I Refused To Be Reincarnated

Chapter 170: The Third Trial: Challenge of Progression

After two hours of silent rest, Adam finally rose to his feet, his mana cape billowing behind him as though eager to follow his movements.

"What's that?" He said in confusion as he realised he had been lying on it the whole time.

With its serene blue hue and undulating form, he found it remarkably stylish and couldn't help but smile like a kid.

"Octavia, do you see this? Don't I look like a superhero now?" He asked, taking weird poses, and causing her to facepalm.

"How can you be so strong yet act like a fool most of the time?" She answered, her voice filled with exasperation.

"That's just who I am. Got a problem with that?" He retorted, his happy eyes narrowing at the beast-like woman.

"N... No. Let's continue to the second floor!" She stuttered, standing up and rushing up the stairs, unwilling to anger him after what she had witnessed.

Amused, he followed behind, mulling over the cape and feeling connected to the mana it contained. As he fired a test bullet, he observed a small piece dissipate, only to witness it replenish from the ambient mana five minutes later.

"Fascinating," he muttered, his brown eyes blazing with interest and his mind already designing battle plans.

Upon reaching the second floor, he pondered Kwame's symbols. Where did they originate and how did he discover them? Or was he the one inventing them?

'So many mysteries, yet no answers,' he thought with a broad smile, eager to visit the sage's birthplace or what was left of it. After all, his goal was to uncover all those hidden and lost truths buried by the river of time. His heart quickened with anticipation as he imagined the ancient ruins and the secrets they held, waiting to be discovered like long-lost treasures.

Simultaneously, Octavia halted her steps and said with unease, "Let me distract them. I know you are strong, but these chimaeras are on another level."

After all, power wasn't everything. The chimaeras created using insect bases were too fast and durable, and Octavia doubted the man could follow their movements.

After sharing her apprehensions with him, Adam nodded in agreement, finding logic in them. It was true his body was great for a mage, but, in truth, his stats were still in the middle of the second tier besides his intelligence.

After a brief discussion, Octavia offered to position herself to make the abominations' backs face him. He would only have to shoot them at range without exposing himself. It was a basic but effective plan.

The duo traveled the corridor in tense silence, visualizing their upcoming battles and formulating effective strategies to conclude them smoothly as they reached the first lab.

"Ready?" she asked, cold sweat dripping from her forehead as she put her trembling hands on the stone door before seeing him nod silently with a serious expression.

With a push, they discovered the most ugly creatures they had ever seen.

Chitinous dark carapaces, akin to plate armor, covered three abominations. Their mandibles clapped at the intruder while their two hairy legs bent to propel them forward.

Their sleek, emotionless dark eyes reflected the corridor's lights in a straight line as they reached a speed of 200km/h in less than a second.

Fortunately, Octavia matched their speed. She swiftly unsheathed her iron sword and dashed towards them, before lunging and rolling to the back of the room.

As the chimaeras charged at her voraciously, she rolled, dodged, and parried desperately. The impact of each successful block reverberated against her slender yet exceptionally powerful muscles, damaging them and forcing her to step back.

Cleverly mixing her instinct with intelligence, she relied on evasion more and more, predicting and dancing gracefully amidst the deadly blows. Yet, faced with three fast-adapting abominations, she lost ground and was gradually pushed to the wall.

Simultaneously, Adam peered discreetly behind the door and, noticing he was undiscovered, channelled his mana to create nine bullets. The creation process was smoother than ever, and their surface glinted with an ominous blue lustre as they turned out to be as hard as metal.

With a snap of his fingers and amidst nine minor explosions, he shot them at the unsuspecting creatures.

As they cornered Octavia, their antennas quivered and mandibles dripped acidic liquid, dissolving the ground with sizzling sounds as they approached with anticipation.

Against the wall and with no space to manoeuvre, she felt death gently grip her shoulder, calling her into its embrace. Unwillingness flashed in her eyes as she growled like a beast at the insects, ready to buy time until the end.

Suddenly, nine muffled thuds echoed.

Their armor-like carapace cracked as a single hole pierced through the back of their heads, causing Octavia to sigh in relief. Drawing their attention was perilous; she doubted her survival if he took any longer or missed his shots.

Gazing at him as the chimaeras' bodies dropped powerlessly to the ground, she asked curiously, "Why is there only one hole? I'm sure I heard nine explosions."

"Because I hit the same spot three times, using the second and third bullets to push the first further." He proudly explained.

Even if he could use his new cape as a second reservoir, his mana was still a finite resource. Once exhausted, he wouldn't be able to fight anymore. With seventeen abominations to kill besides Ignatius, he thought about this method to reduce consumption. After all, his mana bullet was derived from a tier-one spell. He could fire a hundred of them, already contrary to his atom's burst.

Then, he looked at the three notifications, frowning in annoyance.

[Tier 2 Elite ???: Xylothraxes. You have gained 100 experience points.] x3

"Why did the experience drop?!" He yelled at the notification, surprising Octavia, before adding, "Do your thing. I'll wait outside."

Sitting against the rocky wall of the corridor, he thought, 'I usually earned 100Xp for normal creatures and double for elites. Is the progression tougher as you advance to higher tiers?'

After five minutes of pondering, he nodded. This theory made sense, as even he found his progress too swift.

Experience the best from m|v|l|e|mp|y|r

Sighing, he said, "I guess the tutorial is over. Status."