"Good morning," Tyler replied to Serena's greeting. Grone, standing beside him, added, "Good morning." Serena smiled. "Right, you're looking for quests, right? There are lots of D-rank quests, but I'm not really sure about the C-rank quests, though," she said, as Grone squinted at the quest board behind her. She ducked under the counter, returning with several flyers which she placed before Tyler.
"Ah, thanks," Tyler said.
"No problem," Serena replied.
Tyler began looking through the D-rank quest flyers, noticing various requests: sli cores, hexhorn hides, and hides from other monsters.
Grone pointed to the quest board. "I saw a C-rank quest on the board."
Serena looked up. "Oh," she said, retrieving a flyer from the board. "There really *is* a C-rank quest. Sorry, I must have forgotten about it."
"Let see what it's about," Grone said, taking the flyer. He read it aloud: *Hunter is requested to return with the full hide of an Alpha Crimson Wolf.* He was a bit surprised. He looked at Serena, who simply nodded. "This quest is recomnded for C-rank plus hunters," she explained.
Grone looked at Tyler, then back at the flyer. "No, it's fine. I think I can complete it."
"You do know it's the quest where you'd have to go into the Crimson Wolf's Den, right?" Serena said, a hint of caution in her voice.
Tyler looked at Grone, a question in his eyes. "The Crimson Wolf's Den?"
Grone nodded. "Yes, it's a C-rank quest, after all. I have to kill the Alpha and get its hide."
Tyler asked, "Wait, but what level would the Alpha be?"
"Probably 60 to 70," Grone estimated. "But not to worry, you'll have my back, right?"
"Oh, right, of course," Tyler replied.
"What about you?" Grone asked. "Did you already pick a quest yet?"
Tyler started looking through the flyers again. "I'm not really sure. I an, I can't seem to decide."
"Just pick the one with the best reward," Grone advised.
"Yeah, it's just that three of them have the sa reward, and I'm trying to find the easiest one," Tyler said, continuing to scan the flyers. After a mont, he pointed. "Ah, I'll take this one." He placed the flyers on the counter, took a pencil, and signed his na, Grone doing the sa.
"Which one did you pick?" Grone asked.
"Oh, it's one about hunting a level 40 Draco and bringing back its hide," Tyler replied. "Don't really know what they're going to use it for."
Serena smiled. "Oh, those hides can be used to make lavish shoes and durable, beautiful clothing. Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you sothing. So people have co through here looking for you."
Tyler raised an eyebrow. "People were looking for ?"
"Yes," Serena confird. "They kept describing your outfit, so I told them it was you."
"Who were they?" Tyler asked.
"I don't know who the others were, but one of them was Gary," Serena replied.
Grone's brow furrowed. "Gary? Why was he looking for Tyler?"
Serena shrugged. "I don't know."
"If it's Gary," Grone said, "I don't think it's for a good reason." He looked at Tyler. "Did you happen to run into Gary at so point?"
Tyler thought for a mont. "Uh, no. I've only seen him once, and that was with you when I first got here."
"The other one's na was… Bernardo, I think," Serena said. "Bernard… I'm not really sure. Anyways, it seed like there were three of them. The other one wasn't here, though."
"Did you tell them his na?" Grone asked, his tone sharper now.
"Yes," Serena admitted. "That's what I said. I told them the person they were looking for was Tyler."
"Why would you do that?" Grone exclaid. "You know that if it's Gary, you shouldn't have told them Tyler's na."
Serena's face fell. "Yeah, I apologize for that. I'm sorry. But, I only thought about it after they left. But just because it's Gary doesn't an he's just looking to pick a fight with him, right?"
"Well, let's just hope so," Grone said, though his tone didn't sound entirely convinced.
"Wow," Tyler said, "does Gary really have that much of a bad reputation?"
"You have no idea," Grone replied. "Everybody in the Crossroads base doesn't like him. Anyways, we have to go."
"Oh, alright," Serena said. "Be careful out there."
"We will," Tyler said, and together, he and Grone left the tent, heading towards the base's exit.
Tyler checked his stats again, feeling a familiar flutter of nervousness, though not as intense as during his first quest. He accessed his inventory, noting he had enough materials. As they neared the base's exit, he stopped Grone. "Grone, I need to craft sothing first."
"Craft sothing?" Grone asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, let's stop here; it'll only take a few seconds," Tyler replied. He then muttered, "Craft Shine Armor." The system panel appeared, displaying "Crafting…" The crafting bar filled rapidly, and soon, "Crafting successful" appeared. Tyler accessed his inventory and saw the Shine Armor icon. To Grone, it looked as if Tyler was simply staring into thin air.
"So, you're looking at that 'system' thing you were talking about?" Grone asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
"Um, yes," Tyler admitted. "It must feel pretty awkward, huh? But I am crafting sothing. Actually, it's done. I just have to see the armor stats now." He ntally selected the icon, and the system panel appeared, displaying the armor's stats:
Shine Armor
DEF: 82
Skill: Radiant Burst
"Oh, it has a skill?" Tyler murmured, surprised. He then commanded, "Equip Shine Armor." Instantly, his body was enveloped in a blue light, and his Gloom Armor was replaced by gleaming silver armor.
The Shine Armor was a marvel of craftsmanship. The chest plate, a broad expanse of polished silver, was intricately etched with swirling patterns that seed to shift and shimr in the light. It was segnted for flexibility, allowing for a full range of motion, and the edges were subtly rounded, suggesting both strength and elegance. The armor's overall design was sleek and streamlined, suggesting both protection and agility. The silver glead with an almost ethereal quality, as if reflecting an inner light. The armor extended to cover the legs in a similar polished silver, forming sleek greaves that moved smoothly with the legs. The design was practical and functional, prioritizing protection and mobility without unnecessary ornantation. The overall effect was one of understated strength and refined craftsmanship.
Grone was surprised. Tyler lifted his feet, testing the armor. It had so weight, but not enough to slow him down; it felt surprisingly light.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," Grone said.
"Sa here," Tyler replied. "This armor seems much tougher than the one I was wearing."
"Yeah, I an, this one's made of tal, right?" Grone asked.
"Yes, of course," Tyler answered. He then looked up, seemingly into thin air. "Can you give a description of the armor skill? A description of what it does."
Grone looked at him quizzically. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, sorry," Tyler said, "I was talking to the system." He felt even more self-conscious talking to the system in front of Grone; it made him feel abnormal.
The system panel appeared, the text read:
Solar Surge: This skill allows the user to absorb ambient light into the armor. Once the armor's absorption capacity is reached, the user can release the stored light, blinding those around them. The armor absorption bar can be viewed at any ti.
"Show the bar," Tyler requested. A circular loading bar appeared on the system panel, about halfway full. *Wow, that was fast,* Tyler thought.
He looked at Grone. "Yeah, I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. We can go ahead now."
"It's alright," Grone said. "Let's go."
Tyler and Grone left the base, heading through the nearby bushes.
As they walked, Tyler and Grone saw no monsters.
"I thought there'd be more monsters, especially this early in the morning," Tyler said. "I guess other hunters must have gotten here early."
"Yeah, it's unfortunate," Grone replied. "And we're just about to reach the river."
As they spoke, Tyler felt sothing was wrong. Then, they both heard a shriek from above. Tyler reacted instantly, his iron axe materializing in his hand. "Watch out!" he yelled, whirling around as the axe narrowly missed Grone's forehead. He swung, cleaving the slither that had dropped from a tree. Its head and body landed on the ground with a thud. He breathed heavily, adrenaline surging.
"So it was a slither," Grone said. "Those things are pretty dangerous."
Tyler looked at the slither's severed head and body. "Yeah," he agreed, noticing the blood pooling around the severed head. He rembered sothing.
"Let's go," Grone urged.
"Wait," Tyler said. "I need to take the blood."
"What?" Grone asked. "Why do you need a slither's blood?"
"It's an ingredient for my alchemy skill," Tyler explained. He then commanded, "Craft vial." The system responded instantly: *Crafting successful*. *Is this even going to work?* he wondered. He then ntally commanded, "Extract blood." The slither's corpse shimred blue for a fraction of a second, as did his vial. The slither's blood was now inside the vial.
"Huh, it actually worked," Tyler muttered, as the vial shimred briefly before disappearing into his inventory. He stood up. "Let's go."
Tyler and Grone continued walking. "Man, it's kind of unnerving thinking those things could drop from anywhere," Tyler said. "I didn't know they lived in trees."
"They don't," Grone corrected. "They mostly live in holes. I'm surprised it was attacking from a tree, too."
"So, since you started hunting, it's never done that before?" Tyler asked.
"No, never," Grone confird. "Slithers are very dangerous, especially if they level up past 60."
"What do you an by that?" Tyler asked.
"Well, if they level up past 60, they evolve into white venomous serpents," Grone explained.
"Venomous serpents?" Tyler repeated, surprised.
"Yes," Grone said. "And they're very huge."
"How co we've never run into one before?" Tyler asked.
"Well, it's pretty rare to run into them," Grone said. "Because… slithers are one of the weakest monsters you can find. They're… slightly below the food chain. A slither can be easily killed by a hexhorn or a gloomfang."
"So what do they survive on?" Tyler asked.
"They mostly feed on weaker prey," Grone answered. "For example, slis, smaller pixels, or small creatures. They never really feed on bigger ones, although they're also stupid enough to attack stronger prey, like us."
"Yeah," Tyler agreed, "that's pretty dumb."
Tyler noticed they had reached the river. Grone walked carefully across the narrow, stone path. Tyler looked down at the water cautiously, rembering his near-fatal encounter with a lurker during his last river crossing. He felt a wave of relief as he reached the other side.
They continued walking when Grone suddenly placed a hand on Tyler's chest, stopping him. "Do you see that?" he whispered.
Tyler focused on the direction Grone indicated and spotted two pixels. Their backs were to them, and they hadn't noticed Tyler and Grone.
"We need to be really careful if we want to kill them successfully," Grone murmured. He gestured for Tyler to crouch. Tyler crouched low beside Grone as they stealthily moved towards the pixels.
As Grone slowly drew his sword, a sharp *shink* echoed through the quiet. The nearest pixel's head snapped around, spotting them through the bushes. Grone muttered, "Shit," under his breath. The pixel spread its wings and let out a piercing shriek.
Tyler and Grone quickly stood, eyes squeezed shut, hands over their ears. The sound was incredibly loud and intensely high-pitched. While one pixel shrieked, sending waves of sound at them, the other started running towards them. Tyler cautiously opened his eyes a crack.
Tyler slamd his eyes shut, a guttural roar escaping his lips. "Keep your eyes closed!" he bellowed, unleashing the raw power of Radiant Burst. In an instant, his armor erupted in a blinding supernova of white light, an incandescent explosion that consud the imdiate world. The pixels were engulfed in a searing, blinding inferno of light, their vision obliterated by the sheer, overwhelming brilliance. The very shadows of the ancient trees recoiled before the radiant fury, shrinking and dissolving into nothingness as if consud by the light itself.
The light vanished as abruptly as it had appeared, leaving an echoing silence in its wake. Tyler's eyes snapped open, his senses sharpened, his body a coiled spring of lethal energy. He launched himself at the disoriented pixel, a blur of motion. His iron axe materialized in his grasp, a gleaming extension of his own furious will. With a savage, earth-shattering arc, he cleaved through the pixel's neck, severing its head with brutal efficiency. The creature crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
His attention shifted to the second pixel, a creature of breathtaking, terrifying beauty. Its wings, vast and iridescent, shimred with a kaleidoscopic display of shifting colors, a hypnotic vortex threatening to ensnare his very soul. The rapid, srizing change of its plumage held Tyler captive, his movents slowing, his mind caught in the creature's deadly spell. His iron axe, forgotten in his hand, drooped towards the earth. He was a statue, frozen in ti, drawn inexorably towards the srizing spectacle of death.
Grone, eyes still clamped shut against the aftereffects of the blinding light, reacted instinctively. He snatched up his sword, a blur of motion in the lingering afterglow. With a guttural cry, he unleashed his slash skill, a searing arc of steel that sliced through the air, severing the pixel's wing with a sickening *thwack*. The creature shrieked in agony, the hypnotic dance of its feathers abruptly ceasing.
Snapping free from the pixel's srizing spell, Tyler roared, his primal fury unleashed. He launched himself at the wounded creature, his iron axe a weapon of righteous vengeance. With a mighty leap, he brought the axe crashing down, the sharp edge tearing through the pixel's neck and shoulder with savage precision.
The creature split in half as it fell, and a system panel appeared above the two corpses, displaying a single word in a blue text box: EXTRACT.
Tyler thought, *If I'd been equipped with the Gloom Armor, I could have used my Rush skill to be faster. Then again, if I'd used Rush instead of Radiant Burst when the creature spotted us, I could have killed it quickly, but I still might have gotten hypnotized by the other one.*
He turned to Grone. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Grone replied, looking at the dead pixels. "What level were they?"
Tyler checked. "The one I killed near you was level 39, while the one I just killed is level 37."
"So they were both E-rank monsters," Grone concluded.
"I guess so," Tyler said. "We need to keep moving, right?"
"Yes, let's keep moving," Grone agreed.
Tyler looked at the blood on his axe, lost in thought. *I killed both those creatures in one strike, and if I rember correctly, the attack power on this axe is 82. Does this an these creatures have low vitality, or was I able to one-shot them because I have a lot of strength now? Man, the system is so confusing. Its ga logic feels… weird.*
Grone's voice broke through his thoughts. "Aren't you going to use that skill?"
"Oh, yeah, right, extract," Tyler said. Both corpses shimred blue, and their feathers vanished.
"Alright, let's go," Tyler said.
As they walked, Tyler considered sothing. *Should I make it now?* He checked his inventory; he had all the materials needed for the Poison Bond alchemy recipe. He muttered under his breath, "Craft Poison Bond."
The system responded: Craft Poison Bond?( Yes/No)
Tyler ntally selected "Yes." The system confird: *Crafting Poison Bond…* A circular loading bar slowly filled.
Grone, walking beside him, pulled out a small leather bag, took out a waterskin, and took a drink. "Do you want any?" he offered.
"No, I'm fine," Tyler replied.
He opened his palm, and a vial appeared, containing a purple liquid. A text label above it read: Poison Bond.
Grone saw this. "Is that another potion?" he asked.
"I'm not really sure," Tyler replied.
"What do you an by that?" Grone asked.
"Well, I'd have to ask the system," Tyler said. "This is sothing new I just crafted."
The system panel appeared: It is recomnded that the user has over 100 HP before consuming Poison Bond.
Tyler frowned. "Huh, why?" The system remained silent. Tyler nervously swallowed, his gaze fixed on the vial.
Tyler blinked, surprised that nothing imdiately happened. He’d expected a more dramatic effect from the Poison Bond. Grone looked at him expectantly. "So, what kind of potion was it?"
"I don't know," Tyler replied, a slight tremor in his voice.
"Why did you drink it?" Grone asked, concern lacing his tone. "What if it turned out to be poisonous?"
Tyler chuckled nervously. "Poisonous, huh…"
The words were barely out of his mouth when a searing pain lanced through his chest, a white-hot agony that stole his breath. His heart hamred against his ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the sudden silence. He clutched at his chest, his eyes squeezed shut, a low groan escaping his lips. The pain intensified, spreading like wildfire through his body.
Grone's eyes widened. "Whoa, are you alright?" he asked, his voice sharp with alarm.
"No," Tyler gasped, his voice strained, as he sank to his knees, his legs buckling beneath him. He felt a suffocating pressure in his chest, each breath a ragged, painful struggle. His body began to overheat, a wave of intense heat washing over him. He could feel the change in his saliva; it was becoming intensely sour, a thick, viscous liquid that now poured from his mouth, coating his chin and dripping onto the ground. A wave of nausea rolled over him, and he vomited a torrent of sour, watery fluid, collapsing onto the forest floor, unconscious.
Grone rushed to his side, his face etched with worry. He quickly turned Tyler onto his back. Tyler gasped awake, his chest heaving, his breath ragged and shallow. He groaned, a low, pained sound,
"What the hell just happened?" Said Grone his voice lanced with concern.
A system panel shimred into existence, hovering in the air above them, obscuring Grone's concerned face:
User has lost 100 HP.
User has gained a new skill: Poison Blood.
User's blood is now poisonous. Skill can be turned on or off at will. No mana is required.
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