UL1 Book 10 - Chapter 4

“Are you going to tell me your actual stats?” Tanila whispered.

Max nodded slowly, lying beside her on their bed, Miranna asleep again between them. “Base or with everything?”

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Let’s just get it over with.”

He grinned, running his fingers through her unbraided hair.

[ Status Check ]

*****

Max Hoste

19-Year-old Human Male

Tier 1 God - World Champion

God Exp 0/5,000,000

Tower Experience:   100%

  Base Bonus Items Rakonath Total

STR:           1865 +8812 +655 400 11,742

DEX:           1778 +8401 +590 350 11,119

CON:          1831 +8651 +665 475 11,622

INT:             1431 +6761 +165 325 8,682

WIS:            1429 +6752 +165 325 8,671

*****

“Goblin shite,” Tanila muttered. “Poor Kherbann doesn’t know what he’s in for.”

“No… no, he doesn’t,” he replied.

Lying there, watching his daughter sleep, Max finally gave some thought to what Bob had proposed.

So if we make the fight look close, then what? Try to get other gods to keep challenging us? Surely at some point, the other black skills will know who we are.

As I mentioned, being here makes me remember more than before. Still, there are walls I cannot pull down, but I can tell you this with absolute certainty: We cannot fight against just one. Like magnets, two of the same will push away, unable to draw close. The kind of power needed to make it happen isn’t available.  

Yet when all three of us come together, it will be unavoidable. Whatever happens, we have to win. That is the only way you will be able to protect the ones you love.

So I’m back to square one, starting at the bottom and having to climb to the top. What about the Nine?

All I know is we have met one and survived. Even more, he gave us his tooth, which provided us with a weapon he might end up fearing. That pact you both made will be the thin rope that holds you both back. For now, focus on getting stronger.

And the others? They’ll be the weakest point in all this.

I still cannot believe you named that assistant Jazzjak… He knows things we should listen to. His 80,000 years of existence are experiences we can draw upon. He will fill in the blanks of things I do not know.

So, focus on choosing an heir of your bloodline. The book states that having one will assist us greatly. They alone will increase the DP of the entire planet, thus helping your friends. Also, we need to have Jazzjak purchase the boons for the planet. If tomorrow goes as we plan, there should be plenty of DP to propel your friends' growth.

And Miranna? In all this, how does she fit in? She’s just a babe and yet I can sense what you meant. There is a power inside here that I can feel even as she sleeps. To think that there will be those foolish enough to try and take that makes my blood boil in a way I’ve only felt once before.

Love… I warned you in the beginning. It is a powerful catalyst for both good and bad.  You are one of the few I believe knows what true love is. Not just for a wife or now a child, but for all those you meet. I shall do what I can to keep you from going down the path of the bad kind.

Thank you, Bob. More than you know.

Since I can read your mind and know what you think, I do know what you know.

Max chuckled, tapping his forehead when Tanila glanced up at him.

“Is he being nice?”

“Oh, Bob’s just coming up with ways to help you and the others grow stronger. Now, do you mind if I take a moment and get a few things in place?”

Her gold eyes narrowed and he recognized the look she was giving him.

“I need to choose someone to hold my bloodline. It will help increase the output of DP for this world. There are also things I need Jazzjak to do.”

She sighed and nodded. “Try not to have too much fun while I lie here and enjoy myself.”

He kissed her forehead and then bent down, gently mimicking the kiss on his daughter’s skin. “I’d rather be here. Seems Everett was right. Leadership has a lot of problems, like having something that always needs your attention.”

***

Max stood in the courtyard, having summoned the candidates Jazzjak had deemed worthy, trying to read each of the five.  

Each of them was kneeling, heads up, eyes locked on him as he moved slowly down the line.

Activating the item that created a bubble of silence around himself and a small area, Max asked the third one out of five. “Tell me, Edward, what does it mean to be King?”

“To serve the people and ensure the growth of the kingdom,” the young man replied.

“And what about yourself? What does it mean if you were King?”

The dark-haired man took a moment, eyes shifting as he appeared to be thinking. “I could say that I would desire it. The power, and the growth potential for myself and any children I one day have, but the truth is… I fear the weight of the crown.”

Edward paused and Max motioned with his hand to continue.

“While I would not venture to know the responsibilities you bear, but as a father, husband, and god, surely there must be moments where it seems overwhelming? Can you simply snap your fingers and solve all the problems before you? Part of me would prefer it if you didn’t choose me. That would mean I could return to the dungeon I have been exploring and continue to try growing stronger.”

“And if I did choose you?” Max asked.

“What kind of fool would I be to turn down the request of my maker? If you chose me, I would swear to do whatever I could to carry out the instructions you gave. I am sure I will make mistakes, but I promise to try and never repeat them.”

Much better than the previous ones. He reminds me a little of you, except with hair.

His lips curled into a smile and Edward’s stony expression broke slightly as Max showed the first signs of emotion. “Well then, Edward Farren, I offer you my bloodline and the title of King. Will you accept?

Two brown eyes blinked rapidly, and the young man’s jaw fell for just a second before he bent his head down. “While I feel unworthy, I will accept this if you deem me so. Again I promise to serve you, these people and all those who seek to live in peace in this kingdom.”

Max nodded, stepping forward and placing his hand upon the young man’s head.

He could feel the power inside him welling up.

Deactivating the bubble of silence, Jazzjak came up from behind.

“Will your desire for this one to be a part of you. The rest will happen on its own,” his helper instructed him.

Max did as he was told, the sensation of a part of him moving from his core, down his arm, and through his fingers.

[ Bestow Bloodline upon Edward Farren ]

[ Yes / No ]

He mentally chose yes, and the power left him.

Edward jolted as his bloodline poured into him, a surge of yellow lines traveling across his skin. The sound of fabric tearing and boots ripping came as he experienced what it meant to be similar to Max.

Each of the other ones nearby dropped face-first to the ground.

A few seconds passed, and the newly anointed King took a deep breath.

Max could sense the power radiating from the one he had chosen. His body had grown a good seven inches or more.  Every part of his body was packed with dense muscle, and while he had been decently looking, the boy now radiated a natural beauty.

We may have almost created another god.

Ignoring the laughter inside his head, Max held out his hand.

“Rise, Edward Farren, King of Sunreach.”

As the young man stood, the others looked upon him.

“Hail, King Edward Farren!”

“Hail, King Edward Farren!”

“Come, it’s time to announce your rebirth,” Max said.

***

“So tell me, Max Hoste, why do you seem… relaxed?”

He smiled at Jazzjak as he stood in the white stone room like the one back on Igarra’s world.  

It appears all these arenas are similar. 

It would make sense. It makes sense for them all to be the same when some group broadcasts fights around the entire known system.

“Let me ask you one question, and then I’ll tell you why,” Max replied. “Why do you eventually want to become a god? You’ve seen what happens to those who appear on the arena list. The danger is real.”

“It is,” Jazzjak replied, nodding slowly. Still, I have knowledge of how things work. I would also start like you did with a certain amount of power. Not to sound cocky, but I believe with my knowledge, I could easily survive.”

Max nodded, a mischievous grin appearing.

“And that, my friend, is what I’m hoping you’ll share with us. The stronger we get, the stronger you will become, and if I were you, I’d bet all your chips on me.”