Chapter 170: The Kill List

I really enjoyed writing the end of this one.
PS: difficult weekend, Sphinx's vote will be posted Monday evening without fail!

*

A few hours earlier.

Priam couldn't make a move without Sumstreh reading his thoughts in advance, but his Assistant might be exempt. Otherwise, it would be game over.

The add-on would open the gate to the Fire Domain, attempting a Nirvana before drowning the host's soul in [There is no Heaven]. Priam would not become a puppet.

The general artificial intelligence possessed a personality copied from the host and could analyze emotions and actions. Priam was too proud to become a slave. The only reason for his cooperation was that he believed he could escape one day—thanks to his system.

When his host activated [Focus], [Priam's System] instantly understood it was his turn to play. The role of [Focus] was to prevent Priam's thoughts from wandering and thus conceal the existence of his add-on from the Tier 4.

The AGI began to formulate a plan. The initial conditions were terrible: Priam had no way of defeating a Tier 4 at the moment. Therefore, a groundwork had to be laid for the future. The first thing to do was to conceal his abilities, system, and status. If Sumstreh obtained this information, he would leave him no way to escape. The attribute difference was too significant to outsmart Tier 4.

Falsifying information was easy as the AGI had complete access to Priam's memory through [Eidetic Memory]. With altered memories, the host could lie while being convinced he was telling the truth. Of course, he had to be unaware of his own ability to lie; otherwise, he and Sumstreh would have doubts.

Thus, Priam must not suspect the existence of the Assistant. There was only one way to do that.

Mentally, the add-on connected to Concepts Archipelago. The various rewards Priam had earned were stored in the pond at the center of the world. The host had plans for them, but the situation demanded drastic actions.

The system activated one of the Tokens obtained at the end of the quadruple Tribulation.

Fusion Token - Epic skill used.
Choose two epic or lower-rarity skills to fuse.

[Incorporation of [Mask - Epic] into [Priam's System - Rare]]

Fusion of [Priam's System - Rare] - lvl 28 and [Mask - Epic] - lvl 5.
...
[Priam's System - Rare] was upgraded.
Lvl Up: [Priam's System] lvl 29,...,36
MEM +16
VIVA +8

As an Assistant, the AGI didn't truly have emotions. If it did, it would have been satisfied. By spending Potential during the fusion, it had observed it and gained valuable information about [Mask]. The skill was holistic, potentially capable of masking an individual's presence, status, karmic link, aethereal code, genetic code, and even the soul. Each of these options allowed leveling up the skill to level sixty. If the host wanted to use all these aspects, a higher rarity was required.

The System only needed one of these aspects. As an Assistant, it shared the attributes of its host, except for its soul presence. Now, it could hide this flaw.

The satellite orbiting around Priam's soul blurred for a moment before disappearing. The evolution had been instantaneous, and his system could now benefit from the properties of the camouflage skill. For added safety, the Assistant stopped its orbit and concealed itself near the flame symbolizing the Fire Concept. The satellite could hide in the Fire Domain in case of emergency.

While Priam spoke, the add-on continued its work. Simultaneously, it modified the host's Status using [Mask] and rewrote all his memories. Not just recent ones, but even the old ones. The host was as intelligent as he was suspicious. He would notice if his actions or memories seemed inconsistent with his personality. By reading his thoughts, Sumstreh would understand the deception.

After saving a copy, the Assistant modified Priam's memories, giving him a more generous and malleable image. His recent memories were slightly tweaked to conceal his Tokens' disappearance or certain skills' existence. The false god had to think Priam was harmless.

Of course, these modifications were made more complicated by the existence of the rival. She had been spying on them for some time, and the Assistant had to be careful about what to modify. There could be no inconsistency between Priam's Status and the enemies' observations.

The rewards from his quadruple Tribulation were given to Prometheus, portraying Priam as altruistic in line with his desire to save Sphinx. The second Legendary Achievement was concealed; Priam believed he had used flames given by the Phoenix to defeat Tier 2. Having used subterfuge, the System would not have validated his victory.

The add-on then began monitoring the false god's actions. Depending on what the Tier 4 had in mind, it had to be flexible.

When the false god's consciousness entered Priam's soul to convert him, the Assistant activated another Token, a reward from his quadruple Tribulation.

Token - Legendary Skill used.

Choose a skill to upgrade to Legendary rank:

Note: This forced upgrade will not result in any Titles or Achievements. No Potential or attributes will be granted for unearned levels.

[Manipulation Resistance - Rare].

[Manipulation Resistance - Rare] is ready to evolve to epic rank. Two high upgrades are available to you.

[Strong Will - Epic] - A divine consciousness attempts to fracture yours. You resist head-on. High upgrade potential. Potential Cost: 160
[Resilient Will - Epic] - A divine consciousness attempts to fracture yours. You bend to bounce back. High upgrade potential. Potential Cost: 160

[Resilient Will - Epic].

POT -160

[Resilient Will - Epic] is ready to evolve to Legendary rank. Two high upgrades are available to you.

[True Will - Legendary] - Facing the divine assault, your will adapts. You evolve, searching for who you are. High upgrade potential. Potential Cost: 360
[Sacred Will - Legendary] - Facing the divine assault, your will purifies yourself. Your sacred aura influences others. High upgrade potential. Potential Cost: 360

[True Will - Legendary].

[True Will - Legendary] - Born human in a world poor in aether, you have lived a life of ups and downs. Betrayed by some, loved by others, you've forged a dreamer's character. When the apocalypse occurred, you welcomed it with open arms.
Since then, you have moved through life without taking the time to question yourself: Are you still the same?
Experience has reshaped you but also purified your will. Move forward with confidence, true to yourself, and pursue your dreams. This skill will not let you forget your identity.
Living according to your true will is the assurance of never having regrets.
WILL +18
CHAR +9

POT -360

A Legendary skill increases your affinity with certain concepts. Your experiences will decide which ones.

A Tier 0 is limited to five legendary skills. A Tier 0 cannot advance a skill to Mythic rank.

Each rank multiplied the number of attributes gained by three. The Assistant had thought of using the second Legendary Token to improve [Frozen Meditation] but reconsidered. Too many Legendary skills, and Priam would be overwhelmed by Tribulations. A sure way to die.

Spending Potential, the Assistant recorded the modifications of the false god while the host resisted manipulation with all his might. Quickly, the broken consciousness of the host went into hibernation. A few seconds later, the divine will withdrew, leaving behind a complex ritual. A succession of runes woven with solid light trapped the host's soul.

POT -748

Using a simulation model, the Assistant sought a way to undo it. Each unknown rune required a sacrifice of Potential to understand. Some were clearly rigged to collapse the structure onto the soul in case of manipulation, destroying it.

POT -1143

The architecture made any manipulation complex, but the AGI understood that not everything needed to be undone. Not only because it would alert the false god, but mostly because few runes genuinely erased the host's personality. They were the ones he had to destroy. Surveillance runes could be hacked using Potential.

Instead of directly releasing his host, the Assistant waited. Inside the divine Domain, it was complicated to hide anything from Tier 4.

After several hours, the host woke up lobotomized, then followed his rival. As soon as he left the divine Domain, the add-on activated. Using [There is no Heaven], a skill capable of hurting souls, it cut some light threads of the divine mark. The runes were incredibly hard, a product of divine will, but the epic skill was the nemesis of gods.

The personality suppression disappeared, and the add-on crushed his host's memory before downloading the correct one.

[True Will] activated, and Priam regained consciousness.

His eyes burned with rage.

*

Lvl Up : [True Will] lvl 2
WILL +18
CHAR +9
Lvl Up: [Spirit resistance] lvl 15,16,17,18
WILL +12
Lvl Up: [Priam’s System] lvl 36,37,38,39
MEM+8
VIVA +4
Lvl Up : [Aether Perception] lvl 36,37,38,39
META (PERC) +12
Lvl Up: [There is no Heaven] lvl 4
WILL +9

[Tribulation]: One attribute above 800 were detected in Tier 0.
A Tribulation is coming.
Time: 172 days 19 hours 50 minutes 12 seconds.

Following Ève, Priam took a few seconds to absorb what had just happened. The torture, the pain, the powerlessness, his shift in personality, memory alteration, and finally, his achievement.

He had managed to outsmart a god, and he was free. His system was the best skill he had ever created, teetering on the brink of a rank-up.

Despite his material gains, Priam trembled with rage. He activated [Focus] and [Emotional Discipline] to refrain from directly killing Ève. Yet, I swear you'll die by my hand.

His add-on created a kill list and added Ève's sole name. A deadly honor.

Ève… It was the name the false god had implanted in Priam, ordering him to obey the young woman. He had never hated anyone with such intensity. Claire had betrayed him, but she hadn't touched his family. Or rather, she hadn't succeeded.

Ève had condemned Sphinx. Priam's friend had stayed with Sumstreh, and he had no way to retrieve her. Who knows what that sicko is doing to her? She wasn't even a hostage; for Sumstreh, Priam was already converted. Perhaps the god was torturing the child? Maybe worse? Sphinx was young and impressionable. Every passing second might see his young friend influenced by Sumstreh.

Lvl Up: [Emotional Discipline] lvl 8
WILL +3

Priam envisioned the worst, and his anger became difficult to control. He had to make a violent effort not to return for her. It was utterly pointless. But I won't abandon you, Sphinx. Wait for me.

His resolution was almost broken when Eve offered him a hint of an alliance. His rival's audacity was almost comical. Priam remained in his role, silent, imagining a thousand tortures for the young woman. She would regret sacrificing such a pure child as Sphinx.

"Let's go," Ève said without looking back. Without Priam detecting any particular expenditure of aether, his rival's body began to levitate rapidly toward the surface. What’s her specialty?

Using [Kinetic Control], Priam absorbed the kinetic energy in the air within his Domain and used it to propel himself. He quickly caught up with Ève, who accelerated.

Once on the surface, they headed towards Log-a-rhythm, skimming the vegetation roof. According to Kazuki, flying monsters existed, and it wasn't safe to linger in the skies for too long.

About a hundred meters from the base, Ève plunged into the canopy. Priam followed, acting like a lobotomized individual.

"We're going into your base. Can you order your tree not to attack me?"

Priam nodded. Ève would join the red list. She would be authorized to do almost anything but closely monitored. Priam wouldn't leave her any privacy, searching for every weakness. When he was sure he could kill, he would avenge Sphinx.

"All right. We'll need all your little buddies to execute the plan of... our master. Let's avoid saying his name; it attracts his attention, and we don't want to piss him off. Anyway, you'll have to act like your old self. You'll say the rabhorns are dead, but Sphinx... is in a dungeon, preparing her Tribulations. Why did you attack the rabhorns, by the way?"

How was a lobotomized person supposed to answer? Priam didn't want to alert Ève. He wasn't concerned for himself but for Sphinx.

"... We were afraid the Necromoon would convert them and force them to attack the base during the event," he answered in a neutral voice.

He prepared to attack, but his response seemed to satisfy Ève, who merely grimaced.

"They were sacrifices to summon a boss. So, you'll say we teamed up to kill them, and you suggested I join you. Will the hoplites accept me?"

"... Kazuki will probably demand a spar first. If you're strong enough and with my recommendation, he'll trust you. The others obey him."

"I suspected as much. Do I have to defeat him, or just go for a draw?"

Priam let out an internal laugh. Kazuki had just succeeded in a quadruple Tribulation, and Priam was fairly certain he would have already used his rewards. The hoplite was a true monster, and even Priam wasn't sure he could defeat him. Schadenfreude filled him at the thought of Ève losing.

In any case, it would give him information about the enemy's capabilities.

"Better force him to forfeit."

Ève nodded, thoughtful.

*

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Ophia!" Ève exclaimed cheerfully. She had taken on the appearance of a pretty woman who would have surely charmed Louis if he hadn't been in Priam's world worrying about Mirscella.

"Everyone, meet Ophia, an ally who took care of the vermin while I faced the Tier 2," Priam announced with a fake smile.

Due to the System announcement, Rose and Alain knew he had dealt with Tier 2 alone. It was a flaw in his story — an announcement indicated a Legendary Achievement and rewards Priam had concealed — but as long as they didn't mention it, Ève wouldn't know.

While his rival introduced herself, Priam locked eyes with Kazuki.

A quick glance toward Log-a-rhythm, and the hoplite nodded subtly.

"I'll fetch Blueberry before he destroys our supplies," the hoplite grunted, disappearing into the tree.

Priam ordered his tree to transmit a message to Kazuki. If some had to remain in the dark for their own safety and Sphinx's, his rival had to know the truth. He wasn't the only one.

"Jasmine?"

"Yes?"

"Don't change your attitude and act as if nothing happened. 'Ophia' is an enemy who thinks I'm under control. Observe her every move and find her weaknesses. You're the best assassin in your world, aren't you?"

"... The best at Tier 0. Why?"

Priam internally raised an eyebrow while continuing the oral discussion. There was probably an interesting secret about Arkana, Jasmine's civilization, but it wasn't urgent. As he recounted his adventures and explained Sphinx's absence, he continued telepathically.

"I want Ève dead. Not right away, because I have information to squeeze out of her. Be careful not to let her realize anything—we'll all die otherwise."

Before dying, Ève would tell Priam everything she knew about Sumstreh. Sphinx's rescue depended on it.

"You're the boss. Can I know why?"

"If she realizes something, her boss will be informed upon her death, and he's an end-game monster."

"No, why does she have to die?"

Priam's stomach twisted with anger.

"... Sphinx isn't in a dungeon. She's being tortured because of Ève."

Priam's anger was so great that he let it traverse the link. He was surprised when a similar anger came back with Jasmine's response.

"She's dead."

Upon hearing Jasmine's reply, Priam smiled for the first time in a long while.

*

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

PHYSICAL:
Strength 420
Constitution 794
Agility 446
Vitality 680
Perception 654

MENTAL:
Vivacity 383 (+12)
Dexterity 475
Memory 218 (+28)
Willpower 832 (+82)
Charisma 499 (+29)

META:
Meta-affinity 408
Meta-focus 326
Meta-endurance 256
Meta-perception 201 (+14)
Meta-chance 230
Meta-authority 15

Potential: 3427 (-2659)
Tier 0

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED.
Necromoon Event : 2 days, 17 hours, and 49 minutes.

[Tribulation]: Six Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 172 days 19 hours 32 minutes 26 seconds.