ALL NOVEL Chapter 255: Knight of the Aether
“What are you waiting for? Upgrade your skill,” Gryphe growled, starting to pack away the cards. The game wasn’t over, but the old shaman had no desire to play a hopeless round.
Priam smiled, recognizing she was a sore loser, but still complied.
Prerequisites met:
- Your eyes capture a light spectrum ranging from middle ultraviolet (200 nm) to thermal infrared (15 000 nm).
- You have corrected your infrared-ultraviolet color deficiencies.
- You have pierced infrared and ultraviolet camouflage.
- You possess an epic upgrade of [Aether Perception].
- First milestone of Perception unlocked.
Ideal Upgrade unlocked :
[Ideal Lightless Vision - Rare] - Allows you to distinguish your environment, even in total darkness. Potential Cost: 40
My first rare Ideal skill… I prefer the name [Dark Vision], Priam thought, recalling his conversation with Mama Apo.
Updated.
[Ideal Dark Vision - Rare] - Allows you to distinguish your environment, even in total darkness. Potential Cost: 40
You have selected the skill [Ideal Dark Vision - Rare].
POT -40[Ideal Dark Vision - Rare] - Brief Explanation: This skill extends the electromagnetic spectrum you perceive and reads the aethereal history of the light particles entering your eyes. You can now see in the dark.
Detailed Explanation: To see, your eyes capture photons created or diffused by matter. This skill allows you to comprehend the aether constituting these light particles, giving you information about their previous collisions or origin. A certain number of photons are necessary to see, but your body’s heat naturally produces enough infrared to perceive your immediate environment. After diffusion, some of these photons are absorbed by your eyes and convey the data they have collected.
If you understand the detailed explanation, you’re a scientist. Otherwise, your ignorance is compensated by a higher probability of an active sex life.
PERC +3
This fucking System…
Lvl Up: [Dark Vision] lvl 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
PERC +15
As he watched the levels tick by, Priam realized his add-on had already analyzed his new skill. Looking up, he took a moment to observe the tent shrouded in darkness. The only light was the infrared emitted by his own heat and that of the shaman. Invisible to the human eye, it diffused through the room before returning to his eyes. Despite the absence of visible light, he saw most objects in color. The aether constituting the infrared photons conveyed certain properties of the matter they interacted with, including color nuances.
The problem was that his vision was as blurry as a low-quality video. The scarcity of infrared photons hindered high resolution.
“Well?”
“It works. I can see quite well.” Priam began to scan his surroundings, noticing he saw nearby objects more clearly than distant ones. Using his [Kinetic Control]
, he slightly increased his body temperature and smiled as his vision improved. “As it stands, I can see thanks to my own heat, but if I cool my body to be less visible, it won’t work anymore. I thought it would work even without light particles.”“It’s just a rare skill.” the shaman scoffed. “If you want to see without any light, you’ll need to rely on a Concept, and that requires at least Legendary rarity. Now stop bothering me and go train with the other spheres.”
“Yes, grandma,” Priam joked, standing up as the light returned. The shaman shot him a dirty look, but he pretended not to notice. After all, there was no light in the room.
Of the sixty spheres Gryphe had previously summoned, he had already studied twenty for the first twenty levels of [Broad-spectrum Vision]. Forty remained... or rather thirty-four, as he could easily see the words contained in the first six orbs.
Analyzing the already decoded spheres, he noticed that this time, the words were formed from a sort of mist that moved with his position. The particles composing the letters reflected ambient light like tiny diamonds.
“For the first thirty spheres, you need to find information about the matter—color, density, atomic composition, etc.—that constitutes the mist,” Gryphe said. “The particles are reflective, so they will provide information about yourself. It’s a prerequisite for the next ideal upgrade.”
Priam nodded, examining the seventh sphere. His Mist Concept didn’t react; it wasn’t really mist.
For five minutes, Priam used his new skill, trying to understand and decode the aether packets arriving with each photon. He quickly realized that, despite his inhuman calculation ability, it was nearly impossible. The room's bright light meant that hundreds of millions of photons entered his pupils every second. Even with my add-on and two parallel thoughts, I’m far from being able to handle this much data...
The skill automatically analyzed the packets to find the color of objects, but Priam was far from being able to do that manually. Yet, that was what was expected of him...
“I need to select a few packets at random and then study them,” he realized. Behind him, Gryphe had opened a book and didn’t bother to respond.
Priam sighed, looking again at the dozens of spheres before him. It would take a long time to level up the skill and meet all the prerequisites. Unfortunately, I don’t have months to spare.
He had less than a day left before rewinding time and a lot of important things to do if he hoped to save Sphinx, Kazuki, and everyone else. Using Micro to keep his stomach from knotting with stress, Priam made a decision.
If he couldn’t obtain the epic ideal skill tonight, he would need to train later. Of course, he didn’t plan to exchange the fulcrum for a new ideal upgrade again.He didn’t have many options left.
I have to copy the spheres.
It was the perfect solution because, in addition to obtaining the ideal upgrade, he would help his friends and improve his mastery of aether and runes. Studying one of the Aelbes’ treasures at leisure was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
As the idea grew increasingly tempting to Priam, a part of his brain warned him of the danger. It was madness; if he were caught, he would almost certainly be executed and have to rewind time without ever facing Sumstreh. Who was he to dare study confidential runes right under the nose of a Tier 4 shaman?
Priam felt adrenaline surge through his body. Instead of being terrified by the prospect of death, he was exhilarated by the challenge. I didn’t get this far by being a pussy!
It was settled. Priam glanced at Gryphe, but the Tier 4 seemed absorbed in her research. She must have believed the spheres created and enhanced by generations of shamans were perfect and their protection infallible. She wasn’t necessarily wrong, as Domain and [Ideal Aether Perception] had difficulty observing the spheres’ mechanisms. Some runes seemed to blur his meta-perception, obscuring the ritual’s workings, and others eluded his senses.
However, she couldn’t have predicted that Priam was willing to sacrifice his future to gain the power to steal the Aelbes’ secrets.
Priam hesitated for a moment, weighing the betrayal of the shaman’s trust, before steeling his hearts. He had chosen Back in Time over Lord Fifth and had to make the most of it.
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.
[Soul Scarred - Gold] - Tier 0: Just like your body, your soul is now capable of regenerating to some extent.
[Breathless - Silver] - Tier 1: Second Breath, Second Wind: restores your body to its most exceptional form possible.
[Lava Summoner - Silver] - Tier 0: Gaïa’s Wrath. You can awaken any Plinian-class volcano near you, once a week.
9 Unused Merit Points.
[Ace - Legendary] - Tier 2: Talented Candidate: Choose one of your Talents from the list and evolve it. ACQUIRED
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List: Aether Citizen, Promesse, Chimera, Spectral Familiarity.Aether Citizen.
[Ace - Legendary] - Tier 3: Evolved Candidate: Choose one of your primitive attributes and evolve it. ACQUIRED
Meta Perception.
[Ace - Legendary] - Tier 4: Mutated Candidate: Choosea part of your body and let one of your Concepts or Affinities metamorphose it. NEW
As a terrible and invisible power began to gather around him, Priam hesitated. Sumstreh remained the priority, reserving six Merit points for [Iconoclast - Legendary]. He only had one Tree of Merit left to choose...
Glancing at his list, he finally settled on a situational Title.
[Polyglot - Bronze] - Tier 0: Increases your affinity with foreign alphabets and characters. ACQUIRED
The phoenix had confirmed that runes were considered an alphabet, making it the obvious choice for understanding the runes he didn’t yet know.
[Polyglot - Bronze] - Tier 1: Increases your affinity with magical alphabets and characters.
NEW6 Unused Merit Points.
Half of Priam’s draconic vivacity was occupied with controlling his body to ensure Gryphe didn’t suspect anything.
The other half marveled at the changes taking place within him.
[Citizen of the Aether - Silver] becomes [Knight of the Aether - Gold]!
[Knight of the Aether - Gold] - Temper your body, ennoble your mind, baptize your soul. These three steps bring you closer to the primal and eternal energy that is aether. As a Knight, your mind begins to dialogue with the aether, and your clearance level increases.
Unlike many changes, the ennobling of his mind didn’t cause Priam pain. On the contrary, he felt a sort of clarity envelop him, followed by a sense of belonging. Retracing the steps of one’s childhood, returning home after a long sea voyage, or even seeing Earth from space—these experiences resonated with the human soul, awakening a nostalgia tinged with simple happiness.
This was what Priam felt as the energy constituting his soul and body embraced his ego, making him understand that he was loved by the Aether. He existed, and the world rejoiced in it.
Better yet, this new identity granted him rights over the primordial fluid.
It feels so good to finally spend my Merit points! Priam exulted, feeling his rejuvenated mind.
Before he could truly grasp his new abilities, a portal opened at the very heart of his soul. The passage was familiar, but most of the time, Priam initiated it to exchange his Potential for certain revelations.
Today, an immense and pure flow of power traversed the rift in reverse, flooding his soul space. The wave bathed his Concepts, Supremacies, and Sumstreh’s mark without drowning them, leaving only a crystalline film on the surface of his soul’s layers. When the deluge receded, the crystals fused with their support, gently finalizing the evolution of meta-perception.
Meta attributes commanded the ability to interact with the aether, and among them, the role of meta-perception was evident. The higher the stat, the more finely the soul perceived the fluid. The resolution of his Domain increased proportionally, allowing him to capture smaller energy variations. This acuity was necessary to unlock a skill like [Divination Interception].
When the passage at the center of his soul closed, cementing the changes, Priam waited. A few seconds later, the sound of a page turning confirmed that the shaman suspected nothing. According to his add-on, his transformation had been purely spiritual, but how could he know what a Tier 4 could feel?
Reassured, Priam reconnected his Domain and immediately sensed the difference. His Supremacy resonated with his soul, and the crystals on its surfaces detected new signals. Summoning [Ideal Aether Perception], he observed the runes constituting the floating sphere before him and was surprised to see them colored. Don’t tell me...!
Foreign Concepts were a dimension of the aether that eluded his perception. Until today. The evolution of meta-perception now allowed him to discern them.
Priam smiled as Eve would no longer be able to manipulate his immediate memory without him seeing the attack coming. In the same way, Jasmine would have to double her efforts to catch him off guard. She’s going to be disappointed, he grinned.
The forest blurred past Jasmine’s eyes. Every corrupted that crossed her path was twisted like a rag by its own shadows, but she wasn't going out of her way to accumulate more Sun points. Time was pressing and with the time rewind, it was useless anyway.
As the cursed forest seemed to stretch infinitely, she soon crossed a boundary. The bare trunks became covered with strange leaves and exotic moss. Some bioluminescent, others as black as night, no two canopies were alike. Jasmine stopped at the ruined temple, parted the toxic vines masking the entrance, and descended into a recently fitted-out cavern.
In the depths, a child was building a snowman. As Jasmine approached, she realized her mistake. It wasn’t snow; it was bone.
“Is that a golem or a boneman?” she asked.
Osiris turned and shouted with joy.
“Jasmine!” he cried, running towards her before stopping, hesitant.
The young woman smiled and stepped forward, pulling the child into a hug.
“Hey, Osiris!”
“You're—suffocating—me!”
“Oh, sorry,” Jasmine apologized, pushing the child away, now red as a beet.
“PERVERT!” roared a voice from beyond the grave. Seth entered from outside, and Jasmine was surprised by his human appearance. He pointed a trembling finger at her. “Let go of my brother!”
“Or else what?” she smirked.
A dark aura covered the corrupted rival's hands, giving Jasmine goosebumps.
“You—”
“Seth, it’s fine,” Osiris cut in, sounding worried.
His older brother fixed his crimson eyes on him. The child flinched but didn’t back down.
“You know what Mom would say if she were here? ‘Let the adults talk, sweetheart.’ You haven't forgotten Mom, have you?” The necromancer's voice was both gentle and menacing. Jasmine opened her mouth but closed it again, meeting Osiris's gaze.
“I miss Mom too, but Jasmine is a friend.”
The necromancer muttered something before sitting by the fire to watch the assassin.
“She’s not our friend. She’s a snake who uses her fat tits to manipulate you. I’ve already told you to block your hormones.”
“At least I have fat,” Jasmine retorted, sitting as far from the lunatic as possible. His smell of decaying flesh stung her nose. “You’re nothing but skin and bones. And they’re not even yours.”
“Funny you should say that,” Seth replied with a tone that sent a shiver down Jasmine’s spine.
“Don’t tell me…”
“Once rejuvenated, your bones are quite solid.”
Disgusted, Jasmine gritted her teeth. Leaving her old body, she had suspected what would happen, but there was a difference between knowing and seeing.
“Is that all? No reaction? I see why you rolled over so easily for the First…”
The assassin ignored the necromancer’s taunting smile with great difficulty. This wasn’t the time to fight; Priam had given her a mission, and she would see it through. And when the time comes, I will take great pleasure in reclaiming my bones.
“Um… Could you tell us why you’re here?” Osiris asked with a strained smile.
“For the Fallen. Is your brother ready to summon a Tier 4 necro?”
“I thought the First allied with the tribes.”
“My boss prefers to be cautious.”
Osiris turned to his older brother, who shrugged. “It’ll take about ten million corrupted souls to summon a Tier 4,” Seth said, making a diamond appear in his hand. Jasmine recognized it as the focal that enabled her body swap. “Gathering all that will take time, but I should be ready in two or three months. In return, I want the Fallen’s bones.”
Jasmine shook her head.
“The confrontation is tomorrow night, and you’ll get the bones if you manage to direct the Tier 4. Give me the crystal; I’ll charge it by tomorrow morning.”
“Ten million Corrupted by tomorrow morning?” Seth laughed as he tossed her the diamond. “You must have lost your mind. Do you realize how much that is, ten million?”
Jasmine smiled at Osiris and left without bothering to reply. She was sure Priam had an explosive plan in mind.
He always did.
Status:
PHYSICAL:
Strength 755
Constitution 1 195
Agility 897
Vitality 1 147
Perception 814 (+22)
MENTAL:
Vivacity (D) 599
Dexterity 673
Memory 864
Willpower 1 168
Charisma 697
META:
Meta-affinity 829
Meta-focus 417
Meta-endurance 710
Meta-perception (A) 346
Meta-chance 274
Meta-authority 228
Potential: 12 642 (-28)
Tier 0
Sun points: 1 487 266 (+42)
[He Who Eludes Death] charge: PRIMED
[Tribulation]: Five Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 152 days 18 hours 30 minutes 51 seconds.
Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 600 / 6 attributes > 900 / 1 attribute > 1 200