At Death’s Door!

"Bang!"

"Ugh…"

Lucien coughed up blood as his body slammed against the wall, sending a sharp pain radiating through his back.

"Fuck…"

His impromptu use of the Shadowstep skill, and that too inside a narrow tunnel, nearly cost him his life.

Fortunately, his strength and endurance had increased dramatically just moments ago.

So, even though the teleportation was interrupted by the walls around, his body was still in one piece.

'Shit... I need to stop the bleeding!'

But unluckily, Lucien didn't completely manage to dodge Glen's blade.

The assassin's sharp weapon had punctured his neck right beside the artery, causing blood to flow like a river.

The pain was unbearable.

"You are indeed weird!"

However, just because he was in pain, the world wouldn't stop.

C-rank skill: Shadowstep, could indeed teleport Lucien up to 10 meters within sight.

But that was within sight, after all. Lucien didn't manage to run far.

"Did you just... use teleportation?"

However, he did manage to gain Glen's attention, as those dark eyes shone with surprise when looking at Lucien.

"Who are you?"

This was the second time Glen had asked Lucien this question.

But to his dismay, Lucien didn't care about him at all.

He just waved his hand and took out one after another healing potion given by his mother, finally barely stopping the blood flowing from his neck.

The amount of blood he just lost might have sent him to the grave in his previous life. But due to his increasing Endurance and Strength stats, he was almost as resilient as that D-rank Earth Dragon.

"Heh... no amount of healing potion can save you. My blade is laced with poison, you see?"

Surprisingly, Glen didn't stop him from using the potion. Instead, he mocked Lucien, who was trying to stop the bleeding while getting slightly closer.

"Hey... if you tell me what happened to you, I might not kill you and even give you an antidote. What do you think?"

The number one rule of any assassin was to be swift and decisive. They should never hesitate and give their enemy a chance to catch their breath.

Glen also knew the rule. However, something about Lucien piqued his interest.

A dandy who foolishly lent him 1000 gold coins willingly and didn't even know he was poisoned in the process suddenly turned a 180.

How could he not be curious?

It was an innate human nature to be curious, wasn't it?

"Glen, I know it is you. Why are you trying to kill me?"

Even after taking all the potions and antidotes in his ring, Lucien felt that he was still poisoned.

So, he put aside healing himself completely for now and looked at Glen, trying to get an answer.

Because, in his memories, he was just a useless waste that no one wanted to take another look at.

Why would anyone want to kill him? He didn't understand.

"Oh? ...You know me?"

Hearing his name from Lucien's mouth, Glen seemed surprised.

"Lucien... you have changed. What did you encounter in these two days?"

This made Glen believe even more that there was something wrong with Lucien. He must have encountered something that completely changed his life in a few days.

'A treasure?'

When faced with the unknown, people either think of a ghost… or a treasure.

Glen thought of the latter as his eyes shone with a little bit of excitement.

'If I get what he had, maybe I can get rid of Lord Morvain's control?'

The thing that could save someone from soul poison and make them suddenly so powerful must be able to get rid of the measly control, too.

Of course, Glen would be excited.

After all, he was essentially a slave, a slave of Duke Morvain of the Kingdom of Serenthis.

"Heh... why don't you come near? I might tell you."

Lucien slowly stood up from the ground and smirked at Glen as if trying to provoke him.

Although he was in pain, he had never been more focused, as his life was literally hanging by a thread.

'But, why am I still here?'

Still, his eyes carried a hint of doubt, which was immediately picked up by Glen. 

"Haha... are you wondering why you weren't ejected when you were on the verge of death?"

Genesis Rift Dungeon generally immediately ejects its candidate once fatal danger is detected. Lucien knew this.

However, when Glen's sharp blade grazed his neck at such close proximity, he felt that if he were a little late, he would really die.

"What do you mean?"

And from Glen's teasing expression, it seemed real.

'Is there a loophole in the dungeon that I don't know about?'

Lucien felt that he was like a blind man. He really knew nothing.

"I mean... even if I kill you, the dungeon won't react. Just like now-"

"Swish!"

As soon as Glen finished his sentence, he suddenly turned into a shadow and rushed toward Lucien at extreme speed, brandishing the blade just like before.

It seemed he thought talk was enough.

"Boom!"

"Criiiikk"

"....What?"

But once again, Glen was stunned as he saw the moment he arrived near, Lucien's body was suddenly encased in a shimmering crystalline armor that erupted from nowhere.

His blade, which was as swift and sharp as ever, didn't even manage to pierce through, saving Lucien once again.

"Stonewall Barrier! Isn't this the skill of the Earth Dragon? Why do you have it?"

Feeling the oddity, Glen quickly distanced himself as he looked at Lucien in pure surprise.

When did a classless person have a skill, and that too similar to a monster he just killed? This was completely unheard of.

First teleportation, then a defensive skill.

'How many mysteries does this guy have?'

Glen thought, feeling a little cautious. He knew he was an assassin. His forte lay in surprise attacks.

So, he had to be careful, especially when encountering someone as mysterious as Lucien. 

"Ugh... fuck..."

'Even after having mana, I can't use it for long.'