The Primal Hunter

Jake stared at the number of survivors as it kept going down until it finally stabilized. After twenty minutes, it still hadn’t moved, but the number left was still chilling.

Tutorial Panel

Duration: 22 days & 21:49:53

Total Survivors Remaining: 49/1200

More than two hundred people dead.... something extremely major must have happened in the outer area.

He wanted to go back and check… but on the other hand, he didn’t. What did he have to go back for? His only friends had betrayed him and even tried to kill him. Maybe they had done it under false pretenses, but they had nevertheless done so.

Jacob seemed like the only one not in on the plan… but Jake still blamed him. It was illogical, he knew that, but it didn’t change the fact that he had trusted his former supervisor. His trust had turned into a weakness as Jake had nearly lost his life due to the error - an error he didn’t want to repeat.

So Jake ignored it as he closed down the panel. It wasn’t any of his business. Not anymore. Instead, he would do what he knew was his business. Getting stronger.

Standing up, he stretched his arms a bit as he confirmed them being fully healed. He decided to head back towards the cliff where he had hunted before being hunted by the small dinosaurs. It was a great vantage point, and he had a sneaking suspicion that something good had to be hidden down in the valley somewhere.

Thinking of this new world with a smudge of videogame-logic hadn’t turned out to be that wrong yet. And if an area is closely guarded by many enemies in a videogame, chances are something worthwhile is to be found in that area.

Plus, he had already killed many beasts down there, so it would be a waste to not at least explore the area for herbs and such. He had already found quite a few on the mountainous paths between the valleys, but something more had to be hidden down there.

It took him less time to get back than he expected as he reached the cliff he had been on before after only a quarter of an hour. Turns out that running while not simultaneously fighting beasts was faster.

Standing at the crevice once more, he scanned the area below with Hunter’s Sight. He saw several beasts still roaming about, but far less than when he started hunting them.

It was already well-known in the tutorial that the number of beasts was finite, which is why there barely remained any worth hunting in the world outside the barrier to the inner area.

The same rule seemed to hold true here. The beasts also didn’t seem to migrate between the different valleys. Perhaps due to the excessive number of dinosaur-like creatures roaming in between said valleys.

Either way, it meant that Jake could, in theory, completely clear out one of these valleys if he had enough time. He didn’t plan to do so, but killing the vast majority of them would surely make exploration far safer and faster.

Taking out his bow, he returned to his bread and butter technique of firing blood-soaked arrows with Powershot. But he would spice it up a bit this time.

He still placed his hand around the arrowhead as he let it cut into his palm while he channeled Blood of the Malefic Viper to turn it toxic. Next, he nocked the arrow as he started charging Powershot. But the difference from last time was that he didn’t just let the skill do its own thing.

Instead, he closely monitored the flow of inner energy as it traveled throughout his body.

The path it traveled was as he expected, but as it reached his arms and shoulders, he noticed how it spread out in a weird pattern. The energy entered his muscles, but it was as if it did so in a set formation of sorts - a formation he quite honestly couldn’t even begin to comprehend.

He felt that he could slightly influence how fast the energy moved, but not with this shot, as he was forced to release the built-up energy.

The arrow exploded out as it hit a few meters away from a badger that rightfully jumped up in fright before running off terrified.

Smirking slightly to himself for missing, he shook his head as he poisoned and nocked another arrow, aiming for another badger in another clearing. This time, he didn’t focus intensively on the skill’s inner workings but saved enough focus to actually hit his prey.

As predicted, the poor thing didn’t even react as it met its end. This hunting method was a bit unsatisfying for Jake’s desire to find challenges but very satisfying for the part of him that wanted to get levels fast.

He continued shooting arrows for the next few hours until he stood there for a good five minutes without being able to spot any beasts. He was sure many remained, hidden by trees or bushes, but he must have thinned them out plenty.

he had killed the day prior had been the strongest beast in the

grind and decided to put the stat points into agility and strength. He knew the stats’ value was lowered as he only had a 10% amplifier on those stats, but

quite a bit more in those two, so he

status menu, he

Status

Name: Jake Thayne

[Human (E)

Hunter –

of the Malefic Viper

Health Points (HP): 3301/3390

Mana Points (MP): 3985/4070

Stamina: 458/1540

Stats

Strength: 190

Agility: 225

Endurance: 154

Vitality: 339

Toughness: 179

Wisdom: 407

Intelligence: 139

Perception: 342

Willpower: 211

Free points: 0

of a Primordial’s True Blessing],

[Basic One-Handed Weapon (Inferior], [Basic Stealth (Inferior)], [Advanced Archery (Common)], [Hunter’s Sight (Uncommon)], [Powershot (Uncommon)], [Basic Twin Fang

Purification (Common)], [Alchemical Flame (Common)], [Toxicology (Uncommon)], [Cultivate Toxin (Uncommon)], [Malefic Viper’s Poison (Rare)], [Palate of the Malefic Viper (Rare)], [Touch of the Malefic Viper (Rare)],[Sense of

[True Blessing of the Malefic Viper

Races (Unique)], [Identify (Common)], [Meditate (Common)], [Shroud of the Primordial

Hunter (Bloodline Ability -

Something he could also clearly feel as he fought his enemies.

by now, but by the power of just a

and stronger enemies. But if he compared what he could fight now to what

level 10 Stonetusk Boar to pieces in seconds. Meanwhile, Jake had required the help of his colleagues and his

with his bare hands and only a few punches. It was a bit surreal to imagine, but one

and chugged it down. His stamina was only at around a fourth of his total, after all. The potions were still relatively weak, but it

didn’t bother with a long climb

properly soak the impact as he barely felt the reverberations in his legs, his toughness far too high for

he could see into the forest. From this new vantage point, he did spot a few beasts that had been hidden below the trees’ crowns

not even bother

focus as much on his sight as he did his Sphere of Perception. He scanned everything within

few minutes, he finally

he saw the

flipped over the log that kept it hidden in the

– A system-created magical lockbox enchanted with the ability to block off all

one with my bracers, he thought, as he