Classless Ascension

Josh slowly followed behind the Matriarch.

This was bound to happen with people calling him elder left and right! Well, they had stopped using the term under his insistence, but they still kept treating him like one.

They soon entered a medium-sized room that was the perfect mix between luxury and practicality. The furniture seemed to be made of blood-red ruby, with the light reflecting on it and bathing the room in a bloody glow. Hell, even the door frame had been the same color!

She turned toward him, hiding her puzzlement, an emotion she had seemingly begun feeling as soon as he had passed the door. Had the entrance been special?

Josh glanced at it, deliberately letting her see the movement of his eyes.

"So you've noticed." She sighed. "This is an artifact that reveals one's true appearance. I thought you had changed yours." She admitted.

"Oh? What gave you that idea?" He casually asked.

But inside, he couldn't help but praise AT. The medallion he had made him sure was good! This would help him a lot. He wouldn't have to fear getting tested anymore.

"Investigation, of course. But it would take a while to—"

"I have plenty of time." Josh interrupted.

It was clear that she expected something from him. The only question was what exactly, and with how much sincerity would she treat him? Still, he believed he hadn't revealed enough to be considered an enemy.

"A man average on all counts suddenly showing extreme competency. One would think that such a man either was hiding his abilities or was replaced by another."

"Oh? So hence the test, is it?"

"It also just happens that a man looking very similar to you was spotted in a certain Climbing school in the D-23 zone."

"I see, someone with my appearance? What a lucky guy! He was born so handsome!" Josh joked.

"Then there is that killer's aura…there is no way that anyone normal could possess it. In fact, I'm sure it requires a special scripture and an experienced teacher to reach such a level." She added.

Special scripture? Teacher? Dafuq? Josh was self-taught and hailing from a modern world void of mana or anything magic-related. What was she even talking about?

"I also know that you're not related to the LoA either. Call it instinct. I only see one possibility. Say, you're a member of Dimensional Legion, am I right?" She solemnly said.

That was the big reveal? That he was part of a fictive guild that literally anyone could claim to be part of if they had the balls to? She didn't show any hostility either. She seemed to hope for it to be the case.

"Yes?" He tentatively said.

"Do you have any ties with D-23?" She asked, once more without hostility.

How was that possible? The LoA and the school were enemies. How could she ask this with such a straight face and a calm aura?

"Nope?" He replied.

"Ah, I see…That's a shame. I kept trying to arrange a meeting with the owner but was told to buy the pack with the fan meeting instead." She grumbled.

Wow, was this how Frank handled things? When people asked for official meetings, he made sales instead? He'd have to congratulate him on a job well done! No wonder his funds had been growing.

"What did you want to meet with him for?"

"There are rumors that we are his mortal enemy and that he swore to destroy the LoA. I know rumors are unreliable, but I want to make sure there is no bad blood between our two organizations." She sighed.

"Wait, didn't assassins from the LoA attack that school?" He asked, puzzled.

"Hard to say. At least no one from our branch made a move against them. We've been too busy trying to reorganize and recruit new members. There would be no advantage for us to go out of our way to make an enemy." She said seemingly truthfully.

"Of course…" He awkwardly uttered.

If they weren't the cause of it, didn't this mean that he had infiltrated the wrong LoA branch?! There went his plan to become one of their high-ranked members just to mercilessly betray them all afterward.

Still, it wouldn't be wasted. He needed to use this opportunity to understand how exactly the LoA worked and how to exploit it for his benefit.

But that left one big question. What about the people he had interrogated during the attack? Had they really been from the LoA, or were they confused back then? It wouldn't be too hard to trick weaklings into thinking they had joined a secret organization…

Plus, there hadn't been any follow-up on the attack. This made it difficult to guess the mastermind's motive. He would have to keep this in mind.

"Do you think you could use Dimensional Legion's channels to arrange a meeting with him?" She asked, hopeful.

"I can try, but it will be hard. Dimensional Legion is a very loose guild with members all over the world. I can't guarantee anything." He lied through his teeth.

"Alright, that will be enough."She nodded, grateful.

It was pretty ridiculous, but he was now tasked to mediate between himself and this LoA branch. How much fee should he charge for such fantastic service?

"In any case, I'm much more interested in you than I am with him." She revealed, her dark eyes suddenly turning an odd blackish red.

"Is that so?"

"Of course! That killer's aura was so marvelous! How long did it take you to reach such a level? How many did you have to kill? What is it like to wield such power? How—" She talked faster than a rapper on meth.

"One question at a time." He stopped her. "Also, I think you're mistaken about something. It isn't related to killing at all, but to the intent to kill."

"What's the difference?!" She asked, confused but with a sparkle in her eyes, one that he recognized.

She was so eager to learn, even more than she let it out. At this moment, he had the feeling that she would be ready to sell her very soul for power. He couldn't help himself and grabbed a magical contract out of nowhere.

"Here." His gentle smile contrasted so much with the content of the contract.

She quickly read it, her face suddenly turning dark. She glared his way, sneering. "Did you really think I'd sign something like that?"

It was a contract for her to accept him as her teacher. But, there were many clauses in there that would force her to obey his instructions under certain circumstances. It was similar to a subordination contract.

Josh only shrugged nonchalantly. This was his answer. She would have to agree to his terms if she wanted to learn.

Seeing his reaction, she began chuckling evilly, akin to a professional torturer looking forward to her job. That's when she started whistling once more, as she had done earlier.

Her entire being was full of intense but muddy killing intent as she did so. Every time a sound wave hit his body, he began bleeding like crazy, wounds opening over him.

Josh fell, unable to remain standing.

It started with his eardrums rupturing, then his skin began peeling, his flesh began tearing, blood began spurting, and then even his bones began creaking.

Every time he tried to rise, another sonic attack would bring him down instantly. Resisting was impossible!

At this point, he was already a sorry mess on the ground, blind, deaf, unable to tell up from down, and yet he was still calm.

If there was one thing he knew well, it was killing intent. Right now, no matter how much of it she sent his way, there was always a flicker to it. She would hurt him a lot, so fucking much, but she wouldn't kill him.

He lay on the floor, patiently waiting for the pain to end. A few minutes of intense torture later, she popped a pill into his mouth, dragging him back on his feet.

"So, do you still think I should sign this contract of yours?" She gave him a beautiful sadistic smile, one that would send fear into any living being.

"Yep, but only if you want me to teach you." He shrugged, such a simple movement sending blood splashing.

"What?!" She couldn't help but stare at him. How was he so fearless?! But then the consternation changed into anger.

"Hahaha, alright then! We'll play, lots! It will be so much fun!" She cackled as she got to work.

What happened next made the earlier events seem like a soft happy hour massage. It was bad, so fucking bad!

Having one's body broken down, crushed to pieces, and repaired over and over was the worst thing ever. She wasn't getting tired of inflicting pain either. She kept going restlessly, all until she finally reckoned that it was enough.

At this point, Josh was screaming, begging, and even crying tears of blood. He was nothing but a broken mess, both physically and mentally. She gave a satisfied smile as she took out a contract of her own.

"Here, I'll be merciful. Sign this, and we'll stop."

If the contract he had given her was almost a subordinate contract, then this one definitely was a slave contract! This was revenge for trying to cheat her!

Humph, trying to gain a benefit was one thing, but there was a line to be drawn, and he had definitely crossed it!

She laughed, seeing him struggle to grab the contract and try to read it. He put it away for a second, wiped his eyes covered in blood, and then signed— or so she thought.

As she happily grabbed the contract back, she realized two things:

1. This was the initial contract he had offered her, not the one she had written.

2. He hadn't signed. He had just added another line. Now the student duties even included dumb stuff like massages.

She looked at him and he wasn't despairing at all, not anymore. He was smiling peacefully. How?! Wasn't he broken a second ago?!

"Oh? I was just playing along before. Now, shall we keep going?" He gently whispered, slightly mischievously.

This guy was crazy…

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[A/N] Thanks to Renni92 for the castle!! This gives promotion for the novel! ?

Creator's Thought

Okay, perhaps I was having a bit too much fun with that. Was it risky? Yes a bit, but I believed in my analysis. She wanted to learn how to use killing intent well. I have plenty of flaws, but this is my specialty!