Chapter 496: Merits
Before, while Sylas was fighting Grin, he had felt that something was off. The Arctic Emperor Cobra had died too easily, and he could feel something particularly sinister coming from the dagger.
However, he had also felt that it was odd that the dagger didn't do the same thing to him when it pierced into his neck. Back then, he had dismissed it, thinking that it was because Grin hadn't used the Skill on him in order to maximize his stealth.
But when Sylas swallowed the Arctic Emperor Cobra's Transmutated Pill, he felt that it was lacking something he couldn't put his finger on. The healing effects weren't nearly as strong as they should have been, as though it was also missing something.
Then he thought about Wills and how both Seeds seemed to require his telekinesis to activate...
Finally, he came to a guess.
'This Seed is forcefully stealing something like vitality from those it attacks; that should be what it's trying to suction in. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but it's likely Will-related, or hidden within the same layer my Rune Soul resides in...
'When I fought Grin the second time, he was much weaker than I remember, and I don't think that's just because of injuries. He should have used a sacrifice-type Skill in order to escape that likely came at a heavy cost. If not for the fact it looked like I was on my last legs, he wouldn't have taken the risk to attack.
'But I also noticed that his dagger was feeding him something that was helping him restore himself as well...'
Sylas put two and two together and came to a realization. The Gluttony Seed could enhance the power of his telekinesis, and it seemed that the Greed Seed could use his telekinesis to rip something quite important away from people.
As for exactly what that was, Sylas still wasn't sure. But he found it ironic that Greed was doing the devouring here, while Gluttony... well, it was hard to say if it was in line with its name at all.
It made Sylas feel that he was still underestimating Gluttony greatly. What about it was he missing?
Sylas stood to his feet. Because he had slept, there were barely three hours now until the three-day grace period was over, and many of his plans had been ruined.
It was impossible for him to take out two more System Cities and Ragnar's city in that time.
However, if he had to prioritize one, it would certainly have to be Ragnar's city... if he could make it in time.
But first, he had to cut himself free of this System City.
...
Sylas found himself standing in a familiar location. It was the place where the City Stele of the System City was housed.
The waters down below were just as calm as before, and there was a certain coolness in the air that made one feel somehow both comfortable and hesitant. It was almost like it was trying to trick you into a false sense of security.
[City Conquered]
[Do you want to displace city?]
[Yes][No]
[Yes]
[Yes Selected]
[You are a City Lord. Do you want to keep this City Stele? Or would you like to sacrifice it for <???> Free Experience?]
Sylas paused. Something about this felt... off.
It was like he was standing on the edge of a cliff, but he didn't see the endless plunge waiting for him as his foot hovered above the black abyss.
[What happens if you use a System City for Free Experience?]
[You will earn a Demerit.]
Sylas fell into a calm silence once again. It was as he expected; the System Cities truly weren't simple.
[What does it mean to earn a Demerit?]
[Should you have Merits, you will lose one depending on the level of the offense. Should you have no Merits capable of offsetting your Demerits, you will lose them all and enter the negative. In such a situation, you will be Cursed by the System. You will be at a disadvantage during Quicktime Events, spontaneous Quests will be less likely to choose you, and Dungeons will have an uptick in danger.]
Sylas' gaze flickered.
[What are the levels of Merits?]
[From Lowest to Highest]
>[Hollow Merits - ✩: These are quasi merits, usually gained through the killing of soon-to- be threats to the safety of a world. These include Quasi King Beasts, Dungeons on the verge of Breaking, or misaligned Aether Plane to World connections.]
>[Merits - *: This is the first level of True Merit. This is given to those that deal with a True threat to a world. This includes outside interference, King Beasts, Broken Dungeons, so on
and so forth...]
>[Bronze Merit::...]
>[Silver Merit: : ...]
There was no explanation of Bronze and Silver Merits. Sylas could tell that his Madness Key wanted far more Genes in order to give him a proper explanation.
It was truly starting to get more Greedy.
Sylas couldn't help but wonder if this was related to the Greed Seed or not... After all, the creation of his Gluttony Seed came from the Madness Key. With the creation of this new Seed, it wasn't foolish to believe that there was some connection...
[How many Merits do I lose for turning a System City Stele into Free Experience?]
[A Hollow Demerit]
Sylas' gaze flickered. This was definitely worth it. He was already ahead, and it was unlikely that Lauren would catch up to him any time soon. Although his lead looked small, how rare were these so-called Quasi King Beasts?
Plus, he had a feeling that most True Merits would need to be gathered off Earth. Due to the time dilation involved, it would be a long time before anyone could gather a second. Maybe this was why Lauren hadn't been heard of since she disappeared from Castle Main.
But the real question was... why was this worth a Demerit?
The obvious answer was that the System City was a safety valve for Earth. One conquered and
distilled to Experience was one less they would have...
But... Sylas knew it had to be deeper than that.
When he got the answer, his eyes narrowed.