Tyler slowed, noticing the system panel displaying the quest rewards and recipes. He then quickened his pace to match Grone's stride. Together, they headed towards the restaurant.
Grone entered the half-empty restaurant. Several hunters occupied scattered tables; one man was wiping gravy from a table with a damp cloth before approaching Grone.
"Oh, Grone, how's it been?" the man said. "I haven't seen you in three days. I started to think maybe the monsters got you."
Grone offered a small smile. "I don't go down that easily," he replied. "Anyways, you know what I'm here for, right?"
"Ah, right," the man said. "Would you like the regular?"
"Yes," Grone answered.
The man then turned his attention to Tyler. "Who's your friend?" he asked.
"Oh, this is Tyler," Grone said. "He's my companion. We've been hunting together for a while now."
"Hunting together?" the man said, surprised. "I didn't take you as the person who would hunt with other people. I thought you were a lone hunter."
"Yeah," Grone replied. "What can I say?" He turned to Tyler. "What about you? What would you like to order?"
Tyler recalled their first meal together at the restaurant. "Is the regular thing we ate that time…?" he asked Grone.
"Yes," Grone confirmed. "Honestly, it's my favorite."
"I think I'll be having that too, then," Tyler decided.
"Ah, then I'll tell the cook to have it served," the man said, turning to leave.
Tyler and Grone sat at the table. A faint trace of gravy remained on the surface. Tyler pulled out a chair and sat. Grone followed suit, letting out a long sigh. "As soon as I finish this meal," Grone said, leaning back slightly, "I think I'll head to town. What about you?"
Tyler hesitated. "Well, I wanted to do that, but..."
Grone steepled his fingers. "Ah, you're waiting for that girl, aren't you?"
Tyler shook his head. "Um, no, that's not the only reason. Actually, that's not the only reason at all. It's just that I don't feel tired anymore. I remember telling you that when I level up, I heal and my exhaustion decreases. Well, I leveled up several times after killing that serpent—after three level-ups, it's almost like I never fought at all."
Grone nodded slowly. "Yes, I do remember you saying that. This system of yours does have a lot of advantages, doesn't it?"
Tyler said, "Yeah, and I'm planning on using every single one."
Grone leaned forward. "So, does that mean you're going to do more quests after eating?"
Tyler considered this for a moment. "Yeah, I guess I'm going to do more quests."
Grone relaxed. "Well, I don't think I have to worry. I don't even know what monster could stand a chance against you at this point."
Tyler said, "Well, maybe if I run into another boss monster again, maybe that's when I'll have to worry."
Grone leaned back, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Well, I don't think so. I mean, you said you were level 67 earlier, and that was *before* you beat Gary and that serpent. So I'm pretty sure no yellow-tier monster zone boss can come close to killing you."
Tyler chuckled softly. "Yeah, well, I guess so."
Suddenly, the man who had left earlier returned, carrying two plates laden with moonseeds and meat. He served them efficiently, placing the plates—with a sharp *clank* of metal on wood—before them. Each plate held a spoon. "Here we are," the man said. "Oh, do you gentlemen want some water?"
Grone raised an eyebrow. "What, for free?"
The man grinned. "Yeah, if it's you, I'll give you some for free this time."
"Don't mind if I do," Grone replied, a hint of a smile on his lips.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The man headed back towards the kitchen.
Tyler looked at Grone. "Wait, they sell water around here?"
Grone nodded. "Yes, well, we hunters don't come to hunter bases with a lot of equipment, so they figured out they could sell water to us for extra profit."
Tyler considered this. "Oh, that kind of makes sense."
Grone said. "Anyways, so what are you going to do? Are you going to get your rank reassessed?"
Tyler snapped his fingers. "Oh, I almost forgot about that. Yeah, I think I'll do that right after I finish eating."
Grone grinned. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's dig in." He scooped up a spoonful of moonseeds, mixing them with gravy before expertly conveying the mixture to his mouth.
Meanwhile, Rebecca walked through the forest, the undergrowth brushing against her legs. Memories of her conversation with Tyler surfaced, sharp and clear. He had questioned her skill with a bow, doubted her ability to land a hit. A wry smile touched her lips. *Did he really think he could dodge my arrows?* she mused. *He's fast, yes, but no D-rank is *that* fast. And if I used my ultimate skill…* She paused, the thought trailing off. *Although, I can't use it in the forest; it needs an open area to be fully effective.*
Suddenly, a Brolin launched itself from the left, its shiny copper brow glinting in the dappled sunlight. Rebecca reacted instantly, leaping back as the creature hurtled past her face. Her arrow tip ignited with a flash of flame, and she loosed the arrow. The flaming projectile struck the Brolin's hard, round copper form with a resounding *thwack*. The impact triggered a violent explosion, shattering the Brolin's armor and revealing its softer underbelly. The creature, sent sprawling against a tree trunk, lay still.
Rebecca nocked another arrow, a thoughtful frown creasing her brow. *I've been walking for some time now. I expected more Hexhorns, Gloomfangs, Crimson Wolves… stronger monsters. But it's just been Slimes, Slithers, and now a Brolin. And the toughest thing I faced earlier was a Pixel.* She paused, her gaze sweeping the forest. *What the hell is going on? Could it be that more hunters are out here? More hunters take quests in the middle of the day, so could it be that…*
"No, there's just no way. He could have gotten stronger. They both could have, but it's still impossible," she muttered, her voice barely audible above the rustling leaves. She pushed aside a thick bush, preparing to cross, and her eyes widened in disbelief.
*Is that a carriage? What is a carriage doing in the middle of the forest?*
A few more steps revealed the horrifying truth. Feet away from the ornate black carriage lay a decapitated body, a hunter judging by the remnants of his gear. Both hands were severed, and his limbs were scattered nearby.
*What could have done this?* she wondered, kneeling to examine the wounds. *This isn't a monster; this is a sword… possibly a skill. Another hunter, definitely. But that still doesn't explain the carriage in the middle of a monster zone.*
She approached the carriage cautiously, opening the door. The interior was empty, save for the faint scent of dust and decay. Closing the door, she circled the vehicle, her gaze falling upon a trail of blood leading away from the corpse.
*This must be the man's blood trail before he was killed. Let me see where this leads,* she thought, following the crimson path as it wound through the trees. The trail led her to a clearing, where another corpse lay. This one appeared to have simply collapsed, but blood stained the ground around it.
Rebecca cautiously approached the second corpse. The face was turned downward, but something about the figure seemed familiar. She knelt, slowly turning the body over. A gasp escaped her lips; she stumbled back a step, her eyes wide with shock.
*There's no way… Gary? He's dead?*
Gary's eyes were wide open, fixed in a death stare. Veins strained against his torn armor, his face contorted in what looked like an expression of extreme pain.
*Who could have done this?* The question echoed in her mind, yet a strange smile played on her lips. "Well, good riddance, anyways," she muttered. "He was always an asshole."
She stepped over the body, then paused, a thought occurring to her. She returned, her hands reaching into Gary's pockets. She felt coins—six silver and one gold. A wider smile spread across her face.
"This is just too perfect," she whispered, a gleeful tone in her voice. "To think I owed you fourteen gold. And I was wondering how I was going to pay you back, and now… you're dead. You have no idea how relieved I am… Always threatening me when you had the chance."
She pocketed the coins, a triumphant glint in her eyes. "I hope you rot in hell," she added, before turning and walking away.
*Someone was able to kill Gary… but didn't he have a pet with him?*
"He should have summoned it if he was in this much trouble," she mused as she continued walking. "But if he did… does that mean that person killed the pet, too?" If the person killed Gary's pet, then they must be a B-rank. She'd heard Gary's pet was B-rank as well; he kept it out of the base because he liked causing trouble with it, and people didn't like it.
She sighed, the sound barely audible in the stillness of the forest. Then, her eyes widened. Something blue shimmered in the distance.
She ran towards it, her heart pounding. It was a large blue hide, thick and soft-looking, with fur the color of a twilight sky.
*Is this an Alpha Gloomfang's hide?* she thought, kneeling to examine it. *It's so big… Wow, I'm so lucky today.*
A rustle in the woods made her freeze. She stood, arrow nocked, her gaze sweeping the trees.
*Was this a trap? Of course it is. There's no way I would easily find something like this. Who could have left it here? Was it them?*
Bushes began to shake violently; something was approaching. A high-pitched shriek, like a pig's squeal, cut through the air.
*It's a Hexhorn, isn't it?*
She took a step back as a Hexhorn burst from the undergrowth, its tusks gleaming menacingly in the sunlight. It charged. Rebecca activated her Perception skill, her aim true and swift. A frost arrow, its tip coated in ice, flew through the air, striking the Hexhorn directly in the eye. Ice spread rapidly across its face, freezing the creature solid.
The Hexhorn slid across the forest floor, its momentum abruptly halted by Rebecca's foot. She examined the fallen creature. "Oh, it must have been an upper E-rank," she said, then corrected herself. "Oh no, wait, it's a D-rank, isn't it? These things are always easy to kill with arrows—as long as I see them coming and they make a lot of noise. To me, they're easy targets, but sword users would have to take them head-on."
She sheathed her bow, a grin spreading across her face as she drew her dagger. "Well, guess I'll make it through then," she murmured, preparing to begin skinning the Hexhorn.
Meanwhile, Tyler and Grone finished their meal, paying a mere five copper for their repast. As they left the restaurant, Grone turned to Tyler. "Well, I would have liked to stay a little longer," he admitted, rubbing his arm wearily, "but as I said before, fighting all those Gloomfangs and Crimson Wolves was pretty rough. Honestly, I don't even know how I'm standing right now, especially after fighting Gary Steven and that other friend of his."
Tyler nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, you must be pretty beat."
Grone stretched, a groan escaping his lips. "Yes, I think I'll sleep for the whole day when I get home. Plus, all thanks to you, I got a pretty big reward!" he added with a grateful smile.
Tyler returned the smile. "Well, of course. After what you did for me, it's obvious I would help you."
Grone clapped him on the shoulder. "Well, okay then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow if you're around. Good luck," he said, turning towards his tent.
"I'll see you around, I guess," Tyler said, waving a hand at Grone before turning towards the Rank Assessment Building. He placed his hands on his hips, surveying the building before heading towards the entrance. He pushed open the door and stepped inside. Charles stood behind the counter, engrossed in a book with a plain brown cover and no visible title. He seemed oblivious to Tyler's arrival.
Tyler sighed, then said, "Hello there."
Charles looked up, startled. "Ah," he said, closing the book. "Oh, it's you. So, you've returned. How are you? How may I help you today?"
"Oh, I'm here to get my rank assessed," Tyler replied.
Charles raised an eyebrow. "So soon?"
"Yeah," Tyler said. "I feel like I've leveled up a lot. I've been fighting a lot of monsters lately. I just want to know what level I am now, and hopefully… maybe I've become C-Rank. Who knows?"
Charles shook his head slowly. "All right. Follow me."
Tyler followed Charles to the end of the counter, where a passage led to a staircase. They climbed the stairs to the rank assessment room. Charles knocked; a voice called, "Come in." Charles opened the door and stepped inside, Tyler following close behind.
"Sir," Charles announced, "I have brought another hunter who has come to assess their rank."
The man sitting behind the desk looked up, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Isn't he that hunter that surprised us when he came in here and the Orb read: G-Rank?"