An Awakener's body, though heavily refined and more durable compared to that of a normal human—the unawakened—didn't equate to invincibility.
Similar to how Kim Sana's physical body perished after being struck by a speeding and malfunctioning truck, and how Lucian's fall from the hospital's rooftop while being struck by a spear should have killed him if not for the ambiguous immortality he currently possessed, Marcus—the mercenary-like individual—who seemed to have been acting under someone else's order, would not be in any way unscathed should he fall from the hospital's roof.
And the thing was... He's not falling voluntarily but rather being dragged through blazing chains by a summoned creature he had seen for the first time throughout his life as an awakener.
What's more, a young man boldly latched onto him holding these chains, wrapping them around his neck and torso without any fear of the consequences.
That being said, Marcus' composure was momentarily shaken, prompting him to shout, his tone somewhat desperate.
"You bastard! Do you want to die?!"
But Lucian's movement didn't stop. No, the Burning Catcher knew the will of its master, and that halting the only way he could think of to at least damage the well-built man was to [abuse] his cursed eternal life.
"Even if I do, why do you think I'm still alive?"
Such a subtle question didn't mean exposing how he survived the previous circumstances of being impaled and falling into great heights. However, hearing this question, Marcus' eyes widened, assuming that Lucian had a skill, or in any way that could prevent him from hurting himself.
"Don't worry. The way you're holding a spear, I believe you're a warrior. So try to survive this!"
Of course, I already saw your Status Window, thanks to the Eye of Death.
Unfortunately, the Eye of Death (EX) only revealed the weaknesses of a monster,b; it was not working as Lucian intended when used to inspect a human—or perhaps any race outside the monster category such as elves and dwarves.
"Y-You suicidal crazy fucker!"
Whoosh!
At that moment, at the spacious parking lot—not on the side where Lucian fell under the starry sky—located at the rear of the Seoul District Five Medicine, the Burning Catcher, along with two individuals, jumped off with unimaginable speed, which would add power to the impact as soon as they landed on the ground.
It was then...
[ Trait: Cold-blooded regulates your psychological state. ]
[ Trait: Cold-blooded regulates your psychological state. ]
There was just no way that Lucian was not feeling any fear of experiencing this sort of bone-breaking predicament. But because of this trait, his mind was clear, though his heart seemed to palpitate.
And just like that...
Crack...!
Lucian twisted his body in mid-air, breaking his back, and feeling the excruciating pain that could make ordinary folks go insane. It was physically impossible to move the way he did, especially when there was no footing.
And the thing he did...
Was to gather momentum and slam Marcus on the ground.
Boom!
It was like a certain wrestler suplexing his opponent from the high ground.
WEE-OO, WEE-OO!
The car they fell into, which felt like a déjà vu, sounded its alarm.
Meanwhile, Lucian sensed his entire body reconstructing itself, thanks to his [ Stigma: Damnation ]. Moreover, just like last time, every blood he spilled was returning to be a part of him.
On the other hand, Marcus, as Lucian did his best to move and check on the man targeting him, was knocked out cold—one could say that he was very dead.
Although he could shield himself with mana, it was an entirely different circumstance when he was mentally disrupted due to the suddenness of the situation.
After all, no one could and would be able to think rationally when falling from a high place unless they're skydivers.
Burn it.
As he took his distance from his opponent, who remained unconscious or now truly dead, Lucian mentally commanded the Burning Catcher, who flung away after it let go of its master just before the impact, though the accelerated momentum was far from dissipation, which certainly generated the kind of power that could kill someone like Marcus—a B-rank awakener.
With his absolute command, the Burning Catcher swallowed the area with its lava-hued flames, a testament that it was a monster that came out of the mouth of an enormous volcano.
This monster, just as its master had inspected, possessed a few skills and was not only specialized in running and catching.
[ Fiery Slimification ]
It's a skill that turned the human-like body of the Burning Catcher into a blazing slime, swallowing the body, as well as the car of the poor unknown civilian, into nothingness.
Lucian looked around. Thankfully, it seemed the rear of the hospital barely had anybody this morning. But he didn't get complacent, readying himself to leave the area until...
[ Ding! ]
Before he could even read the message from the [ Cosmic Fall System ], something unexpected happened.
From the place where Marcus perished, a dark green misty orb the size of an average hand manifested and was drawn to Lucian, which then involuntarily entered his body—more like his soul.
"Wh-what?"
Flustered, he unconsciously rubbed and tapped his chest, where the dark green orb found its place.
Unable to comprehend the situation, he turned to the panel of the system and read what could be the answer to his sudden query.
[ You have killed a hostile entity. ]
[ Any hostile entity—if they are not categorized as monsters—will be absorbed into Soul Island. ]
Soul Island? What the hell is that?
As if the system already knew that he would ask such a question...
[ Soul Island—a place of rest for the souls slain by you. ]
[ You can call upon them anytime using the Skill: Summon Undead. ]
[ Beware! Any entity confined in the Soul Island will not always be obedient. ]
[ Subdue them to gain their allegiance. ]
Allegiance... will that even work, especially if I'm the one who just killed him?
Lucian frowned as he inwardly utilized Kim Sana's skill, Chameleon Disguise, before finding a spot outside the commotion just now as a few people began to arrive after the impact that seemed to have reached other's ears.
Well, I have no choice, do I?
I need to know who's backing him.