Meanwhile, Bas King was lowering his leg as he contemplated, "Could this be a fusion of hunter souls? Maybe I'm not the only Pharaoh Ancestor of Sebastian King? However, how rare is such an occurrence...maybe not so rare if one of my own descendants achieved that realm and formed their own god power. Merely, as their class did not exceed my own, I am still the dominant will. Could this be it?
"No matter," Bas King was excited in spite of his confusion. "With a hunter soul awakened, I won't have to worry about my progress slowing down as I cultivate my soul record. After all, it may take quite a while to produce a bronze class record from a wood class arte."
Qi Production was a crucial vocation for hunters across the cosmos. Qi Producers could create things made from pure spiritual qi. Whether it was the Drug Producers and their pill production, Tool Producers and their useful artefacts and relics, or Arti Producers and their wide variety of skills and ancient knowledge recorded onto Qi Records, which were twice as effective as regular arti and only inferior to actual soul records.
Bas was determined to find a wood class arte and refine it into a wood record, eventually raising it to a platinum record or even a diamond record! Of course, to even convert a wood class arte into a Wooden Soul Record, he needed to write 10,000 soul runes within a singlefold arcane circle. Then, from wood to bronze, Bas would need to create a second layer and write an additional 40,000 soul runes. Bas looked up from his thoughts and happened to lock gazes with Lucara, whose eyes were filled with heat.
As they stared at each other the world seemed to melt away. At that moment, due to her lack of focus, she released a wisp of her aura. Bas immediately sensed this and was greatly shocked. Lucara's hunter atmosphere was definitely fourth class and not fifth! The guard that had been lowered a great deal was immediately brought back up to 190%. A powerful fifth class hunter in the mortal world could be a lost genius like himself.
But a true fourth class hunter in Mortalee? There was no way this woman was a teenager!
Simpson was right, this lady was hiding something!
However, this meant nothing. Simply put, she was far stronger than the current Bas, so what could he do?
Nonetheless, his dreams of wooing this woman would need more concentrated planning. He had to quickly improve his strength!
"The teacher arrives, please rise!" shouted the class president, as all the students stood up to greet their next teacher, "Good afternoon!"
🐉
After class today, Bas was sent to the principal's office for beating up Pewter. His punishment was actually one week's suspension. To others, this seemed like a cruel abuse of authority, and many were outraged on Bas' behalf. Meanwhile, the young man in question was actually quite excited about this. If he didn't have to go to school, he could train in peace! Bas bid his friends goodbye and rode Lucara home on his hoverbike.
After spending nearly an hour chatting with Lucara on her stoop, Bas headed straight to his part-time job as a valet. He was the swiftest and strongest that worked for the hotel, so he was given special privileges. The returning customers would often ask for him by name. After spending four hours making tips, he arrived at his second job, as a dishwasher. He was the best and swiftest dishwasher in the entire franchise. After his shift was over, Bas was in the middle of downtown Little Kennesaw walking toward the hoverbay where he parked his bike.
Little Kennesaw was littered with older buildings and looked like a classic city. It was a stark contrast to the metropolis behind the hills, where all the architecture was super advanced. In Little Kennesaw, most people still drove automobiles, which were banned in Kennesaw Metropolis. Many people walked the streets at night, shopping at food stalls, or performing underhanded services. Bas turned right down an alley full of abandoned properties that he used almost every night, as it was a shortcut to his hoverbike. However, when he got halfway down the alley, he heard some mysterious voices coming from the dark yard of one of these abandoned houses.
Hesitating for half a second, Bas decided to investigate this odd occurrence, as this place was rather close to the apartment where his mother was located. He climbed over the metal fence where the source of the voices came from. Hiding among the bushes, Bas rushed forward until his spiritual sense was able to pick up the vibration of voices.
"Do we really need to wait on Luke? Taking over this city would be no problem," said the husky voice of a middle-aged man.
"We cannot act rashly. If anyone discovers that we plan to break the treaty, we'll be killed for sure," replied a skinny scholarly looking man. His voice was light and airy.
"What fucking treaty?! That's only an excuse for them to hog all the resources for themselves. I say we take over the mayor's office tonight. Who can stop us? The mayor is a mere Hunt Neophyte, Fifth Class," spat an impatient sounding younger man. "Who should we frame?"
"Luke has plenty of options for that with such unique abilities. This is why it's better to just work for Luke, and then we can carry out the plan. This city is going to be ours no matter what, and every rogue hunter in the city will either join us or be slaughtered!"
By now, Bas King had already heard enough. There was a group of hunter bandits who wanted to overthrow the city. Really, Bas felt confident he could defeat one or two of these bandits, but the one who looked like a scholar was actually a terrifying Hunt Expert, Fourth Class.
"Well...this isn't my problem. This city is only a temporary stop for me. My mother is too weak to defend herself currently. It's not worth getting involved." Bas King shook his head sternly.
They wanted to take over Kennesaw City, but so what?
Bas didn't need to pay attention to some city in Mortalee, as it was a major waste of his time to be here. As long as they didn't affect his peaceful cultivation or harm his family, Bas couldn't be bothered with this issue. It's not like being a hunter made one a super hero. The spiritual hunt qi in Mortalee was so thin and brittle, Bas King knew that this land was the slums of hunter world. It was nearly impossible to become a hunter in an environment like this, and that is why it was called the Mortal Realm.
"If I were to prematurely intervene in this city's problems and they targeted my mother, who would I be able to cry too?" Bas King thought to himself as he quickly moved away. "This is a world where only the strong make the rules, and I'm still too weak. How easy would it be for me to use one of the many qi arti I have committed to memory? This is pointless. I plan to use all of this knowledge to become this era's premier Record Producer. I'll develop a Soul Record and various hunt skills, and I'll use the destiny upon Sebastian King's body to achieve it. Hmph."
🐉
On the eighth floor of a groovy-looking apartment complex, in apartment 888, Bas King was enduring a terrible tongue-lashing from the evil serpent that was usually his dear and sweet mother. His younger siblings both sat in the the living room enjoying the show. However, his eldest sister stood next to his mother, scowling in kind.
"Suspended AGAIN *cough*. Was it worth making your poor mother bow and apologize to the dean and all of the teachers? Do you imagine me as a mere servant?" Eureka King was completely livid.
What was wrong with this brat, lately? He went from being a total introverted hunter-nerd to becoming a smooth talking and slightly cantankerous rabble-rouser. She was at her wits end with her son, the boy was more to deal with than even his father lately. They were already exiled from the family, did Sebastian want them to be destitute as well?
If only she wasn't sick, then Mirocca and Bas wouldn't have to deal with so much alone. Eureka rubbed her temples as she lamented, "I mean, are you trying to piss me off, Sebastian? We had an agreement. I'll stop working as long as you and your older sister prove yourself responsible enough to take care of us financially. Don't you realize how important it is for you to represent yourself well in this society? What if...*cough* what if *cough*...sigh. Somehow you have recovered your spirit a great deal, and I'm very happy about that. But sometimes...*cough* mother can't help but worry. Are you really okay, baby?"
Bas King held his head down, feeling rather ashamed. He wasn't accustomed to having a mother who doted on him and held such high expectations for his success. Had he realized how she would react, he definitely would have held back his temper. However, Bas King was no longer the Sebastian King who could do nothing but suffer in silence. He was completely able to cultivate his hunter powers to new levels. He wouldn't stay in the mortal world much longer, nor would he let his mother and siblings suffer, much less himself.
"Mom, that's enough," Eureka's eldest child suddenly interjected as the former started to cough heavily. The disdain apparent in her voice was visible to all but the two younger children. Bas' older sister Mirocca King was a tall and curvy beauty currently dressed in sporty attire. She turned to Bas and spoke soft but sternly, "Your mother is literally worried SICK about you, Sebastian. You need to tighten up. Don't just stand there, say something for yourself!"
"Mom, I'm sorry. I got a bit carried away, and now I have to stay home from school. But can I show you something?" asked Bas cautiously. When Eureka saw how sincere her son's eyes were, much of her anger dissipated.
"What is it you wish to show me?" asked Eureka feeling exasperated.
"It's this!" Bas King dropped back two meters from his frail mother and released his sixth level Hunt Foundation, Fifth Class hunter atmosphere. Eureka King's eyes widened in shock when she felt her son's current aura. Due to her illness, she wasn't using any qi consciously throughout the day. So when she felt the billowing waves of soul power releasing from her son's body, she was thoroughly shocked.
"Si...The level 16...soul power? But, when did you?" Eureka King was so excited that her words wouldn't come out.
"I awakened a hunter soul last night, mom! When it awakened, I received some nascent memories from our ancestors. Then, my cultivation shot through the roof and my hunt qi evolved into pure soul power!" Bas King mixed truth with lies as he explained his experiences to his mother. After he was done she nodded her head in understanding.
"Little Bas, that's amazing!" Mirocca King smiled brilliantly at this revelation and hugged her little brother to pieces.
After being released by his sister, Bas felt rather dizzy. But before he could recover he was mobbed by two brats, one high and one low.
"Congratulations big brother!"
"Good job, bro!"
"Mn, that explains why you've been so strange lately," Eureka King looked a lot more relaxed after hearing her son's explanation. A hunter soul would indeed change the innate nature of a child to reflect their awakened powers.
She tied her curly black hair into a ponytail, motioning for Bas to sit in front of her. Bas did as he was commanded, and his mother grabbed and tugged at his hair as she started to dread it. Bas was stunned, but then he remembered that tonight was the night be became a Qi Producer. Sebastian King had only promised to grow his hair until his potential came back. Getting his hair done today should actually be quite appropriate.
Besides, it's not like it was getting cut off.
"Hunter Souls are related to our souls and the inheritance of our ancestors. Perhaps our ancestor has already touched your soul, so you are bound to experience more changes. However, you must be cautious, Sebastian. Do not let a sneaky ancestor try to return to life through you. Remember yourself always."
Bas felt his back full of cold sweat when his mother spoke to here. What 'don't let your sneaky ancestor return to life', it was already too late for that! How ungrateful was this generation, anyway? However, when he considered the strange variations to what should by all rights be his everflame, Bas decided that remaining vigilent was indeed sound advice.
"Yes, mom," replied Bas King solemnly.
"I expect that you will still work during this time out from school," Eureka King glared at her son as she spoke. "Cultivation aside, I will not raise a lazy son."
"Yes, mom."
"And clean up your room! It's a complete mess in there."
"Yes, mom."
"Oh and another thing, since that was the..."
Two hours later, Bas finally escaped from his mother and retreated to his room. His dreadlocks hung down to his shoulder blades as he sat cross-legged on the qi formation in his room, "All right. Let's see what cultivating with a battle spirit is like!"
Bas operated his Wood class Death Sovereign Record as he galvanized that little crystal flame in his qi pool. As soon as the violet crystal flame shone, the entire Death Sovereign Record was eclipsed in a violet-golden light. The soul power in the surroundings was rapidly absorbed into Bas' body. His skin seethed and squirmed like he was being burned by his own flaming atmosphere. Bas knew that his flame spirit was cooking and refining his body to better carry its power. The power bar he needed to fill with soul power was filling up more and more and six hours quickly passed by.
Vrrrrmmmmmm...
BINK!
Seventh Level Hunt Foundation!
"Haah," Bas released a breath of turbid air. "Peak Earth Foundation! Next is the Sky Foundation, that's when I can start training my amethyst flame hunter soul. With this speed of progress, I can reach the eighth level in two more days! Unfortunately, I have to work. So, in reality, it will take four days. Unless I have to use a large amount of hunt qi before I can cultivate again, then I'll lose all of my momentum, tch."
Four days seemed like such a long time to the current Bas King. For a millenia old soul it felt a bit ironic. If anyone else could hear him right now, they would definitely want to fight him. It took most hunters years to advance one level in their rank, let alone four in one week. The speed of Bas' current progression could only be called insane.
"Okay. Now that I've reached the seventh level Hunt Foundation, its time to upgrade this Death Sovereign Record. The record is already a bi-fold arcane circle made up of 10,000 runes, with four additional runic imprints, each containing 10,000 runes. This means it's a Bronze Record when maximized. Mine currently has 6,000 runes in the arcane circle and 1,000 in each imprint. So it's only a Wooden Soul Record. I'll take a different rout, upgrade it to a triple-layered arcane circle made up of 9,000 star runes, with five runic imprints containing 250 sky breaking runes each. It will remain a wooden soul, but it would also evolve into a brand new record. As I evolve it, it will become more and more fearsome! The hunter skills I develop from this record will all be destruction, light, or sky-breaker in nature. All I need to do is connect to a new constellation, one of a higher tier. If I can make a deal with its guardian, then I won't need to slay a twilight beast of this type."
Bas found the selfish murdering of twilight beasts to be wrong. After planning up to here, Bas meditated for an hour first, before he started crafting new soul runes in his qi pool. Six hours later, Bas sat on the roof of the apartment building, drenched in sweat, as he admired his work with his spiritual sense. He succeeded! He created a brand new Soul Record with his father's famed Death Sovereign Record as the core.
"This turned out a lot better than I thought," Bas King was truly impressed. He had never made a wood class arte like this one. It had strength comparable to a bronze class arte without actually being one. It was truly overbearing. Every imprint could evolve into a new hunter skill once Bas cultivated them. "This means I have five hunter skills I can create from this record alone. That's one for each class. This should be excellent. It looks a lot more demonic than my dad's record, though. But the War Sovereign Crown is still there, just morphed and cooler. I think I knew of a similar being...I'll call this record the Evil Dragon Sovereign Record!"
BOOM!
As he used his soul to connect to a particular constellation he knew was related to the Evil Dragon Sovereign, an unstoppable streak of white lightning suddenly crashed down on Bas King's head, making the entire world turn white.