Lucian began his journey toward Sapphire Town in the morning with an empty bag to keep passersby from suspecting anything and a mind full of memories he could not leave behind.

  He walked past a broken iron gate leading into an abandoned storage facility, closed decades ago. He didn’t spare it much attention as the mining town was already visible in the distance.

  A part of him urged him to summon his Codex and analyze it, but the events of last night still lingered too heavily in his chest. Now was not the time. All he wanted was to escape this place that had held him captive for three long years.

  And… if possible, find a new life.

  Or rather a cursed one.

  “What would you want me to do?” he muttered.

  Lucian stiffened as he heard footsteps. Travelers? Unlikely. Who would wander into an abandoned town except criminals or people much worse? He already had his plans for such situations. All he needed from them was no trouble.

  The footsteps drew closer, and soon he spotted a group of seven. Their smiles carried the kind of satisfaction people wore when they’d finally found what they were looking for.

  “Look at that. You must be the lone resident of this ghost town,” the man in the center said, smiling.

  “What do you want?” Lucian asked.

  “Nothing much. We just picked up a well-paying bounty. Turns out it’s just a kid.” The bald man beside him grinned.

  “A bounty? I doubt it’s for me. I’m just a café employee.”

  “It’s him.” The voice came from a hooded man standing at the back.

  “No point pretending,” the leader said. “Name’s Jax. We’re the Poison Trio of Blood Fang.” He pointed at the bald man and the hooded one beside him.

  ‘Blood Fang? Them again.’

  Lucian was already trying to figure out an escape route when Jax puffed out his cheeks, swallowing air. His throat bulged like a toad’s before he spat a glob of gooey purple sludge at Lucian.

  On instinct alone, Lucian dove aside and rolled across the dirt before pushing himself into a sitting position.

  He glanced back at the spot he’d just stood. The substance sizzled angrily, burning through the grass and filling the air with smoke.

  Jax laughed at his reflexes. A book with intricate detailing manifested in his left palm as he said, “We’re Librarians. And we came to kill you.”

  ‘They really are Librarians. I don’t stand a chance.’

  Lucian ground his teeth. The Unread that had followed him yesterday still provoked a cold, instinctive fear. Not standing up, he pretended to be a coward. It was the better choice.

  “Please don’t! I’m really just a nobody, I swear. This must be a misunderstanding!”

  “Hehehe… do we really need to kill him? Why not torture him today and kill him tomorrow?” Jax laughed.

  “Sure. Sounds fun,” the bald man agreed, followed by cackles from the other four men. Only the hooded man remained silent.

  With pure delight, Jax reached out to grab Lucian’s hair, the boy still trembling on the ground.

  But as Jax’s hand came closer, Lucian seized it. Forcing himself to his feet, he steadied his stance and flipped the man onto the dirt.

  “I’d love to die… but not until they die first.”

  He sprinted toward the ghost town while the group froze in disbelief, staring at Jax writhing and growling on the ground.

  “After him, you idiots!” the bald man roared.

  Lucian ran back the way he had come. He could have chosen to flee toward the town filled with people, his chances of survival would’ve been higher but that path was unfamiliar. They might have men waiting there. Sapphire Town was only two kilometers away, while the ghost town lay three, making it harder to run safely. So his plan was to hide in the old storage facility he had passed earlier. Plenty of space. Plenty of places to disappear. From there, he could find a way to escape to Sapphire Town.

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  He slipped into the facility just before the four men entered, ducking beneath a storage house wedged between several others.

  Lucian hid behind the front shelf. He felt his heart rate spike and an itchy sensation crawl through his body, irritating him even more.

  “Damn it, there’s only one way left.”

  He opened his left palm wide and contracted his muscles, hoping the Codex would come out. Nothing happened. He brought his palm closer to inspect it, then the ancient grimoire appeared and slammed into his head.

  “Ouch! That’s the second time.”

  Controlling his irritation, he whispered to the Codex, “You are my last hope now.”

  He thrust his right hand forward and commanded, “Fireball!”

  But as expected, nothing happened. Only embarrassment lingered in the air.

  “Of course. Now get lost. If I somehow escape alive, I’ll deal with you.”

  And as if hearing that, the Codex vanished into the air.

  “Damn this thing.”

  Controlling his breathing, he analyzed the storage house. It was a large chamber with only one exit. Its tin roof was filled with holes, letting morning sunlight filter in. All the walls and space inside was lined with giant shelves filled with supplies stored decades ago. Paths remained between the shelves for workers to move freely.

  “This is not good. As their name suggests, if they all have poison powers, they could release poison gas. I’ll be forced to come out or die.”

  Lucian looked around again. Above the shelves, before the high ceiling, broken glass hung loosely. On the shelf in front of him lay a long rope.

  “That’s the plan then. But I still hope they don't have the ability.”

  The next problem was how many of them were Librarians. The more there were, the worse his situation became.

  “That man named Jax looked too simple-minded. If all seven of them were Librarians, he would have boasted.”

  Lucian concluded that dealing with the remaining four normal men was the best option. To do that, he needed them separated from the Librarians. And that was a big possibility. Putting himself in their shoes, Lucian imagined several possible actions they might take and how to counter them. But of course, a man couldn’t think of every possibility. All that remained was hoping they behaved the way he anticipated.

  Outside, Jax screamed, “There’s no way out! Come out!”

  After a moment, he said to the hooded man, “Hey, Cobra, use your gas to kill that kid.”

  ‘So they have poison gas!’ Lucian heard the entire conversation from where he crouched.

  “Can’t do. It’s too big,” Cobra replied, voice low.

  Hearing that, Lucian smiled. ‘Jackpot. I might not win against you, but I can still escape.’

  He shifted toward the middle of the warehouse, giving himself room to move according to situation.

  Just as he predicted, the hooded man, Cobra, guarded the gate, blocking his only way out. Jax took the right side. The bald man patrolled the middle. The four normal men moved left.

  Lucian positioned himself for a surprise attack. As the four men passed him, he lunged out and punched the first man in the face. To his shock, the man flew backward and crashed into a shelf.

  ‘Wh-What?! Am I that strong?’

  Now that he thought about it, when he ran to the ghost town last night, he hadn’t even felt out of breath.

  ‘Wait! Looks like my body has gotten stronger after my awakening.’ Lucian grinned.

  “Looks like a change of plans.”

  “What?! Be careful, he’s an Awakened!” one man shouted.

  Without wasting time, Lucian charged toward the closest man and kicked him in the gut. The man flew to the side, slammed into the ground, and fainted.

  “This—this kid is too fast! Boss, come fast!” another screamed and dashed at Lucian.

  Jax’s voice echoed from a distance. “I’m coming!!”

  Lucian dodged the incoming punches, caught a kick, and struck the man in the gut. The man stumbled, rose again, and the last of the four charged him.

  Lucian kicked the man he’d hit before and threw a punch at the newcomer. The fourth managed to dodge, panicked, and ran.

  Lucian smiled. He grabbed an iron rod, dashed toward the man, and slammed it into his neck, knocking him out instantly.

  He caught his breath, then he felt coldness graze his neck. He jumped forward, rolled, and ducked under a shelf. He glanced back to see a bone-like dart coated in poison stuck in the ground where he'd been.

  Looking up, he saw the bald man perched on top of the shelves, his right arm transformed into the same bony dart launcher. The man laughed, jumped down and walked closer, raising his mutated arm to fire again.

  But when he reached the spot, Lucian was gone.

  “What?!” The bald man realized something. “Jax! He’s coming for you!” he screamed.

  Lucian dashed toward Jax’s position. His plan was simple, defeat the only Librarian whose ability was manageable. Create enough chaos to pull the final Librarian away from the gate. Then escape.

  A risky plan, but all he had.

  Jax spotted him immediately. He swallowed air and spat acid toward Lucian. With enhanced reflexes, Lucian dodged effortlessly.

  Closing the distance, he threw a punch at Jax’s face. Jax stepped back, dodging. Lucian pressed forward with punches and kicks. Time was running out before the bald man returned. With his long range attack, he stood no chance.

  But what he didn’t anticipate was Jax being stronger than him.

  Unlike Lucian, a newly awakened Librarian, Jax was an experienced one. Lucian punched him three times. Jax adapted. Now he could dodge his attacks more fluently. Now he hit back. Jax’s fingers cracked and turned white. His fist sent Lucian’s head backward. Time was running out.

  Lucian threw another punch. Jax grabbed it and pulled him closer, his smile twisting. Jax launched a jab at his collarbone. Lucian barely avoided it, his breath hitching.

  Jax dug his nails into Lucian’s arm. Lucian growled in pain. “Aghhh…” His blood rose to the surface.

  Jax threw two punches. Lucian ducked the first, the second hit his forehead. Jax grabbed his collar and slammed a headbutt into him. Lucian, off balance, fell to the ground.

  He was now out of time.

  Lucian could hear the bald man’s footsteps coming closer.

  ‘I can’t win!!’

  He kicked Jax’s leg, stood, and ran deeper.

  “You can’t run, you rat-like bastard,” Jax growled.

  As Lucian was running away, a sudden burst of pain made his legs unable to move. He fell to the ground.

  He looked down to find the source of the instant pain, a poison dart penetrated his right calf.

  “Ahhh…!!”

  The pain became more and more intense as the poison spread.

  He bit his hand to control himself. And two ominous shadows fell upon him.