Chapter 17: Whirlpool of hate
Rocky's life changed drastically after the interview aired on national TV.
He was branded as a 'Rebel' and became a polarizing figure wherever he went.
At school, he was given hell by his fellow classmates whose dream was to become a climber one day.
For them, who were indoctrinated as a child to be thankful towards climbers, Rocky's views were blasphemous and hence they relentlessly harassed him for it.
His desk was stuffed with dog-shit, his water bottle had piss inside of it instead of water and some more rowdy fellows even went as far as to spit on him as he walked through the halls.
'Ungrateful cunt'
'Attention seeking whore'
'Dickless bitch'
These were some of the insults that the men of his class hurled at him, with even Adam and Taylor receiving the short end of the stick for being friends with him.
The women he rejected now scoffed at him, spreading nasty rumors about his personality that were simply not true.
His reputation which was untouchable just a few days ago, became unsalvageable now, as he became the center of hatred and conspiracies.
Some wondered if Rocky had sold his conscience and had joined the Agents Of Olympus to betray his own sister.
Some found the fact that he was not celebrating new years at his own home and was at his friends to be a convenient excuse.
Nonetheless, despite all the hatred, and all the taunting, Rocky kept his calm.
One recess, he just went to the school playground and bent the side iron pole of the volleyball net with his bare hands as although he did not scream at anyone in the school, nor did he threaten or physically hurt anyone, with the entire school watching, he bent iron like it was rubber, leaving everyone scrambling in fear.
Rocky had not even entered the tower yet and hence, he should technically not have the strength of a climber, however, after consuming the five body strengthening potions that the system had given Rocky as reward for completing the interview, Rocky's innate strength had increased by leaps and bounds as he became capable enough of bending iron with his bare hands.
This event sent shockwaves across the school as from that point onwards Rocky became the lion of the Savannah that the herbivores scrambled upon seeing.
As they mocked him from afar, however, no-one dared to come close to him or spit on his face anymore as they feared for their life.
Thankfully, all this drama only occured after Rocky had received his no objection certificate from the schools principal, as she absolutely lost it after Rocky bent the volleyball pole.
Fined 2000$ and suspended for a week, the principal really wished she could rescind Rocky's no objection certificate at this point, however, unfortunately she could not do it.
From the second she submitted it, she had lost her hold over Rocky, as once submitted the application could not be rescinded.
She, just like most students, was a blind believer in the magnanimity and grandeur of the climbers and believed that questioning their morales was a crime.
She had hence turned a blind eye to all the bullying that Rocky was facing as deep down she believed that Rocky deserved it, however, when the tables turned she immediately went ahead and suspended Rocky.
However, the bullying at school was nothing compared to the bullying online as Rocky had become public enemy number one.
Religious figures from the Church Of Gemini, the patron god of the True Elites guild, declared Rocky to be a blasphemous traitor demanding for there to be a heretical inquisition to question his intentions, however, with Rocky not yet being a part of the Climber Association and being just a normal citizen, they had no jurisdiction over him.
Rocky's life turned into a whirlpool of chaos and all of it just went to show how flawed the current human society was as a whole.
Accusing the morals of climbers, who were no different from mortal men gripped with desires, ambitions and vices was declared to be blasphemy, the concept of free speech did not seem to apply to them and Rocky found this entire situation to be completely bullshit.
Although he had not wished to place himself in the middle of this shit-storm, now that he found himself within it, he had no regrets.
**********
( Meanwhile Karna )
Using Rocky's interview as an excuse, Karna launched a desperate internal probe into Riva's team to check whether or not it had a traitor.
He provided different information about the investigation to different members and tried to bait out the traitor by spreading false rumors that he had gained evidence that someone within the guild had indeed betrayed Riva.
For a week, he played the game of cat and mouse with Riva's team members, placing a tail on all of them and monitoring their every activity as eventually he received the news that Joe had managed to shrug off his tail and was missing since last morning.
A search of his apartment suggested that he had left in a hurry with clothes and valuables thrown hastily across the room as he only took the things most valuable to him while discarding everything else.
Him fleeing was the irrefutable proof that he was indeed involved with Riva's disappearance and the fact that he was Riva's scout for the night, responsible for her safety when she was kidnapped, made Karna even more sure of his hypothesis.
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/// A/N - My apologies, I'm feeling under the weather and am unable to provide the bonus chapters scheduled for today.
I will surely give them once I feel a bit better.///
Chapter 18: The culprit
[True Elites Headquarters, The Upside]
*Camera Shutters*
*Flashes*
"It fills me with profound sorrow to convene this press briefing. Today, we at True Elites grapple with a crisis of unparalleled scale.
Joe Jones, a key figure in squad 16 and a recognized member of our guild, has been implicated in collusion with the Agents of Olympus, suspected of playing a pivotal role in the abduction of his team leader, the rising star Riva Yadav.
On the day of the incident, Joe, tasked with Riva's security, was the initial responder to the explosion at her apartment and is suspected of wiping away any useful evidence that could have been collected, torpedoing the reconnaissance efforts.
Currently, Joe has vanished from his home and was last observed entering the tower solo.
Our intelligence points to his presence on floor 21, a known stronghold of the Olympians, further casting doubt on his allegiance in Riva's disappearance.
This incident marks the first instance of a human, a fellow member of our society, committing such a stark betrayal against our community, and it pains me to acknowledge the emergence of such a traitor from within our ranks.
Going forward, one of the guilds foremost priority shall be to apprehend Joe and make him stand trial for his crimes, right here on Earth and to aid this purpose, we the Elites issue a massive bounty of One Million Tower Gold for his capture alive and a hundred thousand if dead.
Despite this adversity, we the True Elites remain unwavering in our commitment to secure Riva's safe return, whatever the cost so may the Gemini Gods extend their blessings and give us strength, amen" declared Karna in a global press statement with his words causing a far reaching ripple effect.
For an Earth climber, a devotee of Gemini, to forsake their gods for Olympus and collude with extraterrestrials to kidnap an Earthling represents an egregious violation.
Historically, Earth's climbers had been known for their steadfast devotion to their guardian deities and fellow humans. By forsaking both, Joe had now not only become a renegade of faith but also the planet's foremost adversary.
***********
( Meanwhile Rocky )
Rocky watched the press conference live and felt his blood come to a boil when he found out that uncle Joe, the same man who he and his sister trusted so much, was the snake that betrayed her.
"Uncle Joe…. No….. Bastard Joe you will pay for this, I swear!" Rocky said seething, as he resolved to make Joe pay for this betrayal.
[ Strongest System Notification:- You have a new quest!
Quest Title- Punish the traitor.
Quest Description- Joe, a man your sister trusted so deeply has been revealed to be the one who betrayed her.
Avenge your sister by capturing Joe and turning him over to authorities on Earth.
Time limit - None
Failure Penalty - None
Rewards - ???? ]
A new system notification issued Rocky his first mission without any penalties.
Without a time constraint on it either, the system was very lenient with this quest, however, the rewards for completing the quest remained a mystery.
With or without the quest, Rocky had resolved himself to bring Joe to justice anyways, and hence even if the reward for this quest was nothing at all, Rocky still would not care.
However, while Rocky seethed in anger, a new wave of support began emerging for him and his previous statement on social media, as his public image took yet another major shift once his baseless allegations were proven true.
The same people who were cursing him just a couple of days ago, began to change their tone and sing his praises as they commended Rocky on his bravery to call things as he saw them, even if it went beyond social conformities.
From a positive figure to a hated villain to a visionary, Rocky's image took violent turns, however, as a result of all the controversy around him, he became a household name that gained global popularity.
In the week following Karna's interview, Rocky went from having about one and a half million subscribers on his channel to over 15 million as he observed explosive growth unlike anything one could have imagined.
Brands came knocking to make Rocky their brand ambassador, promoters lined up with thick stacks of money for Rocky to give a shoutout of their products in his vlog and other popular influencers begged Rocky to make a collaboration video.
He also got invited to 'Dinnertime With Sunny' for the second time in the same month, however, Rocky rejected all offers.
Focusing solely on his system workout routine and his upcoming final exams, Rocky bided his time until he could officially enter the tower as he was now burning with ambition to begin his climber journey and bring his sister's kidnappers to justice.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
21 Power
stone 
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