Chronicles Of The Crafting Hero [REMASTERED]

The tavern lacked its usual heavy roar. Deep into the middle of the night, only a handful of patrons remained scattered across the dim room. The ambient noise had reduced to quiet, slurred mumbles, broken only by the soft scraping of a young waitress wiping down the empty tables with a damp cloth. It was close to midnight, and the owner was preparing to lock up.

While the few remaining patrons nursed the last bitter sips of their drinks, Bernardo, Nigel, and Nathan sat huddled in the furthest, darkest corner of the room, keeping their voices low.

Nathan scratched at his ear, his finger brushing the jagged, healed edge where a thick chunk of flesh was missing. "Alright, so let me get this straight," he whispered. "You're scared of robbing the Baron because you think we're going to get caught. And you actually think the Baron is a B-Rank?"

"That's what I said," Bernardo exhaled. The heavy breath made it sound as though he had repeated the sentence a dozen times already.

"Bullshit," Nigel cut in, leaning forward over the sticky wood. "These nobles barely do anything at all. Most of them just stay E-Rank until they die because they never even have to lift a single finger. How the hell is the Baron a B-Rank?"

"I don't know," Bernardo said, his gaze shifting between the two men. "But everybody knows he is a B-Rank. I heard he went hunting, but he obviously paid someone off to help him level up. Probably by letting him deal the last blows, like any noble would."

"So you're saying we shouldn't go up against this guy?" Nathan asked, his eyes narrowing.

"But your skill," Nigel pressed. "If we use it against him, we can pull it off."

"It doesn't work that way," Bernardo said, his voice dropping even lower. "My skill has a limit. It doesn't work every time."

"How does it work, then?" Nathan asked.

Bernardo offered a tight, guarded smile. "I'm not dumb enough to tell you that."

Nathan smirked, leaning back heavily against his wooden chair.

Nigel shifted, resting his forearms on the table. "So, how many houses are we planning to get through?"

Bernardo leaned backward, folding his arms securely across his chest. "Hmm. Let's just say as many as we can. But we have to avoid the guards. A lot of them will be patrolling around, and we don't want to run into them."

Nathan leaned forward to reply, but a sudden shadow fell over the table.

The waitress stood right beside them, clutching a damp cloth in her hands. "Excuse me," she said softly. "Sorry, but it's closing time."

Bernardo glanced around the tavern. To his slight surprise, the room was entirely empty; they were the only patrons left.

"Alright," Bernardo said. He pushed his chair backward, the wooden legs loudly scraping the floor, and stood up. His eyes narrowed sharply as he looked down at Nathan. Nathan hadn't moved. A slow, lingering grin was stretched across his face as he stared directly at the young waitress.

"Hey," Bernardo snapped, his tone sharp. He nodded toward the doorway. "Let's go."

Nathan's grin vanished. A heavy frown replaced it as he slowly pushed himself up from the table.

The trio exited the tavern, stepping out into the dark street. The chill night air hit them instantly, biting through their clothes.

"What the hell was that back there?" Nathan complained, adjusting his collar against the cold.

Bernardo shot him a harsh glare. "We don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves."

"You were going to try and flirt with her, weren't you?" Nigel said, a playful, mocking grin spreading across his face as he looked at his twin brother.

"No, I wasn't," Nathan scoffed.

"You definitely were. You're all over women, no matter where we go."

"Alright, guys," Bernardo interrupted, turning to face both of them in the street. "We'll do as we planned as soon as the festival starts. Tomorrow is the last day, and we've only got four gold in total."

"Yeah, but I think heading to the hunter base right after is a pretty bad idea," Nathan argued. "I mean, can't we hide anywhere else?"

Bernardo shook his head firmly. "No. Like I said before, she'll find us. Heading to the hunter base is the better option. It could be the very last place she and the guards look."

Nigel cast a quick, sideways glance at Nathan out of the corner of his eye. Bernardo turned his back on them and started walking down the dirt road. The twins fell into step behind him.

*This stupid bastard,* Nathan thought, his eyes locked on the back of Bernardo's head. *He thinks we're idiots. As soon as we figure out how his skill works, we're putting him down and taking all the money for ourselves. It was a stupid idea, telling us that your skill actually has restrictions. What a dumbass.*

Ahead of them, Bernardo kept his posture relaxed, but his muscles were completely tense. His skill was already fully activated. He walked on guard, fully aware that the men trailing behind him could not be trusted. He knew exactly the kind of people his old allies were.

They navigated the quiet streets until they arrived in front of a tall, three-story building. Bernardo pushed open the heavy double doors. Inside, the innkeeper stood quietly behind a short, curved wooden counter.

They had meticulously planned to stay here for the night. They didn't want to look suspicious, they didn't want to stir up any trouble, and they actively avoided interacting with too many people. But they still needed a quiet place to sleep.

Little did Bernardo and his treacherous allies know that in one of the dark rooms, the man he had almost killed, the man whose life he had almost taken away, was currently inside.

Crafting his gear.

Tyler stood in the center of the dark room, his eyes locked on the glowing crafting bar as the system panel slowly filled up.

"I wonder what it's going to look like," he muttered, his curiosity peaking. *Is it going to have spikes on it? I mean, it's called an offense shield. Quite self-explanatory. Maybe it uses the Hexhorn horns to deal damage and block at the same time.*

[CRAFTING SUCCESSFUL.]

The blue panel flashed. Tyler held out his hands. A heavy weight immediately settled across his forearms as the offense shield materialized into his grip. He adjusted his stance, slightly surprised by the heft. It didn't feel overwhelmingly heavy, but it carried the distinct density of solid metal. He realized his incredibly high strength stat was completely masking how heavy the item truly was.

He inspected the design. It was a round, convex shield that bulged aggressively outward. The entire surface was plated in polished silver and completely covered in slightly curved silver spikes—some thick and imposing, others small and jagged. Firmly attached to the flat back of the shield were two thick metal handles designed for a secure grip.

The sharp spikes gleamed, catching the pale moonlight flowing in through the window.

"Not bad," Tyler breathed, a satisfied smile touching his lips. "It looks as if the system covered the horns with metal all the way down to the base. Someone wouldn't even notice that these are actually horns."

A small system bar materialized right beside the heavy metal:

[ATK: 59]

[DEF: 65]

*The attack and defense aren't bad at all.*

He frowned. A lingering question he had asked himself countless times resurfaced in his mind. He mentally pulled up his main system panel. To his surprise, his overall defense stat had not risen a single point. Unlike the leather gloves, the stats of the weapon he was currently holding had no direct impact on his personal bodily stats.

"Oh," he breathed out, slightly confused. *Is it not adding points because it's a shield? I mean, it's not like I'm physically wearing it as armor. But still, if it's a shield, shouldn't it be showing me its durability rather than a defense stat?*

He paused for a long moment, turning the heavy spiked shield over in his hands to inspect the thick handles.

*But then again, durability and defense are different. Durability would just be how long it lasts before it breaks. Defense is how strong it actually is when it blocks.*

He scratched the back of his head. *Still kind of confusing. Well, I'll just use it when I need it.*

He willed the heavy shield to vanish into his inventory. He kept the inventory panel open, his eyes scanning the floating icons of his available materials.

*Not a lot of metals left,* he noticed. *I'm going to have to get more metal from the shop or from Hector. I'll just take his discarded scraps.*

He walked over and sat heavily onto the edge of the mattress. *Assimilation didn't detect any skill from it, so I don't think there is one. Even though I used that same liquid ingredient. This is just bad luck, isn't it? There was a twenty percent chance I wouldn't get a skill, and I didn't.*

He slumped backward, letting his spine hit the mattress. Despite his massive stamina reserves, he felt a sudden, heavy wave of exhaustion washing over him from completely overusing his brain.

*But I actually feel kind of tired now, so that's good.*

He swung his legs up onto the bed and pulled the heavy sheets over himself. The thought of the impending boss hunt tomorrow looped endlessly in his mind, until the mental fatigue finally dragged him down into a deep sleep.

***

The countless stars scattered across the night sky began to vanish one by one, fading away as the pale, gray light of early morning filtered through the glass window. The sharp, rapid sounds of chirping birds pierced the quiet room, breaking Tyler's sleep.

He let out a low groan, pushing himself up into a sitting position. He aggressively wiped the sleep from his eyes, letting out a wide yawn as he stretched his arms high over his head. The stiffness popped from his shoulders. He immediately swung his legs over the edge of the mattress and stood up.

He stepped forward, lifting his left leg. A leather boot instantly materialized from his inventory, wrapping perfectly around his foot just before his sole hit the floorboards. He lifted his right leg to take the next step, and the second boot materialized seamlessly around his other foot. Fully shod, he walked straight out of the room.

He navigated the wooden hallway, descending the stairs until he reached the quiet lobby. The innkeeper was already awake, standing attentively behind the short wooden counter.

"Good morning," Tyler said.

"Good morning, sir," the innkeeper replied with a polite nod.

"Did anyone come by looking for me?" Tyler asked.

"No, sir," the man answered simply.

*Oh, looks like James hasn't come yet. Like I thought. I might as well walk up to his place.*

As soon as he exited the inn, he found James standing a few meters away, walking in his direction.

"Oh, you're up," James said.

"Yeah, good morning," Tyler replied, a bright smile on his face.

"Morning," James said. "You ready to head out?"

"Yeah."

Tyler and James walked straight through the awakening streets to the marketplace. They hailed a carriage, paid their fares, and rode the bumpy wooden cart all the way to the outskirts of town. They both stepped off the carriage, waiting for the driver to turn the horses around and head back toward the marketplace.

Once the road was clear, Tyler focused his mind. The leather cuirass shimmered faintly and materialized, securing itself tightly over his torso. Immediately after, the bronze dagger materialized into his open hand, allowing him to temporarily shift his class. He mentally opened his status panel, his eyes scanning the text. Once he confirmed that his displayed class had successfully changed to *Assassin*, the bronze dagger dissolved from his grip, returning to his inventory.

They walked forward, circling around the massive main tent.

"James, wait," Tyler said, slowing his steps. "Before we go hunting, I have to update my rank."

James halted, completely turning his body to face Tyler, a look of pure confusion settling on his features. "Update your rank?"

Tyler nodded. "Yesterday, I became a D-Rank."

James's eyes stretched entirely wide in shock. "Really?"

"Yeah," Tyler said, the smile returning to his face.

James stared at him. *A D-Rank in one day? Didn't he say his experience was cut off by twenty-five percent?*

"How?" James asked, his voice low.

"Well, I killed a lot of monsters yesterday," Tyler answered simply. "I'm actually Level 32."

"Thirty-two..." James breathed out, shaking his head.

"Yeah." Tyler was already turning, adjusting his path to head straight for the gray brick building.

James quickly fell into step behind him. "You must have killed a ton of monsters."

"I did. There were a lot of them," Tyler said, looking over his shoulder. A sudden, amused smirk pulled at his lips, as if he were holding back a laugh. "Some of them were pretty weird."

"Weird?" James asked.

"Yeah," Tyler said, turning his head fully to face James as they walked. "I faced this round, bouncy monster called a Brolin. It was kind of like a slime, but it had feet and small hands. It bounced off the trees every time I tried to hit it."

"Right, those little things," James said, recognition dawning on his face. "It's pretty rare to find them. They are pretty deep inside the monster zones. You must have gone very deep, huh?"

Tyler recalled the agonizingly long walk through the dense, heavy foliage. "I did."

They reached the heavy wooden doors of the gray brick building and stepped inside. Sam was standing in his usual spot behind the front counter. They both offered a quick greeting as they approached.

Sam looked up, genuine surprise crossing his face at seeing them there again so soon. Most hunters only visited the registry building to officially rank up or check their level when they were absolutely certain they had grown after a long, grueling hunt. Yet, the two men who had just been here yesterday had already returned.

"I came to check my level," Tyler said, stepping up to the counter.

"Really?" Sam asked, his brow furrowing. "Don't you think it's a little too early to do that?"

"No," Tyler said, shaking his head. "I killed a lot of monsters yesterday. I just want to check where I'm at."

Sam's eyebrows rose high on his forehead. He shifted his gaze over to James. James simply offered a firm, confirming nod.

"Alright," Sam sighed, stepping out from behind the counter. "Follow me."

Tyler and Sam walked up the wooden stairs together. They entered the main office, finding the same gray-haired man sitting behind the heavy desk. The older man looked up at Tyler, but his dull, neutral expression did not shift even a fraction.

"Good morning," the older man said, his voice completely flat. "Are you here to check your level?"

"Yeah," Tyler answered. Inwardly, his brow furrowed. *Does he really not recognize me?*

"Then place your hand on the orb, please."

Tyler stepped toward the dark, polished orb mounted on the wall. He reached out, but just as his palm made physical contact with the smooth surface, bright green letters materialized directly on the screen above it:

CLASS: ASSASSIN

LEVEL 32

D-RANK

"A D-Rank," the older man stated. His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared unblinking at the glowing screen. "It seems you've ranked up."

"Looks like it," Tyler said, turning around to face the room.

He immediately caught the completely shocked expression plastered across Sam's face. Sam stood frozen, staring at the screen, unable to process the glowing green numbers.

*How is this possible?* Sam thought frantically. *I'm pretty sure this guy was just an E-Rank last week. Was he an E-Rank Plus?*

"Have a seat," the older man instructed.

Tyler walked back to the heavy desk and sat down in the wooden chair opposite the man.

"Give me your badge."

Tyler reached up, unclasped his E-Rank necklace, and handed the metal pendant over the desk.

"The document?" the man asked, holding out his open hand.

Tyler's eyebrows rose. He hadn't realized he needed the physical paperwork to climb in ranks. He casually slid his hand into his pocket. Within the hidden space of his inventory, he willed the folded parchment to materialize into his grip. He pulled the thick paper out and handed it over.

The gray-haired man unfolded the document, his eyes scanning the ink to officially confirm Tyler's identity as a registered hunter. Satisfied, he pulled open one of his heavy desk drawers. Tyler heard the sharp, metallic clatter of heavy items shifting against each other. The man withdrew a fresh square pendant attached to a short black chain. It looked identical in make to Tyler's old one, but the smooth metal face was distinctly branded with a deep, bold letter D.

"Here," the man said, pushing the necklace across the desk. He then took Tyler's old E-Rank document and tucked it away into his drawer.

Tyler sat quietly, watching as the man pulled out a fresh sheet of rough parchment, dipped his quill, and began writing. Once the ink dried, the man slid the new document toward Tyler. Tyler picked it up, scanning the crisp writing. It was formatted exactly like his original registration, only now it proudly declared his official status as a D-Rank Hunter.

He folded the parchment, slipped it into his pocket, and let it vanish safely into his inventory.

"Great, you're good to go," the man said dismissively.

Tyler stood up, a wide, accomplished smile spreading across his face. He picked up the new black chain from the desk and clasped the square D-Rank pendant securely around his neck.

"Show him out," the older man said, shifting his dull gaze over to Sam.

"Yes, sir," Sam replied, finally snapping out of his stunned daze.

Sam moved to the door and pulled it open. Tyler walked out ahead of him, heading for the stairs, while Sam followed closely behind, his face still twisted in absolute confusion. James waited at the bottom of the steps, watching them descend. He immediately noticed the highly satisfied look resting on Tyler's face.

As Tyler reached the ground floor and walked around him to return to the front counter.

"I can't believe you're a D-Rank already," Sam admitted, shaking his head. "Were you an E-Rank Plus?"

"Yeah," Tyler lied effortlessly.

"That makes sense," Sam muttered, offering a slow nod.

"Alright, let's go," James said, gesturing toward the exit.

Tyler and James pushed through the doors, leaving the registry building behind. As they navigated the dirt paths heading back toward the main tent, James kept casting sideways glances at the younger man walking beside him.

*He's leveling up so fast,* James thought, a heavy realization settling in his chest. *It hasn't even been a month. To think that he was actually a Level 1, and now he's a D-Rank.*

A sudden, sharp spike of concern rose within him, warring directly with the deep, mentoring pride he felt. He didn't know exactly how to process the sheer speed of the growth. *At this rate... within a few days, he might actually reach C-Rank.*