck picking one path when he could do both. It could totally be like how he didn’t go down one path but all with the Protean Arrow. I don’t know but it is Jake we are talking about here. He would figure it out.
Jeff McCulley
“Tons of time”? Nah, he just has fifteen minutes or so to think about it. And call Villy for a chat. I’d bet that EH took the “kill all the Primas first” route. Because even if he doesn’t have an Exalted Prima to fight, the thirty “elites” with him are nowhere near Earth’s Top Ten (or 11, counting William).
Jeff McCulley
He doesn’t need to add the entire alliance. Just a leader/leaders of each planet he’s on as he goes. It’s just for each fight, after all.
SmokeJam
I'm fully with you on that, each skill selection felt important and defining because there are less. Maybe to clarify: I guess I would like to see a skill which is expanding Jake's fighting repertoire, subjectively, it feels like he was "only" strengthening his existing style for a while now. Probably not true if you really dive into it, but that's just my feeling I'm trying to convey
Jeff McCulley
Interesting idea. However, I think it’s a reflection of his Path shifting going forward. And it seems to me more likely that if he accepts one now, the System later concedes, and offers the other as a compatible choice. Which, at that time, he might not bother to take.
Thenais
Ofc
JJB4345_80_815
@BumAssBumAss - don't you want Sylphie, Carmen and the Sword Saint to reach godhood? Remember, they both have blessings from other Primordials. They aren't going to be joining the Pantheon of the Malefic Viper and if they join the other Primordials' Pantheon that could negatively affect their relationship with Jake. I want Jake's friends to become gods too, which he can help along by taking Huntmaster. Also, think of the street cred! "Jake is so OP that he's even pulling his friends to godhood!" What other god could boast of bringing a bunch of C-grade friends with him to the top of the power mountain?
Jeff McCulley
Nope. He had it right. The comment served as a forewarning of the next skill to be offered. Though each does indeed preclude the other.
Jeff McCulley
That too. You said it better than I did!
Austin Gillespie
Happy birthday!
Thenais
All hail the waifus team path !
JJB4345_80_815
Ell'Hakan and his "affiliates" might have an easier fight BUT in Nevermore Ell'Hakan proved to be more cautious than Jake in their respective "fights" against the Twinsoul Emperor. Would Ell'Hakan jump the gun and enter the Prima Guardian vessel alone? Would he not first deal with the other Primas that exited the ship before entering the vessel? If the Prima Guardian that Ell'hakan is facing tried to escape, would Ell'Hakan follow it without backup? Jake killed the Prima Guardian within a day. I have trouble believing that feat could be duplicated.
C. Adkins
Guys, I think we are missing a big play here for Huntmaster. Villy and be part of his party. Jake will eventually be the personification of the Wild Hunt!
C. Adkins
I’m thinking the bloodline will fuse lone hunter with huntmaster.
KollegvomMirgan
Tftc! Have a nice weekend and birthday :)
JJB4345_80_815
Will that sculptor from the Primordial church be there? I'd bet he'd bring an awesome gift with him 😁 Hopefully somebody gives Zogarth a banana musa seedling 🌱 as a birthday present. But no crossbows or mushrooms, that'd totally kill the good vibes... 😉
JJB4345_80_815
Yes, thank you for the chappy Zogarth! And Happy Birthday on Saturday and enjoy the party!
JJB4345_80_815
The gods at the top have very few Piers to interact with. It gets lonely at the top. Huntmaster, combined with his bloodline aura, will help his friends to keep pace. I am greedy. I don't just want Jake to reach the top, I want his friends to make it as well. AND, consider the Era implications! Jake vs Ell'Hakan: whose side would you pick when Jake's friends keep getting stronger while Ell'Hakan is distancing himself in power from his minions? Wouldn't anyone be influenced by better personal career advancement? Get close to Jake and you'll go farther! Edit: and I just read another of your posts in another thread and saw that you basically already said all this - and better with the idea of letting a couple of homers to join the party for a cred boost. Oops! Oh well at least we are thinking along the same lines (if I am reading correctly).
ShivaMcTimber
My first thought went to Sylphy, but Zog has been making her more and more independent since Nevermore. I prefer the Huntmaster as while that has never really been Jake's thing, I think it does fit as a god who can maybe expand this to a blessing for his followers. Jake likes to think of himself as a loner type, but his character arc has consistently been to gather people and allies - this has been key to his overall strength. It is a direct comparison and contrast to Ell'Hakan, who gathers followers in unethical ways whereas Jake is the opposite and values freedom to choose. Huntmaster represents Jake's continued growth as a person who is responsible for acknowledging and giving back to his pack. Lone hunter fits Jake's past but does it fit his future? Planetary Prima hunting and moonbeast may need a gang
Sandraacox
Thanks again for a wonderful chapter. Happy birthday
Ghost-Crow (Corvidae Corvus)
That defeats the purpose of God's in this story. They're the best of the best, even the weakest God was a powerhouse early on. Godhood should be earned not given because someone likes you more than most.
JJB4345_80_815
I personally want Jake to help clear a Path for his friends to become gods as well. Huntmaster actually sets him up to become the big cheese in his own Pantheon! By allowing an increase in experience gain for others, that gives them a better chance to keep up with Jake's momentum. Nevermore was a little lonely without a more varied supporting cast. Sure, Jake can make new friends, but I like his current friends too. It'd be a shame to watch them become irrelevant in the story. Plus, the next big storyline is probably be Jake and friends hunting down other Prima Guardians. So, Huntmaster actually fulfills both short term and long term goals.
Thewalterwhite
I say just go for lone Hunter. Eventhough i liked having Jake do more with others, the most important things that happend were when He fought by himself.
Thewalterwhite
I trinken ist quote Importen to have so many buffing skills. Having to many active skills is very hard to write and often the author just forgets about most of the. The still progression is probably my favorite Part of the story from the beginning. Having fewer main skills makes them more relevant and the upgrading always feels rewarding. Compared to other story many skills are extremly versitile and also feel more aligned with the path of mc. Less is more sometimes
Daniel Hogan
You know, I overlooked the Primeval Origins aspect. I was thinking that he will out scale all of his companions and needs to become a solo hunter, but the Primeval Origins part of him seems to be creating bad asses that are able to keep up fairly well...
Vinstro
Tftc! Have a happy birthday tomorrow!!!
Ty Cooper
Also I don't think Jake wants to be alone. It is just hard to find true friends that he respects. He has that now with a good bunch around him.
Darshar Griffonmane
Fantastic choices, I imagine it'll either be Arcane Shadows or Lone Hunter. Happy B-day Zog and can't wait to see what he chooses on Monday!
Ty Cooper
I am hoping for curse. I think it would be epic. Even his void blade would be able to curse people. So bad*ss.
Ty Cooper
Yeah, Jake as a backliner, he would be so bored all the time. He would go crazy
Ty Cooper
I am wondering if the prima ship will be a teleporter. To the core and then for the alliance.
Ty Cooper
I get why everyone is saying alliance... but it is only for 9 other people with Huntmaster
Samot0423
He could ask villy for some advice. I guess that's a bit out of character though
AwesomeMug box
Happy birthday
kingofshibainu
I think he's going to go with lone Hunter. Huntmaster doesn't really fit him imo. The others are are great skills, but seem like things he can choose later or wirk towards himself with free form magic or upgrading a skill himself. The last two contain concepts hard to replicate.
Chloe Syddall
Happy bday
A Flashy BR
Happy birthday
SmokeJam
Actually like the balanced skill selection, even if I find all of them somewhat underwhelming to be completely honest. While so many passive skills are enabling a fighting (and writing) style with more freedom, I would love to see a proper melee finisher skill like a protean arrow power shot or sth similar. How is he gonna oneshot a b grade with only passive scaling skills
Ty Cooper
I think he will pass both and wait till the system acknowledges it's failure and combines the two. The Primal hunter stands above all and claims any hunt his own. Gets boosts from hunting alone or stand above the pack as leader of the hunt. Truly claiming any hunt you so desire.
John Looney
But imagine if the EH skill would eventually combo with huntmaster and his party’s attacks got the EH buff
solomon pagan
Happy birthday
Ty Cooper
I think he'll come back to shadow at a later date.
Vega
I mean, Casper could definitely help him develop that Eternal Hunger skill. Would be good to see them hang out again, I like their friendship. And c’mon, a man can be an introvert or extrovert whenever he feels like it! I’d personally be pissed to be locked down on either one. No penalties, but one heck of an incentive to have to take into account when thinking about whether or not to hunt with others. Social stuff is tiring enough lol Thanks for the chapter!
Benjamin Mages
To be fair, every skill except the lone hunter and pack master he could theoretically figure out himself. The shadow arrow looks like it'd be by far the hardest of those three skills though to reverse engineer, so if we're going by that metric he should pick that one.
Benjamin Mages
Look everyone who fights with him or has watched him a lot knows he has a skill that increases his stats against stronger opponents because he obviously gets stronger when fighting them. They don't need to know the details, and even if his party members benefit from it they don't need to know the details either.
Benjamin Mages
If his bloodline wouldn't accept otherwise it would have already pinged Jake that no he shouldn't pick this option. Like Johnny_B said, it fits in a different way. The point of both skills is that it improves him while alone or while with others, but it doesn't make the other actively worse (although future skills along those lines might if he decides to take them).
Johnny_B
The leader of the hunt also stands above his pack. So this doesn't contradict his path at all. It actually meshes pretty well with his Harbinger of Primeval Origins aspect as he is fighting together with all his creations.
Tommy
TFTC! Happy birthday Zog!
Michael
Happy birthday, and it'll definitely be interesting to see where Jake goes with this choice
Signspace
Naaaaah, Jake has shown that even if he isn't the best at utilising it, he is plenty adept at generating and manipulating cursed energy. He said he that one of the main reasons he hadn't fully utilised the cursed energy in Eternalnhunger was that he lacked ideas for a direction. This gives him that direction. He'll make a skill similar to that one on his own.
Doctordirt
I think that's the whole point if sylphie is there he's not alone so hence no buff
Ghost-Crow (Corvidae Corvus)
He kinda needs to pick lonehunter, I don't think his bloodline would accept otherwise, a god who can't stand alone isn't impressive
Hayden
Happy birthday!
Chase
Fangs all the way
Barkyy
I feel like even if Jake wants to fight in a party, he'll just keep on growing in power. His allies won't keep up at the same pace or will have trouble evolving to another grade and eventually Jake's just going to become too powerful to fight with a party later in godhood. I also have hopes of him challenging the system somehow, and I can't see that happening when his path focus's around hunting with others.
Aviel
happy birthday
D
He’s got to pick lone hunter. Didn’t the Viper indicate his big game hunter stat increases were a big card he should keep secret. Remember the look he gave minaga when was at nevermore.
Barkyy
Ik this won't happen, but imagine his bloodline was just like, no, we need all skills and then continues to claim all skills against the system
ItWasIDIO!!
Enjoy your bday weekend & also this is probably the biggest skill selection choice in awhile & really only 2 choices the others he can build towards himself
BumAssBumAss
Honestly, if Jake is going to huntmaster, he'll also have to compare that to the mythical skill, brave presence of the emerging war god, he got before. Also I giggle every time someone actually uses my username. You made my day.
Luke Scheffe
I think that gluttonous fangs is the winning play here. The first two can be done by himself, and the last two are decisions that he really should be better informed about when making. But the gluttonous fangs are something that he can’t really handle himself, a significant boost, and could have good synergy with the fangs of man and the fangs of the malefic viper.
Jeff McCulley
Hmm. Let’s answer this in the simplest terms. Is Jake gonna hunt solo going forward, or with other people? “REE!” ‘Nuff said.
Jeff McCulley
The Event is gonna be hundreds, maybe thousands of worlds. Not sure that “waiting until after” is the best idea. Just delaying the inevitable for choosing his Path. If he’s going to hunt Guardians solo, one choice. If he’s going to hunt them with a team, the other.
Jeff McCulley
I’m pretty sure he has to officially add members to his party for Huntsman. However, I’m also pretty sure that the System wouldn’t count it as “Solo” if he’s hunting with, say, Sylphie—official party member or not.
Jeff McCulley
Just a thought. After he claims Earth’s Planetary Pylon, the next stage of this event (with hundreds of planets) is the Prima Guardian ALLIANCE. Hint, hint. Not just people from Earth, it would probably be useful to add natives of those planets to the Huntmaster’s Party against their own Guardian. Direct counter to Ell’Hakan’s efforts to isolate Earth. Hmm. If Jake has a team of Sylphie, Carmen, SS, Fallen King, Arnold, Caleb, Casper, Vesperia and Eron…that’s nine. Yes, I’m skipping Maria, but she’s kinda redundant. Especially with how Huntmaster works. Or maybe Vesperia stays back for a bit to speed grow more Queen’s Guards? Letting Jake add the Planetary Leader or another native to the team. Making friends? Good politics, with how EH is trying to screw with Earth? Seems tailor made!
Andromeda Adams
Happy birthday and TYFTC!! Can’t wait to see the decision!
Andromeda Adams
I couldn’t agree more! Was also thinking the same thing.
Karim Saadi
I'd take the shadow arrow skill. Its gonna look great, it has great utility, it will lead to a DMG increase via repeated sneak attacks and can be a new tool against all kinds of magic. Honestly a clear winner for me. Have fun on Saturday Z!
Vara
Happy 30th Birthday! May your hunt for cake be fruitful.
Specter
Happy birthday! Because the warning of the skill also served as the prelude to the final skill offered… prelude -> preclude
BumAssBumAss
You're right that it would be better with what Jake has recently done, but you need to consider what Jake is like as well. Jake is down to befriend others, but he has stated before that he prefers to go solo. In addition, Jake doesn't really have the social skill to navigate a permanent team. Jake doesn't learn to interact with other, other people learn to interact with him. In addition, ell'hakan is the specialist of teaming up/using other people. Jake would partially step into ell'hakan's specialty that Jake can't truly compete against. Villy has stated before that ell'hakan will initiate the final confrontation on his terms. Jake will be separated whether he likes it or not. Jake doesn't have to political skills to maneuver around ell'hakan like that. In addition for the milky way, if there are a lot of worlds to clear, then spreading out Earth's elites would be the best way to clear more worlds since you are bringing that up. Picking a skill to better hunt these prima guardians is too short term anyways. Jake's ultimate goal is godhood. I don't think Jake would 'foster' a pantheon, but would just join Villy's. There is no reason to separate from the malific viper like that. In fact there is more of a reason not to separate from villy. Jake is a heretic-chosen, when he takes that path to godhood, separating from villy would weaken Jake for no good reason.
Seen Death
I think this could be a useful talk with the viper, but ultimately i think his lone fighting style is best- while huntmaster would be very good, his fights would already be easier because hes got teammates. Jake wanted to fight the viper eventually, icant imagine him wanting to do that in a group. So even if there are many times he wont get the bonuses because hes in a party, i think thats a pretty minor drawback Plus, it says "in his party"... maybe theres a cheeky way to fight with teammates but not have them technically "in his party" While jake did outstanding in nevermore- where e fought nearly constantly with teammates- most of the opponents were lower level, which give no xp to him and were already not a challenge. Even in this last fight, he did it as a team but ended up finishing it off 1v1 anyways
Devin Heise
Happy Birthday! and Thank you for the chapter enjoy the weekend
Steven Miller
Happy 30th here's to many more 🍾
joel southard
Nice thank you for the chapter
Tristan
Happy Birthday Zogarth!! Thanks for another amazing chapter, enjoy your party this weekend!
Matthias
Happy birthday! And tftc
Seen Death
Well, there isnt much else for jake to do right now, just waiting for the sandy taxi And his brain processing power is extremely fast, so this whole chapter probably only took a matter of seconds to jake Also, i might be mistaken but i swear i got the hint that the prima meteor had made or helped make a path to the core? Or maybe he just needs to get to a pylon and can teleport to the meeting room which is very close to the core? I doubt hes gonna have to tunnel through the entire crust
Imox
Happy birthday! Tyftc
Juozapas
Happy birthday 🎉
Tonberry101
Happy Birthday!
Dustin
Almost all of Jake's time in C-grade was spent at Nevermore with a party, and then getting ready for the Prima right after. He says that he doesn't know what the future holds, but the plan is to join up with the Alliance and fight other Guardians. So waiting until after the event to figure out what he wants to do with his time, and thus which of those two skills would be best, is probably the most logical option. Enjoy the weekend man!!
Jeff McCulley
(Pun intended)
Jeff McCulley
Hint: He just basically permanently partnered with Sylphie. That in and of itself means that he often (or maybe even usually) won’t be alone. My first question, actually, is whether Earth is going to go through the rest of the Primas in teams, or whether everyone else is in teams—while Jake plows through soloing the weaker ones? After all, it looks like he’s the only one from Earth who can grab other planets’ Planetary Pylon keys regardless. I suspect he clears the weakest ones solo at the very end—but who knows? Oh, for that matter, if he’s a guest ally on some planet helping out with a Guardian, adding its natives to his party makes THEM stronger—good politics!
Micah Molina
Happy 30th Zogarth, enjoy your celebrations! Thanks for the chapter. Happy weekend to all!
themyst95
I doubt it but I wonder if he can kind of cheese it. Pick up Lone Hunter, do his massive opening shot. I he kills it great he gets all the bonus, if not he can fall back to his waiting party and fight it with them. He'll lose the buffs for the rest of the fight but his initial salvo should be fully power up.
Jeff McCulley
Thanks for the chapter!
Jeff McCulley
Your #2 is a big winner I hadn’t thought of!
George Campbell
Happy birthday!!
Jeff McCulley
Happy Birthday, Zogarth! PARTY ON!
Jeff McCulley
So…you’re saying he should just go along with Ell’Hakan trying to separate him from his friends? I don’t think so. For the near (and medium term) future, the choice comes down to how he’s going to be hunting Guardians, solo, or as a team? Because that’s a LOT of worlds to clear. Maybe he should ask Miranda what her plans for that are? For the long term, it has to do with whether he continues to foster that Pantheon we’ve all been talking about. Shoot, if he’s even hunting with just a small team like Sylphie and/or Carmen, it’s a benefit. And Solo Hunter would be totally useless on those occasions. Let’s face it. with their agreement, Jake and Sylphie are pretty much already a permanent team. Not to mention his already rapidly growing network of friends. Hi Draskil! Hi Vesperia! Hi Cerulean Demon! Hi Arty!
Hayden Leech
Zog dog is putting a lot on emphasis on how he has tonnes of time to do this. I’m pretty sure the event ends when one party claims the earth pylon… Hope sandy doesn’t take too long. Hakan has probably an easier fight and probably already has had a path to the core made by his people some time ago.
JSC
Happy Birthday
JJ Bb
Happy birthday!
Alex Woolfson
tbh, Lone Hunter Jake may advance faster but it really feels like it will end with a "flew too close to the sun" kind of situation whereas Huntmaster Jake feels like "I'm OP and i can give you a taste of how OP I am" which is weirdly meshing well with how his Bloodline influence others and what he does.
Rick Delallata
Looking forward to seeing what he picks an what the next arc is about
Chris yingling
I believe bumassbumass hit the nail on the head. This is a short term vs long term decision from my perspective. The group hunter seems more short term. It will likely help Jake through the rest of C grade and likely B grade events and never more through B grade, assuming it is a similar approach as C grade in never more. The lone hunter will make him a bad ass God that is almost unbeatable and able to enter God’s domains with no worry about being at a huge disadvantage, thus more long term. The only thing I am having a hard time reconciling is that the group one leans in to having followers, which Jake will hate, but is likely going to happen sooner or later. Maybe an expansion or ability for future blessings he can bestow?
Areshan
I don't see Jake taking Huntmaster, the way he talks about it sounds biased towards only being a backliner, and Jake likes to get in the thick of it sometimes. That and the fact that is bloodline has an undertone of self reliance and individual strength. Would be interesting to see if he tries to take it and his bloodline gets upidy with him.
RonGAR
Not gonna LIE... this is a tough one. It really is between Lone Hunter and Huntmaster. B/c Like Jake said, all he has to do is develop a similar skill for the other two or pay more attention to his abilities with eternal hunger, and he would be good on those. So the only choice left would be which kind of hunter did Jake want to be? I think it would fall to 'Lone Hunter'. Jake had tried hunting with other since the beginning and either other ppls skills or morals held him back. But now he has friends/peers who are more morally aligned with him and on par with his skills, whose help he would need if Earth is threatened. Not to mention the battle with Elhaken ahead. Hmmm I don't think Jake 'wants' to be alone. I think it used to just happen a lot that it turned him into a loner by default. But if he had a choice from the start, I think he would've loved to had his peers with him along the way. Damn this is tough. Great Job with this dilemma. HBD btw!!!!!
Jeff McCulley
The first bit of advice might just be an obvious question. Villy: “SooOOOooo….what are ya gonna be doing for the foreseeable future?” Jake: “Hunting Prima Guardians, why?” Villy: “Well, are ya gonna be doing that solo? Which option would piss Cheeto off more and faster?” Jake: “Oh.” Evil grin creeps over his face. (And you’re right. As he’s waiting, seems like a good time to chat with Villy in any case)
Endern
Happy birthday, Zogarth!
Léo COURTEAUX
Happy birthday. Have a good time with your close ones ! About the chapter: I'm really curious about what Jake will pick as every skills would be beneficial. Picking between Lone Hunter or Huntermaster now would be really good as I feel it would impact futur skill selection pretty quickly but "effect focus" skills are reaaaally good too. Can't wait to see that our favorite Heretic will choose
Ty Cooper
Boo lol. That's a rough three day break cliffhanger. Happy birthday and have fun with your gathering! Those were definitely some juicy choices. I am hoping for the curse booster. I think it is one of those that will be highly upgradable and get Jake to start using Eternal Hunger to its full ability. Plus EVERY melee hit will now heal him no matter the weapon and will leave curse energy behind. So not only will it leave poison a majority of the time but also stack curse energy also. This one seems as good as he could get without curse attunement. Eternal Hunger will get stronger and more from from every melee attack. Will it get even more from rituals also if Eternal Hunger is used? Or is it only going to boost melee?
Jeff McCulley
The funny part being that in the next several skill selections, Jake may just get two or three worthless selection sets, so he has to/gets to go back and pick one of these. Spares!
Jeff McCulley
Annnnnddd……with the occasion of Zogarth’s 30th Birthday Party, Jake should of course pick the PARTY option to celebrate, right? Right, everyone? 🎂
Alex Woolfson
Happy birthday ! As for the skill choice, I'm team Huntmaster for a few reasons. As I see it, the Path of the Lone Hunter would lead him to become a one-man hunter party which would pull him in more directions than it should, maybe even partly away from it's Path. At it's core, Jack's Path is about punching way above his level. From what i can guess from the skills, the Huntmaster Path would lead him to still have solo buffs similar to Big Game Hunter that work perfectly fine on their own AND would be buffed/amplified when in a group setting. Whereas the Lone Hunter Path would indeed make him almost OP when alone but with that come with the fact that in a group setting would make him perform at between 50 and 75 percent of what he can really do when solo, which IMO isn't a great idea for his growth. Lone Hunter is solo growth diminished with others whereas Huntmaster is buffing others and creating synergy by being great and powerful yourself.
Bruce Sheplan
happy birthday! and TFTC!
Kt-x
Thanks for the chapter and happy birthday! 🎂🎈
Alex Cox
Happy birthday, and tftc!
Clint
Hard, but important choice. Party Jake would have more fun. Solo Jake would advance faster. But he can also put off the choice and pick one of those at 320, after having some time to consider what he wants out of his eternal life. I’m team huntmaster. Party Jake is more fun for us and much healthier for him. Happy 30th!
Robert Smart
Wow lost my bet. Interesting mix of choices. I know what I’d pick. But will be interesting to see what he does.
Daniel Bücherl
Tftc and happy birthday :)
Junon
Hope he contacts villy for some advice . Tyfc
Noah Davis
Wow, a 3 day Cliffhanger is a bold move. Happy birthday. And have a good weekend.
Josh Florence
Wishing you a very happy birthday, Zog! Enjoy your weekend!
Abdulaziz ALRumaih
Happy birthday and have a good weekend
Charles Torry
If he ends up with a party he will be ok since he doesn't suck. But when he's alone he'd really benefit from the lone hunter and it could save his life. I think lone hunter is the choice he'll make
Laurent Jerry
Happy birthday !
BumAssBumAss
My money Is on lone hunter skill. The first three are good upgrades, but in the end they are still things Jake can work on by himself for lesser versions. Throw Jake into a time chamber to focus on one and he'll come up with something close. Jake is a person who still prefers to hunt alone in my opinion. It's just that politics brought everyone around him. In the long run, I believe ell'hakan will separate Jake from his peers. Ell'hakan's last attack on Earth stated that he failed to consider those around Jake. For the long run and near future, Jake should pick lone hunter.
Lizy Flore
Tyftc, happy birthday and have a good weekend !!
Apollo Greed
Nice Cliff! Happy bday Zogarth!
ryan kislingbury
gatekeeper of class selections 😭
AA
Happy birthday, thanks for the chapter, but I knew you would leave us on a birthday cliff with a bunch of questions...I want to Els reaction when he finds out that Jake has already killed his PG...
Joshua Morris
I think the best option for Jake would be the Huntsman path for 2 reasons. 1 it would make anyone he partied with stronger so they could fight stronger opponents. 2 when he is by himself he won't be getting any bonuses so the opponents will be more challenging and thus make the fights more fun.
Phasmatic7
Though the 3 day cliffhanger is a killer
William Morrow
Happy birthday.
Phasmatic7
Thankies for the chapie zogie
Cory Sauls
Thanks for the chapter
Jul Silver
Tftc and Happy Birthday!
Dakota
Tftc and Have a good Bday!!
Pablo Barbatto
Happy Birthday!
brennon Petersen
Tftc!
halfknight
Happy Birthday!
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter
Arieh Sochaczevski
Thank you for the chapter! “[…] it would do so his target[…]” —> “[…] it would make it so his target[…]”
Paulo Furlaneto
Tftc and happy birthday
Taj Malloy
Tftc
Gavin
The skills he can make himself...but the solo or party hunter skills are clearly defining. I like solo Jake and at the end of the day he had to solo the boss so it makes sense if he takes that tbh. But party Jake is also a blast and whew it would go hard but is he gonna have ppl with him enough to make it worth it
Mack
Fun times and hard choices
mitchell kaiser
Good ol weekend cliff, happy early birthday Zogarth!
Radzig
no choice this week sadge
EkkiEkkiEkkiEkkiPtang
Thanks for the chapter and happy early birthday! I hope you enjoy a well-earned rest
C0bra$
Thank u, happy bday
Shai182
TFTC and Happy Birthday!
Detrox
Yay
BumAssBumAss
Thanks for the chapter!
