Chronicles Of The Crafting Hero [REMASTERED]

Tyler and James sat inside the tent once more. James had listened to Tyler’s explanation, and he nodded slowly, his voice low.

"So you're saying that's exactly what happened. One minute you're in your room. The next, you've been transported here? It sounds bizarre."

Tyler nodded. "I know, but that's what happened."

James sighed. *What the hell is going to happen now? This kid's from another world. He's totally new here. He knows no one, and he has nowhere to go.*

"About those coins," Tyler said, his eyes narrowing as he watched James.

"Yes, right." James reached into his pocket and placed the coins on the table. They landed on the wood with a dull metallic ring. "The reason I didn't give you these coins was because I wanted to teach you about our currency."

"Oh," Tyler said.

"Yeah. We use these coins to buy goods. There are copper coins, silver coins, and gold coins."

"Gold coins?" Tyler asked.

James nodded. "Yes, gold coins. We don't have them here, but it'll make sense why as I continue explaining. Copper coins are the primary currency." He lifted a copper coin, holding it up for Tyler to see the three circles stamped into its surface. "We use this to buy small things like bread and fruits. And then the silver coins, those are for bigger or more valued items. One silver coin makes up ten copper coins. Are you following?"

Tyler nodded. "Yeah."

"All right, now 100 silver makes up one gold coin."

"What?" Tyler's voice jumped.

James nodded. "Yeah. Gold is really precious. You don't just see it anywhere."

Tyler leaned back, the fabric of his chair stretching. *Whoa, if it's like that, then it really is precious. Is it made of real gold or something?*

"So, let's say a simple loaf of bread costs two copper coins," James said. "How much bread will I get with one silver?"

Tyler felt his stomach tighten as he pointed a finger back at his own chest. "You're asking me?"

James nodded. "I want to see if you understand."

Tyler rested his chin on his hand, his eyes fixed on the coins on the table. He started running the numbers in his head, ten copper to a silver, bread is two copper.

James watched him, his expression growing dull and disappointed. His mouth hung slightly agape as the seconds ticked by. *Is he actually calculating all of that in his head? It's obviously five.*

"Five," Tyler finally said.

James's eyebrows shot up. "I'm surprised you took that long. But yeah, it's five. Now, how much would I get with two silver coins?"

Tyler looked back down at the table, his brow furrowed.

James let out a soft sigh. *Is he serious? The answer is ten.*

"Ten," Tyler answered.

James breathed out through his nose. *This kid's too slow.*

Tyler caught James's gaze and looked away. *Oh no, there’s that look. The look my teacher always gave me. He looks disappointed. I was never really good at math. That was one of the reasons I couldn't go to college. It's not like my answers are wrong; I just take longer to think.*

"Alright, seems like you understand," James said, pushing the pile of coins across the wood toward Tyler.

Tyler gathered the coins, feeling the cool metal against his palm, and slid them into his pocket. James stood up from the chair. *Well... I'm sorry, but I have to go now. I'm heading into town.*

"Wait!" Tyler stood quickly, the chair legs scraping against the floor. James stopped just as he was about to turn. "You're already leaving?"

"Yeah. I have a family to get back to."

*He has a family? I never thought about that,* Tyler thought. His heart began to race. *But if he goes, what the hell am I going to do? I don't know this place. I don't know who to talk to or where to go. So far, he is the only person I know, and I don't think anyone else is going to be as kind or as generous. If he leaves me, I'll be stranded.*

"Can I come with you?" Tyler asked.

James raised an eyebrow. "You want to go into town?"

"Yeah. I don't know this place. Can I at least go with you?"

"Listen," James said, adjusting his gear. "I already have so many things I have to take care of. I can't just take you with me everywhere I go."

"Please, I'm begging you," Tyler said, his voice straining. "I have no one. I..." He stopped, his gaze darting across the table as he searched for the words. He snapped his head up, locking eyes with James. "I'll pay you back, I promise. Just, please, help me out."

James stayed silent for a moment, looking at him. *I wasn't actually going to leave him. I just wanted to see how he'd react. To see if he was desperate enough.*

He sighed and shifted his weight. "All right. You can come with me."

"Thank you," Tyler said, the relief washing over him.

"Come on, let’s go," James said.

As James headed for the exit, he caught Serena’s eye and raised a hand. "Alright, I’m off."

"Bye," Serena said, waving back. Tyler followed close behind, locking eyes with her for a brief, silent moment before he stepped out of the tent and into the light.

They circled to the back of the structure. Tyler saw that the massive wooden walls of the base formed a complete circle around the encampment. Directly ahead, a massive gate of interlocked wood stood open serving as a second exit. James stopped near the opening and waited.

After a long pause, Tyler asked, "What are we waiting for?"

"Some transport wagons always come here," James said, his gaze fixed on the road beyond the walls. "Their job is to transport people from bases to towns."

Tyler looked down at the dirt. *Oh, so like a taxi.*

He watched the dust swirl around his shoes.* This world... it’s going to take a whole lot to get used to before I return to mine. The system said I need to grow stronger for it to reveal some information.

But in order to do that, I’m going to have to kill monsters. I don't want to do that. I don't want to die.*

He looked up at James. The older man was staring far ahead, his expression distant as if he were lost in his own mind.

A small breeze brushed past, flickering Tyler's dark hair across his forehead

"James," Tyler said.

James turned his head to look at him.

"I can call you that, right?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah, of course," James replied. *Right, this is the first time this kid ever actually called my name. Now that I think about it, I never introduced myself to him when we first met.*

"So, has it always been like this?" Tyler asked.

"What?"

Tyler looked up at the taller man. "I'm talking about the world. Has it always had its levels and monsters and things like that from the start?"

James looked at Tyler for a moment, then shook his head and returned his gaze to the road ahead. "No, not really. Things weren't like this at first. It started about 200 years ago."

"200 years ago?" Tyler asked. His eyebrows shot up.

James nodded. "Yeah. So you have none of this where you're from?"

Tyler shook his head. "No, not really. We don't have any of this. At all. There are no monsters, magic, or levels."

James’s expression clouded with confusion as he looked at Tyler. He turned back toward the horizon, a small smile appearing on his lips. "Must be peaceful."

Tyler’s brow furrowed, his gaze dropping to the dry earth at his feet. *I wouldn't call it peaceful.*

"So you want to know how this all came to be, right?" James asked.

Tyler looked up and nodded.

"Alright," James said. "Where do I begin? Well, thousands of years ago, this planet and its people, everything you see, even the stars. It was all created by the Goddess Lumia."

"Whoa, a goddess?" Tyler repeated.

"Yes," James said. "Didn't you have a goddess where you're from?"

Tyler scratched the back of his head, his fingers tangled in his messy hair. "It’s a bit complicated." *How do I even explain the multiple religions we had?*

"Everything was peaceful," James continued. "That was until... a powerful being appeared. This being was said to have come from another dimension, or a higher plane of existence, if you will."

"Another dimension?" Tyler asked.

James nodded. "Even I don't understand it myself. They said this powerful being was evil and held a grotesque nature. We called him the Demon God. That being appeared about 200 years ago."

"Is that when these things started?"

"Yes," James said. "The Demon God, just like the Goddess, had the power of creation. Though his creation could only bring about calamity and despair. It is said that the Demon God actually thrived in the suffering and in the end of life itself."

Tyler’s stomach tightened at the words. The physical description of a being thriving on suffering made his skin feel cold despite the morning sun.

"They said that back then, a lot of people suffered," James said, his voice dropping an octave. "Some humans were enslaved while a lot of them died. When this was happening, the Goddess started to help the humans. She chose a human and bestowed him the title of Hero. She created mana and shared it with the world. And with this mana and magic, humans were able to fight back. We were able to push against the evil."

James paused, his eyes narrowing as if seeing the history play out in the distance. "But in turn, the Demon God chose his own champion as well. He was called the Demon King, and he commanded an army of monsters and demons."

"So he's the one that created monsters?" Tyler asked.

"The Demon God did," James replied. "The battle between monsters and humans was waged for a long time. The hero managed to share his power with some people and they made a group called the Hero's Party. With that, they were able to defeat the demon lords and the demon king. They say the demon god was enraged so much that he appeared in front of the hero himself. With the help of the goddess, the hero managed to defeat the demon god, but that wasn't the end of it."

James looked out toward the horizon. "When the demon god died, his aura, or as we like to call it, his dark mana, spread across the land. The mana is all around us, the dark mana, along with the goddess' pure mana as well. But there are places where the mana is dense and that's where the monsters always appear. We call those places monster zones."

Tyler’s eyes widened. "The place I was transported..."

"Exactly," James said. "There are different kinds of monster zones. Some monster zones have so much dense dark mana that far more powerful creatures appear. There are fractured monster zones, which have monsters that are considered to be weak. And then there are shattered monster zones, and then abyssal monster zones. Those are the most dangerous monster zones known to man. That zone we came from is one of the fractured zones."

*If that place was just a fractured zone and I almost died to those shadows walkers, what the hell is an abyssal zone like?* Tyler felt a cold sensation creep down his spine.

James looked down the road toward a cloud of dust rising from the path. "Looks like our ride is finally here."

Tyler looked forward, his eyes narrowing as a carriage pulled by two black horses emerged from the cloud of dust. "Oh," he murmured.

"So that's how things are the way they are now," Tyler said, turning back to James.

James nodded. "Yes, it has been like that ever since. And the day the demon god was defeated, the hero disappeared. However, we have descendants of the hero. They are high-ranking nobles, mostly found in the big cities."

The carriage drew closer, the rhythmic strike of hooves against the packed dirt growing louder until the driver pulled on the reins. The horses slowed to a halt, their heavy breathing audible in the quiet morning. The driver, a man wearing a wide straw hat that shaded his face, looked down from his perch.

"Oh, James, how are ya?" he called out.

"Fine," James replied simply.

"You going to town?"

"Yeah," James answered.

The man’s gaze shifted to Tyler. "Oh, hello there."

Tyler raised a hand in a small wave. "Hello."

"Are you heading to town as well?" the driver asked.

Tyler nodded, and the man gestured toward the back. "Well, hop in."

Tyler and James climbed into the wagon. Inside, two wooden benches faced each other, bolted to the floor. James took a seat opposite Tyler. With a whistle from the driver, the wagon jerked forward.

The vibration was immediate. Every stone and rut in the uneven road sent a jolt through the wooden frame and up Tyler's spine. He gripped the edge of the bench, his knuckles turning white as he tried to steady himself. The constant rattling made his teeth ache, a sensation entirely different from the smooth hum of a car.

He looked across at James, who seemed completely unaffected by the swaying and bumping. "This world... what is it called?"

James looked up. "Aldoria. Yours was called Earth, right?"

Tyler nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, right now we are headed towards a town called Veridia," James said. "It's a small town, so don't have high expectations."

*Aldoria,* Tyler thought, the name feeling strange in his mind. *And Veridia. It sounds like a place from a fantasy book... This wood though, it's making my back hurt already.*

As the base began to shrink behind them, Tyler looked out over the landscape. They were traveling through a vast green clearing, following a straight road carved into the earth by the constant passage of heavy wheels. The plains seemed endless, covered in short grass that looked as though it were being meticulously tended. It was beautiful, yet the sheer scale of the greenery made the world feel like a desert of emerald, stretching further than his eyes could follow.

James sat across from him, his gaze fixed on his own boots as they swayed with the movement of the carriage. *When we get to town, should I just take him in? We are leaving town in a few days, so maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea. But then again, she might not agree to that.*

James looked up at Tyler, noticing the way the younger man was shifting and wincing with every jolt of the wagon.

"I think I'm just going to sit down," Tyler said. He moved carefully off the bench and lowered himself onto the wooden floor of the wagon. He let out a long sigh as he settled against the vibrating planks. *It's not comfortable, but this feels better. It's not hurting my back anymore.*

James let out a short chuckle. "You'll get used to it."

Tyler looked forward, watching the back of the driver's straw hat as they moved. His stomach let out a sharp, hollow twist that made him press his hand against his midsection. *I haven't eaten since yesterday. I'm so damn hungry.*

The rhythmic sound of the horses' hooves and the creaking of the wood continued for some time until James straightened up.

"There it is," James said, gesturing ahead. "We're close."

Tyler raised his head, squinting against the bright sun. In the distance, the horizon was no longer just a line of green. He saw clusters of rooftops and the thin trails of chimney smoke rising into the air.

*It’s the town,* he thought, his heart picking up speed.