Chương 312: Chapter 304: Last Stop Before Proxima

Jasmine was mumbling in her sleep when Priam entered the igloo.

"More chicken... No, no vegetables, I don't like them..."

"Nice to see not everyone's fighting the same battles," Priam chuckled. He closed the shelter behind him and shivered. Maybe it was the purification of his Phoenix bloodline, but the cold always grated on him. With his constitution and [Cold Resistance], it wasn't a threat—just a nuisance. The chill had a way of sneaking past his defenses.

"Jasmine," he whispered, crouching beside her. From her shadow quilt, pale arms and legs poked out. She had probably just finished regenerating them. If everything had gone according to plan, he was no longer the only one with [Axolotl or Hydra].

"Wake up."

"Mmh?" Her messy hair framed a single drowsy eye as she yawned and smiled.

"You're here."

"I'm here."

"Good. Let me sleep a bit longer... It's still dark outside."

"The storm outside's blocking the sun, remember?" Priam glanced at the timer for [He Who Eludes Death] before adding, "Dawn's near."

"I'm still tired," she mumbled, yawning again.

"I waited for your Achievement before crashing."

"Why so long?"

"Stress chased sleep away," she murmured, a trace of drool on the corner of her mouth.

"..." She hadn't slept until she was sure Priam was safe. Worry had outweighed exhaustion.

"Go back to sleep," he said, brushing her hair gently.

"I'll make something to eat." A contented smile graced her lips as she nestled her head onto his lap. Moments later, her breathing evened out, soft and steady. It took Priam five minutes to extricate himself from her grasp without waking her.

"Did you find a lingerie store in the eye of the cyclone?" A few hours later, Jasmine was fully awake, raising an eyebrow at him. Draped in a shadow-woven dress that clung to her curves like a second skin, she radiated her usual lethal charm.

"Nah. I ran into a System Administrator," Priam explained, flipping a slab of meat on the makeshift grill. Usually a fan of French breakfasts—hot chocolate or coffee with a pastry—he was broadening his horizons today by sampling what amounted to yeti bacon.

"Unless he gave you that boxer, I'm not seeing the connection."

"He did give me this boxer," Priam groaned.

"I think he was angling for free advertising for his brand. Every mid-Tier who divines me will get an eyeful."

"Would you prefer they saw your junk instead?" Priam's only response was a grunt.

"This Administrator... I'm starting to think he keeps tabs on me. He even spices up the descriptions of my skills and Titles for his own amusement." He recalled the quirky annotations in his skill logs and wondered just how much Thaal knew about him. Some of the details predated the Tutorial. Had the System been keeping files on all its prospective users even before integration?

"So he's watching you like The Truman Show?"

"Yeah. Wait—how do you know about that?" Hearing pop culture references from Jasmine threw him off.

"Rose told me," Jasmine laughed before adding, "Though I gotta admit, it's hilarious that a Tier 8 got so fed up with you strutting around naked he crossed worlds just to gift you underwear."

"That's not the only reason he came!" A shadow of doubt crept into Priam's mind. Thaal had claimed the matter was beneath him.

"At least, I hope not..."

"Well, at least he has taste—it suits you. Give us a spin?" Without quite knowing why, Priam complied.

"Yup, makes your butt look great," Jasmine declared.

"Though it's gonna make practicing [True Sight] harder for me..."

"That's your skill to pierce illusions, right?"

"Yeah, it works against all kinds of visual barriers—shadows, mist, flames. Super handy when my targets try to disguise themselves." Priam stayed silent, cheeks flushed, focusing on the sizzling meat. All this time, she'd been able to see… Hail pelted Priam's skin without leaving a mark. The weather in the second zone could level cities, but it wasn't enough to faze him anymore. Recent level-ups had made the storm's outskirts a mere inconvenience.

Lvl Up: [Cold Resistance] lvl 8, 9, 10 CONST +3 VIT +6 Lvl Up: [Shear Resistance] lvl 2, 3, 4 CONST +21 META (Endurance) +6 Lvl Up: [Sun Steel Body] lvl 16 CONST +6 META (Endurance) +3"You got so many rewards, and I got nothing!" Jasmine grumbled.

"You didn't even make it to the eye of the Deluge," Priam pointed out, floating above the icy water.

"In fact, you hitched a ride with me to get to the fourth zone. Objectively speaking, you don't even deserve Valaryth's rewards."

"Everyone's got their own travel style. You like trudging through snow; I prefer lounging in your shadow. Same destination, different means." Despite missing the System's quest, the lazy woman had still reaped Valaryth's gifts. Not bad for a few hours hidden in Priam's shadow.

"By the way, why'd you ask to enchant Sumstreh's core with [Free Will]? Wouldn't the seventh Terror's core have worked just as well? It had a strong mind affinity, perfect for bolstering your resistance." Thaal—or rather the System—had agreed to infuse Sumstreh's core with the essence of a compatible High Tribulation for a Soul gate. Still, Priam already had an ideal trophy worthy of [Free Will]: the seventh Terror's core. The reason he hadn't chosen the essence of another gate as his reward was simple.

"Honestly, I thought about it—it was the easy option. Our chat made me reconsider. Thaal might be eccentric, the words of a Tier 8 carry weight. He seemed to emphasize the concept of Story, implying a connection between Myth creation and immortality. I think he was referring to Tier 7."

"Isn't it a bit early to worry about that?"

"The farther ahead you plan, the fewer dead ends you hit," Priam replied, braving the gale-force winds.

"I'd rather prep for Tier 7 now than discover later that a shortcut I took closed crucial doors."

"Fair point. Still not seeing how that ties to Sumstreh's core." Priam grinned.

"Let me recap my history with the seventh Terror for you: it hunted me while I was playing fish, Titus saved my ass, and a few weeks later, I blew up a volcano to crack its lair before killing it with ease."

"Barring the volcano, that's... surprisingly mundane," Jasmine conceded.

"Even the volcano was more because I like explosions than anything else. On the other hand, Sumstreh nearly enslaved me, took my friend, and forced me to live for weeks in fear of saying its name. I had to rewind time to reach it, and its shadow still looms over my path!" By the end of his rant, Priam was practically shouting. He calmed down before continuing.

"It's even because of Sumstreh that I chose [True Will], the ancestor of [Free Will]. That bastard made me fight for my freedom, and its core is the natural choice. The only thing stopping me from selecting its core as a trophy was that it wasn't draconic. Now that both are ideal, there's no doubt: my story with Sumstreh eclipses that of the seventh Terror." If Priam wasn't a perfectionist, no one was. Taking strength from his enemies to build his foundation appealed to him, but he wanted the best.

Whether in terms of Tier, danger, Story, or affinity with [Free Will], the Fallen who had tried to strip him of his freedom was the obvious choice.

"It was just a casual question, no need for a lecture."

"You—!" The veil of hail, rain, and wind finally parted. Priam blinked as sunlight warmed him again. He took another step, leaving the Deluge behind, and shook himself like a dog. This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

"Finally out of there. Not looking forward to going back." As he said it, Priam realized it was a lie. While the weather had been hellish, the skill experience was great. Was he a masochist to want to endure such hell to grow stronger?

"YOU!" The ocean a hundred meters ahead exploded in a massive geyser. A man— a Rhem, Priam corrected himself—landed with the force of a bomb, creating a crater of water around him. With a powerful kick, the stranger launched himself toward Priam. The Homo Elysian raised Promesse to make the man stop before colliding with him.

"Is there a problem?" he asked in Rhem, the language of the sea.

"Who are you, invader?" demanded the stranger, unaware that a shadow blade hovered less than a centimeter from his jugular.

"Priam of Elysium."

"A spawn of the System," spat the Rhem.

"What are you doing in this sacred place?! Is the storm raging because of you?! Don't lie—I heard the thunder."

"That was me," Priam confirmed. Before the Rhem could respond, a second warrior arrived, surfing the waves as though he commanded them. Scarred from head to toe, the newcomer was familiar.

"Titus."

"Priam? You've returned… What are you doing here?"

"If you mean Valaryth, I'm training. If you mean the Deluge, I wanted to test it," Priam replied, gesturing toward the colossal storm swirling in the distance.

"The rewards are just as impressive as I was told."

"Test the— Is he mocking us?" the first Rhem asked Titus, his tone brimming with disbelief.

"I'm not sure."

"What do you mean you're not sure? Isn't he your friend?"

"Not really," Titus and Priam answered in unison. The young man elaborated, "But I don't see why you'd question my word. The System's Achievement is undeniable proof."

"Yeah, as if I'd trust that monster whispering in my ear."

"Oh?" Priam tilted his head, intrigued.

"We Rhems reject your System," Titus explained, noticing Priam's gesture.

"Oh?" Interesting…

"Sorry, I didn't realize the Deluge was sacred to you."

"It's only sacred to a few stubborn warriors," Titus dismissed with a wave of his hand.

"To most of us, it's just a massive storm that kills those who confuse courage with arrogance. Its only merit is imprisoning our enemy." A knot tightened in Priam's stomach.

"What do you mean?"

"That's Rhem business. It doesn't concern you," spat the first warrior. Priam frowned, his gaze shifting to Titus.

"Gooru's rude, but he's right," Titus admitted.

"My instincts say otherwise. It does concern me: you're talking about a Terror." The Rhems fell silent, their expressions unreadable. Priam reached into his inner world through a portal, retrieving the core of the Seventh Terror.

"Recognize this?"

"That draconic affinity…" Gooru's voice faltered.

"So it was you—the volcano," Titus realized.

"I searched everywhere for the culprit."

"I like explosions," Priam confessed.

"You… You want to doom us all?!" Gooru shouted, his anger unrestrained. Priam frowned at the Rhem's outburst.

"I thought they were your enemies?" Titus raised a hand to calm his companion, then explained.

"We don't kill the four weak Terrors to avoid provoking the strong three. Even though the eldest sister is indisposed, the other two are dangerous."

"The death of the Seventh will enrage them, and there will be casualties," Gooru predicted darkly.

"Because of you. The Atlantis Council will demand your presence." Priam winced as he realized the ripple effects of his actions would harm others. It was a bitter truth, but something far worse loomed.

"When you say the First Terror is indisposed… Is she imprisoned beneath the Deluge?" The silence that followed spoke louder than words. Shit. Priam departed after assuring Titus he would return soon. Meeting Valaryth's leaders was necessary, but not before completing his quintuple Tribulation. For now, his personal power was paramount to his survival. If the second Terror is a Tier 1 Prince, what about the first?

Without its essence, the Deluge would eventually dissipate, and Priam suspected he would soon have his answer. Until then, he needed to grow stronger. As for the rest… I could inform the Rhems of the passage between Valaryth and Elysium. It's the least I can do after unleashing a titan on them.

"You didn't tell them the Deluge would disappear," Jasmine pointed out as the outpost came into view.

"What's the point? The storm won't vanish immediately, and I don't want to become their enemy."

"It's not really your fault; you couldn't have known."

"People who lose everything will still look for someone to blame."

"Why not the System? It gave you this quest."

"They'll want a scapegoat they can punish," Priam clarified.

"It's pointless, but cathartic."

"If they're determined to find someone, they'll pick you anyway. You're an invader, after all…"

"Not if I give them someone else first," Priam mused, landing lightly on the roof of his outpost. He greeted Myuri and the artisans before stepping through the portal. In Oasis, the situation was relatively calm. Corrupted attacks were dangerous, but everyone had grown accustomed to them. His father and Rose were still embroiled in their respective Tribulations, so Priam sought out Kazuki. The hoplite stood in the clearing, organizing the departure.

Each mech present hauled a wooden crate filled with samples of Elysium's flora and fauna—a request from the hoplite scientists.

"Congratulations on your High Tribulation," Kazuki greeted him, the wind whispering Priam's arrival.

"Thanks. Congrats on regrowing your arms and legs. Did you unlock [Axolotl or Hydra]?"

"Indeed. Now, my wife will stop feeding me with a spoon."

"I'm heartbroken I missed that." Kazuki's lips twitched into a faint smile before he asked the inevitable.

"So, it's decided? You're triggering your quintuple on Proxima?"

"I trust our civilizations more than I trust the Terrors—or our rivals," Priam confirmed. At least, I can beat the shit out of them if they try something funny.

"Very well." Kazuki turned to the convoy.

"We have been waiting for you. Anything you need to pack?"

"Just my boxers, Promesse, and my inner world," Priam grinned.

"I travel light."

"Cheater," his shadow muttered. Kazuki nodded and signaled Hyshana to activate the Hearthstone. A portal opened before her.

"Proxima—battlefield of civilizations." With those words, she stepped through, followed by half her subordinates and Kazuki. Ready to face his Tribulations, Priam left Elysium.

Status: PHYSICAL: Strength 893 Constitution 1 422 (+39) Agility 1 173 Vitality 1 322 (+12) Perception 858 MENTAL: Vivacity (D) 599 Dexterity 752 Memory 891 Willpower 1 012 Charisma 653 META: Meta-affinity 999 Meta-focus 559 Meta-endurance 915 (+13) Meta-perception 539 Meta-chance 594 Meta-authority 429 Potential: 27 621 (+18) Tier 0 Sun points: 1 143 444 [He Who Eludes Death] charge: OFF. Reloaded in 15 hours 48 minutes 50 seconds.

Concepts: Breath (T0): 100% / Harmony Fire (T0): 100% / Unity Pyro (T1): 100% / Half-step Unity Mist (T1): 100% / Symphony Bloodlines: Phoenix: 3% Dragon: 1% Rewards standing: Fusion Token - Skill (Epic) Evolution Token - Skill (Legendary) Affinity Token - Tier 1 (30%) Alien Concept fragment (7th Terror) Talent Token - Upgrade (Seraph) Revelation Token - Ideal Prerequisites (Epic) Colosseum VIP Token Reborn Token - Reset biological lifespan (Legendary) Minor skill Epiphany High Tribulation essence (Soul Tailored - Sumstreh's half core) Seed of Potential Trophy Compass [Tribulation]: Five Tribulations pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until: Time: 132 days 16 hours 18 minutes 3 seconds. Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 900 / 3 attributes > 1 200 / 1 attribute > 1 500 Next arc already complete on Patreon if you want to find out what happens next! https: //www. patreon. com/ANovelConcept