Lucian’s POV
Inside a run-down building, Lucian crouched beside a lifeless body sprawled across the dusty floor. A single bullet hole pierced the chest clean, precise. Silently, Lucian reached out and removed the black mask covering the man’s face.
With a sigh, he examined the corpse. “Face is unrecognizable… acid?” he muttered. His eyes drifted to the man’s hands palms scorched, fingerprints melted away. “Even the prints are gone. Damn thorough.”
He stood up slowly, glancing around at the other six corpses littering the ground. Each had a single bullet wound center mass.
“These aren’t ordinary thugs… definitely a trained kill squad.”
Lucian’s expression darkened as he scanned the scene. No electronics, no trackers, nothing to trace. It was as if they never existed.
“No way to identify them. No leads.”
He narrowed his eyes, mind racing.
“Who sent them? Victor? Arthur? The World Council? Or someone I’ve never even met…?”
The room was still. Dust floated through fractured light filtering in from a broken window.
“I’ll have to dig into this. Fast.”
He exhaled and brushed off non-existent dust from his coat. “At least they targeted me. I can handle it. But if they’d gone after someone else…”
A pause. His eyes darkened.
“It would’ve been a massacre.”
Straightened his back, and silently walked out.
This wasn’t how his day was supposed to go.
He had only just left Garry and Jimmy at the Willam Grounds, planning to visit the hospital, when he noticed something suspicious figures following him through the shadows. He’d led them to a quiet place, just to confirm. Good thing he did.
“I need to find whoever did this… before they try again.”
As Lucian stepped out into the cool night air
[So, how’s it going, Host?] Max’s familiar voice rang out in his mind.
Lucian paused mid-step, blinking. Then he chuckled,Some hidden tension lifting slightly from his face.
“So you’re still alive, huh, Max? I thought you’d finally disappeared for good.”
[System Online…]
[Sincere apologies for the sudden three-day disappearance, Host. To express regret for the inconvenience, compensation has been granted.]
[Reward: +2 Inches to “Dragon’s Spear”.]
[All-round enhancement applied: Slight increase in Vitality, Stamina, and Charisma.]
Lucian blinked. He suddenly felt… a strange gust stir beneath his pants. A tingling sensation bloomed.
“…Something just got stronger,” he muttered, uncertain if he should be proud or concerned.
[System Remark: Congratulations, Host. Your spear now stands taller among men.]
“…”
He opened his mouth to respond then shut it again.
“…Umm. Alright.”
He chose not to comment on the reward. Instead, he asked, “So… where were you, exactly?”
[Not even a little excitement? So it’s true what they say: ‘What use is a golden sword to a man who never wields it? It’s just… garbage.’]
Lucian’s eyebrow twitched. “What now?”
[Nothing, Host.] Max’s voice remained bland, emotionless. [I was on a honeymoon trip with my wife. Sudden leave. Apologies.]
Lucian stopped walking.
“Honeymoon?! What times we live in… Here I am dodging bullets while my system’s out on a romantic vacation.”
He facepalmed, letting out a short laugh.
“Whatever. Welcome back, I guess.”
[Anything important happen in my absence, Host?]
Lucian looked over his shoulder at the trail of bodies behind him.
“…”
“…You could say that.”
[Please inform the system of any noteworthy events during my absence. If something significant occurred, additional compensation may be granted.]
Lucian rolled his eyes.
“Ywa, ywa… whatever. It’s not like you were gone for a year, idiot. It was only a day. And now you’re suddenly being so generous? Didn’t you once say there are ‘strict reward limitations’?”
[Positive, Host. There are restrictions. However, if there’s just cause, reward discussions can be opened. If not, you’ll return to our regularly scheduled mission-based reward structure.]
Lucian clicked his tongue, smirking.
“I see, I see… Wait a second.” His eyes narrowed with mock suspicion. “Now that I think about it you haven’t given me any missions since I regressed. What’s up with that? You think I’m rich enough to live without missions now? Or…” He grinned. “Are you embezzling my rewards, Max?”
Lucian chuckled to himself. It was half a joke, but Max had been with him so long, talking like this had become second nature. Like talking to a very blunt, overly robotic best friend.
[There is currently one mission available… if you wish to accept, Host.]
Ding!
[Mission: Lose your virginity within 24 hours.]
[Reward: ???]
“…?”
Lucian stared at the glowing screen that popped up in front of his face.
Then, very slowly, raised a hand to his forehead and facepalmed.
“…Right. You really did just come back from your honeymoon.” He sighed. “First the ‘+2 inches Golden Spear’ upgrade and now this?”
He shook his head in disbelief. “Why not just go back to your girlfriend? Wait… Honeymoon with girlfriend? Isn’t that something you do with a wife? Huh?”
Lucian blinked in confusion.
[Host, this is a randomly generated mission. Its contents are not controlled by the system.]
[Recommendation: Complete it as soon as possible for optimal reward gain.]
Max’s robotic voice chimed in but Lucian noticed something odd. The tone was… slightly louder than usual.
[Also, I am not… whatever you’re thinking. Please refrain from personal comments. This is a family-friendly system. Thank you.]
Lucian snorted.
“Idiot,” he muttered.
Then added, with a small shrug, “No need to rush something like that. It’s just a reward. Not a big deal. That mission’s not for me anyway…” He kicked a rusty can on the ground as he walked, his voice growing a little quieter. “I don’t even have a girlfriend.”
Silence followed.
Until
[Host… are you even a man?]
Lucian froze.
[You’re a two-lives virgin. Have some shame.]
Lucian staggered slightly, clutching his chest as if struck by an invisible arrow.
“…That does hurt more than it should,” he muttered under his breath.
[What if you died? Wouldn’t that be regretful? I’m just saying… fulfill something you won’t regret when that day finally comes.]
Max’s voice rang in Lucian’s head flat, robotic, yet somehow carrying a strange weight this time.
Lucian looked up, eyes narrowing slightly as the afternoon sun poured through scattered clouds. The warmth on his skin contrasted with the cold idea Max had just planted.
He smiled faintly.
“Die? Me? Again?”
He chuckled. “No way.”
His tone was light, but something deeper stirred beneath.
“In my first life, I didn’t know enough. I was lost. In my second… I was still me, just fumbling through it all again. But this time?”
Lucian’s hand reached up, brushing back his hair. “This time, I know what I’m doing. I won’t die. Don’t worry, you idiot.”
[What if someone killed you, Host?]
Max’s voice came again this time after a long pause.
[At least try to complete something you won’t regret in those final moments.]
Lucian stopped walking.
The road was silent. Empty.
The question hit harder than he expected.
He didn’t answer right away just stood there, shoulders still, as a soft breeze rustled the hem of his coat.
Then, slowly, a confident smile tugged at his lips.
“…No one’s killing me.”
He looked forward, eyes gleaming with that same sharp defiance he carried into every fight.
“Not while you’re with me.”
Lucian started walking again, steps steady, hands in his pockets.
“I don’t think anyone could even touch me as long as you’re here.”
He let out a low laugh. “And I know you wouldn’t let me die, Maxy… right?”
Silence.
Lucian tilted his head.
“Max?”
Still walking. Still waiting.
“You there, huh?”
A long pause.
Then finally faint, quiet, barely a whisper in his mind
[…Mmm.]
Lucian’s grin widened as he stared ahead into the sunlight.
He didn’t say anything more.
He didn’t need to.
After a long, lingering silence, Max’s voice returned softer this time, slower.
[Do you have anything you want to do, Host?]
[Something you’d regret… if you were to die?]
[Anything left undone before the end?]
Lucian exhaled deeply.
Sighing.
“What’s with you today, Max?” he asked, half-amused. “You’re acting weird.”
He smirked. “Did your sister-in-law kick you out of bed or something?”
Max said nothing.
Lucian chuckled, shaking his head.
“Aren’t you asking a bit too many questions today?”
Then his smile softened, the humor fading just a little.
“And no…” he said quietly. “If I were to die now, I wouldn’t have any regrets.”
His voice didn’t waver. But something about the way he said it made the silence after feel heavy.
“Remember… before I regressed?” He looked down at his shadow on the pavement. “It was me who decided to end it. How could someone like that have regrets?”
Lucian laughed, but it wasn’t bright it was distant, detached.
The kind of laugh you give when something’s already broken inside.
“Your question’s too small for me, Max. I already made peace with the end once.”
He smiled again, softer this time bitter around the edges.
“After all, what’s there in this world that I could possibly want?”
His steps slowed, his hands resting deep in his coat pockets.
“This world afterall… isn’t even mine.”
The wind passed by once more.
But even with that quiet, melancholy in his voice, he kept walking forward. Still smiling.
Still moving.
—