strictlysupreme Chapter 301: The Greed in Your Eyes
Chapter 301: The Greed in Your Eyes
Chapter 301: The Greed in Your Eyes
"What about a quadruple?" The being winked. "Pleasure meeting you in the flesh and soul, Priam. I’m Thaal, the Immortal Gambler, and the System has sent me to strike a deal."
Thaal. The name triggered alarms in Priam’s head, but the extraordinary control afforded by his Micro kept his eyes from widening.
"An honor to meet the Administrator of the Hope Sector," Priam replied, tilting his head slightly. His modern upbringing hadn’t covered etiquette for dealing with galactic overlords, but politeness seemed prudent. "My name is Priam Azura, and I suppose we’re both frustrating Death."
"Ah! An Immortal and an undying. Sounds like the beginning of a joke. Well, please, don’t let the fact that I could annihilate your entire civilization with a mere thought make you uncomfortable. Treat me as a peer... one you admire, of course. That reminds me—" The High Tier rummaged through one of his pockets, pulling out a piece of fabric. "Here, I’ve been meaning to give you this."
Priam unfolded the garment to reveal a red pair of boxers. Embroidered on the right cheek was the phrase "I like to" followed by a multicolored die—identical to the one dangling from the Immortal Gambler's belt.
"I like to... die? Is that a pun?"
"Indeed! It’s my specialty—after gambling. That’s celestial silk, spun from Tier 6 celestial silkworms. Very comfortable, I assure you. In fact, I’m wearing the same pair right now." Thaal tugged down his waistband slightly to reveal an identical underwear.
What. The. Fuck?
For a moment, Priam wondered if this might be an imposter. He had expected an august figure and was facing a clown.
[Identification]
[Thaal, the Immortal Gambler - System’s Admin] - The one and only. Now stop identifying me and feel how soft this silk is. That’s good shit.
Thaal pointed to the tag, where a "2," a die, and a "4" were printed. "It’s a rebus. ‘Two die four.’ Get it? I’ve just launched this luxury underwear brand, and let me tell you—it’s top-tier. No washing required! Just pass it through your Pyro flame daily to burn off any odors. Durable enough to protect your family jewels yet softer than a baby’s cheek."
"... It’s an underwear," Priam reminded him dryly.
"Hmm, true. I’ll have my marketing team brainstorm a pitch that doesn’t appeal exclusively to pedos. Anyway, it has other features." Thaal began stretching the fabric in every direction. "See how elastic it is? You can even use it as a condom. ‘Sorry, Esmée, the boxers stay on during sex.’ Normally, it’s satisfaction guaranteed or your money back, but since you didn’t pay for it..."
Priam stared silently for a moment. He hadn’t expected the admin to be this eccentric. Well, one can’t become an Immortal without a bit of madness...
"What do you think?"
"... Seems like a solid product," Priam replied reluctantly.
"Glad to hear it! I was tired of seeing you running around naked," Thaal said, turning away. "It should be your size."
After a few awkward seconds, Priam realized he was supposed to put the boxers on. Resigned, he complied, reminding himself the garment probably cost more than Promesse. The unnaturally soft silk against his skin did ease some of his irritation.
"Done."
Thaal turned back, scrutinized Priam’s lower half with unnerving intensity, then gave a thumbs-up. "Perfect."
"Ahem." Priam crossed his arms in front of his new underwear. "Back to the deal, the status of a messenger reflects the importance of the message. If the System sent a High Tier, the heart of the Deluge must be incredibly valuable..."
Thaal laughed, a sound as casual as it was unsettling. "The greed in your eyes! No wonder you absorbed that draconic bloodline so well." He raised a hand to stop Priam’s question. "The heart is rare, yes, but not rare enough to drag me to this backwater." With a snap of the High Tier’s fingers, the heart vanished from Priam’s draconic lung to reappear in his hand. "Beautiful thing, though."
Priam wasn't convinced. Of course, the High Tier wouldn’t outright admit the worth of something he wanted.
"Then you’re here for me? To collect on the favor you did by redacting [Tribulation Hunter] from my status?"
Thanks to his eidetic memory, Priam recalled the exact message he had received when [Tribulation Resistance] evolved into [Tribulation Hunter]:
Protocol Eight:
Next notifications hidden from moderators
[Tribulation Hunter] - [Identification] will show [Tribulation Resistance].
Message from administrator Thaal: You owe me one.
Even if he wasn’t certain that possessing the skill was inherently dangerous, Priam knew Thaal’s machinations had paved the way for the prerequisites of [Ciphered Record]. He intended to repay the service.
A gleam flickered in Thaal’s eyes. "I’ve got a feeling holding onto this favor will increase its value."
"I’m a bitcoin?" Priam grimaced.
"That’s what I’m hoping," winked the Immortal Gambler. "So far, you've never disappointed."
"Did you know?" Priam pointed to the Heart of the Deluge. "Did you foresee this when the System gave me [Tribulation Hunter]?"
Thaal shook his head. "There’s a misunderstanding. That alien skill of yours, which lets you interact with the essence of Tribulations, isn’t a gift from my employer. It’s born of [Tribulation Resistance], a System specialty, and your Patron’s Talent. Similar skills exist, but until now, no one was sure you could target the hearts of High Tribulations."
"Not even the Concepts?"
Status:
PHYSICAL:
Strength 893 SEALED
Constitution 1 383
Agility 1 173
Vitality 1 179
Perception 858
MENTAL:
Vivacity (D) 599 SEALED
Dexterity 752
Memory 891 SEALED
Willpower 1 012
Charisma 653
META:
Meta-affinity 999
Meta-focus 554
Meta-endurance 899 SEALED
Meta-perception 539
Meta-chance 589 SEALED
Meta-authority 343
Potential: 17 597
Tier 0
Sun points: 143 444
[He Who Eludes Death] charge: OFF/ Reloaded in 19 hours 36 minutes 7 seconds.
Concepts:
Breath (T0): 100% / HarmonyFire (T0): 100% / UnityPyro (T1): 100% / Half-step UnityMist (T1): 100% / Symphony
Bloodlines:
Phoenix: 2%Dragon: 1%
Rewards standing:
Fusion Token - Skill (Epic) Evolution Token - Skill (Legendary)Affinity Token - Tier 1 (30%)Alien Concept fragment (7th Terror)Talent Token - Upgrade (Seraph)Revelation Token - Ideal Prerequisites (Epic)Colosseum VIP TokenReborn Token - Reset biological lifespan (Legendary)
[Tribulation]: Six Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 132 days 20 hours 5 minutes 20 seconds.
Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 600 / 6 attributes > 900 / 3 attributes > 1 200 / 1 attribute > 1 500
Next arc already complete on Patreon if you want to find out what happens next!
https://www.patreon.com/ANovelConcept