Ultimate Level 1
Chapter 470: Shark Food

Another roar came as Max circled the shark. The shark’s harpoon missed him and quickly returned to its left arm.

Max fired off three small bursts of flames overhead. He pulled back a little, slicing at the fishmen foolish enough to believe they could be anything more than a nuisance like a fly.

A small burst of flame washed over the boss, and it sent its harpoon at Rakonath, who twisted and spun, avoiding the attack as he circled around.

Flames danced along the water, yet any damage that appeared to be done to the boss was immediately healed.

It’s healing faster than I do…

Both times he had gotten close, his side of their exchange of blows had been parried and blocked, a sign that the boss was faster than any of the other creatures from any of the other floors.

Large water bubbles continued coming at Max, yet he dodged them easily.

Water rose and washed over the shark, taking the fire that burned with it.

As it did, a slight blue glow covered the grey leathery skin and some runes began to radiate.

The boss slowly grew, adding another foot or two before it stopped.

“Frick… regeneration and growth?”

Standing on the water, he frowned. All attempts to get it to move with him toward the land almost seemed to fail.

It had moved a little but didn’t appear like it wanted to.

There is something in the water beneath it. When it pushed all the water away I saw it for a moment. Perhaps that is why it won’t follow you?

Max prepared for a distraction, sending four small fire spells upward.

His dragon descended again, unleashing a larger fire blast.

The moment it started Max immediately descended into the water, his eyes adjusting as he did and spotted a weird alter of some kind on the base of the floor. Through the hundreds of fishmen that swam around it, a dark black aura radiated around it.

Without waiting and knowing that his opponent would easily sense he was gone, Max raced toward the bubble of fishmen, watching them turn and shriek at him.

It’s coming after you!

A single glance backward revealed that this boss had grown again, now well over thirty feet and probably approaching forty.

Large teeth chomped as it swam toward him.

Notifications started to appear as he swam through a murky section of water.

[ Poison Resisted ]

[ Poison Resisted ]

Every second the same notification came yet he ignored it, two swords in his hand, and he slashed his way through any fish that got close while sending out water and airblades as often as he could manage.

Damn, Bob… I miss your ability to handle all that.

Cutting through the horde of monsters he reached the alter, a dark sensation of magic being given off as he drew close and swung with both weapons.

[ Power Strike ]

Unsure how resilient the alter might be didn’t wait, using a stronger attack in hopes of destroying it quickly. An explosion of power and magic rippled through the water as the alter shattered.

Chunks of bone impaled parts of his skin yet his regeneration quickly pushed them out.

A roar came from behind and as he escaped through the second half of the ball of fishmen. Max watched as the boss chewed and ate his minions, never pausing as both green eyes locked onto him.

The harpoon shot out, and his sonar gave him enough warning to evade it. He watched it immediately start to return to the shark.

At least I got its attention.

Changing directions, he moved toward the beach, sending ice spears at the boss and watching as they shattered harmlessly off its face.

Like an arrow he shot out of the water, landing on the beach and turning, shield and sword ready as the boss breached the surface.

Unlike him, it chose to walk along the water near the sand, its massive body causing waves to radiate as it moved.

“You shall die for that vermin. I shall rebuild my altar with your bones.”

Shaking his head, Max understood the deep guttural voice and smiled.

“I don’t think so. Tonight, I’ll enjoy some sharkfin soup!”

It roared, gnashing its large teeth and sending its harpoon at him, striking his shield and causing him to skid a little in the sand.

An arrow streaked past him and struck the shark in its eye.

Fire came, and he sensed the presence of his friends approaching.

He started to move forward when black portals began to appear all around him and shapes started to fall from them.

His sonar went crazy, immediately recognizing over twenty new fishmen, slightly bigger, each with weapons and wearing armor.

A single slash struck the nearest as he saw multiple ones along the beach, all coming to where his friends were.

“I got it!” Tanila shouted.

Giving her some space, he cast a quick chain lighting spell, catching a dozen of them with it and stunning them, not managing to kill them with how little mana he had put in it.

Fowl started hammering away, and Max could sense Cordellia’s wolf tackling one behind him.

All over the beach, his party was taking on the new additions so he focused on the monster before him.

Two small flames went upward as he charged, his weapon parried by the boss as its curved blade caught his.

It stretched out its arm, and he felt the harpoon streak not at him but at his healer.

[ Blink ]

[ Protect Ally ]

Before it had impaled Batrire, Max appeared in front of the harpoon, his shield deflecting it.

Their dwarven healer turned and both eyes widened as she saw him and the retreating weapon she hadn’t seen coming.

Without waiting for her to speak, he raced at the boss, tired of the game it played and the potential danger it posed to his allies.

Ducking under its sword, Max slashed at the boss's legs, cutting through the thick skin a little.

He avoided each attack as the shark splashed water while attempting to kick him and strike him. With every injury Max inflicted, he watched as tendrils of water moved up the leathery surface and immediately healed the shark.

Not another one of those…

“I need to get it on land!” Max shouted, hoping everyone would hear him as he kicked off the surface and flew.

Dodging a sword slash, he moved around the boss, getting it to face him. Max knew he needed to have its attention facing the sea.

He unleashed a fire nova and then an ice one as he drove toward the boss’s chest.

[ Berserker ]

[ Ultimate Form ]

[ Harden Body ]

Slamming into it felt like running into a rubbery wall. Max drove his sword deep into its body and pushed with everything he had.

He used his wind magic to fly and buffet the creature's head, forcing it back slightly.

His sonar warned him that somehow the shark bent its head, and he felt the teeth that clamped onto him.

Pain came as they tore through his armor, bypassing the protection he had expected from even his ability. Warm blood began to pour from his shoulder where it had managed to bite down.

[ Regeneration ]

The boss ripped him free of its chest, shaking him like a rag doll.

His sonar told him what was about to happen, and slashing with his sword, Max drove the blade under the boss’s jaw as it lifted its head upward.

Rakonath slammed into the boss, his body sending it stumbling backward, rolling with Max’s shoulder still clamped between its teeth.

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Heat came and then the shark shuddered, its jaws finally opening and allowing him to free his pinned appendage.

Rakonath was barely standing, leaning slightly to one side, one of his wings bent in the wrong direction, but he was still belching out flames at the boss’s legs.

Tanila held a steady stream of lightning, causing the boss to spasm as arrows began to pincushion the boss.

Sensing the moment had come, Max stood tall on the boss’s chest. His sword immediately turned into a large spear, and he thrust it upward and into the exposed neck.

[ Rampage ]

[ Magical Strike ]

His blade pierced the thick hide with precision, and his strength drove the twelve-foot-long spear to the shark's brain three times.

A cold wave washed over him, quickly becoming a jolting sensation.

Max held on to the spear as notifications flew by.

[ 13 Constitution Consumed ]

[ Consume has – ]

[ Error ]

[ Error ]

Unable to let go, his whole body twitched as that message displayed a dozen times.

Finally one last one came, ending the pain of it all.

[ Consume is Locked ]

Blinking a few times, he stared at that last notification, trying to understand it.

A roar came from behind him, and he turned to see Rakonath surrounded by a green glow, his wing starting to bend back the right way.

Can I eat?

“Yes!” Max shouted as he yanked his weapon free, transforming it into a sword.

Still staggering the young dragon reached the burnt flesh and began chomping on it, ripping off chunks and swallowing them whole.

Max drove his sword into the boss’s chest and began cutting off leather strips, storing them as quickly as possible.

Within a minute, the body began to fade, and Rakonath let out a frustrated growl as he bit down on a bone, snapping it and tearing free his prize.

You were right. That was not much time. Are you okay? I felt something when you killed it.

Max dropped to the sand and moved to where his dragon was, glancing at his friends who stored some of the minions they had killed.

“Something is wrong with Bob but I did get some stats, which is the first time in forever.”

That is good, right? But what about skills?

“Let’s wait for the others. They’ll want to hear this.”

***

Everyone stared at the bone chest, a depiction of the shark etched along the front with tons of smaller fishmen all near him and an altar as well.

“So… it’s broken?” Fowl asked. “But you said you still got stats.”

“I know… but when I think it tried to absorb the skills as usual it had some… error. Like it wasn’t able to and then it said ‘ locked ’ at the end.”

Tanila was frowning as she scratched a few scales on Rakonath’s nose.

“So whatever he did to get him in here has caused this.”

“Once again am sorry for the pain you and he is experiencing,” the silver dragon declared. “Had I known–”

“None of us did,” their mage replied. “We all wanted you with us. This floor was so much easier because you were here. So do not feel bad. Trust me when I say we have had many moments where we did not know what would happen and things went sideways.”

“Sideways?”

Each of them chuckled and nodded.

“It’s a phrase and means things didn’t go as planned,” Batrire replied as she patted part of his neck. “Trust me, I know all too well as I almost died once. It’s part of adventuring. Sometimes you can’t see what’s below and have to jump, hoping you’ll be fine when you land.”

“That does not seem wise. Why would you do such a thing?”

Max scratched a few scales as he stood next to Tanila and shrugged.

“Why did you slam into the boss? Did you know that would work or were you hoping it would?”

A low thrum came as Rakonath showed a few teeth.

“I was certain I would be able to move it. I calculated the speed at which I would hit, combined with my mass and the approximate weight of such a creature for it. Factoring in the previous directio,n it had been forced as well as–”

“Okay… we get it,” Fowl muttered. “You’re smart… no need to make my head hurt. Just say you knew you were big enough to move it.”

The thrumming grew louder as Rakonath cleared his throat. “Your dwarf is right. I knew I was big enough to move it.”

“Well that illustration didn’t go as I hoped. Still there appears to be a chest, and I’m interested to see what might be inside. Do you all think we should see if he can open it?”

Lifting his head quickly, Rackonath made everyone take a step back as his silver eyes locked on the object of discussion.

“I can open a chest?”

Max and the rest all laughed as they pointed and nodded.

As the silver dragon made his way toward his first chest, Max wanted to check something.

[ Status Check No Weapon or Shield ]

*****

Max Hoste

19-Year-old Human Male

Level 1

Exp 728/1000

Tower Experience: 69.0%

Base Bonus Items Total

STR: 1123 +2179 + 255 3557

DEX: 1101 +2136 +240 3477

CON: 1060 +2250 +255 3665

INT: 1018 +1975 +165 3158

WIS: 1005 +1950 +165 3120

Defense of the Dragon - 34.5%

Defense of the Demon - 34.5%

Demon Essence: - 1387

World Champion: - 20% Stat Increase

Bloodline: - 60% of the required 100% unlocked

Tower Stat Bonus: - 10%

Tower 60th Floor Bonus: - 5%

*****

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