Chapter 396: Josh Is Gone?!

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"Master!!! Noooo!" The orc rushed to save his master, but he was too late. He had disappeared along with the Succubus Queen, not leaving any trace.

"We're alive! How awesome, we survived this ordeal, haha!" The receptionist was celebrating in the back while he stared at the now empty space at a loss.

[Congratulations! Completed Floor 27!]

[Please Select One—]

[Error! Error!]

[?!?]

The orc gave a wry smile. As expected of his master: he still screwed up with the system even while missing.

[User Josh MF Malum Gone?!]

[Orc King Detected! Error!]

[Analyzing! Analyzing!]

"I really hope you can tell me where he went. What about rescuing him? Is it possible?" He asked the system. Sadly the thing only ever answered his master...

[Expected Rewards Are Unsuitable!]

[Cannot Issue Any Reward!]

[Reward Still Required!]

[Error! Error!]

[Analyzing!]

Then the system turned mute, leaving them in a heavy silence....What now?!

He started investigating the place to the best of his abilities. Sadly all he received was indifference from the mindless succubi (hallway) and hungry gazes from the others.

There was only one succubus eager for dialogue: the receptionist. She was definitely friendlier ever since his master's sacrifice, but it was all too late.

At least she explained the brothel's situation in detail.

- There was never more than one patron or group of patrons at a time.

- They would show up carrying special brothel invitation tokens.

- He and his master had been the first uninvited ones ever.

- There was no exit to this place. People just left magically.

There really wasn't any exit.

This place was a freaking dimensional prison! He'd find himself shouting at the system: "C'mon! Senior brother AT would have already figured everything out by now! What the heck?!"

The Orc King could only wait, talk about pitiful! Wait and talk to the receptionist...

Very soon, they ran out of discussion topics. After all, she was only interested in two topics: her brothel or draining his vitality.

Then again, he was the same. He only had two things to talk about: his life before meeting his master and his short time with him.

The hours soon turned into days and eventually into weeks... As for how many, this was hard to say. At first, he kept track, but then he lost any notion of time.

He quickly ran out of medicinal pills, his only sustenance in this god-forsaken realm. It quickly became painfully apparent that he'd starve to death. Not exactly the most heroic of endings...

Sometimes the receptionist would glance his way:

"Why don't you end it all? I can make the end not only painless but also ecstatic. I'll bring you to Heaven!" She'd suggest while licking her lips.

But no matter what, he always refused adamantly. His life belonged to his master. He would never throw it away.

If only his body was as strong as his will. His spirit remained strong, but his physique slowly but surely whittled away.

Then it reached the point where he became unable to move. Had it been that long, or was this place so ill-suited to life? Either way, the feeling of helplessness was the worst.

The receptionist approached once again:

"You've already lost all trace of dignity, you know? You're the epitome of weak, just a sack of flesh and bones, barely any muscles left."

He didn't have the energy to reply, but he still had his orc pride even then.

"Time is unfeeling and will devour it all. Why not let me have the little vitality you have left instead?" She gently whispered in his ears.

No, because his life didn't belong only to himself...

"What good is pride? Can it be eaten?" She sighed. His throat was so parched that he couldn't even utter a sound. But this didn't change the light in his eyes.

"You really will die, you know?" She asked flabbergasted.

Oh, he knew. He knew it all too well, but it didn't matter. Using the very last of his strength, he gave a brilliant smile.

'Master, this orc will be going on ahead. Thank you for everything, and sorry, but D.L. will have to do without me. Still, it will be fine. I'm sure it will....' He inwardly mumbled.

"Tch— A fool to the end. You'll be dead just like that master of yours. Such a waste of vitality." The succubus complained.

'Dead? There's no way he's dead.' He couldn't help but picture everyone's expression once he came back from the dead. Would they be surprised? Even now, he still believed in him...

Ever so slowly, the Orc King breathed his last, a large grin on his face...

[Ding! Analysis completed!]

[User Status Unlocked!]

[Congratulations!]

[User is Dead...]

[Canceling]

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A month had passed, and the monks were finally coming out of their seclusion. The atmosphere was cheerful as they had all had great gains.

"I can't believe everyone went up a rank!"

"It's all thanks to the amazing training facilities!"

"I'm thanking Sir Josh for my advancements, haha. He's so inspiring!"

But they had barely made stepped outside that they couldn't help but freeze. What was this?! Why were they suddenly in a forest?! This didn't make much sense!

That's when one of them paled:

"Guys, is that a sloth?!"

"Look there, that's a Tower, right?!"

"Hey guys, there's a robot heading our way!"

A U-bot came over at full speed. The monks were on full alert, but it simply stopped before them, addressing them.

"Welcome to you all. This one is U-Bot #35456465475. Pleased to make your acquaintance! If you would, please follow me back to the D.L. HQ!"

The U-Bot didn't leave them any room for protesting as it led the way. D.L?

"You guys stay here, and I'll check it out." The elder monk sighed.

After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at a town bustling with activity. There were people everywhere! No, they were all Climbers! This was his first time witnessing such a large gathering of elites.

Still, there was something strange about the atmosphere. They were all way too hyper! Some were dueling, others sharing their experiences, and some even gambled.

He was led to a dark meeting room. In there sat a lone man with fiery eyes and hair. Dale the Phoenix!

But he looked different. The happy-go-lucky man now had eyes of steel; long gone was the naive optimist that once inhabited him.

"Y-you, what happened to you?" The monk asked, gasping.

"Josh's gone, and the world is going to shit. Funny, but I always thought he'd be the one to cause the end of the world...." He chuckled.

"Sir Josh is gone? Where?"

"Some say he's dead, some say he's been recalled to Hell, but I believe he's still alive somewhere in this vast multiverse." He sighed. "But none of that matters. How about it, will you fight?"

"Fight? But I'm just a monk...."

"So? I was just a Climber-obsessed teen not long ago. Are you in or out?"

"In for what?"

"Hehe, take your pick! Climbing, finding Josh, reclaiming the seas from Giant Doom Whales, dealing with the annoying goblin invaders....the list goes on."

"What?!"

"Oh, and if you want more local stuff: the pirates are active again, and so is Gene Corp. The latter somehow managed to get the DNA of an invincible creature, so now they're near invincible."

"Invincible?!"

"Yep, I don't know what kind of gene they fused with, but we assume it's a sloth. They become almost listless, and their teeth grow longer. Anyway, there's a bunch of stuff to do."

"How am I supposed to help with that?! I'm just a—"

"Easy, we get you in the Tower to activate a Class. Then you train with AT like all the blokes out there. So, what will it be?"

"That's a lot to take in....But Sir Josh is our benefactor. What kind of monk would I be if I didn't repay the favor?"

"Hehe, a shitty monk, I'm guessing." Dale quickly sent a message. A few seconds later, a knight in heavy armor showed up.

This was the same knight who had challenged Josh but fought Kasha after he had run away. The knight came closer, observed the monk, and finally removed her helmet.

Under there stood a cute lady that didn't fit one bit with the bulky armor she had been wearing.

"You're the monk? Alright, follow me!" She uttered without giving him the time to react.

"Who are you?" The elder asked as he rushed to keep up with her.

"Who am I? The Second coming of Gluttony's rival! One day I'll out-eat him for sure!" She declared with gusto. This only confused the monk further.

But before long, they found themselves at the Tower.

"Go in and kill the dogs." She declared as if this was an easy thing to do.

"I'm a monk, do you think I—"

"If you don't go in, you won't be able to repay him." She shrugged.

"Tch— Fine!" The elder didn't hesitate any longer. He felt as if he was being swept up in these people's pace, but it didn't matter.

He quickly entered Floor 1. He'd probably get a shitty class knowing his talent. After all, he had spent all his life trying to learn the Tranquil Serenity mantra without success.

Hopefully, he'd at least get a scribe Class, right? He had carved many stone steles over the years...

[Welcome to Floor 1!]

[Please Select a Class!]

- Holy Monk

- World Teacher

- Meditation Guru

- Enlightened Scribe

- ...

These were just a few of the choices. His eyes couldn't help but bulge as he saw the many options... Was this because of his old age?

But suddenly, he remembered why he was here. It was because of the genuine smile of the man that had wanted him to teach at his school.

Josh wanted him to teach, and he would teach...

[Selected World's Teacher!]

With this, he'd be able to guide the younger generation. What followed was a bloodbath. Monk VS Cerberuses....and somehow he survived.

As he exited the Tower, he glanced at the knight who had been awaiting him. In her eyes, there was a small hint of curiosity. He was a man that her rival had spoken highly about after all.

"What Class did you get?" She asked with interest.

"World's Teacher. This will be my calling from now on. I'm not sure what it entails just yet, but I'll do my best." He resolutely declared.

"Hehe, it doesn't matter. You'll have to meet AT first!" She giggled.

"AT?"

"He's Josh's sworn brother. Oh yeah, he's also a Tower. Anyway, you'll soon learn about it all. Let's go!"

The elder monk suddenly felt young again. How long had it been since he had explored new horizons? He found himself grinning: taking a break from the usual monk routine sure felt awesome!

He didn't mind barely making a difference as long as he tried his best. Little did anyone know the role he would play in humanity's fate...

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[A/N] If you want more chapters, leave a paragraph comment here ;)