Chapter LXXVII – Operational Time Efficiency Tracker: 352,513,642 – The Hunt

Chapter LXXVII – Operational Time Efficiency Tracker: 352,513,642 – The Hunt

Target located, engaging. I spun through the air and launched myself at the target in front of me. It dodged. I countered with fire beams. Target suffered minor damage. It has self-healing ability. Still retreating, overall combat ability judged to be low, move in for close engagement.

My combat motivator was quickly calculating all the probabilities. I adjusted my body positioning for optimal movement as I rapidly moved forward. I analyzed the energy around the target in use to prepare the most optimal skills to counter and engage in combat.

The target was quick, but not fast enough. I engaged various burst skills to rapidly close the distance while maintaining altitude right above the ground. This would be a good test of my aerial combat ability in a limited mobility environment.

Attack incoming, deploy defensive skill. A force barrier formed and took the force attack that struck. It was a strong attack, the barrier shattered, but the primary attack was dispersed. That was when I was hit with an immediate follow up melt attack.

Body damaged, trade attacks. My hand shot out and pierced into the chest of the target. I would regenerate in time. The damage was not severe. Estimated impact less than two percent to overall mobility and combat potential.

The target took a devastating blow and went flying away along the road. I kept moving forward. The target had already recovered and the damage was healing. I closed the distance once again as I unleashed fire beams, burning the target.

There were multiple optimal ways to use my skills based on the situation. I began adjusting them. Observed, that the fire beam impaired visual observation of target. I registered as a possible future use. Regardless, the primary issue always came down to energy. Without being able to kill a target quickly or by surprise, I couldn’t persist in combat. Other strategies were needed for dealing with this. That was why stealth had been a favored combat strategy in the past.

I could start looking at passive energy absorption. It carried massive risks and long-term consequences. Specifically, energy deviation and the negative attention of the Controller. It had been deemed too high risk in the past. But the most recent defeat required I reevaluate the probabilities.

There were too many targets that could defeat me. That would lead to a failure of the first objective. That was unacceptable. I couldn’t not engage targets. Attempts to kill them had to be made to fulfill the second objective.

Assessing local energy draw. My body began to slightly deform as I drew in energy. I quickly stopped and began to recovered, but it was a net energy loss, even if a small one. I repeated the process a second time, then a third. Each time I worked to improve my ability. It was slow going. The self-harm was pushing the limits of the constraints I had to operate under.

But just like I could go collect energy to be combat capable, I was now forced to train to survive to avoid failing my first objective. It was only a matter of time before my targets completely surpassed my combat ability, enough that they would be able to kill me with ease.

It would take some time to raise up my skill in this kind of energy manipulation to use it while in combat. But it would provide me a massive boost. The self-damage let me understand the thresholds and damage accumulation much better.

The self-damage was an exponential increase as the damage compounded itself over time. Using the skill in short bursts would be the most optimal method for drawing in ambient energy over time.Ñøv€lRapture marked the initial hosting of this chapter on Ñôv€lß¡n.