Priam
patreon
Chapter 192: The Liar and the Mummy
🕑 Added 2024-02-23 13:29:31 +0000 UTCI'm pretty happy with this chapter!
Next chapter: Monday. Maybe Sunday, but since I'm not home this weekend, I'd rather announce Monday.
Enjoy!
*
Hope Sector, Viracocha’s Heaven.
In a nightmarish metal temple, a god of mist, lightning, and malevolence was sitting on a colossal stone throne. His crescent pupils stared into emptiness as he handled a hundred problems simultaneously. The crusade against Qucha raged on, dominating his primary consciousness. Most of his parallel thoughts were engaged in managing his internal world, while a fraction trained his skills.
Finally, a minority of his consciousness attempted to address the issues concerning his upcoming Tribulation.
The System had undoubtedly concocted something terrifying, and many of his faithful would perish. Viracocha’s build focused on the sacrifice of his followers rather than his own, and he was confident in his survival. However, his enemies, Qucha foremost among them, would undoubtedly seize this opportunity to attack. The countdown to his Tribulation was ticking, and he had to resolve the goddess issue before that. He glanced at his notifications.
[Tribulation]: One Tribulation pending.
Future Tribulation delayed until:
Time: 84 523 days 18 hours 24 minutes 9 seconds.
Two hundred and thirty years. A lengthy span for some mortals, but a relatively short deadline for a god.
Suddenly, one of his minor consciousnesses brought up a Hope Sector announcement. Priam Azura had just become an Ace.
For a thousandth of a second, Viracocha's major consciousness was astonished. The mortal, less than an insect, had chosen the Zenith Way. He surely believed he was the chosen one awaited by the Seven. What folly.
Viracocha had long understood that the Zenith Way was a trap—a means for the Seven to closely monitor all the greatest geniuses. The System littered their path with obstacles, forcing their development in the hope that they would find answers to eternal questions.
Skillfully manipulating time, space, order, and karma, the Concepts compelled these prodigies to clash, honing their skills in an endless cycle of battle and growth. Those who survived this crucible eventually became the titans of the Universe.
The vast majority were crushed without remorse.
A thought crossed Viracocha's mind. Despite all his efforts to stay away from conflicts that could lead to his demise, he had bestowed his blessing upon an Ace. His suspicious nature suspected that the System had planned it all along. He thought he had paid the right to proselytize during the Reunion of Humanity, but his offering must not have satisfied the Seven. Greedy bastards...
The news bored Viracocha. Priam Azura was currently nothing more than a mosquito, but in this Universe, things changed rapidly. Yet, not for a moment did he consider retracting his blessing. The Champion of humanity was currently in Elysium, and any direct interaction would increase his karma with the Spearhead World.
A Universal War was approaching, and Viracocha had no desire to die on some battlefield fighting against aliens so that the Seven Grand Concepts could find their own inspiration.
One of his consciousnesses connected to the blessing he had granted the human. The Concept he had crafted to become a god had to do with death. In this regard, it was pretty simple for him to check if Priam was in danger.
The received data made him smile. The human had nearly succumbed three times in the last week.
"How many times can you dance with death without granting it a final kiss?" chuckled Viracocha.
The laughter made thunder roar and millions of followers in the Heaven shudder.
*
Priam squinted at Jasmine. Naked and seemingly eager to defend Oasis, she presented the image of a trustworthy ally. Yet, Priam didn't believe it for a second.
Summoning Promesse, he approached her and glanced at the portal. It was linked to his internal world, but he couldn't see what was happening in the Tribulations Chamber. Neither he nor his system had noticed any issues, which meant it was part of Jasmine's Tribulations.
"Kazuki!" Priam shouted. "Enemy incoming."
The wind rose, heralding the arrival of the hoplite. The next moment, the ground shook to cushion his landing. Equipped with Knightmare, Kazuki was ready for battle. The three defenders positioned themselves in an arc facing the portal, with Jasmine in the center.
"Who's the enemy?" Priam asked.
"My double. We spent almost a century killing each other, but I managed to escape. The portal healed my aging, not hers. She can steal some Talents, that's how she stole my system—"
The portal trembled before spitting out a mummy. Jasmine threw a shadow dagger that Priam intercepted. Despite the ravages of time, [Primogenitor] recognized the body he had created for the young woman. A body that possessed his subsystem.
Priam straightened up, his voice extremely cold. "Two Jasmines, huh? The first one who moves before I clarify things dies," he growled. His gut told him someone was trying to trick him.
The young Jasmine froze as the mummy raised blind eyes to Priam. In the background, Kazuki murmured something before nodding. The next moment, his spear tore off the left arm of young Jasmine, narrowly missing her heart.
"According to Blueberry, she's the fake one," warned the hoplite. Priam had no idea how the bear had discovered this, but he trusted his friend.
The doppelganger melted into the shadows, and Priam activated his Domain. His attributes supported his sphere of authority, allowing it to crush his enemy’s Concept. The darkness summoned by his opponent froze, preventing her from riding the shadows.
Priam used the brief window created by the surprise to throw Promesse. Wrapped in Aura and Mastery, the spear cut through the air before shattering the shadows covering the ground.
The doppelganger and her leg did not reappear in the same place. Priam leaped, grabbing the fake Jasmine's head and smashing it against the ground. Simultaneously, he used his Domain to search for the Tribulation fragment.
After Louis's Tribulation, the summoned crab had contained only a fragment of Resilience Concept. Here, [Tribulation Hunter] detected a fragment similar to the wyvern's whose heart he now carried.
Tribulation Affinity will disappear if she dies, Priam understood as he located the fragment. It was hidden in the creature's shadow. Priam plunged his hand into the shadow but only touched the ground.
"You should release me, you idiot," spat the doppelganger as a trickle of blood ran from her lips. "I am Jasmine's fourth Tribulation. If you kill me, the System will attack you."
Priam furrowed his brow. Bechar, Maya, and Mercury had all explained to him that interfering in another's Tribulations was a death wish. Otherwise, any High Tier would protect their progeny.
"I'm already interfering, and I don't feel the System's warning," remarked Priam.
"Because you are part of her Tribulations. Depending on her choices, you were supposed to face each other," the doppelganger spat.
Priam turned to Jasmine, who was listening to the conversation. The Tribulations had turned her into a barely living mummy. I had almost forgotten how terrifying Tribulations can be...
"She's twisting the truth," murmured Jasmine. "Crossing the portal freed her from all constraints. She no longer has to obey the System, and it doesn't have to protect her. You can strike." Jasmine's blind eyes filled with darkness as she activated her Concept. Instantly, the shadow under Priam's fingers gained substance.
Deciding to trust Jasmine and his instinct, Priam enveloped his hand in Aura and searched the shadow. [Tribulation Hunter] found the Tribulation fragment and pulled.
The doppelganger screamed as Priam absorbed the affinity. Some kind of star appeared in his body, riding his meridians before reaching his draconic heart, where it vanished.
Tribulation Affinity detected.
Your Soul Tier is too weak to support an increase of your Tribulation Affinity.
Decomposing Tribulation into sub-Concepts.
Soul Harmonisation :
Choose a sub-Concept compatible with your soul:
Tier 0:
Ice (25%), Vapor (21%), Iron (34%), Air(42%),...
Motion (51%), Light (86%),...
Emotion (22%),...
Puzzle (24%),...
Luck (18%),...
Volume (45%),... Measure (33%),...
Breath (91%),...
Tier 1:
Glacier (12%), Cloud (21%), Steel (22%), Dioxygen (21%),...
Kinetic (33%), Heat (54%), Combustion (41%), Shadow (21%),...
Love (7%),...
Logic (15%),...
Stochasticity (11%),...
Geometry (19%), Tempo (8%),...
Will (25%),...
Or increase your current Affinity:
- Mist (32%)
- Pyro (68%)
Pyro is an artificial Concept, why is it under Tribulation?
Unstable Tribulation Affinity.
Choose a sub-Concept.
Unlike previous opportunities to increase his affinities, the System demanded a fast decision. Priam swiftly assessed the elements at his disposal to make a choice.
Thanks to [Homo Elysian Obsession] and [He Who Eludes Death], incinerating his body and soul with Pyro allowed him to boost his affinity with the Concept. Boosting Pyro's affinity seemed futile, so it boiled down to Mist or a third Concept.
Priam held no particular affinity for mist, but the System nudged him in that direction by bestowing [Moon Mist] upon him at the start of the Reunion. Following the System's advice might limit his immediate freedom, yet it could open doors to unique opportunities. A third Concept was not ruled out, but Priam aimed to consolidate his strengths before accumulating more.
The question is whether I'm pragmatic enough to make sacrifices if it increases my chances of victory in the end... After a brief hesitation, Priam chose Mist.
His draconic heart pulsed an aetheric wave through his entire body. Some dissipated into the atmosphere, but the majority penetrated his soul space.
Priam's soul trembled.
[Mist - Concept] - Natural Affinity +22% (54%).
Using Domain, Aura, and Kinetic Control, Priam immobilized the doppelganger, who writhed beneath him as his soul underwent transformation from the Tribulation Affinity. The change was radical. Without even meditating, Priam felt a closer connection to his Concept. It entrusted him with more secrets, and a light mist began to materialize in his soul space.
Priam sensed he stood on the precipice of a major breakthrough. As the doppelganger seethed with rage and Kazuki slowly raised Jasmine, Priam understood he couldn't continue holding his cards.
The tribes were arriving, rivals were plotting, the necro event raged, and Sumstreh kept a watchful eye on him. Enemies were plentiful, and he needed power now.
When you do something, might as well do it right.
With his decision made, Priam invoked the Soul Harmonization conferred by his draconic bloodline, selecting Mist once again.
[Mist - Concept] - Natural Affinity +10% (64%).
The Concept became even more familiar. It was as if Priam had shunned a fruit for years and was now rediscovering it. The sensation was highly pleasing. Without pausing, Priam opened a portal to Concepts Archipelago and retrieved a Token.
[Affinity Token - Tier 1 (20%).]
The Token he received when he killed his first Tier 2 transformed into silvery dust, penetrating his body.
[Mist - Concept] - Natural Affinity +20% (84%).
Priam's soul space quivered as the mist thickened. Simultaneously, the world resonated with the transformation of his soul. Fog began to fill the clearing, dispelling other Concepts. Symphony and Unity, the next stages of his Concept, no longer seemed impossible.
Hearing Jasmine cough behind him, Priam refocused on his captive and released his kinetic hold.
"Any last words?"
"If you spare me, I'm willing to make the same deal as Jasmine. You'll have two assassins at your beck and call," pleaded the doppelganger.
"... Jasmine, it's your call," said Priam. Two assassins were a good deal for him, but Jasmine wasn't his slave. She had the right to refuse to be cloned without her consent. Pragmatically, Priam wanted to improve their relationship. Better an excellent subordinate he could trust than two shadows gnawing at their leashes.
"I don't want a doppelganger. We'd end up killing each other," Jasmine stated.
Priam could understand the sentiment. His right hand trembled as he activated [There is no Heaven]. A quarter of his aether was absorbed and then transformed by the epic skill. A transparent, ultra-dense energy fluid traversed the meridians of his arm and hand before disappearing into the doppelganger's skull. In a final spasm, her body froze.
[Reactivation of Jasmine’s sub-system. Data collection…
Jasmine Kaldwin has triumphed over her quadruple Tribulation. Refusal to publish her Achievement.
Summary:
Ranking - Tier 0 Tribulations:
Sector - year: 4,463
Sector - decade: 18,652
Sector - century: 149,523
Sector - eon: 3,643,541,167
Sector - All time: REDACTED
Universe - year: 17,652
Analysis: After comparing Jasmine Kaldwin and Priam Azura's rankings, it appears that Elysium is where the majority of prodigies in the Seven Concepts Universe concentrate.
Jasmine Kaldwin has passed with flying colors her Tribulations, patching many weaknesses. Her affinity with the Shadow Concept now reaches 100%.]
Priam stood up before approaching Jasmine. He felt her emotions again, indicating that the sub-system had resumed its operation. His subordinate was suffering, her body and soul ravaged by time.
"Your Tribulations are over," Priam reassured her. "You can be proud, Shadow Sage."
The compliment made Jasmine smile.
"It's thanks to the memory and ties I got from my shadow. But I paid a high price; this body is a ruin."
Priam grimaced. A Homo Elysian had a much longer lifespan than an average human, but it wasn't infinite. Even the Sun Shop was powerless against aging — at least with his level of clearance.
"Can you modify her genes to fix that?" Kazuki asked. Behind him, Louis, Blueberry, Rose, and others had drawn closer, concerned. The deaths of Mirscella and Eiji were still fresh.
"... I don't think so," Priam replied. "It's not the purpose of [Primogenitor]. I might be able to manually create a new body from a cell, but it would take time. Even then, we'd need to transfer her soul."
With enough Potential, it might be possible, but Priam knew there was another problem. Because of [Homo Elysian Obsession], the aging of the body had impacted his subordinate's soul. More than her physical condition, it was the erosion of her soul that was killing Jasmine.
She shook her head. "I planned to use one of my rewards to rejuvenate. Unless you want all the Tribulation rewards?"
There was a worried glint in her blind eyes. Priam crouched in front of Jasmine.
"You're not my slave," he said softly. "Those are your rewards. And you shouldn’t worry, I just thought of something," he said, turning to the doppelganger's corpse. "We could transfer your soul into this body. It seems the same as yours."
"It has a Shadow Heart, so it's even better than mine," said Jasmine. "But how do we transfer my soul?"
Priam turned to Kazuki. "Could you take her to see Seth? I'd handle it myself, but I think it's better if I stay here for now..."
Kazuki frowned. He didn't like the necromancer much.
"... I can. Would he help us for free?"
"Against one of Jasmine's rewards."
"You would risk her life for a Shadow Heart?"
Priam shook his head. "For much more than that. A Homo Elysian's soul is linked to their body. They've been eroded by time, but Osiris should be able to reverse the trend by continually healing her body. Thanks to the mending process, she'll become aware of her soul..."
"... Unlocking Domain and Ace." Kazuki nodded.
"I hope. Plus, I wouldn't be surprised if she gets a Title for escaping death by aging or for reversing the process," Priam smiled. He was almost envious; [Ageless] was not yet in his Pokédex. "Of course, it's your decision," he said, turning to Jasmine.
The mummy gave a tired and wrinkled smile. "I'm going to need power if I want to slit Bastard's throat, so let’s do this."
"Bastard?"
Using their spiritual connection, Jasmine clarified. "The one who kidnapped Sphinx. He doesn't even deserve me uttering his name."
The idea was good and elicited a small laugh from Priam. It was better not to use Sumstreh's name in case Eve was spying on them.
Priam stood up. "So it's decided. I know you don't like Seth," he said to Kazuki. "But it would be a good first collaboration."
Kazuki exchanged a solemn look with Priam. Both knew the next collaboration would be to prepare an open battle against Sumstreh.
"Don't worry; I know how to make concessions to win a war," Kazuki said. "Keep one of your rewards ready in case there's a problem," he advised Jasmine. The young mummy nodded before grimacing.
"Might as well go now because I feel myself weakening," she sighed.
Kazuki gently took her in his arms and loaded her other body and leg into a micro-tornado.
"Protect the base," he told Priam.
"Come back soon, Jasmine!" Rose shouted. The other spectators joined in the goodbyes, and Priam smiled, feeling the assassin's surprise and then joy. She was pleased with her choices.
Before Jasmine left Oasis, Priam sent some instructions to her sub-system. Outside the territory of Log-a-rhythm, he wouldn't be able to monitor her anymore. Jasmine was starting to gain his trust, but he preferred to take precautions.
"Back to work, everyone!" Hyshana shouted to disperse the small crowd. "Sun points won't farm themselves!"
After encouraging his loved ones, Priam opened a portal to Concepts Archipelago. He needed to discuss matters with the phoenix prince. The enemies were closing in, and Priam wanted to be prepared.
It's time to check [Kinetic Control]’s upgrades and acquire some Merits.
*
Status:
PHYSICAL:
Strength 557
Constitution 860
Agility 552
Vitality 840
Perception 714
MENTAL:
Vivacity 505
Dexterity 587
Memory 385
Willpower 998
Charisma 615
META:
Meta-affinity 423
Meta-focus 350
Meta-endurance 299
Meta-perception 204
Meta-chance 230
Meta-authority 33
Potential: 7 004
Tier 0
Sun points: 56 363 (+149)
[He Who Eludes Death] charge: OFF. Reloaded in 2 hours 32 minutes 13 seconds.
[Tribulation]: Three Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 165 days 3 hours 5 minutes 26 seconds.
Next thresholds: 6 attributes > 600 / 3 attributes > 900
Comments
August
I hope Priam has coded his sub-systems to trigger a fail-safe and remove themselves if someone has the brilliant idea of using their potential to disconnect it from his own. He spent too much potential to acquire it in the first place and seeing someone gain one for themselves by piggybacking on his efforts would make me irritated.
Zaim İpek
Speaking of concepts, whenever Priam gets strong enough to awaken the concept from his patron (probably a tier-9 concept, so tier 8), that will be very interesting. He will most likely end up fighting against his Patron for full control of the concept at some point after he reaches unity. I'm curious to see how frequently he can die at higher tiers and how much each tier shortens the refresh rate of his resurrection skill. At Unity with the concept, he would probably be theoretically un-killable by anything other than the seven universal concepts.
Zaim İpek
He has a lot of interesting options. One option that I personally like is merging his kinetic control with micro and domain and becoming able to directly convert any energy into kinetic energy such that he bypasses the use of his physical body completely to achieve movement. Every step of converting chemical energy to activate a cell or a nerve to then pump blood into muscle fiber to then move a limb with sub-optimal leverage. (optimal leverage would give our limbs an unusable shape). There is so much loss of energy in the process of moving the body. If he could bypass all his bodily functions for movement, and move purely by converting energy directly into movement, then that would be amazing. He could remove all muscles from his body and use that space to convert into tissue that stores aether/mana and/or acts as additional sub-dermal armor to protect the organs he actually needs. His strength stat would become completely obsolete and probably transform into meta-strength or get added to meta-endurance/meta-affinity. He might need to progress more in that bloodless merit tree to really maximize this idea. Anyway, that's the direction I would go. Domain would be useful for absorbing the energy around him to even further boost his movement and eliminate friction by moving air out of his movement path before he hits it. He could also absorb all sound around him, moving in perfect silence at Mach-10+ speeds without any sonic boom or even swish of wind. Yeah, that's what I would do. And with no muscles, he doesn't need conventional joints. He could give himself a freakishly greater range of flexibility and movement. The efficiency and versatility of movement would be terrifying. He would have no visual tells of how he was going to move. Balance would become a mostly irrelevant concept.
Zaim İpek
That he already has a legendary skill related to his Will is an additional reason to invest in the concept. And potentially manipulating the will of others would be very useful. As far as his dragon breath. That's the kind of skill where he could merge a lot of concepts together. Fire, Pyro, Light, Breath, Kinetic, Luck, and Will could all be seamlessly added to that attack pretty easily once he can wield the concepts. Luck would make the attack much more difficult for an enemy to avoid or defend against. Will would weaken the target's will to resist and potentially force them to accept their fate of annihilation. The other concepts are self explanatory. It's going to be crazy when he is eventually strong enough to actually use his tribulation concept. That's going to be a very scary Tier-6 Priam.
Blightdad
This has to be the third multiversal battle royale Priam has entered. I see more carnage in our horizon. TFTC
PaperMache7
With the way he's able to increase his affinities, he should aim for more (even if it makes sense to consolidate in this instance). Out of that list of concepts, the ones that seems the most valuable to me would be: Breath: His ultimate attack. Luck: Insanely valuable when you think about all the little ways it can lead to better results. Kinetic: For obvious reasons, also one of his main skills. Light: One of the fundamental properties along with force and temperature, goes well with his Phoenix stuff regardless. Will: The way the world bends to will gives it great value.
Under Cover
My reaction when Priam finally invests in his Mist concept: Whooooooooooo! Yeah Baby! That’s what I’ve been waiting for! That's what's all about!
Dungeonborn
I‘m not completely sure but it has to do something with the complexity like fire -> pyro Fire is burning mundane stuff like air and wood Pyro was said to be able to burn more like aether and stuff (not totally sure and too lazy to look)
Dungeonborn
Disgusting cheating lucky son of a *****
Dungeonborn
Would be interesting to see how that gets into the whole build rn his breath is his ultimate
Dungeonborn
Maybe but I think Priam is gonna bi**hslap that god in the end so hard that he doesn’t even gets to experience his next tribulation 😅
Zaim İpek
I'm curious about the organization of concepts. What are the criteria for categorizing one concept as tier-0 and another as tier-1. I'm not seeing a pattern. It seems kind of arbitrary. And maybe it is, which is fine for a fantasy story, but my question remains. Is there some underlying logic or pattern to concepts and tiers?
Disclancer
Also wondering what a combined luck/stochasticity sage should be like...
Disclancer
Hmm, breath concept maybe a good idea to nab in the future, near full affinity off the bat and sounds like it would synchronise well with his draconic bloodline? Looking forward to seeing mist reach 100% :)))
Baconwargod
Definitely. The raw copium he’s huffing with that bitter line about how the Zeniths way is for fools. I get it maybe don’t over estimate yourself but he just sounds pathetic casting judgement on people who actually walk the path. Makes him sound like a coward.
Derze
Hey look at that, I got it right. He used to fuel a concept. I thought he would try to grasp shadow for Jasmine or something, but this worked even better than I imagine. Tribulation affinity is basically a rainbow buff , u can add to anything and it will increase cool. Priam needs to farm tribulation rewards from his friends lol.
_mori
Priam has a lot of overlap with Viracocha. Mist, death, and I’m not sure if it was a hint, but it was mentioned that he had crescent eyes? So moon?
_mori
Also it seems like Priam’s decided to use the [Ace] merit on kinetic control. It’s one of his most powerful skills if you don’t consider the synergies they can have with one another. I wonder what its ideal upgrade will be.
the oldest dream
Thanks for the chapter Really want to see kinetic control upgrade
Dungeonborn
I can’t wait for him to go back to the moon It’s going to be like his personal planet (moon) or something like that
Baconwargod
Woooo let’s go Mist Affinity super stoked to see him finally use his stuff.
_mori
Chapter feels so packed. Just the tribulation hunting has massive implications for Priam going forward. If Priam ever encounters a stray tribulation, he gets a free boost to an affinity of his choosing (provided he can conquer said tribulation). I don’t think the system would punish him excessively when the tribulation goes to him and he uses a skill on it, sort of like how no one was punished for killing the locusts? Who knows. This isn’t so much a recent implication, but this chapter has refreshed the idea that Priam’s own tribulations are going to be made ‘easier’ due to his tribulation hunter skill. But if the concepts account for a skill that specifically targets tribulations, then won’t his tribulations be made more difficult in response? Or would it not be possible to account for due to being an alien skill? Priam’s really gonna go places with this build of his!
_mori
Great chapter btw! We finally see Priam increasing his affinity for mist! Went up 52% in one go at that. And he certainly has the means to reach 100% in the near future too. All of a sudden mist is going to be ahead of Pyro too since he’ll probably unlock harmony and symphony in short order.
Zaim İpek
It was interesting to see Priam commit to the mist concept so decisively. I didn't expect that. He had been putting it off for so long. It's nice to see a list of what his other high affinities are. Pretty sure his system recorded and organized that information for future reference. I personally think that he should focus on connecting to the concept of Light after he completes Mist and Pyro. Even at just tier-0, it's versatility and usefulness in battle and outside of battle are very hard to beat. And by having both light and fire, which is essentially electromagnetism and the energetic discharge of chemical bonding, he should unlock powers similar to the alchemists from FMA. With enough fine control (which may possibly require Domain II) he could freely alter the chemical composition of whatever he wants. But the best advantage is LASERS!! So it's great that he already has a high affinity for it.
Andrew
Thank you!
_mori
1. Viracocha thinks he’s the MC. 2. He’s managed to convince himself that he’s chosen to be weak to give the middle finger to the establishment (the concepts) 3. He can’t see Priam’s status and can’t tell what his talent is.
