The more Noah thought about what Liam told him, the more he felt like it made sense. If he kept considering himself to be a good person, then he would eventually be continuously rationalizing and justifying the actions he took to himself.

The tower was already so treacherous on the very first floor, so only one could only imagine how difficult it would be to justify his actions at higher floors, especially when he was forced to bear the burden of trying to prevent the apocalypse. Enemy combatants simplified things far more, if this was a war to save humanity then at the very least he didn't have to continually convince himself that he was still doing the right thing every single time he was forced to make a tough decision. But that said, It was Liam that had told him to question everything that the Tower did, so he wouldn't take Liam's ideology as the Gospel of God. He would keep it in the back of his mind and reserve his judgement for when the moment finally came.

"Well, that about covers the time we have left," said Liam, looking at a wristwatch that had materialized on his right wrist at some point in time. "Before I go, if you feel like you can handle it- I can show you the aftermath of a historical battlefield that was a place where unspeakable acts were once committed, if you want to know just how easy Gridlocked is in comparison.... The choice is yours, kid" Liam said in a grim tone, making Noah wonder just what kind of battlefield would leave such a deep impression on Liam.

"I can handle it," said Noah, even though he wasn't sure if he could. But he wanted to know what lay in store for him on higher floors, and his curiosity simply overwhelmed any fear or trepidation he could have.

Liam stared at Noah and nodded. "Fine then kid, you asked for it," said Liam, and raised his right hand high in the sky, and suddenly slammed it on down, as if he were summoning something from the skies.

As Noah saw what Liam had summoned, his jaw dropped open in complete and utter stupefaction.

"BEHOLD, KID!" roared The Eternal Lion. "The Eternal Bed, a battlefield which even The Eternal Lion tread with caution back in his adventuring days " as both Liam and Noah stared at a king-size bed that was easily five times the size of normal ones, the bedsheets, and pillows and the frame of the bed all painted in a beautiful hue of silver that seemed otherworldly.

Liam ignored Noah's reaction and climbed onto the bed, lying down comfortably on the pillow, and pulling a blanket over himself.

"Good night, lad. Don't die on me, ya hear!" said in a jovial tone that was clearly trying to hold back from bursting out in laughter. Before Noah could out his protests and curses, the bed along with Liam's outline started to fade away.... and moments later only a small half-cracked illusory orb was visible.

Noah stared at the orb with a beet-red face, more out of embarrassment than humiliation. He had no choice but to admit that Liam really had a way with words, and each attempt at catching him off guard seemed to be better than the last. But as he took a moment to inspect the condition of the orb, he really couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity and sadness at the man's plight. You couldn't help but respect true geniuses in their field, be that academia or sports, and Noah was pretty sure ascending to Godhood more than counted as a valid addition among those ranks- to see someone so talented reduced to this just seemed like a very unfair tragedy.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

He wondered how much time was left, as he stared at the bright sky. A few minutes later, Noah blinked once and opened his eyes to a dark forest, only illuminated by a soft, weak light source that seemed to be replicating a waning moon. In less than a second, the tower had shifted from day to night without warning, treacherous indeed.

He willed his notifications to open up and found what he was looking for.

You have received [Modified Vitality Pills] x 5. They have been deposited in your inventory.

Taking the pills out of his inventory, he checked their description and found them to be exactly like what Liam had mentioned, removing the need to eat or sleep for a week. Removing the stopper and swallowing one before depositing them back, he felt a burst of energy in his stomach that made him feel energized, but it quickly dispersed throughout his body before he could enjoy the effects further. The little bit of drowsiness he was starting to build up vanished, and he felt as if he had just woken up from a long, comfortable rest. Such a mystical effect fascinated him, but for now, there was work to be done.

Name Noah Smith Level 3 Race Human Primordial Spirit (0/8 slots filled) Combat Art - Intelligence 4 Strength 2+2= 4 Wisdom 2 Constitution 3+2= 5 Dexterity 5+1= 6 Luck 0

Following Liam's instructions, he had put 2 points in strength this time while reducing the focus on dexterity, which was fine by him. He had gotten pretty good at climbing trees, and more firepower was always a welcome addition. Though he knew that the effect wouldn't be as dramatic as he wanted, it was still something.

He had discovered that his hauberk had two slits on either side and putting his hand inside them revealed that there was a pocket made with the same animal hide material the rest of the outfit was made with. It wasn't ideal, but he had no weapon sheath to tie to his belt, so he deposited his [Assassin's dagger] in his right 'coat pocket' of sorts as a backup plan.

With his spear held in his right hand pointing upwards, he took his first few steps into the eerily dark and silent wilderness with trepidation.

And this time, he had no Demi-God by his side to guide him, crack dumb jokes to cheer him up, or encourage him.

He was completely alone, and it was not a feeling that he enjoyed.