Grone pointed his sword at Tyler. The wind whispered through the vast green plain, rustling their hair.

"Hold on, I'm unarmed," Tyler said.

"What? You didn't bring any weapons?" Grone asked, lowering his sword slightly.

"Craft iron axe," Tyler muttered. The system interface displayed: Crafting… The loading bar filled rapidly, and then: Crafting complete.

"Equip," Tyler commanded. The axe materialized in his hand, silver-grey and slightly longer than the bashing hammer. Its head was as wide as his own, curved, durable, and razor-sharp.

"An axe? Did you craft that just now?" Grone asked, surprised.

"Yeah, it's the only weapon I have right now," Tyler said, adopting a fighting stance, holding the axe with both hands. Beside the axe's image on his system interface, the ATK stat appeared: ATK: 84

Suddenly Grone striked.

Grone’s initial attack was a breathtaking display of swordsmanship. A blindingly fast overhead strike, aimed at cleaving Tyler’s skull, whistled through the air, a silver streak against the azure sky. Tyler, however, met the blow with a roar and a brutal upward parry. The axe head, wide and heavy, crashed against Grone’s blade with a deafening clang that echoed across the empty plain. Sparks flew, momentarily illuminating the grim set of Tyler’s jaw. The force of the impact sent tremors up Grone’s arm, a testament to Tyler’s unexpected strength. "Impressive," Grone grunted, his voice tight with surprise. "But strength alone won't win this. This isn't a contest of brute force."

Frustrated but undeterred, Grone abandoned the sweeping blows. He shifted to a series of rapid, precisely targeted thrusts. The first, a lightning-fast jab aimed at Tyler's exposed ribs, was deflected only by a fraction of an inch by a desperate upward chop of the axe. The second, a cunning riposte following the parry, aimed for the gap between Tyler's raised arm and his torso, was met with a jarring clang as Tyler twisted, his axe narrowly averting a potentially fatal wound. The third thrust, a deceptive feint to the left followed by a swift lunge to the right, was intended to exploit a momentary lapse in Tyler's concentration. But Tyler, despite his less refined technique, reacted with surprising speed, his axe meeting Grone's blade with a heavy thud that sent vibrations up Grone's arm. Each thrust was a carefully calculated risk, a probe for weakness in Tyler’s defenses, a dance of steel and muscle played out against the backdrop of the silent, windswept plain. The rhythmic clang of steel on steel filled the air, a relentless percussion punctuated by the grunts of exertion from both combatants.

Mid-parry, Tyler grunted, a low sound of exertion. Grone pressed his advantage, a swift thrust aimed at Tyler's side. Tyler barely deflected it, the axe ringing against the sword. "Not bad," Grone said, his voice tight with exertion, "but skill will win out. You lack the finesse to match my precision." He circled, searching for an opening in Tyler's defense. The dust swirled around them, a testament to the ferocity of their exchange. The air crackled with tension.

"You're very good with that axe," Grone said to Tyler. "Have you by chance used an axe before?"

Tyler looked at Grone. "No, it's probably because of my weapon mastery skill. I developed that while I was leveling up. It makes it easier for me to use any weapon I want."

"Good," Grone said, tilting his sword slightly. "That means I can get serious, right?"

With a sudden, powerful movement, Grone swung his sword in a wide arc. Tyler's system interface flashed: Grone has activated skill: Slash. Instinctively, Tyler activated his Rush skill, bending low as an almost invisible, colorless wave of energy – a compressed blade of air – passed a hair's breadth above his head. The Slash impacted the top of the already felled tree, slicing it cleanly, leaving a perfectly flat surface.

As Tyler straightened, Grone instantly followed with his Pierce skill. He thrust his sword, aiming straight for Tyler's abdomen. Tyler used the axe head to block, covering his abdomen. The point of Grone's sword striking the axe head with a sharp *ting*. A shockwave erupted from the impact, causing both their hair to rustle violently. The force propelled Tyler backward, his feet impacting the top of the cut tree, sending him into a backflip. He landed on his feet, kneeling, breathing heavily. Before he could fully recover, he saw Grone charging at him at incredible speed.

Grone planted his foot on the stump of the cut-down tree, propelling himself upward. He swung his sword in a powerful downward slash aimed at bisecting Tyler. Tyler rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding being severed in half. Grone, seeing Tyler's quick reaction, shifted his attack, swinging his sword horizontally. Tyler rolled again, his movements surprisingly swift. He grabbed his axe with both hands, blocking Grone's next strike.

Grone paused, watching Tyler. "Is this one of your skills?" he asked, his voice laced with surprise. "You've gotten much faster."

Tyler struggled; the force of Grone's sword pressing down on his axe was immense. "Yeah," Tyler grunted, "It's my Rush skill."

Tyler's eyes glowed faintly blue, a subtle change that didn't escape Grone's notice. "How...?" Grone muttered, his thoughts interrupted by Tyler's sudden burst of strength. With a powerful heave, Tyler pushed Grone back with his axe. Grone stumbled, giving Tyler a moment to catch his breath.

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"What was that just now?" Grone asked, regaining his balance.

"What do you mean?" Tyler replied, his breathing heavy. He swung his axe, aiming for Grone.

Grone backpedaled, dodging the blow as the axe bit into the earth. Before Grone could counterattack, Tyler lifted his axe, reversing its grip, and swung upwards, aiming for Grone's chin. Grone bent backward, narrowly avoiding the blow. Tyler, seizing the opportunity, rotated his body, putting all his remaining strength into a powerful overhead swing, his roar echoing across the plain as the axe descended.

Grone hopped back as the axe head thudded into the ground. "Wow," he muttered, surprised. "This kid's gotten a lot faster and stronger."

As Tyler tried to lift his axe, Grone reacted instantly. He stepped onto the axe head, then with a blur of motion, rotated, delivering a powerful kick to Tyler's face. The force sent Tyler skidding backward across the ground. He wiped his cheek, spitting blood onto the grass.

Tyler dashed at Grone, his eyes glowing blue again. "Is he trying to fight me at close range?" Grone wondered. Then, realization dawned. "Wait," Grone said aloud.

Tyler threw a punch at Grone's abdomen. With impossible speed, the axe, which had been lying on the ground, reappeared in Tyler's hand. He used the axe head to strike Grone in the abdomen, sending him staggering backward.

As Grone skidded to a halt, Tyler rotated, delivering a powerful kick to Grone's chest. Grone smiled, a grim expression. He dropped his sword, and dodged Tyler.

Surprised by the sudden action, Tyler swung his axe upwards. Grone dodged, going low, and landed a swift punch to Tyler's abdomen. Tyler gasped, clutching his stomach. Another punch landed on his face, sending him reeling. A third blow struck his ribs, followed by a fourth to his chest, and a final, brutal blow to his other cheek.

"I've activated my Rush skill," Tyler thought, wiping blood from his mouth, "but even then, he's still faster." He reached for his axe, then paused, pointing it at Grone.

"I thought you wanted to fight hand-to-hand," Grone said.

"Right," Tyler replied, his axe vanishing into his inventory. He adopted a fighting stance, fists clenched. "Come at me, whenever you're ready," Grone said.

Tyler exploded into motion, his enhanced speed a blur. He feinted a jab to Grone's face, a quick, deceptive movement designed to probe Grone's defenses. Grone reacted instantly, shifting his weight to counter the anticipated blow. But Tyler, anticipating Grone's reaction, abruptly shifted his weight, dropping low into a crouch. From this low, powerful stance, he unleashed a sweeping kick, aiming for Grone's legs. Grone reacted instinctively, jumping back to avoid the full force of the blow. As Grone was in mid-air, Tyler, with a burst of speed, also jumped, rotating his body in a mid-air spin. He landed a powerful roundhouse kick aimed at Grone's wrists as Grone attempted to regain his balance. The impact sent Grone sprawling, skidding across the ground. Tyler landed his own momentum carrying him forward.

"Where did he learn a move like that?" Grone mused, regaining his balance. Tyler, seizing the opportunity, dashed forward, launching a fist aimed at Grone's face. Grone moved his head to the side, narrowly avoiding Tyler's punch. He then used his right hand, his palm covering Tyler's whole face, and simultaneously, he put his right leg behind Tyler's own right leg. Using this leverage and Tyler's forward momentum, Grone drove Tyler backward, sending him sprawling to the ground. The back of Tyler's head struck the earth with a loud *thud*. Tyler gasped for air as he hit the ground, a harsh cough escaping his lips. Grone left him there for a moment.

"You did pretty well, kid," Grone said, his voice calm. "You're pretty strong."

When Tyler got up, one eye squeezed shut, and he felt the pain radiating through his body. He then got up and said, "Yeah, but not strong enough yet."

Grone shook his head. "No," he said, "you're strong enough. You can protect yourself in that forest."

Tyler, his vision now clear, saw that Grone was sitting on the stump, his sword resting in his hands. Tyler saw him smile and couldn't help but let out a little laugh. "I just realized something," Tyler said. "You're as strong as that Shadow Walker."

Grone chuckled. "Oh, am stronger, but I don't think I'm as fast. You do realize Shadow Walkers are C-rank, right? I'm not even near their level right now." Tyler looked at Grone's level and realized that Grone was level 59.

"Huh," Tyler said, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Grone, I have a question I need to ask."

"Well, it's just that you're at level 59. I assume that you might be at level 60 or higher by now. I mean, you've killed a lot of monsters, and I assume you killed monsters from that quest you had earlier today. And somehow you're at level 59. How is it that you're leveling up slower than me? I mean, I level up slower because 25% of my XP is cut every time I kill a monster. But yours, I don't know how to explain it." Grone looked at Tyler, then burst out laughing.

Tyler blinked, confused. "What? What is it? What's so funny?"

Grone wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "I can't believe you said you level up slower than me! I mean, think about it. On your first legal hunt, your first quest, you leveled up ten times! And you say you level up slower than me? If that's not a joke, I don't know what is."

Tyler frowned. "I'm serious, though. Every time I kill a monster, my XP is cut by 25%. I should be leveling up faster than this. And I *am* leveling up faster than you. You don't seem like the type of person who's afraid to face monsters—that would be one reason you wouldn't level up faster—and you seem to have a lot of experience, so that means you've fought a lot of monsters. So why is it that you're not leveling up faster than I am?"

Grone looked at Tyler with a serious expression, then sighed. "I'm sorry, kid, but I can't share this with you." Tyler remembered the same thing Grone's wife, Lisa, had told him.

Tyler looked at Grone and smiled slightly, walking closer. "No, yeah, it's fine. You don't really know me, so you don't have to share it with me. I understand."

Grone nodded. "Well, it's not that I *don't* want to, it's just that this is very dangerous information to share with anyone. The only people who know are me and my wife."

Tyler's expression turned thoughtful. "Oh, yeah, about that... did you know Heather's level is level nine?"

Grone's eyes widened. "What?"

"Yeah," Tyler said, "I was surprised too. But then, maybe it's normal. I don't know. You said people level up pretty fast, right? What I meant to say is, you said they level up automatically until they hit eighteen. I'm just surprised that she's level nine, but about two weeks ago she was just a level four. I used my *Uncover* skill on her again, and I found out that she is level nine now."

Grone's hands started shaking. Tyler noticed immediately. "What? What's wrong?"

Grone grabbed his shaking arm with his other hand. "No, nothing."

"Nothing? Seriously? What's wrong? You're saying nothing, but I can see that there's clearly a problem!" Tyler exclaimed. "Grone, remember what I told you a while after I came into this world? I said I'd repay you, so I want to help you. Please, just tell me. Tell me what's bothering you, and maybe I can help. If you don't tell me what's bothering you, then I can't do anything about it."

Grone cut Tyler off mid-sentence. "Alright, just sit beside me if you want me to tell you."

Tyler sat down beside the tree stump. Grone said, "All right, let me do something first." He reached into his pocket and produced a coin. It was black, unadorned, and seemed to be made of simple, ground metal. "I want you to hold this," Grone said, handing it to Tyler.

Tyler took the coin, holding it in his palm. Grone said, "Look at me." Tyler met Grone's gaze, holding his stare. Grone held Tyler's gaze for a long moment, his expression unreadable.

"Okay, um, what is this for?" Tyler finally asked.

Grone simply said, "You can bring it back." Tyler, a little confused, returned the coin. Grone received it and slipped it back into his pocket.

"What was that about?" Tyler asked.

Grone leaned forward, his expression turning serious. "Okay, first off, I want you to tell me about yourself first. I want to know more about your past, Tyler. It's only fair, right? I can't reveal my whole past without knowing yours first."

"But why?" Tyler asked, "Why can't you just tell me your past?"

Grone's voice softened, his gaze drifting to the distant horizon. His face was suddenly etched with remorse. Tyler looked up at him, sensing a shift in the atmosphere. "Well, the truth is..." Grone began, his voice barely a whisper, "...I'm one of the descendants of the hero."