"Huh, don't bite off more than you can chew," William sneered at Max's remark. "While we know you're strong, the most you can handle is Level 4. Level 5 is off the mark. We'd need a plan to deal with the boss monster, depending on the type we encounter."
Max smiled at William's words. "We'll see once we're inside," he said, turning to look at the tall structure in front of him.
From what he could determine, Nevin's strength had reached Level 4 after taking the red pill, and Max had easily defeated him. This made Max speculate that his own strength lay somewhere between Level 4 and Level 5. However, he would need to fight the boss monster to see if he stood a chance against a Level 5 opponent or not.
"Let's get in," Max said to the trio of William, Zixi, and Henry.
The tall structure had a door—a tall, rusty door at one end. From the vines crawling on its surface, it seemed as though it hadn't been opened in ages.
Max touched the door lightly, and it automatically swung open, revealing a long corridor with torches lining either side. The corridor appeared to be made of white tiles, which had gathered dust over time.
"The corridor isn't long. I can see another door at the other end. That door must lead to the boss," Zixi said, examining the corridor.
"That means this corridor is a trap, full of monsters," William frowned, coming to a conclusion.
Max turned to the trio and said solemnly, "If this really turns out to be a corridor full of traps, then you guys have to listen to me before taking a single step inside. I have a way to track the traps."
The trio nodded in understanding.
"All right, then. Let's enter," Max said, taking the lead. He stepped first onto a dust-covered tile, activating his Three-Dimensional Body to check if he had triggered a trap. After taking another step and walking ahead a little, he didn't notice anything resembling a trap.
"Come in," he called to William and the others behind him.
They looked at each other and followed Max into the corridor. However, just as all three set foot inside, the door behind them closed automatically.
**Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!**
Five goblins appeared before them, each holding a stone knife.
"Five Level 1 goblins?" Max raised one of his brows in suspicion before firing five bullets from his hands. The bullets collided with the goblins, causing their bodies to explode.
"Five Level 1 goblins to stop us... This is very suspicious," Zixi said, contemplating.
"You're right. This is indeed suspicious," Max agreed with her, adding his opinion. "If I'm not wrong, we'll face five Level 2 goblins next, followed by five Level 3 goblins, and then five Level 4 goblins before we can reach the door at the end of the corridor."
"What? Are you kidding me?" William's expression became anxious. "Facing five Level 3 goblins, and worse, five Level 4 goblins?" He clutched his head, thinking about fighting them, knowing it took all three of them to handle just one Level 3 goblin.
"W-We're done for," he stammered in despair. "This is one of those rare, unique, no-rank dungeons where the difficulty is just beyond common sense."
Zixi's face also became solemn. They knew they could handle a Level 5 monster if they worked together and had a solid plan, but facing five Level 3 goblins and then five Level 4 goblins together was even harder than a single Level 5 goblin boss.
She bit her lip, trying to think of strategies to help them in this situation, but none came to mind that could get their team through the current hurdle.
'This is some serious difficulty,' Max thought, feeling both excited and pressured. He wasn't worried about the Level 3 goblins, but the Level 4 goblins were a different story. He recalled the Level 4 goblin shaman he had seen in this dungeon and considered that if all the Level 4 goblins turned out to be shamans, it would be a real challenge.
Turning to the other three, Max said assuredly, "Don't worry too much. This is just my assumption. If it does come true, then watch the show from the back."
The confidence in his tone baffled the other three, but they could only nod at this point.
Max took the lead and headed forward. Just before they reached the midpoint of the corridor, five more goblins appeared before them. This time, their strength was at Level 2.
"It seems my assumption was correct," he chuckled wryly. For once, he had hoped to be wrong.
"You just had to open your big mouth," William grumbled in annoyance.
"Yeah, I had to," Max laughed. "Haha..."
"You!" William clenched his fists and rolled up his sleeves as if ready to go all out against Max.
Max eyed him and chuckled with a sneer. "We still have a fight due. Do you want to settle it here?" he provoked.
"Do you think I fear you just because you're stronger than me?" William immediately drew his sword.
"Stop it, you two!" Zixi intervened just in time. "This isn't the time for that," she said solemnly to both of them.
"I know." Max nodded to her and then sneered at William. "I was just joking. Don't worry—I won't add to your losses anymore."
"AHHH, I'll defeat you today, once and for all!" William shouted, going berserk after Max's last taunt.
"I wonder what the dean will think if I report this situation to him," Zixi said with a subtle smile.
"Dean? Father?" William immediately snapped to his senses. "What are you talking about, Zixi? We're just heading to the boss room, and Max is helping us, isn't he?" he said as though nothing had just happened.
"Haha." Max chuckled and fired five magic bullets at the incoming Level 2 goblins. Like before, the goblins didn't stand a chance, their bodies exploding into pieces.
"Take these cores as well," Max said, turning to them. "Also, the cores from the five Level 3 and five Level 4 goblins will be mine." He looked at them for objections.
"Why? Why would you take all the good ones?" William protested.
A smirk appeared on Max's face. "If I reach Level 3, I have a 50% chance of one-shotting the Level 5 boss."
William's eyes widened. "Are you kidding me?" He couldn't believe what he had just heard; no one had ever claimed to one-shot a boss monster.
"50% sure..." Zixi considered the option. If Max could really one-shot the boss, it was better than them fighting a grueling battle against it.
She looked at Max and suggested, "How about this? You take all these cores and do what you said just now. However, we'll take whatever the boss drops."
Max contemplated her condition and added, "Just give me the skill if one drops. You guys are rich and can get any skills you want, but the poor me has to work hard to get one."
"Fine," Zixi agreed to the deal. "You take the skill, and we'll take everything else."
"Then we have a deal." Max laughed and headed further down the corridor. Moments later, five Level 3 goblins appeared before them.