Chapter 100: Difficulty: Impossible Tutorial

Chapter 100: Difficulty: Impossible Tutorial

The waves were crashing against the fine sand. Endlessly, the ocean tried to sweep the rest of the world into its depths. It had to remember the time of the flood, when it was the sole master.

Priam was ecstatic, contemplating the power of nature. The warm wind and late afternoon sun warmed his body. A simple white T-shirt and sky-blue swimming shorts clothed the young man.

Eyes gazing at the horizon, Priam wondered about the meaning of his life. After six years at university, he was about to finish his science studies. Now, he had to choose a profession that would allow him to survive until retirement. Teacher, engineer or researcher. These were the three main paths open to him.

None of them made him dream.

It was a hot summer's day, and Priam wondered where he belonged.

"Lost in thought, handsome?"

Priam smiled as he turned around. Victoire was nimbly scaling the blockhaus on which he was perched. The Atlantic coast of south-west France was covered with these remnants of the Second World War. These massive concrete blocks had sheltered Germans waiting for the Allies to land.

The young man stood up to help his girlfriend finish her climb. Grabbing her outstretched hand, he pulled the young woman to him.

Turning to the sun, he smiled, "I wonder what to do with my life."

"Vast question," replied Victoire as she sat down on the edge of the blockhaus. Her legs hanging in the air, lit by the sun, she was beautiful. Priam sat down beside her and drew her against him.

"It's easy for you. You're going to finish medical school and help others. That's noble..."

Victoire turned to Priam. "You don't have to be noble, you know?"

"Yeah. I like my fellow men, but not enough to dedicate myself to them, I guess."

Victoire laughed. Priam smiled upon hearing it.

"Still, you take good care of me. I've known a lot of assholes, and you're not one of them."

"You're not a stranger, that's why. You're my girlfriend, and I have a responsibility to you. You make me happy. I want to make you happy too."

Victoire stared at the horizon without answering. After a minute, she sighed.

"I make you happy... You sure about that?"

Priam looked at her, astonished. "Of course. I love being with you!"

"It's not the same. I like being with our friends," she said, pointing to the group of about ten people a hundred meters from them. They were playing beach volleyball, and one of them scored. Their cheers reached the couple. "When I'm with you, it's different. I feel complete. I feel listened to. Most of all, I'm never tired of your presence. That's not how you feel about me."

"..." Priam remained silent. He respected his girlfriend too much to lie to her. She was right, of course. He liked being with his friends, but sometimes he was weary. He liked being with Victoire, but sometimes he needed to be alone.

No, it's more than that. Sometimes, his girlfriend's presence annoyed him. Irritated him.

Because I'm not in love. He dated Victoire because she was the prettiest girl in the group. Intelligent, cheerful and generous, she had it all. Everyone wanted to be with her, so Priam came on to her.

To be like everyone else.

Like a wolf wearing a mask among sheep.

All his life, he'd worn a mask. The good student in front of his teachers. The funny guy before his friends. The perfect boyfriend to his girlfriends.

He was reserved with strangers because he didn't know what mask to wear. How to please them as much as possible? How to be accepted? How to be loved?

Priam wanted to be the ocean: with a dream and the power to make it come true. The waves crashed relentlessly on the sand, for Poseidon's domain never tired. Priam was sometimes tired. Tired of wearing his mask, he sought solitude. At such times, the proximity of others disturbed him.

He was so lonely.

The sun was setting over the horizon. As if waiting for the green ray, Victoire's breath quickened. Just as the sun was about to disappear, she let slip the thought that had been weighing on her heart.

"Do you love me?"

For a moment, Priam hated her. He loved sunsets. He loved the simple nature that never judged him. He loved the calm. Victoire's question destroyed that calm. For he knew the answer.

Priam opened his mouth, a half-lie on the tip of his tongue. The sun disappeared, and a green flash reached his eyes. Priam winked. A second passed. Then two. The ray remained green.

"Wha..."

Humanity has been chosen by the Seven Great Concepts.

Congratulations!

The Tutorial is about to begin.

Complete it to find your starting place in a new Universe.

Choose your level of difficulty.

Time: 60 seconds.

Victoire was trembling in his arms. Eyes fixed on the blue writing that invaded his vision, Priam felt his heart quicken.

"What the... You see that too?" asked Victoire.

"The blue text? Yes."

"Shit. Lets find the others!"

It made Priam laugh as he had never heard Victoire swear, but he had to admit that the situation was exceptional. He reread the text.

"No Vic. No one is going to help us in less than a minute."

Priam didn't take drugs, and he knew he wasn't dreaming. The System had a kind of persuasiveness that infused these few lines. Instinctively, he knew it was all true. He could try to deny reality... Or he could embrace change. Mentally, he concentrated on the end of the introduction.

"What are the levels of difficulty?" he asked. An entity powerful enough to stop the sun had to be able to answer him. If it wanted to.L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Ñøv€l--B1n.

There are seven levels of difficulty.

Free, Easy, Normal, Hard, Perilous, Nightmare.

Time: 50 seconds.

Priam sighed with relief.

"What is the difference between the different levels? Their survival rate? Are there some prerequisites?"

A higher difficulty level gives access to greater rewards.

Survival rates depend on the species and the individual. The System does not yet have information on your species' chances of survival.

There are no prerequisites.

Time: 40 seconds.

Opening his mouth and displaying his triple row of sharp teeth, the boss pounced on Priam. His body was too far away to flee. Gritting his teeth, Priam concentrated on his draconic instincts. [Mirror of the Soul] opened, and the steel concept infused his spiritual body. His arms were now more robust.

Thanks to them, Priam managed to block two spectral attacks. Malbius was now before him and Priam parried his attack. Grabbing the ghost by the wrist and shoulder, Priam lifted him before bringing him down to his knees.

For the first time, he heard a spectral bone crack. A sweet sound.

His mist warned him that a suit of armor was approaching his unconscious body, and Priam turned back.

Reintegrating his body, he kicked the armor, throwing it backward. It smashed into a wall, and Priam went after it. Without giving it time to get up, he crushed its head with his heel.

Dizzy, Priam clutched at a piece of furniture that had miraculously survived to keep from falling. The invasion of the Depths virus and the associated corruption were weakening him. He hesitated to activate the regenerative power of [Three-Headed Hydra]. A hundred gashes covered his body. He'd lost too much blood. A drop trickled into his eyes, and Priam wiped it away with his hand.

Lvl Up: [Hemorrhage Resistance] lvl 10

VIT +1

A ghost protruded from a wall behind him and, tired, Priam tried to slap it away. His hand passed through it. The specter screamed as it recoiled. Half his face was gone. Bewildered, Priam looked at his hand. He hadn't done anything special, but the ghost had been hurt. Why?

The other ghosts arrived, surrounding Priam.

[Bullet Time], [Focus]. Priam knew the answer was near. He needed this answer... [Eidetic Memory] and Vivacity were fully deployed. His mental attributes enabled him to think almost thirty times faster than a human. In the space of a hundredth of a second, Priam understood the difference between this attack and his previous ones.

A quarter of a second later, he dipped the tip of Promesse in his various wounds. A tenth of a second later, boosted by his attributes, Micro and [Kinetic Control], Priam began to move. His right foot came forward, cracking the parquet floor.

[Spear Strike] x8.

It took half a second for Promesse to strike the heads of the various ghosts.

Shockwaves erupted under the power of his acceleration, destroying most of the room's walls. The ceiling cracked.

"Hey Priam, load-bearing walls aren't called that for nothing, you know?" Diamonds voice sounded worried.

The fatigue was becoming too much, and Priam simply grunted.

The ectoplasms vanished, leaving behind them a kind of suspended dust. Only Malbius remained alive. Screaming, the creature covered its face and seemed to disappear. Promesse fell once more on the boss without doing him any more damage. The blood infused by [Tribulation Dragon] was insufficient to vanquish it.

Frowning, Priam observed his latest notification.

Title won!

[Pseudo Immortal Slayer - Silver] - There are many ways to escape natural death. One of them is to turn into a ghost. It is not enough to escape from you.

After refusing Death's kiss, you send it new prey. Will this be enough to make amends?

You have put an end to the pseudo-immortality of some beings. Keep up the good work.

When fighting immortals, your instincts can whisper to you their weaknesses.

The longer the fight goes on, the more distinct this whisper becomes.

Priam turned his gaze to Malbius. He'd have time to face the Master later. Time to kill a ghost...

The ceiling creaked again. His mist tipped him off to a new enemy approaching. The armor was still far off, but Priam could attack through the walls. Raising Promise, he hurled it at the oblivious armor. The spear shattered three walls before piercing the enemy.

The beams could no longer support the weight of the upper floors. With a sound like the end of the world, the mansion collapsed.

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

PHYSICAL:

Strength 236

Constitution 377 (+4)

Agility 294

Vitality 382 (+12)

Perception 485

MENTAL:

Vivacity 280

Dexterity 331

Memory 70

Willpower 434 (+13)

Charisma 366

META:

Meta-affinity 236

Meta-focus 178

Meta-endurance 119

Meta-perception 76

Meta-chance 198

Meta-charisma 12

Potential: 5875 (+10)

Tier 0

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED

[Tribulation]: No Tribulation pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until:

Time: 180 days 21 hours 43 minutes 48 seconds.