Perched in the branches of a tree, its leaves beginning to fall, Jasmine was keeping a watchful eye on her prey. Despite the putrid stench of the beast below, she remained still, shrouded in shadows, waiting for the opportune mont to strike.
Her hunt had begun a quarter hour prior.
As the corrupted ones fell inert, most of Oasis' residents ventured from the safety of their stronghold to farm Sun Points. After dispatching several dozen lifeless beasts, Jasmine opted to leave the easy points for others. She wasn't one to take down hordes of weak monsters. Her forte was to end single elites.
Thus, she trailed the Necro Envoy to a nearby valley. The battle against Arnold and the two locals had been harrowing, and the creature inhabiting Mirscella's body appeared to be in dire straits. However, a necromancer never fought alone.
Every minute, a score of necro elites joined the fray, only to et their demise monts later. Their sacrifice rely served to deplete the assailants' aether and would not save the Necro Envoy. Still, the creature showed no signs of despair. Jasmine could recognize prey, and the adversary had not yet assud that mindset.
It was evident that the Boss believed it could survive by leveraging the infinite horde at its disposal—particularly the mini-Bosses.
Jasmine was convinced that more potent corrupted beings awaited the opportune mont to enter the fray. Surveying her surroundings, she pinpointed pri ambush locations. Slowly but surely, the Necro Envoy was approaching one of them.
Utilizing a Shadow corridor, it took only minutes for Jasmine to traverse the valley and reach the ambush site. Then ca the task of locating the enemy. The crimson light of the Necromoon obscured the aether—thus confusing magical tracking abilities—but the assassin possessed mundane skills honed through years of training. It took her no more than thirty seconds to pick up the mini-Boss's trail.
Humanoid in form, the necromantic creature was the size of an adolescent but stood out with its attire. Its straw hat and fabric cloak suggested it possessed more than re instinct. None of the undead she knew cared for their attire, yet the creature's headwear had undergone recent repairs. Judging by the odor emanating from its wearer, they occurred post-mortem.
It was challenging to assess its exact level without identifying it using [Recognition], but certain enemies could detect those kinds of skills. Jasmine's assassin instincts, honed through experience, whispered that the monster was a Tier 2 high noble, likely a Viscount. Precisely the kind of opponent she sought.
Her hand closed slowly around her dagger. The weapon cost her nearly fifty thousand Sun Points and was of low epic rarity. Before attaining Marquess status, it was the best blade the assassin could buy. If all went well, that would change in a matter of seconds.
The creature trembled, and seeing her enemy growing impatient, Jasmine focused on her heart. A silent pulsation resonated within her chest, and the shadows grew even more welcoming. For a mont, the Shadow Champion glimpsed a potential evolution. A superior Concept, purer than shadows. If Priam was terrifying in his versatility and Kazuki followed the Spear's path, Jasmine's path lay with the Shadows… and what lay beyond.
The next second, [One Mind, One Blade] silenced the epiphany. The assassin's path was bloody, and distractions were dangerous. Jasmine's attention narrowed on the monster below, her body tensing. Her breath beca imperceptible, her pupils contracted, and her heart rate slowed. She was in the zone.
After an uncertain amount of ti, the battle drew near, the shockwaves rocking the nearby trees. The corrupted readied itself, unaware of the impending threat above it. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind...
The party was about to begin, and Jasmine cloaked her blade in a fearso Aura. Following his quadruple Tribulation, Priam had received [Horseman of the Apocalypse - Legendary] and chosen Conquest. Jasmine had opted for Death. Her attacks beca harder to dodge and wounded the souls of her enemies.
The assassin's instinct roared a fraction of a second before her opponent leaped toward Laepa.
Overclocking her two legs, Jasmine burst forward, her shadow trailing behind her. [Homo Elysian Predation] erupted, drowning her opponent's instinct. Simultaneously, the assassin's Domain telescoped with that of her adversary's… without arousing suspicion. Her Shadow Concept infused her sphere of authority, making her Supremacy nearly undetectable in addition to concealing her presence.
Extending a hand clad in dark energy, the undead prepared to strike at the Gaesert's back. Jasmine was quicker. [Apex Huntress's Eye]. Her blade, augnted by her Aura and Dagger Mastery, shot toward a chink in the corrupted's guard.
The Tier 2 necro only beca aware of the ambush when the weapon slid between its hat and cloak. Sensing death approaching, it twisted in mid-air, attempting to evade, but the dagger had already penetrated its neck. Roaring in rage, it tried a feeble counterattack, but Jasmine had already shifted places with her shadow. An assassin was entitled to a single strike.
Reappearing in the branches of a tree a hundred ters away, Jasmine listened intently.
An explosion rocked the forest, and the young woman smiled as she read her notification. Her epic dagger had just detonated inside the corrupted. With a master like Priam, she knew there was no such thing as overkill.
"A fifty-thousand-Sun-Points explosive dagger against ten thousand Sun Points, a Marquess Title, and a Legendary Achievent. Worth it," Jasmine smiled as she purchased a new dagger five tis more expensive. She weighed it in her hand, striking the air to get familiar with it before vanishing once more.
The hunt was only just beginning.
Upon introspection, Priam realized he was serene. The recent events were working against him—he had a quintuple Tribulation on his hands and a Necro Envoy plotting his demise—but he no longer expected any bad news.
With his hearts racing, Priam realized impatience mingled with his serenity. He had always been motivated by challenges. Nothing but a deadline or a competition could make him work at a hundred percent of his capacity. The Tribulations were the ultimate exam, and their shadow urged Priam to improve himself.
Smiling, Priam delved into his Domain, observing the scrying probes continuing to bombard him. Determined to understand them, he freely tapped into his Potential to do so.
Failures followed, but Priam didn't let himself get discouraged. Splitting his attention with his draconic vivacity, he commanded his add-on to bombard the nearby corrupteds. The Conquest attribute bonuses began to accumulate, and Priam kept trying.
He failed a thousand tis and tried again, slightly altering his approach. Initially, he used a form of abstract telekinesis, but the packets of aether slipped through tiny gaps like small shrimps in a wide-shed fishing net.
Priam then opted for cages created by his Domain. These barriers effectively trapped the aether packets. It was progress, but the probes tended to get corrupted when he tried to manipulate them; his aether poisoned them, and then the probe dispersed, polluted beyond hope.
POT -313
After hours of experintation, an epiphany induced by his Potential revealed the beginning of a solution: ordering the aether.
If his skill could bend the ambient aether to his will, it should be able to do the sa for controlled aether. Guided by his Potential, Priam projected his formidable will into [Aether Manipulation]. The high attribute dominated the probe, forbidding the foreign energy from rging with his own. Simultaneously, Priam pushed back the ambient aether, isolating the captured packet.
The probe trembled as a foreign will struggled against Priam's domination. Showing no rcy, Priam's will sliced, destroying his opponent's control. The ghost of a scream echoed before fading. His foe was far, and his will was pressurized by Priam's Domain. It stood no chance.
"That'll teach you."
A few seconds passed, and the probe stilled, imprisoned and functional. Satisfied, Priam allowed himself a smile before starting to study it. According to [Ideal Aether Perception], it was the creation of a low Tier user, and no Concept was involved. Only the affinity of its creator still possessed the scrying device. Using his will like a scalpel, Priam peeled it until a too-brusque maneuver destroyed it.
His hearts perfectly calm, Priam turned his attention to a new packet. He had an embarrassnt of choice, with millions assaulting him constantly.
He dissected a hundred probes, increasing his precision and aether proficiency before reaching the skills' cores. As expected, multiple runes were hidden there. Priam copied them and attempted to influence them. The runes trembled before yielding, shattering into useless shards.
POT -559
Priam tried the experint again and again, refining his precision and increasing his mastery. Progress that should have taken weeks for a genius was achieved in a few hours as he consud his Potential without restraint. Yet, the identity of the probe creators and the other secrets they held remained beyond his reach.
POT -1 792
Without becoming discouraged, Priam learned to wield his willpower to dominate and dissect the probes. Alas, the attribute was a weapon: perfect for accessing a vault but unsuitable for retrieving the contents intact.
It wasn't impossible, but Priam felt he was far from having the finesse required for it.
"But I don't have to use my will," he murmured after one of his streams of thoughts paused to take a step back and assess the situation.
All attributes had their strengths, and if a blade weren't adapted, he would use a key.
Since crossing its first threshold, charisma had the ability to infuse his Supremacies. Dissecting yet another probe, Priam withdrew a portion of his will and imbued his Domain with his charisma. The attribute approached the runes before contacting them. The sigils trembled, confused, and Priam pushed.
The runes exploded into a shower of aether. Instead of degrading, the fluid rushed toward charisma's outstretched hand. Ecstatic, Priam used his Potential to translate the hidden data within the aether and then sent it toward mory.
POT -403
A flood of information flooded his mind, and Priam roared. He had pierced the secrets of divinatory magic, and his enemies would never be anonymous again!
You have gained a new skill!
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