There was a flash of red light as Josh appeared in the ever so quiet Mall. No NPC paid any attention to the sudden teleportation as they kept going with their business. Somehow it seemed to have changed a bit, but how? 

Ah! There were tons of individuals walking—No, hurrying around in business suits. They would often glance at their expensive watches that would have sent a pack of gold diggers in a frenzy. 

Josh approached a nearby Mall plan and couldn't help but chuckle. "This son of a bitch, he did it, haha!" There was now a skyscraper connected to the Mall. 

The Alter Tower Protocol had made a Tower in a Tower! This was akin to a capitalist version of a Russian Doll, but with even more deaths. How amazing was that! Towerception 101! 

There was a sign nearby that could read: <A skyscraper like no other! Brought to you by the INFINITE Corporation! Soon TM> It seemed like it was still under construction, kinda like an early access Tower. 

"Hey, are you there?" Josh asked the air. 

"…."

"Is my favorite Tower Protocol here?"

[J-josh?! I thought I imagined things— I mean, where the hell have you been?!] 

"Mostly busy training. I see you've been rather occupied yourself. This new project of yours is very cool!" Josh gave a thumb up. 

[So, what did you learn?!] 

"Here, watch this!" Josh focused, and soon his entire body began softly glowing with purple energy running around him. He felt smug after this show of strength. 

That's when the Alter Tower decided to make his move. Out of nowhere, a radiant purple sun appeared. Compared to it, Josh's aura was risible. Then again, how could a human compete with a Tower? 

"Showoff!" Josh teased.

[You don't have to feel bad. I'm sure you'll get better. Anyway, want to try my new design? I swear it will be fun!] 

"I'm not opposed to it, but there is something I want to discuss first. Alright, let me grab a drink beforehand." 

That is how Josh went to get a Nebulabucks coffee and witnessed the fastest customer service in history: 0.1 seconds! How impatient was his friend? He went to sit on a public bench and happily began discussing. 

"Alright, remember when you said you wanted more people to climb? Well, I got myself 300 individuals that are just waiting for my instructions. I'm supposed to teach them how to become stronger." 

[D-did you say 300?! That's a lot! Wow!] 

Josh couldn't help but find it funny, considering there were thousands and thousands of Climbers at any Metropolis. What the Alter Tower believed a lot was probably the number of people entering the regular Tower at any given second. 

"Hey, together we can make sure this place becomes truly lively. Wouldn't that be nice? I have a proposition. Do you want to collaborate with me to train them?" 

[How would we do that?] 

"Easy, we would have to customize challenges and somehow make each near impossible while making sure no one dies. If we give a trashy reward, that would probably work, right?" 

[…..Let me check something.] 

That is when he went silent. Josh could notice the bystanders looking at him weirdly. They may have only been NPCs, but their AI was getting pretty damn good. The way they scorned him was so realistic! 

A woman was dragging her son away with her, telling him not to associate with such a madman. He could hear people whispering about how he was way too old to have imaginary friends still. Some said that he should get himself checked in an asylum for everyone's good. Some were praying for him to get better. Ironic, all of them. 

[Alright, I've figured it out!!] 

"Oh? Please pray tell, oh mighty Alter System! I beg of you to share your wisdom!" 

[For a mission to be created, it requires a proper balancing of 3 elements: Danger & Difficulty & Reward.]

"So what happens if we crank up the difficulty all the way up?"

[Then we need to raise the other two accordingly, or it won't work as a mission. But, there is a workaround for this!] 

"We'll make the training in itself be the reward of another mission?"

[Why didn't you let me say it?! But yes, essentially] 

"That's great! Let's get started and—"

[Not so fast. There is no way that I can just create this without restrictions.] 

Of course, it wouldn't be that easy, eh? Josh had somewhat expected this. It wasn't exactly clear where the line was drawn, but these Tower Protocols had their orders that they couldn't go again. 

"Just say the word. How many innocents do I have to kill for now?" 

[Oh, no. I'm done with that. I was trying to figure out the morality of killing. But I'm over it now. Plus, we both know you are the worst candidate for such study!]

"Because I know it's all fake, and I don't care about destroying them all?"

[Exactly. Let's do this instead. How about you clear 5 Floors of my INFINITE Tower? I'll use the fact that you're the first to test it to bump the reward way higher than it should be. We'll use the Unknown!]

"I love the sound of that! So you won't tell me anything, right?" Josh happily grinned. He had the feeling of cheating on an exam with the help of a teacher: it felt ludicrous but entertaining. 

[Exactly, I won't even tell you the mission on each Floor. You'll have to figure it out yourself.] 

Oh? How interesting! If that could increase the reward, should he also ask that of the regular Tower? Okay, no. It was a horrible idea. What if he ended up getting lost?

Here he could ask his system friend to reveal the mission for lowered rewards if he really couldn't do it. The regular Tower Protocol tended to disappear as it was way busier. 

Josh followed the crowd of businessmen toward the INFINITE Tower. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but seriously not the old half-rusty elevator that was in front of his eyes. 

There were, in fact, two elevators. The NPC would take the one in good condition and completely ignore this one. There was a sign that indicated this was the way forward. 

Josh entered the broken-down cage and couldn't help but be taken aback. What the fuck was that shit! On the wall, there was a message smeared all over. The problem wasn't what it said but how it had been written. Literally, what was that brown shit-stain on the wall?!

Someone had written this with feces: <There is only reality. It crushes us. It overwhelms us. We are bound by it. But is there more to it? Can the illusory become reality?>

Whatever the hidden meaning being this, it was totally wasted because of the medium! Perhaps it could be taken literally: reality was shit. Pure and straightforward shit. What was that about the illusory and the real? 

In the meantime, the elevator had begun rising by itself. Along the ascension, Josh couldn't help but feel excited. The elevator finally stopped as it showed Floor "420" ….why?! 

Okay, no. He knew why! Many good journeys started this way. With a Ding! The doors opened, and that's when something appeared that baffled him completely. 

It seemed like he had found the author of that message. In front of him was a monkey, except it was very peculiar. Very, very peculiar!…

Creator's Thought

I always loved discussing with AT. Danger & Difficulty & Reward might seem simple (and is) but it is so often forgotten. One needs to understand the rules to successfully bend them, or so I was told. But, let's be honest, even when I knew nothing I still did as I wished.