Chapter 243: May the Forest be with You

Chapter 243: May the Forest be with You

Valaryth was a world of splendor, both on the surface and beneath the sea. Having grown up near the ocean, Priam admired this force more than he feared it. Sure, the unknown could be terrifying, but it never discouraged him. Once underwater, a new world opened up to him.

Priam felt fortunate that the marine topography was in their favor. The seabed never descended beyond fifty meters, and with his enhanced vision and [Echolocation], he had no trouble navigating. Natural light filtered down to the sandy bottom, illuminating algae, fish, reefs, and other wonders.

Instead of worrying about monsters from the deep, the two rivals enjoyed the expedition, admiring the local wildlife.

“Look at these fish, they’re all colors of the rainbow!”

Priam smiled as he heard Esmée exclaiming in delight while a school of small fish enveloped them. In a world away from her rotten family and in this new environment, the princess finally shed her royal shell, allowing the young woman within her to marvel at the beauty around her.

“They look delicious,” Priam noted, mentally mapping their position relative to the outpost. Blueberry would undoubtedly be thrilled to make sushi out of them.

“All you think about is food,” teased the young woman.

“Guilty as charged!”

Laughing, Esmée continued her exploration. They chatted as they traveled, Priam sharing his knowledge.

"See those rocks? They’re corals, a type of living stone,” Priam explained.

“Really? How is that possible?”

“It’s a colony of tiny organisms with calcium skeletons, I think. I don’t know much more, but they can form massive reefs.”

On Earth, the Great Barrier Reef was visible from space.

“It’s wonderful... oh, you’re right, it’s moving!”

“No, that’s a crustacean,” Priam chuckled.

Esmée moved closer to touch it, and Priam smiled as he saw her light up with joy. The political machinations might have stifled the child in her, but they hadn’t killed it.

“Did you notice their shape?” Esmée asked, pointing to the coral.

“Their shape?”

“They cover the rock they grow on, but if you look closely, the base is rectangular. We’re on submerged ruins.”

Using his Domain to scan the environment, Priam was surprised to find familiar blocks beneath the coral. The stone used to build the city of the amphipteres was now infested with coral.

“I wonder what could have caused the rise in sea levels...”

Over the next hour, the two rivals advanced, stopping occasionally to admire the underwater scenery or to pet a few fish. The biodiversity was rich, both in fauna and flora. The trip was a unique multisensory experience that delighted both of them.

After rounding a coral reef, they stopped. In front of them, the sea abruptly plunged into an abyss. No fish approached it, and even the water was colder.

“The stroll ends here.”

“We’ll be back," Priam promised. "After the ocean’s treasures, let’s see its horrors...”

Proceeding cautiously, the two rivals descended into the depths, staying close to the cliff. It might have been foolish, but the landmark comforted them. Soon, the light faded, and Priam used Domain and [Echolocation] to navigate. Esmée seemed fine as she didn’t ask for help.

Feeling the slight weight of the water on his body, Priam glanced at his add-on.

[Current depth: 453 meters.]

A smile crept onto his lips. During his last dive in Valaryth three weeks ago, his record had been five hundred meters. His constitution and [Star Iron Body] couldn’t withstand higher pressure, sealing any hope of further descent.

Twenty-four days later, he had doubled his constitution, upgraded his race, and improved various resistances. With [Sun Steel Body], an ideal and Epic resistance, the compression from the ambient pressure barely bothered him. And that was without equipping his scales...

“I'm not sure I can go much deeper,” Esmée warned. “This suit is enchanted to resist pressure, but my constitution is too weak to handle the leaks.”

Priam nodded, slowing down before stopping.

“Can you guide me above the Terror’s lair?”

“Of course.”

After a vertical descent, the two rivals moved horizontally away from the cliff. Around them, the darkness was absolute. Now that Priam could convert his aether into light, he was tempted to do so but quickly reconsidered. Creating a light source in the middle of an abyss was like lighting a torch in a dark forest: it was sure to attract unwanted attention.

Closing their eyes, Priam and Esmée accelerated without needing to discuss it. The prospect of being spotted by an abomination from the depths was unappealing to both.

Focusing on [Swimming], Priam summoned his scales to activate [Smooth Scales]. The water’s relative viscosity decreased, and the change threw him off for a moment. The fluid’s lack of resistance prevented him from properly propelling himself, his strokes cutting through the liquid like gas.

Grimacing, Priam cursed himself as he deactivated the scales on his arms. He could now push against the water again and surged forward to catch up with Esmée. The rest of his body remained covered in scales, allowing him to ignore most of the water’s resistance.

Sensing his approach, the princess flashed him a smile and created aether helixes under her feet to accelerate. Spinning, they propelled her forward and the water backward. Feeling the current slow him down as he tried to catch up, Priam smiled. Not letting himself get caught was one thing, but pushing him back?

"Want to race?"

"You're too slow, I can barely hear you," the princess lied with a grin.

Priam didn't just like competition; he loved it. His draconic bloodline roared, and he almost used [Kinetic Control] to surpass his opponent before rejecting the idea. An easy win would be disappointing, and this was too good an opportunity to level up some neglected skills.

Using Micro to focus on each movement, Priam let his dexterity resonate with [Swimming]. Instantly, he adjusted his arm position and synchronized his limbs. Once satisfied with the improvements, he overclocked his muscles and lunged forward. His hearts pounded in his chest, and Priam smiled. There was something cathartic about heeding a physical skill’s advice and refining his movements.

Lvl Up: [Swimming] Lvl 13

STR +1

"Maybe I should deactivate one of my helixes to make it more interesting?" the princess winked. She was still much faster than him.

Ignoring the dopamine rush from the level-up, Priam focused. Blood pulsing in his ears, he commanded his add-on to simulate different swimming techniques. His system analyzed the images of Olympic events he had watched on TV and that his Ultimate Sensory Memory could recall. He cross-referenced this with animal documentaries, studying ocean inhabitants’ swimming patterns.

Receiving the first results, Priam realized he was foolish to rely solely on his arms and legs. Inspired by dolphins, he began to undulate, the motion starting from his head and traveling down to his joined legs. At the end of the movement, his feet whipped the water powerfully.

Lvl Up: [Swimming] Lvl 14

STR +1

The motion propelled him forward but not as far as his add-on had predicted. Priam almost grumbled, noting that the scales on his legs cut through the water too easily. This was problematic as he needed to push against the water to leap forward. In the same way that it was easier to jump on hard ground than on sand, the absence of friction resistance was sometimes a bad thing.

I need to reduce my resistance in some areas and increase it in others.

He did just that. With his add-on and scientific knowledge, Priam began activating and deactivating his scales, synchronizing them with his movements. When he pulled with his arms or kicked with his feet, the absence of scales was perfect for gripping the water and pushing it back. The counterforce propelled his body forward.

At the end of the movement, Priam activated his scales to bring his arms forward without being slowed down by the environment. Playing with the lack of resistance, he then adjusted the scales covering the rest of his body, synchronizing their invocation with his undulations.

Lvl Up: [Swimming] Lvl 15

STR +1

Lvl Up: [Art of Movement] Lvl 34

AGI +1

PERC +1

“You’ve created a lovely forest,” the huntress smiled, holding a dagger in each hand.

“I saved what I could.”

The arrival of the Necromoon had been a catastrophe in the Drya's eyes. It had also been a revelation.

“Trees resistant to necro corruption.” The stranger looked at the forest appreciatively. “Your bioengineering skills surpass our shamans’.”

Dishnu shrugged to indicate his disinterest. He had so many trees left to save; did she really need to waste his time?

“I see you’re less talkative than your rivals.”

The drya sent a wave of aether through the ground that traveled hundreds of kilometers before reaching Log-a-rhythm. The tree was in excellent health, and someone was actively reinforcing it.

Seeing another gardener's work piqued the guardian's curiosity, and he began extending his domain in that direction. Perhaps, by joining forces with Log-a-rhythm, they could protect the forest?

“I wanted to provoke you before killing you...”

Dishnu blinked.

“Do I finally have your attention?”

“I am a being of peace and have no material possessions.”

“I’ve been ordered to find a gift to appease one of your rivals. I’m sure your heart will boost his tree while sending a strong message,” the Tier 3 smiled cruelly. “No matter your potential as Champions, you’re just Tier 0s.”

Dishnu nodded. His heart could theoretically amplify Log-a-rhythm’s power, but he had to be selfish and refuse. The forest needed him.

As his opponent opened her mouth to spew more nonsense, the forest guardian sighed.

Dishnu wept tears of sap as he beheld the shattered trees. The battle had been fierce, and the collateral damage was immense. It would take him at least a day to mend the destruction.

“Monster...” the broken huntress murmured.

Ignoring his captive, the drya plucked a yellow flower, an ethereal wood daffodil, and began altering its genetic and aethereal code. His old world had been teeming with fascinating plants, and one of them was particularly well-known to the Dryas.

“Fuck...” The huntress was wracked with a fit of coughing, spitting blood and bits of crushed organs. Her scarred mind could no longer summon Micro, and she curled up on the ground in agony.

Dishnu was in no hurry to end the Tier 3; every second, her aether was strengthening her blood, which in turn enriched the soil as it dripped.

“Finish me off...” the defeated huntress whimpered.

In Dishnu’s hand, the flower’s petals turned crimson and a bulb appeared. Satisfied, he turned to the Tier 3, now mumbling like a madwoman.

“My tribe will burn this fucking wood, they will—”

Dishnu planted the bulb in the huntress's open mouth. The flower extended its roots into her veins and arteries, paralyzing her nervous system. Moments later, the plant connected to the forest and released a wave of aether. Like a parasite, it absorbed the aether from its victim while healing her.

The eyes of the human battery widened in horror as she realized her fate.

“Your body will fertilize the forest until you have repaid your blood debt.”

Life always found a way to survive. Even when it didn’t want to.

Status:

PHYSICAL:

Strength 725 (+18)

Constitution 1 105

Agility 842 (+69)

Vitality 1 040

Perception 767 (+1)

MENTAL:

Vivacity (D) 570

Dexterity 657 (+1)

Memory 842

Willpower 1 163

Charisma 692

META:

Meta-affinity 801 (+2)

Meta-focus 409

Meta-endurance 617

Meta-perception 340 (+1)

Meta-chance 274

Meta-authority 216

Potential: 13 605 (-2)

Tier 0

Sun points: 1 481 104 (+203)

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED

[Tribulation]: Five Tribulations pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until:

Time: 153 days 11 hours 17 minutes 8 seconds.

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