The Primal Hunter

His entire body ached with pain. Pain, unlike any he had ever felt before.

But he could only smile at the sensation because pain meant that he was still alive.

When he had regained consciousness, he didn’t know. But he did know that it had been several days since he had nearly fallen. His entire body cooked inside his armor, his skin cauterized, the blood in his veins boiling, and his eyes popping out from the heat.

But despite all that, he had lived. Held on to his last sliver of health. He should have died; he knew that. But hadn’t because death was not his destiny. He was chosen, so his body refused to die, and slowly, he started to heal.

His entire body healed at once, meaning that all parts healed at a nearly equal pace. It only took a few days before his limbs started returning to peak condition, but his internal organs had still taken a long time to return to a functional state.

And today, for the first time, his sight returned. He could always see through the breastplate still on him, but now he could finally observe the world through his own eyes. Today, he was finally ready to make himself known once more.

The ash on him scattered as he moved his body. His skin revealed below, healthier than ever. His mind, sharper than before. William felt reborn like a phoenix experiencing nirvana. Reforged in both body and mind.

Looking around, he saw the now already half-eaten corpses of the ones he had slaughtered. He saw the dead rodents that had dared to think him just another cadaver to consume.

He had absorbed the armor and weapons of the fallen. He had regained his mana and was now far more potent than before. His skill to absorb metals had even upgraded in rarity, now allowing him to absorb even enchanted metals.

With his mind, he extended his armor to cover his entire body once more, only leaving his face visible. As he looked around for useful items, he was disappointed to find not a single enchanted item anywhere.

It didn’t take him long to put and two and two together. The other survivors must have come to gather the loot. In the end, no matter a herbivore or a predator, humans would be forever greedy. William saw no scenario of them leaving good stuff laying around.

He was lucky they hadn’t found him. He had been entirely burned, likely being why no one had recognized him as being alive. But luck was but to be expected. For a protagonist to experience supernatural luck wasn’t out of the ordinary in the least. At least that is what William believed.

His domination of the tutorial was, however, not over. As his tutorial panel clearly showed, he had more to kill.

Tutorial Panel

Total Survivors Remaining: 49/1200

Duration: 14 days & 00:40:44

As he looked through his logs, he found an entry he had expected.

Tutorial Quest: A Leader is born

Objective: Become the sole leader of at least 90% of the other humans during the tutorial.

Current progress: 2%

Eliminate other leaders: 0/1

He had gotten it the moment he also got the notification for killing Richard - a sweet notification indeed.

- lvl 41 / Tyrranical Conniver– lvl 28]

several levels from that one

the final wish of his first friend, Hermann Schmidt, and now he could return to

of time to think and dream as he slipped in and out of consciousness. With his body idle, he only had his own

killed, just a mild satisfaction from the levels and whatever else he got. He enjoyed the benefits from the kills, but not the act of killing itself. He did make a game out

But unlike an average person, William viewed it as only another tool. He had seen that emotions could allow one to perform feats above what they should otherwise. But he

had been infected with

fall to the same fate. Yet, he could not simply write them off. Herrmann had made armor far stronger than he

lost himself towards the end, felt the inklings of corruption enter his mind. His thoughts turned cloudy, his desires

with a long time spent laying there, he managed to find his footing once more. He healed himself of much of the affliction that had come over him. He felt close to what

his prior definition of

never upgraded a skill like that without the massive stimuli from the near-death experience coupled with his raging emotions. It was a cocktail that forced him to overcome what he currently was,

wanted power. At first, he did so only as an instinctual craving, but now he truly desired it. He desired to reach perfection, to become an insurmountable existence, and he would stop at nothing to

those he believed to be his allies, which had ultimately contributed to his death. A fate William

a leader. Not because he believed himself incapable of leading, but because it wasn’t necessary. Yet his dreams made him aware that

leader of only one survivor, and that was himself - a fact he had no desire to change. Even in all his arrogance, William didn’t believe it possible to make them all loyal to him, so he would have

to kill the man, but he knew he would have to. It was possible to force him into leading the camp into being loyal to him,

back towards the base. He hoped they had not scattered to the winds at the loss of Richard but had stayed. It would be easier that way,

simply strolled through the open gate. He feared for a moment that the survivors had left, but just as he

the first to open

William answered, returning the man’s smile.

you have healed up alright.

true… why hadn’t he

[Human – lvl 37]

lifted his guard instantly. He also identified the warrior, with a level that at

[Human – lvl 26]

happened this last week. What had the otherwise utterly useless ‘manager’ done to become so strong? And his previous comment also

asked, the mana in his body churning, ready to strike

am not talking about your injuries. You looked confused, last I saw you. Distracted. Like you had lost something, and that you had a wrong you had to make right. And from the

Naïve, idealistic, passive, a pushover, all of those were on the list. But not stupid. He must know that William was the instigator of the slaughter that had happened. That he had been the

for the last week, which made it natural for him to

hell do you

clearly chosen your path already, and my wants won’t change your actions. You have come here with a goal

are just going to sit there and die, or what? While I kill you and everyone else here?” William asked, clearly annoyed. An annoyance that only got worse as the warrior didn’t even react at

This is how it is

displaying only a faint smile as the sawblade cut his head off. But before the severed head

live, he will return to my side once more after a while,” Jacob answered the question the teenager had yet to ask. He didn’t even try to hide the sadness of imagining his friend die. While death was not

a fight they could ever win, not that he had ever had the intention to fight. Even with all the survivors in the

about the others?” William asked, trying to wrest back some semblance of control of the situation. He felt like he

Jacob said as he summoned a lantern. Around it, many motes

opened the tutorial panel with his mind and widened his eye