CHAPTER 69: LUCIEN’S FURY

Lucien vanished completely. For a heartbeat, nothing stirred. Then white light tore through the crowd of goblins like a blade through silk, and blood began to spray in crimson arcs.

Limbs severed in an instant. Bones snapped like kindling. Necks twisted at impossible angles. The goblins launched into the air as one writhing mass just as Lucien crashed down among them, his impact sending shockwaves through the earth that stripped the very ground of its stillness.

Adrian’s eyes widened as he witnessed all the goblins fly into the air in an instant.

Then something even stranger happened.

Lucien stood still, golden light blazing in his eyes. The goblins writhed in agony, scurrying about. Blood continued to spray in vicious arcs—no matter where they tried to flee, it was inevitable: death came for them. And the death was invisible; they knew not from whence it came.

At last, the massacre stopped, and Lucien stood in the midst of the flood of corpses. Some of the blood rained down on him, staining his grey hair and white armor.

He exhaled and slowly raised his head.

He moved a step only to discover that something had seized his leg. Lucien frowned and looked down, only to find a vine gripping his ankles.

He frowned even deeper and turned back.

"What are you doing?"

Adrian let out a shaky breath as he dropped the wooden javelin he had just used to finish the last goblin on his side.

"I’m sorry, but I think we really need to retreat at this point."

There was a stubborn light in Lucien’s eyes.

"Just when we’re almost done?"

Adrian frowned, his face pale.

"Almost done? Master Cien, whatever is in that place, I’m sure it’s much greater than whatever we faced here. And I swear—I swear we almost got overwhelmed by those monsters."

"And I saved us, didn’t I? You didn’t—I was the one who saved us."

Adrian was speechless for a moment. He hesitated.

"Well, you’re right, but that would have cost us unnecessary losses if we’d just stayed back to study their patterns."

Lucien scratched the back of his head with Nightfang swords still in his hands.

"This is getting really irritating at this point."

Adrian scowled.

"And you’re getting really insufferable. It’s understandable that you’re strong, and that much has been proven. But you have to realize that this isn’t just some personal expedition for you to flex your strength. There are people who are going to die if you’re not careful. Death will start with you, but it won’t end with you."

Lucien stayed frozen, staring at Adrian.

There was a dead silence. Then he spoke with a soft and effortless tone.

"Are you nagging at me?"

Adrian hesitated for a moment.

"No... but don’t you get the point of this..."

"I’m not going to leave."

Lucien interrupted him and turned.

"I’m quite stubborn, you see. And I’m very hungry too—I’m hungry in a way I don’t understand, and when I think about what’s waiting there, I feel rather elated and refreshed. It’s understandable, I guess the normal thing is to be scared. At least I should consider the poor townsfolk."

Lucien turned over his shoulder.

"But this was never about them. I’m not sorry I sound selfish—selfishness is what forms the very core of our humanity. I’m merely doing this because I love doing this. This will help the village, no doubt, and it’s a boon that I appreciate, but I will not allow them or their plight to determine or hinder how much I get to enjoy myself. Neither will I let you."

He faced forward and leaned ahead.

"You can scram for all I care."

He exhaled and darted forward.

Adrian watched, pained and silent. Then he eventually turned back and left.

***

Lucien entered the cave, and unlike what he’d expected, it wasn’t a large open space of habitation waiting to greet him. Instead, it was a prison.

He frowned as he entered the cavern space. To the left and right sides of the expanse were constructed prisons with iron bars. Different kinds of monsters huddled behind the bars—some had been badly beaten and battered, staring with hollow gazes at the lone intruder who walked forward.

Lucien felt his heart constrict. They were monsters; they too were cruel, but the manner in which they’d been treated felt so ethically wrong.

There was a thick-hide creature that looked like a bull but without horns. One of its eyes dangled out of its socket, its nose was completely smashed in, and blood had pooled beneath it and dried.

Another was an insect-like creature that also looked humanoid. Its gossamer wings draped over its body like a dress, and each of its limbs ended with long curved claws. But beneath the claws, the creature was bleeding.

All across its body were terrible marks and lacerations, such that Lucien had to turn away immediately.

However, where he turned, there was an ape-like monster with violet fur, looking at him with pitiful eyes. It was a child, and scars covered its body too.

Lucien gripped both swords even more tightly and walked forward hurriedly.

While he wanted to set all of them free, he decided against it. He wanted to win first.

"I promise all of you. I will come back."

He muttered beneath his breath and walked faster.

He was going to win anyway. But now, Lucien felt something burning stronger in his heart.

That level of cruelty made him genuinely eager. Because that meant he also had the liberty to do with the goblins as he desired.

He finally moved away from the prison and entered a much wider passageway.

The path from this point was lit with primitive torches hung on the walls.

He continued down the path and finally arrived at a large red door that was closed.

Lucien stopped and studied the door.

The red door was massive with golden engravings etched into it. Lucien was about to move forward when he frowned and stepped back, then noticed.

’They’re the same...’

The engravings on the door were a jagged, spiral line—the exact same one at the entrance of the cave and on the field.

He didn’t know what that meant, but he was sure it had to mean something.

Something deeply tied to red goblins.

He walked forward anyway and pushed the door open.

[You have reached the Dungeon Boss]

[Erikta greets you]

Lucien’s brows furrowed.

’Huh?’