Classless Ascension

In a remote corner of the castle's courtyard, the Gemini group faced a few dozen anti-Fallen members. Yet, all eyes were currently resting on a man busy crawling back inside the building.

Shame? None. Desire to needlessly risk his life? None either.

Josh didn't even give it a second thought. Was he supposed to fight them all? How about no! Why? Because he could sense all the killing intent they were sending his way. He could feel that they would kill him no matter what it took.

He trusted his chances alone more than he believed in the ability of the Gemini members to protect him. It didn't help that his best anti-group measure was the smelly set and that the enemies were all wearing gas masks! His reasoning was that simple.

As he arrived inside and the fog enveloped his body once more, he heard criticism from his "allies":

"Where the fuck are you going?!"

"This guy is a fucking coward. Ignore him."

"For fucks sake! I knew he couldn't be trusted!"

"Tchh— our priority should still be to break through somehow."

"We have to hurry! Those guys are just goons. Who knows then the true assassins from the League will show up."

It almost made Josh laugh. How would they react if they knew that this dreaded phantom enemy was actually him? Would they even believe that this looming threat was the coward they were looking down on?

To be fair, he had already taken down two A-Rank Climbers and seemed unstoppable. Yet, the reality was far different. Both times had been surprise attacks that directly targeted the victim's weakness.

For now, he would wait for the fight to be over. Actually, what if the recruiter got done in by the enemies? Could that still count as a successful mission? He could always claim that he had orchestrated the whole thing. Who would know the truth?

But, he didn't have much time to ponder over this situation. A deafening explosion sound resounded.

— BAM!—

The gray brick wall next to the window exploded in pieces, with rubble flying everywhere. A few pebbles even landed on his face, with the rest becoming powder and mixing with the fog.

The result was a gaping hole in the wall, one so big it almost rivaled the ones of professional sodomy porn stars.

From it appeared 8 Climbers. They all wore the same snake-pattern mask that was covering their faces entirely. They were also all linked together by the now familiar green chain-looking magic that acted as a buff. They still dared to use it in such a situation?

One of them pointed straight at him:

"That's the guy! We need to kill him ASAP. Formation 3-2-3, move out!" He shouted authoritatively.

Was it wise to scream their battle plan like that? They probably didn't care since they knew they had the upper hand. Could Josh disarm the situation?

"Hey, guys, how about we call a truce? I really don't wish to fight you all. I think we started off the wrong foot, is all." He conscientiously offered.

"Oh, really?" Their leader suddenly stopped. "Alright, do you want to meet our leader while you're at it?" He nicely replied.

"Oh? That'd be nice! That's a great suggestion!" Josh instantly beamed in happiness.

"Alright, but we'll have to cuff you and put a bag on your head. Then we'll bring you to our secret base, and our leader will hear you out. If you pass the interview, you could even become an officer." The man gently offered, looking so damn genuine!

"That sure sounds wonderful!" Josh sighed with emotion.

There was only a small issue: the incredible killing intent the man was still sending his way. If he naively went over, he'd end up with a broken neck at best.

"It's too bad that you obviously lack sincerity." Josh lamented, shaking his head.

"It was worth a try. Get him, boys!" Their leader shouted once more as Josh darted away.

His pursuers were right on his tail. They were all way higher level than him, and by far! Their raucous, predatory laughter resounded just behind him as they were so very close to catching him.

But, just as they could taste their victory, Josh suddenly accelerated.

It was time for them to witness the prowess of the Zoom set! It had plenty of weaknesses, but as far as running in a straight line was concerned, this set was king. It just so happened that this corridor was straighter than an old-fashioned boomer!

As they saw their prey zoom away, they couldn't help but curse loudly. Their breathing became labored as they followed through sheer will and leg power.

"Someone shoot him down!"

"Give me a second!"

A few arrows were shot at his back. They had incredible power and almost impaled him a few times, but Josh could barely deflect them. It was evident that the shooter lacked experience with a bow.

They could only click their tongues in disappointment.

"Whatever, just catch him!"

"He's gonna be in our grasp soon anyway."

To vent their fury, they even began to shout threats in his direction:

"Give up now, and we'll let you be a slave!"

"Stop running, you little shit. You'll run out of mana before us!"

"There's no escape. You're fucking wasting everyone's time right now!"

Josh would sometimes look back as he cried out in complete despair: "No! Go away", "Leave me alone!", "I'm too young to die!" "Nooooo!". Tears and snot, he was showing it all, amusing them to no end.

Except internally, he was way calmer. Wasting time? Not really. Run out of mana? Eventually, but he still had time. There was one detail they had failed to consider: they didn't all have the same max speed.

Their varying speeds broke their group apart in a 3-2-3 separation once more. This was a huge difference! Instead of facing eight from all fronts, he would just be facing the three fastest.

"What kind of skill is this dash?!"

"I think it's from the armor. It glows a bit every time he uses it."

"Where the heck did someone his level get something like that?!"

"Who cares? See that corner there? He'll slow down a bit while turning. We'll catch up before the end of the next corridor."

"Haha, I can't wait to murder the little fucker!"

Creator's Thought

One had to admit that offering such a deal was a good call from the squad leader. Had I been naive a naive young chick it would have been the fastest way to accomplish his goal by far. Also, for once I could use the Zoom set to its full potential! I am speed!