Chapter 40: There's always a solution
Priam opened his eyes briefly, only to close them again a few seconds later. Whether his eyes were open or not, he couldn't see anything. Nor could he hear anything. After the previous hours of battles, the silence was pleasant.
Although, with a few moments' concentration, Priam began to hear his heartbeat. Tiny squeaks were also perceptible, coming from... rubbing his clothes as he breathed. More than that, Priam now felt a call in a specific direction. He soon realized that his senses had evolved. His perception had finally surpassed 200, and a qualitative evolution could be felt. The smell of dust filled his nose when he concentrated but faded when he decided to. Priam could now smell his enemies' trail, which made him smile.
Suddenly, Priam remembered. The fight against Sphinx! He tried to take a deep breath before realizing a heavy mass was pressing against his chest.
He did a quick check-up. He was alive and in no pain. Nor had Priam experienced the moment of mental floating when his consciousness was torn from his body before being resuscitated.
He was almost bewildered by this information. He should have died. A pillar over two hundred meters high and more than a meter in diameter had fallen on him. Now that his brain seemed to work correctly, Priam calculated that this represented millions of tons. Even if the entire mass hadn't crashed directly into his body, he should have died, if only because of the shockwave. Perhaps I was protected from the damage by Sphinx's paw? No, something else must have happened...
Deciding to ask questions later, Priam tried to push back the mass weighing down on him. He pushed with all his might without success. A silky texture covered his hands and feet. The material was soft enough to deform without him being able to lift it completely. Priam realized that he was almost certainly trapped under Sphinx's paw. Suddenly, a thought crossed Priam's mind. I can feel my feet?!
His spine had been severely damaged by Sphinx. Only death or a miracle could have healed him quickly. But he hadn't died, so all that remained was a miracle.
Priam didn't believe in miracles except those he caused himself. He quickly opened his notifications to understand what had happened to him.
You have consumed a diluted Phoenix Tear. Synergies detected with [Humanity adapts], [Axolotl or Hydra?], and [Pseudo Phoenix].
The Phoenix Tear fully regenerated your body. Your Titles and Talents have strengthened your body.
STR +10
AGI +5
CONST +32
VIT +20
PERC +17Ñ00v€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
VIVA +5
META (END) +15
[Heartless], [Brainless] and [Axolotl or Hydra?] are ready for evolution. Please find a catalyst for their evolution or spend your Potential.
[Pseudo Phoenix] is ready for evolution. Presence of a catalyst detected. Use [Tear of a Phoenix of the Depths] or Potential (1876) to trigger evolution?
Not now. 1876 points of Potential I haven't been conned like that since my parents made me believe in Santa Claus...
Evolution postponed.
New Title: [Atlas Admirer - Bronze].
[Atlas Admirer - Bronze] - The Titan Atlas held up the world. You didn't bend the knee in the face of death or a few million tons of rock. You failed to sustain your burden, but as a Tier 0, your effort was significant enough to grant you this Title. Keep pushing your limits; one day, you'll have the strength to break your chains.
STR +10%.
Lvl Up: [Erosion Resistance] lvl 10,11,12,13
META (END) +12
Lvl Up: [Blunt Resistance] lvl 11,...,17
CONST +7
An attribute greater than 200 points has been detected. A Tribulation ison its way.
Warning: If three attributes exceed 200 points or twelve attributes exceed 100 points, a Tribulation will occur.
[Tribulation]: Tribulations are coming.
Time: 50 hours 20 minutes 27 seconds.
The pillar's fall must have shattered the Tear in Priam's mouth. It had pulled him from the clutches of death. Priam was almost disappointed not to have received a Title for his attribute. Rereading the end of his notifications, he theorized that attributes must surely be validated by a Tribulation. Otherwise, the child of a God could have gorged himself on elixirs to increase his attributes and then earned Titles congratulating him on drinking Phoenix compote or Dragon syrup...
However, no one could fool the System. If the divine child didn't control his power, the Tribulations would destroy him.
The young man hesitated to trigger an evolution with the corrupted Tear. He remembered the System's warning.
This Tear tainted by the Depths allows influencing the consciousness of a Phoenix. Its consumption promises a rebirth.
Beware: when consumed, the influence of the Depths will arise to corrupt the surrounding environment.
Corrupting the environment wasn't a problem for Priam - although he'd always been careful to sort his waste before the apocalypse. But he didn't want to be corrupted himself. I need to find out more about the Depths...
Priam then examined his various gains. He was much more physically resistant but was especially eager to improve his physical resistance. A qualitative evolution would undoubtedly help him to face other Viscounts and Counts. Sphinx was first on the list, but Priam intended to squeeze the Moon and Reunion out of all they had to offer before attempting the fiftieth wave. Before returning to Elysium. Because if Priam knew anything, it was that Arnold and the other rivals must be training right now.
"... I'm a good player," Priam cleared his throat. She could be lying, but Priam didn't want to bet on it. There must have been some very complex mathematical problems, but Priam had never read their solution. He was a physicist and a chemist. He applied mathematics but didn't play with it. A complex riddle that takes time to solve... I know!
"Here's a simple puzzle. There are five houses.
The Englishman lives in the red house.
The Spaniard owns the dog.
Coffee is drunk in the green house.
The Ukrainian drinks tea.
The green house is immediately to the right of the ivory house. Your right.
The Old Gold smoker owns snails.
Kools are smoked in the yellow house.
Milk is drunk in the middle house.
The Norwegian lives in the first house.
The man who smokes Chesterfields lives in the house next to the man with the fox.
Kools are smoked in the house next to the house where the horse is kept.
The Lucky Strike smoker drinks orange juice.
The Japanese smokes Parliaments.
The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
In the interest of clarity, it must be added that each of the five houses is painted a different color, and their inhabitants are of different national extractions, own different pets, drink different beverages, and smoke different brands of cigars Priam took a deep breath. One way or another, it was time to end this fight.
Now, who drinks water? Who owns the zebra? You've got thirty seconds," said Priam with a smile. Don't let me down, Einstein!
Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)
PHYSICAL:
Strength 106
Constitution 156
Agility 131
Vitality 190
Perception 217
MENTAL:
Vivacity 148
Dexterity 132
Memory 36
Willpower 76
Charisma 98
META:
Meta-affinity 92
Meta-focus 80
Meta-endurance 55
Meta-chance 40
Potential: 267
Tier 0
[He Who Eludes Death] load: PRIMED
[Tribulation]: Tribulations are coming.
Time: 50 hours 10 minutes 37 seconds.