Chapter 185: Sun Steel Body (Patreon)

I don't know if it's just me, but Patreon is slow to load... 

Next chapter: Sunday! 

Enjoy!

*

In the void that cradled his soul before each resurrection, Priam grimaced. He had felt it wither as his body exploded. [Tenacious Spirit] hadn't even had time to activate before his soul flickered out.

[Homo Elysian Obsession] had its perks, but that was its major drawback.

"I wonder if I can fix this," Priam's soul murmured before assessing his gains.

Congratulations, you are dead! Your Talent [He Who Eludes Death] brings you back to life once a day.

Number of deaths: 19

Synergy detected with your talent [Homo Elysian Obsession] and your Titles [Three-Headed Hydra] and [Weathered]. Your body and spirit are rebuilt and will be more resistant to what killed them:

STR +15
CONST +11
META(END) +13

[Pyro - Concept] - Natural Affinity +3% (63%)

Lvl Up: [Hemorrhage Resistance] lvl 20
VIT +1

[Hemorrhage Resistance] has reached level 20, its maximum level as a common skill. Depending on your background, two upgrades are available:

[Hemorrhage Resistance - Rare] - General upgrade. No future upgrade possible. Potential Cost: 5
[Hemorrhage Resilience - Rare] - You've endured numerous internal and external hemorrhages. Future upgrades possible. Potential Cost: 10
Not even a high upgrade? No way.

...Decision postponed.

Lvl Up: [Perforation Resistance] lvl 20
CONST +1

[Perforation Resistance] has reached level 20, its maximum level as a common skill. Depending on your background, three upgrades are available:

[Perforation Resistance - Rare] - General upgrade. No future upgrade possible. Potential Cost: 5
[Perforation Resilience - Rare] - Various weapons and magical attacks have pierced you. Future upgrades possible. Potential Cost: 10
[Kevlar Tissue - Rare] - Your organs have all been simultaneously penetrated by shards of your own bones. Impressive. High upgrade potential. Potential Cost: 20

You have selected the skill [Kevlar Tissue - Rare].
POT -20

[Kevlar Tissue] - To better withstand perforation and penetration, the tissues of your organism evolve. The establishment of a new molecular structure, along with the strategic rearrangement of fibers in your body, allows them to gain flexibility.
You don’t fear bullets; bullets fear you.
CONST +3

Lvl Up: [Erosion Resistance] lvl 40
META (END) +3

[Erosion Resistance] has reached level 40, its maximum level as a rare skill. Depending on your background, three upgrades are available:

[Erosion Resistance - Epic] - General upgrade. No future upgrade possible. Potential Cost: 5
[Strong Meridians - Epic] - Your meridians have been damaged and regenerated many times. Future upgrades possible. Potential Cost: 80
[Meridians Resilience - Rare] - You've blown up one of your main meridians and are still alive. Impressive. High upgrade potential. Potential Cost: 160

It's a resistance too important to miss out on an ideal upgrade.

...Decision postponed.

Lvl Up: [Battle Flow] lvl 17, 18
PERC +2
DEXT +4
Lvl Up: [Priam’s System] lvl 2
MEM +3
VIVA +3
META(Authority) + 3
Lvl Up: [Necromoon Resistance] lvl 6, 7, 8
VIT +9
WILL +9
META(END) +9
Lvl Up: [Spirit resistance] lvl 19
WILL +3

[Star Iron Body - Rare] has reached level 40, its maximum level as a rare skill.
Prerequisites met:
- Plunge into a chaotic space
- Draconic Scales
- Homo Elysian Obsession
- Pyro Concept
- Crushed by a Tier 3

Ideal Upgrade unlocked:
[Sun Steel Body - Epic] - Steel forged in the heart of a shining sun once reinforced the scales of a young dragon. Ideal upgrade potential. Potential Cost: 320

I wonder how normal people manage to unlock ideal upgrades... I guess they die trying.

You have selected the skill [Sun Steel Body - Epic].
POT -320

[Sun Steel Body - Epic] - Crushed by dimensional currents, crushed by a giant, your scales mixed with your flesh. The heat from Pyro melted them, and your legendary Obsession integrated them into your body. Its aethereal structure evolves to forge an ideal material. Your physique passively shares the resistance of your scales. Improving one improves the other.
This resistance should tip the scales in your favor.
CONST +6
META (END) +3

You have acquired the skill: [Aura Resistance - Epic].
[Aura Resistance] - Aura is an energy field created by Micro. It instinctively translates the body's presence, allowing it to charm reality. Each natural Aura is unique, but all are dangerous. With this resistance, your body fights against the supremacy of an enemy Aura.
You don't deserve to awaken your Aura yet.
CONST +3
META (Endurance) +3
META (Authority) +3

[Tribulation]: Three Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 166 days 16 hours 2 minutes 29 seconds.

*

Ten seconds after his body exploded, Priam's soul possessed a new physical vessel. He had hesitated to resurrect so quickly. If a healthy necro legionnaire awaited him, Priam would have to flee for his life. On the other hand, if his draconic nova had injured his opponent, he might have the chance to finish the boss. This feat could secure his position as the event's top player... which was ending in barely a minute.

Without wasting time, Priam opened his eyes, got into a defensive stance, and surveyed his surroundings. He was surprised to find his foe engaged in a struggle with a second giant three hundred meters away.

The Tier 3's skull and first vertebrae had melted — Priam's handiwork. This handicap prevented it from fighting at full strength. The second colossus, a humanoid tree of sorts, was hitting at the exposed aetheric necro structure. To press his advantage, the vegetal titan created a myriad of rotating runes that covered the valley. The monumental ritual purged the atmosphere of the Necromoon's influence, preventing any regeneration of the corrupted.

An uppercut from the treant fractured one of the skeleton's ribs while pushing it backward. Its hand grabbed the undead before transforming into a multitude of roots. Like snakes, they began infiltrating between the bones, seeking to immobilize the corrupted. The bony giant struggled to break free but couldn't.

Observing the two adversaries, Priam squinted. The colossal treant seemed familiar... Dishnu? How is he this powerful?

[Aether Perception]. Aether streams from millions of trees in the valley strengthened his rival, enabling him to confront the Tier 3 on equal footing.

Priam gritted his teeth, watching the giant battle. He had made incredible progress, but Arnold and Dishnu still remained superior. An optimistic inner voice whispered that he had narrowed the gap, but Priam silenced it. It wasn't enough yet.

But that distance could still shrink by killing the Tier 3.

Invoking Pyro, Priam incinerated the undeads that had closed in on him. Dishnu probably thought it was his duty to take down the monster, but Priam needed that kill to ace the Necro event. Was it a kill steal? Priam believed it wasn't; he initiated the fight, and his death wasn't a surrender.

Determined to finish off the Tier 3, Priam instructed his system to oversee the massacre of the corrupted. The add-on seized control of his Concept, devastating the ranks of the corrupted with inhuman efficiency. To step into the titan-sized battle, Priam needed the Conquest attribute boost.

Summoning Promesse, Priam took a moment to admire the weapon's new appearance. Its tip was now forged in a deep burgundy steel, with solar-hued arabesques running along its shaft. [He Who Eludes Death] had upgraded the spear, imbuing it with the properties of his new Concept and ideal skill.

The weapon was as deadly as beautiful, and Priam planned to leverage this first quality. It was his only hope to take down the Tier 3. A second Breath would leave him without energy, and even using his Tokens, Pyro wouldn't reach Harmony in a few seconds.

Promesse would be the murder weapon.

To increase its lethality, Priam began weaving the aether threads of [Tribulation Piercing Spear] around its tip. The skill created a sheath around the blade that multiplied its penetration power. Following an impulse, Priam created a second sheath around the first, then a third.

The Tier 3 could never be too dead.

Lvl Up: [Tribulation Piercing Spear] lvl 11, 12
STR +2
AGI +2
DEXT +2
Lvl Up: [Aether Manipulation] lvl 28, 29
META (PERC) +2
META (AFFI) +2
META (FOCUS) +2

Priam's plan relied on a simple fact: the Necromoon or its Concept created a necromantic structure that allowed their necroslaves to move. According to his system, it was also likely that the heart of the structure, its nexus, housed the spirit or servant's instinct. Destroying it would turn a skeleton into a pile of bones.

For this, Priam needed a powerful and focused attack. The nexus, previously protected by the ribcage, was exposed by Dishnu. To strike accurately, Priam relied on his rival’s help, whose roots were immobilizing the corrupted.

Priam took aim, listening to [Spear Throw]. Like an athlete, he stretched his body and waited until the last moment to shoot.

Three seconds before the end of the event timer, Priam grabbed Pyro, which had already massacred hundreds of corrupted. The flames had already burned almost an acre of the forest. Using [Kinetic Control] and tapping generously into his Potential, Priam absorbed the kinetic energy of particles in the blaze. The movement of molecules and atoms suddenly slowed. Without thermal agitation, the overheated air froze, instantly dissipating the flames.

In an instant, the thermal energy of a titanic blaze was converted into kinetic energy and redirected into Promesse. The spear had already left Priam's hand and vanished under the brutal acceleration. Following the trajectory calculated by Priam's add-on, the weapon crossed the sky to strike the skeleton.

Lvl Up: [Spear Throw] lvl 22, 23, 24, 25
DEXT +12
Lvl Up: [Kinetic Control] lvl 60
VIVA + 2
DEXT + 3
META (FOCUS) +4

[Kinetic Control] has reached level 60, its maximum level as an Epic skill.

Later!

The necromantic horror didn't attempt to dodge. Perhaps without a head, it had lost its main detection abilities, or maybe [Homo Elysian Predation] had momentarily redirected its instinct.

The reason mattered little in the face of the result. As the triple cocoon of [Tribulation Piercing Spear] and the Aura injected into Promesse pierced the nexus of the Tier 3, Priam fell to his knees. According to Micro, [Diagnostic], and [Humanoid Anatomy], half of his meridians had just snapped. The amount of energy released was such that his human heart had exploded.

His system invoked the power of [Three-Headed Hydra], as its cooldown had reset with his death. His heart was restored as Priam wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth, observing the result of his attack.

The skeletal giant had a gaping hole in its ribcage. Three ribs were gone, revealing a path to an ink-like heart. Promesse was embedded in it, planted in an organ that was part organic, part magical. Priam winced as he saw it pulsate.

Damn it.

In a sigh, feeling his pathways leaking his aether, Priam recalled Promesse just as Dishnu summoned a vegetal chrysalis around the skeleton. The attack had been violent enough to kill ten Tier 2 rabhorns but had not vanquished a weakened Tier 3. Arnold was still ahead.

A notification from the System snapped him out of his thoughts.

Event: Necromoon

Champion of the Sun.

Ranking (Tier 0):
Esmée Lóthandorim - 248 942
Priam Azura - 169 112
Dishnu - 148 712
Tyr Lögsögumad - 135 426
Aydan Lóthandorim - 64 137

Congratulations, you place second.

Reward:
Second place: Blueprint - Holy Guardian (Moon Wyrm Egg)

Moon Wyrm Egg - The Space Terror. Like the different phases of the Moon, this descendant of the Dragons is capable of changing their hunting methods. As elusive as the New Moon, as powerful as the Full Moon, they know how to adapt to slay their prey. Standard power at adulthood: Tier 4 - Prince.

“With quite a setup, Esmée is downright terrifying,” murmured Priam.

Instead of rejoicing over his reward, he scrutinized the ranking. Jasmine had sought information from Myuri about the Princess's power. Manipulating probabilities seemed to be a power as versatile as it was complex. According to the former servant, Esmée had to know all the parameters of a system and set up unstable elements before she could truly unleash her capabilities.

Priam and his system had concluded that his rival was a dangerous opponent when she set the rules and rather weak when caught off guard. Clearly, she had anticipated this event.

That didn't bother Priam much. The first prize was undoubtedly better, but a wyrm with an affinity for the moon was great when he had to upgrade [Moon Mist] and control Hecate’s New Moon.

The vegetal cocoon closed completely around the giant, and Priam looked up at Dishnu. With giant strides, the treant was quickly approaching. Up close, the Dryad's combat form was terrifying. His body was an assembly of half-necrotic trunks, roots, and branches. His eyes were two red dots piercing cracked bark and burning with intense hatred.

Priam was ready to merge with his mist at the first sign of hostility. Dishnu had always seemed peaceful, but it was clear that he wasn't entirely himself. Without extra life and unable to use any active skills, Priam preferred not to take any risks.

With a crack, the treant's torso opened to let out the Dryad. Casting a saddened look at the chrysalis containing the skeleton, he turned to Priam.

“I thought I would have to take care of Log-a-rhythm after your death...”

“Sorry for surviving. Are you trying to convert the corrupted?” Priam asked, looking at the vegetal cocoon.

Dishnu shook his head. “Unfortunately, it's impossible. His heart contains a Necro Concept fragment too pure to erode. I just bought us some time to escape.”

“Escape? I'm not sure he's ready to fight anytime soon.”

“He can absorb the corrupted to regenerate. In a few minutes, he'll have regained his strength and will know our techniques.”

“To think Arnold managed to kill one of those monsters alone…”

Dishnu remained silent for a moment before looking towards the horizon. “This kind of event is not his specialty, but he would have had no trouble taking second place. I think his victory cost him dearly.”

“I like that theory, so I'll believe it. Would you mind dropping me off at my base?” Priam asked without shame. Without his most powerful abilities, he saw no point in unnecessarily endangering himself.

The Dryad gave him a look that Priam couldn't decipher.

“I suppose I could go check on Log-a-rhythm...” he finally replied. Priam grunted.

*

An egg half a meter tall sat on a wooden pedestal. Inside Log-a-rhythm, Priam grimaced from pain that Micro couldn't silence. His shattered meridians poisoned his body with impure aether. His spiritual body was eroding; he had no more than two days to live.

No cause for concern for him, who was observing the Holy Guardian he had just summoned. The first level had been almost free, but the subsequent ones became expensive.

Holy Guardian I (5 000 points) - Transforms a blueprint into a Guardian. Capable of detecting intruders, it defends your territories.

Properties: Immune to the Necro curse. Resistant to the Necro Concept. Cannot leave your Territory. ACQUIRED

…

Holy Guardian IV (50,000 points) - Develops the power of your Holy Guardian and grants it the potential of a Marquess. Only a High Tribulation can improve your Holy Guardian's Soul Tier.
Properties: Immune to the Necro curse. Resistant to the Necro Concept. Cannot leave your Territory. Development speed x4. Number of available resurrections: 4. Natural affinity (Moon): 90% (50% (base) + 40%). ACQUIRED

Developing his wyrm's power had cost Priam ninety thousand points. It was expensive, but it would be profitable if the creature quickly reached its adult power. It would hatch in a few days if Priam didn't find another use for it sooner.

[Detection of a high-quality trophy. Creating a gate using this trophy is recommended.]

Priam knew he couldn't sacrifice one of his pets to complete Heavenly Dragon. However, as long as the egg hadn't hatched, it was fair game.

"Might as well wait," he decided.

Priam could buy a Mist Wyrm egg for a little over a quarter of a million Sun points. Before completing Heavenly Dragon, he still needed to upgrade [Aether Perception] and [Aether Manipulation] to Epic rank. In the meantime, he would let this egg grow.

As he prepared to leave the secret room, Priam's draconic instinct stopped him. A Moon Wyrm... Opening a passage to his internal world, Priam placed the egg at the bottom of the central pond. It was directly connected to his soul, and he invoked his own [Moon Mist].

A fog appeared, camouflaging and incubating the egg. Priam smiled as he left Log-a-rhythm.

He found Jasmine at the top of Log-a-rhythm. The assassin swung on a flexible branch, twenty meters above the ground.

“Have you made up your mind?” Priam asked.

“Yeah, I would like you to transform me into Homo Elysian a second after the beginning of my Tribulations.”

Priam nodded. Jasmine had decided to attempt a quadruple Tribulation. The ordeal would start in a few hours, and resetting her race would have turned a quadruple Tribulation into a double, increasing her chances of survival but reducing her potential.

Jasmine had chosen servitude over death by accepting their pact, but that didn't mean she was cowardly. The assassin was afraid of death, but she was even more fearful of powerlessness. Without Priam's guarantees, she would never have accepted her soul leash.

“Did you buy a Hydra Pill?”

Capable of reforming the body in moments, this pill was essential for changing race without suffering from genetic incompatibility issues in the middle of a Tribulation.

Jasmine nodded. “I'm ready. Mirscella is still in the Tribulations Chamber?”

Priam grimaced. “Yes, but I don't sense anything except her breathing and heartbeat. She must be asleep, so you can start whenever you want.”

Jasmine nodded. “I bought everything I wanted. No reason to wait any longer.”

“As you wish,” Priam replied, opening a passage to the Tribulations Chamber.

*

Status:

PHYSICAL:
Strength 489 (+25)
Constitution 856 (+29)
Agility 473 (+3)
Vitality 765 (+16)
Perception 685 (+2)

MENTAL:
Vivacity 421 (+5)
Dexterity 538 (+21)
Memory 318 (+4)
Willpower 925 (+16)
Charisma 585

META:
Meta-affinity 418 (+3)
Meta-focus 350 (+8)
Meta-endurance 296 (+34)
Meta-perception 204 (+3)
Meta-chance 230
Meta-authority 30 (+6)

Potential: 1940 (-288)
Tier 0

Sun points: 53 122 (-59 342)

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: OFF. Reloaded in 13 hours 10 minutes 16 seconds.

[Tribulation]: Three Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 166 days 13 hours 43 minutes 9 seconds.

Next thresholds: 6 attributes > 600 / 3 attributes > 900