NOVEL NEXT Chapter 86: Reunion
Congratulations, you are dead! Your Talent [He Who Eludes Death] brings you back to life once a day.
Number of deaths: 11
Synergy detected with your talent [Humanity adapts] and your Titles [Three-Headed Hydra] and [Veteran]. Your body is rebuilt and will be more resistant to what killed it:
VIT +6
CONST +18
WILL +3
Lvl Up: [Star Iron Body] lvl 10,11,12
CONST +9
Lvl Up: [Infantile Phoenix Metabolism] lvl 5,6,7,8
VIT +8
CONST +4
Lvl Up: [Spear Throw] lvl 8,...,15
DEXT +24
[Erosion Resistance] has reached level 20. As a rare skill, a bonus is available. Choose one of these three options:
[Strong Meridians] - Your meridians gain in sturdiness. POT -30
[Flexible Meridians] - Your meridians become more elastic. POT -30
[Healing Meridians] - Your meridians use a tiny fraction of the aether that flows through them to regenerate over time. POT -30
You have selected [Healing Meridians].
POT -30
Lvl Up: [Erosion Resistance] lvl 21,22
META (END) +6
Lvl Up: [Light Resistance] lvl 2,...8
CONST +7
You have gained the skill: [Tribulation Resistance - Epic].
[Tribulation Resistance - Epic] - All Tribulations come from the System. These tests are calibrated, and their consequences limited. A Tribulation is a test made by the System, and its resolution offers many rewards... Find them.
The survivor withstands his Tribulation. The genius defeats his Tribulation.
Allows you to spot weaknesses in your Tribulations.
META (Chance) +9
... [He Who Eludes Death] and [Consequence Resistance] synergize…
[Tribulation Resistance] is evolving. Incorporation of external elements.
Protocol Eight:
Next notifications hidden from moderators
[Tribulation Resistance - Epic] becomes [Tribulations Hunter - Unique - Epic].
[Tribulation Hunter - Unique - Epic] - Message from administrator Thaal:
You owe me one.
Each Tribulation is powered by a Concept fragment or a treasure.
You may spot the Tribulations' weaknesses.
You may temporarily hide your connection with the Concepts to become invisible to the Tribulations.
Use this power to the fullest, but don't talk about it.
[Identification] will show [Tribulation Resistance].
META (Chance) +9
POT -1000
Lvl up: [Consequence Resistance] lvl 6,7,8
CHAR +9
META (Chance) +18
[He Who Eludes Death] charge: OFF. Reloaded in 20 hours 18 minutes 4 seconds
[Tribulation]: A Tribulation is coming.
Time: ???
Delayed.
Your soul has contemplated the power of the spear. You glimpse a path.
His consciousness returned to reality. The world seemed to have changed as a flood of information assailed him. His Domain, mist and physical senses were sending him too much data. [Focus]. The skill helped him filter his new stimuli. He knew it would take time to get used to it.
Taking a second, Priam reviewed his rewards. Most of them were self-evident. He had chosen [Healing Meridians], considering the synergy with [Three-Headed Hydra]. His last skill, however, was unique. Thaal, the administrator who oversaw Humanity’s Tutorial, was playing some games. Priam knew he was just a pawn for now. But as long as he survived, he could become a player.
And the skill looks incredible... A distant noise drew him from his thoughts.
Priam opened gray eyes on the world. Mist lurked in them, giving them a unique, disturbing color. These eyes watched the ground approaching at full speed. [He Who Eludes Death] had recreated his body where his mind had dissipated. Several hundred meters separated him from the ground. Priam stretched into the air, a satisfied smile stretching his lips. His Talent made his deaths extremely profitable and restored his mental form.
Technically, it was a form of mental manipulation, but Priam accepted it. After all, many things manipulated the brain. For example, half an hour's running provoked a sensation of intense satisfaction linked to the production of endorphins. Yet doing sports was seen as positive. As long as it makes me happy and is good for me, I can accept it, decided Priam.
With the wind whistling in his ears and ruffling his hair, Priam observed the city below him.
A titanic spear had pierced the ground, burying the wyvern's corpse under dozens of meters of rubble. Unfortunately, the ice weapon let through a few photons sent by the sun. Priam could dissolve the spear and bury the wyvern for good. It would only take him five minutes. Minutes he didn't have.
His resurrection did take about three minutes - the time for him to decide on his upgrades. Meanwhile, insects had found the hole created by the wyvern. A breach that was now unprotected and letting locusts through.
The insects were descending on the city at this very moment. Not a few hundred, but tens of thousands. In an hour, there would be a million of them. The Tribulation had about twenty hours left before it would disappear.
Priam felt his stomach knot up. Twenty hours was more than enough time to annihilate the city. He could flee, of course. Most of the swarm would pursue him. But some would stay behind, devouring the city to the bone.
"No... They won't even leave the marrow..." murmured Priam, gently touching the ground. In front of him, the ice spear gleamed, a symbol of his power. A power without effect in the face of the locusts' numbers and voracity.
After one last glance in the direction of his creation, Priam headed for the Colosseum. Arriving in front of the building, he pounded on the door. Bechar's voice rang out.
"Well done for the Domain, and the spear is pretty neat- if rather crude. Nevertheless, I still can't let you in, son."
"What about the others?"
"The others?"
"Will residents be safe in the Colosseum?"
"Ah! Well, yes, the locusts won't get near the official buildings. The Colosseum, the Hideout and the Ducal Palace are secure."
"Thank you, Bechar!" cried Priam, scurrying away. Now he had hope. Many would die today. Priam promised himself that his father wouldn't be one of them.
Alain looked worriedly at the sky. The cloud, the source of the deadly rain, had disappeared. But a new one was coming, and his instincts told him it was hungry. This calamity was growing by the minute.
"We should go."
Alain turned to the grumpy grandmother.
"You can go Mirscella, but I'm staying. My son is in that dome and I want to see him."
The grandmother sniffed but remained silent. Louis opened his mouth for a moment before closing it again. Sighing, he headed for the window.
"We've got no more than twenty seconds before they arrive. We'd better get ready."
Alain nodded and placed his hands on the floor. [Stabilize], [Strengthen], [Transmute]. The building shook for a moment, the stone densifying and strengthening. Alain collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath. Most of his skills were not combat-based. He was proud of his building skills. As an old architect, a Tutorial based on creation had seemed attractive to him.
Although he had finished the Tutorial in record time, what followed forced him to remember his karate lessons. Without being an exceptional fighter, Alain had had to make efforts to stay alive.
The building would remain standing for some time. Reassured, Alain accepted Mirscella's help to get up. Sitting down on the sofa, he smiled at Claire.
"This could be an opportunity to redeem yourself, young lady."
"Just because you're old doesn't mean you're wise, Grandpa. Keep your advice, will you?"
Alain was just opening his mouth to reply when the manor house began to shake. The locusts were here.
Priam ran from rooftop to rooftop. Ahead of him, the horizon was filled with insects. Wrapped in a cloak of mist, Priam ignored most of the creatures, focused on his run. There were so many of them. His Domain, still active, counted almost thirty in his immediate vicinity.
Gaining momentum, Priam leaped over a street. He smiled for a moment, feeling the power of his physical attributes - he hadn't even needed to boost his jump with his kinetic energy.
Landing on the other side of the street, Priam continued his run towards the mansion where his father was waiting. On his way, locusts continued to swarm. His mist repelled them effectively, but gradually succumbed to the creatures' voracious appetite. Bored, Priam crushed one under his foot. The corpse lay inert on the ground.
Continuing on his way without noticing a thing, Priam soon reached his destination. The massive wooden edifice shimmered under [Aether Perception]. The locusts must have sensed it too, for a thousand insects as big as a cat's head gravitated around it, looking for a way in.
Priam opened his mouth and shouted. "Papa!"
The sound shook the windows momentarily before the insects pounced on him. Priam swept them away, invoking a wave of semi-liquid mist. One of the windows opened.
"A... Priam!"
Priam burst out laughing at the slip of the tongue and leaped for the window. Entering the building, he barely had time to close the window before an embrace took his breath away.
"Have you invested in Strength, Dad?!" exclaimed Priam after a few moments.
"Right now, it's a safe investment," replied his father.
Priam took a step back and stared at Alain. The System seemed to have done an excellent job. His progenitor didn't look a day over sixty, almost twenty years younger than his actual age.
"You look great," he remarked.
"You too. Congrats, the thousands of hours you've spent reading have finally come in handy."
Priam raised an eyebrow with a laugh. "Is that an excuse? Who are you and what have you done with my father?" His father had always found his hobby useless.
"Very funny. We'll see what you say to your kids when you see them straining their eyes over books after midnight."
Alain winked at him. Priam stepped forward and hugged his father once more.
"I'm glad to see you, Papous..."
"Me too, son..." His father's emotional voice touched Priam. Seeing his family again triggered an explosion of happiness in him. The intensity of this emotion was matched only by his fear of losing his father in a Tribulation of his own making.
A few seconds later, Alain patted his son on the back and released himself from the embrace. His father had always been quite discreet. Some things never change...
Priam turned to the rest of the room. "Excuse me for barging in like this. My name is Priam." One of the occupants stepped forward.
"Pleased to meet you Priam, my name is Louis," the elderly man introduced himself.
Priam smiled as he shook hands with the stranger. Certainly a friend of his father's, the man shone in his Domain vision. His Supremacy informed him that the man was remarkable. But in what way?
"This is Louis, a martial master. We've only known each other since the end of the Tutorial, but he's already a friend. Behind, the grumpy grandmother is called Mirscella. She's got a temper, but she has a heart of gold."
Priam nodded in Mirscella's direction. "Ma’am, thank you for looking after my father. It couldn't always have been easy," he smiled.
Mirscella let out a small laugh. "It's been a pleasure. You can call me Mirscella."
In Priam's opinion, making a grandmother like you was quite simple. All you had to do was be polite and compliment them on their passions. Mirscella seemed no exception, but Priam decided to wait a while before asking her about her hobbies. The impressive collection of blades on her belt indicated an exotic answer.
Priam turned back to his father, his face serious.
"We have to leave. A swarm of locusts are arriving. The only secure buildings are the Ducal Palace, the Colosseum and the Hideout. The closest is the Palace. There's no moment to lose as their numbers will increase exponentially."
His father frowned. "It's dangerous to go out. I've reinforced this construction, which should hold up against a few insects."
Priam felt slightly annoyed. His father didn't understand the seriousness of the situation.
"The locusts will devour everything in this dome within hours. Most of the city is doomed. Trust me, please."
Alain hesitated for a moment before succumbing to his son's gaze. He knew his son had already thought the situation through and trusted him.
"We'll have to warn the city then. There are millions of people here."
Priam hesitated for a moment, and his father noticed. "What?"
"If I warn people, there'll be panic. There will be traffic jams in the streets and we'll be stuck. Worse, the panic will create stampedes, and there will be many deaths..."
Mirscella stood up, dusting off her long skirt. "Honestly boy, there's going to be a lot of death either way. A Semi-truth would be for the best. Ask people to hole up in their underground shelters - every house has one - and barricade themselves in. I've just received a quest to help civilians. You too, Louis?"
"Yes."
"What about you, Alain?"
"Nothing."
"Then it concerns fighters. I’m sure the more powerful factions will pick up the civilians and bring them to safety."
"I haven't received anything," said Priam.
"This is your Tribulation. You're here to survive, not to save others. Now hurry up, there's no time to lose."
Priam nodded.
"People of New Earth, a second cataclysm is coming. Barricade yourselves in your underground shelters, help is on the way."
His voice echoed through the dome as the roar of insects grew in intensity.
"Now, off to the Palace!" declared Priam.
"One last thing," Alain said as he opened a door to another living room. Priam sighed. He knew who was in the next room - his mist had warned him from the start.
Priam gritted his teeth and stepped forward. He didn't feel like wasting time arguing. Entering the new room, he looked at Claire. The last time he'd seen her was three days ago. His last memory of her was the cold temple floor, which he'd watched as he died of poisoning.
The locusts must be starving...
"Hi, Claire. Do you like insects?"
Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)
PHYSICAL:
Strength 173
Constitution 343 (+42)
Agility 210
Vitality 339 (+20)
Perception 414
MENTAL:
Vivacity 189
Dexterity 269 (+24)
Memory 50
Willpower 380 (+4)
Charisma 199 (+10)
META:
Meta-affinity 216
Meta-focus 143
Meta-endurance 110 (+6)
Meta-perception 71
Meta-chance 150 (+36)
Potential: 1194 (-974)
Tier 0
[He Who Eludes Death] charge: OFF. Reloaded in 20 hours 11 minutes 52 seconds
[Tribulation]: Tribulations are coming.
Time: ???
Delayed.
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