Alexia

Before I step through the gate, I pause, realizing what’s going to be on the other side. Then I just turn around and find a corner to sit down at while I wait for my soul to fully regenerate. Since I don’t want to end up going back there again while low on soul.

And in the meantime, I can figure out what skills I want to have. Or at least what type of skills. Since I don’t really have all of my current skills memorized.

There’re just too many of them to keep memorized after all.

Way too many.

Although…

I frown as one particular skill comes to mind.

Okay, actually, yeah. That could work.

Quantum Phasing.

The skill that lets me phase straight through objects.

I haven’t been using it since it costs an astronomical amount of soul to use, but I have an astronomical amount now. Since I’ve reached Tier 4.

At the amount of soul I have, I should be able to use it for at least a few minutes. Even if it’ll still rapidly drain my soul at a pace a little too fast for me to be happy about.

But I can level it up over time, and the efficiency of the skill should increase during that time. So it should be fine.

And it’ll be nice to have a skill like that. Since I’ll be able to walk right through maze walls.

I stare up at the ceiling with a faint smile on my face at the thought of skilling through mazes like that.

Definitely the best use of the skill.

Just skipping past bullshit mazes.

I can imagine it now. Me walking straight from one end of a maze to the other, passing through the walls without bothering with the maze’s paths.

Simply imagining it feels great. Never dealing with another bullshit maze again.

Although, a maze like this door one won’t be fixed with that solution. Since it’s done through teleportation.

I think.

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Anyways, onto the passive skill.

That one I’m not sure what I should put in the slot.

I try to think of the passive skills I’ve gotten in Tier 4. And the ones that come to mind are Probability Field Manipulation, Quantum Resilience, and Quantum Flux Absorption.

The first of the three, Probability Field Manipulation, basically alters probability fields around me to make things more likely to be in my favor. So a luck altering skill in a simpler sense.

Quantum Resilience is meant for attacks that can directly damage me in my phased and half in-half out of reality forms. Like when I use Quantum Phasing, or the moment I teleport. It reduces the damage they’d do and the likelihood that the attacks would interrupt whatever I’m doing, putting me back in the normal realm.

And Quantum Flux Absorption absorbs something called quantum fluxes around me and replenishes my soul with them at a passive rate. Basically meaning it just increases my soul regen passively. I think.

Some of these terms are rather complicated and I’ll have to figure out what they mean exactly from the Quantum Architect. Assuming I see him again.

But those three at least sound useful.

Which one I would use though… I don’t think I’ve ever fought something that can hurt me while I’m phased out like that. So Quantum Resilience isn’t all that useful to me. At least not now.

Then there’s Quantum Flux Absorption. That one would be useful, but I’ll have to test it out to see how much of a boost it gives me.

Same to Probability Field Manipulation. Because if that only alters my ‘luck’ by a small, miniscule and almost nonexistent amount, there’s no reason to use the skill.

It entirely depends on how much these skills do.

It’s a pity they don’t directly state how much they do.

One of the problems with more complicated skills like these. Unlike the simple skills like Quantum Bolt or Quantum Displacement.

I lean back for a while against the wall, just looking up at the ceiling and thinking about my skills. Then I come to a decision.

Best thing to do is some experimenting. Since I can change my skills as often as I’d like so long as I’m in a Safe Zone, I’ll just test out each of the skills. See which works best.

But for now, it’s time for a short nap.

So I slowly let my eyes close before consciousness leaves me. And when I wake up, I quickly check my status to see what my soul is. Only to find it at full capacity again.

Good. No idea how long I slept, but I don’t really care.

I stand up before stretching a little and walking over to the gate.

And without any hesitation, I step right on through it, making me reappear on the ground in that same forest as before. Right in front of a rather large stump.

Interesting.

Then I begin to hear growling and snarling. Very familiar noises to me at this point.

Guess it didn’t take very long for them to notice me.

I wait for a second before I begin to sense energy sources approaching from all directions. But I very quickly realize something.

A realization that only grows stronger when one of them jumps out of the bushes at me and I manage to grab it with relative ease by the throat before crushing its throat.

Oh. Right.

Yeah, that’s a thing I forgot.

I leveled up almost fifty times in that stump. So I’m a good chunk stronger now than the last time I fought these guys.

More of them jump out repeatedly, and I kill these guys with a lot more ease now than I did before.

And now I’m starting to wonder if I wasted time or not when I took that nap, trying to restore my soul.

Then I remember that there might be a leader behind these things. An elite or a mini boss or something.

Maybe even a boss.

Unlikely on that last one since I just finished with the last boss before first entering this place, but still. It’s possible.

Well, regardless of what’s in here, it’s time to continue hunting these fellas.