Alex leaned patiently against a tree near the beginner area of the first dominion. The bright disk in the sky filtered everything in the same familiar shade of red that he’d seen not too long ago. He’d been waiting in the same spot for over thirteen hours, and he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

But he wouldn’t relax now. Today was the first of the major events he’d foresee, and he wasn’t going to miss it on a technicality. The event would happen sometime this day, and he made sure he arrived at exactly midnight to insure he didn’t miss it by chance.

Any second now, Luke would walk through the beginner spawn area as a fresh-faced youngster with no experience within the tower. It would be Alex’s job to build him back into the greatest Berserker in the world.

No… I’ll push him even further beyond. With my guidance, he’ll become evens stronger than before.

Alex let out a loud, exhaustive grown. Am I sure it’s today? Yeah, It has to be. The two of them had spent a great deal of time together in the previous timeline, overcoming multiple hardships side by side during their ascent up the tower. Along the way, they became best friends, and they confided everything in one another. One of the things Luke loved to talk about was how he’d waited patiently until his 18th birthday before entering the tower. He told it like it was the most important day of his life. But, unfortunately for Alex, Luke had never mentioned what time he’d arrived. Or maybe he did and I just forgot.

He opened his inventory ring and had a look inside. Thanks to Buddy, he’d been able to stock up on a few valuable items in the first haven before exiting the tower and returning back to the first floor. He was also able to buy an item that could transport him straight back to the first haven without having to go through the three floors once again.

While Luke would be his most valuable ally inside the tower, Buddy would be equally as valuable outside it. As an elite information broker, Buddy would provide him up to date information on everything that happened inside each of the three towers. That was the difference between him and other information brokers. While others focused on one tower, he chose to operate on a wider scale, running intelligence agencies across the three towers. This helped him quickly build up his organization until it was one of the best. At the stage he was at now, he made a killing selling information reports of varying detail to climbers, corporations, the mega rich, and anyone else who could afford his services.

But the information business was cut throat; you had to have big brains to play that game at Buddy’s level. And Alex was reminded of his brains soon after their meeting. Buddy was smart enough to pay him in full for the golden egg even when he didn’t need to. He was sending a message about wanting to keep their relationship mutually beneficial. The $150,000 was nothing compared to having a good relationship with someone who knew about his diamond reports or how to farm rare loot.

The fact that Buddy was a ruthless business man was something that Alex had picked up on early on. But he was surprised when he came to find out how soft he really was deep down. Once Buddy got to know someone, and if he liked them even a bit, he’d kill and die for them. That was the type of person Alex wanted on his side. Plus, they shared the same sense of humor so he liked having Buddy around.

Alex had a good idea of what his new ally would do with the farming info he’d been given. Buddy would have his crews power farm it for a few weeks or even months, building a huge stockpile in the process. Then he’d sell the farming info to his rivals at a discount under an alias. Once they’d purchased the info, he’d wait a week then dump the load of eggs he’d amassed into markets all across the world, making huge profits off the early sales and rendering the farming info useless. In this way, he’d not only take money from his rivals, he’d waste their time and resources farming low-value items.

While he appreciated the strategy behind those kinds of moves, Alex didn’t personally have the stomach for that kind of cut throat business. He was more of a floater, preferring to keep to himself rather than lead or be lead. And that’s where one of his biggest challenges would arise.

How the hell am I gonna lead a whole alliance up the tower?

Finally, after far too much waiting, a young Luke appeared before him. He was a far cry from the bulking machine that he’d been when Alex had last seen him, but this person was undeniably his best friend. The signature look of unkempt, shaggy brown hair that often drifted into his eyes was unmistakable.

Alex pulled out his inventory ring and smirked devilishly as he transferred a letter he'd written into Luke’s inventory ring; the I.D. number of which was one of the other numbers he’d bothered to memorize.

The letter read:

Name: Luke Weston

Chosen Class: Berserker

Favorite Food: Sushi

Preferred Body Type: Thicc

Potential: VERY HIGH

One of the favorite activities among the two friends was to was prank one another, and Alex would make sure they kept that tradition alive. Just because they weren’t currently friends in this timeline, doesn’t mean that he was off limits for a good old prank.

Straining his face to hide any semblance of a smile from forming, Alex approached his old friend. “Luke Weston?”

The youngster turned to face him.

“Have a look inside your inventory ring.” Alex said. “I dropped something off for you.”

Confused, Luke opened his inventory ring, pulled out the letter, and read it. His face burnt bright red in embarrassment. “How did you-”

Alex burst out laughing. “Am I wrong?”

Luke looked back at the letter. “No, actually. You’re right.”

The earnest answer brought out another hearty laugh out of Alex.

“Seriously, how’d you know.”

Alex’s laughter slowly trailed off and he showed his status screen to Luke, revealing his class in the process. “Ever heard of this class?

Luke shook his head. “I saw the Spirit Fighter class when I chose the Path of the Warrior, but I didn’t see the word Nature in front of it.”

“That’s because this is a unique class; the only one of this kind that exists within the tower. It allows me to see into people’s nature and learn things about them.” Alex kept a straight face through his lie. He didn’t mind bending the truth a little if it was for the good of humanity. And this explanation was actually a good cover up for when he'd eventually reveal his knowledge of future events.

“Why are you telling me all this?” Luke said.

“That’s simple. To recruit you. I represent a top tier guild that’s all but guaranteed to be the first to the top of the tower. Does being a part of that interest you?”

Luke stood up straight. “Yeah. Definitely.”

This is too easy. I need to really sell it to add more credibility.

“That’s good to hear. As you can see, my class even allows me to see people’s potential, and yours is among the highest I’ve seen. Naturally, I’d like to recruit you, but it’s not that simple. You have to complete a certain challenge before I can recommend you.”

Luke listened intently. “What is this challenge?”

Alex put up ten fingers. “Reach the first haven within ten days. You understand how floors and havens work, right?”

Luke nodded.

Alex relaxed a little. Luke was buying it, but he had to be careful. There was a lot on the line, and if he played his cards poorly, Luke could develop a dislike of him and refuse to work together. It was hard to imagine, but they had yet to form any kind of relationship at this time.

He had debated about walking Luke through the first three floors but ultimately decided not to. Luke wouldn’t need his help at the beginning and it would be best to leave him to satisfy his curiosity and learn the basics on his own. One of the greatest warriors could run through those floors easily, even at level 1. Besides, by dangling a fruit in front of him, Luke will have felt like he earned entry into the guild, and he’d see the subsequent training as a privilege, not a chore. It felt a little manipulative, but it was the slight dip in morality would be inconsequential in the big picture.

But, telling him there’s no top tier guild could be a problem. Alex had a plan to address that concern later on, but he had no idea how it would play out.

We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

Alex opened up his inventory ring once again and pulled out a communication bracelet. He handed it over to Luke. “Take this. It has the number of my communication bracelet registered. If you can make it to the first haven within ten days, call me and we can discuss recruiting you in further detail.”

Luke stared at the bracelet for a few seconds before wearing it around his wrist. “Ten days, huh? Can I ask why ten days? That sounds pretty tough.”

Because I don’t want to wait too long… Alex thought impatiently.

Rather than saw what was on his mind, he chose to say something that would spur Luke on. “To be honest, that number is meant to weed out the weaklings. No one says you have to do it, if you don’t want to. Besides, I only want the best on my team. My class lets me see your potential but it doesn’t tell me if you have the grit to reach it. If you’re not cut out for the challenge, then don’t bother. Just save me some time and give me my bracelet back.”

A fire sprang in Luke’s eyes and he looked at Alex with pure determination. “No way. I’ll do in ten days, I promise.” The youngster gave his thanks for the communication bracelet and took off to hunt some goblins.

Meanwhile, Alex activated the gateway that would take him back to the first haven. The Dominion Games were up and running and he didn’t want to miss out on any action.

Might as well have some fun while I wait for him.