Chronicles Of The Crafting Hero

The dining hall was vast, the silence broken only by the faint, deliberate scrape of silverware against porcelain. A long table stretched through the room, covered in a pristine white cloth that seemed to glow in the morning light. Mary sat in the center, her posture rigid and elegant in her black dress. She ate with slow, methodical precision, her eyes closing briefly as she chewed, savoring the taste before continuing.

Opposite her, Patience straddled a chair in reverse, her chest pressed against the wooden backrest. Her chin rested heavily on her folded hands, and a deep, petulant pout tugged at her lips. She stared ahead, boredom radiating from her every movement.

Her gaze was fixed on the corner near the window.

There, a rectangular cage of translucent green panels hummed with a low, containing light. Joy was trapped inside. She sat curled on the floor of the barrier, her knees pulled tight to her chest, her head bowed.

A dull, sickly ache churned in her stomach, not from hunger, though she hadn't eaten in a day, but from a crushing worry. Tyler. The need to know where he was consumed her. She couldn't sleep. She couldn't rest.

Patience had been sitting there for hours, talking at her. The woman’s voice droned on, repeating simple phrases, enunciating slowly as if speaking to a dull animal. She sounded insane. She wanted a reaction, a fight, anything to break the monotony.

Joy kept her head down. She understood every word Patience said, but she couldn't correct her. Her vocal cords were clumsy, the connection between her mind and her mouth still formed. Patience thought her silence was stupidity, that she couldn't understand human speech because she was a monster.

But Joy did understand. She just couldn't speak back. The only sound she had ever managed to force out to them, the only distinct noise she had repeated countless times in her desperation, was his name.

Tyler.

Everything else remained locked inside her throat.

"You better eat your food, its going to get cold," Mary said, her voice calm and measured.

Patience shifted in her seat, resting her chin on the back of the chair. She didn't even look at the plate. "No. I'm not hungry."

Mary paused, her knife hovering over her meal. She glanced at her sister. "You haven't eaten all day."

"You know I can't eat when I'm anxious," Patience muttered, her fingers drumming restlessly against the wood.

Mary let out a small, resigned sigh. "Well, more for me then."

She returned to her meal, slicing through the meat with deliberate grace. But her attention was divided. Beside her plate lay a report compiled by Anna.

The Pale Reaper had been sent back to the kingdom by Patience, but it had not been a gentle journey. Patience’s method of transport was violent and visceral. It forced the traveler to feel as though they were burning from the inside out, their physical form disintegrating into nothingness before violently snapping back together in a split second at the destination. It was a crude skill, limited only to places Patience had visited herself, and agonizing for anyone subjected to it.

Mary had originally intended to punish Anna for her failure, but as she considered the sheer physical trauma of that teleportation, she decided against it. The journey itself was torture enough. She had effectively let her off easy.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she scanned the text. The report was comprehensive. It detailed the location where Tyler was found, confirmed his real name, and listed his level. It described the confusing nature of his strength, how he had appeared incredibly weak at first, only to unleash a terrifying outburst of power during the battle.

But what truly fascinated her was the nature of that power. The report claimed he wielded the Shadow.

She paused, her gaze lingering on the word. She had seen fire, water, wind, and earth and lightning in all their forms, but Shadow was something entirely new. She had never seen that before.

"Ugh... When is he going to wake up? This is boring," Patience groaned, her voice dragging out the syllables. She glared at the green cage in the corner.

"Hey, you! Do something! Look, I am talking to you!" Her voice rose to a sharp shout, bouncing off the high walls.

"You don't need to shout at the thing. You're disturbing me," Mary said, lifting a glass filled with a pale yellow liquid. She took a slow sip, the ice clinking softly against the rim.

"She's no fun when she's like this..." Patience grumbled. She turned her head, resting her cheek heavily against her shoulder, her red eyes narrowing as she studied the prisoner. "How does her glowy power even work?"

She spun toward her sister. "Can't we just shake him awake or something?"

"No. We have to let him rest first," Mary said, setting the glass down with a gentle clink. "Remember, even if I healed him, his body has to continuously repair itself to adapt to the changes."

Patience let out a long, dramatic sigh. "Yeees... You said his mana pathways needed time to repair or something like that. But how long will it take?"

She leaned backward in her chair, arching her spine until she was upside down, her red hair dangling toward the floor. She stretched her arms back, planting her gloved hands into the plush carpet, staring at the ceiling.

"His mana pathways were destroyed beyond recognition," Mary explained, her tone clinical. "It felt impossible to stitch them back together... like his entire internal structure had been ripped to shreds. He was lucky to still be alive."

She took another sip of her drink, her expression thoughtful. "If I hadn't healed him, he would have died within minutes. And luckily, the intensity of my healing might have ended up giving him a little buff."

Patience immediately snapped upright, her flexibility making the motion look unnatural.

"Really!?" she exclaimed, a wide, thrilled smile spreading across her face.

Mary smiled a little, a faint, calm expression.

"Of course," she said. "His mana pathways had been expanded and shredded. When I fixed them, I had to keep that expansion as his new normal size. I couldn't contract them again. That would have caused a rupture in his mana flow." She gestured vaguely. "His mana orifices seem to have expanded as well. So that means he is going to have a stronger mana pull."

Patience’s eyes widened. "Wow. That means the fight is going to last a little longer." She grinned, looking at her sister. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me," Mary said.

She sliced the final morsel of her meal and consumed it. Then, she lifted a pristine linen napkin, dabbing the corners of her mouth with deliberate, graceful motions to remove the faintest trace of juice. She set the napkin down, the cloth settling silently beside her empty plate.

"It was simply the only methodology available to save his life."

Patience gripped the top of the wooden backrest with both hands, the leather of her gloves creaking under the strain as she leaned backward. She tilted her head until she was staring at the high, painted ceiling.

"Agh... knowing that just makes the wait worse," she groaned. "I'm getting so anxious I could scream."

"There is no need for that," Mary said, her voice dropping, cutting through the room's vastness with sudden finality. "He is here."

Patience snapped upright, the chair legs scraping against the floor as she straightened in a blur of motion.

"What?"

At the far end of the room, the double doors clicked open. The illusionary butler stepped inside first, walking with perfect posture, before his form suddenly distorted like a ripple in water and vanished into thin air.

He took in the massive dining hall, but the first thing he saw, that held his focus, was Patience.

She sprang to her feet, the movement sudden and sharp. Her eyes went wide, and a smile spread across her face, a beaming, eager expression that looked disarmingly innocent, like a child watching a parent return home.

"Finally," she said, her voice bright. "You're awake, sleepyhead. It took you long enough."

Tyler felt a wave of intent radiating from her. It was genuine happiness, but it felt volatile, vibrating with excitement. The red light in her eyes was actually glowing, casting a faint crimson hue on her cheeks.

He didn't know who this woman was.

*Who the hell is she?* he thought, his muscles tensing.

But then, the system text materialized above her head, and his breath caught in his throat.

Lv: 702 Patience Burner

Tyler’s eyes widened, the number burning into his retinas.

*What the hell?*

*She's... She's a Level 700?*

A cold chill ran down his spine.

* This is so much worse than my assumption. I thought the power of a Hero would be somewhere over 500. But this is insane!*

"Stop it, Patience," a voice cut through the air, cool and commanding. "You're scaring our guest."

Tyler snapped his gaze away from the redhead and looked toward the table.

The woman sitting there was the picture of calm. She hadn't moved. Her eyes were darker, more calculating, assessing him with a heavy, dissecting interest.

But his breath didn't just hitch. It felt like his heart was going to explode against his ribs when he saw the text floating above her.

Lv: 902 Mary Burner

*There's just no way, he thought, his mind reeling.*

He remembered back to when Grone had told him that his sister leveled up much faster than normal. Reaching levels of 100 before his age. But compared to these two... the sheer height of their levels was jarring. They didn't look old. Their skin was smooth, their features youthful, they looked decades younger than Grone himself, yet they held power that defied logic.

As Joy spotted Tyler, her eyes widened, the dull despair in them instantly replaced by a bright, frantic spark. She scrambled to her feet inside the cage, pressing her palms against the humming green panels. She screamed his name, "Tyler!".but the sound barely escaped, muffled and distorted by the energy field, reduced to a desperate, underwater cry.

Tyler heard it. His gaze snapped to the corner, locking onto the small figure trapped behind the translucent walls.

*Joy. She's alive.

A profound relief washed over him, loosening the knot in his chest, but it clashed instantly with a jagged spike of frustration at seeing her caged.

He turned back to the sisters, his hands balling into fists. "Who the hell are you people?"

"Why, we're Heroes," Patience said, dropping back into her chair. She folded her arms, a sharp, arrogant grin stretching her lips. "You should actually be bowing down to us right now."

"Heroes..." Tyler muttered, the word tasting like ash. He looked between them, his guard high. "But what the hell do you want with me? With us?"

"Please, take a seat," Mary said, gesturing to a chair opposite her with an open palm. "I'd like to discuss something with you."

"Discuss something?" Tyler stood his ground, his eyes hard. "I'll listen to you once you let her go."

Patience burst into laughter, a loud, barking sound that echoed off the high ceiling. "Oh my goodness! You actually think you're in a position to negotiate?"

Mary simply nodded. "All right."

With a faint hum, the green panels of the barrier flickered and dissolved into mist.

Joy blinked, momentarily stunned as the wall vanished. Then, she bolted. She didn't look at anyone else; she just sprinted toward Tyler.

Patience watched her, her mouth falling slightly open in genuine surprise. But as Joy tried to dart past her, Patience moved. She stood up in a blur, her arm shooting out like a viper. Her hand clamped around Joy’s neck, halting her momentum instantly.

Joy felt the leather glove tighten around her throat like a vice. She gritted her teeth, desperation flaring as she slammed her hands onto Patience's wrist, clawing uselessly at the grip.

"Let her go!" Tyler shouted.

He dashed toward Patience, the movement explosive. In mid-stride, the air shimmered around his hand, and the Steel Fang dagger materialized from his inventory, its blade gleaming in the light.

Patience’s eyes went wide, genuine shock registering on her face as the weapon appeared from thin air.

She shoved Joy aside with a casual flick of her arm. Joy was thrown across the room, her back striking the wall with a heavy, dull impact that drove the breath from her lungs.

Tyler closed the distance. He drove the dagger straight toward Patience's neck.

Patience turned swiftly, her red eyes glowing with a sudden, predatory delight. A smile curled her lips as she moved, her speed defying the logic of the fight. Her left hand snapped up, snatching Tyler’s wrist and halting the blade inches from her throat.

Tyler was stunned by the abrupt stop, the kinetic energy jarring his arm.

Patience didn't punch him. She simply placed her open palm against his chest and pushed.

It looked like a gentle tap, but the force behind it was catastrophic.

Tyler was launched backward as if hit by a battering ram. He flew across the dining hall, the air rushing past his ears, until his back slammed violently into the heavy double doors. He slid down the wood, collapsing onto one knee, gasping for air.

He clutched his stomach, his eyes bulging. It felt as if his insides were on fire, a searing, spreading agony from a motion that hadn't even looked like an attack.

*She's so fast*, he thought, his vision swimming. *And so strong.* It looked like she just tapped me... but just from that move alone...*

Patience stood in the center of the room, examining the object now in her hand. She was holding the Steel Fang dagger. Tyler looked at his empty hand, then back at her. He hadn't even seen her take it.

"A dagger?" she said, turning the blade over in the light. "Where did you get it from?"

At the table, Mary watched intently.

*How is he able to use skills?* she thought, her brow furrowing slightly. *My Aura of Stillness is in effect.* It should be impossible for him to manifest anything.*

She interlocked her fingers, resting her chin on them. A small, red smile touched her lips as she studied the gasping man near the door.

"Interesting."

Patience shifted her grip, holding the Steel Fang dagger by the blade and the hilt. She didn't brace it; she didn't strain. She simply applied a fraction of pressure with her thumbs.

A sharp, crack echoed through the silent room, sounding pitifully like a piece of glass split in two.

Tyler stared, his jaw tightening. She had broken reinforced steel as if it were a toothpick.

"It's so weak," she muttered, tossing the hilt aside. "Did you really plan to strike me with that thing?"

Before the broken blade could hit the floor, it dissolved. The metal didn't clang against the carpet; it disintegrated into a cloud of shimmering blue dust that drifted through Patience's fingers like luminous sand, fading into nothingness before reaching the ground.

Patience blinked, staring at her empty hand. "Huh? What just happened? What kind of weapon is this?"

"He used a skill," Mary said, her eyes narrowing as she watched the particles fade.

Tyler groaned, forcing himself to stand. His hand pressed against his abdomen, where the phantom fire of her touch still burned deep in his gut. He glanced quickly to the corner. Joy was sitting up, shaken but conscious.

His mind raced, cycling through his inventory.

I want to use the Lightning Sword... but if I trigger the Lightning Strike, the discharge is too wide. I might end up hitting Joy.*

He looked back at the two women, the disparity in their levels weighing on him like physical gravity.

*What should I do? I'm completely outclassed, no matter how I look at it.*

"Huh?" Patience frowned, looking back at her sister. "But... earlier you said your Aura was activated, right?"

"Yes," Mary replied, her gaze fixed on Tyler. "It is still activated. But somehow... he is able to bypass it."

Patience whipped her head back toward Tyler. Her confusion vanished, replaced instantly by that manic, glowing excitement. Her lips curled into a wide, predatory grin.

"Wow," she breathed. "Can I keep him?"

Tyler froze. The words washed over him, cold and dehumanizing. She spoke of him not as an enemy or a prisoner, but as a stray animal she found in the yard.

Mary shook her head, closing her eyes with a weary sigh. "No, you can't keep him. He is a criminal, remember?" She opened her eyes, the dark irises hard. "Now stop what you're doing and let me talk to him."

"Oh, come on!" Patience whined, stomping her foot slightly. "Can't you just let me have a little fun?"

"I'm not going to ask again," Mary said, her voice dropping an octave, heavy with warning. "Do you want to destroy the entire mansion?"

Patience pouted, letting out a sharp, frustrated breath. She crossed her arms, turning her back on Tyler.

"Hmph. Fine," she muttered. "Do whatever you want. I'll just be waiting."

Joy forced herself upright, a low, pained groan escaping her throat. Her hand instinctively flew to her neck, massaging the tender skin where Patience’s grip had been.

She didn't wait to catch her breath. She pushed off the wall and sprinted toward Tyler.

This time, Patience didn't move. She merely watched the girl pass with a lazy, predator's indifference, letting her go.

Joy collided with Tyler, burying her face into his chest. Tyler immediately wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, his hand cradling the back of her head as he shielded her from the room. He could feel her trembling against him, her small hands clutching the back of his shirt.

He looked over her silver hair, his gaze locking directly onto Mary.

Mary didn't flinch. She sat perfectly still at the long table, her chin resting on her interlocked fingers. Her dark eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as she studied the embrace.

A humanoid monster.... as a pet? she thought, the question turning over in her mind.

The dynamic was wrong. She had never seen a person tame a humanoid monster before. It was even impossible to bound them to others if he wasn't a tamer.

*There are just so many things I want to ask this person, she mused, her gaze drilling into Tyler. *Tyler evans.... Who are you exactly?*