"Guild leader, what happened to my reward for that school mission?"
That single sentence completely shattered the tense atmosphere and had most of the guild members doubting life. The incredible danger they were facing had been nothing to Josh, yet he was concerned about that?!
Dario could be seen trembling slightly before asking in a discouraged tone. "Are you talking about the equipment or the home decorator?"
"Right, for the equipment, can you switch it for some set thingies from Floor 40? Also, yes, I still want help with furnishing my cozy home." Josh answered. In the back, he could hear someone whisper something about "cozy" and "sewer" not going well together.
"Fine, I can give someone I know a call right now. As for the Equipment Holders, we have a few in Storage right about now, so feel free to grab a few. While it's hard to obtain, they are fairly useless…." But then Dario looked at the White Spider Equipment.
"Actually, it seems it will have some value right now. If one can get skills from equipment…Then switching many items at once may just be worth it. I'll buy some more from other guilds while I'm at it, I guess." Dario finished pensively.
"Some more, you say?" Josh felt there was an issue with that. He continued. "Buy it all! Soon everyone and their mother will be farming for these sets. We need to strike while everyone else is unaware of the value and…."
But Dario stopped him. "Nope, you are clearly overestimating the general Climbers. The only ones that would try something so dangerous are the A and S rank guilds. It's not worth it for them. E rank gear is simply not good enough."
This made a lot of sense. Bummer. Oh well, he'd give up on that money-making scheme. He still had a small gain to come. Josh pointed at the White Spiders items people were trying on. "Dario, I'll give you a discount and sell all of this gear for 100k credits only."
Came a voice in the background: "What?! That's a scam! E+ items with skills only go for 5k Credits!"
But Dario simply nodded and transferred it before smiling happily. Honestly, Josh had given him a pretty fair price considering all that was going on. This little sale just put the earnings of Josh at the same level as a top-level Ranker, but he was only level 13.
This was the power of effort and very potent cursed amulets! At this moment, the fate of a certain monk was decided. Josh would have him work hard on enchanting (?) until the man could curse anything in existence.
How amazing would it be to possess a full set of monster-attracting equipment?! Incredibly so! This farming set would put to shame an industrial A-grade meat grinder in terms of efficiency! What about his subordinate's wishes? Irrelevant!
As Josh exited the guild, he could feel the tension in the air. There were many customers of Draconic that walked with heavy footsteps, their back leaning over some screens worriedly.
"What are you guys watching?" Josh asked.
One of the closest was an ordinary-looking man wearing a cheap suit that was busy staring at his UW. He offhandedly replied Josh while keeping his eyes glued to the screen.
"Watching the News. Bad news. The world is in turmoil. Well, it always was, but at least it wasn't this part of the world. At this rate, a devouring zombie apocalypse wouldn't surprise me. We are screwed, and so are the Fallens."
"Concretely, what does that mean?" This piqued Josh's Curiosity.
The man sighed. "Apparently, our Rankers repelled some villain from H city. They wrote it as if it was a win, but they only repelled him. He's fine. He'll be back, more sneakily next time. Meanwhile, the Black Squad is too busy blocking the Tower and interrogating random people to care about it."
The man took out a water bottle, drank a bit, and started shaking it, making the content swirl inside.
"There's also this goddamn Floor 12 thing. People expect the whole system to be as still as water, but they drown instantly when the first waves appear. Do you know how many people this shit killed?!"
"Do you?" Josh seriously asked.
"Of course not! A shitload! Probably a few hundred thousand worldwide. That's conservatively too! But that's not all. Look at this stuff!" On the screen appeared some report of some kind of seismic activity.
"What am I looking at exactly?" Josh inquired.
"Tremors. Remember the incident in D-23 City? Disaster zone D-23, they call it. They say only one guy managed to come out of there alive, crazy, isn't it? Well, the tremors are back. Ah, and so is the fucking red sky!"
As he said that, the man pulled up a meteorological report. It said something about the weather being unpredictable in that area, all thanks to the red hue. It did notice a sharp change in the coloration too.
"So, what's your opinion on this?" Josh couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Well, I'd say it's the end of the fucking world, haha. It has been ever since the Tower appeared. The calm is temporary and is bound to be violently shattered at some point. These are only the first signs of it. This whole thing is but a godly survival game with us as the flame that tons of monsters are trying to extinguish."
This was the most chill apocalyptic prophet Josh had ever seen. He looked convinced of what he foretold, and yet he didn't appear scared, somehow. Josh questioned him. "This doesn't terrify you even a little bit?"
"Even if it terrifies me profoundly, there isn't much I can do about it. I have the coordination of a brick, so I won't Climb. Anyway, in the meantime, I'll just try to come here as much as possible, you know to hug the asses of the bigshots here."
"Isn't it supposed to be thighs?" Josh remarked.
"At this point, I'm going to hug whatever I can, even if it's the leg of a giant white spider." The man chuckled slightly while scratching his head, eyes closing for an instant.
At that moment, Josh's entire aura changed. The casual and friendly air he had about him suddenly became a sharp one. His interlocutor also felt it, opening his eyes wide in surprise.
"What do you want?"Josh asked him in a very slow and deep tone.
The man seemed to hesitate, but then he quickly made his mind up. In his eyes, Josh could not see any hint of confidence, but he could discern resolve. The man was ready to get killed for this little stunt of his.
"I want to be an analyst. One that researches both this world and the others." He declared.
Most would have stopped at the Tower. Or perhaps this world and the Tower. No, this man had an obvious and burning desire for knowledge. Where would this quest of his lead him? Josh couldn't help but wonder.
He gestured to him, "Follow me." Then, both of them entered the elevator that Josh had just left, heading back into the guild. As they exited it, the entirety of the Draconic members present was on high alert.
The man right next to Josh could be heard gulping loudly. Just the killing intent made his knees weak. That is when Josh pointed to Dario. "He's the one you want to talk to. Good luck." He then pushed him in the maw of the Dragon. Not literally.
He couldn't wait to hear about the man's performance…
****
(POV)
The man could feel death itself. His entire body was shaking and lacking strength. Just staying standing already took all he had. He kept repeating to himself that if he fell, it would be the end.
If he fell, it would put all his efforts to waste. He had truly guessed it right. Josh Malum was a member of Draconic. That, many had probably guessed too.
But there was more. He wasn't any normal man. He seemed ordinary at first glance, even taking a while to Climb, but the man had seen through the facade. He had also made a huge gamble.
He had gambled that Josh Malum would be his entry point to Draconic. This would be the craziest interview of all time. Getting thrown into an S-Guild directly to meet its master. There he was, a tall and stern man that exuded the aura of a true warrior.
Seeing him about to piss himself, the guild master finally gestured him to follow him. For the man, this was the most excruciating walk of his life. The curious members were all eyeing him.
Compared to them, he felt like a worm, a pitiful and weak one. But, having power didn't matter to an analyst. He just needed brains and resolve—the resolve not to betray Draconic no matter what, at least. Otherwise, they could never trust him with key information.
But as he entered the guild master's office, he understood that this had simply been an appetizer. Now began the real thing. The Dragon addressed him. "How did you get Josh to escort you here personally, and what are you here for?"
The man dug into his own palms to shake off the pressure he felt, blood slowly dripping to the ground. He then answered in the most confident voice he could muster. "I'm here to become an analyst for Draconic. I approached him and told him about the news."
Dario couldn't help but raise a brow: "The news? How is that related?" Even he couldn't see the link.
"We had a regular conversation. I just threw in a few keywords. Fallen, devouring-zombie, Black Squad, D-23, Survival Game, Floor 12 and White Spider."
Dario looks astonished for a second, but then he began laughing. "You approached fucking Josh Malum with a tale about his own life?! That's bold! Truly bold! Alright, let's do a little test. Then we'll know if you are worthy of joining us."
The man could barely breathe, but he nodded nonetheless. His gaze hardened, his limbs that had been jelly somehow became solid once more. Even he had no idea how it had happened. In fact, he hadn't noticed it either. All he was doing was staring straight at the guild master. He knew he wasn't ready for what was to come, but he didn't have a choice.
Then it started. Suddenly. It was akin to a light switch being turned on. But instead of light came pressure. It was a pressure so intense that the man felt the air leaving his lungs.
His blood started flowing in reverse, or it felt like it. The man was gone. Instead, there was a dragon in his place. One that looked down on him. One that made him understand how worthless he really was. One that made him realize his place.
He knew he had to bow before this deity. He knew he had to serve it with all he had. He knew…but he didn't. He remained steady. He himself didn't know where such valiance was coming from.
He simply needed to succeed, or he would forever remain ignorant. He had to... At all cost. At that moment, his heart even stopped beating for a fraction of a second. He did not notice. He needed to remain standing. He needed…
"Good work" Dario's voice was akin to a chime bringing him out of a dream. His entire body was fully covered in sweat. His clothes were damp from it. He had pissed and shat himself too. He had a sore appearance, but he didn't care. He had succeeded. He could feel his entire being relax following how relieved he was.
He would learn so many new things he would- but then he suddenly exclaimed, "I need to thank him!" Somehow that was the first thought he had. Josh had seen through him and had still brought him here. He was truly lucky.
Dario began laughing loudly. "Hahaha. The young truly are fearless. Truly bold to have approached him. Did you know Josh faced the same test at a similar level too? Can you guess the outcome?"
The man smiled. "He clearly passed it with flying colors. I bet he didn't even shiver! he probably simply stared back!"
Dario smiled wryly. "Right, what's your name?"
"Tallis, Tallis Frode! A pleasure to meet you. I'm truly glad to have this opportunity." This would expand his horizon so much!
"Weird name. Now, tell me, Tallis. How do you feel right now?"
"Like complete crap. I have never seen something as impressive and scary in all the years I've been in this world. That I am sure." Somehow he noticed the Dragon's smile, and he had an omen that he was about to drop a bomb.
"Well, Tallis. How you feel right now is how I felt when I gazed deep into Josh's eyes. The Dragon's Presence didn't do shit." He chuckled as he said. But Tallis could feel it. He wasn't kidding.
How?! The Dragon was one of the strongest Rankers?! This wasn't possible! Now he, Tallis, had tried using such a man?! Holy shit! Good thing he had been honest about his goal straight away! Otherwise, he would be dead already.
Tallis felt his entire being grow cold as he shivered violently. That is when he somehow perceived something else too. The guild leader had never once addressed Josh as his subordinate. What did this mean?!
Tallis had an inkling at that moment. What kind of monster was Josh?! He was no Newbie, far from it! How deep did Josh Malum's schemes run?!
In fact, what kind of devious plan was he crafting right now?!...
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