Faced with the deadly metallic tsunami, Josh didn't cower in the least. He straightened his back and taunted once more. 

"Do you think you're scaring me? As if such a puny attack was enough to make me lose my cool. Say, are you sure you're an Iron Giant? You look more like a wannabe wave pool to me!" 

"Don't you know that iron is supposed to be immobile? Say, are you jealous of me? I can leave this bleak and boring metal world whenever I want."

"Go on, show me what you got. You're nothing more than a stepping stone for Climbers!" That last one made the killing intent increase.

Josh placed his arms behind his back relaxedly. He would linger there until the giant thought its victory assured, and then he would deny it. Whether it would remember this disgrace or not was irrelevant. 

In his hands, he was clutching his belt, ready to activate it any time. At least, he would leave with his head held high. It may have been childish, but it would be his consolation in defeat. 

The wait was both uneventful and exciting as the humongous wave finally arrived in front of him. He was about to be engulfed entirely, but instead of panicking, he stood his ground. 

Just as he was about to teleport away, he felt something change. The rage and the desire to eradicate him that he had been sensing both disappeared suddenly. The danger was gone, but why?

Instead of activating the belt, he remained motionless. The sharp spikes began cascading toward him. But, they slowed down just as they were about to impale him. They eventually stopped mere millimeters away from his face. 

Oof, so close! Josh sighed in relief as he looked at the frozen tsunami. Now that it had stopped, he could admire its cold beauty. Had the creature ran out of mana? This attack had been so crazily violent after all. 

"This soul won't die nor get annihilated, it seems." Josh playfully whispered. He had survived!

That is when the entire wall of blades began glowing. What was happening now?! It looked as if magical pulsating blood vessels were showing. They had the same purple tint as his mana! 

|~𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕹𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖍 𝕴𝖗𝖔𝖓 𝕾𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖎𝖌𝖓 𝖍𝖆𝖘 𝖌𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖊𝖉 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖊𝖓𝖈𝖊~|

Josh heard a deep voice that seemed sharp yet echoed endlessly: 

Truly strange and wonderful. They took control of the metal plane along with all the lower worlds with any metal affinity. They all disdained me when I sent my consciousness to the Fodder worlds. They even laughed and ridiculed me. 

Yet, someone actually managed to trigger my legacy. How peculiar. He doesn't even have an affinity toward iron at all. How did he do it? Was it a mistake? No…

Ah, I see! His will is even stronger than iron, a stubbornness that borders stupidity. The man himself IS iron, ready to be endlessly hammered until he emerges as the sturdiest of ingots. That is why he is Classless, amazing! 

Floor 18…but it isn't truly Floor 18. Well, not the Floor 18 of a fodder race, at least. Hehe. The other deities would never believe this! 

"Who are y—?!" Josh asked, but the being kept talking over him. He didn't seem to be able to perceive him for some reason. 

The difficulty has been enhanced a few times. Will this be their salvation or doom? This race will need to temper themselves if they wish to compete. But, will they succeed or break in the process?

Their odds are close to nil. Can low-quality ore be tempered into treasured metal? I truly believe it to be possible. Any of the other Iron Sovereigns would scoff at this concept, but so what? I will remain true to myself even if it causes my fall. 

I will bet on this weak man who follows the same path as me, even if it causes my demise! Should I make him my champion? 

"I don't want to become anyone's sla—" Josh exclaimed to himself. 

No, someone with such will wouldn't bow to anyone. I will leave him a gift instead. He can help me once he reaches the peak: this shall be sufficient. If I am to be demoted or even annihilated, I may as well go out on my own terms! 

"Demoted? Annihilated? Aren't you a god? What do you—"

Here, this should be sufficient, the last bet of a mad god. Ah, it seems my time is up. I can only interact with this world for so long. Good luck, young one. Hopefully, we will meet again.

****

The entire realm was plunged in silence. The iron wall in front of Josh now had a glowing purple rock symbol pulsating with every breath rhythmically. 

This guy had claimed to be a god but seemed to have his own problems. He, too, had talked about selecting a champion, but unlike the Greenwood Lord, he hadn't tried to force him to accept. 

There were other Iron Sovereigns along with stronger races and worlds out there. How many different dimensions were there with creatures as strong as the sloths? Could humans defeat such creatures?

Compared to them, humans really deserved the appellation of a Fodder race. Well, that was the current situation, but this didn't mean Josh would give up on pursuing power. Anyway, now was the time to decide. 

It seemed like there were no strings attached to this gift, but what favor would the being want later? He had no way to know how taxing it would be. One thing comforted him: this god desired to stick it up to the other gods. Josh could relate to this. 

He resolved himself and approached the glowing pattern. What was he supposed to do? He placed his hand upon it. As soon as he made contact, the world flipped upside down! He found himself in a world of metal. 

The floor was liquid iron that was thick enough for him to walk on it. It softly rippled with every step. Even the air was gray and seemed to be filled with gaseous metal! He had trouble breathing and could feel himself dying.

That is when an old man appeared. He had gray hair, gray eyes, gray teeth, and a gray metallic outfit. He had a human shape, but he felt 'different'. He smiled softly at him before uttering: 

"This is but a projection of a metallic world. Don't talk and listen. This gift of mine will come in two parts. First, try and feel the Will of Iron. Let it consume you. Become one with it. You won't die here but fight to remain conscious as long as possible." 

Josh didn't detect any malice in these words. He would believe this man for now. From what he knew, these gods needed the mortals for some reason. How was he supposed to become one with the iron? 

He focused on sensing the place but without any success. No, he just felt himself becoming weaker by the second. He could perceive a small hint of some power, but he'd never be able to master it like that! 

He needed that feeling to become more intense. That's when he looked at the liquid iron under his feet. This was madness for sure! But, he would go all-in. He dived into the metallic liquid. 

He could feel the scalding heat. He could feel the pressure so intense that it was grinding his bones to dust. He could feel death. But, somehow, he was still awake. This place was truly a special realm! 

But even then, he felt like the Will was eluding him. It was so close yet so far! That is when he resolved himself. He opened his mouth wide open and began drinking the molten iron. 

He felt his stomach and his lungs become filled with it all. He was choking, and he felt his entire body perish. He had since then stopped being human. He was nothing but pain and a consciousness that was hanging by a thread. 

"So fucking what if I'm dying! I'll devour it all! All of it! I'll devour the metal, I'll devour the Will, and I'll even fucking devour this world!" He somehow cried out as it filled his mouth!

It was so tempting to just go to sleep. The pain would stop along with the pressure and the heat. He had the feeling of being burned and crushed alive. But he kept hanging on. He had to! 

He kept drifting and sinking deeper and deeper. At this point, he was in a trance and had even forgotten his initial task. He wasn't sensing anything and was just resisting the world. He wouldn't disappear so quickly! 

"I am still alive. I am still alive." He kept repeating to himself without end. 

WHOOSH!! 

That's when a tumultuous current began dragging him all over the place! He barely registered it as he kept mumbling to himself, molten metal entering his mouth every time. 

Suddenly the current intensified once more, and that is when it appeared. Amidst the gray liquid, he could see a gargantuan scaly body. There was a humongous dragon of metal swimming! 

He could see its metallic scales that seemed impenetrable. The monster was so long that just its casual movements were causing the sea to billow. It then turned toward him, and he could see its gaping maw. 

That is when it charged at him. He never had the chance to evade and was gobbled up instantly. That is when the entire world turned dark. Josh finally came back to his senses. Somehow, he had the feeling he had entered a restricted area somehow. 

As he waited in complete darkness, he heard a voice sighing.

"I will now show you a skill. How much of it you understand will be up to you. Hopefully, you comprehended the Will of Iron enough to master it." 

Comprehend? Josh had comprehended jack shit! Still, Was this an opportunity to be taught by a god directly?! How extravagant was that?! He steeled his resolve…

Creator's Thought

Note to self 1: Personalize the taunts better. The Iron Giant obviously didn't know about wave-pools and didn't mind its gray world one bit.

Note to self 2: It's great to show perseverance but one should remember one's goal or it ends up like that. Comprehended? Comprehended what?!