Priam
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Chapter 350: Die and retr… ain
🕑 Added 2025-04-02 02:19:24 +0000 UTCAs I’ve mentioned to some, the past few weeks have been tough, and I’ve fallen behind on chapters with irregular releases. As things are better now, I plan to make up for it, starting with a double release tonight (351 here). There will be two more chapters this week, making it four in total.
Thank you so much for your patience and understanding.
Priam
PS: Priam Character Sheet (you can thanks the Discord guys!)
*
Congratulations, you are dead! Your Talent [He Who Eludes Death] brings you back to life once a day.
Number of deaths: 27
Synergy detected with your talent [Homo Elysian Obsession] and your Titles [Four-Headed Hydra] and [Life is Hard; I’m Harder]. Your body and spirit are rebuilt and will be more resistant to what killed them:
… Attribute potential redirected to skills per user request.
Lvl Up: [Necro Resistance] lvl 15
VIT +3
WILL +3
META(Endurance) +3
Lvl Up: [Shear Resistance] lvl 7, 8
CONST +14
META (Endurance) +4
Lvl Up: [Thick Blood] lvl 18, 19
VIT +6
Lvl Up: [Virus Resistance] lvl 3
CONST +6
VIT +15
PERC +3
MEM +3
Number of deaths: 28
Lvl Up: [Necro Resistance] lvl 16
VIT +3
WILL +3
META(Endurance) +3
Lvl Up: [Shear Resistance] lvl 9
CONST +7
META (Endurance) +2
Lvl Up: [Thick Blood] lvl 20, 21
VIT +6
Lvl Up: [Sun Steel Body] lvl 17, 18
CONST +12
META (Endurance) +6
Number of deaths: 29
Lvl Up: [Necro Resistance] lvl 17
VIT +3
WILL +3
META(Endurance) +3
Lvl Up: [Shear Resistance] lvl 10
CONST +7
META (Endurance) +2
Lvl Up: [Sun Steel Body] lvl 19, 20
CONST +12
META (Endurance) +6
Lvl Up: [Smooth Scales] lvl 38, 39
AGI +6
After fulfilling his promise to Jasmine, Priam had resumed pushing his body to the limit. Partly because the saying “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” perfectly described his build, and partly because he loved min-maxing his capabilities, he made use of [He Who Eludes Death] every single day. He leveraged his duels against Kazuki to acclimate himself to blades, taking full advantage of his rival’s relentless attacks.
At the same time, the unique Talent provided insight into unseen dangers. Though his body had finally purged the virus gifted by his son, the corruption of the Necromoon was intensifying, and he was the only inhabitant of Oasis managing to outgrow it.
Nevertheless, these deaths were just one avenue of Priam’s progression. His schedule, concocted by his mentor and his add-on, would have horrified even the most seasoned MMA champion, and only his immense vitality allowed him to endure it without buckling under fatigue.
Resurrecting to clear his mind before sleep was the only way for the Champion to combat the day’s accumulated stress. Even so, the mental exhaustion was so overwhelming that he rarely dreamt of magic.
Nestled in his hammock, shielded by Log-a-rhythm, Priam surrendered to sleep.
*
Lvl Up: [Inhuman Workout] lvl 20, 21, 22
STR +9
Lvl Up: [Iron Marathon] lvl 11,..., 19
AGI +27
Lvl Up: [Gravity Resistance] lvl 27
CONST +3
A bead of sweat, as much from exhaustion as from the scorching sun hanging just a few meters above, lazily traced its way down Priam’s face. Reaching the edge of his jawline, it hesitated for a fraction of a second before falling into the grass of the Concepts Archipelago.
“Again,” commanded a voice.
Ignoring the heat, Priam exhaled as he pushed. A surge of power flowed from his chest to his shoulders. Carried by his arms, the barbell rose, his breath releasing at the peak of effort.
Locking his elbows at the top of the movement, he let out a grunt. “Nine.”
The descent was worse than the ascent—less satisfying, more grueling. Controlling every centimeter, Priam stayed focused until the bar grazed his sternum. He paused briefly, glancing at his hands, positioned just beyond shoulder width on the bar. His back pressed into the wooden bench, feet firmly planted on the ground, his muscles screamed in protest. Lifting the weight one more time seemed impossible.
“Final rep,” urged the deep voice.
Though drained, Priam growled and pushed. Midway through, his vision blurred to white under the strain. His exhausted hearts struggled to pump enough blood to his head.
Through his Domain, Priam sensed two hands moving beneath the barbell, ready to intervene if needed. The mere thought of failure ignited a draconic fury within him. In a battle of willpower versus gravity, the Juggernaut refused to lose.
Reaching deep within, scavenging for the last vestiges of energy with Micro, Priam drove the weight upward until his arms locked out.
“Ten!” he roared.
Lvl Up: [Inhuman Workout] lvl 23
STR +3
Lvl Up: [Gravity Resistance] lvl 28
CONST +3
The weight suddenly felt lighter as the gravity shifted. Kazuki took the barbell from him, allowing Priam to reclaim his breath. Inhale. Exhale. The rhythm seemed to heal both body and soul. An epiphany felt close. Though Breath was largely spiritual—about the will and the soul—physical exhaustion proved to be a great tool to grasp its corporeal aspect.
“A commendable effort this morning,” said the hoplite, setting the weights down. “Your own performance, Sphinx, was equally noteworthy.”
“You did great!” chirped the child before returning to gnawing on a sprig of catnip. After Louis’s lecture on the plant’s intoxicating properties, she had begged Lamnas to find some for her.
“Do you want to know how much you lifted?” Kazuki asked.
Priam shrugged, too tired to care.
“Half a ton, under four times Elysium’s gravity, thanks to Sphinx. This equates to slightly more than sixteen times terrestrial gravity, thus, the equivalent of… eight tons.”
Priam waved a hand dismissively, the gesture meaning Is that good?
“A possible point of comparison for an athlete is to relate the weight lifted to their own mass. A proficient athlete can lift twice their own weight.”
A grin tugged at Priam’s lips. He had just lifted nearly a hundred times his own mass.
“Dispel that smile. When your performance is related to your physique, it is less glorious.”
“Why would we do that?” Priam sighed.
“To gauge your strength in proportion to that of a pre-System human. Knowing that a common human possesses a strength near ten, and yours approximates a thousand, I propose dividing your record by one hundred… Yielding eighty kilograms, twenty less than your own mass.”
“I’ve gained weight,” Priam murmured. It wasn’t surprising. Besides adding muscle, his bones had densified, and he had grown nearly ten centimeters since the Tutorial. A side effect of the System and my new physiology, I suppose... Hopefully, I don’t break two meters. Otherwise, kissing a girl without kneeling is going to be a pain.
“In the army, the weakest hoplite could bench their own weight,” Kazuki continued. “Which implies that you are not particularly strong for your category. You’ll need to refine your technique and improve your Micro proficiency.”
Priam groaned as he stood. “You’re being too negative. First off, we’ve been lifting for three hours. Even with my vitality, muscle fatigue is real.” He knelt beside the pond within his inner world, taking several deep gulps of the cool water before continuing. “Second, training under hypergravity drains the entire body. I’d rather lift four times heavier under normal gravity than endure this torture again.”
“Thus, it is the perfect exercise to rend our muscle fibers,” Kazuki countered, lying down for his set. His bound armor positioned itself near him, ready to assist if necessary. Priam wasn’t the sole Champion pushing his limits.
“How much are you loading?”
“Three hundred—fifty more than you.”
“I can do math. Can you really bench that much?”
“My workout skill rarity is epic, and I possess a far superior mastery of Micro than you.”
“Showoff,” Priam smirked. “Can’t wait to train you when you need Domain II.”
Kazuki hadn’t even started his first rep but still let out a disgruntled noise. Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses.
Satisfied with his comeback, Priam exited his inner world. The sunlight was replaced by the eerie glow of the Necromoon and the luminous branches of Log-a-rhythm. For a moment, he lost himself in the beauty of its golden and crimson foliage before sensing a disturbance in his shadow.
“Ten-oh-three. You’re late today,” noted Jasmine, emerging from the darkness like a dolphin breaking the water’s surface.
“Kazuki wore me out.” Seeing her raised eyebrow, Priam clarified, “Athletically speaking.”
Jasmine lifted a second brow. “You’re making it worse,” she said, shaking her head. “Ready to run?”
“After breakfast.”
The morning strength training with Kazuki lasted three hours. At ten, Priam had a light meal before heading off with Jasmine to train speed, agility, and balance in Valaryth for another two hours. These five hours of seemingly mundane exercises served a crucial purpose: understanding his limits, balancing his physique—as constitution and vitality raced ahead—and mastering his body.
This last goal was paramount as Priam prepared for Tier 1. To achieve Ace II and remain one of the System’s favored, he would need to unlock Micro II—easier said than done for a man who hadn’t been particularly athletic before the Tutorial.
The first Supremacy Priam ever encountered was also the most straightforward. Micro I was all about mastering his muscles and sensing his body in minute detail. Objectively, Priam lacked the talent and experience to unlock it during the Reunion. Béchar had therefore used a well-known technique to speed things up: shoving him to the edge of death. The catastrophic situation had triggered his instincts, overclocked his muscles, and unlocked his control over his heart.
With the Juggernaut's unique Talent, it was an excellent gamble that had paid off. However, abusing such tricks wasn’t a viable long-term strategy. The phoenix had driven this home with a school analogy: cheating on exams might get a student to the next grade, but it did nothing to solidify their foundations. Repeat the mistake often enough—say, in high school or college—and the gap would grow too wide to bridge, no matter how hard one tried to catch up in class. Eventually, the cheater would find themselves stuck, unable to move forward or back.
Likewise, by overusing [He Who Eludes Death] to glean fragments of truth about Micro II or to scrape together insights into Spear Mastery, Priam risked advancing too far ahead too fast. Without a solid foundation to propel him forward, he would end up stranded on the path to the Zenith—just like Béchar. To prevent that future, he needed absolute mastery over his body. That could only come through rigorous training.
Chasing after Jasmine across sand, branches, and even water, Priam was accumulating experience. Unlike his training sessions with Kazuki, exploring Valaryth with his friend was a genuine pleasure. Thanks to the System, his body was a machine of precision, with sharpened senses capable of counting the wingbeats of a bee ten meters away and reacting to the slightest stimulus.
The wind whipped through Priam’s hair as he vaulted onto the crown of a strange palm tree. Grinning, he flipped through the air, drinking in the blue sky and the dazzling white sand. Landing smoothly on the beach, he bent his knees to absorb the impact. Now, coiled like a spring, he unleashed the stored energy and shot forward, catching up to Jasmine.
“Your right foot.”
“Mmh? Damn!” Priam cursed as his foot landed on a hidden sea urchin buried just beneath the sand. The creature probably suffered more than he did as his Juggernaut-toughened skin crushed its spines with ease. All that remained was a sticky, blue, gelatinous mess clinging to his sole.
“I’d have thought the Mercenaries would’ve at least taught you how to run,” Jasmine teased.
“I was with them for a week, and most of that time was spent grinding my aether.”
“Mens sona in carparo sona.”
“Mens sana in corpore sano,” corrected Priam.
“What you said. Training only your head is a mistake. I’m disappointed in them.”
Priam shrugged—no small feat while running. “According to the senior mercenaries, their physical training program is one of the best in the Hope sector, but it only starts after the first Reunion. Why waste time on recruits who aren’t truly part of the faction yet, especially when a quarter of them won’t live long enough to come back?”
“Brutal, but logical,” Jasmine acknowledged. “Especially since training a pre-System human is nothing like training a superhuman.”
Priam nodded. Before the Tutorial, it took years to learn how to run properly. Now, boosted mental attributes and Micro allowed the same progress in mere days.
“What about Rohan? Still sniffing around?”
For the past five days, the clansman had shown no rush to sign any trade agreements with Oasis. The Aelbe seemed perfectly content to nap, eat, and chat with the locals. In a way, Priam understood—it was probably his first time encountering cultures so wildly different from his own.
“Nothing yet. He flirts with every female between twenty and eighty, and I’ve seen him poking around Log-a-Rhythm and the Skull Temple, but nothing serious.”
“Mmh. Good,” Priam said, then narrowed his eyes. “Did you speed up?”
“If you’ve got enough breath to talk, we’re not going fast enough. Hurry up, we’ve still got a hundred kilometers to the first checkpoint, and I have new flexibility drills for you.”
“This is torture,” Priam groaned. “My high constitution’s working against me!”
“I swear, even with your brawny physique, you’ll be doing the splits by noon.”
“I’m not brawny, it’s just one of the drawbacks of disparate attributes!”
Priam scowled as the young woman surged ahead, accelerating faster than an electric motor. Being friends with two prodigies was great, except when it came time to compare results.
And of course, neither of them was willing to jump into a volcano to see whose [Fire Resistance] was superior.
Lvl Up: [Balance] lvl 20, 21, 22
AGI +3
DEXT +6
Lvl Up: [Art of Movement] Lvl 39
AGI +1
PERC +1
DEXT +1
Lvl Up: [Gymnastics] lvl 20
AGI +1
[Gymnastics] has reached level 20, its maximum level as a common skill. Depending on your background, two upgrades are available:
[Cirque - Rare] - Accompanied by a sphinx, a bear, and a knife thrower, you can bend over backward to survive. Future upgrades possible. Potential Cost: 10
[Acrobatics - Rare] - By coordinating your strength and balance, you can perform impressive flips. The splits and somersaults hold no secrets for you. High upgrade potential. Potential Cost: 20
You have selected the skill [Acrobatics - Rare].
POT -20
[Acrobatics] - Trained by a legendary Arkanian assassin, you master exercises that would be challenging for any human. In addition to improving your flexibility, the spins, contortions, and flips you practice will be extremely useful for dodging attacks or infiltrating your enemies’ dungeon.
This skill allows you to move with even greater freedom, performing ever more spectacular stunts.
It is scientifically proven that 93% of humans appreciate this skill on a sexual partner’s curriculum vitae.
Source: Thaal’s big mouth.
AGI +3
*
Status:
PHYSICAL:
Strength 871 (+17)
Constitution 1 744 (+111)
Agility 1 328 (+62)
Vitality 1 791 (+79)
Perception 894 (+5)
MENTAL:
Vivacity (D) 634
Dexterity 799 (+7)
Memory 1 033 (+5)
Willpower 1 250 (+12)
Charisma 912
META:
Meta-affinity (O) 1 169
Meta-focus 712
Meta-endurance 1 216 (+40)
Meta-perception 667
Meta-chance 1 020
Meta-authority 627
Potential: 34 389 (+70)
Sun points: 670 514
[Tribulation]: Two Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 21 days 17 hours 42 minutes 6 seconds.
Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 900 / 6 attributes > 1 200 / 3 attributes > 1 500 / 1 attribute > 1 800
Comments
Geekdumb
and I possess a far superior mastery of Micro than(to) you Source: Thaal’s big mouth. Not my typical comment but I can see Thaal formatting it like this instead Source: Thaal’s big…mouth.
Zaim İpek
I think that gravity calculation is wrong. I distinctly remember that Elysium's gravity has been steadily growing stronger since Priam first arrived, and the last time I think it was mentioned that it had reached 5x Earth Gravity. (I might be remembering incorrectly, but I think that's right) It should be more than that now if it has kept growing.
Custus
Thanks for the chapter!
Titaniumtank
#JumpInVolcanosForPriam
Andrew
Thank you!
Prem Chanumalla
Training long forgotten skills is cool
Prem Chanumalla
TFT2C
