Code Collector

Slash. Slash. Slash.

Allen was finished with his hunt when he decided to rest before he opens the Crafting Table. He was grinding day and night for a day more just so he would have the best materials for his item.

He laid his head on the tree behind him as his legs hung on the branch. It was easy for him to kill beasts, but it was hard to find the appropriate beasts to kill. Though there are regions and areas where most of the beasts would thrive, no one could still control what beast would be around.

This was probably the hardest part on being a Hunter. The beasts that you see are random, and the Codes that you get is even more random. It was like playing in a casino where you have to risk a lot of things just to get your goal.

And when you're a Hunter, you're risking your life. It's not just a bunch of tokens and money when you're betting on a hunt, you're betting with your life. And when tokens and money can be replaced, a life can't.

The opportunity of becoming a Hunter was huge, the money was huge, and the fame was even bigger. But since you have to pay for your life to be on the line to get it, not everyone would take the risk.

"I think I need to craft now," Allen said to himself. He stood upright and opened his interface to where his Crafting Table was at. He placed the raw materials on the Basic grade tab one by one until he completed the five Basic grade items necessary to craft a Rare grade item.

The boy filled the boxes for the Rare grade slots. He selected the five Basic grade items that he just crafted and then let the Crafting Table do its own thing. The slots lit up and the light traveled down to the empty space down below where it also glowed.

'Crafting Rare grade item.'

When the light vanished, a bracelet appeared on the box. Allen hovered his hand over it to see its description.

<Night Bracelet>

Grade: Rare

Effect/s: (1) Active - Absorbs light and turns invisible in dim places. Invisibility lasts until the area is bright. Cooldown 2 hours.

(2) Passive - When in complete darkness, the user will have 7x brighter vision. The darkness will charge the item, giving less and less vision as the area brightens.

Allen immediately fixed his seat after reading the description. The skill effects were great, more than what he hoped for. He indeed collected materials mainly from nocturnal beasty, but to think that he would also get an item that would help him in the darkness.

If he uses this logic, he should now collect materials from flying beasts, maybe then he could get an item that would be useful for his flight. He was mainly in rooftops as his primary way of traveling, an item that would help him when he's in the air would be extremely helpful.

Kroo. Kroo. Kroo.

Allen raised his head after hearing the creature. It was an owl and it didn't sound like it was too far away. In fact, the sound seemed to come from a couple of meters away from him. He looked up to the skies and realized that the darkness had slowly fallen. Dusk came and now it was nighttime.

The boy opened his hand, equipping his Twilight Dagger. The weapon was now powerful since the twilight just came, and he wasn't too far from the hour of the sunset.

"Let's go," Allen whispered to himself and jumped from branch to branch until he was a lot closer to where the sound came from. He was looking around to see if the owl was still there, but to no avail. It wasn't there anymore.

Kroo. Kroo. Kroo.

The boy spun and raised his weapon. He was looking around in hopes of seeing the beast, but it was proving itself to be swift. This was why Allen also wanted an item from them. He could use an item that increases his movement, so he could hunt and escape faster.

Currently, his movements were great and quick, but he still knows he could be better. He could barely dodge the hits of the previous enemies. If he encounters stronger beasts that had higher agility than him, it would be the end of the road.

Kroo. Kroo. Kroo.

"F*cking b*tch." Allen cursed and leaped up the branch he was on. He spun in the air for a couple of times before slicing through the air and into the direction of the sound.

Crash.

His blade had made contact with wood instead of flesh. He swore he fast when he did the trick, but the beast was still able to dodge him. It was already gone from the branch the sound was on, making Allen groan.

"I just want materials!" Allen growled. He closed his eyes and felt the air and surroundings. He needed to concentrate on where to attack. The beast seemed to be playing with him by dodging and making noise in different places. He was being tested.

"Deep breath," Allen whispered. "I can do this."

Kroo. Kroo. Kroo.

The boy opened his eyes and vanished. There was only silence for a couple of seconds before he reappeared behind a giant bird that was hidden amongst the leaves of the nearby trees.

"Gotcha!" Allen yelled, swinging his blade as he slashed the beast's head off. The boy landed on the branch where the owl was at, watching it fall to the ground and vanish. "What? Why the hell did it vanish?"

Allen leaped to the ground and tried to look for the remains of the owl. He was now baffled when he couldn't see anything there. The beast completely vanished like it wasn't there in the first place.

And the woman who announces when he kills a beast didn't speak. Allen was now even more confused. Usually, after taking out all the enemy's HP, the woman would notify him. But now even when the bird had vanished, he hadn't received anything at all.

"What is happening?" Allen asked himself. He looked around and tried to think of any reason why this could be happening. His deep thoughts would soon be interrupted when he heard footsteps coming towards him.

The boy bent his knees and raised his dagger in defense. The sound came from right in front of him, but he was thinking that they would attack on the side or even behind him. He can never be too careful.

"Who is that?" Allen asked. He prepared himself for a clash when Lay appeared from the darkness. The man crossed his arms while a smirk etched across his face like he had seen sometimes magnificent. "What are you doing here, Lay?"

"I now see why the boss is too fond of you," Lay chuckled. "I don't see it right away, and refused to believe it even after your performance in the Second Coming of the Fire Dragon, but boy, you have an incredible talent."

"W-What?" Allen tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"That bird you just killed was a oet of mine," Lay said. "It was a Grand grade pet, the Lilac Swift Owl. It's movements were faster than any falcon in Paradise and Haven, and its vision and senses were more than most beasts in Eternity."

"A pet?" Allen asked. He was rather curious as to what the man was talking about considering he had a pet in his Codes list. It was one he got from the Fire Dragon where it states that the pet was Evolvable. Although he still cannot access it, his curiosity was still there.

"I forgot, Haven and Paradise doesn't have this type of Code yet," Lay said. "But that owl was my Code and it was my pet. They're similar to weapon Codes, but they're immortal and they're basically beasts that you tame."

"They're immortal?" Allen asked. "But I just killed yours."

"You merely used up all its HP for its summon," Lay said. "Pets can be summoned and they inherit 75% of the Hunter's stats. When they lose their HP, they return to you as the Code and will charge for at least 26 hours. After recharging, they can be summoned again."

"Oh," Allen nodded. "That's why I didn't receive the notification that I killed a beast. It's a bit of a shame since I used up a lot of my energy to killing it."

"If it ever makes you feel better, Lilac Swift Owls are hard to hunt," Lay said. "Only one in six hundred Hunters could hunt it, and you're one of them."

"Oh," Allen muttered. "Wait, what are you doing here anyway?"

"Boss wants to relay a message," Lay said suddenly. "I almost forgot after seeing you. Sorry."

Allen tilted his head. "What message?"

Lay's expression suddenly changed to dark. And then he brought the ill news. "They're coming for you. The Snake appeared and he killed the Dragon. That's what the news is saying."