Alexia

The horse in question snorts once, raises its front legs again, and charges at me again, sending more bolts of lightning both from its fur and the skies down towards me. Meanwhile I use Quantum Reversal once more to get rid of the damage I took in my attempt to attack it before teleporting away from the lightning.

I grit my teeth as we return to our little dance from earlier, but this time I’m sending Quantum Bolts back at it while occasionally using Quantum Burst as well when the lightning bolts, which are still growing faster, begin to get too fast for me to avoid all of them.

Eventually I begin using Quantum Resonance to increase my speed, making little glitchy flakes of purple light appear from my skin as I run and teleport. But even then I don’t manage to avoid them all and have to fight back against the lightning bolts. And when I try throwing my polearm at the kyre, the monster just makes a net of lightning that blocks it for long enough for the monster to avoid the attack.

Damnit, if I could just get close to the stupid horse I would be able to kill it with ease! Kyres are entirely magical creatures with little to no physical prowess aside from their speed!

Why is this one able to teleport though?! And why is its teleportation skill better than my own?

Wait.

I blink before teleporting again and sending a Quantum Bolt straight at an approaching lightning bolt to counter it.

It didn’t move much after teleporting and all of its momentum stopped from before the teleportation. And I think… did it look tired?

So its teleportation has more drawbacks than mine. That would make sense.

In that case…

I teleport straight towards the thing again, repeatedly doing it until I arrive right in front of it again while swinging my polearm at its neck, only for it to teleport again. But I don’t sit still this time, even with the pain running through me from the lightning it had shocked me with in that attempt. I continue teleporting over to it even after it teleports away once.

Then it stomps on the ground once, sending a large pulse of lightning outwards from its body in a sphere, knocking me away with another wave of pain that I quickly reverse using Quantum Reversal with a loud scream.

By the time I hit the ground again, I find my body already healed again. But most of my soul is drained now, leaving me with just a quarter of my total soul left.

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{Congratulations! Your Passive Skill ‘Quantum Adaptation’ has reached Level 7!}

I ignore the skill’s level-up as I grimace.

Looks like multiple teleports to get there won’t work either. I have to teleport straight to it twice in a row to attack.

I quickly look at my skills list before focusing on the kyre once more.

There’s a good chance I could raise Quantum Displacement to Tier 2 in this battle. And that’s the only thing I can see possibly bringing me victory here.

So I continue our little dance while draining more soul from Luna, feeling her giving her permission in my mind somehow as I do so.

Time passes as I continue avoiding lightning bolts, and eventually the bolts start to slow down. But the monster in question doesn’t, proving just how strong this creature’s stamina is. Not to mention its massive mana pool.

Then again, a kyre’s mana pool is supposedly over ten times its health.

I grimace as I watch my soul gradually lowering until I’m back down to just a quarter of my soul again, with Luna’s skill having reached its limit in terms of how much we can share. And right when I’m beginning to consider running away from the fight, I get the System Message I’m looking for.

{Congratulations! Your Active Skill ‘Quantum Displacement’ has reached Level 10! Would you like to expend a Monster Core to raise the skill to Tier 2?}

“Yes!” I answer out loud in a half-shout, and I immediately feel a wave of quantum energy roving over my body and my spatial ring for a single instant. Then I get another System Message.

{Congratulations! Your Active Skill ‘Quantum Displacement’ has reached Tier 2 Level 11!}

{Congratulations! You have leveled up to the level cap of Tier 1! In order to break into Tier 2, you must complete the following requirements based on your class: Kill three beings at the cap of Tier 1. Raise a single skill to Tier 2. Learn the Energy Manipulation General Skill.}

[A skill has been brought to Tier 2. Requirement to bring a skill to Tier 2 has been cleared.]

Without any hesitation, I immediately teleport several dozen meters away, far beyond what my previous version of the skill would let me teleport, before teleporting straight back to the kyre, who is confused as to why I teleported away. But it still manages to teleport away itself, seemingly out of instinct.

Then I teleport after it, bringing my polearm straight down across its neck, not letting it recover from its teleport as I cut the thing’s head cleanly off its neck.

[Level 100 Rampaging Kyre Defeated. No EXP is given due to the user’s level being capped. Three Tier 1 Capped beings defeated. Requirement to defeat three Tier 1 Capped beings cleared. All requirements are now cleared. User will now advance to Tier 2.]

I collapse onto my back, panting in exhaustion despite my body not needing oxygen. And despite the pride that fills me at knowing I’ve won, I can’t help but feel irritated that there wasn’t a Legendary Feat for being the first to bring a skill to Tier 2.

Then again, wasn’t really expecting one. The only publicly known Legendary Feats for being the first to bring a skill to any specific Tiers are for being the first to bring a skill to Tier 3, first to bring one to Tier 5, and first to bring one to Ascendancy. Along with a regular Feat for anyone who brings a skill to Ascendancy.

Several seconds pass as quantum energy builds up all throughout my body, with me just watching as the process goes on.

And without any warning, a pulse of purple light shines out from me and the pain starts, making me lose consciousness within seconds.