Lucian continued walking through the dungeon, his steps echoing as he passed by several statues carved from stone. Each one seemed oddly familiar, but he couldn't place where he had seen them before.
"This place is pretty massive, huh?" He muttered, his voice echoing through the empty halls.
As he ventured deeper, he spotted his first challenge: a group of animated suits of armor, each wielding a basic shield and sword.
"That's the first pack?" Lucian chuckled, snapping his fingers. A shower of rusted coins appeared around him, swirling like a deadly storm. "Guess my Codex isn't popping up every time I cast something now. Maybe this necklace has more perks than I thought…"
With a grin, Lucian unleashed a relentless barrage of coins toward the armored figures.
The animated armors quickly formed a crude shield wall, effectively blocking his attack.
"Oh? Smarter than I thought." Lucian's lips curled into an amused smirk.
"I guess it's time for the classics." He started to cut his fingers, but paused midway, frowning.
"I lost way too much blood last time. Can't afford to be reckless." His pale skin—still a reminder of the past battle—was enough to make him reconsider.
Lucian dismissed the blood idea and, instead, began materializing more rusted coins, firing them off in rapid succession.
"This is doing nothing." He sighed, watching the armored figures slowly advance in their shield wall formation.
A thought suddenly crossed his mind.
"Wait a minute…" His ears perked up, and his eyes gleamed with a spark of inspiration.
"New idea!" Lucian snapped his fingers. In an instant, shadows around him swirled and coalesced into massive, humanoid arms, which positioned themselves on either side of him.
"This new Dominion ability is definitely something!" Lucian laughed as he flicked his wrist. The shadowy hands obeyed, charging forward and sending the animated armor flying with a brutal force.
[EXP: 50]
[EXP: 50]
[EXP: 50]
[EXP: 50]
[EXP: 50]
[EXP: 50]
Lucian's face lit up as the runes continued to appear before him, filling the air like a wave of notifications.
"Huh… this is starting to feel like a game." He grinned, remembering a key detail.
"Wait, wasn't I maxed out already, according to that info screen?"
As if responding to his thoughts, the runes suddenly halted, then shifted to form a new message.
[EXP not absorbed, must complete quests for further progression.]
Lucian narrowed his eyes, his grin faltering. "Well, that's convenient."
He resumed walking, the atmosphere around him slowly changing. The simple stone dungeon began to transform, its crude walls giving way to an elegant throne room, lined with intricate carvings and regal architecture.
Lucian's eyes scanned the surroundings, noting the lavish design, but his lips curled in disdain. "Everything's rubbish." But then, his gaze shifted to the center of the room, where a throne sat, a figure chained in front of it—something massive, nearly as big as an owlbear.
"Well, that was quick. This must be the boss room," Lucian mused aloud, stepping forward. "Didn't take long at all."
As he drew closer, the figure chained before the throne stirred.
Then—
A gigantic halberd came crashing down from above, cleaving the chains that bound the figure. It landed with a deafening crash, sending tremors through the ground.
Lucian's eyes widened for a split second before his gaze sharpened, settling on the enormous creature that now stood before him, its eyes glowing with an ancient fury.
And on its back, a horse as crimson as blood reared up, its mane like flames in the dim light of the dungeon.
"Among men, Lu Bu; among horses, Red Hare!" The figure stood tall, seizing the massive halberd with ease. As if summoned by the sheer force of his presence, the crimson horse galloped straight toward him.
In an instant, the steed dematerialized, transforming into crimson armor that seemed to mold itself to the figure's form, perfectly fitting him.
[Mission Issued:]
[Among Men Lu Bu!: Subjugate the Legend from Another World.]
The runes flashed in front of Lucian, and a bead of sweat trickled down his cheek. "Well, that's certainly one way to make an entrance," he remarked, clearly surprised.
"You could give even a Dark Lord a run for his money in the introduction department!" Lucian shouted with pride, his hands already moving toward the figure, preparing for whatever came next.
The figure—now known as Lu Bu—sprinted forward, spinning with an agility that belied his size. With a powerful twirl of his halberd, he created a mini tornado, the weapon slashing through the air and cleaving the two massive shadow arms in half with terrifying ease.
Lucian's eyes widened, his heart skipping a beat. "Okay… I might actually be in serious trouble now!" His legs coiled, ready to spring. The massive halberd slashed through the air, just inches from his ribs.
With a gasp, Lucian leaped backward, narrowly avoiding a follow-up swing that could've cleaved him in half.
Lu Bu charged at Lucian again, his speed nothing short of terrifying.
Lucian didn't waste a moment thinking; he reacted instinctively. No, he didn't think—he ran, darting back into the generic, cubic dungeon layout, abandoning the regal throne room behind him.
"Wasn't this supposed to be a trial dungeon?" Lucian's mind raced as he sprinted, tossing a barrage of rusted coins and summoning massive shadow arms in an attempt to slow down the relentless warrior.
A quick glance over his shoulder confirmed his worst fear—Lu Bu was cutting through the rusted coins and shadow arms like they were paper, his eyes burning with a crimson intensity.
Lucian swore under his breath. "This guy doesn't slow down!"
"Think, Lucian, think!" he shouted to himself, his heart pounding in his chest as he pushed his legs harder. Then, without warning, he skidded to a halt and twisted his body in one fluid motion.
"Shadow Wall!"
The shadows seemed to scream as they formed, but Lucian didn't have time to think about that. He needed the wall, now. As the black mass coiled into form, it felt like a temporary, fragile salvation.
In an instant, shadows swirled around him, coalescing into a massive barrier just as the air vibrated with an immense bang. The wall trembled violently from the force, and Lucian gritted his teeth.
"What the hell is that thing?"
"A legend from another world? No, that's no legend—that's a monster!" Lucian gasped, barely catching his breath as he pressed himself against the wall.