Lucas was shocked by what he saw. Just as he thought Sultan was more reasonable than he expected, he killed his subordinate without a hint of hesitation.

“Why… did you do that?” Lucas asked, gesturing towards Adam.

“Did what?” Sultan’s eyes shifted to the man he had killed seconds ago, as if he had already forgotten all about it. “Oh, that. Well, what good is a right arm if it can’t even protect me or kill my enemies?”

“But he worked for you. Don’t you care at all?”

“I did care. In fact, he disappointed me greatly, which is why I killed him.”

Lucas shook his head, unable to argue with such twisted logic. Sultan frowned, seeing Lucas’ reaction.

“It surprises me that someone like you has kept such morals and is even shocked by the fact that I killed one of my subordinates. A very inefficient one, I must add.”

“Someone like me?” Lucas asked, confused.

“Yes, someone powerful enough to challenge those above his level and win, capable of killing when needed,” Sultan replied swiftly, making Lucas think.

Why does everyone assume my morals will shift over time? Is it impossible to maintain a trace of humanity as times goes by? Lucas didn’t believe that. Yes, his morals had changed somewhat—he was now capable of killing even when his life wasn’t at risk—but to reach a point where he killed a subordinate just because they were inefficient? No way.

“Maybe not everyone needs to give up on their morals to became strong,” Lucas replied, shrugging.

“Sure, you can fool yourself, make little concessions here and there, and pretend you’re the same person from when this all started. But do you honestly believe that?”

Lucas thought for a few moments. “I’m not the same person, but that doesn’t mean I have to became completely different from who I once was. As I’m now, I’ve just adapted or evolved from my previous self. But if I start to kill people randomly, that would make me a different person entirely.” Lucas said this frankly, and as he spoke, he realized the truth in his words.

Both Faruk and Sultan had a point: the world had changed, and morals were different; what was right and wrong wasn’t so clear now. But he still needed to hold on to certain things, or he would stop being himself and become something even he was afraid of.

Sultan seemed to consider his words for a few seconds. “Maybe you are right. When I think back, my morals didn’t undergo some great change after the system, either. I always felt like I was born to live in a place like this. So, about what you said earlier, I didn’t give up on my morals to become strong. On the contrary, my way of thinking brought me to this place. If I wasn’t ruthless enough, I might not have made it.”

Lucas shrugged again. “Maybe you could have reached the same place by being more sensible. There’s no way to know. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. I might not kill people randomly, but I have to kill you if I want to achieve my goals, so that’s what I’ll do.”

Sultan laughed. “All right, then! I might not entirely agree with you, but I admit you have guts. It’s been a while since I’ve had a decent fight. Don’t disappoint me,” he said, sounding serious. He then gripped his sword, which Lucas later realized was a khopesh.

Lucas felt nervous. Although he spoke with extreme confidence, he wasn’t certain he could beat him. Even though he managed to win the fight against Sultan’s arms, he had still lost some health and was even forced to drink a stamina potion. Not to mention his opponent was now four levels above him and had probably watched him fight all this time.

A sudden movement from Sultan’s hands pulled Lucas out of his thoughts. In the next second, ice spikes were flying in Lucas’ direction. He immediately jumped to the side, avoiding the deadly shards, but more followed his path as he ran.

Due to the weird sword in his hand, Lucas was caught off guard when the first thing Sultan did was throw ice shards at him. He was impressed to see that the man could do magic even without a staff in his hands. But then again, so could he.

While running, Lucas began shooting at Sultan whenever he could, disrupting the barrage of attacks. After a few moments of this back-and-forth, Sultan stopped the ice spikes.

A new dynamic started with Sultan running and Lucas shooting. But unlike Lucas, the tall man had an objective in mind. As he dodged, he began closing in on Lucas. Realizing Sultan’s goal, Lucas stopped firing and prepared for melee combat, his blades ready.

Just as Lucas was about to land a blow, the annoying illusionary movement started again—the same trick Adam had pestered him with, but now with even more proficiency. His attack failed as expected, and in return, he began to receive more and more hits.

For the time being he was able to avoid getting hit in any vital point thanks to his speed but at the moment, he had no hope to fight back. Again, Lucas was faced with the same question. How can you hit something that you can’t see? At the time he was fighting Adam, his solution was to surprise him with things he wasn’t expecting, but Sultan had seen him fighting, he knew what he was capable of.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Blood began to stain Lucas’ clothes all over, and the mental pressure of being suppressed was weighting on him. How could he fight back? His Perception just wasn’t good enough. That was when Lucas remembered, he still hadn’t checked his stats since he arrived at the cafeteria.

Lucas found a way amidst a barrage of attacks to get some distance from Sultan, and saw with relief that he had leveled up. Without hesitation, he placed all three points in perception, and just in time to dodge Sultan’s attack combined with his illusory step.

Lucas immediately felt the difference. It wasn’t like he could now see Sultan clearly while he moved, but it did become easier to pinpoint where his attacks would be coming from and when he stopped in a place.

This was enough for him, and Lucas began to attack again, but soon another annoying thing started to happen. Every time he managed to produce a superficial cut to Sultan’s skin and apply the necrotic effect, the part contaminated would freeze, nullifying the effect completely, so even after five minutes of this he wasn’t able to make any progress towards killing him.

On the bright side, he hadn’t suffered much during this period after he adapted to the way Sultan moved, and became used to his pattern of attacks, his stamina expenditure being the only thing making him concerned.

That was when Sultan sword disappeared, and he entered a stance that reminded Lucas of martial arts. In the next instant his skin started to glow purple, the same way Adam’s did when his power seemed to increase, and Lucas became worried.

He was already having a hard time as it was, now with the addition of that skill… then Lucas remembered, he still hadn’t used the elixir he made on the waiting room. Without hesitation, Lucas fetched the flask and quickly gulped its content.

I don’t feel anything, but my agility should have raised by five points, I hope that’s enough, Lucas thought as he saw Sultan close in on him.

Sultan’s entire fighting styles had switched when he started using that skill. When Lucas punch missed the target, despite the increase in agility, Sultan grabbed his arm and pulled. Caught off guard, Lucas was swept off his feet and thrown over the man toward the ground.

His insides shook when he hit the floor, but that didn’t stop him from trying to slice Sultan’s gripping arm with his other hand. However, Sultan was ready. The second Lucas moved, he moved too, and his apparent years of experience were on full display. He either changed his position to make it harder for Lucas to reach him without injuring himself, or he released the grip, only to grab him again moments later.

The toll of the constant exertion and effort needed to keep Sultan in check was making Lucas sweat profusely. The only reason he hadn’t been beaten yet was because he had become too fast thanks to his elixir, and even Sultan with his boosting skill couldn’t quite keep up. However, with time, his breathing started to become more and more difficult as his stamina dropped at a worrying rate.

The big problem wasn’t only Sultan’s incredible ability in jiu-jitsu, judo, or whatever that fighting technique was. It wasn’t even his boosting skill. It was the ice. Whenever Sultan managed to catch a hold of Lucas, his limb would freeze a little, or he would completely lose the feeling in his arm or leg, making it increasingly harder for him to fight back, and that was taking a toll on his stamina.

Sultan was extremely focused while fighting, becoming completely different from the movie villain he had presented himself as in the beginning. He didn’t say a word, and even when Lucas tried to provoke him, he received no reply back. It was like he had been replaced by a killing machine. But even though he seemed confident, Lucas could tell he was also starting to get tired, and the fight became a game of chess.

After a few more minutes of this back and forth, Lucas found another chance to cause a serious wound in Sultan. There was only one problem, his own arm was standing right in the middle.

Should I take the risk and pierce my arm to reach him? The thought crossed Lucas’ mind briefly, but he quickly discarded it. He was already having trouble with his stamina running low; what would happen if he added a broken arm to the mix? I need to be cautious.

Just as he thought that, ignoring his other blade that was ready to strike, Sultan kicked his head with incredible speed. Despite Lucas managing to pierce his attacking leg, with his blade and successfully land the necrotic effect, the man’s foot still hit his head with great strength. The next thing he knew, all went black.

It took only a couple of seconds for him to regain his senses. He was on the ground, and Sultan was holding his arm, looking ready to land a killing blow. However, as soon as he realized Lucas had woken up, he changed his stance, pulling Lucas’ arm with both hands and placing both legs on Lucas’ torso, preventing him from moving.

Sultan’s legs were stretched all the way to his chest and neck, making it hard for Lucas to breathe or move, and ice was quickly covering his body. Lucas knew what his situation meant, he wasn’t far from being killed. For the first time since arriving in the tower, Lucas began to feel genuinely afraid for his life. He considered if he should give up before it was too late, but he couldn’t.

How could he, after everything he had done, all that work he had put into improving himself, all those expectations placed on him by other people—how could he face them if he gave up at the first setback?

It was irrational, and he knew it. He could still come back after giving up; it wasn’t the end of the world. But the feeling of failure he would have if he gave up only on the second floor was too great. His strong legs prevented him from moving much, but his other arm was still free, so he twisted his body and tried slashing him apart.

Even though he managed to land a few deep cuts on Sultan’s legs, Lucas couldn’t aim properly without moving his body, and his efforts weren’t enough to make the man change his stance, not even the necrotic effect that was slowly rotting his limbs.

On top of that, the ice was spreading faster and faster. Lucas’ arm, under Sultan’s power, was barely able to hold it together. A few seconds more and it would break, and then it would be too late to give up.

Feeling his heart pound hard, Lucas heard Sultan’s voice for the first time since their fight began.

“That’s the difference between someone who’s willing to do anything, and someone who isn’t. You’re talented, but you don’t have what it takes to beat me, and that’s all that matters.”

After saying those words, the pressure on Lucas arm increased greatly, and he felt like he could hear his arm snapping at any moment. In that instant of desperation, his mind quickly searched through everything he could do to turn things around, and surprisingly enough, he found something.

Sultan’s words worked like a fuel to his spirit, and he no longer hesitated or saved any strength. Every ounce of his energy was focused, and in a split second, an extremely condensed ball of fire reached his arm just as he heard the snapping sound.

Without a second to spare, Lucas flung his head and torso to the other side as best he could, and in the next instant, chaos reigned. He felt his body be flung several yards away before he lost consciousness.