The Primal Hunter

Meditating on the small island of clouds sat Jake with the hawk lying beside him, wings out to its side. It hadn’t even bothered to perch itself on the crystal tree behind them, too exhausted to care about its dignity.

Jake had used Identify on it on their way to their little island and seen that their struggles had paid off for the bird. It had gained yet another level in only one fight.

[Galesong Hawk – lvl 92]

He, too, had gotten plenty of gains. Not counting the sheer satisfaction he earned from the first excellent fight after exiting the tutorial, of course. By looking through the notifications, he had also managed to land himself another level.

*You have slain [Flare Crow – lvl 92] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level*

*You have slain [Flare Crow – lvl 95] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level*

*You have slain [Flare Crow – lvl 94] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level*

*You have slain [Cloud Elemental – lvl 99] – Bonus experience earned for killing an enemy above your level*

*’DING!’ Class: [Ambitious Hunter] has reached level 86 - Stat points allocated, +4 free points*

*’DING!’ Race: [Human (E)] has reached level 78 - Stat points allocated, +5 free points*

The level was unexpected as he had just gotten one in the fight before it. Then again, he was still quite a few levels lower than the ones he fought. Even if his experience was lessened due to fighting with the hawk and the damage the crows had already done to the elemental before they interfered.

He also had to remember his Mark of the Ambitious Hunter, increasing his experience when fighting enemies above his own level. As always, he used the skill almost instinctually on any target he faced. He felt a bit bad to admit it, but upon meeting Hawkie for the first time, he had marked it.

Closing the menus, he chose to focus on recovery for now. The flames were extinguished with the death of the crows, but his body was still a mess. He'd lost more health than he had thought, and his stamina and mana reserves were also severely drained.

After waiting a while longer, he opened his eyes and drank a healing potion. He also placed a healing, stamina, and mana potion by his side for Hawkie to take. He wasn’t afraid of it drinking all three at once as even beasts innately knew not to.

Meditating once more, he felt the hawk open its eyes a few minutes in and take the healing potion, as it had also clearly lost quite a few health points during the fight.

The brief respite continued for a few hours as he downed a few more potions, and Hawkie finished off all three of its brews meanwhile. Both back in near top form, he turned to the hawk with a questioning gaze.

“Ready to go again?”

It looked at him for a moment before shaking its head. Jake was confused but saw its look turn towards the ground far below them. That is when he remembered the hawk’s tendency to leave every day for a few hours.

What it did, he could only speculate on. He wanted to follow, but every time it had denied him. And he wasn’t curious enough to ruin their partnership to discover its secret.

Today too, it motioned for him not to follow. He just nodded in acknowledgment and said:

remain here then. I assume

brief nod and an annoyed gust of wind,

off as he saw the hawk jump off the cloud and soar downwards. As it disappeared from sight, he too got up and summoned his wings. Hunting with the hawk was safer and

Cloud Elementals were perfect just for that. An adolescent part of him also immensely enjoyed the fact that each of them turned into a small orb of condensed cloud-mana when they died. It felt like he was getting loot from his hunts. Loot that was useless to him currently,

have any use for. Two different kinds of water with a magical affinity, just to mention

up three bolts. The poor Cloud Elemental didn’t

reading a system panel that was part of her profession as Principal City Lord. Before the profession, the system had been minimal with giving

be given upon getting it. This profession, however, was different. The knowledge it came with directly was minimal, and instead, it opened

panels that she had specific new skills related to. Other panels she felt were there but

her the day before to talk over the new city-system, the young man showing much vigor, to begin with. However, that vigor quickly

could create things like she was in a real-time strategy game. The reality, however, was far more disappointing.

to create the city. If not, what would be the

the many panels of information, however - conclusions she could reach from the pure conjecture of

many individuals she met during the tutorial, she had never heard of that before. Then again, trading and bartering wasn’t exactly a practice she saw anyone engage in. It was viewed as shameful to try and take advantage of others in

came to understand more of another part of the system. Credits or System Credits being one such thing. A currency used by the system, given to everyone in the tutorial, with excess tutorial points remaining after buying rewards

buy something for their exact number of points, everyone had to have at least some credits. The thing is… the credits were indeed just a currency. They

away from being bound to the value of gold and was before the system more digital than ever. As

every single country and government, so had that illusion of money collapsed. Paper money now worth nothing more than the paper it was printed on.

kind of trading. It was a guarantor far more reliable

a part of the system itself, it couldn’t as easily be stolen. There was no bank account to hack or financial system to exploit. However, she was sure that someone

- told her of how insignificant Earth was in the vast multiverse. How they were just fledglings before a world larger than they could possibly comprehend at their

to exploit the system’s currency was a given. But a part of her made her want not to try for fear of retaliation from the system itself. She still wasn’t quite sure if it held any kind of ego or not, especially

It was describing the possibility of taxation in a city. Several types of taxation, none of which she had unlocked

was a bit funny. To tax a ‘city’ consisting of one in-progress lodge, a bunch of trees, and two chairs. Oh, and a waterfall and pond that she naturally would have to charge a special tax to

much to take in. So far, Miranda felt like she barely scratched the surface and hadn’t really used any of her new skills quite yet. Only to

universe. They allowed access to so many systems, and there was even a whole ‘diplomacy’ tab that was still

gone through the current menus she could see, and most of

City Overview

City name: N/A

Population: 4

City Owner: [?]

City Lord: Miranda Wells

City Tier: Earl

population only showed 4 as, for some reason, the system didn’t count the masked man. She knew he was the

the part about City Tier was at least a bit informative. From the owner, she received the title of Nobility: Viscount. So her guess was that his current title had to be Nobility: Earl. Not that she had any idea

of the city. It was rather bare, too, just showing the area affected by the Pylon. It was a handful of kilometers in each direction from the Pylon, 200 meters up, and a hundred meters down.

she was really looking forward to