The Glass Warrior [Weak to Strong LitRPG]

The Hive member took a half-step back at the sight of Lucas, his expression flickering between disbelief and irritation.

Back on the ship, he had been forced to hold back. He had seen what this man was capable of against that giant squid, it had been sheer stupidity from Paul to attack him like that.

Of course, Paul's downfall had been more a result of his own reckless decisions than any overwhelming skill on this guy's part. But that didn't change the fact that his speed and power were undeniable. Anyone on board would have seen it.

That was why he hadn't trusted his chances in a one-on-one fight—not there, not with the goblins lurking around, eager to pounce on any opportunity to strike. Especially with all the tension between their factions.

That was why he had held back. Why he had chosen to wait rather than throw himself into a fight he wasn't sure he could win.

And that was why, now, even with three of them standing here and only him on the other side, unease crept in. Why did he still look so damn confident?

"Didn't think I'd see you again," Lucas said, letting his tone carry just the right amount of amusement.

"You—"

Lucas waved him off with a flick of his hand. "Come on, don't look so surprised. It's not like I threw you overboard."

His expression darkened at the reminder, but before he could spit out a response, one of his companions turned to him.

"Hey, Antony, do you know this guy?"

"He's a…" The man hesitated, the words catching in his throat before he scowled. "We crossed paths before."

And that was when it hit him—he couldn't tell them what had really happened on that ship.

Even if he wanted revenge, admitting that he had let his partner drown, and done nothing about it, wouldn't just make him look bad. It could put him at risk if the boss found out.

He clenched his jaw, swallowing his frustration. There was nothing to gain from acting now. He had swallowed his pride once, he could do it again.

But that didn't mean he had let it go. He hated this man with every fiber of his being.

Patience. That was all he needed. Sooner or later, his time would come, and when it did, he would make sure he was there to see it. Judging by the way this idiot kept running his mouth, it wouldn't even take much effort.

Lucas chuckled. "That's one way to put it, Antony." Lucas said, using the man's name as if they were old friends. "Though I gotta say, I thought your group had bigger plans. Didn't expect to find you loitering around a tomb in the middle of nowhere."

He expected them to get angry, but instead, one of them, a pretty sturdy guy, likely the leader, just rolled his eyes.

"If you're here, then you already know why it's worth the trouble."

Lucas smirked. "Hmm. I know. But why not go inside? What's the point of standing around out here while all the treasures are inside?"

"There's a protection.. a barrier of some sort," the warrior elf muttered, barely sparing Lucas a glance as he regarded the obstacle before them.

"A barrier?" Lucas turned toward the tomb, not seeing anything physically blocking the entrance. He took a step forward and reached out.

The first thing he felt was the pressure, the death aura. He had noticed it before, but the closer he got to the tomb, the heavier it became.

Of course, given that he literally possessed a death aura himself, this one didn't do much to him. But judging by the unease on the others' faces, they weren't shrugging it off so easily.

The barrier, however, wasn't tied to the death aura, it was something much more tangible. Lucas could actually feel it against his palm. He pressed against it, but it was like shoving against a solid wall.

"So, what's the catch? How do we get in?"

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"If we knew that already, do you think we'd still be here?" the Hive leader shot back.

"We?" scoffed the elf mage, eyes narrowing. "Whatever's inside that tomb belongs to us. We were here first. You need to leave... all of you!"

The Hive members ignored him entirely, while the goblins laughed. Lucas snorted. "That's how it works now? First come, first serve?"

He glanced at the tomb, then back at the elf, amusement flickering in his gaze.

"Seems to me like no one's actually gone inside yet. So unless you've already claimed it with a nice little sign that says Property of Stuck-Up Elves, I don't see why I should leave."

"Do you know who we are? We are the—"

"Put some respect to his name, he's the elven butterfly's ugly baby," one of the goblins interrupted. The others burst into laughter.

Lucas grinned at the remark, but the elf wasn't nearly as amused, his very red face made that much clear.

"Listen here, I don't care which butterfly you crawled out of, just be quiet," Lucas said, waving him off as he turned away.

He had known from the start that any valuable treasures hidden inside the tomb wouldn't be left unprotected, so the barrier didn't surprise him much. He just needed to find a way to deactivate it somehow. And if all else failed, break through.

Also not surprising, the mage wasn't willing to just let this slide. Lucas felt it more than saw it. The sudden shift in mana. The sharp movement at the edge of his vision.

Instinct kicked in. He dodged to the side just as a rock flew past him, missing him by inches.

His hand snapped open, sparks crackling to life in his palm. In an instant, a surge of electricity leapt toward the mage—

But before it could hit, the warrior beside him stepped in, raising his shield just in time to block it. The force of the impact still sent him stumbling back a couple of steps.

In all honesty, Lucas had been expecting an attack, hell, he had practically been begging for it ever since he arrived. Being on his own against such a large group meant he had to prove his strength before anyone got any stupid ideas.

"If you want to spar a little, just say so," he said, flashing an easy grin. "You can even team up with your friend if you're too afraid."

The mage bristled, his face twisting with barely restrained anger. "You—" He choked on his words, still rattled from earlier.

He hadn't just dodged the attack, it was more than that. The bastard had reacted instantly, like he had felt it coming before it even got close. And then there was the magic. No staff, no chant, just bare hands and lightning.

Lucas shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll be just around the corner if you change your mind." With that, he turned on his heel and started walking away.

Somehow, this all felt familiar, like he was back in that first-floor prison of the Tower. The same hostile stares, the same unspoken threats hanging in the air. Only this time, he didn't have anyone watching his back. He let out a slow breath and refocused on his surroundings.

After circling the perimeter a few times, always kept at a distance by the barrier, Lucas had just about seen everything there was to see. Or so he thought, until something caught his eye.

At first, it looked like just another rock, half-buried beneath a mess of roots, dirt clinging to its rough surface. He might have walked right past it, like everyone else, if not for the faint grooves carved into the stone, grooves that caught the light at just the right angle.

Frowning, he crouched down, brushing away the loose soil to get a better look. Strange inscriptions covered the slab, etched deep into the surface. It wasn't a tombstone, not exactly. Just a flat, weathered piece of stone.

That can't be an actual language, or I'd understand it, he thought, eyes narrowing.

He spent a few minutes trying to make sense of it, but nothing clicked. The symbols didn't match anything he had seen before. Still, he wasn't ready to give up just yet. Pouring mana into the slab did nothing. Death aura, life aura—same result. The only thing he actually managed to do was shift the symbols around.

That was something. The engravings weren't fixed, they could be moved, rearranged, like pieces of a puzzle. It reminded him of a Rubik's cube, only worse, because he had no idea what the right combination was supposed to look like.

An hour later, and he was no closer to figuring it out.

"I can't believe I'll have to ask for help," he muttered, scowling.

With a sigh, he made his way back to the others. They were still at it, trying every method they could think of to break through the barrier. Even the goblins, who hadn't seemed all that bright at first, were working on it.

"Hey, I found something. Might be worth checking out," he called out, not to anyone in particular.

At first, they barely reacted. What could he have found that they hadn't already seen? But desperation had a way of making people open-minded, and after a few seconds of hesitation, most of them seemed willing to take a look.

As they gathered around the slab, one thing became obvious, they had no idea what it was either. But at least now, they had something new to focus on.

Before long, they all agreed on one thing: the inscriptions had to be a password of sorts, a combination that would disable the barrier. Which, of course, was exactly what Lucas had already figured out.

He considered, for a brief moment, whether he should have ripped those pages about the lord out of the book and brought them with him. Maybe they held a clue? But the more he thought about it, the more unlikely it seemed. If the password was some kind of family secret, it wouldn't be printed in a history book.

Which meant, unless someone here knew more than they were letting on, they were stuck. But, to his surprise, the elven mage actually had an idea.

"I'll use soul magic to trace the right movements," he announced, puffing out his chest as if expecting applause. "Objects of significance sometimes retain echoes of their past, impressions left behind by those who used them. If this slab was important, I may be able to find the correct combination."

Lucas still couldn't stand the guy, but for once, he was rooting for him to be right. Otherwise, this entire trip was about to turn into a massive waste of time. Judging by the way everyone else was watching with bated breath, they were thinking the same thing.