A Novel Concept - A death a day, MC will live anyway!

Chapter 104: He Who Lost His Heart

Reward: Choose two skills to merge. Rarity limit: Common or Rare rank.

Priam frowned as he read the reward. He had already fused [Thermal Resistance] with [Heat Resistance] to create [Infantile Phoenix Metabolism]. That was thanks to a Silver Rank Title, but it proved possible without a reward. Maybe not easy, but definitely possible.

However, the first question was: What was the point of merging two skills? It meant less Potential and attributes at each level up. Even if merging increased the skill's rarity, losing two Rare skills and gaining one Epic skill was a bad calculation. After all, he had unlocked the System just two weeks earlier. Priam would have taken a gamble that he would upgrade a skill to Epic rank within a week.

Looking up at Bechar, he saw the changeling wince. His source of answers had dried up. He couldn't ask the supervisor to sabotage his career for a few tricks. There was only one solution left...

Lord Phoenix, I have a question...' began Priam.

There are no Abominations left on the Moon, and I intend to honor this Quest. You shall have my light. However, I was waiting for the World Seed rather than simply illuminate your mental space,' explained the Phoenix.

Priam blinked before bowing in no particular direction. 'Thank you, but I wasn't thinking of that.'

'...' When it became clear that the Phoenix was too proud to ask for further explanation, Priam continued.

I've got a reward from the System,' explained Priam. 'I was wondering what the point of merging two skills is. How do you know what a good fusion is?'

'One question at a time,' replied the Phoenix. 'It's an excellent reward. It's one of the ways you claim a skill.'

Priam frowned. 'Claim?'

'... One of the prerequisites for upgrading a skill to Legendary rank. But you are a long way off. What interests you is that this reward allows you to transform two unfamiliar skills into a useful skill for which you have an affinity.'

'...and the lost attributes?" couldn't help asking Priam.

'You already know the answer to your question, so don't waste my time. You're not a chick who needs to be reassured constantly,' reprimanded the Phoenix.

Priam grimaced. A rare skill could reach level forty. That was the equivalent of one hundred and twenty attribute points. A huge number for a beginner and a drop in the ocean for a Dragon. If he ever wanted to face this kind of mythical creature, he would need powerful skills. Legendary was a minimum.

He was greedy, but not to the point of sacrificing a bright future for immediate gain. Priam didn't want to be a shooting star, he wanted to be a shining star.

'I understand. Any advice on how to choose those two skills?' He could let his newfound draconic instincts guide him, but a little advice couldn't hurt. He didn't even have to listen to them.

'Choose skills that have potential but don't resonate with you. Avoid primordial skills. Trust your instincts.'

One word had caught Priam's eye. 'Primordial skills?'

'[Aether Manipulation] for example. Right now, it's a basic skill, but if it reaches the Zenith... Rewriting and manipulating aether would give you power equivalent to one of the Seven Great Concepts. Don't dilute it,' finished the Phoenix.

Priam felt the discussion was over and mentally thanked the mythical bird. The Phoenix's consciousness faded and Priam found himself alone with his thoughts.

First of all, he directly dismissed his resistance. These would evolve naturally to meet his needs. The next moment, he mentally crossed out all the skills he thought he could raise to Legendary rank without too much difficulty.

I need to eliminate two skills that are of little use to me, but whose fusion would become useful, Priam summarized.

For a moment, he hesitated to merge [Art of Movement] and [Dodge]. The various bosses had shown him that his movements in combat were suboptimal. However, both skills were not really violence-oriented.

Priam intended to create a footwork skill over the next few fights. If he failed, he would use his Potential. This operation would have to be carried out in Elysium: Mercury had confirmed that skill creation was more or less expensive depending on aether density. It was one of the reasons why [Kinetic Control] had cost so little.

Maybe I could merge different perception skills... That would allow me to centralize my perception. Priam thought he had a good idea but could only combine two skills. For the moment...

Lvl Up : [Bullet Time] lvl 17

PERC +3

Reading the notification, Priam had an idea. His time was precious. [Bullet Time] was currently quite weak, but its effect had potential. Yet it was almost useless in combat for a simple reason: his Perception was far superior to his Vivacity.

By activating [Bullet Time], Priam accelerated his perception of the world. But it was the weakest link in the chain that decided his resistance. His Vivacity was already unable to process all the information gathered by his perception. Outside combat, [Bullet Time] was useful when concentrating on himself. In a fight, the influx of data was too great. This was a major weakness.

One possibility for improvement was to increase his training time. If he could train twenty-five hours a day where his enemies would train twenty-four hours... This kind of skill had to exist, but their rarity would be at least legendary.

On the other hand, it should be possible to increase his thinking time when studying the aether, the System and his skills. Indeed, Priam intended to explore his new environment as soon as he had the time.

For this reason, Priam selected [Bullet Time] and [Meditation]. [Focus] might have done the trick, but the skill was too valuable in combat for him to risk destroying it.

His goal was simple: to have more time to think, mentally confront his enemies, and include a perception component in his meditation.

Fusion of [Bullet Time - Rare] - lvl 17 and [Meditation - Rare] - lvl 14...

You have gained a new skill [Frozen Meditation - Rare] - lvl ?

Do you want to reset the skill level? If not, [Frozen Meditation] will start at level 15.

...

Reset.

Priam would rather cut off one of his fingers than sacrifice forty-five points of attributes. Literally.

[Frozen Meditation] lvl 0 - Your meditation is so deep that it changes your perception of the world. Your thoughts calm down and, paradoxically, speed up. Your body slows down and your sensitivity increases.

You are an iceberg; those who neglect the submerged part will suffer the Titanic's fate.

PERC +1

WILL +2

Priam sat cross-legged, testing his creation. [Frozen Meditation] was triggered, and the world slowed down, before fading away. All that remained was Priam, his thoughts, memories and objectives.

Priam activated Micro and watched his Supremacy take control of his body. As if in slow motion, he analyzed his muscles, nerves, tendons and blood flow.

He had so much to learn. Micro had so much to offer and [Frozen Meditation] was showing every one of his mistakes. Micro's second stage was at hand. Priam focused on it.

A cheerful thought crossed his mind, only to be crushed immediately. Under the effect of skill, Priam was ridding himself of the superfluous, seeking only to improve himself. He was free of all attachments, moved only by his will to evolve. [Frozen Meditation] was more than a general skill. It was tailored for Priam.

The gong finally sounded. Priam canceled his skill and immediately began to hyperventilate.

The skill was of rare rank, but... it was as terrifying as an Epic-rank skill. His meditation transformed him into a near-perfect being, and the difference in temporal flow drowned out his perception of the world. Without the gong, Priam would have been on his feet for hours. Maybe even days. He wouldn't have stopped until he reached Micro's second stage.

"I have to be careful..." he murmured, looking up. He still had to stay in command of his mind.

At the other end of the arena, a wave broke. A Viscount-ranked mermaid surfed towards him. Her beauty was unreal. Hair the color of fire, scales that looked so soft... Priam wanted nothing more than to cut up the creature trying to manipulate his thoughts.

Promesse, as faithful as ever, exploded the mermaid's skull. Even in death, the monster's charisma made her impossibly attractive.

In the following waves, Priam learned more about his Charisma. In addition to making the user beautiful, charming and attractive, and his words spellbinding, the attribute also protected him from the charisma of others.

Arriving in the arena, the boss of the fortieth wave began with pressurized water jets. Priam dodged four attacks and parried the fifth with Promesse. When he looked up, he saw a veritable tsunami. The siren had summoned a terrifying wave moving at a Maglev speed. Rather than absorb the kinetic energy of such a wave, Priam teleported behind it.

A few yards away, the blond creature with sapphire eyes gazed at him tenderly. The force of her charisma came crashing down on Priam. Taken by surprise, the young Earl fell to his knees. How could he dare harm a creature of such perfection?

His weakened hand let Promesse slip out and cut into his foot. Momentarily awake, Priam activated [Emotional Disciple] and [Focus].

Lvl Up : [Emotional Discipline] lvl 3

WILL +3

His thoughts cleared for a moment before he felt a caress. In one fluid movement, the siren's hand lifted his head. Priam's eyes looked into the mermaid's and time stopped.

Lvl Up : [Emotional Discipline] lvl 4

WILL +3

A moment later, an intense pain shot through his chest. Stunned, Priam used Micro and understood. His left heart had disappeared.

Satisfied, the siren retracted her charismatic aura and gave him a cruel smile. Priam activated his Domain and his own charismatic aura.

Realizing her mistake, the Siren made eyes at him again. She had restored her charisma, but too late: Priam's aura protected him. Mentally, he reminded himself never to deactivate his Domain. Until now, he'd avoided doing so, so as not to unconsciously manipulate others.

Lvl Up : [Emotional Discipline] lvl 5

WILL +3

Priam took hold of the mermaid's hand, which was still embedded in his chest. Aided by Micro, he locked his grip.

With a cruel grimace, Priam activated two charges of [Kinetic Control]. The first expelled him backward. The second threw the siren away from him.

For a moment, nothing happened. After a second, a disturbing sound was heard. The siren's shoulder joint struggled against Priam's grip. Priam's Constitution rose above. A horrible sucking sound was heard, and the mermaids shoulder freed her arm. The boss was brutally propelled backward.

Priam threw the bloody limb into the water that now covered the arena. The boss' body ricocheted three times on the liquid surface before collapsing against the opposite wall. Promesse prevented her from rising again by pinning her head to the wall.

The boss of the fortieth wave, an Earl, was no more. Activating the first Merit of [Tribulation Wyvern Heart], Priam regenerated his heart, stopping the bleeding.

Reward: Mythological modification.

Precision: semi-unique reward. Whatever you choose will no longer be available to anyone else in your civilization in that reward round.

Priam read the various proposals carefully before smiling. There was little chance of another human defeating wave forty. But if they did, Priam would have the first pick.

He went through the list again. Without more detail, it was difficult to choose; nevertheless, unique rewards had to be interesting. It was strange to note that he had never appreciated body modifications. He'd never had a tattoo, for example.

Yet, since the System, his point of view had changed. Survival left no room for hesitation. Two modifications interested him. Prometheus' Chain and Hecate's New Moon seemed to resonate with his path.

Finally, Priam eliminated Prometheus' chains. Depending on the story, the titan had sacrificed himself more or less willingly. Some portrayed him as a liberator. Others, as an immortal seeking to undermine Zeus' authority. All stories ended with his eternal torture.

Priam had enough chains to wear without putting up with those of others.

Selected award: Hecate's New Moon.

Priam blinked and found himself back in space. Clinging to the firmament, countless stars shone brightly. The infinite blackness was terrifying. As a primal terror awoke within him, a force soothed him.

Or rather, sealed the emotion.

Priam swallowed as he looked ahead. Part of the firmament was starless. Before Priam laid an invisible moon. Colder than the Sun, lonelier than the planets, more secretive than the oceans.

The Moon had two faces, and accepted Priam's masks.

If the Full Moon revealed vices and released demons, vampires and other horrors, the New Moon sealed them. The Moon influenced the tide. Any waves that arose were doomed to crash.

Priam would make sure of that.

A gong sounded again. Priam blinked before wiping away the tears that had appeared there. Am I crying? His eyes were burning, and seemed to be the new seat of the New Moon. Ill check that later

Directing his gaze towards a gate, Priam saw a suit of armor cautiously approaching. Medieval in style, the armor had the distinction of being empty. At least, that's what the mist seeping through the gaps in the helmet told him. The armor held an impressive longsword, and Priam inclined his head. The boss would certainly be interesting to defeat.

On a mental command, the mist concentrated, taking the form of a chain. Encircling the armor, it immobilized it before contracting. Like a tin can, the Viscount crumpled in on itself. Priam smiled as he felt the new strength of his mist.

His affinity - his Harmony - with the concept of mist had increased. Better still, [Moon Mist] had gained in strength. Priam sensed other changes and decided to test them directly.

A new gong sounded, and Priam watched a dozen armors approaching. Shaking his head, he decided to rush the boss. There's nothing like mortal combat to make rapid progress. It was all the more accurate thanks to his draconic instincts.

Promesse slaughtered half the armors, and [Moon Mist] took care of the other half.

The forty-third wave was unleashed. Fifty armors, each capable of facing Blueberry, appeared. Priam shook his head and smiled. Spending a little Potential, he created fifty ice spears. Propelled by [Kinetic Control], each one decapitated a suit of armor.

POT -10

The forty-fourth wave offered a hundred suits of armor. Priam regained control of the fifty ice spears and finished the wave in three seconds. It was now evident that a powerhouse could absolutely destroy an army on his own. More than ever, Priam was determined to take his fate into his own hands.

The gong sounded, and a suit of armor appeared in front of Priam. Surprised, he stepped back to identify it.

[Haunted Swordmasters Armor - Tier 0 - Earl] - The armor of a Tier 2 Noble. It continues to fight after his Master's defeat. Unable to think independently, its reflexes and techniques are nonetheless terrifying.

Perhaps one day, your clothes will try to avenge you. Or not, as you're constantly walking around naked. Have you no shame?

The green-hued armor shifted into a combat stance, and Priam stood on guard. The siren had destroyed one of his hearts in a matter of seconds. This new boss seemed very crude.

Priam smiled as he watched the master-at-arms. It was his chance to learn how to fight correctly.

The haunted armor leaped at him without warning. Its speed eclipsed Priam's. Surprised, he tried to move to his right. The boss was already waiting for him there and tried to slash at him. Promesse stepped in to parry. Like a snake, the sword's blade seemed to become fluid and wrapped itself around the spear.

A second after the fight had begun, the tip of the sword struck a layer of ice that Priam had hastily created. [Kinetic Control] absorbed the energy of the blow. Despite that, Priam coughed up blood.

A terrifying force laid behind the attack - Priam's meridians were burning him. Moreover, some of the kinetic energy had gone undetected by his skill. What was that?! His organs had taken quite a beating. Micro repelled the pain, but the damage was still there.

Without giving him time to think, the boss pressed his advantage. This time, the sword was aimed at his head, and Priam stepped back. With a thought, he seized the fifty or so spears scattered around the arena. Stepping back to avoid another attack, Priam focused on a spear behind the boss. Taking advantage of this blind spot, he propelled it towards the monster at the speed of a sniper's bullet.

In a supernaturally graceful movement, the warrior armor rotated, parrying the attack. The spear burst into a cloud of ice crystals. Taking advantage of the attack's kinetic energy, the boss leaped at Priam. Such was the boss's speed that Priam wasn't confident of being able to dodge or teleport fast enough.

Shit! [Tribulation Piercing Spear].

Promesse dashed forward to meet the haunted monster. The monster's sword met the spear and... canceled the attack. Priam's eyes widened as he consulted his perception. At breakneck speed, the boss had attacked eight times in a fraction of a second. Each blow, concentrated precisely on the tip of Promesse, had gradually stripped the skill of its power.

Priam's instincts screamed: he would die if he remained surprised. To keep the boss busy, Priam transmitted kinetic energy to the remaining forty-nine spears. Like a heavy machine gun, all the spears shot at the boss at over a kilometer per second.

The armor flashed with contempt as Priam put distance between them. An instant before contact, the armor burst into flames. A green inferno now burned within it. Moving impossibly fast, the boss cut through forty-nine spears in an instant. Each spear could have pierced a tank, but to Priam's surprise, none scratched the monster. The flames gained in intensity, and the haunted swordmaster's armor disappeared.

Priam's surprise increased further when he felt the enemy's sword pierce him. For the third time that day, Priam lost his heart.

Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)

PHYSICAL:

Strength 236

Constitution 415

Agility 298

Vitality 423

Perception 512 (+4)

MENTAL:

Vivacity 280

Dexterity 335

Memory 72

Willpower 462 (+15)

Charisma 375

META:

Meta-affinity 245

Meta-focus 178

Meta-endurance 125

Meta-perception 76

Meta-chance 198

Meta-authority 12

Potential: 5926 (+0)

Tier 0

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: OFF. Reloaded in 18 hours 50 minutes 4 seconds.

[Tribulation]: One Tribulation pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until:

Time: 180 days 19 hours 23 minutes 17 seconds.

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