I was caught off-guard by his words, but easily side-stepped his punch as I gained some distance between us. "You... were a Player too?"

"Once," Lazarus said, his fist hitting the ground and creating a small crater. "But that was a very, very long time ago. And my story is not important. What is important is that you need to be careful."

He dashed at me again, but since there was such an enormous gap between our stats, I was effortlessly able to dodge his attacks. The Soultaker sang in my hand, begging for blood, but I held back.

"Careful that I don't grow too strong for the system to handle me? Is that right?" I questioned, dodging another of his sluggish attacks. It was like fighting a child while using a nuclear bomb; I had to make sure I didn't instinctively strike back once.

"Correct," Lazarus nodded, his movements slightly quicker than before. "I'm sure you've noticed it a long time ago. You hardly receive any, if at all, rewards for clearing lower levels, do you?"

"Yeah," I replied, still dodging his attacks with ease. "But I figured that was just to keep the game challenging for high-level Players. Make them go to places where it's appropriate for their levels."

"And that's exactly why the system is so harsh and flawed," Lazarus added on, missing another attack. "What happens if a Player manages to exploit a tactic that enables them to grow beyond the cap without pushing the global limit? It results in them being able to breeze through the next few levels until they reach their cap again, repeating the process."

"Isn't that a good tactic? It would minimize loss and encourage planning ahead," I countered, watching his movements closely. "Earth would finally avoid being reset this Match."

"That's what I initially thought too, Player. Until I found out the truth." Lazarus paused, a rare seriousness clouding his expression. "It was right in front of us the whole time. Are you aware of the origins of the Matches?"

"Two incredible powerful beings bitching at each other before another group exploited the gods or whatever for their own gain, giving them the idea of starting the Matches," I quipped, aiming my sword at him, but not really trying to attack.

"Well... crude wording aside, essentially," Lazarus confirmed, resuming his slow attacks. "But more than that, do you view Matches as one-sided? Players trying to clear an unfamiliar world in order to survive?"

I raised an eyebrow, my mind racing. "What do you mean?"

"The system's way of balancing. Players were never the sole focus in the Matches," Lazarus said, his eyes boring into mine. "To put it simply, what fun is a game if one side is always meant to lose?"

My eyes widened, and I nearly let myself get hit. I dodged his punch at the last second as things began to click into place for me.

"Balance in the chaos. For the being who stood on the side of humanity- no, the Players, the other being stood on the side of the enemy- the Assets. Therefore, the reason why I, a former Player that was forced to serve the system-"

"Was because you became so overwhelmingly powerful, you could solo the entire game," I finished for Lazarus, my mind racing with the implications. "So, the system needed someone to keep the Players in check. To prevent the world from being cleared too quickly."

"I am old, Player. I was in the 34th Match. My playstyle enabled me to grow too fast for the system to adjust to my strength. In the end, I was forced to become enslaved to its rules," Lazarus smiled bitterly as he kept up his attacks. "The reason you haven't been enslaved yet is because the Matches continually update and adjust to the current Players using data recorded from previous Matches. Thankfully, you haven't exhausted all of the system's failsafe protocols, but the moment you do..."

I swallowed hard, understanding what he meant. The system had probably anticipated tactics that could lead to rapid growth, but my unique blend of Risk and strategy had thrown it off balance. "So, you're here to stop me before I break the game?"

"Not quite. As a former Player, I want to warn you before you do. Physically, I may be chained by the system, but I'm on your side." Lazarus's eyes gleamed with a sliver of hope. "In many Matches, a Player like you arises, becoming too unpredictable to handle. Although, I must say, you are actually not the only one this time."

I narrowed my eyes. I couldn't help but feel as if he was talking about Nephilim, the infamous strongest Player in the world.

"In any case, that's as much as I know and able to tell you," Lazarus finished, leaping back to gain some distance. "Now, you must find a way to defeat me."

I raised an eyebrow. "Just one swing will take care of you?"

Lazarus gave a strained smile. "If only that were possible. But due to my *******, I cannot ******."

He must've noticed the confused look on my face as he sighed and shook his head. "Never mind. I wish you luck, Player."

I was curious as to what he meant by that, but Lazarus charged at me again, his eyes telling me to act. I swore under my breath, annoyed at the complications, and swung the Soultaker, decapitating him in one blow.

As the head rolled away, I half-expected the system to pop up with a floor cleared statement. But no such thing came up. I turned back to the severed body of Lazarus, watching tiredly as his head began to float back to his neck. His body was enveloped in a silver light, then he stood up, unscathed.

[Name: Lazarus, the Resurrected | Level: ???]

[Health: 10,000 | Strength: 1,000]

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

[Speed: 400 | Magic: 200]

[Description: A legendary warrior who cannot be defeated by conventional means. Upon death, revives in the presence of enemies. Stats double every revival.]

[!!! What the...]

"Oh shit, man," I whispered under my breath. "He's just like me."

The system's message didn't give me any hints on how to win this fight. It was clear that Lazarus had a unique condition to his death, which was quite annoying, to say the least. If he just died normally, this would be a piece of cake. But, the game had to throw in a curveball.

"Any chance you can give me a hint on how to put you down permanently?" I asked him as I leapt towards Lazarus, preparing to end it in one strike again.

"Unfortunately, even on the former level I existed on, the system didn't allow for that. Frankly speaking, I'm not quite sure how you're going to beat this floor, simulation or not," Lazarus said, a hint of amusement in his voice as I purposefully missed my strike.

I landed gracefully, pivoting on my heels. "Well, that's just great. Balancing my ass, that means if we do manage to make it past the 50th floor and reach you, it's an unwinnable battle."

"Not exactly," Lazarus replied, his eyes glinting with something akin to excitement. "Come on, Luquier. You're borrowing the power of my comrade. I can tell you're just as used to death as I am. I know you can figure out a way to put me down."

He was right. My first achievement had made me quite accustomed to dying and coming back stronger. I had to think outside the box, or in this case, the game's constraints. If killing him normally didn't work, then perhaps I needed to exploit his condition.

"Wait, you revive in the presence of enemies..." I muttered to myself, trying to piece together a strategy. "Does that mean if there are no enemies around, you won't come back?"

Lazarus smiled softly, but said nothing. His silence was answer enough.

"Man, who knew it'd come in handy?" I grimaced, stowing away the Soultaker and using Final Gambit to blow myself up alongside Lazarus.

----------------------------------------

After I resurrected back in the boss room shortly after, I found myself looking at a smoldering crater where Lazarus had once been. He was nowhere to be seen. I couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh. The tension in the air was thick, and the eerie silence was deafening.

I wasn't sure why, but I had a feeling that if I were to meet Lazarus again, he'd be much more powerful than what I had just faced off against. It was the same for Bathalt, who had revealed his real stats after our talk. I shuddered, thinking of the potential horrors I might face if I tried to fight them again without proper preparation.

"What a troublesome ability..." I murmured, rolling my aching shoulders. I wasn't sure if Neutralize would've worked as well, but Final Gambit seemed to bypass Lazarus's revival condition, so it worked out in the end.

[Congratulations! Floor 40 [Simulated] has been cleared.]

[Main contributors: Player Luquier Vaunt.]

[You have gained 400 (Bonus has been disabled) experience points.]

[Level up!]

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow at the system message. I wasn't expecting to gain anything, much less that many experience points. Sure, the lack of my Magic stat bonus was disappointing, but I still gained four levels, which meant more Stat Points. 280 million, to be exact.

[Returning Player Luquier Vaunt back to Last Stand...]

As the blue light enveloped me, I wondered about the implications of facing off against such powerful entities in the game. Was this a taste of what awaited me on higher floors? The thought was both exhilarating and terrifying.

----------------------------------------

[Would you like to simulate another unknown instance?]

I ignored the system message for now, sitting with my legs crossed next to Sephera, who was lounging on the couch. My achievement was busy processing my latest death for rewards, and I was deep in thought trying to figure out what to do next.

First, for now I assumed that I was able to stay in Last Stand for as long as I wanted once I used my simulation achievement. The red portal near Sephera's throne displaying a view of Earth was a solid support to this theory.

Second, as eager as I was to redistribute my Stat Points, I had to be extra cautious now, since if I planned to simulate again, I'd have to keep track of my Risk points. That meant saving a few extra in case I needed it for anything.

Third, I was curious to test my ring's ability once again. With the hopeful addition of Lazarus, I could now summon the specters of Skalyt, Levius, the Grudge, and Muriel, among other fodder monsters I killed along the way.

I could sense Sephera peering over my shoulders, looking down at the ring and Soultaker. She hadn't said much during my fight with Lazarus, but she had definitely seen everything. "So, what's the plan now, Player?" she asked, her eyes glinting with curiosity.

"Based off what Lazarus said, I think it's safe to assume I'm not supposed to reach Ascension before floor 50," I slowly began, "And since I'm not the only Player that's also been on the fast track, I wanna also guess that the Player Nephilim hasn't reached Ascension yet either."

"Indeed," Sephera nodded thoughtfully. "But that does not mean you should slow down. The more you know, the better prepared you'll be when the time comes to face the true threat."

"Which is why I'm going to reach as close as I can to the 1 trillion mark cap, while stockpiling a shit ton of extra Stat Points. That way, when we do reach floor 50 and the dungeon break happens, it'll take just a few seconds to gain Ascension."

"That's... not a bad plan," Sephera mused, tilting her head slightly. "But, how are you going to farm up these points? Are you going to keep simulating?"

I grimaced. "Considering that I only jumped ahead one floor and the system was all over me, I don't think simulating is a good option until after we reach floor 50. On the flip side..."

I stood, staring at the system message. "I can simulate dungeons. Since I didn't gain another core from the Village or the Grudge dungeons, I could just do that here. The only problem is, I'd be sacrificing half my Risk points every time, and my Magic bonus doesn't get applied to my experience gain. It's still a profit, but not the maximum amount of rewards possible."

"So... you can't push the tower floors, and dungeon breaks are arbitrary. If you're not going to simulate here, then what else could you do?" Sephera leaned forward, her curiosity piqued.

"Well, it's about time I finally continue with the system quests," I smiled dryly, opening up the window messages I had ignored for so long since I got them right after Tessa had set me up with my place.

[Quest: So Many Paths.]

[Description: Choose the road you feel would best suit you. Whether it be a guild or solo life, you are free to decide your life.]

[Reward: N/A]

Sephera raised an eyebrow. "But this mainline quest doesn't reward you with anything. Are you hoping that later mainline quests give you something?"

"Yes and no," I cleared the screen and stowed away my items. I also restored my Risk points up to 72 million, saving the extra Stat Points for later. "It's just two birds with one stone. Joining a guild and clearing this quest are just checkmarks to my ultimate goal: grabbing taxis."

****

[Updating…]

[Name: Luquier Vaunt | Level: 3019]

[Risk: 72,000,000 | Stat Points: 279,213,445]