The Primal Hunter

For hours he had tried to ignore her while working. Hours he had endured that piercing stare. It was far more unsettling than some dungeon boss staring him down. Jake felt like his every action was judged and evaluated. He had endured it… but it was just too much.

He hated whenever people did that. It was why open-concept offices were the spawn of the devil himself. Who the hell could concentrate with someone staring at them covertly, or worse, sitting in plain fucking view staring...

What the hell, woman, was all he could think. He had managed to do alchemy as most of it was routine by now, but even then, he had failed far more than before. His mana practice was just damn impossible; it even took him a few seconds to coat his feet in mana to walk on water.

So he prepared himself to confront the woman. To make her quit whatever she was doing. To give her a piece of his mind about how the hell she had been raised not to know staring at people was rude. So with full gusto, he appeared before her, ready to lay into her.

“Could you stop staring?”

Mission successfully failed. Jake felt that he had just made the situation 100 times worse. Worse yet, the woman just kept staring up at him, like a deer caught in the headlights - like a child caught doing something wrong.

“I… I didn’t mean to…” Miranda stammered, trying to explain herself.

Jake, at this point, was too embarrassed to think clearly either. The entire thing was just too damn awkward. But who the hell told her to stare at him for literal hours?

Miranda was the first to collect herself as she managed to string together a sentence: “I just wanted to see your crafting… it was very inspiring.”

Having a point of conversation to jump into, Jake also calmed himself. Be professional, he told himself as he answered.

“If you have any questions, just ask instead of silently staring. It is counterproductive for both of us.”

What Jake didn’t know at this moment was the floodgate he had just opened. Miranda’s eyes brightened as she began her barrage of questions.

“Can you tell me the profession used to make potions? It’s a profession, right? And what is that telekinetic skill? Is that part of your class or profession? Water walking? Also, the pot-like thing, is that specific to making potions? What does it do? And where did you get the ingredients? Oh and…”

Miranda had spent the last few hours wondering all these things and so much more. She couldn’t understand how she, out of a crowd of thousands, hadn’t seen a single profession that could create potions like the masked man's. All his skills were just too out of the ordinary.

Jake took a deep breath as he motioned for her just to follow him. Might as well just sate her curiosity. Going to the edge of the pond, she nervously yet enthusiastically followed. Taking out two chairs from his spatial storage, he couldn’t help but think about how this was the first time he had needed to summon two pieces of furniture. How he had never had anyone to sit with outside of gods. Maybe it would be nice to have a conversation with someone that wasn’t himself...

Of course, him not just summoning ingredients but freaking chairs only made Miranda all the more interested. Sitting down in the chair, she couldn’t help herself feeling it out, just to make sure it was actually a real physical object.

Looking out over the pond, Jake felt himself relax a bit. It was weird how nerve-wracking he found it to engage with another human compared to fighting monsters.

“One question at a time,” he said, still staring out on the water.

“How do you make potions?” Miranda asked, just rehashing the questions she rapid-fired earlier.

“Alchemist profession. Allows me to make potions along with a bunch of other things.”

“How did you get such a profession?” she asked, frowning. She knew what an alchemist was before the system, but only surface-level - something about pursuing immortality and turning lead to gold.

“Do you know what challenge dungeons are? Or just dungeons in general?”

“No to both. What are they?”

“Separate spaces that you enter through portals. In my tutorial, most of the powerful enemies were found within those. Also, while I can’t speak for every type of dungeon, you receive rewards upon completing the dungeon,” Jake explained.

The thought of not sharing information didn’t occur to him. While there were many things he wouldn’t share, this kind of knowledge would only help others strive. Besides, everyone would learn it in time as it was considered common knowledge that even young children knew in the rest of the multiverse.

“Fascinating… I take it you have completed some of these dungeons?”

“Yeah, a few. To answer your earlier question, my profession was gained through a challenge dungeon, with it being both a requirement and a part of the reward for doing it.”

unique circumstances, I can understand why I haven’t encountered one before,” she nodded. “But how did you come across these dungeons? Were they part of the trials

confused as he turned to her. “What

were there

Jake had heard from his colleagues earlier about the different tutorials and even recognized a few things she said. It appears that Mike had been in the same

heard Jake talk about how Jake’s had been a forest filled with beasts, she was more than a little surprised. Hers had been known as a ‘creation’ type tutorial, while Jake’s had been a

a lot about different classes and professions, and he hadn’t even heard of the so-called ‘social’

was a builder, and Louise had some kind of artist profession. Out of everyone, she was clearly the one least focused on hers, and she had apparently gotten it through drawing a

a lot of common knowledge. She learned about standard terms such as the different grades and, of course of dungeons and skills. He

just a few months ago. Now I am sitting in the

damn mask. Once more, he had forgotten that he even had it on. It was just too damn sneaky. Who the hell designed a mask you couldn’t see

just unable to be seen by anyone. Even the Viper had confirmed that while he

had been looking at him all this time and was startled as the mask suddenly was just gone. Equally surprising

look, couldn’t help but ask a bit

I expected, at least. The eyes made me expect something quite a bit different,” Miranda answered, chuckling. Jake really did look far too normal for a masked savior that could teleport

see.” Of course, Jake had noticed that his eyes had changed quite a bit after he got Gaze of the Apex Hunter. Not that he had anything against it. Even if it looked a bit weird at first sight, the power of the skill

it a

good one. How about that mind-affecting

don’t even notice when I’m using it! It says that it only makes me appear more trustworthy, and I am so

anyway,” he interrupted, laughing it off. “Takes a lot more than that to affect me. It’s actually good practice when it comes to sensing and adapting to it. By all means,

she had built-up had disappeared. But,

He couldn’t help but wonder

was afraid I was unable to detect it if there was. I bought a skill to defend

did. That appears to be one shared commonality. Besides

the six other factions, but out of a hundred thousand on our side, I think we lost nearly ten thousand. You mentioned that your

Jake said, Miranda

hundred? How

One. As in

few seconds, while Jake tried to

but four others also made it in the end. They did

that even possible? Were those beasts

I am not entirely sure about everything that happened. However, some psychopath ended up killing everyone but himself and me towards

do that… what happened

killed him,” Jake

must have been terrible. Having to kill another person…”

explained: “It was

had forgotten that it was still only three months since the system arrived. While humans adapted quickly, it wasn’t that quick. The act of killing other

surprisingly even to himself, wasn't very averse to it. An enemy was an enemy, after all. He knew he

murders like it was no big deal made Miranda shirk back a little.

wrong?” he asked

Miranda apologized yet again for

get it,” he said, scratching his

she collected herself and

you planning on doing with us?” she asked, having reached a conclusion wildly

why Jake would just confess to it was that he wasn’t planning on letting them go. She couldn’t comprehend any other reason

would have reacted differently. But he talked of it like it

have such a long pleasant

here? I don’t plan on doing anything with you? What?” Jake exclaimed, now wholly dumbfounded. She looked at him like

response not what she expected either. He seemed genuinely confused. Either he was the most talented actor she had ever