Entry 3
Sphinx is back, and it no longer feels like the universe will collapse if I don’t push myself at a breakneck pace. For a long ti, I was like a car without brakes, barreling down a rutted road flanked by cliffs, shrouded in a dense fog. It felt as though the world was conspiring against —everything was a threat, and I had no way of seeing what lay ahead. To survive, I gripped the wheel tightly, embraced the System, and seized every opportunity to improve.
It wasn’t the intensity that bothered ; it was the lack of a plan. Now that I can chart my own course, I have to make it count.
As I write this, I hear cheers. Sphinx just swiped two skewers from Blueberry while Moonie kept him distracted. The bear grumbles, but I’m pretty sure he anticipated losing a couple of extra skewers. Oasis is a place of celebration, and this festive atmosphere puts my mind at ease. Even if I don’t always have ti to join in, it’s enough to know those close to are happy.
That’s why I can’t let up. My instincts scream that the System isn’t done with yet.
… I’m almost surprised to admit it, but I don’t mind. No, it actually excites . I’d have sold my soul to access the System before the Tutorial, and I’d still do it today.
Maybe I need to dance with Death to truly feel alive.
Entry 4
Chance, the manipulation of Concepts, and my own choices have left well-equipped to ascend to the Zenith—or at least, that’s how it seems. Kinetic control, spear, mist, fire, and resistances… those are my cards now. Amassing more won’t help conquer my Tribulations; I need to strengthen what I already have. The priority is clear: temper my body.
The hologram that serves as my ntor has told everything he can, but I sense his limitations—bound by oaths... and fears. So topics seem taboo, and I’m nearly certain he projects his own anxieties onto .
Is he afraid that I might choose, as he did, to join the Depths?
The lack of spoon-fed information bothered at first, but I’ve made peace with it. Maybe it’s for the best. Despite his forr status, my ntor was only the Prince of a minor branch of a mythical clan. I don’t want faulty guidance to stifle my growth.
“He didn’t know it was impossible, so he did it.” That phrase makes want to aim for the sun; worst case, I’ll land among the stars. Last night, while gazing at the firmant, I pondered the best skills to combine with Heavenly Dragon and thought about mimicking the universe. With a physique inspired by the Seven Great Concepts, I’d have no weaknesses.
For that, I need seven trophies, seven ideal resistances, and seven brutal trials to temper them… It’s a project of titanic proportions, but I have ti to prepare.
I feel like a d student before their first operation—I want to know exactly what I’m doing.
Entry 5
I’ve been researching the nature of a resistance and how it differs from a typical skill.
The first thing I’ve confird is that they are passive; I don’t need to activate them or even think about them for them to protect . By cross-referencing data from [Diagnosis], my genetic knowledge, and various descriptions, I understand why.
A resistance alters the body, the geno, and the aetheric code—whatever that ans. So even affect the mind, the spirit, and potentially the soul. It isn’t just a rune inscribed on one of my soul’s layers, replicated throughout my cells; it’s a mutation of the user.
(Added in the margin.) This explains why humanity's racial Talent is so powerful. By increasing our adaptability, it accelerates positive mutations, and thus, the acquisition of resistances. Thanks to [He Who Eludes Death], I’ve managed to acquire twenty-five resistances. In comparison, Kazuki has only eight.
Conversations with the other residents of Oasis helped develop a theory: a resistance defends the user against an influence perceived as harmful.
For the body, that’s straightforward: if a disease kills my cells, only the ones that survive will multiply, eventually creating a resistance with the System’s help. For the mind, it’s more complicated. As a side effect, [Free Will] seems to strengthen my desire for freedom, but is that all? Every experience shapes my ego, but am I comfortable with the idea that the System might do the sa?
I also learned that the source of a resistance’s creation doesn’t necessarily co from outside. This morning, Myuri revealed that she possesses [Fear Resistance] and [Sha Resistance]. Respectively, these abilities dampened her terror and allowed her to obey degrading orders when she was still under Esmée’s brother’s control.
Despite the rage that rises in as I write this, I can’t help but wonder. Just how much can one reshape themselves using the System?
Entry 6
The first gate of Heavenly Dragon will be founded on [Ciphered Record], an ideal legendary resistance. It will symbolize Order, one of the Seven Great Concepts, as it shrouds my identity—my place in this reality. The core of the second Terror, a draconic Tier 1 Prince capable of evading any form of identification, will make the perfect trophy, and a sentence from my ntor gave the idea for a trial capable of tempering it.
Waves eighty, ninety, and all from ninety-five onward deserve an Achievent.
The residents of Sector Hope are too fearful to watch in Elysium. However, the Moon isn’t as well-guarded. Millions, perhaps billions, of users ready to scry are an opportunity too good to pass up. There, I can begin my tempering.
Using their voyeuristic tendencies to strengthen my privacy… I relish the irony.
—Excerpt from Priam’s journal.
600 / 6 attributes > 900 / 1 attribute > 1 200
Next arc already complete on Patreon if you want to find out what happens next!
spatreon/ANovelConcept
Reviews
All reviews (0)