Tyler stared at the colossal white snake, its massive coils a terrifying testament to its power. Then he saw its level: 80. His heart pounded in his chest. To his side, Grone used his left hand to push himself into a sitting position, groaning in pain but still clutching his sword."Quickly kill them," Gary commanded his pet, his voice sharp and cruel. He pointed at Tyler and Grone. As his finger gestured towards Tyler, a sharp pain lanced through his chest. Steven's eyes widened as he noticed something disturbing—bluish, dark veins were spreading across the wound inflicted by Tyler's axe, marring the leather of Gary's armour."Brother, are you alright?" Steven asked, his voice laced with concern.Gary winced, clutching his chest. "Shut up, I'm fine," he hissed, his voice strained.The enormous serpent, with terrifying speed, launched its head towards Tyler, its jaws opening wide, revealing rows of razor-sharp fangs.The serpent lunged, its massive jaws snapping shut just inches from

Grone and Tyler walked through the forest, the sounds of their footsteps muffled by the undergrowth. Tyler glanced at Grone. "So, I've reached C-rank, which means I have to give back the necklace." Grone nodded, his gaze fixed on the path ahead. "You'll have to give it to me once we arrive. What level did you reach?" "Level 67," Tyler replied, his eyes focused on the trail. A small smile played on Grone's lips. "Hmm… not surprised at this point. I realised you'd grown stronger than me when we fought the White Fang." Tyler shifted his gaze to Grone. "Speaking of the White Fang… is that the evolution of the slither we were talking about?" "Yeah…" Grone confirmed, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "I've also been meaning to ask you something. Your blood… there's something strange about it. You said you have a skill that allows you to turn your blood into poison anytime. But when we were fighting that serpent earlier, it was more than that. Your blood… it was melting thi

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," G

Tyler reached the bottom of the stairs. The two receptionists fell silent as he approached. He walked up to the woman. "Oh, uh, so I was wondering where I can take a bath around here? Because I don't know where the bathroom is," he said."Oh, right," the woman said, a touch of embarrassment in her voice. "I forgot to give you the key to the bathroom as well." She retrieved a key from the drawer behind the counter and handed it to Tyler. "This is one of many keys we have. Just please don't lose it and return it when you're done.""Thanks," Tyler said, taking the black key."Oh, wait," the woman called out as he started to turn away. "Where are you going? I haven't told you where the bathroom is yet."Tyler scratched his head, laughing sheepishly. "Right, sorry." He turned back to face her."It's over there," she said, gesturing towards the stairs. "Behind the stairs, as you can see, there's a door. The left door is the bathing room. You'll find plenty of water there for a bath.""Oh, r

The sun dipped towards the horizon, painting the sky in fiery hues. Rebecca, bow in hand, moved through the forest, her eyes scanning the undergrowth for any sign of monsters. *I hope that Hunter didn't lie to me…* she thought. *If my plans are going to work, I'm going to need to have a talk with him. He's a hunter, right? Even if we got off on the wrong foot, you can always buy people like him with money.* A smile played on her lips. *Huh, he took all the spoils for himself when we killed the Shadow Walker that time. He's as greedy as I am.*The wind stirred, rustling the leaves and gently swaying the long silver hair that flowed down her back. She turned left, deciding to change course. *I've gone too deep into the forest,* she mused. *But all I've managed to kill is one Brolin, two slimes, and one Hexhorn. Where are all these damn monsters.*Then, a figure emerged from the trees. The person had long black hair tied in a ponytail, wore a black robe, and carried a large, brown dagger