Before reaching this conclusion, Lucas had intended to intercede in the fight and join the other three to eliminate the biggest threat, the archer, as quickly as possible. Yes, that would be more than a little scummy of him, but he was there to win after all, and he wouldn’t earn any extra prizes for being a good sport in the end.

However, the idea that there was someone else out there who could put that archer on her heels made Lucas hesitate. So far, he had encountered too many surprises on that floor—their equipment and the eye bloodline were both unexpected—and even though he had handled it well so far, he wasn’t too arrogant to realize that things could change at any moment if he wasn’t smart enough.

After all, when he thought about it, the tower had placed Sultan, a far stronger opponent than him, on only the second floor. Why wouldn’t it put a similar obstacle on this floor, a floor no one had yet passed?

No, there was certainly a surprise waiting for him. He had a feeling this tower wasn’t merely a test of power; it was more than that. It was a challenge that involved strategy and brains. If he wanted to get past this floor and the others as well, he needed to think outside the box, or he would only find wall after wall blocking his path.

Having made up his mind about his course of action, Lucas found a nearby door, right at the trio’s back, and stepped into the scene. Immediately, the four of them threw glances at him, trying to figure out his intentions. Realizing the distracted targets, the archer took the opportunity to launch an arrow at one of them, who managed to move his body at the last second. Instead of the heart, the arrow hit his arm, causing him to scream.

“What are you looking at me for? Kill her!” Lucas yelled, firing at her with his finger to show his intentions. The men looked relieved, but Lucas could swear he caught a look of concern on the girl’s face after hearing him. However, the mask of indifference that prevented any emotions from transpiring was soon back on her face, and she even shot a few arrows his way, which he made sure to dodge without using his bracelet.

Even though many people knew someone had stolen the bracelet, he was positive not many were aware of who did it, and Lucas wasn’t inclined to show them unless it was necessary.

Slowly, Lucas began to move forward, despite the barrage of attacks the archer aimed at him. As soon as the other three saw his speed, they began to celebrate.

“You’re definitely dead now!” one of them yelled at her, spitting on the floor.

“You have some nerve coming to the Survival Showdown with a bow. Now you’ll see why you shouldn’t do that!” another said, his face red with anger.

Remembering their reaction to someone carrying a gun to the competition, it wasn’t too hard to imagine the archer would be next in line to be hunted down, especially in a place that favored them so much like that ruined city. But it still felt odd to him to hear them talking like that.

In his opinion, the bow was different from a gun. It didn’t give anyone special advantages and it required skill to use it, especially in a battle at close range like this. It made the guys basically calling her a cheater look like clowns, but Lucas said nothing as he advanced forward.

Despite the archer’s best efforts, Lucas eventually managed to stand side by side with the others, who were casting multiple fireballs while closing the distance between them and her. From that distance, Lucas could see the sweat dripping from her face. She seemed worn down, no longer able to maintain the brave façade he had seen before.

Instead of pressing on, however, Lucas stopped shooting. In the next second, his right arm punched to the side, his blade slicing the man’s torso open. A moment of silence and confusion hit all of them when this happened, but not Lucas, who was already punching towards the man on his left, who had no time to dodge. Lucas managed to take out his head. Before he could reach the third, however, he saw an arrow pierce right through the man’s eye, and his shield was ready for any incoming attacks.

Two notifications were heard, confirming the people he had attacked were indeed dead, but he didn’t lower his guard. The greatest threat was still alive, after all, and looking at him with hawk eyes.

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Even though the possibility of eliminating the threat in front of him while she was in a disadvantageous position seemed enticing, Lucas had decided before stepping into the scene that he would take a different approach.

However, looking at her in front of him, he still wasn’t sure he had made the right choice. At least she didn’t shoot yet. That’s more than I expected, Lucas thought, while staring at the heavy-breathing woman in front of him.

“Why did you do that?” she asked after a few seconds of silence between them, without either of them attacking the other.

“I want to know who did this to you,” Lucas said, pointing at the wound on her torso. Almost instinctively, she placed a hand in front of it to cover it up, before giving up and sighing.

“Why does it matter?”

“If there’s someone out there that can force you to run like this, I need to know.”

Her face twitched at his words, and Lucas assumed he had guessed right. He had figured that since she was doing so well even after her injury and against a group of three, her previous fight hadn’t been against more than one very terrifying person. A few moments of silence passed between them as Lucas waited for her answer.

“I thought everyone knew Axis,” she finally said, and waited, as if that name was supposed to elicit a reaction from him. When she saw that it didn’t, her expression turned to shock. “Have you really never heard of him?”

“No. Should I?” Lucas had really never heard of the man, but the fact that it was a single person and not a whole group gave him the information he needed.

“Well, if you want to keep yourself alive, the least you could do is research your opponents beforehand. Besides, knowing Axis isn’t even a matter of research; his family is known throughout the entire planet. How did you not know him?”

“Of course I knew of him, but I don’t keep up with the news. I didn’t know he was this powerful, that’s all,” Lucas replied, shrugging. There was a very good reason for him not to know the guy, but he assumed the system would prevent him from telling her what was actually going on, forcing him to lie.

“That’s still weird. But it doesn’t matter. Now you know who did this to me, so, what’s it gonna be?” She said, pulling her bow.

Lucas was still using his shield, so he wasn’t concerned about being attacked. He carefully considered what his next words should be, and a few seconds later he spoke. “How about you and I go kill Axis together?”

Lucas had considered that a lot in the short amount of time that had transpired, and it seemed like the best course of action. Despite partnering up with someone to go after a single individual hurting his pride somewhat, he needed to consider the bigger picture. If that small humiliation got him through this floor, he was all for it. He was intent on finishing this floor no matter what tricks he needed to use.

He thought about going the smooth way, trying to win her trust first, talking about a partnership and whatnot, but considering that only one of them could leave the place alive, he thought it better to just tell her his intentions straight and let her decide.

The girl had a weird expression on her face upon hearing his proposal, almost like disbelief.

“Really? Don’t you want to take advantage of the fact that I’m injured to kill me?”

“Yes, I do actually,” Lucas started by saying, and he had the impression that the girl’s fists tightened around her bow as he continued, “but killing Axis seems like a higher priority at the moment, and I don’t know if I can do it by myself.”

Despite his explanation, the look of disbelief never left her face.

“And you trust me to fight by your side against him?”

“Well… yes,” Lucas replied, feeling less sure than he was before. Clearly there was something he was missing based on her attitude, but before he could say more, she gave a small laugh.

“There’s definitely something wrong with you, but okay. I’ll take whatever help I can get to kill that piece of shit. But I’ll warn you now, if you’re deceiving me to try and kill me, you’ll have another thing coming,” the girl replied fiercely.

To Lucas' relief, after saying that she completely lowered her bow, and Lucas did the same, retrieving his blades and putting away his shield.

Before entering this floor, Lucas had decided to have as little contact with others as he possibly could, due to his past experiences with Maria on the third floor. But now he realized how much that could harm him in the long run.

All those people had apparently done a thorough search of each other’s lives, learning all the strengths as well as the weaknesses, while Lucas was left in the dark and forced to walk around aimlessly, trying to capture any signs that could indicate his opponent’s fighting style.

It was almost like the tower wanted him to interact with others, and he could see why. It was a big part of the whole strategy business he had thought about earlier. Sure, he could make his strategy around going through the floors solo, never trusting anybody, but as things were, he didn’t think that was very smart.

Therefore, all things considered, even if unintentionally, he saw another point where this momentary partnership could help him and was eager to ask the girl a few questions and learn more about who he would need to face later on.