Chapter 19: Negotiation
During the combat with mercenaries, Lucen slipped into the cave and lit his lamp. Lucen did not stop walking deeper into the cave. Even now, his hand is still trembling, unlike the first time he killed a monster; this time, the thing he killed was a human just like him.
Lucen grabbed hold of his shaking right hand that had pulled the trigger and squeezed it.
’I already knew that I would need to kill someone sooner or later, but...’
His breath hitched.
’...it doesn’t feel like how I imagined it would.’
He had imagined enemies falling like NPCs, like monsters in a game, threats to be erased without a second thought. But this wasn’t a game. There had been no EXP pop-up. No loot drop. Just a man falling... Dying. Lucen leaned against the wall for a second, pressing his back into the damp stone. The silence of the cave pressed in on him, as if the mountain itself was listening.
’I killed a person. Someone with a name, with friends... Maybe even a family...’
His eyes shut tight.
’No. Stop.’
He shook his head and forced himself forward, one foot at a time.
’If I freeze now, I’ll die. They’re still coming. I can process this later... when I’m safe.’
