36. The Morality of Domination

Jake reviews a newly offered legendary skill, Domination of the Avaricious Arcane Hunter, which would let him soulbind living beings as lifelong servants and even grant experience for dominating them. Disturbed by its implications, he shares the description with the Malefic Viper to gauge perspective.

The Malefic Viper answers pragmatically, framing soulbound entities as tools and noting benefits like loyalty, utility, and extended usefulness, while conceding their progression usually stalls. Jake challenges the morality, arguing that coerced servitude and mind manipulation are worse than death for him personally. The Viper counters by condemning hypocrisy around taming beasts versus enslaving sapients, recounting widespread multiversal practices and urging Jake to avoid self-justifying double standards.

They explore nuances: consent under duress, cultural differences, and the Viper’s history, with the Viper revealing that bloodlines cannot be soulbound and asserting that true companions can be built through leadership rather than contracts. Jake concludes slavery is against his path, preferring willing allies and rejecting domination despite its power and experience gains.

Jake then selects the alternative upgrade: Mark of the Avaricious Arcane Hunter. The Ancient skill enhances marking multiple targets, amplifies all damage—especially arcane—and accumulates extra arcane damage as a charge he can detonate, still granting bonus experience for higher-level kills. He accepts this straightforward hunting tool and resumes focusing on the Deepdwellers as impending prey.