Novel East
Chapter 106: To cheat or not to cheat
Mirscella was descending the stairs to the dungeon. A thick door opened automatically, detecting the old lady's presence. Entering the prison proper, Mirscella wondered about the technology used by the System.
She had been able to infiltrate many places in the past. The arrival of biometric scanners of all kinds had changed things, but Mirscella had adapted. She had learned to hack, bypass and deactivate most of these protections. At least those used by civilians. The old lady hadn't reached such an advanced age by choosing the wrong targets.
With the onset of the apocalypse, her retirement had come to an end. The attributes offered by the System made her heart beat again. Her competitive spirit had awakened, and she was thinking about returning to service. She missed the tension of flying and the adrenalin of an assassination mission.
The trouble was that she didn't understand the Palais Ducal security system. For the moment, it didn't matter, because it belonged to Sphinx - a friend of Alain's son. But if she ever had a target protected by similar safeguards...
"Obviously, the answers lie in these skills," she murmured.
"Who's there?!" exclaimed a voice a little further away.
Mirscella shook her head, straightened her back - good posture was essential to avoid lumbar problems - and arrived in front of Claire's cell.
Behind a force field, the girl sitting on a chair seemed to be withering away. The dungeon didn't violate human rights, but it was nothing like a luxury suite.
"That's me," smiled Mircella. "I'll bring you some food. Some grilled wyvern. It's delicious, you'll see."
"... One last feast before my execution," Claire commented, lowering her eyes.
Mirscella sighed. She had nothing against the young woman, but her condition as a Revenant, coupled with her past actions, condemned her. Above all, she was Priam's enemy. You shouldn't have betrayed someone capable enough to engage in close combat with a wyvern. Mirscella kept this thought to herself.
"You can see it any way you like," she said, setting the tray on the floor.
"I'm not hungry. I'd rather know how my family is." The young woman's clear gaze fixed on her, and Mirscella smiled.
"Your sister's fine. Priam is not a monster, and we both know it. You're going to be executed, but I'm willing to bet he'll help your sister financially. Certainly anonymously. I'm a good judge of character: he's a nice guy."
Claire laughed. "He's an egotist. He doesn't want to read the accusation in my sister's eyes. He's buying himself a conscience, that's all," she spat.
Mirscella shrugged. "Perhaps, but actions speak as much as intentions. In any case, it will be positive for your sister."
"... What would be positive is if I could help her. You could..." Claire cried out, recoiling abruptly. A long gash appeared on her cheek.
"Don't try to use your power on me, Claire, threatened Mirscella. Priam will return in a few hours, and you will be executed for your crimes. If you try to manipulate my mind again, I'll bring forward the time of execution. Is that clear?"
Mirscella was perfectly composed as she stroked the dagger that had just appeared in her hand. Priam had warned her, and she had no desire to disappoint everyone by letting a fool escape.
Claire swallowed before nodding.
With a kick, Mirscella slid the meal tray to the ground. It crossed the force field and landed at Claire's feet. She looked down, and Mirscella turned on her heel.
"What about his crimes?"
"Excuse me?" the old lady asked, turning slightly.
"He, too, has committed crimes. Hundreds of people died because of him. Who will judge him?" Claire trembled as she spoke the words.
Mirscella couldn't help but burst out laughing. The innocence of young people was sometimes disconcerting.
Several seconds later, she calmed down. "No one. No one can, and honestly... no one wants to. At least not the people who matter."
"This world is rotten," Claire murmured.
Mirscella moved away. The prison door opened to let her through.
"It's not rotten. Just ruthless."
Priam had been born in one Universe and spent his youth there. Then he had been kidnapped to a new Universe, by the Seven Great Concepts and their System.
His patron was from another Universe - or so they'd told him. [He Who Eludes Death] really shone because it was alien to the System. In other words, it came from another Universe and obeyed laws different from those of the Concepts.
Of course, Priam did not doubt that the System could kill him easily. In their Universes, Concepts were quasi-omnipotent. But they were looking for something external to complement themselves. Something alien. For this reason, this kind of stupidly powerful Talent was allowed. It suited Priam.
However, for all his patron's power, the Concepts had defeated them - or so their speech had implied.
Likewise, despite his cheat Talent, Priam had had trouble defeating the forty-fifth wave of the Colosseum. There were a hundred of them, and he was running out of steam even before the halfway mark.
Priam looked at himself objectively. He had lost a great deal of blood and bore witness to at least three deep cuts. His left heart had been destroyed, and his right eye was blind.
"Bechar must think I'm pathetic... Time to stop being arrogant, I guess."
When he played video games, Priam was the type to aim for the end game. His favorite strategy was to survive until the end of the game and then destroy his opponents. But this is real life... I have to make concessions, he realized.
With his mind made up, Priam invoked his Trees of Merit. Now was not the time to be sure. It was time to win.
Trees of Merit
Each new Title opens a new Tree of Merit.
Upgrading a Tree of Merit to Tier 9 uses 10 Merit points.
Each Title only gives 1 Merit point, thus upgrading a Tree of Merit to Tier 9 condemns 9 other Titles. Spend them wisely.
[Tribulation Wyvern Heart - Silver] - Tier 1: Your blood modifies your heart.
[Tenacious Spirit - Silver] - Tier 4: Locked. Requires a Gold Title.
[Quester - Silver] - Tier 0: Your instincts are sharpening.
[Infantile Phoenix - Silver] - Tier 0: Your flame affinity allows you to manipulate fires.
[Three-headed Hydra - Silver] - Tier 2: When your body is in perfect health, your Vitality accumulates. The subsequent injury you receive will be healed all the faster because your Vitality has accumulated.
[Hermes' Apprentice] - Tier 0: Future messenger, you are temporarily accepted when traveling to other worlds than Elysium.
[Moon Earl - Gold] - Tier 5: Locked. Requires a Legendary Title.
[Upgrader] - Tier 0: You begin to feel the aethereal workings of your skills
[Forerunner - Silver] - Tier 0: Your META (chance) increases temporarily when you work on a project capable of improving humanity's standing.
[To the Moon] - Tier 0: [Bullet time] is automatically triggered when you are in danger of death.
[Admirer of Atlas] - Tier 0: Your power works miracles. You can temporarily double your strength.
[Veteran] - Tier 0: Your resistance is even more effective.
[Threat Killer] - Tier 0: You feel people's hostile thoughts toward you.
[Iconoclast - Gold] - Tier 0: You're beginning to feel your soul.
[Fighter of the Depths] - Tier 0: You are more resistant to the corruption of the Depths.
[Supersonic Boy - Silver] - Tier 0: Passively modifies your aethereal code to make you more aerodynamic.
[Land Owner - Silver] - Tier 0: You can instantly create a building (Tier 1) on your Land - from a list provided by the System.
[Primogenitor - Gold] - Tier 0: You can tax one-thousandth of the Potential gain of your hundred most powerful descendants. Limited to 100 POT per decade.
[Horseman of the Apocalypse - Legendary] - Tier 0: Your aura is tinged with Conquest's spirit.
[Pseudo Immortal Slayer - Silver] - Tier 0: Double your life expectancy.
[The Reaper - Bronze] - Tier 0: The Reaper is a Tracker. Place a mark on an afraid enemy and follow them to the ends of the earth.
10 Unused Merit Points.
Priam selected [Tribulation Wyvern Heart]. His heart contained a [Tribulation]. Given what had just happened, he understood that he knew nothing of this power. It was time to verify that his power would not lead to his destruction.
He quickly checked one last piece of data.
Compatibility assessed at 53%.
His heart was not yet fully compatible with his body. A Tribulation-affected wyvern heart was beating in a High Human's body. Fortunately, it seemed that [High Human Adaptation] was gradually increasing their compatibility. When he had received the heart two days ago, his compatibility stood at 52%. I can't wait for 100% so that the true power of my heart can be revealed.
Priam validated the Merit.
[Tribulation Wyvern Heart - Silver] - Tier 1: Your blood modifies your heart. ACQUIRED.
9 Unused Merit Points.
...Your heart becomes more compatible with your body.
New compatibility assessed at 63%.
Priam smiled as he read these lines. It was precisely what he needed. Closing his eyes, he felt a warmth in his chest. His heart was now more familiar.
"Time for a shopping spree!"
[Tribulation Wyvern Heart - Silver] - Tier 2: Your heart changes your blood. ACQUIRED.
8 Unused Merit Points.
Priam felt his body grow stronger. His bone marrow created blood that flowed through his veins. As the vital fluid passed through his draconic heart, it was transformed. More powerful, energetic, and magical, it fortified his body.
With each passing second, his muscles grew more robust, his tendons more supple and his bones sturdier.
FOR +50
CONST +30
VIT +30
META (END) +30
...Your heart becomes more compatible with your body.
New compatibility assessed at 69%.
The System changed his body quickly. What would normally have taken years was now happening in seconds.
Priam closed his fist and felt the new power in his muscles. Satisfied, he continued shopping.
[Tribulation Wyvern Heart - Silver] - Tier 3: Dragon atavism changes you. Your throat transforms, and your spiritual body welcomes a third lung. You are now able to create a Breath. ACQUIRED.
7 Unused Merit Points.
Priam trembled as he felt his spirit body transform. His throat itched for a moment. Raising his hand to his neck, he suddenly felt a new sensation. The third lung didn't exist physically - or at least Micro didn't feel anything - but was present spiritually.
And his organ was breathing.
Perhaps the word was incorrect, for rather than breathing air, it breathed aether. [Aether Perception] and his Domain allowed him to observe the ambient aether being absorbed into an immaterial organ at the top of his torso. The sensation was exhilarating. A power was rising within him, just waiting to... blow.
Priam felt as if he'd remembered a new limb he'd forgotten until now. He could block this breath naturally but couldn't speed it up. The Breath needed to prepare itself. About an hour to be ready?
By dragging things out a bit, he'd have a chance to set it off before leaving the Colosseum!
Satisfied, Priam took one last look at his merits.
[Tribulation Wyvern Heart Silver] - Tier 4: Requires a Gold Title.
7 Unused Merit Points.
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Soon... Merit would be unlocked only when his Title reached Gold. That is, when his heart's compatibility reached 100%.
The gong sounded, and Priam closed the Merit tree. He still had seven Merit points but a multitude of things to progress on. Spreading himself in too many directions was a bad idea.
Suddenly, part of the arena's sand was lifted. As if attracted by an invisible point levitating about a meter above the ground, the tiny particles gathered to create a sphere.
With a radius of some fifty centimeters, the globe floated for a few moments before bursting into flames. A shockwave brutally condensed it, and Priam squinted. An elemental? A golem?
[Identification]
[Fiery Sand Elemental - Viscount] - A sand sphere that has cultivated a consciousness due to a significant event. Controls sand and fire.
An elemental is a pseudo-immortal creature. That shouldn't be a problem for a monster like you.
This specimen has only been alive for a few seconds. Only a monster would deprive it of the joy of living.
"I'd rather say I'll save it the trouble of killing me," said Priam. The fact that his opponent was pseudo-immortal didn't worry him. That's what [Pseudo Immortal Slayer] was for.
As you battle immortals, your instincts have a chance to whisper to you about their weaknesses.
The longer the fight goes on, the more distinct this whisper becomes.
Two fireballs appeared on the sides of the sphere. Priam prepared Promesse and concentrated on [Infantile Phoenix]. The Title promised to "control certain fires," and it was time to put it to the test.
One of the flaming balls orbiting the sand sphere began to pick up speed. After another rotation, the ball was ejected in Priam's direction. He moved to the side using [Battle Footwork] and [Dodge]. [Battle Flow] gave him the perfect timing, and Priam hit a magnificent home run with Promesse.
Rather than flying away, the fireball exploded on contact with the spear. [Battle Footwork] enabled Priam to dodge most of the blast. In the air, he had time to notice that his Title had absolutely no hold on this fire. This bloodline is starting to disappoint.
His mist felt another attack coming at him, and Priam used [Moon Mist] to create a wall of water between himself and the fireball. The fireball disappeared in a tiny explosion.
The mist will drown the elemental. A smile played on Priam's lips as he heard his Title-boosted instinct.
Gathering the mist that now covered the arena, Priam followed the advice to the letter. Several cubic meters of water drowned the sand sphere. The fire held out for a moment before dissipating.
Lvl Up : [Moon Mist] lvl 48
PERC +4
CHAR +2
META (AFFI) +3
Lvl Up : [Battle Flow] lvl 7
PERC +1
DEXT +2
Priam straddled the mist and thrust his spear into the heart of the elemental. The sphere exploded. The grains of sand, wet and compact, fell to the ground. Domain then sensed the presence of a kind of concept fragment. Each grain seemed to hold a part of this fragment.
Suddenly interested, Priam tried to draw the concept fragment to himself. It resisted, and the sphere began to reform. Shattering the sand globe was not enough to defeat a pseudo-immortal.
I could melt it with [Kinetic Control]. It's going to be expensive, especially if there are five more waves.
Before spending his Potential unnecessarily, Priam tried again to understand. The concept fragments seemed connected by an instinct. Or perhaps it was some sort of primal consciousness?
Anyway, it prevented him from dominating the fragment of sand concept. Priam swore as he realized that the fragment would surely dissipate along with the consciousness that had given birth to it.
"If only I could separate the concept from the mind that controls it..."
His instincts shook as [Eidetic Memory] brought back a memory. Priam widened his eyes and summoned [Tribulation Hunter], his unique skill. Suddenly, his Domain detected a link between the consciousness and the sand concept.
The next instant, Priam fired Promesse at the newly formed elemental. Dominated by Domain and chained by [Tribulation Hunter], the sand sphere exploded both physically and mentally. [Mirror of the Soul] opened up, absorbing the now orphaned concept fragment.
Lvl up: [Tribulation Hunter - Unique] lvl 7
META (Chance) +9
Priam looked up and saw Bechar staring at him, eyes wide. Apparently, separating a concept from their creator was no easy task. I guess I just cheated. Nice!
Offering an innocent smile to the changeling, he got back into a fighting position. A new gong sounded. In three waves, he would face the boss of the fiftieth wave. Victory would win him a World Seed.
It could birth a world inside him, capable of bringing his family back with him.
With one blind eye and a hole in his chest, Priam tightened his grip on Promesse. He was ready.
Arnold, First of the Var Elegis, watched the lake burn. In the sky, a pyroclastic cloud unleashed a righteous punishment on the Empire's home planet. Like a cockroach, his enemy was hiding to recuperate.
It didn't worry Arnold, even as his own injuries were severe, and his energy reserves were at an all-time low. The fight had begun almost an hour ago, meaning the enemy was remarkable. The System had populated the planet with monsters, each more powerful than the last.
Nevertheless, he was glad to have made the trip from Reunion Island. The satellite was orbiting at over two hundred and fifty thousand kilometers, but the journey had enabled him to overcome some of his weaknesses. He had even obtained a Title for his trouble.
A titanic wave rose as a creature that should never have left the ocean's depths came into the open. Arnold's calculations gave him only a 62% chance of victory. As a rule, the Var Elegis would have fled.
Not anymore.
Gathering his energy reserves, Arnold created a sphere of plasma in front of his right hand - the only one he had left.
From now on, Arnold would put his life on the line. It was the only way to catch up.
The monster let out a terrifying howl. The sound wave struck Arnold, making him wince. A 62% chance of victory was a high estimate.
"Good," he said. Lately, he had been talking to himself. "I'm sure the First was destroying this kind of Marquess right from the start of the Reunion!"
With a roar uncharacteristic of his species, Arnold released his Legendary skill.
"[Weaponry: Directed Energy - Plasma Cataclysm]!"
Priam sneezed as he destroyed the elemental of the forty-ninth wave. What the hell? How can I sneeze with my attributes?!
Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)
PHYSICAL:
Strength 317 (+75)
Constitution 448 (+33)
Agility 304
Vitality 465 (+42)
Perception 520 (+6)
MENTAL:
Vivacity 280
Dexterity 340
Memory 72
Willpower 462
Charisma 378 (+3)
META:
Meta-affinity 249 (+3)
Meta-focus 179
Meta-endurance 161 (+30)
Meta-perception 77
Meta-chance 207 (+9)
Meta-authority 12
Potential: 5961 (+8)
Tier 0
[He Who Eludes Death] charge: OFF. Reloaded in 18 hours 29 minutes 7 seconds.
[Tribulation]: One Tribulation pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 180 days 19 hours 2 minutes 20 seconds.
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