Rise of the Apex Predator: A LitRPG Adventure

A calm wind blew across the lush landscape around the giant World Tree. Its height would have made it visible from a far-off distance, if not for the space magic and deceptive mist clinging to the area. The range of wispy tendrils kept expanding at a glacial pace, only allowing creatures with harmless intent to pass. Everything else was either turned away or led to their doom using mind-bending hallucinations.

Yet, four individuals resided at the base of the World Tree, unaffected by the defensive magics—one ancient woman, a teenager, and two kids. If anyone managed to make it there, they would notice the peaceful scene and smile. The kids were busy chasing insects, while the teenager was cooking as the elder kept a sharp eye on him.

"A little more heat," the old woman said while leaning on her dreaded walking stick.

The older boy, Aenon, adjusted to the instruction, directing more heat energy wisps into the stew he was cooking. The smell was delightful, but Aenon knew that any dish with the Mirage Dust was misleading. The particular recipe had changed color and smell six times in the last five minutes. He didn't dare taste the concoction until his teacher gave him the green light.

The last week had been the most peaceful one Aenon had had in a long time. No one from Pinespire had disturbed his post-war vacation. Thalindra, Henry, and even Jenny had completely taken over the duties and left Aenon to his devices, something he truly appreciated. Without the demand of leadership or bloody conflict, he had settled into a quiet rhythm. Every morning he was woken up by the antics of Talia and Nocthrya, did some morning exercises, spent an hour or so memorizing books, and then prepared breakfast while Mrs. Ashvein observed. The rest of the day was spent with the kids, patrolling with his Lycanthrope pack.

He had a ton of notifications to go through, but he just wasn't in the mood for it.

"Hey, Aenon-Friend." The green-skinned boy hopped around Aenon. "When will the food be ready?"

Nocthrya had recently found the joys of gourmet food, bugging him constantly for more. Aenon couldn't imagine his actual body deriving any pleasure from the nutrients his roots absorbed. As to why the eager kid had just discovered this? Because no one had dared to give the kid any food. Apparently, it was a well-known fact that creatures who gain a humanoid body through some sort of evolution or skill, often got hooked on the new sensation. Something no one had bothered to tell Aenon.

"We too await our meals, Alpha," Bane said while emerging from the shadows, along with seven other Lycanthropes.

Aenon shook his head in defeat. "In a minute," he said with a smile.

"You missed something," Mrs. Ashvein observed with a raised eyebrow.

Aenon rechecked his notes to figure out what he'd missed. "Oh, damn it," he cursed, hastily adding a small chili-like herb.

"Language, young man," Mrs. Ashvein said in disapproval.

Ever since returning from the war, his relationship with his teacher had changed. She was still easy-going and seemed out of it most of the time but was more involved with his Cooking lessons and his behavior. His lack of progress in his Cooking had really irked her.

The chastisement for breaking decorum or misbehaving was new, though.

"Sorry," Aenon apologized while stirring feverishly. This last step was crucial for the dish's success.

Talia too, had joined the audience, hanging onto Bane's back. The Lycanthrope commander adjusted his posture to make it easier for her. But his eyes were glued to the large cauldron Aenon was cooking in.

Under the watchful eyes of his eager audience, Aenon finally managed to complete the dish. Almost the next instant, there was a neat line of hungry non-humans with bowls and spoons. Nocthrya was in the lead of course, with Bane and Venge right behind him. One by one, Aenon served them all before they proceeded to sit on a park bench Nocthrya had grown out of the ground. Mrs. Ashvein had trotted to her designated spot, with him bringing over her filled bowl.

Aenon sat down at the head of the table last. Everyone waited in anticipation for Mrs. Ashvein to taste.

"Hmm," the wrinkled old woman took a spoonful, analyzing it with concentration. Nocthrya was literally at the edge of his seat. Finally, she gave her approval. "A decent job."

At once, they all dove into their meals, savoring it with gusto. And yet, they tried to maintain good posture and manners. Anyone who failed suffered a stick smack to their head from who knows where. No one had managed to catch a glimpse of Mrs. Ashvein's weapon as it dished out punishment.

The sounds of satisfied groans filled the quaint gathering, making Aenon smile. He was starting to get a hang of using Mirage Dust as well. A ping sounded in Aenon's head, which was also ignored.

"You all ate without us?" Jenny said with horror.

Ignar, Velastra, Boff, Toff, Jenny, and On-Ji had come over. Thalindra, Henry, and even Mira, were not too far behind. More chairs were pulled up, or rather grown from the ground, as the breakfast party grew. The Snow Wolves too had their spots. With the new additions, the get-together became more boisterous and louder.

Mira and Henry tried to take over the duty of serving but were dragged along to have a seat. It was a buffet-style meal, with each person going over for food. Only Mrs. Ashvein remained seated, the others taking turns to attend to her.

"Everything going well in the city?" Aenon asked Thalindra, once everyone was occupied.

"Huh, oh yes, Lord Fenrast," she replied. "The new cities have started to integrate well, and teleportation links between them have been established."

"Good," was all Aenon said before continuing to enjoy his food.

Once the cauldron was emptied, they all scattered into smaller groups. Ignar and On-Ji went to a small clearing to exchange pointers on her spear skills, while Jenny and the Snow Wolves were being lectured by Venge. The twin dwarves were rumbling around in their golem armor with Talia on their backs. As Mrs. Ashvein retreated to take a nap, Mira and Henry were being given a tour by Nocthrya. Bane and the other Lycanthropes went on a patrol.

"A peaceful morning," Thalindra said with a sigh. Both were still at the table, enjoying some tea.

"It is," Aenon agreed. "But peace rarely lasts. Especially since there's hardly a month left before the tutorial ends. And I still have two leader variants to take down."

"Hmm, true," Thalindra said, sipping her tea in quiet contemplation. "But it should be easier now. You can focus on one, while I deal with the other. The Treants and the unknown entity in Neverhelm. These should be the two you are looking for."

He nodded at Thalindra's assessment. It was also not difficult to decide who would take on what. Aenon would lead the charge against the Treant dungeon, removing the scourge from around Nocthrya's forest. While Thalindra would set her sights on the undead who had tried to entice and then threaten her.

"Sounds about right," Aenon said. "But what of the Archdukes? Any movement from them? Also, what happened to our contacts within the Alliance?"

"They have quieted down after that display at the meeting," Thalindra said with a grin. "They should not be making any moves till the end of the tutorial. As for our spies, they insisted on getting paid by you in person."

"Well, their contribution was quite significant," Aenon replied. "Arrange a meeting tomorrow morning."

"As you command," Thalindra said with a bowed head.

Aenon was still not a fan of the posturing and formalities, but it didn't bother him as much as before. Wrapping up their discussion, they started observing the others. At some point, two dueling arenas had been set up. Ignar was having a fierce battle against the spear wielder, while Venge took on her children in the other. Everyone else made a circle and cheered from the sides.

Aenon's gaze lingered on On-Ji's fight. Ignar was unarmed and was playing pure defense against the dizzying spear attacks. None of the blows came close to hurting him, but even if a stray attack landed, Aenon doubted it could pierce the berserker's skin. The fact that the giant had enough time to comment about On-Ji's footwork was proof enough that he was in a league of his own. But Aenon couldn't help but sense the pride from the instructor's soul as he corrected minor flaws in On-Ji's movements.

"She's close," Thalindra commented, also entranced by the face-off.

"Yes, she is," Aenon replied with a glint in his eye.

The two soul mages, of course, were talking about On-Ji's soul. The imperceptible cracks were clear as day to their eyes. But the after images left by her weapon also hinted to the others of the impending breakthrough. It would take a while though.

Let's get this over with, Aenon thought. He pulled up his pending notifications.

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Level Up | Void Regent | Level 100 → Level 105 | +50 CON | +50 DEX | +50 WIL | +50 PER

Level Up | Abyssal Warden | Level 100 → Level 110 | +80 INT | +100 WIL

Title Achieved: Noble | +10% Title stats | Achieve a Nobility rank granted by the System.

Title Achieved: Bastion Defender | +10 all stats | Lead the defense of your territory against external threats with minimal losses.

Nobility System Unlocked | Current Rank: Baron | Complete the Nobility quest to unlock all rewards.

The rewards seemed lackluster for all the work that went into achieving them. But since Aenon's crowning ceremony wasn't done yet, the true rewards were withheld. Much like his Domain quest.

But the true prize that Aenon really celebrated was the one he had received just a few minutes ago.

Skill Upgraded: Cooking – Adept → Expert

Finally, he saw some progress in that Skill. And it was all thanks to the single-minded focus he had on the task. He had even unlocked a few more recipes.

Health Draught | Soup | Common | A broth prepared by slowly stewing mana-rich meat with spices in a controlled manner. Grants accelerated health and mana regen when consumed out of combat. The effectiveness varies based on the ingredients used. (+800 HP/min, +400 MP/min)

The recipe was similar to his Mana Draught, the only difference being that the regen rate leaned more towards HP regen. A simple addition, but impactful overall. His other two recipes though were more impactful.

Elixir of Fire Resistance | Soup | Common | A broth prepared by slowly stewing ingredients rich in water mana. Makes the consumer less susceptible to fire damage. The effectiveness varies based on the ingredients used. (Resistance temperature: 200 Celsius/392 Fahrenheit)

Dust of Illusions | Powder | Uncommon | A ground powder that when inhaled can lead to severe hallucinations. The contents of the illusion will depend on the mental state of the victim at the time.

These two were Aenon's first System recognized recipes that could be used in combat. Especially his second creation as an excellent addition to his arsenal. If deployed right after the psychological oppression from his Aura, the hallucinations would amplify the effects. It had taken him a long time to figure out the exact ratio of Mirage Dust that the recipe needed.

Overall, Aenon was quite satisfied with his progress. Even though he had not gained any Spell proficiency yet, he could tell that he was close. All he needed was a bit more practice in live combat. He quickly reviewed his status screen but was surprised by one change in particular.

Baron Aenon/Ashryn Fenrast

Race: Ascended Human/Void Touched (M)

Age: 14 years

Level 108

Class: Void Regent (Level 105)

Subclass: Abyssal Warden (Level 110)

HP: 26010

HP Regen: 771.4/min

MP: 29180

MP Regen: 839/min

Stats - Multipliers: 128 (Unlockable: 2, Duration: 1 hour) | 128

STR: 2601

CON: 3857

DEX: 3638

INT: 2918

WIL: 4196

PER: 3086

Titles (66 points)

Unfettered Soul, Domain Walker (Withheld), Bastion Defender (+10 all)

Noble (+10% Title stat gain)

Nature's Attendant (+200 all stats when within 50 meters of sapling)

Skills (Available SP: 556)

Weapons (Unarmed, Daggers, Traps) | Savant

Stealth and Tracking (Woods, Urban) | Savant

Mana Manipulation | Savant

Cooking | Expert

Empty

Empty

Internalized Skills

Identify

Mana Sense

Soul Authority (Unfettered Soul) – Sovereign's Dominion, Soul Beacon, Soul Purge, Soul Syphon

System's Grace

Overclock

Before he could even decide whether to let the others know or not, a notification was sent out to everyone present. As was evident by the sudden halt of all movement. Everyone's eyes went out of focus before snapping in his direction. Aenon grumbled at the System Admin's interference.

"It's your birthday?" Talia screamed before running over. The others too came over to give their blessings.

The next few minutes, Aenon was bombarded by questions and greetings. Henry and Mira wanted to plan a feast, while Thalindra was adamant on holding his crowning ceremony the same day. Talia was ecstatic, dictating a list of food items that needed to be prepared for the banquet to Mira, who was writing it down feverishly. Any complaints to not make it a big deal landed on deaf ears.

Aenon just gave up and slowly slunk away towards where Bane was. Thankfully, the wolf man didn't seem to care much. That is, until he heard that there would be food in large amounts. He too joined the planning enthusiastically after that. Losing to the majority, Aenon sat in a corner to brood.

He was soon joined by Mrs. Ashvein whose nap was interrupted by the System announcement. She sat down on a log with great effort.

"Slipped your mind that you turned fourteen?" she asked while observing the excited crowd.

"Yeah," Aenon replied. "With so much going on, a birthday was the least of my priorities. Not to mention, I hadn't kept track of the date in a long time."

"Well, happy birthday, my boy," Mrs. Ashvein said with a soft chuckle. "Birthdays aren't a big affair in the Multiverse. At least not to the adults since many live for centuries or even millennia. But you should enjoy it till your twenties at least."

Aenon's face drooped a bit, a change that the wise old woman didn't miss.

"You may not have had anyone to celebrate it with in a while," she said tenderly. "But now you do."

She gently patted Aenon's head, which made him feel funny. Luckily no one saw the interaction, nor did they see the color on his face. He hurriedly activated his mask, hiding behind its murky depths. Mrs. Ashvein smiled but didn't comment.

The rest of the day was a blur to Aenon. He was made to sit quietly in a corner while preparations were made. Henry spared no expense to decorate the city, an act that the citizens joined in wholeheartedly. Even the other cities sent delegations to support the efforts, and despite the short notice, the entire settlement was transformed by nightfall.

Food was laid out in abundance as everyone walked around in their best clothes. Musical performances and dance groups were scattered all over the place, with magical lights illuminating everything. Aenon lost track of how many times he said "thank you," as the long line never ended. And with it came gifts that Aenon neither wanted nor cared for: clothes, weapons, enchanted trinkets. Unfortunately, he couldn't turn them down but thankfully Mira was by his side to receive them on his behalf.

Eventually it came to a head as Borin presented him with his crown. It was an elegant piece, black with gold inlay. And although it was lightweight, Aenon had never worn something that carried so much weight. The cheers were deafening, as was the laughter and merriment that followed. To his chagrin, the line of gift givers grew after the coronation.

Aenon's Sovereign's Dominion was so overloaded with joyous feelings, that he almost missed the small group of hesitant humans in the corner. They weren't dressed in the best clothes, and were very timid and shy. The moment Aenon turned to them, they were startled and started to retreat.

The group's footsteps stopped when they saw Aenon getting off stage and walking towards them. Aenon didn't say anything, but his soft smile made them nervous. The man in the lead stepped forward nervously.

"We—we are not in a position to give you an appropriate gift," he said with sweaty palms. "But we did see your recordings and the help you provided to protect us. And based on what we saw, I thought this might be appropriate. This is all I can afford for now."

The man bowed with outstretched arms that held a copper coin.

"Thank you for the gift," Aenon said softly as he accepted the offering.

The man smiled with tears in his eyes and took a step back. Emboldened by his success, the other people who had suffered under the Alliance rushed forward with their own humble gifts. And Aenon accepted them all.

Mira was overwhelmed by the small tokens, calling in additional help to handle the influx. Most were copper coins, but some were tiny, hand-crafted mementoes or mundane items. It took hours for the line to end, the teleportation portal working overtime to handle the traffic.

Once everything was settled, Aenon returned to his chair with a dull ache in his legs. He ate his food in silence, enjoying the spectacle of everyone dancing and singing. A familiar face greeted him in the end, one which no one had any reaction to.

A blonde woman in black-rimmed glasses joined him on stage, sitting next to him with a soft smile. She too observed the scene with interest.

"A void user who is surrounded by so many," the System Admin said. "Now, that's a rare treat." When Aenon looked around in confusion, she added. "They will not notice me unless I let them. And even then, all they will see is a regular human."

Aenon nodded in understanding. "Didn't think you would come over for such a small event."

"Small event?" The Admin said with raised eyebrows. "Look around you, my little predator. Your eyes can't see it, but the karmic ripples of this gathering are destined to shake the world. The tiny karmic seed that Talia's mother planted by giving you that copper coin has finally sprouted."

Aenon recalled the fond memory from almost a year ago. The motherly care that she had shown Aenon that day had indeed left a deep impression on him. If not for that simple act, he might not have returned to the village at all.

"Is it really that big a deal?" Aenon asked.

The Admin smiled and turned back to the crowd. "She might have planted that seed. But you are the one who made it grow."

The mysterious woman didn't say anything after that. As the two void users sat in companionable silence, the merriment continued. The music got louder, the laughter flowed more easily, and the boundaries of societal hierarchy crumbled.

"Happy birthday, my little predator," the Admin whispered before disappearing into nothingness.

All that remained in her wake was a small box in Aenon's hand.