Chapter 174: Priam of the Dead

Chapter 174: Priam of the Dead

A mist materialized in the clearing. Tinted by the light of the Necromoon, its serenity was shattered by a swirling vortex. A silvery spear materialized in Priam's right hand.

The bound weapon trembled, its instinct resonating with its wielder's battlelust. Its color had changed, forsaking the blaze of flames for the stealth of mist. If the Fire Concept were temporarily banned, Priam would use his mist.

"The forest is shaking," murmured Eve, gazing into the void. "I... I see dozens of skeletons that"

An eerie howl echoed again, interrupting his rival and sending shivers through the air in the clearing. Priam took a moment to inhale the almost toxic air. The scent of blood and death filled his nostrils. The world stirred under the influence of the Necromoon, rejecting the living.

Sensing the wrath of the perverted nature, Priam smirked coldly. While his instincts whispered that the situation was catastrophic, danger awakened his warrior spirit. Recently, his spear hadn't been enough to solve his problems. Sphinx had been kidnapped, Eve and Sumstreh were watching him, his Tribulations were looming, and his racial upgrade was more complicated than expected. His pride trembled after being diminished by recent events.

"It pisses me off," grunted Priam. For the first time in a long while, the situation was straightforward. A monstrous wave was coming, and he had to kill them. No more games, no more deceit, no more masks.

Priam just had to be the last one standing.

[Focus]. Priam leaped, leaving Eve behind. The sight of the flames seemed to have enraged the monsters. Now, they were coming, and it was better to confront them as soon as possible.

The power of his Micro-controlled body manifested as he covered the few meters to the embankment at the forest's edge in a few strides. The trees protected by Log-a-rhythm were in a sorry state but still alive.

Show me a real-time map of the domain with the enemy positions.

[Creating a synchronized HUD.]

In the upper right of Priam's vision, a mini-map appeared. Any monster entering Log-a-rhythm's domain would be detected and displayed. Priam wouldn't let any enemy escape.

A blue dot symbolizing Kazuki was to the east of the clearing, while Priam covered the west. They hoped no monsters would come from the north, crossing the river that flowed there. It was a natural border they hadn't had time to secure yet.

Eve was nowhere to be seen, but it didn't matter. Priam didn't plan to refuse her help, but he had no way to ask for it. And if she dares to interfere... Jasmine was watching.

A red dot appeared on the mini-map, and Priam focused. The only thing that mattered now was the fight.

An opening appeared in the nearest tree, and Priam vanished into it. Fifty meters away, Secret Passage allowed him to reappear on a large branch. Below him, a giant boar of sorts was heading towards Log-a-rhythm with laborious steps. Its skull must have reached Priam's shoulders. Alive, the beast must have been formidable.

Today, its appearance left little doubt about its necromantic nature. All flesh had vanished, and some of its bones were missing. Despite that, it moved relentlessly and stank terribly. To achieve the former feat, its skeleton had been complemented by bones, tendons, ligaments, and muscles woven with a crimson aether. The white of the bones and the bloody red of the tissues gave the monster a terrifying image.

Before attacking, Priam analyzed his enemy using [Aether Perception]. His supernatural vision allowed him to notice streams of aether penetrating the creature's bones. Gradually, its steps became more assured, and its hooves sank deeper into the ground. The ambient aether continuously strengthens it.

It was bad news because it meant no monster would stay truly weak. A wave of frail skeletons was worrying; a horde of robust revenants was terrifying. They needed to repel as many enemies as possible while they were weak.

No time like the present.

Priam armed his arm and threw Promesse. The spear shot through the air before hitting the white skull, reducing the bone to dust. The boar staggered before stabilizing. The ambient aether, influenced by the Necromoon, continued to penetrate the skeleton. Priam jumped from his branch, cautiously approaching as the boar turned toward him.

After a few seconds, Priam frowned as he observed the formation of an aetheric skull. Contrary to all the movies he had seen, beheading the undead didn't seem enough.

[Identification]

[Wild War Boar - Tier 0 - Corrupted - Common] - The skeleton of a Wild War Boar revived by the Necromoon's curse. The Necro Concept can affect any remains of a body that once housed a soul.

Corruption has several phases. The first phase inoculates a raging instinct to the corrupted. Trying to reason with or resurrect the former body owner is futile. Each phase brings the corrupted closer to the state of the Necromoon's avatar, strengthening its body and consciousness.

Beware of contamination.

The influence of the Necromoon must be purged to kill them...

Priam had several solutions for that, but most were unusable. The simplest way remained his aura.

Priam infused it into Promesse. Silver-grey aether threads condensed at the tip of his spear before it penetrated the half-formed skull of the boar.

The aetheric structure shattered into pieces. The explosion spread like a chain reaction, eliminating any bloody halo. Without the help of the Necro Concept, the skeleton collapsed into a pile of bones.

Priam hesitated as he looked at the remains. He couldn't burn them, but should he disperse them? He didn't want to kill the boar again if the Necromoon could resurrect the same body multiple times.

The Concepts must have sensed his hesitation because their aura manifested for a brief moment. A bluish light enveloped the bones, reducing them to dust before merging into Priam.

Event: Necromoon.

Banishment of a corrupted (Tier 0 - common) - Sun point +1

That solves the problem...

Without wasting time, Priam bought access to the Sun Shop. A temporary tab opened in his Systems HUD. At a glance, he recognized a list of resources, opportunities, Tokens, and more.

Seeing from the corner of his eye that more red dots appeared on the mini-map, Priam instructed his Assistant to analyze the Sun Shop.

List the items, and check if the quantities are limited, or if some options appear or disappear. If you find a high-priority item, notify me.

[New routine created.]

Without waiting, Priam turned to his next opponent. Twenty meters away, the skeleton of some kind of crow approached on foot. A delicate aetheric structure began to cover its wings, indicating that the corrupted would soon defy gravity.

At least, that's what it would have done if Promesse hadn't shattered its keel. Priam retrieved his spear a few moments later, pleased to have earned an easy Sun point.

During the next few minutes, he ran in all directions, farming points by bursting skeleton after skeleton. He encountered a Tier 1 only once. The creature must have been dead for decades because its bones had largely lost their resilience. Promesse, enhanced by Conquest Aura, quickly pulverized the Tier 1.

"Louis, we need you!"

Without lingering, the old man crossed before looking up at the Necromoon.

"Bloody..."

A growl made the warriors turn around. Behind them, a half-decomposed panther growled.

[Corrupted invisible to Log-a-rhythm. Correction.]

A new red dot appeared, making Priam grimace. Log-a-rhythm's domain, even boosted by Land Privilege, wasn't infallible. The dead panther remained stealthy enough to infiltrate his territory.

Which means that the corrupted still partially retain the Talents of their former bodies.

The panther leaped, Priam raised Promesse while Louis spat.

The monster perished before even touching the ground, a hole between its eyes. It slumped at Louis's feet before its body dissipated under the System's action.

"[Mastery - Body]," explained Louis.

"Cool. Disgusting, but cool. Let's go defend the barricades," declared Priam. A hundred more red dots had just appeared: it was time to defend Log-a-rhythm.

Status:

PHYSICAL:

Strength 425 (+5)

Constitution 794

Agility 446

Vitality 684

Perception 654

MENTAL:

Vivacity 385 (+2)

Dexterity 481 (+6)

Memory 218

Willpower 836

Charisma 499

META:

Meta-affinity 408

Meta-focus 330 (+4)

Meta-endurance 260

Meta-perception 201

Meta-chance 230

Meta-authority 15

Potential: 3285 (+7)

Tier 0

Sun points : 32

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED.

[Tribulation]: Six Tribulations pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until:

Time: 170 days 1 hours 42 minutes 2 seconds.

Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 400 / 6 attribute > 600 / 3 attributes > 800