Classless Ascension

A fully armored Climber had appeared a distance away, pointed straight at Josh, and shouted: "This one has come to defeat you! Prepare yourself!" 

Josh could only watch this scene, perplexed. Had someone specifically made the trip to defeat him? What was he supposed to prepare?

The unknown Climber was wearing an orange full-plate armor that reminded one of a monstrous crab monster. While it did seem weird, there was also a sense of power exuding from it. All of that person's features were hidden behind the sturdy-looking gear. 

Everyone was waiting for Josh's reaction with bated breath, both the soldiers and civilians. At this point, some had evacuated the place, but there still remained many that were either foolhardy or confident in their capabilities. 

These people were now glad that they had stayed. How amazing would a duel between Josh and that mysterious individual be?! What awesome moves would he show them?! They were staring at him with rapt attention. 

It was the same for the soldiers and especially the Climbers/Farmers. His aura had seemed relatively goofy, but he would let out a hint of wisdom or even pure dominance from time to time.. They would finally see him fight! 

One of them even began cheering, "Go, teacher! Show that armored pumpkin who's boss!" The people nearby weren't going to repeat such an embarrassing line for sure! But, a few "Go teacher" resounded. 

Gaiden was probably the one that looked forward to this fight the most. He would finally know if the man deserved all the credits Roderick was giving him. His feat of drinking a lot hadn't been very awe-inspiring in his eyes. 

The silence was filled with tension. Who was that mysterious enemy? How would Josh react? Would this be a one-sided beat-down or a fight that would go down in legends? 

That is when Josh took a powerful step toward the unknown knight! He then showed the most confident expression they had ever seen as he heroically declared: "Sure, but give me a few minutes. I gotta take a leak!"

Josh then jogged away very quickly. The spectators could only stare at his back as he disappeared. This was so different than the scene they had expected! For an instant, they didn't know how to react. Was that it? Talk about anticlimactic!

"Who does that?! All this buildup, and he's going for a Bio break?!" someone commented. 

"There is nothing heroic about this! Bring me back my shattered dreams." 

"To be fair, he did participate in a drinking contest. I would have done the same in his position."

"Ah, that's true. Dare I say that it would be unethical to fight with a full bladder!"

"True, it would be a sign of disrespect for the people watching and for his adversary." 

"Is it me, or does this actually takes courage? Would you guys dare to tell such a huge crowd that you are going to the loo?" 

"This feels wrong, but you're kinda right. Damn!" 

"I reckon that only someone truly great would have such great confidence no matter the action."

That is how many began to sing Josh's praises for doubtful reasons at best. This, in turn, confused plenty of others that wondered if the people around them had gone crazy. Still, discussing kept them busy while they patiently waited.

5 minutes later — *Enthusiastic discussions*

"Do you think I can buy some chips before it starts?"

"I don't know, man. But, do you really want to risk it?"

"Missing such a fight because of gluttony would be a sin, literally!"

10 minutes later — *People checking the time in wonder*

"Shouldn't taking a leak be faster than that?"

"Maybe the toilet he found was occupied or something?"

"I mean, he did drink A LOT of beer. Fountain level leak, haha!"

"Makes sense. We just have to be patient. This will 100% be worth it!"

15 minutes later — *Should it take this long?*

"How long has it been? I would have done my groceries in that time!"

"Maybe something is holding him? Maybe he met a pesky salesman?" 

"True. The ones selling insurance are the absolute worst! So noisy and long-winded!"

30 minutes later — *What is happening?*

"There is definitely something wrong about this!" 

"Did he perhaps…run away? Could it be possible?" 

"No way! Look at these 300 soldiers waiting for him. He wouldn't just abandon them, right?"

"You're right! I didn't think this through properly. My bad!"

1 hour later — *Seriously, WTF is happening?!*

"It's been one hour, one whole hour! This is insane!"

"He's not coming back, is he? He clearly bailed on us all."

"Guys, there is something weird. Why are none of them raging?" 

The soldiers, the Climbers/Farmers, Josh's friends, and even this mysterious enemy were all patiently waiting for him to be back. Even the spectators that were extremely hyped about this had already lost all confidence, but not them? How?!

They should have been angry, restless, or they could have straight up left. Why were they still there? They wouldn't just waste their time for no reason, right? What did they know that the spectators didn't?

Following that logical thought process, many decided to stay. Were they to leave, they would have wasted an hour. As long as they remained, there was still a chance for Josh to come back.

They would be able to brag to their friends for days should they witness such an epic fight. They were not about to screw it up. They were not fools! 

2 hours later — *He's not coming back, is he?*

There was still no sign of Josh. At that point, Kasha had resumed playing the EDM music, because why not. It created a peculiar atmosphere. 

On one side, some people were just there to enjoy the music, and dance like no one was watching. Honestly, this wasn't easy considering that MANY were definitely watching! 

On the other side, the people were waiting for the most epic, legendary, unbelievable fight! Well, it truly was unbelievable at this point: would it even happen? 

From time to time, there would be a third group: the wet-blankets who wanted the music lowered. They had a somewhat valid argument that this was noise pollution or something. But, it seemed like one Kasha glare was more convincing. 

At some point, she felt bored and laid eyes on the knight in orange armor that was just sitting on the ground. That is when a smile blossomed on her face as she had a fun idea. 

Kasha approached while taking out a sharp silver glowing knife. "Let's fight! If you defeat me in a duel, I'll allow you to challenge Josh. How about it?" 

The unknown individual seemed to hesitate before replying: "Alright, but my goal is to challenge him and him only. I won't have time to entertain you once he comes back." 

Damn! Kasha of Draconic, she who loved to fight, was being looked down upon! The spectators couldn't help but rejoice. It seemed like they would get to watch an epic fight after all!

They couldn't wait for it to begin! Soon, people began cheering for their favorite fighter with great enthusiasm. They had been pretty bored in the last two hours, after all. 

"Kasha! Kasha! Kasha!" 

"Pumpkin! Pumpkin! Pumpkin!" 

It seemed like the weird nickname had stuck. Poor pumpkin— eh, orange knight! Anyway, it was time for a duel!….