Chronicles Of The Crafting Hero [REMASTERED]

Tyler and James pushed through the heavy flaps of the main tent. Inside, Serena sat behind the wooden counter, her chin resting heavily in the palm of her hand.

"Good morning," James greeted.

"Hey, morning," she said, her eyes initially tracking James before shifting over to Tyler. "Hi."

"Hi," Tyler replied.

Her gaze dropped instantly to the center of Tyler's chest. Her eyes widened drastically, and a sharp, audible gasp escaped her lips. " You're a D-Rank?"

"Yeah," Tyler said, a distinct edge of pride lifting his voice. "I just registered my rank this morning."

"Wow," she breathed out, absolutely amazed. "Didn't you just start hunting yesterday?"

James cleared his throat loudly. "He was already an E-Rank Plus when he came here."

"Oh... right," Serena said, nodding slowly as the memory of Tyler's first visit clicked into place.

"I forgot to mention that I ranked up as well," James added. He reached inside his thick leather armor and pulled out the silver pendant, letting it rest against his chest.

"You're a C-Rank?" Serena asked, her voice pitching up in genuine excitement as she stared at the bold letter C stamped into the metal.

"Yes," James smiled. "I finally became a C-Rank."

"James, I'm so happy for you. You've wanted this for so long," she said, her face lighting up with genuine warmth.

"I did," James agreed. "I can take on C-Rank quests now."

The bright smile on Serena's face slowly faded. "Yeah..." she muttered. The word dragged out heavily, thick with sudden concern.

Tyler caught the shift in her tone. "I thought you were moving out of Veridia," serena asked James. "Did you make a change of plans?"

"No," James said, shaking his head. "We're still moving. We'll be heading out the day after tomorrow."

"Oh, that's great," Serena said, her smile returning slightly. "We only have quests up to C-Rank here, the most rewarding being the ones recommended for C-Rank Plus. In the other zones, you'll be able to find B-Rank and A-Rank quests. Who knows, maybe even S-Rank," she teased playfully.

James let out a deep chuckle. "Come on, you know I can't reach that far. I'll probably just hit B-Rank in my lifetime."

"Come on, don't say that," Serena said. "I believe you'll reach A-Rank eventually. Anyway, do you want to take a quest today?"

"Yeah," Tyler said. He turned his head to James. "Which one should we take?"

"We're taking on a C-Rank quest," James answered firmly.

Serena slid a heavy drawer open beneath the counter. She pulled out a small stack of crisp quest flyers and placed them flat on the wood. "There are no C-Rank quests pinned on the public board, but a lot of private requests came in recently. I think there are about five to seven C-Rank quests available here."

"Really? That's a lot," James said. He reached out and began sifting through the stack, his eyes scanning the thick ink on each parchment.

He paused, pulling one sheet out from the rest. "Huh."

"What is it?" Tyler asked.

James shook his head and immediately pushed the paper to the side, discarding it completely. "It's requesting that a hunter bring back a Tri-horn hide."

"What's a Tri-horn?" Tyler asked.

Serena blinked at him in surprise. "You don't know what a Tri-horn is?"

"No," Tyler said, shaking his head.

"A Tri-horn is a Hexhorn boss monster," Serena explained, her tone turning entirely serious. "It resembles a standard Hexhorn, but it has three massive horns. It's a lot bigger, significantly faster, and its hide is incredibly hard. It is extremely dangerous."

*A boss monster,* Tyler thought, his pulse instantly spiking.

"Why aren't we taking it?" Tyler asked.

Both James and Serena froze. Serena shot a highly concerned glance directly at James.

James met Tyler's gaze, his expression completely hard. "No. We can't take it. It's too dangerous. That monster is probably around Level 70 by now."

Tyler's eyes widened in genuine shock. *Level 70? That's way too high.*

His jaw tightened. *But it's a boss monster. And if I don't kill one soon, I'm going to die. So even if I don't take it, I'm going to die either way. Plus...*

He vividly remembered sitting in the dark inn room, manually calculating his raw stats. He had confirmed that some of his attributes were already firmly in C-Rank territory, and his agility alone basically put him at Level 70.

*If things get hard, I'll use absolutely everything I have. I'll use my hand cannon too, along with my Rush skill.*

"We should take it," Tyler said firmly.

"Are you crazy?" Serena blurted out, her hands slamming flat against the counter. "If you take it, you'll die! James just told you this thing is probably Level 70, and he's right. Most Hexhorns only become boss monsters when they reach C-Rank Plus. And this specific one has been a boss monster for a while now. Taking this quest is just suicide."

Tyler flinched slightly, taken aback by the raw, protective anger spilling out of Serena.

James stared heavily at Tyler, his thick brow furrowing. He let out a slow, deliberate exhale. "Why do you want us to take this quest? I know you're not that stupid."

"It's just..." Tyler trailed off, struggling to find a believable excuse. He dropped his gaze to the wood grain of the counter, his fingers curling into tight fists at his sides. He absolutely could not tell James the truth, that the system had forced a quest upon him, that the penalty for failure was death, and that the clock was rapidly ticking down to zero.

His grip slowly loosened *I have no choice.*

"James, can I talk with you for a sec? Outside," he said, nodding toward the heavy tent flap.

"Okay, I'll be right back," James said, setting the quest flyers back onto the counter.

Serena watched them step outside. Tyler pushed the flap open, his mind racing. *I should just tell him. He already knows about my system anyway. I don't think there's any other way I can convince him.*

They circled around to the side of the tent, out of earshot. James rested his hands firmly on his waist. "What is it you wanted to tell me?"

Tyler took a deep, steadying breath. He laid it all out, explaining exactly why he needed the quest and the lethal penalty waiting for him if he failed. James’s eyes widened, the sudden weight of the revelation hitting him hard. He asked when this had happened, and Tyler told him everything, including the cold threat that the system could simply replace him and find someone else to make stronger.

James's heart rammed heavily against his ribs, but he forced his expression to remain completely serious.

"See, that's why I actually wanted to become a hunter," Tyler explained, his voice tight. "The system... it just cares about me growing stronger and killing monsters. Nothing else. In a way, this path was the only one I could take."

James looked at Tyler, a heavy ache of pity settling in his chest. *So he had to become a hunter, even if he didn't want to. He didn't have a choice at all. But just how strong does this system of his want him to become?*

"I hear you," James said, rubbing the back of his neck. "So we have no choice but to take the quest."

"We're taking it?" Tyler asked, an eager smile touching his lips.

"Of course we are," James replied. "We don't want you to die, do we? That is, if the Tri-horn doesn't kill us first."

"Alright," Tyler said, a small, relieved chuckle escaping his lips. "Okay, let's go."

Inside the tent, Serena stared blankly at the wooden counter, completely lost in her thoughts. *Why did he want to take a boss monster quest? We already told him everything he needed to know, especially since he's a new hunter. Does he want to die?* She let out a heavy, frustrated sigh.

The heavy flap pushed open. James and Tyler stepped back inside. James walked straight up to the counter and offered a firm nod.

"We're taking the boss quest."

Serena recoiled in pure surprise. "What? Why?"

"It's... personal," James said smoothly.

Serena's brow pulled down into a fierce scowl. "Personal? Are you joking? You're going to die if you take this quest."

"We might," James countered, holding Serena's gaze with absolute seriousness. "But it's the same with every quest we take. You of all people know that. I appreciate your concern, Serena, but you can't stop us from making this choice."

Serena stared at James. Her shoulders slumped heavily, visibly weighed down by sheer surprise and bitter disappointment. She stood completely speechless.

She shifted her gaze to Tyler, her features twisting into an expression of pure, unmasked anger. Tyler physically tensed, deeply intimidated by the fierce glare of her bright emerald eyes boring directly into him. She aggressively shoved the quest flyer across the counter.

"Write your signature."

James picked up the quill pen and quickly signed his name across the bottom. Serena snatched the parchment back, shoved it into the drawer, and slammed it shut with a loud, violent thud.

James turned, leading Tyler toward the exit. Tyler cast one last glance back at Serena. Her deep, frustrated frown remained firmly directed at the wooden counter, her mind visibly churning. He suddenly realized the heavy silence, she always said *be safe out there* whenever a hunter left for the zones. Today, she didn't say a single word.

They pushed through the flap and stepped outside.

"She's pretty angry," Tyler murmured.

"I don't blame her," James replied. "To her, it just looks like we're throwing our lives away for a dangerous quest."

Tyler paused slightly. "How long have you known her for?"

"I'm not sure," James said, matching Tyler's pace. "Probably about a year now."

"A whole year?"

"Yes. She's worked here for some time. She's always rooted for me. Me becoming C-Rank... well, I think her support was mostly out of pity."

"Oh," Tyler said. "I think she mentioned moving on to another base this one time. Swapping with another person. I don't know how that ended. Maybe she changed her plans."

They cleared the perimeter of the base, crossing the short distance until the towering, dense greenery of the monster zone completely swallowed them. Tyler could not shake the vivid image of Serena glaring at him. He could physically feel that she blamed him for dragging James into a suicide mission. And she was right. Tyler's heart hammered against his ribs. The sickening thought of James dying just to protect him forced its way to the surface of his mind.

"I won't let it happen," he muttered unknowingly.

"What?" James asked, glancing back.

"It's nothing," Tyler replied. The heavy silver spear instantly materialized into his grip. Beside him, James smoothly unsheathed his sword, the metal sliding free in the cool air.

They pushed through the brush until they reached the rushing water of the river, entirely avoiding any monster encounters along the way. They hopped across the large stones. As they reached the opposite bank, they passed a small group of hunters who had been quietly waiting for them to clear the path before crossing back toward the base.

*Those hunters must have killed all the monsters back there,* Tyler thought, eyeing the quiet trail.

He shifted his gaze to James. James wore a completely stern, hard expression. He locked eyes with Tyler.

"Tyler, there's something I need to say to you."

"What is it?"

James looked straight forward into the dense trees, as if suddenly embarrassed to meet Tyler's gaze. "Honestly, I should have told you this before you ever became a hunter, but I don't think it would have stopped you. The thing is... you should always have your guard up when you're in the monster zones. Even against other hunters."

"Oh," Tyler said, his grip tightening on his spear shaft.

James nodded slowly. "Yeah. You shouldn't just fear monsters out here. Even killing humans gets you experience," he said, finally looking back at Tyler.

Tyler's heart slammed violently against his chest. "So you're saying that other hunters actually kill for that?"

"Yes." James nodded grimly. "Not only for the experience, but for your gear as well. So you should never trust other hunters, no matter what. Alright?"

Tyler stared at James. The older man's expression was completely serious and laced with a deep, heavy concern, carrying the distinct weight of personal experience.

"Yeah, I won't," Tyler promised.

James turned his eyes back to the path. "I'm serious. You should also never join a guild."

"A guild? What is that?"

James looked back at him. "Right, I forgot you didn't know about that. Well, a guild is basically a large group of hunters who exclusively hunt together. They can take on much higher-ranked quests because they always hunt as a coordinated party."

"So that means they get more rewards, right?" Tyler asked. "Why don't you want me to join them?"

"Because they will use you."

"How do you mean?"

"Tyler, your skills are extraordinary. Your spatial inventory alone would get guilds fighting over you. But that's all they'll want out of you. In most situations, if multiple guilds find out about a skill like yours, they won't just fight to recruit you. If some guilds decide they can't have you... they'll make sure none of the others can have you either. I hope you understand where I'm going with this," James said, locking eyes with him.

"You're saying they'll kill me?"

"Yes," James exhaled heavily. "So I strongly suggest you never join any guild. And don't borrow any money from guilds either. It's a very bad idea."

Tyler looked forward into the deep woods. After a long moment of heavy silence, he nodded. "Alright. I understand."

"Good. This way," James said. He immediately veered to the left, cutting a new path through the underbrush. Tyler followed closely behind. "Remember what I told you," James warned, raising his sword slightly. "Most boss monsters stay right in the center of their territory. We'll be facing a lot of Hexhorns before we even get to it."

"I remember," Tyler said, keeping his voice low.

They walked in complete silence. Tyler followed closely behind James, carefully navigating through the dense, heavy brush of the forest.

James abruptly stopped, his brow pulling down into a deep frown. "Something's wrong," he murmured.

"What is it?" Tyler asked, gripping his silver spear tighter.

"Haven't you noticed that we haven't run into any monsters yet?"

"Yeah," Tyler said, scanning the empty tree line. "You're right, it is strange. But did we even reach their territory yet?"

"We crossed into their territory five minutes ago," James said.

Tyler frowned in deep confusion. "Then how come we haven't run into any Hexhorns? Not only that, but we haven't seen a single monster at all."

Suddenly, a sudden, concussive roar detonated through the dense trees directly in front of them. The sheer acoustic pressure vibrated violently through the dirt, traveling straight up through the soles of Tyler's leather boots. High above, entire flocks of birds erupted from the canopy, their wings flapping frantically as they fled the area in blind panic.

Tyler froze completely, his boots rooted to the ground. His heart hammered wildly against his ribs. Beside him, James stood just as rigid.

"What the hell was that?" Tyler whispered, his breathing shallow.

"It's the Tri-horn," James answered, his voice tight.

*That was the Tri-horn?* Tyler thought, a cold, sharp chill running directly down his spine.

James tilted his head, his eyes narrowing in deep calculation. *It's strange. Normally, a Tri-horn only cries out like that when it's actively being attacked.*

He stepped forward slowly, his eyes continuously sweeping the quiet shadows of the trees. *There are no surrounding monsters. Could it be that a guild actually passed through here? But Serena would have informed us. Plus, a guild can't take on an assigned private mission. Then what is going on? There are only two possibilities. Either some hunters ran into it and had to fight it, or another monster has completely invaded its territory.*

"Let's go," James commanded quietly.

Tyler looked at the older hunter. James's expression was incredibly serious, completely focused, and entirely unfazed. The sheer calm radiating from the man managed to ground Tyler's spiking panic.

He slowly stepped forward. They walked with meticulous care, placing every footstep softly against the earth, until James abruptly extended his arm sideways, blocking Tyler's chest to stop him.

"What is it?" Tyler breathed.

"I think we are really close," James whispered. "Can you hear that?"

Tyler held his breath and focused all his senses on the dense brush ahead. A thick, metallic stench of pooling blood drifted on the air. Through the quiet forest, he heard the low, vibrating hum of deep, guttural growls. Then came the heavy, wet squelching of tearing meat, followed by the sickening crunch of thick bones being violently ripped apart.

James stepped forward, carefully parting the thick, leafy bushes to peer into the clearing. Tyler leaned in right beside him.

His eyes stretched completely wide.

The clearing was an absolute slaughterhouse. A massive pack of Crimson Wolves swarmed the area, glowing blue levels floating steadily above their heads. They were viciously tearing into the carcasses of several dead Hexhorns. Scattered across the blood-soaked grass were the torn bodies of a few dead wolves as well.

But what completely stole the air from Tyler's lungs was the gargantuan, dark red wolf standing in the dead center of the carnage.

The beast was massive, standing significantly taller and wider than a fully grown man. Its dark, blood-matted jaws were locked directly onto the thick, armored neck of a colossal Hexhorn that bore three jagged horns. The Tri-horn. The giant wolf ripped its head backward, its massive canines shearing a huge chunk of meat and thick hide entirely free from the boss monster's neck. It swallowed the bloody mass whole.

Floating directly above the giant wolf's head was a glowing text: CRIMSON ALPHA LEVEL 69.

The exact second the beast swallowed the Tri-horn's flesh, the glowing numbers violently flickered. The system text physically glitched in the air, distorting wildly before snapping solidly into a new sequence: CRIMSON ALPHA LEVEL 78.

Tyler swallowed hard, his throat clicking in the silence.

James slowly, carefully, began to back away, using his free hand to firmly motion for Tyler to do exactly the same.

Tyler shifted his weight backward. The heavy heel of his leather boot brushed against a patch of tall, dry grass.

The rustle was barely a whisper, but the giant, blood-soaked head of the Crimson Alpha snapped instantly in their exact direction.

Tyler's breath hitched violently in his throat.

The movement triggered the rest of the pack. Instantly, all thirteen of the surrounding wolves froze their feeding, turning their snarling, blood-stained muzzles directly toward the bushes.