"Hah. A World Travel Item? You're luckier than I thought."
Lucian expected more of a reaction. Ignis just sounded amused.
"So… you know what this is?"
The dragon huffed. "Of course. Artifacts that allow world travel exist, though they are rare. The higher realms hoard them like gems."
Lucian's grip tightened. "So people actually have these?"
Ignis scoffed. "Not ordinary people. Gods, emperors, ancient beings. Wars have been fought for them."
Then—
He took a second look.
And froze.
The shift was instant.
Lucian had never seen a dragon hesitate before.
Ignis's pupils shrank to razor-thin slits.
"No…" His voice dropped to a whisper. "No, this… this can't be—"
Lucian's breath hitched. "What?"
Ignis leaned closer, his massive golden eyes locking onto the Cube, his amusement completely gone.
Not fear.
Not anger.
Disbelief.
A moment passed—then two.
Ignis's voice, usually steady as a mountain, trembled.
"That is not just a World Travel Item."
He exhaled sharply, like someone seeing a ghost from the dawn of time.
"That… is the Universe Cube."
Lucian felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Even Ignis Aureum, a being who once brought the heavens to their knees, looked shaken.
"The Artifact of Legends. The Key to the Unseen Worlds. The greatest treasure to have ever existed."
Lucian's fingers tightened around the Cube.
"You're acting like you've seen a ghost."
Ignis's expression darkened.
"That is because I have."
———————————————
The dragon's voice grew quieter, as if speaking of something that should not be spoken of.
"The Universe Cube… is an anomaly."
"It was never created. Never discovered. It simply… exists."
Lucian swallowed hard.
"What do you mean?"
"Its origins are unknown. It predates even the gods, the laws of existence itself. No one—nothing—knows where it came from. Only that it appears when it chooses a wielder."
Ignis's golden eyes bore into him.
"And now, it has chosen you."
Lucian's chest tightened.
Ignis continued, his voice carrying the weight of ancient knowledge.
"Many names have been given to it."
Some call it "The Key of the Forgotten Architect."
Others refer to it as "The Lost Relic of the First Civilization."
A few believe it to be a "Fragment of the Multiverse itself, broken off and given form."
"But one thing is certain, Lucian."
"Its power is beyond mortal comprehension."
Lucian's pulse thundered in his ears.
He knew the Cube was special.
But this…
This was something else entirely.
——————————
Lucian stared down at the Cube, its shifting patterns and glowing inscriptions feeling almost… alive.
"You said it chooses a wielder."
"What does that mean?"
Ignis's gaze was unreadable.
"It does not bind itself to the strong. Not to the wise. Not to the divine."
"It only chooses those who defy the very concept of fate."
Lucian's breath hitched.
"Those who refuse to be bound by the rules of existence."
A strange, unspoken weight settled over him.
He had never believed in destiny.
He had never been the kind of person to accept limitations.
"It saw something in you, Lucian."
Lucian clenched his fists.
The Cube had been inside him this whole time.
Why?
What did it want?
Ignis took a step back, his gaze unreadable.
"Wars have been fought over mere legends of this artifact."
"Gods would tear apart reality itself just to possess it."
"And yet…"
His golden eyes locked onto Lucian.
"It is in your hands."
"You are Lucky, I have no intrest in Living anymore or. I might have killed you to get that."
"Make sure to hide it well, and don't let anyone know about it."
Lucian exhaled slowly.
His entire world had just shifted.
He hadn't just been given a powerful artifact.
He had been chosen by something that should not exist.
Something that even Ignis feared.
Something that could change everything.
"So then…" Lucian swallowed hard.
"Can I use this… to go home?"
Ignis was silent for a moment.
Then, his lips curled into a smirk.
"If you have the power to use it…"
"Yes."
Lucian's heart pounded.
Aoi.
Ayaka.
His home.
It was possible.
He could go back.
But something deep inside him whispered—
Nothing this powerful comes without a price.
———————————————
Lucian stared at the Cube, his grip tightening.
Everything he had just learned—the myths, the legends, the sheer impossibility of what he held—it didn't matter.
Because all that mattered was one thing.
"So… I can really use this to go home?"
His voice came out quieter than he expected, almost hesitant.
Ignis watched him carefully, his golden eyes unreadable.
"Perhaps."
Lucian's heartbeat pounded.
That was all he needed to hear.
But then—Ignis's next words sent a chill through him.
"But nothing in this world is that simple."
Lucian's excitement faltered as Ignis's massive form shifted, his expression calm yet firm.
"Tell me, Outsider. What do you think powers such an artifact?"
Lucian frowned.
"I… I don't know. Magic? Energy?"
Ignis chuckled, but there was no humor in his voice.
"Nothing is free. Even an artifact beyond reason must take something in exchange for breaking the laws of existence."
His golden eyes gleamed.
"The Cube requires fuel. A resource strong enough to breach the walls between worlds."
Lucian's hands tightened around the Cube.
"Fuel?"
Ignis nodded.
"Monster Cores."
Lucian's stomach twisted.
"The crystallized essence of slain creatures. The stronger the core, the farther it can take its wielder."
Lucian's mind raced.
Monster Cores.
He had plenty from the Abyssal Lurker and the Abyssal Tyrant.
He could use them.
He could leave right now.
Right?
Without hesitation, Lucian opened his Spatial Inventory, scanning for his Monster Cores.
Two cores glowed faintly among his stored loot.
[Abyssal Lurker's Core (A-Rank)]
[Abyssal Tyrant's Core (A+ Rank)]
Lucian's chest tightened.
According to the System's quick calculation, these cores should be enough to travel back to his world… and return once.
"I have what I need."
His fingers curled around the Cube, his heartbeat thundering in his chest.
This was it.
The way back.
He could finally—
"Then I'm going home."
———————————
Lucian stared at the Cube, his grip firm but his hands slightly trembling.
For the first time since waking up in this brutal, nightmarish world, he felt something he had almost forgotten—
Hope.
His entire existence in this place had been about survival.
Fighting. Bleeding. Running.
He had been pushed to his absolute limit, forced into impossible battles against creatures that could kill him in seconds.
And now—after everything—he finally had a way out.
Aoi.
Ayaka.
Home.
The thoughts hit him all at once, overwhelming and bittersweet.
"I'm going back."
He tightened his grip on the Cube, its shifting surface pulsing faintly as if responding to his determination.
Ignis Aureum observed him carefully, his massive golden eyes gleaming.
He said nothing.
He didn't try to stop him.
He merely watched.
Lucian could feel the weight of the dragon's gaze, like a being who had seen this moment play out countless times before.
And yet, Ignis said nothing.
Because, in the end—
This was Lucian's decision.
Lucian took a deep breath.
Then, with a firm mental command, he activated the Cube.
[Ding!]
Universe Cube Activation Confirmed.
[Ding!]
Calculating Destination…
The Cube shuddered in his hands.
A deep hum vibrated through the air, making the very stone walls of the cavern tremble.
Then—
A pulse of impossibly bright energy erupted from the artifact.
The space around Lucian bent and twisted, like reality itself was unraveling.
A crack formed in midair, small at first—then splitting wider, like shattered glass.
And then—
A portal appeared.
Lucian stared, breathless.
The portal before him wasn't just a gateway.
It was a swirling maelstrom of colors, an incomprehensible tear in space-time.
It wasn't like the smooth, stable teleportation magic he had seen in games or movies.
This was something raw. Primal.
Like he was staring into the veins of the multiverse itself.
A howling wind rushed outward, pulling at his clothes, sending loose stones flying into the air.
It was chaos. It was power. It was freedom.
Lucian took a deep breath, steadying himself.
This was it.
His way home.
He took one step forward.
Then another.
Then—
With one final glance at Ignis—
He stepped into the portal.
And the world shattered.