With trembling hands, Noah pushed Natalie off of his chest. He was still in a state of shock, unable to process reality for what it was. He… had just killed someone. No, murdered someone in cold blood. Wait no, lethal force was allowed by law if someone directly threatened your life. Did that mean he was innocent… no, without a judge and jury, there was no one left to hold him accountable. Did that mean that he was a murder? No…no, no, no that couldn’t be… John Locke! It was John Locke that ‘since the fundamental law of nature is that mankind be preserved and since that law would “be in vain” with no human power to enforce it, it must, therefore, be legitimate for individuals to punish each other even before government exists’. And with the Primordial Tower successfully having dismantled all forms of human law-governing systems, he was therefore vested with a natural right to defend his life, health, liberty and possessions. So he couldn’t be held respon-

‘SHUT UP!’ came a voice from another part of his mind, telling him that there was something more important than debating the ‘law of man’ with himself. Oh wait… wasn’t he bleeding out? Fuck, fuck, what could he use as bandages that was available nearby? Would a torn piece of the remains of his dirty T-shirt do, or would that cause sepsis? Or…. Wait, wait, wait this was the fucking Primordial Tower. Magic bastard ghost, Disgusting green goblins, health potions…. Fuck, that was it!!!

Finally snapping out of the stupor, Noah applied pressure to his neck with his left hand, and reached into his pockets with his right. The movement took him a lot longer than it should have, but thankfully the small glass vial hadn’t broken after all the fighting that went down today. Pulling out the stopper with his teeth, he greedily guzzled the red liquid as if it was the ichor of the god’s themselves. The pain from his wound dulled, but it was still present. Without hesitation, Noah opened his status screen and purchased another potion, guzzling it down- side effects be damned.

The pain went down another notch, and Noah felt the strength returning to his body. Slowly, but steadily rising, he got back up on his two feet, only to be welcomed by another wave of fresh panic. Whether it was self-defense or not, Natalie was dead. And who was the one person that Natalie had under her thumb? Will, the madman who was strong enough to kick the floor if it meant going faster, and who could probably cleave him in half if he got within range. Between the two of them, Noah was convinced that Natalie was the psychopath and manipulator, while Will was just the naïve guy who’d been taken around for the ride. Otherwise, it was hard to imagine him being trusting enough to go with the plan of an 18-year-old, or noble enough to risk his life if it meant saving Natalie. Or maybe the psycho bitch had already killed him, and that was the reason he didn’t return? No, no, no…. It didn’t make sense. Will was a loyal asset, and between the two of them it was clear who did the heavy lifting. Even if she wanted to kill him, it would be right near the end, a cutesy act followed by a warm embrace and a knife to the back of the throat. Though he wasn’t one to judge that tactic…. He’d done the same to Natalie. A murderer like him should just die at Will’s hands as atonemen-

‘FUCK, NOT AGAIN’

Noah slapped himself once, and tried to focus on the crux of the matter. Natalie was dead. If Will saw Natalie dead, he would hunt him like a madman. What would a protagonist in one of those college murder mysteries do…. The first thing was to wear a pair of gloves, to avoid fingerprints being lef-

‘SHIT! That was it!’ Noah realized that he was still thinking in Earth’s old ways. As magnificent as the tower maybe, there was no forensic expert, nor a database registry, nothing that could trace back to him.

So…. All he had to do was get rid of the body, in a dark forest with ample cover and limited visibility, before Will leapt his way towards him. Looking down at Natalie’s body with mixed expressions, Noah was still unsure of this course of action… but the adrenaline coursing in his veins made the decision for him. The health potion was healing him, but Noah still didn’t feel in any condition to fight an enemy as domineering as Will. For all intents and purposes, the real Noah Smith died today, bested by the Goblin Marksman. He had to find a way to disguise himself, or he was mega fucked. Since it was taking Will this long, it was reasonable to assume that the opponent was giving him trouble, and there could only be so much expected from an 18-year-old teenager.

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Hefting over Natalie’s body, Noah slowly jogged- best he could in his present condition, twisting and turning every few meters to make his trail difficult to follow. Each time a bush moved due to his passage, or a broken twig let out a small crack, Noah would flinch, wondering if his reaper was finally here to collect his due, but it was just his psyche playing tricks on him.

Thirty nerve-racking minutes passed, and Noah found himself unable to carry Natalie’s body anymore. The adrenaline had worn off, and the psychological burden was weighing down far more heavily on him than the physical one. Gently placing her body in the nearest bush, Noah sprinted westward using the entirety of his ten dexterity, without care for any thorns or brambles that would get in his way. Archers, marksmen, or whatever the fuck that attacked him, he wouldn’t stop running until he was far, far away from that place.

Another hour passed, going by a blur as Noah found himself faced with his own thoughts yet again. Drenched in sweat from head to toe, and no longer able to run anymore, a battered Noah cautiously approached a tree in search of some cover. His instincts screamed at him to run away from the tree, for it was the place he had been ambushed just an hour or so ago, but he ignored them after taking a 360-degree stock of it.

With a sullen expression on his face, inwardly cursing the twisted tower for making him do this, Noah finally allowed the notifications to rush in.

Natalie Rose was not a match for your skillful and agile display! Her devious actions were rewarded by a wicked blade to the heart. The following items have been transferred to your inventory: 1925 Essence Points Hunting Knife, Common Marauder's Scimitar, Common Bloodied clothes, Unusable First successful hunt bonus: 1000 EP

Hunter, Limited Use Title Unlocks one special item in the shop.

Noah stared at the status screen, and an odd feeling of relief enveloped him. The tower approved his actions, even rewarded him for it! He had considered all law-making authorities to have lost their powers, but he was wrong. One still existed, and it had ratified his actions. There was someone watching, someone out there who knew that it wasn't his fault... and it brought great relief to his heart.

Another thing he noticed was that the Tower called Natalie's actions devious, was that referring to her attempt on him, or did that mean Natalie had killed other people in the past? How could she have done such a thing with Will around? Did that mean Will was in on it and his assumptions were wrong?

Noah felt a bead of sweat trickle down his back, swearing not to trust people easily again. He opened the essence shop, wondering what special item lay in store for him to temporarily take his mind off such depressing thoughts.

Lens of the Righteous Hunter, Hunter Title Perk

Cost- 50 EP.

Effect- Allows the wearer to see how many EP another challenger within 10 levels of them has. Challengers who have killed other challengers in order to acquire EP will be highlighted in red. Effect only applicable on Gridlocked.

Noah breathed in another deep sigh of relief, this confirmed that Natalie had killed someone before him, and was a sick, twisted individual who liked killing people for sport.

She was the murderer, not him... Noah was innocent, and the tower witnessed his righteousness in the matter. One could even say that Noah had done the world a favor.

If only he knew.