James scrolled through the climber menu, clicking on names at random. Each time a screen would appear where he could watch through the observer following each climber. Unlike before, where he watched a battle to its end, he switched to a new one almost instantly. He scrolled till he thought he had seen all twenty groups, though one of them had only one person left alive and too many goblins by the time he got to them.

There's no way he'll survive. I don't want to watch, but... It feels like someone needs to witness this. The other climbers might not ever know there was a twentieth group, someone needs to remember that they died. That this game killed them. Even if I'm unlikely to remember their names. Maybe later we can make a memorial of some kind within the tower, but it might not be possible. Why would the beings who made this sick game include something like that when they obviously don't care about life in the first place. James soon reached the end of the climber menu, reaching a part where the entries were grayed out. So there's some kind of record, at least, though who knows how long the tower or whatever's controlling the menus will keep the names on there.

[First battle complete. Moving remaining climbers to floor 1. Tallying rewards.]

The climber menu disappeared at the Tower's words, and a new one took its place.

{First Battle Results:

Climbers Survived: 57/100

Groups Wiped Out: 3/20

Highest Viewer Count: 93,921

Longest Single View: 8 Minutes}

57 out of a hundred. Barely over half the people survived. James sighed. And two other groups were wiped out in addition to the one I witnessed. I don't know how to feel about this. It's hard not to feel like I failed when so many people died, but I don't know what the aliens meant for the survival rate to be. Just focus on what you can do for the ones who lived, James. Though that'll be difficult without more tower points. James dismissed the statistics menu, only for more prompts to take its place.

{You have earned 101 Tower Points through viewer acquisition and retention!}

{You have provided enough entertainment to reach Tower Level 2! 200 Tower Points have been Rewarded!}

{New Management Skills available!}

Well, that solves that problem, at least. I don't appreciate my attempts to save people being called entertainment, but I won't refuse more tower points. They're my only way of doing anything to help.

James turned his focus towards the final prompt.

"Tower, what is this about a new management skill?"

[As Administrator James Wise increases in Tower Level, you will be able to choose from a growing list of management skills to increase your ability to provide entertainment. To choose a new management skill, simply say "Learn Skill" or access your status menu.]

"Thank you." James said out of reflex, as he summoned his status menu.

So I can access things related to leveling up from my status or use phrases to access certain aspects specifically. It doesn't really matter how I do it when I don't have anything else to do, but if it's like this for the climbers as well... It could help them assign stats or skills in the midst of battle. Hopefully they'll learn this on their own, since I don't have any way to tell them.

With a bit of focus, James brought up his status with a thought.

{Name: James Wise

Admin Tier: 0

Credits: 0

(Physical Stats Unavailabe)

Class: None

Level: 0

(Skills Unavailable)

(Abilities Unavailable)

Acting Administrator of System Tower Version 61-3

Tower Level: 2

Tower Points: 311

Tower Management Skills: Create Quest (-10), Edit Quest (-5), Spawn Monster (Variable)

New Management Skill Available!}

New management skill available. With a thought, James watched his character sheet disappear in place of a new screen.

{Choose your new Management Skill! Available Skill Points: 1

-Control Weather: Alter the weather of any Floor within environment related options.

-Create Challenge: Generate a Quest for Climbers that can only be completed by a portion of all Climbers involved in the Challenge. Degree of Reward is dependent on how many accept the Challenge, the ratio of potential winners and losers, and the degree of penalty applied to those who fail it.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

-Create Event: Generate a Quest that can create a dramatic change to a Floor. Changes can include the redistribution of monster Spawn Points and Safe Zones, changes to available monsters and resources, landscape alterations, and even changes in the type of environment. Certain changes require the Management Skill "Floor Editor" to be accessible, and all changes require the Management Skill "Floor Editor" to become permanent.

-Create Poll: Create a poll with options to be chosen by viewers of your Tower. Includes options such as allowing viewers to add their own choices, voting on multiple choices at once, and allowing the results to use an available Management Skill to a higher degree than what is otherwise possible.

-Customize Village: Allows access to the Village Menu. With the Village Menu, you can manage the available functions of a Tower created Village, and create Quests that can alter them. Functions include changing the size of the Village, Creating Quests to add or subtract Tower run Stores, and reducing or expanding available products and services.

-Floor Editor: Allows you to freely alter the landscape and monster Spawn Points of a Floor prior to its initialization. Combine with the skill Create Event to create Events that can cause permanent changes to an established Floor.

-Outside Broadcast: Create a projection outside of the Tower. The projection can display the list of surviving and/or dead Climbers, or display the feed from the most popular Observer. If you have access to the Management Skill Recorded Viewing, you may also display a chosen recording. If you have the Management Skill Spawn Observer, you may display the feed from a personal Observer in place of the most popular one.

-Recorded Viewing: Allows you access to the full recording of any Observer, letting you see scenes that have already transpired, and edit clips together with other recordings to create your own videos, which can be saved to a personal database, or broadcast through the Management Skill Outside Broadcast.

-Spawn Observer: Adds a function to the Observer Menu that allows you to purchase personal Observers with Tower Points. Personal Observers can be assigned to track a particular Climber or patrol a particular location, in addition to being moved manually. Anything seen through a personal Observer is hidden from Viewers and other Administrators of the same Administrator Tier, and access to it can be sold to others, whether Administrator, Viewer, or Climber, in exchange for various currencies. You can also set custom triggers to receive a notification when requirements are met, so that you can continue Tower management without worry of missing out on the action.}

Well, I know I won't pick create poll. I have no interest in learning what the aliens watching people die for their own amusement might think. Similarly, create challenge feels like a way to incentivize climbers to work against each other, which is the opposite of what I want. Control weather isn't useful enough to bother with yet. While outside broadcast could be useful for helping those outside know about the people in the tower and what challenges they might face when they get pulled in, I think I should focus on helping the people within the tower survive before focusing on helping those outside of it. Besides, without spawn observer or recorded viewing, I'd have no control over what they saw beyond a list of climbers.

Spawn observer and recorded viewing could both be good for gathering information. If I could see more about how everyone handled the initial fight and see more details on every fight that happens going forward, I could better learn what helps people survive and what I should be trying to help them with. They're certainly things I should look into later, but I don't think I'll pick either of them right now. There are other options better suited to providing immediate help.

That leaves three. Floor editor would definitely be helpful in moving monster spawns and resource locations to make sure no one area is too dangerous and the most helpful resources are more immediately accessible, but I won't be able to make any active changes on the first floor or go back if I make a mistake on other floors without create event. Similarly, create event might help me make quick alterations to give climbers an edge, but I couldn't do anything permanent without floor editor. I don't know how easy it is to level up, so waiting until I can buy both of them at once would be a bad idea, but neither one feels like a great purchase on its own yet. I don't know how long everyone will be on the first floor either.

The list disappeared as James made his choice.

{Skill: “Customize Village” has been acquired. You have no more Skill Points remaining.}

I know once the climbers leave the first floor they won't be able to access the village again, so it's only helpful for the current climbers until they move on. But in terms of immediate help, anything that makes it so people are as prepared as they can be for the challenges ahead sounds like the best move I can make. The description didn't mention anything about altering the prices of items, and I doubt I can give people higher quality equipment than what's already available for free, but with this I should at least be able to allow people to unlock better equipment while on this floor, and possibly make living there easier too. Actually, why don't I test this out right now? The tower hasn't told me I need to set up the second floor yet, and I have over three hundred tower points to spend!

"Village menu!" James shouted, I know I can just think the words hard enough and get it to appear, but I'm feeling a little excited. I want to see what all I can do.

{Village Menu: Select Village.

Floor 1: (Unnamed) Village.}

Why even ask me if I have no other options?

{Floor 1: (Unnamed) Village Details:

Size: Level 0 (50 Meters in Diameter (Recommended Population: <400)) (Generate Upgrade Quest to Level 1 (75 Meters in Diameter (Recommended Population: <900)) (-100))

Walls: Level 0 (Wooden Stakes) (Generate Upgrade Quest to Level 1 (Wooden Logs) (-100))

Shops Enabled:

-General Store (View Description, Manage Items (Variable), Manage Functions (Variable), Disable Shop (-100))

Shops Disabled:

-Alchemist’s Workshop (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable), Enable Shop (-200))

-Armorsmith's Workshop (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable), Enable Shop (-200))

-Bathhouse (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable) Enable Shop (-100))

-Canteen (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable, Enable Shop (-100))

-Carpenter's Workshop (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable), Enable Shop (-500))

-Enchanter's Workshop (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable), Enable Shop (-500))

-Inn (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable), Enable Shop (-100))

-Library (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable), Enable Shop (-500))

-Training Grounds (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable), Enable Shop (-500))

-Weaponsmith's Workshop (View Description, Manage Functions (Variable), Enable Shop (-200)}

That's... More shops than I dared to hope for. I was worried there might only be a shop for consumables and a shop for weapons and armor. I think a canteen is for food, and there's a bathhouse and inn for sleeping and bathing. All things I'm sure the climbers would enjoy, but before I spend all of my points on those, I want to take a closer look at the general store, and what the other disabled shops are capable of. James took a deep breath. It looks like I have a lot of work to do.