The man was already recording, and one could see a small banner floating behind him that read <Critical Thinking Class>. He had a small derisive smile adorning his face as he addressed the crowd while pointing at Josh.

"Are all of you going to listen to his nonsensical drivel that is nothing more than baseless propaganda?!" 

He surveyed the crowd as he strutted around. He then cleared his throat and entered what Josh called 'long monologue mode'. The kind that somehow managed to sound patronizing and righteous (or entitled). 

"Let us start with his feat of dealing with the sloths. There is something fishy about it. By analyzing some footage, I have concluded that there were no signs of any skill being used at all. Now, how is this possible?" 

He paused dramatically, making sure he had everyone's attention. 

"It seems to be the gray suit he is wearing! It was voluntarily made to look cheap while actually protecting its user from the yawns. If I'm not mistaken, it's made from the wings of the butterflies on Floor 42! These creatures can use sleep magic too!" 

Many that were finding him annoying were suddenly taken aback as it somehow made a tiny bit of sense. Plus, one had to admit that the man was eloquent. He exuded confidence, from his shiny brown leather shoes to his brown neatly combed hair. 

"What if all of this was stagged up to increase his reputation forcibly? This would imply the backing of a conglomerate trying to subtly gain more power and using this man right here to do so. Of course, we can't conclude that just now, right?" 

That's when he looked at Josh. He even slightly smirked when he saw that he wasn't answering. Was the man expecting his further arguments to be irrefutable and generate a standing ovation? 

"Perhaps he was just trying to help, right? I thought so too, but then why was there a meeting between the leaders scheduled instantly in D-23? What if it really was to try and wrestle away some political power?"

He barely took time to breathe and kept going. 

"What about the man he brought inside? What if he was acting from the beginning? No Climber having reached Floor 20 would ever show such an exaggerated reaction! Someone Soloing the Boss is extremely praiseworthy but not horrifying. 

His face was now red from the excitement. 

"As for the rumors of his achievements during the war, I have recovered footage showing the troops post-fight, and he was not in their midst! This can be seen on my site: Critical Thinking Class!" 

He showed a victorious expression with his arms grandiosely raised in the air. 

"The war rumors are fake, the man was most definitely an actor, the D-23 meeting was most probably a political ploy, his power is likely based on a treasure, and all of this suggests that his benevolence is also fake!" 

The professor's every argument had been speculative but also sounded extremely logical. Once all of these were stacked up, it did sound like he knew what he was talking about. This had the potential to ruin Josh's reputation!

Of course, as the target of such slander, Josh had a thought pass through his head. Hell yes! This would be great for business. He could already picture all the controversy that would happen. 

Josh as an individual was extremely easy to disparage. People would probably lean toward him being a fraud and even want to ridicule him. He had been acknowledged as Classless after all, and people saw that as a sign of weakness. 

But what would happen once there was news about the elusive Dimensional Legion mixed in there? People would lose their minds! Many would call the whole Climbing school a hoax, while others would blindly believe it. The best was that the two groups would fight! 

He could picture the bickering being on the news, the forums, and even becoming a casual discussion topic. He himself would be a living paradox. People would soon say: "See, even a Classless guy could accomplish all this after training at D.L.! What's your excuse?" 

The professor looked at him condescendingly while the crowd was staring, holding their breath. They would have erupted in a fit of righteous anger had they been in Josh's place. But why did he look so calm right now? 

Josh slowly began…clapping?!

CLAP! CLAP! 

"That was good. Critical Thinking Class, was it? You're great!" He gave the man a thumb up. 

The crowd could only watch, baffled. Not only was he not angry, but he showed no trace of shame or panic. He didn't look like a man that had anything to hide at all. What was happening exactly?! Even the professor was speechless. 

"I have to say. You're the most talented storyteller I've ever met. You remind me of my grandpa's adventures; Like when he told me he had defeated a Kraken with a plastic spoon. Or how my grandma used to be a goddess from Heaven, well before the raisin-like wrinkles." 

The people were stupefied at first, but then they started chuckling. The professor couldn't help but shout out: "Are you making fun of me!" 

Josh showed the most innocent expression. "What? No way! I'm praising you! It takes a lot of skill to deliver a fictive story with such eloquence! What is your esteemed name, mister storyteller? You can call me Josh!" 

"Even if you try to turn this into a joke, you can't deny all this evidence that I have collected! How do you explain all of it, eh?! Where were you when the sloths were rampaging in Metropolis D?!" The guy shouted while gesticulating. 

"This is a bit embarrassing, but at your mom's place, son. Don't worry. You don't have to call me dad if you're not ready yet. I understand." Josh was nodding in an understanding manner. 

"YOU! You using humor won't get you out of this! Is that all you have to say to these people watching right now that you tried tricking?" The professor had lost all the cool he once had. 

"Then, where were you when the sloths attacked Metropolis-D? Why didn't I see you helping when I got there?" Josh politely asked, his eyebrows raised in exaggerated confusion. 

"This isn't about me! I'm a professor, not a warrior! Plus, I never claimed to be anyone's savior! But I cannot remain idle when a Classless man on Floor 18 is getting hailed as a hero when he is, in fact, a liar and a fraud!" He spat out. 

"Did I ever claim to be a hero?" Josh looked around, puzzled as if asking the crowd. 

"Humph, the truth will come out as it always does!" The professor turned tail and ran away. Still, his provocative speech was bound to spark attention. Josh waved him goodbye, didn't allow any question, and entered the Tower once more. 

Right now, the less he said, and the more viral this would become. There were bound to be people wondering why he didn't comment much. Some would defend him, and some would bash him anonymously. 

But, now it was time to farm, and farm he did! He dispatched Iron Giants as if mere weeds— albeit dangerous and very tall ones. 

- 12 Iron Giants 44/100 

-24 Iron Giants 92/100

-36 Iron Giants 32/100 +1 Gem! Nom Nom! + 40 Mana! 

- 72 Iron giants 67/100 +1 Gem! Nom Nom! + 30 Mana! 

-108 Iron Giants 2/100 +2 Gem! Nom Nom! + 20 Mana! Nom Nom! + 10 Mana! 

-144 Iron Giants 38/100 +1 Gem! Nom Nom! + 0 Mana?!

For some reason, the last one hadn't given him any stats?! It seemed like there was a limit of 5 gems that could be consumed. Still, it was already awesome! 

Mana : 5900 —> 6050

What made this even better was that it would give him an edge over the other Climbers. As long as he found more opportunities like this one, he would be able to tower over others of the same level just from his stats. 

Josh happily exited the Tower. The fresh air, along with the light of the setting sun, welcomed him. This had been a productive day! His training had given plenty of time for the people outside to discuss and get riled up. 

He could see all of them busy watching their UW with so much focus that they even missed him coming out. He couldn't help but nod appreciatively: this was the type of attention he was expecting this debate to get. 

He expected the side bashing him to be winning as they had slightly more arguments. But, he had made a good enough impression for there to be resistance. He sneakily approached a nearby group. 

There was a mix of civilians, Climbers, and journalists bunched together. All their gazes were fixed on a video as they occasionally exclaimed in shock or fright. Wait, fright?! There had to be something wrong here.

Then as Josh observed more attentively, he realized that this wasn't at all what he had expected. What other event was there to take the spotlight away from the current drama he had caused?! Who dared? 

But then Josh was completely stunned. They were watching an emergency news report from Metropolis-H. The whole city was apparently getting attacked! Drones were being dispatched to get a better picture of what was happening. 

Their target was a medium-sized shop that was very peculiar and was believed to be the origin of the disaster. This unassuming shop sold costumes all year long and had a very peculiar name: it was called 'Forty Millenniums of Carnival'. 

Josh knew it very well, for he had gone through it when he was exiting Gene Corp. Back then, he had even chuckled as the name reminded him of something cool.

As for the culprit...Of course, Josh knew him. It was him!

Oops...

Creator's Thought

This is a PSA for all of you! If you somehow find an item that looks anything like <E+ Breath of Corruption>, be very careful before using it. Well, anything with Corruption in its name should be handled with care. What happened next should explain the dangers perfectly.