Noah placed a hand on the massive tree's bark, trying to get a feel for the footholes he'd need to get to climb up to the lowest hanging branch for support. He had limited knowledge in the field of botany, but if he had to make a guess the tree resembled Oak Trees back on Earth more than any other variety he knew off.

Thankfully the gaps provided by the tree bark made climbing feasible, though it was only fair when the tree's massive circumference made trees back on Earth look malnourished. Liam was too busy getting hands-on with his food to spare a glance his way. Noah felt irritated at the sight, but ultimately he didn't say anything. The thought of climbing a tree that was easily two hundred meters intimidated him, but it definitely paled in comparison to what The Eternal Lion must have gone through to last all the way to the end.

Besides, Noah had asked for this. While it was true that he didn't spend as much effort on academics as he should, the only reason for that was because there was no one in his high school class that could compete with him. Whether it be in video games or in academics, losing was simply no fun. He had been waiting for a challenge that would stretch him to his limits, and a few hours earlier that would have meant attending a college where the people were equally or even more talented than him. Now, however, the goalposts had shifted to a much larger playing field and he had the home ground advantage. Like hell would he just roll over before giving it a fair shot.

Tightly gripping the bark of the tree with both his hands, he extended his foot forward as he began the climb.

"Hmm" Noah muttered, as he had this odd sensation. Somehow, he felt like he knew where the optimal place to place his feet was. He decided to follow his instincts for now, and soon his other foot was off the ground as well. There was a slight boost to his athleticism, but the major difference he noticed was that his newfound senses allowed him to leverage his weight in a manner that he'd never known how to before.

It was as if a greater percentage of the hidden potential in his body was being utilized to higher efficiency, instead of elevating him to superhuman levels in a matter of minutes.

He stretched his right arm forward, find purchase on the next gap provided by the tree bark. His left hand followed through soon after, and then came his legs. He got into a rhythm, his climbing speed increasing as his confidence levels rose.

The tree branches were clustered closely, but each of them had enough space for a fully grown man to have enough room to stand, though they thinned out as you neared the top. After a few minutes of climbing, Noah found himself next to one. Keeping his right arm locked in an iron grip, he stretched his left arm hoping to find purchase on the tree branch. His hand landed, he managed to latch on to the tree. Shifting his body weight, he let go of the tree bark as his right hand made a desperate grab for the branch. While his dexterity stat might provide him with guidance, it didn't make it any nerve-racking. If he fell, not only would that make a lot of noise, but if he twisted his ankle or worse he would just be a sitting duck.

"Phew," he whispered, as he dangled with both his arms wrapped around the branch for dear life. Moments later he grunted and exerted all the force he could muster, using his upper body strength to hoist himself up. Taking a breather, he looked around and took in the structure of the tree, plotting a path upwards.

He let his senses guide him, instead of over-thinking the situation. Because he feared that if he kept analyzing things, it would only create fear and panic instead of having any productive results. The branches were clustered densely enough to make for an easy ascent and caused him far less trouble compared to the initial climb.

When he was about 60 meters above the ground level, the branches started to thin out. The next 20 meters were still possible to climb but after that, the branches seemed as if they barely had enough space to serve as a foothold. He was just about to ask Liam what to do, but before he could Liam took the initiative to start a conversation.

"Hey, kid. Look over there." Liam pointed upwards and at Noah's right side, and Noah quickly craned his head to look at where Liam was pointing.

Roughly ten meters above Noah's present location was a thin branch that was only half the circumference of what would be required to serve as a foothold. At its very end was a small wooden box that was covered in dirt and moss, nestled between smaller outgrowths from the branch that served as support to prevent it from falling.

"It's.....It's a dirty box? I'd expected it to look fancier." Noah muttered, evidently unimpressed.

"Come on lad, don't be a Debby downer. What would you do if this were a video game?" Liam asked with an amused expression.

"Smash it" Noah reflexively answered. "But, there's no way for me to get up there. I don't want to break my neck for some filthy box." Noah added as he knew his limits.

Liam made a grabbing gesture into the air a few times, and a book materialized out of thin air. The cover had Liam's adventuring guide scribbled over in the most terrible cursive writing Noah had ever borne witness to. Flipping through the pages quickly, he stopped when he was halfway through the book.

"Look here, kid." Liam postured as if he were about to disseminate some useful information, and Noah perked up at the sight. "Adventuring rule #2384 clearly states that once you've seen it, you simply can't walk away from unclaimed treasure, or you're a daft git." Liam, it out loud from the book, with a completely straight face.

"....." Noah facepalmed, wondering why he had expected anything else to begin with.

"You think you can get to the next branch?" Liam tossed the guide book aside and pointed at the closest branch to Noah on the right side.

Noah looked at it and nodded. "That's the last one I'm comfortable with climbing. But yes, I can do it."

Liam nodded, and Noah took that as a nod to go ahead. A minute later, he had climbed the branch, his left hand digging into the tree bark till his fingernails were starting to bleed. The height was really starting to get to him, but the adrenaline in his veins would hopefully keep it at bay for a little while longer.

"You've got any love for Inferior Generic maces?" Liam asked with a smirk.

"No" Noah answered, puzzled at the bizarre question.

"Then what are you waiting for, lad. Toss it." Liam explained as if it were obvious.

Noah then realized what Liam's intentions were. "Are you insane? That crate falling from a height of 60 meters will make enough noise for every goblin in the vicinity to head this way." Noah protested, there was no need to take such a risk for just one item.

"Kid, if you want it the easy way just tell me. Honestly speaking, this floor compared to the main tower is just a pleasant joke in comparison. If we make compromises here, at the easiest stage, then we would only end up making greater compromises later on. It's not about what that box contains, but about you having the capability and the willpower to snatch it despite the risks." Liam explained his reasoning, and Noah couldn't help but agree with that line of reasoning.

He gritted his teeth and said "Fine". Taking out the generic mace from his inventory, he took a moment to get used to its weight.

"Let go of the tree, and take a moment to stabilize your footing. 5 dexterity won't let you fall easily. Use both your hands and hold the mace in an overhead grip. Pour as much strength into your arms as you can without changing posture and let it fly. You only got one shot at this, 'cause lobbing swords ain't gonna work." Liam explained.

The moment Noah let go of the tree bark for support, he felt terrified at the prospect of falling. But as Liam had mentioned, his footing was still solid, it was just the psychological aspect that assailed his senses. A few seconds later, he had managed to temporarily suppress the feeling. Following Liam's instructions, he held the mace over his head, aimed at the branch that was only a few vertical meters up ahead, and let it fly as if he were shooting a three-pointer, desperately hoping he'd sink it.