The Primal Hunter

It had all started four days prior.

The house's construction was pretty much done, and Hank was considering making some simple pieces of furniture. They also had a sit-down to talk about plans to make a few more buildings elsewhere for themselves.

That is when Miranda got pinged by her skill that others had entered the Pylon of Civilization’s area of influence. Other humans. She was immediately filled with a paradoxical feeling of both concern and anticipation.

Concern about how many they were, their intentions, and their strength, and anticipation at the potential of having more citizens join the city. Maybe begin to actually to make it worthy of being called a city.

She notified Hank and the kids as they talked over what to do.

“Louise and Mark should go hide in the cellar of the house,” Hank started out with. At Miranda’s request, the cellar was rather well hidden, and you wouldn’t find its entrance without looking around for it. Which is to say they had put the pelt of an animal over the hatch.

“Not going to happen,” Louise said adamantly. “We both evolved too. If they want a fight, let’s give them one!”

“We should avoid fighting if we can. No matter how strong or how many there are,” Miranda sighed as she tried to calm down the fired-up Louise. The system clearly hadn't fixed the illogical mind of the young woman.

“I don’t want to hide either,” Mark said a bit meekly.

Hank chose to concede as they quite frankly didn’t have time for the discussion right now. “Fine, but no fighting unless absolutely necessary. And keep quiet.”

They spoke a bit more, all gathered around the house still, as they waited for the arrival of whoever was to come. The skill Miranda had that made her aware they were here did nothing more than that. It just gave her a vague feeling that someone had entered.

Not how many, not how strong, or where they were now. Miranda wasn’t even sure if she could feel it if they left the area again. So all they could do was to wait in trepidation.

Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, they didn’t have to wait long before someone arrived.

A hooded figure was hiding at the entrance to the valley and peeked out from behind a rock.

She saw the four people there, in front of a wooden lodge. The large bearded man with an axe over his shoulder, a woman, a young man, and a young woman all wearing robes. Two casters and a healer from what she could tell.

A quick Identify of all four showed that none of them were overly high leveled while they were all E-grade. The woman and the man being the highest leveled individuals at 33 and 34 respectively.

She quickly retreated to her group, waiting a few hundred meters away at a small clearing within the forest. As she walked out from behind a tree, exiting stealth, the group turned towards her, a young man in the lead.

“That was fast. Did you find anything?” he asked with a slight smile.

His face was pale, and his eyes seemed a bit listless despite his smile. He was wearing a robe with golden runes and a small chain around his neck, with the necklace itself hidden beneath his robes. But even with his weak appearance, she knew that he was by far the strongest in their party.

They were a group of five that had met and survived the tutorial together - from level 0 to where they were today without losing a single member.

The party consisted of herself, Eleanor, the archer of the group. Next was their defender, Christen, the only other woman on the team. She was currently sitting in a chainmail set resting against a log with their healer Silas tending to a large wound on her stomach - a particularly nasty one that was resisting his healing quite effectively.

was Levi, their weird magic swordsman who didn’t quite fit into a role. He was initially a medium warrior but began picking up more magic skills and eventually evolved into

more accurately recently, space magic. Displacement, teleportation, whatever the hell

else. They have constructed a lodge in the valley, and from the looks of it, know that we are here. At least they are on guard,” she

there any clue as to

wore the standard caster robe from the tutorial.

the answer. “This doesn’t make any sense. Why

single monster or beast since coming here?” Levi theorized. “Perhaps we are within

aren’t a threat,” the

this point, I don’t think we have much choice. Even if there is truly nothing here, we should have created a lot of distance between them and us,” Neil said, a bit

particular item in his possession. Teleported a vast distance, likely hundreds if not thousands of kilometers. This wasn’t the first teleport either, but one of many they had been forced to perform ever since

on her back. If Jake were here, he would recognize the quiver as identical to his own. Also upgraded to uncommon-rarity

had gear at a level Jake hadn’t encountered on anyone except himself. Not a single one of them was wearing their starting gear, and those that were had upgraded versions. More surprising

at 48, Silas and Levi both at 47, and herself lowest at only 45. She said ‘only,’ but that was only in

she stood up. Silas just shook his head as he wasn’t entirely done healing the wound yet. Then again,

walked through the narrow passage leading into the valley. The first sight meeting them was the idyllic lodge positioned right next to

own. And a quick glance

other for a while

he said with a light smile. “We come in peace. So no reason to be that tense, I would just like to ask a few questions, and then we will be

would be more than happy to,”

is up with this place? The absence of monsters

nudging at Hank. “As for the particularities of this place, while we have

“Lie,” Silas interrupted.

in the second sentence,” Neil chuckled. “For transparency, my friend here happens to

of her plans for this interaction. That is already calculating in the fact that they were at a level of

of this land. The lodge behind me is also built for

you say. Who might

to me,” she answered, praising the fact that she had forgotten to ask his name time and time again. “What I do know is that he

makes you think this mysterious owner

power also making me doubtful of his humanity, to begin with,” she said, expanding on her prior

asked, a bit

not at all. It just returned a

rewarded him the object

bottom

four days back or so. We don’t know to where. But I believe he will return within the next three to four days due to it

very purposefully tried to make her answers fulfilling to avoid too many follow-up questions. She wanted to, at all cost, avoid any

is?” Neil asked as he looked to

make me not tell you out of fear he will retaliate when he returns,” Hank cut in once more. Giving an answer way better