Adam swiftly navigated the hive's familiar passageways, heading towards his personal chambers. Once there, he quickly washed off the blood that had stained his hands and clothes during the ritual. The sight of the blood, now swirling down the fleshy drain, was a stark reminder of the weight of his actions.

Once he was cleaned up, he made his way back to the main staging area where he had left Stella. As he neared the area, he could hear the faint sounds of battle and the unmistakable hum of magic being cast.

As Adam rounded the corner, a scene of intense training unfolded before his eyes. Stella, armed with a delicate wand, was engaged in combat with a humanoid hive unit. Her choice of weapon was telling - she had chosen to be a spellcaster.

‘Guess she got healed’ Adam noticed Stella standing on her previously injured ankle.

Adam watched with interest as Stella summoned a magical ice bolt. It materialized in her hand, glowing with frosty energy before she flung it at her opponent. The bolt flew through the air, leaving a trail of frost in its wake, before striking the hive unit with a solid thud. The hive unit recoiled slightly, its insectoid features betraying no emotion.

Emboldened, Stella summoned another bolt, and then another. Each spell seemed to drain her energy, but she pressed on, her face set in fierce determination. Her bolts hit their mark with surprising accuracy, each impact sending a shockwave through the hive unit's chitinous body.

But after the third consecutive cast, Stella wavered, her face contorting in pain. She clutched her head, her knees buckling beneath her. Adam’s heart lurched at the sight. The mental exertion of repeatedly casting spells was clearly taking its toll on Stella.

With a rush of concern, he moved forward, his footsteps echoing in the silent training ground. The sight of his friend in distress spurred him into action.

Stella's pained grimace gradually faded as she regained some mana. Zara spoke, "Remember, you need to conserve your resources. Mana isn't limitless, and when it runs out, you'll experience symptoms like headaches and nausea. It's called mana deprivation."

Zara's stern, yet soothing voice carried on with more lessons, while Stella tried her best to listen, despite the discomfort.

At this point, Adam stepped in, brows furrowed with concern. "Are you ok Stella?"

Stella, the discomfort clearly gone now, turned to him with an infectious enthusiasm that made her eyes sparkle. "Adam, I picked the mage class! I can use spells now!" she exclaimed, her words tumbling over each other in her excitement.

Adam couldn't help but smile at her infectious joy, "That's great, Stella! So, are you ready to start hunting with me?"

But before Stella could respond, Zara interjected, "Adam, you won't be hunting with Stella."

Both Adam and Stella turned to her, confusion etched on their faces.

Zara continued, her voice holding a firm resolution, "Adam, you can't afford to spend your valuable time teaching someone else. You need to focus on leveling up as quickly as possible to stand a chance against the imminent apocalypse."

She paused, then added, "I'll assign some hive units to assist Stella."

Adam took a moment to process her words. He felt a pang of guilt, a sense of responsibility for Stella. But, understanding the logic behind Zara's words, he found himself agreeing. Yet, he couldn't help but voice a concern, "Just promise me you won't repeat what you did to me and Lancer."

"I give you my word," Zara replied instantly, "In fact, I'll assign a tier 1 unit that can communicate effectively to help Stella understand everything she needs to survive in the Dreamverse."

"Thank you, Zara," Adam nodded, appreciative of her consideration.

At Zara's signal, a hive unit approached them. “Stella, you should follow this unit. They will give you suitable gear and aid you in leveling in the nearby forest.”

Stella hesitated, looking back at Adam, but then nodded with a newfound seriousness. Adam could see the seriousness on her face, she understood the stakes and was ready to face her own challenges in the Dreamverse. She turned and followed the hive unit, disappearing into the hive.

Once Stella was out of sight, Zara turned her attention back to Adam. "You need a more challenging hunting ground, Adam. You've outleveled the forest. I recommend you head to the Ventcroft Mountains. You'll be the lowest level there, but the experience gained will be worth it."

Adam was a bit taken aback, "I thought I was going to join the war."

Zara shook her head, "Given the nature of your class, you'll need your own followers to be truly effective in combat."

"But my current combat skills aren't that bad," Adam argued.

Zara raised her hand, signaling him to let her finish. Adam nodded and allowed her to continue. "I can tell where your skills are heading. Your class is a leadership one, and it will interact significantly with your followers. By then, all your current skills will have evolved, and you'll also have the opportunity to select a new one." She began, her tone measured and thoughtful.

Adam absorbed her words, nodding again to prompt her to continue.

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She did so, "If at that point, your skills extend beyond your immediate followers, then you can consider joining the war. However, if that's not the case, we'll need to establish a more appropriate timeline for your involvement. The risk of you dying too soon isn't something we can afford. It would be a waste of the precious time you have here."

Adam mulled over her words, accepting her wisdom. "I'll head to the mountains then. But, I still need to deal with the binding stone issue."

At his words, Zara tilted her head slightly, "Binding stone issue?"

Adam explained his theory about the temporary binding stone potentially not being able to resurrect him. He most likely needed to create a tier 1 equivalent.

"What do you need to create the tier 1 binding stone?" Zara inquired.

"I'll need 50 tier 1 soul shards, or 5 soul orbs, and 100,000 dream coins," Adam responded.

Zara nodded, "I will provide these for you. This will be the only time I will offer such aid." Adam looked confused, remembering that only he could obtain soul shards due to his sacrificial knife's ability.

“Wait, you have soul shards?” Adam asked

Zara smiled, "Who said I had soul shards? I will allow you to kill 50 of my tier 1 units to gather the shards instead."

Adam was taken aback, "What about the war?"

With a dismissive wave, Zara replied, "You're more important to me than the war. I can not afford to lose you. You're not leaving the staging grounds until you've created the tier 1 binding stone."

Adam took a moment, then nodded, accepting her offer. "Alright, I'll do it. Thank you, Zara."

---

Zara spent a while selecting units that weren't crucial to the ongoing conflict, prioritizing lower-level, tier 1 troops who could be spared without weakening her forces significantly.

Adam found himself both satisfied and slightly guilty as he killed Zara's hive units. Even though they didn't fight back, their tough outer shells meant that killing them took a considerable amount of time. Often, a single hit wasn't enough to penetrate their sturdy defenses.

'If only I had a spear, it would be so much easier,' Adam mused, 'This knife just isn't doing the trick. At least [Soul-Piercing Strike I] allows me to bypass their armor, otherwise, it would have taken forever.'

As Adam fought, he took the chance to experiment with his abilities. He wondered about the length of his [Soul Severance I] ability's effects, noticing that the hive units, likely due to their obedience, seemed to be incapacitated for longer than the wolf he'd used the ability on before.

He also tested [Soul-Piercing Strike I], finding that while it allowed him to bypass the hive units' defenses, it still took several uses to defeat just one unit. This contrasted with the tier 0 wolves, who he could defeat with a single strike.

Adam felt conflicted about reducing Zara's forces but kept his concerns to himself. It annoyed him that the system regarded the tier 1 hive units as allies, resulting in him only gaining around 10% of the usual experience. He was so close to reaching level 11, just 440 XP away.

Adam toyed with the idea of sacrificing the hive units, but he quickly abandoned the idea. He didn't have a tier 1 sacrificial altar, and he wasn't sure if allies could even be sacrificed. The idea of sacrificing followers who would then come back seemed too exploitative for the system to allow, but he decided to save that question for another day.

Adam bought the common version of the tier 1 binding stone, deciding the uncommon variant was unnecessary for now. Looking at the blueprint for the binding stone, he noted it required 10 units of stone, one tier 1 dream stone, and one tier 1 soul orb.

Upon hearing this, Zara's expression fell. "The dream stone is quite valuable," she admitted, "We don't have many because they're used in so many processes. I can get you the stone units, but I'm afraid I can't provide the tier 1 soul orb."

Adam nodded, "I checked my tier 0 soul orb earlier, and I can trade 10 soul shards of a tier for a soul orb of the same tier. But, I'll need to defeat 10 more units. Is that doable?"

Zara thought for a moment before agreeing, "Okay. I'll send you another 10 hive units."

Adam wasted no time in dispatching the additional hive units, earning more than enough experience to reach level 11. But before he assigned his new attributes, he focused on creating the binding stone. Checking all the resources were present, he decided to click 'Build blueprint'.

The finished binding stone looked like an obsidian altar, similar to the temporary binding stone in the meadow. Adam placed his hand on it, ready for the next step.

*Would you like to bind to this binding stone (Tier 1)? Yes/No*

*Warning: You will change your binding point to this binding stone and will not resurrect at your previous binding point*

Without hesitation, Adam clicked ‘Yes’.

A strange, fleeting sensation coursed through his head, like a gust of wind sweeping through a hollow tunnel.

*You are now bound to this binding stone*

*Would you like to name this binding stone? Yes/No*

"Yes," Adam said aloud. After considering for a moment, he chose the name 'Ventcroft Hive Stone.' He thought that the distinct name would make it easier for him to identify his resurrection point in the future.

With his level-up came the chance to upgrade a new skill. Adam pondered over his options, finally settling on [Sprint]. He felt the need for a movement ability, something that will allow him to escape in unfavorable fights, he needed to stay mobile in the mountains to have the best chance of success.

Upon selecting [Sprint], the skill transformed into [Aura of Alacrity I]. Intrigued, Adam quickly checked the skill's description to understand its properties.

[Aura of Alacrity I] (Common)(Tier 1): This ability replaces [Sprint]. Your presence exudes an aura of spiritual energy, empowering you and your allies with enhanced speed and reflexes. You and your allies become swift and agile, able to swiftly navigate the battlefield and react with heightened precision.

Skill Upgrade Mission: You and your allies must travel at least 1 mile with this skill (0/1). Reward: [Aura of Alacrity II]

Next, he allocated his newly gained attribute points, deciding to put all four into Charisma. He scanned his updated stats, noticing the effects of his choice.

Feeling ready for a new challenge, Adam set his mind on hunting. He was keen to see how he'd fare against tier 1 awakened beings that actually put up a fight.

"I think it's time for me to do some hunting," he announced to Zara. "I'm going to go eat, then prepare for my journey into the mountains. Can I get a lift there?"

Zara nodded in approval. "Good luck, Adam."

With a determined nod, Adam ventured into the hive, his thoughts already swirling around the trials he knew lay ahead in the mountains. The ticking clock of his time in the Dreamverse echoed in the back of his mind, reminding him to seize every moment before facing the daunting task of revealing the truth to his family.

A pang of worry for their safety tugged at his heart, but he pushed it aside, reminding himself that at this moment, there was little he could do to protect them.

Unseen by him, Zara reached out and gently stroked the obsidian binding stone he'd just created. Her voice was barely above a whisper as she murmured, "Soon."