Chronicles Of The Crafting Hero

Tyler couldn't believe what he'd just heard, the casualness of it shocking him. "I'm sorry, what?" he stammered, hesitation lacing his voice.

The woman smiled, a strangely comforting expression that didn't quite reach her unsettlingly intense golden eyes. "Oh, don't worry, don't be afraid. We saints have a skill that allows us to see if another person has taken a life. You see, we can see an almost invisible, dark aura around you."

And she wasn't lying. From the woman's perspective, a dark, invisible aura, like black smoke, emanated from Tyler's body.

"That's just… how did you—I never…?" Tyler began, but the woman interrupted.

"But do not worry, child," she said, her voice soothing yet unnervingly certain. "We saints do not share or reveal people's sins to the world. It's not my first time meeting a hunter who has taken a life. Many hunters have, especially assassin-type hunters like yourself. And the aura around you… your body is emitting it. It looks more intense, meaning you must have killed someone recently. Am I right?"

Tyler lifted his hand, staring at it as if expecting to see the dark aura himself.

The woman chuckled softly. "I told you, only saints are able to see this type of aura. So, do you want to confess this sin to our goddess?"

Tyler looked at her, her eyes still glowing gold, her expression unsettling yet calm. He thought he saw a hint of a smile, but he wasn't sure. The contrast between her calm demeanor and the gravity of her words was deeply unsettling.

"No, I'm not here to confess my sins," Tyler said, his voice firm despite his inner turmoil. "In fact, I'm sorry for bothering you. I'll head out now."

The saintess's brow furrowed in confusion. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but Tyler turned and walked away.

*What a truly interesting man he is,* she thought, watching him go. *I can't sense the Goddess's blessing within him, nor can I sense the Demon God's blessing upon him either. It's almost like he's not from this world entirely. He doesn't fall between the two. Who is he exactly? Or what is he?*

She sighed as Tyler disappeared through the entrance.

Tyler exited the church, his mind racing. *That Saintess… she knows I've killed someone. What the hell am I going to do now? Grone never told me they had an ability like that, but she was so casual about it. And she said she isn't going to tell anyone.* He took one last look at the church, then shook his head. *I think I'll have to hold back on the holy water. There's something wrong with this church.*

He headed back towards the marketplace, retracing his steps. He passed the Guildhall, then Grone's house, and continued on to the marketplace, even passing Hector's shop without stopping. The marketplace bustled with activity as before—people walking by with goods, vendors calling out their wares. Tyler passed by, noticing two wagons waiting at the edge of the square, clearly set up for travelers.

"I have absolutely zero gold right now. I might as well just run back, right?" Tyler mused, a small smile playing on his lips.

He left the town, heading out and activating his charge skill. Wind erupted from his feet as his speed dramatically increased, his legs a blur, barely visible as they pounded the ground. His eyes shimmered a faint blue, the magical enhancement pushing him to incredible velocity.

Despite the exhilarating speed, his thoughts kept returning to the saintess—her unnerving calm, her casual mention of his killing someone. He shook his head, trying to focus solely on the run. *I really need to test my speed here,* he thought. *I need to see how fast I can run.*

He equipped his daggers, their blades shimmering blue as they materialized in his hands—the red dagger gleaming, the silver one catching the sunlight. The magical enhancement from the daggers further boosted his speed, surprising him.

*Holy crap, I must be running faster than a car right now!* he thought, the ground blurring beneath him. The ground became a streak, a fleeting impression beneath his feet. But instead of fear, he felt a surge of exhilaration. His eyes glowed with an intense, faint blue, his speed increasing even further.

Tyler smiled as a wagon came into view, heading in the same direction. With his enhanced speed, the wagon rapidly approached. The driver was George, and two hunters were passengers. *Is Grone in there?* Tyler wondered, but quickly passed the wagon, his speed leaving the occupants blinking rapidly and shield their eyes from the sheer force of his passing.

George gripped his straw hat, his teeth clenching on the straw he was chewing. "Whoa!" he exclaimed.

The two hunters looked familiar to Tyler, but he didn't dwell on it. They were the twins he'd met days ago, before he'd become a hunter.

"Brother, did you see that?" one twin asked.

"Yeah, that was a hunter, wasn't it?" the other replied.

George chuckled. "I know that hunter. That's Grone's companion," he said.

"Who the hell is Grone's companion?" one of the twins asked.

"Just some hunter I know," George replied, swinging the reins to urge his horses onward.

"These hunters are becoming faster," one twin observed. "We really have to catch up."

"That must have been an A-rank or so, right?" the other twin said.

"Yeah, it must have been an A- or B-rank, plus with that speed," the other twin answered. "They would also have to be an assassin type. These guys are known for delivering fast kills."

The wagon rumbled down the road. "Speaking of kills," the first twin said, "I told you we should've killed that thieving bastard when we had the chance. Now look what happened. He totally disappeared on us."

"Well, last I heard, he was going to the crossroads base for some reason," the other twin replied. "I already told you that."

"Mhee, there's no way that coward would go to a hunter base," the first twin scoffed. "What for? To hide from us? He does know we're hunters, right?"

"Yeah, looks like we'll just have to ask once we find him, or if we find him," the other twin said. "And those would probably be his last words."

George heard the conversation as he drove the wagon and thought to himself, *What's with these guys and talking about killing people all the time? I'm sure the last time they rode the wagon it was almost the same story.*

Meanwhile, Tyler, running through the open field, saw the forest closing in from far away and the crossroads base, with its big tent, also coming into view. He knew he was close. His speed lessened as he reached the tent. Behind the tent stood a hunter wearing heavy plated armor and a helmet that covered his face. Tyler skidded to a halt in front of the hunter, his daggers disappearing into his inventory.

Tyler saw that the hunter was taller than him, with a far more muscular build, yet he seemed a bit startled. Tyler said, "Hey," lifting a hand as he walked past the tent. The hunter hesitated, then replied in a deep voice that echoed within his metal helmet, "Hello," lifting his hand in greeting.

Tyler walked around the tent and went inside. Hunters were busy inside, delivering materials to people behind a counter, receiving rewards in return. Some hunters sat on benches. Tyler spotted Rebecca; she was slumped over, arms folded, eyes closed, clearly asleep.

Then, he heard a feminine voice. "Hey."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

He looked in the direction of the voice to see Serena. "Hey Tyler," she said, her voice calm yet hushed. "Come here."

He went to her. "Oh hey, I'm back," he said.

"Tyler," Serena said, "you won't believe what just happened. You're in so much trouble right now."

"What? What happened?" Tyler asked, his voice laced with concern.

Serena checked to see if Rebecca was still asleep before continuing. "Black Cloud Guild members came here looking for you," she said.

Tyler was startled. "Black Cloud Guild members? But how? What do you mean? They were looking for me specifically?" he whispered.

"Yeah, that's what I was saying," Serena said. "They came in here looking for you. Specifically. They even know what you look like. They came in here holding a drawing of you."

"A drawing of me?" Tyler said. "But how did they know that? Who drew the drawing?"

"I don't know," Serena replied, "but they came in here holding it. I don't think you should be here. If they come back and find you, I don't think it's going to end well. After all, you killed some of their members," she whispered.

Tyler looked at Serena, his expression growing serious. "What rank were they? And what type of hunters were they?"

"They were both C-ranks," Serena said, "a tank type and a fighter."

"A fighter?" Tyler asked.

"Yes, a fighter," Serena confirmed. "Now I think you should definitely get out of here."

Tyler grabbed his chin, muttering under his breath, "Both C-Ranks..."

Serena's eyes widened in confusion. "What are you thinking? Are you deciding to stay just because they're both C-Ranks? You're the same rank. You can't face them right now. And don't you think about doing that because they're in a guild. Do you want to get into even more trouble? Do you know what kind of reputation you would have if you caused trouble to a guild?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Tyler said.

"What?" Serena whispered, her voice slightly higher pitched.

"Listen," Tyler said, "I'm not going to run away because of some guys trying to find me. If anything, I want to meet them and find out how they knew it was me."

"But that's just stupid," Serena said. "They might kill you if they find you."

"Are you saying they're going to kill me here?" Tyler asked.

"No, but it's still dangerous, you know," Serena replied, then pointed to the silver-haired woman sleeping on a bench a short distance behind Tyler. "Oh, and that woman over there..."

Tyler looked at her. "Oh, so she's here. How long has she been asleep?"

"So you know her?" Serena said, a hint of surprise in her voice. "I had a feeling. She knows about you."

"Huh? Why?" Tyler asked.

"The guild members came in here and asked her about you," Serena explained. "She said she didn't know, but she refused to use the crystal of truth to verify if she was lying. That made me think she knows about you."

"Yeah, she does," Tyler said. "Actually, she's kind of involved in this Black Cloud Guild stuff more than I am. Well, I guess you can say we're both involved in a way."

"She's involved? What did she do?" Serena asked.

"Oh, she, um... her... problem with the Black Cloud guild goes way back," Tyler said. "It's actually a long story. But... that's not what I'm here for. I'm actually here to... get a quest."

"Really? A quest?" Serena said incredulously. "Didn't you listen to anything I said?"

"I heard everything you said," Tyler insisted, "but I'm here to get a quest. I literally have no money right now."

"What? So you're worried about money right now? You should be worried about your life," Serena said.

"Okay, if you're worried about my life, you should definitely hand out those quests to me," Tyler replied.

"What?" Serena said, then stopped, ducked under the counter, and pulled out a stack of quest flyers, placing them on the counter. "You need to select a quest fast before they come back," she said.

"Gladly," Tyler said, and began looking through the flyers.

Meanwhile, Ian waited for Alec outside the Hunter assessment building. While waiting, a man approached him. "Hey," the man whispered, "I heard you were looking for a hunter. I think I have some information."

"Some information, huh?" Ian said. "And what? You want to exchange something for this information?"

"Ha," the man said with a smile. "So you already know. I can tell you the guy's name for some gold, you know."

Ian grinned. "You're so freaking stupid."

"What are you talking about?" the man asked. "I'm standing here at the hunter assessment rank building. What do you think my companion is doing right now? He's obviously going to come back with the hunter's name. You should have come to us earlier, you moron."

The man thought to himself, *Damn it, he's right. I just didn't want Serena to see me give them information. She looks close to that guy called Tyler or whatever.*

"What about the other guy?" the man said.

"Huh? What other guy?" Ian asked.

The man smiled. "Oh, so you didn't know he was with another person?"

Ian thought, *Yeah, the boss said someone else killed Steven. Who isn't the guy we're specifically looking for. He said we have to get information about him as well.* "No," Ian said aloud.

"Well, he's another guy that usually does quests with him," the man said. "I don't know why you're looking for this guy, but if you want to know more about him, I suggest going for the other guy first."

"So the other guy, what do you know about him?" Ian asked.

The man smiled, extending his open palm. "Uh uh uh. I'm exchanging information for something, remember?"

Ian sighed. "Huh, you greedy bastard." He reached into his pocket, retrieved two gold coins, and gave them to the man.

The man's eyebrow shot up. "Two gold? Really?"

"Hey, that's how much I have right now," Ian said.

"Stop kidding," the man said. "You're a C-rank and you work in a guild. You don't think I know about how much money you guys make if you join a guild?"

Ian sighed. "Greedy prick." He removed six more gold coins and gave them to the man, who now held eight gold coins.

"What about two more? Why don't you just make it ten?" the man said. Ian's hand moved towards the short sword at his hip. "Why don't I give *you* ten cuts?"

"Whoa, all right, all right," the man said, raising his hands to stop Ian from drawing his sword. "Alright, the hunter who sometimes takes quests with that guy, his name is..."

Suddenly, Alec emerged from the Hunter assessment building. "We're done here," he said, noticing the man. "Who's this?"

"Oh, remember the other guy we were asked to get information on, the hunter who killed Steven?" Ian said.

"Yeah, I remember," Alec said. "So this is him?"

"No, but he says he has some information about him; he knows who he is," Ian explained.

"Well, great, then," Alec said. "Did he tell you?"

"No, he was actually just about to tell me before you stepped out," Ian said.

The man started to speak, but was interrupted by a hunter with short brown hair, wearing black leather armor and high leather boots, who burst in, announcing, "Everyone, everyone, look at what I've got!"

The hunter had come from the entrance of the base, drawing the attention of everyone passing by. He was carrying red iron bricks, and iron bars, chuckling happily. Another hunter approached him. "What do you have? What is this?"

"This is iron," the hunter said proudly. "These are be iron bricks."

"Iron bricks?" the other hunter said.

The first hunter nodded. "Yes. It's very strange, but when I was going into the forest, I actually ran into this structure, like a room. And once I just tapped on it, the whole thing suddenly crumbled down. At first, I didn't know what it was. It was shining and red. And when I tapped on it, it rang like steel. It was pretty hard, and very hard to believe, to be honest. But when it crumbled down... it was a lot of iron bricks that were hard and smooth, as you can see. Here, take one and look at it for yourself."

Some hunters started to gather, and one of them took the iron brick and examined it. It felt as heavy as a brick, but slightly heavier. The red iron glistened in the sunlight, smooth to the touch but rough around the edges.

Other hunters started asking questions. "Where did you find it? How did you find it?"

"It's in the forest," the hunter replied, "and there's still a lot of it. If you all go now, you can find it. If we sell these things, we can make a lot of money. If craftsmen melt this iron, they can make new swords and armor with it. I've been looking for materials, and I just found them."

The hunters immediately rushed towards the entrance at an incredible pace. The hunter who had been holding the iron bars was left standing there, chuckling happily as he walked towards the tent.

Alec said, "What the hell was that?"

Ian said, "I don't know, but it was something about some weird materials."

Alec looked at the man. "Anyways, what were you just about to say?"

"Oh, uh, I completely forgot because of that," the man said.

"Seriously?" Alec said. "How much do you want?"

"Oh, don't pay him," Ian said. "I already gave him some money for the information he was just about to give."

"Oh, already?" Alec said. "Alright, then tell us."

"Oh, right, sorry," the man said. "The person you're looking for, the other person, his name is James."

Alec looked at Ian. "What are you doing?"

"What? What do you mean? I'm just listening to him giving us information, aren't I?" Ian replied.

"Give me the crystal," Alec said.

Ian, realizing what was expected, gave Alec the crystal of truth, who then handed it to the man.

The man took the crystal and looked at it quizzically. "What is this?"

"This is the crystal of truth," Alec explained. "We need to know if you're lying to us or not."

"Oh, I'm definitely not lying to you," the man said. "The other person you're looking for, his name's james, but I don't really know his last name."

The crystal glowed a faint green for a few seconds before dimming. Alec said, "You have to be joking, right? You only know their name? Do you know how many people are called James?"

"Oh no, trust me," the man said, holding up his hands. "He's the only James in this base. There aren't a lot of hunters called James here; he's the only one."

The crystal in the man's hand shone a faint green light again before dimming.

"Well, do you know what he looks like?" Ian asked.

"Yeah," the man said. "The hunter has short black hair and he's a tank type. He always wears leather armor. He also only has one eye—his left eye is blind, with claw marks or maybe a knife wound on it. He wears an eye patch over it, so he should be easy to spot. And he normally comes here around this time."

"Is he associated with any guild?" Ian asked.

"Oh no," the man said. "In fact, I don't think he's even interested. The guy always has a bad reputation for not being able to complete quests or level up normally. He's been a hunter for more than fifteen years and he's still a C-rank."

"A hunter for fifteen years and still a C-rank?" Alec said. "What was he doing?"

Ian chuckled. "Well, you heard he wasn't able to complete some quests; he was probably just a lazy bastard."

"Well, I doubt it," Alec said.

"That's all the information I know about him," the man said. The crystal shone a faint green light for a split second.

"Alright, give me the crystal," Alec said.

The man returned the crystal. "Alright, you're free to go," Ian said.

The man smiled and walked away. Ian turned to Alec. "So what did you find out?"

"His name is Tyler," Alec said, "and no, he's not affiliated with any guild as of now."

"Good, that means we can take him, right?" Ian said.

"Don't be stupid," Alec said, starting to walk towards the tent with Ian following close behind. "He killed Lucas, one of the best assassins we had. Actually, he was *the* best assassin we had. He was close to reaching B-rank, you know. And you think we can take him?"

"Oh, come on," Ian said, "there's two of us, and there was just one Lucas."

"You do realize Lucas could take both of us on, right?" Alec said.

"Alright, fine," Ian said. "So what are we going to do now?"

"Well, the captain told us to come back as soon as we have the information to report it, so we're going to do just that," Alec said.

"Oh, come on," Ian complained. "Just coming all the way here to get some information and go back? What are we, errand boys? You do realize we're hunters, right? We're in a hunter base. We might as well make some money."

"No, we're not doing that," Alec said firmly.

"I just lost eight gold," Ian grumbled. "Dammit, I need it back. Can we at least do a small C-rank mission? You do realize once we take the information there, we're just going to sit down again and not do anything? We haven't done anything as a guild for two weeks. And you know, once you join a guild, you're not allowed to just go hunting on your own. You have to ask permission first."

Alec sighed. "Alright!"

"Alright," Ian said, picking at his ear. "You're pretty hard to convince, you know that? And you do realize that even if you said no, I would have stayed and just taken the mission, right?"

"What do you think I said 'alright' for?" Alec said. "I've known you for two weeks, and I already know the kind of person you are."

"You don't know shit about me," Ian retorted.

"Yeah, yeah," Alec said.

After a short while, they entered the tent. They froze, surprised to see Tyler standing before the man who was holding the red iron bricks. Tyler was scratching his chin. "Yeah, yeah, so you said you found them in the forest, right?"

The man holding the bricks nodded. "Yeah, I just found it there. Very strange, am I right?"

Tyler nodded. "Mm-hmm, very strange indeed."

*I could literally just put these things into my inventory,* Tyler thought, *but damn it, I can't. This guy is going to be all sad about it, and people are going to know it's me since they've seen me use this ability.*

Serena's voice, oddly loud for a whisper, cut through the tent. "Hey, Tyler."

Tyler looked around, startled. He saw Serena behind the counter, and then he noticed two men who had just entered the tent. Each wore armor emblazoned with a Black Cloud emblem.