Chronicles Of The Crafting Hero

Tyler fully turned, facing the two men. "Whoa, what are you doing? Calm down. I told you, I'm just a fellow hunter. I'm an assassin type-hunter, remember? This is just one of my skills."

The thin man then said, "One of your skills?Tyler said, "Yeah, it's called Shadow Vanish..... It… it makes my shadow disappear in the night, you know, as an assassin, so I don't get detected by anyone or anything easily."

The fat man then said, "Well, that kind of makes sense… but why are you using it right now?"

Tyler thought, *Shit, how am I going to lie my way out of this? If they call the guards… they have no idea what happens. As far as I can see, it looks like this place has more guards than Veridia. After all, there are more houses here. It seems more populated.* Then, his voice was a bit hesitant and not that confident, "It's always on when the night comes."

The thin man lowered his spear a little bit and said, "Oh, so it's a passive skill?"

Tyler thought, *A passive skill? That sounds familiar* But he muttered, "Yeah, it's a passive skill." He then internally thought, *I'm just a greenhorn, I hope I don't sound stupid.*

The thin man said, "Yeah, that makes sense." He then fully lowered his spear and said, "You have a very strange passive skill. Even if it's for an assassin, to even get a passive skill at C-rank… I heard it's rare. Then you must be lucky."

Tyler shrugged. "I guess so," he said, lowering his hands.

The fat man then said, "Oh, all right then, you can go on your business."

The thin man looked at the fat man with an annoyed expression.

The fat man then whispered, his shoulders rising in a slight shrug, "What?"

Tyler said, "Thank you, I'll be on my way now." He turned and walked off, leaving the two men standing there.

The thin man still watched Tyler as he walked away, entering the town. The fat man moved closer to the thin man and said, "I don't know what it is, but something's definitely wrong with that hunter. Something feels… off."

The thin man said, "Yeah. I know we can't stop him right now. He hasn't done anything wrong, but your right."

The fat man then said, "So I wasn't the only one who felt that, right? He said he was a C-rank, and he *did* have a C-rank necklace, but for some reason, every time he looked at me, it felt like he was a higher rank above me."

The thin man answered, "Yeah. It basically felt like there was bloodlust spilling from him when he looked at us. It felt like I was nothing to him. And I started feeling that way, too."

The fat man said, "Whoa. I mean, I didn't say I felt like I was *nothing*. I just said I was a bit scared."

The thin man said, "What are you saying? You and I both know you almost filled your pants. You've never fought a battle in your life."

The fat man protested.

The two men continued their argument, their voices fading into the background as the distance grew. Tyler walked into the town, the cobblestones firm beneath his feet. He looked around, taking in the sight of tall, impressive houses. The architecture was a blend of familiar styles, but with a more refined execution.

As he walked, the buildings weren't tightly packed. Instead, they were strategically placed, creating narrow passageways between them, where the sunlight fought to reach, and the shadows lingered, offering a sense of mystery. Tyler glanced from side to side, his eyes scanning the buildings that were similar to the shops in Veridia.

*Wow,* Tyler thought, his mind already taking in everything. *This place kind of looks a bit more advanced than Veridia. The buildings look a bit nicer. Some of them kind of look the same, but some of them have a different design.*

He noticed people walking around, going about their business. The cobblestone road was wide and well-maintained. A carriage rolled past, a man guiding the horses, the rhythmic clatter of hooves on stone echoing through the passages. The ground was far more even than the roads of Veridia.

*Right,* Tyler thought, his focus shifting. *I need to know where the Black Cloud Guild base is. I need to ask someone. I need somewhere with a lot of people… There must be a bar in town, right? There must be a bar in town.* He repeated this thought. *I need somewhere with a lot of people… There must be a bar in town right?*

As he continued his walk, weaving through the pathways between buildings, he saw a man. The man appeared to be around Tyler's age, with black hair, short but unkempt, and dusty. He wore long trousers, ripped in several places, as were his other articles of clothing. The man was walking barefoot.

Even in the dim light of the passages, Tyler could see the cracks on the man's bare feet. The man's back was turned, and he seemed to be crouched low, resting his hands on his knees, softly humming something. Tyler walked up to him and said, "Sir, excuse me."

The man jumped, startled, and quickly turned toward Tyler, his eyes wide with fear.

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"Whoa, calm down," Tyler said, raising his hands in a placating gesture.

The man's eyes were red, just like Tyler's. As their gazes locked, the man's eyes widened even further. They were almost the same, yet Tyler's eyes seemed to hold a greater intensity, a deeper crimson.

"Are you alright?" Tyler asked, thinking, *Red eyes…* It was the first time he'd seen red eyes on a human.

The man said, "You scared the hell out of me. What do you want from me?"

Before Tyler could speak, the man clapped both hands over his ears, as if to block out sound. "I'm not here to steal anything, okay? You're here to make fun of me? I told you people, I'm leaving tomorrow. You all just fucking hate me for no reason. I'm leaving this world tomorrow, alright? I know I'm a fucking eyesore. I don't like it as much as you do." The man started to cry, his voice breaking with emotion.

Tyler, with a wry smile put his hands up again, his tone calm and soothing, "Whoa, please calm down. I'm not here to insult you or anything, but-"

The man continued talking and crying, lost in his own despair.

Tyler rolled his eyes, sighing inwardly. *I don't have time for this shit. I need to find the Black Cloud Guild.*

The man continued talking, a torrent of words mixed with sobs, clutching at his head. He was clearly not listening to Tyler. Tyler felt a surge of annoyance. Then, instinctively, Tyler slapped the man, a sharp clap echoing in the wide, cobblestone road. Tyler's eyes widened. *Why did I slap him?* he thought.

The man stopped talking, his head snapping to the side, forced by the impact. His eyes were wide, and he looked utterly speechless.

Tyler sighed. "I'm just trying to look for the Black Cloud Guild. I need some directions. I don't even know you, let alone give a crap, so… do you know where they are, or not?"

The man stammered, "Y-yeah…?"

"Right," Tyler said. "Do you mind giving me directions to their base?"

The man pointed upwards, in a southwest direction. "They're at the edge of town. Just go in that direction, you'll see a small forest. That's where they are."

"Right, thank you," Tyler said.

The man's eyes widened as he heard Tyler say that. He stared at Tyler.

"Oh," Tyler said, extending his hand. A gold coin materialised in his palm.

The man looked at Tyler, and then screamed, causing Tyler to instinctively step back. The man then snatched the gold coin from Tyler's hand and dropped to his knees, hitting his head on the cobblestone. The impact cracked the stone, surprising Tyler.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" the man yelled, repeating his thanks over and over.

Tyler looked at the man, his gaze lingering for a moment, then said, "Okay…" His voice was a low rumble, and he turned, his steps echoing on the cobblestones as he walked past the kneeling figure.

The man, still on the ground, choked on his own desperate sobs, his face pressed against the cold stone. Tyler couldn't make out the words, only the raw, broken sounds of the man's despair.

He pushed onward, into the maze of the town, heading in the direction indicated. The passageways between the towering buildings felt like a labyrinth. *I hope I won't get lost, but if I do, I'll just climb on top of a house or something,* he thought, his mind already calculating the possibilities.

He quickened his pace, but the twists and turns were slow. *Man, this is going to take forever,* he thought, impatience beginning to gnaw at him. *I need to go a bit faster.*

He began to run. The world became a blur. Then, as if a force was pulling him, Tyler shot up a wall, a blur of motion, then *leapt* to the wall opposite. He didn't fall. He bounced and bounced from one wall to the next, like a tennis ball, a dark streak racing through the labyrinthine passages, defying gravity, his movements a symphony of speed and power. He pushed off, his form a shadow against the stone, and propelled himself forward, a blur of motion.

Finally, with a final push, he launched himself into the air. He landed perfectly on the flat roof of a house.

From his perch, he surveyed the town. A sea of rooftops stretched before him, a chaotic landscape of tiles and angles. But in the distance, at the edge of town, something caught his eye. A grand house, larger than the rest, its walls partially obscured by the embrace of numerous trees.

He coiled his muscles, gathering his power, and launched himself from his vantage point, an arrow released from a powerful bow. He shot towards the house a distance of 50 yards before landing on the roof of another house.

"Whoa," Tyler said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "I didn't think I could jump that far. And I wasn't even using all my strength. I have to be careful."

He ran across the roof with incredible speed, a shadow dancing across the rooftops. Then, with a powerful leap, he launched himself again. This time, he soared across six houses at once, a breathtaking arc against the night sky, before landing smoothly on another rooftop. This one was made of tile, the roof taking the shape of an arrow, the moon reflecting off its surface.

*This is crazy,* Tyler thought, a thrill coursing through him.

As he continued running and jumping across the roofs, he thought, *I'm barely making a sound when I land on the roofs, and I'm not even shattering the tiles or anything. It's like as soon as I'm about to land, my body knows what to do, but I don't know how to do it. My body does. It's like my body understands, but I don't.* He thought as he landed perfectly on another roof, the impact was silent.

He looked ahead, his crimson eyes gleaming in the moonlight. He was getting closer. The distance between him and the trees wasn't much bigger now. He scanned the surroundings, his gaze sweeping across the *town*. To his right, he spotted a huge circular building near the edge of the wall. The structure seemed to be made of polished stone, and towered over the surrounding buildings, reflecting the moon's light. *That's a huge building,* he thought. *I wonder what that's for. Is that another Hunter Assistance Centre?*

He sighed, momentarily distracted by the sight. *I'll just check it out some other time. Right now, I need to get where I'm going.*

He leapt from the building once more, and his body shot through the air, a blur of motion. The wind whipped through his hair as he jumped across the houses again, the *town* lights blurring beneath him. His crimson eyes remained fixed on the Black Cloud Guild building, a dark silhouette against the trees.

He landed in a clearing, the ground yielding slightly beneath his feet, the sound of the impact barely audible. He surveyed his surroundings. The clearing was bathed in the soft glow of the moon. The trees that surrounded him were casting long shadows, their leaves rustling softly in the gentle breeze. He was alone.

He was within the embrace of the trees that surrounded the Black Cloud Guild. The forest was dense, the shadows of the trees twisting and turning around him, concealing all but the moon's gentle light. He saw that the Black Cloud Guild building was a considerable distance away from the other houses in the town, perhaps half a kilometre, isolated amongst the trees.

Tyler moved deeper into the woods, his eyes scanning the shadows. He was wary. Meters away, nestled amidst the trees, was the Black Cloud Guild mansion.