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.”

through such 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 or in the city

exclaimed, confused as he turned to her.

were there

compared notes a bit. 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 tutorial as these four. Granted, it was

tutorials existed. When she 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

Jake learned a lot about different classes and professions, and he hadn’t even heard

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

lot of common knowledge. She learned about standard terms such as the different grades and, of course of dungeons and skills. He didn’t share anything to do

I worked in a manufacturing plant just a few months ago. Now I am sitting in the middle of a forest with a masked stranger,” she laughed after

that he even had it on. It was just too damn sneaky. Who the hell designed a mask you

it was still there, just unable to be seen by anyone. Even the Viper

been looking at him all this time and was startled as the mask suddenly was just

look, couldn’t help but ask a bit self-consciously, “…What is

more… normal – more normal than I expected, at least. The eyes made me expect something quite a bit different,” Miranda answered, chuckling. Jake

if it looked a bit

it a skill?” she

and quite a good one. How about that mind-affecting aura of yours? A

I’m using it! It says that

than that to affect me. It’s actually good practice when it comes to sensing

all the goodwill she had built-up had

help but wonder if people would have to explain stuff like that in the future… or how such

it if there was. I bought a skill to defend myself against mental attacks

did. That appears to be one shared commonality. Besides the high death

but out of a hundred thousand on our side, I think we lost nearly ten thousand. You mentioned that your tutorial had

Jake said, Miranda instantly

Only a hundred? How can

One. As in

a few seconds, while Jake tried to

others also made it in the end. They

that even possible? Were those beasts that

ended up killing everyone but himself and me towards the end,” Jake sighed, still remembering the terrible

that… what happened

killed him,” Jake explained

kill another person…” Miranda said, looking horrified

her feelings, explained: “It was fine; it’s not like he

sure as hell didn’t work. Jake had forgotten that it was still only three months since the system arrived. While

the other hand, Jake had begun to accept it as just another reality of the multiverse. While he wouldn’t go out of his way to kill humans, he, surprisingly even to himself, wasn't very averse to it. An enemy was an enemy, after all.

admit to multiple murders like it was no big

asked

am sorry if…” Miranda apologized yet again for reasons Jake

don’t get it,” he said, scratching his

until she collected herself and raised her

planning on doing with us?” she asked, having

wasn’t planning on letting them go. She couldn’t comprehend any other reason

talked of it like it was just a minor

To have such a long pleasant conversation just to show his fangs. Was it some kind of

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

Either he was the most talented actor she had ever seen, or