Chapter 82: The Second Dawn

Chapter 82: The Second Dawn

Lvl Up: [Stealth] lvl 18

AGI +1

Lvl Up: [Moon Mist] lvl 31

PERC +4

CHAR +2

META (AFFI) +3

Lvl Up: [Tribulation Piercing Spear] lvl 5

STR +1

AGI +1

DEXT +1

Promesse struck the cyclops' eye before sliding across it. The weapon continued its trajectory, following the visual organ's curvature before striking the eyebrow's arch. Smashing through the bone, and the brain behind it, it burst the cyclops' head.

Priam raised an eyebrow at the result of his attack. He had been careful to strike from the cyclops' blind spot: his back. After all, his eye seemed capable of miracles, and Priam hadn't wanted to risk being detected despite being in his mist. However, at the last moment, the cyclops' eye had appeared at the back of his head, spotting Priam. Too late.

Had the cyclops been a little stronger, his one eye would not have been a weak point. It is the true power of a mythical race.

His thoughts were interrupted by a terrifying noise. The wyvern had finally succeeded. There was now a hole in the top of the dome, through which the monster struggled to get its head through, contorting itself.

WARNING:

New Earth's barrier has been breached.

Complete regeneration will take two hours.

Any additional damage will increase this time.

Gritting his teeth at the sight of the monster that would cause many casualties today, Priam turned to the cyclops' corpse. He still hadn't received a reward and had an idea why.

Leaning over the destroyed body of the former Lord, Priam searched the shredded flesh. Plucking the cyclops' eye from the bloody mass, he tried it out with the back of his hand. The eye was incredibly hard, spherical in shape and the size of a handball. [Tribulation Piercing Spear] hadn't left a trace on it. Priam injected his aether inside.

His aether penetrated the object for a moment before encountering resistance. Pursing his lips, Priam activated [There is no Heaven]. A fraction of his aether disappeared into the thing and then returned to him. Instinctively, Priam sensed that it would take a large part of his aether to damage the cyclops' soul. He accepted the price, and more than half his remaining aether penetrated the eye.

Lvl Up: [There is no Heaven] lvl 2

WILL +9

Instantly, a horrible scream was heard. Priam dropped the eye and plugged his ears to no avail. It's in my head!

Announcement to Humanity:

Priam Azura becomes the new Lord of New Earth.

Title Won!

[Land Owner - Silver] - You become a true Noble, owning Land. You receive certain benefits when you are on it. Your Title of Nobility is linked to it. Losing your Land will affect your Title. Increasing the size of your Land will improve your Title.

When you are on your Land:

Allows manipulation of specific specialized infrastructures.

Bonus (Baron): POT cost -10%

Bonus (Viscount): Aether regeneration x2

Bonus (Earl): Knowledge about your land

Instantly, Priam felt a flood of information and aether invade him. Millions of humans were currently in New Earth. Most were holed up in buildings, but some were still searching for their loved ones or homes. Priam shuddered as he felt first-hand how many lives were currently in danger. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do. Except by committing suicide, he wouldn't be able to stop the Tribulations - and he cared too much about his life to do that.

Suddenly, Priam had an idea. Being a Count gave him access to information on the individuals currently present in the dome. Maybe I can do a manual search? He thought of his father. The next moment, the System informed him about him. He was in a beautiful house near the Market and not alone. With him were several people, including one of Priam's acquaintances.

Claire?!

An explosion forced Priam to focus again. The wyvern was tired of being blocked by the barrier and was making its discontent known. A laser beam had vaporized a building, wiping out its inhabitants. Twelve deaths, informed the System. Priam would have preferred to ignore this number. After all, it was he who had brought the Tribulation here.

Without wasting any more time, Priam retrieved the eye of the cyclops and connected himself to the dome barrier. The barrier was constantly losing energy, sapped by the various Tribulations. Priam intended to spare it by allowing the Damocles Tears to pass through. The wyvern attacked again, and Priam gritted his teeth.

Thousands of humans continued to roam New Earths streets, panicking as they heard the sound of explosions. Priam hesitated for a moment to let the Tribulation through. If he couldn't warn these men and women, carnage would ensue...

The System proposed a solution that Priam immediately accepted. With a bit of aether, the barrier could deliver sound announcements.

"Inhabitants of New Earth." Priam's voice thundered throughout the dome. "A deadly rain is coming. A single drop will be enough to kill you. Stay inside, and don't come out under any circumstances. You'll have time to find your loved ones later. I can only hold it for another ten seconds. Take shelter right now!"

[Focus]. In the meantime, the warrior tried to concentrate on his mind. For most humans, the seat of thought was the head. The sense of vision being the most developed, the head, housing the brain, was considered by many to be the home of the mind. Thanks to [Brainless], Priam had overcome this limitation.

His mind was in his entire body. Closing his eyes, Priam felt his body as a single, homogeneous entity. No part was more important than another. Sure, he'd rather stub his little toe on a bedside table than get the furniture in his eye; but it made no difference to his conscience.

It was part of what had enabled Priam to unlock Micro so quickly. Feeling his whole body was a huge advantage, a way to increase his proprioception. But to unlock the Domain, it wasn't enough.

Despite his best efforts, Priam's mind remained confined within his body. His skin acted as a protective membrane but also as a prison. His consciousness manipulated his mist, but his mind refused to truly possess it.

If my body is a prison... If it's blocking the acquisition of my Domain, then all I have to do is listen to my clones.

Set aside your flesh, absorb Damocles' cloud in your Domain.

The clones' response was a no-brainer. Besides, Priam was one of the few who could use this shortcut to unlock his Domain.

A second later, light triumphed over the darkness of the ocean. Priam had reached the top of the dome, the boundary between the cloud and the barrier. In front of him was the wyvern, looking incredibly angry. In the background, the sound of locusts was horrifying.

Priam burst out laughing. "This is your moment, lizard... Show me what you've got!"

Roaring, the furious wyvern opened its mouth and the world went dark. The surrounding photons seemed to be absorbed into the monster's maw. For several seconds, the fantastic creature prepared its attack.

Priam then grabbed his purse and threw it towards the barrier, where it disappeared. Apparently, it could confiscate some objects. Promesse could withstand a lot of punishment, but not the treasures he'd stolen. I'm going to get naked again, he sighed...

Shaking his head, Priam refocused on the spectacle before him. Few people could boast of receiving a wyvern's Breath with a smile. With his heart at peace, Priam simply levitated, placing himself between the empty Colosseum square and the enraged monster. In those strange moments, his heart calmed. A smile naturally came to his lips.

He, an almost ordinary young man just a few weeks ago, was now fighting a wyvern. Almost a dragon.

"I love this life..."

A second sun rose. Dawn broke, and the flesh disappeared.

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

PHYSICAL:

Strength 172 (+2)

Constitution 289

Agility 209 (+3)

Vitality 309

Perception 379 (+9)

MENTAL:

Vivacity 183

Dexterity 236 (+1)

Memory 50

Willpower 335 (+29)

Charisma 176 (+4)

META:

Meta-affinity 184 (+6)

Meta-focus 111

Meta-endurance 101

Meta-perception 51

Meta-chance 114

Potential: 3867 (+17)

Tier 0

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED.