****(POV)

Serene was the total opposite of her name. Her parents had always wanted a quiet and polite kid. She simply wasn't. Was it in a bid to create her own identity? She didn't know. 

Still, because of her explosive temper, people, in general, feared her. Perhaps this was why she was so comfortable in this rowdy crazy guild. But, she mostly hung out with the elite members because only they would dare challenge her. She felt accepted. 

That day as she arrived at the guild, she noticed something peculiar. The general members were all gone! She didn't interact with them much, but she would still notice their existence. 

As she investigated, she stumbled upon the weirdest thing. She found them in a focus group that was designed to appear like a weird game. It wasn't that strange, but why were they all there?! 

Then she realized why. It was all because of the man in the middle, Josh Malum. He wasn't strong, he wasn't especially noticeable, but every time one forgot about him, he'd come back to accomplish some kind of miracle. 

She herself didn't know his exact role in the guild. Dario had just brought him in one day without saying anything. He didn't join any guild activity as he was quite the loner.

From time to time, he'd pop in the chat to remind them of his existence. Often, one would feel that they and Josh Malum weren't Climbing the same Tower at all! He brought items and pets out that none of them had ever seen. 

The worst was perhaps that he made it all seem like a very normal thing to do. He wasn't even bragging about his achievements. She couldn't help but be extremely curious about him. 

Right now, he was apparently trying to find a way to get skills without having a Class. She sighed to herself, for she knew it to be a pointless endeavor. Many would wonder where that knowledge came from. 

She was one of the few that had inherited very complete memories. For most, it consisted of vague feelings at best, but not her. She remembered some of the past lives of the Crimson Witches that had come before her. 

It was all a knowledge that was the culmination of many mages' lifetime efforts. She understood that learning magic would normally take centuries. It was far more time than any of them had available. 

They had the chance to dig into these memories thanks to the Tower. All they had to do was to kill and keep killing for Experience Points. 

She had to somehow make Josh give up this ridiculous undertaking. She admired his spirit, but it was all wasted effort. The sooner he came to terms with it and the sooner he could find an alternative. 

She knew that changing Class was harsh but possible. Then again, the worst was getting used to completely new abilities and getting rid of the old habits ingrained in one's body. A Classless man wouldn't have that issue, at least. 

That's why she challenged him. She'd first show him how deadly skills could be. She'd make him understand how needed they were to survive in this world. Then she'd drop the bomb about how impossible it was to master some with just human effort. 

Was there a better way to do things? Perhaps, but it didn't fit her temper. As they headed toward the VR machine, the general members were at a complete loss on what to do. But then they became excited at the prospect of watching a legendary duel. 

They started begging to be allowed to spectate it. At first, it confused her. Why did they have such faith in Josh? Then she understood from hearing the whispers. The man's disciples had been kicking their asses in some training, and they were eager to see the master's technique. 

"I think it's better if no one sees. I want to use the full extent of my abilities. I'd rather not traumatize the spectators." So she said. But really, she wanted to spare Josh's pride. Her plan was to crush him over and over again. 

"It's fine. They can watch." He acquiesced. She tried conveying her intentions through spirited glares, but he simply shook his head. 

As they entered the VR world, the man casually set the settings. "Is it fine if I put the regeneration to maximum? I want to know what it feels like to endure skills."

"Sure." This actually served her purpose. Now, in the fight to come, she would have to be very careful. She wanted to instill a sense of awe in him but not break him. 

"Alright, then let's begin."

"Are you really ready for this? I won't hold back, you know? No matter how much you scream and beg, there will be no—" She stopped as he was already madly dashing toward her. 

But why was he so slow? Wait, he hadn't even adjusted their stats. A level 49 versus a level 10~20 was far from fair. Yet, he didn't complain. 

She dodged his attack as easily as one would a newborn, and she threw burning hot flames at him. She didn't show mercy. She covered his entire being in fire. As soon as he started crying in pain, she would stop. 

But that's when something weird happened. Even while on fire, he kept charging. How was this possible?! 

Logic said it was possible thanks to the extreme regeneration in this duel. Logic also said he should be wriggling to the ground in agony. 

From fireball to straight-up inferno, Serene tried it all. Except, no matter what she threw at him, he would keep going with the same slight smile that almost seemed to be taunting her. No, it was taunting her! 

Did this man think she was a pushover? No, she was Serene brings the motherfucking heat! She was the one that could burn ice and fire alike! She steadied her resolve and used a truly perverted spell. "Let me see you endure this!"

She sent at him fake true fire. What was so great about it if it was fake? The original was a mythical flame that could devour everything in existence. It even had a life of its own and would keep burning until its target was dead. 

As it landed on him, she couldn't help but grin. How about that! This thing was one of the worst tortures ever. It would crush anyone's spirit, and ….oh crap! What had she done?! She became livid and tried to stop it. 

But that's when she noticed something that froze her to her very core. The fire was hellishly hot, but there was something crazier. He was still smiling. It was a warm smile that would have reassured anyone.

How?! In his place, she would have been screaming, crying, login off, begging for mercy, not smiling! She fell to her knees as she watched him approach ever so slowly. 

Then she heard his calm and peaceful voice. "Thank you for the demonstration. Now, I'll have a clearer goal." He seemed lost in thoughts.

Thank you? Thank you?! He was smiling radiantly. He was thanking her. He was still burning too. For the first time in her life, Serene questioned her abilities. 

Were skills that great if she couldn't even scare one man with all she had? Had she been mistaken all along? How had he not even flinched? Her confidence was crumbling by the second. 

That's when they returned to the real world. She exited the VR capsule with wobbly legs. She had shown him her skills. She had tried giving him a wake-up call. Sher had tried scaring him. But now, he was peacefully sitting, trying to consolidate his understanding. 

Now was the time to tell him about how impossible it was for a human to realize such a task. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to say it. Was he even human? Would her concerns actually matter to him? 

That's when she heard the gallery's comments. 

"Wow, that was impressive! He went from getting his ass kicked to intimidating her with his sheer resolve! He did it to the awesome Serene too, not some pushover!"

At least no one was looking down on her for it. Still, she felt strange being used as nothing more than a stepping stone. It felt surreal. Had anyone told her this would happen, she would have scoffed. 

"Did you see that gaze in his eyes?! It was so casual yet so intense. As if he had everything under his control. Can you believe showing such a look in these insane conditions?!"

He had a point. Serene didn't think she'd be able to easily do it either. Perhaps with some training, but that would be cheating. Just for that, he deserved to be respected. 

"I shiver just thinking about what we just saw. But remember that's not the worst. The fight was clearly at 200% pain. I'm sure of it! He's always using that as the default setting."

What?! That was clearly impossible. Who'd be crazy enough to do that?! This was obviously a rumor, right?!  That is when she heard a young man begin to chuckle. 

"You guys. Do you want to know a secret?" They all leaned forward. "The very reason he's participating in the VR tournament is that he wants his custom VR capsule to come with a pain threshold higher than 200%."

Gasps could be heard as they all looked at each other in shock. That is when Serene couldn't help but suck in a cold breath. Was this man really human?! For some reason, she felt silly with the whole skills thing. Especially her initial fight speech. 

Feeling all jittery inside, she hurriedly left. Was she the one in the wrong? Would he manage to carve his own path? Would he be crushed by the harsh reality of this world? She couldn't help but await the results.

Meanwhile, Josh was on the floor sitting in a crossed-legged posture. He had done so right after the fight for some reason...

Creator's Thought

Being smart is knowing a lot of things. Being wise is having the ability to question that knowledge. Serene was certain that I wouldn't succeed but when she saw my resolve she changed her mind. She still thought my success was unlikely but she showed open mindedness. Explosive temper? Please!