Chronicles Of The Crafting Hero

Emily slowly withdrew from Tyler, the blue shimmer of the pouch fading as it vanished into his inventory. Tyler swallowed, a bead of sweat tracing a path down his neck. *They didn't notice anything, right?*

Hector, oblivious to the turmoil swirling within Tyler, said, "She told me about it, you know. You're a really good man."

Tyler, still a little flushed, chuckled nervously. "Uh, yeah, there's something I've, been meaning to ask..."

"Can a person buy land around here?"

Hector's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and he crossed his arms, a thoughtful look on his face. "Oh, you're planning on buying some land?"

"Yeah," Tyler confirmed.

"How much is it?"

Hector rubbed his chin. "It depends on how big the land is. The bigger the land, the more it will cost you."

"How much are houses worth?"

"Houses?" Hector considered the question. "Well, it's almost the same as the land. The bigger the building, the larger the price. But on average, it's about one hundred gold coins, going upwards."

"One hundred?"

"Yeah," Hector affirmed. "It really shows you how much people have to sacrifice to live in some of these houses surrounding us. Of course, they could always lower the price, but not a lot. You should negotiate with them."

"Right, I'll do that once I'm done," Tyler said, nodding towards the idea of buying land. "I'm not in a hurry. I have to take care of something first."

Emily's brow furrowed slightly. "What is it?"

Tyler met her gaze, a flicker of excitement in his eyes. "I'm advancing to B-rank."

The words hung in the air. Both Emily and Hector visibly reacted.

"What? Already?" Hector exclaimed, his voice laced with surprise.

"Yes," Tyler confirmed, a grin spreading across his face. "I have to go to the Guild Center to advance."

Emily whispered, almost to herself, "So fast... It's only been a month and a few weeks, but you're already advancing to B-Rank?"

Tyler shrugged, a casualness masking a hint of pride. "Yeah, I know I'm moving at a fast pace. That's because I'm always hunting. All the. Time, I guess."

Emily thought, *Well, he's never really around. He's always out there, pushing himself, hunting... But even so, to progress to B-Rank this quickly is just... remarkable.*

"I was planning on heading there and then going to Lyria..."

"Wait," Hector interrupted, his voice laced with a touch of disappointment, "So you're already leaving?"

Tyler winced slightly. "Um, yeah. I'm going. Sorry, I don't have enough ingredients to craft anything right now, but I promise I'll be back with more things to craft once I return."

"Alright," Hector said, his tone softening. "Remember to be safe out there."

"I will," Tyler replied, his smile genuine.

Emily offered, "Well, good luck out there."

Tyler grinned, the expression reaching his eyes. "Thanks. I'll be back, as always. I'll see you," he said, turning towards the door, and exiting the shop.

Hector watched Tyler leave, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow. "You know... The way Tyler's advancing... It's incredibly similar to the hero's."

Emily's eyes widened slightly. "I was thinking the same thing."

"You don't think..."

Hector shook his head firmly. "No, there's no way. What the hell would a hero be doing all the way out here? Crafting?"

Tyler was already walking, striding purposefully towards the Hunter Base. He moved through the town, his footsteps echoing on the cobblestones. He remembered the last time he'd been there – the nervous energy, the unfamiliarity. Grone had eased his worries then, making the registration process surprisingly simple.

Having navigated the familiar streets, following the mental map etched in his mind, he finally arrived at the Guildhall. The entrance was enormous, as always, its double doors thrown open to welcome any hunter. The place thrummed with energy, a familiar cacophony of sounds washing over him. Hunters conversed in boisterous tones, some lounging at the long benches and rough-hewn tables.

But as Tyler entered, a sudden stillness seized his heart. Behind the counter, beyond the stern-faced man attending to the duties of the desk, was the Quest Board. It was as he remembered it – plastered with quest flyers of every description. But this time, there was something more, something that snagged Tyler's attention, pulling him towards it.

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He walked towards the man behind the counter, his pace slowing. The man greeted him, "Hello, sir. How can I help you?"

Tyler didn't respond, his gaze locked on the object of his dread. There, pinned to the board, was a Wanted poster. It was a drawing – detailed, but unmistakably him. The artist had captured the essence of his features, the set of his ordinary black hair. The face in the drawing was obscured by the white mask he wore that day. The eyes blazed crimson. The drawing was menacing.

Beneath the drawing, the poster displayed information in large, bold letters: Shadowhunter - Bounty: 30,000 gold. Tyler's eyes widened. *Wanted.* He thought, *And a bounty of 30,000 gold... This is insane. But how...?*

Before he could finish the thought, memories of the guards who witnessed his fight with the captain flooded his mind. He recalled them fleeing as soon as he activated the void armor.

The man behind the counter snapped his fingers. "Sir?"

Tyler blinked, jolted back to the present. The man's tone was sharp. "How can I help you?"

"Oh... sorry," Tyler said, gesturing towards the poster. "Can you tell me about that?"

The man glanced at the poster. "That's a wanted poster. You don't know about it?"

"No," Tyler replied, "This is the first time I've seen it."

Leaning closer, the man lowered his voice. "Well, you know about the tragedy in Aria, right? Rumor has it, this is the man responsible."

"Really?" Tyler asked, feigning surprise.

"Yes," the man confirmed. "They call him the Shadowhunter."

"I know about... the event," Tyler said carefully, "But this is the first time I've seen the wanted posters."

The man frowned. "That's strange. They should be everywhere by now. The guards said they'd be posted in every Guild hall and shop."

"Well, maybe they haven't put them up everywhere yet," Tyler said.

The man shrugged. "Anyways, how can I help you, sir?"

"Oh, right," Tyler replied. "I'm here to advance to B-rank."

The man's brow furrowed. "B-rank? Congratulations on achieving B-rank at such a young age. Alright, stay here. I'll inform the others and be right back." He turned and ascended the stairs.

Tyler stood, his gaze fixed on the wanted poster. *Shadowhunter.* he thought. *Why that name? Is it because of the shadow over Aria? Thank goodness for the mask.* Tyler didn't fully understand the laws of this world, but he knew that killing nearly an entire guild likely warranted the death penalty. He was also surprised by the bounty. *30,000 gold?* That was a significant sum. *With that much,* he thought, *I could practically buy anything.*

Lost in thought about the poster and its implications, Tyler was startled as the man suddenly descended the stairs. "Right. I've informed them. They want you to follow me."

Tyler followed the man up the stairs, his eyes briefly scanning the hunters chatting below. A thought struck him. *Oh, damn it. I forgot about the guy who wanted to meet me, to form a guild.* *Well, it doesn't matter.* he thought. *I'm sure he found someone.*

The door swung open, and Tyler followed the man inside. The room was just as large as he remembered. Behind a large desk sat James Frost, the familiar man with glasses. Meters away, at a smaller desk, sat Clyde Rock, a detail that surprised Tyler. The last time he'd been here, Clyde hadn't had a desk, but instead, he'd been lounging, sipping tea.

"Sir, I've brought him," the man announced.

"Right. Thank you. You can return to your duties," James Frost replied.

The man nodded and left. Tyler glanced at the departing figure; above his head, the system panel displayed: James Frost, Lv155. He turned his attention to Clyde Rock, whose panel showed: Clyde Rock, Lv 105. Tyler had forgotten Clyde's name at first, but he never forgot the man's perpetually sour attitude.

James Frost greeted him, "Good morning. You're here to advance to B-rank, is that correct?"

"Yes, that's right," Tyler confirmed.

"Alright, Clyde," James said, calling to his subordinate. Clyde, engrossed in the papers before him, looked up with an annoyed expression. "What?"

James gestured towards Tyler. "Someone wants to advance to B-rank, and I require your skills."

Clyde stood, pushing his wooden chair back with a harsh scrape. His black boots echoed on the wooden floor as he approached Tyler, eyes narrowed in appraisal.

"Wait a minute... This guy looks familiar," Clyde said, squinting.

James asked, "Do you know him?" He turned to Tyler. "What's your name?"

"Tyler," Tyler replied. "Tyler Evans."

Clyde shook his head. "Nope. Don't know him."

Tyler asked, "Are you going to use your skill to check my level?"

"That's right. Got a problem with that?" Clyde challenged.

"Yes," Tyler said. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Suddenly, Clyde threw his hands up, covering his eyes, and yelled, "I knew it! That guy looked familiar! It's that freaking asshole with the Uncover skill!"

"I'm sorry," Tyler said quickly. "I don't have the Uncover skill. I don't know what's happening."

Before Tyler could react, Clyde launched a fist at him. Tyler saw the blow coming, and time seemed to slow. *If I dodge a blow coming from an A-rank he thought, *they'll get suspicious. Damn it, this is going to hurt.*

He braced himself and took the hit, a fist slamming into his nose. Pain exploded, and he reeled back, hands flying up to cover his face, groaning.

"That's what you get," Clyde snarled.

James sprang up, "Clyde! I told you to stop picking fights with other hunters!"

Clyde wiped bloody tears from his eyes. "Are you kidding me? Do I have to explain what this guy did again? Look at my eyes!"

James looked at Clyde's red eyes and let out a soft, understanding "Oh."

Clyde continued to fume, yelling, "After what happened last time, I couldn't use my Uncover skill for *days*! And you dare to do it again? I should wipe the floor with you right now!"

Tyler knew he could win a fight against Clyde, but that would only raise suspicion. He couldn't afford for them to know he was an A-rank, not yet. Despite his careful strategy, he felt a surge of anger and annoyance at Clyde's words.

A system panel flickered into existence before Tyler: *James Frost's activated skill: Silence.*

Suddenly, Clyde's mouth vanished. It was as if it had never been there. Clyde frantically clawed at the space where his mouth had been.

James said, "Clyde, go sit down. Now." He gestured towards the desk.

Clyde glared at Tyler, his sour red eyes burning. He turned, folding his arms, and marched to his desk in clear annoyance. He sat down and rested both legs on the table.

James sighed, then turned back to Tyler. "Why won't you let him observe your level?"

"It's not that I'm *not* letting him," Tyler said, removing his hands from his surprisingly uninjured nose. "I just don't know what's happening. When someone with the Uncover skill tries to check my level, this happens."

James asked, "Oh, really? What is it? Some kind of curse?"

Clyde rolled his eyes, tapping his finger against his temple.

Tyler lowered his voice. "I'm not sure."

"Okay then," James said. "Just go and use the orb, and we'll-"

Tyler quickly interrupted. "No, actually, I already assessed my level at the Crossroads base."

He reached inside the neck of his armor, pretending to search. The document he had in his inventory materialized in his hand. He slowly pulled it out and held it up. "I have the document here. Signed by Leonard Johns."

James's eyes widened as he snatched the document. "Mr. Johns signed this for you?" He examined the signature, then muttered, "Strict. Unpersuasive. Leonard. He vouched for you?" He looked at Tyler and smiled. "You must be something special. So, why are you here?"

"Oh," Tyler said, "It seems there aren't any B-rank necklaces at the Crossroads base."

"Ah, so that's why you're here," James said, understanding dawning on his face. "No problem. I'll get that for you."

James leaned back in his chair. He opened one of the desk drawers, closed it, then opened another, and closed that one, as if searching. He then opened a drawer on his right. "Ah, right here."

He produced the B-rank assassin necklace and handed it to Tyler.

Tyler examined the dark pendant, its letter B glinting. He removed his C-rank dark assassin pendant and placed it on James's desk. Then, he fastened the new B-rank necklace around his neck.

James looked at him. "You progress fast, kid. It's only been about a month since you were C-rank, if I'm not mistaken."

Tyler laughed nervously. He realized James had forgotten that Tyler hadn't registered here as a C rank hunter, but rather, as a Hunter. He glanced at Clyde, who had now put his hands behind his head, resting them. His mouth had returned, but he remained silent, still looking annoyed, as if ignoring them.

"Yeah," Tyler said, "I've been facing a lot of monsters recently," and let out a nervous laugh.

James said, "Well, it's only going to get harder from here, kid. Trust me, reaching A-rank is going to be a lot harder. I've been there."

Tyler asked, "Oh, by the way, what rank are you, Mr. James?"

James gave a small smile. "That's a secret."

Tyler already knew James's rank. He knew James was an S-rank. However, he was confused as to why James was working this job. From what he had learned of this world, S-rank hunters usually ran guilds or factions.

"Oh, right, then I'll be taking my leave now," Tyler said.

James said, "All right. Good luck on your next hunt."

"Thanks," Tyler replied, exiting the door and descending the stairs.

Tyler swiftly exited the guild hall, relishing the fresh air on his face. He felt a wave of relief now that he'd accomplished what he'd come for. He hadn't anticipated that progressing so quickly would become so dangerous. Still, he was glad he'd secured his B-rank necklace.

He looked around, considering his next move. *Right, time to head to Lyria. I need to meet up with Grone. I haven't seen him in ages.* He smiled, then thought, *And I need to see Serena.*

He chuckled as he headed back towards the market place, his thoughts drifting. *I know I haven't told Serena who they call the Shadowhunter, but I think she already knows. She must be worried sick.* He didn't like causing worry. He never liked being a burden. But with Serena, it somehow felt… nice.