The Glass Warrior [Weak to Strong LitRPG]

Chapter 121: Time to plunder



The first thing Lucas saw emerging from the darkness was a sword. He barely had time to move before it struck the stone behind him, sending sparks flying.

"Hey, wait! Can't we talk this out?" Lucas called to the figure following the blade, a being clad head to toe in metal armor.

"You're an intruder. You must die!"

The voice was strange, almost inhuman, and was immediately followed by another deadly swing, aiming to cleave him in half at terrifying speed. Lucas instinctively raised his water barrier, slowing the attack just enough to step back and avoid it.

For a split second, as the warrior's blade cut through empty air, Lucas considered striking back. But with only one free hand, his other still holding his only source of light, he wasn't sure his glass weapon could pierce such heavy armor. Worse, the warrior was fast. If he missed—

"Intruder? What do you mean? The door was open, and I—"

Swish!

Lucas barely dodged as the merciless blade crashed into the ground with a deafening clang.

"You're an intruder. You must die!"

"Alright, yeah, I got that—"

But even as he spoke, a thought gnawed at him. A warrior, hidden inside the tomb? That didn't add up.

How long has he actually been here? Even if he's an NPC, that's not how things work. He can't just sit here for a hundred years, can he?

Before Lucas could dwell on it, the armored warrior lunged again, sword flashing downward in a brutal arc.

He barely avoided the blow, feeling it slice through the air inches from his face. That was it, diplomacy was officially dead. Without hesitation, he hurled a lightning attack straight at the thing. Metal was a great conductor, after all, and he needed to end this fight before backup arrived.

The armored figure staggered as electricity crackled across its metal plates, a dark scorch mark appearing on its chest. But in the span of a heartbeat, it stepped forward again, entirely unfazed.

How the hell…?

Lucas had no time to process it before another attack forced him to move. The moment he caught a break, he used Identify.

Tomb Guardian — Lvl 25

Level freaking 25?! Oh, great. I really bit off more than I can chew this time. Wait, what kind of race is a Tomb Guardian?

Frowning as he dodged another lethal swing, Lucas extended his flame-lit hand toward the warrior. The flickering light revealed something eerie, the thing had no face. Beneath the helmet, there was only darkness.

Damn it. I had no idea this was even possible. What is this thing, a spirit? A machine?

Swish! Clank!

Well, whatever it is… if it's not alive, maybe I can win this.

Clank!

Huh. Yeah, not looking too likely. Okay, fine, just focus on not dying.

Lucas managed to put some distance between himself and the thing, and for the first time, he actually looked around. He'd been dodging non-stop, completely forgetting about the possibility of traps—until now. Something on a nearby wall caught his eye. Something strange.

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Is that… a purple jewel? Sure looks like one. Could it be a trap?

He hesitated for a second, but after dodging yet another sword swing that nearly took his head off, he decided that whatever traps were hidden in this place, none could be worse than this thing. So he took his chances.

As he kept moving, more details of the room started coming into focus. The flickering light from his flames revealed alcoves in the walls, small niches that looked like they'd been looted ages ago. Most were empty, but a few still held things. His eyes darted to the torches on the walls unlit.

Well, that's easy to fix.

Still dodging, Lucas stretched his free hand toward one, lighting it up. A warm glow spread across the stone, pushing the shadows back. He moved fast, dodging an overhead slash as he lit another torch, then another.

With each new flicker of fire, the chamber revealed more of itself. The alcoves weren't as empty as they had seemed. While most had been picked clean, some still held valuables: trinkets, rusted weapons, old coins… and gemstones.

What the hell are these?

He wished he could stop and use Identify, but he couldn't risk it. One second too slow, and his head would be rolling. Still, whatever they were, it couldn't hurt to have more of them. So, while sidestepping yet another vicious swing, Lucas grabbed a handful from the nearest niche. Among them, he spotted a few red ones too and continued his plunder.

Unlike the previous room, the floor here was uneven, cracked in several places, with faint traces of old bloodstains. He wasn't the first to fight in this place.

The air smelled damp and stale, carrying a faint metallic tang that made his skin itch. The ceiling arched high above, barely visible beyond the glow of the torches, lined with faded carvings worn down to near illegibility.

Meanwhile, his attempts to fight back weren't going great. Every time he struck, his weapon either bounced off the thing's armor or, worse, shattered on impact. Thankfully, he had his numbing sensors activated, otherwise, he would've wasted precious moments writhing in pain. And that would get him killed fast.

The creature was relentless. It moved with unnatural speed for something so heavy, its strikes precise and deliberate. Not a mindless berserker, but a warrior. A well-trained one.

Lucas kept thinking that if he just hit the thing at the right angle, with enough force, he might be able to slice through the metal. But he simply didn't have the time to line up a perfect strike. Hell, he barely had a chance to strike back at all.

He dodged a downward swing that slammed into the floor, cracking the stone where he'd been standing. The shockwave sent dust and debris flying, forcing him to shield his eyes for a split second, just long enough for the thing to close in again.

Lucas barely twisted away in time, feeling the air shift as the blade whooshed past his shoulder. His back hit one of the alcoves, and before he could push off, his opponent lunged again. No choice.

He threw himself to the side, rolling over the ground and knocking over a small pedestal in the process. A metal plate clattered to the floor, revealing something beneath it, a thick, metallic bracelet, dull with age yet strangely intact. Unlike the other rusted relics in the room, this one looked pristine.

His instincts screamed at him to take it.

Lucas snatched it up and barely had time to glance at the strange engravings along its surface before his opponent was on him again.

Time to try something new.

Lucas flicked his fingers, sending a Fire Bullet straight into the thing's helmet. The impact made the creature recoil, but it didn't go through, it was only a brief pause in its relentless assault. He fired again. And again.

Each hit slammed into the armor, leaving scorched marks but doing little to slow it down. The heat warped the metal slightly, but whatever powered the damn thing didn't seem to care about damage.

How the hell am I supposed to kill this thing? It doesn't have a body. What, do I have to destroy the whole damn thing?

The idea seemed ludicrous. He could barely dent it, let alone break it apart. It was at this point that Lucas started considering his exit strategy, and he wasn't ready to use his Glass Gate just yet.

He turned and bolted, scanning the room for an escape route. That's when he saw it: a narrow passage on the far side. But before he could make a break for it, something else caught his eye.

Out of the corner of his vision, he saw them. Three more suits of armor. Standing completely still on both sides of the room.

He would've frozen at the sight if not for the terrifying guardian still chasing him down. But at least those things weren't moving. They just stood there, positioned along the walls like eerie statues.

Okay, let's stay clear of those.

As he swerved to avoid another attack, his gaze landed on something else near the passageway. An altar, half-buried beneath a mess of wild vines and weeds. But tangled in the overgrowth, he spotted something familiar.

His breath hitched.

Wait… that's rare.

He knew this plant. He'd seen it in one of the recipe books he'd studied. A rare herb, one that could replace a key ingredient in glass tempering.

If he could just get his hands on it—

BANG!

The heavy doors at the entrance slammed open.

A voice rang out.

"Stop right there, you wretch!"

Lucas froze mid-step.

The others had arrived.


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