There stood a man that gave mobster vibes.

There were many words one could have used to describe him: Bald, shades, well-built, leather gloves, evil-grin…. Seriously, his smile was extremely creepy. 

"What are you doing here?" Josh approached him, growling.

The tension was palpable. Both Draconic members were ready to pounce on the man at any time. Good thing Josh had the perfect place to interrogate someone too. That is when the man turned toward him, still grinning. 

"Hey, Boss! You're back!" He greeted Josh happily with the joy of a puppy welcoming its best friend. What was this all about?! 

But then Josh observed the man more closely. That was the goddamn monk! How could anyone change so much?! First, there were the clothes, accessories, and the UW. Just that made him look way more classy. The haircut and the bath helped a lot too. 

Then, there was the fact that he wasn't starving anymore. Being a Climber had probably sped up the recovery a lot. There was also the attitude that was different. Before he looked poor and pitiful but now he appeared confident and powerful. Finally, there was that huge grin on his face. 

"You seem pretty happy…." Josh couldn't help but remark. 

He scratched his head awkwardly. "Well, let's just say that something good happened recently." Under the two's inquisitive glances he embarrassedly explained further. "Well, I'm not the only cursed one anymore…" 

"HAHAHAHA That is amazing!" Kasha burst into laughter. 

Josh smiled wryly. Life truly was strange at times. Who knew that a curse that foretold the annihilation of a race would bring one of its members joy. It was the purest joy there was too. He was simply happy that he wasn't as isolated anymore. There was no malice involved at all. He just couldn't help it. 

Josh understood him very much, so much in fact. He looked at him solemnly. "That's why I'm here today in fact. Now that everyone is afflicted with a curse you can be sure a solution is bound to be found soon." 

The monk looked joyful at that revelation. Then josh kept going, uttering akin to a commandment. His whole body language spoke volumes. He was serious, he wouldn't repeat himself and he wouldn't accept any talking back. 

"Give up on Climbing. Only suffering, misery, and an agony worse than death await you. It is simply wasteful. Remain a great monk instead. Once your curses are removed you will have a simple and peaceful life. I've found a replacement to your attraction curse anyway. You are useless to me now. Later." 

Josh then simply turned heels and exited the temple calmly. Kasha followed him giving him an inquisitive look. "What was that about?" she asked softly. 

"Exactly as I've said. It is definitely the smartest and most logical choice for him to remain a monk." Josh admitted. 

"Then why did we come here in the first place? What about your whole plan?" She raised a brow in confusion. 

"Some things are out of my control, you know." Josh then pointed at an area with benches by the side of the road. "Let's take a rest there, shall we?" As they sat down, she was observing him with rapt attention. He had his eyes closed, his head tilted, and was enjoying the warm sun. 

"I didn't take you for the relaxing on a bench kind of guy. The others at the guild wouldn't believe it if I were to tell them." she chuckled. 

"Really? Why not?" 

"Because you've been cooped up in the Tower ever since coming here. I've been wondering. Why do you insist on Climbing solo? Perhaps at first, no one wanted you in their party, but it's not about proving them wrong anymore, am I right?" 

"Every Floor cleared Solo accomplishes a Feat. Feats are opportunities. I have no way to know if it will all be worth it down the line, but I'd rather not miss any if I can. Yes, I could be way higher level. Yes, I could make it easier on myself. But I'd rather make sure I have a strong foundation." 

"Completionist, are you? Well, I guess it's not a bad thing. But it's lonely, isn't it? You probably understand that monk more than anyone else. He simply wants to Climb and yet he can't. Just after giving him hope you pulled it away from him. Well, I don't think you are wrong either." She sighed softly. 

His eyes still closed, Josh muttered: "Giving? Giving hope to someone is impossible. At best you can be their source of inspiration. That is how hope is. It begins with oneself. Even in the most hellish conditions, one can still hope." He didn't sound defensive at all. He wasn't giving excuses but just explaining. 

"Is that so?" Her tone was pensive as she pondered upon this simple sentence. 

It wasn't anything complex. It was even basic. The kind of thing that anyone could think of. Yet, she realized something too. How impossibly hard would applying this in the real world be? It required an insane mental fortitude! Perhaps, even a tad of craziness too. 

That is when she could see Josh fiddle with his UW. She leaned toward him and peeked at his screen. He was watching a guide on how to use the guild customized VR training. "Who will you ask to teach you?" The way she saw it he was already extremely strong for his level. He just needed levels. 

He replied with a small smile. "It isn't for me." He then closed it and kept enjoying the nice atmosphere. She was puzzled but she just examined him. He almost looked like a calm old man right now. One that was unaffected by the vicissitudes of life. 

"How long do you want to remain here? It's quite nice, I like it." It wasn't anything special. It was just the most basic of benches there were in this city. Yet, she was enjoying the moment for some reason. 

"How long? I am waiting for a heartfelt confession. It should come any moment now." He was smiling mysteriously. The kind of smile that made her unsure if he was joking or not. He probably was, right? She wasn't sure how to feel about it. How was she supposed to react? But that's when someone came to interrupt abruptly. 

A monk came running. It was one that looked more like a mobster than anyone holy. He was out of breath, but he showed a steady posture. As soon as he spotted Josh on that small bench, his eyes began burning with passion as he charged toward him. That's when he kneeled right in front of him. 

"Boss, you are perfectly right. I should stop Climbing. I should simply take care of my small temple. I should stop dreaming about what can never be. I should enjoy my peaceful life. I should just give up. But I can't!" 

Josh still had his eyes closed, peacefully. Meanwhile, Kasha was staring at the monk her eyes bulging. Was this what he had meant by a heartfelt confession?! It was so heartfelt that the monk kept going! 

"I know the consequences. Suffering? I can take it. Misery? I'm used to being miserable. Agony worse than death? A small price to pay to accomplish my goals. Even while knowing all that, I still can't kill this hope of mine. Even if I die it won't matter. Please show me the path! I'll thread it to the best of my abilities. No matter what!" 

Josh finally opened his eyes. They were but normal eyes, without anything noticeable. Yet, the two next to him were trying to peer into them to the best of their abilities and felt like they were stars. What kind of wisdom hid behind these? 

"This shall be the first lesson. This is what being human is all about. The ability to be weak and yet to possess a will stronger than anything. One truly perishes only when one's will dies. Do you understand?" 

"Yes, Boss!" 

"Now, let's go. The second lesson awaits." 

They then headed directly for Draconic before entering the member-only area. Josh was using his clearance level to bring an outsider. Yet, every one of the general members believed it to be Kasha's doing. 

Josh soon guided them to two machines that had a "reserved" floating text above them. In fact, these two capsules were not often used. They boasted even more realism than the others but lacked any skill implementation. This made it only suitable for total Newbies, except that most had issues with the high realism too. 

Kasha couldn't help but look at the reservation time. I was before the confession! She interiorly thought 'There are some things he doesn't control my ass!'

Josh signaled his disciple to enter one, before doing so himself. It was time to begin the Cursed Climber plan officially. Hopefully, the monk wouldn't break or go insane. Anyway, there went nothing…