A Novel Concept

Lvl Up : [Poison Resistance] lvl 13,14
VIT +2

Where was he? Who was he? Priam asked himself these questions as the pain pulled him from his nightmares. Were they even nightmares? He had seen Arnold burning cities and monsters. Priam screamed as the flames hit him. The fire entered his body, and his blood turned to magma. The pain was horrible, but his delusions were worse. He was insane.

Lvl Up : [Poison Resistance] lvl 15
VIT +1

Only the System notifications still seemed real. Priam was delirious, and he knew it. He thought about meditating, but it was impossible. He could only grit his teeth as the poison did its work. He had already waited for hours on the stone floor. Maybe even days? Months? His body was destroyed. His Vitality and his Titles were trying to keep him alive, but his organs were too severely damaged. He no longer had the energy or resources to regenerate. If he could have called the aether to him as the Guardian of Nature had... Sometimes, when he wasn't busy fending off hordes of fire elementals, he looked up to Priam. Priam felt as if he could sense his presence. He called for help, but the tree-man could do nothing for him. He was alone.

Lvl Up : [Poison Resistance] lvl 16
VIT +1

In his delirium, Priam understood. His suffering was a punishment. The Concepts were punishing him for his stupidity and weakness. The poison was writing the story of his mistakes in letters of fire. The pain imprinted in his flesh was the price of the arrogance that had been his. He could have sunk into the depths of death. He could have given up and let his heart stop because of the pain. But he has refused. He has welcomed the pain. He believed himself to be a saint during the Apocalypse. He thought his strength gave him the right to be merciful. He was being punished.

Lvl Up : [Poison Resistance] lvl 17
VIT +1

Illusions turned into mirages. Priam was thirsty, so thirsty... He would have killed for a bit of water. He had licked his tears. He had licked his blood on the flagstones. He had even drunk the spider's blood. He was so thirsty as the fire of poison burned inside him. He would have killed for water. But he would have given all the water in the world down to his blood to kill Claire. To kill Anne. To kill Albin. They had taken advantage of him, of his kindness, his morality, his innocence. Priam had believed in the human, and the human had betrayed him. He was angry.

Lvl Up : [Poison Resistance] lvl 18
VIT +1

The pain was still there, but Priam looked at it calmly. It was no longer just information. His pain was a reward. A memory. He would never forget it. He would always remember that strength led to freedom. That trust was earned. Claire had not earned anything, and he had been a fool to believe in a friendship so flimsy. Claire had opened his eyes, and for that, she deserved a reward. Death. He was determined.

Lvl Up : [Poison Resistance] lvl 19
VIT +1

His half-destroyed nerves continued to inform him of the deplorable state of his body. The poison was almost overcome. His ravaged body was using the remnants of the poison and his necrotic tissue to regenerate. He was devouring himself, and his strength was dissipating. He would not survive. Yet Priam smiled. He would rise again. He had been stupid, but the Concepts gave him a chance to make up for it. His ordeal was liberating. It gave him the right to change. To take revenge. The old Priam was dead. He was free.

Congratulations, you are dead!

Your Talent [He Who Eludes Death] brings you back to life once a day.

Number of deaths: 8

Synergy detected with your talent [Humanity adapts]. Your body is rebuilt and will be more resistant to what killed it:
VIT +15
CONST +10
STR +5
PERC +15
WILL +15

[Touched by Aether] - Adjustment time: 0 days (previously 1 day). Completed.
The aether has changed you. Your body is now adapted to the laws of the Concepts. New possibilities are opening up for you.

Talent Evolution. [Touched by the Aether] becomes [Citizen of the Aether].
[Citizen of the Aether] - Your body is partially adapted to the aether. You are now eligible for tempering. Tempering your body brings you closer to the aether and perfection. Warning: Your mind is not adapted to the aether.

You have gained the skill: [Divination Resistance - Rare].
[Divination Resistance]

Lvl Up : [Poison Resistance] lvl 20
VIT +1

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

[Poison Resistance - Rare] - General upgrade. No future upgrade possible. Potential Cost: 5

[Poison Resilience - Rare] - You have resisted a nasty poison for several hours. Future upgrades possible. Potential Cost: 10

[Poison Body - Rare] - You have replaced your blood with poison. Impressive. High upgrade potential. Potential Cost: 20

You have selected the skill [Poison Body - Rare].
[Poison Body] - In your body flows poison. Your blood is harmful to most organisms. You are resistant to the poisons of your Tier, and they strengthen your organs, bones, and muscles.
Smoking is now good for your health. Too bad there are no more cigarettes.
CONST +1
VIT +1
META (END) +1

Congratulations, you have unlocked a new META attribute: Endurance.

Titles won!

[Upgrader - Bronze] - You have pushed a common skill to its limits at Tier 0, then increased its rarity.
You are on the right track.
POT +100
[Forerunner - Skills - Silver] - You are the first of your kind to have earned the title [Upgrader]. Keep it up. Whatever you desire, you will need power. Choose to free your people or put them in chains. But if you want to choose, stay first.
CHAR +20
META (Chance) +20
POT +100

[Tribulation]: A Tribulation is coming.
Time: 60 hours 44 minutes 17 seconds.

Priam opened his eyes. A dark room greeted his gaze. The corpse of the second Baron lay just centimeters from his head. He must have crawled away while semi-conscious. He only vaguely remembered drinking the Baron's blue blood. But he remembered the betrayal perfectly...

Priam slowly got to his feet, trying to get his head in order. He had been tortured by poison for almost half a day. It didn't seem like much, and it seemed like a lot. Priam admonished himself. There was no need to think about that now. He had goals and had already wasted enough time.

Looking around, he quickly found his spear. Claire had not taken it, probably because the weapon weighed about twenty kilograms. The young woman must have calculated that her chances of escaping and running several kilometers with it were low. Perhaps she hadn't even realized the true value of the weapon. After all, she had met Priam when he was naked. Or maybe she was afraid of accumulating bad karma. Priam picked up the weapon. He didn't need an explanation. The spear was here and would stay in his hand until it pierced the traitor's skull.

Priam turned quickly to the Baron. He had only a moderate desire to cut the monster's head off and get the core out, but every advantage counted now. Claire, the Revenants, and all his known and unknown enemies had twelve hours to progress. Priam set to work. The last twelve hours had not been in vain. He was now much more resilient.

Lvl Up : [Divination Resistance] lvl 2
META (AFFI) +3

I see that I am a real star. I wonder who is trying to locate me...

He pocketed the new core a few seconds later before turning the creature over. The first Baron had exploded under the power of his throw, but this one still had its seriginous glands - they produced silk. He also had the glands he had collected from Elysium with him. With the System, perhaps a craftsman could make him a suit with this silk. After finishing his work, he wiped his hands on the floor and got up. He had nothing to do here anymore. Without a backward glance at the room that had heard so many of his screams, he headed for the exit. The heavy door opened slowly, and he entered the dome.

The light revealed him to the world, but in the darkness, he had changed.

His ears informed him first. A clamor was rising in front of him. Merchants, shouts, laughs, and announcements were jostling each other. Everything seemed golden, and the brightness was intense. Imitating a cap with his hand, he looked to the sides. The dome was immense, and its inhabitants innumerable. An epic market lived before him. Colorful tents stood side by side. Merchants and artisans were bragging about their products. The smell of spices tickled his nose. Despite his resurrection, his stomach growled. Claire would not deprive him of the pleasures of life.

"What a delicious smell. I'm hungry!"

Despite himself, Priam smiled. Humanity had survived. Some deserved to die, and he was now ready to judge them. But many humans were simply working to improve themselves. Priam would sort them out. First, I need to understand the rules and opportunities of this place...

Priam took two steps before noticing a young boy a few feet away, looking at him with round eyes.

"Hey you. Do you speak English? I have some questions..."

The orphan swept the square with his eyes. He had leaned against a white pyramid to avoid being caught off guard. It was not the white of the snow. It was the white of the sun. Apparently, the Egyptian pyramids of his childhood were originally white too. But honestly, what did it matter? He would probably never see them again. What mattered was that his pyramid was still empty of people and had an unobstructed view of this part of the Dome. So he could observe what really mattered. The crowd.

Before him lay the Market. Some sides reminded him of the souk. The noise, the smell, the life was here. Money was here too. But the orphan did not intend to steal. He valued life too much. In this new world, a wealthy man was dangerous, and a homeless man could be even more dangerous. Now, stealing was a professional job. Bad thieves had been put to death - and few people had protested. Only the cream of the crop survived.

According to the System, the fighters were for the moment separated, kept outside the dome. Except for the mechanical guards of a few powerful merchants, thieves, and assassins, the rest of the dome's inhabitants were physically weak. But one could fight with more than muscle.

Tjay was fifteen this year. He thought his age was perfect. Young enough to be pitied and old enough to know his limitations. Close enough to childhood to look innocent and mature enough to go to adult places. He had found a clever way to make a living. He watched. What people liked to buy, which merchant was talking to which one, the price of this or that resource. He let his ears wander, learning some fables, secrets, or rumors. There was always some truth to it, and some people paid a lot to hear his information.

The world was changing fast. Humanity was once again united but also divided. Many merchants were transporting and selling scarce resources. Resources lent by the country they had joined when they finished the Tutorial, by the Guild that had hired them when it realized a Reunion was coming, and by a thousand other groups. Each faction wanted something different. Some just wanted to make a profit on the back of a new civilization. Others wanted to potentially forge ties with a future great power. But Tjay had also heard darker stories. Religions seeking sacrifice. Kingdoms conquering and integrating the weak. Merchants buying slaves...

He shook his head. It wasn't his problem. He was nothing and knew it. It was his strength to be nothing. No one bothered with a nothing boy. No one was pressuring him. No one threatened him for anything more than a few coins. He was nothing, and for now, he cherished his anonymity.

The orphan returned to observing the Market. The weapon stands were finally getting some love from the general public. Since the Coliseum opened a few hours ago, everyone wanted a weapon. The Reunion would end in just under six days, and placing in the Top 100 at the Colosseum would earn a Title in addition to other rewards. It was perhaps the only opportunity to win a Combat Title for the non-combatants who populated the Dome. But the young observer knew it was hopeless. Six days was more than enough time for the Domes to fully open up to the world. The fighters would then become stronger and the creators more submissive.

Their Dome was still guarded by the two Barons hidden in its pyramid, but that was not enough. Some of the other Domes had already lost their guards. In the center of each Dome stood a portal. Teleporting from one Dome to another was horribly expensive. However, several super factions had decided to pay that price in the last few hours and were arriving. If humanity's most powerful warriors were gathering in his Dome, there had to be a reason.

In his search, Tjay had found clues. The factions were looking for something. Then, that morning, the mercenaries had even approached the orphan - one of the most powerful warring factions in the universe. Then he understood. The factions weren't looking for something. They were looking for someone.

"What a delicious smell. I'm hungry!"

Tjay gasped. On his right, the door of death had just opened. From the inside. A man covered in dried blood had emerged. The stunned boy didn't react quickly enough. He should have run away to avoid trouble, but it was already too late.

"Hey you. Do you speak English? I have some questions..."

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

PHYSICAL:
Strength 83
Constitution 103
Agility 108
Vitality 164
Perception 130

MENTAL:
Vivacity 102
Dexterity 90
Memory 33
Willpower 68
Charisma 72

META:
Meta-affinity 53
Meta-focus 52
Meta-endurance 1
Meta-chance 40

Potential: 517
Tier 0

Priam

The Dome