A Novel Concept - A death a day, MC will live anyway!

Chapter 282: The Juggernaut Epic

Trees of Merit

[Ace - Legendary] - Tier 2: Talented Candidate: Choose one of your Talents from the list and evolve it.

List: Aether Citizen, Promesse, Chimera, Spectral Familiarity, Hoplite Warpath. ACQUIRED

5 Unused Merit Points.

[Chimera - Silver] - Your body and mind can cope better with the simultaneous presence of opposing elements. Your biological system will adapt to many changes.

The addition of mind was a minor change in the description, but Priam could feel its impact almost immediately.

[Draconic vivacity: You have multiple (two) streams of thought, each powered by 77% of your vivacity. Base: 72% +5% from Chimera]

This was the kind of upgrade that could turn terrifying over time. While Priam was talking with his mentor, one of his parallel thoughts could analyze the situation from a different angle, solve a problem, or even practice manipulating ambient aether to boost his proficiency. A five percent increase in his effective speed of thought was more than welcome.

He was eager to begin his tempering and return to the Moon to finish upgrading [Chimera], but Kazuki's Tribulations would start in a few hours. In the meantime, Priam had decided to use his second reward. At least this one didn't have any prerequisites.

Focused on his Pyro Concept, he was sweating as the flames of a campfire licked the back of his hand. In the center of his palm, a ruby quivered. It was a drop of fossilized blood gifted by the System to purify his phoenix bloodline. The draconic one had been set aside since he only needed to devour his enemies’ hearts to stimulate it.

His mentor had revealed that the two most direct ways to purify his phoenix bloodline were to be reborn through Nirvana or absorb the Legacy Blood of a phoenix. The drop simmering in his palm fell into the latter category.

"Ow!"

Priam glanced over at Jasmine, who had just stuck her hand into the fire.

“I wanted to see if it was actually hot,” she explained. “You’ve had your hand in there for a while, and it still doesn't smell like cooked meat.”

Priam smirked but didn’t bother responding. Between his constitution and his Fire Champion physique, he no longer feared ordinary flames. His friends sometimes forgot just how resilient he was.

Heated by mundane fire, the blood droplet finally liquefied and seeped into his skin. It coursed through his veins, mixing with his own blood. A double beat from his two hearts sent the mythical substance pulsing through his body. A second beat tore a scream of pain from him: his blood was boiling!

Priam’s senses overloaded, and a wave of dizziness sent him toppling into the campfire. His head fell among the burning coals, but instead of pulling away, he sank into them. The heat embraced him, the crackling whispered in his ears, and the scent of ash filled his nostrils. Then, out of nowhere, two figures appeared, etched on an ember. The soul of the Fire Champion and the blood drop of the phoenix that stimulated his bloodline resonated together to recreate a scene.

“Consuming the ashes of our ancestors like a common cannibal... And I thought you had found a revolutionary way to stimulate our bloodline. What a fool I am. You’ve fallen low, Kelt—”

A branch snapped, drowning out the cursed name.

“What was the alternative? Marry my own descendants to prevent our bloodline from diluting further? Our clan is dying, and you know it.”

“That’s for Mother to decide,” retorted the visitor.

“Being an Immortal does not make her decisions any fairer!”

The Prince’s shout ignited a shower of sparks. Laughter answered him.

“Perhaps, but she has the power to enforce them.”

“If you would help me…” The anger had left the voice, replaced by a desperate plea.

“Help you?” A pause. “Even if I wanted to, these ashes are so charged with soul shards that they would poison any phoenix. I’m shocked you’re still alive.”

“I found a way.” A loud crack obscured the Prince’s whispered words as the fire collapsed inward. In the chaos, Priam caught only a single word.

“Depths.”

“Ah!” Priam gasped, breaking the surface. Cold droplets clung to his skin as he inhaled deeply, grateful for a breath. The swim had soothed the fire burning through his veins, and he felt great.

Climbing out of the pool, he quickly dried himself with Pyro and marveled at his new connection with the Concept. Reaching two percent purity in his phoenix bloodline had stimulated his affinity with all flames... including Pyro.

Title upgraded: [Fire Sage - Bronze] becomes [Pyro Sage - Silver]!

[Pyro Sage - Silver] - Your natural affinity for the Pyro Concept (T1) has reached 100%. Your soul is now perfectly compatible with this Concept. Pyro is your companion, your parent, and your child. Your soul accepts and nurtures it.

Affinity, Harmony, Symphony, and Unity: the Sage's path leads to the Zenith.

Pyro devours matter and needs no fuel to exist. While it’s not the most powerful flame, it is the most fundamental. From it, all others are possible; it’s up to you to dominate them.

META (Focus) +10% NEW

META (Endurance) +10%

The bonus to his meta focus was a welcome boost to the aether flowing through his meridians, but it was the perfect affinity with Pyro that truly excited Priam. He was now just one step away from reaching Unity with the Concept, and he could already sense the path ahead. All he needed was a spark to light the way.

"Nice tattoos."

A hand touched his back, and Priam allowed Jasmine to trace the invisible lines etched on his skin. Two wings, each with thirty six feathers, were clearly visible to meta perception. All he had to do was infuse them with Pyro, and they would glow in the visible spectrum. With a single thought, he could deploy two tangible flight organs.

Lvl Up: [Phoenix Wings] lvl 16,..., 35

META(Focus) +40

META(Endurance) +20

According to his mentor, Priam’s lack of legacy skillswas the reason for the massive level-up. The bloodline had flooded his only available ability, imprinting it on his body by reorganizing key meridians.

“I like their effect,” Priam said, grinning. “This will become an ideal skill if I keep purifying my bloodline.” He would have to buy the final Merit for [Hatched Phoenix] to make that happen.

“Any idea how to do that?”

“The Colosseum,” Priam answered simply as he donned a robe of flames. All signs indicated he would soon visit Béchar to fight for a whole stack of new rewards.

“You gonna do something about your hair?”

While Concepts subtly influenced their users, bloodline changes were a lot more noticeable. Ever since becoming a Fire Sage, Priam’s hair had taken on fiery highlights. Now, his mood swings could cause them to shift from coal black to the blazing reds of embers.

“Nah, I like it,” he finally replied. “Is Kazuki ready for his Tribulations?”

“Got less than an hour left.”

“Enough time for you to tell me exactly what happened during the erased timeline,” interrupted the phoenix, landing on Priam’s shoulders. “I think you should start recounting your adventures from now on. If you had started with a story, I could have warned you about the Mythic Achievement.”

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Priam told his adventures to the bird. The monologue was only occasionally interrupted by questions or Jasmine’s quips until, his throat parched, Priam brought it to a close.

“There were certainly better things to do, but it was a solid run.” Hearing an ancient phoenix use gamer slang was comical, but Priam held his smile. “There is just one problem. You said you unlocked [Radiation Resistance].”

“Yeah. Rare?”

“Not rare. Impossible. Not a single being in the entire sector Hope has ever accomplished that feat.”

Priam shrugged, a smug grin spreading across his face. “That's a word that's not in my dictionary.”

Rather than dismiss him, the phoenix stared at him before nodding. “That might be truer than you think. When I was still an egg, my mother often read me The Origin of the System—”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“She read to an egg?” Jasmine cut in, incredulous.

“Without it, I would have died of boredom,” the phoenix confessed with a shudder. "Being confined in an egg for a decade is unbearably dull; there’s not much to do except harmonize our soul with the flames.”

Phoenix parenting habits interested Priam far less than the System. “The Origin of the System…”

“A collection of tales. Probably the most famous book in this universe, partly because the author is a Dragonslayer.”

“Dragonslayer…” Priam savored the word. “That’s a special Title, right?”

Even the sound of it seemed to calm the aether around him. The very world acknowledged the magnitude of such an achievement.

“A Zenith rarity Title,” the phoenix confirmed, his voice thick with respect. “I’m talking about a true dragon, with an undiluted bloodline. A Tier 9 beast capable of terrorizing galaxy superclusters, each of its scales a supermassive black hole, and a single glance from his eyes can sire offspring.”

It was undeniably impressive, though Priam found it a shame to settle for just a glance to become a parent. That’s missing out on the fun part.

“What happened to the Dragonslayer?”

“He divorced his wife after she gave birth to a half-dragon—probably the motive for the kill—and then married the dead dragon’s mother, another Tier 9. He is quite the grudge holder.”

“I’m not sure if I should be horrified or impressed. Maybe a bit of both…” said Jasmine.

The phoenix shrugged his fiery wings. “Back to the tales, my favorite was The Juggernaut’s Epic. That name must ring a bell.”

“One of the shamans called me that—the ‘Smiling Juggernaut.’ What does it mean?”

“The adjective is premature, but as for the name… It is one of the archetypes of Champions summoned by the System,” the phoenix revealed. “I don’t know much more, but the Juggernaut is renowned for defying the impossible. It is the most famous and rarest archetype. That is partly why I picked you to kill my original.”

“Because thinking a Tier 0 could kill a Tier 6 is impossible?”

“I hope you will prove me wrong.”

Priam smirked. “Deal. So, for [Radiation Resistance], I’m guessing it’s hard to obtain because radiation infects the aether of the irradiated?”

“Radiation corrupts all aether structures. Hypothetically, even if your cells mutate to resist it, the information wouldn’t be able to reach your soul... Receiving radiation prevents you from developing resistance, but it’s the only way to gain it. It’s a vicious circle.” The phoenix spat a ball of magma, a sign of deep agitation. “My clan, and others, have spent enough resources to buy a billion civilizations chasing that resistance—and failed!”

“Couldn’t they just buy it with Potential?”

The phoenix let out a bitter laugh. “Potential is well-named: you need a potential chance of unlocking a Talent or skill to create it. If you don’t meet certain prerequisites, it’s impossible. How did you do it?”

The bird seemed more rattled than Priam had expected. Even his resurrection ability hadn’t shaken it like this. Then again, it was a phoenix, Priam mused.

“[Homo Elysian Obsession] synergized with [Life Is Hard; I’m Harder] and its Merits to let my cells mutate. Then, I burned decades of my lifespan to speed up the mutation process. Out of the trillions of cells created, some adapted. With help from my add-on, draconic vivacity, and my mastery of aether, I protected their connection to my soul. I kind of died in the process, but I made it through.”

Man and bird stared at each other for a few heartbeats before the phoenix burst out laughing.

“A Juggernaut, alright,” it finally said, wiping away embers of mirth. “I was right—it is impossible.”

Priam shrugged again before an idea struck him. One that could make him very rich.

“Think I could sell the method to your mother?”

The phoenix considered it for a moment before shaking his head. “Aces are rare, and you need one to achieve [Ideal Aether Perception]—without that skill, you would never have been able to target the aether of your cells. Your racial Talent is absurdly powerful and helped bind your soul to your body's cells. So one would have to change a phoenix’s race to Homo Elysian to even attempt the experiment. The cost to purify their bloodline again would be astronomical. Not to mention your draconic vivacity—the bloodline would cause stability issues with that of a phoenix, and it’s nearly impossible to purge—and your add-on, a double-edged sword. No, you are and will remain the only one with this skill… and my mother will kill you if she finds out.”

Priam knew he wasn’t the only one in the universe with [Radiation Resistance], but he was clearly part of an elite few.

“Charming lady... Though, I was already planning to avoid her. She’s wanted me dead ever since you gifted me her bloodline, remember?” Priam quipped.

Two flames appeared by the phoenix’s beak, twisting into a cruel smile. “You are mistaken: before, she wanted you dead because of tradition. Now, she wants your head because you have the potential to surpass her.”

Rather than feeling threatened, Priam’s curiosity was piqued.

“Why?”

“Phoenixes are known for their flames, but some are too dangerous to cultivate. Because radiations prevent our resurrection, my mother had to wait until Tier 6 before she could cultivate within a star. It took her a thousand years to accept that she wouldn’t reach Unity with it; a facet of stellar power eludes her. You might succeed where she failed. You might master the Star Concept.”

The phoenix lifted his eyes, and Priam understood that it wasn’t this sky he gazed at, but the one of Elysium. Up there, the king of the phoenixes of this universe had become a sun.

A star…

Status:

PHYSICAL:

Strength 807

Constitution 1 187

Agility 948

Vitality 1 130

Perception 828

MENTAL:

Vivacity (D) 599

Dexterity 690

Memory 891

Willpower 987

Charisma 648

META:

Meta-affinity 945

Meta-focus 532 (+88)

Meta-endurance 833 (+29)

Meta-perception 443

Meta-chance 379

Meta-authority 285

Potential: 17 912 (+40)

Tier 0

Sun points: 1 000 850 (+200)

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED

Concepts:

• Breath (T0): 100% / Dormant
• Fire (T0): 100% / Unity
• Pyro (T1): 100% / Symphony
• Mist (T1): 100% / Symphony

Bloodlines:

• Phoenix: 2%
• Dragon: <>

Rewards standing:

• Fusion Token - Skill (Epic) x2
• Evolution Token - Skill (Legendary)
• Affinity Token - Tier 1 (30%)
• Alien Concept fragment (7th Terror)
• Talent Token - Upgrade (Seraph)
• Revelation Token - Ideal Prerequisites (Epic)

[Tribulation]: Five Tribulations pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until:

Time: 152 days 23 hours 7 minutes 7 seconds.

Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 600 / 6 attributes > 900 / 1 attribute > 1 200

Next arc already complete on Patreon if you want to find out what happens /ANovelConcept