The Primal Hunter's
Herrman Schmidt

Jake continues the list of skills, and he has to say that the second skill is a little more traditional.

[Piercing Arrow (General)] – The first attack is often the most important when hunting. Gives the hunter the ability to insert arrows with energy to increase his penetrating power. Increasing strength depends on the stamina expended. Added a small bonus on the effects of agility and strength when using Piercing Arrow.

These skills are also interesting, and will likely synergize very well with Powershot as well. But does he really need a stronger opening shot and more preparation for now? Would his arrows even be able to handle the skill, or break just like that?

If the skill said that it conjured an arrow, he would be much more excited about it. A lot of skill has to do that, but this one definitely doesn't.

Assuming he gained the skill to work properly, it would bring his opening attack to a ridiculous level of strength. It was already quite ridiculous with Powershot and his poison alone, but coupled with this ..maybe he could even kill that giant buffalo.

Delaying the decision, he moved on to the next one. It was one of the skills that got an upgraded version.

[Hunter Tracking (Rare)] – Hunters do not sit idle in their huts but actively hunt their prey. Unlock skills in tracking down victims based on the limited clues left behind. It also allows hunters to more easily identify the characteristics of the game, including signatures and auras of mana. Added a small bonus on perceptual effects while tracking.

This is one of the skills he wanted back to level 5 in the early days of the tutorial. He had chosen Basic Stealth back then instead, a decision he did not regret, but he had moments where being able to track people would be useful. Like when he was looking for his comrades.

However, in hindsight, it might be a good idea that he couldn't track them before. If he had not leveled up and obtained the Shadow Vault, he would have already died by now.

If he thought about the current benefits that the skill would provide. That is the kind of skill you hate not to have when you need it, but rarely find yourself in a situation where it is absolutely necessary.

But more importantly, Jake feels he can learn a lot from his own skills. He had already begun to gain a basic understanding of recognizing the energy released by others. He also had his Sphere of Perception, which allowed him to quickly search for areas that were much more effective than he could with his eyes.

Instead, he would try and gain a skill that did something he was incapable of doing, something that did something impossible to learn for him at the moment.

Naturally, the skill would still be beneficial even if he learned everything himself just because of the effect of the increased effectiveness of the stat, but he honestly felt it was not worth it. So he moved.

[Hunter Trapping Skills (Rarely)] – Hunters have many tricks hidden behind their sleeves and are not limited to just facing their prey in a live fight. The Ambitious hunter instead used the materials found during his hunt to improvise and set traps to gain an edge. Unlock proficiency in creating traps and tools associated with traps, along with knowledge of how to use them. Add a small bonus for statistical effectiveness based on the nature of the traps used.

These skills are very similar to the previous ones, as are other enhanced skills that focus more on imparting knowledge and knowledge than actual abilities. He's not a fan of hers. He didn't really plan on going around placing traps.

He prefers to take a more active approach. He likes to be a hunter, not a hunted one. Instead, he would rather strike with a quick and deadly punch than sit and wait patiently for his enemy to slip. For almost the same reason as the previous skill, he missed this one as well.

[Splitting Arrow (Rare)] – One arrow becomes many; one prey that falls into a field of death. Shoot arrows divided into multiple copies while in flight. Each arrow attacked with its original strength. Add a small bonus to the effects of agility and strength when using Splitting Arrow.

This one was a little similar to the first Piercing Arrow, aka a skill that had an active effect, but he immediately preferred this one.

Maybe he was still quite biased due to the previous fight, but having some coverage area would be very useful. Sure, those ferocious beasts could dodge a single arrow, but could they escape from the five arrows? A ten?

Just like the Twin Arrow, he was still considering whether his poison would work with him. It is said that it will make the arrow that splits and attacks with the original power of that arrow. Does that include poison?

He couldn't exactly use logic to figure it out. It is really the creation of matter itself. Making something out of nothing. Of course, it does require energy from it, but it is still the creation of matter.

Speaking of the Twin Arrow, he was pretty sure this skill was an upgrade from it. They were very similar, but this skill allowed him to make more than one copy.

Overall, he had five skills that he considered. He briefly looked back at Active Camouflage but decided not to do it quickly. Just like the trapping skill, he would rather move and chase after his enemy than sit down to ambush.

Piercing Arrow was also eventually ruled out. He needed nothing more to prepare for his first attack. He already has Powershot and all his poison. What he needed instead was something to help him during the actual battle.

So, in the end, it came down to Splitting Arrow or Basic Nature Affinity. Both will help him a lot here and now. Nature Affinity will definitely help him survive this mess and synergize well with his already high vitality and whichever pool, as it will likely open up the possibility of using his mana more actively.

It naturally also reminded him of the warrior with the Aspiring Blade of Nature class. Thinking back, the man is still among the strongest survivors he met during this tutorial. Although he did appear to be weaker than the fire wielding spear, Richard, and William, he was undoubtedly strong. His defensive power was at least spectacular, easily blocking Jake's arrow with his own energy.

However, he did not use any natural mana. It was instead stamina, or inner energy, that was infused with the affinity of nature through some skill. Wait, thought. Couldn't he use his stamina for something other than his active skill? If he could use it to improve himself like a soldier ...

Why can't he? It was clearly the stamina that the soldier used. Sure it has a natural affinity ... but what stops it from just doing the same thing with its misaligned energy? He could do so much with mana without any skill attached to it; why not stamina?

With that enlightenment, Jake completely forgot the skill decision and even dropped the arrow he still held in his hand to conjure the arrow.

Sitting down, he entered into meditation as he let inspiration sweep through him.

“William, can you promise to fulfill my wish? To avenge my family?” Smith asked in a serious tone.

“Of course, I promised you.” William nodded. He owes her to help him, right? Smith has done far more for him during this tutorial than Richard or anyone else. He had helped him learn blacksmithing, patiently guiding him, and now he had even made this armor for him. He felt indebted to her.

"Thank you," Smith smiled as he went into the armor and put both hands on it as he turned to William with a sad smile. “My son is named Gunnar Schmidt, my daughter-in-law Karin. She's pregnant with my granddaughter being-"

William suddenly got a bad feeling upon hearing the man speak.

"-Please fulfill my last selfish request to keep their memories alive."

Light began to envelop the man as he continued to make eye contact with William. The young caster wants to stop whatever he is doing but finds himself unable to act.

“Goodbye, my young friend. May you find happiness in this new world, and finally understand yourself.”

With those words, a burst of mana came out from the man upon entering the armor. But soon, other energies started to come out as well. First, his stamina began to flow out, followed by his vital energy. Every last ounce of energy flowed through his hands and into the armor that was now also shining.

But it was too late because the mana and stamina last left the man. With only his health points being poured out. It was not only his health points that disappeared, but his own source of life. Her slightly grayed hair turned completely white as her skin withered.

Strong muscles and healthy skin turn white, thin, and sickly. Smith was decades old in a matter of seconds, leaving William completely unable to help or do anything.

When the rest of the energy was left, so was the life left in Smith.

He had told William his name long ago.

At this point, William was dumbfounded. Seconds passed as Herrmann's now withered corpse still stood with its hands on the armor. The armor itself had lost a lot of its luster, now it was no longer silvery but rather looked like ordinary steel.

William, however, did not care much about the current armor. He was just standing there frozen as the wheels in his head were spinning at high speed. He was confused, angry, shocked, but most importantly, he felt a sense of loss.

While releasing it, the young man walked towards the corpse. He was not sure what to do when he finally stood right in front of him. Is he supposed to move it? Does he want William to do that? And when did he start to care about what others wanted?

Gathering his courage, he moved his hand towards the corpse, trying to move it onto a bed or something. But as soon as his hand touched it, the entire corpse turned to dust and fell to the ground.

Shocked once again, William stepped back in fear when he saw something fall on the floor in front of him. Water water.

Moving his hands to his face, he felt liquid coming out of his eyes. She cried. Why ? These tears are real. They're real, and he doesn't like them. Didn't like it one bit.

That's sore. Something in William's chest hurt a lot. It was not physical pain, but something else. He's never felt that before. When he recalled the old blacksmith who was about to reprimand him for acting like a frightened cat when he jumped back earlier, the pain got worse.

William is not stupid. He knows what this is. Something he believed to be a disability, a disease he never suffered from again. Grief. Something his parents and psychologists had hoped for him to begin to understand all along.

And now, when he finally understood those emotions, he desperately wished he had never had them. It is a disease, a weakness. It makes someone do stupid things. According to William's great philosophy of life, feelings are the key to all the stupid things in this world.

Emotions were what made the entire faction war go awry. It was the death of Hayden, the main powerhouse in this tutorial, as he foolishly rushed to their camp with too few people after Richard sent an archer to pick him up after Jake made contact.

That was Herrmann's death.

Trying to get those distracting thoughts out of his head, William tries to focus on something else. The most obvious one was the armor in front of him. When he saw it, he got a strange feeling as he used Identifying on it.

[Expanding Armor of Herrmann Schmidt (Epic)] – Armor made by Prodigious Smith of Camicus, Herrmann Schmidt. All his hopes, desires, and goals, even his own life, had poured into this armor, giving him abilities far above what his materials or charm showed. Already strong before the last sacrifice of the blacksmith, the armor was now even stronger. The ability of the armor to absorb and store mana has been enhanced along with the overall quality of the material. It could only be worn by the person chosen by the blacksmith before his death. May his memories and Records live on through this artifact. Charm: Expanding Armor. Kinetic Style Diffusion. Grants the ability: [Herrmann Schmidt's Legacy]: Call the Armory of the fallen blacksmith.

Requirements: Soulbound

His armor had improved, but his description did not make William happy at all. It just made his wound worse. The blacksmith had indeed poured everything he had into it. This armor is his legacy, his last memory. All that was left of him now was this armor as even his corpse was only dust.

William knew that this armor was his and his own. It is not something that can be stolen or sold. It was his to keep until the day he died. It was the result of the man's desire for revenge, along with his endless belief that William was capable of such revenge.

Emotions have killed Herrmann, but also allowed him to overstep his limits and create something he might never be able to do otherwise. He had managed to turn his emotions and obsession into power.

And William will bring that feeling. That desire and purpose. He had already decided to kill Richard before, but now he wanted to. Not because of experience points, tutorial points, or other tangible benefits.

He wanted to do it because he had promised. Because it's the last hope of the best. He will remember the son of his first true friend, Gunnar, and his daughter-in-law, Karin.

Placing his hands on the armor, he injected mana into it and found it flowing through the armor easier than anything he had ever encountered. He instantly felt a connection to the armor along with the knowledge of how to use it.

Taking off the robe he was still wearing, he took out the armor and placed it on his head. It was light, much lighter than expected. Statistics, of course, also help. The metal felt warm, like the embrace of an attentive father.

Almost instinctively, he tried to stretch out the armor as it slowly began to slide out to cover his entire body, almost as if it had turned liquid. It first spread to his thighs and forearms, slowly forming at William's own discretion. He felt that he could make it much faster, but he enjoyed the feeling of the warm metal covering him.

Finally, the armor covered his hands and raised his legs one by one; it protected them with boots. The last part is an open helmet that makes his face still visible. Slowly he made the metal cover his face leaving only two small gaps for his eyes.

But even those he ended up covering up. If someone saw him now, it would look like a steel golem. By design, William made it completely airtight. He could hold his breath easily for an hour with his stats increasing, and even if he needed air, he could always open a small hole.

It must be said that this is not a function of the armor itself. Without Metal Manipulation, it would be completely impossible to change the shape of the armor. Yet it was made so perfectly for him that he could manipulate it so easily.

With his skill to 'see' through metal, he didn't even need a hole for his eyes. The only scary thing was his voice. The sound of his own heartbeat as he stood was enveloped by the warm light from the metal.

For the first time since entering the tutorial, William really felt safe. He felt he could face anyone and anything.

Slowly he pulled back his armor to once again just cover his chest. Dressed in his robe once more, he covered his chest, completely hiding his new armor.

Turning back to the clothes on the floor left over from Herrmann, William made a sad smile as tears flowed again. Shaking his head, he instead looked down at the mail plate that was now covered in cloth. If there really was anything left of Herrmann in this world, it would be the armor he wore.

“I promise you, old man. I'll show them what we're both really capable of.”

The last thing he did before exiting the cabin was to open the sheet metal that Herrmann had ordered him to look at after everything was done.

As he unfolded, he noticed that there was some kind of sound recording. As he listened to the old man's voice, he felt sad, but the message inside made him smile a little.

His first friend was crafty…