In front of D-23, some more reporters could be seen still awaiting as they spewed bullshit to fill their programs. That's when all of the parties involved in the meeting left, provoking a massive outburst of the crowd.

"Oh my god! They're out! What happened inside! Please tell us!" 

"Is the situation resolved for D-23?! Will there be another sloth wave? Are the citizens safe?" 

"What brought about this meeting? Also, why was it held here inside of at Arcad—never mind!" 

How annoying! The journalists were like sharks that had seen blood. Luckily, their party had a human sacrifice: "Michael Lightbringer, use Flash!" He could blind everyone's sight, making the perfect diversion! 

Josh flew away along with Markus and Bennett while Micheal was left behind to answer the questions. He seemed to enjoy it as he appeared even prouder than a peacock. It was impressive how dashing he looked for a man that had had recently lost an arm.

"You know, I thought you were going to die back then when Allistair charged at you. How did you even stop him?!" Markus asked in detective mode. 

"That? It was only a simple trick. I just emitted some killing intent his way. I guess the outfit and the little mana helped too. I would have been in trouble if that Allistair guy hadn't been such a greenhouse flower." Josh explained. 

"Flower?! He's the bane of local crime syndicates! He's considered an indestructible killing machine! Are you implying that he's inexperienced?! You're kidding, right?!" Bennett couldn't help but stare in shock. 

"I guess he's a pretty disappointing bane seeing what happened at Metropolis-C. Anyway, can you drop me at the Tower?" Josh shrugged. 

"Wow, you're the only one that would ever see it that way. You mean the D Tower?" Markus asked as he took a drank out of his cool flask. 

"Alcohol?! Are you serious? ….Can I have some?" Bennett requested. 

"Yep, D Tower will do. I still have some stuff to do in the area. Also, what is that, whiskey? It does smell nice—" Josh casually commented. 

"Hell no! I goddamn remember the last time I offered you some. It's bourbon…." Markus grumbled, keeping his drink close to his heart akin to a treasure. Eventually, he did relent and let him take a small sip. 

Josh felt the liquid roll down his tongue down to his gullet in satisfaction. He had always associated alcohol with friendships, perhaps because of how effective the marketing had been back on Earth. 

Still, how peaceful and relaxing. Was it weird that he derived more pleasure from this single sip than from successfully becoming the true owner of D-23? Perhaps because there was no great plan attached? It was a simple and very down-to-earth pleasure. 

"Smoky, malty, briny with notes of caramel. I like it." Bennett praised. Knowing these words was one thing, but using them to describe a drink was something else. 

The rest of the ride was spent in a convivial atmosphere, with Markus soon dropping Josh off. As soon as he appeared in Metropolis-D, he was ambushed! There were tons of cameras placed in his face. 

"Can you comment on the recent events?!" 

"Is it true that you tamed the sloths? If yes, how?!" 

"Are you Josh Malum the Classless struggling Fallen? If yes, when did you get a Class and how?!"

"Do you have a significant other in your life?" 

Josh happily kept silent, walking all the way to the Tower amidst the many shouts. It looked exactly like the one in Metropolis-C: how comforting! It was now time for Floor 18. He smiled and waved at the crowd: 

"You better get lots of food ready for me if you want answers." He winked at them as he disappeared. 

****

A familiar sight welcomed Josh. The entire Floor was still the same dull gray: both the ground and the sky. He couldn't help but shout: 

"Honey, I'm home! Missed me? Show me that sweet Hellish difficulty!" To which the Tower Protocol answered adorably:

[Mission: Destroy 30 Iron Golems!] 

"Yeah, it just feels like an eternity, doesn't it? I left with 30 days left of lifespan, and now I'm left with a measly 12. How time flies, am I right?" 

The place was as he had left it exactly, yet it felt different. It was probably his own outlook on things that had changed. Back then, his Climb had been brutally stopped right there. Now he was back! 

It hadn't been that long, but so much had changed. There had been the troubles outside, but most importantly, he had gained mastery over mana. In the distance, he could see a golem that was hidden underneath a gray mound.

He got his trusty morphing weapon out. It may not have been the strongest, but it had sentimental value by now. Well, that and it was a shitload of fun! What would it be today? How about this! Josh could be seen holding a metal saw as he rushed toward the enemy. 

<Sturdy Iron Golem Lv 18>

Soon began a drumming session. It went 'BANG! BANG! BANG!' every time the golem tried squashing Josh. Now would be the decisive moment. Josh swung the now purple glowing weapon and began sawing. 

It was working! Instead of working metal, he had the feeling to be cutting tough wood. It was harsh but doable, and that's all he needed. Still, he could feel his mana getting spent in the process. 

Now was the time for the monster to begin dramatically screaming as it trashed around. But, since it was an animated lump of iron, it just did the latter. BANG! BANG! BANG!

Josh's main challenge was to keep avoiding, for one hit would spell his doom. First came off an arm, then the other, and finally the creature fell THUD! It was akin to playing reverse LEGØ, and it was so fun. 

It even came with a reward: XP+25, meaning 40 of these would allow him to level up once more. What did his Status even look like now? He equipped the best gear he had Stat-Wise to test

[Status!]

Josh Malum

Josh MF Malum Lv 18 

#STATS# (36)

HP: 4400

Mana: 3900

Magic Ability: 270

Strength: 530

Agility: 510

Defense: 32

Magic Resist: 27

#SKILLS# (36)

-C Weapon Mastery

-E Mana Manipulation 

-E Great Gnoll Bloodline: Piercing Eyes 

-U (E) Gluttony Bloodline: Endless Stomach, Devouring 

His stats were definitely way higher than they had been. But, this barely meant anything in the grand scheme of things. No, he was mostly happy about the skills he had recently obtained. 

Mana Manipulation was just awesome overall and allowed him to trounce the golems. Before, only the teeth of his rat had been able to nick it barely. This was a clear improvement.

Then there was the Gnoll Piercing Eyes. While not any good offensively, it allowed him to see in the dark,  helped with intimidation, and flat out looked awesome (+++). 

As for the devouring bloodline, it gave him survivability along with the hope of being able to evolve his gluttony bloodline. Who knew what new amazing abilities he could unlock next? 

Still, now that he had the Mana Manipulation skill, he would probably need mana for the future. He was also getting addicted to the feeling of slicing through chunks of metal. Fuck it: He'd get mana!

Josh resolutely invested 18 Stat Points into the Mana Stat. It brought it from 3900 to 5700. He felt as if he had just been shot with adrenaline, and he could feel the mana filling his entire body. 

He felt like a thirsty man in the desert that had tasted water for the first time. He felt like a deaf man that was hearing music for the first time. He felt like a virgin getting his very first blowjob. He also felt like killing some golems! 

Without further ado, he dashed toward the nearest mound. It revealed a big chunky boy that got sawed in many parts by a man that felt so good he was cackling nonstop. Sadly for the creatures, that was but the beginning. 

"How do you like that?! This is reverse IKE— this is AEKI bitch! How does it feel to go back to being parts? You're one sad furniture piece that will forever remain only tiny fragments on the ground!" 

"I will trample your lifeless body and— actually can't I pick this shit up? Real talk, I have a material bag. Holy shit, from now on, I'm a miner!" 

"Today's forecast? Iron chunks falling all over the place!" 

He happily ran around laying waste to tons of monsters. He was akin to a kid in a self-serving bulk food shop but with small iron pieces instead. 

[Mission Completed! Part 2: Destroy the Iron Giant!] 

That is when the entire floor began to tremble, making the whole Floor rumble with it. That's when an enormous head rose from the ground along with a humongous body. Soon, a 50 meters tall giant of metal revealed itself.

<Elemental Soul Sturdy Iron Giant Lv 29☠️>

It had a humanoid shape, but it looked as undefined as its smaller cousins. It was as if a very amateurish sculptor had taken this job...and delegated it to his three years old nephew. Josh couldn't help but chuckle. 

"Oh boy, here we go again. I didn't expect to go mountain climbing so soon. This is gonna take a while." 

But that's when the monster opened its giant gaping maw: 

"Souls…do…die…CRUSH!" 

No fucking way! It could talk! Who could have seen that coming?! But, there was something way worse here!

"Souls do die?! What kind of bullshit is this?!" Josh cried out, already getting his weapon ready in anger. 

There was no fucking way he'd let that slide! This was messing up with his childhood! It was time to get serious…

Creator's Thought

There was only one Iron Giant in my heart and it wasn't this one. Sometimes it really seemed like the Tower was using the memories of people from Earth for its creations (in a warped way). For example, Floor 1 featured a two-headed 'Cerberus' but that should have been called an 'Orthrus'.