The Glass Warrior [Weak to Strong LitRPG]

Lucas's train of thought as he stared at the creature clutching the stolen ring was definitely something to behold:

What is a monkey doing in a tomb? Why is it undead? Was that the lord's monkey or something? Wait, could it be…

It wasn't until the monkey actually smiled at him that everything finally clicked. The orb hadn't disappeared—it had hatched. And that creepy undead monkey grinning at him was what came out of it.

Naturally, after seeing the particular way that monkey was looking at Lucas, most eyes in the room turned his way with a questioning look.

Oh, shit.

He saw their glances sharpen into hostility as they silently reached the same conclusion: the thieving monkey had something to do with him, another hidden card up his sleeve.

Lucas couldn't even begin to comprehend what he was feeling at that moment. He had been expecting—praying—for a miracle to emerge from the orb. Something powerful. Something game-changing. Instead, it had "gifted" him a scrawny, twitchy, undead monkey which the first action in life was to bring even more hate back to him.

"Another dirty trick from this bastard, let's kill him!" the elf mage snapped, raising his staff, but was immediately drowned out by a louder, more commanding voice.

"Catch that monkey!" the Hive leader roared, lunging forward with arms outstretched.

But the moment he moved, the monkey shifted and disappeared into the shadows like smoke caught in a breeze.

What the hell was that? Lucas stared, just as baffled as the others. The creature had blended into the darkness around them and simply vanished from sight.

And yet… he could still feel it.

He didn't know how, but he sensed where the monkey had gone. That strange awareness lingering in the back of his mind, unmistakable and familiar, like the tether he once had with the orb.

That was it. That was the final confirmation. The monkey had come from the orb and whatever it was… they were connected.

No point in mulling over it now, that's my chance!

Bursting from his hiding spot, Lucas didn't hesitate. In one swift, precise motion, he drove his blade through the nearest target, the glass tip punching cleanly through back and chest.

The Hive mage, distracted by the chaos from earlier, barely had time to react. His body stiffened as the glass pierced his heart, but others weren't so slow to respond. That was when Lucas unleashed his Lightning Strike.

A crackling surge exploded from his hand, arching toward his attackers hitting the cape-wearing goblin, Antony, and the elf mage all at once.

It was the first time Lucas had ever used Lightning Strike on multiple targets, and the cost was immediately clear: the power of the strike was spread thin, the jolt weaker than usual. But that hardly mattered. He hadn't expected to bring them down, only to stall them.

To his relief, the stun effect held. All three froze, twitching violently for a heartbeat. That was all the time he needed. Lucas darted out of their encirclement, breaking through the gap before they could recover.

He was outmatched if he had to fight against all of them at once, but one-on-one he doubted any of them could stop him. He just needed to make sure he wasn't cornered by all of them again and it would be fine.

Since he wasn't ready to flee just yet, Lucas did what he came there to do, since the secret of the orb was revealed, all that was left to do was seek treasures.

Even with the adrenaline surging through him, he could still feel the hatred simmering from the remaining Hive members. Anthony, battered but standing, glared at him with fury, while the Hive leader's rage burned hotter, Lucas had killed one of their own not long ago, and they were clearly pretty mad about it.

But before they could act, things grew even more chaotic, all thanks to an undead monkey.

That bizarre, twitching, half-rotten creature darted between broken columns and shattered objects, snatching anything that shimmered. The damn thing had sticky fingers and the instincts of a master thief, hoarding treasure like it had a quota to meet.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Despite not having a spatial ring of its own, the objects rarely stayed in its hands for long.

Where is it storing them?

Lucas got his answer the next time he accessed one of his own spatial rings and spotted the monkey's growing collection gathered neatly in one corner of the space.

That gave him pause.

From everything he understood, living creatures couldn't share a single spatial ring, nor could they enter one physically, that's what Pet Rings were for. But clearly, none of that applied to this monkey.

Is it because he's undead? No, that can't be it. Undead weren't supposed to be able to enter spatial rings either, that's the whole reason I bought a Pet Ring in the first place.

Could it be because it was born in there? Or because of that strange connection we share?

Lucas had no answers. But seeing how everything was organized inside the ring, he had the sinking feeling the monkey hadn't just entered it with his consciousness.

I'll think about that later... if I survive.

Nearly getting clipped by a descending sword from the giant statue, Lucas kept an eye out for the freaky monkey while filling his pockets with the good stuff.

The monkey, meanwhile, had absolutely no shame or fear. Every now and then, it would pause just long enough to grin at the Hive leader, mocking, that torn grin stretching across rotting flesh and exposed bone. Then, in a blink, it would vanish again in a blur of motion, slipping behind pillars or melting into the shadows like smoke.

"Get back here, you little bastard!" the Hive leader roared, abandoning all logic as he gave chase once more. He lunged over a mound of coins, weapon swinging wide, but the monkey was already gone, cackling, or maybe wheezing, as it zipped into a poorly lit stretch of the chamber with a golden goblet clutched in its claws.

The others didn't follow. They were too busy weighing their odds. Lucas was still standing. Still armed. Still very much a threat.

The elf mage raised his staff toward him. "We end this now—"

But the elf warrior beside him cut in. "Are you blind? Look!" He gestured toward the glittering piles scattered across the tomb. "The knight's still out there! If we waste time on him, we'll miss the prize."

All around them, the tomb unraveled into madness.

The stone knight, silent until then, burst from a nearby archway, crashing into a wall as it pursued the cloaked goblin. Its greatsword swung wide and missed, slicing clean through a marble pillar like it was paper. Dust exploded into the air. Everyone flinched.

The knight didn't care who it attacked. It was indiscriminate. Relentless.

The goblin with the enchanted cloak flickered out of sight, vanishing in a shimmer of warped air. Lucas could still hear his movements, fast footsteps darting toward one of the side chambers, where a trove of glittering loot waited unclaimed.

While the others hesitated, Lucas lunged toward a nearby hoard of coins, scooping up a handful of golden trinkets and amulets. Most of the items there lacked any magical essence, they were just decorative junk, but if he could sell them later, it'd be worth the trouble.

Elsewhere, the monkey rattled a pile of gold, lifted a gem circlet, and held it up like a trophy, just before locking eyes with the Hive leader again. Then it vanished down another corridor. The Hive leader's furious scream echoed through the chamber as he gave chase again, toppling anything in his way.

Lucas used the distraction to reposition, slipping into a safer angle where he could keep watch while continuing to gather anything of value. If anyone came at him, he'd retaliate, but this chaos was the best-case scenario. There was no need to antagonize anyone just yet.

As the frenzy stretched on, people slowly began to realize something: the best treasures shouldn't be lying around in plain sight. They had to be sealed inside the wooden and stone boxes scattered throughout the tomb. And those boxes were a pain in the ass.

Some tried smashing them solo for a while, but that quickly proved to be a waste of time. Before long, small groups began to form out of necessity. With two members of each group still alive, they each picked a box to focus on and took turns attacking it, Lucas being the only one still doing it alone.

At first, breaking them open was a nightmare with the giant statue relentlessly chasing everyone. But once someone finally managed to blow off the statue's remaining leg, things became a lot easier. With the Knight's mobility severely limited, it was now possible to distract and lure it away, buying just enough time to work on the containers in relative peace.

Nearly twenty minutes passed before the first of those boxes finally cracked open. Unsurprisingly, it was the elf warrior who landed the final blow. His enchanted sword and raw strength were overpowered compared to what the others could muster, but even so, he was drenched in sweat by the time he pulled it off.

The stone chest's lid gave way with a sharp crack. The faint glow that had once enveloped the box dimmed and flickered out, likely signaling the dissipation of whatever magic had kept it impossible to store. Inside rested one of the most impressive weapons they'd seen so far: a dark, pristine dagger resting on a bed of deep blue velvet.

The elf's eyes lit up. They were right, the best treasures of that chamber were inside those boxes, and they were surely worth the trouble to open them.

A wide grin stretched across his face as he reached out with one hand to finally claim his prize, only for the dagger to vanish the moment a shadow flickered over it, lingering no more than a second.

Lucas, who'd been watching closely with others, almost cursed aloud when he felt a sudden light weight settle onto his shoulder. He didn't need to turn his head, the way everyone's attention snapped back to him said enough.

Perched smugly on his shoulder, was the very monkey who'd been tormenting practically everyone inside that tomb, holding the dagger up like a prize. Smiling and proud.

"You're dead now!" spat the elf who had, up until then, been the calmer and most noble of the pair. Rage flared in his eyes as he pointed his massive blade at Lucas.