The Primal Hunter

Jake had selected the only thing possible, and a new menu popped up, finally giving him a better idea of what the event was all about and how it would work.

System-tier event: Path of Myriad Choices.

Simulation Description: The participant will be shown a minimum of two and a maximum of six choices made prior that significantly impacted their current Path. This simulation allows the participant to see a potential reality wherein that choice was not made. Dependent on the results of the simulation, the participant may be offered rewards related to the actions of the simulacrum of the participant during the simulation. The scope and length of all simulations vary but shall never simulate past current Realtime.

Note that no actions can be performed during the simulation outside of observing or ending the simulation. Only one choice can be selected.

Rewards may or may not be gained from this event. All participants are encouraged to take inspiration from the simulacrum and a potential other Path than that which they currently walk.

Initiate Path of Myriad Choices?

Y/N

Jake read the description carefully before entering. The Watcher had not given much information, but this sure shed some light on things. It truly was a simulation, and considering the system-tier event tag, Jake reckoned that the simulation would not be anything simple.

It seemed insane to think that the system would more or less create an entirely different world and show it to the participants. How much had to go into that? And how accurate could it be? Jake was sure as hell curious as he accepted the prompt.

Instantly, changes happened. Within the whiteness, four scenes appeared out of nothing, simply existing there in the space contained within rooms of sorts. One of the “rooms,” if it was even correct to call it that, was of himself walking through a dark tunnel. Jake instantly recognized it as the one he had found during the Tutorial after splitting up with his colleagues.

The one leading to the Challenge Dungeon.

The second scene was one that came quite a lot later. It showed Jake and the King of the Forest standing before one another. It was before the fight had begun.

But… from there, it got weird. The two other scenes were not at all what Jake expected. The first one was of him standing before his compound bow back in his parent’s old house. He was a teenager back then and had big dreams of going pro with his archery, and from the looks of it, this was before his accident. Back then, he ended up tearing several tendons, suffered severe damage to his shoulder, and was told by a doctor that he could no longer practice for over a year. That had made the dream impossible as it put him out of the competition for so long and had resulted in Jake studying more and ultimately going to university.

The fourth scene was something Jake did not get at all. He didn’t even remember it. It showed who he assumed to be himself standing in the entryway of a house Jake barely remembered as being the one his parents used to own. The one they moved out of when he was five years old to get closer to a better school and for his dad’s job.

Jake in the scene was nothing but a toddler - less than three years old for sure, as his mother was heavily pregnant with Caleb. Jake was clearly throwing a tantrum in the scene, and his father and mother were frantically trying to calm him down as his grandmother, who had probably come to babysit, stood confused in the doorway.

I don’t get it, Jake thought as he looked at it. What choice did he make back then? Sure, he kind of understood the others, but what decisions could a damn toddler make? Luckily for him, the system of the Seat had more options available. He saw that four options had appeared before him, each with a small description attached. Treating it like a skill choice, he started from the top.

Choice 1: Turning back and never entering the Tutorial Challenge Dungeon, resulting in you never meeting your Patron god or obtaining your current profession.

See preview?

This one was straightforward, and Jake pressed the “see preview” button with interest.

The moment he did so, the entire world around him changed. Jake watched himself stand in the dark tunnel before cursing, shaking his head, and turning around.

Jake looking at Jacob and the others in Richard’s camp. Jake kept an eye on them and noticed William

an arrow through the head of Richard, killing him. He saw himself

moments before the Tutorial ended. A brief flash was of him standing with more of his old

Jake making it to Skyggen, meeting his parents, and formally joining the Court of Shadows, also making it clear Jake had accepted the Blessing of Umbra. It showed him and his brother hunting through several flashes, them fighting beasts

scenes. The entire thing had taken only a minute or two and shown Jake snippets, but damn, was it interesting. So many things

on it too long, he saw the

of the Forest but bow out and leave the Tutorial there and then, thus not ending the reign of the King of

See preview?

more boring than the old one. It was just Jake leaving the Tutorial and many of the same things happening as before,

later, gotten fewer levels from the looks of it, and had just been far less impressive. Haven was also

only result of not fighting the King would be Jake not becoming a Progenitor and being far weaker. He would

the Sword Saint fight

Yeah, fuck that.

Next option.

instead stay home, thus never suffering

See preview?

a few flashes of Jake doing archery, him standing with a trophy, him in an entirely different Tutorial – one with Caleb also in it. Jake saw a brief flash of himself standing before what he assumed to be Umbra, but her form was obscured. It showed him becoming the Judge and

happened, but one of them more than anything else. It showed Jake killing Bertram before forcing Jacob into

him fighting the Sword Saint, but the moment the man realized his Transcendence, Jake was demolished and saw himself be saved as several members of the Court gave their lives

teaming up with the Sword Saint and fighting the King of the Forest, who stood side by side with William of all

…

as he stood there and stared as the scenes still

seriously, what the fuck did he actually just watch? There were so many things to take in. Him the Judge of the Court and, from the looks of it, an utter beast with the bow. Sadly Jake saw no details, just clips, the Seat not giving away any juicy stuff, just showing possibilities. Fighting Jacob and the

it an attractive option. To see the possibilities of mixing dark magic and archery. There was the issue of Jake being pretty damn committed to his arcane affinity by now,

to give the fourth

your parents and choosing

See preview?

instantly remembered that day as the first scene played out. It was odd he remembered with Jake still too young to truly form memories back then, but now he remembered it clear as day.

parents were leaving to go to a hospital check-up for his mom. Jake had gotten a horrible gut feeling when they were about to leave and had stopped them by throwing such a large tantrum, so they had to stay and reschedule. It was something Jake did not

began, he realized it

his parents leave after only a bit of placating. The next scene was of Jake at a funeral - the next of him living with his grandparents, who soon passed away also. Then a foster home, another foster home… the scenes just kept changing rapidly as all that stayed constant was

in his early teenage years standing over a body. The next of him with a knife covered

nothing made sense until it reached a scene where he finally saw something familiar. The same Tutorial Caleb had gone to and one Jake had also been participating in during the third

Jake could not recognize him. Moreover, there was no bow to be seen anywhere. This version of himself was so different from who

prematurely, shortly after Jake entered the Tutorial, showing him fighting

a moment to process everything. Because damn, was there a lot. Watching a movie of yourself doing things you have never done was just fucking weird,

to form an idea of what it was about. Jake considered all four of them and quickly

Jake doing much of the same but without poison and with more dark magic. It did have the bonus of Jake spending more time with family, but… that wasn’t exactly something Jake could learn from. Okay,