Psychic Parasite

Chapter 164: Tier 1 Skill, Dynamic Acuity

"Now, we'll go into detail about the Skills of Observers." Madam Rizenne pointed at the girl sitting next to Jyorta, beckoning for her to come up the stage.

Jyorta adjusted his seating posture, providing space for the girl to walk past. Treading past the two rows before her, the girl made a light jump, landing on the stage. She stopped at a distance three metres from Madam Rizenne, her posture erect, exhibiting the same demeanour as a military veteran.

"After a basic introduction, tell us more about your Tier 1 Skill." Madam Rizenne said with a smile, watching the girl nod without hesitation. The details of the Skills were already submitted to the military academy logistics department upon completion, handled by the staff that monitored the health and well-being of each student every day.

Moreover, during the drills in the afternoons, they had to use their Skill and get well-versed in their functionality. The staff would also give them pointers, helping them to better make use of their Skill.

So, revealing her Skill before everyone wasn't something the girl shied away from.

The girl raised her right hand, curling it into a fist, thumping it on her chest, positioned directly above her heart, "I am the Observer, Dalna Doppler. My Tier 1 Skill is named, Dynamic Acuity. When I activate this Skill, I can see, hear, and think better while in motion." 

Finished with the short introduction, Dalna Doppler gazed at Madam Rizenne, pausing for further introduction. Madam Rizenne waved her hand, "Thank you for the crisp introduction."

She motioned for the girl to remain standing on her spot, turning around to face the students, "Tier 1 Skills are, basically as what the name of your Tier represents. They are based on the ability to observe. Some Skills are complex as compared to the norm, just like Dalna Doppler here. Her Skill not only helps her in two areas, but it also helps in the formation of her thoughts."

"There is a Tier 1 Skill, Faster Thoughts which achieves the same result as the third part in her Skill, but only that. This made us classify Skill into three segments based on their complexity, usage, effectiveness, and method of use." Madam Rizenne condensed a ball of water, pale blue in colour, actuated through the use of her Unranked Skill, Regen.

"We will now conduct two experiments. First, you will try to dodge the projectiles I launch without using your Skill. Second, you will use your Skill and try to dodge it. I will launch a total of 10 projectiles for each experiment." Upon her instruction, Dalna Doppler nodded, assuming a battle-ready stance.

The sphere split into ten portions, with the first hurling towards Dalna Doppler without warning, hitting her forehead, the impact forcing her to bend backward. Dalna Doppler felt her vision turn blank, replaced at the next second with startling clarity. After all, the ball that hit her was filled with healing powers, healing the damage before she could feel it.

The only thing she felt was the force coursing through her body as she absorbed the attack.

Dalna Doppler executed a backflip, using the momentum of the impact and the bending of her upper body to her advantage, rolling on the ground at the moment of her landing. The moment her leg landed on the ground, a ball impacted her ankle, toppling her balance.

Dalna Doppler exerted strength in her hands, bringing it before her, anchoring on the ground to act as springs to dampen her fall. The area of impact had been on her right leg, from the outer side, causing her to fall on her right.

Now, upon dampening her fall, before the momentum from it dissipated, she released strength in her right hand, causing her body to tilt to her right, resulting in her rolling clockwise. After four rolls, she exerted strength in her right hand, slamming the palm towards the ground, cranking her body using it as the lever.

The force lifted her body three feet from the ground; before she could reorient her balance in the air to perform a safe landing, the third ball impacted her stomach, causing her body to curve, with the hips treading forth.

Dalna Doppler let out a grunt, curling her body to tilt it a bit. She unfurled her limbs, spreading them vertically, with the feet touching the ground. Her feet acted as the spring to bounce her body back to balance while the resulting friction gave her the anchor to regain control of her momentum to her advantage.

Two balls impacted on her back, destroying her footwork, causing her to slip. Another two impacted from the front, striking against the haphazard guard she had put up. Finally, three balls fell from above, slamming her body on the ground.

"Solid reflex and a good balance, but lacking the drive to take the initiative; a good try nonetheless." Madam Rizenne said, waving her hands to dissipate the water drenching Dalna Doppler. A trace amount of it seeped into her body, abating her exhaustion.

"My attacks were only on the level of Tier 2 Espers, nothing much to take note of. But, she was still hit by all ten of them. My experience is one factor that led to this situation but, the fact that she didn't try to attack and passively defend against mine was another factor," Madam Rizenne stated.

Dalna Doppler stood up, brimming with fighting spirit. She half-closed her eyes, scrunching her brows a bit, crouching further lower as compared to before, assuming a pose like a feral beast. There was a faint change in her demeanour, but other than that, there wasn't any pronounced difference.

'Has she activated her Skill?' Jyorta looked at the scene in confusion. The previous exchange was really fast. Even though he could make out the attacks, he had zero confidence in braving his way through them like Dalna Doppler.

"It is not apparent but she has activated her Tier 1 Skill, Dynamic Acuity. From Tier 2 onwards, there will be a small spike in aura upon the activation of Skills." Madam Rizenne condensed another sphere, splitting it into ten balls, the same sized as before. She was unfazed at Dalna Doppler's brimming fighting spirit, creating a sharp contrast.

The first ball flew towards her face, the same as before. Dalna Doppler tilted her head, avoiding the projectile. A second attack arrived from her blind spot, aiming at her back. Dalna Doppler swung her right arm, hitting the projectile, causing the water to splash around.

The third ball hit her right leg, taking advantage of the moment she retaliated against the second ball, causing her body to sway. Dalna Doppler slightly lifted her right leg, exerting strength in her left, sliding on the ground, making use of the water that splashed on the floor.

Thanks to the lubrication, her body experienced an abrupt tilt, slipping forward by a metre. The fourth ball arrived from her front, making use of her tiled state and at the lack of her body control to hit the side of her knees, altering the direction of her slip.

Dalna Doppler raised her hand, barely defending against the fifth ball, the splashing water covering her vision. Dalna Doppler turned her head in the opposite direction, watching the sixth ball present in the scene, slamming onto her forehead, the resulting force knocking her back, spinning her body on the floor once.

The seventh and eighth ball arrived from above, about to slam into her back to pin her in place. Dalna Doppler slammed her hand on the ground, using the force to increase the friction between her palm and the ground. She craned strength into her legs, curling them towards her body.

She put an abrupt stop to her momentum, watching the two balls hit the floor next to her, creating a small splash. She then turned her body around, hitting another ball with her free hand, experiencing another impact from her back.

Madam Rizenne waved her hand once again, causing the water on Dalna Doppler's body to seep into her, dissipating her exhaustion from the flurry of reactions. The water covering the floor dissipated into psychic energy, retracted in Madam Rizenne's body.

"Didn't she fare a lot better as compared to the first try?" Madam Rizenne smiled, "The attacks were on the same level but Dalna Doppler was able to retaliate and avoid against some of them. I just said a statement about her being passive in defending and not retaliating. The moment she activated her Skill, she executed two successful attacks against the water balls."

"Good work cadet, you can proceed to your seat now." Madam Rizenne motioned for the crowd to give the girl a round of applause, in appreciation of the skill and judgement she had exhibited. Dalna Doppler saluted once before walking towards her seat.

Before she sat down, she set a gaze of provocation towards Jyorta, noticing the other party's gaze affixed on the stage, on the spot she had slammed her hand at the end, sporting a mild frown.

"As you can see from the above example, Skills are vital in boosting our overall battle strength. Based on the capabilities of the Skill as I stated before, they are segmented into three: Regular, Elite, and Peak." Madam Rizenne pointed at Dalna Doppler, prompting her to stand up immediately.

"As you had witnessed, Dalna Doppler's Skill is at the Peak of Tier 1. This was why her Skill has three modes of application." Madam Rizenne pointed at the screen on her back, "Here is the list of some of the Regular Tier 1 Skills."