Tyler looked at Heather in Grone's arms. "Wait a minute, she can talk?"

  Grone chuckled. "Well, yes, of course. She's three years old, after all."

  "Oh," Tyler said, a little embarrassed. "I'm just surprised. I've never heard her talk before."

  "Oh, yeah, about that," Grone explained. "She's always been quiet around strangers or guests. She's always been like that, but once she gets used to people, she acts normal, even when they're around."

  "Oh, that makes sense," Tyler said, nodding.

  Grone looked at his daughter and smiled. "How are you, little one?"

  Heather responded, her words slightly slurred, "Amf fine. Howa you papa...?"

  Tyler's eyebrows shot up in surprise. *She can form full sentences? Not gonna lie, it sounds kinda… cute,* he thought.

  "You want to hold her?" Grone offered.

  Tyler extended his hands, but Heather clung to her father, murmuring, "mmh mmh," clearly reluctant.

  "Yeah," Tyler said with a chuckle, "turns out she's not used to me yet."

  "Don't worry, she'll come around," Grone reassured him.

  Grone and Tyler sat down at the table. Grone leaned forward, his expression serious. "I wanted to ask you something. About your skills. Are all your skills related to crafting, or do you have combat skills?"

  Tyler looked at Grone. "Oh, I only have crafting skills. They're the kind that don't use mana, but…"

  Before Tyler could continue, Grone interrupted.

  "Wait, what do you mean by skills that don't use mana?" Grone asked, leaning forward.

  "Some of my skills don't use any mana at all," Tyler explained. "Actually, all my crafting skills don't use mana. The only ones that use mana are the ones I acquire from the items I craft—the ones I get from using weapons crafted from monster materials or others with special effects."

  Grone nodded thoughtfully. "Right, you told me something similar to this. But when we were sparring earlier, something happened. While we were training, your eyes seemed to glow. And each time, it felt like your strength increased. Kind of similar to a berserker, but not at all, because your strength didn't increase as the fight went on. It only increased at that moment, as if when your eyes glowed, you were using your full strength."

  "Wait, what do you mean?" Tyler asked, genuinely confused.

  "You don't know this? Your eyes seemed to glow every time you used all your strength. At least, that's what it looked like when we were sparring."

  "No, I had no idea," Tyler admitted. "So every time I used all my strength, my eyes glowed?"

  "Yes," Grone confirmed. "It seemed to happen every time your strength almost matched mine. And I have to say again, you've really grown in such a short time. It hasn't even been a month since you got here, and you're already D-rank. Someone might say you're leveling up like a hero."

  Tyler looked down, a self-deprecating smile playing on his lips. "Well, I wouldn't call myself that."

  "If anyone knew what level you were when you came to this world, they'd call you that," Grone said, a hint of awe in his voice. "Reaching level 40 in less than a month is something a hero would do. And, in a way, you're even stranger, because you said you have skills that don't use any mana—something I've never heard of."

  Grone paused, a thoughtful expression on his face. "There's something I don't really get."

  "What is it?" Tyler asked.

  "You keep talking about something called 'the system'," Grone said. "I wanted to ask you what it is, but I got confused every time you explained it. And why do you call it a system?"

  Tyler took a deep breath. "Well, I call it the system because it's kind of like a game system. You see, in my world, we used to play games—fighting games where a character would kill monsters or people to get stronger. They'd have stats, just like I do. And ironically, every time I call it 'the system,' it appears as if that was already its name. So I think 'system' is a better name to call it. And I'm the only one who can see it, which is a big advantage. It has an inventory where I can put my items and things."

  Grone considered this for a moment. "Let me get this straight. If you had a lot of materials to craft items with, you could craft a lot of items without running out of mana?"

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  "Yes," Tyler confirmed.

  Grone leaned back, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Well," he said, "that's a very unique skill you have there."

  "I'm not even sure if I should call it a unique skill," Grone mused, "because even unique skills use mana."

  Tyler and Grone continued their discussion, delving deeper into the mechanics of their respective abilities and how they functioned. Time passed, and Lisa placed a steaming meal on the table. They sat down and ate together.

  Meanwhile, Emily clutched a worn leather bag filled with clothes—the cheapest she could find, yet somehow appealing to her. *I wonder what Sir Tyler will think of this,* she mused, then quickly shook her head. *No. What am I thinking?* she chided herself. "I don't know if this is luck or not," she whispered to herself, "but I'm just glad I can work on this side of town. On the other side, at the other marketplace, people will recognize me, and they won't accept me there. Anyways, I'm just glad I was able to find a job. I was able to run into *him*. Who would have thought a person like him even existed?" A small smile touched her lips. "For him to help me this much, while he didn't even know me … and he literally found me a job. This is… this is life-changing." The smile remained as she continued on her way to the inn.

  Back at Grone's house, Tyler finished his meal. He stood up, stretching. "Oh yeah, I'm going to rest now."

  "Wait, already?" Grone asked, surprised.

  "Yes," Tyler said, yawning. "I'm really tired. I mean, I've been hunting all day, and I sparred with you earlier."

  "My body needs rest right now," Tyler explained.

  "Alright," Grone said. "Well then, have a good night's sleep."

  Lisa smiled at Tyler. "Good night." Heather, meanwhile, was happily distracted, playing with Grone's necklace on the floor.

  Tyler mumbled a good night, then paused, remembering something. He glanced toward the kitchen. *Right, I haven't made those potions yet. But… do I have to make them now?* He sighed, then turned toward the kitchen.

  He found some water barrels in the corner. Opening one, he opened his palm; a shimmering light appeared, and a vial materialized in his hand. He took a cup and poured water into the vial before the vial vanished back into his inventory. "Craft healing potion," he muttered. The system panel appeared, quickly displaying: *Crafting successful*.

  Tyler opened his palm again; the vial reappeared, now filled with a shimmering potion. "Right, guys, I wanted to show you something," he announced, returning to the table.

  "What is it?" Grone asked, intrigued.

  "I have a skill called alchemy," Tyler explained, "and it allows me to craft potions."

  Lisa raised an eyebrow, clearly confused. "Potions?"

  "Yes," Tyler confirmed. "I asked Grone if he knew anything about alchemy, and he said he didn't."

  Lisa nodded. "Yeah, I've never heard of it before either."

  "Huh," Tyler said. "Well, I wanted to show you what it does."

  "This liquid I have," Tyler explained, holding up the vial, "is called a potion. This is a health potion, although it's a weak one. If I drink this, it'll restore 30% of my health. So if I have 100 health, it'll give me back 30."

  Lisa looked utterly bewildered. "I don't understand what you're talking about. What do you mean by '100 health'?"

  Tyler touched his forehead, realizing his mistake. "Oh… I forgot that—Anyways, what I'm saying is, it'll heal you a little. Think of it as medicine, but liquid, and magically it'll heal minor wounds, not fatal ones. Here, watch this."

  Tyler placed the potion on the table and went to the kitchen, returning with a knife. He brought the knife's edge to his wrist.

  "Wait, what are you doing?!" Lisa exclaimed, alarmed.

  Grone also spoke, "Hey, you don't have to cut yourself!"

  Tyler stopped, looking sheepish. "Oh yeah, right, sorry. Why the hell would I pick a kitchen knife?" He sheathed the knife and used his own fingernail to scratch his wrist hard enough to leave a pinkish bruise.

  "Stop hurting yourself!" Lisa protested.

  "Wait," Tyler said, grabbing the potion. He quickly drank it down. A faint greenish glow emanated from his skin for a split second, and the bruise on his wrist vanished. Lisa and Grone stared, clearly surprised.

  "You see?" Tyler said, grinning. "It's similar to a healing skill, only this does it for you without needing mana. Anyone can use it."

  "Anyone can use it?" Lisa echoed, surprise still evident in her voice.

  Grone nodded slowly. "And you said this skill of yours is called alchemy?"

  "Yes," Tyler confirmed. "I wanted you to know about it. And I thought it would be a good idea if we started selling these at Hector's shop."

  Grone's expression turned serious. "Well, yeah, that would be a great idea, but you're going to get a lot of attention from this."

  "What do you mean?" Tyler asked, tilting his head.

  "Well," Grone explained, "no one has ever created something like this. The fact that it doesn't need mana and can heal small wounds… every hunter in the kingdom, when they hear about this, will want it. They'll want you to mass-produce it. Most people who've made significant medical breakthroughs are rewarded by kings themselves. But with *this* breakthrough, you'll be recognized by everyone throughout the land."

  Tyler looked thoughtful. "Huh, I didn't know it would bring that much benefit. Well, I was planning on selling it after I move out tomorrow, but probably next month."

  Lisa's voice was soft, laced with concern. "You're moving out tomorrow?"

  Tyler nodded. "Yes."

  "Is it because of what I said?" Lisa asked, her voice tinged with guilt. "Don't take it to heart, I was just…"

  Tyler interrupted gently. "No, it's fine. I was planning on moving out anyway. I mean, I don't have to stay here. Grone just happened to help me, and I said I would pay him back, but if I stay here, I don't think I'll be able to do that. I wanted to stay one more night so I could say my goodbyes before I leave tomorrow."

  Tyler suddenly bowed his head. "I want the both of you to know that I will always be eternally grateful for what you've done for me, and I will forever be in your debt." He straightened up, his expression resolute. "But believe me when I say this, I will try my hardest to pay you back. I will hunt and I will make sure to repay every single coin you've spent on me—with interest."

  Lisa and Grone smiled warmly in return.

  "Well," Tyler said, "I really have to go and rest now."

  Grone chuckled. "Yeah, right. Good night."

  Lisa smiled gently. "Sleep well."

  Tyler smiled back, then went to his room. He sat on his bed and unequipped the Gloom armor. The system panel appeared, and he checked his stats.

  SPECIES: HumanNAME: Tyler EvansRANK: DLVL: 40CLASS: CraftsmanHP: 165/165 MP: 158/158STR: 152 AGI: 150DEF: 204 STM: 148STATUS: HealthySkills: Armour Craft, Weapon Craft, Weapon Mastery, Alchemy, Accessory CraftEquipped Skills: Rush - MC 17

  Tyler thought, *Should I have told them about the virality thing? Nah, it's probably fine. I don't think they need to know about virality right now. The main thing it helps with is health, anyway, right?* *I'm gonna have to drink a lot of potions in the morning to increase my HP. Anyways, I really have to sleep.*

  He looked at the roof, his eyelids slowly closing. The night sky twinkled above him, the stars gradually fading as the first light of dawn appeared. Tyler opened his eyes, swung his legs over the side of the bed, and stretched. "Alright," he yawned, "it's time to head out."

  He opened the door and found Grone standing in the sitting room. "Good morning," Tyler said.

  "Good morning," Grone replied. Tyler rubbed his eyes. "I'm going to take a bath."

  "Oh, right," Grone said. "I already finished preparing."

  "Yeah, right. I'll be out in a sec," Tyler said, heading to the bathroom. He filled the tub with water and bathed. Emerging refreshed, he immediately equipped his Gloom armor. He felt a nagging sense that his armor's durability was low after extended use. *I have to craft some more armor,* he thought. *Oh yeah, right, I'm gonna have to do this before I leave.* He went to the water barrel, filled his potion vial, and placed it in his inventory.

  He checked his inventory and saw he still had six slime cores. "Craft three vials," he instructed the system. The crafting panel appeared, the loading bar filling almost instantly. Within seconds, the system announced: Crafting successful+2 HP, +Virality.

  Grone entered the kitchen. "What are you still doing?" he asked.

  "Oh, I was creating these potions," Tyler replied, filling one last vial and adding it to his inventory. "Craft potion," he murmured to the system. "Let's go."

  "Alright," Grone said, opening the door.

  Tyler followed Grone out of the house. As they walked, Tyler glanced at Grone's blind eye. *I thought of giving him this potion to heal his eye,* he mused, *but this thing only heals about 30%. Wait a minute… would it work if I actually gave it to him?*

  Suddenly, the system panel appeared before him, interrupting his thoughts: Achievement Unlocked: Drink 20 potions. Reward: +10 HP.