One Potential point per skulc slain. Two Bosses, each promising a unique reward. As if that weren't enough, Priam's next target was a rune stone that sat at the center of the skulk village. Seth had no inkling of the stone's powers, except that it disrupted the Necromoon's light. That was good enough for Priam.
"Fate is urging us to eradicate these creatures," he whispered.
"Good riddance; I loathe these pests," grumbled Kazuki, scanning the coniferous forest. "We need to kill as many as possible. These beasts reproduce rapidly and can change genders as needed. There were only five hundred a week ago."
"You're quite bloodthirsty," remarked Priam.
"The world will be better off without them. You'll understand soon enough."
"If you say so. What about the Bosses? How do we handle that?"
"What do you an?"
"You discovered the quest. I can let you choose the Boss you want," Priam offered.
Kazuki blinked before repressing a laugh.
"What's so amusing?" asked Priam.
"We're in Elysium," Kazuki replied when he caught his breath. "If I didn't finish the quest the first ti, it's because I failed. I had a hard ti escaping alive. If you manage to kill one, you deserve your reward."
"Are they that strong?"
"You'll see. I'll go right; you take the left."
"It's not wise to separate. If only we could coordinate our att"
"I'm a hoplite," Kazuki cut in. "Overcoming adversity and improving is my way of life. I'm here to surpass myself and progress. I would like to complete the quest, but that's a bonus. The most important thing for is to face this imnse wall until I can knock it down."
"... I thought you wanted to improve Log-a-rhythm?"
"I wouldn't be here otherwise. However, we won't survive in Elysium by being weak. An impregnable base like your tree will help, but only my spear will win the war. Don't lose sight of your true goal," advised Kazuki.
There was truth in what the hoplite said, and Priam understood.
"So, are we enemies on this one?"
"Rivals," the hoplite smiled.
Upon hearing the Champion hoplite's response, Priam's heart raced. His rival was right. Preparing the Necromoon and its Tribulations wasn't just about accumulating resources. It was about transcending limits.
"You've convinced ," Priam smiled. "I'll take care of both Bosses in no ti."
"Unless I kill them first," Kazuki replied, baring his teeth.
"Big talk for soone who had to run away with their tail between their legs last ti."
Kazuki's eyes glead while Priam's burned with intense determination.
Their competitive spirits flared. Without a word, the two rivals parted ways.
Lvl Up: [Diagnostic] lvl 4,...,10
PERC 7
Lvl Up: [Focus] lvl 36,37
PERC 2
VIVA 2
DEXT 2
Lvl Up: [Frozen ditation] lvl 11,12,13
PERC 3
WILL 6
[Tribulation]: Three attributes above 600 were detected in Tier 0.
A Tribulation is coming.
Ti: 175 days 21 hours 38 minutes 54 seconds.
Priam placed his fifth scalpel before standing up. He forced himself to witness the massacre as [Focus] and [Frozen ditation] began to wane in intensity. Without these skills, he would have been unable to complete the task.
Like a doctor in search of a breakthrough, he had operated on his "patient." Similar to an apprentice butcher or fishmonger, he had dissected the corpse to find its strengths and weaknesses. Deep within him, Priam had felt [Human Anatomy] react. There was a strong chance that the system would present him with an interesting evolution when he reached level 20.
Feeling his thoughts wander, Priam reined them in. He had just dissected an enemy and wasn't quite sure what to make of it. The creature before him was nothing human: its organs, muscles, bones, and ligants were different. Its digestive system featured a strange crystalline organ. Its brain was entirely alien and resembled so form of hard coral. A pig was closer to him than this thing.
The autopsy still disgusted him.
In a way, Priam knew it was necessary. To reach the heights of power that would allow him to declare himself free, he would have to get his hands dirty. Nevertheless, it was necessary to set limits; otherwise he would lose his identity along the way. Dissecting this kind of monster... It's sothing I can accept.
Having accepted the situation, Priam felt his disgust recede. Casting a final glance at the corpse, a mory flashed back to him. His great-grandmother - a farr - had once killed a rabbit in front of him before skinning it. At five years old, it hadn't disgusted him. I guess humans do what they must to survive.
With a wave of his hand, Priam commanded his Domain to cover the corpse in snow. A few seconds later, the pool of blood had disappeared.
Priam continued to move toward the village. ntally, he linked [Diagnostic] and [Phantom]. The System and its experints had given him interesting information about the skulcs. At Tier 0, they had good hearing and sharp eyes. However, their sense of sll was weaker.
Wrapped in a mist as white as the snow, Priam intended to capitalize on this. Like a white shadow, he moved silently through the snowy forest, camouflaged by his mist.
Thirty seconds later, he stopped again. His infrared vision had just spotted a new ambush. This ti, two enemies were in front of him. The first was at the base of the trunk, and the second was higher up.
Priam summoned two ice darts and made them levitate. Focusing on [Kinetic Control] and [Priams System], he targeted his two adversaries. Why aim manually when a program could do it for you?
[Targets locked: two Skulcs (Tier 0).
Visible weak points: left eye (first) and heart (second).
Host not detected thanks to [Phantom], [Moon Mist], and a distance of more than thirty ters.
Assassination reliability: 99%.
Cost: 2.3 MJ.]
Priam smiled as he read the report from his add-on. The scout above only exposed its head, and the one below was partially hidden. It wouldn't save them.
As Priam authorized the assault, [Priams System] activated. The two darts vanished. The next mont, both Skulcs collapsed. Two and three.
Lvl Up: [Priams System] lvl 13,14
M 4
VIVA 2
Priam rushed to the first corpse to cushion his fall. An adult skulc weighed over two hundred kilograms and could easily break a spruce branch when falling. Intercepting the body, Priam gently laid it on the ground next to its dead colleague.
He knelt to check the aftermath of his attack.
The two darts had disintegrated into liquid water upon impact, but the damage was done. The brain of the first corpse had exploded, but not its head. The heart of the second corpse was pierced, but the ice hadn't exited the body. In essence, his add-on had calculated the optimal energy to kill his enemies without overkill. In addition to saving energy, Priam was happy that he was spared having to clean up the area.
A few monts later, the snow covered all evidence of his passage.
Continuing on his way, Priam congratulated himself on creating his add-on. In a fast-paced fight, it could create shields and attacks autonomously. Not that I should rely too much on it.
Priam didn't plan to abuse this new combat option, but it was a valuable aid.
A few dozen ters later, Priam reached the edge of the forest. Stealthily, he glanced ahead.
About a hundred tents had been erected in a circle. In the center, a water basin provided drink to the tribe. A large nhir covered in runes stood at the center of the pond. Around fifty skulcs were currently worshiping it. Between the crowd and the nhir, a shaman chanted with closed eyes.
No one had yet noticed his presence. Now, to kill the Shaman, which is better: Draconic breath or assassination?
User Comments
0 comments from readers