The Primal Hunter

Jake moved on down the list of skills, and he had to say that the second skill was a bit more… traditional.

[Piercing Arrow (Common)] – The first strike is often the most important when hunting. Grants the hunter the ability to infuse an arrow with energy to increase its penetrative power. Increases power depending on stamina expended. Adds a small bonus to the effect of agility and strength when using Piercing Arrow.

This skill was also fascinating, and it would likely synergize incredibly well with Powershot too. But did he genuinely need a more powerful opening shot and more preparation for now? Would his arrows even be able to handle the skill, or just break apart?

If the skill said that it conjured an arrow, he would be far more excited about it. Many skills had to do that, but this one clearly didn’t.

Assuming he did get the skill to work correctly, it would bring his opening attack to a ridiculous power-level. It was already quite silly with Powershot and his poison alone, but coupled with this… perhaps he could even have killed that giant buffalo.

Postponing the decision, he moved on to the next one. It was one of the skills that had gotten an upgraded version.

[Hunter’s Tracking (Uncommon)] – The hunter does not sit silently in his lodge but actively hunts for his prey. Unlocks proficiency in tracking down prey based on limited clues left behind. Also allows the hunter to more easily identify characteristics of the game, including mana signatures and aura. Adds a small bonus to the effect of perception while tracking.

This had been one of the skills he’d wanted back at level 5 in the early days of the tutorial. He had chosen Basic Stealth back then instead, a decision he hadn’t felt any regret towards, but he did have moments where being able to track people would be useful. Such as when he was searching for his colleagues.

In hindsight, however, perhaps it was good he hadn’t been able to track them down earlier. If he hadn’t leveled up and acquired Shadow Vault, he would undoubtedly be a dead man by now.

If he thought about the current benefits the skill would provide… it was somewhat limited. It was the type of skill you hated not to have when you needed it, but rarely found yourself in a situation where it was actually necessary.

But even more importantly… Jake felt like he could learn a lot of what the skill did by himself. He was already starting to get a basic understanding of recognizing energy given off by others. He also had his Sphere of Perception, which allowed him to quickly search an area far more effectively than he ever could with his eyes.

Instead, he would try and get a skill that did something he was incapable of, something that did something impossible to learn for the current him.

Sure, the skill would still be beneficial even if he learned everything himself merely due to the stat effectiveness increasing effect, but he honestly felt it wasn’t worth it. So he moved on.

[Hunter’s Trapping Expertise (Uncommon)] – The Hunter has many tricks hidden up their sleeve and are not limited to merely facing their prey in direct combat. The Ambitious Hunter instead uses the materials found during his hunt to improvise and create traps to get an edge. Unlocks proficiency in creating traps and tools associated with traps, along with knowledge of how to use them. Adds a small bonus to the effectiveness of stats based on the nature of the used trap.

This skill was very much like the prior one, as in another upgraded skill that was more focused on granting knowledge and know-how than actual abilities. He wasn’t a fan of it. He didn’t exactly plan on going around placing traps anyway.

He preferred to take a more… active approach. He liked to be the hunter, not the hunted. Instead, he would rather strike with a fast and deadly blow rather than sit back and wait patiently for his enemy to slip up. For pretty much the same reasons as the prior skill, he skipped over this one too.

[Splitting Arrow (Uncommon)] – One arrow becomes many; one fallen prey becomes a field of death. Fire an arrow that splits into several copies while in flight. Each arrow strikes with the power of the original. Adds a small bonus to the effect of agility and strength when using Splitting Arrow.

This one was a bit like the first Piercing Arrow, aka a skill that had an active effect, but he instantly liked this one far more.

Perhaps he was still quite biased due to the previous fight, but having some area coverage would be very useful. Sure, the damn beasts could dodge one arrow, but could they escape five? Ten?

said that it would make an arrow that

couldn’t precisely use logic to figure it out. This was quite literally the creation of matter

Twin Arrow, he was pretty sure this skill was an upgrade of that. They were incredibly similar, but this

considered. He did briefly look back at Active Camouflage but decided against it rather quickly. Much like the trapping skill, he preferred to move and chase down his enemies rather than sit in

prepare for his first strike. He

Both of those would help him a lot here and now. Nature Affinity would surely help him survive this mess and synergize well with his already high vitality and mana pool, as it would

that man was still among the strongest survivors he had met during this tutorial. While he did seem weaker than both the spear-wielding fire-guy, Richard,

however. It was instead stamina, or inner energy, infused with nature-affinity through some skill. Wait, he thought. Couldn’t he use his stamina for something other than his active skills? If he could use it to enhance himself like the

a nature-affinity… but what stopped him from just doing the same thing with

dropped the quiver he

entered meditation as he

avenge my family?” the Smith

I already promised you…” William nodded. He owed him that for helping him, right? The Smith had done far more for him during this tutorial than Richard or anyone

to the armor and placed both hands on it as he turned to William with a sad smile. “My son was named Gunnar Schmidt, my daughter-in-law Karin. She was pregnant

got an awful feeling as he heard the

my final selfish request of keeping

William. The young caster wanted to

happiness in this

as it entered the armor. But soon, other energies began coming out too. First, his stamina started pouring out, followed

couldn’t understand it, but he didn’t want the man to die. What the

the final mana and stamina left the man. With only his health points being poured out. It was not just his health points disappearing,

and healthy skin turned white, thin, and sickly. The Smith aged decades in seconds, leaving William completely unable to help or

did what life remained in the

long time ago… yet it was only at this final moment

withered corpse still stood with its hands on the armor. The armor itself had lost a lot of its shine, now no longer silvery but looking more like

wheels in his head spun at high speed. He was confused,

was unsure what to do when he finally stood right before it. Was he supposed to move him? Would he have wanted William to do that? And when the hell did he start caring about what other

his courage, he moved his hand towards the corpse, attempting to move it to the bed or something. But the second his hand touched him, the entire corpse turned to dust

in fright as he noticed something drop on the floor in front of him.

of his eyes. He was crying. Why?

he remembered the old smith that would have

be a defect, a disease he had never been afflicted with more. Grief. Something his parents and his psychologists had hoped for him

It was a disease, a weakness. It made one do stupid things. According to William’s grand philosophy of life,

tutorial, as he had foolishly

the

on something else. The most apparent being the armor in front