Chapter 228: No Ache, No Achieve

Lvl Up: [Revelation Resilience] lvl 29, 30

MEM +6

META (Affinity) +6

META (Authority) +6

Lvl Up: [Sun Steel Body] lvl 8

CONST +6

META (Endurance) +3

Lvl Up : [Gravity Resistance] lvl 23, 24

CONST +6

Lvl Up: [Inhuman Workout] lvl 10, 11, 12, 13

STR +12

“End your push-ups!”

The command—or was it an order?—threw Priam off steadiness, inflicting him to break down. The hypergravity slammed him brutally to the bottom, and in shock, he launched his aether. A robust influence struck his again, and he groaned in ache. Below the immense acceleration of synthetic gravity, the wood marble he had simply managed to carry off the bottom fell again.

With a shoulder jerk, he pushed away the wood ball, which the hypergravity made as heavy as osmium, and rose whereas massaging his sore shoulder blade.

“Are you attempting to sabotage me?” he requested, irritated.

“You are doing a very good job of that your self,” the phoenix teased. “How do you count on to beat my document should you do not use your solely benefit? Use your draconic vivacity.”

“That is what I used to be doing! A part of my focus was on push-ups, and a parallel thought lastly managed to carry that marble,” Priam grumbled. “Till you distracted me.”

“You had stopped your push-ups.”

“I am not allowed a break?”

“Mid-set?” countered the phoenix.

Priam sighed as he weighed the wood marble. “My aether proficiency takes priority over my bodily coaching.” It was the ultimate step earlier than starting to mood his physique, and that temperance was the one technique to turn into highly effective sufficient to outlive his upcoming Tribulations. “I managed to make this marble float by briefly gathering all my focus, and that is what issues, proper?”

“You managed to propel it into the air and sluggish its fall,” corrected the phoenix. “That is not the identical factor. I yelled at you since you weren’t utilizing your draconic vivacity. In any other case, you may have responded to me with out dropping the marble.”

“For a human, it is weird to have two ideas concurrently,” Priam grimaced. “It is going to take me a while to get used to it.”

“Priam, you are not only a human.”

“I do know, I—”

The campfire’s flames doubled in quantity because the phoenix’s anger flared. “No, take heed to me. You may have died dozens of occasions, and also you conjure hearth and mist with a mere thought. In case you have been to make like to a human feminine with out care, you’ll kill her, and even should you have been cautious, a kick from the kid throughout gestation would do the job. Perhaps you remorse it, however you are not only a easy human. You’ll be able to settle for it and transfer ahead, or you’ll be able to lie there and watch for dying.”

Priam opened his mouth, then closed it. A number of seconds handed earlier than he responded.

“My physique has modified, my powers too, however not my desires or my ego,” he sighed, operating a hand by his hair. “I do not wish to depart all my humanity behind, however I suppose I can provide up some pointless habits.”

If he had really used his developed attribute effectively, solely one in every of his parallel ideas would have been disrupted by the phoenix. It was irritating to fail, nevertheless it was the form of lesson that caught.

“Sooner or later, I will hold two ideas always,” he promised.

“That is your solely benefit over my authentic on the similar age: you need to use it and abuse it.”

Priam nodded. He had a day and a half left to beat the phoenix’s document.

Lvl Up : [Gravity Resistance] lvl 25

CONST +3

Lvl Up: [Inhuman Workout] lvl 14, 15

STR +6

Lower off from the world, a younger man with misty eyes and wearing flaming pants lay on a bench. He lifted a dense wood bar with two marbles at its ends. The entire mass of the bar was simply over 4 hundred kilograms. Below the impact of gravity, it was equal to nearly seven tons—an enormous African elephant.

I can not wait to arm wrestle Kazuki…

The primary repetitions had been troublesome, however because of his excessive vitality, Priam’s muscle fibers have been rebuilding quickly. His power continued to extend, and [Inhuman Workout] leveled up in return. Micro and the ability allowed him to totally exploit his excessive bodily attributes and inhuman physique.

When he felt the motion turning into too straightforward, Priam requested Log-a-rhythm so as to add wooden. Bench press coaching was monotonous, however the feeling of fixed progress inspired him to maintain beating his personal document.

As he breathed closely, pushing with all his may, one other a part of his consideration centered on a wood marble floating just a few centimeters above his head. A human would have searched for a very long time with out understanding how, as a result of no thread, platform, or magnet acted on the ball.

There was no trick: Priam’s aether surrounded the sphere, stopping it from falling. He had not but succeeded in solidifying it, solely in rising its viscosity. The marble fell slowly, however an upward present within the fluid made it seem to drift.

“An inexpensive trick,” the phoenix muttered earlier than sighing when he noticed Priam wasn’t listening.

His face crimson with effort, the drained warrior was stunned when he obtained a glowing ember in his mouth. Swallowing it midway, he coughed, spat, and almost bought decapitated by the heavy wood bar that slipped from his palms. Flexing his kinetic management, he effortlessly set it again on the bench press.

“Are you insane?!” he requested the phoenix after spitting out the charcoal.

“I am useless,” corrected the chicken. “And you may be too if you aren’t getting extra outcomes.”

Priam grabbed a cup of sap, sat on the bench, and drank it in a single gulp.

“What did I do incorrect this time?” Priam had managed to levitate the marble for nearly ten minutes and was slightly happy with himself. He nonetheless had progress to make, however he felt he was enhancing.

The phoenix shook its head. “The outcome does not matter right here. There could also be a thousand methods to carry this marble utilizing aether. A novice can fill it with power to enchant it, and an skilled can modify gravity, area, or its magnetic properties,” he listed. “All these prospects are fascinating and can educate you issues, nevertheless it’s not what you want in the present day.”

“I must solidify my aether,” Priam mentioned. The phoenix remained silent, certain by his oaths, and the younger man sighed. “I perceive what I must do, however in follow, I’m caught. I am attempting to exert strain on it to vary its state, nevertheless it simply makes the fluid extra viscous.”

In accordance with the physics Priam had studied earlier than the Tutorial, the classical states of matter modified relying on temperature and strain. By rising the latter parameter, he had hoped to solidify the aether; in useless. And I can not decrease the temperature of a fluid that has no kinetic power…

“Perhaps this fluid has nothing in frequent with water… In any case, it is power, not an actual liquid.”

Priam had already seen whereas constructing rituals that aether had frequent properties with electrical energy however that wasn’t serving to. Turning power right into a strong made no sense. At the least not classical power…

Instantly, he noticed a second piece of charcoal flying towards him and ducked to keep away from it.

“You are not utilizing your draconic vivacity,” accused the chicken.

“I am pondering, not coaching.”

The phoenix remained silent, and Priam grimaced. “I am an fool.”

He boasted of not making the identical mistake twice, but he continued to underestimate the probabilities supplied by parallel ideas. Why suppose alone when he may compartmentalize his ideas and debate with himself? A great dialogue led to extra options than two monologues. With the assist of his system, he will surely discover concepts to solidify his aether.

Smiling, the younger man crossed the room to seize a brand new meal tray. He wanted to step again from the issue.

Although Priam had didn’t solidify his aether, his progress was simple. Simply as a sailor spending time at sea grows accustomed to it, Priam now had an almost intimate information of the fluid. It wasn’t a Expertise or a ability, however slightly an intuition born of expertise.

“In any case, I will not cease till I’ve exhausted all my concepts—and I’ve nice hope for the subsequent one,” he mentioned as he approached the flames. The 2-day deadline was approaching, and Priam was decided to win his guess.

With a thought, he diminished the scale of the portal to Ideas Archipelago to some extent and stoked the campfire. As Champion of the Fireplace Idea, he may modify the properties of a fireplace and drive it to provide extra smoke—this bodily phenomenon was known as incomplete combustion.

Seeing the phoenix stay silent, Priam smiled. The chicken had requested the creation of a fireplace within the heart of the room to nestle in. In accordance with the hologram, it allowed it to look at Priam extra carefully. The justification appeared odd. Maybe there was another excuse?

Over the previous few hours, Priam had conversed with himself, replaying all his conversations along with his coach in his thoughts. With the assistance of his add-on, he had dissected every phrase for clues. The oaths prevented the Prince from divulging sure secrets and techniques, however there have been loopholes…

Throughout a closing dialog about [Bloodless], the phoenix had hinted that the Title was a part of the 5 Tortures, together with [Heartless] and [Brainless]. Logically, there have been two different Titles ending in -less that each phoenix little one unlocked through the use of their energy of resurrection.

[Spiritless] wasn’t one in every of them—the fundamental rebirth of phoenixes solely healed their physique—however the chicken had given him a clue. “Do not waste your breath,” he had mentioned as Priam requested questions locked by its oaths.

The younger man had instantly realized {that a} Title rewarded those that survived with out respiratory. He had deliberate to suffocate himself earlier than returning to Valaryth to hunt draconic trophies vital for tempering his physique. Diving with out concern of drowning was important for that. However maybe he ought to change the order of his plans?

Smoke started to fill the room, and Priam started to cough.

“I’ll suffocate myself. It’s going to be good for [Asphyxia Resistance] and [Poison Body]. I suppose I would like to maximise this ability earlier than the Snaherts assist me get a great improve…”

“I did not ask you something,” remarked the phoenix.

“I do know,” mentioned Priam between coughing suits. “However with my vitality, it’s going to take me a number of minutes to die, and I discover it a little bit of a disgrace to be the one one struggling.”

“So that you’re conscious that you are a ache to take heed to,” the phoenix identified.

“One other factor we’ve got in frequent,” Priam retorted.

The chicken harrumphed.

“… And as soon as you’ve got unlocked [Breathless]?” he requested because the younger man gasped for breath.

So that is what the fourth Torture is known as.

“I suppose it’s going to modify my lungs. I hope it impacts the draconic ones too.”

Priam’s Breath was created utilizing a 3rd non secular lung. The organ condensed power earlier than releasing it in a damaging kind. Priam had managed to cost it with flames and even kinetic power, however in the present day, he wished to compress his aether to the utmost with out inflicting Log-a-rhythm to blow up.

“You wish to use this lung to do what you’ll be able to’t do with simply your thoughts, attributes, and Area, ” the phoenix mentioned. “That is not what I had in thoughts.”

Dizzy, Priam fell to the bottom after which took one other deep breath. His vitality may have allowed him to withstand longer, however he was utilizing Micro to drive his lungs to soak up as a lot smoke as potential. The wooden’s incomplete combustion created carbon monoxide, a poisonous fuel that might substitute the oxygen in his blood. Even when he stuffed his lungs with air, he would nonetheless suffocate.

Priam was actively asphyxiating himself, hoping to realize a greater title than [Breathless].

“It will have been a disgrace to make a breakthrough with out dying. It is nearly a practice for me,” he smiled, respiratory closely. His imaginative and prescient was starting to blur. “You your self mentioned I ought to use the benefits I’ve over you. My draconic bloodline is my trump card.”

As his lungs burned, Priam’s mind misplaced consciousness. [Tenacious Spirit] allowed him to stay aware for just a few extra seconds.

“Your power is not your bloodlines; it is your dream of freedom,” the hologram whispered. “I feared dying an excessive amount of to be free. That’s why I succumbed to the Depths…”

Standing:

PHYSICAL:

Power 707 (+45)

Structure 1 096 (+39)

Agility 614

Vitality 932

Notion 760

MENTAL:

Vivacity (D) 552

Dexterity 622

Reminiscence 760 (+27)

Willpower 1 134

Charisma 661

META:

Meta-affinity 709 (+19)

Meta-focus 391

Meta-endurance 528 (+13)

Meta-perception 319

Meta-chance 274

Meta-authority 171 (+15)

Potential: 13 567 (-198)

Tier 0

Solar factors: 680 318 (+4 580)

[He Who Eludes Death] cost: PRIMED

[Tribulation]: 5 Tribulations pending.

Future Tribulations delayed till:

Time: 158 days 4 hours 7 minutes 18 seconds.

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