Reece glanced around him in the now empty white room, deciding to get a move on knowing that this place would be full of tired and emotionally volatile newbies,fresh from the tower. Being an anomaly in the Tower—a climber with a core during the tutorial phase—would bring him more trouble than he'd ever imagined. The Tower was a place where ambition bred predators, and with every floor he ascended, he would attract more of them, each looking to pull him down, to take his power as their own, or simply to eliminate the competition.
Trust was nearly nonexistent here, save for the rare bonds forged in blood or family, and betrayal, jealousy, and greed fueled the people around him. Reece's abilities had marked him as a target from the start, and with every achievement, more eyes turned his way, watching for a moment of weakness.
His presence—a figure wielding a fully developed core even within the timing of the infamous tutorial, a figure powerful enough to eclipse and suppress the brightest talents of his "generation"—was bound to attract attention. The eyes of rivals, predators, and ambitious climbers would inevitably turn his way.
He'd come this far, despite every obstacle, across his regressions, that had been thrown at him. But he knew it was only going to get harder. Every skill he honed, every challenge he overcame only put him deeper under the spotlight. The Tower was unforgiving to anyone who stood out, and Reece was no exception.
With every floor he ascended, every small victory he claimed, Reece understood that he would encounter more of these pests, creatures (people of his own race or others) driven by envy, greed, or desperation to pull him down.
Survival was a personal endeavor in this place; loyalty and trust were luxuries, rarely extended beyond family, if even that. Betrayal, sabotage, deceit—these weren't the exceptions, but the rules. Power was the only reliable currency here, and Reece knew he'd need more than his natural abilities to keep unwanted eyes at bay.
"That's why keeping my identity under wraps is so important," he muttered, his voice low as he called up the system interface. He opened the shop interface, a feature that was supposed to be unlocked only after clearing the Tower's tenth floor boss. So for him to get this perk early on, Reece knew that what lay beyond the next few floors would be even more treacherous as always. Every advantage mattered.
The Shop was a mysterious but indispensable resource, offering climbers a near-limitless variety of items, from basic gear to mythical treasures. Here, climbers could list their own finds for sale, attracting buyers from lower or even higher floors who might pay handsomely.
And for those lucky enough to have the funds, there was the tantalizing option to purchase equipment far above their floor level—as long as it remained within a three-floor limit of their current floor position. Items from the fifty-eighth floor or even higher could be accessible, in theory, as long as the climber's pockets were deep enough.
It wasn't a perfect system, of course. To prevent utter chaos and overpowered lower-level climbers, the Tower enforced certain restrictions. But those with the right knowledge and resources—well-off guilds, powerful families, and select individuals—often bypassed these limits through a hidden functionality that emerged upon clearing the thirtieth floor: the Trade Window.
Unlike the public Shop, the Trade Window allowed private exchanges regardless of the floor difference. Here, one climber could trade directly with another from dozens of floors above or below.
Yet even this came with a catch. The Tower had a level cap on the usage of any item acquired through such trades. A climber could even receive a weapon from the ninetieth floor, but until they were nearly that strong themselves, it would remain unusable—a tantalizing prize that was just out of reach. Consequently, it was common to see low-level climbers carrying gear that wouldn't see action for years, waiting for the day when they'd finally be able to wield their coveted equipment.
For Reece, however, these towering ambitions took a simpler form today. All he wanted was a plain black mask, a sturdy coat suited for channeling mana, some practical trousers, and boots with a bit of flexibility. No legendary items, no overpowered artifacts—just a simple dress up disguise that would allow him to fade into the crowd. A cloak of anonymity.
"Black, of course," he mused, glancing at the items listed. "It's subtle, mysterious… fits the image." A touch of excitement flickered in his chest, a nod to a fantasy that even he wasn't immune to. He could almost imagine himself as some enigmatic, shadow-cloaked figure slipping through the Tower's dark corridors.
"Uuuh huh…. yes… yes, very mysterious," Prima interjected dryly, her voice a sardonic hum in the back of his mind. "A regular secret agent look huh… master".
Reece smirked, feeling the familiar presence of his sentient AI watching over him with a pointed glare. Ignoring her mocking tone, he added each item to his cart, paying five Silver Mana Coins in total, most of which went toward a lightly enchanted magician's coat that would enhance his mana control.
Even if they were basic, each piece of attire had a title and description assigned by the Tower, branding his selection as "functional," "practical," and "stealthy"—hardly the flashy display that many others preferred.
With his items confirmed, he prepared for the next step. The simple attire was good, but Reece knew better than to rely on it alone for protection.
"Master, please don't go making something absurd, you do know that the body armor we'll make will be a much better replacement than…..the trash you make here no?" Prima's voice was heavy with disdain, obviously displeased with her master's current actions.
Reece chuckled, reaching into the interface to collect his new items. "Relax, Prima. This is just temporary. Once we reach the next few floors, I'll give you all the materials you need." he knew his companion took his safety to an extreme and usually would accept nothing but the best to be equipped.
A dramatic sigh echoed through his thoughts. "Fine. But if you show up in anything remotely substandard, don't think I'll let you forget it. This Tower's full of trashy people; why dress the part?"
"Uugh, just seeing these lesser creations wants to make me puke, blegh…." she continued while imitating puking sounds in the background of his mind as Reece got down to his modifications.
As he picked up the simple black mask, Reece closed his eyes and held his hand over it, channeling his mana. He concentrated on the incantation, letting the familiar sensation wash over him as he invoked the spell that had become synonymous with his name [Creator's Imagination].
Prima fell silent, as if in reverence. Even her protests softened as he began to reshape the mask. Despite her frequent criticisms, she knew the level of mastery Reece commanded when he used this spell. Created through years of dedicated research, both his and Prima's, it was a technique that only a rare few throughout the Tower could perform, even at god-level ranks.
A primal mana spell of Mythical Grade, '[Creator's Imagination]' allowed Reece to deconstruct any material down to its essential particles and then recompose it to his liking. A simple ingot of mithril could be turned into a Legendary weapon, an ordinary crystal could become an invaluable artifact. For those capable of casting it, "[Creator's Imagination]" was nothing less than a blank canvas, where materials and intention coalesced into form.
Even a small, simple item, like this black mask, became something more in his hands. Guided by the primal mana, Reece altered the molecular structure, merging the gold-silver alloy seamlessly and darkening the finish to a true matte black, devoid of any shine. To the untrained eye, it looked featureless, even unremarkable, but there was a calculated craftsmanship here.
The mask clung close to his skin, concealing the contours of his face in a way that absorbed light, erasing any details that might give him away. He added a vision enhancement, a protective shield, and an additional durability enchantment, all carefully balanced to prevent the volatile primal mana from tearing the creation apart.
When the work was done, he looked down at the mask, satisfied. It was more than a disguise; it was a declaration. Here was a face meant to observe, not be seen.
"Temporary or not, it's still a crime to use such a powerful spell on such… drab accessories," Prima grumbled.
Reece grinned. "Then it's a good thing I enjoy breaking a few rules here and there."
With the mask complete, he turned his attention to the coat, the trousers, and the boots. Each piece received similar treatment, each woven with enhancements tailored to its purpose.
He reinforced the coat with a mana channeling enchantment subtly augmenting his overall energy reserves while keeping the aura undetectable., strengthened the boots for increased speed, and added self-cleaning properties to the trousers and tunic while all of them got a protective shield, and an additional durability enchantment. Any more enchantments and all his clothing would be broken down to dust in mere seconds.
As he dressed in the final ensemble, Reece took a moment to study himself. He cut a lean, shadowy figure, doing well in blending perfectly into the background. His attire was understated, void of ornamentation, yet it projected a restrained power. There was no ostentation, no need to announce his arrival.
His presence was a whisper in the dark—a reminder of potential rather than reality. He was hidden in plain sight, a figure meant to be overlooked by those who didn't know where to look.
"You look… passable," Prima conceded, though her tone remained reluctant. "But I'd better see you pick up some primal cores from the fifth-floor minor boss, or this won't be forgiven."
Reece laughed, already anticipating her complaints if he failed to meet her standards. "Don't worry. It's on my list."
With a final glance at his gear, he shut the interface, satisfied. The modifications were subtle, each addition balanced with the others to avoid overburdening the primal enhancements.
The Tower's identification system, try as it might, couldn't reclassify his creations beyond Mythical Grade, SSS Rank—a badge of quality that hinted only slightly at their true nature. Even such a classification itself was absurd as is and should others come to know that a climber fresh out of the tutorial was geared in SSS rank equipment even of the common rank, wars would be the least of Reece's worries.
As he finished his preparations, sudden flashes of white light flickered around him, casting brief, blinding halos in the dim room. He turned, knowing without needing to check. The others were finally arriving, their presences filling the chamber as they regrouped for now the final evaluation.