A Novel Concept - A death a day, MC will live anyway!

Chapter 285: The World Keeps Spinning

Under the sinister glow of the Necromoon, Oasis thrived. Log-a-rhythm’s domain expanded as its Lord trained harder with every passing day. Fatigue and pain would have broken most men, but not Priam. The grass of the sanctuary could be soaked with his sweat, sometimes even his blood, but never his tears. He knew the cost of failure, a memory so sharp it was still hurting him.

Time slipped by, and the young warrior proved once again why he had been chosen as Death's Obsession. Neither suffering nor fear could sway him from his goal. He was the Juggernaut.

The wall of Tribulations stood tall, but Priam chose discipline to scale it. Competitive by nature, he had always prepared diligently for challenges... but never this hard. He couldn’t take a breath without thinking about his progress, his weaknesses, and how to overcome them. Priam had a goal, and he would do anything to reach it.

Unknowingly, his determination spread to the other residents of Oasis. The hoplites didn’t really need it, constantly driven by their generals, but the survival lull had softened the crafters. Tribulations didn’t seem so deadly when no one was dying—only Louis was still brooding over Mirscella's departure.

The stress of Priam, the immortal Champion capable of impossible feats, reignited their fears. Alain, Rose, and Myuri cut their breaks to the bare minimum their vitality allowed. Even Sphinx seemed affected. The child often followed Moonie on her hunts for the corrupted, claiming she wanted to befriend the wyrm, but Priam had caught her honing her gravity skill against the stronger ones. That turned out to be useful during the fourth Necro wave, which hit Oasis two weeks after Kazuki’s Tribulation.

The undead hordes gathered in numbers, yet it wasn’t enough. Jasmine and Kazuki obliterated the two Tier 3 commanders, while Priam defended half the wall alone. Whether it was a thousand or a million, the number of enemies didn’t matter against a Pyro Sage. With no boss to distract him, Priam was a weapon of mass destruction—utterly unstoppable.

The ongoing war reshaped the inhabitants of Oasis, forging them anew and strengthening their bonds. Nothing brought people together like a common enemy. A secondary consequence was the massive influx of Sun Points. After purchasing the resources needed for a memory trap, the rest were invested in Oasis' defenses. Priam had witnessed the devastation caused by the Tribulation of Dishnu, and he would be damned if he let his home get destroyed again.

Protective Barrier VI (250 000 points) - A protective barrier capable of covering 25 000 square meters and stopping attacks from a strong Tier 0 Elysian Marquess. ACQUIRED

Protective Barrier VII (500 000 points) - A protective barrier capable of covering 50 000 square meters and stopping attacks from a weak Tier 0 Elysian Duke. ACQUIRED

Necro Purification Ritual VI (250 000 points) - A ritual purifying the ambient aether from the curse of the Necromoon. Covers 25 000 square meters. ACQUIRED

Necro Purification Ritual VII (500 000 points) - A ritual purifying the ambient aether from the curse of the Necromoon. Covers 50 000 square meters. ACQUIRED

Guardian of the Forest VI (250 000 points) - A ritual elevating the status of a Guardian of the Forest. Strengthens the symbiotic relationship between the two parties. Increases the Guardian's domain size to 25 000 square meters. ACQUIRED

Guardian of the Forest VII (500 000 points) - A ritual elevating the status of a Guardian of the Forest. Strengthens the symbiotic relationship between the two parties. Increases the Guardian's domain size to 50 000 square meters. ACQUIRED

Rampart VI (125 000 points) - Blueprint (half the cost of a straight improvement). ACQUIRED

Rampart VII (500 000 points) - Improvement. ACQUIRED

[Rampart VII - Legendary - Tier 0] - Created by Alain Azura, Rose Williams, Bertomne Gah’l, Lamnas Foen and improved by the Sun Shop.

A fortification a hundred and four meters long, five high, twenty deep, and three wide. The exterior is made of skill-augmented obsidian sand to absorb shockwaves. The heart is built with reinforced Tal Quercus wood, providing some flexibility to the structure.

Only the incessant assault of a Tier 0 Elysian Duke could damage this wall.

Active Enchantments:

Resilience (VII)

Solidity (VII)

Boundary (VII)

Relay - Barrier (VII)

With these upgrades, Oasis now covered five hectares, a circle with nearly a hundred and thirty meters of radius. The protective barrier, powered by Log-a-rhythm, stretched across the sky, casting a dim glow over the domain at night. To ensure its optimal functioning, investments were made in the Necro Purification Ritual and the Guardian of the Forest. There was no point expanding if the majority of the land was ravaged by the Necromoon’s curse.

The newly protected trees shared their Potential with the Tal Quercus, allowing Priam to purchase Protection IV and Abundance - Aether III. The former reinforced Log-a-rhythm’s wood holistically, which proved useful in strengthening the rampart. The latter was welcome as more ambient energy accelerated everyone’s progress.

Thus, the environment was as optimal as possible for training. In a world as perilous as Elysium, Oasis truly lived up to its name.

Under the sanguine light of the Necromoon, the forest had become a place of decay. Photosynthesis no longer worked, and the trees shed their leaves, which now formed a thick carpet, hiding fallen branches and corpses beneath them. ŔãNó฿ËŜ

In a forgotten valley, a young man moved with caution. Every time his feet sank into the debris, he prayed he wouldn’t trigger a trap. Without his Domain to scan the ground, he felt blind. The caw of a crow echoed through the underbrush, and he resumed his path, focusing on the footwork technique his addon had recorded.

Priam’s gait was almost hypnotic, each step as slow as it was fluid, his movements cautious yet smooth. There was a cryptic rhythm to it, a natural grace that called to mind a chameleon. Thanks to the raw lizard heart he was gifted by Ophis during the erased timeline, Priam recognized the supernatural aspect of his movements.

If runes were patterns that resonated with the aether to alter reality, his current walk was no different. It must have taken the Snaherts centuries to perfect these steps, and now Priam was reaping the benefits for free. Maybe it was for the best—at least Ophis wouldn’t end up possessed by the shaman’s heart in this timeline. Honestly, he should thank me for conning him, Priam smirked.

The thought broke his concentration, and a thin branch cracked under his foot. Five hundred meters ahead, his prey froze. The specter unfurled its aura, its nearly blind eyes scanning the woods for any sign of a soul.

Rather than stop, Priam continued forward, using his toes to shift a twig that was in his way. He swayed gently, mimicking the motion of a drunk chameleon. The undead Tier 3 turned in his direction. By all rights, Priam should have been spotted, but no explosion disturbed the eerie calm of the haunted forest.

Jasmine was an unconventional teacher, but her unorthodoxmethods worked. For the past two weeks, they had spent every night playing tag in the middle of a haunted forest, and it had paid off. Priam had learned a lot about stealth while having fun. He was almost certain that it sped up his progress.

[Phantom - Rare] has reached level 40, its maximum level as a rare skill. Prerequisites met:

Temporarily deceive the perception of a Tier 4.Master the Chameleon’s legacy movement technique.Devour a Tier 2 Chameleon’s heart.Absorb the essence of a Tier 4 Ghost.Mask your spiritual breath.Stalk a Noble of a higher rank than yours for an hour.Defeat a Tier 3 with a surprise attack.

Please select five prerequisites for the ideal upgrade.

Priam had secured the first three prerequisites thanks to a deal with the Snaherts during the erased timeline. Ophis had tipped him off about the last two, but it was up to Priam to unlock them himself. The fifth one had been tricky, until Jasmine remembered that Osiris was now a Prince. Priam was pretty sure he and Seth had figured out a way to kill the Necro Envoy possessing Mirscella. How had they managed it? Should he take precautions? These questions were tricky. Anyway, spying on the teen for an hour checked off the requirement.

With Breath unlocked, five prerequisites had been fulfilled and [Phantom] had offered an upgrade. Priam had turned it down. The Snaherts’ method worked, but it would have led to an upgrade focused on chameleon-style camouflage. That might have been perfect for a clan of snakes, but it wasn’t Priam’s path. Inspired by the prerequisites he knew, he had bought the essence of a Tier 4 ghost at the Auctions and devoured it. The stunt had knocked him out for several hours, until [Spirit Resistance] had saved him. It wasn’t the only resistance that had leveled up over the past two weeks.

Lvl Up: [Spirit Resistance] lvl 20, 21, 22, 23

WILL +12

Tonight, he had completed the final task: assassinating a Tier 3. As elusive as a ghost, as silent as held breath, and as deadly as a hidden blade—this was the path Priam had chosen for [Stealth] to evolve.

“Too bad about that chameleon movement technique,” Jasmine sighed.

“I’m sure it’ll come in handy for upgrading [Art of Movement].”

“No, I meant it was funny watching you walk like that.”

“Fuck you,” Priam shot back, grinning as he confirmed his choices.

[Phantom - Rare] has reached level 40, its maximum level as a rare skill. Prerequisites met:

Temporarily deceive the perception of a Tier 4.Absorb the essence of a Tier 4 Ghost.Mask your spiritual breath.Stalk a Noble of a higher rank than yours for one hour.Defeat a Tier 3 with a surprise attack.

Ideal Upgrade unlocked :

[Nature of the Assassin - Epic] - A stealthy apparition, so elusive that your enemies doubt your presence until their last breath. Potential Cost: 320

“I like [Phantom] better,” Priam muttered. Mama Apo had told him he could rename his skills, and he saw no reason to change them with every upgrade.

Unless the new name was seriously cool.

You have selected the skill [Phantom - Epic].

POT -320

[Phantom - Epic] - The child knows which stair step creaks. The thief slips into homes under the cover of night. The anonymous person hides among the crowd. For them, stealth is a shield. For the assassin, it’s a weapon. A hunter without a pulse or breath, your prey has no way of knowing you’re coming. Even if they did, would it make a difference?

In many ways, you are a ghost. This skill helps you evade your enemies' perception until you can strike the first blow.

This skill won't help you ghost your mother. You have twenty-six missed calls.

AGI +6

DEXT +3

“Now what?” Jasmine asked, decapitating a corrupted creature dumb enough to challenge her.

“I think I just figured out a way to temper my first resistance,” Priam said, scanning his new skill description. “Time to start dying again.”

[Tribulation]: Five Tribulations pending.

Future Tribulations delayed until:

Time: 137 days 8 hours 1 minutes 12 seconds.

Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 600 / 6 attributes > 900 / 1 attribute > 1 200

Next arc already complete on Patreon if you want to find out what happens next!

/ANovelConcept