The Climbers Association tacitly broke the news that the monster raid was going to happen in the next 4-6 days with a social media post of Rocky and the guildmasters working in the war room.
In the post, they omitted the crucial detail that they had only become aware of the monster wave a day prior, instead projecting an image of having everything under control.
The post caption, titled 'A new member in this year's monster raid planning,' was strategically crafted to spotlight Rocky's inclusion in the war council, subtly diverting attention from the imminent fact that the monster raid was scheduled to occur in less than a week.
The post broke all social media records and became viral instantly, as news about Rocky's return and the next monster raid became trending.
However, because of the climber association's careful manipulation, the overall atmosphere and public morale was high, as everyone bought into the lie that Earth was going to be prepared for this year's raid as well.
"Rocky in the war council? Yes sir-"
"They seriously let a kid inside the war council? May the god Gemini help us"
"What is Rocky's role in the war council? Does he fill the other guildmaster's water bottles?"
The comments beneath the post varied widely, but as long as the emphasis remained on Rocky rather than the impending monster wave, the Climber's Association remained indifferent. For them, successfully diverting public attention ahead of a significant raid offered a sense of relief, and Cody was particularly grateful for Rocky's popularity during such critical times.
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After his first hard day of work, consulting various guild masters in formulating strategies, Rocky became extremely popular within the upper echelons of Earth's strongest warrior's.
He was like the intern that everyone wanted in their team as he was able to provide fresh insights that others did not possess.
At the end of the day, Karna took him out for a well deserved dinner break, with the True Elite guildmaster wanting to talk about a few things in private with Rocky.
Doing things in style, Karna asked Amelia to book the entire restaurant for privacy, as the Elite guildmaster and Rocky found themselves completely alone in a massive restaurant that could service 150-200 people at once.
"This place has good steamed dumplings and noodles. One of my favorite spots" Karna said, as he recommended some of his favorite dishes to Rocky to help him finalize his food order.
Being the patient gentleman that he was, Karna let the food arrive and Rocky get a few bites before beginning the conversation that he wished to really have.
"So, I see you have undergone a race change…..what is the name of your new race?" Karna asked, as Rocky felt surprised by Karna's deduction.
"How did you know?" Rocky asked as Karna smiled softly.
"The flow of mana in your body is not like any human I know. It's much different to the first time we met too.
Such drastic changes in the mana pathways and physical build usually only happens when one undergoes a race change. However, I don't see any obvious signs of vampirification or draconification on you, so I have no idea what race you have become" Karna said, as he shared with Rocky the basis of his assumption.
"You're not wrong, but you're slightly wrong…." Rocky said, piquing Karna's interest.
"I haven't changed my race, I'm still a human, however, I'm not the same human as you" Rocky said, as Karna paused from slurping the noodles he was enjoying and bit it off from the middle.
"Oh..?" He said, gesturing for Rocky to carry on.
"I'm a perfected human, it's like the peak potential of the human race. To be honest, I don't get it myself, but apparently I'm what our species will become maybe 100,000 years down the line?" Rocky said, sounding unsure about the timeline as to when natural evolution will make humans evolve into perfect humans.
"Sounds interesting…" Karna said, as he continued slurping his noodles.
"About your sister….." Karna said after a few seconds, as the moment he touched this subject, he could feel a subtle shift in Rocky with his eyes turning serious.
"Once this floor raid is over, I promise to save her, with the full force of the guild…" Karna said, as Rocky accepted his words as truth and nodded his head.
"I understand guildmaster, you have your reasons to wait so long, but I don't blame you" Rocky said understandingly, as he already knew that Karna was going to launch a raid on floor21 based on his vision that he received in the snake-men ancestral chamber.
"I hope you don't detest me for this decision, it's not that I don't want to save your sister at the earliest, I really do, but the safety of Earth comes first" Karna said as Rocky nodded in understanding.
"What are you planning to do with Joe?" Rocky asked, as Karna let out a deep sigh hearing his name.
"Honestly that's a tough one. I've handed him over to the Climber's Association to face trial for treason, however, if you want to give him two good slaps then I'm sure that can be arranged" Karna said, assuming that Rocky wanted to get his revenge.
"Nah, I'm sure the legal system will do me justice" Rocky said, displaying maturity as he did not chase petty revenge.
Impressed Karna gave him a thumbs up sign as the two continued with their amiable dinner.
"What do you think my role in this war would be?" Rocky asked eventually, as Karna seemed to contemplate the answer to this question for a long time.
"If things work out smoothly, I think Cody will give you a lot of credit. That's just the kind of man he is. However, as for the actual fighting, I don't think Pope Cole will risk you being injured" Karna said, as his words mirrored Rocky's own thoughts.
Despite him helping all the guildmasters in the room above, not one of them invited him to join their party on ground, because everyone knew exactly which party Rocky was going to join eventually.
"So I'm just a mascot in the end huh?" Rocky murmured, as Karna smiled and waved his fork in Rocky's face.
"Everyone can be a soldier Rocky, not everyone can be a mascot. Also, who knows, they may let you get on the battlefield and have some fun.
I think you will be heavily guarded, but if you want you can enter the battlefield, it's good experience" Karna said, as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Is it hard? Participating in a war?" Rocky asked, as Karna looked from side to side and then contemplated his answer.
"To be honest…." Karna said in a hushed voice, as his face turned energetic. " I love wars…. I feel alive in wars. You know those background music that play behind short videos?
That's the kind of music that plays in my head when I slaughter wave after wave of monsters.
Makes you feel like a true man!"
Although Rocky did not know why, somehow Karna's response made him smile, as the passion with which he described a war, made it feel less gloomy than what Rocky envisioned it to be.