"H-Hanzo did!? When? Why!? Who are you? Did he tell you to meet me? Did he know I was going to get into that fight!?" Tyr spitfired a bunch of questions, confused out of his mind.
"No no, you are overthinking it. I am Jonas Hejlak, a member of Skyfall Hunter Guild's Hunter Squad: Ultimatum. Hanzo described you as an interesting character, so I decided to come and check you out for myself. I came at what I could consider the perfect time, but it was by pure coincidence that I happened to come right as you were in a battle. I did learn two things from seeing you today though..."
"Two? And what are those?"
"First of all, you are definitely interesting. And secondly, you are strong!"
"Uh... yeah. Thanks, I guess." Tyr was still a bit weirded out by the guy.
"From today onwards, you should expect a lot of people to know your name."
"W-what?"
"Not bystanders per se, but squad members. 5 of the strongest squads follow his every move, and once they know that his newest 'friend' has slain Bilweif, they will want to study this 'friend' for themselves."
"By 'his' you mean... Hanzo right?"
"Indeed."
"Is he that much of a big shot? How do they know I'm associated with him anyway? Do they track his every move or something as soon as he enters Drance?" Tyr said in a slightly joking tone.
"Yes." Jonas instantly answered, not joking whatsoever.
"Well damn..." Tyr said, looking towards the ground, 'I wonder if I'll get spied on too from now on. It doesn't sound too bad if I think about it right now. Like being a celebrity or something... but I know I shouldn't look forward to it. There are some things I prefer to do... in private.'
"Hey!" Jonas abruptly shouted, turning around on the spot.
Tyr's head jerked up.
"It was nice meeting you. I just wanted to see what you were like... good luck on your Hunter Test tomorrow!"
"What?" Tyr was surprised at what the man said at the end, "How did you know I had a Hunter Tes--"
"I just guessed! I imagined you had made one of those. Looks like I guessed right. Ciao!" With that, Jonas turned again and sprinted into the busy street in front of him--disappearing into the distance.
Tyr was left confused and alone: 'I feel like I'm experiencing deja vu... what a weird planet, seriously.' He sighed, making his way back to the Hunter's Guild.
He took a nice long shower as soon as he got back. He couldn't help but feel he was still dirty no matter how much the water trickled down his body.
He suddenly thought back to Jonas' words...
'But know that you will get used to it as you become more of a Hunter. This isn't a pleasant world, Tyr.'
'I'll get used to it huh? I guess I should. I come from a world of weakness compared to this one. I suppose it's only natural that I am shocked by its craziness.'
He opened up his status menu.
[Vitality: 21/21-->23]
'I get EXP from killing humans as well.' He clenched his jaw, staring forward at the shower wall with a serious and determined expression, 'If I can get used to killing people... bad people... I can level up way easier. If it grants me power, then I'm used to killing criminals.' He ironed his resolve...
Out of nowhere, the water turned cold as shit.
"ACK! What the fuck!?" He screamed, his body stiffening up and nearly going into anaphylactic shock.
"Sorry!" A muffled voice came from the wall next to him: "That happens when I flush to toilet!"
***
After taking a shower, he headed out again. This time, he decided to exchange some of his Beast Cores at the most trustworthy place he could find.
It was a full-fledged smithy, a haven of fire and metal. As Tyr walked in, blistering waves of heat assaulted his face, the intense warmth radiating from the heart of the forge.
He approached the main desk, his eyes sweeping over the giant furnaces and smithing tables in the back. Anvils and other tools stood ready, their purpose evident in the craftsmanship surrounding him.
Armor and weaponry lined the walls. Unlike the fake items that the scammer had, these items were the real deal, crafted with care and precision right here in this very workshop.
Several blacksmiths labored away, their forms silhouetted against the roaring flames. But Tyr's focus was elsewhere, drawn to the impressive scale of the place. It was vast, about half the size of the Hunter's Guild, buzzing with activity.
Behind the counter stood a young man, no older than twenty-five. His glasses perched on his nose lent him an air of innocence, and he wore a welcoming smile, eager to assist any customer who walked through the door.
"Can I sell these to you?" Tyr questioned at first, placing 5 C-Rank Beast Cores on the table.
"Sure! Let's take a look shall we?" He took out a magnifying glass and closely observed one of the cores.
"Ah yes, it seems perfectly stable and real."
"Do I have to negotiate?" Tyr questioned.
"Well, this is a smithery, not a random shop. We run on the set market price, no cheaper nor more expensive. We don't make a profit on these things unlike other stores, we make a profit on our equipment."
"Perfect. That's just what I wanted to hear."
...
Tyr sold 5 C-Rank Beast Cores for 375 silver coins and 26 D-Rank Beast Cores for 390 silver coins, leaving him with 25 D-Rank cores, 10 C-Rank cores, and 765 silver coins--or 7 gold coins and 65 silver coins.
After that, he took a gaze at some of the weapons in stock behind the young man at the front desk.
'Soul Mend is great, but its still a bit unstable. If I can practice and get it fully under my control, I will be able to use weapons while in that form. That will be an easy power boost.'
His eyes scanned over several spears, axes, swords and other items.
'I want to learn how to train one of these anyways, so I might as well buy one now as early as possible. Nothing crazy expensive though.'