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Chapter 103: Rewards. Lots of rewards!
Chapter 103: Rewards. Lots of rewards!
Chapter 103: Rewards. Lots of rewards!
Choose a skill:
- [Combat placement - Common]
- [Spear mastery - Common]
- [Human anatomy - Common]
Priam activated [Bullet Time]. Why hurry when you can speed up your perception of time?
Content to watch the world slow down, Priam began to ponder again. [Combat placement] seemed an exciting way to dominate a battle and could complement [Battle Flow]. The two skills were distinct but close.
[Spear Mastery] was a skill Priam had long wanted to unlock. Squeezing Promesse in his hand, he felt a familiarity with it. With this skill, he could master it better and get the most out of it. He would finally be worthy of wielding such a mighty spear.
Promesse vibrated even more, and Priam frowned. He still didn't understand precisely what his spear was up to, but it seemed... annoyed. Suddenly, he laughed. He was fighting better and better with his partner. His linked weapon was proud of them. Too proud to accept help from the System.
"I'll soon be worthy of you..." murmured Priam, stroking his weapon. [Spear Mastery] was of common rarity, and he would undoubtedly unlock the skill in the coming days. Promesse shifted its vibration frequency, satisfied.
That left [Human Anatomy]. The skill would have seemed of little use to him until recently. However, it would be helpful in improving Micro. Besides, humanity had done a lot of research into the human body. By asking Mercury, he could find scientists and doctors capable of teaching him anatomy. The skill would quickly gain in level.
Time was getting shorter and shorter. Instinctively, Priam guided more aether into [Bullet Time]. The skill redoubled its efforts.
Lvl Up : [Bullet Time] lvl 15
PERC +3
Perception exceeds 500 points. First milestone reached. Congratulations!
Priam froze. His senses were evolving. As if a filter had been removed from his eyes, he could see clearly for the first time. Billions of colors, shades of light, were opening up to him. He could see infrared, he could see ultraviolet. Maybe even more... His eyes were capturing wavelengths normally impossible for humans.
His ears now heard new frequencies. The simple beat of his heart created a sound wave. Bouncing off the sand and the arena walls, it allowed him to locate himself.
All his senses were now alert. The five basic senses, but also other lesser-known ones. Priam could feel his body's position in space with incredible clarity. He could feel the temperature gradients of his skin caressed by the wind. A new world was opening up to him.
Time was running out. The next fight was coming, and he had to make a decision. He would experiment with his new senses later.
Priam's thoughts sped up again, and he came up with an idea. The classic enhancement to [Human Anatomy] should be [High Human Anatomy]. This would allow him to get to know his body better. It would be a major breakthrough, essential to unlock Micro's Stage 2.
Maybe even to unlock a Tier 2 race.
Priam validated the option.
You have gained a new skill [Human Anatomy - Common].
[Human Anatomy] - Anatomy is the study of the structure and form of an organism. The organs and tissues that make up the body have relationships that anatomy analyzes. This skill enables its user to glean knowledge about humans and, to a lesser extent, the superior races based on humanity.
Observing, analyzing, dissecting and studying your body will provide invaluable knowledge.
After a thorough analysis of your anatomy, here's a piece of information: the size of your reproductive system is about average. Congratulations!
MEM +1
"YES! Memory!" exulted Priam, ignoring the System's comment. He was the only High Human in the world, of course he was average.
To celebrate his new Memory point, Priam tried out a few steps of a victory dance. Step right, step left. Right arm in the air, left arm in front of the face, then turn around. After two turns, Priam remembered Bechar's presence.
Coughing, he used Micro to prevent his cheeks from turning red. Simultaneously, he turned his dancing into stretching, without much conviction. Past a hundred in Agility, muscles were always ready for action...
Rereading his notification, Priam's shame disappeared, replaced by his analytical mind. [Human Anatomy] was already taking effect.
The basic skill required specific knowledge that Priam didn't have. Therefore, The System had given him a certain amount of valuable data on the human body and his own body. Coupled with Micro, this information already enhanced his abilities and gave him plenty of ideas.
Using [Eidetic Memory], he recalled the acceleration of his regeneration. He winced as he contemplated all his mistakes.
In practical terms, he had exhausted his body for a suboptimal result. However, it wasn't all in vain. With a bit of training, he was pretty sure he could optimize this restoration.
The gong sounded again in the arena and Priam smiled. It was time to polish his skills.
The boss of the thirtieth wave was still a Viscount. About the same level as the Cyclops who had ruled New Earth, the centaur had been a superb training partner.
During the twenty seconds of the match.
Select reward...
Priam smiled as he read the new notification. He knew the rewards were limited, but even so, he felt like a child unwrapping Christmas presents.
Reward: One of humankind's most prized pre-integration gifts:
- A puppy (selectable breed - Tier 1)
- A kitten (selectable breed - Tier 1)
- A baby (with half your genetic heritage. Possibility of choosing the 'mother' among Tier 0/1 races)
- One ton of consumables (chocolate/coffee/tea) or one viable seed from a productive plant (rarity: Gold)
- An enchanted Gold rarity jewel (choice of active enchantment: invisibility, acceleration, protection, vigor, regeneration)
"What the... A baby isnt a gift, dude!"
Once his disbelief had passed, Priam sighed as he looked again at the various rewards. These were clearly not his favorite rewards, but at second glance... Some of them could be interesting.
Priam understood the System's choice. For an advanced race, receiving an improved folk gift could be interesting. Had the Champion Hoplite been in his place, there was little doubt that he would have received highly advanced genetic modification vials.
Unfortunately for Priam, he was - almost - human. As such, the gifts were disappointing. Priam shook his head. No reward could be truly frustrating. There had to be something else...
Lvl Up : [Bullet Time] lvl 16
PERC +3
Let's think about it. Without Sphinx, a dog or cat of a superior breed might have been an excellent companion to combat loneliness and help him in Elysium. However, Priam was aiming for the fiftieth wave and intended to take Sphinx with him. Eliminated.
A baby was out of the question. He wanted children, but... later. Above all, he intended to offer his children an exceptional living environment. Elysium, where the temperature and gravity were extreme, and psychopaths like Arnold were on the loose, wasn't a place for babies. Eliminated.
That left the jewel or the seeds. Priam eliminated the jewel, remembering his battle with the wyvern. He would face opponents far stronger than himself. He would dance with death. Inevitably, he would die.
A bracelet he could lose after his death was out of the question. Of course, he could link it to himself - like Promesse - to prevent theft. But any enemy would be suspicious of the bracelet's disappearance after Priam's death.
It was different for Promesse. Priam had no solution and the benefits outweighed the risks.
Lets go with the seed. With a bit of luck, Log-a-rhythm could analyze or absorb it. The question remained: cocoa, coffee or tea.
Priam turned to Bechar, who was watching the show with a bucket of popcorn.
"Bechar, I hesitate between a few rewards: coffee, tea or cocoa?" he shouted.
Shaking his head, the Colosseum supervisor replied.
"I'm afraid I can't help you Priam. I got a slap on my wrists from helping you last time. I don't even know the taste of some of the things you mentioned..."
Priam smiled and selected the cocoa. A seed appeared, and he placed it in his purse. The three resources were each interesting, but Bechar's non-answer had eliminated tea. Indeed, Bechar was bound to know the taste of this plant - Priam had been able to steal a few leaves from certain factions, proof that it was known in this universe.
Bechar's formulation implied that he knew neither cocoa nor coffee. Coffee was a beverage that not everyone enjoyed. Chocolate - more or less sweetened - was more readily accepted.
The Concepts universe was unfamiliar with cocoa and its derivative products, and Priam was determined to right this wrong.
For a price, of course.
The gong rang.
Hyshana sighed as she ventured back into the arena. No matter how hard the hoplite champion tried to get past the forty-fifth wave, she kept failing. The reward - a wish - remained beyond her reach.
Let's face it, she was stuck. Not at the fortieth wave, but at the thirty-fifth. The basilisk was too powerful.
Twelve minutes. It was her average time to defeat the first thirty-four waves. A grate opened in the ground, releasing a gigantic serpent. Thirty meters long, with emerald scales stronger than the finest hoplite steel, and titanic physical attributes, the boss showed itself.
Hyshana readied her sword and took up the heron's stance. The snake turned its petrifying gaze towards her. The air began to vibrate, as if a vise were closing on her Mecha armor. Activating her Mastery, Hyshana cut off the snake's concept of petrification. Or was it a skill? The warrior didn't know precisely what her sword was cutting.
Freed, she charged towards the snake. The blade of her sword flashed blue.
Dodging an attack capable of splitting it in two, the basilisk hissed. Opening its mouth, the creature spat out a sphere of venom. The Champion knew from experience that this attack could dissolve any metal. The hoplite activated her armor's overclock and accelerated. The ball of venom annihilated a portion of the sand behind her.
Annoyed, the basilisk used the power of its eyes again as it stepped back. Hyshana's attributes, enhanced by the Mecha armor, gave her the impetus to leap into the air. The basilisk broke eye contact when Hyshana found herself between it and the sun.
Landing on contact with the boss, Hyshana stabbed it. Once, twice, six times. Her Mastery expired and [Sonar] detected an attack. Hyshana activated [Bastion] and her armor turned black as night. The basilisk's tail slammed into the mecha without leaving a trace.
Suddenly, a damage notification appeared. Her sword looked like a sieve and Hyshana winced. The basilisk's blood was acidic. On her sixth piercing attack, the protection afforded by Mastery had dissipated. Supremacy was not all-powerful...
Annoyed, the Champion jumped back to dodge another blow from her tail. [Bastion] had a cooldown of almost ten seconds before he could tank another attack. The snake's attack split the arena slab and raised a cloud of sand. [Sonar] detected the boss's next move. Hyshana took a step forward and raised her fist. [Uppercut #3] shattered one of the basilisk's fangs as it tried to swallow her.
The wounded snake instantly attacked again. Swift as lightning, its head slammed into Hyshana's mecha before she could get back into position. Thrown backward, she had no time to act before she was covered in acid.
Her armor began to melt and the champion activated the emergency expulsion. The back of the mecha opened up, allowing her to extract herself quickly. In a final sacrifice, the mecha charged toward the basilisk before exploding.
The arena shook again, and Hyshana sighed before pulling herself together. She had a fight to finish.
Her eyes tried to pierce the smoke created by the explosion. Exhausted, the hoplite grimaced at the result. The basilisk itself had turned to stone to withstand the blast. Damages were minimal.
A crack echoed through the arena. The basilisk was molting, shedding its shell of rock.
Without giving it time to recover, Hyshana sprang into action. Leaping towards the monster's head, she wrapped her hand in her Mastery. [Mastery - Sword] was specialized in swords, but by convincing herself that her forearm was a blade, she could create a sad copy of her Supremacy.
It was enough to penetrate the stone. Her arm sliced through the basilisk's eye and landed right before the boss's brain. It was impossible to advance any further, the stone blocked her shoulder. The Champion's arm was not long enough to reach the vital organ.
[Vacuum wave].
The inside of its skull was crushed to a pulp. Hyshana fell back to the ground and decided to leave the arena. She had already won the fortieth wave, but without Mecha or a weapon, she had no chance of defeating the forty-fifth.
It's almost hopeless...
Hyshana's eyes hardened. For her husband, family and people, she would do it.
The boss of the thirty-fifth wave was a Viscount rank basilisk. At least, that's how the System identified it.
[Identification]
[Juvenile Basilisk - Tier 0 - Viscount] - One of the snake kings. Born from the blood of Medusa's severed head, the basilisk possesses strong petrifying powers. Its blood is also poisonous, as well as being extremely acidic. Its shiny scales give it excellent resistance.
The impressive physical attributes of this legendary creature make it a formidable foe.
Will you be Perseus or an extra in the second Harry Potter film?
The snake straightened up and observed its surroundings. Mist obscured the arena, rendering its petrification useless. It hissed, then stuck out its tongue, sniffing the air. Instantly, he turned in Priam's direction.
The warrior sighed. His mist still couldn't completely hide him from his enemies. A ball of liquid flew in his direction and Priam ducked. The fluid crashed to the ground, turning sand into smoke. Frowning, Priam bent over and dipped his left pinkie into the acid.
Lvl Up : [Acid Resistance] lvl 2
CONST +1
Cutting off his pain, Piam watched his finger as the basilisk drew closer. Despite his constitution and acid resistance, his little finger was a sight to behold. The skin was partially corroded, and the toxin was spreading through his blood. Priam wouldn't have wanted to swim in it.
Lvl Up : [Poison Body] lvl 11
CONST +1
VIT +1
META (END) +1
An excellent resistance partner... When I finish my run.
Raising his head, Priam activated Micro and [Dodge], dodging a powerful tail strike that shook the arena. The snake stood still, then stuck out its tongue. The mist was preventing it from confirming its victory.
Lvl Up : [Dodge] lvl 14
AGI +1
Priam tightened his grip on Promesse and attacked. The spear tore through the snake's scales. Poisoned blood spurted in his direction. Grimacing, Priam leaped back. The snake howled and spat several spheres of venom in his direction.
Domain redirected the projectiles and Priam leaped towards the monster's skull. It was time to end the fight.
The snakes head turned towards the human and attacked. Priam felt his body froze. Instinctively, he activated Domain and the sensation disappeared. Priam closed his eyes, deciding to end the fight blind. His mist took over: the snake was now less than a meter away.
Priam used a kinetic charge, accelerating to almost 20 G and dodging the monster's fangs. Without his superb constitution, he would have lost consciousness.
As the snake's head grazed him, Priam froze in mid-air. [Battle Flow] offered a possible counterattack. [Tribulation Piercing Spear]. Promesse easily penetrated the monster's scales, skull and brain.
Lvl Up : [Battle Flow] lvl 5
PERC +1
DEXT +2
Priam landed lightly on the ground and opened his eyes. Observing the corpse, he analyzed the fight. The snake had been mighty. Perhaps as powerful as Safamu. The next boss will be an Earl...
In spite of its terrifying physical abilities, the basilisk had stumbled on a bone. Its petrification attacks were useless against Priam. His mist and Domain let him fight with his eyes closed. The fight hadn't lasted more than ten seconds.
"That was easy," smiled Priam.
Reward: Choose two skills to merge. Rarity limit: Common or Rare rank.
Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)
PHYSICAL:
Strength 236
Constitution 415 (+2)
Agility 298 (+2)
Vitality 423 (+2)
Perception 508 (+9)
MENTAL:
Vivacity 280
Dexterity 335 (+2)
Memory 72( +1)
Willpower 447
Charisma 375
META:
Meta-affinity 245
Meta-focus 178
Meta-endurance 125 (+1)
Meta-perception 76
Meta-chance 198
Meta-authority 12
Potential: 5926 (+11)
Tier 0
[He Who Eludes Death] charge: OFF. Reloaded in 18 hours 56 minutes 17 seconds.
[Tribulation]: One Tribulation pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 180 days 19 hours 29 minutes 30 seconds.