After calming down from the excitement of having a huge stamina pool, Lucas focused on his duties as Flavya’s personal bodyguard while she recovered, as they had previously agreed. Fortunately, they had moved far from Axis's last known location before finding a place to hide, so he shouldn’t be coming anytime soon. Flavya had even made a device to alert them when he was approaching.
Peering through Flavya’s field glasses in all directions through the broken window and making sure the coast was clear, Lucas started musing about his distributable points again. Previously, he decided where to allocate his points based on where he felt he was lacking the most or what could help him more down the line. This time, however, he had a clear goal: he needed to overcome the powerhouse that was Axis.
He didn’t like using his free points with a single opponent in mind, especially knowing his battles wouldn’t stop there, but this time was different. The reason was simple: he needed that achievement. The fact that no one on Zoria had been able to complete that floor weighed on his mind. If he managed it, he’d be the strongest human around, not counting the NPCs.
Of course, there were still plenty of cities on the planet he knew nothing about, and it was very possible more people would cross that threshold. But that was even more reason for Lucas to do everything he could to pull it off. In a way, it would show whether he could stand on his own two feet and protect himself and those he cared about from outside threats. So, yeah, this wasn’t like previous times. If he could do anything to up his odds, he would.
Looking at his status page again, Lucas considered his options. Before, he might have been inclined to increase his Toughness, which lagged massively behind his other stats. But Flavya’s magic seal that raised his stamina tenfold made him wonder if there wasn’t any alchemical solution to his Toughness issue.
By now, he had learned to enjoy alchemy and refused to believe it was inferior to the witchcraft Flavya practiced. Of course, in this case he wouldn’t be looking for a temporary fix like her magic seals, but something that could strengthen his body’s resistance without wasting his points on it.
Right now, if he were to put all his spare points into Toughness, it would only reach 12, and that wouldn’t greatly improve his overall battle power. It was simply too wasteful; there had to be a better way to circumvent this problem, and he believed alchemy might be it.
That was a question for later, though. For now, he still had his bracelet and incredible regenerative abilities, so he immediately discarded addressing his Toughness issue with spare points.
He considered raising his Magic next, as it was low compared to his other stats, but at the moment, his use for magic were limited both in power and scope. Once Flavya recovered, she would provide the long-range attacks he needed, so there was no point in doing that.
Vitality had been rising steadily thanks to Lucas’s class bonus, so there was no need to address it, especially with the huge stamina boost he’d just received. His regenerative abilities would work just fine.
That left three valid options: Strength, Agility, and Perception. Strength was always good because it increased his blades' sharpness, and from what Lucas had gathered, Axis wasn’t lacking defensively.
However, based on his fight with Tornik, Axis’s equipment didn’t seem heavy. Although looks could be deceiving in a world with the system, Flavya also believed Axis would prioritize Agility over Toughness, so Lucas wasn’t overly concerned about his blade’s sharpness.
His fighting style relied heavily on Agility, his highest stat. He could always use more points there to keep his speed advantage. On the other hand, Perception was one of the most useful stats. It allowed him to analyze opponents’ moves, anticipate attacks, and study mana or his auras.
After some consideration, Lucas decided to split his 6 points evenly between Perception and Agility. His Perception had fallen a little behind, which could harm him in a fight, especially against someone as skilled as Axis. He chose Agility because… well, being fast was awesome.
With that done, Lucas began to look through his supplies. Before entering the fourth floor, he had prepared a bunch of elixirs, and he was considering the best time to use them.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Elixirs weren’t like potions; you could take more than one at a time, provided they weren’t for the same thing. Which meant he could, if he wanted, take a Perception, Agility, Strength, and Magic elixir and be all boosted up to face Axis.
The only problem was that they lasted only an hour, and if he didn’t finish Axis off before then, he’d experience a big drop in power in the middle of a fight. Lucas’s fights had never lasted more than a few minutes, so he didn’t seriously consider that possibility, but since Axis was his strongest opponent yet, he couldn’t ignore it.
I should test his power first, before making any rash decisons, Lucas thought.
Flavya had warned him that his recent level-up wouldn’t place him on Axis’s power level, so if he had to fight alone, he’d need every trick up his sleeve. However, even after all those warning he he’s still felt the need to see it for himself.
Lucas turned to Flavya, still deep in meditation. She had said she’d be out for about six hours. He was surprised at first by such a long time, but she explained it was due to the physical toll a magic seal like the one she made for him took on her body. It even disrupted her mana control altogether, leaving her useless for battle.
He was impressed by her attitude towards the whole Survival Showdown thing. She always seemed in control, never too bothered by events, and willing to do whatever it took to achieve her objectives.
It was a pity one of them would have to die, he thought, considering her. The idea that she was probably already long dead in the real world didn’t make him feel better. Even though he hadn’t cared much about this world’s politics at first, after Flavya had been so helpful to him throughout—providing both knowledge and actual power—and given their perfect partnership in battle, Lucas couldn’t help but care a little about what happened to her after the real Showdown ended.
He knew her chances weren’t great alone, so the odds of ever meeting her outside were slim. But he still hoped she’d manage to win her version of the Showdown or at least achieve her goal of killing Axis and removing a big threat to her people.
Not wanting to get too emotional at such a critical juncture, Lucas decided to scout the surroundings, hoping to find something other than wreckage.
Flavya would be safe for the time being. She’d set up a warning system in case Axis’s mana signature—yes, that was a thing—got near. Lucas had a piece of string, and she had another; the moment the string broke, it meant Axis was near, and Lucas had to return at once.
Making sure the string was at hand, Lucas exited the apartment and walked at a slow pace through the empty corridors, deep in thought. Whether he could surpass this floor or not, it was undeniable that it had been a very enlightening experience of what to expect from a system world.
His recently acquired knowledge ranged from bloodlines to politics and witchcraft—not to mention the possibilities of advanced technology. He had proof of that right there on his arm.
His most mysterious spoil, however, was without a doubt the purple eye necklace he made from Halyk’s eye—a legendary bloodline was sitting in his ring, and the only way to keep it was by killing Axis.
...
In silence, Lucas moved from room to room in the condemned building. He found it interesting to peek into the previous lives of the people who had lived there. They had left behind pictures, jewelry, toothbrushes, documents, and all sorts of items, probably trying to escape whatever had happened.
In a way, it reminded him of Earth. He wondered if, after the comet came to destroy humanity, any living creatures managed to survive, and if they would visit the remains humans had left behind centuries later.
...
The string snapped in Lucas’s hands. He ran back to the building where Flavya was staying and reached the apartment shortly after. Flavya had stopped her meditation and was peering through the window.
“Can you see him?” Lucas asked, moving toward the window.
“It has only been four hours,” she said in a daze, ignoring his question. “He shouldn’t have found us so soon.”
Lucas took a look around through the window but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Axis was getting close but hadn’t found them yet.
“Should we go hide somewhere else?” Lucas asked again.
“The city is small. If we do that, there’s a chance he will intercept us,” she shook her head. “I’m still weak; it’s too dangerous.”
Lucas nodded. “I’ll stall him until you can join us, then. It should be fine; just stay here.”
Doubt filled her eyes as she shook her head sadly. Lucas hated to admit it, but it pained him to see her in distress. He had gotten used to seeing her always full of confidence and decisiveness.
“We were so close,” she said, clenching her fists in frustration. Lucas grabbed her by the shoulders until she looked at him.
“Trust me, this isn’t over. I won’t die before you can join us. Just stay here and heal. I’ll handle the rest,” Lucas assured her before leaving through the door.
Through the ghost city, Lucas walked a couple of blocks before he encountered a figure walking slowly with loud steps, a big saber resting leisurely on its shoulder. For the first time since this thing started, Lucas really looked closely at the person he had heard so much about. As he watched the figure covered from head to toe in blood open a big smile at his sight, he couldn’t help but feel his blood boil.
It was time!