He then observed the two men at the table. One was one of these easygoing foodies: he was strong but had his priorities wrong. The other looked even more ordinary. He was wearing an old gray suit that had only being clean going for it.
What a joke! This was a climber's world, and Michael was wearing his most resplendent armor in accordance. It was a rare C-Rank drop from the Dullahan Boss on Floor 56, C-Rank! How long had people considered D-Rank the peak of gear?!
He couldn't help but look down on the man that was so out of touch with reality that he wore such a thing to an official meeting. The man also didn't feel strong. Michael was great at evaluating others' power, and all the man could rely on were the sloths.
"Hello, there. I'm glad that you found the place easily. You can call me Josh." He introduced himself politely.
"Michael the Lightbringer, leader of Metropolis-E and one of the original Rankers. Josh, is it? Whatever happens in this meeting, be careful not to anger anyone and treasure the chance you have. I have to say. It's pretty impressive how well you handled a few sloths." He replied.
There was the long title to impress. Then there was the warning. Finally, he belittled his achievement by using 'few sloths'. Josh couldn't help but wonder what gave the man such arrogance. He was now relaxedly sitting on a sloth (covered) legs wide opened.
"As expected of the Lightbringer! I was nervous just sitting here! Ah, I'm Bennett. Would you like to have some tea?" The foodie introduced himself, praising the man with an ever-so-subtle hint of ridicule in his voice.
The Lightbringer was pleased. At least one of the two already realized how amazing he was. He stared at this Josh fella, wondering if he'd understand the hint and copy the tea pourer's attitude. Sadly he seemed lost in thoughts. How shameful!
Oh well, he would treat this as entertainment. This man would absolutely falter once the other two leaders were here. Thus the three of them waited in silence, with the 'servant' taking out cookies. It was peaceful, too peaceful.
****
Outside D-23, two more vessels could be seen flying over. The leaders of Metropolis C and D were there too now! They had even come in their official ships! They both didn't waste time and rushed inside without bothering to make any show.
This time the speculations had turned into full-blown news articles. The reporters began digging for every information they could find. Josh started reading in real-time on his UW, and it was all bullshit!
<SCOOP: Leaders' meeting! What will result of it?!>
(Josh's involvement was completely disregarded in that article.)
<The man at the center of the storm! Who is the D-23 legend?!>
(It was calling him weak and claiming he probably had a specialized taming Class.)
<Man of many sloths: also the hero of the D-23 war?! Exaggerations?>
(This one flat out suggested the source was straight-up lying when talking about his accomplishments versus Gene Corp.)
<Individual initiative or collective plan coming to fruition? Interrogating S-Rank guilds!>
(There was no way for a single man to accomplish so much. No one knew about such a plan, so the reporter concluded it was a secret operation. -_-")
<Interview with a professional gourmet: Sloths and food, what changed this time around?>
(This one had a super long explanation about how important having the right food to bait them was. There was even a long analysis of the spices. That was a master of BS right there!)
Sometimes Josh wondered if the only way to succeed in that job was to have half a brain. There were a few articles closer to the truth, but all were disregarded as exaggerated works. How sad for them to be the only ones seeing in a blind world.
Then he finally saw two of his guests appearing together in the forest. Markus looked as usual: a mixture of easygoing and serious. His muscular build, bald head, and nice green eyes gave him the look of an uncle.
Meanwhile, the man accompanying him was tall, had black hair, an eagle gaze, black armor, and a carefully trimmed beard. He could be seen staring at Josh as if trying to understand what gave him the courage to summon them.
"Welcome to you both. I'm Josh." He gestured them to take a seat warmly.
Markus did so without an afterthought, a wry smile adorning his face. Others would have felt the pressure, but not this young man! He was even sipping on tea and munching on cookies relaxedly.
As for Allistair, his gaze hardened as he looked at the seats. He had realized their true nature. This made him see the young man in a different light. He wasn't as naive as he looked for sure. Still, he sat nonetheless. He was confident in his strength.
"Thank you for gathering here today. I'll go straight to the point. I want ownership of D-23." Josh lightly declared.
"Pfffft—!" Markus spat his tea. He hadn't expected him to be that blunt!
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"HAHAHAHA! Crazy! This kid is crazy! Isn't that rich, you guys?!" Michael erupted in laughter. It seemed like the kid was more delusional than he thought.
"Why should we even entertain such an idea. After all, the control of this place of the result of the efforts of the Black Legion." Allistair calmly stated.
"Hey, you're not seriously humoring him! C'mon, you can't argue with naive fools, Allistair!" Michael chimed in.
"Are you referring to the Black Legion that I saved from annihilation? The same ones that you guys sent to battle with faulty technology? As for defending D-23, I was under the impression that there was a necessity to stop Gene Corp either way." Josh remarked.
"There is no proof for such a thing. There is also a report that Gene Corp has kidnapped you. The chances are that you are now working for them. I'm ready to give you the benefit of the doubt, but you will have to be taken into custody for confirmation." Allistair announced.
"Allistair, I strongly disagree with this course of action." Markus opposed.
"Of course you would. You already sold him the deed for the land, didn't you? Do not underestimate my sources." Allistair replied.
"You did what?! Are you crazy, Markus?! Also, what is that about Gene Corp?!" Michael exclaimed in shock.
"Point is, there is no reason we can trust you and no reason to agree to your silly demand either. Tonight you will be sitting in a cell until we can be sure you do not represent a risk." Allistair's tone was stern. He wouldn't take no for an answer.
"HAHAHAHAHA! I heard that you were a half-decent protector for Metropolis-C. I now realize this was all propaganda. Pirates, terrorists, biochemicals spreading, a failure to deal with Gene Corp and now this." Josh chuckled.
"WOW. This kid is crazy. He doesn't even realize the situation he's in. Let's just kill him." Michael laughed as he activated his lighting ability. Instantly his entire body became encapsulated by violent lightning.
"What are you doing?!" "Stop!" Markus and Bennett exclaimed at once. But, it was already too late, for he had woken up his seat.
Before he had even realized what was going on, a paw slapped his way. He barely managed to react and he dashed a distance away. But, one of his arms was missing and he bled all over. "What the fuck?!"
That's when the sloth yawned. Everyone in the area fell except Josh and Allistair. But there was a clear difference between them. The latter was shaking and had summoned all of his equipment to absorb the blow.
Meanwhile, the defenseless Josh was relaxedly moving toward the proud Lightbringer before stomping on his face. He lied powerlessly, bleeding and trying to regain his bearings.
"You're right. This 'kid' doesn't seem to realize the situation he's in. Killing you would be quicker, right? Why bother and listen to your drivel?" Josh taunted him in a voice as calm as still water.
"If you kill him, you will be doomed. This little stunt won't change anything, even if you have Markus on your side. You will be in our custody by the end of the day." Allistair serenely remarked.
"Oh? That sounds fun. Should we play a little game? I will send the sloths to all the Tower accesses. Don't worry. I'll make sure the world knows it was your idea." Josh winked at Allistair.
"This is only a bluff. Let him go before I get angry. While I personally dislike the man, he remains the leader of Metropolis-E. I strongly suggest you surrender if you know what is good for you." Allistair tried to intimidate him.
"Haha, nice try. I'm not worried about death!" The Lightbringer under Josh's foot sneered heroically.
"Oh, I see. It won't be as fun for my allies to tarnish the reputation of a dead man, but it's fine. You can be sure Micheal Lightbringer will be remembered as the greatest villain for plotting against humanity. It's a shame. I told them to wait since I wanted to cooperate instead." Josh sighed.
Josh could see his face change as Michael pictured this happening. This would have been completely ineffective for most, but such a useless thing as fame mattered for him: "Allies? Cooperate?"
"You probably haven't heard of my allies. Dimensional Legion isn't that well known." Josh sighed as he summoned his bloody outfit. While it looked very different than the four 'known D.L. members' that had appeared, it looked absolutely stunning and frightening.
It was at that exact moment that Michael stopped being an enemy. This cosmetic outfit was enough to convince him that Josh truly belonged to Dimensional Legion.
They had established a dilapidated farm, and people fought to slave in it! They clearly were able to ruin his reputation if they put their minds to it! On one side was glory, and on the other was damnation. The choice wasn't hard!
But Allistair wasn't an idiot either. He quickly decided to act...
Creator's Thought
Who was the fool in this situation? Was it a reporter that was talking crap but getting a paycheck out of it? Was it the bystander that was acting as a delivery man? Was it one of the leaders? Perhaps I was the fool for needlessly angering Allistair. Sometimes it's a matter of perspective.