Fowl returned the yellow band to Thomas and saw the manâs face as he did.
âIt saved Tanilaâs life, though. For that⊠I just wish I hadnât had to use it so soon in our climb.â
Putting his hand on the dwarfâs shoulder, Tom gently squeezed and smiled.
âI used the other two for the same thing. Thatâs why you had it. Still, running into a boss with a way to remove taunt so early is⊠well, uncommon,â their trainer said before chuckling a moment. âStill, with you all, I shouldnât be surprised by anything.â
Everett nodded as he dug through the desk, pulling out different drawers and then sliding them back in until he finally found the one he wanted.
A small box appeared in his hands, and he opened it, setting three potions Max recognized.
âI can give Tanila, Batrire, and Cordellia each one of these, but if you want a weaker version, go buy one from the Faction shop. These three, however, are far beyond all those things. Outside of a boss from the fortieth level, they should stop any one attack.â
âWhy would you give us one of those?â
The older man closed the box and put it back in the dimensional storage of the drawer.
âI owe Seth for introducing me to someone. Letâs just say this should cover that fee.â
Fowl glanced at his friend and gave a single head nod.
âIâll tell you later,â he muttered.
âNow, two more floors until you reach the first real tower boss. Any thoughts?â
Everyone looked at Tom and shook their heads.
âWe still need to get there first,â Tanila replied. âOur biggest need right now is to let a few cooldowns of our abilities end and then move to the next floor.â
Everyone nodded, and since no one seemed interested in saying anything else, Everett excused all of them except Seth.
âHow bad was that boss?â Tom asked. âI could see it in Tanilaâs eyes and on Fowlâs face.â
âFor a moment, we all thought she was going to die,â he replied, his voice lower than usual. âIt was so angry, and its weapon was massive. She couldnât dodge if she had wanted.â
Everett watched the two men talk, waiting till Tom was done with his questions.
âIs it my turn?â the faction leader finally asked when both men were looking at him.
âHeâs all yours,â Tom replied, stretching on the couch.
Nodding, Everett pulled the sword Max had made for them and set it on the table.
Forcing his eyes to go wide and leaning upon being surprised at the man showing him the weapon, Max let out a whistle.
âIs that mine?â
Both men laughed and shook their heads, seemingly amused by that question.
âNo! That weapon is far beyond what you should have, but that is why I gave your team those potions. Would you like to inspect it?â
Raising an eyebrow, Max watched both their faces and then nodded.
He grabbed the sword by the handle, feeling the weight he remembered, and pretended to examine the blade for a moment. Giving it a quick thrust, he smiled and then finally examined it for himself.
[Inspect Weapon]
*****
Crafted Legendary Sword
+75 Strength, Dexterity
Fire Enchanted - Bonus Fire Damage
Lightning Enchanted - Bonus Lightning Damage
*****
It was his turn to have his mouth almost hit the floor when he realized the stats of what he had created.
âIs⊠this says seventy-five to two stats,â Max said quietly. âHow?â
Both men snorted, and Everett leaned over, holding out his hands and waiting for Max to finally give back the sword.
âThe crafter you sent us, Joshua, he made this. Even our old crafter was skilled, but with two affinities, the stats were so much higher. This item right here,â Everett said as he gave it a swing while talking, âcould mean the difference between life and death for so many.â
Sighing, Max nodded, realizing now the true potential of what he could create.
âWell⊠now I feel like I should have asked more questions from him and begged for an item. Though Iâm glad he has helped the Faction and apparently made you two happy.â
Tom was still grinning, even though he wasnât holding the sword. The older manâs eyes never left it until Everett put it away.
âWhat I wouldnât have given for a pair of those back in the day.â
Everett nodded and turned his attention back to Max, who was grinning just as much as they were.
âDo you or anyone else in your party need a new weapon? Iâm not sure when I can get one made, but I feel it would be a worthwhile investment.â
Frowning, Max wasnât sure how to answer that question. freeweÉnovel.cŃłm
On one hand, if they gave Fowl or him a sword or mace or heck any weapon with stats like that, it would be a major boost in their ability to kill things. Yet doing so might also ruin them when real problems hit.
âIs it ok if I say no?â
Both men gave him a confused look.
âI mean, that sounds amazing, but what happens if the sword breaks or we somehow are somewhere that weapon canât be used? Wouldnât we be so dependent upon it that we might actually be in a worse position when it's gone?â
âDamn, heâs smarter than both of us,â Tom replied with a snort. âHere we were, trying to help him out, and he reminded us why we donât give starting adventurers really nice equipment.â
Everett bobbed his head, his eyes still blinking rapidly at the knowledge Max was correct and had just turned down a potentially mythic or legendary item.
âCordellia still doing good?â
âGood change of the subject,â Max said with a wink at the Faction leader. âShe is a great asset, and I think she is finally finding her place. Just today, she said something that had all of us laughing⊠well, everyone except Fowl. Iâm not certain you could have picked a better person for us.â
Both men seemed relieved, their shoulders relaxing a little as they sat across the table from him on those soft couches.
âPlans? Track down more killers? Has someone attempted to assassinate you?â
Groaning, Max shook his head.
âTanila and I plan on staying here for the next few days. If we do go out, weâll be careful and travel by carriage.â
âGood. One last question then,â Tom said. âHow serious are things with you and Tanila? I know that seems like a weird question, but we do have a room that is a little nicer if you two prefer.â
Chuckling, Max shook his head.
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âMaybe later. Iâll mention it, and if she says yes, then it's okay, but for now, Iâm fine where we are.â
Nodding, Tom stood up and shook hands as Max prepared to leave.
âBe safe, have fun, and donât go causing any more trouble.â
Nodding, Max moved out the open door, ready to go see Tanila.
Out of breath, Max lay there and chuckled.
âI can run for days, but fifteen minutes seems to wear me out.â
Groaning, Tanila laughed from the other side of the room, getting a few cups of water.
âYouâre not planning on leaving me and crafting, are you?â
Shaking his head, Max smiled as she came back with the cups.
âNo, but I turned down us getting items that Joshua makes. Both were surprised, yet if we ended up with a fifty or something in our stats, Iâm certain it would make us forget how hard things really are.â
Sighing, Tanila nodded and then took a drink, her green eyes watching Max the whole time.
âSo the guy who literally has the easiest way to get stronger doesnât want to skip ahead?â
Nodding, Max tapped his temple and grinned.
âSo letâs compare stats if you want. No items except that bracelet of yours.â
Tanila studied Max and then nodded slowly.
âWhy do I feel like Iâm not going to like this game?â
[ Simple Base Stat Check]
*****
Max Hoste
18-Year-old Human Male
Level 1
Exp 46/1000
Tower Experience: 6.11%
HP: 1630/1630
MP: 1070/1070
Stamina: 34/815
STR: 163
DEX: 150
CON: 163
INT: 107
WIS: 107
Defense of the Dragon - 3.0%
Defense of the Demon - 3.0%
Demon Essence: - 313
*****
âNow it's your turn.â
Sighing, she nodded and grimaced.
âTwenty, Twenty, forty, one hundred-twenty-one and sixty.â
Max had not realized just the difference between their stats. Without items or equipment, only her intelligence was higher than his.â
âI can see that look in your eyes,â she groaned. âYouâre doing the math and realized just how broken you really are.â
âFowls are basically the same except swapped out,â Max said, getting a nod from her. âWhich is whyââ
âYou dodge everything, hit harder than anyone, and can take just as much damage almost as Fowl,â she explained, cutting him off. âYour spells were nearing the damage mine did without my familiar to help me out. Based on the number of points you have, you are over level one hundred and fifty, meaning by the time we hit the fiftieth floor, you will have outscaled everyone.â
âYet the monsters are still stronger and hit harder than I do,â Max replied.
âWhich only means that at the pace the tower monsters continue to grow, youâll be even further ahead. Youâll beâŠâ Tanila paused, biting her lip just a tad as she winced. âJust like a god.â
She put her finger on his lips when Max started to protest and shook her head.
âI know, donât complain. Something tells me youâre going to need it. Besides that book of yours, you keep and the stats you mark down for each monster, be honest when you answer this question. How would a normal team of five handle what we did today?â
Grimacing, Max couldnât help but remember how Cordellia had acted the first time they stood outside the fifth-floor boss. That fear and realization she could die at any moment from a wayward hit sunk in.
âHow do the others do it? The ones that are like Dexis, making a run for the fiftieth floor?â
Tapping her chin, Tanila knew the answer but wasnât sure everything about it was true.
âNext time you talk to Everett, ask him about her group. See if he will share the number of skills they have and how it is they continue to make it through the tower. If Iâm right, they are basically geared to the max, each having begun with multiple skills from the day they first touched the skill crystal.
âMy parents do it by keeping a higher level team rotating through the tower, helping lower level and weaker ones grow stronger. Like the weapon you fear, there is a shortcut. They often have to go back to lower levels, fighting stuff they are stronger than, just to learn the needed tactics. You could accept items from Everett, speeding up our trip through the tower, and just know that eventually, we would need to return to the lower ones, earning back the skill and tactics we are missing.â
âYou think we are missing tactics? Outside of today weââ
âI almost died.â
Her words stopped Max in his tracks. She was right.
âHow could we have prevented that, though? Everett said the boss had a skill not usually seen until level thirty?!â
Shrugging, Tanila lay on the bed, setting her cup on the middle of her chest and staring at the paneled ceiling.
âIâm fine taking things slow. Just look at how long it took us to get together.â
Groaning, Max saw her smirk and leaned over, kissing her before sitting up and finishing his water.
âItâs a good thing my stamina hasnât fully recovered yet, or Iâd do something,â he teased, rolling off the side of the bed and moving to where his pants were resting on the back of a chair.
âWhat are you about to do?â she asked, sitting up and frowning.
Setting the cup down and holding his hands up in the air, he waved in surrender.
âJust getting some food. Iâm not sure, but I could swear the stomach that growled earlier wasnât mine.
A pillow was tossed at him, and Max caught it, sending it back at her, and then grabbed his pants, quickly sliding his legs into them.
âYou know⊠if you put the necklace on, stored the pants, and then just had them equipped with all the rest of your clothes, things would go faster, and I wouldnât lay here wasting away.â
Laughing, Max did as she said, quickly losing all his pants, giving a quick shake, and then equipping all of his clothes again.
âOne day, I may forget how actually to put clothes on if I keep doing this,â he said, moving toward the door. âBe back in a couple.â
When the door shut, Tanila grimaced and pulled up her stat sheet.
[ Simple Base Stat Check]
*****
Tanila Gilmenor
73-Year-old Elf Female
Level 55
Exp 175,466 / 2,196,231,656
Tower Experience: 6.13%
HP: 400/400
MP: 1210/1210
Stamina: 57/200
STR: *20*
DEX: *20*
CON: *40*
INT: *121*
WIS: *60*
Defense of the Dragon - 3.0%
Defense of the Demon - 3.0%
Royalty Suppressed
*****
Waving a hand over her bracelet, it appeared, and with a simple gesture, the room began to light up as she began to radiate with power.
[ Simple Base Stat Check]
*****
Tanila Gilmenor
73-Year-old Elf Female
Level 55
Exp 175,466 / 2,196,231,656
Tower Experience: 6.13%
HP: 800/800
MP: 2420/2420
Stamina: 57/400
STR: 40
DEX: 40
CON: 80
INT: 242
WIS: 120
Defense of the Dragon - 3.0%
Defense of the Demon - 3.0%
Blood of the Elven Line 2x to all Stats
*****
Seeing those numbers made her feel slightly better, but the truth was that she couldnât reveal herself yet. When the time came, she would, but until then, she knew what it was like to limit her true potential.
With a wave of her hand, the glow in the room vanished, and she felt her power diminish drastically.