The Primal Hunter

“Okay… no talking about bloodlines…” Jake said, a bit hesitant but not arguing back.

They both sat in silence for a while before the Viper spoke again. “But… it does explain quite a few things…”

“What do you mean?”

“About this entire tutorial of yours. This tutorial was more than a little… unique. Eversmile said that it was ‘ruined’, but I think ‘changed’ would be a better word.”

“… again, what do you mean?”

The Malefic smiled at him as he leaned back. “I guess we should talk about it… so let me tell you a story Jake… about a particular tutorial during the integration of the 93rd Universe.

“In this story, we have two main characters - one who enters with his nine colleagues, and one who enters on his lonesome. The lonesome one quickly finds his stride as he discovers a wand and kills the ones he entered with. This shall be the impetus for him to realize his destiny.

“As for the other, he struggles a bit more. But he has some competent people around him who help him in the start. But already on the first day, it goes wrong when a large beast attacks them, and they lose two.”

Jake looked confused as he interrupted. “That isn’t what happened, we-“

“This isn’t your story Jake, so stop interrupting,” the Viper said with a playful smile. “This is the story of what was to happen. A story of fate and destiny.

“Now, where was I? Oh yeah, two dead colleagues. Anyway, they struggle to survive and end up making camp to rest for the night. One of our protagonist’s colleagues sits watch alone for a while as they try to get sleep. But the night would not turn out to be a restful one.

“Three attackers appear in the night, and despite his efforts, the one on watch dies. Jacob mourns as he has lost three friends that day. Dennis, Lina, and Jake.”

Now even more confused, Jake did all he could not to interrupt, as he had even forgotten the bottle of beer in his hand.

“They fight off the ambushers but take injuries. They are soon found by a man named Richard and his lieutenant Nicholas. Half-coerced, they join him."

After that, the Viper pretty much summarised what had happened to his colleagues while he was in the dungeon. How they had struggled and how many had died as they were split up. But there were some differences that Jake quickly noticed…

“I killed Nicholas,” he said, instantly giving an apologetic look as he had interrupted.

“That you did, Jake. You not being dead at this point sure screws up the story, right? Anyway, let me continue.

“Now, our second protagonist is our old friend William. The chosen one. Born with an incredible innate talent for mana manipulation and a mentality very suited for one striving for the top. Ruthless and determined.

“But he is also broken in many ways. He is arrogant, delusional, and most importantly, he is limited in comprehending the world. He does not understand emotions, which will come back to bite him in the ass down the line but is very beneficial in the early days.

“Ah, but I wouldn’t worry because the screenwriter will fix this through some character development. The screenwriter, Eversmile, will pay off other divine actors, and they will outsource to their mortal counterparts in the tutorial. Make sure he develops in the intended direction. Gets the things he needs when he needs them.

side characters. While Richard manipulates William, Richard

Viper then once more summarized what happened after he left the dungeon. Again, with slight changes that the god made sure to point out. When he came

William is also betrayed because Nicholas fears his power, and he ends up fleeing the battlefield - wounded but still alive and able to keep up

alive in this play, which is why the fight

crueler than Richard and forces the second protagonist Jacob to still

hope too… finally realizing his own destiny as he becomes an Augur. He begins to truly lead the camp as he grows in levels, with even Nicholas coming to respect him as a

not come for the crafters, but he changes his mind when he gets the quest to be a leader. He is a

allowed to save the souls of the crafters. After that, he is ‘killed’

and does his own thing, the sole survivor of the tutorial. With the quest in the

Eversmile having spent far more resources than reasonable but getting a disciple out of it, the Holy Mother an Augur and your pal Casper still an undead. Counting

how it went,” Jake

and what had been divined by the most powerful of gods. Yet introduce

supposed to. Holding a bloodline that was not part of what was

dickwad gods played… well, gods, and manipulated everything in this tutorial to get what they wanted? Or at least tried to?” Jake asked, more than a little annoyed

the

whole destiny or fate crap,” Jake said, wondering out loud. “If a single variable,

support of skills, stats, and the system, they tend to often be correct. Especially when some are satisfied surrendering themselves to their fates once they know it. Or go one step further, and try to realize an intended destiny, even if it is a bad one:

gods that Eversmile paid off did much to direct fate in the direction they wanted. They divined what would happen and made slight changes to get what they wanted.

to realize it. And when fate is written

if I am doing things because some god wants me to or if I make my own decision? How do I know I am not just following some fate or destiny that you created for me, and that this entire conversation is just an attempt to make me do something?” Jake muttered, clearly

try to guide you down some preset path I want you to walk. That isn’t how friendship works. I can give you tips and advice, but I will never tell you what to do. The reason why I gave you Shroud of the

constant spanner in their carefully constructed machine of fate. Every single one of your actions will fuck it up to the level of them not even bothering,”

will piss off a

that bad. Most gods don’t try to mess with fate. Even the powerful ones, such as the Holy Mother, only tend to follow fate and use it as a tool to judge who is worthy of uplifting

to Earth too? Won’t that mean that Eversmile fellow will keep fucking with things there to try and… wait, what does he even want?” A question he should

he is that annoyed at what happened here today. In his mind, it will just spice up whatever insane experiment he has ongoing,” the Viper said with a shrug. “Though

I don’t have any idea what to do with…” Jake sighed as he looked up towards the artificial sun. “It all feels needlessly

Viper couldn’t help but hold back a laugh as

have never cared much for the concepts of fate and destiny. Because the actors that truly matter are unconfined by it, they are the ones who go above and beyond what their destiny has in store. Not a single god has ever been divined to godhood, not one genuinely remarkable being destined to

once divined to die at only D-grade. Tens of times at C-grade. Hundreds after that by seers, soothsayers, augurs. One after another, I shattered their

to keep doing exactly what you already are. Keep telling destiny how much of a little bitch it is, and reach for power that was never fated to be yours. Because fuck fate, fuck destiny. The path you forge is your own, and don’t ever let

a shit about it. You do you, and I think you’ll be just fine. Learn from your mistakes, improve yourself, never be

slight assist from me. Just put William out of your mind and focus on what you need to do.

said, smiling. “Thanks,

what your best-bud-god is

one thing that has been bothering me for a very long time,” Jake said, as he suddenly turned severe. “Don’t you have a