Chapter 139: Chapter 139 - Deliver
Lucien sighed. The weight of Elunara’s revelations still echoed in his mind.
Shaking his head, he retreated to his room. He needed space to breathe and clear his thoughts.
Whatever the future held, he would ride its current rather than fight it. If danger came that he could not overcome, he already knew his choice.
’If danger arises and I can’t overcome it... then I’ll protect only those who matter.’
"I’m not magnanimous enough to care for the fate of this world," he muttered. "If that day truly comes, I’ll save my people first. The rest of the world... only if I have the strength to spare."
With that resolve, he sank into his divine energy core.
The Gargoyle Dungeon greeted him. It was steadily expanding. Its outer walls had begun shaping into a massive stone castle. Unlike the other dungeons, this one rose upward. Each level stacked upward like a fortress under construction.
’Only one or two more floors left,’ Lucien guessed, ’and the whole castle will stand complete. Will it stop expanding then?’
On the first floor, the bosses were Lionmane and Serpent Gargoyles. An unusual occurrence. Two Bosses at once.
But it was a welcome one. To his surprise, both had dropped monster cards.
When Lucien summoned them for the first time, the gargoyles appeared as hulking stone figures that immediately sank to one knee before him. Afterward, they rooted themselves at his estate like stone guardians.
They stood motionless unless danger stirred. They require no food as they draw all they needed from the divine energy in the air. They were low-maintenance pets or more accurately... steadfast guards.
Even more remarkable was... unlike the Slime Dungeon, these bosses could drop multiple monster cards.
At present, two Lionmane Gargoyles and two Serpent Gargoyles stood watch over his mini castle.
They obeyed only Lucien’s commands, sometimes even farming drops at his request though he sensed their true joy came from standing guard over him.
"If only my Slime Dungeon could produce more of Skittles and the others..." he murmured wistfully.
The second floor however, had been an entirely different kind of revelation.
It was a miner’s paradise.
Here, Metal Gargoyles roamed the halls. Each one was a treasure trove of raw resources.
Their drops quickly became the coveted items of his Crafting Division.
***
2nd Floor Metal Gargoyle Drops
Common:
• Iron Ore Chunk
• Bronze Scrap
• Copper Nugget
• Tin Piece
Uncommon:
• Steel Ingot
• Silver Bar
• Cobalt Lump
• Brass Plate
Rare:
• Mithril Ingot
• Gold Inlay Bar
• Mercury Vial (Stabilized)
• Obsidian-Steel Alloy
Epic:
• Adamantine Core – Nearly indestructible
• Orichalcum Ingot – Amplifies magical energy dramatically
• Starsteel Shard – Forged from meteoric essence, slightly bends gravity around it.
Legendary:
• Living Alloy Essence – A molten droplet that shifts shape. Bonds with weapons or armors to grant adaptive traits
***
It was a shame his pets couldn’t enter the divine energy core. Farming here was a solo job.
The real surprise however, waited on the second floor Boss Chamber.
A Starsteel Gargoyle Boss, flanked by Adamantine and Orichalcum Gargoyles.
Lucien had claimed the Starsteel Gargoyle as a pet and stationed it at the Crafting Division headquarters.
Unlike ordinary summons, this one possessed an extraordinary trait. Its body overflowed with rare raw materials. The gargoyle willingly offered its own limbs to the crafters and thanks to its incredible regeneration... those limbs regrew as though nothing had happened.
It was, in Lucien’s words... an infinite glitch of materials.
Though it looked like exploitation, the gargoyle itself insisted otherwise. It delighted in seeing items forged from its own body and even admired the finished products.
The Crafting Division returned that affection, tending to it with care and respect.
Lucien had jokingly named it Donastone. A mix of donation and stone. And the name stuck.
When he reached level 70, nothing dramatic happened. No new skills, just a bump in drop rarity.
He couldn’t help but wonder if the day would come when common gray drops vanished entirely, replaced by higher-tier loot.
Shaking off the thought, Lucien shifted his focus to the fourth floor of the Slime Dungeon to inspect the newest drops.
***
Life Slime
Common:
• Healing Gel - smear on wounds for slow and steady regeneration
• Vital Moss - instantly restores stamina
• Energy Bar - restores energy and keeps hunger at bay for hours
Uncommon
• Life Thread - material for self-repairing equipment
• Pulse Core - grants passive regeneration when carried
Rare:
• Spirit Nectar - instantly restores mana
• Verdant Heart - can be crafted into amulets that provide continuous healing
***
***
Death Slime
Common:
• Rot Sludge - coats weapons for life-drain damage
• Corrosive Acid - melts armor and weapon
• Toxic Grenade - releases necrotic gas that deals damage over time
Uncommon
• Death Veil - cloak material that resists death-aligned attacks
• Bone Shard - forge into weapons that ignore defenses
Rare:
• Soul Fragment - socketed on gears to grant special effects
• Obsidian Heart - imbues armor with damage reflection
***
Lucien fell silent. A faint frown tugging at his lips. The loot was useful, yes... but far from what he’d hoped.
"Maybe the real treasures only drop at Epic or Legendary tiers..." he muttered.
In truth, the greatest reward of the fourth floor was the knowledge etched into its ancient murals. Each life he lived within offered him experience and insight. Yet the thought of rarer drops from Life and Death Slimes still pulled at him.
With a resigned sigh, he withdrew from the core and called it a night.
•••
The next day.
Morning came with a crisp brightness. Today the airship would be delivered to the royal castle.
Lucien no longer bothered with secrecy. Everyone would know he was the true owner now.
Why hide it? His territory’s power could rival any and the king himself seemed to favor him. Even the Golddust family would think twice before speaking ill of him.
"I have both wealth and strength," Lucien sighed. "What problem can’t be solved?"
The words carried the careless confidence of a rich spoiled heir from his old world.
The journey to the capital proved simple and quiet.
The journey to the capital was brisk and uneventful. He brought the Division Representatives along... everyone except Clara.
Each of them was eager for the day ahead.
They reached the capital ahead of schedule.
Lucien and his entourage were granted immediate passage into the royal castle.
When the airships were presented, the officials could only stare in awe. The sleek lines and flawless finish left even the most seasoned inspectors speechless.
Several of them glanced toward Elk. They were clearly eager to commission her talents again... but the king’s presence kept them respectfully quiet.
The airship itself became the focus of intense study. Its craftsmanship promised to make border inspections swifter and safer.
Impressed by the speed of completion, the king personally rewarded Lucien before dismissing the audience.
Outside the throne room, Lucien gathered the Division Representatives.
"Take the day to observe the capital," he instructed. "Look for anything that might benefit our territory... and enjoy yourselves."
He handed each of them a pouch containing a hundred bank notes and some Waystone fragments. A simple way to track one another when it was time to regroup.
With his team set loose, Lucien turned toward the academy. He joined a few lectures with Vivian. His sudden reappearance sparked startled gasps from students and professors alike.
Everything about him felt transformed. The height. The presence. The confidence of someone who no longer needed to prove himself. Charisma radiated from him like heat.
Vivian only smiled as if he were the same boy she remembered, teasing him about how much taller he’d grown.
But amid the warm reunion, Lucien noticed a troubling absence.
Harold’s third son, Arlo Coalheart, was nowhere to be found. Since the day his family’s name disappeared from the registry, Arlo had vanished from the academy as well. No one seemed to know where he’d gone.
Lucien’s expression hardened.
Lucien pulled out his Spatial Compass and focused on Arlo.
The needle twitched... then swung decisively northwest.
’Golddust territory?’
He fell silent. The Golddust family had been far too quiet for far too long.
’Are they planning something? ’
The thought came unbidden. Elunara’s revelations made it impossible not to overthink. She herself had admitted she couldn’t see when the coming trouble would strike, only that it would.
Lucien tried Harold next... but the compass refused to respond. No trace at all.
’What had become of him?’
He gave one last glance toward the northwest, toward Arlo’s hidden trail... then let it go.
Chasing him wasn’t worth the effort. The reward simply wasn’t tempting.
A different memory surfaced.
Noctra’s pathetic drop.
"A common loot for a common fool," Lucien muttered. "The person’s trash and so was the drop."
That day the so-called prize had been a pair of enchanted stockings that kept the wearer’s legs perfectly smooth.
He cursed himself for the intrusive image of Noctra wearing those very stockings.
"Ugh! Damn it. These intrusive thoughts aren’t mine. Must be the system messing with me." He completely put the blame on the system.
The stockings went straight to the flames the moment he received them.