When they arrived at Metropolis-D, there was already a considerable crowd assembled near the MTA. People could be seen with drinks, snacks, and cameras. 

Someone had even created a site dedicated to tracking the progress of the EDM fleet. Their movements were not hard to predict since they were going in a straight line. It reminded Josh of the apps tracking Santa on Christmas. 

When their ships appeared, there was a standing ovation! Well, not that anyone had been sitting in the first place. Kasha happily began to DJ for them while the Fireworks Guy was busying himself. That's when the Metropolis-D MTA soldiers appeared. 

They seemed to be in a hurry to board and treated the activity as if a timed mission. As soon as they saw Josh chilling on the command deck, one of them went to meet him. "Sir Markus has ordered us to hurry up and leave as soon as possible so we can—"

"Denied." That is the only thing Josh said before making a call.

"Man, you really have to get out: ruling is a popularity contest at its core. I know you're all about doing actual work instead, but you gotta let loose from time to time too."

"I don't care if you're swamped with paperwork. Have a drink with me real quick, and then you can go back to it. You know you can delegate some work too, right?"

"Alright, that's a deal! You drive a hard bargain, my friend!" 

Markus's troops could only share an uncertain look. Before long, their chief was entering the flagship, looking slightly grumpy. Under his arm, he was carrying a barrel of alcohol that looked oh mighty fine! 

"One drink, and that's it!" Markus resolutely declared. But, that would soon prove to be a lie. 

It turned out that while they were peacefully drinking, Markus's men began boasting about their leader's alcohol tolerance. But, it truly became a problem when they proactively began betting on the results of a potential Josh x Markus drinking contest. 

One of them even proudly came to brag: 

"Boss, you guys need to face off in a drinking bout! We all wagered a fortune on you winning. Those fools all bet on you refusing to compete or getting floored after a few drinks!" 

At that moment, Markus's face twisted in an ugly grimace. They wanted him to go against Josh? They had even bet their future on it?! He couldn't help but shout: "Dumbass! What have you done?! Quick, show me the odds!" 

The soldier quickly complied, completely stunned. Was his leader that against having a little fun? He didn't understand in the slightest the great mistake they had committed. 

As Markus observed the betting sheet, he began despairing. All his men would end up on the street entirely destitute! They could only beg the winners to show them mercy. But that's when he found hope once more! 

As long as he drank about a hundred or so strong beers, his people would mostly be fine. Many on the other side had bet on his own inability to handle his liquor.

"Josh, let's drink!" He challenged while sighing. 

Josh could only giggle and accept. These indeed were pig-like teammates! Then again, they couldn't have known about Josh's Gluttony bloodline. Standard contest rules prevented any use of skills, but such a passive obviously didn't count. 

Just as they were about to start, a soldier shared how excited the populace was about this event. People had seen all the kegs quickly make their way into the air, and they were all begging to be able to spectate it. 

"No way In hell! I won't be showing such an example to all of them as—" Markus instantly refused. 

"Oh? Are you refusing? According to this sheet, it seems that all your subordinates will soon…." Josh reminded while smirking. 

"Fuck this, fine! Let's invite the whole world! How about we make this an official region-wide event while we're at it and allow everyone to bet, eh?!" Markus spat out, annoyed. 

But that's when everyone suddenly paused, contemplating. Markus turned and looked around before objecting once again.

"No! I was sarcastic!" He cried out. But it was already too late…

****(POV)

All around the CDE region, people were looking on the Net in consternation and excitement. There was a new fantastic event going on that was so unexpected! 

A drinking contest wasn't that big of a deal, and neither was a light show. But this one was different! It involved the powerful Black Fleet, the leader of Metropolis-D, and even the Sloth Savior! (Unofficial)

The topic had already been trending, but at that moment, it exploded! The randomness of it just made it more exciting. It hadn't been advertised beforehand, and it even seemed to be a spur-of-the-moment decision.

People were wondering what kind of dumbass had thought of such a thing (so they could thank him). But, there was one woman that was furrowing her elegant brows at this scene. Her name was Sylvia, and she wasn't amused in the least. 

She was scoffing at the childishness of it all. In the background, one could discern many soldiers spectating instead of training. Talk about dereliction of duty! It was one thing to rest and another to throw a useless party. 

Silvia couldn't help but show disdain for these fools who didn't seem to realize their world's situation. There had already been sloths appearing, and no one knew when the next catastrophe would happen. What if it was bloodthirsty monsters next time?! 

But, even if she found this event deplorable, she still hollered to her nearby fellow Eclipse member with fake enthusiasm. "Hey, Alice, come see this! I'm sure you'll love it." 

Alice was a walking paradox. She was petite, cute, and looked like a doll. Yet, her nickname was the Devouring Princess, and she always won eating competitions. How her tiny frame could accommodate so much food was a mystery. 

But recently, there was something peculiar going on. Every time she would join a competition, she would come back visibly disappointed. It seemed as if she always had something on her mind. 

Sylvia couldn't help but worry about her. She could only hope that this spectacle would cheer her up at least a little as she tilted her screen toward her. But Alice's reaction was: 

"OMG! It's him! Where is this?! Tell me, Sylvia!" she screamed frantically. 

What?! This was the first time she saw her friend be excited by something other than food or Climbing. Who the heck was she talking about?! But she still answered. 

"This is a drinking competition happening between—" But she was instantly interrupted. 

"Where is it! That's what I need to know!" She shouted fervently. She even shook Sylvia while doing so. 

"Metropolis-D. It's a drinking competition between—" But Sylvia noticed that her friend was already dashing away madly while laughing aloud. 

"Wait for me, First Coming of Gluttony!" Alice heatedly exclaimed. 

What was up with her?! Had she already forgotten that they were scheduled to Climb in an hour? "Alice, wait! What about Floor 59?!" 

"Go without me! I don't care! Later!" Alice shouted back as she ran out. 

Sylvia could only stare in shock as she saw her speed away aboard a flying car, heading straight for Metropolis-D. 

First Coming of Gluttony, was it? Who was that, and how had he managed to mesmerize this friend of hers?! She would have to investigate…

Creator's Thought

Markus often had great ideas that he would shoot out sarcastically. It was always hilarious whenever we would actually go along with it to his great dismay. He was always too serious for his own good, but that was expected given his past.