The Primal Hunter Chapter 3 - The Tutorial Commences

Jake felt as though he had simply blinked, only to find himself in a completely different location. Aside from the system notification, there was no transition—no sense of being pulled through space or time. He had just... arrived.

He was standing in a room, though that word felt like a massive understatement. It was colossal. While he could see a ceiling above him, the far-off walls were barely visible in the distance. A massive circular light was embedded in the roof, serving as an artificial sun for the space.

The entire area followed a circular, dome-like architecture. Jake stood atop a gargantuan pillar, one of many stretching out across the horizon.

Looking down where a floor should be, he saw a dense, sprawling forest extending in every direction. None of the trees reached the top of his perch. It wasn't that the trees were small—some appeared to be over a hundred meters tall—it was simply that the pillar itself was monstrously high.

Just as he began to wonder if he had been abandoned by the system, the familiar window and voice returned.

Welcome to the tutorial

A warm sensation washed through his body as a secondary notification chimed.

Title earned: [Forerunner of the New World]

A title? Jake figured this was something granted to everyone, and he quickly checked the details.

[Forerunner of the New World] – Complete the introduction and enter the tutorial as a forerunner of the New World. +3 all stats. Grants the skill: [Endless Tongues of the Myriad Races (Unique)].

Receiving an immediate +3 bonus to all stats was a welcome surprise, likely causing the warm glow he had just felt. He wasn't entirely sure how significant the stat boost was yet, but the skill was much easier to understand.

[Endless Tongues of the Myriad Races (Unique)] - Allows you to communicate with the myriad races throughout the multiverse. A unique skill granted for free to the forerunners of a newly initiated race.

This skill apparently enabled communication with other species. He wondered if it applied to writing as well as speech, but focusing on the skill provided no further information. He even tried using his new Identify skill on the interface, but nothing happened.

A sound behind him caused him to spin around, hand instinctively dropping to his knife-handle. Another person had been teleported onto the same platform.

“Jacob?” Jake asked, recognizing the man. Jacob was no longer in his business suit. Instead, he was outfitted in chainmail, gauntlets, leather trousers, and heavy boots. He looked like he had walked off the set of a medieval epic.

Jacob looked just as bewildered, taking a moment to regain his composure before noticing Jake.

“Jake!? Man, it’s good to see a familiar face! Have you seen anyone else?” Jacob asked, his voice full of his trademark energy and hope.

“No, I’m just as shocked to find you here. After the elevator, did you also—”

Before Jake could finish, a flash of light interrupted him. Then another followed, and another. By the time the flashes ceased, ten people were standing on the platform.

Jake knew everyone there. Five had been in the elevator with him, and the other four were colleagues from the office. He was relieved to see Caroline among them; she looked unharmed, now wearing white robes with a small wand tucked at her waist.

“What’s going—”“Wait, why are we—”“Has anyone seen Mike!?”“Where the hell is—”

Confusion reigned as everyone spoke at once. Jake stayed back, quietly observing and processing the situation. Once the initial wave of panic passed, the group’s professional instincts kicked in, and they began to settle down. Jacob, naturally, played a role in guiding them toward a calm assessment.

They quickly compared notes. Everyone had been sent to a similar interrogation-style room and experienced the same basic process. However, Jake realized he had missed some details; the others had learned that new class skills would be unlocked every five levels.

They also took stock of their group composition. They had one light warrior, two medium warriors, one heavy warrior, two archers, three casters, and one healer. It was a remarkably balanced party, which Jake suspected was the system’s doing rather than pure luck.

Their attire had changed completely. The professional dress shirts and office wear were gone. The light warrior wore leather, the medium warriors—including Jacob—wore chainmail, and the heavy warrior was clad in crude-looking iron armor.

The second archer was Casper from R&D. He wore a cloak and held a wooden bow identical to Jake’s. Casper was one of the few people Jake actually liked at work; they were both introverts with similar hobbies and a shared lack of romantic success, making them kindred spirits of sorts.

Joanna was the most distressed, as her husband, Mike, was missing. She had chosen the caster class, likely thinking it would be the least physically taxing. Jake recalled her mentioning that she and her children were fans of a certain famous wizard book.

During their talk, Jake discovered that players could have requested different weapons during the Introduction. He hadn't known that. He wondered if a modern compound bow might have been possible, though given the medieval aesthetic, he doubted it.

The other two casters wore brown silk-like robes and carried wooden wands. Caroline, the healer, wore a similar robe in white and held a smaller white wand.

The conversation eventually turned to skills. Everyone possessed Identify and the translation skill from their titles. Class skills, however, varied significantly.

Light warriors had a dual-wielding bonus, a throwing skill, and a common skill called Quickstep—an underwhelming burst of speed that barely felt faster than a normal step.

Medium warriors had five Inferior-grade skills covering one-handed, two-handed, and shield combat, along with a Balanced Approach skill that gave a negligible boost to stat effects while armed.

The heavy warrior shared the shield and two-handed skills but also had Toughen Up, which supposedly increased toughness temporarily. Bertram, the heavy warrior, complained that it didn't even stop Jacob’s jabs from hurting.

Jake already knew the archer skills, having reviewed his own.

Casters had Magic-tool Proficiency, a Mana Bolt attack, and a Mana Barrier. The barrier was fragile enough to be shattered by a simple sword swing, but the Mana Bolt looked like it packed a punch.

The healer class featured Heal, a passive Regeneration aura for allies, and Magic-tool Proficiency. Jake was curious about how the aura identified "allies," but he didn't get a chance to ask.

They also found that Identify didn't work on other people. It gave no information at all, likely due to the skill's low rank. Before Jake could ask Caroline about her aura, he was cut off.

“Everyone! Look at the other platforms. There are people over there,” Bertram shouted. Jake used his enhanced vision to scan the nearby pillars.

Each platform held ten people. Flashes of light continued for a few more minutes across the distance until, finally, a silence fell, and the tutorial truly began.

Tutorial commencing

[Tutorial Panel]Duration: 63 days & 21:47:11Tutorial Type: SurvivalCompletion Criteria: Survive the duration of the tutorialTutorial rules: Collect Tutorial Points (TP).Tutorial Information: The Great Forest below is filled with danger and opportunities for the new initiates to experience. Beasts roam the forest, hunting for prey. Kill the beasts to acquire TP while gaining strength. Perhaps even a chance to hunt the Beast Lords will present itself…Tutorial Point Rules: Gain TP upon killing beasts split amongst the contributors. Upon killing another initiate, half their TP will be split amongst the contributors.Final Rewards based on TP and the number of SurvivorsTotal Survivors Remaining: 1200/1200TP Collected: 0

As Jake finished reading, the pillar beneath them shuddered and began to descend. He checked his gear, surprised by his own calm. He noticed the others were relatively composed as well, likely due to Jacob’s influence.

Jacob had stepped into the role of leader effortlessly, organizing the conversation and ensuring everyone was heard. Jake had no interest in challenging his authority.

As they descended, the group discussed their strategy. Jacob focused on the primary goal: Survival. They checked their supplies; warriors and archers had three health and three stamina potions, while the casters and Caroline had health and mana potions.

The discussion turned to the odd duration of the tutorial and the necessity of hunting. No one liked the idea of killing, but they needed food. They agreed to avoid conflict with other survivors unless absolutely necessary.

Jake didn't voice his disagreement, but he didn't share their reluctance. In fact, he felt a spark of excitement at the prospect of the hunt.

“First, we need to find water, food, and a place to stay. We can’t assume the plants here are safe, so we’ll need to use Identify on everything,” Jacob instructed. “The system mentioned beasts, so we’ll have to hunt for food and to get stronger. If we stick together, we’ll make it back home.”

The speech was a bit redundant, but it served its purpose. Jacob’s charisma and competence—and perhaps a bit of his well-connected background—made him a natural leader. The only thing that slightly annoyed Jake was seeing Caroline looking at Jacob with obvious admiration, though he dismissed the thought as they neared the ground.

As they passed the canopy, Jake saw bird-like shapes flitting through the branches. He had two months to survive in this wilderness.

The pillar finally touched down in a clearing and then began to phase into the earth, leaving nothing but grass behind.

Jake took a deep breath and gripped his bow. He was nervous, yes, but beneath that was a growing sense of thrill. His mundane life was over, and he refused to let this forest be the end of him.