****(POV)

"Ah…This world is boring." A deep sigh resounded in the villa. Well, calling it a villa was making it sound better than it was.

The place was big, luxurious, colorful, full of art and various golden treasures, yet all that was worthless. Even the beautifully engraved red and golden throne that the man was sitting on was meaningless.

He had an appearance that screamed of strength: heroic brows, angular jaw, piercing gaze, short hair that was perfect for fighting, bulging muscles, etc. He also possessed a tyrannical aura that rendered people speechless. Yet, he was weak. Well, of strength, not of character.

Back in the days, their lair had been a cradle of wealth. Now, the price of land was extremely cheap everywhere except the Metropolises. People wanted to Climb, be near Climbers and even breathe the same air as them! It was all about the Tower.

"For sure, Boss! This world is boring. That's why we are here to make it more lively!" An overenthusiastic youth exclaimed fanatically. It was only the two of them in the huge room.

The man snorted with the kid retreating silently, not daring to make another peep. How long had the kid been here? About a year perhaps. He had promised him a future, yet it had all crumbled in front of their eyes.

But the man didn't take offense to it. He was in a monologuing mood and just kept talking. "I remember back when the Metropolises didn't exist. People always say that the Tower appearing is a miracle." He took a sip of a nearby wine gourd.

"If you ask me, the real miracle is how fast the world changed. They all went crazy! They monopolized the Tower and built huge cities around every access point. Everyone then banded together against this otherworldly menace, and we became obsolete."

The man sighed once more as they were stuck here in the wild.

"What is the fucking point of being renowned bandits in such a world, eh?! At first, it was fine. The truly rich were the ones with the credits. They were easy prey. But now it all changed. The world isn't about wealth anymore. It's about power and only power!"

The problem was that they lacked this power. In the old world, they were kings, now they were nothing more than regular bandits. No, vagrants would be more accurate.

"But it's so goddamn unfair! The rich send their kids to Climber schools nowadays. Can you fucking believe it?! It's been what, six months? They've already figured it out! Then they play dress-up and cover their children with extravagant and powerful artifacts from head to toe."

Meanwhile, most here didn't even know what an artifact looked like. At least they still had flying vessels.

"They got all the training, gear, and knowledge they could possibly need. Oh, and they can even fucking hire people to power-level them! I swear if there wasn't that 3 levels limit gap, the whole fucking world would have been power-leveled by now!"

He just hoped that they could level eventually, but nope they were wanted.

"So yeah, for them Climbing is as easy as drinking, pissing, or shitting. It's harder for them to wipe their fucking ass after taking a huge dump on all of us than to Climb! Naw, who am I kidding? They have people for that too!"

"Wanna bet there is someone waiting right below their shitter to lick their asses clean or something?" He chuckled.

"You know, I've always dreamed of a world ruled only by the powerful. Not by any conglomerates, armies, or even tech magnates. Nope, by raw and true power! But I never wanted this!"

"This shit is the fucking worst. Everyone is at peace. These same bastards are hogging all the resources and becoming more powerful day by day. That's not it! I want blood, I want destruction, I want warlords ruling the land and chaos!"

He was shouting, standing excitingly at the end. For a second, a trace of the old him resurfaced. But then he fell back on his throne weakly like a puppet having its strings cut.

"That's not what I wanted at all. All I have now is this empty throne...well, and you guys. But let's face it. This is the end of an era, and we don't belong in it at all." He murmured as a whisper.

That's when a middle-aged man came running inside. He had a tablet in hand, and he was beaming. The leader was about to reprimand him, but he became extremely curious when he saw his state.

"Boss! Some new info! There will be a war! Isn't that great?! I'm sure we can find a few marks to attack in confusion. Maybe we can get enough funds to change our faces so we can Climb temporarily!"

He looked over it all carefully. He was a man that loved to swear and was very 'raw', but he wasn't dumb either. What he saw in there was way more than a few easy marks. Gene Corp attacking D-23 was a golden opportunity.

It was the opportunity of a lifetime! Actually, perhaps not. There would be more to come as this would be a precursor to many others. That's the feeling he had anyway, but he would be damned if he was going to miss the party!

That's when he powerfully rose from his throne. He was back, the old him that they had all decided to follow. As they looked at him, they felt like he would go on to conquer the world. He shouted loudly enough to reach the few training outside.

"Everyone. The Tyrant Squad is officially back in business. Boys, this time, we are going big. To Climb efficiently, we need Credits for gear and to bribe people so we can enter the Metropolis. We'll get all we need in one go!"

"While everyone is busy obsessing over the event at D-23, we'll be attacking Metropolis-C. This is going to be so much fun. Quick prepare all our warships!

"Boss, what about the city's defense system? What about the radars? The only reason they are leaving us alone is that we are too small to pursue." His right hand objected.

"Hehe, you're right about that. Either we remain small or we go big. Contact every pirate in the area. We are all starving while the Metropolises become fatter and fatter. They consider us weaklings and pests. We'll show them how frightening we can be!"

"Boss, what do we promise them to have them join?" He curiously asked.

"Promise them death and destruction. They just need to choose their camp. The outcome won't change."

"Yes, Boss!" He happily ran away to send some messages.

This would be fun. The pirates were too insignificant to even to enter the radar of the Cities. This would be their undoing.

Short-term, there would be no betrayals because pirates, in general, were very angry about the whole status quo.

As for the long term, they would have to slowly gain enough power to keep controlling all of these trashes.

"I need someone to get us Metropolis-H uniforms. It just needs to be realistic enough to fuel their hate for their old rival. We'll ride Gene Corp's tailcoat. As long as they are alive, they will be too busy to deal with us. That's our scapegoat."

"They won't attack us. We should have enough ships to launch a suicide attack on Metropolis-C too if they push us into a corner. This is going to work, I guarantee it! This is gonna be so great! HAHAHAHA"

"This peace has been too long already. Whatever the cost, we'll drive a wedge in their alliances. Then, we'll be there to pick up the pieces."

Was he crazy? Perhaps but they would rather be crazy and dead than alive and cowards slowly dying away.