The Primal Hunter Chapter 3 - The Tutorial Commences

Jake felt as though he had simply blinked, only to find himself in a completely different environment. Aside from the system notification, there had been no warning—no sensation of being pulled through a rift in time or space. He had just… arrived.

He was standing in a room, though calling it that was a massive understatement. It was significantly larger than the previous area. While he could see a ceiling above, the walls were so distant he could barely make out a single side in the far reaches. High overhead, a massive circular light source hung from the roof, serving as an artificial sun.

Observing the layout from the top down, the entire structure possessed a circular, dome-like architecture. Jake stood atop a colossal pillar, one of many scattered throughout the vast space.

Beneath him, where a floor should have been, a dense forest stretched out in every direction. None of the trees reached the top of his platform. This wasn't because the trees were small—some appeared to be well over a hundred meters tall—but because the pillar itself was monstrously high.

Just as he began to wonder if the system had overlooked him or what the next step was, the familiar blue window and voice returned.

Welcome to the tutorial

A warm sensation flooded his body as a secondary notification chimed in his mind.

Title earned: [Forerunner of the New World]

A title? I assume this is a standard reward for everyone, Jake mused, quickly checking the details.

[Forerunner of the New World] – Awarded for completing the introduction and entering the tutorial as a pioneer of the New World. +3 to all stats. Grants the skill: [Endless Tongues of the Myriad Races (Unique)].

Receiving a sudden boost of three points to every stat was a welcome surprise, and likely the cause of that internal warmth. He wasn't entirely sure how much of a difference those points would make yet, but the skill seemed far more practical.

[Endless Tongues of the Myriad Races (Unique)] - Enables communication with the countless races across the multiverse. A unique skill provided for free to the forerunners of a newly initiated race.

The skill granted him the ability to interact with other species. He wondered if it covered both spoken and written word. Once again, questions piled up, and focusing on the skill provided no further explanation. He even tried to use his new Identify skill on the interface, but nothing happened.

A sound behind him caused him to startle. He spun around quickly, hand gripping the hilt of his knife, only to see another person appearing on the platform. He relaxed as he recognized the newcomer.

“Jacob?” he asked, though it was more of an observation. Jacob was no longer in his business suit. Instead, he was geared up in chainmail, gauntlets, leather trousers, and rugged boots. He looked like he had walked straight off the set of a high-budget medieval epic.

Jacob looked equally dazed by the transition, taking a few moments to find his bearings before noticing Jake.

“Jake!? Oh, man, it’s a relief to see a familiar face! Have you run into any of the others?” Jacob asked, his voice full of his trademark optimism.

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

Before Jake could finish his sentence, a flash of light erupted. Then another, and another. By the time the flickering stopped, ten people were standing together on the wide platform.

Jake knew every single one of them. Five had been in the elevator with him, while the other four were colleagues from his 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 happen—”“Hey, why are we—”“Has anyone seen Mike!?”“Where is—”

The group erupted into a chaotic mess of overlapping voices, everyone gripped by varying levels of panic. Jake stayed on the periphery, trying to process the situation while eavesdropping on the chatter. Once the initial shock faded, the group began to settle down and evaluate their surroundings. They were professionals, after all—though Jacob’s efforts to play peacemaker certainly helped speed the process along.

After a brief exchange of stories, it became clear that everyone had been sent to their own interrogation-style room and experienced a trial similar to Jake’s. However, Jake realized he had missed a few details during his session; the others had learned that new class skills were unlocked every five levels.

They moved on to comparing their chosen classes. The group consisted of 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 design rather than pure coincidence.

Their attire had changed drastically from their usual office wear. The light warrior wore leather; the medium warriors, including Jacob, were in chainmail; and the heavy warrior was outfitted in somewhat crude iron plating.

The second archer was Casper from the R&D department. He wore a cloak and carried a wooden bow identical to Jake’s. Casper was one of the few people Jake genuinely liked at work. They had collaborated frequently and bonded over shared introverted tendencies and hobbies. While Jake wasn't sure if they were "friends," they were certainly close acquaintances who shared a mutual lack of romantic success.

Joanna was the most distressed of the group, as her husband, Mike, was nowhere to be found. She had chosen the caster class, likely because it seemed the least physically taxing. Jake recalled her mentioning once that she and her children were fans of a famous book series about a boy wizard.

He also discovered through their conversation that one could have requested different weaponry during the Introduction. Jake hadn't realized that was an option. He wondered if he could have snagged a modern compound bow, though given the medieval aesthetic of their gear, he doubted the system would have allowed it.

The other two casters wore brown robes that looked far more comfortable than Jake’s, made of a material resembling silk. Each held a wooden staff or wand. Finally, there was Caroline, their sole healer, dressed in high-quality white silk robes and carrying a small white wand.

Naturally, the topic shifted to their granted skills. As Jake suspected, everyone possessed Identify and the translation skill from their title. Class-specific skills, however, varied greatly.

The light warrior had a dual-wielding passive, a throwing weapon skill, and a common-rarity skill called Quickstep—the melee equivalent to Jake’s Archer’s Eye. It provided a short burst of speed, though in practice, it seemed quite underwhelming, barely faster than a normal step.

The medium warriors started with five Inferior-grade skills: one-handed mastery, two-handed mastery, sword and shield proficiency, throwing weapons, and an ability called Balanced Approach. The latter gave a tiny boost to all stats while a weapon was equipped, but the bonus was so marginal that neither Jacob nor the other warrior could actually feel it.

The heavy warrior shared the sword, shield, and two-handed skills, but also had Toughen Up, which supposedly increased his toughness temporarily. It was equally disappointing, lacking any visual effect. Bertram, the heavy warrior, noted that it didn't even seem to stop the pain when Jacob poked him.

Jake already knew the archer skills, so he tuned those out.

Casters had three skills: Magic-Tool Proficiency for their wands, an offensive Mana Bolt, and a defensive Mana Barrier. While the barrier was flimsy enough to be shattered by a simple sword swing, the Mana Bolt appeared to pack a significant punch.

The healer class also came with three skills: Heal, a passive aura called Regeneration that boosted the recovery of nearby allies, and the magic-tool skill. Jake was particularly curious about the aura and how the system determined who counted as an "ally."

They also confirmed that Identify did not work on other people. It didn't provide a basic status or even an error message; it simply did nothing. It was either a limitation of the skill's low rank or a built-in privacy restriction. Jake turned toward Caroline to ask about her aura, but a shout cut him off.

“Everyone! Look over there. Other people are on the different platforms!” Bertram shouted, pointing into the distance. Jake used his enhanced vision to scan the nearest pillar, and he could indeed see figures moving.

There were groups of ten on every platform he could see. Bursts of light continued to flicker on distant pillars for another minute before everything went still. Then, 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 slowly descend. He braced himself, checking his gear one last time. He found it strange how calm he felt given the circumstances. Looking around, he noticed the others were also surprisingly composed. He wondered if it was a result of their willpower stats or simply their collective reliance on a leader.

During the descent, Jacob acted as the group's guiding light. He organized the conversation, ensuring everyone was heard and that all vital info was shared. He had naturally stepped into the role of leader, a position Jake had no desire to challenge.

The group quickly hashed out a strategy. Their primary goal was simple: Survival. Everyone had basic supplies; the martial classes had three health and three stamina potions, while the casters and Caroline had health and mana potions.

Beyond that, they had nothing but their new gear. They discussed the oddities of the tutorial, like the strange time limit, and reached a consensus that hunting was a necessity for food. While no one liked the idea of killing, the rules made it clear that violence was unavoidable. They also agreed to avoid conflict with other survivors unless absolutely necessary.

Jake didn't agree with every sentiment, but he kept his mouth shut to avoid friction. He realized he was an outlier; while the others were hesitant about the hunt, he felt a spark of genuine excitement at the prospect.

“Our first priorities are water, food, and a safe place to stay,” Jacob announced. “The plants here aren't from Earth, so we can't trust our intuition. We’ll need to see if Identify can spot what’s poisonous. The system mentioned beasts, so we’ll likely have to hunt to stay fed. But be careful—other survivors are a factor now. We won't be the aggressors, but we won't be victims either. We need to get stronger to survive this. If we stick together, we’re all going home.”

The speech was a bit redundant, but it served to unify the group’s resolve. Jake could see why Jacob had been the youngest department head in company history; he possessed a rare mix of charisma and competence (and a bit of family influence, though that hardly mattered now).

Jake noticed Caroline looking at Jacob with obvious admiration, though he quickly dismissed the thought. Now wasn't the time for office gossip. The ground was getting closer.

As they passed through the canopy, Jake glimpsed bird-like creatures darting between the branches. Two months. He had to survive two months in this wilderness.

A few meters from the forest floor, Jake braced his legs.

The pillar touched down in a small clearing and then simply phased into the earth, leaving nothing but grass behind. It was as if the massive stone structure had never been there at all.

Inhaling the crisp, wild air, Jake gripped his bow tightly. He was nervous, yes, but beneath that, a different sensation was rising from his core. Pure, unadulterated excitement.

His mundane life was over, and he refused to let this forest be the end of his story.