The Glass Warrior [Weak to Strong LitRPG]

That room was long, really long. Lucas had only now grasped its full extent, and what a terrible time to do so.

With a hopping stone giant shaking the ground behind him, each of its massive jumps sending tremors through the chamber, he had no choice but to sprint at full speed. Even with just one leg, the damn thing was fast.

Lucas forced himself to stay focused on his goal ahead. There was no time to look back, no time to think about the ominous noise he'd heard at the door earlier. But whoever had just arrived wasn't planning to remain subtle for long.

He'd hoped that the knight would at least serve as a moving wall against any attacks from behind, but the creature's lumbering hops left gaps in its defense. And in one of those moments, something struck.

A sudden sharp pain lanced through his thigh.

"Argh!"

Lucas hit the ground, hissing through clenched teeth as warm blood seeped from a fresh wound. His hand instinctively shot to his leg, fingers slick with red. Furious, he twisted his body and looked up, already searching for the responsible—and his eyes landed on the elven mage.

The guy looked rough. His usually pristine hair was a mess, his robes dirtied and torn, and his expression was one of pure hatred. But there was no time to appreciate the elf's disheveled state—another spell was already flying straight at him.

Lucas' mind raced. That last attack had been way too accurate. He'd felt it coming, tried to move, and yet the spear still followed him, piercing his thigh. It had to be some kind of tracking spell.

With no time to think, he acted on instinct. Pouring life aura into his wound, he forced it to close and pushed himself off the ground. As the second spear of energy hurtled toward him, he raised a water shield, hoping to slow it down just enough—and it worked.

The spear hit the liquid barrier and struggled to push through, the water distorting its shape and sapping its momentum. Even though the magic was clearly designed to track its target, the interference gave Lucas the extra moment he needed to dodge completely.

A flicker of emotion crossed the elven mage's face. His sharp eyes, filled with hatred moments ago, were now wide with disbelief. He had been watching Lucas the entire time, and he hadn't seen him drink any health potions. And yet, the wound was simply gone.

The stone knight, which had been relentlessly chasing Lucas just seconds ago, had come to a dead stop after the magic attack. Its massive, single remaining leg was still poised mid-step, but it had ceased its pursuit entirely. Instead, its head had turned, slowly, deliberately, toward the elven mage.

Taking advantage of the sudden pause in the fight, Lucas quickly swept his gaze across the chamber. In total, seven figures had entered the room; three humans, two elves, and two goblins had survived the battle with the guardians and made it here.

Impressive, Lucas thought briefly. He had expected more of them to die back in the other chamber, but despite the brutal fight, a good number had pushed through. That said, the cost had been steep.

At the start, there had been five goblins, now there were only two. Of the four Hive members, one had fallen. The only ones who had come through intact were the elves. And, of course, himself.

That wasn't the only difference, though. The ones who had made it here weren't the same as before. They looked stronger.

Some of them had acquired new gear, likely scavenged from the crevices on the walls. One of the goblins now wore a mystical-looking cape that shimmered faintly even in the dim light. Lucas had never seen anything quite like it, but it looked powerful.

And then there was the elf warrior. Somehow, that guy had managed to take one of the guardian's swords.

Lucas could only imagine how powerful that weapon must be. The blade was massive, made of dark enchanted steel, and the elf was carrying it with ease.

He must've specialized in strength, Lucas mused. He remembered how the elf was practically the only one who could face the guardian head-on.

Lucas' gaze flickered toward the altar. It was close. So damn close. If he could just get there…

But now, with the knight having fallen closer to him than before, it was hard to tell if he could make it in time. The sheer size of the thing meant that one good swing of its sword could cut off his path entirely.

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Slowly, Lucas tried stepping back. The knight's head turned slightly in response. He stopped.

The others didn't move either. They had learned from their previous fight, the wrong movement could set everything off.

A tense stand-off.

Lucas clenched his jaw. I can't afford to waste time here. I have to go for it.

He inhaled sharply, then ran.

The knight reacted instantly. Its head snapped toward him, and in a thunderous movement, it gave chase.

Lucas had expected this. He had braced for it. What he was really waiting for was—There!

Just as he was nearing the altar, he felt it. The massive sword behind him shifted, its enchanted steel cutting through the air as it swung toward him with terrifying force. Lucas moved.

At the last second, he dodged to the side, barely slowing his pace. He felt the rush of wind as the sword missed him by inches, carving into the stone floor with a deafening crash.

No time to breathe. Lucas lunged forward, his hands flying toward the fruits on the altar, the very ones that had drawn him here in the first place.

He grabbed as many as he could, stuffing them into his spatial ring without hesitation. Just as he did, another attack came.

Lucas barely managed to twist away as the knight's sword came crashing down, splintering the ancient stone altar where he had just been standing. Dust and debris erupted into the air.

He was forced to keep moving to avoid the Knight's attacks, but soon the others came after him, after closing in the distance.

Lucas had triggered the guardians and locked them out, leaving them to fight for their lives while he ran ahead, so of course they wouldn't just take that lightly.

He had knowingly made an enemy out of every single person inside that tomb and now was time to pay for it.

A spear of energy shot toward Lucas, the same kind that had pierced his thigh earlier. Fortunately, at close range, the spell's tracking ability wasn't as fast to react to sudden changes, and he managed to hurl himself aside just in time. The spear sliced through the air where he had been moments before, missing him by inches.

Antony was right behind it, closing the distance in an instant, his sword flashing toward Lucas' ribs. With no time to dodge, Lucas acted on instinct, attempting something new he raised his arm to block, shaping a dense barrier of dirt in an instant.

The outcome was both a success and a failure. The blade struck with brutal force, cutting through his flesh and sinking deep enough to reach the bone. Had it not been for the improvised shield, he was certain his arm would have been maimed beyond repair. Even so, the pain was staggering.

Without hesitation, Lucas activated his skill, shutting off his senses to keep the agony from slowing him down. In the same breath, he forced his body to heal at an unnatural speed, the gruesome wound sealing itself in seconds. Antony and the elven mage pursuing him both faltered, their eyes widening in shock.

"How—?" Antony muttered, barely comprehending what he had just witnessed.

Lucas didn't give him time to recover. A lightning bolt crackled to life in his palm, and before Antony could react, the spell struck him square in the chest, sending him flying backward.

A gust of burning air followed, the Hive's mage adding pressure with a sweeping motion of his hand. Lucas cursed and kept moving, staying still was death.

The stone knight was still here.

Its massive form loomed over them, its single remaining leg shaking the chamber with every stomp. It wasn't picky about targets. The knight had fixated on Lucas at first, but with so many people fighting and moving unpredictably, its gaze flickered between them, judging whoever was closest.

For now, that worked in Lucas' favor. He pivoted, sprinting toward the wreckage of the altar. That was when the goblin in the shimmering cape struck.

Lucas had sensed him, barely. He twisted just in time to avoid being gutted. Twin daggers flashed, then vanished.

No, not vanished. The goblin faded from sight, his entire body blurring like a mirage.

Lucas' instincts screamed at him. He spun on reflex, barely catching a glimpse of movement before the next strike came from his blind spot.

He dodged just in time, but the goblin was fast, faster than he'd ever seen in their previous encounters.

The cape didn't just make him invisible, it boosted his speed to an insane level. Every time he flickered out of sight, he reappeared somewhere else almost instantly, his attacks coming in rapid succession.

Lucas swore. That thing made him an absolute nightmare to deal with, he had definitely struck gold with that one, making him one of the most dangerous figures there.

A second goblin lunged toward the treasure piles, only for a curved blade to force him to jump aside.

It was the Hive's leader's sword. He wasn't wasting time chasing Lucas, he was already securing the best loot.

As the others watched him start plundering, they realized something important. Lucas wasn't their only enemy here. And more than revenge, what truly mattered was who walked away with the best treasures.

The shift happened fast.

The elven warrior was the first to let go of the grudge. He lunged toward another pile of relics, his massive enchanted sword carving through the air, keeping everyone at bay.

The Hive's mage followed suit. He still hurled a fire-wrapped strike toward Lucas, a final act of spite, but his real focus was elsewhere. His eyes were locked on a shimmering orb embedded in the far wall, its glow flickering like something alive.

The goblin in the cape didn't hesitate either. He kept blurring in and out of sight, snatching every relic he could get his hands on, vanishing before anyone could stop him.

The elven mage was the last to break away. He knew he couldn't take Lucas down quickly, and watching everyone else plunder while he fought a grudge match was enough to make him reconsider, at least for now.

Lucas finally got some breathing room. The stone knight was busy with the others, its massive form crushing anything in its way as it chased whatever moved too close.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Lucas took a breath. His hand flew to his ring, and as he checked its contents, his eyes widened.

The orb had changed. The last time he saw it, it fit in his palm. Now, it was the size of a watermelon, pulsing with energy so strong it made his fingers tingle just looking at it.

Not much longer now, Lucas thought, a slow smile creeping onto his face as he scanned the surroundings for more fruits to feed it.