Ultimate Level 1

Chapter 317

His body suddenly erupted with pain as tiny fibers within his body exploded on a micro level.

[ Regeneration ]

He wanted to scream, yet he couldn’t, his mind also feeling some effects of whatever was taking place. Ice, fire, and lightning all bombarded his nerves and fibers as well as his brain, and unlike before when the first two milestones were reached, the pain was over much faster and didn’t seem as bad as last time.

Still, Max found himself breathing rapidly as the messages appeared.

[ Dexterity Milestone Upgrade Complete ]

[ New Body Type Acquired ]

[ System Calibrating ]

[ Species - Human ]

[ Milestone Reached Before Evolution is Possible ]

[ Awaiting System Unlock for Species Dexterity Evolution ]

[ System Error ]

[ 3rd Milestone Achieved Early ]

[ Rectifying ]

[ ….. ]

[ ….. ]

[ Granting Temporary Bonus ]

[ Temporary Bonus Will Be Removed Upon Evolution ]

[ Current Temporary Bonuses ]

[ 10% Strength Granted For Melee Attacks ]

[ 10% Resistance Gained Against All Attacks ]

[ New Temporary Bonus ]

[ 10% Evasion Bonus To All Spotted Attacks ]

That is not a bad bonus, but I’m curious as to what the next evolution will bring.

I sure hope the reason this hurt less was because my body already went through the previous one for my Constitution… Just tell me, will the 750 stat bring another evolution?

I do not know. This is not something I can recall, but I do know there are other evolutions beyond what you have encountered.

Groaning, Max stood up and left the room, feeling refreshed and energized.

How long was I asleep?

Only six hours. The chamber you were in floods your body with system energy. It has some potential questions that makes me wonder what might be possible if one could harness it.

What really makes me wonder is how Igarra has such a thing here.

Yet another thing to consider about her true power.

Max nodded to no one but Bob as he moved toward the front door, moving the gray ring from the peg on the left to the right. Max let Jazzjak know where he was headed.

***

“You look different,” Buwingrid stated as she eyed him up and down. “Something is not the same.”

“A good night’s rest is what I needed. Which begs the question, why you don’t ever take time off from inside this sweltering place?”

The dwarf laughed as she pointed at her mother, who was now pounding on a pink metal bar that shined like a star.

“That woman hasn’t slept in a decade. One of the skills we both own makes it where sleep isn’t needed. Working here actually recharges us. You can’t get this skill because you’re not a dwarf. Regardless, this is my life. Now grab that apron, get your tools, and get over here. I want to see how this next part works.”

Max moved quickly to the place his equipment was kept and donned the gear, breathing a little easier as the apron provided a bonus to resisting the heat of this room. It wasn’t so bad he couldn’t stand it, but the heat never stopped coming, and breathing after a while felt labored. The only way to really combat it was with this apron or activating Regeneration for a while.

The sounds of the hammer stopped as Max bent over the weapon head, seeing the lines he had started were still good and ready for him.

“Okay, the next part is going to require us using the power core and infusing it here within the socket. The problem comes with us wanting to not just use it by itself but also using an elemental core to bind with it. Those two will create something new and can often give a skill, as I mentioned, to the weapon.”

“Balls and arses!” cried out the older dwarf that had moved to where Max and Buwingrid were working, gazing down over their shoulders.

He had tried to not react like the first time when the giant dwarf had appeared the first time, chewing out her daughter.

It had taken a moment to realize they were talking in a tongue the ring wouldn’t translate, and as such, he stood there as still as possible.

Buwingrid earned his trust when she repeated multiple times to her mother how they were trading knowledge and that getting to see what he was going to teach would help them in the long run.

“You realize that you can’t just force those two together!”

Turning his head, Max nodded and smiled up at the dwarf who was supposedly over a thousand years old.

An arc of lightning sparked between his fingers as he summoned the power of the spell.

“As I was going to say, having magical affinity allows me to do things most crafters can’t. I can use my own mana and spells to infuse the item. Just like you can use the tools from Quan Ma to infuse your health or mana into a weapon, this trick requires elemental magic.”

Stolen story; please report.

Both dwarves were frowning, and Max could see the two staring at each other.

“I told you, Mother, that I’ll need to find a skill shard that teaches elemental magic of some kind. Even if it’s not a high level one, I can at least attempt this process!”

“Foolish child! You give your skill and that child too much credit! Still, this is your place, waste whatever resources we have fought hard to acquire! Just know if this blows up and he dies, Igarra may not be happy with you! ”

Each of them glared at the other before Buwingrid turned and smiled at Max.

“She’s just concerned about how hard it will be to repeat this process when you’re not around.”

“Which is why I have given my word to return and help with two other weapons of your choosing to ensure that payment for what I’m getting is of equal value.”

“Bah! He’s getting far more than that! Without your ability, I’d never have agreed to this trade!”

With her last statement the older dwarf left the two of them and returned to her station, banging away with a little more force than before on whatever she was making.

“Anyways… old dwarves… sometimes they can be moody.”

“Does age really matter?” Max asked, earning a laugh from Buwingrid.

“No, I guess you’re right. Now then, let’s get your part of this over.”

***

“That’s impressive,” Max stated as he studied the weapon head and the shaft. “How you were able to cause that liquid to change the metal. I’d love to learn where you acquired that skill.”

Grinning, Buwingrid shrugged.

“Every dwarf has their secrets. Not many come through who use this way of crafting. Usually it's from a race that lives in a world completely covered in water. When they visit here, they are in special suits that allow them to breathe. Those in and of themselves are very interesting to study. Now then, are you certain you wish to bind this to you? We could sell this and make a fortune. And that is before we know the final stats.”

Max nodded, knowing the truth of what she said, but he needed a weapon that could cut, pierce, or bash and far better than his staff.

“If you still trust me, I promise I will assist on the next two weapons you desire.”

Buwingrid nodded.

“I know. One doesn’t get to where I am without being able to read most people. Very well, bind it to you.”

Drawing the blade on his hip, Max sliced his palm, picked up the shaft, and ran his blood all up and down it. After that, he repeated the process for the weapon head.

“Okay, let me do my part.”

Buwingrid took the two pieces and moved to the section where she would join them, finishing the process in a little time.

Standing there, Max watched her work with a speed and ease of someone who had been crafting for over four hundred years.

Seems unfair she can learn the skill I just showed her by crafting that weapon. What skill is that?

A rare one… a very rare one. Something from one of the others. She is devouring the knowledge of what was done. Every move you made, all the things you taught, she absorbed the knowledge, but when that weapon is complete, it will be gained. The only thing she cannot do is the magical side.

Which is why she needs me still.

Correct. I have no doubts in the coming days she will find what she is looking for. The wealth they possess and the contacts they must have will allow them to acquire it easily. After that, unless you find something new, I doubt your presence will be allowed back here again.

Max saw that Buwingrid’s mother was intently watching her daughter work. The only sound now in this heat-infused room was the younger dwarf, fashioning a weapon Max couldn’t wait to hold.

***

“I was a fool,” she grumbled. “I should have made you give me the first one, but now I will expect two just like this.”

Max took the weapon, which practically leaped from Buwingrid’s hand as he reached for it, and smiled.

The dark wood had flecks of the silver liquid she had used in it, runes running up and down the piece. Everything about it was perfect, from the blackened weapon head to the yellow glowing orb set in the middle of the metal, above the shaft.

[ Inspect Weapon ]

*****

* Legendary Shifting Weapon

+ 100 Strength, Dexterity, Constitution

Shifting - This weapon can change its shape to the mind of its owner. It takes one twenty-four hours to change the weapon again or 1,000 mana to bypass the timer. The weapon may not gain more mass than it already has and cannot be anything but a melee weapon.

* May Evolve

Bonded

*****

“Holy elf tits!”

Max didn’t care that it had no elemental properties, as he had hoped. The fact that it could change shape had so many uses, and combined with his mana pool, the cost that might seem impossible for most wasn’t that big of a deal.

Chuckling, a small grin appeared on Buwingrid’s face.

“I haven’t heard that one in ages… but yes, that is a good description of such a weapon. Part of me wondered if it would be a legendary item, but an evolving one… that is rare.”

“Is it?” Max asked, his mind occupied and not paying attention to how his voice had sounded.

A hand reached for him, and taking a step back, Max avoided the outstretched set of stubby fingers. Glancing at the dwarven woman before him, he saw her eyes were wide, both red eyebrows touching the top of her head.

“You have had it happen before?!”

Slowly nodding, the woman cursed as she spun around, waving both hands in the air.

“SON OF AN ELF HUMPING GRINGLEBENDAL!”

What is a gring… oh whatever she said…

Beats me, but I’m guessing the elf probably won’t like it.

Smiling, Max waited as the woman spun on her heel and approached him.

“We’re working on another! Right now! Understand?!”

Knowing it wasn’t a question, Max nodded and started to move to lean the weapon against a table when he paused.

It began to shimmer in his hand, and the weapon turned to silver and black liquid, matching the jar that they had used. In five seconds he now held a whip that was about twenty-five feet long.

The hammering stopped, and a string of curses that made Buwingrid turn red came from the older dwarf.

Rolling the whip up, he slid it over his head and put an arm through it, part of it tucked underneath his apron.

“Let’s get to work!”

Buwingrid scowled for a moment before sighing and motioning to the room where supplies were kept.

“Come on… I’m going to work you till I feel you’ve paid off that weapon.”

‎