Chapter 199: Tower Defense II

Chapter 199: Tower Defense II

Necro Purification Ritual I (5 000 points) - A ritual purifying the ambient aether from the curse of the Necromoon. Covers 500 square meters. ACQUIRED

Natural Growth Ritual I (5 000 points) - A ritual accelerating the growth of living beings, particularly effective on plants. Covers 500 square meters. Possibility to add organic remains to enhance the ritual's efficiency. ACQUIRED

Guardian of the Forest Ritual III (25 000 points) - A ritual elevating the status of a Guardian of the Forest. Strengthens the symbiotic relationship between the two parties. Increases the Guardian's domain size to 2 500 square meters. ACQUIRED

Sun points: 244

Purchasing the three upgrades simultaneously, Priam closed his eyes and connected to Log-a-rhythm. Three days into his stay in Elysium, he had planted the seed offered by the System on the stump of a magical tree, the sole relic of a royal elf. By mixing his saliva with the seed, he had established a powerful and spiritual connection with the tree.

Using Micro to cut off his external senses, Priam found the glimmer in his mind symbolizing the tree and reached for it. A curious instinct, the beginning of consciousness, revealed itself to Priam. Alien senses assaulted him.

He was a tree. His roots pulsed beneath his feet. His leaves absorbed polluted light. Potent sap ran through his trunk. Half of his mass was hidden in a strange dimension.

As Priam tried to get used to the new sensations, he felt the System acting.

The branches of Log-a-rhythm grew rapidly. Guided by the Seven, they changed shape to form a hundred natural runes. Ambient aether rushed into the runes, creating resonance. Above Log-a-rhythm, a giant rune appeared on the surface of the protective dome. The crimson light emitted by the Necromoon passed through the golden rune before settling on the tree's leaves.

A simultaneous sense of relief emanated from both Log-a-rhythm and Priam. For the first time since the beginning of the Necro event, the light no longer sought to corrupt the photosynthesis necessary for the tree's growth. Until now, the plant had to combat the detrimental influence of the Necromoon using its Life affinity. It had succeeded, but the vile aether projected by the Necromoon remained terrifying.

Now, the perverse sensation was incredibly muted. It hadn't disappeared, as Necro Purification Ritual I was too weak for that, but it had diminished. The only drawback was the affected area: five hundred square meters were barely enough to cover Log-a-rhythm’s crown. Consequently, Priam wanted to buy rank II but was now too poor. A new input drew his attention.

The System started the second ritual, Natural Growth I. This time, Log-a-rhythm's roots trembled, subtly changing position to draw a second set of runes. The resonance occurred again, and a gigantic rune was created under Log-a-rhythm and part of the clearing.

A somewhat mutated sensation disturbed Priam before he realized its origin. Log-a-rhythm was absorbing light rays, soil nutrients, and ambient aether more rapidly. It was difficult to quantify the impact this would have on its growth, but Priam thought it would be approximately five percent faster. It was little, but every bit counted.

For the final ritual, the System chose to complete the runes created during its first encounter with the drya. A large concentration of aether appeared where Priam and Dishnu had once traced esoteric lines. The ghost of the ritual resurrected as new lines drawn in the soil continued the work of the two rivals. New runes inscribed themselves in the earth while refinements were made to Priam's amateurish efforts.

In a matter of seconds, a new sigil was born. Like a fractal, the seal patterns were repeated several times within each subpart. Priam felt dizzy seeing the System's work.

Was nature drawing inspiration from Concepts, or was it the other way around? The presence of fractals, structures similar at all scales, made him realize that the secrets of enchantments might be more accessible to humanity than he had initially thought. What humans lacked were the theoretical runic foundations. After that, humanity would soar on its own wings.

The giant rune lit up before penetrating the ground, rearranging the interconnected roots of Log-a-rhythm, of the herbs in the clearing, and of the trees in the forest. Taking advantage of his connection, Priam touched this new link and was astonished by the possibilities offered by the ritual.

All the plants in the Oasis domain were now capable of circulating part of their Potential, vitality, talents, and abilities. Log-a-rhythm could now use the wood from the trees to create structures and constructions. Simultaneously, the vegetation gained some improvements from their Guardian.

"I’m now dirt poor, but the tree trunks will be harder to cut in the future," Priam smiled. Bombarded with questions, he explained what had just happened while opening the Log-a-rhythm menu.

Log-a-rhythm:

Features

Abundance - Life II

Abundance - Aether I

Protection III

Tribulation Resistance II

Secret Passage

Land Owner II

Camouflage II

Guardian of the Forest III

Mighty roots I

Necro Purification I

Natural Growth I

Measurements

Ceiling Height: 3 meters.

Interior Area: 47 m2 (+5, due to Log-a-rhythm's growth)

Status

Current POT: 1 043

Passive gain: 100 (+150) (+10) POT/day.Reead latest chapters at novelhall.com

(+150 POT/day: bonus - Guardian of the Forest III)

(+10 POT/day: bonus - Natural Growth I)

Available Themes

Primo (100,000)

Tal Quercus (10,000)

Nature (1000)

Cocoa (500)

Sequoia (1 000)

Tea (500)

Abundance - Life III (2 500)

Abundance - Aether II (1 000)

Protection IV (5 000)

Tribulation Resistance III (2500)

Secret Passage II (700) (-300)

Camouflage III (2200) (-300)

Attraction (500)

Underground (400) (-100)

Comfort (500)

Volume (500)

Water Control (500)

Land Owner III (2 200) (-300)

Guardian of the Forest IV (4 800) (-100)(-100)

Mighty Roots II (1000)

Root network - plant intelligence I (100) (-300)(-100)

"Do you plan to bring in many non-combatants?"

"I have many plans," Priam smiled. Esmée returned him an innocent smile. She couldn't help but ask. All rivals wondered about the First's plans, and she was no exception.

Passing by the bear, Priam hailed it. "Blueberry, can you prepare a snack for the princess, please?"

The bear raised its head and looked at Esmée before nodding.

"Ice sorbet?"

Blueberry's question awakened memories in Esmée. A sweet taste from her childhood returned to her mouth, and nostalgia drew a smile on her face. "That would be perfect, thank you."

Arriving under the leaves of Log-a-rhythm, Priam gestured, and a garden service sprouted from the ground. Going around the wooden table, Priam pulled out a chair and waited. Esmée realized she was supposed to sit there.

"Thank you. Is this a custom of your civilization?" Esmée asked as Priam took a seat across from her.

"My civilization has many diverse customs. I grew up reading... romantic books. A word that doesn't exist in your language but refers to poetry, sensitivity, and everything related to the romantic relationship between two people." Priam furrowed his brow before shaking his head. "My explanation may lack rigor; I am more scientific than literary. In any case, the heroes of my childhood stories were often... gallant."

Esmée smiled at seeing her rival annoyed again.

"It's difficult to communicate when a language ignores certain concepts. Fortunately, one of my powers allows me to understand your words. Thank you for your gallantry."

The concept was entirely foreign to Esmée, but [Grimoire] had translated it. The mere fact that a civilization could invent such an idea filled her with joy. It meant that her quest was not impossible!

Priam simply smiled as two wooden mugs descended from the branches.

"Log-a-rhythm sap is full of vitality and nutrients," Priam said.

"Oh?"

Taking her mug, he lightly clinked it against Esmée's. "Cheers! Another earthly custom," he added.

Seeing that Priam was waiting for her, Esmée hesitated before lifting her own mug. How many times had she been tried to be poisoned or drugged like this?

"The only poison in there is the fast sugars," said Priam before taking a sip.

Considering his rival's immortality, the gesture shouldn't have reassured Esmée. Yet, it did. In Priam's misty eyes, she saw nothing but amusement. He had understood her concerns and was waiting for her reaction to judge her character. Those who betray are afraid of being betrayed. I have a clear conscience.

Esme brought the mug to her lips. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"It's fresh and sweet!"

Priam winked before taking a second sip.

Esmée put her mug down, smiling. "It reminds me of spiced kalac's saliva. Maybe I could treat you to a taste someday."

"Saliva?" Priam asked, a hesitant look on his face. Esmée realized with amusement that his hair was slightly changing color depending on his emotions. Or rather, the flames within them changed color.

"I'm sure you've eaten stranger dishes before."

"I'm French. Half of humanity finds it weird that we eat snails. All right, if you prepare spiced kalac's saliva, I'll taste it."

"The preparation is complicated, and they say I'm a lousy cook," Esmée warned.

"People are jealous," Priam winked. "As a polite guest, I promise to praise your drink."

"Even if it's bad?"

"Especially if it's bad. If it's good, I'll be too busy drinking to talk."

For the first time in a long time, Esmée sincerely laughed.

Status:

PHYSICAL:

Strength 557

Constitution 860

Agility 552

Vitality 840

Perception 714

MENTAL:

Vivacity 505

Dexterity 587

Memory 413

Willpower 1 028

Charisma 631

META:

Meta-affinity 430

Meta-focus 350

Meta-endurance 354

Meta-perception 221

Meta-chance 230

Meta-authority 33

Potential: 5 268

Tier 0

Sun points: 244

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED.

[Tribulation]: Three Tribulations pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until:

Time: 164 days 20 hours 12 minutes 7 seconds.

Next thresholds: 6 attributes > 600 / 3 attributes > 900 / 1 attribute > 1 200