The Primal Hunter

Considering there was only a handful of S-grades in the entire world, it didn’t take long for the people present to realize who the man Jake had arrived with was. His overwhelming aura suppressed every single one of them, his power simply at a whole other level, even compared to the peak A-grade Lord Protector.

”Ge… General…” the Lord Protector stuttered as the Founder’s form also changed. Jake already knew he had transformed his body, so it didn’t really come as a surprise when he turned into a slightly older-looking human man. It did surprise everyone else, though.

Also, Jake learned that, apparently, the Founder had been a general back in the day.

”I must admit I find myself disappointed,” the Founder spoke as no one else dared open their mouths. ”I truly, for a brief moment, believed this could be resolved without my involvement. Alas, I was proven wrong. Despite all the evidence and the testimony of a high-ranking courier with a borderline-perfect track record, your response is to do… nothing.”

”We… we will conduct a thorough investi-” the Duke of Blades tried to say but was silenced with a single glance.

”Do you think me a child? That I could not see through such an obvious attempt to suppress the truth by all parties involved?” the Founder shook his head as he looked at the Lord Protector. ”Are you also going to tell me I’m an idiot, Colonel?”

”No… no, Sir,” the formerly awe-inspiring Lord Protector said as he bowed. ”It is just as the General observed.”

”At least someone besides this Courier is capable of telling the truth,” the Founder scoffed as he turned his attention back to the king. ”You, too, lived during the war. Many of those here today did… yet you all seem to have forgotten what happened then and the aftermath. Why I made the Guild in the first place. Do I need to remind you, little king? Remind you of the oath your kingdom swore? The promise you made!?”

The king looked down, almost ashamed. By now, the tides had truly turned, and things were not looking good for the Dukes. The Duke of Flames, who had wiped the blood off his lips, clearly also noticed this as he tried to not be fully suppressed.

”Lord Founder…” the Duke of Flames began as he tried to get his bearings. ”I truly apologize for how things turned out… but… is the Guild not also breaking protocol by getting directly involved in an internal conflict of the Human Kingdom? While it is true we were partly to blame, we were also fooled by this Courier as he plotted against us all, and he was the one who initiated today’s conflict with his widespread accusations. I can admit I hired him through the Guild to use against my political foes and to get rid of the terrorist organization harassing me… but is that truly so wrong? Is that truly a crime deserving of the Guild Founder’s wrath?”

The Founder let out a loud sigh as he looked directly at the Duke of Flames.

”You just admitted to your biggest crime… how you used the Guild. In truth, I do not care for the internal conflicts of the Human Kingdom. The internal disputes of any country, for that matter. But this entire thing has been made possible by exploiting the nature and good reputation of the Guild. For years, the Dukedom of Flames has pressured the Guild into accepting Courier Jobs to hide its dirty dealings, and the other dukedoms are no different. You have viewed the Guild as nothing more than a tool for you to abuse without ever considering the consequences or when things would reach a breaking point… so let me just make it clear. That breaking point was well and truly reached today when you tried to make such an exemplary Courier into your accomplice,” the Founder said in a loud voice with an undertone of anger. Jake even saw a few of the people present shiver as a bit of bloodlust emanated from the S-grade.

Jake had to do his utmost to hold himself back from grinning. The people who had been calling him a fucking moron only minutes ago were now shivering because the Founder had shown up. He alone was strong enough to utterly suppress every single person in the room, and in truth, his actual words barely mattered. His arguments were meaningless in the grand scheme of things.

It was the same as when Jake had spoken up. It didn’t matter if everything Jake said was the truth. Before a bunch of A-grades, his words simply didn’t matter as he was only some C-grade whelp in their eyes. Perhaps this wasn’t the lesson one was meant to learn from this Challenge Dungeon, or maybe it was… but it reaffirmed something Jake already knew but had foolishly disregarded during this dungeon. Power still came first and foremost before everything else.

As the Viper had said a long time ago, if you were strong enough, your word became truth. Your interpretation of a situation became the correct one. As a Chosen, Jake was usually capable of always borrowing the influence of the Malefic Viper, and in many cases, people even believed his opinion mirrored that of the Viper, making them take him more seriously. In cases where he interacted with his peers who didn’t necessarily care about his status or had an equally high status, Jake was still considered one of the stronger people, so he could still be part of the conversation as an equal.

In this Challenge Dungeon, Jake was no equal to the Dukes he had tried to call out, and it was shown when everyone sided with the A-grades to just sweep everything under the rug. Power meant everything, which was once again shown when suddenly everything Jake had said was given a new level of legitimacy and taken far more seriously because the Founder popped up to tell them to take Jake seriously.

”I…” the Duke of Flames began, as he looked like he tried to come up with a counter-argument, only to have the Lord Protector stop him.

”Do not sully the reputation of the Human Kingdom further with your stupidity,” the old man scoffed as he looked at the Founder and kneeled. ”I am ashamed that something like this could have happened under my watch… I have been blind to what is happening for too long.”

”No, this is ultimately my responsibility,” the king also spoke as he, too, promptly kneeled. ”I knew many of these crimes of the dukedoms were taking place, yet I did nothing. I even knew they abused and threatened the Guild to do their bidding and used the Guild Founder’s institution as if they owned it. I reneged on my responsibilities and can only be ashamed of my own incompetence and failure to do what I must. For this, I can only beg for forgiveness, and if the magnanimity of the Guild Founder allows it, try to better myself and this country.”

Jake was honestly impressed at how the king handled the shit that was all the way up to his neck. He didn’t make any excuses but just took responsibility while admitting things that had otherwise not come to light already. Finally, he promised to better himself and the Human Kingdom as a whole. Overall, a pretty good apology.

”And how will you take responsibility?” the Founder questioned.

Without any hesitation, the king stood up as he spoke loudly. ”Detain the Duke of Flames and the Duke of Blades along with their immediate family and close collaborators.”

”Your Majesty, this is-” the Duke of Flames began to argue before the king threw him a sharp gaze and spoke even louder than before.

”Lethal force is permitted should they resist.”

For a moment, Jake thought the Duke of Flames was going to fight it out, but he ultimately didn’t. Jake had a feeling that should the Founder not be present, the power-hungry Duke would have escaped, leaving behind everything to save his own hide. Even if the Lord Protector was stronger than him, the Duke of Flames was still a close second and was more than capable of getting away, even from a space mage. Of course, with the Founder also there, his chances of escape were non-existent, so he ultimately decided to surrender.

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”Your actions were sufficiently swift… alright, I shall give you a chance,” the Founder said, and it looked as if an almost physical weight had been lifted from the king and Lord Protector. ”However, I shall remain in the Human Kingdom for now to ensure everything proceeds in a satisfactory fashion. I take it there are no complaints?”

”Having you as a guest would be a great honor,” the king bowed as the royal guards and Lord Protector began to escort out the two dukes along with a bunch of other nobles. All of them already had pretty bleak facial expressions, and when the Founder proclaimed he would stay in the kingdom for a while, things only got worse for them. That pretty much killed all escape plans, and especially the Duke of Flames looked like a plan he was beginning to form in his head had already fallen apart.

Throughout this entire debacle, Jake had just been standing next to the Founder. He was pretty much the only person present who hadn’t bowed or full-on kneeled at some point, nor carried an unmistakable sense of reverence for one of only five known S-grades. Jake hadn’t needed to say anything after he had already done his assignment and laid out the evidence, and that honestly felt pretty good.

He wondered if someone more skilled in the political arena could have handled things better and not necessarily needed the Founder’s help. Perhaps it was possible, especially seeing as the Lord Protector wasn’t happy with the status quo… but Jake sure as hell had no idea how to make it happen. Alas, it didn’t matter because Jake had managed to make a good impression on the S-grade Founder and gotten super fucking lucky the guy was even there in the first place. If not, he would have probably lost one of his lives on this day.

”Thank you for your help on this day, Courier,” the Founder said after a bit more discussion with the king. He said this with many nobles and the king still present as everyone looked at them. ”Without you, this would have been much more difficult, and your actions helped uncover the depths of this corruption. You truly are an exemplary Courier and fully deserving of the reputation you have built yourself. An example for all other Couriers.”

”No, I should be the one thanking you for trusting me with this job,” Jake bowed as he kept up his persona as the perfect employee. ”And I am just happy when the client is happy.”

”I believe you,” the Founder laughed as he patted Jake on the shoulder. ”I truly do.”

Jake smiled in return. This definitely felt like some kind of climax to the story. He had met the Guild Founder himself and worked with him, upended the political landscape in one of the countries, and even had an A-grade killed and several imprisoned. However… for some reason, Jake didn’t feel like this was the end, and a feeling of dread began to worm its way into his mind as the Founder spoke once more.

”Ah, but I shouldn’t hold you up for too long… you have completed this Special Courier Job flawlessly, and I must thank you once more, but I also know you must be eager to continue following your calling. I am certain many others out there need such an exemplary Courier… and who knows, perhaps you can even reach the realm of Legendary Couriers.”

You gotta be kidding me…

Special Courier Job 15 Completed.

”If you go to the Guild, I am sure they have many Courier Jobs available, even for someone of your skill, and as I work to restore order and remove corruption, I may even need the help of a skilled Courier once more. If I ever do need you again… can I trust in your assistance?”

Jake really wanted to tell the guy to just fuck off, but instead, he smiled. ”As long as there is a Courier Job worth doing, and I am capable, of course I’ll be there to help.”

”In that case… truly thank you once more. Now, I need to remain here and speak to these fools a bit longer, but you are free to do whatever you wish,” the Founder smiled as he gave Jake another pat on the shoulder.

”I shall be heading straight to the Guild then… work awaits,” Jake said respectfully as he gave the Founder a small bow and left the royal palace. On the surface, he was smiling, while on the inside, he was cursing loudly. He just thought, for the briefest of moments, he had ”beaten” the Challenge Dungeon in less than a year, but it turns out he had just finished one of the goddamn story arcs.

Relax, Jake… just keep going at it, and at some point, you’ll run out of jobs or become unable to finish them.

”That could have gone worse,” Minaga said with a grin. ”A lot worse. Jake is really freaking lucky his strategy worked out somehow… or maybe it’s that weird instinct or intuition or whatever that helped him along. Who knows? For my own sanity, I will just call it pure luck.”

Valdemar, who usually didn’t bother saying much, actually spoke for once. ”Luck is also kind of a skill.”

Vilastromoz wanted to call that out as bullshit but held his tongue. He didn’t deny luck was a thing, but to call it a skill was going overboard… even if Valdemar was known as someone notoriously lucky.

”Luck is just when preparation meets opportunity,” the Blightfather chimed in. ”Many of those who dare claim others just got lucky are those incapable of even taking advantage of the opportunities they gain.”

”But isn’t someone who gets more potential opportunities considered luckier then?” the Holy Mother also decided to get involved… likely just to take a jab at the Blightfather.

”Opportunities are more often than not taken, not given,” the Blightfather shook his head. ”And the definition of an opportunity varies widely. For the talented, they can turn every day into a few opportunities. A powerful beast nearby may be viewed as nothing but a danger to the common person but is an opportunity for the strong to test themselves and claim Records, yet none will claim someone is lucky for choosing to face a beast they have a high chance of dying against.”

”Why are we even discussing the definition of luck?” Minaga questioned.

”You started it,” the Wyrmgod simply added.

”And now I’m finishing it,” Minaga said with a grin. ”Anyway, back to Jake. Man, am I looking forward to when he unlocks the final arc. Gonna be so funny.”

The Wyrmgod sighed but didn’t say anything, as the Viper wondered what would happen… but seeing as Minaga looked so amused, he had a feeling something really interesting… or stupid… was about to happen. After Jake had done a load of more average Courier Jobs, of course.

Jake remembered always finding it incredibly funny in video games how none of your prior accomplishments were properly acknowledged. One could be the divine archmage and emperor of a nation, but some random farmer would still give you a quest to kill rats, and the recruiter of a new faction would still call you ”new blood” and act as if you were a total novice.

It was a nice joke and something to laugh about when it happened, even if it could take you a bit out of the story. But surely, this kind of thing wouldn’t happen in the ”real” world, now would it? Well…

Jake Thayne, Courier extraordinaire and the man who had personally worked with the Founder to expose the corruption of many nobles of the highest rank. A man who had led to the death and arrest of many A-grades, a man even the king and Lord Protector would show respect to, and even a benefactor of the Guild itself, soon found himself busy trying to convince a bunch of children who had ”stolen” his package that the toys inside weren’t for them, but his client.

After Special Courier Job 15, Jake had gone to the Guild, where, despite all the kind words they had for him, they still gave him regular-ass jobs to do. Was the difficulty higher now, and did he even get into a few fights during some of them? Yes, but it was clear combat wasn’t really the core of this Challenge Dungeon. It was instead just the ability to handle different annoying situations while not losing your cool or getting tricked.

Jake had hoped he would only need to do a few more Courier Jobs for something interesting to happen, and he was kind of right? After he had done ”only” 50 jobs in the capital city of the Human Kingdom, he was contacted by a Guild employee on behalf of the Founder. Jake was given a Special Courier Job to go to a different capital city and work there for a while to ”audit” the Guild before then reporting back after he had done another fifty to seventy Courier Jobs there…

This pattern continued as weeks turned to months, with Jake traveling all over the world inside the Challenge Dungeon. Every new country had unique challenges and different cultures to navigate, but Jake thought he did pretty well as he really got into the groove. Soon enough, over half a year passed since he had gotten his ancient rarity medallion, and Jake had been to nearly every single capital city. Things were a bit stale by now, but he kept up his work ethic as he knew things were bound to end at some point.

Finally, after around eight months as an ancient rarity Courier, Jake met the Founder once more as he attended a ceremony and was given the highest honors as a Courier. His Medallion was upgraded for what he believed was the final time as he stepped into the ranks of Legendary Couriers.

[Courier Medallion (Legendary)] – A Courier Medallion belonging to a Legendary Courier, a title that has only been seen a few times through history and can only be given by the Guild Founder himself. This Medallion will hold information related to jobs and can give general directions to your destination if those are provided (may not be entirely reliable). This is the highest-known rank of the Courier Medallion.

Requirements: Soulbound

As even the description of the Medallion said, this was the highest-known rank, and after getting it, Jake felt as if he was well and truly done with the Challenge Dungeon… but no message appeared. Perhaps it had been silly of him to expect something known as the Endless Journey to have an end, but it had to end at some point?

After the ceremony where he got promoted, Jake was given a week off to relax. However… just two days later, as Jake was chilling and doing a bit of alchemy as he had run out of potions again, a Guild employee suddenly stormed into the room.

”Hurry, you must come!” the attendant said in a panicked voice.

”What happened?” Jake asked.

”Somehow, the dragon tribe returned!”