Chapter 11: People change, Heroes improve

Chapter 11: People change, Heroes improve

An hour later, despite his impressive reserves of endurance, Priam stopped. Short of breath, exhausted from his run, he plunged into the stream bordering Log-a-rhythm. Running at such a pace burned calories, his body temperature had gradually risen to over 37C. Still, Priam felt good. His heat resistance allowed him to raise his body temperature without risking cell death. The aether, his constitution, and his skill changed his biological functioning to such an extent that his metabolism was becoming more and more unlike a human's. The icy shock of the water was pure bliss for Priam.

Priam evaluated his training as the water flowed down his body, regulating his temperature. He could thank his constitution because he had been close to getting injured several times while training. He would have torn several muscles if he had still been merely human. Maybe he would have even broken a few bones from a particularly nasty fall. Moving that fast was not without risk, and he realized that his shock resistance was exceptional. Without his large constitution, he could have killed himself just by training.

Tired but happy, he posted his Status to follow his meteoric progress.

You have gained the skill: [Focus - Rare].

[Focus] lvl 1 - You are focused on your goal. All of your consciousness is focused on accomplishing your purpose; your focus highlights the path you must follow. Your productivity and the quality of your work increases, but this may be at the expense of your creativity...

Don't forget to eat and rest.

PERC +1

VIVA +1

DEXT +1

Lvl Up: [Focus] lvl 2,3,4

PERC +3

VIVA +3

DEXT +3

Lvl Up: [Heat Resistance] lvl 11,12,13

VIT +3

Lvl Up: [Athletics] lvl 6,7,8,9,10

AGI + 5

Lvl Up: [Art of Movement] lvl 6,7,8

AGI +3

PERC +3

DEXT +3

Lvl Up: [Kinetic Control] lvl 4

VIVA + 2

DEXT + 3

META (FOCUS) +4

Title won!

[Hermes' Apprentice - Bronze] - There's no point in starting on time when you can run faster than the wind. Today the light foot, tomorrow the winged foot. You've broken all the running records, but you're still accelerating. Keep going and find your way.

No more need to take the bus: you run faster!

AGI +20

So many more levels! I was even able to increase [Heat Resistance], whichshows that I can improve holistically with optimized training. I'm only missing a perception skill...

Priam had realized during the end of his run that his movements needed to be more optimal. Whether it was controlling his body and making the most of its characteristics or finely adapting to the environment, he was not making the most of his abilities. But without being able to perceive his body and its surroundings more accurately, he was stuck for the time being. He needed a skill that allowed him to gather information. This kind of skill gave points in perception by increasing level. Or else I need an adequate title...

Feeling his limits approaching in the skills he had just worked on, Priam changed his schedule. Until midnight, he would try to improve as many of his physical skills as possible.

High in the sky of Elysium, the suns looked down on the world. On an island lost in the middle of this unforgiving world, a young man was sweating all over his body.

With tanned skin and focused eyes, he worked his body with an intensity he had never felt before. The notifications informing him of his constant and rapid progress motivated him every moment. But more than anything, the knowledge that he was now alone sparked a fire inside him. No one would protect him anymore. Society would not hold his hand to help him, and no civilizational cogs would slow him down. He was alone in deciding his destiny; this new world offered him everything he needed.

Priam was determined not to regret anything. He would face the dangers and take the power that the System offered him.

If the suns had looked seriously, they would have seen a fire burning in Priam's eyes. A fledgling blaze but worthy of a star. The announcement of a conflagration.

Suns had set again, giving way to the shy stars. Gradually disappearing into the sky, they reminded Priam that he was indeed not even on a planet anymore. As he watched the sky, counting the seconds to midnight, Priam noticed the moons getting closer. A few more days and they would line up. Instinctively, this thought and the shortening days gave him goosebumps. I have a terrible feeling...

Sitting on the bank, under the branches of Log-a-rhythm, Priam rested his feet in the water. He had swum a little at the end of his training, and the cool water had done him a world of good. He invoked his Status one last time to review his progress. The Reunion was in twelve hours, and he wanted to rest before then.

Lvl Up: [Focus] lvl 5,6,7

PERC +3

VIVA +3

DEXT +3

Lvl Up: [Heat Resistance] lvl 14

VIT +1

Lvl Up: [Athletics] lvl 11,12

AGI + 2

Lvl Up: [Fitness] lvl 5,6,7,8

FOR +4

Priam suspected his next survival reward might solve his problem, but he wouldn't wait until then. He had identified mushrooms during breaks in his training and walks in the forest. Some were edible, even beneficial, and some were poisonous. Priam had picked some of the more dangerous ones and brought them back to his base for analysis. He also relied on his magic tree to provide him with poisonous fruit.

Log-a-rhythm was not yet improved to specifically create toxic fruits, but as the description of his resistance had reminded him, everything is potentially harmful. Only the dosage mattered. Even water, a vital liquid for humans, could lead to death if consumed in excess. Drinking three to four liters in less than an hour was already dangerous.

Priam hoped that if he consumed enough toxins, he would be able to resurrect without pain and increase his [Poison Resistance] at thesame time.

As the pain became more acute, the young man began to swallow the mushrooms he had harvested, as well as fruits with toxic properties created by Log-a-rhythm after examining the samples.

Soon, his vision became blurred, and he lost consciousness.

Congratulations, you are dead!

Your perk [He Who Eludes Death] brings you back to life once a day.

Number of deaths: 7

Synergy detected with your perk [Humans adapt]. Your body is rebuilt and will be more resistant to what killed it:

CONST +4

VIT +7

DNA errors solved.

Your Vitality exceeds 100 at Tier 0. Congratulations! The evolution to Tier 1 is available. If your Vitality exceeds 200 at Tier 0, a tribulation shall descend upon you.

[Touched by aether] - Adaptation time: 3 days (previously 6 days)

Lvl Up: [Poison Resistance] lvl 4,5,6

VIT +3

Priam woke up shortly before noon. He thought about how he hadn't slept in since the Tutorial. He felt great and noticed that he enjoyed sleeping naked. He had never understood people who slept naked when there were pajamas, but he recognized that perhaps he had been too quick to judge.

"Besides, when you have a beautiful butt like mine, you must show it off."

As he ate a breakfast of red, yellow, and multi-colored fruits, Priam thought he should vary his diet. The rabhorn had been delicious, and he was planning to eat some meat. His latest physical improvements were giving him confidence. He was no longer the weak human who had left the Tutorial, lost and terrified.

Today, Priam was what novels, comic books, and pop culture called a superman. A superhero, even. He couldn't wait to measure his progress against the rest of humanity. Confident, he stretched and began to exercise while waiting for the meeting to open.

Five minutes before noon, he received a notification:

The Reunion will begin.

This first meeting is focused on reunion and information sharing.

Some remarkable feats will allow the whole of humanity to prosper.

Awards will be distributed at the end of the meeting.

Discuss, share, explore.

Transcend your limits.

Outside Log-a-rhythm, a portal opened in the style of the first portal that brought him here. Priam went to get the hoplite spear. He thought it gave him a certain style and could always trade it in if needed. He also retrieved fruits and covered himself with a quickly woven leaf loincloth. One of his goals was to get new clothes. After all, the loincloth would not stand up to fast travel.

But his main goal was to find his family and get them to safety. With eyes full of hope and determination, Priam walked towards the portal. Here I come!

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

PHYSICAL:

Force 58

Constitution 77

Agility 90

Vitality 112

Perception 66

MENTAL:

Vivacity 75

Dexterity 46

Memory 29

Willpower 44

Charisma 36

META:

Meta-affinity 8

Meta-focus 16

Potential: 140

Tier 0