Chương 339: Chapter 329: Tribulations are amazing—If you survive them - part 2

Title won! [Rune Creator - Bronze] - You have discovered a pattern capable of influencing aether without System assistance. More specifically, a Tier 0 rune—a two-dimensional character capable of affecting aether at the first level. Most holders of this Bronze Title stumble upon it by serendipity. You, on the other hand, exploited a dream persona and a sub-system. Congratulations, you cheating bastard. META (Chance) +10%. Lvl Up: [Runic Language] lvl 8,...

, 21 META (Affinity) +42 There had to be a way to attach emotion to text because Priam could feel the author's pride radiating through the description. Was Thaal, one of the System's administrators, encouraging users to find loopholes? Apparently so. The story behind the Title was simple: when Priam had been trapped in his dream, his add-on had tried to help. Exploiting the Tribulations' struggle to keep Priam fully immersed in the dream state, the AI had implanted a rune into his memory during a brief awakening.

Inside the nightmare, the System had been forced to recognize the achievement and validate the Title.

"And if it had no issue reclaiming the false Merit I spent in that dream, I get to keep the Title," Priam grinned. He wasn't about to complain about an extra Merit Point.

"Speaking of Merit…" Trees of Merit [Rune Creator] - Tier 0: Sharpens your perception to detect certain natural aetheric patterns. Unused Merit Points: 9 Priam scowled at the Merit's effect. It was the kind of double-or-nothing gamble he hated. On one hand, it could prove invaluable in his study of aether's mysteries—after all, researchers and engineers had been copying nature since the dawn of humanity. On the other hand, the absence of numbers irritated him.

If this Merit only granted him a usable rune once every decade, he would be at a net loss. As an Ace, Priam had enough Potential to trade for hundreds of runes. This was the kind of question he would have asked Wang Lin, but the colonel had sidestepped the topic. Either he wasn't willing to hand over all his Guild's secrets to an outsider, or the Tribulations had imposed limitations within the dream. Even with that, Priam wasn't too upset; he still made out like a bandit.

The Juggernaut dismissed the notification, hoarding his new Merit point while trying to convince himself that his hesitation had nothing to do with the next message. Bloodlines: Phoenix: 3% Dragon: 2% (+1% via [Free Will]'s gate) As expected, the purity of his draconic bloodline had increased by one percent. Every tempered gate using Heavenly Dragon brought him one step closer to true dragonhood. The percentage might look small, but deep down, the Juggernaut could feel the difference.

His draconic abilities and Talents had all strengthened in a holistic way. Even better, his second heart now pulsed with renewed vigor. The organ almost seemed... eager to evolve. Suppressing the urge to let out a draconic roar, Priam scrolled down, pleased to see [Nightmare Resistance] and [Shooting] among his newly acquired skills. The latter's usefulness was debatable, but he could always fuse it later. As for the former, he had a feeling it would be pivotal one day.

"As if any resistance could ever be useless," he chuckled.

"Speaking of resilience…" META(endurance) exceeds 1 000 points. Second milestone reached. Congratulations! The effect of the first threshold was simple: it strengthened the resilience of his meridians. According to Wang Lin, the second threshold was far more crucial.

"If you try to affect another's body with a skill, you'll feel a kind of resistance," the colonel had explained.

"An individual's aether naturally repulses foreign aether."

"Like oil and water refusing to mix? Or magnets repelling each other?"

"Both, and neither. But you get the idea. In practical terms, Micro, Domain, certain Masteries, bloodlines, Concepts, and Mind Ennoblement reinforce this effect, ensuring that your body and mind remain your sanctuary. The second threshold of META (Endurance) alters your aetheric signature and code, making it even harder for external aether to influence you. In short, an enemy will have a much tougher time teleporting your organs out of your body."

"But it's still possible," Priam had noted.

"If META (Endurance) makes it harder to be affected, then there must be an attribute that helps bypass that natural resistance, right?"

"META (Authority)." Priam smiled, recalling the colonel. Wang Lin had done his best to help him for two weeks, providing a structured and comprehensive education on the nature of aether, as well as exercises ensuring steady progress. The kind of knowledge his phoenix mentor's oath had forbidden him from sharing.

"That might just be the greatest gift of my Tribulations," Priam mused, reflecting on his newfound mastery over aether. He knew he was talented, but even a genius couldn't compete with training optimized over millions of years. He had entered this dream as a warrior and was emerging as a mage. The evolution of META(Affinity) played no small part in that. Status: Meta-affinity 1 095 (Oneiric)"An impossible evolution?" Priam chuckled. That's what Wang Lin had claimed.

A dream evolution wasn't supposed to manifest outside a System-induced nightmare. The mage recalled the final moments of the Tribulations when [Tribulation Hunter] had stolen their essences to support the transition between dream and reality. Even so, the evolution should have naturally unraveled, yet Priam could feel [Chimera] hard at work, coaxing this new element to stay. The colonel would have been shocked to learn of his temporary disciple's feat, but Priam had never doubted.

Breaking the impossible was the Juggernaut's way.

"Even if it's not exactly useful yet." Compared to the harmony he had felt with aether in his dream, Priam now felt clumsy. Clearly, his new evolution only unleashed its full potential when he was dreaming. A complication for someone who couldn't be asleep and awake at the same time.

"Not that it'll be a problem for much longer. Addon?" [Draconic Vivacity: You possess multiple (two) streams of thought, each powered by 94% of your vivacity. Base: 74% +20% from Chimera.] Two parallel thought processes, each running at 94% capacity—one of Priam's trump cards. Now he just had to figure out how to sleep with one of them. I wonder what will happen when going beyond 100%... The notification list was coming to an end, and Priam grinned as he spotted the final entry. [Tribulation]: None coming.

Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 900 / 3 attributes > 1 200 / 1 attribute > 1 500"Now that I don't feel the System breathing down my neck, I guess I can get back to grinding skills!" Closing his eyes for a moment, Priam unshackled his Potential. The attribute boost from [Fallout Boy] —a Title he had sealed at the end of Back in Time —was accompanied by a flood of level-ups. All the skills related to strength and agility that had gained experience while sealed vibrated as the System acknowledged his progress.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Lvl Up: [Priam's System] lvl 15, …, 22 VIVA +24 MEM +24 META (Authority) + 24 Lvl Up: [Phantom] lvl 5,..., 10 AGI +36 DEXT +18 Lvl Up: [Balance] lvl 18 AGI +1 DEXT +2 Lvl Up: [Hoplite Parry] lvl 8, 9, 10 STR +9 Lvl Up: [Hoplite Slash] lvl 21, 22 STR +6 Lvl Up: [Battle Flow] lvl 39 PERC +1 DEXT +2 Lvl Up: [Battle Footwork] lvl 31, 32 AGI +4 DEXT +2 [Tribulation]: Three attributes above 1 200 were detected in Tier 0. A Tribulation is coming.

[Tribulation]: One attribute above 1 500 was detected in Tier 0. A Tribulation is coming. Time: 30 days. Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 900 / 6 attributes > 1 200 / 1 attribute > 1 800"Thirty days! I guess once you've survived ten Tribulations, the System starts giving you a little more prep time…" His add-on had earned its levels after guiding his host through a solo tempering.

[Phantom] was benefiting from Priam's newfound ability to cut enemy attention with his Aura, while the rest of the upgrades stemmed from his training with the Mercenaries in the dream. A faint smile played on his lips as Priam recalled those moments. Maya, Luc, Wang Lin, Lasha… It was strange to think that these people barely knew him, while he had come to see them almost as friends. One day, we'll meet.

From Elysium to Sector Hope, the distance should have made any reunion impossible, but Priam knew, deep down, that their paths would cross again. When that time came, he would thank the two Tier 5s for their lessons.

"Maya, Luc… We'll see each other at the next Reunion. But for now…" Priam unfolded his arms from around his body, shifting out of his fetal position to stand. Stretching his limbs, he checked the time remaining on Proxima and smiled—he had dreamed for just over four hours. Conditional freedom time remaining: 2 hours 15 min 37 seconds.

"More than enough time to hunt down my Nemesis," he said, shattering his shield with a flick of his wrist.

"After the nice rewards I got from two mental Tribulations, I can't wait to take on the physical ones." His Domain and magical senses swept the area. Spotting a runic alarm left behind by his Nemesis, Priam disabled it with ease before letting gravity take hold. After a few seconds of freefall, the Champion decided this was far too slow for his taste. Four hours of sleep had left him itching to stretch his legs. Summoning two phoenix wings, he called upon his new kinetic skill to launch himself toward the planet.

The sheer acceleration from [Kinetic Sovereignty] was so intense that the air around the Juggernaut ignited. Bathed in flames incapable of burning him, Priam let out a roaring laugh.

"Fear me, for this time, I'm the hunter!" A hundred kilometers away, a group of fleeing Arkanians was putting as much distance as possible between themselves and the apocalypse. Cradled in her mother's arms, a young girl blinked and pointed toward the sky.

"What's that, Mama?" The woman turned toward Arkana and smiled.

"A shooting star, sweetheart."

"In broad daylight? And that bright? Fat chance," a nearby soldier muttered, squinting.

"That looks like an orbital strike. I'll bet you anything our city won't be standing once that thing hits the ground." Refusing to take the bet, the group picked up their pace even more.

Status: PHYSICAL: Strength 915 (+22) Constitution 1 582 (+132) Agility 1 256 (+62) Vitality 1 468 (+100) Perception 877 (+12) MENTAL: Vivacity (D) 631 (+32) Dexterity 784 (+24) Memory 961 (+43) Willpower 1 200 (+9) Charisma 794 (+6) META: Meta-affinity (O) 1 095 (+56) Meta-focus 630 (+10) Meta-endurance 1 092 (+22) Meta-perception 558 (+17) Meta-chance 667 (+35) Meta-authority 494 (+41) Potential: 27 197 (-614) Tier 0 Sun points: 1 143 444 [He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED.

Concepts: Breath (T0): 100% / Harmony Fire (T0): 100% / Unity Pyro (T1): 100% / Unity Mist (T1): 100% / Symphony Bloodlines: Phoenix: 3% Dragon: 2% 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 Seed of Potential Trophy Compass [Tribulation]: Two Tribulations pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until: Time: 29 days 23 hours 59 minutes 14 seconds. Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 900 / 6 attributes > 1 200 / 1 attribute > 1 800 Next arc already complete on Patreon if you want to find out what happens next! https: //www. patreon. com/ANovelConcept