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

Chapter 207: A Draconic Attribute

Chapter 207: A Draconic Attribute

In a dimly lit cavern, a few bioluminescent mushrooms cast a greenish glow upon a haunted skeleton and a child. Despite their physical differences, the two beings were brothers. Lying in the center of the chamber on a rune-covered platform, a young woman appeared to be asleep. She was stunning, with smooth skin and all limbs intact. Recent treatment had healed both her body and soul. Beneath her lay a crystalline block containing her soulless clone.

"Let's begin," a voice echoed from beyond the grave. "If you move, you die. Osiris, get ready."

"Seth, be nice!" the child exclaimed before turning to the young woman. "Sorry about him, he's in a foul mood because of the Necro Envoy. What he meant was that transferring the soul from one body to another is a delicate operation. Syncing the brain, mind, and soul is a nightmare, especially with your [Homo Elysian Obsession]. Thankfully, my brother here is a genius, so don't worry too much!"

"I may be a genius, but she's not. If she moves, it's all over."

Exhausted from the recent healing sessions, Jasmine gritted her teeth to prevent herself from decapitating the skeleton. She needed him and his brother would ensure everything went smoothly. Osiris was kind, generous, caring, understanding, and in love with her—the opposite of his brother Seth. The only thing the two siblings had in common was their insane talent. Where the younger was a body specialist, the elder was a soul expert. When they worked together, miracles happened.

A hum signaled the ritual's activation. Soon, the inscriptions etched into the stone platform by Kazuki lit up. The ambient aether rushed into the stone and then into a gemstone beneath Jasmine. The focal point, an alchemically treated diamond, was embedded in the chest of a body that could have been Jasmine's twin.

The goal of the operation was simple: transfer Jasmine's soul into the body of her Tribulation doppelgänger. The maneuver was dangerous but worth it because her new body possessed a Shadow Heart. This mutation was so perfectly tailored for Jasmine's Shadow Concept that it was like giving wings to a tiger.

"Now!"

When Seth grasped her soul, Jasmine refrained from resisting. Her soul space trembled as it was ripped from her body, but she ignored the pain. Mentally, she felt the subsystem implanted by Priam follow. If Jasmine still had a body, she would have sighed in relief. Cut off from the main system, her own system followed strict rules. If it decided Jasmine was trying to defy Priam's authority, it would bathe her soul in terrible energy. She had seen her doppelganger's soul burst when Priam had used [There is no Heaven], and she didn't want to die like that.

The world stabilized again. Housed within the diamond, her soul struggled to translate the sensations it experienced. A feeling of vertigo assaulted her consciousness before a desire to vomit replaced it. The negative experiences then gave way to moments of intense joy. Satiety, liberation, and euphoria jostled her mind in turn. Unable to gauge time, Jasmine was reassured when an immense force propelled her soul into her new body.

Talent won!

As Jasmine's soul settled into her new vessel, the assassin held her breath. Seth had explained that a soul transfer could be critical. The slightest incompatibility could have tragic consequences. With a click, her soul adapted to her new form, and a wave of relief washed over Jasmine. She felt no pain or discomfort, indicating a successful operation.

It was expected, as the System had created this body, and Osiris had taken care to keep it in optimal condition—going so far as to train its muscles and modify its genome again.

As her senses and Talents synchronized with the vessel, her new heart pulsed for the first time. A torrent of vitality surged through her veins, distributing a flow of blood and shadow aether throughout her body. Her new body lived up to its promise, bringing Jasmine closer to the Shadow Concept. Without waiting, she connected to the cavern's shadows and rode them.

The next moment, a dark silhouette appeared a few meters from Osiris and Seth.

"How are you feeling?" Kazuki's deep voice inquired. The Hoplite warrior had been a formidable bodyguard and negotiator.

Weaving shadows to cloak her nudity, Jasmine turned to him. "I'm feeling great! This new heart allows me to dive even deeper into Unity."

"Good. You should try the Skull Temple," the warrior advised. "There's a shadow bloodline waiting for you at the end."

Jasmine nodded. Priam was a monster with few weaknesses, but she preferred a specialized build. Following the way of the Shadows was what she'd been trained for and one of the few things she didn't reject from her upbringing. Jasmine loved the shadows, and the shadows loved her back.

"Can I examine you?" Osiris asked, approaching. Despite his professional tone, the young boy looked at the ground, blushing. A scan would provide him with a three-dimensional view of Jasmine's naked body.

"Sure thing, doc," smiled Jasmine. She didn't particularly like kids because of their childish behavior—except for Sphinx—but Osiris was intelligent and mature. Even his crush on her was rather amusing.

Over the past few days, they had spent a lot of time together. Osiris had healed and rejuvenated Jasmine's body, pulling her soul from the clutches of death. Defeating old age had granted the assassin a Legendary Title, [Ageless]. During these sessions, Jasmine's body had gradually regained its youth, which had unsettled the young biomancer. He had remained professional, but she had seen him looking at her when he thought she couldn't see him.

Ascending back into the brothers' lair, Jasmine donned some clothes before sitting on a stone. Osiris scanned her body for any anomalies while Seth watched from afar. Despite the necromancer's demeanor, Jasmine felt him on the lookout for a possible soul rejection.

"Everything's fine," Osiris finally declared. "The fact that the System created a perfect copy of your body made the soul transfer easy. Do you confirm?" he asked his brother.

"The Seven seems to think it's a success."

Seeing Kazuki raise an eyebrow, Jasmine explained. "He must have gained a Title to reward him for a perfect soul transfer. I gained a Talent myself."

"Oh? Which one?"

Jasmine glanced at her notifications.

[Perfect Vessel - Gold] - This isn't your original body. Yet, your soul, mind, and this vessel are in perfect harmony. Be it luck, talent, or opportunity, your madness has allowed you to achieve a feat.

Your soul and body are linked. Observing and analyzing this intimate connection can give you insights into Micro.

"[Perfect Vessel]," Jasmine replied with a smile. "It's going to help me unlock Micro II."

"You should focus on Domain instead," Osiris advised. "With [Homo Elysian Obsession] and your recent experiences, you must be close."

"I can almost taste it," Jasmine confirmed. "After feeling my soul rejuvenate, I now know how to sense it. I just need one final inspiration."

"Then you two have nothing more to do here," Seth growled. The necromancer was already inspecting the assassin's old body.

Her rival had agreed to perform the soul transfer only if she left him her old body. The second part of the payment was the diamond that had served as the focal point for the ritual—one of the rewards of the quadruple Tribulation.

"Can't you wait until I'm gone before indulging your perverse desires?"

"Do you really think I still have an attraction to flesh?" the necromancer retorted.

"No, I'm sure you have some weird fetish. Are you gonna cum on my toe bones?"

Despite her taunt, abandoning her old shell didn't really bother Jasmine. She had been trained to sell her body to survive, and that's exactly what she had done. Literally.

Seth's eyes gleamed at the provocation. "I'm torn between the metatarsal and the calcaneus."

Jasmine gritted her teeth. The necromancer knew that the assassin had never received a general education and didn't hesitate to remind her regularly.

"You'd need to be capable of having a boner. Quite a paradox for a skeleton."

"That's enough," Osiris sighed, stepping between them. "Our cooperation isn't over yet. Seth, I'll finish up with them."

The older brother held Jasmine's gaze for a few seconds before taking the corpse of Jasmine further away.

Osiris sighed before turning to Jasmine and Kazuki. "You better go. Tell Priam that with the new diamond as the focal point, we'll be able to summon an even more powerful Necro Envoy and control it for a few minutes. If he still wants our help."

Kazuki nodded. "I think he does. Thank your brother for our exchanges."

"I will."

Seth had targeted Kazuki with light spiritual attacks. The goal had been to hurt the hoplite's soul enough to make him aware of its presence. The last Supremacy, Domain, now beckoned to him. In return, Kazuki had given advice to the two brothers on unlocking Mastery. All rivals aimed to become Aces.

Jasmine approached and hugged Osiris. "Thanks for your help."

"Y-you're welcome! Come back anytime," the young teenager replied, blushing.

Lvl Up: [Geometry] lvl 14, 15, 16

VIVA +3

MEM +6

Lvl Up: [Focus] lvl 40

PERC +1

VIVA +1

DEXT +1

[Focus] has reached level 40, its maximum level as a rare skill. Depending on your background, two upgrades are available:

[Great Focus - Epic] - General upgrade. No future upgrade possible. Potential Cost: 5

[Grand Focus - Epic] - You remain focused on your tasks, even during the most dire battles. Future upgrades possible. Potential Cost: 80

[Deadly Focus - Epic] - The breath of death has often brushed against your neck, yet you've never wavered from your goal. Impressive. High upgrade potential. Potential Cost: 160

Lvl Up: [Frozen Meditation] lvl 21, 22, 23

PERC +3

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

WILL +6

Lvl Up: [Ideal Aether Perception] lvl 5, 6

META (AFFI) +6

META (PERC) +12

Lvl Up: [Aether Manipulation] lvl 33,..., 40

META (AFFI) +8

META (FOCUS) +8

META (PERC) +8

[Aether Manipulation - Rare] has reached level 40, its maximum level as a rare skill. Depending on your background, one upgrade is available:

[Aether Manipulation - Epic] - Aether, the primordial fluid, constitutes everything. It's no wonder it reacts to the will of living beings.

As your soul develops its meta attributes, you learn to command this fundamental power.

Future upgrades possible. Potential Cost: 80

In the background, the add-on counted the passing days as Priam trained. Neither his stomach growling with hunger nor his eyes misting with tears distracted him from his goal. His soul, the most intimate part of his being, commanded the world, and it obeyed. What could be more incredible than that?

Nothing.

As a child, Priam had invented games populated with monsters and spells. As a teenager, he had secretly hoped that the world held more than mundane reality. As an adult, he had sometimes retreated with his imagination into fantastical worlds but had dared to believe no more, defeated by certainties.

Today, magic existed, and Priam realized his dream by exploring its mysteries.

Ignoring the level-up notifications, Priam focused on manipulating aether. Above his head, three glowing orbs rotated slowly, forming a halo of light. At the center of each, a rune a few micrometers in size converted his aether into light. The runes were stable, perfectly drawn, and identical. Their rotation speed varied, accelerating according to Priam's desires.

In just a few days, he had made terrifying progress, and he knew it. The phoenix's apparent lack of enthusiasm couldn't disturb him. Practicing and studying magic was a passion, and Priam needed neither criticism nor encouragement to progress. From his interest in magic arose an ambition that drove him to excel.

An ambition that made his failures particularly frustrating.

A bead of sweat formed on his face but didn't distract him. Normally, Priam wouldn't have perspired, using Micro to control his sweat glands, but that was currently impossible. All his attention was focused on stabilizing the existing runes. [Aether Manipulation] might have infinite potential, but without the structure of a skill, raw magic required terrifying mental abilities.

At every moment, Priam had to guide three equal aether streams from his soul space to the moving runes. He had to independently visualize each rune and hold them in place. With the slightest lapse in attention, the runes would lose their shape, disrupting the flow of aether and triggering a chain reaction that would ruin all his efforts. As if that wasn't enough, Priam had decided to add a circular motion to the orbs.

The training was as demanding as it was effective, and Priam had progressed at a frightening speed. His level-ups were proof of that.

However, he now faced a wall. For half a day, he had been unsuccessfully trying to create a fourth rune. The lack of sleep and the meager food—a few berries—were beginning to take their toll, but Priam refused to give up. Let’s try again.

Taking a deep breath, Priam mentally locked his thoughts, trying to automate the maintenance of the first three runes. Mobilizing his Domain, he guided a fourth trickle of aether before him.

A bead of aether appeared, and Priam began to empty it to carve a rune. The change in action disturbed his thoughts, and one of the first three runes began to lose its shape. Shit!

Splitting his attention between four runes was still too complicated. His add-on could have taken over, but that wouldn't have helped Priam gain proficiency. Instead of cheating, he threw all his vivacity into the battle, directing his attention to the unstable rune to stabilize it. A fraction of a second later, he locked the state of the corrupted rune and turned his attention to his new bead, digging inside to carve a rune. Over the next few seconds, Priam's thoughts jumped from one rune to another at a high frequency, stabilizing the old runes while shaping the new one.

For a while, it worked, but as Priam thought he was getting closer to the goal, the new rune became too complex. Like a computer lacking RAM, his brain began to lag. A few moments later, a terrible headache erupted. The four orbs of light imploded as Priam groaned, massaging his head.

"Well?" the phoenix asked.

"I've reached my limit," sighed the Homo Elysian, opening his eyes. The bright sunlight blinded him and intensified his headache. Letting out a grunt, he closed his eyelids to shield himself from the sun. "Three runes are my limit. To stabilize them, I have to divide my attention, and my current mental attributes don't allow me to create a fourth one."

Priam's Domain captured the phoenix settling on a branch above him. "Your brain can't divide its attention perfectly without decreasing its performance or making mistakes."

"I'm much better at focusing on a single goal," confirmed Priam. "It's not a problem when I'm training, but in combat, I need to attack, dodge, and defend simultaneously. It would be different if I were fighting with a team, but that's not the case. I need to be multitasking."

That was why Priam practiced with multiple runes. Through training, he hoped to increase his brain's natural abilities.

"I completely agree with you. Many factions encourage their members to train in groups to strengthen their cohesion and create a sense of belonging." The phoenix snorted. "Most of them are decimated when they face their Tribulation. I ask you again: which attribute do you choose to evolve?"

When the phoenix had first asked him the question, Priam had sought advice. The bird had admitted to being limited by its oath, which prevented it from providing interesting information or a description of possible evolutions. To bypass this problem, the hologram had asked Priam to analyze his weaknesses.

The young Ace had therefore spent two days practicing Esmée's exercises while analyzing his performance.

"Let's recap," said Priam as his headache receded. "Evolving an attribute with a bloodline brings about a beneficial and qualitative mutation. This is particularly true for mental attributes, which are considered active."

The phoenix remained silent, indicating that Priam was on the right track. The following statements were more complicated because he had no concrete knowledge, just a few intuitions.

"Dexterity concerns mastery of the body, so an evolution will help me master Micro. The same goes for charisma and Aura. Two useful mutations, but not urgent. Memory is my weakest attribute and will therefore benefit the least from evolution. That leaves willpower and vivacity."

Willpower assisted his mental resilience and supported his Domain. Vivacity accelerated his thoughts, allowing him to think faster.

Both attributes were interesting, but Priam could only evolve one. "Willpower is great for resisting mental manipulation, as is my system. Despite the Domain’s boost, an evolution won't revolutionize my training or my battles. What I lack, as the exercise I just failed showed, is the ability to split my attention."

As Priam tried in vain to create a fourth rune, he realized he was facing a wall. Increasing his vivacity and memory would help him create a fourth rune, but what about a fifth? A sixth?

"When I divide my attention between several problems, I make mistakes, and my performance drops," he acknowledged. "It limits my learning speed, but more importantly, my ability to handle a large amount of information in a fight. Fortunately, my system can compensate for this problem."

The phoenix shook its head.

"Your add-on is based on your mental attributes. Its current hardware—your soul—prevents it from carrying out multiple calculations simultaneously. In truth, it executes only one instruction at a time and gives the illusion of being multitasking by quickly switching from one process to another."

Priam wasn't stupid; it was obvious that the phoenix's explanation contained a clue.

"What you're trying to tell me is that if I evolve vivacity, I could not only effectively divide my attention between multiple tasks, but my system could do it too?"

The phoenix remained silent, and Priam realized he was right. This made evolving the attribute interesting but not necessarily revolutionary. "Couldn't I achieve the same result by spending my potential to create a Talent like [Parallel Thoughts]?"

"I would have been disappointed if you hadn't asked the question," the firebird smiled. "[Parallel Thoughts] doesn't alter the functioning of your soul. This Talent can't synergize with your system. Plus, dealing with parallel thoughts will divide your attention. If you have two thoughts at once, each will receive about half of your total computing power. Yet, legend has it that dragons can have multiple streams of thoughts, each powered by the entirety of their vivacity."

Priam widened his eyes. "Each of my parallel thoughts will have as much weight as if I were focusing all my attention on it?!"

"Not immediately, but in the future, yes."

"If every one of their attributes is evolved from birth, I can see why this race is so terrifying. Alright, I’m convinced!"

Opening the System interface, Priam selected [Tribulation Wyvern Heart]. His draconic heart pulsed, awakening his bloodline.

Choose an attribute to evolve.

“Vivacity.”

"Alain!"

The old man put down his hammer and looked up at Hyshana. The lean warrior almost seemed to teleport to his side. The difference in attributes was significant, but she must have used Micro to be so fast.

"Is there a problem?"

"A group is approaching," Hyshana announced, her expression grim.

"A new horde?" Alain asked, his throat tight. Despite the general upgrade of their defense, the fights weren't any easier, quite the contrary. Every day, the revenants became stronger, smarter, and more numerous.

Hyshana shook her head. "According to our sensors, they're alive and don't match any of our rivals. The locals have found us."

Status:

PHYSICAL:

Strength 557

Constitution 860

Agility 552

Vitality 840

Perception 719 (+5)

MENTAL:

Vivacity 516 (+5)

Dexterity 588 (+1)

Memory 456 (+9)

Willpower 1 036 (+8)

Charisma 631

META:

Meta-affinity 549 (+18)

Meta-focus 358 (+8)

Meta-endurance 354

Meta-perception 258 (+23)

Meta-chance 230

Meta-authority 51

Potential: 10 027 (+38)

Tier 0

Sun points: 135 769 (+4509)

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED.

[Tribulation]: Three Tribulations pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until:

Time: 162 days 8 hours 40 minutes 28 seconds.

Next thresholds: 6 attributes > 600 / 3 attributes > 900 / 1 attribute > 1 200