"Excuse me! Coming trough! Don't mind me! Thank you, step aside!"
Josh could be seen hollering at passerby right outside the Tower. In his arms, he was carrying tons of weapons all stacked together akin to firewood, 14 of them to be exact. He was so encumbered that he didn't even change his armor.
His back was straight, his movements stiff, and he was slowly making his way toward the shopping district. He could hear the passerby pass sly remarks. Some were criticizing his bloody mismatched armor. Some were thinking of him as a madman for hoarding so much loot at once. Some were recognizing Floor 12 items and making fun of the way Josh was clutching it all like some kind of treasure.
Few were even in the process of using Josh as a counterexample. He even heard a disdainful mother say to her child: "Join a good guild or you'll end up like him in the future. You should at least join a ranked guild!" On the side, some snotty brat was vigorously nodding.
How shocked would she be if she were to learn about his relationship with Draconic? This was a wonderful face-slapping opportunity so Josh naturally…walked away unbothered. Why would he pointlessly argue with a random lady when he had important stuff to do!?
Eventually, Josh reached his target, a friendly U-bot shop assistant that took all that he was bringing. Josh couldn't help but sigh in satisfaction seeing that he now had 12 130 Credits. This would cover his entry into the Tower easily. Now there were two things on the agenda.
Josh needed help, thus he called in reinforcements. He simply went to every chat he had ever opened on his UW and tagged everyone in there! This sounded rash, but that amounted to only Dale and the Draconic guild.
-Josh MF Malum: @Everyone, I Need counseling about ways to improve luck. The meal is on me.
-Gorgeous Kasha: Who the Hell pinged me!… Oh, hey Josh. Still alive I see.
*Waiting a few minutes*
-Josh MF Malum: Where the Hell is everyone?!
-Gorgeous Kasha: Climbing. They do that from time to time.
-Josh MF Malum: They left you behind? How sad! Maybe next time they'll bring you.
-Gorgeous Kasha: You make it sound like I'm unwanted! There are 6 of us around the same Floor so we rotate one member. But why would I help you? There is no way that I'd be so easily swayed and…
-Josh MF Malum: I'll show you my godly rat.
-Gorgeous Kasha: On my way!!!!
How simple was she? Then again she was probably mistaken about the whole godly pet thing. Its uselessness was proportional to how epic its name sounded. They didn't even decide on a meeting spot yet so how could she be on her way? Sighing, Josh headed to the Food District.
That is when he got a reply from Dale. Apparently, the man was already at the Devouring This startled Josh a bit but he made his way toward it. Before long he was pushing the doors of the establishment, his nose invaded by the scent of barbecued meat and soup. Whatever it was, smelled wonderful!
Dale was sitting at a two-person corner table by the window. Josh couldn't help but double-take. The young man looked extremely different from the previous times he had seen him. At their first meeting, he had been jovial, at their second he had been extremely worried and at the last one, he had been depressed about his crush being engaged to another.
Yet he had chosen this place as the meeting and he was now carrying himself steadily, showing some hints of low-key confidence. Josh simply sat in front of him, instantly beginning the interrogation. "What happened to you?" Then he signaled with his eyes the rest of the restaurant.
Dale gave a small sad smile. "It is useless for me to hide from this place. It won't accomplish anything. No, I've figured it out. I simply need to keep Climbing. I think I've made decent progress. Last time I was on Floor 5, now I'm on Floor 18. Floor 25 is the standard for a D-rank guild. I'm in the process of trying to find a good one."
Josh still remembered how the last time they were here the standard for D rank guilds had only been 10. How had it all raised so quickly? Ah, perhaps the MTA was trying to be stricter with guild regulations? Especially after the events with the slothtrosities…
"What about your Flaming Phoenix Guild? Are you simply going to leave them behind? They seemed like good people."
"That's exactly why I don't want to drag them in this. They are smart but most of them are the careful type, they dislike fighting. It was meant to be a way to easily make money while having fun but now it's too late. I'm already too high level to Climb with them, I've made my choice."
"Is that waitress really worth it? Isn't she about to marry that fiancé of hers already? I'm sure you won't have trouble finding a great girlfriend without it being her."
For instance, there was that Healer in Flaming Phoenix that clearly liked him. To Josh, it all didn't seem to make sense. That is when Dale seemed to reminisce about the past and yet his tone was extremely resolute.
"She's not just a cute waitress that's the thing. She's my childhood friend. She's great, always have been. Did you know she saved my life once? Now she's about to marry some womanizing bastard. All because she's following the wishes of her parents, I think. I won't let that happen. Actually, that's why I'm here today. She's about to clock in for her shift."
"Are you going for a public love declaration? From my experience, these things are pretty uncomfortable for the recipient when unexpected."
"Don't worry. Still, there is something I must do." Dale sighed. "Anyway, you wrote that you needed counseling in that message of yours. What was that about?"
"I need to increase my luck!"
"!?"
"…?" Josh simply awaited an answer.
"That's it? You're not going to say anything else? You just need better luck?"
"Exactly! Whatever can help me achieve that will do! So far a quick search on my UW recommends sacrificing a newborn, bathing in its blood, removing its brain, offering that part to the one True God, praying to the Plotberg, and finally doing cartwheels while twerking."
"This is clearly a troll post!"
"Yep, hence why I'm asking you. Is there anywhere I can get a lucky charm or something? Whenever I'm searching for that it just gives me random bullshit."
"Actually I may have an idea. How about you head to the E district? There should be a few city tour guides there. I'm sure you can get one to show you around to the temples or something. I'm not really knowledgeable about the topic."
"Smart! I'm glad I asked you, turns out I didn't need that girl at …" That is when Josh noticed that his companion had entirely stopped listening. Instead, he was staring at the entrance of the shop somberly.
There, one could see the cute waitress that Dale had a crush on. The issue was that she was in the process of languorously kissing a tall and handsome man. No matter how Josh looked at it she didn't seem like a damsel that needed rescuing. She was clearly willing too. He couldn't help but sigh internally.
That is when the tall young man suddenly stopped eating his fiancé's face as he noticed the fierce look Dale was sending his way. He scoffed before taking big steps approaching intimidatingly. He had an air that screamed of power.
Still, Josh had interacted with members of Draconic and this man didn't come anywhere close to their prowess. Josh's intuition told him so. Still, compared to the current Josh or Dale the man was a towering giant, one that they would have trouble beating even if they were to join forces.
"Hey kid, did your mother never tell you not to leer at strangers like that?" He radiantly smiled as he taunted Dale. "Ah, are you perhaps an orphan or the son of a whore?"
Dale replied annoyed but calmly and powerfully. "Funny you should mention it. I've heard a lot about you. A man that has a fiancé yet plays with whores daily. Are you ignorant of the meaning of fiancé perhaps? I can educate you if you so desire."...
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