'Damn! At last, I found no one? Where the hell did everyone go?'
Lucien cursed under his breath while sitting on his luxurious carriage, drawn by two impressive horses, Golden Cartier. Not to mention the long entourage following behind, polished carriages, well-dressed attendants, and guards in gleaming armor.
Even in the capital city, the Goldveil family's procession was one of a kind, causing countless people to turn their heads in awe and curiosity.
However, Lucien wasn't exactly happy as he sat there, fingers tapping against the window frame.
'Even that guy Glen disappeared. Now, who should I collect debt from?'
Lucien felt that things weren't as simple as he thought. His system was indeed powerful, but it wasn't so easy to use.
Yesterday, when he realized he couldn't gain anything from Second Prince Dorian yet, he headed outside intending to find those scammers. But maybe because the Class Awakening was near, he met no one.
Dejected, he came home and tried to use the debt collection on his servants by manipulating his wealth, but gained nothing.
It seemed this system was intelligent enough to know when he was manipulating things behind.
It was fine if he used the situation to his advantage, but he couldn't just blatantly cheat.
"Sir Lucien, we've arrived at Dawnreach Plaza."
Just as Lucien was lost in thought, he heard Garrick's voice as the carriage came to a smooth halt.
"Okay!"
Now that the time for the class awakening was already near, Lucien felt that complaining would do nothing.
So, he just left the carriage and looked at the place where they had arrived.
Dawnreach Plaza was a massive open square paved with pale stone and lined with towering marble pillars. Though it wasn't adorned with luxury, its sheer size and grandeur were striking, especially with the massive gate that loomed at the far end.
'Is that the Gate of the Genesis Rift dungeon?' Lucien thought, eyes fixed on the towering arch.
"That's the very place where you'll enter the dungeon to awaken your class," Viscount Cedric suddenly said from the side, appearing behind him.
Since today was their son's important day, both Cedric and Seraphine had come to attend, even though they couldn't see or enter the dungeon themselves.
"Yeah, each novice dungeon is special," Seraphine also added from the side.
"Unlike others, Awakening dungeons adjust their difficulty based on the person's strength. So, there's no need to worry about danger," she reassured.
"Just… make sure to keep the amulet I gave you on your side and don't fight anyone. You can just directly go to the awakening altar and use your quota, okay."
Seraphine warned at last, shuffling Lucien's hair with a worried glance. Though she said there was no danger, her concern was still visible.
"Didn't you say there was no danger? Then… Why are you telling me not to fight anyone? What if a monster attacks?" Lucien asked, speechless.
Why did it feel like his parents didn't really believe in him?
"That's because you are weak."
Viscount Cedric slapped his shoulder, causing him to wince in pain. But he didn't care and warned Lucien with a grave tone,
"Let me tell you one thing. The main reason you entered this dungeon is to awaken your class. And you can already do that at the Awakening Altar. So… don't try to be smart and take the test. Just give up while you still can, alright?"
After saying that, Cedric gently pushed Lucien toward the squire and said,
"Now go, and don't worry about anything. We can't enter this place, so we'll be waiting for your return—and for good news, hopefully."
He smiled, along with his wife, waving at him as if they were sending their son to a foreign country.
"Okay, old man. I know what to do, but… can you stop hitting me on the shoulder? It hurts you, know?"
Lucien mumbled, annoyed, as he rubbed his shoulder. Inwardly, though, he couldn't deny the warmth their concern had left behind.
"You brat… you're starting to talk back now?"
Viscount Cedric was surprised by Lucien's words and was about to teach him a lesson, only to realize the boy had already entered the square.
"Haha… let him be. And you are indeed getting a little old now," Seraphine said with a smile, gently stopping Cedric as she watched her son's back with a tender gaze.
Although she sensed something had changed in her son, she couldn't say she disliked it.
—
"Sir Lucien, you are finally here. I was waiting for you for a long time."
As soon as Lucien entered the square, a slim figure in a warrior outfit stopped him with a smile on his face.
Although the person was ordinary, with his sharp look and calculating eyes, he looked intelligent, like someone who always had a scheme ready behind that calm expression.
"Glen? Why are you here?"
Lucien was surprised to see Glen, whom he couldn't find anywhere yesterday, even after searching all the places.
"Haha… Lord Lucien must be joking. Of course, I'm here for Class Awakening."
Glen laughed as if Lucien's words were a joke. Then, without waiting for a reply, he suddenly wore an embarrassed smile.
"To be honest, Lord Lucien, I came to meet you to say that your commission didn't bear fruit. Although I believed the information was reliable, when I went to retrieve the awakening crystal, it wasn't there…"
"Sigh… all that money and time went to waste."
His face showed genuine concern as he awkwardly took out a pouch from his mana ring.
"But… don't worry, Lord Lucien. Though I couldn't save the full 1000 gold coins, I managed to save half. Please forgive my incompetence and take it back."
He apologized, bowing slightly. His expression revealed real guilt for failing the mission Lucien entrusted to him.
'Awakening Crystal? Oh, right—I remember giving him 1,000 gold coins to get that.'
Lucien suddenly recalled why he had handed over the money just two days ago.
Now that he thought about it, he felt quite stupid. After all, what kind of Awakening Crystal could be bought for a mere 1,000 gold?
'But why is this guy returning the money? Something doesn't add up.'
Still, Lucien was more surprised that Glen was actually giving back half of it—500 gold coins.
'Does even a scammer have a conscience nowadays?'
Just as these odd thoughts crossed his mind, a prompt from the system inside his head snapped his attention back.
Ding!
[You gave a loan of 1,000 gold coins to Assassin Glen.]
[He defaulted on the debt and failed to repay half of the gold.]
[Debt collection failed.]
[Analyzing transactions…]
[Extracting compensation of the equivalent value…]
[Congratulations! You gained: +2 Perception, Skill: Venom Insight (Passive) - Rare]
[Venom Insight (Passive): Can help you recognize common poisons by sight, smell, or aura. Uncommon or rare poisons may trigger a cryptic mental hint.]