The wagon rattled along the main road. As they approached, the Crossroads Base materialized before Tyler's eyes, seemingly appearing out of thin air. He remembered a similar experience from his first visit. Turning to Grone, he asked, "Why does it do that? It's almost like it just magically appears, as if it were invisible."

Grone replied, "It's because of a spell cast by mage hunters. The base is designed to appear invisible to humans from a distance, but as you get closer, it becomes visible. It remains invisible to monsters, though, no matter how close they get."

"How many types of hunters are there exactly?" Tyler asked.

Grone replied, "Well, there are five main types. There's the warrior type hunter—that's me. Then there's the mage type hunter. I assume you're one of those. And then there are tamers, tankers, and assassins." He paused. "And then there are the others. I'm not really sure if they fit into those categories. They're far more powerful than us. I'm not sure what they're called, they don't really fit the typical descriptions."

"What are they?" Tyler pressed.

"Remember when I told you about the Chosen Ones, those who can use holy magic? Yeah, they're superior to all five of the other types."

Tyler looked down at his hands, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Oh," he murmured, "mage hunter, huh? Come to think of it, the system always tells me my class is craftsman, not a mage hunter." He looked up at Grone. "But what if I'm another class entirely?"

"What do you mean?" Grone asked.

"The system always tells me my class is craftsman," Tyler explained.

Grone tapped a finger to his chin, pondering. "Well, it does make sense... but you are really good with weapons."

"You might be a warrior-type hunter," Grone mused. "You see, warrior-type hunters can cast spells, or use skills, too. But the spells are pretty weak; basic stuff like fireballs, small gusts of wind, and minor healing. It's more like light healing—it won't fix serious wounds, just bruises."

"You can use things like that?" Tyler asked, surprised.

Grone shook his head. "No. Well, to tell you the truth, I wasn't ever one of the five main types of hunters."

Tyler tilted his head, confused. "Huh?"

"I know, with my skill in swordsmanship, you'd think I was one of the five types, but I'm not," Grone clarified.

"What do you mean?" Tyler asked, his curiosity piqued. He didn't get an immediate answer as they entered the Crossroads Base. The wagon stopped behind the large tent, and Grone and Tyler climbed down. Grone paid George his fare, and they both headed towards the tent. Inside, the usual bustling scene of hunters accepting quests and chatting amongst themselves filled the air. Tyler spotted the familiar girl behind the counter.

Grone arrived at the counter and said, "Serena, hi, how have you been?"

"Hi," Serena replied. "You here to take some quests?"

"Yes," Grone answered.

Tyler then greeted her, "Hey."

Serena's eyes widened in surprise. The young man before her looked familiar, but subtly different. He seemed a bit taller, and there was a subtle shift in his… presence. He looked slightly more… confident. The young man also looked slightly more muscular; not bulky, just subtly more defined. Serena said, "Oh, hi. I remember you. You're Tyler, right?"

Tyler was surprised. He didn't recall ever telling her his name.

"Yes, I am," Tyler said.

Serena nodded, then ducked behind the counter. She returned a moment later, removing some flyers and placing them on the counter. "These are the C-ranked quests currently available. There are only about four right now, so you should hurry before someone else takes them."

Grone nodded, "Okay," and began looking through the flyers, scanning them to find the most suitable quest. After a moment, he selected one and handed it to Serena.

Serena looked at the quest Grone selected. "Are you sure this is the one you want to take? It's the hardest out of all of them."

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Grone confirmed, "Yeah."

Tyler asked, "What kind of mission did you take?"

"We have to come back with a level 50 Hexhorn's horns," Grone replied. Tyler's surprise was evident.

Tyler was about to say something when a system notification appeared in front of him:

Rank-C

Quest Created:Return with a Level 50 Hexhorn's horn.

Reward: Basic Armor Recipe

Accept Quest (Yes\No)

The system notification appeared before Tyler, displaying a C-rank quest—a sight he'd never seen before. He was surprised; the system had never directly offered him a quest. He recalled a previous system message mentioning rewards, including recipes, for completed quests, but it had never actually presented a quest to him. This meant that if he accepted a quest from Serena, the system would recognize it, and upon successful completion, provide the promised reward.

He looked at Grone. "You can complete this C-rank quest, right?"

Grone said, "Of course." He signed the quest acceptance form and handed it to Serena. "Okay, let's go."

"Accept." Tyler whisperd.

"Wait, hold on," Serena said.

Grone let out a confused grunt, tilting his head. Serena, perched behind the counter, her brow furrowed with suspicion, called out, "Are you going hunting with this man?"

Grone, already turning to leave, paused. He faced her, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Ah, no. He's heading to the inn. I'm going hunting alone. Right, Tyler?" He glanced at Tyler, a silent question in his eyes.

Tyler, nervously fidgeting, met Serena's gaze. He forced a smile, his voice a little too high. "Oh, yes," he stammered, avoiding her eyes. "I'm not going hunting. I'm... not a hunter yet."

Serena, still unconvinced, nodded slowly. "Oh, okay," she said. "Be safe out there then."

Grone simply grunted in acknowledgement, then continued on his way.

As Tyler walked near Grone, they were about to exit the crossroads base. Tyler asked, "Hey, what if monsters come out of that forest and attack the crossroads base? What do you do?"

Grone said, "Well, you see the wood that encircles the crossroads base? That wood is actually enchanted. So we can detect when monsters are nearby and we can fight back. Plus, with hunters coming in and out, no monster can come near this thing."

As they neared the forest, Tyler's nervousness grew. They entered through a dense bush, disappearing into the quiet stillness of the woods. The forest was eerily empty, unnervingly quiet. Only Tyler seemed to hear the faint rustling of bushes underfoot, each sound sharpening his awareness as he walked beside Grone.

Grone glanced at him. "You should probably get your weapons out," he said.

Immediately, two copper daggers materialized in Tyler's hands. He looked at them; an inscription shimmered into view: Attack 44 + 7% speed. The sight was reassuring. He continued walking, then stopped. He saw something.

A blue dog emerged from the bushes. It looked strangely familiar. The system notification appeared: Gloomfang Level 24. Tyler took an involuntary step back.

Grone said, "Don't worry," and unsheathed his sword.

The system notification flashed again: Gloomfang used skill: Rush.

With impossible speed, the dog launched itself forward, a blur of motion. Tyler couldn't even see its paws move, only the sudden, deadly lunge. Grone reacted instantly, swinging his sword as the dog leaped to bite him. The blade sliced through the air, severing both of the dog's front legs. The dog howled in pain, collapsing to the ground.

"Quickly, kill it," Grone urged, his voice sharp and low.

Tyler hesitated, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. Then, with a surge of adrenaline, he lunged forward. His dagger found its mark, sinking deep into the dog's neck. A high-pitched howl ripped through the air, quickly cut short as the creature shuddered and went still. Tyler stumbled back, catching his breath, the blue blood of the Gloomfang dripping from his dagger, a stark contrast to the green of the forest floor. He looked at the body, then at Grone.

He looked at Grone, brushing the blood from his dagger against a nearby tree. "Why... why did you let me kill it?" he asked, his voice slightly strained.

Grone kept his sword drawn, his expression unreadable. "This mission," he said, his voice calm but firm, "isn't really about the quest at all. We want *you* to level up. You want to become a hunter, don't you?"

Tyler nodded slowly, the pieces clicking into place. The familiar weight of the bloodied dagger in his hand felt normal. The understanding of the mission's true purpose settled upon him. "Of course," he breathed, a new understanding dawning in his eyes. "This is all about leveling up."

"Good, now you're getting it," Grone said. "We have to get out of this forest once you're E-ranked. That's when we'll try to complete the mission."

Grone's words were barely out of his mouth when Tyler felt a prickling sensation on his skin, a premonition of danger. A faint rustling sound, almost imperceptible, reached his ears. He turned, and in that instant, a slime appeared in the air, already lunging towards him. There was no time to react fully; the slime was upon him before he could fully process the threat. He reacted instinctively, bringing his dagger up in a swift, practiced arc. The blade sliced through the slime, cleaving it neatly in half. The slime let out a small, almost comical squeaking sound before dissolving into blue particles that vanished into the air.

"What level was that slime?" Tyler asked, but the question was already moot; the creature had vanished without a trace. He briefly glanced back at the Gloomfang's remains before turning his attention back to Grone. The system notification appeared: Extract.

"Yes, extract," Tyler said, and the Gloomfang's hide shimmered blue, then vanished, leaving behind only bare flesh. Grone looked surprised. "Is that one of your skills, too?" he asked.

"Yeah," Tyler replied. "This is how I get materials for making hammers and weapons from monsters." Grone watched as the last of the Gloomfang shimmered and disappeared. "That's pretty useful," he said. "Okay, let's go. We're not done yet."

Tyler followed Grone, his body alert, scanning his surroundings. Then he saw it again—the disgusting, gelatinous creature—a slither slithering out from a bush.

The system notification appeared: Slither:Level 6. Tyler felt a wave of relief wash over him at the low level. Before he could react, however, a large, green lizard-like creature burst from the undergrowth, its jaws snapping shut around the Slither. Both Tyler and Grone were startled by the sudden appearance.

The lizard, using its powerful jaws, tossed the Slither into the air before chewing it down. Tyler felt a wave of disgust at the scene. A system notification appeared beside the lizard: Drako: Level 26.

"You might need to sit this one out, kid," Grone said, approaching the Drako as it swallowed the Slither whole.

To Tyler's surprise, the Drako's level changed. The system notification updated: Drako Level 27.

"Um, Grone?" Tyler said. "This Drako just leveled up."

"It what? What level is it?" Grone asked, his eyes narrowing.

"It was level 26, now it's level 27," Tyler replied.

"Just great..." Grone muttered.

Just as Tyler was taking a step back, he heard a low growl behind him. He whirled around to see a massive crimson wolf, its eyes burning with predatory intensity. The system notification appeared: Level 47. A cold dread washed over Tyler as he read the level. This was a Level 47—almost certainly a D-Rank monster. He was an F-Rank; what was he supposed to do?

"Grone!" he called out, his voice trembling slightly.

Grone turned, his eyes following Tyler's gaze to the large red wolf poised to attack.

The Drako, which had been facing Grone, hissed, a low, guttural sound that vibrated through the air. With surprising speed, it launched itself at Grone. Grone reacted instantly, swinging his sword to meet the Drako's snapping jaws. The lizard's teeth clamped down on the sword, but Grone's strength and skill prevented it from getting a fatal bite. However, the Drako's momentum carried it forward, and Grone was thrown to the ground, his sword now used defensively to keep the Drako's jaws from his face.

As Tyler watched, the crimson wolf continued its advance, stepping closer and closer. The copper daggers in his hands vanished, replaced by a heavy-looking bashing hammer. "—" he began, his voice tight with tension. " This is what it means to be hunter, right? "