Tyler surveyed the flowers, estimating their number. "There is roughly hundreds of flowers here," he murmured. A text box appeared beside the flowers, displaying the single word: EXTRACT. He hesitated. The last time he'd used "Extract" on the Hex Horns, he'd been pursued by a Hex Horn. "Maybe these peach-colored flowers should be dealt with after I finish dealing with these Hex Horns," he mused, deciding to prioritize dealing with potential threats before harvesting the potentially valuable plants.
"Or," Tyler said, changing his mind and summoning his hammer. The weapon materialized in his hand with a soft shimmer. "I could just extract these flowers since they'll get ruined if I plan on taking care of the Hex Horns anyway." He muttered the word "extract," and the hundreds of flowers scattered across the forest clearing shimmered blue before vanishing. Instantly, a Hex Horn opened one eye, then the other, quickly rising to its feet with a sharp shriek that roused its companions.
The Hex Horns awoke, their many eyes—faceted and gleaming with an inner light—snapping open in the inky blackness of the night. Four pairs of eyes, reflecting the faint starlight filtering through the canopy, fixed on Tyler. He quickly scanned them, his own eyes adjusting to the low light, registering the levels: 42, 34, 26, and 30. A cold appraisal settled over him. "Only the level 42 is a serious threat," he concluded, his focus narrowing on the largest of the creatures.
A guttural roar ripped through the night's silence, breaking the stillness. The ground trembled beneath the weight of the charging Hex Horns; the sound of their heavy legs, like the thunder of distant drums, filled the air. The scent of earth and something musky, almost reptilian, filled his nostrils. He could feel the vibrations through the ground, a low hum that resonated in his chest.
Tyler met their charge, his own breath catching in his throat. He braced himself, the weight of his hammer a familiar comfort in his grip. He charged.
The ground bucked beneath Tyler's feet as the Hex Horns thundered towards him. Adrenaline surged, a white-hot rush that sharpened his senses, clearing his mind of everything but the immediate threat. He felt the familiar weight of his hammer, a comforting solidity in the chaos about to erupt. The activation of Bash was instinctive. He launched himself, muscles screaming in protest and delight as he twisted through the air, the world spinning around him in a dizzying blur. The impact of the hammer against the earth was a jarring shock that vibrated through his bones, a brutal counterforce that propelled him skyward. For a heart-stopping moment, he hung suspended, the ground falling away beneath him, the charging Hex Horns looming large in the dim light. Then, the release. The raw power of Kinetic Overload flooded his system, a surge of energy that made his muscles hum and his skin tingle. He was a projectile, a weapon of pure kinetic force, hurtling towards his targets.
With a roar that echoed through the night, Tyler brought his hammer down in a mighty arc. The blow connected with the level 34 Hex Horn squarely atop its head. A small shockwave erupted from the impact point, a ripple of force that sent the other Hex Horns stumbling sideways, momentarily disoriented. The struck Hex Horn crashed to the ground, a dark stain blooming on its skull where the hammer had connected. Tyler's gaze shifted to the others, noting the way they skidded to a halt, their momentum checked by the force of the shock wave.
Three of the Hex Horns activated their Charge skill simultaneously. A panel appeared before Tyler, displaying the messages: Hex Horn used skill Charge. Hex Horn used skill Charge. Hex Horn used skill Charge. He felt a jolt of adrenaline as he saw them bearing down on him. He glanced at the fallen Hex Horn—it was still moving, its legs churning despite the blow. The others were almost upon him. With a desperate leap, he launched himself into the air, narrowly avoiding the impact as the charging Hex Horns brushed past each other, their momentum carrying them forward.
The wind whipped past Tyler's face as he arced through the air, the night air cold against his skin. For a breathless moment, he hung suspended, the forest floor a dizzying distance below. Ten feet. "Whoa, I can jump this high?" he exclaimed, surprised by the height of his leap. The thrill of the near-miss, the adrenaline still surging, fueled his next move. The activation of Kinetic Overload was instantaneous, a familiar surge of power that coursed through his body, igniting his muscles with a fierce energy. His hammer felt like an extension of himself, a conduit for the raw power building within him. The impact was brutal, a bone-jarring collision that sent tremors through his arms and legs. The sound of shattering bone was almost lost in the deafening roar of the released kinetic energy. A shockwave, visible even in the dim light as a shimmering distortion in the air, ripped outwards from the point of impact, throwing the remaining Hex Horns off balance, sending them stumbling and reeling. The scent of blood, sharp and metallic, filled the air. He wasted no time, the momentum of his descent carrying him forward as he sprinted towards the level 26 Hex Horn, his hammer already raised, ready to strike again.
Tyler raised his hammer, poised to strike the level 26 Hex Horn, when the level 42 Hex Horn intervened. With a blur of motion, the larger creature lunged forward, its attack narrowly missing Tyler by a hair's breadth. The Hex Horn passed through him, a chilling brush against his abdomen as he stumbled backward. He glared at the creature, a grim smile playing on his lips. "I knew you were going to be a problem," he muttered, the words tight with grim determination. He didn't hesitate, sprinting directly towards the level 42 Hex Horn. With a powerful leap, he launched himself into the air, his hammer raised high above his head, held firmly in both hands.
His hammer descended with the force of a falling meteor, connecting with the Hex Horn's head. The creature's tusks shattered under the impact, the sound a sickening crunch that was almost immediately followed by a heavy thud as its head dropped to the ground. Death was instantaneous. Tyler stared, momentarily surprised by the creature's swift demise. He hadn't anticipated such a quick kill. Without pausing, he reacted instantly, hurling his hammer with deadly accuracy at the level 26 Hex Horn. The weapon flew through the air, a blur of metal and force, connecting with its target.
The hammer head connected with the Hex Horn's ribs, the impact producing a sharp crack as bone splintered. A shriek of pain tore from the creature as it collapsed onto its side. Tyler wasted no time. He moved swiftly, his hand forming a fist as he roared, channeling his rage and strength into a single, devastating blow. He slammed his fist into the same spot where his hammer had struck, pulverizing the already fractured ribs. The Hex Horn's hide offered no protection; the blow was utterly destructive, crushing the ribcage and leaving the creature a broken, lifeless husk.
The hammer, having completed its task, vanished from the ground and reappeared in Tyler's hand as if drawn by an unseen force. He snapped his head towards the remaining Hex Horn, the level 30, which now seemed distinctly intimidated, its multiple eyes wide with fear. The creature turned and fled. A chuckle escaped Tyler's lips. "It's running?" he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. A shimmering blue panel materialized before him, displaying the system message: Hex Horn used skill: Charge."
"I'm not going to let you do that," Tyler stated, his voice hardening. He activated his Rush skill, his body instantly accelerating, a blur of motion as he closed the distance between himself and the fleeing Hex Horn.
Tyler instantly closed the distance, running alongside the fleeing Hex Horn. With a powerful shove from his shoulder, he sent the creature sprawling to its side. Before it could react, Tyler brought his hammer up in a swift, brutal arc. The blow struck the Hex Horn squarely on the chin, forcing its head back and sending it rolling onto its back. Without hesitation, Tyler delivered a final, crushing blow to its abdomen, ending the creature's life.
Tyler straightened, a hand instinctively going to his waist. "Extract," he commanded, the word sharp and precise. The hexhorn's husk shimmered, then vanished, swallowed by the unseen depths of his inventory, along with the horns themselves. He turned and walked towards the fallen hexhorns he'd dispatched earlier. Their bodies lay scattered across the small, dew-kissed grassy clearing, a macabre testament to the recent battle. Without a word, he initiated the system's extraction process. The hexhorn materials were silently drawn from the corpses, leaving behind only a disconcerting pile of bones and shredded flesh.
He sighed, a long, weary exhale, and checked his inventory. His eyes widened in surprise. A listing for 307 vital flowers appeared. "307," he murmured, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow. "Last time, it took 7 to make one potion. That means… with this many… I could probably make… about… forty? Probably. I wasn't always good at math, so…" He trailed off, his voice fading as his hammer vanished into his inventory with another subtle shimmer.
He looked around, the reality of his situation settling in. "I'm lost aren't i," he muttered, a self-deprecating chuckle escaping his lips. "I just walked this way to get away from that girl without even thinking. Guess I'll be climbing a tree am." His gaze swept across the clearing, searching for the tallest tree. He spotted it – a tall, slender tree, its branches reaching towards the heavens – and began to approach, his steps purposeful, his mind already calculating the best route to the top.
Tyler climbed the tree effortlessly, his movements fluid and practiced. He reached the top, and the view of the forest unfolded before him. To his surprise, it looked beautiful. This wasn't the terrifying, endless expanse of his first encounter; this time, the forest held a certain majesty. The fear that had gripped him then—the dread of a never-ending labyrinth filled with monsters—was absent. He carefully turned to his right. The river snaked through the landscape, its surface a mirror reflecting the night sky, the moon, and the countless stars. He always noticed this world's moon was slightly larger than the one from his previous life, its pattern utterly different.
"So, that's where I'm headed," he murmured, his gaze fixed on the river's path. "I'll probably meet some monsters on the way back. Hopefully, they'll be strong enough to increase my level. But not strong enough to kill me." He began his descent, moving down the tree with the same effortless grace he'd shown ascending. He started towards the river, making his way through the forest, the route imprinted in his mind.
As he walked, a faint murmuring reached his ears, carried on the night breeze. He slowed his pace, trying to pinpoint the source of the sounds. Figures emerged from the shadows ahead. A man, clad in gleaming silver armor that covered him from head to toe, including a metal helmet, came into view. The armor shone under the moonlight, reflecting the starlight. He carried a large, square shield, heavy-looking and crafted from some hard, dark metal. The rhythmic clink of metal boots on the forest floor accompanied his every step. He walked beside a woman, her form less distinct in the shadows, but her presence undeniable.
The woman beside the armored man had striking blue hair, pulled back into a ponytail. In each hand, she held a small axe, their heads gleaming faintly in the moonlight. She wore a dark blue shirt beneath a leather chest plate that covered her abdomen, and black leather pants cinched with a belt holding two daggers. Tyler stopped as they spotted him. "Crap", he thought, "Grone told me not to trust anyone. Since I'm E-rank, he said there's a high risk of getting robbed by hunters."
"Hey," the woman said, her voice cutting through the night. "Excuse us, but have you seen a Brulin recently?"
"A… a Brulin? No, I haven't," Tyler replied, his voice slightly hesitant.
"Oh, are you sure? Their territory should be just ahead, and it seems like you're coming from the direction we're headed," she said, tilting her head slightly.
"No. I didn't see one," Tyler insisted. "I told you," the man's deep voice rumbled, "since it's a well-known territory, other hunters must have killed them all by now."
"Alright," the woman sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "Woah, you're an E-rank? And you're this deep into the monster zones?" the man said, his voice laced with surprise.
"Yeah, what's wrong?" Tyler asked, a little defensively.
"You're right, he is an E-rank hunter," the woman said, addressing her companion. "E-rank hunters usually hunt on the other side of the river, where the weaker monsters are."
"Oh, I didn't know that," Tyler said, scratching his head sheepishly. He doesn't seem to be carrying a weapon of any kind, the woman thought, her eyes subtly scanning him. "What quest did you pick?" she asked aloud.
"Hey, let's stop bothering the newbie and get going already," the man said, his tone impatient.
"Alright, guess we'll be seeing ya," the woman said with a final sigh, and the pair passed by and continued on their way, their metallic footsteps fading into the distance.
"They really didn't seem like bad people," Tyler murmured to himself, the words lost in the rustling leaves as he continued his trek towards the river. He walked on, deeper and deeper into the now-dark forest, the trees looming like silent sentinels. Then, he saw it. A small, dark creature huddled on the ground, licking its paw. It was incredibly small, almost puppy-sized, and its form was indistinct in the dim light. He approached cautiously, his steps slow and deliberate. As he drew closer, the creature snapped its head up, its eyes fixing on him. It didn't bark or growl; it simply stared, its gaze unnervingly intense.
"Its a Gloom fang?" Tyler breathed, surprise coloring his voice. It was a gloom fang. He saw it clearly now: the soft, blue fur, the luminous blue eyes. To his astonishment, it looked…cute. Small and vulnerable, it seemed almost harmless. Tyler muttered, "Wow, to think this thing is going to turn into that. That's absurd." Then, a memory flickered in his mind, a detail he'd completely forgotten. "Right," he murmured, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Don't I have a skill that can turn any monster into my pet?"
Tyler then remembered the shadow walker he'd fought earlier in the forest. "No," he muttered, a wave of self-reproach washing over him. "How could I completely forget about that? I could have used it on the shadow walker! Man, it could have been a pretty cool pet to have around. Just imagine what it could do!" He paused, a new thought occurring to him. "And I think these monsters can actually level up…"
His thought was cut short by a guttural growl. He whipped his head to the side to see another gloom fang launching itself at him. He instinctively protected his head with one hand, but the creature's jaws clamped down on his wrist, sending a jolt of pain through him and throwing him to the ground. He used his other hand to push himself up, summoning his strength to throw the gloom fang away. It landed on its side with a small, whimpering howl of pain. To Tyler's astonishment, the larger gloom fang immediately scrambled in front of the smaller one, as if to shield it.
"Wait, is that its… offspring?" Tyler said, surprise evident in his voice. He glanced at the monsters' levels, displayed clearly in his vision. The small one was level 1; the larger one, a formidable level 30. He stood, a thoughtful frown creasing his brow. "I thought these monsters just…spun out of nowhere. That's what Grone said. I think he said they spawn. Does this mean they actually breed and multiply?"
The level 30 gloom fang charged. "I'm sorry about this," Tyler muttered, a grim determination settling on his face. With a thought, his hammer materialized in his hand. As the gloom fang lunged, he swung the hammer in a wide arc, striking the creature squarely under the chin. The blow sent the level 30 gloom fang hurtling into the air. The smaller gloom fang, seeing its larger companion sent flying, darted into the woods. Tyler watched it go, then turned his attention back to the level 30 gloom fang. It lay on the ground, bleeding from its mouth and nose, clearly on the verge of death.
He approached the fallen gloom fang. "Oh man, this makes me look pretty cold, doesn't it?" he muttered, a frown tugging at his lips. He looked at the creature, a pang of sympathy hitting him. "I'm truly sorry about this," he said softly, "but this is how things go, I guess." He raised his hammer, prepared to deliver the final blow. Before he could bring it down, however, the gloom fang stopped twitching. A system message flashed before his eyes: Level Up!
Tyler was surprised. "Oh, it's already dead?" he asked himself, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. The system panel shimmered into existence once more: Achievement Unlocked: D-Rank hunter+20 stat points for each stat. New Skill has been unlocked.
"Woah, 20 points for each stat? I also obtained a new skill! This is awesome!" Tyler exclaimed as he continued to open his status menu.
SPECIES: Human
NAME: Tyler Evans
RANK: D
LVL: 40
CLASS: Craftsman
HP: 158/158 MP: 151/151
STR: 145 AGI: 143
DEF: 190 STM: 141
STATUS: Healthy
Skills: Armour Craft, Weapon Craft, Weapon Mastery, Alchemy, Accessory Craft
Equipped Skills: Rush - MC 17, Bash - MC 15, Kinetic Overload - MC 22
Just as Tyler was staring at the screen, another panel popped up, displaying: Congratulations! The user has reached a level that qualifies him to view five of the main objectives.