Ultimate Level 1

Chapter 279

Two days of nonstop fighting had him exhausted, and yet Max looked down at the newest corpse beneath him.

Five ants the size of house had come up from a hole he encountered in the forest. Their bodies lay broken, legs torn off, antennas still twitching. Pools of purple blood were being absorbed by the dirt at a rapid pace, the hungry jungle always collecting whatever was offered.

Screeching came from the last one alive, its body scuffing up the soft ground near the hole that led to its lair. Two legs remained on its armored body, yet each of them found out quickly Max could pluck them free, and their size wasn’t an advantage against a person of his power and short stature.

“It was fun, but I don’t want you to suffer. I’m not an animal.”

The large pair of mandibles opened and closed slowly as another screech came.

Taking the tooth he held in his hand from the snake, Max jabbed the makeshift weapon through the ant’s compound eye, driving his entire arm into it, twisting the weapon inside until the insect stopped moving.

Sighing, he pulled his hand free, knowing there would be no stats gained.

Only the giant gorilla that reminded him of the boss he faced so long ago had given him some strength. He was running out of creatures here that were even worth his time.

*****

Max Hoste

18-Year-old Human Male

STR: 380

DEX: 395

CON: 365

INT: 247

WIS: 247

*****

“They’re growing, yet nothing out here gives any intelligence. All these things are just meat shields,” Max muttered as he wiped his arm off.

Glancing at the hole in the ground he sighed.

“Feels stupid, but I’m too tired.”

Looking down into the darkness, he let his Sonar travel as far as possible. No noise or movement was detected.

Grunting, Max moved to the pile of items he had collected, grateful for the stomach he harvested from the gorilla. It smelled awful, but inside was a collection of bones, armored hides and other things he felt were worth keeping. When turned inside out it worked perfectly as a backpack.

Tossing a pair of mandibles he had ripped off into the stomach, Max set the growing sack on the ground.

His mouth was dry, and the lack of a waterskin had made him regret not going back to retrieve the waterskin he had been given.

Scouting out the caves and tunnels, Max found nothing inside but a maze of tunnels that led to different rooms with rotting parts of animals, plants, and things he had no idea about, all deathly still in the dark.

Retrieving his sack, Max pulled into the third room down a tunnel, slumped against the dirt wall, and closed his eyes.

You can talk… I know you’re there.

No reply came.

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Without waiting more than a few seconds, Max gave in to his exhaustion, falling asleep immediately.

***

Noise came through the tunnel. It sounded like something was sniffing.

The vibrations had woken Max up, and he was on his feet in a moment.

A fireball hovered above his hand, providing light, which showed the pile of rotting plants across the room he was in. Multiple piles were decomposing, the stench not even fazing him.

I’m sure I smell far worse than any goblin or ogre’s arse…

Grabbing his sack, he slowly made his way to the opening, leaving the fireball hovering where he had summoned it.

Down the tunnel, away from the entrance was the sound he heard, and the ground was moving as something walked along it.

The sound of sniffing got louder, and Max’s Sonar picked up the creature as it entered his range.

Long whiskers on a nose with some jagged and long teeth appeared in his mental image first, and as it got about a foot past the range of Sonar, the creature stopped.

Its nose began to twitch, and it shrieked loudly as it dashed through the tunnel in his direction.

A freaking giant mole!

Large paws with long claws came as the beast took up most of the space in the tunnel.

It was almost on him before Max could even get the fireball to where he was standing, the light of the flames causing the creature to backpedal, stopping its assault as it cried out.

A loud wave of sound came next, overwhelming Max’s Sonar and ears, making his head feel like it was going to explode.

Blood ran down from his ears, nose, and eyes as the sound continued for a good twenty seconds.

Staggering backward, Max stumbled into the dirt wall, moving around the corner as he tried to breathe, his eyes aching and his mind hurting.

[ Regeneration ]

Immediately, relief started to come.

A paw slammed into him, sending Max flying across the room and crashing through a few piles of rotting vegetation until he hit a dirt wall.

Breathing hurt, as the strike had broken some ribs, but his ability was already working on healing them.

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The mole slowly came into the room, its nose twitching as it sniffed the air.

Max’s mind finally started to clear, and his Sonar started to work again, going out from him and revealing the position of his newest foe.

I smell like rotten vegetation… it can't detect me!

Grateful for a break, Max breathed as slowly and quietly as possible, waiting for his body to heal.

Every few seconds the mole entered the room a little more, its nose never stopping as it shifted, trying to find him.

With the last bone back in place, Max picked up a rock that was near him and tossed it at the wall across the room.

The mole dashed toward the rock after it struck the wall, slamming into the dirt and bringing some of it down.

As it moved, Max summoned a fireball and moved away, pouring mana into it and letting it grow as he got as far as he could from the spell.

Another shriek came from the mole, and it turned, white, glossy eyes moving rapidly.

Once more it charged, plowing through the piles of rotting vegetation, and Max sent the fireball at the creature when it got close.

Flames erupted over its face, and it emitted another ear-piercing cry.

It howled and dug into the ground, burying its nose in the dirt.

Not giving the creature a chance to react, Max moved across the room in an instant, pulling the tooth from where he had tied it around his waist with some hide he had gathered, and driving it at the mole.

[ Power Strike ]

The tooth made a popping sound as it pierced the eyeball, allowing Max to drive it deeper into the mole’s skull until it twisted and jerked, dragging him downward and into the dirt.

Another loud, ear-splitting cry came from the monster as its claw swung at him, flashing with red glow and moving so fast he couldn’t react. It slammed into Max, who was pinned to the dirt.

Pain came as Max was sent rolling across the ground, knowing that his arm had been torn off at his elbow.

Blood poured out even as the Regeneration skill drew mana from him, flesh and bones starting to grow and reattach as he stood there.

Shite! This thing is way stronger than anything else I’ve fought! Smarter too!

He sensed the mole digging quickly, trying to escape downward into the soil, taking his ripped off forearm and the tooth he had used these last few days.

Three steps had him at the creature’s furry body, half of its mass already hidden as it dug. He leaped at it, kicking with his boot, and the impact against the fur covered hide didn’t do anything at all.

His Fire Nova would be ready to go off soon, and yet the mole was moving at an impossible speed into the dirt, sending piles upward into the room.

A small tail, only nine feet long, was twitching behind the animal as it dug, and Max ran to it, grabbing the dirt covered appendage with his left hand and held on.

[ Bulwark ]

His feet didn’t move, and the mole found itself stuck, unable to dig deeper as Max stood there, smiling as the Fire Nova went off.

Waves of flames radiated from him, and the mole’s exposed softer underbelly got a front row seat to the power coming off him.

It tugged harder, trying to free itself from Max’s grasp, yet it couldn’t get away as the second wave went off.

The scent of burnt fur and flesh filled the air, as well as the burning vegetation.

Combined, they made a horrible stench, but still none of that would remove his smile.

His right arm was almost fully repaired, his hand starting to take shape as fingers appeared.

Along the ground an ice spear was also coming to life. He poured as much mana as fast as he could, knowing that soon his ability would wear off and the mole would yank him from the position he now held.

A third wave of fire rolled out, and Max felt the tail go slack, as the mole began to back up.

With its haunches set up high, he turned quickly, sticking the tail over his shoulder, and sent the ice spell at the mole’s exposed burnt belly.

It penetrated with ease, the protection that had been offered by the hide now burned away, and the six-foot-long piece of ice vanished as it disappeared inside.

Another ice spear began to form as soon as the first one was sent, but Max felt the change in how the mole was fighting.

The power and speed were gone, as it backed up slowly, almost as if it wasn’t able to react as it wanted.

I know the tooth was out of poison… could the spear have hit something vital?

Taking steps forward, Max put all the power he had in his legs, letting his skill that had two seconds left keep him moving forward.

A tearing sound came as the tail was wrenched free from the base of the mole’s body, and Max sent the smaller ice spear at the creature before it could react.

Once more the spell buried itself inside.

Dropping the tail, Max opened and closed his right hand, glad to see that it was back to normal, and he summoned another ice spear, waiting to see what the mole was going to do.

Five seconds passed as the beast sat there, and Max let loose once more with the third ice spear.

All eight feet sank inside the already demolished underbelly, and six seconds later Max buckled to his knees as a coldness he hadn't felt in ages came.

[ Bonus Stats Consumed ]

[ 7 Strength Consumed ]

[ 15 Constitution Consumed ]

[ 10 Dexterity Consumed ]

[ 4 Intelligence Consumed ]

[ Stat Milestone 1 Reached ]

[ Intelligence of 250 acquired ]

[ Bonus spell damage granted - 20% spell damage ]

[ Bonus spell penetration - Ignores up to 25% spell resistance ]

[ Skill Consumed is Equal to Rank of Current Skill ]

[ Consume has successfully Consumed a skill ]

[ Would you like to learn [ Quick Attack ]? ]

[ Yes / No ]

His mind was reeling as the increase to his intelligence hit a milestone.

It was as if a million little monsters were inside, eating every square inch of his brain.

When the moment passed and he breathed in a few times to settle himself, his mind felt calm.

There was a level of understanding that also seemed to come with the added bonus to his spell power.

It makes sense… a different world. Monsters that are stronger… all those things my skill has told me.

Then the realization of something even more confusing and scary came.

What god owns this world I’m on? How old could this place be?

Clicking yes, Max felt the skill join the growing list of things he knew.

[ Skill Description - Quick Attack ]

*****

Quick Attack - Epic Skill: The user’s next attack will strike with three times the normal speed. No bonus to damage is granted. Cooldown is eight hours.

*****

Smiling, Max started pulling the large corpse from the hole it had dug. He needed to retrieve the tooth and get out of here. At most he had a little over four days to get away, and there was no time to waste.

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