Lucian hit the ground again.
He lay there for a moment, staring up at the branches above as his heartbeat thudded in his ears like war drums.
His chest still felt the ghost of the spear, and his throat was raw from the scream that had ripped through it moments ago.
Except that was the past now.
The air felt colder, or maybe that was just fear sinking into his bones.
[Death Detected. Death Count: 3]
[Quest Failed: Target Eliminated.]
[Restarting Loop…]
The screen faded, and the silence around him settled in like a blanket.
He sat up, but slower this time. His limbs felt heavy, like the weight of what was left—only two deaths—was pressing down on his shoulders.
I've already watched her die twice. I've felt myself die twice, and nothing's changed. It's impossible.
His hands gripped the grass. His breath came out shaky and thin. His mind spun, trying to plan, to calculate, but all it came back with was failure.
He had no sword, no magic, and no allies.
Nothing but a system that counted his deaths like it was keeping score.
Then, he heard it again—footsteps.
Lucian turned around.
Guinevere stood behind him, her dress dirty, hair tangled, and eyes wide.
She looked terrified. But then, her gaze settled on him. Her lips trembled, but she took a breath.
"You need to run," she said. "Don't look back. Just run."
Lucian stared at her, speechless.
"I don't know who you are," she said quickly, "but if you stay here, they'll kill you too. Please, go! I'll try to stop them, or at least slow them down!"
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Her voice was shaking, but she meant every word.
She's still scared. She doesn't know me, but she's willing to stand and face them, even if it kills her.
It hit him like a punch to the gut. She wasn't just some helpless royal waiting to be rescued.
She was brave. She was trying to protect a complete stranger, even if it meant dying.
He shook his head. "No. You're the one they want. I'm not running this time."
But the words barely left his mouth before something moved through the trees.
A sharp whistle cut through the air, followed by the crack of wood. A bolt slammed straight into his chest, just above the heart.
Lucian didn't even get to scream.
The force knocked him off his feet, and he hit the ground hard.
His eyes went wide. His body twitched once, then everything stopped.
[Death Detected. Death Count: 4]
Lucian lay on the ground, the spear's pain fading, but the weight of four deaths pressing down on him.
He closed his eyes and swallowed the panic clawing at his throat. No. He wasn't that scared kid anymore. He was tired of waking up to this nightmare, tired of feeling powerless and broken.
I don't get to be afraid of death.
No—that wasn't true. He was afraid. Afraid every time the spear hit, every time Guinevere died beside him.
But fear wasn't a reason to stop, it was the reason to fight harder.
He sat up slowly, breath steadying.
If I die again, fine. But, I'm going to finish this.
The plan wasn't to outrun knights or pretend to be someone else. The plan was to use the environment. Use their own strengths against them.
He found a shallow ravine just a few meters ahead. He could hear the distant clatter of hooves.
The knights would split to surround him and her, but the forest was thick, and the ravine was narrow.
He would bait them into chasing him north, then disappear into the ravine.
He'd use the trees to break their formation. Horses couldn't move as fast or as easily in uneven ground.
Then, using branches and rocks, he'd create traps to trip horses, to block paths, to confuse their lines. He'd force the knights to dismount, making them vulnerable.
Guinevere would run west like before, but this time, she wouldn't run blindly. He'd tell her where to hide—a cluster of thick bushes near a small stream where the horses couldn't easily follow.
He'd be the distraction, the trap setter, and when they were tangled up, she'd slip away.
Lucian wiped sweat from his brow.
---
The sound of horses grew louder, but Lucian was already moving. He vanished into the trees, ready to fight the impossible with every bit of cunning he had.
Because even if he was scared, he wasn't broken.
Guinevere crashed through the underbrush, stumbling to a stop near him. "What's happening? Who are you?"
Lucian didn't waste time. "I have no time. You want to live? Then listen."
She blinked, wide-eyed and breathless.
"Run west until you find a bush near a stream. Get under it."
"What about you?"
"I'll buy you time. Take off your dress."
"What?!"
"You're wearing something under it, right?"
She hesitated. "Yes, but—"
"Then give it now. If they see the dress, they'll think you're still running. That gives you time."
Still confused, still scared, she peeled the silver dress off and handed it to him. "I don't know who you are… but don't die."
Lucian pulled the fabric over himself. "No promises."
He didn't know who she was either. But the knights were coming for her with steel drawn, and he didn't need a royal title to know that was wrong. He had no idea why she was being hunted, and it didn't matter. She was human, and they were trying to murder her.
He ran.
Silver dress flashing in the trees, feet pounding through mud and leaves, Lucian sprinted like hell.
His traps were set. Branches bent, vines stretched. All they needed was pressure.
Hooves pounded behind him.
Then—snap.
A vine caught the front legs of one of the horses. It stumbled hard, crashed into the knight beside it. Both hit the ground with a shout.
Lucian stopped, turned, and stood tall in the middle of the trail.
Three knights slowed.
One of them pointed a sword. "You there! Who are you?"
Lucian grinned beneath sweat and dirt. "Me?"
"I'm the Ghost of Hollowreach, the Ash Walker, the Slayer of Shadows, and the protector of the Vanished."
They blinked.
"I've…Never heard of you."
"Not yet. But after this, you'll remember me."
Then he screamed, "PRINCESS!" and pointed to the side.
They turned instinctively.
The bush rustled.
But it wasn't her. Just a torn piece of silver cloth dangling from a stick.
"Damn it!" one of them shouted. "She's escaping!"
Lucian took off again. "Try and catch me, armor junkies!"
The knights cursed and chased. They followed him over the ridge, across the narrowing slope, past two fallen trees—right to the edge.
Lucian didn't slow.
He ran straight for the ravine.
And vanished.
His silver dress flew from the cliff's edge, fluttering down into the rocky drop below.
The knights skidded to a halt, staring.
One leaned over. "He jumped!"
Another nodded. "He's done."
They turned and rode off.
But Lucian wasn't dead.
He was curled against a narrow ledge tucked into the ravine wall, body pressed low, breath tight. He looked up at the falling dress, then smiled.
Lucian stayed low as he moved through the trees, keeping one hand near the dirt while his eyes scanned the terrain ahead.
There were still soldiers in the area, some on foot, some horseback, all shouting to each other, but most were heading the wrong way now.
His trick worked. The decoy dress and ravine fall bought him time and space, and now all he had to do was finish the loop.
He crept forward carefully, mud sticking to his arms and legs, until the sound of water reached his ears.
He followed it.
Guinevere sat tucked under the thick bushes, her arms wrapped around her knees and her eyes jumping at every sound.
When she saw him crawling out of the brush, her eyes widened, and then her entire face went red.
"You're—you're naked!"
Lucian blinked, looked down, and realized the tunic he had tied around himself had ripped on the ravine wall. He quickly turned, covering himself with both hands.
"Yeah, sorry," he muttered.
Guinevere spun around, covering her face with both hands as she shouted, "Don't come closer! Just—just wait until I find something for you to wear!"
Before either of them could say anything else, the air buzzed sharply, and a blue screen appeared in front of Lucian.
[Quest Complete: Protect Guinevere Elowen]
[Final Death Count: 4 / 5]
[Target: Safe. Loop Cleared.]
Lucian blinked as the interface changed.
The System had changed. It didn't just feel like a UI—it felt like something alive, something evolving with him.
[Congratulations, Lucian Wrenford.]
[You have survived the death loop and successfully cleared your first Main Quest.]
[You may now choose 1 Primary Reward:]
[A Grand Estate in Any Location]
[10,000 Gold Coins]
[Royal Marriage: Guinevere Elowen]
[Weapon: Random]
[Harem Initialization: Unlock Bonded Companion System]
[Class Selection: Unique Starting Job]
[Upgrade System: Visual Scan, Language Auto-Translate, Combat Prediction]
Lucian stared at the screen as his mind raced.
The mansion sounded nice, but it was just a building. The gold would vanish fast if I'm not careful. Marriage to a princess? I just met her and she doesn't even know my name. The weapon could help, but what if it's trash?
He narrowed his eyes at the last two.
The system upgrade sounded powerful, but the harem… that's not just romance, that's allies for me! If I'm going to survive this world, I need more than tools.
Lucian tapped the screen.
[Selected: Harem Initialization – Bonded Companion System Unlocked.]
The screen pulsed and a small icon appeared in the corner of his vision—a silver ring with flame markings.
[Companions: 0 / ???]
[Bond Level: N/A]
[System Advice: Emotional bonds increase combat efficiency, unlock joint skills, and grant passive perks.]
Lucian exhaled and let the screen fade.
Behind him, Guinevere peeked through her fingers and muttered, "Are you done being naked now, or…?"