Protagonist? Antagonist? I Reject Both

In a remote area covered by a mist that can blind one sense, with sky-high mountains, towering ancient trees, and extremely dense shrubs and vegetation, a boy holding his backpack tightly walked head with a cautious expression.

His gaze was like a hawk scanning everything around him. He was alerted and his guard raised.

He was none other than Lucien who had acted as if he matured greatly.

Leon had repeatedly knocked some sense into him by giving him a few pieces of advice that he noted carefully.

"It should be somewhere here?"Lucien squeezed his words while breathing heavily.

Lucien looked around helplessly. The map ended here without any words or pictures depicting the entrance.

"Where is it? Now how will I find it without any sign? "Lucien scratched his head with a frustrated expression.

On scanning his surroundings and walking around, Lucien's feet slipped off the edge of raised land, and falling down, he rolled down letting out a shriek.

BANG!

Rolling down, his body smashed against a hard object making him dizzy. Getting up, he saw a huge rocky stone extending up towards the hill.

Tumbling forward due to dizziness, Lucien rested his hand against the stone for support but in the next instant, his hands shimmered with a symbol and soon a dazzling heavenly brilliance illuminated the area.

SWOOSH!

A huge pillar of light shot toward heaven painting a mystical picture of a rainbow.

Mythic hymns started echoing around, and an illusion of Phoenix cries and dragon roars reverberated, shaking the whole place.

The ground started shaking, the trees bent forward, and the entire landscape started changing.

While all this happened, a few devices located a bit away from the spot started ringing.

...........

Reno, who stood at the top of a highland, smiled seeing this.

"Didn't I say the opportunity to enter will arise soon?"

Rose nodded with her heart beating wildly seeing a faint breeze ruffling Reno's hair.

Rose was still skeptical about Reno's claim but seeing everything with her own eyes, she couldn't help but take a glance at Reno with a newfound respect.

"By the way how did you know that this was the place where Lost Jewel is located," Reno asked with an amiable smile.

Rose folded her hands over her chest, making her assets quiver a bit, and started explaining

"The Search for Lost Jewel has been going around for many decades. While looking around, they came across this piece of land. The compass and GPS don't work here. This place had a strange magnetic interference and the vegetation was rich and filled with valuable herbs due to a high amount of qi. So, the mercenary groups planted many signs to lead here."

"Oh!"Reno made a surprised expression and looked around.

The place might be quite rich but due to various mercenaries engaging here, the balance is quite delicate so this place was marked as no unowned land, and until the treasure is found, no mercenary or family can farm the resources from here.

However, it was just on paper. As per what is going behind, the people around here know very well.

'Since this place is filled with a great variety of herbs and gems. After I get the Lost Jewel, I will occupy this place either by others' willingness or by force. This place is too profitable to leave behind.'

"Let's go Rose."

Commanding with a faint voice, Reno took the lead and headed to the entrance of the treasure.

.....

BOOM!

The wall before Lucien burst out forming a fissure.

The entrance of the place was a thirty-foot-wide crack in space that exuded a hazy glow. Space around the crack fluctuated and a stormy wind started blowing from the crack.

Lucien who gawked at the mysterious scene heard a familiar voice from behind.

"Oh! Who do we have here?"

Lucien turned around and as his eyes glanced at the figure his body froze into a statue.

"You...why are you here?"Lucien's voice stuttered and he flinched back a few steps.

"Did you think you are someone special? Many people know about this and will soon be here."Reno answered and then grinned seeing Lucien's trembling body.

'Fear….Yeah, that's the correct way you should behave before me.'

Reno grinned with a sinister expression.

Rose raised her brows looking at Lucien and then at Reno and concluded both of them share a past.

And surely, it wasn't anything pleasant.

"Don't worry, your parents already paid the debt for their crime of trying to kill me and I am not a cruel-hearted person to make things difficult for you. Our family grievances have been solved and their heinous crime doesn't have anything to do with you."

Lucien's eyes became bloodshot and he almost positioned himself to lunge toward Reno with a scream.

"They didn't…"

Lucien's voice trailed off and he swallowed back his words as a sudden memory flashed before his eyes.

[Remember Lucien, when you are on the hunt on the path to exact vengeance, you should show them with your action, not by words. You can't behave like a mad hound who just barks and doesn't even have teeth to bite.]

[Power reigns supreme and for that one needs strength. If you rush forward without any planning or strength while making loud noises, you are just wasting your life by inviting death.]

[Patience...If you don't have the power to fight back, learn to be tolerant and have patience, only then you can get to a level where you can be unbridled and enact your revenge. And never give in to your enemy's mocking. Though you can act like a mindless fool to lower your enemy's guard, but never let some petty words affect your mindset.]

"Hissh!"

Lucien exhaled heavily and closed his eyes, ignoring Reno's words, and tried to calm himself.

'I need to calm my nerves. I am not at that level where I can fight against him. Until my brother arrives, I need to be careful. Also, I can't drag Brother into this conflict so unless required I will act as if I don't know him so this bastard doesn't target him.'

Reno's eyes flashed in disbelief seeing Lucien's unexpected behavior.

'What's going on? Is this the same dogshit protagonist I knew about? Don't you feel angry and want to strike back at the slightest grievance so why are you keeping silent?'

'This isn't in the script. What about my face-slapping moment?"

Reno tilted his head in confusion as he remembered how Lucien screamed at his doorstep that he would have his revenge drawing countless ridicule and laughter.

Deciding to tease further, Reno spoke loudly.

"You see Rose, that guy's parents did all kinds of evil deeds and when exposed tried to kill us.."

As Reno fed Rose with wrong information, the more she heard the more disgusted she became.

"What a hypocrite!Committing all kinds of evil and then covering them up. Even going as far to take another life," Rose commented not knowing how lucky she was that Leon hadn't heard this otherwise he would surely shove chunks of glowing hot rods into her holes hearing her acting as a saint when she killed and kidnapped many innocent children.

'You want to act cool with the wishful thinking that you can deal with me after you get the Lost Jewel.'Reno chuckled inwardly.

'Dream on Lucien. You are miles away before you can even touch a hair of mine. Your dream will always be a dream. As for your acting, let's see how much longer you are going to act when you see your destined weapon in my hands.'

Soon many people started appearing which made Lucien nervous.

He could see turbulent energy in the spatial crack and waited for it to calm down.

Within this period, a whooping noise started echoing as many choppers hovered a few miles away.

'Brother, where are you? I don't think I can survive alone with so many people fighting for this, "Lucien mumbled remembering Leon who though acted indifferent but always saved his ass in case of trouble.

Lucien's heart burned with fury but he managed to control himself. Reno stood there observing Lucien with a smile.

He felt a slight regret seeing Lucien not acting like a mindless protagonist who loses themselves in anger.

'I guess this is where it differs. This isn't the story from the book but the reality. This guy might be a bit stupid but he isn't a fool.'

After a few moments, the disturbance inside the passage disappeared, and Lucien with a dash, entered inside

Reno grinned seeing Lucien's anxiousness. All of this was nothing but the last struggle of prey before it was hunted.

Reno then bent down and whispered in Rose's ears making her blush and holding her hand like a loving couple, he led her inside.

"Let's go, Rose, and get the Lost Jewel.''

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