Tyler, trembling, quickly raised his hands in a gesture of appeasement. "Please," he pleaded, his voice high-pitched with fear. "You don't have to hurt me."

Grone stared, his bloodied sword momentarily forgotten. He'd expected fear, and he heard it clearly in the boy's voice, though the fluency of his Natorian was still surprising. Grone was surprised; Tyler looked foreign, his clothes and mannerisms unlike any he'd encountered before." You speak Natorian?" Grone questioned. Tyler's eyes widened in confusion. "Natorian? What's Natorian?"

Grone pushed his advantage, the sword tip now inches from Tyler's chest. "It's the language we speak here. "What is a boy like you doing so deep in this forest?" Grone asked, his suspicion lessening but not entirely gone.

Tyler's voice was barely a whisper, laced with a rising panic. "I... I don't know. One minute I was in my room... and then the next, I was here. I think I'm going crazy. Everything is so strange. The creatures... I've never seen anything like them before. And... and these messages... keep popping up... like a screen in front of my eyes..." He wrung his hands, his voice cracking. "I need help. I don't know if any of this is real."

Grone stared at him, a mixture of confusion and disbelief etched on his weathered face. This boy's story was far stranger than any monster he'd encountered in this forest.

Grone sighed, tugging his blade away from Tyler's chest. "You're not a hunter. I don't know how you got into this forest, but you need to get out of here. I'm finished with my hunt, so follow me."

Tyler nodded eagerly, relief washing over his face. "Thank you," he whispered, falling into step beside Grone.

As they walked, Grone glanced back at Tyler. "By any chance, have you seen any Venom Bloom fruits?"

Tyler's eyes widened. He knew what Venom Bloom fruits were. A jolt of recognition shot through him as he remembered storing some in his inventory. The inventory! The system wasn't a hallucination. It was real. This man... he seemed to know about the fruits. A wave of panic subsided, replaced by a surge of curiosity and a desperate need to understand. He thought about his stats, and then, superimposed over his vision, they appeared:

```

SPECIES: Human

NAME: Tyler Evans

RANK: G LVL: 3

CLASS: Craftsman

HP: 35/35 MP: 31/31

STR: 15 AGI: 13 DEF: 37

STATUS: Healthy

Skills: Armour Craft, Weapon Craft

```

Seeing the stats, Tyler muttered, his eyes wide, "It's real..." He continued walking beside Grone, a low hum of disbelief escaping his lips.

Grone, hearing the murmur, said, "What did you say?", looking at Tyler as they walked. Then, without breaking stride, Grone's hand shot out, clamping down on Tyler's chest, stopping him in his tracks. "Don't move," Grone hissed, his eyes fixed on something ahead.

From the bushes, something emerged. It was a Pixel. A creature that looked like a iridescent being, vaguely resembling a peacock, yet utterly unlike anything Tyler had ever seen. Beside the Pixel, text appeared: Pixel LVL 26. Tyler's breath hitched. Level 26? That was incredibly high. He remembered Grone's stats – the system had shown Grone as LVL 48.

The Pixel spread its wings – a magnificent display of feathers like a peacock's, but these feathers shifted and changed color abruptly, almost violently. Grone shouted, his voice sharp and urgent, "Close your eyes and cover your ears!"

Then, the Pixel screamed. A sound that was both beautiful and terrifying, a cacophony of shifting tones that vibrated through the very air.

The sound was deafening, a high-pitched, agonizing wail. Tyler instantly clamped his hands over his ears; the shriek was excruciating. He squeezed his eyes shut. Grone, however, reacted faster, closing his eyes almost instantly before Tyler.

When Grone opened his eyes, the Pixel's feathers were no longer spread in their dazzling display. Tyler, however, was still reeling. When he finally managed to open his eyes, the world swam before him. He knew he was standing still, yet everything spun and blurred. Grone knew the rapidly shifting colors of the Pixel's feathers had induced a hypnotic state in Tyler.

Grone, knowing the Pixel would need time to prepare another attack, ran after it. The Pixel swung a wing, and feathers shot out like deadly projectiles aimed at Grone. Grone swung his sword, deflecting the feathers with practiced ease. Then, he did something Tyler didn't expect.

As Tyler's vision cleared, a text box appeared above Grone: James Grone used skill: Slash. Grone's sword moved in a blur. Though the sword didn't visibly connect, the Pixel's head was instantly severed. Purple blood sprayed from its neck as it died. Beside the creature's corpse, another text box appeared: Extract.

Tyler, mentally willing the extraction, saw the text change to **Extracted**. He expected to see some change in the Pixel's corpse—skin gone, beak removed, claws missing—but it remained intact.

Grone turned to Tyler. "Kid, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Tyler replied, still slightly dizzy.

"Good. We need to hurry. More monsters will be out now that it's day," Grone said, his gaze sweeping the forest.

A Level 17 Slime appeared, its form a bizarre contradiction of bouncy roundness and unnerving solidity. Unlike the somewhat solid Level 10 slime Tyler had encountered before, this one was distinctly different. This was a Level 17.

Then, the text appeared: Slime used skill: Bash. The slime launched itself upwards with impossible speed. Tyler barely saw the movement before Grone reacted. A grunt escaped Grone as he swung his sword, a blur of motion. Even though it seemed the sword was inches away from connecting, the attack landed with impossible precision. The slime split cleanly in two, dissolving into blue dust as it died, leaving behind only a round, grey residue where it had been. But within that residue, something small and round remained. Tyler found it strangely interesting. The system text appeared: Slime Core.

Before Grone could react, the Slime Core glowed intensely blue and vanished right before his eyes. Grone stared, surprised. He'd expected the core to remain, allowing him to pick it up. Tyler, however, had instinctively added it to his inventory, a fact Grone was unaware of.

"Hmm, that was strange," Grone mused, "The core seemed weaker than I expected. Perhaps it couldn't handle my blow." He turned to Tyler. "Anyway, we need to keep moving. I need to take you to the base." He paused, then asked, "Do you remember anything else? Do you know about the Venom Bloom fruits?"

Tyler nodded. "Yes, I actually have some."

Grone observed that Tyler wasn't carrying anything. A hint of suspicion crossed his face.

Tyler noticed Grone was wearing gloves. He touched his chin, remembering the itchiness and irritation from his first encounter with the Venom Bloom fruits, and their fragility. "Can I have a glove?" he asked.

Grone raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"The Venom Bloom fruits are poisonous and make your skin itchy," Tyler explained. "They're also very fragile."

Grone's eyes narrowed. "So you do know about them. How are you going to get them? Is there a Venom Bloom tree nearby?" Without waiting for an answer, he removed a glove and handed it to Tyler.

Tyler received the glove. Then, something astonishing happened. A Venom Bloom fruit materialized in Tyler's hand, seemingly out of thin air. Grone, eyes wide with shock, he pointed his blade directly at Tyler. Tyler, equally startled, recoiled, dropping the Venom Bloom fruit. It burst on impact, splattering into a spreading pool of purple ooze.

"Who the hell are you?" Grone demanded, his voice tight with suspicion. "You're a mage-type hunter, aren't you? And you've been lying to me." He leaned forward, his gaze intense. "Who are you, really?"

Tyler stammered, his voice barely a whisper. "I... I don't know. When I came into the forest... I found I could... I could put things away. In this... this space. My inventory. I swear, I don't know how! I don't know what you're talking about! I really don't know!" Panic edged his voice; his eyes darted around, wide with fear and genuine confusion.

Grone studied Tyler, his expression unreadable. "You're lying," he stated flatly.

Tyler shook his head frantically. "I'm not! I don't know how I do that! I really don't!"

Grone continued to scrutinize Tyler, trying to discern whether this was a practiced act or genuine fear and confusion. The intensity of Tyler's panic was almost convincing.

Grone continued to scrutinize Tyler, trying to discern whether this was a practiced act or genuine fear and confusion. The intensity of Tyler's panic was almost convincing. "What rank are you?" Grone finally asked, his voice still sharp but a fraction less accusatory.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Tyler's eyes widened. "Rank?" He mumbled, then a flicker of recognition crossed his face. He looked down, muttering to himself, "G... G... G rank..." He looked up at Grone, a mixture of confusion and fear in his eyes. "G rank," he repeated, as if unsure of what it meant.

Grone's brow furrowed. "A G rank? You're a G rank?" He looked Tyler up and down, utterly bewildered. "G ranks are babies," he muttered, shaking his head. "It's impossible for a grown man to be a G-rank. As you grow and train, you level up to F-rank, E-rank, and beyond. G-rank is the lowest rank, for infants." He slowly lowered his sword, a new thought forming in his mind. Perhaps Tyler was simply stupid, or had suffered some kind of memory loss. The possibility that this terrified young man was actually a G-rank hunter was absurd.

Grone stared at Tyler for a long moment, then said, "You must be a mage-type hunter." He sighed, scratching his head. "Have you been hit by a Hex Horn lately, or something similar?"

Tyler nodded. "Yeah," he admitted, "I've been chased by Hex Horns a few times. I got hit by one yesterday."

"That explains it," Grone said, "That could cause memory loss or… well, something like this."

Tyler bristled. "I don't have memory loss! Maybe I'm crazy, but this isn't memory loss!"

Grone considered this, then said, "Okay, what about the Venom Bloom fruits? Can you do that again? Can you make another one appear?"

A system interface appeared in front of Tyler, visible only to him. Several inventory slots were displayed, and one showed a picture of a Venom Bloom fruit with the number "x5" next to it. Beside the fruit icon was a smaller icon depicting a rusty sword—his own, as Tyler recognized with a jolt of surprise. He could see the system interface, yet Grone seemed completely unaware of it. "I only have five right now," Tyler said, "I can give you those."

"Excellent," Grone said. "I only need four for my quest. Give them to me quickly."

Tyler mentally selected four Venom Bloom fruits. One by one, they materialized in his hand. Grone opened a small pouch, and Tyler carefully placed the fruits inside.

"Okay, it's time to move," Grone said. "We're close to the base. We just need to jump the river."

A flicker of surprise and excitement crossed Tyler's face. He'd been trying to cross that river for a long time. He said nothing, however, keeping his expression carefully neutral.

As they walked, a wave of profound loneliness washed over Tyler. This world, this reality, felt alien and terrifying. The man beside him, Grone, was a mystery, his skills and knowledge both impressive and unsettling. The very concept of "ranks," the bizarre monsters, the seemingly magical appearance of the Venom Bloom fruits—it all defied his understanding of how the world should work. He remembered childish fantasies of superpowers, of being a hero who battled strange creatures, but those were just that—fantasies. The reality was far more brutal, far more frightening. The thrill of the unknown had long since faded, replaced by a gnawing fear and a desperate longing for something familiar, something safe. He clutched the glove in his pocket, a small comfort in this overwhelming strangeness. The thought of finding another person, another human being, sparked a flicker of hope amidst the encroaching darkness. Maybe, just maybe, he wasn't alone in this nightmare.

Lost in these turbulent thoughts, Tyler barely registered their arrival at the river until he saw a narrow, rocky path that offered a possible jumping point across the water.

As they crossed the river, Grone urged Tyler to hurry. "Be quick," he warned, "or something from the water might attack." They scrambled across the narrow path, the current rushing beneath their feet.

Once safely on the other side, Tyler, his breath catching in his chest, asked, "Where are we going? Will we meet other people there?"

"We're going to the base," Grone replied, "The Crossroads Inn. You might find help there." He paused, then asked, "What's your family name?"

Tyler was momentarily taken aback by the question. "Evans," Tyler said. "My family name is Evans."

Grone considered this for a moment. "That's strange," he murmured. Tyler asked, "Why?"

"You really are a foreigner," Grone stated. "You do look foreign, and the name... it sounds unusual." He shrugged, dismissing the thought. They continued walking.

Suddenly, Tyler heard a distinctive kyuu sound. He glanced to his left and saw a slime, already mid-air, hurtling towards him.

The system notification appeared before him in an instant: SLIME LEVEL 14. Tyler reacted instantly, dodging the slime's attack. Grone, surprised by the speed and precision of Tyler's movement, turned to see what had happened. He drew his sword, ready to defend. A rusty sword materialized in Tyler's hand—a familiar occurrence to Tyler, though Grone was unaware of this. Before he could react, the system notifications flashed again SLIME USED SKILL: BASH. With a roar, Tyler instinctively swung the rusty sword, striking the slime with surprising power. The slime dissolved into blue dust, leaving behind a core slightly smaller than the one they had encountered earlier. It resembled a glass orb filled with a swirling grey substance—liquid, perhaps, or fine powder. The glass itself was remarkably clear, reflecting the surrounding area. Grone exclaimed, "Whoa!" Then, to his astonishment, the core vanished in to Tyler's inventory.

"So it was you," Grone said, his voice a low whistle. "You're the one who made the last core disappear. Where do you keep these things?"

"In my inventory," Tyler replied.

Grone's eyebrows shot up. "Inventory?" he echoed, the word clearly familiar.

Tyler asked, "Can you see anything?"

Grone, still scanned their surroundings and frowned. "No. Is there a monster nearby?"

Tyler shook his head. "No. I'm talking about this," he said, pointing directly at the shimmering blue rectangle of his system interface. The display, with its neatly organized stats and level information, was clearly visible to him, but completely invisible to Grone.

Grone stared at the empty air where Tyler was pointing, utterly bewildered. "What? What do you mean, 'this'?"

Tyler explained about his stats, the numbers, the level-up. It was then that Grone began to suspect Tyler possessed a skill, perhaps something akin to "Uncover," allowing him to perceive information hidden from others.

Grone hesitated, then blurted out, "Can you... see my level?" A mixture of apprehension and morbid curiosity warred on his face.

Tyler nodded, a reluctant confirmation. He hadn't wanted to reveal this information so readily, until he was certain this strange world and its systems were real. "Yes," he said. "You're level 48."

Grone's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He knew his level, of course, but the fact that Tyler knew it was a revelation. The casual way Tyler stated it, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world, only amplified his astonishment. "So you know my name?" he asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice, now tinged with a dawning understanding.

"Yes," Tyler replied. "Your name is James Grone. I can see it clearly on the panel."

"Huh...," Grone said, a slow sign escaping mouth. "I see. You have the Uncover skill."

Tyler was surprised. "Uncover?" He frowned, searching his memory. He recalled seeing skills on the panel earlier, before he'd met Grone. Weapon Craft and Armor Craft were listed clearly. There was no mention of Uncover. He also had Primal Subjugation, a skill the system had described as a one-time use ability, which he hadn't yet activated. But Uncover? He had no memory of that skill at all.

"What is Uncover?" Tyler asked.

"It's a skill that lets you see other people's levels, and you can even learn about their skills before they're activated," Grone explained.

Tyler considered this. Grone might actually be telling the truth. He didn't have Uncover listed, but perhaps the system hadn't revealed it yet. "We're wasting time," Grone said, breaking the silence. "We really need to get to the base."

As they walked, Grone felt a wave of relief wash over him; they were close. That feeling was short-lived, however. Seven slimes erupted from the undergrowth, a surprisingly varied group in terms of size and coloration. The largest, a level 27 slime, was significantly larger than the others—though even it was only about the size of a large trash bag. Its mostly round form, less amorphous than Tyler might have expected, was a deep, rich blue. Surrounding the behemoth were its smaller brethren: a level 14 slime, almost translucent and faintly shimmering blue; a level 6, a duller, rounder blue blob; a slightly bigger, level 8 slime, a more defined, almost spherical blue; two level 4 slimes; and finally, a level 16 slime, a vibrant, almost electric blue, and noticeably more round and solid-looking than the lower-level slimes, roughly the size of a basketball. They surrounded Tyler and Grone, a surprisingly well-defined, blue gelatinous barricade of varying threat levels. A cold dread washed over Tyler; this was far from the leisurely stroll he'd anticipated.

Tyler still held his rusty sword, the blade faintly stained with the purplish residue of the Venom Bloom juice he'd applied. The blunt edge couldn't slice, but the poison wouldn't need to penetrate to be effective. He felt a surge of renewed strength from his recent level-up, even though he was only level 3. He gripped the sword tighter as the slimes began their charge."I'll take this one," Grone said, his eyes fixed on the largest, level 27 slime. He gestured towards the remaining six with a curt nod towards Tyler. "You take the rest."

Tyler's jaw dropped slightly. He hadn't anticipated that division of labor. He'd barely considered facing more than three slimes at once, and now he was staring down six, including a level 16 – a significant jump in difficulty. A nervous laugh caught in his throat; the situation was absurd. He gripped his sword, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs, as he watched Grone meet the level 27 slime's charge. The impact was brutal; Grone's feet skidded back, his body jarring from the force of the blow as the slime's mass slammed into his chest.

Distracted by Grone's struggle with the level 27 slime, Tyler failed to notice the level 16 slime until it was too late. With a sudden burst of speed, it slammed its body into his abdomen. The air whooshed from his lungs as he tumbled backward, landing hard on the ground. He rolled, scrambling to regain his footing and snatch up his rusty blade. The system notification appeared: Slime used skill: Bash.

Groaning, Tyler muttered, "A little too late for the warning, don't you think?"

Tyler rushed the level 16 slime. It launched itself at him, and he barely managed to dodge the attack, stumbling slightly as he avoided the worst of the impact. He swung his rusty sword wildly, connecting with a level 4 slime, instantly reducing it to blue dust—no core remained. Another wild swing dispatched a second level 4 slime in the same manner. But before he could react, the level 16 slime struck him in the ribs, a searing pain that threatened to fracture the bones. He fell to his side, rolling to absorb the impact, then pushed himself up, his knee hitting the ground as he braced himself, his sword held ready.

As Tyler braced himself, sword in hand, he saw Grone locked in a brutal struggle. Grone hammered blow after blow into the level 27 slime, his sword ringing against the surprisingly resilient creature. With each hit, the slime recoiled slightly, its form rippling like disturbed water, before settling back into its monstrous shape. It wasn't standing still; it was clearly being pushed back by the force of Grone's attacks, but it refused to yield, its resilience unnerving. Grone's face was strained, sweat beading on his forehead, each swing a testament to his raw strength and determination. Then, amidst the chaos of the fight, Tyler witnessed something astonishing. The level 14 slime leaped onto the level 6 slime. They merged, their forms blending seamlessly into a single, larger, pulsating blue mass. A system notification appeared: Level 20 Slime. Tyler's eyes widened in disbelief. The sheer unexpectedness of the event, coupled with the intensity of Grone's ongoing battle, sent a fresh wave of icy dread through him.