Novel Bin Chapter 183: When a Concept Hatches
Chapter 183: When a Concept Hatches
Priam grimaced as the rays of the Necromoon touched his skin. Leaving behind the protection of Log-a-rhythm, he was swiftly flying away. The events rewards were tempting, but Priam refused to jeopardize his loved ones.
Zooming through the skies, Priam replaced his mist cloak with flames and activated his scales. Their protection cost him no aether and partially blocked the crimson light of the malevolent star. The relief made him sigh with contentment.
Priam's willpower and constitution were too high for mere exposure to necro light to pose a danger, but the lunar caress was degrading. Just as he would refuse to dive into a pool of excrement, even if his vitality guaranteed good health, Priam abhorred the bloody rays of the moon. It sought to violate his soul, manipulating his consciousness, and that was unbearable.
A deathly silence caught his attention. Below him, hills and valleys were covered with trees and rivers. Every plant seemed to be a haunt of the corrupted. As far as Priam could see, hundreds of thousands of glowing eyes fixated on him. Suddenly, one of the revenants screamed, triggering a chain reaction.
The shattered silence faded with the arrival of the dreadful clamor.
Priam looked back, confirming that Log-a-rhythm had disappeared behind a chain of tall hills. I'm far enough, he decided, coming to a halt. A louder cry than the others echoed, restoring silence. Priam summoned Promesse upon spotting a familiar Tier 2 in the distance.
At the end of the valley, the necrowolf observed him from a promontory. The beast that had swiftly decapitated him a few days earlier had not forgotten their meeting. Nor had Priam.
Smirking, the Homo Elysian weighed his spear as his system provided a trajectory capable of hitting the animal. Arming his weapon, focused on [Spear Throw], Priam summoned Micro and his connection with Promesse. When his will resonated with his linked weapon, Priam arched his body. The force came from his pelvis, traveled up his back to his shoulder, and then exploded in his arm. Half a dozen muscles overstrained as Priam's back turned into a bow and his arm into a whip.
Lvl Up: [Spear Throw] lvl 19
DEXT +3
[Kinetic Control] boosted the attack as Promesse left Priam's Domain. The characteristic thunder of the broken sound barrier echoed in the valley.
The spear disappeared.
Priam activated [Three-headed Hydra], regenerating the half-dozen muscles that had exploded upon the launch. Simultaneously, he observed the necrowolf.
Promesse reappeared a few meters from the target. Just as Priam feared the creature would dodge, he felt [Homo Elysian Predation] activate. The corrupted wolf thought it could tank the attack head-on. It was a mistake.
For the second time in its existence, the creature's instinct had betrayed it.
Three kilometers from Priam, the forest trembled. A shockwave lifted a dust dome, briefly pierced by a spear rejoining its master.
Priam grimaced, noting the absence of Sun points. The attack had hit, but he was still too weak to one-shot a Tier 2. Soon...
The dust cloud parted, revealing his adversary amidst uprooted trees. The necrowolf's skull had split open, exposing a broken spine. Priam flashed a mocking smile.
"I'm here; come get me," he taunted. The beast didn't dare, disappearing into the forest. At Tier 2, the corrupted weren't entirely stupid. Priam knew it would return with reinforcements. In the meantime, let's accumulate some easy points.
His hearts pulsed, sending a wave of energy throughout his body. His soul illuminated before resonating with the flame symbolizing his Fire Concept. Surveying the tide of corrupted, Priam smiled.
A lone man soared high above the valley. Like a star defying the Necromoon, his flames infuriated millions of powerless corrupted below.
Summoning a fireball, Priam hurled it onto the horde writhing beneath him. The explosion shattered the silence and the status quo. Roaring, hundreds of skeletal creatures took flight. Deathsquitos, bats, raptors, birds, and various necromantic creatures rushed towards him.
Laughing, Priam summoned a fiery wave that intercepted the assault. The overheated air wiped out the Tier 0s while the flames ravaged the Tier 1s. Only a dozen corrupted survived the devastation. On his part, Priam had not yet depleted his resources; his Fire Concept manipulated the ambient aether.
As the last flying Tier 1s approached, [Priam's System] transformed his cloak into a protective coiling snake. In a fraction of a second, its volume multiplied as it stretched out to devour the survivors. Priam had no need for an elemental as long as he had his system.
[Temporary Boost:
237 Corrupted (T0 - common) defeated (PHY +23.7%).
17 Corrupted (T1 - common) defeated (PHY +17% MENT+17%).
Conquest Timer: 4 min 59s
Aether Reserve: 262/262]
Feeling his attributes increase under the effects of Conquest, Priam decided to kick it up a notch. He had about fifty-eight minutes left to accumulate as many points as possible. With a defiant glint in his eyes, Priam decided to show his rivals what he was capable of. Honestly, he wanted to prove it to himself.
A portal opened beneath his feet, leading to the Fire Domain. The infinite fire burning there responded to the call of the Fire Champion. Following his will, a cascade of flames began to fall towards the ground five hundred meters below.
The blazing deluge would destroy everything in its path, consuming the corrupted to fuel its rage. The snowballing ability of fire was its main advantage, but Priam wanted more. Releasing his Conquest Aura, he merged it with the conflagration. Like a king finally crowned, the fire crackled, its flames shining with a silvery brilliance.
When the fiery avalanche touched the ground, the valley trembled. Both trees and undeads turned into torches before being consumed. Their resistance to fire seemed negative. Priam smiled, feeling his Aura decrease before filling up again. Fire and Conquest were two forces that consumed everything in their path, feeding on this destruction. Bodies, minds, and curses were crushed, annihilated, and transformed into energy.
Observing the massacre, Priam quickly realized that the number of Tier 0s mattered little against his Concept. His build was perfect for dealing with a multitude of weak opponents. Let's see if Arnold can do better.
In the following minutes, like the pyroclastic eruption of a volcano, the cataclysm spread across the valley, devouring undeads, trees, earth, and air. Nothing seemed able to resist Priam as his attributes skyrocketed.
[Temporary Boost:
7 563 Corrupted (T0 - common) defeated (PHY +268%).
548 Corrupted (T1 - common) defeated (PHY +232% MENT+250%).
Temporary maximum attributes reached.
Conquest Timer: 4 min 59s
Aether Reserve: 262/262]
Only the sight of the trees ravaged by flames somewhat dampened his enthusiasm. Despite his personality being influenced by Conquest, Priam did not appreciate seeing the forest go up in ashes. However, he had no choice: it was better than having plants corrupted by the Necromoon. With the extreme aether density, there's hope that everything will grow back within a few weeks.
Suddenly, the protective snake expanded, biting into thin air twenty meters from Priam. Caught in its fangs, Eve appeared.
Leaving the Divine Realm, Eve sighed with relief. She hated feeling Sumstreh scrutinize her soul for any vulnerability. Fortunately, the fallen god had once again failed to pierce her spiritual protection.
After leaving Priam's base, Eve had been ordered to monitor the other rivals. That had been her job until a few minutes ago when the new event was announced.
Seeing Sumstreh curse the System and the Necromoon, Eve had felt a certain schadenfreude. Such quests urged the ambitious to hunt, potentially revealing the Fallen's location. With the arrival of the tribes, they feared even recalling Priam despite the failure of their divine mark. Eve had been tasked with delivering orders to her rival.
Arriving on the surface, Eve headed towards the First. Gliding a few inches above the ash carpet, she glanced at the few shoots already reaching for the sky. The aether density in Elysium was so high that even the most ordinary trees grew rapidly. In a few weeks, the forest would reclaim its rights, erasing all traces of the confrontation between the First and the rabhorns.
The few corrupted wandering among the ashes didn't notice her for a moment. The consequence of one of Eve's best skills, [Insidious Scotomization - Legendary]. Once affected, the subject developed a powerful denial regarding Eve. Her appearance, position, and existence were ignored. Even their memory was tampered.
Recently, she had used it against Kazuki, manipulating an illusion during their duel while her real body was hidden among the hoplites.
A terrifying power that had little hold on Sumstreh.
A few minutes later, Eve reached the top of a rise. The orange clouds coloring the sky indicated that the First was not far.
"Holy..." Eve widened her eyes, seeing the valley in front of her. Millions of corrupted screamed as they moved towards a cyclopean cascade of flames. Every second, dozens of undeads entered a conquering fire. Despite the number of revenants, the corrupted legion seemed unable to stop the spread of the fire or even endanger its creator.
Priam Azura seemed the incarnation of an enraged angel. Levitating half a kilometer high, he dealt divine punishment to the helpless impious. One could say many things about the First, but he knew how to smite his enemies.
Eve frowned, probing the inferno. Something had been added to it. Ordinarily, [Insidious Scotomization] should have allowed Eve to be ignored by the Fire Concept, but this fire was different. Was it really the work of a puppet loyal to Sumstreh?
Glancing towards the Fire Champion, Eve decided to send an illusion to communicate. Sumstreh had received no information from his divine mark since its installation, and they worried. The Fallen was almost sure that the Necromoon's influence disrupted the information's return, but there was a slim chance that the First had freed himself. If that were the case, Eve didn't want to die.
A spectral swallow flew towards the fiery silhouette. Less than fifteen meters from the Champion, he spotted the bird.
Seeing the snake relax to destroy his creation, Eve turned it into a humanoid copy. Her eyes met those of her rival, who held back his hand.
"Eve," Priam said. "I thought it was an enemy."
"So, we're not enemies?" Eve smiled.
"We serve the same god," Priam replied as the snake released her.
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"How did you spot my illusion?"
"Instinct."
An unsatisfactory answer if ever there was one.
"... I have instructions for you. From our master."
The word disgusted Eve.
"I'm listening."
"You must become a Prince and save five million points. The Sun Shop has an item he's interested in."
Eve was aware of the ridiculousness of the request. Five million Sun points were the equivalent of five million basic corrupted. Only stopping to sleep and eat, the First would have to spend a hundred days killing a revenant per second to achieve it. It was possible in theory, but not in practice. The Necromoon continuously reinforced the corrupted, and not all of them were Tier 0s. In a few weeks, the majority would be Tier 1, and Tier 3s would become commonplace.
"Very well," Priam replied, tilting his head. "However, it might take some time. With his power, our master could certainly finish it faster."
Eve frowned before understanding her rivals confusion. "Youre wrong. Sun points are awarded based on the user's Tier. A Tier 1 gains zero points by killing a Tier 0 corrupted."
The System wouldn't let a Tier 4 get mythical rewards easily.
"I'll handle it," Priam replied. "What item should I buy?"
"I don't know yet," she shrugged. Sumstreh was suspicious of her. Just as she was of the First. Let's see if you're still there...
"By the way, your sphinx friend is still alive. Our master is trying to awaken her potential. If a tiny part of you still exists, it can rest easy."
Priam's misty eyes revealed nothing. After another failure, Eve's instinct whispered that nothing remained of her rival.
"What a shame... How many Sun points do you have?"
"Thirty-two thousand."
"The blueprint for [Grand Fire Resistance - Rare] costs thirty thousand points. Buy it for me," Eve asked, looking at the cataclysm below. During their conversation, Priam's Concept had continued to eradicate the horde. If Sumstreh ever sent Priam after her, ve refused to die without resisting.
A ruby appeared in Priam's hand, and he tossed it to her.
Perfect. Oh, I almost forgot: the Divine Realm is off-limits. Our master does not wish to alert the Tribes.
Without a last glance at Priam, Eve broke it. The insane influx of information cut the link between her and her illusion.
Several kilometers away, Eve opened her eyes and grimaced at the rising heat. Without a final glance, she turned around. There was much left to do.
Lvl Up : [True Will] lvl 3
WILL +18
CHAR +9
This bitch
Priam gritted his teeth as he watched ve vanish, taking almost all of his points with her. He had complied to avoid putting Sphinx in danger. Using Micro, the Champion channeled his anger. It wasn't worth getting upset over a future corpse.
Shifting his gaze back to the burning horde, Priam let his system continue its search. During the discussion, the add-on had attempted to pinpoint ve's location. [Aether Perception], enhanced by Conquest, his Fire Concept, his Aura, and even his instinct had all failed.
Fortunately, the System provided a clue. Or nearly. Priam had gained a level in his sole Legendary resistance: ve was using a mental block to keep him ignorant. She had undoubtedly timed the conversation to prevent [High Human Adaptation] from developing a resistance. Too bad for her, Priam had evolved since their last encounter.
The add-on paused its investigations after a few minutes. Priam didn't want to lose focus on the main goal. For now, the priority was to finish first. How many corrupted would Arnold defeat? Ten thousand? Fifty thousand?
I'll do better.
Redirecting all his attention to the infinite horde, Priam resumed his massacre. Blades of fire incinerated more and more skeletons. Priam, standing alone against the necro legion, advanced. Once again, he realized that in this new world, power was the only path to freedom.
Minutes passed as the timer dwindled. With each moment, the incandescent islet gained ground over the sea of corrupted. Focused, Priam and his system dominated the flames, targeting the fleeing and dodging the watercourses.
Ten minutes before the event's end, ten Tier 2 corrupted led by a perfectly healthy necrowolf appeared. Riding the wolf, a cloaked silhouette raised its hand. Instantly, all the corrupted in the valley froze. After nearly a hundred thousand deaths, the big boss appeared.
Priam's misty gaze met the bloody eyes of the opposing leader. As his flames continued to engulf dozens of corrupted every second, Priam had a bad feeling as he saw the creature lower its hand.
The horde descended into madness. The undead began eliminating each other, to Priam's astonished gaze. What in the world
Realitys fabric trembled behind the corrupted leader. A crimson sigil appeared in the sky. Measuring about twenty meters in diameter, it gained brilliance as the corrupted slaughtered each other.
[Estimated completion of the sigil: 100,000 sacrifices.]
Seeing the Tier 2s content to watch, Priam understood they intended to let the rune and its effect defeat him. Despite his curiosity about the massive ritual, Priam knew he had to thwart their plan.
With a mental command, Priam directed the wave of fire toward his enemies. Three kilometers away, the Tier 2s took defensive positions. Priam ordered his system to snipe the creatures.
One, two, three... Fifty fireballs, each the size of a house, appeared around Priam. Catapulted, they descended one by one upon the enemy. The ensuing explosions shook the valley.
Priam squinted as he observed the result of his artillery barrage. A second later, the retaliation came. The flame cloud parted, allowing black javelins to pass through.
Propelled at three times the speed of sound, they would reach their target in less than three seconds. [Priams System] summoned an ice wall that shattered, forcing Priam to merge with his flames.
Deflecting an attack from a Tier 2 wasn't so easily achievable.
Reappearing three meters away, Priam summoned Promesse and infused it with a portion of his Aura. Using his new physical attributes, he hurled it with all his might.
Lvl Up: [Spear Throw] lvl 20, 21
DEXT +6
[Spear Throw] has reached level 20. As a rare skill, a bonus is available. Choose one of these three options:
[Long Shot] - Your enemies die without even spotting you. POT -30
[Sniper] - Your shots elude your enemies' instincts. POT -30
[Bullet eye] - A fly at a kilometer? No problem. POT -30
You have selected [Sniper].
POT -30
After selecting a bonus that synergized with his new Racial Talent, Priam smiled as he saw Promesse hit the porcupine behind the retaliation. With six times his ordinary physical attributes, the attack was as spectacular as it was fatal. The necromantic creature exploded in a cloud of blood and bone dust. Headshot.
Event:Necromoon.
Banishment of a corrupted (Tier 2 - Baron) - Sun points +1 000
"Both qualities multiply," Priam theorized, looking at the earned points.
As Priam was recalling Promesse, the necromantic leader snapped his fingers. The next moment, a dark veil concealed the enemies. Without a firing line, Priam could no longer target them.
The leader is competent.DiScover ๐๐w stori๐s on no๐/e/lbin(.)com
Priam hesitated on the next move. Should he confront the Tier 2s or settle for the small fry?
Despite the exhilaration of dominating a horde of corrupted alone, Priam felt mental fatigue accumulating. His Conquest Aura would eventually dissipate, depriving the inferno of much of its lethality.
Glancing at his HUD, Priam saw less than ten minutes left on the event timer. His system indicated that the bloody sigil would activate before the end. The leader wouldn't let him off easy.
Sighing, Priam urged the Fire Concept to assail the Tier 2s. Advancing rapidly, the wall of flames and ashes engulfed thousands of undead on its path.
Less than five minutes before the timer's end, the first wave of flames licked the dark dome protecting the leaders and the sigil. A second crashed against the barrier, making it tremble. Wave after wave, Priam directed his wrath against the corrupted. In vain.
The blaze besieged the artificial rampart for about ten seconds before Priam accepted his powerlessness. The dome, a black island lost in an infernal ocean, seemed weak but would hold until the sigil activated.
Determined to stop it, Priam stared at the black dome, hesitating. Should he use his Breath? His ultimate attack could certainly destroy the protection but would leave him defenseless afterward. Against a dozen corrupted Tier 2s, with no Breath, Aura or aether, his chances were slim.
Which left only one solution.
Opening his Merits, Priam selected the Phoenix tree. As the Phoenix had predicted, the ideal upgrade to his fire resistance had changed his Merit.
Trees of Merit
[Hatched Phoenix - Gold] - Tier 2: Hardly Hatched, already a Fire Champion. As such, you know how restricted Fire is. The Seven Concepts have imprisoned its potential in a shell. Let it hatch.
9 Unused Merit Points.
Could there be more to the Fire Concept than Priam was able to access? If so, he wanted it.
[Hatched Phoenix - Gold] - Tier 2: ACQUIRED
[Hatched Phoenix - Gold] - Tier 3: Leaving behind the fragments of a broken eggshell, you near the cliff. The ground is far away, but Pyro is building up in your wings...
8 Unused Merit Points.
The flame illuminating Priam's soul transformed into an egg and he was seized by the beauty of the primordial runes inscribed on it. Suddenly, the Merit summoned a divine flow that bathed the egg, revealing to the Fire Champion an eternal chain locking it.
Do you wish to unleash Fire?
Status:
PHYSICAL:
Strength 464
Constitution 827
Agility 470
Vitality 749
Perception 683
MENTAL:
Vivacity 416
Dexterity 517 (+9)
Memory 313
Willpower 883 (+25)
Charisma 570 (+16)
META:
Meta-affinity 415
Meta-focus 342
Meta-endurance 262
Meta-perception 201
Meta-chance 230
Meta-authority 24
Potential: 2223 (-21)
Tier 0
Sun points: 96752 (+92742)
[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED.
[Tribulation]: Two Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 166 days 16 hours 2 minutes 39 seconds.
Next thresholds: 6 attributes > 600 / 1 attribute > 900