17 Preparation for the First Floor

As time passed, Daniel's website grew in popularity. Many Climbers requested information on what they could buy and what weapons Daniel could make. Daniel informed everyone that during this month, he would only be making videos for different kinds of light weapons.

Daniel didn't want to do anymore in-depth research before passing the first floor. He knew that he had only two weeks before he could accept the first floor challenge. Growing his strength, and improving his combat ability, were his primary focus. He couldn't afford any distractions.

With orders coming in, Daniel now had a decent amount of Federation Coin.

Soon after the Tower appeared, Earth went through drastic changes, which included creating a global currency. Uniting as a species was easy when everyone felt the threat of extinction.

Currently, Daniel was selling the videos for 100,000 Federation Coins. It was a large sum of money, but Climbers will pay anything to have a higher chance of survival. Daniel also made each person who bought a weapon sign an agreement that they will not teach anybody else how to make the weapon or distribute the video to others. This prevented people copying his ideas and him losing out on money.

Daniel also used this time, to post a video showing him creating a light saber. Of course, in the video he uses camera angles so that people can't see the technical details. The video was part of his plan to gain fame, thus creating a small amount of Faith Energy.

So far, the Faith Energy he receives everyday equates to about a day worth of him cultivating Reality Energy. Overall, he has doubled his cultivation speed.

Currently, Daniel sat on his bed finishing his daily cultivation session. He then had his nano-cells absorb the Faith Energy that floated in his surroundings. Because of his 'Take All as One' art, the Faith Energy would automatically come to him. All he had to do is absorb it, and convert it into Reality Energy.

After completing that task, Daniel clenched hi fist. A booming noise came from the air around his hand. He had grown strong enough to compress the air around himself. Daniel decided to check out his Status.

Status:

Name: Daniel Grey

Cultivation Level- Awakened 2nd Level Life

Path- The Nano Path

Cultivation Art- Take All as One

Stage 1- Absorb Reality Energy into Nano-Cells. Progress: 9.9%

Strength- 9.9

Agility- 9.9

Physique- 9.9

Special Constitution- Error

Special Soul- Error

Innate Talent- Reality Mind: Stage 1

He was now at the peak of the Awakened 2nd Level Life. Perhaps just one or two days more, and he'll break through to the 3rd stage in the Awakened Level Life. Tomorrow he would breakthrough, then enter the Tower. Yes, Tomorrow was the day he would be allowed to challenge the first floor.

Getting up from the bed, Daniel did a big stretch. It was more out of habit, because it body was at such a high level, it would be hard for him to get sore.

Looking at his I-Holo's clock, he realized that he was late for a meeting. Daisy and the Starfire couple, wanted to meet with the four youngsters, before they attempted the first floor.

Hurrying out of the room, he headed towards the garden.

When he arrived, he saw that everyone was there but him. Trying not to look as awkward as he felt, he quickly walked and sat down in the open seat.

Daisy and Lily greeted him, while Sarah gave him a somewhat friendly glance. Julie on the other hand just stared off into space.

John Starfire stood up and cleared his throat, "Alright, now that we're all here we can begin."

He paused slightly, making the point blatantly clear to Daniel, that they were all waiting for him to arrive.

Seeing that he made his point clear, he continued speaking, "What we wanted to discuss with you all, are some challenges you may face, and ways to overcome them. In the first floor challenge, you will be offered the opportunity to choose the category and difficulty of your challenge. It is of the highest importance that you take the difficulty option seriously." He paused to show just how serious this was. "The reason I say this, is because even the easiest option, 'Challenging' has a death rate close to 25%. Remember, you only have one life, don't be greedy or foolish."

After saying his speech, John sat back down in his chair.

Daisy stood up and smiled kindly at the four youngsters, "After that horrifying speech, you all might as well hide under a rock for the rest of your lives."

Everyone wanted to laugh, but when they saw John's scowling face, they thought it best to hold in their laughter.

Seeing that no one laughed, Daisy showed a pouty face, "Sigh, well anyway, let's get on with it then. Now, I will tell you all about the best categories to choose, and what you might expect in the challenges."

Daisy then went on to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of each category. What each categories challenge may be, and how others passed said challenge. Overall, she gave a detailed report of other climbers experiences when attempting the first floor challenge.

Daniel had done a ton of research regarding the first floor, so almost all of what Daisy and John said were not anything new. The biggest benefit from attending the meeting, was the camaraderie and just being with his friends. He knew that there were no certainties in this world. perhaps this could be his last chance to be with these people.

After Daisy was finished talking, the meeting dissolved into a less formal setting.

Daniel walked over to Julie and asked her how she was doing, if she made any breakthroughs in cultivation, and what was her favorite food? In a not so surprising fashion, Daniel was ignored and left standing awkwardly in complete silence.

The night continued in such a fashion.

In the end, Daniel and the three girls sat before a bonfire, just staring out at the stars.He enjoyed their company, knowing that tomorrow everything could change.

He hoped that with the weapons he created for them, that it would give them enough strength to pass their challenges. Ultimately, there was nothing more he could do to help them. It was up to them to walk their own paths. He wouldn't persuade them to not enter, as they would also not try to convince him. The four of them were people who had goals, and the determination to achieve them.

Tomorrow they may die, but tonight they would enjoy the stars together.