50 Book 3 Chapter 46

Jason moved with confidence, each step bringing him towards his goal. His will focused on one singular purpose: break this tower, brick by brick, piece by piece. He'd crush any obstacle and slay any monster. The will to conquer the world coursed through his body, filling him with endless strength.

Not much time passed before he returned to the haven. The others in his team wouldn't be back for hours, so he went to find Peter. Jason's voice boomed throughout the sanctuary. "Peter, buddy, I got a present for you!"

Peter's head popped out from a window in bewilderment. Something was off about Jason's tone. Regardless, he stopped what he was doing approached Jason, eyeing the motionless body. "Who's that? Why does he look familiar…?"

Jason used one hand to lift Cay for Peter to get a better look. Sure enough, Peter's face went grim as soon as he recognized Cay. "This bastard finally showed himself?"

The closest people to Walter were Roy and Peter. After Roy healed Walter's soul, the man retired from the tower, and the matter with Cay ended. Not for Peter. He pulled every string he could to find Cay's whereabouts. Alas, the assassin vanished, as if he no longer existed.

Jason tossed Cay to the ground as if disposing of trash. "I'm pretty sure he's been here longer than us; look at his runes."

Peter gasped when he took a closer look. "Six runes?! How did he enter before us?"

With the time since this floor opened, it simply wasn't possible to hunt so many demons. Finding them was more problematic than killing them. If Cay had an entire alliance backing him, then getting seven, eight, or nine runes was plausible, but he was alone. Peter made sure of that.

"He's a demon, ain't he?" Jason shrugged, not caring much for a reason.

Peter gave Jason a once over. "You're lucky to catch him by surprise."

In Peter's mind, Cay was a top assassin, and with six runes, Jason was no match if Cay got the first strike. Jason explained casually, "He caught me by surprise, man. I almost died. If not for a miracle happening, I wouldn't be here right now."

Peter nodded, only to notice the lack of a familiar creature on Jason's shoulder. "Where's Tank?"

"She's dead, for now." Jason glared down at Cay.

Jason met Peter's gaze. "I should be sad, right? But I'm not. I have the utmost confidence I can revive her."

At that moment, before Peter could release a sigh of relief, the air shuddered, and the ground trembled under the pressure of Jason's spirit. Peter felt a powerful force press down on his body, making his bones scream in pain.

Jason realized what was happening as soon as Peter's knees hit the ground. He quickly calmed his emotions to bring his will under control. A notification appeared in front of Jason as Peter gasped for breath.

Congratulations! With the consolidation of your will and the stimulation of the m-serum, your Killing Intent skill has evolved!

The m-serum could evolve maxed out skills if there was enough stimulation. Since killing intent was from Aros, and only leveled up when his battle physique did, this evolution was a pleasant surprise.

Indomitable Spirit

All shall kneel under your will. Consumes Stamina.

Remark 1: Oppresses those with lesser Willpower, lowing their stats.

Remark 2: If the difference between the target's Willpower and yours is too great, you can choose to obliterate their soul.

Remark 3: Immunity to mental status effects.

"What the hell was that?!" Sweat soaked Peter's clothes as Jason helped him to his feet. The feeling a moment ago was like Shenlong's mental suppression, except dialed up to eleven. He felt powerless under it.

"My bad, my bad," Jason scratched his cheek and explained. "Like I said, a miracle happened. Cay awakened his soul too, but he was on another level. Not only could he block off his 'voice,' but he could also use it to deceive me. Man, it was close! Ha-ha. Anyway, something happened. It was like our souls connected, dude. I was able to feel his deepest emotions, and well, some strange things happened after that. Who cares exactly? I feel great!"

"Your souls connected? Strange things happened?" Jason's behavior weirded Peter out. "Are you okay, bro?"

Jason looked down at his hands and clenched them. "Yeah. I feel full of motivation and hope like I can accomplish anything as long as I work for it."

Peter took a close look at his friend, searching for something amiss. He didn't know much about souls. The only experience Peter had was Cay consuming a part of Walter's soul, leaving him traumatized for life. It was because of this Peter was so cautious hearing Jason's tale. Still, his thoughts changed when he saw something in Jason's eyes. A grey flame burned deep in his pupils. A will to live. To Struggle. To Survive. That was all Peter needed to see.

"I'm happy for you." Peter clasped Jason's shoulder and felt one of his many burdens disappear. Just then, a twitch from below reminded him of something. Peter quickly contacted Su Long to build some things, and soon, Cay was locked up in a building.

Today was a good day.