The system panel appeared before Tyler, stopping him in his tracks:
E-Rank Quest Complete - Rewards:
+1 point to each stat.
Armor Recipe: 1 Hexhorn Hide, 2 Hexhorn Horns → Leather Boots
Weapon Recipe: 20 Hexhorn Horns, 12 Iron Ores → Offense Shield
Accessory Recipe: 1 Adas Tree Leaf, 2 Small Iron Ores → Luck Necklace
Alchemy Recipe: 100ml Brulin Blood, 500ml Water, 1 Hexhorn horn → Weak Defense Potion
"Wow, those are a lot of recipes," Tyler said, "Luckily, I have some of these materials. I was only given one point for each stat though. Is it because it was only an E-rank quest?" he mused. The system panel vanished. "I have to go and get something to eat; I feel pretty hungry. But that girl is waiting for me at that restaurant. What if she's waiting to ambush me with her colleagues? She did say she had other people that time," Tyler pondered, stroking his chin. "Nah," he decided, "I'm just gonna go to sleep. I don't really need to eat anyway." He headed towards the inn.
Tyler arrived at the inn and pushed open the door. A man and a woman stood behind the counter. He approached them.
"Ah, welcome to the Crossroads Inn," the man said. "Are you planning to stay here for the night?"
"Um, yes," Tyler replied. "How much is a night here?"
"Oh, it's seven copper coins if you want to sleep in the cheap rooms," the man said, "but if you want to sleep in the better ones, it's one silver coin."
Tyler's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Oh, seven copper coins, huh? And one silver…" He extended his hand, and seven copper coins materialized on his palm, startling the innkeeper. "Damn it, Tyler thought, "why do I keep doing this? I immediately forgot I shouldn't use the inventory in front of others, or they might think I'm some kind of mage hunter or something. I don't want to draw too much attention to myself." He quickly handed the coins to the innkeeper.
"There's a hallway on the right," the innkeeper said, pointing. "Use the last room at the end."
"Thank you," Tyler said, heading down the hallway, leaving the innkeepers alone.
"Was that an E-rank hunter?" the woman asked, her eyes following Tyler's retreating figure.
"Yeah," the man replied, "but his armor looks quite good. It must have been expensive. He must come from a fortunate family."
"Yeah, it looks like it," the woman agreed. "But it looks like he was worried about seven coins, though. I mean, if he came from a fortunate family, couldn't he afford the seven copper coins?"
Tyler entered the room and saw the small, uncomfortable bed, reminiscent of the one Grone slept in. The blankets were neatly arranged. He sat down on the bed and sighed, the day's events weighing on him. He checked his status menu, and the system panel appeared:
SPECIES: Human
NAME: Tyler Evans
RANK: D
LVL: 40
CLASS: Craftsman
HP: 159/159 MP: 152/152
STR: 146 AGI: 144
DEF: 191 STM: 142
STATUS: Healthy
Skills: Armour Craft, Weapon Craft, Weapon Mastery, Alchemy, Accessory Craft
Equipped Skills: Rush - MC 17, Bash - MC 15, Kinetic Overload - MC 22
"To think that all my stats are three digits now," Tyler said, flexing his muscles, clenching and unclenching his fist. "I've grown really strong." He paused, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow. "I can't believe I almost got killed twice in a row on my first quest. That girl threatened to kill me, and that guy almost killed me too. If I hadn't reacted, I could have died. But something was off about him. Those daggers… they looked exactly like my own. Is it possible that he bought the daggers?"
He considered another question. "Oh, and if someone buys my weapons, can I still summon them to my inventory?" He mentally tried to summon his daggers back. "Nah," he decided, "I don't want to summon them. If someone has them, what if they're in danger? If they need them? And if I summon them, I'm going to have to go all the way back and give them to Hector again."
Tyler looked up and said, "System, are these the only objectives I have to fulfill to return to my other world?"
The system panel appeared: User still has 50+ objectives to fulfill in order to return to their world of origin.
Tyler's eyes widened in surprise. "Fifty plus? Wait, I have to complete more than fifty of them? Will I be given a reward for each and every one I complete?"
The system responded: Correct. Rewards will be given according to the objective's difficulty.
A slow smile spread across Tyler's face. "Well," he mused, "I don't really want to go home, but I think I can actually use this system. It wants me to complete these objectives, and it's going to give me rewards if I keep completing them. I really want to live a better life in this place, and I want to repay Grone. And after that, there's a lot I want to do. So I'm going to have to use it. I'm going to have to get those rewards."
His armor shimmered and vanished, leaving him in his ordinary clothes—except for his shoes. He looked down at them. "Man," he sighed, "these shoes are all ruined. I'm still wearing shoes from my other world, and now they're dirty and slightly ripped. Luckily, I already got a recipe for boots, and I already have the materials. I'll craft them tomorrow. Right now, I just need to get some sleep. I'm not tired though… is it because of my stamina? Or is it because I leveled up? It's probably both."
Tyler leaned back against the bed, pulling the blanket up to cover himself. He rubbed his legs together, using the friction to help him remove his shoes. Looking up at the ceiling, he sighed. "I should just probably go to sleep. Oh man, this is going to take about an hour before I really go to sleep, isn't it? Still, I wonder… I wonder what's going on in my world. They probably worried about me for a second, and then probably forgot, right? I hope Mike's job is paying well."
Tyler unconsciously fell asleep, his mind still drifting on memories of his past life. The night sky, initially ablaze with sparkling stars, gradually faded as the morning light conquered the darkness. Day replaced night, the transition seamless. With a groan, Tyler woke. He threw back the blanket, pulled on his shoes, stood, and yawned, stretching his muscles. "Ah," he said, "I have to go get my rank assessed." He mentally equipped his gloom armor and walked out of the room.
Passing the counter, he heard the innkeeper from the previous day greet him. "Good morning."
"Good morning," Tyler replied, continuing his walk. As he was almost out the door, the innkeeper called out, "I hope you enjoyed your stay!"
Tyler looked back and said, "I did, thank you," before stepping out into the bustling morning of the crossroads base. Hunters were already moving about, preparing for the day. "Huh," Tyler commented, "work here at least starts early in the morning, huh." He spotted the quest tent. "I guess I'm going to have to take some more quests after getting my rank assessed."
He headed towards the rank assessment office, remembering his previous visit with Grone. He opened the door and stepped inside. The tables beside the counter were empty, but Charles stood behind it. Tyler's entrance seemed to surprise him.
"Oh, good morning," Charles said, a slightly hesitant tone in his voice. "Aren't you…"
"Huh?" Tyler questioned, tilting his head.
Charles stammered, "Uh, nothing. I thought I was… I might be confusing you with someone…"
"Um, I don't think you are," Tyler said, a little confused. "Well, I once came in here with Grone to get my rank assessed."
"Oh, yeah," Charles said, a look of recognition dawning on his face. "You're that young man who came in with Grone. I thought I recognized you, but you look so different. And where did you get that armor?"
"Oh, this? I crafted it myself," Tyler replied proudly.
"Wow," Charles exclaimed, "so you're a craftsman, too? Oh, you're already a hunter, I see. You're an E-rank. So you want to see if you've leveled up from your recent monster hunts?"
"Yeah," Tyler confirmed.
"Okay then, follow me," Charles said, leading Tyler upstairs to the familiar room where he'd had his rank assessed before. Charles knocked on the door. "Sir, I have a hunter here to assess their rank."
A familiar voice called from inside, "This early in the morning? Okay, come in."
Tyler entered the room and saw the same man from his previous assessment. The man looked at Tyler with a puzzled expression. "Oh, I've never seen him here before. Are you a new hunter, or did you come from another base?"
"Oh, I'm a new hunter," Tyler replied.
"Huh," the man said, intrigued. Charles chuckled. "Sir, you don't recognize him?"
"What are you talking about?" the man asked, clearly confused.
"This is the person who came in here with Grone that time to get his level assessed," Charles explained. "You know, I don't think you can ever forget this one. The G-rank incident."
The man's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, right. This kid who made the orb malfunction. So you're that one, huh? You want to get your rank assessed?"
"Yes, I want to get my rank assessed," Tyler said. "I've killed a lot of monsters recently, and I think I might have leveled up."
"Oh, how long have you been a hunter?" the man asked.
"Oh, I just took on my first quest recently, and I finished it," Tyler replied.
Charles's eyebrows shot up. "Your first quest? Wait, you just took on one quest, and you want to see if you've leveled up?"
The man chuckled. "Well, kid, you might be disappointed. We all know E-rank hunters don't get a lot of quests telling them to come back with monster hides or monster materials—there are just a few. Anyways, who are we to say? Just put your hand on the orb there, pour in a bit of your mana, and we'll see."
Tyler nodded, his heart beating nervously. He placed his fingers on the smooth, black orb, his palm resting on its cool, glass-like surface. The orb glowed a faint bluish light. Tyler watched as a wet, shimmering inscription appeared and solidified on the glass on top of the orb:
D-Rank- Level 40.
Both Charles and the man stared in astonishment.
"Whoa," Charles exclaimed, "you're already a D-rank?"
The man shook his head in disbelief. "Well, I didn't expect that. Wait, when you went into town with Grone, what was your level?"
Tyler replied, "My level was 30."
Charles's jaw dropped. "Only 30? And you're now a D-rank?"
"Jeez, kid," the man said, shaking his head, "what kind of monsters were you hunting? There must have been all D-ranks for you to end up here. Or are you in some kind of guild? Because that's the only way it makes sense—they'd probably be weakening the monsters for you so you can kill them and level up."
"No," Tyler replied, "I'm not in a guild. I was actually hunting alone. I ran into… what was it again? Oh, right, a Shadow Walker."
Charles and the man exchanged surprised glances. "What? A Shadow Walker?" Charles exclaimed. "Are you serious? Did you hunt last night?"
"Yes," Tyler said, "I managed to kill it, but I almost died in the process."
"Did you manage to take its hide?" the man asked.
"Yeah," Tyler said, "I managed to take its hide."
"Where is it?" the man asked. "Did you leave it at the inn? Because that hide is going to be worth a lot of money, and the claws too. This thing is probably worth about fifteen gold and so on."
Tyler's eyes widened. "Whoa, fifteen gold," he thought. "Yeah," he said. "Anyway, can I… I don't know what it's called… get my D-rank necklace so I can be seen as a D-rank hunter?"
"Yes, of course," the man said. He went behind his desk and sat down. "Since you've been recognized as a D-rank hunter, I'm going to have to take your signature." He pulled out a file and a piece of paper. "Please sign here."
Tyler signed his name, surprised by the almost automatic movement of his hand.
"Wow," the man commented, looking at Tyler's signature, "that's some terrible handwriting."
Tyler mumbled an embarrassed response.
"It's okay, I can still read it," the man said, then pointed to another space on the form. "Oh, you can also sign here."
Tyler signed his name again. The man took a stamp and stamped the form. "Okay," he announced, "you are now a D-rank hunter. I want you to give me your old necklace."
Tyler removed his E-rank necklace and handed it to the man, who placed it in a drawer. A series of clinking sounds followed as the man retrieved a different necklace. He removed a silver necklace bearing the letter 'D' and handed it to Tyler.
Tyler put on the new necklace.
"Oh, I forgot something," the man said, retrieving the form again. "Ah, you're an assassin-type hunter, right?"
"Oh, yeah," Tyler replied, "how did you know?"
"Well," the man explained, "you're not wearing any armor. I mean, you'd have to be a mage hunter, I think. You are one, right?"
"Oh yeah, you got that right. I am an assassin-type hunter," Tyler confirmed.
The man wrote something on the form that Tyler couldn't make out, then filed it away. "Okay," he said, "you are now officially a D-rank hunter, Mr. Evans."
Tyler stood up. "Oh, thank you."
Charles chimed in, "Congratulations! You're now a D-rank hunter!"
"Thanks," Tyler replied.
"Oh, we can leave now," Charles said, leading Tyler out of the room.
Tyler followed Charles down the stairs. Reaching the bottom, Charles said, "Okay, kid, good luck."
"Alright, I'll see you later," Tyler replied, heading out into the clearing.
Charles watched him go, shaking his head. "Wow," he murmured to himself, "to think he leveled up this fast. Was he really a level 30, or did he just make that up? He probably made up the story about fighting the Shadow Walker, too. Anyways, he's a D-rank hunter now."
Tyler walked through the clearing, heading towards the quest tent. "I'm going to have to go and get a quest—a D-rank quest—and probably make a lot of money," he thought. "For now, I have one gold coin and six copper coins. And I'm going to have to help that girl today, otherwise she's going to get punished. And that's not all…"
He arrived at the tent and saw the young man behind the counter.
"Hi," Tyler said.
"Oh, hi," the young man began, "are you here to take a—" He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening as he noticed Tyler's D-rank necklace. "Woah, you're already a D-rank hunter?"
"Yeah," Tyler said, a smile spreading across his face. "I got my rank assessment today, and turns out I actually leveled up enough to be a D-rank hunter. So right now, I want to take on a D-rank quest."
"Oh, alright," the young man said. "There are actually some D-rank quests now. I'll put them here, and you can choose." He took out several quest flyers and placed them on the counter. Tyler leaned in to examine the flyers.
Tyler scanned the quest flyers. He saw one for bringing back seven slime cores, another for the armor of a level 30 Brulin, and yet another for a specific type of plant. He continued browsing until he spotted a familiar one—a quest to collect six Venom Blooms, worth four gold coins.
"Oh, this one," Tyler said, pointing to the flyer.
"If you look at this flyer," the young man said, pointing to a small note at the bottom, "it says it's recommended for D-plus rank hunters. Are you a D-plus?"
"What do you mean, a D-plus?" Tyler asked, confused.
"Well," the young man explained, "if you're above level 45, you should be considered D-plus."
"Oh," Tyler said, "I'm not exactly D-plus, but does that mean I can't do the quest?"
"No," the young man replied, "it's only a recommendation."
"Why exactly is this quest recommending D-plus rank? It's not like it's that hard," Tyler questioned.
"Oh, but it is," the young man said. "You see, it's said that where Venom Bloom trees grow, most monsters like to reside. And most Venom Blooms grow beside rivers, and monsters hang around rivers to be close to the water."
"Oh," Tyler said, "but I haven't run into any monsters when I was near the Venom Bloom tree."
The young man's eyes widened. "Wait, you actually know where the Venom Bloom trees are? You've actually been there?"
"Yes," Tyler said, a smile spreading across his face, "I actually have some right now."
The young man looked at Tyler, noticing he wasn't carrying anything. "Um," he said, "did you leave them at the inn?"
"Oh, no," Tyler replied, "uh, just give me a sec, and I'll put them inside."
"You weren't carrying them in a sack?" the young man asked, a hint of skepticism in his voice.
"Oh, no," Tyler reassured him, "just give me a sec, trust me, I'll put them inside."
"Oh, okay," the young man said, hesitantly. He ducked under the counter and returned with a small brown sack, handing it to Tyler.
Tyler opened the sack and reached inside. The young man saw a faint light emanating from within, shimmering slightly. He watched, astonished, as the small sack quickly filled with round objects.
Tyler smiled, a pleased expression on his face. "Here," he said, handing the sack back to the young man.
The young man retrieved the sack, his eyes wide with wonder. "Wow, this is amazing! How did you do that? With your gear, someone might think you're an assassin-type hunter, but are you a mage hunter? I heard mage hunters can do something like this."
Tyler shook his head. "No, I'm actually an assassin, but this is my ability. Anyways, those are six Venom Blooms, right?"
"Ah, yes," the young man confirmed. "Oh, since you've completed the quest, I want you to sign here."
Tyler took the pencil and signed his name.
"Okay," the young man said, ducking under the counter again. He returned with four gold coins.
Tyler looked through the remaining quest flyers. He found one that required six slime cores. "Oh, I want to do this one," he said, pointing to the flyer.
"Okay," the young man said, "sign your name on it." Tyler signed his name. The young man gathered the other flyers and pinned them back on the quest board.
"Okay," Tyler said, "can you give me another sack?"
"Oh, you want to go get them?" the young man asked.
"Oh, I already have them," Tyler replied. "I want to put them inside there, too."
"How many do you have?" the young man asked, intrigued. "And why are you getting them?"
"Oh, that I can't say," Tyler responded mysteriously.
The young man shrugged. "Oh, okay." He ducked under the table and emerged with another small sack, handing it to Tyler.
Tyler looked into the sack, and six slime cores of varying sizes materialized inside. "Oh, okay, here," he said, handing the sack back.
The young man peered inside, his eyes widening. "Whoa, so you fought all these slimes? Each one is a different size!"
"Yeah, I did," Tyler confirmed. "Anyways, it said these slime cores cost two gold coins, right?"
"Uh, yes," the young man replied, a little dazed. He ducked under the table and returned with two gold coins.
"Can I get another quest?" Tyler asked. "I mean, I saw another quest that was worth, like, another two gold coins. It was about a level 30 Brolin."
The young man looked at Tyler thoughtfully. "Is there by any chance you already have the Brolin's armor?"
"Ah, no, no," Tyler said, shaking his head. "This time I really am going to do the quest."
"Oh, okay," the young man said, retrieving a quest flyer from the board. "Here, you can sign here."
Tyler signed the flyer. The young man tucked it away under the counter.
"Man," Tyler commented, "don't you get dizzy ducking under the counter almost all the time?"
"Nah, it's alright," the young man replied, "I'm used to it. Anyways, good luck on your quest, alright?"
"Ah, yeah, you too," Tyler said automatically.
The young man paused, a slightly confused expression on his face. "Tyler thought, "why did I say "you too"?"
He left the crossroads base and headed into the forest. He recalled Grone's description of Brolins. "Grone said they're short creatures that walk on two legs. They curl up into a ball and have some kind of hard, copper-like armor. I can't wait to meet them. I wonder if their armor has enough copper material for me to craft something."
He continued walking, his thoughts turning to Grone's advice on finding them. "Grone said they're pretty hard and strong, and they like clearings with less grass and more dirt. He said somewhere… he said I have to get to the place where I almost got killed by those Hexhorns and keep walking straight."
The system panel materialized before Tyler:
You have completed 2 D-Rank quests. You shall receive rewards.