Chapter 941: Most Challenging Skill Selection Yet

Jake had never been a massive fan of fully committing to something, especially not if that decision would have permanent consequences. At least, he wasn't when it came to defining his Path. He still felt as if he was barely getting started exploring the system and his Path despite having spent well over a century with the system, if one counted time dilation.

He did commit sometimes. Arcane Supremacy had been a big commitment and "locked" him into his arcane affinity for good. There was no going back from that one, with his body permanently altered to better fit his affinity while making any other weaker in combat. However, that one didn't feel like that big of a commitment. Jake's arcane affinity was his affinity, so it was just confirming it did indeed belong to him and was optimal for his Path.

This entire skill selection felt different, though. Outside of the two first skills - Disruptive Arrow of Arcane Shadows and Stealth Attack of the Unseen Arcane Hunter - the other three were very much permanent decisions. Even the Gluttunous Fangs skill was a very permanent decision.

Passive skills tended to be, and the curse skill had a whole bunch of passive effects. It would link Jake far more closely with the Sin Curse that made up Eternal Hunger, and while it wasn't quite an attunement skill, it would tie Eternal Hunger and the Path of curses even more closely to Jake... and he still wasn't completely certain he wanted that.

Sure, Jake did want to use curses, but he didn't want it to be too big of a part of his Path. He still wanted to primarily be an arcane hunter first and foremost. There was also the fact that Gluttunous Fangs of Eternal Hunger only worked on melee weapons and melee attacks.

Jake had made considerations about integrating Eternal Hunger into ranged combat for a while. More accurately, he had considered if he could use the mythical weapon in conjunction with Protean Arrow. If he could design an arrow using Eternal Hunger as its base, shooting it more like a spear. Seeing as he could always retrieve the weapon as it was bound to his soul, this idea was quite appealing, even if there were still a few snags.

Nothing said the skill would mess up that plan. In fact, it was even possible that Gluttunous Fangs would make this idea even better, but Jake was still a bit doubtful. Honestly, a lot of what made Jake apprehensive about this skill was pure speculation... and the fact that he kind of liked Lone Hunter and Huntmaster more simply because of the future potential he saw in both of them.

Also, both had "hunter" in the name... alright, one had Huntmaster, but a Huntmaster was also a kind of hunter, so it counted. They were also both related to his class, so that was an extra bonus point, once more due to the future potential. He could see this choice unlocking another greater one once he reached level 320, where he would get the final skill selection of C-grade... and the final skill selections tended to have an extra good skill. For reference, E-grade he got Arrow of the Ambitious Hunter - now Protean Arrow - and in D-grade, he got Relentless Hunt and the entire concept of Hunting Momentum.

Who knows, chances are it would even help define his B-grade class evolution, making him lean further into either the Path of a Huntmaster or a Lone Hunter.

The big question was... which one fit Jake better? Going by recent happenings, Huntmaster probably did. It also had a lot of pros. As mentioned, Jake believed it was a slightly higher rarity skill than Lone Hunter, thus making it closer to mythical. In a fight like the Prima Guardian he had just gone through, it would definitely have been great with no real downsides. All it would have done was make everyone else a little bit stronger and help Jake build up some Hunting Momentum for a few more big arrows.

Not to say Lone Hunter wouldn't have been helpful. Here, in the final parts of the fight in space, it would probably have worked, right? Seeing as he was alone, that is. This also raised some questions about when Jake was truly "alone" or fighting with others, but knowing the system, it tended to be pretty smart about things like that, such as how Big Game Hunter worked even before Jake technically entered a fight with a more powerful foe, simply due to his intent to attack. So there was a good chance Lone Hunter would work as long as Jake "felt" as if he was fighting alone.

That was actually one of the big differences between the two: Jake getting stronger. Huntmaster didn't buff Jake at all; it only made everyone else stronger. Meanwhile, Lone Hunter only worked on Jake... and Jake guessed it would work quite well.

All the effects of Lone Hunter were great. It buffed his stealth skills passively, made his Relentless Hunter better, and even gave him more stats from Big Game Hunter. It was just a straight-up buff when fighting alone.

Huntmaster relied on other people and only ever worked when he was with others. The buffs it gave them were great and numerous, but, in general, Jake wasn't a huge fan of relying on other people, even if he had a lot of reliable ones around him.

But... could Jake guarantee they would actually fight alongside him? The only reason everyone had been here for the Prima Guardian was because of the system event. What would happen after the event was over? Could he seriously expect a full party to just stick around and level with him? And level with him when he wanted to go hunting? There would definitely have to go a whole lot of scheduling and planning into making it work...

Everyone simply had their own things to deal with and their own Paths.

Finally... Jake couldn't help but remember a conversation he had with the Viper a long time ago. He had always described the Path to godhood as a lonely one. Even if Jake could assume others were willing to walk alongside him for Huntmaster, would they be able to? Right now, they were still only C-grade, and while he didn't doubt most of the people on Earth he usually fought alongside could reach B-grade, he wasn't really that certain how long they could keep going.

Nor how fast they would be.

One of the reasons they had all kind of kept pace for now was due to the peculiar circumstances of a new universe getting integrated. The sheer flood of Records allowed everyone to level a fair deal, but as the system events slowed down and everyone began to do their own things, it wasn't hard to imagine their leveling paces would also start to differentiate significantly.

Not to mention that they all had their own matters to deal with. The Fallen King had to manage those who served him, and Jake didn't doubt he wanted to expand his influence. Caleb was a Judge in the Court of Shadows and had their family to take care of, while Carmen was a Runemaiden of Valhal. Even if she decided to fight in a group, it wouldn't be with him but with others from Valhal.

Casper was the same, belonging to the Risen. All the humans he knew belonged somewhere, except maybe the Sword Saint, but Jake was fully aware he and the old man couldn't be attached to the hip all of their lives. He had his own Path to travel as he pursued the peak of swordsmanship.

So... who could Jake even have in this Huntin Party on a consistent basis? Sylphie, perhaps? Sandy wasn't a fighter and didn't count, and Vesperia would definitely not be out running after Jake and hunting. She was a True Royal Hive Queen, and even participating directly in a fight against the Prima Guardian was a big deal.

Finally... there was one big reason why Huntmaster made him hesitate: Jake genuinely preferred to fight alone.

Not just because he was a selfish asshole who didn't want other people around him but because he didn't like the loss of control when other people got involved. Jake felt like he could ensure his own safety and the flow of the battle for the most part. When others got involved... not so much.

He always had to split a part of his focus to watch out for his allies. When Jake saw Vesperia nearly have her entire head crushed by the Prima Guardian, his heart skipped a beat. When Sylphie was about to get crushed by the Twinhead Emperor, Jake couldn't even think clearly. He knew that they were both strong in their own right, but he also knew that he was stronger than both of them... and if Jake wanted to truly push himself, he would have to fight more challenging and formidable foes in the future. He wasn't even sure he wanted to drag Sylphie or Vesperia around for things like that if it was an option.

Because... no matter how reliable others could be, they would never be able to measure up Jake's trust in his own abilities. He could always rely on himself, no matter the situation. He was the only person Jake could one-hundred percent always rely on and the only person who never had any scheduling conflicts for when hunting would be a good time.

Jake also couldn't be forced into a situation where he couldn't rely on himself either, while it was more than possible someone like Ell'Hakan could isolate Jake from his allies. If that happened and he had Huntmaster... yeah, that would suck. Not to mention, Jake doubted Ell'Hakan or anyone like that would even try to fight Jake unless they could ensure they would fight him alone under favorable circumstances.

As Jake was still wracking his brain, he got a message through the Golden Mark.

"The cosmic worm will be arriving at your location in around fifteen minutes," the Fallen King informed him.

Hearing the King gave Jake an idea, as he asked. "Alright, thanks. Say, what do you plan on doing after dealing with all of the Prima Guardians and the event concludes?"

"That is an odd question that came out of nowhere... but if you wish to know, then I shall seek a way to separate myself from you in earnest. My soul remains tethered to yours, but I have been researching methods to sever that connection for good to fully reclaim my life as my own," the Fallen King answered honestly.

"A good goal," Jake genuinely agreed. He kind of forgot they were connected most of the time, and he didn't want to lose his cool mask... but he also didn't want to keep the Fallen King tied to him against the Unique Lifeform's will. "Let's assume you succeed. Would you ever be interested in going hunting together?"

"Knowing you and what hunting entails, no. I do not see the purpose in taking tremendous risks and facing more powerful foes than myself repeatedly," the King answered, seemingly not even taking his question that seriously.

"Alright," Jake said, as he decided to quickly reach out to some of the others. Before he made his decision he at least wanted to probe what kind of response he would get if he did end up with Huntmaster. The message he sent didn't explain what kind of skill he had been offered but just asked in general if people wanted to form a hypothetical "hunting party" with him, and the responses were kind of predictable.

"Not gonna say no to a bit of adventuring once in a while if I got the time, but to make an entire thing out of it? Nah, no thanks," Carmen answered casually.

"Go hunting with you on a consistent basis? My boss and my wife would both kill me. Even if they don't, the paperwork when I return from an adventurer definitely would," Caleb shut the idea down.

"While I would love the occasional excursion with Sire, I would find it difficult to commit to anything... and do be aware that should we go hunting outside of the ninety-third universe, or should the universe open up, I do have protectors assigned to me while outside the Heartlands," Vesperia also made it clear she wouldn't be able to hunt much and would be a sucky hunting partner as Jake didn't want a bunch of hidden gods keeping watch at all times. It would ruin the experience and the Records of it all.

"I don't need you to be a third wheel during my leveling... it's pretty much the only time me and Lyra can just be the two of us," Casper also shut Jake down, preferring dates with his ghost girlfriend.

"Ree, ree, ree," Sylphie explained, being the most agreeable of everyone... though even she had the "sometimes" part. Apparently, Stormild had actually been a useful Patron and given Sylphie some advice to strike out on her own more and explore herself and not be shackled down. That, as a part-elemental of the wind affinity, her Path was one of freedom and impulsivity, and she should take the time to just be her flighty self and let the wind take her wherever it blows. Doing anything else could hurt her Records... something Jake definitely didn't want to risk doing.

However, out of everyone, the one who seemed to understand the most what Jake was asking and what he meant with his question was the Sword Saint, who also gave the longest answer.

"Rather than merely giving you a yes or a no, let me explain a bit about my own approach to this topic. Hunting with others isn't something I do out of personal preference but out of necessity or when it's proven the superior option. If given the choice, I would face all fights on my lonesome. This is not because i dislike fighting with you, but because of the Path I walk. Fighting alongside others makes you adopt certain habits, and I fear that I may develop a form of swordsmanship reliant on others... which could prove fatal when I find myself alone. Also, I initially picked up the sword for sport and to duel with others. I prefer a good bout against a single foe to see who is superior, not who can overwhelm the other with numbers first."

Jake listened as the old man shared his thought process on the matter quite in-depth, likely seeing the true reason why Jake asked what he asked.

"I have been on the battlefield many times, but before and after the system arrived. Having comrades you can trust fully is a beautiful thing... but I also know the pain of losing those comrades. Even if you trust them, that doesn't make them fully reliable, and should they fall, you are back to relying on yourself once more. What I'm saying is I wouldn't make any decisions that rely on the whims or abilities of others. I have skipped skills that would have helped us fight as a group for more selfish options, as, ultimately, I'm selfish. And I know that so are you. A certain egotistical mindset is required to try and reach the lofty goals we both aspire toward, and I'm not even going into how big egos tend to clash. Let me finish rambling and just say I would recommend that you embrace your selfishness... assuming it doesn't mean you are no longer able to fight alongside others when the preferred option. Limiting yourself also doesn't sound like a smart choice, but choosing your own Path is naturally entirely up to you. I just shared my own selfish desire to not lose a valuable - occasional - comrade in arms."

Much of what the Sword Saint said echoed Jake's own thoughts, and while he didn't say it directly, he also made it pretty clear he wouldn't be a member of Jake's hunting party. It did validate quite a few of Jake's thoughts and confirm his doubt if being a Huntmaster was even a viable Path for him.

Jake could see it work way better for weaker people. The problem was all the peers of Jake were supremely talented individuals themselves. Would they even be willing to effectively work under a Huntmaster? Jake knew he wouldn't...

If Jake was weaker, he could more easily find people to join his Hunting Party. Jake didn't think that this Hunting Party was a permanent thing, but one where he could switch out members or even the entire party for every hunt. If it was possible to recruit just ten regular elites for this, it would be far more valuable, but for Jake, it would just end up being him effectively running a boosting service.

Yeah... it wasn't that Huntmaster was bad, but that it didn't really work properly. To put it simply, Jake was too strong to try and assemble a proper Hunting Party:

Better to just become a one-man hunting party instead.

He didn't ask Arnold about his opinion as the scientist didn't have a Golden Mark, but Jake also knew there was no reason to. Even if he had the choice, Jake didn't want to go hunting with Arnold. The dude would probably turn everything into an experiment or never actually go himself, but just send different test robots or some shit. No, best to keep him as Jake's favorite crafter buddy.

Maria also wasn't asked, simply because Jake didn't really want to form a hunting party with her either. Firstly, they were both archers and secondly, because of what Jake had just gone over: She just wasn't strong enough. Oh, and third, he didn't really know or trust her that much. Eron was also in the camp of people he didn't really know and trust well enough to be a hunting partner. Jake was also sure he would say no.

Sighing, Jake kept staring at the five skill option in front of him. This was definitely the most excruciating skill selection he ever had, and he low-key wanted all of them. The thought of not picking Lone Hunter or Huntmaster also struck him, as it was possible to wait and see if he could get a "merged" version of the two down the line... but that would cut him off from any potential skills picking it now could unlock when he reached level 320.

Also, nothing said he couldn't upgrade Lone Hunter to still have some effect while fighting in a group. The fact that it didn't have any drawbacks meant that it likely wouldn't develop any either... and if it did, he could just choose not to go down that Path.

Jake had always been strongest when alone... and in the end, he ended up doubling down on that to become even stronger as a Lone Hunter. He genuinely believed it was the best choice for him.

Besides, he doubted it would have been easy to find anyone willing to go on a hunting spree for gods while still a mortal.

Right as he felt Sandy approach, Jake finally made the most challenging skill choice he had to so far as he picked Lone Hunter.

Skill Gained: [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.