The Glass Warrior [Weak to Strong LitRPG]

If anyone had been watching Lucas at that moment, they would have witnessed a maniac thrashing and leaping around like a man possessed.

The idea of using electricity to enhance his movements seemed solid enough in theory, but controlling it was an entirely different beast, never mind the excruciating pain that came with it.

Every attempt to channel an electric impulse or contract a muscle sent his body into violent spasms, flinging him in random directions like a poorly strung puppet while draining a significant chunk of his health. Without his life aura keeping him together, he doubted he'd manage it at all.

Over time, however, Lucas began to refine his control. His movements became less erratic, and eventually, he reached a point where he could move with some semblance of precision even though he still looked like a puppet. It was then that he heard the familiar chime of a system notification.

New Skill Acquired!

Skill: Electrified Reflex (Rare)

Harness the power of bioelectric energy to temporarily enhance your nervous system. By supercharging nerve impulses, this skill accelerates the transmission of signals between your brain and muscles, drastically improving reaction times, movement speed, and cognitive processing. While active, actions feel instinctive and fluid, as if time itself slows around you.

Warning: Activating this skill drains HP and Stamina. Once deactivated, the user will experience fatigue. Cooldown period of a couple of hours.

A freaking rare skill! Lucas hadn't planned for such a reward, but it was a very welcome surprise. To think that his clumsy attempts at controlling electricity would be deemed worthy of such a high-tier skill was as shocking as the eel's jolts had been.

Reading the description, Lucas couldn't help but grin. The skill even made his thinking faster, it was almost too overpowered. Of course the downside of being "fatigued" was proportionally high, but it would undoubtedly prove useful in future battles.

He wondered if a toned-down version of the skill existed, something more practical for casual use, but figured that if it did, he would have gotten that instead.

As tempting as it was to test the skill immediately, he knew better than to risk being fatigued in his current situation. With a sigh, he decided to save it for a more critical moment.

Lucas's primary reason for chasing down the electric eel was still unresolved. He needed a better alternative to Fire Shot for long-range attacks, and he believed electricity might be the solution. The only issue was that he hadn't yet figured out how to condense the element as he did with fire.

After a few minutes of pondering, a simple yet effective idea struck him. Why bother condensing the power at all? Electricity was wild and untamed by nature—let his enemies deal with its unpredictable chaos.

Testing his theory, Lucas extended his hand and let the electricity flow freely. Thin, crackling threads of energy shot from his palm, branching out toward a nearby tree. The lightning tore through the air, severing twigs and leaving scorch marks in its wake.

New Skill Acquired!

Skill: Lightning Strike (Common)

Channel a burst of raw electricity, releasing it in a sudden, targeted strike that arcs unpredictably toward the nearest enemy or conductor. The attack delivers a surge of energy that briefly disrupts the target's nervous system, applying a Stun effect for a few moments. Adds a small bonus to the effect of magic when using Lightning Strike.

After reading the skill description, Lucas eagerly tested it. A nearby tree was struck by a blinding arc of electricity, its trunk was churned almost breaking in half as smaller branches crackled and burned.

"Perfect," he muttered, his grin widening. The new skill wasn't just faster than Fire Shot, it also included the stun effect he had hoped for. Instead of replacing Fire Shot, he had added a powerful new weapon to his arsenal. Coupled with the unexpected gain of the rare Electrified Reflex skill, this encounter had far exceeded his expectations.

Feeling a surge of accomplishment, Lucas almost forgot about the pain he had endured to reach this point. Not wanting to waste more time, he resumed running, leaving the pond and its fallen ruler behind.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

…

When it became too dark to see his surroundings clearly, Lucas stopped and made a fire to stave off the cold that had come with the night. He prepared some of the meat he had stored and settled down.

As he finally relaxed and ate, a numbing sensation spread through him. The day had drained him. He had relied on stamina potions to keep running for hours, yet exhaustion still clung to him by the end of the day.

It wasn't his body that was worn out, though; it was his mind. Despite his body doing most of the work, he had to stay alert, focused on the path ahead, vigilant for threats, and constantly strategizing how to improve his new skill.

Not wanting to dwell on anything serious, Lucas let his thoughts drift and not surprisingly they settled on Aysha.

Her sudden resolve to reunite with her family had caught him off guard. He couldn't imagine they'd welcome her back after what she had done, yet she seemed unwavering in her decision.

If he wasn't mistaken, both peasants and royals had been transported to Ponos in the same way. Since everyone's strengths were roughly equal in this world, it wasn't far-fetched to assume that chaos had erupted among the common folk. After all, they'd have been left to die if Aysha hadn't intervened.

Considering this, Lucas wondered if the royals had survived at all, but somehow, he doubted they'd come to another world entirely alone, what were royals without people to serve them?

No, at the very least, the soldiers and servants must have been warned ahead of time, Lucas reasoned. If that were true, it wouldn't be surprising if word had already spread, prompting everyone to evacuate the planet before Aysha could even reveal the truth.

This line of thought led him to question Aysha's importance in the grand scheme of things. Maybe she wasn't the pivotal figure they'd assumed her to be. Still, Lucas suspected that the royals, regardless of the outcome, wouldn't look kindly upon her actions.

With soldiers at their sides, the peasants might struggle to overthrow the royals, even if they wanted to. Yet, their circumstances remained precarious. From what little Lucas understood of their society, its foundation lay in money and tradition. Without the wealth they had left behind, tradition alone would have to sustain their authority over the soldiers.

Shaking his head, Lucas dismissed the complexity of it all. Such matters were beyond his grasp, and all he could do was hope Aysha stayed safe.

After finishing his meal, he climbed a tree to spend the night. He had thought about buying a tent at the street market, but he still didn't trust the ground with so many creatures prowling around. Sleeping perched on a branch, like in the old days, seemed safer.

Surprisingly, falling asleep wasn't as hard as he'd expected. Despite growing accustomed to comfortable beds, the exhaustion of a long day's work quickly took over, and before he knew it, he was out.

Morning arrived abruptly as Lucas awoke to the sound of voices below. Startled, he nearly slipped from the tree. The dawn had come and he had cheerful chirping of birds in nearby branches to confirm it.

"I'm telling you, this expansion is dangerous. Three men have already died in these woods. Getting shot is one thing, but being mauled by some beast? That's a whole different story," one voice said wearily.

From his perch, Lucas peered down, straining to see through the dense foliage, but the thick canopy obscured his view. Judging by their voices, these weren't the goblins he had encountered before.

"It's no different than usual. Soldiers die. Whether it's a bullet or teeth, what difference does it make?" another voice replied, punctuating the statement with a sharp spit.

At the word "soldiers," Lucas's interest piqued. Could they be the elf soldiers he had speculated about the night before? Remaining completely still, he strained to listen as the sound of water interrupted the conversation.

Are they... peeing? Lucas couldn't help but feel a flicker of annoyance at the realization that they were relieving themselves on his tree.

The impulse to chuck a fruit at their heads crossed his mind, but after a moment's thought, he opted for something subtler. Slowly, a strange aura began to radiate from his body.

The pair fell silent as a ghastly sensation settled over them. Lucas's smirk deepened.

"What is this—" one of them began, his voice tinged with unease.

"Death," the other replied, surprising Lucas. "I've felt this before—near a burial ground. At times, it was so strong I could barely move. Something—or someone—must have died around here."

Hearing this, Lucas withdrew his aura, a sudden realization striking him. He recalled how he had once used his Death Aura as a tool to restrain prey before. Over time, the skill's effectiveness had waned, but what if he used his recent upgrade to amplify it further?

The silence below stretched on until one of the figures finally spoke again, their unease lingering.

"Anyway, if we do our jobs right, we'll get more resources. That's all that matters. I don't want to be stuck as a dealer forever."

"Why not? It's the perfect gig. The Hive's got our backs, and we can do pretty much whatever we want."

A brief silence followed before the other voice responded, "There's a lot to do out there in this world—land to farm, women to marry—" His voice trailed off, and the other scoffed.

"Oh, I see. You're just a coward afraid of a little fight."

"Shut up! Let's get this over with," the first voice snapped.

As they moved away from the tree, Lucas finally caught a glimpse of their figures. Their "normal" ears confirmed they weren't elves, but he had already suspected as much. Based on their conversation, they seemed connected to the rumors of drugs infiltrating Zoria.

Though he couldn't see the tattoos rumored to mark the backs of their hands, their mention of the "Hive" was likely tied to the dealers operating within the city.

What troubled Lucas most, however, was the way they referred to themselves as both dealers and soldiers.

He had never heard of the Hive before, but if his instincts were correct, it was probably a criminal organization from Earth that stuck together after the transition, continuing on the same line of business.

If that was true, then this situation was far more complex than a simple system event. How was he supposed to handle something like this? Just the thought of it made Lucas feel a headache creeping in.