The missing piece of the puzzle was finally revealed, Noah now had a general understanding of why The Eternal Lion had been forced to escape into the past. Whatever existence resided on the 99th floor was strong enough to wipe his entire race out. The concept of all humans in existence just perishing like that seemed so disconnected from reality, that he felt no immediate fear or terror at the prospect. After all, humanity had survived for 300,000 years on Earth surviving terrifying plagues, famine, and devastating wars. In all honesty, he just didn't want to believe it.

Despite believing himself to be unfazed by the revelation, his face carried an expression that was a mix of shock and terror, while his eyes bulged out as he glared at The Eternal Lion for scamming him once again.

"So.... " Noah croaked out, his voice cracking as he struggled to get the words out. "You want me to challenge the 99th floor in your place and save humanity? Fight an existence that was strong enough to kill you?"

The Eternal Lion looked at Noah with an expression of incredulity, as if Noah had said something ridiculous. "Pfft......hahaha" He burst out in a fit of laughter, only regaining his composure a few seconds later.

"Kid, you really think that I value my accomplishments so little? I wouldn't be called the strongest challenger if some random teenager could replicate my accomplishments with a bit of guidance, now would I?" The Eternal Lion chided, though his tone contained a glimpse of his pride at being the strongest among 7 billion people.

"But then what do you wa-" Noah asked in a raised voice, but was interrupted before he could get the entire question out.

"Firstly," The Eternal Lion raised a single finger into the air, " It's not about what I want, but what I can offer. In the previous timeline, you were most likely a nobody, just watching from the sidelines and mucking about uselessly because you were too weak to matter. If you listen to me, you might just be standing with the frontrunners one day."

"Secondly", he paused for dramatic effect and then continued "If you look at the tower as if it were a video game, then I've got all the cheat codes memorized. We're gonna steal from future rankers kid, monopolize all the overpowered shit for ourselves. That includes my stuff too, so you're in for a good time. Just thinking about how mad that'll make them brings a smile to my face. " The eternal lion explained with a toothy grin plastered on his face.

"And lastly, when I say humanity has a chance, I mean it. Future knowledge won't let you bypass the challenges themselves, and I don't expect you to smoothly succeed in everything I've got planned for you. In fact, you'll probably have a pretty rough journey ahead. If you can be just half as strong as I was in my prime, you've got a shot at this." The Eternal Lion explained in a solemn tone.

Noah relaxed as he heard the conditions he was presented with. But it only gave rise to more questions, he didn't understand how being weaker than the previous challenger would let humanity survive.

"How am I supposed to save humanity if I am weaker than you!? " Noah asked in bewilderment.

The Eternal Lion awkwardly scratched his head, as if he was unsure how to explain himself.

"Well, on my original climb I had a vague feeling that there was much more to the tower than we originally discovered. That feeling solidified on the 98th floor after I got the time travel ability. In fact, I think our approach to the tower has been fundamentally wrong since the very beginning. It conceals unfathomable secrets, and I feel like we've only scratched the surface in terms of our discoveries. Back then I was too late to do anything about it, but now...... I got a few theories to test out. If we can unravel the mysteries of the tower, the possibilities are limitless. Though it's still a gamble," the man explained, slight excitement contained in his voice.

"What if you can't find anything? And can you tell me what the challenge at the 99th floor was?" Noah asked in a skeptical tone.

"Hmm, well that's part of the reason why I need you to be strong. If I can't find anything we move on to plan B. As for the specifics of the 99th floor, telling you now serves no purpose. Not to mention that if I did, you'd explode into a ball of mush." he reluctantly explained.

"Stop dodging the question and just tell me what plan B is," Noah asked, tired of being treated like a kid.

The Eternal Lion sighed, and finally answered. "Prevent humanity from reaching the 99th floor at all costs. Even if it means killing all those who resist. Because if they do, there will be no future at all. Don't worry too much though, because you've got roughly a century before humanity breaks through to the 98th floor. I don't exist, so maybe push that timeline by a decade more. A life confined within the tower is better than no life at all."

Noah gasped, now understanding why he said Earth had a chance. To save the world, he might have to kill people. What kind of a twisted reality was that? Even if he managed to save humanity in this warped manner he would only be considered a tyrant and a despot who enjoyed caging his fellow humans. Why did he have to be so unlucky? Noah wasn't irresponsible enough to just ignore this situation, but he didn't want to turn into a homicidal maniac either. Deep down he knew that killing in self-defense was a possibility if he wanted to survive in the tower, but voluntarily killing other people for no fault of theirs..... he felt ill at the thought.

"Is there a third option?" asked Noah, without much hope.

The Eternal Lion's eyes brightened up at Noah's question and a silver aura coalesced around him, making him appear to be an extremely domineering existence.

"There is. Surpass Me," he said, with an unprecedented amount of seriousness behind his voice.

As Noah gazed into the Eternal Lion's eyes, he saw the ferocity and strength those eyes contained. If he were alone, Noah had no confidence in competing with the best combatants humanity had to offer. But, he had the strongest challenger as his guide, who knew this place like the back of his hand. Since the alternatives were unacceptable, the only thing left was to try his best.

"Fine then. Teach me how, and I might just surprise you." Noah said, finally regaining his confident demeanor. After all, reigning at the top wasn't exactly a new thing for him.