Classless Ascension

As Josh appeared in the VR world, he couldn't help but give a nod of approval. This place was truly barren. It was just a dark and dim area with nothing but a basic rock Floor. The monk was there looking all around in wonder. Not that there even was anything to look at.

Josh regulated their stats to correspond to a level two individual with one hand while adjusting the pain tolerance setting with the other. As soon as he did, a red glowing message appeared in front of both of them. The entire color scheme screamed of danger.

[A pain setting of 45% is classified as the maximum acceptable number. Anything above that can cause serious physical and mental trauma. Are you sure you wish to set the pain setting to 200%?]

Of course, Josh was sure! How much longer would this take otherwise? He didn't have all day. On the other side, the monk seemed to disagree as a shadow of a doubt passed on his face. After accepting, came another annoying warning.

[Last warning this could cause irreversible mental damage, no responsibility shall henceforth be..-]

"Whatever, skip it. Plus one can log off anytime here." Josh muttered, barely loud enough for it to be heard by a now extremely tense monk. After a few instants of hesitation, his pupil resolutely accepted it too.  As soon as he did, Josh smiled brightly at him.

The monk unconsciously answered in kind, giving an awkward smile while blinking.  That was a mistake. When he opened his eyes once more, Josh was already there in his face.

Then began a fun playing time for one and all BUT a fun playing time for the other. The poor monk was getting a nice biology lesson on all the places that were especially sensitive to pain in the human body. It was one that would be very memorable too.

A violent kick in the groin, followed by a chop to the windpipe and finished by the crushing of the nose. The monk tried fighting back but there was nothing he could do. His eyes were flickering, his body was trembling, his entire body was telling him that he was dying. Meanwhile, his aggressor kept smiling calmly.

None of this was supposed to be real, but it was! Dying and healing happened in a non-ending cycle. It was all thanks to Josh picking the instant regeneration effect setting. This I turn only prolonged the agony. It was even more unbearable!

For a second, Josh thought the man would give up, but no. Instead, he looked up and hardened his gaze. He did so valiantly and just in time to get his jaw destroyed, followed by his knee getting exploded, right before receiving one last kick to the nuts for good measure.

Josh could see the confusion in the man's eyes. He could see his will wavering. He wanted nothing more than to log off and make this hellish suffering stop. Perhaps death would have been welcomed at that point. The worst was that he didn't even know why he was getting savagely beaten.

All the monk knew was that the time he almost died in the Tower had felt like a heavenly massage compared to this! Yes, getting mauled by tons of Cerberuses felt better! His brain kept telling him to leave and he wanted nothing more than to do it too. But, there had to be a reason for all of this, right?

He figured this was a test. He figured he just had to endure. He figured that ….His entire being was pain. This wasn't fighting, it was torture. Plain and utter torture. One that was dished out with disturbing precision too.

He had his breath taken away by Josh's technique. Literally. That was what a solid hit in the solar plexus would do to someone. His entire body was paralyzed by pain, his entire being burned, he felt akin to a small paper boat navigating a sea of lava. How was he even still conscious?!

But even with all this suffering,  he didn't give up. He somehow struggled to open his eyes. Logically his body was fine, this was all a simulation after all. Yet, he had trouble recovering. He was about to have a complete mental breakdown. It didn't help that Josh was now in the process of crushing his fingers and hands.

Josh understood that the man had reached his limit. Way more than his limit. In fact, it had already been pushed over and over again. He tempted him: "You can always give up, you know? It's the logical choice really." His voice was akin to the sweet whispers of a devil.

The monk slowly rose up. He had to use his trembling hands to push himself upward. His entire body felt weak and powerless and yet his eyes told a different story. They spoke volume He wouldn't give up easily.

It was a good thing that he was so expressive with his eyes. He had long lost the ability to speak after all. He was trembling too much and had trouble breathing. Josh looked at his state calmly, with no trace of compassion.

"Remember this feeling, remember this mental state, etch it into your being and engrave it in your soul. Never forget it. Do you understand?" Josh slowly enunciated.

The man seemed to be in a state where he could barely hear what Josh was saying. He slowly focused his resolute gaze on his mentor, focusing.

"This look that you have right now. That's what you need to Climb the Tower. The will to keep going no matter what. That is all."

That is when the monk came back to his senses. He had to take a few moments to compose himself before uttering "I understand. So all that pain was really just a test of my willpower? It was all necessary to…"

"Test? Necessary? Didn't I say it at the beginning? You could have logged off at any time. You could have just peacefully meditated too really. All that mattered was reaching that mental state." Josh explained.

That is when the poor monk's face completely changed. He could have achieved it through meditation?! Why had he gone through all this then?! Was there any reason whatsoever?!

"By the way, if this was a test you would have failed extraordinarily. When an opponent outclasses you on all aspects you can't just keep fighting while expecting a miracle. You gotta fucking run man! Or at least come up with a winning strategy. Don't just stand there like an idiot and take the beating…" Josh was shaking his head in disappointment.

The poor monk seriously began questioning life. Why had he done all that?! One could argue Josh had been misleading, but really he had misunderstood everything on his own. He didn't know whether to cry or cry some more.

"Well, it's not all lost. That should be enough for the pain training I guess. Alright, for now, we should take a break. Log off!" Then Josh disappeared in a red light leaving behind a very confused man, but one that soon gave a small smile.

This new teacher of his was unconventional, but no one else would have taken him under their wings anyway. Plus, him just having the ability to bring an outsider here was proof of his abilities. Well, that and the fact that a proud Ranker followed him around like a puppy.

For now, he'd just trust the Devil's judgment. He was the only one he had met that had never been frightened by his curses in the least. Having made this decision, his small smile turned into a bright one.

As she saw Josh awaken, a curious Kasha asked. "Why are you out while he is still inside? This thing is meant for duels. Did you give him a martial arts routine to practice or something?"

"Martial arts routine? I've never formally learned any sadly. I just picked up a little from everywhere. So no, I couldn't teach him even if I wanted." Josh shook his head.

"What?! Seriously?! I would have sworn that you had plenty of experience! How else are you crushing it so much in the Tower? Wait, the other day Liam was saying something about how you completely dominated the Tutorial. You're pulling my leg, right?!"

"Nope, I just know simple stuff like how to kill someone. I'm not good at fancy moves at all. This simple stuff works in the Tower so it's fine, at least so far." He admitted.

"Wow, just wow. I'm not sure what's worse. The fact that this sounds so much like bragging or the fact that I truly believe that wasn't your goal. Anyway, what do you plan to- WHAT THE HELL?!" She interrupted her speech as the monk appeared.

His entire body was trembling, his complexion was as pale as a ghost, there was blood oozing out of his mouth and his entire outfit was bloodied too! How the fuck had this happened?!

"Hey, are you alright?!" Kasha asked, freaking out.

"Yes, I'm perfectly f— BLARGH!" The monk failed to finish his sentence as he began vomiting blood. It soon all dripped on the floor. Yet, instead of panicking, the man that was somehow clearly injured only gave an embarrassed smile.

"Sorry about the mess I'll clean it all— BLARGH!" He then wiped his mouth with his sleeve before acting like he was in top shape, even declaring happily. "I feel better now." But that wasn't the worst.

On the side, Josh was giving him a thumbs up and a small healing pill. "Don't worry let it all out. It's perfectly normal. You'll feel better soon. Just gotta let your brain realize that you aren't actually dead. Just stay focused and you'll be fine."

"What the fuck is wrong with you two dumbasses?! Let it all out?! This is blood! If he does he'll die! It's perfectly normal?! What the fuck happened in there for this to happen?! This is a goddamn simulation, it's not supposed to be real! Let your brain realize you aren't dead?! No seriously, what the fuck happened in there?!" Kasha was especially heated.

Both master and disciple gave a wry smile before answering curtly: "Just normal training." She couldn't believe what she was seeing and hearing. How were they acting so casual about such an unbelievable situation?!

That is when she heard Josh mutter something "A shame the maximum pain setting is 200% isn't it?" That is when she understood. That is also when the monk began trembling violently as he vomited some more blood.

Still, he was fine. This was but an instinctive body response. "Alright, shall we keep training?" Josh offered with his pupil nodding.

As the both of them reentered the VR machine, Kasha seriously began worrying. She called in a healer while wondering if she should call the morgue while at it…