The man quickly walked up to Josh and Dale fuming and shouting. “You guys are Climbers? Read the goddamn sign and get the fuck out of my restaurant! Go eat at one of these fancy Climber restaurants!”

Then as quickly as he had come, he went back to the kitchen. It is only then that Josh and Dale finally noticed the small sign that said <No Climbers allowed>

“How rude! He should really get on with the times. The future is the Tower! What an asshole!”

Josh couldn’t help but agree. There was something wrong with the guy for sure. Perhaps he hated Climbers for taking over the food industry with their magical cooking techniques?

“It is the fastest way to lose customers for sure, that man is mad.”, Josh remarked.

That is when the waitress came nearby sighing. “Don’t speak ill of him. He’s brash for sure but he’s well-intentioned.”

She then leaned closer whispering. “It’s his way of caring. He knows very well that his food won’t be any help to clearing the Tower. He would rather people get themselves a food buff to increase their chances of survival.”

“As far as I know the inexpensive ones are barely effective, no?”, Josh argued.

“Still better than nothing. In fact, before he didn’t care. Many Climbers used to eat here. They loved the place, they loved him, they cared more about the atmosphere than anything else. It was here that they came to decompress.”

“What happened?” Dale curiously asked.

“Well, a common story really. The Tower is both a blessing and a curse. It gives wealth and power, but it can take it all away in a heartbeat too. His daughter, she was a Climber.”

They both noticed the usage of the past tense, instantly calming down.

“She died on Floor 15. He blames himself for that. He acts strong, but I know it. We all know it. Right before leaving for the Tower, she had claimed that she would succeed for sure. That his food would give her the strength to keep fighting. But she never did come back.”

“How long ago was that?”, Dale inquired.

“About two months ago, she used to be one of the first original rankers. The unstoppable knife lady they called her. She possibly had the worst nickname of them all, yet she loved it. Whenever asked, she would proudly tell everyone where she had developed her skills. In the kitchen, with her dad.”

“He must have been devastated!”, Dale exclaimed.

“That he was. In his own way. He was never the most expressive man. But after that day, he closed himself. He kept cooking. That is all he does nowadays. Every time he cooks, he is reminded of her. He reminisces on the old days. Back when it was just father and daughter. So don’t hate him. He wants you guys to leave for your own good.”

Josh too could relate to this man’s story. He had lived something similar himself. But there was a difference. Josh’s loss was manmade. He had trained, hunted, tortured, and killed the ones responsible for it. That gave him a sense of closure, even if that didn’t bring him any joy.

This man didn’t have that option. How was he to take revenge on the Tower? He could have tried the same approach as Josh, to resolve himself to reach the top Floor. Hoping for that wish to be true, a wish that could very well be a pipe dream.

If anything the difference may have been that he still had this restaurant. It probably acted as the man’s sanctuary. Whenever he cooked here, he would be happy. Happiness tinged with sadness, but one so vivid Josh was sure. The man probably wanted to protect this place as a legacy to her memory.

Josh was different. He had lost everything. All but his memories. He didn’t have anything attaching him to the world. That was why he was ready to risk even his life. If he were to die there wouldn’t be anyone to remember his loved ones, but he also would join them. Still, Josh would rather try the impossible to bring them back to life than giving up.

He remembered clearly something she would often say. Every time he was down, she would tell him that she believed in him. That he had many flaws, so many she herself had stopped counting. But one thing she knew for sure was that he was no damn quitter!

Josh could empathize with the man. But he didn’t feel like crying, something Dale nearby had been doing for a while now.

No, Josh suddenly had an urge. An impulse that he himself couldn’t explain. But that he wouldn’t question either. Josh had always been a man true to his own desires. That was his way of life. Even if it caused him problems, he would stay himself. No matter what. He was Classless for that very reason after all.

Josh rose up. Not even bothering with others’ reactions. He instantly became the focus of the entire room. Everyone had seen what happened earlier. They were wondering how he would leave. If he would try to make a scene or do so calmly.

Josh simply headed straight into the kitchen. He could hear people exclaiming that he shouldn’t beat the cook!

At first, the waitress tried stopping him, but Josh simply shook his head and proceeded. The aura he carried made her instinctively take a step back.

Josh finally entered. He could feel the warmth of the fire, the smell of the spices, the sizzling of the oil. But he wasn’t here for any of that. The bald man was there. He looked at Josh perplexed. His presence so out of place that he didn’t know what to make of it.

The man was used to angry customers, he was used to haughty customers, he was used to kind sympathetic ones too. There was something in Josh’s demeanor that made him blank out for a second.

That is when Josh spoke. With a conviction that didn’t fit the simpleness of his message.

“I like your food, old man. Very much so. I also saw your sign. But I don’t care. I will be back. I will also reach the top of the Tower, you can be sure of it. But don’t worry. No matter what, I won’t die. Not before accomplishing my goal at least. Even if the whole world gets destroyed, I will remain. So just keep cooking, nothing else. I will destroy this Tower in your stead, old man. I am Josh Malum, remember it well.”

On that note, Josh simply left. Without even letting the man place a single word. Josh had selfishly imposed himself without a care.

It is only after Josh had left that the man realized why he had blanked. In Josh, he saw something. The same conviction his daughter once had. The same drive, unmistakably so. One that nothing could ever extinguish.

That is when he started crying. Crying a flood of tears. He was just a man. Just a father. One that had lost the most precious thing in the world. One that had acted strong for months, he could no more.

He sobbed and wept, in this place that was his sanctuary. So much that it rendered his waitress at a loss. She tried consoling him, but he told her that he would be fine, that it would be fine. That he needed to be alone for a little while.

Then he did the only thing he knew to do. He started cooking. While he did, he couldn’t but think of that youngster. That is when he saw his own reflection in his knife. One that surprised even himself. Amidst the tears, he was smiling.

With mixed emotions, he simply concentrated on the task. Wondering when Josh would be back. He resolved to advise him. So that he wouldn’t end up with the same fate as her.

Little did he know that madman was already fighting again.