Ultimate Level 1

Chapter 291

Max felt Aimee’s eyes on him as he slowly carved off a section of the wood Romandis had given him.

Small strips lay on the floor, and Max felt himself drawn to this simple task.

How many times did I whittle wood as a kid? Yet now… this feels so different. Like it’s a part of me.

Shaving the staff, Max let the wood almost guide him. It was as if something inside told him where to leave a little more of a bump, while another had him cut deeper, creating a groove.

The entire time, Romandis stood next to him, giving soft instructions at first and then went silent upon seeing Max work so quickly through the wood.

Once the staff was done, Max picked up the etching tool and began to carve runes he knew from back in his world.

“What are those?”

“Similar to what your world uses for enchanting. Except I’m going to try something different.”

As he poured his life into the tool, the clear glass turning blue, Max took it slow, trying to add his mana to the process.

Sweat started to bead up on his head, running down his nose.

Immediately the drain he felt from his chest seemed to grow as Max fought with controlling that flow and adding a totally different one.

Breathe… slow down… trust the skill and yourself…

Repeating the words he had heard so many times from his skill, Max wished it would guide him now, but nothing came. Whatever it was doing had its full attention.

Clearing his mind, Max imagined another thread, this one connecting to every part of his body and holding the mana that he knew flowed inside him. Tanila had talked about magic and the mana within the world. How every creature seemed to be filled with it, which was why his skill was broken, replacing the mana he spent with each life he consumed.

Now, he focused on that. His entire being was filled with this source of energy, and he just needed to direct it.

Flames began to form around the hand with the etching tool, and Max ignored the gasp of shock from the smith.

As he carved, he felt the power of the fire he desired flowing into those runes.

I can be the elemental core.

It was like a lightstone went off in his head, and Max felt the change immediately.

[ Weapon Crafting Has Evolved ]

[ Mana Control Skill Acquired ]

[ Elemental Mastery Has Evolved ]

[ New Skill Forming ]

[ Elemental Mana Control Acquired ]

[ Processing…. Processing ]

[ Elemental Mana Control - Rare ]

[ New Knowledge Gained ]

His eyes hurt, and Max had to yank his hand back from the staff he was holding, feeling his mind erupt with so many things he had never understood until now.

Everything you tried to tell me… tried to lead me to… this was it!

All those moments his skill tried to get him to infuse his magic when crafting was to possibly learn this skill. Max’s own affinity and power was the only conduit he needed.

“What are you doing?” Romandis asked as the smith drew close to the flaming hand held high in the air.

“Watch,” Max replied, opening his eyes and then winking one at the kemonomimi, who stood there, jaw opened and eyes wide.

His mind raced, ran with the knowledge he felt and knew inside.

Max’s core burned. His entire body was alive as his life force and his mana combined, creating a symphony of something entirely new.

Slivers of wood fell to the floor in a gentle rain, the spot in which they had once lain, now replaced with flaming runes.

Time seemed to slow down as Max turned the staff, adding line after line.

Once he knew the runes were done, he focused his power and drew upon lightning, arcs occasionally sparking from his hand to the staff, setting upon it with a new vigor.

***

He was spent.

Sweat pooled underneath him, and Max could feel the tiredness of his body and mind.

[ Simple Health Check ]

*****

HP: 5,279/16,700

*****

I guess I spent a little more health than I imagined I would.

[ Regeneration ]

His life force began to return as his skill felt like a cheat compared to most who had the Weapon Crafting skill.

[ Inspect Weapon ]

*****

Legendary Elemental Staff

+ 100 Intelligence and Wisdom

Elemental Casting - Elemental spells cast by user are 25% stronger

Soul Bonded

*****

His breathing slowed down as his body recovered quickly, but Max couldn’t help but wonder about the staff that felt like an extension of him.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

No, it was an extension of him.

He could feel the power that flowed from it, and likewise it seemed like his own mana reached to the very fibers of the staff.

“How? How can you do that?”

The hand that touched his shoulder softly felt like it was barely there.

Max turned his head and saw the smith bent down, his eyes fixated on the weapon that felt like it radiated with power.

“I told you I can craft weapons. I’ll do what I can to teach you later, but if I said I was tired—”

“I don’t know how you are still alive!” exclaimed Romandis. “From what I just saw you do, I would expect any other crafter of weapons to have died long ago! Yet I can tell you are completely fine!”

Max nodded and smiled.

“Tell me, that axe you are working on. What enchantment are they hoping to acquire?”

The kemonomimi looked at the axe head still on the table and turned back to Max, eyes almost trembling.

“Anything! They would take anything! To know you can do that and it appears not fail, they would pay so much for it!”

Seeing how the very fur on the smith’s body began to rise, almost standing like he was filled with electricity, Max grinned.

“Would they pay you then? Could you get a new door?”

Laughter radiated from around the room when Romandis clamped a hand down on Max’s arm and roared.

“I could buy two doors!”

Taking a deep breath, Max turned his attention to where Aimee was, seeing her looking at him.

Her head was cocked, and for the first time he noticed confusion or something else he hadn't seen before displayed.

“Are you okay?”

She shook her head, startled at his question, and nodded quickly.

“You… you say that the one captured you… I have heard stories… we all have heard stories of the conflict between that one and Igarra. Neither bothers the other now because of the damage they cause and the way it appears neither wins. Yet…”

He could sense her trembling under the cloak. The vibrations of her body as she gazed at him gave away that she was struggling with something.

“The power you display… if you are that strong, and he was able to collar you so easily… how strong must those two be? How can one of us ever hope to reach that level?”

Clearing his throat, Max summoned a shard of ice and put it in his mouth, ignoring the look Romandis gave him.

“I don’t know, but I want you to understand, I’m doing everything I can to get stronger. My goal is to one day get revenge.”

Aimee winced, flinching slightly, and her eyes blinked rapidly a few times before she nodded.

“That is a scary thought,” she whispered.

Nodding, Max turned his attention back to the smith, who was enthralled with the ice he was sucking on.

“Do you have a clean glass container that won’t melt? We could put it on your forge, and you could have some water in a bit that is clear.”

Without hesitating, the kemonomimi was across the room, tossing some things to the side. He lifted up a two-by-two-foot glass container, dumping it out and rubbing the inside with his hands.

“Would this work?”

Max nodded and stood up, stretching before dismissing the shard of ice, and took the box, setting it on the edge of the forge.

He summoned half a dozen small shards of ice and set them inside the glass that was starting to heat up.

“In a few minutes I’d pull that off. For now, let me see what you have done with this axe.”

***

Romandis held the finished axe in his hands. Max had helped shape the wooden handle, and together they had created something exceptional.

It was only an epic creation, as all he could do was imbue it with spells and ensure the wooden part was perfect.

“Never… never have I held a weapon so great as this,” the smith said as he ran his claws along the runes that no longer glowed. “I… I cannot pay you what this is worth, but know I owe you far more than you will ever understand.”

It was Max’s turn to give a pat on someone’s back, and as he gently did so against Romandis’s furry pelt, his smile grew.

“Actually, if it wasn’t for your instruction and guidance, I doubt I would have learned what I needed to know. I’m sure there are many things you can still teach me about your craft, and I will endeavor to return the favor about mine. Together, we can see what the gods will allow us to create.”

Max saw the move coming and didn’t react, letting the smith turn and grab him in a bear hug, or perhaps a cat hug, laughing as Romandis lifted him off the ground.

Both of them smiled and acted like fools, ignoring the reaction of Aimee as she still appeared to be trying to absorb what she witnessed.

***

“Can I ask a personal question?”

Max nodded, setting down his utensil, amazed at how someone had combined a spoon and a fork into one object.

“That’s always a fun question if you have to ask first,” Max replied.

Aimee’s gaze had been constant during dinner, and he had ignored it, having been looked at as she was doing now many times in the last few months.

“What if you can’t return?”

A frown came, and Max bobbed his head twice, seeing the movement in Aimee’s eyes as she stared at him.

“I’ll keep looking. No matter what, I have to return.”

“But what if… what if there isn’t a way? What if you can’t defeat the one who brought you here, and Igarra can’t help you get home? Then what? Would you be content to stay here?”

Her voice was different, and Max wanted to ignore what he thought he could detect.

“I don’t know. When I say my heart belongs to someone back home, and I have family and friends I need to protect, I…” He sighed as he played with his spork and the remaining vegetables on his plate. “Have you ever wanted something so badly you would do anything for it?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed, her reply startling herself and the others who were dining quietly in the room. Holding up a hand and giving a nod of her head, Aimee apologized to everyone looking. “Sorry.”

Leaning closer to Max, she put her hand on his arm for a moment before removing it.

“I left my home seeking power. That event led me to you finding me, a slave, a life I don’t want to discuss because of how bad it would have been. You saved me, showed me power that I could never imagine and then took me home… Max… you…”

A single tear fell before she sniffed, and her whole demeanor changed.

“You protected me, striking down one of the most powerful women I know. Then you protected my mother from anyone who might have sought to harm me through her. Now I sit here, in a room, eating food and knowing that soon you shall earn more tokens than I ever imagined with ease. Until we reach the inner parts of the city, I doubt any will be able to stand before you.”

Shifting in his chair, Max just smiled, leaving his utensil on the plate.

“And what if you’re stuck with me forever? Is that your question?”

She nodded twice and then shook her head.

“It was, but now I know that answer and have made up my mind. No matter what I shall rise to power like you. Together, we shall become a name people fear.”

He started to protest, but she raised and hand and shook her head, her eye slits lowering halfway.

“No, Max. Never forget. If people do not fear you here, they will try to hurt you. They will try to use you. When you fight, there is no mercy. Those who give that will never receive it.”

She stood up, picking up her plate and his, taking them to the counter and leaving him to sit there.

What kind of world is this?

Lost in that thought for a moment, Max knew the answer before he had even finished it.

It’s like my world… only, the rules there make people believe they are safe… If the strong desire it, none of them are.

‎