Hank Elis was the leader of the Black Lion guild, one of the guilds under the hero agency in Argenta.
Now, what were the chances of him meeting such an influential figure so early in his journey after rebirth? Probably zero.
So this could only have something to do with his luck being at rock bottom. Saving her was probably the beginning of bad things for him.
"You are the man who saved my daughter. I express my gratitude on the Black Lion guild's behalf." The man shook Lucius' hand, smiling.
Lucius smiled, ignoring the mass of hatred coming from him.
"I didn't know she was your daughter, sir. It's an honor." He glanced at the three members of Virgo team that glared at him with rage in their eyes.
"If you won't mind, young man, what rank are you?" The man asked, looking at him.
The elderly man stood at 6'5, a bit taller than Lucius who was still at 6'2, so his gaze was directly above Lucius.
"Uhm. I'm a newly awakened, sir."
The entire room went silent, all the emotions residing in the air receded as everyone was awestruck.
"Ahahahahaha! A newly awakened hero, you say?" The man put a hand on Lucius' shoulder.
"Well, when are you planning to get registered? Also, the Black Lion guild would accept you with open arms, you know what that means, right?"
Lucius smirked, a sweatdrop sliding down his face.
'Of course, I do!'
Guilds have priority over dungeons and scavenged items, as they are considered a well-organized force by the church.
Joining a guild at the beginning of your journey as a hero would be the biggest advantage you'll have to grow stronger.
The higher the level of a dungeon, the more a hero levels up. Better treasures, better exploration rights, and honor too.
The reason why it was such a big honor to join a guild is that they are extremely hard to get into. Because of the competition and acceptance rate: most guilds only recruit 30 members every six months.
But there would be a big problem if Lucius was to join a guild right now.
"I'm sorry, sir. I have no need of joining a guild right now."
Guild master Hank raised a brow, obviously both shocked and confused at the same time.
~Is this guy stupid?
~Turning down a guild invitation offer, who the hell does he think he is?
Lucius ignored the thoughts of the three heroes that were part of Elizabeth's team.
He knew exactly what he was missing out on. He knew better than them what this opportunity meant.
As someone who grew up at the bottom of society, he was feeling very tempted to take the offer.
"May I ask why?" Hank asked, stretching out his hand in gesture.
"It's... for personal reasons."
Seeing that the young hero didn't want to talk too much, Hank decided on one thing at least.
"Well, at least take this." He handed Lucius a gold card with the symbol of Black Lion on it. "It has an account with ten million dollars in it, and you can use it to get passes into places ordinary heroes won't get."
Lucius' jaw nearly dropped. He swallowed, looking at the man with a wide smile.
"Thank you, sir."
...
A while after the whole fiasco with the Elis family, Lucius was out. There was no need to stay in the house where so many people had strong negative emotions, especially the heroes.
Lucius was outside the hotel, wearing a simple pair of grey sweatpants and a black shirt.
Both he and Elizabeth stood in front of the house, waiting for a car that was supposed to take him to the hero agency.
"You don't have to do this for me. I can just walk, or take public transport." He looked at Elizabeth.
She didn't look at him. Her hair was covering her eyes as they were ruffled, so he couldn't see her expression at this moment.
"Hey, you know everything, don't you?" She asked in a low tone.
Lucius didn't say anything, his expression stayed the same too.
"And what if I do?"
Elizabeth flinched, hearing his words. She finally looked up, her eyes meeting Lucius'.
"Don't ever come back here." She said, walking back to the hotel.
'So heroes have this kind of life too, huh?' Lucius sighed, looking at the road in front of him.
One thing about children and their parents is that they are raised to respect and obey without question.
But trust... trust is fragile. The same way a friend can stab you in the back, a hero standing beside you today can turn their blade against you tomorrow.
Yet there's always something that tips the scales—something that decides who stands above and who is crushed beneath.
Power.
With enough of it, you don't just survive—you bend the world to your will. Rules, loyalty, even blood ties… all of it breaks before overwhelming strength.
As long as you're strong enough, you can seize control of your own life. You can do anything you want.
'So her father wants her dead, huh?' Lucius giggled.
'It reminds me of when... she wanted to kill me.'
Honk!
Lucius' thoughts were interrupted by the honking sounds of a car close by. It was the one that was going to take him to the hero agency.
As he rode, he couldn't help but relax, letting the smell of the leather-seated car enter his nose.
'Nothing can spoil it for me right now.' He smiled, closing his eyes as he got into a state of relaxation.
[System Warning: Your luck has entered negative <–1>, normally impossible things are more likely to happen to you now.]
"What the fuck—?" Before Lucius could complete his statement, a light fell upon the car that he was in.
[Warning! Sudden dungeon outbreak! Use your mana to protect yourself from the dimensional warp.]
Lucius' heart beat faster as the car was surrounded by a bright light. The driver seemed to have gone unconscious.
Lucius could only sigh, resigning to his fate.
"What else did I expect?"