New [Poison Body] upgrade available:
[Neurotoxins Proof - Epic] - Your nervous system has developed near-immunity to Tier 1 neurotoxins. High upgrade potential. Potential Cost: 160.
The mechanism of action for neurotoxins was straightforward: disrupt the nervous system. In layman’s terms, that meant seizures, muscle weakness, loss of coordination, numbness, and paralysis.
No one had ever called Priam a coward—he wouldn’t have picked the Impossible Tutorial if he were—but being trapped inside his own body definitely ranked in the top three of his worst experiences. Right after mutilating his own soul for his add-on and growing up as his mother’s son.
So, despite the fever and confusion, panic had gripped Priam when he felt the poison steadily robbing him of motor control. In his distress, he had even headbutted the tank with the back of his skull. Despite the enchantments woven into the glass, it had cracked—along with his consciousness.
Losing control, he made the mistake of inhaling. The sensation of fluid invading his lungs triggered a violent coughing fit, right up until paralysis reached them too. Knowing he had wasted his oxygen reserves, Priam mentally started a countdown.
At the bottom of a tank filled with venom, not even a fish could breathe. Together with paralysis, it should have spelled death for him, but Priam was adept at staying alive. Over the past month, he had maxed out [Asphyxia Resistance] by diving into the Deluge and training with Breath. The skill’s ideal upgrade would come once he achieved Unity with the Concept, but for now, it let him hold his breath for over an hour. Hopefully, he wouldn’t need more than that.
By the time his vitality had healed his head trauma and weakness, Priam’s cells had adapted to the neurotoxins—and to an impressive number of other poisons.
New [Poison Body] upgrade available:
[Mithridatism - Epic] - By ingesting numerous toxins, you have developed resistance to a thousand different venoms. High upgrade potential. Potential Cost: 160.
A thousand venoms? No wonder this Gu trial took so long to prepare…
With every beat of his hearts, Priam’s mind grew sharper. His blood circulated the toxins to his liver, which tirelessly neutralized them. Not a single cell in the organ was the same as it had been five minutes earlier. For every hundred cells the venom killed, one adapted and multiplied, spreading its newfound immunity across the entire gland—and eventually his whole body.
Priam grinned as he read the name of the fourth upgrade—the penultimate prerequisite he needed. Mithridates was the name of an ancient king who sought poison immunity by taking small daily doses. At the end of his life, fearing capture, he tried to kill himself with hemlock. Legend says he failed, and a mercenary’s blade ended his reign. Iron succeeded where poison had failed.
The usefulness of this ideal prerequisite was obvious: his epic resistance could now develop immunity to any toxin he survived. Perfect for my build.
Beyond heralding a radiant future, [Mithridatism] rendered the Gu trial almost trivial. Aside from the venom of a few insects lurking at the bottom of the tank, the Juggernaut was now impervious to the toxins that once bathed him in agony. What had been a hostile fluid was now the equivalent of a nourishing soup. Wonder if it tastes any good.
Drinking his own bathwater was undeniably disgusting, but curiosity got the better of him. In the darkness of his tank, Priam flicked his tongue like a snake. His eyes lit up in surprise at the peppery tang of the poison blend. His empty stomach growled. After a brief hesitation, he swallowed a few more gulps.
For science.
Once sated, Priam scanned the Gu carpet beneath him, searching for the final prerequisite. The swarm of insects had begun to writhe with abnormal vigor—an unmistakable sign of agitation. The Juggernaut would have bet his only boxer shorts that the shaman’s directives were currently hijacking their instincts, goading the fiercest of them into attack mode.
As Priam braced himself for the final stings of those horrors, a ripple in the water drew his attention. He frowned and looked up. Something just dropped into the tank. Kazuki was supposed to prevent that…
Still unable to project his Domain beyond his body, Priam focused on his skin and the sensation of liquid sliding over it. The faintest current might reveal whatever had disturbed his trial.
His brow furrowed deeper when he sensed nothing. The tank was silent. So quiet he could only hear the rhythmic pounding of his hearts. Not even the insects?
For the first time, the infamous Gu were motionless. That, combined with his instincts now on high alert, set Priam on edge. What could possibly be terrifying enough to silence creatures that vile and mindless?
The answer came swiftly. Something landed on his arm, and Priam chose to remain completely still. Eight legs? Not an insect. Judging by the size… the scorpion?
If he was right, then Esmée had fulfilled her part of the deal, and Kazuki had delivered. Which means I’ve got a deadly monster crawling up my arm.
The deduction was easy, but Priam knew better than to trust the obvious. “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so,” Mark Twain had said. To honor the man, Priam channeled his Heroic Aura into his pupils and opened his eyes. The darkness was impenetrable. Ignoring the sting in his retinas—the Gu trial was trying to digest his eyes, although with little success—he summoned light runes beneath the skin of his arm. They glowed softly, revealing a creeping silhouette climbing his flesh.
[Heroic Identification]
[Infernal Gu Tamulus - Tier 3 - Viscount] - A scorpion that transcended its origins after consuming a Fire Concept fragment and a Blood Concept fragment. The fusion of both birthed the Plasma Concept, which it uses to ignite the blood of its victims.
Having survived a Gu trial, its flames are now also toxic.
Its carapace is unusually durable, and it is fireproof.
Attributes:
Physical (3 000), Mental (1 000), META (5 000)
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Weaknesses:
- Vulnerable to cold
- Hypnotized by certain movements—in nature, it dances to mate
- Venom glands nearly depleted
Well, if that’s not the most beautiful abomination I’ve ever seen, Priam smiled. With that thing, it’s not just [Poison Resistance] that’s about to level up… if I survive its sting.
Priam wasn’t too worried. As a Pyro Sage at Unity, he refused to believe that an arthropod could outclass his mastery of flame. Once his poison resistance reached epic rarity, he was confident he could withstand the monster’s venom. Kazuki had made the right call by sending it.
Feeling eight legs reach his elbow, then crawl up to his shoulder, Priam lost his smile. He wanted nothing to do with the thing until his resistance upgrade came through. Unfortunately, the arthropod didn’t seem inclined to wait.
As the scorpion reached his neck, the Juggernaut sighed. There was only one way to buy time.
Ten minutes later, a System prompt made Priam stumble. He recovered immediately, continuing to dance the Macarena to keep the scorpion perched on his head mesmerized. Light runes tattooed beneath his skin were illuminating the tank. Priam prayed that no one, ever, would learn what had just transpired.
[He Who Eludes Death] couldn’t save him from dying of shame.
Reading the System notification snapped him out of his mortified thoughts.
New upgrade for [Poison Body] available:
[Gu Body - Epic] - Thirty minutes immersed in a Gu trial has not felled you. High upgrade potential. Potential Cost: 160
[Poison Body - Rare] has reached level 40, its maximum level as a rare skill.
Prerequisites met:
- More poison than blood has once flowed through your veins
- Near-immunity to Tier 1 hemotoxins
- Near-immunity to Tier 1 neurotoxins
- Acquired resistance to a thousand poisons
- Endured an (epic) Gu trial for thirty minutes
Ideal Upgrade unlocked:
[Poison Physique - Epic] - You’re a toxic boy. Ideal upgrade potential. Potential Cost: 320
Almost surprised the skill name isn’t a mouthful—but honestly, it’s perfect. I’m sold.
POT -320
[Poison Physique - Epic] - You replaced your blood with poison before diving into a Gu trial. Baptized in that deadly bath, your cells were reborn, now ignoring most toxins. Your liver, blood, brain, and nerves have all been transformed by the experience.
Neither spring pollen nor soda sugar scares you anymore. You are the ultimate American.
Note: This Trait synergizes with [Four Headed Hydra], rendering your blood extremely toxic. You can no longer donate to hospitals, but your popularity is bound to skyrocket among spice-loving vampires.
CONST +6
VIT +3
No more Meta endurance, Priam noted with satisfaction. This was his ninth ideal resistance, and possibly a candidate for a Gate. Nothing was set in stone, but he wasn’t closing any doors. I’ll deal with it later. Now, it’s time for my shot.
He turned his attention to the scorpion perched on his head and grabbed it with two fingers on each side of its shell. Priam had played with enough crabs as a kid to know where to place his hands to avoid the claws.
Of course, that didn’t protect him from the tail. Abruptly yanked out of its trance by the end of the dance and the hand looming above it, the creature panicked, and struck.
Priam winced as the stinger drove into his palm. He flung the now-useless creature away and focused on the four drops of venom spreading through his veins. It felt like molten gold had been injected into his hand. Not that it was hot; it was, for lack of a better word, heavy. Metaphysically heavy.
An immense weight bloomed in his palm as a foreign will awakened there. For several long seconds, Priam felt the authority of a Tier 3 clash with his own. Then, like a vassal bowing to his sovereign, the Tier 0’s meta endurance yielded.
The scorpion’s Concept ignited, and the blood of the victim combusted.
Priam screamed.
Status:
PHYSICAL:
Strength 1 245
Constitution 2 010 (+8)
Agility 1 631
Vitality 2 046 (+7)
Perception 988
MENTAL:
Vivacity (D) 664
Dexterity 891
Memory 1 150
Willpower 1 281
Charisma 976
META:
Meta-affinity (O) 1 394
Meta-focus 880
Meta-endurance 1 530
Meta-perception 842
Meta-chance 1 089
Meta-authority 709
Potential: 34 681 (-317)
Tier 0
Sun points: 371 543 (+210)
[Tribulation]: Three Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 2 months 12 days 22 hours 49 minutes 20 seconds.
Next thresholds: 12 attributes > 900 / 3 attributes > 1 800 / 1 attribute > 2 100
Next arc already complete on Patreon if you want to find out what happens next!
/ANovelConcept