Exiting Log-a-rhythm, Priam blinked to adjust his eyes to the change in brightness. Despite the soft light emitted by the phosphorescent sap, the tree's interior remained relatively dark.

Once his misty pupils contracted, Priam turned towards the stairs leading to the Skull Temple. One of the prizes intrigued him greatly: the heart of a Skulc Shaman, a descendant of dragons. A few days earlier, Skull's heart had helped Priam assimilate his own bloodline. Could that of a Tier 4 Shaman possibly elevate his Title to Legendary? If so, his Breath and instincts would become formidable.

"Maybe it's the solution to pass my Tribulations... But not now," he murmured.

The temptation to devour the Tier 4 heart was there, but Priam harbored no illusions. It wouldn't happen anytime soon.

The reason was simple: he had just unlocked Micro I; Micro II was still a distant goal. According to Kazuki, the temple was a trial designed to grasp the second stage of the Supremacy. The mental course created an avatar with limited attributes, and finishing it without Micro II was nearly impossible.

"Perhaps with epic or legendary movement skills or special talents, but otherwise... I don't see how," the hoplite had confided.

[Art of Movement] and [Battle Footwork] being of rare rank, Priam knew he had no chance of quickly completing the trial. Not for now.

Even if he could improve his Supremacy, did he want to? Kazuki had unlocked Micro II, and the System had initiated the countdown for his High Tribulation. Priam was pretty sure that the Titans' bloodline had nothing to do with it. This meant that advancing Supremacy to Stage 2 triggered a soul evolution. At least, that was his theory.

Micro II transformed the soul, and a High Tribulation was triggered to baptize it. Priam couldn't afford to jump to Tier 1 already. He wanted the strongest possible foundations at Tier 0 to catch up to his rivals and all the other monsters inhabiting this universe.

So, finishing the temple was out of the question, but that didn't mean he couldn't assimilate his draconic bloodline. He just needed to find another descendant of theirs. The Guardian of Secrets would assist in that.

Moreover...

"Jasmine?"

"Hmm?" replied the mental voice of his subordinate. His Assistant relayed his thoughts to Log-a-rhythm, which communicated them to the assassin's assistant.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm reassuring Myuri while my shadow keeps an eye on the three suspicious hoplites."

"Perfect. When you can, I want you to go down the bone stairs. They lead to a temple that will help you unlock Micro II. Train, but avoid unlocking the second stage of Supremacy, okay?"

"Okay."

"Perfect. By the way, don't leave Log-a-rhythm domain until I'm back," Priam said before disconnecting.

Satisfied, he allowed himself a smile. When Jasmine would have exhausted Tier 0's possibilities, she could fetch the heart for him. It's nice to delegate for once!

Above him, the rustling of leaves warned him an instant before Sphinx leaped onto his head.

"Is Kazuki okay?" his friend asked.

"He’s fine," Priam smiled. "I have to train, or he’ll become stronger than me!"

"I'm coming with you," Sphinx announced.

Priam hesitated for a moment before nodding. If he couldn't unlock Micro II, he might as well deal with the rabhorns. The creatures used narrow burrows, and Sphinx could easily dislodge them with her small size.

"I'm going to slaughter some poor little rabbits, are you sure?"

Sphinx's eyes sparkled, and she licked her lips. "I'm even more sure now."

Poor rabhorns.

Priam and Sphinx headed towards a group in the center of the clearing. Alain, Hyshana, Mirscella, Rose, and two other hoplites brainstormed about the defenses to build. Nothing united a group better than a shared project and a common enemy.

"... A silk net to cover the river," Alain suggested. "To prevent aquatic creatures from ambushing us."

"Excellent idea, but we need strong silk," pointed out one of the hoplites.

"I have what we need," Alain smiled.

"Mirscella?" Priam interrupted. "Can we talk?"

Mirscella nodded and apologized to the group before walking away with Priam. Arriving near the river, Priam turned to the thief.

"Your Tribulations are coming soon, right?"

"In a few hours," shrugged Mirscella.

"I'm going to thin out the rabhorn population to avoid a massive attack during the Necromoon. If you plan to use the Tribulations Chamber, now's the time."

Mirscella pursed her lips, and Priam inwardly grimaced. She had decided to avoid the topic with others, probably out of fear. Louis and Kazuki had defied the statistics, but Tribulations remained terrifying. Despite exceptional talent and two Supremacies, the two warriors had ended up with serious injuries.

Mirscella only had Micro.

"You're afraid of death."

Mirscella shot him a dark look.

"What does an immortal know about death?"

"It wasn't an accusation; I'm afraid too. I got my Talent because I refused to die. Today, I respect it, but it doesn't terrify me."

"I'm not terrified," Mirscella spat. Priam knew she wasn't angry with him but with herself.

"Then prove it. Remember why you came to Elysium."

Alain, Blueberry, and Sphinx had followed Priam, and Louis had followed Alain and Mirscella. The former thief had come to surpass herself, to write her legend. It was time to close the prologue.

Mirscella looked him straight in the eyes, and Priam held her gaze. He had too much respect for her to look away.

"You're a bit young to be so wise."

"Barely younger than you," Priam replied. His answer elicited a smile from the thief.

"Well, you’re right, I'm scared. The countdown keeps ticking, and I only think about running away. I asked the Guardian of Secrets for a solution, and since then, I've been hesitating."

"What?!"

Mirscella flashed a sad smile. "The simplest is to sacrifice all my Potential to leave the System. I could still learn Supremacies, and High Tribulations would remain relevant."

Leaving the System. Abandoning Titles, Talents, Potential, skills, quests… and Tribulations.

"I suppose that's an option for some," Priam said. "But the terror of Tribulations can't make me forget the freedom that the System lets me glimpse."

"What freedom?" Mirscella asked with a bitter voice. "The freedom to fight, to face ever more obstacles until you die? If freedom exists, it belongs to Tier 10. Do you seriously think you'll make it that far?"

Priam shook his head, smiling. "Freedom is not a trophy. For me, it's a way of life. My future is infinite, and I look at it with hope. Despite the stress, I love my current life."

In a way, Priam was already free.

"I see." Mirscella sat in the grass, looking at the clearing and the river flowing nearby. The old woman seemed lost in thought, and Priam and Sphinx respected her silence. After a few minutes, she stood up, an inscrutable expression on her face.

"All right, a round trip to the Tribulations Chamber, please."

"Now?"

"My double Tribulation starts in a few hours. No point in waiting longer."

With a small smile, Priam opened a portal to his world.

“Good luck.”

"Thank you. See you later."

The portal closed behind Mirscella. The young man then turned to the trees.

"You heard her like I did."

"She'll make it," came Louis's voice. "She's stronger than she thinks."The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

The old man jumped from the tree before trotting towards Priam. "Could you let me into your world? I have... some gardening to do."

"Gardening?" Priam raised an eyebrow.

"You brought back some trees and shrubs, and the hoplites gave me seeds. If you're ever far from here, a vegetable garden and an orchard could be useful."

Without further comment, Priam let Louis into his internal world. If the old man wanted to be close to his loved one, it wasn't for Priam to oppose it.

"Adults are complicated," Sphinx sighed adorably. "They never say what they think."

"Not everyone," Priam smiled.

"Yes, some are too dumb to come up with good lies."

"Others are just honest."

"Then they're children."

A terrifying scream tore through the tranquility of the forest.

Priam and Sphinx silently surveyed the surroundings. Behind any vine, leaf, or trunk, a monster capable of beheading them with a swipe of its paw could hide. The reassuring protection of Log-a-rhythm made them forget the terror of Elysium, but it was never far away.

When the portal spat him out of the Tutorial, Priam had been terrified. Wandering through the deadly forest, surviving on roots, berries, flowers, and water, he had struggled against nature and his own fear to stay alive. However, [Eidetic Memory] revealed the truth: the jungle had been lenient with him. The flora had left him alone, and the hostile fauna had amounted to a sick spider and a juvenile horned rabbit.

Most of his deaths were due to his incompetence and extreme weakness.

Retracing the path he had taken while fleeing Kazuki, Priam noticed that things had changed. Most trees had withered or twisted, taking on a red hue. The color had nothing to do with autumn but instead with blood.

The forest was becoming inhospitable, and the event hadn't even started yet. The short and cool days would soon disappear to make way for a long night of horror.

Pushing aside a vine with his spear, Priam squinted when it slithered towards him. Summoning his new concept, he created a cone of fire that destroyed it. The tree trembled as Priam moved away. He had nothing to gain by burning the forest.

Five minutes later, Priam arrived at the clearing where he had lost to a simple rabhorn. The place was almost the same except for one thing.

"The grass is tall," Priam murmured.

"Log-a-rhythm isn't here to tame it," Sphinx pointed out.

Priam shook his head.

"Last time, the grass had been grazed. Rabhorns must be herbivores like rabbits. If the grass is tall, it means no rabhorn has recently fed here."

"It doesn't surprise me; it's creepy."

The dark and glowing atmosphere of the clearing didn't bode well. Priam didn't need to let his imagination run for long to see tree branches transforming into crooked fingers. Creeping shadows and unnatural silence added a dramatic touch that augured nothing good.

Priam looked up and gritted his teeth. In the sky, the three suns continued their course calmly. However, a fourth celestial body was visible at the zenith. The Necromoon didn't even bother hiding from the day anymore.

"Hurry up," Priam shivered. He felt like he was being watched, and it was getting on his nerves.

[Moon Mist]. An invisible mist began to spread at ground level, conforming to the terrain's shapes. Priam wanted to find the entrance to a burrow, and the perception his mist offered was perfect for that.

His aether reserves were slowly diminishing as he surveyed the surroundings. If a rabhorn preferred the surface to the underground, there was a chance it was more powerful than a mere Tier 0.

Four minutes later, Priam crossed the clearing before plunging back into the forest. He walked about forty meters before circumventing a tree. There, under a thorny bush, a hole was concealed. Priam continued his path to avoid alerting a potential lookout and leaped to perch on a nearby tree.

Deploying his mist again, he spotted several burrows behind him. Apparently, the rabhorn he had killed almost three weeks ago inhabited the end of the herbivores' territory. The burrows multiplied as they moved north.

"All right, how to kill thousands of rabhorns?" Priam murmured as he observed the rabhorn holes with his mist.

"By eating them?" Sphinx suggested, drooling at the corner of her mouth.

"They're herbivores," Priam pointed out. "They'll defend themselves if attacked, but they'll eventually get scared when we've slaughtered a few dozen. If they all hide in their burrows, it's going to be tedious."

"Could you block the exits and smoke them out?"

"They can dig other exits."

"Why not capture a baby and torture it so they come to save it?" Sphinx innocently proposed.

"I... That's quite horrible, isn't it?"

Sphinx shrugged.

"We’re here to kill them all. If we wait for them to starve, I'll die of boredom."

Priam looked at Sphinx for a moment before smiling.

"I might have a way."

The rabhorn first poked its snout out before emerging fully. It surveyed the surroundings, casting glances to the right, left, and even upward, before leaping out of its hiding spot. Blinking multiple times, it caressed its horn before heading towards a nearby tree. There, it climbed up to the lower branches to reach an abandoned bird's nest.

The creature dipped its snout into the nest, and Priam widened his eyes as he saw it devour some hidden berries. It has a stash of treats!

Sphinx growled at the sight of the food. The rabhorn instantly turned towards them, and Domain detected an impending attack. Before Priam could evade, he felt an impact on his chest. Fuck.

Lvl Up: [Solar Resistance] lvl 2CONST +2 VIT +1

Riding the mist, Priam swung Promesse at the enemy. The creature's still-shining horn intercepted a [Spear Slash]. Priam seized the opportunity to deliver a kick enhanced by Micro.

Thrown backward, the animal violently collided with a trunk that cracked under the impact. The tree split when Promesse impaled the rabhorn.

Lvl Up: [Spear Throw] lvl 17DEXT +3

Priam appeared on the shaft of his spear. With a firm grip, he seized his opponent by the neck and immobilized it using [Kinetic Control]. The horn directed towards the sky, the rabhorn was incapacitated. If I aim it at my enemies, I wonder if I could use it like a laser gun...

"Are you okay?" Sphinx asked.

His chest wound throbbed, and Priam glanced down. Instead of piercing through his body, the arrow of light had merely created a four-centimeter-deep hole in his flesh.

"I'm fine," Priam declared. "I'll be healed by the end of the day, but I'll have to be cautious of these little monsters."

[Identification][Rabhorn - Tier 0] - A rabbit with a horn. Vegetarian. Excellent when roasted, it will delight your taste buds. Contains a lot of good proteins for your muscles. Its horn glows in the dark.

Reduced to powder, it resolves some virility issues.

"... The day humanity reads this description will be the end of this species," Priam predicted.

"Do we torture it or eat it?" Sphinx asked.

"Neither," Priam replied as his mist informed him that a second rabhorn was preparing to emerge from the burrow.

Priam focused on the flame dancing at the core of his soul and smiled. The Fire Sage conjured a fireball the size of a basketball in his free hand and hurled it towards the burrow. The moment the second rabhorn appeared, it was met by the fiery projectile. The explosion shook the forest, annihilating the bush covering the tunnel and collapsing it.

"His karmic knot unraveled," Sphinx announced, her eyes shining with a violet glow. "He's dead."

Having the ability to confirm a kill was a nice power.

"You sense anything?" he asked.

"They’re moving down there, but that's it."

"Then let's smoke 'em out."

Priam hit the ground and headed towards the collapsed burrow. He cleared the entrance with [Kinetic Control] and then knelt beside the hole. About thirty centimeters in diameter, the tunnel plunged into the depths of the earth. Let’s hope the underground passages are connected...

Plunging his hand into the darkness, Priam summoned his fire concept. A burst of flame erupted from his hand, charring the tunnel's interior and devouring the oxygen. The fire spread into the depths following the Fire Sage's commands. At low power, this kind of technique only consumed the ambient aether.

"Smells good," Sphinx whispered.

"It's barbecue time."

Priam tapped into his aether reserves to fuel his concept. The fiery flow intensified, vitrifying the tunnel walls and incinerating everything in its path. Underground explosions occurred, and the ground cracked. In the distance, a fire geyser erupted from a burrow.

"It's gonna be too crispy," winced Sphinx.

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

PHYSICAL:Strength 420 Constitution 775 (+2)Agility 432 Vitality 668 (+2)Perception 652

MENTAL:Vivacity 359Dexterity 456 (+3) Memory 185Willpower 706Charisma 456

META:Meta-affinity 408 Meta-focus 298Meta-endurance 239 Meta-perception 170 Meta-chance 230Meta-authority 15Potential: 1124 (+4)Tier 0

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED

[Tribulation]: Five Tribulations pending.Future Tribulations delayed until:Time: 173 days 18 hours 58 minutes 13 seconds.Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 400 / 6 attribute > 600 / 1 attribute > 800