Classless Ascension

In Draconic, there was a specific VR room that was usually void of any human presence. Yet, it had been frequented so much recently. 

There had been two men training non-stop. There had been a constant stream of challengers fighting. There had been some kind of weird event, and now there was a gallery assembled. 

People would come and go in complete silence. Yes, the usually boisterous Draconic members were acting as if in a sacred temple. They would all look toward the man that was sitting cross-legged in wonder and reverence. 

Many had initially been wondering what he was doing. That's when the monk had told them that his master used meditation as a training method. Then, Liam had passed by and taught them some earthly cultivation "knowledge." 

Many were shocked beyond belief upon learning about such an amazing method. It instantly shattered their current understanding of the world. Why did Josh sound more mystical than the Tower itself?! 

Every time a newcomer heard the specifics, they would exclaim in awe. There had been some skeptics at first, but they were quickly silenced. They were all trying to learn by observing Josh's super-secret training method without disrupting him. 

At some point, he started using his item sets abilities. It made so many eyes bulge, and so many mouths hang open. What was that ghostly white spider?! Was that part of the training? How had he done so? Wasn't he Classless?! Was this immortal cultivation?!

Some gold members then told them about the Floor 12 item set. But, it only fueled their admiration. This thing was as valuable as a ranker's set! What kind of amazing display of wealth was that?! What kind of meditation required such skill activation? 

When the chubby rabbit appeared, they all curiously turned toward the gold members once more, awaiting an explanation. Except, this time, the elite members too were flabbergasted. What the hell was that?! 

Josh possessed something that no member of an S-Rank guild could identify?! What was the meaning of this? For them, it was crazy. But Josh didn't think anything of it, not in his current state. 

That's how the crowd simply got bigger and bigger, with only Josh having ample breathing room. Even Dario himself came to observe it all. At this point, many were considering dropping to their knees in veneration while begging Josh to teach them. 

All of this fueled many discussions, with every participant whispering, in fear of breaking the sanctity of the moment. 

"What do you think this meditative power-up technique is called? I bet it has a name so powerful that just saying it would suffice to intimidate enemies. What about Dragon Transcending the Nine Heavens Cultivation technique?" 

"Look at how contemplative he is! Even with his eyes closed, I get the feeling he can see the truths of the world. Is this the state of enlightenment that Liam talked about? This is amazing!" 

"I need to learn this so badly. I've memorized his exact posture. I've also remembered every little way he has swayed his head since the beginning. I'd be trying it right now if this place wasn't so crowded. Then again, I guess it's the same for all of you guys." 

"Have you guys noticed that he sat right after the fight? I've heard of this. It's called a breakthrough through adversity. It's when you are confronted with a life and death battle, and you suddenly get a flash of genius!"

"You're totally right! Some would argue that the fight only happened in VR, but with a 200% pain setting, it would feel even more real than reality! He would have died many times over in that inferno too." 

"Guys, he's definitely cultivating. He's been training for more than a day without any kind of food. I guess he really has a connection to Heaven right now. That's the only explanation!" 

As for Josh, he wasn't even conscious of this all. He had decided to randomly sit so he could gather his thoughts. That was all. 

His deep contemplative state? It was called thinking. 

His very specific posture? It was the most comfortable. 

Breakthrough through adversity? He had gotten similar insight while on the toilet, coincidence. 

A connection with Heaven? Gluttony Bloodline, enough said. 

As for the cool Spider and Big Chungus effects, well he was doing that to get a better feel on mana. He hadn't been trying to look cool. He figured the mana control was the issue. 

With an item skill, control was given to the item. With a skill, control belonged to him. He just had to stop relying entirely on external power and train his internal power instead. As for bloodlines, it was something different based more on compatibility than control. 

Using item skills was akin to cheating for an exam. It could work very well, but you'd be better off just learning about it for real. 

He needed a method to stimulate that inner power of his, and he had an inkling of how to proceed. It was such an insane method too. Was it even possible? Would it even work? He wasn't sure, but he'd try. 

He finally opened his eyes, eyes that were now extremely clear. He couldn't help but be startled when he saw the room utterly full of people. What were they all still doing here? Actually, there were even more of them than before. 

"How bored are you guys? Don't you have anything better to do than to watch me think?" Josh felt perplexed at this scene. What was with all these expressions of expectation?!

They had all expected him to share some mind-blowing insights. They thought he would have discovered some fundamental secret of the universe. 

It turns out he had been…thinking?! Hadn't he been cultivating? That wasn't any super-secret training technique? 

Many left while dragging their feet because they had misunderstood him. But, the vast majority left while dragging their feet because he was 'politely refusing' to teach them. 

Many were wondering how to become his disciple. But when they remembered the hardcore non-stop 200% pain training, they shivered a bit. Still, many resolved to ask the current students on the best tactic to apply. 

Back in the room, a stern Dario could be seen facing a puzzled Josh. 

"What was that bunny?" He asked extremely seriously. 

"Nothing much, just an item set," Josh admitted. 

"How? You are wearing the spider one at the moment." 

"This, this, and this. It's an accessory set." Josh pointed to his ring, earrings, and necklace.

"This is huge! This means one can have 2 item sets equipped at the same time!" 

"Yes, it's pretty neat." 

"So, what does it do?!" Dario's eyes were full of curiosity.

"It makes one increase in size and boosts defense a bit. Nothing else." 

"This would be insane on a vanguard! That would mean being able to body-block even attacks with large effect! We need this!" Dario was getting heated. 

"You guys need an E+-Rank set?" Josh showed doubt. 

"Right, it's just E-Rank. I can't believe you are dropping so much cool stuff! I wish we had access to such a difficulty…." Dario sighed. 

Were they unaware that it was possible to communicate with the Tower? Was it possible that no one but him had tried such a simple tactic? 

"….Just ask the Tower to unlock it for you." 

"Nice joke." Dario began laughing heartily before continuing. 

"So far it seems up to Floor 17 has the hellish difficulty available. Yet, the only ones that have been cleared are Floor 1 and 6, and yours. The first because it's the easiest and the sixth because it's the same exact strategy but with more Bosses to hunt." 

"Oh? That's cool!" It was nice to learn that the Tower was taking the initiative to update itself. 

"The Cerberus Set gives the ability to create a doppelganger head of oneself." Dario kept explaining. 

"Is that useful?" Josh was doubtful. 

"It increases the field of vision, screws with the human perception, and leaves one sick beyond belief. It's the worst." 

"The other?"

"The Devouring Set. It gives the devouring ability. It allows one to steal a bit of power from a dead target. The issue is that it takes a while to accomplish, and the buff doesn't last long. This one is actually giving us a headache."

"Why is that?"

"It works on humans. It's such a useless power and not worth killing for, but it comes with a certain feeling of satisfaction." Dario was sighing. 

"Afraid that this one set would give serial killers wings? Let me guess: it would make anyone invincible in a civilian area void of Climbers? That would be an easy way to cause public unrest."

"Exactly. Anyway, where did you get that rabbit set?" 

"Floor 13 hellish. I think it can drop more than one set, however. After I got that one, the system said something about me not being eligible for the other." 

Of course, the real reason was the curse, but no one had to know. Josh kept going, taking out the Gnoll Hunter's bow. 

"As for Floor 14, it drops this thing." Josh let Dario examine it. 

"Automatic arrow generation?! I swear, all these effects are so damn worth it. Right now, most of the S-Rank guilds have decided to slow down their Climbing progress. We'll slowly prepare to clear the hellish difficulties when they become available." 

"I see. Oh yeah, remember that analyst I sent you? What happened to him?"

"He's been hard at work. He's actually the one that gave us that report on the potential Devouring set danger. Oh yeah, also congratulations on acquiring D-23. As long as Draconic can enter that Alter Tower from time to time, we can use guild resources to help you develop it." Dario grinned. 

"That's nice. For now, I'm just waiting to see what will actually happen with it. You know, with the tremors happening and all. Anyway, I need to meet that guy to ask him a few things. Any idea where he is?" 

"Last door, at the end of that corridor. I gave him his own small office. He's pretty much always there." 

"Alright, thanks. Talk later. I have some things to plan." Josh waved at Dario while leaving. 

He couldn't help but feel restless. He would soon know if his new theoretical skills acquiring method was achievable...