Chapter 64: A Dungeon Is a Better Murder Venue Than My Bed!

Chapter 64: Chapter 64: A Dungeon Is a Better Murder Venue Than My Bed!

Lucien stared at his phone.

Kael: DON’T BE LATE!

Kael: AND BRING LUCK!

"This guy genuinely thinks I’m a walking good-luck charm."

Evelisse glanced over from the couch, snack halfway to her mouth. "You kind of are."

"Excuse me?"

She shrugged, unbothered. "Ever since we married, we’ve survived things that should’ve killed us." Another bite. "And two of us even awakened Divine-rank talents, that’s definitely not normal."

"She’s not entirely wrong," Seraphina said quietly.

"He’s also reckless," Aurelia added, arms crossed.

Lucien turned to her. "That’s rich, coming from the woman who used to pick fights with monsters twice her rank for fun."

Aurelia paused. "...That’s different."

"How?"

"I was stronger."

Lucien stared at her for a solid three seconds before bursting out laughing.

---

He headed upstairs to actually prepare, laying everything out across the bed in organized rows.

Weapons - Reaper’s Twin Crescents, a backup blade, spare throwing knives.

Armor - the newly purchased Nightreaper Light Armor. He ran Appraisal over it out of curiosity.

[Nightreaper Light Armor (Rare)]

[Effects: Lightweight, self-cleaning, mildly presence-dampening. Excellent mobility retention with moderate physical defense.]

’Good. Speed over bulk. Exactly what I need.’

Consumables - healing potions, mana potions, antidotes, recovery items, food, mana crystals stacked deep.

Sanguine Resources - every vial of beast blood he’d bought, plus his existing reserves all safely stored within the Infinite Sanguine Cosmos so he didn’t have to drink them mid fight.

Artifacts - the Netherbound Deathscape, and various defensive items.

Miscellaneous - spare clothing, communication crystal, phone, guild ID.

"Don’t want ot look like a beggar again."

He checked it all twice.

Weapons. Potions. Blood. Mana. Emergency gear. Not bad.

Evelisse appeared in the doorway. "You forgot the snacks."

"I’m going for a dungeon expedition, Eve, not a picnic."

"Exactly. That’s why you need them."

He sighed and added a small bag anyway.

’I’m being lectured on dungeon preparation by a professional snack enthusiast. This is my life now.’

Lucien looks at the list of things he had prepared

"I think I might be overprepared."

Evelisse looks at the mountain of supplies on the bed and then at him.

"You are, though you could use some more snacks"

"No."

Lucien looks at Aurelia.

"No?"

"You’re still missing something."

"What?"

She pointed at her head then at him.

"A brain."

Evelisse immediately started laughing as Seraphina covered her mouth hiding her mouth.

Lucien sighed. "I regret marrying all three of you."

"Well too late for regrets now husband, you already ate all of us." Evelisse said jokingly.

"That he did, Eve, so he is stuck with us." Seraphina joined in.

---

He checked his cultivation one last time.

’Peak C-Rank.’

He activated Veiled Aura, watching the false reading settle over his true one.

[Ding!]

[Veiled Aura Skill Activated.]

[-5 Mana/hour]

[Displayed Rank: Beginner C-Rank]

He caught his reflection. "Beginner C-Rank," he murmured, smiling.

’Perfect.’

’Bloodline, Talent, traits, techniques, Overdrive none of that shows up on a rank reading. Everyone’s going to expect a fresh C-Rank adventurer. If someone attacks me thinking that’s all I am—’

His smile sharpened.

’They’ll regret it considerably.

---

He gathered the wives before heading out, expression settling into something serious.

"Before I go, we need to talk about something."

Three sets of eyes fixed on him instantly.

"The dungeon’s not actually what worries me," he said. "The assassins are."

He laid it out plainly. Silas, connected through Vane, already suspicious of his growth. Dravik, connected through the Black Fang assassin, with personal history against Aurelia. And Malrith, an unknown, unconfirmed, but clearly the one Dravik actually trusted with something important.

Seraphina’s brow furrowed. "Then shouldn’t you cancel the expedition and stay here?"

"No."

"Why?" Aurelia asked.

"Because if they’re planning something, I’d rather know where it’s coming from," Lucien said. "I can’t just sit in this house waiting for someone to make the first move. I need to get stronger, strong enough to actually protect all three of you instead of hoping I get lucky every time someone shows up and that they are idiots."

The room went quiet for a beat.

Then he added, lighter, "Besides. A dungeon’s a much better place to kill an assassin than my own bedroom."

Evelisse nearly choked on a juice she was drinking. "Why did you say that so casually?!"

"Because it’s true?"

"That’s not the point!"

"What is the point?"

"I don’t KNOW, but there’s supposed to be one!"

---

He turned serious again, pulling the defensive items he got as Investment rewards from his inventory while making it look like it came from the ring one by one as he explained what they did.

For Aurelia, he gave her a crimson-etched ring.

[Aegis of the Crimson Guard (Epic Rank)]

[Automatically blocks attacks up to B-Rank. Fully negates up to five B-Rank strikes. Partial mitigation beyond that threshold. Regenerates charges via ambient mana. Functions against physical and magical damage without conscious activation.]

She looked at it, then at him. "You’re giving me this?"

"Yes."

"You need it more, you’re yhe one going into an A-Rank dungeon."

"You’re staying here," he said. "If Dravik moves while I’m gone, you’re the strongest fighter left in this house. That ring needs to be on you, not me."

She held his gaze a long moment, then accepted it without further argument.

For Seraphina, he produced a delicate silver pendant which he tied around her neck, making her blush a bit while smiling.

[Moonheart Guardian Necklace (Epic Rank)]

[Activates automatically against lethal attacks, generating a defensive barrier. Three emergency charges. Resists Peak B-Rank force. Stabilizes mana circulation. Purges minor poison and curse effects.]

She hesitated, turning it over in her fingers. "Lucien, this must have cost a fortune, don’t you need it more?."

"You’re my wife and nope."

"You can’t keep using that as an excuse."

"Why not?"

She opened her mouth, closed it and had no actual counterargument.

For Evelisse he gave her a slim bracelet, dark and understated.

[Shadowveil Bracelet (Epic Rank]

[Generates emergency barrier with three charges. Briefly conceals presence. Reduces detection range. Can forcefully reposition the wearer several meters from incoming attacks.]

She examined it, frowning. "This is a running-away bracelet."

"Correct."

Her eyebrow twitched. "I can fight."

"I know you can."

"Then why does mine specifically help me escape?"

"Because unlike you," Lucien said, "the bracelet has common sense."

Seraphina burst out laughing as Aurelia’s mouth curved despite herself.

Evelisse jabbed a finger at him. "I’m not cultivating for your dumb snack reward anymore."

"Sure you aren’t."

She glanced back down at the bracelet, expression softening slightly. "...Maybe I will."

---

Lucien produced the Netherbound Deathscape last.

Aurelia’s eyes sharpened instantly. "You’re taking that with you."

"No." He held it out. "You’re keeping it."

"Lucien, this is one of your strongest advantages."

"Exactly why it stays here," he said. "If someone infiltrates the estate while I’m gone, you trap them. One way in, one way out, only one person leaves. But only use it if you are certain youbcan kill them."

She looked at the artifact, then at him. "You’re trusting me with this."

"Who else would I trust it with?"

She didn’t answer immediately, but her fingers closed tight around it.

The chime rang softly.

[Ding!]

[Investment Detected: Netherbound Deathscape (Epic) → Aurelia Astrax]

[×12]

[Reward: Nether Judgment Domain (Epic) — Upgraded Isolation Artifact]

Lucien blinked at it, then handed her that too. "Found this while shopping, gigured you might as well have both."

’Definitely not going to explain that one properly right now.’

---

They moved outside for the last piece as they all finished setting up the new protection array, before going inside.

Lucien activated the Grand Crimson Aegis Array, and a translucent dome briefly rippled visibly over the entire estate before fading from ordinary sight and settled invisibly into place over the other array.

He activated his appraisal and checked the array’s info.

[Grand Crimson Aegis Array (Epic Rank) — Successfully Activated]

[Blocks physical/magical attacks up to Beginner S-Rank]

[Reflects 30% of blocked damage]

[Detects hostile intrusion; alerts residents]

[Prevents unauthorized spatial teleportation]

[Self-repairs minor damage]

[Current Duration: 1 Hour]

He dumped nearly five hundred mana crystals into the array’s core, mostly C-Rank with a scattering of higher grades mixed through.

[Mana Reserve Increasing...]

[Operational Duration: 31 Days]

"Good," Lucien said, satisfied. "That should hold long enough."

---

He handed out the remaining resources he had for them mlstly more mana crystals, cultivation materials, alchemy ingredients for Seraphina, training supplies for Aurelia.

For Evelisse, he gave her a genuinely intimidating stack of cultivation resources.

She stared at it. "This is a lot."

"You’re cultivating while I’m gone."

Her face fell instantly as she dramatically sighed with her hand on her forehead. "The cruelty."

"Reach D-Rank," Lucien said.

"I hate you."

"And I’ll give you Five Rare Snack Packs."

Her expression transformed on the spot. "...When do you leave, exactly?"

He laughed.

---

Aurelia caught him alone by the door before he could finish gathering everything.

"Don’t underestimate the Black Fang or Malrith," she said, quiet and serious.

He listened.

"They’re not just assassins," she continued.

"Intelligence, surveillance, tracking, infiltration, sabotage and the most dangerous part isn’t any single skill." She looked at him directly.

"It’s their patience, they don’t need to win quickly. They watch then gather and then they strike when the target thinks they’re finally safe."

"Like the guy in the forest," Lucien said.

"He was an exception," Aurelia said. "And became greedy. That’s why he died so fast, Malrith likely won’t make that mistake."

"If Dravik trusts him with something this important, expect someone considerably more dangerous." She said.

Lucien smiled.

She narrowed her eyes. "Why are you smiling?"

"Because I’m getting tired of fighting idiots," he said. "Someone competent sounds refreshing."

For a moment, Aurelia just stared at him.

Then she laughed a real and surprising sound.

Lucien blinked. "You laughed."

Her expression snapped back to neutral instantly. "No, I didn’t."

"You absolutely did."

"You’re imagining things."

"Sure I am."

---

He dressed in the Nightreaper armor, checked his weapons one final time, confirmed his spatial ring, and rejoined the others by the front door.

For once, nobody made a joke.

Seraphina hugged him first. "Please be careful."

"I will."

Aurelia’s hug was firmer and tighter. "Stay sharp."

"Always."

Evelisse came last, looking up at him with something almost serious in her expression.

"Don’t die."

"I’ll try."

Her face immediately soured. "That is NOT reassuring!"

Lucien laughed, pulling her into a quick kiss that left her flustered rather than annoyed, at least.

"Remember the deal," he added.

"D-Rank?"

"D-Rank."

"Five Rare Snack Packs?"

"Five."

She spun on her heel immediately. "Fine, I’m cultivating, right now and right this instant."

"Just you wait, I will drain you dry." She said looking determined.

"Phrasing, Eve, otherwise I might misunderstand." He said smiling.

"You horny husband, get your head out the gutter." She screamed as he watched her march off with startling determination.

"...That was surprisingly easy," he said.

"You found the only thing capable of controlling her," Aurelia said.

"Snacks," Seraphina confirmed solemnly.

---

Lucien walked toward the gate, and paused once at the threshold to look back.

Seraphina waved, Evelisse was already loudly complaining about cultivation from somewhere inside and Aurelia simply watched him, arms crossed in the way that had come to mean ’I trust you, come back.’

He smiled, turned around and stepped through.

The array hummed faintly at his back, invisible and running.

’Weapons, Blood, Potions, other resources, Artifacts and my cultivation hidden.’

"Looks like everything’s ready."

His expression cooled slightly as he headed toward the city.

’And somewhere out there, Malrith is coming.’

’Fine.’

’Come find me, then.’