****(POV)

Alexa Aaron had always loved finding how things worked. That is why robots sparked her interest since young. They were not humans, and yet they could act completely like real ones. How amazing was that! 

Following her passion had quickly allowed her to rise as the leader of Universal Tech and receive the nickname Tech Queen. In fact, all the nearby Metropolises functioned using the system she had designed. 

As much as she was proud of her accomplishments, she still felt she had a long way to go. Recently she had turned her eyes toward the Tower. This was a whole new world full of infinite possibilities and unanswered questions. 

She would routinely gather as much information as possible and create fun theories that she would mostly keep to herself. This was because she wasn't recognized as a true Climber with how low-level she was. 

Recently she had become restless after noticing something that rocked her current understanding of the Tower. There was a Classless man that was Climbing like a rocket. Oh, he seemed slow at first glance, but he was clearing Hellish! (If she wasn't wrong)

There were many suppositions on her part, but it would explain a lot:

- How he had shined during the war.

- How he had solved the sloth problem.

- How he had escaped Gene Corp.

- Why he seemed so highly regarded by the MTAs. 

- His possible entanglement with Dimensional Legion.

This guy was still low in level, but he was a powerhouse in the making, a very mysterious one at that! Chances were that his few enemies had underestimated him grandly in the past. But, who could blame them? 

When she had learned that Josh was in the building, she had arranged to sneakily and personally make her way to his location. That is how she had eavesdropped on their conversation. 

He showed zero reaction to her appearance except give her a slight nod. That's when she reasoned that he probably hadn't recognized her. But then what came next almost made her stagger. 

Josh calmly introduced himself and began to….assess her aloud?! Anyone would have agreed that he was suicidal. She had been in a great mood, but it had instantly soured. 

The VR technician by the side could be seen shaking as he took a step away. He was already worried that he would get in trouble, and now this man had made things even worse! 

Alexa took a second to collect herself before answering his pros and cons list: 

"Please! As if what people thought of me mattered one bit. As for the EVE system, you're obviously fine, so who cares if it was a close call? Now, bringing the Black Fleet all the way over here to complain seems excessive, doesn't it?"

Was his visit as simple as getting his VR capsule? There was no reason to bring such a powerful force if that were the case. No, he had evidently been trying to attract her attention! She had to find out why. 

"Let's cut to the chase already. What is your purpose here?" He questioned. 

"Ah, how boring! What happened to civilities?" She sighed exaggeratedly before continuing. 

"You're the one that came here with an army! Go ahead, start talking. I'm listening." Alexa used her fantastic 'I'm a Boss' tone to make him understand how serious she was. It meant "Talk now, or I'm leaving". 

That's when he looked at her as if she had a screw loose while pointing to the VR calibration machine in the back. As if she would be fooled so easily and…but that's when she noticed his body language: he truly meant it! 

What kind of ridiculous being came to such a mundane meeting with such a powerful force?! That's when she realized that her information about him was even more lacking than she had thought. What were his motivations?

That's when she resolved herself. "You're going to D-23, right? Let me join since it seems fun." She directly stated. 

On the side, the technician looked like a toad from the surprise but then began beaming in joy, hoping that they would be forgiven. He kept vehemently gesturing Josh to accept. 

She understood why he was so worried. Over the years, she had 'slightly' pressured many bigshots into 'investing' in her research. She would ask for resources for various reasons, and that's how the rumors about her bad temper had begun. 

Many guilds masters had disparaged her only to find themselves forced to abdicate their positions. Many of them had been blockheads that hadn't known to shut their traps: 

She was eager to see his reaction. Would he happily welcome her, or would she have to 'convince' him to let her follow? She was ready for either option. 

That is when he dug into his pockets and brought out something that she knew very well: it was a magically binding contract. She had filled hundreds of those, especially this month: they had recently found a way to manufacture them using Tower materials. 

The process was quite ingenious. It involved using Runic Lynx skin as the base and the combined work of many production classes. This included alchemists but also inscribers, a sub-branch of leatherwork.

Josh began writing a list of demands. After a few lines, he raised his eyes toward her, and she gave him a confident look. It meant something along the lines of 'You better be careful what you write there'! 

But as soon as it happened, he shook his head slightly and began scribbling a few more demands while smirking. What kind of reaction was this?! 

He looked highly amicable and showed a face as innocent as an angel. "Here, you can come along if you sign this."

Yet, she was feeling uneasy as she took the contract. His attitude felt peculiar. As she glanced at it, her green eyes widened. What was up with this contract?! It went like this: 

1. She would be subjected to an NDA clause concerning Josh and his organization. 

2. She couldn't boss around any of the other members and always had to treat them as equals. 

3. She'd be obligated to help with chores once they reached the destination, working along with the others. 

4. She couldn't criticize in any public manner anything or anyone related to Josh. 

5. Josh's new VR capsule had to feature a pain limiter that went above 200% for training purposes. 

6. A 5% discount would be given to all members of his school on all Universal Tech products. 

7. She had to admit that their last staring contest was a draw since time had been running out. 

What gave him the balls to request so much of her?! Even the Metropolis leaders gave her face! She raised her head while clenching her teeth only to see him shrug laughingly. 

"It's fine if you don't want to sign it. I'm sure you'll be able to observe plenty via satellite before they are done installing the Jammers. It's not like it will be that interesting in the first place." He 'reassured' her. 

"It's not that interesting, and yet they lent you the Black Fleet? It was just to ensure you arrived at your destination without a hiccup, right? That totally seems like a normal thing to do!" She sarcastically replied. 

"Ah, don't misunderstand. I'm sure they weren't that busy in the first place, and they don't expect anything either. These valiant soldiers are kind and would have done the same for anyone desperately needing a lift." He 'explained'. 

As if any of this bullshit could be true! She couldn't help but feel that he was making fun of her. Actually, his eyes were shining with light as if smiling. 

The more he reassured her that she wouldn't be missing much and the more she felt that he was just trying to get rid of her. He seemed adamant and serious about these terms. She could always restrain him using U-Bots, but that would likely cause many problems. 

She couldn't help but internally sigh as she relented. "Fine, but I'm not accepting that number 7. I totally won fair and square!" Was it childish of her to contest that? Perhaps but she didn't care. 

He seemed pensive for a second before he finally nodded. "I don't mind. We can do one more staring contest right now. If I win, it will be a draw, but if you do, it will be your victory." 

The way he said it made her think that he was scheming. He wanted her to behave like a regular everyday girl if she followed. She would just have to show him how amazing she was! This challenge would allow her to shine! 

After all, a staring contest may seem simple, but it wasn't. She was able to intimidate anyone with her boundless successful CEO aura. That sounded cheesy, but it was also true. 

"Of course, we need to set rules." She reminded. 

"How about this? Using technology, any Climber skill, any bloodline, or external help is an instant disqualification. Does that work for you?" He proposed. 

"Perfect! Let's start!" He was dead wrong if he thought she was planning to rely on machines for that. She'd be perfectly fine with willpower alone! 

That is how their intense duel began, and ….What the hell?! It really was intense! She had expected to win easily using her experience, but reality proved her wrong. In fact, he seemed even more relaxed than earlier. 

That is when something changed. She had no idea what happened, but he suddenly felt different. It was as if he wasn't human anymore, but instead an ancient bloodthirsty beast that was about to devour her. 

What was with his eyes?! They were deep abysses in which no light could escape! She felt her hair stand up, her heart began beating faster, and her lungs had trouble drawing air. What was this?!

That is when she began shaking all over and felt her lower half tingle. She couldn't hold it anymore! She closed her eyes and released all the tension that had been building up in her. 

That is when Josh's serene voice broke the silence. "That's your loss. Anyway, sign the contract, and let's board the ship already." He casually mentioned.

That is when she realized that he hadn't even broken a sweat. All this time, she had assumed that he had somehow been Climbing using flaws in the Tower. How wrong had she been! Whatever that thing was, it felt similar to her own intimidating aura....but way stronger! 

She opened her eyes slowly. The technician was by the side, acting as if he hadn't seen the previous scene. Who cared about that. She left to go change with the building AI automatically cleaning the puddle she had left behind. 

What amazing secrets would she soon learn?

Creator's Thought

Alexa was kind of bossy but it was to be expected from a woman in her position. At least she wasn't unreasonable. Sometimes I wonder how the world would have been without her U-Bots. There would have been fewer deaths for sure but perhaps progress warrants such a sacrifice?