Chapter 61: Broken Pride
Tyler pushed through the thick brush of the forest. Broad leaves brushed against his bare, blood-stained shoulders. With his newly leveled strength, James’s unconscious weight on his back felt completely negligible. A slow, steady rhythm of warm breath washed over Tyler’s neck. James was breathing.
They had survived and finally beaten the boss monster, completing the system's quest. Following the victory, he had successfully extracted all the materials from the fallen wolves, along with the Tri-horn hide and horns.
Yet, a heavy, suffocating knot remained anchored in Tyler’s chest. The horrific imagery of the fight looped violently in his mind. He saw James being tossed like a ragdoll. He felt the sickening, resonant crunch of the older man's collarbone shattering, and the raw, blood-curdling scream that had torn from his throat echoed in Tyler's ears.
*He could have died if I was too late,* Tyler thought, his grip tightening around James's legs. *He lost so much blood. He's in this state because of me. I told him to help me. Fuck.*
Tyler aggressively stepped over a thick, protruding root, his pace quickening into a harsh march.
*If I hadn't found that water pouch, I wouldn't have made those potions,* he thought, his fingernails digging into the leather of James's armor. *I'm so stupid. If he didn't bring any water with him, he would have died. He's right. I am so fucking careless.*
He remembered James telling him how he kept taking from them before he left.
A sudden, vivid image flashed behind his eyes: Lisa and her young daughter sitting alone in their home, waiting for a man who would never walk through the door.
*If I took James from them...*
A sharp pressure seized his throat, completely cutting off his air. He violently shook his head, forcing his eyes wide open to banish the horrific thought.
*I need to stop thinking about this,* he thought, grinding his teeth together. *I need to get him to safety.*
He leaned forward and broke into a dead sprint. His boots struck the forest floor with relentless, heavy force. His enhanced legs moved in a blur, rapidly eating the distance until he reached the river. He charged straight through the rushing currents to the opposite bank.
Emerging from the dense foliage, he passed a group of hunters. They stared at him with wide eyes, taking in the gruesome sight: an unconscious man saturated in blood, carried by a kid wearing nothing but shredded rags and covered head-to-toe in dried gore. But their eyes caught the hunter badge resting against Tyler's chest, and they swallowed their questions, stepping aside.
Tyler marched directly into the hunter base. The stares multiplied. Hushed, sharp whispers drifted into his ears from the gathered crowds.
"Is that James? There's so much blood. Is he dead?" a hunter muttered.
"I wouldn't be surprised," another replied, their tone laced with dismissive pity. "He's that man who was famous for being stuck on one rank since he became a hunter, right? It's kind of sad, but the guy was pretty weak to begin with."
Tyler’s jaw clenched so hard his temples throbbed. A hot flash of anger burned in his chest, but he forced himself to keep walking, completely ignoring the ignorant remarks. James was strong. James had taught him how to fight, guided him from the moment he arrived in this brutal world, and held the frontline against a Frenzied boss monster. He was a highly skilled fighter, a brilliant mentor, and the only reason Tyler was still breathing.
Tyler parted the canvas flap of the tent. A few feet away, Serena stood behind the counter, confronting Gary who appeared to be accepting a quest. Gary held a mocking grin across his face.
"I said I don't," Serena said, her voice sharp. "Do you ever listen when people are talking to you?"
"Come on," Gary replied, leaning closer over the counter. "It will just be the two of us."
"I said no. I don't want to go to the festival with you. You're annoying, and you have absolutely no respect."
Gary’s grin faltered, irritation narrowing his eyes.
Serena gasped, her eyes widening as she looked past him. Tyler walked toward them, the limp weight of James slung across his back. Serena immediately ran around the counter. Gary turned, his eyebrows rising in surprise as he took in the sight.
James’s leather armor was completely saturated with crimson, dripping onto the floorboards. Tyler wore no armor at all; his clothes had been shredded into bloody, tattered rags.
"What happened?" Serena asked, her voice trembling with urgency.
"We faced the boss monster," Tyler said, his breath heavy. "It almost had us."
Serena’s hands shook as she looked at the unconscious man. "James... is he okay? He's still alive, right?"
"He is," Tyler said, adjusting the weight. "But he's still unconscious."
She reached out, her fingers touching Tyler’s bare shoulder before pressing against his chest. "What about you? What happened to your armor?"
"I'm fine," Tyler said.
"Whoa!" Gary interrupted, stepping forward. A smirk spread across his face, his shoulders shaking with a suppressed laugh. "You guys faced the boss monster?"
Tyler stared at him, his face tightening as his voice dropped into a deeper, harsher register. "Yeah. What's so funny?"
"What was that, a quest?" Gary asked.
Tyler glanced at Serena. Her teeth were gritted, a fierce glare directed entirely at Gary.
"So it was a quest," Gary said, and then he burst into loud, echoing laughter.
"Are you serious? You think this is funny?" Serena yelled, her face flushing with anger.
"Of course it is," Gary said, using his gloved hand to wipe his forehead. "Anyone who takes James along with them on a quest is already a fucking idiot. But taking on a boss monster quest with him? Man, what the fuck were you thinking?"
"Stop it!" Serena shouted.
On the nearby benches, other hunters turned to watch, their whispers filling the tent. Gary clutched his abdomen, bent over as his laughter continued. "I don't think I've ever seen anything this ridiculous in my life."
Heat surged up Tyler’s neck. A heavy, suffocating rage built inside his chest. Gary was laughing, dismissing everything James had just endured. James had nearly died, and now he hung limp and weak against Tyler's back, his shallow breaths the only sign of life.
Turning his back on Gary, Tyler walked over to the tables and carefully lowered James onto the wood.
"What a fucking moron," Gary muttered, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. He reached for the tent flap, looking back one last time. "If you had used him as bait, I would have called you smart. But instead, you actually carry him all the way here. What a dumbass."
The canvas flap fell shut as Gary stepped outside.
Tyler squeezed his fists. His knuckles turned stark white, a faint crackling sound echoing from his hands. Memories flashed through his mind—the words of the girl from the shop, her eyes locked onto his as she called him a coward, someone unwilling to do anything by themselves.
Serena rushed past the counter, her hands frantic. "We need some bandages to heal the wound. He's already lost a lot of blood."
Tyler’s gaze fixed on the exit. His mind solidified. He walked over to the canvas flap, pushed it aside, and stepped out of the tent.
A few meters away in the dirt, Gary was talking to another hunter. Tyler walked toward them, his boots pressing into the ground in slow, measured steps. Sensing the approach, the other hunter walked away, leaving Gary alone. Gary turned, his eyes locking onto Tyler’s rigid, furious expression.
Above Gary’s head, the glowing lines of a system pattern materialized, displaying bold text:
[HUMAN LEVEL 79]
*He's the same level as the boss monster,* Tyler thought. The anger burning in his veins pushed his legs forward anyway. *But that doesn't matter. I killed it. I'm stronger now.*
Gary’s smirk returned, his lips curling back. "Looks pissed that the old man finally kicked the bucket."
Tyler stopped directly in front of him. A faint blue glow ignited in Tyler's eyes. He clenched his fists, the air around his knuckles crackling with raw force.
"You thought that was funny?" Tyler asked.
"Yeah," Gary said, his grin widening. "I did. What you gonna do about it?"
Before Gary could react, a massive, crushing force slammed directly into his mouth. Gary’s eyes flew wide with sudden agony as the impact shattered his posture. The force of Tyler’s fist drove him backward, launching his body several feet through the air before he crashed down, tumbling through the dirt.
"Don't you ever say shit like this again, or else I'll beat you to a pulp," Tyler said, his voice dropping to a low, lethal register.
Gary pushed himself up onto all fours, the dirt shifting beneath his palms. His eyes were wide, staring at the ground in disbelief. *What the hell?* he thought, a sudden heat flaring beneath his skin. Crimson droplets splattered onto the dirt beneath his face. He scrambled back onto his knees, his hand flying up to cover his nose as the blood began to trickle faster. Nearby, several hunters turned their heads, their eyes locked onto the scene. Tyler cast one cold look over his shoulder, turned around, and began walking away.
*What the hell?* Gary thought, his hands trembling against his bloody face. *I didn't see that coming. How come I couldn't react to that? He's a D-rank.*
He looked around, noticing the growing crowd of onlookers. The watching hunters murmured among themselves, their hushed voices cutting through the air.
*No. I can't let him humiliate me like this. If my brother hears about this, it's never going to stop. And my father's going to be embarrassed,* Gary thought.
Gary sprung to his feet and blitzed forward, his boots kicking up a cloud of dust as he closed the distance toward Tyler's back. "Just who the hell do you think you are!" he yelled, cocking his fist back.
Tyler spun around, his body pivoting smoothly as he launched a reverse spinning kick. The heavy heel of Tyler's boot whipped through the air, passing mere inches from Gary’s face. Gary instantly dipped his head low, the rush of air from the strike brushing past his hair as he evaded the attack. Lunging forward from his crouched stance, Gary threw a straight jab directly at Tyler's face. Tyler clenched his teeth and let his planting foot drop hard to the ground to shift his weight, a sudden adjustment that caught Gary completely off guard.
*He's fast!* Gary thought.
Both of Tyler’s hands shot up instantly. His fingers clamped tightly around Gary’s incoming fist, catching the strike mid-air and using Gary's own forward momentum to pull him downward.
Gary groaned in shock as Tyler channeled his entire strength into his grip, twisting Gary's arm and forcing his body off balance. They both crashed heavily onto the dirt. Before Gary could break free, Tyler shifted his weight, pinning him down and wrenching Gary's hand up against his own back, locking him into the precise shoulder lock James had taught him.
Gary blinked in surprise, his eyes widening as he stared into the dirt. He strained against the hold, attempting to push himself upward, but Tyler wrenched his hand further back. A strained groan escaped Gary's lips as a sharp flare of pain cut off his breath.
"Let go of me!" Gary ground out.
"No," Tyler said, driving the arm higher.
Gary’s face contorted as he let out a sharp cry. "Let go of me, you punk!"
A metallic silver light suddenly ignited in Gary's eyes as he activated his skill: Knight's Honour. The ability surged through his body, instantly increasing his strength and defense by forty percent. His muscles corded under his armor as he threw his weight upward to break the hold.
Instinctively, Tyler countered, triggering his own skill: Rush. A faint blue luminescence bled into Tyler's eyes, and his heartbeat hammered violently against his ribs as a burst of speed and power flooded his limbs. When Gary tried to force his way up to push him off, Tyler simply pressed down harder, anchoring Gary firmly to the dirt.
The commotion drew the attention of the surrounding plaza. Hunters began to gather, forming a dense crowd around the unfolding fight.
*This is impossible,* Gary thought, a heavy groan racking his chest as he failed to budge an inch.
"I won't let you go until you apologize," Tyler said. His face remained completely flat, his voice smooth and steady, showing no signs of strain despite the struggle.
"Screw you!" Gary snarled, throwing the entirety of his reinforced strength into one desperate heave.
Anger flared hot up Tyler's neck. He clenched his teeth, locked his grip, and drove Gary’s hand violently upward toward his shoulder blades. The distinct, sickening crack of a fracturing joint echoed through the space.
A raw scream filled with agonizing pain ripped from Gary’s throat. His eyes clamped shut as his body went entirely rigid.
Tyler released his grip and stood up. Gary immediately collapsed onto his side, his free hand flying to clutch his ruined shoulder as he thrashed in the dirt. Gasps rippled through the gathered crowd. Onlookers began to murmur rapidly, their eyes darting between the defeated hunter and Tyler.
Tyler's chest heaved, the energy of the skill still rushing fiercely through his veins. *Fuck,* he thought, trying to calm his racing pulse.
He turned away from the crowd and walked back toward the tent. Serena stood near the entrance, her eyes wide with shock. As Tyler approached her, the faint blue luminescence still lingered within his eyes, while Gary continued to thrash in sheer agony in the dirt behind him.