Chapter 30: To the Moon

Chapter 30: To the Moon

Lvl Up: [Athletics] lvl 16

AGI +1

Lvl Up: [Fitness] lvl 10

STR +1

Lvl Up: [Dodge] lvl 3,4,5

AGI +3

Priam dodged another cannonball that crashed into the barrier behind him. He had already absorbed five kinetic charges and was calculating his options. Fighting like a brute was sometimes useful to ignore fear and trust his instincts, but Priam preferred to think. He planned to take his time and throw his spear from a distance once he had accumulated seven charges. He had little chance of hitting the Boss on the first try, his target being more than two hundred meters away. Even though Galapagos was moving slowly for Priam, the beast was still a Viscount. On its hind legs, the turtle moved at the speed of an amateur runner. Hitting a moving target at this distance was a challenging task.

Galapagos had tried several times to pin Priam against the arena's edge. Fortunately, the stadium was circular, and by circling the monster, Priam had managed to avoid being trapped. He wasn't sure he could dodge all of the Boss's attacks at less than a hundred and fifty meters.

Priam resumed his calculations. Seven charges would give his spear 14 MJ of kinetic energy. The spear weighed about 20 kilograms and would therefore be projected at 1,183 m/s. A terrifying speed, corresponding to more than three times the speed of sound on Earth. Priam didn't need that much power. A kinetic energy penetrator could pierce a tank with only 2.9 MJ. Galapagos seemed to be a well-protected Boss, but it couldn't be much more protected than a tank.

Nevertheless, Priam preferred to take the edge off. He needed to pierce the Boss completely. It would be terrible if the spear didn't come out the other side and get stuck in the Viscount's body. Priam would have no way to attack before the Boss bled to death. Worse, the spear might be stuck in its body if it had excellent regeneration. Priam would have to give up and lose his spear.

Lvl Up: [Physics - Energy] lvl 2

VIVA+3

Priam smiled. [Physics - Energy] was the first skill he had unlocked in the Tutorial. When the System had manifested itself, Priam had directly performed some mental calculations to verify its existence. Learning the skill had come as a shock to him. He had quickly felt his knowledge becoming more organized, but the Tutorial had not given him time to continue practicing. It had all happened very quickly. It had only been eleven days but it seemed like an eternity ago. In any case, Vivacity was helpful to him, whether he was in combat or not.

Another cannonball whistled past his ears, and this time Priam was quick enough to hit it in the air. He was getting better at predicting the trajectories of projectiles that were aimed at him. He gradually became familiar with his mist as it hid him from the Viscount's eyes.

Lvl Up: [Moon Mist] lvl 6

PERC +4

CHAR +2

META (AFFI) +3

Suddenly, Galapagos screamed, and the mist began to vibrate. For the next few seconds, no projectiles were aimed at Priam. The warrior took the opportunity to relax his aching muscles. The ultra-fast movements he forced on his body were not good for his joints and muscles. He didn't even want to imagine what would happen if his body gave out during the fight. He probably wouldn't have to worry about that for long...

The enraged Boss began bombing Priam's position again. Priam immediately noticed that Galapagos' fire rate had increased. Priam hoped this was a temporary skill. In the worst-case scenario, the change in the Boss's attitude could indicate that the Colosseum would not allow him to drag out the game and that the Boss would gradually gain power. Don't worry big boy, it's almost over.

Priam concentrated. Two cannonballs were coming very quickly in his direction. He dodged the first one by shifting his upper body to the left. The movement stretched his muscles from his right shoulder to the thigh of his left leg. Tense as a spring, Priam waited a split second before returning to his original position. In the same movement, he raised his spear and lightly touched the underside of a projectile passing to his left. The force was enough to change the straight trajectory of the ball, which crashed into the top of the barrier behind him. Priam smiled. He now had seven charges.

Priam's mist filled the arena as sand flew in all directions. The exchanges between the two fighters were happening at high-speed. Priam was already far away when the sand from the explosions fell. Heart pounding, sweat beading on his body, he was enjoying himself. His brain was pumping adrenaline like never before as Priam dodged the Boss' attacks. A mistake meant death, but he would make no mistake. Galapagos had been doomed since Priam entered the Coliseum.

Dodging a few more projectiles, Priam stepped back before densifying the mist around him. At three hundred yards, most shells had no chance of hitting him. His control over his mist only extended to a radius of two hundred and fifty meters. Galapagos was getting closer and would soon enter the active range. Priam wanted to wait for that moment so that the mist could help him calculate the exact position of the Boss.

Priam got into a shooting position. Like a javelin thrower at the Olympics, he cocked his right arm. His eyes stared at his enemy. At that moment, he focused only on his future throw and spear. No unnecessary thoughts plagued his mind. Concentrating on his objective, Priam held his breath. A second later, he felt Galapagos moved into his control zone.

Lvl Up : [Focus] lvl 14

PERC +1

VIVA +1

DEXT +1

Simultaneously, several events occurred. Priam stepped forward and threw his spear at the Viscount. [Kinetic Control] allowed him to manipulate kinetic energy, and it seemed reasonable to make sure that the direction of the vector was exactly what he wanted. For a split second, he connected to his Potential, almost unconsciously, to link [Kinetic Control] and [Moon Mist]. The two skills communicated with each other. [Moon Mist] told Priam where the Boss was, and he commanded [Kinetic Control] to point the hoplite spear in that direction. The spear left his hand and went straight through the sound barrier. The sonic boom nearly deafened Priam despite his Constitution.

Walking towards his spear, Priam hoped that his body would recover on its own.

"Who knows, maybe [Axolotl or Hydra?] will help me?"

As he reached the foot of the barrier, Priam looked down at his spear and winced. The hoplite spear was solid, but hitting a shell harder than a tank's armor at supersonic speed had damaged it. The tip of the spear was severely bent. The fact that the weapon was still in one piece demonstrated the excellence of hoplite technology.

Priam picked up the weapon with a sigh. I'll have to find a blacksmith. With any luck, the best one will be here or in Viracocha...

The twentieth wave had been brutal. The reward would be worth the pain. Exhausted but excited, Priam opened the reward notice.

Wave 20 completed. Congratulations!

Choose a talent:

[Bound Weapon][Eidetic Memory][Space Pocket]

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

PHYSICAL:

Strength 86

Constitution 103

Agility 116

Vitality 164

Perception 156

MENTAL:

Vivacity 132

Dexterity 107

Memory 33

Willpower 69

Charisma 80

META:

Meta-affinity 71

Meta-focus 56

Meta-endurance 1

Meta-chance 40

Potential: 620

Tier 0