The Primal Hunter

Neil frowned as he listened to the cheers of the many soldiers. The fort’s inhabitants in the courtyard below didn’t join in but instead began getting to work like it was just an everyday occurrence. They gathered their tools and went to fix the walls, with Neil overhearing how they talked about the fight being a bit shorter today than usual.

He and his comrades hadn’t had to interfere at all… in fact, the soldiers won the fight just before they would have to. The timing of the fight ending was so… perfect. What is going on here?

Jake stared into the horizon, towards where the herd had come from. He squinted his eyes, seeing nothing but more hills for hundreds of kilometers. It was sloping slightly downward, making him unable to see as far as he would like.

Something had designed this… he was sure of it. It was too perfect, too convenient.

He gave a signal to Mystie as she began bringing down Lillian and Miranda. Jake himself lowered the mana output on his feet as he also started slowly falling towards the ground.

Jake saw Neil and his party walk over towards their landing position, already talking to a tired-looking Phillip.

“I just feel like this whole ordeal is off; beasts usually don’t act like this,” he said, his companions nodding along. They all felt like things seemed off.

“While I understand that you find the situation suspect, is the situation truly that off? Beasts and monsters all acted unnaturally during the tutorials, and it shouldn’t be that surprising that they act unnaturally out here in the real world too.”

“It was like that because the tutorials were designed to be that way,” Jake butted in, landing right in front of Neil and Phillip.

They both gave him a confused look, Phillip’s gaze being more confused than Neil’s.

“What do you mean by that?” Neil asked, being the first to open his mouth.

“The system designed the tutorials with input from other powerful beings - some tutorials experiencing more input and customization from these entities than others. But they were, in the end, tutorials. Everything was made easier for us in many ways by hampering the enemies we were to face… but this is the real world. If what we face still acts like there is some grand design behind their actions, chances are it is because there is a designer behind them,” Jake explained, dropping knowledge he had learned from Duskleaf and Villy. In retrospect, it was quite the bomb… but Jake hadn't really considered if he should share it.

The two men just stood there staring at him; confused after Jake shared something so massive like it was just common knowledge - both equally critical of his words as they wondered how he knew such things. Assuming they were true, that is.

Jake saw their gazes and honestly didn’t feel like explaining how he was actually good friends with a god, and he had heard this while drinking vodka with him. “Anyway, it means there is someone or something behind this. That is what’s important right now.”

“…Alright, let’s say your theory is correct; why would anyone or anything send these bovines here to be slaughtered?” Phillip asked, clearly really wanting to ask about the tutorial-business but holding himself back.

“I don’t know… but I plan to find out if I’m right,” Jake said, turning to Neil. “Take care of the business here with Miranda. I’ll head out and search for what might be the cause of this.”

He didn’t bother to say anything more as he summoned his two phantasmal wings, much to the fright of Phillip and the other soldiers. A few of them even moved their hands towards their weapons, assuming another enemy had appeared.

Jake didn’t give them time to do anything or adequately process what happened before he, with a great flap, soared into the air. Mystie didn’t bother hiding any longer either, dispelling her invisibility and following Jake. Once again, earning a scared yelp from a few terrified humans.

Miranda turned to Phillip, making a faux apology: “I apologize, the owner is a bit… eccentric, but if he believes there is something off about this entire scenario, then it would only be wise to believe him.”

Miranda and Neil. “What was that business about powerful beings and designed tutorials? The system made the tutorials, and they were

thought it was designed by the system too… but in retrospect, it does make sense,” Neil began. “The tutorial we entered was managed by someone calling himself the Disciple of Kallox, with Kallox being a now-dead space mage that had left his Legacy behind in the tutorial. The entire tutorial was essentially just a tool to find potential inheritors of this

just the setting… you know, the story spun up by the system,” Levi frowned. “Did this Kallox actually exist for real?

show some respect,” Neil said, throwing him a look. Getting a slightly apologetic

listened to them. “Our tutorial was just an overgrown abandoned city with the only objective being to

us of different things at different times, so someone was clearly watching. I assumed

should have done some more information gathering about exactly what type of tutorial everyone experienced. There could be a lot of valuable

will most certainly become a beacon of hope in this new world,” Miquel spoke up, making himself known once more. He hadn’t been useless throughout the fighting but had actually gone around and

there. They had been confined to this fort ever since leaving their tutorials and traveling here.

“Now then, should we continue our discussion behind closed doors once more to find a way for all of you

a nod and a smile as they left for the keep, Phillip throwing out a

they had

Nothing as of yet.

had led its herd from. The path was straightforward to follow, as unsurprisingly, a horde of giant cows

the landscape. Some instinctual knowledge he so far hadn’t had any use for, namely: Hunter’s Tracking. Granted, it didn’t really help much as the

further he got away, the more trails

didn’t he question it as being weird as

knew that apparently, things like the Mystbone or the giant crystal tree on the cloud existed - natural treasures that allowed beasts to progress their levels far faster and reach D-grade before any human

got their tutorials.

intelligence, such as Hawkie or Mystie. It wasn’t a given that becoming D-grade would make a monster intelligent, though. The Roc was pretty dumb, and the Storm Elemental was just… well, an overgrown Cloud

kilometers, Mystie easily keeping up. If Jake had used One Step Mile, he could likely outpace the bird, but flying was better for this kind of scouting.

minor signs of bovines slowly joining the herd as they made their way

would make sense if the Herd Leaders could collect the bovines, with their name heavily implying an ability to lead the

the fort, the terrain finally began to change away from the neverending plains and resemble…

what looked like buildings off in the distance and motioned for Mystie to follow him. He saw that

this answers some questions about what happened to farm animals after the system came, he thought, when he arrived, flying

looked like a tornado had gone through. Magic had washed over the world, and the cattle had suddenly gained strength and levels beyond anything before. Maybe they had stayed put for a while, but

Pylon on the first day after returning to Earth. Maybe they were out feeding

more closely. He didn’t see any

clear aggression shown towards the facility itself. It was needlessly broken, as the escaped cattle appeared

went to the central house… and he didn’t even need to get close before a faint scent entered his nose. One he

lived. Jake saw a few bloodstains on the door hanging limply from its broken hinges, and the upper part of the

to inspect them further. Something felt… off about them. His tracking skill was active, but he didn’t need it

Only two hoofprints.