****(POV)
A Metropolis was nothing more than an overgrown city full of selfish people with diverse goals. Somehow, all of these self-centered people would interact with one another under the guise of society.
Then, once in a blue moon, something, somewhere, somehow would bring all of these self-involved bastards together. Luis had seen it happen a couple of times, but he sure was surprised by today's developments.
That is how he began following the Dimensional Legion members. At first, he did it from far away. There were plenty of people trying to push. But then came a warning. The ones that didn't behave would be left behind.
This simple directive was akin to a divine order. It instantly settled the rowdy crowd. Luis couldn't help but wonder for a second if this was a miracle. But then came the incessant babbling of the reporters to break the sanctity of the moment.
Right, he was a journalist too. He should have been in the front, harassing people. That's what journalists did nowadays. He still remembered a time when it was more about finding stories that were worth telling rather than mindless sensationalism.
That's why his own family called him a pure and honest soul. But really, he was well aware that in the eyes of the world, he was an idiot. That's how he had gotten the job to cover this 'waiting event.'
But, he had a job to do and would accomplish it or try. He walked toward the front, stopped in front of the four individuals leading the march, and handed them his business card.
"If you want someone to tell your story honestly, without artifices, I'm the best." The card had only his name and contact info, nothing else. He then politely stepped back and began walking behind.
Luis could instantly hear the low scoffs and see the journalists' faces as they found him risible. But, that was his style, and he would rather lose his job than compromise. He was actually doing this for the pay, but he had principles.
But soon, they stopped chuckling in derision as they were asked to go far away and to stop their ruckus. They tried rebutting, but it was too late. That's when the man with the golden armor pointed at Luis, gesturing him to come closer.
He nervously advanced, yet the four remained silent. Thus, he kept quiet. He would wait until they were ready. Still, he couldn't help but glance at their armors. If he had any doubt about their legitimacy before, he was now convinced. These guys were the real deal. He could feel it by their aura.
As they walked, Luis checked what the people of Metropolis-C thought of it all. This way, he could adapt his potential questions to the populace ones.
"Did you hear?! They say Dimensional Legion has appeared."
"There's no way! Why now?"
"You should have seen how awesome they looked!"
"What if they're fake?"
"Fake? Would someone really have the balls to play so many people? LOL !"
"I want a selfie with them!"
"Where are they now? I'm omw!"
"How does one join?! What are the requirements?!"
"They just said to follow them for an opportunity. Holy shit. This is insane!"
"Etc…."
There were so many threads everywhere dedicated to that single topic. It was as if letting the whole subject marinate for close to a week had only intensified it.
People wanted to forget the threat of the curse and had thrown themselves wholeheartedly into the tournament, and then D.L. Who could blame them. Humanity loved heroes hiding in the shadows—silent protectors watching over the world.
They just wanted to forget their worries and a pillar to rely upon. This myth about the legendary guild had become way more in their eyes.
Luis understood all that. He could feel it too. They seemed to be basking in an aura of reverence. Even he that was so close to them didn't have anything to do with it. What were they really? Just normal humans, heroes?
He felt his blood pump faster as he thought about their existence. That is when a sonorous shout destroyed the calm of the march.
"Holy shit! They say guilds are coming!!!"
In the distance, he could see them incoming. The crowd parted on their passage, showing them respect. There were unranked guilds, ranked guilds, and even the top-notch giants. Yet, for some reason, they all unconsciously remained a distance away from the four.
Luis couldn't help but begin to grin. He was right next to them, but the guilds were in the back. There were so many big names: Ouroboros, Immortal, Eclipse, Devouring Hydra, Gemini, Titanic Legion, Magical, Golden Cauldron, Adamantium Wolves, and those were just the S and A-ranked ones.
When had they last come together without fighting over one thing or another?! Hell, even the Black Squad was there! They stayed in the background, ready to intervene should anything go wrong.
It felt like the entire Metropolis was on a journey toward the future. What future remained to be seen. Luis could somehow picture them all charging into the Tower and tearing through the Floors.
What would happen next? The crowd was huge, but there were barely any whispers. They just kept going. On the way, many businesses showed Closed signs as their owners too joined the procession.
That's when Luis saw them type on their UW. They seemed to be receiving instructions from someone else. The four extremely strong-looking guys were only underlings?! Then again, a usual Climber team had five individuals.
Thus they kept going. They kept going as they left the center of the city. They kept going as they left the suburbs. They kept going as they exited Metropolis-C. They kept going until they arrived at a big farm.
There was a sign inscribed with <Very Happy Farms>. The four led them inside. The confusion could be felt in the air. What was happening? Did they have a secret lair under the farm, perhaps?
Some clever people instantly realized the core of the issue. They had probably bought a vast land for secret training purposes. This was obviously all part of a master plan to weed out the unqualified individuals out of the lot.
That is when they kept going until they arrived in front of an old man. His hair and beard were white, but his skin had a nice tan. He was sitting on an old-school rocking chair, dozing off with some music playing in the background.
The golden knight approached him. "Master Welner, we will need your help." His tone was so polite!
The spectators couldn't help but show shock. Who was that old man?! How did he command such recognition from a legendary figure from D.L?! Was he some kind of hidden Boss character?! The more they tried to appraise him and the less they saw. He looked so ordinary!
His eyelids slowly fluttered open. What kind of wisdom would reside in these eyes of his? Then, he saw them. He showed panic. He started having trouble breathing. All his limbs were trembling. That's when he shouted.
"W-what the Hell is happening?!" He kept rubbing his eyes and pinching himself, thinking this was all a dream. He then blanked. In front of him were thousands and thousands of climbers.
To put things into perspective, it was quite similar to how thousands and thousands of cars could pass daily on a nearby road. One wouldn't even bat an eye. Now, if these all appeared in one's driveway at home it would be another story...That's how the man felt…
It didn't help either that every single one of them had their gaze fixed on his being, trying to figure him out. He almost got a heart attack from all this stimulation. Thankfully, the golden champion turned around once more as he addressed the crowd.
"I'll repeat what I stated earlier. Anyone was free to follow for potential opportunities. Now, here we are. Who wants to become a farmer?" He asked them all with such confidence that they didn't know how to react.
That is when the hesitant old man, obviously a farmer, spoke. "Eh, actually, there are enough U-Bots to tend to the farm. I'm afraid you'd make a loss if you actually hire humans…."
It was so silent that the vast majority of the people assembled could hear him. The golden knight seemed to smile at the man (no way to know with the helmet) before replying:
"Don't worry about it. They won't actually be paid, and our goal is not profit in the first place. A friend just asked us to do this. Just teach them all that you know, and that will be sufficient."
"Alright, you can count on me! I will make sure to teach whoever how to grow big and hard cucumbers perfectly!" Welner patted his back confidently.
That is when they all couldn't help but wonder what the Hell was going on?! Were they really brought here to become farmers?! This didn't make any sense! They would have to be idiots to waste their time like that! That is when the golden knight spoke once more.
"Just to make one thing clear. I never claimed to be part of Dimensional Legion. Now, this is private property. If anyone wants to learn to farm, come forward. Anyone that wants to leave instead is encouraged to. No pay! Serious applicants only!"
How outrageous! He had clearly claimed to….actually not. But how was he still so confident?! Anyone else would have been shitting themselves after pranking so many powerhouses!
Was it real or fake?! Somehow, they didn't want to leave. After all, what if….
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