My Skills Can Evolve Infinitely in a Game-Like World

Chapter 11: Elite Monster

Aurelius did not need the prompt to understand the bizarreness of the creature before him.

Though named Red Hare Rabbit, its appearance was completely different.

It was several times larger.

More importantly, it was standing upright on its two feet, as though it were a human.

If one were to see it in the dark, they would have never guessed that it was a rabbit.

It would be natural to mistake it for a... quite muscular kid.

Yet its ferocious gaze made it clear that it was far from as harmless as such a comparison would suggest.

The moment its bloodshot eyes met those of Aurelius, its figure lunged forward.

Its speed was astonishing.

Its hind legs shoved against the ground, pushing against it before its outline blurred.

Red Hare Rabbits were already known for their speed, and it was one of the reasons they had managed to survive as a species.

The Red Hare Rabbit King seemed to have taken this racial characteristic to its limit.

Aurelius had little time to react.

Before he could come up with a plan, the Rabbit King appeared beside him. It employed its upper limbs as claws to strike at him.

Through the sharp light flickering across its nails, Aurelius quickly grasped the extent of their power.

He moved without thinking.

He instinctively used Light Refraction, not for its concealment, but to increase his speed.

Then, he took several steps to his left.

Scrrr!

The moment he dodged, the claw strike arrived. The sharp nails struck the ground, leaving behind three deep marks going for several inches.

Looking at their depth, it was absolutely certain Aurelius would have been seriously injured if he were half a heartbeat later, if not die outright.

A tremor rushed through his heart, though Aurelius recovered quickly.

Using the brief window of opportunity before the Rabbit King could steady itself, he raised his hand and flicked his fingers at it.

The Spirit lurking in his body gathered at his fingertips and fired out in the shape of a bullet.

Bang!

A sound resembling a gun firing echoed as the bullet shot toward the Rabbit King with all its strength.

Due to the lack of time and space to maneuver, the monster was unable to evade.

Spirit Bullet landed directly on the left side of its chest, where its heart was supposed to be.

Unfortunately, this seemed far from being enough to cause it any injury.

The Spirit Bullet bounced off its thick crimson fur, penetrating only a few inches into its flesh before being ejected.

The pain, however, was enough for the Rabbit King to grow berserk.

Already harboring animosity toward Aurelius due to the Rabbit Killer Title, its attacks became even fiercer.

Aurelius was forced to dodge again and again.

If it were not for his enhanced Base Stats and the speed enhancement provided by the activated Light Refraction, he would have long perished at its hands.

Despite this, he could sense it was only a matter of time before that finally happened.

His Spirit was constantly being drained away. Once it ran out, he would find himself in grave danger.

’Is this the difference between Levels?’ Aurelius judged as he moved to dodge another one of the claw attacks.

’Although it is a King of its race, it is only a Red Hare Rabbit after all.’

’The reason it is able to suppress me with such ease is not because of this characteristic, but because of the difference in our Levels.’

Level 2 versus Level 11.

The outcome had been decided from the very beginning.

The fact Aurelius was able to last this long was a testament to the power of Arcanists.

Unfortunately, a Class could only do so much at the end of the day.

It was unable to truly bridge the gap between 9 Levels.

As he sensed the danger of the situation, Aurelius looked at the only thing that could provide him with an opportunity to break the deadlock: the Player Panel.

After a quick glance at the last remaining Skill Point, his gaze landed on the Skills.

Surprisingly, he did not choose to upgrade Spirit Bullet or Light Refraction.

As his eyes concentrated on Fireball, the Skill Points decreased to 0.

The column blurred.

Information flooded his mind, nearly causing him to stumble to the ground.

Thankfully, the Rabbit King failed to use this opportunity, as it was also trying to regain its balance from its previous set of attacks.

The two stared at each other for a brief moment.

Then, the Rabbit King let out a roar and charged at him.

During the previous exchanges, Aurelius would have certainly dodged its attacks.

But now, he simply raised his hand and flicked his fingers.

An anthropomorphic smirk appeared in the Rabbit King’s eyes.

Though lacking in intelligence, it knew full well that its opponent’s "arrows" could not cause it any harm.

It didn’t even try to defend itself. It charged forward recklessly, like a mindless beast that was seeking blood.

That carelessness, however, was exactly what sealed its fate.

Sizzl!

No bullet came out of Aurelius’ fingers.

Instead, a head-sized, orange fireball emerged.

The scorching flames were reflected in the Rabbit King’s feral pupils, expanding at a terrifying rate as it got closer.

An instant later, it landed directly on its body, sending it flying backwards and rolling on the ground.

But the movement itself was the least of the monster’s concerns.

The Level 2 Fireball’s flames set its fur ablaze. The orange fire flickered before spreading throughout its body, soon forming a giant pillar of flames.

For a brief moment, it seemed as though a miniature sun had bloomed within the forest.

Agonizing screams echoed, accompanied by the smell of burnt flesh.

But despite all of this, Aurelius discovered that the Rabbit King was still not dead.

Feeling his nearly consumed Spirit, he gritted his teeth and flicked his fingers.

His Spirit was not enough to launch a second fireball. The only thing he could do was cast Spirit Bullet.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Illusory projectiles shot one after another, meeting the "pillar" of flames and causing the monster’s wails to grow ever more terrifying.

Just as the last trace of Spirit within Aurelius’ body was exhausted and he considered whether to flee, the Rabbit King’s struggle finally ceased.

Aurelius almost collapsed to the ground.

The only thing that gave him the power to hold on was the prompts flashing constantly in his field of vision.

"Killed Level 11 Red Hare Rabbit King. EXP +250"

"Ding! The Player has killed his first Elite Monster..."