Chapter 102: Back to the Colosseum

Chapter 102: Back to the Colosseum

Priam hesitated as he re-read his notification. A Tier 1 race could benefit from two additional racial Talents. Apparently, causing a genocide was one way to earn one. Priam swallowed hard, grasping the weight of this information.

Bechar pointed out that [Humanity adapts] was a potent talent. How many humans would die to allow a fortunate alien to obtain it?

The competitive part of his brain was thinking of something else. It had taken him fifty thousand lives to earn this privilege. It was a staggering number. Was this an absolute threshold or a percentage of the total population of a race? Did this number vary based on Tier or the rarity of the race? Priam couldn't fathom killing fifty thousand dragons to gain a powerful Talent...

Diamant acknowledged him briefly as they exited the sewers. Priam returned the gesture with a wave. He wanted to stay on good terms with the thief. Despite his lead, he couldn't be the best at everything. You never knew when you needed a skilled thief.

His notification blinked, urging him to make a choice. [Spectral Familiarity] didn't seem to resonate particularly with his path. If he committed another massacre - which was bound to happen - could he replace it, or was it a permanent choice?

Priam posed the question to the System, which ignored him. Disheartened, he tried another approach.

"Bechar?"

Yes? The shapeshifter's voice resonated in his mind, and Priam smiled. If the System was a crush that liked to ghost, Bechar was that dependable friend you could always count on.

"After a massacre, the System offers me a second racial Talent. Can I then delete it?"

You can either remove it with Potential or overwrite it with a new option, replied the shapeshifter.

"Why would I want to remove it?" Priam wondered.

If you have to meet the king with his races Talent, it won't look good.

"Put that way... Thanks for the info. I'm heading to the Colosseum."

The popcorns ready.

Without further thought, Priam accepted the System's offer.

[Spectral Familiarity - Bronze] - Increases your familiarity with immaterial creatures.

[The Reaper - Bronze] - You have directly slaughtered over 50,000 beings of the same race. If they weren't responsible for the death of your parents, perhaps they were fundamentally evil? If not, you're a psychopath.

Fortunately for you, the System will never judge you!

(Thats a lie.)

As you sense fear and doubt in your enemies, your instincts sharpen, allowing you to discover their every weakness.

When the prey fears the hunter, it's already dead.

Strolling through the Dome, Priam smiled as he read his latest notifications. The effect of [The Reaper] was more qualitative than quantitative. To know its exact capabilities, he would have to test it in a real situation. But in practical terms, as soon as an opponent began to doubt his victory, Priam could capitalize on this feeling to defeat him.

Rereading the description, Priam saw two direct consequences of this kind of Title. Firstly, he would have to be careful to control his emotions and thoughts during a fight. Skills such as [Emotional Discipline] would become important...

Secondly, the System rewarded violence - at least among fighters. If all you had to do was kill fifty thousand humans to get an inferior version of [Humanity adapts]... This was terrible news. According to Bechar, the racial Talent of humans was particularly powerful. Some will hunt us... and most of my kind are not ready.

Watching the people stroll down the street, Priam felt a twinge of sadness. Many were dying unnatural deaths. Revenants, Tribulations, future wars against other civilizations... So many threats to humanity.

A ball rolled to his feet. Instinctively, Priam kicked at it, sending it back in the direction of some children having fun in the street.

"Thank you, sir!"

Priam smiled as he heard the laughter. In his opinion, humans were born as pure creatures. Sometimes soiled by life, it was always possible to regain his purity. Or so he hoped...

Looking at the children at play, Priam sighed. They were not yet masters of their destiny. They needed parents to guide them. They needed protection from the horrors of this new Universe. Priam - and a few other humans - was the only barrier between humanity and many ruthless monsters. It will be up to me to protect them.

Despite everything, Priam was lucid. He was no hero. He wasn't a shield. But I could be a spear.

He shook his head. Now was not the time to think about that. His father wanted to talk to him before he left, and Priam knew it would be the time to face up to his responsibilities. But for now, he had to concentrate on the present. He had to get the World Seed.

"Champion, the fight was amazing!"

Surprised, Priam turned around. One of the children had recognized him and was waving at him. Surprised for a moment, Priam smiled and gave a thumbs-up. A second child turned and frowned in concentration. Her face lit up a moment later, and she ran towards Priam.

"It's the CHAMPIONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"

Priams laugh stopped as he watched a score of children charging at him. Their attributes were weak, but the intensity of their passion was terrifying.

... I could run away?

A few minutes later, Priam finally extricated himself from the juvenile melee. Some of the parents had come to collect their offspring. Most had given him a polite smile and a nod. Some had gone so far as to smile frankly. Apparently, his victory over Prometheus had reassured most of these men and women. They had a powerful Champion. That was important to them.

To escape future encounters, Priam jumped onto a roof to escape future meetings and made for the Colosseum. This scene allowed him to confirm Mercury's words: he was too powerful. No one would antagonize him when the System would surely place him before the threats of humanity. His only judge would be himself. It was both a power and a duty.

The silhouette of the Colosseum was silhouetted against the bright sky of the barrier, and Priam accelerated.

The time for words was over. Dawn was breaking on action.

L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Ñøv€l--B1n.

Priam sat on the ground, letting his Vitality repair his body. To pass the time, he looked at the Minotaur's corpse and analyzed the fight.

He came to a few conclusions. Firstly, each boss had more attributes than the previous one. Secondly, there was a qualitative evolution. The Minotaur had been an expert with its sword and knew how to move in combat. It knew its body inside out.

Where Priam had unlocked Micro by putting his life on the line, the Minotaur approached Supremacy by gradually familiarizing himself with its body. These battles have a lot to teach me.

Suddenly, Priam had an idea. It might have been impossible, but... Focusing on Micro, Priam observed his torn muscles. Despite his Vitality, the most severe wounds would take several hours to heal. He didn't have that kind of time. Perhaps there was another solution?

Gathering his willpower, Priam tried to impress upon Micro the idea of locally increasing his regenerative abilities. If he could command his muscles to unclench, command his nerves to silence the pain, and manipulate his heartbeat, perhaps he could accelerate his healing.

Focusing on the inside of his body, Priam tried to make it understand that he had to improve the healing process. For several minutes, he tried to recall his limited biological knowledge in order to take control. To no avail.

The next fight would begin in less than five minutes. Priam decided to turn to his instincts. If he didn't have the knowledge to restore himself, he might as well turn to his body, which knew how to do it on its own.

The draconic instinct awakened, summoned by Priam. Merging it and Micro, Priam tried again to speed up his healing. This time, the magic worked. His muscle tissue began to tremble and repair itself. After a few seconds, his body was as good as new. Priam smiled as he rose to his feet, before collapsing to the ground, dizzy.

There seemed to be a cost to this kind of fast care.

"But it's possible," he gloated as he sat down again. He still had two minutes before the next fight.

Analyzing what he'd just done, Priam's smile widened as he watched Micro. His Supremacy seemed more... imposing. Stage 1 was near.

One minute before the start of the twenty-sixth wave, the System reminded Priam to select his prize.

Wave 25 completed. Congratulations!

Choose a skill:

[Combat placement - Common][Spear mastery - Common][Human anatomy - Common]

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

PHYSICAL:

Strength 236

Constitution 413

Agility 296

Vitality 421

Perception 499 (+14)

MENTAL:

Vivacity 280

Dexterity 333

Memory 71

Willpower 447

Charisma 375 (+9)

META:

Meta-affinity 245 (+9)

Meta-focus 178

Meta-endurance 124

Meta-perception 76

Meta-chance 198

Meta-charisma 12

Potential: 5915 (+9)

Tier 0

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: OFF. Reloaded in 19 hours 2 minutes 47 seconds.

[Tribulation]: One Tribulation pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until:

Time: 180 days 19 hours 36 minutes 0 second.