Luciel stepped out of the room, a small wooden barrel tucked under one arm, and nudged open the third door in the underground chamber.
A wave of salted air and dried spices hit his face. Inside, the room was stacked high with rows upon rows of jerky — smoked, spiced, and neatly bundled.
There was enough meat here to feed a thousand people for a month.
Luciel gave a low whistle. "Bloodbeard really knew how to live. No wonder he managed to keep a band of five hundred thieves fat and loyal."
He tugged on a strip of jerky. It tore cleanly, tender and dense with flavor. The meat was good — far better than the half-burned rations he'd been eating lately.
He smirked to himself. "Seems moving in here was the right decision after all."
But then his expression turned thoughtful. The room was overflowing with supplies, and the dome above had only a narrow gap — barely ten inches wide. There was no way to get the crates or barrels out through that.
"How the hell am I supposed to move all this?" he muttered, pacing out into the open area.
He looked around. On his left, the three rooms he'd already looted stood open like the mouths of sleeping beasts. On the right, a dozen withering plants waited, their leaves drooping but still alive.
And above, through the cracked dome ceiling, the faint light of dusk filtered in — just enough to see the tricolor lizard clinging to the upper wall. It tried squeezing through the gap but couldn't fit. Its scales scraped against the stone, producing a sound like grinding metal.
Luciel sighed. "If I try to open that dome any wider, it'll be a racket loud enough to wake the dead. The guards outside will hear it before I'm even halfway done."
He squinted toward the heavy gate on the ground floor. "Though… even if they notice, as long as I don't go through that door…" A grin crept across his face. "Then who cares if they hear a little noise?"
The plan was reckless — but then, most of his best ideas were.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Alright then. If I can't sneak it all out, I'll just take it by force. Let's get some muscle first."
Luciel reached out mentally to the system. "We've got thirty-eight hundred evolution points left. That's enough. Let's start with the Red Ghost Spider."
"Ding! Level 3 Red Ghost Spider evolving to Level 4. Deducting 1,000 evolution points."
Luciel waited.
A pulse of heat spread from the mark on his wrist, surging through his veins. It was like standing near a furnace — painful, yet strangely invigorating.
"Ding! Evolution complete. Level 4 Red Ghost Spider obtained.
New Talent: Spider Silk Control.
Synchronizing Trainer's ability: Spider Silk Manipulation — Level 4."
Luciel exhaled slowly as warmth flooded his limbs. The air felt sharper, his heartbeat heavier. Power rolled under his skin like a tide.
Before he could test the new strength, a crunching noise echoed from above — a scraping, squeezing sound from the dome ceiling.
He looked up just in time to see the tricolor lizard forcing its massive body through the ten-inch gap. Its scales cracked and flaked as it pushed through stubbornly.
Luciel rubbed his temples. "You really don't know the meaning of patience, do you?"
He sighed and turned to the system again. "Fine. Evolve the tricolor lizard too."
"Ding! Level 3 Tricolor Lizard evolving to Level 4. Deducting 1,000 evolution points."
"Ding! Evolution complete.
New Talent: Mimicry — Scaly Hardening.
Synchronizing Trainer's ability: Mimicry — Scaly Hardening (Level 4)."
Once more, that hot current surged through Luciel's body. The sensation was intoxicating — like molten metal flowing through his veins, reshaping every bone and tendon. He felt his senses sharpen, his muscles coil with new strength.
After a few deep breaths, he opened the system window to check his stats.
> Trainer: Luciel
Physical Strength: 34
Speed: 33.7
Power: 34.4
Spirit: 45
Lifespan: 24 years / 560 years
Taming Points: 10
Evolution Points: 1,972
Abilities:
• Mimicry — Scaly Hardening (Lv.4)
• Hundred Silk Control (Lv.4)
• Earth Rock Burst (Lv.3)
Domesticated Beasts:
• Tricolor Lizard (Lv.4) — Mimicry, Scaly Hardening
• Red Ghost Spider (Lv.4) — Hundred Silk Control
• Rock Tortoise (Lv.3) — Ground Spike Burst
Luciel stared at the numbers and let out a low whistle. His life expectancy had more than doubled again — five hundred and sixty years. That's... practically immortal for this world.
A low hiss interrupted his thoughts. The tricolor lizard, now a towering four meters long, flicked its tongue and gently licked Luciel's palm, scales glinting under the dim light.
Luciel chuckled and scratched the side of its snout. "That tickles, you big idiot."
The lizard's scales were no longer dull and muddy but sharp-edged and gleaming, each one patterned in three interwoven colors. It was almost beautiful — if you ignored the way it could crush a man's skull with a twitch.
Not to be outdone, the Red Ghost Spider scuttled forward, rubbing its massive crimson legs against his thigh like an oversized cat. Its newly evolved carapace shimmered with an oily sheen, the skull-shaped marking on its back now far more distinct — a true grimace, glaring and sinister.
Luciel laughed, swatting it gently. "Alright, alright. I get it. You both want attention."
The spider clacked its fangs playfully, while the lizard hissed, jealous.
"Fine," Luciel said, shaking his head in amusement. "Playtime's over. We've got work to do."
He turned his focus inward, testing his own newly-synchronized abilities. The Mimicry — Scaly Hardening technique pulsed under his skin. When he activated it, a faint hum resonated through his arms, and his flesh shimmered with a three-colored pattern like molten glass veins.
He tapped his forearm.
Clink.
The sound was metallic, dense. His arms had hardened to something stronger than stone — perhaps even tougher than steel.
"Not bad," he murmured, flexing his fingers. They moved a little stiffly, but his dexterity remained.
Next, he tested his control of spider silk. Dozens of near-invisible threads unfurled from his fingertips like strands of light, twisting and curling in the air. With a thought, they braided together, forming ropes, nets, and even delicate shapes that hovered obediently at his command.
Luciel grinned. "Perfect. Now let's get to work."
He crouched beside the patch of plants — herbs, vines, and saplings he had found earlier — and began to dig. Using his hardened hands, he scooped soil and roots in smooth, practiced motions.
The spider silk whirled around him like a dozen ghostly assistants, weaving wooden barrels, sealing lids, and binding roots tight without crushing them.
In minutes, every plant was packed neatly away.
"Little Cai, your turn," he said, beckoning the tricolor lizard closer.
The creature crawled forward obediently, rumbling low in its throat. Luciel used spider silk to lash each barrel to its sturdy back.
One barrel. Then another. Then another.
By the time he was done, there were eight barrels fastened securely along both sides of the lizard's body — sixteen in total.
He stepped back, admiring his handiwork. "You look magnificent. Like a merchant's cart with claws."
The lizard groaned, twisting its neck uncomfortably.
"Don't complain," Luciel said with a grin. "You'll get used to it."
Still not satisfied, he added another row of smaller barrels across its spine in a neat cross shape — twelve barrels in total.
The tricolor lizard stared at him blankly, its tongue flicking in silent protest.
Luciel patted its head. "I know, I know. But look — efficiency!"
He couldn't help but laugh at the sight. The once fearsome beast now looked like a walking warehouse.
"Alright," he muttered, dusting off his hands. "All that's left is the tomato vine. You're a bit too delicate, aren't you?"
He knelt beside the lone tomato plant — its vines thin, its fruit greenish-gold. The stems were fragile; even a careless touch could snap them.
Luciel frowned. "Can't pack you in a barrel, or you'll die on the way."
He rubbed his chin, thinking. There had to be a gentler method — something that would let the roots breathe.
"I'll come back for you later," he decided at last.
He looked over the room one last time: the barrels sealed, the beasts ready, the loot secured. Power hummed in his veins.
For the first time since entering this ruin, Luciel allowed himself to smile — a real, unguarded smile.
He had begun the night as a scavenger. Now, with two Level 4 beasts, hundreds of treasures, and power coursing through his body, he was something more.
A true tamer. A man rewriting the rules of this ruined world.
And above them all, through the cracked dome ceiling, a thin blade of moonlight fell upon the crystal fish's barrel — glinting faintly, as if the world itself was watching.