A Novel Concept

Priam opened his eyes briefly, only to close them again a few seconds later. Whether his eyes were open or not, he couldn't see anything. Nor could he hear anything. After the previous hours of battles, the silence was pleasant.

Although, with a few moments' concentration, Priam began to hear his heartbeat. Tiny squeaks were also perceptible, coming from... rubbing his clothes as he breathed. More than that, Priam now felt a call in a specific direction. He soon realized that his senses had evolved. His perception had finally surpassed 200, and a qualitative evolution could be felt. The smell of dust filled his nose when he concentrated but faded when he decided to. Priam could now smell his enemies' trail, which made him smile.

Suddenly, Priam remembered. The fight against Sphinx! He tried to take a deep breath before realizing a heavy mass was pressing against his chest.

He did a quick check-up. He was alive and in no pain. Nor had Priam experienced the moment of mental floating when his consciousness was torn from his body before being resuscitated.

He was almost bewildered by this information. He should have died. A pillar over two hundred meters high and more than a meter in diameter had fallen on him. Now that his brain seemed to work correctly, Priam calculated that this represented millions of tons. Even if the entire mass hadn't crashed directly into his body, he should have died, if only because of the shockwave. Perhaps I was protected from the damage by Sphinx's paw? No, something else must have happened...

Deciding to ask questions later, Priam tried to push back the mass weighing down on him. He pushed with all his might without success. A silky texture covered his hands and feet. The material was soft enough to deform without him being able to lift it completely. Priam realized that he was almost certainly trapped under Sphinx's paw. Suddenly, a thought crossed Priam's mind. I can feel my feet?!

His spine had been severely damaged by Sphinx. Only death or a miracle could have healed him quickly. But he hadn't died, so all that remained was a miracle.

Priam didn't believe in miracles except those he caused himself. He quickly opened his notifications to understand what had happened to him.

You have consumed a diluted Phoenix Tear. Synergies detected with [Humanity adapts], [Axolotl or Hydra?], and [Pseudo Phoenix].

The Phoenix Tear fully regenerated your body. Your Titles and Talents have strengthened your body.
STR +10
AGI +5
CONST +32
VIT +20
PERC +17
VIVA +5
META (END) +15

[Heartless], [Brainless] and [Axolotl or Hydra?] are ready for evolution. Please find a catalyst for their evolution or spend your Potential.

[Pseudo Phoenix] is ready for evolution. Presence of a catalyst detected. Use [Tear of a Phoenix of the Depths] or Potential (1876) to trigger evolution?

Not now. 1876 points of Potential… I haven't been conned like that since my parents made me believe in Santa Claus...

Evolution postponed.

New Title: [Admirer of Atlas] - Bronze].

[Admirer of Atlas] - Bronze] - The Titan Atlas held up the world. You didn't bend the knee in the face of death or a few million tons of rock. You failed to sustain your burden, but as a Tier 0, your effort was significant enough to grant you this Title. Keep pushing your limits; one day, you'll have the strength to break your chains.
STR +10%.

Lvl Up: [Erosion Resistance] lvl 10,11,12,13
META (END) +12
Lvl Up: [Blunt Resistance] lvl 11,...,17

CONST +7

An attribute greater than 200 points has been detected. A Tribulation is on its way.
Warning: If three attributes exceed 200 points or twelve attributes exceed 100 points, a Tribulation will occur.
[Tribulation]: Tribulations are coming.

Time: 50 hours 20 minutes 27 seconds.

The pillar's fall must have shattered the Tear in Priam's mouth. It had pulled him from the clutches of death. Priam was almost disappointed not to have received a Title for his attribute. Rereading the end of his notifications, he theorized that attributes must surely be validated by a Tribulation. Otherwise, the child of a God could have gorged himself on elixirs to increase his attributes and then earned Titles congratulating him on drinking Phoenix compote or Dragon syrup...

However, no one could fool the System. If the divine child didn't control his power, the Tribulations would destroy him.

The young man hesitated to trigger an evolution with the corrupted Tear. He remembered the System's warning.

This Tear tainted by the Depths allows influencing the consciousness of a Phoenix. Its consumption promises a rebirth.

Beware: when consumed, the influence of the Depths will arise to corrupt the surrounding environment.

Corrupting the environment wasn't a problem for Priam - although he'd always been careful to sort his waste before the apocalypse. But he didn't want to be corrupted himself. I need to find out more about the Depths...

Priam then examined his various gains. He was much more physically resistant but was especially eager to improve his physical resistance. A qualitative evolution would undoubtedly help him to face other Viscounts and Counts. Sphinx was first on the list, but Priam intended to squeeze the Moon and Reunion out of all they had to offer before attempting the fiftieth wave. Before returning to Elysium. Because if Priam knew anything, it was that Arnold and the other rivals must be training right now.

Suddenly [Eidetic Memory] and his Vivacity alerted him to something crucial. Where's my Title?! I should be Lord of the Dome. Or Viscount, at the very least. Don't tell me...

Priam instantly tried to sit up without success. He grimaced. If he was right, he had yet to deliver the coup de grace to Sphinx. Watching the timer of the approaching Tribulation, he had been unconscious for about nine minutes. This was undoubtedly the time needed for the Tear to repair and modify his body. His attributes had been incredibly boosted, and the synergy between his various Merits, Titles, Talents, and the Tear had been formidable. So formidable that Priam was now on the verge of a fourth tribulation. The Title to withstand a Triple Tribulation is bound to be incredible, he tried to convince himself. I just have to survive.

Priam sighed. He was between a rock and a hard place, and he knew it. Saving his family and himself required him to become as strong as possible in the shortest possible time. But rushing things was a surefire way to get annihilated by a Tribulation. Or several.

He was running ahead of an accelerating avalanche. The only way to stay alive was to run faster and faster. But how much faster could he go?

However, Priam had chosen his path. He preferred to go all out. Since the beginning of humankind, men and women have chosen to die on their feet rather than live in chains. It was a tough decision, but it was easier to stick to it once made. Priam's eyes were hard. He would live on his feet, eluding Death.

Right now, to become more powerful, he had to kill Sphinx. Priam materialized his mist, which filled the available space. After a few seconds, the fog saturated the area before finding an exit.

Priam had to wait another minute until his mist had taken up enough space outside to ride it. He reappeared in the throne room and contemplated a desolate sight. The pillar had fallen to the ground and shattered into several pieces larger than school buses. Most had hit the ground hard enough to break into even smaller pieces. Fortunately, the impact had not resulted in a domino effect, and the remaining pillars still supported the vault. Priam wondered for a moment. If the spatially augmented palace collapsed, how would the interior behave?

"Better not to test it. Although it might give me some spatial resistance?" muttered Priam.

He quickly turned his attention back to Sphinx. The creature didn't seem to be breathing, and for good reason, the pillar had crushed her torso. Most of her body lay under the rubble. Only her head remained intact, and Priam winced. If Sphinx devoured part of her body with each lost riddle, how would she eat her own head? She wouldn't. Answering riddles correctly could only take her interlocutor so far. In the end, you had to get your hands dirty. Brain and Brawn were needed to win this fight.

And he had to win before Sphinx woke up.

Priam began looking for his spear. He couldn't see himself swimming through the monster's carotid artery and digging out her brain by hand to triumph. Looking at the disaster caused by the falling pillar, he sighed for a second. Anyone who had ever searched for a spear in the debris of millions of tons of stone knew it was more painful than finding a needle in a haystack. Well, as Priam was the first human to search for a magic spear stuck under rocks, perhaps he wasn't exactly objective.

Three seconds after rolling up - virtually - his sleeves before he'd even started looking, Priam stopped. He'd always been a bit lazy but relied on his brain to get him out of sticky situations. Work smart, not hard. He closed his eyes and concentrated on [Bound Weapon]. A few moments later, he turned slightly to his left and took a few steps forward before clearing some chunks of stone. His spear was close by, and Priam quickly retrieved it.

As soon as he touched it, the young man noticed it had changed. He admired it for a few moments, seeing the fiery-colored lines that now ran across the weapon. Priam wasn't sure whether this was due to the Tear or his Titles, but the bound spear was evolving with him. Moreover, Priam instantly noticed that his weapon was as good as new. If the shock had damaged it, the Tear and their link had repaired it. Maybe [Axolotl or Hydra?] has made it more robust? I’ll have to run some tests...

Priam smiled as he moved quickly towards Sphinx. Sphinx's head was enormous when seen from afar and titanic seen up close. Gravity would normally have prohibited this kind of biology. Some dinosaurs had died of gigantism, and this was what should have happened to Sphinx. No organic tissue could support the creature's weight. The pressure required to send blood through the beast's entire body should have burst her vessels. But there she was, alive despite the absence of heart and lungs, proof of the miracles of the System and the Seven Concepts.

Priam circled Sphinx quickly. He winced as he saw a long piece of the pillar crushing the beast from the base of her neck to her rump. He had initially intended to pierce Sphinx's skull from behind. However, her abundant mane prevented him from carrying out this plan.

Priam circled Sphinx's head a second time. He hesitated between attacking the Boss's eye or her ears. He had already damaged one of the creature's eyes, and the wound hadn't fully healed yet. Sphinx had apparently prioritized her Constitution over her Vitality. Or perhaps it was slower to heal a beast weighing thousands of tons than a human weighing less than a hundred kilograms… However, Sphinx's eye hadn't exploded despite his first destructive attack, so it wasn't precisely a weak point.

Priam finally chose the ear. If Sphinx were to wake up, her Domain would prevent close-range attacks. At greater distances, Sphinx would have time to see his attack coming and counter it - by swallowing the spear, for example. Priam only had one spear, and if he lost it, he wouldn't wait two days in the Ducal Palace for the Lord of the Dome to decide to go to the toilet.

Imagining himself rummaging through two cubic meters of dung to find his spear, Priam shivered.

Priam looked at Sphinx's ear. It was so big that a four-year-old child could have slipped inside. Looking at the crushed neck, he decided that Sphinx wouldn't have the necessary range of movement to attack him if he positioned himself aside.

Priam chose a piece of a broken pillar a few dozen meters from Sphinx to prepare for battle. At this distance, he could observe and attack his opponent while still being far enough away to hope to dodge possible wind attacks by hiding behind the pillar. Moreover, without turning her head, Sphinx would have no way of seeing him.

Summoning his mist and raising his spear, Priam began to build up kinetic charges. He aimed to send his weapon into the ear canal to pierce the eardrum and everything behind it. It was time to end the fight.

Like an Olympic champion, he hurled his spear toward the gigantic ear. The weapon swallowed the distance between the two adversaries and penetrated the orifice, guided by Priam's mist. Priam heard a thud and saw Sphinx's head move under the brutality of the blow. A second later, he sighed and called up his weapon. He'd had no notification from the System.

Sphinx opened her mouth, but Priam didn't bother to plug his ears. Without lungs, the Boss could no longer roar. A disjointed sound faintly escaped Sphinx's lips before fading away.

Priam began to accumulate kinetic charges again. The monster's constitution was terrifying, but she'd lose the fight if she couldn't defend herself. Priam had no intention of leaving the throne room before he was crowned. He was even prepared to bring down the rest of the Palace if he had to...

As Priam prepared to attack again, he heard a tired voice directly in his head.

"You're hard to kill, human," she declared.

Priam paused for a quarter of a second before resuming. If Sphinx could speak, she could pose a riddle. Now that she had nothing to lose, Priam had no interest in answering.

The spear flew off very quickly. Sphinx shook her head at the last moment, and the spear struck her cheek, cutting it slightly. The flesh didn't bleed - which was to be expected, given that the Boss's heart had been destroyed.

Priam tried to call up his spear again, but it remained inert. Sphinx's domain had returned. Priam gritted his teeth. Without his spear, it would be difficult to defeat the Boss. He'd have to crash another pillar into Sphinx, and he'd have to spend his Potential and potentially a life to ensure the result. Even then, Sphinx had withstood the fall of the first pillar. By spending her Potential, she would withstand the second's fall.

Wincing, Priam massaged his forehead, pondering a stratagem. There had to be a way to win, he just had to find out what it was... Sphinx's voice was heard again.

"You can't kill me human. My wounds are stimulating my bloodline right now, which increases my Vitality. I'll be healed quickly and stronger than before. You can be proud of yourself, Priam. Despite your low extraction, you managed to earn a draw against a superior species. That's a victory in itself," declared Sphinx.

"I won't lose!" shouted Priam in anger. "This is just a game to you. Your riddles, this fight, you don't take me seriously! But I need this victory," he articulated, breathless.

Priam knew he was behaving like a spoiled child, asking for a victory he didn’t earn. But without this victory, he would lose his momentum. Instinctively, he knew he wouldn't finish the fiftieth wave and lose his family. Under the pressure of failure and sadness, he would lose motivation before dying in Elysium, killed by a rabbit or some other ridiculous monster.

"You're smart. Face the truth. You have no way of defeating me in combat. You have no Domain, no attack powerful enough to break through my defenses, and no riddle hard enough to ask me," said Sphinx.

Priam raised his head. “What do you mean?"

"Karma created me. I ask riddles and punish the losers. But those who ask riddles have to answer them too. If I can't answer one of your riddles, I'll die," explained Sphinx, closing her eyes.

Priam squinted, smelling a trap. Why would Sphinx reveal her weak point? Either it wasn't true, and failing to answer a riddle wouldn't affect her. Or it was true, but she didn't think she could lose. Which, given her arrogance, was entirely possible. But Sphinx had planted hope in him. He had to win, and at last, there was a possibility.

In any case, he had nothing to lose by trying. Except one life, if she succeeded... But then, that would mean this power would be real, so she could die too. Priam had made up his mind. At worst, he'd die gaining new resistance.

All he needed was an impossible riddle to solve. [Eidetic Memory] reminded Priam of the unsolvable mathematical problems and paradoxes he knew. I hope you like Millennium Prize Problems...

The rubble covering Sphinx's body began to shake as Priam pondered. She was healing, and time was running out. The draw proposal would no longer hold when Sphinx was free.

"I've got a riddle for you," Priam announced.

"I hope you know the solution, human. I love riddles, so let me warn you. Asking me a riddle that's paradoxical or for which you don't know the solution would result in a... punishment," she warned.

"... I'm a good player," Priam cleared his throat. She could be lying, but Priam didn't want to bet on it. There must have been some very complex mathematical problems, but Priam had never read their solution. He was a physicist and a chemist. He applied mathematics but didn't play with it. A complex riddle that takes time to solve... I know!

"Here's a simple puzzle. There are five houses.

The Englishman lives in the red house.
The Spaniard owns the dog.
Coffee is drunk in the green house.
The Ukrainian drinks tea.
The green house is immediately to the right of the ivory house. Your right.
The Old Gold smoker owns snails.
Kools are smoked in the yellow house.
Milk is drunk in the middle house.
The Norwegian lives in the first house.
The man who smokes Chesterfields lives in the house next to the man with the fox.
Kools are smoked in the house next to the house where the horse is kept.
The Lucky Strike smoker drinks orange juice.
The Japanese smokes Parliaments.
The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.

In the interest of clarity, it must be added that each of the five houses is painted a different color, and their inhabitants are of different national extractions, own different pets, drink different beverages, and smoke different brands of cigars…” Priam took a deep breath. One way or another, it was time to end this fight.

“Now, who drinks water? Who owns the zebra? You've got thirty seconds," said Priam with a smile. Don't let me down, Einstein!

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

PHYSICAL:
Strength 106
Constitution 156
Agility 131
Vitality 190
Perception 217

MENTAL:
Vivacity 148
Dexterity 132
Memory 36
Willpower 76
Charisma 98

META:
Meta-affinity 92
Meta-focus 80
Meta-endurance 55
Meta-chance 40

Potential: 267
Tier 0

[He Who Eludes Death] load: PRIMED

[Tribulation]: Tribulations are coming.
Time: 50 hours 10 minutes 37 seconds.