Priam
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Chapter 287: Béchar vs. Priam
🕑 Added 2024-10-12 21:27:03 +0000 UTCEnjoy!
PS: Priam Character Sheet (you can thanks the Discord guys!)
*
Béchar teetered between awe and disbelief. Priam's plan was as mad as it was magnificent. Energy, Matter, Dimension, Karma, Soul, Order, and Chaos. Together, these Grand Concepts embodied the entirety of creation. A body constructed upon such foundations could only be flawless.
“Brilliant. Just…” He struggled for a stronger superlative, then gave up. “Brilliant. But I doubt [Energy Resistance] even exists—and if the Concepts allow it, it would be far beyond Legendary quality, incompatible with Tier 0. How do you plan to pull this off?”
“I’ll select resistances capable of evolving toward these Grand Concepts. By continually refining [Fire Champion Physique], I think I can get closer to something like [Energy Resistance]. Later, I’ll probably have to merge it with other skills to expand its scope, but that’s a problem for future me. Right now, the priority is a perfect foundation.”
Béchar nodded. His own failure had been not having a strong enough base, a mistake he was still paying for. In contrast, Priam was chasing perfection, a pursuit that promised a grueling path ahead but also the power needed to stand a chance at victory.
“Have you already chosen your seven resistances?”
“Not all of them. I’ve got most of the necessary ones, but not all at ideal quality. For example, [Space Resistance] or [Gravity Resistance] would be perfect for Dimension, but right now, they’re just high skills,” Priam sighed, glancing down at his snack.
“I’ve got no idea what their prerequisites are,” admitted the overseer. He was even wondering how Priam had managed to get such skills before mid-Tier. “But you’re still young; you’ve got time to find them.”
Priam shot him an annoyed look. “My instincts are screaming at me to Tier up before the next Reunion.”
“So what? The first body tempering has nothing to do with Soul cultivation. You can always finish it at Tier 1.” Seeing Priam’s eyes light up, Béchar chuckled. “Feeling better?”
“I could use a High Tribulation as a tempering method…”
“You’re insane.”
*
The Colosseum’s sun-warmed sand tickled Priam’s feet. The sound of the massive double doors closing echoed across the stone stands. It was in this empty arena that he had fought through the first fifty-five waves. He intended to beat his record today, but first…
“What about your fulcrum?” Béchar asked, cracking his knuckles. “You need a final resistance to bind the other seven together. What could possibly stand above the Seven?”
Priam simply smiled. “That was the first thing I thought of."
“For someone so curious, you sure do like your secrets,” grumbled the overseer.
“I’ll tell you if you beat me.”
“Is that a wager or a taunt? Ha!” A wicked grin spread across the old, muscle-bound man’s face. "I can’t wait to humble you.”
*
Like gun duelists from history, the two opponents stood thirty paces apart. When the gong sounded, Priam summoned a dozen hybrid Pyro-ice spears. Propelled by his will, they intercepted the shapeshifter mid-charge.
Priam’s lips curled into a grin as Promesse materialized in his hands. The cloud of flames and frost exploded as his opponent emerged. In the next instant, razor-sharp claws clashed against the blade of his bound weapon. A shower of sparks flew as the two fighters recoiled from the impact.
“You’ll need to upgrade that spear,” Béchar noted.
Priam frowned at the chipped blade. “It’s on my to-do list.”
Without another word, Béchar leaped again, and Priam greeted him with a slash. His spear narrowly missed taking his opponent’s head, while he jumped to evade a spiked tail lashing out at him. Though the shapeshifter maintained a humanoid form, he allowed himself a few enhancements. The appendage changed directions behind him, and only Priam’s instinct and experience saved him from being skewered. The Domains of both combatants canceled each other out, leaving only their natural senses to guide them, and he didn't have eyes in the back of his head.
Lvl Up: [Matrix Dodge] lvl 16, …, 31
AGI +32
DEXT +16
Priam scrutinized his opponent, searching for any tell. According to Kazuki, a warrior's intentions were betrayed more by the orientation of their feet, hips, and shoulders than by their gaze. A powerful strike required gathering momentum, and that action was visible. There!
Béchar's eyes were fixed on his neck, but his torso was tilted too low. He’s preparing a lateral attack.
Priam leaned forward. Spinning Promesse, he parried with the spear’s shaft and siphoned off the kinetic energy to fuel his own counterattack. The blade of Promesse arced toward Béchar’s right foot. At the moment of contact, instead of piercing the flesh, it bounced off a plate of bone. If not in the midst of a duel, Priam might have raised an eyebrow.
Undeterred by the failed strike, he continued his assault. Planting Promesse’s tip into the ground, he used the spear as a pole. Gathering momentum, he unleashed a spinning kick, planting his foot against Béchar’s chest and sending him flying. Priam summoned a dozen explosive projectiles aimed at his airborne opponent.
As the haze and smoke obscured his view, Priam analyzed the previous exchange. The strength behind his maxed-out skill and the halo of Spear Mastery should have been enough to damage a Tier 3’s defenses. He hadn’t expected to win easily, but Béchar’s bones were unnaturally durable. Constitution over four thousand… plus an evolved [Piercing Resistance]?
The wall of flames tore apart, revealing the shapeshifter. His clothes had burned away, exposing an old yet ripped body. Despite the barrage, his torso bore no visible marks; it would take more than that to bring down a Tier 3. Exchanging grins, the two warriors clashed once more, circling each other, searching for an opening.
Béchar’s claws sometimes moved fast enough to slash at Priam, slowly shredding skin and flesh. The supervisor’s martial skills were superior, as were his attributes. The fight was uneven, but that was just how Priam liked it.
He was learning. His shroud of mist extended steadily, blocking his opponent's vision or concealing his movements, while [Kinetic Control] granted him the speed and power needed to bridge the gap between their physical prowess. His meridians strained under the pressure, absorbing each impact to fuel his own offenses.
A normal Tier 0 would have long been dead, but Priam grinned as he felt the immense energy coursing through his body. It seemed to roar, and he was perfectly content to let it rage. Thrust, cut, swing, grapple, feint, dodge, parry—the young warrior was putting into practice all the knowledge he had accumulated over the past two weeks. As he fought Béchar, the experience from thousands of duels synthesized into a unique style. Priam’s style.
According to Kazuki, this was the best way to upgrade his spear skills to the ideal quality.
"You’ve worked on your fundamentals," Béchar acknowledged, leaping forward. Both his opened arms ended in five massive claws, poised to clamp down on Priam like a vise.
The Champion jumped back, hurling his mist forward to blind his opponent. The Tier 3 stopped his attack, raising his elbows to protect his face; he was a sitting duck. Priam seized the opportunity, unleashing half of his kinetic reserves through Promesse, bringing his spear down like the wrath of a god.
Béchar blocked the strike with his forearms, channeling the force into the ground. The stone beneath his feet cracked like a spider’s web. Grinning between two massive claws, he met Priam's gaze: this duel was far from over.
“If that’s how you want to play it…”
Priam summoned Pyro, and the entire arena erupted in flames. It was as though a star had ignited at the Colosseum's center.
The shapeshifter grunted, holding his breath. Moments later, the flames had consumed every molecule of oxygen. If Breath couldn’t steal the air from a master of Micro, a more mundane approach would do the trick. Enraged, Béchar dashed through the inferno. Priam vaulted over him like a child playing leapfrog, planning to punish the useless charge.
Kazuki had repeatedly told him to exploit every single mistake his enemy made. The young warrior hadn’t forgotten that lesson, nor the others.
Priam had spent nearly five hours a day honing his weaknesses. The Strength threshold had prevented him from pushing his basic skills further, but the experience was still invaluable. Moreover, he cared less about raw stats and more about achieving an ideal upgrade. The fruits of his two weeks of training were generous indeed.
Lvl Up: [Unrelenting Thrust] lvl 38, 39, 40
STR +9
Lvl Up: [Hoplite Slash] lvl 16, ..., 20
STR +15
Lvl Up: [Hoplite Parry] lvl 3, …, 7
STR +15
Lvl Up: [Spear Grappling] lvl 11, …, 16
STR +6
AGI +12
Lvl Up: [Battle Flow] lvl 32, …, 38
PERC +7
DEXT +14
Lvl Up: [Battle Footwork] lvl 17, …, 30
AGI +28
DEXT +14
Dropping back to the ground behind Béchar, Priam crouched and swept his leg in a wide arc. His shin smashed violently into his opponent’s leg, and blood sprayed across the sand. At the last moment, the shapeshifter had sprouted a bone spike from his ankle, piercing the Champion’s calf.
Bechar’s grimace was even more pronounced than Priam’s, betraying his secret: he had suffered too. Instead of retreating, the young warrior grabbed his opponent’s arm and gathered the fury of Pyro. At last, the enemy’s skin began to soften, melting like hot wax. With a bellow, the overseer slammed his forehead into Priam’s.
Thrown back, Priam tucked into a roll before staggering to his feet. He glanced down and assessed the damage to his leg. The muscle was torn—it would take nearly half a day for his vitality to heal it naturally. Fast by any measure, but far from instant. Letting his add-on use his kinetic mastery to stabilize and compensate for the injury, Priam straightened up fully.
“The bone thorn was a nice trick,” he said through the mind bridge.
“Usually ends the fight,” Bechar grunted, inspecting his ankle. “You’ve got, what, a quarter of my Constitution? And still managed to fracture my bone.”
“You know I’ve got ideal resistances.”
“I don’t know shit, kid. The only ones with top-tier resistances like that are heirs from powerful factions, and I wasn’t dumb enough to fight them.”
Bechar’s crude language was a dead giveaway of his pain.
“There’s a first time for everything,” Priam taunted, merging with his mist. He reappeared in close proximity to the overseer. [Tribulation Piercing Spear]! A spiraling sheath of aether surrounded the spear’s tip as Promesse slammed into Bechar’s bare chest. The shockwave sent sand flying and shook Priam’s arm down to the bone.
Lvl Up: [Tribulation Piercing Spear] lvl 19, …, 24
STR +6
AGI +6
DEXT +6
“Not bad,” Bechar said with a thin smile.
Priam’s eyes widened when he saw the spear’s tip struggling to penetrate the wrinkled skin. Beneath the surface, the shapeshifter’s pectoral barely quivered.
“What the—”
An uppercut caught him on the chin. [Kinetic Control] absorbed most of the impact, but the remaining force still launched Priam into the air. Bechar caught him mid-flight and drove a kick into the young warrior’s solar plexus. The blow would have knocked the wind out of anyone else, but Priam was a Breath’s master. He seized the shapeshifter's foot, locking him in place with his kinetic mastery.
He opened his mouth, drawing in the ambient aether...
Attacking a servant of the System will result in your expulsion from the Colosseum.
Time: 1 hour (considering your Title of Nobility)
Priam released Bechar and disengaged, dispersing Pyro and Breath back into his draconic lung.
“Damn...” Bechar panted, his hands trembling uncontrollably as he touched down.
“I... Sorry,” Priam apologized. The overseer had updated the Colosseum's parameters at the last moment. Locked by [Kinetic Control], this had been his only way of signaling Priam not to finish the attack.
“It’s my bad. I should’ve figured you’d unleash your Breath when Promesse didn’t pierce my defenses,” the Tier 3 muttered. “[High Piercing Resistance], [Great Cutting Resistance], and [Blast Resistance]—that’s how I tempered my body. Served me well in my youth, but nothing that could stop a draconic assault.”
With a casual gesture, he summoned a pair of linen trousers and a shirt, quickly dressing.
“And Pyro?” Priam asked. “It didn’t do a thing to you.”
“Némésis lets me nullify an enemy’s Concept.”
“The hell? That’s cheating!”
Bechar let out a gravelly chuckle. “Maybe it’s an advantage against lower-tier Concepts, but it’s not much help against the heavy hitters.” He studied Priam’s gaze for a moment before shaking his head. “I doubt you’d be able to unlock it; you’d have to be willing to sacrifice your life for vengeance. Unless you’re Monte Cristo, don’t even bother. Anyway, I won’t keep you—you’ve got some rewards to claim.”
With those words, the overseer vanished from the arena. He’s wounded in his pride, right?
Priam himself was far from satisfied with the outcome of the duel. The Tier 3’s body had been so resilient that Promesse had proved useless. He had had to resort to extreme measures to secure victory, and that rankled him. I need to strengthen my offensive capabilities…
Determined to work off his frustration on some unfortunate bosses, Priam challenged the Colosseum. There were rewards to be earned.
*
An iron gate clanged open, and a boar charged forward. Bechar predicted a massacre. With a single sweep of his spear, Promesse pierced the beast’s eye and brain. The gong sounded, heralding the start of the second wave. The first hadn’t lasted five seconds.
In the minutes that followed, the overseer watched the young Champion cut down beast clone after beast clone, always with his spear. Despite the disparity in attributes, Priam studied each opponent, seeking inspiration or, failing that, the perfect strike.
“He seizes every opportunity to improve. With that kind of mindset, no wonder I lost.”
After a century of battle, Bechar was superior to Priam when it came to martial skills. It brought him no pride, as his experience and superior attributes hadn’t been enough to overcome his opponent. Kinetic mastery and versatile mist had been all the Champion needed to hold his own against a stronger opponent.
“And a stupidly resilient body. He barely grimaced when I kicked him.”
Promesse found a weak spot in Galapagos’ shell, the boss of the twentieth wave, and the massive tortoise collapsed. Watching the result of the young man’s progress over the past two months, Bechar couldn’t help but wonder what he himself had accomplished in the last two centuries. Sure, Priam was a terrifying prodigy, but he was still just a Tier 0.
“And he could’ve killed me…”
The naked truth was too ugly to be dressed up; it had to be faced. Bechar shuddered, recalling the moment his instincts had dulled while Breath threatened to obliterate him. Unable to move, he had had to wait for Priam to release him before his animal brain recognized that he had stared death in the face. One of the Champion’s Talents had numbed his caution, and if he hadn’t noticed the signs of a draconic attack, Bechar would have died.
“And he’s got the gall to be disappointed he didn’t wipe the floor with me. No respect for your elders!” exclaimed the Tier 3 to himself.
Through the screen in his chamber, he watched as the arena’s sand coalesced into a massive golem. Five heartbeats later, the boss of the fiftieth wave was vitrified by impossibly hot flames. An Earl stood no chance against a Duke.
Priam’s previous record was wave fifty-five. The further he pushed, the more exceptional his rewards would be, possibly earning Achievements that would echo throughout the Sector.
If the Champion defied the odds in his Colosseum, Bechar would also reap some rewards.
“Now go and set an impossible record, kid. If you become famous enough, I might even brag about losing to you.”
And Priam granted his wish.
Comments
Zaim İpek
I agree that would be nice.
Zaim İpek
Probably. He seems like he wants to do a high tribulation afterwards, and that would lead to a tier increase.
_mori
He now has the ability to one shot a t3 after a little prep, where before he had to go all out to kill the giant skeleton. I think I get your point about it being an in-story issue too. During their fight, Arnold also estimated that Priam had an effective vitality of 13k(?). Even those with personal AI/systems won’t be exempt from not having all the relevant information. But I would like it if we can get a rough approximation of how much better an epic ideal skill is than a regular one
_mori
There’s probably going to be a customized reward in the last waves of the colosseum. If Priam is offered Lord 5 again, do you think he’ll take it? Also, this is his last set of t0 tribulation right?
_mori
The concepts aren’t regular t9s as far as we know, and seem to stand above their peers. At least, no one has overcome them so far. Not Priam’s patron, not the Necromoon, nor any overlord from the universes they’ve invaded thus far(?)
Zaim İpek
The fact that Priam is going for the colloseum challenge now tells me that his phoenix mentor thinks he is ready. There is no way they haven't discussed this several times. Phoenix Prince knows exactly what it would take to beat his colloseum clone, and has definitely been giving Priam specific guidance (as much as possible) in order to defeat the shadow of his former self and probably have enough strength left at the end of the fight to continue even further. It's exciting to be at a point in the story that was set as a goal so many chapters ago. The suspence and expectation building up to this moment has been huge and matters for more than just Priam but all of humanity that now hopes and expects the impossible. And there is one very big gamble resting on the results of this Colloseum challenge.
Zaim İpek
Necromoon (like Priam's unnamed Patron) is another tier-9 that competed and failed to claim the position of the universal Soul concept. So I think Necro resistance is actually a perfect foundation to build upon and grow into a comprehensive Soul Resistance skill. There is so much he could add to it. It already has an infectious and corruptive effect. Virus resistance should fit right in. I am unsure if Depths is more of a Chaos or Karmic based thing. It may also be a soul thing, but I'm unsure. Depths is mysterious. unrelated I wonder who would win in a fight between the tier-9s we know about. Like Dragonslayer vs Necromoon or Priam's Patron vs Depths. These are all entities so vast that they are difficult to comprehend. It's fun to imagine them as anthropomorphic fighters in a ufc cage match.
Zaim İpek
I would say your difficulty is the same difficulty people within the story have. Priam, Kazuki, and Arnold would have a better understanding of their own abilities than most because all have AI assistance supplying them with recording and measurement. But without that, it takes experience and good intuition on the part of the observer. There are probably many who vould watch a fight with Priam and only have a vague understanding of the level of power involved until they fight him themselves, unless they have intimate knowledge of the abilities of the other party. We don't understand Bechar's abilities and power level well enough. This is the first time we have seen him actually fight, so we have no frame of reference for his power level other than some commentary. But it does help to know he is tier-3, and he is an above average combatant due to his age and experience, but he also has some glaring weaknesses due to mistakes he made when he was young and ignorant. But in his specific areas of strength, he is very good. We know Priam is significantly stronger now than during his fight against Arnold and the robo-army, but it's hard to say how much. By far, the best point of reference is the colloseum itself. We know roughly how each level grows in power from last time, and seeing how he deals with the same levels again compared to the first time is insightful. I think the next chapter is the one where we really begin to get a good idea for how competent Priam has become. It wasn't expounded upon, but also of note is that the Necromoon effect is ongoing and the necro-beasts are still getting stronger and more numerous by the day. Initially the growth rate of the monsters caught Priam by surprise, but Priam's growth (as exponential as it is) is now out-pacing the growth rate of the necro-beasts. Priam seems to be having a progressively easier time dealing with the necro-monsters from the brief time-skip summary we got.
GreatCabbage
I’d imagine some kind fusion with Necro Resistance being the main. Add in spirit, viral, aura, or the like. Maybe even a fusion of Necro and Depths?
John
cant priam become a ghost and go outside his own body? that seems perfect to use with his phantom skill somehow
PriÀm
yes, virus is under life, which is under Soul!
Lijwent
That problem stems from the litRPG genre, without hard equation to quantify damage, comparing is pretty much impossible, there are so many parameters involved, and even video games have approximation for that Like just the physics itself is quite hard, and you have to add the whole stats and skills on top of it
HJSecond
I'm guessing his Alien Resistance (Tribulation Hunter) will be for a fulcrum representing an 8th concept outside of the 7. Free will probably matches more for Soul since it focuses on protecting the Ego. An upgraded Consequence resistance would be good for Karma. For the others: Ciphered Record for Order, Sun Steel for Matter, Fire Champion for Energy, Space+Gravity for Dimension, and Unlocking probability resistance for Chaos with Esme's help.
_mori
One thing I’ve realized reading is that it’s a bit difficult to conceptualize how much better Priam’s skills are, especially the resistances. In a fight it’s immediately more obvious that he can take a greater beating, but I still don’t have much of an idea how much of that is skill or stat. Take is Sun Steel Body for instance. If we compare that to someone with a regular epic counterpart (not high), and with the same amount of stats relevant for the skill, how much more would Bechar’s attacks impact them?
_mori
I’m going through his skill list and I noticed he has a common rarity virus resistance. Would that count?
_mori
What would a Soul resistance even look like? Breath is the first concept we’ve seen related to soul, which was honestly unexpected for me. But I guess soul is supposed to cover life and death too? Would that make Life/Death tier 8 concepts? I’m getting off topic lol. A resistance targeted toward death, I can imagine, but what would one for life look like? Bio manipulation resistance?
_mori
So Fire goes to Energy resistance, Free Will for Karma (a fusion with consequence resistance would round it out, but that can happen when they’re evolving to legendary), Sun Steel Body for matter, Space resistance would go for dimension, but I think Priam will want to make it ideal first? Regardless, at the end of the road, or a the Zenith, Priam would/should have no more than 7 residences? Maybe 8 for faith? His fulcrum needs one of its own, but it something like Faith seems too narrow.
Dungeonborn
Its just so twistet like every thing has the potential to affect something down the line. I don’t think I’ve read something before ANC that has me thinking about the latest chapter like this. It’s crazy and I love it.
James Faulkner
Fuck yesssss
_mori
That’d be so OP. Would it be a quasi-baptism then?
Amari Charles
NOOOOO I WANT MORE SO BAD 😭
PriÀm
Hey Strider, I would be honored if you did that! HJSecond created an amazing sheet that comes in two versions: one for Patreon members and one for RR. Feel free to drop by the Discord server if you want to discuss it further!
PriÀm
You must have a very high IQ :D I love it when readers can predict the future based on what's already written! I won't spoil, but at the very least, you're right, it will affect his soul.
Strider K Zimmerman
Oh my gosh I didn’t even think of Patreon spoilers, if they say yes you just saved me from a horrible mistake
GreatCabbage
Will tempering his body also temper (or affect) his soul due to Homo Elysian Obsession?
HJSecond
That sounds like a good idea. There's already a Royal Road character sheet on the discord where you can get all the stats/info for a fandom page without any Patreon spoilers.
brennon Petersen
Tftc!
James Faulkner
LETS GOOOOOO! Can’t wait for the boss fight against Kel’than next chapter
Captain_Joule
God daaamn
Andrew
Thank you!
Strategist One
Thanks for the chapter! I love it so much! Priam is amazing.
Jakob S.
TftC
Custus
Thanks for the chapter!
Strider K Zimmerman
Tyftc! Also I had a question for you about starting a fandom for A Novel Concept? I was wondering if I had your permission, as I tried to find one but wasn’t able to, and I technically already did but I can delete if you want me to, but if you say yes would anyone be willing to help, as I’m not the brightest when it comes to remembering characters and stat sheets and correct grammar.
