"-it."
Kiera immediately snapped from her shock, quickly pulling two fruits from her inventory and simply stuffed them inside her mouth without chewing, letting her powerful throat muscles crush them.
Unable to properly relish in the warm, comfortable feeling of her power completely returning, she sprung into action, dodging the first wave of flying Blood Demons.
The mindless beasts in human skin crushed into the last row of tile flooring, their bodies sputtering upon impact as crimson fog filled the hall as a result. The only apparent intent wired into their commanded minds was to knock Kiera off the floor.
Hundreds of Blood Demons continuously erupted from the statues, some exploding from impact, inches from hitting Kiera, and the more unfortunate ones sunk into the red River Styx below.
Kiera blurred from place to place, her afterimages scattered by Kamikaze Demons, the little girl truly shocked by their behavior, struggling to comprehend what kind of a shit show was occurring before her eyes.
However, as per her view of other living beings that she acquired after coming to this world, Kiera lamed all the EXP that went to waste.
And this thought was the trigger to Kiera's enlightenment of the situation. Now she understood— realizing it was an opportunity, disguised as a test granted by the dungeon.
Her brain gears turned, an idea formulating in her mind within seconds. Vanishing from her spot, Kiera appeared on the back of a descending Blood Demon and gave him a little push, propelling herself to the back of another.
The Demon's descent accelerated, its body turning into mashed potatoes a second later.
[Copper Apprentice Magician Lv.19 (Blood Demon) defeated, EXP received]
[Error! EXP cannot be granted until individual {Kiera Ashborn} undergoes Mana Circulation]
Kiera grinned at her theory's correctness. As long as she touched them, their suicide would be counted as a kill.
Kiera leaped from demon to demon, turning this otherwise deadly phase to her benefit, treading the dropping floor of Blood Demons with ease due to their inability to take action.
But, every party had to eventually draw its curtains, the rapidly dropping number of feral, flying demons signifying this one’s end. Kiera hopped from demon to demon, landing on the firm material of the floor, and with the crunching sound accompanying the last demon’s deaths, silence finally returned to the hall.
She looked through the plethora of notifications she received, and considering it was the longest fight she ever battled, the word plethora was an understatement. After a while of irritating search, she finally found what she looked for.
[You meet the requirements for Mana Circulation (Lv. 20 reached, a single or more Lv.20 adversaries killed.) Would you like to undergo Mana Circulation? Y/N.]
“Yes,” confirming, the bizarrely pleasurable sensation of her mana restlessly rotating in her core and throughout her body began as her Lineage’s tattoos surfaced and pulsed. They only showed up when she unleashed her full power, meaning when she used Eruption, but she to admit they were cool.
A while later, her mana calmed down as she felt… Reborn— her body was far stronger, and the control of her mana felt more natural, the improvement noticeable when she channeled it to activate a skill— it was faster, and its increased efficiency meant it drew less mana in order to cast.
Overall, this Circulation felt more beneficial than her first one, however, she didn’t know if it was due to it being a more advanced one or simply her growing experience granting the ability to truly discern the changes.
[Mana Circulation successfully completed, individual {Kiera Ashborn} advanced from {Copper Apprentice Magician} to {Bronze Apprentice Magician}. +50 for all battle stats.]
[Excess EXP from previously defeated foe calculated…]
[Calculation process completed, bestowing excess EXP.]
[Level up! Bronze Apprentice Magician Lv.6, +20 to all battle stats.]
“Open Status Window.”
[Name: Kiera Ashborn
Race: Human (Dimension Crosser)
Gender: Female
Age: 0 (physical age: 10)
Magician Rank: Bronze Apprentice Magician Lv.6
Attribute: Tyrannical Lightning
Titles: {Voidborne}
General Stats:
Health: 80,409/80,409
Stamina: 80,703/80,703
Mana: 80,409/80,409
Battle Stats:
Strength: 547
Dexterity: 548
Agility: 549
Wisdom: 547
General Skills:
Active: {Identify Lv.1}
Passive: {Crafting Lv.1} {Lightning Resistance Lv.15} {Physical Resistance Lv.21} {Pain Resistance Lv.22} {Light Resistance Lv.10} {Corrosion Resistance Lv.3} {Cosmic Ice Resistance Lv.4} {Slaughter Resistance Lv.6} {Death Resistance Lv.4} {Celestial Weaponry Resistance Lv.1}
Attribute Skills:
Active: {Tyrannical Regeneration Lv.22} {Eye of the Tyrant Lv.6} {Eruption Lv.9} {Destruction Lv.18} {Flashburst Lv.15} {Vanishing Step Lv.21}
Passive: {Tyrannical Lightning Body Lv.8} {Way of the Tyrant Lv.9}]
Her skills leveled up a lot, and Heat Resistance fused with her new Light Resistance, granting the latter levels. The combination also happened with Water Resistance and Cosmic Ice Resistance.
With the review of her upgrades completed, Kiera didn't waste any more time and proceeded, walking through the exit.
[The First Royal Hall. Current bonus objective progress: 350/500]
She found herself standing in a similar hall, albeit smaller, its smooth black floor hinting the earlier nightmarish mechanic wasn't present here, at least to Kiera's observation.
As if drawn by an outside force, her eyes immediately settled on her soon to be opponent, his stony figure sitting on a golden throne at the middle of the room. The man was incredibly handsome even when encased, possessing sharp features and a long hair that fell all the way to his waist.
Kiera stepped forward, the action not waking the man, instead, a sudden young man’s voice echoed in the royal hall, prompting Kiera to instinctively enter a battle stance, only to relax a split-second later.
“My name is Tynan Koriel, the 10th inheritor of the Tyrannical Lightning Attribute. I am pleased you have finally found this world. If you found this place early on your journey, it means my calculations were correct and this small isle was really the birthplace of the next inheritor, if not… I am glad you finally found it.”
“This is not just a trial, but a place to prepare you for the rest of your long journey. A place that will teach you an Absolute Attribute doesn’t make you an absolute powerhouse. A place that will open your eyes to the wide world, a place that will expose you to the existence of beings that could rival you at the same level. A place that will eliminate your arrogance and complacency before they can manifest.”
“In this trial you met the Vampires, one of the magic worlds’ Imperial Races. You met their abominbal slaves, their Servants, their Commons, their Nobles, their Lords and now you shall met their Grandemyrial Kings. Among the five who hold the purest blood of their race and the highest of attributes.”
“What made them able to rise to the apex is not only their legendary bloodline and top-ranked attributes. But a battle instinct they honed through countless battles they had to fight during their own journey. Hence, although you will fight a far younger and weaker and also simulated version of them, you will struggle to gain the upper hand in a fight.”
“To start the trial, utter Start.”
Kiera frowned at the recorded message’s contents, or rather its first part. Tynan Koriel mentioned he foresaw the next inheritor would be born on the Darium Isle, so it meant she really was supposed to end up in this world. She did not know how she really ended up in that forest clearance with a child’s body, and she opted not to think about it because it didn’t really matter to her. But in her subconscious, she knew it was impossible for it to be a coincidence.
“Is it a God-like entity which brought me here? Or this game-like system?” Kiera wondered but then shook her head, “never mind, I’ll search for the answer when my world view wouldn’t be so narrow. Currently, I’m merely of the lowest rank of magicians and live on an isle of the lowest rank.”
She took a deep breath, preparing herself for a tough battle. If a person who could create a world gave credit to who she was going to face, she had no qualifications to be nonchalant.
“Start,” she said, deeming it unnecessary to prepare further for the unknown. Suddenly, the throne crumbled, prompting Kiera to wince with phantom pain at the loss of so much gold, while leaving the man to stand up.
The stone completely disappeared, leaving the man’s true features to reveal themselves. He snow-white hair and a pair of blood crimson eyes— cold indifference that Kiera translated into nonchalant arrogance exuding from his body.
[Bronze Apprentice Magician Lv. 6 (Pureblood Vampire)]
“Corrupted Light King, the Third Vampiric King, bearer of Light and Curses, a Sovereign ranked attribute— the Saintly Curse Attribute. The Purebloods are also named as the True Vampires, having all their racial skills unlocked from the day they were born, beware.” Tynan’s monotonous voice echoed in the blank world again.
Kiera’s eyes narrowed at the introduction, understanding why the 10th inheritor warned her. She used the guide to extensively research about attributes and learned there were five normal attribute classifications: Basic, Rare, Unique, Transcendent and Supreme. The Eight Supreme Attributes were: Cosmic Ice, Solar Lightning, Light, Darkness, Soul, Power, Dimension, and Time.
Aside from those classifications, there were three Fused Attribute classifications: Prime, Sovereign and Absolute. Sovereign attributes were fused Supreme and Unique attributes or Supreme and Transcendent attributes. As the Curse Attribute was a Unique Attribute, she still had the advantage.
But, as far as she could see, she was only a normal human with basic ranked bloodline. So she had no idea if that advantage had any hold against a king of vampires.
“Well, at least I can test myself against a mythical powerhouse,” Kiera chuckled, not unaffected by the fact the literal boss of those two formidable Vampire Lords stood across from her, even if he was a simulation.
Suddenly, hundreds of dim light arrows formed around the man. Kiera felt a shiver down her spine as she felt the ominous aura coming from the arrows, her senses urging her to get out of the way.
The cursed light arrows darted in her direction, their speed almost untraceable by her eye. Her body flickered seventy meters away, but she was irritated to see the arrows were still stubborn.
She unsheathed her dagger, using Flashburst to shatter the arrows. She was momentarily surprised at how fragile they actually were, only to realize it was a distraction a second later.
She ducked, dodging a giant dim light spear that aimed to pierce her head by a hair’s breadth.
However, the spear did not return to hunt her like she initially expected. It suddenly stopped several meters away, pulsing strangely. Kiera’s body grew cold as the sense of doom instensified, sending goosebumps all over her body. Trusting her senses, she immediately vanished from her spot.
BOOM
A terrifying explosion echoed as the spear split into thousands of cursed blades that flew in all directions. Kiera moaned in pain, learning Vanishing Step was not invincible the hard way as several blades managed to pierce her right arm.
Kiera was shocked to see Tyrant Regeneration did not entirely work— inhibited by strange, disgusting energy on the dark golden blades. Although the Light’s usual was not present, the curse itself was enough to compensate it as her arm began to ash, only saved by her regen skill’s efforts. She pulled the blades out of her limping arm, letting it rest on the side of her body while letting Paragon Regeneration fight the curse.
Turning her attention to the enemy, Kiera was irritated by the fact she was played so easily even though he was at least a hundred meters away. She had ample combat experience, but fighting with other assassins, bodyguards or lacksturly trained pirates was entirely different than fighting a vampire capable of shooting exploding light spears that moved far faster than the bullet of any .50 cal sniper rifle on Earth. Therefore, she was easily outmatched by the adversary even though she sensed his raw power was slightly below hers.
“It seems his Saintly Curse Body or whatever the equivalent skill of Tyrannical Lightning Body he has is higher-leveled than mine.” Kiera deduced, feeling the obvious par in attribute mastery between her and him.
She closed in on him, using two steps to cover the distance, but the vampire simply appeared in a different spot faster than she could blink. The Light Attribute’s specialties was regeneration and heat, but it was also the second-fastest attribute after the Space Attribute due to obvious reasons. Kiera understood Light was faster than Lightning, but she thought Solar Lightning enhanced by Power could close the gap such as against the Light Exalt— needless to say, she was proved wrong, this was a Sovereign Attribute, not just a Supreme one.
She decided to forego her chase, instead unleashing a long-distance Destruction on where he appeared. But the skill was easily dodged by the expressionless man, as another exploding spear of light accompanied by many light arrows came into existence around him.
Kiera easily dodged the familiar attack and used her skill again, the exchange repeating dozens of times in a short while. But she knew continuing this cat and mouse game would result in the roles eventually changing to her disadvantage. Her health was whittled away by the curse, and her stamina was quickly consumed by Vanishing Step and Destruction.
Furthermore, Destruction was not meant to be a ranged skill, so even if it hit, the damage would be minimal; she had to get closer if she wanted to finish this.
Fortunately, Kiera could see the man was also getting low on his mana reserves, so she decided to exploit the opportunity.
Activating Eruption, her body glowed violet as a lightning coat enveloped it. Similar to a violet shooting star, Kiera appeared in front of the vampire instantly.
Unleashing Destruction, Kiera watched in shock as her fist did not connect with the vampire’s chest like she intended it to. Instead, she stared in bewilderment at the dark gold spear that was at his spot.
“He lured me in!”
She immediately used Vanishing Step, but even her immediate response was not fast enough. Watching in horror as the spear exploded, Kiera found herself impaled by dozens of blades before everything suddenly darkened.
Light returned to her sight, instantly shocked to see she was unscathed, standing in the hall again. The vampire was at his previous lazy position, sitting on the golden throne as if the grandiose seat never crumbled before.
Cold sweat formed all over her body due to the excruciating pain that tortured her inside out. She was obviously uninjured, but the psychological effect still remained.
"Was it all in my head?" Kiera murmured, unable to give another answer to the fact she was still alive. The fight must have been in her consciousness, the probable work of some complex magic.
But her conclusion was invalidated by the reverberating monotonous voice that soon came.
"In case you hear this message, it means you have been defeated, a likely result considering your opponents. May you choose to fight again, consider that the opponent remembers the course of the duel as well. Please note that your death was real, and you were revived. The revival magic is limited to only 4 times, thus please be mindful and shout surrender the moment you feel impending doom."
Kiera's expression turned ugly at her senior's clarification. Now that she knew her recent death was real, she became apprehensive. She faintly remembered how she felt when she was poisoned, but dying by a plethora of cursed blades impaling her body was far more painful, either way, she could agree that dying was unpleasant.
She did not hurry to restart— rather replaying the course of the battle in her mind. Going through his arsenal, she analyzed what skills he used. He showed those fragile yet deadly arrows, a movement skill, a spear that could split into many blades, and a skill that could replace him with the spear skill.
Right before she died, she saw the vampire appearing in the corner of her eyes, merely twenty meters away. The small detail possibly meaning this swapping trick was limited in space, or otherwise he would’ve farthered the distance in case she dodged, or was it also a trick?
“But the problem is that I won’t know how he’d try to lure me again and if he will even use the same tactic.” she rubbed her temples in annoyance. “Him able to use two offensive skills simultaneously is not less annoying, but the most irritating part is that his arsenal’s bigger than mine and can surpass my close-range arsenal easily.”
“Forming a counter plan will be useless as he changes from predictable to unpredictable within a moment. So the only way is to learn the predictable pattern during the fight and kill him within that time frame.” Kiera muttered to herself, nodding at the conclusion.
Suddenly, she slapped her forehead before she sighed deeply— she had the perfect tool for this, Eye of the Tyrant. She always activated it when she fought out of instinct, using it to enhance her close combat skills and counter people with better hand-to-hand combat abilities.
In this fight, it was also activated, but due to its long-ranged nature, she haven’t used the skill to its full potential. Or rather, she didn’t even think about using for the purpose of tracking the man’s mana movements— the skill’s true designation.
Shaking her head at her amateurish mistake and incorrect use of her arsenal, Kiera uttered start, feeling she was ready.
Similar to the first time, the vampire was released from his stony prison while his throne crumbled, his crimson-eyes settling on Kiera. She instantly activated Eruption and Eye of the Tyrant and dashed toward the man. The surrounding world turned violet, while the mythological opponent became semi-transparent, a dark-gold flow moving inside his body.
Dark-gold arrows disturbed the violet scenery, dodged by Kiera as she took a few moments to register how the mana flowed upon the skill’s activation. But as Eye of the Tyrant was still low-leveled, she could not catch the complete flow with only a single look.
She was confident she could identify what skills he was going to use from the little information she learned. But, learning and using the knowledge were two entirely different things, she still had no idea how she could exploit his mana flow against him.
She dodged and unleashed Destruction from mid-range, taking her time to learn the complete mana flow of each of his skills. However, she also made sure to seem indecisive and be hesitant in her actions, acting as if she did not know what to do to avoid the vampire’s suspicion.
Suddenly, she recalled the last part of the first round, and a plan instantly formed in her mind— why wouldn’t she try to do the same to him?
“But for that, I need to have him occupied without him knowing it is a distraction.” Kiera thought, “fortunately, I unintentionally let him learn that Destruction is borderline ineffective from long-range so his guard is bound to be lowered.”
She suddenly stopped in her tracks and wore a manic expression, a devilish grin forming on her face. Then, her hands blurred as lightning beams unceasingly came from her fists toward the vampire as she shouted “fucker!” with each movement.
Kiera put on a show of careless desperation, falsely exhibiting impatience by recurringly using an ineffective skill. With that, she hoped the vampire would lower his guard slightly so she could execute her spontaneously-formed counter-plan. If it was the true Corrupted Light King, this startegy would be laughed upon even by her, but it didn’t hurt to try it against a simulation.
Power-enhanced lightning beams lit up the blank world as the vampire leisurely weaved between the violet beams with minimal movements. Dozens of minutes passed as Kiera’s onslaught gradually slowed down and almost stopped, her breaths heavy and small face slightly red.
The above 60,000 points of her stamina and mana pool were burned through at a rapid pace she found distasteful, decreasing to less than 5%. Destruction was not such a consuming skill, but she long noticed it took five times as mana to use it from long-range. And coupled with Eruption and Eye of the Tyrant’s continuous activation, it was no wonder.
But her goal was met as the vampire decided to use his favorite arrows and spear-trap combined skill. Unleashing Destruction an additional five times— she blocked her figure from the opponent’s sight as she unsheathed her dagger and threw it on the spear with all her strength.
The dagger flew unnoticed near the balls of crackling bolts, its aura hidden by the dominating aura of Tyrannical Lightning before it met the spear’s tip a split-second before the first beam reached the ready-to-dodge vampire.
BOOM
An ear-deafening explosion reverberated in the blank world as the dagger prompted the spear to prematurely explode. She watched in glee as the vampire was cut into thousands of bloody pieces by his own skill, signaling her victory.
She laughed loudly, her frustration from losing faded. She walked to the sliced corpse with a wicked, happy grin and retrieved her dagger, the grin widened when she checked all the notifications she received.
