"I wonder how one would normally clear this dungeon if a team doesn't have someone like me?" Max thought aloud as he shot another five magic bullets, formed by combining two magic bullets each, at the five Level 3 goblins.

Five blue beams shot toward the goblins and struck them.

The result? They ended up in the same state as the previous ones. The magic bullets tore chunks from their bodies, killing them instantly.

"There should have been other Level 3 and Level 4 goblins outside we could have missed outside; otherwise, it just doesn't make sense for this dungeon to be this insanely difficult," Zixi voiced her opinion.

"What if this dungeon was designed to be this way?" William said as he looked around.

"Whatever it is, you guys are lucky I'm here, or you'd all be screwed." Max chuckled with slight arrogance as he began collecting the cores from the five goblins he had just killed.

After that, he turned to the other three and warned, "I have a feeling the Level 4 goblins will include goblin shamans capable of long-range attacks. You guys should prepare yourselves, as I'll dodge their attacks if they strike as soon as they spawn. At that point, it'll be you facing those attacks."

"Goblin shamans? All five of them?" William cried out in fear, turning to Max with a pleading expression. "Max, are you sure you can handle them quickly? Why don't you take some time to absorb these Level 3 cores first? Maybe you'll level up to Level 3 and then handle the shamans?"

Max looked at William with amusement. "Don't worry so much; I'll handle them just fine," he said confidently, adding, "Even if I absorb these five Level 3 cores, I wouldn't level up, so it's fine."

"What do you mean you won't level up after absorbing these Level 3 cores?" William questioned. "You've already absorbed some before, so absorbing these should guarantee a level-up."

Max sighed and sat down on the path. "Alright, I'll absorb them for you." He pulled out the five Level 3 cores he had just stored and began absorbing them one by one.

One by one, the cores turned to dust. After absorbing all five, no notification of a level-up appeared in his vision.

Disappointed, he stood up and turned to William. "Happy now?"

"How?" William was shocked beyond disbelief. He couldn't fathom how someone who had absorbed almost ten Level 3 cores still failed to level up from Level 2 to Level 3.

"How can you not level up after taking so many Level 3 cores?" Zixi asked, equally stunned.

Max shrugged. "I don't know." He genuinely didn't know.

"I've heard my father say that when hunters near the limits of their class rank, their progression to higher levels slows down drastically. At that point, they need a lot more cores and some other treasures to level up even once," Zixi explained, looking at Max.

Max arched his brows. While he knew the class rank determined one's potential in this world, he hadn't realized that progression slowed as one approached the limits of their rank.

'Well, it makes sense. The higher the rank, the smoother the progress,' he mused.

"Max, what rank is your class?" William asked, clutching Max's shoulder.

"You should know it's bad manners to ask someone their class rank," Max said, brushing William's hand off his shoulder. "But since you're my friends, I don't mind telling you. Just don't tell anyone else."

William, Zixi, and the usually silent Henry listened attentively.

"It's a…" Max paused for suspense. "It's a C-rank Versatile Fighter class."

All three were stupefied.

"What? How can that be?" William exclaimed in disbelief. He couldn't believe someone so strong had the same class rank as them.

"Are you lying?" Zixi asked, narrowing her eyes.

Max shrugged. "Why would I lie? If I had a higher-rank class, I wouldn't be struggling to level up."

Though he said this, Max himself was unsure of why he needed so many high-level cores to level up. He suspected it had something to do with his class, but he wasn't entirely sure.

"Alright, I'll move ahead, so prepare yourselves for the Level 4 goblin shamans," Max said solemnly.

The trio nodded as Henry stepped to the front with his massive shield, which was even larger than him. He planted it in front while William and Zixi took cover behind him.

"We're ready," Zixi said.

Max nodded at them. "Alright, I'm heading forward." He walked ahead. Nothing happened at first, but just as he approached the door ahead, five figures spawned in front of him.

To his surprise, not all were goblin shamans. At least two were. Among the other three, one held a bow, another an axe, and the last a sword. As soon as they noticed Max, they rushed toward him with their weapons while the shamans and archer attacked from a distance.

Max also sprang into action, shooting three magic bullets infused with the firepower of four bullets each at the two shamans and the archer.

The bullets tore through the air as the two shamans fired lightning bolts and the archer loosed an arrow. However, the magic bullets, reinforced by four-fold power, destroyed their attacks before reaching the goblins, blowing their heads off.

Max then unsheathed his sword and used Swift Dash to appear behind the axe-wielding goblin. In one swift motion, he swung his sword diagonally, cutting it in half before it could react.

He reappeared in front of the sword-wielding goblin and thrust his blade at lightning speed.

Bang!

His sword pierced the goblin's head before its weapon could strike, and moments later, its body collapsed.

"It's done," Max said, turning to the others. "Not all of them were goblin shamans, as it turns out," he sighed.

"Why do you sound disappointed by that?" William asked.

Max smirked. "Because I was looking forward to fighting five Level 4 goblin shamans at once."

"You! You demon!" William cried in shock. He couldn't help but feel this monster of a man was his true rival—the one he had been chasing for five years at the academy.

"Let me absorb the cores and level up," Max said, eyeing the five cores left behind by the goblins.

He sat down and began absorbing them one by one, hoping to finally reach Level 3.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay