Chronicles Of The Crafting Hero

The cold wind carried the faint scent of incoming rain, that distinct metallic dampness that clung to the air before a storm. The tree sheltering Tyler and Joy rustled above them, branches swaying as the breeze caught their leaves and sent them dancing. The wind tugged at Tyler's hair, sweeping strands across his forehead, and lifted Joy's silver locks in gentle waves around her face.

Joy was still embracing him, her arms wrapped around his torso with surprising firmness. Tyler reached up and carefully removed her from him, his hands settling on the sides of her shoulders. His fingers pressed slightly into her soft green skin, warmer than he expected, with a smoothness that reminded him of river stones worn by water.

"All right, it seems like it's about to rain," he said, his voice carrying an edge of urgency. "We need to get out of here."

Joy's head tilted slightly. "Rain," she murmured, the word rolling off her tongue with unexpected clarity as her gaze lifted to the sky. The clouds had darkened considerably, their bellies swollen and gray.

Tyler froze, his hands still resting on her shoulders. A chill ran down his spine that had nothing to do with the wind. She not only repeated the word more clearly than before-she *knew* what it meant. He'd never taught her about rain. Never pointed to the sky and named it. Yet the moment he said it, she looked up and spoke the word as if recognizing an old memory.

This wasn't just learning. This was something else entirely.

"You know about rain?" he asked, searching her face for answers.

Joy's gaze returned to him, her expression shifting. She looked down, brow furrowing slightly as if reaching for something just beyond her grasp, a thought, a memory, something buried deep.

Tyler scratched the back of his head, his attention drawn to the cloth wrapped around her chest. The fabric was rough-looking but seemed functional enough. *Where did that even come from?* When she'd been small, she hadn't worn anything there. Before she evolved, there'd been no need. *I'm thankful, I guess,* he thought, heat creeping up his neck at the alternative. *Did the system just materialize it or something?*

Suddenly the wind surged, no longer a gentle breeze but something insistent and wild. The grass across the vast plain began to thrash in waves, bending and snapping back like the surface of a restless sea. Above them, the tree's leaves shook violently, some tearing free and spiraling away into the darkening sky.

"Yeah, we really need to go. Come on." Tyler turned his back to Joy and crouched down slightly, gesturing with a tilt of his head toward his shoulders.

Joy stared at him in confusion. What was he asking her to do?

Tyler glanced back over his shoulder. "Come on, climb on."

Joy wasn't sure what this meant. She hesitated, then stepped forward cautiously. Her hands reached out, wrapping around Tyler's neck, her grip tentative, uncertain. She pressed her chest against his back, feeling the warmth of him through the thin fabric of his shirt.

Tyler hooked his arms under the back of her knees and lifted her in one smooth motion. Joy's breath caught, her body tensing at the sudden shift. Her legs dangled, her weight now fully supported by him.

Then, without warning, Tyler ran.

He exploded forward, the force of his first step sending a burst of wind rippling outward beneath his legs. The gust slammed against the tree bark behind them, rattling the branches so violently that several snapped with sharp cracks. Leaves tore free and cascaded to the ground in a shower of green and brown.

Joy's eyes squeezed shut, her forehead pressing hard against Tyler's back as the wind roared past them. The rush of air whipped her silver hair backward, tugging at the strands like invisible fingers. She could feel the rhythm of his movement, the rise and fall of his shoulders, the controlled power in each stride.

Tyler tore through the plain, a blur of motion against the darkening landscape. His boots hammered against the grassy ground in rapid succession, *thud-thud-thud-thud* each step eating up distance with astonishing speed. The world around them became streaks of color: green grass, gray sky, the distant line of trees ahead.

But inside his head, worry churned like the storm clouds above. *This is going to be a huge problem. What the hell am I going to do? Joy is big now.* He'd managed to sneak her into Veridia before by wrapping her small form in a blanket, tucking her against his chest where no one would see. They didn't allow pets in the city, let alone whatever Joy actually was.

*But now?* Now she was the size of a person. Now hiding her would be impossible.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

*I wonder what people are even gonna say when they see me with a humanoid monster as a pet.* The thought gnawed at him as his boots pounded against the earth. *I'm not even sure if it's normal.*

The word "pet" felt wrong in his mind now, uncomfortable, like clothing that no longer fit. She just looked like a girl with green skin and pointy ears. That's what anyone would see.

His imagination tried to conjure the moment they'd arrive in Lyria, but the images were hazy, uncertain. He didn't know how they were going to react, but a deep, instinctive part of him was screaming that it wouldn't be good.

*We'll just see when we get there,* he told himself, trying to push down the rising anxiety. *I hope it's not like a crime or anything.*

He ran and ran, the landscape blurring past. Joy still clung to him, her arms wrapped securely around his neck, her body pressed against his back. He felt a faint breath against his neck, warm, steady, rhythmic. The sensation pulled his thoughts elsewhere.

The mana pathways. How he'd almost killed himself trying to force them open.

A chill ran through him that had nothing to do with the wind whipping past. *I'm never doing that again. That was so painful, I thought I was going to die.* The memory felt too fresh, too raw. The sensation of his insides tearing, of something fundamental inside him threatening to rip apart completely. He was strong, an A-rank with the strength and speed of an S-rank. He could handle most threats without breaking a sweat.

But right then? He'd almost died. Almost accidentally killed himself through sheer recklessness.

He forced the thought away, steering his mind toward something less suffocating. *The system said I leveled up my passive ability— Mana Absorption.* He frowned slightly, his grip tightening on Joy's knees as he vaulted over a low dip in the terrain. *I didn't even try to figure out what that meant.*

The system panel materialized in front of Tyler, shimmering in the air mere inches from his face. The blue glow cut through the rushing wind, floating steady despite his speed. He read the notification again Mana Absorption and mentally asked the system what this level 3 upgrade really meant.

The panel vanished, replaced immediately by another. Blue text scrolled across its surface:

Mana Absorption Level 3 allows the user to passively absorb 7 points of mana from their surroundings within 1 minute, providing a total of 420 mana points within an hour.

Tyler's eyes widened. "Whoa, seven points within one minute?" The words slipped out, barely audible over the wind. His mind raced. *Wait, is it because I widened my mana pathways?*

His jaw tightened as doubt crept in. *Wait, but I actually thought..... no, it felt like I destroyed them. Like they just tore open.* The memory flashed through him again—that searing, ripping sensation. He'd been worried he'd permanently damaged something vital inside himself. *But they're fine?*

The system panel blinked out of existence. Another took its place, the text appearing line by line:

An additional effect has been added to the passive skill: The user can share their mana with any target through physical touch.

Tyler blinked, his stride faltering for just a fraction of a second before he caught himself. "I can even share my mana?" he muttered under his breath, the words tinged with disbelief. "Wow. That is incredible. I didn't think it was gonna have this kind of effect on me."

A grin spread across his face, genuine and bright. His blue eyes sparkled with delight despite the storm clouds overhead. "It looks like it wasn't all for nothing."

In that moment, Tyler felt certainty click into place, something he'd already suspected but now could confirm. The passive abilities could be upgraded, but not through regular use. Not through practice or repetition. It was something else entirely. He could level them up manually, through specific actions that pushed the ability beyond its limits.

Like when he'd leveled up Poison Blood. That hadn't been intentional, he'd been bitten by the white Fang, its fangs sinking deep and pumping venom into his bloodstream. The venom had been overpowering his Poison Blood, threatening to consume it entirely.

But instead of being destroyed, they'd merged together, fusing into something new and far more deadly: Acid Blood. Now he could make his blood both acidic and poisonous at the same time, whenever he wanted. And as a bonus, he was immune to both, acid attacks and poison couldn't touch him.

And now, because he'd forced his mana pathways open, torn them wider despite the agony, the skill had leveled up through that.

It made sense in a twisted way. The system rewarded evolution, not repetition. Growth through trauma, through breaking past your body's natural limits.

Suddenly, his heart slamme, against his chest, a violent, primal rhythm that drowned out everything else. Every hair on his body stood on end, rigid as wire. He felt it. Something malicious. Something deadly. Heading straight for him.

It wasn't a presence, it was like inevitability. Like a bullet already fired from a gun, no negotiation, no mercy, no thought of sparing. Just death, hurtling toward him with singular purpose.

It was coming from above.

Tyler's instincts screamed. In one fluid motion, he twisted mid-stride and released Joy's legs. His hands shot up to her shoulders, fingers digging in as his teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached. With every ounce of strength he had, he threw her.

Joy's eyes flew wide, shock flooding her face as her body was launched through the air. She spun raggedly, limbs flailing, her scream tearing through the wind, terrified, confused, betrayed by the sudden violence of his action.

Tyler's gaze snapped upward.

There.

Cutting through the darkened sky at absurd speed, a light in the shape of an arrow, golden, blazing like a piece of the sun itself. It descended as if spat from the clouds, aimed directly at his heart.

He didn't have time to dodge. He'd spent that precious fraction of a second saving Joy.

With desperate speed, he crossed his arms into an X. The white scales from his inventory materialized instantly, forming a hexagon-shaped shield across his hands. Behind them, the bracers appeared on his wrists, ready to absorb the coming impact.

The arrow slammed into the shield.

He'd sensed power radiating from the projectile, but nothing had prepared him for this.

The arrow detonated in a burst of golden light. The explosion cracked through the air like thunder, so loud it seemed to shake the very ground. His shield shattered, scales scattering and burning away like paper touched by flame. The bracers absorbed what force they could, but Tyler was hurled backward, his body tumbling across the grass like a discarded puppet.

Pain erupted through his arms, a thousand hot needles piercing flesh and bone all at once. The acrid smell of burned scale and singed air filled his nostrils.

Joy hit the ground hard on her stomach, the impact driving every bit of air from her lungs in a harsh wheeze. Grass and dirt pressed against her face as she gasped, trying to draw breath back into her burning chest. She immediately lifted her head, searching for Tyler.

He lay sprawled far away, too far. The shock of that distance hit her, but not as hard as the cold fear gripping her heart. What had just happened?

She didn't know what had happened, but danger hung thick in the air. Tyler lay sprawled on the ground, but he pushed himself up with trembling hands, grass stains marking his palms.

*Damn, that hurt. What the hell was that? An arrow?*

He looked up at the sky, and his eyes widened.

There, floating down with unnatural grace, was a woman in a white coat. The fabric rippled around her as she descended, a blade gleaming in her hand. Her face remained stone-serious, dark eyes reflecting something that made Tyler's stomach clench, not just his own confusion and fear, but something colder. Calculating.

Her boots touched the ground with a muffled thud, barely disturbing the grass. The cold wind caught her black ponytail, sending strands dancing across her shoulders. The air around her seemed to drop several degrees, or perhaps that was just Tyler's blood running cold.

So," she said, her voice cutting through the air like the blade in her hand. "You're the Shadow Hunter."