The forest path narrowed as Grone walked beside Tyler. Rebecca's sudden appearance and aggressive tone took Grone by surprise. "Hey, just what the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded, confronting Tyler directly.
Tyler stammered, completely unprepared for her outburst. He hadn't anticipated this encounter. Before Tyler could respond, Grone stepped forward. "What the hell do you want?" he asked, his voice low and sharp.
Ignoring Grone completely, Rebecca fixed her gaze on Tyler. "I know you know that I wanted to meet with you that night. Why didn't you come?"
Grone said, "You wanted *him* to visit you at night?"
Rebecca stammered, "That's not what I'm—" She cut herself off. "He knows what I'm talking about."
Tyler's voice was tight with irritation. "It's because I didn't want to. What the hell makes you think I'd want to speak with you? Now get the hell out of our way. We just want to finish our quest, alright?" He started to walk past her, leaving Rebecca standing alone.
Rebecca spun around, her voice rising in frustration. "You're not going to listen to what I'm about to say?"
Tyler, walking away beside Grone, didn't even look back. "Not interested."
"You little—" Rebecca began, then paused, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "It could really benefit you. Just listen, dammit."
Tyler and Grone continued walking, completely ignoring her. Rebecca's patience snapped. She nocked an arrow, the tip flaring with sudden, intense flames, and aimed it directly at the back of Tyler's head. "Stop," she commanded, her voice dangerously calm.
Both Grone and Tyler halted, slowly turning around. Tyler sighed, a weary expression on his face. "Ah," he muttered, "this shit again."
"What the hell is she doing all of a sudden?" Grone asked, his voice low, clearly concerned by Rebecca's escalating behavior.
"Do you really think you can hit me with that?" Tyler said, his tone laced with a hint of mockery. This only fueled Rebecca's anger.
"Are you taunting me right now?" Rebecca snapped, her voice dangerously low. "Do you think that's a good idea? What the hell is wrong with you? It didn't even have to come to this. Just listen to what I have to say, and you'll be on your way."
"What do you mean it didn't have to come to this?" Tyler retorted, his patience wearing thin. "Of course it didn't. You're just taking this too far, just in order for me to listen to you."
Grone unsheathed his sword, the glint of steel causing Rebecca to momentarily hesitate, pulling back her flaming arrow.
Tyler sighed, defeated. "Okay, I'm listening."
"Are you stupid?" Rebecca said, her anger still simmering but slightly lessened. "If it's this important, I'd obviously want to talk to you alone. I want the conversation to be private."
"Then we can't have a private conversation in the forest now, can we?" Tyler replied, a thoughtful expression on his face. "How about this? How about you come meet me at the restaurant? Since you're the one who really wants me to listen to you."
Rebecca visibly relaxed, lowering her bow. The flames on the arrowtip extinguished. "When?" she asked, her voice softer now.
"How about at sunset?" Tyler suggested.
"Alright," Rebecca agreed, "but I better find you there."
"You will," Tyler said, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "Probably…"
Rebecca sheathed her arrow and said, "I'll see you later then," before slowly walking away.
Grone sheathed his sword. "Are you really going to meet with her?" he asked, his concern evident.
"Um, no," Tyler said, a thoughtful expression on his face. Grone chuckled, turning to look at Tyler.
"I mean, I also think I might," Tyler continued. "If I don't meet her and she meets me again, she might be even more annoying."
"What do you think she wants to talk to you about?" Grone asked.
"I don't know," Tyler admitted. "I mean, I think I told you about meeting her in the forest that one time when I fought the shadow walker, but… that was the last time I met her. I don't think she knows me well enough to just want to negotiate with me. So I don't know what she wants to talk about, really."
"She said it's going to benefit you," Grone pointed out.
"Yeah, she said that," Tyler agreed, "but I guess I'll just find out once we talk."
"So what are you going to do now?" Grone asked, changing the subject.
"What do you mean?" Tyler questioned.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
"Well," Grone explained, "it seemed you moved from our house. You said you were leaving. Where are you going to stay?"
"I'm going to stay in the base," Tyler replied.
"The base? Really?" Grone exclaimed. "This place is so uncomfortable."
"Well, I guess I'll just have to hunt more and pay for a better room," Tyler said with a shrug.
"Yeah, I guess so," Grone agreed. "But you're gonna struggle if you just keep living inside the inn."
"Yeah, so I was thinking… is it possible for me to buy a house?" Tyler asked.
"Yes, it is possible," Grone confirmed. "But houses are very expensive. But since you're now C-rank with enough savings, you can buy a house."
"Yeah, that's what I was planning to do," Tyler said.
"Where do you want to buy it?" Grone asked, curious.
"I don't know," Tyler admitted. "I'm not really sure. I haven't really thought about it. I mean, it's all in the future. So I'll think about it once I get to pay you guys back. That's what I want to do before I buy a house, right?"
"Right," Grone agreed.
As they emerged from the forest, bushes brushing against their armor, the hunter base slowly materialized into view, the wooden barrier becoming increasingly clear. Tyler, now accustomed to this gradual appearance, wasn't surprised. He and Grone walked through the entrance. The base was bustling with more hunters than before; some were leaving the restaurant, others returning from the inn. Men and women alike were milling about. Then, something caught Tyler's eye.
In the crowd, he spotted a Gloomfang—a blue-furred wolf—sitting calmly, scratching itself with its teeth. Above its head, a level indicator clearly displayed: Level 22.
"Grone, do you see that?" Tyler asked, pointing it out.
"Yeah," Grone replied, "it's rare seeing a pet in this place."
"Oh, so it's a pet," Tyler realized. "No wonder people are just walking by."
Tyler noticed the Gloomfang was sitting near a man engaged in conversation with another hunter.
The man in plated silver armor and a sword at his hip was deep in conversation with another hunter clad in black iron armor and a sword strapped to his back; the second man held a shield in one arm. As Tyler and Grone walked towards the tent, Tyler commented, "It still kind of feels strange seeing a monster amidst all these hunters."
"I know, it felt strange for me too when I saw it the first time," Grone replied.
"Oh, well, okay then," Tyler said. "I guess we'll just have to go and submit our monster hides."
They reached the large tent and found Serena inside. Her eyes widened slightly as she saw Tyler, noticing the cuts on his armor and the bloodstains. While she was accustomed to seeing injured hunters—it was, after all, part of the job—this was the first time she'd seen Tyler in such a state.
"You're back," Serena said, her voice showing her relief. "So I'm guessing the hunt went well?"
"Yes," Grone confirmed. "We successfully dealt with them."
Serena subtly moved her head, trying to peer behind Tyler and Grone, as if checking for something, while remaining behind the counter. "But I don't see you carrying anything with you," she noted, puzzled.
Tyler face-palmed. "Right, I forgot." He turned to Grone. "Can you wait here for a minute?" He then exited the tent, circling around the outside.
"Huh? Where is he going?" Serena asked, clearly confused.
"Oh, he's going to fetch our stuff," Grone explained.
"Wait," Serena said, her voice laced with concern. "You left it somewhere else? What if someone takes it?"
Serena's eyes widened, her expression shifting from mild concern to annoyance. "What is it?" Grone asked, noticing the change in her demeanor.
"Why are you lying to me?" Serena said, her voice low. "I seriously forgot that Tyler has a sort of ability to make things materialize out of nowhere, like he's a hunter mage. Or at least, that's what I've heard they can do."
"Okay, can you lower your voice talking about that?" Grone cautioned. "You know how much attention a hunter mage gets, and Tyler doesn't want that."
Serena gasped, her face now alight with excitement. "So he *is* a hunter mage?"
"No, no, he isn't," Grone corrected, lowering his voice. "He's actually an assassin type, but he has a similar ability."
"What is it?" Serena whispered, lowering her voice.
"I don't really know the name of the skill," Grone explained, "but the way I understand it, he can keep things in a hidden space he calls an inventory or something like that. And then he can get them out anytime, and that's how you see them materializing as if they're coming out of nowhere. But they come from this inventory."
"Wow," Serena breathed, impressed. "That's a very great skill."
"Yes, it is," Grone agreed. "And you know how it can get a lot of attention, too. That's why the first time he even did it, everyone was surprised. That's why he doesn't want to do it in public anymore. Well, I also told him not to."
While Serena and Grone were talking, Tyler returned to the tent, carrying two large hides—the crimson alpha hide in his right hand and the Draco hide in his left. His entrance caused a stir among the other hunters present; the distinctive crimson alpha hide, easily recognizable by its large, uniquely tipped tail (red fur with a white tip), was a rare prize.
Grone heard the murmurs ripple through the tent. "Whoa, is that a Crimson Alpha's hide?" one hunter whispered. "But isn't that hunter D-rank?"
"Yeah," another replied. "Did he pay someone to get it off their hands? I heard people can do that."
"Yeah, that's probably it," the first hunter agreed.
Serena, however, was genuinely impressed. "Wow," she said, her voice full of admiration. "You really did come back with the hide. It must have been a very tough monster to deal with."
Tyler grinned. "You have no idea," he said, shaking his head. "Anyways, I'm guessing we have completed our quest now, right?"
"Oh, yeah," Serena replied. "Just bring those over here."
Tyler carefully placed the hides on the counter. Serena moved them behind the counter, where another man working nearby approached.
"I'm guessing I have to take these right?" the man asked, indicating the hides.
"Yes," Serena confirmed. "We have to deliver them."
The man took both hides and went further into the tent, disappearing behind the huge quest boards that shielded anything behind them from view. Tyler, unsure of his destination, asked Serena, "Where's he going?"
"He's going to deliver them to the person who made the request," Serena explained. "I mean, they are very expensive and big materials, so we just can't keep them around. We have to deliver them quickly."
Tyler then asked, "To the person who made the request?"
Grone answered, "Yes, some of these requests are from people who submit their requests to bases around the world so they could get hunters to hunt things for them. It's a lot easier that way. They pay the base money, the base pays us, and they still get to make a profit."
"Oh, alright," Tyler said, understanding.
"All right," Serena said, ducking down behind the counter. She stood up straight again, holding two flyers. "I think you know what to do. Just sign here."
Tyler took the pencil and signed his flyer. Serena then ducked down once more, returning with a pouch full of gleaming gold coins. She placed the pouch on the counter, divided the coins, and gave ten to Tyler and twenty to Grone. Grone smiled as he accepted his share.
"So, did you happen to meet Gary while you were out there?" Serena asked.
Tyler's expression shifted from surprise to a serious, grim set. Grone mirrored the change, his face falling from surprise to a grim expression as well. Serena's concern was immediate. "What? What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"Let's just say we did run into them," Grone said, his voice low, "but things didn't go well, and we were the ones who managed to make it out."
Serena gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "Are you saying that they…"
"Yes," Grone confirmed. "They forced our hand. We didn't have to do that, but that's just the way it happened. You know how it was with Gary. He was always egotistical and short-tempered, very prideful."
"Oh, I understand," Serena said sympathetically. She looked at Tyler's grim face. "I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable bringing this up."
"Oh, no, it's all right," Tyler reassured her. "I mean, you just wanted to know where they were, right?"
"I'm sorry again," Serena said.
"It's okay," Tyler replied.
Grone, sensing the shift in mood, said, "Well, I think it's time for us to go rest. It's been a long day, and we've killed quite a lot of monsters."
"Yeah," Tyler agreed, putting the gold coins in his pocket. Grone did the same, placing his coins in a small brown leather bag.
Serena smiled slightly. "Well, if you want to take on more quests, you know where to find me."
"Alright, we'll be back later," Tyler said, and they left.
Serena thought to herself, *So Gary and those people are dead, killed by Grone and Tyler. This is so jarring. I didn't think it would escalate to that extent. I mean, when they were looking for them, something felt off, but I didn't think they wanted to kill them. This is so sudden. I know hunters kill each other in the monster zones, but the thought of Gary dying, especially in a yellow-tier monster zone, never crossed my mind. Well, he was always too confident in himself, and no one really liked him. He always bothered me and kept saying disgusting jokes about making me his woman. So, his death did cross my mind, but not like this. I'm not sure if I should feel relieved or surprised, but for some reason I feel more surprised than relieved. Does this make me a bad person?* She inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to compose herself.
Another hunter, clad in black leather armor and carrying an axe, approached. Serena plastered a slight smile on her face. "How can I help you today?" she asked.
Meanwhile, as Tyler and Grone walked towards the restaurant, a system notification appeared before Tyler:
Quest Reward: +2 points to each stat.
Armor Recipe: Shadow Walker hide, Shadow Claw hide, Hex Horn hide → Shadow Armor
Weapon Recipe: Lurker jaw, 4 White Fang fangs, 1 Steel ore → Steel Fang Dagger
Accessory Recipe: 1 Slime core, 1 Hex Horn horn, 50ml Brolin blood → Defense Bracelet
Alchemy Recipe: 300ml water, 50ml User'blood, 1 Venom Bloom, 50ml corrupted water→ Poison Gas.