Chapter 92: Last Round

Chapter 92: Last Round

The list of rewards was incredible! Priam was both happy to have four possibilities and pained. He wanted them all. If I'd known, I'd have gone for the quintuple... Scratching his chin, Priam changed his mind. He knew that he would probably have died attempting a quintuple. The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l--B1n.

"Next time!" he exclaimed. In an excellent mood, Priam took his time. The world was frozen, and he was tired of running all the time.

Taking advantage of the system, Priam moved his arms and tried to take a few steps. After about ten meters, he felt a sort of warning. The System wouldn't let him explore the world with impunity.

His wounds weren't healing either, but he wasn't feeling pain anymore. The System let him think about his choices in peace.

Refocusing, Priam looked at his rewards. He winced as he read about Promesse. If the System was offering this reward, that meant he had no chance of getting it otherwise. Perhaps Pride's Shadow was more dangerous than he thought...

Priam validated two options with a sigh. Promesse appeared in his hand and vibrated. Sensing its contentment, Priam stroked his spear with a smile. It had fought well.

Seeing a fighter stroking his weapon would have seemed odd to him, but he was different! After all, his weapon was developing a consciousness, so he was almost a child, and it was essential to take care of them. By making them kill dragons, for example...

Shaking his head, Priam refocused. The second option he had chosen was a new opportunity for [Double Heart] absorption. His heart could now obtain a second affinity that would be supported by [Tribulation]. Well, he still had to choose between [Sun] and [Draconic].

Priam also barred the purification of his bloodline. The Phoenix had promised to purify it if he killed Anatole. He would certainly receive his reward after his Tribulations, so it was redundant.

The last two options were more complicated. Without help from the System, he had to imagine the scope of the rewards. Time stasis was probably a way for the System to overcome its inability to control [He Who Eludes Death]. Priam refused to choose such an option. He had fought with all his might to survive his Tribulations. Now he wanted the best options for the future. Recovering the charge of his Talent was suboptimal.

Similarly, he quickly eliminated Free Attributes and Potential. He saw this as a shortcut to immediate power. What interested him was the long term.

With this in mind, he reduced the number of choices until he had the following list:

Rewards - customized:

Quadruple Tribulation: two rewards selectable from the following list:

Next Tribulation delayed by six months.

Access to humanity's knowledge on a topic (equivalent to 500,000 words).

Four drops of [Elixir of Eternity - 10 years].

Seed of experience

Branch of Garoe - the Mist Tree

Perfect Tribulation Run Memories

Evolution Token - Title

Evolution Token - Talent

Evolution Token - Legendary skill

Racial Upgrade - Human

"Ah, it's so hard! Let's proceed by elimination. Elixir of Eternity..."

This potion could undoubtedly be exchanged for a favor from a powerful faction. Priam knew his strengths and weaknesses. Haggling was not one of his strengths. He crossed out the Elixir.

Then he scratched the Memory option. A hypothetical Priam who had succeeded perfectly in his Tribulations... He could imagine what would happen. If he could go back in time with his memory, he too would have succeeded perfectly in his Tribulations.

As soon as Tribulations began, he'd rip the legs off the first locust and bury it under Safamus body. Without delay, he would unlock his Domain and mist concept by committing suicide thanks to the wyvern's laser. He would then use the Damocles cloud to defeat the wyvern and absorb its power. With the right knowledge, he could have speedrun the Tribulation. The trouble was, had he known this in advance, the System would have created other Tribulations.

Priam froze, thinking of a possibility. Could his Tribulations had been programmed to force him to make Cornelian choices? The Concepts remained fairly low-key, but they could be looking for something in particular. For example, a spirit of steel.

After all, his and Safamu's Tribulation had forced them to put their survival before their races. Were the Tribulations as much mental as physical?

Priam shook his head. He didn't want to try and clear his name. The dead were on his consciousness, and he would have to think about them later. As for his theory, he would ask Bechar. Maybe he was wrong, and maybe he wasn't. What was certain was that the ways of the Concepts were as inscrutable as those of God. Could a mere human understand the plan of such deities?

Priam looked at his rewards again and sighed. He wanted more choices. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. There was an obvious way to have more choices: withstanding news Tribulations.

New Tribulations were just three days away. That was far too short to get a sextuple one. I should be careful not to bite off more than I can chew. Priam selected next Tribulations delayed by six months. One more.

Priam decided to forget human knowledge. He had access to everything he wanted right now. He was interested in strengthening his scientific knowledge, but the other rewards were too incredible to pass up. The list had already been whittled down.

Rewards - customized:

Quadruple Tribulation: one reward selectable from the following list

Seed of experience

Branch of Garoe - the Mist Tree

Evolution Token - Title

Evolution Token - Talent

In addition to his appearance, Priam had undergone a profound change. His thoughts were sharper, his senses more alert, and his movements more fluid. Yet the sensation was different from an increase in attributes. It was as if he was taking greater advantage of his body and its possibilities.

For example, his hearing seemed sharper. Between two people with normal ears, the one who practiced and spent his life making music had better control of his hearing. Priam now felt able to exploit his attributes to the full.

Before he could check his notifications to ensure he hadn't forgotten anything, he felt a movement behind him.

His mist informed him that the lizard was waking up too. Priam turned and smiled with all his teeth - which were now as white as snow. Nothing like a good fight to test my new limits.

He twirled Promesse between his fingers and took up a fighting stance. His mist wrapped around him, densifying to hide his nakedness.

"Last Round!"

The wyvern howled, and Priam leaped. His body disappeared, swallowed by the mist. His sudden acceleration had split the stone slab beneath his feet.

The wyvern turned its head to the right, looking for Priam. Nothing. It turned its head to the left, missing Priam's reappearance on its right. He could now delay his reappearance for a few moments.

Promesse penetrated the wyvern's eye and continued on its way. Just as it was about to penetrate the boss's brain, it turned into a light beam.

Reappearing on the roof of a hotel fifty meters away, the wyvern opened its mouth and blew out a laser beam. The light was too fast for Priam to dodge. His Domain automatically and instantly materialized a meter of opaque mist in his sphere of authority. The water vapor deflected most of the attack.

Priam teleported behind a building, grimacing as he saw the deep belly wound. He had already used his regeneration skills and grumbled. Had he known...

The laser turned the ground into magma, creating a terrible din. The boss's attack then set fire to the surrounding buildings, and Priam gritted his teeth.

Determined not to face another hyper beam, Priam had an idea. Looking up at the sky, he launched Promesse. The weapon quickly rose to over two hundred meters, and Priam closed his eyes.

His fog gave him a vision of the surroundings as if he were playing a strategy game. Except that the fog of war was now on his side.

Priam materialized a kind of mist golem some fifty meters away. The harmless creation attracted the wyvern's attention and received a light spear for its trouble. Masking his presence with his mist, Priam transmitted half his remaining kinetic energy to Promesse. Direction: big lizard!

The weapon exceeded the speed of sound in an instant. It penetrated the wyvern at over eight kilometers per second, shattering its head and shaking half the dome. The shockwave destroyed buildings within a forty-meter radius.

Without waiting for the wyvern to retaliate, Priam teleported to its chest. Clenching his fist, he delivered a powerful blow to the monster's scales. The attack made him wince. The monster's scales seemed to be in perfect health.

Priam sighed, looking down at his hand. [Strike] had evolved into [Spear Strike], and he felt that hand-to-hand combat was now unnatural. I'll have to unlock [Fist Strike]. There must be such a thing.

The wyvern's neck began to attract the sunlight. In a second, the wyvern had regained a quarter of its head. Priam plunged into [Mirror of the Soul] and mentally ordered the steel concept to reinforce him. Instantly, his body seemed to weigh more.

Simultaneously, [Moon Mist] began to create vast quantities of mist. If the wyvern liked the sun, he was going to give it shade.

Clenching his fists, strengthened by the steel concept, he began to pummel the lizard's torso. Promesse could have done the job quicker, but he wanted to test his limits. He felt invincible!

The deluge of blows was cathartic for Priam. A human eye couldn't follow his movements; they were too fast. Micro allowed him to feel his muscles. Gradually, Priam corrected his position. His powerful intellect optimized his movements.

Three seconds later, the wyvern reared back with a terrible roar. Delivering a final strike that finally shattered a scale, Priam materialized mist at his fingertips. He quickly condensed it and connected to his Potential.

[Kinetic Control]. A moment later, the water had frozen, preventing the boss from healing himself. Satisfied, Priam smiled before taking a swipe with his tail. Staying too long around an enraged wyvern was a bad idea.

The blow threw him into the air, half knocking him unconscious. Finally, the hard landing put him back on his feet. His body ricocheted off the ground like a pebble on a lake. A hundred meters from the wyvern, he finally came to a halt.

His instincts kicked in, and despite the pain, Priam melted into the mist. An instant later, the ground under him was vaporized, swallowed by a beam of light.

Near there, in an abandoned kitchen, Priam winced as he checked his wounds. He had half a dozen broken ribs and a punctured lung. The internal bleeding was severe, but fortunately, the steel concept was useful. Maybe it saved my life.

"It has invested in Strength," grimaced Priam.

Mentally, he contacted Promesse, still embedded beneath the boss. Sacrificing a tenth of his reserve, he summoned it again.

Eighty meters away, the ground beneath the false dragon's head shook. Like an erupting volcano, it lifted and Promesse closed the wyvern's beak. The laser ray died along with the gleam in the monster's eyes.

Priam teleported twenty meters from the boss, ready to resume his deadly dance. The wyvern was lying amidst ruins. Haze merged with the smoke from the fire. Suddenly, his perception picked up intruders. Civilians here?! No, they're getting closer.

Turning, he watched a group approaching. The eight men and women seemed unafraid of death. Armed with swords and firearms, seven people stood before him. A hundred meters away, a sniper had him in his sights.

As the wyvern regenerated behind his back, Priam welcomed the fools. Hopefully, they would not be killjoys.

"Hey, are you maybe lost?" asked Priam.

At the center of the group, a man stepped forward. Rifle in hand, he pointed at the wyvern.

"We want our share," he coughed through the smoke.

Priam's ribs throbbed, but the pain didn't stop him from laughing.

Status: Race change detected. Please read the notification regarding attribute calibration.

[He Who Eludes Death] charge OFF. Reloaded in 23 hours 25 min 38s

[Tribulation]: Tribulationsare coming.

Time: 182 days 23 hours 58 minutes 51 seconds.