Chapter 144: Rivalry

Saturday's chappie, enjoy!

Next one: tomorrow!

*

One Potential point per skulc slain. Two Bosses, each promising a unique reward. As if that weren't enough, Priam's next target was a rune stone that sat at the center of the skulk village. Seth had no inkling of the stone's powers, except that it disrupted the Necromoon's light. That was good enough for Priam.

"Fate is urging us to eradicate these creatures," he whispered.

"Good riddance; I loathe these pests," grumbled Kazuki, scanning the coniferous forest. "We need to kill as many as possible. These beasts reproduce rapidly and can change genders as needed. There were only five hundred a week ago."

"You're quite bloodthirsty," remarked Priam.

"The world will be better off without them. You'll understand soon enough."

"If you say so. What about the Bosses? How do we handle that?"

"What do you mean?"

"You discovered the quest. I can let you choose the Boss you want," Priam offered.

Kazuki blinked before bursting into laughter. The warrior held his sides for a few seconds before calming down. Priam looked at him with a dark expression. He had wanted to be friendly but ended up being mocked.

"What's so amusing?"

"We're in Elysium," Kazuki replied when he caught his breath. "If I didn't finish the quest the first time, it's because I failed. I had a hard time escaping alive. If you manage to kill one, you deserve your reward."

"Are they that strong?"

"You'll see. I'll go right; you take the left."

"It's not wise to separate. If only we could coordinate our att—"

"I'm a hoplite," Kazuki cut in. "Overcoming adversity and improving is my way of life. I'm here to surpass myself and progress. I would like to complete the quest, but that's a bonus. The most important thing for me is to face this immense wall until I can knock it down."

"... I thought you wanted to improve Log-a-rhythm?"

"I wouldn't be here otherwise. However, we won't survive in Elysium by being weak. An impregnable fortress will help in a battle, but only my spear will win me the war. Don't lose sight of your true goal," advised Kazuki.

There was truth in what the hoplite said, and Priam understood.

"So, are we enemies on this one?"

"Rivals," the hoplite smiled.

Upon hearing the Champion hoplite's response, Priam's heart raced. His rival was right. Preparing the Necromoon and its Tribulations wasn't just about accumulating resources. It was about transcending limits.

"You've convinced me," Priam smiled. "I'll take care of both Bosses in no time."

"Unless I kill them first," Kazuki replied, baring his teeth.

"Big talk for someone who had to run away with their tail between their legs last time."

Kazuki's eyes gleamed while Priam's burned with intense determination.

Their competitive spirits flared. Without a word, the two rivals parted ways.

*

Lvl Up: [Phantom] lvl 2
AGI +3

As Priam progressed, he noticed the temperature dropping. The spruces were now covered in a fine layer of snow. Without the magic of [Moon Mist], his misty cloak would have frozen long ago.

After leaving Kazuki, Priam activated [Phantom] to approach the center of the skulc microcosm. The fir branches became denser, but his skill helped him delicately navigate the obstacles. Priam seemed to have no mass as his kinetic energy control allowed him to step on the snow without sinking. Behind him, a tracker would find no traces.

Like a ghost, Priam quietly advanced toward his enemies. He wasn't in a hurry. The duel's winner would be the one to kill one of the Bosses first. If Kazuki had failed the first time, he would be cautious this time. The hoplite wouldn't accept two failures.

Suddenly, [Broad Spectrum vision] detected something. Priam froze, focusing on his surroundings. Thirty meters ahead, an infrared spot stood out behind the trunk of a gigantic spruce. Squinting, Priam used his perception to discern the source of the anomaly.

Then he saw it. Half-hidden by a dark trunk and thick branches, a humanoid creature waited. A scout. The monster was well hidden, motionless and camouflaged, but its heat gave it away.

Lvl Up: [Broad-spectrum vision] lvl 6
PERC +1

Priam didn't try to identify his opponent to avoid alerting it. However, that didn't prevent him from studying his adversary. The skulc was about two meters tall, with brownish-green skin. Its eyes scanned the surroundings like an eagle, and its muscles were poised for action.

If Priam had initially thought he was dealing with a goblin cousin, the specimen before him brought him back to reality. No enemy in Elysium was weak, and this one was no exception. An obsidian glaive hung from its belt, and a few throwing darts were strapped across its chest. Despite the cold and calm, the guard remained focused.

Priam's instinct whispered to him to be decisive. He sent a thin mist thread toward his opponent. The mist's density was so low that the line was invisible. Yet, when the thread penetrated within ten meters of the skulc, the monster's eyes fixed on it.

Without a moment's hesitation, Priam rode his mist. Reappearing within ten meters of his enemy, he activated [Battle Footwork]. Catapulted forward by his aether, Priam summoned Promesse at the last moment. [Unrelenting Thrust].

Raising its blade, the skulc narrowly deflected Priam's attack. It opened its mouth, ready to alert its kin - or maybe spit on Priam. Before a sound could escape its throat, Domain froze the air around its mouth. [Kinetic Control] absorbed the sound wave before Priam's body collided with the creature, carried by his momentum.

The two opponents rolled in the snow in silence. The skulc gained the upper hand in an instant, pinning Priam beneath it. After a submission, the warrior struck Priam's head against the ground. His nose violently collided with a root. The scout then tried to break Priam's neck. Too late. The monster's eyes widened as it felt a force petrifying it.

Priam disappeared into the mist, freeing himself from the enemy's grip. He reappeared behind the skulc, wearing a somber expression. His Domain and [Kinetic Control] synergized to immobilize his enemy.

Wiping a drop of blood from his nose, Priam felt a terrifying resistance fighting against his kinetic absorption. Either the skulc had titanic strength, or it had an epic skill. Placing his hand on the skulc's chest, Priam absorbed its macroscopic kinetic energy. [Kinetic Control] trembled but managed to stop the enemy's heart. A few moments later, the resistance disappeared.

One down, Priam counted.

His heart rate decreased as he began to analyze the fight. Priam had underestimated the skulc's skill. The bloodthirsty - and, judging by its breath, carnivorous - creature had sublime knowledge of close combat.

The monster's technique and biology had surprised Priam. Its joints were different from mine. The skulc's elbow had an amplitude of almost one hundred eighty degrees, destabilizing Priam. If the skulc had been able to ignore [Kinetic Control], Priam would have foolishly lost a life.

I need to learn more about them.

[Diagnostic] / [Identification]
[Scout Skulc - Tier 0] - A basic military unit of the skulcs. Capable of remaining motionless and focused for several days, the scout skulc is a competent warrior. Blindly obedient to its superior, it is the weakest fighter among his kind.
Its kinship with the goblin makes it cruel and bloodthirsty. Its draconic bloodline makes it sharp and talented.

Weak points: heart - brain - core.
Strong points: concentration, power, fearlessness.
Note: the skulc's gestation period is short (about three weeks), and the females' litters can reach eight to ten individuals. Its growth is rapid, and it is considered an adult at three months. A diet rich in aether accelerates its development.

A descendant of the dragons. Priam's draconic heart raced. Annihilating this village became a priority. With a bit of luck, I could increase my compatibility with my heart...

Priam knelt beside the skulc. It was time to forget reservations and learn more about his adversary. He had to improve [Diagnostic] and spot all the weak points of the skulcs. For that, he had only one solution.

Materializing an ice scalpel in his hand, Priam got to work.

*

Lvl Up: [Diagnostic] lvl 4,...,10
PERC +7
Lvl Up: [Focus] lvl 36,37
PERC +2
VIVA +2
DEXT +2
Lvl Up: [Frozen Meditation] lvl 11,12,13
PERC +3
WILL +6

[Tribulation]: Three attributes above 600 were detected in Tier 0.
A Tribulation is coming.
Time: 175 days 21 hours 38 minutes 54 seconds.

Priam placed his fifth scalpel before standing up. He forced himself to witness the massacre as [Focus] and [Frozen Meditation] began to wane in intensity. Without these skills, he would have been unable to complete the task.

Like a doctor in search of a breakthrough, he had operated on his "patient." Similar to an apprentice butcher or fishmonger, he had dissected the corpse to find its strengths and weaknesses. Deep within him, Priam had felt [Human Anatomy] react. There was a strong chance that the system would present him with an interesting evolution when he reached level 20.

Feeling his thoughts wander, Priam reined them in. He had just dissected an enemy and wasn't quite sure what to make of it. The creature before him was nothing human: its organs, muscles, bones, and ligaments were different. Its brain was entirely alien and resembled some form of hard coral. A pig was closer to him than this thing.

The autopsy still disgusted him.

In a way, Priam knew it was necessary. To reach the heights of power that would allow him to declare himself free, he would have to get his hands dirty. Nevertheless, it was necessary to set limits; otherwise he would lose his identity along the way. Dissecting this kind of monster... It's something I can accept.

Having accepted the situation, Priam felt his disgust recede. Casting a final glance at the corpse, a memory flashed back to him. His great-grandmother - a farmer - had once butchered a rabbit in front of him before skinning it. At five years old, it hadn't disgusted him. I guess humans do what they must to survive.

With a wave of his hand, Priam commanded his Domain to cover the corpse in snow. A few seconds later, the pool of blood had disappeared.

Priam continued to move toward the village. Mentally, he linked [Diagnostic] and [Phantom]. The System and its experiments had given him interesting information about the skulcs. At Tier 0, they had good hearing and sharp eyes. However, their sense of smell was weaker.

Wrapped in a mist as white as the snow, Priam intended to capitalize on this. Like a white shadow, he moved silently through the snowy forest, camouflaged by his mist.

Thirty seconds later, he stopped again. His infrared vision had just spotted a new ambush. This time, two enemies were in front of him. The first was at the base of the trunk, and the second was higher up.

Priam summoned two ice darts and made them levitate. Focusing on [Kinetic Control] and [Priam’s System], he targeted his two adversaries. Why aim manually when a program could do it for you?

[Targets locked: two Skulcs (Tier 0).
Visible weak points: left eye (first) and heart (second).
Host not detected thanks to [Phantom], [Moon Mist], and a distance of more than thirty meters.
Assassination reliability: 99%.
Cost: 2.3 MJ.]

Priam smiled as he read the report from his add-on. The scout above only exposed its head, and the one below was partially hidden. It wouldn't save them.

Priam authorized the assault, and [Priam’s System] activated. The two darts vanished. The next moment, both Skulcs collapsed. Two and three.

Lvl Up: [Priam’s System] lvl 13,14
MEM+4
VIVA +2

Priam rushed to the first corpse to cushion his fall. An adult skulc weighed over two hundred kilograms and could easily break a spruce branch when falling. Intercepting the body, Priam gently laid it on the ground next to its dead colleague.

He knelt to check the aftermath of his attack.

The two darts had disintegrated into liquid water upon impact, but the damage was done. The brain of the first corpse had exploded, but not its head. The heart of the second corpse was pierced, but the ice hadn't exited the body. In essence, his add-on had calculated the optimal energy to kill his enemies without overkill. In addition to saving energy, Priam was happy that he was spared having to clean up the area.

A few moments later, the snow covered all evidence of his passage.

Continuing on his way, Priam congratulated himself on creating his add-on. In a fast-paced fight, it could create shields and attacks autonomously. Not that I should rely too much on it.

Priam didn't plan to abuse this new combat option, but it was a valuable aid.

A few dozen meters later, Priam reached the edge of the forest. Stealthily, he glanced ahead.

About a hundred tents had been erected in a circle. In the center, a water basin provided drink to the tribe. A large menhir covered in runes stood at the center of the pond. Around fifty skulcs were currently worshiping it. Between the crowd and the menhir, a shaman chanted with closed eyes.

No one had yet noticed his presence. Now, to kill the Shaman, which is better: Draconic breath or assassination?

*

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

PHYSICAL:
Strength 399
Constitution 662
Agility 408 (+4)
Vitality 538
Perception 600 (+16)

MENTAL:
Vivacity 338 (+4)
Dexterity 434 (+2)
Memory 139 (+5)  
Willpower 657 (+9)  
Charisma 427

META:
Meta-affinity 336
Meta-focus 255
Meta-endurance 185
Meta-perception 119
Meta-chance 216
Meta-authority 15

Potential: 576 (+24)
Tier 0

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED.

[Tribulation]: Five Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 175 days 21 hours 33 minutes 17 seconds.

*

The skulc looks like Picolo to me...