Classless Ascension

In a lavish bunker, a wealthy woman and a small thief couldn't take their eyes off a single man as they shivered endlessly. 

From time to time, they would glance at the two corpses nearby, ones who had to beg for the sweet release of death. No, they had even needed to buy the end of their constant suffering. They had targeted the wrong candidate!

The man was now eagerly sipping on a drink, with no trace of any tension in his body. They couldn't relate this calm man to the devil who had tortured his captives through some mystical technique. 

Josh had been slightly intrigued by the woman's ability. Her puppeteering gave her complete control over others' actions but could be countered by a strong will or survival instincts. It was definitely peculiar enough that it could surprise enemies! 

For an instant, he had even entertained the idea to recruit her. But, he had decided otherwise in the end. After all, he had perceived too much resentment in her eyes. Hence he had ended them both, her and her worthless companion. 

They had told him many things before kicking the bucket. For instance, where their headquarters was, all that they had recently done and even enlightened him on the inner workings of the LoA test. 

Sure, it tested the candidates, but it was actually designed to evaluate the recruiters. It was all about their capacities to find, train and use talent. Josh's recruiter was frankly an aberration in their midsts. He had gambled it all with a man he knew nothing about!

Josh couldn't help but chuckle. This recruiter's luck had to be heavenly! He was supposed to end up with a decent assassin and had ended up with him instead. How would they all react once they learned that he had killed two more candidates? 

"Well, this was fun." Josh sighed softly. The other two by the side were still trembling as they wondered how he could be so relaxed. 

"Thank you for everything, General. Else I would have been…." Madam Evelynn uttered, her voice breaking. This experience had been a traumatizing one. Losing control of one's body was quite terrifying. 

"Don't worry about it. This is all a ploy by the LoA. Make sure that you don't cause any wave for a while, and I'll take care of the issue. Is that understood?" Josh instructed. 

"I'll do as you say, General." She instantly agreed. She wanted to live and now had complete trust in the man. 

On the side, the thief slowly came back to his senses. Wait, this had been their mission all along! Josh had convinced her as he was supposed to, but what kind of convoluted clear process was this?! He had gained her trust by slaughtering his competitors! 

"Anyway, time for us to go. We'll investigate this whole incident and find the culprits." Josh heroically declared while he fed the thief a healing pill, then grabbed him. 

As they exited the bunker, leaving behind their host, they could hear an extremely faint voice. 

"General Roderick, General Roderick, General Roderick…" She was repeating the name as if a mantra. She would never forget her dashing savior! How would the real Roderick deal with this new fan-girl in the future? Who knew and who cared! 

As they left, they got the royal treatment. The guards had learned what had transpired from their mistress, and they were so damn grateful! Had anything happened to her, they would have been the ones responsible. 

Josh could feel their burning eyes on him all until they left the premises. All the guards had failed, yet he had singlehandedly succeeded! 

The duo went straight toward the LoA test area. As they entered, angry voices echoed in the underground room. They had intruded on an incredibly heated debate.

"They should be disqualified! What kind of crazy stunt is this?! Assassins live in the shadows! Why the heck would one volunteer to act as a bodyguard?!" 

"There's something fishy about the guy! Do we even know who he is?! First, he shows up with a general MTA outfit, and then he kills our people left and right?! His body count is already at 3!" 

"So, let me get this straight…you want to disqualify an assassin for killing? Doesn't that defy the whole purpose of this evaluation?" 

"That's not what I—"

"How about keeping quiet in the presence of candidates?" Only then did the bickering come to a stop. 

Josh casually entered the room, only to be angrily glared at by 3 of the recruiters. This much was to be expected since he had murdered their chances at a promotion along with their candidates. 

The atmosphere was highly intimidating— or it should have been. Josh didn't seem bothered by it at all! 

"Hey guys, how are you all doing? We're just missing the lady in blue, and we can start the next test, am I right?" His enthusiastic voice felt so out of place! 

But, this wouldn't be so simple. The thief's recruiter addressed him with an incredibly stern face:

"First, you'll have to answer a few questions. There is just too much that doesn't add up. How were you able to impersonate someone like General Roderick? It should be hard to even come into contact with him, much less successfully steal his identity!" 

"…Really? Aren't we assassins supposed to be good at information gathering? The man is extremely easy to meet. He's always at the D-23 school, don't you guys know this?" Josh had the look of an old man disappointed in the new generation. 

They looked surprised but then realized this to be true. Still, they weren't done. 

"We heard about the contract. Why did you do something that profits the MTA? Explain yourself!" Some recruiters were preparing themselves to attack if he tried to run. 

"…Really? I'm going to make bank on that one! The whole contract can be voided any time I desire. Either they'll pay me, or there won't be any benefits for them!" Josh grinned happily. 

"How do you explain having the contacts required to do business with the MTA then?" The recruiter remarked, convinced that the troublesome recruit had just dug its grave. 

"MTA? Why would I sell it to them when I can sell it to the D-23 school? They're the only party I actually want to do business with. Don't you know how greedy those guys are? It costs 10 000 Credits just to study there full-time!!" Josh exclaimed heatedly. 

The recruiters felt at a loss. Their information about the contract was lacking, and they couldn't even confirm if this was true or not. Could the MTA part only be smoke and mirrors? Why did it seem like this guy was doing whatever he pleased?! This was a test! 

"There is still one thing that doesn't make sense…." One slowly uttered with everyone holding their breath. Had he figured something out?! "Why the hell are you an assassin when you're that good at scamming people?!" 

"What do you mean scamming?! I saved that woman's life today! To the eyes of the world, I'm— General Roderick is a hero! This is slander!" Josh loudly protested. 

The recruiters who had lost their candidates felt themselves tearing up. How had they suffered such losses to this jokester?! Couldn't he at least fake to take this evaluation seriously?!

They all glanced at the fake lawyer with reproachful gazes. Where had he even gotten this perversely strong buffoon?! Did they have the courage to witness all the mayhem that he would inevitably cause later? 

There were supposed to be four tests that would end up leaving only two candidates. Hell, the final one was even supposed to be a deathmatch between the three finalists!

During the first test, this madman had killed one guy and two during the second. Would there remain anyone alive if they conducted the third one?

The recruiters shared a glance. At this moment, something magical happened. They put their differences aside and wordlessly decided to skip the two remaining evaluations directly! 

That's when the woman in blue arrived. She seemed as peaceful as before as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened to her today. She barely glanced at Josh, not lingering. The recruiters nodded at her, not even bothering to figure out if she had succeeded or failed the mission. 

It really seemed like the rumor of her having connections was true. Josh had to admit that he was lacking in that regard. He definitely had to increase the number of his acquaintances in the underground world. After all, the MTA had to follow the law hence was restricted in its actions. 

Josh's recruiter was lowkey beaming in happiness. Now that his candidate had been cleared of immediate suspicion, this test was going exceptionally well! He happily took the spotlight, volunteering to explain the rest: 

"Congratulation. From now on, you are henceforth accepted as probatory members of the LoA. Be proud, for you have all shown great potential!"

The lady in blue was ever so indifferent while the thief could only rub his head awkwardly. He had achieved his place among the finalist by not pissing Josh off. This....was so simple, and yet so many had fucked it up. 

"Your next assignment will decide whether you are worthy to become a true assassin. But, there are many kinds of assassins in the LoA. There are the puny ones that feed off the scraps, and there are the true assassins, the ones that are feared worldwide."

Josh couldn't help but wonder. Where was he even going with such a lengthy exposition? 

"As such, you can decide whether you want to take the easy test or an impossibly hard one, aka The Assassin's Promise." The fake lawyer concluded solemnly. 

As soon as the term Assassin's Promise came out, the thief gasped in shock. The recruiter glanced at the two, who hadn't reacted. This didn't even phase them?! How courageous! But then he heard his candidate mumble to the nearby thief. 

"Psst— what's that promise thingy again?" 

How did he not know this?! Was this guy seriously trying to become a professional assassin?! The recruiter felt like facepalming....