On the cold evening when everyone had their own mundane businesses going on, just a few minutes before the guild master of the Black Rose Guild received the bad news regarding his father's demise.
"Hold it right there, Doc."
Lucian, in disguise, while pushing a medical cart filled with medical supplies, was stopped by an awakener in a formal black suit; it was a bodyguard standing in front of the door.
The fact that he has bodyguards guarding his father says a lot about his underground reputation.
After all, there was no such thing as a safe family when someone was involved in a questionable business with perhaps formidable competitors.
"Didn't you see the patient's administration schedule? The patient needs maintenance every 8 hours, I'm sure you know the gravity of his condition."
The two bodyguards standing by the door looked at each other with their questioning eyes; their job was to guard and not know anything about the doctor's schedule.
"..."
"Or should I tell your boss that you're getting in the way of the patient's treatment?"
At those words, the two bodyguards tensed as they lowered their heads; they couldn't risk Rowan's anger directed at them.
"We apologize, Doc."
"Sigh, seriously. It's a long day."
Lucian shook his head in frustration that was both quite an act and genuine.
Upon entering the patient's room under the momentary scrutinizing gaze of the two bodyguards, he let out a sigh of relief.
But since the disguise was fleeting, he calmly and quickly proceeded, seeing the condition of Rowan's father in a coma due to Mana Blockage Disease (MBD), which caused not only an awakener but also a civilian, in very rare cases to have the mana flowing in their body to stay in one place.
In a sense, it was similar to blood clot, but multiple times dangerous.
Such a disease is incurable in today's world unless it's to be healed via elixir or the Holy Saintess' divinity. Aside from the former, which cost billions of heavenwon (the current worldwide currency), the latter was out of the question.
"I guess an apple doesn't truly fall far from the tree."
Lucian muttered, recalling the publicly available for viewing criminal record of Rowan's father—sexual assault and murder.
If not for this proven data, he wouldn't go after an innocent man. Alas, Rowan's father was far from being innocent, more so it was not only done after one girl but a few.
Glaring at him, who was barely alive, as Lucian's amethyst eyes glimmered under the serene moonlight, he coldly spoke.
"Disgusting."
In the next moment, somewhat familiar with medical apparatuses, Lucian pulled the plug on what kept this unconscious man breathing—a technology utilizing a potion product that would calm the nerves of the patient with the hope that the mana clots in the body wouldn't go on a rampage.
Even though it was somewhat delayed, the flatline sound reached the ears of the two bodyguards, prompting them to open the patient room's door, only to see Lucian grapple himself up from the window to the rooftop of the hospital.
Their eyes widened; one of them began chasing him while the other bodyguard was in a whole lot of panic due to something irreversible as he dialed their employer, bringing such terrible news at an unexpected time.
"Master, y-your father's dead!"
As the doctor and a few nurses came rushing in after being remotely notified of what had happened to that particular room, this guard also joined the other one to chase Lucian, who now found himself on a rooftop howling with the evening winds.
Despite everything he had just committed—putting an end to practically a stranger's life—Lucian's heart and spirit were not a bit swayed to the point that it was outright scary.
Trait: [ Cold-blooded ]
It was because of this trait he received as the Eternal-Class Necromancer.
[ You are not an emotionless bastard. You are rational and capable of assessing whether someone truly deserves to live... or die. ]
[ With this trait, your psychological state will be occasionally regulated to keep you composed even in extreme conditions. ]
Let's get out of here.
Lucian maintained his composure as he prepared himself to descend via grappling hook, something he had bought earlier and set up before everything else.
It was then...
"Where do you think you're going, huh?!"
With Kim Sana's skill, Chameleon Disguise, now worn off, Lucian's real appearance was exposed.
***
"Well, looks like you caught me."
Lucian raised both his hands as if to willingly surrender.
But then, the other bodyguard arrived, the same one who informed the Black Rose Guild's master, Rowan, about his father, and spoke in a hurry.
"Cut it! Boss is coming! We have an emergency!"
Lucian slightly furrowed his brows, hearing such an unexpected statement. He felt like it was something unrelated to Rowan's father's death.
What's with these guys?
It was then that the one who cornered him spoke with a chuckle.
"I didn't catch you, bastard. Because you're dead."
Before Lucian could process his words, meaning that there would be no such thing as interrogation anymore, some kind of power greatly pushed him back.
The next thing he knew, a mouthful of crimson liquid iron escaped his mouth as a silver spear pierced him through the abdomen, sending him off the roof of the hospital building.
Bang!
A loud smash in the parking lot beside the building echoed.
Lucian just fell on a car.
***
Damn it! Damn it!
It's so painful!
Getting a gaping hole in his abdomen, feeling the excruciating pain, and yet being unable to become numb and die was far more bizarre than witnessing a ghost's existence firsthand.
With the collision noise, the car he fell into triggered an alarm. Fortunately, this parking lot was on the side of the hospital and not on the main entrance, which meant that there were little to no people in the area.
Added to that, the area was poorly lit, making the visibility challenging, especially at night time.
But despite that, what just had transpired still garnered the attention of the nearby onlookers.
— "What's that?"
— "D-did someone just fell?!"
— "Was it a suicide?"
Without visual confirmation, strong reactions such as panic had yet to erupt. Before that could happen, Lucian struggled to get up, only to belatedly realize something troublesome.
You've got to be kidding me!
The silver spear that struck him almost phased through his body.
And now, it's also stuck on the car, pinning him down like a bird hit by a hunter's arrow.
Pushing his hands downward, with his body going upwards, he involuntarily screamed due to pain.
"AHHH—!"
Fuck!
This caused the onlookers to be shocked, which also prompted them to be curious, though they remained distant instead of getting closer.
After the struggle, Lucian managed to free himself.
He also noticed the instantaneous impact of his Stigma: [ Damnation ] that granted him immortality; his battered body healed as if nothing happened.
Also, as if it's meticulous in its own right, every drop of blood that was spilled evaporated into nothingness.
Yet the mental strain remained.
Before leaving the area, Lucian, with his face obscure due to dim lights, spoke to the very few people looking at him.
"Ha... Hahaha. Sorry for the inconvenience. I was filming for my personal vlog as an intern, you see."
After fixing his clothes, trying to hide the evident torn silk as he still donned the lab coat, he casually walked away, in his grasp was the silver spear.
At least let me have this token.
"Don't leave just yet."
Kim Sana, who witnessed Lucian's struggle, even as a ghost, found his circumstances particularly mysterious.
Lucian did not know how a ghost retained their skill upon awakening, more so when she could not physically interact with the world to free him earlier.
"Is there something else?"
Lucian whispered.
"Yes, let me-"
As Lucian emerged from the parking lot to the side near the main gate of the hospital, his eyes blinked a few times as he instinctively gestured for Kim Sana to wait a moment.
He witnessed a familiar figure with a dignified expression.
"T-that's... my sister."
And... she's arresting Rowan?
Seeing this, Lucian followed his instinct as he hid, not where he was but rather among the crowd as the media and some civilians flocked together.
Striding back to the hospital, he couldn't help but listen to the reporters.
— "Is it true that the Guild Master of the Black Rose Guild is involved in human trafficking among other charges?"
The Squad Captain of the Mist Squad, Samantha Morgath, responded firmly.
"Yes, that is correct. The Black Rose Guild, from its guild master, along with other higher-ups belonging to the same group, was taking advantage of the Phantasm Clan's name and reputation, promising potential awakeners to become part of the clan."
To put it simply, the Black Rose Guild was a legal affiliate of the Phantasm Clan founded by the Family Head known as the Witch of Dreams, who, along with other Family Heads, barely made an appearance to the public these past few years.
Lucian attentively listened as he casually entered the building for Kim Sana's last request.
Little did he know, a pair of confused pink eyes seemed to have seen his back.
Was that... Oppa?