Classless Ascension

A lone man entered the well-lit room. There were soft-looking red sofas, a low table, a few plants, and a bright blue background with shiny letters on top: <Celebrity-Teatime>.

Where was the tea? There didn't seem to be any. But many individuals were sitting. There were the two hosts from the cinematic and also all of the noteworthy contestants. Josh could guess a few things.

Student was probably the man with glasses that weirdly obscured his face completely. The guy looked like he came straight out of a censored Japanese AV.

The Devil's Apostle looked relatively ordinary. He had probably chosen a random appearance and just rolled with it without changing anything.

The Samurai had a topknot and a long white robe. He looked like a character from a cartoon, the kind that would fight a shapeshifter master of darkness.

As soon as they saw Josh, they all turned toward him. They showed various expressions, mostly of surprise. Student and the woman were especially staring. That is when the host stood up in excitement.

Man: "Hey, brother! We match!" He pointed at his red necktie that was sticking out of his classic black suit.

Woman: "Ah, that is what took you so long! It's very unique... Do you want me to give you some fashion advice so you can look your best? This will all be broadcasted, after all. You don't want to look like a kid chose your outfit, right?"

Josh: "No need. I'm good." A kid really had picked it, but he wouldn't trade it for anything.

"Anyway, brother Zebra! I've kept you a seat right here!" The woman patted her thighs as she winked playfully. She had a cute voice that didn't fit her forward gesture.

"Sorry, but I'll sit with my striped friend," Josh answered in kind as he headed toward Dale that was sitting alone on a big couch.

As he walked toward the tiger, he couldn't help but slowly enjoy the feel of his soles digging into the soft red carpet.

"Oh no! I've been rejected. Let me drown my sadness in tea. Shall we get started?" She clapped. This was the cue for tons of cute maids and elegant butlers to appear carrying teapots and cups.

"Welcome everyone to this special edition of Celebrity-Teatime. Today we are surprisingly filming from the VR tournament itself! Have you guys heard the news? Something crazy happened. Here is how it all went down…!"

Josh just zoned out. In fact, all did. Most were busy observing the others. Student was checking out the room, and the host guy was busy making gang signs behind the woman's back. Ah, never mind, that was a rabbit.

She finally turned back toward them, her introduction done. All had their beverage, and she was ready for the interrogation.

Woman: "First of all, congratulations. This is an amazing achievement. Regional champions are so great! This means that all of you will receive a custom VR capsule. I'm jealous! What do you guys think about the tournament having a second part organized eventually?"

Student: "I think this will soon become an organizational nightmare and I'm curious how it will all end." He grinned as he said that with the woman shivering.

The Devil's Apostle: "I think that they need to let us compete in other leagues. Back there, there wasn't any challenge. It was pathetic." He sounded harsh, but also honest.

The Samurai: "It can be entertaining, but it doesn't beat Climbing. Maybe I'll participate, maybe not." Talk about reminding people about reality.

Dale: "We already obtained what we came here to get. We're satisfied."

Woman: "Haha, do you mean the fame? Indeed—"

Dale: "No, the VR capsules."

Woman: "…., What about you, Zebra?"

Josh: "I'd recommend it for sure. I'd rate this competition 9/10…."

The woman showed relief. Finally, there was a positive and normal answer. The others wanted to either quit, complain about the competition or watch it fail.

Josh: "…It's almost as good as my old science teacher to facilitate sleep." Josh wholeheartedly praised.

She gave a stiff smile while her colleague was forcing himself not to laugh. How had the exciting competition become something so boring in their eyes? She then composed herself and kept going.

Woman: "If we were to organize a competition with skills involved, which classes would you want to see participate? How do you think it should be organized?"

Student: "All classes, the more the merrier. Just make them all duel. This will be entertaining. There is bound to be lots of friction over the rules." Once more it was another disturbing proposition.

Woman: "What about you guys? What would you suggest?"

The Devil's Apostle: "Exactly what he said. Duels work." All of them could be seen nodding along.

Woman: "What about support classes like the healers?"

The Samurai: "What about them?"

Woman: "Won't it be impossible for them to fight other people?!"

Josh: "Why would it be impossible? Healers can fight too…"

Woman: "Name one healer that—"

Dale: "You mean like Ronan from Draconic? He really wouldn't agree."

She gasped as she couldn't help but admit that he wasn't wrong. She wanted to say that this crazy man was an exception, but then she saw the others nodding in agreement. What was wrong with all of them?!

She took a deep breath and figured she'd try her luck at getting to know more about them. They had been relatively honest so far.

Woman: "If you guys had to choose a favorite weapon, class, and guild, what would it all be?"

Man: "Oh! I know, I would go for the fist. The class would be super massage guy! As for the guild, it would obviously be Eclipse." He was grinning from ear to ear as he said it.

Woman: "Villain, you finally reveal your true colors! How long have you been eying the girls of Eclipse?!"

Man: "Not long, only since their guild creation. Anyway, what about you guys?"

Student: "Weapon: Knowledge. Class: Anything related to studying. Guild: Ouroboros for sure." How was one supposed to use knowledge as a weapon concretely?! This was a true student!

Would Josh simply go along with this poor attempt at information gathering? He'd have some fun instead. He began talking while pointing at Dale.

Josh: "Weapon: Tiger. Class: Empress' Divine Knight. Guild: Dimensional Legion." He chuckled inwardly, thinking of how many would search these terms now.

That's when the others answered in quick succession too.

Dale: "Weapon: Anything. Class: Divine Knight. Guild: Dimensional Legion." He bullshitted with a straight face without any issue.

The Devil's Apostle: "Weapon: Anything. Class: Heaven's Chosen. Guild: Dimensional Legion." He joined the bandwagon gleefully.

The Samurai: "Weapon: Katana. Class: Divine Samurai. Guild: Dimensional Legion." He was fine with anything as long as he could remain a samurai.

The woman couldn't believe her ears. Four out of five of these powerful experts were talking about a certain 'Dimensional Legion'. What was that?! How had she never heard of it?"

No matter what, she had to get to the bottom of it. She had to have this story come out on HER show! Not later for sure!

Woman: "If I may ask, what exactly is 'Dimensional Legion'?"

Josh: "You may not." He answered with a playful smile.

She couldn't believe how much she was getting shut down. She even glanced at her boobs to make sure they were still there. Yep.

If Zebra didn't talk, she would have to rely on someone else. She pitifully glanced at the others, expecting that one of them would be kind enough to throw her a bone. But, she was confronted with silence.

They kept looking at Zebra as if awaiting his commands. What if she changed the subject? "Then, what is it like to possess a divine class?" She made sure to sound as innocent as possible.

But they kept looking at their obvious leader. Except, she didn't know that this was all a joke, and they just didn't know where Josh was going with it.

Man: "Wait, help a brother out, guys. You are all coming out at once, naming the same dream guild. This is like a next-level conspiracy theory thing. I'm pretty sure there is no guild that goes by that name. Does that mean it's a hidden guild?! This is so damn cool!"

Meanwhile, Student was flabbergasted at the side too. Who knew these weirdos were all together. Well, that was pretty much the reaction of the entire Metropolis-C.

But seriously who were they?!