Ultimate Level 1

The metal token with his name and rank stamped on it and his class [Spear Warrior] brought a smile Max hadn’t expected to come. He was standing here just a few days after his life, and all his plans were ruined. The woman he expected to marry had run off without looking back. His parents and sister would be shunned for a while since he would be listed as unskilled.

Worse for him was the taste in his mouth about how the advisors had treated him. He had no doubts they were going to kill him or do something awful. It left him wondering how many other people had been like him and suffered. Were there others out there who had somehow escaped?

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Max glanced around the hall and squeezed the pouch of coins in his pocket. This was more money than he had expected to earn in a while had he actually become a [Baker] apprentice.

Whistling a merry tune, he nodded at a few other adventurers who were coming in as he left out the door, resting his new spear on his shoulder as he headed toward the stairs.

It had taken him a little talking, but Max found an inn not far from the adventurer guild that gave a fair rate of ten coppers a night for a private room and two meals. The room wasn’t big, but it had a single bed, wash pan, and towel. Sharing a bathroom at the end of the hall wasn’t the best option, but it beat going in the woods as he had the last few days.

After getting a room set up and quickly answering the call of nature, he set back out into town, looking to get a few supplies and some much-needed armor.

“What do you mean it's twenty-five copper?” Max asked as he shook his head in frustration. “It’s just a pair of leather pants!”

“Leather armor, son.” the merchant shot back, clearly frustrated with Max’s attitude toward the cost. “You are looking at a tunic, pants, and bracers. This leather breathes well, protects most of your body, and will prevent most attacks you will experience unless you are going against hobgoblins or orcs. I don’t see you as someone ready for that kind of conflict because if you were, you would be looking at something even more costly and protective. Now tell me, will you complain about my prices or spend all day hitting every merchant in town only to find that I am offering you a fair price?”

Max grunted as he ran his hand along the pants the man had lying on the wooden counter. They did feel rather nice, and they fit well. There was no real bunching that he could notice. The top matched the pants with a decorative sword design, and the bracers would protect his arms. It was just the cost.

“It is more that I don’t have much money to spend…” pleaded Max. “You are asking me for almost all of it. What if we did one silver and fifteen coppers for the bracers, pants, and chest piece?”

The man twisted his long mustache, which almost seemed to reach his ears, between his fingers on his left hand. His yellow hair was different than the color of his mustache, which made Max wonder if the man dyed his hair.

“How about one silver and twenty coppers as my final offer? I still have a family to feed, and we both can hope you will return alive because of what I am selling you and will choose to purchase more from me.”

Flicking his lips with his fingers, Max realized that he had gotten ten copper off, and it appeared this was as far as the man was willing to go. A helm would be great, but he would only have forty coppers left after this purchase and the room. He still needed to buy a better pack and some food for the road when he went out.

“Deal!” he replied, extending his hand toward the man and flashing a smile.

Shaking on it, both of them appeared they thought the trade was fair. After exchanging the money, Max went back to the changing area and stripped out of his torn shirt and ripped pants, emerging looking like an actual adventurer in his leather armor and carrying a spear.

“That looks like a perfect fit!” the man exclaimed as he crossed his arms and nodded his head. “You look like you might not actually die after the first thirty seconds of combat.”

Chuckling, Max gave a spin and heard some laughing from a few other patrons in the man’s shop.

“Well, let’s see how well this works out, and I’ll definitely be back for a helm at least in the coming days.”

“I have plenty of those,” he stated as he gestured to the row of helms lining the top of one wall. “Be safe and return soon.”

The rest of the day ate up twenty more coppers, leaving Max with only twenty to spare. He had gotten a real backpack, some dried meat, and a few water skins, as well as a few other pouches to help carry the loot he was hoping to acquire.

Walking back toward the inn, Max couldn’t help but smile and wave whenever someone nodded at him.

What kind of dream is this… I would never have thought this kind of life would be so cool!

With all his gear back in his room, Max sat downstairs, watching the people in the tavern portion of the inn. The Stuffed Goblin was decently packed with adventurers relaxing after a hard day of adventuring.

The older wooden tables were still strong and sturdy, having the look and feel of the trees he had been sleeping in to the northeast. The smell of ale and other alcohol was only covered by the amazing scent of the dinner being prepared back in the kitchen.

The hum of laughter and conversation was a nice change from the nights in the woods by himself. Knowing he could sleep safely, Max grinned from ear to ear.

“One dinner special,” a short, balding man announced as he set down a tray filled with smoked pork, a few warm rolls and a medley of vegetables. Next to them were two cookies that looked a little overcooked but Max was more than willing to overlook his critique of them based on how good the pork smelled. A mug of ale was set down next to his platter.

“It will be another two copper if you want another drink,” the man grunted before turning and walking back to the kitchen.

Not waiting a moment, Max dug into the food, letting out a moan of pleasure as the pork leaked down his chin. A roll served as a napkin, catching the escaping juices, waiting to be consumed when it was time.

As he ate, Max realized there were at least two or three times the number of elf adventurers here compared to back home. It struck him a bit odd that they would come this far east as this village only had one dungeon that he knew of worthy of anyone above the first ten levels. The way they moved was graceful and fluid. Most had their hair tied back in a pony tail or in a braid.

He then noticed there were two different sets of elves. One tall with lighter skin, and the other was slightly shorter and with darker skin.

Wood elves… what could be bringing them here?

As he stared, a male wood elf, wearing light leather armor caught his stare and narrowed his eyes at Max.

Almost choking on his food, Max bobbed his head and took a big swig of the ale to clear the mass of food stuck in his throat.

The elf turned away, and Max did his best not to stare again.

Having finished his meal, Max headed to his room wanting to learn about the things he didn’t know.

Lying about being an adventurer saved him some problems but it also created others. He missed out on the training they would go through. Thankfully he had remembered the book they were given when they started out.

Flipping through the leather bound booklet, Max scanned for a bit.

Leveling

Each level an adventurer will receive stat points to place as they see fit. Points acquired per level are:

Level 1 - 5: 2 points

Level 6 - 10: 3 points

Level 11 - 19:4 points

Level 20+:5 points

Tapping his chin with his finger, Max considered the gains he had earned so far. Since it appeared he couldn’t gain levels by experience, everything would have to come from killing and somehow gaining stats from what he killed. With two points acquired, he was basically a level two warrior. Thankfully his stats had gone to strength and dexterity but not being able to place them might cause problems later.

Ignoring that part he glanced through the book a little more till he found what he wanted to know.

Skills

Skills can be advanced through the use of the adventurers' skill shard every ten levels. Each class has the ability, regardless of adventuring or crafting, to improve their skill. Every rank will cost a different amount of money based on the skill level.

Skill Improvement is as follows:

Common

Uncommon

Rare

Epic

Legendary

Godly

Upgrading skills to Epic and beyond will also require completing quests or increased cost of treasure and gold.

He felt his eyes widen as Max re-read that passage a few more times.

[Skill Check]

*****

Skills:

Baking - Common

Consume - Rare

Spear Handling - Common

*****

“A rare frickin skill,” he muttered to himself.

What would that cost to raise? And that would require me to be level twenty!

Setting the book down on his lap, Max shifted in his bed as he leaned against the headboard. He glanced at the walls and the simple wooden bed he was laying on, wondering just what all this meant.

[Skill Description - Consume]

*****

Consume - Rare Skill: When killing a person, creature, or monster, the skill holder has a chance to consume some of the essence of the one defeated. Health, Stamina, Mana, Stats, and Skills have a chance of being gained. Stats consumed cannot be acquired if current stats are higher. Skills can be upgraded if a higher skill is consumed. No experience may be gained by killing creatures or others. No experience is gained via quests.

*****

He had read that text once before, but now it started to make sense. He had learned the spear-handling skill somehow when he killed that goblin. If he wanted it to be improved from common to uncommon, he would have to fight something with a higher level spear skill and hope to acquire it.

Not fight… kill… I have to kill something that has a higher level of skill.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Max flipped through the book, scanning the information on ranks, testing for advancement through them, and more.

After going through most of the book, he finally found a small section in the back of the book that talked about the potential to gain a second skill.

If the adventurer is above the twenty-fifth level and has met certain criteria within the guild, and is above the B rank, they may attempt a quest for a second skill. Any more information about this must be received from the guild master in one of the four major cities.

Grunting to himself, Max realized that he had hoped for too much.

I guess they wouldn’t be that stupid to write something down in a book that talks about having multiple skills or carting people off.

Putting the book on the table next to him, he stretched his legs in the bed, unable to help as he sighed.

“Beats sleeping with a branch between your legs,” he chuckled out loud to himself.

Tapping the light globe, it turned off, and he pulled the cover over him. Closing his eyes, he felt a smile on his face as he was about to pass out from exhaustion.

Tomorrow… I’ll get stronger tomorrow.