Chapter 231: Priam’s Long Shadow

Chapter 231: Priam’s Long Shadow

As Luc approached the silver double doors of the Mercenaries' Casino, he straightened up. With his sun-kissed tan, blond hair, and eyes as blue as a summer sky, he looked every bit the surfer. It was purely coincidental; Luc couldn't even swim.

Raising his wrist, he rolled up his shirt sleeve to reveal a gold bracelet engraved with the name of the Champion of Humanity.

“Priam would hate your lucky charm,” sighed Maya beside him. “Why don't you kiss it while you’re at it?”

“Does it bring good luck?” Luc quipped.

Maya rolled her eyes and pushed the heavy doors open. Luc hesitated for a moment, then kissed the bracelet discreetly before following his captain.

The building had no antechamber: guests arrived directly into a hall the size of a city. Luc had never been to Las Vegas but felt like an ant facing the Caesars Palace. Just looking at the edifice made it clear it was built with techniques unknown to humanity.

Birds flew beneath the five-hundred-meter ceiling, and the far end of the hall faded into a golden mist. In this titanic space, different biomes—aquatic, magmatic, desert, and even swamp—allowed mercenaries to party in the best conditions. After all, the primary purpose of the place was to let warriors relax between perilous missions.

The casino wasn't the largest on Gaia, but it was undoubtedly the most chaotic.

Walking up the red carpet, Luc and Maya made their way toward the center of the room. Glances turned their way, and the young man puffed out his chest.

“You’re the one who bet on a Mythic Achievement.”

Luc stopped to avoid colliding with the stranger who had appeared before them. A giant with an alligator head stared him down, ignoring Maya. His heavy, slightly open golden fur cape revealed a medallion depicting a shield topped with four swords. A Tier 4.

“I bet and won,” Luc clarified. The Mercenaries were pretty lax, and nothing obligated him to respond despite the Tier difference. But there was no rule against being friendly.

“You must have won a lot...” Coming from a three-meter-tall, one-ton alien, the phrase could sound menacing. Luc just smiled.

“Over ten million.”

“That’s what I earn in ten years.”

“Maybe I’ll lose it all today.”

“You’re betting again?” The alligator’s interest was piqued.

“Almost all of it. If you want to play against me, now’s your chance.”

The alligator tilted his head to the side before grinning, revealing an impressive array of teeth. “I thought you were a jammy beggar, but you got balls. I’m in.”

With a Tier 4 on their heels, Luc and Maya continued up the central aisle to the reception. Having heard the young man’s response, other mercenaries left various gambling tables to follow them. Five minutes later, he flashed a radiant smile at the hostess, a horde of warriors behind him.

“Luc Fortune, under Captain Maya’s command. I’m here to withdraw some of our contribution points and bet the rest,” he told an elf. Dressed in a black and gold outfit as revealing as it was futuristic, she had bluish hair that seemed to have a life of its own. A red cape that accentuated her eyes completed the ensemble. She was both gorgeous, strange, and deadly.

“This is the fifth time you’ve introduced yourself; is that a human custom?”

“I just want to make sure you remember my name, Lasha,” Luc grinned. “It’s the least I can do before asking you out.”

Lasha stifled an amused smile. “Are you sure you want to date a woman who could break you in two during a passionate night?”

“I’d be willing to risk it,” growled the alligator.

“Start by washing your mouth; your breath could kill an undead,” retorted the elf, prompting laughter from the nearby mercenaries.

More than just a receptionist, Lasha was the Casino's manager and a Tier 5. To avoid theft issues, she used clones to fill all the Casino's positions. Some whispered it was training for her, but Luc had no idea what Concept she was pursuing.

“I brushed my teeth this morning,” Luc smiled.

“I’d kiss you to check, but I’m on duty,” the elf replied with a teasing wink. “Business first: how much are you withdrawing?”

“One million eight hundred twelve thousand contribution points,” Luc stated.

Several whistles rose behind him. “You could reach Tier 2 with that many points,” the bookmaker remarked.

Luc shook his head. “I’ll stick with Tier 1. If Priam taught me anything, it’s that a solid foundation is important.”

“Well said!” the alligator agreed. “Take advantage of being Tier 0 and use your points to accumulate as many Titles as possible; it’ll help with your Tribulations.”

Contribution points could be exchanged with other mercenaries for their services. Luc had already found healers among the Mercenaries who would help him unlock several dangerous Titles.

“He’d be better off buying resources or Tokens to boost his affinities,” suggested a Tier 4 hanging from the ceiling. The spider-man gave Luc a thumbs-up.

“With that many points, he could try to unlock [Ace]!” exclaimed another Mercenary.

“We’re not really supposed to talk about that in public, are we?”

“We’re not in public, idiot.”

“Shut up!” someone shouted. “The best move is to create a Tier 3 race to space out the Tribulation thresholds.”

As the present Mercenaries began to argue, Lasha snapped her fingers. The atmosphere vanished, and the noise stopped.

“Guys, I know you want to help, but you’re being annoying. Luc has ten million points left to bet, and I want to know what he has in mind. I suppose you’re not betting on a Legendary Achievement, are you?” she asked, turning to the young man.

With ten million points, betting on a Legendary Achievement would barely double his starting amount. Everyone was beginning to understand that the Champion of Humanity was a monster, and the odds were dropping daily. Few were willing to bet against someone capable of jumping three Soul Tiers.

Of course, some took the risk, hoping the Tribulations would kill him quickly.

“We have a saying on Earth: go big or go home,” Luc winked. “I’m going for another Mythic: a quintuple Tribulation.”

“A quintuple after a quadruple? Impossible,” the alligator said.

“With the current odds, that would push you to fifty million if you win,” Lasha informed him.

Whispers spread behind Luc. Some seemed tempted to bet with him, while others hesitated to bet against.

The young man shook his head with a smile. “I’m thinking of a parlay.”

The murmurs behind Luc fell silent. A parlay meant several linked bets. If even one was wrong, Luc would lose everything. But if all were correct, the odds would multiply.

Lasha narrowed her eyes. “I’m listening.”

“He’ll defeat the ninety-fifth wave of the Colosseum before our second Reunion.” His captain, Maya, had ties with a merchant named Mercury. According to him, Priam would attempt the ninety-fifth wave.

The alligator whistled. “At Tier 0... Isn’t that the image of Prince Keltan’h which has been guarding that wave for nearly five hundred years?”

“His name is banned,” Lasha reminded him, and the alligator coughed. The elf consulted her tablet before nodding. “He's been gatekeeping the Colosseum for half a millennium. The odds are ten to one.”

“Ten million times five times ten, that’s a potential gain of five hundred million,” calculated a mercenary.

“He’d be richer than some Tier 5s...”

“If you win, I’d be willing to be your girlfriend,” an ogress behind Luc offered.

“Me too,” added the alligator.

“He’s mine,” Lasha smiled, silencing the gold diggers. “Who else wants to bet?”

“Me,” said Maya. “I’m following Luc with an all-in.” She didn’t have as much as her subordinate, but multiplying her contribution points by fifty interested the captain.

“Captain, if you lose everything, I don’t want to be held responsible,” warned Luc.

Lvl Up: [High Aether Manipulation] lvl 2, 3

Jasmine returned his smile. “So, what now? Do you want to finish reorganizing your meridians?”

Priam shook his head. “A stream of thought is already handling that. It’s time for a more active phase of my training. We’re going to hunt draconic trophies.”

Lvl Up: [High Aether Manipulation] lvl 4

META (Affinity) +3

META (Focus) +3

META (Endurance) +3

Lvl Up: [Ideal Aether Perception] lvl 15

META (Affinity) +3

META (Perception) +6

As Priam and Jasmine ventured into a world of ash, Priam linked up with Eve's clone subsystem. “How's it going on your end?”

The clone was supposed to infiltrate the tribes and manipulate them. The ultimate goal was for the rivals, the tribes, and the forces of Necromoon to converge on Sumstreh simultaneously.

“I’ve started planting suggestions and latent false memories in the minds of most of the Tier 0s, 1s, and 2s connected to the Aelbes council. I’m currently working on the Tier 3s.”

Though Priam was already aware of this through his add-on, he couldn't help but shudder. Eve wasn’t the most formidable rival in direct combat, but her abilities were chilling. “Don't harm them.”

The Aelbes representative, Eleha, hadn’t left a good impression, but he refused to violate the consciousness of strangers.

“Why would I take that risk?”

Priam sighed. It wasn’t the best reason, but the important thing was that the clone left the innocent in peace.

“Did you need something?” the clone inquired.

“... Try to find information on temperance or the prerequisites for ideal skills.”

During the first Reunion, Priam had raided various factions. It hadn’t bothered him since those humans had renounced their humanity. Stealing knowledge from potential allies was different. But if it's that or die...

“Understood.”

With any luck, Eve would also find something for Jasmine and Kazuki. If not, the Auctions would have an answer.

Priam muted the connection and slowed as he reached a cenote. The last time he had been here, the Brood Mother's cave had been empty, but the rain had likely filled it.

At the center of the sinkhole, he saw the wild rift leading to Valaryth—the water world he had briefly explored upon his return to Elysium. Just beside the passage, a princess sat reading. She looked up, and when their eyes met, both young people smiled.

Status:

PHYSICAL:

Strength 707

Constitution 1 105

Agility 614

Vitality 1 040

Perception 760

MENTAL:

Vivacity (D) 552

Dexterity 622

Memory 792 (+11)

Willpower 1 134

Charisma 661

META:

Meta-affinity 754 (+26)

Meta-focus 403 (+9)

Meta-endurance 608 (+14)

Meta-perception 333 (+14)

Meta-chance 274

Meta-authority 189 (+6)

Potential: 13 472 (+21)

Tier 0

Sun points: 682 017 (+542)

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED

[Tribulation]: Five Tribulations pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until:

Time: 157 days 11 hours 46 minutes 29 seconds.

Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 600 / 6 attributes > 900 / 1 attribute > 1 200