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.”

sighed with defeat, asking both Miranda and Neil. “What was that business about powerful beings and designed tutorials? The system made the tutorials, and they were managed by that humanoid

managed by someone calling himself the Disciple of Kallox,

Levi frowned. “Did this Kallox actually exist for real? Did you actually accept some inheritance from a dead

throwing him a look. Getting a slightly apologetic “sorry” back from Levi, who backed

he listened to them. “Our tutorial was just an overgrown abandoned city with the only objective being to survive. We didn’t meet any living beings that weren’t monsters trying

us either… but there were huge message boards with writing on them informing us of different things at different times, so someone was clearly watching. I assumed it was just the system doing it… but it may as well have been creatures from other universes,”

should have done some more information gathering about exactly what type of tutorial

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 was borderline no resistance to leaving… in fact, most wanted out of there. They had been confined to this fort ever since leaving their tutorials and traveling here. But at the same time,

“Now then, should we continue our discussion behind closed doors once more to

a smile as they left for the keep, Phillip throwing out a few last-minute orders to

on her, their gazes showing signs of hope as they had

Nothing as of yet.

its herd from. The path was

flew across 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

Most of them were, in fact. The further he got away, the more trails he found, as

they came from the same general area every day… how the hell didn’t he question it as being weird as fuck? Did he really think that the system is still helping

did have more knowledge than others. He knew that apparently, things like the Mystbone or the giant crystal tree on the

lucky beasts that encountered these treasures more than the humans who got their tutorials.

such as Hawkie or Mystie. It wasn’t a given that becoming D-grade would make a monster intelligent,

forward for many 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

paths. He saw more minor signs of bovines slowly joining the herd as they made their way towards the fort, likely called there by the Herd Leader or whatever was

the Herd Leaders could collect the bovines, with their name

the fort, the terrain finally began to change away from

what looked like buildings off in the distance and motioned for Mystie to follow him. He saw that the more extensive trail was leading on forward, but a small path was pointing towards the

after the system came, he thought, when he arrived, flying over the large estate and inspected

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

he thought about it, the plains outside were filled with bovines when he made his way towards the Pylon on the first day after returning

barns, he entered it and began looking around the area more closely. He didn’t see any blood stains or signs of fighting, so it appeared the

appeared to have gone out of their way

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

door hanging limply from its broken hinges, and the upper

what looked like hooves at the entrance, and he knelt down to inspect them further. Something felt… off about them. His tracking skill was active, but

Only two hoofprints.