A Novel Concept

Perk obtained!
[Mirror of the Soul]

Priam stopped. He hadn't received a perk in a long time. The first was a race perk, [Humanity adapts], which all humans received. The second was his reward for finishing the Tutorial first out of all the new civilizations captured by the Concepts. [He Who Eludes Death] was extremely powerful, but he had done an incredible feat to get it.

Perks were on the borderline of passive skills and titles. They did not give attributes, Potential, or Trees of Merit. They also did not gain levels, but they could evolve. They were rare, and Priam did not know that Potential could create them. If that's the case, I must rethink my future skills. A good perk can be so much more helpful... How useful is this one?

[Mirror of the Soul - Bronze] - In the center of your mental space is now a pond, and its water purifies your soul. As you approach the shore, you contemplate your naked reflection. The pond does not reflect lies.

Who are you? Lean in and look at the truth. Sweet or hurtful, don't be Narcissus or Dorian Gray. To accept your identity is to move forward.

Priam closed his eyes and called his perk. The seat of his imagination was a floating island in the middle of a sea of clouds. Each of them was one of his dreams. The clear pond in the middle of the island caught his eye. He approached it in thought and, without thinking further, leaned over. He saw himself unshaven, smiling, and in chains.

The reflection did not lie. It was a metaphor for the soul. Priam instinctively understood his vision. He was unshaven because he was less sociable than before. He was smiling because he was proud of his actions and his record. He could have done better and knew it, but he hadn't crumbled or run away from adversity. He had faced mutant spiders and champions. Today, he was stronger than ever and proud of himself. But he was chained. A golden chain, linking his limbs, represented the Concepts. It seemed impossible to break, and Priam knew it would certainly still be there a hundred years from now. Fortunately, it didn't hinder his movements.

But two other chains existed. An iron chain around his neck represented his own thoughts. He felt he was not free, so he was not free.

More ominously, a silver chain was connected to the back of his skull. It seemed half ethereal, and Priam immediately knew he had been manipulated. It's barely tangible at the moment. It must be from Elysium. Is one of my rivals controlling me? A local, maybe? I'll have to be careful and find a way to resist.

Priam had goosebumps. The perk was already showing its usefulness. Without it, he would never have noticed a third party manipulating him until he was in a terrible place. Now that he knew that, he could find a solution. At worst, I'll spend some Potential to become resistant to this kind of manipulation... I'll think about it before I go back to Elysium.

Priam opened his eyes again. He was pleased with his new ability. Sacrificing 80 points of Potential seemed like a lot, but now he could make sure that his mental state was optimal and that he wasn't being manipulated. For a man who craved freedom, this was invaluable.

"Resource plundering seems to make you smile."

Priam's gaze lingered on Claire. She had already worn her clothes, and with her wet hair, she looked pretty.

"I'd say more like I've got this hot spring secured." he joked.

"Let me guess, you used to work in a Western museum?" retorted Claire.

"I... No, I was a science student. But this pond doesn't belong to anyone that I know of. There are no inhabitants on the moon."

"Tell that to Neil Armstrong. Or to the previous owner, who you turned into bacon."

"I love bacon, what can I say? I'll share with Neil if he's disappointed he can't find his favorite hot spring." Priam stood up, "Enough with the jokes, let's go find some more nice humans to question!"

Claire laughed. "Sure, but a word of advice anyway: you'd be more believable if you wore boxers, you know?"

Priam looked down. He had removed his loincloth before diving into the water. He was now naked, and his loincloth was ruined. He began to blush.

"Um, give me two minutes to cover me with two or three leaves." Priam didn't want to be simply naked under his new cape. That would have given him an exhibitionist look...

Priam turned sharply to hide his shame - and everything else. Looking up at the trees, he let out an expletive as Claire threatened to fall to the ground laughing.

The grove surrounding them was made of conifer. I wonder if my constitution will prevent me from pricking my buttocks with these needles...

Everywhere on the surface of this new Moon, domes had been created by the System. Like mushrooms, they had appeared the same morning. These walls sheltered a little less than two-thirds of humanity. Safe from the beasts, but not from the men.

Outside these protective walls, the rest of the Tutorial survivors had decided to fight. Their second test was underway, and too many of them couldn't seem to make the grade. To survive, the best solution seemed to be to band together...

Several hours later, as the sun remained at its zenith - on the Moon it was day for 14.75 days then night for the same duration - Priam and Claire neared the end of their tour of the dome. They had decided that the easiest way to learn about the threat to be eliminated was to find something out of context.

In those few hours, Priam had eliminated about a hundred corrupted beasts and collected about thirty cores. He didn't know if any of the cores would be useful later, but he didn't want to risk leaving them behind. Perhaps they would open a passageway to the dome after eliminating the threat? Or maybe he could trade them for resources?

After much hesitation, Priam had also decided to wear the clothes of a man whose corpse they had come across. The idea disgusted him, but he didn't want to stay almost naked until... He didn't even know where he could get real clothes.

While running, Priam observed his progress.

Lvl Up: [Athletics] lvl 13
AGI + 1
Lvl Up: [Art of Movement] lvl 9
AGI +1
PERC +1
DEXT +1

Running slowly so as not to lose Claire had been helpful. Learning to walk isn't just about running, and Priam took advantage of the slow pace to concentrate on his technique.

Just as he was getting impatient with the lack of novelty, Priam heard a call. Too weak to understand the message. Stopping abruptly, thanks to his skill, he turned to Claire.

"Did you hear?"

"Hmm?" gasped Claire. Exhausted, she was unable to speak.

Priam reached out and frowned as he concentrated. With his inhuman perception, he was able to feel the minute vibrations in the air and decode them even when a sound was made at a great distance. But the call he heard did not vibrate his eardrums. The sound seemed to come from ahead of them. Priam was intrigued. A clue?

"Magic? A skill? Let's find out."

The closer he got to the call, the more distinctly he heard it. Finally, the sound became distinct.

"Gathering of fighters. Information on the threat. Gathering of fighters..."

The call went round and round. As Priam got closer, he realized the signal's range was significant. They had been running for several minutes when they spotted lights through the mist.

In front of them was a makeshift camp. Hundreds of people were gathered around a promontory. Behind the base, the beginning of a white cottonwood forest could be seen.

Mixed groups of two to ten people surrounded fires and warmed themselves. Some were chatting, others were resting, and Priam even thought he saw a couple enjoying a passionate moment... As they reached the level of the crowd, a muscular woman in her thirties came up to their level and began to speak in English.

"Hello. Can you understand me?"

"Yes," said Priam. They had decided to let him speak.

"Perfect. I'm Jessica, one of the Amazons - the group of female warriors and huntresses, not the company. If you heard a mental call, it was from one of us. The rest are fighters like you. You're late. It's impressive that you've managed to survive alone so far. Are you injured?"

"Hello Jessica. I'm Priam, and this is Claire. We are not injured but slightly tired and quite hungry. Why do you say we're late? What are you doing here?"

"Good for you. There's roast boar if you want to eat. Why do I say that you are late... Let's just say it's pretty easy to estimate how many fighters must have arrived near the dome. We sent a team with an Amazon tracker to approach the survivors, but you're coming in on the wrong side. The team will surely return soon with the last of the fighters. The corrupted beasts are too strong to fight without help, so we are gathering to share our information."

Priam thought grouping was a good idea when you couldn't defend yourself alone. Most people here must not have had a talent as valuable as his. When one mistake means death, that's one mistake too many.

"Okay. We had to kill a lot of animals. Mostly boars and a few dogs."

"And you're not hurt? Impressive. Honestly, you were lucky. The worst part is the cats. They camouflage themselves and attack you by surprise when you least expect it. Fortunately, the boss is a dog."

The information alerted Priam.

"The boss?"

As Jessica prepared to answer, another woman approached. Also in her thirties, with a pale complexion framed by blond hair and a generous smile, she nodded to Jessica before answering.

"A boss, yes. We think the threat the System is talking about is a titanic dog a few miles from here. We sent teams to scout the area, and those who ventured in that direction never returned. Finally, an Amazon who specializes in stealth went to check it out. Apparently, the monster is sleeping at the entrance of a cave. A quest appears when you get close. Pretty suspicious, no?" She held out her hand. "My name is Anne, leader of the Amazons."

Clenching her outstretched hand, Priam replied.

"Priam, nice to meet you. Yes, a dog on the moon is rather suspicious. What exactly are you planning to do?"

Anne began to laugh.

"Kill it, of course! There are almost two hundred exceptional fighters here. With the last of them due to arrive, we'll have plenty of capacity to trap this beast and safely kill it. One of my girls spotted a perfect place to ambush it in the middle of the white cottonwoods. A natural pit that we are trapping right now. Once we take down this threat, we can finally return to our families in the dome." Anne looked at Priam with a smile. "You look strong enough. Are you in?"

Exceptional fighters? Priam couldn't help but be slightly contemptuous. Most of the men and women gathered were indeed talented. To choose to fight in the Tutorial was to want to become strong. Some had been in combat sports, and others were former military. Most of the dreamers, ordinary people who imagined themselves to be gods, had unfortunately died in the Tutorial. But not all of them. Not me.

But to call them exceptional fighters was going a bit far. His perception told him that very few of them should have physical characteristics higher than 30. Their movements were too jerky, for one thing. They still looked like humans, whereas Priam was already moving like a predator.

On the other hand, he had noticed some men shaking as they lifted a boar corpse to cook it. To struggle to lift eighty kilograms did not indicate great strength. Although I wonder how many hide their true power...

"We're not too bad, yes. Count us in. When do we leave?" said Priam with a smile. He didn't feel like smiling, but people always preferred a smile, whether before or after the Tutorial- even a fake one.

"I love that spirit! We leave in an hour. Some of us are finalizing the ambush, and others are getting ready by mixing poisons. Feel free to look around the camp. You might find some interesting things."

"Like underwear, for example," Jessica laughed.

Priam glanced in the direction of the laughing Amazon. She had seen through his clothes, and he wondered how her skill worked. Even if her ability was useful for checking for hidden weapons, he wasn't sure he liked that anyone could see him naked.

"Very well." Priam took his leave with Claire. A few minutes later, Claire spoke up as they wandered through the crowd looking for interesting conversations.

"'Not too bad'? Are you underestimating yourself, or do you not want her to notice you too much?" the young woman whispered.

Priam was looking at the floor display of a warrior who seemed to be selling venom to be applied. Useful for weakening or killing hard-to-hurt prey.

"I don't trust her. The three bandits we met earlier are here. Honestly, we were accepted too easily, without really questioning. Besides, considering how difficult it is to kill these beasts, do you really think they'll defeat this boss without effort? No, I think it's going to be a bloodbath. And I think it's on purpose." replied Priam, his face dark.

"Done on purpose? To grab a bigger piece of the loot?"

"Claire, we saw the reward for beating the giant boar. It was barely a mini-boss. From what I saw in the Tutorial and after, the System rewards us for pushing our limits. If this Boss is as deadly as I think it is, the reward will be commensurate with the sacrifice of these men and women. If Anne is not stupid, she is gathering these people as human shields. The problem is that those people are not thinking right. They refuse to see the reality. They want their families back and think there are enough people to protect them. ‘People will die but not me’. Foolish reasoning. If you want to come, stay in the back, okay?"

Claire nodded silently. Priam was a pessimist, but not having much hope kept him from losing it.

"How much for asp venom?" he asked the warrior. Coating his spear tip with venom could be the key to some fights.

"Five cores, dude." The man smiled.

Priam frowned. The merchant sensed that Priam was not experienced and intended to take advantage of this. If there was one thing he appreciated about the modern western capitalist world, it was that you no longer haggled to buy tomatoes at the supermarket. The price was fixed. The waste of time and his lack of interest in this kind of discussion meant he was not patient.

"Three cores." tried Priam.

"5 cores. I risked my life to master this snake at the end of the Tutorial, after all! Let me tell you, it is extremely lethal, I only offer quality, and it is the centerpiece of my humble stall."

As if you were going to tell me that your venom was as useful as a non-alcoholic beer. Why do merchants advertise their products when everyone knows they are not objective? While Priam was already annoyed with the vendor, Claire stepped forward.

"Let me do it. In my family, we know how to do business."

Priam smiles. "Okay." You always need someone smaller than you.

Claire gave him a suspicious look. Whenever he had a silly thought, women seemed to sense it. I'm pretty sure they can read my mind...

Not far away, a kitten was watching the bipeds. Larger than a tiger, the System had kept its kitten-like proportions. The result was as cute as deadly.

The mist did not stop its gaze. It was at home here. When the dog was guarding the dome, the kitten went hunting. Attracted by the large number of humans, it blinked. Their familiar smell was delicious. But some... some didn't smell human. The cat stood up. It was just a kitten in an adult body and knew it still had much to learn. It would just have to open the strange humans to check...

With a supple gait, Némea the kitten moved away. Its instinct told it to wait. It would soon have a chance to play with the bipeds. Behind it, eight human corpses lay half-bitten or clawed. None of them had time to draw a weapon.

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

PHYSICAL:
Strength 62
Constitution 78
Agility 94
Vitality 113
Perception 68

MENTAL:
Vivacity 78
Dexterity 52
Memory 30
Willpower 48
Charisma 40

META:
Meta-affinity 8
Meta-focus 20

Potential: 73
Tier 0