Chronicles Of The Crafting Hero [REMASTERED]

The morning sun cast a warm, golden glow across the street as Tyler and James walked side by side. As the dense noise of the marketplace grew louder ahead of them, Tyler glanced over.

"So you're saying it's illegal for someone who isn't a hunter to go into the monster zones?"

"Yeah," James said, his heavy boots thudding steadily against the ground. "You can get in legally even if you aren't registered, but you have to pay a steep fee to do it. Some craftsmen have paid it just to raise their levels. Of course, they always need a hunter's protection to survive out there. We don't have that kind of money, so we just have to make sure we don't get noticed."

Tyler gave a slow nod. He lowered his gaze, focusing strictly on the uneven shapes of the cobblestones as they stepped into the marketplace.

*It's good that he told me before we went. I didn't even know I could get arrested for doing that. I'll have to be more careful*

He stepped around a passing merchant, his brow pulling together.

*But how do I take on quests? I don't think I can. I'd have to be a registered hunter to do that. But wait... the first time, I didn't even take a quest. James submitted the materials to the Base, and the System registered it as completed on my end. So maybe it will work if James just does it again.*

They navigated deeper into the heavy crowd. The suffocating press of bodies around him triggered a sudden, cold spike in Tyler's chest. Flashes of the Shadow Claws bleeding out in the dark violently resurfaced in his mind. The phantom pain of his skin bitten off made his breath hitch. His jaw clamped shut, and his fingers curled tightly into his palms, his knuckles turning white.

James glanced over, instantly catching the rigid, locked tension in Tyler's shoulders. "Hey, don't worry. Everything is going to be fine. Remember what I taught you."

Tyler forced his fists to uncurl. He looked up, rolling his shoulders back. "Oh, no. I was just thinking about something else. Nothing to worry about."

James studied him for a fraction of a second before turning his focus back to the road ahead.

Tyler’s brow furrowed as he walked.

I made three iron swords with the iron I got from the scrap metal pit. And not only that, I even managed to make bullets for the hand cannon.

He recalled testing his crafting skill in the quiet of his room the night before. He had mentally asked the System to craft small iron balls, and to his surprise, it had forged them instantly. The experiment proved he didn't need an official recipe every single time to craft something basic. But he also quickly realized his limits. The System possessed intricate knowledge of structural designs he couldn't even begin to comprehend on his own. To craft genuinely powerful, complex gear, he still needed official recipes.

*I hope I get Common Grade recipes once I finish a quest. If I get out alive, that is.*

James and Tyler reached the line of waiting wagons. They climbed into the back of a sturdy wooden cart, and James pressed the coin fare into the driver's palm. The wagon lurched forward, leaving the town behind. The heavy wooden wheels rumbled harshly against the loose gravel of the road, sending constant, dull vibrations up through the floorboards. Tyler watched the massive stone walls of Veridia slowly shrink into the distance.

*I wonder if the fire has gone out.*

He had spent the night agonizing over how he was supposed to quickly light the touch hole of the hand cannon in the middle of a frantic battle. He needed a ready source of fire. To test the limits of his system, he had stored a portion of his hot dinner inside his inventory. He had spent the next several hours tossing and turning on his mattress, his pulse racing too fast to sleep. When he finally pulled the meal back out in the dead of the night, thick steam immediately rose from the meat. The temperature hadn't dropped a single degree. Everything inside the inventory remained in absolute stasis.

With a focused thought, his inventory panel shimmered into existence in the air before him.

He scanned the neat grid of slots until his eyes locked onto the wood he had pulled directly from the hot coals of Lisa's cooking furnace just before leaving. The icon displayed a normal, splintered piece of wood, but a small, glowing flame symbol hovered directly at the bottom corner of the box.

Tyler raised a hand, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

*It's still hot... or at least I think it is because of the flame icon. I just had to be sure.*

James watched Tyler from the corner of his eye. The younger man sat perfectly still, his gaze locked onto empty space, yet his brow was furrowed in deep concentration.

*Is he looking at his system again?* James thought, shifting his weight against the hard wooden bench. *I really can't tell with this kid. He says he's the only one who can see it. To anyone else, he just looks like he's staring blankly into the air, completely lost in his own head.*

James turned his attention back to the dirt road stretching out ahead of the wagon.

*I wonder how he'll hold up in the monster zones today. He has definitely gotten stronger and faster. His reaction speed is sharp, close to an E-Rank plus but his actual level is still F-Rank. His potential is immeasurable. With that system of his... I want to see exactly what he's capable of. What other skills he'll unlock. It's like witnessing something entirely out of this world.*

The corners of James's mouth pulled upward into a faint, subtle grin.

Tyler caught the slight shift in the older man's expression. A warmth settled in Tyler's chest, and a matching smile touched his own lips.

*If it wasn't for him, I never would have made it this far. I won't disappoint him.*

The wagon rattled steadily over the gravel. Minutes dragged by. In the far distance, the dense, dark tree line of the monster zone finally began to bleed through the morning haze. Staring out at the approaching danger, Tyler mentally cataloged the weapons hidden safely in his inventory. As he reviewed his preparations, a lingering thought from yesterday surfaced.

"James," Tyler called out over the clatter of the wagon wheels.

"Hmm?" James turned his head.

"I was curious. Is there mana in the ground as well? Like, deep beneath the soil?"

James gave a slow nod. "Yeah. Mana is everywhere. Like I told you before, it flows through the earth, the trees, and the air itself."

"Oh," Tyler said, his chin dipping in understanding. "Well, yesterday I found out that people here actually mine steel and bronze ores. That's something we didn't do back in—"

"Hey."

James’s voice snapped like a whip. He leaned forward instantly, his heavy boot tapping Tyler's shin as he shot a hard, warning glare toward the back of the wagon driver's head.

Tyler’s jaw clicked shut. The realization hit him like a splash of cold water. "Sorry," he muttered, keeping his voice barely above a whisper.

James exhaled a long, heavy breath and leaned back against the wooden slats. He lowered his voice, blending it with the rumbling of the wheels. "The mana in the ground is scattered, but there are certain places where it gets incredibly thick and compact. Think of it like mana veins buried deep underground. Sometimes, those veins get clogged with massive amounts of dense energy. Strange phenomena happen in those spots."

"Like what?" Tyler asked quietly.

"Well, for example, that concentrated mana underground is what formed the metals you just talked about. Steel, bronze... I've even heard there are others, but I don't remember their names. Hector told me once that the ambient mana physically fused different base metals together over time to create them. But since I'm not a Craftsman, I didn't really follow the details. I just care about having a good weapon."

"Wow... I understand now," Tyler said.

"Metals aren't the only thing, either," James continued, his gaze drifting toward the passing trees. "There's an old rumor about a tree that sprouted in one of those dense spots. Supposedly, it soaked up so much mana that eating its fruit would instantly refill your energy. They said it could cure sicknesses, too."

That sounds amazing, the Tyler said. "But the tree got destroyed.*

" Really? How?"

" Well, there was a conflict. Some people wanted to... take the trees for themselves. And a war broke out. But during the war, the tree was burned. It died, and since then... the tree never grew back again.

Oh, Tyler said, looking down at his boots, he looked at James and asked, "what was it called?"

" I think it was called, the world tree."

"The world tree" Tyler repeated The wagon then arrived, stopping behind the tent of the hunter base. James then said," we're here", and he immediately stood up and jumped out of the wagon and saw the tailor. The wagon then returned. James then said, "Alright, wait here, make sure you're ready when I come back, I'm going to take a quest." " Alright", Tyler said, as James circled around the tent, Tyler sighed, and with a metal command, the iron sword materialized in his hand, simultaneously the cuiress also appeared around him. He then summoned his status panel to see the update.

The morning sun cast a warm, golden glow across the street as Tyler and James walked side by side. As the dense noise of the marketplace grew louder ahead of them, Tyler glanced over.

"So you're saying it's illegal for someone who isn't a hunter to go into the monster zones?"

"Yeah," James said, his heavy boots thudding steadily against the ground. "You can get in legally even if you aren't registered, but you have to pay a steep fee to do it. Some craftsmen have paid it just to raise their levels. Of course, they always need a hunter's protection to survive out there. We don't have that kind of money, so we just have to make sure we don't get noticed."

Tyler gave a slow nod. He lowered his gaze, focusing strictly on the uneven shapes of the cobblestones as they stepped into the marketplace.

*It's good that he told me before we went. I didn't even know I could get arrested for doing that. I'll have to be more careful*

He stepped around a passing merchant, his brow pulling together.

*But how do I take on quests? I don't think I can. I'd have to be a registered hunter to do that. But wait... the first time, I didn't even take a quest. James submitted the materials to the Base, and the System registered it as completed on my end. So maybe it will work if James just does it again.*

They navigated deeper into the heavy crowd. The suffocating press of bodies around him triggered a sudden, cold spike in Tyler's chest. Flashes of the Shadow Claws bleeding out in the dark violently resurfaced in his mind. The phantom pain of his skin bitten off made his breath hitch. His jaw clamped shut, and his fingers curled tightly into his palms, his knuckles turning white.

James glanced over, instantly catching the rigid, locked tension in Tyler's shoulders. "Hey, don't worry. Everything is going to be fine. Remember what I taught you."

Tyler forced his fists to uncurl. He looked up, rolling his shoulders back. "Oh, no. I was just thinking about something else. Nothing to worry about."

James studied him for a fraction of a second before turning his focus back to the road ahead.

Tyler’s brow furrowed as he walked.

I made three iron swords with the iron I got from the scrap metal pit. And not only that, I even managed to make bullets for the hand cannon.

He recalled testing his crafting skill in the quiet of his room the night before. He had mentally asked the System to craft small iron balls, and to his surprise, it had forged them instantly. The experiment proved he didn't need an official recipe every single time to craft something basic. But he also quickly realized his limits. The System possessed intricate knowledge of structural designs he couldn't even begin to comprehend on his own. To craft genuinely powerful, complex gear, he still needed official recipes.

*I hope I get Common Grade recipes once I finish a quest. If I get out alive, that is.*

James and Tyler reached the line of waiting wagons. They climbed into the back of a sturdy wooden cart, and James pressed the coin fare into the driver's palm. The wagon lurched forward, leaving the town behind. The heavy wooden wheels rumbled harshly against the loose gravel of the road, sending constant, dull vibrations up through the floorboards. Tyler watched the massive stone walls of Veridia slowly shrink into the distance.

*I wonder if the fire has gone out.*

He had spent the night agonizing over how he was supposed to quickly light the touch hole of the hand cannon in the middle of a frantic battle. He needed a ready source of fire. To test the limits of his system, he had stored a portion of his hot dinner inside his inventory. He had spent the next several hours tossing and turning on his mattress, his pulse racing too fast to sleep. When he finally pulled the meal back out in the dead of the night, thick steam immediately rose from the meat. The temperature hadn't dropped a single degree. Everything inside the inventory remained in absolute stasis.

With a focused thought, his inventory panel shimmered into existence in the air before him.

He scanned the neat grid of slots until his eyes locked onto the wood he had pulled directly from the hot coals of Lisa's cooking furnace just before leaving. The icon displayed a normal, splintered piece of wood, but a small, glowing flame symbol hovered directly at the bottom corner of the box.

Tyler raised a hand, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

*It's still hot... or at least I think it is because of the flame icon. I just had to be sure.*

James watched Tyler from the corner of his eye. The younger man sat perfectly still, his gaze locked onto empty space, yet his brow was furrowed in deep concentration.

*Is he looking at his system again?* James thought, shifting his weight against the hard wooden bench. *I really can't tell with this kid. He says he's the only one who can see it. To anyone else, he just looks like he's staring blankly into the air, completely lost in his own head.*

James turned his attention back to the dirt road stretching out ahead of the wagon.

*I wonder how he'll hold up in the monster zones today. He has definitely gotten stronger and faster. His reaction speed is sharp, close to an E-Rank plus but his actual level is still F-Rank. His potential is immeasurable. With that system of his... I want to see exactly what he's capable of. What other skills he'll unlock. It's like witnessing something entirely out of this world.*

The corners of James's mouth pulled upward into a faint, subtle grin.

Tyler caught the slight shift in the older man's expression. A warmth settled in Tyler's chest, and a matching smile touched his own lips.

*If it wasn't for him, I never would have made it this far. I won't disappoint him.*

The wagon rattled steadily over the gravel. Minutes dragged by. In the far distance, the dense, dark tree line of the monster zone finally began to bleed through the morning haze. Staring out at the approaching danger, Tyler mentally cataloged the weapons hidden safely in his inventory. As he reviewed his preparations, a lingering thought from yesterday surfaced.

"James," Tyler called out over the clatter of the wagon wheels.

"Hmm?" James turned his head.

"I was curious. Is there mana in the ground as well? Like, deep beneath the soil?"

James gave a slow nod. "Yeah. Mana is everywhere. Like I told you before, it flows through the earth, the trees, and the air itself."

"Oh," Tyler said, his chin dipping in understanding. "Well, yesterday I found out that people here actually mine steel and bronze ores. That's something we didn't do back in—"

"Hey."

James’s voice snapped like a whip. He leaned forward instantly, his heavy boot tapping Tyler's shin as he shot a hard, warning glare toward the back of the wagon driver's head.

Tyler’s jaw clicked shut. The realization hit him like a splash of cold water. "Sorry," he muttered, keeping his voice barely above a whisper.

James exhaled a long, heavy breath and leaned back against the wooden slats. He lowered his voice, blending it with the rumbling of the wheels. "The mana in the ground is scattered, but there are certain places where it gets incredibly thick and compact. Think of it like mana veins buried deep underground. Sometimes, those veins get clogged with massive amounts of dense energy. Strange phenomena happen in those spots."

"Like what?" Tyler asked quietly.

"Well, for example, that concentrated mana underground is what formed the metals you just talked about. Steel, bronze... I've even heard there are others, but I don't remember their names. Hector told me once that the ambient mana physically fused different base metals together over time to create them. But since I'm not a Craftsman, I didn't really follow the details. I just care about having a good weapon."

"Wow... I understand now," Tyler said.

"Metals aren't the only thing, either," James continued, his gaze drifting toward the passing trees. "There's an old rumor about a tree that sprouted in one of those dense spots. Supposedly, it soaked up so much mana that eating its fruit would instantly refill your energy. They said it could cure sicknesses, too."

That sounds amazing, the Tyler said. "But the tree got destroyed.*

" Really? How?"

" Well, there was a conflict. Some people wanted to... take the trees for themselves. And a war broke out. But during the war, the tree was burned. It died, and since then... the tree never grew back again.

Oh, Tyler said, looking down at his boots, he looked at James and asked, "what was it called?"

" I think it was called, the world tree."

"The world tree" Tyler repeated The wagon then arrived, stopping behind the tent of the hunter base. James then said," we're here", and he immediately stood up and jumped out of the wagon and saw the tailor. The wagon then returned. James then said, "Alright, wait here, make sure you're ready when I come back, I'm going to take a quest." " Alright", Tyler said, as James circled around the tent, Tyler sighed, and with a metal command, the iron sword materialized in his hand, simultaneously the cuiress also appeared around him. He then summoned his status panel to see the update.

SPECIES: Human

NAME: Tyler Evans

RANK: F

LVL: 12

CLASS: Craftsman

HP: 63/63 MP: 62/62

STR: 46 AGI: 49 +[4]

DEF: 42 +[37] STM: 45

SKILLS: Weapon Craft-Lv1, Weapon Craft-Lv1, Rush-MC20

PASSIVE SKILLS: Weapon Mastery-Lv1

He frowned thinking, *The Curess's defense stacked with the leather boots's defence.. I still dont know if this applies to my whole body.*

He took a.deep breath *all right, so, everything is ready. I think I'll use the hand cannon for emergencies. I checked the dead berry powder, left in the sack, there's not much. Might be enough just for four rounds or so*. After a brief pause He recalled something that James was saying. *Since the metal came from underground it might mean that there might be mana in the metal as well.* He Stared at the dull grey colour of his sword. He stood there for several more minutes and James came around" alright, we're good to go. I chose an easy E-Rank quest."

"Are you ready for your first hunt?" James said, Tyler nodded. His hand on the rough metal hilt tightened. "I'm ready." " Alright, let's go", They came out of the base and circled around it. Tyler could see them tracing the line of the monsters on his head.

Going away from the regular entrances that the hunters went through. He then saw them enter the trees. He inhaled, his lungs filling up. Ready for anything. He was about to face.