Josh had never seen someone so happy to head to a farm. There had been that whole hype about D.L., but this time it was different: The man had been officially recruited.
He expected Frank to ask for more details and to be slightly suspicious. Nope! He took his stuff and began walking toward the Very Happy Farms, leaving his puzzled friends behind. Still, no matter how much of a crook Josh seemed, it was the reality that he had cleared a Floor in a few seconds.
They then dispersed, talking about the Idol concert and how amazing it would be. Josh checked his lifespan: 33 Days. Sometimes he wondered why this was even a thing. Was it a method for the Tower to make sure the people summoned would pass through it?
Or maybe, was it related to a defect of the system? At that moment, Josh couldn't help but freeze. He looked at his Pet Window. "Power reduced without the support of the Tower. Power close to Nil outside the Tower." What if Fallens were the same as Nightmare?
What if, by being summoned to this place, they had changed and had become part of the system itself? What if they were bound to the Tower? Perhaps, it was a power loss for the monsters and a lifespan loss for the humans.
This train of thought had the potential to send anyone in a state of existential crisis with their whole sense of self spiraling into chaos…Not Josh. He was hungry and decided to find a pizzeria. Speculating would only be a waste of time anyway.
In District G, he found a small restaurant called <The Pizza Place>. As he entered, he was assaulted by the warmth and the incredible pizza smell. People were lining up and enthusiastically chatting.
"It smells so good! They should make a perfume with that scent." Surprisingly it was a woman that had proposed this.
"Pizza perfume? Are you crazy! People would always be hungry." Her boyfriend rebutted jokingly.
"With the smell of pizza, you'd be begging to eat me daily!" She triumphantly said.
Was there anything better than a hot slice straight out of the oven? With the crust so damn tender, the sweetness of the tomato sauce, the perfect cheesy goodness melted to perfection, and the assorted toppings offering a world of possibilities!
Soon, it was Josh's turn to order. "I'll take two number 9, a number 9 large, a number 6 with extra dip, a number 7, two number 45, one with cheese and..actually can you give me that order ten times? Thanks!"
Many couldn't help but be startled upon hearing such a bizarre request. These guys were clearly not Fallens, or they would have been cheering for sure! This was normal, considering there had been around 100 Earthlings in Josh's batch. Plus, some had definitely died. They weren't many city-wide.
The man at the counter seemed very polite, hardworking, and was trying to determine if this customer was trolling him. Josh was probably ordering for some guild, he thought. Without further ado, he made him pay.
"Just to be sure. Do you want to have the totality of your order prepared now?" Seeing Josh's confident nod, he busied himself again.
Josh found an unoccupied table, but soon enough, the entire shop became filled to the brim. Finding a place to sit proved to be challenging. That is when a couple approached: "Hey, brother. Can we sit with you?"
Josh naturally allowed it. Both of them seemed the happy-go-lucky type. He humored them with his godly small talk talents! Josh used the secret technique: state the obvious to fuel the conversation!
"This place seems popular, eh?" He nailed it!
"Of course! The head chef here has the skills to work at Devouring Panda! Everything he cooks is divine. It's even better than sex!" The woman exclaimed loudly, with her boyfriend turning red in embarrassment.
Josh couldn't help but look around, puzzled. The head cook had the ability to handle magical food, yet all pizzas were as normal as could be. At least the smell was heavenly, but how did that make any sense? Seeing his confusion, the man chimed in:
"It's because there are no tomatoes as ingredients in the Tower. The chef here doesn't want to sacrifice taste for a magical effect. He believes in the sanctity of his art above all else." Josh could respect that very much.
That's when their food came out. How was it ready so soon?! Magic!…or technology. As soon as he ate a slice, Josh felt happy. He took an instant to feel joy and nothing else as his taste buds enjoyed this delicious treat.
At first, the couple spoke a lot, but the more time passed, the less they did. In fact, they even forgot to eat. Their mouths were open wide in stupefaction as they watched him gobble one slice after the other.
"A-are you human?! Where does it all fit?!"
This time, Josh pointed the obvious: his belly. Explaining the Gluttony Bloodline would take too long for sure, but they respected his privacy. That is how they ended a peaceful lunch with the both of them so stunned they forgot to talk.
Josh couldn't help but think about the tomato scarcity. Should he try and influence one of the Towers to produce some? He was thinking about that while actually owning a farm. How ironic!
But that would be for later. Josh actually had an issue. He wasn't sure how to go through the next Floor. For the Nightmares, he had brought spears and used their own attacks against them. This wouldn't work against the upcoming enemy.
No, on Floor 18 were Iron Golems. As far as he knew, their only characteristic was to be sturdy. Damaging their heavy exterior would be close to impossible. How could he remedy this?
He thought about trying to erode their armor with some alchemical consumables. He even found some information about a kind of acid that could do the trick. But, for it to show its full potential, it would require an alchemist to handle it. Why? The Class bonus (just Tower stuff).
He thought about enhancing his attack power somehow. As much as he wished for it, he couldn't use anything similar to Qi. His only option was to efficiently apply the force he had at one point over and over. But, would this be enough?
There were always the item set skills. But, it wasn't like climbing a wall or growing slightly bigger would really change anything. No, he needed something else entirely, real skills! He needed help, hence why he connected to the Draconic guild chat.
- Josh MF Malum: Hey all! I need someone to show me some weapon skills. Is there anyone available?
- Lilly of the Frontline: Oh, hey Josh!
- Lucas the Lancer: Josh, how dare you! *Sigh* Why are you always asking me for favors? I am but a single man no matter how handsome I am. Plus, I'm busy at the moment!
- Liam the Ultimate Samurai: I think your face would be even more 'handsome' with a katana inside it. What do you think?
- Friendly Terry: I'm here to heal him…
- Lucas the Lancer: Thank you!!!
- Friendly Terry: …I'll heal him, then you can stab him again and again. *Smiling Devil*
- Lilly of the Frontline: Actually, we are busy waiting outside of the Very Happy Farms.
- Josh MF Malum: Why?!
He couldn't help but be perplexed for an instant. Liam knew perfectly that it was all fake, and so did Dario.
- Lucas the Lancer: We are blending in. Wouldn't it be too weird if we didn't have any Draconic members here at all?
- Josh MF Malum: It shouldn't matter that much even if Draconic doesn't participate, no? I don't think people see the guild as the farming type anyway.
-Friendly Terry: Actually, Welner allowed some street vendors to set shop near the farm for a % of the revenues. It somehow created a cool party.
- Liam the Ultimate Samurai: I'll come and help if you want. Let's meet at Draconic!
Wow. Yep, Climbers knew how to have fun! Oh well, it wouldn't affect him in any case. Soon, Josh could be found in a private training room with Liam. Josh couldn't help but note that he somehow looked more mature nowadays.
From him, he felt the feeling of an unsheathed blade. He seemed to possess the power and steadiness of a warrior but also the liveliness of youth. He grabbed his katana as if a close friend. It looked like a custom one, probably D-Rank.
"Alright, observe."
Suddenly, light began gathering all over his blade. Then, with a swift motion, he slashed! It felt as if the very air where the blade had passed through was filled with death. It was very subtle, but Josh could sense it.
That is how he diligently watched Liam perform the skill over and over. After about 30 times, he was already getting tired. But then he saw Josh's piercing gaze and his desire to learn.
He could relate to that. He remembered how ecstatic he had been once he had first used his first skill. It was as if a new world of possibilities had opened to him suddenly. He had felt even better than the time he had played his first video game!
He wouldn't disappoint his friend! That is how Liam kept pushing himself! He kept using mana slash over and over. He barely took any time to rest. Every repetition, Josh would diligently copy all the movements.
Liam felt proud to teach someone so diligent. At that instant, there was only the desire to share knowledge. It was pure and beautiful.
That is how they kept going all day long. It was intense, sweaty, raw, panting, and grunting could be heard. It was simple but harsh training!
That's how Liam ended up at the hospital from mana exhaustion. He fell during training and would have had his skull shatter from hitting the ground wrong if his body hadn't been sturdy.
At his sickbed, Josh took his hand and murmured to him with confidence. "Don't worry, my friend. Your sacrifice hasn't been for nothing." Right afterward, Josh headed for the Tower. It was time for Floor 18!…
Creator's Thought
That moment was a decisive one where I truly figured out something amazing. Still, I never knew why Liam pushed himself so much during such casual training. It wasn't as if working till exhaustion was efficient, right?! Oh boy, would Liam disprove that one! He did so by coming up with the weirdest training routine possible...
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