The Primal Hunter

What the actual fuck, Jake thought as William finally started stringing together sentences more than a few words long. He began to explain what he had done since returning from the Tutorial, and it all just felt so odd to hear.

Right after returning, he had met up with the psychiatrist – not a psychologist, Jake still kinda didn’t know the difference – as well as her child. They had then set off, and William had leveled, gotten a Pylon, and done all that one would expect someone to do in the early days of the system.

Besides going to the first World Congress, that is. Both because William did not want to go, but his Master had also discouraged it.

From that first mention of his Master, Jake began to notice the pattern.

William had then kept doing what he did, and… well, he had done a lot more than Jake knew. He had met with Reika and talked to her while she made her way to Haven. He had met Sultan at some point too, and he had even met Jacob several times. As for what he had done with them? Well… asked them questions and talked to them or something like that?

Jake asked why he did what he did, and his answer was consistent. It was what his Master had recommended. Not even William knew the purpose of much of what he did; he was effectively just reading a script. As time went on, it also sounded like he started to question Eversmile less and less.

The Treasure Hunt? His Master had also told him going to that was a bad idea and that it would be better to head for where Jake and Caleb’s parents lived to learn more about Jake.

Second World Congress? William had considered going, but his Master had once more said it would be a waste of time.

William had also helped Ell’Hakan by proxy as he helped awaken memories in beasts. Why he had done this, the young man admitted he didn’t know. He said as much quite clearly, yet one thing lacked. There was no real questioning anymore, just an admittance he didn’t know.

He also mentioned the nightmares. From the time William had nearly died while killing Richard, he had suffered from nightmares whenever he slept and even sometimes while he meditated. After Jake had killed him for real, the nightmares had only gotten worse, and Jake was apparently the primary topic of these nightmares.

So that explained why the PTSD just kept trucking along and seemed to not get better even with a professional like Ms. Kim around. Oh yeah, William talked about Ms. Kim a lot. Enough for Jake to feel weird about it.

The final thing that really put the nail in the coffin was the Myriad Paths event. His Master had said that William already knew his Path and didn’t need it. It was with this last one Jake especially caught on. That he truly took note of the one commonality in all of William’s horrible decisions after the Tutorial.

“Holy shit,” Jake said after William was done talking. By now, he had taken a seat on a stone with William having barely moved besides shifting his feet here and there.

One thing was clear from all of this. Clear to Jake, but not William, that is.

Eversmile, William’s Master, did not actually give a shit about William or his progress in the slightest. No, that wasn’t even right. It was more than that. Eversmile had been actively handicapping William for some inexplicable reason, and Jake had no idea why.

“Did you never stop to think for yourself for a single second?” Jake asked William. While William was a naïve moron, the young man had not given Jake the impression he was a complete idiot. Was the fact that he was being fucked over not evident enough?

William seemed confused by the question. At this point, Jake’s annoyance at encountering the young man had nearly been entirely replaced with curiosity to figure out what the hell was going on. Almost. He also wasn’t quite at the stage where pity became a thing.

“Eversmile, or Master as you call him, is clearly the reason why you can’t advance in your Path,” Jake easily concluded. “Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you? He has been cutting off your legs beneath you at every turn to handicap you. Jeez, how blind are you?”

“I… Master is the only reason I even made it as far as I did and-“ William tried to argue, actually showing a bit of spirit.

“Bull-fucking-shit,” Jake scoffed. “Who the hell can’t evolve to C-grade with the kind of start you got, being blessed by a Primordial and all that? Shit, even without the events, you should have been able to. Think for just a single second here. If your dear Master guided you so thoroughly, then why are you still stuck? Why is the Path he has shown you not one that works? I would begin to question my GPS if it made me drive into a wall.”

William did not answer but just looked confused. He also looked up for the first time, made eye contact with Jake, and promptly proceeded to look back down. In that brief second that they exchanged glances, what Jake saw in William’s eyes surprised him a bit. There was only fear and what Jake could almost describe as hopelessness.

and more or less retired, with no desire to really do anything, and approached everything half-heartedly. Yet he had bounced back. Even now, he was

to Nevermore? What did you gain from

would need it…” William

Jake just sighed again.

know, I asked the Viper if I should maybe head to Nevermore. Wanna hear what he said? That the only reason one would go to Nevermore in D-grade was if one didn’t think they would make it to C-grade, had no true confidence in their ability to compete as a C-grade, or because they were fanatics part of the Primordial Church that went there for scholarly reasons or whatever. I, of course, asked why, and he explained that Nevermore has a few rules and restrictions. Due to this, then while one can enter at D-grade, it is smarter to wait for C-grade. Also, one can enter some competition or leaderboard or something

“Master never

simple: because it is a bloody dumb idea,” Jake reiterated. “You are aware I have been outside of the universe. I spent months at a time away. Why would I not have

kept quiet as

real nightmare since the system arrived, and you know why that was? Because Eversmile was the one

the same question from before: did you ever stop to fucking think? Why did my Patron recommend going? Why did Valhal, the Court of Shadows, Holy Church, or every single faction with just a fraction of knowledge of the multiverse put such importance on these events? Because they do matter. It isn’t about having found your Path or not; it is about the sheer amount and level

so many resources to revive me? Why bless me? Why spend so much time just to harm me? What could he possibly gain from me not

is a scientist who just does shit to see what happens. But I do know why he wanted

of this “feature” of the system events, such as Jacob when he warned Casper about the planned attack of the Holy

restricts all outside connections during these events, including divine ones. While in the World Congress or Treasure Hunt or whatever, you can’t talk to them, and more importantly, you can’t be influenced by them,” Jake explained. “So that

spoken to William. The two of them had been there for some time, and that seemed to have attracted the attention of a certain Unique Lifeform. The King had appeared from below the ledge close by

yes. I observed him too for a while until he met his end to you. How does he even live? All I remember was seeing him die, and then I was unable to observe the area for

Jake despite clearly not caring much about the young metal mage. Jake did not want to explain either but just gave the cliff notes. “Killed by me, resurrected by a Primordial who loves karmic magic, and now it looks like the disciple of the karmic fucker has become the

some things,” the

what?” Jake

King pointed out, his interest in the conversation waning

does seem like an entirely different person, and not only in a positive way. He is like a

not argue any of this as he just looked to be deep in thought. Jake decided to change the topic a bit as he pointed to the knocked-out nahoom on

him out, but why did you do

Phantom Devourer towards this mountain range, and I helped bring together some powerful beasts

seemed interested again. “You work with those annoyances? Explains why they came together if a third

to the nahoom,” Jake said. “Why knock

didn’t want him to know

asking was not necessarily why you stopped him from observing but why you knocked him out. Not to unnecessarily bring up the

try not to kill…” William said. “Ms. Kim said that taking a life needs to be a deeply considered action,

know, considering you have been fucked over by your so-called Master so badly, I could just do you a favor and end you here and now? That is one way to

actually looked like he seriously considered it for

promised Ms. Kim…” William said in a meek

renounced your Blessing yet. Pretty sure I would feel that, so what is

helped me so much, spent ages teaching me karmic magic, guided me, given me tips and advice, and you say

it,”

one good reason! Why use the Leaf of Yggrasil, why give me a powerful weapon, why help me find the people I wanted to find after

answer but bit onto something towards

“Bloodline?” Jake asked, confused.