A Novel Concept - A death a day, MC will live anyway!

The Domain seemed to be pressing down physically on Priam, trying to force him to bend his back. Submissive positions led to submissive habits. Priam refused to give in.

As he advanced, he could feel the pressure building. Here, in the tree's heart, his ability to manipulate his mist was diminishing with every step. His bubble had gradually shrunk to a sphere barely a meter across.

A few meters further on, Priam stopped again. He had no idea how long the tunnel was, but his sphere would soon be reduced to nothing if he went on like this. It was impossible to know what would happen then - certainly nothing pleasant.

Inhaling calmly, Priam used Micro to slow his beating heart and save oxygen. There was no point in being stubborn, and this ordeal had to have a solution. Priam tried to take manual control of the sphere around him. He pushed back his mist to enlarge his breathing space. The ambient fog, supported by the Domain, pressed on him. After a few seconds, he realized that his efforts had no effect.

Reflecting for a moment, Priam recalled his scientific knowledge. His mist was still a gas. It could therefore be compressed up to a certain limit. Beyond that, he remembered, the gas changed state and became a liquid. The more pressure at a constant temperature, the closer the gas was to a liquid state - and vice versa. It was why it was possible to boil water at just 72°C at the summit of Mount Everest - because atmospheric pressure was so low.

Smiling, Priam focused with [Focus] and produced more mist. What interested him here was compressing it as much as possible while keeping it in vapor form - Priam hadn't yet learned to breathe underwater. Once the pressure in Priam's sphere exceeded that of his surroundings, the mist would push back the tree Domain. The trick was to keep control of his mist during the operation.

Priam sat down on the bark of the tree and began to meditate. The presence of the Domain was pressing on his mist and body. Only Micro and his new resistance skills enabled him not to flinch or give in to panic. The pressure on his body was as physical as it was mental. Fortunately, Priam's body was adapting.

Lvl Up: [Star Iron Body] lvl 4

CONST +3

Priam thought for a moment before activating [Meditation]. The skill promised to help him concentrate, and he didn't expect to be physically attacked in the tunnel. In any case, if the tree wanted to kill him, Priam would already be dead.

Legs crossed, breath slowed, [Meditation] and [Focus] working in concert, Priam used [Moon Mist].

His meridians had recovered a little since his fight with Blueberry. They were activated to transform the aether in Priam's reserves into steam.

The aether circulated through Priam's body down to his skin and seemed to magically create a mist outside his body. Priam knew that one day he'd have to find out exactly how his skill worked, but that would be for another time.

The mist began to densify in his sphere, and some naturally flowed out. Instantly, Priam lost his control and frowned. He had just increased the amount of mist in the tunnel and thus strengthened the tree's domain.

Priam took a breath and refocused. A white haze began to materialize on the surface of his body. This time, he controlled it to prevent it from moving away. Over the next few seconds, he increased the amount of mist in his sphere while preventing it from leaving.

After a few seconds, his sphere was saturated. If he continued to produce mist, it would become liquid. Priam stopped and concentrated all his Will into [Moon Mist]. He wished to take conscious control of all his mist.

The seconds passed slowly as Priam's consciousness tried to completely dominate the mist that belonged to him. Initially, he had tried to befriend it. It was a good technique as it allowed Priam to manipulate the fog without expending a lot of mental resources. But when a better friend arrived - here, the Earl Jubokko - the friendly mist refused his orders.

A few minutes later, Priam began to lose patience. As his Will tamed one part of the mist, another part slipped out of his control and sphere of authority. He then had to recreate the fog, losing aether in the process. The tree's domain prevented him from naturally recovering his aether. Priam's number of attempts was therefore limited.

The young Viscount's mood was darkening despite [Meditation]. His frustration wasn't helping his concentration, and Priam was making more and more mistakes. Finally, after several minutes of failure, he decided to spend his stolen resources. They would be useless if he died as a result of his next Tribulations. He wouldn't take these treasures to his grave, so he might as well spend them.

From one of his pockets, he reached into the small purse that accompanied him everywhere and pulled out one of the trophies he had borrowed from the Revenants. The treasure took the form of a small tea case. Priam took out a leaf of a blue he would have called temporal for want of a better adjective.

[Identification]

[Da Hong Pao Aethereal] - A leaf of an extraordinary orchid-flavored tea. As an emperor's beverage, Da Hong Pao enables you to sequence your thoughts and focus your attention. This leaf permanently purifies the mind.

Best consumed as an infusion, it can also be swallowed directly.

Priam swallowed the leaf - he didn't have a teapot next to him. He winced as he swallowed. Blueberry's claws did a number on him.

After a second, Priam allowed himself a smile. The tea's description was brief, but its effect was fantastic. His mental capacities seemed unlocked, similar to when he used his Potential - minus the divine inspiration.

Suddenly, it was easy to manipulate his mist, and Priam's mind covered his entire sphere. He imagined himself mentally locking control of his sphere, and suddenly his mist seemed to freeze. The pressure of the tree's domain had almost disappeared as Priam rose to his feet. He resumed his progress through the plant tunnel, his sphere now protecting him from the Jubokko Domain.

His breakthrough was artificial, and he knew it. The aether in the tunnel was as dense as the pressure of the Domain was intense. As the seconds ticked by, the effects of the tea leaf disappeared. But like a child with the little wheels removed from his bike, Priam had managed to dominate his sphere once. He'd managed to ride and had no intention of falling again.

His mind now knew how to dominate the mist close to him, and Priam concentrated on keeping control. The Jubokko Domain continued to compress his bubble of steam with every step. He may have covered two hundred meters since the beginning, but the tunnel seemed endless. Drops of sweat beaded on his forehead as he pushed back against the tree's efforts.

Suddenly, the effects of the tea disappeared, and Priam stopped. The pressure of the Domain was now colossal and threatened to crush Priam. Only his mist saved him, and the young Viscount concentrated with all his might to keep it under control.

Priam had been motionless for several seconds. Slowly, time passed as his mental effort became more and more intense. His strength was wearing thin, but he wasn't giving up. Mentally, he kept telling himself that he would become the best. He had faced the rabhorn, the hoplite warrior and even Abominations. He had always survived.

In the end, he would save his family. He would be free.

Fists clenched, Priam put all his Willpower to work, taking control of his mental attributes to fight against the Domain that was crushing him. Vivacity, Dexterity, Perception... All these attributes came to life under the impulse of his Will, and helped Priam focus on his survival.

He didn't know what he was fighting for. He didn't know if there was a way to win. But he was fighting death. It was what he had always done.

Finally, after a while, the moment's intensity triggered a change. Something clicked.

Lvl Up : [Focus] lvl 20

PERC +1

VIVA +1

DEXT +1

[Focus] has reached level 20. As a rare skill, a bonus is available. Choose one of these three options:

[Greater Focus] - Reinforces the advantages and disadvantages of [Focus]. POT -30

[Body Focus] - [Focus] works best when focusing on your body. Synergizes with Micro. POT -30

[Mental Focus] - [Focus] works best when focusing on your mind. Synergizes with Domain. POT -30

Priam gave himself a moment's thought, which almost proved fatal. The Domain swallowed part of his mist, instantly reducing the volume of his protective bubble. Death was less than fifty centimeters from his face.

Closing his eyes, Priam made up his mind. It was still too early to choose between Micro and Domain. Micro was a Supremacy he'd already unlocked. However, Priam found Domain extremely useful. He didn't intend to be a brute who could only destroy his enemies with his bare hands. Priam aspired to do more than that.

[Greater Focus] - Reinforces the advantages and disadvantages of [Focus].

POT -30

Instantly, Priam's thoughts disappeared. His mind was now exclusively focused on survival. His protective sphere began to expand again. Before long, Priam had regained a one-meter bubble around him.

Coldly, like a robot, he analyzed the last few minutes. The attributes given by [Focus] during a level-up were those he had consciously used just before upgrading [Focus]. The obvious hypothesis was that by focusing on specific attributes, it was possible to increase the learning speed of a skill.

To survive in the Domain, Priam now needed to improve [Moon Mist]. The skill increased his Perception, Charisma and META - Affinity. Priam had no idea how to manipulate the last two attributes or what they were for. But he knew that Micro and [Focus] would allow him to focus on his Perception.

In the dark tunnel of the tree, the Viscount concentrated on his mist and the pieces of information it communicated to him.

Sphinx, in her adult guise, stared at the Earl. Not the carnivorous tree, but the old lion. She must have heard wrong.

"Could you repeat that?" she asked in a neutral voice.

The lion straightened. "I'm asking you to join my troop. You'd be the main wife, of course," he declared.

Sphinx directed her gaze towards the few lionesses behind the Earl - a remnant from before the System. The lion was, of course, exceptional to have become an Earl so quickly. There couldn't have been more than thirty Earls on the Moon's surface. He was perhaps the most powerful animal on the planet. But I'm a proud sphinx.

Her bloodline gave Sphinx a significant advantage in the long term, but she wasn't stupid: the lion was more powerful than she was right now.

Yet, perched on one of the sequoia's branches, Sphinx looked down on the courtyard. She refused to submit to this long-haired tyrant. Her friend Priam had managed to survive against her while being frighteningly weak. He had shown her the way, and she too, would fight for her freedom.

With head held high and bearing haughty, Sphinx activated her power. "You're the king of animals, but you're afraid of one of them. Which one?"

The lion growled. "A riddle? I'm not afraid of anyone."

"Wrong. You were afraid of the lioness," Sphinx replied. "Soon, you'll be afraid of me."

Lvl Up : [Moon Mist] lvl 20

PERC +4

CHAR +2

META (AFFI) +3

[Moon Mist] has reached level 20. As an epic skill, a bonus is available. Choose one of these three options:

[Bullet Mist] - [Bullet Time] is automatically triggered when bodies traveling at dangerous speeds pass through your mist. POT -30

[Mist Bullet] - Allows you to turn a small part of your mist into ice. Requires a lot of energy. POT -30

[Mist Domain] - The precision of your control and perception increases. Synergizes with Domain. POT -30

Easy.

[Mist Domain] -The precision of your control and perception increases. Synergizes with Domain.

POT -30

Priam smiled as he felt his control over his mist increase still further. He could now distinctly feel the influence of the Domain trying to corrupt his mist. Priam could fight an opponent he could perceive. That was all he needed to confront his Will with the tree's Domain.

The mental exercise was exhausting, but a smile played on his lips. Priam was winning. Its Domain was heavy, but the Jubokko's Will seemed weak. It was certainly exceptional for a tree, but Priam was a human who had spent his life fighting not to be crushed by the personalities of the extroverts he rubbed shoulders with. Refusing to give a tree his living bubble was pretty easy.

I suppose every Earl, and every user of the System in general, must have strengths and weaknesses... Humans seemed to have fairly general builds, but Priam understood this wasn't the case for all species. Blueberry had titanic strength and a relatively weak constitution. The Jubokko had a pretty weak will but an exceptional constitution - its bark seemed indestructible.

Improving [Moon Mist] had also helped Priam to better understand META - Affinity. The attribute allowed him to manipulate his mist more finely - and aether in general. It was still too early to take full advantage of this knowledge, but Priam knew every piece of information about the System was vital.

As Priam prepared to move forward again, the ground shook beneath his feet. He quickly steadied himself and put his ear to the ground - or bark. Through the thick mist, frightful sounds were coming to him. Shit, Anatole's attacking already?!

Priam began to run. The Domain continued to crush him, but his newfound mastery kept him going.

Congratulations! A hidden trial has been passed!

You passed the Path of Blood in 0 hours 26 minutes 47 seconds.

Exceptional circumstances: Tier 0, time less than one hour.

Selecting your reward...

Sequoia Sempervirens Aether seed.

[Identification]

[Sequoia Sempervirens Aether - Seed] - A high-potential tree seed. Adapts perfectly to the soil in which it is planted. Lives in symbiosis with the flora and fauna of its environment.

Priam sighed as he put the seed away. It wasn't totally useless, and Log-a-rhythm would certainly be happy to absorb it. However, he would have liked a more explosive reward.

Darkness finally gave way to light as Priam ran toward the end of the tunnel.

He stepped outside and shielded his ears as he heard a titanic noise. His mist - partially freed from the influence of the Jubokko Domain - warned him that a colossal mass was bearing down on him. Priam squinted and stretched out his hand. [Kinetic Control].

The body crashed into his outstretched hand before losing all speed. Opening his eyes, the animal looked briefly at Priam.

"We'd better run," muttered Blueberry.

"... What are you doing here?" asked Priam.

"I was reporting to the Earl before a catastrophe occurred." Blueberry straightened, exposing a right arm that was at an odd angle. The Viscount caught his arm and pulled it back into place with a swift movement. Priam winced at the sound before looking around.

They were high, almost to the top of the tree, and the branches formed a kind of natural bowl. Seats were carved into the wood at the sides. A promontory - also carved - dominated the assembly. Above them, in the canopy, the redwood's leaves trembled - the result of a titanic battle.

But Priam's eyes were on something else. At the bottom of the bowl, an amber liquid stagnated.

[Identification]

[Spring] - The quintessence of blood absorbed by the Jubokko, mixed with its sap. Contains a mighty regenerative power.

Priam almost rushed to bathe in the several thousand liters of sap that lay before him. His lung was still hurting, and the Blood Way hadn't helped.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Blueberry warned without moving.

Priam stopped and watched the bear. He knew he was faster than the Viscount, and the latter was in no condition to stop him. Looking around, Priam detected a few animals hiding and watching the fight above them. Each one looked powerful, and some were Viscounts. None looked at him.

"Why not?"

"Because the Earl sacrificed thousands of beasts to feed the Jubokko and create this Spring. That's why the areas around the Domes are empty. Every liter of this pond comes from countless sacrifices. If you touch it, he'll sacrifice you too to atone for your sin."

The Jubokko's trunk trembled as the fight above them reached its climax. "And why would the Earl need this resource? Does Anatole scare him so much?"

Blueberry growled. "Don't be stupid, human. You can feel the vibrations of the fight all the way here. The leader of the false humans would die just by hearing the Earl's roar."

Priam looked up. The redwood tree he was standing on was an Earl specialized in defense. Even Priam's most powerful attack would not have been enough to sever one of its branches. And yet, the fight between the Earl and the stranger made its whole trunk vibrate. Lions are known for the power of their roar. I'm not sure I'd survive that kind of attack either.

Sighing, Priam turned back to Blueberry. "So what's the purpose of this Spring?"

Blueberry shrugged in an almost human motion. "The Earl also uses the System. His tribulation is coming. It's his trump card."

Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)

PHYSICAL:

Strength 148

Constitution 258 (+3)

Agility 158

Vitality 284

Perception 295 (+6)

MENTAL:

Vivacity 175 (+1)

Dexterity 178 (+1)

Memory 40

Willpower 274

Charisma 146 (+2)

META:

Meta-affinity 141 (+3)

Meta-focus 98

Meta-endurance 90

Meta-perception 32

Meta-chance 114

Potential: 1343 (-53)

Tier 0

[He Who Eludes Death] charge OFF. Reloaded in 13 hours 25 min 6s

[Tribulation]: Tribulations are coming.

Time: 17 hours 45 minutes 0 second.