The Primal Hunter 7: A LitRPG Adventure, page 49
This was clearly a moment to establish dominance. No mere newly initiated G-grade could stand against even a fraction of an S-grade’s presence, and everyone was forced to their knees.
Everyone except for one.
Sim-Jake stood tall, surrounded by over a thousand kneeling or squatting individuals. Even all the dark elves were pressured, leaving only two entities in the entire tutorial standing at that moment.
The S-grade stared at sim-Jake as sim-Jake just looked back and made a toothy grin. Jake felt the excitement. One he had felt himself. However, his moment was when he’d seen the Malefic Viper during his vision from the mural back in the dungeon.
It was an emotion born from standing before something so much more powerful than yourself you couldn’t truly comprehend it. It should lead to a feeling of powerlessness or inadequacy, perhaps humility, but to both Jake and sim-Jake, it meant only one thing: a new goal. A new mountain to climb and a peak to shatter. Jake could imagine his simulacrum thinking, "I want to beat that person one day."
"What are you?" the S-grade asked as it looked at sim-Jake, all attention gathered on them.
Sim-Jake just kept his smile as he answered, "A hunter."
The scene ended a mere moment later, sim-Jake not even acknowledging Jake in this particular scene. Then again, it’d been a relatively short, if impactful, one.
A brief flash showed the next scene: sim-Jake standing before who he assumed to be Umbra. No words were spoken that Jake could hear, but he saw sim-Jake extend his hand as the being of pure shadows humored him and shook it. The scene ended just as sim-Jake turned around to look at Jake.
As the scene changed again, the environment was very different. Sim-Jake stood in a dark cave, with the dark mana almost palpable in the air. Monkey-like creatures hid in the crevices as sim-Jake turned his head towards where Jake had just appeared.
"It’s been a while," he said, smiling. Jake could already see the changes. His smile was far more genuine, and he looked much happier than before. "In case you are wondering, this is about a month into this tutorial. You truly did not lie. Tell me, is your presence here related to this system and the multiverse?"
Jake smiled a bit himself as he did his old dance routine of stepping to the right to confirm.
"I see.” Sim-Jake nodded. "Are you a god?"
That one, Jake had to deny. He wasn’t a god. Not yet, at least.
"I kind of figured you weren’t, based on not even that god Umbra being able to detect you despite being quite impressive according to, well, everyone. Which must mean the system is directly involved. Am I right? Ah, by the way, no one is watching or listening in right now, but I reckon you already knew that. I made it clear to Umbra I knew and shut that shit down instantly."
Another change. Jake felt the level of distrust from his simulacrum was as intense as ever, and from the looks of it, he was hunting alone. Nothing wrong with that, but Jake had a feeling this Jake was always alone. Again, solitude was nice, and Jake liked his alone time, but that didn’t mean he never wanted to interact with others.
Sim-Jake was the opposite. He distrusted everyone else heavily, which was a bit odd, if you thought about it. His Bloodline offered him an intuition that allowed him to quickly get a gut feeling about others, so shouldn’t that help him trust people a little more? Sure, Jake had been wrong about people, but he had also been right often. Miranda had given him a good feeling, and he felt like he had hit the jackpot there.
Meanwhile, he did not see his simulacrum ever forming a city. At least, not without being the City Leader himself and ruling it with an iron fist. He would also no doubt be shit at running the city, as he didn’t trust anyone, so he wouldn’t delegate and, of course, wouldn’t do stuff himself, as he was too busy hunting.
Such an existence had to be lonely, as Jake had noted before. Lonely but also limiting. Jake had gained a lot from talking with Villy, sparring with others, and fighting people like the Sword Saint. Would sim-Jake also learn a lot through fighting? Yes… but he would not have an enlightening conversation afterward with his opponent.
Sim-Jake would also be far less receptive to feedback and would have probably just ignored all he had been told during the D-grade test dungeon in the Order of the Malefic Viper. A lot of issues could crop up from that… but it would also lead to something unique. Sim-Jake would perhaps forge a far more unique Path, and at least it did seem like he took pointers of some kind or at least embraced the skills of Umbra, based on his aura.
Anyway, Jake confirmed the question of the system’s involvement, making his simulacrum nod in understanding. "Is this part of some test or something?"
Hm… Jake thought. It wasn’t really, but then again, it kind of was? Maybe? The system event description wasn’t very clear on that, and Jake was unsure if he could describe what happened as a test. So he stood still.
"Partly, huh? Odd. But the objective stays the same, right? Observe and learn about and from me?"
Jake confirmed that one.
"Well, then… let me teach you," sim-Jake said. Dark mana began revolving around him as Jake watched dark veins appear on his skin. "No, let me show you my Path."
Chapter 56
Profession??
From all the things Jake had seen so far, his simulacrum wasn’t that much better at fighting in melee than him. He was better for sure, but it was more from experience than pure fighting technique. One could say that to beat other humans, sim-Jake didn’t need to learn anything advanced. He just needed to attack with one quick blow and end their lives.
With the system, enemies did not go down as easily. Especially not foes above himself in level. Even a blow to the brain didn’t necessarily mean instant death, so Jake finally got to see his simulacrum in extended combat against several foes. From this, Jake truly understood… this version of himself was far superior to the current Jake in melee combat. Far, far superior.
Jake followed sim-Jake for days as his other version went through the dark caverns, ascended a set of stairs and entered a grand hall, fought there, and then ended up within a decrepit old village after going up another set of stairs. Jake was a bit confused until sim-Jake explained the tutorial a bit.
"I am in what is called the Shadow Trials, which is the combat grounds. It is split into several floors, and I am currently on the twenty-fifth floor. I have killed two bosses of sorts so far, but neither have been that hard. As you know, I was blessed by the god known as Umbra and offered the Legacy of some god known as Tenlucis, who died or something like that. Quite potent, if I say so myself, even if I do find it questionable to accept the Legacy of a god weak enough to have died, but oh, well. I will take what I can get, and I do get the feeling Umbra is worth working with. For now.” He said all of this rather casually.
These were borderline blasphemous words that most other mortals would scoff at, if not scream at him for. Not only did he offend a dead god, but he also put himself on the same level as Umbra by insinuating they worked together and that he was no follower. Naturally, Jake expected nothing else, and from the looks of it, Umbra was also fine with it. Jake was not told what level of Blessing his simulacrum had gotten, but he knew he was not a Chosen. Potentially a Divine Blessing.
Dark lightning began revolving around sim-Jake as he recognized some of the abilities Caleb had. It was a bit odd, seeing a version of himself surrounded by that same black lightning. Sim-Jake dove forward toward a zombie-like creature. It lunged towards sim-Jake, but he hit it through the head with a dagger before it had time to do anything. It struggled and tried to strike sim-Jake, but every attempt was foiled, and it soon died.
He then stepped back and seemed to sink into the shadows. Jake still saw him with his sphere, but it was like sim-Jake melted into the shadows to anyone else. He ran over to the next zombie that didn’t notice him before getting stabbed through the head. Flailing around, the zombie used its claws to tear at the ground and collapse the building it had been hiding in, but sim-Jake was already out of it and proceeded to throw a bolt of black lightning at the collapsing house, making it explode.
Everything shown so far had been simple and easy like this. Sim-Jake dominated everything he’d so far encountered. This made Jake initially think these foes were just low-level monsters… but no, they were all several levels above sim-Jake himself. In fact, sim-Jake was many levels ahead of where Jake had been about a month into the tutorial. In Jake’s defense, he had focused on alchemy for nearly all that time, but Jake also soon noticed something else.
Through the days Jake observed his simulacrum, he didn’t see him do anything that was not fighting or meditating to prepare for another fight. Jake frowned at this and began moving back and forth to get his simulacrum’s attention.
"Hm? What?" sim-Jake asked. "I must say, this is the longest you have been around so far, so I guess this entire combat thing is quite important. Is that why you are moving around? Do you want me to explain more of why I fight like I do and such? Sure, I guess."
"Well, no, that wasn’t what I meant," Jake said out loud, continuing to stand still. What? He still wanted him to explain more. Sometimes telling was just better at delivering information than showing, especially if one wanted to learn the intent behind something.
"Not right, huh? Or only partly?" sim-Jake asked as he proceeded to take out a potion. Jake saw it and rapidly moved back and forth, making sim-Jake stop just before drinking it. "What?"
Jake tried to move a bit more, as he wanted his simulacrum to just give him some damn information on his profession. He was really curious by now what this version of himself would do, as he honestly had no idea. He had ended up becoming an alchemist to not die, and had come to like it only after getting the profession. What would this version have chosen? Any kind of social profession was out of the question, so it had to be crafting-related, right? What interests did sim-Jake even have besides fighting and killing? Maybe something to make things that made that easier?
"I am blanking here. Something to do with the potion?"
Stopping his movement, Jake stood still to confirm that was partly it.
"Is anything wrong with drinking them?" sim-Jake asked. "Hm, I have theorized that they are too good to be true and may have some long-term demerits that I have yet to notice, so—"
Jake quickly denied it. Potions were awesome, and he was almost offended at his super-distrusting simulacrum talking shit about them.
"Good to drink? Then does it have something to do with this particular potion?"
Jake stood still.
"Is it the effects?"
Nope.
"Where it comes from?"
Yep!
"I traded it with an alchemist fo—"
Jake began moving quickly again the moment he said the word alchemist.
"What? You want to know about this alchemist?" sim-Jake asked, looking genuinely confused.
They went through a few more questions before sim-Jake finally asked a question Jake could work with.
"Are you asking if I am an alchemist?”
It wasn’t actually what he wanted to ask, but that question would lead to a natural follow-up, so Jake answered yes.
"No, I am not. Oh… yeah, I should have understood this way earlier. Of course. You are here to learn about me and my Path, so it is relevant. You want to know what my profession is, right?"
Yes! Finally!
Sim-Jake just smiled and shook his head. "Why the hell would I have one? Sure, the stats would be nice, but that just isn’t me."
Jake froze at that. What?
"I know, I know. I have been told plenty of times I need to get one, but I ask again, why the hell should I?” Passionately, he continued, “They want me to sit on my ass making swords, or, what, pick up painting? Make magic formations and spend hours on making something that is still fucking useless to me as I am currently? Become an alchemist and sit with a stupid pot like some second-rate cook who only knows how to make fucking soup? No, fuck all that. I am a goddamn hunter, not a good little craftsman making my masters happy. I am the damn master. They can spend their time learning how to make things, and I can spend mine using their creations to get stronger and do what I was born to.”
Now more than ever, Jake saw the difference between them grow. The thing is, Jake did not disagree with much of what he said—besides his words on alchemy, which he forgave sim-Jake for, as he knew it came from ignorance. He’d had a hard time imagining himself doing any profession when he first entered the tutorial. He’d just wanted to hunt. If he had not found the dungeon, he would have waited a long time before getting one, and if he had gotten one early, he would have half-arsed it.
The only reason Jake had appreciated alchemy in the beginning—after using it to not die, that is—was because he’d seen its usefulness. He’d seen how it made him stronger. The skills related to the Malefic Viper were skills that did have alchemical effects but were also combat skills. Sure, Scales of the Malefic Viper could be used to touch toxic substances and resist fumes and such, but its true value was in combat. Villy knew it, Jake knew it, and the system also knew but allowed it.
Not having a profession this early also wasn’t an end-all, be-all. Sim-Jake was only a month into the system. Sure, it would make him lack some easy race levels early on, but he could always get a profession that would fit him later. There were near endless possibilities, so—
"Just to reiterate, I don’t plan on ever getting a profession. The lack of instant gratification through easy levels is a sacrifice I am willing to make to follow the Path I have chosen for myself. It may sound stupid, if not outright moronic, but I believe this is truly the best decision. Even if I can somehow get a profession that fits me well and doesn’t feel like a waste of time, I wouldn’t do it. But I have a plan. One I even discussed with Umbra. And while there was some disagreement, you, of all people, should know that those like us can be stubborn. What I plan to do is evolve. To evolve out of this pathetic human form and become more than I am now. I need the class still, but there are enlightened races that only have either-or of class and profession. I want one such race. Till then, I shall walk a Path of purity. One of pure combat and dominance. Also… while I said I may sacrifice instant power, it isn’t like I have encountered anyone worth fighting amongst humanity quite yet, and the multiverse runs on a timescale far different than our pathetic old world.”
Jake stood with his mouth open for a while. When he’d heard the first part about never wanting a profession, Jake thought his other self was indeed a moron, but… could Jake really say sim-Jake was that wrong? At least he had a plan, and what he planned was entirely possible. So far, Jake had already had the possibility of evolving into a vampire or a Malefic Dragonkin, which would allow him to only have a class or profession, so who was he to say sim-Jake would not get similar options down the line? Even if he did not get any of these extraordinary evolution chances, there was a good chance he would get one for his D-grade evolution.
Now, to make one thing clear, Jake still thought his simulacrum was being stupid. Clearly, he had some inborn hatred of being human—one Jake did not have at all. In fact, he thought being human was pretty darn awesome. Also, after seeing Valdemar tear Villy a new one, how could he ever proclaim that humans weren’t great?
"I still sense disapproval, but my mind is set,” sim-Jake said. “I may crash and burn and ultimately adapt my Path, but I doubt it. Now, come. The boss is ahead.”
Yet just after he said that, the scene ended. Clearly, the upcoming fight was not viewed as at all impactful by the system. He then saw a few brief scenes. Sim-Jake was fighting in nearly all of them, where he faced different, progressively stronger monsters and eventually had duels with humans. Jake saw him easily beat both Matteo and Nadia in duels, making it clear he was the strongest in the tutorial. Even without his profession to gain race levels, he stayed ahead of the curve, and what levels he did have were probably more valuable due to a powerful class.
Jake watched on, and it soon settled on a scene once more. Sim-Jake noticed him the moment he appeared and smiled at him.
"Not just popping in briefly this time, eh?" he asked with a light smile.
His equipment had entirely changed since the last time Jake saw him. He wore dark leather armor now of high quality and even had a spatial item, from the looks of it.
"I guess it makes sense… We are at the end of this tutorial, after all. With a day left, we stand before the final fight.” He laughed a bit as he looked at what was on the horizon.
Jake followed his gaze and saw a spider-like creature sitting on a massive web. He instantly knew it was a D-grade. Looking at sim-Jake, he wondered if he was up to the task… but quickly realized that it wasn’t even a question.
He was level 66. If he still had no profession, it meant he had pushed his class all the way to the cap at 99 and then kept getting experience to level his race about a dozen more times. In a bit over two months. It was a speed that completely put Jake to shame in every way.
Moreover, this Jake was not facing a King of the Forest but a regular D-grade. He also didn’t seem to have any special items; even if he did, Jake knew sim-Jake would not use it. He simply didn’t have to. One had to remember that Jake had been around level 80 when he had killed his first D-grade back on Earth, but that fight had been rather easy. And while this version of Jake was not as strong as Jake was then, he could surely put up a big fight.
But before he engaged in the fight, sim-Jake turned to Jake with an odd gaze. "You know… I always felt something was off about this world. I believed for a long time it was simply due to my uniqueness. Then I thought it was due to your presence. Finally, I believed it was due to the initiation not having happened. But even now, things just feel slightly off.” He smiled at Jake.
