Alexia

  Time gradually begins to pass as I continue the cycle, repeating it over and over again. Traveling through the tunnels until they begin to constrict, fleeing into a cavern, avoiding the monsters in said cavern, then entering the tunnel again. And soon I completely lose track of how long I’ve been in here.

  There really aren’t any real ways to keep track of time in here, after all.

  Other than the System. But I keep getting lost in the monotonous act of the cycle to keep track.

  Eventually, after who knows how long, the monsters begin to grow stronger as I progress further into the boss’ body. Making it harder and harder to survive.

  Fortunately for me, I manage to find some safe places within its body to rest and recover. Little crevasses in the caverns that I enter without the other monsters knowing. While the tunnel isn’t constricted, of course.

  Because there would be far too many monsters in the cavern to remain unnoticed even after teleporting directly into the crevasses.

  After even more time passes, the tunnels and caverns begin to grow larger along with the monsters themselves. Making it surprisingly easier to hide from them. Since they’re so big and all.

  The main problem is that, the few times I have been hit by them, I’ve suffered some rather brutal injuries.

  At some point I even get my head ripped off and the rest of my body erased for a split second before I use Quantum Stasis Copy. Draining my entire tank of energy to revert the damage and restore my body to the state it was mere moments before the damage, following which I hide in a crevasse until I recover.

  Because even Quantum Reversal isn’t quite strong enough to restore my entire body.

  And while Quantum Stasis Copy is, it costs far too much energy to do.

  The monsters here are just too strong.

  So I make sure to be as careful as possible after that attack. Avoiding the monsters like the plague during my travels.

  And it works. For the most part.

  I still get found from time to time, but other than when my entire body, minus my head, was lost, I don’t get hurt from those encounters and instead manage to flee with Quantum Displacement. All thanks to my immunity to physical damage.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  A lot of the monsters here don’t have magic, and that is working out in my favor. Even if the rest do have magic.

  I continue teleporting through the tunnels, trying as hard as I can to only teleport into areas without monsters and with plenty of cover. Even waiting for monsters to move sometimes to make cover.

  But as I teleport, I begin to notice something strange.

  My teleport range seems to be decreasing the further into the monster’s body I get.

  Is it because this is an Ascendant Tier monster?

  That explanation makes at least some sense. It may have some sort of natural resistance.

  It’s too bad I can’t use any sort of scan to see what all is inside of its body. Then I’d just be able to teleport through walls into other tunnels.

  Not that it would help an incredible amount, considering how large this monster’s body is.

  I wouldn’t be too surprised if it took me months to get through its body at the rate I’m going. Because, sure I can teleport across an entire dimension with ease, but this teleportation resistance I’m sensing is blocking that. So I’m moving at a snail’s pace in comparison.

  What I can’t help but wonder about the most, though, is what all these monsters even are.

  Are they some sort of bacteria in the boss’ body? Or interior defenders?

  Maybe even some sort of parasites?

  I don’t see them eating any parts of the boss, so I’m guessing the parasites part is wrong.

  Assuming they even can eat the boss’ body, considering that the boss is fully Ascendant Tier unlike these half-step Ascendants.

  One bright side about being in here with these powerful monsters is that Observation Effect Absorption is absorbing quite a bit of power just from all the energy flooding the boss’ body. So there’s that.

  And so is Quantum Vampirism. It’s been leveling like crazy ever since I entered this boss’ body.

  Which means I have two stockpiles of energy to rely on in a crisis. Although only one of them can be used for anything other than a massive attack.

  The energy from Quantum Vampirism may be usable however I wish to use it, but Observation Effect Absorption is not. I can only release it in a powerful attack.

  I freeze in place mid-travel when I sense a powerful wave of energy coming through the tunnel. Then I teleport straight into a crevasse, letting most of it pass by me. And when I peek my head out to look at what’s coming?

  The sight that greets me sends a chill down my spine.

  Because it’s a monster that’s even closer to Ascendant Tier than all the other monsters here.

  Of course, it’s still weaker than the actual Ascendant Tier users I was being chased by outside. But that doesn’t change the fact that this massive shark creature is going around gobbling up all the other monsters here and could kill me just as easily if I let my guard down.

  I take a deep breath before waiting here and letting it pass. Then I continue moving about ten minutes after it’s already out of earshot.

  But I don’t find another one of them for an entire hour. Likely implying that they’re not very common.

  At least, not yet.

  One thing does kind of terrify me a little bit about all this, though. And it’s not the incredibly powerful monsters in the boss that could kill me without much trouble if I’m not careful.

  It’s the faint worry about whether or not I’m even heading in the right direction through the boss’ body.

  If I’m heading in the wrong direction…

  Another chill runs down my spine at the thought, so I speed up a little to distract myself.

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