Energy Eater

114 – Desired Quest

After leaving Spokane behind, we continued traveling west with renewed energy. There were a couple reasons for that. First, the biggest energy drain of our group was no longer there. Pamela had finally been left behind. I understood that was my fault, and it was a mistake. I didn't have any problems admitting that. But I still was glad that she was no longer around. Second, we started to realize that we were getting very close to the shore. And that was exactly what all we were hoping for.

We ended up traveling quite a bit over the next couple of days. Moving in a group of three made things much easier. Not just because we now had three pairs of eyes looking around everything, but also because we were able to split our gear and supplies between three people. That made everything much easier, and the high level in Body we all had only helped even more. So much so that three days after leaving Spokane, we were already seeing the Columbia River in the distance.

According to the maps that we had seen, that was roughly the limitation that separated the farmland and the mountains from a forest that was right by the coast. The forest itself was big enough to require a couple of days of travel before reaching the other side, but it was the last stopping point before reaching the beaches.

During those three days, both Astrid and I were able to reach level 20, being at the limit of tier one. That happened on the eve of the second day after we hunted down a few wild birds for dinner. Michael was still at level 14, but he was gaining SP at a steady pace. Now that neither Astrid nor I were acquiring SP according to progression, he was receiving everything that we hunted, making his leveling speed explode very quickly.

Unlike what happened once I reached the limits of tier zero, I didn't have {Quick Tier 1 Evolution} or a skill similar to that to speed up this process. Instead, once I reached level 20, the System spoke up with a choice.

[User has reached level 20 of tier 1. This is the maximum level for tier 1. For user to class up and reach tier 2, user is required to assist System on creating a better version of particles that will be utilized by user's body. Does user have an idea on how to complete this upgrade or would user rather System give a few possible options to achieve the desired goal?]

'Honestly, I am a bit lost on how to make the particles work better. So yeah, can you give me some assistance? Also, if you can give me assistance, why do I have to

You have spent your days observing creatures and improving your abilities by taking the best of them, while at the same time not shying away from the elemental properties of their attacks.

For your particles to be upgraded, they need to be exposed to as many representations of what you are searching for as possible.

This includes monsters that have one specific powerful limb or attack. Elemental effects that are interacting with monsters body or the environment without damaging the host.

Current progression 75%.

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That was much more than I was expecting. Maybe it wouldn't take that long for me to reach tier 2 and gain my new class. And since Astrid wasn't going to be that far behind, I would at least be able to help her out when it came time for her to make that decision as well. Maybe now things were finally falling into place and we wouldn't have any more issues until we reached the shore.

The problem is, just by thinking something like that was like daring the universe to ruin my plans. Which it did, and it didn't really hold back.