Ultimate Level 1
Chapter 490: Promise Kept

Max and the others couldn’t help but smile as Fowl approached where they stood.

He was covered in blood from head to toe as the corpses of four massive centipedes that had rushed and assaulted their warrior.

After defeating the first group of three as a party, they gave Fowl the chance he wanted, letting him tank all the creatures to death. It had taken a solid minute before their dwarf had bashed in the cracked protective shell on each of their heads, sending each one to the afterlife.

“So, I think that’s proof that I’m good to go,” Fowl said as he shook some of the gore off his weapon. “Best of all, I only needed two heals.”

“He’s right,” Batrire stated. “I’m not ready to toss him into a pack of ten or twenty, but it’s obvious just how much that aura and his shield are helping. The two that attacked from his backside took longer to kill than the ones he blocked all the time.”

“I’m guessing you want to stay in here or are we wanting to head back to the Faction?” Max asked. “It’s been a while since you’ve used a toilet.”

Even his joke didn’t cause Fowl to stop smiling. “I’ll be fine. Let’s see what we can do here. Something tells me we’ll be moving through this place like it’s nothing.”

***

Max laughed as he ran around the giant cave, dozens of the centipedes stampeding after him while Fowl finished fighting the six that were currently attempting to taste the tender flesh beneath the dwarf’s armor.

Without hesitating, he began creating a fireball and sent it at the three who raced out of the openings along the stone wall.

As soon as Fowl engaged the centipede they knew was the boss, it screeched, calling more into this room every thirty seconds.

“It’s almost dead!” Cordellia called out.

As the other three joined the group after him, Max watched as the fifteen-foot-tall boss slammed both pincers against Fowl’s shield again, a shriek coming as blood and ichor erupted from all the plates on its body. Its long body tightened up again, drawing upon itself before shuddering and stopped moving.

“It’s dead! Kill them!”

Once their archer announced it was over, Max began to cast spells, raining down destruction upon the long line of insects that stretched at least a hundred yards as they attempted to catch him.

Soon, the cave was silent, with no more loud cries or the sound of thousands of feet pounding into the stone.

“Well… that wasn’t fun,” Fowl muttered as he stood there, drenched in black ichor and brown blood. “I don’t want to try that again.”

“Why not?” Batrire asked. “You did fine.”

“Fine?! I had pincers and other stuff in places I don’t want to talk about,” their warrior replied. “Next time I want to attempt this, let’s make sure it’s just a single boss and not something with so many legs.”

Max couldn’t help but laugh as he watched the bodies start to fade, seeing a portal appear in the middle of the almost half-mile-wide cave.

“How about we take a break for a night? I’m certain all of us could use a bath,” he said.

“I won’t pass up a bath,” Cordellia quickly stated as she danced past Fowl and gave him a pat on the back. “Good work today, Shorty.”

“Bah, go hu…” Not finishing his statement, their warrior just grunted as their archer didn’t stop her jog to the portal.

“Almost screwed up, didn’t ya?” Batrire teased as she grabbed Fowl’s hand. “Good work catching yourself.”

“Bah, I’m trying… It’s not easy not teasing her.”

***

“So, we’re just going to sit here,” Reji said as she motioned to the four chairs Max had placed near the entrance.

“Yup,” Max replied. “I know that Everett said you all knew the plan. If everything goes according to plan, I should be back rather quickly, and we’ll be ready to hit the portal to the next floor.”

“Still uh… I mean… a couple of hours?”

He looked at the red-headed mage and smiled.

“You’re the only one standing from your team. Trust me, this is far better than being carried in the harness you all know I have.”

A few chuckles from the warrior, healer, and archer made Reji turn, who nodded and sighed.

“Well… we thank you again. It’s just weird to know this is even possible.”

Smiling, Max waved and took off running, leaving the quartet at the 40th tower floor entrance.

Less than two hours later, he was back where they were sitting, pouches full and stored inside his inventory, strapping on the harness they had all heard about and seen.

“Holy ogre nuts,” Kale exclaimed when Max appeared before them. “You’re done?!”

Nodding at the warrior, he motioned to the spot up front.

“Good thing your healer is a dwarf, or you’d be riding in this spot,” Max said. “Now then, I’m assuming the experience was good?”

“Unbelievable!” replied Reji.

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“Glad to hear. Now store those chairs, and I’ll give you all a tour from the sky. We’ll be moving on to the next floor.”

Max couldn’t help but chuckle as the cries and screams came. He leaped into the air, landing on a spear made of air and sending it hurtling across the zone, with them all strapped in against him.

Oh the good old days…

***

“Now listen. This boss isn’t going to be an issue. I’m just going to kill it, and then you all can loot. Later, you’ll return with Dexic and give it a go as a team. Any questions?”

Max dropped from the walls surrounding the massive salamander when the four shook their heads. It roared and started to charge, its mouth still open and a glow of red forming inside.

Knowing the show he would be putting on, Max didn’t even bother to activate a skill, letting the creature spew a stream of lava upon him as he dashed forward, his weapon a long two-handed sword.

The flow of lava stopped coming from its head, instead gushing from its throat where the blade had severed it in half.

Without wasting time, Max quickly hacked up the body, storing the pieces and then turned back to the group who stood at the top of the wall, all four with mouths open wide.

***

“These items… they’re–”

“Don’t talk about them with anyone outside of those you trust,” Max said, cutting off Kale as he stood there, slack-jawed, admiring the belt he had just acquired. “What you get with me will most likely never be replaced, and you don’t need people to know what you have. Understood?”

Slowly, the group nodded, each standing silently, smiling, with eyes fixated on the item they had acquired.

Fowl’s going to flip… not that I’m sure Tanila will let me wear this…

[ Inspect Earings ]

*****

Earrings of the Salamander

+10% to all Stats

*****

Storing his newest item, Max tried to imagine the look on her face when he put them on for the first time.

“Okay, we’re back to the original plan. We’re going to try and finish all this in two days, three tops.”

“Two days,” Reji whispered. “Ten floors in two days.”

***

Max ripped his spear free from the socket of the panther, frustrated at the string of notifications.

[ Consume is Locked ]

[ Consume is Locked ]

[ Consume is Locked ]

This thing had three skills… I mean that one it had would have definitely been nice.

“It’s safe to come,” he shouted while starting to carve up the corpse.

All four crept out from behind the trees they had been hiding behind.

“It… teleported. Like four times. How did you track it?” Reji asked.

“The boss wasn’t that fast,” Fedyona said with a grin. “You’re just not fast enough to keep up.”

Max nodded and pointed his finger at their archer.

“She’s right. You’ll need to consider that sometimes, as your stats lag behind, you’re going to struggle. Trust me, once you get to the 51st floor, you will have to consider finding a few items that boost your weak stats a little.”

To prove a point, Max dashed around, tapping each of them on the shoulder before coming to a stop near the black chest that had appeared.

“Wait, what–”

Laughing at Reji’s confusion, he snapped his fingers.

“You’re completely focused upon Intelligence and Wisdom. While good, those aren’t going to protect you forever. Eventually, your warrior or warriors might fail to stop something from getting past them. You need to be able to react quickly and decisively. Failure to do so can result in death.”

Waving his hand to stop the question she was starting to ask, Max tapped the chest a few times.

“Everett will answer everything and Dexic is here to help also. Now then, let’s get this loot sorted out and return home. I need to go see my team and prepare for the 73rd floor.”

Grunts and the shaking of heads were his response, and Max realized he might have seemed to be bragging even though he wasn’t.

***

A few moans came from each person in the room, and Max laughed as Everett and Tom started to chuckle.

“That sounds so bad, but I remember making the same noise,” their trainer said. “Still… the fact you acquired enough gems for everyone in your party and took a team through ten floors in two days is…”

“Impossible,” Everett said. “They wanted me to tell you thank you. Each of them smiled as I complimented them on their newest gear additions. They also all shot me down about telling me the stats. That good?”

Shrugging, Max couldn’t help but grin. “If you want, I can take you and Tom when my timer cools down, and we can run the 49th boss. The other option is to join Dexic with me when we do the 50th floor and above. Whatever drops off the 55th-floor boss will be an upgrade somewhere.”

Both men looked at each other and Max was certain Tom and Everett had the biggest smiles they’d ever shown right now.

“You’d do that? For us?!”

Nodding at his trainer, Max motioned with his head to his team.

“We’ve got three floors to get done, and then we can plan on that. Tell Dexic to plan on not being in the tower four days from now. Hopefully, we’ll be done by then.”

“Three floors in four days… and that’s in the seventieth floors,” Everett said quietly. “Max, you’re a monster. No… all of you are monsters.”

Fowl let out one last shudder and set his empty pouch on the table. “That was the last one! Now I’m maxed out again! 12.5% bonus from the first 50 floors of the tower since we’ve traded in all our tower experience!”

His friend stood up and approached him, hugging him.

“Thank you, Max. I can’t tell you how nice it was to not have to regrind all that,” Fowl said.

“Even if you didn’t get a shiny pair of earrings like mine?” Max asked as he equipped them.

“Gods no,” Tanila said as she glared at him. “Please… not unless we’re in the tower.”

Laughter filled the room as Max brushed his ear with a finger, showing off his newest loot acquisition.

A groan from Tanila made everyone laugh even harder, and finally, Max put them away and moved to sit by her.

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