The rewards

The climb was masterful! The new equipment worked wonderfully. The Cyclops was a challenge at first. Specially since they have an instinct to protect their eye.

Except truth be told, their real weakness was their ears. They were rounded canals that were easy to hit when the cyclops goes to block. After the cyclops the next challenge was a puzzle. Not difficult just annoying. I much preferred the combat.

However with me ripping through them so easily and the tower watching me closely. The climb had more thinking based challenges. Ultimately I only climbed up to floor...

Wait what floor is this? "What floor am I on?"

<Alistar Hathaway, Floor 99. Current Terra record.>

I blinked, oh dear. That wasn't good. I went to scratch the back of my head, but my hair got in the way. A habit I was now learning was a problem. I brushed my hair to the side and sighed.

With the previous record on Terra being floor 78 me reaching floor 99 was gonna raise some flags. Thankfully I was lucky the tower let me use name on earth.

"Exit tower."

With a flash I was back at the entrance and I was stepping out of the light the it gave off. A large group of people were staring up at the tower.

They were using the system to look at the rankings. I just put on a sad look and trudged my way past them. Some took notice, but one look at my face. They decided otherwise.

My look of defeat made those inexperienced ignore me. Assuming I failed a climb. Those with knowledge of Dionysus Athea also turned away. Which meant only those who didn't know my face or had experience would've approached me.

So basically no one, or so I thought. "Oh me oh my? You look so down. Mind if w-"

I threw up a hand. "No, before you ask I saw the rankings. That isn't me."

The somewhat flamboyant guy who came up to me blinked. I guess he didn't expect me to push him back. However he recovered, "I apologize, I suppose it is just coincidence you came out of the tower...."

I sighed sensing the pause in his sentence. He smiled, "Care to discuss however, you see I am a... I suppose a journalist and I just wish to hear your opinion. Since I'm talking to you anyways."

I couldn't help it, I scoffed. This fucker had a skill or something. It seemed he did know my face and had the experience to know. However the skill whatever it was, was pointing to me.

"Fine, my guess is they got a lot of easy challenges. Likely, something harder than their normal skills, but still easy to them early on. After all the tower challenges are different for everyone. Even if you enter with a group the challenges change."

He smiled, "Hmm, that was my guess too! However, The top team couldn't clear floor 79 so its a wonder how this Alistar reached floor 99. So do you think it may be easier to climb the tower alone? After all it seems you yourself climb alone."

I shook my head, "No, my party went back to floor 50."

His smile broadened, "Didn't you party die i-"

"That's fairly insensitive. That was my niece." I grabbed him by his collar and pulled him. "Speak up again like that and I'll snap you in half."

I dropped him and he adjusted his collar. "I apologize that was rude of me. I'll let you leave, my name is Larme Thurms." He backed up and went back to seemingly monitoring the tower. However his vision was still on me.

Him saying, ' I'll let you leave ' was certainly manipulative. I would certainly remember him, unfortunately. I hated people like that, manipulative bastards. Reporters were the worse occupation.

Sadly I had far more experience dealing with them than I like. I turned around moved out of the tower's shadow. I would return later to climb under the name of Dionysus.

I moved in habit, In due time I will reclimb Earth's tower. Though I will hold off. Despite the thoughts of revenge I can't actually return to earth. So I more will enter the earth's tower instance for information.

Perhaps I should work on some more monetary projects now however. The potions business might be decent, maybe not though...

On earth besides killing awakeners, I didn't do to much else. Before the murder I just climbed the tower since I didn't have much.

The idea struck me, skills! Some obtain skills through the tower or dungeon rewards. Hell I had a skill orb in my slip space right now. Too bad I don't have too many rewards, most of the ones I got I took were artifacts.

Skills however, could be taught. With a little work I could set up an academy. On earth they were common, but expensive, here on Terra though? Well the only one I know of is the ones ran by the association. They were unspecialized and with low-tier or weaker skills.

I however could teach the skills like Perfect throw, stab and slash. Each one was rare, after all most would need time or effort to reach it. I rubbed my hands together, I however got them as my first ever reward in the tower.

Those were the good days, but my luck never lasted. Thankfully now my luck might be back. Running people my skills may be the perfect cash cow.

This will all fall under guild work, I should get started on that now.