Tower Ascension

There is no way this old man will give him something for free. Peter knows this clearly. And, this skill is something priceless. Putting the impersonating part aside, just copying others' power is already good enough to be placed as a Legendary Skill.

Peter doesn't believe such skill will come at free.

Hearing his question, the old man suddenly made dark eyes and spoke "I am just an old man who can't accompany his granddaughter on her quest to reach the peak. Well, you are a very shameless person but your shamelessness is different than others."

"You care about your people and that's all I need. Giving up on this skill, I am taking a huge risk. But, I believe you are not the type of person who often breaks his promise. So, take my granddaughter with you whenever you raid the dungeon."

"You don't need to take care of her anywhere else. And, if she ever thinks she can do it without you, then it's okay to leave her alone."

Peter froze for a moment. He didn't expect this old man to trust his granddaughter with him and especially in the dungeon where there are chances for him to betray her. But suddenly, the old man spoke.

"Of course, if you break your promise I will give Lucifer a trick to counter this skill. Don't forget you are already on his bounty list."

When these words entered Peter's ears, he clenched his hands. No wonder the old man had so much trust in him. He had already prepared the countermeasure. But, suddenly Peter's eyes narrowed as he asked "But, I don't understand. Why aren't you letting her climb the tower on her own?"

Hearing his question, the old man suddenly smirked "Boy, you don't know how many people try to climb the tower and fail. If you really think crossing the tower is that easy then you are wrong. The monsters inside each floor dungeons are many times stronger than random monsters."

"Not to mention, it will not be simply about crossing the dungeon by your fist. There will be many challenges. Such as the first-floor dungeon. If you enter the dungeon, you will arrive in a maze. In this maze, there are four paths."

"You definitely don't want to cross this maze alone. Because not only it has confusing paths but also monsters on several checkpoints. And, most importantly, once you all cross the maze, you will reach a certain point where all of you together need to defeat a monster that is five levels ahead of you."

"And, you should already know what that means, right? It won't be easy to cross such a dungeon alone. That's why you need a team. For now, you have that girl. And, my granddaughter can help you as well. Of course, you need to find another person as well."

Hearing his words, Peter remained silent. Hodder told him about the dungeons. They won't be the same on each floor. But, he never considered having a team. But, suddenly a smile appeared on his lips.

"Alright, old man! I accept your term. I will take your granddaughter whenever I try to cross the dungeon."

"Huh! That was fast. Well, it is good either way. Now, send the friend request to her!" The old man got startled by his smile but soon shook his head and spoke.

"Friend request?" Peter stared at the old man with confusion.

"Don't tell me you haven't upgraded your system?" The old man looked at Peter with wide eyes and asked.

"It didn't ask me," Peter replied. His system didn't ask him anything about the system but suddenly he remembered the note when the system first appeared.

"Of course, it won't ask. This is not your game. This is a system. You are not living inside the game, boy. Remember, if you die then you die. Don't take the tower as a game and yourself as the protagonist who has been granted the system."

"Every climber has a system but half of them are dead. It depends upon a person. So, get this in your head." The old man screamed when he found that Peter was treating this like game.

His words startled Peter. He never took this as a game. But, slowly his eyes began to shrink. He didn't take this as a game but he didn't take this as a life either. He was simply thinking of leaving this place. But now, he needs to change his mentality.

If he leaves now, he can't get stronger. He can't protect his sister. He can't cure his parents. He can't give them the life they want. Everything will be meaningless.

'Come on, Peter! This tower is not a parasite. This is your blessing and the only way to correct your mistakes. You are not going to get another chance. So, get this damn thing inside your head.' Peter screamed to himself and slowly calmed down.

His way of calming down was unique. Except for his parents, nobody knows not even Camellia. Because sometimes, he doesn't calm down in his mind. Those words that he thinks come out of his mouth. Fortunately, only his family knows this.

It is said that if you speak of your heart in front of your own people, the gap between you will only get closer no matter the age or era. This is the family but the relationship can still be strengthened. If that wasn't the case, why would he go to the restaurant to work if his parents make millions?

Being close to family makes you understand their pain and their responsibility. That's why Peter feels overwhelmingly guilty about his sister. Since he was the reason why she couldn't awaken her soul talent. He feels guilty about his parents' condition.

But, he knows there is a deeper truth to this. He doesn't believe his parents will drive on the forbidden land. And, why would a normal family find a forbidden land on a place where they travel every second. He truly doesn't understand this.

He knows something is wrong there. That's why his fear for the tower completely disappeared. Because he knows there is no need for that fear if it is going bring problems for your family.

"Upgrade System!"

Peter took a long breath and finally spoke.

[Please press confirm to continue the upgrade!]

[Confirm] [No]

Seeing it, he tapped the confirmed panel. And, the next second, his eyes blinked twice. First, the panel turned dark, and slowly few words appeared on the panel.

[System Upgrade: 0.01%]

"How long does this take?" Peter asked the old man.

"Approximately a day!" The old man replied.

"Can I use inventory?" Peter asked but suddenly decided to check as well. Before the old man could reply, a mana coin appeared in his hand.

"Anything except leveling up can be used! Well, you should take a rest today." The old man replied as he saw the mana coin.

"Old man, give me a fire ore and a drop demon blood!" Peter asked as he puts the mana coin on the table.

The old man turned his head at his granddaughter. His granddaughter left and came back with a few fire ores and the demon blood on a small jar. When she placed them on the table, Peter suddenly asked "Hey you know, I never got a chance to know your name."

"Oh! My name is Alexa Taylor. What's your?" Alexa was still shy so she looked at the ground while talking to him.

"My name is Peter Johnson." Peter introduced himself as he extended his arm. But, when they shake each other hands, Alexa's hands were trembling.

'Gosh! How shy is she? I am not going to eat her.' Peter couldn't help but sigh at her condition. But, suddenly the old man spoke "Boy, aren't you going to ask my name?"

"I think old man Taylor suits you the best." Peter separates his hand from her and gave a thumbs up to the old man while giving him a nickname.

"Pffft!" Alexa bursts into laughter when Peter gives her grandfather a nickname.

"These are your fire ores and demon blood. Now, leave!" The old man got angry and shouted while pushing those things at Peter.

"Wait, aren't you taking money for these?" Peter asked as he took those items to the inventory.

"Just think of this as the gift!" The old man shook his head and got irritated even more.

Peter hesitates for a moment and asked: "So, can I take a Rare Rank Sword as a gift?"

Unfortunately, he only got the middle finger from the old man. And, the old man got a punch from his granddaughter.

"Hey, I am not going to spend a mana coin to come here. So, can I find her just by her name? Will there be her photo as well? And, how strong is she?" Peter started asking several questions.

"She is level seven. And, you can only make friends if you are near her. Hmm! You are currently in Granrary City. You can find her at the Global Hotel." The old man answered his questions but his words froze him.

"How did you know I was in Granrary City?" Peter understood there are several information offices on the first floor. And, each information office has a way to enter the black market.

"Don't think too much! Just believe that you have acquired a powerful backer. So, try not to die inside the dungeon and keep my granddaughter safe. I can interfere in everything except for things controlled by the tower like a dungeon." The old man gave him a sharp gaze and spoke.

For the first time, Peter saw the same look that he saw in Nolan's eyes. It was confidence.. Because they seemed to have the power to back that confidence.