Chapter 249: Plot Twist!

Chapter 249: Plot Twist!

Congratulations, you have survived a week in Elysium!

Reward (choose one):

Back in Time: Allows you to return 24 hours in the past, at any time, and with all your earnings. One use only.5 seconds of Glory: Allows you to summon a hypothetical version of yourself, a year older... For 5 seconds.Memoir of a Survivor: A survivor's memoir of his quintuple Tribulation.Lord Five: One, two, three, four, five, five, five... Whatever your attributes, the Tribulation coming will be a quintuple Tribulation.

Priam's eyes widened.

"Bordel de merde..."

The selection resembled the tailored reward he'd received for earning three Achievements at Tier 0, but updated. His astonished expression caught Esmée's attention.

"Is there a problem?" she asked.

"What? No, I just got a reward for surviving a week in Elysium."

"That's what I call a big lag!" laughed Rose.

"My resurrection interfered with the quest," Priam explained, his voice distracted. "The possibilities..." Even with his draconic vivacity's dual parallel thoughts, he couldn't calculate all the paths available to him. It changes everything...

Priam’s hands began to tremble.

"Hey, are you sure you're okay?" Jasmine's voice was filled with concern. The entire assembly, from the new artisan Bertomne to his father Alain, watched in silence, understanding that something significant was happening.

Looking up at his rivals, friends, and family, Priam smiled.

"Everything will be fine," he promised. "I will do what I do best: I will adapt."

Sphinx, I'm coming.

The four rivals, accompanied by Louis, entered Concept Archipelago.

"This place feels strange," murmured Esmée as she looked around.

"What do you mean?" Jasmine asked.

"It feels like being inside a divination shield. It's slightly harder to scry someone from here, but the defenses are worth it."

Priam nodded. Concept Archipelago was a Talent recorded in his soul. As such, it was partially protected by [Revelation Resistance].

"Could you scry a Tier 4 without being detected?" he asked.

Esmée raised an eyebrow. "I could do it even from outside. However, it will be easier here," she conceded. "Why?"

"Because I might have a deal for you. Let’s talk about it later. Phoenix?"

Nothing happened for a moment, then a sigh was heard.

"I'm not sure shouting my existence from the rooftops is a great idea... But fine."

The artificial sun flared. Leaving a beam of light, the fiery bird appeared before Louis and the rivals. Amused, Priam noted that the former prince was still vain enough to make a grand entrance before strangers.

"I thought you would come to me about your temperance."

Priam shook his head. "I need advice about a quest reward. In short..."

As he explained, the phoenix's flames calmed while his rivals' breathing grew ragged. Despite their self-control and intelligence, the possibilities offered by the reward choice were colossal.

"The System plays favorites," sighed the phoenix after Priam finished. "Unless your rivals' rewards are equally overpowered?"

Jasmine inspected her nails, while Esmée shook her head. The assassin only answered to Priam, and the princess was only a temporary ally.

"The System bound me with Knightmare using a Mythic Talent," revealed Kazuki, seeing that the women wanted to keep their secrets. "It multiplies my attributes and allows me to benefit from the computing power, knowledge, and calm of an AI running on a quantum computer. I had the choice of various types of unions, some more bionic, but I preferred to remain hoplite."

The phoenix nodded. "Thank you for sharing that. You have answered my question: the early advantages of the Champions are as great as their future responsibilities."

The rivals simply nodded. Survival quests were only given to Champions; none of the other immigrants or inhabitants of Elysium received them. Priam suspected that these benefits would have to be repaid one day.

"Back to the main topic," the fiery mentor continued. "Lord Five, a guaranteed quintuple Tribulation, seems the obvious option. You still have five months to transform into an absolute monster. You could become one of the most terrifying Tier 0s in Elysium—and thus the Universe—paving a royal road to the Zenith."

"With my phenomenal adaptation and resurrections, the sky's the limit," Priam agreed. He wasn't being arrogant, just realistic. "I could farm Sun Points, temper my body, break records in the Colosseum, and face my Tribulations with five maxed-out ideal Legendary resistances..."

Priam let his sentence hang.

"But you won't do it," the phoenix finished. "Why not?"

"Of course, the power to protect my freedom is tempting." Priam clenched his fists. "But when I say that, I think of Sphinx, who sacrificed herself for me. What's the point of becoming powerful if I abandon everything I intend to protect along the way?!"

By the end, he was almost shouting. The frustration had been building over the past few weeks and was finally boiling over. Priam felt ashamed of himself, and now that he had a chance to change things, he wanted it desperately, even if it disrupted his plans.

"The stronger you become, the better your chances of saving her," pointed out the fiery bird.

"While I wait, only the Concepts know what that bastard is doing to her," Priam retorted.

The sound of wings responded before the phoenix sighed. "I find your reasoning foolish."

Silently, Priam held the bird's gaze. He had made his decision.

"However, it's because of this mindset that my original was lost to the Depths. I'm just the hologram of an artificial program; my words carry little weight, but I'm proud of you. Renouncing an easy road to uphold your convictions is admirable."

A weight lifted from Priam's chest, the phoenix's words warming his hearts more than he had expected. "You never know, if the System offered me the same rewards twice, it might do it a third time. Lord Five will still be exceptional at Tier 1."

"System moves in mysterious ways... And your decision might be the right one. Not because it's human, but because the Tribulations are only a death sentence for the weak. Those trials highlight the weaknesses of the strong and reward them when they overcome them. For someone aiming for the Zenith, that might be more important than a few attribute points.

That ultimately convinced Priam. If his mentor had imparted any lesson, it was that the easy path was seldom the correct one.

"Hey," replied the teenager, inscribing a rune at lightning speed on a stone she then tossed. Upon striking a corrupted, the projectile exploded like a grenade. "I'm trying to farm skill levels to unlock a double Tribulation."

"Are you sure that..."

"Sure. For a craftsman like me, it's not really dangerous. By the way, shouldn't you be gone already?"

The blunt transition reminded Priam of his own attempts to dodge boring conversations with his father. So this is what growing up feels like? Worrying about others...

"I'm waiting for Kazuki and Jasmine."

The hoplite was explaining to his troops the opportunity presented by Priam while the assassin was scouring the Auctions for a way to erase her scent. The phoenix had warned him about the supernatural perception of Tier 4s with animal bloodlines.

The two Earthlings chatted for a few minutes before being joined by their two rivals.

"Sorry for the wait," said Kazuki, holding a spear whose blade seemed made of glowing embers. "I’m ready."

"Ready!" Jasmine wore a tight black suit that highlighted her curves and winked as she caught Priam's gaze. A tattoo covered part of her arm.

"That's so cool, are those runes?!" Rose asked.

"A runic tattoo," Jasmine confirmed, flexing her biceps. "This beauty costs more than a night with a high-class escort, but it can absorb my scent and diminish my presence. Perfect for robbing tribes. For Sphinx, of course," she added, seeing Priam's look.

The Lord of Oasis pursed his lips. He didn't really want to use a time loop to rob his allies, but Sphinx's safety came first.

"I'll focus mainly on Eleha's tribe?" the assassin ventured.

"Yeah, fuck Eleha!" Rose exclaimed.

Kazuki and Priam cracked a smile before leaping towards the tribal camp.

Sumstreh's looming shadow was drawing significantly closer, but Priam's hearts felt light.

For the first time in a long while, he was the hunter.

Status:

PHYSICAL:

Strength 726

Constitution 1 179

Agility 897

Vitality 1 130

Perception 767

MENTAL:

Vivacity (D) 595

Dexterity 658

Memory 859

Willpower 1 168

Charisma 692

META:

Meta-affinity 825

Meta-focus 415

Meta-endurance 708

Meta-perception 346

Meta-chance 274

Meta-authority 225

Potential: 14 137

Tier 0

Sun points: 1 482 803 (+191)

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED

[Tribulation]: Five Tribulations pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until:

Time: 153 days 3 hours 50 minutes 50 seconds.

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

Yes, Lord Five is very strong. But if you think about everything we can do by rewinding time, I promise that Back in Time is just as overpowered! By the way, this arc is already complete on Patreon if you're interested in finding out what happens next! /ANovelConcept