Chapter – 42 – Self Respect
Halfred came back exhausted, his shoulders slumped and his eyes hollow. Kelie opened her mouth to speak—to scream, to demand answers, to make him understand the depth of his betrayal. But the words died in her throat.
She simply ignored him.
"Let's go," she said, her voice flat and emotionless. "We still need to finish that giant creature."
She walked away as if Halfred didn't exist, her footsteps steady and purposeful. Halfred stared after her, his heart clenching with a pain he couldn't quite name. He wanted to ask if she was okay—but how could he, after leaving her to die? The question would have been an insult, a mockery of everything she'd been through because of him.
The giant creature had fallen to the ground, its massive body creating a crater in the rocky terrain. It was still alive, but barely—its movements sluggish, its attacks weak. With its legs shattered by Lucien and Halfred's coordinated assault, it couldn't rise. The weakness was in its head, a vulnerable point that neither of them had been able to reach while it was standing.
Lucien ascended into the air, his halberd glowing with dark energy. Black Sun Annihilation—a technique that consumed light itself, creating a void that devoured everything in its path. The attack struck the creature's head, shattering its skull like glass.
But Lucien didn't stop.
He kept attacking, his World Root Executioner halberd flashing with relentless fury. Each strike carved away more of the creature's form, reducing it to rubble. When it was on the verge of death, Lucien activated Soul Void, converting them into soul points for his system.
He did it discreetly, his movements masked by the chaos of battle. Halfred and Kelie didn't notice. They were too exhausted, too caught up in their own pain.
The battle ended, and in its aftermath, a massive door appeared before them—ancient, imposing, waiting to be opened. But none of them had the strength to continue.
"We need to rest," Lucien said, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "We'll camp here for the night."
Halfred nodded numbly, his gaze fixed on the ground. Kelie said nothing, simply turning away to prepare her camp.
"Kelie," Halfred called out, his voice tinged with regret. "I wanted to talk to you about something?"
Kelie stopped but didn't turn around. "What is it?" she asked, her voice cold—a stark contrast to the warmth she'd always shown him.
Halfred noticed immediately. Something was missing. The affection, the tenderness, the unspoken devotion that had always been in her voice—it was gone, replaced by a chilling indifference.
"Lucien," Halfred said, his voice strained, "can you give us a minute?"
Lucien's lips curved into a faint smile. "Yeah, sure. I want to observe and investigate this place anyway."
He walked away, leaving Halfred and Kelie alone.
"Kelie, I know it sounds crazy, but I saw Marian," Halfred said, his voice desperate. "She was there—I was trying to catch her. I had no intention of—"
"Of what?" Kelie cut him off, her voice sharp. "Letting me die? Are you even hearing yourself, Halfred?"
She turned to face him, her eyes blazing with fury. "I know you lost your sister, Marian. I lost my brother too. I understand the pain of losing someone you love. But you left me to die—for no reason! How could your dead sister be here? How could you abandon me for a ghost?"
"KELIE!"
Halfred's scream echoed through the cavern, raw and anguished. He immediately lowered his voice, shame flooding through him. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "I didn't mean to raise my voice."
Kelie stared at him for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then she turned away, her shoulders rigid.
"I'm going to set up my camp," she said, her voice hollow. "We have a long day tomorrow."
She walked away without looking back.
Halfred stood alone, his fists clenched at his sides. He felt like something was playing with his mind, twisting his thoughts, exploiting his weaknesses. But he couldn't prove it. He couldn't even trust his own senses anymore.
Lucien made his own camp, settling into the shadows as he watched the drama unfold. He saw Kelie retreat to her tent, saw Halfred standing alone in the darkness, lost in his own misery.
'Everything should be working according to plan,' Lucien thought, his eyes gleaming in the dim light. 'The only problem is Zarah. She's with me because she wants me to find her master. But what happens after that? She's in the fifth realm, and I'm still in the third. I need to move faster—my enemies are increasing every day. I can't let my guard down for even a second.'
He paused, his thoughts turning to Halfred. 'Before that, I need to break Halfred's mind. I need to take his Abyssal Body Core—it's the only way I can step into the Abyss Core Realm. Tomorrow, I'll be in the final step of my plan.'
His eyes narrowed. 'Hmm... it seems like someone's outside.'
Lucien emerged from his tent to find Kelie sitting by a small campfire, her face illuminated by the dancing flames. She looked lost, her gaze fixed on the fire as if seeking answers in its depths.
Lucien approached quietly, settling down beside her.
"Someone's worried," he said, his voice gentle.
Kelie smiled faintly, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Seems like you can't sleep either?"
"I was just cultivating," Lucien replied. "What about you? Is something bothering you?" He paused, then added carefully, "Is it about Halfred?"
Kelie's smile faded. She looked into the fire, her expression troubled. "I don't know..." She was silent for a moment, then asked, "Have you ever fallen in love?"
The question caught Lucien off guard. According to the memories of the previous owner of this body, the answer would be yes. And according to his own past life, the answer would also be yes—and it had been the biggest mistake of his existence.
"Yes," he said quietly. "I did. I was in love."
Kelie turned to him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Then what would you do if someone you loved changed so suddenly? If they didn't even think you were worth saving?" She paused, her voice breaking. "Tell me, Lucien. What would you do?"
Lucien sighed, moving closer to her. "Kelie," he said softly, "do you know the most loyal animal to its partner in this realm?"
Kelie blinked, confused by the sudden shift in topic. "No? What is it?"
"There are many," Lucien said, "but my favorite is the swan. When a swan's partner dies, the other kills itself too. That kind of devotion is rarely seen in humans." He paused, his gaze distant. "Swans are birds that only know love. But humans are a mixture of emotions—greed, lust, jealousy, ambition. We're not stable. Sometimes greed overwhelms us, sometimes lust clouds our judgment. Humans make decisions they would never make under normal circumstances."
Kelie frowned. "What do you mean?"
Lucien's expression grew somber. "There was a girl I loved since childhood. We spent years together, and we fell in love. But I was weak. When we became adults, I went to a ball of nobles and asked for her hand in marriage. She declined."
He paused, letting the memory settle. "So I focused on myself. I grew stronger. When I met her again, there was respect in her eyes—something that had never been there before."
He turned to Kelie, his gaze piercing. "Kelie, it might sound cruel, but the only thing that truly matters in this world is power. People always choose power—the powerful person, the powerful place, the powerful skill. There's no place for love in such a world."
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Now you have to decide: do you want to be a swan that dies for its love? Or do you want to become something more?"
Kelie's eyes widened, a spark of realization igniting within her. She'd never thought about it that way—never considered that her value was determined by her usefulness. For once, she was thinking about herself instead of Halfred. It wasn't even a question anymore. If Halfred truly loved her, he would never have abandoned her. He would never have left her to die.
She didn't care anymore. Because now, she had an ambition.
The dungeon had changed her. She'd seen world-ending monsters, realm masters in the fifth realm, the Heaven Pulse Realm—beings of such power that they seemed like gods. When people broadened their horizons, their ambition grew. Their worldview expanded.
Lucien reached into his dimensional void and withdrew a stone tablet. It was ancient, its surface covered in intricate runes that pulsed with a faint light.
"What is it?" Kelie asked, her curiosity piqued.
"It's a stone tablet I've had for many days," Lucien said. "I think it will help you learn an offensive technique that complements your healing abilities. Since you already have a deep understanding of healing skills, this should be perfect for you."
Kelie stared at the tablet, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Why are you giving me something so precious? I don't have any gold to buy this."
Lucien smiled gently. "Don't worry about it. Consider it repayment for healing my burn wounds. Or consider it a gift." He stood, turning toward his tent. "Either way, it's yours now."
He walked away, leaving Kelie alone with the tablet.
Kelie clutched the stone tablet to her chest, her heart pounding. She knew that stone tablets were ancient, always containing powerful skills that had been lost to time. No one ever gave them away. No one ever shared such precious knowledge.
She hugged the tablet, her eyes closed. When she opened her eyes, they were glowing with ambition.
"From now on," she whispered, "I'll walk on my own path."
She had learned something new tonight—something she'd once had but had gradually lost because of her love for Halfred. Self-respect. She'd abandoned it, piece by piece, until there was nothing left but devotion to someone who didn't deserve it.
But now she had it back. And she would never lose it again.
Kelie cultivated all night. The skill on the tablet was compatible with her abilities, and it didn't take long for her to learn it.
The next morning, they opened the gate and entered.
Halfred was still exhausted—mentally more than physically. His eyes were hollow, his movements sluggish. The dungeon had taken its toll on him, and it showed.
As soon as they stepped through the gate, they were confronted by a group of monsters. They were tall and emaciated, with four limbs, no eyes, and heads that were long and thin like snakes. Their smiles were grotesque, their teeth sharp and jagged.
Lucien and Halfred readied their weapons, preparing to charge—
But then Kelie moved.
She extended her hand, and a wave of concentrated healing qi erupted from her palm. But instead of healing, it ruptured the monsters' internal organs. Their smiles vanished, replaced by expressions of agony as their bodies exploded from within.
Blood sprayed everywhere, and the creatures died in excruciating pain.
Lucien stared at the carnage, his mind racing.
'What the fuck?' he thought, his eyes widening in shock and then he smiled.
Author Note:
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