A Novel Concept - He Who Eludes Death

After giving Priam and Kazuki a small glimpse into the true scale of the spearhead world, Rohan brought the conversation back on track.

"So, what to do with [Climbing], and what does it have to do with verticality… Well, as a Common skill, it can't fully substitute for the ideal prerequisite. Still, fusion is a good start. More importantly, keeping [Climbing] alongside a movement skill has low value because—"

After five minutes of dense technical breakdown, Priam realized something: beneath the cocky attitude, Rohan was a solid teacher. Once he understood that the Champions had gaps in their magical education, he took it upon himself to fill in the blanks—while never missing a chance to remind them how ignorant they were.

By the end of the lecture, Priam could sum it up like this: keeping a skill on its own is a good idea if you were planning to go deep with it, because it unlocks bonuses at every rank. The epic version of [Climbing] rewrites your genome to let you rival mountain goats and monkeys. The Legendary version lets you boost your affinity with certain Concepts to specialize even further. From a purely technical standpoint, keeping a skill around meant one could reach elite levels in that domain.

On the other hand, each upgrade demanded an exponentially higher cost in Potential—a scarce resource for anyone not earning an Achievement a week like Priam—along with increasingly rarefied natural talent and long, grueling hours of training. Burning through that much effort for a single skill only made sense if it fit perfectly into your build.

"I get the theory," Priam said. "But in practice, I've got enough Potential not to sweat it. And if I reach my goal, I'll have plenty of time to grind [Climbing] to epic rank." No further, due to lack of space on his legendary soul layer. "In fact, I don't see what's stopping me from keeping [Climbing] and taking verticality as well for [Art of Movement]."

"For compatibility reasons, the System won't let you have two skills that do the same thing."

"... Fuck."

"Yeah. Personally, I advise you to merge them. After all, integrating [Climbing] into [Art of Movement] smooths out the experience."

"I don't follow."

"Let's say there's a huge difference between having [Running - Epic] and [Climbing - Epic] separately, versus fusing them into [Art of Movement - Epic]. In the first case, you'll be a beast at sprinting and climbing individually. But if you need to transition between the two—or worse, combine them? Get ready for a mess. But hey, don't take my word for it..." Rohan glanced around and grinned. "Wihtl!"

Nearby, a teen was sweeping dust off the top of the rampart. The cleaner sighed and hopped down with a grumble.

"Young master, I was told to finish this before I could go back to the feast…"

"It'll only take a second," Rohan said with a disarming smile. "This is Wihtl, an apprentice hunter who keeps getting punished for the dumbest reasons. What is it this time?"

"I figured I'd combine business with pleasure while training [Stealth]," the teen grumbled.

"He tried to spy on girls in the shower," Rohan translated.

"You bragged about doing that at my age!"

"Yeah, but I didn't get caught," Rohan grinned. "Wihtl, I was explaining the pros and cons of merging skills. Mind giving us a demo?"

Unlike his tone with Priam, Rohan's voice carried a command now—young lord to future vassal, not peer to peer.

"…Very well, young master."

The teen jogged into a nearby alley, then broke into a run toward the outer wall. Priam nodded in appreciation—the kid's running technique was flawless. Wihtl couldn't have been more than fourteen, but he ran like an Olympic sprinter.

At the base of the wall, he skidded to a stop and searched for footholds only he seemed to see, scaling the enchanted stone in under ten seconds. At the top, he turned, bowed theatrically, and caught the broom Rohan tossed up.

"Thanks, Wihtl. You may resume," Rohan said, then turned to Priam and Kazuki. "Now my turn."

He walked back the same distance the teen had run, then took off. Priam had already seen the local Ace run fast enough to blur from sight, but this time Rohan held back—matching Wihtl's attributes. As he reached the wall, he jumped, latched onto the surface in one fluid motion, and scaled it in a flash. At the peak, he wall-jumped and landed next to Priam with a textbook-perfect backflip.

"Verdict?"

"No lag," Kazuki said. "The transition between sprint and climb was seamless."

"Exactly. Separate, each skill has higher peak potential—but fused, they sync. Now, if you're convinced…" Rohan gestured at the wall. "Your turn, Priam."

Back in university, Priam had taken a year of indoor climbing. He hadn't become elite, but he knew enough to recognize that this outer wall wasn't meant for amateurs. Without his enhanced perception, he would have struggled to even see the cracks and grooves in the magically reinforced masonry. Just below the top, the difficulty spiked again—the wall actually tilted backward slightly, as the walkway above jutted past the base.

Still, with his stats, the challenge became trivial. Priam's first ascent was what Rohan called "brute force"—he muscled his way up, relying more on strength than technique. Near the top, he had to jam his fingers into the stone to avoid slipping—one of the real dangers of climbing unroped.

The second time, focusing on [Climbing], his form improved enough to avoid criticism. On his third try, the System acknowledged his effort.

Lvl Up: [Climbing] lvl 15
AGI +1

"Got a level."

"Perfect. Oh, and remember to fuse your skills during the [Art of Movement] upgrade—exactly when its rune shifts into a soul layer. Before or after, and you'll need to spend Potential," Rohan warned. "Again. This time, listen to your skill."

It took ten more climbs before Priam leveled again. His climbing instincts weren't extraordinary, but the constant feedback from his add-on was priceless—it accelerated his growth.

Lvl Up: [Climbing] lvl 16
AGI +1

"Again?"

"Nah, the System hates mindless repetition. Keep grinding this wall and we'll be here all night. Follow me."

Rohan led them into the forest preserved by his Shaman. Within a pocket of greenery shielded from the Necromoon, he organized a high-stakes game of tag: Priam was the prey, and two dozen teens were the hunters. The chase turned into a high-intensity parkour gauntlet—Priam sprinted through brush, climbed trees, and leapt between branches to avoid capture. He was enjoying the treetop obstacle course until the teens became a bit too strong for his taste.

With his attributes limited, Priam broke a sweat more than once when the pack cornered him. At one point, he had to use Breath to choke off the air of a particularly cunning boy to buy himself a second.

Sure, it was cheating—but he had a reputation to maintain. The Juggernaut didn't lose to a bunch of kids.

The game earned him two more levels, and Priam left the grove smiling. Toward the end, he could feel the line between [Climbing] and [Art of Movement] blurring. Swinging from branch to branch like a wild Tarzan had been effective training.

Lvl Up: [Climbing] lvl 17, 18
AGI +2

Their second-to-last stop was a refrigerated dome hiding a wall of solid ice. The slippery handholds and tricky angles of the artificial glacier pushed him to the limit—and gave him another level.

Lvl Up: [Climbing] lvl 19
AGI +1

"Now for the penultimate test," Rohan said as Priam climbed down.

"I don't like that smile."

"Hehe…" With a snap, Rohan erased all the footholds from the ice wall.

Priam studied the flawless frozen surface, one eyebrow raised. "Let me guess. You want me to climb that?"

"Mhm. Tip: use your nails," Rohan said, flexing his claws.

Priam, whose nails were very much human-length, sighed and examined his hands. Micro II could trigger keratin growth, but he wasn't quite there yet. All he had was a millimeter of fingernail and a whole lot of resolve.

The ordeal earned him one more level—and several bruises around the nail matrix. Without his high constitution, he would have left half his fingernails behind in the ice.

Lvl Up: [Climbing] lvl 20
AGI +1

[Climbing] has reached level 20, its maximum level as a common skill. Depending on your background, three upgrades are available:

[Free Climbing - Rare] -You scale rock faces with no aid or safety net. f9a and 5.14d can't scare you. Potential Cost: 10

[Ice Climbing - Rare] - The mountain is ancient; its glaciers, fleeting. No matter the challenge, you reach the summit. Potential Cost: 10

[Natural Climbing - Rare] - Rock, ice, trees… if there is a handhold, you will find it. If not, you will make one. High upgrade potential. Potential Cost: 20

"So now what?" asked Priam.

"The System's offering you an ideal upgrade?"

"Mmh."

"Then we've got everything we need. Come on."

Rohan stepped out of the dome and gestured toward the howls and laughter echoing across the clan grounds. "The banquet's going to last all night. Might be our last one, so we may as well make it count—kill two birds with one stone!"

"I'm not spying on any girls," Priam warned.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"I'm perfectly capable of that on my own," Rohan winked. "No, look at our architecture. What do you see?"

"Houses barely holding together, walls made of tarps, rope bridges strung between rooftops, and cables stretched across the streets?" Priam shrugged. "No offense, but it looks like a slum."

Rohan burst out laughing. "Look again."

Raising a brow, Priam gave the camp a second glance, trying to see what Rohan saw. If this wasn't a joke, maybe the Aelbe settlement wasn't in shambles due solely to its people's laziness…

He observed—and the truth revealed itself.

Lovers chased each other across rooftops. Children crossed the aerial bridges. Teenagers tightroped along the tensioned cables. Somehow, without trying hard, they were all practicing [Art of Movement].

"A giant training ground," Priam murmured.

Rohan's smile widened. "In our clan, only toddlers and the decrepit walk on the ground. Everyone else—crafter or warrior—navigate our urban jungle by climbing walls, surfing the tiles, and living in heights. Go on, have fun! And if you can still outrun the kids after a few drinks, you might just earn what you came for."

The rest of the night unfolded like a dream, a true kaleidoscope of sensations. Priam drank with Rohan, laughed when Kazuki smashed through a rooftop after landing too hard, and danced with Jasmine when she found them a few hours before dawn.

Sometimes leaping from rooftop to rooftop, sometimes using a clothesline as a jungle vine and a stretched net as a trampoline, he moved through the Aelbe domain at full speed, changing direction with the ease of a fickle wind.

Below him, the shouts of joy and anger sounded like music to his ears, and the Juggernaut roamed. His face ached from laughing too much, enchanted as he was by the wild freedom of motion. A journey without borders.

When he finally caught up to his Shadow—or when Jasmine let him—the System acknowledged his effort.

New upgrade available for [Art of Movement]:

[Elite climber - Epic] - No obstacle can stand between you and your goal. Your hands always find a way. High upgrade potential. Potential Cost: 160

[Art of Movement - Rare] has reached level 40, its maximum level as a rare skill.
Prerequisites met:
- Micro
- Successful completion of Container Ride (Shadow Edition)
- ̶[̶K̶i̶n̶e̶t̶i̶c̶ ̶S̶o̶v̶e̶r̶e̶i̶g̶n̶t̶y̶]̶
- Approached your theoretical max running speed
- Speed loss during 90° turns < 10%
- Navigated the Aelbe urban jungle naturally

Ideal Upgrade unlocked:
[Movement Virtuoso - Epic] - You have elevated movement into an art form. Ideal upgrade potential. Potential Cost: 320

POT -320

Good name… I'll keep it!

Merging with [Climbing]...

[Movement Virtuoso - Epic] - Hills and ravines, mountains and valleys, walls and borders—you traverse them all with grace. Wherever your eyes land, your body can follow.
This skill strengthens your tendons and joints to endure high-velocity maneuvers. It increases your motor coordination and educates your instincts on the limits of your mobility.
If motion is art, you are a virtuoso.
I've run out of jokes.
AGI +4
PERC +2
DEXT +3

The first thing Priam felt was his limits. Tangibly, he knew exactly where he would land if he jumped with both feet and what was the tightest leap he could make.

The second thing he felt was disappointment.

No Achievement for twenty Ideal Skills? Guess I've got to hit twenty-five…

The third was an explosion.

In the distance, an entire district of Snahert had just gone up in flames.

"Well," Rohan sighed, "guess the party's over."

Ophis was seething. When Naasta failed to return on time, he knew something was wrong. The assassin was always punctual. Then came word from his spies: White Fangs had gone up in spontaneous combustion. Not unheard of in Elysium, but the timing was disastrous.

Minutes later, the scent of blood flooded his chamber. When the enchanted doors opened, he wasn't surprised to see Leo step through. Behind him, eight corpses lay piled with care. Ophis's honor guard was no more.

"I didn't order your nephew's death," growled the Snahert leader, realizing his clan's military power had just dropped off a cliff. "I just wanted him sick enough to lose against Priam. Stoke tension between your clan and Oasis. This murder… someone's framing us, trying to pit us against each other!"

Leo walked to the center of the room, eyes calm, surveying the space.

"I know."

"Then—"

"Griffe found your blood at the crime scene."

Ophis scowled. "My blood's a rare draconic resource. I wouldn't waste it killing a Tier 2. And why would I sign a poisoning? It makes no sense!"

"But it gives me a legitimate reason to be here. One that won't vex the High Marshal's Justice."

The tone was mild, but the sentence was deadly.

"You—" Ophis flushed with fury. "You were waiting for an excuse to attack? That only plays into the Gaeserts' hands and those cursed Champions! The tournament—"

"—is irrelevant. My mind is made up."

Leo's pupils narrowed to slits, and for the first time in years, Ophis felt fear overshadow his draconic pride.

"I left standing orders," the snake shouted in desperation. "If you attack, the elves will learn about the love philter!"

"As if the Empire couldn't nullify a potion brewed by barbaric crafters," Leo scoffed. "As if the Demiurge hasn't already seen through all our games. You've seen his power, and yet you're still trying to grab at scraps with petty schemes? I'm disappointed. Draconic bloodline or not, you're still a snake."

For one brief moment, Ophis nearly lashed out to defend his honor. In the end, fear reminded him of who he was facing.

He stepped back to activate a glyph hidden beneath his bed, one that would trigger a massive rune array etched across the clan's entire camp. It was his only chance—

"You hear, but you don't listen, Ophis. Let me show you what you lost when you stopped fighting for the Zenith. Open your eyes, and witness the will of a warrior who still believes."

Ophis channeled aether in the glyph. For a split second, crimson light bloomed through the night—

Then the paw of a giant tiger wiped the entire courtyard from existence. The manor vanished alongside the spell.

The few Snaherts brave enough to watch the fight might have liked to claim that, despite the odds, their chief rose valiantly against the invader. In truth, he fled toward his mother's mansion.

He found the shaman's gates locked.

A minute later, Leo was chewing on the serpent's soul. Judging by the grimace on his face, it didn't taste good. Still, it was better than letting the Necromoon claim another servant.

Status:

PHYSICAL:
Strength 1 249
Constitution 2 083
Agility 1 652 (+15)
Vitality 2 092
Perception 990 (+2)

MENTAL:
Vivacity (D) 666
Dexterity 894 (+3)
Memory 1 152
Willpower 1 298
Charisma 990

META:
Meta-affinity (O) 1 398
Meta-focus 886
Meta-endurance 1 584
Meta-perception 842
Meta-chance 1 089
Meta-authority 768

Potential: 33 694 (-311)
Tier 0

Concepts:

Breath (T0): 100% / Symphony (Harmony before timeskip)

Fire (T0): 100% / Unity

Pyro (T1): 100% / Unity

Mist (T1): 100% / Symphony

Bloodlines:

Phoenix: 6%

Dragon: 3%

Tempering - Fundamental Stage - Heavenly Dragon (Seraph rarity):

Order Gate (Brain)

Soul Gate (Right eye)

Inventory:

Primo Dinosaur Fossil - Earth

Hearthstone

Tempering Trophy (7th Terror)

Memory of a Fae

Colosseum VIP Token

2 die 4 (Priam's boxers)

Trophy Compass

̶S̶k̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶S̶h̶a̶r̶d̶ ̶(̶[̶I̶d̶e̶n̶t̶i̶f̶i̶c̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶]̶ ̶v̶a̶r̶i̶a̶n̶t̶)̶ ̶x̶4̶ (used during timeskip)

Heart of a Draconic Necro Chimera

Rewards standing:

̶F̶u̶s̶i̶o̶n̶ ̶T̶o̶k̶e̶n̶ ̶-̶ ̶S̶k̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶(̶E̶p̶i̶c̶)̶ (used during timeskip)

Affinity Token - Tier 1 (30%)

Talent Token - Upgrade (Seraph)

Revelation Token - Ideal Prerequisites (Epic) x1 (1 used during timeskip)

̶M̶i̶n̶o̶r̶ ̶s̶k̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶E̶p̶i̶p̶h̶a̶n̶y̶

(used during timeskip)

Seed of Potential x1 (2 used during timeskip)

Experience Phantom Advisor - Skill (Epic - 1 hour)

Experience Phantom Advisor - Supremacy (Tier I - 1 hour)

[Tribulation]: Three Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 2 months 11 days 10 hours 18 minutes 37 seconds.

Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 900 / 3 attributes > 1 800 / 1 attribute > 2 100

Next arc already complete on Patreon (57 chaps ahead) if you want to find out what happens next!
https://www.patreon.com/ANovelConcept