"This is the second spot," declared Priam, absorbing his momentum. His bare foot landed on a broad maple leaf without even causing a tremor. Thanks to [Kinetic Control], he seemed to weigh no more than a shadow.

A large and heavy form crashed onto a nearby branch, causing a deafening crack. The tree and its red foliage trembled. A subtle entrance courtesy of Kazuki.

"I don't feel anything special," replied the hoplite at the controls of his mecha, jumping from the branch he had just broken.

Rolling his eyes, Priam joined him below. As he landed, he knelt to brush aside the carpet of dead leaves. Underneath lay a rich, dark soil.

"Seth's map didn't lie; the humus here is special," Priam declared.

"Hum, it's abnormally charged with aether."

Around them, towering maples created a forest in autumn colors. Some almost reached a hundred meters. Priam was reasonably sure that no earthly maple approached this size.

"The trees are twice as tall as anywhere else. Do you think this soil will accelerate the growth of Log-a-rhythm?" Kazuki asked, picking up some himself.

"It can't hurt, but the majority is for my world. If I want to use it properly, I have to fill the void. This will do. Then we can gather as many resources as possible before the event starts."

"Hmm..." The hoplite seemed annoyed. Kazuki had promised to help improve Log-a-rhythm, not dig holes for [Concepts Archipelago]. He's my rival, not my servant, Priam reminded himself with a grimace.

"I'll reserve a quarter for Log-a-rhythm anyway. Plus, I was thinking of taking a maple tree with us. Have you ever tasted maple syrup?"

A thin smile appeared on Kazuki's face. "I don't know this particular tree, but I get what you mean. My wife loves it so I’ll select a tree for her."

"Then it's settled."

"You need at least fifty thousand cubic meters of soil, right? I hope you brought a big shovel."

"I have something much better than that," Priam smiled, summoning Promesse.

Faced with his companion's enigmatic smile, the hoplite raised an eyebrow.

Raising his spear, Priam used their connection to invoke his Domain around it. The sphere of authority materialized. Placing Promesse horizontally, he opened a portal to his internal world about ten centimeters above his spear. On the side of his world, the portal's exit was just under the floating island. Mentally, Priam locked the portal's position relative to Promesse. If the weapon moved, the portal would follow.

Manipulating [Kinetic Control] precisely, Priam levitated his spear just above the grass. The lower half of his sphere of authority now penetrated the ground. Thanks to his Supremacy, Priam felt every bit of soil, every root, every seed, every insect present in his sphere.

Priam took a deep breath. When he created his first skill, [Kinetic Control] had many limitations due to a lack of Potential. With each level, the skill had gradually overcome those limitations. His number of charges had exceeded five long ago. But one of the only limitations his skill had not overcome was contact with an object.

To move an object, Priam had to touch it. By placing his hand on the ground, he could only influence the soil in direct contact with his skin.

Domain changed that.

Priam used his kinetic skill to propel all the matter encompassed by his sphere of authority upward. In an instant, over a cubic meter of soil crossed the portal before crashing into the void of his world. Promesse began to descend into the ground, sucking up a large volume of humus with each moment.

It took less than three seconds for Priam to create a hole five meters deep - the equivalent of sixty-two cubic meters of soil. Reaching the indestructible rock after a few dozen meters, his spear stopped. Priam smiled, ordering a horizontal movement. It was much more practical than using a shovel.

"Call me Dyson," Priam declared, turning to Kazuki.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing. It should be quick, an hour tops."

Kazuki nodded before pointing to the ground.

"I know why the soil is better here."

"Oh?" On Seth's map, the necromancer had only mentioned that the trees grew better in the vicinity. The strangest part was that no buried treasure explained it.

Kazuki opened his mechanical hand, revealing a handful of rich, black humus. "It is mixed with ashes. The homogeneous structure of the aether suggests a unique and colossal monster. Definitely a Tier 4 or 5."

According to Seth's map, the magical humus-rich area was supposed to be less than a hectare. Kazuki had declared the monster colossal, and it was an understatement.

"... One day, I'll defeat this kind of titan," Priam swore.

Kazuki nodded. "I hope so. Unless you die first due to hasty decisions."

Detecting a hint of reproach, Priam looked his rival in the eyes. "Did I make a mistake?"

"The girl with the scarred face, Muyri. You welcomed her into your internal world. I don't like the shazha status much, but you're taking a risk. She could be a spy."

For hoplites, a shazha was someone who had lost all honor and served the community through unpaid work. It was a status freely chosen, unlike that of a slave.

"She's not a shazha. Well, I suppose I owe you an explanation."

Priam sighed, heading towards a nearby maple. Summoning an ice blade, he cut into the trunk to harvest its sap. On Earth, the good season for that was at the end of winter, but the seasons in Elysium were certainly not the same.

Watching the clear liquid flow, Priam pondered. What could he tell Kazuki?

He had a hundred and seventy-six days before his new Tribulations. His quadruple Tribulation had ended less than a week ago, and he already had a new one scheduled. Realistically, he should soon stop leveling up his skills to avoid triggering too many Tribulations.

Was it possible? His family needed him. The Necromoon was coming soon, and Elysium was never without danger.

Above all, he had to keep improving to catch up with his rivals. Esmée had told him that he wouldn't easily defeat her face-to-face. Maybe it was the truth, maybe it was a bluff. Either way, if the princess prepared an ambush several weeks in advance, his chances of survival were almost nil. Dishnu and Seth were monsters, and Arnold was the monster that scared other monsters.

I have to keep progressing.

To ward off Tribulations, Priam knew only one way: improve his race. Myuri was his ticket for that.

"Even if she was a spy, I would have taken her with me. I have no choice," he declared to Kazuki. "If it reassures you, I have a part of my consciousness watching her in this internal world."

It was a half-truth; [Priam's System] took care of that. It was Priam's concession to the young woman's privacy. He refused to be a voyeur and watch Muyri take her shower, but his add-on would monitor her every move.

"Maybe, but I would have appreciated it if you had consulted me first. We're rivals, but we're also partners, are we not?"

"... You're right. I've got into the bad habit of deciding on my own. It won't happen again."

Priam didn't apologize. Hoplite culture hadn't even invented the concept. For them, only actions counted.

"If she tries to communicate or trap my world, I'll see it and neutralize her," he assured.

"Strange choice of words," remarked the hoplite, cutting into another tree in turn. For him, the incident was over.

"If she betrays us, she won't die before I know everything about her genetic code. Then I'll ask Sphinx to trace her karmic threads back to Esmée and Aydan."Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"That’s smart. I'm reassured to see that you take this seriously; I've seen too many warriors lose their heads over a woman."

Priam cleared his throat. "Esmée and I aren't even the same species."

"For now. But if you merge your two races, then she'll be the only one of your kind. What a chance," Kazuki chuckled.

Priam rolled his eyes before smiling. "I admit she's pretty—"

"Very pretty."

"—and there's something about her that I like. A flame. But I also know she was probably created to be stunning. She's too perfect, and she admitted that her family manipulated their genetic code."

"She's not responsible for that," the hoplite pointed out.

"I thought you didn't like her?"

Kazuki shook his head. "I'm just objective. She's a lost child. I grew up in an orphanage; I know what it's like not to have parents. Having bad parents is even worse."

"She’s a princess… Her father or mother must know she has a mental compulsion to obey her brother."

"And that their son tortures his servants," Kazuki added. "What I mean is, she must have fought in a hostile environment since birth to survive. Can you imagine how many times she's been betrayed? I'm not sure she's capable of engaging in an honest relationship."

Priam burst into laughter. "I don't think we're there yet."

"You complimented her," the hoplite pointed out.

"Where I come from, you can do that without necessarily marrying the girl. Anyways, the light flirt was mainly to activate my Charisma and get her to tell me the truth."

"Mainly?" teased Kazuki.

"Stop that, I really don't plan on being in a relationship for now."

The hoplite laughed before continuing to keep an eye on the surroundings. Watching the maple sap flow, Priam felt a twinge in his heart. In his mind, Victoire's image hovered.

Lvl Up: [Kinetic Control] lvl 46VIVA + 2DEXT + 3META (FOCUS) +4

It took Priam nearly an hour and a half to finish filling up his world. When the last cubic meter of soil was swallowed, the Champion felt a twinge of shame. The fantastic forest of glowing maple trees lay devastated.

Now, immense trenches several meters deep separated each tree. Some roots hung over the void, deprived of nutrients. Priam avoided looking at the maple leaning to his right. The lack of soil had destabilized the colossus, now mimicking the Tower of Pisa.

However, this ecological disaster had not been in vain. As Priam looked at his internal world, a smile played on his lips. He had to move his portal towards the end and be careful with Muyri, but [Concepts Archipelago] was now ready to host an orchard.

The sun created by the Phoenix Prince illuminated a pond surrounded by a strip of fine sand and then rich black soil. Myuri was currently leaning against the shade of the magical birch protected by ants.

[Concepts Archipelago]

[World information:

Aether Density Rising. Current Density: 0.42 E>0.56 E.

Radius: 30.14>30.78 meters.

Features:

Aether siphon (Enchantment: purity).

Nurturing soil (silver) T2

Betula passiflora (gold) T1]

Priam smiled as he read his system's report. The size of the world continued to increase, slowly but steadily. The aether density was still rising, albeit more slowly. According to his add-on, the surplus aether was rapidly absorbed by his world to grow and by the pond to... do what?

A collapsing tree made Priam look up. Kazuki had spent the time practicing on the surrounding trees. His physical abilities were so terrifying that he had laid down a number of them.

"Pick the tree for your wife," Priam smiled.

"Come."

The hoplite moved gracefully, and Priam followed. Dodging large pits dug between majestic trees, they arrived before a golden specimen. At twenty-five meters, it was still small compared to its counterparts, but Priam felt great strength emanating from it.

"This one," said the hoplite.

[Identification]

[Aetheric Sugar Maple - Tier 1] - A tree species valued for its sweet sap. At Tier 1, this tree can produce sap year-round. Its wood is light and white, provided you can cut it. Legend has it that a red and black checkered shirt can help.

"Small but powerful. Not too tall, so it'll fit in my world."

Summoning a portal above the maple, Priam placed his hand on the trunk. [Kinetic Control]. Energy began to flow along his meridians before reaching the tree. It didn't budge.

"Is there a problem?" Kazuki asked.

"Everything's fine," Priam replied through clenched teeth.

The Tier 1 tree seemed to have deeper roots than the birch's. Offended, Priam opened the doors to his kinetic reserves. A torrent of energy flowed through his body as the tree began to tremble.

The struggle lasted three seconds, during which Priam almost lost half of his kinetic reserves.

Boom.

Kazuki jumped back as the ground exploded. The maple rose into the air under Priam's satisfied gaze.

A few seconds later, the tree stump landed in a hole Priam had cleared. The second tree of his world was planted.

"That’s two," Priam smiled. "Let's move on, my loot is waiting."

The Elysian forest surprised Priam. The grove of maples quickly gave way to blue-tinted spruces. The temperature was the same, but the plant species were entirely different.

His earpiece vibrated.

"We're entering Skulc territory," said Kazuki.

"Skulcs? What are those?"

"Green humanoid creatures as intelligent as monkeys. I have a quest to annihilate them, and I think your goal is in their village."

"Oh?"

A quest meant rewards, and it was a chance to repay Kazuki for his help.

"I'm in."

Kazuki nodded before recalling his armor. Spear in hand, the hoplite began to advance slowly towards the heart of the forest. Seeing the precautions taken by the hoplite, Priam felt his heart accelerate. If his rival was this serious, it meant the prey could fight back.

A few minutes later, Kazuki stopped. He pointed to the ground, and Priam saw a trace. That was enough for the System.

Quest: The green menace

What's small, green, cruel, vicious, lustful, and fried?

A goblin cooked by a Skulc.

Exterminate the 548 Wild Skulcs.

Reward: Potential + 548.

Bonus: Kill the Shaman.

Reward: Fusion Token - Rare.

Bonus: Kill the Skull.

Reward: Skull Key

Difficulty: Hard

Status: (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)

PHYSICAL:Strength 399Constitution 662Agility 404 Vitality 538 Perception 584

MENTAL:Vivacity 334 (+2)Dexterity 432 (+3)Memory 134 Willpower 648 Charisma 427 META:Meta-affinity 336Meta-focus 255 (+4)Meta-endurance 185 Meta-perception 119 Meta-chance 216 Meta-authority 15 Potential: 570 (+3)Tier 0

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED.

[Tribulation]: Four Tribulations pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until:

Time: 175 days 22 hours 14 minutes 45 seconds.