Cult shop

As Adam opened the [Cult] tab, a plethora of information and features filled his vision.

Cult name: Immortal Dream Cult

Cult type: Undying soul

Level: 10 (Tier 1)

Cult progression: 0%

Leader: Adam Emmanuel-Amin

As he delved deeper, he found a series of features that he could manipulate. The [Cult Shop], [Cult Management], and [Cult Resources] were all accessible, promising a myriad of opportunities. However, some sections within the [Cult] tab were grayed out, indicating they were currently locked or inaccessible.

A sense of fascination welled up within him as he saw the different aspects of his cult. His curiosity was piqued by the extensive capabilities at his disposal in the [cult] tab. He wondered what else his cult allowed him to do.

Adam contemplated the depth of the [Cult] tab, finding it astonishingly similar to running an actual organization. 'Maybe this talent isn't as bad as I initially thought,' he mused, his perspective slowly shifting. He'd been granted an epic Tier 1 class, a weapon yielding potent abilities, and even immortality for him and his followers. For a rank E talent, it was proving to be quite impressive.

Yet, despite the many advantages it offered, he still harbored a few reservations. 'Why am I forced to use this sacrificial knife in combat? I know it's my talent's weakness but it feels awkward using it,' he pondered. 'And why does it have to be labeled as a "cult"? Couldn't it have been named something less ominous, like "Immortal Organization"?'

Brushing these minor qualms aside, Adam delved deeper into the [Cult Management] section. Here, he discovered he could set ranks and view his followers' information. Currently, his only follower is Stella. Her details were listed as Level 1, Tier 0. Alongside her name was a peculiar statistic labeled 'Devotion.' Puzzled, Adam clicked on the attribute, revealing a note that read,

*This follower produces 0 Devotion. They must choose their class before they can produce devotion.*

Adam scratched his head, unsure of what Devotion entailed. However, he decided to revisit this detail later, recognizing that understanding every aspect of his Cult would require time and exploration. For now, he wanted to explore the other features his talent had in store for him.

Eagerly, Adam's eyes darted over to the [Cult Shop]. His heart fluttered with anticipation, but he forced himself to refocus. 'One thing at a time,' he told himself and clicked on [Cult Resources] instead, promising to explore the shop later.

In the resources tab, a lot was still locked away, shown in grey to signal it wasn't ready for use. Only two resources were available - Devotion and Soul Shards.

Feeling curious, Adam clicked on the Soul Shards resource. It showed different tiers of soul shards, and he saw five at Tier 0. He clicked on it and a message popped up, asking if he wanted to pull out a Tier 0 Soul Shard. He agreed, and a small, purple crystal appeared in his hand. Even though it was tiny, it felt important, like a piece of something bigger.

Stella watched with wide eyes as Adam pulled the purple crystal out of nowhere.

"What's that?" she asked, curious.

"A soul shard. I don't re—"

*Noticed synergy between Soul Shard and Soul Sovereign class. Calculating…*

*Would you like to exchange Soul Shard (Tier 0) for Sacrificial Points?*

Adam looked at the crystal, then at Stella. "It's a resource for my class I guess."

Stella moved closer, her eyes glued to the small crystal. "How did you... make it just appear like that?"

Adam chuckled lightly, "I can pull stuff from my system. I'll show you how to do something similar soon."

Knowing he had four more shards, Adam decided to accept the exchange.

As soon as he confirmed, the purple crystal phased into his hand and disappeared. Surprised, Adam shook his hand as if to shake off the crystal. Stella gasped, stepping back in shock. "Adam!" she cried out, sounding worried.

*+1 Sacrificial Point*

"I'm okay, Stella," he reassured her, showing his hand. "It was a bit of a surprise, but it didn't hurt or anything. It's just another weird thing to attribute to the Dreamverse."

His hand felt normal, no sign of the crystal. He checked it over, expecting to find something left from the crystal. When he found nothing, he sighed in relief. His new abilities brought a lot of surprises, but each new thing he learned brought him closer to understanding his new role as the Dream Child and leader of the Immortal Dream Cult.

Adam decided to check his status.

Name: Adam Emmauel-Amin

Age: 8

Race: Human (Earthling)

Title/s: Dream child, Awakened

Trait/s: Immortal, Sole Weapon Bond

Talent: Immortal Dream Cult

Health points (HP): 310/310

Stamina points (SP): 280/280

Mana points (MP): 160/160

Sacrificial point (SCP): 1

Class: Soul Sovereign (Tier 1)

Level: 10

Xp to next level: 9962

Attributes:

Strength: 28

Dexterity: 28

Constitution: 31

Endurance: 28

Intelligence: 16

Wisdom: 20

Charisma: 22

Attributes available: 4

Skills:

[Soul-Piercing Strike I] (Common)(Tier 1)

[Sprint] (common) (Tier 0)

[Ritual mastery I] (Common)(Tier 1)

[Soul Severance I] (Common)(Tier 1)

[Light armor proficiency] (common) (Tier 0)

[Battle Cry] (common) (Tier 0)

[Whirlwind] (common) (Tier 0)

[Charge] (common)(Tier 0)

He noticed a substantial change in his status. He had gained a new title, 'Awakened', which not only gave him the perks of an awakened being but also added a hundred years to his lifespan. As much as he appreciated the idea of living longer, the thought of outliving his loved ones was troubling. He knew he had to ensure they level up quickly, to increase their lifespan, so they could spend as much time together as possible.

His stats had also seen a substantial increase, thanks to the bonus stats from his 'Dream Child' title and from his class.

He saw that he had four attribute points to spend. After considering his options, he decided to invest all of them into Charisma, thinking it would serve him well as a cult leader.

Charisma: 22 > 26

Attributes available: 4 > 0

As Adam scrolled through his status, his eyes landed on the experience required for the next level. He quickly did some mental arithmetic and his expression soured. It appeared he had only gained a total of 38 experience from defeating those wolves. He double-checked the system messages for confirmation.

*You have slain [Wolf, Level 7] - You have received reduced experience for killing an enemy below your level, 7xp rewarded* x2

*You have slain [Wolf, Level 8] - You have received reduced experience for killing an enemy below your level, 8xp rewarded* x3

Adam couldn't help but grimace. "Wow, that's a big drop in experience. The system is really pushing me to fight stronger enemies." He had anticipated some reduction in experience for defeating weaker enemies, but the actual drop was much steeper than he had thought.

His eyes then drifted to his single sacrificial point. As of yet, he didn't have any features or abilities that interacted with it. Deciding it was time to explore more of his system, he opened up the [Cult Shop] tab, eager to see its contents and what resources he had access to.

As Adam opened the shop interface, he was instantly bombarded with a sea of choices. The display was filled with various items, from relics and building plans to altars, potions, and elixirs. His eyes widened at the sight of the impressive assortment. However, everything above tier 1 was locked, making their names and descriptions a mystery to him.

Although he was excited by the items and their potential benefits, Adam was quickly brought back to reality by their price tags. The majority of the items demanded resources like devotion, soul shards, and even something bizarrely named 'Sanctified Skull of a Zealot.' He sighed, knowing he couldn't acquire such a resource any time soon.

Instead of lamenting what he couldn't afford, Adam decided to focus on what he could. He had no devotion to spend, and he couldn't purchase items requiring tier 1 soul shards. That left him with a select few options that required only tier 0 soul shards and dream coins. He scanned through these options:

Altar of Resurrection (Common)(Tier 0): This stone is imbued with potent necromantic energy, capable of resurrecting fallen Tier 0 cultists. When a cultist dies, their essence is bound to the stone, and through a ritual performed by the Soul Sovereign or a designated ritualist, the stone can bring them back to life immediately, this stone has 50 charges (0/50). The stone can be recharged with sacrificial energy or other vital resources to maintain its resurrection capabilities. Price: 50 soul shards(Tier 0), 12000 dream coins.

Binding stone (Common)(Tier 0): The Binding Stone is a mystical artifact that allows up to 50 Tier 0 cultists to bind their souls to its essence, ensuring their eventual resurrection in the event of death. Bound cultists respawn at the same Binding Stone they bound their souls to, but if it's unavailable or destroyed, they will respawn at another active Binding Stone owned by the cult. If no Binding Stones are available, the cultist will be unable to respawn and a new Binding Stone must be created. Price: 50 soul shards(Tier 0), 10000 dream coins.

Sacred Sacrificial Ritual Scroll (Common)(Tier 0): This Scroll is an ancient parchment, adorned with intricate symbols and inscriptions, guiding the Soul Sovereign and his followers in sacred sacrificial rituals. It provides detailed instructions on which components are required based on the sacrificial target and how to prepare the sacrifice. If all conditions are satisfied the sacrificial ritual becomes sacred giving vastly increased rewards. Price: 2 soul shards(Tier 0), 3000 dream coins.

Altar of Sacrificial Rites (Common)(Tier 0): A foreboding altar designed for the solemn practice of sacrificial rituals. It amplifies the potency of sacrifices, increasing the rewards slightly. Price: 2 soul shards(Tier 0), 10000 dream coins.

Adam considered these options, weighing their benefits and costs carefully.

While the items in the shop weren't costly in terms of soul shards, they did put a serious dent in his dream coin savings. To stock up on soul shards, Adam knew he'd need to hunt more beasts in the forest. He felt a pang of guilt at the thought—after all, he'd already wiped out a fair share of goblins in the past few days. But his survival was at stake.

Adam glanced at his dream coin balance, which sat at 22,760. The majority of these coins came from his victory over Steelhoof. Being a tier 1 creature, the boar had provided a substantial reward, especially since Adam had been tier 0 at the time of the battle. Plus, he'd managed to avoid death, preserving his hard-earned coins.

The Binding Stone caught his attention. It shared a name with the Temporary Binding Stone that he'd been using. He wondered what made that stone temporary. He decided to investigate it further and to acquire the tier 1 version to ensure his resurrection point, just in case the temporary stone failed him.

The Sacred Sacrificial Ritual Scroll was tempting, but Adam held off on the purchase. He needed an altar first to perform any sacrifice. He purchased the Altar of Sacrificial Rites, spending 2 soul shards and 10,000 dream coins.

*Unlocked [Cult Blueprints]*

*Received [Altar of Sacrificial Rites] blueprint*

He checked this new feature and saw the requirements to create the altar: 3 units of wood, 100 ml of tier 0 blood, and 1 tier 0 soul shard. He scratched his head, wondering how he could obtain units of wood. He decided to consult Zara back at the hive.

Adam's planning was interrupted by Stella's fearful voice. "Adam, the wolf is starting to move again!"

He glanced over at the wolf. It had been about five minutes since he'd used [Soul Severance I], and the beast was only now regaining mobility. He wondered how long he could incapacitate tier 1 enemies with this skill. As he added another thing to check to his growing mental to-do list, he sighed and turned back to the wolf.

"No rest for the wicked," he said to the trembling creature. "Stay still, I have a lot planned for you."