"What?! It's not over yet?!" Bob exclaimed in shock while watching the surroundings warily.
"Indeed, look this way." Josh pointed at the horizon.
"Oh fuck, we need to run!" Bob began screaming in fright as he saw the incoming metal wave full of sharp, big, and pointy needles.
"You can't outrun it. Once it begins, it won't stop for a while. It's all about resisting the constant onslaught until it's over." Josh serenely shook his head.
"How are you so damn calm?!"
"Why are you even making a fuss? I already told you that it's easily Soloable. Just relax. Overly stressing won't do anything. You need to learn to control your nerves if you want to be successful in life, you know." Josh wisely remarked.
Bob kept looking at the enormous deadly attack coming their way and then at the tranquil Josh. How was he so confident?! Even a Ranker wouldn't have been that relaxed for sure!
"Alright, let's do this. Come over here, hold tight, and don't move an inch. Is that clear?" Josh ordered.
Bob couldn't understand what he was seeing. He could see Josh stepping on…was that a rat?! Then the man's eyes began glowing red akin to lasers. What kind of skill was this?!
He approached in complete confusion as Josh guided him to step on the rat. He then made Bob wrap his arms around his body. The poor man was about to go crazy. He didn't want to spend the last minutes of his life on a rat embracing another dude!
"Brace yourself. The wave is coming," Josh warned.
Bob's brain kept sending him alarm signals. He had to forcefully resist the instincts that were screaming at him to run far away from this madness and this freak. He understood that Josh was probably about to use some extremely strong defensive skill.
The wave was upon them, and they were about to be skewered by the needles rising from the ground. He finally heard Josh shout what could only be a skill activation. But then he realized what the words had been:
"It's time to surf. This will be so fun!"
Bob's mind went blank. Excuse me...what?! But at that moment, they were all thrown in the air along with their ride. He unconsciously gripped his companion even harder. That is when the nightmare began. Nothing in his 33 years of existence had prepared him for what was to come.
It was akin to a ride from Hell. They were moving extremely fast, were getting catapulted all over, and almost getting impaled at every turn. The worst was that there was no sign of it ever ending!
Bob glanced at Josh and froze. This man was his only salvation and his only hope in their current situation. Yet, right now, he was eerily scary. He was grinning akin to a demon while cackling with his red glowing eyes.
What kind of madman could enjoy this?! Bob didn't even know how they were still alive. How were they still on the rat? How was the rat still alive in the first place?! What had convinced Josh even to try this?!
Bob had no idea how long this lasted, but it felt like an eternity. As the spikes disappeared, he lay exhausted on the Floor. He had done absolutely nothing during this fight, but he felt like he had lost a few decades of lifespan.
"Teleport out, teleport out!" Bob didn't even wait as he instantly began screaming. He didn't look back at all as he disappeared in a flash of red light. Talk about impatient!
Jock pocketed his reward of 3 fragments before following the builder.
****
On the Tower Plaza, the journalists were patiently awaiting the return of the hero. Some had even done some research about Floor 18 and could be heard speculating.
"Do you think he's Climbing or farming?"
"I think he's just using the golems in there as big target dummies to practice his abilities. Then, he takes a short break once he's done with the 30."
"What if he's killing the Boss every time? It's really hard, but it's not impossible."
"Is it even worth to farm that Iron Giant?"
"It can be used for blacksmithing, jewelry, and probably other stuff. Hard to say, really."
"Wait, guys. He's out!"
That is when appeared a man that looked incredibly disheveled, wearing a yellow hard hat. He couldn't even walk straight, was panting, and looked like a drunken sailor that had seen a ghost. What the heck had happened to him?!
He was soon followed by Josh, who looked the complete opposite. He seemed relaxed and happy. "You know, you really have to work on your nerves. Anyway, how many more questions are there left for the construction specifications?"
"NO, we're done!" The livid Bob then coughed before exclaiming, "Don't worry, you've told me enough! I'll improvise the rest!"
Where had his professional pride gone? The mandatory few hours of questioning had turned into a few minutes after a trip to the Tower! Bob could be seen half-running away as if scared of another round.
Josh simply waved him goodbye politely. While it had been fun to observe the man's various reactions, one run was enough. He didn't particularly enjoy having a guy pressed against his back.
Meanwhile, the spectators were extremely confused. Wasn't Floor 18 relatively easy? Bob showed every sign of being traumatized, but he had Climbed to Floor 20 in the past. How did this make any sense?!
Perhaps Josh really was farming the Boss. Perhaps Bob had skipped it entirely before. Still, they found it a waste. Seeing such a one-man show was an opportunity, not a cause for horror. One just needed to remain out of the way after all.
But they were soon distracted by Josh turning toward them:
"Do you guys still want answers? What's on the menu?" He expectantly asked.
They all began shouting food names, not bothering with any posturing or introductions anymore.
"Donuts!"
"Pie!"
"Pasta!"
"Apples!"
"Popcorn!"
"Ice cream!"
"I feel like getting ice cream now! Let's see what flavors you have." Josh replied to the lady that was now excitedly coming over.
She seemed youthful and had a pure air around her with a cute frog pin on her blouse.
"I have all of them, Sir!" She was beaming in joy.
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She followed his directives, and soon Josh was happily holding an ice cream sundae with so many layers that it looked like the Tower of Pisa. He was even given a dragon-engraved fancy metallic spoon that was probably worth more than all the ice cream.
The unchosen reporters sold what they had already cooked to Climbers. This made the atmosphere extremely lively. The whole thing was turning into a festival. Hell, there were even people that had brought their families over to enjoy the event!
It seemed so out of place, but then he understood. For some of them, this was the sign they had been waiting for. Things were finally back to normal. These people had been stressed, uncertain of what the future held for them.
Now, they could reassure their loved ones and celebrate. A dad nearby turned to his daughter, pointed at Josh, and confidently declared: "See, honey, this man is the hero that caught all the naughty sloths. From now on, we will be safe. Isn't this great!"
For a second, Josh felt his heart constrict. Seeing the kid's radiant and bright smile reminded him of the little one. How would she have reacted to the whole situation? Would she even have been shocked? She always used to have so much confidence in him for some reason.
He could imagine the little imp taunting these guys. She would have said something along the lines of: "Now you people realize how great he is! But it's too late. I'm not giving him up!"
He closed his eyes for a moment. He could hear the happy brouhaha of the crowd and feel the pleasant heat of the sunrays on his skin. He then slowly tasted the delicious and crunchy ice cream. They both would have loved this. But, his reverie was soon interrupted.
"Sir?!" The lady was suddenly making a ruckus.
"If you are worried about your question, there is no need to stress for—"
"That's not it! Sir, I think you've just eaten the spoon! I'm worried it will make you sick. What if you get iron poisoning?!"
What?! Josh looked to the half-eaten spoon in his hand. That explained the crunchy part…wait! He excitedly opened his status screen.
[Status!]
Josh Malum
Josh MF Malum Lv 19
#STATS# (19)
HP: 4500
Mana: 5900
Magic Ability: 280
Strength: 550
Agility: 540
Defense: 33
Magic Resist: 28
#SKILLS# (38)
-C Weapon Mastery
-E Mana Manipulation
-E Great Gnoll Bloodline: Piercing Eyes
-U (E) Gluttony Bloodline: Endless Stomach, Devouring
#SPECIAL#
- S Curse of the Greenwood Lord: Active
- ?! Devoured Part of the Will of Iron
The very last line made him chuckle. No wonder that he hadn't managed to understand that Will of Iron concept: he had devoured part of it instead! Was this the result of having jumped straight into the molten metal?
Was the dragon that had eaten him the Will of Iron itself or one of its minions? There was so much he ignored about it. The next time he would focus on devouring as much of it as he could, and perhaps he'd unlock a new skill?
Was it bad that he was already plotting to find a way to invade that realm? He would just have to help the Iron grandpa sometime in the future.
Now the lady's expression was twisted in worry. Josh had stopped answering and had suddenly started laughing on his own. Was he already sick?! In fact, she was in the process of calling an ambulance for him.
"Hey, I'm perfectly fine. It turns out that it's possible to gain resistance against metal in there. I just realized it and I'm happy that's all." He reassured her as she patted her ample chest in relief.
"That's good then. Ah, I'll get you a new spoon!"
Josh drank the rest of his melted ice cream before turning toward her. "Alright, what do you want to know?"
He could see her hesitate. He felt like there was a question that she had prepared, but as she looked at the remains of the spoon, she seemed to change her mind.
"I want to know who you really are."
"Are you sure?" He asked as she resolutely nodded. He then approached her ear and whispered a few words to her.
She was initially blushing and embarrassed, but that emotion was soon overwhelmed by shock. She nervously asked:
"Can I publish this?"
"Sure, but send me a copy first so I can review it." Josh nodded as he shared his contact details with her, dubbing her 'Frog-Girl Reporting'. That's when she started clutching her UW as if it was the most precious treasure.
The spectators were once more left hanging and could only speculate. He then headed back to the Tower. He still wanted to collect all the Sapphire Fragments, if only to satisfy his own curiosity…
Creator's Thought
Sometimes it doesn't take much to completely shock people. Ride a magical wave of iron trying to impale you and have a Climber lose his mind. Eat a little metallic spoon by mistake and have a kind girl freak out instantly, even calling an ambulance. The point being in a world so magical, shouldn't that be the norm?!