Classless Ascension

In the middle of an alley in Metropolis-D, a man was deep in thoughts until he was interrupted by a bubbly young thief. 

"Don't tell me that she's charmed you?! Doesn't she seem arrogant, not even showing her face? Anyway, you should be careful. I heard that she has contacts in the LoA, high ranking ones!" The thief excitedly told Josh. 

"You didn't feel anything from her at all?" Josh confirmed. 

"Felt what?" The youngster was utterly confused. 

"You rely too much on your actual senses. Either way, I'm sure we'll meet later on." Josh shrugged. 

"Wait…you still need to grab an MTA outfit?! There's still some time left, but it's really challenging." The thief seemed concerned. "Do you want me to get you one? I'll take the risk if it's for you. I'm 60% sure I can do it again." He offered. 

"No need. I'll get one myself. It's not especially hard." Josh nonchalantly remarked. 

The thief's eyes bulged in surprise. This guy could fight so well, and he could steal too?! Was there anything that he couldn't do? He stayed rooted in place as the mysterious man relaxedly left….

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Josh was internally laughing. This mission that others considered challenging was nothing but a formality to him. He decisively rushed toward D-23. The trip back and forth wouldn't take too long with a flying car. 

A few minutes later, he was already at the edge of the forest. What made things even easier was that the guards "recognized" him since the real assassin was now a student here. As he waltzed in unobstructed, he couldn't help but worry about his school having security issues. 

What should he do to remedy it? AT had a way to recognize the Climbers without error. Perhaps he could ask him for tips? As he was pondering, he suddenly noticed that something wasn't right. 

People were getting out of his way and were sending covert glances toward him. What was happening? Then a few seconds later, he understood that his cover had been blown. They somehow knew that he was an "intruder". 

Josh couldn't help but feel proud. However they had done it, it was admirable of them. He couldn't help but give a wry smile. Should he reveal his appearance right now or wait for a big reveal? He almost felt like he was on that one show with bosses going undercover in their own company. 

He kept walking, seemingly not noticing the faint clues that everyone was giving out. The place definitely was even livelier than what he remembered. Before, there had been hundreds of Climbers, but now there had to be close to a thousand! 

Some were obviously students, while others had a visitor pass around their necks. It made for a very colorful scene. 

If the place had looked desolate before, it now appeared like a small town. Well, a peculiar one with giant sloths lazily sleeping all over the place. Some students would feed them steaks as they ate in their sleep. 

Josh quickly reached the Alter Tower. He fondly smiled as he noticed that they had set up a large leaderboard. It seemed to be updated in real-time. How had they even managed this?!

Climbers could be seen excitedly pointing at it, proud as they found their names on it. One side showed the top 100 while the other the top 200. Of course, the same name was at the top of every ranking "Josh MF Malum". 

From time to time, some would heatedly stare at it with admiration. It seemed that he had gained some fame ever since he had gone away. Many of the new students had never met him, and he was becoming a local legend. 

He would have to make sure to crush any challenge AT came up with in the future to keep the myth going. He had pressure on his shoulders now, haha. 

Just as he was happily taking the sights in, he noticed someone familiar, steadily making his way toward him. Roderick was sporting a kind smile as he approached him: "Hey Phil, how have you been?!" 

Only now was Josh realizing that he had never asked the assassin's name. Phil, was it? Somehow, the orator didn't seem like a Phil to him. For now, he replied, "Are you asking me? You know how it is. I'm always trying to improve…." 

"Makes sense. Still, do you want me to help you train? I've got a bit of time right now." Roderick amicably offered. 

"Sounds perfect! Let's go!" Josh enthusiastically agreed. 

Roderick didn't flinch, but Josh could sense his surprise. He had probably expected him to use any excuse to avoid him. The general slowly escorted him toward a newly built large building with many Climbers going in and out. 

Josh soon understood what this place was. Wow! They had built a high-tech training center! Here the students could practice their combat moves in preparation for delving into the Training Tower. This place featured immersive holograms and gravity chambers! 

It soon became obvious who had been responsible for this project. In the main hall, there was a giant statue of a pink-haired lady. She had her arms crossed, a heroic gaze, and a badass smirk. It was a fantastic rendition of Alexa the Tech Queen! 

"This statue is wonderful, am I right?!" Roderick offhandedly commented. 

"For sure. It's pretty neat." Josh couldn't help but agree. 

As soon as he said that, he felt Roderick harden. Had there been anything wrong with Josh's statement? He really couldn't figure it out. They soon reached a training room, the general fiddling with a control panel on the wall. 

What happened next looked so damn impressive. The floor changed as a vivid mountaintop scenery replaced the entire room. Snow started blowing across the room as an icy gale rose. Disregarding if this was useful, it was so damn cool! 

Roderick took position on the other side as he gestured to attack him. "Come, let's do this." 

Josh couldn't help but grin. If this could help him judge his own progress, then he was all for it. He charged at the man, fists first. He began sending punch after punch, purple energy covering his hands. 

Roderick narrowed his eyes as he quickly dodged the attack, even counter-attacking. The man was stronger and faster than Josh and kept pushing him back. But, every time he went for a decisive blow, his target would somehow twist and evade. 

Josh quickly realized an issue. Even with a successful feint, delivering a blow powerful enough would be hard. This was because of the raw stat difference. It was time to test his smelly set once more. 

As Roderick punched toward his face, Josh activated it. Instantly the general lost his bearings if only a fraction of a second. But, this was enough for Josh to put him into a choke-hold. After targeting a few pressure points, the general lost all power. 

"You committed a grave mistake on that one." Josh slowly chuckled. 

But suddenly the sound a mechanical sound was heard as countless plasma guns came out of seemingly every inch of the walls. Then a mischievous voice was heard as a pink-haired girl appeared. "I happen to think that you're the one who's committed one." She giggled. 

Josh completely disregarded Alexa, who was holding him at gunpoint. Instead, he kept lecturing Roderick without a care in the world. "You need to learn to fight even when incapacitated. A good trick is to practice fighting while sleeping." 

The general and the tech magnate were both left speechless. What the heck was wrong with this spy?! How was he so calm? Was this all a bluff? Should they shoot him now? Their instinct was telling them that this guy was bad news. As if he had everything under control. 

"How did you figure out that I was an intruder?" Josh casually asked. 

"Why would we ever answer that?!" Alexa spat out with animosity. 

"We have our ways." Roderick cautiously answered. This man was giving him such a strange feeling for some reason. 

"Here." Josh extended his hand to help Roderick get up. 

"You, what are you—?!" Alexa was about to interject when Roderick stopped her. 

The general slowly grabbed the man's hand. Then a few seconds later, he was back on his feet, the man flashing him a radiant smile. Then he spoke again, addressing him as if an old friend. 

"I like what you've done with the place. It's way better than how I left it. Anything interesting happened lately? I mean, besides that promotion that good old Recruiter Frank is running." Josh happily asked. 

"Wait, you're…?!" Roderick seemed to have figured it out. 

"What?! Roderick, what is he talking about?!" Alexa cried out. 

Josh playfully looked at her as he released his killing intent at full power. She stared at him in shock. This was all the proof he needed for his identity. A puddle later, she was giving him an embarrassed and reproachful glare.

"Where the heck have you been?! Also, what's with this appearance?! This is the guy you sent to train with us, isn't it?!" 

"Long story short, I'm joining the LoA at the moment. He already had an invite to it, so we made a deal." Josh then turned to Roderick. "This brings me to my reason here. I'll need your clothes." 

"?!" He hadn't expected such a thing at all! 

"Yep! As I said, it's a long story." Josh reiterated. 

Roderick only hesitated for a second before he sighed and began undressing. What was up with this man? First, he had sent a questionable message to Allistair, and now he was asking him to undress. People could easily get the wrong idea! 

Josh appeared slightly confused. "Don't you have any spare ones?" 

"What?! Don't you need clothes with my DNA on them to prove they're mine or something?" Roderick asked, puzzled.

"No? I just need the outfit…." 

"…."

"…"

A half-naked Roderick and an awkward Josh were staring at each other in silence. Then they shared a silent understanding. They wouldn't speak about this. The general conscientiously changed the topic. 

"What did you mean by fight while sleeping?" 

"Easy, first you develop the instinct to wake up when danger is near. Then you push it a step further and train until you can crush small enemies in your sleep. It works wonder in the Tower while waiting for a Boss to spawn or respawn." Josh happily shared. 

He then proceeded to further develop his point by recounting some of his Tower experiences in detail. Roderick listened exceptionally diligently. At times, he would even be taking notes on his UW. 

Meanwhile, Alexa on the side didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This lesson sounded like the ramblings of a delusional madman. Yet, she trusted that Josh had truly mastered such mystical skills. 

After the lesson was done, Josh excused himself. It was time to go back to his LoA test for his victorious return! He could only wonder what the second trial would be…