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Chapter 793 - Four traits

🕑 Added 2026-02-10 09:38:35 +0000 UTC

Comments

Sushitrash

Anything Empyrean just sounds goated and anything related to the system releasing some mass genocide quest is more than worth it. I think the can eventually recreate the effects of the Immutable Halo with [Manifestation], I wouldn't be surprised if a long time down the line the trait becomes useless replaced by the high leveled Manifestation

dwrex smile

I honestly think the parasite would be interesting. It would fight nat for it's food source, making nat stronger.

vEnviouz

I took that as Nathaniel being snarky...

on the upside

issue: just before emperian blood is described by nathaniel,the professor asks him to describe immutable halo frame

TBONEMAN

Elian probably has no interest in empyrian mana because he is a mana purist

Chawki89

I think Ichor is the choice. The only thing that leaves me with doubt is the halo frame is immaterial. At some point his body could be destroyed and he is a pure manifestation of mana. The halo frame, I feel like he may be able to hold onto some sort of form and continued control over mana until he remanifest his body.

Sauce Master

What you have chosen? Or what you've chosen?

Wallaby Vonwise

Nat's unsubtle button pushing is such an enjoyable read when you put him in front of characters that are fun to not like, like elian

Jacob Ennis-Ingerman

I think he will choose Empyrean Ichor for Five reasons. First, it has the best synergy with his existing traits by far. Second, it "generates a field within that rejects any foreign mana" and we all know mana daddy loves mana sovereignty. Third, the empyrean's were so powerful they posed a threat to the system so great it actively sought their eradication, and even in defeat they managed to "slightly damaged a small part of the system". An insane feat which hints at crazy system breaking shenanigans in the endgame, and we know Nat loves that idea. Fourth, it's the only trait with the word UNIQUE in the description and we all know unique is best. Fifth, its the only trait Elian didn't want him to take so fuck him.

Gwiddion

I agree also the trait gezzer on the 8th floor said sth about if the traits synergize it's better than a different on paper stronger trait. As he has physique and eye I feel like blood combined those into a rly good combo.

Opal

What are we talking about right now?

Gwiddion

Highly doubt he will go for lining or the parasite and only those would be rewarded. And crippling his path for short term gain is stupid.

Johnny

I love chapters like this. If he’s not mowing down challengers then this casual lore drop and broken trait selection/theorizing is almost as fun

Ahppy

He had 7 last time.

M Schweibold

Interesting analysis as Ichor in Greek mythology is the golden blood of Gods. Best take on where Cerim is headed with this trait IMO

RingoSeto

ICHOR..... blood of mana(empyrean ichor) .... body of mana(mana physique)... eye of mana(eye trait)..... heart of mana(original mana heart) by these powers combined i have become the MANA GOD(mana daddy)

M Schweibold

Does the mid-pristine factor into a decision that’s a huge payoff

Abhishek

Do u think there is a fifth choice he has not shared yet? Usually we get 5 options right? Or am i bugging

Mister Cakers

It’s what he did during the academy arc when he eventually chose manifestation. It’d be oddly fitting.

thisisniall

I feel like it's gonna be the Ichor. 2nd place Halo Frame, 3rd the Lining, last place the Parasite. Ichor feels like the pick to me, it gives some of the same potentially physical/concentration boosts as the Parasite, without the powerful counterattack/best, but he has potential ways to stack/amplify it in silly ways if he can beat Nyssa in a challenge. (stack it with primordial blood won in a challenge? That feels like the highest *potential* power synergy if we go that plot route). Since this is the highest power (and danger) pick I can 'see' for Nat in the story it feels right to me. The defense against others mana is also huge and I can see him leveraging weird combinations with this and Manifestation done right. Halo Frame feels like the 'immediate power/toolkit' pick that could open up a lot of shenanigans, it wouldn't shock me as a trait for Current Liss given her spatial abilities and insane manipulation as an 'amplifier' of what she's already good at for those floor-wide massive formations. But for Nat it might slow down his skill growth by relying more on the trait, which is really the big argument against it, as it feels like 'just have better active skills' does everything it wants to. Stomach lining has the ability to raise his total mana pool, which he doesn't have as great way to do without gaining levels. (and upgrading his mana attribute). Potentially freeing up one of his passive slots is low key good. That said, it is kinda off-brand Savant. And we've seen him care less about raw stats otherwise, and this trait is *mostly* about raw stat buffs, although with proper evolutions it feels like it could be really strong. That said the fact that it's long term 'stat gain centric' makes me feel like it's not worth the pick when we have Adrian (who can Mirror stats) as the biggest 'person I need to murder'. Parasite is physical stat boost, mana conc boost, and counterattacking. Nat dgaf about the physical stat boost and he has plenty of ways to raise them, there are other mana conc boost options, meaning the biggest value is the auto counterattck feature. Training tool is nice, but it's permanent and he's already done the long-term body sharing thing with Lioren, who was cool and not a weird parasite. Hard pass.

Kevin

From what I gather, it explicitly states all the Empyreans are dead. It also says they had a unique never again seen mutation which means Nat can’t really follow after them. I’d really love to actually see an empyrean but it’s currently sounding like that isn’t really an option.

Kevin

Honestly, I think he’s just using it as a nice fireplace. It is clearly valuable, but going off of what I remember from the negotiations for selling Nathaniel’s to Greed and diligence it isn’t anything special to people on their level.

emerad _

nah I'm pretty sure nat picked a trait while they were talking

tishane Imperial MageKiller

I think Manifestation+ Empyrean attack skill Plus Black mana is setting Nat up too put in work against the system in the future he could be his own new species with a few more body mods

tishane Imperial MageKiller

I was laughing at this one 2 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Poutine Au Syrop d'érable

The final sentence has an error: "Why don't you tell me what chosen*" error, -> what you chose, or -> what you have chosen.

RadiantSpren

Bro you could have included the next sentence lol

Ivan Jelenić

The Magi combined the Fragments into the full thing! I have a feeling that he's using it for training and as a source of power for the station and something else. He's using all those fancy thingies like runes to control it when he's not there. Also, why in space?

Ivan Jelenić

It's not a cliff yet, calm your tits.

Goof Nasty

I dont feel like it can be the Frame, Since it will lessen the burden on Nat. Nat is using the pressure to increase his focus and mana manipulation skills and which makes him more self reliant. Frame is the easy get out of jail card. So i think its the blood it has the danger element towards it self and the mystery of the Empyrean

Ivan Jelenić

The Magi combined the Fragments into the full thing! I have a feeling that he's using it for training and as a source of power for the station and something else, maybe his mana? He's using all those fancy thingies like runes to control it. Also, why in space?

Ivan Jelenić

So, foreshadowing meeting an Empyrean, possibly getting some training/information from him, and/or embracing and evolving the Empyrean way to get stronger than the System.

zoarian

BREAKING: Manifestation Stock Shooting To The Moon In a stunning display of ambition, shares of [Manifestation] skill surged 67% this morning after waking up and choosing violence against other skills. Traderthaniel is calling the move "unprecedented", "remarkable", and "honestly, I'm just guessing like everyone else". In other news, shares of Ruler of Pride [RPRD] continue to rise steadily, with no end in sight. Empyrean [EMPRN] corporation suffered a small dip but is projected to recover swiftly.

Vinnie

DAMN YOU CLIFFHANGER!

Jimbo

They were best friends! LOL!

Andrew

Thank you!

Kirin

Thank you for the chappie!

Miranoji

Okay boys, theory time. It has to be the Ichor because it's the only one that is not reliant on external things like the parasite or the gastric lines with the items, and in synergizes with his other traits already. Because at the end of the day, you know, if you slice open an eye, what's in there? Blood, right? So there might be a synergistic effect and his mana physique also, you know, has something to do with blood because the blood is in it. So it appears to me that the highest synergy level would come from the Ichor.

Nate 3000

This is a great take

TBONEMAN

After thinking about it, i think empyrean ichor is the best choice. It synergizes with his other traits best because it is a body upgrade. He has mana physique and eyes already. Mana stomache is an ok choice for eating items but he doesn't want to rely on items. He can learn to do the other stuff on his own but directly modifying his blood is completely outside his skill set.

facetiousk

Double it and give it to the next upgrade!

Kevin

It doesn’t really make any sense to hide an option at this point. You clearly don’t like the options, but I think this is what he got.

Primo

If biscuit wasn't already there, That crazy Nat could have cooked a plan choosing the parasite & bond with it down the road over their luv for mana

jobe matula

probably lol.. but I'm self aware enough to know that that's an accurate assessment of my reading ability lol.🤣

Pazl

She did but Pride was unable to kill her

jobe matula

Can someone tell me why kindness doesn't challenge pride if she wants to die.. I know it was said somewhere

Sammot

Yeah I was thinking the same thing, the others somewhat fix some of his problems, which is boring. Heading straight more into problems is the better option!

Matt Corcoran

And so we have completed chapter 2 of 15 discussing upgrade choices. I swear Nat could spend an entire week just asking and answering questions, just like any normal person.

jobe matula

I don't think he has any thing against the system tho... not really

CrypticAnon

He’s already been working on absorbing the energy of his [Empyrean Lance] so he should be able to manipulate the energy and pair it with his fragment to absorb in the future. Also Pride being repeatedly challenged reminds me of Adrian for some reason.

13L00D13ANE

I still dont believe these are all his options. There has (iirc) never been an even number of options, he hasnt gotten a *single* option for primordial energies, he didnt get a *single* option for skeleton, heart, or brain. The system expands your strengths, how is it that dude is an ABSOLUTE candidate and his 3rd and final trait options include a parasite and a halo, but not a HEART? None of this makes sense, I call BS.

Miranoji

Is it just me or did cerim just call all our reading skills abysmal..

Daniel Playford

The miracle of times zones

Dr.Awkward

Starting with his body...

Liam Zay

I'm starting to get an interesting view of Pride's version of pride. I think everyone who we have heard he killed initiated the fight so its their own pride that causes them to die, which fits with the mirror skill.

Arnon Parenti

I wonder if Elian will start a Loop just to fuck Nat's choices, if Nat walks through a different corridor do the choices change? How big does the butterfly have to be to take effect? What if he kills the helpers in one of the Loops, or creates a black mana crown before reading the options?

Arnon Parenti

This week is edging awfully close to it's end without a choice, the main reason I hate Elian so much is the is slowing everything down that you just wish the loop to end

Adrian Rake

Quite opposite. The leader of Emphyreans is Pride. 🤷🏼‍♂️ That would be a twist, wouldn’t it? 😉

Edmund Dillon

Tftc!!! Too many good options for Natty boy haha

Adrian Rake

Probably Nat will say: „I will choose the fifth trait”. The one which he didn’t mention and will keep the knowledge of it to himself. 😂

Gio

He is going to choose Empyrian Ichor. It is the trait that is the least safe, most "double down" kind of upgrade. All other choices are too reasonable.

Mister Cakers

Fuck, the way empyrean and the halo are being played off each other makes me think it’s neither and he’ll go with the gastric one.

Chase

Blood or parasite please!!!!

Abhishek

I picked Halo last chapter but i have feeling it’s going to empyrean.

jobe matula

damn how are so many people b4 me.. it's 530 am est lol.🤣

Josh Betts

I would go parasite just to kill it eventually and train if the backlash is that powerful it be amazing practice tug of war with it but deadly

John

If he selects the halo, without listening to the magi about the details of what it does, im gonna be upset. Its the perfect setup to know for once, what a trait does before selection, and he even stated, he knows a lot about it. " I’ve met someone with an Immutable Halo Frame before, and she’s been dead for a long time, so I can speak about it. I know what it does and what it allows for. "

jax rammus

John

I would start crying

Lance Beam

TFTC. Do you think Nat will avoid Empyrean Ichor because their Empyrean leader at their best failed to defeat Pride or will Nat’s pride say what an asshole, I can do better?

Adrian Rake

I knew it. Emphyrean stuff is like a virus inside the System. So, the question is: does Nat want to play by the rules? or he aims at destroying the System? 🤔🤔

AL

Still believe he is going for Halo. He has way too much stuff to stabilize

River

Ack, I was definitely sure he would choose empyrean ichor because blood mana but Manifest plus halo could be a tempting choice for him just because that's not something 'the magi' forsaw

Handholding Slut

Ichor seems cool. Maybe parasites like bg3 parasite powers?

Kyle

At this point I'm fully prepared for an alternate POV next chapter.

Vigli2020

If it was black mana it should have been censored by his submind.

Joe Woodhouse

I originally thought it will be [Empyrean Ichor], if only because everything else seems like something Nat could eventually develop on his own with System encouragement and rewards. Any by its nature Empyrean is something partially outside the System. ... but his existing Empyrean skill was offered by the system. In my head the way I resolve this is Empyrean *skills* are likely less rare and less valuable than Empyrean *traits*. It seems also in principle that correct Constructs and body reforging techniques could arrive at any of the other traits, in time.

Stoney

> why don't you tell me what you chosen?" What you have chosen? or What you chose? I prefer the former though.

Fdrugc

The parasite sounds bad cuz once he is a absolute he could probably kill champions easily anyway.

frozzi

You really think he doesn't know about black mana? Nat used it in front of who knows how many champions/absolutes in that beyond event, its not secret at all

Seijax

Bruh, what's with the gratuitous cliff? *wails to the sky*

Hardworking Guy

So parasite is out of the question, stomach too. What will it be? From the context of the last 2 paragraphs, halo frame might be what he chooses, but the Ichor just sounds so much more badass.

Arcanum

Tftc 🍻 still hoping for the ichor as any chance to fit more mana in nats body without using more of his concentration is a boon. Now we know the broken things the empyreans did, even emulating that mana trait would massively improve him going forward

Emmanuel Martinez

I bet there will be another «black mana» bit in the upcoming chapter/s when Nat does mention that ability of his to this Nerd.

Wasim Petersen

Goddamnit Cerim stop edging me!

Neoth

Hmm, it does feel like he's going to choose the Empyrean trait. Sounds sick, a way of using mana outside of the systems' norms. Fingers crossed.

Michael Williams

I mean. We dont know yet. Could still be the parasite. Imagine Nat fostering this baby parasite inside him, it would be the most powerful and best parasite in the tutorial haha. But I suspect this is not his choice. I feel either enpyrean or halo.

Konrad Pagacz

I wonder if black mana is truly that empyrean mana. Magi said that empyrean awakened mana differed from normal mana. Maybe that's the difference. Which brings me to another thought - is kindness the last living empyrean? Did she per chance see her race ultimate decline and that's why she wanted to end her life as well?