Utilizing a skill that he promised himself he would only use in a desperate situation, Valyr empowered his stats to a level that would normally be considered impossible for someone at Rank 3 to reach.
Nevertheless, this caused his aura to grow in intensity, eventually matching the quadrant leader's aura somewhat.
Of course, the quadrant leader took notice of this.
"Graaaaggghhh!!!" Letting out a rage-filled roar, the quadrant leader planned on ending the fight between it and Valyr once and for all, charging towards him as it imbued both of its fists full to the brim with crimson red mana.
However, before it could even bend its knees to dash towards the young man...
"[Full Burst]!"
Bang!
Conjuring a near imperceptible flame in front of the others, Valyr brought this flame towards the small bowl on the barrel's side as he chucked a great amount of mana into the arquebus itself.
The result?
Nothing significant...
To the naked eye, that is.
Swoosh!
Being propelled by the power of both mana and gunpowder, the loaded bullet swiftly ejected itself out of the barrel, heading straight for the quadrant leader's head.
With how small it was, both air resistance and the quadrant leader's vitality posed no threat to it, leaving a near imperceptible hole as it cleanly passed through to the back of its head.
'A Fatal Hit...' Though he knew that the damage the shot would deal was going to help them have an easier time in defeating the quadrant leader, once Valyr saw the pitch-black damage counter appear on top of the quadrant leader's head...
He was completely left at a loss for words.
Then again, he wasn't the only one to react that way.
"Wha—" Staring at the six-digit number that appeared on top of the quadrant leader's head, Hal and the others looked at the sight with widened eyes as their mouths turned agape from sheer disbelief.
After all, aside from the explosion that came from the weapon Valyr was holding, it seemed like the quadrant leader hadn't received any injury at all.
"Wait!" Fortunately, after looking at the quadrant leader for a bit longer, the four of them eventually noticed that blood started to trickle out of its forehead.
It was only then did the four realize what Valyr's weapon was capable of.
Thud.
Standing frozen in place for quite some time, the quadrant leader eventually fell to the ground, prompting Valyr to stare at it with a calm expression as he wondered whether the quadrant leader would rise one more time and fight them.
But then...
Ding!
"Oh, thank the heavens!" Rather than being greeted by the sight of a barrier appearing around the quadrant leader, a series of notification sounds instead resounded within Valyr's mind, causing him to let out an incredibly long sigh of relief.
Though, he wasn't the only one among them to receive a notification.
"It's over!" Hearing notification sounds resound in their minds, Hal and the others also let out long sighs of relief as they briefly recalled the hardships their entire group went through while fighting against the quadrant leader.
Seeing that they wouldn't have to face the wrath of the quadrant leader anytime soon, it was only then did the four relax, lying on the ground as they all felt heavy weights being lifted off their shoulders.
"Haah..." Of course, Valyr wasn't exempt from feeling this exhaustion, lying on the ground as well as he flashed a grin at the others.
"Good job, everyone. Let's look at our notifications for the meantime and get a bit of rest."
At those words, the four nodded in agreement as a couple of them opened their notification screens, while the remaining couple decided to close their eyes for a bit after taking a couple of potions.
On the other hand, Valyr stared at the sky for a bit before commanding the system to bring up his notification screen.
"Let's see what I've gained."
Ding!
[With a 10+ level disparity between the user and the opponent, the amount of experience obtained shall be increased by 200%.]
[You have slain a Level 100 Primitive Humanoid Quadrant Leader (Divine Elite). You have gained 18,193,734 XP.]
[You have made progress in realizing the next stage of Slayer of Ascendants (1/10,000).]
[You have completed part of the requirements for the quest: Gates of Enlightenment' Trial (4).]
[Slay a Primitive Humanoid Quadrant Leader (1/1)]
n..o/.v).e/.l..b--I--n
[You have completed the quest: Gates of Enlightenment' Trial (4).]
[You have obtained a Key to the Gates of Awakening. Would you like to use it now?]
[You have obtained an Entrance Token to the Gates of Enlightenment. Would you like to use it now?]
[You have received a new quest: Gates of Awakening' Trial (1).]
"Damn." Whistling as he took a look at the notifications he had received, Valyr began to grin as he had now obtained the necessary qualifications to take the next step and enter the Gates of Awakening.
Aside from that, he had also gain a method to enter the Gates of Enlightenment once more, reminding him of the many other buildings he had yet to enter within that courtyard.
'I'll save both of them for a later time.' However, even though there was nothing stopping the young man from entering both places right now, the young man still opted on not heading there at the moment.
After all, he had just exhausted all of his resources in fighting the quadrant leader. If anything, heading to the trials at his current state was more of a death sentence rather than an opportunity.
Not only that, but he had yet to reach the limit of authority level within the Gates of Enlightenment.
That was something he wanted to reach first before returning to it.
Though he had received a few more notifications on his screen, after seeing the others open up their notification screens as well, Valyr decided to ask whether or not the system had considered their contribution as killing the quadrant leader.
Surprisingly enough, the system did consider it as completing the objective, telling Valyr that they could now attempt the trials of the Gates of Awakening whenever they wanted.
Hearing that, Valyr decided that the five of them would rest and return to their peak conditions for the remainder of the day and attempt the Gates of Awakening's trials tomorrow.
Naturally, they agreed.
With that, it was only then did the young man take a look at the remaining notifications he had received, inwardly grinning in the process.
'I may have gotten close to dying while fighting the quadrant leader...'
'But these things make that sacrifice all worth it.'
Ding!
[Firing the first shot to ever kill a foe, you have returned a piece of the glory Veldanyr's humans had lost in the past. May your shot become the precedent of humanity's return to the old era, as well as the start of a new one.]
[Due to the feat you have achieved, you have gained the title 'Herald of the New Era (Veldanyr)'.]
[Though the art of firearms had been lost to time, you have revived the craft once more and have even become the first among the new generation of humanity to utilize it in combat. There is no doubt that this feat shall leave an everlasting mark on Veldanyr's history.]
[Due to the feat you have achieved, you have gained the title 'The First Gunslinger (Veldanyr)'.]
[You have received a special class quest: The First Gunslinger (Veldanyr).]
[Through combat, you have shown that your path to supremacy has already begun to blossom. Yet, beyond the expectations of many, you've shown that the path you've chosen has far greater potential than initially believed.]
[Because of this, more have begun to fear your ability. At the same time, more have realized the need to seal your ability for eternity. Nevertheless, many shall never forget the feat you have achieved.
[The feat of slaying a foe two class ranks beyond yours.]
[Due to the feat you have achieved, you have gained the title 'Apex Hunter'.]
