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A supple hand pressed against his back followed by a sweet yet conniving giggle, "Go on and have your fun. Take care of this while the others resolve the more important matters."
Afterward, a gentle force pushed Lucian inside the indication of the restriction. The barrier then activated the moment his body landed inside. It only took seconds, but Lucian realized just what happened and turned around.
"W-what are you doing?!" Lucian exclaimed, banging on the freshly erected barrier. Over and over, the sounds of his desperate banging could be heard. After Priscilla pushed him inside, the restriction didn't allow him to leave the vicinity.
In other words, the only Guardian present was Lucian and he was trapped inside this spacious cavern room with a gathering of Knolls!
Despite the despair in Lucian's voice, Priscilla released a hearty chuckle, "Don't be so scared. This was the plan all along. Did you really think I was going to waste my time here with you? Hmph, as if you're worthy! I would never sully my time like that."
Based on what she saw, Priscilla was almost certain it was impossible for Lucian to clear the chamber. If she entered with him, then most of the work would fall on her shoulders and she would miss out on dealing with the boss.
It was general knowledge that the points the inferior monsters could reward paled in comparison to what a boss could. Take the Apex Panther for example. Lucian had received a whopping 14 points for that kill.
So, Priscilla wasn't willing to forfeit her sumptuous portion for the survival of her teammate. In fact, as the team healer, she felt her position was the most vital and it was.
Hence, the reason Matthias issued an eerie smile. She was able to instantly glean his intent from that earlier smile. Matthias intended to abandon Lucian here and claim another party member after his death.
In his eyes, this was the only way to lift the condemnation of the team.
Only during the tutorial and first floor were Enhancement Vouchers possible to obtain in mass. so a filler was only useful for these two instances. The rest could be pulled from different variations of Treasure Orbs bearing rewards.
However, the reason Matthias sought them wasn't for their current form. If enough of the basic version was acquired then it birthed the option to exchange for a higher version. This way, saving onto your voucher was just as beneficial as using it in dire times.
"What do you mean this is your plan?! This isn't right. It's insane! What is wrong with you?" Lucian shrieked, pounding on the barrier. Unfortunately, the thing just wouldn't budge.
Apart from this situation, the Knolls in the background drew their weapons and inched closer to Lucian's position. Each of them bore a malicious light in their eyes whilst emitting odd noises, similar to a cackling hyena.
Standing before the barrier, Priscilla batted her eyes and twirled her hair, "Do me a favor and die, why don't you~? Toodle-loo~!" Blowing a kiss, Priscilla sauntered off as she retraced her steps.
Although she wasn't sure of it because Matthias's behavior was hard to read, Priscilla felt there was a chance the boss room didn't require the clearance of the other areas. Rather, she felt there was only a need for them to be occupied. If her assumptions were correct, then she had eliminated all of her worries.
"Wait! Waiitt!! Stop," Lucian roared, which made the veins in his neck bulge from the strain. Yet, Priscilla didn't pay him one mind, not even turning back as her figure grew distant.
For a moment, Lucian could only stare vacantly as his mind blanked.
Turning around, Lucian pressed his back against the wall. Although he was terrified by his current situation, he was powerless to change it. As he gazed upon the bustling Knolls, his Guardian Mark compiled information on the Knolls.
「Name: Knoll
Ranking: E (Upper)
Type: Elemental/Physical
Health: 100%
Strength: E- Agility: E
Wisdom: E+ Dexterity: E- 」
Unlike Guardians, monster information was broken down into 4 main attributes. These four covered all of the abilities through cross-analysis. However, under the Beta Echelon, the information presented wasn't as thorough as someone from the higher classes.
'What? H-how do they expect me to kill these things? Their attributes are higher than mine! Wait, Priscilla said it...they don't expect me to clear this. They want me to die,' Lucian thought while frowning deeply. After a deep exhale, he shifted his gaze over to the marking on his hand.
'I did it...I became a Guardian, but is this really my end? This can't be real. I have promises to accomplish...I have aspirations to fulfill.'
With each thought, Lucian's teeth pressed deeper into his lip, soon breaking the skin open. A trickle of crimson blood seeped from his lip symbolizing how the treacherous situation was driving him insane. Additionally, Lucian's thoughts started to race.
He couldn't just accept this outcome.
Lucian's attention then fell on the Knolls. At that moment, he made a declaration to himself, "I will not die!"
As he roared, Lucian withdrew the bow and dashed to the side. He nocked a bow and performed a backstep, dodging one of the Knoll's slashes. Trying to keep up with the Knoll's higher speed was strenuous to employ, but Lucian needed to manage.
This was without question!
The light of his Reinforcing ability flashed, augmenting the tip of the arrow right before his release. Contrary to his desires, the targeted Knoll parried the shot. After it deflected the shot, the Knoll returned an attack of its own.
A small spark ignited before his scimitar. The way it used its flames was quite odd. It wielded the scimitar as a medium to hit the spark towards Lucian. While small in size, the sheer number of Knolls made up for the lacking intensity.
The temperature of the room rose as a result of the flaming attacks. Soon enough, Lucian suffered his first wound; a burn on his right arm. Fortunately, it was only damaging to the outer skin, barely affecting his combat ability. But, it would become troublesome to remain in struggle if he continued to accrue injuries.
Backed into a wall, Lucian drew a dagger and bit the grip. Although he wasn't used to this style of battle new tactics were bound to arise in times of desperation. After all, grasping at the straws of survival elucidated the errors of one's ways.
Lucian started to understand why the Knolls were able to dodge or deflect his strikes, they weren't strong enough. Thus, Lucian tried some he had never done before—reinforcing his own body.
Compared to an item, a human body had too many components to fill with Mana—cells, muscles, viscera, ventricles—the complexity was beyond Lucian's understanding. Yet, this current situation didn't allow for second thoughts.
His teammates had left him out to dry, but he wouldn't give in without a fight. The image of his sickly siblings appeared within his mind nonstop. They were his motivation and they depended on him.
'I'm...coming home,' Lucian snarled in his mind. The light of Reinforcement radiated from his body, blinking in and out of existence as his arms and back were permeated by Mana. However, this action came with drastic consequences.
〈Alert: Your vessel's Mana Quotient has been reduced by 11 units.〉
Permeating his muscles with Mana had consumed over half of the free Mana in his body. In other words, while he could reinforce items various times this wasn't the case with his vessel. At most, he could only reinforce it twice before needing restorative items to appease his exhaustion.
Nevertheless, Lucian continued with his actions. When he nocked a bow this time, the arc of the bow was many times rounder than before. He was able to draw the bow far enough to give the arrows a higher acceleration.
'Phew!'
The arrow zipped through the air the instant Lucian released it. Furthermore, unlike his previous strikes, Lucian allowed the Knoll to come closer, reducing the distance the arrow needed to travel. In turn, this increased the reaction speed needed to counter.
When the arrow drew near, the Knoll attempted to knock it away but its strike was mistimed. Its scimitar passed right behind the quill of the arrow. In the very next second, the Knoll's head was tilted backward, followed by a loud thud.
〈Alert: You have killed a Knoll (E Rank) [Reward: 0.8 points]〉
Although the kill felt good and the reward was higher than in the tutorial, Lucian didn't have to luxury of reveling in his actions. On the contrary, Lucian was partially disappointed.
'All this to kill a single enemy yet the others can kill these monsters in a mere swing. This is unfair,' Lucian thought, clenching his teeth around the hilt of his dagger. A torrential resentment entered his eyes as he started the Knolls with disgust.
Meanwhile, a very different situation was taking place on the other paths.